Such a Time As This

Faith, Hope, & Love

Easy Math for This Summer {LearnBop Review}

 

LearnBop Review

As we head into Summer, and to a lighter school schedule, I was so excited to try out a new math subscription service. LearnBop has a great new way to practice math with their LearnBop for Families subscription!

 

LearnBop for Families Review

What is LearnBop?

LearnBop is an online math subscription service geared toward children in grades 3 – 12.   LearnBop has created a system that is like having a private math tutor in your home.  Just choose the grade your child is in (or what grade level they are working on).  This is called “Choosing a Roadmap”.  They will then ask the student to do a quick “warm up” which is like a short pre-test to check the knowledge and level your child is working on. This step allows them to personalize the content to your child and their needs.

 

How does it Work?

When you first get started, there are a few questions to fill out in order to sign your child up.  The questions include what grade they are in, birthdate, and username (you will assign them).  There is then the option to choose the grade level you want them to begin working on or specific subjects they need help in.

 

After this initial step, you just log-in and choose which child will be working on LearnBop (if you have more than one student using the program).  They will then just do the next thing on their roadmap.  This includes videos that teach concepts and then practice questions, called “bops”.  These questions are direct practice from the concept they just learned.  If the student struggles to come up with the answers or has trouble understanding what is being asked (how to begin to solve) there is an “ask for help” function.  This walks them through the process to solve, step-by-step, while also giving them a few more practice questions so they can learn it.  Learnbop uses a mastery approach to math.

learnbop2

What did We Think?

We received LearnBop for Families (Family Plan) which is meant to be used for 2-4 students.  We chose to use this product with two of our kids: B, 5th grade, and C, 3rd.  Our younger kids were too young (next in line is about to start Kindergarten) and our oldest son has special needs and works at a younger level (about 2nd-grade math).  The kids have enjoyed using this subscription.  We are using it as a supplement to our regular math curriculum, but I could see using it in the Summer as our sole curriculum.  It would be good to use to make sure my kids keep up with their math skills.

learnbop

Parent Dashboard

There is a parent “dashboard” where I can access all of my student’s information, password, achievements, level, how much time they’ve spent working, and what concept they are working on at the moment.  There is a ton of information available for the parent on this page, as well as the student page:  I can see which unit they are on, what concept they are learning, and how well they are doing all on the same screen.

 

Log-In

I love, love, love the fact that there is one log-in for the family account.  They have made it really easy for the parent to log in to the parent dashboard.  When I’m ready for them to work, it is super quick to log-in to the student account from the parent portal.

learnbop

Teaching Style

My third grader has been working on multiplying and dividing and I’m very happy with how fast she is learning new concepts that typically she would struggle with or take much longer learning.  The videos speak directly to the student and the mastery approach guarantees that the student will learn the subject before moving on to the next lesson.  I think this method of teaching is very effective for her.  My son, too, has completed several lessons and “bops” and has done exceedingly well with this program.  The only thing that has thrown him off (slightly) is that some of the math is taught using a different system than his usual curriculum.  So, in some ways, he’s had to learn a different way of solving some division problems which was a little confusing for him.  We haven’t run into that yet with my 3rd-grade daughter.

learnbop

Overall, I’m really pleased with this program.  It is a fun and highly effective way to learn math skills.  There is very little teaching involved from me, although I do tend to sit nearby to make sure the kids are doing ok.  However, because of the “help” feature, I probably could have them work completely independently on it.  I definitely recommend this product and I think the price is excellent.  Although it is marked as $14.95 monthly for a single student or $19.95 for a family of four kids LearnBop also offers a yearly subscription of $149.95 for a single student and only $199.95 for four kids.

 

LearnBop for Families Review
 

 

LearnBop for Families Review
To connect with LearnBop on-line:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearnBop
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LearnBop

To read more reviews from Schoolhouse ReviewCrew click the banner below:

LearnBop for Families Review

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Did you hear our surprise?

pregnant with baby number 7

 

Several weeks ago I posted our news on our Facebook page but I never know how many of you see what is posted because Facebook keeps changing their algorithms.  So… if you haven’t heard yet, I am pregnant with baby number 7!

 

We found out toward the middle of April.  I’m just about done with the first trimester, now.  I didn’t have symptoms at first and I wasn’t sure how many weeks I was (because of breastfeeding our last baby who is 15 months).  Thankfully, I was able to get a scan and was about 6 weeks.  My symptoms kicked in that same week.  So far my symptoms were:

 

  • Fatigue
  • Super Hungry
  • Very Nauseous
  • A Strange Combo of Hungry and Nauseous
  • Extreme Food Aversions (no chicken for weeks…many vegetables made me sick, as well):(

Over the past week, I’ve slowly felt the fog lift and I’ve been able to eat normally again.

pregnant with baby number 7

We are so excited to meet this next little guy or girl!  Our last child and this one will be 21 months a part – just like our oldest two!  We’ve had different age gaps including a closer spacing (16 months) and a longer one (3.5 years) and I think my favorite is close to the 2-year mark.  We are trying to figure out if we should find out boy or girl next month.  No matter what, he or she is a tie-breaker.  🙂

 

I began to experience some light but consistent bleeding at 7 and 8 weeks and found out I was experiencing a subchorionic hematoma.  We had another ultrasound at 12 weeks to check on this small area and to make sure everything was looking good.  We found out he or she is measuring almost a week “big” but no change of due date.  So excited, to get a little glimpse.

 

pregnant baby number 7

 

So, that is our news!  Here is me at 12 weeks. pregnant with baby number 7

 

The Sword in the Tree Study E-Guide {Review}

 

The Sword in the Tree Study Guide {REVIEW}

Literature Study Guides from a Christian Perspective {Progeny Press Review}
Progeny Press makes book study easy with their The Sword in the Tree E-Guide!

 

The Sword in the Tree E-Guide contains:

  • Prereading Activities
  • Questions for the chapters of the book
  • A section to think more deeply about the story
  • Lessons on comparing and contrasting parts of the book
  • Optional projects
  • Vocabulary
  • Activities
  • Fact or Opinion
  • An Overview which can be used as a final test
  • Postreading Activites

sword3

 

This was our first time using Progeny Press Study Guides.  We had never read The Sword in the Tree, either, and were excited to start.  We decided it would be best for me to read the book aloud to both of our older elementary age kids (B, our son who is age 11, and C, our daughter who is age 9).  The Sword in the Tree guide is listed for grades 4-6 which is perfect for our two who are just finishing grades 5 and 3.

 

sword2

 

We read the book over the course of several weeks and then decided to try out the prereading activities.  We decided to start out by going to our local library and looking for some books on King Arthur and his sword.  We found several choices of books and had fun reading some of the legends of King Arthur.  Some of the other suggestions which we didn’t get to, but are fabulous ideas are buying coloring books which are about arms, armour or knights and castles, researching Oak Trees and their leaves, or reading about medieval swords.  There are lots of great ideas to set the stage for your students so that their mind is thinking about knights, castles, and the Middle Ages.

 

sword1

The question sections are from multiple chapters combined together.  These questions are outlined for Chapters 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-14 and they are all great review of the chapters.  While this section is more factual questions about the plot and what happened in the book the “Think About the Story” section allows the kids to work on inference and deduction.  The student is able to think deeper about the story.  We loved the compare and contrast section which asks you to read Luke 15, the story of the prodigal son, and to compare that with Uncle Lionel and his family.  I think this is an excellent exercise.

 

sword7

The optional activities section gives the student lots of opportunity to really study a variety of moral dilemmas in an up close manner.  I personally love these questions because it is a perfect way to interact with your children using situations that they might be confronted with.  This is a good launching point for deep conversations.

sword8

 

The kids and I enjoyed the vocabulary section, as well.  In the first vocab unit (labelled for chapters 1-6) the words are underlined in a sentence from the book.  This word is given in context so that the student can then discern what they believe the word means.  Then they are given a chance to search for the vocabulary word in the dictionary.  I like this better than just searching for a word because I think it gives the kids time to come to their own conclusion and really think about what they think the word probably means.

 

Although we didn’t get completely done with this study guide, I was able to flip through some of the sections we didn’t use.  Some things that stuck out at me are the consistent use of Scripture.  Kids are asked to look in the Bible at different verses of the Bible and are able to study key words like wisdom, humility, and obedience.  I love that this is so much more than a list of dry comprehension questions.  This study gets the kids look further into the ideas set forth in the book and gives them a chance to understand even their own lives on a deeper level.  I also noticed that key literary devices are explained in various sections.  Words are used such as paraphrase, foreshadowing, setting, similies, point of view, first, second and third-person narrative, fact and opinion.  I think this study guide offers so much to the student and is perfect for the grades intended (grades 4-6th!).  We loved The Sword in the Tree E-Guide so much that we are looking at doing another Upper Elementary guide such as Little House in the Big Woods E-Guide.  I think this could even work if you do a “light” school day in the Summer months – this offers so much in the form of language arts!

To connect with Progeny Press online:
  Facebook: facebook.com/progenypress
Twitter: twitter.com/progenypress 

Progeny Press also has guides for Lower Elementary, Middle School, and High Schoo be sure to to read the other reviews to learn the differences between these levels.  Click the banner below:
Literature Study Guides from a Christian Perspective {Progeny Press Review}

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Help for Auditory Processing Disorder – Forbrain {Review}

Forbrain – Sound For Life Ltd Review
Two of our sons have been diagnosed with auditory processing disorder and have struggled because of it.  I was so excited when Forbrain – Sound For Life LTD sent me a package with their bone conduction headset!

forbrain

What is Auditory Processing Disorder?

 

Auditory Processing Disorder directly affects how the central nervous system communicates with the auditory/hearing system.  Children can be negatively impacted because of Auditory Processing Disorder. It sometimes goes along with other problems such as Sensory Processing Disorder, Dyslexia or Autism. It might make it difficult to hear in noisy rooms, follow directions, and even to communicate.

forbrain

 

What is Forbrain Bone Conduction Headset?

 

It is a unique device that looks like a typical headset with a small microphone that goes down close to your mouth.  The ear portion doesn’t go in the ear like a traditional earbud but in front of the ear on bone.  This fascinating technology is based on extensive research regarding sensory integration, vibrations, and how are voice, brain, and ear works together.

 

It was designed to improve attention, auditory processing disorder, sensory processing, short term memory.  It even is supposed to help with speech goals like fluency, sound discrimination, and pronunciation.   According to their website, “Bone conduction transmits the sound of your own voice 10 times faster and with greater clarity than air conduction.”  Because it allows you to hear your own voice better, you will be able to speak more clearly and display better production in sound.

ForBrain

How do you use it?

 

If your child struggles with speech delay or auditory processing disorder they should wear their headset for 15 – 20 minutes a day for five days a week (older kids and teens might benefit from the 20-minute time frame while younger should stick with the smaller time).  This product should be used for at least 6 weeks.  While wearing the headset they can talk, sing or read a book aloud as long as they are speaking the product can work.

forbrain

How did WE use it?

We have two sons who have both been diagnosed with auditory processing disorder.  Our oldest son, A, has it along with sensory processing, autism, speech delays, articulation problems and language processing disorder.  Our second son, B, has auditory processing which was diagnosed alongside his dyslexia and dysgraphia.  He doesn’t have actual speech issues like A does, but he does struggle with comprehension, reading skills, and following and listening to directions.

 

We used this during school hours for 15 minutes a day.  The boys took turns reading books aloud during this time period.  I had the boys take turns reading Dr. Seuss books to me and to the younger kids, while B alternated with that and reading his own chapter books during his headset time.

forbrain

What did we think?

I wasn’t sure what I was looking for with the kids using this product.  I was excited to think that they might improve their language skills and with their auditory processing disorder.  I haven’t noticed a big difference in our oldest son’s speech, articulation, language or auditory processing disorder.  He didn’t particularly care about using it, either.  He didn’t ask to use it but also didn’t fight me on it.

 

I did see some mild differences with our younger son.  Typically, B, speaks loudly and doesn’t recognize how loud his voice is.  I think Forbrain actually helped him recognize his voice and tone it down while he was speaking.  I also noticed that he liked wearing it and enjoyed reading with it on.  He seemed to enjoy reading time, which he typically doesn’t.

 

I think this headset will work for some kids and not for others.  It is hard to know why it worked better for my younger son than it did for my older.  One idea I had is that perhaps because my oldest has several neurological conditions that interplay and cause speech problems, it would take more to help him.  I’m not sure.  However, we did have some success with our younger son!  So, if you want to check out this headset for your child click here to see Forbrain – Sound For Life Ltd.

 

Forbrain – Sound For Life Ltd Review

 

Forbrain – Sound For Life Ltd Review
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/forbrainLTD
Twitter : https://twitter.com/forbrainheadset
LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbrain—retrain-the-way-you-process-information

To read more reviews from Schoolhouse ReviewCrew, please click here:

Forbrain – Sound For Life Ltd Review

Plum Cottage Cheese Muffins {Recipe}

Plum Cottage Cheese Muffin
So it’s just about Summer time … are you looking for a fun breakfast treat to whip up for you and the kiddos?  Or maybe a treat to take with you to the park for a playdate?  Here it is: Plum Cottage Cheese Muffins.
Plum Cottage Cheese Muffins
Plum Cottage Cheese Muffins-
Makes one dozen muffins
2 small plums
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
3 tablespoons sugar (or more if you like your muffins on the sweeter side)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Prep a muffin pan with liners, or grease.
Wash and dry plums, then cut into small pieces.
Combined cottage cheese and the egg.
Add the flour to the cottage cheese mixture.
Add the sugar, salt, and baking powder.
Add the milk, and stir.
Gently fold the plum pieces into the batter.
Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Plum Cottage Cheese Muffin
Yummy … good hot out of the oven or chilled for a quick snack.
FinalSinglePlum