Jun. 30, 2010 Welcome to the TOS Homeschool Crew's Official Blog!
The TOS Homeschool Crew is ready to set sail on our second voyage - this one will be a full-year long! We have 100 new members, along with 33 Crew Mates who have returned for another year. We're looking forward to a very exciting year, filled with great products, informative reviews, and lots of fun.
We're glad that you are here! This blog will serve as the "hub" for the Homeschool Crew. Here, you will find information about each and every product that we will review, along with links to all the many blogs that contain Crew reviews. Simply click through the links to see what our Crew members have to say about the products you know and love, or the ones you're most curious about. We've got a wonderful line-up of products this year (please refer to the Vendors on Deck list in our sidebar).
As the captain of the Crew, I'll be steering our ship through some uncharted waters this year, but am looking forward to smooth sailing. If you have any questions about the Crew, please feel free to contact me at any time throughout the course of our voyage.
PLEASE NOTE - The Mr. Linkies are for CREW MEMBERS ONLY!
Please DO NOT SIGN unless you are a Crew Member, posting a link to your review.
A special note to VENDORS - If you are interested in using the Crew's services as a means to help spread the word about your products, that's great and we'd be more than happy to help you. Please DO NOT go down through our list of reviewers and solicit reviews on your own. You need to go through our sales team at TOS in order to set up reviews through our Crew. If you know who your sales representative is, please contact her. If not, please e-mail me and I will point you in the right direction. |
Comments (1)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Dec. 23, 2009 Math Tutor DVD
Math Tutor DVD is returning for a second voyage with the Homeschool Crew! I must say that this was one of my favorite vendors from Year 1, simply because it helped my oldest daughter (who hates math) better understand Algebra concepts. Jason Gibson, the man behind Math Tutor DVD, is an excellent tutor! (You can read his credentials here.) While he is very modest, I think he's something special - anyone who can take difficult math concepts and make them understandable and fun is pretty great in my book!
 Year 2 Crew Members will be receiving a copy of the Basic Math Word Problem DVD. Year 1 Crew Members already reviewed this DVD here. This DVD sells for $26.99, and contains approximately 8 hours of teaching time. It covers topics such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing whole numbers, decimals, and fractions; as well as covering percent, ratio, and proportion. You can learn more about this DVD, and see screenshots, at the website.
 In addition, all current Crew Members (which includes returning members from Year 1, and all new Year 2 members) will be receiving the Young Minds Numbers and Counting DVD. Young Minds is new to the product line at Math Tutor DVD. It sells for $19.99 and is targeted at preschoolers. Young children will learn to count from 1 to 10 while listening to classical music and viewing interesting and entertaining photographs and videos. You can view a sampler video here.
Crew Members - please sign the Mr. Linky with the name of the title that you are reviewing (or put "both" if you're reviewing both of the above-mentioned products). Thank you!
|
Comments (0)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Dec. 23, 2009 Jean Welles Worship Guitar
The Crew has had the wonderful opportunity to review two products from the line of Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class series. For more information visit www.WorshipGuitarClass.com, and the reviews of the TOS Homeschool Crew, linked below. WorshipGuitarClass.com offers all ages the opportunity to develop talents and gifts through simple step by step instructions. Students can easily learn their favorite praise and worship songs from Masterfully trained, worship guitarist, Jean Welles. She considers it her purpose to enjoy her God and to help others know how great He is. She received her Master's in Guitar Performance from USC.
We received Volume One Book and DVD set for Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class. Some crew members will be reviewing the Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class for Kids, also on DVD.
The DVD formats come with combined English and Spanish. Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class is a tool for Christian churches and worshipers in over 60 countries. It is sold online and in over 1500 stores. The lessons are also available in VHS format in English or Spanish. Each volume contains around a dozen new chords, half a dozen new strumming and finger-picking patterns with 7 familiar worship songs. With the set of all 4 DVD's you will learn 28 songs, over 50 chords and over 20 strumming & finger-picking patterns. The lessons can be used individually or with a group. Students learn many tips on playing the guitar with much less excess effort.
You may access an audio of all lessons, download the music, and watch the first lesson for free here. Also check out these options on viewing the guitar class for kids. Be sure and sign up for the free newsletter when visiting the site. There are many free articles and free videos at the site as well. Join the over 100,000 who have learned to play and worship with these lessons!
PRICES:
$24.95 each DVD
$99.80 for the set of four DVD's. ($40 Bonus eBooks available free with set of 4.)
JW Worship Guitar Class for Kids $29.97.
|
Comments (0)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Apologia is another vendor that we are proud to have returning for Year 2 with the Crew. If you've been homeschooling for long and have not heard of Apologia, you must be living under a rock! In my personal opinion, they are the leader in homeschool science curriculum.
Last year's Crew members had the opportunity to review several Apologia science products. You can read those reviews here. If you'd like to learn more about their science curriculum choices, you can see the elementary curriculum choices here and the junior high and high school level choices here.
This past year, Apologia Educational Ministries has undergone some changes and has added some new features to their ministry. One new addition is the Apologia Academy, which offers online classes for your students in the areas of Bible, Apologetics, and Worldview. Apologia Press offers curriculum and parent resources.
The entire Crew will be receiving The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell from Apologia Press. Here's some information about the book (taken directly from the website):
 Debra Bell's best-selling manual has been revised and updated for a new generation of home educators! This indispensable resource belongs on the shelf of every family taking part in home-based learning. Inside you will find:
- Six ingredients of a successful homeschool
- Subject-by-subject guidelines and program recommendations
- Keys to unlocking your child's learning potential
- Ten ways to motivate the reluctant learner
- Creative solutions for burnout, budgeting, and managing your time
This new edition includes a guide to using the Internet and new technology in your home school. You will also get the latest information on teaching middle school and high school courses, including a list of academic contests and competitions. Tips on multilevel teaching and engaging toddlers and a resource guide with up-to-date contact information round out this amazing tool!
Read the reviews of this book here:
|
Comments (0)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Dec. 18, 2009 Kregel Publications
In my work with The Old Schoolhouse Magazine over the past several years, I've come in contact with various book publishers that I've come to know, trust, and love. Kregel is one of those publishers.
Some of my very favorite books from Kregel include the Circle C Adventure Series by Susan Marlow (titles include Long Ride Home, The Dangerous Decision, The Family Secret, my personal favorite San Francisco Smugglers, and the soon to be released Trouble with Treasure) and The River Series by Stephanie Reed (titles include Across the Wide River and The Light Across the River).
 Many of our Crew members have received a copy of Bertie's War - a new title from Kregel. Barbara Tifft Blakey's name is familiar in the homeschool arena, as she is also the author of the Total Language Plus series.
Everything has been going wrong for Bertie lately.
No matter how hard she tries to do and say the right thing, Bertie keeps tumbling into embarrassing--and sometimes dangerous--situations. Her stern father has too many rules, her know-it-all sister won't stop teasing her, and her mischievous younger brother keeps getting into trouble. But what makes her really afraid are those Communist missiles pointed right at the U.S. As Bertie starts seventh grade in the fall of 1962, news of these missiles throws the nation into a panic and Bertie suddenly feels completely out of control. Can Bertie confront an ugly truth about herself and face her fears--once and for all?
Please take the time to visit Kregel's website and check out all the great books they have available. Then, check back to see what the Crew members have to say about Bertie's War.
|
Comments (3)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
We at the Homeschool Crew LOVE our repeat vendors! Kinderbach is one of the vendors who has returned to work with us again for Year 2. (If you would like to see what the Year 1 Crew had to say about Kinderbach, please click here.)
Kinderbach is an online music curriculum for preschoolers and early elementary-aged students (ages 2-7). All you need to effectively use Kinderbach is your computer and an inexpensive keyboard or piano. There is no musical background required to effectively teach this course. And your child will learn to play real, familiar tunes! This photo montage will show you a sampling of what you can expect from Kinderbach:
You might also want to view this video to learn more about Kinderbach at Home.
KinderBach teaches by video but does not let the children become mind-numbingly complacent. Each session gives an opportunity to participate in a variety of ways often with activity pages. Games, puzzles, puppets and music are played through hands-on printed PDFs. Learning is concrete and tactile.
Each member of the Year 2 Crew will be sharing their thoughts on Kinderbach here:
|
Comments (0)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Dec. 18, 2009 MathScore / Accurate Learning
MIT graduates set out to create an online program that would provide adaptive math practice to students. The result is MathScore, a mastery-based program that has been proven to raise test scores.
MathScore targets grades two through Algebra I, though it can be used by first graders, and certainly can provide drill to older students as well. There are suggestions for topics by grade level, but you (or your student) can choose which topics to work on.
Looking at the Grade 3 topics, there are not only your standard math facts, but also topics such as weight conversion, unit cost, and quadrilateral types, for a total of 57 topics. Grade 6 includes math facts, plus proportions, decimals to fractions, restaurant bills, congruent and similar triangles, batting averages... 86 topics in all. High School includes a total of 69 topics covering basic math facts and algebra I topics such as absolute value, trinomial factoring, applied linear equations, and nonlinear functions.
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. Each member of the Crew will be trying and reviewing MathScore. Be sure to check back and read what they have to say about it.
|
Comments (2)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Dec. 12, 2009 Maestro Classics
I love the idea of combining music appreciation with great storytelling, and Stephen Simon and his wife Bonnie Ward Simon have done an excellent job of combining these two arts in their Maestro Classics series. Borne out of the Stories in Music series, this creative team debuted at the Kennedy Center. The Simons decided to expand their innovative music series so that children everywhere could enjoy listening.
8 CDs combining classic literature with great symphony orchestra music are currently available at $16.98 each. An additional 3 gift sets including books are also available. This entertaining and educational series has earned several prestigious educational awards, but you can see below what the every day "experts"--real homeschooling families and their children--think of this series.
Over 100 of the Homeschool Crew families received The Tortoise and the Hare CD containing over 53 minutes of music as well as story. Other available products include:
Peter and the Wolf
The Story of Swan Lake
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Casey at the Bat
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
Juanita the Spanish Lobster
Juanita la longosta espanola
|
Comments (13)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Dec. 4, 2009 All About Spelling
We are excited to welcome All About Spelling back for Year 2 with the Crew! Throughout this review year, All About Spelling will be sharing various products with the Crew members for review. (You can see last year's homeschool curriculum reviews for All About Spelling here and here.)
I love the easy points shared on the All About Spelling website, explaining why this program works so well (for beginners and/or remedial spellers):
- It is MULTISENSORY (hands-on)
- It is LOGICAL (easy to understand)
- It contains NO GAPS (every rule and helpful spelling tip is included)
- It is MASTERY-BASED (don't move on until the current concept is understood and "mastered")
- It contains CONTINUAL REVIEW (so that previously learned concepts are not forgotten)
- It is CLEAR (direct)
- It contains SCRIPTED LESSON PLANS (making it simple to teach)
This year's Crew members will be reviewing the Level 1 or Level 2 program (unless otherwise noted in the links).
 
Be sure to check back often, as this post will be updated with more products and MORE REVIEWS!
Crew Members: Please sign the Mr. Linky with the product/level being reviewed. Thanks!
|
Comments (11)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Do you want to learn how to make video games?
Tektoma offers you this:
• 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
All materials, projects and forums are moderated for appropriate content, language and graphics that are suitable for even young children. Come explore Tektoma's online video tutorials and inspire your tech imagination!
Price: Just $14.95 per month or $140 per year gets you access to all the tutorials as well as online help via the forums.
Free Membership Opportunities:
• Free 14-day trial
• Earn free membership time by telling your friends
Requirements:
• Windows XP or Vista (Mac versions coming in the future)
• Broadband internet connection
• For GameMaker tutorials, you need a copy of GameMaker software installed.(Lite edition is available for free.)
Homeschool Crew members received access to this website for review. You can read their thoughts on Tektoma here:
|
Comments (7)
Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
|
