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I was given the opportunity to review the cutest book: Nana Star & the Moon Man by ee publishing & productions. The package arrived with both the Moonman Lovey doll (which is super-soft and when you squeeze him, he lights up and plays a song from the story). In addition, the book came with a CD that told the story and the "music" of Nana Star.
This book is the second one in the Nana Star series where Nana Star is trying to take a baby star back to his home in the heavens: Nana Star is ready to bring the lost baby star back home where he belongs, but the world has gone to bed and she feels scared and alone. With help from a new friend, she learns that she is never alone, that the Moonman is always watching over and guiding her, even when she can't see him. The Nana Star books are really beautifully illustrated and the theme surrounding this one is how to be helpful and strong despite being scared and lonely. My 7 year old daughter really loved the book. She didn't care too much for the Moonman Lovey doll (although I thought he was really cute), but I think a younger child would absolutely love it. My 10-year old son wasn't too interested in the book (he's really into the military and aircraft) so this wasn't particularly up his alley. However, I did find the book to be engaging, especially for younger children - maybe toddlers through pre-school. I really like that the website has so much extra information that ties into the books. My daughter really wanted to play the games, etc. but our computer connection isn't always the fastest so we had a hard time getting the game to work. However, if you have DSL or another high-speed connection, then you wouldn't have any problems at all. The website activities are a great way to fully enjoy the book and all the messages of kindness, generosity, etc. that are highlighted in it. In Summary:
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The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is celebrating the one year anniversary of its digital edition. If you don't currently subscribe to TOS, this is a great way to get the magazine - straight to your in-box! Digital subscribers enjoy the many benefits of digital, including:
The digital edition is created simultaneously with the print edition, but instead of waiting weeks for delivery, you'll be connected with your digital magazine in days. You'll be notified by email when each issue is ready! The regular price of TOS Digital is $16.95 per year. However, TOS is celebrating its first anniversary with some awesome savings and FREE gifts. Order today before the price goes up!
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Are you looking for a way to teach music to your children? Afraid the cost will be too high? Don't have the money to pay for an expensive instrument let alone the classes themselves? Times are tough these days, but there is another way to teach your children music - even learn the piano! Kinderbach is a great way for your children to learn the piano - without leaving home. The only item we had to purchase was an inexpensive keyboard. In fact, I even went to Freecycle to find our own children's keyboard so it really didn't even cost us any money! If you're not familiar with Freecycle, it's a group you can sign up with (check out their website to find a group in your area) and then you can post your needs or wants (or even offer items up for others to come and take) to see if others have that item they no longer need and they give it to you. It's a great way to help others and also to find what you're looking for! Anyway, Kinderbach is really designed for children ages 2-7 (pre-school age) with online piano lessons. Each lesson lasts about 10 minutes (or less) and each week has about 4 lessons. The lessons are all web-based and some lessons include printables (for the children to color or use during the lesson). There are a total of 60 lessons (for about 2 years worth of instruction). Children learn music notes (quarter note, half note, etc.), finger placement, rhythm, piano terms, and also learn a few songs! We really enjoyed this program. It was a fun addition to our homeschool. The only problem we had was that with our satellite connection we weren't always able to do the lessons because sometimes the connection was really slow. But, we simply waited until it was fast and would then do several lessons in one day. Some of the lessons were hard to hear as Karri (the owner, musical instruction) was speaking over music and the music was slightly louder than her voice. Other than that, it was really cool and super easy to follow along. My children are 7 and 10 and even my 10-year old son loved it. In one lesson we were supposed to have rhythm instruments (like thick sticks). We didn't have any but my creative children found other household items that they could use instead and the lesson went great. In summary:
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One of the products we’ve been reviewing is Building Thinking Skills – Level 1 by The Critical Thinking Co. Now, I’m a little biased because I LOVE the products that Critical Thinking creates. Of course, I love puzzles and games and to me that’s what Critical Thinking provides … games that intrigue the mind – creating new ways of looking at information. I feel my brain constantly whirring when working through their books with my children. When I say games, I don’t necessarily mean “games” but more like mental puzzles (which are games for me). Does that make sense? Level 1 is for grades 2-3 and works on logical thinking, similarities & differences, sequences, classifications, analogies, antonyms & synonyms, spatial awareness, vocabulary development & much more. This particular book develops vocabulary, reading, mathematical reasoning, and analytical skills. I’ve been working hand-in-hand with my 1st grade daughter through this book and she seems to do fairly well. She likes puzzles & games, too, though. There were a few spots that the material was a little ahead of her, but we worked through them together and for the most part she did fairly well. My 4th grade son really liked the material as well. He flew through it a little faster than my daughter did. However, I must say that some of the material made him think a little harder and longer than usual! The beautiful part is that my children are learning while having fun. I definitely recommend any of the Critical Thinking books for your homeschool. They are well worth the money and Level 1 is also reproducible – so if you have multiple children they can all utilize the same book. In summary: ö Price: $29.99 ö Overall:
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 I’ve had the opportunity to review the Peterson’s Handwriting Curriculum. They have many options to choose from to help your child with handwriting. We were given the cursive writing set for 4th-8th grade. The set includes, the Teacher Handbook, Pupil Book, Cursive Position Guide, Pen, and a CD with animated letter writing guide. There was quite a bit of reading to do to familiarize myself with the Peterson Method – which is really based on fluid movement – a rhythm of writing. We started on paper position, the correct way to hold the pen and then worked on a few basic strokes that when put together correlate into cursive writing. The process is really broken down into bite-size pieces and each day is broken down into about 10-minute lessons – very do-able in any homeschool. In working with my oldest (he’s 10), we discovered that our biggest hang-up was proper paper position & hand placement. Both of my children are left-handed so there are a few choices on paper placement and hand position for left-handed writers. Once we got that down, the handwriting itself started to look better – and that was before we had really even started writing cursive! My daughter (she’s 7) also wanted to learn to write cursive, so I let her sit in on the lessons as well. They both seemed to enjoy them for awhile, but then when we’d get into a few harder strokes (at least for them), it became frustrating because they couldn’t get their cursive “s” to look anything like they were supposed to. We ended up stopping at this point because they would get so frustrated and nothing I could do to help was working. I plan on going back to the Peterson method when we start back in school after the first of the year. Unless you’re already familiar with the Peterson Directed Handwriting Method, it takes some time to learn the methodology and thought behind this program. Based on the few lessons we did, it makes sense to me – especially the paper position and hand/arm placement. That alone seemed to really help us. Rand Nelson, the creator, is also extremely helpful. Before we even received the program, he was very helpful in getting us started on some exercises in order to prepare for the first few lessons. Talk about wonderful customer service!!! There are also several links and pages and “webcasts” on the Peterson-handwriting website to get a better understanding of This program may not be for everyone, but I do think it’ll be very beneficial to my children in the long run. Some children pick up cursive writing pretty quickly and it takes awhile for others. We’re in the latter part and it takes us time to go through and learn proper cursive writing. My goal is for it not to be frustrating but enjoyable so that my children will WANT to continue to learn and practice. ö Price: $38.55 for the o Includes: student text, teacher manual, handwriting songs CD, animated letters CD, Peterson Position Pen, and paper position guide ö Many lessons / grade levels to choose from to help any age / writing level ö Up-front time-intensive as far as getting prepared for the text / lessons (to understand the methodology and plan for the material) but only 10 minutes a day after that ö Overall: |
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My son loves PC games. I mean, he just LOVES them. He especially loves the military games that have all the military aircraft, hovercraft, etc. He’s also very interested in all things military – mainly the vehicles and aircraft. He studies military aircraft – literally. He purchased a book not too long ago about the vehicles/aircraft that the Special Forces use. He can tell you all the details and specifics of what helicopter carries how many people, when it’s been used in battle/wars, etc. He drowns himself in the military! At one point he wanted to join the military (never decided which branch) and that’s all he talked about for YEARS!! Let me say that he’s now 10 years old and he was seriously talking about the military for the past 6 years (I’m not kidding). At any rate, about a year or two ago he started talking about programming video games – military games in particular. In fact, he has several composition books of drawings, ideas, layouts, etc. of the games he’s planning to make. While it’s sometimes hard to get him to write a book report, he will sit down for quite awhile and write in his Super Top Secret Video Game Books. He’ll ask me to draw him pictures of aircraft he wants to use along with their details/specs. Seeing such determination and passion in my son, I was determined to get him started in the right direction so that he can start his programming career. You know how we homeschooling moms are! I did a lot of research and found the best fit for our needs: Motherboard Books. There are a few options to choose from, but since my son was 9 (about to be 10 at the time), I wanted to start him on something that he could do on his own (well, mostly on his own). We started with the program: Logo Adventures. It’s designed for children between the ages of 8 and 12 and it uses an MIT software program called MicroWorlds. Phyllis Wheeler, the mama behind Motherboard Books, has done a tremendous job of breaking down the concepts of programming into steps that are easy to follow and understand. I program in Lotus Notes for my work and it’s difficult sometimes for me to understand what I’m doing. However, with MicroWorlds and Phyllis’ instructions, it’s a joy!! My son really enjoys programming. He’s been learning how to draw shapes, move the “turtle” forward and backward, turn him around using angles and position him differently on the page. Logo Adventures has 13 drawing lessons covering: ö Simple lines and squares ö Stop signs and E's ö Clocks, ö Tessellations: figures that fit together like floor tiles ö Drawings and collages too. In addition, it has 13 animations lessons covering: ö A silly story about a giant scared by a small person ö A simple board game, " ö A crowded park scene ö A bouncing ball that draws a clown face ö An animated birthday card, full of shooting stars There are times he gets frustrated because he doesn’t understand, so I’ll step in and help direct him, but for the most part he really enjoys and understands what he’s doing (on his own). I’ll also test him occasionally to make sure he understands what he’s learning. For those things that he’s having a hard time on, we go back through them until he gets the concept down and can move forward again on his own. If your child is interested in learning how to program then Logo Adventures is a great place to start. I would highly recommend it for your child. It’s definitely been a winning experience for my son (who plans to start his own gaming company that he’ll pass down to his children and grandchildren). Those are his dreams and ambitions! Who am I to stand in his way? Check out Motherboard Books. You won’t be disappointed! In summary: ö Logo Adventures, programming for children 8-12 ö Cost: $89.98 for MicroWorlds 2.0 (unless you have Windows Vista or a newer Macintosh, then you have to purchase MicroWorlds EX and it costs $128.99). ö Very understandable and easy to follow ö Self-paced program ö Uses MIT-created software ö Overall: |
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Learning takes place through many avenues: reading, writing, researching, practicing, playing, drawing, worksheets, real-life experiences, etc. One way to incorporate all of these into learning is through the use of puppets. It’s a visual tool that can help your children remember stories, ideas, facts, etc. Through playing, they are learning. It’s a great concept and one that many homeschooling families strive to achieve. For our family, we play board games to help us learn and remember, or even use MadLibs for grammar practice. It’s fun and they love it! Puppetools is a website designed to help parents, teachers, students learn through playing with puppets. The Puppetools Mission Statement embodies exactly what they hope to achieve: "… to open the door to sweeping change in education by advancing the principle of play in teaching and learning.”
In addition, the Puppetools website states that "with its revolutionary ‘play language’ and play-based communication system, Puppetools equips teachers with the tools and know-how of play-based communication in classrooms ranging from pre-K to college-level foreign language and teacher education. With that being said, puppets are a great way to solidify a learning concept – maybe something that you and your child have been working on but can’t seem to master. Through the use of play and puppets, perhaps there’s a different way to learn, understand and remember! Puppetools.com has tons of puppet design templates that you can choose from to help get you started. The website walks you through how to create your own puppets using paper, glue and scissors and displays what other families/school rooms have done. In addition, there are some great ideas for uses of puppets in your homeschool. In summary: ö Cost: Two subscription types: o 60-day trial offer: $20 o Regular subscription: $99/year (with up to 30 different users) ö 1 year to train and master Puppetools - the "Language of Play" ö Access to: o Puppetools' online Educator Work Area o Puppetools' exclusive practitioner video library o Extensive research on play and education o Hundreds of puppet images, concepts, and patterns o o Their global community forums - learn with teachers around the world ö Put Puppetools to work in just days--for many it's just overnight o Learn fast, flexible puppet design and construction--in just minutes o Discover how a single paper hinge creates a limitless resource ö Engage playful, energized conversation for lessons and activities /all grades ö Use puppet know-how and techniques without acting, scripts, or theater ö Effectively harness Play and spark motivation, participation, and receptivity ö Discover the deep impact of play on students and teachers
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Crayola Art Studios is the new digital draw and paint program from Core-Learning. This is an AWESOME program! We have had so much fun drawing pictures and painting “stained glass”. My children ask to do this every day. So, while I’m working with one child on schoolwork, the other gets to draw and paint with Crayola Art Studio. You can use crayons, markers, colored pencils, water colors and many other drawing/painting tools to create computerized masterpieces. The tools are so realistic that the paint looks like paint and the crayons leave texture like real crayons. It’s pretty cool. We now have many pretty pictures (all unique) saved on our hard drive. You can even import photos, making this like a kid-friendly version of Photoshop (to some extent). Core-Learning also has a few other programs they offer in addition to Crayola Art Studios. These other programs are designed for elementary and middle school children, focusing on the basic curriculum areas of Health, Math, Language Arts, Thinking Skills and Science. My children really enjoyed the Health for Kids Series. We started with the program about our bodies and learned about our mouths, throats, etc. It was very fascinating and interactive with little tests, menus to go through, etc. In summary: ö Cost for Crayola Art Studios: $29.95 normally, appears to be on sale for $24.95 ö Digital draw and paint program ö SUPER-EASY to use for all family members (not just the older ones) ö Download a demo and try it today! ö Overall: |
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Do you want your children to help with more housework? Not sure how to get them started? Some families have a set system already in place…a method that works for them. Others may just be starting to put a system in place – at least a system where the kids can help. If that describes your family, then you may want to check out the following series from Trigger Memory Systems: ö Bedroom Cleaning for Kids ö Laundry for Kids ö Zone Cleaning for Kids Each of these laminated flip charts lays out in a step-by-step process how to clean a bedroom, kitchen, the living room plus how to do laundry. If you’re looking for a way to introduce the art of cleaning, this could be the system for your family! The question is: Do these flip charts work? Well, let me put it to you this way. My children (ages 10 and 7) thumbed through the charts, settled on the laundry chart and ran with it. I asked that they come to get me after completing each step so that I could see how well they understood (and followed) directions. They gathered the laundry, sorted the laundry and by the time they came to get me, the water was already filling the washing machine! I must say, they followed the directions quite well. Only a few clothing items were in the wrong piles (i.e. whites in darks, colors in whites, etc.). But, it was only a few items…nothing monumental for their first time. Once the laundry was finished, it’s still my responsibility to put the laundry on the line as our clothes line is really high and they simply can’t reach it. However, they do put their folded clothes away. Now, they do help fold the clothes when I use the dryer and bring the clothes inside for folding. Anyway, that’s a different story. I’m really excited to see how they handle the remainder of the charts now that they’ve tackled laundry. But, I like to take things one step at a time in our household otherwise we all get confused and lost!
The other product from Trigger Memory Systems for review is Times Tales Made Easy. Unfortunately, my oldest son already knows how times tables really well and my daughter isn’t ready to learn her times tables (although I think this product will do really well to help her). I wish I could review it but I don’t like to post reviews without having fully tested the product and I can’t do that in this case. However, I can tell you that Times Tales Made Easy is geared to help students master the upper times tables – the tricky ones (3x6, 3x7, 3x8, 3x9, 4x6, 4x7, 4x8, 4x9, 6x6, 6x7, 6x8, 6x9, 7x7, 7x8, 7x9, 8x8, 8x9, 9x9). And, according to their website, most children can learn these facts in two 45 minute sessions. This set also comes with bonus division flashcards. It seems like a really good deal and I can't wait for my daughter to be ready to learn these times table math facts! . In summary: ö Bedroom Cleaning for Kids Price: $7.95 ö Laundry for Kids Price: $7.95 ö Zone Cleaning for Kids Price: $17.95 ö Buy all 3 Cleaning Flip Charts for $29.95 ö Times Tales - Times Tables Made Easy (with bonus division flashcards): $29.95 ö Non-consummable products - can be used again and again! ö Overall: |
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There are a multitude of math programs available to homeschoolers these days. What was once an intimidating subject to teach has become teachable (yeah!). Some math programs use manipulatives and DVDs, others use textbooks and still others utilize the internet. ALEKS is one of these programs. According to the aleks.com website, it’s a “web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system”. Basically, it uses an assessment test to determine what your child knows for a given grade (i.e. 3rd, 4th, etc.). Once the system understands what your child knows or needs to work on, a program is generated for your child to learn. Some of the items are review questions and others are new material. After the assessment, your child’s skills are tracked through a pie-chart. It updates each time your child masters a topic. For example, my son is 10 years old and is learning 5th grade math. After he took the assessment, it said he knew 17% of the 5th grade material (which is probably good considering we’re still working on 5th grade math and haven’t gotten too far into it). My son’s pie-chart was divided into 5 sections: Whole Numbers, Decimals, Fractions, Algebra, and Geometry. Then, those pie sections are divided into 2 sections: what your child has mastered and what your child still needs to learn. If you click on the pie, it’ll give you the sections to work on. As your child goes through the lessons, there are review questions. If your child needs help on a certain topic, they can click the “explain” button for that topic and there’s material for your child to read through to understand what’s being done. There are several times to review and learn the material before your child “masters” it. You can also have them keep “reviewing” until you think they’ve mastered that topic. Parents can review their child’s progress and see how much time they’re spending on math, what they’re focusing on, etc. It’s pretty neat. Aleks will even send a Progress Report to parents via email to let them know how their child is doing. To be quite honest, I like the program. It’s very interactive and easy to understand. This would be a great program for independent learners. If your child needs more hands-on work, then they may need something that uses manipulatives – in which case this wouldn’t be the program for your child. However, you can also print out worksheets in case your child likes worksheets or needs more in-depth work before moving on. And, there may be times when your internet connection is slow and you need worksheets to keep moving along. I also like that I can track my son's progress with special reports, schedule tests, etc. It's like being a teacher's aide while the teaching is done through ALEKS. i definitely like to be involved in my children's education (which is another reason we homeschool) but this program allows my son to start working independently, which is pretty important.
In addition, my son really liked the program. He actually enjoyed doing math! Well, he usually does enjoy math, but during this review he actually ASKEd to do math. The probem is that we’re already invested in another math program for this year and can’t afford to pay monthly for this program. In a perfect world, it wouldn’t be a problem. We’ll definitely consider it for next year, though. I would have tried the review with my daughter but she’s in 1st grade and this program starts with 3rd grade. In summary: ö Cost: $19.95 per month, per student or $99.95 for six months or $179.95 for 12 months. ö They also have a family discount plan. ö No textbooks – everything is online ö For grades 3-12 ö Unlimited on-line access for PC or Mac ö Perfect for homeschoolers ö Sign up for the free trial! ö Overall: |
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I was at work yesterday while hubby stayed home with the kids and homeschooled them. He is a much different teacher than I am ... much more laid-back and easy-going. I'm a lot more structured than he is. The beauty of it is that our children get the benefits of both styles of teaching. He gets them more physically involved in their work - like jumping up and down, going through the house and identifying nouns, acting out verbs, etc. The kids love it! So, while I'm at work yesterday I get a call from home. He has Lauren doing basic sentence diagrams with adjectives, nouns and verbs. It's amazing. Then, my husband wrote 3 of his own sentences and had the children tell him what the noun was, the verb, the adjective and they discussed punctuation and capitalization. So, then he has the children write their own sentences and draw pictures, etc. I'm giving my wonderful hubby a HUGE "YEAHH!!!" He's done such a wonderful job with helping fine tune the mechanics and understanding of something my oldest was still struggling with. I need to take lessons from my hubby! He's a wonderful man and I'm very blessed (so are the children) that he's so involved with their homeschooling. It's wonderful! |
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Do you know of someone who is? Or, do you need a “back to basics” approach to your homeschool? I know just what you need. Terri Johnson of Knowledge Quest has created the “Homeschooling ABCs”. Starting from the very beginning of the homeschooling process, Terri leads a new homeschooling family through the “ABCs” of homeschooling. The very first lesson, Lesson A: 10 Steps to a Great Start in Homeschooling, starts with the proper way of removing your child(ren) from public school. Of course, every state is different, but she gives you step-by-step instructions on what to do and how to go about doing it. Part of the lesson includes a sample “unenrollment” letter along with a few copywork pages to get the new homeschooling family started. Here is a list of the first eight lessons: ö A Quick Start: 10 Steps to a Great Start in Homeschooling ö Let’s Begin with the Basics ö Copy the Classroom – NOT! (Organizing your learning space & schedule) ö Dare to Differentiate (teaching to specific learning styles) ö Establish Your Philosophy of Education ö Finding the Best Curriculum for your Family ö Get Together – Networking with other Homeschoolers ö Hands-on Learning for Greater Retention Each lesson is emailed to you on a weekly basis, allowing you time to read through the material and put it into practice. And for the most part, each lesson contains “goodies”. For example, Lesson B comes with an Extra Big Sample of Foundations 1: Preparation for Christ Bible Curriculum (3 month sample), an excerpt from Values-Driven Discipleship by Marc and Cynthia Carrier. Lesson C comes with Cindy Rushton’s e-book Get Organized! Easy Ideas to Help Make This School Year Great! The list goes on! This is a very guided approach on how to homeschool. It may not be for the veteran homeschooler, but new homeschooling families will greatly benefit from this series and the step-by-step instruction/guidance. It wasn’t too long ago that we were “newbies” to homeschooling and the Homeschooling ABCs would have been extremely helpful. It may even be a great refresher for some families who want to re-focus on the basics and fundamentals and “regroup” (so to speak) on how they homeschool. I absolutely love this series and I can’t wait to see what’s coming next. So, check it out at www.Homeschooling ABCs.com. In summary: ö Step by step guide to homeschooling, beginning with removing your child from public school ö Great for “newbies” or those wanting to refocus their homeschool ö “Goodies” come with most of the lessons (i.e. free e-books, sample curriculums, etc.) ö 26 weekly lessons ö Cost: Initial charge of $10 and then $10/month for the remaining five months of membership (for a total of $60) – but that also includes the freebies every month - it's a good deal! ö |
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I've finally had a chance to fully review this website. Let me tell you, it's going to be a crazy month for reviews!! Like I mentioned in my first review, Time4Learning.com is a multi-curriculum option for both homeschoolers and public/private school educated children. This website covers Language Arts, Science, Math, and Social Studies - all geared towards children in Pre-K through middle school. The world we live in is so computer-oriented that it's important for children to learn how to navigate (through a safe option) on the computer. This is a safe alternative for children to learn computer-skills rather than on "google" or some other search engine. They're learning all the way around. Aside from that, my children really enjoyed the lessons. My daughter kept gravitating towards the science lessons (which is quite surprising). Both my children would argue over who was going to get on time4learning.com first! It was another life lesson on sharing! The website itself also allows parents to monitor what their children are doing and how they're progressing, even determine what areas they might still need help. While some homeschooling families might use this as a curriculum in and of itself for Language Arts or Math, public or private school children could use it as additional learning time, supplementing what they're already learning in school. As for our family, I did like the website. My children found it easy to navigate through. I was able to find out how they were doing through the parent's access. If my children are entertained (i.e. it holds their attention) and they're learning at the same time, then that's great with me! Everyone has different homeschooling standards and expectations. For some this program would work great (especially if you have older students or students who are more independent in their studies). For others, it may not work. In summary:
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No kidding! No strings attached – the Thanksgiving Placemats e-Creator is FREE.
Make Thanksgiving extra special with Art of Eloquence’s Thanksgiving Placemat eCreator! Beautifully illustrated placemats with a Thanksgiving scripture can be printed as many times as you like and laminated to help make your Thanksgiving more festive. Then to give more meaning to your celebration, there are discussion ideas for giving thanks around the dinner table and to plan blessings for the coming year. A wonderful way to praise God for your family blessings and share your appreciation and uplift members of your family for the blessings they are in your life!
Cost for this ebook --- FREE. Download it TODAY just in time for Thanksgiving.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday in the Lord. |
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Are you ready? Get set! Go!!!!!! The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is having an amazing sale on subscriptions during their annual Black Friday Sale November 26 – 30. For those 5 days only, they are drastically reducing their one-year subscription price to $7.95! That's the price you would usually pay for just one issue at a bookstore! This is their lowest price ever on the magazine and they want all of you to take advantage of this offer and share the info with your friends. Please don't miss out. Your one-year subscription will pay for itself time and time again as you receive practical tips and Biblical encouragement to keep going strong in your commitment to homeschooling and to the Lord. Since it's a quarterly magazine, they even have a monthly subscriber's only E-Newsletter called Teacher's Toolbox that will give you seasonal teaching ideas and a free E-Book download! It's like joining a unit study of the month club! The free E-Books alone are valued at almost $250/year. It's really perfect for people who are homeschooling on a shoestring or just wanting to add in some little extras to your teaching. Plus during the Black Friday Sale, they have all kind of bonus gifts when you spend $50, $75, $100, or $150. Some are electronic downloads that you can download immediately, while other are physical products mailed from various vendors directly to your home. AND, their Win Big contest is going on so if you just happen to be customer 67,000, you will receive a prize package valued at almost $500 which includes a $150 gift certificate to the Schoolhouse Store! Who couldn't use that? And you can qualify to win it no matter how much or how little you spend! Mark your calendars for November 26 - 30th and do a little shopping from your seat, not your feet at the Schoolhouse Store's Black Friday Sale! www.TheOldSchoolhouseStore.com |
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I'm working on a review for a program called Time4Learning.com. It's a web-based program for kindergarten through 8th grade and can be used as a supplement to your homeschool or as part of your curriculum. It covers subjects such as Language Arts, Science, Math and Social Studies. We haven't gotten into it too far, but the sign-up process was pretty simple, just asking basic information about the children to set them up. After the initial sign-in process there were a few questions that I answered about each child so that it could be determined what level that child should start. Like I said, I was a fairly simple process and didn't take very long. I'll give a longer review as we get more into the program, but while this was on my mind, I thought I'd put pen to paper (so to speak) and get my thoughts down. More to come! |
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Are you looking for an art curriculum? Not sure what program is the right one for your family? I may have the one just for your family! Spears Art Studio, Inc. is a Christian art curriculum created by Diane Shields Spears, Doctor of Christian Education. Her desire is to recognize the hand of God in everything and to give Him glory (as stated in the company’s mission statement). First, let me start with the basics of the program. She has divided the curriculum into two sets: Kindergarten through 8th grade and High School Art Lessons. I’ve reviewed the Kindergarten-8th grade set and was quite pleased with what I found.
The program is divided into monthly segments and then each month is broken out by week (i.e. November Week 1, November Week 2). Within each week is a main page that reviews a specific Bible passage and a weekly theme. The theme is typically carried out through the month and lessons build upon each other. For example, October started out with Harvest/Seeds in Week 1. We studied scripture that covered the theme, reviewed art history and harvest images by Paul Cezanne, James Peale and Jean Francois Millet. There was additional “teacher inspiration” that includes additional Scriptures to study. October Week 2's theme was a continuation of Harvest/Seeds and then weeks 3 and 4 was about Color Studies. Then, each week’s assignment is broken down into grade levels. Each grade level does an art project that’s suited to that grade’s art level.
So far, the lessons have been pretty easy to follow and the children have loved them. We’ve used pastels and learned the color wheel, creating our own color wheels (that we refer to quite often). My children have learned pointillism and shading. While my son doesn’t necessarily like to draw or paint, he does a good job with these assignments and really seems to enjoy them. There have been times over the past week that he’s asked to do an extra assignment. They really got into the pictograph assignments from a week or so ago. They thought it was so cool to create stories using pictographs. My daughter on the other hand loves art and is just devouring this program. It seems to me that this is an all-encompassing art program from Bible passages to art history. You could probably even take it a step further and add geography to this as well by learning where the artists are from and when they lived, etc. The program can be fit to each family and their grades or interests - doing several art lessons in one week or only one (do whatever fits your family!). I can definitely see us using this art program for the next several years. With so many different art assignments each week, we probably won’t even finish them all by the time my children enter high school. That means I don’t have to buy an art curriculum for another 3-4 years – which I really like. It saves me money, which is very important in today’s financially-stressed world. In addition, this program is on a CD so you can print the pages you need as you need them, or you can create a binder to pull from on a regular basis and divide it out as you see fit. In summary:
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I've really enjoyed this product! Written by Sara Hines, PhD and Lynn Klaiman, M.Ed., the Rime to Read program is designed to "ensure success for the youngest readers as well as students needing remedial work." The program consists of 20 virtual books that start with very basic words and each book builds upon the next so that by the time you get to the end of the 20 books, there's a good spelling and vocabulary list of learned words. Shari Hookman illustrated the books and did a really superb job. Sometimes I get irritated with books because the pictures are so intense that they detract from the story, if that makes sense. They become so "busy" with pictures that it's overwhelming. I have to give Shari a virtual "hug" and a huge THANK YOU for keeping the pictures simple, clean and delightful. My son is a little old for this program (he's 10), but this program is perfect for my first-grade daughter. She has really enjoyed reading these books. Right now we're on Book #13 and she loves to read 3-4 at a time. She's been reading since Kindergarten, but I've noticed that she really takes her time with these books and really gets into them. She loves the pictures and laughs at the funny antics of the critters (and sometimes the children) in the books. While she's reading, she'll make comments like, "I wonder what the Dad's going to do!" or "Oh, no! I can't believe that!" And then she giggles as she "turns" the page. The website is easy to maneuver through and find the books. The layout of their website is just as "kid friendly" as the books which I really love. Also, when your child finishes a book, the website keeps track of what books have been read, how many pages have been read (if your child hasn't finished book yet) and what books haven't been started. Within each book, the story is on the right side of the page and the left side of the page contains the words from the book so that it's easy to tell at a glance what the new words in the book are. But, it only introduces one or two new words on each page. Each book follows a specific word pattern or rhyme, like "am", "pam", "ham", etc. These rhyming words are highlighted so that they're easy to find in the text. And, the authors have added audio to their books. If you click on one of the highlighted words, you'll be able to hear the word spoken so that the child has help, if necessary. Also, the last page of each book also lists the new words in the book. Tip: We used the words from the books to make spelling lists. My daughter studied the words of a book for a few days and then she would take a spelling test later in the week. This was a great way to solidify the words in her mind. The only problem I had is that sometimes our internet connection is slow and the books wouldn't open correctly. If you have the same problem, you may consider printing the books when your computer is fast and then you can read them later. In summary:
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If you haven't heard of The Little Man in the Map geography book, you are missing out! I've been trying to teach my children U.S. geography for awhile now but could never find something that was easy to use, kept their attention and save me from tons of stress! This book is it!!! Schoolside Press publishes this delightful book written by E. Andrew Martonyi.
There are several areas of this book that I enjoy:
It's definitely a book that we'll keep for many years. When we first received our book, my 6 year old daughter begged me to read it to her. By the time we finished the book, she had already learned 5 states and their location. To me, that's amazing because after we read something and I'll ask her to tell me what she read, a lot of times I'll get a blank stare or she'll say, "I can't remember" and we'll have to re-read it. But that wasn't the case with this book. Not only did we read it that day, but the next and the next. Mr. Martonyi also sent us a .pdf file separately with additional lessons and activities that correspond with the book. This was a great help after reading the book a few times to go back through and work on specific areas with the kids. My children ask everyday to read "MIM" (The Man in the Map) and who am I to say no when they WANT to learn and read more! I can't say enough good things about this book. We're going to continue to use it until the children have learned all 50 states and we're not far from it (and that's only after 2 weeks of reviewing the book). That's pretty good for us! In summary:
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As we all know homeschoolers tend to be more entrepreneurial than others. They are creative and inspired and driven to fulfill their dreams. Christina Gerwitz, one of the authors, was a homeschooler. Her mother, Felice, also co-authored this book (and the rest of the Truth Seekers Mystery series) and she and her husband, Jeff, created Media Angels - the publishing company that publishes this series as well as a host of other Christian materials. And, as a homeschooling parent I love Christian books. I have two children and we read the Bible, review Scripture, its meaning, etc. But, I really love the idea of Christian books that they can read for fun - that exemplify Christianity and God's Word but also relate God's Word in the "here and now" so my children have examples of real life issues. Not all Christian material needs to be dry. It can be entertaining and still serve the purpose of spreading God's Word. The authors, Christina and Felice Gerwitz have done just this in their book: The Missing Link: Found. I was lucky enough this past weekend to vacation in Missouri. It was a great (and long) road trip, but it also gave me the time to read the first book of the Truth Seekers Mystery Series: The Missing Link: Found. I originally attempted to read the book to my children (ages 10 and 6) but they quickly lost interest. I must say, though, that when we first opened the package, my son was very excited because the cover had a Blackhawk helicopter and a boat exploding on the water. What 10 year old boy doesn't like that!??!! He thought it looked really cool and the cover immediately caught his attention. But, the book only held his interest for the first few chapters. It's not that the book wasn't interesting or entertaining, but that the material was over his head (as well as my 6 year old daughter). In all the material that I read in the book and about the series, the book is geared towards teenagers. There were a lot of carbon dating facts and science issues that would probably be over the heads of most 10 year olds, maybe even 12 year olds. While it was easy for me to follow, it's just not for under 13. The story itself was written well. It's based on a homeschooling family who happen on mysteries. I don't want to give the story away but it involves the debate between Creation v. Evolution (and we all know the answer to that!) but also deals with buried treasure, explosions, the FBI - and a slew of other exciting elements. The back of the book listed their sources and a glossary (which I thought was a really great idea for those who might not understand some of the terms). The books cost less than $9 each, which is equivalent to most paperbacks these days. For additional information, you can access their website: www.MediaAngels.com. Final Thoughts:
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