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Product Review -- Math Tutor DVDs (Word Problems and Algebra 2)Product ReviewMath Tutor DVD series What is it? One series of products I was chosen to review which I had never heard of before was the Math Tutor DVD series. A NASA Physicist created a huge library of dvds designed to help students improve in their understanding of math. Subjects start with a cute set of videos for small children in which number concepts are presented with pictures, classical music, and children speaking (aka baby einstein, only all math, all the time.) Subjects covered end with college level math work. Want to form your own opinion? You can actually watch samples from every level of Math Tutor simply by following the links on the website. What I like: Sometimes my children enjoy watching video material to enhance their learning. Concepts in Math Tutor are presented very differently and thus provide an opportunity to look at things from a different angle and perhaps develop a better understanding. I found the videos to be comprehensive in scope and helpful. What I don't like: The videos are dry and just about as classroom oriented as you can get. The author stands in front of a white board presenting his material, and actually turns his back to the audience a good deal of the time! He always wears the same tan shirt, and you are basically always looking at the same screen -- which is very difficult! I think they could shake up these videos a bit and make a dramatic improvement. My Bottom Line: We may use the videos we have, but we are not adding these into my precious homeschool budget this year. Product Review -- Famous Men of Rome by Memoria PressProduct ReviewFamous Men of Rome Memoria Press This third and final product completes my review of Memoria Press materials. You can read my review of Christian Studies here,, and my review of Latina Christiana here.. We have a strong leaning towards classical methods in our homeschool, with emphasis on four year history rotations, critical thinking, and Latin as foundational. Memoria Press materials mesh well with our educational philosophy. I received both the teacher's guide and the student guide with the actual book (Famous Men of Rome) for review. You may recognize the former publisher as Greenleaf Press (Greenleaf Guides); Memoria now publishes these materials. What is Famous Men of Rome? The book itself is a collection of stories, just as the title implies. The student reads a selection from the main text, and then completes the material in the student book. Sections in the student book include Facts To Know, Vocabulary Words, Comprehension Questions, Mapwork and occasionally other activities. Comprehensive Reviews are inlcuded at the end of each section. The complete set is $39.95. What I like: I really love this traditional treatment of material every child should know, the fact that my children can complete the material independently, and the fact that I have not needed to crack open the teacher's guide to teach this material. My daughter completed the first in this series (Classical Studies is the series by Memoria Press, Daulaire's Greek Myths is the first book) two full years ago (2007-2008) and I am amazed at how much information she retained just by working through the material on her own at 8 years old. She knows so much more about Greek Myths then I do! What I don't like: I have a love/hate relationship with the schoolish style of the material, but I find it to provide a nice balance for my spontaneous tendency. If you don't really want your child to be doing any seatwork, you are not going to like Memoria Press material. The only hands-on aspect is the mapwork. My Bottom Line: We are using Famous Men of Rome in school this year with our ten year old, and will likely complete the last in the series as well (Famous Men of Greece.) Product Review -- Latina Christiana IProduct ReviewLatina Christiana I Memoria Press You may recall that last year I was part of the TOS Homeschool Crew reviewing products on my blog. Well guess what? After the birth of the twins I got significantly behind! I still have six or seven reviews to write, and I am committed to finish! With the start of the new school year, I have renewed zest for reviewing some of the remaining products, because we are actually thrilled to be using them in our homeschool. One such product is Latina Christiana. For several years now, Latina Christiana has been the gold standard for Latin instruction in the elementary years. I have been planning to use Latina Christiana and always falling short on budget. I already had familiarity with Memoria Press products as we had already used the first level of Christian Studies and Classical Studies. So, when offered the opportunity to request two specific products from Memoria Press I requested three  and recieved all three! (Thank you Memoria Press! You're Amazing!) You can read my review of Christian Studies II here, and my review of Famous Men of Rome here. All of these products are being used right now, in our 2009-2010 school year. What is Latina Christiana? A complete first year Latin course for elementary aged children (grade 3 and up), Latina Christiana comes complete with teacher guide, student guide, flashcards, pronunciation cd with hymns, and an optional dvd set with complete instruction for each lesson taught by Leigh Lowe. Leigh is the daughter of the author (Cheryl Lowe) and a teacher at Highlands Latin Academy. I am reviewing the video course with teacher's guide and student guide. The complete set with flashcards is $97.90. What I Like: With three years of formal Latin in high school, I am absolutely convinced of the benefits studying Latin conveys. Grammar, vocabulary, ACT scores, thinking skills, organization and logic, Latin covers them all! Sometime in my Junior year, I made deep connections between all of those Latin conjugations and declensions and my own compositions in English. I won multiple writing contests, topped out ACT scores, and won the title "walking dictionary" from my siblings. Pretty exciting stuff . With Latina Christiana, I have a simple elementary level course that I can just pick up and use. In fact, I am watching the dvd series with my children for my own edification, since my grammar has apparently taken a nose dive after ten years of changing diapers. My more academic son is thrilled with the study of Latin, the videos, the whole experience. My less academic daughter is pretty frustrated with me at the moment,  but I know this will help her in the long run. She hates change, so in a few weeks (after she adjusts to the change) Latin will probably be her favorite subject.What I don't Like: I will be the first to admit that the videos are a bit dry and schoolish. In fact, most of the materials from Memoria Press are presented in a very traditional schoolish fashion. My son thrives on this classroom style presentation and enjoys standing for recitation during the video, etc. My daughter thinks it is ridiculous to behave as if we were in a classroom when in fact we are not. She has a point. I figure balance is key. We have some subjects where we are about as far from schoolish as we can get, so it doesn't hurt us to encounter a few subjects in which we have "facts to know", vocabulary words, and comprehension questions... My Bottom Line: We are using Latina Christiana I in our school this year, and if all goes well with the budget I expect to continue with the second course next year. Trachea UpdateWow! I cannot believe it has been so long since my last post. I am so swamped right now with twin baby care, I barely find time for computer work. My own laptop has permanently died, and so has my back-up laptop; both relic MACs that lasted well past their prime :). So, the time has come for a new laptop but the finances have not arrived. I am praying my husband's will hang in there for a bit!At any rate, I felt I should give a brief update about my trachea. I have had surgery yet again -- this time in Boston. I chose to go to Boston because this is where the experts are for my particular disease and the permanent surgery I need. Current plans are that I will return to Boston sometime in the next few months for a Tracheal Resection -- in which the diseased section of my trachea will be cut out and removed. Sounds a bit overwhelming when I put it in writing, but the truth is that I have gone into John Hopkins no less then four times expecting this surgery to be done according to my doctor only to discover that the surgery has been downgraded. Now, with Boston I KNOW they will do the surgery! This is what they do, and I am very happy to have found the place that does resections most often and most successfully! Now all I have to do is bite the bullet and schedule the surgery plus multiple family members to come help with my children including the twins and homeschooling for 12 days while I am in Boston. No small task. I covet your prayers! Product Review -- Rocket PhonicsProduct ReviewRocket Phonics I'm going to give you my bottom line first on this one. If you love the idea behind Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons but would prefer that it had all the bells and whistles of Saxon Phonics -- then Rocket Phonics is perfect for you. If you hate the idea behind 100 Easy Lessons, or you hate extra accessories like flash cards, games, etc then you will not want Rocket Phonics. So what exactly is this idea I keep referring to. The basic gist of it is this. You start out by teaching your child a different symbol for every single sound. So, the long a looks different then the short a, the soft c looks different then the hard c, and etc. Then a certain period of time after each sound symbol is introduced, you wean the child off of the special symbol and reteach them that an a can make many different sounds. To me, this seems counterproductive. Those who use the method love it though. I have heard that you either love this method or hate it. I am definitely in the latter category. Had I known that this method was employed in Rocket Phonics, I would never have requested this product sample. However, I know that Rocket Phonics will work really well for some. To get a better idea whether or not it will work for you, you can check out the other reviews at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog. Here's what's included: 2 Student/Teacher Books, Bingo Game Sheets and Chips, Play and Read Cards, and Big Movement Games. Cost is $160. For perspective on what I like and don't like about phonics programs I have used with the three reading children I currently have. I used Saxon Phonics and loved that it was scripted, but hated all the extra busy work and classroom style games. I used 100 Easy Lessons and loved that it was scripted but hated the "weird" notation, I finally settled on Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading (Peace Hill Press) which is scripted, simple, and straightforward. I skip the first 26 lessons, and use Get Ready, Get Set, Go For the Code workbooks to teach the beginning alphabet sounds. I then continue to augment Ordinary Parents Guide with Explode the Code, alternating between the ETC workbooks and Ordinary Parents Guide and they compliment each other really nicely. I have now also used Rocket Phonics, albeit breifly. It also is scripted and as you can see that's a big plus in my book. I just can't get past the method. I have found that sometimes knowing what works for others tells you exactly why it will or will NOT work for you. Rocket Phonics might just be perfect for you! I hope this review gives you some insight. Formal Family PicturesIt has been about 10 years since our last formal family picture. Tonight we all got dressed up and drove one hour to our church to have another one made. Then they wanted $170 for 8 5 x7s. That's more then $40 per sheet! We just cannot afford that! Of course, now I have to get everyone all dressed up again and drive an hour in the other direction to Penneys. With my coupon at Penneys, I can get 52 portraits for $7.95. Or, I can pay $3.95 per sheet. Either way, $170 nets me a ton more photos. The problem is, we probably won't get around to doing it. I thought maybe if I posted about it on my blog I would have some accountability to actually getting the job done.Product Review -- How I Homeschool Ebook by TOSProduct ReviewHow I Homeschool by The Old Schoolhouse Everybody who homeschools has their own style, and yet it all comes out okay. This is the message I got from The Old Schoolhouse' newest e-book titled How I Homeschool. That's a pretty encouraging book if you are looking for some affirmation on your homeschool journey. (And aren't we all?) In this book, 12 homeschoolers describe a day in their life. Some of these ladies get up at 5:30, some of them get up some time between 8 and 9 a.m. Some of them work for extra pay at home, some do not. Some of the ladies use the classical method, some unschool, some love Charlotte Mason. What I found most fascinating about this book was the number of times the women mentioned being called to homeschool even before they had school-aged children, or any children at all, or in one case before they were even married! I found this fascinating because it mirrors my own story. I first heard about homeschooling in 1994, a full 4 years before my first child was born. I thought it was a great idea; but God had a little convincing to do with my husband! At any rate, if you are looking for some encouraging insights into the homeschool lives of other real moms this will be a great read. Product Review -- Homeschool in the Woods -- New Testament Project PackProduct ReviewHomeschool In The Woods New Testament Activity Pack by Amy Pak I have had my eye on these activity packs for a while, so I was perfectly delighted to receive this beautiful set for review. You can already tell I am not pulling my punches on this one right? If you like lapbooking with your children, and even if you don't but you enjoy special and easy projects occasionally -- you are going to love the activity packs from Homeschool In The Woods. What's Included? This particular pack has 17 projects including projects that cover Christ's Lineage, Birth, Miracles, Parables, The Last Supper. Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension, The Beatitudes, The Fruits of the Spirit, The Armor of God, Prophecies fulfilled by Christ, The Twelve Disciples, The Pentacost, Paul's Missionary Journeys, Paul's Letters, and a New Testament News (paper) activity. 15 of the 17 projects are part of a lapbook. The downloadable version of this product is $18.95. What I like: I have come to expect excellence from Homeschool In The Woods through using her timeline figures; and this product is no exception. I was excited to find that many of the lapbook pieces could be used independently during our Resurrection study. I will likely pull out the Christmas pieces in the same way, and use the other pieces as we study those particular sections. The drawings are fantastic. i believe I have seen or used lapbooks from every vendor currently marketing them and I have to say Homeschool in the Woods is my favorite lapbook vendor! What I Don't Like: My chief and only frustration was the fact that this set was not in one big organized pdf. Instead, the set is broken down into smaller pdfs which are easier to download and yet harder to find what you need quickly. This is probably just a personality thing for me but I prefer to have one big file to scroll through. Product Review -- One2Believe Noah's ArkProduct ReviewOne2Believe Noah's Ark I completed a review of the One2Believe Nativity back in November, and after my negative reaction to the set I was quite surprised when they sent me another set to review! I will admit that I liked the Noah's Ark set significantly more -- mostly because there was no weirdly shaped baby Jesus in this one :). I did think the figures in the Noah's Ark set were cute -- especially the animals. However, the quality just does not compare to Shleich animals! My children do enjoy playing with this set and I feel I ought to mention that. I have several frustrations with One2Believe. One is the lack of quality material for the figures. Another frustration is the little tiny books that come with the product ore inaccurate. Specifically with the Noah's Ark set, my children were greatly disappointed that the ark itself did not open so that Noah and the animals could not go in. What's my bottom line? For my money, I would rather purchase the Fisher Price Noah's Ark set (which we have) or the HABA Noah's Ark set (which we also have) or just collect Schleich animals and have Daddy build a boat! UPDATE:: I feel I should mention that the top does come off -- eventually -- if you have really determined children -- which I do .
Product Review -- Bible Story Songs (Moses)Product ReviewBible Story Songs As I write this review, I am very torn between two polarizing views of this product. Let me explain. On the one hand, I really appreciated the content of this recording. Summarization of the Scripture story of Moses is interspersed with lively songs which fill in the details of his life. I found the content to be accurate and compelling. I felt that this content is needed -- families need these kinds of methods to fill their children's minds with Scripture. I was impressed with the depth of content available from Bible Story Songs on-line and I am sure that sheer amount of work that has gone in to the planning, composition and performance of these songs is tremendous. On the other hand, as a trained musician, with over ten years of private voice lessons, a Bachelor of Arts in vocal performance and over ten years of teaching experience I was not impressed by the quality of the music on this cd. First of all, the recording quality is clearly amateur. The pianist is amazing, however the piano tone is lacking and the piano does not translate well to the recording. Secondly, the vocalists for several of the soloists are not just amateur, in some cases it was actually difficult for myself and my children to listen. Thirdly, while the choral parts were fairly well done, the children often sing with slightly closed soft palates -- giving a falsely mature sound sort've like putting a hand over the top of the sound and pushing down or squeezing the sound. And, I found I could often hear just an adult voice mixed in, however it wasn't consistently present, didn't blend or stand out and compliment -- and seemed very accidental. What's my bottom line? While my children will enjoy this recording from time to time; I will not be putting these projects onto my priority list for actually spending our precious homeschool budget money. { Last Page } { Page 1 of 5 } { Next Page } |
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