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With your renewal, you'll receive a FREE copy of Dreams and Designs--Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool! This bonus E-Book is in addition to the 10 FREE gifts!Renew now!
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With a spark of low-cost creativity and a few simple instructions . . . you'll be amazed! Design fun, easy-to-make learning aids and imaginative organizing tools using household items--and dream of your best homeschool year yet!
Read more about the Dreams and Designs: Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool E-Book.This $12.45 value is yours FREE, when you renew your Canadian or international subscription.
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From Sharon Crooks comes a new title in the WisdomKids series: Delight in the Lord - Celebrating our Saviour in Hymns, Volume 1. It is part of a Bible and copywork program designed for children 6 and up. However, I know my 5 year old daughter, who loves to sing, is going to enjoy working through this as we get closer to Christmas. I was provided with a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
There are 6 hymns inside this 80 page e-book, including such favourites as Away in A Manger and The First Noel, as well as a couple new ones for me that I've learned. I love that definitions of possibly problematic words are included before each hymn. Plenty of room is given to copy the words of each hymn, and I like that tracing is omitted since I'm a fan of the children forming the letters on their own. In addition, the copy-work pages are plain and uncluttered so the children can concentrate on their printing. Fill-in-the-blank, colouring pages, and activity pages are included for each hymn, along with Bible verses and discussion.
There are a few things that would improve this e-book. First, it would be nice if the words to copy were also written in on the lines that are provided for the children to copy - this may be problematic for those children who are just starting to learn to print and forget which letters are tall and which end at the mid-line for instance. Second, none of the links provided to listen to the hymns online worked for me, which is unfortunate since this is a nice idea, integrating musical links to listen to with your child. (Note: as of Oct 29th the links work, Sharon Crooks has fixed them - now you can listen to the hymns!) Lastly, an index would be handy, so you don't have to scroll or flip through the entire e-book to see which hymns are included, etc.
Someplace Called Special is a new e-book from The Old Schoolhouse. I received this e-book free of charge from The Old Schoolhouse in exchange for an honest review. In its pages are personal stories from Christian families about their own experiences homeschooling children with special needs. Ten stories are included, about children with Dyslexia, ADHD, deafness, Asperger's, Cerebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome, gifted, Lupus and Sensory Processing Disorder. Also included are an FAQ, a couple articles about I.E.P.'s, a glossary on the special needs mentioned, and my favourite, a fantastic list by Amanda Fuller, "Ten Reasons to Homeschool Your Child With Special Needs".
Even though I don't have a special needs child per se, I could see some of my son in the story shared about the gifted little girl, in his perfectionism. I have some new perspective on it, and gleaned some ideas on how to handle his perfectionist streak when next it rears its head. If you are considering homeschooling your child with special needs, this book will give you some confidence to begin and some ideas for how-to. If you're already homeschooling your child, this book will give you some terrific perspective, and energize you to keep on going.
Knowledge Quest is releasing a new book full of maps, including historical maps - "Map Trek Volume 1, Ancient World". They have been pre-releasing some of the maps. They're just terrific and you can download them for free HERE. I'm using the map of Mesopotamia today in our homeschool. They will be releasing more - to receive notification when more free maps are available, join the Knowledge Quest Facebook Fan Page.
Note: Map Quest is now available for download HERE for $14.95 US. I've purchased it myself, what useful maps for our homeschool and what a great deal!
Click above for your week-long unit study/lapbook. This is just the first in a series that The Old Schoolhouse is releasing...
Where Unit Studies and Lapbooks Come Together Easy . . . Innovative . . . Effective . . .
An exciting, brand new, E-Book series by Amanda Bennett and The Old Schoolhouse®. Amanda Bennett is well-known for her groundbreaking unit studies that are popular with homeschool families around the world.
Download instantly! The learning process is on GO from that point on--let the fun begin!
Units are theme based and full of exciting discoveries and motivation to develop lifelong learners.
Each study is one week in length, having five daily lessons with lapbook components for each day.
Each student creates a complete lapbook--a finished capsule of learning.
All the research and preparation have been done!
Hyperlinks are embedded right in the study--saving you time!
Integrated studies include history, geography, reading, science, spelling,
vocabulary, writing, art, and more.
Units are reusable year after year--nothing is consumed.
There are no expensive resources required!
Includes a great list of books that you can use to enrich your study, but
they are not required.
Check out some of the fun and unique upcoming themes for 2010:
Seasons Americans that Made a Difference
Places in the World Toys and Gadgets
Presidents & Patriots Sports
Ocean Animals Literary Giants
It's that time of year again, time to register your homeschooled children. Perhaps this is your very first year homeschooling and you're not sure of the requirements.
It's fairly easy to homeschool in Nova Scotia. All children ages 5 - 16 (re Amendment to Education Act Regulations, Section 3(1)) must be registered by September 20th of the coming school year, said registration including: "in the case of previous public school experience, the last grade level attained; in the case of previous home education experience, the program level of achievement and estimated equivalent public school grade level; and identification of the proposed home education program" (Regulations Section 39 (2)) You may send in a letter to register. You may send in a letter to register with the required information, or fill out the Registration form offered by the Department of Education on their website (see link to the right). Please be advised that if you are registering your child for the first time, the Ministry will demand a copy of your child's birth certificate, so you may want to include one with your registration.
In the Regulations, reference is only made to providing your children with an "educational program". There are no stipulations as to what the "educational program" must be and can be whatever you feel is appropriate to give your child a well-rounded education. This gives you complete freedom to choose whatever materials (religious or secular) you want and to design your own program that meets your child's needs - the possibilities are endless! If you are new to homeschooling, the task of choosing curricula can seem daunting, but don't let it scare you! Start by chatting with other homeschoolers. Please see the list of links to the right for more information on contacting homeschoolers near you. Another way to connect with homeschoolers throughout Nova Scotia would be to join an email group. There are Yahoogroups for Nova Scotia homeschoolers, such as HomeLearnersNS and one for Cape Bretoners called HomeschoolingCapers - both listed in the sidebar.
A couple of great articles and resources for those new to homeschooling... HomeschoolStarter.com the homeschool how-to site New to Homeschooling? Getting Started 10 Good Reasons to Homeschool
Math Tutor DVD has come out with a new series! You may remember my previous review of their Algebra & Word Problem DVD's, and their DVD's offer math help all the way up through Calculus and Physics. Now they have a series for young children, entitled "Young Minds". The first offering involves numbers and counting. As a music teacher, my ears were delighted to hear the soothing sounds of Classical, Baroque, and Romantic composers such as Bach and Beethoven throughout. First, the number one appears on the screen, followed by pictures and videos of various things which are then counted, followed by the number two, and all the way through to the number 10. I was impressed with the gorgeous visuals - stunning photographs and video clips with such luscious colours and perfect clarity - food that looks like you can reach out and eat it, and fuzzy animals that look like they're close enough to touch. The little girl who does the voice-over for the video has a terrific voice, just adorable.
But I'm an adult, what do the children think? My 5 year old daughter and her friend enjoyed watching - in particular they enjoyed the bonus materials, especially the "What Animal Am I" - an extreme close up of an animal is shown and as the camera pans back, clues are given as to which animal it is. The two girls were jumping up and down, guessing, and the adults in the room got in on the guessing game too. A toddler I showed the video to was absolutely absorbed by it - he would shout out when he saw something he really liked, such as "flowers"! I like that it's not just mundane things like cats, apples, and oranges that are showcased on the DVD, but also things like meerkats, apricots, and colourful cans of paint. What a wonderful way to reinforce counting to 10 and identifying numbers!
If you'd like to see a video clip and some screen shots, go to the Math Tutor DVD website. There you can purchase the DVD for $19.99 U.S. The more you purchase the more you save (4-7 items will get you 5% off your order and so on). Shipping and handling is a flat fee of $19.99 US (via Fedex) across Canada. So you can really save on an order of more than one, but this makes the cost of one just a bit steep. You could get your Homeschool group together for one big order and split the shipping. Math Tutor offers great customer service and their return policy is terrific - "If you are not 100% happy, you may return the DVD for a full refund" within 30 days of purchase. You can also purchase the DVD at Amazon.com.
Would you like $10 off one DVD? Click here to learn about how you can get a $10 coupon by becoming a "fan" of Math Tutor on Facebook. Also, join the mailing list and be entered into a draw every month to win a complete bundle of Math Tutor DVD's worth $435 US, as well as being notified when they release a new DVD.
If you're planning to homeschool through high school as our family is, or you're currently homeschooling high schoolers, TOS' new e-book College Success Begins at Home: Seasoned Homeschoolers Share Their Experiences is for you! Fourteen Christian parents and students share encouragement through their stories, along with practical how-to suggestions and advice. Although this e-book is American in perspective, the majority of the stories and information presented are still relevant for Canadian homeschoolers. Some things you may not have considered are covered, such as the importance of instilling character and communication skills to prepare them for college/university and for life. Various options are presented - things that can be worked on in the homeschool high school as well as things that can be worked on concurrently, such as apprenticeships and college classes. You will find tips on record-keeping and portfolios for the high school years as well as transcript preparation - things many homeschoolers are concerned about. The importance of researching options and preparing your student even before high school, in Grade 8, is recommended. Many resources are shared, from books and CD's to curricula and web sites, and all of them are handily listed and linked at the end of the e-book. Discussed as well are alternatives to traditional college/university, such as online courses, apprenticeships, and personal study. In particular, I liked hearing from actual homeschool graduates.
I enjoyed reading the e-book and will come back to it as each of my children approaches and goes through the high school years. I almost can't wait to homeschool high school.
College Success Begins at Home is now available for download at The Old Schoolhouse Store for $12.45 U.S.
Help, Lord, I'm Getting Ready to Homeschool My High Schooler! is an e-book full of 13 personal stories about homeschooling high schoolers, including an introduction from Amanda Bennett. The stories cover Christian families with all different kinds of children - from children with processing problems, ADHD, or dyslexia, to children blessed with special gifts such as in the arts or sports. Some children started working on college/university work during high school, some attended traditional university, attended university early, worked on college at home, or took up trades or jobs when homeschool was complete. All are wonderful, affirming stories of homeschooling success! The joys and benefits of homeschooling are expressed, along with some surprising benefits such as homeschooling filling gaps in the parents' knowledge, or being something to while the usually wasted time away at all the doctor's visits with a child with leukemia. Also mentioned are homeschooling styles and curricula which worked for these families during the homeschooling years. The treasure trove of suggested resources by each contributing author are listed and linked at the end of the e-book - from books and CD's to websites, courses, and more!
My children aren't high school aged yet, but I am so happy to have received this e-book to review from The Old Schoolhouse. I love to read stories of homeschooling successes, it really helps reaffirm the value of homeschooling and gives me a boost of energy to keep on homeschooling my own children. I can see myself re-reading this again and again as my children approach and go through the homeschool years, to gain perspective and that boost I need. I'm looking forward to homeschooling my children through high school.
Help, Lord, I'm Getting Ready to Homeschool My High Schooler! is now available for download at The Old Schoolhouse Store for $12.45 U.S.
This September, Acadia University will be launching Computer Programming 1, an online introductory Computer Science course for Grade 11 and 12 students across Nova Scotia. Students in this university credit course will explore programming and fundamental elements of Computer Science.
Topics include designing and testing code, fundamental techniques in software tools, graphics, and environments, and more. CP1 allows students to earn a university credit while still in high school. There is an urgent need for computer science professionals in the workplace, and CP1 will provide students with an opportunity to explore this exciting field. CP1 is offered entirely online, and includes live and interactive instructor sessions.
Start Date: September 16, 2009
Register by: September 9, 2009
Sharon Watson
Senior Administrative Secretary
Jodrey School of Computer Science
Acadia University, Wolfville, NS
tel: 902-585-1331
email: sharon.watson@acadiau.ca
August is almost here and a new school year is just around the corner. It's that time again, time to organize! And what a great time to get rid of clutter. Molly's August Money-Saving Digest covers how to help your children get organized with their homeschool stuff, and step-by-step how to organize your closets, garage, kitchen, photos, toys, bathrooms, and the big paper monster! You'll also receive a whole bunch of great home-made dry mix recipes to make now and have on hand when you start homeschooling again And that's not all, there are more recipes for entertaining in the summer. At the end of the digest is a great directory of related links to click on. As always, there's something for everyone in Molly's Digest, and lots of great cost-cutting tips.
Molly's August Digest is available for download at The Old Schoolhouse Store for just $4.95 US! You can also check out Molly's past Digests HERE.
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has a new, FREE E-book! E-Homeschooling: Embracing the E-book Revolution is a free download, which covers the why and how of buying and using e-books for homeschooling. If you LOVE actual physical books as much as I do, you may not have actually delved into the world of e-books yet. Well this book is for you. In fact, there's a thing or two for even those who have been using e-books for some time. I started getting into e-books myself with various freebies, and before I knew it was buying them as well. In part to save money, and in part to help minimize our book clutter.
Inside this book you'll find tips on how to organize all those e-books on your computer, or on your shelf or in the filing cabinet. Also included are tips for determining what to print and what not to print. And there are some really great benefits to e-books listed, including the fact that many e-books have free updates available. Then there's one of my favourite benefits - clickable links to internet resources. Are you a budding writer and wanting to dip your toes into the e-book market? Included is a whole chapter by Heidi Strawser on how to get started!
As with many of TOS' e-books, this one is so easy to read on the screen, with the pages being exactly the size of your screen instead of having to scroll down in the middle of sentences. Almost everything you would want to know about e-books is included. I would have liked to see one thing added however, on the topic of printing. Did you know that you can save a lot of ink by changing your advanced printer settings? Not only can you print with the "draft" option, but you can also change your settings to "less dry time" and "light ink volume" for instance so you use even less ink. The terminology used in your printer settings may be a little different, but do experiment and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well it still prints and how much longer your print cartridge lasts. To save even more money, you can also buy kits to refill your printer cartridge yourself - I have done this and it's really not all that difficult.
E-Homeschooling: Embracing the E-book Revolution is ready for download HERE.
With Times Tales, learning the upper times tables is so easy even a 5 year old can learn them! See for yourself just how effective and fun Times Tales is . . . for free! For a limited time only, you can get a free trial download of Times Tales plus a free Memory Trigger E-Book, just for signing up for Trigger Memory System's Education Through Imagination newsletter.
Wow – what a fantastic idea!TOS is releasing a whole new “I Wanna Be” series of e-books.I was lucky enough to get my hands on the very first one – “When I grow up, I want to be…A Firefighter”.76 pages just packed to bursting with information, links, quizzes, creative writing ideas, science and math activities, and ideas for a firefighter party.Contrary to what you may think by the title, this isn’t just for little kids – it will appeal to a wide variety of ages.For older students contemplating what they’re going to do once high school is complete, requirements for becoming a firefighter are included, as well as a map and charts of firefighter salary amounts across America.I loved the personal account from an actual firefighter, and of course no book on firefighters would be complete without a mention of the fire house dog, especially for the younger children.This is truly a unit study for the whole family.
I like to begin a “My Careers Book” with my children when they’re young.I love that my children are learning that there are numerous jobs to choose from in the future.Whenever we meet someone in the workplace, i.e. at the post office or veterinarian, we always talk to the person about their job and what they like about it.We then make up a page about it for their book.This e-book is a fantastic way to supplement our career studies with word puzzles, copywork, quizzes, and more.I can’t wait to see the next “I Wanna Be” e-book!
Each e-book is $8.95 US. In addition to the Firefighter title, Veterinarian and Chef titles are now available. Here's the best part - you can get 10 books for $4.90 US each right now if you buy the 10-pack for $49.00 US! You will immediately receive for download the Firefighter, Veterinarian, and Chef titles. The rest will be available shortly, as they are completed. Also if you click on the link above, you can download samples of each book to see what they're like yourself.
As I mentioned in my last review, my time doing reviews for The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew has come to an end. Of the 26 products I've reviewed since the Fall of 2008, I have some favourites :) Below, are my favourite 12, in most cases they are now used on a pretty much daily basis in our homeschool. Because I couldn't decide which to put first, they're in alphabetical order...
Bible Story Songs - such a fun way to learn the stories of the bible, we will be getting Moses II in the near future, and more.
Core Learning's Crayola Art CD-Rom - a daily favourite of my 5 year old daughter's, this cuts down considerably on the number of papers full of art floating around the house.
Knowledge Quest's Homeschooling ABC's Class - I would recommend this for anyone starting homeschooling.
Memoria Press - was already my favourite source for Latin books, but now it's also our French program resource, we will be working through the entire Famous Men of Rome program this fall, and we will be buying the rest of the Famous Men series in future.
Motherboard Books' Let's Make a Webpage - my 10 year old son very much enjoyed doing this and we will be buying more computer science curricula here in the future.
Salem Ridge Press Books - we will be reading some of these again next year that fit with the history we will be studying, and we definitely will be buying more.
Schleich Toys - I can't think of a day when my 5 year old doesn't play with these beautiful animal figures since we received them and we will definitely be adding to our collection in future.
What a fun year and what a blessing it has been, experiencing wonderful products I may never have put my hands on otherwise. While I won't be working with the TOS Homeschool Crew for the 2009-10 season, I will be able to bring TOS e-book reviews in the future, as well as offerings from Bethany House and Thomas Nelson, and of course homeschool curricula I come across myself. Stay tuned :)
Memoria Press publishing is a family business, founded in 1994, that offers simple and easy to use classical Christian education materials for home and private schools. For the past couple of years, we have used Memoria Press' wonderful Latin curriculum products in our homeschool. For the past month, we have had the pleasure of working with the Famous Men of Rome set and the brand new First Start French set.
Famous Men of Rome is one of a series of books that also includes Famous Men of Greece, the Middle Ages, and Modern Times. Each set includes the text, Teacher's Guide, and Student Guide. The Famous Men of Rome text is a beautiful book, with rich, colourful illustrations. It is designed for Grades 3-6. My 10 year old son and I have thoroughly enjoyed taking turns reading it aloud. Thirty stories cover the history of Rome from Romulus and Remus, all the way through Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, and the last emperor in the West. Interwoven are myths, legends, and tales of Roman gods and goddesses. Maps of Rome, Italy, and the Roman Empire are also included. The Teacher and Student guides turn the text into a complete study of Rome. The Guides include questions, quotes, vocabulary words, and activities. I think the activities are one of the best parts - map work, art projects, and a timeline really bring the Roman world alive. These books work beautifully along with the Latina Christiana series. Learning about the peoples who actually used Latin makes it more relevant, and the Teacher's Guide of Latina Christiana includes a reading schedule of the Famous Men of Rome text to compliment the lessons. I really wish I'd had this when we first began Latina Christiana! The Famous Men of Rome set is available for $39.95 US at the Memoria Press website, which saves 25% off the cost of purchasing separately. It is also available more locally at Tree of Life for $59.95 Canadian.
The First Start French I set is designed for students in Grade 3-8. The set includes a Student Guide, Teacher's Guide, and pronunciation CD. If you are familiar with Memoria Press' Latin books, you will find that the French books teach in a similar manner. The flow of lessons is much like what one would experience in an immersion atmosphere, starting with hello and learning how to address people, and proceeding to learn the names of members of your family, pronouns, verbs, and on from there. Each weekly lesson includes vocabulary, phrases, practice exercises, questions, and translations. The Teacher's Guide is very thorough, bringing you right through each lesson step-by-step. Review Tests are included for every five lessons, complete with answer keys, and tests for each lesson are available as downloads if desired. My favourite part of the program is that it includes French songs. There is nothing more fun than including songs in a curriculum for a child - a fantastic way to keep them interested and engaged. My 5 year old was thrilled to learn some French songs and demands we sing them daily, LOL. We enjoy singing them as a family, along with the CD. The CD was obviously recorded by a native French speaker, so your children can have a great example at what a proper French accent sounds like. The only thing I don't like about the program is that there is no time to repeat after the speaker on the CD as there are no pauses. We are used to being able to repeat after the speaker on the Latin CD's. My son was very keen to learn French so that he can ultimately volunteer/work at The Fortress of Louisbourg, and he continues to enjoy learning French as we work through this program.
The First Start French I set is available at the Memoria website for $39.95 US. Homeschool and More sells the set for $49.95 Canadian.
And with this post I bid au revoir to the TOS Homeschool Crew. I've very much enjoyed reviewing products for the last several months, and now it's time to pass the torch onto the 2009-10 Crew. I will be continuing to review products and posting homeschool information as usual on this blog. Stay tuned, because coming soon is a Top Ten post about my favourite homeschooling products I reviewed with TOS!
We homeschoolers are always looking for ways to be thrifty. Molly's May Money-Saving Digest focuses on homeschooling! There are fantastic ideas for how to do preschool at home inexpensively, book and resource ideas for homeschooling from preschool all the way to college, and some terrific homeschool encouragement. My favourite part is an inspiring article from a now grown-up homeschooler - I never get tired of homeschool success stories.
Also included are some little changes you can make to daily life to save money and some great Mother's Day ideas. I've been planning to learn how to do some canning this year - strawberry season is approaching and Molly shares how to pick strawberries, some yummy recipes, and how to make your own jam!
If you want to be encouraged and inspired, this month's Digest is really a must-read! Molly's May Digest is coming soon - look for it at The Schoolhouse Store, where you can also find past Digests to download for $4.95 US each.
Tapestry of Grace is an award-winning, multi-level, integrated, 4-year, classics-based, Christian curriculum for the whole family. This curriculum covers the humanities: history, church history, literature, geography, fine arts, government, philosophy, and writing & composition. All you need add is math, science, and perhaps a foreign language. If you are familiar with The Well-Trained Mind, Tapestry of Grace (TOG) fits perfectly into that Classical style of homeschooling, with each period of history covered in a 4-year cycle repeated throughout the 12 years of school in an increasingly detailed manner. Learning levels are divided into Lower Grammar, Upper Grammar, Dialectic, and Rhetoric stages, according to the Classical philosophy.
We chose to review Year 3 Unit 3: Nations Uniting and Dividing. The download of the Digital Edition consisted of 3 easy steps, which has now been streamlined even more into a one-step process. TOG is divided into the following sections: Threads consists of the objectives and goals of study for the week, viewed across all levels of the program. Each Learning Level is colour-coded, to make it easy to see at a glance which level you are viewing on the page. Reading Assignments includes both a primary resource page, and an alternate list in case you can't find the primary resources in the library, or if you want to delve deeper into the subject matter. Weekly Overview Pages is a checklist, which includes all of the assignments for the week, including vocabulary words, things to add to your timeline, and important people to learn about. Writing Assignments include writing assignments from writing paragraphs, to writing plays, for each grade level from Gr. 1 through 12. Student Activity Pages include worksheets, questions, and assignments for the students, and accountability and thinking questions for older students. Pageant of Philosophy is a fantastic part of TOG that I'm looking forward to working through with my children when they are high school age. Major philosophies through history are explored in play format. Teacher's Notes, which are absolutely exhaustive, and include excerpts from The World Book Encyclopedia. Supplements include extra information, maps, and templates for projects. The Loom, which is available either online or as a companion CD. I found this to be one of the most important parts of the curriculum, especially the Supporting Links section, which included links for activities and readings that are mentioned in the Assignments and Overview pages.
We also received the Pop Quiz CD for Year 3 Unit 3. Although designed for the Homeschool Dad to be involved with the kids through summaries and quiz cards, we found it very useful to listen to the CD as a family for an overview of the material we were about to study for the week. The narrator is conversational and easy to listen to for kids and adults alike.
My son being in Grade 4 this year, we focused on the Upper Grammar level of the program, with my 5 year old daughter joining in here and there with some Lower Grammar activities and books. Our Unit started with studying "Westerners in Asia". We had a terrific time learning about China and Japan. Both my children enjoyed learning how to write some Chinese characters, sampling some Chinese food, making origami, and reading absorbing books such as "Shipwrecked! The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy". Even I learned a whole bunch and thoroughly enjoyed myself. We then continued on to learn about the Crimean War, the Civil War, the Plains Indian Wars, and finished the 9 weeks of the Unit by learning about inventors such as Bell, Pasteur, and Edison. I myself found TOG easy to use - I would spend a bit of time each Sunday looking over the coming week and printing out about half a dozen student pages, etc. Currently we are gearing up for our Unit Celebration. I'm really excited about our first one. Instructions and suggestions are included in the Introduction of each Unit for organizing one. In general, the children's work is displayed and presentations are prepared for an audience of their father and/or other family and friends. If you'd like to take a peek of what a Unit Celebration might look like, check out this site - I just love what this mother has done with her children - what fun.
Although many people claim that TOG is only for those homeschooling MANY children, I have found it works beautifully for the two that I have and I enjoy learning the same basic subject matter with both children at the same time. I have also found that it helps me keep on task in our homeschool, and keeps subjects like History and Geography from falling off our schedule. Some of the books we've read as a result of TOG are real gems that I know I wouldn't have picked up from the library otherwise. The creator of TOG is a homeschool mom of several children and she suggests that the best time to begin using the curriculum is when your eldest child is in Grade 5.
I am so glad I had the opportunity to review Tapestry of Grace. We have found a curriculum that we'll be using for the rest of our homeschooling years. I love TOG so much that I will be holding a Tapestry Tea in the coming weeks to show fellow local homeschoolers what TOG is like and so that I and anyone attending can order TOG at a discount. Being a digital product, TOG is non-resaleable and non-returnable, but you can download a free sample of TOG (does not include The Loom) to see what it's all about. In general, the following choices are available for ordering TOG, but do also check the particular year you are ordering, as specials are available for certain ones:
Individual Unit: $45
Year Plan: $170
Year Plan + Print package: $270 (it might not be a bad idea for brand new users of TOG to order the Year in print in addition to the DE unless you're very computer savvy)
Year Plan + bonuses: $250 - includes Map Aids and two of the following of your choice - Writing Aids, Lapbook Kits, Evaluations (Tests), Pop Quiz
Pop Quiz: $15 per CD set for one Unit OR $50 for the whole Year set of CD's
The Read and Share DVD Bible Vol. 1 contains 13 stories selected from the Old and New Testament of the Bible. Each story is a short little animated feature, designed to suit the attention span of younger children. Stories include The Beginning, Adam & Eve, The Flood, John the Baptist, Jesus is Born, and more.
The animation used for this video is charming and heartwarming. Unlike most animated shows, the voices are gentle, not annoying at all, with no screeching. The Bible stories are well told and simplified to be understandable for younger children. My 5 year old daughter asks to watch the video again and again. Even though my 10 year old claims he's too old for it, he watches intently too, LOL. We thoroughly enjoy watching this video as a family - sometimes just a few stories at a time, and sometimes the entire video. I highly recommend this to anyone with young children. We're looking forward to picking up Volume 2 and 3 in the future.
The Read and Share DVD Bible Vol. 1 is available at Amazon.ca for $13.48.
I am very happy to be bringing to you reviews courtesy of publisher Thomas Nelson, starting with this one. I will be focusing on reviewing books and videos that we as homeschoolers can incorporate into our homeschooling.
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