Greg Landry's Homeschool Science

 

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

Over the past weeks my daughter has been working through a self-paced course from Greg Landry's Homeschool Science entitled, Embryology / Endocrinology. This particular class is a college prep, one semester course. The seven recorded lessons can be watched at your own pace and are around 30 minutes on average. Each lesson has a study guide and a PDF provided with the class. The suggested grade range is 7-12. Some labs are suggested but are not required. Students have email access to Professor Landry in case they have question or need help throughout the course. The course covers the development of a baby from conception through birth. With regards to Endocrinology it covers the pancreas and blood glucose control, diabetes, pineal gland, and hormones. 

Students log-in through Canvas. Under their Dashboard their classes that 

they are signed up for will be displayed. All your student has to do is click 

on the class to begin. Our class is self-paced so my daughter were able to

 get started right away and work at her own pace. I am not quite sure how the 

live classes work and what that set-up is like. 

 

This is the Table of Contents for the Study Guide. 

This is from Lesson One. Professor Landry is explaining how to write up a lab.

Lesson Two begins the study of Reproduction including the female anatomy,

the monthly menstrual cycle...

Professor Landry does a great job at explaining a woman's monthly cycle,

how each month an egg matures and is released from the ovary into the fallopian 

tube. If sperm is waiting for the egg fertilization usually happens close to

the top of the Fallopian tube. He then goes on the explain sperm meeting egg,

conception, implantation, etc...

I love how Professor Landry multiple times brings into this study how

amazing our Creator is! This is one of those times. Only our wonderful

Creator could make THIS HAPPEN...A BABY. 

For some of the diagrams in the lessons students will be asked to study a 

chart or an organ and then label on a blank chart or organ. In this example

students have just been learning about fetal heart circulation and the changes

that take place after birth. Students are asked to study the heart and learn the 

parts of the heart and then use the blank heart and label the parts of the heart. 

Here are some of the lesson questions and charts that my daughter filled out

as she listened to the lessons. 

Overall, I thought that Greg Landry is extremely knowledgeable. I actually listened in on many of the lessons and enjoyed them. He does a wonderful job at explaining the information to the students. I liked the step-up of the course and loved the self-paced option. My daughter also liked that it was self-paced and that she could do it on her own time. I kind of wish that Professor Landry would break up the course into two sections, maybe 7-9 grades and 10-12 grades and make the curriculum a bit more challenging for the upper grades. My daughter is in the 12th grade and both she and I found the curriculum to be a bit elementary. She finished it in two weeks. I have no idea how this would take any student a full semester to complete. In my opinion there is definitely not enough material to make this a semester long course. I also do not see how this could be considered a college prep course. I have six children and several that have taken college prep courses in the sciences and this most definitely is not a college prep course. The term college prep is very deceiving to the person that is signing up for this course. With that said, I would not recommend this course to others looking for a semester long, college prep course. I would maybe recommend this course to parents that want to introduce their child to reproduction. I think that this would be a great course for a 7th grader. With that said, please be sure to read what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about Greg Landry's Homeschool Science curriculum. Please remember, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Also, what doesn't work for one family may be the perfect fit for the next family. 

10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity

 

To discern if your teen is ready for the contents in, 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity, McLaughlin says, “If your children aren’t ready for the entire Harry Potter series, they may not be ready for this book either.” So, after answering that question you can know how to proceed. 

 

How can you believe the Bible is true? 

 

Does God care when we hurt?

 

“What happens to babies when they die?”

How can you believe in Heaven and Hell? 

“If Jesus was resurrected, why didn’t he just appear to everyone, why was it such a secret?”

These two questions are from my 3rd-5th grade Sunday School class. The list of questions asked is quite exhaustive. While there is an admirable quality to “childlike faith,” there is no getting around the fact that teens ask hard questions. If they aren’t asking them, there’s a good chance they are hiding them.

Teenagers are deep thinkers. When they ask questions, we need to take these opportunities to talk with them and not just say, “let’s talk later.” As we talk we need to back up what we are saying with scripture. 

Is the Bible reliable? Absolutely! We need to make sure that our teens understand that everything they read from Genesis to Revelation is 100% truth. Can God really send people to Hell? These are serious and relevant questions that Christians of all ages wrestle with. It is okay if you don’t have all the answers that your teen may ask. You may have to seek answers from your paster, Bible teacher, and strong biblical resources. 

 

In 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity, McLaughlin takes arguments and then structures them within the framework of the average teen. Drawing from pop culture references that teenagers would immediately recognize such as Harry Potter, Moana, and Taylor Swift, McLaughlin expertly navigates common objections to Christianity. Sometimes balancing tough topics is hard but McLaughlin does a fantastic job at dealing with the complex topics such as evolution, pornography, and abortion.

I love that McLaughlin uses Jude 22, “have mercy on those who doubt.” She truly wants this book to be a tool and help for teens that are wrestling with what they believe by offering strong arguments from the Bible. 

 

My concerns with the book…

 

1.     Being a married woman and talking about her attraction to women. Not okay with that. 

2.     She says, “Believing the Bible isn’t just for stupid people.”

3.     She addresses evolution but not the creation.

4.     She talks about falling in love with a girl

5.     She says, “…hell is when God fights with us.” What??

 

These are just a few of the concerns that I have with the book and for this reason I am not sure that I would recommend this book to others. 

LightSail for Homeschoolers

 

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

LightSail for Homeschoolers is a complete and adaptive language arts platform that focuses on four major areas reading, writing, vocabulary, and fluency. LightSail has a Young Learners program for PreK-3rd grade and a Literary Solutions program for 3rd-12th grade. LightSail offers both secular and faith-based reading options. With ChildSafe Content Controls parents are able to control what their child is able to see and read. Built in assessments are a great way for parents to see how their child is coming along. I was given the opportunity to have the Premium Subscription that is for up to 5 children and is good for 1 year. 

LightSail for Homeschoolers Reading has a vast library of over 10,000 books for all ages. Your child is able to create their own library with specific interests and content that is targeted to their reading level. You are also able to purchase books within the LightSail program. Purchasing a book through the LightSail site enables your child not only to read the book but it has extra features built into each book such as fill-in-the-blank questions, multiple choice questions, short answer, and even mini video's that relate to the content. As your child reads their books the program is constantly monitoring their progress and comprehension. 

LightSail for Homeschoolers Writing  teaches the mechanics of writing. The writing modules enables students to practice their writing skills using writing prompts utilizing a variety of types of writing. To help your child in their writing there are graphic organizers that step-by-step guide your child through their writing. As your child's teacher you are able to give your child feedback and instructions along the way through written, verbal, and even video recordings. The Writing Workshop uses a game type feature. There is a virtual wheel that your child spins and depending on what it lands on your child is given grade appropriate assignments. There is a seven step writing process within your child's graphic organizer which includes:

1. Brainstorming
2. I Know
3. I Wonder
4. Research
5. I Learned
6. In Review
7. Complete

LightSail for Homeschoolers Vocabulary takes a spiral approach to teaching vocabulary. What is a spiral approach? LightSail works on your child's spelling and vocabulary that is both personalized for your child and immersive. Your child will be introduced to new words and their spelling in a variety of ways and contexts. Depending on your child's reading level, vocabulary words will be suggested. You can also choose words for your child based upon their Lexile level as well as adding in sight words or word families. The vocabulary module has multiple ways to assess your child's familiarity with words. In vocabulary assessments student will be asked to define the word, give the part of speech, give a synonym for the word, and writing the words in sentences.   

LightSail for Homeschoolers Fluency helps students gain confidence in reading as well as accuracy. Measuring a child's fluency after they become independent readers is important for several reasons: students may be skipping words that they are unfamiliar with and do not know how to pronounce. It is important to know long it takes a child to read given material and how well they are comprehending it. Knowing your child's speed of reading is a good measure to insure that over time they are advancing. There is a read-aloud setting in which you pick a book from your child's library and select a paragraph from the book. Your child reads aloud the passage and they are then able to play back what they have just read. If they struggled the first time they can continue to attempt to improve their reading. LightSail has a Running Record which allows the program to count your child's words per minute. You as a parent are able to listen to your child's recording and mark words that they have omitted, words that they have added into the reading, words pronounced wrong, etc. LightSail will then tabulate your child's fluency and words per minute based on your markings in the reading. LightSail Fluency also has an extremely helpful tool in which your child can retell in their own words what they have just read. A grading rubric is also part of the LightSail program to help make grading easier for parents. Recordings of your child's reading is stored for a full year. This is a wonderful tool to see how your child has progressed over a years time. 

Before your child gains access to their libraries they are given a test to see what their Lexile Level is. I am not sure if it is different for all ages and grades. My daughter read passages and then had to answer a question based on the passage. She got to question 45 I think. 

This is a Grade by Grade Lexile Level chart so that you

can see where your child falls. 

My daughter chose to dive into Uncle Tom's Cabin. 

Throughout the reading students will find blue boxes. They then 

have to select a word from a list on the right hand side that best fits into

the text. If the student gets the word wrong it will show the student the

correct word that should have been chosen. That correct word is then

underlined in red in the text page. 

Throughout the book there are words that are highlighted. Students can click

on these words to watch a short video. This particular video talked about what

it was like for the slaves as they came over on the ships. 

There is a function built into the book where the student can click

on Parts of Speech in the box on the right hand side of the screen.

Adjectives were boxed in green. 

Adverbs were in yellow. 

Nouns were purple.

Pronouns were blue. It then went on to show all of the parts

of speech. 

When a student was done reading for the day LightSail saves your

child's place in the book. It shows the length of time your child spent

reading and the total minutes read. The number of Clozes are also shown.

Clozes are exercises, tests, or assessments consisting of a portion of

language with certain items, words, or signs removed, where the participate

is asked to replace the missing language item. 

I was very excited to be able to have the opportunity to get the Lexile score for another 

kiddo who doesn't like to read. I have been wondering if she is dealing with

some learning issues and I was truly relieved when after she completed the assessment

her score came back right at grade level at the high end of the meets and almost

in the exceeds category. Her score has increased by 42 points in 6 weeks. She is in a very

rigorous literature based curriculum in co-op. I guess all of her reading has paid off. 

My daughter is studying geography this year. She used LightSail to read about various

places around the world. Here are a few of the examples of what she came across. 

I was impressed with the sheer amount of available content available to students. The entire World Book Encyclopedia is included, the World Book's Atlas, and the World Book Timeline. The Encyclopedia has educational features built into it that are absolutely genius. The variety of books available from comic books to the classics and everything in between. There is something that will appeal to everyone. LightSail even has a Personalized Reader Tool for the child with reading difficulties. Whether your child just struggles with reading or they are diagnosed with dyslexia, ADHD, or various other learning issues, LightSail has you covered. Be sure to read what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about Lightsail for Homeschoolers. 

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LightSailEd 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightsailed/

Bible Breakdowns

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

Have you ever stopped to think how overwhelming it can be for a new believer to open a Bible and wonder "Where do I start." If you have no knowledge of God's Word obtaining a broken down subject-by-subject overview of each book of the Bible is less intimidating. Maybe you are very familiar with the Bible but sometimes wish you could remember a specific story or event and where it is located. You may know the specific book that it is found in but are unsure exactly where in the book it is found. That is where Bible Breakdowns comes in. Teach Sunday school wants individuals of all ages and backgrounds to be able to study and learn God's Word. Bible Breakdowns is an easy accessible tool as you study God's Word. After purchasing material from the website you will be given access to the files in PDF format. You can use the material from your computer or print it out. 

Teach Sunday school offers a wide range of Bible study tools, complete Bible curriculum, topical lesson packs, crafts, a teen and tween section, Bible games, a toddler and preschool section, and even seasonal packages. 

Homeschool parents will be able to find so many tools to help their child study and learn God's Word. Some of the helpful resources include Bible Hero Fact Files, coloring pages, Books of the Bible At A Glance. 

What exactly makes Bible Breakdown so helpful. Each book of the Bible is condensed into a one page overview. Each page lays out:

• The book name 
• Whether it is in the Old Testament or the New Testament
• The numerical place within the Bible
• A brief synopsis of the book
• Number of chapters
• The type of book it is such as history, poetry, major prophets, gospel, etc.
• The date it was written
• Time period covered
• Author
• A listing of book/chapter/verses followed by subject
• Classic Bible Stories are highlighted in blue
• Most popular verses

The main focus is on the Book/Chapter/Verses and Subject for each book. For example, in Genesis 19:1-29 is the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Another example, Mark 6:30-44 is the Miracle: Feeding of the 5,000. 

I chose to use a three ring binder. I also used page protectors to place the 

Bible Breakdowns in. I was looking for a way to be able to use it long term

and not have to worry about pages tearing out of the binder. 

There is a Contents page with 

page numbers to easily get to the book that you want to study. 

In my opinion, Book-By-Book Bible Breakdowns is a system that would be helpful to have available to reference at home. This is a great way for younger children to become more familiar with what is in each book of the Bible and find some of the great stories found in scripture. The set-up is so very user friendly and the content is fantastic. I am currently participating in Bible Study Fellowship. This year we are studying the book of Matthew. Being able to see a one page overview of everything about the book and the breakdown was helpful. I have read the book of Matthew many times and know what is containing within the book itself by having the breakdown was still extremely helpful. The content found on Teach Sunday School's website is applicable for home, church, and school use. 

Be sure to take the time to read what my Fellow Crew Members thought about Bible Breakdowns. 

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SundaySchoolLessons
Instagram: @teachsundayschool
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/biblefun/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChwHfenlbCBU_XfzvqCFFPA

The Critical Thinking Co.™

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

Over the past weeks my 8th grader has been working though Vocabulary Virtuoso: Mastering Middle School Vocabulary. The Critical Thinking Co.™ offers over two hundred books and software in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, critical thinking, as well as test prep. Supplemental workbooks as well as full curriculum options are available for students in Preschool through the 12th grade. Vocabulary Virtuoso: Mastering Middle School Vocabulary is intended for grades 6-8. The workbook contains 15 lessons and is 168 pages. The goal is to help your middle schooler increase vocabulary as well as strengthening language art skills. The lessons contain sentences and stories that reflect life in a fictional middle school. The words are all selected from PSAT vocabulary word lists. I do want to note that there are Vocabulary Virtuoso workbooks for varying grade levels. 

Each lesson has twelve vocabulary words. The list of words give the part of speech, pronunciation, definitions, and a list of synonyms, idioms, and phrases. The activities, A-F, require the student to use the words in context in multiple facets which include:

• Choosing the best word to complete a sentence. Students have a choice of 3 vocabulary words. 
• Choosing the best word from a choice box. 
• Using the words to fill in the blank throughout a story. 
• Unscrambling words from the lesson list that are synonyms, idioms, phrases, or definitions of underlined words in a sentence. 
• Writing words, idioms, or phrases that define given vocabulary words. 
• Writing sentences using vocabulary words. 

The words definitely vary in difficulty within each lesson. Some examples of words that you student will encounter are:

• mercurial
• vociferous
• quixotic
• neophyte
• grandiloquent
• parsimonious 
• obsequious
• recidivism

I had to sigh when in Lesson 4 the word QUARANTINE was included in the list of words. 

Here are a few examples of some of the pages. 

Vocabulary Virtuoso is able to be used in a classroom, as part of your homeschool curriculum, or used independently. 

I let my daughter work through the lessons at her own pace. Some days she would complete multiple activities and other days just one. My daughter does not particularly like to read. I know that this has impeded her vocabulary. My children that are avid readers have a vastly larger vocabulary. This workbook is a great way to build vocabulary. 

The Critical Thinking Co.™offers sample pages of their workbooks so that you can get a feel of a particular workbook before you purchase. They also offer software demos. 

Be sure to check out all of the other reviews from my Fellow Crew Members. Members reviewed a variety of workbooks both physical and eBook form. The Critical Thinking Co.™ is a treasure trove of academic materials to help build your child's knowledge and critical thinking. 

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCriticalThinkingCo 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/criticalthinks 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecriticalthinkingco/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/criticalthinks/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsVEVNa6UpVqXxo_t5sbb7Q

Changing Seasons

Julian Onderdonk’s “October Sunlight” is absolutely amazing.

This beautiful oil on canvas was painted by Julian Onderdonk in 1911.

He was born in Texas and is often called "the father of Texas painting."