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The Value of Learning How to Type in Education & Psssst! A Little Something For You – A Giveaway

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This Giveaway is now closed! Thanks for stopping by! Guess what? I plan on doing another giveaway for this wonderful typing program in the summer right before back to school.  Be sure you are following me to know about it. The winners are listed at the bottom of this post after I draw them.

Learning how to type was something I valued learning in high school.  Dare I mention that the typewriter I learned to type on was even older than an IBM Selectric typewriter, which is dinosaur old by today’s fast changing standards.  It had one of those moving carriages and weird me loved looking up at the end of a sentence as I pushed the carriage return back to the left.

Though moving carriages and the more advanced sphere like ball, which replaced moving carriages are both things of the past, the skill of touch typing is alive and thriving.

How Did You Learn To Type?

Because typing is a necessity in this fast changing world of technology and a life long skill that I know my kids will use, I have been searching for a typing program that fits my standard.  It has not been easy.  So I was thrilled to receive Ultimate Typing and to use it with both of my sons these past few months.

(I received Ultimate Typing free in exchange for my honest opinion.  All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my kids.  And for sure I will tell you what is on my mind. Click here if you want a full disclosure.)

touch typing in education-1

Oh sure there are some free programs and other typing programs I used when the kids were little that taught them some light typing.  But now that they are older, I have been looking for a solid program that goes beyond just fun.

Look at my list of what I think a well-rounded learn how to type program should include:

  • Tutorials should be state of the art.  With the technology we have today, my interactive learners like video teaching and the videos should be high quality and engaging.  Boring lessons on a blank page do not do it for us.  I mean this is typing right? So I need it a bit more lively;
  • My older kids should be able to do it independently;
  • Don’t penalize me because I have a large family or want to use it with multiple children.  Even if I had one child, I may want to use the program for myself or brush up on my skills without worrying that I am breaking copyright laws.  Complicated pricing for multiple users is a big turnoff for me;
  • It should have incremental teaching tips;
  • It needs to educate my boys on ergonomics because when sitting for a long time, it is important to take care of their hands, wrists and back.  I had a test in high school on the importance of posture and its affect on the body.  Of course this was because I was a serious typist typing 130 words a minute in my prime, but its important that my boys know how to correct back or hand problems if they have them;
  • Because my boys are not preschoolers or kindergarteners, I want a tracking system that I can use for each child to chart their progress, which is not babyish;
  • I want it meaty enough so that I can count it as a high school credit elective for Mr. Awesome;
  • I want it to have easy to read text with bright and clear pictures; and
  • And for both age groups, I want lots of games and ways to make it fun.

I got all of this and so much more as we used Ultimate Typing over the past few months.  At first I was hesitant about accepting the curriculum for review because of the lack of well, glamour, in previous programs I have used.  Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t just want something that is state of the art with high quality graphics that is pretty to look at, but it had to teach typing in a way that is not boring.

After I unwrapped Ultimate Typing, I instantly saw the superior quality.  There is just no comparison to other programs I have used over the years and that includes comparing what you get for the price too.

learn how to type ultimate typing 1 learn how to type ultimate typing 2
learn how to type ultimate typing 3 learn how to type ultimate typing 4

Ultimate Typing has a variety of games and exercises for every age learner, which is one fact that I really love.  Also though, a high quality video precedes the lesson to explain what to do and what you will cover.  Watch the high quality tutorial and begin your lesson.  The boys don’t need me standing there.

The boys hunted and pecked with free programs when they were young, but wanting to seriously learn how to type so that it is a life-long skill requires a program where you actually learn how to type.  I am glad we have used free things over the years as it strengthened their finger skills.  But teaching my last two boys how to type shouldn’t take as long as it did with Mr. Senior 2013 because of not having an actual typing program instead of just playing games.

Bored and Board

There is no substitute for old fashion drill, repetition and practice when learning how to type.  So I certainly don’t envy the company that can make tutoring that skill a lively one and Ultimate Typing has done just that.

learning how to typeThere is even practices for dictation and the first one was A Tale of Two Cities. learning how to type
Love the fact that even though my sons have not got there yet, the advanced lesson topics include vowels and diphthongs, common phrases and prefixes and suffixes to name a few.
learning how to type when there is a mistake learning how to type

Educators know that the value of typing is the ability to be able to articulate and convey ideas without being hampered by fine motor skills.

Though I feel that cursive handwriting will always be the hallmark of a well-educated child, learning how to type is essential today.  Communicating ideas through typing allows any level of writer to focus on his overflowing ideas instead of formation of letters.

Whatever the complexities about keyboards too, most young children start learning quickly on them and their passion to express their ideas needs to be nurtured.

learn how to type ultimate typing 8

Ultimate Typing touts several honors and recognition and rightly so.  I too am proud to partner with Ultimate Typing because I want to use a first-rate typing software in my homeschool.

There is so much more to Ultimate Typing that you will want to visit Ultimate Typing’s site to take it all in.

One more unique feature though I have to tell you about and that is after completing this program a certificate is issued to you stating that you have successfully completed this comprehensive course.   Knowing that Mr. Awesome will have this skill to add to his high school diploma just makes his future opportunities for employment a bit more aggressive.

learn how to type typing certificate

Who knows maybe the Mr. who refuses to give up his hunt and peck style will give Ultimate Typing a try also.

If I had to change one thing about it, I would change the name of a few of the games.  Some of the games like beat the monster says to type in the magic spells and another one is titled ghosts.  Again, a program of this caliber and high quality doesn’t need to use those title names.  Titles like solve using your detective skills or mystery type games would be just as appealing to learners.  Though there are plenty of other games to choose from, I did want you to know that.

Overall, I am delighted to partner with Ultimate Typing and to tell you about them because they have been committed to not only make learning to type educational, but to make it entertaining.

Ultimate Typing is a program that your family grows into and never outgrows.

Guess what? The folks at Ultimate Typing love giveaways and love educators too. So I will be giving away 2 programs.

Product Facts a Glance Learn How To Type in Your Homeschool

Product Name: Ultimate Typing

Prices:  Windows version: $29.95

Mac: $29.95

License: Unlimited User Accounts. {I love this because we can ALL use it.}

Type of Product:  Instant download.

Customer Service: I received my download on time and it installed safely and quickly.  Also, when I had questions, I received timely answers.

Ages: 7 to Adult. Love this fact that you never outgrow this program either!

Social Media Links:

Facebook

Twitter @ultimatetyping

Google +

All prices are good at the time of this blog post.

A Giveaway! Yipppeeeeeee

>>>>>>> RULES. Let’s keep it easy. <<<<<<<

  •  The Giveaway for 2 Ultimate Typing programs starts today and ends Saturday April 5, 2014 @ 2:00 p.m. CST.  Winners will be chosen by Random dot org and I will notify the winners by email and post here on the blog.
  • Let me give you every chance to win and allow up to 2 entries on this baby.  Comment here on this blog post for all entries.  So one entry per comment here on the blog.

The first comment is your choice.

The second comment should be posted on one of the social sharing sites for Ultimate Typing (and then post the link here on my blog as your second comment).  Here are the social sharing sites again for Ultimate Typing.

Facebook

Twitter @ultimatetyping

Google +

Your comments/entries should look something like this.

1st comment. “I can’t live or school without this or I hope you are having a great day or I don’t like my kids.” (okay okay). Your choice!

2nd comment. “I commented or shared on (insert Google, Facebook or Twitter) and here is the link : (insert link)”

  • Lastly, because I can’t have once in a lifetime email readers, the winner has 24 hours to claim his/her prize or I will pick another winner.

Hope You Win & Let’s Get this Party Started!!  Come here to this blog post: The Value of Learning How to Type in Education & Psssst! A Little Something For You Too – A Giveaway, and I have even linked it for you.

Hugs and love ya,

2012Tinasignature Homeschool Organization – Forget Once a Month Cooking When Meal Planning

Congratulations to the 2 Winners! Comment Numbers 23 & 5

Danielle & Tanecia

Winner 2 Ultimate Typing Winner 1 Ultimate Typing

Danielle Hull
Mar 31, 2014 @ 13:37:54 

Thanks so much for the thorough review! We have been using a free program, but my oldest has completed it and is ready for something more!

Tanecia
Mar 31, 2014 @ 11:53:04 

This looks like a fun program!

Homeschool Organization – Forget Once a Month Cooking When Meal Planning

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Though I love to cook, I have been slow about sharing my tips about organizing meals only because I would rather organize my kitchen than cook in it.

But this month, my habit of freezing meals regularly paid off because my mom has been in and out of the hospital twice this month.

Besides the trips back and forth to the hospital, and feeding my family, my mom and dad also needed meals.

Simple Meal Planning – Forget Once A Month Cooking

Look at a few easy tips for meal planning that don’t take as much time as once a month cooking and is a great back up system when life is unplanned.

Homeschool Organization - Forget Once A Month Cooking

{I have spaghetti, stew, soup and breakfast frozen back.}

  •  Focus on freezing regularly while you cook.  Though I have done once a month meal cooking a lot more when the kids were young, the truth of it is it takes times.  Though the rewards are huge and I did save on my budget, sometimes I just didn’t have the time to devote to the planning, prepping and preparing.

Through the years, I have found that freezing a meal or two back when cooking regularly proves to be a huge help when you’re sick, when your parents are sick or just when you have the blahs and don’t want to cook or go through the drive-thru either.

  •  Prepare simple meals, include breakfasts.  One of my main go to breakfasts since breakfast is a real important meal to me is what I call a McDonald-like McMuffin, but only healthier because it’s home-made.

I scramble the eggs with whatever I want in them, usually onions and set it aside.  Then I toast the muffins.  After everything is cooled off, I build my muffin with scrambled eggs, add some cheese and cooked Canadian bacon and freeze it.  I use the bag the muffin came in to freeze them.

I make them over the weekend and usually have them in the freezer.  It takes about 2-3 minutes to warm it up (yep completely frozen) in the microwave and so there is no fuss in the morning for breakfast.

You can even bake your eggs ahead of time if you don’t want scrambled eggs.  Look at this recipe;

Homemade Egg McMuffins at the Baker Chick.

You can see one of my freezer packages in the picture above that I took to my parents.

  • Focus on crowd pleasers.  Because my teen boys are big eaters, I find that focusing on casseroles, lasagnas and spaghetti combinations can accommodate even picky eaters.  But too, having one or two meals like that in your freezer can feed another large family and is a crowd pleaser when you need it for an emergency meal.

Though I decided to cook chicken pot pie for my parents too, which is one of their favorite recipes of mine and I cooked more meals for a week, knowing that I had meals in my freezer to jump start my cooking process allowed me to serve my parents when they needed it.

Homeschool Organization & Hospitable

I have been loving reading about Freeze it Forward on Once a Month meals because everybody needs help at some time or the other and it just feels good when you can help out.

An organized homeschooler always has time to be hospitable and you don’t have to do over the top meal planning that might be more stressful than helpful.

Check out some more tips!

Menu Planning – A Lifesaver!

Homeschool Organization : Are you Collecting Cookbooks OR Recipes?

Day 10 1/2: Grocery Shopping, Cooking & Laundry. Oh My! + Free Printables {31 Day Boot Camp For New Homeschoolers on My Blog}

Hugs and love ya,

2012Tinasignature Day 8. Creating a Unit Study Lesson Plan. 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together.

Day 8. Creating a Unit Study Lesson Plan. 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together.

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Creating a unit study lesson plan is the culmination of gathering all the resources of your hard work. Unless you are using a premade unit study, you will want to develop the art of lesson planning.  I have mentioned before in How to Write a Simple But Effective Homeschool Lesson Plan that lesson planning is nothing more than a visual map of what you want to accomplish for the day, week, or month. You can do this! The educationalese do not have to be so overwhelming.

Unit Study Lesson Planning = Visual Map

Today, I will create that visual map for you.  Look at it below.

I have created lesson plans for week 1 for my Ocean Unit Study coming up based on the information I created from Day 4. Finalize Sub-topics. 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together and Day 5. Creating Unit Study Objectives. 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together.

Key to successfully planning your unit study is not just organizing your information into a workable plan, but creating engaging lesson plans too.

(Note: The form is from my Unit Study Planner)

Teaching is a learned art and lesson planning is no different.  Beginning your unit study is just as important as deciding how to end it.  So take time to think about a lure that will hook your children on the topic being introduced.

Do You Make these 4 Mistakes When Lesson Planning?

  • Notice that in my opening of the unit study I start with an edible tidal zone model. Though the idea is mine, the model is not.  The picture comes from a book that we already have at the house and we are going to make it an edible model.  So take your ideas for hands-on ideas from books that you have.  We are excited about making this and hopefully this will hook my kids on the topic of oceans.

The teacher in you may think that reading an opening chapter of a book is engaging. Though this may be true for some books, it is not the case with all of them.  I find that beginning my unit study with an activity creates the mood I want as we tackle another topic.  There is just no substitute for an engaging, interactive hands-on activity to begin your unit study.

Also, I looked back at the sub-topics that I wanted to stay focused on to decide my objective for the week. Since this is the beginning week, then I do want to focus on the basics of my topic. Think of the way a topic would naturally be introduced when lesson planning for the entire unit study.  Begin with the basics of a topic.

  • Focusing on the basics in the beginning instead of jumping right into complicated sub-topics will help your children remember key points from other unit studies that you considered that are linked to this one.  Give them time to simmer on the subject a bit.  Don’t rush the meditation process.

For example, for week 2 I will want to fold in some facts, as a reminder, that we learned from our study of a Coral Reef.  Having time to adjust to the topic for a week, they can now brainstorm and connect it with information they previously know.

Then, reviewing your lesson plans and using my form above, look at how easy I covered a variety of school subjects for the week.

  • Remember to not force a fit for the sake of covering that subject.  Though we do a unit study exclusively when we are focused on one,  I can have the boys supplement with math and grammar if needed.

Relax and design your lesson plans as an extension of your personality and with the unique strengths and weaknesses of your children in mind.  It is so much more enjoyable this way and meaningful.  As you can see from my form above that covering school subjects comes much easier than you think.

All of this looks good on paper right? Now, how do we execute all of this?  How does a day look in the life of a unit study family?  Next post, I will show you how we balance the day.

Hugs and love ya,

10 Days of Creating A Unit Study Together

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6 Reasons Why Buying at Great Homeschool Conventions Saves You Money + Free Curriculum Checklist Thru 12th Grade.

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Homeschoolers are known for being tight frugal.  Like you, I like free and inexpensive curriculum too.  Another facet though of being frugal is to avoid waste.  It can be a challenge to avoid waste especially with homeschool curriculum purchases.  But did you know that it can be easier to do that when you do purchase curriculum at a homeschool convention?

If you are still on the fence about going to Great Homeschool Conventions, check out these ways to save you money while you purchase your curriculum at the homeschool convention.

6 Reasons Why Attending A Homeschool Convention Saves You MoneyThis is a sponsored post and I am proud to be partnering with Great Homeschool Conventions this year because I LOVE their convention philosophy.  I love Kelley in this picture.  It seems she is always posing and I am always picture taking. Love it.

  • 1.) Avoid shipping cost and returns.  More than likely by taking time to examine what you are buying, the chances of returning it are pretty slim.  Avoiding shipping costs already saves you some pocket change.
  • 2.) Asking a publisher questions is equal to a mini private curriculum review.  Do you know that most curriculum providers love to talk about their products?  Not only do they love to talk about it, but they love to give you suggestions on how to use it and on things to avoid.  If the author is not in the booth, sometimes they hire some experienced homeschool families to work the booth who use their products.  They are normally chock-full of practical tips on utilizing the product.

How does this save you money? You avoid buying, returning, wasting time and trying out something else.  Personal 1:1 service is not something a mail order only curriculum company can tout.  Taking your time to look over your choice with curriculum in hand saves you stress and time.  What price do you put on your time, not being overwhelmed, and having what you need for the next school year?  Everybody prices or values their time differently.  It still costs you something.

  • 3.) Convention Specials.  Most curriculum providers have some kind of convention special.  Whether it’s a 2-fer or a discount, it is still a savings passed on to you because you are there.  Convention specials are one of my favorite things to ask about because I love free things.  True, sometimes it may be something free as small as a pencil or it could be as nice as free books if you buy x number of books which I have gotten before.  I also bought my science kits one year there because I knew they were going to be discounted and I didn’t want them shipped.  I would rather handle them with care as I make the trip back home.

Attending a product workshop for a product that you’re interested in not only educates you about a particular curriculum, but it really nudges you ahead of the learning curve when it comes to a subject.

As homeschoolers we have gifted children and children with special needs and finding a better fit is done easier at a homeschool convention product workshop where you have the experts to ask about their products.

Asking a vendor questions about your child is like having your own unique curriculum consultant.  Consultant services are not free in the homeschool world, but at a convention you have an expert at your fingertips.
  • 5.) Avoid over buying.  Though I joke a lot about my many purchases at a convention, the truth of it is I buy exactly what I want or need and no more.  Over buying to one person does not look the same to the next homeschooler.  For example, one year I might have a more lavish homeschool budget than I did the year before.  That would be the time to purchase those extra books for the next grade level.  This is a much better fit for a budget instead of buying sight unseen.
  • 6.) Price Comparison is accurate.  Pricing comparison is much more accurate at a convention.  For example, one science program may not include readers whereas another science program may include them.  Putting your hands on and seeing what you’re getting makes price comparison much more accurate and again you get a better value.

If you need to stick to a budget, you will be glad that you go to one of the homeschool conventions.

I also have some free forms to help you when you are at the homeschool convention so that you are sure to cover all the bases with your curriculum and to help you stay in your budget.

Look at this first one below that I use when doing curriculum counseling for homeschoolers.  I want you to have it so that you avoid some of the same mistakes in over buying.

At the top of the form, the first step is to be sure you know what the laws of your state or country are so that you meet them when making your purchases.  Then, I added in my definition of curriculum to help remind you to not just purchase books, but other things if your budget allows it.

2014 Curriculum Planning Sheet - Add requirements Sample

Add your children’s names at the top, and then check off as you make your purchases at the convention. Those parts are pretty self-explanatory.

But there is one fine point on the form that I want you to be aware of and that is where I have added the hot pink line.  In my many years of curriculum counseling, I have had to help homeschoolers shave their budgets.  Everyone is different about what is important to them, but one thing that is the same among any well educated child and that is they all have to have the 3 R’s.

If a child doesn’t study art or music, for example, right away, his reading ability will not be hampered for life.  However, if he does not read and write well, he might be handicapped for life.  So when having an extremely tight budget, pay attention to purchasing curriculum that is above the hot pink line first.  Subjects below the line though important can be purchased later or you can use the library to help you supplement them or fill in.

Tip:  Here is one example to try to help you purchase wisely.  If you purchase a history reader, it can serve both as fulfilling your reading and history.  So think about fulfilling two or more subjects when purchasing.

Download here. 2014 Curriculum Planning Sheet – Add requirements

Look at my other 3 forms in my posts that I have previously shared with you to help you make your purchases.

1.

Choosing a History Curriculum Cheat Sheet

How To Shop For History Curriculum at a Homeschool Convention + Printable Cheat Sheet

choosing a homeschool history program free cheat

2.

Master the Subjects Form When Homeschooling Multiple Children

5 Days Of The Benefits & Challenges of Teaching Mixed Ages Together – Day 4: Embrace Homeschooling Multiple Grades

Homeschooling Multiple Children Secret Planning Sheet Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus

3.

Teacher’s Manual Checklist

{How To Series} How to Determine if a Teacher’s Manual is Treasure or Trash? + {printable checklist}

Remember to register with Great Homeschool Conventions!

Click on the graphic above to register.

One more noteworthy detail and that is the official Great Homeschool Conventions blogger meet-ups are being planned for conventions.  Be sure to follow Great Homeschool Conventions to find out the exact details.  Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Did you make any purchases over the weekend at the Greenville, SC convention?  Do you feel more armed to buy at the great homeschool conventions?

Hugs and love ya,

2012Tinasignature How To Shop For History Curriculum at a Homeschool Convention + Printable Cheat Sheet

Does Homeschooling Leave You Stuck At Home?

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I was so inspired by this information that I had to share: “Does homeschooling leave you stuck at home”?  I guess you could view it that way.

Do you know that it never crossed my mind to view homeschooling this way.  Don’t get me wrong, I like to keep the roads burning up with activities as much as the next active mom.  But, I have always thought of homeschooling as a privilege, a blessing and one that I have savored.  True, there have been times I felt stuck with kids (I was. lol), but then again that was my choice.

I have always felt like the freedom of homeschooling lifts any burden that I may have thought I was going to have.  But I have never felt hemmed in.  Is that how you feel?

Does Homeschooling Leave You Stuck at Home?

What about you, do you feel stuck at home?  Do you feel like you gave up everything to homeschool?
Homeschooling
Source: BestMastersinEducation.com

Check out my 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers!

31 Days of Boot Camp For New Homeschoolers @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Hug and love ya,

2012Tinasignature History Makers Notebooking Pages – Famous Persons from Ancient to Modern – Set 2