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Homeschool Tip: Check Out Grammarly!

October 8, 2020 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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Instant Grammar Checker - Correct all grammar errors and enhance your writing.

Here’s another fun homeschool tip for you guys!  Have you heard of the website Grammarly?  If not, you’re going to love this!  Grammarly is the world’s leading automated proofreader. It checks for more than 250 types of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, enhances vocabulary usage, and suggests citations.

With Grammarly, you can:

  • Copy and paste any English text into Grammarly’s online text editor or install Grammarly’s free browser extension for Chrome and Safari.
  • Grammarly’s algorithms flag potential issues in the text and suggest context-specific corrections for grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. Grammarly explains the reasoning behind each correction, so you can make an informed decision about whether, and how, to correct an issue.

Even better, it’s FREE to use!  Head on over to check it out and create and account!

Homeschoolers! Time to Enroll in Book-It Program!

May 21, 2020 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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Homeschoolers, it’s time to enroll your children ages 5-12 in the Pizza Hut Book-It program for 2020-2021!  Head on over to their website and enter in your information to the program.  We’ve done this for several years and the kids always enjoy going to get their free pizza.  Yum!

On their first visit to Pizza Hut, students redeem their certificate for a Personal Pan Pizza, a Passport to Reading award to track their reading through all six months and a sticker. On subsequent visits, they will earn another Personal Pan Pizza and sticker to add to their Passport.

Free Admission to Southeast Homeschool Expo!

May 7, 2020 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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Hooray!  For a limited time, score FREE admission tickets to the Southeast Homeschool Expo!  This will take place July 24-25, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Simply head on over to their website, and use code free2020 when you order your tickets! EXPIRES FRIDAY,
MAY 22 AT 11:59 PM!

*Note: There is a small mail/badge fee that you will have to pay for when you order your tickets.

If you haven’t been to a homeschool expo, this is a MUST in my mind!  We have gone to an expo thinking we wanted a particular curriculum and then ended up going with something else once we put our hands on it!  Definitely recommend it!

My Brother’s Keeper – Learning to Love Your Siblings God’s Way

April 17, 2020 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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The kids and I have been doing various Bible studies as part of our homeschool throughout the years.  This study by Not Consumed has been one of our favoirtes – My Brothers Keeper – Learning to Love Your Siblings God’s Way.  They’ve recently updated it so I’m eager to check out the changes.

As a mom, I was very encouraged watching my children pray for and with each other during the study.

Just wanted to share a little about what we have studied.

Do you have any great studies that you’ve tried?  I’d love to hear about them!  

Review: Reading Unlocked

April 14, 2020 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

We received 12 months of access to Reading Unlocked’s online learning to read program to review for all of you.  Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on Reading Unlocked’s program with my 4.5 year old son.  Being the youngest in a family of 5 kids, he’s eager to catch up with his siblings and start reading.

When we first started Reading Unlocked, honestly I didn’t love the program.  I found many of the words didn’t match up to what we typically call items here in the United States.  My preschooler particularly struggled with the concept of a hat being called a cap.  He also struggled with a water faucet being referred to as a tap.

There were also times that I even had a particularly hard time understanding what word the program was trying to get us to use.  One that we struggled with was “ran” and “rang”.  The accent of the computer was hard to differentiate for us.

One part that I wish had a little more instruction is the letter writing practice.  It simply shows the letter and says “draw it in the air and then write a row of them on paper”.  I think having a little animation showing how to write the letter would be very appropriate rather than just showing the letter and asking a young child to write it.  This was definitely a program that I had to be right with my son the entire time he was working.

Once we got used to the accent and the way things were done, we both started enjoying the program.  It’s suggested to use the program several times during the week for about 10-15 minutes each session.  My son asks to do Reading Unlocked daily, but we typically do it about once or twice a week.  I felt that it was a little more advanced for him at the beginning, so we are taking it slower than most.  Taking it slower has helped build his confidence and get frustrated less.  We are spending the other days practicing the letters and words we learned.

I’m super pleased and surprised at how quickly he is picking up on the words at a young age!  Thanks to Reading Unlocked, he has been recognizing the word “cat” and others when we read books together.  He also is starting to try to write more words or asking me how to spell things.  The other day, he made his deputy dad chuckle when he was able to read and write the word “cop”!

 

My son’s favorite part was the “Say it with me” section.  A letter would flash on the screen and the child was to make the sound of that letter.  He loved being surprised with what letter would come up next.  Overall, we are thankful we had a chance to review this program and we plan to continue working on it at our slower pace over the next year.

For more information on Reading Unlocked, please visit their Facebook page.  You can also find out more on the Reading Unlocked website.

To read more reviews from other homeschooling families on this product, please click the banner below.

 

 

Reading Unlocked {Reading Unlocked Reviews}

2 Months of ABCMouse.com For Only $5!

March 14, 2020 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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ABCmouse.com

For a limited time, you can score 2 months of ABCmouse.com for only $5!  After this, then you can cancel or continue subscribing at their published rate.  At this price, it’s a wonderful start to see if it’s something your family will enjoy.

We have used ABCmouse.com for many months  and my children enjoyed it.  It now goes from 2 years of age through 2nd grade!  My 4 year old loves this program and it keeps him busy with his own “school” while my big kids work.

11 Things to Know When Visiting Atlanta Botanical Gardens in Gainesville

February 13, 2020 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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After seeing the great deal for admission to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens (free admission through 2/16/20), we decided to take a drive out to Gainesville yesterday and check out those gardens.  It made for a great dreary day walk and helped the younger 4 kids burn off some energy and break up our homeschool day a bit.

Since we visited and I posted on Instagram about our trip, I had a couple readers ask me about the park and what they needed to know about visiting.  These are our thoughts and from our experience.  Here’s what you need to know:

 

  1. No outside food is permitted.  We had brought a picnic with hopes of enjoying it there, but in order to keep the grounds clean and beautiful, they do not allow any outside food.  Instead, we enjoyed it on our way home.
  2. Once you get past the lobby, follow the paths to the left.  While following this route, you will weave through the different garden areas and then loop over to the children’s play area last.
  3. Stop and look at the different things along the way. There are a ton of different plants and flowers.  My kids enjoyed reading the names of them as there are some silly and strange names!  Our favorite was “Hot Lips”.  
  4. Walking through the gardens took us maybe 15-30 minutes, but it may be shorter or longer for your family depending on how long you take looking at the different varieties.  
  5. It’s important to stay on the paths so you don’t disturb the vegetation or mess up the displays.  It is clearly marked when you are allowed to walk off the path.
  6. Kids can unwind in the children’s garden.  Here you  can find a dragon to climb on and paths to follow.  
  7. The garden map shows a trolley near the gardens.  Since the map was printed, it has moved to the children’s area.  It looks fantastic in the midst of the play area.  You can press the button once and the trolley will come out and drive on it’s track.
  8. Watch for fairy houses and fun decorations.  There are a ton throughout the children’s area!
  9. The larger playground is best for children ages 5-12.  My kids had a fun time playing on it, but may be too high/challenging for younger children.
  10. Take time to paint the walls with water.  There is a bucket with paintbrushes that your kids can use.  My 4 year old really enjoyed this spot!                                           
  11. Take time to play with the balsa wood to build forts or whatever your children want to try.  This wood is light and isn’t too hard. This was probably our favorite part of the gardens.  I think my youngest would have stayed there all day building!

Although our trip to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in Gainesville was a lot of fun, it was a little smaller than we expected and took less time to enjoy than we expected.  Nonetheless, we had a blast and enjoyed our day.  It’s definitely worth checking out and come springtime, it will be absolutely gorgeous!

LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Atlanta Homeschool Week 2019!

August 29, 2019 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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I love when public schoolers are back in session and places offer homeschool week!  Here’s the latest info I’ve received.  Be sure to read it carefully!

LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Atlanta invites homeschoolers to Homeschool Week on September 9 – 13! The week is complete with free LEGO® Education Workshops and activities that address curriculum standards. Students and their teachers will engage with subject matter through interactive and hands-on learning across science, mathematics, language arts, technology and more!

Local homeschools can book a fieldtrip by visiting http://bit.ly/ldcatlantahomeschool and completing the registration form. Homeschools must send the registration form and declaration of intent via email to LDCATL.Groupsales@LEGOLANDDiscoveryCenter.com or fax to 404.848.9591 prior to visiting.

Homeschool Week costs $10 per adult and $7 per student. For every five student tickets purchased, one adult ticket will be granted for free.For more information, visit facebook.com/LDCAtlanta or atlanta.legolanddiscoverycenter.com.

Tennessee Aquarium: 50% Off Tickets for Scouts and College Students (Plus Entire Party) – September

August 27, 2019 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

This is so much fun!  We went to the Tennessee Aquarium a couple years ago and I enjoyed it far more than our local aquarium.  It’s less crowded and the layout is smooth to transition from each part of the aquarium to another section.

Heads up scouts and college students, you can get half price tickets to the aquarium from September 10-September 30, 2019!

The Tennessee Aquarium will offer special half-price admission to members of scouting organizations and college students, staff and faculty members. The discount applies to Aquarium tickets, 45-minute IMAX film screenings, as well as combo ticket purchases.

Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America and all other scouting organizations can receive the half price discount by wearing their uniform, sash or a scouting activity shirt. Staff of Boy Scouts of America or Girl Scouts of America are also eligible for discounted admission with the presentation of a valid paystub.

The discount applies to the entire visiting party and is offered on all tickets purchased between Sept. 10 and Sept. 30, including repeat visits. Tickets cannot be purchased online or by phone. They must be purchased onsite at the Aquarium ticketing center or the IMAX 3D Theater box office.

In addition to up-close encounters with amazing animals during any of more than a dozen free daily programs, guests visiting during September can catch up on several new updates to the Aquarium experience.

College and Scout Day Discount Rates*:

  • Tennessee Aquarium: $17 (adults and college students) / $11.00 (ages 3-12)
  • IMAX*: $6.00 (adults) / $5.00 (ages 3-12)
  • Tennessee Aquarium/IMAX combo ticket: $21(adults) / $14.00 (ages 3-12)

For more information, visit: www.tnaqua.org/college-days or www.tnaqua.org/scout-days

Review: The Critical Thinking Co. Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1 (Grades 8-12+)

May 9, 2019 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

Having a 10th grader, I’ve been looking for a way to work on more SAT prep stuff.  I was very excited to receive The Critical Thinking Co. Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1 (Grades 8-12+) to use with my daughter.

Since my daughter used the program, I have let her write the review below to share her thoughts,  but before we get to hers, I wanted to share something I noticed.  My daughter typically isn’t a fan of extra work.  I handed her the book and asked her to work on it for a review and for SAT practice.  I actually found her working on it quite often and I never needed to remind her.  She actually enjoyed working on this book and has already inquired about getting the next one once she’s done.  That makes this homeschooling mama happy to see my kids taking initiative and enjoying working on something on their own.

About Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1:

Inside Vocabulary Virtuoso, there are 20 vocabulary lists.  After every set of 4 lists, there is a review list to remember what has been worked on so far.  This book is geared toward grades 8th-12th and is helpful in prepping for the PSAT and the SAT.  Helpful in both the traditional school setting and the homeschool setting, Vocabulary Virtuoso will grow your students knowledge of vocabulary.

My Daughter’s Thoughts:

Vocabulary Virtuoso is now one of my new favorite ways to learn vocabulary words.  It is not too hard, but just easy enough to not get frustrated or stressed.  This book has each lesson completed in about a week.  Each lesson has a list of words, definitions, and examples of those words in sentences.  Then the student has to complete activities to practice with the word list.  After every four lessons there is a review section that counts as one whole lesson.

I really enjoyed going through this book.  My favorite activity was called Story Challenge.  You read through the story and fill in the blanks with words from your word list.  You also get to learn about amazing things like characterization, idioms, jargon, euphemisms, and many more things!  Another thing I had fun with was the crossword puzzle in the review section.

There is an answer key at the back of the book.  I always do the work without cheating, then I check my work when I am done to make sure I am learning the work correctly.

My least favorite thing will happen when I get to the end of the book.  I actually really enjoyed doing it.  Vocabulary Virtuoso has taught me so many things and I don’t want to stop.  The book gives me fun activities and challenges.  When I am done I will actually be kind of disappointed that it is over and I never expected I would feel that way about a school book.  I look forward to doing the next book from this company.

Discount Code:

The Critical Thinking Co. would love to offer readers free shipping and 15% Off Any Size Order!  I love free shipping deals!  Simply use code TOSCREW19 to enjoy the discount.  This code will expire 12/31/2019.

For More Information:

In addition to Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1, The Critical Thinking Co. offers many other books for practice.  Be sure check out their website to find out more.  You can also find out more on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.

You can also read more reviews on this product and others by clicking the Homeschool Review Crew banner below.

Critical Thinking, Math, Vocabulary & Writing Skills {The Critical Thinking Co. Reviews}
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