A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

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What’s up Wednesday June 2018

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What’s up Wednesday, I saw a gal do this last month and I thought it looked fun, ergo I’ll give it a whirl eh?  You can find the link up here. 

what's up wednesday June 2018

What We’re Eating this week:

Well.. since it’s hubby first week working 230 to midnight we’re trying to switch to having a hot meal at lunch instead of at the close of the day.

So far we’ve had “gah make something I’m hungry!… Hamburgers” on Monday. Tacos on Tuesday. Tonight my Sausage with veggies fry. Tomorrow.. I dunno, leftovers most likely, and Friday we’ll have soup I think. Or we’ll have soup tomorrow and leftovers Friday. Time will tell, it’s a week in progress.Sausage Veggie Fry

What I’m reminiscing about:

Hmm… can’t say I’m doing that all.  Though today I was talking with the ladies at the foodbank about how glad I am that Jim has a job again.  A job where he can get out of the house and be busy again.  How good it’s been for him.

What I’m Loving:

Doing devotions on John at the end of the day with my lad.  It gives him the day to think about the passage he read.  It’s good to talk and think about God’s word eh?

What we’ve been up to:

Still working on changing the house around.  I’ve got most of the things moved out of Jim’s old office, just a few things to move yet.  Part of it is getting hubby to lend a hand as moving stuff means that we need to change wiring and what not. 

What I’m dreading:

Nothing.  I think. 🙂

What I’m working on

Oh… I am moving things around in the gardens.  Cleaning out the shed out back. Moving things around in the house.  Supporting my hubby with his shift change.  Book reviews. 

What I’m excited about

Um… good question.  I don’t know.  I think I’m too busy to be excited about anything right now.  THOUGH… I have two blue babies in my nestbox right now and I’m hopeful for girls this time.  REALLY hopeful.  🙂

raven's baby bunnies

What I’m watching/reading:

Just learned about a new to me show called Army Wives that I’ve been watching. I’m reading a book called Auden Dare. 

What I’m listening to

I’ve been listening to a book called DragonVein.  I need to find more books to listen to, or good podcasts or something, but I don’t know where to look for those.

What I’m wearing

Clothes.  Yes, I am wearing clothes.  A no sleeve peach shirt and black capris.   Nothing fancy, clothes generally aren’t too important to me.   THOUGH I do have a new Sunday outfit that I like.  To be honest my mom insisted I needed something new and so bought it for me. 🙂

New sunday outfit

 

What I’m doing this weekend:

Well, I think hubby is preaching somewhere, though perhaps not.  I know that Sunday is Canada Day so WOOT WOOT we get to celebrate with the rest of town.   We’ll probably attend services at Community Bible Church. 

What I’m looking forward to next month

Oh.. FREE WATER!  You see they are doing roadwork on our street and next week they’ll be hooking up our water to a common line meaning we have free water until the end of October.  I’ll be able to water my garden all summer.  Of course that will be less exciting if we have a cool wet summer and the added water won’t be needed….but for now WOOT WOOT!

What else is new

My son is enjoying his newest review product Coding for Teens, and um, he has a friend coming over tomorrow which will be lovely and I’ll be able to visit with his mom for a bit. My life is rather boring right now, and I’m okay with that. 🙂

Review: Silverdale Press

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Rhetoric anyone?  Do you know how to write a skillful, artistic and persuasive speech?  Introducing Persuasive Writing & Classical Rhetoric: Practicing the Habits of Great Writers by Silverdale Press LLC. Learning to think persuasively with great speeches from the past. Come read our review.

Silverdale Press

You see that boy in my opening image?  That would be my son.  He’s just about to explain to me what he thinks of John F. Kennedy’s speech about the space program.   This time of discussion has been a blessing in our household over the past few weeks.  Silverdale Press’s, Persuasive Writing & Classical Rhetoric program has been a boon to our household. 

Who is Silverdale Press?

Silverdale Press was founded by Joshua and Jill Hummer.  Their aim is to help middle and high school students cultivate knowledge and improve their skill sets.  In that quest they aim to teach the ways of great leaders, writers, thinkers, and citizens.

Silverdale Press

How is the course set up?

I received four PDF’s from Silverdale Press

  1. Rhetoric Answer Book
  2. Rhetoric Lesson Book
  3. Rhetoric Reader
  4. Rhetoric Workbook

The Lesson Book sets out a schedule to follow weekly.  There are 36 lessons divided into five sections. Each lesson is designed to be completed in one week. The five sections are introduction, invention, arrangement, style, and conclusion.  

Silverdale Press

Each lesson in the workbook spelled out each of these steps specifically. The lessons include topics such as Stasis theory, emotional appeals, taking notes and developing a reading list.   People studied vary from John Locke to John F. Kennedy to E.B. White.

Silverdale PressSetting reading goals had my son doing something he normally doesn’t do (though I’ve been trying to encourage for the past two years) but having it as part of a lesson seems to have spurred him on.   “Mom, I have a list of books that I want to read though they aren’t the type that Kennedy would read.  I want to read “The Hobbit” “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings”. ”   Did you catch that?   NOT ones that Kennedy would read (see… he remembers!!!!!) AND he came up with a list of books that he wants to read for himself.   I totally call that a win!

Silverdale press

What books would you put on this list?  

There are massive amounts of pages in these ebooks, The lesson book 235, workbook 202, answer book 65, and reader 111. You can choose to print it all off or print off only what you need to.  At this point, I’ve been printing the speeches and the review questions only.   

Each week finishes off with an essay challenge based on a major point of the speech reviewed.   “Give me ______ or give me death”.   “We Choose to ________”     By the end of the 36 week study you’ll have received lessons in what real writers do, how to pitch your work and handling rejection.  The aim is to produce better writers, and writers want to be published. 🙂

Silverdale Press

How did we use it?

This is a high-school level course and my son is a rising eight grade student.  This meant I adapted the program to suit our needs.

The first lesson we broke over two weeks.  Taking time to thoroughly discuss the speech we were given.  We learned new words, figured out what rhetoric was, and just talked.  We talked while feeding our rabbits, and going for a walk, this wasn’t a sit down and think about it lesson…this was an on-going discussion for us.  Part of the requirements was to write an 500 word essay.  I simply told my lad, write an essay based on the prompt. I’ll write one too and then we’ll talk about each others essays.   Admittedly this was HARD for my lad.  Coming up with something to write about (even with a prompt) and then figuring out how to write the essay… tough job.   I walked him through how I was writing my essay and from that he was able to put something together but wasn’t happy with it and actually wanted to totally rewrite it.

Surgery happened.  The essay got put to the wayside.  I  started to work my way through lesson two, discovering something wonderful.  My lad didn’t want me to work through it on my own.  He wanted to continue to chat with me.  Since he wasn’t allowed (Doctor’s orders) to do school for two weeks I put it on hold.   For the past two weeks we’ve been talking about Kennedy’s space speech. All this discussion and coming up with ideas.  It’s been a hoot.   Could you imagine a world with all self-driven cars?

I’m not requiring an essay from him at this point.  We’ve decided that for now, we will just discuss the speeches, we’ll learn new terminology and do the lessons, but mom will write an essay, and the lad will critique and together we’ll make it the best we can.  The lad will talk about an idea he has, and the arguments he would use to persuade his audience of its merits.   For instance the lesson on Patrick Henry had him discussing with parents the merits of a good video game and how it doesn’t rot your brain.   

Our plans are to work our way through each lesson (taking a couple of weeks to do so) over the next year or so.. and then when the lad is in grade 10 we’ll do the course again, this time with an essay requirement being part of it.  When we do so, I will make full use of the answer key which provides correct answers and a rubric for the essays. Silverdale Press

Our Recommendation:

This highschool level class has been a lot of fun to work through with my seventh grade student. We are far from done, but we are looking forward to our next lessons.  My son wanted me to assure parents with grade seven and eight students to not be afraid to get this course.  It’s alot of fun to talk about ideas, and to try to figure out ways to make an essay or speech more persuasive.  Silverdale Press has produced a stellar program with their Persuasive Writing & Classical Rhetoric class.  It’s been very good to be about practicing the habits of great writers.  As a parent I liked how they organized all their workbooks and setting out a good way to approach it. It helped me to break down a bit more for my lad.  The side benefit is that I am learning as well.  This is an excellent course for parents wanting to increase their skills as well. 

Silverdale Press

 

Persuasive Writing & Classical Rhetoric: Practicing the Habits of Great Writers
Silverdale Press LLC

Ages 14-18
Homeschool High school, homeschool writing curriculum,
Digital, Ebook, PDF
Rhetoric, Persuasive writing, Speech

Homeschool Review Crew Reviews:

The crew reviewed two products from Silverdale Press

Persuasive Writing & Classical Rhetoric: Practicing the Habits of Great Writers – ages 14-18
White House Holidays Unit Studies – ages 5-18 

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Social Media Links: 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SilverdalePress/   Tag: @SilverdalePress
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/silverdalepress    Tag: @SilverdalePress
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/silverdalepress/

 

You are my All in All

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The other day I was coming home with the lad, I was bone tired and needing to stay away so I started singing every single campfire song I could think of.  To my surprise my buggy (the lad) joined in after I repeated them a few times.

I started to teach him this one.

I grew up singing it as a round so was surprised at how long it took me to find one on youtube that did the same way I learned.

Anyways, hope you enjoy it. 🙂
 

you are my all in all

Lyrics written by Dennis Jernigan

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all

Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord to give up I’d be a fool
You are my all in all

Jesus Lamb of God worthy is your name
Jesus Lamb of God worthy is your name

Taking my sin my cross my shame
Rising again I bless your name
You are my all in all
When I fall down you pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all

Jesus Lamb of God worthy is your name
Jesus Lamb of God worthy is your name

Jesus Lamb of God worthy is your name
Jesus Lamb of God worthy is your name

Art Ideas to Inspire

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I was working hard today and got to thinking “I haven’t done my art post for today”.  I have no book so what can I do?

I remembered some art posts I’ve recently saved to my Art Pinterest board lately and how much fun I thought they would be to do as a class with my homeschool group.   Making Dolls was a whole lot of fun and it would be great to do it again.  🙂

Ergo inspiration was born.  Why not inspire YOU my faithful readers with a class you might want to teach.

ideas to inspire your next art class

20+ Cute and Original Origami for kids.   Don’t these look fun to do?  Mind… I don’t know I’d ever do them as I’ve tried origami before and well… struggled a bit more than I would have preferred. but wouldn’t it be a fun art class to teach?   Talking about places in the world, or Japan, or critters.  You could easily build a whole fun study around them. 🙂

Artists?

Leonardo Da Vinci anyone?   I love the ideas found here.   Or perhaps Henry Matisse is more your style?  What about Rembrandt or Van Gogh?  Trying things out and learning about our past…it’s a great thing to do.  Conversations that would hopefully be spawned… makes my heart just go pitter pat!  🙂

What about littles?

Generally I like to teach students that are 8 years and up, one time I was asked if I’d consider teaching a class of littles (like preschool/kindergarten).  I blanched!  🙂   BUT if I ever did, I’d want to do classes that used fun things like sponges, or potatoes, or tissue paper.  Objects that would be easy for them to manipulate on their own and I wouldn’t have to spend a lot of time fussing over.  Using unconventional items to express creativity is wonderful to do with littles…but I’ve never been brave enough to tackle it with a group of younglings.   Perhaps one day I shall hmm?

What else… 

Oh.. one of the ideas that is making my head spin with ideas lately doing a class with olders making gifts for youngers.  Like designing a fairy garden, or building a house, or a farm out of popsicles sticks.  Wouldn’t that be a wonderful class to teach?  To that end I’ve been searching out popsicle craft ideas. 

I wanted to teach a leather working class one time but by the time I sussed out the price for the leather, needed tools and what not, I decided I’d price myself right out of a class. I don’t think co-op classes should cost a whole lot of money… It’s hard with leather to make it your own without all the gees gahs to go with it. 

There are just so many possibilities for doing art… go out and find something that looks fun and grab up a bunch of kids and go do it together.  Art is meant to be enjoyed in one’s own unique way.  Let’s celebrate it!

 

Things I love – Co-op

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Today is the last day of the homeschool review crew’s 5 day blog hop.  I hope you’ve had fun, I know I’ve read some fascinating posts from other members, and some that are just plain fun.

Today I thought I’d talk about a love that happens twice a year for six weeks at a time. Co-op classes with our Homeschool Group.

Things I like - co-op classes

That’s my boy there you know?   Grinning away.  Having fun playing Ants.   He’s the biggest boy in class and it was funny watching him, letting himself get caught.  And these skinny kids would try to move him.  He thought it was a hoot!  🙂

Our co-op is set up that all the age levels get a phys ed time.  Time to run around and let off steam and have fun playing with youth the same age.   When I teach gym I do my best to NOT do gym the way I was raised playing volleyball or basketball.  But having fun playing games and tag and getting to know one another.   The youth seem to like the format which is the best thing.

Each co-op has their own way of doing things you know?   Ours says the year you join, have fun, help out with a couple of classes and get to know some of the folks around you.  The second year and thereafter, teach a class and then help in a class.  What to teach?  Whatever you want.  I’ve helped in art classes, geography, history, science and others.

I’ve seen moms come in with busy boxes, dolls and various unit studies.

I tend to teach art or science classes.   Introducing the children to the fun of exploring the world. 

 

This year I decided to teach two classes as I despise .. well okay, perhaps not despise.  But I dislike helping in a class where I’m just sitting around doing my own thing, being a wasted body in a room.    I’d rather do something.  So this year I said the heck with helping, let me teach a second class. 

I have two children in my doll making class and we are just having a lot of fun together.  They wanted to make a doll they could sew so we needed to revamp class ideas a bit.  But they are having fun and learning and that’s the good thing eh?    I have 15 children in my gym class.  I started with 12 but sometimes life changes and kids can’t handle one class so they move to another.  It’s no mattering to me as long as they listen and have fun.

Why do I like co-op classes?  

Ah.. cause my boy loves them eh?  Seriously.  It’s good to connect with other moms (and dads) and to spend time talking and listening.  But mostly, it’s because my boy has such fun there.  I don’t know what he’ll do when he ages out of them.  He’ll be quite sad I think.  It’s hard living so far away from the homeschool group, hard to get together and be involved eh?  And a lad needs friends.  Here…here he can connect with friends for a few hours every week and afterwards sometimes too. So co-op is a good thing for both us.  Stretches me a bit, gives me some connection, but also the lad, it’s so good for the lad.



Things I Love – Checklists

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Don’t you just love when your children can work on their homeschooling fairly independently?   I know I do!   I love helping him when he needs it, but helping him to be responsible for his own scheduling.. I LOVE IT!   We’ve been working on refining his schedule for the past couple of years and this year it was just a matter of making up a list for him, and then he decides how he’s going to full fill his workload over the course of the week. 

Homeschool Schedule

Trying to figure out how to help him be accountable in other areas of his life took a little more figuring out.  Earlier this year it occurred to us that making a list of everything he was responsible for over the course of a week might be beneficial to him as well.  He’s taken to it like a duck to water… he loves having a list to work off of and to be know exactly what he is responsible for.   We needed to add some consequences initially to help him take the list seriously as up until this point it was “get it done if you can, we’re disappointed if you don’t, but life happens”.   That proved to be too “loosey-goosey” for him. 

Once he realized we were trying to help him build a good routine and to develop skills that will help in establish a pattern of fitting in the important things in life FIRST before doing anything else, he got the picture and starting taking it all much more seriously.accountability chart

NOW he loves it and mostly gets all his work done first thing in the morning instead of lolly gagging about all day and running out of time.  He even explains if he needs to do something on a different day (like taking a shower) due to being busy, or working with dad, or _________.   He has careful reasoning which I love to see. 

Things I love Checklists

What do you use to help your children learn how to be accountable to themselves, to help them figure out what should come first in their lives? 

Others in this series

Kitchen Ease

Homeschooling meets life.



Review: The Movie Making Book

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You know how sometimes you can run across a book and think….wow.. this is just a fun how-to book?   Well, The Movie Making Book is one such book.   In this book you will find skills and projects to help you make better movies.  Loads of helpful tips and suggestions for the budding movie director. 

Nine Sections make up this creative, colourful book that is just loaded with good ideas to help the budding movie maker learn the necessary skills to be great. Also has a getting started and equipment Guide. 

  • Getting started
  • Movie Shots
  • Movie Skills
  • Special FX Shots
  • Editing Your Movies
  • Super Sounds
  • Movie-making Projects
  • Making Programs
  • Movie-making Stories
  • Share Your Movies
  • Equipment Guide

This book is brought to us by Dan Farrell and Donna Bamford who have been leading film-making schools for young people for more than 10 years.  They have a wealth of experience in teaching young people the film industry. 

Each lesson is set out in an organized fashion, listing the equipment, along with letting us know why a lesson is important to learn, pro tips and how-to’s.  Though it’s not pictured in the image below, each lesson comes with plenty of images to help cement the learning.   The text is written to be clearly understood by youth without talking down to them.  Creativity is encouraged, along with the sense of “you can do this”.  Lots of helpful how-to’s are given along the way from adding music, to how to shoot an angle to give the impression you are not on land, how to make an introduction and more. 

The pro-tips that are included throughout the book were spot on and helpful. 

It would be so easy to use this book, and all it’s accompanying projects to do a movie-making credit with your students.  Teach them how to do a storyboard, costumes, sound effects and more.

My Thoughts:

This is a fascinating and helpful book, geared to helping younger people figure out the ins and outs of making a movie.  Filled with helpful tips, reasons why it’s important, and great images to help bring concepts to life. If you have a student eager to make movies, this well put together book will meet their needs quite nicely. 

 

  
The Movie Making Book: Skills and Projects
    To learn and share
Dan Farrell
Donna Bamford
Chicago Review Press
Page 144, middle school
Trade Paperback

Reviewed for Chicago Review Press.

Where to find it: Amazon Link.