DIY Faberge Eggs

Hello Friends, We are still learning about Asia, with our attention on Russia. This has been such a fun unit.

Click here to visit our Russia Unit Study Pinterest Board.

This morning we made our own Faberge eggs. This was such a fun activity. My girls loved the hands-on crafting and designing of their own special eggs. I highly
recommend this activity for anyone teaching their children about Russia and the wonderful Faberge eggs.

Materials needed:

Plastic Eggs

glitter

jewels

stickers

markers

paint

hot glue gun

hot glue sticks

Have fun decorating the eggs and use extra caution with the hot glue gun. Enjoy! 

Faberge Egg Resource Links

Faberge Eggs Craft

PBS- Fabergé Eggs

Faberge Egg Ornaments

Russian Fabergé Easter Egg Arts and Craft Projects

Faberge Egg Coloring Page

Crayola - Russian Imperial Eggs

Science4Us.com Review

Hello Friends, My girls and I just recently had the wonderful opportunity to review Science4Us.com Online Subscription. What an excellent program! I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to do this review. Prior to signing up, science wasn't really a subject my children enjoyed. However, after using Science4Us.com my daughters have all said how much fun they have had while learning. My oldest had even said, "Wow! I wish science was this fun all the time!" 

What is Science4Us.com? 

Science4Us.com is an interactive online science program that is geared towards K – 2nd grade. This program can be used with older grades for review purpose. The program covers a wide variety of science topics in order to provide students with an overview of various aspects of science.  The lessons are categorized into four groups -  Physical Science, Inquiry Science, Life Science, and Earth/Space. Each lesson begins with an overview of the topic and includes videos and interactive demonstrations. As the lessons progress the students have the opportunity to play games and complete activities that test the student's understanding of the topics.

What does Science4Us.com Cost?
The program can be purchased on an individual basis for only $7.95 per child for each month. In my opinion this is a wonderful price for such a great program.

So what do I love about Science4Us.com?

Here is an example of the work I can review and leave notes on. 

While there are many great aspects to Science4Us.com, my favorite part has been being able to just "do" science with my girls and not having to plan out science for the girls. I love that there are pre-planned lessons and that very little has to go into starting and finishing a lesson. Another favorite of mine is being able to check my children's progress. Not only do I get to check their progress, I am able to see their actual work that they have saved into their online notebooks. Yes! Online notebooks! This is an awesome part of the program, that I have really came to love. While checking their work in their online notebooks, I am able to write notes about the work they have saved.  

I love that this program is very child friendly and that each lesson includes fun and detailed examples of each topic. While this is a bit below my oldest daughters range, she is in 5th grade, she has still very much enjoyed doing the lessons and reviewing topics she has learned in the past. My other two daughters, grades 2nd and 3rd, have done exceptionally well with the lessons. We use this program approximately 4 times a week. They have had no problem being able to log in themselves. They are able to start and finish the lessons with very little help. This has allowed me time to prepare other activities, while still being able to help them as needed. Another great part of this program is the way it handles wrong answers. For example, if my child answers a question wrong, it does not just continue on. Instead, it will bring the child back to where that topic was covered in the lesson. This has assured me that my children are indeed learning and not just moving past questions they may not enjoy. They have even enjoyed taking the tests at the end of each lesson. This also assured me that they were absorbing the information that was presented to them.

The program also includes an area packed with valuable teaching tools. This area includes lesson plans with an overview of each topic to help the teacher prepare. There are printable worksheets and ideas for hands-on activities and experiments. This area has proved very useful in our home. I love being able to access this, to better help my children learn.

Science4Us.com can be accessed using Mac or Pc and no other special equipment is needed. I do suggest having a printer for printing out student reports if wanted, but having one is not required. 

Well friends, our family definitely enjoyed this online science program and have considered it a blessing. I would highly recommend Science4Us.com to anyone with younger elementary aged children who may or may not be interested in science. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Science4UsSays
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/science4us/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Science4Us
G+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/112259351657747584252/

Want to know more about Science4Us.com? Click below to read more reviews

KinderBach Review

Hello Friends, My daughters and I recently had the opportunity to review The KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Membership with Teacher Corner. This was an exciting review for us.  My girls had just received a new keyboard for Christmas and they were very anxious to learn how to play it. 
So What exactly is Kinderbach?

KinderBach is an excellent hands-on online music lesson program geared towards ages 3-7, but can be used by those slightly below and above. My daughters are 7 and 9. I have to say my 9 year old enjoyed it just as much as my 7 year old. I even have a 10 year old daughter who gazed on and participated in her own way, mostly by cheering on her sisters and offering praise.

KinderBach offers 6 levels of music education. Each level breaks down the various tasks and techniques of playing the keyboard and separates them into easy to learn child portions. Learning is gradual and child-paced. In addition KinderBach uses fun characters to teach ideas, making the process not only entertaining but educational as well.

So what exactly do I love about KinderBach, you might be wondering? 

There is so much to love about KinderBach, but two of the things I love the most is how wonderful of a job it does teaching and the NO traveling. We can wake up in the morning and begin lessons or we can wait until the evening. There is no rush around, trying to get out the door to be on time. As a homeschooling mom of three, I can truly appreciate the
ease of use this program has to offer. I have joined the girls many times in the schoolroom for lessons in pajamas. Ha! I love the convenience. I have wanted to put my girls in piano lessons for many years. I can honestly say, that this program is just what we needed to fit our needs. 

I also want to add, that I have no piano experience at all, so I was wondering just how much I could help. I was quickly put to ease with the help of a wonderful parent's guide that is included. I can even say now, that I have learned quite a bit along side my girls. 

I also love the fact that I can easily access and print all the PDF's that go along with the lessons. There is no wait for materials to arrive. They are available immediately as you need them.

I found that printing them all out at the beginning of lessons, has proved to be easier than waiting until they have needed them. I made this mistake in the beginning and have since found it easier to have them all ready to go as they are needed. 

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KinderBach is a child-paced program and I appreciate the fact that the lessons are never overwhelming for my girls.  They are able to go at their own pace and the detailed examples and games presented in each lesson truly help them understand what they are learning. If they feel, they might have missed something, they have to opportunity to go back and do the lesson again. This proved to be extremely helpful. While I do believe this program is a program that can be done independently, I think that much more is learned when a parent and/or guardian is available to help and offer input.

The graphic below, is a great example of the close up detail you will find in the lessons.

What does a typical day of using KinderBach look like for us?

Easy answer....Fun! 

We have been doing the lessons about 3 sometimes 4 times a week for about 6 weeks now. The differences in what my children can do on their keyboard now from the beginning is night and day. They really moved quickly within the program, much to my surprise.  We usually spend no more than an hour and no less than thirty minutes on the days we do the lessons. Like I mentioned above, I like to have all worksheets ready to go, so they will have them as they need them. 

My girls use pots, pans, and spoons from our kitchen, as rhythm instruments. They have thought that was pretty neat and fun. I also got a kick out of watching them interact with the characters used in the program.

The characters used in the lessons have really captured my 7 year old's attention. She really likes one particular character named Dodi the best. 

The picture above is my 7 year old, having fun in one of the beginning lessons. This is another thing I love about KinderBach, the fact that my children were able to interact physically with the program.

Are you wondering what you get with membership and what it all costs?

With membership you have access to 6 levels of entertaining music education. Which is over 240 sessions! Yes, over 240 sessions! The best part, is that these sessions can be accessed from a Computer, iPad, Android Tablet, Kindle Fire or Nook.  You also have
access to all the PDF activity pages, story books, coloring pages and song books!

You will also have access to the Teacher Corner. In the Teacher Corner section of the website you will have access to materials for Levels 1 to 6. These include PDFs and Audio MP3s. 

Right now you can access all of this for a Special Limited Time Price of only $95.88 a year. Friends, this works out to be only $7.99 a month for a year. In my opinion, this is a wonderful price for fantastic lessons in the comfort of your own home. 

Well friends, as I mentioned above, I'm so thankful we had the opportunity to review KinderBach. We found KinderBach to be a real blessing to our family. Although my review is posted, we will continue using KinderBach the remainder of our trial period, because my girls have enjoyed it so much.  Thanks for reading our review and be sure to visit again, more reviews will be posted soon. 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kinderbach

Facebook for Teachers: www.facebook.com/classroomkinderbach

Twitter: @KinderBach

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/KinderBach/

YouTube: KinderBach Preschool Piano

Want to know more about KinderBach? Click below to read more reviews

Random 5 on Friday - Feb 21

1) We are still learning about Asia. We are learning about Russia today. There is so much to learn about and so little time to finish it up. I think we will be revisiting this study sometime in the future.

2) So, I filed my taxes a while back, and just recently found out that they never received them. ughhh... So I resubmitted again. I sincerely hope it goes through this time.

3) My oldest has a new found love....Chess. I'm completely chess-ed out. I guess it goes along with learning about Russia. We learned that chess is Russia's national pastime. Pretty Cool.

4)  The girls colored and put together Matryoshka Nesting Dolls this morning. They turned out pretty darn cute. I found the template HERE.

5) I finally have 100 likes on my Home Grown Hearts Academy Facebook page. I should probably be more active on it.

I'm linking up at The Pebble Pond. Click below to check out other great Random 5 on Friday posts.

Asia Unit Study - Israel Study

Hello friends, we are still having fun learning about the countries in Asia. Check out our Asia Resource post HERE.

Today we have directed our attention to Israel. I had a ton of fun putting all the resources together for my girls. It was a bit challenging, because I was having some trouble finding resources. I did end up finding quite a bit though. Below I am sharing the resources I found. We hope you enjoy and find something useful.

Click here to visit out Asia Unit Study Pinterest Board

Follow Jennifer Silcott's board Unit Study - Asia on Pinterest.

Click here to visit our Israel Unit Study Pinterest Board

Follow Jennifer Silcott's board Israel Unit Study on Pinterest.

Israel Study

Time for Kids - Israel

National Geo Kids - Israel 

Choose-a-Country Lapbook - Great to use for a Israel Lapbook

Israel- Games & Activities for Kids

Israel  - Lesson Plans, Games, Activities

Virtual Tour of Israel

Israel Timeline

Places in Israel

Israel Symbols

Israel Facts

Size comparison between Israel and other countries

Israel Currency

Israel for Kids

Israel Flag Printables

Bible study: Kings of Northern Israel

Israel/Middle East Outline, Printable Map

Israel Info

http://goisrael.com/

Israel Quiz Printable

Israel Currency Printable

Crayola - Israel Flag Coloring Page 

Israel Maps - Printable

Hebrew Lessons For Kids

Introduction to Israeli wildlife

Facts About Israel: History

Free Israel Coloring Pages for Children

“I is for Israel” Coloring Page

Random 5 on Friday - Feb 14th

Happy Valentine's Day 

Whew! What a wonderful week it has been. Here is my Random 5! 

1) We started a unit on Asia. It has been a ton of fun! You can check out my Asia Resource post HERE. 

2) My Anniversary was yesterday. 12 years ago, I married my best friend. I couldn't imagine my life without my wonderful hubby. I love him so much. 

3) The girls recently had dentist appointments. They made homemade cards to give their dentist. It was super sweet. 

4) My printer quit working. If you print as much as i do, then you can understand how disappointing it was. :( After hours of trying to fix it, I gave up and headed to the store to purchase a new one. :) 

5) Today I woke up and immediately started making heart shaped pancakes. It's something my girls look forward to every Valentine's Day. It's not that I don't make pancakes, I just only make them heart shaped on this day.. Oh, it's the little things. :)

 I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day.

I'm linking up at The Pebble Pond. Click below to check out other great Random 5 on Friday posts.

Asia Unit Resources

Hello Friends! Yesterday we started a fun new unit on Asia. I have complied a list of resources below that would be great for a study on Asia. A while back we created an Asia continent box. They are easy to make and make great holders for all things related to Asia. Click here to see my post regarding our continent boxes. 

Click Here to visit our Pinterest Board -  Unit Study - Asia 

Follow Jennifer Silcott's board Unit Study - Asia on Pinterest.

Asia Resources 

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and comprises 30% of its land area. With approximately 4.3 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.

Asia - Free Lesson Plans, Games, Presentations

Connections Asia - lots of Printables

Asia - Worksheets

FREE Asia Unit - Printables  

how do people in Asia greet each other?

Asian New Year Celebrations

Outline Map of Asia

Mapping Asia and Making Connections

Books About Asia For Kids

All About Asia - Learning Games 

Enchanted Learning - Asia 

Ducksters - Asia 

Interactive Map of Asia 

Asia Countries and Capitals Map Puzzle

RAINFORESTS IN ASIA

The Rainforests of Asia - Printable 

Deserts of Asia 

Asian Animals - Enchanted Learning

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Asia has the world’s highest mountain, Mt. Everest. 

http://staff.dunlapcusd.net/dms/Teachers/tnoonen/TheAtmosphere.htm

Everest Timeline - A chronology of the world's highest peak

Sir Edmund Percival Hillary was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On the 29th of May 1953, Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed as having reached the summit of Mount Everest.

The late great Sir Edmund Hillary, first to climb Mt. Everest, tells Forbes Adventurer Jim Clash in his own words what is was like to reach the top with Tenzing Norgay in 1953.

Everest Facts for KiDs

Mount Everest Coloring Page

Handwriting Sheet - Mt. Everest

Another Coloring Page

PDF - Conquering Everest

Jordan Romero, 13, became the youngest person ever to climb Mt. Everest.

Asia has the world’s deepest lake, Lake Baikal.

Lake Baikal - Great learning page

The Coolest Stuff on the Planet - Lake Baikal

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Asia has the third-longest river in the world 

The Yangtze River, known in China as the Chang Jiang or Yangzi, is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world. It flows for 6,418 kilometers  or 3,988 mi.

The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, China. The Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity.

Up the Yangtze - Lesson Plan

The River with Two Names

Yangtze River

Great Wall Across the Yangtze 

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The Great Wall of China is a wall that covers much of the northern border of China. If you take the length of the entire wall, plus various branches, it is around 5,500 miles long! No wonder they call it the Great Wall. 

Following the Great Wall of China: Interactive Map

The Great Wall - Ancient China for Kids

The Great Wall - Coloring Page

The Great Wall of China - Video

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More Resources for Asia 

Famous landmarks - Pinterest page

Asia Kids Society  - Games, Stories, Art, and More

Languages of Asia

Let's Travel Through Asia!

Online Museum Resources on Asian Art 

The Silk Road

Friends, there is so much to learn about Asia. I could make this post never ending. I must stop here though. I truly hope you find something useful.

Free Valentine's Day Copywork

Just in time for Valentine's Day. Check out our FREE Valentine's Day Copywork printables.

Click Here to Download Our FREE Valentine's Day Copywork

Like this Freebie? Check out our other Free Printables

Dial Vitamin Boost Body Wash Review & Giveaway

Hello Friends, I recently had the opportunity to try the new Dial Vitamin Boost Body Wash. I loved it! My family loved it! The weather we have been having has really left my skin so dry. I was happy to read that this contains a moisturizing Vitamin complex that helps to draw moisture directly into your skin to leave it healthy and soft. Not only was my skin feeling ultra soft, but the smell is amazing and not overpowering at all. It also lathers up quite nicely. I also wanted to add, that I have very sensitive skin and the Dial Vitamin Boost Body Wash did not cause any reaction. The Dial Vitamin Boost Body Wash is for sure a new favorite for our family and we will be purchasing again.

Would you like to try Dial Vitamin Boost Body Wash for yourself? 

I have 3 coupons for the FREE product to give away to 3 of my wonderful readers (one per person). Enter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on February 14, 2014. Three winners will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Home Grown Hearts Academy is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

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Disclosure: I was given the product featured in this post to complete my review. All opinions are 100% mine and not influenced in any way.

Random 5 on Friday - Feb 7th

Hello Friends, It's Random 5 on Friday time! 

1) I took the girls to the park to play at the beginning of the week. It was nice to get out and just enjoy some silly girl time. 

2) Our weather has been crazy. One day it was nice and the next it was snowy. My oldest built an igloo. Unfortunately, when she went to build the top, it caved in. She wasn't very happy. :(

3) My taxes are filed. Whew! Glad that part is over. Now we wait. 

4) I'm not really into football, but I did watch the Superbowl. I prepared a fire, food, and even attempted to make football garland to hang on the mantel. My girls gathered around and we got busy threading triangular pieces of fabric with thread, to make them look   football-ish. 

5) Well, the hubs finally purchased a log splitter. He has wanted one for years. I wasn't as excited as he was. Well the truth is, I suppose it's probably because I'm not the one having to split the wood. I'm happy for him though and he has slit a tremendous amount. I must admit, having a warm fire to curl up to has been really nice. 

I'm linking up at The Pebble Pond. Click below to check out other great Random 5 on Friday posts.