Memories in Motion - A Homeschool Family Business

In typical homeschool fashion, our family has started a homeschool family business. This business is the brain child of out our 16 and 17 year old sons!

We are setting out to be the go to resource for you and your family for saving those treasured memories, and treasured moments in a unique and dynamic way! We are setting your photos, into a dynamic audio visual presentation! We have already have a wonderful time creating several, and would like to make one for you!  For FREE! We will include (1) DVD copy of your video!!

How can you earn a FREE Memories in Motion video? It's simple really, first you need 'like' our facebook page. And then refer your friends! The person who refers the most people by Monday Sept 19th @10pm, will win there very own video from Memories in Motion!

What happens if you don't have a facebook page? No Problem!!!

Simply share this blog post with your friends, and direct them to the facebook page. They would still list you as their referral and you are all set and entered into the contest!

What is a Memories in Motion video?

Here is a video we made that chronicles the fun we have with our Homeschool Group!

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In this video, we are looking at our Abundantly Blessed Life, living for our Lord!

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This video we used as a kind of party favor for all the guests that joined us for our kids combined birthday party.

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Memories in Motion Videos can be used as party favor for a party or event, as we talked about above. You can use these as the graduation video presentations for your homeschool graduation ceremonies. Or you can use them to commemorate that special day to give to your guests, or as a gift for the graduate!

Here are some other great ways to use Memories in Motion Videos!

~Birthdays

~New Baby ( shower or arrival)

~Graduations

~Communions

~Eagle Scout or other Scouting Ceremonies

~Fundraisers - (help people have a better idea of why they should support your cause!)

~ Promote Your Business

~Promote Your Homeschool Group or Conference

~ Promote Your Upcoming Event

~Funerals

~Weddings

~Engagements

~ Remembering the Family Pet

~ First Day of School

~ Reunions

~Before and After videos for Large Projects

 

There really are no limits on what can be down with Memories in Motion!

If you have any questions you can contact us at

MemoriesRMoving@aol.com

We look forward to hearing from you!

Civilize This!

This year, our homeschool crew journey as been full of games! And let me tell you my children have enjoyed, being able to play lots of new games, and ease our way into the review process this year!

This week we are reviewing Civilize This! by Griddly Games! My girls and I have really enjoyed this game. Their ages are just about 15 and 12. ( I am not giving you my age!) However, the box states that players age 8+ are suitable for this game.

Civilize This can be played as a stand alone game or as an expansion to the board game, Wise Alec.    Our family does not own Wise Alec, so we were playing the game as a stand alone.

Included in the strudy magnetic closure box you receive:

50 Medieval card

50 Ancient Cards

50 Modern Cards

50 Wise Alec Cards

1 die

So we set out to play, we chose a point total for each player. You can chose to play until someone hits that point total, or you can decide to give it a time limit and who ever has the highest points wins!  At the beginning of our game, we had my point total at 100 and the girls at 50.. however, I must admit that we ended up lowering my points to 50 as well.  The girls were initially worried I would simply just know all the answers, but that was not the case. In the end, my oldest daughter won most of the games, but our points were all neck and neck! There were many questions I knew the answers, however, there were also many that were way over my head! There is a nice mix of difficult cards and attainable cards.

It is fun to discover the obscure facts we know, and it is a fun way to brush up on our history facts! The great component of the game is the Wise Alec Cards. And that is for two reasons. One, it helps to level the playing field for the younger set, who may not know as many answers, and it also provides much comic relief..

Some of the Wise Alec Cards will have you speaking in accents, reenacting sword fights, doing your favorite dance moves, and reciting tongue twisters. Oh the tongue twisters has us LAUGHING so hard!!!!

Check out this video to take a closer look at Civilize This!

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Civilize This is available on Amazon for $14.99.  You can also check the Griddly Games website to find a retailer near you.

While on their website, be sure to check out their complete line of family games.

Sail on over to the the Crew Blog to see what my crew mates have to say about the Griddly Game they played in their homes!

**Disclosure- Griddly Games provided a free copy of Civilize This in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation has been offered or accepted. This review, does not guarantee or imply results. This is simply a snapshot if the use of this product in our home.

Homeschooling through High School for FREE or Close to it!!!!

We are beginning our 12th year of homeschooling. I think out of all those years, we have only had 1 year where I felt like I spent a chunk of money. However, the rest of the years, I had little or no money/budget for homeschooling. Many years we actually did not spend any money at all. Yet, we have been able to homeschool our children well.

This year, I have 4 high schoolers, and I anticipated spending about $1000 to get all the curriculum I wanted to get for them to cover the subjects they need.

However, once again, I have not had to spend that. God has been so faithful in providing.

 

 

So first, I headed over to our homeschool group's lending library.  We have access to a library of curriculum that we can check out for free and keep all year long.I was able to check out many of the books that the kids needed with just a few gaps.

 

 

 



One of the areas I was lacking was math. And lo and behold I have faithful friends who are allowing me to borrow their Algebra 1 and Geometry curriculum!

 

 

In addition to these books, I also used some items that were left over from previous TOS Homeschool Crew years. Our family has been very blessed by the time I have worked on the Crew. I am so very thankful for the opportunity to work to help provide for my children's education.

 

 



 

And one item that I am using that I purchased about 6 years ago, is Sequential Spelling...

 

 

**Note**I have found that the homeschool community, as a whole, is a very generous one. If you are looking for a piece of curriculum, as the homeschoolers you know. If they have it, I believe that in most cases, they will let you borrow it, or sell it to you for a very affordable price!

Now with all of that... I was still coming up short with a few things.  So I went on the prowl! And thanks to some of my crew mates, who shared some websites I have never heard of before, I was able to put together the rest of the children's curriculum. And what I learned is that, even if all of these wonderful books did not materialize, I would have been able to use these online resources to teach them for FREE!

I was so pleased to learn that there are major universities that are offering free online classes. Now, I may not actually want my children to take some of these classes, but some of them look very good.

This link is from Yale University. -   Open Yale

This is for classes from MIT - MIT Open Courseware

Hippocampus -  Offers multimedia lessons and course materials to help you with your instruction.

Homeschool College USA - full line of free curriculum resources, that will not only get your child ready for graduation, in some cases they will prepare them for CLEP testing.

A CLASSICAL EDUCATION

Free Sources for the Self-Directed Scholar

While these are just  a few links, you will find that these are a clearing house of resources. I found math courses, language courses, social studies and science courses.  Take some time and peruse these sites and see if you can supplement your curriculum, or perhaps use these resources as your curriculum.  What's great is I found some free text, and then video lessons to go along with them.

Have a great homeschool year!

 

Oh No! It's a Circus.... it's a Flea Circus!

Things are getting exciting around here! I mean it's like a circus! A Flea Circus! It is amazing where our Crew Voyage has taken us!

So what is all the ruckus about?

Let me tell you about Flea Circus!  It is an exciting board game that is truly fun for the entire family!

Readers, non-readers, adults and children alike!

 

 

We were sent Flea Circus to try out, and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. We had so much going on, it arrived on the first day of our VBS. And we had lots of back and forth drop off/pick up happening. We dropped off half the kids at the church, and then had a few hours to kill, before we had to return to the church ourselves. So what did we do? We went to a local restaurant, ordered some ice cold drinks... ( it was the middle of a hot, hot week) and we played this new game..... I played with my 19 year old with special needs, and with my 12 year old daughter. And we really enjoyed it!  The instructions were easy to understand, and the game play was fun, and fast paced!

The goal... the player with the most spectators at their circus WINS!  This game is great for helping with math skills! We worked on our addition and our multiplication facts.  Another bonus, is that the box is small enough to travel! We have taken it with us a number of times, when we needed something to do while out of the house!

Flea Circus is available for $15.95.  R & R games also has a whole line of family games to choose from, check out their website today.. and just because you read my review.. you get a gift! How about 20% off any purchase?  Simply type in  CREW20 to get 20% of any of their products. This coupon code is good through the end of the year.

And don't forget to check out the Homeschool Crew Blog to see what my crewmates have to say about not only Flea Circus, but also Pig Pile!

Disclosure: R & R games provided me with a free copy of Flea Circus in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was offered or received. This review is written in my own words, and makes no guarantees or promises, it simply illustrates this products use in our home.

Creating Thirst: A Review of How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids byRachael Carman

All Aboard!!!! We are about to set sail for our 4th Voyage of

The TOS Homeschool Crew!

I believe that our first item on our voyage was chosen by God. Well, if you take the time to think about it, we remember that our every step is ordered by our loving and wonderful Father God. However, often times we get so busy and wrapped up in our lives, that He ordered, that we do not take the time to notice Him, or thank Him, or even to see Him in our daily life.

We were sent How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids, by Rachael Carman.  After reading the title and the description, I was thrilled that I was chosen to review this book.  However, as I began to read this book, and as I continued through this gem, I realized that it wasn't the wonderful administration of the crew that chose me to review this book.. it was my Father, who worked through them!







In How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for your Kids, Rachael Carman takes us through the acrostic

H- Have a Heart for the Things of God

E - Enrich Your Marriage

A - Accept Your Kids

R - Release Them to God

T - Teach Them the Truth

While, you may read some of those and feel, of course, I know that...however,  while reading this book, and you will peel back layers of yourself and what is revealed is those little places where God wants to talk to your heart. You will be convicted and encouraged as you work through this book. Rachael is your cheerleader, not your condemner!  At the end of each chapter, she has included a section titled "Heart CheckUp" This little section will help you to delve deeper and examine your heart, and make sure that you are on the right path.

I am going to be honest with you, our family has been struggling here lately. The children and I have been butting heads. And God knew exactly what I needed to help set my path straight... It was this book!   I would have told you that I had a heart for my kids, before I read this little book, and yes, while I do believe that to be true, our relationship is growing stronger and better everyday. And that is in no small part due to my change of 'heart'.

Here is just one of the nuggets that really had me reexamine my own heart.  Rachael was reminding us  of Jochebed and her prayer for deliverance for her people, the Hebrews.  Do you recall how God decided to answer that prayer?  Jochebed gave birth to their very delivered!  And here is the the quote that really touched me.. "Could it be that you or I have given birth to an answer to prayer? "

Here is my thought, are we looking at, and interacting with our children, like they are an answer to prayer, and created for a purpose? Or are we simply co-existing with them, or trying to change them, or ...... only tolerating them?

Thank you Rachael for your encouraging words! Thank you for helping me to rekindle my H.E.A.R.T. for my children!

How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids, is available from Apologia Ministries for $13. Please visit the Apologia website to see a full listing of all of their products! You will find not only the Science textbooks we have all come to know and love, you will also find homeschool support materials, and books like these, that speak to the heart! Check them out today!

Would you like to see what others are saying about How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids? Check out the crew blog to see what my crew mates have to say!!!!



Disclosure: I was given a free copy of How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids, in Exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was received.  This review is in my own words, and does not reflect any guarantee or promise. It is an honest representation of the products use in our home.

For Instruction in Righteousness

I have owned a copy of  For Instruction in Righteousness for as long as I can remember really.. It is published by Doorposts.

I have turned to this handy topical bible in times of training with my children, and I dare say, even with my self. You simply look up the area in which training needs to occur, and you will be taken to bible verses that illustrate how God feels about that sin, and how He blesses those who have overcome, or abstain from that sin.  It will also give you some discipline option for each sin.

It has been a God send in our home! As many of the Doorposts products have!

Here is the exciting news! For Instruction in Righteousness is on sale right now for $18!! Normally $33, if this is something that you need in your family... like mine... then I would not hesitate to pick one up today!

Happy Parenting!!!

FREE Bible Study from Grape Vine Studies

Have you heard of Grape Vine Studies? I had heard about them for years, but then a couple of years ago, I was able to review Grape Vine Studies as a member of The Homeschool Crew, and our family really fell in love with their products!  You can see that review by clicking here.

And guess what, they have a FREE study for you for the month of August! You can find it here! The lesson is Joseph - The Early Years.

Check them out, and then have a fun stick figuring through the bible!