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Homeschool Reviews

Action Baseball Math Review

math

Would you like to have a fun way to support your Math Curriculum that has proven results in improving Math Achievement?  It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?  Playing Baseball and improving math scores is possible with Action Math Baseball! Real-World Simulation Learn Middle-School Math Fun and Engaging 24/7 Internet access No setup fee Free customer support and training videos Action Math Baseball follows the standards for 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students.  It aligns with public school state standards and common core.  But, this also aligns with a Scope and Sequence for these grades, no matter what program you’re using.  Whatever math you use, Action Math Baseball will be an amazing addition to your math learning plan. Teacher videos will help you to implement this fun program with your children.  The price is right, too!  If you’re using it with 1-15 children, the price is only $10.95  Moms will get a report that shows how each student is doing with the various math concepts. There are teacher lesson plans to help you see what concepts are being reviewed, so that you can see what you want the children to learn.  Teachers can also enjoy that this program is student-directed.  They’ll be able to put their concept knowledge into action. Here are some of the concepts covered in the Action Math Baseball program:  Computing percentages Comparing Ratios Creating a Ranking System Evaluating formulas Interpreting Data Using probability to make decision And, did I say it was fun?  How is the Math Used: “Students will transform a basic Baseball Card into actionable data points that impact decisions in the baseball game, like trading players, setting the batting order, and developing probability tables that predict how batters will hit the ball”  Think….Fantasy Football.  You can use Action Math Baseball on Macs, PCs, iPads, Android Tablets and Chromebooks.  It works with Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari with no installations!  So, bring math to life with your children by encouraging them to play Action Math Baseball.   computing percentages comparing ratios creating a ranking system evaluating formulas interpreting data using probability to make decisions computing percentages comparing ratios creating a ranking system evaluating formulas interpreting data using probability to make decisions computing percentages comparing ratios creating a ranking system evaluating formulas interpreting data using probability to make decisions @2017, copyright Lisa Ehrman

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Recipe

Blueberry Vegan Scones

Disclosure: Affiliate link Since I started my healthier diet, I’ve been wanting to make Blueberry Scones.  For my birthday, my son and daughter-in-law gave me a beautiful Vegan cookbook.  The recipes and pictures are just wonderful!  This recipe is my favorite, so far!  When I checked the recipe, I saw that it had 1/2 cup of sugar and a sweet, sugary glaze.  I omitted the glaze and substituted the 1/2 Cups sugar with 1/2 teaspoon Stevia.  I was a little nervous about the stevia substitution.  But, these turned out to be heavenly!  They are slightly sweet and the fresh blueberries added another burst of sweetness. Here’s the recipe: 1 1/4 Cups Unsweetened Rice Milk (they suggest almond milk) 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 3 Cups Organic Flour 1/2 teaspoon stevia powder (they suggest 1/2 cup sugar) 2 Tablespoons Baking Powder 1/2 teaspoon salt ( I used 1/4 teaspoon, because of Kidney disease) 1/2 Cup coconut oil (solid) 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 Cups fresh blueberries  Preheat the oven to 375, and lightly grease baking sheet with coconut oil.  Whisk together 1 1/4 Cups of Rice milk with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice.  Let it sit. Combine the dry ingredients and then drop the coconut oil into clumps.  Use a fork or pastry cutter to work the coconut oil into the flour, until it looks like little pebbles. Making a well in the center, add milk mixture and vanilla.  Mix until almost blended.  Next, add blueberries and gently fold them into the batter. Shape the dough into scone shapes and place on the baking sheet.   Bake for 18-22 minutes or until light golden brown.  Don’t overcook. These are light and fluffy.  They are the best scones I’ve ever eaten.  (If you like a very-sweet scone, use the real sugar or make a sugar glaze.)   Recipe adapted from The SuperFun Times-Vegan Holiday Cookbook Isa Chandra Moskowitz. @2017, copyright Lisa Ehrman

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Frugal Homeschool Reviews

How To Save Money On Books

bookshelves

Disclosure: affiliate links included Books!  We love them, don’t we?  It doesn’t matter if you are a student or just an avid reader, we love and need more books.  The only problem is the expensive price tag on new books.  Do you want to save money on books?  I’m sure you do.  There are so many ways to save on book purchases.  And, free books are also a fantastic option.  You just have to know where to look. Our family homeschooled, so books were an ongoing expense at our house.  As my kids headed to college, we found the textbook prices to be outrageous.  Here are some ways to save on textbooks and books for school: Buy Used- Buying used books can save you 1/2 price or more off the retail markup.  This is by far, the first choice for our family.  Here are some great places to look for used books. *Used book Sales-Homeschool groups and conventions, libraries, facebook groups, and       individuals all are selling used books.   *Thrift stores and book stores have a Used-Book section.  This can be a fun place to look and grab all types of books.   *College “for-sale” boards- Bulletin boards were used in the past to post used textbook ads.  Now, colleges will have online sale boards for students to sell their old books.  College bookstores will usually have a limited supply of used books to sell, too. Now, colleges will have online sale boards for students to sell their old books.  College bookstores will usually have a limited supply of used books to sell, too. *Amazon- This is a fantastic place to look!  The huge selection makes it easy to find the exact book you need and get it shipped fast. *half.com- This site is great for selling or buying used textbooks.   *Websites: Abebooks, homeschoolclassified.com, A2Z homeschooling lists a huge group of places to shop for homeschool books and swap them, too. Rent Books- This has become extremely popular for textbooks, because it’s cheaper than buying used.  College bookstores rent books for easy pick-up and no waiting for the books to be shipped.   *Amazon also rents textbooks at great prices.  Our family has rented from both.   *Valore offers a price-match guarantee to have the lowest textbook rental prices.  They also offer 30-day returns and free return shipping. Free Books – Many free ebooks can be found by looking online.  These can be downloaded onto your e-reader, phone or computer.   *Project Gutenberg has 54,000 ebooks for you.  Our family has used this great site many times.  *Bookshare- offers ebooks for people that have a disability, and is free for students. *Open Culture has over 800 free ebooks.   *Kobo is also a free ebook site. *Textbook Revolution offers free textbook searches, as well as Google. Have you found a favorite way to save on books?  Please share; we always want to save! @2017, copyright Lisa Ehrman

Categories
Reviews

Beginner Exercise

With all of my chronic illnesses beating me down, there is one thing that has seemed impossible for me to do.  Exercise!  Although I completely understand the benefits of exercise, when you’re knocked out from overwhelming fatigue, achieving my exercise goals seems out of my grasp. During my time in physical therapy, the exercise there was so difficult.  The PTA’s were there to push me through the routine and encourage me.  The challenge was unbelievable, and I would feel terrible afterwards.  As someone who could exercise easily before my Ehlers Danlos became painful, this is disheartening.  I never wanted to be middle-aged and out of shape.  It’s not laziness that stops me; fatigue and pain are the reasons. Now that my kidney functions are abnormal, the urgency to add exercise has increased.  I feel like there is a life or death struggle in my future, and exercise must be added to my daily life.  The problem has been, what kind of exercise? Being a member of the Chronic Illness Bloggers has given me many opportunities to try new ideas and products to help with pain.  Now, I’m thrilled to be given the chance to try a new exercise program.  The designer/author/coach has made this available to me and others to try for 6 months and review. Zero to Hero is a pilates program that I’ve just started.  The online program is delightfully led by Megan Densmore.  She has the most easy-to-follow plan, with step-by-step plans to get us from Zero to Hero.  I’m most certainly at the Zero level of fitness right now.  So, when I started my very first routine last night I was truly excited!  The first step was fun and easy.  There was no pain or weakness of any kind. You’ll be hearing more about my experiences as I go, and then a full review.  As a physical fitness Zero, there’s nowhere to go but UP!  Check it out for yourself! @2017, copyright Lisa Ehrman

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Frugal

10 Favorite Ways To Save

wallet

Disclosure: affiliate link included Here are my favorite ways that you can use to start saving Today! 1.  Join memberships, but only the ones that you will actually use.  A warehouse club, like Sam’s isn’t worth it if you don’t save money there.  We save on tire purchases, gas, and bulk groceries. 2. Don’t join an expensive gym, if your budget can’t afford it.  Many people join gyms and rarely go.  You can purchase some cheap equipment at yard sales and work out at home. 3. Visit all the grocery stores in your area and farmers’ markets. Learn prices by keeping a price list of what you buy on a regular basis.  Then, shop for the best prices.  Use coupons (paper or digital) or purchase off-brands (whatever price is the better buy).   4.  Stock up when there is a super deal on something.  Of course, if it’s something that must be frozen, you’ll need to know that you have adequate freezer space at home. 5.  Don’t go in debt for small things.   6.  Apply for loyalty cards for all stores (online, too) where you may shop.  I keep mine in a small cloth zippered bag in my glove compartment.  When I go shopping, I can throw them in my purse.  I certainly don’t want them weighing down my purse on an everyday basis 🙂 7.  Sign yourself and your family members up for Birthday Clubs.  On their birthdays, they’ll receive e-mails for free coupons to get all kinds of goodies! 8.  Consider Amazon Prime The huge list of benefits is hard to ignore. Free prime shipping, groceries, book rentals (great for college students) used books, Kindle, book borrowing, Movies, movies, streaming, music, and the list keeps growing. If you really use Amazon for more than free shipping, it’s well worth the cost!  9.  Consign: Consignment buying and selling is wonderful when you have growing children.  You can sell their small clothes and buy bigger clothes.  I did this with my last child and he was so well dressed!  I’ve also done it with my clothes, too.  It’s a great way to make some extra money. 10. Shop “After Christmas” sales.  When I’m filling the Christmas stockings every year, the budget always seems to be finished.  I never seem to have enough money left to buy cute stocking stuffers.  Now, I’m shopping the After-Christmas Sales (online) to purchase stocking stuffers for my older kids.  I have a box filled in my closet with great purchases, which I bought at 75-80% off! What is your favorite way to save?   @2017, copyright Lisa Ehrman

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