Joy and Comfort through Corpus Christi

In this time when chaos, confusion, division, and fear seem all too prevalent at times, it was beautiful to gather in unity to participate in...

...a beautiful Mass with a moving homily for all who came out especially for it and for those who passed by and felt called to join in...

... a Eucharistic Procession where a young adult passerby paused and called out with a smile, "God bless you"...

... Christ processing openly through the streets to show his Presence and love for us...

... and us loving and adoring Him...

..hymns sung together... prayers prayed with trust and hope.

My God, we believe, we adore, we hope and we love Thee! We beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee. Amen.

~Fatima Prayer 

We thank you, Lord, for this beautiful day and for the gift of your presence.

You, the same Jesus who walked 2000 years ago are still present today in the Blessed Sacrament.

You bring comfort, strength, hope, comfort... JOY!

We are so grateful.

May we all go to you in the Blessed Sacrament often!

O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament have left us a memorial of your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of your redemption. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, on God, for ever and ever. 

~ The Collect

Enjoy Problem Solving with Logic and Math {A Review}

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor compensated in any other way.

The world surely needs more people who can work through difficult problems and use logic, so I always appreciate resources that can help my children develop such skills.

Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving by The Critical Thinking Co.™ is just such a resource!

What Is The Critical Thinking Co.™ and Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving?

The Critical Thinking Co.™ is a family-owned business that was established in 1958 and now offers 600 titles in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies which aim to help students achieve success in life through developing critical thinking skills without drill and memorization.
One of the many helpful resources they offer is Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving by The Critical Thinking Co.™, which is a 180-page softcover workbook that is designed to help students in grades 6-9 sharpen critical thinking skill through solving problems using logic and math.

The book is also available as an e-book.

The bulk of the workbook contains problems across a variety of topics:

• Multicultural Logic Problems
• Fun With Classical Brain Teasers
• Number Theory Problems
• Problem Solving with Sets
• Ration, Proportion, and Percent Problems
• Algebra Word Problems
• Geometry Word Problems
• More Algebra Word Problems
• Probability Word Problems
• Topology Word Problems

The book also offers:

• an introduction that explains what problem solving is and how to help student with it

• ideas for using the book with individual students, in groups, and in a classroom
  
  
  

• general problem-solving strategies
• answers/solutions

• a printable rubric and portfolio pages
• bonus activities

It is a wonderful collection of puzzles and problems that offers flexibility to use with individuals, small groups, or an entire classroom in a sequential order or by type of problem.

How Did We Use Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving?

My soon-to-be-10-year-old, just-13-year-old, and I used Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving by The Critical Thinking Co.™  together as a group or during 1:1 times. Sometimes, my husband joined us, too.

We started with Multicultural Logic Problems and Classic Brain Teasers, some of which we were already familiar with, but most of which were challenging for my children (and, sometimes, husband and me!)

Generally, I challenged my youngest child, middle child, or both together with a problem and let them work at it until they got it or reached a frustration level that was escalating too much. Then I offered a hint or called a break.

When my children solved problems quickly, we sometimes did more than one in a row. Other times, a single problem took more than one session together to solve.

As we worked, at times, there was discussion, laughter, and positive creative thinking. Other times, to be honest, there was frustration and quarreling.

Such frustration and quarreling, of course, was challenging, but it was good, in a way, for it made me recognize how much more I need to work on virtues in our household and how much more I need to emphasize that "we can do hard things" and that "hard" does not equal "bad".

For, most certainly, as I used this resource, I recognized just how frustrated and ornery one of my children can get when presented with a problem that is not easily/quickly solved. I also recognized just how creative and outside-the-box that child's thinking could be - almost too much so in the case of this resource, since, in trying to come up with solutions to the problems, that child often tried to add elements to the clear storylines presented in the book that diverged a bit too far from the intent of the problems.

When that child did so, I ended up restating/reclarifying what I felt were clearly presented parameters and reigning the realm of possible solutions back into ones that exercised logic or math rather than far-fetched storytelling.

This did not always get met with the best of attitudes, but it was all a part of the learning, and I appreciated how this resource did not just do what it sets out to - offer a wide variety of problems to be solved using logic and math - but also highlighted some areas of character growth that we need to work on here.

What Did My Children and I Think?

One of my children said:

To solve the problems... we sketched out on paper, used implements, and actually did things, like the cup one.

In the future, I would like to use the book, with just myself or maybe one other person (my mom), not with other people in my family, because one of my siblings that I do it with gets frustrated and mean, and I prefer quiet when I work things out.

I would recommend this book to people who need help with logic. When I did it with just my mom, I liked it.

My other child said:

The first time I used the book, it was a torturous time, because I could not figure the problem out. The next day, I had figured the problem out and challenged my dad to it. Then, we tried a few more problems. Sometimes, I hated it. Sometimes, I liked it. 

Personally, I liked the resource and would recommend it, because:

1. It offers a wide variety of problems to encourage critical thinking. The classical brain teasers, problem solving, algebra word problems, geometry word problems, age problems, probability word problems, topology fun word problems, and more in this resource encourage you to analyze, think aloud, pause, rethink, etc. until solutions are found.

2. It highlights skill areas to grow in. People can do hard things. They can disagree but still be kind. They can be confused and push through. They can use different methods to come up with similar solutions or similar methods to come up with different solutions. They can strategize, visualize, verbalize, and work together or alone... and they can realize that doing all this need nor bring the nasties out. This resource not only highlighted for me and mine problem solving skills we could work on, but also where we could grow in character and virtue.

3. It offers meaningful math. Although we have not gotten to the latter portions of the book, even in the first few chapters, practical applications of math and logical patterns were used. I have also looked at the later chapters and see how more traditional math applications play in. 

 

4. Flexibility is inherent in the resource. A generous copyright allow purchasers to reproduce the resource for a family or classroom use. Also, the workbook can be used individually, in groups, or in a classroom in order or cherry-picked to supplement other learning. 

5. Parents can use it with no prior experience. The Introduction Teacher Notes, Answer Key, and Appendix material all ensure that any parent can use this resource easily with their children. 

6. It focuses on skills our world needs. Few problems in life have cut and dry solutions and so an ability to analyze, think of all possibilities, and, then, use logic to come up with answers is important. This resource offers kids opportunities do do this.  

7. It is not busy. Pages within the resource are not overly busy and have plenty of white space, which is helpful for kids with ADHD, dyslexia, and sensory issues. (We face all of these things here.)

Obviously, then, even though one of my children did not always favor this resource, I found it had merit and would recommend it to others with middle school age children. (Just be prepared for some behavior bumps if your child is easily frustrated or going through some tweenrage times.)

Learn More

We have used and appreciated other resources from The Critical Thinking Co.™ and you can browse our other reviews from this vendor here.

You can also click through here to find links to 65 video, social media, and blog reviews from other Homeschool Review Crew families who have recently tried out:

Creative Problem Solving Level 1

Dare to Compare Math: Beginning

Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving

Who Is This Kid? Colleges Want to Know!

And, of course, you can connect on social media:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube

EdShed Provides Web Based Games for Spelling and Math {A Review}

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor compensated in any other way.

Sometimes it is good to have an online program that multiple children in one family can access to practice their spelling and math skills using a web-based games format.

EdShed offers just this with their subscription based  Math Shed and Spelling Shed which is designed for your 1st-5th graders. 

If you order a subscription, you and yours can have one year of access to web games for up to 5 students with individual log-ins for each user and a Teacher Hub which allows parents to set up students (or groups of students called leagues), create assignments with spelling lists or custom spelling lists, and monitor student progress. 

Like many online programs Math Shed and Spelling Shed allows students to create personalized avatars that are shared between programs. Unique to Math Shed and Spelling Shed is the programs - or web games - within it, which students have unlimited access to and can easily switch between when playing.

As an extra bit of fun, the program allows children to earn online currency when they answer questions correctly during games. Thins, in turn, can be used to upgrade their avatars with fun accessories such as glasses, masks, and jewelry.

Math Shed is pretty much open-and-go. It doesn’t require you as a parent/teacher to select curricula or assign content. Rather, students log in and click on the topic the wish to practice with a choice of Easy, Medium, and Hard levels.

Topic areas include:

• Number Bonds
• Times Tables

• Addition and Subtraction
• Powers of 10

The space-themed menu for these games is organized by these math concepts rather than grade level and each section has an array of questions to enhance math fluency.

Detailed data reports reveal progress made as well as areas that need improvement or have been mastered.

Spelling Shed takes a bit of setting up by you as the parent/teacher, but it is not hard to get going.

It comes pre-loaded with Dolch, Fry, and other well-known spelling lists which are grade-level specific and aligned with national education standards. It also offers customization for you to set up assignments, create spelling lists, track your child’s progress, and see data about spelling mistakes.  All this is done from the Teachers Hub.

Then, with student logins, students can access:

• Play – where they practice spelling a list of 10 words in a timed format

• Beekeeper  – which allows them to guess words by choosing letters (almost Hangman style)

• Buzz Words – where they create words with random letter tiles 
• Hive games – where students can play with others inside the program

Games can be played at different levels:

• Easy, which means a word is shown, an audio clip is played, and only the included letters are shown.
• Medium, where an audio clip is played and only the included letters are shown.
• Hard, where an audio clip is played and the included letters plus some random letters are shown.
• Extreme, where audio clip is played and a full qwerty keyboard is shown.

This part of the program also includes weekly downloadable spelling curriculum for grades 1-5 that can be accessed from the Teacher Hub an includes activities and printable practice homework sheets with answers for those that like offline learning, too.

I had my 10 year old try out Math Shed and Spelling Shed to see how it worked, and we both that Math Shed could work well for practice for any child in addition to a spine curriculum while Spelling Shed could work as a supplement or a main curriculum for spelling and vocabulary for children and parents who like it so long as parents stepped in to expand on a few things regarding capitulation, punctuation, etc.

My son said, specifically:

It's okay. It's not the best style for me. I don't like being under pressure for quick answers with math and, since you have to get used to the keyboard, it is hard to answer quickly even when I know the answer.

With the spelling, the games were okay, but it had incorrect capitalization for the word tuesday and said 'Mrs' (with no period) was the answer when I heard the voice say 'misses'.  Also, sometimes, I could not hear the voice well and missed the words.

Overall, it did not seem like the games taught. They just test what you know and let you practice. Some kids might like it.

Obviously, my son was not taken by Math Shed and Spelling Shed, but I have no doubt other children could find it a helpful fit. In fact, over 80 Homeschool Review Crew families tried out subscriptions and some of them absolutely loved the program and had great success with it. (Click through to find social media, video, and blog reviews.)

Further, I think the program could be a possible "extra" for classroom / co-op teachers to use to encourage skill building and practice.

It provides helpful, detailed data for individual students from the Hub dashboard and allows you to customize things for your children.

So, if you are looking for a web-based math games supplement to solidify fundamental math skills or a supplemental or complete spelling/vocabulary program that works on learning through repetition with web games, Math Shed and Spelling Shed might be worth considering  You can try a  free trial without having to enter credit card information to see if it is a good fit for you.  You can also try an app if you prefer that format.

Find Math Shed and Spelling Shed on social media at:

  Website |  Facebook |  Twitter |  Instagram |  YouTube

Gift Some Basil for St. Anthony of Padua's Feast Day!

Got basil?

St. Anthony of Padua's feast day is coming up on June 13, and,according to Fisheaters and a number of other resources, among other traditions for this day is "customary to decorate with pots of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) and to give some away to friends with prayers invoking our Saint..."

So, it is a perfect time to plant basil seeds or pot up some basil plants to give away.

Better still, paint pots with symbols of Saint Anthony, such as lilies, fish, a mule, a money chest and human heart, a heart (symbol of Christian charity), a fire (for religious fervor), or the saint himself holding a book, bread, the Infant Jesus and or a lily. Then, fill these with basil plants to give away or decorate your stoop with.

Alternately, make some delicious oil-free, dairy-free basil spread or pesto to share with others.

For the spread, simply process:

• 1 cup tightly packed basil leaves
• 2 cloves peeled garlic
• 1 15-oz can of cannelli beans, drained
• 1 tbsp of water
• 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast
• juice of 1/2 lemon (2-3 tbsp)
• splash of liquid amino acids

For the pesto, process:

• 2 cups of tightly packed basil
• 3 tbsp pine nuts, walnuts, or sunflower seeds
• 3 cloves peeled garlic
• 1-3 tbsp nutritional yeast (depending on how strong a "cheesy" flavor you like)
• 1/2 lemon juiced (2-3 tbsp)
• splash of liquid amino acids
• water by the tbsp as needed for consistency

Enjoy the feast day!

Almighty ever-living God, who gave Saint Anthony of Padua to your people as an outstanding preacher and an intercessor in their need, grant that, with his assistance, as we follow the teachings of the Christian life, we may know your help in every trial. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

~ The Collect

St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us

Learn The Elements of Art and Composition at a High School Level {An Artistic Pursuits Inc. Review}

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor compensated in any other way.

Some links may be affiliate ones.

Would you like to see your child creating original works of art while learning about art history and art appreciation and developing techniques related to the elements of art an composition?

Brenda Ellis and company can help with that through her book ARTistic Pursuits, High School 9-12 Book One, The Elements of Art and Composition from Artistic Pursuits Inc.

My 12-year-old has been trying out the curriculum and likes it. I work alongside her sometimes and enjoy it, too.

Here's what daughter has to say about ARTistic Pursuits, High School 9-12 Book One, The Elements of Art and Composition:

I've used lower Level Artistic Pursuits Inc. books before and like them, so I was interested in seeing what the high school book is like even though I'm not in high school. 

When we received the book, I realized that we did not have all the material we needed to do every art project. We are missing stick vine charcoal, but the handy art supplies list says it is not need until the second semester, so we'll get some later.

(Back to the book.) It is a spiral-bound, softcover art curriculum book with a clear protective cover. It lays flat so you an easily complete picture studies, learn art concepts, and do art projects.

There are 16 units in the book which cover topics such as:

• space

• lines

• values

• form

• shape  

 and more.  Typically, units follow the same pattern and are meant to be completed in two hour-long classes of about one hour over two weeks, but I used it at my own pace and sometimes extended projects.

She chose to add color to one of her first projects.

Some things I like about the book are the picture studies and project ideas.

Some things I don't like is all the reading. The book is text heavy for an art book. I'd rather see more examples and drawings or an optional audio or video component.

I think people my age or older would like this book. I will probably continue to use it. It is good and has certain lessons that are easier and certain ones that are more challenging for me. It has a good balance of ideas for creating, instruction, and learning about art history and appreciation.

So, as you can see, my daughter - even though a bit younger than the target age for ARTistic Pursuits, High School 9-12 Book One, The Elements of Art and Composition - likes it and would recommend it. 

I would also add that my daughter has some reading challenges and, therefore, tends to prefer art curricula and projects that allow her to learn and succeed while using her creative strengths without coming head on with reading roadblocks.

With that in mind, I would say that if you have a child with pronounced reading challenges, you might plan to do some of the reading in this art curriculum together. However, if you have an average reader, please do not be dissuaded from this curriculum due to my daughter's comment about it being text heavy.

Honestly, as I read the text with her, I found it to be well laid out, conversational, and appropriate for a high school level book. It engaged, explained concepts and instructions, and conveyed facts and thoughts about art history and appreciation well.

Further, I appreciate how well-balanced the program is with:

Noticing textures...

• the first lesson of each unit helping students build a visual vocabulary about a topic which is explained and words and pictures before students complete a creative exploration assignment.

• the second lesson offering art appreciation and history and then a prompt to apply observations to self-created art.
  
  
  
  
  

• the third lesson diving into techniques and encouraging students to use specific materials and tools to create original works of art.

• the fourth lesson culminating the units learning with a project that incorporates techniques and elements of art and composition using a variety of references such as landscapes, photographs, still lie objects, and more. It also typically contains an image of a student sample.

The book also includes information for getting started for parents and student an evaluation rubric, a bibliography, and course information for high school transcripts. These are helpful features.

I would love to see a list of artists and artworks used for the art appreciation and history sections, a glossary, and an index added to the book as extra bonuses.ARTistic Pursuits, High School 9-12 Book One, The Elements of Art and Composition  truly is a comprehensive art curriculum that high school age students, adults, and even interested and adept younger students, can use independently to discover creative strengths while learning about art history, art appreciation, and techniques.

Inspiration...

My practice...

My daughter working on texture...

Learn More

If you'd like to learn more about other Artistic Pursuits Inc. see our prior reviews.

An Open-and-Go Art Curriculum We're Thoroughly Enjoying {A Review}

One Resource that Will Help You Enjoy Art Anywhere {A Review}

Sculpture Made Easy

Create (and Study!) Art Based with Inspiration from the Italian Renaissance! {A Review}

Learn about 18th-20th Century American Art and Create Your Own Artwork with ARTistic Pursuits!

You can also click through to find over 60 social media, video, and blog reviews from this year's Homeschool Review Crew.

For FREE video lessons for beginning drawing students, look at Brenda's blog. You can also find online courses for the K-3 Level Books.

Whatever age or level your students ate at, Artistic Pursuits Inc. has something to offer. Connect with them at:

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK |TWITTER | INSTAGRAM