New series of posts -- Institute for Excellence in Writing

You may have seen that some of the Homeschool Crew have already posted reviews on other IEW products,  a DVD on Teaching Boys and the Phonetic Zoo.  Others of us have been given a much longer time to work with IEW's signature products--  Teaching Writing : Structure and Style (TTSS), various levels of the Student Writing Intensive (SWI), or both.  I received the combination package of Teaching Writing and Student Level A.  I will be the first to admit  these are big ticket items,  not something you're likely to pick up with spare change just to see if it will work with your kids.   I also want to to justice for the company for generously providing me with a copy to use and review.  I am therefore going to try and keep a weekly log of how we integrate this writing curriculum into our homeschool.

So to begin at the beginning--I didn't know anything about IEW before this review.  What I did know was that Language Arts is the one area I feel least competent about teaching.  Give me subjects with right and wrong answers,  physical laws that can't be broken, or names and dates etched in time.   I could probably cover the rules for diagramming sentences (in fact, I enjoyed this in my own schooling), but writing is more art than science.  Top all this with the fact that writing is my Schnickelfritz's least favorite subject and you see why we  procrastinated starting any real writing program and now we're in second grade.

While I waited for the books and DVDs to arrive I did some online investigation.  I recommend finding and downloading the audios for some of Andrew Pudewa's workshops.   My two favorites are Reaching the Reluctant Writer and the Four Deadly Errors.  The former is available on the free download pageof IEW's website.  The latter can also be obtained for free if you use the coupon code available on page  18 of the company's magalog (be sure to check it out before the 2011 magalog comes out in March).    I put these on my MP3 player to listen while I walk the dog or while I'm washing dishes.  For those of you who do better with reading material, there are plenty of articles and workshop handouts on the site (look under Help & Support).

One thing I did learn (and right now I can't remember which audio it was on),  the technique used in IEW in not new.  It was in face used by Benjamin Franklin to help him improve his own writing skills (the Bible says there is nothing new under the sun).  Here it is in his own words...

About this time I met with an odd volume of the Spectator. I had never before seen any of them. I bought it, read it over and over, and was much delighted with it. I thought the writing excellent, and wished, if possible, to imitate it. With that view, I took some of the papers, and making short hints of the sentiment in each sentence, laid them by for a few days, and then, without looking at the book, tried to complete the papers again, by expressing each hinted sentiment at length and as fully as it had been expressed before, in any suitable words that should come to hand. I then compared my Spectator with the original, discovered some of my faults and corrected them.

Review: Lifeway Christian Stores

In the past year my Schnickelfritz has stepped up to the task of running the sound for the children's ministry.   This is no small task.  In addition to staying for both services once a month, he has had to commit to daily prayer and Bible study.  We've been reading our way through the Old Testament in school this year.  Recently we received an excellent study tool from Lifeway Christian Stores -- The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids.  This 212 page hardback book is chock full of maps, charts, definitions, pronunciation guides and beautiful color photographs of Biblical sites and artifacts.  In cases where photos aren't available (wouldn't we all like to see how short Zacchaeus really was or the beauty of Queen Esther), a vivid color illustration is provided.

At the time, we were in the book of Judges.  We turned to the J entries to learn the judges were the leaders between Joshua's death and the annointing of Saul.  The was even a map showing the general area in which each judge lived (my cartophile son's favorite part).   In our Bible we read that Gideon made an ephod from the gold captured from the Mideonites (Judges 9:27).  I will confess that in my past 30 years of Bible study I just assumed from the context that this was some sort of statue or idol.  Looking up "ephod" in our new dictionary we learned that it was an apron-like piece of clothing usually worn by the priests.  When the Israelites worshiped it, it was probably being worn by someone--Gideon himself perhaps?  No wonder the Bible says it became a trap for Gideon and his family.  No wonder his son wanted to kill all his sibling rivals and be on the receiving end of all that worship.

Some of the definitions may seem superficial in an adults eyes.  Angels  are listed as "Created beings whose only job is to serve and worship God. In Bible times, angels spoke messages from God to people."  There is no reference to the different types of angels, cherubim for example, or even the names of some angels or the mention of fallen angels.   If you're reading the Bible with your child, you may want to see what upcoming words are listed in the dictionary.  Fritz and I were interested in the false god Baal, but there was no reference in the book.  For the target audience, I'd say elementary age kids, this is an excellent starting point for Bible study.

Some of our favorite entries were the various charts.  You can see the Weights and Measures sample above.   Others include the Names of God and Jesus,  the Parables of Jesus, the divisions of the Old and New Testament.  There are also multi-page spreads with photos of animals, plants, and food of the bible.  If you'd like to see more sample pages, you can download the Introduction to Parents and Teachers and all the A entries at Lifeway Christian Stores' website.   This is also where you can purchase the book for $14.99--a bargain for a quality kid's Bible study tool.

You can see what others on the Homeschool Crew think of the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids by clicking here.

Disclaimer:  i received a free book from Lifeway Christian stores for the purposes of completing this review.  There was no further compensation for my honest opinion.

Biology of Behavior Week 3

Schnickelfritz and I have tackled our six pills a day for the last week and now I fear comes the hardest (for me that is) week of all--cutting back on sugar.     I'm the one that has a secret stash of chocolate.   I'm the one that will have to come up with an alternative to the easy bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast.  I'll be making Sue Gregg's blender batter pancakes and scrambled eggs.   As for Fritz, we have already recognized that sugar can really rev up his motor.  Sometimes we can almost recognize the instant and will say "Oh, the sugar kicked in."   He is only allowed root beer on rare and special occasions and we never drink soda at home.   We don't Trick or Treat or fill Easter baskets with candy.  On occasion a kind neighbor (who has diabetes) will  regift her sugary treats to Fritz, but we usually stick those in a cabinet and he never asks for them.  It's the end of January and I just threw out some gruesome Halloween treats.  One area we will have to work on is drinking water instead of lemonade or juice.  Perhaps I can dilute some our normal drinks to start with?   I may come up with a satisfying drink with lemon juice and a little stevia?   

 As far as behavior changes--I pulled out the workshop handout from Dianne Crafts Biology of Behavior.

Sensitive to loud noises -- The loudest noise right now is the buzzer at Upwards basketball.  Last week's practice and game were cancelled due to snow.  Fritz did say that the buzzer doesn't bother him as much during the game, perhaps because there's a lot of other noise going on to drown it out.  At practice he still resorts to putting his hands over his ears.

Touch --  The tags on his pajamas are still flipped to the outside.  He did have to wear a new karate uniform that I didn't find very soft and there was no complaining.  He has stopped pulling on loose strings in his socks.

Mood Swings/anger/irritablity --  I have seen some improvement here as well.  Fritz always takes discipline very hard and will often say things like "I'm the worst kid ever."  This even carries over to simple correction in school --how to form letters in penmanship or pointing out where a math problem went wrong.  His reactions have softened and he is beginning to understand that criticism of actions are separate from criticism of self.

Other physical characteristics--  Fritz is able to fall asleep much easier. 

Attention--Fritz  has been willing to sit and do some reading for himself.  I don't know if that is an improved ability to focus or just great reading material for a young boy (Hank the Cowdog and the Case of the Garbage Monsters from Outer Space).    He has taken initiative to make a new pitcher of lemonade when it's empty, something he has never done before but I guess he's watched me.

I've been pleased with the improvements I've seen and I can wait to get to the weeks where we add B vitamins and Essential Fatty Acids.

Review: Maestro Classics

It's been said that music is a universal language.  If that is the case, then one of the first lessons in the ABC's of this language for many people is Peter and the Wolf.   The Composer,  Sergei Prokofiev, introduces the listener to various instruments and sections of the orchestra as they represent characters in a story of a young boys first steps to manhood. 

Peter --  the string section

The Bird --  a flute

The Duck --  an oboe

Grandfather --  a bassoon

The Wolf --french horns

The Hunters --  timpani and bass  drums

The Cat -  a clarinet

I can remember my copy of Peter and the Wolf--an actual record album.  Recently, we received a CD from Maestro Classics of the same piece for review.  This new version has so much more to make this a learning experience. 

Track 1     Peter &  the Wolf  (29 minutes)

       ---  by the London Symphony Orchestra and narrated by Yudu.  The narrator's voice reminds me of a leprechaun, lilting and inviting, sharing his treasure of a story with the listener.  I don't think I'm giving away any spoilers when I say the the Duck gets eaten.  This might upset some younger listeners, although we're not really told that the duck dies.  In fact, the narrator says if you listen very carefully you can still hear his theme so perhaps he's just sitting in the wolf's belly like Geppetto in the whale of Pinocchio.  The wolf is taken to a zoo.  I thought this might be some sort of new environmentalist ending,  but after some research on the internet I concluded that this was the original ending.

Track 2   The Life of the Composer (5 minutes) 

---Did you know Prokofiev was a child genius along the lines of Mozart?  Did you know he chose to return and live under the Communist regime of Stalin? Did you know that a teacher approached him with the idea of writing a piece of music to introduce children to instruments of the orchestra and that's how Peter and the Wolf was born?  Well then clearly you haven't listened to this track.

Track 3  A Russian Peter  (2+ minutes)

---The themes we've grown familiar with in Peter and the Wolf are played with traditional Russian instruments.  I recognized the balalaika but I wished there had been an introduction to help us recognize the other instruments.

Track 4   The Magic Maestro Talks About Peter & the Wolf  (6 minutes)

---The conductor of the London Symphony gives us a little more insight on Peter & the Wolf.  We learn that we can recognize characters by their theme as well as the intrument being played. We hear excerpts demonstrating how the base them is varied as the characters go through changes in the story.   

Track 5    Peter & the Wolf without narration  (21 minutes)

---Now we get to test what we've learned.  Can we tell what is going on in the story by the themes being played and their variations?  Can we hear the rope being lowered, for example.

Track 6 -- Invitation to Grandfather's Party (26 seconds)

---Really just an introduction to the next track

Track 7  Kalinka --Dance Along (3 minutes)

--Another track where I wish there had been a better introduction.  It sounds like a tradition Russian folk song played by folk instruments, but there is no explanation about the song or what is used to play it.

Included in the package is a booklet with games and puzzles that tie into the story--a crossword puzzle, several coded messages, and a match up puzzle of characters and instruments.  If you have more than one child, you'll need to copy the pages.

We listened to the CD several times in the car.  Schnickelfritz got very good at acting as the narrator during the music only rendition.  Any age can enjoy the music although it is probably geared towards elementary school children.  Maestro Classics has several other Cd's (click here for our review last year of The Tortoise and the Hare).     Each CD is $16.98 at Maestro Classics with a price break of $45 for three selections.  You can hear samples of all the stories on the website as well.  They appear to be creating lesson plans for the titles, although they don't have one for Peter & the Wolf yet (not to worry, there are plenty of teaching ideas available with an online search).

You can read what others on the Homeschool Crew think of Maestro Classic's Peter & the Wolf by clicking here.

Disclaimer: I received a free CD of Peter & the Wolf for the purposes of completing this review.  There was no other compensation for my honest opinion.

Biology of Behavior Week 2

Today we start Week 2 of Dianne Craft's Biology of Behavior protocol.   I quickly realized that I needed some help in remembering to take our daily pills.  I made a chart for each week with boxes to check as we our doses.  It's posted on the refrigerator (where the primadophilus is kept).  Whenever I pull a meal out of the fridge I have this great little reminder.  Schnickelfritz went from total fear of swallowing a pill to rolling his eyes and saying "I knew that was coming" to pointing to our chart and saying "Don't forget about our last pill, Mama." 

Other than the change in attitude about the pill regimen, I can't say I noticed any great changes in his behavior.  Of course, I didn't think yeast overgrowth was an issue for him.  He can probably count the number of times he's been on a course of antibiotics on two hands and none since we've moved to Missouri two years ago.  He's always loved yogurt and I've given him powdered probiotics in his drinks after each antibiotic treatment.  I will say that we may have benefited physically from the increase in good gut flora this week.  The Toolman caught his annual sinus/chest cold--this time with a very sour throat.  One night Fritz woke up in tears with a sore throat of his own.  "Uh oh, here it comes," I thought.  Usually we are very generous in the sharing of illnesses in our family, sometimes passing it back to the originator and starting a second round.   I cancelled my own doctor's appointment the next morning so Fritz wouldn't expose the children of the lady who agreed to watch him while I was gone.  The symptoms never progressed.  By the following afternoon, the sore throat and phlegm were gone.  I had heard that immunity, like behavior, is dependant on a good gut.

This week we add grapefruit seed extract.  I know in its liquid form that it can be good for so many things--rinsing pesticides of produce to creating a nasal wash.  We're taking it in tablet form, the equivilence of a dozen or more drops with out the bitter taste.  In addition to its antibiotic and antifungal properties, it may help alkalizing (raising the PH levels) of the body.

Tornado Cleanup

I began my accounting education at a small liberal arts school in the Midwest.  The tenured professors taught straight from the textbooks and those books were gospel.  I'm not saying there was anything wrong with the material we learned, only that we were dealing with theory.  Two years later I transferred to a business college near Detroit.  The people who taught our classes were not professors, but business men and women contracted to teach a specific class.  My marketing teaching had been the director of marketing for General Motors.  My tax instructor was a consultant for the government during the Savings & Loan crisis.  My accounting teachers either worked for the big three automakers or were CPA's.  They would teach us theory from the book, but always qualify it with "Here's what we do in the real world."  Their practical experience made all the difference in the world to me.

Why do I bring this up?  We have made a conscious effort to make sure Schnickelfritz receives a Biblical education--we read and discuss a chapter of the Bible to begin each school day,  he sings and learns about God's love at Sunday School and Royal Rangers.  We prayed for the victims of the tornadoes that tore through our state on New Year's Eve.  That was all just theory.   As a parent, I need to make sure Fritz has practical experience acting as God's hands and feet.  A town just south of us put out the call for help today with cleaning up.  The church and many homes were damaged and destroyed.  The trees looked like cotton candy with pink insulation coating the branches.  Toolman joined the chainsaw gang bringing down broken trees and cutting them into manageable chunks.  Fritz and I couldn't run chainsaws or lift large pieces of twisted metal, but we could grab a trash bag and pick up debris or pile up broken branches for a bonfire. 

There were probably 50 or so volunteers, mostly men.  Fritz was the one of two kids and the youngest.  We spent two hours just helping one women pick up  insulation from her snowy yard and knocking it out of the trees.  She has no insurance.  Her neighbor's trailer had lost its roof and part of the front wall and yet there were still books lining the bookshelf in the exposed living room.    We puposely did not take Fritz to see the damage right after the event when there might have been a lot of confused and distraught people around.  By this time people were over their initial shock and grief and were focusing on getting this as close to "back to normal" as possible.  This was not an exercise respecting the power of the storm, but in seeing the good that can be accomplished when neighbors extend a helping hand to one another.

Biology of Behavior

Last spring I sat through several of Dianne Craft's workshops at our homeschool expo.   She works with kids that have "learning glitches" to use her own term.  I tried her figure eight exercise to help Schnickelfritz  move the letter forming motions to the automatic side of his brain.  Now we are starting the eight week program described on her CD set, The Biology of Behavior, to see if it helps Fritz with his mood swings and sensory issues.  I'm not seeing an issues severe enough to seek a professional diagnosis, but he has had a few quirks like sucking on his shirt, disliking the sound of flushing toilets in public restrooms, etc.   Ms. Craft even suggests that things like being bothered by clothing tags or wrinkles in socks can have a biological origin.

The key is Iam not medicating my son.  Each week we add a new supplement and observe changes in behavior.  We only add one at a time so we can watch for adverse reactions.  The hardest part this week was convincing Fritz he could swallow the capsule.  He's been boasting for a while about being able to swallow macaroni noodles whole so I knew it was possible, but this was a "hard" object.  Since I'm doing the program too (Ms. Craft suggests this) I showed him my technique first.  By the end of day one he was an old pro and bragging to his friends about his new skill.  For anyone interested in the program with kids too young to swallow pills, you can open the capsules or use liquid alternatives outlined on the CD's.  I was able to find everything at Swansons Health Products.