Google Earth ~ Great for Kindergarten!  

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We have been playing with Google Earth for about a year. I am so glad to see that profession teachers have caught on to it's benefits!


This is a handout from a Kindergarten Teachers Conference. You can download it for yourself or just refer back to my blog. 

Child Prodigy ~ Artist  

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My kids watched this and LOVED it. They are so excited to try it for themselves!

I am and artist but somehow the idea of this makes me a little nervous. But it does look fun.

Maybe one day... soon....we will see. I may just add lots of dish soap for easy clean up.

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/23hWMvSrZx8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>iframe>

Time 4 Learning Review  

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home education

Time 4 Learning is an online interactive education program for children (K-8th grade). There is so much Time 4 Learning has to offer I didn't even use it all! It is so comprehensive that you could use it as you comprehensive schooling (at home)! The parent can choose the appropriate level for each child and it keeps track of what they have done and how well the did. 

When I explained it to my husband, he thought it was a great idea! His actual words were, "That is great if they can learn, have fun, and it frees you up to do other things that need to be done." I personally think it would be good for the younger kids to do while mom home schools the older kids. But of course it would be a limited time per day.

We used this program as a supplement to our homeschool curriculum. It worked out well for 'quiet time' when the baby was sleeping and I could catch up on something else. Both children were excited to work at the computer and needed very little help with understanding how to play or what to do. The love the animated character that explains everything.

Pros:
I loved the idea that the kids can get on and they really can't wander out of where they need to be. My children, although they are 3 and 5 seem to find a way of clicking things that mom has to come 'unclick.' I like that you could adjust the level for a specific subject. My 5 year old found the kindergarten level to be too elementary for him. So I switched over to 1st grade level.
There is a parents page where you can view what each child has done. You can get into printable worksheets and more.
My 3 year old girl got such satisfaction from seeing a check mark ofter each 'game' she played. That certainly motivated her to complete lessons.

Cons:
Although I think quite highly of Time 4 Learning, I would not be able to afford $19.00/month unless it were our primary curriculum. And if it were I think it may be too much time at the computer and too little interaction with mom.
As a fun supplement to homeschool I think it is wonderful!

There really are many more features to Time4Learning that I haven't explained here, so be sure to visit the website and check it out for yourself!

Time4Learning  

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I have been hearing some positive things about Time4Learning computer program for kids. And recently, I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review!  Time4Learning can be used for homeschool, afterschool and summer skill sharpening. Be sure to come back and read about my experience.

In the meantime, Check them out!

Penguin Study ~ Winter  

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We made a cute penguin craft after googling 'preschool penguin craft.'


We talked about how the dad penguin is the one who stands over the egg for 2 months in the cold winds to keep the egg warm and he doesn't even eat that entire time! I explained how faithful the father is to do that just to keep his child alive much like our Father in heaven is faithful to watch over us!

We read
TACKY THE PENGUIN BOOKTACKY THE PENGUIN BOOK


Then we watched an adorable movie called The Adventures of Scamper the PenguinAdventures of Scamper the Penguin.
It is so cute and gives true facts about penguins. Then at the end of the movie you can select "Quiz" in main menu screen and the kids can read the questions and click the correct answer.

My kids did this about 5 times even though they are the same questions!

The movie is suspenseful but my 5 and 3 year old could handle it and one of them is pretty sensitive to 'scary' parts. I just told them 'it ends happy but the just have to find a way out of this situation.'

I would love to hear of any of you do this. We had lots of fun with it.