My Second Lace Shawl

I just love knitting lace.  I made a shawl earlier in the year while taking the online course, Mastering Lace Shawls at Craftsy.com with instructor Laura Nelkin.  Once I finished, I immediately began a second shawl from the same course.  I just finished it this week and I love it.

I ended up running out of yarn with only a tiny section of binding off left to do.  I had made a gauge swatch and really shouldn't have run out of yarn...but I did.  I went back to the yarn store where I had purchased the yarn hoping that they would still have some of it.  They didn't.  In fact, the shop owner told me that she had sold the last skein the day before I went in.  *sigh*  She told me they would be getting more in but wouldn't be putting an order in until the end of July! So, I ended up ordering online from Jimmy Beans wool and was completely satisfied with my purchase.  It came quickly and, believe it or not it, was the same dye lot.    I think it took me longer to wind the yarn than it did to finish knitting the shawl.

Jenna (6) and Emma (9) were my yarn winding helpers.  Jenna held the yarn the entire time.Emma came over to help unwind it for me when we were almost done so I could just wind it without stopping. 433 yards of winding by hand! One of the advantages of buying yarn in a shop is that they'll wind it for you!

Here it is almost finished. All I had left to bind off was where the orange stitch markers are on the right hand side when I ran out of yarn. 

I only needed to use about half of this tiny bit of yarn to finish. (The rest of the yarn is wound and not pictured.  There was a knot in the yarn near the end and this is how much yarn was after the knot.  Don't you hate that??)

If you don't know, a lace shawl really doesn't look good until it is blocked.  Blocked involves getting the shawl wet and placing or pinning it out so it dries in the shape you want it.  It also makes your finished product much larger than if you didn't block it.

a different view of the blocking-I used wires and pins on a blocking mat

Here it is all finished.

So, what's next?  I am planning to make this same shawl in a lace weight merino wool  in a larger size.  I also plan to start working with beads.  I am signed up for Laura Nelkin's other Craftsy course, Knitting with Beads.  It starts off easy with a beaded pioneer cuff and then graduates to a shawl.  There are directions for knitting beads into the shawl pictured here too and I may end up beading that.  I think it will take me a long time to knit the bigger lace weight shawl but I am excited to do it.  I also have been making some cotton dishcloths and I'm working on a heavier acrylic yarn shawl as well.

I can't say enough about the Craftsy.com courses.  I have learned so much and if you get them on sale they are extremely reasonable.  Sign up for their newsletter so you can find out what is on sale.

The shawl pictured here is called Clarus. I knit it in Berroco Ultra Fine Alpaca (winter white).

Who is My Neighbor?

Who is My Neighbor? is the third book in the Biblical worldview series, What We Believe. Apologia has teamed up with Summit Ministries to create this wonderful  four book series. An accompanying notebooking journal and coloring book are also available. It has been designed with homeschools and families in mind. The hardcover text is high quality and designed to withstand lots of use in your family.

The third book in the award-winning What We Believe series helps children understand what it means to be salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-14). This study will encourage kids to develop a Christlike servant attitude based on these biblical truths: God created me to be a blessing to the world; God chooses to work through me; I can make a difference at home, in my community, and at church; the church is God's family; the church is one body with many gifts; and I am an important member of Jesus' body.

Who is My Neighbor? is written for 6-14 year olds. Emma (9) has been going through this study with me and she likes it a lot and frequently requests that we read it.  Younger students will need to be read to and assisted while older children should be able to manage it on their own if you choose.

Each book in the series is designed to stand alone, but would best be read in order.  I have not seen any of the other books and we are doing fine without having read books 1 and 2. (though I would like to!) Occasionally references are made to what was taught in previous books, but it hasn't been a problem at all.

There is no teacher prep involved in this at all.  You can just pick up the book and go (or have your student follow the schedule if they are older.)  There are free online teacher helps available (password information is included in the book).

The teacher helps include:




• Overviews of the lesson’s main idea as well as every topic covered in the lesson

• Key themes and lesson objectives

• Vocabulary words and memory verses

• Suggested activities for use with the lesson

• Child-directed discussion questions for each topic covered in the lesson—you simply read them aloud to help you guide the

conversation

• Recommended reading list for deeper study of the themes, people, and places discussed in the text

Pages in the book vary, but as you can see, the text is complemented with color pictures.

another sample page from the book

Scriptures in the book are quoted from a variety of versions.  We use the KJV.  It's very easy to just read from your own Bible if you have a preference.

The spiral bound notebooking journal has a variety of different pages that go along with the lessons.  There are mini-books, crossword puzzles, word searches, questions, writing prompts and more.  The notebooking journal is not necessary but would be an excellent addition if you have the book.  We chose to answer the questions orally but if you wanted a workbook to go along with the book you won't want to miss this.

The coloring book would also be a great addition.  Emma loves it.  I think the coloring book would be great for the younger children (those that enjoy coloring) and the notebooking journal for the older ones.  Emma is at an age where both are appropriate for her.

The book has 8 lessons which should take about 3 weeks to complete on average. A schedule is provided for you in the introduction. (A more detailed schedule is found in the notebooking journal.)  We are not using the schedule at all.  We're just going at our own pace.

Lessons include:


Does Anyone Really Need Me?
How Can I Make a Difference?
Who is My Neighbor?
Why Did God Make Families?
What Can I Do For My Country?
Why Can't We All Just Get Along?
Who is God's Family?
Why Does the Church Need Me?

Each lesson contains several key components:

The Big Idea (introduction to the main topic)
What You Will Do (lesson objectives)
Think About It (questions)
Words you Need to Know (vocabulary)
Hide It In Your Heart (2 memory verses for each lesson)
Integrated Learning (interesting articles related to the main text)
What Should I Do? (highlights godly character traits)
Prayer 
Encounters with Jesus (a Bible story based on the scripture-historical fiction style)
Take a Closer Look (questions)
House of Truth (read more here but note this is not something you need to purchase, students can draw their own or use Legos)


On the website, you can view the table of contents, a sample lesson and read the FAQ's pertaining to the entire series.


We have really enjoyed using this (especially Emma and that is a blessing) and plan to continue. I hope to use the entire series.

Purchase Who is My Neighbor? for $39.00, the notebooking journal for $24.00 and the coloring book for $8.00. The other books in the series are available here at the same prices.  The first two editions also have an audio CD available for $24.00. The fourth and final book is scheduled to be released in 2012.

Apologia is a wonderful Christian company that offers Biblical worldview books, science texts, parenting resources and an online academy.  If you are not already familiar with Apologia I would encourage you to visit their website.  You can find them on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Read what others are saying about Who is My Neighbor? on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.






disclaimer: I received Who is My Neighbor? hardcover book, notebooking journal, and coloring book in exchange for an honest review.

Professor B Math

I first heard of Professor B math several years ago but didn't really know too much about it.  I was happy to have the chance to review this for the Schoolhouse Review Team. Professor B claims a student can learn 3 years of math in one year.  I think this would be a great way to catch a student up that might be behind where they "should" be.  We tested Level 1 of Professor B.

Professor B Math is an online math program available in 3 levels.  The lessons have no audio and are "taught" by Professor B (shown below).  The parent must read the lessons to the child.  It requires no prep time whatsoever but you do have to do the entire lesson with the child. There is no busy work involved though the lessons have a lot of repetition.  A pdf workbook is also provided but not every lesson has pages to work.

Professor B has three levels and covers the following topics:

LEVEL I

Pre-K though 2nd grade and remediation of older learners.

Introduction to Addition/Subtraction Facts 

Counting to One Hundred 

Lower Addition and Subtraction 

Higher Addition and Subtraction 

Place Value Fractional Parts & Order 

Time 

Money

LEVEL II 

3rd grade through 5th grade and remediation of older learners.

Multiplication/Division Facts and Problem Solving 

Introduction to Fractions 

Fractional Equivalence 

Addition and Subtraction Fractions

LEVEL III 

6th through 8th grades and remediation of older learners.

Multiplication/Division of Fractions

Decimals 

Percents

There is a free placement test on the Shop Our Products section of the website. You will also find sample lessons there. Professor B runs on java and is presented in a power-point style.

Once you log in to the e-learning section of the website you come to this screen where you can access the lessons and the workbook, It also gives instructions for how to use the program.



The first lessons use combinations of fingers to teach how many.  Later objects are also used for counting.

I love the way Professor B teaches place value.  It really makes sense.

Here are two partial worksheet samples from Level 1.

A worksheet to be done orally

A sample written worksheet

A printable certificate is available for each level

What We Like:
I like the way Professor B teaches math.  Descriptions are thorough and often different from other math programs.
There is no teacher prep involved.
No busy work.


What We Don't Like:
The pages are slow loading (see the sample lessons for an idea of what I mean). I don't like waiting.
The lessons can be too long causing the child to lose interest.
I have to read as if I am the bee and it doesn't feel natural to me. (There is no audio at all in Professor B. Read why here.)
The font is small.
There are times when you can clearly tell that this is designed for a classroom.
It doesn't keep track of which lessons you used so you need to come up with a way to remember where you are (more difficult when using with more than one student.)
The website can be confusing especially when first starting out.

Will We Continue to Use this?

Ellie (4) absolutely loves Professor B and I think it has been very helpful for Connor (11 with Down syndrome) so yes, despite the lengthy list of things I don't care for, the benefits outweigh my personal dislike for some parts of Professor B.

Pricing is as follows:
1 level $20 a month
2 levels $35 a month
3 levels $45 a month

If you purchase by the month it will be set up with automatic renewal and be charged to your credit card until you cancel. You can also purchase one year for $220 per level and receive a free mug and t-shirt. You can call to get a free 30 day trial. 678-765-6655

Visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog to see what other crew members think of Professor B. Feel free to ask questions in the comment section and I will answer if I can.

 Professor B also sells a textbook version of arithmetic and algebra, t-shirts and mugs.







disclaimer:  I received a one year subscription to Professor B (all 3 levels) in exchange for an honest review.

Summer Bucket List- New York City and The Best Day Ever

Yesterday, my husband took 5 of our older children to New York City. This was their first time in NY.  My husband has been a couple of times.  I have never visited the city (well, I went to the Bronx zoo once and changed buses there on a trip once-neither were pleasant experiences).   I stayed home with 4 of the younger kids.  We didn't think they were ready for that and it's hard to keep track on 9 kids..not to mention expensive!  (Our oldest daughter lives on her own now.)

Here are a couple of shots taken in NY:

Ryan (12), Katie(15), Emma (9), Erin (18), Rachel (16)

Erin, Katie, Emma and Rachel at the m&m store

Back at home we had a full day.  In the morning, I took the kids to the craft store so I could get the remaining supplies I needed for VBS and some beads for my knitting.  Sadie ended up popping the top off of the beads and we spent about 10 minutes crawling around on the floor picking them up...yes, we did.  Then we stopped at Trader Joe's.  Both stores are about 35 minutes from home.  We got home about 11:30 and I made the kids peanut butter and jelly pizza for lunch. After lunch, I got some paintbrushes out and some cups of water and gave them to the girls to "paint" the walkway and driveway.  They had a blast.  This was on our summer bucket list (as was the NY city trip).

Later in the day, I made the little girls pocketbooks from green felt and read The Big Green Pocketbook (a favorite) to the kids and we did the lapbook from Homeschool Share to go along with it.

Jenna told me, "Today was the best day ever!" at the end of the day.
Look at her beaming. I'm glad she enjoyed the day.

It was a great day for the entire family even though we did different things.

Lightning Literature from Hewitt Homeschooling

Our latest Schoolhouse Review crew item is Hewitt Homeschooling Lightning Literature Early 19th Century British Literature. The subtitle for this series of literature studies is Acquiring College-Level Composition Skills by Responding to Great Literature.  This soft cover book contains 233 pages.  It is made up of 4 units with 2 lessons in each.

Lightning Literature is available for junior high and a whole range of high school courses including American Literature, British Literature, Christian Literature, Shakespeare and more.  The crew is reviewing many titles from this series (and some elementary and junior high titles as well) so be sure to click on the link at the bottom of this review to see more.

Each high-school guide is a one-semester course for most students. Students who struggle with reading and writing may take up to a year to finish a guide. Additional reading recommendations are given for students who excel in language arts. All students will be exposed to exciting new authors and revisit old favorites with new eyes. Each guide includes biographies of the authors; comprehension questions; lessons on the readings; writing exercises; any short stories, essays, or poems used for lessons; additonal reading suggestions; and discussion questions.

-from website                        

Literary lessons include tone, characterization, description, persuasive writing, imagery and poetic language, setting, person and humor. Lessons are taught using poetry, novels and short stories as well as the essay. View the complete table of contents for further details.You can also view a sample chapter. The poetry studied in this course is included in the student guide. You will need to purchase (or borrow) 4 novels: Pride and Prejudice, Ivanhoe, Frankenstein and Jane Eyre. (All are available free for the Kindle.)

The introduction is written directly to students and helps them to understand why this course is important and goes on to explain reasons for reading literature, how to read literature, how to read poetry, why learn to write, brainstorming, how to write an outline and more.  It also includes two pages on the fluidity of language and pronoun confusion.  Finally, there is a 4 page student guide on how to use the guide and get the most out of the course.  

Each of the lessons begin with an introduction with background information about the author. (Personally, I really loved this and found each introduction very interesting.)  There is also information about the selection and questions to think about while you read.  Next you find comprehension questions, then a literary lesson and a list of writing exercises.  I think it would be beneficial to read through the entire lesson before (or while) reading the book to get the most benefit.  That way you know what you are looking for as you read.

Appendix A has discussion questions and project suggestions and Appendix B has a list of additional reading.  Appendix C contains 2 complete schedules. The first is for completing the guide in a semester and the other is for completing it as a full year course. I love having the schedule so I don't have to try to figure out how much to do each day.

Hewitt's Lightning Lit guides use full-length novels, autobiographies, plays, essays, short stories, and poems to teach deep reading and composition skills. Unlike some literature programs that take a scatter-shot approach (where none of the literature seems connected) or that try to include too much into one book, Lightning Literature guides focus on a few classics in depth, in a systematic manner.

This is one of the things I really love about this literature study.  Each unit focuses on one main thing while still providing plenty of in depth study (comprehension questions and writing assignments)

The teacher's guide is 3-hole punched rather than bound. It contains an introduction, 16 pages of grading tips, answer keys for the entire student book as well as the schedules and projects listed in student book. The grading guide is SO helpful. It provides checklists and rubrics to help you in grading your student's work. You can see some sample pages of the teacher guide.

The only thing I didn't really like about this study was that it has a lot of poetry and we're not big on poetry here...but since we need to cover it, it's OK. :)

Purchase Lightning Literature Early 19th Century British Literature pack including the Teacher's Guide, Student Guide and books for just $48.36 or purchase them separately. (Teacher guide $2.95, Student Guide $29.95.) The novels are also available for purchase.

Hewitt Homeschooling offers a full range of curriculum, an online school and standardized testing with the Hewitt PASS test. I have used their testing services and really like them. I will definitely consider using more of these literature studies in the years to come.  

See what others are saying about various Hewitt homeschooling titles on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog. Please ask questions if you have any.








disclaimer: I received a free copy of the Lightning Literature Early 19th Century British Literature student guide and teacher's guide in exchange for an honest review.

4th of July on the Lake

We went to visit our oldest daughter for the 4th of July.  The kids had a blast.  It was a long day (driving 3 hours up and over 3.5 home..don’t ask) but well worth it.  So much fun.  I thought I’d share a few pictures. 

                                          Becca and my Dad in the canoe
Fun in the lake


                                                                  Connor is a fish.  That boy LOVES to swim.







There was a small boat parade on the lake in the afternoon. 


A great way to spend a hot summer day. Emma and Jenna on the left and Connor on the right.

                           
Our oldest daughter Rebecca and her boyfriend Justin.

Stick with it Saturday

It's Saturday and time for a Stick with it Saturday post. This week we didn't have a regular Weight Watchers meeting because the meeting place was closed for the holiday. I did end up going yesterday to a different meeting.  I maintained this week..no loss or gain.  I am OK with that and hope I'll be down a little when I go to my next meeting on Wednesday.

I've been continuing on using my pedometer and running 3 times a week using Jeff Galloway's Easy 5 K app.

Sunday- 2.42 miles on my pedometer

Monday-7.54 miles on my pedometer including a run.

Tuesday-6 miles on my pedometer.

Wednesday- 2.83 miles on my pedometer (we spent 6.5+ hours in the car that day)

Thursday-4.4 miles on my pedometer. I ran/walked 2 miles and then walked home.

Friday- I had a busy day and just didn't fit in as much walking as I'd like...having some shin pain also.

Saturday- This morning my shin hurt less than last night so I decided I'd go for a run.  It's really humid (dew point is 71).  I know it's a lot hotter in other places but the feel like temperature this morning was 88.  I ran 2.5 miles (with walking intervals) in 38:34 then I walked home.  My shin was killing me the whole way home.  I would have had my husband come pick me up but he was at Urgent Care with ear pain.  We got home at the same time.  So, I put in 5 miles this morning.  I've iced my leg and plan on taking it easy for at least 2 days and we'll see after that.

This morning after my run I weighed myself and saw a number I haven't seen in at least 14 years.  So happy about that!! (I wrote the beginning part of this post yesterday before I had this weight loss which is down about 2 lbs. I'm not sure how much of that I will hold on to because it was a post workout weight loss and not what I weighed when I got up.)

Link up your own diet/exercise post over at Sam's Noggin.