Hello Yellow Pencil Sharpener (A Review)

You know you've become a teacher when you get excited over a new pencil sharpener! I think it doesn't matter whether you're a homeschool teacher or a brick-and-mortar teacher, when you have early elementary students you "live and die" by the strength of your pencil sharpener. Jude prefers a very fine point for writing, and since Jude likes his pencil tips sharp, so does little brother Damien. It's not uncommon for Jude or Damien to resharpen pencils ten or twelve times in a day, so we need a pencil sharpener that is going to hold up to heavy use. We do have a heavy duty electric sharpener, but its proximity to our work table is limited by the length of its cord. I was excited to receive a Hello Yellow Pencil Sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies to review because it's slim and no-cord design meant we could have a sharpener attached to the table!

When I first opened the box, the color immediately brought a smile.  It's a glossy, bright sunshine-and-school-buses yellow that reminds you of back-to-school days.   When I began to assemble  sharpener, I saw how the clamp that attached it to the table had a wide, rubberized bottom. If you're attaching this to a wood table, this is a great feature because you don't want to mess up your table with a metal clamp! I was frustrated, though, at how it didn't seem to want to attach straight on. At first, I tried securing the sharpener over the table cover that we keep on the table, but it didn't want to hold. I thought maybe the extra layers of fabric just were too much, but then I tried it without the table cover, and it still didn't secure properly. I tried it on our full-size kitchen table, and it still didn't want to clamp down easily.

Even when the attachment was put on straight, the sharpener had cantilevered just enough that it wasn't straight or securely fastened. It held if you were actually sharpening the pencil and had two hands on the machine, but between uses, a distracted elbow often bumped it off the table, or gravity took over...and in the process we had shavings all over the floor.

I liked that the sharpener was self-feeding when there was a pencil in there. However, if it got opened by inquisitive fingers, it was harder to retract.  Celia wanted to offer her opinion:

Once we got it organized to where we could sharpen pencils, it worked quite well. It made quick work of sharpening and created fine-tipped "Number 2" pencils.

We also tried it on colored pencils. Unlike regular pencils, they have a waxy core that can sometimes challenge sharpener blades. The also are sometimes a bit more slender.  It usually took several tries to sharpen a colored pencil, and while it did a good job on the point, the pencil often slipped, and the guide chewed up the rest of the pencil.

Ultimately, the clamp just was too wobbly to make this our go-to pencil sharpener. I think older students might have the dexterity to hold, support, and crank at the same time, but for first grader Damien, it requires too much coordination. He does independent work while I work with Jude, but relying on this sharpener forces him to interrupt me to ask for help. Jude also found it awkward and often would still sneak off to the electric sharpener because it was faster. I got tired of vacuuming up spilled shavings when it got bumped to the floor; I think a more out-of-the-way spot would be more secure between uses but that doesn't help fill the need we had of "you don't need to leave your seat."  Since it doesn't need to be plugged in, it will go in our "when we do schoolwork in another room" basket and get plenty of use, but it's not going to work as I had hoped to replace our fast but across the room sharpener.

©2012- 2016 Adventures with Jude. 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://adventureswithjude.com

Dig-It: Mayan Mysteries (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)

Dig-It Games offered the crew a chance to review a new game, Mayan Mysteries.  I immediately thought Matthew would really enjoy this game. I asked him if he would try it, and he told me he wasn't interested. At all.  Finally, I played my "because I'm the mom and I said so" card and told him he had to give the free online demo a try. If he still didn't like it, I would decline the review.  About four minutes into the demo, he decided it was "kinda ok." At the end of the demo, he was annoyed he couldn't go any further. He called over to me, "Mom? Can I have your credit card number?" Um...no...but I take it you like the game after all!  I told him he could pick whether we asked for the online version or the iPad app, but either way, he had to wait until the review period began.  Every day for a week, he raced out of school and said, "Did you get the code yet?"  Finally, we got our code, and I downloaded the Mayan Mysteries iPad App (a $9.99 value).  He wanted to play immediately; I said homework first.  He had it done in record time.  (And neat and correct on the first try! I like this game already.)

To me, the mark of a good educational tool is it is so much fun, you lose track of time and just keep on going. Matthew parked himself on the couch, and that was it. Three hours after he sat down, I was about to drag him back into reality and to dinner table, when I heard a triumphant, "Yes!" I said, "What did you do?" His response: "I beat the game."

Excuse me? You what?  Video games take at least a few days, even the easy ones.  I watched him get started. It wasn't that easy.  There are memory skills ("Where are things located on the map? Mark them on it.") and decoding skills.  There's even the Mayan calendar, and trying to decode glyphs.  I know we received the iPad app (it is not available for iPhone or iPod Touch), but the Crew Members reviewing the online version received a single user one-year subscription ($21.99).  (Note: it is also available for classroom use - a 30-student classroom license is $299. annually.)  If it's a one-year subscription, surely it should take more than a few hours to complete! 

Thankfully, it can be (and he has replayed it) several times.  By replaying, you can try again to earn awards for solving puzzles without mistakes or requesting clues.  It's a great way to review what was learned, and catch what may have been missed before.  At the end of the game, there is an announcement to watch for  Mayan Mysteries 2 to be released.  Message to developers - HURRY UP!  He's driving me batty already!

This game is filled with information on the Mayans.  The premise is a young yet renowned archaeologist is called to help combat looting.  His niece and nephew are spending the summer with him, so he brings them (and you, the human player) along with him to help protect these ruins. He is teaching them (and the player) about the Mayans as the detective work progresses.

Among the challenges is to watch a map be prepared, and then fill in the information yourself.  It layers information, beginning with sites and trading paths, and then including commodities and finally the areas inhabited by different (and often warring) groups.

 Blank Map

 Filling in the locations.

 Mayan commodities: stone tools, coal & iron, cotton, cacao and jade

Warring factions of Mayans and their lands.

At each "excavation site," the game teaches you about the people who lived there.  At the "home screen" for each Mayan site, there is a link to the Index.

From the index, you can investigate the history and culture of the locals.

Matthew also really enjoyed the glyph decoding.  He has asked me to search for and download or print decoder puzzles on a daily basis.  He even made his own puzzle!  (And no, I didn't put him up to this!)

One reason we chose the iPad app was because we do own more than one iPad.  Apps are licensed to the iTunes account, and can be used on more than one device, as long as it is registered to the same account.  I also placed it on my iPad, and let Celia play the game.  She has been working at it for about a month now.  She doesn't have quite the same laser focus as Matthew, and tends to play only for about 15 or 20 minutes at a time before giving up in frustration.  She has had a little harder time with it, but I think that is because she has only just finished 3rd grade. For example, Matthew (7th grade) flew through the Mayan calendar.   He recognized quickly that the Mayan number writing system is very similar in concept to Roman numerals (which he is already very familiar with), and was able to rapidly figure out their calendar system.  Celia, on the other hand, gave up in frustration at the same point because she couldn't grasp that idea.  Roman Numerals are new to her, and she was unable to make that lateral observation and apply what she knew in the new situation.  Matthew did a great job of trying to explain things to her, and she was finally able to move on, but it took a few days and several rounds of explaining.  The game is rated for Ages 9+ due to content (very mild historically contextual violence), so I had no problems with her trying the game (she turned 9 mid-review), but I think academically, it's more appropriate for fourth through sixth grades.

Speaking of the calendar work, Matthew enjoyed decoding the concentric properties of the calendar stone, and he learned how it was really three calendars in one: the T’zolkin, used to keep track of religious events;  the Haab, a solar calendar; and the Calendar round, which tracked time over a 52 year period.  By chance, we happened on a Mayan Calendar Stone when visiting the Museum of Science, Boston.

This picture does not do it justice - it was absolutely gorgeous.  He was excited he knew what the circles and symbols meant.  Not only am I impressed with the content of the game, but that, despite his best efforts not to get involved in this review,  Matthew not only learned and retained a lot of new information, but had fun doing it!

We're one of many families playing Mayan Mysteries.  Click to find out what others learned!

©2012- 2013 Adventures with Jude. 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://adventureswithjude.com

Homeschooling Frugally with e-Books

Free Library of Philadelphia,
Parkway Central Library
Credit: City of Philadelphia

Born and raised within the city limits,  I was never far from an outpost of The Free Library of Philadelphia.  I can remember vividly the day I left the Holmesburg branch, a proud preschooler clutching a wisp of orange cardstock that allowed me to borrow any book I wanted.  It was a great privilege to spent an overnight or two at my Grammy's house; if I was really lucky, she would have books to return while I was there and take me with her to the branch in her Olney neighborhood -- a whole new building filled with opportunity.  I spent many summers attending Vacation Reading Club, first as an participant at the Northeast Regional branch, and then as a volunteer at the Tacony Branch.  For my Girl Scout Gold Award, I had to perform 25 hours of community service.  I lived and breathed the Andrew Carnegie-funded Tacony Branch Library, and those 25 hours turned into two summers and three school years as a volunteer in the Children's Department.  I spent many weekend afternoons researching all kinds of subjects for school assignments, usually at the Regional branch.  When required to write a term paper - "The Sociology of Concentration Camps in Nazi Germany" - for AP History, I stocked up on rolls of dimes to feed the microfiche and copy machines, took the Frankford El into Center City, transferred to the Subway-Surface Trolley, and practically took up residence in the Central Branch.  Several helpful books were listed in the card catalog but no longer available on the shelves; these tomes originally printed in the 1930s were kept in the climate-controlled basement and could be viewed only while wearing cotton gloves and within sight of the librarian. It was sitting at a computer in Temple University's Paley Library that I met Neal, and eventually he and I were standing outside that same building when he dropped to one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him.  

Libraries are a wonderful place, and so incredibly important.  Books are meant to be read by everyone, not just those who have enough income to purchase them.  Unfortunately, due to budget restrictions, many libraries are slashing inventory and hours.  Where we live, the local libraries are very small, and the larger branches are a significant distance away.  Sometimes, borrowing a book from a library isn't practical because you need it for more than the two or three weeks allotted.  Either it's a book you want to use for several weeks or a semester, or you know will be handed down through the family, or it has just become your newest favorite and you don't want to give it up. 

I love the feel of a crisp new hardback, and the creased spine of a well-loved paperback, but I also have come to love e-books.  Storage space isn't an issue -- when you can read a book or two a week, that's a definite consideration!  I can take my iPhone with its Kindle App e-reader to a doctor's appointment and have a plethora of stored books to choose from; when the doctor runs hours behind and I've read everything in my account, I can download another book and have something new to read within seconds.  This has been a sanity saver when we've had hospital stays that have dragged from days into weeks.  I've also found that e-books can be more economical than paper books.  Many libraries now offer e-books, but again, you are subject to budgets and expiration dates.  With a personal e-library, there is a whole virtual library filled with thousands of books just waiting for you!  While there are a number of e-book sellers, Amazon.com is my favorite. They claim they offer "millions" of e-books.  Impressive as it was, if Beast's castle had a library of millions of books, I bet Belle would never have gone back to her village for any reason.  A basic Kindle can pay for itself in book savings, and Amazon also has free alternatives for numerous operating systems, from iPhones to PCs.

This is a partial list of what is currently on the New York Times Best Seller's List.  Look at the difference between the list price and the Kindle price.  Even Amazon's discounted price for a hardcover edition is almost 50% higher that the electronic version of Whiskey Beach.

For many classics, e-books are less expensive than paper counterparts.  Check the comparison chart! This paperback costs nearly 3 times as much as the electronic version. 





There are even a lot of FREE classics out there!  Better than library books -- because they are free AND yours forever!  Plus, they're yours in seconds -- no leaving the house or waiting for delivery.

There are even a good number of children's books available in e-book format.  These are some of our favorites.  

In addition to fun books and school books, electronic cookbooks are available.  I love cookbooks.  I'm a generally voracious reader, but you could say I devour cookbooks!  This is one of my favorites.  Something that is fantastic about having it available on my iPhone is it no matter where I am, I have it with me.   I've been able to bake treats while on vacation! 

In addition to searching for cheap and freebie books myself, I have found others who keep track of freebies and share their finds.  I often visit these sites when I'm looking for something new to read.   (Click on the pictures to go to the sites.)

Marcy from the blog Ben and Me keeps a great list!










Here's another blog with lists.




There are also a number of Facebook pages where freebies are shared.  These are two of my favorites.

Much as I love free libraries, purchasing e-books can be a frugal way to enjoy reading!  This week's Blog Cruise theme is "The Frugal Homeschool."  Read how others find frugal ways to learn!  (Button link goes live Tuesday 5/7/13.) 





Other frugal friends:

 

©2012- 2014 Adventures with Jude. 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://adventureswithjude.com

A place for everything...

One of the things I'm finding to be a struggle right now is getting organized.  I have piles of paper everywhere -- the ready-to-use lesson bundles, extra stuff I've printed to prep ahead of time, and lists of stuff I'd like to do or supplies to get. The books and craft supplies are taking over, too.  I think my husband is starting to wonder what we've gotten into.  Now that I've gotten lessons organized, I need to get the stuff FOR the lessons organized.

Can I just say that I am loving Pinterest?  I'm a very visual person, so having the ability to use it as a giant cork board has been really helpful.  It's been great to search and sort for activities, and then for being able to find them again.  Having pictures really helps me to see examples of things, from seatwork to crafts. Sometimes there are some ideas that I want to use as the are pictured; sometimes there are some that spark a different idea.  I know there are some people that would find the visual too overwhelming, but it works for me.


 The next thing I needed was to corral the papers.  I decided to purchase a large expandable file folder.  My older children use these for school -- instead of regular 2-pocket folders for each class, they have one giant folio for the entire day.  It works (well, at least when they file things properly, but that's another story), so I decided to try it for us.  I think it might just work for us, too.  I labeled the files in a manner that made sense to me -- the front pocket is the current week's curriculum, and the second one is next week's.  I have each day's materials paperclipped together, so when it is time to start working, I just pull out a packet, along with my lesson plan (to check for anything that didn't fit in the folder, like the can for today's art project).  Then I sorted all of my extra stuff by topic - math, tracing, language, art and put each category in its own slot.  There are a few empty pockets in the center, that I will probably find a use for, but the last one I labeled "Portfolio" and plan to use that to keep the papers that I want to share with Jude's Developmental Pediatrician and Psychologist, to show some of his strengths and weaknesses. Paper control, check.

Supply control -- working on that.  We have an under-the-steps cubby where I keep extra school supplies, so I thought that might work, by storing like with like.  (I've learned the hard way that when Target has crayons for a quarter per box and loose leaf by the carton in July, buy lots of extras.)  It's an ideal spot for storing the items I bought last summer; out of the way but fairly easy access.  However, after some consideration, I've decided that it's not so practical for storing things I need to get to all the time.  The cubby also houses school bags and lunch boxes and other similar items and taking them in and out daily to access the shelves behind them just isn't practical.

We do have a book case with a cabinet, and that has become my current storage spot.  I don't know that it's perfect, but it's working.  I think the one thing that will NOT do so well there is paint.  (I have five children. I will give my mother credit for not raising a fool.)  Since that is something that likely will need to be in an accessible yet secure spot, I think I will go through the kitchen cabinets and try to rearrange and find a shelf I can leave things like that on.

 The last things I needed to find a home for are Jude's crayons, scissors, etc.  We had been keeping them in a plastic sandwich-sized zip-top bag, because it made finding the right color (and cleaning up) easier than rooting through the crayon box, and there was enough room to stick his scissors and glue in the bag too.  However, it didn't really fit the pencils in (if I wanted to be able to close the bag so we didn't lose any crayons), so we needed a better plan.  A picture on Pinterest gave me the "aha" moment that led to today's art project:

Apply regular white glue to foam shapes. 

You can use crafter's glue if you prefer, or try to find the shapes that have sticker backings.

Apply shapes to a clean, empty can.

Any coffee-sized can will do.  If it does not have a flat surface, cover it with a piece of construction paper to create one.  

 
A way to re-use an old can for a new purpose.  

This one holds Jude's crayons, pencils, scissors, glue (liquid and stick), and a roll of tape. 

It's not the newest invention in the universe, I know.  But it solves two problems -- one, where to keep Jude's daily-use supplies, and two, how to use at least a few of the extra cans we have lying around.  My friends from Kids with Food Allergies Foundation* will recognize the can.  It's an empty can of Neocate Jr. elemental enteral formula.  My daughter and youngest son each has extensive allergies, and it is the main source of their nutrition.  Consequently, we have a LOT of these cans. While the majority do land in the recycle bin, it's nice to be able to upcycle one from time to time. A craft that is an oldie but goodie, it provides some OT practice and helps in our quest to find a place for everything.

*The Kids With Food Allergies Foundation improves the day-to-day lives of families raising children with food allergies and empowers them to create a safe and healthy future for their children.  It's a support system that has helped us for years.  Beyond just the basics of living with allergies, KFA has a support board dedicated to homeschooling families, a board for traditionally schooling families, and lots of printable resources for all families of children with allergies.  I definitely recommend checking out their Holiday Celebrations resources.  There are lots of lesson and craft ideas that help minimize a child's exposure to his or her allergens, but are also just plain fun for all.