Category: Science

Cities, Cities Everywhere

11/17/2016

Cities are huge places, busy and so full of everything. Government workers, hospitals, emergency vehicles, transportation of all sorts. Families living, people working, running about their daily lives.

It can be a jumble of noise and confusion.

Now imagine that you have NEVER lived in a city and you have just moved there? Wouldn't you like to know more? Wouldn't you want to understand just what you have gotten yourself into? These books reviewed, should help.

I’m currently reading a book about a lad facing that exact scenario. He’s moved off a military base, a sheltered environment, with a smaller scope of people to interact with. He’s now living in New York city and he’s stunned by everything going around him. Would have been nice if he could have had The Cities Book (Lonely Planet Kids) and How Cities Work (Lonely Planet Kids). These two books, work together, to show how cities work and the beauty that can be found with them.

How Cities Work has been put together by James Gulliver Hancock.

It is a really well done lift the flap book.

Embark on a journey from the start of a city, a small gathering of buildings in the country with farms and wildlife all around. Through construction and work and organization gradually a city develops. Led through the building of roads and industry, superhighways, trains and parking lots.

We get to see people at work, people with families, shopping, moving, living. Tunnels being dug with large machines. Skyscrapers, parks, subways and more. If it's in a city, you'll find it in this book.

Every page with flaps to lift and/or pages to fold out

The Cities Book (Lonely Planet Kids) is a gorgeous book filled with a mixture of real life pictures and graphics to portray the beauty of cities from around the world. There are cities in this book from all over the world, every continent. Be amazed at the differences, similarities and all the amazing discoveries you can make.

Each page delineates clearly where it is located in the world, and gives the highlights of each city. For instance, Hong Kong is the Hollywood of the East, Montreal hosts the biggest bell in North America, in Addis Ababa Easter is celebrated with a meat feast and Seoul has taxis specially marked for those who don't speak Korean. Interesting facts from around the world.

Now don't you agree with me?

Wouldn't these be great books to introduce children (and others) to the wonders that make up cities... both in operation and what makes each one special. 86 Cities explored, countries from around this entire world.

This later book, the Cities Book, will be staying as part of our resource collection. As we travel around the world in our studies it will add a great dimension don't you agree?

Raincoast books has generously provided me with these books.
The Cities book is published by Lonely Planet Kids, is 212 pages long and is approximately 10 x 12. Good images and graphics, great text, good overview of 86 cities from around our planet.
How Cities Work is written by James Gulliver Hancock and also published by Lonely Planet Kids. 24 pages (feels like more) and 11 x 10 inches approximately. Lift the flap or open the page and discover all about how cities work.

Social Media Links for Raincoast Books are as follows.

https://twitter.com/raincoastbooks
https://www.facebook.com/raincoastbooks
https://instagram.com/raincoastbooks/
https://www.pinterest.com/raincoastbooks/
http://raincoastbooks.tumblr.com/
https://plus.google.com/+raincoastbooks/

Review: Fun Science

11/17/2016

I have to admit, I love science. I love science that takes an unconventional approach as well as science that follow a more conventional route. This book, Fun Science, by Charlie McDonnell is a mixture of both.

So just who is this Charlie McDonnell? He is an English Vlogger, musician, author. He is not scientist, but can talk about science, hence this book. :) I found it fascinating (having watched some of his videos with my lad) that he writes just like he talks. The first few pages of the book I wanted to read them as fast as he talks in real life. :)

Here's what you get:

Fun Science: A guide to life, the universe and why science is so awesome.
Quadrille Publishing c/o Chronicle Books
8.88 x 9.33
224 pages

10 chapters.
Mostly black and white with some illustrations and coloured pages.

I like the coming up with ways to help children understand, like the layers of the atmosphere

Those kinds of things grab my son's attention. They help him want to learn. Toss in a few experiments that are easy to do... and you have an additional hook. Toss in the little mouse quip and you have laughter and an easy way to remember information.

Is there anything that raised concerns?
The first forty pages are dedicated to the big bang theory or other theories as to how the universe could have come into being. I admittedly believe that God brought everything into being by his word and touch, but that in the midst of theories there are often grains of truth that can help explain the science so I approach these theories with skepticism. I have learned over the years tho science behind God's actions, like how point a makes point b possible. So I wouldn't completely toss these pages, but my advice is to read and weed out the interesting nuggets. :)

Also, he uses words at times that I wouldn't use. Some folks might see it as inappropriate language, but I struggle a bit, for a learned in my college years, that people have different sensibilities about words depending on their culture. For instance, just as I grew up saying "S__T" without it being a BAD word and don't bat an eye when someone says it, but others mindsets are different.

I would suggest that you read through the whole reproduction chapters with your children, especially if you are bible based in your teaching. Charlie has failed to realize that people and nature are distinct from each other. :)

This is clearly a science book, written by a guy who likes science, but isn't a scientist who is not a believer, who is able to do research and formulate thoughts and ideas and interesting connections. It is worth looking at, seriously.

I say this because it's fascinating how he weaves different snippets of information together. Seriously...just fascinating. Science is fascinating and fun, and this book helps point that out.

Field Trip: Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory

11/10/2016

Have an international student? Want to see him smile? Take him to a Butterfly conservatory and stand back and watch.

Then watch an 11 year introduce that student to a walking stick...and be happy. It's a rather cool thing to let a love of bugs cross a language barrier.

We had a great time wandering around and noticing the different butterflies and finches they had flying around. There was this one VERY determined finch that I watched for quite some time trying to get a picture of him, but just couldn't manage. He'd fly down, rustle in the bushes, come out pulling on a vine/twig/or something like that and try to fly up to his nest and everytime was pulled short as it just wouldn't pull free. He did this over and over again. Very determined little beastie.

My son asked about why they have all the finches and learned that they are given to them. They eat seeds and eggs and help keep the place tidy. They add a touch of colour and flash and they are fun to watch.

Isn't this Emerald Butterfly gorgeous? The brillancy of the colours is an indicator it hatched on the day. We saw three of them? It's hard to know for sure since they are very good at flying around. We did have a chance to see a variety of butterflies.

I must not forget to talk about the bugs and butterflies with the boys. :)

The waterfall was lovely even though this picture is rather meh. The staff were wandering about and the lad asked if he could see the stick bug pulling our student along with him.

They transferred Ms. Stick Bug from one hand to the next, I even held it for a bit. Very gentle but with slightly sticky feet.

I really like this picture of our student.

Want to know what my lad is watching so intently?

This pair of quail. About six of them wander around, usually in groups of two. They are fairly tame, but aren't keen on being caught. The conservatory hosts butterflies, finches, two sizes of quail, turtles and koi. Just fun to set and watch them and hope that one will land on you. :)

Hubby in his element...looking for things to take pictures of. He's way better than I am at photos..has a natural eye for a good photo.

The Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory is a great place to visit. Located nearish the airport outside of Cambridge, Ontario. I hope you have enjoyed this brief look .... you really must go and see it for yourselves though, its a great place to spend a good hour and a bit.

Review: Natural Disasters

10/21/2016

Natural Disasters... they happen all the time. Wild weather, wild water, wild temperature extremes and more. Do you want to help your children understand them?
Here's a book that will help: The Ultimate Interactive Guide to Natural Disasters.

What you get:

48 page fact book
27 x 20" poster
3-D Volcano Model to Assemble
Spinning Tornado Model
Coil bound hardcover
Full colour pages

What Did I Discover:

Clearly presented information
Simple drawings to help explain systems such as water and weather cycles
21 chapters
Coil binding so it lays flat
Maps and diagrams
Tables
Cut outs
Excellent explanation of the global impact
Introductory sections for each new disaster

Intriguing Factoids to Whet Your Curiousity

Did you know that sometimes when lightening hits sandy ground it can turn solid?
Storms are named so,we know which major storm is being talked about as there can be more than one happening at once
Can you imagine a heat so hot it can melt roads?
There is a lake under the glaciers called Lake Vostok. Scientists investigate.
Sandstorms change the colour of the sky.
Cenotes, in Mexico.

What do I think?
This book would be excellent to let children read alone, or use as a spine for a larger study of natural disasters around the world. Little tidbits just begged to be studied more, for instance, I want to teach my lad more about the Cenotes in Mexico. This book is a great introduction to how the world works in regards to natural disasters.

The Ultimate Interactive Guide to Natural Disasters

Author: Ian Graham
Illustrations: Simon Morse and Simon Taylor

Pages: 48
Publisher: SilverDolphin

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Affiliate links are listed below for your convenience. Any support given benefits the blog, and you earn my appreciation.

STEM Activity: Solar Oven

10/6/2016

The question posed to my son was this:
Do you think the sun could be used to make cookies?

With that question sitting in his brain, and as he talked through his ideas...
"no bake cookies", "sugar cookies on a plate", "that oven you made this summer for the bread?".... I managed to find the post I saved on making a solar oven.

Grab up a pizza box, size doesn't really matter, these are mediums from the hot-n-ready from Little Caesar's. Cut a flap in the box. Have an extra, just saying, it might be helpful. :) Seeing how my son was cutting, gave me a chance to teach him proper cutting technique along with the WHY his way was incorrect, and the benefits of doing it correctly. It made the job go more quickly without injury.

The lad didn't like his first attempt, so we used another box.

Put aluminum soil over the flap, shiny side facing down into the box. Then cover the opening with a see through material (we used sarah wrap, you could also use a ziploc bag). This helps keep bugs out of the box. Helps, doesn't completely prevent. :)

Cover the bottom of the box with black paper to help hold in the heat. We found this worked best as a two man job.

Find a way to insulate the box. We had styrofoam so made use of it, you could also used rolled up newspapers, socks, material etc. Something that will fill up the space not used, and help concentrate the heat.

Put the assembled product out in the sun, propping the lid open so it catches the rays (the lad thought a straw would work nicely). We didn't have plates small enough to put in so we used some excess foil to make a plate. It was a coolish day so it took ALL DAY to make the cookies. You may find you need to move the box, depending on what happens with sun and shade.

I had thought of messing with my boy's brain and popping an egg in a small bowl for him to cook, but decided against it. :) But it's something to try eh?

Have you ever cooked outdoors? If So, what did you make?
If you made a solar oven before, did you do it differently then we did?

STEM Activity: Salt Water Spider

9/22/2016

We have a shelf in our main schooling area called a discover shelf. Once a week we grab something off it and we discover. :)

Two weeks ago my son grabbed this item off the shelf:

I have to admit, we made one of these a LONG time ago, but it was defective, but I got this one a really good deal and figured it would be worth a shot trying it again. :) The first one my lad was too young to make himself, so dad and I put it together, this one the lad did all on his own, except for the odd "mom, can you help file this down, mom, can you see if I am doing this right?"

The kit comes with two plastic piece sections, along with three bags with different pieces. Some of the pieces will require careful manipulation to remove and others require some filing to remove burrs. All pieces fit together just so, but we found it quite forgiving overall.

For the most part the lad found the instructions very clear, but occasionally he'd say "they could make this section better mom". That was usually the result if he put something in backwards, or not quite in the right places. In those places, better pictures would have help. Pictures later in the process showed where he had gone wrong, and the fix was easy to make. You'll notice the knife and scissors that were helpful in the removing of burrs.

The lad was ecstatic when we reached this stage, it was quite fiddly up until this point.

"Look mom, I have her all together! Isn't she nice?"

When I asked him if he wanted to mix the salt water together to let her run, he said no. The plates that make it run degrade over time, and he wants to keep everything nice until he decides he has time to play with her for a really long time. So for now, we have a spider who sits with him as he does his school work, and nicely doesn't run away on him. :) And I have a happy boy. :)

Fostering Independent Learning With Apologia, a Review

9/5/2016

For the past few weeks my son and I have been studying astronomy with Exploring Creation with Astronomy, 2nd Edition sent to us by Apologia Educational Ministries. My son and I started doing this wonderful science program, meant for students in K-6 together, but gradually my son is starting to work independently.

Apologia was gracious enough to send me a complete set of the Exploring Creation with Astronomy, 2nd Edition. That set includes:

Let me walk you through my lad's and I approach to Apologia.
First we checked out the table of contents. We noted there was 14 lessons, which meant we didn't have to be in a hurry to finish the course, we could easily be done in 14 weeks, or longer if we got distracted by life. :)

I talked with him about how eventually I thought he could work through a lesson all on his own and about how we were going to work towards that.

Lesson One and Two we would do completely together, lesson one doing all the elements called for so he could make an informed decision about what he REALLY needed to accomplish.

We then noted how each lesson (and chapter) follows each other closely.

Each lesson is broken into four daily assignments, "MOM, that means I can decide to do two one day and then I have a day free right?" What can you say, but sure lad? :)

Readings and activities and a "what do you remember section".

So we worked through lesson one, noting how closely the workbook follows the textbook. We saw the full colour pictures, and noted how clearly then set out the activities in the textbook.

We noted the lapbook elements, which admittedly aren't my son's highlight, but he asked if he could write the information without having to make them. And I agree, the point was to remember the information, they were just trying to make it a more interesting way of doing it. He did make the odd element thought.

I do need to tell you about the giggles and conversations we've had. One of the activities called for us to have three people minimum and since we didn't have the third person we decided the cat Milo could be the sun. Boy oh boy, talk about a confused cat. :) He kept turning his head and looking at us, especially since each time the earth revolved around the sun the cat got a pet. But add in the earth also rotating as it revolved and oh my...the giggles that ensued.

It made for fun times and good conversations, like why doesn't the earth get dizzy, what do you think keeps the earth from getting all wobbly? All these questions keep a boy coming back for more you know?

In Lesson two my lad decided not to do the lapbook element (as in making it, but he did write out the required knowledge). He started to get a good idea about how the lesson would progress, and he chose to combine two steps into one. We made a pinhole camera so we could clearly see the sun, and one of the questions asked was, what happens if you make the hole bigger or smaller? it called for using different pieces of tinfoil which my lad thought was wasteful. So he made a modification.

It was rather funny though, one of the books my son really likes is the Warrior Cat series and at one point there was an eclipse which scared all the cats. So as my lad was playing around with this pinhole viewer, he added an element where the sun was blocked....It was funny. How did you feel mom, where you like the cats and all scared when you couldn't see the sun Huh mom???? :)

By Lesson Three my lad was confident enough in his abilities to work through one section while at gramma's, and then did the "do you remember" part independently. I have to admit, we aren't going through the book quickly. We are averaging 3/4's of a lesson a week since it's technically still summer holidays here. We'll be starting Lesson Four this coming Tuesday, my lad has already determine that he'll do the first part at gramma's on Tuesday and then two parts on Thursday and one on Friday.

Part of his planning is a request that I do some of the reading while he works on his copywork. The copywork is provided in print and cursive. My son prefers to work off the print, but writes it in cursive.

I need to mention the junior notebooking option, we looked through it and my son chose to do this book even though it has more writing. The junior workbook for this science curriculum for homeschools, has less writing, shorter copywork and pictures to colour. It's a simpler version for younger children.

The clear concise text, the ample room to write and questions that followed the text, all help my lad in his quest for more independence in his work.

I suspect, that by the time we are at lesson seven my lad will be taking more control of how he works through this science curriculum. Exploring Creation with Astronomy, 2nd Edition has proven to be a timely addition to our homeschooling this year and we will be finishing this book. It'll be our science go to. :) It's working well to teach my lad that he can work independently. He's thought about using the MP3 cd for the reading portion, but at this point doesn't see the need to do so. It's great to have it, for days you don't feel like reading, or if you have a less than confident reader.

I have to admit, when I opened up my package and saw this note included, it made me think...wow... what lovely people. I bet they have great customer service. Isn't it nice to get notes like this with your orders?

Various members of the crew have been working diligently with Exploring Creation with Astronomy, 2nd Edition by Apologia Educational Ministries. There is also an additional science kit you can purchase to go along with this course. It is not mandatory, it is just an exciting optional purchase to help complete experiments both in the book and in addition to it. You can find that kit here. To read what other TOS reviewers have to say, click the image below.

Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/apologiaworld
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/apologiaworld @apologiaworld
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/apologia/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apologiaworld/

Hashtags: #hsreviews #apologia #astronomy #homeschoolscience

Cleared for Takeoff, a review

8/25/2016

I cannot tell you how much the lad and I have been enjoying this book called "Cleared for Takeoff, the Ultimate book of Flight".

We've giggled, gasped, been awed, been shocked and a whole host of other emotions. Oh but it's a delightful, thorough treatise on flight. Call signs, hand signals, obscure airlines, interesting birds, the history, the joys, the sorrows and so much more are contained within the 320 pages of this book.

This video below bespeaks some of the things we learned in this book, but definitely not all that we learned.

Neither one of us has read this "Cleared for TakeOff" all the way through, we've picked our way through some of the pages that have peaked out interest.

Being amazed at the size of the Hindebergh Zeppelin.

His Joy in finding the Canadian aircraft symbol.

The text is well written with scores of full colour pictures, most look like painting, a few from real life. It was just a pleasure to go through.

Occasionally experiments are provided to assist in the understanding of a concept, from making pop rockets to hovercrafts, enough experiments to intrigue most children. As a parent/teacher one of the things I appreciated about the experiments was the teaching component came first with the experiment coming second. All the experiments I found were distinguishable in being all in black and white. All use easy to find materials.

As I mentioned earlier, this book was filled with full colour pictures to delight and inform. I was delighted that it held global appeal, interesting tidbits from around the world are found within it's pages.

Did you know that a Canadian Pilot once landed a 767 airplane successfully that had run out of fuel and therefore all it's systems were shutting down. None of travellers lost their lives, a only a few injured when they disembarked the aircraft? Simply amazing. We also learned why different countries use modified Phonetic Alphabets (for instance Saudi Arabia uses Washington rather than whiskey because of the alcohol connection).

I have been ever so pleased to have had a chance to review this book. It's a marvellous resource for anyone interested in the world of flight. The only thing I found lacking was an index at the close of the book, to quickly find facts.

If it is something you are planning to do a unit study on, or a create a lapbook from, snatch it up. You really won't regret it. :)

For the Canadian link to amazon Cleared for Takeoff: The Ultimate Book of Flight and for the american link Cleared for Takeoff: The Ultimate Book of Flight for your ease in finding it. :) Thanks!

Review: Make Your Own Spaceship

7/28/2016

A boy's birthday party, children needing something to do ... what can you do? I know! Give them a kit to make model spacecraft! From ages 5 to 12 they are sure to be a hit! So, let me tell you all about it.

I received a solid well made box filled with cards with space craft to make. They came with no instructions about how to make them, and at first I thought this would be a problem until I listened to the children,
"No, put that here",
"I think it goes over there"
"Hey let's check the box maybe we'll find the picture"
"Yeah, I got it!!"

12 fully illustrated spaceships that punched out well and fit together easily. See the smiles below?

I have to tell you, I did not anticipate one small spot of trouble...too many of the children wanted to make the "make it your own" ones... Tears and recriminations almost resulted until I intervened with "who is the birthday boy? Does HE want to make them?"

Who would have thunk that the plain jane colour it yourself versions would have been so downright popular?!?!?!?! Not what I anticipated.

A couple of alien figures were included as well... I think one mysteriously made it's way to an unknown residence.

As the children worked through spaceships, I thought what an excellent addition they would be to a transportation study, or a unit on outer space or aeronautics. The children, when they finished the spaceships, then took then out and starting throwing them through the air, testing out their aerodynamics... some of them surprisingly flew really well! I had a video but well.. it's gone into the nether. :(

But what it really came down to in the end was... a bunch of children having fun laughing, creating, talking and building at a birthday party, and life was good. :)

I do have to tell you that: I received this kit from Raincoast Books for free. It's called "Make your own spaceship". It was put together by Laurence King.

If you want to buy it for your own birthday party or a study unit, check out my affiliate link as follows. Doesn't cost you a dime and helps me make ends meet. :)

Review: ArtAchieve

7/11/2016

Imagine this... You have a child who is good at art, but is reaching that stage where he wants to try new things, but has a mother who isn't quite up different ways to do art and doesn't have the inspiration for it either? Enter in The Entire Level I course of ArtAchieve... it has been a blessing to a lad and his mother. :)

ArtAchieve: What is it?

Inspired by art from all around the world
help people like me teach art to my lad
includes helpful links to make the art lesson broader, covering social studies, science and language arts
it is an online art drawing program from children from kindergarten age up through to adults of any age.
Lessons are presented in video and power-presentation formats

What is included in the Entire Level I course?

Shading Rounded Objects (this is also a free lesson)
The hungarian Insects
The Haitian Gecko
The dragonfly from Ecuador
The Chinese Dragon
The Owl from Bali
The Kitenge Tree Wall Hanging from Tanzania
The Plate from Nepal
Four Suns with Four Faces
The Sheep from Wales

Each Lesson has four sections to it.

   I really appreciated the layout of this on-line art curriculum, I loved that we could go as fast or as slowly as we wanted to.

We started out each lesson watching the video lesson. This gave us an opportunity to just see what we were going to do and get the ideas into our heads. We would talk about the new techniques we would be learning and make sure we had the needed supplies.

We'd research the topic of the lesson... geckos, suns in art, and dragonflies.   Seeing how people have used them in art and observing them in the wild (via video in the case of geckos).   We did science (studying geckos and dragonflies), Geography (learning about where the art inspiration came from, seeing where that was in the world), art (seeing how the sun has been used in various art forms) and more. Art, interwoven into so many subject areas. I can totally see this being used in a co-op situation if you have a screen big enough for all the children to view.

We worked out way slowly through each of the lessons using the power point presentation.   We really liked how we could go slide by slide, skip ahead, go back and double check what we are doing.   Using out touch screen laptop was very beneficial in this, helping us flip through the slides quickly.

And to be honest, I have to admit that I really liked that ability to slow down and go at our own pace, it fit into how we do school and life. :)

Working on the four suns project was a great way to show my lad how two people can approach the same project with the same instructions and come out with a completely different project. It taught him a bit about planning ahead, and when that doesn't pan out the way you thought it would, how to regroup and figure out how to make it work. I LOVE the vibrancy in my son's four suns work (he didn't want me to show the finished work). He is SO detail oriented... I think the final result turned out splendidly but all he sees is the bobble he made on the cool side... In my eye the colours on his just pop out and say HEY, look at me!!

My four suns. Completed.

The lad's four suns, a work in progress. He is more exact in his work than his mom is.

I have to admit, that there were areas that my son struggled with. This provided us with an opportunity to talk to John and discover that he's a very helpful and friendly fellow.

Rules for drawing stymied my lad:
Silence?   Playing Music?   MOM!!!!
Some of you don't know me or my boy well enough to know that we are chatterers.   We like to talk about all sorts of things while working, and most often it's not connected with the task at hand.   So the idea of playing music or working in silence was an anathema to us.   So we asked John why this was a recommendation.
His words: Maybe a story is a helpful way to answer this. When I learned to play tennis, I was constantly saying things like, “Oh, no!” and “Come on! That was terrible!” as I swatted at the ball. A friend advised me to hum while I played, and for me that humming ushered in a big step of progress in my playing. Why? Because while I hummed (while I was caught up in the tune) I wasn’t able to engage in all the negative talk. The negative talk got in the way of being playful, thinking visually/spatially, and being aware of how the game was going. The negative talk turned play into work, and made me a poor player. Humming made me more playful; it made the game almost like a dance. As the game became more fun and playful, my skills advanced rapidly.
       Playing music during art can work in a similar fashion, if we let it. It also helps us make that mind shift from verbal/analytical thought to spatial thought. If it helps to hum along with the music, do so. If you prefer to simply hum, like I did in tennis, skip playing music, and simply hum.
My son couldn't work his head around humming and doing art, so we gave up on that idea, and has been learning that silence sometimes helps with concentration, but we still chatter.. it's part of who we are. :)

As you go through the lessons, John makes them as helpful as he can. Providing lists of supplies needed, practice sheets for drawing and basic instructions for what to do with your paint is too thin, not the right shade and such like. Many different techniques are included into each art work, from learning the cool and warm colours, shading, blending and much more.

Our most recent project, the dragonflies, we haven't finished yet. My son is not convinced that adding water colours to the oil pastels will work well, so he's been testing it out on "bad drawings". What colours he wants to use, how much, in what patterns and will it affect his dragonfly? He's worked hard on it and isn't convinced it "isn't perfect" but is starting to think it "might be okay". It's hard sometimes when you are a perfectionist and you're engaged in a medium for the first time. It's been a great project for him though, as he's seeing how science and art go hand in hand... from learning about the object we're drawing, to finding ways to draw circles in decreasing sizes, mixing colours, figuring out thickness of paint and water and how to combine the two, and through it all...needing to breathe out his frustration and relax.

The relaxation techniques that he hated when we started have become a part of doing art now. As John told us "it’s a way of helping us be more aware. First, we take time to be aware of our breathing, and that aids in slowing us down; it sets us up for being aware and taking time to look carefully when we get into the drawing, to notice how a color is working, etc."

We received a years access to the entire lesson I art drawing lessons from ArtAchieve.

I fully anticipate completing the rest of the art projects.

Over the next three weeks I anticipate finishing another project with our International Student who is visiting us from France.

It will be a great way to practice English and to have fun learning. He's quite curious about the fact that we school at home as he's never heard of such a thing before.

Did you know that you can purchase individual lessons? I know awesome eh? You can also try out sample lessons from each of the levels.

The site is easy to navigate, so I recommend you visit them and check out the individual lessons. Each bundle of lessons is priced differently ($27 and up), as are the individual lessons ($4 each and up). All available for a full year.

99 people from the TOS crew have been reviewing three of the different levels the ArtAchieve offers.

Entire Level I
Entire Level II
Entire Level III

Click on the banner below to learn more