God is My Refuge – a Devotional

In the midst of the turmoil and pain you are facing each day, I want you to understand I am your constant refuge. When you are tired, I am here to provide you rest. When you are overwhelmed I am here to help you put everything into perspective. When the pressures of life are more than you can handle, I am here to carry your burdens. When you need security from those who are pursuing you, I am your protector. Just as a cave cut out from the side of a mountain can provide shelter from dangerous storms, I provide the shelter you need. Better stated, I am your shelter. I am all you need. Turn to Me. Lean on Me. Walk close beside Me each moment of each day. Storms will certainly come your way, but do not fear, I am with you through the storms.

Psalm 7:1; Psalm 16:1; Matthew 11:30

Your Mind is Under Attack! – a Devotional

Be careful what you allow into your mind and heart. There are many dangerous messages the devil is trying to put into the minds of My children and most have no idea these messages are even being sent. Attacks by the evil one are usually very subtle. If you are not paying close attention to the things you watch, read, and listen to, you will open the door of your mind and heart to ideas and philosophies that contradict Me and My Word. You would never allow trash to be mixed into the food you and your family are planning to eat, so why in the world would you allow trash to be mixed into the messages you and your family view and listen to? Be on the alert for these attacks that are coming toward you. Have the courage to take a stand and begin to eliminate the dangerous messages that are being sent to you and your family members.
Ephesians 6:10-18; 1 Peter 5:8-9

Mango Homeschool Edition–a Review

When I was in high school (yes, back in the dark ages), there were few options for learning a foreign language – yet, it was required to graduate.  We had to choose from French, Spanish, German, or Italian.  In our ever-expanding global culture, being able to not only understand but also converse intelligently in languages other than English is becoming a necessity.   How does one handle the challenge of learning a foreign language without spending an exorbitant amount of money on language school?  How do homeschoolers address the issue of foreign language training?  We have had some interesting times in our homeschooling journey with foreign languages.  Living in the southern United States, Spanish seems to be a necessary language to speak and understand.  Because of this, my kids have been trying various Spanish programs over the years; however, until now, we have not used a program that has ‘stuck with us’ for more than a short while.  Now that my kids are into the high school years, they have expressed interest in learning other languages beyond Spanish for several reasons – the most important reason is so that they can converse and share the Gospel on mission trips to foreign countries.  When we received Mango Homeschool Edition from Mango Languages to use and review, it couldn’t have come at a better time.  My sixteen year old has accepted a call to go to Italy this summer on a youth sports evangelism mission trip and it was recommended that he learn a few Italian phrases before the trip.  He wasn’t satisfied with just learning the list of phrases (especially without hearing how they were supposed to sound).  Mango Homeschool Edition has been fabulous for him!

     From a mom perspective, I love how simple Mango Homeschool Edition is to use – once you play around with the website a bit.  I must admit, I am a little techno-stupid, so I had to let my teenagers help me learn about the features of the site. It isn’t a difficult site to navigate, there are just a lot of different things to choose from and use and my teens are not overwhelmed by that at all.  As a matter of fact, they whizzed right through and were set up and ready to study within minutes. We have been using a “beta-test” version of the Mango Homeschool Edition, so not quite all of the features had been completed / perfected, but, many new and exciting features will be introduced in the next several months.  Mango Homeschool Edition is intended for ages 6-adult.  All lessons are online, so no installation or set up is required beyond an internet connection.

What is currently available on the site:
Over 60 different languages
Progress Assessments

Built-in journals, discussions and wikis
Collaborative learning spaces
eNote messaging
/chat rooms

Access to embedded/downloadable content

Support from other community members

Calendars to schedule meetings or study groups

Over the next several months, we'll be introducing other exciting features like:
Enhanced Tracking and Progress Monitoring - including seat time (for students and parents)
Goals and Personal Lesson Plans (both stand-alone and tied into Mango courses)

Resume and Portfolio Builder

Because James had never studied Italian before, we didn’t take the placement test – he wanted to begin at the very beginning.  Once logged into Mango and getting set up for Italian, James worked through the different “journeys” or chapters.  With each chapter, James began by learning a dialogue.  The dialogue was broken down into manageable parts with each part being taught to (hopefully) mastery. After a word or phrase is taught, a new screen quizzes the learner over the learning.   The phrases and sentences gradually become longer and more complex. Grammar is integrated into the language and is not taught separately.  Learners are expected to extend their learning eventually and use what they have learned in different situations. Some grammar tips / helps and cultural information is included in the lessons, although I would like to see more of this for high school students – adults.

Mango focuses on practical language skills for someone travelling in a foreign country.  Some of these skills are:

• greetings, names, and introductions
• asking for directions
• dining
• numbers and currency
• shopping and payment

      While we are focusing mainly on Italian right now, we have done some exploring into other languages. Some of the languages offered are Greek, Hebrew, Hawaiian, and Mandarin Chinese.  Language lessons are easy to follow, conversational, and practical.  The lessons involve both listening and speaking, so a headset/microphone is helpful, though not required.  My son uses the built in microphone on the computer and just plugs in ear buds to listen and it works for him.  I haven’t been giving him a set number of lessons to complete, because some lessons take longer than others.  I simply assign him to work on his Italian for an hour each day.  In this way, he is able to move at his own pace, work for mastery, and move on when he is ready.  He has developed a very authentic Italian accent (without even a hint of a Tennessee twang) and sounds very natural when speaking. His work has prompted him to work on translating some Scripture verses into Italian so that he can share those when in Italy. I will be giving him high school credit for Italian 1 and 2 if he continues his studies through the end of next year.  Mango is working on rating credits for high school and will have that available in the next few months.  They are also working on providing printable tests and other features to help assess learning and keep track of student progress.  Mango is immersion language learning.  It has been very effective with my son learning Italian.  He has learned more in the past several weeks than I ever expected.  He has not used the chat / enote features yet because he doesn’t know anyone else taking Mango and I don’t allow chatting with strangers.  We are hoping to have some of his friends join the program soon which would allow him to chat / enote with them.  One other neat feature is that students are not restricted on the number of languages they can learn at one time.  While I don’t advocate trying to learn more than 2 languages thoroughly at one time, I think it is fun for kids to be able to explore many different languages and find where their passion lies. 

      Some of you may be familiar with the Mango Languages program that began in public libraries. The Mango Homeschool Edition is a bit different in features but similar in format.

Mango has been in existence for about 7 years. The major differences between the library version and the homeschool version
   ⁃   public libraries only have 1 level of any given language
   ⁃   homeschooling has all levels and all languages
   ⁃   homeschooling has the community features (forums and such)

Pricing for Mango Homeschool Edition is based on a yearly subscription rate.  The current pricing is:

1 subscription is $18/month or $125/year total 
2 subscriptions is $28/month or $175 /year total                     
3 subscriptions is $38/month or $225/year total                    
4 subscriptions is $48/month or $275/year total                
5 subscriptions is $58/month or $325/year total
Anything over 6 subscriptions is a special group rate that will depend on the number in the group.

Here is what James had to say about his experience with Mango Homeschool Edition:

“Mango Homeschool Edition Italian is simple to navigate and easy to learn. I liked the fact that this is so easy to follow.   I didn’t like the fact that many words and phrases are repeated over and over and over while some aren’t repeated at all.  There are some words and phrases that I want to learn that haven’t been covered yet, hopefully they will be later in the program.  I also didn’t like how it takes multiple screens and a long time to actually get to the lessons.  It would be easier if logging in would take you right to the lesson you need to be working on.  Some things I would like to have with this are:  quicker access to the lessons, more core words rather than just conversation, more in the way of videos to help learn about the culture, printable lessons, more interaction during the lessons, and longer lessons.  I have learned a lot so far and I think this will definitely help me when I go to Italy this summer.” 

     You may explore Mango Languages / Mango Homeschool by visiting their website.  You can also connect with Mango Languages through the following social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MangoLanguages
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mangolanguages/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MangoLanguages

 

To read what other Schoolhouse Review Crew members have to say about Mango Homeschool Edition, click on the banner below. 

   

How Deep do Your Roots Reach? – A Devotional

Deep roots allow trees to receive the water and nutrients they need to flourish. Those same roots also provide the necessary security for trees to withstand the strong winds that come their way. I have created you in much the same way, for you too need deep roots. You need to be deeply rooted in My Word so you will receive the spiritual nutrients you require. There is no substitute for My Word when it comes to providing you the sustenance needed for a successful life. And there is no substitute for My Word when the strong winds of strife come to you and your family. When you are deeply rooted in Me and My Word, you are able to withstand the strongest winds the world or the devil could ever bring your way.

Psalm 1:3; Matthew 7:17-20; Psalm 33:4

Egglo Entertainment–a Review

Egglo Entertainment has found a way to flip a secular practice into a family oriented, kid-friendly spiritually meaningful experience. We received Glow in the Dark Egglo Eggs ($11.99, on sale for $9.99), Egglo Treasures scripture scrolls, the book The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure ($12.99, on sale for $9.99), The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure (book audio download) ($2.99) and The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure Program Guide ($14.95). While the age range for these products is ages 4 to 13, they could be used effectively with any age. These innovative products have placed the focus of Easter back where it should be, focusing on  Jesus being the light of the world.  

     While my children are at the outside edge of the suggested age range and above, we have still had fun with it.  My son and daughter regularly care for several preschoolers and have been able to introduce these youngsters to the Egglo products.  Before they used the different products, we practiced at home.  First, we read the book together and discussed the story line.  The story involves a brother and sister and cousin who go up to the attic to find something to do until the church’s Easter egg hunt. While in the attic, the children find a glowing egg which gives them a riddle to solve and a Bible verse to read.  Other riddles and Bible verses are given and the children

have an adventure of sorts traveling to the places the riddles take them.  When their adventures are over, the kids end up back home, noticeably different (transformed by the truths they have learned through the scriptures) and all of the adults in the story are thrilled (although a bit puzzled). At 40 pages, this story is a bit lengthy to read in one sitting to younger preschoolers.  On the other hand, listening to the audiobook while looking at the pictures in the book is highly entertaining.  The narrator in the audiobook is very dramatic and can captivate even the most wiggly listener. The audiobook is thirty minutes long. 

     After we examined the story, it was time to move on to the Egglo eggs, Scripture Scrolls, and program guide.  The eggs are glow in the dark (after charging in either sunlight or very bright light for around 45 minutes.  Some of the eggs are plain, while some have crosses embossed on them.  They come in a box of twelve, unassembled, in pastel colors.  The Scripture Scrolls are perfect treasures to stash in the eggs and read together as they are found.  On the Egglo website, there is even a scavenger hunt with clues in the form of Bible verses.  It is designed to take you all over the house in a scavenger hunt in the dark.  Having a flashlight handy to read the clues is really helpful.  The Scripture Scrolls are a little bit thin, so use caution when working with young children so as to not tear them.  We went all out and planned the full scavenger hunt for the other members of our family.  We had a great time exploring scripture together and tracking down the glow in the dark eggs.  One tip – hiding eggs in a very un-level yard with lots of holes is probably not the best idea.  I wonder how I know that?  Seriously, use common sense when hiding the eggs if you are going to be hunting in the dark.  I got so involved in the process that I didn’t think about where I was going to be walking in the dark.  It ended up with hilarious laughter – and me sprawled on the lawn.  Memories!!

       The Program Guide is something I have passed on to our church daycare director / preschool minister to help in planning our annual church Easter egg hunt.  Included in the program guide are decoration ideas, various printables, an object lesson (similar to a children’s sermon), printable scrolls, and even snack ideas to coordinate with the theme. It is a concise, yet thorough collection of ideas and materials to help make a children’s event at Easter a fun time for all that is focused on Jesus being the light of the world. My kids have been listening to the story and perusing the program guide and planning a mini-scavenger-hunt / Easter egg hunt for the children they babysit.  They are so excited about being able to share the true meaning of Easter with the children in a fun, exciting, and meaningful way.  I must say, I wish these products had been around when my kids were younger.  I know we would have made many, many family memories using them. 

Egglo Entertainment can be visited on their website as well as on the following social media:

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/eggloeggs/egglo-easter-egg-hunts-about-jesus/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EggloEggs
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/EggloEggs
Instagram: http://instagram.com/eggloeggs
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/EggloEggs
Google +:  plus.google.com/113761975581466698158

To read more reviews from my friends on the Schoolhouse Review Crew, click on the banner below.

ScienceandMath.com–a Review

     I love math.  Unfortunately, this love of math has not been passed down to my children.  It has been a struggle, during our years of homeschooling, to make math not only enjoyable but also practical.  When we received The Algebra 1 Tutor: Volume 1 and Fractions Thru Algebra Companion Worksheet CD (we received the companion worksheet cd as the digital download product) from ScienceandMath.com to use for purpose of review, I was really excited to implement this curriculum with my children.  Jason Gibson is the creator of the educational Science and Math videos available through his company, ScienceandMath.com.  His mission, to summarize, is to instill a love of Science and Math in students.  Jason strives to make his videos useful instead of just factual.  Because of his unique approach, my kids are seeing some new sides to their math practice. 

     We have been using The Algebra 1 Tutor: Volume 1.  This is the first time my kids have worked with a math curriculum where I hear the words “Math is easy” come out of their mouths!  In Volume 1, students reinforce number theory and basic equation solving.  There are ten sections in the videos.  These are contained in three disks and take seven hours of viewing time total.  My kids have been able to work through The Algebra 1 Tutor: Volume 1 with virtually no help from me.  It has been so fun to watch them!  When I received the curriculum, to make things easier, I printed all of the worksheets (we actually received them as a download rather than a cd).  I did this for both of my kids and just placed them in a binder for each.  Each set of worksheets coincides with a section on the dvd and complete solutions to each problem are provided after each set of worksheets.  By already having the worksheets printed, my kids were able to put on the video segment for each day, watch as many times as needed to understand the concepts being presented, and complete the worksheets.  They could check themselves and see where they made errors without having to wait.  This is really a simple system to work with.  The video segments are long enough to be effective yet short enough to hold interest.  Watching the videos is like watching a teacher present a lesson, complete with a whiteboard.  It is as if students have been invited into a classroom. The Fractions Thru Algebra Companion Worksheet CD contains 21 worksheets (sets of worksheets) that are used to help students achieve mastery.  There are over 500 pages available – this includes both the activity sheets and the solutions.  Both The Algebra 1 Tutor DVD and the Fractions Thru Algebra Companion Worksheet CD are designed for students in grades 7-12. 

     The Algebra 1 Tutor DVD is available through ScienceandMath.com for $26.99.  It is also available as a direct download from ScienceandMath.com for $23.99.  The Fractions Thru Algebra Companion Worksheet CD is also available through the website for $24.99 or can be purchased as a download for $21.99.  Sample pages are available to preview so you can ‘try before you buy’.

     My kids have really been enjoying The Algebra 1 Tutor: Volume 1.  They like the down to earth nature of the videos and the practical nature of the instruction.  They also like being able to know exactly how much they need to do each day to progress.  Because of the user-friendly layout of this program, I can assign lessons and worksheets easily and the kids can repeat sections when they need more help or reinforcement.  This is truly a program designed for mastery.  There is a volume 2 available which takes students through the more complex topics in Algebra 1 and prepares them to enter the world of more advanced mathematics.

     All in all, The Algebra 1 Tutor: Volume 1 and The Fractions Thru Algebra Companion Worksheet CD have been a hit in our homeschool.  I highly recommend this for families in search of an innovative math curriculum that is simple to use and very thorough.

ScienceandMath.com can be found on Facebook at:  https://www.facebook.com/ScienceAndMathCom

     My friends on the Schoolhouse Review Crew have been using The Algebra 1 Tutor and The Fractions Thru Algebra Companion Worksheet CD as well as other products from ScienceandMath.com.  To read their reviews, click on the graphic below. 

 

 

Be Set Apart – A Devotional

I have set you apart from the world and for Myself. You are My child, and I want you to be different than those around you who do not belong to Me. I am holy and I want you to be holy as well. With My Spirit living in you, you are able to live a holy life. You have a purpose in life and that purpose begins with you knowing Me and living in Me and Me living in you. You cannot belong to this world and belong to Me at the same time. To be separated from the world means you are not consumed by and controlled by the things of the world. It means you talk differently than those who are of this world talk. You act differently than they act. Your world view is different from their world view. To be separated unto Me means you allow Me to live in you in such a way that your heart, your mouth, your feet, your hands, and every other part of you is under My control and is used for My glory. Be different. Let Me live in you.

2 Peter 3:11; 1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 1:4

Are You Distracted? - A Devotional

Turn it off. Whatever is distracting you from Me needs to be removed. It may be your television, radio, ipod, or it may even be a person, but if something or someone is keeping you from concentrating on Me like you need to, you must avoid that distraction. In some cases you just need to temporarily remove it and in other cases you need to permanently remove it from your life. Some of the things that take your attention away from Me are not bad things – some of them may actually be good. The problem is they are not the best. Good things really can be some of the most dangerous things in your life because you will be tempted to settle for good and never experience the best I have for you. So turn off whatever you need to turn off and spend time with Me. Let’s go on a walk together. Sing to Me. Listen to Me. Share your heart with Me. Simply, be with Me.
Mark 1:35; Psalm 88:13 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Getting Motivated with Motivated Moms - a Review

I must admit, I am a notebook and planner junkie.  I absolutely salivate when it is time to get a planner for a new year.  For me, if something doesn’t get written down, it doesn’t get done.  For the past several weeks, I have been blessed to be able to use the Motivated Moms 2014 Full Color Page per Day Planner with Daily Bible Readings. Motivated Moms is a “unique and straightforward chore planning system is for moms who are trying to balance creative endeavors with their desire to have an orderly and organized environment in their homes.”  This system was created about nine years ago by Deann Polanco and Janet Russell.  Since its inception, the Motivated Moms system has evolved from a printed organizational system to both an e-book digital downloadable and printable system with multiple options and an app available for IPad/IPhone/IPod Touch. Susan Cramer, who continues the original vision for Motivated Moms and stays on the cutting edge of technology, is now the one in charge of the Motivated Moms products. Now there are sixteen versions of the Motivated Moms Ebooks, available in color or black and white and available in either full or half-page size with or without a daily Bible reading schedule.
     I chose to use the full-size page full color planner with the daily BIble reading option.  The Ebook was simple to download and is saved to my computer as a .pdf.  I can choose to print the entire year or just print a few days, weeks, or months at a time (whatever the ink supply allows).  This option was great for me because I love to use a three-ring binder for my planners.  I was already comfortable with using a full-size blog planner, so I just added my Motivated Moms planner to a new tab in my binder.  There are many helpful features to this Ebook.  I really like the daily Bible reading schedule.  By following this schedule, I can read the entire Bible through over the course of the year.  There is something so motivating about having my daily Bible reading assignment printed on my planner page for the day, ready to check off.  It helps me remember to do that before I do anything else with my day. 
          Another feature of this planner is chore check-off lists.  I must admit, this is the one area where I wish I could have customized a feature.  Many of the chores on the daily chores list, while important, were not things that I needed to do.  For example, “feed pets” is the third chore listed.  We don’t have pets, so I skipped this.  For a very OCD person like me, this was a little disconcerting because I couldn’t have my entire list checked off.  Not a big deal, I know, but it was something that I would love to see adapted in a future edition of the planner.  At the end of the pre-determined chore list are some blank areas to add in other chores and a box to write in the menu plan for the day. In addition to the daily chores list on each page, there is a list of a few chores unique to each day.  Some of these additional chores include things like cleaning out your purse or purging coupons.  An hour by hour appointment reminder section rounds out the page.  The hours on the appointment reminder section run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. – another area I would like to see adapted slightly.  My day usually runs from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., many times with appointments beginning as early as 7, so I found myself having to pencil in extra reminder spaces. 
         One thing that I did enjoy doing with my planner was to color code the chores for my kids.  I simply assigned one color highlighter to each child and highlighted the chores each day that each child was responsible for.  They were able, too, to add in appointments or reminders and color code them.  For a large family like ours, this has really been a great help to organization.  I won’t say that chores are done with a permanent smile, but, there is no questioning who is assigned what chores and they are able to check off their chores when they are done.  Since I was using an Ebook format, and have the planner saved to my computer, I am able to not only keep the entire planner in my binder but also post a page on my refrigerator each day so my kids know what is going on.
          All in all, I do like the Motivated Moms planner.  As with any planner, there are some tweaks that I would like to see, but those aren’t enough to discourage me from using something that is working for me.  My house is much more organized and seems to be less cluttered, so I declare this system a winner.  If you would like to see some samples, preview pages can be downloaded for free to insure compatibility with your computer and printer.  That is quite a plus when trying to decide on which planner to purchase!  The e-books are priced at $8 for the 2014 products and are available through the Motivated Moms website.
     The Motivated Moms iOS app is available for the IPad/IPhone/Ipod Touch.  It is available in a lite version for a 2 month trial for $1.99.  The full version is priced at $.99/month or $7.99/year.  Clicking through the link on the Motivated Moms website will take you to the purchase / installation page for the app. The app is formatted to allow users to sync their planner between multiple devices.  The app includes the same type of chore planning / house keeping tracking systems as the e-book with the flexibility of using it on more than one device. 




To keep up with the latest on Motivated Moms, you can follow them on Facebook or Twitter: 
https://www.facebook.com/motivated.moms
https://twitter.com/momoplanner
Check out what the Schoolhouse Review Crew has to say about the Motivated Moms products by clicking on the banner below.

What do You Desire Most? – A Devotional

What are you running after? Look around you today and notice what most people seem to be running toward. You will soon discover that most are desperately seeking things like, money, possessions, and basic necessities of life. As My child you should be different. I promise to take care of you and provide for you the things you need, but I have a requirement of you; I want you to seek Me and My righteousness first and foremost. Run after Me. As you make Me your focus and desire, I promise to take care of the basic necessities of life for which many spend their life striving. The difference between others around you and you is that they are seeking the temporal things of life and you are seeking Me and My eternal things. Those who seek the temporal things temporarily get what they can provide for themselves, but you get all that I can provide for all eternity.
Matthew 6:28-33; 2 Corinthians 4:18