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education – Page 4 – Luv Saving Money

Category: education

Science Resource for Homeschooling: Greg Landry Homeschool Science

This post is sponsored by College Prep Science.

My kids love science. It’s one of their favorite classes in school. Homeschoolers don’t have to miss out on the science projects and education. Greg Landry is a veteran in the homeschool science subject.

Greg Landry is a homeschool science pioneer and offers online classes (for science leaning students and “non-science” students, science labs, ACT prep, a podcast for homeschool moms, and homeschool student-produced print publications.

Greg says he is first and foremost grateful. “The Lord has made me very aware of my need for a grateful heart. I’m grateful for a God who knows me and loves me (with all of my faults), for my family, for the thousands of homeschooling families I’ve had the privilege of  working with over the past 20 years, for the magnificence of His Creation, and for the trials in my life (James 1:2-4 ) that shape and mold me, humble me, produce perseverance, and mature me in my faith.”

Greg is a husband to his bride of 30+ years, a homeschool dad, and a former college professor. He and his wife homeschooled their two daughters. Both of them have graduated from college, and Greg says, “most importantly, both of them love Jesus. For that, we are very grateful.”  He grew up in French / Acadian South Louisiana (three of his grandparents were French speakers) and he loves the South Louisiana culture. At age 18 was invited to tryout with the Philadelphia Phillies baseball organization. He played baseball and football in college and holds a master of science degree from LSU (Louisiana State University).

He has a heart for students and a passion for science… but more specifically a passion for teaching students to see God’s hand in every aspect of His creation that surrounds us. His goal is to help them see that God’s creation didn’t just happen by chance – it wasn’t an accident, a fluke of nature.

Greg has spent the past 20+ years teaching science. He taught at a university, taught thousands of homeschooled students, has mentored students planning to pursue science / pre-med degrees, has designed and directed a university anatomy and physiology/biology cadaver lab, has published and presented scientific research, has academically counseled hundreds of college pre-professional (pre-med, pre-dental, pre-physical therapy, etc.) sophomores and juniors, has designed science labs for homeschooled students, and has written science lab manuals. 

Ten years ago he originated the “pre” classes (Pre-Biology, Pre-Anatomy & Physiology, Pre-Chemistry, and Pre-Physics) as a means of minimizing the intimidation of high school level science and preparing middle school age students for specific high school level classes. As one homeschool mom described it, “Greg has a unique ability to pull out the most important information and present it in a way that’s interesting and easy to understand.”

The thrust of Greg Landry homeschool science is to give homeschooled students access to Christian Worldview science that is focused on scientific inquiry, critical thinking, process reasoning, data collection, and the graphical and written representation of research. Greg says, “we want to prepare competent, confident students for their remaining high school years, their college years, and life. 

Greg and his wife live near Nashville, TN. His desire is to follow the Lord’s leading in teaching students to illuminate the incredible creation the Lord has put all around us. It reveals His glory!

​Homeschool dad, scientist, and former college professor, Greg Landry, offers live, online homeschool science classes, Homeschool ACT Prep Bootcamp, the Homeschool Mom’s Science Podcast, in-person two-day science lab intensives nationwide, freebies for homeschool moms, and student-produced homeschool print publications.

KiwiCo Box Review: Tinker Crate for Ages 9 – 16+

KiwiCo has been around for a while. I remember subscribing to Kiwicrate when my oldest boys were pretty young. They were great to do on rainy or cold days. It was also a nice option to have when we had unplug time. I am not the mom that comes up with all these creative ideas. I’m the mom that searches Pinterest for ideas with materials I have.

KiwiCo subscription boxes come with the instructions and materials you need for each project. KiwiCo has grown quite a bit and has so much to offer now. When I got it for my older boys it was just craft. Craft boxes are still available but so are: Atlas Crates for Geography and Culture, Eureka Crates for Engineering and Design, Koala Crates for Play and Learn, Tinker Crates for Science and Engineering and more.

I let my youngest son (10 yrs old) handle this review. He chose the Tinker Crate for ages 9 – 16+. He was so excited when it came in, he couldn’t wait to get cracking on it. This particular box gave him the opportunity to build a moving robot!

He started taking everything out of his KiwiCo Tinkercrate methodically. Once he found the directions he started there (I knew he was smart). He sorted through and found each pack of pieces and spread them out on the table. Once he was sure everything was there he begun his project.

He worked so diligently putting his robot together. He carefully punched out pieces, connected wires, realized when he made a mistake and fixed it. It was enjoyable watching him work.

What I liked about it is it seemed to take just the right amount of time. It was challenging enough that he had to figure out how the parts went. But it was not above his level that he was getting frustrated. I waited for him to ask me for help but he didn’t. There was one part where he wasn’t sure about something. Instead of telling him how to fix it I asked him a question “Do you think you have that facing the right direction?” It was then that he realized he didn’t and was able to correct it.

I know I talked a lot about my thoughts here so I want to share some of my son’s thoughts. He told me he really liked the Tinker Crate and said “I wouldn’t mind subscribing to that”. I asked him “So you must have liked it then huh?” He said “yep!” He was so proud of his creation that he made by himself.

There are KiwiCo crates available for all ages and interests. There’s a box for 0 – 24 months called Panda Crate all about Explore and Discover. They go all the way up to Eureka Crate for Engineering and Design and Maker Crate for Art & Design for ages 14 – 104 so yea mom and dad, you could even get one. I love the variety and the quality of the projects. Choosing an age appropriate crate is the key. Some age levels have multiple interests to choose from.

Order your KiwiCo Crate HERE

I received a promotional sample to complete this review. Any opinions expressed are my own. This post does contain affiliate links. I will earn a commission from transactions are completed through my links.

How Far Would Borrowers Go For Student Loan Forgiveness?

My College Story

When I went into college, my job title was hyped as an “in demand” job. I chose an “affordable” two year school. I use the word affordable loosely because college is expensive. But my school was “affordable” compared to many others.

Being the oldest of 4 kids in my family, we had really hoped I’d get more financial help. In the end I got $800 a year in grants which barely covered my books. I was only able to take out about $6000 in student loans because I had no credit history and my parents had to take out the rest. I competed twice for a $2500 scholarship my school offered. Both times I made it to the final round only me and one other person. Both times I ended up losing out. The one person I lost to was a classmate that ended up failing out after only 6 months.

Then half way through my program, big changes came about with health insurance. Suddenly the school was talking about “alternative jobs” with our degree. “oh you can be an activity director or a work with architects to help make handicap accessible buildings, etc. Wait wait, why can’t I used my degree? You don’t need a degree to be an Activity Director. I also found the dirty secrets behinds college job placement claims. The truth is, if the college helps place you in a job…any job… even the Activity Director job or heck as a cashier, they can say they placed you in a job even though it’s not what you actually paid for.

Survey Says…

Which brings us to the interesting survey completed by lendedu.com. Just what would borrowers be willing to do for student loan forgiveness?

More Results

1000 adult Americans with some amount of student loan debt were surveyed. The results were interesting.

  • 30% would enlist to fight in a hypothetical World War 3 if it meant their student loan debt was completely forgiven
  • 60% would give up all streaming services for life
  • 52% would give up all payment methods besides cash for life
  • 49% would give up being vegan or have to become vegan for life
  • Only 17% would give up hot showers for the next 25 years, the lowest percentage in the report

Me personally, I wouldn’t have a problem giving up streaming services. I don’t watch much tv anyway. The rest, I’m not so sure about.

The New Buzzword Around Dieting “Mindful Eating” But What Is it?

When you see the term Mindful Eating you might have an idea what it means. I thought I did when I first saw it. I guess I did in a simplified version but the more I learned about it, the more it really opened my mind. It also opened a new door regarding the way I eat.

Over-simplified, mindful eating is being aware of what you’re eating and being aware of what your body actually wants. – Angie Beechan LuvSavingMoney.com

If you’ve tried to follow just about any app, diet plan, or “lifestyle change” program recently you may have heard things like “Are you really hungry or are you actually thirsty?” or “Do you really want that chocolate cake or are you eating it just because it’s there?” Things of that nature. That’s part of it.

If you think the opposite way and think about “mindless eating” one might picture someone sitting in front of a tv throwing down a whole bag of chips. Or grabbing a cookie from the cookie jar every time you go past because it’s become habit. They might not even realize they’re doing it all the time, it’s almost become automatic.

I’ve been learning about mindful eating through Noom but I’m seen it mentioned in several places recently. So mindful eating would become more aware of your habits, your surroundings, and your triggers. Learning to slow down and appreciate your food without preventable distractions such as cell phones and televisions. Learning to appreciate the flavors in your food, the textures, the sources and ingredients. If you’re wondering about lunch with friends or dinner as a family, it’s actually beneficial. Sitting around a table eating and talking rather than sitting wherever you land while playing on your phone. Taking in the atmosphere, the smell from the foods, etc.

So maybe that’s an extreme example but it does help me to slow down and enjoy the food more and appreciate it. It’s not inhaling Doritos while writing a blog post (cough cough I have no idea who used to do that).

Sometimes it’s catching yourself when you mindlessly grab for the cookies on the table and you say to yourself, “ok Ang, you’ve already had a cookie but you’re not really hungry” or “I think I want it because it’s sweet and crunchy, l’ll eat an apple instead.”

So I hope this post has helped you understand the mindful eating buzzword a little better.

Penn State Extension Offering “Dining With Diabetes” Course

If you or someone you care about has recently been diagnosed with Diabetes, it can be hard to wade through all the information rushing at you. Medication changes/additions, diet changes, lifestyle changes, can all be overwhelming. Talking to your doctor or a dietician can definitely help. Penn State Extension wants to help with their “Dining with Diabetes” course.

Pictures used with permission of Penn State Extension via PR contact


“Dining with Diabetes” is a nationally accredited diabetes education program that is geared toward anyone who has type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, has a family member with type 2 diabetes, or is at risk for developing diabetes. Trained extension educators, in consultation with registered dietitians and diabetes educators, lead the discussions.

Each class offers information on healthy food and physical activity choices, food demonstrations and tasting, and guidance on important numbers to know for managing diabetes. In addition to program-related booklets, participants will receive the Dining with Diabetes cookbook and have the option of having their A1C tested at the first and follow-up classes. A1C is a nonfasting blood test obtained by a finger stick. Results show a three-month average blood glucose level.

For more information or to register, visit the Penn State Extension website at extension.psu.edu/dining-with-diabetes or call 877-345-0691. You can search the courses by county to find one near you.

Individuals who want to learn how to better manage diabetes are invited to participate in a course offered by Penn State Extension from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on November 1, 8, 15, and 22 at the Ross Library, 232 West Main Street Lock Haven, PA. This class will be offered for free. Reference the link above to find more availability at other Penn State Extensions.

When it comes to your health, classes like these can be a fun and valuable way to learn from experts on what to do. It’s a great venue to ask questions. Why would this choice be better than that choice? I love (insert food) what can be a good substitute? What exactly is A1C? Etc

If you know someone who could benefit from these courses, please share this post with them.