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.......

My Homeschool Mother's Journal 4.1.11

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In my life this week...

I actually got an hour or so to work on some decorations for Ladies Retreat.  It is quickly sneaking up on me and there is much more decorating wizardry that needs to happen. 

I started to read Emma by Jane Austen.  I am only 3 chapters in....  Someday I will get a chance to read more than a half a page at a time.  Thank goodness it is on the Kindle and it keeps track of where I am.

I ordered the seeds for our garden.  We are going to be rolling in vegetables soon.  Well, Hunter will correct me... most vegetables are really fruits.... Thank you Apologia Science, Botany.

In our homeschool this week...

Hunter walked through the supermarket telling me how everything was really a fruit. 

Evan has been working ahead and completing books....  I think he wants next week off (it is spring break for the public schoolers here next week)...  I will think about it.

Tayler is plugging along, and is close to finishing History for the year. 

I need to find something for Jeremiah... he is getting bored with the worksheets I am printing....


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

We go nowhere, we see no one.....  I just drive in circles around town shuttling teenage children to all their activities.  I need to get a life :)

My favorite thing this week was...

Taking Jeremiah to the Doctor and hearing him tell the Doctor that his sister Tayler giveded him his long eyelashes.

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

My own personal schedule needs some adjusting....  I need to go to bed earlier, and UP earlier!!

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

Anyone have any good Pre-K resources?  I found Starfall.com... and he loves that....  I am up for any and all suggestions

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

It's spring.... softball is in the air.....

Don't forget to link up your journal to The Homeschool Chick

Homeschool Transcripts made easy

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Are you freaked out a little bit at the thought of making a transcript for your high school student?

I know I was. 

I mean, I knew I could make one in a spreadsheet, or create one in a word document...... but that takes time.

Time is something I am short on these days.

I didn't want to have to format, fiddle, rearrange, fiddle, format some more, do the math to make the GPA right.... ugh...  and hope that it looked all nice and professional.   I mean really, let's face it.... coffee stained, handwritten transcripts are not the things that inspire a college to admit your little genius.

I am excited to tell you about an amazing product that I was privileged to be a beta tester for.



This has to be the greatest thing since parents decided to educate at home.  It is SO easy to use !!

The getting started wizard asks you to name your school, enter the years you are creating a record for, select the grade point values of your letter grades, it gives you a helpful list of possible classes.... or you can just skip the wizard and get right to work setting up the program.

It is easy to add students, classes, subjects, and grades.  You can enter how many credits are needed to graduate your student.  (I found that information out by just searching the Internet for the graduation requirements for my state.)
If your student attends college classes, or takes honors classes, you can weigh those classes more heavily into their GPA....  The program does it all the math for you.  You can enter testing data, extracurricular activities.... and it will all show up on the Transcript.

About half way into the beta testing process, I contacted the developer with a question....  I wondered if we could add some sort of a progressive or projected GPA to the transcript.  You see, in my state homeschoolers are allowed to participate in Public School Sports programs......  but that means they need to have grade check like everyone else does....  Steve Sensenig, the homeschool dad and creator of this program, went right to work adding this progressive feature to My Homeschool Transcripts. 

Last week,  we were in the school office paying our fees for Softball.....  (she made JV by the way) and the Athletic Director came out and asked if there was a way I could get them Tayler's grades.  I looked at him and smiled....  "Yes,"  I said.  "I will go home and email them to you this afternoon."  I got that look, the one that says....  "sure you will, homeschoolers don't 'do' grades"

Thanks to My Homeschool Transcripts, I was able to go home, plug in her 3rd quarter grades and in under 5 minutes I had a PDF transcript to email to the Athletic Director, with her projected GPA right on it.   HA!  It was great ! I felt so smart and organized !

This web-based application has an introductory price of $ 59.00, that is 25% off the regular price of $79.00.  For that price, you receive access to the application for LIFE....  all your kids, for all the years you homeschool.... how nice is that?  Including the 2 I have IN high school, I have 2 more still to go through high school and into college, and My Homeschool Transcripts is going to be there to help me do it !

This program is really worth the investment.  You can't put a price on peace of mind.  Go and get it now at this great low price!




*** disclaimer***
I received a copy of My Homeschool Transcripts for free in exchange for beta testing the software.  No other compensation has been received.  I was not asked to write a review on this product and have done so of my own volition.  I just think it is a great product and people need to know about it.

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.

Oh the things they say.....

Overheard yesterday afternoon while I was driving..........


Zoey: We are going to get Evan at his school.
Me: Yes we are.
Zoey: We have been there lots of times.
Hunter: Yeah it is his driving school. Do you want Evan to drive us home?
Zoey: (looks at Hunter like he as grown an extra head, and looks a little fearful) ** she shakes her head no**
Hunter: What?... He is a good driver. He drove us to his class. It wasn't even scary at all........


and then............ Jeremiah pipes up from the way back seat.....
" mom.... when we det bact to the dwiving stool.... tan you stay in the dwiving seat?"

~~~~~~~~~~
really he does a great job... I just find the things they think about his driving sort of humorous.

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.