by Erica Johns | May 7, 2019 | Facebook Party
One of my golden favorites from over 20 years of homeschooling my six kids is CalcuLadder. This program has been a longtime staple for quick and easy math drills for all ages at our house.
I absolutely love the ease of use, how fast and simple it is to implement, and that it’s fun for the kids.
I am very excited that my friends at School Made Simple decided to sponsor this giveaway, freebie, and special offer for you!
CalcuLadder Math Drills turn finger-counters into number-crunchers! Having won over 30 math awards, CalcuLadder is the GOLD standard for math drills. Their systematic, pleasant approach to math drills is effective and enjoyable. I am thrilled to be able to share about this gem with a new generation of homeschoolers.
Freebie for all:
Get a Free Sample Pack of CalcuLadder, ReadyWriter, and AlphaBetter here! Even if you have gotten the sample pak before, you will want this new one, as it has been recently updated with different drill levels! It’s a great opportunity to try out ReadyWriter, AlphaBetter, SanctiFinder, and CalcuLadder drills with your kids.
by Erica Johns | May 7, 2019 | Facebook Party
If you’re looking for online Suzuki music lessons for piano or violin, you are going to love Practice Monkeys! These live, online music classes provide the professional support and expertise of a trained Suzuki teacher, while eliminating the need for travel time to and from in-person classes. And at just $49 per month for your entire family, it’s much more affordable than traditional music lessons!
1 Winner will receive: One month of classes free + one free one-on-one Assessment Lesson from Practice Monkeys! Winner will be chosen May 23, 2019.
Practice Monkeys is also offering a special for all of you where you can get your first month of lessons for only a dollar!! Click here to take them up on this awesome deal.
Practice Monkeys has been kind enough to sponsor this giveaway, and by entering, you’re agreeing to allow your email address to be shared with them so they can reach out to you with more information about their programs. Enter to win below!
GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Winner is Abigail F.
by Erica Johns | May 7, 2019 | Dyslexia, Facebook Party
This is a sponsored post and giveaway from Wings to Soar Online Academy. To read my review of director Beth Ellen Nash’s book Dyslexia Outside-the-Box, click here.
You want what’s best for your child. And you’ve probably already tried a LOT of different curriculum to try to help them learn. You know that laying a solid academic foundation will open many doors for success for the rest of their lives. But you’re concerned…
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- Are you worried about your child who is struggling with reading, spelling, writing, or math?
- Are you at a loss for your next steps to help your child become a confident reader?
- Are you afraid your child will never catch up?
- Is your child ashamed of being so far behind?
- Are you worried that your “late-bloomer” actually needs intervention?
But you’re overwhelmed with all the options you’re exploring to help. And so many of the intervention options are just SO expensive.
Perhaps you’ve tried a one-size-fits-all packaged curriculum for the security of knowing you had all your bases covered and learned that your child doesn’t fit inside that grade-level curriculum box. Most kids have a 3-5 year span of skills across the different academic areas within themselves. It is not uncommon for a 5th grader to be on target in reading comprehension, two or three levels above in oral vocabulary, a little ahead in math, a year or two behind in writing, and perhaps even further behind in spelling.
Is your current academic program too dependent on Mom? And your child is craving independence. Plus, there is just too much on your plate and sometimes the academics slide when your curriculum requires too much of Mom’s time.
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- Our Wings to Soar Online Academy curriculum specialist has evaluated hundreds of print-based curriculum and over 120 online programs and selected 27 online programs that she feels are best at the function they each serve. Lean into our curriculum expertise and experience guiding hundreds of outside-the-box learners. Our weekly usage reports and more detailed quarterly progress reports will also help you keep on top of how your child is doing. And our weekly check-in accountability provides you the opportunity to reflect on how the week has gone and plan one practical thing you can do to make next week even better. You are NOT ALONE on your homeschooling journey when you work with Wings to Soar.
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- Starting with our free Just-Right Level™ Assessments, our team helps you put together a Path to Success™ Personalized Learning Plan in the combination of these online programs that is right for your child. We’ve done the heavy research to choose quality programs that will adapt to your child as they progress. The placement assessments will help them start at their own Just-Right Level™ in each skill strand. And you can trial your child’s personalized work plan for a week or two to make sure it’s a good fit before committing.
- You don’t have to do this alone! Wings to Soar Online Academy partners with homeschooling parents to empower your outside-the-box learner to gain the skills, independence, confidence to not just survive, but thrive in school and in life.
Enter the Giveaway: Giveaway is now closed. Winner is Krista C.
This giveaway includes one-year access to a Personalized Learning Online Package for one student, which includes their needed combination of these programs, plus support and guidance from Wings to Soar Online Academy:
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- Moby Max (includes practice and gap filling for all K-8th subjects),
- RAZ Plus K-6th online audio supported library,
- Science A-Z (K-6th)
- Headsprout Reading,
- Dyslexia Gold (includes Fluency Builder, Spelling Tutor, and Engaging Eyes).
Purchased separately these programs would cost over $843, and that’s before you add the value of our usage reports, progress reports, email support, and weekly accountability. WOW!
*By entering this giveaway you are agreeing to have your email address shared with the sponsor, Wings to Soar.* Giveaway ends on May 23, 2019 at 12:01am PST.
Get these Freebies
Wings to Soar Online Academy founder and intervention specialist, Beth Ellen Nash, wanted everyone who entered the giveaway to get something, so she is offering free audios of any or all of her ten workshops to all entrants. Fill out this quick form to let us know which audios you would like.
Audio workshops include:
by Erica Johns | Mar 16, 2019 | Art, Freebies
If you have done art with kids at all, whether it be to a group, or to your own kids for homeschool art, or just as a fun activity, watercolors are something you have probably done more than once. Kids learn to use them at a very young age and because of the way they are packaged, all neat and dry in their own little containers, they make it easy to transport and use other places, too. You just need some watercolor paper, water and a brush, and you’ve got something fun to do.
For this project, the only other thing you need is a white crayon!
Watercolor resist is a technique where you draw a fairly simple design on your paper first, and the wax from the crayon “resists” the water and paint pigment, creating a neat look that is a magical thing to watch, too, so kids really enjoy it.
For this specific artwork, I was thinking for a rainy day activity, or during the summer when it can tend to be umbrella season, but truly, it is good for anytime. Amazon affiliate links have been used for some of the recommended supplies.
What you will need:
Watercolor paper: Yes, it really does make a difference to have the right paper. Regular paper gets soggy, rips and tears, and crinkles up when drying. Watercolor paper will give a much better outcome. One or two sheets per child.
Watercolor paints: I love this set for the vibrant colors, good coverage, and quality. SO much better than cheapie sets.
Brushes: A medium to large brush and a small brush for each child. I recommend this set of brushes because of the amount, variety of sizes, and quality.
White crayon – 1 per child
Cup of water and paper towels for each child
Hand wipes or a damp washcloth
Directions:
- Drawing the design: First thing, depending on the age of the kids, you may want to pre-draw the outline of the umbrella design for them with the white crayon. For kids maybe 3rd grade and under, this helps them get to experience the “magic” of seeing the white outline pop through the paint.Middlers (like 3rd-5th grade) may enjoy doing it once with you pre-drawing, and then a second time on their own once they’ve learned the technique. For older kids who you feel can design their own artwork easily, give them the crayons first and allow them to draw their own and then paint it. You can give them the theme of rainy day – I gave them summer rain, or something like that and they all came up with neat weather related paintings. It doesn’t have to be an umbrella. 🙂
This is a very poorly done outline of what the white crayon design should be like on your paper. #humble
The crayon is a little hard to see when you begin, but if you tilt the paper in the light, it will reflect the light and it will be easier to see. Start out by drawing the umbrella top, since it is the most focal and large part of the painting, and go over the lines several times with the crayon. If you don’t make the lines nice and thick in crayon, it won’t resist the paint. Then, draw your handle and some rain drops in the same manner.
2. Painting: Now, give the kids the paints and brushes and water, and let them color in their umbrellas and skies. I told them to think “rainy day” or stormy type of skies, but I let them do it the way they wanted, and they all came out awesome.
If they are newer to watercolors, they may try to make the paints thick, the way they are used to seeing acrylics or other mediums, and if they go too thick, the water won’t repel off the wax, so try to explain to them that you want strong color, but you do need it to be wet and spread it around some, so the water shows through. I had a few who didn’t really grasp the concept and they painted it very thick, so hardly any white popped through. (They still painted beautiful pieces though!)
3. Drying: Once they are done with the watercolor paints, just allow them about 15 to 20 minutes to dry all the way.
Once you know how to make watercolor relief work, you can use it in lots of different ways!
by Erica Johns | Jan 28, 2019 | Mom to Mom
I was walking out of Kroger yesterday, and suddenly I was gripped by nostalgia. Years ago when my children were young, there was a little mechanical horse outside of our Kroger, and it only cost a penny to ride it! Well, needless to say, this was an absolute highlight for my kids each time we would go to the grocery store, because I would let each and every one of them ride that little red horse. Sometimes one by one, sometimes with a bigger kid hugging a younger sibling in front of them on the saddle, or two little buddies that wanted to ride together.
A simple thing, but I hadn’t thought of it in ages, and as the memory of that swept upon me through the cold winter air, tears came to my eyes as I thought of it. I texted each of my six kids and asked, “Remember when you kids were little and we’d stop on our way out of Kroger to ride the mechanical horse?” and each one from oldest to the youngest texted back, commenting on how fun that was and how much they loved it.
I tried to imagine myself as I must’ve been back in those days. Grocery shopping with a young brood of children, certainly 2, 3, 4, or more in tow each and every time. And certainly pregnant for many of those years as well. We often had two carts of groceries that we were bringing out, because I only shopped every two weeks, and it felt like a major event in both planning and energy and logistics!
I imagined the patience it must’ve taken to get us through the store, to field the many requests for items, to constantly keep in mind my very modest grocery budget, enduring my hurting back while largely pregnant, and anticipating the awaiting process of unloading and putting away at home.
It would’ve been easy to say no and keep on walking to the van, but that mom said yes. Yes to the penny horse. Yes to the smiles and laughter. Yes to the simple joy of a little ride for small children that were out on errands with their mommy.
I want to encourage you today to be a mom that says YES.
Yes to the penny horse.
Yes to bundling up the whole bunch of kids into winter gear to go sledding for 20 minutes, and then have them all turn around and come back in. (filling the back door with soggy mittens and boots and coats!)
Yes to hot cocoa.
Yes to one more chapter of the book they love.
Yes to making tents and eating popcorn and family movie nights.
Yes to playing board games and working puzzles at the kitchen table.
In fact, my wish would be for you to say YES to as many happy things as you can. Make it your default answer. Save your No’s for the times when it has to be that way. But be a Yes mom, as much as you can. Because when you look back at the years you spent with your kids during their childhood, you are going to love what you see, and so are they.
They get one childhood, and thanks to homeschooling, we get to be a huge part of that. Make it a good one.
Lots of love to you and yours,
Erica
