Stories in Music

Are you a Classroom teacher who would like to introduce your students to Classical music as a way to enrich their classroom experience?

Are you a parent who loves classical music, but find it difficult to get your children interested in listening to it with you unless it is a movie theme written by John Williams?

Are you a Home Educator who is not sure how to begin to add Music appreciation to your Homeschool Program?

Do you want to teach your children about Classical Music, but feel that you do not know enough about it yourself to teach?

If you recognize yourself in any of those categories, then I am here to let you know that help is here from Maestro Classics in the “Stories in Music” series!

I absolutely love the CD that we received to review from this company. We received and listened to the “Tortoise and the Hare”.

You can hear samples of all of Stephen Simon’s creations here:

http://www.magicmaestromusic.com/whatwedo.html

(just click on the picture of the CD you want to select a sample from)

The music for “The Tortoise and the Hare” was composed and conducted by Maestro Classic creator Stephen Simon and played by (one of my favorites) the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The story was adapted by Bonnie Ward Simon and wonderfully brought to life by the narrator; Yadu.

The music and narration were well done and the educational booklet that was included with the CD was appropriate for the ages they were created for (ages 5 and up). What makes it different from some other renditions of these musical stories is that the CD’s themselves contain not only the music and narration, but the background information on the stories and their authors or composers. We found the history part very interesting and the music with the narration was engaging. The musical instruments used by the composer to create the effects and mood of the piece were discussed by the composer/conductor himself.  After listening to this, we decided that the Contrabassoon is one of the coolest instruments in the orchestra!

My 14 year old and I were recently discussing how I had often tried to interest them in classical music beginning when they were very young by using the story of Peter and the Wolf and playing classical pieces in the background or at Christmas time.

She shared her memory of how when she was very small she would jump in my bed in the morning for a “snuggle” and my alarm clock (set to the local classical radio station) would turn on. She told me that she had a “moving picture” in her mind as the music played and it would change as the music changed within the piece.

Music speaks to our souls and to our minds and “Stories in Music” has a lot to say that is of value!

The CD’s can be purchased here for only $ 16.98 each or 3 CD’s for $45.00 with the Coupon code MAESTRO45

http://www.magicmaestromusic.com/index.html

I can say that we thoroughly enjoyed this learning experience!

 Merit K

No money was received in exchange for the review of Maestro Classics Stories In Music - The Tortoise and the Hare, although I did receive the product in order to review it with my children and render my personal opinion as an educator and a parent :)

Do you know the Human Calculator’s Favorite Number?

If you do, you can get a discount on a fun Math reinforcement program.

Mathletics is an entertaining way to reinforce Math concepts that your child is learning from whatever curriculum you have chosen to use. It really is a lot more fun than the typical drills and there are some features with this program that you do not get from those fun free games that are available online. If you have a very Math resistant child, you might want to try this program. There is immediate feedback and encouragement. The student can also track their progress and there is a tangible reward when points are received and when a new game is unlocked.

Mathletics is an online program available from 3PLearning and the games are really delightful. Another really neat feature is the animated Math Dictionary which really helps a visual child to remember the definitions. The student can also perform a search for information and explanations of Math concepts if he is having difficulty understanding what is expected of him. The animated dictionary is a feature that I found particularly enjoyable J There are lots of different levels to chose from and the program does use some automatic leveling. There is also a Parent Account so that you can track your student’s improvement (or so you can figure out that you need to direct him to the Math concept search!).

 Mathletics is available here to purchase: http://www.mathletics.com/ The cost per student is $59.00 UNLESS  you know (because you so wisely read this blog post very thoroughly!) that the Human Calculator’s favorite Number is “9” – then you get the yearly membership fee for only $49.95 (per student) for access to all areas of the Matheletics site 24/7. This company offers a 10 day Money back guarantee so that you can see if it really works for your family.

 For more information about the Human Calculator check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Flansburg

And the next time that you see me, email me or talk to me, if you mention that my favorite number is “13” you will receive “FREE” a huge hug and my undying gratitude for reading my blog!

Matheletics/3P learning provided this reviewer with 45 days of access to the online program in order to test it out on her 10 year old son. My opinions of the product are based solely on my personal experience with the product and that ten year old boy’s input (we liked it J).  No other compensation was received in exchange for this review.

Create, Play and Share

Create, Play and Share – those are the titles on the buttons that popped out at me on the website for Tektoma, Game Tutorials Online. Create, Play and Share games is exactly what my kids were able to do after using these awesome tutorials for the free game making software, GameMaker.

Here is what the website is offering for a membership fee of $14.95 per month:

Engaging video tutorials for ages 7-17

• Tutorials of varying skill levels and topics
• Learn at your own pace in the comfort of your home
• Natural progression helps develop technical skills
• Customize your learning experience
• Low monthly membership fee gives access to all our resources
• New curriculums available monthly

Here is a link to a free preview of the Tektoma tutorials so that you can check it out before you sign up:

http://www.tektoma.com/members/tektoma/adminpages/racing_preview

Once you do sign up, you can try it for 14 day with no obligation. If your kids just aren’t “getting it”, according to the website, you can cancel with in that time and owe them nothing. But I think that your children, like mine, will want to learn more.

We downloaded the GameMaker software package directly to our computer FREE, just as you can. The Tektoma site gave us a free trial membership of three months so that we could try out all their resources and features to help us learn how to make games with the GameMaker software. We received a free 3 Month trial so that we could check out their offerings and let you know if they were totally awesome (or not).

The creators of these tutorials and their website have worked with kids extensively, so the site is very kid friendly and beginner friendly. I felt confident downloading the software through their site knowing that they are taking care to recommend only safe sites. So they care about my kids and my computer!

My daughter has created an arcade game at the beginner level and she really enjoyed it. She was able to use the tutorial with a minimum of frustration and now calls herself a “Geek” J

Not only did using the tutorials limit the kids' frustration level, but my little “Gamers” didn’t have to spend all day, everyday on the computer to create something worthwhile. They were able to accomplish making a game within a very reasonable amount of time as compared to downloading the software and using it on their own.

Well, I am glad that they are having fun, but just how is all this educational, you might ask? Well, someone might!

While my children were using the GameMaker software and the tutorials were teaching them how to make their own games, I observed that they had to use problem solving skills, employ logical thinking skills and there were times when they were just plain learning to be patient while they figured out what they had done wrong. They were extremely creative in making the games and in choosing what characters they would use. Next we have to figure out how to upload the game to the sharing site...

...we never stop learning!

Our family gives Tektoma Game Making Tutorials a big Thumbs up!

Hope you will check them out!

MeritK

(This product was received at no charge for a three month period in order for our family to use the resource. No monetary compensation, or other compensation of any kind was received in exchange for the review of this product)

Here is what the All About Spelling website says about their program:

Why All About Spelling Works

All About Spelling is an excellent program if you are just beginning to teach your child spelling, or if your child needs remedial help. Here’s why it works:

• All About Spelling is multisensory. The lessons involve sight, sound, and touch. Children learn best when they are physically involved in the learning process, so we take advantage of that fact with this hands-on approach to learning and teaching spelling.
• All About Spelling is logical. Spelling concepts are taught in a logical, understandable order. Each lesson builds upon the previous lesson. The sequence has been carefully tested to produce long-term results. And this is as much a benefit to you as it is to your student—especially if you’ve been struggling with how to teach spelling.
• No gaps. This is something that you can trust with the All About Spelling program: your child won’t be left with gaps or holes in his or her understanding of spelling. If there is a reliable rule that will help your child out, we teach it. If there is a tip that will help your child master a certain spelling pattern, it’s in there. And it’s all presented in a very logical order.
• The program is mastery-based, not grade-level based, so when students master a specific concept, they move on. If a child needs more practice in a certain area, we allow for that so the child can really master each concept. There’s no sense building on a shaky foundation, because that will cause spelling difficulties down the road when the spelling words get harder. At All About Spelling, we’ve identified the concepts that are most important for your child to master, and we’ve weeded out any busy work.
• All About Spelling has continual review. As the child learns new material, he or she also constantly reviews previously-taught concepts. We don’t just “teach it and forget it”…we make sure that it really sticks.
• Finally, the program is clear. This means that children are taught what they need to know in a direct manner. They don’t have to guess or come to their own conclusions about the English language.

These techniques have long been used by Orton-Gillingham practitioners, and now they are available to home educators and tutors through the All About Spelling program. All About Spelling combines the very best of the Orton-Gillingham approach with the latest research and proven spelling rules. And best of all, the scripted lesson plans are very clear and easy for you to follow.

This program has helped thousands of kids learn how to spell. And with our one-year learning guarantee, you can be confident in placing your order.

http://www.all-about-spelling.com/

We received the All About Spelling Program Levels One and Two which included both the Student Materials and Teacher Materials, as well as the Phonogram Cards for each level, the Phonogram CD and the Magnetic Letter Tiles to use and review. 

As soon as I looked at the materials, I smiled. This program is very similar to the way that I taught all three of my students to spell. It is a very natural way to learn spelling and it is a fun way to learn as well.

To some extent I figured out that this way worked for us on my own. I wish that I had had these lovely scripted Teacher's books waaaay back then. A decade ago, I didn't know anything about this Spelling Program, but I knew what methods would work (former teacher here!) and began to structure our spelling lessons accordingly. All of my kids spell well, by the way and none of them hated spelling or stressed out about weekly tests. 

I really like this program, although the levels we received were below my kids spelling levels right now, some of it was good review for my 5th Grader and we had fun looking through it.  The prices are resonable, the materials are colorful and professional looking and the activity ideas and teaching tips are great. You can find a price listing here: http://www.all-about-spelling.com/spelling-products.html

Although we received the products mentioned about in order to review them, no other compensation was received and I am not affliated with All About Spelling!

Hope you find this information helpful - feel free to email me if you have any questions, or leave me a comment here and I will get right back to you :)

Have a Creative Week - Merit K

Exploramania is the Company created  by Carrie Scheiner (aka- Miss Carrie on the DVD) Carrie has a really inspirational story about how she decided to start her own company and how she overcame a disability to make the DVD  which you can read in detail here if you would like: https://www.exploramania.com/TheStory.aspx

Miss Carrie’s story can inspire us to do some of things that we have only dreamed about, and her Gymathtics DVD will inspire your young children toward becoming, and staying strong and healthy.

In addition to helping in our quest to stay healthy by finding ways to make exercise a fun activity for our kids, scientific research shows that physical activity actually has a positive affect on our thinking skills.  Once you know that, exercise and Math seems like the perfect combination.

We had a lot of fun with this even though the music was not the style my kids prefer - I thought the bouncy music was a little repetative too, but the workout was enjoyable and we can always wait until later to " rock out"! It was not a really hard workout and it was a neat way to start our day.

The simple exercises and simple math concepts keep the exercise program from being overwhelming to young children and yet keep some of the older ones interested as well. Oddly enough, my son had just asked for a definition of perpendicular lines and she covered it in the video! The Math concepts weren't deep, but I do think that the video effectively reviews some math skills, and gives active kids with active minds a a fun way to review.

If you are interested in adding some more exercise into your daily routine, this 30 minute routine would be a great and inexpensive way to do it and rev up your mind at the same time!

Gymathics is available here for only $24.99 along with some other cute products that follow along that same philosophy of bringing education and healthy activities together in a fun and creative way!

http://exploramania.com/

The Gymathics Video that was sent to my family by Exploracise was received in exchange for my review and opinion on this educational product and no other compensation was received - they are not even paying for my ibuprofen!. 

Merit K

You will probably look as happy as me after you get in some comfy sweats and exercise with Miss Carrie!

I just received this from Catherine Fortin - she has been a real resource for Language teachers and Home Educators and she offers classes as well:

(see link for details on her classes: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/NorthCarolina/744124/ )

My colleague Diane Farrug & I are starting up an exciting resource for homeschooling parents: a free e-newsletter full of free ideas, activities, and printables supported by clear "how to teach" tips for parents.

We realize that what we do, teaching a foreign language takes so much training and experience, and we want to give this to homeschool parents. We also include free videos on how to teach and how to do specific lessons and activities. The days of giving children a Spanish or French handout and not really knowing what to do with it to maximize it are over.  We're here to help.

Here is the link to the sign up for the free homeschool e-newsletter:

http://foreignlanguagefun.com/2009/11/free-nativity-mini-book-in-french-and-spanish-for-homeschoolers/


Catherine F Fortin
http://foreignlanguagehouse.com

This looks Great  - Go Sign up!!!! Merit K

This is a time of year when as a family, we focus on the virtue of Thankfulness. We have been studying American History this year and how even though the colonists suffered greatly in this land they had travel to, they remembered to give thanks to the Lord for the things that they did have- especially their freedoms!

One of the ways that we have always loved to use to help us remember to be grateful, particularly at this time of year, is to make a "Thanksgiving Tree".

I haven't done it this year, since the kids are a little older now, but I used to make a "tree" with branches out of a pattern and some brown construction paper and cut out "leaves" from colorful paper similar to the ones here:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/leaf/leaftemplate.shtml

An easy way to do lots of these leaves is to print them on the computer. You can buy colored paper for the printer. Then have your little ones work on some small motor skills by cutting them out with you.

We put the Tree on the wall with "sticky tack" and then every day, the kids would write something that they were thankful for on a leaf and we put the leaf on or around the tree. When they were small, I made this part of their handwriting practice.

Here is a site that has a craft idea for a really cute Thanksgiving Tree using "handprints" from your kids instead of my leaf idea:

http://www.familycorner.com/archives/familytime/2.shtml

Another clever way to make a "Thankful Tree" is with branches or trimmings from your yard and a bucket or large plastic butter tub. You will need plaster of paris for this tree. Mix the Plaster of Paris according to directions and then fill the butter tub with it. Place the branches into the tub and let the plaster harden (about 1-2 hours) You might need to hold them up for a little bit until they stay upright on their own :0 )

Once this is fully hardened, cover the butter tub with colorful tissue paper or burlap fabric so that it looks "Fallish"

Then attach the leaves by punching a hole in each one and tying them to the tree with a ribbon, yarn or raffia.

The fun thing about the plaster of paris tree is that you can change the covering on the butter tub for lots of different occaisions and make it a Christmas tree or a candy tree, an Easter Tree (you are getting the idea)... so it makes a nice decoration and learning tool in the future seasons as well, depending on what creative ideas you come up with for using it!

Have a creative week full of Thanksgiving!

(and try not to be a turkey)

Merit K

Free Homeschooling History Curriculum – really!

Some of you know that I am a member of the Old Schoolhouse “Crew” (a homeschool product review team). We were recently sent a CD of an American History Curriculum product called “America’s Heritage” that is available to anyone for the asking- FREE.

We were asked to examine and use it and then to post our opinions of it so that you could decide if it was a resource that might work for your family.

 Right now, I am teaching 5^th, 7^th and 9^th grades. Although the CD I received contains all lessons for all the grade levels, I chose to try the High School Level of the American Heritage Foundation’s product since I am using All American History (see my previous review) with my 5^th and 8^th graders.

 “America’s Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty” is targeted for students in grades 9-12 and it provides good information on some of the aspects of our country that other texts may leave behind. This curriculum tackles some tough issues that we are dealing with today, such as the right to freedom of religious expression, particularly in the public schools. It addresses the free enterprise system and some of the heroes of that system, entrepreneurs who had a profound influence on the culture and prosperity of our Nation.

 Here is an excerpt I really liked from the forward of the Curriculum for 9-12^th Grades:

“The Miracle of America: A Revolutionary Idea

In only a little more than 200 years, our ancestors transformed this country from a wilderness into a great nation. This nation demonstrates what can be accomplished by free people who create a government limited to serving the people rather than being their master. The moral and ethical basis of good conduct was derived from the faith that built America. That faith grew from the common belief that each individual is endowed with basic rights and responsibilities by our Creator. That is the foundation of our democratic republic expressed in the Declaration of Independence.”

As I mentioned, the America’s Heritage Curriculum is available free (they can accept donations at their site) from the American Heritage Foundation. It has been valued at around $150.00. The program was developed for grades K-12, as a way to promote good citizenship, and good stewardship of our freedoms. The American Heritage Foundation seeks to do this by educating students about our country’s history.

It seems to be geared towards a classroom setting, but it contains some great kernels of information that both public school students and those that learn at home can benefit from. My daughter and I both loved that the curriculum included the wording of some of our original documents, such as the Mayflower Compact and the Bill of Rights. It did a good job of trying to relate the rights and responsibilities we have today and those original writings which have so clearly enumerated those rights for us throughout our History.

 The High School Curriculum focuses on pointing the student towards the foundations of the freedoms that we have to day. It includes specific Lesson Plans, Templates and soundly teaches students about how our past faith relates to our present freedoms.

 In my opinion, the lessons are a bit dry, but they can really be spiced up by using this along with some living books and the internet. Overall this could be used as a good framework around which you and your student can hang some additional discussions and research.

Did I mention that the American Heritage Education Foundation’s High School American History Program is FREE? You can also request a CD to be sent to you, (also free). If you would prefer to have everything already printed out, this excellent resource is available in a printed our binder format for only $19.50.

It is simple to pay that online: http://americanheritage.org/online_pay.html, or you may mail them a check.

If you just want the free stuff (and there is some good stuff in there) you can download the pdf files or request a CD Here: http://www.americanheritage.org/

There is some helpful information here and the price is right !

Celebrate American Heritage Month in November!

“American Heritage Month gives us all an opportunity to reflect on our roots as Americans from a fresh perspective. It is a time to remember that we Americans have brought with us many different heritages, but we have joined together in this country as one people.

The Declaration of Independence sets forth our fundamental values, and the Constitution serves to protect those values. Our schools, teachers, students, and other citizens help preserve and strengthen the miracle that is America. As Thomas Jefferson said, ‘If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.’”

The American Heritage Education Foundation, Inc.

I truly am Thankful at this time of the year, for the many blessings of faith, freedom, friends and turkey!

Merit K

The History text we recently reviewed, has this eye catching phrase as it's subtitle:  

 "Uniting America's Story, Piece by Piece"

That thought provoking phrase caught my attention on the shiny cover of the lovely new book in front of me.

It is true that puzzle of our relatively young country continues to come together, and there is only one who can see the complete result. But surely, one way we can improve our chances of making sure that the future result is a thing of beauty, is to understand our past and to trust in God with our future.

This History curiculum is one great resource for giving your students the ability to do that. The author truly brings to life the people of the time periods that we are learning about. Being able to read about how things began is an exciting way to relate to some of the things that are happening in our culture in the present era!

For the purpose of this review, our family received this History textbook set free from Bright Ideas Press.The History Textbook's title is ” All American History, Volume One- The Explorers to the Jacksonians” by Celeste W. Rakes.

We reviewed the entire set which includes the Student Reader, Activity book and the Teacher’s Guide. It is available for purchase as a set, for $68.00.

This is a complete curriculum, intended for grades 5-8. The 32 weekly lessons in Volume One can easily be modified to meet the needs of your family or classroom. The accompanying Teacher’s Guide offers many ideas for adding value to your student’s learning experience with creative activity suggestions and research ideas for your older students, as well as suggestions for adapting the material for the younger set, so it works very well either for a Home educator or a classroom teacher.

This book is also perfect for use with a timeline! It includes some of the figures you will need in the back of the Teacher’s Guide – your students can add them to the pages in the activity book and then put those into a timeline notebook, if they like. Bright Ideas Press also sells additional timeline characters in a separate package which are very nice (I use them)  

The Teacher’s Guide contains Lesson Plans, including activity ideas, additional resource suggestions, timeline dates and even a checklist for materials that lets you know which materials are optional and which materials you will be required to have on hand to teach each lesson. The Answer Key for the Student Activity Book is also found in the Teacher’s Guide.

The Student text includes a very good amount of information about the people, places and events that began our American History. The material is organized in an easy to follow chronological format with clear maps and Student Activity Pages in the Student book which make it simple to create your own timeline or American History Timeline Notebook. We found that the Student text is written in a way which is not just informative, but creates interest in the historical events and the people who lived at that time period. We are enjoying this curriculum very much. (not just because the cover is shiny :) 

The Teacher’s Guide offers the teacher guidance in how to use the text as a framework for further research and exploration.

I especially love that the activities included in this extensive Teacher’s guide are more than just “busywork”- they involve them in more learning! There are game ideas, geography and map work, quality book suggestions which are conveniently listed by age groups, and writing assignments which allow for integration of writing skills into your history curriculum.

I have always believed that integrating subjects is a great way to increase both retention of information and enjoyment of the subjects! This textbook does that very well. If you are looking for an American History program for next year, I would suggest that you look into this one. It is very creative and yet logical!

Two thumbs up  from Mom (who is not typically a textbook kinda gal) And two thumbs up from the kids  

Here is where you can find more information or even purchase these books (There is also a Volume Two)

http://brightideaspress.com/?page_id=6

Here there is even Yahoo Group Support for using these texts :

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AllAmericanHistory/

Timeline Guide and figures can be seen here (I really do like these too):

http://brightideaspress.com/?page_id=132 

 Thanks for Reading :)

Merit K

http://www.abcteach.com/

 This is an online resource for preschool- 8^th grade levels which includes some nice educational games, puzzles, pre-made worksheets, loads of seasonal worksheets, custom worksheet generators and clip art to help you make “centers” and custom games (such as file folder games). The website membership allows you to customize your papers for Notebooking or Lapbooking activities as well.

According to their website, they are a teacher’s site that, “With high quality content added on a weekly basis, abcteach is considered a world-class educational resource by its many members across the globe, and one that exceeds the offerings of other websites while offering unlimited access at very competitive prices.”

Membership to “ABC Teach” gives you access to over 35,000 pages of printable worksheets and activities, to abctools, our exclusive custom document generators- plus  really cool clip art  (my favorite)!

I believe that I may be addicted to their clip art section!

Our family's learning style naturally tends to be “non-worksheet” oriented. We lean towards “Hands On” activities, living a Lifestyle of Learning, as well as using lots of "Living books" and natural learning as the framework of our educational plan. Ruth Beechick and Charlotte Mason are my heroines, so you can imagine that I began by thinking that "it just wouldn’t be my “cup of tea”. Although most of what was available, I wasn't able to use, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had a lot of nice things on the site (Wow- not just boring old worksheets -lol!).  

I did enjoy exploring a lot of their membership areas and I found that just browsing, seemed to inspire my creativity.

I came away from the website with some really good ideas to ‘tweak’ for my homeschool! The worksheet generators were easy to use and I liked the idea that you could customize them to use with whatever curriculum or books you choose. A lot of what they had was below level for my kids or I would classify as a little too close to "busy work" for my students. But much of it would be great for a classroom teacher and some of the things would be great for Homeschoolers too.

You could save a lot of money using this website to create your own tests and worksheets for your child, from any textbook.  

In addition, they have many ready made worksheets available in all the subject areas:

Oh how I wish I had access to this stuff when I was a substitue teacher!

They have some really great things you can try FREE on their website as well, so I would suggest that you might enjoy a look around and if you find that you use a lot of worksheets or especially would like to create your own worksheets, you might like to obtain a membership at this award winning site!

The yearly membership fee for ABC Teach is $40.00.  

Just to let you know, the “Homeschool Buyers Co-op” offers a Group Buy price of $20.00 per year (plus the Co-ops’ processing fee of $2.00- it is free to join the co-op). This is available until November 30, 2009. You can find out more about that special price right here:

https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_hsbc_epp_order&Itemid=1203

Many thanks to my fellow “TOS Crew” member, Lisa, at the Berry Patch, http://maineberrypatch.blogspot.com/  for the update on the group discount!

In order to test out their product, ABC Teach provided me with one month's access to the membership area of their website, free, so that I could properly evaluate all that they offer. No other compensation was received in exchange for my review of this website. 

(except, to be honest,  I do get to keep the clip art and isn't that better than money anyway?)

Until next time - stay CREATIVE!

 Merit K

“My Access” Home Edition - http://www.vantagelearning.com/home/products/mahome/

The best way to learn about writing is by doing it. Writing is one of those skills that your children will use all their life. It is one of the most important ways we communicate. The ability to write well is a valuable asset in life, in college and in the work force.  

The “My Access” writing instruction program is a great way to let your students write about many different topics and life experiences! This program teaches, and then allows them to practice Narrative, Persuasive and Informative writing skills.

Each 12-month subscription of  this web-based computer program includes a “parent” account and your choice of  up to six student accounts. It is perfect for Homeschooling Families, or any parent who wants to help their children improve their writing skills.

Whether you love to have your students write about field trips and research specific subjects they are studying on a regular basis, or you just get tired of trying to think of creative writing topics, never fear – “My Access” home edition includes 90 writing topics for three different distinct age groups (8-10, 11-14, and 15-18).

These interesting "jump starters" can encourage reluctant students to begin writing. If your student is already working on a topic in a current curriculum, or if you have a specific topic in mind for an assignment, you can enter a personalized writing topic assignment for that child. This is great for helping your students integrate their learning by allowing them to write across the curriculum and improve their ability to write an informative essay or an imaginative narrative!

The lessons are self-paced and interactive. The online tutorial guides your students in a fun and creative way through the entire writing process: planning, organizing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. The program includes graphic organizers and printables such as a Monthly writing plan to help your student improve their ability to work to a deadline.

Artificial Intelligence technology is used for scoring the student’s writing projects which frees up the time of the Homeschooling parent and can ease the parent child relationship if your child hates to have you correct their writing papers with that EVIL red pen!

The student is given specific feedback regarding their essay right away and then, most importantly, given the opportunity and the tools to improve it.

This artificial intelligence program gives your student writing tips and feedback on the key traits of focus, content development, organization, vocabulary and grammar. Editing and writing tools are all right there for the student to reference quickly, including a thesaurus, grammar-checker, spell-checker, and a word bank to help students vary and develop their vocabulary.

Parents can easily make assignments from the parent control panel and can receive and print out  a report on each student on their own timetable. I found that the settings are very flexible for the age groups and for the student accounts. Additionally the program allows you to set a deadline for the assignments which your students can see at their start up page. This is a great tool for learning how to create a schedule and fosters independence in your student’s learning experience.

My Access Home Edition’s 12 Month Subscription price is $99.95 and this price includes up to six students. You can begin it anytime and it not only can be used as a stand alone writing resource, it complements any existing curriculum. I also benefits you by freeing up your time by correcting your students work, as well as providing access to expert writing tips tailored to your student and convenient tools to them.

Vantage Learning

Right now you can receive a discount on your  http://www.vantagelearning.com/ Enter Coupon Code TOSW9 at checkout and receive 20% off the retail price.

This offer is valid through December 15, 2009.

My students have been slow to warm up to the program, but that is because my main “writer” is already working on the “One Year Adventure Novel” and doesn’t want to take time away from that project. I have figured out how the program works and how to assign her more personalized topics that will be of specific interest to her in her Economics class and her Current Events/Worldview studies so she will be working more with the program this Month!

My boys are learning a lot this year about creative writing and I have been very pleased with the program and will enjoy incorporating it into the rest of our school year.

Just to let you all know, the company let me download the program free in order to review it, and that comes with a year long membership. I do not receive compensation for reviews of any of the products I am reviewing on my blog.

Also, although I love the Old Schoolhouse Magazine and the vendors' products that I have reviewed have been wonderful, I have specifically chosen not to "affiliate" (where you receive monetary compensation for referrring readers to products) with TOS or with any of the vendors that I am reviewing this year so that I can give an impartial opinion on all of these products.

Thanks for Reading,

MeritK

... I promise I will try to keep it "clean" people!

For the Old Schoolhouse Crew (TOS Crew) reviews this year, we have received some unusual and fun items including DVDs, study materials for the SAT and ACT test, nature magazines, curriculum, computer games, the Study Pod, educational games and historical fiction books.

I have learned that I never really know what might be in my mailbox!

Recently, I opened the mailbox and found a box that smelled really good! When we opened it, we found a sampler package of cute little handcrafted soaps from “Virginia Soaps and Scents”.

Adorable Packaging!

The Spargur family asked us to have our families use these samples and to let you know about them. I can tell you that we have used these free products with great enthusiasm! The scents were mild, relaxing and natural and the soaps lasted. (I still have some left!)

 Here is what we used:

Laundry soap kit (real laundry soap – not detergent)

A Soap Sampler which contained sample sized bars of a Ginger Lime scented Shampoo Bar as well as “Coconut Lemongrass”, “Fresh Orange”, and “Oatmeal, Milk and Honey” scented hand and body bars.

The soaps are all made from natural ingredients! They are gentle and non-drying. The scents were very nice. I used the shampoo bar and I even used the soaps for shaving with great results. I liked the fact that these were handcrafted by this Homeschooling family!

Documentation : My Hair After the First Shampoo Bar I ever Used! 

My favorite though, is the laundry soap.

Once we mixed it all up, it made a ½ gallon from our sample kit and it was really easy. If you have always wanted to try making your own laundry soap, you should get the kit and see how fun it is! It really wasn’t as time consuming as I thought it would be. Once the laundry soap had turned into a nice gel, we used it for every load. It was quite an event to see the liquid turn into a gel (I know- we don't get out much-lol!).

I used it on our whites, on damp musty towels, and on jeans with red clay stains from the yard. But the ultimate test was the kittens!  We were fostering some 3 week old kittens temporarily and so I used it to wash load after load of their bedding and boy did it freshen and clean it perfectly! 

 The Ultimate Laundry Test...

Boys and Kittens!

I consider the laundry soap they sell a great value at only $4.95 (plus shipping) for a kit that will make 2 gallons. Tide costs a lot more, has a lot of stuff in it we don't need and doesn't really get my clothes any cleaner. We only had to use ½ cup on each load of laundry we did. I thought that I might need more on the larger loads, but the ½ C. did just as well on the large loads as on the medium ones!

The soaps are also a good value. Natural, non-drying and long lasting- plus they smell delicious! You can get them here http://www.va-soaps.com/vss_004.htm

(Prices for the Regular sized 4.5 oz bars are $ 4.50 each or 3 for $12.00 and they even offer sample sets so you can try all the scents 12, 1.5 oz bars for $18.00)

They have lots of other natural, personal care items that are also made with the same care and attention as the samples that we received.

Some of their items would make wonderful gifts as well! (hint, hint!)

Find them here : http://www.va-soaps.com/vss_013.htm

 PS - I am still using the shampoo bar- I do have to use my conditioner with this because I have that frizzy wavy hair, but I just blow dried it for the picture above and didn't style it at all. I got a couple of compliments on my hair and no one even knew I had changed anything at all :)

 Glamour Girl -Out for now!

Merit K

…it’s the “Amazing Bible World History Timeline” from Bible Charts and Maps!

We have always used various Timelines to go along with our History and Geography Studies because it really does help us to place events into their proper context and chronology. It also allows us to see which individuals were contemporaries (which always surprises me and I really enjoy a good surprise!).  

Using a Timeline along with your curriculum really gives a sense of where things, people and events ‘belong’ in the course of History.

Some of the timelines we have used over the years have been homemade, and some we have purchased. So I was really interested to see what the Timeline from Bible Charts and Maps, would be like. After receiving it to review for the TOS crew, I have come to the conclusion that this sturdy and comprehensive chart is an incredible addition to our study tools!

This laminated wall chart is not made out of poster paper, it is really sturdy. First I hauled it all over our school room to find a good place to put it and I tried putting it up in at least two places before I settled on tacking it to the bulletin board near our Arts and Crafts area. Now it is regularly being pawed over by three kids and a Mom J It looks to me as though it will last through years of this kind of use.  

The timeline goes along well with our “Annuals of the World” by James Ussher and the “Timetables of History“ by Grun, which we are also using.

The chart is a great visual aid and really helps you to see at a glance the timetable of events as recorded in the Scriptures and in secular writings. I like the spiral format of the timeline since it makes it simple to see what was happening in which area of the world during any given time period. It is also easy to compare the events recorded by the writers of Biblical History and contemporary historical events and figures. The Timeline is comprehensive, clear and easy to read giving a true sense of the flow of the history of mankind.

I never wanted a wall timeline because the ones that I have seen are the Banner style and they are looooong! But this timeline fits a “world” of information in a relatively small area, by using a clever spiral to show when world events occurred. It measures 38” by 46” and as you can see from my picture, it just about fits in the area of our Bulletin board. It hangs over a little at the bottom where I used “sticky tack” to hang it.

I am enjoying using it in addition to our other resources and I must say that it is more convenient to glance at the Amazing Bible World History Timeline INDEX (right on the chart) than it is to pull out the timeline books- I may become extremely lazy!

If you order it soon, you can take advantage of the low price of  $29.97 and receive FREE an interactive Holy Land Maps download (lets you see the boundaries “then and now”) and a free digital version of the timeline to download and use on your computer.

If you use a timeline in your Homeschool, or if you have thought about using one, this one is a good choice. It is practical and sturdy, includes Biblical history and chronology alongside other world events and is an easy to read visual aid for your children. The price is very reasonable, as you will see if you compare prices for other timelines.      

This is a resource that I recommend you check out:  

 http://bibletimeline.net/index.html

I do not receive any compensation for my review, other than I get to keep this great Timeline and the freebies that I mentioned above!

Hope you are having a creative week!

MeritK

The "Workbox", that is !

Sue Patrick’s Workbox System User Guide

by Sue Patrick

The Old Schoolhouse Review “Crew” or TOS crew received this e-book to review, and as with all the products we received the e-book free to read and evaluate. Sue Patrick requested that we be willing to actually try out her system, and not just review the book. So, after glancing through the book to see what I would need, I loaded up the kids, and headed to the Walmart Super Center for supplies. Everything that I purchased to do the “system” for one child, totaled around $45.00, but you could do it for less, or you could spend more depending on your budget. I decided to try this out with my youngest first, since he is the least resistant to change!

Sue Patrick has written a very helpful “Manuel” for her system, but this guide includes many other tidbits of information and suggestions for your Homeschool. The author has a good grasp on the way we learn and provides much insight into ways to improve our Home Education Programs. For those of us who often feel we get "off track" with our independent learners, this is a system that can help us get back where we need to be. For those who are just starting out in their Homeschooling journey, this is a system that can help to smooth your way.

This book provides much more than a system that helps you to get more done (although it will do that). She frames her educational philosophy for you, which can help you to ‘flesh out’ your own educational ideas. Her “User Guide” is laid out in a very logical way that is easy to understand. She gives good step by step directions on ways to improve your child’s ability to be independent and to encourage them to be proactive in their learning.

Much of what she recommends that pertains to students with special needs can also be applied to learners with regular needs. I loved her emphasis on how we need to be sure that we are teaching our children “how to learn” and how to organize their work space so that they can be productive. The skills that they learn now, will serve them well in the future too!

Her website requires that you be a registered user (book owner) in order to access and download materials and forms that are not included in the e-book, but there are sample pages from the book available here: http://www.workboxsystem.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/booksamplesuepatricksworkboxsystem.pdf

The e-book that we received costs $19.00 and the print copy of the book is $19.95 (plus shipping). The author has a variety of packages that you can purchase, including one with personal consulting charges, and some with pre-made items and supplies that you will use if you do not want to make your own and if you use the system exactly as she recommends.

Now I will show you how we are using the system in our Homeschool J It is a little different from the way that she recommends and I am sure that if you decide to try her book and system, it will look a little different at your house too since all our families and children (and space issues!) are not the same.

Getting the Boxes Ready: I used clear plastic pockets so that I can change the numbers when I want to. You can also use velcro to attach the numbers to the boxes.

The Boxes on the Shelf:

The basket next to the shelf is where the items or books go when my 10 year old (aka the Guinea Pig) is finished with them. Some of the books, like the Math books, are going back into the boxes because we use them every day.

In the picture above, you can see that we have our cards and our schedule all together so he can see at a glance what needs to be done. This means that he can start his work whenever he is ready and go on to his next task without waiting for me to tell him what is next!

This enables me to help one of the other children with their work, or get a much needed task done while they are working independantly. I think that I am going to expand this to the other children now that we have discovered what a good system it really is for us. My oldest is hesitant to try it, but I really do think that it will apply well to a High Schooler!

Well, I will keep you posted and you will be able to see how it works for my High School Student on my "Mission Possible" Blog :  (http://cre8tivehome.wordpress.com/) where I will be blogging specifically about teaching High School at home!

Signing off for now - Merit K

... Well, I know how you can find out ...

It’s Ohio, in the year 1858 and young Sarah is about to experience a tragedy that will change her life. Instead of dwelling on her own pain, she seeks out ways to alleviate the pain of others. Sarah is a sensitive, likeable and believable character that we enjoyed getting to know between the pages of a book that the author asked the Old Schoolhouse Magazine (TOS) Crew to review.

“Sarah’s Wish” is the first book in a series of exciting books written by Jim Baumgardner. The stories are historical fiction written by a lover of history, and the characters in the stories are based, in part, on the author’s ancestors.   

Author Jim Baumgardner, Keeping History alive for us ...

Throughout the story, the author gives interesting details about the time period, such as descriptions of items which we now think of as very old fashioned! He also includes a glossary of terms so we were not left to determine what the mysterious word meant only by the context of the story.

As I read aloud, we all learned more about the lifestyle of that era. We chuckled at Granny’s use of homey phrases and humor. We were sobered by the descriptions of the deprivation and abuses of slavery. The characters in the book deal with death and loss in a sensitive way. Death is presented as the believer being ushered into the presence of God and thus, opens opportunities for you to talk to your students about both death, and living with such a loss.  

The books are about a spunky girl, but most boys will like them too since there is lots of adventure, and Sarah is an optimistic person with a lot of initiative. I read these aloud with my boys 10 and 12 and they stayed interested in the story line and action. Older students will enjoy reading this book independantly and perhaps researching more about the period before the Civil War in the United States. Younger students can listen and learn too!

The lovely drawing above is Sarah, as depicted by Ruth Rawlings of Augusta, Kansas.

The book, “Sarah’s Wish” is available from the author, at this link for only $9.99 with free shipping and handling: http://www.sarahbooks.net/index.html

The copy of the book that I received free to review also came with a free download of the audio book as well (what a nice surprise!) and it is really good. It is read by an expressive young lady who “does the voices” very well J This 4 CD set is also available from the author for just $16.99 at the link above.

I just want to say, that I really liked the book, as much as the kids did. I think it was because of all the discussions that ensued! You may not have an many “talkers” in your family as we do, but the story and the history of antebellum times, really struck a note of interest with the kids. Exploring the author’s wonderful website was just as educational as reading his book!

 You can check out information on the history of Sarah’s era here: http://www.sarahbooks.net/ugrr.html

 You can also read more about the author, the other books in his series and even sign up for a “Sarah” e-newsletter like we did!  

http://www.sarahbooks.net/the_author.html

BTW: I received this book at no charge from the author, so that I could give my candid opinion of the product based on personal use with my family in my Home Education Program. No other compensation was received and I am not an employee of TOS nor am I affiliated with any of the companies whose products I am asked to review. I just do this for fun, and for the chance to let you know about some of the really creative new products and some good old ones that you might not know about yet!

May God Bless - Merit K