My Blessed Mess

Make Bible History Come to Life with Drive Thru History® “Acts to Revelation”

03.18.2019 by myblessedmess // Leave a Comment

I remember the first time I ever watched an episode of Drive Thru History® on our local Christian station - I was instantly hooked! I knew my kids - especially Joey (10 years old) - would really enjoy reviewing the Drive Thru History® “Acts to Revelation” DVD set. We watched two episodes the day it arrived and I wasn't disappointed!

From the Drive Thru History® website:

Drive Thru History with Dave Stotts® is a fun, fast-paced, content-rich history show that speeds through ancient civilizations, the Holy Land, and the founding of America, allowing the viewer to experience the people, places, and events that shaped our world and the Christian faith.
https://www.drivethruhistory.com/about/

Dave Stotts, the host of Drive Thru History®, really pulls you in as he travels to various geographical locations where important Biblical and historical events happened. Throughout each episode, he helps make the events more real to the viewer as he treks along ancient travel routes, exploring the places and people talked about in the Bible. But it's not all serious, all the time. There are definitely enjoyable comedic moments in each episode as well!

Exploring Homeschool Art with ARTistic Pursuits K-3 Curriculum

03.17.2019 by myblessedmess // Leave a Comment

Art is one of those subject areas I really struggle with incorporating into our homeschool routine. When I found out I had the opportunity to review K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8 homeschool art curriculum from ARTistic Pursuits Inc. I was super excited! We had some familiarity with ARTistic Pursuits from years ago when I purchased volume 1 for my now teenage children to use. They have since revamped the entire program.

The ARTistic Pursuits K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8 program is a complete 4 year homeschool art program designed to be completed one volume each semester with one lesson scheduled per week. Volume 1 is meant to be the first book completed, teaching art appreciation, beginning art techniques, and vocabulary. The following 7 volumes each focus on a specific historical period and complement your history studies. These last 7 volumes can be completed in any order to coincide with your study. Each volume focuses on specific techniques and art common to that time period. The complete program includes:

Vol. 1 Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary
Vol. 2 Art of the Ancients
Vol. 3 Art of the Middle Ages
Vol. 4 Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance
Vol. 5 Art of the Northern Countries, Renaissance to Realism
Vol. 6 Art of the Impressionists
Vol. 7 Art of the Modern Age
Vol. 8 Art in America

The new volumes are meant to replace the previous 2013 versions and include a DVD/Blu-ray component with video lessons. This addition makes it so much easier for a parent who is less “artistically inclined” to provide her children with proper homeschool art instruction. Yes, I am speaking here from experience!

Setting your Student up for Success with Victus Study Skills System

03.06.2019 by myblessedmess // 1 Comment

One of my top goals for my children is to teach them HOW to learn, rather than just fill them up with knowledge and facts. For this review I was sent a full set, covering grades K through college age, of the Victus Study Skills System to take for a test run. We were able to use the Elementary and Middle/High School levels. This is the first system of its kind I have ever come across in my fifteen years of homeschooling! I am excited to share with you why I was so impressed with this curriculum, what we loved about it, and what we didn't like.

What is the Victus Study Skills System?

This program teaches a systematic approach to study, not only introducing concepts, but also a way of thinking to your students. We all encourage our students to work hard and study so they will be successful learners, but what does that actually look like? I personally wasn't taught HOW to study when I was a student, and I would bet that you weren't either! This system remedies that problem and does an excellent job of equipping your child to study efficiently and effectively. Some of the topics covered are:

Learning styles/strengths
Goal setting
Time Management
Organization
Study environment
PQRST method
Listening skills
Note taking
Test prep

Recommended Books for the Homeschool Mom (or the Mom thinking about it)

03.01.2019 by myblessedmess // Leave a Comment

Nine years ago I was faced with a huge life change - my husband was finishing up his Army training and we had received orders for Ft. Lewis in Washington state. My way of coping with changes is to research, research, research and prepare. Upon reading the homeschool laws for our soon-to-be new home, I realized I had some work to do in order to continue to homeschool there. I was required to take a “state approved homeschooling course” since I did not have a college degree.

So I began preparing months ahead of time as I knew this was something that would take some time. An in-person full day course wasn’t possible as there was so much up in the air and I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. I found an online, independent study course that met the criteria and applied.

Little did I know how much I would learn and grow as a result of reading through and studying some of the required materials! I honestly feel like most parents would benefit immensely by reading some of these selections in the beginning of their homeschool journeys. So I’ve decided to share some of my favorite books for the homeschool mom , here we go!

Instilling a Love of Math with Dimensions Math KA – Crew Review

02.28.2019 by myblessedmess // Leave a Comment

Finding a good math program in the beginning years is not always an easy task! Setting a strong foundation is so important, but you also want your child to enjoy the process - which can be super challenging. There are SO MANY options available to homeschooling families, and we have tried our fair share through the years. For whatever reason, we had never used any Singapore Math Inc. curriculum, though I’ve always heard great things. So you can imagine how pumped we were about the opportunity review the KA level of their newest program - Dimensions Math PK-5!

What is Dimensions Math PK-5?

Dimensions is an updated, more teacher-friendly version of the original methods used in the Singapore math approach. It is still a more advanced and rigorous program than most math curriculum. The teacher's guides are full-color and include copies of the student pages, as well as plenty of instructional helps and suggestions for activities to teach and practice concepts. The materials are written for both classroom and homeschool use.