Disclaimer: “Blah Blah Blah” is complimentary receivedproduct.
Hi Loves!
I have another review for you today. We are a homeschooling family which means our home, values and belief dictate how we educate our kids. Not the other way around. With that, nothing comes into our home unless it offers goodness, beauty, truth and/or wonder.
This game hits all the marks. From its funny name, to multi-level and multi-person player options, to the connection and to the fun with learning. My kids ask to play this all the time.
I do have a con- the cards sometimes stick together. That’s it. To be fair, this also happens with card games that are not more than 10 years old. You can purchase this game and find more of their products here.
WAIT- There’s more you are going to want to stick around for!
Per their website, “Blah Blah Blah is a card game to integrate bite-sized learning into kids’ lives. They’ll learn: How to recognize the letters and sounds in sight words; The clear pronunciations of core sight words; How to decode words to phonics.”
On top of that, this game can be played with all reading levels! My entire family has played this several times and it is always enjoyed. My children don’t even realize this is “learning” because we all have so much fun.
Feel free to explore the product and/or purchase here.
As we are in the holiday season, this would make a great gift for littles as it can be enjoyed by many for years to come.
I am back with another great review for you. Again, while this product, Wonder Crate Jr., was a complimentary received product, the views and thoughts below are all of my own. (Read: I am not here to lie to you!)
OK, here’s the thing, I have been burned several times with subscription kits. That’s the short-end and honestly me telling you all of the details would take far too much time that neither of us have. Just know I was incredibly skeptical about this product.
That means you get a very thorough review. Starting with the customer service and the shipping. I mean, I kind of feel like all companies should provide quality customer service, however Wonder Crate goes above and beyond. I was honestly impressed. Their shipping was very fast and my package was not damaged. If you know anything about USPS you know that is highly unlikely.
Next the packaging – So part of the reason that I have been burned on subscription crates in the past is because I physically have had to do way too much for a subscription crate that was supposed to be for my children. I just don’t feel like they should require 90% of parent involvement and direction. So, I opened this box fully expecting that. Spoiler alert: I was wrong.
For those of you not familiar with Wonder Crate, they are a kid-based subscription that focus on inspiring change-makers from Civil Rights leaders to Artists and allow kids to learn about them through engaging hands-on learning like completing a couple of quality crafts and a book relating to the said person’s life. The box we received was all about Frida Kahlo and I don’t know why this worked out so well for us, but she is the next artist we’re going to be studying. (Note, I planned this in May of 2021. I didn’t change plans based on this box.)
Per their website, each box comes with a biography book, hands-on activities, parent guide and reusable tote in the first box. “Wonder Crate Jr. introduces kids ages 5-7 to inspirational role models, sparks curiosity and connects them to their own possibilities. Possible role models include: Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, Alan Turing, Greta Thunberg, Maya Angelou, Jane Goodall, and MLK Jr.
I also love that this product was created by a mom who felt defeated after the 2016 Election and turned her pain into passion to make change in the next generation.
I personally am thrilled about this and plan on adding to Christmas and birthday wishlists. You can find out more and purchase it here. Check out what my fellow Melanted Gold Squad Review Member thought about Wonder Crate Jr. here.
I hope all is well with you. I have the pleasure of bringing to you today a review of Where’d You Learn That Purely Preschool Fall Pack. While this product was gifted to me, the review and thoughts below are all my own. (Also, y’all should know I would not lie to you.)
OK, so when this digital product arrived in my inbox I was a little concerned about the page count. Wow, was I wrong and I am so glad that I was! If you know me at all, you know that I love a product that I can use more than once and in multiple ways. Super bonus if I can use it with both of my kids at the same time. This hits all three of those marks! Let me explain how…
For starters, The images depict the actual subject. So if it is a fall animal like a squirrel it is a beautifully black-and-white drawn image of said squirrel, not a cartoon image or a character. I really like this, especially when studying nature because then I feel like my children can really learn about the animal and explore as opposed to just engaging with some random image that may not depict its actual likeness.
Next, the layout: I absolutely adore how the author briefly but thoroughly explains each activity in the pack and provides all the things that you need. Honestly, this is a lesson plan anyone could follow. Seriously, I could give the lesson plan to James and he could implement it. There is no fluff, but it is very full.
Finally, the best part, the content! While this pack is for Fall, the sky’s the limit with all you can do! There is so much in it and while she does provide instructions and guides, you can adapt these for much more. For example, I used the images as instructed with Jude, then together both my children used the images for a scavenger hunt on a walk they took later that day. Jude loved painting fall color leaves and on his own tried to make the color orange. Art then became science!
Lastly, I like how this packs reminds us how t ocare for and appreciate nature. I am so looking forward to using this for many Falls to come with my kids. Check it out here.
Check out what my fellow Melanted Gold Squad Review Members thought about Where’d You Learn That here!
I’m nearing the end of this curriculum update series-thankfully these updates serve you and I as research for next year will hopefully not send me into hysterics or prompt more grey hairs to sprout.
I digress. On to the goods- Science and Social Studies. Out of all the subjects, these two were the easiest to plan, prepare for and execute. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have to shift a bit.
As always, the post detailing all our curricula for these subjects is here and for your viewing pleasure, I have YouTube videos here.
While science was easy to plan, thanks to it all it being mapped out, complete with supplementary books and activities from Elemental science, the physical book reading just wasn’t for us. My kids, who will normally listen to me read anything were not feeling this. As a last shot, I decided to try the audiobook. Friends, this was the way to go! The story is so so great! In addition, my children and I have learned about so many animals and every continent. Pairing that with an animal encyclopedia, TV docuseries Secrets of the Zoo and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, YouTube and more books, James’ hunger to learn about animals is temporarily satisfied, just like his actual hunger, it keeps returning.
My hope is that we can come back to the physical book when they are older and get good use of it. If not, it is homeschool curriculum sale bound with no sweat off my back. I also purchased the digital download of the SCIDAT logbook. It was a bit much to introduce the first half of the year, but I think James would really enjoy it now.
For social studies, my plan was to study the culture, cuisine and contributions of the country discussed in the science readings. This didn’t work out and I’m glad about it. Here’s why: Honestly, I took the easy road in planning. In the midst of a pandemic, a civil rights insurgence, a historic election, holidays and so much to celebrate, I decided to let that guide us. Did we, in fact, learn about several cultures on just about every continent? Yes! Was it mundane so my kids can spit facts? No. They were able to sympathize and empathize. They were encouraged to serve and practice non-performative allyship. What’s more, they got watch their parents and friends do so too.
All in all, both of these subjects, from what we learned to how we learned it, laid a really good foundation for us to grow from and I am so excited to do so.
I am back with another homeschool curriculum update. If you need a refresher on how and why we ended up using these curriculums, check out this blog post.
Let’s start with Black History…
If you follow me on IG (and if you don’t, join in the fun!), I shared my planning method for the Black History curriculum I created for my kids (and still working on for others to purchase). I also shared how Black History is not just a month in our house. It is a tether that anchors us and inspires. Through my planning, so much was erupting in our country and Black History was being made before our very eyes. It was important to me that my children learn about the history being made, as it was being made. Which meant chucking what I planned. Why? That history wasn’t going anywhere. It would still be relevant and valid history in a few months or next year. The opportunity for my children to witness History being made in real time is a once in a lifetime chance. I wasn’t going to forfeit that experience for them.
In return, we’ve had some really good and really tough conversations. Conversations I’d always prepared for but was never ready for. My children have seen me cry tears of mourning, anger, relief and joy. My children also got to play a role in making this history. They got to ask questions and share their opinions on solutions. Honestly, I pray I never forget that.
So, Black History went way off course but in the absolute best way.
Now to math.
If you asked me to choose the subject I am and have always been the least comfortable instructing, the answer will always be math. What is James’ most favorite subject? Math. Yes, this is my lot in life and I have no idea why.
What I do know is that I could either foster and be a good steward of his love for Math and let it rub off on his brother or I could be the reason he deplores it. Obviously, the goal is the former.
So, I knew what we ended the year with, Horizons Math and Math U See, where the ticket. To date, they are still working extremely well for us. James has made more gains than I ever imagined. It is working so well that I nixed the Spectrum math I got Jude and started him on Math U See Primer. I personally love the no-frills, minimal approach to both of these curriculums and I see no reason to change them going forward.
That’s all for now loves. I’ll be back soon with more curriculum updates and other fun things.
How is 2021 treating you so far? I surely hope you are well. If you can’t tell by the title, this is the first in a series of blog posts where I will be updating you on all of the curriculum we’ve used this year. If you need a refresher on what we are using for language arts (LA), check out this blog post.
I would also like to preface this with homeschool curriculum is an experiment. It just is… you honestly really never how well something will work until you try it.
Alright now to LA!
I’ll start with the All About Reading (AAR). This was the biggest investment for us, time wise and financially. After prepping both sets for each of my kids, I planned out the lessons. I’m not going to lie- I was intimidated. I was used to open-and-go, easy peasy instructions. Here’s what I’ve learned thus far.
This curriculum is exactly what my kids need. I honestly can’t express to you the gains my kids have made since September using this curriculum. Not only is James reading more fluently, he now loves reading. It excites and delights him. It’s opened up a new portal for us in all subjects. Jude started this year not being able to recognize any letters consistently or know any phonemes. Now we are at 20/26 with 95% accuracy. Even better-I’m learning and growing with them. The curriculum comes with letter tiles and syllable tags. However, we opted to purchase the app for $20. I know, that’s a crazy amount for an app. However, it’s a lifetime purchase that I can use for both children through their matriculation of this program.
I will also add this-once we got into a rhythm of homeschool the lessons became way easier to implement and much less intimidating.
So, basically AAR is a hit and both my kids are excited for me to purchase the next levels for them.
Our other LA picks for James were for grammar and spelling. Because I felt like AAR was going to need more times and reading is where I wanted the most focus, it was important to me that spelling and grammar were kinda bare-bones. I mean no frills, no videos, no manipulatives. Just simple lessons taught principle by principle. Growing With Grammar and Spelling You See are just that. I also like that there is plenty of time to practice previous lessons while learning new principles.
Same goes for spelling you see. It was also important to me to have some things that James could easily complete independently so I could work with his brother, Jude. The copy work, rhyming and rhythm practice is just what the teacher ordered.
Handwriting for both boys is Learning Without Tears (LWT). I honestly can’t say enough good things about this company. Even their price point is really good. For someone who never understood the schematics of teaching writing, let alone to children with a fine motor delay, LWT takes the cake, frosting, sprinkles and candles. Hands down.
Lastly, we introduced journals this year. While we are still trying to find our footing with using them daily, we use them as frequently as I can and I love seeing their creativity, fine motor skills and critical thinking skills improve.
All in all, language arts is a hit! I am still looking for good books to add to our library that challenge James and won’t be over Jude’s head… a tough one for this wanna be minimalist. Maybe I just need to cave and let us have a more expansive library? What do you think?
I’ll be back with all our other subjects in the coming weeks.
If you follow me on Instagram, a week or so ago I shared with you that I had a surprise coming up. Well, here it is! Monica from GooseGooseDuck reached out to me kindly asked for my review, I was happy to do as I am always on the hunt for quality resources that share, explore and teach our history accurately. While this product was gifted to me, the reviews are my own opinions.
Price: $$
I was gifted the Don Lemmons learning pack which retails for $29.99. There is a bundle available for $99 that combines 4 different packs.
What’s included?
The short- so so much! The detailed breakdown: each pack comes with a bio, interactive activities, and lots of extension-learning opportunities in the areas of stem, literacy, creative arts, and math. The 36-page full-color pack is full of hands-on, interactive fun!
What I Love
What I really enjoyed, besides learning about an African American I was not familiar with was, the multiple ways to infuse this lesson and African American History into the day and align it with other teachings. This is the way to “teach” our history. Not just by facts recitation but through experiences and consistent alignments in your life.
Another thing I love about this- just about everything is included. The lessons are broken down by day, provide a list of materials and directions for the instructor and teaching prompts for the student. If you’re new here, you should now nothing delights my heart like thoroughness, and GooseGooseDuck hit the nail on the head.
They were so thorough that they reached out to the remaining descendants of Lemmons for information, context and to make sure they would be pleased.
The graphics from the depictions of Lemmons, stock graphics and graphics in other packs are all very accurate depictions and very ethnically inclusive.
I could go on and on but I’ll leave you with this, one pack includes all of the above for multiple age/grade levels and lets the instructor do as much or as little as they like. You can easily see the care and attention to so many details.
Between me and you, GooseGooseDuck has a hit in my book! You can learn more about them here and purchase a pack for you and your family here.
As the title says, we are talking all things math for our homeschool curriculum in this post, and the things we will use for what I am calling “enrichment”. “What is enrichment?” you many wondering. Let me explain.
For all my traditional public school readers, you remember “special areas”? The times when you went to art, PE, music and the media center? That was enrichment. In our homeschool enrichment will consist of:
Art: Admittedly, I am horrible with art for my kids. Like, the worst. I really do want to get better, especially because my kids love it. Art is truly therapy. I also think it is a bit hypocritical for me to teach my kids about Artists and not allowing them to process it for themselves. So, I’m making sure we get it in. Water colors, chalk pastels, tempura, guided drawings and illustrations to name a few things.
Typing: Learning Without Tears has a great typing program we got to preview this spring for free thanks to COVID-19. My kids really enjoyed it and it is well constructed. So my computer science husband was all for them having typing added to the round-up.
Computer games/apps: Don’t judge me. We aren’t the family that is anti-screens. I just prefer it to be as quality as the situation allows for and sometimes doing math in a fun game on the computer is the way to go.
Game school: I think I’ve said this before but in case you haven’t heard it, I am not the fun mom. It hurts to say that out loud. Or maybe, I am not as fun of a mom as I want to be? Either way, my kids deserve fun and I am doing what I need to do to make sure they have it. The funny part? They want to have fun with me! What??? They are always asking for me to play with them. So, I am making sure we break out the games we own and actually play, together!
Nature Study: Y’all. If I was bad at the above, I completely and totally failed at Nature Study. I mean, total bomb here. The cold, rain and, well, the nature deterred me from making it priority. So, I am adding to enrichment because baby steps, friends, baby steps.
Now to Math… You ready?
I hope so because I am gonna move through this like a freight train.
So, No Name A was beautiful and that’s it. The lessons were tedious and so much to get through. Even shortening lessons and sometimes not using the “required” manipulative didn’t quite cut it. After book one, I sold book two and level 1 and got on the hunt for something we could really grow with. I had a laundry list of requirements, stated in my YouTube video showing everything here. I knew it was a hard-sell and there was a lot stacked against me. (Dramatic, much?) Finally, thanks to the mamas who make the time to do flip-through videos and share them with the world, that is how I found Horizons. Blessed are these mamas! Because of the flip-throughs and the reviews, we started James at level K because NoName A left too many wide gaps and did not build a solid foundation. I have Horizons level one ready when he is.
We will be looping Horizons with Math You See (MUS). MUS is a mastery curriculum, opposed to Horizons being a spiral curriculum. It worked very well for us last year and we are both looking forward to it this year. (Pssssst if you haven’t read my review, you can find it here.)
“Why two?” You may be asking. Well, frankly, my kids have a unique way of learning and if I just had offered one, they would be bored and over it quickly.
For Jude, he also gets 2 math curriculums for the same reason, I am not fighting boredom. I’m also not fighting the “why do I only have one?” I’m just not. So, we already had Mathematical Reasoning on hand. I bought it used for James a few years ago and I like it for this stage so we are using it. I paired it with this preschool math from Spectrum that has a few more hands-on activities. Jude’s eyes lit up like fireworks in the sky when he saw it so I guess I did something right.
Whew! I am doing my best to wrap this up. I explain is much greater detail in my video here. Until next time friends!
