Friday 28 June 2013

Artist Study {Claude Monet}

Impression Sunrise
Monet's Garden exhibition is currently on display here in Melbourne at the National Gallery of Victoria. This has inspired us to spend a delightful month studying Monet and the Impressionist art era. Last Friday we took a trip into Melbourne and enjoyed a lovely day exploring of the gallery.  In preparation for the trip we spent some time exploring the life and work of Monet. Here are some of the resources that we used.

WWW
Art Project Inspiration
Paint Like Monet: A Beginner's Guide


On Pinterest - Claude Monet

Books


YouTube
All in all we have really enjoyed this artistic adventure and look forward to future artisit studies.
Blessings

Chareen

PS What are your favourite resources for studying Monet ?

Thursday 27 June 2013

Monet's Garden at the NGV


It was with great excitement that I heard Monet's Garden from The Musee Marmottan Monet, Paris would be a of Melbourne's Winter Masterpieces this year. Wow I never thought it would ever be possible in my lifetime to experience his beautiful pieces of art. 

Sir N and I have spent a wonderful month exploring his life and his work.  On Friday last week we took a trip into Melbourne to experience his artwork for ourselves.

Clinamen
When we entered the gallery we were greeted with a beautiful art piece created especially for the exhibition titled: Clinamen by Celeste Boursier-Mougenot. The children really delighted in looking and listening to this exhibit.  It is made of white porcelain bowls which float upon a blue pool.  The pool water circulates gently causing the bowls to touch each other which in turn creates pretty acoustic sound scape's.


From here we proceeded towards the exhibition.  The entrance has a beautiful wall size picture of Monet in his garden and potted colour adorned the area.


We hired a video guide for each of the children and proceeded to explore the art works of Monet. There is a Trail for Kids through the exhibition.

We spent over three hours exploring Monet's art works. There are three rooms displaying art works by Monet and a couple by Renoir.  In the third room you can see his artist pallet and glasses.  The fourth room has a digital time line of his life and work.  The fifth and final room is a visual feast of his home and garden in Giverney. I found a short documentary on YouTube to give you some insight on Monet's garden.



Tomorrow I will share the resources we used to study Monet and his interesting life.

Blessings
Chareen

Wednesday 26 June 2013

It's a Super Sweet Day


It always amazes me how He knows how to time things so that on days when my heart is low something comes along to bring a smile to my heart.  Yesterday was such a day. I came here and there was a note in the comments from Tina over at September {One Mama Living, Learning & Homeschooling in New Mexico} nominating me for the Super Sweet Blogging Award.


So now for the Sweet Questions that comes with this sweet nomination and their answers!!
Super Sweet Questionnaire
  1. Cookies or cake? both? Cake
  2. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate
  3. Favorite Sweet Treat? Time Out Chocolate
  4. When do you crave sweet treats the most? That time of the month 
  5. Sweet nickname? Hubby calls me Lovie.

For the Super Sweet Blogging Award

  • Thank the Super Sweet Blogger who nominated you.
  • Answer 5 Super Sweet Questions.
  • Include the Super Sweet Blogging Award image in your blog post.
  • Nominate a baker’s dozen other bloggers.
  • Notify the nominees of their nomination on their blog.
So here are my nominations for the super sweet blogging Award
This is my favourite part as I get to share with you some of the blogs I enjoy visiting. Please share some blog comment love with these lovely ladies
  1. Erin from Seven Little Australians
  2. Vicki from Creating with Wisdom
  3. Deborah from The Paper Maid
  4. Catherine at Serenades and Solace
  5. Stacey from A Moment in Our World
  6. Sarah over at Amongst Lovely Things
  7. Chelle from Last in Line
  8. Suzie from Suzie's Home Education Idea's
  9. Bec over at Bec Waterhouse
  10. Kylie over at Our Worldwide Classroom
  11. Mel over at Our Home Schooling Days
  12. Kate over at Get into Homeschooling
  13. Nicole over at Home to Learn
Blessings my Blog friends and thank you for all your support
Chareen

Tuesday 25 June 2013

TT - Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood

  • Format: Hardback
  • Number of Pages:32 pages
  • Publisher: 
  • Publication Date: 
  • ISBN 10: 0761457046
  • ISBN 13:9780761457046
  • Author Jacob Grimm,Wilhelm Grimm,
  • Illustrator:Gennady Spirin
Following on from last week's Goldilocks and the Three Bears I would like to show you another beautifully illustrated tale.  This one does not disappoint with it's illustrations and is another of those lovely to look at renditions of a traditional tale.

What are some of your favourite traditional story books ?

Blessings
Chareen
Every bed of Roses

 Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures.  I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!

There are so many wonderful books out there hiding on shelves so I invite you to blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library. Grab the button for your post and add a link to your post below. I would love to read about your treasures. 


Monday 24 June 2013

2013/14 Schoolhouse Planners now available

It's that time of the year again when my blog friends in the Northern hemisphere are trying to organise themselves for the new year.  This year when I joined the TOS Crew my very first assignment and review product was Schoolhouse Teachers. This week I discovered that they have designed specific planners for home school families.

Their are five planners available. You can purchase them individually or receive them FREE as a part of your Schoolhouse Teachers membership by joining for $3 for the first month, $12.95 per month thereafter. You will gain access to the Planners immediately upon joining ST.com


High School Schoolhouse Planner $29
  • Encouraging articles
  • Calendar 
  • Planning pages
  • Planning guide for high school
  • College Checklist
  • Logs
  • and more
 Intermediate Schoolhouse Planner $19
  • Articles 
  • Planning sheet
  • Calendar
  • Forms to formulate goals and objectives
  • Bible reading schedule
  • Address Book
 Primary Schoolhouse Planner $9.95
  • Engaging articles for primary students
  • Information lists (grammar rules, story starters, math tables etc)
  • Calendar
  • Planning pages
  • Field trip report pages
  • Recipes

 
 Special Learners Schoolhouse Planner $29
  • Encouraging Articles
  • Interactive Calendar
  • Planning Pages
  • Medical forms
  • Therapy Forms
  • Task analysis cards
  • Teach life skills
  • and more

And this one is for Mom: The Schoolhouse Planner
  • 800+ pages
  • Helpful articles
  • Interactive calendars
  • Planning pages
  • Trip logs
  • Bible reading plans
  • Transcripts
  • Household forms
  • and more . . .

I have not used any of these yet I have just downloaded them.  I am still in the process of exploring them to find out what is inside them and how they work.  For those of you who would like to know more there is a list on the Schoolhouse Teachers site about each planner.
Blessings
Chareen

Thursday 20 June 2013

MADE {Bravely Exploring God-centered Creativity}


I have been outrageously blessed.  Yes you read that right.  A friend recently shared that she will be attending the MADE e-Course.  I followed the link on her Facebook page and read the blog posts with longing.  Oh how I would love the opportunity to do something like that I thought.  My Heavenly Father heard my hearts cry. An hour later a little note popped into my inbox saying here is a gift for you to attend {MADE} this year.

Wow speak about being overwhelmed by the goodness of God and the generosity of a friend. 

What is it ?
Made is a new e-course of over four months of weekly workshops, exercises, and prompts from 12 inspirational instructors.

Do YOU need to be artistic ?
No you do not in the traditional sense of the word.  My drawing ability extends as far as stick figures where people are concerned but I love to write. I have collected plenty of ideas on Pinterest to attempt some art journaling but I have not gathered up the courage to attempt it.  So I'm hoping that with the support and encouragement from the {MADE} team I will finally get pen to paper.  I also love to take photographs.  I am really excited by this opportunity and hope that you my friends will join me to take a journey of discovery.

We will learn
  • Art Journaling as Prayer with Amanda Fall
  • The Art of Creative Living with Anna Pasquale 
  • Creativity and the Freedom of God’s People with Anna Tapp 
  • Scripture Excavation + Art Journaling with Beth Morey
  • A Living Temple with Beth Morey
  • Learning the Unforced Rhythms of Grace with Beth Morey
  • Learning to Lead with Brandy Walker
  • Midrash + Collage with Caris Adel
  • Capturing Everyday Blessings with Christina Cison {I'm really looking forward to this class.}
  • Calligraphy, Meditation, + Worship with Christina Power
  • Inspiring Creativity in Your Little Ones with Franchesca Cox
  • Larger than Life with Franchesca Cox
  • The Art of Scripturedoodles with Kelly Watts
  • A Journal Just For You with Megan Armes
  • Interpreting the Word with Images with Megan Armes
  • Creative Healing part 1: Creating for Yourself with Megan Armes
  • Creative Healing part 2: Creating for Others with Megan Armes
  • Make a Joyful Noise!: Delighting in God through the beauty and sacredness of everyday with Paulette Insall

Cost 
MADE is on sale now for US $80 payable via PayPal.
Register now for your opportunity to win an early bird prize

Connect with Made

Made eCourse: Exploring God-Centered Creativity

I hope some of you can join me on this journey of artistic creativity

Blessings
Chareen

Tuesday 18 June 2013

TT - Goldilocks and the Three Bears


  • Format: Hardback
  • Number of Pages: 32 
  • Publisher: Marshall Cavendish 
  • Publication Date: 
  • ISBN 10: 0761455965 
  • ISBN 13: 9780761455967  
  • Author: Retold by Gennady Spirin
  • Illustrator: Gennady Spirin
I have a love affair with beautifully illustrated books for children.  I have been browsing the shelves looking for traditional stories to read to Sir N. I recently stumbled across this book.  I love the rich texture of the illustrations.


If you have small children at home I highly recommend this rendition of this traditional tale.


Blessings
Chareen
Every bed of Roses

 Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures.  I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!

There are so many wonderful books out there hiding on shelves so I invite you to blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library. Grab the button for your post and add a link to your post below. I would love to read about your treasures. 




Saturday 15 June 2013

HSMJ a day at Melton and an invite to a party for you

In my life this week…
I was blessed with the opportunity to host the Masterbook Friday Giveaway.  I ♥♥♥ their books.


In our home school this week…
  • We started homeschooling with two of the cousins!  So much fun and at the same time the dynamic is different.  I'm finding it encouraging and inspirational to find my things and use them well.
  • Continued reading and learning about Monet because we want to go to the gallery next week to see his paintings.  I'm looking forward to doing some art projects with the children on Monday.
  • Started back with history Story of the World.  Learned about the first uniting king of Egypt. (Narmer/Mene's)
  • Did handwriting assessments and spelling.
  • Had fun beginning our first Jackie French book - The Camel  Who Crossed Australia
  • We watched Thomas The Less' History of the World - Pharaoh Narmer (Menes)

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

I am inspired by…
  • Have American Parents Got It All Backwards? over at Huffington Post The BLOG Take out the word American and I think this summerises most affluent countries today and speaks to the very heart of what most home educating families know.  So good to read something that encourages us to allow our children to be.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
  • Sport (Tennis and Kelly Sports)
  • Stayed home because I was sick for four days
  • Went to Melton Reservoir and explored for the afternoon.
My favorite thing this week was…

Things I’m working on…
  • Preparing for my trip to the Simpson Desert in three weeks time.
In Bloggy world I’m reading…

I’m cooking…
  • Actually I have not been.  My sister has blessed me this week and been cooking for us.  I am however looking over a gift copy of Simplified Dinners and look forward to using it and hosting a giveaway for one of you to win a copy.

On Pinterest I found...
  • Not quite on Pinterest but a list of Homeschoolers using Pinterest over at the Homeschool Chicks website.

I’m grateful for…
A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Mark your calendar. . .


Blessings

Chareen


Photo collages made with: Photoscape a FREE photo editor

Friday 14 June 2013

Master Books Free Book Friday - {365 Fascinating Facts about Jesus}

Welcome to Free Book Friday from Master Books a division of the New Leaf Publishing Group.  I have a love affair with the beautiful books published by Master Books and when I saw a shout out on their Facebook page for people to host their FREE book Friday I put my hand up.

My love affair with their books started when Sonlight introduced them to me when I was doing Science F with my children and read The History of Medicine.   This book was the kind of living book you do not want to put down until you have read it till the very end.

Today Master Books has generously donated a digital copy of 365 Fascinating Facts about Jesus by Robert Strand for one person to win. Simply use the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this post to enter.



365 Fascinating Facts about Jesus

  • Imprint New Leaf Press
  • Title 365 Fascinating Facts about Jesus
  • ISBN 13 9780892214884
  • Author Robert Strand
  • Binding Paperback
  • Page Count 224
  • Publisher New Leaf Publishing Group, Inc.
  • Dimensions (in inches) 5 3/8 x 8 3/8 x 1/2



Sample
Connect with Master Books
You can purchase this book from
  1. New Leaf Publishing
  2. Amazon
  3. Barnes & Noble
  4. For you Kindle via Amazon
Please be sure to read the Terms and Conditions of this give away BEFORE entering.

Blessings
Chareen

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions

  • The prize is ONE Digital copy of 365 Fascinating Facts about Jesus
  • This giveaway is offered to  Australia (QLD, NT, TAS, VIC ) and the rest of the world
  • Sorry if you are living in ACT & NSW  Or Quebec Canada  you are ineligible to enter via my blog. Please read this article to see why.
  • The give away will commence at 6 AM USA EST time on Friday 15 June  and be open until Midnight Sunday 16 June 2013.
  • ONE  winner will be announced on Monday 17 June.
  • Master Books will contact the winner .
  • Prize can not be exchanged for money.
  • No purchase necessary to win.
  • Giveaways are held with Rafflebox; commenting will not enter you.
  • Must be 18 years of age or older at time of entry.
  • If prize winner forfeits or does not claim the prize, prize will be re-awarded via Rafflebox.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
  • This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
  • By entering this contest, you agree to release Every Bed of Roses and all associated parties/sponsors of any liability.
  • It is your responsibility to check the current price of any items before purchasing any of the products described in this blog post.
  • There are NO affiliate links contained in this post. 
  • Family members are not eligible to enter via my blog post.  
  • Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this product through the Master Books  I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations

Wednesday 12 June 2013

Christianity Cove {Review}


One of the things I have enjoyed about being on the Schoolhouse Review Crew this year is discovering new vendors.  When the chance to review Christianity Cove came up I was really excited. Christianity Cove is a web based resource created by Mary-Kate Warner who is a Sunday School Director.  Her mission is to provide FREE ideas via her blog and PDF resources in her purchase product range to support Sunday school teachers in their ministry.  Prices vary between $1 - $29. The hardest part was deciding which two products I would like to use with Sir N.  I finally settled on The Ten Commandments and The Lord's Prayer.


The Ten Commandments
  • The Ten Commandments pack comes as a 26.7 MB PDF download upon purchase.  
  • Is is a 52 page resource 
  • Aimed for use with children in the age bracket of 4-11 years.
  • A comprehensive table of contents.
  • All the needed graphics are supplied and easy to print.
  • A materials list is provided at the beginning of each lesson, project etc
  • Ten Commandments - Currently $27 (Normally $47)
 Contents
  • 3 games
  • 3 craft projects
  • 2 Song options
  • 2 snack ideas
  • 3 worksheets 
  • A Science project

I started off by loading the PDF booklet onto my Galaxy Tab and reading through each lesson and craft suggestion.  Once I had a good overview and had decided which crafts we would do I printed those off.  They were all in black and white and all the instructions were easy to follow.  There were also excellent pictures of each craft making it easy to understand what to do with Sir N.  Now it was time to learn the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20).

We started by reading the story of how Moses was given the 10 Commandments by the Lord at Mount Sinai in his children's bible.  Each day we tackled a different project which reinforced his learning.  The games, songs, snacks, crafts and worksheets all focused us in the right direction.  The object lessons were well presented and helped us see that the Ten Commandments are just as relevant today as they were for the Israelite people in the days of Moses.

We really enjoyed using this resource.  It was well presented and required very little work to implement each lesson. For all the lessons and craft pages we had all the items on hand at home and for the food ideas we had most of the items too. All the instructions are comprehensively written and have photographs illustrating the steps or the completed project which made them easy to do as you had a visual clue to aim towards.

All in all Sir N and I enjoyed our adventure with the Ten Commandments.

The Lord's Prayer
  • The The Lord's Prayer pack comes as a 16.1 MB PDF download upon purchase.  
  • Is is a 35 page resource 
  • Aimed for use with children in the age bracket of 5-14 years.
  • A comprehensive table of contents.
  • All the needed graphics are supplied and easy to print.
  •  Lord's Prayer - Currently $19.99 (Normally $39.99)
Contents
  • 2 Object lessons
  • 2 games
  • 3 crafts
  • Songs
  • 2 Worksheets
  • 2 Snack options
I saved the PDF to my Galaxy Tab and spent time reading and gaining an understanding of the principles being aimed at through each lesson. We started this section of learning by reading the story of how Jesus shared the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)with His disciples. We had one of the recommended resources for memorising The Lord's Prayer and played this CD regularly as we learnt the words (we are still in the process).

For the projects we are working our way through them.  Sir N loves hands on things to do.  All of the projects are easily completed with items on hand at home.  One of them needed dowel sticks and I simply replaced them with wooden skewers. Their are comprehensive instructions for all the crafts and activities. They are well written out but being a visual learner I found some a little bit hard to follow. This can easily be remedied with a couple of photographs illustrating the point in the same way as they were done for The Ten Commandments craft instructions.

Each of the lessons/crafts/activities illustrated an aspect of prayer in a practical way helping Sir N to understand it better.  Prayer is something that we have always done with him but struggle to get him to partake in.  This series is helping him come to a deeper understanding of prayer and that God hears us even when we don't think that He does and all of this regardless of the outcome that we see.

Connect with Christianity Cove

The thing I enjoyed about teaching through these lesson packs was that they were short and easy to implement.  On average it took 10-15 min a lesson.  It was fun and did not meander to make a point. We have taken slightly longer to work through the lessons than we thought but are enjoying them.

Each pack is specifically designed for Sunday School use but can be very minimally modified for home use to equip you to use all your child's senses to teach the topic at hand.  You do not need to do all the lessons you can pick and choose mix and match at your leisure and according to your need.

At present Christianity Cove have 26 resources in their Sunday School Product Range. The crew were given the opportunity to review 15 of these products. Don't forget to pop on over and read the reviews from the rest of the crew on how they used the following products.

  1. Outstanding Object Lessons
  2. Bible Science Experiments
  3. 100 Simple Service Projects
  4. Daily Dilemmas: 26 True-to-Life Devotions for Kids
  5. Freedom Ride: 12 Lessons of Faith for Today's Teens
  6. "Tween a Rock and a Hard Place" Lesson Blueprints
  7. Bullying & the Bible Lesson Plans
  8. KidMin Power Pack
  9. Bible Memory Games
  10. The Divine Dozen: 12 Parables of Jesus Every Child Should Know
  11. Make & Take Bible Crafts
  12. New Testament Life Lessons
  13. Fruits of the Spirit Activity Kit

Blessings
Chareen


Photobucket

Saturday 8 June 2013

HSMJ The one where I am blessed with MADE

In my life this week…
I had a lot of good intentions until everything was turned on it's head with a little man turning 8 and a birthday party followed by a little 8 year old being sick for two days!  Sigh

In our home school this week…

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

I am inspired by…

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
  • A birthday play date at a park to celebrate Sir N's 8th birthday.
  • Kelly Sports
  • Dr's appointments for Paul.

My favorite thing this week was…
  • Being blessed with two gifts when it was actually my son's birthday. 

What’s working/not working for us…
  • Sleeping in late in the mornings.  I should know better but it's winter and it's cold and late nights do not help either.

Questions/thoughts I have…
  • Do you use YouTube for school ?
Things I’m working on…
  • A review for Christianity Cove
On My Bedside Table ...
  • . . .

In Bloggy world I’m reading…

I’m cooking…

On Pinterest I found...
  • Lucinda Leo from over at Navigating by Joy has some great homeschool boards.

I’m grateful for…
Made eCourse: Exploring God-Centered Creativity A wonderful relatively new friend who has blessed me with an opportunity to attend Made this year. Here is a list of SOME of what we will be learning: Art Journaling, The Art of Creative Living, Scripture Excavation & Art Journaling, Creativity and Freedom, Learning to Lead, Midrash and Collage, Capturing Everyday Blessings, Calligraphy, Meditation & Worship, Inspiring Creativity, ...

I am looking forward to these 16 weeks starting on the 1 September and runing to the end of December. That's four months and 16 workshops.  Pop on over to read more.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…


Blessings

Chareen


Photo collages made with: Photoscape a FREE photo editor