Time4Learning

What is Time4Learning:
An online educational curriculum for home school students or for added enrichment for students in classrooms.

 The highschool curriculum correlates to state standards and is organized into courses that cover the subjects of language arts, math, social studies and science, plus two electives. Courses are parent-supervised, student-paced, and designed to help students achieve college and career readiness.

A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to use Time4Learning in our homeschool.  As a mom of a 9th grader I thought that would give me a perfect opportunity to try out some new curriculum and see how it would fit in our school time.  For a low monthly price  your highschooler will be able to take 4 courses.  Since we had already started our homeschool year I thought it would be interesting to try a few subjects.  Our first week we tried Algebra, US History, Economics and Health.  We decided to drop Economics after our first week since she was already taking an Economics course at the co-op.  For the rest of the month we continued on with Algebra, US History, Health and then we added Biology.

My daughter enjoyed her time using Time4Learning and I am sure that we will continue on for the rest of the school year.  It made my planning time so much easier and I am looking forward to continuing on with this program.  

The only two cons I can think of is I would like the opportunity for my daughter to be able to go back and take a test again if she misses a lot.  And other people have told me that you need to make sure that you keep your own records and not depend on Time4Learning to keep your records.  That is not a problem for me as I do keep my own records.

If you are thinking about trying time4learning, just go to their website and sign up for one month.  You don't have to make a long term commitment and the price is great!  
www.time4learning.com

 
 This opinion is entirely my own and I am not an employee of Time4Learning,  but I was compensated for my time.
 




 

Flake Pie Crust

4 cups flour

1 3/4 cup shortening, lard, or coconut oil

1 Tblsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 Tblsp. Apple Cider Vinegar (You can use white vinegar, but I prefer apple cider in baking)

1 egg

1/2 cup cold water

Mix flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in shortening, lard, or coconut oil

Add liquids and then chill for at least 15 minutes.  Take out dough and divide into four equal balls.  Dough can be frozen to use later.  Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

If you’re not baking today, take unbaked dough ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Toss in freezer. When ready to use, thaw in fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours. Lightly flour surface, flatten dough ball with hand, and then roll to desired thinness.

 

Church Bulletin Board

Planning High School Part 2

Well, yesterday was finally the day to get some of my plans down on paper or should I say computer.  Last year I discovered homeschool tracker.  I have opted to use the free version of homeschool tracker and so far it does everything I need it to do.

On their website this is what they say about the basic homeschool tracker:

• Basic Edition Never Expires
• Upgrade to PLUS at any time
• Easy Setup
• Track Attendance and Hours
• Manage, Copy and Reschedule Assignments
• Track Resources
• Generate Reports

I love how easy it was to set up and after you have put in the books you will be using for each subject and determined your school year it is really very easy and quick to plan out for each week.  I also like the fact that I can print off the assignment sheets for each week.  Every Saturday I check to see if I need to add anything to the lesson plans for the next week and then I print off the assignment sheets.  Abbie will put this in the front of  her notebook and then everyday check off her assignments.  I will then take the assignment sheet to the computer and after I have graded all of her work I will put all of this into homeschool tracker.  It is easy to generate reports and also keep up with her attendance record.

I-Pod Arm Band

 I discovered Pinterest and I found the best thing that I can't wait to try.  Here's the link to the amazing design to hold my i-pod while I jog.  I-Pod Armband

Planning High School Part I

In just a few short weeks our youngest daughter will begin high school!  Okay, first of all I have to say where did the time go????  And then after I have a small little breakdown I have to sit down and start planning 9th grade.   Back in April I joined The Homeschool Magazine and let me say that was one of the best decisions I ever made!  I was able to download a planner for the high school years which looks like it will be great and very user friendly!

 I also have access to so many e-books from The Homeschool Magazine website which have proved very helpful.  I had actually signed up to receive a tote bag as my free gift when I joined The Homeschool Magazine but they were out of stock and they graciously offered to let me have all of the e-books in their library as a gift instead.  It took me just a little bit of time to figure out how to download the e-books from my computer and put them on my Nook Tablet but it really wasn't that hard and if you want to know how just leave me a message and I'll write a post on that.

The Homeschool Magazine also has lots of different teacher led courses ranging from sewing to Hebrew to geography and many many more.  I can't wait to utilize many of these classes during the next year.

I have only scratched the surface of what The Old Homeschool Magazine website has to offer.  But I do know that joining this year has been one of the best decisions I have made so far in our high school journey.

Please stay tuned to my next post on how I planned 9th grade.

Getting Started With Spanish by William Linney and Antonio Orta

We are almost finished using this wonderful Spanish curriculum called Getting Started With Spanish by William Linney and Antonia Orta.  After ordering the book you can go to their website and download the audible MP3 files which will enable you to be able to listen to a native speaker so you are able to use the correct pronunciation for each word.  The book consists of 177 short lessons which make it great to use during one year in your homeschool.  In the back of the book you have the answer keys for each school day as well as a pronunciation guide and a glossary.  Every day Abbie would learn the new word or words for the lesson and complete the exercise questions for the lesson.  The lessons were easy to implement as they averaged about thirty minutes time for each lesson.  I highly recommend this book for beginning Spanish lessons.

9th grade school plans

Wow, the time has flown by!  I can't believe that Abbie will be in the 9th grade next year.

I have been trying to plan for next year and here is a tentative schedule:

Literature............                                                 1 credit
English..............                                                  1 credit
History.............                                                  1 credit
Math ..............                                                    1 credit
Science.............                                                   1 credit
Foreign Language (Spanish)............                      1 credit
Elective: Art                     ...............                      1 credit

Elective Bible ..........                                         1 credit

Elective Computer Science ..................................... 1 credit
 Codecademy             

Total credits.................................................... 9 credits

Course Description:

Literature:   Here is a list of the literature books we will be using this year:
                 

• The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
• Narrative of the Life of David Crockett (David Crockett)
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Frederick Douglass)
• Uncle Tom's Cabin (Harriet Beecher Stowe)
• Co. Aytch (Sam Watkins)
• Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
• Humorous Stories and Sketches (Mark Twain)
• In His Steps (Charles Sheldon)
• Up From Slavery (Booker T. Washington)
• Mama's Bank Account (Kathryn Forbes)
• Christy (Catherine Marshall)
• To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
• The Giver (Lois Lowry)  

Text:  Exploring America History, Literature, and Faith by Ray Notgrass

English   

Daily lessons provide students with a firm grasp on the basics of grammar: capitalization, punctuation, grammar and sentence combining (with an emphasis on expository writing) are all covered. Designed as an introduction to the important concepts students will need to know, Easy Grammar not only introduces new topics, but teaches them throughout the course. Using the same building-block approach as other Easy Grammar books, students will build upon their knowledge in only 10 minute increments, leaving ample time for literature, writing, and other important high school coursework.  Topics covered include the differences between an independent clauses and dependent clauses; about fragments, sentences, and run-ons; and the structure of compound and complex sentences.
Text:   Easy Grammar Ultimate Series:  180 Daily Teaching

History 
The curriculum presents history from the perspective of faith in God and respect for His Word.  This study will begin with Columbus and will finish with current events.
Text:  Exploring America History, Literature, and Faith by Ray Notgrass

Math

Science 
Exploring Creation with Biology is a college-prep biology course that provides a detailed introduction to the methods and concepts of general biology. With a strong emphasis on the vocabulary of biology, the course provides the student with a strong background in the scientific method, the five-kingdom classification scheme, microscopy, biochemistry, cellular biology, molecular and Mendelian genetics, evolution, dissection, and ecosystems.
 Exploring Creation with Biology  by Jay Wile 

Spanish   
We plan on using this site for our Spanish this year:  Spanish 1

Electives:  

Art:   Manga Drawing.  This course will provide an opportunity to learn about the history of manga drawing and actually creating some manga  art. This course expands drawing skills including but not limited to focus on facial expressions, human figures, and hair, eye, ear and hand details. Design techniques to include character development and creative costumes. Also covers scriptwriting, visual storytelling, and presentation.
Text:  Manga for the Beginner by Christopher Hart.

Bible:    A comprehensive curriculum that will study the issues in American Christianity.
Text:  The Bible and also Exploring American History by Ray Notgrass

Computer Science:   We will be using this website for our computer sciencecourse.   This curriculum will cover HTML, CSS and the basis of the Java Script.   During the year several websites will be built with HTML and style them with CSS.  The final lesson will consist of making a small game in Javascript.

Chili

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped 

1 bell pepper, chopped  

1 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes  

4 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce 

1 (14 ounce) cans ranch style beans  

1 (14 ounce) cans pinto beans 

1 (14 ounce) cans kidney beans  

1 (10 ounce) cans Rotel diced tomatoes 

1 (1 1/4 ounce) packages McCormick mild chili seasoning  

2 lbs ground chuck

Directions

Brown Ground Chuck. Add all canned items, including juice, into large pot. 

Cook until onion and pepper are tender.  Freezes nicely! 

I made this chili today and it reminds of the chili that you can get at Wendy's. 

Onion Straws

• 1 whole Large Onion
• 2 cups Buttermilk
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 Tablespoon (scant) Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• 1 quart (to 2 Quarts) Canola Oil
• Black Pepper To Taste

Slice onion very thin. Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk and soak for at least an hour.
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
Heat oil to 375 degrees.
Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and fry in  hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown.


These are so good!!!!

Living up to our Potential

                                            

As a follower of  Jesus I want to try and live up to my potential for Jesus.  But how can I do that?   If we lose sight of what God wants us to become then we can become discouraged or depressed.  Sometimes we may feel inadequate or unprepared for what God would have us do.  How many times have I thought that I just can't do what He wants me to do.  When I feel like that I need to turn to Him and to His word and draw closer to Him.
Sometimes we may become complacent or just settle for the life that we are living and not striving to do more and more for God.  We need to try and see ourselves the way that God sees us and if you are like me, that is very hard to do.  When I think about that if  I was the only person that sinned that God would have still died on the cross for my sins I become overwhelmed.  I feel like I am such an insignificant person but God sees me as someone worthy of His love.  To me that is just amazing.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:24 we read: "The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."  If God is calling us to do something He will give us the ability to do what He is calling us to do.

An encouraging Bible verse for me is:

Isaiah 40:28-31

New International Version (NIV)

²⁸ Do you not know?    Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God,     the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary,  and his understanding no one can fathom.  ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary  and increases the power of the weak.  ³⁰   Even youths grow tired and weary,  and young men stumble and fall;  ³¹ but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles;  they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

These verses tell me that God is always with me and will never leave me.  What a great feeling this is to know that He is always with me.  He is my strength and without Him I can not do anything.  I only have to remember to turn everything over to Him and He will give me strength to accomplish what He wants me to accomplish. 

Another verse I really like is:

Matthew 11:28-30

New International Version (NIV)

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
A lot of times we may get into a habit and just keep doing the same thing over and over and not realize that we are not living up to our potential.  I'm sure many of you have heard the story where a little baby eagle fell out of her nest and a farmer found the baby eagle and put her in with their chickens.  As the baby eagle grew she believed that she was a chicken and would go around in the yard pecking with the other chickens.  She never tried to fly even though God had made her with majestic wings in which to fly.  One day a neighbor came by and saw the eagle out pecking in the yard with the chickens.  The neighbor told the eagle that she was an eagle and not a chicken but the eagle continued pecking away on the ground to find more bugs.   Later the neighbor came by and picked up the eagle and carried her to a tall mountain where he proceeded to throw the eagle over the mountain.  As the eagle was falling down to the ground all of a sudden she started flapping her wings and she flew away safely.  How many times are we like the eagle?  We are so comfortable with our life as we know it that we are not doing what God would have us do, we are not living up to our potential.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Doughnuts

DOUGHNUTS



3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp boiling water
1 tsp dry active yeast
8 oz all purpose flour (a little under 2 cups - I recommend you measure and weigh. See my note above)
1 1/2 oz sugar (about 3 tablespoons)
1 egg
1 oz butter, cold to room temperature (just don't melt it, okay?)
dash of salt


Enough oil to cover the bottom few inches of a wok, or a deep fryer.


Directions:
In a large measuring jug, combine the milk and boiling water. Add a teaspoon of the sugar and the yeast. Stir it gently, then leave it in a warm place for the yeast to activate (aka foam).

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, the rest of the sugar, and the salt. Cut in the butter using your fingers or a pastry blender, until it resembles crumbs.

Add the egg (give it a quick beat) and yeast mixture to the flour mix, and mix into a smooth dough. This usually takes about 5 minutes of mixing.


Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured counter and knead for about 5 to 10 minutes—it should feel springy and little bubbles should form under the surface. Place it back in the bowl, cover with a cloth or plastic wrap, and let rise for about an hour until double in size.

Once risen, place the dough onto the counter and cut it into 4 pieces. One piece at a time, stretch it into a long rope about an inch to an inch and a half wide. Cut strips about an inch long, ball em up with your hands, and place them on a baking tray or wire rack to wait.

Cover the doughnuts holes with a cloth to rise while you heat the oil to 375F.

Place the doughnuts into the oil and fry until golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes. Be sure to fry only a few at a time so they don’t overcrowd and stick together.

Drain on a paper towel or wire rack over a cloth, before glazing them. Be sure to glaze them warm, or else they won’t get that delicious coverage!

Corn Nuggets

Corn Nuggets

Ingredients:

1 (11 ounce) can creamed corn
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg white
2 tablespoons milk
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions

In a medium bowl, stir together the creamed corn and drained whole kernel corn. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Drop spoonfuls of the corn mixture onto the sheet, and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

Heat one inch of oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a large deep skillet, or fill a deep-fryer with oil as directed by the manufacturer.

Mix together the cornmeal, flour, egg white, milk, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Dip frozen corn nuggets in the batter, and quickly fry in hot oil until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain.

Cheese Crackers

Cheese Crackers

• 1 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoon(s) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (I used salted butter, but didn’t add any salt afterward)
• 8 ounce(s) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (around 2 cups). Note: you can experiment with other cheeses. Some people have tried this and loved the results!
• 3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder (note: this is optional since it isn’t part of the original recipe, but I decided to add anyway since I used it)
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground pepper

Directions

1. Pulse the flour,onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper together using a food processor.
2. Add the butter and cheese, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Pulse in 3 to 4 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and only enough so that the dough forms a ball and rides the blade. Remove, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes (I put it in the freezer for 20 minutes and in the fridge for 10) or up to 24 hours.
4. Bake the crackers: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside. Roll the dough out to 1/8th-inch thickness, using flour if necessary to prevent stickiness. Cut out as many crackers as possible.
5. To add character to the fish: break off an end from a side of a toothpick so it is blunt. Use that point to make the goldfish eyes. To make the smile, lay the toothpick down on its side, press, and drag. If you try to use the toothpick point, it will ruin the smile.
6. Optional: Refrigerate for another 15 minutes or so to make sure they won’t spread.
7. Place them on the prepared baking pans. Bake until golden and crisp (13-18 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Knitting

Winter

Today has been the coldest day so far this year.  It has stayed in the 20's all day!  The picture above was taken this morning.  It looks so cool the way the water has frozen.