Review: IXL Math and Language Arts

All of October we had the opportunity to review the online learning opportunities at IXL.com. We were very blessed to be given a year's access to their Language Arts for grades 2-4 and Math from grades Pre-K through 12th.


Family Memberships, for up to 3 children, for Math or Language Arts are $13.95 each per month or $19.95 a month for both.  The best value is $119 a year for Math or Language Arts separately or $169 for both subjects. (Single Child Memberships for Math or Language Arts are $9.95 each per month or $15.95 a month for both.)




When I signed up for this review, I had seen a few ads for IXL, but didn't really know what it was. I thought maybe it was an online tutoring program for teaching math and language arts to kids. After using it with three of my children for several weeks, I can say I actually understand it now.

When we first began, I set up our online account. This was so simple and easy that I did it in mere minutes. The next day that the kids tried it out, they each had their own sign in name and password. This made it possible for their progress to be tracked, and for me to look at it in a special "mom" reporting area.

After logging in, my children would choose Math or Language Arts to work on, by the tabs on the top of the page. Along the left side of the page were the grade levels available in that subject. After choosing the grade level, they could choose an area of study on a full page of choices, arranged by Common Core Standards coding. I am not pro-common core, nor does my state require it, but this is how they were arranged. Another option for how to reach the right topic would be to go to the Standards tab and they could see the standards for their grade (see photo 1, top half), specifically according to our state. Under each major heading was a sub-topic to be mastered. If the kids weren't sure what kind of problems the sub-topic heading referred to, they could hover over the title and a box would pop up with a sample problem. (see photo 1, bottom half)

Photo 1

The main thing I wish I had known in advance was that there is no instruction given. These are practice problems to complement the instruction you are giving your children. So if their curriculum is not aligned to state standards, you will have to work harder at finding the categories for them to practice in. If you are, however, teaching curriculum that follows the state standard progression, then this program is an endless supply of practice problems and opportunities for practicing towards mastery.

Correction Illustrations Grades K and 5, Photo 3

That said, there is a minimal amount of instruction given as explanation when a question is answered incorrectly. (Please, click the image at the right to see two examples, enlarged.) This helped my kids to some degree, but not as much as I had hoped. For example, Wyatt, being a kindergartner and a non-fluent-reader, would utilize the audio feature on the Pre-K and K level math practices. It would read him the problem, and he would answer. But if it was wrong, it has no audio selection for the explanation (see photo 3, top half), so he had no idea what it was. I couldn't just set him up to practice and walk away. I would have to stay close to help him understand his problems and mistakes. So, even with the audio feature, I ended up doing this with Wyatt every day. Mayda and Emma were able to work with it a little more independently of me, but not completely.

How we used it:
Wyatt used it quite a bit for math practice. After working with him in his math instruction, I would sit with him and we would practice until he reached mastery. He was completely thrilled by the "prizes" earned by mastering a skill or by passing a time goal. He would hover over the next possibility on the prize board and plot how to earn it.

Photo 2

Mayda used the math parts, but I actually signed up for this one with the intention of really utilizing the Language Arts for her. Since the Language Arts area ranges from 2-4th grade, I thought it would be perfect. Unfortunately we ran into two issues. First, since they don't currently have 1st grade skills on there, she couldn't adjust to anything easier if the 2nd grade material wasn't working. Second, the Language Arts part of IXL doesn't offer progress prizes (see photo 2 above) like the math part. Mayda quickly figured this out and didn't want to work on anything but Math after that. The quality of the Language Arts program was excellent though, and really showed us what we needed to study on more to come up to state standards. Here's a great video demo of the Language Arts portion of the site:

Emma is in 5th grade, so while she used some of the 4th grade Language Arts, she mostly focused on the 5th grade Math. This worked well for her, since her current math curriculum doesn't use a mastery approach, this gave her much more opportunity to master a skill set. She did really well with it, and was able to understand the "wrong answer" explanations better than Mayda and of course, Wyatt. For her it really re-enforced what she was studying and gave her a traceable place to see progress.

For myself, as the Mom/administrator account, I was able to see all kinds of reports (see right) on the kids' work. It seemed neat, but really the reports gave me very little usable information. I imagine the data there will become more interesting and relevant when we've been using it for more than 4 weeks. But of course right now most of their numbers have no history, and they have all improved 100% over where they were last month. The most relevant part of the reports page was the list of skills mastered or attempted, where I could quickly track their work.

Bottom Line:
If you are looking to assure yourself of where you are hitting the mark on teaching state standards in Math and in 2-4th grade Language Arts, this is a great tool. If you are teaching Math or Language Arts and really need self-grading practice problems, this is a great tool. If you are looking for inexpensive online tutoring in Math or Language Arts, this is probably not the tool you need. Overall, I liked it. The kids liked it on an off, but not as much as some of the other programs we've used before. I had to assign it, or they'd skip it. They never asked to use it on their own. Although most real school-work is that way. This is an amazingly huge supply of practice material, more than you will need by far, but only in these two subjects. That is the main reason I felt the subscription rates were a bit out of my range.

Be sure to read all of the reviews of this online product by visiting the Crew Blog:

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

*Prices and links are accurate at the time this is published, and are subject to change

I will lift up my hands!

Photo by Emma Leggott
Psalm 63
1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.


Linked:




©2012-2014 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

Review: Away We Go Media: If You Were Me (children's books)

This fall our school has been inadvertently themed towards missionaries and international studies. It's been a theme we have thoroughly enjoyed, so this review fit in quite perfectly. This series of children's books from Carole P. Roman focus on the experience of growing up in other countries around the world. We had the opportunity to receive and review these four books, geared to anyone under age 10 (but really my 11 and 12 year old enjoyed them too).

The books we received included:

• If You Were Me and Lived in Mexico $8.99
• If You Were Me and Lived in South Korea $8.99
• If You Were Me and Lived in France $8.99
• If You Were Me and Lived in Norway $8.63

All of the books are under 30 pages and the word counts (per two-page spread) ranged from 10 to 60 words.  The reading level is about 3rd to 4th grade, but it might not be meaty enough to hold their attention. We found it was a best fit as a read-aloud to my 6 and 7 year old children. Each book describes:

• The country capital and global location
  
• Major sight-seeing destinations near or in the capital region of that country
• Common children's names in that country
• Common family member names, and illustrations of the interiors of traditional homes
• Names of currency
• Major historical sites
• Local ethnic foods
• Recreational past-times
• Major holidays unique to that country
• The word for "school" is always the final detail
• Each book ends with the phrase "So now you see, if you were me, how life in _______ could really be."
• The last page is a list of words or phrases with their correct pronunciation

If You Were Me and Lived in Mexico is 24 pages long and has been awarded the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award. We read this book immediately after receiving it, since we were headed to a International Food night planned by our homeschool group, featuring Mexico! It was hosted by a family who had just returned from a missions trip to Mexico, so this really brought home for us what life in Mexico might really be like. We were so impressed to hear how our young friend had given a pair of his own shoes away while serving other children in an orphanage there. We all brought yummy Mexican dishes to share that helped bring alive the pages of the book where the author describes tamales. Our family brought Spanish rice and  empanadas to share.

Words defined and pronounced in the book include:

• Peso
• Fútbol
• Tamale
• Muñeca
• Descubrimiento
• Escuela
• and more...

If You Were Me and Lived in South Korea is 26 pages long and describes life in this eastern country. My kids found this one the most interesting, since the words seemed so different to them. We have friends who enjoy eating and making kimchee, so that was a familiar word. Other words defined and pronounced included:

• Min Sok Chon
• Youngin-si
• Taekwando
• Agi Inhyeaong
• Seol-nal
• Hanbok
• Haggya

If You Were Me and Lived in France is 22 pages long and gives a glimpse of central Europe. After reading it we talked about how many European countries touched the Mediterranean Sea and made a Mediterranean styled fennel and onion savory tart for supper. Some of the words defined and pronounced included:

• Boulangerie
• Eiffel
• Gustave
• Poupée
• Bastille Day
• école

If You Were Me and Lived in Norway is 28 pages long and explores this colder arctic country. The stories of the snow hotel experience and the strange and hard to pronounce words really captured my children's attention. This book was the one where I really relied on the pronunciation key in the back. As is true with all of the books, the words are used in a English context, so you easily know what they are talking about.

Some of the words that were defined and pronounced in this book included:

• Oslo
• Din velkommen
• Kirkenes
• Vafler
• Krem
• Skiis
• Sytten Mai
• Skole

Bottom Line:
These books were fun and just right for my younger kids. They would be a perfect addition to any unit study, and are quite affordable in their Kindle editions. I look forward to seeing what other countries Carole P. Roman publishes next.

To read all of the reviews of these four books, and for purchasing information, be sure to visit the Crew Blog:



©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

*Prices and links are accurate at the time this is published, and are subject to change

Blog Cruise: Homeschooling with Ants in their Pants

I recently wrote a post about School Outside the Lines, and I really heard about it from moms I know. Our wiggly and chatty kids challenge us to keep the school train on the tracks. Some of the suggestions I offered there included:

• Follow your interests. 
• Get the wiggles out. 
• Change your point of view. 
• Do more group subjects.

Today I'll expand on those!

Follow your interests.

Getting kids to study what interests them is much easier, and following their curiosity always comes around to the good stuff anyway. This flexibility of following their interests was actually something we stumbled into while on the Review Crew this year.  As the year advanced and book after book came rolling in, we gradually altered our schedule to include these new options. We began seeing our kids excited to do school every day. We had stumbled upon delight directed learning.

It's a never ending adventure into what we will learn! I still had my master plan of where we are going and the goals I've set for each grade... but I really relaxed as I enjoyed the journey of getting there. There may be a few detours, but we are loving the journey  This is one road trip where we won't be asking "Are we there yet?"

The most important part of this homeschool journey is teaching my kids that learning is an adventure, and a lifelong one at that. I believe there will be a day when traditional education/college will be less valued than a person with a resume of chasing knowledge! Proving that you can sit through hours of classes will be less important than someone who can think outside the box, learn from mistakes, and love a challenge. Self motivation is a premium quality that can't be spoonfed!

“Learning can only happen when a child is interested. If he’s not interested, it’s like throwing marshmallows at his head and calling it eating.” ~ Katrina Gutleben

As I experience the journey of learning with my children, I find that chasing the delight of learning for one hour is much more productive than "drilling" anything for 5 hours. So here we go, as we try and break free from the mold of normal school expectations, and open the doors on unfettered learning. I don't think that means fewer standards, but truly higher, harder, more creative ones. This is going to be quite an adventure!

Get the wiggles out.

Some days we just have to stop and go run around the house 3 times, just to get the blood flowing.  Our homeschool support group recently began making a real effort to include more fun PE oriented get-togethers. Everything from water gun fights at the park, to a "Wipeout" course, to rock-wall climbing at the YMCA. We've also enjoyed nature hikes and indoor field days.

The point is, as homeschoolers we can miss out on the importance of PE if we don't give it some effort. If you don't have a huge family you probably can't have your own football, basketball or baseball team, but you can surely join local ones. Also, you can have your own track team. I am super impressed by some of my homeschool mom friends who challenge their older children to train for a 5k with them.

Not only is physical exercise important for "burning off some steam" but it actually makes kids feel better and invigorates their brains! Exercise helps improved mood, and even teaches endurance. Consider planning more PE into your school day. You won't regret it.


Change your point of view, literally. 

Get up and find a new school location. Outside, on the trampoline, at a coffee shop, at the library... just move. Sometimes it is as easy as leaving the table to work on the couch. Sometimes we need some fresh air and warm sunshine. In the winter you might try doing school in a classroom at your church, or in the meeting room at your library.

You will also find that some places don't work, such as school in bed. That usually only leads to mom's favorite subject: "stolen naps".

Changing up your homeschool location is the theme of one of the days of International Home School Spirit Week. In that blog post the author encourages us to toss in a few more field trips to break up the cabin fever. Some great field trips we have enjoyed include:

Kansas City: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Kansas City: The Moon Marble Co.
Kansas City: The Johnson County Museum
Kansas City: Kaleidoscope
Philadelphia: Liberty Bell / Downtown

Another good blog post during Home School Spirit week pointed out that volunteering is learning too. You can read the whole post here, but here are a few of their suggestions for learning away from home, while serving!

Ideas for Community Service

• Help assemble meals with Meals on Wheels, or make cards to include with each meal
• Volunteer at the library – reshelve books or read to younger children
• Visit a Nursing Home or Veteran’s Home – sometimes just a smile and a genuine conversation will make someone’s day
• Help an elderly neighbor with yardwork or housework
• Pick up trash along the highway or beach
• Tutor younger children

• MORE here.  

Do more group subjects, including all grades.

My kids love learning together. They also learn a lot while relating the material to their younger siblings. Who knew, right?! I've always believed, and am now witnessing, that you learn more when teaching something than when being taught. This is a wonderful opportunity for homeschool families to learn in a new way,we shouldn't miss its benefits. My wiggly younger ones do best when paired up with older siblings.

History and Science have been the easiest for us to combine all grades. This year we started using America the Beautiful for history, and have had no trouble using it for all grades... which in our school spans from 6th down to Kindergarten.

Each day we would open up America the Beautiful (volume 1), and read the lesson (an average of 4-5 pages, including pictures).  Originally, I had asked my two children who were using this to read it themselves, but true to their learning styles, that didn't work. I then chose to read the lesson aloud to all four kids, while they worked in the accompanying books. Mayda (grade 2) and Wyatt (Kindergarten) would fill in the Timeline blanks, as well as color the nice black and white line drawing illustrations. Emma (grade  5) would fill in the blanks in the Student Workbook, often doing a game or puzzle using facts from the lesson. Tyler (grade 6) would do the Map coloring and assignments. This helped them all to listen more closely, and they sat near me so they could see the illustrations as well. Ultimately, I think it would work best if you ordered a student workbook for each student. We just split it up this way due to their varied interests and abilities.

For science, we are using Apologia to cover all grades. This fall we started in Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics, which spans K-6th, right where we are. Last year we used Apologia Zoology, Swimming Things, in much the same fashion. Every day they sat and did the reading assignments together, and then we all participated in the fun experiments. Tyler and Emma also shared the Regular Notebooking Journal, and Mayda and Wyatt shared the Junior Notebooking Journal.

What do you do?

These are just a few things we have tried and loved to help keep those busy bodies focused. What do you do? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. Also, to hear how others approach this squirmy challenge, check out the Blog Cruise by clicking the banner below. (Link goes live November 5th)

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

Review: EEME Project Genius Light Kit

Last summer we planned to do an electrical project for the county fair, but it never quite worked out. I looked over the projects available, and I really doubted I could teach this to my children. Then the opportunity to review a project from EEME, called the Project Genius Light Kit. . . who wouldn't want to complete a project that entitles you to be a Genius!?!?

Designed for ages 7-12, this electronic project kit pairs with a video curriculum, to "spark" your child's curiosity and critical thinking. This monthly subscription program sends you the parts you need and the information essential to using them to teach electronics. At $18.95 a month, it is cheaper than many educational kits out there, and comes with the video instructions to boot!

EEME's monthly hands-on project kits teach kids about electronics. Each project kit is paired with online curricula to not only teach kids how to assemble projects like lights, buzzers, and more, but to also teach them how the electronics works. -from the website.

When we received our kit in the mail, the kids could hardly wait. It was such a small box, but it had everything we needed: a breadboard, resistors, circuits, LEDs, battery. We borrowed my sister's lap-top so we could all gather around the dining table to do this project together. After a simple log in the the website, we began watching the 45 minutes of short videos (about 15 of them, averaging 3 minutes each) and questions. All of my kids, ages 6 to 12, participated!

The videos are well arranged so that as you go through the instructional videos, you also have learning videos explaining WHY this works. Between these are questions with multiple choice answers. These help you discuss with your kids and make sure they understand each part before proceeding. We used the "slideshow" type set up video breaks as a natural way for the kids to take turns doing the activities. When it was done, they had all tried some step of the process and were discussing it together. OK, maybe the bigger kids were directing the younger, but that's how we learn, right?

Each step explained a different component of the kit and how and why it works. The best part of EEME is that you can sign up for a free tour, and you can even watch the Project Genius Light Kit videos for free. You can see how it goes together and how well it is taught, before you buy. Obviously, to try it out, hands on, you will need the kit. I personally felt the hands on experience was completely worth the subscription fee. Be sure you sign up for the free preview, details at the end of this review.

I compared this to the project requirements for the kids to turn in an electrical project for our local 4-H fair, and I felt that this kit was a perfect way to help them understand the basic principles required for them to put together their own electrical project for the fair next year, and the know-how to explain it to the fair judge. I really can't wait for them to put this information into practice!

Bottom Line:
We really enjoyed the kit we received and felt that the 45 minute course and supplies were well worth the investment if you're looking to interest your kids in electricity. The videos were easy to follow and understand, and the information was well presented and re-enforced with questions.


---
Sign up for FREE at http://eeme.co to preview EEME's video curricula. If you think EEME is the right fit for your family, email dad@eeme.co for the latest promotional offer towards their monthly subscription. Just let them know you came from my blog.

Here's a preview of the introduction:

Be sure to read all of the reviews of this program, over on the Crew blog, by clicking the link below:



©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

*Prices and links are accurate at the time this is published, and are subject to change

The Daily Battle

The past few weeks we've had an irregular schedule, company in and out, hubby working overtime, a new job for me... so we've struggled to make it to Sunday school. Sometimes when we're running late for the Sunday school hour at our church, Ben and I send the kids to their classes and take that time to pray alone together in the sanctuary until the services begin. Before you go thinking that's so spiritual sounding, I admit that most weeks it's the only alone-together prayer time we get. We need SO much more. Thankful for grace.

So last week, Ben had to work, I was able to slip into a class that I'd not been able to attend for a while, our doctrines class. It just so happened this week they were discussing the devil, and his influence in this world and our lives particularly. I have often heard it said that when things are going wrong, the devil is attacking us. The class leader pointed out that the devil being a being that is not omnipresent, unlike God, he is likely not personally attacking us, but the realms of demons he commands, are doing battle in our lives daily.

This week as I struggle with emotions and changes, lack of sleep, and turmoil of many kinds, I realize my defenses against such attacks are down. My walls are crumbled and the divine power I should be claiming had been forgotten. Last night I lay awake for hours worrying over an issue that was of little consequence. I felt the warfare. I wanted to rebuke the devil, but I knew this battle was already won as  far as God was concerned. I needed to take every thought captive.

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

There is no power given to my adversaries, but what I have surrendered. I feel battle worn, but encouraged. Praying until sleep overtook me, I awoke still struggling through the day. I'd like to finish this post saying I've got it all worked out in my head, but I don't. I seek to have the authority to "demolish" arguments and pretensions.

One of the things I have struggled with most is insecurity. Feeling like I don't measure up to what God, or anyone else expects of me. I fret over my errors, and worry over the details of each interaction, each moment. I think deep down it comes from the idea that I must earn this grace. This extravagant love God has for me must be misplaced. Doesn't He know? Can He not see how imperfect I am? My unworthiness overwhelms me.

I can nearly hear Beth Moore speaking in my head. "You are over here!" [under the law]. I was immensely blessed by my sister, who attended the Living Proof Live Simulcast 2013 event in September, sharing the video of the simulcast with me. (It was available for a limited time afterward). I was impressed with the idea that when we try so hard to deserve God's love, we are living under the law, instead of grace. I know this is my constant struggle. I am dragging up the old flesh nature, and carrying it around with me. Instead I need to let it die, let Christ live through me.

Phil. 3:7-14
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

The commissioning she spoke at the end of the simulcast is shared on Beth's blog. Here is a small part:

In Christ you are highly favored
And wildly empowered
Forever loved
Completely made clean
Sin no longer has dominion over you
Trade all your anxieties
For the peace of Jesus Christ
You have been justified freely
By His death and resurrection
Listen hard, Girlfriend:
You are FORGIVEN.

Yes, I can have peace, I can rest in His grace. I am redeemed. (click the title to hear the song, by Big Daddy Weave) This has been stuck in my head all night:

"Redeemed"

Seems like all I could see was the struggle

Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past

Bound up in shackles of all my failures

Wondering how long is this gonna last

Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son

Stop fighting a fight it's already been won"

I am redeemed, You set me free

So I'll shake off these heavy chains

Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be

I am redeemed, I'm redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy

Named by the voice of my shame and regret

But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"

I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet

I am redeemed, You set me free

So I'll shake off these heavy chains

Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be

Because I don't have to be the old man inside of me

'Cause his day is long dead and gone

Because I've got a new name, a new life, I'm not the same

And a hope that will carry me home

I am redeemed, You set me free

So I'll shake off these heavy chains

Wipe away every stain, 'cause I'm not who I used to be

I am redeemed, You set me free

So I'll shake off these heavy chains

Wipe away every stain, yeah, I'm not who I used to be

Oh, God, I'm not who I used to be

Jesus, I'm not who I used to be

'Cause I am redeemed

Thank God, redeemed

I apologize, this post is not so well put together, just a heart dump of sorts. Sometimes I just need to work it all out in words. ~L

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

Want to join the TOS Review Crew?

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the TOS Review Crew in 2013. We had the opportunity to review free samples of over $2,000 in curriculum and educational products. It has been a huge blessing to our family, as our curriculum budget is tight (ok, non-existent) every year.

I had no idea how much I would love:

• being exposed to products and companies I had never even heard of!
• being surrounded by a group of Christian bloggers who support and pray for one another!
• being encouraged to blog more regularly and with greater attention to detail and content!
• being a part of the TOS Review Crew!

It was totally worth the effort and dedication! Are you a blogging homeschool mom? Are you considering joining the Crew? They have just posted the application for the 2014 Crew Year. Click HERE  to see all the requirements and see if you should apply. I strongly encourage you to consider it. :)

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com