Get Into Art With ARTistic Pursuits ~ Review

Art is a subject in our homeschool that doesn't often get a lot of attention. At the beginning of our homeschool year, I did have my son work with chalk pastels and he created some lovely pictures that I still need to frame! Today I'm sharing with you our experience with ARTistic Pursuits, an art curriculum developed by Brenda Ellis and Daniel D. Ellis. I was given the Elementary 4-5, Book 1: The Elements of Art and Composition for this review.

Meet ARTistic Pursuits

ARTistic Pursuits provides a wonderful homeschool art program that encourages children to become visually aware of the beauty of the world through developing their skills of observation.

You can connect with ARTistic Pursuits on Facebook.

Children as young as age 3 can begin using ARTistic Pursuits! The following is a list of the books available and the ages specified for each one. Sample lesson pages of all the books included in this art program are available for viewing on the website. The price of each book is $47.95.

Art Books Available from ARTistic Pursuits

Preschool, Ages 3-5

• The Way They See It 

Early Elementary, Grades K-3

• Book One: Introduction to the Visual Arts
• Book Two: Stories of Artists and Their Art
• Book Three: Modern Painting and Sculpture

Elementary, Grades 4-5

• Book One: The Elements of Art and Composition
• Book Two: Color and Composition

Middle School, Grades 6-8

• Book One: The Elements of Art and Composition
• Book Two: Color and Composition

Senior High, Grades 9-12

• Book One: The Elements of Art and Composition
• Book Two: Color and Composition 

Sculpture Books, Ages 11-18

• Sculpture Technique, Construct
• Sculpture Technique, Model 

An art supply list is given in each book that tells you the art supplies needed for each unit. This is a very helpful list!

There is a "Getting Started...What Parents Want to Know" page listed in each book that explains to parents the different aspects featured in the lessons of the book. A similar page, "Getting Started...What Students Want to Know," is included for the students which gives an overview of what is expected of them.

Our Experience with Elementary 4-5 Book One

We worked on Unit 1 Space and Unit 2 Line and Shape during the review period. We took two weeks to complete each unit. 

Our schedule went like this:

Week 1

Day 1, Lesson 1: Vocabulary and Creative Exercise page - here we learned which topic we were focusing on and given our objective in the lesson.

Day 2, Lesson 2: Art Appreciation page - here we were shown the how the topic is used in artwork and learned about artists and the time period in which they lived.

Day 3: Continued learning about artists and viewing artwork that used the topic we were learning about. I searched the internet for artists and we looked at their artwork.

Day 4, Lesson 3: Techniques - learned how to use the art materials, which in our case was ebony pencils, and made an original piece of artwork.

Day 5, Lesson 4: Application - this is when the final project is assigned. The vocabulary from the unit is reviewed, a list of supplies needed, and a list of drawing ideas to choose the final project from.

Week 2 

We used this week to work on the final project.

My son and I really enjoyed having art each day in our homeschool. It was nice to be able to use this art curriculum to get art back into our homeschool!

My Opinion of ARTistic Pursuits

My son and I are very pleased with ARTistic Pursuits! 

• The book has a nice layout that flows well. 
• I appreciate the user-friendly wording used in the text that made it easy for my son and I to understand what we were learning. 
• Step-by-step guidance is given for the student learning to draw. 
• The list of supplies that is needed for each unit helps me to stay on track of what I need to buy before starting a new unit. 

ARTistic Pursuits is perfect for teaching art - a subject that I have no idea how to teach. I highly recommend all homeschoolers to get into art with ARTistic Pursuits!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

Friday Freebie Book List! (as of 4/25/14)

Every Friday I'm going to be sharing my list of FREE Kindle books! Be sure to check back each Friday to check out the books on my list. If you don't have a Kindle, no worries! Simply download their Free Reading App for your computer. Remember to check on the price to make sure it is still being offered for free as prices change daily.

These are my favorite finds listed for FREE as of 4/25/2014! Hurry and grab your copy too before the price switches back!

Asperger's: Parenting a Child With Asperger Syndrome: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatments (Aperger Syndrome and Asperger's)

Scheduling - The Secret to Homeschool Sanity: Plan Your Way Back to Mental Health (Coffee Break Books)

Overcome Your Fear of Homeschooling with Insider Information (Learning Abled Kids' How-To Books for Enhanced Educational Outcomes)

The Pursuit of God 

 The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (with Cross-References)

Lord, Teach Us To Pray

Enjoy! I'll see you next week with my new Friday Freebie Book List!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

 

The Brinkman Adventures Review

The work of missionaries in spreading the Gospel message is very valuable. I've always admired their courage and dedication as they come face-to-face with people who do not always favorably accept their presence or the message that they carry in the places where these people live. I want my son to learn how important the work of a missionary is. We have been so excited to take part in a review of The Brinkman Adventures, stories that are based on a real life missionary family as well as true events that have taken place in the lives of other missionaries from all over the world. We were given The Brinkman Adventures Season 2: Episodes 13-24 to use for this review.

What's Included on Season 2 of The Brinkman Adventures

Season 2 of The Brinkman Adventures includes twelve episodes (13-24) on 4 CD's. It's over five hours of missionary stories featuring events from real live missionaries! The Brinkman Adventures is perfect for all ages - even mom and dad will love listening with their children! You can listen in the comfort of your home on any computer with a media player device or a CD player. If your vehicle has a CD player in it, you can even take The Brinkman Adventures along for trips and outings and listen to them as you are traveling.

Here are the story titles you and your family will be able to enjoy together as you listen to Season 2 of The Brinkman Adventures:

Disc 1

• The Mystery Ring
• Blue Hat & T-Shirt Bible
• How Big is Your God, Part 1

Disc 2

• How Big is Your God, Part 2
• Mexico By Bus
• Treehouse Academy

Disc 3

• Pirates of Mayan Island
• Sapphire Slaves, Part 1
• Sapphire Slaves, Part 2

Disc 4

• Hadi's Choice
• Castle of Secrets
• On the Run

I appreciated the fact that a disclaimer is given beforehand for audiences under 10 years of age to listen with an adult during some of the more intense episodes - not that anything was included that would necessarily present a problem for children under the age of 10 - I just thought that was nice of them to care enough to include that.

The suggested donation price for the CD set is $25.00 with free shipping. You can also order the MP3 album for the suggested donation price of $17.00. The cost is absolutely worth what you will receive. Plus you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your money is going to support a worthy project that focuses on missions.

I love how "the story behind the stories" is included on the website of The Brinkman Adventures! Further information on other details included in each episode is also listed here as well. Be sure to listen to the episode before reading this behind the scenes information based on the missionary story.

You can connect with The Brinkman Adventures on Facebook to keep up with all the exciting updates.

Our Experience with Season 2 of The Brinkman Adventures

We have thoroughly enjoyed listening to Season 2 of The Brinkman Adventures! My son and I listened every day during our homeschool time. Every day he anticipated for the time that we would sit on the floor together in our homeschool room to listen to these exciting missionary stories! Some days he would say as we started our homeschool day, "Mom, can we please listen to The Brinkman Adventures first?" There were days I used our listening time as a reward for his focus and attention during his other subjects. It did not take us very long to listen to all twelve of the episodes included in Season 2 of The Brinkman Adventures.

He and I both were fixed on listening to each episode because the stories were amazing and exciting! I loved Caleb's reactions as the missionary stories unfolded. One of his comments during an episode was, "God is always on time!" Another comment he made during another episode was, "He needs Jesus!" There were times as we were listening that we both were anxiously awaiting the outcome of the episode. I even found myself "on the edge of my seat" during several of the episodes. Caleb had his ears glued to the computer as he listened intently to the missionary stories while sitting on the floor in our homeschool room.

My son listened intently during every single episode...just like you see him here!

My Opinion of The Brinkman Adventures

I am so happy to have had this opportunity to review Season 2 of The Brinkman Adventures! We enjoyed listening to these amazing missionary stories so much that I plan on purchasing Season 1 so my son and I can listen to those episodes as well. I highly recommend this wonderful series to any family who have the desire to teach their children about missions through highly captivating, true life missionary stories. You will not be disappointed with The Brinkman Adventures!


Walking in His Grace, 
Laurie
 

CTC Math Review

Homeschooling in the subject of math can be difficult for both parents and students. I know I need all the help I can get when it comes to teaching certain math concepts. My son has had difficulties in math from the beginning of our homeschooling journey, so I have to go slow and repeat often. Anytime I can get us both the help we need, I eagerly accept it! I am so excited to bring this review to you today as part of the TOS Review Crew! CTC Math is an online math program for students on all levels of math. I was given the 12 Month Family Plan to use for this review.

Meet CTC Math

I was very excited to discover CTC Math and have the opportunity to use this online math program with my son in our homeschool. You will need a computer and an internet connection in order to use CTC Math as your homeschool math program. You can use CTC Math with every grade, K-12. The cost is $118.80 for a family subscription. Your membership includes access to all of the lessons across all of the grade levels on the CTC Math website. At the time of this posting, CTC Math is holding a homeschool sale for their online math program.

Pat Murray, a well-known Australian math teacher, writes and teaches each lesson presented on CTC Math through his online video lessons. After the video lesson, the student then completes the online worksheet assignment. Answers are scored immediately as correct or incorrect. If needed, the student can repeat the lesson if more incorrect answers are given on their online practice worksheet. A diagnostic test is available for immediate feedback on all the lessons within a given topic. A standard test of 11 questions and a comprehension test of 22 questions are available too.

Every math concept needed through 6th grade, plus all of the following math concepts for upper level math are covered in the lessons on the CTC Math website:

• Basic Math and Pre-Algebra
• Elementary Measurement
• Elementary Geometry
• Algebra 1
• Pre-Calculus
• Calculus
• Algebra II
• Geometry
• Trigonometry

You can connect with CTC Math on the following social media outlets: Facebook CTC Math and Facebook Aus (Maths Online).

How We Use CTC Math

We use CTC Math at least four days every week in our homeschool. Each time we log into our account and find our lesson that we are working on. Caleb and I watch the video lesson together, then we do the online worksheet of problems that go with the day's lesson. There is a convenient "questions" icon placed to the right of the screen that we simply click on after viewing the lesson that takes us straight to the worksheet for that lesson. I love that! I also love that Pat demonstrates the lesson with two examples before asking the student to complete the online worksheet questions. Those examples are included in a "lesson summary" icon to the right of the screen underneath the "questions" icon. If we need to review how Pat explained to solve the questions, we simply click on the "lesson summary" icon. If that isn't enough for my son, we simply replay the video lesson until he grasps how to do the concept we are learning. 

CTC Math student desktop

My Opinion of CTC Math

I could not be more pleased with CTC Math! I love how each lesson is explained and broken down with clear step-by-step directions by Pat Murray. My son loved his accent on the video lessons which in turn kept his attention during the online math lessons! Teaching math can be hard, but with CTC Math I can turn the math lessons over to Pat with confidence that my son will learn what he needs to in his daily math lessons. 

Another benefit of CTC Math that I absolutely love is the CTC Weekly Math Report that is sent to my email every week. In this report parents are given the weekly activity log and a summary of the performance of each student enrolled in your family account. This has been so helpful to me in keeping track of my son's math progress and to pinpoint areas of math weakness. I can use this weekly report as I sit to plan out our lessons for the upcoming week. If there was a math concept that my son had difficulty in, I will have that information on the CTC Weekly Math Report, and will know that I need to review those online math lessons with him. I can repeat those lessons as many times as my son needs to so that he can form a solid math foundation from the bottom to the top.

I love how I am in control of how fast or slow we move through each math concept, how we can repeat lessons if needed, and how we can move across grade levels. I am extremely happy that my son has his very own online math tutor, as well as the fact that I have every concept necessary for teaching math from K-12, for a price that we can fit into our homeschooling budget! I'm getting 2 for the price of 1 and that calculates into happiness for everyone in our family!


Walking in His Grace, 
Laurie

Start Summer Early & Win a Family Vacation from Purex!

Ready to break to the beach? Win a trip for your family to Myrtle Beach, SC and Crown Reef Resort from Purex!

Enter HERE for your chance to send a family of four to Myrtle Beach, SC for a vacation full of sun and adventure at one of the top beach destinations in the country, and receive a year's supply of your favorite Purex detergent!

DISCLOSURE:  The above information was provided by Purex. I received no compensation to post this reminder to enter the contest hosted by Purex.

Home School Adventure Co. Review

Stacy Farrell of the Home School Adventure Co. is the creator of resources that help to equip parents to instruct their children within the guidelines of loving the Lord God with all their heart, soul, and mind. I was excited to be able to review one of their many wonderful resources, Philippians in 28 Weeks.

What is Philippians in 28 Weeks?

This is a wonderful resource to help guide users to memorize the book of Philippians in 28 weeks. It comes in ESV or KJV versions. The price for the print edition is $28.95 and is available in both ESV or KJV. The price for the ebook option is $14.95. The ebook option is only available in the ESV. The memory cards (ESV) and instructions are sold separately for $9.95.

Age Range of Philippians in 28 Weeks

For ages 9-11, this resource is best used as a read aloud followed by discussion as a family. For ages 12 and up, Philippians in 28 Weeks is also great for family discussion or just with parental/teacher guidance. High schoolers can easily use this on their own.

My Thoughts

I am a big advocate for memorizing Scripture. This was the first time I've attempted to memorize an entire book in the Bible. I love the tools Home School Adventure Co. has provided in Philippians in 28 Weeks to help individuals and families memorize God's Word.

I received the ESV ebook version for my review. I printed off the ebook and put it in a 3 ring binder. I also printed off the memory cards. I will be laminating these and placing them on a ring so that they will last as we continue through these 28 weeks.

Materials for memorizing Philippians in 28 Weeks

The 5 step process for memorizing Scripture in Philippians in 28 Weeks has been very helpful!

1. Read
2. Record
3. Repeat
4. Review
5. Recite

This simple approach uses Bible memory cards to present Philippians in manageable portions, copywork verses that help get the verses in your mind as you copy them on paper, journal questions that ask though-provoking questions to help apply the verses to our lives, weekly reflections to help cement what we've discussed and learned during the week, recitation charts to help test our retention of the verses we've learned, and a tracking tool called “The Log” that is a tracking tool you can use if you so desire. All of these tools are provided in the book to ensure enough repetition of the scriptures to help anyone memorize Philippians.

My son and I have enjoyed using Philippians in 28 Weeks. It is very important for me to help my son memorize Scripture. We were able to incorporate Philippians in 28 Weeks as our Bible curriculum in our homeschool. We read for each day, did the copywork verses, and answered the journal questions together. It has been a wonderful spiritual journey for us both to work on together.

Home School Adventure Co. has provided a terrific resource for any family to memorize Philippians together. Stacy is offering 10% off any download purchase through May 15, 2014. The code is: CREW-10.

You can connect with Home School Adventure Co. on the following social media outlets.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomeSchoolAdventureCo
Twitter: http://twitter.com/HomeSchoolAdven
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/HomeSchoolAdven
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/115241518288669984312/+Homeschooladventure/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/HomeSchoolAdven

We have been given a responsibility to train our children in the Lord. The resources available from Home School Adventure Co. can help us fulfill this call as parents.

Walking in His Grace,
Laurie

Purex® No Sort® for Colors Laundry Detergent Review & Giveaway!

Have you tried the new Purex® No Sort® for Colors Laundry Detergent? My family has and boy, do we love it!

Thanks to Purex® No Sort® for Colors Laundry Detergent, the rules for doing laundry have changed. Gone are the days of pre-sorting your laundry! Yes, now you can do your "happy dance"!!

"NEW Purex® No Sort® for Colors detergent is the latest laundry innovation from the Purex® brand designed to simplify your laundry routine. Purex® No Sort® for Colors detergent features a breakthrough Anti-Color-Transfer Technology™ which traps loose dyes in the wash and reduces color bleeding accidents in your mixed color loads leaving your clothes bright and clean." 

My husband helps with our laundry, so I was thrilled to be able to tell him about this fantastic new product! I even asked him if I could be the first one to try it out! Haha!! He agreed, and I gathered up a load of mixed clothes and headed to our laundry room.

We both love how Purex® No Sort® for Colors Laundry Detergent has cut down on our time spent doing laundry. We've literally been able to cut our laundry time in half!

Save time with Purex® No Sort® for Colors Laundry Detergent!

My son's martial arts uniform pants remain white in this no-sort laundry load!

Did I mention my wonderful husband works for our local trash pick-up service? You can imagine the smell and down right yuckiness of his work clothes! All of his work clothes - darks and whites - now are piled into our washer in one load. They come out clean and smelling great. I love the wonderful scent of Purex® No Sort® for Colors Laundry Detergent!

Purex® No Sort® for Colors Laundry Detergent smells great!

I loved the fact that the makers of Purex® No Sort® for Colors Laundry Detergent put a special notice on the back of the bottle where they state Purex® No Sort® for Colors Laundry Detergent is not "a miracle worker"...meaning they do encourage users to wash new, strongly colored clothes separately for the first five washes before adding those pieces into your no-sort loads. I appreciate their willingness to put customer care over themselves!





There is so much to love about the new Purex® No Sort® for Colors Laundry Detergent! How would YOU like to win a FREE bottle of Purex® No Sort® for Colors Laundry Detergent and find out for yourself just how wonderful it is? Simply fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Don't forget to enter the Purex® No Sort® for Colors Laundry Detergent Sweepstakes going on now. You can find that entry link HERE.   

*Disclosure: As a Purex® Insider, I was given a free product to use for this review along with the coupon for this giveaway. No compensation was given for this review, and all opinions in this review are my own. 

Win a Family Registration to the 2014 NCHE Annual Conference & Book Fair

I am so excited to share this opportunity today with North Carolina homeschoolers! As part of the 2014 NCHE Bloggers Team, they are allowing me to host this special giveaway for a Family Registration to the 2014 NCHE Annual Conference & Bookfair! This Family Registration is an $85 value that will be absolutely FREE to the winner.

This wonderful homeschool conference will take place Thursday, May 22 through Saturday, May 24 at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. If you have never been to the NCHE Annual Conference & Bookfair, I strongly encourage you to attend this year's 30th Annual Conference! There are so many amazing speakers, helpful workshops, and a book fair that is every curriculum junky's (like me) dream!

I cannot wait to attend this year's conference! Here's my post where I shared about the featured speaker workshops that I'll be attending. I am still planning and praying about the rest of my schedule. There are so many great workshop topics to choose from. There's truly something for everyone!

So whether you are thinking about beginning your own homeschool journey, a seasoned homeschooler, or if you fall anywhere in between the two, I hope you'll join me May 22-24 at the 2014 NCHE Annual Conference & Bookfair!

Please note the Children's Program is only for Friday and Saturday, and it is not included in this giveaway.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

 

My Debt Has Been Paid

Today is Good Friday. I've spent time in God's Word this week reading about all the events that have led up to this day. It can seem odd that a day that was filled with such violence and cruelty could be remembered by Christians as "Good Friday". But truthfully, it is good for us. As we remember this day, the depth of Jesus' love for us is magnified all the more. We need to remember He came to live a perfect life so that He could be the perfect sacrifice required for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus willingly paid the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross so that our relationship with God could be restored.

My Debt Has Been Paid

by Laurie Messer

 

 A debt I could not pay

Led Jesus to the cross that day.

With love in His heart

He did his part

To restore my standing

Before God.

Now I can come into His Holy Presence

And sit at His feet in reverence.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving me.

Thank you, Jesus, for setting me free.

Sin no longer has a hold on my life.

With Your Holy Spirit living in me 

I have the power I need

To be who You have called me to be.

So help me to rest in the victory You've won

and live this life in the example of the Son.

His love is truly amazing...and I am so thankful to Him for all that He has done for me! He did it for you too! Take time today to remember why we can say "Good Friday".

Walking in His Grace,

Laurie

The Rules Have Changed with NEW Purex® No Sort™ for Colors Detergent Sweepstakes

Have you heard the news?

The rules for doing laundry have changed thanks to...

NEW Purex® No Sort™ for Colors Detergent

• NEW! Anti-Color-Transfer Technology™ helps keep dyes from transferring onto other fabrics in the wash
• Avoid doing extra loads by washing most colors together
• Reduces color bleeding accidents

Enter HERE for your chance to WIN $1,000 & a year’s supply of this game-changing NEW detergent, so you can avoid extra laundry loads. 

DISCLOSURE:  The above information was provided by Purex. I received no compensation to post this reminder to enter the contest hosted by Purex.

Preparing My Heart for Resurrection Sunday

Today is the end of week two in Why Easter Matters, the Good Morning Girls Bible study that I have been doing in order to prepare my heart for Resurrection Sunday. Each week of this four week study focuses on a different aspect and asks the question why it matters.

Week 1 was Why the Last Supper Matters. We focused on the events of the Last Supper throughout the week. So much happened during this time which leaves us with so many examples of how we should be living this life as disciples of Jesus. Humble, self-sacrificing love was the example Jesus set and has called me to live as His disciple. Philippians 2:3-4 comes to mind: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." This is not always easy. It's tempting to expect others to treat you the same as you seek to serve and love them. But that's not how it's supposed to be. I need to take the other person out of the equation (so to speak) and remember that I am called to do everything as unto the Lord and not unto man. Ephesians 6:7-8 says "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free." Lord, help me live like You did.

This week we focused on Why the Crucifixion Matters. Jesus suffered a punishment that was meant for us - sinners separated from God. The servant's heart that Jesus continually displayed carried our transgressions and iniquities all the way to the cross. Jesus' love for us caused Him to die in our place so that peace and healing with God could be ours. Jesus knew we could not fulfill the requirements of the Law in our own sinful flesh, so He came and willingly let God lay on Him the sins of the world. The crucifixion matters because there had to be a perfect and sinless sacrifice once and for all. There is nothing I can do in my own flesh that will be able to stand before God. It is only the righteousness of Jesus living in me that matters to God. This week I am again reminded to stop trying to do things in my own strength, and surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit living in me. 

We were neither righteous or good when God sent His Son Jesus to die for us. We were condemned as sinners destined to die apart from God. The magnitude of God's love for us is seen in that while we were in that guilty state, God sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins! How do I treat those who have wronged me? Am I quick to condemn them and end the friendship or do I try to find a way to reconcile? When I think about how God sent Jesus for me so long ago, and when I think about the state of my life at which time I found forgiveness of all my sins...my heart is convicted that I don't always so freely give my forgiveness to others. I need to remember how God did not hesitate to forgive me and to provide the means necessary - namely Jesus - to completely restore our relationship. The crucifixion matters because it demonstrates to me how forgiveness and restoration should be a part of my relationships in this life.

Next week we will be focusing on Why the Resurrection Matters. Finally, in week four, we will be focusing on Why My Response Matters. This Good Morning Girls Bible Study has been so wonderful as I seek to prepare my heart for Resurrection Sunday! I've learned things I've never seen before, and other things I've known have just been more magnified in my heart.

What are you doing to prepare your heart to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord? I would love to hear, so please feel free to share in the comments below!

Walking in His Grace,
Laurie

Supercharged Science Review

Science is a subject in our homeschool that I always seem to be trying to find something new in which to use. We mostly use textbooks in our study of science, along with living books. That is why I was excited about the opportunity to do a review for Supercharged Science. I was given an e-Science Premium Membership which I used as part of our homeschool science curriculum with my son.

 

What's Included with an E-Science Premium Membership to Supercharged Science?

Supercharged Science is an online science curriculum created by Aurora Lipper that can easily stand alone in my opinion or be used alongside your current homeschool science curriculum. You will need a computer and internet access, plus the supplies for the experiments and activities.

Here is a list of everything that is included with an E-Science Premium Membership:

• Videos of Aurora teaching real science - just like in an actual classroom. She is very thorough in her teaching and experiments.
• Instant access to hundreds of science activities, experiments and projects with textbook type reading to support the material in her videos. You can use this online science program as your homeschool science curriculum or in conjunction with your current science curriculum.
• Hands-on activities and experiments that are taught step-by-step through videos that guide you and your kid(s) through the activity or experiment.
• Homework exercises/quizzes so you can see what your kid(s) are really learning.
• A live tele-class every few weeks where you can connect with Aurora personally. 
• Parent resources are available to help you give your kids the best science education they can get.
• A place to ask Aurora questions is available on the Supercharged Science website. 
• Recordings of everything so you and your kids can do the program on whatever schedule and at whatever pace suits your homeschool.
• Each month you will be given access to an additional 1-2 units (60-80 experiments).
• There are over 800 activities and experiments total in e-Science!

What is the Intended Age Range for Supercharged Science?

Supercharged Science is intended for all grade levels (K-12). Parental involvement will be very heavy for elementary grades in my opinion. It's also my opinion that a fairly reasonable amount of help will be required from parents as well for middle school aged children. Homeschool students in high school should be able to do this program on their own if they have a strong background in and love of science.

What is the Cost of an E-Science Premium Membership?

For the K-8 section, the price is $37 per month; and $57 per month for the expanded 9-12th grade material which Aurora says is good for advanced 5-8 graders too.

How We Used Supercharged Science

Since we already are into another science textbook, I browsed through the 20 units that I had access to on Supercharged Science with my e-Science premium membership. I selected lessons to work on during this review that we recently completed in our current science textbook that focuses on the days of creation.

You can browse Supercharged Science by Grade Level.

You can also browse Supercharged Science by available Units.

We chose to do the Astronomy lessons in Unit 7 of Astrophysics. Once we made our choice, I then printed off the textbook reading that was provided as a PDF file.


One of the experiments that we did for a lesson on "Star Charting" showed us how to chart a constellation in the night sky. This was lots of fun! Clearly defined directions, a video, and a supply list are always given for the experiments.

Star Charting Experiment Online Webpage

Another experiment we enjoyed in the Astronomy lessons was a lesson on "Magnetic Tornadoes" where Aurora demonstrated in a video how to make a magnetic tornado in two clear plastic 2-liter bottles. This lab was a physical model of what happens on Mercury when two magnetic fields collide and form magnetic tornadoes. Very cool!

And here's our video of how our experiment turned out with the magnetic tornado. It took a couple of good shakes to get the "tornado" going, but once it got started Caleb and I both thought it was pretty awesome!

My Thoughts on Supercharged Science

There is a wealth of information available at Supercharged Science. I personally had an overwhelmed feeling when I first logged on with our e-Science premium membership. First impressions count for a lot, and I really wanted to enjoy my experience with Supercharged Science. Another factor in my experience is the special needs of my son. I'm sure others will LOVE the site (and it is great!), but science just isn't something I focus on a lot in our homeschool with my son's special needs. The focus it takes for science with all the reading and experiments goes WAY beyond his attention span capabilities. Because of this, he quickly loses interest because of the amount of in-depth and analytical study science requires. I managed to browse through all the available units and narrow my choice down to a few that I thought he would enjoy and that we could use as reinforcement to the studies we have done so far in our science textbook.

Although we struggled through this review because of the special needs of my son, I think this is a very strong science program that is a great online science option for homeschoolers to use for their homeschool science curriculum. There is a plethora of material available on the Supercharged Science website to carry your student(s) through their years of homeschool science studies. You know your child's strengths and weaknesses. With that in mind, another great option that Aurora gives everyone who comes to Supercharged Science is a money-back guarantee in which she gives free access to all the lessons for 30 days so that you can make your own informed decision. If after the 30 day trial you realize that her program is not for you, she will give you your money back with no questions asked. That is excellent customer service for us as homeschoolers having to be very careful in how we budget our homeschool expenses and our monthly income.

I encourage you to connect with Supercharged Science on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google + and on Aurora's blog. Aurora is excited about what she does and it comes through in her video presentations and email notices. Most importantly, her excitement and friendly attitude, brought a ray of sunshine in our homeschool experience with Supercharged Science!

Want to try it out for yourself? Aurora has generously provided a complete mini-program for FREE to my readers. It contains a small sample of science activities and projects taken from the e-Science program. Try it out with your kids today!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie