Happily Homeschooling

Memoria Press

Memoria Press – Classical Education 

For my last and final review for the TOS Crew, I had the opportunity to review Memoria Press, a classical Christian education company. I was graciously given 3 different products: Latina Christiana, Traditional Logic I, and Famous Men of Rome. As I have in previous reviews, I will give an overview of the company and then will discuss the products.

Memoria Press offers products to homeschool families that are characterized by “simplicity, quality, and affordability.” Although the programs are of the “highest academic standards”, they are not difficult to follow and can be used by everyone. Parents do not need to be familiar with the subjects in order to teach. This is a wonderful aspect of their programs. Latin and logic are not necessarily easy subjects, but they can be learned smoothly with Memoria Press. 

You can read more about Memoria Press in their About Us section. 

Now on to the products:

Latina Christiana I is an introduction to Christian Latin. It is designed for beginners from 3rd grade up and is generally covered over the course of one year. This is the first course written by Cheryl Lowe. It is designed for students and parents with no Latin background (which is me!). The course has been modified and is now available in the 3rd edition. What we received was the teacher and student workbooks, the pronunciation CD, and the DVD’s. Leigh Lowe is the instructor on the DVD’s and does a remarkable job. Leigh’s voice is calm and easy to listen to, which is important, I think, when watching an instructional video. She follows the workbooks well, too, which makes everything flow right along. Leigh is the author of Prima Latina and teaches at Highlands Latin School. The DVD’s cover all 25 lessons from the workbook. Each lesson is approximately 25 minutes long. Leigh offers tips during each lesson as well as assistance with difficult exercises. It is nice to be able to listen to the pronunciations of each word and know that you are doing it right (or wrong). The curriculum covers vocabulary, grammar, prayers, songs, history lessons, and more. It really is quite amazing how much information is incorporated into this curriculum. The teacher’s manual is a keyed copy of the student workbook. It provides guidelines for teaching, lesson plans, tests & keys, and extra information on Latin and Roman sayings. 

We enjoyed reviewing this program. Because we recently received this, we have not completed many of the lessons, but we have already learned some Latin already. I have always wanted to learn Latin because it is the basis of many of the languages used today. Learning even just the vowels helps explain some of the rules of English (or how vowels break the rules, lol).

Traditional Logic I is an introduction to formal logic. This curriculum can be for all ages but is designed typically for 7th grade and up. It can be covered in one semester or over one school year. Traditional Logic is an “in-depth study of the classical syllogism”. Mr. Cothran explains logic in an easy to understand and comprehensive manner. Traditional Logic I teaches Christian theory of knowledge, 4 kinds of logical statements, 4 ways propositions can be opposed and 3 ways they can be equivalent, and the 7 rules of validity of syllogisms. Like I said, this course is comprehensive and thorough! We received the workbooks (teacher and student) and the DVD set. The DVD set is taught by Martin Cothran, the author and like Latina Christiana, follows the workbook well and also reviews difficult exercises.

Again, we enjoyed reviewing this program. We chose logic because we are involved in NCFCA for Speech and Debate and believe it will all coincide. I first looked at Classical Rhetoric, but after discussing with Tanya from Memoria Press, decided to start with the Traditional Logic program. What we have been able to cover in the short time we’ve had the program has been interesting. The DVD’s are a little dry, but Mr. Cothran does an excellent job explaining logic, which is not an easy task. I do plan to finish this and ultimately move on to Classical Rhetoric.

Famous Men of Rome is an awesome book on great men in Roman history. It covers from Romulus to the end of the Western Empire. It is very well done and easy to read, even for younger students. It includes wonderful full-color illustrations of events during the lives of the men discussed. This book intertwines with Latina Christiana I, as Latin was language for this era. We received the book, as well as the year-long student workbook and teachers manual. The workbook includes famous quotes, a drill of key people and places, vocabulary words, timelines, as well as other great information. Famous Men of Rome alone offers an incredible amount of information. But adding the workbooks allows the student to think far beyond the stories and gain more knowledge and understanding of the Roman Empire, and ultimately, modern political philosophies. Both my children enjoyed reading this book. It is so interesting with all of the historical facts and stories. I plan to purchase the other Famous Men books. You can check them out here. 

The bottom line:

Memoria Press is very reasonably priced. You have the option of purchasing in part or whole most of the curriculum they offer.

Latina Christiana I is available for $39.95, with the DVD’s and flashcards it is $97.60. You can also purchase individual supplements from this page. 

Traditional Logic I is available for $31.90, with the DVD’s it is $68.95. The DVD’s alone are $45.00. Again, you can purchase supplemental material from this page. 

Famous Men of Rome is available right now for $39.95, which includes the teacher and student guides. The book alone is $16.95.

There are many more products available. You can look at all of them from the home page. 

You can also view the other crew member’s reviews here.

Memoria Press is a family-run publishing company that offers classical Christian education materials for home and private schools. Cheryl Lowe founded the company in 1994 “to help promote and transmit the classical heritage of the Christian West…” Currently, a K-12 classical curriculum is being developed and field-tested at Highlands Latin School in Louisville, KY. Memoria Press’ educational philosophy is classical Christian education, which is “the cultivation of wisdom and virtue through meditation on the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.

Tapestry of Grace Unit Study

Tapestry of Grace DE

One of the final reviews I have for the TOS focus group is Tapestry of Grace (TOG). For those of you that have not heard of TOG, it is a Christian, classical education, using a guided unit-study approach with history as the core theme. I’ll begin by telling you about TOG, and then about the curriculum we received.

Who & What is Tapestry of Grace?

TOG has recently adapted their print version to a digital edition (Tapestry DE) which is what we in the group received. This version is exactly the same as the print version, with a few bonuses which include: affordable, printable (you choose what & when to print), instant access (download to your computer instantly), compact (CD’s instead of binders), and never becomes outdated (TOG offers free update downloads). TOG teaches based on stages or levels, and not ages. This method allows parents to “successfully teach humanities subjects to all their children simultaneously because the content has been well organized.” TOG covers history, church history, literature, geography, fine arts, government, philosophy, and writing & composition. It does not cover science, math, spelling, grammar, or a foreign language.

TOG uses visual, auditory, and tactile learning styles and all of the lessons can be modified according to each family’s individual needs.  This is a wonderful aspect of Tapestry of Grace.

TOG is a 4 year curriculum that covers history from Creation to the 21st Century. Each year has 4 units and each unit is then broken down into weeks. It really is quite organized!

On to the curriculum:

We received Year 2 Unit 3, Of Crowns & Colonies. We chose this because we really like Colonial America. We have been to Williamsburg and Yorktown, VA and loved all of the history there. This unit encompassed so much information. It is incredible. One of the crafts we were able to do was to make a model of a ship. This was a lot of fun and both kids enjoyed it. My kids love crafts and would create all day long if I let them. The crafts were great, but that was only part of what we enjoyed. The facts and information given throughout the curriculum is incredible. It is very thorough and complete.

The digital version of TOG comes to you as a .PDF file that is secured by LockLizard. It’s a fairly simple download, and there is fantastic customer service available if there are any problems.  After you have read, at least once, the Start Guide and The Loom, then you will open the curriculum. You will find all of the information well organized (I said that before, lol), which allows you to jump to where you want to be, or print what you want. You will need to have access to a library or you can purchase the reading requirements from BookShelf Central, through Tapestry of Grace (click here to view). There are a lot of reading sources necessary to have in order to complete this study.

Before you start the program, it is crucial to read the Simple Start Guide and view The Loom. Both of these will help you tremendously to understand TOG and how it works. The Loom offers book updates, corrections, tips and helps, and general resources. Another source to read before you start is Setting up Tapestry. This provides 5 simple steps to take before starting. There are also forums that you can link into and be connected with others using the same year. Like I said, TOG is very organized. 

What we thought:

Overall, I will say Tapestry of Grace is an incredibly in depth curriculum that can serve your family many years with moderate changes from year to year. It can be used for children of all levels and together. This works well for families with a range of ages. However, there is so much information it can be easily overwhelming if you are not used to the style, which I was not. Definitely reading the recommended resources first is a must, otherwise, you may not be able to understand and/or navigate through the file. I have to say, as much as I admire unit studies and would like to use them more often, I am not a unit study kind of homeschooling mom. I guess I like separate subjects usually. I do like unit studies when we want to take a break from our normal routine for a few days. There is also a lot of teacher preparation time required, which I do not often have, unfortunately. Those that do, I am sure, will like TOG very much.

What's the bottom line?

The cost is just $45 a unit or $170 for the full DE year. The printed version is $225 for a full year. There are bundles that you can buy, too. Tapestry of Grace also sells MapAids, Writing Aids, Evaluations, and much more. You can see all that they sell here.

You can try Tapestry of Grace out here for a free 3-week trial. This will give you a good idea of what TOG is and you can see just how it will fit for your family. I also invite you to read other Crew member’s reviews here.

Apologia Science Curriculum

Apolgia  Educational Ministries

Over the course of the maiden voyage of this focus group, a few of the members have had the opportunity to review different science products. I had not received any until recently. I have had the wonderful opportunity to review Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Biology textbook and Exploring Creation with Zoology 1, Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. These are incredible science books. Let me tell you a little about Apologia first. 

Apologia Educational Ministries started in 1994 by Dr. Jay L. Wile. Dr. Wile began by writing a college preparatory Chemistry course for local homeschooler’s based on the class he taught to University students. Apologia has grown into a family-owned corporation and now publishes K-12 creation based curriculum. The homepage of Apologia’s website indicates “Apologia provides fun and challenging K-12 creation-based science curriculum…Our texts are readable, easy to understand, and full of engaging experiments that can be performed at home.” And, their junior high and high school level courses are considered college prep classes.

Now on to the curriculum we received:

Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Biology Second Edition – this is a phenomenal science book! This class is recommended for high school freshman. It “provides a detailed introduction to the methods and concepts of general biology…Students who take and understand this course will be very well-prepared for a tough university biology course.” The information contained in this book is in depth and thorough. There are 16 modules in this book. You can view the table of contents here. You can also view a sample module here. It is well formatted, too. Each section has experiments based on the lesson. Many of the needed items will be common household items, which can be purchased as a set. Some lab equipment will be needed, too. A list of the lab supplies needed can be found here. Even though there is a ton of information; it is not monotonous or drab. My daughter stayed interested while learning and I was impressed with the accuracy of the language used. Sometimes science texts are so basic that nothing new is learned, and this becomes boring and uninspiring. Apologia offers curriculum that is sure to inspire your students to learn more, even those that don’t like science. You can view the Table of Contents, a sample Module, and the Lab List here. This textbook is available for $65.00 or combined with the Solutions and Test Manual for $85.00. The full course CD is $65.00 and there is a multimedia companion CD for $15.00. Apologia offers additional items for this curriculum that are available here. 

The next book we received, Exploring Creation with Zoology I, Flying Creatures of the Fifth day is, again, incredible! This curriculum is for grades kindergarten to 6^th grade. There are 14 lessons that cover birds, bats, pterosaurs, and insects. There are projects and experiments for each lesson, too. All of the experiments utilize common items, so there is no need to purchase a separate lab kit. There is a Lab List here that shows the items needed for module. Even though this book is more for my son (third grade), my daughter (ninth grade) couldn’t put it down. She read it from cover to cover! With almost every paragraph she was giving me some new fact she had learned. There is so much in this little book. The language is geared for the students, so it is easy to read and follow. But even though the words are simpler, there is still plenty of scientific information. For example: “when air flows across a bird’s wing, the air that travels above the wing moves more quickly than the air that travels below the wing…” This is only a portion of the lesson, but you can see more if you click here, along the Table of Contents and Lab List. This book is priced at $35.00. 

As I stated above, Apologia uses God’s Word as the foundation for teaching which helps students to become stronger in their faith. This, coupled with the knowledge they’ll gain by using these books, will help them stand strong and be able to defend their faith.  

I highly recommend Apologia’s science courses. There are Elementary, Junior, and High School Sciences, as well as Marine Biology and Advanced Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The upper levels are available as hard copies or as CD-ROM’s and, this fall, Apologia will be offering live, internet courses.

You can read other reviews from the TOS Crew here.

Homeschool In The Woods Review

Homeschool In The Woods

The New Testament Activity-Pak 

We were recently given the opportunity to review a Lap book by Homeschool in the Woods. “What is a lap book?” you ask. A lap book is, for a simple definition, an educational project that is put together on a file folder. It is much more than that, though; read on and you will find out the benefits of adding these projects to your homeschooling day.  

Homeschool in the Woods (HSITW) was started in 2002 by the Pak family. How fitting the name, right? They have been homeschooling for many years and, like many of us, struggled to find just the right curriculum for a specific subject. Their subject was history. Amy Pak discovered that the “idea of timelines as a great visual resource to pull the whole idea of history together…made sense and gave a concrete foundation for fitting all the topics into place.” The Pak family studied history “through living books, drama, writing, etc.” Using this experience and research, they have created and now offer history timelines and activity paks that are both fun & educational. You can read more about the Pak family here. 

For our review, we received the lap book “The New Testament”. This pak contains 15 activities & 2 bonus activities for you and your children to do while studying the New Testament. You will follow Jesus’ life from “birth to death and life again” & complete the following activities along the way:

•  The Lineage from David to Jesus
• Triptych of the Birth of Jesus Christ
• Miracle of Jesus
• The Beatitudes Pie Book
• Fruit of the Spirit
• The Parables of Jesus
• The Last Supper
• The Crucifixion
• The Ascension
• Pentecost
• The Resurrection
• Prophesies Fulfilled
• The Twelve Disciples
• Paul's Missionary Journeys
• Postcards from Paul
• "The New Testament News"
• The Armor of God

You will have so much fun putting this together with your kids. It comes as an e-file or CD and you can print off the sections that you choose when you are ready. All of the projects are well designed and exciting, but the one we had the most fun with is The New Testament News. It’s like a newspaper and the student gets to be the reporter. My daughter thought this was “cool”. There are “article” titles given and then the students are encouraged to write the article. For example, one of the articles is titled “Herd of swine jump to their death”. There are also ads with titles and the student can draw a picture or add more words. An example is “Armor of God Military Supplies”, it reads “Guaranteed to Quench Fiery Darts of the Enemy”. It’s cute, imaginative, and fun. Students can be as creative as they want to be. And because you can print it out when you want to, you can print as many as you want to.

I have to say that, though we have looked at lapbooks and contemplated purchasing a few, we have never put any together. They seemed intimidating, for whatever reason. But HSITW (the Pak family) has given detailed instructions and provided all the necessary graphics and such for each activity. You do have to gather basic supplies: printer/ink, paper, glue, scissors, etc. Everything else is right there with the click of your mouse. Lap books, or at least HSITW’s lap books, really aren’t as threatening as I once thought.

We did like all of the activities in this lap book. They are all fun, and educational. The postcards from Paul are really fun, too. You even get a mailbox to put them in. There is just so much. You can look at the completed projects here. I highly recommend getting this for you and your family. You will all have fun while learning about important scriptural lessons.

The download is just $18.95

The CD is just a $1 more at $19.95.

They are both very affordable.

You can read more reviews from other Crew members here.