Kristi @ The Potter’s Hand Academy – Summer Reading Adventures for Boys

It has been said that the definition of a boy is noise with dirt on it. That is SO true of my three! With that in mind, summertime is the realm of boys. There are adventures to be had, places to explore, and mischief to make!

Crystal @ Crystal Starr Blog — Summer Reading List for Boys

Boys and reading don’t always go hand-in-hand. Whether you have avid or reluctant readers here are some great choices to fill your summer reading basket.

Meg @ Adventures with Jude — Our Summer Reading: Sendak to Steinbeck

A non-reading preschooler, an emerging reader starting first grade, a middle schooler with a school book list and a new-to-homeschool high schooler. We’re reading everything from Sendak to Steinbeck!

 

Kristina @ School Time Snippets — Summer Reading List for My Son (and yours, too)

A week or so ago I shared what Tyler will be learning over the summer and I mentioned that we would Read, Read, Read!! What will he be reading this summer? you ask.

 

Gwen @ Tolivers to Texas — Summer Reading for Boys (and a for few girls, too!)

While I don’t have the perfect answer to this, I have found that whether my boys are early, average, or slow readers in proficiency, they all love to read. The biggest factor in this, I believe, is that we have always done tons of read-alouds together. I can’t state the importance of this enough.

 

Wendy @ Homeschooling Blessings — Summer Reading for Teenage Boys

Encouraging teenage (or preteen) boys to read can be difficult! If you’d like suggestions just for teen guys, take a look at my suggestions.

 

Marcy @ Ben and Me — 10 Summer Classics for Middle School Boys

I’ve put together a list of Summer Classics for Middle School Boys. Perfect for some reading adventure!  Because reading during the summer should scream adventure!

 

Sarah @ Delivering Grace — Summer Reading or Not

Ten years ago, I would have loved to write a post about summer reading. But fast forward, ten years and summer reading is more difficult. Children who either can read but don’t like to or who would love to read but have found learning to read anything but easy.

 

Heather @ Only Passionate Curiosity — Our Top Ten Books for Boys (and a free summer reading printable)

These are our top 10 favorite books for boys, they have been well loved in our home, and read over and over. Also, I have a fun summer reading printable for you to use in your home to help motivate your boys to read, read, read this summer!

 

Brandy @ Kingdom Academy Homeschool — Our Summer Reading Program

In the summer, I relax things a bit. My kids are still required to read on a daily basis, but I allow them to choose their own books.

 

Jennifer @ a glimpse of our life — Reading with my Nine-Year-Old Son

My son likes to talk, and he enjoys reading out loud to the rest of us.

 

Renata @ Sunnyside Farm Fun — Well-Loved Books for Boys

We are passionate about reading here at Sunnyside. From the oldest to the youngest we love the feel of a new (to us) book in our hands. A well composed story is always appreciated & one of our favourite times of the evening is when I curl up in the Boys room with all 4 children & read aloud a specially chosen story! During winter we snuggle under thick, soft covers and in summer we bask under the air conditioner, but always we enjoy it.

 

Wendy @ Life at Rossmont — What the Boys at Rossmont Are Reading This Summer

Summer is a great time to do some extra reading, whether you’re curled up in the porch swing, or lounging on the couch, or reclining on a towel at the beach.

 

Leah @ As We Walk Along the Road — Summer Reading for Boys Or What To Do with a Boy Who Doesn’t Like to Read

Finding books for Charles to read is still a struggle. I think it will always be. But reading is of great value, so I’ll continue to be on the lookout for fitting books.

 

Rebekah @ There Will Be a $5 Charge for Whining — Josiah’s Favorite Reads

We’ve read a lot of books in our time. Here are some of Josiah’s favorites.

Beth @ Ozark Ramblings — Rootin’ Tootin’ Reads for Boys

I used to think this avid reader brought the wrong kid home from the hospital. Now I know I just needed to introduce him to the right kind of books and characters.

 

Audra @ Simply Audra Marie — 16 Cool Summer Reads for Boys

Need some reading adventures for your boys to dive into this summer? Check out the list my kids and I came up with in under five minutes. Such is the mind of book lovers.

 

Jenni @ Conversaving — Our Reading List for Boys

Have you ever wondered what to do to get your boys interested in reading? I have one avid reader and one who prefers not to read whenever possible. By having these two extremes, I have learned a thing or two that may help you out.

An Amish girl named Lily Lapp has been visiting Schoolhouse Crew families the last few weeks. She’s the star of a new series from Suzanne Woods Fisher and Baker Publishing Group, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Lily’s books are for ages 8 to 12, and while they’re recommended by the publisher for girls, don’t hesitate to share – there’s enough adventures to interest the boys, too!

Schoolhouse Crew members received the first two books in The Adventures of Lily Lapp series:

First, learn about Life With Lily, which is full of things to learn and people she loves. It isn’t always easy being Lily; her life is changing, with a new brother, a new teacher, and a new viewpoint on life. (Read an excerpt of Life with Lily.) 272 pages, paperback or ebook, $12.99.

Just as Lily adjusts, new challenges occur. In A New Home for Lily, her family moves to a different town to join a new Amish community. There she adapts to a different school, makes new friends, and even discovers how irritating boys can be. It isn’t all bad; she finds adventures in an attic and gains a baby brother – even though she wishes for sister. (Read an excerpt of A New Home for Lily.) 272 pages, paperback or ebook, $12.99.

Two more books in The Adventures of Lily Lapp series are forthcoming:

In July 2013, Lily turns 10 in A Big Year for Lily. Classmate Effie Kauffman plays a mean trick on her, and Lily discovers that maybe, the “worst boy imaginable”, Aaron Yoder, might not be all THAT bad. With her cousin Hannah, she enjoys time with friends at church, wearing grown-up clothing, and even manages to turn the tables on Effie. (Read an excerpt of A Big Year for Lily.) 272 pages, paperback pre-order, $12.99.

Lily Lapp’s life is always full of changes; her favorite cousin Hannah moves away, only to be replaced by yet another troublesome boy: Harvey Hershberger. His mischevious ways disrupt the whole schoolhouse, and Aaron Yoder doesn’t care for the attention he pays to Lily. Add a naughty dog, an old Shawnee Indian and a mother bear, and Lily’s right in the midst of troubles – again! But even more surprising… what secret has her mother been keeping? A Surprise for Lily arrives September 2013. (No excerpt available yet.) 272 pages, paperback pre-order, $12.99.

 and co-op “Unit Celebrations”.

One year became two; two became four. Little sister, “B”, climbed on board and we kept going. Four years of home schooling became six, and six became eight. I still felt like a “newbie”, but it was now 1999, and more and more people were looking to me as a “veteran” home schooler. 

I learned new benefits of home schooling: the advanced (my first) can learn at their advanced pace, and the delayed (my second) could learn at their pace, and no one has to get labelled, or separated out, or advanced or held back a grade. (There were, though, issues of big sister’s attitude toward her slower sister…)

There were struggles. Homeschoolers didn’t have many ways to get help for a child with a legitimate disability.

We added a new family member, when KK was 13 and B was 10. JD was born at the maternity center, while KK and B watched (given the choice, they chose to watch). More years went by. KK graduated and moved on to college.

We struggled through death of grandparents. JD started school and B graduated and moved on to college.  And suddenly I’d gone from high school back to Kindergarten! And we started again. 

We’ve gone from Konos to A Beka, Bob Jones to Tapestry, and then to Charlotte Mason. So often we’ve been eclectic, using what was available used, what was given to us, whatever we could get. And once again high school is looming on the horizon.

My home is not spotless; it’s not even close. But I’m so much smarter now than I was when I was in college in 1978. I guess I have become the life-long learner that I want my kids to be. The verdict is not yet in on JD. He’s like Alexander Graham Bell. He doesn’t understand why the state requires him to study history and math when all he wants to do science! It would be very hard to contain him in a class room.

There are five short years left, now, in my career as a home schooling mom, and then I expect to retire. I haven’t done it perfectly, but I believe I will be able to look back with satisfaction at the character development God has made in me along the way. And I look forward with hope to the next generation.

I hope one day to hear the Lord say, “Well done, though good and faithful servant.”

Diana Malament has been married 34 years, and is the mom to three. She has been homeschooling since 1992, and her last student has just finished 7th grade. Diana has been on the crew 3-1/2 years. Read her blog at Homeschool Review.

Memoria Press has been “Saving Western Civilization One Student At a Time” since 1994.  Offering homeschooled students top-quality classical materials in all subjects, Memoria Press has become a staple in homeschool schoolrooms everywhere.  For this review, Memoria Press offered the Review Crew two products from which to choose: Prima Latina and Geography I.

Prima Latina is recommended for 2nd-4th graders, costs $90.90, and includes the following components:

• Student Book
• Teacher Manual
• Pronunciation CD
• Instructional DVDs
• Flashcards

Geography I, for grades 4-8, costs $48.00, and includes the following:

• Geography I Text
• Geography I Workbook
• Geography I Teacher Guide
• United States Review Student
• United States Review Key, Quizzes, and Tests

Birdcage Press believes in the power of using games to make learning fun for kids of all ages. Members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew have been using beautiful sets of card games to teach their children science, history, art, and more over the past several weeks.

Art Ditto ($24.95) exposes young children (ages four and up) to great works of art and foreign languages by using museum quality illustrations for the tiles of a traditional memory matching game. It contains 48 art tiles and eight big collecting cards.

With the exception of the Art Ditto game for preschoolers, all of the card games are intended to be used by families with children at least 5-7 years old. Older children and adults will enjoy them as well.

Reflect

Take a pad of paper, a pen and your favorite beverage to a place where you are able to relax and think.  Reflect over this past school year and ask yourself the following questions:

1. In what areas did my children improve throughout the year?
2. Where do my children need more practice?
3. What are the things that worked well in our homeschool?
4. What needs tweaking?
5. How do my children feel about the school year?

I suggest you keep this information in a file.   It will be quite helpful for when you are ready to plan the next school year.

Update Your Children’s Portfolios

The paperwork you will need to include in the portfolio depends on what grade level your children are in and what your state’s homeschool requirements are.  Here is a general list:

1. Attendance records
2. Course list
3. Course descriptions
4. Curriculum / materials used
5. Hours taught per course
6. Reading list
7. Samples of schoolwork from the beginning, middle, and the end of the school year.
8. Pictures of projects completed
9. Standardized test results
10. Transcript
11. Awards received
12. Extracurricular and volunteer activities

Fulfill Your State Requirements

If you live in a state that requires an evaluation, there are steps to take to complete the assessment.

• First, organize your children’s portfolios.
• Second, if need be, arrange for testing.  Be sure to include the results in your children’s portfolios.  If allowed, keep a copy of the completed tests.
• Third, take the information you wrote during your reflection time and formulate an assessment of each children’s progress.
• Fourth, contact an Evaluator for an appointment.  Your state homeschool association or a local homeschool group can give you a list of certified Evaluators.
• Fifth, mail the evaluation results to the appropriate person and request a signed delivery receipt.  In case the other party misplaces your report, the signed receipt will serve as proof that you did mail the results.
• Lastly, keep a copy of the evaluation for your records.

Spring Clean

I am not referring to washing the windows and shampooing the carpet.  I am talking about sorting through the materials used for the year and throwing out what is necessary.  This might include broken crayons, really short pencils, schoolwork that will not go into your children’s portfolios, and old science and art supplies that are no longer usable.   Do not forget to clean off the bookcase to make room for new curriculum, and other school materials.

This is also a good time to take inventory of what you have and what you will need to replenish for the next school year.

Sell Curriculum

Now is the time to receive a return on your curriculum investment.  Be sure to keep what you can later use for a younger child.  For instance, use an older child’s textbook, unit studies, science supplies, or math manipulatives for a younger child when the appropriate time arises.

There are several options for selling used curriculum, such as:

1. Used curriculum sale through a homeschool group or co-op
2. Other homeschool moms
3. Online sources (forums, Facebook, eBay, and etcetera)
4. Homeschool curriculum consignment store

Sometimes it is confusing when setting a price for the curriculum.  You might consider the following:

1. The price you paid for it
2. What the going price is for the same product at used curriculum stores found online
3. The condition of your curriculum
4. Including any shipping charges with your asking price

Purchase New Curriculum

If you have not purchased the curriculum you need for next year, this is the time to do so.  There are still a few homeschool conventions occurring.  Take advantage of any discounts the curriculum providers are still offering.

You may want to consider purchasing curriculum from a homeschool consignment store.  Recently, I had $180.00 in credit all because of what I had brought in at the beginning of the last school year.

Once you have the curriculum and supplies, organize them by subject and place them on a shelf until you are ready to set up for the next school year.  This will ensure the materials are readily accessible when you need them.

Plan for Next Year

If you are feeling really ambitious, go ahead and plan for the next year by:

1. Obtaining a new planner.  There are several companies that are already selling planners for the upcoming school year.
2. Setting up the school calendar.
3. Making out the course list and descriptions.
4. You might even want to begin your lesson planning.  One bit of advice is do not wait until August to begin with your lesson planning.  Families tend to squeeze in last minute activities before the school year begins and lesson planning tends to be set aside for later.

Final Thoughts

It is much easier to finish wrapping up the school year now than to procrastinate.  Afterwards you will truly be able to enjoy your summer.

Angie McFarren lives in a small town in Indiana with her husband and their two children.  They began homeschooling in 2002.  Seven years later Angie felt called to assist others in their homeschooling journey.  As a result, she became a Homeschool Consultant and the owner of H.O.P.E. Home School Consulting.  Angie is the author of the Educate the Home Educator Crash Course, which is a “go-to” resource both new and veteran homeschool moms.  You are welcome to visit her website to learn more about what she offers.

Christianity Cove

Members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew have had the opportunity to use and review many of the products available through Christianity Cove.

Outstanding Object Lessons – Teaching kids how to preserve the ‘fizz’ in their faith.

Bible Science Experiments – 25 fun experiments that teach God’s Word.
100 Simple Service Projects – ideas for kids in grades k-6 to promote a giving spirit.

Daily Dilemmas: 26 True-to-Life Devotions for Kids – “a collection of devotions that tackle the 26 most common (and concerning) moral challenges that face children each and every day”
Freedom Ride: 12 Lessons of Faith for Today’s Teens – “Helping teens transition to adulthood without abandoning their faith.”

“Tween a Rock and a Hard Place” Lesson Blueprints – lessons for tweens covering tough moral issues such as drugs, sex, etc…
Bullying & the Bible Lesson Plans – What does the Bible have to say about bullying and how does it apply to real life?
KidMin Power Pack -  19 lesson plans, games, songs, science experiments, service projects and crafts (month specific)
Bible Memory Games – 42 different games for learning memory verses.

The Divine Dozen: 12 Parables of Jesus Every Child Should Know – Sunday School / Bible study lessons based on twelve parables Jesus told.
Make & Take Bible Crafts – 40 Bible based crafts designed to be completed in 20 minutes or less
New Testament Life Lessons – 20 lessons covering various concepts presented in the New Testament

Fruits of the Spirit Activity Kit – fifteen lessons to help kids learn and apply the fruit of the Spirit

10 Commandments Activity Kit – games, lessons, songs, and activities about the 10 commandments
Lord’s Prayer Lesson Pack – object lessons, games, songs, and worksheets to help make learning The Lord’s Prayer fun and memorable

Prices range from $1 – $29.  All products are available as downloads.  Check out what our fabulous crew members are saying about these products by clicking the graphic below.

Leah @ As We Walk Along the Road — Summer Fun at Home

But vacationing with four children isn’t always easy. And it is always expensive! So we also like to “staycation” by finding fun and inexpensive things to do around home in the summer.

Holly @ Possibilities and Peas – 5 Fabulous Free  Field Trips in Detroit

Five fun places to go in the Detroit Area.

Brittney @ Mom’s Heart — Boredom Busters — Summer Staycation Ideas

Even though we moved here eight months ago, we are still feeling like there is so much to discover in our town. So when I saw the cruise title Summer Staycationing, I knew it would be a great way to add a few fun ideas to our Summer Bucket List while we explore the area a little better.

Bethany @ Little Homeschool Blessings — Making a birding basket

We put together a lovely birding basket. If you are planning on staycationing, this makes a perfect basket to grab on a trip to a local park.

Rebekah @ There Will Be a $5 Charge for Whining — Stay Camp (or something like it)

Summer Camp was one of the best times of my life. I’m sad that my son hasn’t gotten to experience something similar. A few years ago I came up with the idea to create a summer camp adventure right at home!

Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break — Staycation Ideas

We will also take advantage of the accommodations that are already paid for right here at our house. Our comfortable familiar beds, and our own economically stocked kitchen for meals. Saving money on hotels and eating out will ease the vacation expense, and after all, there is PLENTY to see and do within a couple hours drive of home.

Sarah @ Delivering Grace — At home in the summer

The long summer holidays loom. Many people won’t get away at all but even for those who will there are still many weeks to use for good or otherwise.

Tracey @ A Learning Journey – Texas Summer Staycations

The cost of traveling is outrageous for a family on one budget. My husband and I decided this summer we’ll visit and explore the locations in or around our home town. We may even drive a few hours for additional fun and adventures in surrounding areas.

Marcy @ Ben and Me — Staycation Louisville: 10 Day Trips In and Near Louisville, Kentucky

Today, I will share 10 ideas for Summer Staycation destinations within a 2-hour drive of  Louisville, Kentucky. If you don’t live near Louisville but will be visiting, these ideas are for you as well.

Logo Adventures is a full-year, homeschool computer science curriculum using MicroWorlds Logo language developed at MIT. Designed as a weekly lesson for 8 – 12 year olds, students learn to read and write code, think logically; and strengthen their reasoning skills. There are 26 lessons, divided evenly between drawing lessons and animations lessons in this student-paced computer programming guide. Ms. Wheeler walks through the basic steps of starting to program while laying the foundation for understanding what it means to program.

Logo Adventures Curriculum is a self-study book and answer key, plus MicroWorlds EX software for $129.99. Check out the Logo Adventures website for a sample chapter, and a Gallery page of student work.

Also designed with children ages 8 – 12 in mind, is the 60-page tutorial e-book, Let’s Make a Web Page. Using free trial software CoffeeCup HTML Editor, this e-book will show your child how to make a Web page. It includes an Introduction for Parents, 10 step-by-step lessons — from download, set up, add text; and photo, to sound, links, and post your work, with an Appendix: How to Upload to the Internet. This concise, short-term project is $19.95.

The Schoolhouse Review Crew is excited to share their product reviews with you.

A big thank you to PK @ Knee Deep In Grace for writing this introductory post.

Math Mammoth was created by Maria Miller, a homeschool mom with a degree in mathematics. The company offers multiple products to help parents teach math to their kids. Our Crew reviewers got to sample a number of these products for this review.

The Light Blue Series is their complete curriculum for grades 1-6. Most of the curriculum is aligned with the Common Core standards. Each grade level comes with two student worktexts as well as answer keys, tests, and reviews. The download version also includes an additional worksheet maker. The Light Blue series focuses on mastery learning, and emphasizes the use of mental math. It also includes a lot of visual models that students use to work out math problems. The download of the Light Blue series is $34.00 per grade level. The CD version, which contains the curriculum for grades 1-6 is $141.00, and the printed worktexts are available at prices ranging from $14.95-$17.95 depending on the grade level.

The Math Mammoth Blue Series are worktexts that focus on only a few specific topics. These books make a good supplement to any math program and can also be used for review or remediation. Some of the topics included in this series are: place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, money, measurements, geometry, and fractions. Prices for the blue series vary from $2.00 to $7.00.

The Math Mammoth Golden Series are collections of worksheets for grades 3-8. They include about 120-150 worksheets per grade level. The books include worksheets on various topics covered at that grade level. Each sheet concentrates on one topic, and provides extra practice for your student. The Golden series is available for download and as a printed copy. Prices vary depending on which format you choose and how many books you purchase.

The Green Series are a series of worksheets that are topic specific and work for students in grades 3-8. Some of the topics for grade 3-6 include measuring, numbers & operations, and multiplication and division. The topics for grades 6-8 include ratios & proportions, statistics, and integers. The Green series is available for download for prices ranging from $2.00-$5.00 are also included in some packages with the Golden series.

The Make it Real Learning workbooks contain real life problem solving situations using math. The purpose of these books is to show students how math is genuinely useful in daily life. Workbooks are available for students in grades 3 through high school and can be used in small group settings. The books, written by math teacher Frank Wilson, will challenge students to use math concepts they already know to work through the problems. Some of the topics covered by these worktexts include fractions, arithmetic, geometry, linear functions, statistics, algebra, and calculus. The Making it Real series is sold in sets of 11 worktexts for $39.99.

Math Mammoth provides many useful math resources for homeschool families.