Field Trip: A Trip to the Dairy

Howdy!  Today I'm posting over at Homeschool Mosaics.

Come read about our field trip to the dairy!

Do your kids know where milk comes from?

Introducing Rocco the Rough-and-Tumble Wrestler

I've been commissioned by my 3 1/2 year old to make a life-sized doll to be his best friend and wrestling companion.

Life-sized doll face in progress.

Hubby is completely on board with this endeavor and issued strict instructions that the face not be too sweet.

Little Guy decided his new friend's name will be Rocco, "And I'm gonna be Troy!"  Where Rocco and Troy came from is anyone's guess.  The mind of a preschooler is a fabulous thing!!

Review: The Waterproof Bible from Bardin & Marsee

"The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8, NLT).

We are assured that the words God has spoken and caused to be bound together in the volume we call the Bible will never cease to exist. That is not true, however, of a single printed volume of Scripture. Paper-and-ink Bibles can undergo some pretty serious abuse in their service to us.

In college, I carried my Bible everywhere I went. At first I had the thick teen devotional Bible I had used all through junior high and high school, but I soon set it aside in favor of a much slimmer volume that didn't take up as much space or weigh as much. I hadn't owned it very long when disaster struck. The reusable water bottle I also carried everywhere I went had the lid screwed on crookedly and when I tossed it in my backpack with everything else, it slowly leaked until the entire contents of my bag were soaked through! I was so upset that my nice new Bible was all warped afterwards! I sure could have used a Waterproof Bible!

The Story

Growing up in the city, Bobby Bardin didn't have much experience in the outdoors until middle school when he began backpacking with some guys from his church. He spent a lot of time in high school and college backpacking, whitewater kayaking, rock climbing, etc. But one thing that hardly ever made it with him on his trips was a Bible. He didn't want to risk ruining the thin paper pages when he was in the great outdoors. His friend Michael Marsee had similar experiences. As an on-mountain chaplain for a Christian camp, he would see Bibles get ruined in just 10-15 minutes of mountain-top worship.

These two friends got together and decided to produce a Bible that would withstand the rugged environments they enjoyed so much. Now they have a Bible that can go where they go without fuss or worry!

The Product

The Waterproof Bible is completely impervious to water, dries quickly, is made of durable synthetic paper, and even floats! You can write in it with ball point pen, pencil, or a dry highlighter. (affiliate link)

It is available in five popular versions.

• English Standard Version (ESV)
• King James Version (KJV)
• New King James Version (NKJV)
• New International Version (NIV)
• New Living Translation (NLT)

Each version is available as a full Bible for $44.95 or as a New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs for $24.95. With three different cover options: pink & brown floral, blue wave, and sportsman camouflage.  It can be purchased directly from the publisher or from your local Christian bookseller (find one here).

The Claim

"The WATERPROOF BIBLE^© is printed on 100% plastic. This material is both waterproof and tear-resistant with normal use. This material is adversely affected by temperatures above 150° F. If the WATERPROOF BIBLE^© freezes while wet, thaw before opening. This durable format can be dried with a towel or by standing it on its spine with the pages up. Water will cause the pages to adhere to one another, but once dry, they will return to their original condition. Petroleum products can cause the ink of the WATERPROOF BIBLE^© to smear, so keep it away from all such products, including bug spray."

The Test

What better than a rainy spring day and a puddle full of sticky Missouri mud to put my Waterproof Bible to the test?

Or how about a warm bubbly bath with Miss M?



After the mud puddle I gave it a quick rinse in the sink; the mud vanished without a trace!

I squeezed water out of the binding and set it on the counter to dry.

The pages were all stuck together, but in less than 24 hours it had dried completely and I was able to fan through the pages like normal. It was as good as new! Impressive!

It really is waterproof! No weakening of pages or binding while wet. No warping of pages upon drying. The pages are slightly thicker than the traditional tissue-thin paper used in Bibles. These wouldn't be ripped by a single, solitary swipe from your infant or toddler (c'mon, Moms, you know what I'm talking about)!



I also tested the ability to write and highlight on its plastic pages. I was most skeptical about this, but true to the claims, I was able to write with ball-point pen, pencil, and dry highlighter.  The pen and pencil markings survived the dunking, but the dry highlighter was completely washed away.

Uses that Come to Mind

Now as much as I love the great outdoors, I'm not much into rugged outdoorsman type activities. We go camping now and then as a family, but nothing too wild and crazy. But that doesn't mean I don't have a bunch of scenarios in which I could use a waterproof Bible!

• In a hot bath
• Beside a pool
• At the kitchen table
• While baking (got a few minutes till that batch of cookies is done?)
• In the car
• In a diaper bag
• In a purse
• During the kids' swimming lessons
• At the gym
• On a picnic
• To a baptism

Final Thoughts

• This would make a fantastic graduation present! Or a gift for a new mom. Or a send-off gift for new missionaries (especially those going to tropical climes). Reading material for a lifeguard. Really, the possibilities are endless! 
• I wish it were available in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) version since that is my version of choice. If it were, I'd buy one and make it my main Bible.
• The print is so crisp and clear! Because the pages are thicker than an average Bible, there's not as much bleed-through of text from the pages behind where you're reading.
• I understand some people like to carry just a copy of the New Testament, but I'm not one of them. I've been using the ESV New Testament (with Psalms and Proverbs) that I was given for this review and I miss being able to reference passages in the Old Testament!
• I love, love, love the concept! And I think everyone should have a Waterproof Bible! How wonderful to have a Bible that is as durable as you yourself! Where you go, it can go too.

Check out my honesty policy.

Review: Ooka Island Adventure

What is Ooka Island?

Ooka Island is an adventurous computer game that teaches early literacy to kids from Pre-K to 2nd grade.  It's fun and engaging without making any sacrifices on the academic side of things.

"Upon arrival on Ooka Island, children customize their own online avatar and embark on a compelling 3D hero-mission to save the Ooka Elves! As young learners follow the Ooka Island Adventure, they travel on their own unique path created by Ooka Island's READirect learning algorithm.  This ensures that they are on the fastest track to reading success!"

A Bit of Backstory

Ooka Island is based on the work of Dr. Kay MacPhee who developed a successful program for struggling and reluctant readers in the 1990s.  Her program, then known as SpellRead, was the subject of many intensive studies because of its effectiveness, but it was quite expensive.  It became an exclusive product for either the poorest of the poor (by way of government subsidy) or the children of top executives.  Dr. MacPhee noticed a huge gap in the middle of people who would benefit from her program were it accessible to them.  With the development of new technology and the widespread availability of the internet, Dr. MacPhee has been able to bring the product of her years of research to a wider audience!

This short video describes how Dr. MacPhee teamed up with Jim Barber to create Ooka Island.

Teaching Kids to Read

The 80 hours of fun and games in Ooka Island makes use of Dr. Kay MacPhee's 30 years of research and experience.  The Eye-Ear Reading Method she developed teaches skill mastery in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension in a methodical way right from the very start of a child's literacy journey.

The child is guided through the Eye-Ear Reading Method by a learning algorithm called READirect.  This algorithm learns from your child, adapting to his or her strengths and weaknesses which keeps children working at a challenging pace without being overwhelmed.  The algorithm allows the game to guarantee mastery of prerequisite skills before presenting the child with a new skill to learn.

Online Progress Reporting

One thing I really appreciate about any educational game is the ability to log in and see what sorts of things my child is learning and to monitor the progress (or lack thereof) that is being made.  Ooka Island goes above and beyond in this area!  The Ooka Lighthouse is an extensive reporting portal for parents and educators.  There are many different reports:

• The Report Card - provides a snapshot of progress in each foundational reading skill so trouble areas can be caught and reinforced early.
• Reading Comprehension Report - provides a reading score for each book in the areas of comprehension, concept of word, and vocabulary.
• Accuracy Analysis Report - provides a full breakdown of every question posed and responded to so you'll know right away which sounds your child is having trouble with.
• Book Progress Report - provides the total number of books your child has read as well as the reading level he or she is currently working on.
• Red Line / Blue Line Trend - plots a two-part chart of (1) the child's ability to comprehend what he or she is reading and (2) match the words he hears with what he sees.

Extra Goodies

As if the Ooka Island Adventure and Ooka Lighthouse weren't amazing enough on their own, there are a whole bunch of supplemental materials to bring the learning offline with items kids can actually lay their hands on!

• Activity Pages - coloring pages that correspond to specific books in the Ooka Island Adventure.
• Books - the book program has 95 leveled books (real paper-and-ink books, not more e-books)
• Book Path - a printable chart for young readers to document their progress through the Ooka Island Adventure as well as take a sneak peek at the adventures that lie ahead

• Reward Certificates - customizable certificates to present to young readers as they complete the three major levels of Ooka Island
• Reward Books - free, downloadable books offered as a reward for completing a level and reaching the end of a portion of the book path
• OokaTunes: Sing Along Songs app - eleven songs featured on Ooka Island in a free app for your iPhone or iPad! 

Pricing

There are several pricing options to fit your needs.

• Individual (1 child)
• Monthly $12.95/month
• Annually $124.95/year (a 20% savings)
• Family (up to 4 children)
• Monthly $19.95/month
• Annually $149.95/year (a 37% savings)

There are also pricing options for schools that range from $10 (500+ students) to $20 (less than 30 students) per annual student license.

Expires June 1, 2013.

Our Adventures on Ooka Island

Although Miss M is the right age for Ooka Island, she already reads at a level well beyond its scope.  She dabbled in the game a little, but it really didn't hold her interest.  Little Guy, on the other hand, absolutely loves it!  It gives him something that is uniquely his and many days when Miss M and I are sitting at the kitchen table doing her lessons, he says, "I want to do school too! I'm going to Ooka Island!"

Ooka Island works well on our touch-screen computer.

He is only three and a half, so sometimes he gets frustrated at having to follow the Learning Flow (20 minutes of guided curricular play followed by 10 minutes of reading the new e-book before getting to the Free Play portion).  He'll often only play for a few minutes at a time.  But since the game saves his progress and location when he quits, it starts him up right back where he left off.  He's put in over 8 hours already!

He is so proud of his progress and should a guest enter our home, beware!  He's likely to drag you by the finger to his book path chart and show you just how many books he's "found" and read.

Little Guy counting his progress on the Book Path (yet again!)

My gift subscription (granted for the purposes of this review) will be expiring at the end of May and I am quite certain that I'll be purchasing an extension. I believe this program will give Little Guy a strong foundation in reading that will last him a lifetime!

Come make some new friends on Ooka Island!

Check out my honesty policy.

Adventures in U.S. History Week 11

We had a busy week and lost some of our regular school time on Tuesday (dentist appointments!), so rather than feel like we were playing catch-up all week, I decided to skip the majority of our science lessons.  We were supposed to grow mold this week…and I just didn't want to deal with it.  I know, I know, bad mama, right?  Don't worry, Miss M won't let me get away with not doing it at all. I'm sure we'll do it some time down the road!

While we didn't do much in the way of (scheduled) science, the kids had a blast examining the bones of a possum we found last year.  They tried to guess what the different bones were (skull, mandible, vertebrae, ribs, scapula, teeth) and even pretended to put them together in some really kooky ways!   Unfortunately I didn't take a picture 'cause I was busy doing dishes while they explored.

A brother and sister who love each other!

In history this week we learned about George Washington and the beginning of the Revolutionary War.  We made Johnny Cakes and ate them with Bean Pottage (with bacon!!) and mustard greens.  It was a delicious meal!  The Johnny Cakes were really easy and good…I'll be making them again!

Fried Johnny Cakes

Miss M is doing very well in spelling.  Though I should mention that we haven't been using Spelling Power quite as it is intended.  Since Miss M is only 6, she doesn't quite have the muscle strength and control to do a lot of writing each day.  Some is okay, but not too much.  When we do spelling, the writing often gets in the way of what she knows, either by being illegible (usually due to laziness/frustration rather than lack of know-how) or by causing her to either skip letters or duplicate sections of words.  I find myself in a bit of a conundrum.  She knows how to spell advanced words, but she's not ready for advanced spelling methods.  I know the motor skills needed for lots of writing will come because she does a lot of writing and drawing in her free time.  In the mean time, we're doing all our spelling words orally.  When she misses a word (ranging from 0-3 a week), we do some visualization exercises which seems to work really well for her.  I ask her to close her eyes and visualize the word "on the paper in your mind."  Then I spell the word for her and she "sees" it in her mind.  She does amazingly well this way and can usually correctly spell the words she has missed any time I ask her in the future.  Obviously this method is not going to work for everyone. Miss M seems to be hardwired to understand spelling and reading without much outside input.  It's up to me to meet her where she's at and give her something that is challenging but not frustrating. I'm constantly having to re-evaluate what we're doing and not get stuck into a rut of what is "expected" or the "usual" way of doing things.

We hit up the library and got a bunch of new books.  One that Miss M picked out is a joke book.  We all laughed at this joke about banks:

Why is it so hard to keep a secret in the bank?  Because there are so many tellers.

It snowed again this week.  In May.  In Missouri.  Some areas around us broke 106 year records!  I felt so bad for the poor hummingbirds out trying their best to stay warm!  Perhaps it at least killed off the ticks that didn't seem to be bothered by last year's drought?

A poor Ruby-Throated Hummingbird visiting my feeder while it snows.

To raise our spirits during the resurgence of winter weather, I gave the kids fresh new haircuts!  Hubby cuts his own hair, so here are my three darlings all fresh and clean-cut!

Miss M, Hubby, and Little Guy all sporting new haircuts.

 We spent some time out this weekend when it was slightly warmer and Miss M finally succeeded in catching a small butterfly!  She's been intent on catching one since last year, but they don't usually hold still long enough for her to even get close.  She was so excited to catch this one, but didn't want it to get away, so she wouldn't open her hands enough for me to get a decent picture (thus no chance for identification).  Maybe next time. :-)

After commenting that she could feel it fluttering in her hands, she decided it would be kindest to let it go so it could get back to the work of finding nectar and laying eggs.  Good choice, Miss M!

We're very excited to begin our study of the states next week!

Review: Saving Memories Forever

Technology has been advancing at a fantastic rate. My dad likes to tell about how he and his brothers were convinced there'd by flying cars by the time they were adults. He jokes that he's been gypped and he wants his flying car!

Those little stories our parents and grandparents tell say a lot about them and their lives.  They're familiar and fun to hear.  I can just picture my dad, a freckled red-headed boy with his nose deep in a Tom Swift novel dreaming of flying cars.  There are other stories told in our families too, important stories about how we became who we are.  And with the Saving Memories Forever app, these stories can be recorded in the storyteller's own voice.

Saving Memories Forever is the brainchild of Jane and Harvey Baker who, after putting together a complete tree of their family, discovered there was a void that could not be filled by a mere knowledge of who married whom and who was the child of whom.  They had no sense of who their ancestors really were.  What were their favorite childhood memories? What dreams did they have as youths? If they were sitting with us today, what song would they sing?

So technophile Harvey developed a way for people to use modern technology to record and share family memories. If you have a smartphone or tablet, you have a recording studio in your hand.  Anywhere you are, you can record!

How it works

In order to use Saving Memories Forever, you must first register as a New User. You can do this by accessing the website at www.SavingMemoriesForever.com (click the Sign Up button in the top-right corner) or via your smartphone by downloading the free Saving Memories Forever app.

Once you are registered, there are two ways to record, save, and share family stories.  The best method is by allowing your iPhone or Android app to guide you through the recording process.  You can set up a Storyteller within moments and be presented with a list of engaging interview questions that can help get the stories flowing.  When you've finished recording, tap the Upload button and the story will immediately be uploaded to the Saving Memories Forever server.  The website is private and only those you've invited can listen to the stories you record.

The second method involves recording mp3 files from your computer and uploading them manually to the website.  This method is workable, but a lot more cumbersome.  There are several online guides and manuals that will help you if you get stuck. 

Regardless of which method you use to record and upload stories, you can then log into the Saving Memories Forever website to manage and share your stories.

Pricing and options

If you wish to use Saving Memories Forever, you can do so for free or you can pay a monthly fee of $3.99 (or $40 a year).  The premium subscription gives you access to some fun extras including an unlimited number of story tellers and story listeners, and the ability to attach photos and text documents to the stories.  The most exciting difference between the free and paid subscriptions, however, is the ability to use key words to tag and subsequently search for your stories.  This would be immensely useful if you were recording and cataloging a large number of stories.  Go here to see in more detail the differences between the two types of subscriptions.

How I used it

Now, since I do not have a smartphone or a tablet I was forced to rely on method two to use this program.  And frankly, I don't recommend it.  Don't get me wrong, it works. But it is not particularly streamlined compared to the app.  In fact, I was ready to dismiss the whole thing as too much hassle until one day my mom came for a visit and brought her iPad.

With her permission I installed the free app and logged in. Within minutes we were recording the story of her "pet" chicken Chirp-Chirp, who wasn't a pet at all and eventually became the family dinner.  When the story was done, all it took was a tap on the screen and the whole thing was uploaded in an instant.  Now this was something to get excited about!  I could picture a family gathering with everyone sitting around the table gabbing and swapping tales.  It'd be a simple thing to set up a smartphone or tablet in a central location and record all the fun narratives.  The playback from the iPad at least was crystal clear (I was very impressed)!

My thoughts

• I'm not sure how some of my older relatives would react to this newfangled business.  My grandma has never liked the phone. She's told me before that they went without a phone for years and then when they did get one, the cost of long distance calling was so high that it was only used for emergencies. To this day she associates the ring of the telephone with bad news.  I'm quite certain she would not like to be "interviewed" and recorded.  She might not mind a less invasive method like the around-the-table scenario I mentioned above.
• I love stories. I love to hear about people's lives. I believe our stories are important.  I also believe people want their stories to be heard. I think that's part of what makes social networks so popular -- it gives people a platform to share their stories with people who care.  I could see Saving Memories Forever being used almost like a video log (vlog) to record a person's own thoughts and memories about people and events in the past, or even current events happening now.
• If you don't have a smartphone or tablet, the usefulness of this program diminishes greatly.  If you have a cell phone (that's not a smartphone) that has a recorder that uses mp3 format, it would be much easier to use than my cell phone that records audio files in a much more obscure file format.
• Saving Memories Forever has partnered with The American Widow Project, a non-profit organization that provides military widows with peer-to-peer support, but I could see this app being used by all kinds of families who are separated by great distances whether because of the military or business or any number of reasons.
• Many people are really into genealogical research, I'm not one of them, but if you are, I highly recommend Saving Memories Forever!

Check out my honesty policy.

Adventures in U.S. History Week 10

This week was probably our funnest week yet!  We learned about Paul Revere (and made a tricorn hat!), made a quill pen and berry ink, and took school outside for some nature sketching.

Little Guy being tough enough to fight the British in his tricorn hat.

We learned that Jesus is the Living Water and added to our Jesus bulletin board.

We had a couple gorgeous days before the rain and gloom set in, so Miss M took her book basket outside.

We learned about the Declaration of Independence this week, so we made a quill pen and some ink from black berries.  To make the ink, you take a half cup of berries (we used frozen blackberries, thawed) and mash them thoroughly.  Then pour it through a strainer discarding the pulp and seeds and retaining the juice.  Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Whatever isn't used must be stored in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator.

Smashing berries for ink.

I watched a couple videos on YouTube to learn how to cut a quill pen from a feather (purchased from Hobby Lobby).  It worked out surprisingly well!  I ended up using a box cutter and not the paring knife pictured.

Cut a feather into a quill.

Miss M practiced a bit and then signed her name just like the signers of the Declaration of Independence did!

Writing with a quill and ink.

Science and art met as we went outside to do some nature study.  We each picked a tree to draw and plan to draw that same tree again once during each of the four seasons.  

I have never done anything like this before and am no artist, but I really enjoyed sketching an elm tree with colored pencils and adding the leaves with watercolor paints afterwards.  Even mamas can learn something new and attempt to develop new skills, right?

American Elm, spring 2013, Missouri.

Miss M's dictation this week came from a funny poem from the book When the Aardvark Parked on the Ark by Calvin Miller. (affiliate link)  She's not getting better at listening and remembering the dictation yet, but she has become more patient with the entire process, getting less frustrated when she doesn't know what comes next, so I see that as progress!

We took ever opportunity to be outside that we could, especially on the nice days!

Lunch outside on a sunny, but still cool day.

We're looking forward to another awesome week of Adventures in U.S. History!!

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Our adventures from previous weeks:

Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9