Camp Corbett

Apologia, "Read For The Heart", TOS Review

2011-05-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

I am writing my final review for the TOS Homeschool Review Crew. This is my second year on the Crew as well as my second year homeschooling. I find it a rather nice coincidence that my final review is of a book. This is no ordinary book, let me assure you. First, it is a book about books, written by homeschool graduate Sarah Clarkson. Second, it is a book I have had my eye on for some time now. I am new to homeschooling, but I LOVE reading and by now, you know my motto is "Readers are Leaders". This has got to be the single best resource I have found for our family on this subject!
Let me tell you some more of the details about the book and along the way I will explain how I used the wisdom found in this book in our own homeschool. This softcover book is 384 pages in length and covers various topics such as the authors life as an avid reader and how she was given living books in her own homeschool career. Sarah has a beautiful way of writing and teaching through her words, she does an excellent job of conveying her passion for reading and books through her writing and it is contagious. She even offers parents tips on how to foster an atmosphere of reading inside our own home.
Sarah Clarkson, in her book "Read For The Heart" ($17.00), provides information on over 1,000 books filtered through a Christian world view. Each individual book includes a review along with cautions regarding any questionable content. She also divides the selection of books by age and topic. She reviews her top picks for Children's Literature, History and Biography, Poetry, Spiritual Reading, Picture books, Music art and Nature. At the end of the book Sarah has included several appendix's; Caldecott Medalists; Newbery Medalists; Historical Fiction etc...
I felt like I had a mentor walking me through a giant library and pulling books off of the shelf for me to take home and use. I did indeed do just that. I read Read For The Heart over a few days time. The book showed up at my door at the perfect time. I was planning our curriculum for next year and the various topics I hope to cover. I selected many of the books she suggested and I now have a list that I take with me to used book sales. This book is a must have for every homeschooling family. I am also thrilled to have been able to read this book and look forward to reading future books from this author.
My fellow TOS Crew Mates also reviewed this book, so you can check out what they thought.

I was sent this product at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review

Eagle's Wings Educational Materials, TOS Review

2011-05-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

I love science. It is my favorite subject to teach because there are so many ways to teach a lesson that goes beyond the worksheet. I was sent Considering God's Creation, a creative biblical approach to natural science for grades 2-7. The set included a teachers manual and a 270 page workbook along with a CD. The set retails for $29.95. If you have additional students you can purchase additional copies of the student workbook for $13.95. I was sent the set to review and I was so impressed with the material, I ordered two more copies of the workbooks to use with my three daughters. we have been spending sunny spring time afternoons outside doing the lessons together. I have used this as a bible study as well. The kids enjoy it.

The curriculum requires very little preparation on my part, offers clear instructions and is hands on. I also do not need to purchase an expensive lab kit. If additional material is needed, it is household items, such as glue sticks, crayons, scissors, eggs, a flashlight etc.... The curriculum contains enough lessons to allow for one lesson a week for an entire school year. We decided to break it up into two lessons per week and include bible time with it. Each lesson contains games, experiments, poems, songs, arts and crafts projects, notebook pages and of course, Bible references. If you have children that have a natural bend towards science, the curriculum also offers optional resources titled "Digging Deeper" and "Additional Resources Suggestions" at the back of the book. You do not need to purchase the additional resources however to use the curriculum.
I think my favorite part of the lessons so far have been the evolution stumpers.

Very rarely have I found a product that I have reviewed that has become a part of our regular curriculum. Even more rarely have I purchased additional materials to use with a product that I have been sent to review. This product is a keeper! It is exactly what I wanted in a science curriculum and since the curriculum is teaching all about God's Creation; The Universe, The Earth, Non-Living things (Rocks and Minerals), Weather, The Plant Kingdom, The Animal Kingdom, Animal Anatomy & Physiology, and of course Man: Made in Gods Image it fits in perfectly with our course of study. I HIGHLY praise this product and encourage you to check it out! Please don't take my word for it, head on over to the TOS Crew Blog to see what my fellow Crew Mates thought.

I was sent this product at no expense to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Pearson Education, Grade 1 Social Studies, TOS Review

2011-05-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

Please don't tell my Charlotte Mason friends, but my homeschool now has a text book. I am only slightly joking. As a newer homeschooler I got the impression that "text book" use was something only done in the dark corners of the homeschooling households. I don't typically use textbooks but as a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given "Social Studies, All Together" by Scott Foresman, published by Pearson Education found HERE to review. The student edition costs $43.47.

The Hardcover book covers a wide range of topics such as History, Economics, Science and Technology, Geography, Culture, Citizenship, Government, and National Symbols. So, while I still rely on living books to teach my children about the above mentioned topics, I will use this book as a reference. My husband and I were flipping through the pages of the book when it arrived and were impressed with the glossy photographs. We both said that the book manages to touch on many topics, although briefly. At the end of each lesson, there are review questions to check your student for comprehension. I have used this book quite a few times since it was sent to me. For example, we were doing a unit study on Mexico a few weeks back and I looked up in the glossary any possible "Mexican" topics, and we discussed them after reading about them. It allowed us to study a bit more than I had planned and that is always a good thing!

I think it would make a good addition to supplement any homeschool. Don't just take my word for it, check out what my fellow Crew Mates had to say Here

As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent this product at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Mad Dog Math, TOS Review

2011-05-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

As a relatively "new to homeschooling" mom, I have made several observations about my two oldest daughters. Homeschooling has allowed me to work so closely with them that I can list their strengths and weaknesses, learning styles, likes and dislikes, as if I was talking about myself. My two oldest daughters share a bedroom and the way they maintain their personal space speaks volumes about their unique personalities. My oldest has her bed made every morning, allowing no wrinkles in the sheets. My other daughter might make her bed, if she could find it.......
Imagine an invisible line drawn down the center of the room, one side is neat and orderly, the other side is a mess!
My oldest daughter is very creative. She has an ability to design her own toys or create her own artwork just by using things she finds around the house. My other daughter is very relational and personable, she is every ones friend and is very warm and caring. When we open our home to other families, the children, regardless of age, seek to play and spend time with her.
I am sharing all this with you to say that as different as they are, they do have some things in common, one of them being a strong aversion to math. Neither child is a "math whiz" and they both groan and complain when it comes time for math drills. I understand their frustration, when you are good at something, I think it is easy to enjoy it. Math is one area where they both could improve and one way of doing that is by practice.
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was able to review a math facts product found HERE called Mad Dog Math.

The program is great and very user friendly. It is math drill software that can be downloaded; you can choose a one or two year license ($19.99 and $29.99 respectively), or a perpetual license ($39.99) and download the software immediately.

It requires about 10 minutes per day of use to improve in math skills. Right now my daughter is working on level one. She is given 20 addition problems starting at 0-3 and has the goal of completing them in under two minutes with less then 2 wrong answers. Once she can accomplish that, she is given a "2 minute Club" sticker and will continue to improve her time then moving onto subtraction and eventually doing multiplication and division. each level is to be used over the course of a school year as a supplement to the child's math curriculum.
We both like the program. It is very simple but effective. It isn't flashy with lots of distracting sound effects. It provides immediate feedback for the student so they can see what problems they did not answer correctly. The program was developed by a math teacher/ school administrator and the quality of it shines through. I plan on having my daughter continue the program till our license runs out, and then we will decide if we will purchase the program. I am leaning towards purchasing it because it can also track other children and is good for children in k-5th grade, which is suitable for all my school age children.
Please don't just take my word for it, check out what my fellow crew mates thought of the program HERE

As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent this product at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Institute For Excellence in Writing

2011-05-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

There are many products offered to us as Homeschool families. Some are nice, but not necessary, some are low quality and really not necessary, some are great and would go on a "wish list" that every homeschool mom has somewhere. Then every once in a great while, a home school mom stumbles upon an absolute "must have" in her homeschool and the Institute For Excellence In Writing or IEW is that product.

Prior to my exposure to IEW, I did not think it was possible to teach someone the art of writing. I really thought that some people just have a natural way of stringing words together to make a story entertaining and interesting. I figured that as a homeschooling mom, I would cover the basics in writing, styles, etc.. through our language arts curriculum and either my children, with practice, would become writers, or they wouldn't. I guess looking back now, that is a pretty bleak outlook. As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent Teaching Writing/ Student Writing Intensive Combo Pack, Level A it costs $239.00 ( perfect for children working at the Elementary Level). They also sent me a Portable wall ($7.00), which is handy for a quick reference of writing models and word lists.

So, why all the hype? This is a quality program that is very user friendly and walks the teacher through the lessons as well as clear and understandable instructions for the students. The teacher discs are a wonderful tool to help you begin to implement the program. The instructor, Andrew, is knowledgeable and is a pleasure to watch. Even if you are not yourself a great writer, this program will equip you as the teacher with everything you need to teach your students. The lessons for the student are laid out very nicely. Once I watched the first few discs of Teaching Writing: Structure and Style, we were able to begin. The Student Writing Intensive lessons run about 45-60 minutes long, depending on the session and typically we would watch the Lesson on Monday and use the rest of the week to work on the writing assignment. The writing assignment would directly apply the lesson that was just taught. There is also plenty of opportunity for review and reinforcement.

Each lesson has a chart that lets me know what is to be watched on the student DVD, the viewing time, the handouts for the lesson and the optional handouts if I think more reinforcement is needed. The company also offers online support for teachers, so you always have help when you need it. I LOVE that we can "attend class" with a great instructor without leaving our home, that I can customize a writing assignment based on our own family experiences and really make the stories our own.

I could go on all day about how valuable this product is, but I think you should head over to their website and watch a few of their video clips about their program. Also, head over to the TOS Blog and see what my fellow Crew Mates thought of this program.

As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent IEW at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Monki See TOS Review

2011-05-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves a monkey, especially children. As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent a DVD titled Monki See, Baby's First Words, Volume 1. I was also sent a book from the same Company titled "Know your Monkey". Both products are geared for children ages 0-4 years old.

We read the book first, and my 5 year old, 2 year old and baby enjoyed the colorful pictures and the simple language. I liked the fact that since this is a "learning how to read" book, that the texts were separated from the pictures. I was able to point to the words while reading out loud. As I am sure you know by now, my motto is "Readers are Leaders", in my opinion, any time spent reading to your child, is time well spent.

Next we watched the 30 minute DVD, (which costs $19.95). According to the company we are supposed to watch the DVD daily 5 days per week, for a month or so. Optimally, the child should view the video around 20 times or more if they like. We have watched the video about 13 times now, and my 2 year old and 5 year old really enjoy it. I will have to keep you posted as to our progress as time goes by. The purpose of the books and the DVDs is to teach your young children how to read and introduce them to the written language at an early age.
According to the company: Babies love the MonkiSee Baby DVDs because they are entertaining and fun to watch. Parents love the MonkiSee Baby DVDs because babies learn so much from watching them. Babies learn necessary preschool skills such as body parts, first words, letters, colors, shapes, numbers and much more. The MonkiSee Baby DVDs expose babies to written and spoken language without any distractions. When language is presented to your baby in this manner, you will quickly discover that your baby can read.

My Opinion: If you are looking for a quality DVD to play while you are busy cooking dinner or need to distract your young children while you are getting other chores done, then this might be what you are looking for. It will never replace quality time engaging and talking to your child.

Monki See also has other DVDs and books available at their website. If you would like to see what my fellow Crew Mates thought of this product click HERE.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent this product at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

TOS Mothers Day Special Offer

2011-05-07T04:40:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about all the gifts we're giving away just for subscribing to our magazine?
Start enjoying a two-year subscription to a high-quality magazine packed full of insights from leading homeschool experts delivered right to your door. You’ll love flipping through nearly 200 PRINT pages of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!

Subscribe Now and receive a plethora of gifts worth over $300!

You’ll receive hard copy books, DVDs, subscriptions to learning sites, CDs and more. CLICK HERE to see what we’ve got for you.

And hey, have you heard about our new subscriber-only benefit called the Teacher's Toolbox? This is ABOVE AND BEYOND the 19 free gifts you'll receive if you are within the first 5,000 two-year subscribers. Teacher's Toolbox is our brand new password-protected site which is FULL of resources for TOS subscribers only! Believe it or not, you'll also get ALL of our digital back-issues on this site! You'll be reading for WEEKS!

PLUS TOS is throwing in a 20th BONUS GIFT => a John Taylor Gatto E-Book entitled Hammering at the Walls of Public Schooling AND MP3 recording of him speaking on the topics of "Open Source Education" and "Everything You Know About Institutional Schooling is Wrong!

Get yours NOW before we sell out!

Don't miss your chance to get these 19 free gifts and access to our password-protected site stuffed full of educational material!

*The 19 Gifts Promo is open to U.S Subscribers only

Kregel Publications: Circle C Beginings TOS Review

2011-05-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

I have a daughter who is 7 years old and has really taken off with reading this year. She really enjoys it and I am thrilled. I am sure you know by now how I feel about books, I love them! It brigs me joy to have my children sit down with a good book and read it. I also love having a "real" book with actual pages to turn, I would choose that any day over an e-book. As a member of the TOS Crew I was sent the book titled "Andi's Indian Summer" (sorry for the lack of pictures but my computer would not allow them to come up for some strange reason) written by Susan K. Marlow, published by Kregel Publications.

The book is cute and my daughter really enjoyed reading it. The Circle C Beginnings introduces the spunky main character "Andi Carter", a young girl who is eager to grow up and experience the exciting wild west of the 1800's. The books are suitable for children ages 6-8 and can be found HERE. The soft covered book is 80 pages and cost $4.99. It took my daughter about 4 days to read the book and she did not have a hard time following and comprehending the text. In addition to an entertaining story, the reader is offered a section in the book titled "a peak into the past" and it explains that the story was based on events that happened during this period in history and offers a bit of historic background. There is also a website that has free coloring pages, learning activities and puzzles.

The other titles in the Circle C Beginning Series are "Andi's Pony Trouble"; "Andi's Fair Surprise"; and "Andi's Scary School Days". Check out what my fellow Crew Members thought, as each member got one of the above mentioned books click HERE.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was sent the book at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Latin's Not So Tough! Level 2 TOS Review

2011-04-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

I am amazed at how much of our language is rooted in Latin. In fact, many English words (especially science related) have roots in Latin. My husband and I have been debating about teaching our children a second language. Actually, the debate is how many other languages should we teach them, and specifically, which ones in order to be competitive in a global market. Another consideration is, what age do we begin, do we learn it as a family and which language will be most used and helpful to our children.

My three top picks are Spanish (we live in NJ and have a very high Spanish speaking population here) and we debated between Mandarin and Latin. Mandarin may be very useful to our children because over half of the worlds' population speaks it and this could be very beneficial to our children in a business regardless of profession. As a science nerd, Latin is one of my top choices. I see the value in teaching our children Latin, because it will benefit them in their studies, especially if they continue in a career path with a heavy science/ health background. So, I was excited to review "Latin's Not So Tough!", created by the Company
Greek 'N' Stuff .

I was sent Level 2, which focuses on a thorough review of the Latin Alphabet, dip thongs and special consonant sounds. There are also 50 Latin vocabulary words. The target age for this level is 6-7 year olds. Older students would benefit from starting at level 3. The student has a workbook that is consumable and must use the flashcards to practice the sounds of the Latin Letters. The program offers many hands on activities to cement learning. I am impressed with this curriculum. It is teacher friendly and if a child is reading well, it can be done independently with teacher supervision.

I also like the companies teaching philosophy: “Our teaching methodology incorporates a gradual, yet consistent, exposure to Greek or Latin. Each year, after reviewing previous concepts and vocabulary, the student then expands his/her knowledge of the Greek or Latin language (in much the same way that English grammar is commonly learned).”

My only hesitation with this program and teaching it to such a young child, is that if your child is not reading well, it could be very confusing. I do think the quality of the material warrants high praise. So here is my advice. If you have a strong reader, and you wish for your child to study Latin (they may have a God given bend towards the sciences), then strike while the iron is hot and begin the program. If you do wish for your child to study Latin but they are struggling, my advice would be to let them get a good grasp their own language first, then begin at level 3.

The price of the products I received are:
Latin's Not So Tough level 2 workbook: $18.95
Latin's Not So Tough Level 2 "Answers Only" key $4.00
Latin's Not So Tough, pronunciation CD Level 1-3 $10.00

My fellow Crew members reviewed many different products from this company, so check out the TOS Blog found HERE.

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was given this product at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Science Weekly, TOS Review

2011-04-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

I LOVE science, I can remember riding in the back of my parents station wagon and talking to them about what I want to be when I grew up. I always said that I wanted to be a scientist. I did actually choose a career path in the science field, eventually receiving my Masters Degree in Science with a Major in Community Health Education. I am a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) in my pre-mommy life and I love teaching the topic of Science to my little budding scientists.
Our home offers the perfect setting for real hands on science, which in this day and age, we Americans need to teach a solid science foundation to our children in order to compete globally. We live at the end of a dead end on a lake in the woods so we are able to pull from nature and our surroundings just about anything we need to teach on a science subject.
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent an instructional module from Science Weekly found HERE. I thought the content was fine and I thought it was great that this material will work for a large family. The topic is the same for children in pre-k through 6th grade, just the depth of understanding is different. That makes teaching everyone together much easier. Plus the material is easy enough to follow for the student, so my daughter was able to do the work with me nearby, not necessarily hovering over her.
The topic we covered was fractions, which didn't strike me as very "sci ency" since we had covered the material in math. But the information was given in clear easy to read lessons and was a good review. Each Module offers Teaching Notes with an informational background (little to no prep time is necessary). The teaching notes also offers an answer key and additional resources to round out the weekly topic.

The cost for the material is: $19.95 per student per year for 15 issues (this is if you have less than 20 people who can subscribe). If you have a co-op and can gather 20 or more students you can get a "classroom rate" of $4.95 per student for 15 issues.
I know in the homeschool scene there are many moms who feel very confident teaching writing and fine arts but almost skip science altogether, if you fall into this category, check this product out. You can visit the site and download a free sample issue and see if this might be a good fit for your family. I would also consider using it as a supplement to a unit study or for folder work if a child isn't feeling well or you are traveling but don't want to lug around teaching manuals and books.
Click HERE to see what my fellow Crew Mates had to say about Science Weekly.

I was sent this product at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Kinderbach TOS Review

2011-04-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

We bought a piano off of Craig's List about 3 years ago with a dream that one day our family would grow to be competent piano players. I can't read music, so this goal is a lofty one, especially when you consider our oldest child was 6 years old at the time. I had visions of snow falling outside and a crackling fire while family members took a turn playing Christmas Carols and we all sang along. I am still clinging to this vision as my older daughters began piano lessons this past winter, but my third daughter, age 5 wasn't old enough to participate. I certainly am unable to teach her anything music related but I did want to encourage her in her desire to tickle the ivories. I had used Kinderbach, found HERE last year as a review with TOS and I kept coming back to it in my mind. I was thrilled when they gave me another chance to use their product and review it.

My daughter Mary, age 5 was thrilled when we began the first lessons, often asking for more than one a day. The program offers short video teaching segments that often include a game and fun characters. I did have to print out the workbooks, coloring pages, etc... to go along with the lesson. According to the website product description:
KinderBach breaks down the various tasks and techniques of playing the keyboard and separates them into child portions. For example: Before playing a song, rhythm, note identification, note placement, and music patterns are presented as different items through discussion and games. Learning is gradual and child-paced. In addition KinderBach uses fun characters to teach ideas, making the process entertaining.

The best part is, they offer a free trial, so you will be able to get a very good idea of the product before you purchase. If you choose to use the online program the cost is $7.99 per month or order the DVDs for $40.45. The product is recommended for children ages 3-7.

We love this product, my daughter Mary really enjoyed it, and I think it is offered at a reasonable price. Please take a look at what my fellow Crew Mates had to say: HERE

As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given this product to use at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Artistic Pursuits TOS Review

2011-03-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

As a former preschool teacher and mom to 2 pre-school aged children, I was ecstatic when I was sent the Artistic Pursuits preschool art curriculum titled "The Way They SEE It" (A book for every parent about the art children make). You can check out the book HERE and see the other great products this company produces.

This spiral bound book is 73 pages and offers 29 art projects. The book is divided into three Sections:
Section One: The Nature of Children's Artistic Development
Section Two: Use real world examples to point out Artistic Ideas
Section Three: First Skills

I LOVE this book and for $42.95, I think it is money well spent! The book offers recipes for art material such as finger paints, and play-dough. I found that I had most other materials necessary to use this book on hand, such as crayons, water colors, markers, paint, finger paint, paper and clay. This book is perfect for children ages 3,4 & 5, however, my seven year old enjoyed the lessons as well. I really enjoyed the parent discussion that teaches us parents the process and methods to help us understand our children's art better.

This book requires no previous knowledge of art concepts (good thing because I have NONE!) and no rigid schedule needs to be followed. These projects can be used whenever you are looking for an engaging activity to do with your children.

One of the first lessons that we did together was called "Discover Art Project" we studied a beautiful flower picture and I discussed the details found in it, then we used our water colors to make our own bouquet of flowers. The little kids loved it and so did I, we spent a nice time together talking and being creative. I can't wait to continue on through this book, especially as spring and summer approaches and we can head outside to use God's creation to create beautiful art.

The TOS Homeschool Review Crew reviewed several different age levels of these books, so check out THEIR SITE to see what my fellow Crew Mates had to say.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Brill Kids Aesop's Fables TOS Review

2011-03-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to review Little Reader by Brill Kids. They have recently come out with another product titled Brill Kids Aespo's Fables. The books are "specially designed to teach your young child to read." These books are beautiful and glossy, they cost $37.50 per set, and come in the following titles:

•The Lion and the Mouse

•The Fox and the Grapes

•The Boy Who Cried Wolf

•The Turtle and the Rabbit

•The Fox and the Crow

My five year old and two year old love reading with me so they loved these stories. Each book has a flap on the right side of the book and each book has the text on the left side with the picture on the right. As you read the story, cover the picture and have the children study the words as you read them outloud. After you have read the text, then uncover the picture and explain, with the help of the picture, the text again.

The company also offers these stories in digital format to be played back using the Little Reader Software.

These books, combined with the Brill Kids Little Reader computer program will have children recognizing words and sounding out new ones, all steps to reading fluently. As I have said in previous posts, readers are leaders, and any time spent reading to a child is time well invested. Check out what my fellow TOS Crew Mates thought of this product HERE

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given this product for free in exchange for an honest review.

Reading Kingdom TOS Review

2011-03-07T07:55:00.000-08:00

My seven year old daughter is reading chapter books but as a newbie to the homeschool scene, I was reluctant to put our phonics program away. She is in "first grade" and phonics should go up to the end of 2nd grade, right? Oh boy, do I have a lot to learn about teaching to their skill and not the curriculum. Ok, I am sure that is a typical newbie mistake right?

Well as January was looming and the joy and festivities of the Christmas season were now just a memory, it was time to get back to the table and back to school. I was loath to continue on with phonics, as was my daughter. She was reading the words before she even coded them and we would then go on to code the words because I was afraid she would miss a reading "rule". Talk about laboring in vain.

As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given a free subscription to an online reading program called "Reading Kingdom". The program was created by literacy expert Dr. Marion Blank.

As you can see above, Reading Kindgdom teaches many more skills then just phonics. It seemed to be exactly what we were looking for. Since the program is geared to children ages 4-10 and will teach Letter Sounds, Reading, Spelling and Typing up to a third grade level, I sigend my two duaghters up, ages 7 and 5. The program suggests a school-age student use the program 4-5 days a week and preschoolers use the program 3 times per week. Depending on the skill level, the program takes 12-15 months to complete and each session usually takes about 10-15 minutes to do.

My daughters both started with the keyboard and mouse training, this gets them familiar with the keyboard and using the mouse. Both girls were able to finish quickly (within 1 week). Next they were given a skills survey which then analyzes the child's preformance and will give more practice to areas that need it. Obviously my 7 year old is farther ahead in the program then my 5 year old.

My seven year old has been going through level one of the "Introduction to Reading and Writing" which includes practice seeing sequences and recognizing letters. My 5 year old has just begun level one. There are 5 levels in this section. At the end of this program, my children will have read 36 books.
I am sent progress reports to my email and can check on them at any time. Parents/ teachers are asked not to "help" so that the program assess the skill level of each student.

We LOVE this program. I have officially packed up my phonics curriculum for both children. I have noticed improvement in reading with my 7 year old and much less frustration from both of us since we don't have to dredge through phonics. She can read real books and spell the words and get feedback right away. We will continue till the program is finished and I will know for certain her reading level.

My 5 year old is a bit frustrated with the program. If she does not pay close attention to the session and she makes one mistake, it will have her do the entire problem over again. Also, if she takes too long to click on certain keys, it will tell her she is to "try again" or "watch" then try again. The length of each session is just right. She usually has a 10 minute session and by the end she is "done" for the day with it. Hopefully the issues with the program will be tweaked by the programmers.

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
I think this price is fantastic, considering the cost of preschool is $180/ month where I live. I also like the use of the computer. I have a newborn baby as well as a 2 year old, so independent learning is very high on my list right now.

I plan on using Reading Kingdom with my other children as they reach the appropiate age to use it. If you want to see what my other crew mates have to say about this program head on over to the TOS Blog.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent this item at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Academic Success For All Learners TOS Review

2011-02-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent a reading program created by the company "Academic Success For All Learners" found HERE. The program is called "Reading for All Learners Little Books" and is based on research that began over 30 years ago. According to the company the program directly addresses the five essentials of reading instruction:
1- phonemic awareness
2- phonics
3- fluency
4- vocabulary
5- comprehension

The program consists of 141 decodable readers or "Little Books" each book is made up of two parts. The first part is an introduction to new sounds, new words and word practice. The second part of the "Little Book" is direct application of the new sounds and words by reading a story. The stories are cute and include many animal characters.
The program is used for children reading at a K-3.6 grade level. Each set costs $30.00 and includes Little Book sets, Success Certificates, Learner Progress Tracking Charts and the instructor guide. There are also videos available to view on you tube titled iseesamdotcom

I think that the price is great for the quality material that you get with this program. My children enjoyed the stories and even though they did use flashcards along with the program it was way more enjoyable then the phonics program we had been using. They felt much more accomplished because they had an actual "book" to read (with help from mom!) I also think this program is great for large families since the materials are not consumable. The website offers other products from this company such as a spelling program as well as a math program.

If this sounds like a program you might be interested in using, check out the you tube page as well as the website which offers other videos. You can also visit the TOS Crew Blog found HERE to see what my fellow Crew Mates thought of this program.

As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given this product at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Math Rider TOS Review

2011-02-25T06:02:00.000-08:00

My oldest daughter HATES math facts and math drills. When she needs to complete a math facts worksheet, her joy all about disappears. When she gets the 100 facts and gets "timed" it is difficult to even talk to her. We are working on having a right attitude while doing work we don't enjoy, and knowledge of basic math operations up to number 12 is not an option. So when I received the down loadable math game called "Math Rider" to review for the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was hopeful.
You can check out and purchase Math Rider HERE for $37.00. Math Rider was easy to download from the website and we were able to begin playing right away. My daughter was given a quest and she was able to pick her level of difficulty ( we chose the "easy" level to begin with). She was then given basic addition facts from 0-12 to answer, if she answered correctly, her horse would clear the hurdle. If she answered incorrectly, her horse would stop at the hurdle, the program would then say the problem out loud and then the game would continue giving her the missed facts more frequently.
The game offers 4 basic math operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Each operation requires four quests to complete before mastery is achieved. The horse speeds up or slows down depending on typing speed and how fast the facts get answered.
She never felt pressured from being timed and she didn't get frustrated if she missed the question because it would just give her the answer, so she never felt like a failure. It took Emily about 15 minutes to finish one quest. I don't know if that is a normal amount of time or not, but I would have her do one quest per day.
As a parent I liked the fact that I could access her results and see how she is doing. She will be continuing with this program even though our review period is over. I see her practicing her basic math facts and she is gaining the skills she needs to improve her knowledge, without the drudgery of a fact worksheet.

After initial use, Math Rider uses stats from previous games to customize the program. The goal of Math Rider is "maximum impact from practicing in minimum time, while keeping difficulty at an appropriate level".
After using this game, I think they have achieved that goal. The game is also good for multiple users, which is nice for a large family.

Math Rider is downloaded from the website to your computer and is able to work in windows, mac, osx, and linux. They even offer a 30 day risk free guarantee.

I am very pleased with this program. It is reasonably priced and user friendly. I notice an improvement in my daughters' math skills without additional grey hair, that is always a plus in my home!

Don't take my word for it, please check out what my fellow TOS Crew Mates have to say HERE

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given this product at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Kidscoop TOS Review

2011-02-18T05:35:00.000-08:00

What is worse then having a child who hates math? Answer: a child who isn't interested in reading. I am an avid reader and my motto is "readers are leaders". In my opinion, once a child can read and read well, the world will open up to them. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, some children just don't like reading. As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent the "Reluctant Reader Solution" to review along with the January edition of "Kid Scoop News" from http://www.kidscoop.com/ .

Being on the newbie side of Homeschooling, http://www.kidscoop.com/ was not a company that I was familiar with, but I am sure glad I know about them now. So far, in our homeschool, we have two fluid readers and one emergent reader. My children don't give me a hard time reading, but I can totally see us incorporating the Reluctant Reader Fun Sheets into our homeschool day. So what is the deal with this program? Let me share with you all the details and then I'll tell you why I like it and how I use it.

The Reluctant Reader Solution was created by Vicki Whiting with the goal of giving a child reading activities in a fun format to help them become enthusiastic, life-long readers. It contains 365 fun sheets which you can use weekly or group them by theme. The program suggests parents/ teachers use the "Ask, Do, Review Lesson Model". 1. Ask your child a question that he/she can answer by reading the fun sheet you selected. 2. Do- Once they answer the question, all the activities should pique their curiosity and they will want to begin working on the activities. 3. Review- re-ask the original question to reinforce comprehension as well as "What did you learn from doing this page?"

The program was developed to meet state standards. Since this month was February, we chose to review the Valentines themed fun pages. It is 6 pages long and the theme was "Valentines Fitness". The fun sheets contained "make your own good-for-you valentines day cards" along with physical activity games. The kids were even able to proof read sentences that had a love/ heart theme to them. If you want to see what I am talking about download a free sample HERE. Each themed fun sheet sells for $2.99 (for a download) or purchase the reluctant Reader Solution for $97.00 and receive 365 fun sheets plus 12 online issues of "Kid Scoop News" ( $55 value). All the products are downloaded onto your computer to be printed out by you.

I was also sent the January edition of "Kid Scoop News" which contained 20 pages of fun activities plus information on a range of topics from Martin Luther King, Jr to science, math, grammar as well as recommended books and web sites. There was even a page for my youngest reader titled "Early Learners" containing rhymes, tracing, coloring pages. The pages are colorful and beautiful to look at.

So here is why I like this program. I can use the fun sheets to expand on a specific topic while using a unit study. I also use a work box system and these fun sheets are a great way to have my children engaged in school and doing independent work while I am with a sibling. If you have a child who is struggling or not too excited about reading, this program is one that I would encourage you to look into. The company offers a 365-day money back guarantee if you are not happy with the program. I would encourage you to check out the website http://www.kidscoop.com/

If you would like to hear what my fellow Crew Mates had to say, go HERE.

As amember of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent this product at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

The Curiosity Files- "Red Tide" TOS Review

2011-02-11T07:34:00.000-08:00

I have a Masters Degree in Science, specifically Health Education and I love any science based curriculum (especially one with a Christian world view). As a member of The TOS Review Crew, I was able to review a really awesome unit study called "The Curiosity Files" The subject that I reviewed was "RED TIDES". This was right up my alley and The old Schoolhouse once again created another quality product. The Curiosity Files are a unit study based curriculum that can stand alone or be used to compliment a science study. For example, the "Red Tides" unit is 93 pages that can stand alone as a unit or be a wonderful compliment to an ocean unit study.

The Curiosity Files are geared towards children ages 8-13 but can easily be adapted towards younger or older students. Currently there are 9 topics in the Curiosity Files and they cost $49 for a CD of the 9 studies or $46 for the E- Download. You can purchase them HERE from The Old Schoolhouse Store. Each study is between 80-100 pages.

Professor Ana Lyze walks us through the study with the goal "to educate children about subjects they would never find otherwise.To get them thinking creatively and give their minds some exercise." With these studies you will find out "everything you never wanted to know".

The "Red Tides" study contains awesome photos, Spelling and Vocabulary words geared towards Elementary children and another geared towards Junior High students. There are word searches and crossword puzzles. Children are asked to write descriptive essays or persuasive essays. There is a quiz to see how much you have learned as well as lots of hands on activities. It also contains a book list and many links to videos and articles to further the study. There is even a song that my younger kids enjoyed since music is such a great tool to teach with!

There is copywork in script and print and even a board game to print out and play (our favorite game!!!).
I love when we actually apply information, especially with my children ages 5, 7 & 9. We can take the facts given and then apply them with the activities (a great way to get the younger ones to understand the concept and help make it relate-able for them). For example, we discussed the sea and the food chain and what comes from the sea. We made a food chain ect... but we took it a step farther and looked through our pantry for food that contained ingredients we just learned about. LOVE THAT!! That is just one example of the many hands on activities contained in this study.

The kids even make their own file to put their completed work in called "snippets". I could gush on all day about this study, I was very impressed and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys doing unit studies with their children and using lots of hands on activities to drive home the topic. Don't just take my word for it check out what my fellow Crew Mates had to say HERE

As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew I was given this product at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Maestro Classics Review "Peter and the Wolf"

2011-01-19T06:56:00.000-08:00

There are a few things I know I am not capable of teaching to my children. One is art, my stick figures look just like my daughter drew them (she is 5). The other one is music, I have never played an instrument. I have no clue how to read music either. I love listening to classical music but I have no knowledge of the "great Composers". As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent the CD of "Peter and the Wolf" from Maestro Classics. You can find Maestro Classics on the web at http://maestroclassics.com/

Maestro Classics produces a Stories in Music series with conductor Stephen Simon and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This series is an award winner and it is easy to see why! Each CD set includes a classic story set to beautiful music recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It also includes educational tracks which teaches the listener how the music was created and about the composers life.
The CD comes with an activity booklet to allow the children to apply their new knowledge and round out the lesson.

We listened to "Peter and the Wolf" in our living room gathered around the fireplace on a cold and snowy evening. We turned the lights low and popped popcorn and began to listen to the beautiful music. First we heard what instrument represented each character, then we heard the story set to music. After that we were taught about Prokofiev's life, the original composer of "Peter and the Wolf". Then we listened again to the music of "Peter and the Wolf". Each time we heard the music we were brought to a deeper level of understanding and we grew in appreciation of the music. I LOVE Maestro Classics and their Stories in music series is a fantastic addition to any listening library. Each set is only $16.98 and includes the CD, story, activity booklet and extra tracks. You can also purchase 3 sets for $45. These make great gifts, in fact they do offer gift sets of "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" & "Casey at the Bat" for $24 each.. You can purchase the CD's online at their website www.maestroclassics.com or by phone 888-540-2811.

The website also allows you to listen to samples of the Cd's and I strongly encourage you to visit it and spend some time listening. Click on this link HERE to see what my fellow Crew Mates had to say about this product.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent this product at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Math Facts NOW! Review

2011-01-05T04:39:00.000-08:00

Right before the holidays, I was sent a math program to download and use with my 7 & 9 year old daughters, called Math Facts Now! 2.0 The website can be found HERE . I was impressed with the program right away. It had everything I wanted in a math drill program without using flash cards. I am pleased with the fact that Math Facts NOW! isn't flashy but it is customizable to fit the needs of your students.

Once I downloaded the program (which was easy to do compared to other products that I have had to download to my computer) I was able to customize the facts that I wanted each child to practice. For example, my 7 year old is learning how to add 1 and 2 to a number up to 10 as well as double facts using addition and subtraction. This is what I selected for her to be drilled on. I also was able to pick the number of problems I wanted her to complete in a specific session. I chose 200 problems, but looking back, I should have gone with fewer problems (maybe 20!) and I will need to change that for future lessons.

I also chose how much time they have to work on a certain problem, initially I chose 8 seconds but upon actually using the program, we had to increase the time since she is still new at finding the numbers on the keyboard and typing it in and hitting return. I was also able to customize how many times my daughter would need to repeat a specific problem if she answered incorrectly or did not answer it in the time allotted. I chose to have her repeat it three times.

The program will also remember which problems the student is having trouble with and will repeat them more frequently. I am also able to view and print out a list showing me where the areas of weakness are. As a reward for completing a session, I chose to allow them to play the wii for 15 minutes if they did not get any errors (we are still waiting for this reward, but in time it will come!)

My two daughters used the program, they found it easy to follow, but groaned at the actual "math" part of it. I think it is a great way to practice their math facts and plan on having them continue using this a few times per week.

The Math Facts NOW system requirements are as follows: It can run on windows 2000; ME; XP; Vista; and Windows 7. You will need to have 4.5 MB of free hard drive space to use this program. The program costs $15.95 to download directly from the website or you can purchase the CD-Rom for $15.95 + $3.95 s/h.

I liked this product a lot, I felt that $15.95 is a reasonable price for a quality program like this. It is functional, and you can use it with as many children in your home as needed and you can customize it for each child. Don't just take my word for it, check out the TOS Homeschool Review Crew to see what my fellow reviewers thought of this product, click HERE

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent this product at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Tiny Planets Review

2010-12-17T02:14:00.000-08:00

When I first became a new mom, I was surprised at the amount of children's programing available even for the youngest children. This was back about 9 years ago when we had cable TV. We have since discarded the cable subscription and have never regretted it! One program I remember my children enjoying was called "Tiny Planets". "Tiny Planets features the cosmic adventures of Bing and Bong, two whimsical aliens who travel the Universe of Tiny Planets together on their gadget-loaded plush sofa. With Bing and Bong, children are encouraged to think for themselves, assume social responsibility, take care of our planet and learn about the mysteries of space."

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was sent a link found Here to a website called Tiny Planets. The site offers games, and educational lessons, books and short episodes of the "Tiny Planets" show among other things. It is basically an online interactive version of the TV show. You can upgrade the site and purchase "keys" which allow you to upgrade your spaceship and watch more episodes and gain access to more features in the site. Children who really enjoy space will like this site. There are games, puzzles and activities for children to play. Adults are welcome to use the lesson plans and keep track of their little space cadets. To begin using Tiny Planets, you create a "Cadet Account" for each child. The site is protected and you are not able to live chat with other players, so it is safe for children to navigate. It is also "ad free" and according to the site is geared for children ages 4- 12.

My preschoolers/ non- readers were very limited with this site. They can watch the episodes but to navigate the site was difficult for them since reading was required and the directions on how to fly the spaceship and what the mission was for each Cadet was written out and not spoken. My 9 year old was a bit too old to enjoy it because she watched them when she was in preschool, and just associates Bing and Bong with entertainment for "babies". My first grader (currently age 6, soon to be 7) seemed to be the perfect age for this site.

The site is beautifully put together, the graphics are stunning and it has won many awards from others in the industry, but I am not sure it is something that we as a family would use very often. As I said earlier, we no longer have a TV so we really try to avoid watching it even online. My personal philosophy to teaching my children social responsibility/ interaction is to be out in the real world actually engaging socially with real people, not sitting home playing video games on the computer. I will say, considering the site is free, it is worth a look around to determine for yourself if it would be a good fit for your family, just go to: Tiny Planets and check it out.

My other TOS Crew Members were also sent this site to review, so I would encourage you to go to the Crew Blog and see what they had to say.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent this link at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

North Star Games, Wits & Wagers Family

2010-12-15T03:12:00.000-08:00

Once December 1st hits we put our home in full Christmas mode. Our family has a tradition where each day our children get to pick a special treat out of our little December calender. Sometimes the treats are "stay up late" or "go to the Library" or, "bake cookies". One treat that we especially enjoy is "play a board game". Each night is different, and the children really enjoy this special tradition.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was sent a board game called "Wits & Wagers Family" made by North Star Games, and I knew it would be a good treat to include in our December tradition. The game, found HERE, is geared for ages 8 and up, however, I included my 5 & almost 7 year old and they enjoyed playing it very much. Once the package was opened, it was very easy to learn the rules of the game and to set it up. We did a practice round and then started playing. The game can be played with 3-10 players, but if you have more players than that you can divide into groups.

The overview on how to play the game from the company says it best "Wits & Wagers Family gets family members of all ages involved in the fun! Play individually, or divide into teams. Each player (or team) writes down a guess to a question and places it on the table. Feeling confident about your guess? Place a meeple on it. Think mom knows better? Place a Meeple on her guess! Place your Meeples correctly and win points. The first player or team to reach 15 points wins!"

The game was a fast set up and to play one full game took about a half hour. I loved that even my 5 year old didn't have to know the right answer. She could participate and even win points just by guessing. I loved that it did have a slight educational value to it since they were guessing trivia facts, such as how many Teaspoons in a Tablespoon?

North Star Games also produces other family games and can be found HERE. If you are interested in purchasing this gift for Christmas (it would make a great family gift) look HERE. It retails for $19.99 and can be found at local toy stores and retailers such as Target. My fellow Crew Mates also reviewed this game and if you want to see what they had to say about this product go HERE.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent Wits & Wagers Family at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Good Morning, God TOS Book Review

2010-12-10T08:17:00.000-08:00

If someone I knew was looking for a sweet bible study to do with young children, I would recommend the book Good Morning, God, published by Apologia Press, written by Davis Carman. It retails for $14 and is beautifully illustrated. You can purchase it HERE or follow the link to simply read the product description.

The book is suited for children 1-8 years of age, however, there are many ways to adapt the book to allow slightly older children to enjoy it with the rest of your family. For example, we read the book straight through as if it were a story. The end of the book contains questions and activities to do with your children. Apologia also offers a companion coloring book to go along with the story for $4.00.

You can also use the book as a bible/ unit study with your children. We follow the main character in the book from Sunday through the following Sunday. Each day has scripture listed for us to reference based on the activity that the main character of the story is doing. For example, on the first Sunday in the book, the main character is worshipping God at Church , the activities for that day include reading Revelation 21: 1-7 and asking questions such as " What is the Church?". Then you discuss it with your children. This particular Sunday that I am using for my example has 8 questions, scripture readings, or activities to go along with it.

This book is a wonderful and engaging way to teach even our smallest children about our Creator and Father in Heaven. It also allows the literal application as a parent of Deuteronomy 6:6-7 where we are told to impress these commands on our children's hearts and talk about them when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

I love this book and hope to see more like it. Don't just take my word for it, check out what my fellow TOS Crew Members had to say about this book HERE

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent this book at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Smart Kids Productions, Nanuq Book Review

2010-11-29T11:26:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was sent a book called Nanuq, A baby Polar Bear's Story. The book is published by Smart Kids Publishing, inc. found here. The Nanuq book is part of a series of books called My Animal Family which allows the reader to learn about the animals and watch them in their native habitats. The My Animal Family Series is a storybook/DVD package with an interactive website, designed for children. Each package includes a hardcover book, a DVD featuring footage of the baby animal with an original song, and a secret code card that allows kids and parents access to the My Animal Family website www.mfakidsclub.com
The book can be purchased at this website on sale now for $10.39.

At first glance, the book is lovely, it has a nice hard bound cover and the story is engaging as we learn about Nanuq's adventures with his brother Suka. Suka likes to get into mischief and play even when he is supposed to be learning how to survive in the Arctic (the theme really tied in well with our unit on responsibility; we also used this as our science topic). The story is wonderfully illustrated. I was surprised to learn some interesting facts about polar bears as well!

The DVD is narrated by a child's voice and uses amazing footage by the BBC Library. When we first got the book/ DVD in the mail we read the story first, then watched the DVD. We enjoyed watching the DVD and then watching all the bonus educational facts and footage that was on the DVD.

The My Animal Family Program includes a revolutionary interactive game web site. Children will explore the online animal habitat of the baby animal character featured in the book they are reading. The habitat is full of games, activities and an Art Studio that will both entertain and educate pre-readers and young readers alike. The book contains a secret code to access the web site. I can choose what age group I want to have use the website, so my preschoolers are able to color etc, while my third grader can play games based on her skill level.

My children really enjoyed this review! I think it would make a great gift for cousins or for a book swap. You don't have to take my word for it, check out what my fellow reviewers have to say about this product: TOS CREW

As a member of the TOS Crew I was sent this product for free in exchange for an honest review.

KBTeachers Review

2010-11-19T07:56:00.000-08:00

Did you know that today is Gettysburg Day? Were you aware that tomorrow is Peanut Butter Fudge day? To think you may have let Peanut Butter Fudge Day slip by without so much as a piece of peanut butter fudge. How do I know all these little fun facts? From the Website kbteachers.com

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given a year membership to the online site that I believe, is a dream come true to a homeschooling mom like me! The site is really neat, they have many awesome features that are so helpful in providing supplements to me to use with my curriculum.

One feature I fell in love with was the worksheet generator. I was able to custom make worksheets for my preschool aged daughter who is learning how to spell her name and address and phone number. I can create handwriting sheets in either script or penmanship specific to letters that my children are having trouble with. I can do the same thing with math. I can create worksheets that highlight specific math concepts that my children may require extra help in. For example, we are just beginning to learn how to tell time and so I can print out some worksheets just for my first grader to practice on.

I am due with a baby in about 4 weeks and we will be having a few "substitute teaching days". I plan on taking the subject matter that we will be working on and making each child an age specific folder that they can do while I am at the hospital and they are with Grandma. The website offers a wide range of subjects as well as a wide range of ages, so you will be able to find this site useful for many years.

The site also offers information and activities on Social Studies. We will be studying Early American History after our Christmas break, and I plan on printing out some of the Early American printable pages to use to supplement our studies. I can do the same with science and biology.

The site offers seasonal activities and right now they have many Thanksgiving themed activities for my children to do while I am cooking our Turkey! Premium members also have access to free clip art and unlimited downloads. You pay a flat yearly rate regardless of how many downloads or worksheets you print out. The price for a yearly membership is $29 or $49/ two years. The website also offers a free trial and if you do purchase a membership, you have up to 30 days to cancel it for a full refund. I think the site is well worth the money and would at least recommend the free trial so you can test it for yourself.

You can also check out what my fellow TOS Crew members thought of this product here.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given the year membership to kbteachers.com for free in exchange for an honest review.

Corps of Re-Discovery Review

2010-11-15T11:52:00.000-08:00

Corps of Re-Discovery

The Corps of Discovery was the name President Thomas Jefferson gave to Lewis and Clark’s party as he commissioned them to find an east-west water passage to the Pacific Ocean over 200 years ago. Their 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. The Corps of R-Discovery is a business started by a homeschooling family: Husband and Father, John, wife and mother, Katie, and sons Eric, Nicholas and Joshua. This family had the opportunity to travel cross country and experience so many learning adventures first hand. It is a fascinating story and if you follow this link you can read more about it: http://www.corpsrediscovery.com/pages/About-Us.html

As a result of their travels, The Corps of Re-Discovery has found and created great project kits to enrich your studies of American Indians, Frontiersmen and Pioneer Americans so you, too can "re discover" America. The kits are made in the USA by John, Katie, Eric, Nicholas and Joshua. As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was sent the Cornhusk Doll Kit to review. According to the product description on the website, the Cornhusk dolls (also known as faceless dolls) were introduced to the white man by the Iroquois Indians. Because the pioneers and colonists had limited materials, they were happy to find ways for the children to play.

These cornhusk doll kits include everything you need to make and dress your own doll.
Each kit is sold separately and costs $4.50.

I had my 9 year old daughter Emily try out this craft and she did require my help with the directions and assembly. I think a child a bit older, who is used to assembling crafts would be able to do this project solo. We enjoyed working on the craft together and she was very proud that in an afternoon had actually made her own doll. The product came at just the right time for our family, since we are studying how the pioneer children made their own toys out of materials found around the home. The kit included complete directions, cornhusks, fabric and all the materials required to make one Cornhusk doll. We did need to have scissors and a needle and thread handy to complete the dress and apron.

I am planning on purchasing the Pioneer/ Colonial Craft pack to use in January for our upcoming unit on Early American Colonial Life. We will make homemade ink, our own candles and many other fun projects. I love the Corps of Re-Discovery and the fun/ educational kits they offer because workbooks get boring (especially in the dead of winter), and I love to wrap up unit studies with hands on learning to help cement a concept with my children.

If you would like to read about the other projects that my fellow Crew members were able to review please click here .

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was sent this product for free in exchange for an honest review.

Collectorz.com Review

2010-11-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Does row after row of organized books, listed by Author, genre or ISBN make you drool? Do you consider yourself a "type A" personality or at least wish you were? Are you an avid collector of books with an awesome collection that you like to share (or at least brag about)? Then I have found a website that will rock your world. www.Collectorz.com offers a service that allows you to do all the things mentioned above.

With Collectorz you are able to:

Catalog and share your book collection online.

Automatic book details and cover images,

Just scan ISBN barcodes or enter authors & titles.

The company even offers a free 30 day trial on their website.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent the Book Collector Pro Version for my PC (they also have one for Mac.). The Book Collector Standard Version costs $24.95, while the Book Collector Pro Version costs $49.95.

Once you have the software needed, you can begin to catalog your books. All you need to do is to scan ISBN barcodes or enter Authors and Titles, the website will add the book details and cover images. If a book is old and out of print you may need to add the details yourself. You can even keep track of your collection and who you have lent books to. I know as a homeschooling mom, this program can be a very valuable tool. Especially if you can create a network of homeschooling friends who would be willing to pool resources for everyone's benefit.

I can appreciate a computer program like this and would one day love to be able to organize and catalog all my books (they are currently in cardboard boxes while I wait patiently for books shelves). The reality is this: I cannot dedicate time right now to cataloging my books online (they aren't even organized in real life). I am 8 months pregnant and my two year old literally escapes if I take my eyes off of him for one minute! It is just not the season for online book organization at Camp Corbett. One day I will have a clean house, hung book shelves lined with alphabetically ordered books, and fit back into my college jeans. So in the interest of full disclosure, I don't think is is a program that is a good fit for our family right now. Collectorz.com is an excellent program, just not one that is needed in our family right now. I love the concept and think it is brilliant, but I need to work on real life organization before I can accomplish virtual organization.

I do know that my fellow Crew mates used and loved the program, so please click on this link to see what they have to say: http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/783319/

As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent the product at no cost to myself in exchange for an honest review.

Brill Kids "Little Reader Basic" TOS Review

2010-10-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent the "Little Reader Basic" program from the company Brill Kids: found here: www.brillkids.com

The Little Reader Basic is a reading program designed to teach your 3 month old- 3 year old how to read. The program uses a variety of methods to reinforce the new words. For example, when your baby begins to learn to read the word "dog" he/she will see the word in a different color and font, a different picture, different voice, a different video and be prompted to interact in a different way.

The program also offers the opportunity to personalize your lessons. You can put your own pictures or use your voice in the the program. Using the word "dog" again as an example, you can use your voice to say the word and put your own dog pictures into the program.

The curriculum is ready-made and ready to use. Parents are required to be involved in this program but the total time needed is 10 minutes 1-2 times per day. If you choose the one year program, your child will see over 1,000 words in more than 140 subject categories. One word has 5 pictures, 3 pronunciations, 1-2 videos and 2 picture commentary audio files. In fact, the Little Reader program offers over 2,500 reading lessons in 27 subject categories and more than 2 dozen languages, most available for free.

I was sent a link to the download basic version of the program which sells for $149 for a six month subscription or $199 for a one year subscription. For more information, please check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu4B8h0p-m0 to see how the program works. Brill Kids offers a free 14 day trial, so if you like what you see, you can give it a try before you invest any money in the program.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was unable to actually use this program. I was sent the Little Reader Basic download and installed it onto my computer. The program would not open and after talking to customer service, I had to uninstall the program and then re-install it. The program would then open up for about 5 seconds and then shut down. I was a bit frustrated since I was interested in seeing how the program works and having my 2 year old use it with me. To see what my other Crew Mates thought of the program, please go to the TOS website found here: http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/783250/

As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent this product for free in exchange for an honest review.

Read, Write & Type by Talking Fingers, Inc. Review

2010-10-11T04:48:00.000-07:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent a users License from Talking Fingers, Inc. to use their online version of their award winning program Read, Write & Type found here: www.talkingfingers.com .

I had never heard of this company before (big surprise, right?) but once I started checking out the website, I was impressed with the philosophy of the program and the credentials of the people who created it. This program is appropriate for children on a grade K-3 level, (or ESL students) however I used it with my almost 5 year old as well as my 6 and 9 year old and they all LOVED it! Prices vary depending on the number of users but the online version starts at $35/per student.

The philosophy behind this program is this: the program by associating each speech sound with a finger stroke is a very powerful teaching strategy that incorporates motor memory. This program lets children use a range of senses; sight, sound, mouths & fingers to learn phonics while writing whole words and sentences.

I loved that I could keep track of each child's progress and that my children are sent back to activities they need to practice. They are given Hall of Fame Certificates to show what level has been completed, and there is a Power Fountain that keeps track of keyboarding speed and accuracy. I felt that although much of the activities were the same for each age, the skill level and speed of the program changed depending on the child's responses. For example, the program progressed way faster for my 9 year old then for my 4 year old.

I thought the program was a great review tool for my 9 year old, it reinforced her phonics and reading skills while giving her a great beginning on her typing skills. My 6 year old is in an emergent reader so this program is a great teaching tool which allows her to practice what she has been learning recently. We just began a phonics program with our 4 year old (she will be 5 in a few weeks) so this program has been such a help to go over the concepts she just learned at our dining room table. The best part was, all three children enjoyed the program and were asking to use it after our "school day" had ended. Once a child does that, you know you have a winning program in our house! To see what my other TOS Crew Mates thought head on over to the main Blog: http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/783204/

As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was given this product for free in exchange for an honest review.

The Digital Field Trip Series Review

2010-10-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

I got to explore The Wetlands, The Rainforest and The Desert without having to pack a diaper bag! As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent a DVD (interactive for use on my computer) from the company Digital Frog International www.digitalfrog.com . Digital Frog International is the creator of natural science software which includes dissection and anatomy and ecosystems.

The Digital Field Trip Series includes The Wetlands, The Rainforest, and The Desert and costs $125 for a Home License or purchase each disc separately for $60. The series includes workbook materials for teachers and students in various formats to make the series as educational as possible. To purchase the material you can visit their website www.digitalfrog.com and you can check out the other products that the company offers.

For the purpose of this review, we chose to focus on The Desert portion of the DVD. We were able to choose from 5 different North American Desert locations to explore, such as, Saguaro West, Big Bend, Painted Desert, Black Rock and Death Valley. We had traveled near the Painted Desert on our trip this summer and saw much of the landscape, so I thought it would be fun to dive a little deeper. According to Digital Frog "each location contains photos, videos, animations and interactive exercises". Children (and adults) will "learn about such topics as adaptions and homeostasis; desert types and mechanisms, desert plants and animals and impact of humans on the diverse ecosystem."

I was impressed with the amount of information the program contained, you really could spend a lot of time exploring the various habitats as well as learning about all the animals, plants etc. For example, if there was an animal that you wanted to learn more about, you could click on it and another screen would come up with more detailed information. This program would be excellent for a child who loves science and is very computer savvy and is able to read well. Younger children would enjoy looking at the pictures and watching the videos, but a parent would have to sit with them to navigate the program as well as read all of the information. Unless you are willing to commit the time to walking a younger child through this program, I would say don't use it with children under a Grade 4 level.

I was a bit disappointed in the viewing screen size. You can enlarge the screen, but the picture just becomes grainy, so working with more than one child at a time would be very difficult. It is also a secular program, which means it does not give credit to God for His creation and has an evolution slant. I would still use the program, but I would make sure that I was there to guide my children correctly. Lastly if the price seems a bit high to you, grab an encyclopedia and log onto google Earth and you will be able to see pictures of the different locations for free.

Overall, the program is stuffed with loads of information and teaching tools. If you were unable to physically visit places and your child really had a natural bend towards this type of science dicipline, then you would like this program. Don't just take my word for it though, head on over to the TOS Crew Blog http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/783186/ and see what my other Crew Mates are saying.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was sent this product for free in exchange for an honest review.

Schleich Review

2010-09-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent 8 different animal figures from a company called Schleich. The package arrived the day before we left for our cross country tour of the USA, so it was a perfect box of toys to bring along with us while we traveled. The company is headquartered in Germany and Schleich products can be found around the globe in a variety of stores such as Toys "R" Us. If you go to www.schleich-s.com you can see the list of the many stores that carry their products as well as an overview of their products (they have over 500 items available).

My husband was very impressed with the quality and beautiful way the figures were made. He stated that they are "exceptional replicas" of each animal. The above picture is one of a Przewalskis Horse, we were sent this figure to review and my children marveled at how the horse looked so real. They enjoyed playing with the figures and I really enjoyed the care and detail each one had. According to the Schleich Company "each toy mould is engineered by a German master craftsman who works on the details for up to six weeks. After finishing, the figurines are all painted by hand, which means every toy is unique. This product offers an ideal bridge from early learning books to creative play without the need for explination or instructions. Each toy is a natural and accurate copy of the animal, people, historical period or fantasy world they represent"

I have to agree with the companies claim about their product, my children LOVED them and we are studying animals in science right now and I am able to grab a few different figures as the topics arise and give them an accurate model of the animal. Prices vary depending on store and what you wish to purchase. To find out what my fellow Crew members thought of this product please click on this link: http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/783079/

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was sent the Schleich product for free in exchange for my honest review.

Peterson Directed Handwriting Reviw

2010-08-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I had been asked to review a printing handwriting program created by the company Peterson Directed Handwriting. Peterson Directed Handwriting is a personalized handwriting program. I was able to work directly with Rand Nelson from Peterson Directed Handwriting to tailor a course that will be personalized to my children. You can find the website here: http://www.peterson-handwriting.com/

My family and I are traveling throughout the USA this summer on a four week tour of the different sights to see in this beautiful country. I had planned the four weeks of curriculum that we would be taking with us on our trip and I included the Peterson Directed Handwriting printing curriculum for my first grader and my preschooler. I adapted the preschool program to use with my daughters' phonics program. For example, our first phonics letter was the letter L. So I printed out all the Ll worksheets so she could practice her handwriting along with the letter sounds. I was pleased with the adaptability of this and was happy to not have to lug along a thick workbook on our vacation. I only printed what I needed and the teaching tips are on the worksheets, so there is no need to lug around another teaching manual.

The prices range depending on your needs, so if you are interested in purchasing this, you can go to their website and plug in the different products to fit your family. The website is very interactive as well, and contains teaching helps and tips. Overall, I liked this program. I liked the fact that I only need to print out the pages I need, and unlike a workbook, I can have the same program for my younger children as they get ready to use them.

Please see what my fellow Crew members have to say about this program: http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given the printing version of the Peterson Directed Handwriting to review for free in exchange for my honest review.

October HomeSchool Expo

2010-08-18T04:48:00.000-07:00

It's back to homeschool time and registration is open for the online Schoolhouse Expo, October 4-8. It's five days of top homeschool speakers, fellowship, and fun door prizes.

Save $5 per ticket! Register between August 16 and midnight August 22, and you'll pay only $19.99. Plus you'll receive over $200 in free E-Books.

You'll be inspired by speakers including: Zan Tyler, Dr. Jay Wile, Jeannie Fulbright,Carol Barnier, Diana Waring, Todd Wilson, Davis Carman, Kim Kautzer, Lee Binz, and many more!

A special teen track is planned--the entire family will definitely want to listen to these special sessions. We've also planned a special focus on a topic that touches every homeschool--writing. Plus, an array of other topics that will inform and inspire you throughout your homeschooling years.

Don't forget, MP3 copies of each session comes with your LIVE event ticket.

Two special preconference shows on August 24 and September 21 with Dr.

Jay Wile, Jeannie Fulbright, and Kim Kautzer!

Register starting 12:01 a.m. on Monday, August 16.

The theme this fall is "Celebrate Homeschooling!" We're going to celebrate the unique blessings of homeschooling, the beginning of another school year, our families, and the freedom to tailor our children's education to best meet their needs.

If you cannot make the Live event, then the October Expo To Go is just your ticket! You'll reserve MP3s from all of the workshops. This week only, pay just $14.95!

You can visit either of these links to get more information.

http://www.homeschoolexpo.com/

or
http://bit.ly/aWHFiL

I attended the Spring Schoolhouse expo and the free gifts you get at regristration and the knowledge shared by all the speakers made this such a wonderful expo. It is well worth the price!!

Put on your Denim Jumper Ladies and Grab your 2010 SchoolHouse Planner for the Best Homeschool Year EVER!

2010-08-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

What? You don't have a 2010 Schoolhouse Planner? As a relatively new homeschooling mom, one of my first purchases was the 2009 Schoolhouse planner and I was so impressed with the amazing amount of information provided. The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner is over 600 pages and includes great features such as forms that are customizable so you can type details right onto the forms and print your own personalized forms.

It would take all day for me to tell you everything that is contained in the planner, so follow this link to see for yourself:

http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191_193&products_id=14269

The cost is $39.00, which is so reasonable considering how impressive the planner is! No need to print the entire planner out, only print what you need and keep the rest on your computer for quick reference.

A few of my favorite things included in this planner are:

monthly articles (24 total; 2 per month)

Charts for attendance, assignments, science lab sheets

Preschool planner with tips and activities for the little ones

A Teaching Supply and Inventory List

A Daily Schedule, weekly schedule, marking period schedule (so no matter how you plan, there is something for you!)

Grocery List

Home keeping lists

Recipes

Bible Study Guides

Pages and Pages of miscellaneous Educational Information for easy and quick reference

I love this planner, not only does it help keep track of all my homeschooling details, it helps me to organize our family life so our home and school can run smoothly. From one homeschool mom to another, take the time to visit the link above to see for yourself how awesome the 2010 Schoolhouse Planner is.

Disclosure: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I recieved the 2010 Schoolhouse Planner in exchange for my participation to write this as a Sell Sheet, as part of a contest. and I hope I win.

Travel Kits e-book Review

2010-07-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

This summer my husband and I are planning a vacation, our first one in 10 years!! We are going big, planning a cross country trip with children ages 2, 4, 6 & 8. My toddler is potty training and I am pregnant. We plan on hooking up the RV to the back of my truck and heading west. Did I mention we have never camped before, don't have the RV just yet and will need to plan the trip in about 2 weeks! Sounds like the trip has the making of a very funny reality show, right?

I was asked to review an E-book from The Old Schoolhouse titled "Travel Kits" A Simple Way to Bless Others written by Donna Rees. The 93 page e-book has 14 chapters chock full of great gift ideas for family and friends who may be traveling. You can purchase the e-book for $12.45 here: http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191_201&products_id=15670 TOS has a wide selection of e-books on many topics and is a great resource.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book was not only for families as they travel but contained many creative gift giving ideas for all occasions. The e-book even gave tips on how to wrap "theme" presents, for example, a gift with a beach theme can be wrapped up in a beach blanket. These tips were so helpful for someone like me who is not blessed with creativity!

By definition, Travel Kits is a collection of items that will entertain and/ or delight passengers (especially younger ones) thus making the trip more pleasant for everyone. The introduction gives the reader the highlights and general way to use Travel Kits and then the remainder of the e-book goes into detail on how to carry out those ideas. If you are pressed for time, you can easily read the intro and then go straight to the topic you want to know more about, or read it straight through for excellent ideas. I specifically enjoyed the tips on creative gift ideas as well as tips on preparing your vehicle for a trip and tourism websites as well as tips from fellow travelers. The book is very useful and for our family could not have come at a better time! If you want to see what some other TOS Crew members thought of this e-book follow this link: http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/782824/

As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, I was given the e-book to review for free but was not paid for my review.

TOS Review- "Travel the World E-Book" (June 2010)

2010-07-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

I sit here at my computer on a HOT rainy Monday morning in the North East typing my first TOS Review of the 2010-2011 Crew Year and so Thankful for educational activities that I can do inside with my children on days like this.

I was given the opportunity to review the June 2010 module e-book, titled "Travel the World" as a member of the TOS Review Crew. I love these modules, I have used other modules since I have the 2009 School House Planner and this one was just as excellent as the others.

"Travel the Word" is 56 pages of homeschooling fun!

The module contains topics such as Geography, Continents, Land and Water, with additional websites for further study. Your children will have fun doing topical copy work, fill in the blanks, word scramble, word searches etc...

The module is for a wide age range and even has topic expansion for High School students. The June module costs $7.95 so, it is a great deal, especially if you have wide range of ages in your homeschool. You can purchase the module here: http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/ or check out the other products from The Old Schoolhouse.

There were a bunch of fun activities contained in this module, for example, there is a cute song to the tune of "He's got the whole world in His hand" that is used to teach about the continents (my 2 year old enjoyed this!)

The module contained beautiful colored maps which I do the following:

print two copies,

cut one out,

laminate them both and use it as a matching game or a memory game.

They even put in recipes for us cooks!

If you would like to see what other TOS Crew Members are saying, click on this link: http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/782810/

The "Travel the World" June 2010 Module is sure to please and worth the price, go check it out!

As a member of the TOS Review Crew, I was not paid for this review, but was given the material free.

Lobster Network Review

2010-05-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

I am new on the homeschooling scene, but I have noticed a common trait amongst homeschoolers. They are a resourceful bunch! For example, ever since I was asked to participate on the TOS Homeschool Crew, I have had the opportunity to ask many different questions on our TOS Crew online forum. The questions ranged from topics on curriculum, to books, to different companies, or just plain life advice. What a wealth of knowledge I have found from other homeschooling families. I say all of this because I just found out about a really neat opportunity to network with other homeschooling families on a website I was asked to review.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was asked to review a website called LobsterNetwork.com found here: https://www.lobsternetwork.com/

According to the website, LobsterNewtork describes itself as:

LobsterNetwork is a social networking utility that helps you keep track of your stuff and, if you choose, to advertise it within communities of like-minded people or friends. You can use it to borrow a movie from your friend, and it will help you keep track of the loan. Or you can lend your items out to other people. Similarly, you can use it to buy, sell, trade, or give items out to other people.
Some people even use it as an offsite inventory list for insurance purposes.

LobsterNetwork stands for:

I had an easy time setting up my FREE account with LobsterNewtork (it is free to join for everyone). The TOS Crew created a "Community" on the site so we can better pool our resources for those who choose to. You can invite your friends to join as well. I think this was a great idea. I can see the value in this site, especially for a homeschool co-op, church groups, MOPS groups etc...

The only aspect of the site that may get a little time consuming is uploading all your inventory with descriptions, but I think you will find it time well invested. Since I am new to homeschooling, I do not have much to share or sell just yet, but as the years roll by I will be posting up many items. I am going to ask my husband if there is any house "stuff" he would like to see put into the LobsterNetwork site. I highly recommend this site, there are instructional videos to teach new members how to utilize the site and it is very easy to set up and begin using. If you join, please friend me, my user name is katiecorbett. Happy LobsterNetworking!

Ideal Curriculum Review

2010-05-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

I love Unit Studies! Mostly because I enjoy an interesting topic and pulling all areas of study, reading, language, spelling, math, writing, geography, history etc.... into one topic and Ideal Curriculum has done just that with a Curriculum aimed at preschoolers.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent the month long "transportation" unit study and I was very impressed with the material. I know my son will enjoy it tremendously when he gets a bit older and can do more of the work, and my 4 year old daughter enjoyed a few of the lessons, especially the music and games. I enjoyed the daily lesson plans and all the extra tips and teaching helps for us moms to use. All of the prep work was done for me, all I had to do was print off the material I needed. If you have a printer, you can download the material yourself or order the print version for a few extra dollars. The unit studies are a month long, and are on fun topics that preschoolers will enjoy (my son loved the beautiful pictures in the transportation unit study).

According to the website:

They have created a program that covers Literacy, Math/Calendar, and Science/Social Studies.
The program is made up of nine monthly kits, including such themes as Weather (unit 3), A Healthy Life (unit 5) and People in My Community (unit 7).

Each month has three sections:

Literacy: The program teaches letters and sounds, introduces approximately 100 sight words, works on developing motor skills and other writing skills, explores phonemic and phonological awareness, and develops oral language and vocabulary. Included in this program is music and games along with the print-based materials.

Math: Ideal Curriculum works on basic math concepts such as the number line, rote counting, one-to-one correspondence, cardinality, adjacent values, an basic shapes and number recognition. The Calendar portion works on various concepts of time. The plans include a weekly math lesson and a weekly calendar lesson.

Science/Social Studies: Each unit has a different theme involving science or social studies. Within the theme are included picture books, sequencing stories, vocabulary lists, suggestions for library books to supplement the study, and lots of oral language and vocabulary activities. There are lots of hands-on suggestions in the daily lesson plans.

Units are available for $30 (download) or $55 (print version), and it is also possible to purchase portions of the curriculum. In May, Ideal Curriculum is offering TOS Homeschool Crew followers a 10% discount on a first purchase by using the code: welovekids

Beeyoutiful Tummy Tune Up Review

2010-05-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

This past winter consisted of a few snow storms and my small children with many upset stomachs. In fact, I threw in the towel mid February when a stomach bug had made it's rounds through my family for the sixth time since November. I was one unhappy momma, and I was bogged down with laundry. As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew I was sent a product called Tummy Tune up to use and review. The company "Beeyoutiful" found here: http://www.beeyoutiful.com/ makes Tummy tune-up and many other natural products. The company motto is: "Healthy Living for the Real World." Beeyoutiful’s owners believe that each person’s health is his own responsibility, and their company offers a variety of natural products to "aid others in obtaining and maintaining good health."

Of course, since we had such a rough winter with illness, I was more than willing to review any product that promised better heath. The product I was given to try out is called Tummy Tune-Up and is made up of capsules that deliver an especially potent blend of 8 different strains of beneficial bacteria known as probiotics, designed to restore intestinal balance and promote health. 4 billion active bacteria per dose.

I had the opportunity to use it with my older daughter immediately. She had been on several different anti-biotics for strep and was complaining of an upset stomach. I was thrilled when, after a few days of taking "Tummy Tune-up" her stomach stopped hurting. I think the company offers quality products and they have a full line of health and wellness products to choose from to meet your families needs. I plan on stocking up on products this coming fall to prevent illness, rather than medicine to take after we all fall ill again. I hope to have a better winter next year by using more Beeyoutiful products.

Lesson Planet Review

2010-04-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

Lesson Planet is a really awesome website, found here: http://www.lessonplanet.com/

As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent a three months subscription to this site for the purposes of the review. I live in what the HSLDA would label a "green light state". That means that I do not have to keep detailed information on my homeschool curriculum. I also happen to use a "package" curriculum, as a new homeschooler, I wanted to be sure I covered "everything" necessary this past year. I also have a Masters in Health education, so if the need ever arose for me to write a lesson plan, I was able to do so. I am so glad I had the opportunity to review this site, because I don't think I would have ever stumbled on this little gem otherwise.

Lesson Planet offers: 225,000 online lesson plans and worksheets to search through.

The search-engine site began in 1999 and was designed specifically with educators in mind. It is an advertising free site, relying solely on member support. Memberships are available for teachers, homeschoolers and even an entire school district.

Lesson Planet provides numerous ways for teachers to refine and narrow their searches for online curriculum resources, including:

*Searching by keyword, grade level and overall rating
*Clicking the Narrow, Related or My Recent Searches keyword options
*Browsing for reviewed resources by Subject, Calendar or Theme
*Exploring relevant State Standards, matched to each member’s state
*Utilizing Advanced Search to narrow by duration, method, technology, and more

Lesson Planet has a 10 day free trial to allow teachers and parents to try the site with no obligation. After the free trial, membership is only $39.95/year, which is very reasonable considering the amount of time you save by not having to put together the lesson plans or resources yourself.

I like that you can go beyond the lesson plans with this site. For example, my daughter is studying the pioneers this week, when I checked out that time period in history, so many great ideas came up to "stretch" the lessons and make them so much more interesting then I could possibly do on my own. It is with a look and a visit to the site and try the 10 day free trial.

"Super Star Speech, Speech Therapy Made Simple" Review

2010-04-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

My four year old daughter, Mary, has a bit of a hard time saying the letter "S" sound clearly, it often is articulated as a "TH" sound. It is not a major concern for me at her age, since she otherwise has excellent speech. When the opportunity came up for me to review "Super Star Speech", Speech Therapy Made Simple as part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I selected the manual with her in mind.

I had owned and operated a Child Care Center and at one point I had 63 students enrolled in my program. I often had speech therapists visit a few children at the school as part of an early intervention offered by the public school system. I was often amazed at how simple the speech therapy was. Typically, the therapist spoke clearly to the child and engaged them in conversation, modeling proper pronunciation. They would often play games or tell stories. Now, the children who had the speech therapy did not have major speech delays or medical conditions resulting in the need for the therapy, just minor speech issues. I often wondered, if the parents just spent time talking to their children, how much can be simply corrected?

Super Star Speech is a parents answer to minor speech problems. Deborah Lott, a Speech Language Pathologist, created Super Star Speech, found here: http://www.superstarspeech.com/

The manual contains:
*An articulation test that assesses speech sounds in all word positions and compares errors to developmental norms.
*Specific instructions and tips for teaching every sound.
*240 picture cards.
*Games and activities for enjoyable practice and drill.
*Reproducible lesson plan forms.

I loved the information and activities and games provided in the manual. I haven't had to formally sit Mary down and "do speech" I have taken the tips offered and used them during normal conversation. I would recommend checking out the website if you have any speech concerns and see if they offer any products you may find useful.

ALPHABET BEATS Review

2010-04-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

I have three children who are either: learning how to talk; learning how to form shapes, letters and numbers; or learning how to read. I am thrilled to find a non-consumable teaching product that I can use with all three. As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent an Uppercase DVD titled "Alphabet Beats" by the company The TV Teacher.

The DVD contains all the letters in the Alphabet broken down into individual letter chapters (the dvd will not continuously play). Each letter chapter is 5 minutes in length and is led by "Miss Marnie", a charming teacher who loves writing her letters. Each chapter has a visual demonstration and a letter chant to teach proper letter formation. It also contains 8 vocabulary words (LOVE THIS)! The pictures are nice to look at and each chapter can be viewed and then reviewed at your choosing. The company does not recommed watching more than 2- 3 new letters per day as that can become confusing for a young child.

Each Alphabet Beats DVD (uppercase or lowercase) costs $35.00 and can be purchased from www.thetvteacher.com . I have also purchased the lowercase DVD to add to my preschool curriculum for our family. I was impressed with my 4 year old and her improved writing after viewing the Uppercase Alphabet Beats. She is forming about 5 letters very well and we will continue to use this until she can master the remaining letters. All my children enjoyed viewing the DVD, my 8 year wanted to know if they make a DVD for cursive handwriting! My 2 year old enjoyed the DVD and I love that he is passively being introduced to the Alphabet.

According to the website, the company will be releasing a DVD titled "Number Beats" in the summer of 2010. I sure hope they ask TOS Homeschool Review Crew to review that product, hint, hint.

Time 4 Learning Review

2010-04-14T03:42:00.000-07:00

As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew I was given a free 30 day membership to the Time 4 Learning website found here: https://www.time4learning.com/curriculum/index.html

I was asked to review the newly released Pre-K program, and I was more than happy to do it! I have a four year old and a six year old, so I was able to let both children use the program for the purpose of the review.

The Pre-K level of Time 4 Learning uses high-interest topics to keep young children engaged. Each topic offers a variety of activities from short videos, matching games, stories, puzzles, and other appealing activities. Young children will enjoy the colorful graphics and interesting characters.

My children enjoyed the program VERY much! I was impressed with the scope of topics and the ease of use. My children could navigate the site on their own and choose which topics they wanted to learn about. There are pictures next to each topic name so that even my non-reader knew the subject covered. Once a topic was completed, a check mark would appear over it. This gave my girls a sense of accomplishment.

I thought the site was great and was a useful teaching tool. There is also a parents forum where you can connect with other parents. One aspect I did not like, was the fact that this site is not a Christian site. I am very careful with what I have my children read/ watch and there are secular teachings like evolution (not balanced by creation), as well as, witches and sorcerers (this was in higher levels, I kept my eyes open during the preschool level and didn't find anything too objectionable). There is a thread on the parents forum for Christians and it lists all questionable material, and once aware of it you can decide if you choose to have your child use that particular lesson. I would LOVE for this company to come out with a Christian based curriculum, I think they would gain many more customers!

Time 4 Learning offers access to their pre-K to 8th grade programs on a month-to-month basis. The first child is $19.95 per month and each additional child is $14.95 per month.

All About reading- What Am I? Review

2010-04-12T05:33:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I was introduced to a great spelling program called "All About Spelling" and was given level one and two to review for the TOS Homeschool Review Crew. A few months later the company sent a reading book that would work to compliment the spelling program. This reader was titled Beehive Reader 1 (which, has since been renamed "Cobweb the Cat" same great book, different title), and coordinates with All About Spelling Level one.

This second reader was just released on April 1st, titled "What Am I?" and coordinates with All About Spelling Level two.

It can be used whether or not you use All About Spelling. Plans are in the works to introduce a brand-new All About Reading program late this year. All About Reading can be used as a stand-alone program, but it will coordinate perfectly with All About Spelling. After Level 1, each level of All About Reading will contain two readers. All About Reading will include decoding skills, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and lots of reading practice.

This second reader costs $19.95 and can be purchased here: http://www.all-about-spelling.com/

Once again, my daughter Jessica, who is my emergent reader, enjoyed the hardcover book. I think it makes her feel so special that one of her books is so well made, even though it is an early reader. She and I enjoyed reading the stories together. She is not all the way through the level one reader, so she required help with the second level reader. The characters are likable and the stories are funny and interesting.

I am grateful for the opportunity to review these products from this company. I am most likely going to begin using this program exclusively with my four year old daughter, Mary, as soon as I think she is ready to begin.

Critical Thinking Company Review

2010-04-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

I'm nerdy, there I said it. I love the Internet with all the information flowing at my fingertips. I can look up how to make perogies and then price tickets to the Bronx Zoo for our field trip next week. I love researching and learning new things. One thing I love more than the Internet is real books. My favorite part, besides reading the book, is opening the book for the first time and hearing the satisfying crinkle of the binder. I love when I am sent a book to review and I can hold it and flip through it and smell that new book smell. Critical Thinking Company, apparently a well known name for all you seasoned homeschoolers, sent me a product titled "Language Smarts Level C" to review as part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew. The big new book showed up at my door and after I opened the package, smelled that new book smell and heard the first crinkle, I was ready to dive in.

My daughter Emily is in second grade right now, so this book was perfect for her. According to the company, the book I was sent is a "fun, mind building book to teach standards based language arts and develop critical thinking skills. It can serve as a core curriculum for language arts or as a supplemental resource." Topics include vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, reading, and writing skills. The teacher does not need to do any prep work and each section introduces a specific topic, followed by practice and then application activities. The pages are colorful and the activities are enjoyable.

The book is 320 pages and costs $39.99 and is full of activities. I chose the Rhymes and Riddles section of the book to use with Emily for the purpose of the review. She enjoyed it tremendously. I am looking forward to using the rest of the book over time with her. She enjoys language arts so this was an easy winner for her. The website, found here http://www.criticalthinking.com/

is worth taking a look at. Apparently many a homeschool mom has heard about this company and the selection of products they offer in many subject areas. I plan on looking through the catalog when I plan out our curriculum for next year to see what else we can purchase from this great company.

Family Mint Review

2010-03-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

Considering the current statistics that the average American Family is actually spending more money than they make each month, and since this country is now in the midst of the current "credit crisis" the Company "Family Mint" could not have come at a better time. The company, Family Mint, found here:

http://www.familymint.com/ offers a free website that parents can use to teach money management and fiscal responsibility to their children.

I was sent the link to Family Mint to review as part of TOS Review Crew. I loved the fact that the site was free, but even better, the site offered actual relevant financial information.

Family mint allows you to set up accounts for each child and you act as the bank using either real or virtual money. You set up goals with your child to help them save for desired things such as a new bike or an investment. As their interests change so may their savings goals. This teaches fiscal responsibility as well as delayed gratification (I may send this link over to Congress). Since the parents act as the "bank" they can approve or deny deposits. The personal information is safe on the site. The site uses "virtual money" and you can choose to set up an envelope system at home to mirror the transactions.

I love this site. A child of any age can begin to benefit from learning money management for a life long skill that is so lacking in our culture.

Math Galaxy Review

2010-03-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

I am fairly confident in my first and second grade math skills. I can put counting bears in an AB pattern like no ones business, and I personally think I rock the geo-boards, if I do say so myself. So when I was sent free games and curriculum to download from the company www.mathgalaxy.com I was not too excited to do another math review (but totally excited about free things).

Math Galaxy describes their program as "unlike most math textbooks, which throw a mass of material at the student, Math Galaxy focuses student attention on concepts sequentially and interactively, based upon the ideas behind math manipulatives (such as counting blocks) and connecting new concepts to familiar experiences. Unlike most math software, it goes beyond simple games, low-level operations or rule memorization to link familiar and concrete experiences to higher-level processes. It goes beyond physical math manipulatives by linking each physical operation to its mathematical counterpart at each step, and by allowing manipulations that are difficult to do with physical manipulatives. It stresses concepts that run throughout all of basic math to provide basic understanding rather than memorized rules. Our goal is to provide students a foundation for analytical thinking in the modern world and for higher-level math and science.
The key to learning math is consistency. It is best taken in small doses but done consistently. Even ten minutes or ten problems a day will improve your child's understanding of math if done consistently."

I like all the "big" words they used like "sequentially" and "higher-level processes", the nerd in me was "intrigued". I was impressed with the amount of material the company offers, a child can use the range of materials offered from Kindergarten through 12Th grade, throughout their formal schooling years as a nice supplement. The product that I chose to review was Math Galaxy Whole Numbers Fun and it covers all of whole number operations plus Time, Money, and the sections of Length, Area, Volume, Pictographs, Bar Graphs and Probability appropriate for grades 1 to 4. It also includes the whole number sections of the Word Jumbles, Riddles, and Bridge the Swamp games and the Labyrinth mazes. Price is $29.95 includes Free shipping.

I had a hard time trying to get my daughter to play another math game, so my husband and I sat down to play. I thought the games were fine, perfect for a child struggling with math concepts. If you are looking for action packed and noisy, this is not the math game for you. If you do want quality and repetition, you may want to check it out, the company does offer a 30-day money back guarantee.

Children's Bible Hour Book Review

2010-03-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

"Mom, how much is 70 times seven?" my daughter Emily asked me tonight. I quickly did my math, which is about as good as my art skills. "490", I replied. "WOW, that's a lot" she stated. "Yes, Emily, God is gracious and forgiving towards us and he expects us to treat others the same way." I was able to say, "That is why it is so important to show forgiveness to your sisters even when you may not want to."

Our conversation continued for a few minutes longer, as they tend to do at bedtime, when all the problems of the day are expressed and solved. I credit Children's Bible Hour Ministries for the series of Seasons of Faith illustrated picture book series I was sent to review as part of the TOS homeschool Review Crew. We had the pleasure of reading along with four excellent books, "Seventy Times Seven"; "You can't Come in"; "Race with Midnight"; and "Braving the Storm". Each beautifully illustrated book also contains a CD with a recording of Uncle Charlie narrating the story.

Each story contains a wonderful Gospel message and at the end listeners are given the opportunity to ask Jesus to be their Savior. I loved these books. I put the Cd's in while I was preparing dinner and my children followed along with the book. The books cost $10.00 each, are soft covered, and are sized 10 x 8.5. If you order the Seasons of Faith book set from the website http://www.cbhministries.org/ between March 17- April 15, 2010 you can get free standard shipping, just use the code FREESHIPAPR15

Artistic Pursuits Review

2010-03-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

One area that I am very intimidated by is teaching my children art. I do not have an artistic or creative bone in my body. In fact, I have drawn pictures with my children and others assume the children drew them because the skill level is that of a four year old. I am laughing while I write this, but I am very serious.

I was excited to learn that as part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I would be sent an art curriculum to review. The company is called Artistic Pursuits and can be found at: www.artisticpursuits.com

The Curriculum comes in three levels:
Preschool: "The way they see it", A book for every parent about the art children make

Grades K- 3:
Book 1: An Introduction to the Visual Arts (Ancient - 1300's)
Book 2: Stories of Artists and their Art (1200- 1800's)
Book 3: Modern Painting and Sculpture (1850's- today)

Grades 4-12:
Book 1 at each grade level covers drawing basics
Book 2 at each grade level covers color theory

I chose to review Grade K-3 Book 1 since I have two children who fit into that age range, and my four year old can follow along. I enjoyed this book very much, my children were interested in learning about the nuances of art and how and artist views their subject and then creates art from it. The book does not require any preparation from me to teach the children. The book is in full color, which is beautiful to look at. It is a great first exposure to art as well as the artists who created them. The book contains 32 projects ranging from drawing, painting, paper craft, clay, printmaking, sculpture etc...

I think we will incorporate this art curriculum into our homeschool next year, and do one lesson per week. The book I reviewed cost $42.95, which I think is a reasonable cost for the caliber of the curriculum. We enjoyed it and I learned alongside the girls. My art work still looks terrible, but I know so much more about how art is created.

Homeschool Library Builder Review

2010-03-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I went sent information about a homeschool website that is FREE to join (happy Dance!!). Not only is the website free to use, but it is a website created by Gayla Weatherford and Julie Huffman, homeschool moms who love great books. They wanted to help homeschoolers and others who use excellent literature to educate.

I enjoyed using the website and have joined as a member, for free, and will be notified of discounts and sales at the site. The site sells new and gently used books at affordable prices to build your home library. This is neat because I really love books and while I enjoy the local library, I have 4 young children and I can't take the pressure of keeping a library book in pristine condition while it's in my house! I also love to have rows and rows of books, but it can get expensive, that is when you turn to Homeschool Library Builder: www.hslibrarybuilder.com

Homeschool Library Builder also offers a book searching service for an out-of stock book. They have an online forum called "The HSLB Market Place" where members can get the word out about their own new business or service. Members can do this through the website and it will also be posted in the monthly newsletter. HSLB also offers a "spotlight on the season" where they preview and select sites based on the seasons/ time of year. They will provide links to some of their favorite homeschool resources.

HSLB also has heart and raises money for those in need, it is called "Helping Hand". Another advantage to becoming a HSLB member is the "frequent buyer program" where you can earn points from books bought. Every 15 book points = $1.00 for use toward future purchases and the points never expire.

I am happy to have learned about this sight. I use a literature based curriculum and am always watching my budget, so right now I am making a list of all the books that I will need for next year and see what I can purchase through HSLB.

TOS Schoolhouse Expo May 12- 13, 2010

2010-03-09T17:45:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for homeschool encouragement, resources, and fun, check out all that is going on at The Old Schoolhouse! Right now March Madness and Win Big are going on in the Schoolhouse Store. During March Madness, over 240 items are 10 to 40 percent off! Click here to read the details. (Link: http://www.bit.ly/9vn2G9)

Then, if you're customer 139,000, 139,500, or 140,000, you will win over $348 in prizes.

Prizes include:

A 5 year subscription to TOS (U.S. only)

Scripture Sleuth literature series

Guitar lessons on CD, and more!

Hurry, they are just past customer #137,818.

The BIGGEST news of all--The Schoolhouse Expo is coming in May! Pre-register now and save $5!

As homeschool teachers what do you need to learn?

More about teaching multiple grades?

All about different homeschool methods?

Transcripts?

Could you use some help with reading, language arts, math, and more?

Are you intimidated by the idea of teaching middle school and high school?

Those dreaded, advanced courses?

Would some encouraging words and motivational Scripture help you on your way?

Get answers when you attend The Schoolhouse Expo, an 3-day, online conference, presented by The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine and The Old Schoolhouse®

Speakers Bureau. Pre-register today for only $19.99 through March 31.You do not want to miss this unbelievable, virtual homeschool convention! PLUS, you'll receive over $300 in free gifts when you register. Get the details and preregister here: http://www.schoolhouseexpo.com/EXPO REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

Graphics Tool Box Review

2010-03-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

My husband works swing shift. That means, he leaves for work at noon and returns home around midnight. I fly solo every evening and typically bring my husband his cup of "please wake up soon so I can see you before you have to go back to work" coffee around 8am. One morning, as the poor man barely had his eyes open, I was urging him out of bed, telling him he "HAD TO SEE THIS PRODUCT THAT I HAVE TO REVIEW FOR TOS" (I didn't yell that loud).

I was excited, I was sent Graphics Toolbox http://www.greatsoftwaretools.com/ which was created by a team of software designers with over 20 years of experience in graphics programming. Their plan was to create a program for everyday graphics needs that would be easy to use and understand. The product they created is perfect for a wide range of people - from students to business people. Here are just a few of the ways you can use Graphics-Toolbox:
personalized cards and invitations
science diagrams
photo editing
posters and business flyers
photo cartoons
scrapbook pages
blog headers and buttons

Members of the crew received the licensed version of the program to play with and they have been blogging about the things they’ve created. They even had the opportunity to participate in some online training sessions which are now available at the Graphics-Toolbox website.

After I went to the website and watched the online introductory video, which is worth a look, I was excited. Not just a little excited either but "Christmas Morning Excited". I immediately came up with many ideas and uses for this program. Christmas cards, birthday invitations, scrap booking, school projects etc... One very important project that I am working on, and will be revealing in a month or two, is a new company I will be launching. I have started other companies and could have benefited very much from Graphics Tool Box, especially for the promotional materials, logo, letterhead etc... As the company gets closer to launching, I will share my project with you, but since a name has not been decided, I will hold off sharing.

For families who home school, Graphics Tool Box is a great investment. The price is $149.00, which I think is an incredible price for an amazing software program. Your students will not be the only ones using this program, it will be a family investment. In fact our biggest debate is which computer to permanently put the program on- our family computer with the printer or the laptop where we can play around all we want and send it to be printed later, ahhh decisions decisions. I highly recommend this product, go check out the website and see for yourself. http://www.greatsoftwaretools.com/

Beehive Reader Review from All About Spelling

2010-02-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

The Beehive Readers are a new reading series brought to you by the innovative spelling program All About Spelling. TOS Homeschool Crew members received a copy of Beehive Reader 1 for review.

I LOVE books, so this product was delightful to review. My six year old daughter Jessica is learning how to read and she felt like such a big girl when I handed her such a beautiful hard covered "big kid" book. The best part about the book was, she was able to read it, it was created for the early reader. We use another reading program, but the readers that go with it are a bit on the "cheap" looking side. The Beehive Reader is a beautiful hardcover book, and only costs $19.95 to purchase. The readers are part of a new series developed by All About Spelling called All About Reading. A new website for All About Reading is in development and will be available this summer.

Jessica enjoyed the Beehive Reader 1 so much, that I am considering purchasing future books. The reader is 156 pages and filled with 10 short, quality stories and beautiful illustrations.

According to the website www.BeehiveReaders.com
this is what they have to say about their product:

Phonics based, Beehive Reader 1 contains charming, beautifully illustrated stories.
Your beginning reader will delight in finding out what happens when…
…a busy cat lives in a windmill
…a sleepy bear cub takes a nap
…a grumpy duck demands a snack
…a singing bat befriends a lonely king
… a curious boy shrinks from tall to small
… and much more!
Beehive Reader 1 correlates 100% with All About Spelling Level One.
If you order the reader, they will send you information regarding when to use the reader to correlate to the spelling lesson.
The reader can also be used independently of the All About Spelling program.

If you visit the website, you can check out the book and look through select pages. Funny story, tonight I took the Beehive Reader 1 off the shelf in order to write this review and Jessica saw it as she was going to bed and she wanted to take it with her! I had to practically wrestle it from her and promise that she can have it back in the morning.

Math Mammoth Grade 1 Complete Curriculum Review

2010-02-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent a complete Grade 1 Math Curriculum from a company called Math Mammoth. Maria Miller is the author of the Math Mammoth series. Her philosophy is this: "My aim is to help parents and teachers teach math so our children and students can really understand what is going on. I've strived to explain the concepts so that both the teacher and the student can "get it" by reading the explanations in the books. In essence, the books become practically self-teaching."

Math Mammoth has a wide range of choices for parents who are trying to watch every dollar and yet get a quality math program. I chose to review the Full Curriculum, Light Blue Series for first grade, to use with my daughter, Jessica, who is 6 years old. She is always asking to "do pluses and minuses", so after reading how the curriculum works, I thought she would be a good fit to use to review the curriculum. I was right. The Curriculum came in a pdf format, so I was able to print out the pages that I wanted her to work on and we had math manipulatives at home to use if she needed them. typically while I was working and reading with my preschooler, I would give Jessica a few printed pages to work on. I would read the directions to her, go over the first problem, and let her finish the page on her own. She enjoyed the independence very much and felt very satisfied in her work. I was impressed at how easily she picked up on the concepts.

I think the curriculum is a good fit for children who are very independent learners and who may not require much review, and for parents who are budget minded and don't need a lot of bells and whistles, just a quality math program with excellent supplemental materials.

Math Mammoth is mastery oriented and emphasizes conceptual development in a logical sequence. The complete curriculum covers all topics by grade level. Each grade level includes two parts of a work text (a & b); tests, cumulative reviews, answer keys, and a worksheet maker. Topics for first grade include addition & subtraction within 0- 10, place value with 2 digit numbers, geometry and measuring, reading clocks to the half hour and counting and using coins. You can check out the Math Mammoth website at http://www.mathmammoth.com/
The full Grade 1 Curriculum costs $29.70 and supportive materials cost $14.

Zeezok Publishing Review

2010-02-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review, I was sent a nice big package from Zeezok Publishing. Yet again, I learned about a fantastic company I didn't know existed.

As I journey down the road of Homeschooling, one of my concerns is "will my children be exposed to the fine arts, specifically music?" I have no idea how to read music or even have any music history classes under my belt to speak of. Zeezok Publishing is a company that publishes musical composer books. They sell complete composer biographies, related study guides and a companion CD. The CD is a nice touch because it plays the music that each composer creates, we all enjoyed listening to this.

Zeezok Publishing sent me a complete set of two composers: Stephen Foster and Edward MacDowell. This complete set sells for $35.80 and includes the companion CD, you can order other composer sets such as Bach/ Mozart; Beethoven/ Haydn; Brahms/ Schubert; Handel/ Schumann; Foster/ MacDowell; Chopin (2 books) from the website: www.Zeezok.com

The books are very informative and interesting. They give you an idea of the culture as well as the current events happening during the life of the composer and how their music was influenced by their life experiences. The study guides do a wonderful job of giving the student a time line and a map of the places in the world where the composer lived. Music sheets are also included in each book and as I said earlier, you can listen to the music played on the CD.

These book series are an excellent teaching tool for any homeschool to round out their fine arts and history/ geography programs. The cost is reasonable considering the amount of activities and information contained in each set.

The Ultimate Guide To Homeschooling Review

2010-02-16T16:58:00.000-08:00

As part of the TOS Review Crew I was sent a book titled "The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling" by Debra Bell. I read the entire book cover to cover and enjoyed it very much. I am new to the homeschool scene and I wish I had this book about two years ago when I began to research homeschooling. The book contains a treasure trove of knowledge, written by an author who is personal and very knowledgeable on all things Homeschool.
I would say that this book is a must have for new homeschoolers as well as veteran homeschool families. Debra Bell walks you through her own homeschooling journey while helping you decide if homeschooling is right for you, how to choose a curriculum, how to prevent burnout, what to teach- when and how, homeschooling teens, using computers in your homeschool, it even includes how to handle toddlers among other challenges in your daily routine and how to measure your success.

My favorite part of the book, and why I think everyone can benefit from owning a copy, is the Resource Guide located at the end of the book. The Resource Guide contains a wealth of information all in one location. I have researched homeschooling every day for two years and I have found many organizations, companies, websites, publications, products, academic contests and competitions contained in the Resource Guide that I had no idea even existed. My husband even thumbed through the book one day after I had put it down. He can't wait for me to finish my review so he can bring it with him to work! The book sells for $20 and is published by Apologia. You can use this link https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=142 to go to the website and check out sample pages of the book and see the table of contents as well as order the book. I declare it a MUST HAVE for any homeschooling family.

Dollar Homeschool; Rays Arithmetic review

2010-02-15T05:54:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOs Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent a downloadable math curriculum called Rays Arithmetic from a company called Dollar Homeschool. I wasn't excited AT ALL to review ANOTHER math product, so I skeptically opened the math files and was surprised to see so many books. Then I opened the "Rays Primary Arithmetic" book and was a bit confused. the type was old fashioned and the words were not the typical words I am used to see while teaching math to my children. Confusion is not a new feeling for me, so I continued on through the series, scratching my head, but impressed with the scope, and sequence. For the sake of writing a well rounded review, I checked out the website to get a feel for the company as well as the teaching philosophy and see what other products the company offered.

Once I went to www.dollarhomeschool.com all the puzzle pieces fell into place, and then I started drooling. I even woke my husband up to show him the website and what I had learned. I LOVE when a company does more than just offer a good product. Dollar Homeschool has put together the "Eclectic Education Series" (EES) on CD. EES was a complete series of textbooks used in the US almost exclusively from 1865-1915. The Dollar Homeschool website explains how the EES series emphasised patriotism, traditional values, and the bible. A man named John Dewey pushed for "reform" in the public schools, declaring that they should be the "state established church"; and in case you didn't know, John Dewey was a socialist, a humanist and an atheist (all bad words in our home). Eventually Dewey was able to convince people of this and thus began the demise of quality education in the public school system.

The Dollar Homeschool website is worth a look, even if you are not considering purchasing any curriculum. There is a video on the site found here:http://www.dollarhomeschool.com/Video.html

The EES contains all the textbooks on CD for K-12 including Rays Arithmetic, History, Science, McGuffey's Readers. and Grammar. It also contains teachers books as well as answer keys and tests. The CD, once purchased can be used for all your children, reproducing pages as needed. He also offers a 60 day money back guarantee as well as free shipping. The cost of the CD is $159.00 which is exceptional considering the scope and volume of the information contained in the CD. Needless to say I am impressed and I urge you to check out www.dollarhomeschool.com

Kinderbach Review

2010-02-08T05:52:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given a three month trial to Kinderbach, Piano for Children. The website can be found here: http://www.kinderbach.com/index.html

Kinderbach is an online piano teaching curriculum for young children. I have a piano and I have no clue how to play it. I do desire for my children to learn how to play, but to be honest, the cost of piano lessons was a bit too high for us right now, so the piano has sat dormant for the past two years. Enter kinderback, and our piano has a new lease on life!

I enjoyed the instructional videos (I learned along with my children) and was impressed with the thoroughness of the lessons. My preschooler up to my eight year old can use it. I think it is a fantastic way to begin piano lessons. One of the big pluses for me was, regardless of how many students I have using the material in my homeschool, the price stayed the same. Also, the program can go at each child's pace, so my oldest may only need to watch each video once to learn the concept where as my four year old may need to view the lesson several times in order to learn it well. Another plus for me was the fact that I don't need to schedule piano lessons and lug my children to lessons or have to have a teacher here. If my children are sick (which is weekly during the winter) I don't have to worry about paying for missed lessons.

The kinderbach curriculum has 6 levels: each level package includes:
1- Activity DVD which provides entertaining keyboard and music instruction.
2- Music Audio CD- has all the same songs included in the activity DVD and children can listen to the proper way the music should be played and then use it to practice along with.
3-Activity Book CD (this contains two books) The first book is the activity book which reinforces the lessons with games etc and the second book is a parent guide.

According to the website, prices range depending on which package you choose to purchase. For example a super starter package is $55.95 and a Bonus Level Package for levels 1-6 is $222.88.
I find the price very reasonable. Plus Kinderbach offers a free online trial (which I would do, so you can get a feel for the program without shelling out any money), as well as a 30 day guarantee. Worth a look!!!

Facts First Review

2010-02-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew I was given a 90 day trial to review the website http://www.factsfirst.com/ . The site was created by the by publishers of Saxon-Harcourt (our family happens to use the math program published by them). I was interested to see what the site was like, for several reasons, primarily because we use the saxon math curriculum and I wondered if the site would provide a nice supplement that compliments our daily math lessons.

The website http://www.factsfirst.com/ states that it's purpose is to help children develop fluency in basic math facts using an approach that incorporates placement testing, lessons, reviews and practice on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Once a student completes a unit, the student is rewarded by 5 minutes of arcade games that reinforce the math facts. To begin each child (up to 4 in each household) can create a unique student profile as well as a self portrait. The character the child creates is featured in each lesson. This was a nice touch, it let the children "own" the game and made it more fun because they immediately became invested in it. Another plus for me was the audio help from the game. This was great for my young readers, who were trying to concentrate on the math facts and were able to hear the instructions repeated so they could concentrate on their math skills.

The math lessons are broken down into 5 segments:
1. New Facts
2. Commutative property
3.Practice
4.Quiz
5.Scoring

New facts are introduced gradually as they work toward mastery (same philosophy as the math curriculum). There are more than 360 activities that allow children to practice the math concepts.
The last section is the "math fact matrix" which provides an overview of your child's performance on individual math facts. The "matrix" uses algorithms to present your child's performance on individual math facts. It is weighted based on speed, frequency, and other indicators of proficiency.

Overall, I enjoyed this product. We have had to review several math games this year for the TOS Review Crew and this is one of my favorites. The game is targeted for children and will hold their attention while reinforcing math skills. The price for a year subscription is $49.99, which may seem high at first glance however, consider that each household license contains four unique student profiles, the price then becomes much more reasonable, especially if you have 4 children who can use the program.

The site does offer free demonstrations, so it is worth a look. You can get a feel for the program before committing money to it.

MathScore / Accurate Learning

2010-01-31T16:50:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was able to review a website called www.mathscore.com . This site was developed by Steven Yang Founder and CEO, MathScore.com. He is an MIT graduate, and according to the website, has earned many awards for the site. The mission of mathscore.com is: "to improve the education of millions of students by providing a superior learning environment compared to existing solutions."

The site has all the qualities of a solid math teaching tool. It can be used as a math curriculum or as a supplemental component to any homeschool. Children who attend traditional schools can benefit as well from this program. The math topics are for children who are at a second grade math level or above through algebra one.

Your student is timed while doing math drills, you pick the math topic you want them to practice. As each student masters a level, they are given a reward such as a trophy. The parent is also able to monitor progress and view an assessment of the students work.

I would recommend this product for an older child who may be struggling with higher level math. One aspect of the site that I found lacking, was no audio/video explanation of the website. If a child is not a great reader, they would need the instructions read to them. I do think this is a bias on my own part since my children are younger than the target audience, so I see the value in this product, I just think the child should be at a third grade reading level or above.

MathScore's pricing starts at $14.95/month for the first child and gets significantly cheaper beyond the first child. With a 9-month commitment, the first child's price can be locked in at $9.95/month. A really nice aspect of the pricing is that you can freeze your account (over Christmas break, or while on vacation) and activate it again when you return, which means you aren’t paying for time that you are not using.

There is a free trial available, so you can test it out for yourself here. I would suggest checking it out, the program is a quality one, and with the free trial offer, you and your child have a chance to play around with it and see if it is a good fit for your homeschool before making a financial commitment.

Keyboarding for the christian School Review

2010-01-26T17:43:00.000-08:00

Good evening everyone, ready for a pop quiz? No cheating, ready? What is another word for typing? If you said keyboarding, and I was with you, I would give you a gold star! As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent an e-book titled "Keyboarding for the Christian School Elementary Version" by Leann Beitel. Leann is a teacher at a private Christian School and had a hard time finding keyboarding curriculum that incorporated touch typing technique and Bible verses. Ms. Beitel came up with her own book, how does that saying go "necessity is the mother of invention?"
The E-book is 87 pages and covers many topics such as the touch typing technique, Alphabetic Keys, Numbers and symbol keys, Number pad, centering, enumerated lists (IE: numbered lists), timed writings, a timing scale (this can help you grade your child's progress). You can check it out for yourself by clicking on the following link: https://www.christiankeyboarding.com/

A sweet ladybug named Miss Mabel takes students through keyboarding lessons, which are a must in this day and age. I give this book an A+++! The graphics are great and the lessons are simple yet put together well. Author Leann Beitel does a fantastic job of teaching keyboarding. The book takes you through practices to familiarize yourself with the keyboard. I like this because as the student is reading the book (or is being directed) they are able to practice along with the text. That seems to make the information so much more relevant to my children. Even my four year old (who LOVES to pound on the keys can begin this) and it is a great way to practice letter and number recognition for my kindergartner.
The e-book is put together in such a way that you are able to go at your own pace and each lesson builds upon the previous one. As time goes on the student will gain confidence in their skills. Eventually being able to type faster than writing. The book is timely for our homeschool as well. As third grade looms, I desire more independent learning to happen, this is one example of how I can do that. I can purchase a word processing program for my 9 year old and she can continue to build on her typing skills while writing Lab reports or book reports.
I LOVED the fact that Leann Beitel incorporated Bible passages into typing practice skills. What a wonderful way to keep God's word in front of us always. If you would like to see a few sample pages just click on the link here: https://www.christiankeyboarding.com/Page_2.php
The Elementary Keyboarding book I was sent is selling for $12.95. The Author also has another e-book for Secondary Grades. I highly recommend this product and was privileged to review it.

MathTutorDVD.com Review

2010-01-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew I was sent two DVDs in the mail to review. I had never heard of the company, MathTutorDVD.com which can be found at: www.MathTutorDVD.com but I was intrigued from the moment I opened the package.

I would like to preface this review by stating that I do not have cable TV. We unplugged one year ago and only have a video TV monitor to watch DVDs. Once my children caught word that there was a "new" DVD in the house to watch, I couldn't keep them from watching it even if I tried!

I was sent two DVDs, one was titled "Young Minds" Numbers and Counting. This particular DVD is a new release from the company and is created for preschoolers. I LOVED it, my 19 month old son LOVED it, my 4 year old daughter LOVED it and my Kindergartner and second grader LOVED it (don't let the older girls know I told you!). The DVD is so visually beautiful and it is lovely to listen to classical music and count animals and everyday objects. Children learn to count from one to ten based on the objects in the pictures, the pictures are of objects that children are familiar with but done in such a way, that mine found it fascinating. It is easy to see why this DVD won so many awards. The DVD costs $19.99 and would make a wonderful gift. My 19 month old son was repeating all the numbers in order once we got to number 10. The simple repetition helped reinforce the counting. I give it "two thumbs up"!

The second DVD I was sent to review was titled "The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor". This 2 DVD set contains over 8 hours of basic math word problems. My oldest daughter Emily is 8, so this material was a bit over her head, and she lost interest in it rather quickly. However, I see the value in having this resource especially in the next few years. The instructor, Jason Gibson, does a great job of teaching with step- by- step instructions. This particular DVD cost $26.99.

The company MathTutorDVD.com allows you sample video clips on their website www.MathTutorDVD.com of every course that the company offers. The company carries an entire math tutorial DVD sequence from Basic math through advance level math. If you have a hard time teaching math in your home school or if your child struggles with math, these videos may be just what you need.

3P Learning/ Mathletics Review

2010-01-07T18:14:00.001-08:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given a 45 day trial to www.mathletics.com . I was impressed with the site. It was very user friendly and so before I invited my children to come play, I checked the site out. 3P Learning/ Mathletics has the following mission statement: "To engage every student everyday with a personalized, responsive and intelligent learning resource that inspires a delight in math and an innate drive to better results." Nice right?

Basically Mathletics is a web- based math service, providing children a chance to compete with students from around the world or to rack up points by working through grade specific content. Parents are able to view progress and the site offers a variety of ways to use math online in a safe environment. Even though the children can compete against each other there is no direct communication, which was very important to me.

My oldest daughter Emily who is 8, REALLY liked the site. Actually she asked to go on it over and over again. If you knew Emily you would be shocked. She is one tough cookie to please and she typically gets very nervous in a competitive forum. Emily loved making an avatar of her likeness and when she competed online, she got to see the other child's avatar as well. One aspect I like about the site was the view of the world map. If you choose to compete against other players around the world, a picture of the world map pops up and you see the computer scanning the map for a person to play against you. I thought this was a clever way to sneak in a bit of geography. Emily thought it was cool that someone from so far away was able to play at the same time.

I may purchase a subscription to this site, Emily really enjoyed it and my younger two daughters enjoyed watching, so for $59.00/ year for an online subscription to the site for one child, it may be worth the money (especially since Emily does not like doing math drills, this is a fun way to polish her math). The site was running a special, if you know the human calculator's favorite number (hint: it's "9") and you enter that when asked, you can purchase a single child subscription for $49.95/ year. I recommend checking out the site so you can see for yourself, go to www.mathletics.com

Tektoma Review

2009-12-24T05:35:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOS Home School Review Crew, I was sent access to a website called "Tektoma" to review. I have never heard of this company, and the name really wasn't giving me any clues, so off to www.tektoma.com I went to check out this new product.
Tektoma is a website that teaches children ages 7- 17 how to create video games. This site is awesome for children who are very technology minded. I can see the value in having a site like this for a child who wants to pursue a career in computers or who want to broaden their knowledge in this subject.

The site offers a 14 day free trial and you can earn free membership time by referring friends. If you try the site out and your kids fall in love with it, the price monthly for membership is $14.95 or $140/ year. This will give you access to all tutorials as well as moderated secured online forums. The site monitors for appropriate content, language and graphics, so even young children can partake a bit independently.

The site offers tutorials on how to create and develop video games in different genres, such as, Racing Games, Arcade Games, Platform Games, Fantasy Adventure Games. The tutorials are progressive and offered at different levels, so kids can learn at their own pace. If your child is not sure what kind of game they want to create the site offers example games that the children can play.

This site was fun, but my children were just under the bar for being interested, I think my husband would have had a blast! I would suggest checking out the site and trying the 14 day free trial, especially for kids who really enjoy computers and technology. It is a great teaching tool and could be very valuable.

Maestro Classics Review

2009-12-24T04:34:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of Aesop's Fables? Chances are, if you are a mommy of a preschooler, you have heard one of their stories, even if you haven't realized where it came from. Take for instance the story of "The Tortoise and the Hare"; Ahhh light bulb moment, see now you remember. As a member of the TOS Review Crew, I was sent a CD titled "The Tortoise and the Hare" from the company Maestro Classics. I was in the car when I picked up the mail, so I popped it in the CD player and continued on my way. The kids enjoyed the story. The music was conducted by Stephen Simon and played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Pretty Impressive.

After the story was told, I really expected the CD to end. Much to my surprise, it did not. Actually, I was very impressed with what happened next. Additional tracks were included on the CD that taught the history of Aesop's fables, the point of the story as well as the composers thought process through the story to add musical details (my untrained ear did not pick up on, so I am sure my kids did not catch it either). Once the educational/ informative tracks ended, they retold "The Tortoise and the Hare", which was much more interesting to listen to given all the background information. I had fun listening closely and pointing out where the conductor put little musical details into the story line. The CD also came with an informative activity booklet.

Maestro classics stated that the Cd I was given is for ages four and up. I would concur with that and add that even my 8 year old was very interested. I would recommend this product to a family that loves music, especially quality, educational music that tells a good moral tale. It would also be a nice compliment to a unit study on music, or Children's literature. Maestro Classics can be found at www.MaestroClassics.com Each set costs $16.98 and that includes the CD, story, activity booklet and the educational tracks. They are offering 3 sets for $45.00. In addition to The Tortoise and the Hare the company also offers Cd's titled "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" (a favorite story in our house.); "Peter and the Wolf"; "The Story of Swan Lake" just to name a few. Worth a look!

All About Spelling TOS Review

2009-12-03T16:56:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was sent Level one and Level two materials from the company "All About Spelling" to review with my children. At first glance, I was impressed with the nice manipulative's and teaching tools All About Spelling offered with each Level. The materials are colorful and the teachers manual is clear and easy to understand. All About Spelling is a spelling program that teaches your child how to spell if you are just beginning to teach them, or if you have a child that needs remedial help in this area.

I use a very comprehensive spelling/ reading/ phonics program, so my daughter Emily flew through the information. I have great respect for the company and after checking out the website, I am looking forward to more programs they will be rolling out soon. I didn't feel that this particular product was necessary for our homeschool, we were not in need of remedial help in this area. I do see the value in it for a parent that is looking for help in this particular area for their child.

The program uses a multi sensory approach to teach spelling and it contains spelling lists that follow a logical order. The program is also mastery based, not grade level based, so a parent would be able to tailor it to a specific need a child may have. The program offers a continual review and contains scripted lesson plans that make teaching the information easy for a homeschooling family. All About Spelling offers a one year learning guarantee and if you visit the website at www.ALL-ABOUT-SPELLING.COM you can watch a video that will tell you what you will need to order. To use the program, you will need a starter kit which contains Letter Tiles, magnets, and a Phonogram CD- Rom and costs $26.95. You will then need to purchase a level which contains the teaching manual and one student material packet. Each Level ranges in price from $29.95- $39.95. All About Spelling also sells additional student material packets if you have more than one student at a level. If you think this product would be of help to you, I would recommend it, especially if you have a struggling speller. I plan on keeping my eye on this company, I would love to see them put together a comprehensive reading/spelling/phonics program.

Gymathtics DVD from Exploramania

2009-11-19T17:43:00.000-08:00

I was sent a DVD from the company Exploramania, to review as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. This 30 minute DVD incorporates "multi-sensory learning techniques to meet the different learning needs of children." This particular DVD titled "Exploracise Gymathtics" combines exercise and education using auditory, visual, and kinesthetic senses. This company will be coming out with several new products over the next few months.

Exploracise Gymathics has also won several awards from Dr. Toy, AEGIS, Telly Awards, and many others. As a Health Educator myself, I was looking forward to this review. The day the DVD arrived I popped it into the DVD player and within minutes, my three girls loved it! I was not moved to participate, but my children did watch it three times in a row and had fun with it.
The DVD combines math facts while exercising. For example, they move their arms to form congruent circles etc... The math facts target 2ND- 5Th grade levels, so just a bit above my children's level, but they did enjoy the movement. The topics on the DVD begin as "Shape stretches" for the warm up; then onto "Counting Calisthenics" which include counting multiple aerobic movements; next is "Pattern Power" repeating pattern exercise and then finally the "Well-Being Wind Down" which are relaxing stretches and a cool down all while discussing healthy lifestyle choices. I did enjoy the scenery in the final segment, it looks like they are at a beach resort.
If this is something you think your family may enjoy, you can visit the website at Exploramania.com and order the DVD for $24.99. The website also has other DVDs and learning materials available. It's worth a look!

This has been a TOS Homeschool Crew Review. As a member of the Homeschool Crew, we are given homeschool-related items and asked to write honest reviews. The items are provided to us by the companies, but we are not paid for our reviews.

AVKO Membership Review

2009-11-16T18:08:00.000-08:00

As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was sent a one year membership to AVKO, the site can be found at www.avko.org. If you live under a rock, as I do, you may not have heard about this organization, but apparently seasoned home school parents are well aware of AVKO.

For those sad rock dwellers, I will enlighten you as to what AVKO is and why you may want to look into becoming a member. On the surface, actually on the website, AVKO is "a non-profit 501 (c) 3 membership organization that focuses on the development and production of materials and especially techniques to teach reading, spelling, handwriting and keyboarding. AVKO is dedicated to teaching everyone how to read and spell regardless of their mild to moderate learning disabilities, dyslexia, poverty or opportunity."

Sounds nice, right? Avko's philosophies and methodologies are "Orton-Gillingham" based ( I really have no idea what that means, but I figured I would include it so you can google it), using a systematic and multi sensory approach to teaching the language arts. AVKO firmly believes that studying and lessons should take place in short frequent sessions; daily reading and writing are important for engaging in the language and becoming fluent.

The AVKO website has a vast amount of information for teachers/ parents who may need guidance/ educational materials for children who are struggling or floundering in the Language Arts subjects. The site has many great resources concerning Dyslexia, and many great books for those of us who need to teach a child that doesn't quite learn within the same parameters as other children. AVKO's spelling lessons are based on a cirruculum called "sequential spelling" (fyi)- Sonlight uses this as their spelling curriculum.

The AVKO site does offer freebies, so if you were not sure you wanted to become a member, you can go check out the site and get a feel for the teaching method used/ materials available. Once you become a member you will have access to over $400 worth of e-books. A basic membership costs $25 per year and includes e-books such as all 10 volumes of the "Patterns of English Spelling" as well as the book "To Teach a Dyslexic". You also receive a 25% discount on all printed AVKO Materials.
The Deluxe Membership is $100 for the year, it includes access to all materials/ benefits of a basic membership as well as read- only access to all AVKO curriculum materials (except for sequential spelling and engaging Language Kits) as well as access to AVKO's newest e-books.

I think becoming a member of AVKO would best suit the needs of a parent who has a child that is struggling to learn Language Arts. This site is a great resource for those who are seeking help teaching in this area. I don't have a child who is struggling in this area at this time, however, I see the value in a site like www.avko.org . As an educator, you want to fill your teaching tool box with as many tools as you can, AVKO provides you those tools. As I said earlier, the site is loaded with information, go check it out, if you think this may be exactly what you need, the membership is worth the price. I don't think there is such a thing as too many good resources.

This has been a TOS Homeschool Crew Review. As a member of the Homeschool Crew, we are given homeschool related items and are asked to write honest reviews. The items are provided to us by the companies, but we are not paid for our reviews.

America's Heritage Education Review

2009-11-08T05:59:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOS Crew I was sent a CD version of social studies/ civic K-12 Lesson plans titled "America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty." The CD is valued at $150.00 but the American Heritage Education Foundation (AHEF) has made it available to educators (in homeschools and public/ private schools) for free. There are two forms of "America's Heritage" the CD, which is free, and a printed binder version, which costs $19.50 to cover printing and shipping. All the AHEF asks is that you write to them and let them know about your experiences using the resource. This helps them continue support for teachers and social studies/ civic education.

According to AHEF the information correlates with NCSS and Core Knowledge national social studies standards. "American Heritage" has been proven to increase student performance in history objectives in schools which use this resource.

I love the fact that the "AHEF is dedicated to the understanding and teaching of our Nation's factual and Philosophical Heritage to promote constructive citizenship and freedom, unity, progress, and responsibility among our students and citizens." This material is so necessary, while I was logging onto the computer to write this review, I read an article about the health care bill, ugh! Visit www.americanheritage.org or call 1-713-627-2698 for more information.

I am very impressed with the lesson plans offered for the Elementary school aged Children. Not only does the CD offer background historical information on every topic, the lessons are engaging and interesting. For example, the unit on Thanksgiving is under the Theme Unity. There is historical background given as well as a story and then other educational activities to tie all the information together.

I strongly urge all parents to obtain this CD. I do not think many public schools teach to this scope on History, in fact, the public schools are so mired in political correctness, that much of this information is simply not taught. Homeschools and private schools have a fantastic opportunity to utilize this resource to train up a generation of citizens who can look back to the roots of our heritage and go forward in freedom.

Virginia Soaps & Scents Review

2009-11-02T04:45:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I received a package in the mail from a company called Virginia Soaps & Scents. My mail box is located at the end of my road and I typically pick up the mail when I am on my way out to go to town. So this little box from Virginia Soaps & Scents took a ride with me while I ran my errands. At one point, while I was waiting in my car, I opened the box because I was curious about this new product. The smell that began wafting through my car was amazing!
Inside the box was 3 bars of Pure Handcrafted Soap each was 1.75 oz in size, one was Coconut Lemongrass scented, another was Oatmeal, Milk and Honey scented and the third was Fresh Orange scented. The bars are pretty and the small size is called the bed and breakfast bars. The usual bars of soap are 4.75 ounces. Another sample was in the box as well, it was a Ginger Lime scented Shampoo Bar as well as a Laundry Soap Kit. The Laundry Soap Kit makes 1/2 gallon of Laundry Soap and is great if you ever wanted to begin to make your own laundry soap but didn't want to make the initial investment in the Borax and washing soda.

There was also a letter from the creators of Virginia Soaps & Scents, Roy & Richelle Spargur explaining their company, products and how Virginia Soaps & Scents was formed. They are a homeschooling family of 9 children, 5 graduated and 4 still being taught at home. Three years ago the Spargur family suffered the tragic loss of their youngest Granddaughter in an accident. After months of grieving, the family began to take comfort in doing the familiar things and homeschooling provided a framework for daily life. It began with a unit study on Colonial Life in Virginia (where the family resides) and there was a lesson on soap making. The family made a one pound batch of lavender soap and they were back to making fun as a family again and they didn't want it to stop! What began as a lesson in soap eventually led to the birth of Virginia Soaps & Scents. Sounds like the story line of a great movie right?

The soaps are lovely and smell great! They are made with all natural ingredients and contain no added chemicals for hardening or lathering properties. I loved how the soaps smelled, especially when I used them. I did get razor burn on my legs when I showered with the sample soaps, but I checked out the website and they offer soaps specifically for shaving, which I will purchase, because I really enjoyed how soft my skin was after using the soap. The Shampoo Bar is an olive oil based soap and also contains Castor oil. I was a bit skeptical at first but was very surprised to see how much the bar lathered like liquid shampoo. I used the bar for a few days and found my hair really needed conditioner, so I went back to my usual shampoo, but noticed a difference in how my hair looked. It seemed smoother and not as frizzy. I happened to read on their website that you can use the shampoo bar as a clarifying bar and this was the perfect solution for me. Once a week, I use the shampoo bar and have really enjoyed smoother, shiny hair.

I have made my own laundry soap before and so I was familiar with the process of making the Laundry Soap. I have found that us Corbett's are a messy bunch of people and need to take stock in stain remover! I enjoy the clean smell from the laundry soap, and while I can't use it on my kids cloths because the stains just won't come out for me without using pretreatments, I have found that it works great on towels and other laundry that doesn't see as much action!

Check out the website at http://www.virginiasoapsandscents.com/ to view the full product line and the reasonable prices. I am a table leader at my local MOPS and I am planning on purchasing the Bed & Breakfast Soap sampler, it contains twelve 1.75oz bars of their best selling soaps for $18.00. I plan on wrapping each bar and giving one to each of the moms who sit at my table as a little Christmas gift so they can have a bit of pampering. They have special scents for Christmas also, so think stocking stuffers etc... I noticed they have bars for kids, so I may also purchase some soaps for my daughters as they love things like that in their stockings. They also sell individual bars, maybe pamper the Sunday School teacher a bit or my mother and sisters. I like to support companies like Virginia Soaps and Scents, they make a great product and seem like a great family!

This has been a TOS Homeschool Crew Review. As a member of the Homeschool Crew, we are given homeschool related items and asked to write honest reviews. The items are provided to us by the companies, but we are not paid for our reviews.

ABC Teach Website Review

2009-11-01T17:44:00.000-08:00

As a member of the TOS Crew I am sent some pretty neat products, and ABC Teach falls into my "neat product" category! Actually ABC Teach is a website, find it here: http://www.abcteach.com/ I had never heard of it, not surprising since I had never home schooled prior to this year, but in my opinion, this is the jack pot of teaching tools! The website has some free downloads, but you can purchase a membership for $3.33 per month (which I did after reviewing this site). The members of ABC Teach have access to 35,000 printables and worksheets with more being added weekly (they notify you by email once a week with all the new materials). You also have access to 6,500 pieces of clip art; oh the endless possibilities of clip art...... anyway.

The site also has custom worksheet generators to tailor materials specific to your home school topics. For example, if you are wrapping up a unit study on a specific topic but want to practice some of the new words with the kids, you can custom make worksheets in spelling, cross words etc... The possibilities are literally endless, and if you are really creative, you may not need to look any further than abcteach.com for what you need. The website was the winner of the 2007 Teachers' Choice Award.

The site is very user friendly and it has a search engine to help you find what you need quickly. I liked that it offered many of the worksheets in black and white or color. I have spent literally hours on the site just exploring and looking into what would be fun and applicable for my children. The site also breaks down the topics under the directory for ease of use too. An example of some of the topics are: Art & music, Book Units (the books are great too; for example, Amelia Bedilia: you read the book and the site has follow up activities and worksheets ready to be printed and tailored to the story); other topics include Holiday and Seasonal activities, Handwriting (which I LOVE because when they are learning how to write they can't get enough of the handouts to practice on!). The site also divides topics by age and grade and goes from preschool through high school to help you print out what you need specifically for your child. You can preview the site to see if you would like it and then you can really get an idea of the vast amount of resources members have available at their fingertips. I only named a few of the topics listed under the directory, you can check it out yourself when you visit the website.

So far I have downloaded 4 games for my preschooler. Each game was either a matching game, counting game, or a sorting game. I searched the site and found games with butterflies and ladybugs and trains and printed them out since I knew they would appeal to her. I will share with you one example of what I did with my printouts: I took a file folder and cut, pasted and laminated one set of the butterfly matching game pieces on the inside of the folder. I then cut out the matching pieces and laminated them as well. I attached a bag to the folder to keep all the loose pieces together and viola! she has a matching game that I made just for her! It made her day! I am currently scouting the site for Thanksgiving Theme ideas.

As I said before, I have spent hours on the site and really am impressed with the resources. If this is something that you think you would like, I highly recommend it, and the price is very reasonable.

This has been a TOS Homeschool Crew Review. As a member of the Homeschool Crew, we are given homeschool related items and are asked to write honest reviews. The items are provided to us by the companies, but we are not paid for our reviews.

Amazing Bible Timeline Review

2009-10-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

As part of the TOS Review Crew I was sent "The Amazing Bible Timeline" from the company Bible Charts and Maps, LLC. They can be found at www.BibleTimeline.NET . The product is, well, pretty amazing. It is large, 37" by 45" and can be hung as a wall chart or put on a flat surface. The Bible Timeline is put together in a compact circular format and the timeline goes in a clockwise direction. This timeline is a great way for visual learners to put the people in the Bible in order and can add historical clarity to a Bible study. It is priced at $29.97 and comes with free interactive maps of the Holy Land and a digital timeline for the computer.

The Bible Timeline shows order, and overlap in generations and history. For example, Daniel and Confucius lived at the same time. I loved seeing that Adam was still alive at the same time as Noah's father. When I was sent the timeline to review, I started looking at it with my husband. That weekend we had friends from our Church over for dinner and we pulled out the Timeline and really enjoyed looking at the chart and pulling out our bible and looking up different topics. I wanted others opinion on this product, especially since it refers to the Bible and I am not a Biblical scholar. My friends were impressed with the product and really found it fascinating. They were asking me for the website information and were considering purchasing charts for their homes as well. That following Monday, I was surprised to see an email from the company responding to some concerns that other TOS Crew members had regarding this product. As I said, I am not a Biblical scholar so many of the concerns raised were not even on my radar, however, I feel that I need to share this information with you so that you can make an educated purchase. The Company does offer a 60 day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the product. To be honest I was disappointed to hear other reviewers had issues with it, I thought it was a great product and could be used as a good teaching tool. I have decided to copy and paste the body of the email from the company here so that you can read and decide for yourself if this product may be right for you:

"Response to the LDS Question and Ussher's Table"
We have been questioned about the following:The Native American belief in a White God who would one day return. This is historical fact. You can find it in the Complete Idiot's Guide to Native American History - a condensed version of history. If it makes that book you know it's standard historical fact. People have known that Native Americans (north and south) believed in a person they called either the White God, The Great White God, The Fair God or The White Bearded God "who would one day return" since the Spanish first showed up in America. Not only did Cortez take advantage of it, the Spanish priests constantly commented on it. This is history not Mormon doctrine.

Every quote on the Amazing Bible Timeline referring to that fact is from highly regarded historians such as the Harvard trained historian Prescott.No serious historian disagrees with this. The disagreement arises over whether or not this has anything to do with Christ or whether or not any Native Americans (north or south) are related to the lost ten tribes. Cortes used the belief in the return of a Great White God to defeat the Aztecs by either claiming he was that God or at least not denying it. Sources: The Complete Idiots Guide to Native American History by Walter Fleming page 52 - you can read it online. You can also reference the following: "Letters and Dispatches of Cortes," translated by George Folsom (New York, 1843); Prescott's "Conquest of Mexico" (Boston, 1843) which is referenced on the Timeline; and Sir Arthur Helps's "Life of Hernando Cortes" (London, 1871)Common Christian Belief that the Great White God, The White God, The White Bearded God or The Fair God refers to Christ. Sources for Christian belief that this referred to Christ. Note that none of these are LDS and there are tons of them besides these few. This is historical fact, like it or not. The only question is, who was this person really? And are the Native Americans related in any way to the lost ten tribes? "History of America before Columbus VI : According to documents and approved authors" (Philadelphia 1900) Dr. Peter de Roo"Most ancient and modern authors agree in saying that the Christian religion had been taught to the Indians in pre Columbian days. Bastian establishes this opinion by the numerous analogies he points out between the religious belief and practices of the Christians and those of Americans aborigines. Von Humboldt admits the parity to be so striking as to have given the Spanish missionaries a fine opportunity to deceive the natives by making them believe that their own was none other than the Christian religion....Quite a number of ancient writers, such as Garcilasso de la Vega, Solorzano, Acosta and others are equally explicit in asserting that several Christian tenets and practices were found among our aborigines." Pages 423-424 (some of his books are on line but not VI.
Also note there are many references to writings by early Spanish Catholic priests writing about the legends of the White God and the teachings of same and their similarities to Christianity. ) William Prescott (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Prescott) The wiki article mentions his access to unpublished documents in Spain and that he was considered a fair and impartial historian. In his book" Conquest of Mexico" (referring to the Fair God) Prescott says, " In a preceding I have noted the popular traditions respecting Quetzalcoal, that deity with a fair complexion and flowing beard, so unlike the Indian physiognomy, who, after fulfilling his mission of benevolence among them, embarked on the Atlantic Sea for the mysterious shores of Tlapallan. He promised, on his departure, to return at some future day..... That day was looked forward to with hope or with apprehension, according to the interest of the believer, but with general confidence throughout the wide borders of Anahuac."
The statements regarding historical belief in similarities between ancient people in America and Jewish people and temples It is historical fact that this similarity was noted and widely accepted throughout the Christian world long before the LDS church began. (see Radin's book and his footnotes on the Timeline) Since the DNA evidence this is now in dispute. We removed most of these statements before the 2008 reprinting. We did it without trying to rewrite the historical fact that for centuries many people, Christians and non-Christians alike thought there were similarities between Native American peoples and cultures and the Middle eastern peoples and cultures.As we have reprinted the timeline we have removed most of the references to any interpretations of history that are no longer accepted by the majority of Christians and will continue to do so on future updates but refuse to rewrite history including historical beliefs.

Why is there an LDS version of the Timeline? We began working with the Amazing Bible Timeline in 1975, forty-four years after its first printing in 1931. 1975 was a time when Christians were committed to building greater unity or cooperation among Christian faiths, very different from todays time of Bible bashing and rejection of any Christian whose faith does not exactly match our own. The contention among Christians today is appalling to us and we don't support it. (We were asked to provide primary references that there was such a time and attitude. Fair enough. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/178836/ecumenism)

To answer the question, we were asked to provide an LDS version. We did it and we still provide it today. None of the original Timeline dates were changed and no LDS dates were added to the original Amazing Bible Timeline. A separate version was made. The two timelines have separate copyrights and ISBNs. When the North and South American history dates were added (Olmecs through Mayans and more) they were taken from archaelogists working in those areas. After that was done, not before, Book of Mormon dates were added to the LDS version.

Does the Timeline have an LDS slant? We don't know how it could. The original Timeline on which ours is based does not have an LDS background. We added dates from 1931 to 2000 so unless you think there's some LDS slant to WWII or the first astronauts on the moon there isn't one.
Bill and Margaret both come from varied religious background. Bill attended a non-denominational church throughout his youth and young adulthood. Margaret attended Baptist, Presbyterian,Episcopalian and Catholic depending on where she lived or which relative she was visiting. We feel we have a broad understanding of Christian doctrine.This is not a platform to proclaim our variety of Christianity (other than our belief in Christ as our personal savior) but a stewardship to an ongoing project. We hope it outlives us as it did the original author. We don’t feel it belongs to us any more than Ussher’s chronology or the King James version of the Bible belongs to us. We do everything we can to keep ourselves out of it and to present it as the history it is intended to be.We feel strongly that the Amazing Bible Timeline should be just as accessible to all Christians as is the Authorized King James Bible and Ussher’s chronology. The Timeline is used by Non-denominationals, Baptists, Fundamentalists, Evangelicals, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Seventh Day Adventists, Friends Churches and more. Therefore, we willingly and happily answer questions about Bible history on our site.

We do not answer doctrinal questions. We do our best to ensure there is no doctrine on the Timeline (other than a belief in the Bible and it's history) and to make sure it is historically accurate. If you find something you believe is more doctrine than history, please let us know. Also if you catch any errors in spelling or dating please let us know. This is a huge work and even after years of checking we sometimes find an error. After researching it we are happy to make changes before future printing.

Why do you keep talking about Ussher’s Chronology. What does that have to do with the Bible dates?If there are dates printed in the margins of your Authorized King James Bible they are from Ussher’s table not the other way around. The original Hebrew texts on which the Old Testament of the Bible is based didn’t come with dates although it does mention time frames. The dates calculated by Bishop Ussher were added to the margins of the Authorized King James Bible in 1701 ninety years after it's first printing. Many Biblical scholars still believe Ussher's Chronology is the most accurate. We hope you enjoy using The Amazing Bible Timeline as the tool it is intended to be –
to see the order of Biblical events
to visualize the length of time between Biblical or world events
to coordinate Biblical history with secular history. If you have more questions you are welcome to either call us at 877-966-7300 or email us. "

That is the email that was sent to me and I copied and pasted it. I felt obligated to share it out of fairness to the company to give them an opportunity to explain and back up their product and also out of fairness to any potential buyers. I personally liked the product and I will hold onto it and use it as a reference that it was intended to be.

This has been as TOS Homeschool Crew review. As a member of the Homeschool Crew, we are given homeschool related products and asked to write an honest review. The items are provided to us by the companies, but we are not paid for our reviews.

Educaching Review

2009-10-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! As you all probably know by now, I am a member of the TOS Review Crew, and I was sent Educaching Curriculum to review. In case you need a little background information on what "Educaching" is, let me ask you if you have ever heard of Geocaching? It is a pretty popular "sport" right now. You plug Coordinates into a hand held GPS device to find hidden treasures located in various locations etc... there are many groups online that you could join if you had time and enjoyed the adventure. Actually, some reality/ adventure/game shows have also incorporated Geochaching into their shows; so word of this is spreading.
I have a GPS, mostly because I don't like to get lost, especially with 4 little kids in my car. My husband also commutes into NYC and a GPS comes in very handy when he needs to visit a new job site.
SO, back to Educaching (pronounced educashing). Educaching is a GPS Based Curriculum for Teachers (home school or classroom). The book was written by Jason Hubbard, a 5Th grade teacher himself. The teachers manual is well put together, and really for the price ($32.00 plus $6.95 shipping & Handling for a hard copy, 3 ring binder plus CD with customizable Templates or pay just $32.00 for the exact same electronic manual) it is a great curriculum. You can find it at www.educaching.com

The 128 page manual is broken down into 5 Sections and covers everything you need to know to implement this into your school curriculum. Section 1 includes: teacher training, lingo, and equipment and gear. Section 2 includes lesson plans ranging from beginner to advanced. The author has also included National Standards and how the lessons taught meet those standards. Section 3 includes Field Sheets (and instructions on how to use them). Section 4 provides information on how to acquire a GPS through fundraising or grant writing and what questions to ask when purchasing one. Finally Section 5 is titled beyond the basics and covers how educators can take this information and really run with it! Home school groups, church youth groups, boy scouts, girl scouts etc... can really have a great time.

I am a fan of unit studies and Educaching is easily incorporated into that style of teaching. Every lesson plan spells out in detail the objectives covered, materials needed and step by step procedures to follow. Even the "electronically challenged" among us can follow along. As I read through the manual, I was impressed with the curriculum, but I have to admit, I didn't actually physically go Educaching. The curriculum has a target age of 4Th- 8Th Grades. My oldest daughter is in second grade and it goes down from there, so it was over their heads. Honestly, if you have kids in 4Th- 8Th grades (or are learning at that level; mine are not), and this is something that you think would be fun and educational, go for it! This product is well put together.

This has been a TOs Homeschool Crew Review. As a member of the TOS Crew, we are given home school related items and asked to write honest reviews. The items are provided to us by the companies, but we are not paid for our reviews.

"Sarah's Wish" Book Review

2009-10-17T04:59:00.001-07:00

As part of the TOS Review Crew, I was sent an autographed copy of the book "Sarah's Wish" to review. Jim Baumgardner is the Author and describes "Sarah's Wish" as such: "Twelve year old Sarah Smith is the star. She is a likable protagonist, a girl with grit, a young lady with steel in her backbone. She loves people; hates injustice, and fights for the underdogs- who are the runaway slaves in the Sarah books. In chapter one her mother dies and suddenly the responsibility of moving the runaways along the underground railroad rests upon her shoulders; at least she thinks so. Sarah's Wish tells of her quest for a family while ever mindful of her duties as a conductor and agent on the railway."

Since the story is told from a 12 year old girls perspective, it held my daughters attention and piqued their curiosity. The book led to many conversations on slavery and American History, topics that I didn't expect to talk about to my 3, 5 & 7 year old but grateful for the opportunity. The book offered a glimpse into 19Th century pre-civil war life. I even enjoyed reading it. The Author also offers a free Sarah's Web Newsletter. It comes by email and it's free! Go to sarahbooks@cox.net enter "send newsletter" in the subject line. The newsletter is a great way to expand on the topics and information learned in the book. The Books and Newsletter are a great way to supplement a unit study on this time period in history (way more fun than text books!).
The books also come with a link to a free audio Book Download, download it to your computer or I-pod etc... you can listen to the story.

The Author Jim Baumgardner is a Christian and his writing clearly shows the good guys vs the bad guys. FUN FACT: the author is the great, great, grandson of Doctor Baum, the Town Doctor in Sarah's Wish.

Here are all the juicy details: There are three books in the series so far: Sarah's Wish; Sarah's Promise; Sarah's Escape. If you go to www.sarahbooks.net you can purchase all three for $39.95- shipping and handling are FREE, and the author will autograph them for you. You can also purchase Sarah's Wish for the sale price of $9.99 also Free shipping and autographed.

This has been a TOS Homeschool Crew Review. As a member of the Crew we are given homeschool- related items and asked to write honest reviews. The items are provided to us by the companies, but we are not paid for our reviews.

Guardian Angel Publishing E-Book Review

2009-10-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

As part of the TOS Review Crew, I was sent 5 e-books from Guardian Angel Publishing to review. Guardian Angel Publishing can be found at www.guardianangelpublishing.com they sell picture books, early readers, storybooks and chapter books and come in e-books, print and paperback, Cd's and will be selling book video with sound DVDs for your TV. The cost ranges depending on which format you choose. The e-book downloads that I reviewed cost $5.00; the e-book CD cost $9.95 plus $5.95 for Shipping and Handling; Print versions of the books cost between $10.95 & $11.95 (depending on the book) plus $6.95 Shipping and Handling. The DVD option I find interesting, we have a built in DVD player in our car which we rarely use and on long car rides we will often listen to books on tape, I may purchase a few DVDs to use for our next car ride to offer a change of pace. Three of the books that I reviewed were going to be offered as a DVD book video for $9.95 plus $5.95 shipping and handling.

The first book I reviewed was titled "Andy and Spirit go to the Fair" by Mary Jean Kelso, pictures by K.C. Snider. This book was the second book in a series of three. The story is sweet and the main characters Andy, a boy who is in a wheelchair, and Spirit, an albino wild horse, are an unlikely pair, each with their own unique differences. Together they are able to accomplish great things in spite of their obstacles. This story is great for all families and children who are interested in horses or involved in 4-H will enjoy it. The end of the book contains an information guide as to how wild horses are managed in the US.

The second book was titled "Earthquake." The book was informative and had excellent information all about earthquakes and emergency preparedness. The illustrations were great and the book was filled with factoids. I think this book would make a great addition to any unit study on Earth Science. The book won Honorable Mention in the Wild Card Category at the 2009 Green Book Festival.

The next book was titled "Maybe we are Flamingos" part of the Safari Sue Series and was written by Safari Sue Thurman the artist was Kevin Scott Collier. The main characters are flamingos and once hatched, are not the same color as the other flamingos in their flock. They finally work up the courage to ask their mom why they look different and their mom explains how they turn pink (diet). Much to their relief they begin to make silly pictures about what they would look like if they ate tacos, broccoli etc... the moral of the story is, it is not what is on the outside that counts but what is on the inside. This book is cute and really appealed to young children especially when the flamingos start to draw the silly pictures.

"No Bones About It- Sum of our parts Series" written by Bill Kirk, artist Eugene Ruble is a fun rhyming way to learn the names of the bones of the human body. I also had the pleasure of getting this book to review. The pictures are funny and will hold the children's interest. The book also contains factoids, a quiz and mystery bones. This book would be an nice addition to a science lesson or a health lesson.

The final book that I reviewed, and easily my favorite, is called "Rainbow Sheep". The author and Fiber Artist is Kim Chatel. The book is about a character named Genevieve who shares her gift of a great imagination with a sad rainbow who winds up cheering up and laughing so hard he cries tears of joy. The tears drip down splashes of color onto Genevieve's sheep and changes them to rainbow sheep. The story is sweet, but the pictures are the highlight of the book and are beautiful and different. At the end of the book the author shares with us information on how to do Felt For Fun and comes with activities and projects. Children who are artistic will love this book.

I was impressed with the wide variety of books offered by Guardian Angel Publishing for ages (0- 12), if you check out the website, there are a few free books available to download.

This has been a TOS Home school Crew Review. As a member of the Home school Crew, we are given home school related items and are asked to write honest reviews. The items are provided to us by the companies, but we are not paid for our reviews.

Nature Friend Magazine

2009-10-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

As part of the TOS Review Crew, I was sent the August & September 2009 Nature Friend magazine to review. As a newbie to the homeschooling world of products, I of course did not know of this one, so I did not recognize it when it came in the mail. My first glance at the cover led me to believe it was one of my husbands photography catalogues. After I took a second and read the title, I realized what it was and was immediately intrigued!

The photographs used throughout the magazine are breathtaking! There is something special about Nature Friend, it is different than other commercial publications. For example, on the cover is a beautiful photograph of Gods creation. The cover is uncluttered, there are no featured stories plastered all over the cover to detract from the beautiful picture. The Nature Friend title is at the top of the cover and under that is this statement: "Helping Families Explore the Wonders of God's Creation". SOLD! How refreshing to read those words in today's world. The magazine lived up to it's promises. Every article, picture, letter and educational tool, lived up to that description.

Nature Friend magazine publishes 12 issues/ year, 6 of which are "gently nudged" towards the older family members. Even non readers can enjoy looking at the photographs contained in Nature Friend. Nature Friend began in 1983 by the Stanley Brubaker Family. Their desire was to encourage children to believe in God as their creator and to seek out, recognize, and appreciate His handiwork. Nature Friend is now Published by kevin and Bethany Shank.

My children enjoyed the 'invisibles' section of Nature Friend. This is where you try to find the small objects hidden in the big picture (IE: I Spy). Also another monthly feature is the "Wondernose" article. A "Wondernose" is a Pennsylvania Dutch phrase to describe someone is curious about everything around them. Each issue contains a new topic that "Wondernose" is curious about.

Nature Friend also offers a Study Guide subscription in addition to the Nature Friend subscription. The Study Guide, in my opinion, is a must for home schoolers. It meshes with the Nature Friend magazine and once ordered, can be found in the center of the magazine. It is a great way to round out and reinforce the information contained in the magazine. The exercises in the study guide may be photocopied for multiple children to use. Each study guide contains crossword puzzles, True/False questions, an acrostic, fill in the blanks etc... all covering and reviewing the information contained in the magazine.

You can order from the Nature Friend website at http://www.naturefriendmagazine.com/ or toll free at 877-434-0765. The cost of the magazine is as follows:
1yr subscription- USA- $36.00
2yr subscription-USA- $68.00
add the study guide for $2.00/ issue
Nature Friend is currently offering a promotion, BLOG93 can be used to save $3.00 off of any new subscriptions and this promotion is valid until November 30, 2009.

At first the price seemed a little much, but I think, you get what you pay for. I used to pay $70/ month for cable to watch TV. We cancelled it because we felt it wasn't worth the money. I can get a two year subscription to a magazine that teaches science based on Biblical truths and is way more edifying than anything on TV, for what I would have paid for one month of cable. Worth the money, or add it to the Christmas wish list and ask family members to order a subscription for your children as a gift. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving!

Growing Healthy Homes Review

2009-09-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

As a member of the TOS Review Crew I was able to review a great book titled: "Nutrition 101: Choose Life" published by the company Growing Healthy Homes. The website that sells the product is www.growinghealthyhomes.com and it can be purchased as an e-book (CD ROM for $79.95) or as a hardcover book ($99.95) or you can get a combo (book and CD for $129.95).

I know what you are thinking, a bit expensive for a book about healthy living, but give me one minute of your time. I am a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and I have a Masters Degree in Science with a major in Health Education, so I have read MANY Health related books, articles etc.... I am passionate about this topic, so when I had the opportunity to review the book, I was pleased. The title of the book should really be "Everything that has ever had anything to do with any health related topic, ever" All kidding aside, this whopper of a book is 448 pages chock full of information. The book breaks down 12 body systems into 6 units:

Brain/ Nervous System
Digestion/ Elimination
Respiration & Olfactory
Muscular & Skeletal Systems
Cardiovascular & Immune Systems
Endocrine Systems and Emotions

Each Unit is broken down into chapters and thoroughly explains what each system does and then it links the role that lifestyle and diet have on the different body systems. The graphics are beautiful, and the book covers all age ranges. It offers hands on activities, experiments, projects, reading and writing assignments. The Activity Guide is broken down by Unit and further by school age (so home school parents can go right to the necessary information to expand on each topic). Two highlights in this book for me was the way the authors tied in Bible verses to each subject, our lifestyle and well being is so strongly tied into God's word and this book does a fantastic job of threading this through the book. My other favorite, was the recipes!! Yes I said recipes!!!! At the end of every unit there are recipes and activities to do to wrap up the unit. I love cooking (in case you don't know that yet!).

Nutrition 101: Choose Life not only provides the facts, but then offers tangible solutions for a Healthier Lifestyle. This book is a fantastic resource to fulfill health/ science requirements but it goes so far above and beyond that. New wives/ mothers can use it to educate themselves about the importance of running a healthy household; people who desire a healthy lifestyle change need to look no further, this book has it, soup to nuts (literally, there are recipes for soups and some for granola!). The Appendices contain such a vast amount of information for further study and it also offers Health statistics, food pyramid and a serving checklist; a food shopping list; tips on how to select fresh produce; Top 40 foods to eat/ foods to avoid. Information on Asthma, Mold, Reproductive Health, Non-Toxic Cleaners (with the instructions on how to make them). There are many many more topics, but I have to stop sometime!

As a Health Educator I know that one of the best ways to get someone to change a behavior is to provide information that will create a desire to change the negative behavior. Nutrition 101: Choose Life is a great resource, it is worth the price. This book, regardless of the age range of people in your household, is a must have for health education for homeschooling moms, and women who desire to run a healthy household.

STUDYPOD Review, TOS Crew

2009-09-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

I was sent the STUDPOD made by GENIO, LLC to review for the TOS Review Crew. I have to admit, I had never heard of this product either but once I opened the package, I was instantly SOLD!!! The Studypod is a book holder designed for students to hold their books as a way to improve their studying. Picture your child sitting at the table doing school work using a textbook and taking notes. The Studypod holds the textbook upright at about the same angle as a computer screen. It helps your child not strain his/her neck looking down at the book and freeing hands for writing notes etc... I like the fact that it automatically creates a small work zone that can help the student focus on their work.

My children are not old enough for textbooks so when I had to use the product to write this review I was happy to snag it and keep it for myself (oh the sacrifices we make as moms.....)! I love to cook, so instantly I thought JACKPOT, this can hold my cookbooks. I love the fact that it sets up easily and holds the book firmly allowing me to get my hands messy without getting my recipes messy! As a matter of fact, I am a bit nerdy and I always write out my reviews by hand to make sure I get all my thoughts down and the facts right before I type it out (remember word processors, I guess in college this was my writing papers method and has still remained so!) Anyway, as I write the review I have all my notes propped up using my lovely Studypod to hold them. My opinion- great, simple product that is versatile. I LOVE when I can use the products for more than one function, I feel that it is a better bang for the buck!

So what's the bottom line? Visit www.STUDYPOD.us or call 1-434-974-7042 to order or for more information. The STUDYPOD is priced at $19.95 for one or $16.95 for two or more. They are running a special for my readers (Thank you very much) enter in TOSBLOG5 in the coupon code and receive $5 off your order. The STUDYPPOD is available in Black, Pink or Blue. It is also compact; size (closed) 6.75" x 8.875" x 1.25" and holds any sized book with thickness up to 2.25" (i.e. "Twilight" thickness). The product comes with instructions on how to set it up, literally three steps. It also has a mesh holder on the left side to carry a cell phone or pens when closed. It is in the shape of a book, so it can fit nicely on a book shelf for easy storage.

I am off to fold some laundry, but I am bringing my STUDYPOD with me so I can do some reading, nice!

Maverick Books: Hank the Cowdog

2009-08-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

Soooooo....... apparently I have been living under a rock for a while, or maybe it is because I live in NJ, the most populated State in the US and live no where near a ranch or cowboys or, maybe it is because I have three little girls, but I had NO IDEA there was any such thing as "Hank The Cowdog." If you are like me and find yourself saying- "yes I live under a rock too, what is Hank The Cowdog?" please read on.......

Maverick Books, Inc. Publishes the Hank The Cowdog books (54 so far: one paperback book costs $4.24) and products which include audio Cd's (on sale now for $3.00 each), a TORNADO board game (price $12.99 on the website) a spin off of one of the books- ha ha- no pun intended- and several other products. You can check out the website at www.hankthecowdog.com and view for yourself the full product line.

I was sent three products from Maverick Books and the Hank the Cowdog product line to review. The first product I began reviewing was the book (#8 in the series) The Case of The One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse. I read to my children every day- I am an avid reader and my children are beginning to enjoy chapter books, so this was something that I looked forward to reading out loud to them. We started reading the first few chapters and my girls enjoyed the story. We had taken a long car ride one day, so I took with me a second product that I was sent to review; "Tales and Tunes from Hank the Cowdog". The girls found the songs and stories on the CD funny. and they really enjoyed listening to the characters' voices especially since we had been reading about Hank and his buddies on the ranch for the past several nights. There is one story on the Cd which is from the book we were reading. The girls listened to the story of the "Poisoned Bacon Grease" in the car. That night, we were up to the same chapter in the book. I read it to them and they were giggling the whole time. The story was so much more significant to them once they heard the Cd and were able imagine all the characters speaking the way they did on the Cd.
If you are new to the Hank The Cowdog product line- buy the Cd's along with the books to really grab your children.

Hank is a lovable character but totally clueless as the "self appointed Head of Ranch Security" along with his Deputy Drover. Together the duo talks in circles and usually end up confused and completely off topic! The other characters in the story add to the fun and chaos. As a mom of four children I have a special place in my heart for "Sally May" the mom. The story is fun reading for the whole family. Normally I would have passed right over this type of product line because I have three little girly girls and really didn't expect them to embrace Hank the way they did.

The final product that I was sent to review was the TORNADO board game. The game was enjoyable for all of us, and I think our favorite product. We love playing board games at Camp Corbett! Maverick books describes the TORNADO game very well so I am going to quote them "Hanks TORNADO game is a wild, fast paced race and chase game. Each person gets a Hank, Drover, and Junior the buzzard game piece, and it's a race to see who can get their pieces around the board and and safe to their home spaces first. There is a cassette tape with 30 minutes of excerpts from hanks 25th story, "The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado." the excerpts tell a story that fits with the game."
My 7 & 5 year old picked up on the games rules after only one game. They can play it with each other and not have any problem, the rules are easy to understand. I like the fact that the game does not take too long to play so we are able to play it in the evening to wind down and I don't have to worry that it can take all night. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the 30 minute tape that comes with the game was hard for us to hear. The sound quality was not that great. That being said, I haven't used my tape player in about 5 years so, it may have been a malfunction on my part. We really have been playing the TORNADO game approximately three times per week since we got it and it is very portable; when it folds up the game board becomes a container for all the pieces.

Overall the Hank the Cowdog products are clean wholesome fun for the entire family. I can't wait for my little boy (who is one) to get a bit older, I see some Hank adventures in his future!
Happy Trails friends............

Web Design For kids (...and curious grown-ups!) Review

2009-08-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given a product by Click Drag Solutions titled: Web Design for Kids (...and curious grown-ups!). I have to admit, I was a bit intimated by this product, basically because I am not too computer savvy and would rather be cooking than learning all about basic HTML. I am happy to report, that I was very pleased with the DVD and felt much more computer literate after viewing it. My children are too young for this particular product (the website gives the age range of 8- adult) and since I was never taught this material, I used the product as a student would.

I would suggest watching the DVD on a TV screen and following along with your own computer. The DVD is 1 hour and 22 minutes long covering 7 chapters. At the end of each chapter the "Teacher" Brian Richardson (who is actually a middle school Computer Literacy Teacher) asks the viewer questions to review and if at any point you don't understand what was just taught, simply go back and watch that chapter again. Brian Richardson has two students in the DVD who are at computers following along with his instructions. He answers their questions and even has them change some parts of the HTML code to demonstrate how important attention to detail is when creating the web page.

As a mom, I can see the value in having my children learn this skill as they get older. Also, as a business owner, I see how this DVD can be a very valuable tool in creating a web page for a business without spending a lot of money hiring someone to design a web page for me. The pace of the DVD was perfect for me as it walked me through step by step the basic lines of HTML Code; Colors, making the subject stand out; creating stand alone tags; designing backgrounds; how to use Fonts and Paragraphs and how to incorporate pictures into the web page. The DVD has the viewers use the computer software called "Notepad" and "Internet Explorer" which every computer that operates in Windows has, so there is no need to purchase any extra software.

You can purchase the DVD Web Design for Kids (...and curious grown-ups!) at the website www.WebDesignforKids.net or you can call them at 1-866-932-9122. They have a 24 hour call center. At the time I am writing this post, the DVD was being offered for a limited time for $19.99 (plus $3.99 shipping and Handling) that is 50% off the regular price of $40.00 (plus $3.99 for shipping and handling). I also wanted to mention that proceeds from the DVD go to charities listed on the website and are also named at the end of the DVD. So if teaching your children (or yourself) how to create a web page was one of your goals for this school year, I would choose this DVD.

Grapevine Studies: Beginner Birth of Jesus Books

2009-08-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

As part of the TOS Review Crew I was able to review the "Beginner Birth of Jesus Books" by Grapevine Studies. My children are ages 7 & 5 so this study was perfect for them. This particular topic was a chronological study of the nativity of Jesus Christ. It had seven lessons covering Mary, Joseph, Birth of Jesus, The Shepard's, The Temple, The Wise Men, and Herod. I plan on pulling this back out right before Christmas to review it again and put the focus back on the Lord during the Holiday season.
According to the Grapevine teaching method the beginner program is different from the other Grapevine Studies Levels in that it "Teaches just the accounts of the major characters and events of the Bible." This method in my opinion was perfect for my children's ages. Even my 3 year old was following along! My children would listen to the Bible passage and then draw a picture representing that passage using a stick figure. Even the artistically challenged: read: me was able to make a beautiful picture. Even my 5 year old felt competent drawing the pictures.

At the end of each topic I would use the review questions to ask what they just learned. If they were not sure how to answer the review question, all they had to do was look at the picture they just drew and it helped them remember. They were able to explain the entire Birth of Jesus to my husband by sharing the pictures with him. The study also has a teachers manual which made preparation time minimal. The study is very hands on and held their attention. The kids loved it, and have asked for more topics, so it looks like we will be purchasing more subjects from Grapevine Studies. Who can say no to that?

This paticular Teacher Study (priced at $14.95 for a hard copy) comes with a Statement of Faith from Grapevine Studies; Teacher Goals; student goals and a supply list (minimal need for supplies). It also gleans the goals and key points for each topic. The student copies for this study were $7.95 for a hard copy. I visited the website at www.grapevinestudies.com and was amazed to see the many products the company carried and many available as E-Books or hard copies. You can also contact them at 1-877-436-2317. They have different studies designed for ages 5- adult and Grapevine Studies teaches Foundational Bible Facts and leaves the application to the teacher so it can apply to a variety of denominations.
My family was richly blessed by this study. We will be ordering other studies from Grapevine Studies. My children loved it and I am grateful for a fun hands on way to teach the Bible.

Quarter Mile Math Review/ Barnum Software

2009-08-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

As part of The Old Schoolhouse (TOS) Review Crew, I had the opportunity to review a product called Quarter Mile Math Deluxe. I was very impressed by this product! Your child/ student chooses either a wild riderless running horse or a fast dragster car. You choose a topic from a wide selection offered, typically one that your child may be having a hard time understanding. Then the games begin! Your child competes against their own best times in a fun game while reinforcing math concepts.
My 5 year old liked playing even though she has had little formal math training, she will be starting Kindergarten next week. I was impressed by the vast amount of topics covered by this game, because it not only covers math concepts but also letters and keyboarding. The parent decides what topic they wish to concentrate on. For example, my 5 year old is learning her vowels and consonants and they actually have a game where she had to type either v for vowel or c for consonant as a letter popped up on the screen. As she got each problem correct her horse would accelerate. The game would last for approximately a minute and at the end of the game, it would tell her how long it took her to finish. Then another game would start and she would compete against the horse that was in the previous race. She found this so exciting! She kept asking for more topics, so we were able to teach her the concept of any number plus one. She was learning addition and having a blast!!!
My second grader had fun with the < > (greater than, less than) topic. She enjoyed running each race and even though the graphics are simple, she found the game exciting because she kept tying to beat her previous time. I see this product as so very valuable to have as a teaching tool in the home, and not just for children who struggle with math concepts. This game is a great way for children to improve on math skills in a fun exciting way. The children can do those math drills that are so necessary for learning math without flash cards, and they can have a blast doing it.

Barnum Software makes the Quarter Mile Math product and can be found at http://www.thequartermile.com/ or 1-800-553-9155. I reviewed the Deluxe version which covers levels 1,2 & 3 or students who are working on a K-12 grade level. The company charges for the Standard version of the Levels 1, 2, and 3 Bundle $89.95, the Deluxe version is just $2.95 per family per month. There are two other Deluxe version subscription options that are less expensive over time. But if someone pays $89.95, that's all they pay and they can use it forever. In my opinion, this is reasonably priced, especially for families who have a wide range of students working at different levels. This one program will cover them all for their entire school career. They do have a standard package which has three separate levels covering grades k-3, 4-6 & 6-9 respectively and are each priced at $39.95. The Deluxe version requires the Internet, but the students never need to go online. The standard package does not require the Internet.
This product is great and I can understand why Sylvan Learning Centers chose to use it for all of their US & Canadian centers.

The Winds of Change- Homeschooling

2009-06-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

This week marked several significant milestones for my family. My Oldest daughter Emily is finishing up first grade and will soon be a second grader! My daughter Jessica just had a little preschool graduation ceremony yesterday and is now officially a kindergartner. Jessica also lost a tooth this week and my one year old son Joshua just cut a tooth this week and finally slept through the night. My third daughter Mary is three (and she is acting like a typical three year old!) Three is the new two! Funny, her behavior is the one thing I would like to change!

My parents are moving out of state this week and my brother who is 21 will be coming to live with us until he can find an apartment. My friend Danielle just had her fourth baby yesterday, she has three boys and now a beautiful baby girl. As of 12:30pm tomorrow afternoon I will be a full fledged homeschooling mom!

I took a year to research and pray regarding homeschooling. Carefully researching my curriculum choices, subscribing to magazines, surfing the web for research articles regarding homeschooling. I ate slept and breathed homeschooling. I ordered my curriculum with gusto and opened it with as much anticipation as I used to open Christmas presents as a child. I organized shelves and cabinets. I sent in my letter to my daughters school letting them know she would not be returning. I daydreamed about the relaxed mornings we will have soon once school is over and the hectic morning schedule is over. Then something funny began to happen. I started crying. Not just a little nostalgia of all the friends we have made at my daughters school, but I mean sobbing, like a baby! My daughter came home with a book of drawings from her friends saying GOODBYE..... I lost it. A year of research went out the window, a year of prayer gone. All my answers went away and I felt terrified. What was I thinking? I am ripping my child out of this environment for my own satisfaction. How terrible, what kind of crazy person was I? My children looked at me rather puzzled, I am not known for crying. Emily asks "what is wrong?"
I answer "I am just nervous that I made the right decision for you, I love you and I want to do what is best for you". Her reply "Oh good, I can't wait to home school, I am so sick of going to school." Her simple words put back into perspective what I took a year to discover. I am sure we will have many terrifying moments along the way, but God directs our paths and when we are in step with God, we are going the right way.

Camp Corbett

2009-06-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This is my first Blog and I have decided to begin blogging because I wanted to share with other people my life experiences, trials and joyous moments. This year marks the beginning of the rest of my life. I know that sounds silly, but I have prayed and made the decision to begin Homeschooling my four children. I am taking a leap of faith! Outside our Church I know only a few people who are Christian and even fewer homeschoolers.

Since becoming a Christian I have been changed and my heart has been brought home to serve my family. After the Lord, my family has become my top priority. If you told me 5 years ago I would be a mother to 4 children, baking my own bread (grinding the grains myself), keeping the house clean (and enjoying it), planning meals, trying to budget and overall manage a home as well as undertaking the task of teaching my own children I would have told you that you are crazy!

I have also been asked this year to serve as a Crew member for TOS Homeschooling Magazine. I will be reviewing home school products. I can't tell you what a honor it is to serve on the Crew and I hope to do it well.

I LOVE to cook and will be sharing recipes and pictures of my "cooking experiments". I can't wait to share with you all the ups and down of parenting four children under the age of 7. So please, pull up a seat around the Bone fire grab some marshmallows and enjoy Camp Corbett!