French Crash Course - Kindle Edition

French Crash Course is a guide to learning basic French. The book comes with free audio to aide you in pronunciation. It is easy to follow and engaging. The end of each chapter contains suggestions to help build on what has been learned.

As a homeschool mom with children that will soon be diving into foreign language, I found this book to be very useful. I have no background in foreign language and this would be a perfect introduction to French if they were interested in pursuing it further. This book provides a solid foundation to grow on. It is a great asset to our book collection.

It would also be useful if you are planning a trip. The book offers simple words and phrases that will give you the ability to ask for help if needed and order simple items.

If you are just looking for a fun way to learn a new skill, this book may be what you are looking for.
You can find it here- French Crash Course


*Disclaimer- I received payment in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Columbus' Replica Ships Field Trip Opportunity

The Columbus Foundation is bringing the Nina and Pinta back to Arkansas beginning in October with a stop in Little Rock. They also have dates scheduled for Fort Smith and Memphis, TN. The Nina is the most historically accurate Columbus replica ship ever built!

My husband and I took our kids the last time the ships were in Little Rock in November 2011. The guys in charge do a great job educating the kids, adults too, during the tours. Awesome way to step back in history and experience what life might have been like on the expeditions.

This would be an awesome field trip for homeschool groups!

Check their website for exact dates, times and more info @ http://www.thenina.com

New Online Academic Resource Launch

Varsity Tutors recently launched a new academic resource for teachers and homeschoolers. The comprehensive platform includes completely free practice tests, digital flashcards, questions-of-the day for standardized tests and academic subjects of all levels from elemetary to higher ed. The platform also includes free web-based classroom assessment software.

You also have the option of creating a free account that will allow you to save test results and keep track of progress. Even better, you can create your own tests and invite others to use them. This massive free practice test resource already contains tens of thousands of practice problems with thousands being added every month.

Baking Soda Volcano Science Project

Lately, my kiddos have been showing interest in science experiments. Being summer, we have lots of extra time on our hands, so what better way to spend it? We are going to be trying out quite a few over the next month or so. The first one they chose was the classic baking soda (erupting) volcano. You can pretty much find the instructions via the internet easily. There are hundreds of them and many different ways to do it. We chose to try a  2 liter soda bottle, also added food coloring to our water (which is optional) and the kids also wanted to paint their volcanoes before trying the experiment. The experiment turned out well, but I think they were looking for a little more "wow" than they got! Below is a list of what is needed for the experiment we chose, but as previously stated-you can find hundreds of results via your search engine.

~What you will need~ 

• 6 cups flour
• 2 cups salt
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil
• warm water
• plastic soda bottle
• dishwashing detergent
• food coloring
• vinegar
• baking dish or other pan
• 2 T baking soda

~Instructions~

1. First make the 'cone' of the baking soda volcano. Mix 6 cups flour, 2 cups salt, 4 tablespoons cooking oil, and 2 cups of water. ( we ended up having to add a little more water)
2. Stand the soda bottle in the baking pan and mold the dough around it into a volcano shape. Don't cover the hole with dough or drop dough into it. (we plugged the hole with a paper towel on our bottle until the dough part was finished)
3. Fill the bottle most of the way full with warm water and a bit of red food color (you can actually use any color you like)
4. Add 6 drops of detergent to the bottle contents. The detergent helps trap the bubbles produced by the reaction so you get better lava.
5. Add 2 tablespoons baking soda to the liquid.






6. Slowly pour vinegar into the bottle. Watch it erupt!

Firefly Research

It's summertime again and time for night time fun with fireflies, aka lightning bugs. Did you know that there are several different types of the firelfy? Do you know that they are actually beetles that have two pairs of wings? Do you also know that they seem to be disappearing from our landscape? The Museum Of Science is teaming up with other researchers to track the firefly and they need your help. Simply go to https://legacy.mos.org/fireflywatch/ and register your habitat. You can log in as much as you like to see what others are reporting in their habitat and report your own habitat activity. There is a list of things to look for while you are observing the insects such as- how many flashes, whether insect was flying or perched, how many did you observe, temperature and etc. You can find all this information and more on the website. This is a great fun, family activity and science lesson!
This will be our second year and we love it! Be part of important research and have fun at the same time!

A+ Tutor Soft Math Program

I recently recieved a free trial for the math program offered by A+ Tutor soft. It is a multi-sensory, interactive, full year curriculum for grades K-6. I loved it, my kids loved it, and it kept them focused on the task at hand. Right now they are offering a one month free trial, free placement tests and significant discounts with purchase of full curriculum, so hurry over to http://www.aplustutorsoft.com and take a look! If you decide you would like to purchase after you review the site or finish your trial, use coupon code SARKMAMA for 20% off your purchase. Please feel free to pass the coupon code on to your friends!