Eagles Wings ~~ Exploring God's Creation ~~

When this curriculum arrived, and I began to flip through it...... I smiled a satisfied mommy smile.....  the one where you can tell after about 5 minutes of flipping, you are really going to like this.......
Exploring God's Creation is a great science curriculum.  You can use it with 2nd to 7th graders.  It is such a great spring board for in depth study.

It covers everything from the creation to the parts of a cell.  The Curriculum is comprised of a Teacher's Manual, a student consumable book, and a CD with songs.  Have I ever told you how much I love teachers manuals?  Well I do..... they make my heart happy.

 I loved that the Teacher's Manual contained the text, it was a delight for my struggling reader to be free from reading in science.  The student book contains worksheets but some of them are actually projects, making this a very hands on way to learn.  I appreciated the Digging deeper section.  There were great ideas to expand the learning process.  Books to check out from the library or activities to try.  We chose to learn about the Universe while we were reviewing the product, and we made a star projector,  the solar system...and a volcano!

If you are a parent of a multi-level homeschool....  Exploring God's Creation might just be perfect for you.  It would be so easy to adapt to each student's grade level and eliminate the need for 5 different textbooks lying around.  The Student Book is fully reproducible, or you can purchase additional books for $13.95... that is VERY affordable !!  I only used it with one child, but I look forward to using it again with my youngest in a few years. 



The whole package is $29.95, and the CD is included.  The CD was a great way for kids to have little ditty's to remember lessons with.  I was very thankful that someone else was singing these songs..... because I tried to make up some tunes to the songs as they were listed in the Teacher's Manual....  and well.......  let's just say my singing and tune creating abilities need to remain confined to the shower.... (wink, wink)

We will definitely continue to use this science curriculum through the summer months.  We really have enjoyed our time with it over the last month.

For more information and to see some of the other products that Eagles Wings has to offer visit their website www.eagleswingsed.com and click on Products. 
Don't forget to stop by the TOS Homeschool Crew blog and see what other families are saying about Exploring God's Creation.

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as a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received Exploring God's Creation, free of charge, for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation has been received.  All opinions are my own.
*****

Reading Street ~~~~ Pearson Education

Pearson Education gave members of the TOS Homeschool Crew the chance to review several of their products.  Our family was chosen to review their Second Grade Language Arts, student texts, Reading Street 2.1 and 2.2 by Scott Foresman.


***I believe that it is only fair to mention that these books are completely mainstream Public School textbooks.  They are created to be used in conjunction with a certain method of teaching, and usually are accompanied by teachers manuals.***

Each Textbook costs $43.47
A two book set is $86.97
DVD-ROM Version of the texts $86.97
Weekly Tests Student edition $ 7.97
Weekly Test Teacher Manual $41.47
Unit Teacher Manual $38.47 each (12 volumes in set)

 

What I did like:

• Units were well organized.
• Broad Range of Literary Choices.  (Poetry, Folk Tales, Fiction, Non-Fiction)
• Built in Grammar Reinforcement
• Writing and review sections.
• Very colorful pages
• The stories were all very age appropriate.

Hunter did enjoy reading out of these books.  The non-fiction pieces were his particular favorites.  It is likely that we will refer to them again and use them as supplemental reading.  We, however, prefer books that are less textbook-ey. (how is that for a new word?)

Suggestions:

• A more user friendly website.  It is very geared to the purchasing departments of large public school systems.
• Make Teachers guide samples available.  Homeschool parents often need to just see a small model to better understand how the product is intended to be used. 
• Homeschool Friendly pricing. The cost as it stands now, is very prohibitive to the home education population.

While I was not supplied with Teachers Guides.... (and I understand why.... they are very expensive)  The books as they stand alone, are not difficult to use.  We would read a story, and then talk about it.  If it was long we would divide it into 2 days.  We would orally go over the Reader Response questions.  The writing section walks you through building a composition nicely.  These books are an enjoyable way to expose your child to many different types of literature, especially if you take the time to read more books from the featured authors, throughout the school year.

While I don't feel that this type of textbook teaching is the best fit for our family, I know there are many people who homeschool very successfully with them.  If you think this product would be a fit for your family, please visit the Pearson Education website and see some of the many products they have to offer.

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog to read more reviews about this product and others by Pearson Education.

***

as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received the two student texts for Reading Street, free of charge,  for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation has been received.  All of the above opinions are my own.

***

Word Qwerty

Talking Fingers has created a Reading and Spelling Software for children aged 7-9 or in the Second and Third Grades. Word Qwerty picks up right were Read, Write and Type, another product from Talking Fingers, finishes.

Comprised of 20 lessons, Word Qwerty focuses on teaching the following spelling rules:

•   Silent E
• Sounds of C
• Sounds of G
• J or DGE
• W or WH
• C or K
• CK or K
• CKS or X
• CH or TCH
• LL, SS, FF, ZZ
• OI or OY
• VE Words
• Open Syllables
• Double Consonants
• Doubling rule
• ER, IR, OR, UR, EAR
• I Before E
• Plurals: Add ES
• Plurals: Y to IES
• Plurals: F to VES

There are many different games your child will play to help reinforce all of the spelling rules.  Hunter's favorite game was the balloon pop.  The program gives you a sentence, and you have to recognize each different word in in the sentence on a balloon.  Don't go too fast.....because the program tries to trick you !!!  you have to watch carefully to make sure that you have the right word before you pop! 

Games like the one above were great to help him discriminate between the beginning sounds of words, something that Hunter does struggle with.  He was able to see the word... and a picture to match the word, and then place it in the right list.

There were portions of the program that Hunter was very frustrated with.  There was a dictation game, and if you didn't type as fast as the program thought you should be.... It would talk to you and tell you to put your hand is a certain spot on the keyboard... (which is where they were but Hunter did not type fast enough.)  He would become very aggravated !!  It would halt his progress, because it would "freeze" the screen while it reminded you how to type.... and then you would have to begin again.  After a few weeks of playing and trying to get faster.... I would eventually just sit and type out those games for him.  He could repeat back what the game said.... just not input it in quickly enough.  Nor did he spell well enough to not have the game beep at him 50 times in a sentence.

If you would like to see the games played, they have created a video for parents to actually see the program in action.  To see a video of Word Qwerty click here.

Talking Fingers offers Word Qwerty in two different formats.

The online version which is a five year subscription

Or you can purchase a CD version.  ( note it is NOT  compatible with Windows 7 or Mac 10.6)

I really feel that Talking Fingers has done a great job and keeping their program affordable... especially for those families with multiple children in the 7-9 age range.  Their program is entertaining, and doesn't feel like you are doing the same thing over and over again.  As the parent, you can set the Mastery level from behind the scenes and build confidence by allowing your child to progress through the levels without becoming too frustrated with wrong answers.

While it wasn't an overall best fit for our family, there were many components we did like, and they DID reinforce and help Hunter grasp some of the spelling concepts.

Talking Fingers offers a variety of programs to teach typing, reading and spelling.  Stop by their website at http://www.talkingfingers.com/ and see their product list, or to contact them directly if you have additional questions.

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to see what other families have to say about how Word Qwerty worked for them during their school days.

*******

as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, Talking Fingers provided reviewers with limited time access to the online version of Word Qwerty.  This access was solely for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation was received.  All of the above opinions are my own.

Mad Dog Math

Mad Dog Math is a program designed reinforce math facts with your child. It is geared to grades K-5, but the struggling middle or high schooler might find it helpful as well.

There are several versions of Mad Dog Math available, if you need it for a co-op or classroom please visit their website http://www.maddogmath.com/ for more information.

In our home we used the down loadable Home software. It is available at three different prices.

A one year license: $19.99

2-years: $29.99

the forever license: $39.99

Mastery based, it begins with addition and moves through to division, breaking down fact families into bite sized pieces to master.


The goal is for the child to answer the problems in 2 minutes and then 1 and then eventually in 30 seconds. They can earn *stickers* as they complete different fact families. The time commitment for the program is only 10 minutes a day... freeing you up to work with another child for a few minutes or change over that load of laundry.

I appreciated the ease of download and set up and the small size it took up on the screen. It was also nice that the program moved from question to question.... enabling the child to move quickly through the problems. It is a very straight forward, fact learning program, that helps your child understand the WHOLE problem not just memorize an answer. I also feel the price is very reasonable

Even for all the things we liked about the program... I regret that it is not a fit for our family. Hunter was our primary user of this program, doesn't do speed timing so very well. He becomes very frustrated with not being able to meet the deadline.

I have also begun to realize that Hunter is a visual Right Brained learner. He can learn and practice facts forever, but unless he has a mental picture of the answer, it won't stick. Teaching him facts with BLANKS in them..... he will recall the BLANK and not the answer. This has led us to teach him math facts in a less flash card-ish ( is that a word?) type of way.

I know that this product was such a blessing to many families, and it may well be perfect for your family. Please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog and see what other families are saying about this great product.

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Mad Dog Math supplied members of the TOS Homeschool Crew with a version of their software for free, for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received, all of the above opinions are my own.

unlock a world of wonder with WONDERMAPS... by Bright Ideas Press.

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Now, in your best Superhero Narrator voice.... say  WON-der MAPS!!  because that is how I hear it in my head.  (sorry had to share that....  I will get on with the review now......)


Have you ever been working on a project and wished that you had map to go with it?  Ever wished you could just find a map of the States, or even just ONE state without having to comb through sixty websites to find on that could print to fit one page?

Well, I found it for you.  A map program that does all that and more.....

Bright Ideas Press....
one of the all time great curriculum providers for homeschoolers...... has hit it out of the park again..... with their new product WONDERMAPS.


This product WILL be used by every member of your family, no matter what grade level.  It will be used by your high schoolers as they work on New or Old Testament Survey courses.  It will be used by your elementary children as they learn about the States.  You, your husband, and your kids will use it for your personal bible studies....  it really is amazing.

A BRAND NEW product........priced at $49.95, for over 350 maps.....  It is a VERY worthwhile investment for your homeschool.
Let me see if I can explain to you what sets WONDERMAPS apart from the maps that you can get free off the Internet... ( Shhhhh don't tell anyone, I am a big freebie map finder.  I don't like to pay for maps.)  

{Reason 1 : }  Saves time!  Sometimes in my quest to never pay for maps... I spend half a day searching and searching for the perfect one with the perfect information for the lesson we are on.  I so easily forget that my TIME is WORTH something.  While I may not pay for the map in money..... I way over paid in TIME...  and believe me my laundry room, and kitchen are both wrecks because of it!

{Reason 2 :} I can't manipulate my "free" map.  WONDERMAPS......  is completely adjustable.  Each map is made up of a series of customizable layers.  So you can print in color... or black and white.... you can print topographically or not.  You may have latitude and longitude lines or not.  Take away state names or leave them.  Test on state capitals?  Print out maps with them.... and go back and create a test map to print with out them.  By far, I have to say that this is the BEST feature of the program.  Being able to make the EXACT map you need to fit your school needs.... is stupendous.

Check out the map of Australia here.....  to see the difference in some of the layering effects.

{Reason 3 :}   The program already contains maps from existing history curricula. 

If you use Mystery of History, or All American History....  WONDERMAPS has the maps loaded right in!  When I used MOH 1 a few years back.... I cut all the maps out of the back of the book with an exacto knife.... categorized them and have kept them neat for the last few years until the next child needed them.  While the maps are not available with layering.... they are EXACTLY like they are in the text book.  There are answer keys.....  Now with a few clicks you can have all your maps for the year printed and filed.... ready to go. I probably would have sold a kid to have something like this a few years back for MOH.... now with a child using it next year....  I can't wait to use WONDERMAPS to help make all the mapping lessons easier!

P.S.... if you register your product on the Bright Ideas Press website...... they will send you updates of new maps when they become available.   I hear a MOH 4 is in the works and they will send you the updates for that when they are available.


I really could go on and on... but I think it only fair to let you watch a tutorial of the product (the same one I viewed before beginning to use WONDERMAPS)  and see for yourself all of the great things that it can do.






Cool eh?  That is what I thought too after watching.... I couldn't wait to get started !   Oh and I almost forgot to mention that there is a Teachers Guide with lots of helpful ideas, and a sample Unit Study.  It even has a recipe for making salt dough maps!  You really could just cycle through all of the Themed Maps and use this program for Geography on its own. 

Head on over to Bright Ideas Press and see some of the other wonderful and affordable History, Science and Geography products that are available for use in your homeschool.

A big thank you to the folks who created WONDERMAPS....... you have cured me forever of searching endlessly on the Internet for maps.  I will now just open my WONDERMAPS and know that I have exactly what I will need all in one place.

Lots of other families reviewed WONDERMAPS in their homeschool.  Visit the TOS Homeschool Review Crew page to see what things they are saying about this product.

If you are a TOS Magazine subscriber.  Look in the Spring Edition...... There is a coupon for 20% off of WONDERMAPS

******
Bright Idea Press supplied TOS Homeschool Crew Members with access to WONDERMAPS free of charge for the purpose of this review. No other compensation has been received.  There is no obligation to provide a positive review.  All of the above opinions are my own.

End Eye Rolling with Institute for Excellence in Writing, Student Writing Intensive C !!

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So..........How are you doing with teaching writing to your kids?

Yeah.....  I feel ya....

*insert sheepish look here*  I haven't done the best either.

Trust me....  it is not for the lack of trying..........I have tried.

I bought books that said they were for reluctant writers.  I bought cute little notebooks.  I thought of creative writing prompts....  I begged, I pleaded, I cajoled......absolutely everything I tried to do to make writing  fun, engaging, interesting or creative.... was met with..........

EYE ROLLING..........  and those little pshahhhhhhhhh noises that sound like your teen has some how morphed  into a pressure cooker.....

So, after a few years of banging my head into the whiteboard on the wall........

I just gave up.  I figured that by the time they got to college....  a few failed papers would be a catalyst to sharpen their writing skills....

With absolutely nothing as a writing program in use for a year or two.... it was me who was rolling her eyes when I found out that I would be reviewing a writing program....

I will admit that I was scared....  afraid that again another program would be tried.... and that I wouldn't be able to get the kids interested in it.... and that there would be moments I would have to duct tape them to the couch so we could get through this...

I stand before you ( well sit really, because I have to sit to type....  I can't type standing.... but you get the point.....)  to say........

MY KIDS LOVED THIS PROGRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After the first two lessons they actually asked to do it.  They asked to do it on Saturday's!  (what? who does that?)

You know what I heard every single time they did the lessons?

Laughter.  blissful laughter.

They would laugh and laugh and laugh through the DVD's.    They walked around for weeks telling each other that someone was in deep yogurt.....

It wasn't just laughter.... that was happening as they watched Andrew Pudewa teach.....  There was LEARNING !!!  Delivered in an easy conversational style, Mr. Pudewa draws the students in and makes the learning of writing skills enjoyable.  Clearly, a talent I lack.

For this review we used the Student Writing Intensive C.  This course is designed for high school students that, for whatever reason, need a jump start in writing.  It was filmed during a week long class, but it is broken up into a very manageable lessons.  They even include a 30 week schedule for you to use the program over the course of an entire school year!  It was a wonderful thing not to have to think about creating a schedule.  All we had to do was follow the one that was already created for us!

Things I   liked  loved! :

• There were teacher notes to go with EVERY lesson.... this made me look exceptionally smart to my already hip, and knowing everything teens.
• There was a teacher..... and this time it wasn't me ! 
• Lots of samples
• There was a notebook where my children could keep all their writing work in one place!!  ( AMEN!)
• The portable wall
• It was a pain .......and eye rolling free curriculum

What the kids have to say about it :

Evan (17, and a junior) :  I enjoyed the straight forward delivery style of this program.  It was funny, and engaging.  I have fallen asleep during other attempts to learn about writing.  This program was too interesting to sleep through.

Tayler (15, and a sophomore) : I like it. It was a fun way of learning how to write.  Mr. Pudewa made learning something that can be confusing, easy. 

Student Writing Intensive Level C is available for $99.  For that price you receive the 4 discs of  DVD lessons and a teacher's notebook that contains all the student handouts and dividers.

 Additional student books are sold for $18.  In my opinion.... if you have more than one student, just buy the extra notebook.  We copied pages for this review... and for the cost of printer ink these days.... the $18 is worth every single cent, not to mention your time copying page after page.

IEW also sent us this nifty Portable Wall.  It has all the whiteboard information on it.  I was amazed at how often it was referred to, especially when the kids were writing and editing their compositions.  The Portable Wall is available for $7.  I recommend one per student using the program.... we shared... but it was hard when they were both working on something.  It would have been nice to have two.

Ever generous in the material that they supplied for us to review, IEW also included the DVD titled; Structure and Style Overview. At only $10, I strongly suggest you purchase it.  Think of it as teacher's notes. Taken from a seminar, and with handouts available for download,  it is Andrew Pudewa teaching parents how to teach writing. Can I get an AMEN ?!?  It is a shortened version of Teaching Writing: Structure and Style ($169).  But it goes along very nicely with SWI Level C.

I can not possibly list here all of the products that are available by Institute for Excellence in Writing.  I can only offer up that if they are all to the caliber we experienced with this program.  They are worth the time, and money to be used in your homeschool.  Please take the time to visit their website and see the many products that are available.   http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/

Read what other families are saying about this product and other writing products by IEW, by visiting the Homeschool Crew blog.

If you have other more specific questions regarding the material, please feel free to leave me a comment.  I will answer them all to the best of my ability.


*****
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received the above products from IEW, for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation has been given.

Monki See ~ Reading DVD's for babies.

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Monki See is a fun and interactive product produced by Intellectual Baby, llc.   We were given the opportunity to review their Volume 1 DVD, Baby's First Words which is available for $19.95.  Monki See also included their book Know Your Monkey for us to review as well.  It is available for $9.95.

These products have been created for children ages 3 months to 3 years old.  They are however, geared to help your child begin to learn how to read during that special window of time between birth and 5 years old when children learn many things with ease.

In our home, Jeremiah (age 4) was the primary user.  The first few times that he watched the DVD he was not to interested in it.  At. ALL. Being at the top of their age range, I wasn't surprised.   However, over time he became more entranced.  I found that if I sat with him through the show, he was more likely to watch it to completion.  He would  become most distracted during the baby items sequence... since bottles and pacifiers are not really on his radar anymore. 

He did enjoy the remainder of the words that were on the DVD and would instruct me to touch my "cheets", "net" or "ton" like the kids did on the "moobee". He even declared "dis show" to be his "favwit" on more than one occasion. 

Jeremiah really enjoyed the book Know Your Monkey, and asked for it to be read to him often.  His 8 year old brother would read it to him when I was not available.  He has the pages fairly memorized, and that is one of  the first steps to reading on his own. 

I like the idea of teaching children to read at a young age,(before 5) and I would agree that this program could do that very thing.  I would have enjoyed a bit more time to review the product to see if we could achieve some concrete word recognition...  we will continue to use it, and I will update you in a later post as to how Jeremiah's word only, with no picture, recognition is coming along.

Monki See has put together an incredible deal they call the Reading Kit  it is available for only $139.95.  If you are planning on using this with more than one child it is quite a good investment.

It contains over 800 words for your baby to learn and set them on the path to greatness!

Stop by http://www.monkisee.com/ and see if their product is a fit for your family, and don't forget to read what other families are saying at the Homeschool Review Crew site.



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as a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a Monki See DVD and book, free of charge for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation has been received.  All of the above opinions are those of the people who tested and used the product.

Art Class by See the Light

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See the Light has come up with a way to help homeschooled children have Art Lessons right in their own home.

Art Class is a 9 Disc Set comprised of 36 individual Art Lessons.



Each lesson is about 15 minutes in length, and it does offer ideas of what to practice drawing after the video lesson is over.  I would suggest watching one lesson a week and practicing a few other days during the week, for reinforcement.

I was given Volume 1 to review.  It starts out with the basic tools you will need to use with the program.  Most of the items could very easily be purchased inexpensively when school supplies are on sale in August.  Every item that was listed in the first lesson, we already had lying around the house in our everyday supplies.

From gathering supplies to the basic way to hold a pencil, the lessons swiftly progress. Moving through the drawing of lines and shading.... to contour and composition, then drawing what you see, not what you know. 

We were also given a preview disc that shows a wide variety of excerpts from Volumes 2 ~ 9.  This preview disc had my two artsy ones literally drooling.... and creatively begging me to get the whole course.




HOW WE USED THIS ART CLASS:

As soon as it arrived and was out of the package, I think it sat on the kitchen counter for maybe 30 seconds.  My 15 year old daughter grabbed it and plugged it into the computer to watch.  She watched the first two lessons in rapid succession.  At this point she was joined by my 8 year old son, who was just as enthralled. 

In following weeks the two of them would get their art pads and watch it in the living room on the TV....  Tayler (15) was much more diligent with the follow up practice than Hunter (8) was, but the each had different goals.  Tayler was looking to practice for mastery of the skill, and Hunter was just trying to get it to look like something on the paper.


MY IMPRESSIONS:

Volume 1 was clear, and easy to follow.  Both children used the suggestions of the teacher for follow up work...  It did a good job of whetting our appetite to learn more about creating art using different tools and mediums.

I am not an artist.... I don't even play one one TV....  I never took an art class in high school.   Still, I enjoyed these lessons.  Watching them with my kids, I felt confidant enough to give them pointers and reminders from the video lessons as they were working on their own. 

My husband IS an artist, he *could* play one on TV....  He does technical drawing and he can take things that are in MY head and draw them out on paper.....  that's right, I'm in awe.... 
.... how easily I digress....
Anyway.... he was impressed with the step by step method of teaching, and that it was very easy to follow for beginners.

A few things worth noting: 

• the product is billed as "art class" yet throughout the first disc the instructor kept referring to it as art club while it really wasn't a big deal, it might want to be addressed from a continuity standpoint.
• the preview disc, and the website state that the product offers Art History with the Class.  I did not see any Art History contained on the first disc.  It was shown on the preview disc, and I would surmise that it is contained on later discs when the lessons move past the basics.
• my daughter was "overwhelmed" by the speed of the bonus lesson.  my husband said that the instructor glossed over many of the steps without explaining why you might need to do something in a certain order.  we understand that everyone has a different teaching style, but this lesson would be one we would have to watch multiple times to fully grasp the concepts. ....  but the black light trick.... is WAY cool!

See the Light offers their Art Class lessons two different ways....  the 9 disc set.... for $99.00 or through an online subscription for $10.00 a month. It is appropriate for children of all ages... even my 4 year old will sit and watch "da wady dwah".

Check out these three free lessons!

Here are some lessons in lettering, chalk work and watercolors.

Viewing those videos above will really give you a taste of what this program is all about.  Take the time to surf around on their website : www.seethelightshine.com and see some of the other products they offer.

As always, you should never take just *my* word for it....  Other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew Reviewed this product.  Pop on over and see what they are saying about it!


*** For the purpose of this review, See the Light, provided Volume 1 to members of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, free of charge.  No other compensation has been given.  All the above expressed opinions are my own and those of the members of my family that used the product.***

Growing Healthy Homes : Nutrition 101: Choose Life !

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It was a pleasure to review the book Nutrition 101: Choose Life!, by Growing Healthy Homes.  It was great to have a product that is meant to be used by every member of the family, including dad !     

Nutrition 101: Choose Life!,  is a 448 page book divided into 6 different units of study. 

• The Brain and Nervous System
• Digestion and Elimination
• Respiration and Olfactory
• Muscular and Skeletal Systems
• Cardiovascular and Immune Systems
• Endocrine System and Emotions

The book is a really nice family health and nutrition curriculum.  Very informative and easy to use.  There are many recipes with in the book, and they are wonderful tasting!  It is a great way to teach your kids  how what they eat affects their body in many different ways.

HOW DID THIS BOOK FIT INTO OUR DAY?

We would read the chapters on Monday evening as a family after dinner, and everyone would participate in answering the questions that are at the end. 

Then we would look ahead to see the recipe that we would be making later in the week.  I would shop for the ingredients with the kids at some point during our week, and they would help select the fruits and vegetables that were listed. 

Everyone would help prepare the dish on Thursday evening, which is typically one of our more relaxed family evenings. 

There were activities that helped to reinforce the topic for the week, and the older children would help the younger ones with the ones that they had chosen.

 
One of the things that I liked most was that there was no right or wrong way to use this book.  You can go section by section, you could use it only for recipes, or use it front to back as a stand alone curriculum.  I find myself referring to to often to see what foods will help those in my family who have stomach aches, or intestinal troubles.  We have changed the way that we look at many different foods, and have benefited greatly from this product. 
 
Nutrition 101: Choose Life!,  is available as a full color professionally printed and bound book for $99.95.
There is a CDROM version for $79.95..... or both for $129.95.
 

 

Here is a wonderful 27 page excerpt from the book.
 
While I can't guess what version of the product will work best for your family.....  I think that it is important to note that as reviewers we received the book as a digital download (PDF).  I loaded this version onto my Kindle and was very happy using the book, reading and making the recipes in this format. I sometimes even double checked the ingredient list while I was AT the store !
 
Visit Growing Healthy Homes and check out all the products they have to offer.  If you use the code TOScrew11 at checkout you will receive a 15% discount on your purchase. 

 See what other families are saying about this book. 

**disclaimer**

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a PDF version of Nutrition 101: Choose Life, free of charge, for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation has be received. 

Music Lessons Made Easy on Mom ~ Kinderbach Online Piano Classes

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We had a good time learning to play the piano with Kinderbach.

Jeremiah, age 4,  was our primary tester for this product.

This pretty much sums up his feelings on the program.....

A big thumbs up.

My initial thoughts about the program,   ~ before we actually used it ~,  were that it was going to be piano lessons for little kids....  and I wasn't quite sure how it was going to work... but we would give it a shot.

I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised at what the program ACTUALLY does.  It is much more than I thought it would be.

Yes, it teaches your child the notes on the piano, but it really makes music theory come alive.  They will learn more about Rhythm, Intervals and Musical Patterns.  Each lesson uses a great multi-sensory approach.  They learn through listening, seeing, writing, and playing.

Through engaging and lively lessons, Kinderbach will gradually train your child to play the piano. The characters are fun, and help the child remember and associate pictures with all those black and white keys that look the same. This makes the program great for children that are not yet reading. 


Sometimes online classes are hard to follow.  The video clips can come across garbled.  I assure you that with Kinderbach,  THIS IS NOT THE CASE!!    Kerri Gregor, the founder, creator, and presenter of the online classes....  is excited and engaging.  She speaks directly to the children, slowly and clearly.  They are able to hear her directions and follow along with out any trouble.

Jeremiah enjoyed working on one whole week at a time.  Just one lesson wasn't enough for him.... he wanted to do the whole week in one day.  It was great for me to be able to print out the papers he would need right from the lesson screen, and let him get to work. If the lesson required him to actually be on the piano, I would set him up over the wireless Internet connection and place the laptop on top of the piano.  He loved having the computer and independence doing school like a big kid. 

Kinderbach is created for children ages 3-6.  They offer subscriptions to their ONLINE classes for $95.88 a year or monthly subscriptions for $19.99. 

If you have a slower Internet connection, they offer DVD/CD collections, that start at $40.55

If you are a member of a co-op and are looking for a great music program to use with the little kids while the big kids make rockets..... check out their Kinderbach Classroom option.

If you would like to incorporate a great musical foundation into your homeschool curriculum and really have no idea where to start, I would recommend this program.  If you purchase the yearly subscription.... it breaks down to only $7.99 a month.  Trust me...  I have two bigger kids in regular piano lessons.... and Kinderbach is a great price!!!

Don't just take my word for it....  Use the Kinderbach Free Trial...... and  head on over the the TOS Homeschool Crew page and read how other families used this in their homeschool.

***disclaimer***
As a Homeschool Crew member, I was given access to the Kinderbach Online Classes, free of charge.  Doing so enabled me to write this review.  No other compensation has been received.  What you read above, is our own opinion of the product.

Go, Go, Kabongo

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Go Go Kabongo is an educational game website geared to children ages 4 -7. 

Their games develop cognitive skills.... all with the goal of building more confidant readers.

You can play Go Go Kabongo for free.  To purchase additional habitats the cost is $4.95 each. That is a one time charge.  No subscriptions. No renewals.

Right now if you sign up they will give you access to two habitats ( Laughter Lake and Galaxy Gardens ) for free. We played in all three habitats and I would consider the price to be very fair and reasonable for these engaging games.

How we used Go Go Kabongo:

I set up an account for both Jeremiah 4 (he was 3 when we started the review)  and Hunter who is 8.  I will say that Jeremiah enjoyed "doe doe tabon-doe" much more than his older brother.  Jeremiah played it once or twice a week, and it held his attention for longer than an hour on some days.  It was nice for me to have him in the kitchen while I made dinner, and know that he was learning something at the same time.  I love the learning through play that Go Go Kabongo provides.

Hunter liked earning skate park pieces for completing games....and being able to use the "stickers" that he won to create a picture, but much past that, it didn't really draw him in.  (He was a year OVER their age spectrum...  but he did give it a try because he knew mommy was reviewing it)

The website sends you these great emails letting you know what level of the game your child is on, and reminders when they haven't played for awhile.... ( we got those for Hunter who was not the most regular player)  I liked the reminders. It was great to see the progress they were making, and see the explanations of the skills each game was fostering.

They also include a suggested activity in the email.  They vary from week to week, but they are a great tool to help build word skills.   It is usually something that can be done when you are driving around, or even at the dinner table as a family.  To find more ways to develop the skills used in the games away from the computer, check out their Activity Time page.

What in the world does Cognitive development mean?  (I include this question because really big words/ concepts can sound important, but if we don't know what they mean..... what good are they??)
Cognitive development is the process by which children improve their ability to think, learn, and reason (both concretely and abstractly), and that is how they derive meaning from the world around them.

Now that you better understand the term, I hope you understand why developing those skills are pretty important.  To learn more about cognitive development and how it relates to building reading skills, there is a list of sites and articles on the Kabongo website. 

Jeremiah's favorite games were Critter Sitter, Scuba Dude and Crazy Maze...and Photo Safari.  I think that we will continue to use Go Go Kabongo as a pre-reading, educational game in our home. 

Things I offer up for consideration to the game creators:

• The sound quality of the person or computer voice that is giving letter sounds is awfully hard to hear.  I tried with headphones, and was still confused as to what sound I was looking to find on Desert Dash.  Often we got the right letter on accident. Maybe it could be repeated a few times?
• Is there a way to keep the mazes simple on Crazy Maze?  I couldn't get the letter ball to bounce right over things... and I'm 40.  Not 4.  While Jeremiah played this game often, he would just become frustrated when the ball wouldn't jump over what he was trying to get it over.
• The characters are wearing on a weary mom's ears.  They tend to sound like a cartoon version of Bill and Ted's excellent adventure..... dude.

If you have a child 3 1/2 to 7, Go Go Kabongo could be an affordable resource for you to use from Pre-K through say the 1st or 2nd grade.  Take the time to go and browse their website and sign up to try it out!

Lots of other families reviewed this website, please take the time to read their reviews and see how the program worked for them!

***disclaimer***
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, and for the purpose of this review, I was given access to the Twister Top habitat, free of charge.  No other compensation has been received, nor am I obligated to present a positive review. Thank you for taking the time to read the disclaimer...... it will self destruct in 10 seconds.... 9....8......7.......

Let's go to the Movies ~ ZeeZok Publishing

What a fun idea this company has come up with.  They have made study guides for the movies!  These things are great, I really wish we had them when I was in High School.

We love movies over here in this house, and since Christmas when we got a Wii....  Netflix is our new best friend.   We chose to review the Z-guide for the movie To Kill a Mockingbird.  We went to Netflix and placed the movie in our DVD cue and waited for it to arrive.

It took Evan and Tayler a little longer than usual to watch the movie....  They had a list of 25 questions to answer and those questions required real answers.  They would pause the movie, write their answer and keep going.    Why the review questions?  Kris Wilcox, President of Zeezok Publishing addresses that very question.

" This assignment forces the viewer to become an active learner, rather than a passive observer."

In addition to actively watching the movie and answering the questions the Z-guide will take your child on a more in depth study as well.

" There are nine additional activities that provide interdisciplinary educational opportunities built around each movie's theme."

The guide is divided into 10 different sections, and the company suggests 1 ~ 2 activities per day, making each Z-guide a week long study.  Our experience varied from that.  I would suggest that you stretch it out over a 2 week period.  In our study, much of the research required to produce thoughtful answers, took up a considerable amount of time, and a week just wasn't enough time.

Overall, both of my high schoolers enjoyed using the Z-guide.  They felt like they better understood the movie by answering the questions.  They also felt that the additional activities helped them better understand The Great Depression, and the way that Blacks and Whites interacted during the 1930's in Alabama.
Both children did suggest that the Z-guide contain some resource links for their Activity 2.  The questions asked required quite specific answers, and they became frustrated after reading site after site and not finding the answers they were looking for. 

ZeeZok Publishing has hit a home-run with this idea.  With nearly all the movie title available either at local libraries, or through Netflix, it truly is a great way to introduce some classics into your home, even for the reluctant readers.  I think that we will be getting a few more of theses Z-guides to use over the Summer.

Click here to see the available list of Z-guides, for your High Schooler to choose from.  They are available for a very reasonable price of $12.99.  You will be able to use them over and over again as your children go through the High School years.

Check out the ZeeZok Publishing website for all the other great products they offer in Penmanship, Literature, and Musician Appreciation.

Reviews on other movie guides can be found HERE

***disclaimer***
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a copy of the Z-guide "To Kill a Mockingbird" free of charge, for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation has been received.  All the above opinions are my own.

Sing Song your way through Latin

Specializing in Latin and Logic products, Classical Academic Press, is committed to bringing excellent products to families and homeschoolers everywhere.   They have again hit the mark with their product Song School Latin, by Amy Rehn.   The Song School Latin book contains a CD with 30 songs, one for each lesson, to help your child use the Latin they will learn.

An easy introduction to Latin grammar for Grades K-3, this book is full of learning.  This book contains over 100 words and phrases.  It really lays down a nice foundation for continuing on in Latin Studies.

In our school we used it with Hunter (3rd grade) and Jeremiah (Pre-K).  We listened to the CD and sang along with the songs, and attempted to pronounce the words.  It was really rather comical in the beginning since I was not familiar with Latin, and tended to murder most of the pronunciations I attempted.

Since Jeremiah is a pre-reader we discussed most of the work in the work book.  I would ask a questions from the pages of the book and the boys would take turns answering.  Sometimes we would just point to the answers that would be in the book.... say on a matching page. For cut out work, I just copied the pages for the boys for them to cut and color.  This seemed to work best to involve the youngest student in all the learning.

The CD does a good job of singing the main words taught in each lesson, as well as the ABC's and Latin vowels.  Whatever you do.....  don't do what I did... and get all freaked out reading the first pages of the book and the pronunciation guides that are there.  They started to make much more sense AFTER we listened to the CD, and began a few lessons.   ..... I really psyched myself out trying to pronounce things from those first few pages.... Just dive in!  It is easier than it reads.  

You will want the Teachers Edition.  It contains all the answers to each page in the workbook and additional worksheets and reinforcement activities.  It was very nice to have additional resources to reinforce with.  I was also sent a sampling of their monkey match game...  The cards are very colorful and easy to read.  We used the ones that were printed with images with Jeremiah.  I would say a word in Latin, and he would pick out the corresponding card in English with the picture.  This would be handy to keep in a purse or backpack, and use while you are waiting in the doctors office, or outside piano lessons.

Hopefully by now you are wondering how to get your own copy of Song School Latin....lemme see... where did I put that paper..... ah... yes, here it is...

The book is available for $22.95

(30 lessons, and the Song CD)

The Teachers Edition is available for $22.95

(all the answers + extra work)

Monkey Match is available for $24.95  (a fun way to reinforce learning)





The best value is the Bundle.... all the above items for $64.95

Don't just take my word for it......  Other TOS Homeschool Crew Members reviewed this product and other products from Classical Academic Press..... you may find their reviews here.

Don't forget to take the time to browse the Classical Academic Press Website and see what other products may benefit your homeschool.

***disclaimer***

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I recieved a copy of the Song School Latin book,   CD, Teachers Edition, and a sample of Monkey Match, free of charge for the purpose of this review.  All the above opinions are my own.  No other compensation has been received.

Reading Kingdom

Teaching children ages 4 -10 to read and write up to a Third Grade level is a passion for the creators of the Internet based program, Reading Kingdom.   Dr. Marion Blank has created a great, easy to use program that contains the 6 essential skills needed to make reading "click". 

• Sequencing
• Motor Skills
• Sounds
• Meaning
• Grammar
• Comprehension

The program is child customized, and won't drag your child through learning words or concepts that they already know.  It is organized into six different levels that progress through some of the easier words to recognize, up to words that just don't follow phonics rules at all.  It builds on the phonics of how words sound and helps establish patterns used to decode words. 

I think it is important that you know our own reading journey, it may be like yours....

I must tell you that I am a parent that strongly believes in the teaching of phonics for reading and spelling skills.  I have used that method with all of my three reading children, and with the first two, it was a smashing success.  All of the 6 skills needed for reading success just clicked with them....  With Child 3....  I have been slamming my head into the proverbial brick wall, I have been at a total loss as to why phonics alone wasn't working with him as it had the others.

He can do the flash cards, he knows the sounds, but he can't "see" any of the two and three letter teams  inside the word.  When he starts to read a word that he doesn't "know", every single letter will be sounded out and often not the first sound of the letter, just one that he thinks goes there, and then the frustration starts.  This frustration has also affected his comprehension when he reads alone.  If left to read quietly, he won't remember what he read at all, because he has simply skipped the words he doesn't know.  If he reads aloud, the comprehension is great because we catch and help with the words he is stumbling on.

These being our day to day reading issues, I knew that he was not reading at grade level (3), he was comprehending there.... but the basic skill and fluidity of reading that should accompany that comprehension was very much lacking.

I was pretty anxious to see where an outside source placed his reading level at, and also hoped that the program would begin to fill some of the holes that he seemed to be falling through.....

We were given the program to review in January, and we started pretty much right away.  Hunter was able to skip the sequencing portion of the program, and moved straight into Letter Land.  While he at times found this portion tedious, it did a very good job of helping him remember letter placement on the keyboard.  It also helped him with some "b" and "d" discrimination issues.  It took him nearly a month to complete the work for Letter Land, and that was doing close to two sessions a day.  After a Skills Survey the program placed him in Level 1.  I was not surprised.  I was also very glad that it was starting him at the beginning. 

In our reading away from the program I have noticed an improvement.  Hunter seems to be "seeing" the little words that help you know HOW to pronounce the word that follows....  he is also "seeing" the combinations that make sounding out words a much easier process.  I also notice that the monotone voice that he has been reading with is beginning to disappear.  He is noticing punctuation and actually pausing at periods and commas before beginning the next thought.  Yet another milestone to happen during this first level, was the beginning of unprompted writing.  Prior to starting Reading Kingdom, Hunter would have rather chewed off his own arm, than write anything down on a piece of paper.  Now he is passing me notes in church, and is asking to write letters to family members.

These little improvements, only three books in to Level 1, make me hopeful for the progress that can be obtained in the Levels to come.

When I asked Hunter what things he liked about Reading Kingdom, he said, "I like how it just helps drive the words into your head.  If I don't know how to spell the word, it teaches me.  Now the words are like automatic, I can type them really fast.  I like the review that you can do after.  I like how you can pick the extra things you want to work on.  I really like the ones that I have to type the word, and the ones where I guess what word will become the word I am learning. I also like how I can go and check my progress and see how far I am and what words I learned. "

I enjoyed the programs self-sufficiency.  Our computer is in the kitchen, so frequently he would do Reading Kingdom while I prepared dinner.  This was helpful for there were a few times when the program sort of froze, and I needed to refresh the page.  ( This was probably my DSL not the program!)   I too enjoyed the repetition, I can clearly see how it is building reading success. 

The cost of Reading Kingdom  is $19.99 a month/ or $199.99 a year. (If you break that down to a daily cost, it is 55 cents a day.)  Please, if your reading story sounds like ours, do not let the price turn you away from this wonderful program.  They offer a 30 day free trial.... Take them up on it.  See if it will help your child.  They are passionate about literacy, and they want those who genuinely can not afford the program to contact them for an application for a scholarship.

Take the time to read some of  the other 99 reviews that were done on this product.  ( I don't expect you to read ALL of them!.... unless your mom has the kids for the weekend or something....) 

Many different families used Reading Kingdom and their experiences may help you decide if this is a tool you can use in your home to help your children read.

****Disclaimer****

The Reading Kingdom was incredibly generous to the TOS Homeschool Review Crew.  We were all given a full year subscription ( for multiple children if needed) to their program for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation has been given, and I am not obligated to give a positive review. All the above opinions are those of family members who used this program.