Wordless Wednesday - My Desk is Invaded

Daleks, Weeping Angels, and Cyber Men - Oh, my!

Cutest Makeup Ever - Wordless Wednesday

Review of CompuScholar, Inc.

We have used several of CompuScholar, Inc.'s products in the past (most recently Digital Savvy last summer), so I was very happy for the chance to be able to review them again. This time, Nicholas got to try out Web Design. (N.B. in the past, Therese learned Visual Basic with CompuScholar, Inc. back when they were still known as Homeschool Programming. You can that review here. She was 11 back then - she's 15 now!). We have always loved both the process and the result with this company, so I knew that we would not be disappointed with Web Design!
Recommended for grades 6-12, Web Design covers many elements of basic web design, including web site layout, HTML5 symbols and elements, CSS effects spacing and positioning, graphics and image editing, JavaScript and jQuery, and more. The course syllabus will tell you exactly what is covered.

Nicholas (13) had this to say about Web Design: the lessons go very slowly. They teach you one small thing per lesson. I like that the teacher tells you what to do and then she opens the notepad either on Mac or Windows to demonstrate. I like the quizzes and tests. I think they are a good feature. Overall, I think the course is too little-kiddish for me. 

Nicholas has had the advantage of doing other web design classes before (from Chris Yust of Homeschool Programming (CompuScholar, Inc.), actually), that he feels moved at a much brisker pace than this one, which is where his "constructive criticism" comes from. I think that if he hadn't had any exposure to any kind of web design before, he would have loved this course. It's only because the information in it wasn't new that he felt that it moved too slowly for him. In spite of that feeling, though, he had no problem sitting down to the course every day. In fact, I often found him at his computer with his headphones on during school time. I would be ready to rebuke him for playing games or chatting with his friends only to realize that he was actually working on this course.

So how exactly does the course work? Each lesson proceeds in the same way: the lesson begins with a short video, followed by text. The text is supplemental to the video. It is not a verbatim transcription. You really need both for a complete lesson. After the text, you take a five-question quiz. Each chapter is comprised of multiple lessons and culminates in an exam. All along the way, the student is building a web page! The instructor is building a web page on raptors and birds of prey. Nicholas's web page is on games and gaming.

If you or your child is looking for a beginning course on web design, this one would be perfect. CompuScholar, Inc. always puts out quality computer courses, and this one is no exception. If you're looking for a more general course on computer skills, check out Digital Savvy. I think Java Programming is next up for Nicholas. He has dabbled in various computer programming courses long enough that I think he is ready for a real challenge! Crew members reviewed all three of these courses, so be sure to click the banner below to read all of their reviews!

Confidence

I don't know why some people have it and some don't. I don't know why many people don't find it until they are adults, but some have it practically from birth. I think part of it must be genetic, part of it must be related to temperament, and much of it must be related to how one is raised. Three of my kids are very confident (although one of them definitely derives most of his confidence from his experience with NCFCA - public speaking). My girls are both uber-confident. Over the weekend, Therese went to a dance and she had a terrific time. She went by herself (no date, no friends) and she just strode into the venue like she owned it. My friend later confirmed to me that she never sat down once. She danced every dance. I saw the pictures last night; she definitely had a blast. She told me that she got asked to dance and she was surprised - she "forgot that was a thing." She was flattered, but she had more fun just dancing in a group with her friends. She's done the couple thing, but she's enjoying the single thing *so* much more. I'm happy for her. It's funny, for her *not* being in a relationship has given her far more confidence than being in one ever did. Everyone is so different. I look back on my own teen life and wonder how it would have been different if I had not been in a serious relationship with the same boy throughout all of high school - if I had been more confident.

Whatever the case, I am delighted when I look at my own kids, especially my girls. I'll be honest, I think homeschooling has everything to do with how confident they are. They don't have to face the daily beat down that is public school (although I actually think they would handle that okay). They can thrive at home and in their extracurriculars. Again, let me emphasize for those who think it is important - they have both faced significant challenges. They have both been bullied. They have both been passed over when they should have been chosen. They have both suffered. They are not growing up in a bubble - far from it. Like I always say, I am a mom who homeschools, not a homeschooling mom. There's a big difference.

I am going to ponder this idea of confidence more. I think it's really important, especially for teen girls.

Review of Peggy Consolver - Author

Peggy Consolver - Author is the woman behind Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer, a book partially inspired by the author's work excavating with the Associates for Biblical Research. If that background doesn't pique your curiosity, I don't know what will! This book is based on the Gibeonites of Joshua 9 and 10 from the point of view of a young teenage shepherd boy. You can read more about how the story evolved into Mrs. Consolver's work with the ABR (which then culminated in this book) in the article she wrote on their website. 
Mary-Catherine (12) is my historical fiction lover, so this book went straight into her hands when I received it. While she was reading it, I was checking out the study guide. Many times when we get a book to review, I give the study guide a cursory glance, but this time, I was very interested in it. I have a degree in history (and a minor in theology), but my history knowledge of this time period is not as solid as it should be, so I was very glad for the extra help. Mrs. Consolver provides wonderful additional helps to aid in the enjoyment of this book! From maps to braiding instructions, to references to Israeli mammals, the study guide allows you to more fully immerse yourself in the world of Keshub, the Canaanite shepherd boy who stars in this story. I was so happy to have this resource, and it is one I really enjoyed being able to share with Mary-Catherine. It was especially fun reading about honey and realizing that it has been an important part of people's lives for thousands of years.

As to the story itself, although Mary-Catherine finished it, she didn't find it a particularly easy read. Because of the time and geographical location, there are plenty of unfamiliar words (although a guide to characters and relationships at the beginning of the book is certainly helpful) and place names. Also, because the book centers around an Old Testament event that is not one that is well-known to her, she doesn't have any kind of familiar story to grab onto to get her through the drier parts of the book. In retrospect, I think this book might have made a better family read aloud than an individual read for Mary-Catherine. Again, though, the study guide definitely enhanced the reading experience!

For families that are studying the Old Testament, or even better studying Biblical archaeology, this book would make a terrific extra resource. There aren't too many out there that fill this niche, and it is very well-written. Also, older teens would probably really enjoy it. Twelve may have been just a little too young, even though Mary-Catherine usually reads above grade level. 79 other Homeschool Review Crew members were given the chance to read this book, too, so don't just take my word for it! Click on the banner below to see what they had to say!

My New Desk!

I know they say you shouldn't have your computer in your room if you are an insomniac, that you should only sleep in your room, blah, blah, blah...I violate that rule every day of the week and twice on Sunday anyway, so Henry made all of my dreams come true last week when he built me this!

I love it! I have a space all my own! If you're a mom, you know how rare that is. Yes, I am blessed to have a wonderful schoolroom, but has...kids in it. In fact, it feels like there are kids everywhere in my house (I know, I only have four). This beautiful bad boy is all mine! I want to work all the time now just so I can sit here! I want to write a novel. I want to write a blog. I want to sit and stare and my beautiful erasers (these are just a very few of them that I threw up there quickly):

I want to play with my pens! (Again, just a few of them - because I would want to know, they are from left to right - the complete collection of .38 Pilot Juice gel pens, Sharpie fine and ultra-fines, and assorted gel pens and many different kinds of mechanical pencils)

Did you know that you could get colored mechanical pencils? You totally can! They are in the can on the right:

(Oh, and if you're going to tell me I have a problem, don't bother. I already know it. My husband already knows it. My kids already know it. If you knew my mom, you'd know that I come by it honestly. You should see that woman's scrapbook room.)

And so I sit here playing with my pens, working, and listening to Empathy Test. I am a very happy wife right now, blessed to be married to a man who understands me very, very well.

Review of Memoria Press' Iliad and Odyssey

Memoria Press is one of my all-time favorite companies. In fact, for that one semester that I taught in a brick-and-mortar classical school, it was one of the companies upon whose curriculum I relied. Since that time (ten years ago), I have used at least one thing from Memoria Press each semester that I have homeschooled. I have been blessed to review their products many times before for the Crew. This time around, getting to review The Iliad & The Odyssey Complete Set was a literal Godsend, as I am currently discerning what to do with Nicholas (13, 8th grade) for high school. For the first time, I am considering boxed curriculum, and Memoria Press is at the very top of that list. Having a preview of what he would be doing for part of his Memoria Press day has been so incredibly helpful! This set comes with everything your student needs to learn these two must-reads of the Great Books tradition. For each of the two books, you receive the text itself, a student guide, a teacher's guide, and a set of instructional DVDs. I will say off the bat that the included translation, Samuel Butler's, is not my favorite. I am a die-hard Richmond Lattimore fan. That's the translation that I read in college, and that's the translation that I have had Therese read of each of these books in high school. *HOWEVER*, the Butler translation is an easier one for younger kids, and it is a much easier sell for Nicholas. He's my math/science guy, my probably engineer, and being able to hand him Butler made being able to hand him this curriculum much easier, so I am *not* complaining about the translation.  Memoria Press was beyond generous in sending us both of these packages, given that we could only delve deeply into one of the books for the review period. Our review will focus on The Iliad. I know that most people tend to prefer The Odyssey because it is more exciting, but I prefer The Iliad for a couple of reasons: first, it happens before The Odyssey. Odysseus can't travel home before he fights in the Trojan War (and, yes, I know that The Iliad isn't really about the Trojan War, but you know what I mean. It still comes first temporally). Second, The Iliad is, in my never-to-be-humble opinion, the better story. Achilles is so -- human. He is so very flawed. He is held up as the archetype of a hero, but so often kids are almost shocked to see how he behaves in The Iliad. He doesn't seem very heroic. I never want to miss the opportunity to have that discussion with any kid when I get the chance, especially with one of my kids. Finally, The Iliad is the harder book, so why not start with it and get it out of the way. Teach Nicholas how to read Greek literature with The Iliad, and then set him free to enjoy The Odyssey. So far, it's kind of working! I wanted Nicholas to read the relevant book of The Iliad before I had him watch the DVD, so this is the order in which we did things. First, using both my own prior knowledge and the teacher's guide, I sat with Nicky to talk about the book. Because we have been doing classical homeschooling since he was 3, this is not his first exposure to The Iliad, but it is the first time he is the one who is solely responsible for the material. After discussing, I turned him loose to read Book I and to do the work in the student book. Then, I let him watch the DVD material. He minded the reading not much at all, the written work a tiny bit more, and watching the lecture quite a bit. His complaint about the lecture was that all it did was completely rehash the book, making it feel like a waste of time. Like most teenage boys, Nicky does not like feeling like his time is not being put to good use. Also, because he has been through The Iliad before (a children's version, listening to me take Therese through parts of it, and listening to me rhapsodize about it for no reason), I can understand why he might feel that lecture was not necessary. However, for parents who don't have the benefit of a classical education themselves, the lectures might very well be the one component of this program that they can't live without!

The Odyssey follows a very similar path to The Iliad. The teacher's guide lays out the same type of discussion helps for parents to follow and the DVD lectures recap what the students have read (although, I will disagree with Nicky a little bit; there is more to them than just recap!). The student book has identifications, short answer, and discussion questions, and gives just the right amount of written work for each book.

I have not been disappointed by this product from Memoria Press. It's another winner! Expectations are clear and everything is laid out and super easy to follow. Once again, they have provided a product that makes it easy for a non-classically educated person to give her child a great classical education. We will definitely be finishing The Iliad, and I have every expectation that we will follow it up with The Odyssey. Memoria Press also sent Crew members other products to test drive, so be sure to click the banner below to see everything that they have been using for the past couple of months!