Color My Conversation–A Homeschool Review Crew Review

     

Learning good communication skills is hard for anyone. Trust me, I know. We have four teen boys and one pre-teen. And, two of those along with their older 24 year old brother are on the autism spectrum. In this day and age, with teen language the way it is and with the rise of electronics where people of all ages use abbreviations and slang when they type, good communication skills have fallen along the wayside for almost all children. It is, however, especially difficult for boys that are on the autism spectrum. That is why I am so glad that we were sent Color My Conversation from Northern Speech Services.

 

Color My Conversations (CMC) is an excellent program that creatively teaches all kids, but especially special needs children, methods of communication that are fundamental to life and the kit that we received came with absolutely everything that you need. And I mean everything! Everything down to the markers that you use is included. We didn’t really need to buy anything special at all. That is unusual for curriculums today. I was amazed.

 

The teaching instructions and any printouts needed are located on CD that is also included and that brings me to something else I really liked about the program – the ease of using. Everything is written out for you. From the words that you are to say to suggestions on how to work with an individual child – everything is written out for you.

 

Finally, I really like the fact that Color My Conversations takes you from the very basics of conversations to more complex conversations in twelve lessons. Don’t worry, though, it is given to you in bite sized segments. The twelve lessons are:

 

Beginner Level – The Three Basic Conversations

 

Lesson One – The Yellow Conversation

Lesson Two – The Short Conversation

Lesson Three – The Long Conversation

 

Intermediate Level

 

Lesson Four – “WH” Questions – Who, What, When, Where, and Why

Lesson Five – Interrogative Reversals – Yes! No! Maybe So!

Lesson Six – Making Comments Count

Lesson Seven – Topic Changer Pro

Lesson Eight – Speaking Loud and Clear!

Lesson Nine – Beading

 

Advanced Level

 

Lesson Ten – Shared Topic – My Topic – Your Topic

Lesson Eleven – Field Assignments – Smile! You’re on Camera!

Lesson Twelve – Customized Conversations

 

Let me take you through a typical lesson. Lesson one has to do with “Yellow Conversations”. Yellow Conversations are the very basic conversations – and I’m talking very basic – it’s the hello and goodbye of the conversation. You see, I told you that this course gave you things in bite sized segments.

 

1. The teacher (you if you are a homeschooler) starts the whole course by watching a 10 minute video that introduces you to the course. Then you watch a 2-10 minute introductory video for each lesson. They are super helpful and are done by the creator of series.

2. After that you send home a parent letter (already written out for you on the CD) that explains what the lesson is going to be about and what the parent can do to review what has been learned with the child when they get home. Of course if you are a homeschooler then you are the parent and teacher so you won’t really need to know what is going on.

3. The lesson manual then gives you an overview of what is going to be learned along with all materials that you will need to pull from the box. Remember – everything is included.

4. Next is the actual lesson. As I said, everything is written out for you from the introduction, to the “basic training”, to the practice, to the “wrap up and homework challenge”. It’s all there along with some suggestions and helpful hints. There is even a keep it fun section for ideas on how to review the lesson throughout the week. You can choose from catchy songs (the music is included on a CD) to other suggestions. If there is anything needed for the review suggestions it is included!

5. Finally, there is a discussion of the lesson that is just for you that reemphasizes what is really needed to be taught in this lesson and answers some basic questions.

 

 

I really, really like how simple it is to use this curriculum but how much in depth it goes. It really does build from the basics of a conversation to the more complex elements of a conversation. I originally thought that this would be perfect for Joshua, but I have been using it with Jacob and he really loves it. There is a special section in this curriculum that talks about how break down each lesson to use with special needs children but I haven’t found that I needed it yet with Jacob. Perhaps I will need to use it with the more complex lessons. As I have mentioned many times before I also really like how this curriculum includes everything. This program is a real hit with my family.

 

To find out more about Color My Conversation from Northern Speech Services just click on any one of the highlighted links above. You can also connect with them by clicking on one of the social media links below. Many of the other members of the Homeschool Review Crew reviewed this awesome program and you can find what they had to say by clicking on the banner below. Happy homeschooling!

 

Social Media Links:
Facebook (company):  www.facebook.com/northernspeech
Facebook (product):  www.facebook.com/colormyconversation/
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/northernspeech   @northernspeech
Pinterest:  www.pinterest.com/northernspeech
YouTube:  www.youtube.com/northernspeech
Instagram:  www.instagram.com/northernspeechservices/

         

Faith Builders Bible from Zonderkidz - A Schoolhouse Review Crew Review

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I know that many of my blog readers only read my homeschool reviews and don't really know me outside of homeschool circles. They may not know that my wife and I are full time missionaries and are devout Christians. Although we fail in many ways, we try to raise our boys to know, love, and obey God. Of course, the main way to do that is to teach them the importance of God's Word and devotions and Bible study. That's why I was thrilled to be able to review the Faith Builders Bible from Zonderkidz. Zonderkidz is a division of  Zondervan.

 

When I found out that we were reviewing the Faith Builders Bible, I immediately thought of our youngest son, Jacob, who is every bit of a 10 year old boy. He loves challenges, he loves video games, he loves history, he loves building things, and, praise be to God, he loves the Lord. The latter two things that I mentioned are why I thought that this Bible would be great for him.

 

The Faith Builders Bible contains the full text of the NIrV - New International Reader's Version of the Bible and that also made me believe this might be a perfect fit for Joshua. The NIrV is based on the popular NIV Bible. The NIV is already one of the most widely used versions of the Bible because it is an accurate translation but also very easy to read. The NIrV is even easier to read than the NIV. They took the NIV Bible but replaced some of the harder to understand words with easier words to understand. They also shortened the sentences when they could and divided the chapters in to shorter segments. I found a great explanation of the NIrV Bible on BibleGateway.com.

   

So, what is so special about this Bible? Well, first of all the Faith Builders Bible is perfectly made for young hands. It is a sturdy hard back with thicker pages. It doesn't have the papery thin pages that regular Bibles usually have. But, although those are wonderful things, that isn't the reason why I love this Bible so much. As the name implies, as the pictures describe, and as I mentioned briefly above, it incorporates the use of Lego type blocks in the pictures that are throughout the book. As you can see by the snapshots above and below, these illustrations are of some of the great Bible stories that kids love. What a great idea! Combining learning the Bible with building blocks! I love the way they encourage kids to build some of the smaller pictures. That could lead them to build some of the larger pictures and, therefore, immersing them into the story! Whoever thought of this is a genius! When kids become connected and immerse themselves into something then they really learn! They add to the building theme with "Building Block Verses" that are displayed underneath the pictures that encourage the kids to memorize scripture. 

         

Jacob loves this Bible. He proudly carries it to church because it is his own Bible that is written in ways that he understands, and illustrated in a way that make him excited to learn more about the Bible. Because he is reading challenged, this Bible is a lot easier to read and as reading becomes easier for him he will be encouraged to read more. About a year ago we had to move into a smaller apartment so we had to put a lot of things in storage - including most of our building blocks. These are coming out of storage slowly but surely because he is wanting to use them more and more. I can't wait for him to recreate one of the larger scenes from the Faith Builders Bible.
 

   

The Faith Builders Bible from Zonderkidz is definitely an A #1 favorite of ours. Jacob and I both give it two thumbs up! I really think that you and your kids will like it as well. To find out more about the Faith Builders Bible click on any one of the highlighted links above. To read what other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew thought of this great Bible, click on the banner below. Happy Bible Reading!

 

       

I Am Ashamed to Admit This

I am ashamed of this post.
Not really of the post itself, but what I am going to reveal in this post.
Over the years God has placed several special needs people into my life. I think the first special needs individual that I knew was Glen. Glen was a man that lived in the “County Home” where my parents were the superintendents. Glen only had one hand and was mentally handicapped. Because there were no other kids that lived nearby and because Glen was mentally on the level of a six or seven year old which was my age at the time, we became best friends. I never thought of Glen as special needs. We were best friends.
Later, when we lived in Pennsylvania, God placed other special needs kids in my path. I remember one girl, Valerie, who for some reason took a fondness to me and would call me at home to talk. Another special needs girl lived next door. I would always try to treat them kindly.
Of course, now, God has blessed me with two special needs boys and has put other special needs individuals in my life as well. Although my two boys are high functioning special needs and will prayerfully live quite successful lives on their own, many of the special needs people that I know will never be able to live on their own. I enjoy working with them all.
Here’s where the shame part comes in. Although I tried to always be kind to folks that were different than I was to their face, there were times that I was unkind behind their back. I don’t know when it began or why. Maybe it was peer pressure. Maybe I looked at other kids around me and saw the way they made fun of special needs kids and just went along with them. Maybe it was because I had the tendency (and still do at times) to blurt out things without thinking. I don’t know what it was, but I am embarrassed now about it.
I remember one time when I was in high school I was involved in a Christian Fellowship club that was led by one of the teachers. For a time I stopped going. When the sponsoring teacher asked me why, I kind of hedged around and said that it was because of all of the special needs kids that were attended. He immediately chastised me and deservingly made me feel like two cents for even thinking of such a thing.
There were other times that I was insensitive. As I mentioned, just the thought of me saying or feeling those things make me feel shame. I pray that I have learned lessons from those mistakes and I pray that people remember me for my soft heart rather than those few insensitive incidents.
One of the things that I do, and encourage others to do, is get involved in the special needs community. Today I was privileged to be able attend the Miss Fabulous pageant for our area of middle Tennessee. The volunteers and people that organize it make all of the participants feel like kings and queens. Our friend Patricia was a participant. She, as usual, hammed it up and was fantastic. Below are some pictures from this wonderful event. I would encourage all of you to volunteer at or just attend one of these events to cheer on the very special participants. I know you will be blessed.

Patricia–Not a Special Needs Voice– Just A Special Voice!

 

I was standing and singing in church today when I heard a noise. It was a joyful noise. It was Patricia – usually singing only the last one or two words of a line, and slightly off key, but singing at the top of her lungs with her arms raised to the Lord. Patricia and her mom started coming about seven years ago to our Bible Studies and other events that Good News Ministries held. They have hung on with us through thick and thin and have become a great help in our ministry. They also come to the church we attend – The Bridge Community Church.

As I was listening I began to smile and tears came to my eyes. “Trish” sings with unencumbered joy. She is not weighed down with thoughts of this world or with problems in her life. You see, Trish is special needs. She probably functions on a kindergarten level at best. She can’t read but she does know some letters and can write her name. She isn’t very verbal but over the years I have begun to understand her through her sign language and through the words that she knows. Instead of worrying about everyday things, her only concerns today were what she was going to wear at the special needs “beauty” pageant that she is going to be in next weekend. After that it will be Christmas that she talks about continuously. Then the special needs prom in the spring. Then her birthday in the fall. It’s a continuous cycle but we have grown to love her very much.

As I was listening this morning my thoughts went back to a few years ago. A few years ago I might have thought her loud singing and long drawn out words were a nuisance. After all, that was my worship time with the Lord and that noise was invading my thoughts and interrupting my time with God. I have since gotten over that, but I sometimes wonder if other members of the church still harbor those thoughts. Oh, they smile, but do they secretly think that she should be quiet or perhaps hope that her mom might take her out. It matters not to me anymore what people might think. I love hearing her sing.

I used to think that someday, when the Lord comes back or when he takes Trish home to live with Him, she will have a perfect voice. One that will be beautiful. A voice that she will praise God with continually. Lately, however, I have wondered if God really will give her a new voice. Who are we to know God’s thoughts and ways. Compared to God we don’t know anything. Our world is so mixed up that our thoughts are, as my mom would say, discombobulated! Maybe it is us that will be getting the new voices! Voices that will be just like Patricia’s voice! You see, it is Trish that sings freely. It is Trish that sings with joy that is untainted to the world around her. It is Trish that sings with a pure heart to God. Isn’t that how God wants us to be – pure, unencumbered, and free with our hands raised to Him in worship? Maybe Trish is God’s perfect model that we need to take lessons from. Maybe Trish has the perfect voice for God’s heavenly choir. Maybe we can all learn something from Trish. Forget CAN, maybe we all SHOULD learn some lessons from Trish.

Sing on Patricia! Sing on! I’ll be singing right beside you!

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;

Psalm 98:4 NIV

Scripture Sunday - Is Anyone Listening? Does Anyone Care?

 

Psalm 121:2-4King James Version (KJV)

² My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. ³ He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. ⁴ Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Sometimes I wonder. Is anyone listening? Does anyone care?

• My wife’s mother is sick and my wife has to spend long periods of time away from me and the kids. Is anyone listening? Does anyone care?
• People don’t understand our ministry, some just plain don’t want to understand, and some are bent on destroying it. Is anyone listening? Does anyone care?
• We have two special needs kids that can be difficult sometimes. Is anyone listening? Does anyone care?
• As missionaries we are terribly under supported and are struggling financially. Is anyone listening? Does anyone care?
• I could go on and on but… Is anyone listening? Does anyone care?

It is easy to get discouraged in ministry. Hey, it’s easy to discouraged with just plain life!
Recently I was searching for another verse when the above verse popped up in my search results. It has been very encouraging to me during my present difficult time. God is always in control. He made Heaven and Earth. We have no need to fear (although I find myself fearing all of the time). When I feel myself falling into those old habits of fear I just need to remember where my help comes. My help comes from the Lord. He will not slumber! He loves me and wants to help me. All I need to do is go to the Father!
My Father is listening! My Father cares!

SmartKidz Media Library for Homeschoolers–A Schoolhouse Review Crew Review

 

Ladies and gentleman! Boys and girls! Step right up to the one. . .the only. . .SmartKids Media three ring circus. Featuring SmartKids Media and their wonderful online program SmartKidz Media Library for Homeschoolers as the producers; Joshua and Jacob as the performers; and me, Tim, as the ringmaster reviewing this wonderful homeschool resource.

Now, don’t get me wrong folks. SmartKids Media Library for Homeschoolers is nothing like a regular circus. This program is very well organized and there are no tricks, however, it is entertaining, does include animals and there are some funny elements. SmartKids Media Library for Homeschoolers is exactly as it’s name implies – a Media Library for Homeschoolers! But it’s much more!

Let me explain by announcing what is in each ring of my imaginary review circus.

 

In the center ring we have the wonderful, entertaining, and educational SmartKids Media – Family Media video and music library.

Jacob has loved the Animals and Wildlife collections. He has watched all of the Animal Journey series and many of the others. The Animal Journey series talks about amazing ways that animals migrate and even talks about the ways plants travel and grow in odd places. He has learned so much. He is looking forward to watching some of the Magic of Nature and Animal Babies videos. There are so many animal and nature videos to choose from!

Joshua, of course, loves all of the country videos. He has viewed many of the Travel and Adventure: Worldwide Discover videos that talk about different countries. He has even listened to some of the musical albums from the Music and Fine Arts sections. There are a lot of albums from countries from around the world. Russia has been his favorite so far (does that surprise anyone that knows Joshua?). What he is really looking forward to watching are the new history videos that just came out such as the series on World War 2 and the series on The Cold War. Oh, and we can’t wait for the U.S. History videos that are supposed to be coming out in the next month or so.
 

 

And then theirs Dad – you didn’t know that I was a performer in this circus also did you. Ah, but yes I am and there are many, many, things for adults as well. The cooking videos, for example, are what I am looking forward to perusing. And, of course, being a music major in college, I love the classical music albums that are available. Oh, and the relaxation music really helps me when I need to calm down. I have also enjoyed the Jazz and Blues Classics Collections. There’s also the section that combines famous paintings and artwork with the music of some of the great composers. And I haven’t even touched the science videos or the exercise videos yet! There are so many videos and musical selections to choose from (over 150) with more being added all of the time.

And that’s not all! Remember, this is a three ring circus review, not just a one ring circus! SmartKids Media Library for Homeschoolers has so much more to offer than just videos and musical albums.

 

In the ring to the left we have:

The Animated Ebook Collection – full of animated ebooks for mostly preschoolers and early elementary children. There’s the Aesop Fables collection and the Mother Goose collection as well as some song collections and even some Reading Readiness, Science and Bible Collection ebooks and some just plain fun ebooks.

The Baby Signs Collection – has videos on how to teach your baby sign language and some videos that help with potty training.

The My Animal Family Collection – has Video Storybooks, Fun Facts and Story Songs that are completely separate and different than the super animal videos that I talked about before.

The Quick Find Study Guides – are magnificent! These aren’t just small study guides either. They are full fledged guides for all kinds of Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts Topics (accounting and foreign language study guides are coming soon). The topics go from elementary to high school level.

And of course if we have a ring to the left we have to have a ring to the right! It features the following:

The Early Learning for Special Needs Section – is for kids who have disabilities or other special needs. It is designed to help children meet different goals and includes title such as “What is Money”, “What do We See on the Farm”, “Handwashing”, “Taking a Bus”, “Taking a Train” and books on different holidays, sequencing and many, many more topics. Most books include two levels – a “Hear the Book” level and an “Interactive” level.

The Living Skills Section – is being developed and coming soon!

The Ready, Set, Sing – section has all kinds of songs geared toward preschool and elementary kids to get them singing and having fun.

The Fun Zone – section has games, riddles and puzzles that your children can enjoy.
As you can see, there is so much to do with the SmartKidz Media Library for Homeschoolers that we have only touched on all that they have in the few short weeks that we have had this to review. Even if we could have watched and seen it all, they are constantly coming out with more things and developing more things. We are loving this and are so glad that we have it for a year to use! You really need to check this out. We have really enjoyed it!

To get to the SmartKidz Media website, just click on any of the highlighted links in this review. To see what other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew thought click on the banner below. Happy watching…reading…game playing…puzzling…listening…oh, just HAPPY HOMESCHOOLING!


   

A Night To Shine Prom - What Life Should Be All About!

My wife, Sarah, had a premonition, long ago, that we would someday have a special needs child. Little did we realize back then that we would not have just one, but two, special needs sons, a third son who had a rare form of childhood cancer, and a forth son that was still-born. Along the way we have been blessed to know and minister to many other special needs children. And, it has been a blessing. Words cannot express how honored we are that God chose us to be special needs parents and put so many special needs kids into our path. Yes, it has been difficult. There are some days that I just want to throw in the towel and cry. And there have been some days that I have done just that. There is not a day that goes by, though, that God doesn't reveal something special about my children or one of the other special needs children that we know.

Recently Sarah had the great privilege of escorting a friend of ours and her disabled daughter to the "A Night To Shine" prom for disabled youth and adults. It was hosted by Rising Above Ministries and sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. She called me several times during the evening to tell me through tears how special it was.

The special needs participants were made to feel like kings and queens at their prom. It was truly their night to shine. Before they even arrived at the prom, the girls were given free makeovers and had their hair done. There was even a company that allowed the girls to pick out and wear a special prom dress and matching jewelry for free that night. Each attendee walked down the red carpet with paparazzi flashing pictures of them. They were each given a special helper that assisted them for the night so that the parents could relax and enjoy themselves. The girls received corsages and the boys got a special shoe shine. They were taken a few at a time for a special ride in a stretch limousine. They danced! They ate! They had a blast!

The Tim Tebow Foundation sponsored over forty "Night to Shine" proms in 26 states and three countries. Below are three videos of either the prom itself or the aftermath. It never fails that when I watch them tears come to my eyes. The first video is of the local prom hosted by Rising Above Ministries. Our friend Patricia is the one walking down the red carpet while waving her "Miss America" wave.

The second video is the video made by the Tim Tebow Foundation. Say what you will about Tim Tebow. He has been ridiculed for his Christian stance and been put down because of the way he played in the NFL. Let the naysayers say what they will. Patricia doesn't care. She was the queen of the prom!

The third video is of Patricia demonstrating how she danced "The Chicken Dance". She has great memories and still talks about it. What a special night! Thank you Rising Above Ministries and thank you Tim Tebow. You are showing people what really matters in life. You are both class acts!