Homeschooling for His Glory

I am really excited about Danika's new book on Martin Luther: When Lightning Struck: The Story of Martin Luther. If you do not know Danika, she is the author and creator of the Bible curriculum I often mention on my blog, called Bible Road Trip . I love Danika because she loves the Lord and is a very thoughtful and theologically sound writer. Her new book, intended for Middle and High Schooler, is due to release in less than a week. So, in anticipation I thought I would share with you her answers to some questions you may have for her. Here we go:  1. What inspired you to write  When Lightning Struck ? I absolutely love Christian history. I think that understanding our family history is vital to understanding the way God works in history, and to being able to understand the current trends in theology--the same heresies that the Apostles addressed have plagued the Church throughout the last two millennia. As the "Father of the Reformation", Martin Luther is a...

Spelling, oh spelling! Spelling has always been one of those subjects that the boys have had a hard time to master. Since I started homeschooling I have always heard about Institute  for Excellence in Writing  (IEW) but only came to know about their spelling curriculum about 5 years ago. Because of tight budget I had never made the plunge, but I always thought it would be a great product to try with the boys. Well that day came when it was offered on the crew, and of course I jumped on it.  I  signed up to received  Phonetic Zoo Spelling Starter Set A  .  We have been using it for the past few weeks, and I have not been disappointed. First, let me tell you about IEW. IEW is a homeschool product company that has been around for a long time, offering valuable products for homeschoolers mainly writing related, but covering spelling and grammar as well. The crew has had the privilege of reviewing many of their curriculum so you might want to check those ...

We are approaching October 31, which is an important date for all protestants. This date commemorates Martin Luther’s nailing of his ninety-five theses to a church door on October 31, 1517 in Wittenburg, Germany, which in turn provoked a debate that resulted in what we now call the Protestant Reformation. As the “Father of the Reformation”, Martin Luther is a vital figure in Church History. His sacrifice and willingness to wage battle against the spiritual, religious, and political powers of his medieval world allowed Christians throughout time to embrace the following truths: salvation by grace alone , through faith alone,  and in Christ alone, along with the supremacy of Scripture, referred to as  Scripture alone, and all of it for God's Glory Alone. These being commonly called the Five Solas of the Reformation.  Danika Cooley, author and creator of the Bible curriculum Bible Road Trip ,  has recently written a book for young people recounting Luther's sto...

We are in October, the leaves have changed colors and have started to fall. School, well that is another story. Here are my random five covering the last few weeks. 1. We just came back from a 10 days vacation in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania. It was lovely to see the array of colors on the trees down there as we were driving. 2. During our vacation we visited Gettysburg and Hershey Chocolate World. 3. These two curriculum were waiting for me as we came back: Well-Ordered Language from Classical Academic Press  (WOL secret review to be released next spring - secret review), and Eat Your Science Homework from McCallum Books (Crew review). 4. Before we went on vacation I had started a new schedule with Zach that falls into the block scheduling category. It involves focussing on different subjects each day. So, for example History on Monday, Language Arts and electives on Tuesday,  only dailies on Wednesday because he has TOG Co-op and violin lesson...

I am sure as a homeschooler, like me you are always in search for a printable for something, especially for those extra practice needs. It seems that we always need an extra sheet for this or that subject. Well, if you relate to what I am talking about, I have a product for you. One of our recent review item was an online printable gallery website: Super Teacher Worksheets . We were given a one year Individual Membership to their website. Super Teacher Worksheets is an online bank of printables that covers a wide array of subjects. Basically it is a site full of homeschool printable and printables for teachers, for much of your teaching needs. It provides: Math worksheets Logic worksheets Grammar worksheets Vocabulary worksheets Brain Teasers and Puzzles printables Reading and Writing worksheets, which cover reading comprehension activities Phonics and Literacy activities Handwriting worksheets Spelling worksheets Science worksheets Social Studies workshee...

This year on the crew we have been blessed with a few Math curriculum for review, and as I mentioned before on this blog, I love trying out math curriculum. So, it came to no surprise that I gave the newest one offered a try. This new Math program comes from Stinky Kid Math , and the name of the product is Stinky Kid Math . Yes, I know the name of this Math program is very catching and attention grabbing! What is Stinky Kid Math ? It is an online Math help program. The company specifically does not consider its program as a full Math curriculum but can certainly be used as one. The goal of Stinky Kid Math is to help student master the concepts of Algebra and Geometry. The way they seek to do that is by teaching kids the why and how of Math, so that it can better stick in the mind of the students. They really try to make Math concepts clearer and accessible. As such, it is a perfect add on to any Math curriculum. This is like having a tutor at home. Stinky Kid Math is mad...

We are 2 weeks into September and summer is definitely over. After the burst of heat we had last week here in Toronto, I am glad for the cooler weather we are having now (though it also means starting to cover the neck back again). Our school year started about a month ago. We only took July off, which got quite busy with church activities. August was fluid, mix with school and outdoor activities. Here are a few random 5 from the past month: 1. I harvested tomatoes from my first time ever at trying my hands at balcony garden. I also have peppers growing. Yay me!!! 2 . In the first couple of weeks of back to school we finished up our year 1 of Tapestry of Grace, which we did not get to finish before our break in July. 3.  This year I have enrolled Zach in an online co-op for our Tapestry of Grace curriculum (we are doing year 2). We have had 2 sessions, and so far he is enjoying it. I am glad it will help us keep on track, but that also means pushing him harder at comp...