Our Homeschool Reviews

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Micro Business for Teens Review

We are always on the lookout for business opportunities in our family. Funny Bunny has made bead jewelry and crafts in the past and has done well selling them to friends and family. I've also had my hand in making and selling hair accessories and various crafts. One thing we have learned from these experiences is that we enjoy making and selling things together.

So I was really excited to get the opportunity to review Micro Business for Teens. We received three ebooks:

Starting a Micro Business for Teens
Running a Micro Business for Teens
Micro Business for Teens Workbook

Starting a Micro Business for Teens is geared for ages 10-18. Funny Bunny and I read through this book together. It includes a wealth of information and I was happy that it was simple enough for pre-teens and teens to understand but great for adults too.

It gives great information and tips, as well as examples of the businesses actual teens have started. Funny Bunny really enjoyed reading about other teens.

Running a Micro Business for Teens is all about...you guessed it...running a Micro Business for teens. :) This book really gets into sales, marketing, customer service, record keeping, and more.

Funny Bunny and I have read most of it together but we are not quite to the point of running our business so we slowed down a bit.

The Micro Business for Teens Workbook goes along with both Starting a Micro Business for Teens and Running a Micro Business for Teens and will help put into place what you have learned.

Since we received the e-books, I selected several worksheets from the Business Plan for Funny Bunny to complete.

For her to be able to answer the questions, she really had to take a harder look into what she wants to do.

Funny Bunny had many business ideas, several of them having to do with dogs. She loves our dog Maisy and all dogs are special to her.

She narrowed her choices down to having her own Dog Treat Business. I'm thinking she should combine it with dog walking or pet sitting, but right now she wants to try her hand at making and selling dog treats.

We were able to find a very simple recipe using ingredients we already had on hand and some cookie cutters we own. This way we could test out a recipe without being out of pocket.

Then we tried them out on our dog Maisy. She loved them of course! She was being very patient in this picture.

And tried them out of the two dogs across the street, Ace and Junior. They seemed to like them too. They were not as patient...lol!

We still have some more things to work out, like the packaging, labeling, and advertising, but this was a start. I'm hoping to post an update once we get things up and running.

Thoughts of an 11-Year Old: Micro Business for Teens is a great step-by-step guide for teens and tweens to learn how to easily start up a micro business. These books really help you start a micro business, keep it going, advertise it, and avoid financial problems, as well as giving examples of other teens' businesses. I think more teens and tweens will be able to start a micro business after reading Micro Business for Teens!

Find Out More: Find out more online at Micro Business for Teens. Starting a Micro Business for Teens and Running a Micro Business for Teens are $9.95 each for the paperback and $4.95 each for the e-book. The Micro Business for Teens Workbook is $14.95 for the paperback and $9.95 for the e-book. They also offer Money and Taxes in a Micro Business.

Be sure to also check out their Free Teachers Guide and Starting a Micro Business YouTube video.

You can find out more about Micro Business for Teens on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

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Monday, May 19, 2014

Menu Plan Monday - May 19

For the most part my meals were pretty boring this week, but we did get a chance to eat out a few times. We just love eating at Your Pie and veggies are free so you can see below I like to load them on! Here's my no cheese, whole wheat, veggie pizza.

Last night we decided to do a fruit and veggie tray for dinner, along with homemade sushi rolls and pitas with hummus. These were hubby's first three rolls...they got better as he made more. Mine had cucumber and avocado. Yum!

For the menu this week our dinners will include:

Cheater Pad Thai
Spaghetti and a Salad
Black Bean Fajitas

And for dessert I'm going to try these Sunshine Muffins. Don't they look good?!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: Elsa

Drawn by Funny Bunny on the paper table covering at a restaurant.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Menu Plan Monday - May 12

This weekend we took a 3-day trip to Disney and I tried my very best to eat plant-based. I didn't eat perfect by any means, but I just wanted to show that you can eat healthy while on vacation, even at Disney. Below is the rundown of my weekend meals while away. For breakfast I ate fruit and I did bring a couple raw granola bars for snacks. I also had samples of Funny Bunny's and hubby's desserts!! :)

Friday

Lunch at Sunshine Seasons at Epcot - Tamarind vegan meat with jasmine rice

Dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh at Epcot - Couscous with vegetables

Saturday

Lunch at Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom - Quinoa salad

Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table at Magic Kingdom - Salad, roasted veggies and rice, and no sugar added lemon sorbet with blueberries

Sunday

Lunch at a food cart in Animal Kingdom - Pitas, carrots, celery, and hummus

This week I'm eating a lot of the same old things, so I'm not going to post my boring menu. Planning to have some new recipes next week!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Maestro Classics Review

Do your children enjoy listening to music and stories on CD? If so, you really need to check out Maestro Classics. We learned about them back in 2001 and have since purchased a couple of their CDs. Then just recently we had the opportunity to review two more CDs: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

Maestro Classics has created a classical music CD series for children ages 5 to 12 and their families. The series includes narration and performances with the London Philharmonic Orchestra along with child friendly stories and explanations.

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is a fun story about Mike and his steam shovel Mary Anne. Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne have worked together for a long time and have dug trenches and canals through mountains and have made airports for the planes.

But when the new gas shovels and the new diesel shovels and the new motor shovels took the place of the steam shovels, will Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne be able to find any more jobs where no one wants them anymore?

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is about a magician and his young apprentice Fritz. The sorcerer has only done magic in front of Fritz once, to bring water to the well. But he has ordered Fritz to do no magic. One day, the sorcerer goes out, telling Fritz to bring water to the well. Fritz tries the spell, but soon water is everywhere and it's out of Fritz's control, only knowing one magic spell. How will Fritz solve his problem?

We listened to both CDs multiple times in the car. Both come with a 24-page activity book that includes biographies, sheet music, information on instruments, games, and more.

My Thoughts: These CDs are great for young and old alike! I love how they mold children's literature with classical music in a way that is enjoyable for kids of all ages. And the booklets that are included have a wealth of information. Funny Bunny enjoys reading through them while the CD is playing.

Thoughts of an 11-Year Old: I didn't have a favorite between the two. I liked both the Sorcerer's Apprentice story and the Mike Mulligan music. I guess that makes them even. But I did like, in Mike Mulligan, how they interpreted their music. If you'll listen closely when they talk about Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne digging huge canals, for instance, they play a mix of "Eerie Canal" and "What Should We Do with a Drunken Sailor". And, of course, if you've seen Disney's Fantasia, you'll guess why I like the "March of the Brooms" song in the Sorcerer's Apprentice!

Find Out More: You can find more online at Maestro Classics. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and The Sorcerer's Apprentice are each $16.98 for the CD or $9.98 for the MP3 download. Mike Mulligan is recommended for ages 4+ and families and The Sorcerer's Apprentice is recommended for ages 6+ and families.

You can also find Maestro Classics on Facebook or Pinterest.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Menu Plan Monday - May 5

Today starts Day 1 of a new 28-day plant based challenge with a few friends. I've been mostly plant based since February 3rd but I'm hoping this challenge will re-energize me and I'll find some new and fresh recipes.

My goal is to eat plant strong by following a plant based diet with no extracted oils and limited processed foods. My two challenges this month will be an upcoming three day trip and a family gathering Memorial Day weekend.

In the past three months I've only eaten meat three times {two times were just a bite to taste hubby's meal when he asked me} and the last was this weekend. I totally caved and had my pig out day yesterday. :)

So today I'm starting fresh!! We went grocery shopping yesterday and today I'll be picking up my organic produce bag from our local co-op.

Breakfasts:
My Own Variation of Rip's Big Bowl

Lunches:
Leftovers
Quinoa Bowl with Vegetables

Dinners:
Burritos with Spanish Rice and Black Beans
Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce and a Salad

Black Beans and Brown Rice Extravaganza

Baked Potatoes with Broccoli

Snacks:
Fresh Fruit
Fruit and Nut Bars {will be taking with me on the trip}
Vegan Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cake
Single Serve Blueberry Muffin

If there is anyone who would like to join me in this challenge, please comment below. I'd love to hear from you!

Friday, May 2, 2014

ARTistic Pursuits Sculpture Technique: Model Review

We are no strangers to ARTistic Pursuits! We've reviewed two of their Elementary books and again we have the pleasure of reviewing another. This time it's one of their newest books called Sculpture Technique: Model.

While this book builds on the concepts of their other new book, Sculpture Technique: Construct, it can also stand alone in teaching modeling methods, which is how we used it.

As soon as we received it in the mail I knew we would love it!!

I quickly flipped to the Table of Contents to find there are three units.

Unit 1: Creating Mass with Putty
Unit 2: Creating Scale with Clay
Unit 3: Creating Surface with Fiber

There is also a list of art supplies, which is also nicely broken down into units.

I am so thankful that the art supplies were easy to find and use. Unit 1 requires Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty, which I had never heard of, but we easily found at Home Depot in the painting section. And it was fairly inexpensive. You can see the large can of it below.

Each unit starts with an explanation of the topic, tools, and materials needed. Then came the instructions and steps to complete the project. I cannot tell you how pleased I was with the instructions! So many times I have started a project with Funny Bunny and things did not turn out the way we planned or we just gave up because the instructions were not clear. These instructions were very well laid out and easy to understand!!

Funny Bunny, hubby, and I started with Unit 1: Creating Mass with Putty. The first project was to create a flat sculpture using the Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty.

Sculptures are taking shape

End results are a fish, turtle, and a lizard

The next project they worked on was to create a sculpture with static mass. The book discusses what static mass is and gives a couple examples.

Sitting duck

The final project they worked on was to create sculpture with dynamic mass. Static and dynamic mass are compared and a few more examples are given.

Walking dog

Here they are all taped up before the putty

Funny Bunny is still trying to decide if she wants to paint them. We were able to find the paints at a local craft store, but ARTistic Pursuits has made it easy for you to buy them through their site.

My Thoughts: We have all thoroughly enjoyed working in this book! The supplies were easy to find and the instructions for each project were very clear. We had never worked with putty before and it was so simple to use. We were all pleased with the results and can't wait to get started on the next unit.

Thoughts of a 10-Year Old: I liked the ARTistic Pursuits projects because they were fun and hands on and I was able to create something really nice. It was very fun to mix and mold the putty. My favorite sculpture is my duck. When I first began making it I didn't think it would turn out very good but when I finished I was surprised at how good it looked. I think the book had good instructions and I was able to do the majority of the projects by myself.

Find Out More: You can find more online at ARTistic Pursuits. Sculpture Technique: Model is $47.95 and in my opinion, well worth every penny! It's geared to ages 11-18, but as you can see from our review, older and younger may enjoy it.

You can also find them on Facebook.