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Thursday, October 24

Lost On A Mountain In Maine

Did you love My Side of the Mountain?  Then you should check out Lost on a Mountain in Maine!


Rated PG, Lost on a Mountain in Maine tells the inspiring true story of 12-year-old Donn Fendler, who becomes separated from his family by a fast-moving storm atop a treacherous mountain. For nine days, Donn fights to stay alive as he attempts to survive the unforgiving wilderness of northern Maine without food, proper clothing, or the knowledge of how bad his situation really is. His disappearance sparks a massive search effort that captures national headlines and attracts hundreds of volunteers, including his father, who fears he may never see his son again.

It's in theaters on November 1st.  Check it out here!

To get in the movie mood, you can also use this unit study on wilderness survival...

Lost on a Mountain in Maine is sure to be a family-night favorite...add it to your to-be-watched list this month!

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Review Wire Media for Blue Fox Entertainment. 

Tuesday, October 22

Is DuoLingo Worth It?


Encompassing instruction in over thirty languages, including both popular ones, such as Spanish and German, and culturally-specific ones such as Gaelic, Navajo, and Hawaiian, DuoLingo is one of the most well-known foreign language apps currently being used all over the world.  At only $120 / year for a family membership, the Super DuoLingo subscription offers up even more options for language learners, but is it worth it?


The first things users will notice upon logging into the app is how engaging and user-friendly it is.  Designed like a video game, and pulling heavily from behavior theory, the app can be addictive and make even the most reluctant language learner want to play.  Users race against the clock, earn points for correct answers, score bonus rounds, compete with other users, and even team up with other users to tackle larger challenges.  All of this can be very appealing, getting just about anyone to commit to learning a language even if they find it very difficult.  

It's worth noting that with the free version of the app, users are only allowed to make five mistakes (in a period of about four hours) before they cannot progress.  The game will shut down if they make any more than that, so there is a lot of incentive to purchase the 'super' version, which provides unlimited mistakes.  Given that we often learn the most from our mistakes, this is one point in favor of the paid version.

To best learn and retain new language skills, it's best to try and learn a little bit everyday rather than doing long lessons every once in a while.  Duolingo offers bite-sized lessons so that you can learn in as little as two minutes a day....or spend an hour or more learning if you have the free time.  Most learners aim for at least fifteen minutes a day, which can be broken up over several short lessons.  Waiting for a doctor's appointment?  Work on a few lessons!
The lessons circle back, revisiting previous vocabulary and grammar concepts and covering missed questions in each lesson review.  (Each lesson contains between three and five mini-lessons before the review.)  There are approximately twenty lessons in each unit, with a larger unit review before moving forward.  As you go through the review, it's easy to see how much you're learning and retaining.  Additionally, if you need extra explanations of the grammar and how it is used to form sentences, you can click on a link within the lesson for an additional grammar description and practice.

One difficulty with the shorter lessons and mastery cycle is that much of the language is taught in a closed loop - as in it's not part of a conversational mastery, but simply short sentences related to whatever topic that lesson is about.  Learners will be able to speak statements and questions, but that doesn't necessarily translate into conversation.  Think of it as more of a stilted, two-year-old type of conversation...but it's a place to start!

Recently, a new AI feature has been added for Super Duolingo users to practice speaking with a native (albeit artificial) speaker.  This is designed to help learners work on fluency and advancing their conversational skills.

Duolingo alone is probably not going to get a learner to fluency, and would best be coupled with a full-length curriculum or, even better, conversational practice with a native speaker.  However it's a fantastic starting point, provides an opportunity for students to explore a wide variety of languages, and can help foster basic communication among people with conversational barriers.

Two of our other favorite language programs, which Duolingo would definitely augment, are:

Wednesday, October 9

Roadschool Trip to the Poison Garden & WW2 England

 


Downtown Alnwick is full of old-world charm, from its quaint hotels and lively pubs to the cobblestoned streets running through the old city walls. Here you can venture to places such as The Chocolate Shop (yum!), found within the fortressed walls, to the famous Barter Books, found outside the walls.

Barter Books is one of the largest second-hand bookshops in Europe. The bookshop is in the Victorian-age Alnwick Railway Station, dating back to 1887. The station was in use until 1968, and was used as a storage unit during World War II. Just a few years after the station was transformed into a bookstore, the owners discovered a World War II poster from 1939 featuring the slogan, "Keep Calm and Carry On." They began reprinting the design and turned it into a global phenomenon!

Visitors to Barter Books will note that it uses a barter system (in addition to cash), where customers can exchange books for other books. It has many incredible, homey features that bibliophiles will adore, such as the open fires (in winter) and a buffet with coffee, tea, cookies, and light meals. Throughout the store, you'll find several sitting areas, including a children's room with toys. There are glass cases featuring antiquarian books (such as Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species'), and several train station features incorporated into the architecture. There is also a model train that links the various rooms!

Many of England's cities and towns have apothecary gardens — historical plots containing plants turned into treatments centuries ago by doctors, herbalists, and shamans. Most such gardens exist today to teach visitors about the history of medicine, and the Poison Garden at Alnwick Castle is one such.

"These plants can kill." That's what the gate leading into the Poison Garden says, and it's emblazoned with a skull and crossbones for good measure. Behind the bars is the deadliest garden in the world, and you can take a guided tour through it! Here you'll learn about hundreds of deadly plants as well as 100 infamous killers...

The duchess created this garden in 2005, wanting to add something unique to her garden with plants that would tell a good story. The garden's mission is to educate visitors about common (and uncommon) plants that are toxic. Children, particularly, are both educated and entertained by stories such as the "killing jars" of the Victorian era, which held laurel leaves that killed spiders or butterflies but left them intact — great for collectors.

When visiting, you'll be remanded not to smell, touch, or taste anything, though the occasional visitor faints from inhaling toxic fumes. Some of the species found in the garden include the source of strychnine, hemlock, cannabis, coca, the source of ricin, foxglove, deadly nightshade, and opium poppy.

Pick up activities and worksheets to augment your real or virtual trip in the unit study bundle below!

Explore the art, history, geography, food, and culture of England in this cross-curricular unit study….perfect for families getting ready to travel abroad or folks who want to travel via unit studies!  Each stop along the roadschooling trip covers a different facet of history and culture with unit information, resources, worksheets, activities, and more...  

YES!  I want 122 pages of FUN STUDIES!

Table of Contents:

  • o Introduction & Geography of England
  • o Portsmouth
    • o The Mary Rose & naval archaeology
  • o London
    • o The British Museum & archaeology
    • o The Wallace Collection & medieval history
    • o The Tower of London / London Bridge & the Tudors
    • o Buckingham Palace & royalty
    • o Victoria and Albert Museum & medieval art
    • o Thames / Globe Theater & Shakespeare
    • o Sherlock Holmes Museum & British Literature
    • o Abbey Road & British Invasion
  • o Leeds
    • o Royal Armouries & middle ages
  • o York
    • o Jorvik & Vikings
    • o York Castle & archaeology
  • o Haltwhistle
    • o Hadrian’s Wall & ancient Celts
    • o Vindolanda & archaeology
  • o Alnwick
    • o Alnwick Castle & architecture
    • o Poison Garden & herbs
    • o Barter Books & WW2 history
  • o Alnmouth
    • o North Sea & train history
  • o Newcastle o Segedunum & ancient Romans
  • o Tips & Tricks for Travelling in England