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3 Ways to Interest Girls in Science

June 17, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Tigger is a HUGE science fan. Huge. She loves learning about animals, the human body, the environment – pretty much any scientific topic you can think of.

Here’s the issue for us: She has ADHD. So finding ways to hold her interest in a science lesson can be a challenge.

When I heard about the opportunity to try a new science program – Mosa Mack Science – I jumped at the chance! And I’m so glad I did. By using the program, I learned three ways to interest girls in science and they worked for us!

Disclosure: I received access to this program in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

3 Ways to Interest Girls in Science

Ways to Interest Girls in Science

1. Make it accessible.

First of all, science has to be accessible for girls. I’ll be honest. I was not interested in science as a child, except for dinosaurs which I still happen to think are awesome. 🙂

I was definitely more interested in the humanities, as were most girls in my school. Now that the sciences have become more inclusive, I’m glad to see that more girls are pursuing STEM fields.

MM Screenshot 5

Accessibility is one of the things I love about Mosa Mack Science. It’s extremely easy to use. All of the modules are located on the site, complete with a summary and a blurb about the specific activity students will complete during the process.

I loved that because I could easily look at the summaries and help Tigger choose a topic that interested her.

MM Review

Naturally, I looked through the module first and printed all of the materials. It gave me a head start on planning, so I could keep her moving from activity to activity without having to wait around.

MM Screenshot 3

Each module includes a Warm-Up – a gentle introduction to the topic at hand. Since we were covering the “Food Chains” module, our warm-up was an intro to food webs and how they are organized.

MM Screenshot 4

After learning about food webs and getting instructions to make our own, we also had the chance to do a design project (a super tie-in to STEM)!

MM Screenshot 2

The module also has a short, animated video that contains a scientific mystery Mosa Mack has to solve. In a separate window, you can click and find out the answer (after your kids try to think of it, of course).

2. Make it relatable.

Female scientists were hardly even discussed when I was in school, except for Marie Curie. Most of the women I learned about were wives or mothers of famous people – wives of presidents, wives of civil rights leaders, mothers of famous singers, and so on.

A major reason I wanted to review this product was because the main character, Mosa Mack, is a girl of color. Since Tigger is a young girl of color, she loved seeing someone who resembled her on the screen. When girls relate to scientists, they are far more likely to see science as a field “for them”.

MM Screenshot

Further, Mosa is an excellent portrayal for young girls. She’s inquisitive, persistent, well-spoken, and extremely intelligent – everything we want our daughters to be!

3. Make it interesting!

Finally, science lessons should be interesting! I was always bored in science class, because it mostly consisted of lectures. Mosa Mack Science, though, is much more interactive.

MM Review 3

The characters in the videos are funny, but not distracting. And the story moves quickly enough to keep kids’ attention, even wiggly ones like Tigger. 🙂

MM Review 4

The modules also include hands-on activities that relate to the video. Tigger completed a paper review of the major points covered in the video. The handout contained still captures from the video to help her recall the pertinent scenes.

MM Review 1

Tigger also got to make vocabulary and quote flashcards using new terms she learned in the unit. In the Food Chains unit, some of her terms included “Primary Consumer”, “Decomposer”, and “Producer”. She cut out the pictures, matched them with the right quotes, and added her terms and definitions.

MM Review 2

All done! She had a blast and quickly asked me when we could do more of the units!

Do you have a budding girl scientist in your family? How do you help her direct her interest in the sciences? Let us know in the comments! And be sure to visit Mosa Mack Science to check out the free resources and learn more about the program!

Making Creative Writing Fun for Reluctant Writers: Writeshop Junior Review

March 9, 2015 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

This is a conversation on behalf of WriteShop. Opinions are 100% my own.

Do you have any reluctant writers in your family? We do. Tigger is an avid reader, but a hesitant writer. I understand. I’m exactly the same way. 🙂

So I was thrilled when we got a chance to try the homeschool writing program: Writeshop Junior! It’s a comprehensive creative writing program for upper elementary kids!

Check out our Writeshop Junior review to see how the program helped us make creative writing fun!

Making Creative Writing Fun for Kids with WriteShop

One of my favorite things about the WriteShop curriculum is that literally everything is explained for you. What to print, how to assemble it, and how to teach each section. It’s super simple to use.

Making Creative Writing Fun for Kids with WriteShop

The curriculum has a unique way to introduce the basic concept of writing a letter. Kids can color code each section of the letter to help them remember the basics: body, date, salutation, closing, and signature.

Making Creative Writing Fun for Kids with WriteShop

Then we made a fun parts of a letter robot, which Tigger assembled (in order) and then colored. After that, she understood where everything goes on a letter without having to write an endless amount of letters herself. 🙂

Making Creative Writing Fun for Kids with WriteShop

WriteShop also includes plenty of reading work to help kids concentrate on reading good literature. I always feel that grammar is learned by lots and lots of reading. Since Tigger loves books, she found the reading logs and took off running! (The book she read for this assignment was “Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One” by Judy Blume.)

I’ll tell you – there’s no better sound than hearing your child ask, “Can I go and read so I can complete my reading log, Mama?” That’s the sound of a bookworm developing!

Making Creative Writing Fun for Kids with WriteShop

Another part of WriteShop that both Tigger and I loved was the Grammar Folders. All of the templates (and assembly instructions) are provided for you. And they are a great way for kids to get involved in their own lessons and take responsibility for studying.

Whenever Tigger was confused about when to use which quotation mark, she could just consult the folder herself for a quick reminder. The folder templates even come with detachable bookmarks!

Making Creative Writing Fun for Kids with WriteShop

After a few weeks of introductory work, it was time to actually begin creative writing! Since the program opens with such a gentle introduction to the concept, though, Tigger was ready and not overwhelmed at all!

Making Creative Writing Fun for Kids with WriteShop

As we got further along into the program, the assignments became longer, which I thought was a great thing. During Unit 3, Tigger got to use several words from a noun bank to write a story based in the Amazon jungle. Here’s her story:

Maria and Julio live in Brazil. They decided to explore the Brazilian rainforest. They packed up and headed for the Amazon jungle first. They got a chance to swing on lots of vines. They packed hammocks for the nights they traveled. As they set them up, Maria pointed out a bat family flying across the night sky.

The next morning they headed for the Brazilian rainforest. Julio found a diamond. He put it in his backpack. Maria and Julio also discovered maggots on the ground. They rode a boat down a waterfall. They even picked up a tarantula! They also climbed up a tree and found a sloth!

Before they went to sleep that night, they sat up in their hammocks looking at the pictures they’d taken. They both agreed it was the best time they’d ever had!

The end.

Personally, I think it’s worthy of a Pulitzer. 🙂

We really enjoyed using WriteShop. The curriculum is a great way to motivate kids who are reluctant writers to jump in with both feet!

Are you on Instagram? Show off your creativity with a photo writing prompt. Use nature, toys, kids, whatever. Or, make a collage like a comic book. Follow WriteShop on Instagram and then share your image with the hashtag #writeshopwriting. Be sure to tag @WriteShop in your photo. Their team will be choosing from your photo writing prompts to share in their social media!

And now, it’s time to host the awesome giveaway!

Giveaway product provided by WriteShop. Winner will be selected and notified by email on April 4, 2015. Winner has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. If the winner is a US resident, a physical product will be provided. If the winner lives internationally, only a digital product will be provided. Void where prohibited.
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Interested in learning more about how WriteShop can be used in your homeschool? Check out these awesome reviews!

An InLinkz Link-up


Homeschool Unit Studies: Snowflake Unit

December 9, 2014 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Have you guys gotten any snow yet? We don’t usually see snow here in Georgia during winter, except a few tiny flurries around February or so. But even if you don’t live in a cold climate, you can teach your kids about snowflakes with this free snowflake unit I wrote for Year Round Homeschooling!

And, by the way, it’s time for another edition of the Laugh and Learn linkup! Be sure to read our favorites from last week below!

Snowflake Unit - Look! We're Learning!

This snowflake unit features YouTube videos that explain how snowflakes form, as well as questions you can use to review the concepts with your kids afterward. There is a booklist with great kids’ books about snowflakes, and even a couple of snowflake crafts that will let you make your own winter “snow”!

Stop over at Year Round Homeschooling to get a few ideas for your snowflake unit study!

Snowflake Unit – Year Round Homeschooling

And now…on to the linky!

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Welcome to our eleventh week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup. Join us in the fun and help us spread the word! Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning.

We will pick our four favorite posts and feature them on the following weeks linkup. Be sure to link your best content and maybe we will pick you! When you link your post with us it will be featured on three blogs.

We pin our favorites to a special Pinterest board for #laughlearnlinkup homeschool and parenting posts. Check the board out here: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina Ernspiker
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Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures and more at Los Gringos Locos.

Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin
Tsu

Selena
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Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!

Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
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Sarah Thornton

Sarah Dedicated Blogger
Sarah
lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.

Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram

Our Favorite Posts for the Week of December 8th:

Written by Melanie at Tree Valley Academy

Written by Jennifer at Royal Little Lambs

Written by Gude at Hodge Podge Craft

 

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the posts above by clicking on the image, if you have a minute for some good reading. Thank you Melanie, Jennifer, and Gude for your great homeschool and parenting posts!

Now, let’s see your best posts for this week so we can share them as next week’s favorites!

An InLinkz Link-up


How to Improve Academic Writing with Grammarly

November 16, 2014 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

I’m nearing the end of my third semester in college and I’m an English major, so it goes without saying that I write A LOT of academic papers. A LOT. Fortunately, I actually enjoy writing papers, although I realize that I’m in the distinct minority on this. 🙂

When you’re in college, you don’t really get to spend a lot of time studying grammar. Naturally, professors assume that you already know the basics of English grammar long before you begin college courses. My problem is that I had been out of high school for over a decade when I enrolled, so I was rather rusty.

Recently, I got the chance to try the online grammar application Grammarly and it really makes it easier to write with proper grammar, whether you’re writing an academic paper, a business report, or even a personal letter. Here’s a quick look at how to improve academic writing with Grammarly.

Disclosure: I received free limited-time access to this program in exchange for this review. My opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

How to Improve Academic Writing with Grammarly - Look! We're Learning!

There are a lot of online proofreaders around, but one of the things that sets Grammarly apart (in my opinion) is that it offers a far more customizable set of options.

When you first log into the program, you have the option to explore the it by examining a demo document. Or you can get right to work on something of your own. Which brings me to one of my favorite features of Grammarly: You can either upload an existing document you’ve already written OR you can write something new directly in the program.

You can even download Grammarly as an add-in for Microsoft Word and use it right from within Word. Awesome.

How to Improve Academic Writing with Grammarly - Look! We're Learning!

While I love the flexibility of editing a completed document or writing it within the program, Grammarly really shines in the editing and revising arena. You can check for plagiarism, which is great to do before you submit a paper. (It’s amazing how many of the same words and phrases are used in academic writing, without any intent to plagiarize.)

But you can also ask the program to look at your document according to its specific type. For example, if you’re writing a college paper, you can choose “Academic” and then the type of paper (“Essay”, “Case Study”, “Dissertation”, etc.). Grammarly will then look at the document and offer revision and proofreading remarks based on that type of submission. You can also choose from several other types of documents, including “Business” (letter, report, proposal, etc.), “Technical” (end-user documentation, marketing), and “Creative” (novel, script, short story). Wowzers.

If you want to add a little “something” to your work, Grammarly can offer you suggestions through the Vocabulary Enhancement tool. Click the magic wand to get a list of more polished words or phrases that can make your work stand out.

How to Improve Academic Writing with Grammarly - Look! We're Learning!

Once the program finishes looking at your document, you’ll get a report containing a list of all of your errors. As you can see, Grammarly examines the document in several areas, including “contextual spelling”, “sentence structure”, and “style”. You don’t have to try to remember what a dangling modifier is! Grammarly will fix it for you. 😉

How to Improve Academic Writing with Grammarly - Look! We're Learning!

I really enjoyed using Grammarly and I’d highly recommend it if you plan to do any type of professional writing on a regular basis. If you’d like to try Grammarly, you can get a free seven-day trial to see if the service is right for you!

The Best Essay Check

French Language Learning with Mango Languages - Look! We're Learning!

French Language Learning with Mango Languages!

September 12, 2014 by Selena Robinson 7 Comments

Bonjour! We’ve just begun learning French with the kids with Mango Languages! I recently got the chance to try the program, and the kids are already asking when we can take more lessons. That’s always a good sign, right?

Mango Languages offers more than 60 languages and dialects for students, including Spanish, French, and even Ancient Greek! We settled on French, but the kids were excited to see that we could learn just about any language!

Keep Reading…

5 Choices for Homeschool Art and Music Curriculum - Look! We're Learning!

5 Homeschool Art and Music Curriculum Choices

August 23, 2014 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Our children love art and music! Tigger is extremely interested in dance and playing music. Roo and Pooh love drawing and painting. So, we try to find good art and music curriculum choices to keep them interested.

If you’re searching for homeschool art and music curriculum, check out these five options to add both subjects to your weekly lessons!

Keep Reading…

Five Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum Resources - Look! We're Learning!

5 Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum Resources

August 21, 2014 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Language arts is one of the most important aspects of a good homeschooling education. Since we’re eclectic homeschoolers, we tend to mix and match resources for most subjects, including language arts.

Today, I’m sharing five homeschool language arts curriculum resources to help you put together your own language arts program! Trust me, it’s easier than you think. 😉 I hope you find these suggestions helpful!

Five Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum Resources - Look! We're Learning!

Resources for Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum

How to Choose “Just Right” Books: Helping Kids Grow as Readers – Becky Spence

I’m a huge enormous bookworm, but that doesn’t mean that my kids will automatically love reading. A big part of helping kids love to read is choosing books that are a good fit for their age and comprehension level. We don’t want to set them up for frustration by handing them books that are above their reading ability. Becky Spence shares excellent suggestions for choosing books that are “just right” for your kids in How to Choose “Just Right” Books: Helping Kids Grow as Readers.

Designing Your Language Arts Curriculum – Jimmie Lanley

What’s involved in a good language arts curriculum? Ideally, we should be including grammar, reading, literature, spelling, and penmanship. If you’re wondering how you can possibly include all of those subjects in your lesson plan, Jimmie Lanley explains how you can in Designing Your Language Arts Curriculum.

Understanding Copywork – Amy Maze

Copywork is a grammar concept from the Charlotte Mason style of education. It involves having children practice penmanship and grammar by copying excerpts from examples of excellent writing. If you’re wondering just why copywork is beneficial and how to include it in your homeschool, Amy Maze’s Understanding Copywork is a perfect primer on the subject!

Essay Tune Up – Jimmie Lanley

Writing an essay doesn’t have to be a difficult assignment for kids. In Essay Tune Up, Jimmie Lanley offers printable worksheets to help students break essays into sections: introduction, details, and conclusion. She also includes prewriting organizers, cheat sheets for better transitions, and a peer editing checklist!

Writing a Biography – Valerie McClintick

Since writing about a real person can involve lots of research and preparation, it’s important that students learn how to look up information, find good sources, compile their thoughts into an outline, and express them fluently. In Writing a Biography, Valerie McClintick takes elementary-aged students through the step-by-step process of writing a biography for the first time.

Do you have any great homeschool language arts curriculum resources to share? Tell us about them in the comments!

Instant Grammar Checker

5 Homeschool Preschool Curriculum Tips - Look! We're Learning!

5 Homeschool Preschool Curriculum Tips

August 19, 2014 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

We’ve already been through preschool with three of our kids, but we still have one more to go. 🙂 As a result, I’m always on the lookout for tips for using homeschool preschool curriculum in our family. Even after six years of homeschooling, I still manage to find great suggestions for teaching homeschool preschool in the home.

Keep Reading…

Making Shark Art with Chalk Pastels - Look! We're Learning!

Making Shark Art with Chalk Pastels

August 7, 2014 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

Hey everyone! One of my goals for the new school year is to include more art activities with the kids.

In our homeschool curriculum post for 2014-15, I mentioned one of the art curriculum products we’re using this year, so I’m sharing our experience with it today!

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Our Unit Study Topics for 2014-15: Look! We're Learning!

Our Unit Study Topics for 2014-15

August 6, 2014 by Selena Robinson 6 Comments

I’m contributing over at Year Round Homeschooling today with a post about Unit Studies – what they are and how to make one yourself. So I thought I’d share our family’s unit study topics for the 2014-15 school year!

When we’re planning our homeschool year, we try to ask the children about the things they personally want to learn about. As you can imagine, we get all kinds of responses. 🙂

This time, though, we’re going to use their suggestions as the basis for our unit studies, which we’ll also be sharing with you during the year!

Keep Reading…

Our Homeschooling Curriculum for 4th, 1st, and K - Look! We're Learning!

Our 2014-15 Homeschool Curriculum Choices

August 4, 2014 by Selena Robinson 13 Comments

We’re starting our new school year next week! Woohoo! So it’s time to take a look at our homeschool curriculum choices for the upcoming year.

We’re going to have a fourth grader, a first grader, and a kindergartener this year, so I’m extra excited about what we’ll learn as a family. Piglet, who will be two in December, will be along with us for a couple of months, but I think we’ll start her tot school program by the end of the year.

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Our Favorite Picks from the Build Your Bundle Sale - Look! We're Learning!

Our Favorite Picks from the Build Your Bundle Sale

July 25, 2014 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Hi everyone! I got the chance to review four of the products in the Charlotte Mason Bundle for the Build Your Bundle sale and I thought I’d share our experiences with you all. You know, just in case you’re still on the fence about this great deal. 😉

The 2014 Build Your Bundle sale has ended. Look for next year’s sale! 🙂

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Hi! I'm Selena, a veteran teacher and homeschool mom to four. I'm so glad you're here!
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