Review: Speak Up - The Morgan Love Series by Stephanie Perry Moore

Let me start by saying that no one has asked me to review this book. I am reviewing it simply because of how my daughters and I have loved reading it together night after night. I was in a department store looking in the book section and came across this book entitled Speak Up. On the cover was a beautiful little girl about my child's age and she appeared to be bi-racial so naturally I was intrigued. I read the back cover and the little girl was writing in her diary (it reminded me of my love for Judy Blume books when I was in elementary school) and talking about some of the tough things that she was going through in second grade and whether or not she should do what her Daddy has always told her to do which was, speak up.

At that point the book was as good as bought because that was a subject that we'd discussed with Madison every since pre-k. Madison was very reserved then and very compassionate and understanding. She's still very compassionate but not so reserved. At any rate, my husband and I found ourselves telling her that she needed to speak up when she found herself in unfavorable circumstances. She had been bossed around by one of the little girls in her class in pre-k. She got better with time definitely but this year her kindergarten teacher made the same comment to us about her being more of an advocate for herself in negative situations.

You can imagine my elation to find a book on that very same subject matter by an author of young adult Christian fiction titles, that's not a picture book but an actual chapter book. This meant that we could read it over a series of weeks and dissect each section and pick it apart bit by bit. You may be wondering if that is even possible with a 6 and 3 year old. It is. We'd read chapter books before like the classic, Black Beauty, and a really cute book she'd brought home from the Library about kids playing on the playground, unfortunately I don't remember its title. So reading chapter books at night before bed have been some of the most enjoyable reading times for us because we get to pick up where we left off and kind of put the whole story together in our minds as we go and the girls really enjoy it as do I.

Now to the point, this book it is great! It is written in an easy to read format and the story flows very smoothly so that the kids can truly see in their minds what is happening in the story and maintain interested from section to section. Stephanie Perry Moore is a really great children's book author for this age group!

Madison Reading While Walking

Not only that, but she sincerely and with detail dives into the topic on an elementary level. The conversations that take place in the book by the main character flow really well and sound age appropriate, as if a second grader is really talking. I'm sure this is not easy when the author passed that stage of life some decades ago! Madison said to me just tonight after I finished the section that we're on, "I'm really interested in this book Mom!" A SIX year old! She even picked it up earlier today to read ahead and I joked with her about it and she said "I just want to know what happens!"  I even caught her reading while walking, it was funny and cute.

Reading Ahead

If you are looking for a book to help you talk entertainingly on the matter of your child speaking up for themselves, this is a great one. If you are looking for something that will reiterate what you have already discussed with your child(ren) in this area, this is a great book! If you are just looking for an entertaining read for your story time, this is a really, really great one. If you want to spark a love for reading in your little ones this book may surely help with that. It has both my kids hooked and looking forward to story time more and more every night. This book has everything in it for any family with elementary age children dealing with family changes, making friends, talking issues out with parents, prayer, etc.

I am eager to obtain more Stephanie Perry Moore titles! I hope you check it out if you are in this stage of life with your kids.  

Home Schooling: It's a Process!

Hello there again!

I am so excited to be sharing from my blog again about my personal journey and experiences with home schooling. Now I can hardly be called an authority on the subject so if that is what you are looking for, keep reading, then go to WeirdUnsocializedHomeschoolers.com. She is an authority along with a lot of the bloggers that she guest writes for and some of the followers of her blog. Beyond that, I just love reading her posts. I happened upon one today from another blog that she'd written an article for last year called 30 things she's learned about home schooling or something like that that just blessed  my socks off! Seriously, it was just so darn real and good. But first, as I said, keep reading since you've landed on my blog THEN go to hers. :) All is fair in love and blogging. Just kidding.  LOL Can you tell that it is late and I'm silly?

Ok, before I bore you to tears and send you running to another blog, I'd like to share another little something about what I've learned so far on this journey. We are now entering our 3rd month of schooling from home and I can tell you point blank, beyond any doubt at all, that learning from home is a process for the child and for the Parent.

My sweet little 6 year old is going through a major adjustment to home schooling and she has jumped in with both feet. She LOVES being home with her mommy and sister and she absolutely loves Mommy the Teacher. She hasn't asked for any of her school friends or to go back to school at all so, all in all she is doing quite well. The learning process however, does not stop just because her Mommy is the teacher now. She is still only a 6 year old who grasps some concepts easily and others more slowly. She still gets bored with a lot of instruction at one time and prefers it broken up into smaller chunks. She likes to "hear and do." Then hear again and do again. Sometimes she's taken the marker right out of hand to do what I just taught and at that moment if I remain "Teacher" and not Mommy it is o.k. But if my Mommy gene kicks in, I will reprimand her for snatching - as I see that as impolite. I've learned though, that that puts a stopper on her enthusiasm for learning. Boy, the first time I realized that one, I wanted to crawl into a whole and not come out for about 4 days! No one wants to thwart their own child's love and excitement for learning (that's what shcool is for) just kidding...but this process of learning is not just for her, it has been - and I have a sneaking suspicion - will continue to be for me as well.

One of my home schooling friends warned me about expecting her to grasp an entire concept immediately and how that is totally unnecessary as all good curricula will revisit and review a former concept over and over again throughout the year. Yet, I found myself and still continue to catch myself in the mindset of trying to milk a concept in its entirety all in one day. Insanity.

I'm very sleepy and I hope this post has been helpful. In short, when I look into my daughters, loving and compassionate eyes during our school day, I wish I could think to say to her in a most loving manner...sweetheart, learning is a process, for you and for me. But I don't, that's the last thing that I am thinking when I am trying to get her to read and understand how to use a ruler correctly. LOL!!!

G'nite.
Stephy

Home School Co-Op: Is It For You?

I visited a wonderful little co-op this past week. I was first introduced to the concept of home school co-ops by my friend Lorrie, who has been home schooling for about 10 years, I think. She had her kids attending the one at our church years before I had kids so it didn't register on my radar AT ALL. But now, roughly 7 years later, I am all ears and she is still attending a co op, just not at our church. Anyway, what are co ops?

Well, in my very own words, a co-op is a neat little hybrid of home schooling and private school. It is an opportunity for for families who treasure the idea of their children having regular interaction with other kids in an actual school setting. You generally pay a small fee for each class that you wish for your child or children to take and the classes can either be core subjects or electives and in some cases, with some co-ops both class types are offered and you can attend all or some of each or still choose between the two types of classes.

Within a co-op, usually the parents are the teachers and administrators. With the one that I am interested in, each position with the organization has points assigned to it and each parent of the co op has to sign up for at least a 5 point job and if you exceed 9 points you get a discount on your monthly cost for classes. Sounds complicated or ridiculous? It's not, it is just to make sure that the organization runs smoothly and so that every important function of the co-op is covered for the children's sakes.

Upon my visit to this home school co-op, I saw parents just like me. Moms and Dads who have a vested interest in their child(ren)'s education. It was wonderful.How do you know if a co op is right for you or if you are right for it? Here are a few questions you may want to ask yourself before you decide:

1. Are you social enough? There will be several families all working together toward a common goal and in pretty close quarters.
2. Are you willing to teach a class subject, help clean the facility, organize social outings or field trips? Sounds like a lot of work...something to think about!
3. Are or can you be organized enough? I am not the most organized person but I have no problem organizing 1 or 2 areas of my life! As a co-op participant, you may be called upon to teach or assist a teacher in a class. With that responsibility comes, assigning, grading and recording homework grades. This may only be for accredited co ops but still something to consider.
4. How important to you is it that your child have the classic "classroom" experience? Our organization's classrooms are anything but traditional. This kids sit in these really nice comfortable chairs around a really large table; large enough for projects, experiments and enough room to comfortably do schoolwork. It's a great environment for free thinking and learning.
5. Are you willing or looking to share the responsibility of your child's education with other parents just like you.
6. Can you afford it? You are still responsible for purchasing your yearly curriculums and now you will also have a monthly bill for the classes that your child(ren) are taking. Our monthly charge per class is 5.00-just to give you an idea.

These are just a few questions to get you started. I love doing all of the above so a home school co op fits us perfectly. We attend one day per week, all day, just as if it were a regular school day and then the rest of the week I school at home. My kids will have friends that when we go out on field trips, she'll already be familiar with. The cost to my family is nominal, the payoff academically speaking is enormous. We have some dedicated parents who love what they do, teaching each and every class of our co-op. It is exciting!

*Feel free to share your thoughts on Home School Co-Ops!