Wednesday, September 30, 2020

My Teaching Library - Download Club Review

 

Disclaimer: 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 recently had the opportunity to review 
My Teaching Library - Download Club.  What a great addition to our homeschool materials.  


I do have a curriculum I am following for most subjects.  But I also look to supplement at times with materials that may either help the girls to master a subject, or make them dig deeper into a subject.  There were a few subjects though, such as grammar/language arts that I just wasn't sure what direction to go.  I am grateful to get the opportunity to dig into My Teaching Library - Download Club.  

There are thousands of pages of downloadable materials for grades Pre-K through 12th grade.  All subject areas are included with choices in languages, social studies, science, history, geography, health, and even math and art.  There are even areas to help me to keep not only the homeschool day scheduled, but keep home life organized too.



Some of the resources we have been using, include the high school level language arts, a few art downloads, and reading comprehension series for Little House on the Prairie and The One and Only Ivan.

My Teaching Library - Download Club is easy to use.  I can search by grade level, subject, or just type in the search bar.  I click on the materials that I want and it's put into my download page.


The PDF download is very easy and I was able to do it in no time.  


In no time, I had English 1 for Lydia ready to go.  There is even a Teachers Guide to help me if I choose to use it.


The materials for high school that I have used (including the list above), include the state/national standards for your reference.  This is helpful for those of us who are creating high school transcripts for their children, or even those who are using these materials in a classroom.  I can choose to print the materials that I would like to.  Not every page is necessary, so for those who are afraid of the amount of printing, it is by your choice.

I really have liked the high school English 1 program that Lydia is using.  It is not just how to write sentences, but includes real world life skills such as using the computer for office work, basic word-processing, how to cite internet references, creating tables/graphs in writing, and so much more.  This is exactly what I was looking for to get Lydia ready for graduation.

An example of this, some of the art materials you will not need to print.  I downloaded a fall art project and the girls are collecting their leaves for this project this weekend.  I will not need to print the actual materials, the girls and I can read the project notes on my laptop so that will save paper/printing.

I was even able to find Open Source books ready for easy download.  This was super exciting for the girls.  Plus with the fact it is hard to get some materials from the library right now, it's been a great resource for the girls for reading/literature studies.



There are also comprehension activities for multiple grade levels.  



This is of great benefit for my time crunch planning sessions.  There have been many times where I found that I forgot to print and prep literature studies because I forgot the girls finished their previous reads.  Having access to so many is invaluable!! 

My Teaching LibraryDownload Club can be used by both homeschool and even those teaching inside of the classroom.  The amount of materials available are amazing!  If you are a homeschooler and want to have all of the cutesy materials and worksheets that they use in the classroom, you MUST check out all that they have to offer on My Teaching Library.  You can download materials by monthly theme even for the various elementary grade levels.  So yes right now you can download pumpkin poetry, pumpkin themed materials for math, spelling, and even English.  The materials are so cute and look so fun.  I am looking ahead for this winter even.  



I have actually been a subscriber for several years to My Teaching Library.  I use it for both language sheets, now language arts, and even extra art activities and geography materials for the students that I tutor.  I highly recommend including My Teaching Library - Download Club to your must use materials.  You can get so many materials for such a wide range of students, it's a great budget friendly addition for families.

Several members of the Homeschool Review Crew were given the opportunity to review My Teaching Library - Download Club.  Click on the link below to see how they used this material in their homes.

My Teaching Library Download Club {My Teaching Library}

Monday, September 28, 2020

Menu Monday




Wow!!  Working full-time and homeschooling special needs learners is a very difficult life to balance.  I will be honest and admit that I feel like I am drowning constantly.  There are a set amount of subjects that I need to do with the kids on a daily basis, and then there are house chores.  The kids have disabilities that do not allow them to really complete tasks the way that you and I normally would be able to.  These functioning disorders are a pain and frustration to all of us.  

Planning meals ahead as much as possible is one way that I survive weekly.  That and I have to be flexible when I make the plan.  I keep a list of a few "quick" meals, just in case something happens and I cannot make whatever I had planned.  This is what our meals look like this next week....

Monday
B- Waffles
L - Mac and cheese casserole
D - BBQ pork in the crockpot w/ augratin potatoes
Snack - apples or popcorn

Tuesday
B - Cheese quesadillas
L- Hamburger potato soup
D - Taco Tuesday
Snack - snap peas/crackers/carrots/hummus

Wednesday
B- Oatmeal
L - Fried Potato hash
D - Teriyaki salmon and scallops w/ rice
Snack - Apple slices / celery  / carrots

Thursday
B- Oatmeal
L- Chicken and dumplings
D - Butter chicken w/ rice
Snack - Popcorn

Friday
B - French toast
L - Fried rice
D - Pierogis and sour cream
Snack - Apples and frozen grapes

Saturday
B - Biscuits and Gravy
L - Leftovers
D - Bacon burger casserole
Snack - Peanut butter crackers

Sunday
B - Cinnamon rolls
L - Macaroni and cheese casserole
D - Lasagna 
Snack - Popcorn and cookies


***This is important.....some days I change things around.****  I print a menu and keep it on the cabinet.  If something happens, I change the menu in pencil.  I make sure to keep track at the bottom of the menu of the meals that get moved, and we still have the ingredients for.  

This biggest thing to remember.... BE FLEXIBLE!!  I cannot express this enough.  Do not down yourself if you need to move your menu around.  You might be exhausted, need to work over, or a sports practice gets moved....all these things have happened to me in the last few weeks.  Flexibility is the key.  I also have given up some control in the kitchen and make sure that the kids are involved as much as possible in making meals.  Some day they will be able to cook the entire meal themselves!!  Whoohooo!!

I know I didn't share any recipes, but if you are interested, please email me.  renitakuehner@gmail.com.  I'd be happy to share a close variation of what we make.  I seriously do not really follow recipes well...lol

Hope that these ideas help and everyone has a great week!!!

Friday, September 25, 2020

Helping Out A United Way Book Drive



The kids were asked to help out at a United Way Book Drive.  Even in times of Covid, there are ways to still hold these fun events.  This was set up as a drive-thru.  But they still needed characters for the kids.  So Joey and Lydia dressed up as Elephant and Piggy during the 45 minute event.  It wasn't too hot, but inside their costumes it was boiling!








The kids could wave at people driving past and wave at the kids.  Very few walked up, since it was not encouraged.  But we have a few that did.  The United Way would put the books (and I mean each family got a very nice stack of books) in bags.  Either one of them or Elephant and Piggie would hand them into the car.



Even though it was hot, the kids had a lot of fun!!


Elephant and Piggy were Lydia's favorite book series.  She still loves anything Mo' Willems.  So this was great for her.  A little bit of normalcy for volunteering back in our lives.



Thursday, September 24, 2020

Whipped Cream Cannon....I Mean Dispenser



In Science this week, one topic was how to make whipped cream stable.  Caty plans on experimenting with this over the next couple weeks.  But I bought them a whipped cream dispenser that requires the small cartridges.  They got out the ingredients.


Set up their orange flavored whipped cream



And yep....we had a whipped cream cannon!!  It went everywhere!!!  It was awful.  Turns out the tip was not on right.


They practiced...and both decided they were not impressed with orange flavored whipped cream.



Lydia's marshmallows...



Eating their way through Central American snacks.


On tap for food this week was a true Mexican pizza.  Not a Taco Bell version...Oaxaquena Mexican Pizza.  Most liked it.  Joey HATES beans...so he was the hold out.



An early present for the family....shaved ice machine.  This isn't your normal small machine.  This is business grade.  They LOVE it!!


Caty is half asleep on the couch during Geography.  Apparently the book was not as interesting as she thought it would be.  Teenagers!


Brayden showing off one of his many graduation gifts that have been mailed to us.  He loves this little microwave popcorn maker.


My vegan sloppy joes and roasted cauliflower.


Cauliflower alfredo sauce.  Very unique and a work in progress.


Co-op has started back up.  Lydia is taking piano and a Zoo class virtually.


 Caty had an asthma appointment.  She tested as outgrowing her asthma...at only 12!!  So excited for her.  She still needs to go back every 4 months for checks for the next couple years.  They want to watch her lungs.  She has had so many problems through the years, I think even the doctor was skeptical like me.


I teach a little geography co-op virtually on Friday afternoons.  This week we talked about the Northeast part of the US.  Our art project was drawing a lighthouse.  This was fun.



Caty as Yzma from Emperors New Groove.


It was so hot, but we enjoyed chili over the campfire.  Just the first of many!!


Chili that I made for myself...vegan.  It was tasty also.


Joe put up my coffee syrup shelf above our coffee station.  It's not perfect (the station) but it's on its way.  I won't make the cover of Good Housekeeping, but I'm good with that...lol


Hope everyone had a great week!!