As part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received ARTistic Pursuits Inc. High School Book One The Elements of Art and Composition homeschool art curriculum to review.

 

High School Book One The Elements of Art and Composition, $47, is for ages 14 and up. This course is designed to be a full year course earning the student 1 credit. There are instructions in the back of the book for using it as a one semester course, earning 1/2 credit. The book is not consumable, so you can use it for more than one student.

 

 

 

Topics covered in High School Book One The Elements of Art and Composition include space, line, texture, shape form, value, contrast & unity, composition, balance, rhythm, atmospheric perspective, proportion – of the face & figure, clothing the figure, and more.

 

The art supplies needed for High School Book One are easy to obtain.

 

Art supplies for the first semester are:
drawing pencil set – 2H – 4B
vinyl eraser
metal handheld sharpener
drawing pad

 

Art supplies for the second semester are:
vine charcoal sticks
jumbo nice charcoal stick
compressed charcoal
charcoal paper pad
paper blending stump
kneaded eraser
natural chamois leather, 4×4 inches

 

Additional supplies that you may already have on hand:  drawing board, hairspray, cotton ball or cloth, ruler, x-acto knife or other cutting tool, 12″x 12″ cardboard box.

 

You can view the full Table of Contents, as well as sample pages from the book, on the website linked above. This video shows all of the ARTistic Pursuits curriculum available, including this high school book.

 

 

ARTistic Pursuits High School Homeschool Art Review

 

My 15 year old, 9th grade son, Zach, used this homeschool art curriculum. He hasn’t done any drawing since being a teenager. He didn’t think he had any interest in drawing. Since starting this course, he has discovered that he likes drawing.

 

Zach’s been using it for a few weeks now, a couple of lessons a week. He has been doing well with this course. He looks forward to it. He usually reaches for it first, before everything else. Zach said that some of the lessons have been easy, while others have been harder. He also said that he can draw better now than he could before starting this course. I can see that he is improving, and I like that he feels he is, too.

 

 

I like the way ARTistic Pursuits includes art appreciation in the lessons. As the student learns a technique, they also learn to see how that same element was used by some of the greatest artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Durer, Raphael, Tintoretto, and more. The students learn a technique, pick something from their own surroundings to draw, and learn how to apply what they have learned to their own drawings.

 

As a non-artistic parent, who can barely draw a straight line, I love that the course is designed for the student to work independently.

 

He wouldn’t let me share all of his drawings. He said they were personal. I did get permission to share these three.

 

 

I wish I had found this homeschool art curriculum earlier, so my older kids could have used it. ARTistic Pursuits Inc. High School Book One The Elements of Art and Composition is a great addition to our homeschool.

 

The Schoolhouse Review Crew reviewed other ARTistic Pursuits homeschool art curriculum as well. Click the graphic below to check out more reviews.

 

 

For the last several weeks we’ve been reading Christian Heroes- C.S. Lewis ($7.50, paperback) and using a Digital Unit Study  from YWAM Publishing. The Christian Heroes: Then & Now series of books features the life stories of inspiring Christians written at a level that kids can understand. There are currently over 25 books in the series. These Christian Heroes Then & Now books are a great addition to any homeschooling curriculum.

 

 

 

Christian Heroes – C.S. Lewis is a paperback book 189 pages in length, with 17 chapters and a bibliography. You can read a sample chapter on the website linked above. This is a well written biography recommended for ages 10 and up. The book covers all of C.S. Lewis’ life. From early childhood to being a literature professor, to living through two world wars. C.S. Lewis was an atheist that struggled with his faith and that is shown in this book. C.S. Lewis went on to write over 30 books.

 

I love Christian biographies, so I was happy to share this book with my son. My 15 year old son read this biography. He said it was good.  He has read several books written by C. S. Lewis so enjoyed learning more about him. He said he didn’t know that C.S. Lewis had been in the military. He said that he would recommend this biography for other kids that have liked C.S. Lewis’ books.

 

 

 

While reading this C.S. Lewis biography, we used a digital unit study. I love this digital unit study. You can use it on the computer, no need to print everything. Or you can print out how ever many copies you need for your students. There are some activities that are better suited to printing, such as the maps.

 

The digital unit study is divided into two parts. The first part has 8 chapters.

Key Bible Verses

Display Corner – a visual display the student can set up of what they learned

Chapter Questions – there are 6 questions for each chapter in the book

Student Explorations – includes writing, hands on projects, audio/visual projects, arts & crafts

Community Links

Social Studies – includes terms and vocabulary

Related Themes to Explore

Culminating Event

as well as 3 appendices: Books & resources, Answers to Chapter Questions, and Social Studies Reproducibles.

 

Appendix C Social Studies Reproducibles is divided between part one and part 2 of the digital unit study. Part 2 contains 3 printables – a United Kingdom Fast Sheet- with blanks to fill in, a Europe map, and a United Kingdom – map. Both maps are blank and can be labeled and colored by the student.

 

The digital unit study includes the following curriculum areas:

History

Geography

Essay writing

Creative writing

Reading comprehension

Public speaking

Drama

Art

 

The unit study contains instructions on how it can be used for a single student or in a group setting. It also has information about using it for more than one grade level.

This digital unit study has so many activities that it would take months to do everything. I like that so much is included. It means we can pick and choose which activities work best for our student and our homeschools.

 

For more information, visit YWAM at:

Website: www.ywampublishing.com

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/o9VOMN

Twitter: @YWAMpublishing http://twitter.com/YWAMpublishing

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/YWAMpublishing

The YWAM Publishing Blog: www.ywampublishingblog.com

 

 

To see what others have to say about this book, and others in the Christian Heroes series, visit:

 

The Logic of English homeschool reading and spelling curriculum uses a common sense, multi-sensory approach to learning. The Logic of English basis their method on the 74 basic phonograms and 31 spelling rules that together explain 98% of English words. The Logic of English approach doesn’t use any sight words, it teaches students why words are read and spelled the way they are.

 

 

 

The Logic of English has curriculum for all ages. From students just learning to read, struggling readers, poor spellers, and those students needing remedial help, all the way to adult learners.

 

Essentials, a multi level reading, spelling, grammar and vocabulary curriculum, is recommended for ages 8 – adult. It is a complete spelling, grammar, and vocabulary curriculum for grades 2-6.

 

Logic of English Essentials Homeschool Curriculum Review

 

The Essentials Volume 1 Complete Set includes all the components of Essentials needed to teach the first semester of the curriculum.
Essentials Teacher’s Guide, 2nd ed., Volume 1
Essentials Student Workbook, 2nd ed., Volume 1
Spelling Journal
Basic Phonogram Flash Cards
Spelling Rule Flash Cards
Advanced Phonogram Flash Cards
Grammar Flash Cards
Morpheme Flash Cards, Set 1
1 deck of Bookface Phonogram Game Cards
1 deck of either Cursive or Manuscript Phonogram Game Cards (choose Cursive or Manuscript in the dropdown menu above)
Phonogram Game Tiles
Phonogram and Spelling Rule Quick Reference
Spelling Analysis Card

The Student Workbook and the Spelling Journal are consumable. You will have to buy one of each of them for each student. When the student is ready for the second semester, you will only need to add the Volume 2 Teacher’s Guide, Workbook, and Morpheme Cards.

 

There is a lot included in the complete set. Don’t let that intimidate you, though. The Teacher’s Guide, with over 600 pages, lays it all out for you. Telling you what you need to do when. I have to admit that I was a little overwhelmed by all the flash cards. The Teacher’s Guide takes care of that, though. It tells you what cards to use and when to use them.

 

There is a section in the Teacher’s Guide on how to create your schedule. There are 15 lessons included in Essentials 1. Each lesson is divided into 5 days. Each days lesson will take approximately 30-45 minutes. Depending on the age of the student and what level they are at, you may need to spend more, or less, time on each lesson.

 

There is little to no teacher prep involved before each lesson. If you keep all the books and flash cards together, you will have everything you need. You read through the lesson in the Teacher’s Guide as you go. It tells you what to say and when to say it.

 

I’ve used the term multi level a couple of times. The curriculum includes 3 different levels. Parts of each lesson are labeled “All”, “A”, “B”, “C”. These labels tell the teacher which concepts are taught to “All” the students, or students on each of the 3 levels. There is a placement test that tells you which level to start your student on. Then the lessons can be adjusted as your student grows and learns. For example, your student may go from level A to level B. If you have students on different levels, you can still teach them together for the “All” work, then they can work separately on whatever level they are one. This makes it great for homeschoolers that have more than one student. There are plenty of teacher tips throughout the book, helping you to ensure that your student gets the most out of the curriculum.

 

The Spelling Journal is a student created reference. It has a sound to spelling reference, a phonogram table, and spelling rules in the front. Those are followed by pages for the student to write their spelling words. These pages are organized by sound, not alphabetically.

The Student Workbook has over 300 pages. It contains activities to reinforce the lessons. There are different pages for each level. They are clearly labeled A, B, or C. Some pages are to be done by all levels, and these are not marked. The Teacher’s Guide tells you what page in the workbook to do when.

 

The Logic of English Essentials 1 is a thorough, teacher intensive multi level reading, spelling, grammar and vocabulary curriculum. It requires the teacher to be hands on through out the lesson. My 9th grade son did not like that, as he prefers to work independently. The intense teacher involvement works great for beginning readers, those needing remedial help, and adult learners.

 

To see what others had to say about Essentials, as well as reviews of other Logic of English curriculum, click the graphic below.

 

 

 

 

 

I recently received the dvd My Son My Savior from FishFlix.com to review. I love finding great Christian movies for my whole family to watch. FishFlix.com has a plethora of Christian movies. From biographies to educational to kids & family movies to Apologectics, prophetic, & evangelistic movies & more! There literally is something for everyone and every family to watch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FishFlix.com has a great story behind it. FishFlix.com started over a decade ago when Dr.Enis Sakirgil, a Turkish Christian, became involved in the making of a Christian movie – Apostle Paul and the Earliest Churches. The heart behind this film was to let Christians in the West know about the wealth of Biblical history in Turkey, currently one of the nations least reached with the gospel.

 

When Dr. Sakirgil immigrated with his family to the United States, he began selling that movie on the internet. Before he knew it, he was selling other Christian Movies and FishFlix.com was born.

 

FishFlix.com says they exist to create honorable jobs and expand the Kingdom of God in Turkey though their partnership with ministries over there. FishFlix.com believes that media and entertainment are gifts from God that help them spread His message with creativity and excellence.

 

I haven’t purchased from FishFlix.com before. I didn’t know about them! I love their purpose and the fact that ministry is their driving force. I plan on purchasing from them in the future.

 

You can connect with FishFlix.com on these social media channels:

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fishflix
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FishFlix @FishFlix
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ChristianDVD @ChristianDVD
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fishflix/

 

Now, on to the My Son My Savior movie review!

 

I have always wondered exactly what Mary knew about Jesus while he was a baby and growing up. Do you know what I mean? Did she really know everything? My Son My Savior doesn’t answer all my questions, because the Bible doesn’t tell us much about Mary, so no one (on earth) knows all the answers.

 

 

My Son My Savior uses the Gospel accounts of Mary & Jesus as the basis for this movie. At the beginning of the movie you see a young Mary with her father. It then moves on to where the Bible starts discussing Mary, and follows thru to the crucifixion and resurrection.

 

There is very little extra added to the movie that is not in the Bible. This movie stays close to the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life. I love that My Son My Savior doesn’t add extra scenes (except for young Mary) and extra dialogue that isn’t in the Bible. So many so called Christian movies have come out in the last few years that are anything but Christian. Thankfully, My Son My Savior is not like those!

 

My Son My Savior is a well made movie. The cinematography and the actors portrayal of their characters is all excellent. One word of warning. There are crucifixion scenes with a beaten and bloody Jesus. So if you have sensitive young children, you may want to pre-watch to see if it is ok for your young children to watch.

 

Overall, My Son My Savior is a great Christian movie for the whole family to watch.

 

 

 

 

*This post contains affiliate links.

 

I have used SchoolhouseTeachers.com for a few years now. They offer close to 200 different classes, as well as extras and printables with the SchoolhouseTeachers.com Yearly Membership. I love how easy to use the website is, and the variety of online classes available for for all ages, including adults. The printable homeschool planners available are some of the best I have seen in my 25 years of homeschooling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For new members, the best place to start on the site is the New Members Hub. From there, you can check out Courses by Grade or Courses by Subject to choose what classes you want your students to take.  With almost 200 different classes, there is something for every member of the family.

• Art
• Bible
• Computer and Technology
• Drama and Speech
• Electives
• Foreign Languages
• History, Geography, and Social Studies
• Language Arts
• Math
• Music
• Nutrition, Health, and Fitness
• Science
• Just for Parents or the Whole Family

 

 

 

 

You can watch an Introduction to SchoolhouseTeachers.com video that is very helpful in seeing all that is offered.

 

 

 

Members of SchoolhouseTeachers.com also receive many extras included in the membership:

• Digital back issues of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine
• All 5 of the popular Schoolhouse Planners,
• Recordings of the Schoolhouse Expos,
• Free monthly eBooks and TOS supplements,
• Membership to Applecore, an online homeschool tracking software
• And more!

 

 

Here are a few of the offerings Just for Parents or the Whole Family:

 

• Be Prepared
• Charlotte Mason Homeschooling
• College Choice Guidance
• ESL Language Arts
• ESL Vocabulary
• Everyday Organization
• Family Fitness
• Family Nutrition
• Growing in Homeschool Confidence
• Hands-On Math Help with Cuisenaire Rods
• Heritage Crafts
• Homegrown Parenting
• Homeschooling That’s Relational
• Homesteading
• How to Teach Elementary Math
• It Starts At Home
• Joy in the Morning
• Kinetic Connections
• Nourishing Nuggets
• Parenting: The Early Years
• Parenting Tips with Dr. Scott Turansky
• Reading Remedies (Reading Lessons for Young or Struggling Readers)
• Reading List (Monthly Book Lists for Families)
• Special Needs
• Special Needs Trenches
• Tips for Homeschooling Active Learners
• Whole Foods Cooking with Sue Gregg
• Writing: Mechanics
• Your Child’s Learning Style

 

There are hours and hours of reading & invaluable resources available for parents to help you in your homeschooling journey.

 

I have used some of the high school courses available with my students. For this review, my 9th grade son chose to use the Web Game Design course. The Web Game Design course teaches students how to create some simple games in their web browser. Students will learn to write code directly into the web browser to make things happen. With the Web Game Design course students will learn to use input fields, images & sound effects, 2D frame animation, how to start a JavaScript game, & more.

 

He is several lessons in and liking it. We have used core subjects before, and I will be adding some more in for my son this semester, but I let him pick which course to take first. This Web Game Design class includes 42 weekly lessons, and is generally expected to take 1-2 hours per week to complete. Students who complete the entire year should be comfortable receiving 0.5 computer science credit on a transcript. I really love that most of the high school courses tell you how many credits your student will earn by completing the course.

 

I, myself, have used the ASL course in the past, but haven’t completed it. I will be starting again. And finishing! I truly love everything about SchoolhouseTeachers.com!

 

Interested in trying SchoolhouseTeachers.com?

You can join monthly for $12.95 each month or save over 10% on a one-year membership for $139. One fee serves your entire family. Anyone living in your home can use the site 24/7. That’s right, no per person or per course fees! And you can cancel at anytime.

Here is a coupon code good for a 50% discount on a one year subscription! Enter CREWFOLLOWER in the coupon code box when signing up. This coupon is valid through 1/31/2016.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can also visit SchoolhouseTeachers.com on their social media sites:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SchoolhouseTeachers/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOSMag/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tosmag/

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/118111005169451277551/posts

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and purchase something, I will receive a commission.

 

I have been using Dave Ramsey’s Foundations in Personal Finance for Homeschool with my 9th grade son for a month.

Foundations in Personal Finance for Homeschool is a complete high school curriculum and meets standards and benchmarks in all 50 states. This homeschool edition has added scripture references that are not in the other editions of this curriculum. Foundations in Personal Finance for Homeschool sells for $119.99 for the set, with additional student texts available for $26.99.

Included in Foundations in Personal Finance for Homeschool are the paperback student text and a 6 cd-rom set. Five of the cds feature teaching delivered via video by Dave Ramsey and his team of experts. The 6th cd is Teacher’s Resources.

 

 

Dave Ramsey’s Foundations in Personal Finance for Homeschool Review

 

Foundations in Personal Finance for Homeschool consists of 4 units.

Saving and Budgeting
Credit and Debt
Financial Planning and Insurance
Income, Taxes, and Giving

Each unit has 3 chapters, with each chapter containing 3 sections, as well as a chapter summary. You can see the chapter titles, summaries, and see a sample chapter from Foundations in Personal Finance for Homeschool on the website.

The student text pages are not in full color, but rather in shades of gray. The chapter and section titles are in orange. The pages are not boring, though. The book is filled with graphs, charts, statistics, quotes, and scripture references. Each chapter has journal questions. The chapter summaries help reinforce what the student learned in that chapter.

 

 

The video lessons last anywhere from 3 minutes to 15 minutes. My son said he really liked the videos. The instructors use humor and real life stories to teach and reinforce principles of managing money. While watching the video lesson, students follow along using the student text. As the student is watching the lesson, they have to fill in the blank in their book. I like this, as it helps to insure that my son is paying attention to the video lesson.

 

 

The Teacher’s Resources CD contains over 150 pages and includes a getting started guide, forms & resources, assessments, a 90 day syllabus, and files for each of the 12 chapters. Each chapter’s file contains a fill-ins answer key, lesson plan, chapter summary answers, case studies, printable activity pages, tests and answer keys. The over 35 activity pages contain fun activities that reinforce what was learned in that chapter. Some activities are about learning statistics about money. For example, which country has the highest, and the lowest, percentage of saving money.

 

 

I love having the syllabus printed out. I can tell with just a glance what is needed for each day. It makes it easy to have the printables ready for each day when the student needs them.

 

 

You are able to print out as many copies of the assessments and activities as you need for your homeschool students from the cd. The student text, however, does not grant permission to copy pages. So you will need a student text for each of your students.

 

The only thing I didn’t like about this curriculum was that some of the activities were for the classroom, not the homeschool. For example, Candy Bar Madness, shown below, was designed to be used in the classroom, and is nearly impossible to replicate in the homeschool. This is something I think they need to improve. If they say this is for the homeschool, then all activities should be geared towards the homeschool setting.

 

 

There is another aspect to this curriculum that we have not used yet. There is a learning website available to the student that features calculators, tools and resources. We have not used Foundations U yet, but I have checked it out. The different calculators available look very helpful to the student. There are also articles to read, and the chapter activities for the course.

 

Overall, Dave Ramsey’s Foundations in Personal Finance for Homeschool is a great curriculum for teaching homeschool students all aspects of personal finance. From learning about world currency and the world financial market to the history of credit in America to saving their own money & managing a checking account and their own credit.

 

I’m pleased to be able to offer you a giveaway for Foundations in Personal Finance for Homeschool! Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.