I'm hoping to spend this week working on it with my children.  It should be fun!

If you don't subscribe to the Old Schoolhouse magazine or your time to renew is coming up, I suggest you jump over and check out the amazing summer special that's going on right now.

I have always enjoyed the free gifts associated with my subscription the Old Schoolhouse magazine, but this year really seems to take the cake.  There are 19 free gifts including a free portrait at Sears, crepe mix and cheesecake blend from Wildtree, a $20 gift card from Franklin springs, and a $10 gift card from Apologia...just to name a few! 

It's certainly worth a look.  Click here to check it out!

There are only 5,00 available, so hurry!

My last review for the TOS Homeschool Crew is for two products published by Memoria Press.

Memoria Press is a publishing company that produces classical Christian education materials.  The items I received demonstrated that the products made and distributed by this company are of a high quality. 

Part of their philosophy states: 
'"Memoria Press’ educational philosophy can be best described as classical Christian education. Classical Christian education is the cultivation of wisdom and virtue through meditation on the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. This is accomplished in two ways: first, through training in the liberal arts; and secondly, through a familiarity with the great books and the great thinkers of the Western tradition.” 

I find this extremely intriguing.  A great basis for eduction if you ask me.  Read more about the philosophy of Memoria Press here.

Onto the reviews...

For review I received the Prima Latina teacher manual, student book, DVD set, and CD.

Prima Latina is an introduction to Latin; a  prepatory course, designed to precede Latina Christiana, another Latin curriculum produced by Memoria Press.  Prima Latina is intended for children K - 4th grade.  It is also meant for teachers with no Latin background.

This course is extremely thorough and quite intense.  I have no previous experience with Latin and found this be very interesting.  I have not yet been convinced of the need to begin studying it at this stage of our homeschool journey, however, the instructor, Leigh Lowe, had me pretty close.  My daughter is 7 and did find this to be interesting too. However, it is quite rigorous and I cannot imagine a kindergartner doing this unless lessons were broken down into much smaller segments.  There is also a decent amount of writing involved in the student book and this too might pose a problem for younger ones.

Let me say that if I were to pursue Latin further at this time, Prima Latina would be the course I’d use.  Especially with the DVD’s.   The DVD’s provide something a little different from Mom always being the teacher.  They also make lesson presentation very easy!  The author of this curriculum, Leigh Lowe, is the teacher on the DVD’s.  She does a great job presenting the lessons and explains things very well.  I really enjoyed her enthusiasm and most of all, her emphasis on “doing your best work.”  For Mom’s with no Latin experience, or who could use a little help, I highly recommend these DVD’s to accompany the Prima Latina curriculum.

The teacher’s manual and student book are both neatly and clearly laid out.  Lessons are straightforward and easy to follow. Most lessons follow the same format, beginning with some practical Latin, then moving on to the lesson (learning something new).  Next is vocabulary, then Latin prayers, derivatives, review questions, translation, speaking Latin, write and learn, and finally, fun practice.  There are 25 lessons, one is to be completed each week.

The Prima Latina CD is also quite helpful in facilitating learning.  It includes a general pronunciation guide, prayer instructions, the prayers, pronunciation guide for specific words used in each lesson, and four Latin songs (which sound wonderful).  Children can use this CD for daily practice and review (and Mom can use it too).

By the end of Prima Latina, children will have learned:

• English and Latin alphabet, vowels and consonants
  
• 125 Latin words
  
• 25 great Latin sayings
  
• 4 Latin prayers
  
• 4 Latin hymns
  
• 12 constellations
  
• Latin numbers one through ten
  
• and much more...click here to so what else is covered

As you can imagine, a child who completes this course would be well on his way to knowing and understanding Latin. 

Sample pages of the student book and teacher’s manual can be found here.

Price Details

Sets:
Prima Latina Text Set $32.95
Teacher Manual, Student Book, & Pronunciation CD

Prima Latina Texts, DVDs & Flashcard Set
Teacher, Student, Pronunciation CD, Instructional DVDs, Flashcards $90.90

Individual items:
Prima Latina Student Book $14.00

Prima Latina Teacher Manual $14.00

Prima Latina Pronunciation CD $4.95

Prima Latina Instructional DVDs $45.00  3 DVD set

All these items can be purchased through Memoria Press.

All in all I give Prima Latina a thumbs up.  It is a very thorough program, easy to use, fun and rigorous. 




Leigh Lowe and Cheryl Lowe have created both a teacher and student guide to accompany D'Aulaires' Greek Myths.

I have enjoyed all of the D’Aulaire books we have encountered so far.  They are always well written and beautifully illustrated.  This is no exception.  Memoria Press’ study guides aim to utilize the stories and pictures through a variety of activities including drill work, vocabulary, and comprehension questions.

In the very beginning of the teacher’s guide under “Why Study Greek Mythology,” the author states that "Greek myths are universal stories that describe human character types and the human situation in a wonderfully imaginative and entertaining way".   It is proposed that through these myths children will learn about the types of people they are sure to encounter throughout their lifetime.  This is why an entire study guide is devoted to the topic.

Recommended for grades 3-6, the student guide consists of 103 pages while the teacher’s guide has 143.

As with Prima Latina, the lessons are laid out in a neat, straightforward and predictable manner:
 
Each lesson begins with Facts to Know; a section that highlights the most important information from the D’Aulaire text.  Definitions are given for each item.  These facts are intended to be used for memory work and drill.

Vocabulary is next. 
New or challenging words from D’Aulaires’ text are listed along with parts of the sentence they were used in to give context.  Discussion of the meaning and spelling of these words is encouraged.  There is space to write the definition beside each word - definitions are given in the teacher’s guide!

Following vocabulary are a list of Comprehension Questions.  These questions were created for more than simple recollection, the authors have crafted them in such a way that students should be able to notice and understand the virtues and foolishness of the Greek characters.  Basic answers are given in the teacher’s guide.

Each lesson ends with Activities.
This section includes a variety of ideas to pursue.  It begins with identifying and discussing events and people in the stories by looking at the beautiful illustrations in D’Aulaires’ book.  Discussion questions, writing prompts, drawing, map work, and time lines are some of the enrichment activities included in this section.  Brief answers and guidance is given in the teacher’s guide.

Maps, a pronunciation guide, tests, and review lessons are also included in these guides.  There are 25 lessons in total.

This is certainly a much more in depth study than I ever intended to do with Greek Myths.  However I do see it’s value.  The layout and work required in these guides is something I would have greatly enjoyed in my school years.  As with the Prima Latina curriculum, the Greek Myth guide is rigorous and thorough. 

This is a little different to the read-and-narrate process I have been enjoying with my daughter. A lot more writing and studying is involved here.  This curriculum is very good and one that would be enjoyed by many.  Especially those pursuing a classical education.

Price Details

D'Aulaires' Set $45.95 (save 15%)
Softbound D'Aulaires' Greek Myths, Student Guide, & Teacher Guide w/ key

D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Student Guide $17.95

D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Teacher Guide $17.95

D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Softbound $18.95

These items can be purchased at MemoriaPress.com

To find out what other homeschoolers thought about Memoria Press visit the Homeschool Crew

Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day is part of Apologia’s Young Explorer Series.  The 236 page science book is intended for children ages 6 through 13.

Written by Jeannie Fulbright, Flying Creatures on the Fifth Day, begins with animal classification and the dynamics of flight, it then moves onto the study of all manner of flying creatures.  I really enjoy how this text covers “flying creatures” - not just birds, but also insects, flying reptiles, beetles, and bats.

14 lessons are included.  These can be broken down into two week segments, however, it is really up to each family to determine how much they would like to cover and in what time frame.  This is encouraged by the author.   Lessons can be completed in any order (except lesson 1 needs to be first).

Although this is technically a textbook, the style is much different from any textbook I have ever used.  The authors tone is conversational and the text is written directly to the student.  Much emphasis is placed on God throughout as children are encouraged to see Him as the designer.

Another aspect that makes this more than a textbook is the focus and time given to narrations and notebooking.  Narration reminders and questions are found throughout.  Such statements as,  “Explain in your own words who you have learned  about lift, thrust and drag” (lesson 1) help the student think about and process what they have learned.

Notebooking is a large part of this curriculum.  The student is instructed to begin a notebook in which they are to keep all zoology information.  Any illustrations, artifacts and experiment records are to be stored there.  Students are also instructed to write down what they learned after each reading segment.  I do like this idea of a notebook and think it is very effective way to learn.  Written narration reminders are found throughout the text.  For example, in lesson 6 you will find this assignment: “Write down everything you remember from the lesson about courtship rituals, eggs and fledglings.”

Experiments and projects are frequent features here.  I very much enjoy the inclusion of projects as well as experiments.  Students will find instructions for building a birdhouse and an ant farm (among other things).  What kid wouldn’t enjoy that!?

All in all I give Flying Creatures on the Fifth Day a thumbs up.  I do feel it was a little advanced for my 7 year old.  She enjoyed it, but I would prefer to delve into something with this much detail a little later.  Perhaps in a few years when she will be able to complete written narrations and grasp a little more of what is being taught.  I look forward to that.  It would certainly be possible to modify for young children, and to use this curriculum with more than one age group at a time. It is also possible for parents to write the narrations as the child dictates.  I would just prefer to use it mostly as it is laid out.  And I intend to do so.

I appreciate the opportunity to review this product since I would probably have stayed away from it thinking it was like all other textbooks.  While it is certainly still a textbook, it has a lot more to offer than those most of us used in school.

Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day is $35.  To purchase, see table of contents, sample pages and more, click here.

To read what other Homeschool moms thought about this and other Apologia texts, visit the Homeschool Crew.

Here is an art program we have thoroughly enjoyed!  It actually teaches ART!  Not cut and paste or busy work, real art.

ARTistic Pursuits was created by Brenda Ellis, a homeschool mother who is also an artist as well as a very creative person!  Just read their about page and you will see what I mean.

For review, we received Artistic Pursuits Grades K-3 Book One - An Introduction to the Visual Arts.  This is the first of 3 books in the K-3 series.  Book One consists of 32 lessons including hands-on projects for each.  The first 10 lessons teach children about what artists do.  The next 7 discuss what artists see (such as shape, form, and color).  The last 15 lessons explore ancient art, allowing children to delve into many different art mediums and techniques such as pottery, mosaics, bookbinding, mural, and much more.

Lessons are set up in a very easy to use manner.  Each lesson consists of 3 pages and follows the same order each time.  For instance, with the first 10 lessons discussing what artists do you will find that each lesson begins with the first page introducing something an artist does (like imagining or composing), the second page will then include a lovely color print of a master work of art that illustrates the topic being discussed.  Last, instructions are given for the child to produce their own work of art, which is connected to what they have just learned and observed.

My very artistic 7 year old loved this program.  She could not wait for the lessons and wanted to more than one at a time.  I quite enjoyed it myself and joined in some of the activities too.

Many aspects of  ARTistic Pursuits please me, so I think it would be easiest if I list them:

• It is extremely user friendly. 
  Lessons are set up and ready to go.  The only preparation needed would be purchasing the art supplies.

• Real art supplies are used: ebony pencil, watercolor crayons, clay.
  I understand that this can become expensive and sometimes corners need to be cut.  But truly, it is so nice to use quality supplies.  It is also fun to complete art projects that require more than construction paper and glue.  I feel this curriculum is developing an artist in my child!
  

• Masterworks are used for examples.
  It is wonderful for children to look at beautiful art work and to see the brushstrokes made by artists hundreds of years ago.  The convenience of having these included in the book is very helpful, since locating prints can often become tedious and expensive.
  

• Many projects leave the child with options for creating their own work of art.
  Instructions are stated clearly, yet room is given for individuality and creativity.  After all, isn’t that what artists are made of?
  

• Questions are listed beside the master art works.
  I found this very helpful in guiding myself and my child as we explored the composition.  I often do not enjoy questioning and find it a little too rigid.  However, I noticed that these really helped me to see aspects of the painting that I may have missed.  I do like to have my daughter look at the artwork and talk to me about it before asking the questions though.
  

As you can see, we like ARTistic Pursuits and would highly recommend it to anyone desiring a quality art program.

Book One is $42.95 and can be purchased from Artisticpursuits.com or the Oldschoolhouse Store.

To learn more about ARTistic pursuits for Grades K-3, and to see sample pages, click here.

Programs are also available for preschoolers, and highschool students.  To learn more, visit their website: ArtisticPursuits.com

To see what other homeschool moms thought, visit the Homeschool Crew

One2believe is a company that produces toys which enable children to focus on Bible stories in play time. The idea of kids acting out biblical history as they play is very appealing to me.  It is another way for them to learn and reinforce what they are being taught.  Of course, children can act out Bible stories without toys, but toys can be fun too.

For review we received the Noah’s Ark set.:

Recommended for children ages 3 and up, my kids (4 and 7 years old) have thoroughly enjoyed playing with it (and I like it better than the Nativity set previously reviewed.)

The Noah’s Ark set from one2believe includes an ark, Noah, and 14 animals. Animals include a male and female of the following: ostriches, elephants, lions, donkeys, camels, monkeys and sheep.  The animals are sturdy enough for children to play with and should bring many hours of fun.   The ark has only one window, which makes me happy (since the Bible says it had only one window) and it also floats.  I don’t know that it is intended to float, but it does. It also a decent size, all the animals can be stored inside.

What I like:
Kid sized, fun, Bible focused play.  This Noah’s ark would be a great quiet activity for a little one. However, with 14 animals included, more than one child can play.

What I don’t like:
Had a little struggle getting the top of the ark to come off.  I’m not sure how sturdy that actual ark is.  I thought it may crack, but it hasn’t yet, and my kids have played with it plenty.

Noah’s wife, and the sons and their wives are not included, although I’ve never seen an ark that does.   It’s important that children know the full story.  I would not say this is a reason to dismiss the product, just one to be aware of.

From the website:
One2believe's passion is to help children learn important Bible lessons and to have them come to faith in Jesus. Our goal is to provide fun ways of teaching children about the greatest people who ever lived.  This is certainly commendable!  To learn more about this company visit one2believe.com

Click here to see all the products in the Tales of Glory series (of which Noah's Ark is one). Click
here to go straight to the Noah’s Ark page.

The Noah's Ark set retails for $29.99 and can be purchased directly from one2believe.

To read other reviews of this product visit the Homeschool Crew.

SpellQuizzer is a fun learning tool to aid in spelling practice.  The program is designed for Windows,  it downloads to your computer quickly and is very easy to use. 

How it works:

Select a spelling list
Lists can be imported from SpellQuizzer.com, or created by you or your child (more about this below).

Click on Play word, listen to word and reminder phrase.

Type word:



Click on Check Spelling.

If word is incorrect a small window will pop up and state something like this:

Sorry that was incorrect.  The correct spelling is away.  The word you entered was awey.

I like that the correct spelling is shown along with the misspelled word.

Words spelled incorrectly will be tested again.

A word on Spelling lists:

A number of Spelling lists can be imported from SpellQuizzer.com (there is no extra charge for this service).  Some of the lists currently available are: religious themed words, frequently misspelled words by grade, Dolch sight words by grade, holiday themes, and US states and mottoes.  Lists are quick to import and can be edited to suit your student.  By edited I mean that words can be added or deleted from the list.  Imported lists come with audio, so no recording or words or phrases is needed.

Spelling lists can also be created by you or your student.  I think this is one of the greatest highlights of this product and is very easy to do.  Simply type in the word (which will be checked for accuracy by a built-in spell checker), click a button to start recording, and save.  This is my favorite aspect of the program because it enables families to intertwine spelling practice with all other subjects that are currently being studied.    Spelling doesn’t have to consist of memorizing a random list of words, it can have meaning and purpose.

One last feature that may be helpful to groups is the ability export lists.  Instead of each individual in a group typing and recording their own list, one can export the list for others to download onto their own computer.

What I like:

I enjoy the fact that this program is customizable.  It is great to have the ability to create lists which fit each child.  Words from books that are currently being read can easily be included.

It is nice to do something different.
Since  my children spend very little time on the computer, it is a real thrill for them to be able to use it.  It is also nice for me to not have to read each spelling word aloud (that sounds really lazy!)and nice for them to work in a different way.

Making lists is fun!
I allowed my children to help record some of the spelling words and they had a blast doing it.  My daughter also had a great time working through the list as a test/practice because she enjoyed hearing our voices saying each word through the computer...very exciting stuff!

User friendly.
I found SpellQuizzer to be very easy to use.  Importing lists, creating lists, and recording words are all simple tasks to perform.  My 7 year old has had no problem using the program for spelling practice either.

When I first heard that we would be reviewing SpellQuizzer I was not overly excited about it.  I thought, “I don’t need that.”  Well, I suppose I don’t NEED it, but it certainly makes spelling practice a more pleasurable experience.  My family has enjoyed this program and will continue to use it for many years. 

SpellQuizzer is $29.95.  A free 30 day trial is available at SpellQuizzer.com.  Visit the website for more information, a video demonstration, and screenshots.   

To see what other Homeschool Mom’s thought about SpellQuizzer visit the Homeschool Crew.

Heads Up is a company designed to provide information and tools for struggling learners.  Upon reading through the Heads Up catalog I was struck by the great care they seem to have for children. At Heads Up, they know that each child is an individual and needs to be treated as such.

From the Website:

From the Website:
The Heads Up! Reader has a highlight strip of color between two strips of grey. The highlighted section aids in visual tracking and the color helps maintain attention to printed text. The straight edges can be used to neatly underline key words or phrases. The Reader is thin and flexible, and can be used as a bookmark for added convenience. Choice of yellow, green, red, blue, orange, pink or clear.