Back to school funny & our homeschool tradition

So glad that we homeschool and don't have to spend much on supplies. We just use the same stuff from last year. No one breaks our Crayons or steals our pencils in homeschool...lol
We have a tradition of buy something fun and new for the school year though. For me I usually pick out a cute pack of sticky notes (you know I have a passion for STICKY NOTES!) I blogged about my overstock of sticky notes. This year I got some Post-It Notes with a cute Pug dog on the front.
The teenager decided on a folder/notebook with a Pug on the front.

You would think that we have a thing for Pugs at our house  :O)

Moe

TeenCoder C# Series Computer Programming & Gaming Review

OK, folks this on is going to be a long one about an AWESOME review product, get your self a cup of JAVA…lol...pun intended :O)
Lets start off with a homeschool Momma funny! LOL. I kept calling TeenCoder C# Series, LOL….”TeenCoder C pound sign Series.” That got a real laugh out of my son, the proper pronunciation is TeenCoder C Sharp Series. OK, enough of the laughing here, because TeenCoder C# Series is a very serious year long educational computer course from Homeschool Programming INC. Homeschool Programming INC has won many awards including the 

2013 National Indie Excellence Awards: TeenCoder: Android Programming: "Technology" Winner! TeenCoder: Game Programming: "Education K-12" Finalist!       2013 International Book Awards: TeenCoder: Game Programming: "Young Adult: Non-Fiction" finalist! "Children's Educational" finalist!

We were blessed to receive the TeenCoder year pack valued at $155.00 TeenCoder: C# Year Pack (Courses & Videos) our courses came as PDF’s and the videos came as DVD’s. I feel confident in the content of this program as the founders are homeschool parents AND have a BS & MS in computer science and electrical engineering…need I say more? I think they have it all folks! What happens when homeschool parents can’t find what they need to teach their children? They create a homeschool curriculum! AWESOME!

We got 2 CD Rom’s that were instructional videos
Ebooks in the form of PDF’s that can be downloaded to a Kindle
These products were valued at $155 dollars for 2 one-semester courses

Windows Programming and Game Programming
The course materials may be purchased together or separately and the CD Rom’s may be purchased together or separately. The CD Roms’s ARE optional, BUT you must have the Ebook to do the program. I like how you can pick or chose what works for your homeschool child.

TeenCoder Windows Programming or TeenCoder Game Programming
COST $20.00
TeenCoder Windows Programming Instructional Video CD Rom ONLY or Teen Coder Game Programming video CD Rom only
COST $75.00
Windows Programming Semester Course ONLY or TeenCoder Game Programming Semester Course only TeenCoder
COST $90.00
TeenCoder Windows Programming Semester Course and Instructional Videos on CD Rom or TeenCoder Game Programming Semester Course and Instructional Videos on CD Rom

Alternatively, you can purchase these as year long packs
$130.00 TeenCoder: C# Year Pack (Courses Only)
$155.00 TeenCoder: C# Year Pack (Courses & Videos)

Here are the computer hardware and software requirements

For the TeenCoder Windows Programming Course you will need Visual C# 2010 Express
For the TeenCoder Game Programming Course you will need Microsoft XNA Game Studio (free download)

Designed for 9^th-12^th graders with no computer programming experience. However, your child should have a basic understanding of using a computer mouse, typing, saving things to the hard drive, starting up programs and running them and clicking through different menus. After using TeenCoder Windows Programming and TeenCoder Game Programming, I am going to issue our homeschool son a full credit for Computer Science, as this was a very thorough course that fostered independence in our child.

Topics Covered in this Course
 Introduction to the C# programming languages
Creating graphical Windows screens
Using dialog controls
C# data types and variables
User input and flow control
Math functions and string operations
C# debugging and exception handling
Object-oriented programming concepts
Classes, inheritance, and polymorphism
Collections, sorting, and recursion
File Input/Output

 

We started out with the TeenCoder Windows Programming and will be moving into the TeenCoder Game Programming in a few weeks. We looked ahead at what to expect and found some really cool things,

What this homeschool Momma liked

1) First off let me say that if you have a student that is interested in programming or gaming TeenCoder is definitely for them!
2) AWESOME help desk with personal responses
3) I like how it talks about to do the grading.
4) There are chapter tests.
5) Solutions are included in the PDF’s yeah!!!!
6) Course Errata & document updates: nice to have & easy to find
7) There were a variety of activities to test putting skills to use.
8) Cute graphics. I think that the TeenCoder guy, teacher and students are adorable! Check them all out on the Demonstrations Video’s here.
9) Loved how it explained the history of programming
10) Pre-requisites are listed on the website

What this homeschool Momma did not like

1) I could not have taught this just from the Ebook, I would have to have the CD Rom’s for sure!
2) They say they are self study student textbook, but again, I think that the CD Rom’s are a MUST have.
3) We did not get a physical book that would have been nice to be able to highlight things and make notes on things.
4) We struggled with getting the Visual C# 2010 Express loaded, up and running on our computer. (a free version) There are other versions of this but you must use the 2010.
5)We had more struggles with finding things once they were on our computer.
6) We had trouble jumping back between screens and it really slowed down our computer.
7) This to me was a hard course, BUT in saying that, it’s a high school course, so it’s not going to be a snap and really it should not be easy if it’s a high school course :O)
8) I do not agree with the company website saying that no prior computer knowledge is needed.
9) Looking back at this I wish now that I had printed out the student text, but I hated to waste the ink and ½ of ream of paper. As we continue forward, I think that I may break down and do just that.

What this homeschool student liked
1) Liked the chapter reviews, the way they presented facts about each chapter.
2) Learned history of programming
3) Learned definitions and terms for computers terminology
4) I like how each lessons builds on the next one, I would not skip any lessons.
5) Text boxes were super cool!
6) Easy to download to Kindle Fire, nice to take in the car for reading the lessons, then coming home and doing the lessons on the main computer.
7) I really learned a lot and was surprised at how once we got going that it all started coming together for me.
8) Screenshots were VERY helpful, I like to see what things are suppose to look like.
9) Set up on an easy to use format once we figure it out.
10) You can make games for Xbox 360 (if you own one, we do not)
11) It was very easy to follow along as to where the lessons started and ended, there is an
activity to do at the end chapter.
12) Saving the best for last…ULTIMATE COOLNESS FACTOR making the graphic chess game, I can’t wait to get to the end of the TeenCoder Game Programming to make a Bumper Car Game!

What this homeschool student did not like
1) It was a struggle to learn by just the Ebook, so I HIGHLY recommend purchasing the CD Rom’s to go along with the program, to me it was much easier learn that way along with the reading of the Ebook.
ONLY 1 dislike here!



In the 8 weeks we had to complete this review we were not able to make it to the second semester of course, but are sure looking forward to it. This second semester course is on creating Windows games. Your student will learn the following plus more during the TeenCoder Game Programming course.

Important game concepts
Object/movement in games
How to detect collisions between objects
How to create 2D images
Animations
Simple game physics such as bouncing and reflections
How to simulate wind & gravity
They will learn artificial intelligence
They will learn game physics and concepts such as velocity and gravity on projectiles
They will make fun games such as The Swarm Game (remember Space Invaders? LOL...It’s just like that.
Snowball Fight Game

Plans for the future...
I plan to work my way through the TeenCoder C# Series by Homeschool Programming INC myself, as I am pretty computer illiterate :O)

Stop by and see what my friends from the TOS Review Crew had to say about TeenCoder (they even have reviews for the younger kids computer programming courses.

 

Bible FREEBIE!! Come and get it before 7/29

FREE Bible Writer curriculum
Bible Based Homeschooling-On a Budget is offering a very nice freebie for you! We are going to start using it this week. Check it out.

Moe

Molly Crew REVIEW of Christi the Coupon Coach: Couponing Made Simple

All right thrifty coupon Mamma’s have I got a review for you! Christi The Coupon Coach Couponing Made Simple comes in an Ebook for just $4.99 or the paperback version for $18.00.

 



 

Since I’ve been down and out physically since Sept 2012 our grocery and household items budget has just been blown out of control. With my son and husband running into stores here and there for things it’s cost us a lot. Normally I drive an hour once per month and do all our major shopping in the big city. It’s much cheaper than shopping at a Mom and Pop grocery store. I was excited when we were given the opportunity to review the Christi The Coupon Coach book. Our son was the first one to read Christi The Coupon Coach. Right away he began going through my coupon stash to see what we could use and how we could use them to get the best deals. I used this book as part of our business math/home economics course study for high school, I think it would work for junior high aged also.

My first thought was Extreme Couponing, we don’t have nearly the coupons available to us in the middle of the woods…lol. We are just happy to just get a few of the Black Friday sale flyers in the Sunday paper before Thanksgiving. Since we live so far away from civilization they don’t include all the fancy stores. I have found a small gold mine for coupons though on rare occasion, our public library (in another town far far away...lol) has a small box at the front of the library that people can exchange coupons. I always check that baby when we are in town. I have also bought coupons from auction sites and just paid shipping. I have even spent time calling the allergy friendly companies asking for coupons (most will say DO NOT DOUBLE on them). I also belong to a coupon train (HI Cathy!!) (BTW ladies on that train who are reading this I will mail it out this week…lol). Here is a link to Christi's favorite websites for great coupon match websites to help you along in your quest for savings.

I liked the larger size of the font that she used in Christi The Coupon Coach. These homeschool Momma eyes are getting bad! LOL. I was able to sit down and read the book in about 2 hours (along with taking some notes). It’s a very fast read, not boring at all. Our son read it in about an hour, he loves coupons and is always on the hunt for fast food & Lego coupons.

My coupon file BEFORE reading Christi The Coupon Coach book.

I liked how she had a gluten free section and organic foods section since so many families are eating this way either by choice or due to allergies. That section was a blessing for our family since I am gluten free. I was elated with the information that Christi The Coupon Coach included about thrift stores and yard sales! I so did not expect this information to be in the book. We do have lots of yard sales and thrift stores near us. But as far as grocery store deals like stacking coupons (not allowed here), printed Internet coupons (not allowed here). Here is a link to Christi's favorite websites.

The book was very easy to follow along and was layed out out very well. I like how she guides you through the process, she truly is a Coupon Coach! I would give you more details, but you need to high tail it over to Amazon.com right now and buy a copy of Christi The Coupon Coach or get the Ebook to read on the go. (I’ve got an Amazon link right here on my site). The book as 132 pages long, but if you are not a big reader don’t let that scare you, it’s a very quick read, you wont get bogged down with this book.

I like how she explains all the couponing terms and how she shares real life ideas with her readers. Many of the tips and tricks were familiar to me, I’m just not implementing them, but I think that  Christi The Coupon Coach would be a great read for even the seasoned couponer, sort of a refresher course. The book would NOT be overwhelming to a newbie at all. Plain and simple Christi IS the Coupon Coach! She knows how to explain things in plain and simple terms.

A new idea to me was the ability to print out additional sets of coupons using a different computer in your home (we only have 1 computer and none of our stores accept Internet coupons, so this is out for us). I have resurrected my coupon accordion file from that funny financial radio guy and I’ve been saving here and there. Remember though, we live in the sticks, don’t get many coupons in our Sunday paper, can’t use printed Internet coupons and can’t stack coupons. So this book and system might be just the thing you need if you have better access to coupons than we do.

My coupon file AFTER reading Christi The Coupon Coach

I have saved around $50 so far since starting this TOS review and I plan to keep working at this, it's a bit tougher in my area, but even I can save some. An update to my review, I have found that the Target and Meijers store in the BIG city (about an hour away) do accept printed out coupons from their store website ONLY, so I have found another source  :O) So don't think you can't save just because you live in a rural area. My main savings were in the area of household cleaners, trash bags and things like that. Hey it all adds up!

Come check out what the other Molly Reviewers had to say about how they used & how they saved using Christi The Coupon Coach: Couponing Made Simple.

 

 

FREEBIE!! FREEBIE!! FREEBIE!

This is an awesome freebie for teachers and homeschoolers!
I am printing like crazy as we speak...lol...

Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus click there and check her out! She has got lots of goodies and some great homeschool information. This is just a sameple of one of the cover pages that you can use for your personalized school planner. LOVE IT!

Tina has a cool process to making her planners, here is what you get for FREE!

Step 1. Choose a Pretty Front & Back Cover

Step 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers

Step 3. Choose Goals and Objectives

Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages

Step 5a. Choose Unique Forms JUST for You

Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms Just for You.

Step 6. Personalize It

Step 7. Final Step. Organize it/Shuffle Sections/Print your Tabs before you take it to be coil bound.

Please go check out Tina's cool homeschool helps today.

Enjoy!

Science For High School: Physical Science Review

As members of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew we have had the exciting opportunity to review the Physical Science program from Science for High School. The program is called High School Physical Science In Your Home for the last several weeks in our homeschool. This course is for grades 9-12, but I think in home education you can use it with junior high aged kids if they are ready for the material. High School Physical Science In Your Home comes with a student and a teacher manual.

OK, first let me tell you what my experience with science has been. To me science was reading a chapter in the science book, memorizing the bold terms/definitions, answering the chapter checkup questions, taking a weekly quiz/test. Maybe doing a science poster or short write up once in awhile. Basically rote memorization skills were practiced in my kind of science. Toss those ideas right out the window with Science For High School.

Imagine a home school science curriculum actually written by a home school mom! After using the curriculum I am realizing that she understands that most home school Mommy’s don’t have a clue about science :O) This little sentence in the teacher manual sold me…lol. “(As in all home schools, we bend and fit all curricula to our home.) LOVE IT! Author Bridget Ardoin has been a home schooling mom for the past 12+ years. Ardoin has a degree in microbiology and has taught science in private high schools.

My student used the library, books, textbooks (what homeschooler is lacking in any type of book? LOL), science magazines and the Internet. I would caution the Internet use for research, be sure that your student is using legitimate websites. There is a lot of junk science out there.

For the High School Physical Science In Your Home review we received a Student Manual that was 3 hole punched, quizzes, a final exam for each semester and a spiral bound teacher edition. You can go here to purchase for $79.99. If you have more than one student you will need to purchase additional lab books here for $24.99. I love that you can go here to purchase the lab kit for $45.00. To save $ you can purchase the HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICAL SCIENCE IN YOUR HOME TOTAL PACKAGE for $110.00.
 

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS:

Each week I would give our son 1 Lab Sheet and 1 Experiment Sheet to work on, he had the next 7 days to prepare, take a quiz over previous material and then present his written material for the new week in a discussion format. Pretty simple for the teacher if you ask me :O) Our discussion time usually took on some added chatter…lol. I picked Thursday as our day to do this since it’s a less busy school day for us and allows for some fun and relaxed interaction.

 

What this homeschool Momma liked about High School Physical Science In Your Home:
1) Simple to use teacher‘ manual! LOL…Have I ever said that I can’t stand a teachers manual or answer key that is hard to use? Ya know the kind, where you have to hunt through the reading materials to find the tiny little number that matches the question that you are grading! Super easy teacher manual here with Science For High School with ANSWERS!.

2) I’m seeing 4-H projects written all over this curriculum!!

3) DISCUSSION! LOVE IT!! Each week you sit down with your child and they discuss with you the research that they did that week on the assignment. If you have more than 1 child this is a great opportunity for them to absorb the information while sitting in on the discussion :O)

4) BONUS! A high school curriculum that prepares homeschoolers for college? GREAT! The author brings this up when explaining how to give quizzes and tests. “This gives the student a chance to develop skills to study for a quiz while having other assignments, something that will prove useful while in college.”

5) I think that no matter what learning style your child has High School Physical Science In Your Home will fit the bill. It touches on all learning styles

6) I’m thinking Homeschool Co-op Class with this curriculum!!! You know we are always looking for something challenging in a homeschool Co-op for our teens!

7) A good reminder! The author reminds us as homeschool moms that some colleges and universities want to see copies of the student lab notes.

8) Easy list of items needed for the experiments, so far I have not had to hunt far for items, I’ve pretty much had them on hand. Though I am glad I looked ahead to second semester, there are a few things I will need to hunt up.

9) She gives an idea of how to score the quizzes and tests, which is nice, sometimes with homeschool materials I have had to stand on my head to figure out how to give a grade.

10) EUREKA!! Second Semester we learn about the Periodic Table of Elements, you ask “What on earth is that?” lol…Yeah, homeschooling Sista, I am right there with ya! And I plan to learn this right along with my child. All I can say is Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!

11) So far what we have worked through has really had a college feel to it, the way the material is laid out, the lab sheets and the discussion each week. Many college classes, not just science are using the discussion format each week.

12) Everything is laid out plain as day for you! LOVE IT!
　

What this homeschool Momma didn’t like about High School Physical Science In Your Home:

1) When we first got the materials someone (home school student who shall remain nameless…lol) decided to take the High School Physical Science In Your Home student materials in the car to review, without first putting them in a 3 ring binder (not included) and they dumped all over and had to be picked up and put back together. They are now secured in a 3 ring binder.

2) I thought that a few of the labs were a bit grade schoolish or middle schoolish to me. I was expecting a bit more difficulty across the board. But I think that High School Physical Science In Your Home would be a great place to start if your homeschool science program has been lacking in experiments because the first semester ones were pretty simple and the second semester ones seem more advanced. It could be a confidence booster for your homeschooler.

3) I do have some concern about this program when it comes to my son being interested in a medical career. I am just not sure that it meets the standards of the tough STEM requirements. STEM education is an acronym for the areas of study in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the United States.

What this homeschool student liked about High School Physical Science In Your Home:
1) I kinda got to look up things that I wanted to look up and study things the way I wanted to study them :O)

2) I liked the experiments, sometimes they did not work out, but I had fun with them.

3) I can’t wait to get to second semester to study electricity, I think this might help with my 4-H electricity project next year. COOL!

4) I like how the author tells us in our student manual that we need to do a little bit of work each day. If she had not said this I would probably have waited until the night before to work on it.

What this homeschool student didn’t about High School Physical Science In Your Home:
1) This was a totally different way of doing science that was very new to me. So I think it’s going to take some getting use to the change.

2) It was a bit hard for me to keep motivated to work each day on my own, Mom had to nag me at first, but then I started to look forward to working on my research.

I really like the program as it seems very easy to use, but as I said above I have reservations regarding the STEM and college admissions if your child will be entering a career field that is heavy on science. So if you have a student that will need a strong science background look over the material and decided if this is for you. We plan to use this as a supplement to our current science program.

 

Please see what my buddies had to say about Science For High School products, some got to review chemistry and biology.

Gluten Free Crackers Anyone?

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gluten-free-cheese-crackers-recipe

King Arthur Flour company has some yummy recipes that are gluten free, search the site.
I plan to make these next week.
Moe

NICE Homeschool FREEBIE

http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/2013/07/printable-prayer-cards-free-download/

Lots of really cool goodies over at WWW.homeschoolcreations.net Check them out!

I went to the doctor and here is what I was told

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy 4th Of July To All My USA Readers

Found this fun activity on the Focus On The Family page, going to work on this once my teenager wakes up...lol...not sure when that will be...

Getting Ready For A New School Year...

Need I say more? I think Todd Wilson says it well. After a week of trying to sell our used textbooks I am wiped out!