Posted in Home Education

This review is going to be a little different than my usual format.  I try to stay really organized and give you all the pertinent details in a pretty standardized fashion when I review a new item, but this time I did this a little differently.  I was given a complimentary review of MathScore, an on-line math curriculum, in order to give you this review.  When I logged onto MathScore I spent a lot of time doing problems and completing tasks.  As I was completing different on-line worksheets, I logged some of my responses to this program below.  As a result, this review may seem a little "all over the place."  Please bear with me, I'll summarize at the end.

Getting logged into MathScore is a piece of cake.  They offer a free trial version, which you know I love!  I love that you can try something out for a while before committing to using it regularly.  And, if after your two-week free trial, you decide to subscribe to MathScore, then there is a discount available on their web site.  You can contact MathScore here for more information. 

There were a lot of things that I loved and a few things that I didn't like about math score.  I'll give you my overall rating before you read the details.  MathScore is a no-frills on-line math site that gets a lot of stuff right.  It is easy for a parent to use and get detailed information of what the child has completed.  It is easy for a child to use and know how to complete and accomplish goals.  Although there are few bells whistles and graphics, advancing through the program is not complicated.  This is a solid program, but not one your child will be excited to use because it's not like playing a video game.  And now, on to my random comments about MathScore.

When a student takes a test he is told after each section whether he is right or wrong.  If he is wrong, or mostly wrong, he gets the option of trying again!  I LOVE that!  I am a firm believer that a child should have numerous tries at success especially in math.

With any on-line math program, it's difficult to do more complicated math problems.  For instance, when multiplying a 3-digit problem by a 3-digit problem there is no room to work on the screen, so you have to do the work on a piece of paper and just type the answer on the screen.

This would be a great program for mastering multiplication tables, or addition facts.  Any of the basic facts are routinely drilled and drilled-well using MathScore.  Doing this drill work is difficult on a laptop if you don't have a number pad.  But what's great is that there is drill work to do to help you master the number keys and the tab button even before you work on the math drills.  So if your child or student spends time doing the copy cat and copy cat preparation drills  to learn how to enter numbers and use the tab button to maneuver through the screen and do the timed drills much quicker.

This is not a highly graphic program.  But the explanations are clear and consise.   Our 11 year old was sitting beside me when I was testing this and he said, "It looks boring."  He said this because there isn't a clown telling you how to do the next problem, or a skateboard going over a ramp when you answer correctly.  There is a reward system for answering correctly which will provide incentive for the student but it is not graphic intensive.  There are always sentences that are written in a very encouraging language to incite the student to keep scoring well and the student earns badges to move him or her to different levels.

The parent's pages are excellent.  You can easily see your children's progress.  You can see what's correct and what's not.  You can see how much time is spent per subject and where a child needs more work.  If you look on the test results page, there is even a list of recommended subject to review with the student.  Other programs we've reviewed have not been nearly as easy to use from the parental perspective.  And, to my surprise, I woke up the day after beginning to review MathScore and there was a summary of the student's work in my in-box.  All I could think was that these emails would be perfect to use for our year-end portfolio! 

So, MathScore is pretty great.  If you go to this page you will find information to get started on your free-trial, and the subscription prices available.  If you are looking for something with lots of graphic intensity or the equivalent of a video game, you are not looking for MathScore.  But it you want a sound math program that does a fantastic job of communicating with you as a parent on your child's progress, check out MathScore.

Posted in Home Education

I'm going on a cruise people!  No not that kind of cruise, I get motion sick.  This week I'm participating in a blog cruise with other members of the TOS Crew.  Our question of the week is "How do you know what to teach?"

The short answer is, "I don't and I don't care."  The long answer follows.

I've never concerned myself with scopes and sequences or what everyone is supposed to learn in the 3rd grade.  At the time of this writing the boys and I have been homeschooling for 7 years.  We have always purchased math curriculum, but other than that we've done lots of unit studies and lapbooks, read wonderful books, and taken interesting field trips.  If the boys had a subject or time period in which they had a special interest, we studied it.  At ages 11 and 13, the boys are well-spoken and articulate.  They are well-versed on any number of subjects, have a firm grasp of history, both American and world history, and are knowledgable in many areas of science and the arts.  And we're not finished yet!!! 

So, if this is a question you have about homeschooling, "how do you know what to teach?"  Here's my answer:  RELAX!  I had a girlfriend tell me recently that she was talking with a vendor at our local homeschool fair about how she worried about completing a unit study when her children were small.  Her concern was that they may not retain all the information.  The vendor said to her, "Don't worry about it.  You'll come back to that subject again.  It's not like this is the only time you're going to cover that subject." 

Your child will learn what he or she needs to learn.  It happens.  Sometimes it happens just by having in-depth conversations around the supper table.  Sometimes it happens with a great read-aloud.  Sometimes it's a movie or a field trip.  The bottom line...it happens!!

If this is a question that plagues you, then by all means, buy a total package curriculum.  You can go to any of the major companies, Abeka, Bob Jones, etc...and get packages that will decide for you what to teach when.  But, the journey is the reward, and I wouldn't have missed the journey for the world!!!

Posted in Home Education

I had a great plan.  As I was readingBertie's War, I was going to post the quotes I was copying over the past couple days.  I did post one quote two days ago, but that's all I got posted!  Wouldn't that have been a great plan, though?  I could have sent you teasers of all these great quotes and then you would have been dying to read Bertie's War.  Good plan right?  Well, if I ever get to review fiction again, maybe I'll remember my brilliant plan.

I received a complimentary  copy of Bertie's War, a novel, from Kregel Publications so that I could write this unbiased review for you.

Bertie's War was a terrific book.  It was the story of Roberta, a very fearful little girl who was growing up in the middle of the cold war.  Her parents were the stern no-nonsense type.  She had an older sister who barely tolerated her and a younger brother who was her playmate.  She had a vast and rich fantasy life and was an avid reader.  Although she knew she was getting too old to play she was still drawn to playing pretend.  This is why her brother considered her a playmate, she could still pretend.  It was also why her sister finds her annoying...she could still pretend.

In Bertie's entire life she had never gone to the woodshed which was where her father doled out punishment.  Her two siblings spent lots of time there, but Bertie's main goal in life was to always follow the rules and avoid punishment.  This fed into her fear.   But she was also fearful of all the talk of nuclear war.  When her father watched the news, she ran for her playhouse. 

I read this book in 3 days.  I was immediately drawn into the main character, Bertie.  The book is not one with a riveting plot line.  I would say it's subtle.  But I still wanted to read more after each chapter.  The chapters were brief, which encouraged me to keep reading.  The plot and the words were not simplified.  Although this is listed as a "tween" book, it did not feel like I was reading a children's book.

I found myself really relating to Bertie throughout the book, not only as I was as a child, but now as an adult.  I learned a lot about myself as Bertie learned about herself in the closing chapters of the book.  And I did copy several quotes.  They were quotes that spoke to me in my life and quotes that were just good writing.

Kregel has many fiction and non-fiction offerings on their website.  They offer books ranging from children to tweens to adults.  Check them out and you will find something to meet your reading needs.

I enjoyed reading Bertie's war.  The book itself was well-made and felt good in my hands.  But, as always, check out the reviews of other crew-mates to gather the opinions of others.  And then check out Kregel Publications and Bertie's War.  It's a good book.

The wild water captivated me as much as the solemn forest, but in a different way; the turbulent current felt the opposite of the serene forest, yet here they lived, side by side.  Chaos and peace.

p. 89

Bertie's War

by Barbara Tifft Blakey

Kregel Publications

2009

Posted in Home Education

We had dinner music tonight while having our family supper.  The CD player in the kitchen is broken, so I'm not going to tell you about a new CD.  It was LIVE dinner music!  Each of our sons played "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" on the guitar after just one lesson!  We began using Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class on DVD this week.  We received Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class Volume One to review and I'm so glad we did!  "Learn to play guitar" has been on my life-list for a long time.  As I've told you before I've played piano since I was 8.  But you know, the thing about playing the piano is that you can't take it along with you to the campfire.  I wanted to be able to play something "portable."  Since I have music experience, I don't need to learn music-theory or how to read music.    I can tell you after just two days, though, what I do need is CALLOUSES!  My fingers really hurt while practicing today.

I love this DVD.  We dusted off Big Mac's youth guitar to begin our first lesson.  But before we could begin lesson one our little guitar needed some serious tuning.  Well, of course, this DVD has a section about tuning!  We were able to tune our guitar to Jean Welles playing guitar on the TV.  It was great.  We were off to our first lesson.  Each of us took turns playing along, rewinding the DVD, and playing some more.  At the end of lesson one which didn't even last 30 minutes, each of us could play a halting "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." 

Today, we didn't proceed to the next lesson but decided to continue practicing the two chords we learned yesterday.  At dinner tonight the boys could play our first chorus pretty well!  Me?  My fingers hurt... but I'm playing!  I'm so excited to continue with the next six lessons.  There are seven total lessons in Volume One.  With each lesson you learn a new song.  So after we finish this book we are going to know seven worship choruses!  This program totally rocks!

The video is a no-frills instructional DVD.  It is just Jean Welles sitting in a pleasant indoor setting, playing, and talking.  Her voice is calm and gentle.  Close-ups of her fingers on the strings really helped us to see what we should be doing.  She even told us how to hold the guitar, which each of us really needed!

If "learn to play guitar" is on your life-list, pick up Jean Welles Worship Guitar.  As long as your children are big enough to hold the guitar, they can learn from this DVD.  She makes it very easy to understand.  You can buy volume one for $29.95, or you can get all four Volumes of the DVD which comes with lots of extra e-books for $99.80.  Add the books to the 4-DVD set for a total of $119.80.  We will be continuing with lesson two by the end of the week, so it should only take two months for us to work through all of Volume One.  This should give you an idea of how quickly you could work your way through the four DVD set. 

There are quite a few products  offered at www.worshipguitarclass.com, so check them out.  And you can contact Jean Welles here.  When we received our package it contained a lovely note from the company encouraging us to contact them if we had any questions, so I know you are welcome to contact them with your questions or concerns.

And, of course, please don't take my word for it.  Check out the other crew reviews here.  But please, check out Jean Welles products if you have any interest in playing the guitar.  She gives God all the glory.  At the beginning of the Volume One DVD she talks at length about learning how big our Great God is!  That's the kind of company I want to support.

Jean Welles Worship Guitar provided me with a free copy of their Volume I DVD and Book to test and use in order to write this review.

Posted in Home Education

I love calendars.  Every year at the end of the year I sign up for almost every freebie I can get.  I have one hanging in our kitchen for the family to use.  I have one on the refrigerator on which I write the daily menus.  I have on with my devotional book on which I write special prayer requests each day.

But I recently received a really fun freebie from Oriental Trader.  They have a free calendar you can get here.  But the thing that's fun about this calendar is that they've recorded special days on it.  It's really a blast.  Since you may not have your freebie yet, here's a list of the fun dates in January:

1/3 - Festival of Sleep (I MISSED this one!)

1/4 - Trivia Day

1/6 - Cuddle Up Day

1/13 - Make Your Dreams Come True Day

1/16 - National Nothing Day

1/20 - National Buttercrunch Day

1/21 - National Hugging Day

1/23 - Measure Your Feet Day

1/25 - Opposite Day

1/28 - National Kazoo Day

1/29 - National Puzzle Day

The boys and I are loving checking this calendar to see what fun we can plan.  So get your buttercrunch, kazoos and puzzles and get ready for January!  But DON'T have fun on the 25th!!!

Posted in Home Education

Since November, the boys and I have been having fun learning some very basic music theory using Kinderbach.  I've played piano since I was in 2nd grade.  I tried to teach the boys, but because I'm not organized and didn't stick with regular lessons and making them practice, neither of them play the piano.  Music is a required subject in PA, so I need to teach them a little music each year.  Quite often I teach it to them in the form of music appreciation by going to concerts and listening to classical composers.  But, we were given a complimentary membership for a few months to Kinderbach on-line piano lessons.  Even though the age range is much younger than our boys' age-group (Kinderbach suggests ages 2-7), we gave it a try.

We all acutally enjoyed these lessons.  They were very short.  They were entertaining.  And they were physically involving.  The boys were up dancing, or playing rhythm instruments, or playing a "song" on the piano from the very beginning.  For almost every lesson there are pages to print.

The pages had activities for the boys to do that had to do with the lesson.  There was also coloring opportunities.  What's great about this is that we have to submit a portfolio to the school district showing progress in each area of study.  Having these pages in the music section of our portfolio will definitely fulfill that requirement.

I enjoyed taking part in this program.  I'd love to see how far I could get the boys in music theory and piano by using these lessons.  There are six levels of lessons.  If used weekly, they would take over a year to complete.  We began with level one and completed that before our complimentary subscription ran out.  As I said the lessons are brief but entertaining and I like Kinderbach's approach to music theory making it fun for children.

Kinderbach has pricing plans as low as $7.95 a month.  They also have DVD options and other products available here.  If you would like to contact them directly, Kinderbach's address is P.O. Box 181 Le Claire, IA  52753.  Their email is info@kinderbach.com and telephone, 1-563-332-0587. 

We really enjoyed using Kinderbach's lessons.  If the boys were smaller, I would definitely give this a try to give them a "jump" on music instruction.  All you need to get started is an internet connection, a printer, and a thrift-store keyboard.  We've seen small keyboards at thrift stores quite often.  They would be put to good use when learning via Kinderbach.

And you can give this a try for free!  They offer a series of free lessons.  Sign-in for free lessons here.  I love when you can try out a program before you buy it.  So give Kinderbach a try!  If you don't want to take my word for it, check out the reviews of the other crew members here.

I received a membership to Kinderbach for a little over 2 months in exchange for this un-biased review of their product.

Posted in Home Education

My dad made me take 2 years of typing in high school.  I was advance college-prep, why was I taking 2 years of typing?  Of course, at that time I was a teenager and I knew everything, so...  Anyway, I took one year and then, Dad made me take another!  The audacity.  It didn't take me many years after high school to thank him over-and-over-again for making me take 2 years of typing in high school.  I earned money typing papers for other students in college.  Ever since high school, I've been a fast typist.  Our sons are amazed because I can type and look at them while they're talking.  I'm like superwoman!

I've always wanted to find a program similar to what I had in school for the boys.  I did find some fun keyboarding lessons on-line.  The boys know the basics from that, but I've never really found a program similar to how I learned in high school.  The way I learned has allowed me to become very quick and accurate.  I wanted something like that.  Then I received two copies of Christian Keyboarding's Keyboarding for the Christian School. 

I added keyboarding lessons to the boys homeschool schedule about 2-weeks before Christmas.  They weren't thrilled to have one-more thing to do especially when they were beginning to get the holiday itch, but they grudgingly made their way to the PC to complete lesson one.  After that, getting them to do their typing lessons has not been a problem at all.  The lessons are brief.  At the beginning we are focusing on proper posture and just a few letters a day.  There are timed tests you can have your child do in addition to the short lesson.  There is also an encouraging verse of scripture for the boys to read every day.  In the ending pages and lessons, students will type psalms and other spiritually encouraging texts.  I love the Christian aspect of this typing curriculum, but I also love that it is similar to the thorough training I received in high school. 

The elementary version of Christian Keyboarding is 87 pages in length, and has 31 lessons.  Lesson 31 actually contains the timed-tests for the rest of the program, so it's really 30 lessons.  The revised edition which is geared to those above 5th grade, is 127 pages long with 41 lessons.  Lesson 42 is your timed tests and lesson 43 is tables.

I printed the entire book for each of the boys (T-bone is using the elementary version and Big Mac is using the revised edition).  I printed 2 pages per page so that I used less paper.  Even printed this way the pages are easy to read and follow.  I propped the printed e-book on our study-pod and the boys took-off with their lessons.  I really like this typing curriculum and am hopeful that it will give our boys the typing skills I have relied on for more than 20 years.

Keyboarding for the Christian School, Revised Edition is $15.95 from Christian Keyboarding's website.  This program was developed for Grades 6 and up.  Keyboarding for the Christian School, Elementary Version is $12.95 at Christian Keyboarding's website.  You will also find information on the many other products this company offers in their home-page.  They run specials on their typing programs, so check often.

At the time of this writing the crew blog doesn't have an entry page for the Christian Keyboarding product.  So I can't give you the link.  But I'll try to remember to update this post when the link is available.  Be sure and check out the other reviews by the crew, they will give you a balanced description of this program.  Contact Christian Keyboarding here if you want more infromation directly from them.  There is also a history of the company on that page.  It's worth a look.

I received a complimentary copy of these two versions of Christian Keyboarding in order to complete this review.

Posted in Home Education

A little over a week ago I received a CD from Maestro Classics.  Truthfully I wasn't sure what to expect.  I LOVE classical music.  My husband says I just like any music that starts witha "C", Classical, Country, or Christian!  But I do really love classical music.  I've tried some of the more "child-like" classical CDs like Peter and the Wolf and The Carnival of the Animals to get our boys to love classical the way I do, but they don't.  They tolerate it when I force it on them.  So, I wasn't sure if the Maestro Classics CD The Tortoise and the Hare would be a hit around her.  Long story short...it was!

I thought this would be a music CD that told the story throughout the music.  I was surprised when I put the CD in and saw six tracks of varying lengths.  I was even more surprised when we started the CD and someone was speaking.  This was not what I expected.  The music was part of the narrated story.  It enhanced the scene as it was being set, or explained the character that was also introduced in words.  It was part of the story, and seamlessly so.  And the story was definitely a living story.  It was well told and not dumbed down.  It was pleasing to hear.  Our 13 year-old and 11 year-old boys were riveted, but I'm sure that all ages from even pre-school on up to high school could find listening a joy.

A small companion book arrived with the CD.  I thought perhaps it was an illustrated book telling the story.  It was not a story book, but a book chock-full of supporting information to what we were hearing.  There were articles on the instruments and composer.  There were words to one of the songs so that we could all sing along.  And there was information about the animals involved in the story.  I handed the book to our youngest son as we began to listen to the CD.  After a few minutes he began telling us the difference between a rabbit and a hare.  That conversation continued at the supper table a few hours later.  So it really stuck with him!

This is much more than a way to fill your music slot for homeschooling.  As we listened, we learned about music, character, animals, even a little geography.  Oh!  And I could have made an entire day's unit study from this CD as well.  If you decide to purchase The Tortoise and the Hare from Maestro Classics, plan to make soft pretzels for science or home ec.; run a foot race for physical education; learn the differences between a tortoise and a turtle and a rabbit and a hare for more science; do the dot-to-dot in the companion book for math; do the word jumble and crossword puzzle in the companion book for language art as well as listening to the story and the commentary section about Aesop; read Aesop's original fable for more language arts; identify Paris, France, and the Champs Elysees for geography; and listen to the music on the CD and composer's commentary for music.  That's full day that sounds like lots of fun.

Maestro Classics has many other CDs to offer. Each CD comes with a companion booklet and sells for $16.98 plus shipping and handling.   I'm sure they are all as rich an experience as The Tortoise and the Hare.  You can see a complete list of their products here.  Their contact information can be found here.  I did not receive the original CD that was sent to the crew.  It must have gotten lost in the mail.  I contacted Maestro Classics and they sent another CD priority mail which I received in a few short days.  So, I can personally vouch for their customer service.

I hope you give Maestro Classics a try.  I was so glad to have experienced one of their products.  It was very well-done and a fun addition to our regular routine.  I hope to get a chance to purchase some of their other CDs one day.  As usual, don't take my word for it, but check out what my fellow crew-reviewers have to say here.

This product was issued to me free of charge in order that I may give you this non-biased, honest review.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.

Posted in inspirational

"Help me to honor thee by believing before I feel, for great is the sin if I make feeling a cause of faith."

-The Valley of Vision

a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions

edited by Arthur Bennett

In this season of trials I've been concerned with my feelings.  I read this in one of the Puritan prayers. and it smacked me in the face!  It's not about my feelings!

Oh Lord, keep teaching me. 

Posted in Home Education

Last year, we were introduced to a little playhouse for children and youth in the back-country of Juniata County.  It seemed a pastor's wife had a vision for a performing arts center where children could be encouraged in some of the areas that public schools were dropping, like music and drama.  All of this would be done with a Christian theme.  Last year our boys took part in the first performance of this fledgling group and it was very entertaining.  The boys really enjoyed getting to know the other cast members.  It was a mixed-bunch.  Some children were homeschooled, many in the public school, a few in a local Christian school.  We knew some families going into this venture, but got to know many new families through taking the kids to weekly rehearsals.

Although the group continued to work through the Spring and Summer, we took that time off of Cross-Stitch.  We did return this Fall as they began to organize the Christmas program.  And this past weekend (12-5-09 and 12-06-09) was the culmination of all their efforts and they put on an adaptation of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol."  It was lovely.  I was so proud of our two boys as each of them was a Scrooge (this one large part was divided amongst four boys).  Our youngest also played Charles Dickens as a narrator and our oldest was the ghost of Christmas future.

I am glad that as we get closer to Christmas all of our running to play rehearsals and performances is over, but it was a great experience and one not to be missed.  If you have a drama club near you, get your children involved.  Even if they are not the outgoing, actor-type, there is a role for them somewhere.  You get to know so many fine people.  Your children get to be directed by adults who love their craft.  And you get to watch them on stage.  It's an experience like none-other.

Posted in home life

About a month ago, we got to drive through Herhsey's "Sweet Lights."  Sweet Lights is a drive through light show offered near Hershey Park.  I wanted to give you a short pictorial tour through Sweet Lights as we saw it.  This is by no means all that could be seen, but it was truly beautiful.  If you are one of those people who love driving around at Christmastime looking at lights in the neighborhood, you would love Sweet Lights.  Enjoy!

The arm moved and the notes drifted upward as you drove past.  Also there was a radio station you could tune your car radio to to listen to Christmas carols as you drove.

As you can see the lights were very detailed and ornate.

A very happy pointsetta!

They modeled this one after our house! LOL

The boys' favorite part was afterward when my dad bought ice cream sundays at Dairy Queen! I loved the lights.  It was a great way to start the season.

Posted in Home Education

Last year, a friend of the boys' told them about Gamemaker software.  He said that he made a game and they should check it out.  They downloaded the free version of the software and tried to make a game, but got nowhere except frustrated.  So I was excited when I received a three-month membership to Tektoma, Inc.'s website for tutorials using the game maker software.

Tektoma declares that their tutorials are useable by ages 7 to 17.  The boys have spent a few hours using the tutorials and I would be hard-pressed to see a seven year old complete this tutorial with no assistance.  Our youngest is 11 and our oldes is 13 years old.  They have been able to follow the tutorials and create their games without assistances.  I had to install the game maker software and the "extras" pack.  The installation was easy, but needs to be done by an adult. 

Our guys are very adept at video game and computer useage.  They didn't have a problem following the instructions in the tutorials they tried.  They said that it was a lot of information to take in and they'd like to complete each tutorial more than once so that they can really grasp the concepts learned in order to branch out and create their own games, not replicate the games taught in the tutorial.  It was very exciting for them to learn to use the gamemaker software.  They love video games and have talked for years of designing their own games.  Learning this software using Tektoma's tutorials has been a dream-builder for my two enthusiasts.  I'm really pleased with Tektoma's approach.

Subscribing to the tutorials is a little pricey for the year ($140), but you can pay $14.95 per month, which is a little more reasonable.  There are also ways to earn free time by recommending Tektoma tutorials to your friends, so don't disregard this website if you are pressed for money.  AND Tektoma has a 14-day free trial.  I love free trials!  You know what you're getting before having to pay.

If you have a gamer in your house, check out Tektoma.  My two guys have really enjoyed what they've learned.  I'm grateful that they have offered a way for our boys to learn game-programming.  And I don't have to worry about the content!

For more information:

• Contact Tektoma by email:  info@tektoma.com
• Check out the reviews of other crew members here.
• Check out their website and try them free for 14 days.

Posted in Home Education

I received a 45-day membership for our sons to 3P Learning's Mathletics website in return for the following review.

If you read my blog with any regularity, you may know that I love math.  It's a sickness really.  My boys, even though they are great at math, don't love it.  It's because when I formally taught them in the early days, I was impatient, which caused them to hate math-time with Mommy.  Earlier in this year we were given the opportunity to review an on-line math program, which we all enjoyed.  Several weeks ago, we were given another opportunity to review a different on-line math program from 3P Learning.  The site is called Mathletics.

This is a very entertaining website.  It is very graphic intensive, so an older PC with a dial-up connection might give you problems.  They do have system requirements on their website so be sure to check those out before trying out this program.

Although I received two sign-ons, one for each of our boys, one sign-on had already been assigned to a girl in Canada.  When I contacted customer service I never received a reply.  As a result of this, only our youngest son used this program for any amount of time.  He enjoyed using it because it is very gamelike.  Our boys do play video games and computer games and we don't limit it too much as long as it doesn't get out of hand.  So our guys are really familiar with on-line gaming.  The graphics were good and there was opportunities to play games when certain lessons were complete.  Of course our 11-year-old T-Bone LOVED the games.  When setting up his sign-on he got to design a little person to represent him on-line.  He liked doing that too.  All-in-all he liked using this program, but had no problems when I told him it was time to return to what we have been using this year.

I found this to be a fun program, but the math level was a little lower than what we use typically.  In other words, when we put in his grade level, the math-work that was required of him was more review and less challenging than I like. (which is why T-bone liked it so much, I think)  I never received a response to my customer service concern, so I can't recommend them in customer service.

This webiste/program is known for having great parental controls and check-ups, but I would prefer to have those land in my email in-box.  I didn't receive any updates from Mathletics after T-Bone signed-on and began using the program.  As any busy homeschool mom, I didn't think to get on-line, log into the program and check on his progress.  I was watching and sitting in the living room as he worked on-line so I knew what he was doing.  I recorded his time for our records, but it would have been nice to get an email updateof his progress. 

It's a good program, you could solve the level problem by simply bumping your student up a level when registering.  There are opportunities to compete against other students using math-skills you develop while using this program, which can be very appealing to children.  Unfortunately there is  no free-trial so that you can get a taste of Mathletics.  But check out their website if you're interested in learning more about this program.  It is available for Kindergarten through grade 8.

Mathletics is relatively inexpensive as on-line math programs go.  The cost is $59 for a one-year subscription.  But while subscribing, if you enter "the human calculator's favorite number" (it's 9) you can get your subscription for $49.95.   You can see subscription information by hitting the "purchase" button on the mathletics website.  One drawback is that there is no discount for multiple students, so for a large family this could get pricey. 

For more information about Mathletics, check out their "about" page by going to their website and clicking on the "about mathletics" button.  And, as always, here's the link to the other crew members' reviews.

Posted in Home Education

A few weeks ago I received Level 1 and Level 2 of "All About Spelling" in exchange for the following review.  Even though our guys are beyond the basic spelling programs, being 11 and 13 years old, I chose to use it as a review for them.  Early in our homeschooling days, I read about Charlotte Mason from a few homeschooling speakers.  In their interpretation, our boys would be great spellers simply because we read great literature.  Well, that didn't happen.  Our boys are not what I consider great spellers.  In annual tests, they are on grade level, but to me, when every other test is at least a few grades above grade level, spelling is lacking.  So, I decided to begin at square one with the boys using All About Spelling Level 1.  BOY was I surprised at what I found!

I was pretty excited to review this product because I had read about it several years ago.  The idea is that there are very specific sounds or phonograms in the english language that are used repeatedly.  (think shun for "tion")  If you learn these phonograms and how the sounds are spelled, your spelling improves.  When I did try to instruct our boys in spelling years ago, I used the old spelling rules that I was taught.  We all quickly learned that all these rules were made to be broken!  This made our spelling careers very frustrating.  Using the methods in All About Spelling, we aren't learning or teaching rules, but sounds.  It's quite brilliant.

I received the starter kit, available for $26.95 and Levels 1 ($29.95) and2 ($39.95), of All About Spelling.  On the Sunday before I planned to begin the program with the boys I sat at the kitchen table to assemble all the materials in the Starter Kit.  There were several laminated sheets of color-coded letter squares.  I had to cut out each square to make 105 individual letter tiles.  Also included in the kit are two sheets of magnetic squares with adhesive backs.  I put one individual magnet on the back of each letter tile.  Then I had to separate the perforated flash cards which are color coded for different skills.  All of this preparation took about an hour and a half.  I spent another hour reviewing the lessons and getting prepared for the week ahead.

Because the boys are older, I bunched several lessons together into one lesson to move them through the program.  Surprisingly, we did find challenges in this program!  I thought that since this was such a beginner level, we'd breeze right through it.  But even I was challenged to write the letter based on the sounds it makes.  For instance, if I made the sounds "ssss" as in snake and "zzzz" as in zither, would you write the letter S on your sheet?  Or if I just made the sound "k", would you know it was the letter K, when later I made two sounds "sss" and "k" to indicate the letter "c"?  Learning the basic phonograms was really interesting. 

I loved the concepts used in All About Spelling.  The tiles are colorful.  The flash cards are color coded.  There are colored see-through chips to use for some activities.  The children have to move tiles and chips to do certain reviews and some new activities.  They are not just sitting and spelling, but touching and moving as well.  By using more than one sense or brain function, the spelling lessons are solidified in their minds.  It's an excellent way to learn.

All-in-all I think this is a fabulous spelling program.  It is logical and makes sense to learn.  It did take a lot of time to prepare for our initial outting, but after that, getting a lesson going took no time at all.  You organize once and you're set for the next 6 levels. (level six will be released soon)  It is not a program that is easily used for multiple students.  I have always taught my boys at the same grade level in everything except math, so I may be a huge exception in the homeschool world.  But the script and activities are set up for one on one instruction.  I have managed to tweak it so that the boys and I could all do it together.  If the material was more challenging, such as in the upper levels, then I may have to work with each boy individually.  However, for this review, we are managing to complete our spelling lessons as a group.

If you would like to see all the products that All About Spelling has to offer, check out their product page.  This is a really great spelling program.  I highly recommed it.  You could begin using level one for a first-grade child or use the early levels as review for struggling spellers like mine.  Using each level would take you through all the elementary grades.  But again, if you have a remedial speller in the highschool level, this is a great program.  Just make sure to schedule enough time to get it all prepared ahead of time.

For more information, All About Spelling's contact page can be found here.  And as always, please check out the review of my fellow crew members here.

Posted in Home Education

I had a girlfriend years ago that was attempting to homeschool her four young boys.  They were like little stair-steps going from age 11 to 5.  One of her sons had a lot of energy.  Now, here's a little secret about me, I don't believe that all the children diagnosed with ADHD really have ADHD.  But this little friend of mine had her oldest son tested and he was ADHD.  Since she wanted to avoid medication, she got some tips from the experts and one was to put a mini-trampoline, or an exercise bike right where they did their schooling.  When he would finish a subject, or start to get distracted, he hopped on the bike for a few minutes.  It helped him to focus.

This idea of combining book learning with exercise is really intriguing.  That's why I was really interested when I got the opportunity to review the Exploramania DVD "Gymathtics."  Exercise is not a regular occurrence in this household.  I'm embarrassed to admit it, but in the interest of full-disclosure, I have to be truthful.  I was hopeful that this DVD would be the solution to all our exercise woes.

This is an interesting product.  While you are exercising, there are math problems being presented to you.  The math is not difficult, mostly review of common facts, such as simple geometry.  But combining this kind of learning while exercising is a research-proven technique.  I was recently reading an article about a recent research project that showed how much better children who had exercised prior to a test did than those students who did not exercise.  So, I was happy to have this DVD/exercise program in my hot little hands!

The exercise was challenging.  Keep in mind that we are an "exercise-challenged" family.  The math was not complicated, but a great review.  But the commentary of the program was a little youthful for my 11 and 13 year old.  I tried to get them to focus on the exerercise, and not the commentary, but they really didn't enjoy being "talked down" to.   This DVD uses math geared to 2nd to 5th graders.  The exercise is for EVERYONE, including me!   The exercise program included a warm-up, aerobics to keep your heart rate going, and a nice cool down.  During the cool-down the commentary went off of math and onto character.  I couldn't argue with any of it, but sometimes a mom doesn't want an outside product trying to develop character in their child.  The cool-down included some yoga poses.  I love yoga, so I didn't have a problem with that. 

I'm sure I will  be able to force the boys into using Gymathtics again.  I did really like the concept.  Check out their website.  It's colorful and full of interesting products.  The Gymathtics DVD is available for $24.99.  And there is also a second DVD if your children get tired of the same routine each day.

 Contact information can be fund here.  Do check out their products, they are quite interesting.  And don't forget, there are other crew-members reviewing this same product so you can get a wide-range of reviews, here.

Posted in Home Education

Well, this is a really fun review because you don't have to go shopping for this one.  If you like the sounds of it, you can get this CD for free.  I received a copy of "America's Heritage An Adventure in Liberty" CD from the American Heritage Education Foundation, Inc. On this CD are the PDF versions of an American History and Civics course for Elementary grades, Middle School Grades, and High School Grades.  There is also an Elementary Spanish version.

The Elementary version of this curriculum is 184  pages.  The Middle School curriculum is 182 pages long.  And the High School version is 187 pages long.   For today's reveiw, I perused the Middle School curriculum since our two guys are in that grade-range.  Although this curriculum is made for the classroom, most of it can be adapted to the homeschool setting.  There was one game that I think might be a challenge to convert from a 20-30 student classroom to a family, but other than that the activities can be worked as a family.  Some activities called for an overhead machine, which is typically not found in a home, but I think you can adapt by using your PC to enlarge something you need.  The activities in this curriculum are not public school material.  In it you learn about the true heart of our founding fathers and the foundation of this country.  I loved the comparison of the song "God Save the King" to "My Country Tis of Thee."   Here are two songs with the same melody but vastly different meanings.  After completing this activities, your children can't help but reflect on what our country based it's laws upon.  There is a lot of writing activities, so if you have boys, like mine, who are just beginning to embrace writing, you may want to give this curriculum a year.  I believe in a year, our boys will be ready for all that this curriculum has to offer.

As I've said before, this CD can be yours for free by going here.  If you would like to have this curriculum in a printed binder format, it is available to you on this page for $19.95.

If you would like to contact the American Heritage Education Foundation, Inc., they can be emailed at ahef@americanheritage.org.  Pick up your CD on the web here. 

Their mailing address is:

3501 West Alabama

Suite 200

Houston, TX 77027-6035

Telephone:  713-572-3657

And, as usual, if you don't want to take my word for it, read the reviews of my other crew members here. 

Posted in Home Education

Several weeks ago   Bright Ideas Press  provided me with a free copy of All American History Volume I to test and use in order to write this review.  When I received it I was a little worried.  Other than Math, I don't buy curriculum.  All American History seemd to be very curriculum-y.  I thought that I definitely would not like this.  I love creating my own unit studies.  I love reading a great book to the boys and finding cool activities to do around what we've read.  As I looked at a thick hard-back history book, a thick student activity book, and a thick teacher's manual, I immediately judged it as being curriculum and not for me.

Then we started a unit.  I actually started in the middle of the book.  Last year we had spent a lot of time on Columbus and then the early settlers.  At the end of the year I had begun a unit on the American Revolution.  Although All American History Volume I's beginning sections are pre-revoluion, I chose to begin at Unit 3 which deals with the American Revolution.  This group of books, which is really more like a great Unit Study than a curriculum, is easy to get started.  It does not take a lot of mom-prep.  I don't like to spend lots of time reading teacher's manuals and getting activities organized to prepare for a lesson.  You don't need lots of prep time to get started.  And the activities make this so much more like a unit study than a history curriculum.  There are notebooking activities and timeline activities.  In three words...I loved it.  But, what about the boys?  In three words...they loved it.

For the first lesson, I had them read the Student Text.  They don't have a lot of non-fiction reading experience.  They don't have any textbook reading experience at all.  They read it and immediately pronounced it, "Cool."  After reading, they completed the first page of questions.  But they weren't just a question and answer worksheet.  There were pictures to cut out and drawings to make.  It was right up our boys' alley!  They were hooked.

For each chapter there are "for further review" questions.  I had each boy pick a question and complete it.  Our oldest learned about an artist's depiction of the French and Indian War.  He learned about the picture, the characters in the picture, and the time period around it.  He gave a thorough and interesting talk on what he learned and even printed a copy of the painting!  Our youngest, T-bone, chose to take a virtual tour of one of the forts involved in the war of 1812.  He, too, gave a great talk about what he learned.

So, if all curriculum is like this one.  I may  become a curriculum girl!  The boys and I are really enjoying All American History Volume I.  We will definitely be finishing this book, going back to the beginning and catching up on what we've missed.  This is well-organized, thorough, and captivating.  The only criticism I have is that the books don't easily cross-reference to each other.  I don't think this would be a problem if you began at the beginning.  But since we began in the middle, trying to find the right pictures for the activity sheet we are working on is not easy.  They are not necessarily marked easily, as the author just assumes you have moved on to the next picture.  I found that to be a problem with many of the activities and it's been challenging to find the correct pages or items to coordinate to the activites.  The teacher's manual doesn't always say, "If you go to page ## in the student activity sheet."  It just talks about the next activity or the "Steps to War" activity.  It's up to you to figure out what that activity is.  If you're doing this curriculum in order, you won't have a problem.  The next activity being discussed is simply the next activity in the book that you haven't completed.  The next picture to be attached to your notebook page is the next picture that you haven't cut out yet.  But, you know me, I've just GOT to be different!

All American History Volume I is $68.00 for the Student Text, the Student Activity Book, and the Teacher's Manual.  In my opinion all three of these books are necessary to do this history lesson well.  If you want to purchase items individually, the text is $44.95 (493 pages).  The Student Activity Book, which is three-hole punched and perforated, (perfect for notebooks) is $16.95.  And the teacher's manual is $18.95.  The teacher's manual has great suggestions for activities to support each chapter, booklists for every unit, and answers to the worksheet questions in the student activity book.  This curriculum can be used by all ages.  There are adaptations suggested for younger students as well as high-schoolers.  I really think all ages will find challenging activities and reading.

If you'd like to see other items from Bright Ideas Press, check out their website here.  They have a lot to offer.  Their contact information can be found here.  Although all my fellow crew mates did not review All American History, there are lots of Bright Ideas Press reviews here.  And my review is a day late, so with that I will say goodnight until next post!

Posted in Home Education

Posted in Homemaking

I love to take a long bath.  In our house we say, "I'm going to go soak in the tub!"  I take a book, and a caffeine-free diet soda and crawl in among the bubbles to soak until my skin wrinkles.  So, when I got a package from Virginia Soaps and Scents, I was tha-rilled!  I received this package of soaps and a laundry soap kit in exchange for my review here on this blog.  I've got to tell you.  Even the box smelled good!

First of all I loved the packaging.  It was simple, and country.  The soaps have a little Vss stamp/brand on them and their shape, along with this brand is very charming.  This is not a square or rectangular bar of soap.  Three sides are straight with the top showing how the soap was mounded into the mold.  My soap sampler had three soaps, and a shampoo bar in it.  The soaps I received were smaller than the normal bar you would buy on their website, but even with the smaller size, I find them to be very long lasting.  One bar has lasted me almost a month!  More on that in a bit.

In my sampler bag, I received one bar of Fresh Orange, one bar of Oatmeal, Milk and Honey, and one bar of Coconut Lemongrass.  I used the Fresh Orange bar first.  The first night I used it in the shower, my husband called out from our living room (remember from this entry, we have a small house), "I can smell it out here!"  That was definitely a good sign.  I tried using this soap without using a wash rag, since I usually use a shower gel and a bath-pouf.  I didn't find there was too much lather when used  it without a wash cloth.  So, I got out the lacy cotton wash cloth I had crocheted several months ago and used it the next time I used the soap.  WOW!  Now I had lather to spare.  It was luxurious.  One problem I did have was with the bar getting kind of mushy if I didn't have it in a well-drained soap dish.  They actually talk about this on the web site and Virginia Soaps and Scents sells a beautiful handmade soap dish for $2.50 that will solve this problem.  When you go to the website, click on Products at the top center of the page, and then soaps from the drop-down menu.  At the very bottom of the soaps page, you will find the soap dish.  I'll need to order one of those.  I am currently using the Oatmeal, Milk and Honey bar and I love it even more than the Fresh Orange.  It is really wonderful and I want it to last forever.  I have yet to try the Coconut Lemongrass, but I'm sure it will be great.  The first bar I will order (after the shampoo bar) will be the Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey bar based on what I've tried.  The regular (not gourmet or Christmas) soaps sell for $4.50 for a large 4.5 oz bar.  If you buy three bars, the price is $12.00, but buy 4 bars and you get the fifth bar free.  They now are also offering a 10-bar purchase for $35.

And now, the shampoo bar...ah the shampoo bar.  I have very dry, naturally curly hair.  I mean VERY dry hair.  I usually only wash my hair once a week, and even then, it is dry most days.  I was really scared to try this shampoo bar.  But, I gave it a shot.  What I found was that it only took a little rub on my hair to get a full lather.  I washed and rinsed twice.  My hair felt clean, but not too dry.  I did use conditioner, but I ALWAYS have to use conditioner, so that is nothing new.  I promptly wrapped up this bar and put it away so the boys and Big Dog don't find it...this is too good for yucky old boys!  I'm keeping this shampoo bar all to myself!  I loved it.  I loved the way my hair felt afterward.  I had a really good hair day after using this shampoo and that's hard to come by when your hair is dry/frizzy naturally curly.  You can buy one 5.5 oz shampoo bar for $5.50 or get two for $10.  They have three scents for the shampoo bars (mine was ginger lime) and they also have an oily-hair clarifying formula which I'll never have to buy.

There are more products than I can tell you about on this post tonight.  Please go to the Virginia Soaps and Scents website and click the Products button at the top of the screen.  Definitely look at the Gourmet Soaps.  They look fantastic!  I'm also really interested in the Pet Shampoo bar (called Pet Poo).  I have two little itchy dogs who would much appreciate a good soap to help in that area.

Finally, I received a laundry soap kit...  The kit I received retails for $4.95.  If you try the kit and like it, you can buy their cleaning bar for $3.95 and follow the recipe on their website to make your own.  In the package, the first line to the crew members said that what we were holding was NOT curriculum.  I have to tell you, I used the laundry soap kit in our little homeschool.  The boys and I followed the recipe and mixed up the batch of laundry soap and stirred it while it cooled as directed.  So it was a little like curriculum.  I was a bit skeptical because years ago I tried a homemade laundry soap that was floating around the internet homeschool community and I found it didn't really get the boys clothes clean.  Today was the true test.  The boys cleaned their room and I had 2 loads of laundry to do from their bedroom floor!  I know.  I know.  Shameful.  ANYWAY, the first thing I noticed is that the laundry soap doesn't stick to the measuring cup like store-bought liquid does.  When I took the wet laundry out of the washer, the next thing I noticed was the smell.  The clothes had a fresh-clean smell.  It's hard to describe, but it's not the perfumy smell you get from store bought detergents.  It's a really clean smell.  All-in-all, I'm impressed.  The soap works well and one batch has made a good amount considering you only have to use 1/2  a cup per load.  The bar is a good value for the money because it makes a much larger batch than what the kit contains.

Do you want to know the age range for Virginia Soaps and Scents?  Well, in my house, it's female adults-only.  But you might not be nearly as selfish as I am when it comes to bath products.  So, in your house, these products may work for all ages.  Actually, Virginia Soaps and Scents offers soaps just for children, like the kiddiwink all-in-one bar here.  And there are a lot of scents that would appeal to men, as well as a man's shaving soap.

If you would like to contact Virginia Soaps and Scents, go to this page for more information.  To read the other reviews of my fellow crew-members, check out the crew website  I give Virginia Soaps and Scents an A+++.  This was a fun product to review and I will become a regular customer.  You should too.