My Hummingbird struggles with spelling. It has been a source of frustration to her for the past three years. She's one of those kids who just doesn't seem to "get it."

When Dan from SpellQuizzer contacted me about trying out the SpellQuizzer program, I thought it would be a great opportunity for Hummingbird to use it and see if it would help.

Before I could download it, T-Rex had some more health issues, so the program sat in my inbox for a couple of months. If I had known how much Hummingbird would like it, I would have downloaded it right away. 

Finally, last month, with the school year officially ended and our schedules a little more relaxed, I had a chance to download the program. I live in the middle of nowhere and I have really SLOW dialup so it took awhile to download. That isn't SpellQuizzer's fault, that's my slow dialup's fault.

Once I got everything downloaded, I recruited my 15 year old son, Rocker, to help me set everything up since I'm not as tech savvy as he. Turns out it was easy enough for me to understand on my own. SpellQuizzer gives great, simple step-by-step instructions even the most technically un-savvy can understand.

SpellQuizzer is set up where parents can make customized spelling lists in their own voice. If your computer isn't equipped with a microphone, you will probably have to buy one for about $10 - $15. You also might need to use microphone boost in your computer to enhance the sound well enough to hear the words properly.

I don't know if it was my computer or not, but I had trouble with sound quality (probably my computer). But - there is a solution for that! You can type in your own clues and sentences for the spelling words. That's what we have done, and it's working really well. Rocker is having a great time coming up with clues and sentences for Hummingbird's spelling words.

Something that impresses me with the SpellQuizzer program is its simplicity. This is a quality program that delivers what it promises without adding a bunch of bells and whistles.

Since Hummingbird has ADHD, she needs something like this - simple, with minimal distractions. Although she still struggles with spelling, SpellQuizzer gives Hummingbird ample opportunity for word repetition, recognition, and re-spelling missed words.

• It is a reasonable, one-time investment of $29.99, for a single license. Family pack (for up to 5 PCs) costs 49.95. Homeschool groups and school districts can contact Dan for pricing for their groups. A CD-Rom is an additional $7.50.

•  (You may have to make an additional purchase of $10 - $15 for a microphone to record words.)

• It has neat little noises you can (or not) activate for correct and incorrect spelling. I downloaded the Hallelujah Chorus for Hummingbird. You should hear her giggle when she spells a word correctly! And by the way, we're starting to hear a lot more "hallelujah" than "uh-oh" around here lately.

• If you need ideas for spelling word lists, you can find a ton of ideas on the SpellQuizzer website. They have frequently misspelled words, words by grade level, nouns, holidays, religious, U.S. States, and many more!

• You can share words with your homeschool group or classmates. It's very easy to import and export lists following SpellQuizzer's simple instructions.

• It can be customized for different children.

• It has a little feature called "Tip of the Day" which gives you little tidbits on enhancing your SpellQuizzer experience. There's a funny one in there, too (but true): "You should never run while holding scissors!" 

• Once it's downloaded, it doesn't require an internet connection to use. (A real plus for those of us with slow dialup) 

My General Impression of SpellQuizzer:

• This would be a good investment for a family with multiple younger children of different ages. At some point, I will be able to try this with T-Rex. Since he likes computer programs, I have a feeling SpellQuizzer will come in very handy for him.

• We plan to use this throughout the summer and the upcoming school year to help Hummingbird practice her spelling. Although we are trying to be pretty relaxed regarding curriculum and whatnot, I think SpellQuizzer will be something we use often to reinforce Hummingbird's lessons. I plan to make lists from her history studies, geography, literature, etc. just to help solidify the words in her mind.

• If your child thrives on quizzes, this program would be a good fit for your family. We aren't religious about quizzing, so I'm neutral about this, but it's great practice for Hummingbird!

• This is great for homeschool or charter/public school children. This list sharing option makes it especially helpful. Parents can even get the lists from their kids' teachers. If your child is in public school, this is a really good way to stay involved in your kid's homework. Kids could support each other and parents could keep up to date on homework and what everyone is spelling from one week to the next.

• SpellQuizzer is versatile enough to be anything from an intensive spelling program to summertime/after school practice. It really is up to the parent and child's creativity and personal needs as to what they want to do with it.

• For our family, SpellQuizzer is a good help and supplement to strengthen Hummingbird's spelling skills.

• Dan is extremely helpful when I contact him with questions. He has always answered my emails promptly. I would definitely give his customer service 5 stars!

For more information on SpellQuizzer, visit their website at www.spellquizzer.com.

To see what my fellow crew members thought of SpellQuizzer, click here:

Back in the days before I had children and became a stay at home mom, I never listed "organization" as one of my strengths on my job applications.

Even now, after 15 years of parenthood, and 4 years of homeschooling, I really try. . . but for the most part, I'm just not super organized.

When I saw the new Schoolhouse Planner was available, I really wanted to try it, but I balked a little at the price of $39.00. After having a chance to review the Planner, I can tell you, the price is worth it!

You get a year's worth of helpful forms for all aspects of running your home and homeschool in 375 packed pages. The first thing I noticed when thumbing through the planner was the weekly planner for 4 children. I've always wanted to have something like that, but never could figure out how to do it without the page being too busy. This is a great "at-a-glance" page to help me organize lesson plans and assignments for the week.

Attendance charts, records of library books (what I checked out and when they're due), and many more helpful pages and forms will really help me keep my homeschool in better order this year! Even if I don't use all the forms, I have gotten some great ideas to put into practice in my homeschool and home management.

Another favorite in my homeschool forms is the preschool section. Since I have only homeschooled for 4 years, I have my first homeschooled preschooler this year. I need ideas for a relaxed approach to introducing concepts to him. Jolanthe Erb's ideas for a preschool box are incredibly helpful, affordable, and easy to do! The preschool planner, list of educational activities to do with your preschooler, and practice forms round out a great start to teaching your preschooler!

"Hummingbird", my scientist child, loved the pages about weather, clouds, and planets. These pages are going to be a great springboard into some interesting science unit studies that I am planning to do with Hummingbird this year.

I also found the lap book instructions extremely helpful and easy to follow. I think lap books might be a tremendous help to Hummingbird. She loves anything "hands on".  I am glad I have an entire section walking me through each step of lap booking.

"Rocker" loved the history and government pages. I think these may be a good start for independent study projects for him. I also found lots of helpful information for myself. This treasure of pages helped me brush up on long-forgotten facts. Very interesting!

"Sport"  loves to cook, so she can't wait to try the recipes in this planner. With recipes for each month from July to June, she'll have plenty of practice! The GFCF Teriyaki Chicken Recipe on page 59 is my favorite, so far. It caught my eye because we are trying to shift "T-Rex" to a GFCF diet and it is sometimes difficult to find affordable, good tasting foods for this diet. T-Rex loved it - and if a 3 year-old gives it a thumbs-up, you know it's good!

The 2009 - 2010 Schoolhouse Planner is an e-book, which means you save paper and energy since you can pick the pages you want to print. Very convenient!

I could go on forever about this great planner! It is well worth the money spent, because so much of the information contained within the pages can be used year after year. It's so much more than just a calendar - it's a personal assistant!

You can get your own "personal assistant" by visiting The Old Schoolhouse Store. Hope you enjoy your 2009 - 2010 Schoolhouse Planner as much as I do!

What in the world are WeE-books? Well, they’re e-books, created by TOS that cover popular articles that appeared in previous issues of TOS magazine. They’re very affordable (only $1.95 each), eco-friendly (they’re e-books), and they are full of helpful encouragement, practical information, and inspiration.

            I recently had the opportunity to read three of TOS’ many WeE-books, and I am hooked!

            After being a subscriber to TOS for two years now, I am a fan of anything written by Deborah Wuehler. She’s real when she writes about family and homeschool challenges, triumphs, and ideas. I respect the advice of anyone who raises and homeschools eight children ranging in age from an infant to a homeschool graduate. She knows her stuff, family-wise and academically. That’s why I downloaded a copy of her WeE-book, Lincoln vs. Darwin: What’s the Difference?

I wasn’t disappointed.

            Lincoln vs. Darwin is a goldmine of information comparing and contrasting two men who had a tremendous impact on history and on the world we live in today. Interesting facts, such as “Views of Freedom” and “Views of Life” are covered in this rich history resource. I found these sections particularly interesting when I discovered that Lincoln was mostly home educated while Darwin received his educational training in an institutional setting. Could this have been a factor in Lincoln’s and Darwin’s opposing views on mankind and God?

            A copy work and resources section makes Lincoln vs. Darwin an excellent study tool for your history and/or philosophy program.

            The second WeE-book I read was 10 Big Reasons Not to Send Christian Kids to Public Schools by David d’Escoto. This book is a perfect encourager to have on hand for those days when you feel like you just can’t do it anymore!  This book reminds me just why I decided to take my children out of a system that has wiped all memory of God from its "hallowed halls."

           10 Big Reasons. . .  contains practical, economical, moral, and spiritually sound apologetics for keeping our children home where they belong.

          10 Big Reasons Not to Send Christian Kids to Public School is a resource you will want to share with your friends and anyone who asks, “Why do you homeschool?”

            The last WeE-book I read, Are Parents Really Necessary? A Guide to Preschool Education by Amelia Harper appealed to me because I am currently under pressure to put my soon-to-be three year old son, who is on the Autism Spectrum, in preschool. This well-written article in defense of the parents’ roles as most important in their preschool children’s education encouraged me that I am doing so many things right. Amelia Harper takes the National Education Association’s agenda, common myths about preschool, and sorts out the truth in a clear and parent-friendly manner. 

     Are Parents Really Necessary also contains some fantastic ways parents can teach their preschool age children.  No fancy equipment or certificates required. . . It's just real life situations and loving your child! This is a must-have for parents who are facing the questions and pressures of “should I place my child in a public preschool?” I highly recommend!

            You can find these WeE-books and many more at www.theoldschoolhousestore.com. Enjoy reading and let me know how you like the books you find!

One thing I love about all things TOS is they inspire and help equip homeschooling parents to teach their children with heart and excellence, while maintaining the “everyday.” Homework: Juggling Home and School Without Losing Your Balance, an e-book published by TOS, is no exception.

            Homework is a helpful, encouraging guide to more effectively managing your home, school, and home-based business.

            I am a writer – it’s in my blood, and always will be. I have always wondered how I could turn what I love to do into a way to help my family while staying at home and teaching my children. An entire section of Homework is devoted to encouraging the writer with heartfelt stories of “how it happened for our family”, and how we writers can do it, too. A personal favorite of mine is “Writing, Editing, and Printing at Kapt Pen Publications” by Gail Kappenman.

            I identify with the Kappenmans’ challenges in educating children with special needs, so I was immediately interested in Gail’s account of educating a child with Asperger Syndrome and one with dyslexia. She is very inspiring in a simple, direct way. Bravo!

            I also appreciated Gail’s honesty when she described the bumps in the road her family encountered on their home-based business ventures. Knowing that other families encounter obstacles when finding the right “fit” when it comes to home based businesses helps stave off the inevitable discouragement when our own efforts don’t turn out quite as planned.

            If writing isn’t your thing, there are plenty of sections for other business ventures, such as computer/internet based, sales, and another personal favorite, “Raising Critters and Kids" by Annette Vallenga.

            Another aspect of this book that I just love is the families are REAL. They don’t paint rosy pictures of perfect schedules, immaculate houses, and shining, happy kids who just stepped off the cover of the “My Family is So Perfect” magazine (which, by the way, isn’t a real magazine that I know of. Anybody out there have perfect families? J)

            This e-book is well worth a space in your resource library. Check it out at www.theoldschoolhousestore.com !