Friday, November 28, 2014

Black Friday sales

Lots, and I mean LOTS of people are out Black Friday shopping. I think we're going to the grocery store later, but I'll pass on the mayhem of the retail stores.

If you're looking for nice, meaningful gifts, maybe you want to look over some of the companies we've done reviews for this year. Some of them are having Black Friday sales. 

Here are a some of our favorite review companies:

HomeSchool Piano Review  - If you're wanting to see their sales, go to pianostart.com





Lilla Rose Review - Check out my friend Meg's website for the great Black Friday deals 





iWitness Books Review  - Apologia is almost always good bet, their Nativity Shop is open with specials





IEW Fix-It Review - Institute for Excellence in Writing is taking the weekend off, their Clearance sale starts Monday


Happy Browsing!


Romans 6:11

Romans 6:11, alive in Christ



Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Thanksgiving and a Salad

Thanksgiving dinner, salads, dietary restrictions, guests

In all your plans for Thanksgiving tomorrow, I'm sure you've put a lot of thought into what to serve for dinner. Some of you probably even planned your summer garden around the holidays, being sure to have lots of cucumbers to pickle, or squash to bake. Are you having a salad too? There are so many seasonal favorites that our families come to expect: turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, pumpkin pie. . . you get the idea. I'm asking if you've thought about a salad because I know A LOT of you are having guests. 

Salads are good for a lot of people. Besides the usual use of keeping you from overeating fats, and keeping your digestive tract moving, salads are a lifesaver. In a day when it's hard to keep track of everybody's dietary choices and restrictions, salads are a great bet. If your cousin brings his girlfriend and she's a vegetarian - no problem, have a salad. If your niece just got put on a gluten-free diet- salad is a safe option. If your newest neighbors are of Jewish decent, salads can be a great go-to.

Here's how to make a great salad. Wash the lettuce and put it in a bowl. That's almost it. Now, because some people might be allergic to nuts, or pork, or gluten . . . put all the toppings in small bowls on the side, each with its own spoon, and place the dressings nearby. Let your guests decide what to add (if anything) to their salads. Some suggestions: sliced boiled eggs, raisins or chopped grapes, sunflower seeds, croutons, shredded cheese, tomatoes. . . the list could go on and on. Some guests may want to put their turkey in their salad, others just want a safe food to eat while they're trying to learn everybody's names. Make their day a little brighter, serve a salad!

What? You say you have extra salad left over? That's ok, after a day of being thankful for food, you'll probably want to eat it yourself on Friday!

Have a great Thanksgiving - and don't forget the salad!


Monday, November 24, 2014

Keep Calm



Emily and Arlene are starting a new weekly feature here on the blog. It is debuting this Sunday @3:27 p.m. Sign up to follow us by email, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest so you won't miss a single one! It's going to be so much fun!

Deuteronomy 8

Deuteronomy 8, encouragement



These word, spoken as a promise to the Israelites, can bring encouragement still today. It is the Lord our God who gives us all things. I will continually bless Him for the good land and full life He has given us!

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Lilla Rose - Flexi Mini Princess Tiara - A Review


*Affiliate link in this post, see full disclosure below


I've been reviewing a Mini Princess Tiara Flexi Clip from Lilla Rose. It has been fabulous! I have worn this Flexi in my hair for anywhere from five to 16 hours and it has held on tight. My hair is fine, and straight. Most hair accessories fall out or slide down early in the day. I was amazed the first time I put the Flexi to the test for a long day. I put it in at 4:30 in the morning, drove two hours to a conference, spent all day, then drove home for a 4-H awards ceremony that evening. When I got home at 8:30 at night it was still holding strong. 



I have found that with my fine hair, the best option is to put the Flexi Clip in when my hair is either wet or at least still slightly damp as I can get it just where I want, and treat any flyaway hairs right away. I can still put it up easily when its dry, but its always harder to contain my straight hair flyaways once they dry. My hair just ends up with the shabby chic look when I put it up dry. This Flexi Clip is elegant, without being ostentatious. It dresses up my hair, and makes an everyday look classier. There are SO many Flexi Clip designs to choose from. There are over 60 designs to choose from just in the Flexi Mini size! They come in silver-tone, gold-tone, copper, brass, with jewels in a variety of colors, with specialty designs like: musical staff, flowers, or a cross. Your hardest decision might be just choosing a style! Many of the styles are available in various sizes, so you can decide if you want a signature style in multiple sizes, or to pick a different design for each size.

I was familiar with Lilla Rose before this review, because each of our girls have a Flexi. Both of our teenaged girls have a lot more hair than I do, and Arlene's is super thick and wavy. I knew both of their Flexi Clips were entirely too big for my hair. Lilla Rose offers six different types of hair accessories. You can choose the original Flexi Hair Clip, Flexi Oh!, Bobby Pins, Hair Sticks, Hair Bands, and the newest - You Pins. Want to see all the options for hair? There really is something for almost every length and hairstyle. 

Lilla Rose also offers badge clips. For an overview of all their great products, click here. The headbands intrigue me because they too are sized just for you ... with an adjustable comfort band. Many all-around headbands are too tight for my fine hair and fall out. So with it's adjustable band, I'd like to put one of these to the test too!

To choose a Flexi Clip, you need to figure out which of the seven sizes you want for your amount of hair. Truthfully, you're going to want at least two sizes. A smaller one for only putting up part of your hair, and a larger one for putting it all in a ponytail. If you're someone who loves updos, you'll want to get a third one for holding all of your hair in the up and down or French twist styles. See the sizing video here. Watching the video will help you gauge your hair type, texture, length, and favorite styles. I appreciate the Hair Styles tab that helped me think of something new to do with my Flexi in my hair. This page shows you eight different styles and has a video for each. When you watch the videos, you understand how your hair will need different sizes, and can compare your hair to that of the various models for the best fit. 


Many of the Flexi Clips can be easily used by both right and left-handed wearers alike. Some of the designs have dangles that would look weird if you flipped them around. . . keep that in mind of you're a lefty who has a difficult time doing things with your right hand.

The important point is to not overestimate how much hair you have. I knew I needed a Mini Flexi because it's hat season. I'm not likely to want to do a ponytail or an up and down anytime soon. I want to be able to use my Flexi everyday, and this size is perfect for a half-up or a half-twist. I'll look at getting a small for next Spring because I'll want to get all my hair up off my neck. For now, I love the staying power of this Flexi Clip, it even puts up with me wearing a hat everyday. As long as I'm gentle, and not acting like a clown, the Flexi stays in place through a whole day's worth of running in and out of the stores on errands.

Lilla Rose's Flexi Clips have this ingenious design that keeps you from losing the bar. This is such a wonderful design, functional and beautiful. No lost parts, and sturdy. For all the sizes larger than a Mini, the size is marked on the bar, making it easy to spot the correct size in your drawer or basket.


This Princess Tiara Flexi Clip exceeded my expectations. The way that it flexes around your hair makes it highly adaptable. If you look closely in the pictures, you can see that each size clip can be adjusted to three micro-sizes by which dent you slide the bar through to. Just make sure you're running the bar along your scalp to get a good initial hold. Since you're probably wanting to get a Flexi or two for yourself, or as a gift, I decided to have a Lilla Rose party to make it easy for you. If you have any questions, you can contact my Lilla Rose consultant Meg through the link at the top of this page. The party continues through December 1, 2014, so do your shopping from the comfort of home this week and skip the Black Friday weekend crowds!


* I received a Mini Flexi Clip in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations. 

*I chose to host a party with Lilla Rose. If you purchase any items through my party link, I may qualify for additional items for free. Thanks!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Thankful Thursdays - 11/20/14 - My Boss

thankfulness

I am thankful for my boss. Instead of making my job difficult, she makes it easier. She treats our group of employees with respect and courtesy, and she says "Thank You" a lot.

I want to remember to be thankful for the big things, and the small ones. My job is a small part of my life, but my boss is a big reason to be thankful!

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Garden Goodness

winter gardens, indoor gardening

This is what my kitchen windowsill looks like right now. I always have a couple house plants, aloe (for those times when I burn myself on a hot pan or popping grease,) and a lemon geranium (it's peeking in the left side of the picture,) but I wanted something different, something new for winter.

In past years we've dug up our geraniums from the flowerbed and brought them inside to bloom all winter, and last year Arlene dug up a pepper plant to overwinter. We've also entertained parsley for the cold months a time or two.

This year, I decided I wanted some fresh herbs for my kitchen. So back in late October (before the first frost) I picked a warm Saturday morning and went to work. We had several end-of-the-season tasks to complete in the yard, and then I dug through my extra flowerpot supply in the garage to find something for herbs. I wasn't entirely sure how it was going to work out, but so far, so good. Because the basil is such a water hog, I decided to put each herb in its own small pot (4-5" across) and them arrange them in the larger pot as a grouping. I filled the bottom of the large pot with rocks a little bigger than golf balls to elevate the pots to near the top (and to even out the various sizes.)

The garlic chives and oregano were easy, I just used my trowel and dug them from the garden. The basil was a little more involved. Actually, it was the basil that started this whole idea in the first place. I had cut some basil to make spaghetti sauce, and of course I cut way more than I needed, so I put the extras in a glass vase to brighten up the kitchen counter. A day of two later I needed the counter space to make something (probably pizza,) so I moved the vase over to the window ledge. Guess what? The basil started growing roots. So I decided if the cuttings were determined to grow roots, I would give then a pot. Voila!

I know, thats not a large pot of oregano, but I cut quite a bit that day and its drying for my spice jar. Yeah, its dry already, but I haven't had time to strip the leaves into the jar yet... maybe next week.

In case you're wondering, yes, those are tomatoes hiding out in the bottom corner of the picture. We ... (the girls) picked all the green ones before the first frost. While they're not quite as tasty as eating them ripe off the vine, they'll be yummy in tacos!

Hope you enjoyed this small peek into our kitchen, and the herbs that will hopefully brighten our days all winter long.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Thankful Thursdays - 11/13/14 - Hymns

This week I want to say how thankful I am for hymns and hymn writers. Last night at church we sang one on the many inspiring hymns written by Fanny J. Crosby, Victory Through Grace. I grew up in a church that sang hymns, and over the years have been a part of churches that sang some combination of hymns and choruses. Now we sing mostly hymns. I appreciate the hymns more than the choruses. So many of the great hymn writers were inspired to put Scripture in their songs. Not just to talk about Scripture, but to include it in their words.

So often, when I'm having a down day, a hymn comes to mind that encourages me or challenges me. Yesterday, Victory Through Grace was that song for me. It was a gentle reminder that Jesus is the Ruler of all, that my hope is in Him, that there will be a victory at the end of the battle. In a time when I'm stretched especially thin, God used a hymn to remind me of His great love, of His grace, of my eternal future with Him. 

Hymns, encouragement

"Not to the strong is the battle, Not to the swift is the race, Yet to the true and the faithful Vic-t'ry is promised through grace."

I have just a few favorite hymns, but I think Victory Through Grace is making its way into my top 20 list. What is your favorite hymn? Leave the title in the comments, it just might make someone's day little more grace-filled!

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Snake Oil from Out of the Box Games - a Crew Review

Do you need a good laugh? I mean a really deep - from the belly laugh? If you answered yes, then you should try Snake Oil from Out of the Box Games! We have been reviewing this game for a little over 5 weeks and I can't remember the last time I laughed this much.

creative learning, educational games

The term Snake Oil was originally used to describe a fraudulent health product. Think: the Old West and traveling salesmen! Since we often hear that laughter is the best medicine, this game of Snake Oil is re-writing that meaning. This card game is designed for ages 10 and up, and retails for $19.99. That means for less than one trip for a family of four to the movies, you can enjoy hours and hours of family fun. The girls and I played Snake Oil with a group of their friends, some as young as 9, and had a laughter-filled hour. We have played it over and over again at home as a family as well, it's just that much fun!

There are variations of the game included on the instruction sheet, but we just stuck with the original rules. Each player draws 6 word cards, and then each player takes a turn as the customer. When it is your turn to be the customer, put down your word cards and draw from the customer pile. Each of the 28 customer cards has two characters, so you can decide whether you'd rather be the Alien or the Taxi Driver, the Secret Admirer or the Caveman, the Dictator or the Newlywed. After you've chosen your customer, the other players work from their 6 word cards to try to pick the two words that they think will make the best product to sell you. It is not just the title of their product, but their sales pitch (up to one minute,) that you use to decide who wins that customer. Once you decide, you award the customer card to that player, and the next person draws a customer card. After every round that you create a product, you draw two more word cards so you always have 6 to choose from. I think the funniest combination was when the girls' friend Ben chose the Diva side of the customer card and their friend Victoria sold him the "Sparkle Pill." We've had other great combinations, like the "Fashion Hat" that was sold to the Billionaire, and the "Fart Grenade" sold to the Soldier.

With this game, it's often the silly product combinations that your friends make up that are even more fun listening to than actually winning a customer card. The basic game has each player taking one turn as the customer, and then whomever has the most customer cards win, however, its so much fun to play that we often go around two or three times.

creative learning, educational games

In the example above, you can see that the customer is a cheerleader, and she has four choices. The player being the cheerleader chose the "Fashion Radar" as her favorite product. In the other example, what hostage wouldn't want a rubber lock so they could get home sooner?! Remember, its not just the title, the sales pitch is important. This game provides ample opportunities to be creative!


creative learning, educational games

In the pictures above, you can see Arlene's hand of 6 word cards. She has to choose two of them to make a product to sell to a Dumpster Diver. What product could you create out of two of those words? On the left you'll see some of the customer cards, where the Snake Oil snake is dressed up in character. The bottom shows Arlene and Emily playing Snake Oil with their friends one Sunday afternoon. I cropped out their friends to protect the (almost) innocent, because I forgot to ask their parents' permission to use the photo -oops!

Overall, we highly recommend this game. Both girls picked it as one of their favorite reviews of the year. I will mention just a couple things, even though this is designed for ages 10 and up, you can play it with younger kids. Two of their friends that played are both 9. (There is a younger kids' version for ages 8 and up.) If you're going to play this often with children under 12, you might want to edit out a few of the cards. This would also apply if you're quite conservative in your views, or want to make it all-kid friendly so they can play without you. When we played with the younger kids,  we chose to not use some of the word cards. There are a few you might want to remove. Out of the 336 word cards, I can see 11 you might want to remove: poop, shame, alcohol, hell, murder, hormone, bra, booger, revenge, vomit, and underwear. That still leaves you over 300 words to create your products from. In the customer cards, we left them all in play, but you might wish to remove: executioner, witch, and gangster, (this would mean you're also removing protester, politician, and prom date.) Our girls are 14 & 16, so we leave them all in. I just wanted you to be aware of these few cards in case you order this as a holiday or birthday gift and want to remove them before revealing the game.

Snake Oil is a fun game for the whole family. When we've played, the adults have had just as much fun as the kids. This is definitely family-friendly!


Out of the Box Games Review
You can connect with Out of the Box Games on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Dozens of Crew families joined in on this review, for both Snake Oil, and Snake Oil- Party Potion for younger kids. Click the banner below to read all the reviews!


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Monday, November 10, 2014

Purposeful Design - a Crew Review

What happens when a former Nasa employee writes a coffee table style book on creation? You get Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation by Jay Schabacker at Purposeful Design. We were privileged to review this book for the Schoolhouse Review Crew. Mr. Schabacker's past, and his attention to details large and small, both while working with the Apollo Moon Program, and while working in business and personal investment shine through in this beautiful 90 page hardback book. 


creation, purposeful design, homeschool

The text of this book presents the week of creation, and several compelling evidences for a Purposeful Designer, while photos and illustrations delight the eye. I appreciated this in-depth, but not overwhelming, look at how several parts of our universe point directly back to God as the Creator. Each section begins with a lovely photo highlighting the portion of the Genesis story for each day of creation week. Mr. Schabacker approaches the creation of our world with wonder and awe, just as we should! He tells about how today's science can help us understand just how specifically each part of our universe was designed for our benefit. I really liked how in the Day three section Mr. Schabacker reminds us of how regularly consistent the sun rises and sets, and how mariners can plan their work around the regularity of the tides that are pulled by the moon.


This book would make a great read-aloud for your family, or a basis for studying the creation week with your children or students. If you're wanting your students to study creation, Mr. Schabacker has created a "Young Explorer's Club" curriculum to go alongside the Purposeful Design book. This free downloadable curriculum has a section for each day of creation (3-5 pages) that corresponds to what you will read in the book. The curriculum asks the student to really think and search out what God did during each day, and how He did it for our benefit. There is a section to choose their favorite part of the creation story and make it their own memory verse. You could use this with your elementary students with some help from Mom and Dad, or a classroom teacher, while I think your Middle School ages students could work independently on the curriculum and then discuss it. This could make a quality seven or eight week co-op class.


Purposeful Design would make a great gift for your own family, or to bless another family. Appropriate to use with all ages, this book will appeal to both children and adults with its variety of great photography. The book contains not only the creation story, but many other Scripture references that point to God's creation and His great loving care of us. This book could be used as an outreach tool to share with non-Christians. The book sells for $18.95. Because of his great love for reaching others with the love of Christ, Mr. Schabacker offers bulk discounts if you wish to purchase 10 or more copies.


Emily (age 16) joined me in reviewing this book. Here are her thoughts:


Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation is a beautiful book that talks simply and thoroughly about the creation week. Its chapters each start with verses from Genesis 1 and then continue by talking about the subject in question with interesting facts and colorful pictures. Chapter 6 in particular goes into detail by talking about different features of the human body. Chapter 7 quotes many verses about the works of God and how, while we admire all of creation, we can never fully comprehend it all. Each chapter is small, making it the perfect size for a family devotional or a book for before bed.


You can reach Jay Schabacker many ways:
Facebook
Twitter
His Blog

Dozens of Crew families reviewed Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation, click below to read all their reviews.


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Friday, November 7, 2014

Lilla Rose Flexi Clip review coming soon!

*this post contains an affiliate link*


Have you heard of Lilla Rose? I'm in the middle of a review for a Mini Flexi Clip, and I just wanted to tell you how much I'm enjoying having one sized just for me! In fact, I'm enjoying it so much, that my friend Meg convinced me I should have an online party . . . just in case any of you want one too.

The review will be up next week, but in the meantime, here is a sneak peak at my flexi!



It really beautifies my not-so-spectacular hair. If you're wanting to know more about Lilla Rose, or start looking around at all they offer. Here's the link to my online party.


Look for my full review next week!


Thursday, November 6, 2014

Thankful Thursdays - 11/6/14 - Mounds State Park

We are extremely thankful for our Indiana State Parks. One of our favorites is Mounds State Park. It has trails with a variety of topography, plus several earthen mounds built by the Adena-Hopewell people about 2000 years ago. Mounds State Park also has an excellent nature center, with displays that  explain the placement of the mounds, and highlight local wildlife, there is also a comfy bird-watching room. The multi-purpose room at the nature center hosts frequent special events, including activities geared for different age groups, and fun winter crafts sessions. The nature center is a great place to go on windy or cold days to warm up between hikes.

Just a couple weeks ago, when it was still fairly warm, we took a late afternoon hike through the park, away from the mounds. Because so many people come to see the mounds, and to walk the trails that run alongside the White River near the bottom of the bluff the mounds are situated on, the other side of the park is often quieter. It was especially quiet on this afternoon, and we passed only a few other hikers on our afternoon trek through the forest. We watched birds and squirrels, and talked about the trees we passed. We heard, and then saw, a woodpecker at work. We stopped to enjoy one of the many small brooks that feed downhill into the White River. It was tranquil and refreshing, just what I needed to remove some brain fog. As the sun began to set, we had the opportunity to watch 4 deer feeding down in one of the many ravines.

Today, just a few days later, the area surely looks quite different, as almost all of the leaves have fallen. But two weeks ago when we hiked as a family, it looked like this:

Mounds State Park, IN parks, family hikes


That is a reason to be thankful! 

So tell us, where is your favorite hiking spot? Leave a comment and let us know!

Monday, November 3, 2014

Fascinating Chemistry - A Crew Review

It has been almost 25 years since I took Chemistry in High School ... and teaching Chemistry to Emily this year was high on my list of priorities, but low on my list of 'looking forward to its.' Along came the opportunity to review Fascinating Chemistry from Dr. Margulies at Fascinating Education. I thought, "Why not?," if it didn't work out, I could always get her a traditional chemistry textbook and we could slog along together. Don't get me wrong, I like science, I even enjoyed Chemistry way back in High School, I just wasn't confident in my ability to read ahead and absorb enough to teach it effectively. I must say I am quite impressed at the level of depth and simple presentation that Dr. Margulies uses in his online Fascinating Chemistry course! (Hurrah for no boring chemistry textbook!) I know I have forgotten a lot of Chemistry over the past 25 years, but on certain topics, this course goes even more in-depth than a traditional course.



Dr. Margulies is a neurologist, which is part of why we are enjoying taking this class together. Fascinating Chemistry is set up as a no pre-requisite science curriculum, meaning you don't have to have completed a series of other courses to learn effectively from this course. This is right hemisphere learning, where Dr. Margulies focuses on colorful, simple illustrations to present simple to complex concepts in thin slices. The online videos are designed to give you the visual representation, with the audio teaching, supplemented with text. This is opposite how I learned Chemistry where you had to read a lot of text, with only a few illustrations, followed by the teacher's lecture. 




I am enjoying re-learning what I had forgotten alongside Emily (age 16) as each topic is taught one step at a time, and presented simply but thoroughly. The terminology is presented, but it doesn't intrude upon learning the basic concept. Dr. Margulies constantly reminds the students of real-life examples of each concept so they can make real life connections to ensure they remember what is being taught. Each of the 18 lessons in Fascinating Chemistry have about 45 minutes of video presentation. Each concept in the lesson is a separate video, allowing you to stop and resume at whatever point you and your student need to. The program remembers where you were  and asks if you want to resume where you left off during your last session. You always have the option to click through the lesson menu to get to each section. Often we stopped the videos in the middle, just so Emily could ask a question to clarify with me what Dr. Margulies had said. This is Emily's first foray into Chemistry, and since she wants to enter the medical field after graduation, we want to take as much time as is necessary for her to understand each concept thoroughly. 


At the end of each lesson, Dr. Margulies reviews "What you know so far" about that part of Chemistry. Then there is a short, 10 question test. The online program grades the test, and the student can review the results, and retake the test if they don't make a passing grade. This program is made for reteaching and reinforcement however much your student needs. The online program does NOT track the test results, but gives you the option to obtain a secondary password to print the PDF's of the tests and answer keys if you need to keep a record for your student's portfolio. If you want an even easier method, show your student how to take a screen capture of the test score page, and save yourself some printing. Your student needs a 80% result to pass. When Emily has missed questions, I've had her go back and watch that section over again to make sure she understands the concept. 


Fascinating Chemistry is designed to cover everything you would learn in a High School chemistry class. It would be possible to use it with your Middle Schoolers, but I would suggest you wait until they are High School. There are some really fascinating labs that Dr. Margulies has created to go along with several of the Chemistry lessons. These are secondary password protected (over age 18,) and really require you to be present for safety reasons when your student is performing them. If you choose to do this with your younger students, I would suggest skipping some of the labs as they use caustic materials. The maturity level needed for safely completing some the labs is above the learning level needed for understanding the concepts.


The Fascinating Chemistry course costs $79 and allows access for one full year. If you are interested in Fascinating Biology or Fascinating Physics, there is an option to purchase access to two courses for one year for a discounted rate of $125. If you're interested in all three courses, you can gain access for two years to all three for $175. I really appreciated the ability to see the course outlines in full before deciding which course to choose for Emily to request to review. If you look at the Chemistry outline, I believe you will see that it truly IS a complete course. Some parents may wonder how a course without 120 hours of specified work can be a complete course. Simple, it covers everything well the first time, so there is no need to cover a concept over and over again. Remember that there are labs to perform, and your student can access the printed text of the lesson at any time to read and/ or print for later. How much of your "hour" of class did you actually learn something new when you were in school? I would guess we spent maybe 20 minutes on something new, and the rest of the time on review, quizzes, paperwork, attendance, and bathroom breaks when I was in High School. If you desire to add more to this class to ensure your student meets a time requirement minimum in your state, may I suggest adding in biographical research on the various chemists whose discoveries are covered during the course? How much do you know about Linus Pauling or Johannes van der Waals? Maybe it is time for a trip to the library to enhance your chemistry course!




A student who is used to independent learning could easily take the main part of Fascinating Chemistry all by themselves, with just a computer or mobile device. However, in order to do the labs, they are going to need your help. If your student doesn't need this as a lab course, feel free to let them take it independently. Because I like to know what to expect, and what to be observing during the labs, I have been watching all of the lessons alongside Emily. If you're going to have your students do the labs, at least watch the corresponding lesson with them before beginning each lab. Because the online program does not record each student's scores, it allows you to have more than one student using it concurrently. You can have all of the High Schoolers in your family taking chemistry at the same time for only $79, I find that fascinating!


We are really enjoying this course. Because the concepts are sliced so thinly, they are more easily grasped. That gives me confidence that later in the course we will still be able to learn about Moles, Electrochemistry, and Polymers as well as we have grasped polar covalent and metallic bonds. If you are still not convinced this course can work for your student, I encourage you to watch the sample lesson - you'll be glad you did. 


Chemistry is no longer boring - now it's fascinating!



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