WIP Wednesday

Well, I have been wanting to become a bit more regular with my blog posting, but life has been extremely busy and when I'm on the computer I've been too tired to write!  So, I thought that I'd take little steps and try to at least post for WIP Wednesdays!

I've been busy with quilts for the shop and that is why I've not had much by way of finishes.  I can at least show my wip which is getting there.
Here are half the blocks assembled:

Here are the other half ready for assembly:

 I've been sitting on this quilt forever!  This is a bee quilt where wonderful ladies sent me the blocks and I've yet to assemble and give to it's intended recipient.  So, I got them on the design wall.  I actually plan on pulling four of the blocks out, decreasing the size of the quilt to make it more wheelchair friendly, and placing them on the back.

I also have a gigantic box of children's clothing to turn into a quilt for a customer as well as a large bag for another.  I'll also have a couple more boxes arriving to create quilts from.  Yes, six customer quilts.  See why I'm not posting too often!  

Well, I have to sign off.  Hope to be back again next week and, Lord willing, I'll have progress to report!

Linking up with Lee!

TOS Crew Review: A Journey Through Learning

Recently I was asked to review A Journey Through Learning's Astronomy and Space Unit Study.  My eldest son and second eldest daughter fell right into the review category.  My kids love unit studies because they tend to be short term.  I like them because of the quick turnaround allowing my kids to not become too bored in any one subject too quickly!

This particular unit study is a notebook unit.  I loved how they laid out the notebook.  You use a binder with divider tabs that can be used again and again with whatever unit of their's you're going through.  

The unit study comes with everything you need, all the study guides, worksheets, and my favorite-a book log!  This is a great way to help kids learn how to write bibliographies and document where they received any additional information they've obtained.  For my son, it was the encyclopedia and google.  

They also have a book report section for older kids and a narration section for those not quite old enough to write everything out; perfect for my daughter who is still learning to read.  

I used this particular study to dig a bit deeper into our science study.  My son was prompted by the questions found on the worksheets to investigate different aspects of the study.  One such aspect was asteroids.  He was asked to choose something he wanted to learn more about.  As a typical choice for him, he was trying to take the easy way out, he chose, "Anything not about asteroids."  Ha!  He chose Mars.
It then had him give a detail or reason why.  He chose, "Why is Mars red?" This line of reasoning is great for learning critical thinking skills!

One thing that I loved about this company is their options.  You're provided with three different methods of product delivery:

Instant Download (what I received): $13.00

CD: $14.00-Makes it mobile; able to use on any computer.

Printed: $21.00-This way, if you don't have an endless supply of ink, you can receive with the work already done.

This site is great for many different things, I am anxious to do more of their lapbooks.  They have many different options there as well; from Early Learning to one's that go with other companies to better incorporate your learning.  A few of them are Apologia, Geography Matters, and even Veggietales movies!

They have Express Lapbooks which are only $1.00!  Great quick units that can be done with one folder and two days of work!

Most lapbooks require two folders and multiple weeks to complete.  They also have a plethora of options:

Instant Download

CD

Printed

Assembled

A variety to meet all needs!

I greatly enjoyed their products and can't wait to use more of them! There honestly wasn't anything that I didn't like!  It is a great site that was easy to navigate and it provides so many options that I can find something to supplement any subject we're going through!

A Lovely Year of Finishes: April Goal Setting Party

Well, now that it is April we have another goal to set!  This month I am aiming to get a quilt top finished.  I'll say quilt top so that way, I can take this quilt in steps and hopefully not have multiple repeats!

This quilt is, best guess, about 1/4 of the way there.  Here is a picture of what I have so far:

Loads of 2.5" squares paired up.  I do have some sewn into 4-patch squares, so I'm getting there!

I'm linking up over at Fiber of All Sorts.  Are you?

A Lovely Year of Finishes: March Finishes!

 

It's that time again!  It's the end of the month where we see if we've finished what we started.  I'm happy to report that I actually finished this month.  Woohoo!!!

The quilt I made for Jachin is now being loved on.  The parents really enjoy it and I'm so grateful!

I also finished the 241 Tote and the Gathered Clutch, both patterns by Noodlehead, for a customer:

I also sewed a lot of 2.5" squares into pairs for the customer quilt I'm working on:

I am so glad to have finished so much this month!  I also finished up a couple of pattern tests for Sara over at sewsweetness this month as well!  

The Petrillo Bag:  I used Kate Spain's Cuzco line.

The Dot.Dot.Dash Bag: I used Joel Dewberry's Aviary2.

I also made myself a Moby Wrap so that my hands would be free to accomplish more around the house:

I also made a Noodlehead, I love her patterns, divided basket for a swap on flickr:

I'm also pattern testing some paper-pieced letters for Diane over at fromblankpages.  I haven't quite finished the word yet, it'll be 'peace' when I'm finished:

All in all, a pretty productive month!
I'm linking up over at Fiber of all Sorts!  Come see some other's progress as well!

Trying this out...testing

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This is only a test.  Carry on.  :)

Lisa

R.E.A.D.S: A Review

I was asked to review the R.E.A.D.S program by EGM Educational Systems, LLC for the TOS Review Crew.




I was given all that is shown in the above picture to use.
Included:
- Parent's Manual: It explains how to use the program with your children.  How to utilize each of the components you receive from the reader strip to the question cards.
-Question Cards: There are 30 cards on a metal ring that you use to gauge how much your child has comprehended from their reading material.
-Reward Chart and Stickers: A great way to motivate your child to read and work on improving their skills.
-Magic Finger and Reading Guide Strip: The finger is a fun way to keep track of where the child is reading and the strip blocks surrounding content except the line the child is currently reading.
-Speedy Speller: Contains 1,400 spelling words with room to add more words as the child learns them.  Also includes common abbreviations and punctuation.
All of this comes in a nice reusable pouch to keep it organized.  The cost for this is $19.95 USD.

A sample of some of the benefits of  R.E.A.D.S. from the website:

• Works with any reading material whether it’s chosen by the teacher, parent or child. There is no need to buy supplemental reading material.
• Enhances the parent’s skills to effectively help their child with reading.
• Provides a method to verify that the child comprehended the material read.
• Works for elementary grades 1 – 4 for readers below, at or above grade level.

I found this benefits list to be rather accurate.  I tested the product with my 2nd grade daughter who was on the verge of truly reading, and this program helped her because it allowed her to read books she wanted rather than a text book.  She was able to grab one of the many Easy Reader 1 books we own and use the strip to guide her in the reading of the book.  The strip really helped to keep her focused on what she was reading and not wandering on the page to other words or pictures.  The sticker chart was also a great motivator as well because she was able to see her progress as she finished her goals. The nice thing with the reward chart is that it's versatile for your family.  You create the goals, whether it be to read one complete book a week or one a day.  This way, you're able to tailor the program to many in your schoolroom based upon their individual reading levels. Another aspect of the program that was neat, though I didn't use quite as much, were the question cards.  They are vague enough to be used with any book to gauge your child's comprehension of the story.  They ask questions about the main character, plot, and the like allowing you to use any book on hand.  

My favorite part of this program is the versatility.  I didn't have to buy any extra materials.  I could use what I had on hand.  Though the site says it's recommended for grades 1-4, I believe that even struggling 5th and even 6th graders would benefit from the program as it really helps them to concentrate on what they're reading as well as help them to comprehend by asking them questions from the cards.  It also allows for dialogue between the parent and child that may not have happened with use of the guided questions. 

Overall, I enjoyed the program and plan on using it with my other littles when they get to this stage.

Lone Star Learning: A Review

I was recently asked to review Target Vocabulary Pictures, Math Set 1 from Lone Star Learning.  The set that I reviewed is geared for grades 3-8 and costs from $29.99+ USD and is one of four options in their Math alone.  They have many other sets in Science, we have Set 1, Measurements, Vocabulary, and others.

My son was the lucky child who fell in to this age range and he enjoyed the vivid pictures on the cards.  They were fun to look at and the definitions weren't overtly difficult for him to comprehend.  I loved how the words defined themselves in picture form.  He was able to figure out the basic meaning just by looking at the picture!  Then, he was able to write the word and it's definition, found on the provided sheet sent with the cards, into his notebook and draw a picture to describe the word in fuller detail.  He did state that writing out the definitions was boring, but then he is an 8 year old boy who hates to sit still.  :)

We chose to do one word a day and build upon them each day.  We'd review the word from the previous day and learn the current word.  This helped to re-enforce what he learned and comprehended.  

This set is one of many that the site offers which are just as vivid and fun to look at!  Their cards are well made and, if stored properly, will last for some time.  The only negative that I had was that the definitions were written on one small piece of paper which can become easily misplaced if not careful.

One thing about the sets is that they aren't grade specific, which I like.  They give you the list of words that are to be found in each set in order to determine which one would best fit your child. This is also a nice benefit so you don't buy a set with words you may have already defined in a previous curriculum and therefore have no need to purchase.

The site also provides more than just Target Cards.  They have digital products, supplements for the classroom, and many other helps.  

Click to read more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew.