Weekly Wrap Up 2014 Week 9

I have to say that I am ridiculously happy to be able to write WEEK NINE.  And, those were 9 CONSECUTIVE weeks.  Seriously, I don't think that has ever happened throughout the time that we have been homeschooling.  There has always been a break-sometimes a very long one-somewhere in the middle.  I am so, so, so thankful and finally feel like we have a routine that works for us and that we can continue with.  

So here's a peak into week 9 :).

Calendar Time (Solar System):

Since we are in a new month, we changed calendar themes.  I realized I don't have any photos of this, but trust me they are pretty cool.  We chose to learn about the Solar System thanks to (free) calendar cards from 1+1+1=1.  This week we talked about Astronomy, the Solar System, rotation and revolution, the sun, solar flare, and solar eclipse.  

Parts of an Amphibian:

We started out with the basic parts of an amphibian cards.  We went through them together, and I added parts of amphibian booklets to their workplans.  Charger makes a BIG mess when he is working on things.  Cracks me up!  The cards are free from The Helpful Garden.

Frogs by Gail Gibbons is a great book (mostly about Frogs) but it does touch on Amphibians, too.

We read About Amphibians, by Cathryn Sill.  It's a really great book for my crew.  The basic book is geared for young children, but then in the back there is a bunch of detail about each page and photo.  This allowed my littles to listen in and then leave when they were bored as I read the details for Mustang and Charger.  The book on the left, Amphibian, is not a very good read aloud, but it is great for a curious young boy to learn more :).

This was something I picked up at a yard sale last summer and I thought it might be fun. But, I didn't really want to dissect anything.  So, we just looked at all the pieces.  The kids REALLY enjoyed this!

It included the skeleton and organs.  

St. Patrick's Day

Charger enjoyed our last Magic Treehouse book so much that when I saw these on the end-cap when I was at the library last week, I decided to pick them up.  I have been reading the storybook aloud each day and Mustang has been working on the research guide on her own.  She has already finished it.  These are some of her favorite books.

Beginning Animal Research

This week we added animal research to our workplans.  I was happy to find direction and a free printable for this on Montessori for Everyone.  Because this is so new for us, I went with her ideas and figure I will make it more difficult as my kids can handle it.  

The work is to find an animal to research.  After reading about the animal, the cards at the bottom are to be answered.  There are answer cards in the packet as well.  After answering all the questions, they draw a picture of the animal and use the cards to write a sentence about the animal.  This is Charger's work (age 6).  We used the Bald Eagle as an example and did the research and questions together.  The work page he did alone.

I have asked the kids to research one animal a week for now.  I've suggested that they may want to use our Wild-Life Fact File binder (an AWESOME hand me down from a friend who graduated her homeschool students).  But, of course mentioned that any animal they want to research I will help them get books on that animal.  

Bible

We completed our lesson packet from Bible Study for All Ages.  We LOVE this curriculum.  And, I can't wait to order the next session.  But, for Christmas my parents gave us a learning game from Dave Ramsey about money.  We are going to do that, first, and then order our next set.

State Studies

Our state this week was South Carolina.  When I introduce a state, we first go through all our previous states and see if we remember the capitols.  Then I introduce the new state using the three part cards and state cards that I purchased from Montessori Print Shop.  I read a book about the state-my favorite are the alphabet books like the one in this photo.  

The work added for each state are pages in their state notebook.  I print the state pages free from Primary Graffiti.

Types of Musical Instruments

Our last group work for the week was to talk about the different types of musical instruments.  For this work, I found these great posters here.  I printed off two different copies.  The first set, I laminated and we went over them together.

The second set I cut all up.

And, turned it into a sorting activity.  It was well received!

I hope you had a great week!  Thank you so much for stopping by!

God Bless,
Lisa




Books and items we used this week (affiliate link in widget only):

TOS Review: Adventus

If you happen to be my friend on Facebook, you have recently seen me posting photos of the kids taking piano lessons at home.  Or, you may have read my status updates about how I just took a piano lesson...at midnight...in my pajamas.  Many of you have asked me how I managed to do that!!  Well, here is my answer :).

We were recently asked to review a program called Adventus.  Adventus is a web-based software designed to teach piano lessons at home!  Using a Midi-capable keyboard, you connect your keyboard to the computer and you can begin learning without leaving your home!

Adventus offers a number of different programs designed to teach children ages 4-18 how to play the piano, read music, write music, music appreciation, composer studies, and much more!

For the 4-10 year old student, Adventus has created Children's Music Journey.  There are three levels of Children's Music Journey, and children begin at either level 1 or 2, depending on their age.

Let me walk you through our lessons to give you a feel for this program.

First thing, is to set up a profile for each of your students.  You can use this program with multiple children, so I set up Level 1 for Charger and Level 2 for Mustang.

Charger's lesson began with an introduction from Ludwig Beethoven.  Okay, not really him, but a cartoon figure of him.  But, what a better way to learn how to play piano AND get a composer study at the same time??  

The lessons are very age appropriate and present music in a unique way.  He didn't start off with note names or treble clefs.  Instead, the program focuses on what a child can understand-high birds and low whales!  The notes above middle C are high bird notes (you can see the seagull in the photo).  The low notes are low whale notes (see the whale??).  When middle C gets introduced, he comes through as a man in a motor boat!  Genius I tell you!!

After their lesson-which lasts probably around 10 minutes (I actually didn't time it), the student can move on to one of the other activities.  They can practice their lesson with a sweet character named Miss Melody.  Or they can play games with the skills they have learned.

Here Charger is playing a game to catch the low whale notes!

The lessons were so easy to understand, that I went ahead and allowed Mini Cooper to start doing the lessons, too!  She is only 3 1/2 and is firmly understanding the information.  I sit and do the lesson with her, but I don't have to help very much.  I loved the other day when she said "I'm playing the piano like Mr. Beethoven."  So sweet!

I started Mustang on level 2, and she did quite well even though she had never had a piano lesson or even a music lesson-save for the 3 tin whistle lessons she had at our school co-op.  The first lesson of the 2nd level does a review of things learned in the first lesson to help catch a new student up, or remind a veteran student of what they learned.  

After the lessons, the student also has an option of going into a 'recording' room and recording a new song.  This is always Mustang's favorite part.  She likes to play LOUD and crazy songs using all the keys on the keyboard.  

Each of the levels of Children's Music Journey contains about 30 lessons, which can be advanced through at the child's pace.  

In addition to the computer lessons, there are also recommended lessons, activities, and printables in the MusicIQ Homeschool Manuals.  These lessons provide lots of great ways to help children remember what their 'teachers' have taught them.

Doing 1-2 practice sessions per week, Mustang has advanced through 5 levels of the program, while Charger has mastered 4.  Mini Cooper has just done 2 1/2. I say half, because even though she got through the 3rd lesson, I think she needs a bit more practice before I let her move on to the next lesson.  

According to the website, once they advance all the way through the 3 levels, they will have

• Completed 95 interactive lessons taught by 18 famous composers!  These composers are:  Beethoven, Bach, Joplin, Mendelssohn, Villa-Lobos, Satie, Dvorak, Mozart, Beach, Tchaikovsky, Handel, Chopin, Scarlatti, Haydn, Bartok, Chaminade, Debussy, & Schumanm!!  (Even I don't know know who all of those composers are!)
• Completed 95 practice sessions with Miss Melody
• Played 150 learn to play songs and famous pieces
• Played 20 games to reinforce the theory they have learned
• In addition to playing as many unique songs in the recording room as they want!!

To use the Adventus software, you must have a Midi-capable keyboard and a midi adapter.  This means, it can be connected to your computer through a USB port.  You need Mr. Beethoven and Miss Melody to be able to 'hear' what you are playing so they can teach you :).  If you do not have a Midi-capable keyboard, Adventus sells two different ones.  The one in my photo is the M-Audio KeyRig 49.  We received a discount if we ordered it from Adventus for this review.  I think it works great!  It can only be used while hooked up to the computer, but it does well with the computer.

Once you have a keyboard, you have a couple of different subscription options. 

You can buy the entire 3 volume set of Children's Music Journey plus a keyboard and the MusicIQ HomeSchool Lesson Plans for $309.95.  But, if you already own a keyboard and want to purchase just one level, it runs $89.95 with the MusicIQ HomesSchool Lesson plans, and $69.95 without the lesson plans.  You can also purchase a monthly online subscription to all the software for $10.95 per month (does not include the lesson plans, they are sold seperatly).  You can view all the different pricing options in the Curriculum Store.  They really do have a plan for any budget.

Now, just in case you forgot about my piano lessons, let me assure you I have not been practicing my high bird notes and low whale notes at 1 in the morning!!

We also tried out the lessons available for older students....the ones that are 10-18...or in my case 30 somethings.  The Program is called Piano Suite and it is a totally different format then the Children's Music Journey.  It is a much more traditional type lesson, with theory and music reading from the very start.  It seems to believe you have some music knowledge going in-but very little.  

Piano Suite is broken down into 6 different areas:  

• Piano Player
• Library
• Theory Thinker
• Composers Corner
• Games
• History Happens  

While I dabbled a little in the other areas, I spent most of my time over at the Theory Thinker.  I was in band for a number of years as well as choir and have a pretty good handle on music reading and theory.  It is the actual piano playing I need work on.  But, I wanted to go through the lessons and see if I need a refresher on anything.  

I could have just wondered over to the Piano Player or Library, but the Theory Thinker introduces songs a few at a time, in order of difficulty.  This allowed me to master one song before choosing one above my ability.  The Piano Player allows you to choose the song you want, and it does tell you on the side the level of  ability.

Because I know theory quite well, I was very thankful for the ability to quickly move past a lesson if I didn't need to hear it, and move right on to the music practicing portion or the next theory lesson. The lessons were super easy to understand and you could replay anything you didn't understand.   

Piano Suite is certainly geared toward an older student, in that, there aren't a lot of fun frills like the Children's Music Journey.  So, I would consider that when choosing which music program to go with if you have 10 year old.  Piano Suite does have a few games, but I didn't find them all that fun.  I don't think they were aimed at me, however, so please checkout some of the other reviews to see what the teenagers thought of the games.  

Piano Suite and the accompanying lesson plans retail for $109.95.  It is also part of the monthly subscription package-which is awesome if you have more then one level of student wanting to play at the same time!!

I even tried out the Ear Training Coach program that comes after Piano Suite, but it was very obvious I wasn't at that level yet!!  

Really, one of my most appreciated parts is that I could practice playing Mary had a Little Lamb and no one had to know that this 30 something mom couldn't play anything harder then that!  Well, now YOU know, but you still didn't hear me!  I also didn't have to find a babysitter or drive all the way to town.

I know that Adventus programs require a little financial investment.  But, really, if you compare them to the cost of a live piano teacher. Not to mention the cost of gas (especially if you live in the country like me) then it's really not expensive at all!  I mean, $90.00 (for the Children's Music Journey individual levels) and you get piano lessons for as long as you need that level and you can reuse it with the next child???  A lot more affordable in that light!

If you can't tell by now, we really love Adventus!  I have been trying not to gush this entire review, but it may have come out anyways.  I have been wanting to have the children learn to play piano, but I really didn't know how it would logistically work.  Adventus has solved that problem in ways I couldn't have imagined!  

The review we are doing is a 12 month review of the subscription, so next year when we no longer have access, I already intend to purchase the programs permanently.  How's that for a recommendation? :)

If you already have a Midi-capable keyboard, I would recommend starting with the monthly subscription for at least 1 month to get a feel for which level your students need and just verify that Adventus will be a good fit for your family.  If you don't have a keyboard, we like the one we purchased from Adventus and I would recommend it, so one of the packages that includes a keyboard may be the place to start for you.  

I am one of many crew members that tried out Adventus, so be sure to check out the other crew reviews and see what they thought!

Thank you so much for stopping by!!

God Bless,

Lisa

TOS Review 2012: Kinderbach

Kinderbach is a program designed to teach piano lessons to young children.  Kinderbach has programs to use at home, at a school, and a new program available in app form for your iPad!  We tried out an at home, six month subscription.

 Kinderbach at home is a series of weekly lessons that are streamed online.  Designed for children ages 3-7,  these fun filled streaming lessons are taught by author Karri Gregory.  She is in most of the sessions and helps explain many aspects of the keyboard, reading music, and music theory. 

How it works:

If you look to the right, you see a box with 4 numbers in it.  Each of those is a separate lesson.  They are designed to be watched every day for four days a week.  But, since you have access to all weeks at the same time, you can choose how many to watch.  The online lessons last between about 4 and 8 minutes.

You can also repeat lessons that your children enjoyed as many times as you want!!

The lessons start out very basic, introducing children to the keyboard, high-low pitch, the beat of songs, and more.  They get progressively harder until the children have been introduced to reading basic sheet music, and basic music theory.

Below, the box, you see a picture of a printer.  This will link you to many printables to go along with the lessons.

For each of the 6 levels of KinderBach, there is an activity book.  The books are PDF downloads and you print them off as you need them, or all at once.  You can choose the pages your children will benefit from.  I found it useful to print off the books for my children, but if you were using this with only three year olds you wouldn't likely use them.  The pages are very cute and have a lot of information.  And, reading is not necessary as Karri explains the paper as you go through the session.

Some examples of the pages:  

So what did we think:

This is our second time using KinderBach and I was surprised at the results.  Last time, Mustang was so excited!  She was always the first to ask if we could watch our lessons and wanted to play along with the games in the sessions.  But, she turned 7 in September.  And now, she is not nearly as interested.  She still played along, but I had to encourage her.  I was disappointed in this, because I thought she was finally old enough to understand the program this time around (instead of just dancing to the music).  I had hoped she would take the program and really run with it, but that didn't happen.  

So now, I'm not sure what I think.  While I am very impressed at all the creativity and ideas that have gone into this program, and while KinderBach is a great way to introduce children to music and information, by the time they actually understand what's going on, they are no longer interested in the program and characters (at least in our house). That said, there is still a ton of great information.  I would just be sure that you intend to spend time following up on this program as your children get bigger. 

Charger and Mini Cooper enjoyed it a lot, and Explorer had a lovely time dancing to the music :).  So I would certainly say KinderBach is a wonderful way to start your children out with a love of music and basic building blocks to help them as they learn music in the future.

I do want to mention how impressed I am at the streaming speed!  We have many problems with streaming of other programs out here in the middle of nowhere, but we did not have any stops as the KinderBach videos came through!

How to Buy:

One of the best part of KinderBach is that you can try it out for TWO weeks for FREE!!  That way you can find out it's a good fit for your family.  If you find that it is,KinderBach at home can be ordered at $95.88 for a year or $19.99 a month (no added cost of gas to drive to a piano teacher's house, either!).

We are just one of 80 families who tried out KinderBach programs.  Some even tried the new iPad app.  To find out what everyone thought, checkout the Schoolhouse Crew Blog.

Disclaimer:  I received a 6 month subscription to KinderBach in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.  

TOS Review: Music Together

Music Together is an internationally recognized early childhood music and movement program.  They offer programs for children birth through age seven.  Music Together began in 1987 and has based its programs on research that all children are musical.  All children can sing on tune, learn to keep a beat, and participate with confidence in the music of our culture, IF they have an early learning environment that supports this idea.

Music Together offers classes in many locations around the US and Canada for children for babies, toddlers,  preschoolers, kindergartners, first and second graders.  Music Together believes children learn best from the role model that their parents and caregivers provide.  So, they use that influence and have the parent/caregiver come to class with the child.  In addition to learning lots of fundamentals about music, rhythm, and movement, children and adults find the classes to be fun!  This relaxed introduction fosters a lifetime love of music.

Doesn't Music Together sound like fun?  I think so, too!  But, there are a lot of reasons it would not work out for my family.  Number 1, is that they don't offer classes anywhere near my home.  That said, I live far from everything so I wasn't expecting much.  I have other reasons, too, but this isn't to talk you out of a Music Together class.  In fact, it's to let you know about another option you have.

 You already home-school, why not add a music class to your curriculum?  You aren't musical?  You don't know where to start?  I've got an idea for you.  You ARE musical, you have a million and a half ideas, but they just haven't made their way into your busy day?  I have an idea for you, too!

You can bring Music Together home!  Music Together has put together a CD and Songbook especially for those who want to experience the Music Together philosophy at home, preschool, or anywhere there are children enjoying music!  If you have ever looked into a mommy and me type music program, you know that being able to purchase the program's CD and Teaching book is pretty much unheard of.  I am really excited to be able to tell you about this one!!

Music Together has compiled a collection of songs entitled Family Favorites.  In their Music Together classes, they use many different music collections, but the Family Favorites includes 19 of every one's favorites!  It also includes a 32-page booklet with fun music-making activity instructions.  

Music Together Family Favorites has won ELEVEN awards!!

The CD starts with a song entitled 'Hello Song' and ends with a song called 'Goodbye, So Long, Farewell.'  As you may be able to judge from those two songs, the CD could be used from start to finish as a class.  The run time is just under 45 minutes.  The songs include some original songs, some traditional songs, some songs from other cultures, and even some songs without real words!  

Music Together Family Favorites retails for $14.95 if you would like a physical disk.  Or, you can purchase an MP3 version and PDF of the booklet for $9.95.  You can listen to little clips of the songs on the Music Together Website.  You can also purchase individual songs if you have interest in just one or two.

My Thoughts on the Music Together Family Favorites CD?

Family Favorites from Music Together is a nice collection of songs.  They are catchy, fun, and entertaining.  It is hard to find good, wholesome, music that both kids AND mom like!  I have found myself singing random songs on my own!  

I noticed right away how much Explorer enjoyed the music.  As soon as the disk began she was up, dancing, trying to figure out where the songs were coming from.  The bigger kids were making up their own movements and instinctively grabbed their own 'instruments' without me having to suggest anything.  

We even played the CD in the background during our snack at co-op today.  I didn't point out anything, it was just background music, but I wanted to see their reaction to it.  More then once I noticed different children moving to the beat of a song, or twirling around with another child.  

Music Together Family Favorites would make a nice gift for a family who enjoys having fun and spending quality time together-in other words, everyone with small children!

Now, you may want to take your Music Together experience to the next level.  If so, you will want to pick up Music Together Family Favorites Songbook for Teachers.  The Songbook for Teachers begins with 19 pages on how to use the book.  I've mentioned that Music Together bases its methods on research and over 25 years of experience of teaching young children.  The beginning of this Songbook for Teachers goes into detail about this research.  It also explains the types of songs and activities that are used in the book.   The last few pages of the how to go into ways to work with a special needs child to insure all children get the most from Music Together.

The second part of the Songbook for Teachers are the songs.  Going in the order of the CD, each song has a section in this book.  The songbook starts with a little information about the song, then lists activities to do with the song, the pitch and meter, and instruments used in the recording.  

Each song includes ideas on how to use the songs with:

• ALL ages and settings
• Infants
• Preschoolers and older children
• Children with special needs

Basic sheet music is included for each song in case you would like to play it rather then listen to the CD.  Generally this is just the basic melody line, but a couple of the songs have a full accompaniment written out.

The end of the book is a reference section with information about the Music Together classes, contact information about classes and teacher trainings, guitar notes, and a glossary.

Music Together Family Favorites Songbook for Teachers is spiral bound, high-gloss, and has 112 pages.  It retails for $29.95.  

My Thoughts on the Music Together Family Favorites Songbook for Teachers?

Well, first off, the presentation is very pretty.   It has beautiful high-color photos, the pages of the spiral bound book turn so nicely, and it's got that shiny sleek feel.  No, not the only reason to buy a book, but I liked it so much I at least had to say something :).  

My nature is to be skeptical of things I don't think I need, and this was one of them.  I have extensive history in music and have lots of experience singing, playing, and even teaching music.  So, I didn't know if this book would be useful to me.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I did use it.  

Being a mom of 4 children and always on the run, it is becoming more and more important to have things laid out for me.  I appreciated how easy it was to open the book to a song, read over the ideas, and choose which activities I wanted to use.  The prep work was next to zero, and there were ideas to use with each of my children-at THEIR level.

I especially loved the ideas that were specifically for Explorer.  When I just had one or two children, it was easy to take the time to come up with things they would enjoy.  But, now that I have 4 I am surprised at how easy it is to overlook Explorer in my planning.  To have ideas already there for me is wonderful.

Now, some of the ideas in the book are no brainers.  For example, pretend to drive a car when you sing Ridin' in the Car.  But, some were really great ideas.  One that sticks out to me is during a song called Stick Tune.  The idea given is to tap out the rhythm (lightly) on the belly of your baby.  Next, move to her feet.  Later, you would alternate between lightly tapping her and the floor.  Last, tap the floor and sticks.  This gives baby a chance to feel the rhythm, hear the rhythm (on the floor) and finally see the rhythm on the sticks.    Great idea!

And while I believe that you can certainly enjoy just the CD by itself, the book really helps you to turn listening to music into learning about music for your little ones.

Purchasing the CD and book and cd bundle will cost you $5.00 less then if you were to order them separately.  The combined cost is $39.95.  Music Together is also offering my readers an additional $2.00 discount on the bundle.  Use the code 'Schoolhouse' at checkout to receive your savings! 

We are one of 100 homeschooling families that tried out Music Together.  If you'd like to see what the other 99 thought of this product, checkout the Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog.

Thanks for stopping by!  God Bless!

Disclaimer:  As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received a copy of Music Together Family Favorites and Songbook for Teachers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.  I was not paid for my review.