Homeschool Curriculum Reviews

Read For the Heart by Sarah Clarkson

2011-05-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

I have had the opportunity through the TOS Crew to receive and review "Read For the Heart" by Sarah Clarkson.

What is Read For the Heart?

Keeping this volume close at hand is like having a child's librarian for a best friend! A great book spurs the imagination in childhood, inspires our dreams in adulthood, and nourishes the soul with depictions of life fully and courageously lived. Among the greatest gifts you can bequeath to a child are a love for reading and a passion for books. But how do you sort through the many thousands of books available to your children to find those that are worthwhile?

Let Sarah Clarkson be your guide to the best in literature for your family. From timeless classics to modern favorites, from picture books to adventure novels to read-aloud favorites, more than 1,000 wonderful stories for young people are recommended within these pages. Now you can make great literature a lasting part of your child's life and education.

My Thoughts on this Book:

I am absolutely in love with this book. It is hard to go through all the books that are out there to find appropriate ones for your children. Sarah has helped take the guesswork out of this difficult task. This is a great book to go to, to locate the perfect book to check out at the library or to purchase for your bookshelf. Includes brief descriptions that are right there with the listing. Includes many books not already in other booklist style books out there.

As a Christian parent of three growing children, I am concerned about the books my children are exposed to. It's difficult to really search out books that give good moral character lessons and are not full of worldly influence. This book is full of books that are worth reading and sharing. The book titles are listed by age groups and also includes a notice if there is upsetting content. A++ in my book!

Check out the other reviews from the TOS Crew on this book HERE

The Cost of this Product?

Retail cost of this paperback book is $17.00

Contact Info:

You can purchase this book at Apologia or wherever paperback books are sold

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Word Qwerty

2011-05-20T07:00:00.001-06:00

I have had the opportunity to receive and review Word Qwerty by Talking Fingers through my participation in the TOS Crew.

What is Word Qwerty?
From their website: "Wordy Qwerty: Foundations for Reading and Writing Fluency, takes 7-9 year olds through the steps of reading and writing fluency. Most children this age are able to write any word they can say. But they may not spell them all correctly, because they need to know a bit more about spelling conventions and about how words are constructed in English. This is where Wordy Qwerty comes in. In 20 consecutive lessons, woven together with fun-to-play games and delightful songs that will stay in their heads."

How to Use Word Qwerty?

Word Qwerty teaches your child 20 rules of spelling including below.
20 LESSONS IN WORDY QWERTY (SPELLING RULES)
Silent E
Sounds of C
Sounds of G
J or DGE
W or WH
C or K
CK or K
CKS or X
CH or TCH
LL, SS, FF, ZZ
OI or OY
VE Words
Open Syllables
Double Consonants
Doubling rule
ER, IR, OR, UR, EAR
I Before E
Plurals: Add ES
Plurals: Y to IES
Plurals: F to VES

Wordy Qwerty has 20 lessons, with six activities per lesson, that present the following foundations for fluency:

1. Some sounds can be represented in several different ways.
2. Most words follow about 20 easy spelling rules.
3. There are many word families, (words that sound the same, or rhyme). By changing the first letter(s), you can make hundreds of words.
4. Some words are "outlaws". They don't follow the rules. They must be recognized quickly and automatically.
5. Writing to dictation develops vocabulary, comprehension and fluency as well as spelling skills.
6. Reading (and filling in missing words) develops vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency skills.

Here above is an example of the stories they get a chance to type out. They hear what it's saying and from memory they type it out. This is a great way to get keyboarding skills along with their spelling skills.

My Thoughts on this Product?

I have my youngest son working through this. He is 9 but not a really good reader. I was hoping this program would help him understand the rules of spelling as well as show him how to read better. He really seems to enjoy working through each lesson as he builds his music machine. That is a huge motivator. At the beginning he was struggling with the filling in the story words after they were repeated. He had to keep clicking for it to be repeated since he isn't a good speller yet. I thought this part of the program was a bit difficult for the age range it's teaching. Overall, we enjoyed using this program and plan to finish it completely. If you'd like more info on this product you can click here to read more on their website.

Contact Info:

Talking Fingers, Inc.
830 Rincon Way
San Rafael, California 94903

Phone: (415) 472-3103

Toll Free: 1-800-674-9126

eMail:
contact@talkingfingers.com

Website:
http://talkingfingers.com/

The Cost of the Program:
If you'd like to purchase the online version the starting cost is $25.00 for one user and the license is good for 5 years.

They also have a CD version but is not Windows 7 or Mac 10.6 compatible. The CD Rom version is $35.00.

If you'd like to learn more about this product you can check out other TOS Crew members and see what they had to say HERE

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Mad Dog Math

2011-05-18T13:22:00.004-06:00

I have had the opportunity to receive and review Mad Dog Math through my participation in the TOS Crew.

What is Mad Dog Math?

From their website "Mad Dog Math is a supplement to any math curriculum... taking the basic facts and braking them down into bite-sized pieces that any child can master. A child progresses through a series of timed drills at his/her own pace."

How To Use This Product?

*Enables children to master their +, -, x, and ÷ facts in a fun challenging, exciting, and motivating way
*Math supplement for any math curriculum
*For grades K through 5th; remedial middle school and high school
*Standard, daily 10 minute time commitment from start to finish
*Huge body of math facts broken down into bite-sized pieces any child can master

There are three levels to this program plus a challenge level. Levels 1 and 2 are addition, subtraction and Level 3 is Multiplication and division. Each lesson consists of twenty math problems on levels 1 or w and twenty-four problems on the other two levels.

Your child will move through short, timed practice pages. It is designed around your child— if your child misses two or fewer problems, they will move to the next set of facts, if they don't pass, they will work on that same set again.

Mad Dog Math is available for Windows only, and it will track mor than one student throughout the entire program. You can try it out for free at their website, and that gives you access to the first fact family in all three of the levels.

As your child masters each level he will get a sticker that will be placed on the top right corner of their screen. So far my son has earned one.

My Thoughts on this Curriculum?

We really enjoyed working through this. We've had it for a little over a month and I have seen a lot of improvement in my son's division. He is middle elementary age so working through the addition and subtraction was easy for him but he did enjoy the multiplication and division. He was eager to beat the clock. As he worked through each level it went from 2 minutes to 1 minute to 30 seconds to complete each page. This really helped him in memorizing and working through the math facts quickly and most of the time he didn't even have to think before typing it in.

If you'd like more information on this product you check out more reviews at the TOS Crew HERE

How Much Does this Cost?

To purchase, you can choose a one or two year license for $19.99 and $29.99 or a perpetual license for $39.99 and download the software immediately. Windows 32 bit or 64 bit software available.

Contact Info:

E-mail
julie@maddogmath.com

Phone
(562) 533-5772

Mailing Address
Mad Dog Math
4562 Ocana Avenue
Lakewood, CA 90713

Website:
http://maddogmath.com

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Circle C Beginnings- Andi's Scary School Days

2011-05-06T07:00:00.002-06:00

I have had the opportunity through the TOS Crew to receive and review 'Andi's Scary School Days' by Susan K. Marlow. This book is part of the Circle C Beginnings Series.

About this Product:
From their website: "Andi wants no part of school. School means being away from the ranch all day and sitting next to a boy who throws dead flies at her. Andi didn’t think she was afraid of anything—until now. Being sent to the corner for something she didn’t do is the last straw. Andi’s leaving. And she’s not going back."

My Thoughts on this Book:

This book is part of a series of books for ages 6-8. I have not had the opportunity to read any of the other books in the series but the one we did read was very cute. It's full of history surrounding a little girl named Andrea. Her attending a one room schoolhouse in the late 1800's. As you read the story the website offers free downloads of worksheets, coloring pages and more to work alongside the book or after you have completed reading it. Short chapters help keep the attention span of active kids but long enough to really get into it. The pictures are engaging and my son liked the storyline.

These are perfect books to help introduce chapter books to young readers or you can read the stories to younger children as the storyline is perfect for all ages.

Other titles in this series:
'Andi's Pony Trouble'
'Andi's Indian Summer'
'Andi's Fair Surprise'

How Much Do They Cost?

The best deal is to purchase them as a set for only $15.96 or individually for $4.99. Check out their website to read more about the other available titles in this series.

Contact Info:

Website: http://www.andyandtaffy.com/

If you'd like more information on this product you check out more reviews at the TOS Crew HERE

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Writing Tales Level 1 and 2

2011-04-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

I have had the opportunity through the TOS Crew to receive and review Level 1 and Level 2 of Writing Tales.

About this Product:
Writing Tales follows a classical approach to teaching writing based on thie 12 ancient levels of instruction from the Greeks called the Progymnasmata. This concept shows the student how to learn to write by copying well written models first. They will also learn the mechanics of the English language by studying and analyzing those same models.

How the Use this Product:
Writing Tales Level 1 is divided into 30 lessons, each one five days long. 15 fables, fairy tales and legends are studied and rewritten. In odd numbered lessons the story is introduced, copywork is done, vocabulary is studied, the grammar lesson is taught and the rough draft written.

Further study is done with grammar lessons, with additional stories to read and analyze. A final draft is written with creative touches added. Grammar is included in the 30 weeks of study. The students will learn basic rules including capital letters, punctuation, quotes, and all eight parts of speech. Your child will recieve handwriting, vocabulary, dictionary skills and spelling.

The great part about this curriculum is that it has lesson plans for both individual and co-op classes. Level 1 is geared towards 3rd and 4th grade students.

Level 2 follows the same format as level 1. It includes 30 weeks of study as the students review four different kinds of sentences and two different kinds of quotes, both direct and indirect. They will learn to identify all eight parts of speech. An extension to Level 1 book. They will also study paragraph definitions in fictional writing, sentence combining, and learn ten different ways to start sentences. There is practice for handwriting with copywork, vocabulary and spelling. Your child will ease their way in learning key word outlining as they move through this curriculum. Level 2 is geared towards 4th and 5th graders but could easily be used for 6th graders needing to catch up on writing.

My Thoughts on this Curriculum:
I have had the opportunity to receive both Levels but at this time have only been working through Level 1. I hope to add a review in the future about Level 2.

I love how easy the lesson plan was to follow. The lessons weren't time consuming. The perfect fit for a child who can't sit still for long periods of time. I used this with my 3rd grader and found an improvement in his ability to write and I've seen the joy of writing return.

The grammar lessons were at the perfect level for my son to understand and implement. Easy to follow instructions made the curriculum a joy to work through. The stories were fun to read, write and re-write. Seeing the creativity in the final copy was wonderful to read. I love how this curriculum gives you many language arts skills such as grammar, spelling and writing.

The curriculum is written with a classical approach but I also feel it follows the Charlotte Mason approach as well. I have been leaning towards the C.Mason way of learning and this curriculum is a perfect match for us and our homeschool.

I loved using the teaching resources in the back of the book. The sentence strips were a great addition to help my son learn to keep the details in order for the stories he reads. I look forward to continuing with Level 1 and working through Level 2 next year. I hope that they will continue in the levels in the future.

The child's workbook is spiral bound which makes it easy for the child to read and write in. The Teacher's Edition is not spiral bound which made it a little difficult to keep open. Would love to see the T.Edition in spiral. I give this an A+.. Love it!

If you'd like more information on this product you check out more reviews at the TOS Crew HERE

Contact Info:
Website: www.writing-tales.com

Email: info@olsenbook.com

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

See the Light DVD Series

2011-04-22T08:00:00.001-06:00

I have had the opportunity through the TOS Crew to recieve and review Disk 1 of the See the Light Art curriculum.

About the Master Artist of See the Light:

From their website: "Pat has been drawing and painting since she was able to hold a crayon, and loves sharing her passion for Art with kids! Pat graduated with a degree and teaching credential in Art Education from Penn State. Currently Pat serves as the Director of Children’s Ministries at a large non-denominational church in Southern California, where she combines her love for the Lord and His word with her passion for teaching kids."

What do you get when you purchase this product?

I had the opportunity to only review disk 1 of this 9 disk series so I will only be able to talk about what I had a chance to see..

Lesson 1 teaches you writing and shading with your pencil. Using your pencil with a basic grip and an overhand grip and the essentials you will need to draw using a tool kit.

Lesson 2 shows you how to focus on the contour edges of an apple. You will practice drawing an apple just by looking at the object only. She also speaks of the Bible story of Adam and Eve.

Lesson 3 continues with using the apple for drawing. This time you will use 2 apples to show depth while drawing contour lines. Where to place the object on the page, how to plan your drawing and keeping your markings light.

She uses three boxes to draw 3 different writing tools to show how they all are used. 1. using a pencil 2. charcoal or charcoal pencil- varies in thickness 3. black marker or ink pen- bold lines

She relates to Bible verse Psalm 19:1 in this lesson.

Lesson 4 helps show you how to draw what you see, not what you know. Gives examples of thiings you can see verses what we know. For example.. table has four legs but you can only see two of them. She shows you what you will see at eye level or just below eye level. Discusses how to take your time observing what you are going to draw by paying attention to detail. She then takes you step by step on drawing a shoe.

She relates to Bible vers 2 Cor. 5:7 in this lesson.

This DVD had a bonus feature.. A Chalk Art lesson.

Some things you will do while watching this bonus lesson is: -crumbling paper and rub chalk to create shadows -white chalk in circular motions to form clouds -take hand and smooth out white chalk -using florescent chalks and a black light really brings the picture to life.

My Thoughts on this Product:

I have one child that loves art. He took after me in the creativity department so I decided to sit down with him and work through these four lessons with him. They are about 10 minutes long. Perfect for short attention spans but long enough to learn something new on each lesson. I felt the first four lessons were on the very basic beginner level of art. It worked out great for my son since he is 9 and doesn't have much art instruction.

All 9 disks include a total of 36 art lessons. Great for an entire years curriculum in Art instruction. The teacher is easy to understand and follow along. She mentions to listen to her instruction and then go back and work through it on your own, or work alongside her during the lessons. I also love how she brings the scripture into her daily lessons. It really brings Creation into your art lesson.

The best part of this that my son told me was the chalk art. He didn't realize how awesome using chalk would be and can't wait to practice the skills he learned. He loved it so much he now wants his own set of chalks to make his own paintings. We fell in love with this curriculum.

What's the Cost?

You can purchase the entire 9 DVD set curriculum for $99.99 She has other art DVD's for purchase in addition. You can also check out the first three lessons for free on their website HERE

If you'd like more information on this product you check out more reviews at the TOS Crew HERE

Contact Info

Website: www.seethelightshine.com

Email: info@seethelightshine.com

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given

Growing Healthy Homes-Nutrition 101: Choose Life

2011-04-20T09:00:00.002-06:00

I have had the opportunity to receive a digital copy of Nutrition 101: Choose Life from Growing Healthy Homes through TOS Crew.

Who is Growing Healthy Homes?

From their website: "We established Growing Healthy Homes LLC in 2007 to educate and train families regarding God's plan to optimum health as outlined in the Bible. We are wives, mothers, researchers and teachers dedicated to reaching homes with a message of hope and healing. Our product line includes family-centered and health-infused books/e-books, as well as educational materials for user of pure therapeutic-grade essential oils.

It is our mission to honor God by creating and distributing products that educate and empower His children to establish healthy, Christ-centered homes."

-Would you like to feed your family more nutriously, but have no idea where to start?

-Do you think the cost of eating nutriously is out of your budget?

-Are you looking to educate your children on the best ways to eat healthy for your body?

Then this might be for you! Nutrion 101 teaches the whys of eating the way we do.

Nutrition 101: Choose Life! is a unit study. Covers a variety of subjects like science, anatomy, biology, nutrition, and health. You can use it daily or weekly.

You can use this in conjunction with your grocery shopping, meal preparation, and meal time. This allows your children to learn as they live. You can also use this as a curriculum.

Chapters are structured to be completed in a week.

There is 6 units to this study including:

Unit 1- The Brain and Nervous System

Unit 2- The Digestive System

Unit 3- The Respiratory, Olfactory, Auditory, Visual

Unit 4- Muscular and Skeletal System

Unit 5- Cardiovascular & Immune System

Unit 6- Endocrine System & Emotions

Each unit has four chapter... For example...

Unit 1- Chapter 1- The Brain

Chapter 2- Brain Health & Nutrition

Chapter 3- Nervous System

Chapter 4- Nervous System Health & Nutrition

Chapters are structured to be completed in a week.

Each unit contains:

-Chapters: each one includes information about body systems or how food affects them.

-Discussion Questions

-Activities: Pick and choose or do them all.

-Additional Activities: these are optional and great if you'd like to dig deeper

-'Power' Recipes and Additional Recipes: 'Power' Recipes to enhance the topics covered in the chapter and use additional recipes throughout the course of the unit.

-Activity Guide- answer key for all the activities.

-Appendix- contains charts, tables and articles that elaborate on the text and give direction for some of the discussions and activities.

Example to implement a chapter a week:

Monday-Read over the chapter and discussion questions and choose activities

Tuesday- Review chapter highlights, collect ingredients for the 'Power' Recipe

Wednesday- Prepare 'Power' Recipe

Thursday- Choose activities from 'Power' Recipe

Friday.- Share highlights from the week.

'Power' Recipes following each chapter are accompanied by engaging and exciting activities that will enhance the learning experience beyond the recipes. Activities are divided into elementary and secondary activities.

My Thoughts on this Product:

We started implementing natural and organic eating into our diet back in November 2010. When I found out I had the opportunity to review this product, I was very excited. Telling my children the importance of eating well and actually serving them wholesome meals was only the beginning. This unit study takes what I've done to the next level. I can now show them why we made the decision to eat the way we do.

This gives you healthy recipes, wonderful discussion questions and helpful activities that show my kids the benefits to eating healthy for a lifetime. Perfect addition to our homeschooling and to our lifestyle.

What's the Cost?

You can purchase this in three ways. In book form for $99.95, as a CD for $79.95 or you can purchase the combo pack CD and book for $129.95.

If you'd like more information on this product you check out more reviews at the TOS Crew HERE

Contact Info:

Website:

http://growinghealthyhomes.com/

Address

P.O. Box 3154

Bartlesville, OK 74006

Phone

918-841-2934

Email:

karen@growinghealthyhomes.com

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Science Weekly

2011-04-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

I have had the opportunity through the TOS Crew to receive and review November 2010 The Flue Issue of Science Weekly.

What is Science Weekly?

From their website: "Science Weekly is an excellent supplementary instructional tool for parents to help their child enhance his/her higher-ordered skills in science‚ math‚ reading and writing. Each issue is written at six reading levels‚ covering grades K–6."

What Do You Get When You Purchase This Product?

Science Weekly is published fifteen times per year, twice per month in Sept., Oct., Nov., Jan., Feb., March and April and once in December. Each issue is based off one science concept to learn about. We had the opportunity to learn about The Flu in the issue that we received.

Above is the front cover from Level C that we worked on which gives a detailed background of what you will be studying. Each Level progressingly gets harder with more information to read. All issues are studying the same topic so you can use multiple levels with different children and still be studying the same topic.

On the inside flap there is Vocabulary, and Math practice. You also get a chance to do a lab or hands on activity to help learn more about the lesson being studied. There is also a Writing in Science lesson that goes along with the weekly lab experiment.

On the back flap there is a challenge activity and a puzzle to complete. Each level is similar to match the level on which the child can learn. Levels Pre-A through Level B have a Bringing It Home activity in replace of the Puzzle activity that Level C- Level D have. This activity requires adult supervision. Some Topics Covered in the past include Scuba Diving, Poisonous Animals, Caves, Teeth, Deserts, Green Buildings, The Moon, Pulleys, Cats, Glass, Fractions, Composting, The Science of Movies and The Science of Money.

If you'd like to check out some sample editions you can by visiting their website HERE

My Thoughts on this Product:

DS9 and I worked on this product. We chose his grade level C worksheet. We worked through it easily and didn't take much time. Our favorite was the hands on experiment on the third page. He learned about porous and nonporous surfaces and learning about how germs can stick to certain surfaces. We are a hands on learning family so this was great.

We did come across a lesson that we ended up having to delete. It was definitely an activity that needed to be done in a classroom setting. Overall this was a nice product. Not sure if it would work well in our homeschooling. If we were already working on the theme of the edition then this would be a great addition to our study.

This comes in different levels:

Level Pre-A (Kindergarten)-Level A (Grade 1)-Level B (Grade 2)-Level C (Grade 3)-Level D (Grade 4)-Level E (Grades 5-6)

What's the Cost?

Classroom Rate 15 issues- $3.95 per student per year with a minimum order of 20 subscriptions.

Individual Rate 15 issues $19.95 per student per year

If you'd like more information on this product you check out more reviews at the TOS Crew HERE

Contact Info:

Website: www.scienceweekly.com

Science Weekly CAM Publishing Group, Inc. attn - Subscriptions P.O. Box 70638 Chevy Chase, MD 20813-0638

Email: inquiries@scienceweekly.com

Toll Free: 1.800.4.WEEKLY (1.800.493.3559) Phone: 301.680.8804

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Zeezok-z-guide to the Movies 'The Hiding Place'

2011-04-01T09:00:00.000-06:00

I have received "The Hiding Place - z-guide to the Movies eBook" by Zeezok Publishing for review through the TOS Crew.

What is z-guide to the movies?

From their website: "Zeezok Publishing’s z-guide to The Hiding Place is a great way to incorporate media into your study of World War II. Designed for the high school student."

What Do You Get When Purchasing This Product?

This eBook contains a printable pdf file of the complete study guide. It contains ten learning activities based on the film. Activities include crossword puzzle, family discussion questions, movie synposis, topic overview, movie review questions, design your own hiding place, mapping, answer key, lesson planner and more. It does not include the movie.

My Thoughts on this Product?

I used this curriculum with my DD16. It was very easy to use. I just printed out the worksheets needed for each day's lesson and it was ready to go. The video was available at my library so it was easy to find. Their guide is set up for a five day study of the movie. I had my entire family watch the movie as it was rated PG and appropriate for all. Prior to watching the movie they ask us to read the topic overview and movie synopsis which really helps understand the movie and the study.

While watching the movie the study has you fill out about three pages of questions. They are all sequential in the movie and really brought the story to life. I also worked on the movie questions alongside my daughter and found it very easy to follow along. It didn't distract from the movie but enhanced the storyline.

On days 2-5 I just gave the worksheets to my daughter and she filled them out from the knowledge she learned while watching the movie. Some questions required internet access or books that covered the subject material. I just had my daughter do a google search to find the information she needed. There is also a map lesson where she used our globe to answer the questions.

I felt this study was a perfect supplement to a history lesson on concentration camps, and WWII. I am so happy to have been able to use this study and look forward to using more from this company in the future.

My Daughter's Thoughts:

"I really liked watching the movie and the questions were helpful in digging deeper into the story. My favorite part was designing my own hiding place and also doing some research online. It gave me ideas on how to study more later on the subject of concentration camps. In the past I never really liked implimenting movies into my schooling but this lesson was really fun to do and would love to do another one of these in the future."

If you'd like more information on this product you can check out other TOS Crew reviews HERE

What's the Cost of this Product?

This study comes in either an ebook for instant download or CD. Both options are only $12.99 each. You will also need to acquire the movie. You can purchase the movie from the company for $15.98 or wherever videos are sold.

Contact Info?

www.zeezok.com or by phone @ 800-749-1681

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Big IQ Kids

2011-03-25T07:19:00.003-06:00

I have had the opportunity through the TOS Crew to receive and review an online program called BigIQKids. I was given a premium membership.

What is Big IQ Kids?

Big IQ Kids goal is to help children with elementary subjects including math, vocabulary, geography, and spelling. Their goal is to help children be an A+, 100% student success.

From their website: "BigIQkids.com presents a unique learning method designed to help each child develop the skills needed to perform to his/her full potential".

What Do You Get With This Program?

Big IQ Kids has two ways you can use their program. They have a free site as well as a premium member site. I have only worked through the paid premium site so my review will reflect that part only. Big IQ Kids is perfect for daily lessons and quizzes. It helps build better study habits and increases their chances of retaining what they've learned. Each lesson takes anywhere from 10-15 minutes to complete. At the end of their lesson they have the opportunity to play a game. There are a lot of games to choose from. This program is online and does require an internet connection.

Spelling Program

The spelling program makes teaching and learning the weekly spelling list easy and fun. This is a virtual spelling tutor that presents quizzes, spelling bees, practice tests, and fun spelling games all customized to each child’s abilities. You can utlize there words or you can create your own spelling list from words you are teaching already in your schoolwork.

Math Program

The math program is specifically designed to facilitate a child’s quest to attain mastery of fundamental math skills. This program monitors your child's progress and advances the student based upon proficiency. Building upon retention, speed and accuracy, and tailors the lessons to a particular child’s needs.

U.S States Program

The U.S. States program is designed to help children master U.S. State facts, such as state capitals, abbreviations, locations of all 50 states, and correct spelling. They will also learn about each state’s nickname, landmarks, economy and commonly known fun facts.

Vocabulary Program

The vocabulary program will help change your child's attitude about vocabulary homework and test taking while increasing student's vocabulary and standarzied test scores.

If you are looking to see the difference between the free and the premium you can go HERE to check it out.

My Thoughts on this Program

I had two of my children working on this. My 12 yr old and my 9 yr old son's. My main focus on using this program was their math and US State Facts sections. We worked on both of these daily. I had my youngest work through the spelling program using the words they had selected for his age and grade.

Overall we liked the program. There is a lot to take it when you get to their website and I know there is so much more that we can use and work through. I think at the beginning it was little overwhelming trying to navigate the site. I ended up just saving the log in page and going straight to the premium member section and had my kids work their daily lessons from there. My youngest son loved working through the math and state facts section and then was able to play a game after earning a token for completing his work. Those were huge motivators for my boys to work through their lessons. So that was an A+ for that part.

Overall, I thought the program was good for my kids. The lessons they worked through truly helped in our schooling and will more than likely continue to use this in the future.

What's the Cost of this Program?

You can learn more about their pricing plans HERE

If you'd like more information on this product you check out more reviews at the TOS Crew HERE

Contact Info:

Email:
admin@BigIQkids.com

Phone:
443-266-7267

Address:
Synergy1 Group, Inc.
PO Box 192
Glenwood, MD 21738

I received a premium member subscription of this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Reading Kingdom

2011-03-07T09:00:00.001-07:00

I have had the opportunity through the TOS Crew to receive and review an online reading program called Reading Kingdom.

What is Reading Kingdom?

From their website: "The Reading Kingdom is a fun, easy-to-use online program that teaches children 4-10 years old how to read and write to a third grade level. "

It customizes itself to each child
Most children can do the program on their own after just a few weeks
It's fun and children enjoy doing it
It's created by Dr. Marion Blank, one of the world's top experts in literacy
It works with any other curriculum a child may be using
And, it's the only system that teaches all 6 skills needed for reading & writing success!

How To Use the Program?

The program is divided into different steps..

The Skills Survey
The program begins with your child taking a Skills Survey. Through simple, game-like activities, it reveals the skills a child has and does not have so that the program can start at exactly the right place to encourage the greatest success.

The Teaching
Once the Skills Survey is completed, the teaching begins. The program is organized into six levels.

Pre-reading Level
Teaches the Visual Sequencing and Keyboarding Skills that underlie reading and writing. A child goes through one or both of these programs if the Skills Survey shows that these components are needed.

Level 1
Gets your child reading, understanding and writing meaningful ideas by teaching key nouns (kids, girl, bird), verbs (actions such as eat, walk, fly) and "helping" words (the, some, is, can, are). Once a set of words has been taught, the child gets to read a book containing those words, along with words previously taught. As in all subsequent levels, there are six books in Level 2.

Level 2
Greatly expands the range of ideas your child reads and writes by adding new nouns (puppies, man, water), verbs relevant to those nouns (run, fix, move, including words that convey motivation such as need, want, like), pronouns (she, I, we), additional "helping" words (that, also, both, of) and question words (who, what, which).

Level 3
Enhances your child's ability to tell and understand stories by teaching the words to convey past tense (was, did, were), along with increasing the range of nouns (ground, rocks), verbs (push, think, hurt), "helping" words (most, on, any), and adjectives (sad, happy, nice, -y as in dirty, rocky).

Level 4
Gets your child reading subject matter that is different from typical stories and essential to school success. It introduces a wide variety of objects and beings from the natural world (animals, rainbow, moon, tongue, group, people, earth) and higher level question words (why, when, how). These are then incorporated into books that convey science type information.

Level 5
Has your child reading rich stories which provide a sense of fun while teaching complex cause and effect relationships by expanding the range of nouns (computer, letter, fish) and verbs (change, know, float), and introducing a set of complex ideas (luck, true, never, change, sure).

My Thoughts on this Program

I have been using this program with my 9 yr old son. He has not been interested in reading until this past year so I was on the lookout for something that was fun, easy to use for him and will teach him what he needs to get him up to grade level as an independant reader. When I found out I was going to review this I was really excited. When he first started he spent a little over a week in the first stage. Letterland and keyboarding skills. He had a little idea of keyboarding but this program really helped him find where everything is, how to use the mouse, shift key to make capitals plus spacing.

My son loved to see his progress after he completed his activities. He clicked on the page that had the symbols above and it told him how he was doing. The boy on the ladder told him that he was in progress for that particular level and the sun told him he was doing excellent work.

Each days activity allowed him to see if he knew the words that were being presented. If he didn't then it would go into great detail to help him learn the word for the day. Like the picture below showing the word kids. This is just one of the activities to help reinforce this word and to put it to memory.

I love how this program is really filling in the blanks for my son. I've spent the last couple years teaching him phonics, and reading skills but like I mentioned he was just not ready to read. Using this has really helped him in becoming an indepentant reader. We are currently working through Level 1 and still have a lot to work on but we fell in love with it so far. My son works five days a week on it and does two lessons a day. He is 9 so he can handle this amount of work since he has had reading instruction in the past.

This program is designed for a year long reading curriculum. So far using this curriculum, my son has really helped my son in learning how to read. He seems to spell better and read words in books with more confidence. We will definitely be using this until the end.

What's the Cost of This Program?

The Reading Kingdom is a subscription-based online reading program. To get your subscription sign up for a 30 day free trial. After you've created an account you can purchase a subscription.

Subscriptions to Reading Kingdom are $19.99/month with no monthly minimum, or $199.99 if you purchase a 12 month subscription. If you have multiple children using the program, the cost per each additional child in your family is $9.99/month. Sign up HERE.

If you'd like more information on this product you check out more reviews at the TOS Crew HERE

Contact Info:

The Reading Kingdom
12405 Venice Bl., Suite 342
Los Angeles, CA 90066

http://readingkingdom.com

I received a one year subscription to this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Math Rider

2011-02-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

I have had the opportunity to receive and review Math Rider as a part of my involvement in the TOS Crew.

What is Math Rider?

MathRider provides a fun game play that propels your child to mastery of all four math operations using numbers 0 to 12. Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division. Your child is taken into a land of fantasy and quests. Living in the Land of Ray and riding a horse called Shadow, he or she will set out on various noble adventures.

While the rider is playing, the game learns what the rider knows and what he or she still needs to practice. Every single response (or non-response) is stored in an internal database and statistically analysed by the software. In this way the program is able to custom-tailor to each rider, which questions are asked next. No repetitive drilling of random number facts the rider already knows – but real practice of what actually needs to be practiced!

You can check on your child's progress by viewing their Statistics like you see above. Green means you've mastered and orange and red means need more practice.

To play this game all the child needs to do is key in the number for that problem. No computer skills needed. As your horse, Shadow runs across the screen he must jump the hurdles to move forward. The hurdles are the math facts the child must answer. He/she must answer it before your horse comes to the hurdle. Getting it correct, Shadow jumps the hurdle and you move forward. If you miss it, or don't type in an answer, your horse will stop, then they will say the math fact with the correct answer. You then will continue on your quest.

Math Rider provides you with a mythical storyline to follow with a map of your quest like you see above. The road map changes red as your quest moves forward.

This is a downloadable program and can be used for multiple children at the same time at no additional charge.

My Thoughts on this Product:

I had both my boys use this program. My DS9 loved following the map as he moved into the game. He kept checking the map everytime he finished a quest. Both of them were excited about doing math each day, which I haven't seen them do in some time. We didn't personally care for the magical part of the storyline so I just had them skip that part and had them work on their math fact rides and look at the map as they continued on their quest. Taking that part out didn't hinder their performance. The backgrounds were enjoyable to look at and was not a huge distraction to the game. As a family we loved working through this. My 11 yr old was still struggling with some upper multiplication facts so when I had him working on this he had to truly concentrate on the facts which helped him to remember. My youngest mastered the multiplication facts he lacked which makes this program A+ in our house.

You can purchase this program for only $37.00. If you'd like more information on this product you can go to their website HERE or you can check out more reviews at the TOS Crew HERE

Contact Info:

Sharper Edge Pty Ltd
31 Hannah Street
Beecroft NSW 2119
Australia

Phone: +61 2 9980 2437
Office hours: 9am to 5pm (East Australian Time – GMT+10), Mon-Fri
www.mathrider.com

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Kids Scoop: Reluctant Reader Solution

2011-02-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have had the opportunity to receive and review Kids Scoop's- Reluctant Reader Solution as a part of my involvement in the TOS Crew.

What is Reluctant Reader Solution?

From their Website: "The Reluctant Reader Solution is designed to expand your child's horizons, jump-start their curiosity about topics they didn't even know they were interested in, and exercise different areas of their brain through age-appropriate puzzles, games, stories, and much more."

The Reluctant Reader Solution comes in two parts: one online and the other offline."

Online:

Kids Scoop Online Newsletter is full of games, puzzles, experiments, pictures, profiles of kids in the news, and more. Each issue includes content inspired by the time of year that the issue is released, so you can have conversations with your child about topics of the day — including current events, the natural world, and special holidays.

The online edition is extremely easy to navigate on your screen, and provides a wonderful learning environment for your child. You can browse all the pages, "turn" the page with a mouse click, and zoom in with a single click.

You'll also be able to listen to articles in audio format, so that if your child learns better by hearing, they can absorb the information that way and then work on the written words after, which will accelerate their learning.

Here's what the Kid Scoop News Online Edition will look like on your computer:

Offline:

365 Kid Scoop Worksheets

Designed to engage your student's imagination and creativity, the worksheets come in set of 5, 6 or 7 pages. Filled with "pencil-grabbing activities," the worksheets serve as a bridge between the online edition and the physical world around.

With the Reluctant Reader Solution, you'll receive a full year's supply of worksheets so you'll never run out of fun ways for your child or student to be reading. Delivered instantly in PDF format, you can print them out a week at a time so you always have a fresh worksheet on hand!

Here is just a small sample of the topics your child will be exposed to inside the Reluctant Reader Solution:

Animals such as killer whales, otters, gorillas and tadpoles...
Science experiments such as solar snacks as well as features on the International Space Station and optical illusions...
Lessons about the body such as the parts of the skin, how germs attack, how to deal with teasing and why exercise is important...

Other topics in the activity packets include:

Clay Play: How to make clay crafts...
Toon Time: How to draw your own comics...
Environment features on bees, carbon footprint, frost and more...
Holidays and Festivals includes Valentines, Memorial Day, Halloween and Holidays Around the World...
Financial Literacy covers allowances and how to budget for the holidays...
Legends and characters: Bigfoot, the Maya as well as Old Stormalong...
And more...

My Thoughts on this Product:

I have a nine year old that still hesitates in learning how to read. I've given him the tools he needs to know how to read he just chooses not to. When I found out I was going to review this product I was excited. Hoping this might spark his interest in reading on his own. I've only had this but a few short weeks so I can't tell you at this time how much it's brought the love of reading to him but we are on the road to success so far. He enjoys working through the worksheets. The topics are very interesting and I let him pick what he'd like to study. For instance one was on Baseball and he loved it!

You can also work through this by the month. It comes with a chart so you can follow along with the holidays in the year or you can work through them however you'd like. The topics are set up alphabetically for easy access to the titles and subjects.

You can purchase this product or learn more HERE

The cost for the online newsletter and the year long worksheets is $97.00

You can also set up via email their wonderful 30 day email newsletter. Exercises to enhance their reading fun. Check their website for more details.

Contact Info:

Kid Scoop
P.O. Box 1802
Sonoma, CA 95476
Telephone: 707.996.6077
Fax: 707.938.8718
E-mail: thescoop@kidscoop.com

You can learn more about this product by checking out other reviews via the TOS Crew blog HERE

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Curiosity Files- Quicksand Study

2011-02-11T09:00:00.004-07:00

What do you get when you mix sand, water, salt and clay?

You get quicksand!!

Have you ever wondered if those movies were true about how they depict quicksand? Well search no further! You will find out that and much more in this Curiosity Files- Quicksand Study from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.

I received this study to review through the TOS Crew. I had such a wonderful time working through this study with my son.

What do you get when purchasing this study?

Bible study, discussion ideas, and memory verses
Math, history, and geography investigations
Literature and suggested book list
Writing, spelling, and vocabulary activities
Beautiful copywork pages (manuscript and cursive)
Science observations, projects, and experiments
Discussion questions
Art, crafts, and drawing and coloring pages
Curiosity Snippets: lapbook/notebook pages and helpful links
Special needs, hands-on discoveries
Internet resources and video links
Complete answer key

My Thoughts on this Product:

Doing a Viscosity Experiment

My son and I had a blast doing this study. We both learned so much about quicksand. From the cute Homeschool TV guide to Quicksand and Tides forms. The experiments were the best and helped tie in the study perfectly. We did an awesome study on Viscosity with water, dish soap, oil and honey as well as made our own quicksand. My son loved watching the marble go through the liquid and then answering the questions about the experiment. This study was jam-packed full of fun to help the child to learn what was being studied. From crossword puzzles to word searches, to making your own Geography Terms cards.. This is well worth the $$..

Time it took for rock to go through honey

Not only was the information about quicksand written for my 9 yr old to understand but I learned a ton as well. The wonderful crafts to drawing your own scenes of quicksand. We loved it! This was the first Curiosity Files study we've done and it won't be the last.. Can't wait to do another one.

To get the best deal on The Curiosity Files, you have two options: the CD of all nine units is available for $49, or you can get all nine units as downlodable E-Books for $46. To purchase individually, please refer to The Old Schoolhouse Store website for pricing details.

You can check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

Contact Info:

The Schoolhouse Store
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC
PO Box 8426
Gray, TN 37615
Phone: 1-888-718-HOME
www.theoldschoolhousestore.com

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

VocabAhead

2011-02-07T09:00:00.001-07:00

I have had the opportunity through the TOS Crew to review VocabAhead-One Thousand SAT Vocabulary Videos & MP3s

Have you ever wondered how you can help your child learn vocabulary without stuffy textbooks, writing assignments and spelling tests?

VocabAhead is a great resource for your older child looking to prepare for the SAT's as well as students looking to better enhance their vocabulary.

It's entertaining and easy to use.

What do you get from using this product?

This comes as a CD which allows you to either watch and listen to the videos with definitions, pronunciations of each word as well as pictures to help you remember or you can download them to your MP3 player (which we did not do)
You can learn new words easily with visual tools- vocabulary cartoons and pictures which are cute and fun
Listening to the narration with the definitions
You can watch the videos on your computer or other portable device such as a video iPod, iPhone or even iPad.
1000 SAT vocabulary words & videos to choose from in alphabetical order
You can check out the word list HERE

Check out this wonderful video from VocabAhead that gives you samples of how the words are introduced below

My Thoughts On This Product?

I felt this was a great resource to have for my children. Especially my high school aged daughter who will be taking the SAT's in the next year. As she was watching the videos she thought the drawings were cute and funny and helped her remember the words and definitions. I also used this with my 11 yr old son. I allowed him to pick a word through the list and learn about it. Since he has plenty of time to learn all that this CD has to offer, learning it this way allowed him to take control of it and because of that he wanted to learn more. I know that this CD will be around our home for years to come to help enhance my children's vocabulary as well as help them in their SAT's in the future.

You can check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

Contact Info:

Lafazi, Inc

Website:
http://vocabahead.com/

PO Box 963
Hillsboro, OR. 97113

Phone:
503-336-1338

email:
info@vocabahead.com

You can purchase this product for $24.99

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Times Alive Multiplication Software

2011-01-31T08:09:00.000-07:00

I have had the opportunity to receive and review Times Alive Multiplication Download for PC.

Who is City Creek Press?

From their website: "City Creek Press, owned and operated by educational pioneer Judy Liautaud....Judy was determined to find a way to help her students learn math tables in a fun and meaningful way. She created a unique method that connected visual images, stories, and songs to mundane number facts.

The great success of this method led Judy to create her first publication, Times Tables the Fun Way, which was published in 1992 through a company she established called Key Publishers. Judy’s second book Addition the Fun Way soon followed.The newly named City Creek Press moved to its new location in Minneapolis in July 2000.

Today City Creek Press offers 20 original products that serve one purpose – to make learning a fun and memorable experience for children throughout our nation."

What do you get when you purchase this product?

This new program makes learning multiplication facts more fun than ever. It is based on the Times Tables the Fun Way Book for Kids and teaches the zero's through the nine times tables.

•PC Windows Download Version
•Students read along while they hear the storyteller.
•Lively animation makes the number characters come alive.
•Each story is followed by a music video with a catchy song.
•Interactive games and fun quizzes engage the student while testing recall.
•Progress reports summarize date lesson completed, quiz scores, and time elapsed.
•Students may stop anywhere and resume where they left off. The program remembers.

System Requirements
Windows PC
Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Pentium II 400 and higher
64 MB of Ram or greater
Soundcard and speakers
Mouse or other pointing Device
CD-Rom or DVD-Rom Drives
Video at 1024x768 or higher

My Thoughts on this Product:

I decided to put both of my boys on this program. They are 11 and 9. My 11 yr old struggled with learning his higher number multiplication facts. The basic math drills were not helping him. We've placed him in front of charts, speed drills, workbooks, you name it and nothing helped. My husband is the math teacher in our homeschool and he was getting real frustrated because my son knew everything else and wanted to move forward but couldn't because he needed to memorize the multiplication facts. He was at a stand still.

My 9 yr old loves math but there was a few multiplication facts that he couldn't remember so I put him on this as well. I saw results the first week we used this program. Instantly they were getting the cute stories and applying them to the math facts. My 11 yr old absolutely LOVED the 4X4 storyline to help memorize 16 even though he knew that fact already. Because he learned that story the first week it kept him interested and helped him move along quickly.

I loved watching my boys get it! For the first time in a long time they were enjoying their multiplication and it no longer seemed a chore. You know it's a great program when you have your children begging you to do that first. The program makes it real easy to look at your child's work to see how they are progressing. If they take a test you can see the percentage they got, and how long it took for them to take the test. I loved that I could go back and have him do the test again if I felt it was not good enough or needed reinforcement. You are also able to print off tests for them to take at the table away from the computer.

If you are looking for a multiplication program to help teach your child the facts this is something you should look into. It takes away the boring stuffy textbooks and really makes learning fun. And the best part is they remember!!

You can check out their website HERE or you can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

Please check out the video below to learn more about this great software.

Company Contact Info:

City Creek Press, Inc.
PO Box 8415
Minneapolis, MN 55408

Website:
www.citycreek.com

Phone-
800-585-6059

Fax-
877-286-1163

Email-
info@citycreek.com

I received this product as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids

2011-01-26T09:00:00.001-07:00

I have had the opportunity through the TOS Crew to receive and review "Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids" from the division of Lifeway Christian Stores.

About the Illustrated Bible Dictionary?

From Lifeway Christian Store Website: "The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids helps children ages 5 to 10 better understand more than 750 Bible terms through vivid design and clear, concise definitions. More than 500 of the featured words are paired with full-color photographs, illustrations, maps, or reconstructions to enhance comprehension.
This unique reference tool is perfect for church classrooms, families, home-schooling environments, Christian school classrooms and libraries, church libraries, and public libraries."

What do you get when purchasing this product?

The Illustrated Bible Dictionary is full of wonderful colorful illustrations to help define hundreds of words used in the Bible. This Dictionary for Kids is based on the popular Holman Bible Dictionary and Holman Pocket Bible Dictionary, both wonderful resources for understanding the Bible.

As your child researches Bible facts, this resource will help give new meaning to God's Word.
If you're telling a Bible story that includes a geographical location, you can look up the map in this book
Pronunciation guide for words that are difficult to pronounce.
Illustrated charts with brief descriptions and biblical references provide at a glace views of Bible animals, insects, transportation, plants and more
Photographs to help you understand that events in the Bible happened in real places
Charts of names of God, names of Jesus, festivals, apostles, plagues, and so forth.
Entries with King James version words
Realistic Illustrations of Bible stories because the Bible is about real people who actually lived in real places.
Definitions of people you read about in bible stories and key bible concepts

Special Features include:

Names of God
12 Apostles
10 Plagues on Egypt
Jewish Feasts and Festivals
Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus
Names of Jesus
Parables of Jesus
Plants of the Bible
Animals of the Bible
Foods of the Bible
Musical Instruments in the Bible
Armor of a Roman Soldier

My Thoughts on this Product:

This is such a wonderful resource for our schooling and home life. All my children love the illustrations and the easy way it was written for all of their ages to understand and gain insight. I love how there is bible references on every word described in the Bible for easy lookup. The drawings are very realistic and feels like we are there. I would recommend this to anyone looking to enhance their Bible knowledge with children.

Would you like to look inside this book. You can here

You can purchase this book from Lifeway Christian Stores HERE or anywhere Bible Dictionaries or sold. You can check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

Company Contact Info:

Lifeway Christian Store

Website:
LifeWaystores.com

Address:
One LifeWay Plaza
MSN 146
Nashville, TN 37234

I received this CD as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Maestro Classics-Peter and the Wolf CD

2011-01-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Maestro Classics
Peter and the Wolf CD

I was very happy to receive Peter and the Wolf CD to review for the TOS Crew.

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Who is Maestro Classics?

From their website: "Maestro Classics™ is the ambassador of great music for both children and adults, helping them experience the art form in new and exciting ways. Through wondrous new recordings, innovative educational and performance materials, and uplifting live performances, Maestro Classics™ guides audiences as they expand their listening horizons and discover the magic that can only be called music."

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What Will I Get When Purchasing This Product?

Performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, "Peter and the Wolf" CD comes with:

CD including a musical story of a boy named Peter who disobeys his grandfather and climbs over the garden wall. He then encounters a wolf, and with his quick thinking as well as help from his friends, Peter captures the wolf and taken to the zoo.
-Introduction to the story
-Peter & the Wolf w/ narrative
-About the Composer-Prokofiev
-A Russian Peter
-About the Music
-Peter & the Wolf-Instrumental Version
-Invitation to Grandfather's Party
-Kalinka- Dance Along
Booklet including
- dot to dot
-About the Composer with word scramble
-Match the Instruments w/ the characters
-About Trio Voronezh- Russian Peter
-Learn about three different instruments
-Peter's Tune music
-Crack the Code
-About the conducter Stephen Simon
-Crossword Puzzle
-About the Narrator- Yadu
-About the Executive Producer- Bonnie Ward Simon

My Thoughts on this Product:

I have been wanting to implement classical music into our school. When I found out I was going to review this I was excited to see what it was. I'll be honest, I am not a classical music buff and didn't know what Peter and the Wolf was until getting this. What a charming and cute story that my kids loved to listen to. I loved how the CD had both the narrative story with the instruments as well as just the instrumental. You can enjoy the story portion on one day and just listen to the beautiful music the next knowing how the story goes you truly appreciate the sounds of the instruments.

I love how they give you an introduction to tell you what instruments go with each character. You can really get a feel for the music that way. The kids loved going through the booklet when we were done and learning about the composer's life. The cute games, crosswords etc in the book were fun for the kids to look through and complete.

I was really impressed by this company and look forward to checking out other CD's they have to offer. Since we are looking to add classic music to our home, I feel this is a perfect place to start. It's geared towards the children and because of that, they are ready to listen and enjoy for themselves.

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Where do I go to purchase this product or to learn more?

You can check out their website HERE or you can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

The price for this CD is $16.98.

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What other CD products does Maestro Classic have to offer?

The Tortoise and the Hare
The Story of Swan Lake
Juanita The Spanish Lobster
Casey at the Bat
Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel
The Sorcerer's Apprentice

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Company Contact Info:

Website:
www.magicmaestromusic.com

Email:
customerservice@magicmaestromusic.com

Address:
Maestro Classics™
div. of Simon & Simon, LLC
1099 22nd St., NW
Suites 602/603
Washington, DC 20037-1824

Phone:
202-419-0490

Fax:
202-419-0493

I received this CD as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Easy Classical-Early Modern History Schedule

2011-01-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have had the opportunity through the TOS Crew to look over and review Easy Classical "Early Modern Age History Schedule".

What is Easy Classical History Schedule?

From their website: "Easy Classical Early Modern History Schedule includes 36 week-long schedules plus 45+ pages of charts, sheets, and helps that will enhance your child's learning. Each week's lesson has review questions with answers, and quizzes included with each lesson. This schedule also includes a shopping list for the next day, as well as detailed instructions on how to use the schedules and the books you purchase.

How do you use this?

Designed to help you in your scheduling of history. Formatted with 36 weekly lessons. All you need to do is find the resources and books to complete the history curriculum. The company sells or shows you where to get the resources needed including but not limited to "The Story of the World", "Story of the 13 Colonies" "Veritas Press", and more. You can check out a partial book list HERE

Once you purchase the schedule it's highly recommended to purchase Easy Classicals:

All of these can be purchased from Easy Classical.

A sample of the schedule:

The first day a new topic is introduced with comprehension questions, included on the schedule. Reading is the main focus on day 1.
You will then use Writing with History guide to write the history summary. Writing takes place three days in the week.
Copywork assignment is scheduled as well for three days in a week. The copywork goes along with what they are learning each week.
Geography is integrated twice a week with a lesson on one day and a project on another
Read aloud opportunities all week
A project once a week

My Thoughts on this Product:

I have only the opportunity to review and look over the actual Early Modern History Schedule and did not get a chance to see any of the add ons including the Writing, Copywork and Geography schedules they recommend. By the look of the schedule I can see how easily it can be to integrate this into your homeschool curriculum. I am unaware though on how much work the other added schedules will be so you will need to contact the company to get further information and samples of their work.

I do like how the history schedule brings in geography, copywork and reading which could really take a good chunk of your schooling curriculum and surround it around your history lessons. my family loves history and I can see how this could work for us in the future.

This is based off the classical approach from the book "The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home" by Susan Wise Bauer.

Contact Info:

Website:
www.easyclassical.com

You can check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

I had the opportunity to review this product for free as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

See-n-Read Reading Tool

2011-01-07T09:00:00.001-07:00

I have had the opportunity through the TOS Crew to receive and review See-n-Read, Memory Mark, & eSee-n-Read.

What is See-n-Read?

From their website: "See-N-Read® is a practical reading intervention tool....designed to help readers seamlessly see, focus, and remember what they read. It reduces word- and line-skipping and pattern glare.

See: See-N-Read® helps readers to concentrate on and track the text being read while smoothly transitioning between the words that come before or after, thus helping readers to increase their fluency (the capacity to read text accurately and quickly) and comprehension.

Focus: See-N-Read’s clear reading window is surrounded by a non-glare tinted transparent finish that helps readers to focus on manageable “chunks” of information in each line of text.

Remember: See-N-Read® provides readers with a clear reference point that helps control smooth eye movements across the text on a page. Smooth eye movement from left to right and smooth transitions from line to line ("sweeping") enhance retention of information.

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How do you use this?

See-n-Read:

The See-n-Read is perfect for any book. This comes in two sizes to fit small/medium books as well as large books and documents. Glides smoothly on paper as you read line to line. Made of non glare tinted transparent finish with a clear window for reading which allows the reader to see one line at a time instead of large amounts at once. This also helps the child or adult keep their place in their reading. This works great for help in fluency and comprehension.

Book size See-n-Read- 5 1/2" x 3"
Document size See-n-Read- 8 1/2" x 3"

Made of flexible material that bends and molds to the pages of your book or document. Non toxic and made in the U.S.A

See-n-Read Memory Mark:

The Memory Mark has all the same benefits as the See-n-Read plus a clear window cut out to enable the reader to write notes, highlight, & underline while keeping their place on the page.

Great to use in workbooks, testing, textbooks, worksheets, contracts, printed documents and more..

eSee-n-Read:

The eSee-n-Read is the See-n-Read for your computer. Perfect for those people, like me, that read a lot on the computer. This really helps you stay focused on large quantities of words.

Features:

re-size the window to any size
click and move functionality
window as curser
full screen mode
horizontal or vertical
maximize, restore or minimize
non glare transparent window
automatically saves all changes

You can resize to fit various texts. You can move it anywhere on the screen. There is a full tutorial built into the eSee-n-Read to learn all about the program. This works with any PC and you can also adjust to darken or lighten the shading.

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My Thoughts on this product:

I was very impressed with this. When I first saw it I didn't know if it would make a difference in our schooling but I was so wrong. I used the smaller See-n-Read most of the time since it fit perfectly in my son's reading books. He seemed to skip around a lot when he read and I've found this to be very helpful. He's reading quicker and enjoys it more.

As the Mom, I fell in love with the eSee-n-Read. I am the only one that spends time on the computer and my eyes can get bogged down from all the words I see from different pages and words I look at. I love how you can easily change the size of it to fit the area that I am reading. I use it everytime there is a large amount of reading for me to do. A lot of sights on the internet have small print with a lot of words together. This has been a huge help.

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Who may benefit from using See-n-Read?

readers who may skip words or lines
have trouble focusing their eyes
those who may have reading performance or skill deficiencies
readers that read large quantity of material that requires concentration
great for teachers who use overhead projectors to highlight specific content without covering the remaining writing

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Contact Info:

Website:
www.see-n-read.com

Phone:
630-236-5592

Email:
info@see-n-read.com

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You can check out their website HERE or you can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

I had the opportunity to review this product for free as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Positive Action 6th Grade Bible Curriculum

2011-01-03T09:00:00.002-07:00

I have the opportunity through the TOS Crew to receive and review Positive Action for Christ Bible Curriculum for grade 6 called "Winning The Race".

About Positive Action for Christ:

From their website: "Positive Action For Christ is a publishing house specializing in youth curriculum for fundamental churches...Thousands of youth in churches and schools in all 50 States and in over 30 countries around the world now use Positive Action For Christ materials."

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How do you use this curriculum?:

This curriculum works in so many different situations. Bible studies, co-ops or church groups, as a bible curriculum or family devotion time.

The basic set up on how to use this program is as follows for a 3 day a week study plan but you can customize this to meet the needs of your individual families..

Day 1:

introduce new scripture memory verse
introduce new vocabulary and discuss the meanings
introduce lesson using ideas from the teacher's manual

Day 2:

drill scripture memory verse
continue working on sections of material in workbook focusing on key ideas and discussing material that was covered

Day 3:

discuss the character trait and apply it to concepts learned during week
check scripture memory report sheet.

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What do you get with this curriculum:

A 35 lesson workbook with beautiful, colorful illustrations and engaging text.
Several suggestions on how to use the curriculum such as the total days each week you'd like to devote to this as well as a sample plan for each option.. 3, 4 or 5 day a week plan
Scripture memorization report sheet
music curriculum that you can add to this with month by month hymn and chorus selections
Teacher guide comes with lesson by lesson helper guide including Target Truths, Teaching Strategy, Character Trait Activities, Additional Teaching Suggestions, copies of all the pages in student book, quiz and Quiz Answers

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My Thoughts on this curriculum:

I received just one grade for my review. While looking through the teacher book I really liked what I saw. The color pages in the student book caught my eye and knew this would be a great book for my kids. Since I have two boys in the age range of this series I didn't want to leave one out. I decided to combine this curriculum and use it as a devotional time instead of curriculum with grading. I feel the Bible should be taught and not graded.

I took the advice of the 3 day a week plan and followed the suggestions but with a more relaxed approach since I had the 6th grade book which is the grade level of my oldest son and I have a 3rd grader. My oldest could do all the activities easily and I walked through the others with my youngest and he seemed to understand well.

I love how flexible this is and look forward to purchasing future years of this. I've been stumbling to find something that would help our family grow closer to the Lord and this is fun, and easy to use. This is very affordable with the same prices since 2008.

Student Manual $12.95
Teacher's Manual in Binder $33.95
Teacher's Manual CD Rom $19.95

This great curriculum is available in K-6th grade. This company also has other products and curriculum for middle and high school students.

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Contact Info:

Website:
http://www.positiveaction.org/

Address:
P.O. Box 700
502 W. Pippen Street
Whitakers, NC 27891

Phone:
(800) 688-3008

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What other products does Positive Action For Christ have?

Middle School:

Route 66
Dynamic Christian Living
The God Man
Wise Up!
In Their Sandals
The Life of Christ

High School:

Crossroads at Columbine
She Said Yes Bible Study
The Heart of the Matter
Proverbs
The Inner man
Behold Your God
Change
The Christian Adventure

Christian Growth & Devotionals

Christian Growth Series- Milk, Meat, Bread, Fish
Daily Devotionals- Manna Volumes 1-6
Apples for Teachers
Wisdom for Parents
God Focused Devotions

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You can check out their website HERE or you can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

I had the opportunity to review this curriculum for free as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Tiny Planets Website

2010-12-17T09:00:00.001-07:00

I have had the opportunity through the TOS Crew to look over and review Tiny Planets website.

What is My Tiny Planets?

From their website: "My Tiny Planets Ltd. is a children’s entertainment company that provides engaging, high quality entertainment that enriches the lives of youth and develops wonder, critical thinking and an appreciation of our space universe. My Tiny Planets has delivered this promise as the creator of the Tiny Planets online entertainment platform as well as the popular Tiny Planets animated television series and companion website."

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How Do You Use This?

Tiny Planets website is set up with several planets your child can go to and explore. Fun games, puzzles and learning activities await them in each world. Set up an account using there unique Cadet names and you are on your way to having fun. A large portion of the site is free when you set up a free account. I had the opportunity to only review the free content on the site so I am unsure what you will get when purchasing keys.

If you want to explore beyond the free content you can purchase keys to enhance your exploration.

Prices for keys:

10 keys- $1.95

25 keys- $3.95

85 keys- $9.95

250 keys- $25.95

600 keys- $49.95

The areas I came across that requires keys seem to be between 3 and 5 keys to use for a reference.

When you click on My Tiny Planets or the Home Page you can create your very own planet in the universe of Tiny Planets! Build your landscape, buy spaceships and play with friends in this fun, safe virtual world!

Take a look at the interactive books on Tiny Planets Books - there's adventures from loads of the Tiny Planets episodes and more stuff coming soon! When you click on this section of the website you will be able to read a free book about Bing and Bong's adventures. You will then need to purchase keys to read more great adventures.

There are loads of fun, games, downloads and TV episodes on Tiny Planets Fun site, including coloring activities, comics and puzzles too!

In Tiny Planets Labs you will begin to explore the moon, including the brand new Moon Explorer activity which is coming soon. Explore boulders and learn about what they are and more.

If you're looking for the Tiny Planets lesson plans and Early Learning Goals information then look no further - they're here! Perfect for Parents and Educators. The lesson plans they offer are designed to work for two to three days a week to add onto your existing curriculum. 65 lessons to choose from or use all of them. They use hands on activities, crafts, videos and reading.

Watch episodes of Tiny Planets on Tiny Planets TV. Sign up with your Space Cadet account and exchange episodes for KEYS purchased via your parents account!

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My Thoughts on this Product:

I did find a lot of fun activities for the kids to play with. Since this is an online website I was really limited on what I wanted my children to play with. This is a personal preference only for our family as we don't really allow a lot of internet time. I did find the games entertaining, the book I had the opportunity to read was really cute.

The preschool section with the lesson plans I felt were the best educational part of this site. Unfortunately my children are too old to use this part. If you are looking for a website that will engage your children in fun space exploration with interactive games then you should check this website out. My kids loved Bing and Bong when they were younger so it was a great walk down memory lane for us.

If you are looking for a thorough educational site then this might not be for you. I found it full of shooting games and a lot of games that had little educational value was here. My kids did enjoy learning more about the moon.. I feel this website would be great for the preschool- early elementary ages for the educational content, coloring pages and TV episodes. Then middle/upper elementary for the games, and puzzles. Since I didn't get the opportunity to review the areas in which you needed to purchase keys, I don't have any input on that part of the website content.

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Contact Info:

Website- http://www.tinyplanets.com/
Email- contact@mytinyplanets.com
Twitter- www.twitter.com/mytinyplanets

You can check out their website HERE or you can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

I had the opportunity to review this site for free as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Wits & Wagers Family Game

2010-12-15T09:00:00.002-07:00

I've had the wonderful opportunity through the TOS Crew to receive and review Wits & Wagers Family from North Star Games.

What is Wits & Wagers Family?

From their website: "Wits & Wagers Family simplifies the rules and scoring system of the popular Wits & Wagers. Now families and kids can get into the Wits & Wagers action! First, every player writes down a guess to a fun question. Then players try to score points by choosing which guess is closest to the right answer without going over. That is it!

The game features 300 new family-friendly questions. And even better than that, Wits & Wagers Family includes Meeples-- fun, cute, human shaped wooden pieces that the players use to select which answers they think are correct. Meeples have been a hallmark in European style strategy games for years, but this is the first time they have made an appearance in a party game."

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How do you use the game?

Can be played from 2-20 people

Ages 8 plus

Read a question, write down the number answer that best fits the question.

After everyone has written it down you flip over your answer and place in a line from #1 on.

Then you take your Meeples which are seen below and place your wager. You might find someone else's answer closer to the actual answer or maybe exactly. The fun part is placing your Meeples, which you get two, onto the closest right answer.

You score two points for being exactly right

You score two points for having your large Meeple on the right or closest answer without the number going over

You score one point for having your small Meeple on the right or closest answer without the number going over

The person or team that reaches 15 first WINS!

What will you get when purchasing this game?

150 question cards equaling 300 total questions

5 dry erase answer boards

5 dry erase pens

5 large Meeples

5 small Meeples

1 dry erase score board

1 Full color rules

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My Thoughts on this Product:

My family and I LOVED, loved loved it! I have three kids ages 16, 11 and 8 and we all had a blast playing several rounds of this. It was perfect for our family size of 5 which allowed us all to play individually since there was five game cards. Not only is this game fun but has some educational value with the questions that are asked. You have to know some basic math and it's perfect for my growing boys. I would highly recommend this game to all families that want to enjoy family time with a family friendly game..

Where do I go to purchase this game?

You can purchase this game online @ Target as well as wherever games are sold.

Retail Cost $19.99

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What other Products does this company carry?

Wits & Wagers

Say Anything

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You can check out their website HERE or you can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

I received this game from North Star Games as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Christian Kids Explore Biology by Bright Ideas Press

2010-11-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Christian Kids Explore Biology
By
Bright Ideas Press

I've had the wonderful opportunity to review this biology curriculum through the TOS Crew. I was so excited when I heard that I could pick what interested me to review from Bright Ideas Press. I scrolled through and found this biology curriculum. I thought this would be a perfect addition to the homeschool curriculum I have for my youngest who is in 3rd grade this year. We currently weren't using a science curriculum when I was offered to review this so I couldn't wait for it to come in the mail.

Who is Bright Ideas Press?

From the website- "Practical, fun, and affordable History, Geography, and Science Resources."

What my main focus in reviewing for this company is to talk about how we used and enjoyed the Biology curriculum. Bright Ideas Press offers a wonderful science curriculum for elementary students including Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Earth & Space.

Worksheet from Lesson 10

How do you use this curriculum?

This curriculum is written with lessons. Each lesson is designed to work in one week with a total of 35 lessons to complete the entire book.
The lessons are then broken down into units. 8 total. Each unit is based off a specific topic to study such as Biology Basics, Plant's in God's World, Birds of the Earth, Mammals in the Wild, The Human Factor, Reptiles all Around, Insects High and Low, & Water Creatures.
Designed to be used two days a week.
Read the lesson one day and do the hands on activities on the other day.
You can easily add more reading from your library if your child finds that lesson interesting to study more. The back of the book has a huge list of reading suggestions for everything that is covered in this year's book.
Hands on activities really engage the student and help them learn the concepts.
After reading the days lesson, you will complete "Review It"
On the other day you will complete the "Hands On Time" activities
Some lessons have "One Step Further" which gives the student more ways to understand the lesson with additional activities.
With younger children, each Unit comes with a beautiful coloring page you can print out and have them color.
Memorize scripture as you go through the units. In the back of the book contains cards you can copy and cut out to help your child in memorizing them.
Also included in the back of the book is two ways to make a wonderful ABC Book. Not your normal ABC's but an Animal Kingdom ABC book or and Animal ABC book. This also includes an animal drawing to copy and color for each letter of the alphabet.
If you'd like to add more activities to a particular lesson, you can look in the back of the book at their supplemental activities and projects.

Working on examining the insides of fruits

What will you get when purchasing this curriculum?

Softcover book that includes step by step instructions on how to do all activities.
Lesson plans put together so all you have to do is open the book and read.
At the beginning of each unit there is a list of materials you will need for your experiments and activities.
Vocabulary words to learn at the beginning of each Unit
Scripture references throughout and references to those that need memorizing.
Coloring pages
Answer Key to all written work in book
Supplemental activities
Reading list if you'd like to add more reading to your lessons
Hands on activities to enrich your study in every lesson
Discovery Zone- little tidbits of valuable information added to the side of the pages to help you with your studies
Unit wrap up activities- includes a written review that is graded very uniquely and fun for the kids
Instructions on how to make your ABC books with coloring pages

Dissecting a plant

My son above is dissecting a plant that was one of his activities he worked on. He learned about the roots, and other parts of the plant.

Diagram my son drew of a plant

In one of his activities my son was directed to draw a diagram of a plant and label the parts. This was very helpful to him.

God's Recipe Card- Showed how photosynthesis works

This was a really great worksheet activity. Using the format of a recipe card, we wrote down the elements needed for photosynthesis.

Making our own terranium

My Thoughts on this curriculum:

What I love about this curriculum is all the wonderful hands on projects that really bring the lessons alive. This isn't just a read this and fill this out kind of curriculum. This engages the student in all areas of learning. You've got reading, worksheets and a ton of fun activities. The author of this knew what an elementary student enjoys and put it all in this one book.

We also had the opportunity to use the Student Activity Book that was downloaded to our computer. This wonderful resource puts the ease in photocopying the lessons to write them out. It is full of all the reproducible worksheets for the entire book.

It's hard to find a good hands on already put together curriculum for science. I have found it here! I am so excited about using this and my son just loves it. We have truly found a perfect fit with our family and look forward to using other science books in this series in the future.

Before we received this we weren't using any science curriculum. God placed this into our family at the perfect time.

Dissecting a flower to see all it's parts

Where do I go to purchase this?

Bright Ideas Press
877.492.8081
PO Box 333
Cheswold, DE 19936
Contact@BrightIdeasPress.com

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What other products does Bright Ideas Press offer?

Illuminations

Literature

History

Science

Geography

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The cost of this full year science curriculum is $34.95
This is a VERY affordable year long science curriculum!

If you'd like to get the Student Activity Book the cost for that is $12.95.
This will give you all the reproducible worksheets ready to print from your own printer.

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You can check out their website HERE or you can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

I received this book along with a download of the Student Activity book as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

KB Teachers

2010-11-19T09:00:00.001-07:00

KB Teachers

I have had the opportunity to receive a subscription to look through and use to review as a part of the TOS Crew.

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Who is KB Teachers?

From their website: "KnowledgeBears.com was founded in 1998 in New York, and our award winning KBears is now a leading online destination for children of all ages. In 2004, KnowledgeBears.com, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware.

KBTeachers brings the best the web can deliver to you and your students -- It is the one-stop destination for teachers and parents who are always on the lookout for new and engaging 21st century teaching tools and materials. KBTeachers is also about value, choice and transparency."

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What do you get when you purchase this?

One click worksheet generators and alphabet factory
Create an unlimited number of engaging printable activities - For all ages and grade levels
No watermarks and unlimited access
Exclusive graphics and clipart - Decorate your websites, Blogs, activity sheets etc...
Diverse educational resources - From simple ABC worksheets, to 20 pages exams
Intuitive activities online or off - At home, at school or in study hall
Free 24/7 Support - If we don't have it, we'll create it - or help you find it
Answer Keys - Proofed and checked quality materials you can trust
Updated regularly - New features and member created content added every week
Nothing to download, instant access - From any internet connection
Worksheets in several main curriculum categories including science, math, history, holidays, language arts and much more.

"They do not charge per download or per workbook. For a low yearly or monthly fee, you get full access to all of their content and services--which would cost $1000's of dollars elsewhere."

You can check out their website content for 10 days free and a 30 day guarantee by clicking HERE

Cost:
$29.00 for one year
$49.00 for two years

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My Thoughts on this product:

I loved looking through this site checking out the worksheets they had to offer for my two youngest which are 11 and 8. I was excited when I saw the science worksheets they had went along with the studies that I was working on with my youngest. I was able to implement them perfectly into our lessons and it helped him grasp the concept and reinforce what he was learning with his core curriculum.

We also used a lot of their math worksheets while my hubby was out of state on business. Since he is the math teacher I didn't have anyone working with the kids so I was able to print off what I needed so they could do reinforcement activities and not get behind in their study.

I believe this site would be an excellent add on to any family that loves to implement worksheets to their schooling. Use them side by side with your existing curriculum or build your own curriculum using what they have to offer. I felt this website benefited the elementary and middle schools the most. There was much more variety and content in the elementary grades, but I do know that they add often so what is only available as I write this may not be all later so please keep checking back on their site for updated content.

Sign up for their newsletters and it helps you know when new things arrive at their site including holidays, special occasions and much more.

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Company Contact Information:

www.kbteachers.com

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You can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

I received a two year membership to this sight as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Corps of Re-Discovery- Fringe Pouch Kit

2010-11-15T10:01:00.001-07:00

Corps of Re-Discovery

I have had the opportunity to receive a Fringe Pouch Kit to assemble and review as a part of the TOS Crew.

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Who is Corps of Re-Discovery?

From their website: "The Corps of Discovery's goal was to explore what lies around the next river bend, to seek out new life and new cultures, to boldly discover what had never been discovered before.... We are the Corps of Re-Discovery.... Working together as a family, we have found and created great project kits to enrich your studies of American Indians, Frontiersmen and Pioneer Americans so you, too can "re discover" America."

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What do you get when you purchase this product:

Everything you see in the above photo comes with the kit.

Includes- pre-cut and pre-punched leather, thread, needle laces and instructions.

My Thoughts on this product:
My son was very excited to put this together when he found out what it was. I figured it was simple enough for him to assemble with my help. We did struggle a bit understanding the directions as the illustrations are hard to see. After we figured out what we were doing we started assembling the leather pouch. DS8 used the needle and the thread that is provided in the kit and I showed him what he needed to do.

Once everything was laced together we turned it right side out and it looked like this above. By this point my son was getting excited about all the possibilities he could use this for. It was neat to watch.

After the pouch was sewn we needed to assemble the strap. The instructions mentioned that it should be two pieces but ours came as one big long piece so we needed to cut it in half for it to work. While putting this part of the product together I really had a hard time understanding how to lace the strap and in the process one side broke with little effort. So I had to think outside the box and figure out how to tie this up to make it open and close and still be a strap for him. In the end I got it to work and he loved it just the same.

You can purchase this pouch kit by visiting their website HERE

Retail cost $11.99

If you are looking for a hands on project that will help your child learn history and to help them feel like they are back in time, then this kit will be a great addition to your homeschooling curriculum. My son has been playing with this for a month now and loves it. After we got through the lace issue it seems to be holding up perfectly for him. He's a boy and loves to be rough and it's still going strong.

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What other products does this company provide?

They have projects in many areas of history including:

American Indian

Pioneer and Colonial

Frontiersman

Leather Working Materials

and more....

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Company Contact Information:

Website

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You can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

I received this book as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Buckets O Fun- Yuck Products

2010-10-29T09:00:00.001-06:00

I've had the wonderful opportunity to review Yuck Products from Buckets O Fun as part of the TOS Crew.

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What is Bucket O' Fun?

From their website: "Buckets-O-Fun (BOF) is a one stop shopping with unique products for the creation of fun filled social and recreational events. BOF has brought together all of the products needed, saving you the time, energy, expense and frustration of searching.... These products appeal to all ages from 5 to 95. Functions in schools, clubs, church groups, organizations, parties of all types including businesses will be more successful with BOF. Our highest quality products along with a variety of creative ideas for their use will please you for many events now and in the future."

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Yuck.. What is it?

I've had the opportunity to try out all four of their yuck products in a sample size. These products can be used in many ways. We used all four as science experiments the company provided for us to use with each one. We had a blast putting them together and learning more about each one. You can also purchase it to use with group games. Since we only received a sample size that just wasn't available for us to do but we did get a list and instructions on several games we could play using each Yuck product. They all looked like so much fun..

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Yuck Products:

As we worked on each of the four samples we received we completed the science experiment questions that Buckets O Fun provided us.

Some questions that were asked?

How long does it take for it to absorb water?
When does it stop growing?
Measure it?
Stretch it and see how long you can get it before it breaks?
and much much more.....

My Thoughts on the Products:

Chunky Yuck:

The kids and I loved playing with the chunky Yuck. Starting out as small little squares they grew to look exactly like ice. We were so fascinated at how much it resembled the look of ice until you touched it.. and that was an experiment on its own. This one took the longest as it needed an entire day to absorb the water but well worth the wait.

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Saucy Yuck:

My youngest son made the mixture on this one. Resembling applesauce this was just as fun to make and play around in. We dyed it blue to see what would happen as well as answering the science experiment questions on this particular product.

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Snowy Yuck:

Ooh.. This was fun. Living in a climate where we receive snow yearly I was really happy to try this one out. I wanted to know how much it resembled the texture of snow. WOW! I was impressed. The kids loved working on the experiments. One question asked if it could be made into a snowball? What do you think? We decided to freeze it and see what would happen as well. After a day we took it out and it glistened just like real snow.. It was great!

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Sticky Yuck:

I was worried about this one before we did it so it was the last one we did. I just thought it was going to be difficult to clean up but I was surprised it really wasn't. Everyone at my house got involved with this one. Resembling snot.. yes I did say snot.. We watched it transform before our eyes as we worked through the science experiment questions. After we're done, my daughter tinted it green to of course resemble.. you guessed it.. snot.. This was the kids favorite!

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Where do I go to purchase this or to learn more about this product?

You can check out their website HERE or you can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

The prices vary depending on the quantity size you would like to order. Starting prices from $6.00 up.

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What other products does Buckets O Fun carry?

They also carry:

Yuck accessories
Finger Rockets
Inflatable Fun
Barnyard
and more

Company Contact Info:

Buckets-O-Fun
6436 SE 134 th Ave.
Portland, OR 97236

800-223-6901
503-760-8880 (local)
503-761-2052 (Fax)

orders@buckets-o-fun.com

I received this products as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Soli Deo Gloria Resource- Psalm Study

2010-10-15T09:00:00.001-06:00

Soli Deo Gloria

I have had the privilege to review "Young Hearts Longing for God- A study in the Psalms for Younger Students" from Soli Deo Gloria Resources as a member of the TOS Crew.

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What is Soli Deo Gloria Resources?

From their website: "Soli Deo Gloria Resources provides unit study curricula, Bible studies and teacher resources for homeschooling families. Soli Deo Gloria is Latin for "To God Alone the Glory."

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What will I get when purchasing this book:

You will receive 30 lesson study that is geared towards the 4th-8th grade student.
One Psalm for each week
You will dig deep into 30 Psalms or portions of a Psalm each week to find the meaning of each passage
Includes questions to answer and prompts to write in a journal about what you've learned
Each lesson is on one page of the workbook
Designed for you to read the passage or Psalm each day and answer the questions below. Either all at once or break them up over several days.
Then you will be prompted to write in your journal which you will need to provide in addition to the workbook. You can use either a three ring binder or a composition notebook

You can find a sample page of this study HERE

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My Thoughts on the Product:

I used this curriculum with my oldest son who is in the 6th grade. After the first couple lessons doing it as described, he really felt that reading it each day was a bit much. He really got a good grasp on each Psalm that he was studying without needing to read it each day for five days. He liked answering the questions on Day 2 and doing his writing assignment on Day 3. I had him read the Psalm for the week at least 2 times and he was satisfied with that as the study needed him to go back and look through it while doing the writing and questions. We worked on this three days in a week instead of the suggested five.

I would recommend this for older elementary for sure as my youngest would think it tedious reading this each day and not sure if he would understand the ultimate goal behind it. My 6th grader liked it once we tweaked the reading portion and overall felt it was a great study.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where do I go to purchase this or to learn more about this product?

You can check out their website HERE or you can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

The price for this softcover book is $16.00.
Instant E-book Download for $14.50

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What other products does Soli Deo Gloria have to offer?

They have unit studies, notebooks and more in the following subjects:

BIBLE
GEOGRAPHY
HISTORY
SCIENCE
As well as teacher resources including how to make your own unit study and more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Company Contact Info:

www.solideogloriaresources.com

I received this book as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

TOS Download & Go Lewis & Clark Study

2010-10-12T19:57:00.003-06:00

I was absolutely ecstatic when I found out The Old Schoolhouse Magazine was putting together a unit study through the Download and Go Series for the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Living in Central Montana we have an interpretive center right here in town that talks about the voyage of both Lewis and Clark. Most of the information though is above my 3rd graders level of understanding.

I was tickled pink to finally have something that will enhance this subject for my youngest child and be able to fill in the blanks with information that the interpretive center lacks for the younger audience.

While looking through this wonderful study, I found a day’s worth of wonderful information, videos and resources about the area we live in today. It discussed a lot about what Lewis & Clark discovered while following the Missouri River that goes close to our home here in Montana.

Have you had the opportunity to try one of these wonderful unit study’s from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine? The Download and Go series brings learning to life for children K-4th grade. The Lewis & Clark Expedition is just another wonderful resource coming from Amanda Bennett and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.

All learning styles will enjoy this way of teaching. Worksheets with fill in the blanks, for those who like to write down or take notes. The visual learner will enjoy the interactive video links throughout the daily lessons. The hands on learner will fall in love with the lap booking templates each day. Don’t forget Mom. Mom’s will fall in love with the ease of teaching when using the Download and Go studies. All the lesson planning is done for you. Just need to print out the worksheets and templates for lap booking and you are on your way to an adventure with your children.

What do you learn with THIS study?

What brought about the adventures of Lewis & Clark?
Who was Lewis & Clark?
Science on the Journey
Remembering Lewis & Clark
Lessons to Learn from Lewis & Clark

Don’t miss out on this wonderful study teaching our children the history of discovery and about two men willing to take the challenge to go west.

You can purchase this study for only $7.95 HERE.

LanSchool Technology Software

2010-10-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

LanSchool

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was given a free license to LanSchool for review. However, I was unable to use this product due to not having internet access on my children's computers as well as the fact they are not linked together with my home computer. This will be an informative review, rather than my opinion due to the lack of me being able to use it. I encourage you to visit the TOS Crew Blog page to read the reviews of my crewmates that were able to use this product.

What is LanSchool?

From their Website- "Since 1986, LanSchool Technologies has been the premier provider of classroom management and monitoring software. LanSchool's award-winning technology is known worldwide for being reliable, simple and easy-to-use.

LanSchool is passionate about helping educators teach more effectively with innovative software solutions. With its resellers and partners, LanSchool is making a positive impact on learning worldwide."

LanSchool is a computer program designed to help you interact with your student(s) that use a computer for classroom work. Technology in the classroom is rising year to year as we introduce computer curriculums to our students as early as Kindergarten. This amazing tool can really help the teacher to eliminate distractions such as games, messaging and internet browsing while the student should be doing their assigned work.

Simple to install, LanSchool only requires about 4% of the processor and 8 MB of memory.

Some things that the program will do for you includes:

Reduce Student Distractions-
Teachers can reduce student distractions by Blanking Screens, Limiting Applications and Limiting Web Browsing on student computers. This helps direct student attention from their computer to the teacher and keeps students on task.
Monitor Students
Ideal for monitoring student activity within a classroom setting, the Thumbnail feature allows you to view all screens as well as see the current application and website that the students are running. Teachers can send messages to all or individual students.
Assess Student Understanding
Students can be quickly polled during a lecture with true/false or multiple choice questions.
Help Individual Students
Students can silently Request Help from the teacher. A small question mark appears on the thumbnail with the student question, which indicates they need help.
Moniter Internet History
View all students internet history since students are not able to delete
Screen Snapshot
You are able to get a snapshot of your students current computer screen to be able to find out if they are on task
Print Limiting
You are able to disable print options on any of the computers set up with LanSchool
Web Limiting
You can limit what websites the student is able to access

LanSchool can be used for your home as well as the classroom. LanSchool Home version can monitor up to three computers. This version is the same as LanSchool and it helps parents to monitor and protect their family with the same benefits as in the classroom.

LanSchool Home is only $99 for a home license but free to educators.

System Requirements:

LanSchool v7.5 supports any combination of computers running Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP-32, Windows Vista-32/64, Windows 7-32/64, Windows 2003 and 2008 Terminal Server, MultiPoint Server, Citrix, NComputing U, X and L series, iPad, iPod, iPhone, iOS 3 and iOS 4, Mac OS 10.4 and higher.

The only exception is the LanSchool teacher console for the Mac, which will only run on Intel- based Mac hardware running OS 10.5 or higher.

Processor:
166 MHz Intel® Pentium® processor or faster

RAM:
48 MB for Windows 98
96 MB for Windows 2000
128 MB for Windows XP
256 MB for Windows Vista
512 MB for Mac

Protocol stack:
All computers must be configured with TCP/IP
802.11 wireless is supported, however enterprise class access points are recommended

Where do I go to learn more about this product or to purchase it?

You can visit their website HERE as well as read more about this product by visiting the TOS Crew HERE.

Company Contact Info:

LanSchool Technologies, LLC
770 West 210 South
Orem, Utah 84058

877.370.5546

sales@lanschool.com

support@lanschool.com

I received a personal license of this product (in which I was unable to use) as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Vocabulary Cartoons Elementary Edition

2010-09-29T09:00:00.005-06:00

Vocabulary Cartoons Elementary Edition

by New Monic Books

Have you ever wondered how to make learning vocabulary fun and enjoyable? I know over the years as my children have gotten older, the curriculum gets harder and very serious. I was happy to use this with in our schooling.

What is Vocabulary Cartoons?

A creative and fun way to learn new vocabulary words using a mnemonic approach. This way of learning helps students to remember the vocabulary word by using pictures, sounds like 'this word' and quaint sentences using both the sounds like word and the actual vocabulary word.

What will I get when purchasing this book:

Geared towards 3rd-6th grade students
Softcover book teaching 210 vocabulary words and definitions in a funny, easy to use format.
The book includes a black and white picture to reinforce all 210 words.
One word and definition per page.
Includes a word that sounds like or rhymes with the studied word to help them in memorizing
243 pages including vocabulary words and 21 review quizzes
Answer key to all review quizzes are included at the back of the book
An index of all vocabulary words are provided in alphabetical order with the page number the word is introduced
21 review quizzes with matching and fill in the blank problems. Great for reinforcement.
No other material is required to use this book in your schooling or classroom.
No teacher prep needed. In most cases if the child can read independently, he/she can read on their own.
Each word is reinforced with the a quiz after every 10 words
Great for the visual learner
Work at your own pace. Either study a word a day or several.. It's totally up to you and your student.

Sample of the quiz and fill in the blank questions

The sample page above shows the format used to study each word. On this particular page they are asking you to memorize DRENCH, which sounds like Bench.. Then they have a picture with a sentence that helps the child learn the word DRENCH.. Then below that are the sentences to help reinforce the words definition.

If you'd like to see more sample pages click HERE

My Thoughts on the Product:

Using this with my 3rd grade son, he didn't quite understand the concept of the sounds like words. I believe that made it confusing for him to see the point of what he needed to learn. Because of that, the cartoons didn't make sense to him either.

I also used this with my 6th grader and he understood it much better than my younger son did. He thought the cartoons were funny and made learning the word more enjoyable than writing the word several times each. He preferred skipping the fill in the blank questions and just focused solely on the cartoons and rhyming sentences.

The way we used the curriculum was learning two words a day. We read the word, definition, then looked over the picture carefully before reading the picture caption. We studied the way the words were used in each sentence that followed the picture. At this pace, my oldest son really picked up and enjoyed learning each word.

I would recommend this product to any child that loves to read comic books. A child that is a visual learner would highly benefit from this book as well. Since there is no teacher prep needed, this could be a wonderful vocabulary book for those on the go, or don't like using a boxed style curriculum.

Where do I go to purchase this or to learn more about this product?

You can check out their website HERE or you can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE

The price for this softcover book is $12.95.

What other products does New Monic have to offer?

For older students:

Vocabulary SAT Word Power
Vocabulary SAT Word Power II

For younger students:

Melissa Forney's Picture Speller for Young Writers

Company Contact Info:

New Monic Books, Inc.
P.O Box 511314
Punta Gorda, FL 33951

Toll Free: 800-741-1295
Local Phone: 941-575-6669
Fax: 941-575-6463

www.vocabularycartoons.com
info@vocabularycartoons.com

I received this book as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Schleich Figures and Playworlds

2010-09-24T09:00:00.002-06:00

Schleich Figurines

I love things that bring creativity into my homeschooling and fun into my children's lives. I've had the wonderful opportunity to receive some Schleich animals to review.

My first thought was, what should I do with them in order to give an honest review? That was really simple once the box was opened and my boys saw what was inside. They took the tags off and off they went to play with them.

Using their creativity and their imagination. Exactly the focus of why Schleich makes these wonderful figures and accessories. Giving our children an opportunity to learn through play.

So what did we receive from Schleich?

Donkey, Przewalskis Horse, Swabian Hall Piglet, Dartmoor Pony, Asian Elephant Calf, Okapi, Gnu, Gnu Calf

My boys playing with their figures

What is Schleich?

From their website- "Friedrich Schleich founded the company in 1935. The now famous Schleich figurines first came to life in the 1950's. At that time we started to concentrate on the development, production and marketing of comic figurines. And they are still popular and well known: The Smurfs, Snoopy, The Muppet Show characters and many many more."

"Since the early 1980's we added animal figurines to our range of products and consequently extended this area. The animal play worlds created over the years are a true reflection of nature on a smaller scale. Spanning from the lost world of the dinosaurs to domestic and wild animals of present times. Meanwhile, and starting in 2003, Knights, the Wild West theme and Elves have also been added to the popular Schleich Play Worlds."

What will I get when purchasing from this company?

These toy molds are engineered by a German master craftsman. Working on the finest details which takes up to six weeks. Once finished, they are painted by hand. Each toy is unique, durable, and safe, exceeding global safety standards.

Schleich offers over 500 items in several areas of interest including:

World of Nature

This area includes Wild Life and Farm life.

Farm items include- farm life animals, horses, dogs, pets, people, vehicles, accessories, buildings, plants & trees.

Wild life items include animals from- Africa, Asia & Australia, Arctics & Antarctica, Europe, the Ocean and America. Also includes, people, vehicles, accessories, buildings, plants & animals.

World of History

This area includes Prehistoric Animals, The World of the Knights, & The World of the American Indians

Prehistoric animals such as dinosaurs and mammals.

The World of the Knights including Fleur de Lis, Lion, Courtiers, Fantasy Dragons and Knights, buildings, tents, and accessories.

World of American Indians including people and accessories.

World of Fantasy

This area includes- Bayala and The Smurfs.

The Smurfs includes- The Smurfs characters and cottages.

Bayala includes- Iloris, Arelan, Dragons, Unicorns & Pegasus, Vehicles, buildings and accessories.

Their products are specifically designed with the help from parents and teachers as well as children. They are designed for little hands.

My Thoughts on These Products:

My children fell in love with the animals we've received. This isn't the first time we've come across items from the Schleich line of figurines. Our first encounter was a farm set with a pig, sheep and two cows for my youngest son. He loves cows and fell in love with this set immediately. These are well made, durable and can withstand a lot of rough play, which happens here at my home with two boys.

My favorite thing about these products is their realistic features. Playing with these gives my children an opportunity to learn more about animals from different parts of the world and area. Since the figures are made with realistic features they can identify and begin to understand different animals they normally would not come in contact with.

Where do I go to Purchase this or to Learn More About These Products?

You can check out their website to see their entire line of products HERE or you can also check out the TOS Crew website to see other reviews on this product HERE .

As I can tell you are not able to order online at their website. If you go to their website you can click on STORE LOCATOR to find a retailer near you.

How Much Are These Products..

From their website "Schleich's life like animal figures are divided into 4 sales groups. Each one of these price categories is assigned a coloured dot (green, red, yellow and grey) which is displayed on the Schleich S flag on the figure. All the figures within one colour group are sold at the same price."

Company Contact Information:

Schleich North America Inc.

3528 Hawthorne Road

Ottawa, Ontario K1G 3W9

Canada

Toll Free Number-888-269-0826

Toll Free Fax- 877-739-1481

eMail:
schleich@schleich-s.com

Internet:
www.schleich-s.com

I received these products as a part of my involvement in the 2010-2011 TOS Crew in exchange for an honest review of this product. No other compensation was given.

Download & Go- Constitution Celebration

2010-09-07T18:48:00.004-06:00

Have you ever searched for a curriculum that would teach the Constitution to younger children? I know I’ve struggled with wanting to teach this subject and finding curriculum that was age appropriate for my now 3rd grader. The search is over! Download and Go Constitution Celebration by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and Amanda Bennett has saved the day. I am so happy to have received this curriculum to use with my son.

Teaching the Constitution is hard for the younger ages as most curriculum is above their educational level. Download and Go not only teaches this subject at a K-4 grade level but it’s fun too. With interactive links to enhance your study along with lap booking components for the hands on learner.

What will you learn after your done?

What is a Constitution?
History of the Constitution
Constitutional Convention
Secrets of the Constitution
Goodies and Gadgets of the Constitution

What will you get when you purchase this?

Daily Library Book List
Interactive Links- Videos
Lapbooking Templates
5 Daily Lesson Plans
Worksheets to reinforce the lessons for each day
Fun Family Ideas

If you are looking to add some fun into your history study this year, then grab this wonderful 5 day curriculum on the Constitution. You can purchase it HERE for only $7.95.

I was given this product free of charge in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given.

Travel the World- June 2010 Planner Module

2010-07-19T09:00:00.001-06:00

I have had the wonderful opportunity to review a Planner Module from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.

Travel the World- June 2010

What is a Module?

From the TOS website- "A module is an add-on for The Schoolhouse Planner, the amazing planner brought to you by The Old Schoolhouse®. A module includes a study guide, activity pages, quizzes, coloring pages, copywork, lapbooking, and more!

You do not have to have The Schoolhouse Planner to use the modules. Each module is designed to be its own stand-alone unit study. You can choose to purchase the modules by themselves or bundle them with The Schoolhouse Planner."

If you've ever purchased a schoolhouse planner in the past then you will have noticed each month there is a theme. These planner modules follow along with that month's theme. Like I mentioned above they are great just by themselves.

How to use a module?

This wonderful resource would be a perfect addition to your school curriculum or you can use it on it's own. This month's theme- Travel the World will take you on an adventure through the seven continents. You will learn about geography, the Earth, maps, oceans and all seven continents.

These are great for those who like unit studies and/or lapbooking. Perfect to add to your existing curriculum or use as a stand alone. This wonderful ebook is a total of 56 pages with over nine pages of instruction and information to help you with your lesson. This ebook is in color but can be printed out in either color or black and it won't affect the quality of the lesson.

What's included:

This is an ebook so you will get it as an instant download. You will be able to print off everything you will need or read it directly from your computer.
Everything is there for you. All the research is there for you to read directly to your student or have them read independently.
Embedded links to help enhance your study.
Worksheets to complete and fill out
Lapbooking Templates
Copywork to print out in manuscript and cursive
High School expansion pages for older students
Recipes
Resource links to enhance and add to your study
Answer keys to worksheets

My Thoughts on This Product:

I've used these in the past with our schooling. They are a wonderful resource and all the research is done for you. The links are a wonderful asset to the ebook and would highly recommend clicking on them while studying this topic. I would recommend this for all ages as they have something for everyone included in this study. I like the convenience of it being an ebook since a lot of it needs to be printed out such as worksheets and lapbooking templates so it makes it nice to just be able to do that on your computer printer instead of taking it to the copy store.

If you are interested in seeing what others are saying about this wonderful product you can take a look @ the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog.

You can purchase this product from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Store HERE for only $7.95

I was given this product free of charge in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given.

Molly's Digest- July 2010

2010-07-09T16:15:00.002-06:00

What a treat to receive July’s issue of Molly’s Money-Saving Digest. If you’ve never had the opportunity to enjoy a digest I would suggest grabbing this month’s issue. July brings us outdoors to enjoy fun, sun and family. Molly brings us many tips on how to save while enjoying the warm summer months.

This wonderful resource starts out by sharing great tips on how to truly enjoy going on picnics with your family instead of spending money eating out on your road trips. I know our family tends to take a lot of spontaneous road trips on my husband’s days off and Molly’s wonderful Picnic Bag will definitely be in the back of our car.. What a great idea.

Don’t forget Molly’s wonderful and handy forms. This month she has added two wonderful Summertime resources that you and your family will flip over. The Digital Scavenger Hunt form to print out and enjoy with the kiddos. I can’t wait! As well as a nature study form. If you’re family loves to be outside with nature then you will love this one.

During the Summer months I always get the itch to plant something. I am not much of a gardener but would love to have potted plants or herbs to grow. The article Feather Your Nest Frugally will help you enjoy your very own herb garden.

As the weather turns hot, I tend to want to cook my meals in the crock-pot. If you are like me then you will LOVE this months’ Molly. The recipes she includes are great for the crock-pot including BBQ Chicken with cheesecake for dessert.. YUM! All these meal planning ideas come with step by step instructions as well as a grocery list of ingredients. How handy is that! All of her recipes compliment the veggies and food that are the most delicious this time of year like corn on the cob and things BBQ’d.

Other things you will enjoy in this months digest..

*Kids Corner- Full of fun science experiments you’re kids are going to love.
*Something Old, Something New
*Summer Fun From A to Z- Dozens of Summertime fun activities starting with each letter of the alphabet like biking, butterfly catching, firework art, scavenger hunts and so much more.
*Living the Abundant Lifestyle- A personal story about a family living the frugal life.

Each month when I read Molly, I find more and more things I love about it. This one was no exception.

You can pick up your copy from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine HERE for just $4.95..

Molly Goes Camping E-book

2010-05-21T15:39:00.002-06:00

Molly has done it again! I’ve been enjoying each months’ Molly’s Digest and now she comes out with another wonderful resource, perfect for the upcoming summer season. I know I have not been one to go camping. Let me tell you, bugs, snakes and anything alive don’t mix well with me. After reading through Molly Goes Camping e-book, I was very excited about the possibilities of going camping with my family.

This wonderful e-book is full of stories from different home schooling families sharing their stories on camping, RV‘ing, backpacking and more. Full of encouragement and helpful tips on how we can all enjoy the outdoors this summer.

Along with the wonderful camping stories, you will find:

Wonderful tips on how you can restore/remodel a used RV on a budget
Backpacking
Dehydrating
Lessons from a Boy Scout
Packing Lightly
Planning Your Trip
Beach Camping
Camping @ Campsites
Recipes and more….

If you’d like to make memories this Summer out in nature enjoying the stars, campfires and family, then you will really enjoy reading Molly Goes Camping.. You can purchase this wonderful ebook for only $8.95 HERE

Travel Kits Ebook by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

2010-05-13T15:29:00.003-06:00

Have you ever heard of a travel kit? I didn’t until I had the opportunity to review the new e-book “Travel Kits- Simple Way to Bless Others“ by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. I know that Summer time is coming up all over America and road trips are being planned as we speak. I know we plan to take a few ourselves starting in June.

When I opened up this e-book I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but I wasn’t disappointed. I was sad that I didn’t have this wonderful resource last year when my two boys and I took a 20 hour one way road trip to CA and then back again.

So are you wondering yet what this e-book will do for you? It will allow you to enjoy more of your travels from point A to point B while your kiddos have fun. I know driving in a car with elementary aged kids can be a strain since we don’t do a lot of electronic entertainment and I know that this resource will be a fun change from the need to hear “Are we there yet?” comments from the back seat. Wouldn’t it be exciting to hear instead “WOW, another road trip.. I can’t wait!”

Travel kits are put together by Mom or Dad and given to your kiddos during your trip. It can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like it to be. The book talks about making them for younger kids but I can see this being made for all aged children. The imagination is endless. Depending on the size of your vehicle and the space you will have for your child’s travel kit will ultimately determine the size of the kit and how much content to put in it.

Some things you can use to make your kit can be:

CD’s w/ player
Books on Tape
Puzzles
Games
Toys
And SO much more…

This not only allows fun during your car ride but also lasting family memories. Not just a source of entertainment for your child but a chance to watch them grow, interact with others in the car while enjoying themselves. The best part for your child is you get a box/package with individually wrapped surprises..

Full of many ideas, inspirations, variations, colorful pictures, websites, as well as bonus features such as tips on snacks & books, preparing your vehicle for the trip and much more.

You won’t want to miss out on this wonderful e-book. You can purchase it HERE for only $12.45

Download & Go Series- Mother's Day Unit Study

2010-05-05T12:41:00.002-06:00

I have truly enjoyed receiving the Download and Go Series weekly unit studies from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and Amanda Bennett. If you haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy the few months worth of weekly unit studies, this week would be a great one to start. Nothing says I love you, than Mother’s Day. This week’s unit study is on just that.

Have you ever wondered where Mother’s Day came from? After the week’s completed you will have a better understanding on this wonderful holiday to celebrate mother’s all over the world. Each day you will have an activity with internet links, worksheets and lapbooking templates. Set up with your K-4 grade child in mind you will be able to quickly print off what you need and you’re ready to go. Simple as that.

We’ve really enjoyed working through our Download and Go unit studies. I love the ease of putting it together and the lesson planning is all done for you. All you really need to do is add library books if you’d like to add to the study. A daily book list is included.

Also included in this wonderful unit is an added bonus. A wonderful Mother’s Day activity. When you have it all completed you will pass it onto your Mother for a wonderful hand made gift.

For only $7.95 you will get an entire week of studies that include reading, writing, videos, library books, lapbooking, notebooking and a whole lot of fun.

Let’s learn more about why we celebrate Mother’s Day and then kick back and enjoy this wonderful gift that God has given us.. Our Mothers…

You can purchase this Unit Study HERE

Molly's Digest- May Edition Review

2010-05-05T12:03:00.001-06:00

I have had the wonderful opportunity to review the May issue of “The Old Schoolhouse Magazine- Molly’s Money Saving Digest”. I’ve really enjoyed receiving these as it is helping me in becoming a simplified, frugal homemaker.

This month’s issue has not disappointed me. One of my favorite article's turned out to be “This is My Story.” This was a wonderful inspiring story on how we can truly learn to live on one income from a family in CA. I love reading stories of other families that have changed their ways of thinking about money so they can budget and still live a great life on one income.

Are you planning a wedding or graduation this year? Then you will want to purchase this month’s Molly’s Digest. It includes a huge section on how to plan and prepare for a wonderful wedding/graduation without breaking the budget.

You will also find a great example on how to stretch your dollar on gift giving by making your own online scrapbook as well as finding solutions on purchasing the right organic fruits and vegetables.

What other things will you learn this month with Molly?

A week’s worth of yummy & delicious recipes that never disappoint using your crockpot & freezer (Comes with a printable grocery list for ease of shopping)
Guest list for your upcoming parties & events
Month in a glance calendar
A very useful food quantity guide for parties
Rule of Thumb guides to help with your parties
Wonderful flower craft that you will ‘dye’ for

Saving one of the best sections in each month’s Molly’s Digest for last is Kid’s Corner. What I love about this section is that I can print it out and just hand it to my children for them to read. It’s written directly to them. This month’s topic really was a blessing to our family. Money Manners, Shopping Manners, & more. My whole family gets to enjoy Molly’s ebooks each month from frugal shopping and decorating ideas for myself and Kid’s Corner for my children.

If you are interested in purchasing the May Edition of Molly’s Digest.. You can for only $4.95 HERE

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine 08-09 Planner Excerpt Review

2010-04-28T17:27:00.003-06:00

If you never had the chance to purchase the Schoolhouse Planner for 2008-2009 then you are in for a treat! This wonderful Schoolhouse Planner Excerpts is jam-packed full of excellent resources and recipes you know you’ll keep coming back to.

Included in this e-book:

Recipes
Schoolhouse Store clickable links to help enhance your school studies of topics in this e-book
Resources including articles, inspiration, wonderful advice and lesson plans

I believe this was the best thing that has happened with the Old Schoolhouse Planners and I totally agree that these resources can and will be useful for years to come. I know that if you aren’t interested in planners or have one already in place then you will love these excerpts.

Some articles included:

Tips for Teaching Writing
Top 7 Reasons to Learn a Foreign Language
Making Math Stick
The Basics of Getting into College
And much more….

Resources Include:

Lapbooks- A Creative Road to Retention
The 13 Colonies
Chore Training Tips
Hands on History
And much more..

Recipes Include:

Oven Roast Beef Stew
Easy Chicken Casserole
Honey Pork Tenderloin
Cheeseburger Rolls
Spinach Alfredo Lasagna
And much more..

Full of delicious recipes your family will love, articles to inspire you in your home schooling and family life as well as help you teach subjects that might be difficult for you such as math, geography or history. I found this excerpt a wonderful addition to my home schooling..

You can purchase this great resource @ The Old Schoolhouse Store HERE for only $9.95

Old Schoolhouse 2010 Planner Review

2010-04-28T16:51:00.002-06:00

I have had the privilege of reviewing the upcoming The Old Schoolhouse 2010 Planner. I have purchased these for the past two years and every year I haven’t been disappointed. Each year they seem to make it bigger and better. I couldn’t wait to breeze through each page with awe.

This isn’t just any ordinary school planner. You know, the one that gives you a blank lesson plan with the days of the week on top and the big boxes to put your ideas in. No, this is much more than that. Jam packed full of monthly ideas to kick start the fun in your homeschooling.

There are different ways you can utilize this planner. You can print out the pages you’d like to or you can write directly from the interactive e-book pages. I love that feature. You can edit, and get it just right before you print it out. No more wasting ink in my house.

The best part of the planner for me is the wonderful homeschool resources that you get each month. Articles filled with encouragement as well as how to of homeschooling.Some articles included in this year’s planner include:

Help Others While Spending Time Together
Family Spa Night
Limiting the Uses of Electronic Devices at Home
Preparing Food for People With Food Allergies
Make Your Own Soap
And much more…

Some homeschooling Help Articles include:

Time-lining History
Simple Sign Language
Computers for Beginners
Grades & Homeschooling
The Study of Logic & Critical Thinking
Learn More About Animal Classification
And much more…

I have found so many articles over the past two years that have given me such encouragement during the hard times in home schooling. I look forward to reading each and every one of the articles in this year’s planner over and over again.

That’s not all that this planner has to offer. Alongside 12 months of articles, you receive two styles of monthly calendars that allow you to fill in your to-do list in a nice sized space, either with lines or without. Perfect to print out, hole punch and place in a binder. You also receive homeschool help forms, & worksheets in a variety of different topics for homeschooling and for your home including:

4 years worth of ‘year in a glance’ to look ahead
Several pages full of curriculum forms
Planning sheets
Report card/progress report forms
Scores/grades recording forms
Log Sheets
Schedule Forms
Unit Study Forms
Co-op Sheets
Convention Planning Forms
Preschool Forms
Alphabet Writing Forms
And a large variety of misc. forms

Household Forms including:

Important Info to Remember
Homekeeping Pages
Schedule Forms
Grocery/Menu Planning Sheets
Chores
Bible
Garden
Budget
And a large variety of misc. forms

Each of these above have several options for you to choose from. You aren’t limited to one set way. I love all the option you get with this planner. If you are looking for a planner that will allow you flexibility with your unique way of schooling and running your house then this planner would be perfect for you. So many options available to custom fit your family.

You can purchase this wonderful resource for only $39.00 @ The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Store HERE.

Molly's Money Saving Digest~ April 2010

2010-03-31T17:14:00.004-06:00

What a treat it was to be able to review April 2010- Molly’s Money-Saving Digest from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. If you’ve never had the opportunity to look through this monthly e-book, this month would truly be a treat!

I’m not one for New Year’s Resolutions but when 2010 started I wanted to start eating fresh, and cook from scratch whenever necessary. This month’s Molly shows us how to make yummy homemade muffins that are easy to make and healthy for you too.. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. The great news is she doesn’t just give you one yummy recipe but 5. That’s right.. Five scrumptious muffin recipes.

As I read through this month’s e-book I found wonderful ideas on preparing for Yard Sale Season and to help compare everyday items that we typically purchase like milk, butter etc. This form allows us to find the best price in several stores so we can compare and purchase as frugal as we can. What a great idea. I am trying to pinch pennies wherever I can being on one income and this technique will be very useful as I shop for our commonly used products and food.

During Spring I always get the itch to do something different with my house on the inside. Adding color, decorations on the wall or framing pictures is some things I think of. When you purchase this month’s Molly she will give you a step by step way to frugally make your own wall art to hang on your wall. How great is that! Instead of spending hundreds of dollars, you can make your own for less than $20.00.

If you’ve purchased any of these in the past you know that she loves to add a week’s worth of yummy recipes for your family at a really low cost.. This month is all about cooking with your kiddos. You won’t want to miss out on these mouth watering recipes that you can do alongside your children. What a great way to spend time together. I can’t wait to dive in and get cooking.

The best part of this month’s digest for me is Kid’s Corner. This section allows your kids to get involved in spending wisely. The kids will be doing an experiment you don’t want to miss out on.. I can’t wait to do this with my boys.

Some topics you will find this month include:

Something Old, Something New
Homemade Happiness~ Frugal Fun & Games~Make your own games with these simple instructions and have fun!
This is My Story
From My Mailbox

To purchase this month’s Molly’s Money Saving Digest visit HERE..

For only $4.95

Download & Go Series-Expedition Ireland Review

2010-03-31T17:08:00.002-06:00

I am just thrilled to be reviewing The Old Schoolhouse Magazine’s Download and Go Series~ Expedition Ireland. In this 5 day study you will be taken on an adventure through the country to explore special places, animals, important facts, history and the location of to name a few. This study comes at a perfect time for our family with St. Patrick’s day just passing my children are very interested in learning more about the Irish.

Each Download and Go comes complete and ready to use. No additional materials are needed to complete the study. As you work through each day’s lesson you will be making a lapbook along with filling out worksheets, watching wonderful videos and if you’d like to add library books to your study the list is available by day as well as a master list including books and videos.

It’s hard to find a fun, hands on way of teaching K-4 Geography that they can understand and enjoy until now! We have fallen in love with the expedition series as we traveled through Australia and now we are landing in Ireland to explore our families heritage.

I love how the lessons interact with the child, weaving there lives into the study. Comparing there hometown with towns in Ireland such as weather, climate, time. You get more than just a geography study. You get to learn so much more. I can’t wait to see the next one in the series.

You can purchase this study HERE for only $7.95

The Old Schoolhouse 2010 Planner

2010-03-31T16:58:00.003-06:00

The best part of the planner for me is the wonderful homeschool resources that you get each month. Articles filled with encouragement as well as how to of homeschooling.

Some articles included in this year’s planner include:

Help Others While Spending Time Together
Family Spa Night
Limiting the Uses of Electronic Devices at Home
Preparing Food for People With Food Allergies
Make Your Own Soap
And much more…

Some homeschooling Help Articles include:

Time-lining History
Simple Sign Language
Computers for Beginners
Grades & Homeschooling
The Study of Logic & Critical Thinking
Learn More About Animal Classification
And much more…

4 years worth of ‘year in a glance’ to look ahead
Several pages full of curriculum forms
Planning sheets
Report card/progress report forms
Scores/grades recording forms
Log Sheets
Schedule Forms
Unit Study Forms
Co-op Sheets
Convention Planning Forms
Preschool Forms
Alphabet Writing Forms
And a large variety of misc. forms

Household Forms including:

Important Info to Remember
Homekeeping Pages
Schedule Forms
Grocery/Menu Planning Sheets
Chores
Bible
Garden
Budget
And a large variety of misc. forms

You can purchase this wonderful resource @ The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Store HERE.

Pre-order NOW & Save.. Only $28.00

Saving You $11.00

Download & Go~ Whale Tales Review

2010-03-05T20:20:00.003-07:00

What a privilege it has been being able to review this wonderful series called Download and Go by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and Amanda Bennett. This series is presented as a 5 day study once a week with a total of 4 unit studies per month. For the month of February I’ve had the opportunity to review Whale Tales.

This study will take you on an whaling adventure. Designed with your K-4 grade student in mind, it is packed full of lapbook templates, research that is already done for you, library book list to add additional review and information, video clips to enhance your lessons as well as colorful and engaging worksheets.

Have you ever wanted to learn about whales? After you have completed this week long study your student will have studied and learned:

What kind of an animal is a whale?
Jonah and the Whale
Where do whales live and what do they eat?
Parts of a whale
Whales holding their breath?
What is echolocation?
Learn about different species of whales
The killer whale
What is a Right Whale and why is it called that?
Where are the oceans?
Which whales live in which oceans
And more…

Included in this study:

Fun Family Ideas
Internet Links
Learning Links
Coloring Pages
Library Book List separated by the Day
Colorful Worksheets
Lapbook Templates
Research Already Done For You!

If you have yet to discover the Download and Go Series for yourself you will not be disappointed. Each unit study is ready to go once you download it. Print what you need and get started! No research to do, no lesson plans to make.. Everything you need is already in the unit. Broken down into daily lesson plans built in to the study with an optional library book list to help enhance what you are learning.

As you work through your daily lessons you will come across links that will take you directly to videos and additional information, built into the lessons. Along with the links you will have colorful worksheets, spelling and vocabulary words related to the topic, fun activities you can complete along the way as well as lapbook templates to add to your study. At the end of your 5 days you will have a beautiful completed lapbook to show off all your work!

Many titles and topics to choose from over the next several months. Once a week a new study is introduced which started in January 2010. They’re several themes introduced over the course of this coming year including- Seasons, Places in the World, Presidents & Patriot, Ocean Animals, Toys and Gadgets, Sports, Literary Giants and much more to come..

If you are interested in purchasing these there is a few ways you can do that.

There are four convenient options:

You can purchase them individually
4 Weeks at a time
19 weeks at one time
38 weeks- the full year’s curriculum

The more you purchase at one time the bigger the savings..

What a wonderful hands on way of learning that takes just 5 days to complete. My son has truly enjoyed this way of learning. As we complete the studies, I watch as my son enjoys this approach to learning. With the video links, worksheets and lap booking templates the study comes to life for him. We look forward to many more to come..

Visit The Old Schoolhouse to find out the current specials on this wonderful curriculum.

Download & Go Series~Winter Wonders Review

2010-01-03T17:49:00.004-07:00

Have you ever heard of the new Download and Go Series at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine? I have had the opportunity to review their new upcoming title Winter Wonders by Amanda Bennett.

What a treat it has been to look through this wonderful series. Jam packed full of wonderful links, videos, book lists and lapbook templates. Everything you need to start your study is already in the study ready to go. How great is that!

I absolutely love this new series and plan to implement them into our weekly studies Designed as a one week study for K-4th grades. I love how they are only 5 days long and helps with our love to learn through hands on activities.

Topics discussed in this unit:

What is winter?
Science Secrets of Winter
People and Places of Winter
Time for Tips and Treasures of Winter
Goodies and Gadgets of Winter

What do you get when you purchase this unit?

Lapbooking
Direct links to videos and more information on the web
Worksheets
Activities

So much to offer in a small amount of time. They definitely don’t skimp at all on their resources and research. I love how you can work on the lessons each day and add the links to videos online and the lesson comes to life for my kids.

I look forward to seeing more of these in the future….

You can purchase this wonderful unit study here for only $7.95 or purchase more weeks and save $$$

Molly's January 2010 Money Saving Digest Review

2009-12-24T12:30:00.003-07:00

I started receiving Molly’s Digest back in September for the first time to review and now I can’t wait to get each issue every month. I was not disappointed at all when I received January’s issue. Full of wonderful articles to help prioritize and organize.

One thing I strive for each day as a home school mom and a stay at home mom is an organized home and schedule.

After receiving the digest, the first thing I go to is Special Dates of the Month. It’s amazing what our country can come up with for each day of the year. Such as National Popcorn Day.. The kids and I love reading and sometimes using that day’s ‘theme’ to celebrate and have fun.

I love to organize and schedule things. It pains me when this system gets out of control and it has many times in the past. Moving, company, changes in life in general have really messed up my schedules to where I would have to reinvent new ways of doing things. Molly’s suggestions this month will really help me get back on track with my organization. The Household Binder was the best thing I learned so far reading this e-book. I look forward to putting one together in hopes of streamlining my “to do’s“.

I love the newness of the New Year like Molly mentions this month. The one thing I hope to change this year and form a wonderful habit is reading scripture and memorizing while spending more time in prayer. I was so excited about the frugal tip this month on how to place scripture in your home. I am definitely doing this. I feel strongly that if it’s around my home, I will learn it and memorize it and grow closer to the Lord.

Topics to read this month include:

Feather Your Nest Frugally-
Learn how to decorate your home with scripture
In the Kitchen With Molly-
Learn how to eat and exercise for the new you for the New Year
Menu-
Don’t forget this tasty treat each month.. YUMMY recipes you don’t want to miss out on trying and all healthy too
Kid’s Corner-
Teaching our kids about responsible spending and about money
Evaluate, Prioritize, Organize-
Feature this month you don’t want to miss…Time, Money and Stuff…
From my Mailbox-
Monthly tips from the readers.. Could be you…

If you’re planning on starting fresh for 2010 and learning to grow closer to the Lord, organize and prioritize your life with a simple twist then you want to get this month’s digest.. What a treat it was !! For only $4.95..

You can purchase this ebook here

We Three Kings of Orient Are Copywork Review

2009-12-19T17:53:00.005-07:00

I've had the wonderful opportunity to review 'We Three Kings of Orient Are – Traditional ZB Style Manuscript Level 1' from Bogart Family Resources.

We use copywork in our home since I have two boys that don't like to write. I try to find many ways to enhance their writing experience and help with their penmanship. I am picky though on what I will allow them to use. I don't just want them to copy words on a paper. I want them to learn something as they learn to write and read better.

When I was able to look through this wonderful curriculum I knew this would be a wonderful addition to our homeschooling. Anything that glorifies the Lord, and helps my children learn more about Him, is a winner in my house.

Bogart Family Resources uses 'We Three Kings' by John H. Hopkins Jr. to help enhance our son's handwriting skills while building a foundation in our Faith. This curriculum includes the full text of the classic hymn and scripture (KJV) which highlight the spiritual themes of the hymn.

One sentence is introduced per lesson, totalling 13 lessons. I love how they use the same approach to handwriting as does Peterson Handwriting, which we've had the opportunity to use in our homeschooling this year to teach cursive to both of my boys.

This curriculum is written for the beginning writer that is familiar with forming the alphabet letters. Line spacing of 5/8”, and a traditional-style Zaner Bloser manuscript font is used.

Copywork Lessons 1 and 2 are opening verses that focus on the
account of the wise men coming to visit Jesus, while Lesson 13 provides the closing scripture verse that shows the spiritual truth of the hymn. Lessons 3 - 12 include the entire text of the hymn and is set up for easy copying.

At the beginning of the lesson there is a copy of the Manuscript upper and lower case alphabet chart as well as a number chart for easy reference for the beginning writer.

What I loved about each lesson is the empty frames for my boys to draw and illustrate what they've learned in that days lesson. My children are very hands on and this will help them to enjoy their writing experience and encourage their creativity.

This wonderful product and handwriting resource is only $2.95 and available as a download.

Check out their website @ Bogart Family Resources.

"Copying the Hymns: All Things Bright and Beautiful, Traditional Style ZB Manuscript, Level 1!"

Molly's Digest December 2009 Review

2009-12-05T19:20:00.003-07:00

I’ve had the opportunity to review the upcoming December Molly’s Digest. This month’s issue is full of many ways to make the Christmas holiday an inexpensive and fun time of the year. From candy making to yummy recipes to making your own gift boxes out of scrapbook paper. You are in for a treat.

I think the hardest part about Christmas time for me is getting overwhelmed with decorating, gift giving and shopping and spending time with family and friends. I love the article about “Staying Sane During the Holiday Season”. With wonderful tips to keep you focused and to help you truly enjoy this time of the year.

Tips on how to shop in your budget and some great frugal tips on what to purchase for others. There is also a wonderful tutorial on how to make your own art work. Something you can do for a Christmas present or for a Christmas time activity with your family.

After reviewing and reading through this month’s edition, I fell in love with the eight frugal family gifts ideas. This year our family has chosen a handmade Christmas and it’s so encouraging to read other people’s thoughts on family gifts and handmade gifts from the heart..

Some topics in this months edition include:

Weekly meal planner
Eight Frugal Family Gifts
12 Generic but Sensible Gift Ideas
10 Fabulous and Frugal Foodie Gifts
All the TrimmingsFrugal Decorating Tips
Great Expectations for KidsHelping Curtail Your Child’s Expectations

I would highly recommend picking up this month’s Molly’s Digest.. It’s jam packed full of great ideas, tips and memory makers for this Christmas Season.. For only $4.95 you can afford to be more frugal this Christmas…

You can purchase this month's ebook at
The Homeschool Magazine

Molly's Money Saving Digest-October 2009 Review

2009-10-04T19:53:00.001-06:00

This month’s Molly’s Money Saving Digest is Part 2 of Couponing. If you ever felt like you’ve spent a large amount of your monthly budget at the store buying food and supplies for your family, then you need to check out this month’s digest. I found great tips on using coupons to my full advantage and keeping money in my pocket each payday. I was so amazed at how easy it can really be to save money by using coupons.

Keeping a positive attitude? Haven’t we all had this problem in our lives? I know I have. In this month’s digest you will find wonderful advice on how we can become more thankful in what God has given us and how we can use what we have to help others. There is some great tips on bartering with neighbors instead of buying brand new items you need only a handful of times.
There is great money saving tips on buying and selling antiques in this month’s digest, along with restoring old items found at garage sales and thrift stores to sell.

My favorite of this month’s digest is learning that making foods from scratch is a great money saving idea. Includes a week long menu plan and yummy recipes you don’t want to miss out on..

This is my second digest that I’ve read and I have fell in love with every article. I am trying hard to live frugally and learning how to cook from scratch and soon grow my own garden and can my own vegetables. I have found these monthly digest beneficial to those who have similar goals like me..

Other articles you don’t want to miss include:

Parenting that Pays
Something Old, Something New
The Great Depression- What Can We Learn From It?What a great article about living in the great depression times. Jobs of children, food they ate, door to door salesman, and much, much more! You won’t want to miss it!
Goal Getter Spotlight
I absolutely love the SMART goal concept she discusses in this article.
Reader’s Write In-Love the ideas posted in this month’s digest showing a great handy craft with step by step directions.

If you have never checked out Molly’s Digest, you should. Packed full of great resources, tips, and articles to help you become frugal and to live life to the fullest without over spending. Pick up your copy for only $4.95 at The Old Schoolhouse Store..

Molly's" Money-Saving Digest

The New School Year Ebook Review

2009-09-11T21:03:00.000-06:00

I have had the opportunity to review a new e-book from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. This new e-book will help you plan your course in your home schooling journey. One thing that I have struggled with in our years of schooling at home, is keeping God at the center of our day. Wanting Him to lead me in regards to how I should home school my kids. The first part of this e-book will help you plan your school year with the help of the holy spirit.

How inspiring it was to read about how important it is to have the holy spirit fill us throughout our day. Not just in a Bible curriculum or a devotional time but allowing him to help us through every aspect in our day. I’ve struggled over the years in home schooling to allow my days to have ’quiet moments’ so God can show me his discernment. Reading this e-book has helped open my eyes to the many reasons we chose to home school in the first place.

Some other topics in this e-book that will help you plan your course for years to come:

Managing A Multi Level Homeschool
I have two children almost three years apart and now that we’ve been schooling 2 years with both of them, I know how hard it is to work with two children at two different levels of learning. This section truly helped me to understand certain things I’ve done and things I need to change in how we school and do daily life.

This section is broken up with the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW
-Who makes the decisions in the home?
-What curriculum to use?
-When to introduce certain subjects? When will you do school each day?
-Where should you be?
-Why are you doing things the way you are?
-How do you take all the responsibilities and accomplish them in your allotted time?

Organizing Your School Library and Boxes

Scheduling the Easy Way- 5 Step Plan
Organizing Your School Year with Unit Studies
Organizing and Planning Your School Year

This section gives you wonderful advice on how to schedule and plan your curriculum and school day. It includes links to planners, and schedules you can fill in and print out. From organizing your school room and supplies to curriculum choices such as unit studies. It gives you links to planners and a sample schedule to help you in preparing for a successful school year and years to come.

I always said if my school items are organized and my lesson plans in order, then my day runs smoother. This e-book will help you in getting and staying organized as well as practical advice on keeping God in the center of your daily life.

You can get this great homeschooling ebook for FREE.. that's right Free! Click here

TOS-Molly's Money Saving Digest-September 2009

2009-09-04T18:03:00.000-06:00

Have you ever had the chance to read any of Molly’s wonderful e-books about how to live frugally from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine? I have had the opportunity to take a peak at the upcoming September addition of Molly’s Money Saving Digest- Frugal Decorating. You won’t want to miss this month’s e-book. They are starting a wonderful series about how coupons can really save you money.. WOW! I learned a ton already by reading the first installment and I now can’t wait to find out what’s next and how I too can save on my monthly groceries.

Also in this month’s edition, you can make your own Home Décor Binder. Includes step by step instructions to put this together so you too can decorate your home like the pros. I have always wanted to fix my house up with themes and with this binder I can now keep all my ideas in one location..

I haven’t had the chance to pick up any of these before and I am in awe of how many great ideas I’ve gleaned so far in this one e-book. I try very hard to shop and spend on a one income budget and using her techniques and checking out other bloggers that she recommends here, will save me money and spruce up my home without breaking the bank.

It’s nice to see that we can have a nicely decorated home and not spend a fortune on the things that look good and make your house feel like a home. There is yummy recipes to try and share as well. I would recommend picking up this next addition of Molly’s Money Saving Digest. I am now sold on purchasing all of Molly’s monthly e-books. I can’t wait to learn more.

You can purchase this great ebook for only $4.95 at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Christian Studies Book 1 from Memoria Press Review

2009-07-29T15:29:00.000-06:00

I've been trying really hard to put the Bible priority in our homeschooling but it's been hard. You see all those subjects vowing for your attention that this seems to be put on the back burner.. When I received this curriculum to review I was excited to see what it had to offer my family.

After receiving it, it recommends that you use this with the Golden Children's Bible. So I went hunting in the stores for a copy.

From the their website:

"This three-year series thoughtfully guides your child through The Golden Children’s Bible, teaching him the fundamentals of Bible stories, history, and geography, with solid detail at a manageable pace. Students do not merely skim the surface. They embark on a three-year Bible reading course that builds faith by teaching Salvation History as real history."

"Each Student Book offers 30 lessons, and each lesson is comprised of a scripture memory passage, important facts to know (including people, places, dates, and events), vocabulary, and comprehension questions that draw out the golden nuggets of meaning in each story. Maps, timelines, activities, and discussion questions offer the critical integration that is central to classical education. "

The Christian Studies program is in chronological order with the Bible. It is not ordered by student age, and each book is appropriate for students in 3rd through 7th Grade.

Christian Studies I: Creation to Moses’ Last Words

Christian Studies II: Invasion of Canaan to Jonah; Vision of Days to Come

Christian Studies III: Zacharias; Angel Visits Mary; Birth of Jesus to Paul’s Final Years; Letters of Peter; Vision of John

I'll have to admit that I did like this curriculum but it was very difficult for me to understand how to use it. It didn't give many examples if any on how to use it or for how many days a week it was to be used. I like curriculum that doesn't take a lot of time to prepare as the teacher and I found that I was a bit lost when I started this.. To me it felt like it had a good layout and each week seemed to be the same as far as that but I had to tweak it to fit my daily routine. It didn't have a lesson plan ready for you.

This is a wonderful curriculum for those that have the basic layout of the the lessons for you and want to add a little creativity to their bible study each day.

The cost for this curriculum is as follows:

Student Book $17.95

Teacher's Book $20.95

You can read more about this curriculum @ Memoria Press

Want more information about this curriculum? Check out the TOS Crew for more reviews here

Prima Latina From Memoria Press Curriculum Review

2009-07-29T15:13:00.000-06:00

Have you ever wondered how to teach Latin to your children? If you don't have any background knowledge of Latin but still think it's important for your family to learn it.. then look no further.. Memoria Press has a wonderful curriculum that starts as early as Kindergarten to help teach Latin to your children.

I had the opportunity to check out the Prima Latina Latin curriculum for grades K-3. This program is excellent and easy to understand. I don't have any background with Latin at all and was a little hesitant to try this thinking I would be as lost as my children. But I was happily surprised that it was easy to teach and I learned a lot as well.

From their website:

"Prima Latina was developed for young children who are still becoming familiar with English grammar and wish to learn Latin at a slower pace. The program provides 25 lessons, each including a grammar skill, 5 vocabulary words with corresponding English derivatives, a practical Latin phrase, and one line of a prayer that is learned in totality over five lessons.

The exercises that accompany each lesson are thorough and provide constant review of materials learned throughout the course. After each five lessons, a review chapter summarizes the material covered and provides a keyed test to insure mastery. With grammar lessons appropriate for primary grades and an easy to read two color format, Prima Latina is the perfect choice for those who would like to start Latin early and lay the foundation of a rigorous language arts program."

Prima Latina is the first step to their Latin program geared to K-3 grade but I would highly recommend starting this for any age that has not had Latin in their schooling. It's slower paced than the other levels and gives a good grasp of the subject.

Some of the material covered in Prima is:

Recognizing English and Latin Verbs
Invisible Verbs
Recognizing English and Latin Nouns
Proper Nouns & Pronouns
Prepositions
Adjectives
Adverbs
To Be Verbs
Present and Future Tenses
First Conjugation
First Declension
125 Latin Vocabulary Words
App. 150 Latin Derivatives
25 great Latin Sayings
4 Latin Prayers in full
4 Latin Hymns on the audio CD
12 Constellations
Latin Numbers one through ten
English & Latin Alphabet, vowels and consonants

This can also help those struggling with grammar. It helped my oldest son connect the dots to our language since a lot of our words are rooted in Latin.. I would highly recommend this to those using a classical approach and those also wanting to introduce Latin to their homeschooling..

The cost for this curriculum is:

Teacher Manual $14.00

Student Manual $14.00

Instructional DVD Set $45.00

Pronunciation CD $4.95

You can also purchase this as a set for $90.90 which includes all above plus flashcards

Dreams and Designs Ebook Review

2009-07-17T14:56:00.000-06:00

I just recently had the opportunity to look through and review a new upcoming ebook from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine- Dreams and Designs by Donna Campos. When I heard it had something to do with being creative in your homeschool I was very eager to flip it open and take a peak.

What a wonderful surprise it was when I saw the contents. I love being creative in our 'schoolroom'. Especially when it comes to decorating the room itself. The first idea they have to offer is making your own homemade calender.. I tend to have limited wall space for things like this in our room and this great idea using easy to find materials will not only give back the space you lack, but also add creativity and personal touches that you can't find in the commercial calendars you see today at the store.

Taking a science fair tri-fold board you can make many different items and activities by looking through this great ebook. My all time favorite so far is the scrolling stories idea.. We have budding artists in our house that love to draw and this wonderful concept will give hours of playtime as well as learning time in our home..

Each activity they offer you gives you a step by step instructions on how to assemble it as well as variations you can do for each activity. It allows you the freedom to personalize it as well as use their concepts to make the perfect activity.

Some ideas that they offer in this ebook are:

Science Fair Boards as Calendars
Science Fair Boards as Theatrical Presentations
Activity Center Partitians
Personal Partitians
Flexible File Folder Timeline
Desk Makeover
More than Just an Index Card
Household Organizers for School Use

If you are into being creative and frugal with your homeschool, then this ebook is for you. If you aren't that crafty but want to spice up how you decorate or organize your school, then this is for you as well. Each concept has instructions as well as illustrations as you put each item together so it's very mommy friendly to use.

I love how you can take old items in your house that you are probably never to use again or eventually throw away and revive it and use it to benefit your child's education.. I would recommend this ebook to any homeschool family..

You can purchase this wonderful ebook for only $12.45 here

TOS WannaBe Series- I Want to Be A Doctor Ebook

2009-07-05T22:21:00.000-06:00

Do you ever wonder what your children will be when they grow up? Looking at them as more than your child but as an adult.. I know my kids loved to dress up as a firefighter, doctor and police officers through the years. Does your child have some ideas of what they’d like to be when their older? Do they want to learn more about some different professions that are available to them? Look no further.. The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is offering a wonderful series called Wanna Be- Series. This series will have a total of 10 ebooks, each talking about a different potential career for your son/daughter.

I had the opportunity to look over the ebook on Doctors. I didn’t know before receiving it if this series would be interesting enough for my children. After opening it up and looking through it, I was eager to show it and use it with my children. Over 80 pages of information on what it takes to be a doctor..

Some other activities include:

Crossword puzzles
Copy work
Handwriting Practice
Vocabulary
Coloring pages
Doctor Math
Word Search
Fill in the Story
Want to be a doctor quiz to test your knowledge of what you've learned

Experiments include:

How Your Eye Works
How Do We See
Eye Anatomy
Color Blindness
Make Your Own Benham Disk
Natural Protection For Your Eye
First Aid Tips
End of Unit Activities such as charades, memory verses, crafts and more

This ebook also gives you a reading list and video list to help build on this lesson to teach more about doctor's. I was very pleased on how it was written for the home school child, giving them examples on what subjects to concentrate on while in school as well as hands on experiments to help them understand what it means to be a doctor such as an eye experiment, color blindness and more.

The careers highlighted in this series are:

Doctor
Veterinarian
Firefighter
Chef
Missionary
Military
Artist
Police Officer
Farmer
Pilot

Involve your entire family!

This multi-age unit study has activities for children from 4 to 10, but the content is appropriate for the whole family. You never know what your child will be when they grow up, so why not show them some different career choices using this series. You’ll have fun with your child while they learn about each career path.. I look forward to purchasing all of these wonderful studies in the series.

Check it out here. Each study is only $8.95 each

How I Homeschool Ebook Review

2009-06-03T19:41:00.000-06:00

I have had the privilege of reviewing an upcoming ebook called

"How I Homeschool-Twelve Families Share Their Lifestyles of Learning"

from the The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

This ebook is full of inspiration for the new homeschooler as well as the seasoned homeschool family. I love how each family shares their own unique way of homeschooling as they mold their schedules to meet the needs of their families.

I was encouraged when reading about how they homeschooled. I felt like I wasn't alone in my ways of teaching my children and curriculum choices I've made for them over the years. I gleaned new ways of teaching the basic skills to my children that are fun and hands on.

I was re-assured that homeschooling involves a lot of flexibility that I always seem to forget and get frustrated easily with the same questions "Am I doing enough?" While reading these stories I was remembering how homeschooling styles can change from year to year and not to sweat the small stuff..

Each writer gives a fresh approach to different ways they homeschool as well as field trip ideas, curriculum choices and basic life changes that happen to all of us in one way or another. They take us step by step through a typical day in their life showing us that homeschooling is possible.

A glimpse of the real life of homeschooling families
Very refreshing and down to earth
12 different families and 12 different ways you can homeschool while enjoying your children
Learn about working from home and homeschooling
Thinking Outside the Box
Hints to help things run smoothly
Daily and weekly routines
Morning, Afternoon and Evening Routines
Enjoying your children and still homeschool
Curriculum choices and much more

Ever wonder how homeschoolers take vacations?
Read one mom's journey about her trip to the US from Canada in a motorhome and call it a field trip..

Feeling discouraged about homeschooling?
Ever wonder if you could homeschool?
Want to see how other homeschool families school, take care of families, their home and work?

You can find that here in this wonderful new ebook from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. I would encourage anyone who is looking to, or is already homeschooling to read this. You will be encouraged by every page and every story.. I was!!

TOS Reviews To Come..

2009-04-02T20:35:00.000-06:00

I am finishing up my year long committment on the TOS Crew. It's been fun being a part of this program. I have a few more reviews to complete and thought to give you all a heads up on what's to come this month. Not sure what will become of this blog after the TOS Crew is completed. I am not signed up to continue next year. I do believe I will post on curriculum that I have used but will not be TOS Crew related after these products below are completed. So check back.. I look forward to sharing my thoughts on curriculum and homeschooling products in the future..

So, what to look for this month..

Homeschool in the Woods-New Testament Lapbook

Tapestry of Grace Year 2 Unit 4 with Lapbook

TruthQuest History 1800-1865

Prima Latina and Christian Studies Book 1

Check back.. I will be posting on Homeschool In The Woods this week..

Apologia Exploring Creation Product Review

2009-03-20T18:43:00.000-06:00

I was absolutely THRILLED when I found out I had the opportunity to receive and review Apologia's Exploring Creation book series.

I found out about Apologia's elementary science curriculum last Summer. I had a friend that allowed us to borrow her Astronomy book. I fell in love with the first time I laid eyes on it. I was worried that I wouldn't know how to teach science to my children. No fear.. Apologia is here..

So let's start off first before I get too excited and explain a bit about what is Apologia Science?

Apologia Elementary Science curriculum is geared towards Grades 1-5 and has five books currently in the series.

Exploring Creation Through Astronomy

Exploring Creation Through Botany

Exploring Creation With Zoology 1:
Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day

Exploring Creation With Zoology 2:
Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day

Exploring Creation With Zoology 3:
Land Animals of the Sixth Day

Each book has 14 lessons designed to take a school year to complete. Each lesson comes with notebooking activities along with one to two different hands on activities. At the beginning of each book it breaks down each lesson along with a detailed list of what supplies you will need ahead of time. Most supplies are items you already own in your home.

The main reason I love this series is that there is little to no prep time for me. I don't even necessarily need to read ahead of them to prepare other than looking at the list of items needed when it comes time for the hands on project. We worked a little faster than it's recommended because we would like to finish two books in a year verses only one.

You can also lapbook if that is the kind of learning your children like to do. For our Astronomy lesson we decided to opt out on the hands on activities this time around to do the hands on lapbooking templates. It took us about 8 weeks to complete the entire book and we learned SO much that we are now in love with Astronomy. You can check out my finished lapbooks at my Hands On Lapbooking blog. Go to the side bar under Exploring Creation to see for yourself.

These books are Bible based, Creation based and you can read straight out of the book directly to the child. It is written in language a 1st-5th grade student can understand. Now that is what sold me. I plan to use ALL of the elementary books before my children finish the 5th grade and look to use Apologia through High School. This is my recommended science curriculum from Grades 1-12..

I love how it has "What Do you Remember?" sections throughout each lesson that allows your child to narrate what they've learned as you work through each lesson. There is also middle of the lesson activities as well as you work through the books. At the end of each chapter you have a hands on activity, narrative question to help them comprehend what they've learned and a notebooking assignment.

We are a hands on learning family and Exploring Creation series fits perfectly with that. My children beg me each day to start with Science first. They were sad when we finished our Astronomy but when we started the next book, smiles all around.. even Mom! This time around we are working on lapbooking and also are doing the hands on experiments. Since we lapbook we are opting out on the notebooking activities..

Each Elementary book cost just $35.00 which gives you a full year of science at your fingertips.

This is also great for teaching multiple children at once in grades 1-5 which is how we are doing it.! With my younger son I plan to go back through the earlier books to touch base with the hands on activities and go through it again to make sure things that he might not of understood when he was younger will make more sense to him then.

Check out what others are saying about Apologia Science at the TOS Crew website.

Critical Thinking-Mathematical Reasoning Product Review

2009-03-20T18:04:00.000-06:00

I have had a wonderful opportunity to review another product from Critical Thinking Co. through the TOS Crew.

Mathematical Reasoning Level B for Grade 1

"Mathematical Reasoning helps children solve a variety of math problems. It focuses on problem solving to build math reasoning skills necessary for success in higher level math. The Level B book is a complete curriculum for the first grade level. These activities take children far beyond drill-and-practice by using step-by-step, discussion-based problem solving to develop computation and the reasoning required for upper-level math. Activities and units spiral slowly, allowing children to become comfortable with concepts but also challenging them to continue building their math skills."

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I love Critical Thinking books. I was so excited to be able to review another book by them. This book was full of different concepts to help my son learn math better than a typical fill in the blank book.

Some categories you will find in this book that are taught:

Number and Operations
Addition
Subtraction
Geometry
Algebra
Measurement
Data Analysis and Probability

The book is designed to work through it page by page, but you can work around your child's attention span.

There is a four stage learning sequence that commonly helps students understand addition and subtraction. They are:

Concrete- manipulation of objects
Semi-concrete- pictures of objects
Semi-abstract- tally marks to represent the objects
Abstract- numerals

Each child may progress at different rates but still go through all stages to learn. This book helps your child learn the last three stages.

This book is colored coded by level. You are able to find where you are by the colors of the pages. Plenty of worksheets and examples to help teach your child each concept before moving onto the next level in the book.

The activities in this book are written to the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Each page is in full color with attractive pictures to help stimulate the child's desire to learn. Many different concepts are introduced to help them learn adding and subtracting giving them a well rounded approach to the topic.

Some examples of things learned are timelines, shapes, double digit addition, using photos to help in adding, taking dots to teach word numerals, using shapes to show patterns, time, graphing, word problems,using blocks to assist in adding and subtracting, fractions, dot to dot, money and more...

We chose not to write in the book and you also can do that as well. We did all the problems needed on a separate sheet of paper since most of the book was concepts my son already knew. We could of easily used Level C for him since this was a little too easy for him and most of it wasn't used..

You can check out other books by Critical Thinking by visiting their website.

You can purchase this year long math curriculum for only $32.99

Find out what other homeschool families have said about this product or other Critical Thinking products by visiting the TOS Crew website..

SpellQuizzer Software Product Review

2009-03-20T13:15:00.000-06:00

I have had the opportunity to review a product from the company SpellQuizzer through the TOS Homeschool Crew.

About SpellQuizzer:

"SpellQuizzer is a product of TedCo Software which was founded by Daniel Hite. Dan started working as a corporate software developer in 1995 and formed the software business Auction Sentry Software in 2001 developing and marketing the popular eBay user utility called Auction Sentry. The software was highly successful and in 2007 was awarded the People's Choice Award at the Software Industry Conference. Dan sold the Auction Sentry Software business at the end of 2007 to focus on his newer educational products such as SpellQuizzer."

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I didn't quite know what to expect with this at first. Thinking it was an online spelling program that gave us words to help our kids learn to spell. Well, I was wrong. It is a program that you work with on your computer but it is not linked to any internet which is an A++ for me.

Let's start out by talking about What is SpellQuizzer?

SpellQuizzer is a software program you download onto your computer. You then input the spelling lists yourself onto the program for the child to review. You have the option to have just the words or you can add sentences or phrases to help your child learn the words using it in a sentence. You can input these phrases or sentences by typing them in or you can use your own voice by recording it through a microphone.

Taking you step by step with the program will give you a better feel on how easy it is to use this software.

This above is the main screen to the program. Here you have the option to upload your own spelling list for your child to review or use a list previously placed here. There is also several spelling lists pre-programmed here by grade to use as well.

After you've chosen your spelling list, your child will now be able to review each word. The pre-programmed list has sentences to help the child comprehend each word he/she is trying to spell. You too can add a reminder sentence to each of your inputted words.

Hear above is a sample of a spelling word. The child can correct his/her own work by clicking on Check Spelling. If the word is correct it moves onto the next word by saying the word and giving a sentence with the word in it if you've chosen that option. If the child misspells the word, it pops up a window that tells the child it was incorrect. It shows the correct way of spelling the word and how the child spelled the word. This is a great way to teach your child what he/she did incorrectly and then shows them what is correct to help them understand better.

This has really helped my oldest son understand why he made the mistake because he can compare his misspelled word with the correctly spelled word.

To input your words you can see above the program where you can make your list, edit your list and input your reminder phrase/sentence. SpellQuizzer plays back the sentence you recorded. Do note, you can type in your sentence or you can use a microphone to input it by using your own voice. This was the option we chose and he could hear me on each word and sentence and this helped him out a lot. We also decided to make the sentences fun and entertaining so it wasn't so serious.

I would highly recommend this program to anyone who has a child that doesn't like to write out their spelling words. Or if you want to change it up a bit and allow them time on the computer this is a great way to teach them typing along with spelling. My son didn't particularly like to write much of anything and using this program on occasion has helped break up the boredom he seems to get with only writing things out. This program works hand in hand with any spelling curriculum. Instead of always choosing to write things out.. maybe one day a week use this program to allow him/her a chance to type, listen and not write!

We use All About Spelling which already uses many different ways to spell without always writing and memorizing. I am happy to use this product alongside my spelling curriculum because it gives us one more great hands on way of teaching spelling that is fun, and interactive. Most children love to play on the computer and associate computer time with fun.. So why not take school to the computer and who knows.. they might not even know they are learning..

Some other ways of using this program:

Allow your child to work on the program for 5-10 minutes a day and then quiz him at the end of the week by having him write down the words.
One or two times a week you can have him work on his spelling words using this program alongside your spelling curriculum to give him/her a different way of learning words.
Have him/her input their own funny sentences to help them learn there words each week so they can hear themselves during their spelling quizzes..

The Benefits of this program:

It's cost effective
You can record your own voice for reminder phrases to add fun and learning comprehension
You do not need internet access to use this program
It's very easy to input your own list
As little as 5-10 min. a day your child will become a better speller
It's FUN!!
Your child not only learns to spell but learns to type as well

This program cost just $ 29.95

You can download a free 30 day trial by clicking on the link below:

SpellQuizzer Trial

Each license costs $29.95 and is good for one computer. They do give discounts for more than one license. You can check there discounts out here

Here is a video demonstration on how to use SpellQuizzer.

You can check out other TOS Crew members and find out what they had to say about this product..

ARTistic Pursuits Product Review

2009-03-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

Art is very popular in my home. I have a seven year old that spends each and everyday making something with colored pencils, crayons, scissors and paper.. I was very delighted to know that I would have a chance to review Artistic Pursuits for the TOS Crew.

I have had the opportunity to try out Grades K-3 Book One. This book comes with 32 lessons with projects based on Ancient Art.

From their site:

"Books at the K-3 level introduce Kindergarten, first, second, and third graders to the visual arts and view art through history. Colorful illustrations, art appreciation, and projects designed for young hands and minds delight students and appeal to their interests. Non-consumable. One set serves your entire family!"

I focused this study with my seven year old that is working at the 1-2 grade level. The ease of using this book made it very enjoyable. I love how it breaks down the materials you need in 4 different groups~ Drawing, Painting, Paper Art, and Clay. It gives you a list of what materials you will need when you work on these projects. All materials are very easy to get.

Each lesson is broken up as follows:

You read directly from the book to the student which really helps for little to no prep.
You look at historical art and discuss it with your child with questions already written for you.

Then you work on a project together

What a great way, not only to teach your child art but history as well. Each lesson is meant to work on for one week. What we did was Day 1 we read the lesson, Day 2 we worked on the art study/picture and Day 3 we did the project.

Each book is set with that child's age and development in mind. So reading straight from the book to the student makes sense to him/her and is able to understand easily what they are learning. My son loved the hands on projects the best. Using clay to make something, to watercolor painting, to drawing. This book is packed with a variety of art projects to satisfy your student's desire for hands on learning.

We haven't finished this book but look forward to working on this and the ones to follow.

From their site:

What Artists Do:
Ten lessons cover activities artists engage in when making art such as imagining and observing. Students explore drawing and painting techniques, gaining experience in pencil, color, and brush work.

What Artists See:
Seven lessons cover the elements that artists use in 2-dimesional and 3-dimensional works such as shape, form, and color. Students explore collage, paper works, and color mixing. Students gain experience in handling scissors, glue, and paper forms.

Exploring Ancient Art:
Fifteen lessons cover ancient art from the cave paintings of France to book illumination of the 13th century. Students see that art is more than just a painting on a wall. Cultures used it in different ways and for different purposes. Lessons expand students ideas of what art is and where it is seen. Students explore mural, pottery, low-relief, paper art, bookbinding, mosaic techniques and more.

The company has many art books for all ages

Preschool~
For ages 3-4

K-3 ~
3 Books for Kindergarten-3rd Grade

4-6 ~
2 books for Grades 4-6
Book 1 covers drawing skills. Book 2 covers color and painting media.

Junior High~
2 books for grades 7-8
Book 1 covers drawing skills. Book 2 covers color in pastels.

Senior High ~
Book 1 covers drawing skills. Book 2 covers color and painting media.

Each book costs $42.95

You can check out what others are saying about Aritistic Pursuits by going to the TOS Crew website.