A Net in Time

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Review: Mission to Pluto

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I have to tell you this.. I have not read this book, my lad did. Boy did he ever talk about this first visit an ice dwarf and the kuiper belt, as found in Mary Kay Carson’s book “Mission to Pluto”. 

AND.. wonders upon wonders.. he actually told me what he thought about it.   So this review is based solely on what he told me about it.

HE LIKED IT!

OH,… he was full of information.  He researched additional ideas on youtube and just filled two weeks with reading and watching.  🙂   Here’s one video he told me about: 

It’s a good thing that you know?

What he liked:
LOTS of pictures.    Not just pictures and colour graphics to fill space, but ones that actually had to do with what he was reading about.

It had interesting cut-outs…you know when they bring up interesting facts not directly related to what they are talking about.  Like when they talked about the girl who named Pluto or when they talked about the colours of the spectrum and what not.   My lad was going on and on about how that led to him learning about Red  S____ .  He’s told me and explained it to me but it keeps disappearing into the nether on me!   (how red isn’t really red cause it disappears ???)   Anyways, it has him all fascinated and talking.

He loved it when they had all the pictures on the page in one spot OR taking up the entire page.   He didn’t have to wonder where he should start reading.

If the picture was at the top of slightly off center he didn’t know if he should start reading under the picture or beside the picture, so “tell them mom that if they are writing this for me to read they should put the pictures either at the top or at the bottom so it isn’t confusing”. 

It has lots of information in it but “I found it really easy to read.  It didn’t take me very long”.

When I asked if he thought other boys might be interested the answer was “yes”.   He admittedly wasn’t sure if girls would like it… but honestly.. I think they would if they are into the things of outer space and seeing how a scientist realized a dream.

When my son realized there were several others in the series he wanted me to rush out and get more of them.. so expect a review or two to come along yet from others in the series.  🙂

Title: Mission to Pluto
Author: Mary Kay Carson
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 80
Age Range:  10-12 years
Series: Scientists in the Field
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Book Synopsis:  In July of 2015 a robotic spacecraft reached Pluto after a nine-and-half-year journey. New Horizons
is the first spacecraft mission to Pluto and revealed its five moons
as never before seen. Images from the mission show a reddish surface
covered in ice-water mountains, moving glaciers, and hints of possible
ice volcanoes and an underground ocean. Pluto is geologically alive and
changing!…….Follow along
with the team of scientists as they build New Horizons, fly it across the solar system, and make new discoveries about a world three billion miles away.

Where to find this book: 
 Amazon.ca – Mission to Pluto: The First Visit to an Ice Dwarf and the Kuiper Belt

 Amazon.com – Mission to Pluto: The First Visit to an Ice Dwarf and the Kuiper Belt (Scientists in the Field Series)

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Art Book Series: Spot the Differences

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HI!   Guess what, Joanna is nice enough to guest post for me with what sounds like a fascinating book.  Joanna commented on my blog about this book and I asked if she’d please please please write a blog post for me as I wanted you all to know about it too!   Come check it out with me eh? 
I am always looking for ways to keep my boys interested in learning about art. 

We
have read many great books about artists, carried out artist studies
complete with copied works, and go on field trips to local art museums.  

But
I always wanted my boys to really stop and study the works of art.
 Look for the nuances that make them so spectacular, learn the names of
major works of art and the artists who painted them.  

I
was so thrilled when I stumbled upon the Spot the Differences book!  So
far we only have book 1 but there are 4 of them in the series.  

I love this series because my boys were excited about using it!  

The
book has 25 famous paintings– each painting is pictured twice.  The
first page shows the original painting complete with name and date it
was painted.  The opposing page shows the same picture with anywhere
from 6-14 change and you are challenged to find all the differences
between the original work of art and the changed picture.  There is an
answer key in the back of the book if you get stumped and a handy box
for checking off all the differences you have found. 



 Surrounding
both pictures are snippets of information about the artist, the
painting itself, and some facts about the historical period in which the
artist lived and painted. 

It has made art study so fun! 

  You can find Joanna over at Our Unschooling Journey Through Life.   Do be sure to visit her there as well eh?

Where can you find it:
 Amazon.com: Spot the Differences Book 1: Art Masterpiece Mysteries (Dover Children’s Activity Books)

Amazon.ca: Spot the Differences Book 1: Art Masterpiece Mysteries




Joanne Rawson is the author of the blog Our Unschooling Journey.
Known around the web as Mother of 3, Joanne began her blog when she
first started homeschooling her three boys in 2012. She lives in
Connecticut with her family and enjoys reading, crafting, and
travelling… all of which usually ends up on her blog.

Social Media:

 

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Prickly Pear Cactus

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Welcome to week “P” of blogging through the alphabet, I’m so delighted that you have stopped by to visit with Amanda and I through this whole endeavor.  How are you doing with it eh?

Anyways, recently my son attended the Project fair for our local homeschool co-op.   His project was all about his cactus.   

Part of the gig was for children to answer questions about their presentation, and one of the questions asked was “does Canada have any native cacti species.”   The lad hadn’t researched that idea so had no clue, people offered guesses, most saying no it didn’t, but I did google and showed the lad the response.  

Did you know we have FOUR cacti species?   In British Columbia, Manitoba and in Ontario?   I KNOW!!!  A total shocker!!!

In Ontario we have the Eastern Prickly Pair Cactus…and low and behold guess what!

On Sunday we had a preaching engagement up in Kingsville which is REALLY close to Point Pelee.. the home of the Eastern Prickly Pear so we actually got to see some!  I know!  AH!!!!   My boy child was SO delighted!!!

It could be found everywhere it seemed, but the lad did some research on it when we got home and found out that its on the Ontario Endangered Species list.   Habitat loss and human interference play a big role in it’s demise, with invasive species NOT helping matters at all.  

So if you see it growing in Ontario LEAVE IT ALONE!!!   Don’t trample it, don’t dig it up, just enjoy it in it’s native environment and pull out those nasty invasive plants that want to crowd it out!

Let it enjoy the sandy dunes, and open sun, and let it flower.  Let it fruit and spread it seeds (even if the fruit is edible).   Just let it do it’s thing and help it along instead of hindering it. 

Let other boys, like my son, be delighted in discovering cacti in Ontario!!!!

So what’d’ya say… do you have a “P” post?   Come on in and join us won’t you?   We’re delighted to have you stop in.  🙂

A Net In Time Schooling

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Review: ArtAchieve

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Imagine taking an art class in the comfort and freedom of your own home… professional lessons, art lessons for children, provided by ArtAchieve.  I don’t know if you remember that the lad and I reviewed this last year, and were delighted to review for ArtAchieve again, this year broaching the Entire Level III.  Boy.. has it been fun.  🙂

One of the things I love, after various conversations with John, is how he holds true to his statements.
He believes anyone can learn to draw, that it is not a skill only for the talented but for anyone.  It’s a necessary skill that improves one’s abilities in many other subjects. He structures his lessons in such a way that if you want to learn to draw a cat, your cat will LOOK like a cat.  🙂  At the same time, he leaves plenty of room for creative self-expression, so the cat you draw will be YOUR cat, not his, not your neighbours, but all yours.   Learning to draw means paying attention to what you are observing, it means thinking creatively which spills over to other subjects.  Doing art helps you cover history, geography, literature and more.   I know it has helped us in our Canadian Studies!  🙂

Come.. explore ArtAchieve with us, won’t you?

Once you have logged into ArtAchieve you will be brought to a page with all your lessons.

Each lesson, if you click on the (+) sign opens into usually four sections.

The way you approach the lesson influences which version you use.  My son wasn’t keen on the video as he needed to stop and start it all the time.   He would rather not do that.  He quickly learned that the powerpoint version worked best for him.   One slide at a time with little dots below that he could shift between.  He could quickly skip ahead to see the final result or he could jump a few buttons back to review that he did a step properly.

The son was busy.. ever so busy with having fun about the armadillo as a turtle rabbit.  I raise rabbits so he was bugging me about how many some of them might want to become turtles so I better watch out for turtle rabbits. AND DON’T get him started on the German.. oh my!!!!    11 year olds and their sense of humour eh?  We could just see those little armoured turtle rabbits running around.  It just made us laugh together. 🙂  Each lesson John adds these “curriculum connectors” as I call them, where he gives some of the history of the animal used, or the art form involved.  He throws in history, geography, science and what not.  Art is such a cross-curricular subject and it just neat to see the Cross Curricular Connections he makes.

Each lesson starts off the same (except for the stop action lesson at the end of level three).  A line drawing to complete (so you can practice drawing the parts of the subject matter) and a supplies list.  You can also find a supply list for all the lessons under supplies when you login, though I found it wasn’t as complete as the in-lesson supply list.

We ran into one lesson where we didn’t have the acrylic paints needed so I emailed John to find out how necessary they were or if we could make do with oil or tempura paints, or if pencil crayons might work as well.   He said “Go ahead all those will work”.  🙂  So we did.   I just love art programs that are accommodating as that’s how I approach art! I figure what is important.. the medium or the learning the style taught?   Granted, if a lesson is about HOW to do work with pastels.. well..then you want to use pastels.  But this lesson was about how to do form lines and plain lines so the materials used didn’t matter quite as much.

Each lesson contains a different art lessons, whether about form lines, working in 3rds, or working with different mediums like glue and aluminum foil.    The art lessons are short and illustrated well.  

The lad and I finished two projects.  We worked through them slowly as that helps my perfectionist son take the time that needs to do a job well.

For this project we were supposed to draw an armadillo.
But the lad wanted to do a pokemon character and I thought
I’d try a cat.   The lad helped with the cat feet as I was struggling with them,
I helped the lad with curving the leaves of his Oddish.
The lad thoroughly enjoyed this project once he saw it finished!
This totem project was a time-taker.  
We did one section at a time to draw, doing the black form lines went quickly.
The lad was hesitant about doing the colour, until he started
and then he figured out how he wanted it to go.

One of the things I really appreciated was how John showed us different options for how a finished project might look.  Sometimes they were quite different from each other but it drove home how different people do can do the same art project and have it turn out completely differently.  It gave the lad the freedom he needed to do his OWN art. We talked alot doing each art piece, discussing methods, colour, types of pencils, marker yes or not, how to make easy lines within a colour (use white crayon!) and so much more.  We learned alot about the Pacific coast people.  Here’s a bit we learned while doing our totem poles.
In fact we actually have a problem… we don’t agree on which project we should do next… should it be the frog (the lad) or the Canada geese (me)?   We can put a Canadian spin on both you know?  🙂

I have to admit, I’m looking forward to when we do the Canada Goose lesson, check out some of the Cross Curricular Connections we’ll be able to do.   We’ll be able to visit websites to learn facts about geese, do a character study via youtube, read good books about geese, and more.  I can see us looking up Canada Geese migrating and perhaps finding out why some geese stick around all winter!  You find this under the art lessons tab.

If you are intrigued by ArtAchieve I strongly urge you to try out the free lesson!  See for yourself if John’s way of teaching works well for you.  🙂  Really.. you won’t regret it!

Vendor: ArtAchieve
Product Name and Links: Entire Level III

Cost For Level Three: Individual Lesson $6 each, bundles of three for $16, or the entire course for $58.50
Received: One Year of Level III.

100 of us are reviewing John’s great art program.  Click here to read more (or the image below).     The other levels are: Entire Level I , Entire Level II and Entire Level IV

http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/art-lessons-inspired-from-around-the-world-artachieve-reviews/

Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Artachieve   @ArtAchieve
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnahofland   @johnahofland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArtAchieve   @ArtAchieve
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/artachieve   artachieve
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+JohnHoflandartachieve   ArtAchieve

Hashtags: #hsreviews  #artachieve, #artlessonsforkids, #homeschool #artclassesforkids, #drawinglessonsforkids

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Do you think it could be a good weapon?

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Saturday:
We’d had tentative plans to go to a home and garden show but life proved very busy this week so we stayed home.  I got some gardening done, the lad worked on some big minecraft project he has going, and hubby did something (honestly can’t remember.. OH right.. he worked on a sermon).

Sunday:
Hubby preached at a wee tiny church, they fed us lunch, I looked around in their church and oh my goodness it was beautiful in the main sanctuary!!!

 I went for a walk in the afternoon with the lad from what I recall.   Oh I did!   I took some pictures of the flowers etc that I saw along the way. 

Monday: 
Kumon Math Pre-Algebra, The Typing Coach, Reading from Shepherd, Spy, Potter and the Star Namer, Smartick, Veritas Press History and Bible, and… something else that neither of us can remember. 🙂   He then went off to visit gramma while Dad and I kibitized about town .. We had lunch at 168 Sushi, went for a walk, and kept ourselves busy for a spell.  When we got home the lad wanted to go for a walk with me so out we headed, walking around the dam and it’s lake.

Tuesday: 
Kumon Math Pre-Algebra, The Typing Coach, Reading from Shepherd, Spy, Potter and the Star Namer, Smartick, Veritas Press History and Bible, Art Achieve, and Digital Savvy. 

We watched this really interesting video while doing our Art Achieve.

The
lad’s turn to make supper so he learned to make hamburger buns from
scratch as he wants to have hamburgers for supper, and we went for walk. The Lad had a hoot helping to make buns this afternoon, and I learned that girls and boys have a different perspective on kneading bread.  🙂  The lad asked “Do you think it could be a good weapon?  Imagine it stuck to the visor of a knight’s helmet!”
Wednesday: 
I spent the morning at the Foodbank and the lad stayed home to work on his Cacti Presentation for the Project Fair Friday night.   In the evening he has karate and I’ll be going to the Hospital Rummage Sale.  Hubby had an appreciation luncheon to go to at one of the Nursing homes he helps preach at.   I found six books and 6 shirts at the sale.  I went looking for shirts that would work as scrum around the house and rabbitry as almost all my old shirts have holes that my lad is telling me I shouldn’t have holes, so I’m thinking they aught to be dumped eh?   (turned into rabbitry or shop rags more likely)
After the luncheon hubby mowed the rather large church lawn… took forever it seemed.  The lad accompanied him so he could pick up all the big branches and get them out of dad’s way.  I mowed the lawn at home… boy… it’s always a slog doing the first few cuts of the year…the grass is so thick in the back.  But it’s done and it looks SO much better.   I was able to enjoy the flowers in the front yard while I cut though.  🙂 

Thursday: 
Schooling and gardening.   It was a simple but focused day.   Oh, we started a new studying using SchoolhouseTeachers.com as Veritas Press Bible course is done for the year.    The lad tightened up his Cacti presentation and I took some pictures of the rabbits.  We also went for a walk around town.  I was reminded WHY I like walking trails as my feet were sore by the time we got home walking around in town on the sidewalks.

Friday:
The last day of HOPE day Co-op.. ever so depressing… I like having a co-op to teach and do things with and seeing the creativity in others just boggles my mind.  🙂

Reviews: 
Review: Planet 316.
Review: Curious Constructions.

Homeschooling: 
Art Book Series: How to draw
Blogging the Alphabet: OHIP 
Team Sports or Individual Which Works?

Everything Else: 
Recipe: Sweet Rolls.
Hymn Study: Rise Up O Men of God.
I saw the word More.
Guest Post at Carol’s.  The Chains of History. 
The Excellent Wife Series: Chapter Five.  

Linking Up at The Following Places.

   Family Friday LinkUp.
Encouraging hearts & Home blog hop. 
This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Review: Curious Constructions

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Do you think a building could be designed like a basket, or that a secret base could be built into a snow bank?   How about going to the bathroom over the ocean?   What if you wanted to explore natural architecture like the Great Barrier Reef?   Man-made, or found in creation, Curious Constructions can be found all over the world. 

So why would you have a building built to look like a huge basket?
What is the reasoning for a giant steel door sticking out of the snow?
How long can it take to build one church?
Questions about the pyramids?
Want to know more about Desert Breath?

All these questions and more are answered in this marvellous book.  50 interesting constuctions from places like Puerto Rico, Egypt, the USA, England and France and even up to outer space.

Each construction is discussed over a two page spread with a large picture on one side and a good deal of information on the other side. 

 This was a dry academic read, humour was readily apparent throughout.  Good bite-sized facts to delight and intrigue…. in fact I’d love to walk around that basket building!  

Honestly.. this a neat book that Michael Hearst has put together.   Matt Johnstone’s illustrations bring it all to life.   I learned about different types of bridges, the world’s biggest skate ramp, science machines, underwater restaurants, and lego constructions.  There is so much information in here to delight not only your 8-12 year olds, but to delight you as well.  🙂

 

Title: Curious Constructions: A Peculiar Portfolio of Fifty Fascinating Structures 
Author: Michael Hearst
Illustrator: Matt Johnstone
Series: Uncommon Compendiums
Pages: 104
Age Range: 8 a-12
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Reviewed for Raincoast Books

Where can you find it?
 Amazon.ca: Curious Constructions

Amazon.com: Curious Constructions: A Peculiar Portfolio of Fifty Fascinating Structures  

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Art Book Series; How to Draw

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Every artist can use a bit a help in learning how to draw, particularly images that can be difficult.  How to Draw, 21 lessons in 48 pages.  All you need to get you well started on your artistic journey. 

I have to admit, I have a couple of books in this series.   How to Paint and How to Draw. But today I want to talk to you about the How to Draw book.  🙂

As I mentioned early, 21 lessons are included in this book, lessons that cover how to draw a variety of animals and vehicles, 8 lessons focus on various aspects of the human body, the remaining four lessons focus on cartoons.

One of the things I like is how the drawings look like they are in perspective, and directions are very clear about why you want to draw certain shapes to suit the object you are trying to draw, like a large plant eating dinosaur would have block-like limbs to hold him up, whereas an dinosaur built to run would have angular limbs and more circles where their joints would be. 

Drawing a horse would use bigger circles and triangles with straight lines joining them.  And cat would be circles, small squares and triangle eyes.   It’s neat to watch it all come together, smoothing out the lines to form the sleek animals one sees around them.

I have been told that drawing people is hard (and coming from someone who draws stick figure people I believe it).   So having eight pages of different ways to draw people is an important part to have in a book.

How would you draw a football player?

But if you learn to draw the lines and the circles so that you can fill in the rest, don’t you think it would make it easier to draw a person?   I look at these drawings and I think… even “I” could learn how to do that!   What do you think?   Could you learn to do that too?

How to Draw
Author: Helen Webster
Pages: 48
Type: Art Book, softcover
Publisher: Capella
Series: How to

Where to find:
Amazon.ca: How to Draw

Amazon.com: How to Draw

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/