Today I am enjoying some really peaceful, beautiful music that I am pleased to be able to tell you about. Daniel Craig, homeschool graduate and former missionary kid, is an extremely talented vocalist. If you enjoy sacred music in a style similar to Josh Groban, you will appreciate this! I’m not particularly conservative in my musical tastes, and I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to Daniel’s beautiful vocals and inspiring orchestration to these hymns. There are many that are traditional, and some that have fresh new arrangements. All are really lovely and I think that other Christian families will enjoy his CD! It will also make a really nice Christmas gift.
Enter to Win THE END of MYSELF by Daniel Craig
We’re pleased to offer a giveaway of 5 copies of Daniel Craig’s new CD, The End of Myself (see below). Everyone who enters will automatically win FOUR FREE SONGS. Read on for some words from Daniel about his background and the development of his music.
ABOUT THE END OF MYSELF
I can still remember my earliest solos. We were missionaries in Russia, and I was knee-high to a grasshopper. Our family attended a Russian church where we were frequently asked to share our music on Sunday mornings. I always enjoyed those opportunities, except when it meant singing the one song in which Dad had assigned me a solo—in Russian.
Unfortunately for me, that was Dad’s go-to song. I’m not entirely sure if he chose it so often in spite of or because of my anxiety, but knowing Dad, the latter is a likely possibility.
Despite whatever emotional consternation I experienced because of those early solos, I’m so grateful that God gave me two wonderful parents, Neil & Mary Craig, who loved God, loved music, and taught me to love God with music.
The End of Myself is a carefully chosen collection of both old and new—but always deeply meaningful—songs, presented in fresh and inspiring settings, designed to edify God’s people and evoke fitting praise for an awesome and holy God.
God gave me my voice. He gave me parents and teachers who taught me to use it. And most importantly, He gave me the only good Reason to sing. That reason is summarized in the final line of The End of Myself, “In You there’s life at the end of myself!”
“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.”
Have you gotten into the adult coloring craze? 🙂 So many people are discovering how relaxing and fun it is to spend some time on a simple creative pursuit like coloring. I love it for older kids AND grown-ups. I think it’s especially great for something to do together while listening to classical music selections. Don’t you agree?
Today I’ve got some great coloring goodies for you to help you get started or keep you going.
First, I’ve got a FREE coloring book for you to download today! It’s called Lollipop Trees and it has some great, relaxing designs included. Simply click the image to download.
Click to download
Next, did you know that you can get FREE coloring pages each month from Color Monthly? It’s true!
Color Monthly will send you 5 free printable coloring pages each month, PLUS you can take advantage of additional offers if you choose to. Sign up is FREE!
Finally, I’ve put together a huge assortment of 100 coloring books for you to check out. These are perfect for a gift for yourself or for your loved ones! You are sure to find something that is a perfect fit for your interests.
I’ve been homeschooling my six children for most of the past 20 years, so it would be fair to say that we have used quite a few different math programs. With so many different issues and needs for each child and circumstance over the years, it’s only natural that one size hasn’t fit all.
A couple years ago some of my kids needed something different for their math, and after considering several options we decided to try CTCMath. The simplicity and affordability of it had a huge appeal. I was looking at needing 3-4 different math levels, which in every other program I was considering would have been $150-200 per child. CTC offers math for all levels from Kindergarten through Trigonometry, at one low price that covers the whole family! Boom! Yes! For one bargain price ALL of my kids could use CTC, and as they leveled up or needed to refresh their memories about a particular aspect of math that year, there was nothing else to buy. What a relief!
Not only that, but CTC does all the heavy lifting of TEACHING and GRADING! Oh yeah. No more sessions with me struggling to figure out how to explain a concept. No sirree. Instead, each lesson is taught via streaming video where you can hear the teacher and see how to work the math examples right in front of you, before working the math problems yourself and entering your answers into the CTC site. The system gives immediate feedback if their answers are right or wrong, which I really appreciate since it’s important for them to know right away if they aren’t understanding a concept. You can immediately take action to re-work a problem and make sure the student understands before going on.
I also loved it that my kids could access their CTCMath on their Kindle Fires. When we started with CTC they didn’t have laptops, and with 4 kids using the program, it wasn’t practical to all share the same computer. The options for accessibility are awesome. CTC will also work on your ipads and tablets. Very handy!
The family plan is set up to include 5 children in a family, but if you have more kids than that, you can easily contact CTC support and they will add more students to your account at no extra charge. So nice for large families, and what a blessing financially!
You can play a demo and watch a sample lesson here.
Diagnostic tests at the start of each unit help you and your child determine if they need to do that section or if they can safely bypass it and go on to the next. This was helpful for us, coming from a different math program. Since each math program seems to have its own order of doing things, it isn’t always straightforward to find where your child fits when switching to a different curricula. The diagnostic tests helped us avoid “gaps” AND repetition of concepts already mastered.
My son Isaac is using CTCMath again this year, and he really like the videos and the teacher. We have used some other video-based teaching programs before, but this one seems to make the most sense to him, and the teaching style is pleasant and engaging. Isaac is able to work through several lessons each day during his math time, and he seems happy doing so. The program corrects his work as he goes, so he’s able to work through anything he missed and see solutions if something went wrong.
One fun aspect of the program is that periodically my son reaches milestones in the program and we get an email congratulating him and telling him about his accomplishment. And each week I get a summary of the work that’s been done and what grades he has earned, so if I haven’t been paying super close attention, that’s my opportunity to get back on track and know what’s been happening with his math.
For children that are using other math programs, CTC can still come in handy. If they get stuck on a concept, we can pop over to CTC and let them watch the video lesson. Often this provides a different way to approach the problem, and that does the trick for helping them understand the concepts in a different way. So, CTC works well as a tutoring option as well!
CTCMath is currently offering an awesome deal for homeschool families. You can get 60% off their already very reasonable prices! This 12 month deal costs less than what I paid *per child* for our last math program, and this covers ALL of the kids in your household at ALL levels!!! And as if that wasn’t a compelling enough offer, they offer a 12-month money back guarantee! You can’t beat that!
I hope that learning a little more about CTCMath and our experience with it has been helpful to you. We have really appreciated it at our house.
Disclosure: CTCMath sponsored this post, but I paid for our CTCMath membership myself. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I first shared this with you in June 2015, but yippee! the organizers have brought back this sale for October 5 at 8am til October 7 at 8am Eastern time. Woot! I love second changes, don’t you?
*denotes affiliate links
Digital photography is getting increasingly popular, and the technology that is available today has really opened up the opportunities for beginners as well as those with more advanced skills! I know quite a few homeschool mom friends of mine that are also quite skilled at photography, some of whom have created businesses doing baby and family portraits, wedding photography, and more!
Another trend I’ve seen is student photography really growing by leaps and bounds. With the quality cameras built into smartphones today and the many filtering apps available all over the place, kids are churning out some really high-quality photography and wanting to learn more. It is not uncommon to see students creating businesses around their photography skills, as well. Web design, stock photo sites, graphic design, fine arts, portraiture, blogging, journalism, and social media are all popular, growing, legitimate ways to utilize photography and earn an income! Photography is also a powerful way to enjoy nature study, to experience art, and to tell a story. If your kids are already inclined toward photography, it is a wonderful interest to encourage and develop!
Several months ago I told you about The Ultimate Digital Photography Bundle* because I could see what a huge educational opportunity it offered for parents and students alike. I am excited to say that the sale organizers have decided to bring back this special deal for just a couple days! Whether you are total beginners, or at the intermediate or more advanced level, there is a lot included here that you can learn from the comfort of your own home. This curated collection of ebooks and video training guides have been provided by professional photographers that are also experts at teaching others. Even if you simply plan to use an iphone for your photos, you’ll be able to get a ton of value out of these resources!
*Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Welcome to the Enrichment Lifestyle Blog! I'm so glad you're here. :) I'm Erica Johns, and I love to encourage homeschool moms and help them enjoy more of the beauty of the arts in everyday life.
About me: I started my homeschooling journey in 1997 and graduated the last of my six children in 2021. Amidst all the hard work, crazy days, uncertainty, and lost pencils, what I think we really gained was the gift of a lifetime: TIME TOGETHER. So awesome! Click my pic to learn more.
