GIVEAWAY and Review!! Dolphin Tale 2 Homeschool Curriculum and Promo Pack

The movie Dolphin Tale 2 will come to theaters this weekend.  And guess what?!  Friday, September 12 is also Homeschool Day 2014!  I am very privileged to be able to review a homeschool curriculum designed to use right along with Dolphin Tale 2. 

I haven't seen this movie yet, of course, but I remember Dolphin Tale being a heart warming, family friendly movie that everyone could enjoy.  The sequel brings back several of the actors from the original film as well as a few new ones, including a cameo by Bethany Hamilton ("Soul Surfer").  I can't wait to see this with my kiddos and I'm especially excited to tell you about a free homeschool curriculum that you can use right along with the movie!

I had never heard of the site Homeschool Movie Club until tonight.  It's free to sign up and it gives you access to homeschooling materials that go right along with family friendly movies.  For the movie Dolphin Tale 2, there is a curriculum intro along with 5 lessons, all of which include a video from someone who works at the aquarium and a pdf file that you can print off that goes right along with the lesson.  There is also an answer key and....drumroll....Classical Conversations homeschool curriculum included a FREE packet that is over 60 pages long and includes connections to literature, math, science, history, geography, language, and Bible.  There is even a section for parents that has a place to put together a family presentation.  Just click on the link above and go to "free curriculum". You have to sign up and log in before you can view it.

So...what do I think about this curriculum?!  LOVE it!  The videos that go with each of the lessons are short and informative.  A good portion is a man talking, but there are video clips and graphics dispersed throughout.  I thought the videos were easy to understand and the information was presented well.  I believe that children as young as elementary age up through high school could learn something from the videos.  The printable pages that went along with the lessons were geared towards younger students, I would say up through 5th grade.  The printables were colorful, informative, and there was a variety of activities ranging from drawing to science.  I also liked the way that the lessons encouraged students who might have an interest in marine biology or would like to work in an aquarium.  The Classical Conversations material was just...amazing!  I am a little biased since we use this curriculum, but the graphics and lessons were eye catching and filled with information.  I liked the inclusion of the Bible in the study of dolphins.  There were also pages where your child could draw something, printable information cards, and a wide variety of information at your fingertips.  This would be a great week long...or more...unit study on dolphins.

It's rare to find good quality entertainment these days, and even though I haven't seen it yet, I believe that Dolphin Tale 2 will be great.  Here is a trailer:

Love it!!  Here are some more ways to check out Dolphin Tale 2:

Group Resource Website: http://www.homeschoolmovieclub.com/homeschool_day

Official Movie Website: http://www.dolphintale2.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dolphintalemovie

Twitter: @dolphintale

You don't have to be a homeschooling family to enjoy this resource.  And you definitely don't have to homeschool to enter my GIVEAWAY!!!  I'll be giving away a free Dolphin Tale 2 t-shirt and a pair of sunglasses to one commenter.  So just leave a comment on this blog post or on my facebook pages where I'll be posting, and you'll be entered to win.  I'll draw a winner on Wednesday, September 17th...one week from today!

So DON'T FORGET!!  Go see Dolphin Tale 2 starting this Friday, September 12th!

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Moving along in Cycle 3...Week 4...and a little Turkish bonus

Well, I'm starting this post around 10 pm...so I'll do my best to get as many resources on here as I can before I completely fall out! : )
I thought I would also include a few words/phrases that we learned in Turkish last week when we had a visitor at our house.  Our school week was skimpy but we had a big lesson in culture that we didn't expect!  I don't have the Turkish accents on my keyboard so I'll try my best to put the pronunciations on here the right way.

*Hello--merhaba (mare-ha-bah)
*Goodbye--gorusuruz (gore-ew-sha-rooz)
*Thank you--tesekkurler (te-shek-ew-lair)
*How are you?--nasilsin (na-seal-sin) if you want to make it plural or say it with respect/please, you can add "iz" to the end of the word
*What is your name?--senin a din ne? (se-nin  a  din  nay?--almost just the way it's written)
*My name is _________.---Benim a dim ________. (I think the pronunciation is about the way it sounds)
*Nice to meet you.---tanistigima memnun oldum (tan-ish-ti-/h/ima  mem-none----the /h/ is kind of like a breathy h sound---old um)

Again...I'm not 100% sure on those pronunciations, but that's about as good as I remember from one afternoon session : ).

Ok...on to Week 4!
History: The Declaration of Independence
*I'm sure there are TONS of resources on this...I'll try to post some of the best ones I can find...
*This blog post has some links to a good variety of activities
*Gotta love School House Rock
Liberty's Kids episode: The First Fourth of July
*A shared writing post about the Declaration
*Here is a page where you can magnify the Declaration...to the left are the three GA signers: Button Gwinnet, Lymon Hall and George Harrison
*coloring page that includes the names of all the signers of the Declaration and the states they were from
If you see any other great ideas...I'd love to know what they are : )

Science: three parts of the nervous system
*We have a poster I'm going to put up with the three parts

English: Verb: Principle Parts
Home video on a nice way to remember the parts using the song Three Blind Mice

*For Geography I'm continuing to print the state flash cards from www.crayola.com

I'm going to wrap it up there for now....I'm wiped out!  Hope you all have a great week!

Cycle 3, week 3: The Boston Tea Party, three kinds of muscles, and more : )

Last week was a little rocky for us as we were dealing with sickness right in the middle of the week.  But we persevered and finished up week 2. Pretty much every week we're not getting to do everything I've planned...but I think that's just how life is, right?! : ) Now on to week 3....and we're excited about the Boston Tea Party!

History: the Boston Tea Party
*One of the reasons we're excited is because our Liberty's Kids dvds start out with the Boston Tea Party....so we can't wait to watch that episode this week!  Even if you don't have the dvd set, you can find free episodes of Liberty's Kids on YouTube and there's a link on their website.  I also found a free download on Teachers Pay Teachers for a Liberty Kids viewing guide.  It's free to join TPT and I've found several free downloads and many that are at a minimal price.
*Liberty's Kids also has a website that has games and fun things to do with different episodes.  I know my kiddos will love this!
*I also found a Boston Tea Party coloring sheet.  Most of you may know how to do this, but I figured out that I had to copy the image onto my computer and then look up the image and print.
*Here is a blog post that has LOTS of Boston Tea Party links and ideas
*YouTube also had a lot of "Crash Course" videos about history....I would say these are mostly for older kids and parents may have to screen them first.
*I have several other ideas pinned on my Pinterest board.  I have 3 Classical Conversations boards that I try to pin to regularly.

Science: 3 kinds of muscles
*I found a neat worksheet here on education.com.  It's a free printable : ).
*This Kids Health site has some great info on the three muscles!  I'll definitely be using this!

English: past participle
*The video I posted on last week's post does a great job of explaining and comparing past and present participles

Geography: states and capitals
*still printing my state cards on crayola.com and we love the "Take a Little Trip" video

Math: counting
We usually stick to the songs on our audio cd, but here's a Schoolhouse Rock video on counting by 5's

*We didn't get around to doing our Art for Kids drawing last week...but I'm hoping this week we'll get to draw a ninja like I'd planned : ).

Have a great week!!

Week 2 of Cycle 3...the Pilgrims, the axial skeleton, present participles and more!

Last week we had a great start back into our school routine, even though we had a lot going on in our personal lives.  Doctor's appointments, a funeral, and other things...but that's the beauty of homeschooling. You can be adaptable and your schedule can flip all around and you can still get things done.  Flexibility is definitely a key part of it.

Even if we don't get everything accomplished that I plan, I do feel like my kids are learning a lot!  So I'm just going to jump right in and post as much as I can find for this week.  I know it helps me to have all of this on one location, and I hope it helps you, too!

History: Pilgrims
Great little School House Rock video:

*Tour of the Mayflower II...a replica of the original Mayflower
*Nice video depicting the signing of the Mayflower Compact

*Go to www.plimoth.org to check out some interesting things, like how to talk like a Pilgrim or print a coloring sheet
*Virtual field trip of Plimoth Plantation (about a 30 min video)
*There are so many videos and info about this topic!  I think these will give you a good start and if you're interested in more you can search Google, Pinterest, or YouTube.

Science: axial skeleton
*Very detailed description of the axial skeleton with diagram
*Cool site with flashcards of parts of the skeleton. I printed the large cards...can't wait to use them!
*Great ideas on this blog post at Spell Out Loud

Geography: states and capitals
*We'll continue to do our states/capitals flash cards and song that I posted here

English: present participle
Great explanation of present and past participles

Latin: conjunctions
I can't find any printables or videos for this week! : (  If anyone finds anything I would love to know about it.

Fine Arts:
We're supposed to be doing some drawing these first six weeks.  I know there are some good tutorials on YouTube on how to do various drawing techniques, but the kids and I LOVE the site Art for Kids.  I've mentioned it on a previous blog post, but I really can't say enough about how fun and kid friendly it is.  Not only do they feature drawing, but also painting and sculpting.  Highly recommend it!  Here is an example (for all of you Ninja Turtle fans):


On a personal note....
We also include Bible time in our school routine and this year we've started out with using The Big Picture Interactive Storybook Bible.  I really like the way it's set up and how it covers the Bible thoroughly.  Here is a sample page:

It's interactive in that you can download a free app that will scan a picture or a scan code thing (not sure what those things are called) and it will make the page become almost 3-D or show a special video.  We're enjoying it so far!




Hope all of you have a great week!

Discovering the Civil War in Georgia

Right around weeks 11 and 12 of Cycle 3, we'll be studying the Civil War.  I knew that Andersonville, which is the site of a former Civil War prison, was not far from us and would be a great place to do a field trip...and it's free!  As I started researching, I found several other neat things that you could do in Georgia so I thought I'd put them all together in case anyone else was interested. : )

Another thing I found out while researching is that this is the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, so there are some special things going on.  Even if you're not doing Classical Conversations, this would still be a great opportunity for your family to learn more about the Civil War.

*The National Park Service is a good place to start to find some good field trip info.  Andersonville is a national park that is free to the public.  Field trips there have to be arranged at least 3 weeks in advance, but there are programs for K-5th grade, 6-12th grade, and college groups.  The field trips can be self-guided but the arranged ones are led by a ranger.  I also saw links on the park service site for all types of learning tours and field trips at various parks in Georgia, including lesson plans for teachers.

*Another helpful site was The Civil War in Georgia.  There are so many interesting things to do in Georgia related to the Civil War...I had no idea!  One that particularly interests me is a Civil War reenactment.  I really wanted to try to find one so the kids could get an idea of what it was like.  I found one on the events page entitled 150th Anniversary for the Battle of Atlanta.  The link led me to the site "The Atlanta Campaign," which has a really interesting weekend planned that's all about the Civil War and a battle that took place there.  Here is the event schedule for the weekend...and it even includes a lady's tea!  How neat! On Friday, Sept. 19th from 9am to 1 pm there is a student day that allows the kids to come through and talk to the different reenactors (?) at different stations.  The battle starts that evening around 6:30.

*In Macon, GA there are some historical homes that were built before the Civil War and were involved in the action happening during that time.  The Cannonball House offers educational school programs and tours throughout the year.  The Hay House also has tours and educational programs offered throughout the year, including "Hay Day" in which you can do fun activities with your children and admission is free!  When I was in high school I was a volunteer tour guide at the Hay House and can testify that it is a wonderful piece of history that would be worth the trip!  I've only been inside the lobby of the 1842 Inn and it's worth just stopping by to peek in.  If you enjoy staying at B&B's, this inn would be one to consider!

Here is a map of the Civil War battle sites in Georgia.

It's amazing how much history is around us...right here in Georgia!  

Gearing up for Cycle 3 (Classical Conversations)!

I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by!  Now that our first day back to homeschooling is right around the corner (Monday) I wanted to sit down and sort out my thoughts and plans.  I plan on doing what I did last year for Cycle 2...collect as many resources as I can to support the memory work for that week and post it.  I'm really excited about the things we're going to be studying this year.  So let's just dive on in...

Cycle 3, week 1  History: Christopher Columbus

*Another Christopher Columbus video
* A sailing ship you can print, cut out, and even try to make it sail.  You could do 3 of them to represent Columbus' three ships.
* coloring sheet of Columbus on "American History for Kids" site (may come in handy in the future!)
*I bought the complete set of Liberty Kids dvds for only $5 on Amazon!  A lot of these videos will fit right in with what we're studying.

Geography: states and capitals
*Love this video and plan to use it while studying states/capitals!

*The Animaniacs version of a states/capitals song
*Click here to go to a great post on the blog Suzanne Shares for cycle 3 geography resources.  They look great...and all free!  There are president cards, state flash cards, and state coloring sheets.  I'm going to print the flash cards for the states we're studying for this week. I've found that if you just type in the name of the state on the crayola website it'll give the flashcard and the coloring sheet options.

Science:
Cycle 3 science songs for weeks 1-12

*Another science video

Latin:
Prepositions~

English: Infinitive



Studying the Presidents:
I thought this post by Katherine Marie had some cute ideas on studying the presidents
* The Animaniacs presidents song.  Entertaining...but it does include little facts about different presidents...like one kicking another's butt and Grant drinking whiskey...so you may or may not want your kids watching! : )
*Neat paint stick timeline idea for some of the presidents
*There are several different presidents songs on YouTube! : )

These are just a few ideas that are out there for getting started with week 1!  I may add more as the week goes on, and would welcome any ideas you've come across in planning/doing Cycle 3.  Blessings on your new school year!

Interview with author Dawn Crandall!

Today I am hosting Dawn Crandall, author of the newly released novel, The Hesitant Heiress, and also new mother to a baby boy named Rhett.  : )  Go check out my recent review of Dawn's book here.  I'm so excited to have Dawn here today to answer a few questions about life, writing, and being a mom.






Are there any similarities between being a first-time mom and debut author?  Your little boy is absolutely precious, by the way!  2014 is certainly shaping up to be an exciting, busy year for you! : )

T​here are! For the most part, you have no idea what you're getting into when you begin the process for either one! They both bring immense joy, but it's a bit terrifying to not know exactly what you're doing. They are both very emotional things to go through. The one very different thing about the two is that one is so privately mine (Rhett), and the other, which has been solely mine for the last four years is now anyone's who wants it. It's kind of strange to have my book-baby go out into the world. Maybe this is what it will feel like when Rhett goes off to college in eighteen years? 

Oh, goodness...I don't even want to think of my babies going off yet...so I know that putting your book out there has to be a huge mixture of emotions.  

You've mentioned that you have ADD.  How has that affected you as a writer and what advice would you give to encourage other aspiring writers who have ADD or ADHD?

Actually, having ADD and being a writer isn't that bad... as long as I don't have anything else to do. That used to be the case; I was a stay at home writer with no children for the last four years. I could focus on my writing for an entire day whenever I chose to. It was what I liked to do best, so it wasn't difficult to get into. It was actually the only thing I would think about for about 8-10 hours on the days I wrote. Now I have so many more things to think about (mainly, keeping one very precious baby content!) that thinking about my books, plots and characters gets squeezed out of "front and center" for such long periods of time, I really have to work to get back to where I'd left mt thoughts... The baby is only four months old, and I'm still trying to recondition my brain for this new normal. I'll be able to do it though--I've had to do it twice now anyway. Basically, every time I write a book, I end up teaching myself how to do it a different way than I had before because of life circumstances.

You're doing a great job, Dawn! Keep it up...because we love reading your books!

I know you told me once that you don't cook much, but my traditional interview question is what your favorite recipe is.  If you don't have a favorite recipe, could you tell us what your favorite restaurant is and your favorite dish there? : )

I like a lot of different kinds of food. I'm not very picky... which is probably why I'm not a very talented cook. My favorite restaurant EVER is an Indian Restaurant in town, and I always get Chicken Korma (curry with cashews and raisins). I've never tried to make it myself. I'd probably mess it up.

I've never had Indian food...that sounds delicious!

What are you working on now?

W​ell, I'm still figuring out how this writing while being a stay-at-home-mom works!! I have lots of series 

​and​ book ideas to go with, and I even have an idea for a fourth book that goes along with The Everstone Chronicles--I could actually keep writing about different characters in this series forever. :) I do also have a Contemporary Romance plotted out and started--which I did just to see what it was like. It was fun, and much easier than writing historicals, but I don't think I'll ever permanently switch over. I love history too much. Maybe it'll be published someday under my maiden name. :)

Sounds great! : )

Thanks so much for joining us today!  If you'd like to get connected with Dawn to learn more about her and her books, look her up on:
Facebook
Pinterest
or her blog

If you'd like to see other stops on Dawn's blog tour, you can find those at http://www.dawncrandall.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-hesitant-heiress-blog-tour.html.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of The Hesitant Heiress, click here! 

Dawn has been generously giving away some great prizes and free copies of her new book.  She is also offering a free e-copy of her book today on my blog!  Please leave a comment to be in the drawing.  I know you'll love Amaryllis' story!

Happy Reading!

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