Britfield & The Lost Crown - A Book Review

This book review was originally written and posted over the summer. This fall, the author, C.R. Stewart has been on book tour sharing his book with student audiences. Britfield & The Lost Crown has been receiving awards along the way. From what I can tell from the social media posts, it is a grand adventure of reading encouragement just like the book itself. Promoting reading is always a good thing. Join in, check out the adventure story Britfield & The Lost Crown by C.R. Stewart.

A new book delivered to my mailbox always equals happy mail for me. Over the summer, I was delighted to receive a soft cover copy of the newly published Britfield & The Lost Crown by C.R. Stewart for review with homeschoolreviewcrew. This newly published adventure novel is available as a physical hard or soft cover book or as an e-book. Despite, or perhaps, because of years of homeschooling our children which involved reading with and/or to them regularly, my own reading for pleasure was often put on the back burner and has become less and less of an activity for me over the years. Due to the many changes in our lives this summer, Britfield & The Lost Crown was in my hands and there were no homeschool students nearby to read it with or to. This review became an opportunity to begin a return to my own personal reading for pleasure. It created the need to schedule it in.

Honestly, for me, it was a slow start. The early pages of the adventure novel had me a bit confused as to the setting in time of the story. Initially, I couldn't quite let go of trying to figure that out. Set in England, the place was clear, but perhaps, it was my lack of familiarity of England's history that added to my own confusion. Once I put that aside to just read and enjoy the story the pace picked up. As the two main characters, two precocious orphans, embarked on their adventure I was swept away into the excitement and mystery. Then with the author's vivid descriptions, the book began to read like a movie. I wasn't surprised at all to learn in my follow up research that the author, C.R. Stewart, is also a screen writer.

Run by unsavory characters, the orphanage is an oppressive place for children to live. The children manage to provide themselves with some education by secretly borrowing from a well stocked library in the mansion of the orphanage's overseers. The reading and sharing of the volumes taken from the book collection is a highlight for the orphans.They maintain some reasonable expectations about what they deserve through memories and the sharing of the volumes taken from the library. An attempt to escape is eminent. To not spoil the story, you'll have to read it to discover the outcome.

C.R. Stewart presents plenty of references for any reader to grab a bit of understanding of English history and geography. By including detailed descriptions of the places the young adventurers experience, he introduces landmarks of significance and interest. He also manages to include some art history references as the orphans encounter the work of famous European artists.

This story provides excellent opportunities to jump into further study of history, geography or art history. Finding images of  paintings by any of the seven masters mentioned in the story would further add to the visual richness of this adventure. Studying maps of locations described would develop geography literacy. The extensive eight week study guide at britfieldinstitute.org available for free encourages further learning. The guide includes a range of follow up activities from simple word game activities and reading comprehension questions to prompts for more in depth study. The vocabulary questions included encourage students to determine and understand word definitions based on context. A shared reading of Britfield & The Lost Crown with the use of the free study guide could easily turn the adventure story into a complete unit study covering several subjects.

This review not only introduced me to the writing of C.R. Stewart but also the the online resource of The Britfield Institute. There are resources for homeschool families and for classroom teachers available through the site. From downloadable illustrations with quotes encouraging learning and creativity to complete programs for teaching, this is a valuable source of potential teaching support to be aware of.

Downloadable images available from Britfield.org

I'm looking forward to reading the reviews of Britfield & The Lost Crown by other Review Crew reviewers. You can find them with me by clicking the image below.

Another Great Airbnb Stay!

These photos are from our new favorite Airbnb. With our now, more frequent, trips to the Nashville area, this lovely retreat is becoming a home away from home for us. If you travel regularly, or at all, Airbnb is worth a try. There are so many available options to choose from. Whoever your travel companions are, there is likely to be an Airbnb that can accommodate you and your family.

A favorite Airbnb!

When you use our referral link to sign up with Airbnb you'll get credit for your first reservation.
Give it a try! Safe and happy travels! 

Update 2022; Unfortunately Airbnb has discontinued the referral program. : (  

Though it is still a good place to find alternative to hotels to stay in while traveling.

Online Music with Simply Music - A Review

This month, we had the opportunity to use and review the beginning course Music and Creativity - Foundation Course offered online by Simply Music. 

Simply Music  

Music & Creativity - Foundation Course

Music & Creativity - Foundation Course

This introductory course is available to anyone free of charge. As someone who has never had formal piano lessons, I was intrigued by the claims made in the promotions for this course on the website.

"It has students of all ages improvising and playing great sounding blues, classical, contemporary and accompaniment pieces - immediately - from their very first lessons." 

I did take guitar lessons as a child. I was taught by, what Neil Moore describes as, the reading-based approach. I learned to read music in those lessons and gained some basic musical exposure and understanding. I enjoyed learning to play but, I did really want to play more familiar and popular songs sooner than that approach allowed. The most fun I had with guitar at that point in my life was the mini concerts my neighborhood girlfriend and I put on for, well, no one! We sang our hearts out though, I strummed along and thank goodness there wasn't a video or phone wielding mom around every corner at that time in history!

As far as my piano skills, my musician husband has shown me a few piano basics here and there. He has also given basic lessons to our children when they showed an interest. I invited my husband to participate in reviewing this product with me for the Homeschool Review Crew which he graciously did. As a teacher of music himself he was interested in the teaching approach and the online lessons provided.

The Simply Music; Music and Creativity - Foundation Course, includes 19 lessons. In each, Neil presents the lesson. His lectures communicate each concept simply and clearly. The foundation course is geared toward beginners. I appreciated his easy to understand explanations of what to do and how to practice. The lessons also include quality recorded sound tracks for play along participation. Amazingly, it really does only take a few lessons to actually be able to play along with those sound tracks to some degree. The fun of experiencing actually playing along provides the motivation to continue more lessons and practice that is often lacking for students.

There is also a reference book that includes simple diagrams that provide a visual aid offering another way to understand the material presented. Given what the objectives of the course are; to get a student playing along fairly quickly, it probably isn't necessary to include traditional notation but, it also probably wouldn't hurt to have that in the reference book as well. A downloadable practice pad is also provided but I am certainly glad we have our piano to practice and play on.

My husband and I viewed some lessons together but watched most separately.

His notes are as follows:
Learn without notes first.
Learn slowly but multi-sensory.
Speak, vocalize through what you are attempting to do, to really know it.
Very methodical.
Play along with orchestrated recordings (Sound tracks)
Get into playing songs quickly, not scales or technique exercises.
Combined piano playing with sound tracks is fully orchestrated.
Re-interprets pieces in a new style and tempo for a challenge.

An 84 page e-book is included that goes into more detail about Neil Moore's insights and philosophy of music education. In it he shares his thoughts on how to create opportunities for more participation and enjoyment of music by more students. He poses some intriguing questions about music participation in our culture and how he believes the approach he has developed, to teaching music addresses concerns he and others may have. Based on my own experience and working through about half of the Foundations course, I do think the teaching in Music and Creativity - Foundation Course addresses the issue of impatience or boredom that can accompany a reading music and technique first approach that causes many students to quit pursuing an active involvement in music.

It is not clear if additional courses on the Simply Music site may provide more instruction in specific technique and reading music. This Foundation course has been fun to participate in. Given that it is offered for free, the course only requires that a student follow along and join in, it is an opportunity to discover the joy of playing piano. The reward provided by actually playing along in this course makes it definitely worth the effort. And who knows where it might lead a beginning student.

To read more reviews by the Homeschool Review Crew of Simply Music's Music and Creativity - Foundation Course click the banner below.

Coppelia

Traditional ballets have some commonality with traditional fairy tales. Old stories of good and evil with a healthy dose of romance. Beautiful princess', handsome princes and strange characters offering temptations, fulfilling their own desires with magic or granting wishes for a price by way of poison apples, witches spells, dolls coming to life to dance or by some other wizardry. Maybe the common aspects come from the time and place originated. It is my understanding that the Grimm brothers weren't the actual authors of the many tales they recorded but the collectors of the tales. Many of both fairy tales and ballets have a dark aspect, a kind of creepiness included.

The story of Coppelia is one of the early ballet stories. The music was written by Clement Philibert Leo Delibes, a french composer of the Romatic era (1815-1910). The ballet is based on a short story written by the German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann, (the same writer of the original novel the more commonly familiar Nutcracker ballet was based on). The ballet includes a comedic twist within it's theme of the potential havoc that results from a man attempting to create a live human replica based on his own desire.

As for traditional classical ballets, the stories are old and probably also based on stories from the oral traditions where they first appeared. Usually they include a romance, good and evil or at least some mischief and the everyone dances around happy ending. Or as a favorite stand up comedian, Brian Regan, shares about his efforts to understand ballet performances, "he loves her, she doesn't love him, she loves someone else and they all dance around for a couple of hours" his description could be a condensed version of Coppelia with the addition of  the wedding finale. In the story of Coppelia, one of the someones is a mechanical doll created by the toy maker Coppelias. The addition of the characterization of mechanical dolls adds to the variety of  physical dance movement, delightfully performed by the ballerinas.

Why am I writing about a specific ballet? (besides to share and brag a little) about the accomplishment of our last graduating home school student. Mostly, I want to share and give an example of learning by following a students interests, how so many subjects including academics can be covered by, or at least touched upon, by interest led learning. I want to share our experience so that it can serve as an illustration of the value of doing and learning in the bigger world. Participating in the world by following interests can lead to intense and relevant learning for any student.

 

My daughter's participation in this production is just one of the examples from our homeschooling experience of how it really can work. That most, if not all, subjects can be learned through actual participation in events, projects and work. Sometimes homeschool families need encouragement to follow the lead of their students. Sometimes, it is the students themselves, who need reassurance of the value of what they are doing. For some students, confirmation of that value may not come to them often enough before they venture into the real world as young adults.

My daughter, the aspiring ballerina/dancer was cast in the role of Swanhilde for this classic ballet. As a homeschool student, completing high school, we considered her acceptance of the role as a part of her completion of her homeschool high school journey. The many hours of learning and practice fulfilled more than one requirement for her transcripts. This was an interest led unit study. An extreme interest led unit study.

Based on learning this role, there was immersion into the story as told through the dance and the classical music of this ballet. Through her participation, she covered to some degree; subjects of music, western civilization & history, themes in literature, art history, technology, internet based research, performance, and business. For some of these topics her awareness was simply increased, for others a deeper understanding was achieved. There were the many hours of the physical demands of dance needed to learn the choreography. That combined with the listening, learning about the music and the history created an intense unit study. The dedication to continue was supported by her learning about the importance of attention to her own needs for rest and good nutrition. There was learning about planning, organization and following through on a big commitment.

An added bonus to this kind of a homeschool approach to learning: If you, as a homeschool parent, continue to have any reservation about the big question of socialization or are still confronted by the question from others, is how this answers those questions. An approach that puts you and/or your children right smack in the middle of projects like this offer a very real opportunity for what the goals of socialization really are; to interact in a real, professional way with people of all ages who are working to accomplish a common goal, where the outcome is dependent on dedication, trust and the need to support everyone involved to do their very best.

I am most happy to say that this is, in fact,  the thing I am most proud of about my daughter's participation in this production. She handled herself with grace while consistently working over time to achieve the goal of knowing and performing her part to her full capability. Her character traits of a strong work ethic, support for other cast members, respect for teachers and of avoiding drama or gossip were evident throughout. These are all qualities that improve the result of any endeavor. Seeing this and practicing it in real situations provides value far beyond what I or an isolated classroom experience could hope to impart. Wherever my daughter's dance career takes her, these qualities will create the most value to herself and those she interacts with through out her life.

Hey Mama! Planner - A Review

I was provided the Hey, Mama! Schoolhouse Planner for 2019/2020 Year to review. Created by homeschooling mom, Gena Suarez , the planner is just one of the many useful homeschooling products available from The Old Schoolhouse®.

Planners seem to be a big deal these days. Everyone is selling one. I have used a personal planner for many years, almost every year. My planner enthusiasm is, like many, highest at the beginning of each calendar year. The hopes and dreams inspired by having a place to write it all down, to organize thoughts and plans, starts the year with added motivation to achieve those dreams. Hopefully it helps facilitate a doable plan of action to make it all happen.

Come August and September the same enthusiasm hits again, only with the intention of preparing for the school year. Fall is the beginning of the academic year, as we all have come to know it. Planning for nine months of academic learning is exciting and sometimes daunting. A planner to write it down in, keep track and record activities, is more than useful, it is a necessity. A standard planner doesn't always fit the criteria of what a homeschooling parent needs for planning and record keeping. Homeschool moms have been adapting typical calendars and planners for as long as families have been homeschooling. Notebooks, wall calendars, file folders (one per student, maybe) there are as many solutions as there are families.

The Hey, Mama! Schoolhouse Planner for 2019/2020 Year is a published calendar/planner that puts it all in one place. It is designed by a homeschool mom with homeschool families in mind. The author, Gena Suarez, is an experienced homeschool mom who has put together this and other extensive resources for homeschooling families. This planner is one of many of the resources available for families at The Old Schoolhouse. (You can find all of them at The Old Schoolhouse®).

Gena provides a solution to the problems presented when trying to use a standard planner for students by creating a planner specific to homeschooling. As a homeschooling mom herself she knows the ropes. She knows what reminders and prompts are useful for a family while homeschooling.

The Hey, Mama! Planner Homeschool Planner for 2019/2020 includes a devotional at the beginning of each section. These provide welcome encouraging reminders for those in the midst of the homeschool journey. There is a curriculum planning section, attendance record pages, books read pages and semester and yearly goals pages. There are enough of these specialized pages for five homeschool students. Using this planner also provides a place for notes and info for maintaining records of completed projects, activities and curriculum. There is a transcript template as well as a useful skills acquired checklist.

For our family, this is officially the last year of homeschooling. I am about to become a homeschool veteran mom with an empty nest. We have none the less, begun to use the planner for mapping out my youngest's transition to a full time dance program and a few college courses. She will be taking over the planning and record keeping herself, as she embarks on a somewhat non-traditional pursuit of higher education. This planner will give her a wonderful head start with prompts of some of what she needs to consider as she moves into the bigger world and continuing her education.

The Hey, Mama! Homeschool Planner 2019/2020 Year has sold out of close to 98% of the this printing and they do not plan to print more until next year. Get your copy soon!

Life With Dog - A Movie Review

The opportunity to review the new movie Life With Dog from Mill Creek Entertainment for the Review Crew turned out to be an opportunity to add to an unplanned date night with my husband to our weekend. My youngest is now 17 and social plans with peers are a priority. She left us on our own Saturday night so...

I had no idea what to expect from Life With Dog.  It is a captivating story of one of life's hardest transitions, that of losing a spouse or a parent. The acting is well done and believable. Actor, Corbin Bersen (anyone else remember L.A.Law?) portrays, the main character Joe Bigler. His character presents the difficulties of the transition to being a widower as he grieves the unexpected loss of his wife. The film allows us into some of the inner emotions of Joe's process of grief. His explanations for what has happened and his journey of coming to terms with his loss is the theme of the story.

Joe, consumed by his grief is the primary focus but, there are characters orbiting around him through out. While attempting to assist Joe through the adjustment to life without his wife, Joe's daughter is struggling herself. Joe benefits from a few unusual visitors throughout the story. One of those visitors, Dog, is a constantly returning image in the film. My husband first guessed that Dog's presence would lead to some clues to resolving the mystery in the movie.

While this story deals with life's ever present difficulties of loss it is not presented in an overly heavy way. Resolution and life's continued joys are included as well. There are a couple of intense scenes that include the character Joe handling a weapon but are still acceptable viewing for most audiences. Worth the watch, the story is most likely to resonate with those who are closest to the stage of life depicted. Enjoy an at home movie night by grabbing the dvd from one of the retailers linked below.

The newly released video is available at Walmart beginning June 4th.
It is also available to purchase online at amazon:  http://bit.ly/LifeWithDogDVD

You can see a trailer on the Mill Creek Entertainment website by clicking the images here:

'Life With Dog' See the trailer.

Mill Creek Entertainment

You can read more reviews by Review Crew members by clicking the image below.

Community College as a Choice for Higher Ed

Two years of reduced tuition or no tuition = huge savings in acquiring a degree. Choosing to homeschool our children included the decision for us to remain a one income family. As a result we have had fewer financial resources to fund the college aspirations of our kids.

If this sounds like the beginning of a plug for Community Colleges, well, it is. While I continue to have some respect for the reputations of prestigious institutions of higher learning, (I do have a degree from Tufts, after all) that respect has honestly, dwindled over time. As we began to look at the options for our own college bound children, the practical and financial became a major issue in our decisions. Community College tuition in Illinois is 1/3 of the cost of even the more affordable public four year school options in state and easily 1/10 of the cost of some of the private four year institutions in our area. Two year full time study of general education requirements are also available tuition free with the required ACT or SAT test score. That's halfway done with a degree with no tuition. When looking at those financials, the local stay at home for two year opportunities became the obvious one for us as a family.

In Illinois, where we live, I have seen the wonderful supportive resources that are available through a variety of programs at Illinois Community Colleges. The resources are there to assist each and every student to be successful at the community college level and beyond. A student simply has to be willing to utilize the support available to them.

We have known homeschooling families that have taken advantage of the dual credit options enrolling high school students to receive both high school and college credit simultaneously for completing a community college class. These programs can speed the higher ed process as well as preparing a student for a smoother transition to college.


Community Colleges tend to have smaller class sizes. Even in freshman general education classes the student to instructor ratio is low compared to the huge auditorium filled classes that often encountered at big universities. Smaller class size means more available and approachable instructors. All of this makes it easier to become accustomed to attending college level classes.
For life long homeschooling students this makes for an easier transition to classroom learning in general. Community colleges in our area have pre-established transfer programs allowing associate degree earning students to transition to a four year institution with ease and guidance.

I have heard critical comments from student's peers made to community college students about their attending a community college. I remember similar sentiments expressed way back when I was a high school student myself. (Way back in the day!)

Fortunately, for homeschoolers those kind of misinformed comments may have less weight on their decisions. Many homeschooling students are usually less concerned about the opinions of their peers or even the opinions of the general population. The decision about where to begin a higher level education will include a multitude of factors. Family resources, field of study, near home, away from home, student maturity level, how much to take on moving into adult responsibilities while also attending college level classes, all of this plus has been on our a family's list of considerations.

The homeschooling parents I have met, regardless of their approach to home schooling, laid back, un-schooling, rigorous academics, arts based, etc. all have tended to have high expectations for their children. Perhaps we want to see proof of the rightness of our choice to homeschool. Like all parents we want to see our children be successful adults in whatever field the chose to work in.

Having high expectations for our young people's performance is a gift to them but it doesn't require over- priced- out of reach- mega debt- name brand- higher education to accomplish goals and live dreams!

Non homeschooling parents I meet often praise me with wows and kudos for homeschooling and comment that it must be hard to do. While of course there were difficult moments (all parents/families have some). They can't imagine how hard it must be to teach their own children. My usual response is that it isn't really as hard as they are imagining it. It is not like re-creating a classroom. In my opinion, that would be very hard and also, in my opinion, not necessarily conducive to as much learning. Barring any specific learning disabilities, most children, most humans of any age for that matter, are really learning machines, we are made to learn and given the proper supportive and rich environment we will.

Given a sensory rich and supportive environment children, teens, young adults and adults will learn. In a nurturing environment children will learn something! And new college students can learn in the a community college environment with a more palatable price tag and still become high achieving productive adults.

Always working to be and encourage life long learners!