Disclosure of Material Connection:

Some of the links on this blog are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Friday, April 29, 2016

Favorite FREE (or Cheap) Resources that we LOVE!


build library cheap
Book can be really expensive, this post has lots of great ideas to get books at really cheap prices!

favorite apps
Apps are a great inexpensive addition to your homeschool!  Many are FREE, and others are very cheap from $1-5. Here is a post with our favorite ones!

free printables
In addition to my own created FREE printables, here is a list of my favorite blogs for great printables for FREE!

unit studies
Many of my favorite unit study resources are very cheap!  Check this post out for ideas of where to get inexpensive lap books and unit studies!

Currclick is another great resource for CHEAP curriculum!CurrClick


See what other crew member recommend!
Favorite  FREE / Cheap Homeschool Resources
Goes live at 8am EST on 4/29/16.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Field Trip #199 Friday Blog Hop

Photobucket

Blog Hop designed to share 'FIELD TRIP' related Blog Posts(does not have to be a 'home school field trip', can be any trip to any place with your children!)

**NOTE:  Before linking up please review guidelines HERE!

We went to The Hershey Story Museum as part of our Milton Hershey Unit.  You can see the review of the book we read and learn more about our field trip from my post earlier this week.

2016-04-20 12.32.25-2

Link up your field trips!


Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Review: Devonian: GREEMU (TOS Review) @korunaturals #naturalbodycare #greemuoil #vegan

Greemu Review

For this review I used GREEMU by Devonian, distributed by Koru Naturals.  We have reviewed for Koru Naturals before, one of which was for Emu Oil.  Greemu is the vegan, animal friendly alternative to Emu Oil, and I was ever bit as impressed with it!

GREEMU6_zpsdqjjspf2

I loved GREEMU just as much as I did Emu Oil, but even more so because it was plant based instead of animal based.  (I have to admit the idea of Emu Oil was slightly disturbing to me, but it worked so great that I put that in the back of my mind!).

I used GREEMU in all the same ways I used Emu Oil, and it was just as effective!  Unfortunately, I still have difficulty getting it on my back; can we get this in a spray or something??!! 

It has been great for my dry skin, both hands, face, back, feet… you name it.  It absorbs well and does not leave any greasy residue.  It didn’t cause me to break out or anything like that either, which is always a concern for me when using moisturizers on my face.   Even though it doesn’t leave a greasy residue, it goes on thick and is long lasting!  It’s been great for my cuticles and used it in manicures.  It really is an all-purpose moisturizer! 

The website mentions that this is a slower absorbing formula than EMU oil and suggests you use less and apply more if needed.  I used about nickel size for my hands and elbows.  I no longer have the emu oil (I used most of it and past what was left onto a friend to use with her son who had severe eczema), so I couldn’t compare them side by side. 

It also mentions using it for dry hair treatment… I DID NOT try this in my hair, but wanted to mention that it’s a possibility. 

I have a lot more dry skin issues in the summer than I do currently, but this will definitely be my go to, especially for those wind chapped cheeks of my little ones, come next winter! 

Put some in some bath water for an all over body absorption (if I had a decent tub!). 

It really does not have any kind of odor (that I noticed), so no unpleasant smell.  It can be used as a carrier oil for essential oils too!   Such a great way to add a pleasant smell, have some healing (depending on the oil) and be moisturized! 

This oil should not be used if you are allergic to plant oils!

It is $10.80 for a 4oz bottle (which is almost $8 cheaper than the EMU oil too, BONUS!)

I noticed that it is on sale right now:

Get 20% off until May 31st by entering coupon code GN395Z10

There is an EMU oil promotion running as well, see their website for more details.  They offer FREE SHIPPING on orders of $35 or more.  Need suggestions for other items to order?  Check my Koru Naturals reviews!  We have loved everything we have tried from them thus far!

I would equally recommend Emu oil or GREEMU, however, if you are looking for a less expensive and vegan option, it’s GREEMU ALL THE WAY!

I don’t have any pictures to show this review, because, honestly I didn’t have any dramatic effects (no big skin issues I was trying to solve), so all I can say is it helped keep my skin in great condition and didn’t cause any issues in using it!

Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/korunaturals
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/korunaturals/

See More Reviews:

Greemu Devonian Review
Crew Disclaimer

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Review: YWAM Publishing: Heroes of History: Milton Hershey (TOS Review) @YWAMpublishing #homeschooling #truebiographies #christianheroes

Milton Hershey YWAM Review

For this review we read Heroes of History- Milton Hershey from YWAM Publishing  and also received the Digital Unit Study.

Milton Hershey_zpsqeazxut1

First let me say this is or THIRD time reviewing YWAM, previously we have also reviewed George Washington and Davy Crockett.   

Milton Hershey was a great read as well!  My kids loved it, and just today my oldest asked if we could read it again! 

We read this book as a family read aloud every morning as part of family circle time.  Typically we read 1-2 chapters a day.  All of my children were present, but mostly the 7 and 9 year old were the most interested, though the 5 year old also listened in pretty attentively most of the time. 

We learned a lot about Milton Hershey that we didn’t know previously, and I mean A LOT!  He was quite the inspirational person, and really sparked a lot of interest in entrepreneurship in my kids. 

The Digital Unit Study contains a chapter questions, some printable items (like map work, and report forms) and there are A LOT of lesson extension ideas and hands on project suggestions. 

My 9 year old filled out the report form on Milton Hershey.  A lot of the activities are more geared towards older students, (as the book itself is recommended for ages 10+, and the unit study reflects that). 

2016-04-25 15.47.57

We did take an awesome trip to Hershey, PA!  The Hershey Story Museum is all about Milton Hershey and his story.  They offered a Chocolate Workers class too.  We went as a homeschool group.  It was great to reiterate what we had read in the book and we even learned a few more things while there.  We also toured Chocolate World.  The kids would like to return to go to Hershey Park some day soon too!  The Unit Study Guide suggesting taking a week, I’m sure there is so much more to see that we didn’t get to, we will have to go back (especially to hit the park!).

Hershey

For my little ones I made some Milton Hershey Printables, throw in some REAL Hershey kisses for some real hands on math fun! 

image

We also made some chocolate of our own!  I used this great chocolate making kit that makes it from cocoa butter, and even has some cocoa beans in the pack! 

making chocolate

YWAM is a great way to teach history and values in a REAL book format. 

I had no idea about all the failures Milton Hershey had before being successful, I didn’t know he was a Mennonite, or that he started a school for orphans (which is still being run today!).  He had no family after his wife and parents died, and the town of Hershey, including the school, are all funded from a trust that he left when he passed, that is replenished by the profits of Hershey.  He really was quite a remarkable, humble man and I’m happy to have been able to learn about him and introduce him to my children.   I was even able to apply lessons learned to real life when my son did not have a successful market day… “remember Milton Hershey?” 

From the kids:

Favorite Thing they learned about Milton Hershey:

c age 5 ”That he made chocolate”

C age 9 “That he lived to be older than GG”  (My grandma is 86, Milton died at 88). He also said “that he lived a good life, and didn’t have much schooling”. 

Z age 7 “That he made chocolate”

I highly recommend YWAM Publishing books to anyone that likes to take a REAL BOOK approach to learning.  They are also Christian Based books. 

They are affordable and the Unit Study Guides have the possibility of really expanding on the books! 

Find them on Social Media:

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/o9VOMN
Twitter: @YWAMpublishing http://twitter.com/YWAMpublishing
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/YWAMpublishing

Christian Heroes {YWAM Publishing Review}Crew Disclaimer

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Weeks in Review 3/28, 4/4, 4/11 & 4/18

Okay so I am WAY BEHIND in our Weeks in Review post, so this is more like a MONTH in REVIEW!  Man, it’s really hard to go back over so many days and remember what you did! 

One thing is for sure, we have been reviewing a lot of products and having lots of fun! I feel like I have been so busy though that pictures have been an after thought!  Got to get back to taking more!

3/28 -

Monday – We had MMA was suppose to be our first day of the new session, and ended up being our last day for the season.  It’s only my 3 kids and another family with 3 kids in the homeschool class, and well one of the kiddos in the other family was injured, so they pulled out…it’s more fun for my kids when it’s not just them, so we are sitting out and will be back (hopefully) in the fall.  We also had 4H, the kids made presentations about different types of robotics and presented them.  C researched VEX and Z and c researched LEGO WeDo.

2016-03-28 15.26.34

Tuesday – was the egg drop challenge at the library, I posted about it that week in our Field Trip Friday (#195)

2016-03-29 12.23.47

Wednesday -  C had a Robotics event and the other kids and I hit up Trader Joe’s (since it was nearby) and played at a park for a bit (until someone let her kid pee under the play ground equipment, where kids were playing, then we left… YUCK!).

2016-03-30 15.01.01

Thursday – The two littles had a class at the library for the Letter H (they love these monthly classes), and the bigs had track practice.

Friday – C had his Battle of the Books practice. We also went to the PEEP SHOW that evening and used some BOOK ITS at Pizza Hut afterwards!

2016-04-01 17.47.172016-04-01 17.48.062016-04-01 18.22.112016-04-01 18.22.41

Sat & Sun – General Conference weekend, always an inspiration!  We also hit up the kids workshop at Home Depot, it’s FREE the first Saturday of each month.  The kids LOVE It.  I posted about it (and Thursday and Friday) in Field Trip Friday the following week! (#196)

4/4 -

Monday – Normal school day, it’s kind of nice not having MMA now, we don’t have to run around on Monday and Wednesday every week!

Tuesday – We had our Homeschool Review with the county.  I usually go solo, but hubby couldn’t take off, so I had to bring the whole crew.  It was, well, eh, interesting!  It went well though, and we are cleared for another year of homeschooling!  We then headed to CFA to celebrate and then off to the last Battle of the Books practice before competition.  The other 3 had story time.  The night was finished off with track practice and cub scouts.  BUSY DAY!

Wednesday – We had a field trip to the Visionary Arts Museum (Field Trip #196), We hiked up  this HUGE hill to go to a playground for lunch afterwards.

2016-04-06 10.28.072016-04-06 10.28.122016-04-06 10.28.382016-04-06 10.28.41

Thursday – Co-op day!  Always a busy and fun day!  We had an Easter Egg hung (indoors b/c it was raining).

2016-04-07 12.53.242016-04-07 12.55.47

Friday – We had Piano, we headed to Costco, then I prepped for my out of town scrapbooking retreat.  C had his Battle of the Books Competition.  They didn’t place, but they sure worked hard and had a good time.  I left town for scrapbook retreat at half time, but my aunt stayed with him and they all went to Sweet Frogs to celebrate afterwards.

12961468_10209605792288474_1123304829430672320_n12963698_10209605792528480_7114381733710412850_n

4/11

Monday – Got in a little bit of school, and had our co-op planning meeting/pot luck for the Fall.  Lots of great classes coming up next semester.  I’ll be teaching Middle School Chemistry!  Can’t believe C is going to be in that class!  (5th-8th).

Tuesday – Track and Scouts, otherwise a quiet day!  C was having some issues understanding division, so we broke out the pennies and put them into groups.  I love our computer program math, but sometimes you just have to have tangible manipulatives! 

2016-04-12 09.41.31

Wednesday – We had a field trip to the Federal Reserve Bank (see Field Trip #197).  We had some friends over for dinner and had a yummy cook-out!

Thursday – I had a church planning meeting in the morning for an event that is coming up, then the kids had track in the evening.

Friday – Science and Engineering Day – we were exhausted!  (See Field Trip #198)

2016-04-15 15.17.50

Saturday & Sunday – I had a nice morning at the church for a Woman’s Conference, while hubby took the two middles to their history class at the Historical Society, then they two bigs had a library class (more on that later). 

4/18

Monday – The two bigs started a 3 day art class today.  We got some school in this morning, I rushed them to eat lunch and then realized I had my times messed up.  By the time we got home it was late in the day and the weather was beautiful, so they all went outside! 

Tuesday – C has cooking class, track and cubs.  While C was at cooking the rest of us had school and playtime at the park!  It was a beautiful day!

2016-04-19 11.14.532016-04-19 11.31.03

Wednesday – Field trip (more later on that).  On the way there, I somehow hit a mailbox as I was looking in my rearview mirror.  Not the best way to start the day, but good news is that when I returned home I found the pieces to my mirror and put it back together!  (and mailbox was fine too!)

2016-04-20 08.20.212016-04-20 17.08.53

2016-04-20 12.30.31

Thursday – Co-op, We only have ONE more co-op left this semester! We had a Market Day today and the kids all got to sell things.  C decided to sell origami and a few other odds and ends, c wanted to sell cookies (he and hubby made PB&J cookies) and Z wanted to sell lemonade (freshly squeezed!).  The Lemonade was the biggest hit, but everyone had fun and they all bought fun stuff too!  When the bigs were at track, the littles opened their Koala Crate and Little Passports!  The big will get to open their Tinker Crate and Little Passports later!

2016-04-21 09.09.04-1

2016-04-21 17.28.592016-04-21 17.40.37

Friday – Piano and Costco!  Only computer school today and ART!  I got to have MNO Paint Night with my Mom, aunts and cousin! 

2016-04-22 21.23.47-2

Saturday – We celebrated Zs 7th birthday (his real birthday is Sunday)

2016-04-23 14.29.46-1

Linking up at:

My Week in Review at Our 4 Kiddos, and Weekly Wrap up with Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Don't miss a single blog post! Register to receive them in your email by clicking HERE

or follow via another social media (see Find Me tab)

Check out my latest homeschool review products!

Like what you read?  Vote for me!

Vote For Use @ Top Mommy Blogs

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Field Trip #198 Friday Blog Hop

Photobucket

Blog Hop designed to share 'FIELD TRIP' related Blog Posts(does not have to be a 'home school field trip', can be any trip to any place with your children!)

**NOTE:  Before linking up please review guidelines HERE!

Every two years there is a big USA Science & Engineering Festival in DC.  This was the 4th year, but our first time attending.  They have a PREVIEW day the Friday before the event (it’s a Saturday/Sunday event) for school and homeschool!  I was a bit nervous to go on my own to DC, so I dragged my mom along with me.  We used Panda Parking to secure us a spot walking distance form the Convention Center, and it was super easy! 

The convention was so much fun, but seriously HUGE!  We didn’t even cover half of it! 

Engineering Festival

We have actually had a lot of field trips in a short amount of time, so I will be spreading them out to cover a few weeks we don’t have any field trips!  So stay tuned for some more FUN trips!  

If you are in the DC area, you should definitely check out this FREE event next time it comes around. 


Labels

31 (2) 31 Days of Field Trips (31) 5 senses (6) abcmouse.com (1) adult education (1) advent (1) all about me (1) Alpha-Phonics (1) Alphabet Box (1) amphibians (1) animal trackers (10) ants (3) Artist Study (9) arts and crafts (16) Australia (2) award (4) baby (5) baby bird (2) baby food jar crafts (1) Back to Homeschool (6) balance (1) banyan tree (1) beach (1) bees (3) Being a Mom (2) birds (5) Birthdays (2) Blogging the Alphabet (28) bloom (1) boats (2) Book List (3) Book Nook (1) Book review (62) book sneeze (3) Boost your blog (1) Brag Time Hop (31) Broccoli (1) butterflies (5) butterfly (3) Butternut Squash (1) Campus Book Rental (2) Capybara (1) Capyboppy (1) Charlotte Mason (1) Cherry Tomatoes (1) Chestnut Grove Curriculum (22) Chinese Language (7) Chinese New Year (1) Chinese Worksheets (1) Chore Chart (4) Christmas (28) classical approach (3) cleaning schedule (1) close to my heart (7) co-op (2) Color Tablets (2) computer games (2) Continent Boxes (5) crabs (2) cricut (2) CSA (4) Cub Scouts (1) culture swap (2) currclick (2) curriculum (23) cursive (1) daily schedule (3) Deep Covered Baker (1) Digital Scrapbooking (5) dinosaurs (18) Dissection (1) diswasher detergent (1) dolphins (2) donuts (1) Earth Science (5) Easter (8) Easy Readers (1) education cubes (7) educents (2) Eggplant (1) Emeals (5) emotions (2) exploring Hawaii (127) fairy tales (1) fall (15) family (1) Family Home Evening (5) farm (3) Father's Day (1) feelings (2) felt board (1) FHE (5) field trip (278) Fifth Grade (1) first grade (37) fish (3) flowers (4) Free Printables (13) freezer meals (1) frogs (3) Fundraiser (1) games (5) garden (1) General Conference (9) geocaching (3) Geography (37) Getting crafty (20) gift ideas (4) Giveaway (101) guest blogger (13) HALLELUJAH (3) Halloween (14) handwriting (2) hanukkah (2) Health (6) health curriculum (2) Heart (1) heart parenting (1) hermit crabs (2) History (48) Holidays (26) Home School (55) Home school mother's journal (7) Home School Room (10) Homemaking (15) homeschool (1) Homeschool Blogging Network (5) Homeschool Swap (1) How to (1) Human Body (5) ice cream (2) informal learning (2) insects (6) IPAD (37) Japan (2) jellyfish (3) Jesus Christ (1) karate (1) Kauai (2) kids in the kitchen (16) kindergarten (36) kindle (11) Kwanzaa (1) ladybugs (2) Language Arts (6) Language Program (2) lap books (5) Latter Day Homeschool Blog Posts (3) lds (18) lego (3) lego club (3) lesson help (1) letter a (2) letter b (4) letter c (3) letter d (1) letter f (2) letter I (4) letter j (2) letter n (1) letter o (2) letter p (1) letter s (2) letter t (1) letter u (1) Library (1) Light box (4) Lighthouses (7) Little Passports (22) Mamapedia (1) mammals (2) Mango (1) Map Display (1) Marriage (1) Massachusetts (1) Math (44) meal planning (1) Memorial Day (1) Mexico (1) minecraft (1) Montessori (145) Montessori At Home Book (2) Montessori Print Shop (24) Monthly Subscription Program (1) Mormon (32) morning routine (1) Music (9) My Father's Dragon (1) My Groovy Planet (1) My Memories (8) Nature (23) nests (2) New Year (1) New Years Resolutions (1) Ocean (15) octopus (2) olympics (1) Operation Smile (2) Organization (14) Owl Pellets (1) P.E. (3) Paleo (5) Pancake Day (1) pandia press (23) parenting (1) Patterns (1) penguins (2) phonics (7) physical education (1) Picasso (1) pinterest (4) pirates (4) playdough (6) Pollock (1) pond animals (3) popcorn balls (1) Poppins Book Nook (35) pornography (1) preschool (95) President's Day (2) puffins (1) pumpkin (3) pumpkins (2) rain forest (1) Read Alouds (3) Reading (14) Real Life (1) Recipe (34) reptiles (1) Reverence (1) review (239) road trip (1) rockets (2) Sacrament Bag (2) safety (2) Saturday Adventure (1) schedule (3) scholastic books (1) Science (63) scissors (1) Scriptures (1) sea urchins (1) seasons (6) Second Grade (7) seed (1) sensory bin (5) Share it Saturday (84) ships (2) SimplyFun (3) skin care (2) snow (1) snow globe (1) Space (11) spelling (16) spiders (4) spineless sea urchins (1) sponsor (9) starfish (3) stitch fix (9) stocking stuffers (3) Summer Fun (2) Tell me more (1) Thankful (5) Thanksgiving (5) The Friend Magazine (1) The Giggler Treatment (1) The Road Not Taken (1) Third Grade (6) Thirty-one (2) thumbsucking (1) Titanic (1) tools (1) Top 10 (2) TOS Blog Cruise (83) TOS Review Crew (136) tot school (65) Totsy (1) Traditions (1) turtles (1) Unit study (18) unschooling (2) Usborne Books (21) Valentine's Day (8) virtual book club (1) We choose virtues (1) Week 1 (2) week 2 (2) week 3 (2) week 4 (1) week in review (62) Well Trained Mind (1) whales (3) What my child is reading (48) Whole 30 (9) why we homeschool (5) winter (3) Word (1) wordless wednesday (7) work boxes (104) Workbox Wednesday (49) world as classroom (3) worms (3) Wrap-up (3) writing (4) young women (8) Zero Grandparents (1) zoo (2)