Curriculum for Grammar
Easy Grammar by Wanda Phillips is one of my favorite grammar curricula. One thing I like most of all is that I really only need the teachers book because the student pages are also included in the book. I am permitted to copy the student pages. I put them in my own three ring binder usually a half year at a time.
This curriculum also includes unit reviews and tests, as well as, cumulative unit reviews and tests. She has included a few games in her book that are fun to play while learning. One such game is preposition bingo.
I love the fact that Easy Grammar begins with learning prepositions. The approach is somewhat ingenious. First your child learns the prepositions and their phrases and eliminate the prepositional phrases from a sentence. Afterwards, it becomes extremely easy to find the subject and verb, as well as, point out the other parts in sentence.
One of the biggest questions about Easy Grammar is, “Do I have to get the teachers book and the student workbook too?” The answer is no. The teacher’s books has the same material as the students book. To see what the books look like here is a quick video that shows the material. It’s not the best example but, it does show the books and how they are laid out.
[jbutton link="http://youtu.be/9a-PQyaAdcA"]Easy Grammar Curriculum[/jbutton]
Reviews on Saxon Math 54 65 76 87 middle grades
I would love some people to give reviews on the following information about middle grades Saxon Math.
Having spent our last homeschool year using Saxon Math 5/4, which by the way we have used Saxon Math since 2nd grade. We are planning to move ahead into Saxon 65 but I had a few questions I could not seem to find answers to anywhere so, I am opening up comments. Please leave your reviews.
I am interested in finding out about the different editions. I used Saxon Math 54 2nd edition, published 2001. There were earlier publishings to that textbook. Now as we move on to Saxon Math 65, I want to purchase a 2nd edition again however I am only finding an early (1995) publishing; were there any other publishing dates with 65? The same question applies to 76 and 87.
The other answers I am looking for have to do with the new 3rd edition. Just viewing the online snip its, it seems to be the homeschool friendly version. However, what makes the 3rd edition of Saxon Math so different from the 2rd edition that would make me want to use that newer edition over the 2nd edition?
And then there is the new debate over Saxon or Singapore Math. But I will save that for another day. The previous questions are what I am really looking for answers to.
Find a Saint Book, best Catholic Children Books
This video by a sister of St. Paul, does a wonderful job explaining some the saint books she likes and which books she started with on her journey to the Catholic faith.
The video quality isn’t the best but the content is was worth spreading on authors such as Louis de Wohl, and saints such as Maria Goretti, St. Therese, St. Bernadette and more.
Reminder and Review of Spelling Resource.
Spelling City: It’s simple and easy for your children to use. It’s a great resource to bookmark.
Best of all its free to use and doesn’t load you down with a bunch of advertisements that will distract your kids while they are learning their spelling words. You can use almost any word however, I have found that some of the exclusively Catholic terminology doesn’t always work for spelling word
Click this link to find the on the web or go to spellingcity.com
Beatification of John Paul II from Vatican New Service:
Angel City, Wonderful book by Father Gerald Brennan
I recently finished reading a story I picked up in my Church’s library. What a delightful suprise as I poured forth the pages of this story. Angel City A book for Children six to sixty by Father Gerarld Brennan
As the story goes, Father is a great storyteller and children love to hear his stories. He is missing all the children he taught in school because it’s summertime. He goes off hunting for a place called Angel City that he had a dreamt about the previous night. I will skip the part that lets you know how he gets into Angel City. Although, I will tell you that he shares some of the best truly catholic stories with the children that make this book worth its weight in gold. All the stories he tell starts off about a particular boy or girl which then turns into a fabulous moral teaching about Jesus, Mary, Purgatory or such the like, that will keep your kids talking about the tale even after the story is over.
There are a few pictures in the 94 page book however, unlike many saint stories this book is different. I assure you children young and old including yourself will fully engage in Angel City : A Book for Children from Six to Sixty
In reviewing the book I came to realize this is not the only one Father Gerarld Brennan
Beware of history movies and documentaries reviewed
Not all history movies are created alike. History resources are losing their credibility.
Recently, a Catholic friend of mine was watching the History Channel. The History Channel is good, it’s a great source of history or is it? Historical events at the time of Jesus were being discuss when out of the blue a factual statement was made that (everybody’s knows kind of statement) that Mary was actually raped by a Roman Soldier. It stopped my friend dead in his tracks and he changed the channel. This was a knowledgeable Catholic adult watching the show. The sad part is that, there are many adults and impressionable children of all ages watch these shows that don’t know their faith facts and can be lured in by these untrue comments and statements. Thus furthering the viewers believe that it must be true because they just watched it on a credible station. I have seen more and more of this type of thing going on with the History Channel. So Please BEWARE, if you are a parent, I advise you if you watch this and shows like this on the History Channel, watch them with your child!
I am afraid it goes farther. Recently I received a PBS documentary DVD on the Rise of the Roman Empire, the First Century. Wow, what a mistake not to preview that one! For sometime during the first part of the dvd (I didn’t watch the rest) they spent discussing illict love affairs of ancient Roman women and showed ancienet images on walls depicting every sort of intimate position know to mankind! These were not just quick glimpes of a camera shot; the images were kept on the tv screen for some time before they moved on to another image in an even more provocitive position! Doing all this while reading seducing poetry from the time.
I began to wonder how long I would have to endured exposé of smut. How could this possibly be the meat and potatoes of critical information as to the Rise of the Roman Empire! I advise you if you have children, unless you want them to prematurely be subjected to very imtimate scenes and careless discussion of promescuity you will avoid this Movie like the plague! This is not the best resource for educating your children.
Advent 2010
Advent 2010 season is upon us again. If you haven’t seen this bunch of kids doing their advent adventure be sure to look them up. They are a great reminder to our children to keep in mind and not lose site of advent.
You will need to go to their website and subscribe to the email if you don’t want your children to miss one day of the fun filled adventures.
Bishop talks about Abraham Lincoln
Bishop Fulton Sheen was one of the most dynamic speakers of his time in early media. He was called a Prophet in Our Times. And really, those same thought came to mind after listening to several of his talks. Most of you may be too young to remember listening to Bishop Sheen on the television. However, It is amazing how his messages are so appropriate even for today’s living.
I found a collection of his videos “A Life Worth Living” on Youtube under the “catholicclips” user. In particularly a video that surprised me. Here the bishop’s talk is on Abraham Lincoln! It is a three part video. You will really enjoy this video if your interested in the life of Honest Abe.
Lincoln and Sheen come from the same region in Illinois so it should be no surprise that Bishop Sheen is able to share things the average person doesn’t know about Lincoln’s life. Plus, Fulton Sheen was born in 1895, that’s just 30 short years from the untimely death of Lincoln. The stories of Lincoln and his family must have been common dinnertime conversation around those parts of Illinois during that era. As a Catholic, what could be better than the bishop sharing a bit of US history with us.
Fulton Sheen has several other videos you can listen to under user “CatholicClips” (I am not associated with this user.) If you don’t like going on youtube, you can click on this: my catholic homeschool videos link and see all three parts. The Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUdQFf0Ybm0
Hero of the Hills by Mary Fayban Windeatt
The story of St. Benedict.
This is a great story to Read Aloud together as a family or hand off to a child who reads chapter books. It especially makes a good read for those with children who are reluctant in doing their school work.
The book Hero of the Hills draws you right in at the very beginning as young Benedict wants to leave school and go off and become a hermit. His 50 year old nurse/house keeper who has been put in charge of him won’t let him get away that easily. She insists that this hermit will have a house keeper and a home cooking. She begins the journey with St. Benedict trudging through the wilderness of Italy with him. This book is so easy to read yet not childish, you and your children will love finding out more of this fascinating saint. How he struggled living in a cave at 17; his many miracles that include raising a boy from the dead. How he fights with the devil that only he can see but everyone else can hear too. How he went from living in a cave as a hermit to becoming an Abbot of several monasteries and so much more all within a book that not more then about 150 pages.
Here are some locations and prices where you can find the book.
Search title: Hero of the Hills, price $8.45
St. Benedict: Hero of the Hills: Price $9.95 from Ignatius Press links directly to book.
Search for title: Hero of the Hills from Catholic Books and Gifts price:$9.95
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