Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)

 For several months now, Celia has told me she wanted to learn how to sew.  When the opportunity to review Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns came up, we jumped at the chance.  Gram taught Mom how to sew, Mom taught me, and now is my turn to teach my daughter.   I am excited Celia wants to learn because it really is a useful skill, and depending on what you are making, a real expression of art. I have sewn everything from children's clothing to figure skating costumes for the boys; in fact, I made many of Celia's clothes until she was a preschooler because her medical issues kept her from fitting into standard sized baby clothes.

Starting out with doll clothes is perfect - the items are smaller, meaning the scale of the project is as well.  Less cutting, less fabric to try to not catch in the machine, and still something she can show off when she is finished.   Learn How to Make Doll Clothes Video Course with 8 Free Doll Clothes Patterns  is designed to teach you how to sew in about 12 weeks, but the year-long access (US $47.54 or AU$49.94 - note US prices may fluctuate slightly due to exchange rates) gives you plenty of time to work at a relaxed pace.   (The program is geared toward students ages 8+; Rosie also offers a DVD copy of the program for a one-time cost of US$66.53/AU$69.94, which may be more economical if you have several young seamstresses or tailors in the wings.)   The patterns included are for 18" dolls - perfect for making clothes for Celia's American Girl Dolls Rebecca and Katie.  There are also patterns made to fit clothes for a Cabbage Patch style doll.  They can either be purchased separately, or you can email Rosie and request to switch to them, if you do not have a dolly to sew for that fits the other patterns. 

Special price note from Rosie's Blog: 

From now until midnight on the 24th December, 2013 when you purchase my How to Make Doll Clothes video course I’m giving away an additional pattern of your choice absolutely free!

By now you are probably wondering, "OK, who is Rosie?"  Rosie is a mom from Australia who loves to sew.  She too learned how to sew from her mom at a young age.  When her daughter asked her to make clothes for her doll, she put her seamstress skills to work...except she found that sewing doll clothes was not quite the same as people clothes.  At first, I thought Rosie put things together in a strange pattern, but for sewing doll clothes, the steps make perfect sense!  Her experience and persistence really shine here.  For example, she starts with the hem of the shorts (Pattern No. 1).   For a beginner, this makes sense since it is a straight line - a good place to start - rather than a curved seam.  However, the "secret trick" here is sewing it while flat means you are using your machine to run up the hem, and are not hand-stitching because there is just no way a the leg is going to fit around the arm of the machine.   This is something I had not considered (see all those sleeve hems up there that I should have done before sewing the arms...).  Even for experienced seamstresses, this program is a worthwhile course if you want to make doll clothes with less aggravation.

This program has two six week long sections - a "how to" instructional, then sewing practice.  There are two ways to work on the program.

1- Watch all of the background info (or at least the first three weeks' worth of videos), then dive into the sewing pattern.

2 - Watch Week 1 Lesson + Week 1 Pattern simultaneously.

In total, there are 130 individual videos, from "What tools you need" to "How to finish off your seams."   When I first looked at the site, I thought we would do the pattern right away, because Celia is itching to sew something.  However, after looking over the site before we started, I realized there was so much background information to sewing.  Much of it I learned by watching my mother - nobody ever showed me how to lay a pattern, I just watched and helped her enough that I knew.  I never realized how much I had just "picked up" over time.  Most of the sewing I did was when Celia was little, so while she did watch me, she wasn't really paying attention or helping. 

If you're new to sewing,  I recommend really trying to be patient.   Watch the how-to videos,  then go into the pattern section and start sewing.  This way, you have the opportunity to learn about different sewing tools, and then go to the sewing store and get ones you wish to have.  (I need me a Bodkin to help with elastic!  I have always just hooked a safety pin on the end and used that to feed it through, but invariably it opens midway through and sticks in the casing.)  You'll also learn about coordinating laying out a pattern with a fabric's grains, patterns, and nap, which is especially important if you want to use remnant pieces.  We have been going slowly - watching a few videos at a time.  Now that we have made it through many of the background videos, we are getting to making our first item - a pair of shorts.  (Or, rather, two pairs of shorts, because Rebecca can't possibly have new clothes and not Katie!)

There were several things I'm glad that Rosie said.  One actions she was most emphatic about -- DON'T USE FABRIC SCISSORS ON PAPER!!  I've been saying this forever and ever, and constantly rescuing my "good" fabric shears from the hodgepodge of scissors.  (At one point, I even put a band-aid on the handle so I knew they were the "new" good ones.)  Now that someone else has said not to do it...


There is a video on how to print your patterns.  It seems silly, but you want to make sure you choose the correct printer settings, or else your pattern pieces may print differently.   If you're making something with multiple pattern pieces, if you do not print it right, your outfit will not come out right. It stresses making sure you have "fit to page" unchecked and you are using the proper size paper.

The patterns are downloaded in two files: the pattern pieces and the instructions.  The patterns themselves have length on them, so you can gauge how much fabric you need.  Many pieces can be used with larger scraps (usually less than half a yard; depending on what you are making, a fat quarter could be sufficient), but if you are going to be choosing "new" fabric, print your patterns/instructions first so you know how much to ask for at the fabric store.  The printable directions that go with the patterns also include a notions list, including any "optional" things (like buttons to decorate the night dress' bodice).

 Aren't these outfits adorable?  All of them are included with the program!

Each written step has a video to go with it.  So many times, I have looked at the "next step" of a pattern and said, "WHAAAAT?" because the writing and what I am holding in my hand do not mesh into a clear visual.  So many times I have called my mother, "OK, I give.  What is this telling me to do?"  (My mother is a fantastic seamstress - she once designed and made a dozen elf costumes in under a week for a Christmas play for my grade school.  Although, to give credit where it is due, my father is an amazing pattern maker and seam presser as well.)  Usually we figure it out because she has already made something similar, but it is hard for me to describe what I am doing and what I want to do and make the imagery work for her, too.  Once I have done it (and seen it!) I am invariably left thinking, "Duh."  The next time I do that pattern, or make something else similar, the pattern makes sense.  Having the well narrated and clearly recorded videos to go along with each step helps it make sense before I start muttering under my breath.

I think it is wonderful that Rosie is open to suggestions from her clients. For the nightie, she has "her" way of making the shoulder straps.  Another seamstress tried it, struggled, and worked out a way that was easier for her, then shared it with Rosie.  Now the pattern contains "alternative directions" that include the new method, in case that process makes more sense to others as well.

After a month of watching the videos, Celia is excited to finally be ready to sew.  While it might be possible for an older student to sit through the videos in a few days, being only nine with a shorter attention span plus having homework and projects to work around means it has taken us longer than she would like.    I have watched ahead to the sewing videos, and although she may need a little help working my sewing machine, I really think Celia is going to be able to make the items almost totally by herself.  (Rosie discusses recommended stitch length and tension, but does not really get into specifics on how to set these, since all machines work differently.)  Celia has her dolls, her fabric, and her notions, and is ready for Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns to help her start sewing wardrobes for her "little girls" - just like Mom. 
.

There are lots of very well dressed dollies now!  

Read about how Crew families made wardrobes for their dolls by clicking the banner below.

©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

VocabularySpellingCity (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)

VocabularySpellingCity is an online, game-based way for students to learn vocabulary and spelling.  There are two kinds of membership - one is free but with limited access, the other is a premium membership that allows full access to the site's entire repertoire of word lists and games.  Our family received a premium membership that allowed all five children to test the site out.  I was very excited because this is a program that ALL students can benefit from, regardless of where they receive their education.

Often I am skeptical of free vs. premium memberships.  Most times, premium memberships don't give you enough value when compared to free options.   A VocabularySpellingCity premium membership is $29.99 per year.  Perhaps I'm biased because we had so many users, making the cost-per-child ratio lower - so on one hand, you could say "At six bucks per kid -- how can you go wrong?"  However, even if I had ONE child using this, I think it's worth the cost.   The flexibility of this program amazes me.

First, there are several more activities available to the premium member.  In fact, the entire "learn the words as vocabulary" program is open to premium members.  This alone makes it worthwhile -- I think knowing what a word means often helps gives clues to how the word is spelled.

I love that this program is multisensory - hearing, seeing, tactile interaction.  Some of the activities are basic, dry, "match the word with the definition," which really is a necessary part of learning vocabulary.  VocabularySpellingCity tries to make it fun, but sometimes, you have to accept that matching definitions requires memorizing.  However, the program tries to use different methods of presentation to help students learn.  Vocabulary is presented as "Choose the correct word from a multiple-choice list," "Use context clues to put the word in a sentence," and "Match the lists."

With several ways for a student to learn and manipulating words on a list, the focus is on the activity, not on "Oh, I never can remember this word!" or "This activity doesn't help me!"

Speedy Speller, another premium game, requires the student to master both accuracy and speed.  For my in-school two, this is really helpful, because when they have their weekly spelling tests, the teacher only spends a minute or two on each word -- either you know how to spell it, or you don't.  Speedy Speller helps them learn the word correctly AND quickly, so they're prepared for the next word when it is given.   Speedy Speller takes away the "OH no, I only have 30 seconds to write the word," because they know can do it (correctly) in nine, still leaving time to go back and make sure penmanship is legible.  For my homeschooler, Luke, speed is still important. When he needs to write timed essays, he can't spend all of his time trying to figure out how to spell a word. 

You can never run out of words to use with VocabularySpellingCity.  There are pre-loaded lists for students from Pre-Kindergarten through the end of High School.  Damien and Jude are playing using early Dolch sigh-reading words while Luke has taken advantage of the upper level Chemistry, Geometry, and SAT prep.  Matthew's school-assigned vocabulary book is already partnered with the program, so I can import his weekly words with a few clicks.  Celia has teacher-assigned words that we easily enter into the program each week.  For these fourth grade level words, the definitions are already in the program.  However, you can also enter your own words and definitions.  I think this would extend the life of the program to beyond high school - even college students who need to learn definitions (especially math and science majors) could enter in words and definitions and take advantage of the program.  Here's a list I created:

 (Can you tell which department we've visited recently?)

Second,  a premium membership is beneficial for homeschooling mamas because it will track progress - and grades - as well as assignments!  I'm not opposed to grading tests, but really - if I have the opportunity for an independent grader to give me a number to throw in the grade book, I'm happy.  While I'm not grading the little boys, Luke's spelling and vocabulary scores are being averaged into his subject grades - even math.  To me, it's just as important that he knows the language of what he is talking about, not just that he can move the numbers around.   Celia has generally been a good speller, but she has more confidence going into her Friday tests.  Matthew struggles with remembering vocabulary, and the extra practice has definitely helped him, bringing his grades from failing into C territory.  (Hey, it's a hard-won C, so I'll take it!)  However, watching his grade creep up each time he repeated a week's assignment meant that words were "sticking," and he felt prepared to take the in-school test on Fridays.  He felt like he would be able to do reasonably well, rather than being resigned to just going in and letting whatever he knew come out and result in yet another failing grade.

The premium membership also allows me to customize a program for the individual student. Each child has his own login within our family's account, so I can assign tailored programs to each one.  For example, I can assign the PK Dolch words for the little guys and the high school word lists for Luke, but none has to sort through the others' assignments - each gets his own list.  I can choose the activities assigned to each student based on what they need (Damien isn't quite up to learning definitions - I just want him to start understanding that letters make words), and what they prefer (Luke likes the matching definitions,  Matthew prefers an extra round of sentences to help him cement context clues.)  I like that I can set the programs to "lock" the order -- this way, they do the "practice" tests first and then the final test last, rather than "getting it over with" and failing before taking the opportunity to really learn the words.

Third, these games are FUN.  Ok, maybe there wasn't a whole lot fun about a spelling test, but learning the words sure was.   VocabularySpellingCity is a family-owned educational software company with nearly 40 employees dedicated to creating "game-changing" educational systems. The founder, John Edelson, has a history in the gaming industry that stretches back nearly 30 years and includes producing the popular game "Croc: Legend of the Gobbos."  The graphics are crisp and clean regardless of platform - with five students, we employed every one in the house --  Mac, PC and iPad/iPod*.  They are age appropriate regardless of level - our family's favorite game (HangMouse) was simple enough for the younger ones yet still considered whimsical by the older kids.  This program quickly became a favorite post-homework gaming activity for Matthew and Celia and an anticipated school task for the others.

*Note: due to programming issues, the iPad/iPod App does not support all of the activities.  My face value, non-techie understanding is they require something iOS doesn't play nice with in order to work.  However, if we only had an iPad as our only way to use the program, I would still consider it worthwhile - out of 28 activities available to a premium member, only five are not available via App.  All of the other non-game features, including recordkeeping, are still supported.

There is one more population I want to focus on: the student in the classroom.

We are a hybrid schooling family.  Because of having homeschooling brothers, Matthew and Celia had the opportunity to try out the program, and it really worked for them.

I am a huge proponent of cutting back on homework.  I can see where some work has merit, but when you have a child like Matthew who is simple done by 3 pm, it's a fight that I don't look forward to.  But he NEVER considered this as homework.  This was a game. This was fun. Yes, as a 7th grader he realized it was educational, BUT he was willing to work on it.  In fact, he would hustle through his homework in order to not lose "SpellingCity Time."   One afternoon, I had to go to the Apple Store to get Jude's iPad repaired, and Celia disappeared into the sea of "Try us" laptops. When I went to tell her it was time to go, she said, "One more minute...I'm playing Spelling City!" 

I wish we had known about this program sooner.    Having seen Matthew's grades go up so dramatically in four weeks, I think this could have saved us a lot of drama and tears.  It's also been far more effective than his usual Vocabulary homework.  I couldn't tell you the last time his vocabulary grade was above an 80; he even got a 100 on the spelling portion of the test.  I also intend to discuss with his teachers the possibility of implementing it school-wide, because I can't believe I have the only student that struggles with learning spelling and vocabulary.  I know that our school's budget is very tight (what school's isn't these days?) but I feel that this is something that the Curriculum committee really needs to consider.  We have reviewed a number of other programs that could be used by both home- and "regular"-schoolers alike, but this is the first one where I've felt that the program has filled a niche that nothing else I've seen can.  And, at less than two dollars per student, I think that even a modest fund-raiser can add this to the curriculum and reap great rewards. 

There were only two major problems that I found with the program.

• Dictation during tests. This was probably the biggest problem we had with the program.  When taking the spelling and vocabulary tests, many words were said so quickly that they were hard to hear.  At first, I thought it was just Luke (he does have some auditory processing issues), but then Celia remarked she couldn't understand, either.  I sat in on a test with each, and wasn't sure what was being said, either - even when I had the word lists up on my screen.  When I re-tested them verbally myself, they both knew the correct spelling of the word and the definition, so it was definitely a testing issue, not a learning deficit.  During other spoken activities within the program, the dictation was not as hard to understand - it was better enunciated and at a still rapid but more easily understood clip.  But for the tests, it was said quickly and too evenly - with no appropriate syllable stressing.

• Some games really need a word bank or list.  

I had to print out/handwrite lists for games such as "HangMouse" and Crossword really could use a word bank, especially for younger students.  Without the words next to him, Jude got every attempt wrong at HangMouse -- after all, when you're just learning words, do you know how many three letter words are out there??  A LOT.  But with a list in front of him, he was able to not only complete the task without tears, but use process of elimination - "The word 'and' has three letters, let's try A...ok, there's no A in the word, so that means it can't be 'can' either..let's try F for 'for...'" or "Ok, the A is in the middle, so it's not 'and' but it could be 'can,' so let's see if there is a C."  Even for Celia and Luke's words, having a list at hand was helpful.  This way, their focus was on the six-letter words on their lists, not needing to memorize a list so they knew which words to recall.  While we solved this by copying the words down ourselves (not inherently bad because that added another way of learning), it would be nice if there was a word bank option (even a drop-down hint box) so that the student was not trying to play and keep track of a printout all week.

VocabularySpellingCity's Premium Membership is a program that I am very, very happy to have had to opportunity to review.  A nice balance of "traditional" word-and-definition learning and classic games, it has provided all of the students in our family - from PK through High School -  a multisensory way to learn and reinforce learning vocabulary and spelling.  The Premium membership has been worthwhile for the homeschoolers in our  family, providing individualized programs and recordkeeping, while the "regular" schoolers have been able to work on their own teacher-assigned lists as well.  This program is Fun ("With a Capital F," says Matthew),  far more engaging than another worksheet, and provides instant feedback and a second chance if a wrong answer is given.  Having the iPad App option really came in handy - one child could work on a computer while the other was on an iPad.  This is a program I look forward to continuing to use for a long time to come.

100 members of the  Schoolhouse Review Crew have been using VocabularySpellingCity.  Find out what they thought of the program by clicking the banner below.

©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

Bridgeway Academy: Easy Essay Writing Learning Lab (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)

 

For the past several weeks, Luke has been participating in the Easy Essay Writing Learning Lab from Bridgeway Academy.  This high-school level class is 9 weeks' worth of 90 minute classes, and students are expected to spend about 3 extra hours on assignments each week.  Successful completion of the course yields a high-school level half credit if the student is currently enrolled in Bridgeway Academy.  Tuition is normally $275 for the session.

NOTE:  For the review, our lab was an abbreviated course of 8 weeks' worth of 60 minute sessions.

Course Description:

Easy Essay Writing (High School Core)

Perhaps there is nothing more daunting to students than writing an essay. This class will demystify and debunk the hardships of essay writing. We’ll focus on organization, structure, and design as we make essay writing a breeze! This course is designed as a 1/2 credit elective course with 1 hour in class and 2-3 hours of homework weekly.

Tech specifics:

 

The Learning Labs program uses Jigsaw Meeting as the class conferencing facilitator.  It does require Java (make sure to check for updates frequently during the course), and can only be accessed with a regular computer.  It will not work with Android devices, and as of fall 2013 there were no plans to make it accessible.  We were told that there would be a version for iPads during the fall, but as of late October, there still was not one available. 

You will also need a separate headset/microphone.  At first I thought this seemed a bit ridiculous - after all, Celia takes violin lessons via Skype.  If my computer's built-in speakers and microphone allow not only lessons but also for her teacher to tune her violin, then surely that would work for this, right?  There actually IS a reason for needing a headset/microphone - there would be too much feedback between the sound from the speakers and any ambient noise reverberating into the microphone if you used the built in ones.

Ideally, you'll attend each weekly class.  In the event you aren't able to, the classes are recorded so that you can catch up.  You're still responsible for turning the work in at the specified time, though.  (In our case, it was generally Fridays by 5 pm, so it wasn't like he could wait until the weekend and play catch up.)

Our experience:

Technical aspects

Unfortunately, the reality of our tech experience wasn't so great.  I can't necessarily fault Bridgeway Academy, but I would be very nervous using Jigsaw again.  The other crew members reviewing other Learning Labs didn't seem to have any of these issues, so I probably would at least consider a program, but it would have to be a really great program that we "couldn't live without" for me to take another chance on it.

There was at least one class where the log-in wasn't working properly.  Luke was not the only one to miss a good chunk of that session, and the teacher did offer a brief review the next week, followed by a make-up session after that class.  Though Luke felt he was caught up after the review, he did attend the extra class. However, he was still responsible for the homework that was assigned for the week that the class was half unavailable (and due before the extra help was given).  In theory, this wouldn't be such an issue because the classes were supposed to be recorded.  However, though my understanding is the issues were on Jigsaw's part and not Bridgway's, very few of the classes were recorded, including that one; as of the posting of the is review, seven classes are complete (eight if you count the extra), and only three have been available via recording.


The instructor, Mrs. Kulp, has been trying very hard to get information to us.  She held the make-up class and set up Dropbox links (twice since a bunch of Crew members, including us, got locked out somehow!) with the Power Point presentations and PDFs instead of the recordings.  Though offsite training during one week of the class made response times very slow, Mrs. Kulp has generally been quick to respond to email.  We definitely do appreciate her effort, but it is still frustrating because it's like having only the outline of the class, but no details.  One week, Luke missed the class due to unreliable internet access, and of course, it was a week that did not record.   He definitely was feeling at a disadvantage.

Course content

At the beginning, we were emailed a syllabus that included the course goals and assignments.  From the syllabus:

In theory, this seems pretty straightforward. The reality of the course trajectory was pretty confusing for Luke.

The first few weeks seemed to make sense, combining the instruction with the homework.  The first week's assignment was to write a sample essay; the second to study the different styles of essay and write questions that would lead to essays.  So far, so good.

Then things got confusing.  For Week 3, the syllabus suddenly was rearranged.  Plans were switched with Week 4; apparently  they were transposed on the syllabus. That seemed reasonable.  The problem was that after writing theses in Week 3, the brainstorming and outlines for Week 4 had two new topics to start from the beginning with, while Week 5's paragraphs went back to Week 3's theses and discarded Week 4's work entirely.  Luke felt Week 4's practice was a waste of time.

The focus of this course was to learn write three-point thesis statements.  However, further confusing things, Week 5's assignment was to write two body paragraphs each for two theses, followed by writing Introduction and Conclusion paragraphs in Week 6.  In the end, his three-point essay got whittled down to two, but he's expected to write one timed three-point thesis/5-paragraph essay for his final exam.  Having written these for over 5 years, he's fairly confident that he's got the mechanics down (even if he is a bit nervous about the execution), but I know he'd feel a lot more comfortable if he had one full essay written and critiqued already. 

UPDATE - week 8:   Luke got his week 6 homework back this morning (Mon, 10/28, it was due Monday 10/21), just a few hours before this afternoon's class.  The email had the note "We'll work on your introductions," and the work itself was littered with notes saying "You only have two points." 
He KNOWS he doesn't have three points.  He was told that he only was to have two paragraphs, which makes a two-point thesis.  That's what he submitted.  His essays were returned with notes on them -  "You don't have a three point essay."  I think Luke's head is about to explode.  He had them correct from the start, shortened them to fit what he was told (intro, conclusion, two paragraphs), and now is being criticized for following directions?  We've emailed the instructor for clarification, but as a parent, I am really frustrated with the lack of organization this class seems to have.


Luke's experience

Because Luke had a very strong middle school writing course with very clear rubrics and expectations, he completely understands the rules of writing, and can recite them nearly verbatim; he was one of just a handful of freshman last year who understood writing assignments without further explanation.  His problem is just can't quite make them work when putting pen to paper.  He has good ideas, but his execution is often erratic and he often needs help keeping himself on track.  I was really hoping this class would help him with this.  I think it has, but not necessarily how we expected.

Most weeks, he did not receive any feedback on his homework.  We were assuming no news meant he did OK.  (No grades have been assigned to work.) Other than a few comments on his initial work and outline, he had received little feedback.   However, after Week 5, his paper came back with a sea of red notes.   Luke was surprised to see so much criticism, and then devastated as he read through.

Among the comments (excerpts from two different sections):

I will agree that there were some areas that Luke could have tightened up, and some that could have been revised for clarity.  However, overall, I didn't think he had done too badly.

Being criticized in general wasn't really the cause of being upset - he admits that writing is a weak spot for him, and is familiar with writing critiques.  However,  the reasoning behind her comments had him frustrated.  I asked him to write out his reaction - partly to vent, but also because I really wanted to see "his side."

I wrote my paragraphs based on the way I was taught in both middle and high schools; a high school caliber paragraph, I was taught, should be a MINIMUM of 6 sentences.  An appropriate paragraph would have 6-8, with 2-3 sentences for each supporting concept plus introductory and conclusion/transition.  4-5 sentences would have been considered a minimally attempted paragraph, especially in a 5 paragraph essay like this.  A 3 sentence paragraph would have received a poor mark in middle school, and have earned a zero on the standard rubric used by my teacher last year.  I believe my sentences and paragraphs DO make sense, based on what I have learned in the past and the standards I have always been held to.  For a 3 sentence paragraph, obviously, sentences 4 through 6 obviously are extra, but a 6 sentence paragraph is what I learned.

The instructor saying "Your reader is only giving you two minutes of his time," did not make sense to Luke;  in his experience, to write a three- and five-paragraph essay was what you learned as a precursor to writing a research paper.  How on EARTH could you read a research essay or paper in just a few minutes, and how could the writer support an argument with research (and references!) in just three sentences?  He labored for a good month over last year's term paper, building the support for his thesis. This was the total opposite of everything he had learned.

After talking to him about what the instructor was discussing in class, the feedback on his paper, and then talking to another Crew member, we finally had an "AHA!" moment.  What did make sense was finally considering these essays to be more for a SAT grader or College Admissions officer.  That made them a totally different style of writing, or at least a completely different reason for writing.  Once he looked at the paragraphs from that point of view, things began to become clearer, and he understood the critique.  He was able to calmly whittle his paragraphs down to two or three sentences each, understanding why he did not need all the supporting information that the writing he was accustomed to required.  

This brings us to his next point about the class expectations.  In comparing having written research papers with writing these new, more concise essays, Luke feels that if this was his only essay writing experience, he would be way over his head once he got to college or into a literature class that required more in-depth writing.  His suggestion is for Bridgeway Academy to revise the course description to reflect that while the focus is on learning about different essay styles,  the written essays expected are geared more toward SAT answers and college applications.  While the underlying mechanics are the same across the board (craft a thesis, create an outline, write a rough draft, revise), he thinks that understanding the audience from the start would have changed nearly all of how he approached the course.  He also is taking this fairly early in high school (first semester of 10th grade), so he feels he is at a point where it is still helpful.  If he was in his senior year with his SATs complete and college applications submitted, it would be too late to be really practical.

One thing Luke did enjoy was the small group setting.  His class had 10 students.  While he's very happy as a homeschooler to work independently, he did like having the familiar peer interaction of the class and a teacher leading the group. This was a good transition class for him, but could also be good for students who have not done a class setting before. 

I am very glad that we did this as part of the Crew review, so that as parents we were able to support each other when a class was missed or we didn't understand what was going on.  Luke and I both appreciated that feature that made it more like "regular" school.  One of the things we are grateful for with homeschooling is flexibility;  after with having had the technical issues we did, I would only consider doing another Learning Lab if we were able to fully commit to being home for every class session. Despite the many bumps, I think this was a good experience for Luke - he has learned to write to entirely new audience.  He feels that while Easy Essay Writing was ultimately academically worthwhile, though the lack of specifics in course description and the difficult technical process make him hesitant to try another Learning Lab program.

The Schoolhouse Review Crew reviewed two other Learning Labs from Bridgeway Academy in addition to a textbook-based remedial English course called Bridgeway English (Book 1 and Book 2).  Click on the banner below to find out about their experiences.

©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

Sunday Sharing Pinterest Party Week 14

Another week done - another month, really!  This coming week sees Halloween, and before we know it, we'll be through all the winter holidays and into next year.  People are so right about the time our children are young -- it holds long days but short years!

Remember the marranitos recipe I promised last week? Here it is!

Aren't they cute??

My two favorites this week have to do with one of Jude's favorite things -- to "blow stuff up."

First, how about a science experiment?

Check out these exploding baggies from P is for Preschooler.


And when he's done blowing things up, he can help "blow up DNA" with some dancing and pretending to explode!

Back in the Hills has some great dancing ideas! 


If you have been featured this week, help yourself to the "I was featured!" button.

<a href="http://www.adventureswithjude.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="I was featured at Adventures with Jude" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycMJuJ7ZShAJfXQ3Lx29jm-RljsCNBai2-uAnVoZOFE9RbwW1YR6AUb78Yn33m1mesTFHm_lliTcYQFb0dQdLXakgXC-ICkOOzxlwaxt84IGSittnaagsFAarYXfNNjKCu_9tCkA9xRc/s512/avjpinparty1-featured.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />

All of last week's pins have been added to my Sunday Sharing Pinterest Party Board. Be sure to check it out to find both last week's pins as well as all the others from prior weeks!  It's filling up with tons of great things!

I'm not a big fan of parties with tons of rules, so I've tried to keep the rules here simple. I'm really torn because as much as I love seeing everyone's ideas, often they are linked directly to the post, not to a pin.  From now on, I'm happy to have everybody link up, and certainly pin anything directly, but only links to pins will be eligible for feature.  Thanks for understanding!

On to this week's party! 

An InLinkz Link-up

©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

Barbour Publishing - Diary of a Real Payne Book 1: True Story (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)

Celia and I have been reading Diary of a Real Payne Book 1: True Story, written by Annie Tipton and published by Barbour Publishing. While it is also available in e-book formats, we read the paperback version.  The printed book is available directly from the publisher; the list price is $5.99 but currently is on sale for $4.49.  Geared for the 8-12 year old audience, this 192-page book is long enough to tell a complete story but not so long that it feels never-ending.  It is Book 1 in the series; Book 2 (entitled Church Camp Chaos) is slated for release in March 2014.

This story is narrated by the main protagonist, Emma Jean "EJ" Payne.  It is written in a "Dear-Diary-flashback" style, and focuses on the first half of her fourth grade year.  Ten-year-old EJ reminds me quite a bit of nine-year-old Celia - good hearted but with a flair for the dramatic.  EJ is a fourth grader in a small town, just like Celia. EJ has a little brother who drives her crazy, just like Celia.  EJ is an angel in the Christmas play...uh huh, just like Celia. 

Nah...never any drama from this little girl!!

Celia chose to take this book to school, to be her "I'm done everything else," book.  (Students are asked to keep a book with them so that if they finish their work, they have something productive to do while waiting for others.)  She appreciated that the chapters were fairly short, and within the chapters, a star marked a natural pause in the story.   She felt like she could read a chapter or two if she was waiting for choir to begin, or just a page or two if she finished her seatwork early, and never lose her place. She declared it "Not my favorite, but pretty good."

When Celia was done, it was my turn to read it.  The first three pages pulled me right in - when you start with a reference to Anne of Green Gables while still in the prologue (EJ has a dog named Matthew Cuthbert T-Rex Payne; "Bert" for short) then you've got my attention. EJ even is Anne (with an E, thank you) for Halloween.    I had to laugh - with their flair for drama, Celia, EJ, and Anne are "kindred spirits." These girls have huge personalities, and even bigger dreams.

Unfortunately, Diary of a Real Payne didn't really keep my attention.  Clearly, the author is well-read in classic children's books.  It had an Anne of Green Gables - meets - Beverly Cleary feel, which was kind of quirky but not bad.  I rather liked the idea at first.   But I began to feel really discombobulated as the book went on - rather than relaxing and enjoying the story, I felt exhausted trying to keep up with the pace of the different writing styles.  At times I felt like I was ping-ponging between the two  - the ethereal "poetic dreamy prose" of Anne's voice almost seemed to alternate with drier, wittiter narration that sets Cleary's writing apart.  Diary of a Real Payne is clearly an original story, but the author's apparent influences seemed heavy-handed and obvious.  It was as if the author wanted to create an new amalgam style but the merge didn't quite smooth out.  I think if I was a tween girl, I would have taken it at face value and enjoyed it more than as an adult.  Celia didn't see the differences between the styles as much as I did, though she did mention that Isaac reminded her of Beverly Cleary's Fudge.  

This is most definitely a Christian-themed book.  EJ's dad is a pastor at a local church in town, and there are definite religious tones, starting in the first chapter with EJ's re-imagining of the story of Esther.  (The author holds true to the Bible story; she just puts EJ's today's world language and spin on it.)  The religious references were well-placed and did fit within the story - I think having EJ's dad as clergy helped to make EJ's point of view more believable.  I didn't find any of it preachy; however, some of the passages were a bit obvious and clunky.  They didn't quite blend in as well as Celia or I would have liked them to. 

She is looking forward to the second book, although I will probably let her read it on her own and just skim it when it arrives.



Discover what others thought about Diary of a Real Payne: True Story.  Click the banner below to read the other Crew reviews.

©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

Celebrating Halloween Despite Food Allergies

Why do I personally think Halloween is such a pain-in-the-butt holiday?  Not religious reasons.  I dread it because it is the first event in the Fall Feasts Triathalon, one of the worst times of year for families with food allergies.  (The other two legs are Thanksgiving and Christmas, with their huge food offerings to navigate.)   What is the quintessential fall food image?

Photo credit: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives

Yep. It's everybody gathered around that groaning table, fork in hand, while Grandpop carves the golden cornbread-stuffed turkey and you anticipate the gorge on Aunt Susie's candied pecan pie.  And the sideboard holiday images: enough candy to rot an entire village's worth of teeth, and the cookie swaps that must include Great-Auntie Sophie's sour cream spritz recipe from the Old Country.  What do we associate with holiday memories? Food.  Even the current outrage over opening stores on Thanksgiving Thursday night instead of waiting until what barely passes for Black Friday morning is so that store employees can stay home and eat dinner with their families. Not watch Thanksgiving football, not watch a Thanksgiving parade, but eat dinner.  It's about the food.

Food allergic families I know are absolutely THRILLED when people give out something beside candy, like pencils or bubbles or stickers.   (Including our family.)  Most of us aren't inherently anti-sugar. We just like our children alive and breathing at the end of the party.   Forget the razorblades of lore -- I'm inspecting for ingredient labels.  Every label, every time; no label, no go.  My kids know that they're not really collecting candy for themselves -- most of it winds up being put in a "not safe for us" bag and given away. They want to participate in Trunk-or-Treat at school, and not have to explain why they aren't attending yet another food-based event, or repeat  "No, thank you, I can't have that, I'm just here to be with my friends..." over and over.  They don't want to have to list all of their allergies to well-meaning neighbors who say "Well, you can have this one -- there's no peanuts!" when it's soy or egg will actually make them experience anaphylactic shock.  Did you know that candies made in holiday "fun" sizes often have different ingredients than the year-round "regular" sizes? 

Add in the endless rounds of school parties (for all three holidays), and it sounds like Halloween in this house isn't all that fun and not worth celebrating.  But yes, we still celebrate it.  And people ask, why would you celebrate something you don't get anything out of? Isn't the point of Halloween to gather massive amounts of candy?

I'm sharing Matthew's essay from last week as to why our family celebrates Halloween.  Many people refuse to acknowledge the holiday because Halloween is a Christianization of a "pagan" ritual.  On the other hand, so are the traditions of Christmas trees and Easter eggs; even the monk's tonsure that we associate with saints like Francis of Assisi comes from the Greek and Roman tradition of shaving slaves' heads to indicate subservience.  Sure, All Hallow's Eve co-opts the festivals of Samhain, but often I wonder if modern Halloween has been so commandeered by commercial confectioners and chocolatiers (not unlike Thanksgiving and Christmas!) that we've lost sight of the original point of ANY former interpretation of the holiday.

Matthew summed up our "religious" and "family" reasons for celebrating.  We trick-or-treat to spend time together.  In the past, we have gone to the neighborhood where I grew up.  My parents would give out treats we brought to share, and we would visit with old friends we don't often get to see.  This year we will be celebrating with our school family at the HSA-sponsored "Trunk or Treat,"  and giving out non-food treats so that everyone can have something special in their baskets.  As for the treats my children receive -- well, yes, we trade the younger ones a small gifts in exchange for anything unsafe.  The older ones simply give it away, learning a lesson in that what seems a trial to them is a blessing to others.  And really, isn't suffering trials gladly (or at least with a minimum of wishing things were different) the hallmark of Christ's greatest act of love?

Matthew Falciani

October 2013

Persuasive

Celebrate Halloween!

            Halloween should be observed by anyone who wants to celebrate it.  Families spend time together.  Children use their imaginations.  In addition, Christians may choose to commemorate the meaning of “All Hallows’ Eve” with a religious perspective.

            Halloween allows families to spend time together.  Trick-or-treating is a fun way to spend time together and visit with neighbors.  Some schools and churches also hold trunk-or-treating parties, where many families get together and decorate their cars’ trunks and celebrate the holiday as a community.  Families hold Halloween parties and may invite extended family and friends.  At the parties, families may play games as teams.  They work together to create an enjoyable night.

            Imagination creates a festive evening.  Telling spooky Halloween stories uses imagination, too, by creating the story from spooky ideas and then retelling it to others.  Designing decorations allows you to creatively use fall themed materials.  Costumes allow people to pretend to be someone else:  a role model, a hero, or just a fun character.   You can even imagine life as one of your ancestors.

            Christians may choose to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve in a more traditional way.  This night often sees vigils kept for those who have died.  On this night, some Christians celebrate with prayer.  Even if one celebrates a modern Halloween with tricks, a religious themed event can include reflections on Bible stories where God was glorified through tricks.  Esther tricked Haman and the king and saved the Jewish people.  The Egyptian Pharaoh’s wizards did tricks to try to compete with God, but He ultimately triumphed at Passover when the wizards could not revive the Pharaoh’s son.

            Halloween is not an evil holiday.  Some may say it refers to non-Christian traditions, but modern activities can be used to celebrate God.  Families can spend quality time together.  Children can use their imaginations.  Christian reflections can celebrate the bridge between earthly and heavenly life.  Christians should joyfully celebrate Halloween!

Halloween should be observed by anyone who wants to celebrate it.  Families spend time together.  Children use their imaginations.  In addition, Christians may choose to commemorate the meaning of “All Hallows’ Eve” with a religious perspective.

            Halloween allows families to spend time together.  Trick-or-treating is a fun way to spend time together and visit with neighbors.  Some schools and churches also hold trunk-or-treating parties, where many families get together and decorate their cars’ trunks and celebrate the holiday as a community.  Families hold Halloween parties and may invite extended family and friends.  At the parties, families may play games as teams.  They work together to create an enjoyable night.

            Imagination creates a festive evening.  Telling spooky Halloween stories uses imagination, too, by creating the story from spooky ideas and then retelling it to others.  Designing decorations allows you to creatively use fall themed materials.  Costumes allow people to pretend to be someone else:  a role model, a hero, or just a fun character.   You can even imagine life as one of your ancestors.

            Christians may choose to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve in a more traditional way.  This night often sees vigils kept for those who have died.  On this night, some Christians celebrate with prayer.  Even if one celebrates a modern Halloween with tricks, a religious themed event can include reflections on Bible stories where God was glorified through tricks.  Esther tricked Haman and the king and saved the Jewish people.  The Egyptian Pharaoh’s wizards did tricks to try to compete with God, but He ultimately triumphed at Passover when the wizards could not revive the Pharaoh’s son.

            Halloween is not an evil holiday.  Some may say it refers to non-Christian traditions, but modern activities can be used to celebrate God.  Families can spend quality time together.  Children can use their imaginations.  Christian reflections can celebrate the bridge between earthly and heavenly life.  Christians should joyfully celebrate Halloween!















©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