My family really loves games. We already own a lot of games, but I am always looking for new ones for us to enjoy together. That's why I was really excited when I found out I would be receiving Life on the Farm to review. Not being able to resist a new game, my daughter immediately opened the package and got to work setting everything up so we could play that afternoon!
The first thing I noticed was how nice the box is. The cardboard is definitely heavier than most. The board itself is also very sturdy and attractive. The contents include the game board, dice, pawns for 6 players, money, cow cards, income cards, and expense cards. I appreciate the organizer to hold the money and cow cards to keep them from becoming a mess.
Life on the Farm is a board game that is based on...you guessed it...Farming. The concept of the game is straightforward. The players roll the dice and move their pawns around the board. The squares display instructions. For example, there is a space that says you've sold a bull and to collect money. There are some spaces that instruct you to draw an income or expense card. These cards have different situations that can arise on a farm that either make money or cost money. I am a lifetime suburbanite, so my knowledge of farming has been confined to books and an isolated field trip or two. The game introduced me to some of the ups and downs of farming.
The object of the game is to be the first player to acquire both 60 cows and $10,000 (That's the amount of money each player starts with.) There is also a suggested shorter method. We learned rather quickly that it isn't wise to be too conservative with buying cows at the beginning of the game. Although many of your expenses are based on the number of cows you own, your main income (every time around the board, like Monopoly) is also based on the number of cows you own. So more cows means you make more money, more quickly. Another reason to buy larger quantities of cows at once is there are limited opportunities to purchase cows. You can only purchase cows when you land on a cattle auction space on the board (and there aren't that many) or draw an expense card allowing you to purchase cows. So, getting to 60 cows takes a LONG time if you only buy a few at a time.
So, what did we think of the game? My 9 year old daughter liked it a lot. My 11 year old son thought it was ok. I found it to be fun (especially since I won, finally), but it takes more time that I usually have to spend on a game. (We will be playing the shortened version next time.) I know that I would have loved this game as a child, but it's not my favorite type of game as an adult. Now, I tend to prefer card games or strategy games. But, I think Life on the Farm makes a good family game. Many of the games we play leave little opportunity for the children to win. Life on the Farm is not a game of total chance because there is some strategy about buying cows, but the player doesn't have control over what happens to him as he moves around the board. That is an equalizer that makes it good for multi-ages to play. There is also opportunity for addition practice (rolling dice), multiplication practice (most of the income and expense cards require rolling one of the die and multiplying the roll by 10), and practice with money. With the math practice and the farm information, it's educational in a sneaky sort of way.
Life on the Farm is available from We R Fun for $25. You can also find it at Amazon.com for $29.99 and Kmart.com for $19.99. To read more reviews of Life on the Farm, visit the Homeschool Crew blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
I have a small confession to make. One of the reasons I homeschool is pretty selfish. I want to homeschool because it gives me the opportunity to learn so many things that I didn't learn in my own years of formal education. Although I have always loved to read, I didn't study many of the classics. I love history now, but learned very little about history in my school days. Foreign language? Let's not even go there.
Trying to give my children a classical education without having one myself is both exciting and scary. So far, I've done a lot of learning alongside my kids. But that's going to be harder to do as my children get older. That's one of the reasons that a few years ago I purchased a copy of The Well-Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. The sub-title is A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had. That's exactly what I need.
Exploramania is an educational company that is committed to developing products that engage children both mentally and physically. They use a multiple sensory approach to learning. I received a unique product called Gymathics to review.
Gymathics is a DVD that combines exercise with learning mathematical concepts. During different portions of the exercise routine, different types of math are taught. For example, during the stretching portion, shapes, angles, parallel lines and other similar concepts are demonstrated. During a cardio-vascular workout, there are counting and various skip-counting sections.
There is a short sample of the video available on their website. In addition, the product page has a detailed list of all the topics covered on the DVD.
This product gets mixed reviews in our family. My two older children (11 and 9) do not like the video. My younger son (7) likes to watch it, but doesn't do the exercises. Since the exercise is a vital component to the program, it's really not useful for us. It seems that there is a mismatch between the difficulty of the math concepts and the age that is likely to enjoy this type of video. The geometry concepts are more suited to middle to late elementary aged students, but those students are old enough to feel "silly" using the video. Younger students are more likely to find it fun, except they have more difficulty in keeping up with the exercise routine and are less likely to understand any of the math except for the skip counting. I think the skip counting portion could be extremely beneficial and I do plan to encourage my 7 year old to try that section again.
Gymathics and other products by Exploramania are available on their website. The DVD is $24.99. To read more reviews of Gymathics, visit the Homeschool Crew blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
AVKO is a non-profit, 501(C)3 membership organization that focuses on the development and production of materials and especially techniques to teach reading and spelling, handwriting (manuscript and cursive), and keyboarding. AVKO is dedicated to the teaching everyone how to read and spell, regardless of their mild to moderate learning disabilities, dyslexia, poverty, or opportunity.
As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschoool Crew, I received a membership to the AVKO Foundation in order to review its benefits. I had not heard of AVKO before seeing them listed on the Crew vendor list, but I had heard of one of their products: Sequential Spelling.
I've spent some time exploring the website and downloading much of the material that is included with the membership. From a purely financial standpoint, the membership is a good value. The value of the free downloads available to members far exceeds the cost of the membership. The question then is whether you need the material.
If you have children who have no difficulties with reading and are super spellers, then you probably wouldn't be very interested in what AVKO has to offer. If, on the other hand, you have a child that is struggling to learn how to read, especially if you suspect dyslexia, then AVKO is an excellent resource.
A few years ago I would have had absolutely NO interest in this material. My oldest son learned to read at 4 years old. He reads well above his 6th grade level, and spells almost intuitively.
My older daughter, though not as easy to teach to read as my son, does read well. She was about 6 when blending sounds finally clicked, and she hasn't had problems with reading since. Her spelling however, is an entirely different story. I've been looking for help with teaching her spelling. The problem is that I spell like my oldest does. I just know how to spell words. That of course, makes it difficult to teach someone else.
My younger son has had quite a struggle! He is 7-1/2 and we're finally making progress. I think. Sometimes I think we're getting nowhere because there are things he can read, and then the next day (or the next sentence) it's like he hasn't ever seen the word in his life! So, it is with him in mind that I will be looking further at the material from AVKO.
Here are the eBooks that are available for free with a membership to AVKO.
The Reading Teacher's List of over 5,500 Spelling Words The Patterns of English Spelling Volumes 1-10 To Teach a Dyslexic The Teaching of Reading and Spelling The Teaching of Reading and Spelling from Square One
In addition to the eBooks, there are mp3 recordings of seminars as well as some other resources, like dictation sentences and supplemental worksheets. Another benefit of membership is a 25% discount on all printed materials. (Like Sequential Spelling).
A year-long membership is only $25. I recommend that you explore the AVKO website and see if there are resources there that would help you teach reading and spelling to your children. To read more reviews of AVKO, visit the Homeschool Crew Blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
I got a notification that Life of Fred Pre-Algebra is available from Polka Dot Publishing. I just checked the website and he hasn't even had a chance to add the description. But, it is on the order page. Here's the description:
Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra 1 with Biology
Definition of Life, Sets, Fractions, Germination of Seeds, Area of a Rectangle, Volume of a Cube, Ordinal Numbers, Diameter and Circumference of a Circle, Definition of B, 2% of 500, Four Ways Plants Make New Plants, d = rt, 20% Discount, the Five Kingdoms, Phyla, Classes, Orders, Families, Genera, Species, Your Brain, Conversion Factors, Where the Non-Water Mass of a Plant Comes From—Plants Don’t Eat Dirt, Subsets of Sets, Digestion, Eyes, Negative Numbers, Dominant Genes, Genotypes, Phenotypes, Blood, Staying Alive, Solving Algebraic Equations,
Volume of a Cylinder, Word Problems, Breathing, Chlorophyll vs. Hemoglobin vs. Hemocyanin, Avogadro’s Number, Stoichiometry, the Whole Numbers, a Proof that Division by Zero is Not Permitted, Bones, the Integumentary System, Epidermis and Dermis, Meiosis and Mitosis, Chromosomes, DNA, Alleles, Changing Your Phenotype.
ISBN: 978-0-9791072-2-1, hardback, 288 pages. $29
My son has really enjoyed the Fractions book and is working through Decimals and Percents. He has finally stopped complaining about math! I'm looking forward to the Pre-Algebra book.
By the way, I should mention that I have received nothing from Stanley Schmidt, the author of Life of Fred. I just like the books, think the author has marvelous customer service, and like to share when I find resources I like.
(Edited to fix author's name. I always want to say his name is Fred because of the books, but it is Stanley.)
AHEF is a non-profit, non-partisan educational foundation dedicated to the understanding and teaching of America's factual and philosophical heritage to promote constructive citizenship and Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility among our students and citizens.
AHEF accomplishes this patriotic mission by writing, producing, and distributing FREE K-12 lesson plans to teachers, students, and families in all 50 states and through additional initiatives, programs, and partnerships.
I received the free CD An Adventure in Liberty from American Heritage Education Foundation to review. The curriculum is divided into three levels: elementary, middle school, and high school. I focused mainly on the elementary level since most of my children are elementary school aged. The elementary level is divided into 14 units. Each unit focuses on one topic such as The Declaration of Independence, The Star-Spangled Banner, Thanksgiving, George Washington, or the Great Seal. Each of these topics also illustrates one of the four themes: Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility.
The program was designed for classroom use, so there are a lot of group activities suggested. Many of these can be adapted to the homeschool setting, though a few would require a larger group, like a co-op.There is great variety in the activities suggested. There are simple cut and paste activities like putting the pieces of the Declaration of Independence in order. There are also some crosswords, word searches, and coloring pages. The quality of the printable resources is average or below average. I think it would be relatively easy to find better resources on-line.
My favorite of the activities is a role-playing activity called the Independence Game. Students are assigned roles (such as king, parliament, colonist, etc.) and are given money and goods to trade. There are specific events that the students can use for simulations. This is one of the activities that obviously require a large group of students.
What do I like about An Adventure in Liberty?
Very clear learning objectives
The variety of suggested activities
The overall emphasis and spirit of the program
How will I use An Adventure in Liberty?
Since we study history using a 4 year chronological history cycle, we don't spend as much time on American History as public schools, or those using more traditional curriculum. Because of this, I have found that there are some "gaps". Things like learning the Pledge of Allegiance have been missed. This curriculum will serve as a reminder of topics we need to make sure that we cover, as well as providing the structure to do it.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
Bright Ideas Press is a family-owned and operated company that specializes in "Practical, Fun, and Affordable History, Geography, and Science Resources". Maggie Hogan began homeschooling her now grown sons in 1991. Since there weren't many resources for homeschoolers available then, she got a lot of practice writing her own curriculum. She is now using that expertise as she writes and publishes homeschool curricula by other writers.
I received A Young Scholar's Guide to Composers by Melissa E. Craig, Maggie Hogan, and Richard B. Pinkerton. This year-long study consists of 32 weekly lessons and is designed for students in grades 4-8. Music is studied chronologically with sections devoted to:
Ancient Music to Music in the Middle Ages
Music in the Renaissance
The Baroque Period
The Classical Period
The Romantic Period
The Contemporary Period
Within each of the sections is a general overview of the period, followed by lessons on specific composers.The composer lessons have biographical information as well as specific pieces or styles that the composer is famous for. There is special emphasis on the Christian character, or lack of character, of each composer. Also included in each lesson is a Student review page. These can be used by the students to take notes as they are reading/listening to the lesson, or used after reading to test their retention.
The appendix is what makes this curriculum special. It is over 100 pages long and contains the following sections:
Composer Info Cards
Reproducible Composer Illustrations
Listening Suggestions
Reproducible Timeline
Mapping Exercises
Games
Game Forms
Coloring Pages
Folderbook directions
Composers resource list
Useful websites
Answer keys
Glossary
Certificate of Completion
As you can see, there is a lot more to this curriculum than reading about composers and answering some questions. Included are multiple projects to add fun and aid in student learning.
The book is available in print or on CD. I received the electronic version and I actually prefer it to the print version for two main reasons. First, it is necessary to make multiple copies of many of the pages. This is much easier with the electronic version. In addition, my favorite feature of the electronic version is in the listening suggestions. I've loaded the file on my laptop, so when we want to listen to a sample selection, I can click on the link in the listening suggestions and go directly to the YouTube video and watch it immediately. That is a very helpful feature for us in using the curriculum and makes it a "pick-up and go" curriculum. I don't even have to worry about ordering special music from the library.
So what do I like about A Young Scholar's Guide to Composers? I really like that it is presented chronologically. Rather than use the whole curriculum in one year, I plan to use it as a supplement to our regular history program. When we are studying a time period, I can add the corresponding composers. I also think the lessons are interesting, and I especially like the ease of use of this curriculum. The hands-on projects were a plus too.
The book can be purchased from Bright Ideas Press for $29.95 for the CD, or $34.95 for a printed copy.
You can find more reviews of A Young Scholar's Guide to Composers as well as other products from Bright Ideas Press at the Crew blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
Last weekend we watched one of our Moody Science videos, Signposts Aloft. The video was about the need for instrument flight in airplanes and how our senses could be fooled without the instruments. They did an interesting demonstration in the video that showed how our sense of motion can be fooled when we can't see. We, of course, decided to try it at home. (They didn't say "Don't try this at home!")
You might need to turn the volume up to hear it.
So, why did this happen? What makes it feel like you've stopped and then begin turning in the opposite direction? It has to do with the fluid in your inner ears. When you first begin to spin, your body is spinning faster than the fluid. Then the fluid "catches up", and when that happens, it feels like you've stopped.
Have you heard about My Audio School? It is a new website filled with audio files of classic books as well as old radio and television shows. The files are divided into chapters and are arranged topically by historical era. A lot of work has gone into compiling this into one SAFE location for your children to listen. The site offers 25% of its content for free, while an annual subscription is just $14.99.
Chances are, if you've ever searched on-line for a free coloring page or a free worksheet, you've found something at abcteach. They offer over 5000 free worksheets for preschool through jr. high.
But I was not prepared for the 35,000 worksheets available from the members area of the site. Wow! Rather than list them, you can see the complete list of categories, watch a short video, and see some sample worksheets at the benefits page.
One of the things that I found the most useful on the site are the custom worksheet generators.There are step-by-step tutorials, demonstrating how to use the generators. Some of these worksheets include crosswords, word searches, word walls, sudoku, math, and handwriting. The handwriting pages are available in a variety of fonts including Handwriting Without Tears. That one specifically caught my eye since that it the handwriting program we use.
Membership costs $40 for a one year subscription. I think that is a reasonable price for someone who will use the site consistently. However, though I found some things that I thought were neat, I didn't find enough on the site that made me think I needed to subscribe. But, as a confessed curriculum junkie, I've got more homeschool curriculum in my house than I can come close to using this year. (and next!) And I don't really design any of my own studies. I think this site could be used to save a lot of money on curriculum by someone who uses it in place of purchased curriculum. You could generate all your own handwriting and copywork sheets. There is a tonof clipart that could be used designing lapbooks or notebook pages. I think a unit study family might find the site valuable as well. So while I don't personally think I would use the site much, I think there are a lot of homeschoolers who would benefit from a subscription to abcteach.
To see some of the thousands of worksheets available, visit abcteach.com. You can read more reviews of abcteach at the Crew blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
Summary: Pastor Jason Faircloth knows what he believes. His clear faith, in fact, is why he is one of the most prominent pastors in Atlanta. He relies on it to discipline his daughter, his wife, his church. He prays daily that others would come to see God’s ways as he does. And it is about to cost him everything. Groping for answers in the face of tragedy, Jason begins a search for the only family he has left: the granddaughter kept hidden from him. Soon he finds himself on an international adventure that will take him straight into the depths of his soul. He is determined not to fail again. A fast-paced suspense novel rich in spiritual depth, Wisdom Hunter explores what it means to break free of Christian legalism—and discover why grace can mean the difference between life and death.
About the author: Randall Arthur is the bestselling author of Jordan’s Crossing and Brotherhood of Betrayal. He and his wife have served as missionaries to Europe for over thirty years. From 1976 till 1998, he lived in Norway and Germany as a church planter. Since 2000, he has taken numerous missions teams from the United States on trips all over Europe. Arthur is also the founder of the AOK (Acts of Kindness) Bikers’ Fellowship, a group of men who enjoy the sport of motorcycling. He and his family live in Atlanta, Georgia.
My thoughts: Wisdom Hunter is a fast-paced, exciting book. I read the book in just a couple of days because I did not want stop reading it. It was not only exciting, it also forced me to think about my preconceived notions of how a Christian should look and whether those ideas are based on the culture instead of the Bible. I agreed with the author that living a life filled with legalism is not God's plan for His children. However, I did not agree with the author's implication that everything about the way we do church needs to change. There is nothing inherently legalistic about a traditional worship service with singing and preaching. In Wisdom Hunter the author presents an idealized picture of a church with discussion and exchange of ideas instead of preaching. I think there is certainly a place for discussion among Christians, but I also believe that the Biblical model for church is built around preaching from the Word. (Nehemiah 8:8, Acts 2:41-42)
Visit the Random House website for more information or to purchase Wisdom Hunter.
Summary: Security cameras, surveillance of private financial transactions, radio frequency spy chips hidden in consumer products, eavesdropping on e-mail correspondence and phone calls, and Internet tracking. No one is protected, and privacy is a thing of the past. An ultra-secret global elite, functioning as a very real shadow government, controls technology, finance, international law, world trade, political power, and vast military capabilities. These unnamed, unrivaled leaders answer to no earthly authority, and they won’t stop until they control the world. In Shadow Government, prophecy expert Grant Jeffrey removes the screen that, up to now, has hidden the work of these diabolical agents. Jeffrey reveals the biblical description of Satan’s global conquest and identifies the tools of technology that the Antichrist will use to rule the world. Readers will have their eyes opened to the real power that is working behind the scenes to destroy America and merge it into the coming global government. Armed with this knowledge, readers will be equipped to face spiritual darkness with the light of prophetic truth.
Author bio: Grant R. Jeffrey is the internationally known prophecy researcher, Mideast expert, and author of Countdown to the Apocalypse, The New Temple and the Second Coming, The Next World War, and twenty other best-selling books. He is also the editor of the Prophecy Study Bible. His popular television program, Bible Prophecy Revealed, airs weekly on TBN. Jeffrey earned his master’s and PhD degrees from Louisiana Baptist University. He and his wife, Kaye, live in Toronto.
My thoughts: Though this was not my favorite book, it was not entirely the fault of the author. I struggled through this book because many of the subjects it contained were not of particular interest to me. I read with some interest about all the secret alliances, new technology capable of tracking people, and new weapons technology. While I do believe in a literal anti-Christ and in a coming one-world government, I was left wondering what to do about all of the information pertaining to the "shadow government." If Mr. Jeffrey believes, like I think he does, that the one-world government, led by the anti-Christ is an unchangeable fact of the future, then how does this knowledge help us? What is the call to action? I'm reminded that most Christians throughout history have believed that they were living in the last days. I think God designed it that way. I do see the author's point that all of this new technology does seem to facilitate many of the aspects depicted in Daniel's 70th week, but merely making these things possible does not necessitate that the events of this prophecy are imminent. I think that many readers will find this book fascinating, but they will be left to themselves to figure out what to do with the information.
Shadow Government is available to purchase at Random House.
Disclosure: As a member of the WaterBrook Multnomah Blogging for Books program, I received both of these books for free in exchange for my honest review.
I really love special bath stuff, but I don't often get to use it. I was so excited to see Virginia Soaps and Scents on the review list for the Homeschool Crew. Finally a review item just for me! (Though I did share with my daughter.)
You may be wondering, as I was, why a soap company would want to market their product through the homeschool community. It's because Virginia Soaps & Scents is a business run completely by a homeschool family. They actually got their start making soap as a result of a soap-making project while studying Colonial History!
I received a special variety sample pack of products to try. The package included:
Handcrafted Olive Oil Soap in 3 different scents (Coconut Lemongrass, Fresh Orange, and Oatmeal, Milk and Honey)
Soap
I usually shower with body wash. I like the bubbles, the scent, and the moisturizers in body wash. Even though I typically don't like soap, I was very pleased with these soaps. They lather well, smell good, and are very moisturizing. I especially like the oatmeal, milk & honey soap because it has oatmeal that exfoliates too. My daughter has especially dry skin and has liked the soap. She didn't find any particular improvement in her skin, but didn't have any extra dryness either.
Shampoo bar
The shampoo bar was a totally new concept to me. I used it several times. While I liked how clean it got my hair at first, later it seemed to make it so clean it was a little hard to manage. I have long, curly hair that I need to condition to keep from frizzing. So, I gave the bar to my daughter to try. She has long, fine, straight hair that is just starting to get oily. (She's not even 10. Having my kids grow up is going to be hard on me!) I had been frequently questioning her after she washed her hair. Did she use too much conditioner? Did she rinse it well? It just seemed to look dirty all the time. The shampoo bar worked wonderfully on her hair. It was finally clean!
Laundry Soap
Homemade laundry soap? Really? Is there a good reason for using it? I did a little research on soap versus detergent. The main difference from what I was able to determine is that soap is made from natural ingredients and detergent from synthetic ones. This is the best (unbiased) website that I have found. I'm still not satisfied with that explanation and hope to do a little more research in all my free time. (Meaning, I doubt it'll be very soon.)
I decided that since my daughter was helping me to test the soap and shampoo bar, I let my son help with the laundry soap test. I had him film and edit the making of the laundry soap. This will show you how easy it was. (The process is sped up for the video, of course.)
I didn't not notice any differences in performance between the homemade laundry soap and my usual laundry detergent (All Free and Clear). I did all of our laundry for over a week with the small sample I received. I saw warnings on-line that using soap to wash clothes was not a good idea because it didn't rinse out as well as detergent. However, I didn't use the soap long enough to test if there was any long-term deterioration of our clothes. Assuming that it doesn't hurt the clothes, it definitely would be less expensive to use the homemade detergent kits. Virginia Soaps and Scents has calculated the cost of using their kits at 7 cents per load! Whether that savings is significant enough to go to the trouble of making the detergent is a matter of personal choice. It's not much trouble to make, but laundry detergent is not a major expense. If you're trying to cut all possible costs or are interested in using more natural ingredients, then you should definitely try the laundry soap from Virginia Soaps and Scents.
There are even more great products available at Virginia Soaps and Scents. They currently have some special Christmas soaps available. In addition they offer an all-in-one soap, shaving soaps, special kids soaps, and lotion. The soaps are sold in 4.5 ounce bars and are available for $4.50 each, 3 for $12.00 or buy 4 bars and get 1 free. The shampoo bar weighs 5.5 ounces and is $5.50 for 1 or $10.00 for 2. The laundry soap kit is $4.95, or just the cleaning bar (you'd need to add your own Borax and washing soda) is $3.95.
To read more reviews of Virginia Soaps and Scents, visit the Crew blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
If you read many homeschool blogs, you have probably heard of workboxes. I first became aware of the concept last spring, and since then it seems that many more homeschoolers are trying the workbox system. I was initially intrigued by the system and began to wonder how it would work in our home. When I saw that Sue Patrick's Workbox System was on the review list for the Homeschool Crew, I decided to wait on implementing any new systems until after I got a chance to read the book.
Before I read the book, I thought that I had a pretty good idea of the system just by reading people's blogs. But homeschoolers love to "tweak" curriculum. As I read the book, I realized that like everything else, homeschoolers had tweaked Sue Patrick's workbox system. Probably many of them didn't actually have the book, but had learned from what others were doing and had implemented ideas that they liked.
The basic idea behind the workbox system is to divide each student's daily assignments up into short segments. The materials to do each assignment are placed in the workbox. The student retrieves his first box, does the assignment, then puts the box in a designated place for finished materials. He repeats the procedure until all the boxes are complete.
One of the key components of Sue Patrick's system is the visual and physical nature of the boxes. According to her, the boxes really need to be boxes (not folders or something else) so that everything can be contained and the boxes can be physically removed. The removal of the boxes provides encouragement for the child as he sees how much work he has done and sees the amount left to do decreasing. It is also important for the boxes to be clear so that the child has an idea about what fun things are coming up. This encourages the child to work diligently to complete the assignments in order to get to the fun activity. The whole process helps the child learn to work independently.
I decided to try the system with my 7 year old son. I set things up as closely as possible to the suggested system in the book. The only exception is that I did not purchase a rack, but used a book shelf that is located near our school area to hold his boxes. At first he did not like the system at all. Of course he doesn't usually like school anyway so that was not a big surprise. I was stretched to try to think of things to put in all of his boxes. I was able to use some puzzles and educational toys that haven't been used for a while. I also put a read-aloud book in one of the boxes, which helped me to be accountable to read.
After the first week I began to run out of extra ideas and began to resort to things like coloring pages. I also found that I do NOT like to have to fill workboxes every night. I do all my planning for the week over the weekend typically, so maybe if I had planned all the workbox extras it wouldn't have been so difficult. But it was still something extra to do every evening. Also, for my son the only workboxes that he could do independently were the "extra" things I was putting in the box. The rest of his boxes required my help, so it couldn't help him to be in charge of his own schedule if I was busy doing something else.
So, our first trial of the workbox system did not work well for our family. However, I'm not saying we're not going to try it again. Right now our schedule is a little unpredictable with trying out new products and writing reviews. I am thinking about how to better implement the system in the future. For one thing, I think it would be great for my 3 year old. But, I will need to have adequate pre-planning time to come up with ideas for her boxes. I also will need a better place to store the boxes. The book shelf I was using is in my bedroom, and I found it to be an eye-sore with those boxes on it.
After reading the book, I see some areas in our homeschool that could definitely use improvement. First, I would like to make sure that there are some fun activities throughout our day. Second, I want to find fun and creative ways to review concepts. Reviewing has been a weak point. Finally, I need to do a better job of following through with the ideas that I do have.
The Sue Patrick's Workbox System User Guide is available to purchase on her website. The ebook is $19 or the printed version is $19.95 plus shipping. Also on the website, is a short explanatory video and sample pages. To read more reviews of the Workbox system, visit the Crew blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
Focus on the Family Radio Theatre has recently released an audio dramatization of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. In case you're unfamiliar with The Screwtape Letters, the book contains letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood. The letters detail various ways in which the demon should tempt his "patient". I had read the book over ten years ago and found it very thought-provoking. It is amazing how differently you view your own sins, when you think of them from this perspective.
I have listened to audio books before and I knew that this was more than an audio book, but I had no idea how much more. To say that the producers added sound effects and music to the production just doesn't begin to describe how amazing this dramatization is. The key word is dramatization. The role of Screwtape is played by Andy Serkis. He was also the voice of Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies. He plays the role flawlessly with his voice sounding like evil personified. And his laugh is completely demonic. The drama is not recommended for children. I think this is due to some of the subjects discussed, as well as the intensity of the dialogue.
The audio drama follows the book with some additions. There are discussions between Screwtape and Wormwood as well as between the "patient", John Hamilton, and his mother which are not in Lewis's original work. I was reminded that I do not personally agree with all of Lewis's theology, especially his apparent belief that a Christian could lose his salvation. Even with that major disagreement, I find the drama to be a very helpful allegory to think about our temptations and entertaining too.
The set includes 4 audio cd's lasting 4 hours, in addition to a bonus DVD of extras including interviews with the actors and background information on C.S. Lewis and the writing of The Screwtape Letters. Visit www.screwtape.com to hear previews, learn more about this audio drama, and to purchase your own copy.
I received a free copy of The Screwtape Letters Audio Drama from Tyndale House Publishing Company to review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I love reading historical fiction, and I have since I was a girl. My older daughter (9) has apparently inherited this love. She especially likes American history stories of the Civil War and pioneer days, and enjoys finding a series of novels that keep her occupied for a long time. When I received Sarah's Wish to review, I was hoping that I had found a new series for her to read. I was not disappointed. Actually, not only did my daughter enjoy the book but also my 11 year old and 7 year old sons were interested as well.
Sarah's Wish is the first in a series of three (so far) historical novels written by Jim Baumgardner. The book is set in Ohio in 1858 and begins with a wild ride behind a runaway horse in which Sarah is injured and her mother is killed. Sarah's mother left behind a letter that explained that Sarah has a secret. It doesn't take too long to find out that the secret is that Sarah and her mother have been working on the Underground Railroad.
I think the book is well-written with several fairly well-developed characters, especially for a children's book. The plot has enough mystery and suspense to keep the reader interested. The book is a Christian book, and I appreciate the way that Sarah's Christianity is a part of her. She offers simple prayers and demonstrates faith. It did not seem to be something added to the book to make it a "Christian" book like so many others I've read. Sarah also demonstrates good character throughout the book. She does disobey her authority at one point, but it was not a decision that she made lightly, and was only done in order to help others.
One of the great features of this series is that each book includes a code for a FREE audio download. We listened to the entire book, mostly in the car, which was both a good use of travel time, and enjoyable to all of us. I especially liked the way the narrator read the different accents of the people in the book.
Another observation that I kept making throughout the book was what a marvelous book this would make for the spine of a unit study. (The really weird thing about that is that I am not a unit study type of person and don't usually teach that way.) There were obvious topics for additional study as we listened, such as the Underground Railroad and steam boats, but some other study ideas that stood out to me were herbs and butterflies.
I cannot finish my review without mentioning the author, Jim Baumgardner. He is a grandfather with a heart for homeschoolers. His grandchildren are homeschooled, and he started writing with them in mind. If you order any of the books directly from his website, he personally autographs them! Also on the website are additional historical facts and directions to sign up for his newsletter.
To order Sarah's Wish, Sarah's Promise, and Sarah's Escape, visit www.sarahbooks.net. They are available at a discount with free shipping.
Sarah's Wish - $10.99 Sarah's Promise - $13.50
Sarah's Escape - $17.50
WAIT: The author has a special offer for blog readers who want to purchase the books. Go to this google document and print out the order form and mail it in to receive a significant savings. (Sarah's Wish $8.50, Sarah's Promise $10.50, and Sarah's Escape $15.50 )
You can read more reviews of Sarah's Wish at the Crew blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
EDUDPS stands for Educational Diagnostic Prescriptive Services. Jill J. Dixon is the author of the EDUDPS materials. She has both a Bachelor's Degree in English Education and a Master's Degree in Special Education, and has over 20 years of teaching experience in the classroom, in addition to homeschooling her four children. EDUDPS has two main areas of focus that are aligned with Ms. Dixon's particular areas of expertise. These areas are composition/language and learning assessments. I received three products in the first category: Write with the Best Volumes 1 and 2, and Roots and Fruits. I also received The Complete Career, College, and High School Guide for Homeschoolers and a special bonus of POC4U from the assessments category.
Write with the Best Write with the Best is a composition program. Volume 1 is designed for students in grades 3-12. It is based on the idea that to learn to write effectively, students should study good writing. Volume 1 has 9 units including:
Writing a Descriptive Paragraph - Describing an Object
Writing a Descriptive paragraph - Describing a Place
Writing a Descriptive Paragraph - Describing a Character
Writing a Dialogue
Writing a Short Story
Writing a Fable
Writing a Friendly Letter
Writing Poetry - Rhyming Verse
Writing poetry - A Ballad or Narrative Poem
Each of these units contain an excerpt from classic literature to demonstrate the concept being taught. Some of the execerpts are from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, A Christmas Carol, Robinson Crusoe, and The Wind in the Willows. Each of the units is divided into 10 lessons that follow a similar sequence. The first days focus on studying the classic passage, while the last days lead the student through the steps to write their own passage of the same genre.
Write with the Best Volume 1 is available in the following formats and prices.
e-book - $14.95 (regularly $19.95)
Pages only - $22.45
Pages in 3-ring binder - $24.95
Volume 2 is meant to be used after Volume 1 and is designed for students in grades 6-12. The format is the same as the first volume but includes different writing styles.
Write with the Best Volume 2 is available in the following formats and prices.
e-book - $18.65 (regularly $24.95)
Pages only - $27.45
Pages in 3-ring binder - $29.95
In addition to the lessons, both volumes contain lists of additional literary passages to use with students following the same outline used in the unit. They also have a "How to Write" guide that covers each of the types of writing discussed as well as appropriate proofreading checklists.
What I like about Write with the Best.
Imitative method
Simple, basic writing instruction
Non-consumable
Multi-age
Short lessons
Affordable
The only thing that I don't like about Write with the Best is that my children are not enjoying the program. Part of the reason they aren't is because we haven't done a lot of writing and they think it's hard. That's not a valid reason for disliking the program in my opinion. My son also has an especially difficult time picking out which words are descriptive. I found that the lessons go a lot better when I talk about the passage with my children rather than have them pick out the nouns, adjectives, and adverbs independently. I personally like the format and instruction and plan to continue with the program. I am planning to do much of the analysis of the literature orally.
Roots and Fruits Roots and Fruits is a vocabulary program that is based on Latin and Greek roots. It is designed for students in grades K-12 and, like Write with the Best, is non-consumable. One unique feature of this program is that the roots are taught in their English forms rather than the Latin or Greek spellings like other vocabulary root programs.
The spiral-bound book consists of instructions on how to use the program, a suggested weekly schedule, lists of activity and game ideas for learning the roots, and 50+ pages of roots with meanings and derivative words. It really couldn't be simpler. If you're looking for an all-inclusive vocabulary program that is NOT a workbook, this is an excellent choice. It does require more teacher prep than a workbook program, but I think this would be a much more effective learning method.
Roots and Fruits is available in the following formats and prices.
e-book - $11.25
Pages only - $17.48
Comb-binding - $19.98
The Complete Career, College, and High School Guide for Homeschoolers
I don't know about you, but high school frightens me a little. Mainly because of the unknown and the fear that I'll mess something up. I want to make sure my children are prepared for further study in a field that interests them.
The Complete Career, College, and High School Guide for Homeschoolers has helped me to relax a little about the future. I went through the book with my 6th grade son. It contains several tests on things like learning styles, personality, and desired work conditions. Along with the tests are lists and lists and lists of college majors and jobs that fit with the different types of thinkers and personalities. Looking through the lists helps you and your student to see what areas would be good ones to explore during the high school years. It gives suggested high school courses and ideas for internships as well. This was an excellent exercise for him to think about his future and what careers he might be interested in pursuing. It was also good for him to see what types of things he should be learning now to help him accomplish his future goals.
The Career Guide is available in the following formats and prices.
POC4U
This resource contains the Concise Learning Styles Assessment (also available from EDUDPS). But it has much more. It aids the parent in choosing specific homeschool curricula that are well-suited to your child's primary and secondary learning styles! It is frequently revised to include any new materials that are available. This is an excellent resource both for determining learning style, and determining how to teach specifically to that learning style.
Comb-bound book - $12.98
All of these products are available at the EDUDPS website. An important note about the e-books: To protect against unauthorized copying, the e-books can only be printed twice. They also cannot be transferred between computers. I originally received all the products as e-books, but due to some unresolvable computer problems, I was never able to get the books to print. However, during that time I was able to see what FANTASTIC customer service EDUDPS offers. Since I was unable to print, they sent me printed versions of all the books to review and POC4U as a bonus for all the time spent troubleshooting with their customer service. My experience with the e-books was not typical though. Normally, I would recommend purchasing the print versions of these books because the price isn't substantially lower for the e-book. However, the e-books are currently 25% off their regular price which might make them more cost effective.
To read more reviews of EDUDPS products, visit the Crew blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
The Sound of Sleigh Bells
By Cindy Woodsmall / Random House, Inc.
The Sound of Sleigh Bells is the story of two Elizabeth Hertzlers. Beth is the younger and Lizzy is her unmarried aunt. They work together in their Amish dry goods store. Lizzy is worried about Beth because she has never recovered from the death of her fiance. When she sees Beth finally excited about something, Lizzy takes matters into her own hands to manipulate the situation. But when Beth discovers her aunt's meddling will she retreat further into her shell?
This is the second Cindy Woodsmall book that I have read, and I enjoyed it as much as the first (The Hope of Refuge). I found the characters interesting and believable. The author kept me wondering about the secret in Beth's past up to the resolution of this short novel. Though this story takes place among Amish, I found that there was less emphasis on the Amish faith than in other Amish fiction I have read. Though not classic literature, this book is a great, curl-up-with-a-blanket sort of book that would be especially pleasant reading around Christmas.
Visit Random House to see available purchasing options.
Disclosure: This book was provided to me for free to review by Random House as a member of the WaterBrook Multnomah Blogging for Books program. The opinions expressed in the review are my own.
The Amazing Bible Timeline combines the history contained in the Bible with world history in a unique spiral design. The genealogical lines of Noah's sons are color coded to provide a visual display of their place in world history. I have never seen a timeline arranged in this manner.
The timeline is large (37" x 45") and printed on card stock with a scuff coat varnish. It could be mounted on the wall or viewed on a large table.
Though I found the timeline interesting at first, I was disappointed to discover that many of the "facts" on the timeline were cited from Mormon sources. Therefore, I cannot personally recommend this timeline.
The timeline is available from www.bibletimeline.net for $29.97. To read more reviews of The Amazing Bible Timeline visit the Crew Blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
To lovingly create fun, affordable and educational eBook computer experiences, great print books for your preschoolers and primary age children. And to embed positive, loving and worthwhile meaning into these books.
With almost 100 books available in a wide variety of topics, there's something for every child.
I received three books, all in eBook format, to review. Two of them, No Bones About It and Earthquake, are from the Academic Wings collection. These books are educational in nature and are ideal to be used in the classroom. The third was Stubby's Destiny from the Wings of Faith collection.
No Bones About It teaches the scientific names of many of the bones in the human body by setting them to an engaging rhyme. In addition to the rhyming text, there are also "factoids" on every page containing extra information about bones, fractures, calcium, and vitamin D. The book is humorously illustrated with cartoon bones. I think the rhyming nature of this book would make it very effective for memorizing names of bones. My younger children listened and were very attentive as I read.
Earthquake contains information about the the structure of the earth and how the movements of plates cause earthquakes. There is also information about the Richter scale, the first seismometer, and the areas in the United States where earthquakes are most likely to occur. The last portion is devoted to detailing what to do in an earthquake, making an emergency kit, and how to help others in need. Throughout the book are additional "factoids" about earthquakes. We enjoyed the book, but we would have preferred more information about earthquakes and less about emergency preparedness.
Stubby's Destiny is a beautifully illustrated book about a little donkey who wishes he were a horse. He tries to learn from his friend Sly, who is a horse, how to carry himself like a horse. After much trying, he sadly realizes he will never be anything but a donkey. But he is overjoyed when he gets to carry a King! The story was sweet, though predictable.
The prices for each of the books are:
$5.00 for a pdf download
9.95 + $5.95 S&H for eBook CD
$10.95 + $6.95 for Print book
Although I love the mission and goal of Guardian Angel Publishing, I didn't find any of the books that I received to be above average. The prices seem too high for the print versions of the book, and although I am growing more accustomed to e-books, I still don't want to snuggle on the couch with my kids and the computer to read. The only one of these three books that I would consider purchasing is No Bones About It. To see more reviews of Guardian Angel Publishing books, visit the Crew Blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
We began studying Latin four years ago when my oldest child was in the second grade. I read everything I could find on the different Latin curricula that were available and finally decided on Latin for Children for him. He completed the 3 books in 4 school years and this year he has started Latin Alive, which is a Latin program for middle school students, also published by Classical Academic Press.
Since I was pleased with Latin for Children for my son, I had my daughter start with the program at the beginning of last school year. Later on in the year I received Latina Christiana I from Memoria Press to review. My daughter seemed the obvious choice to try out the program since she wasn't too far along in Latin for Children. She also didn't seem to be retaining the information very well, so I figured a little review would be beneficial. As she used Latina Christiana, I noticed that there were some things about the program that made it a better choice for her. So this year she is continuing to use Latina Christiana instead of Latin for Children.
I was reminded of a few things in this process. First, my children are all different and what may work best for one of them may not be the best choice for all of them. Second, I need to look at products with each of the children who will be using the product in mind, not just my oldest child, and not just what I like. Finally, I can't spend a lot of money on a product and always justify it by saying I'll use it with all 4 of my children. That may not work.
The rest of the review and a comparison chart of the two programs can be found at The Curriculum Choice.
My days are never dull as a homeschooling mother of 4 children. This blog contains views of our life, reviews of homeschool curriculum, book reviews, and helpful hints for homeschooling.
The first thing I noticed was how nice the box is. The cardboard is definitely heavier than most. The board itself is also very sturdy and attractive. The contents include the game board, dice, pawns for 6 players, money, cow cards, income cards, and expense cards. I appreciate the organizer to hold the money and cow cards to keep them from becoming a mess.
Exploramania is an educational company that is committed to developing products that engage children both mentally and physically. They use a multiple sensory approach to learning. I received a unique product called Gymathics to review.
Summary: Pastor Jason Faircloth knows what he believes. His clear faith, in fact, is why he is one of the most prominent pastors in Atlanta. He relies on it to discipline his daughter, his wife, his church. He prays daily that others would come to see God’s ways as he does. And it is about to cost him everything. Groping for answers in the face of tragedy, Jason begins a search for the only family he has left: the granddaughter kept hidden from him. Soon he finds himself on an international adventure that will take him straight into the depths of his soul. He is determined not to fail again. A fast-paced suspense novel rich in spiritual depth, Wisdom Hunter explores what it means to break free of Christian legalism—and discover why grace can mean the difference between life and death.
Summary: Security cameras, surveillance of private financial transactions, radio frequency spy chips hidden in consumer products, eavesdropping on e-mail correspondence and phone calls, and Internet tracking. No one is protected, and privacy is a thing of the past. An ultra-secret global elite, functioning as a very real shadow government, controls technology, finance, international law, world trade, political power, and vast military capabilities. These unnamed, unrivaled leaders answer to no earthly authority, and they won’t stop until they control the world. In Shadow Government, prophecy expert Grant Jeffrey removes the screen that, up to now, has hidden the work of these diabolical agents. Jeffrey reveals the biblical description of Satan’s global conquest and identifies the tools of technology that the Antichrist will use to rule the world. Readers will have their eyes opened to the real power that is working behind the scenes to destroy America and merge it into the coming global government. Armed with this knowledge, readers will be equipped to face spiritual darkness with the light of prophetic truth. 
The Screwtape Letters Audio Drama
When I received Sarah's Wish to review, I was hoping that I had found a new series for her to read. I was not disappointed. Actually, not only did my daughter enjoy the book but also my 11 year old and 7 year old sons were interested as well.
The Sound of Sleigh Bells
The timeline is large (37" x 45") and printed on card stock with a scuff coat varnish. It could be mounted on the wall or viewed on a large table.
