Oct. 12, 2009 Bonnie Terry Learning
Last year, while working with the Crew, I was introduced to Bonnie Terry Learning - a company that specializes in helping parents and teachers help those students who are struggling in various areas. I'm excited to announce that Bonnie Terry Learning is once again sharing products with the Crew for review.
One of the new products from Bonnie Terry that Crew members will be reviewing are:
 The Math Zone - Memory and Math Concepts Game
The Math Zone builds basic math skills while students have fun! Watch their math grades soar as they practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in ways you never have before! Students learn math facts as their point totals grow and shrink.
Other products, that were also reviewed by last year's Crew are:
 Five Minutest to Better Reading Skills (Student & Teacher Books)
Five Minutes to Better Reading Skills turns your child or students into confident readers in five minutes a day with these 45 phonic reading drills. Perfect for anyone with short attention spans; spend only five minutes a day in individual or group lessons leading your child or student to success. This reading approach has proven to be very effective for all ages. The approach improves reading through visual and auditory learning.
In this spelling program, students learn how to spell over 500 of the most frequently used words in the English language. By using this step-by-step method, your child or student will be able to spell thousands of words. Using visual, auditory, and tactile modes of learning, they are sure to learn. It is phonetically and sequentially based. It also strengthens visual perception through the puzzles and other exercises that are provided. There is a structure to English, and if we teach spelling according to the structure, everyone can spell!
Practical 10-minute exercises, students will soon be on their way to higher test scores, improved writing skills and more! Spiral-bound workbook features reproducible activities and tips to help students organize information, take notes, make comparisons and write essays. Includes reproducible planning calendars, test taking tips, research paper organizers and more!
The Writers Easy Reference Guide takes the pain out of learning to write! The Writers Guide is 12 pages packed with tips, hints and short lessons to guide your child or your students through the sentence, paragraph, essay and letter writing maze. The hints and insights will improve the clarity, complexity, and quality of writing for students ages 7 to adult. INCLUDES: Paragraph Writing Hints, Essay Writing Hints for the Four Basic Essays, Steps of the Writing Process, Words to Make Your Writing More Interesting, Common Prefixes, Suffixes, and Root Words, Grammatical & Literary Terms, How to Write a Bibliography with examples, and much more!
I'd encourage you to check out the Bonnie Terry website for more information on resources to help you better teach your child(ren). Here's what the Crew has to say about the product(s) they received:
(Crew - sign with the name of the product you are reviewing. Thanks!)
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Technology is an amazing thing. The world of electronics and media is changing and evolving so quickly that it's hard to keep up. I think that, sometimes, homeschoolers tend to shy away from technology - maybe because they are scared of it, or because they don't want to get caught up in all the ways of the world. But, I think that the philosophy of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" definitely applies when it comes to Educaching.
Jason Hubbard, 5th grade math teacher and the creator of Educaching seems to agree with me. His idea is to use the things that are available to us these days as teaching tools. And, I think it's a great idea! We all know how quickly kids pick up on things (much quicker than adults, most of the time!) So, why not use these technological advances to promote learning.
The concept of Educaching is much like Geocaching. which I've heard lots of homeschoolers talking about. Use a hand-held GPS system to promote learning. The Educaching manual teaches exactly how to do this in a step-by-step manner, including notes for teachers and lesson plans and blackline masters that can be copied for classroom or personal use. Though the target audience is a school setting, these activities can easily be incorporated for homeschool families and/or co-ops.
If you'd like to find out more about Educaching, check out their website. While there, be sure to download the free samples and try it out for yourself. Now, I'm off to go hide some educational treasure and set my coordinates - you'll have to read what the Crew has to say about Educaching here:
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Sep. 21, 2009 Nature Friend Magazine
Children have an inborn sense of wonder and excitement about nature. They love being outdoors, picking grass, watching animals and birds...most of them even like bugs! We homeschoolers can capitalize on that interest as we teach our children about the natural world, and Nature Friend magazine is here to help. With full-color photos and articles about animals, weather, and all things nature, Nature Friend can guide parents through science topics that kids of all ages will love.
Each issue offers intriguing articles and first-hand stories, crossword puzzles, trivia questions, and reader-submitted photographs, drawings, and questions. Each Crew Mate has received the August and September issues of Nature Friend along with their supplement Nature Friend Study Guides. These guides provide additional word puzzles, research ideas, tips on nature photography, and even writing lessons. The Study Guides help parents make the most of the educational information in Nature Friend.
Nature Friend is unique among children's nature magazines because all the information is presented from a Christian, Biblical perspective. God's hand in nature is honored throughout the magazine. The magazine's first issue was published in 1983 by the Brubaker family. Nature Friend is now published by Kevin and Bethany Shank of Dayton, Virginia. They describe Nature Friend in these words:
We are a children's magazine the whole family, including the grandparents, can enjoy. We publish twelve issues per year, six of which are gently nudged towards an older age. They are the January, March, May, July, September, and November issues. This is easiest to observe by the two-page art lesson that goes a bit more in-depth than the one-page lesson. While 8-16 may be a nucleus, we publish drawings by 3-4 year olds and quotes/writings from parents and grandparents.
Please check out Nature's Friend for yourself - then come back here and read what the Crew has to say.
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Sep. 14, 2009 Sue Patrick's Workbox System
Have you felt overwhelmed and dismayed about the progress of your current method of teaching? Do you need something to simplify your daily subject matter into bite-sized portions of information? Then the Sue Patrick Workbox System may be the perfect solution for you.
Sue describes her method as having a two-fold purpose:
“The first component teaches you how to optimize the benefits of homeschooling. [Noting that] often a child's ability to succeed simply depends on having the material presented in smaller pieces that are especially tailored to him. Also, presenting his material throughout the day with variety and enhanced teaching 'angles' will make sure he truly learns. ” And the second component of the Workbox System, “…will allow you to teach your child more effectively, and at the same time help you to better organize your school day. Children using this system stay more focused and are more successful in learning and completing their school work independently.”
Within the pages of the Sue Patrick’s Workbox System User Guide you will find chapters covering: the Benefits of Homeschooling, How We Teach and Train, What the Workbox System is, Who the System is for, How a Day Works, Curriculum and Material, Breaking Down Curriculum for Success, Life Skill Foundations, the built in Discipline of the Workbox System, Problem Solving and Specialization of Your Child’s Education, Family Dynamics and Homeschooling, and Tips and Tricks and Problem Solving. The purchase of the book allows the buyer to access several forms to download, along with the option to obtain further consultation with the author.
You can glean more information regarding the actual system itself, by watching the explanation video posted on Sue' site.
To help you begin your workbox experience with all of the necessary components, you can purchase a variety of resources. The User Guide is available inyour choiceof eBook or paperback for $19.95 or the book with 4 months of Consultation for $119.95. For those who do not have the items necessary to create the cards, forms and schedule strips, try the pre-assembled Material kits for 1 ($12.75) or 2 ($24) children.Center packages for grades 1-3, 3-5, and 4-6 are also available for $40 each set.
And three different Complete Starter Packages can be purchased as well.
Several of the Crew members received the eBook version of the Sue Patrick’s Workbox System User Guide, along with access to downloads on the site. Some families have already been using this system, while others are brand new to the concept-making for a variety of useful reviews that will help you decide if this system is right for you.
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Sep. 12, 2009 Good News Express from Passkeys Foundation
The Passkeys Foundation is a 501(c)(3), 509(a)(1) non-profit organization founded by Mr. Russell Williams. The "Passkeys Foundation has developed innovative values and character education programs for children, youth, and adults and the business community. The programs include: the Kids of Character educational program for elementary school children; the national Laws of Life Essay Contest for high school students; the innovative Mentoring For Character program engaging high school students interacting with elementary students in the classroom to present character themes; the Ethics In America Awards program honoring business and professional leaders; Outstanding Character Educators of Orange County; The Finish Line, Parenting To Build Kids of Character and BridgeBuilders Contemporary Grandparenting to Build Character and Citizenship in Future Generations."
Crew Members with preschoolers will be receiving 1 of 4 books in the Good News Express Series. "Good News Express features warm, character-building stories that come to life with engaging character voices, musical scoring, and catchy, original songs that your children will sing again and again. Topics include: Cheerfulness - Friendship - Thankfulness - Sharing."
Crew Members - please sign the Mr. Linky with your blog link AND the name of the book you received to review. Thanks!
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Sep. 12, 2009 The Amazing Bible World History Timeline
Have you ever wondered what was happening in the rest of the world at the time of Moses or maybe David? Have you ever thought about the fact that the Bible is not written in chronological order? Do you know which came first - Ruth or Esther? What about Noah or Abraham? David or Solomon?
Learning the order in which things took place is very important. Finding out what was happening in world history in relation to the events that are recorded in the Bible is equally important. The easiest way to learn this and commit these things to memory is by having some sort of visual aid to put all the events into perspective.
That's where the Amazing Bible Timeline comes in!
Using this timeline will open up a whole new world of understanding (both Bible and history) for you and your family! Do you notice the different colors and overlaps? By looking at this timeline, you will discover that "Noah lived up until after Abraham was born (and Noah's son Shem was still alive in Isaac's youth)". Did you know that "Daniel and Confucius lived at the same time"? You would if you had this timeline! You'd also know that "Homer (the Greek poet) and Solomon lived in the same century". Tying these events together will not only give you a new understanding of history, but you'll also enjoy it more!
How big is this timeline? BIG! The picture above doesn't do it justice, so here's another one to put it into perspective for you:
Members of the Homeschool Crew will be receiving a copy of this timeline for review. (I've received mine and am looking for a place of honor to hang it in our dining room/schoolroom. It will be so nice to have it in easy access, so we don't always have to look things up in a book or on the internet.)
Along with the purchase of the Amazing Bible Timeline, customers also receive access to free Interactive Maps of the Holy Land (these are available via download). Additional bonuses include: Genealogy of Jesus Christ in two beautifully designed formats (in .pdf form for printing), and a .pdf file of the Amazing Bible Timeline (to be used on your computer).
Crew - share your thoughts here:
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Sarah Books are the creation of author, Jim Baumgardner. Mr. Baumgardner had an interest in writing his whole life; but it wasn't until he was 59 year old that he had his first book published - Sarah's Wish.
Young Sarah's mother has been helping slaves escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad. When her mother passes away, Sarah has the huge responsibility of taking over her mother's role. " Sarah's Wish invited you to enter the 19th century world of secrets and broken promises, runaways, and slave catchers, colorful gypsies and noisy riverboats, and Granny. Although Granny's hilarious dialect and lively antics are sure to keep you laughing, not all is happy. Emotions take a ride as Sarah's big wish appears hopeless. But when life is at it's darkest, the butterflies come!"
Member of the Homeschool Crew have received Sarah's Wish to review. Since the publishing of Sarah's Wish, Mr. Baumgardner has written two more books in this series - Sarah's Promise and Sarah's Escape. You can read excerpts from all 3 books here. If you would like to sign up for the Sarah's Web Newsletter (delivered to your e-mail inbox), simply send an e-mail to sarahbooks@cox.net with "send newsletter" in the subject line.
Crew Members will link to their reviews below:
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Sep. 7, 2009 Bright Ideas Press
If you've been homeschooling for any length of time, chances are that you've heard of Bright Ideas Press. If you haven't, then it's high time that you do. It will be the honor of the Crew to introduce them to you . . .
This year's Crew members will be receiving a large variety of products from Bright Ideas Press to use in their homeschools and to share with you. Below is just a sampling of what the Crew will be receiving. I hope that you will hope on over to the Bright Ideas Press website and check out all of the products that they have available.
 Illuminations is Bright Idea's Press newest product, and their foray into the Language Arts arena. So far, 2 volumes are available. Here is what BIP has to say about Illuminations:
* Practical – you will not find any assignments to “write a ten page treatise comparing and contrasting 6 major world religions” or “build the Great Wall of China to scale out of cereal boxes and recycled tires.” We are R E A L homeschoolers who recognize that there is more to life than academics.
o Our schedule also runs on a FOUR DAY school week! This allows for:
+ Co-ops or outside classes
+ Projects, experiments, field trips
+ Catch-up days
+ Real life!
* Fun – no, not all education is “fun” but we want to help you build “fun time” into your schedule. For some, this could simply mean having a great read-aloud and discussion time, for others it might be making costumes out of left-over fabric and duct tape, or enjoying ethnic cooking together. We want your family to build F U N memories of your homeschooling years!
* Affordable – save money by purchasing programs that are:
o multi-grade
o multi-year materials (re-usable, non-consumable)
Lastly, we believe Illuminations will be Encouraging as well. We are on your team to encourage and equip you to diligently train and teach your children in the way of the Lord! Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)
 One of my personal favorites from BIP is The Mystery of History (vol. 3 is pictured here). My oldest daughter has gone through all 3 volumes (currently available) and has developed a love for history that now rivals her mother's!
Complete, chronological, Christian – The Mystery of History ties together both secular and Biblical history in an easy-to-use and easy-to-understand format. Three of four volumes are finished.
 Looking for American History? BIP has that too! It's called All American History and is available in 2 volumes/sets. I am currently working through Volume 1 with my 5th grader, and loving it!
Volumes 1 and 2 will take you from Explorers all the way to the 21st century. Written primarily for 6th – high school, it can also be adapted for younger children.
 BIP publishes the Christian Kids Explore . . . science series. This series includes books on Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Earth & Space. We used the Biology book from this series last year and I was very impressed (which is saying something, since I'm not a huge science fan). This series is great for elementary grades and requires very little teacher preparation time. It's a great combination of reading and hands-on activities.
Other things that you'll see the Crew reviewing are:
Hands-on Geography
A Young Scholars Guide to Composers
Gifted Children at Home and From Basic to Baghdad
and others ...
Crew Members - please sign the Mr. Linky with your name and the product (or products) that you received to review (initials are fine).
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Aug. 27, 2009 College Prep Genius
Do you have a high school student preparing to take the SAT (or PSAT)? Are you looking for a way to prepare your student to take this test with confidence and success? Or maybe you have a child who has already taken one of these tests and was disappointed with his/her score. Do you believe it's possible to raise that score by 600 points?! It is, and here's how:
Experience COLLEGE PREP GENIUS, the test prep course that has helped thousands of students from public, private and home schools improve their test scores by colossal numbers. With nearly a decade of seeing results, this unique and pragmatic approach to test-taking has revolutionized the way students all across the United States prepare for the SAT. COLLEGE PREP GENIUS contains original techniques to help discover the logical patterns of standardized exams and continues to emerge as the next big thing in test prep.
The College Prep Genius program comes complete with everything you need to guarantee success on your SAT test - a textbook, a workbook, and the "Master the SAT Class" dvd. They are currently offering this package at a 30% discount, so you'll definitely want to check it out. While at the website, be sure to sign up for the e-newsletter (with your e-newsletter subscription, you'll receive a copy of the FREE report - "Good-Bye Student Loans - Hello Free College").
The Crew will be sharing their reviews/thoughts on this product here:
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My Access is an online writing program from Vantage Learning that will help your student become more motivated in the area of writing. This will create confidence and better grades. Students' essays are graded instantly by the program's powerful scoring engine.
To further understand how this program works, I'd encourage you to watch these demonstration videos. These videos will more clearly show all the many capabilities of this program and give you an idea of the benefits of using this program in your homeschool.
If you have a resistant writer, or you feel that you are not adequately equipped to properly grade or critique your student's writing assignments, this might be just the program you are looking for. It will work alongside any current writing curriculum you are using.
Our Crew members will be reviewing the My Access: Home Edition here:
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