COBWEBS and KISSES

Math Rider (version 3) (TOS Review)

2012-02-09T23:41:00.001-06:00

Last year we were blessed to receive several math programs to review. One of our absolute favorites was an intelligent math game for kids called Math Rider. We were thrilled to find out that this year we would get to review the newest version of Math Rider!

PRODUCT DETAILS

Math Rider is a great, great interactive math game that will help to build your children’s mastery of math facts.

See last year’s review of Math Rider.

As with the version we reviewed last year, the kids go on adventures called “quests”, riding their horse over obstacles – to get the horse to jump the obstacle, you have to answer the question correctly! If a child struggles with a particular problem, the game will provide the answer – and then the problem will reappear later! There’s no maneuvering in the game, so lack of hand-eye coordination won’t affect your child’s play – all that’s required is typing in the correct answer.

The four quests are the same across the four operations, however, the rewards are not. Every combination of quest and reward holds a different reward. The rewards are all animated according to how well the player answered the questions. If your child gets frustrated about having to repeat a quest, remind them that a new reward is coming!

Each operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) contains four quests, ranging from easy to master. Parents can select the operations,the difficulty level, and the numbers to be used in the problems. The child should use the easy addition quest first. The software will recognize the child’s abilities and advance them – the interactive technology recognizes how your child is doing and adjusts the questions. Pretty amazing!

Parents can see their children’s progress, so you can keep an eye on how they’re doing, including seeing how long it takes them to answer the question, where they’re struggling, etc.

My youngest daughter got frustrated a couple of times, saying she was providing the correct answer but that the game was telling her it was wrong. When I asked her to show me so I could see for myself, she could never recreate the problem. We didn’t have that issue last year, so I’m not sure if my daughter was mistaken, or if there might be an issue with the new version. Even with that problem, my daughter (well, actually, both of them) truly love this game.

Watch this video to find out more about version 3:

Math Rider retails for for $49.95 but through February 14, 2012 you can get it as an instant download for just $37 (the price is set to go up on February 15)! A very small investment for the amount of improvement in math skills your kids will experience – not to mention the fun they’ll have! The software runs on Windows, Mac OSX and Linux (temporarily – read the special note about Linux systems HERE. A 7-day FREE trial is also available, but be warned – once your kids start “playing” this math game, they’ll want to keep playing! Also, try it for 30 days at no risk, because the company offers a 30-day money back guarantee.

COMPANY CONTACT INFO

Office Address:

Sharper Edge Pty Ltd
31 Hannah Street
Beecroft NSW 2119
Australia

Phone: +61 2 8005 8531
Office hours: 9am to 5pm (East Australian Time – GMT+10), Mon-Fri

Submit a question by e-mail HERE.

Read the FAQ HERE.

Visit Math Rider on Facebook page.

Visit Math Rider’s blog HERE.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Just like last year, my girls loved this program. Math Rider makes it easier for me to have the girls practice math skills, and I love that!

THOUGHTS OF MY CREW MATES

To see other reviews of this product, click HERE and look for the linky tools list at the bottom of the post. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

**Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a trial of the product referenced in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

NYC, we’ll see you this summer!

2012-01-31T21:56:00.001-06:00

Each spring thousands of ballerinas across the country audition for summer intensives – training programs of varying lengths which are, indeed, intensive.

This is Sarah’s first audition season. Her ballet instructors recommended three intensives for Sarah to audition for. I added another – the summer intensive sponsored by The Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, run by the legendary Gelsey Kirkland. When I discovered that Ms. Kirkland, who is one of America’s great ballerinas, would be leading the auditions, I knew Sarah would benefit from having a class with her.

Sarah was happy as the audition began. Parents weren’t allowed to watch, but we could hear what was happening. Ms. Kirkland was authoritative, yet compassionate and caring – perfect for Sarah. While we approached this particular audition as simply a learning experience, a mom’s heart always has hope for their child to suceed. I didn’t expect the outcome we received - I was thrilled to learn that she was accepted for Ms. Kirkland’s program at the audition!

Excitement is running high in our house. Sarah reminds me of Tigger – she is so excited she can hardly stop wiggling.

For me, the task ahead is daunting – planning a trip to NYC for Sarah and I with as little financial trauma as possible. It will be a sacrifice for our family. But it may well be a life-changing experience for Sarah, so it will be a sacrifice worth making.

NYC, see you in June!

Our iPad addiction…and our most loved apps

2012-01-23T22:38:00.001-06:00

Our family loves technology. Fitting, since my husband is an IT software engineer. Surprisingly, I have only within the last year or so received a smart phone. In August, I added an iPad 2 to my collection. One of the first things I did once it was fully charged was begin searching for apps that would be educational for the girls. Wow – there is a plethora of apps to choose from, and more are added every day.

Sure we have apps loaded which simply provide fun – but true to form in a homeschooling family, our favorites are the apps that expand our knowledge. Most favored are the science apps.

Here are some of our favorite educational apps that are frequently used on our iPad:

ASTRONOMY

Star Walk – Load this app, point your iPad at the sky (day or night!), and the stars, constellations and satellites will be identified! The screen also shows the “shapes” of the constellations. One of our favorite nighttime astronomy activities is to simply stand in our back yard and watch the screen while turning slowly around – we get a great view of the night sky, with explanations, even though we live in a fairly large city with lots of lights.

Other astronomy apps that we love:

NASA

Astronomy Picture of the Day

GEOGRAPHY

Geo Walk – our favorite geography app, this is like a 3D reference book. A virtual globe spins and photos pop up of general facts (you can also choose a different view, but we prefer the globe). With filters of places, animals, plants, people and events, you can customize the photos you’re shown. Several other viewing options plus a quiz feature make this one of our favorites to learn about the world!

Stack the States – Teaches state capitals, shapes, geographic locations, state nicknames, bordering states, and more. If you answer a question correctly you’re awarded that state’s shape (an animated shape) to “stack” on the screen. Build a stack of states that reaches the checkered line to win each level. Love the visual that this game provides – there’s nothing like trying to stack the shape of Alaska on top of the shape of Rhode Island to get a visual of the size difference.

Stack the Countries – works the same as Stack the States but with, obviously, countries. Learn capitals, landmarks, major cities, continents, border countries, languages, flags and country shapes.

Other geography apps that we love:

National Geographic GeoBee Challenge

Puzzleography – World Geography

Puzzleography – USA Geography

Map Trek Ancient World

HISTORY

This Day in History – self explanatory, but one of the coolest things is that clickable links are provided for the items listed for that bring up more information.

Virtual History Roma – a virtual, panoramic tour of Ancient Rome. Incredible views and information. This is the first application to use ‘bubble view’ technology, which was conceived in Italy and patented in the USA. This technology uses the iPad’s sensors (accelerometer and compass) – move the iPad and the scene moves. We loved using this for our Italy trip last fall.

National Archives—Today’s Document – Highlights 365 (including popular and lesser known items) of the most fascinating documents and photos in American History stored in the National Archives.

Smithsonian Channel – includes Smithsonian’s original series, documentaries and fun facts.

Other history apps that we love:

Library of Congress Virtual Tour

Presidents vs. Aliens

Medieval Life

SCIENCE

The Chemical Touch – a virtual periodic table.

Simple Physics - design complex structures for everything from tree houses to ferris wheels and then simulates your design with a sophisticated physics engine.

Peterson Birds of North America – an online version of the printed field guide.

Molecules - view three-dimensional renderings (in ball-and-stick or space-filling visualization mode) of molecules and manipulate them using your fingers - rotate, zoom in or out, or pan the molecule.

Science 360 – Video and pictures from NSF_funded institutions. There’s great stuff here, but note that since it’s NSF info, there is evolutionary content.

Other science apps that we love:

Crazy Machines

Real Science 4 Kids – Chemistry

The Elements

Science Glossary

MISCELLANEOUS

Slice It!

SAT Question of the Day

Soundrop

Virtuoso

OUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE AT THE MOMENT

Brain Pop! - Watch a different animated movie every day, then test your new knowledge with an interactive quiz – free! My girls loved this free app so much that I purchased the monthly subscription!

I know there are probably great apps on my iPad that I’m neglecting to mention, but this list gives you a sample of our favorite type of apps. I’m always looking for more great educational apps – please comment and share your favorites!

Citrus Fest

2012-01-20T16:07:00.001-06:00

Recently Hannah began to hear commercials by Central Market for their Citrus Fest, and asked if we could visit the store during the promotion. I love Central Market, but rarely shop there as I have found it to be a pocketbook’s peril. Invariably, I become ensnared by their overabundance of choices in the produce department, and the meat department, and the specialty foods department,and the bakery, and…well, you get the idea. But give me a specific reason that I need to frequent that store and I’m there. Citrus Fest fit that bill.

Today was the day. Sarah, Hannah and I began our citrus adventure before we even entered the store – brightly colored mounds of citrus fruit beckoned to us just outside the doors. Once we investigated each one, we ventured inside and found ourselves faced with a citrus bar – containers of samples free for the snacking.

Avoiding the grapefruit, I tried many of the other offered fruits. Hannah loves most citrus fruits but also bravely tasted the grapefruit and decided that, like me, it was too sour for her tastes. I have never succeeded in my effort to get Sarah to eat citrus fruits, so my goal was to find one that was sweet which might appeal to her. Finding most of the samples a tad tart, the last sample container held Satsuma mandarins – seedless, sweet citrus perfection. Encouraging Sarah to be brave and taste one, I held my breath and was rewarded by her smile – success! A plastic produce bag was soon filled with Satsuma mandarins.

There were strange new fruits to discover – kumquats and buddha’s hand citron.

Further in to the store were more goodies to taste. We sampled and came home with freshly-squeezed apple/orange juice, strawberry Magic Pop cakes (watching these being made was quite fun!), and fresh guacamole made with specialty limes (the name escapes me at the moment,and it’s not included in the ingredient label).

Also finding the way into our basket were:

	Several more types of citrus fruit, including another small bag of Satsuma mandarins.
A lemon pound cake
	Citrus-flavored marshmallows (three flavors: blood orange, key lime, meyer lemon). The key lime was our favorite. Queen Bee also offers vanilla-bean flavored marshmallows (somehow I resisted), along with strawberry/chocolate, toasted coconut, and several other flavors. I sure wish their website was working, but the link at least provides their contact info.

Lastly, one non-citrus item we sampled was divine – Vanilla Cheesecake Fondue by KC Classic Gourmet Foods. Click on the Fondue button if you dare.

The sample was served with a graham cracker-like cookie. Note that Sarah is licking the fondue off the cookie, and Hannah is licking the cup. Final verdict from both? YUM.

Topping off our Central Market adventure was the discovery of a gelato bar. The girls have not eaten gelato since our trip to Italy, during which we developed a gelato addiction.

What a lovely way to close our “field trip” to Central Market!

Not surprisingly, the first conversation after our return home included their question, “When can we go back?”

Z-Guide to the Movies – Johnny Tremain (TOS Review)

2012-01-09T23:48:00.001-06:00

Once again, the TOS review is privileged to review a Z-Guide to the Movies from Zeezok Publishing. Last year we were excited to review the Z-Guide to Kit Kittredge – you can see that review HERE. This year we chose the Z-Guide to Johnny Tremain, which fit well with our focus on American History this year.

PRODUCT DETAILS

From the Zeezok website:

If your student enjoys watching movies, we just made it easy for you to incorporate them into your curriculum. We have dozens of guides— each of them falling within a specific time in history. All of the guides contain ten educational activities that build upon the movie. The guides are movie specific. We tell you exactly which movie we used, and almost all are available thru Netflix. Most you can probably get through your local library. So you don’t even need to buy the movie to use our guides!

The Z-Guides are unit studies built around movies, which are provided as a CD containing a .pdf of the complete study guide or as a downloadable e-book (each selling for $12.99). Each guide is written for a specific version of the movie The Z-Guide to Johnny Tremain is based on the 1957 Walt Disney Pictures version of the movie.

We found a copy of the movie at our library, but often the movies are available on Netflix.

The guides include a topic overview, a movie synopsis, ten learning activities (together with an answer key in the back!) for in-depth study of the topics covered in the movie, and (my favorite last year, and still my favorite this year) a "For Family Discussion" question list. The guide is designed for use over five days. On the first day, it’s best to read the review questions then watch the movie in its entirety and answer the review questions. There are two suggested activities per day:

Day 1:

Activity 1: Movie Review Questions
Activity 2: More about the Boston Tea Party

Day 2:

Activity 3: Crossword Puzzle
Activity 4: American Revolution Coloring Pages

Day 3:

Activity 5: More about the Battles of Lexington and Concord
Activity 6: More about Colonial Apprenticeships

Day 4:

Activity 7: Mr. James Otis’s Pamphlet
Activity 8: Literary Devices: Patrick Henry Speech

Day 5:

Activity 9: Worldview
Activity 10: Memorization Section – Declaration of Independence

WHAT I LIKE

Affordability – at $12.99, it’s a great investment which adds significant educational value to a movie.

This guide is a great addition to a study of the time period around the American Revolution.

The variety of activities keeps the study interesting.

Love the activity requiring memorization of the Declaration of Independence!

The research activity questions can’t be answered by the movie itself, so it’s a great opportunity for students to learn research skills.

I WISH…

As with last year’s review of the Kit Kittredge guide, I believe a list of accompanying websites would be extremely helpful, and I wish the guides would include suggestions for younger students.

WATCH OUT FOR

The study allows you to pick/choose the activities to do. Be aware, though, that some of the activities are lengthy (there are 25 questions in Activity 1!), so two activities a day might be too much, depending (of course) on your children. We took two weeks to do this study, because I wanted the girls to get the most out of each activity and not be rushed.

Note the following license info from their website: "This file is licensed to the original purchaser and is not to be resold. Permission is not granted for classroom, district-wide, school-wide, system-wide, or co-op use."

Note the movie is not included with the guide. Zeezok Publishing also offers the movies (and appears to have very competitive prices), or you can purchase/borrow them elsewhere. Each Z-Guide indicates on the front which version of the movie is best used with the guide.

BE SURE TO

Read more about the general organization and contents of Z-Guides HERE.

Check out the rest of the products offered by Zeezok Publishing.

Read about Zeezok Publishing HERE.

Read the FAQ HERE.

COMPANY CONTACT INFO

Contact the company via e-mail HERE or by telephone at (800) 749-1681.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As with last year’s review, we really enjoyed this Z-Guide, and I plan to purchase more.

THOUGHTS OF MY CREW MATES

My crew mates reviewed this and other Z-Guides. To see those reviews, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

Disclaimer: As part of the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received the product described in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

My wish for 2012? An organized home!

2011-12-26T23:36:00.001-06:00

Homeschooling. Parenting. The girls’ outside activities. Being a great wife. Our Classical Conversations co-op. Homemaking. Working. Living life. All things I want or need to do.

Truly, to get everything done I need more than twenty-four hours a day. Or perhaps my weekend needs a weekend.

Neither of those is likely to happen.

I attempt to organize in spurts, but it always gets worse before it gets better. If I had five to six weeks of time that I could devote to cleaning and organizing, without any other responsibilities/activities, I could probably get the whole house done – but I don’t have that sort of time.

Recently on the web I found 31 Days to Clean. It looks like a wonderful program, and I love the spiritual aspect.

I fear I might need a longer than 31 days – but I intend to try. Maybe I end up using the principles in the book and applying them to one room or closet a month. I’d be thrilled to have a clean and organized home by the end of 2012!

The book is available as a download for only $4.99. You can even get it for the Kindle or Nook!

If a $4.99 book helps me get my house clean and organized, it’s worth a hundred times that.

Who’s with me? I need accountability.

Letters Make Words (iPad app by Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting) (TOS Review)

2011-12-21T20:31:00.001-06:00

My girls are extremely smart, but their handwriting is awful. It’s not quite to the level of physician handwriting, but it’s getting close. We’ve done handwriting programs in the past to no avail, and I sometimes wonder if it’s a motor skills issue. I’m always looking for handwriting instruction that would appeal to them. When I found out we’d get a chance to review an iPad app to practice handwriting, I was hopeful they’d love it.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Developed by Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting (iTunes store reflects Swansbury, Inc. as the seller, but it links to the Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting so I’m assuming it’s one and the same), Letters Make Words is a new iPad app (just released in November, 2011) and is available at an introductory price of $2.99. The iTunes store rates this app as 4+, which means it contains no objectionable matter.

The app complements and reinforces the method used in Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting which reinforces pattern, movement and rhythm, resulting in a italic-like style.

From the iTunes store:

Learn and teach handwriting with phonics, an app designed by a Handwriting Specialist and an Early Childhood Specialist. The purpose of Letters Make Words is to help beginning writers develop good handwriting habits for all academic and adult needs, and to learn basic phonemes.

The first screens offer suggestions of how to use Letters Make Words. Then letters are presented. The user can select any letter. Each one comprises a complete unit of instruction for that letter, a warmup pattern, the letter and a word to trace and to sound out. When a letter has a different sound depending on its usage in words, choose from either of two words. The next screen has three words to sound out with a silly sentence for the child to write on paper.

A friendly voice coaches the child to finger trace with the index finger, thereby encouraging good pencil/pen hold when actually writing. It’s the index finger that should push a pen to make marks with the greatest ease of movement.

Lowercase letters are featured. An app for capitals and numerals will follow soon. Lowercase are the ones we most need when we write, and are the easiest to form.

Letter-related warmup patterns start each unit to help the child with formations.

Starting points and directions for strokes are clearly defined, graphically and by the audio that guides a child through all finger tracing and pronunciation.

Letters are designed for ease of writing and legibility. Reversals (b for d, etc.) are never an issue with the formations used in this app.

Upon opening the app, you’re shown this screen:

Click “Begin”, and you’re given an intro with instructions on how to use the app (with the option to skip the intro).

If you prefer to choose a particular letter to work on, click" “Choose a Letter” and you’re given this screen from which you can choose a letter:

The student is first shown a pattern in which the letter falls, asked to trace it several times, and then shown how the letter “fits”in the pattern.
	The student is then shown the letter itself and asked to trace it several times.
Then the student is asked to trace a word using that letter.

After tracing the word, students are given a short sentence and asked to practice it on pencil and paper.

WHAT I LIKE

It seems like a game. Handwriting practice that seems like a game? As Martha Stewart is fond of saying, that’s a good thing.

The letter darkens as the student traces correctly. Great visual clue.

I WISH…

I wish there was a way that the app could recognize whenever a child isn’t tracing. After the pattern tracing, the child is asked to trace whatever letter has been chosen. The female voice leads them through tracing the letter a couple of times, but even if the letter isn’t traced the app is ready to move on and shows the “next” button. On the screens where the child is to trace words, the first letter will sometimes cue them to start (green blinking arrow), but if the child doesn’t trace the remaining letters the app doesn’t seem to recognize it.

WATCH OUT FOR

I don’t think a child has to be 4 years old to enjoy this app and begin learning letter formation. While they might not be able to take full advantage of the app, it believe it’s simple enough for very young children to start using.

This app currently only addresses lower case letter. According to the description on iTunes, an app for capitals and numbers is planned.

The letters/patterns change color shades (darkens) as the child traces, but the whole letter/pattern changes at once and not a little at a time as it’s traced. However, it pattern does not continue to darken of the child veers off the pattern. If the child follows the entire pattern, the shade turns much darker by the end and they’re rewarded by a magical “ding” sound at the end of the pattern.

Sometimes the app goes back to the main menu page after a period of inactivity.

I haven’t figured out a way to “mark” your place.

I chose to purchase a stylus for my girls to use with this app, as I think it simulates using a pencil more closely than using their fingers.

We experienced a couple of instances where the app froze. I had to close the app and restart it, which meant starting back at whatever letter we’d chosen.

BE SURE TO

Read about Nan Jay Barchowsky, the creator of the Barchowsky method, HERE.

Read an interesting article about the history of handwriting HERE.

Get this app. You can’t beat writing instruction for only $2.99!

COMPANY CONTACT INFO

Swansbury, Inc
P.O. Box 117
Aberdeen, MD 21001

Phone: (410) 272-0836
24 hour fax ordering: (410) 297-9767

Hours: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Eastern Time, Monday - Friday

E-mail: njbarch@mac.com

FINAL THOUGHTS

We will continue to use this app. Even while I’ve been finalizing this review and going back through the app on my own, Hannah has been standing over my shoulder asking when she can trace. I’m a fan of anything that makes my girls want to practice handwriting!

THOUGHTS OF MY CREW MATES

**Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received the product referenced in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

Vintage Remedies 4 Girls (TOS Review)

2011-12-19T00:48:00.001-06:00

Pick up most consumable things in a normal household and you’ll see natural and artificial flavors, dyes, chemicals, nitrites/nitrates, etc. If you take the time to research these ingredients, it’s fairly scary what we’re eating and using on our bodies. Then to counteract the junk that we eat (and to compensate for the good things we don’t), we fill ourselves with even more chemicals (medicine). As a homeschooling mom to two very active girls, and who works part-time outside the home, it’s hard for me to do things as healthily as I’d like. Add to that girls who love the taste of convenience foods and it’s an uphill battle to make things healthy. I welcome every little bit of help I can get.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Vintage Remedies was founded in 2005 by Jessie Hawkins, a busy homeschool mom who desired to help families learn more about healthy and natural lifestyles by offering her consulting services. Her business was so successful it has expanded to include curricula to teach healthy living to kids – Vintage Remedies for Tweens, Vintage Remedies 4 Kids, Vintage Remedies 4 Guys, and the book we received, Vintage Remedies 4 Girls. From the website:

Vintage Remedies for Girls teaches healthy and natural living to girls ages 7-13. Our new workbook is packed with over 200 pages covering every aspect of natural living including wellness, nutrition, herbal medicine, immunity, natural cleaning and body care, and the conservative use of valuable natural resources. Girls will learn how to identify unhealthy foods, how to create a healthy real foods menu (and prepare it for some friends!), how to make natural cleaning supplies and skin care, how to make cheese, how to grow culinary and medicinal herbs, how to create basic herbal preparations, and much, much more!

This workbook is flexible and can be used for existing scouting groups, to form new girls groups, as a homeschooling curriculum, or to create fun mommy - daughter projects throughout the year. Each of the 18 chapters includes a brief lesson on the topic, a featured project, instructions for moms or group leaders, and a selection of additional projects on the topic for in depth learning. The book also contains sample schedules to adapt for homeschooling families, scouting groups, etc as well as convenient shopping lists for each project, complete with a resource guide and tips for parents and leaders.

Vintage Remedies 4 Girls comes as a spiral-bound book containing 18 chapters, divided into three sections:

Section One: Food, Nutrition, and Culinary Skills

Real Food
Kitchen Basics
Healthy Drinks
Snacktime
Sweet Desserts
Local Foods
Growing Your Food

Section Two: Health and Body

Beautiful You – Naturally!
Immunity and Prevention
Coughs and Colds
Summertime Fun
Backyard Medicine
Aromatic Oils

Section Three: Natural Living

Hospitality
Cleaner Cleaning
Green Gifting
Reducing and Reusing
A Natural Home

There are also three appendices containing further info:

Appendix One – Quizzes – include questions for most chapters (no quiz for chapters 14, 16, and 17), usually including 6 questions per chapter (the quizzes for chapters 15 and 18 contain 5 questions each).

Appendix Two - Schedules for Groups and Homeschools – scheduling info for homeschools/families (one- or two-year programs) and groups.

Appendix Three - For Further Learning – information on courses offered by Vintage Remedies.

Vintage Remedies 4 Girls is available HERE for $45.00.

We did not prepare many of the recipes in the first section. Since Sarah has food allergies, i need to research a bit more to find substitutions, We did, however, make several of the projects in the Health and Body section (all were huge hits with the girls!), and made some of the supplies in the cleaning section (all were huge hits with me!). The minty foot lotion was a family favorite (at least among the girls).

WHAT I LIKE

I appreciate the Parent/Leader Guide for each chapter, which provides a overview of the primary purpose of each chapter, tips on presenting the chapter ideas, and a supply list for a featured project.

I like that it is a book I can give my girls to read on their own. I also like that it’s written in a way that makes it seem Jessie is simply having a conversation with you.

Love that Section Two emphasizes natural beauty.

I really enjoyed the section on aromatherapy. I have a set of essential oils, but wasn’t sure what all I could do with them. Now I have some more information.

I WISH…

I wish the Parent/Leader Guide appeared at the beginning of the chapter. I also wish it included a needed supply list for the entire chapter rather than just the featured project.

I wish Appendix Three offered resources other than simply other courses offered through Vintage Remedies. I’d love to see books, websites, etc. where I could find more information, but I realize that those things could be competitors, and that’s likely why nothing is included. Lists of sites where I might purchase some of the things used in the book would be extremely helpful, though – empty lip balm tubes, raw cocoa butter, calendula petals, etc. Alternatively, suggestions for where to find supplies could be provided by the first use of the supply (as is done for organic shortening in the recipe for the moisturizing cleansing cream).

I wish there were illustrations. I think. Honesty, I have changed my mind a couple of times on this point – maybe it’s good to simply have black/white text.

WATCH OUT FOR

Even though Vintage Remedies 4 Girls is referred to as a “workbook,” it is non-consumable.

Read the Parent/Leader Guide for the chapter before beginning the chapter.

Most of the projects in the book require adult supervision/help.

BE SURE TO

Check out the courses offered by Vintage Remedies -

Check out the other products from Vintage Remedies.

Check out Vintage Remedies’ faculty and staff.

See upcoming conferences at which Vintage Remedies is an exhibitor.

See how the company gives back to the community.

COMPANY CONTACT INFO

Vintage Remedies, Inc
230 Franklin Road suite 807
Franklin, Tennessee 37064
(located inside of The Factory at Franklin in historic downtown Franklin, Tennessee)

615-807-0882

General Questions and Comments: info@VintageRemedies.com

Enrollment Questions and Assistance: admissions@VintageRemedies.com

Like Vintage Remedies on Facebook here.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We have really enjoyed this book. Now that our review period is over, I am planning to go back through the book and cover each chapter, attempting to do all the projects (except the recipes for which I can’t find an appropriate substitution for Sarah’s food allergies).

THOUGHTS OF MY CREW MATES

Fractazmic™ Cards (by I See Cards) (TOS Review)

2011-12-13T16:55:00.001-06:00

In our home, math sometimes ends in frustration. Working with fractions often results in tears and is considered torture.

When the TOS Homeschool Review crew was given the opportunity to review a card game called Fractazmic™ by I See Cards, I approached it with great trepidation. Could fractions actually be fun? Turns out they can, but sometimes you need a little extra help to make it fun.

PRODUCT DETAILS

The Fractazmic™ deck contains sixty cards - 3 suits in 3 different colors:

tenths

twelfths

sixteenths

In addition to showing a numeric fraction, each card also has a graphic representation of the fraction in relation to that card’s “suit”. For example, in the 1/3 card shown below, in the twelfths suit, the twelfths are represented by an egg carton. Since 1/3 equals 4/12, four eggs are shown in the carton.

Fractazmic™ is meant to be played by 2-4 players,and is meant to teach kids to manipulate fractions in a fun way. Although there are several variations of play (meant to accommodate different age ranges), in the “normal” method of play the object is to create a “hand” that equals one, and to create as many of these “hands” before the first player runs out of cards (which signals the end of the game). Other methods of play can be found starting on p. 12 of the free How to Succeed in Mathematics booklet.

You can purchase Fractazmic™ HERE – a single deck for $6.95, five decks for $30, or 10 decks for $55.

While I’m not sure my girls would agree that “fractions are now fun!”, I think they do realize they are getting better. What has eased the frustrations a bit is that I made a “cheat sheet” for them to use in the beginning, to which they still refer. It’s simply a sheet that shows what equals what (i.e., 1/3 = 3/12; 1/4 = 4/16; 2/5 = 4/10; etc.).

WHAT I LIKE

The graphic representations of the fractions in relation to their respective suit is a great way for kids to visualize the fractions and help with conversions.

Reviewing fractions in a game format seems much less painful…er, threatening to my girls. :)

I WISH…

There was some sort of professional-looking cheat sheet – maybe a laminated one – available for purchase with the game, or at least available for download. Mine was okay and served its intended purpose, but I think it’d be more fun and appealing to the kids to have one done in a similar fashion as the cards.

WATCH OUT FOR

This game not only requires basic knowledge of fractions, it also requires the ability to find common denominators.

If you, as a parent, haven’t converted fractions lately, you too might be initially challenged by this game!

BE SURE TO

Download the free How to Succeed in Mathematics booklet, which includes the Fractazmic™ play variations, instructions for other math games by I See Cards, and general math success tips.

Be sure to read the reviews by the TOS Homeschool Review Crew for Pyramath, another award-winning math card game by I See Cards.

Play Fractazmic™ (and Pyramath) online!

COMPANY CONTACT INFO

E-mail: corporate@iseecards.com

Fax: 407-366-3343

Like them on Facebook – note their page is “Pyramath”, another great math card game.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I wish I could tell you that this deck of cards solved all our fear of fractions but, alas, it hasn’t - at least not yet. I can tell you,though, that each time I bring out this deck it is met with a little less resistance, and I can tell that the girls are getting better at converting fractions – and that’s worth much more than $6.95 to me!

THOUGHTS OF MY CREW MATES

One of those days…

2011-12-12T23:22:00.001-06:00

I wish I could tell you that every day in our homeschooling home is hearts and roses. I can’t.

Today was a non heart/flowers day. Admittedly, I can attribute many of today’s issues due to my foul mood. Today’s lengthy to –do/appointments list was a major contributor to my crankiness – too many things to do, too many places to be, too little time.

The girls key off my mood – today they were wild children. If they weren’t outright ignoring my requests, they questioned them – which didn’t improve my mood. Our last appointment was the final Monday night rehearsal for the Nutcracker. On the drive home, I advised them to get into bed as quickly as possible upon our arrival at home. My frustration, annoyance and impatience was clearly evident.

You can always count on God to gently (or not so gently) point you in the direction of what you need to read.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NASB) (emphasis mine)

It wasn’t my girls who were wild children today – it was me. It wasn’t my girls’ fault that our schedule was so packed – it was mine. I was completely out of control.

Forgive me, Father.

My girls are already asleep. They went to sleep bathed not in my unconditional love, but thoughts of my being annoyed. Father, please give them sweet dreams – I’ll apologize first thing tomorrow morning.

Pitsco Medieval Machines Pack (TOS Review)

2011-12-09T10:12:00.001-06:00

This post should be subtitled “Catapults and trebuchets and clay…oh my!!”

We are a science-loving family. Busy homeschooling mom that I am, I love it anytime I can get more bang for my buck in our studies. When we were offered the Medieval Machines Pack by Pitsco Education, I jumped at the chance! The history of siege machines,together with the science of tension, torsion, mass vs. distance, elasticity, etc., together with math to compute averages, together with critical thinking to predict outcomes…well, I was giddy. Adding to my excitement was that this was something that Daddy could do (and enjoy!) with the girls.

Pitsco Education has a wealth of products for grades K-12 which integrate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) into the activities.

PRODUCT DETAILS

The Medieval Machines Pack, which retails for $21.95, includes a trebuchet kit, catapult kit, mass plates, and the Siege Machines book. The mass plates are for counterweights for the trebuchet kit. The kit is targeted for intermediate/middle school-aged children. We also received a pack of Klean Klay to make more…projectiles – more fun for the girls!

We started with the catapult.

Punching, glueing, and various stages of “southern engineering” (as my husband calls it) followed.

Once they got the catapult together, next came the trebuchet. They were so anxious to start, I didn’t have a chance to get a picture of the package contents.

There followed more punching, glueing and southern engineering. And more fun.

Have I told you about this book yet?

It is small, but mighty. At only 32 pages, it is a wealth of information on the history of siege machines, the math and science behind them, loads of activities, and the national standards met by the activities. Small, but mighty. It’s available HERE separately for only $3.95, but I think to make the best use of it you really also need the Medieval Machines pack. The book also has a small list of resources in the back for additional info/learning – and it includes the website for one of our favorite shows Punkin Chunkin!

WHAT I LIKE

The girls loved loved helping their daddy put them together. Truth be told, Daddy loved putting them together.

The kits provide interactive learning. Put it together, use it, figure out how to use it differently to get a different result – wonderful.

I like how it makes learning about science and history interesting. That’s key to loving to learn.

I WISH…

I wish my girls could have assembled these by themselves, but it was a little too difficult for them. Of course, my oldest is just 6th grade, so they are a little on the younger side of the age range. But there was still plenty of learning just helping Daddy and playing, especially with the great resources in the Siege Machines book.

WATCH OUT FOR

Read the instructions. Really. If dad helps, you know he’ll want to just muddle through and try to figure it out on his own – but the instructions really are helpful, or something will get glued the wrong way, turned the wrong way, etc.

There are a few extra materials needed to construct the kits that aren’t included – nothing that’s hard to find or expensive, though. Also, any kind of Super Glue, Crazy Glue, instant bond glue, etc. will work – we used wood glue.

The instructions say use a hobby knife for certain tasks. My husband also recommends you use it to help get some of the wooden pieces out.

The wooden pieces seem fairly thin, but they really are durable once it’s all put together.

My husband says he had to make “minor adjustments” in a couple of the parts for the fit (i.e., slightly shaving down a dowel, etc.), but nothing major.

BE SURE TO

The Pitsco website is an incredible wealth of ideas, including suggested learning ACTIVITIES! Here’s one for the TREBUCHET.

Tons of other great products HERE, many of which are now on our wish list.

Check out the section of the Pitsco website just for HOMESCHOOL!

Great info at the DISCOVERY section of the website.

View an interactive digital catalog HERE. Request a catalog HERE.

COMPANY CONTACT INFO

Mailing Address	Pitsco, Inc. P.O. Box 1708 Pittsburg, KS 66762-1708
Order Toll Free	800-835-0686
Get Technical Support	800-358-4983
Call Us From Outside the U.S.	620-231-0010
Toll-free Fax	800-533-8104
Online Help Desk:	Send us your question
E-mail for Purchase Orders only	orders@pitsco.com

FINAL THOUGHTS

Loved this kit. Loved it. The girls learned so much. Since the girls have seen the Pitsco CATALOG, I’m fairly certain we’ll be buying more kits. We’ll also never look at the show Punkin Chunkin (an annual favorite around here) the same – now we’ve made those kinds of machines!

THOUGHTS OF MY CREW MATES

ARTistic Pursuits – Book 1, Grades 4-6 (TOS Review)

2011-12-06T16:05:00.001-06:00

Jokingly, I tell my friends that if I had a creative bone in my body I’d have to buy it because I sure wasn’t born with it. I say that in jest, but for the most part it’s true.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Artistic Pursuits consists of curriculum for five levels (click on the links below to see more details on each, including sample lessons):

Preschool, Ages 3, 4, and 5
The Way They See It

Understand your child's art
Help your child gain skills without drawing for him/her
Informative parent pages show how to encourage creativity
Art assignments designed for preschool exploration
Markers, watercolor, finger paint, crayons, and more!

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade
   Book 1 - An Introduction to the Visual Arts
   Book 2 - Stories of Artists and Their Art
   Book 3 - Modern Painting and Sculpture

Books at the K-3 level introduce children to the visual arts and view art through history. Colorful illustrations, art appreciation, and projects designed for young hands and minds delight students and appeal to their interests. Non-consumable. One set serves your entire family!

Grades 4, 5, and 6
The Elements of Art and Composition
Color and Composition

Junior High, Grades 7-8
The Elements of Art and Composition
Color and Composition

Senior High, Grades 9-12
The Elements of Art and Composition
Color and Composition

4-6 Grade, Junior High, and Senior High students learn technical skills while creating original works of art. Book One at each level provides an overview of drawing, covering the elements of art and composition. Book Two at each level provides an overview of color theory and composition. These books are non-consumable. Each set serves your entire family

Each book is available for $42.95.

OUR THOUGHTS

We were allowed to choose which book we’d like to review,and I chose Book 1 for Grades 4-6, The Elements of Art and Composition (click the link for lesson samples and explanations) – spiral-bound, 88-pages including evaluation and bibliography.

This book gives students their first in-depth look at the elements of art in a simply written text with illustrations in pencil, marker, and scratch art, the media they will be using. The elements of art and composition are explored through American art. It is written directly to the student to encourage him/her to work independently. There are 16 units (with 4 lessons each) covering:

1. Space	9. The Shapes of Natural Forms
2. Line and Shape	10. Edges
3. Texture	11. Balance
4. Value	12. Rhythm
5. Form	13. Overlap
6. Form using Value	14. Depth
7. Local Value	15. Proportion, The Face
8. Contrast	16. Movement

Each unit includes Visual Vocabulary (observation), American Art Appreciation and History (master works, artists, and the time period in which the artist lived), Techniques, and Application. While going through this book the girls will use various art media: ebony pencils, white pencil, black markers with point and wide tip, scratch art paper and silhouette.

The girls were excited to start. Since only the “front” of each page is used for the lesson (i.e., when the spiral-bound book is open only the right-hand side of the book has the lesson), it was easy to have them share and read together. They read the introduction, and then they were ready to start with the first lesson.

This lesson was supposed to just be an outline, but obviously Hannah did much more than that.

One of their favorite assignments, of course, was drawing something from their imagination – we keep going back to that lesson again and again. But each time I ask them to incorporate what they’ve learned so far, so I view it as a great way to review.

The girls will get this book out on their own and work. One day Hannah skipped ahead to the unit on Form (which includes using shading to show the form). She read the lesson, chose a couple of honey crisp apples from our fruit bowl and drew them, then decided to color them in.

Love it when a curriculum inspires them to take initiative!

WHAT I LIKE

I like (of course) that the girls like it. We moved quickly through the first few lessons, but now we’re moving fairly slowly, because they’re enjoying being creative with each lesson (which is the point of art, right?). They aren’t doing each lesson once – when they’re done with a lesson, they usually ask if they can do it again using a different drawing (i.e., a different model for their picture, a different imaginary picture,etc.). What’s a homeschool mom supposed to say - “no, you have to keep moving through the lessons?” I don’t think so. :)

It is written specifically for the student to work independently.

You don’t to be an art expert (or even talented in art) to teach art with this curriculum.

The books are non-consumable.

Each book can serve as art instruction for an entire year – two classes per week, one hour each.

Required supplies are clearly set out on the contents page, and divided by unit. This makes it easy to spread out the supply purchases throughout the year if necessary.

Portability. With this book and a way to carry the few supplies that are necessary, you can have art class on the go!

On the first lesson of each unit there is an “objective”, and on the last lesson of each unit there is a “look back”. These were great reminders for the girls of what to think about while doing the unit.

I WISH…

I wish I had more pictures of their artwork to show you, but they’re quite proud of them and want to save them to submit it to the Artistic Pursuits gallery.

WATCH OUT FOR

The “Add to Cart” button is somewhat small and easy to miss (at least I missed it at first) – it can be found at the very beginning of each page and at the bottom of each page describing the individual books.

Art supplies can be expensive . My girls love art so I don’t mind investing in the supplies, and the kits are reasonably priced.

BE SURE TO

Read about the philosophy of the curriculum HERE.

View the FAQ HERE. Be sure to read the author’s story HERE.

Ordering information for domestic and international purchases can be found HERE. A paper order form can be found HERE.

Art supply packs with all the necessary supplies are available HERE.

Submit artwork made using this curriculum HERE!

Find out about conferences at which you can see Artistic Pursuits in person HERE. (Note that since homeschool conference is over all the dates shown on this page are out of date, but I suspect it will soon be updated to show 2012 conferences.)

See the awards Artistic Pursuits has earned HERE. Note the TOS crew award it earned last year!

COMPANY CONTACT INFO

Artistic Pursuits Inc.,
2626 East 109th Avenue
Northglenn, Colorado 80233
Phone: (303) 467-0504
fax: (208) 567-4269
alltheanswers@artisticpursuits.com

FINAL THOUGHTS

As with many products that we’ve reviewed through the crew, I wish I had started using this with the girls earlier. The K-3 books look wonderful. Now that we’ve started, I intend to have them keep going. They are thoroughly enjoying it!

THOUGHTS OF MY CREW MATES

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - FREE Christmas issue!

2011-12-06T14:09:00.000-06:00

I love The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - it's always read cover to cover unless, of course, I misplaced it before I finished.

Good news - no more misplacement worries, because TOS Magazine is now digital!

Better news - a special Christmas issue has been released - click on the logo above to read it for free!

I know what I'll be reading tonight...how about you?

Words that sting…from a 9-year-old

2011-12-05T17:39:00.001-06:00

We’ve had a crazy couple of weeks – crazy busy, that is, culminating with a ballet fundraiser (Tea with the Sugar Plum Fairy!) which required me to volunteer in the church kitchen all day Saturday. Yesterday I was bone tired. Add to that the cold, rainy weather, and the extent of my desire was to curl up in bed and nap. Of course that was impossible – too many “catch up” things to do.

By yesterday evening I was a tired, cold, cranky mess. Most of the “must do today” things on my list didn’t get done. My feet still hurt from Saturday. The girls were bouncing off the walls with energy, arguing with each other, and resisting bedtime.

Hannah came in to complain about her sister. My fatigue took over and I snapped at her, and she tucked her head and retreated to her room. Soon after I heard whimpering – she was crying. I called to her and hesitantly she re-entered our room, but wouldn’t look at me – evidence I had inflicted heart pain on my baby. I held out my arms and she resisted – another sign she was wounded. Finally she approached me and the crying increased, unintelligible words spilling out amid the tears. I gently held her face in my hands trying to calm her with words of comfort, but the tears continued. At last she was able to communicate somewhat clearly:

“Mommy, Sarah is stubborn, and I’m stubborn, and you’re not full of grace like you usually are.”

Ouch.

If only I hadn’t let my fatigue control my words and actions.

If only I had used a softer tone or chosen different words. I don’t remember exactly what I said – perhaps it was just how I said it. Or was it the combination of words and tone that wounded my child? I can’t remember how many times I’ve had the “watch your tone” discussion with the girls.

If only I remembered the emptiness inside when I believed it was not God’s plan for me to marry and have children.

If only I had remembered that my children are borrowed from God. I have them for such a brief time that every second is a precious gem.

If only.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Jesus sacrificed it all for us. He gave us grace. Even through His fatigue, He never used cutting, hurtful words toward those He loved.

Lord, may it be the same with me. May I always remember to show my children Your grace.

I asked for Hannah’s forgiveness. She graciously gave it.

I went to sleep, grieved that I had caused my sweet child heart pain, but grateful for her grace.

Thanksgiving and Contentment

2011-11-24T21:20:00.001-06:00

I have always struggled with worry about what other people think of me. Perhaps it comes from a childhood filled with teasing and bullying. Perhaps it results from knowing in my head that I’m a child of God, but not feeling it in my heart. Either way, I’m sick of it. Sick of not feeling worthy. Sick of feeling less valuable than everyone else. Sick of worrying about how to instill self esteem into my girls when I don’t have it myself. Those feelings of inadequacy color my entire world. Of course I’ve prayed for God to help me get over this. So far, nothing doing. I know “no” is an answer, so I know even my feelings of misery will have usefulness at some point. At least that’s what I tell myself.

Recently a dear friend had surgery. As I delivered a meal to her family one evening, the spirit of discontent overtook me. She lives in a neighborhood that my family could never even dream of affording. My family lives in an older part of town, in a simple home – one that needs many repairs and improvements. Somehow I connect the size/appearance/location of my home with my worthiness. I believe Satan uses those feelings to prevent me from playing hostess to friends/family – I can’t remember the last time we had anyone over, and my girls have never had friends sleep over. I’m just too embarrassed. I know it’s not rational, but…those feelings of inadequacy rear their ugly head again.

I began to pray q familiar prayer as I drove out of my friend’s neighborhood – Lord, please make me content with what I have and not embarrassed to be a hostess and share.

(But with a postscript – “but please, Lord, help us find a way to re-do our kitchen – we really need a new one – I don’t want to be embarrassed anymore”.)

Sometimes answers to prayer come in unexpected ways.

Recently our church had a Reach 360 campaign. Church leadership chose three of our mission churches within a 360 degree radius of our church. Church members donated bags of food, and members were asked to volunteer to deliver them to residents surrounding the three mission churches on a Saturday morning. I seek opportunities to expose the girls to missions activities and evangelism in action – so we signed up.

The appointed Saturday dawned chilly yet beautiful. We drove toward our appointed mission church to join the other volunteers. We exited the freeway, and the further we drove the poorer and more neglected the neighborhoods became. Once at the church, we determined teams and logistics and areas, and off we went.

Our assigned street had small rental homes, boards covering windows that were obviously broken. Our team approached several houses and knocked, without getting an answer.

The girls were happy to be there.

Eventually I spoke with an older gentleman, who was taking care of his 5 children along with his sister and her two children. Several windows in his home were boarded up, and the front door had no doorknob. We blessed him with a bag of food and blankets, asked for his prayer requests, and walked away.

As we walked down the sidewalk, on the outside it appeared I was continuing with my team to the next house. On the inside, I was listening to God speak to me.

Do you see, Becky? You prayed for contentment – do you see how blessed you are? Do you see that if these people drove through your neighborhood they might think the same as you did when you drove through your friend’s neighborhood?

Yes, Lord. I am blessed. Thank You for reminding me.

Do you see how grateful they are just for a simple bag of food? You have a full pantry and a full freezer.

Yes, Lord. I am blessed. Thank You for reminding me.

While your home may need repairs, it is a home with solid doors and windows and a secure roof. It protects you and your loved ones.

Yes, Lord. I am blessed. Thank You for reminding me.

Your family is happy and healthy. Your home is filled with love, both for each other and for Me.

Yes, Lord. I am blessed. Thank You for reminding me.

You are blessed. Remember that, and share it. Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Yes, Lord. I am blessed. Thank you for reminding me.

Fast forward to today. Thanksgiving. God’s reminders fresh in my mind, I prepared Thanksgiving dinner for my sweet family. The oven that needs a little longer to bake than what the recipe calls for didn’t annoy me quite as much. The large burner on my cooktop that doesn’t work was only slightly annoying.

This evening my sweet family sat down in our not-so-beautiful kitchen – the one that needs new countertops and new appliances – and celebrated Thanksgiving with our version of a feast.

The papers on the plates are homemade place cards that the girls made to make our table fancy.

My sweet Hannah said the blessing as we all sat around our little table and held hands.

Yes, Lord. I am blessed. Thank you for reminding me.

Math Mammoth – Make It Real Learning(TOS Review)

2011-11-17T23:45:00.001-06:00

It seems I am perpetually looking for math help for my girls. We have a curriculum that we like, but they always seem to need a little extra practice. Okay, sometimes they need a lot of extra practice.

Math Mammoth to the rescue. We have several of their workbook series and they have been really helpful. (Well, they were until I somehow lost the downloads from my iPad - guess I should find those links!)

But this review is about a different product. When Math Mammoth was announced as one of the products up for review by the TOS Homeschool Review crew, I was excited to find the Make it Real Learning workbooks. These workbooks focus on answering the question “WHEN AM I EVER GOING TO USE THIS?” – a familiar inquiry heard occasionally by those of us who teach math to our children!

PRODUCT DETAILS

None of the answers we provide to that question seem to appease our children if they’re struggling to understand a concept. The Make It Real Learning workbooks each provide examples of a concept’s use as an answer to the question. Each workbook has a mathematical theme so that you can find materials on the appropriate level for your students. The available themes are:

Arithmetic I - for grades 3-6
Fractions, Percents, and Decimals I - for grades 4-8
Fractions, Percents, and Decimals II - for grades 6-11
Sets, Probability, and Statistics I - for grades 6-10
Linear Functions I - for algebra 1 and algebra 2
Linear Functions II - for algebra 1 and algebra 2
Quadratic Functions I - for algebra 1 and algebra 2/precalculus
Exponential and Logarithmic Functions I - for algebra 2/precalculus
Periodic and Piecewise Functions I - for algebra 2/precalculus
Polynomial, Power, Logistic, & Rational Functions I - for algebra 2/precalculus
Calculus I - for grade 12

Click on each of the links for more info on that particular workbook, and an option to download a sample.

The workbooks contain problems and questions based on real-life situations – something you might encounter in everyday life. Each activity-lesson in the book contains several questions about the situation, and the questions/problems become increasingly in-depth. Written by an experienced math teacher (Frank Wilson), the problems are matched to the learning objectives of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). They are available as .pdf downloads and are $4.99 each, or you can purchase the set of 11 titles listed above for $39.99.

Also offered in the Make it Real Learning series are States by the Numbers workbooks, which contain problems based on data from the Census Bureau's 2008 Statistical Abstract of the United States. Students will also learn and practice place values, rounding, estimation, fractions and percentages. There is a workbook for each state, and each one includes basic instruction and 80 practice problems. The problems can be used on grades 3-7; probably the best fit is for grades 4-6. A .pdf download is $2.99 – a bargain!

We received five workbooks to use for this review - Arithmetic I, Fractions, Percents, and Decimals I, Fractions, Percents, and Decimals II, Sets, Probability, and Statistics I, and States by the Numbers (Texas).

Since we’re having a bit of trouble with fractions, I chose to focus on Fractions, Percents, and Decimals I and States by the Numbers (Texas) (which also contains a fractions section).

To say the girls were thrilled when I told them we’d be working on fractions would be…ahem…an exaggeration. We started with some of the simple rounding and place value problems in the States workbook. The more problems we worked on, the more interested they became – so by the time we got to the fractions section they didn’t want to stop whenever it was time to stop. I think the format of the problems intimidated them at first, but the more we worked, they gained confidence.

When we started the Fractions book, they were hooked right away because of the problem topics – cooking! They were thrilled to find the very first problem was about baking a cake. I made the mistake of not having baking supplies on hand, or they would have loved it even more.

With the States book, they saw the practicality and application of math problems in real life. With the Fractions book, they saw the fun of math problems in real life.

WHAT I LIKE

Maria Miller, author of the Math Mammoth curriculum (and provider of the Make it Real Learning workbooks), is a dream homeschooling vendor. She truly cares that you get the right curriculum, and that it fits your child’s needs. Maria is wiling to help via e-mail or phone. I love personal service!

The workbooks are “fillable” – the student can fill it in on the computer, using the typewriter and drawing tools in Acrobat Reader version 9 or greater.

The “What’s the big idea?” pages – we like narration, and this was a way for the girls to “narrate” back to me what they had learned.

The explanations of the solutions of the problems in the Make it Real Learning workbooks are great!

I WISH

I wish the answers to the “Try It” problems in the States by the Numbers workbook weren’t at the bottom of each page. I’d like to be able to give the pages to the girls to work on, but having the solution so readily accessible is too tempting!

WATCH OUT FOR

The Make it Real Learning workbooks have pages with the problems, then pages with the problems and the solutions following directly afterward – so don’t just hand the workbook to your kids!

BE SURE TO

Read about Maria Miller, the creator of Math Mammoth, HERE.

Check out Maria’s blog HERE.

Download free math worksheets HERE and HERE, together with an opportunity to sign up for teaching e-mails and virtual e-mail tour.

Check out samples of the Make it real Learning workbooks HERE and a sample of the States by the Numbers workbooks HERE.

Check out FAQ about Math Mammoth HERE.

Math Mammoth has a YouTube channel HERE.

Review the information for parents HERE.

Be sure to check out the other math offerings!

COMPANY COMPACT INFO

You can contact Math Mammoth via email HERE.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We really enjoyed these workbooks. I think the girls were surprised how much fun they had working word problems!

THOUGHTS OF MY CREW MATES

**Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received downloads of the five workbooks referenced in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

Vocab Cafe (by College Prep Genius) (TOS Review)

2011-11-15T21:30:00.001-06:00

I realize the importance of an advanced vocabulary repertoire when taking college placement exams. You'd think with that information I'd have an organized plan for studying vocabulary, but normally we're "hit or miss" on that subject. When I was offered the opportunity to review a series of fiction books incorporating numerous vocabulary words, I jumped at the chance - what better way for my book-loving girls to learn vocabulary than through reading!

PRODUCT INFO

Vocab Cafe books introduces the reader to 300 vocabulary words specifically chosen to develop language skills. Each vocabulary word is used in the context of the story, and appears in italicized and bold type for easy reference. Rather than requiring use of a dictionary, the definition of each word appears at the bottom of the page on which it is used. A review list is included at the end of each chapter.

Currently there are four books in the series. You can purchase all four books as a set from College Prep Genius HERE for $38.85 (regularly $51.80, or $12.95 each). The books are targeted to junior high/high school and some middle schoolers. Each book contains an original story, but does not contain foul language, illicit sexual themes, or sorcery (however in my opinion the story lines are not appropriate for middle school grades and, in our house, would not be considered wholesome even for junior high/high school).

ABOUT EACH BOOK

Title: Operation High School
Author: Judah Burk
209 pages
High school life isn't as boring as it appears...
Emma is a new student at Providence High School who was invisible to almost everyone. A mysterious invitation appears in her textbook which leads to cold nights, shadowy figures, and even threats to national security. Through her adventure she discovers self-reliance, personal strength, and the value of friendship.

Title: I.M. for Murder
Author: Josh Burk
158 pages
A world wide web of lies, danger, and intrigue...
Will, the star tennis player for Lee High School, has no worries other than homework and his boss at Coffee Town - and winning the heart of his co-worker, Christa. A seemingly innocent Internet prank leads to a dangerous game of life and death with a serial killer.

Title: The $ummer of $t. Nick
Author: Josh Burk
155 pages
When a loser lucks out...
Nick is in love with the coolest girl in school, but as an ordinary high school student doesn't feel cool enough to talk to her. During summer vacation he discovers a small fortune and wonders if buying cool things will help his chances with the girl - or if there's a better use for the money.

Title: Planet Exile
Author: Josh Burk
119 pages
6 billion light-years away, adventure is a way of life...
Earlmont Astrofleet Academy for Boys, a military school orbiting the galaxy, is the destination of Maleck after pulling a prank. Maleck's roommate at the Academy is another prankster and together they wreak havoc on the ship. When the ship crash lands on the Planet Exile, they begin a quest to stop a rebellion, overthrow a dictator and rescue a princess.

WHAT I LIKE

I love the concept. Love it.

I really appreciate that the reader doesn't need a dictionary, since the pronunciation and meaning of each vocabulary word is included at the bottom of the page on which it appears.

Like that each vocabulary word is shown in bold/italics.

I WISH/WHAT I DIDN’T CARE FOR

I wish I could say that my 6th grader enjoyed the books. Unfortunately, after pre-reading them (as is my habit for books from unfamiliar sources), I felt a couple of them were inappropriate for her age group, despite the despite the given age range that includes middle schoolers . Now I'll admit I've been accused of being overprotective, but the longer my children can retain their innocence, the better I like it - they'll have their whole lives to hear about and have to cope with the evils of the world. I.M. for Murder deals with a serial killer - not something I feel compelled to expose an 11-yo to. It also contains a scene where a cat is killed, which I know would upset my daughter. Since the book clearly states it discusses a serial killer, I read it first – and perhaps it tainted my opinion of the other books, but I I was leery of allowing her to read any of them. I also did not appreciate the initial concept of The $ummer of $t. Nick. On the back of this book, it states “When a loser lucks out…”. The concept of “loser” brings to mind someone making an "L” shape and holding it to their forehead – that is not an attitude that I want to foster in my home. Taking these and other similar instances (deceitful children, for example), I’m not sure I agree with the “wholesome” label that has been given to these books – at least they are not considered wholesome in my home.

I hope in the next printing the typos and grammatical errors will be corrected.

I wish the concept would be applied to books for younger children (including middle-schoolers). I think the age range for these books should be changed to late junior high and high school.

Sometimes the usage of the words seemed stiff.

BE SURE TO

Pre-read the books if your children are younger than high school or if you have sensitive children.

Explore the entire College Prep Genius website, as it contains great info regarding college entrance tests and scholarships.

View other College Prep Genius products HERE.

You can learn more about these books and their authors at the Vocab Cafe website HERE.

COMPANY CONTACT INFO

College Prep Genius
P.O. Box 398
Hurst, TX 76053
81-SAT-2-PREP (817-282-7737)
info@collegeprepgenius.com

FINAL THOUGHTS

Again, I love this concept and think a lot of great things could be done with it – and I applaud the Burks for attempting it. I can’t, however, recommend these books to anyone with middle-school age children, and would hesitate to recommend them to anyone who has a conservative Christian home, as my main objection to them is content.

THOUGHTS OF MY CREW MATES

To see other reviews of this product (and College Prep Genius’ SAT prep course), click HERE and look for the linky tools list at the bottom of the post. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

**Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received the four books in the Vocab Cafe series at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

Repurposing Pumpkins

2011-11-15T16:14:00.000-06:00

Carving pumpkins was on our list to do for the fall holidays.

The girls had a great time carving, and did most of the work themselves except for gutting the pumpkins – that was a bit too icky for them, so that job fell to me.

They turned out great – unfortunately, we left them on the front porch a bit too long. For some unexplained reason, the pumpkin on the right started decaying much more rapidly than the one on the left.

And then we left them a little longer.

The left one was showing obvious signs of decay – the right one finally just gave up and collapsed. An awful smell had begun emanating from the one on the right, so I decided it was high time that I threw them away.

But wait – I asked myself, “What kind of homeschool mom just chunks a rotten pumpkin with extremely cool hairy stuff growing all over it?”

Not this homeschool mom. :) So, out comes the microscope.

Bravely, I gathered the necessary supplies to harvest part of the pumpkin. I was a tad wary, but the harvesting wasn’t as gross as I suspected it would be. At least, my gag reflex was never triggered.

Next was making a slide for the microscope. Left to right on the slide: completely hairy moldy stuff, slightly hair moldy stuff with orange pumpkin still visible, rotting orange pumpkin, and a papery piece of the pumpkin skin that was peeling off.

Then the fun began - note the held noses.

Reactions? “Cool!” on most of the specimens; “Gross!” on the hairy moldy specimen, but it was still expressed with a smile, plus they took a second (and third) look.

Even daddy wanted in on the fun.

And now, pumpkins, you have served us well – but we must bid you a fond farewell. Thanks for feeding (so to speak!) my girls’ science fascination!

Keyboard Town Pals (TOS Review)

2011-11-13T22:13:00.001-06:00

I learned to type way back when there was no such thing as a computer or laptop (at least not in my tiny school). The keys were blank, which forced me to really learn the location of the keys.

My typing class lasted an entire year, so when I received Keyboard Town Pals and read the claim that the program would teach kids to type in an hour, I'll admit to being skeptical.

Product info

The website says it best:

Keyboard Town PALS™ is a computer keyboard program that teaches elementary school children the letters and symbols on a Qwerty keyboard in an hour using proper technique. It is fast and efficient as well as enjoyable and easy to learn. Keyboard Town PALS™ accomplishes this through the PALS system. PALS stands for PURPOSEFUL ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING SYSTEM.

The PALS system works on the classic principle that two objects seen or heard together will often become linked in our minds. In addition to utilizing association and numerous memory techniques to improve retention, we incorporate different cues throughout the video to stimulate the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses.

The KTP program uses puppets, music and humor to create a playful relaxed atmosphere and taps into a child’s natural curiosity and desire to learn new things.

One of our most radical features is the de-activating of the delete and backspace buttons. A functioning delete button causes children to lift their right hand off of the keyboard clicking the mouse to erase errors. This interruption in typing requires a re-orientation back to the keyboard. The starting and stopping motion interrupts the learning process and misdirects the student’s focus. Therefore, we have eliminated the delete button and backspace button and the desire to constantly correct mistakes. Mistakes and forgetfulness are part of the learning process.

A sunny puppet aptly named Sunny serves as the child’s guide through Keyboard Town, which consists of Home Key Street (the middle line of keys on a QWERTY keyboard), Uptown (the upper line of keys) and Downtown (the lower line of keys).

Other puppets (with names that help the kids remember the keys) help Sunny with the tour. All letters plus four special characters are covered in eight short lessons. At the end of the lesson the letters/special characters studied in that lesson are dictated for the child to type into a box in the screen.

Targeted to kids ages 6-12 plus those with learning differences, Keyboard Town Pals is available in CD format and as a web-based program for $30.00 HERE.

What I like

It teaches finger placement in a fun way.

The lessons are short, so it kept the girls’ attention.

I wish

I wish the program would address typing numbers.

I wish a couple of the examples in the lessons would be changed. In Lesson 3, for the letter E the puppet (not sure what it represents) has an emergency and vomits. I thought the vomiting part was gross, and so did both of my daughters. Surely another visual/audio hint for “emergency” could be used other than vomiting. Also, in Lesson 5, “Emma and Nina” make fun of another “girl”. I know they’re just puppets, but it gives a bad example. My girls have been told the consequences they will face if they are ever caught teasing another person and, unfortunately, they know how it feels to be on the receiving end. The teasing sequence in this lesson really bothered my girls, especially my oldest.

I wish there were practice exercises available, with an option to track errors at a certain point. I see the point in disabling the backspace and delete keys. However, the ability to have the program beep (or a similar attention-getter) when an error is made would extend the life of the program. Without the ability to practice and a feature to track errors, the program has limited use possibilities, and I feel the purchase of an additional program is necessary for truly learning to type efficiently.

Be sure to

Watch demo videos HERE.

Check out the companion products HERE.

Take advantage of free shipping on all orders through December 31, 2011.

Check out writing samples HERE from kids who used this program.

View parent questions HERE.

Watch various media coverage videos and interviews with kids using the program HERE, and read print articles HERE.

Visit the Keyboard Town Pals blog HERE.

Company contact info

Phone: 1-866-200-8881

Fax: 412.521.0106

Email them HERE.

Final thoughts

One of the biggest hurdles in typing in my opinion is finger placement. While I'm not sure this program teaches "typing in an hour", it sure teaches finger placement and letter location in a way that kids remember. I think a more appropriate description would be a phrase I saw on one of the photos on the website: “An introduction to basic keyboarding concepts for the very young child.” While I’m not completely sold on this program, it does teaching keyboard placement which, to me, is the hardest part of teaching kids to type.

Thoughts of my crew mates

**Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a six-week subscription to the web version of the product in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

The Person I Marry (Bower Books) (TOS Review)

2011-11-08T21:10:00.000-06:00

There are many books that move me to tears – some of them are children’s books which hold sweet memories. New additions to my list of tear-jerker books are always welcome.

Recently I was given the opportunity to review an electronic copy of The Person I Marry by Bower Books (written by Gary Bower and using the beautiful oil paintings of Jan Bower as illustrations). As a mom of two young girls who are growing up entirely too quickly, this book struck a nerve. I have already begun praying for their future husbands (I hope all you moms do this too – it’s never too early to start), but I’ll admit I haven’t taken a focused path of educating my girls on what to look for in a husband. This book to the rescue!

PRODUCT DETAILS

The Person I Marry is part of Bower Books’ "Bright Future Series" which shares Biblical principles for families in beautiful and down-to-earth ways. From the website:

They tackle important life topics in a powerful way that young children, teens, and grown-ups find relevant, non-threatening, and inspiring. Each book is a wonderful discussion starter for families, crossing all generational boundaries.

The book is subtitled Things I’ll Think About Before (and After) Saying “I Do”. This is not just for children – we should all do this. This book would make a great gift for many occasions – birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers, etc. I can’t help but wonder how this could affect marriages if it was required reading before the wedding or, preferably, the engagement!

The hardcover book of 32 pages retails for $11.99 and can be purchased at Bower Books.

To see a little more of the book, plus hear the Bowers’ point of view while writing it, watch this video:

The Person I Marry from Bower Books on Vimeo.

WHAT I LIKE

*Awards and endorsements - It has been endorsed by people such as Gary Smalley, Eric & Leslie Ludy, and the Duggar Family. Good, strong Christian families whose morals and beliefs I share.

*Jan Bower’s oil paintings just give me the warm fuzzies. As I was reading this with my girls, there were many exclamations of “Awwww!!!”. Sweet, sweet illustrations. Together with Gary Bower’s poetry, it’s truly a lovely book.

*Love a statement that Gary Bower used in his e-mail when he sent the link for the electronic version:

We created this book the year of our 30th anniversary as a tool for tenderizing the hearts of our own 12 children, and sparking comfortable conversation about marriage amongst ourselves.

May I be as mindful of the important conversations as the Bowers.

*I like that the book reinforces character traits that, in addition to looking for in a future spouse, we should focus on ourselves.

BE SURE TO

Check out the rest of the books in the Bright Future Series – There’s a Party in Heaven, The Jingle in my Pocket, and What Do Heroes Wear.

Explore the entire Bower Family Books website. It is a wealth of beauty and inspiration. Don’t miss Our Blessing Song.

Read Gary and Jan Bower’s story HERE.

COMPANY CONTACT INFO

Address:   Bower Books & Fine Art
                    A Division of Storybook Meadow Publishing Co.
                    7700 Timbers Trail
                    Traverse City, MI 49685

Phones:      231-941-0899
                     888-898-3207 (orders)
                     231-590-0077 (cell)
                     231-947-8903 (fax)

Email: garybower@charter.net

FINAL THOUGHTS

The electronic version of this book was lovely, but I look forward to owning a hard copy as I feel that a book like this needs to be read to children while snuggling. Somehow something was lost by having to sit at the computer with the electronic version we received for the review. But this review is about the book itself and its contents, not the format of the book received for the review.

So, with that in mind, I love this book. My girls love it too. I’ll likely be purchasing the set of four books in hardback form.

THOUGHTS OF MY CREW MATES

To see other reviews of this product, click HERE and look for the linky tools list at the bottom of the post. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

**Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a link to an electronic version of the product in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

Wordless Wednesday: Only at the State Fair

2011-11-02T09:10:00.000-06:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

2011 Gratitude Challenge - November 2

2011-11-02T07:35:00.000-06:00

I'm grateful for my husband. He makes me laugh. He makes our kids laugh. He's a good daddy to our kids. He's a good son to his mother. He's a tech guru.

He's the long-awaited love of my life. We both made mistakes before we met (two marriages for him, several bad relationships for me), but after 12 years of marriage I think this one is going to work. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

2011 Gratitude Challenge – November 1

2011-11-01T15:41:00.001-06:00

A friend of mine (she’s an online friend and part of our TOS homeschool review crew leadership, but I wish she was a friend in “real life”) is hosting the 2011 Gratitude Challenge through her blog at Garden of Learning. For each day during November (or as many days as you can), post about something you’re thankful for, then link up your post for that day with that day’s post at Garden of Learning. With Thanksgiving and Christmas swiftly approaching, I think this is a great idea to get our minds focused on the blessings we’ve received.

When I decided to participate, my first thoughts of gratitude were for earthly things – my family, a roof over my head, food on the table, income, our activities, etc.

I quickly realized that without one other thing, I’d likely have none of those things.

Over two thousand years ago, three crosses stood on a hill called Golgotha. On the center cross, my Savior died to save me. He gave His life to atone for my sins (and yours too) so that I could live forever in Heaven.

I have seen the “place of the skull”. I have stood beside it singing The Old Rugged Cross. It is sobering to stand on the place that determined my future, the place where Jesus died. Holy ground indeed.

Without His sacrifice I would have nothing, be worth nothing.

Thank you, Father, for sending Your Son to die on the cross for me. Thank you, Jesus, for giving your life for me.

I’m grateful today and every day for Jesus’ sacrifice, for God’s love, for Jesus’ resurrection, and for the assurance that after my earthly days are finished, I’ll spend eternity in Heaven.

I pray that everyone who reads this post has that same assurance. (If you don’t, and you’d like to know how to have the thing that I’m most grateful for, please e-mail me.)

Please hop on the Gratitude Challenge! Click HERE to link your November 1 gratitude post.

You know you're a homeschooler when... (#1)

2011-11-01T08:14:00.001-06:00

Your kids make bar graphs with their halloween candy...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Say Anything – Family Edition (TOS Review)

2011-10-28T23:25:00.000-05:00

Last year we were given the chance to review Wits & Wagers Family from NorthStar Games (and loved it) – you can see that review HERE.

This year we were chosen to review another fun game from NorthStar Games - Say Anything Family Edition.

Product Details

According to the instructions in the game, “Say Anything Family Edition is a light-hearted game about what you and your loved ones think.” We found that to be completely accurate! The game is targeted for 3-6 players ages 8+.

Say Anything Family Edition retails for $19.99. Click here to buy, or visit your local Target or specialty toy/game store. The "Buy" section of the website features a "Find a Store Near You" option.

Say Anything Family Edition comes with: a scorecard (with circles to color in as you score points); 6 color-coded dry erase boards; six dry erase pens; twelve color-coded player tokens (each player gets two to match the color of their dry erase board); a deck of question cards, each card containing six questions (three questions on front, three on the back); and a “select-o-matic 6000” which the judge for each question uses to mark his favorite answer. You’ll also need something (napkin, paper towel, eraser) to clear your dry erase board.

To play, one person is chosen to be the judge. (The rules say the youngest goes first – I don’t know about your house, but that always causes problems in mine so we change that rule and honestly do something different every time regarding who goes first and direction of play.) The judge chooses a card and a question to read. Everyone else writes down their answer and places their card in the middle with the answer showing. The judge chooses his/her favorite answer, then indicates his choice by moving the arrow on the “state-of-the-art Select-O-Matic 6000” (see, even the rules are fun!). Once the judge makes his/her choice, the players try to guess which answer the judge chose, and uses their tokens. They don’t have to put both tokens on the same answer (another reason that playing with more than 3 players is better). Scores are determined by placement of the tokens, and marked on the scoreboard. The judge also gets points based on how the players place their tokens. Max score per question is 3 points each. The game is over when all players have asked 2 questions.

Homeschooling moms can turn anything into an educational moment. When we played this card…

…we had a great conversation about various historical events – and why we might have liked to have been there, and why it would have been horrible to be there.

Some questions are just pure fun, like the third one on this card:

What I like

What’s not to like? It’s an extremely fun board game that the girls frequently ask to play!

Anything goes – there aren’t any wrong answers.

Quick and easy instructions.

Some of the time I like that it’s so quick to play, but most of the time we end up playing multiple times just because we’re having so much fun.

I wish…

Sure hope they eventually make an expansion pack of questions!

Watch out for

Don’t try to make the Select-O-Matic 6000 spin. It doesn’t.

While the game can be played with only three players, we found it better to play with four (or more). Since out of the three players one is designated the judge for each question, that only left two players to write down answers. That meant, at least in our family, that when I was the judge the girls felt as if they were being “compared” to each other. That didn’t seem to happen when all four of us played.

It’s a quick game to play. Normally that might be a good thing, but this is so fun that we were always surprised and disappointed when the game ended. There were frequent refrains of “let’s play again!”, so expect that to also happen in your home!

Since the question cards are two-sided, be sure to finish one side of all the cards first, before moving to the other side (one side is blue, the other is yellow, so it’s fairly easy to keep up with).

Be sure to follow the rule that the judge chooses his/her choice first, then the players choose. Otherwise, it can turn into an argument that the judge chose an answer because “she saw where I put my tokens and didn’t want me to win.” Trust me on this.

The game is over when all players have asked two questions, but often it ends before that if a player is getting the max points per question.

Be sure to

Find out current news about the games at the Insider's Corner.

Check out their other fun products here.

Be sure to visit the "Meet the Designers" section of the website for some cool info on who invested these games!

Like them on FACEBOOK for great info and contests!

Company contact info:

Email:
   Customer service - CustomerSupport@NorthStarGames.com
   Retail Sales: Sales@NorthStarGames.com
   Media Inquiries: Media@NorthStarGames.com

Phone/Fax:
Office: 301.493.4331
Fax: 866.433.8069

Get contact info for the company employees HERE.

Final thoughts

We love this game. It would make a great birthday gift or Christmas gift for a family!

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click HERE. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received the product in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

Educating the WholeHearted Child (TOS Review)

2011-10-24T08:02:00.001-05:00

The decision to homeschool is often (usually?) a daunting and scary one. We all have thoughts like this:

Is this really what God wants me to do? What if I mess up? What if I don’t cover enough? What if I focus on the unimportant things more than the important ones? Related to that, what are the things that are important to me? Is there a checklist somewhere? How in the world am I going to teach high school chemistry? Where oh where is the FAQ on all-things-homeschooling?

Even veteran homeschoolers have these thoughts and wonder if they’re doing it “right” or “good enough”. We all have the “woulda, coulda, shoulda” worries.

Help can be found in a book by Clay Clarkson (with Sally Clarkson) entitled Educating the Wholehearted Child. While this is not an exhaustive “FAQ” on homeschooling, it’s pretty close.

Product details

Published by Apologia/WholeHeart, a division of the incredible Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. that offers homeschoolers so many phenomenal products, this book (a revised/expanded third edition) consists of 376 pages bursting with information, tips, advice, suggestions, etc. Written by Clay and Sally Clarkson, who homeschooled each of their four children, each page overflows with wisdom and information.

The book is divided into four main sections: Home, Learning, Methods and Living. Each section is further divided into 4-5 chapters (see the Table of Contents HERE). Within these chapters you’ll find a huge variety of information – determining learning styles, what kinds of books to avoid (no titles, just generic types of books), a sampling of whole books providers, choosing a Bible translation, narration, study groups, role of the homeschooling father, keeping order in the home (love the “Laws of Home Thermodynamics,” i.e. “all things tend to disorder and disarray”), testing and grades, the 5 D’s (discipleship studies, disciplined studies, discussion studies, discovery studies and discretionary studies), and a multitude (and I do mean multitude) of other topics.

You can purchase the book from Apologia Educational Ministries for $22 HERE.

Disclaimer: I have not yet even come close to reading this entire book. At over 300 pages of “instruction,” plus another 35 pages of resources, this is not a book that can be read cover-to-cover without a significant expenditure of time (we are given an ample length of time for normal product reviews, but this book is extraordinary in its scope breadth of information). I did the “pick and choose” method, seeking out the sections I was particularly interested in and quickly skimming through the rest.

What I like

The book is a one-stop-shop for homeschooling suggestions/ideas for nurturing the hearts, minds and souls of your children. However, don’t peg this book as simply a “homeschooling” book – the principles in this book apply to all Christian families. Even if you’re not a homeschooling family, this book will help you raise your children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), and your whole family will be better for it.

Love the resources in the back of the book:

Books for the Wholehearted Family, broken down into categories (children’s literature, poetry and art, history and biography, etc.).

Books for Wholehearted Learning, broken down into categories (home and parenting, young men and women, thinking and speaking, devotions and discipleship, etc.).

Forms for Wholehearted Learning – learning agenda, planner, task lists, reading records, etc. I’m waiting (not-so-patiently) for versions of these forms to be loaded on the authors’ website.

God’s Word. It is found abundantly throughout this book. Love the scripture references found on most pages, along with quotes addressing the topic on those particular pages.

Love the “In Our Home” passages included on many pages – I enjoy seeing suggestions/ideas put into practice.

God used the book to remind me that my focus should be on raising disciples for Him and not so much the academic aspect. One of the reasons we started homeschooling was so that we could instill our values and beliefs into our children, and not have their values/beliefs formed by the public school administration or their peers. Often I worry about the girls getting “behind” in certain areas. This book helped me get my primary focus back – they might be a tad behind in math, but they have a strong faith in Jesus Christ and have good character (at least most of the time!), which is evidence that we made the right choice for our family in choosing to homeschool.

I wish…

I longed for an index to look up particular topics. The Table of Contents is bare-bones, simply listing the chapter names.

I wish I had read this book before I started homeschooling. With so many homeschooling “how to” books out there, this book should be on the must read list for all homeschooling parents.

Watch out for

Keep in mind that we’re only human. While this book is a treasure trove of wonderful ideas and suggestions, I became a bit overwhelmed and started feeling like I was only doing about 10% of the things I should be doing (woulda, coulda, shoulda?). Remember that we have to prayerfully seek what is right for our own homes, and even though someone else’s advice may seem smart and appropriate, it doesn’t always mean it’s right for our homes. Read this book not as a “you should do this” list, but as a “consider and pray about doing this” list. As you’re reading, dog-ear or tab the pages with suggestions/ideas that interest you or touch your heart. If you have too many (I did), prioritize them into what you think is most important for this stage of your homeschooling life. Make a “wish list” for the years to come. Choose 2-3 to try to implement this year, and save the rest for later.

Make sure you’re not eating/drinking anything when you read the “Whole Book Fever” blurb on page 107. I laughed out loud about the description of this “affliction” – evidently I’m infected with it, because I suffer from many of the symptoms.

Be sure to

View the Table of Contents HERE.

Check out a sample chapter (Chapter 1) HERE.

Request a catalog HERE to see the other wonderful products that Apologia Educational Ministries offers.

Company contact info:

Apologia Educational Ministries
1106 Meridian Plaza Suite 220
Anderson, IN 46016
Phone: (888)524-4724
Fax: (765)608-3290

Final thoughts

I think I avoided the prior printings of this book due to its sheer size and due to the fear of it making me feel inadequate. While reading it I, at times, did feel like I haven’t done enough in our homeschooling environment, what I didn’t expect was the huge blessing that I received from reading it, nor did I expect to regain the feeling of God’s blessing over our homeschool.

Love, love, love this book. I foresee it becoming even more dog-eared and flagged the more I read. I suspect it will be on my beside table for months to come and, after that, it will likely become a beloved reference book. Now that this review is done, I’m planning to pore over Chapter 3 (Shepherding Your Child’s Spirit to Long for God) and Chapter 4 (Shaping Your Child’s Heart to Live for God). Then I’ll pray and see what section God wants me to read next.

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click HERE. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

Always Icecream (TOS Review)

2011-10-18T21:23:00.001-05:00

I have Facebook, my 11-yo has Always Icecream.

Product Details

What’s Always Icecream? It’s a girls-only website, created for ages 7-12, that combines fun and education (and lots of pink!)

It not only allows girls to play educational (and other) games to win $coops, but also to interact with online friends in a monitored environment. You control the settings via a parent account linked to your daughter’s account.

There are several subscription levels:

Monthly - $4.99, with the first month being $0.99- Paypal account required.

Two months’ membership - $9.98 – no subscription required, pay with credit/debit card or Paypal.

Annual membership - $29.99 – pay with credit/debit card or Paypal.

Lifetime membership - $99.99 – best deal if your daugther is 10 or younger - pay with credit/debit card or Paypal.

Always Icecream also accepts gift codes – suggest a membership as a gift for your daughter!

Girls create a “mini-me” – what they look like in the world of Always Icecream. They earn “virtual ice cream” ($coops) to use to play fun games, decorate their “MiniWorld” and feed and care for their pets in Pet World. In MiniWorld, girls can design furniture, art work, rooms, add rooms, buy bigger houses,m visit their neighborhoods and see friends’ houses, and much more. Girls can sell their work in the store so others can buy it and earn $coops. Their pets from PetWorld can visit their MiniWorld.

There are games available for:

Language Arts
Math Quizzes
Advanced Math
Math Drills
Geography & History
Science
Music & Arts
Computer Skills
Foreign Languages
Religious Education (Christian)
Life Skills

You can choose which games your daughter will have access to, and those settings can be changed at any time.

We’re studying U.S. Geography in our co-op, so she loved this game.

A typing game. I thought she’d like this game, but she really wasn’t very interested.

Pet world – another of my daughter’s favorites.

Remember my Facebook comment? Girls on Always Icecream are allowed to interact with friends on two levels – friends and real world friends (RWF) – but parents are always in control of the level of interaction they can have with their friends. Girls are given a special code to use with RWF – to become RWF, both girls have to enter the other’s code.

What I like

I like the controls the parent account offers, including “rewarding” my daughter for doing chores (I could choose from a short list of suggestions or customize my own). I receive a weekly e-mail setting forth what my daughter has done, and any ribbons/awards she’s earned.

As a creationist, I like that the site excludes evolution.

No advertising on the site!

I love the safety precautions the website has in place – see for yourself here.

I love that the site offers educational activities, offers interaction with friends in a safe atmosphere, and allows for a creative outlet (designing furniture, art, etc.).

I like the variety of videos offered – from cute (sneezing panda), to cooking lessons (making stuffed-crust pizza), sing-alongs (The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers – one of my favorites!), arts/crafts (how to make a friendship bracelet), science experiments (how strong is a strand of hair?), and many others. They even have a way for the girls to submit their favorite video from YouTube – the security folks at the website will screen and approve them, and then link them up for all to see!

I wish…

While I like the system provided to reward for chores, one of the items on the list is “being a great daughter.” I wholeheartedly think that should be removed. Would you want your daughter to think she’s not a great daughter when she doesn’t get that reward? I wish they’d replace that with something else – maybe “be nice to your sister.”

Watch out for

Girls should not share accounts, since many things are individualized and created by the girls (artwork, furniture, etc.). Also, can you imagine the reaction if one daughter spends another daughter’s hard-earned $coops?

My daughter loved many of the games, but disliked some that I felt for sure she’d love (the typing game, for example). I can’t help but wonder if that might have been because of frustration over her computer’s slow response time. Some of the videos were also slow to load. If you have an older/slow computer, you might encounter the same issues (although that’s true for all websites, not just Always Icecream). We’re upgrading the girls’ computer soon, so hopefully she’ll be able to enjoy all the things Always Icecream has to offer.

Although I’ve become accustomed to it now, at first the update on friends’ status in the weekly e-mail kind of creeped me out – almost like “big brother is watching.” Later I realized that it’s a good way for me to see what kinds of things the people she’s interacting with like to do. Be aware that in the weekly e-mail, your daughter’s friends will get a report of what she’s done that week.

If you want to create accounts for more than one daughter, contact the site at feedback@always-icecream.com. Sibling discounts are offered (the website says “if you want to create accounts for more than two daughters).

Watch a video showing MiniWorld here.

The site is open to all girls, not just homeschoolers. That’s a plus for us.

When you sign up your daughter, it asks for her first name and last initial. Be aware that that will be her login info, so if you want to use an alias, do so at the time you sign her up.

Be sure to

Read a little bit about the website’s history and designers here.

Company contact info

You can contact the company (or send feedback) to feedback@always-icecream.com, or by friending them on Facebook and using FB contact methods.

Final thoughts

My 11-yo has enjoyed this so much that I’m considering purchasing a membership for my 9-yo, since not a day goes by without her asking “when can I play?”

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received one lifetime membership to the Always Icecream website at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

Visual Latin (TOS Review)

2011-10-16T22:12:00.000-05:00

Our co-op is studying more Latin this year, including the Latin translation of John 1:1 (In principio erat verbum ….). Honestly, with the increased Latin content together with everything else we’re studying, the girls are getting a bit Latin-weary – so initially when I received Visual Latin to review for the TOS homeschool crew, I was slightly worried about how they would feel about using/reviewing another Latin product. I worried needlessly, as they loved the video lessons.

Product Details

Visual Latin was created by two homeschooling dads – one, a Latin teacher (Dwane Thomas), the other, a producer (Thomas Purifoy, Jr.).

From the website:

Visual Latin is a rather unusual Latin curriculum. For instance, we think:

It’s better to make students laugh than yawn.

Shorter videos teach more effectively than longer ones.

Small successes lead to big successes.

Children like reading Latin more than memorizing it.

Latin 1 is the first year of Visual Latin and is intended to be taught over one school year (at approximately 1 lesson per week). Each of the 30 lessons includes three short videos (grammar, sentences, and reading), and according to the website three .pdf worksheets (but as far as I can tell only one of the .pdfs is an actual worksheet for the students – the others are a .pdf of the answers to the student worksheet questions and a .pdf of general instructions, the latter .pdf appearing to be the same throughout all the lessons – at least that’s what we received in our download of the first 10 lessons). You can view the Scope and Sequence for Latin 1 here. Latin 1 is targeted for ages 9 and up.

You can purchase Latin 1 here, either in DVD format or as digital downloads (in iTunes format). There are many purchase options – from the entire set of 30 lessons on DVD ($80), to a download of ten lessons at a time ($25). The DVDs can also be purchased for use in a group/class setting.

While I expected my girls to balk at yet more Latin, they actually enjoyed watching the lessons. Dwane makes the lessons engaging and interesting, and throws in humor here and there. The “feel” of the lessons, to me, was actual, which helped my girls not be intimidated.

See for yourself by viewing the first regular lesson (plus download the .pdf worksheet and answer key) here.

What I like

I like that Dwane uses humor in the lessons. I’ve always said homeschooling is fun – why shouldn’t our curriculum also be fun?

Love love love the downloadable lessons. I can load them on our iPad and we instantly have a portable Latin class!

Love the translation portion of the lessons.

I like that the lessons are “subtitled”:

Love the vocabulary reference sheets provided at no cost.

The lessons are relatively short, which works well for our family.

Dwane makes the videos fun. And funny. Dwane’s jokes still get a chuckle the second (or third, or fifth, or…) time around.

I wish…

There were more worksheets. Many kids don’t like worksheets, but my girls do, and I think more worksheets (or at least a section for review worksheets, if not worksheets provided with each individual lesson) would be helpful.

Watch out for

Latin pronunciations, as there are different versions of Latin (Classical vs. Ecclesiastical). Dwane was taught the Classical pronunciation, but attempts to use Ecclesiastical. Be aware of the differences, so you can help your child know the correct pronunciation for the version you are learning.

Dwane doesn’t “edit” out his mistakes on the lessons. I’m torn about that – in a way I think it shows that imperfection is okay, that we’re all in the process of learning. My only concern would be is if a child heard the error, but didn’t hear the correction. That’s not really a problem in my house because the girls listen to the lessons repeatedly, and many times they’re parroting back what he says, but just be forewarned.

Be sure to

Check out all the free Latin resources here!

Read the what/how/why of the set-up of Visual Latin here.

Download the four introductory lessons plus two regular lessons here.

Read the company’s recommendations for using their Latin Alive here.

For an “all the specs” FAQ, click here.

If you’re interested in Latin classes with more teacher interaction, Dwane also teaches online Latin classes – for info, click here.

“Like” Visual Latin Facebook – vocabulary, jokes, Latin practice, and all-around-fun.

Note the first ten lessons of Latin 2 are available (the lessons are numbered consecutively, so lesson one of Latin 2 is actually “lesson 31”); the remaining lessons will be released during this (2011-2012) school year.

Company contact info:

Address: The Compass Store, 609 West Iris Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37204

Email: info@visuallatin.com

I did not see a phone number on the website.

Final thoughts

The girls and I really enjoyed these lessons. I plan to purchase the rest of Latin 1 for the girls to simply watch, and then after the first of the year we’ll go through and do the study sheets and really learn it. I suspect I’ll be pleasantly surprised that they’ll learn simply by watching the videos.

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received the first ten lessons of the product described in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

Sunshine and swings…

2011-10-13T17:33:00.001-05:00

Sweet sunshine streaming through the window, beckoning us outside. We can’t resist, so we venture to the park. The air, while not yet cool-crisp, offers a pleasant respite from the 100+-degree torture of the summer.

I watch as the girls squeal in delight on the swings, an empty swing beside them taunting me. My new resolve after vacation being to “say yes more”, I say “Yes!” to the swing and join my giggling girls in the pure joy of swinging on a sunny afternoon. I am carefree, if only for a moment, relishing the delight of the day.

A beautiful afternoon making simple memories – may there be thousands more like it.

The perfect vacation

2011-09-29T13:33:00.009-05:00

Sadly, we are nearing the end of what I consider the perfect vacation - 10 days of relaxation, followed by 9 full days of touring, followed by 10 more days of relaxation. We are all returning home tired, yet relaxed. These last days of our vacation are bittersweet, filled with lovely memories tinged with the sadness of having to return to reality. We have spent relaxing days on the beach and curious days in Rome. The girls have spent quality time with Oma, learning to knit and crochet. We've even had a TV-free vacation - a huge accomplishment!

Our internet has been spotty, and I've had trouble blogging. It is 8:30pm in Italy, and the 'net is cooperating. I can't wait until we get home (well, honestly, I can wait!) to share pictures of our ultimate field trip to Italy!

And we all are anxious to have a mexican food fix. :)

Wise Alec™: Civilize This! by Griddly Games (TOS Review)

2011-09-09T08:15:00.000-05:00

A fun game with an educational component always perks me up. History buffs that we are (actually, history and science buffs), I was excited to learn we’d be reviewing Wise Alec™: Civilize This! by Griddly Games.

Product Details

Civilize This! is made as an expansion pack to the Wise Alec™ Family Trivia game. The website describes Civilize This! this way:

Cultural trivia with a adventurous twist!

Hello Time Travelers! Explore the world’s cultures across time with the trivia game based on the award-winning Wise Alec™ Family Trivia Game. There are 300 questions to test your knowledge of Ancient, Medieval, and Modern cultures. Two levels of questions on each card let everyone from young scholars to history buffs play together. Plus, Wise Alec™ cards will have you doing tongue twisters, brain teasers, and fun exercises!

Other expansion packs include Nature Nuts and Sports Buffs. Each of the expansion packs can also be used as a travel game.

The Civilize This! expansion pack comes as a boxed tray with 1 multicolored die, 3 decks of color-coded trivia cards (one each for Ancient, Medieval and Modern history/culture), and 1 deck of Wise Alec™ cards. For convenience, the rules are on the inside of the cover.

Each card in the three trivia decks contains two questions, one slightly easier (worth 3 points) than the other (worth 7 points). The rules for the expansion packs are fairly simple, and you can view them here (in .pdf format), or watch this YouTube video:

The game is meant for ages 8+, and for 2-6 players.

You can’t buy the game directly from Griddly Games, but you can find a list of retailers here. Prices will vary according to retailer.

What I like

I like any game that has an educational component. This one feeds into our love of history. It’s a great way to review, without calling it “review”.

I love that it’s compact and easy to play. It’s also going into our suitcase for our trip to Italy.

The girls were always excited to get an “action” card from the Wise Alec cards, particularly the “do the hula” card! Another favorite was the “yodel” card.

I wish…

The orange on the multicolored die looked more orange. I know that’s a small complaint, but often we had to flip the die over to make sure it had actually landed on orange and not yellow.

I hope they make more expansion sets!

Watch out for

If your family doesn’t love history and hasn’t studied all three time periods, I’d suggest setting the points goal low at first to see how your kids do. Despite being history buffs, even our initial points goal was too high and the girls were frustrated that it was taking too long.

There are certain questions that may be objectionable to your family (mythology, buddhism, etc.). I’d suggest reviewing the cards before you start playing so you’ll have a chance to remove any objectionable cards.

Your kids may need help with reading the cards.

There are some typos on the cards, but we made it part of the game to find them – we gave 5 points to the reader of the card if she found, and could correct, a typo or error.

Be sure to

Check out the other quality games offered by Griddly Games here.

Check out the Griddly Kidz Zone here, where your kids can play games and download coloring sheets.

See the awards the various Griddly Games have received here, and check out media coverage the company has received here and here.

Company contact info:

Head Office:
633 - 5960 No. 6 Rd
Richmond, BC
CANADA V6V 1Z1

Email: info@griddlygames.com

Phone: 1 (604) 249 502

Final thoughts

We really enjoyed this game, and the girls have asked if we can get the other expansion packs plus the main game. I’m adding them to our Christmas wish list!

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received the product described in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

Flea Circus by R&R Games

2011-09-05T08:09:00.000-05:00

We love games. We try to have a family game night every week, but often it gets skipped in favor of things that have to get done. I love it when we have a game to review, because it forces us to have games nights! Flea Circus by R&R Games was a huge hit with my girls!

Product Details

Flea Circus is an adorable game about a circus of fleas where the spectators are cats and dogs (doesn’t simply hearing the description bring a smile to your face?). The R&R Games website describes the game best:

STEP RIGHT UP! Calling all Cats and Dogs! The Flea Circus is about to begin!

It's a wild time under the Big Top as dogs and cats race from one show to the next. Players use their best Flea Circus acts to attract the most cats and dogs. Play your cards right and you can steal the audience away from your neighbor! But watch out for the Animal Catcher... He'll snatch your cats and dogs away!

With all this excitement, how's a Flea Ring Circus supposed to keep up? When all the cats and dogs are gone, whoever ends up with the most animals at their show wins the game!

The game is intended for 2-6 players ages 6-up (way up in my case, and I had a blast playing with the girls). It comes with 55 “amazing flea cards”, 20 rubber cats and 20 rubber dogs. You can play a complete game in 10-20 minutes. The gist of the game is to gather the most spectators for your “flea circus”. Rather than trying to explain how to play, you can see the complete rules here. Flea Circus retails for $15.95 and can be purchased from R&R Games.

I had never heard of R&R Games before Flea Circus arrived. The package arrived with a 16-page catalog containing lots of fun-looking games. (I’m especially interested in the Masters of Venice game since we’ll be going to Italy soon, and will probably put that game on our Christmas list.) The catalog reflects that most of their games have won national awards.

Our niece from Germany was visiting during our review time for this game, and the girls played numerous times. The day she was due to leave for the airport she begged to play one more game of Flea Circus. I think that’s a pretty good endorsement!

What I like

Love that it’s a compact, portable game – no playing board needed. In fact, the girls love the game so much that it’s going to Italy with us.

Part of the game includes taking spectators (i.e. cats and dogs) from other players. We had a great time “stealing” spectators from each other. “I want my dog back!” became a familiar refrain, and each time it was spoken the result was peals of laughter.

Love that most of their games are award-winning. One of their games, Time’s Up, has won numerous awards and now has an iPhone and iPad app (which I shall soon be downloading).

I was impressed that they provide evidence of compliance with safety regulations (here).

I wish…

I wish there were more cards. My girls wish there were more cats & dogs. In our house the game was played with 3-4 players, and we ran out of cards fairly quickly. I realize it’s done that way because it’s meant to be a short game (10-20 minutes playing time), but we were having so much fun we hated to have it end! I guess the solution for my house might be to just buy another copy of the game!

Watch out for

Reading the rules through the first time was confusing to us. We found just jumping in and playing and referring to the rules as we went along to be easier. Before we knew it, we didn’t need the rules anymore!

Be sure to

R&R Games has graciously provided a 20% discount on any purchases from its website, and the coupon is valid until the end of 2011! Use the coupon code CREW20.

FAQ can be found here.

Read through the News section here.

Make sure you check out all of R&R Games’ game offerings at their website.

Company contact info:

Send your comments and questions to: Info@RnRGames.com
Write to: R&R Games, Inc., PO Box 130195, Tampa, FL 33629
Call us at: 1-888-8RIDDLE

Final thoughts

The girls loved this game. It is simple (once you understand the rules and what each of the cards means) and quick to play (too quick for our tastes!). It’d make a great Christmas gift – and don’t forget to use the coupon code!

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

How to have a H.E.A.R.T for Your Kids – Apologia (TOS Review)

2011-09-05T01:42:00.001-05:00

Pride cometh before a fall. Honestly, when I read this title up for review by the TOS Review crew, I thought, “What mother doesn’t have a heart for her kids? Would I really need to read this book, if I wasn’t reviewing it?”

Short answer – absolutely.

Product Details

Written by Rachael Carman, homeschooling mother of 7, “How to Have a H.E.A.R.T for Your Kids” is a small (approx. 5” x 7”) hardback book containing 200+ pages of wisdom, inspiration, conviction and encouragement (and a couple of what I like to call “butt burning sermons” – you know, the kind that seems as if it’s directed solely to you?). Rachael covers five main topics, indicated by the acronym H.E.A.R.T.:

H - Have a Heart for the Things of God

First and foremost, it’s important to make Him first and foremost.

E - Enrich Your Marriage

My husband and I married late in life, and Punkin is a honeymoon baby. We had little time as a married couple before kids – nine months, to be exact, and in that time my husband broke his hip, so we weren’t even able to just enjoy my pregnancy. It seems like our married life started out as an out-of-control freight train, and the pace hasn’t slowed down since. It takes effort to remember that a great marriage takes work. This chapter was a great reminder that I need to focus on that area more.

A - Accept Your Kids

Wow. This was a big “ouch” moment for me. How many times have I thought I need to encourage my girls to “do this”, or “go there”, or “say that”, when I really should just sit back and enjoy who they are, as long as their speech and behavior is pleasing to Him.

R - Release Them to God

A gracious reminder that our children are loaned to us by God, to raise and teach them in His ways. We are to raise them, then release them to Him.

T - Teach Them the Truth

Rachel emphasizes how crucial it is for us, as parents, to teach our kids The Truth rather than allowing them to “learn it” through society or culture.

You can purchase How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids here for $13.

Company contact info:

Apologia Educational Ministries
1106 Meridian Plaza Suite 220
Anderson, IN 46016 US
Phone: (888)524-4724; Fax: (765)608-3290

What I like

Everything. The outside is lovely, and the inside is thought-provoking.

Due to its size, it was easy for me to grab when I was headed out the door somewhere to take advantage of “wait time.”

Love that Rachael Carman is a homeschooling mom in the homeschooling trenches with the rest of us.

I wish…

I wish Rachael had written this book years ago, before we began our homeschooling journey. I hate to think of what I’ve missed by not having a total God-focus while schooling (and loving) the girls.

I wish it was longer. I don’t often say this for a non-fiction book, but I hated reaching the last page.

Watch out for

Watch out for the fall - there will be something (probably several things) in the book that make you say “ouch”.

Be sure to

Review the book’s Table of Contents here.

Check out a sample chapter here.

Request a catalog here.

Be sure to explore the Apologia Educational Ministries website to see the many wonderful offerings by Apologia.

Final thoughts

This should be a must-read for all homeschooling moms.

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

You know you’re exhausted when…

2011-08-19T12:10:00.001-05:00

It has been a tough couple of weeks in our house (post on that to follow). I spent the night in the hospital with Punkin Monday night – she was released to come home late Tuesday. To say we were both exhausted would be a huge understatement.

Wednesday morning (late) I had my first shower in 48 hours. As I’m shampooing my hair, it occurs to me that my shampoo smells sensational this morning. I chalked it up to being grateful to get clean hair. Next thought was how wonderful it was going to feel to open and use my brand new tube of Pear Raspberry body wash.

Oh. So that’s why my shampoo smelled so spectacular this morning – it wasn’t actually my shampoo.

FYI, body wash does an incredible job as shampoo.

It’s always good to find humor in times like this. I’d love to hear your faux pas that occurred as a result of exhaustion. Let’s share, and share the laughter!

How can today be Tuesday?

2011-08-02T17:43:00.001-05:00

Better question – how can it be August 2? Really, August 2? 2011?

My how time flies.

Wasn’t it just Easter yesterday? And Christmas the day before?

Wasn’t it just last year that I brought a blonde, long-awaited bundle of joy home from the hospital? And another much-wanted, brunette bundle of joy six months ago? How can they now be 11 and 9?

Where did the time go? How did it sneak past me so quickly?

Did I read to them enough? Did I play with them enough? Did I make enough forts and play-doh figures and mud-pies? Did I play dress-up, barbies, and princesses enough? Did I play in the sprinklers with them enough?

Did I snuggle enough? Did I tell them I love them enough? Did I hug them enough? Have I taught them enough about God and faith and love and manners and friendship and courtesy and generosity?

No. I fear I haven’t done any of those things enough.

Did I work too much? Did I worry too much about how the house looked? Did I buy them things to replace the time that I couldn’t…didn’t…spend with them? Did I focus on myself too much? Did I….do too much of all those things that distracted me from the most important, precious things?

Yes, sadly, I think I did. And I’m still doing those things.

Why can’t I just be still and enjoy them? They grow so quickly. 11 years has gone by in a flash. I’m sure the next 11 will pass equally as swiftly.

Is it too late?

I choose to believe it’s not too late. I have to believe that. The little girl in me – the part that never grew up - still likes to color and play dolls and make mudpies. It’s pure, unstressful fun. And don’t we all need that, whatever our age?

Why is hindsight always 20/20? My Mama always told me that the older I get, the quicker the time will pass. I didn’t believe her then, but I do now. When I tell my girls that, do they believe me? Or will the pattern continue – will they realize I was right when it’s too late for them to recapture that time? How can I make them understand now, so that they don’t have to live with regrets later?

My big 5-0 birthday is this month. Maybe that’s why I’ve been so focused on the time that I feel has been lost. Facing my own mortality, I guess. Will I live to see my children graduate college? Will I live to see them find their Prince Charming and their Happily Ever After? Will I live to see my grandchildren, and be able to just sit and enjoy them, now that I know how fleeting time is?

I don’t know, but God does. And I’ll rest – try to rest – in that.

And for now, I’m going to go color with my girls.

Meet the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew!

2011-08-02T15:21:00.000-05:00

I have the honor and privilege of serving on the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew for the second consecutive year. I began last year thinking it would be a simple matter of using and reviewing products, and that’d be it. Thankfully I was wrong.

The TOS review crew leadership provides a number of resources through which the crew can communicate. Over the course of the year I used those resources – and found a wealth of knowledge in like-minded Christian homeschooling men (yes, men!) and women. But more valuable to me were the friendships I made and the encouragement, prayer, love, acceptance and understanding I received. What a gift!

I encourage you to click on the button above and meet these special folks. Join us this year on the crew journey as we use and review homeschooling curricula and other products that might just be a great fit for you and your family. Most importantly, know as you read the reviews that behind them are a group of homeschooling moms and dads who are precious to me.

Enjoy meeting my friends!

Mad Dog Math (TOS Review

2011-05-18T20:21:00.001-05:00

Mad Dog Math is a program that was developed by one person to solve a specific problem. The creator, Julie Kotoff, developed the program as a third-grade teacher to help her students with their multiplication and division facts, and eventually also added addition and subtraction. The program started out as a “paper and pencil” program, but has since evolved into computer software. Turns out that more than just one person had the same problem, and one person’s solution has helped many.

Product Details

Mad Dog Math is not a comprehensive math program but is to be used as a supplement for grades K – 5th grade (although I think it would also be appropriate for older kids still struggling with their math facts). Mad Dog Math at Home is available for purchase and download here in three ways – a one-year license for $19.99, a two-year license for $29.99, and a perpetual license for $39.99. Note that it is only available for Windows, and prior to ordering you need to know whether you need the 32-bit version or the 64-bit version.

There are three levels, plus a challenge level. The intent is that you take a school year to cover each level. The worksheets in levels one and two contain 20 problems each of addition or subtraction; the worksheets in level three contain 24 problems each of multiplication or division. The “Mutt Math” portion of the challenge level also contains 24 problems for each worksheet and is a combination of all four operations. the “Kennel Trouble” portion of the challenge level is true to its name – challenging! You’re given a grid of numbers, and asked to “add, then multiply by ___,” “add then subtract ___,” “multiply then add ___,” and “multiply then subtract ___” (and the program specifies the number for the blank).

Level one covers addition and subtraction and begins with the 0 – 3 fact family. “Fact family” in addition includes problems that have answers between 0 – 3; “fact family” in subtraction includes problems using operands which are between 0 - 3. There are 28 fact families included in this level, with the highest being 12 – 18.

Level two covers addition and subtraction using 11 fact families, the first two being 0 – 6 and 7 –9. The subsequent fact families are individual levels covering ten through eighteen.

Level three covers multiplication (using 15 fact families, including four “range” fact families (i.e., zero to eight)) and division (using 11 fact families), with the highest fact family for each operation being twelve.

Each level has an ample amount of review built in.

You start your student at the appropriate level, and set the timer for 2 minutes (the student must click “time me” to start. Once they’re in the “2 minute club” for each fact family (meaning they can complete each worksheet in 2 minutes or less), you start them over with the same fact family, setting the timer for 1 minute. Once they’re in the “1 minute club”, you repeat the family again, this time setting the timer for 30 seconds. To pass to the next level, the student must master the facts in the current level and be part of the “30 second club” for each fact family. The student can “pass” with two or fewer errors.

For whatever fact family they’re working on, pressing the “fetch” button will bring up a new set of problems in that fact family.

Parents can check progress by clicking the “progress” button.

In case my explanation is “clear as mud”, here’s a video that will give you a little more information on the program. Note that the video is primarily geared toward classroom use (including the pencil/paper option), but I think it will still be helpful to you.

What I like

Gives good, solid practice on math facts.

There’s just enough color and graphics to keep kids interested, yet not too much to overwhelm them.

Gives my girls a challenge (the “clubs”) which motivates them to memorize the facts and get faster in answering.

I have competitive children, and whenever they compete against each other it’s usually disastrous. This program allows each girl to compete against herself to get faster. That’s a win for me!

I really like that the answers to the problems aren’t always the sum or difference of two operands. Often the problems are things like 3 + ___ = 7, where the student has to fill in the blank. I think that also keeps the interest level up for the kids.

I wish…

There was a way to hide the timer countdown.

I wish there was a parent log-in so I could see how both my girls are doing at the same time. The way the software is set up now I have to log in individual as each child to view their progress. Just a minor inconvenience, but for long-term use it’d be nice to be able to see all students at once.

Watch out for

Remember that “fact family” in this program appears to mean different things depending on which operation you’re working on. In addition, the fact family of 0 – 3 includes problems that have answers between 0 – 3. For example, the problem 3+1 would not be in the “0-3 fact family” because its answer is 4. In subtraction, the fact family of 0 – 3 includes problems using operands that are between 0 – 3 (in our experience of using this level, on worksheets using fact family 0 – 3 there were no subtraction problems that resulted in an answer of 3 and I found that true of other fact families in

Note that if you have a child that shuts down when being timed, there is also a “no time limit'” option. Some crew members have used the timing feature and simply placed a sticky note on the screen to hide the timer.

The creator stresses that daily drill and repetition is what will solidify math facts in the student’s mind. Daily.

If you have an extremely competitive child (like I do), watch out for frustration when their time on a set of worksheets increases rather than decreases. Feel free to use my line: “the problems were different on this worksheet than the last!”

Again, the software is currently only available for Windows. Mac users will be glad to know that an online version is in the works!

Be sure to

Download a trial version here, which will give you access to the first fact family in each of Levels 1, 2 and 3.

You can read more about her story here, including who the “mad dog” really was.

Click here to read more about using the program at home.

Check out their other offerings here (including a handy timer and motivation certificates).

Company contact info

Mad Dog Math
4562 Ocana Avenue
Lakewood, CA 90713
(562) 533-5772
julie@maddogmath.com

www.MadDogMath.com

You can also contact them online here.

Final thoughts

Knowing math facts is such an integral part of future success in upper level mathematics that I jump on any opportunity to reinforce those facts in my girls. This is a simple yet fun program that accomplishes just that.

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

WonderMaps by Bright Ideas Press (TOS Review)

2011-05-16T21:51:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wished for a set of maps that was completely customizable? One set of maps on which you could isolate geographic features, rivers, boundaries, cities, etc., instead of page after page (or atlas after atlas) of different maps? Wish no more – Bright Ideas Press’ newest product provides just what you wished for!

Product Details

WonderMaps by Bright Ideas Press is a customizable set of 350 maps (60+ world maps, 60+ USA maps, and 125 historical maps (including 25 Biblical maps), and the complete (yes, I said complete!) map sets from Volumes I – III of The Mystery of History (“MOH”) and Volumes 1-2 of All American History). WonderMaps is available from Bright Ideas Press in download and/or CD format for $49.95. If you’re a TOS subscriber, check your most recent issue for a discount code. (If you’re not a TOS subscriber, why not? It’s an awesome homeschooling magazine!)

How does it work?

First, you choose the type of map you want (World Continents/Regions/Nations, USA, Historical Maps, or Thematic Maps).

The above picture results from a choice of World Continents/Regions/Nations. Next, choose the particular map you’d like. On this map, clicking on the blue text will zoom in, and clicking on the black text will open a new map. Let’s choose Oceania, then choose Australia – here’s what we get:

The map appears with all “layers” selected. Deselect individual map components to start peeling away the layers. From here you choose to delete information regarding state borders, state names, city/town locations, city/town names, rivers, river names, terrain, etc. Each click of a button displays a new map. You can also choose from color or black/white overlay. Click away every item, and you’re left with an outline map of Australia.

That explanation may have been a bit confusing, so here’s a tutorial video that will help explain how WonderMaps works:

What I like

My girls like to sit at the computer and click the optional “layers” on and off to see what the maps look like with/without certain features. While they’re doing that, they’re absorbing geography knowledge without even realizing it.

Love that I can print the MOH maps and don’t have to cut up my MOH books!

With the click of a button, I can have a different map. Quick and easy. For instance, we can review the names and locations of USA rivers, then I can off the “river names” layer with one quick click, print the map (or view it online), and do a quick test to see what they remember.

Bright Ideas Press has proven they have great customer service. Crew members have pointed out some errors, and they’ve been quick to respond.

We’re studying American History next year. I can choose “Thematic Maps”, “American History”, and with one more click I can see a map of the 13 Colonies Original Land Claims, or the Atlantic Slave Trade, or American Civil War Battlesites, or the Missouri Compromise, or….well, you get the idea.

Indexes of maps. Both the World Continents/Regions/Nations maps and USA maps offer an alphabetical index; the Historical Maps have a chronological index; and the Thematic maps have a thematic index. The indices make it quick and easy to find what you need. Note sometimes it takes a little time to adjust to what will be included in World maps and what will be included in historical maps.

I wish…

I wish they would call Australia Australia! On some maps that show continent names, Australia isn’t shown and instead is “lumped in” with “Oceania”. I think that’s really confusing for a child studying the continents.

The icon that is placed on your desktop at installation was a map-related image. Maybe I did something wrong, but my icon looks like a blank page with an arrow. A visual cue to help more easily find the desktop icon to launch the program would be great.

Watch out for

WonderMaps is an interactive, pdf-based program and requires Adobe Reader version 9.1 or above. If you don’t have this version, you can download it for free here.

Watch out for geography. With WonderMaps, it will become addictive.

The Mystery of History and All American History maps are not customizable, as they are identical to the maps included in the MOH and AAH volumes.

Not all maps have all “layers.”

Be sure to

Check your most recent edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine for a coupon. If you don’t have one, don’t worry – WonderMaps is worth every penny of the full price.

Check out the other offerings of Bright Ideas Press – Illuminations, Mystery of History, All American History, Christian Kids Explore… Click here to go to their online store.

Read a little bit about the Bright Ideas Press gang here.

Check out the articles, e-zine archives, workshop handouts, and other great offerings here.

Check out the Bright Ideas Press blog here.

If (when!) you purchase WonderMaps, be sure to register with Bright Ideas Press – that will make you eligible for free updates.

Company Contact Info

Bright Ideas Press
PO Box 333
Cheswold, DE 19936
Toll-free at 877.492.8081
Office hours: Monday - Friday. 8:30am - 5:00pm EST
www.BrightIdeasPress.com

You can also contact them online here.

Final thoughts

Love this program. I foresee using it for years to come. WonderMaps is….wonderful!

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

I Can Study 1 Samuel Alone With God (TOS Review)

2011-04-29T23:05:00.000-05:00

When I heard I was on the list to review a product for Greek 'n' Stuff, I trembled at the thought of teaching my girls Greek. I've long admired Greek 'n' Stuff for their quality language programs because I've heard excellent reviews, but wasn't sure I was ready to tackle Greek (especially on top of the Latin that we're already studying in our co-op). I was pleasantly surprised (and, admittedly, a tad relieved) to discover that Greek 'n' Stuff also publishes a great line of Bible studies for children, written by Karen Mohs, titled Alone With God Bible Studies.

Product Details

The I Can Study 1 Samuel consists of 39 weekly lessons, broken into three parts, with assignments for each day (Monday through Saturday). Each week a section of the book of 1 Samuel is assigned, and each day's assignment starts with a reminder to pray, then recitation of the memory verse(s) for the week (not necessarily taken from 1 Samuel). Each daily lesson includes several questions to answer from the week's passage, and each weekly lesson also includes several thought-provoking questions (sometimes including a bit of knowledge about the time, culture or geography) and a "think and pray about it" section which serves to make the kids think about real life application of what they've learned. The 1 Samuel study is available here for $21.95, and is available in KJV or NIV.

What I like

That each and every day's assignment begins with a reminder to pray and ask God to help you study his Word. How often we just delve in out of obligation to do our "daily quiet time," without asking for wisdom and guidance in studying God's Word. I'd love to instill in my girls the habit of seeking wisdom early in their lives.

I like that, as the name implies, my oldest was usually able to study the book of 1 Samuel alone. The way the study is set up allowed her to do a little at a time, by herself, and she felt good about that. Rather than having me instruct her on what she should study, she took the initiative and did it herself. Granted, we never completed a week's lesson in a week, and she often needed help with interpretating the questions and sometimes searching out the answer, but that's okay with me - we should learn how to search the Scriptures. She still did a great job, as this was her first verse-by-verse Bible study.

Note that while this study is targeted to upper elementary, I think it can cover a wider age range it appears to me to be fairly easily simplified for younger students or beefed up for older students.

Watch out for

The study is entirely in black/white. My oldest, who has a few sensory issues, was fine with it. My somewhat hyper younger daughter, who likes all things brightly colored, sometimes had trouble focusing because it didn't keep her attention due to the lack of color and because most of the pages are set up similarly.

If you have a younger child who wants to do this study, consider using the NIV for the simpler language. The study is targeted to upper elementary-aged students, but my 3rd grader wasn't happy about being left out of a Bible study opportunity, so I ordered an extra copy of the study for her. She had some trouble studying the KJV, an I suspect the NIV would have been a tad easier for her to use.

Be sure to

View the complete Greek 'n' Stuff catalog here.

View sample pages for this study here (using KJV) and here (using the NIV).

Check out the rest of the Alone with God Bible studies here.

Final thoughts

I really liked this study, and hope that they publish more in this series. What a great gift to our children to teach them to do independent Bible studies while they are young!

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

Disclaimer: As part of the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received the product described in this review (in pre-production form) at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.

See the Light - Art Class (TOS Review)

2011-04-22T22:31:00.007-05:00

Like most kids, my girls love creating. For some reason I find it challenging to make time for art - that's one reason I was excited to learn we'd be reviewing a sample of the art lessons from See the Light.

We received the first DVD (Volume 1: The Basics) in the1-year Art Class DVD set, and immediately upon starting the DVD the girls were hooked.

Product Details

Art Class includes 9 DVDs, with each DVD containing 4 regular lessons for a total of 36 regular lessons. The first three DVDs also include a bonus lesson. The Art Class set is available here for $99.95. An online subscription is also available for $10 per month, which will unlock 4 lessons per month (you can also view prior lessons). Payment by Paypal is required for the online subscription.

The lessons contain step-by-step instructions taught by Master Artist Pat Knepley. Each lesson is approximately 15 minutes and provides follow-up activities for more practice on the techniques taught in that lesson.

The target age for this series is 6-10, but I think that upper age range is a bit low - since I enjoyed them and learned some things, I think older kids would like them too, especially those without any practical art instruction.

What's covered on each DVD?

Volume 1 - The Basics
Volume 2 - Shape and Space
Volume 3 - Value and Color
Volume 4 - Color Blending Techniques
Volume 5 - Proportions for Composition
Volume 6 - Texture and Form
Volume 7 - Perspective for Landscape
Volume 8 - Balance and Foreshortening
Volume 9 - The Portrait

You can see detail on the lessons included on each DVD here or here (click on each DVD for a summary of its contents). The DVD that we reviewed (the first in the series) included:

Lesson 1 - Tools of the Trade: the basic things you need to have on hand to be ready to draw

Lesson 2 - It All Starts with a Line: instruction on different qualities of a line and about contour drawing

Lesson 3 - Contours & Composition: how to train your eyes and hands to be in sync and work on a composition

Lesson 4 - Draw What You See: how to draw a contour drawing of a shoe.

Bonus Lesson - Chalk Artist Gloria Kohlmann teaches how to draw “Cross Hill,” the art shown on The Crossmaker DVD

Find out more about the Art Class lessons in this video:

What I like

Pat's teaching style - it's friendly and engaging and, most importantly, easy to undersatnd.

I like the step-by-step instructions. I was very impressed with what the girls were able to do after only watching the DVD once. Check out their very first attempts:

Apples!

Shoes!

I like that it gives the girls confidence to draw- just look at those smiling faces!

My favorite thing is that this is an art curriculum that we can and will actually use. I have a couple others that sit on the bookshelf and taunt me.

I wish...

There was an optional workbook containing more practice suggestions for each technique, and perhaps providing more information on the art history topics that were covered in the lesson. I know they use "no workbooks ever" as a selling point, but we like workbooks! I know I could find these things myself, but with my work schedule I like having the option to pay someone else to do it for me!

While I love the Biblical application and devotions provided by the artist, I wish it could be done primarily at the same time she's illustrating the concepts, rather than separately. The lessons are fairly short, so the girls wanted the entire lesson to be strictly art. Don't get me wrong - I love any and all opportunities for the girls to hear the Word - I just wish the art instruction itself would continue during the short devotion/discussion.

I hope the rest of the DVDs (remember that we only received Vol. 1) include a bit more art history.

Watch out for

Make sure to preview the lessons to make sure you have the necessary supplies on hand before you allow your kids to view the lesson. (I learned this the hard way - please learn from my mistake!) While most of the lessons can be done using only pencil and paper, it does add a lot to the lesson to have the suggested supplies

Be sure to

Click here to request the first DVD in the series for free!!

Check out other instructional yet fun stuff here.

Check out the free lessons available here.

Watch a replay of a recent webinar by The Old Schoolhouse and See the Light here - watch quick, as I believe this webinar will only be available for about six months. The webinar will give you much more information about the course and the topics included, plus there's a discount code mentioned!

Be sure to watch the website for new products - I understand Art Class 2 (along with several other is in the works!

Check out the Bible story DVDs, containing a Bible story told through art and art lessons. Available now are The Crossmaker (the story of Easter, which includes lessons on creative lettering, chalk pastels and water color) and The Gift of Love (the story of Christmas, which includes lessons on creative lettering, colored pencils and chalk-art techniques). I understand more Bible story DVDs will be available soon.

Final thoughts

This is the first art curriculum that I've felt really comfortable with. The girls can learn art techniques without waiting for me to get my act together (other than making sure I have the correct items on hand for them to use), so they're thrilled!

I'm putting the complete Art Class series on my wish list. When I get it, I'll bless another family by sharing the duplicate Volume 1 we'll receive with the set.

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

Nutrition 101: Choose Life! (TOS Review)

2011-04-20T21:14:00.016-05:00

Take one look at me and you can tell nutrition hasn't been high on my priority list for the last several years. With my 50th birthday looming, the thought has (briefly) crossed my mind that (perhaps) I should take better care of myself. After all, I have two little girls who need their mommy to stick around for a long time. You'd think that thought alone would be enough for me to improve my eating habits (not to mention making sure that my girls have the right foods to eat). Just hearing that certain things are bad for me hasn't seemed to make much difference. I guess I need the proverbial dump truck to back up and dump its load on my head to get the point across.

Nutrition 101: Choose Life! appears to be that dump truck. This 448-page family nutrition and health program, by Growing Healthy Homes, explains not only the basics of starting and maintaining a healthy diet, but also provides the reasons for having a healthy diet.

Product Details

Nutrition 101: Choose Life! consists of 448 pages chock full of information not only about diet, but also about how our bodies work and the way what we consume affects our bodies.

It is available in printed/bound form for $99.95, on a CD for $79.95, and a combination of the two formats (printed and CD) is available for $129.95 (the combination set would be my preference, because I like printed books, but I also like the flexibility of printing specific pages from the .pdf).

Don't let sticker shock over the price deter you. This book, in my opinion, is worth every penny. This study is not the customary anatomy textbook - it is a beautiful, interesting and compelling introduction to (or reminder of) the importance of diet and nutrition and of taking care of your God-given body. It is set up in a similar fashion to a unit study, and contains six units covering the 12 main body systems:

Unit 1: The Brain and Nervous System

Unit 2: The Digestive System

Unit 3: The Respiratory, Olfactory, Auditory and Visual Systems

Unit 4: The Muscular and Skeletal Systems

Unit 5: The Cardiovascular and Immune Systems

Unit 6: The Endocrine System and Emotions

Each unit is divided into chapters which include such things as how each body system functions, what it needs to function properly and efficiently, the effects of the food we eat on the body system, discussion questions, activities, and recipes.

The book also includes an activity guide, which serves as an answer key for the activities. Beginning on page 305, the book provides a wealth of reference information in the form of appendices, including such things as how to select fresh produce, an alkaline/acid chart, sugar alternatives, cancer, sleep, spices for good health, healthy home resources, and too many other references to list.

The following video will tell you more about Nutrition 101: Choose Life!

What I like

Tons of incredible information. Tons.

The chapters are intended to be completed in a week, but there is so much information (and so many potential rabbit trails to follow!) that we are going slower than that, and have found it easy to adapt to a longer schedule. I also plan to go through the entire book now as an overview (not doing all the activities or following all those beloved rabbit trails), and then go back through it when the girls are a bit older and do a more in-depth study.

The discussion questions sparked lots of great conversation, and the activities and recipes inspired several very interesting trips to the grocery store!

One of the more interesting things we have done so far was to make our usual list and shop as we normally do, then go back and look at everything in our cart to see if there was a healthier alternative. I think it was an eye-opener for my girls!

My girls, especially my youngest, loves to experiment in the kitchen. We're enjoying trying the recipes included in the book. Not all of them are being readily accepted, but I'm hopeful. I've always enforced the "three bites, four times" rule - when I serve something new, they have to take three bites of it. After the fourth time I serve it, if their reaction is still "yuck", I don't force them to eat it. Because of this rule, my oldest will now eat her weight in asparagus. I'm hoping that rule will allow us to introduce many of these new recipes into our regular menu.

I was struck by the vividness of the pictures in this study. It truly is a beautiful book.

I wish…

I have not yet read this entire book (remember - it's 448 pages!), but so far I can't think of anything I would do to improve this book. My only wish might be that my girls would accept all of the changes we need to make. My kids, like many others, are fairly picky eaters - but I think any improvement will be a great start!

Be sure to

Attend the webinar hosted by The Old Schoolhouse tomorrow, April 21 from 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT, with Sera Johnson (one of the authors of Nutrition 101: Choose Life!). Register for the webinar here!!

Read an excerpt (including the complete Table of Contents) here.

Growing Healthy Homes has provided a 15% off coupon for your use! Use the code TOScrew11 and you'll be given the same discount you would receive at a homeschool conference!

Check out upcoming conferences where you can see this and other products from Growing Healthy Homes. Click here to see upcoming events (be sure to click "next 5 events" at the bottom of the page).

Click here to stay up to date with current news from Growing Healthy Homes.

Final thoughts

If my health/nutrition class in school had used a book this interesting, I'd know a lot more about how my body works and what it needs - and would probably be a lot healthier. It's never too late, though, so I'll be implementing as many of the suggestions as possible into my family's diet.

It bears repeating - this book is worth every penny of its price.

Thoughts of my crew mates

To see other reviews of this product, click here. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

Meet me on Monday - 4.4.11

2011-04-04T22:05:00.000-05:00

Here's a fun weekly meme that I also hope to participate in - kind of a "get to know me" meme. Click on the pic above to get to know other bloggers!

1. If you had to eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Wow. I'm not even sure how to begin contemplating that. There's no one thing that sticks out that I could survive the rest of my life on. If it could be a food type, then maybe mexican - but I don't think I can narrow it down any further than that!

2. Do you write your blog posts in advance or the day you post them?

Last minute. Almost every single time. Sometimes I get started early, but finishing always goes down to the wire. One of these days I'll surprise myself and be finished early.

3. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?

Thankfully, no - and I'm not looking forward to that first time.

4. What is your favorite candle scent?

Cucumber Melon. I also like Clean Cotton, but somehow Cucumber Melon always makes me happy.

5. Coffee or tea?

Another hard one! I can't survive without my coffee - often the coffee's caffeine plus the loads of sugar that I put in it are the only things that keep me going. But I am a Southern girl, so I also love my sweet tea. Can I pass on this question?

Goal Planning Monday - 4.4.11

2011-04-04T15:41:00.001-05:00

Here's my second post for Goal Planning MOnday. How'd I do on my first goals which I set, ahem, over a month ago?

Epic fail. Almost. I did manage to get our new mattresses ordered - this past Saturday, when I realized I wasn't going to be able to report that I accomplished any of my goals. In 4-5 weeks, My Hero and I will be sleeping on a comfy, new mattress. Did I mention that the mattress set we're using is the same one I purchased when I moved out on my own the first time 25 years? It was time for a new mattress.

Clean slate now. No going back to the old goals, even though they're in the back of my mind.

New goals for this week:

1 - avoid big projects at work. I've been working 40+ hours a week since at least mid-January (often more than that - one week was 90 hours!), and I'm supposed to be part-time. I miss my children. I miss my family. I miss my sleep! So the goal this week is to avoid any more big projects and to attempt to communicate that I really want my part-time job back, at least for the foreseeable future.

2 - decide on color/stain for new kitchen cabinets. All that overtime I've worked since January will be paying for new kitchen cabinets and new granite countertops. I can't pick a granite color until we pick cabinets. Maple or cherry? I was sure My Hero would go for Maple, but lo and behold he picked cherry! Now I'm afraid it will make my kitchen look like a cave if I pick the granite that was my favorite, because it's dark. So, hopefully we'll have time this week to go look at cabinet options.

3 - clean the house. You can imagine how it looks with me working so many hours.

4 - accomplish goal #3. I thought cleaning the house deserved two spots on the goal list.

No more goals for this week. I think that's enough!

Hopefully I'll be more successful with this list than I was with the last one!

Thanks to Mama Manuscripts for getting me started on goal setting Mondays!

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

2011-04-02T14:51:00.001-06:00

So much for doing this meme every week. I did my first and only post in this in late February, and here it is early April! Oh well, the best laid plans, right?

In my life this week...

It was a tremendously busy week at work - 50+ hours, a lot when I'm supposed to be part-time. Actually, most of my weeks so far this year have been 60+ weeks, so I should be thankful that last week was "better." Of course, I took yesterday off, or my hours would have been higher.

Punkin's woke up yesterday morning with pinkeye, and her skin is infected again. Ugh. We are both so tired of struggling with her eczema. And if I hear one more person ask me "have you tried putting lotion on it?" I may just scream. Yes, thank you, we've tried pretty much every lotion on the market, or at least it seems like it. Currently we're testing for gluten sensitivity. I'm praying the test is positive - it will be hard to go gluten-free, but if that would help her skin, it'd be worth it. In the meantime, she's on yet another antibiotic and yet another course of oral steroids - both for extended periods this time.

In our homeschool this week...

We started in earnest reviewing our Classical Conversations memory work so that both girls could try for Memory Master. I was surprised at how much they have learned. They are still struggling with geography, so I'm not sure they'll make it to Memory Master. Punkin is ready to give up because she doesn't think she can do it (another side effect of severe eczema - lack of self worth). I'm encouraging her to keep trying, but pushing her too hard makes her nervous, which makes her itchy, which doesn't help. We'll see, I guess.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

No new places this week. We are, however, planning our next trip to Europe. My precious, globe-trotting mother-in-law will be in Italy in September, so we're seriously thinking of going there this year instead of Germany. Or maybe split our time between Italy and Germany. Of course, we couldn't do this kind of trip but for the fact that we can stay for free. If we truly get to go to Italy, I'm planning for us to take a side trip to Rome for 3-4 days - what a special treat to see in person some of what we've studied in ancient history!

Well, one new thing did happen this week - the Awana Grand Prix race was last night. My Hero took Puddin and, since Punkin was sick, the Awana folks were kind enough to allow him to enter Punkin's car too. Puddin won all of her group races (awesome for the first time she's ever participated!), but her overall score wasn't good enough to win a trophy or prize. My Hero took her to Braum's afterward to improve morale.

My favorite thing this week was...

Last night Punkin wasn't feeling well. She wanted to read, so we crawled into bed together. Just this week I downloaded 60+ free G.A. Henty books to my Kindle, and recently I had downloaded several Beatrix Potter books. I grabbed the Kindle and read a Beatrix Potter story to her, and she wanted me to read more. As I started looking for the next Kindle book, she said "Can we read a real book?" Bless her! I worry about all the e-readers replacing printed books, but that one statement told me I've instilled a love of books in her - one of my main goals when I started homeschooling.

What's working/not working for us...

My working so many hours is not working for us. It's working financially, but it feels like (to me) that everything else is falling apart. Unfortunately, I can't quit working just yet. Praying that that happens soon...

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

Our Classical Conversations co-op will be on Cycle 3 next year - U.S. history, Columbus through today. Recently I ordered the ancient history Mystery of History curriculum. I want the girls to have an overall picture of how Biblical history fits with world history, and I wanted to start at the beginning. Now, though, I'm wondering if I shouldn't have ordered the Mystery of HIstory that would fit in with the time period that we'll be studying in co-op.

Decisions, decisions...

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

Those of you with children who take what you say literally will appreciate this.

Puddin has been reading a book I picked up at some point called 365 TV-Free Activities You Can do With Your Child (by Steve & Ruth Bennett). The activities are fairly quick and easy, but entertaining. Puddin also likes all things that have to do with the kitchen - cooking, mixing, etc. She found an activity describing how to make "oobleck." What's that, you say? It's a mixture of cornstarch and water that makes "glop." She found an unopened can of cornstarch in our pantry, and proceeded to make oobleck. My only requests when she were done was that she (1) clean up and (2) put the remainder of the cornstarch in a plastic bag.

She did a fairly good job of cleaning up. Here's the result of my request to put the remaining cornstarch in a plastic bag:

There's absolutely no argument that she did what I asked her to do.

Until next time..

Ultimate Blog Party 2011!!

2011-04-01T18:48:00.001-06:00

I love a good party! I don't attend many parties now that I'm a mom (well, honestly, I never really attended that many parties), but as any mom knows having children is a party in and of itself. But I do love an online party...and a blog party is right up my alley!

Enter the Ultimate Blog Party 2011. It's a great way to introduce yourself and your blog and a great way to virtually meet other moms whose blogs might interest you - whether it's product reviews and giveaways, specialty blogs, business blogs, or daily life blogs, there's something for everyone!

My blog has been fairly neglected recently, as "real life" has gotten in the way - most of my recent posts are product reviews, but that will change soon. I'm a homeschooling mom who also works outside the home, and my work schedule has recently gone from 20 hours a week to 70+ hours a week which has left time for only the basics. I started my blog as a journal of our homeschooling lives so that our family in Europe could keep up with our girls' accomplishments, activities and antics. I hope you'll come back and visit once things get back to normal.

In the meantime, go visit the UBP11 and discover some new friends!