1 of 100 TOS Crew Reviews

Additional reviews for you to enjoy

2012-01-07T10:32:00.000-05:00

As noted prior, I am now a member of the Home Educating Family review team and I have lots of new items that I have reviewed that are posted on our website. HEF also has many great give-aways and additional information on their site. Take a look see!

My page will have the links to the reviews I personally wrote and you can see that here.

HEF review home page is here. Written and video reviews available!

HEF's new blog is here.

HEF home page is here.

There are many new and exciting things coming to the homeschool world and HEF is right there to bring it to you!

Retirement only lasts but a short time

2011-11-13T12:28:00.001-05:00

So way back when (in the spring) I decided that I needed to retire, and I was ever so happy to do so. But alas-our plans are not always the Lord's. So when August rolled around, I saw a post on FB about a new review team being put together and I got that same feeling I had when I originally saw the TOS call for review team members. I prayed about it, consulted the family and then decided that I was in fact being led to try out. I left it in God's hands as to whether or not I made the team. I did! And so a few months later-here I am as a part of an 18 member team to review homeschool curriculum/products and other items. It is set up a lot different than what you are used to seeing. We do not post the reviews on our blogs (as of yet and only after they are on the website) and the website setup is unique compared to other homeschool review teams. Viewers can leave comments (like at Amazon) and there will be give-away promotions on the very products we review, and other exciting things catering to the homeschool family.

Right now the site is in Beta Testing, but you can check out what we have up right now. They are working hard to get new reviews up quickly, and look for the Thanksgiving/Christmas products very soon. I hope you will visit it to see what my team mates and I have been up to. Since my goal is to help homeschooling families find the best products for their children, and it is vital in this tough economic time to make wise, informed purchases-I simply had to mention that there is another place to go for help and advice. Regardless of where you glean your information-we as a homeschooling community need to look out for each other and offer wise, supportive help to be sure we continue with this awesome challenge of educating our own. Both the Home Educating Family Review Team [my new team] and the Old Schoolhouse Review Team [as well as other groups] are working toward one goal-to help you sift through the multitude of products out there with ease and with wise council.

I do have a page [on my Homeschooling on a Wing and a Prayer blog] dedicated to noting the reviews that I have written (or am in the process of writing) and you can directly connect to those (a lot of them have yet to go live-as they come up, I will add those) and once the site is publicly launched-I will have all those links changed to reflect the permanent ones. You can click the tab at the top or click this link to get to it.

Until then, enjoy the Beta Testing link to the site and let me know what you think!

Home Educating Family Review Site

Well my last post is up now and I am officially retired from the TOS crew

2011-05-27T14:36:00.000-04:00

It has been a privilege to serve on the crew since it's maiden voyage (2008) up to the end of May 2011. I have met some totally awesome folks that I consider to be some of my bestest buds; and I have sampled and tested out several amazing homeschool products too. It was rather bittersweet to pen that last of my reviews and I have to say I shed a tear or two as well.

Before ya all think I am gone for good-oh no way...I will be doing reviews here and there and will be posting them on my main blog if they are not TOS related, here if they are. I have been asked to review the TOS planner for Special Needs and will be getting that done by mid-summer. I am excited to see just what the planner has to offer-especially since I will be needing it down the road.

If you do not follow my main blog-then you may not be aware of this new season in our lives. We are feeling led to adopt [Internationally] a special needs child (Down Syndrome) and will be going through Reece's Rainbow to do so. I am very excited about having a new addition come into our family and will be blogging about our story as it unfolds.

I just wanted to thank all of my faithful and new-to-my blog readers. I hope you have found my reviews to be useful in helping you make well-informed decisions, regarding curriculum selections for your family. I have one more post to do regarding the top products our family enjoyed reviewing, and should have that up soon. To all the vendors who participated in this wonderful project-Thank You! We have been blessed by your generosity and we pray the Lord will continue to bless and strengthen your businesses.

Thanks for tagging along on this journey with me~ and don't forget...TOS is continuing the program-they have some great new vendors lined up for the coming year. Be sure to visit the website for many more reviews.

GOD BLESS!

TOS Crew Review: Read for the Heart from Apologia Press

2011-05-27T08:00:00.302-04:00

image from Google.com

There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all.

~Jacqueline Kennedy~

[Read for the Heart, page 51]

The infusion of language, into our lives, comes quite naturally at birth. It is the quality behind what we are receiving that is truly the issue. Is it merely parrot repetition which slowly progresses into every day slang and chatter? Or is there something more? Could it be a delicate thread of wonderment, discretely hidden deep within the confines of the printed word-whether spoken aloud, or absorbed through our own optical lenses? Does it knit a fanciful world to ponder upon? Make one cry or jump for joy? Does it stir a sense of duty, encourage the betterment of the human race or change one's inner core? Or does the language so utterly fail to do anything other than dumb down and bore one's mind? Is there a disconnect from what is touted as an excellence of writing [by the author/publisher], compared to how it really creates language depravity in one's mind, and drenches the reader with spiritual or ethical fodder?

Choosing the right food for the mind [books] is not as simple as one would think. It is easy to be swept into the flood of mass production, current fads and what not. What you think is great material may actually be nothing more than a cleverly disguised waste of words on paper. But there is hope and Read for the Heart by Sarah Clarkston offers a wealth of information to help guide you along in this daunting process. Whether you are new to making book selections for your family, or if you are a self-proclaimed bibliophile with several years of collecting under your belt-this is a great resource to have.

I actually had the pleasure of meeting Sarah at the Mid-Winter HS Conference in Grand Rapids, MI a few years back (sadly, the year that the space shuttle exploded-so this is very ingrained in my mind). Now she won't remember me, but I certainly do her. She seemed to be oozing a love for Christ and that really impressed me. So I am not surprised to find that she penned herself a wonderful guide to whole books, which expounds the necessity of giving our children good, nourishing literature to build up their minds and souls.

Within the pages, one finds a little personal back story from Sarah's life regarding each area/genre, along with a listing from one to several books written by a wide variety of authors (who meet the qualifications for excellent writing in children's literature), and usually a small ditty regarding the stories themselves. All of this is meant to give you better insight regarding what books you would like to see stuffed onto your own shelves (purchased by you or on loan from your library). Written to allow for you to make the final decisions regarding your collection, this guide will serve you for many years to come.

I personally, was familiar with many of her recommendations and found myself nodding in agreement to them. I was delighted to see several goodies that I have never had the pleasure to cross paths with; so I now have a nice little list handy to assist me when I am out browsing for "needed" books for our personal library. I especially appreciate how it is divided into sections [Picture Books, Golden Age Classics, Children's Fiction, Fairy Tale and Fantasy, History and Biography, Spiritual Reading for Children, Poetry, Music/Art and Nature] because I can zero in on just those books meeting my criteria list. As a homeschooling parent (any parent really), it is vital to have good resources and reference material handy to help me be a more informed, successful facilitator of our children's education and growth (mind and body)~Read for the Heart ranks right up there as one of those sources.

To gain a better understanding of what this reference book offers, I recommend you go through the Table of Contents and read the portion of the available chapter on the website.

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Apologia Homepage

Read for the Heart info page
$17.00
this is for the homeschooling parent to use as a reference

**Don't forget to find out what my TOS mates had to say about this, and many other fine homeschool products, over on our TOS Review Crew Homepage.

***Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. provided me with a free copy of the Read for the Heart book, so that I could write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: Considering God's Creation by Eagle's Wings

2011-05-25T08:00:00.440-04:00

Are you a Lapbooking family? Do you teach using notebooking and worksheet pages that enhance the lesson? What about your students? Do they enjoy hands-on activities, singing (now this is subjective-some kids will and others won't but hey-you don't have to use this option if you don't want to), and exploring additional avenues to find out more on any said subject? Do you want material that will compare worldly thoughts to Christianity [while remaining in the Christian context, school of thought] in regard to all the amazing goodies contained within our universe, on earth, in creatures and ourselves? Do you want a science program that is easy to use, and enjoyable for all parties involved -hile being flexible to your schedule? Then this review is for you.

Not surprisingly, Eagle's Wings has a lovely variety of products, which are Christian/Biblical based and meet the requirements noted above. I have actually used their Remembering God's Awesome Acts and Remembering God's Chosen Children history/Bible courses with my daughter (and will with my son in the future). I have to say I LOVE them. I learned right along with my child and I am quite pleased that the lessons met many of my teaching methods (lapbooking/notebooking/hands-on activities/non-textbook approach) to a "T". Even though this review is not about those two products, I do encourage you to take a look at them-as I highly recommend the courses. That said, when I found out I was on the list to review the Considering God's Creation-I was so elated!

Topics Covered:

[Lesson plan example]

I now have [within my grasp] a curriculum meant to cover a wide variety of subjects which can be taught over a few years. I can use this as my main backbone (which I will) or as a supplemental component. The lesson plans themselves are easy to navigate , all the while remaining flexible enough to allow me to pick and choose what fits our situation. Considering God's Creation highlights the main "you should know about this" for elementary to early junior high aged children, making it quite versatile~especially for families with a lot of kids in that age range. I have required my teen to do a few of our lessons, which she enjoyed. Even though it is not meant to be a high school level program, I felt she would benefit from listening to the Bible tie-ins and working on the material too. I don't think you are ever too old to color, cut and create a fun page with mini-booklets and notes. She admitted that she learned a few things that her Biology course had failed to mention. So keep that in mind, because you really can add selections to compliment your older student's basic lessons as well.

This was such a fun page to work on. The addition of the salt to represent the pollen was quite clever! Since we are always working on nature study-this particular lesson just begged for us to do it. I love how it is a 3-D display of the flower-very eye catching and appealing.

They also have an AWESOME sheet where the kids can circle different parts of a plant or tree they are looking at and draw their finding-which is a great Charlotte Mason way to cover nature study. I will be using these forms over and over again. It makes it so much easier and lessens the stress of having to draw it all themselves.

Where were we? Oh yes...we had just finished up my son's science book, and I was really trying to figure out what to do next. I was feeling a bit burned out on the current model, and so was he. We needed something new and refreshing and more our style. Considering God's Creation is the perfect fit, especially since it grafts onto the Charlotte Mason method quite nicely. I have decided to play a bit of hopscotch with it-grabbing components from a few lessons here and there, to mesh into my own concoction of a unit right now. We have been working on birds this whole year. We have studied John J. Audubon as our artist (and you know he loved his birds) and focused a lot of our nature study around them. So I pulled out the sections that directly discussed the charming critters, so that we can tie all of this together to finish our bird study.

These beauties will go into their Bird Study Notebook

that they have been compiling.

CGC had 3 lessons on birds, but there were also

mini-sections found throughout the text,
regarding them so I just zeroed in on those to make my
own unit study which is perfect for our
interests and needs right now.

I found most of the lessons to be amble enough for my son's ability and age-others will need to wait until he is a bit older because I really want to go into more depth with those. Obviously, we have not done all of them (good grief! I am not that crazy to try to cram a few year's worth into a couple months) but I have pretty much read through the book to see which topics I want to cover this coming semester/year. There are a couple areas that I want to stretch out over several weeks-so I am planning on adding [from my vast collection of materials] some extra reading selections and activities (but that is the beauty of this program) to round them out. As for the lessons we did accomplish-they were short enough to not bog him down with too many details, and offered enough hands on mini-booklets and notebooking to keep him occupied while he remained engaged and interested.

This is not your usual science program (you know the type), as it is not crammed with stuff that makes the student's head swim and practically drowns them in useless data. Rather, this is a gentler, Christ-centered program which allows you to head out to sea for a long exploration, or stick close to shore to do a mini-unit of study and call it a day. The pack comes with the Teacher's Manual (and a CD with all the songs/poems on it-which is a fun way to memorize and cover the details) along with one student workbook-all of which is unabashedly Christian in nature. I suggest you read the FAQ section to help you get a better understanding of this particular curricula, before you decide whether it is right for your family. I have to say that for us-Considering God's Creation is one the most favorite products we reviewed this year. So yep-I certainly do recommend this science program from Eagle's Wings Educational Ministries.

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Eagle's Wings Homepage

$29.95 for set (TM, ST WKBK, CD)
You can make copies of the pages for your students-and I suggest making a ton of the plant/tree fact finding sheets...but you really should purchase a workbook for each student. The printer ink cost will be more than just buying a wkbk all ready to go
$13.99 for each additional student workbook

Grades 2-7th

**Don't forget to read what my TOS mates had to say about this, and many other fine homeschool products, over on our TOS Review Crew homepage.

***Eagle's Wings Educational Material provided me with a free Considering God's Creation pack (TG/St Text/CD), so that I could write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: Mad Dog Math

2011-05-18T08:00:00.339-04:00

With a name like Mad Dog, you may be envisioning some rabid, foaming at the mouth of a mutt who could wonder onto your property at any moment. Well, calm your beating heart, and put down the phone as there is no need for animal control with this product. What I'm talking about here is a most useful, online fact mastery program, meant to defeat that monster of a thing which is better known as the "arithmetic basics" of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing.

It certainly barks [for real, you'll hear Ruff the pooch now and again-depending on what you click] but it doesn't bite. Mad Dog Math is meant to gently break down each level of the four basic areas, into little kibblet sizes, so the student can focus on just one section at a time. The ultimate goal of course, is to have them rattle off their facts without any hesitation.

By no means flashy-but certainly effective-the opportunity to be awarded the "2 Minute Club" sticker encourages the student to practice this rather mundane task. Then, the the child is naturally motivated to keep working on their facts [sort of like a dog's need to keep digging for that long lost bone] so they can add the "1 Minute" and then the "30 Second Club" sticker to their collections, ultimately earning them the "Top Dog" title. Timed or not, for 10-15 minutes a day-the results are impressive.

My Boy's Experience:

Right from the start, he was engaged and delighted by the prospect of having a new program to test out. I cannot believe the [great] timing of this product, as I had literally been wondering out loud how I could help him get his facts down pat in a friendly, non-frustrating manner just days prior to receiving it. Once I loaded up the puppy (oh so sorry I must add in a few play on words here), I gave him the general run down, and he was off and running. I purposely adjusted it so that he was not timed. I didn't want him to be all panicky like, but I did show him that it was a possibility and he could add that in when he felt he was ready.

He has been spending about 15 minutes a day in several of the sections (he moves around from addition to subtraction to multiplication-but has avoided the division for the most part), and I have seen his little face light up when he earns a sticker or a check mark in the list of accomplished facts. He is learning them! He and I both agree that we like how he can type in the answer to the problem and it automatically takes him to the next one, making the moving along process smooth and non-annoying. And like the lazy virtual dog owner that I am-I can just do an occasional walk by to see how the boy and Ruff are doing [and that puts a smile on my face] because this is a pretty self-sufficient program. Ya gotta love that.

Now, like I mentioned, it isn't the most flashy program on the market, but that is OK. I am pleased with it because there is no need for a circus event every time I want my child to learn something-especially something as necessary as basic math fact retention. If it works, it works. And the Mad Dog Math program works quite nice for my fam.

"Atta boy ole Ruff! Atta boy!"

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Mad Dog Math Homepage

$19.99 One year license

$29.99 Two year license

$39.99 Perpetual license

K to 5th or for students needing practice with basic math facts (+, -, x and /)
**Please be sure you understand your computer's bit version capability is (32 or 64), because you will need to know that to order the proper program for your system. Visit the site for more information regarding this.

**Don't forget to read what my TOS mates had to say about this, and many other fine homeschool products, over on our TOS Review Crew Homepage.

***Mad Dog Math provided me with a free 12 week subscription to Mad Dog Math online so that I could write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: WonderMaps by Bright Ideas Press

2011-05-16T08:00:00.465-04:00

Geography, oh geography-where would we be without knowing our geography? Lost, I tell ya. And frankly, many students are totally clueless when it comes to knowing even the basic information regarding our planet's massive God made/man made topography [continents, rivers, lakes, oceans, mountain ranges, canals] and the multitude of countries or states, along with other various important nuggets of info.

But like some super hero right out of the comics-

"It's a bird, a plane..."

"No wait! It's a digital map factory sworn to protect

the integrity of your child's internal GPS system!"

Available in either a CD or via a download, WonderMaps is a relative new comer to the market. Designed to be customized by you, to suit your educational needs. There are 350 different maps available, of which I am sure could be assimilated into several of your daily lessons (and by that I mean anywhere from your history to science to artist/composer, to USA/world studies, to Shakespeare or Bible courses) on a regular basis.

These are categorized into 4 subsections:

Worlds/Continents/Regions/Nations, the USA, Historical and Thematic.

Digging a bit deeper, one finds the nicely organized, subtitle lists which are noted under each-allowing you to point and click to gain access to the various target group maps. Then, within each individual selection, you can pick and choose just the "layers" (ya like an onion you peel) you do or do not want on it [such as rivers, or individual countries and/or their names], in order to create a more personalized version-before printing it. What's more, they have their history product line (All American History I/II and Mystery of History) icons to access, with the corresponding maps available [of course] for each unit. Thankfully, Bright Ideas Press has a lovely tutorial video you can watch to get a clear understanding of how helpful this program is.

Our thoughts:

Now, even though as of late, I have failed to provide the all important cartographical supplements as I should have, I have no excuses anymore. I can easily zip into the program, find one of say-Hernando de Soto's wayward trip [we just visited the museum in Florida where we were introduced to their anti-ability to truly follow normal exploration guidelines] and print off the map for my son to color, highlight and so on. Yes, an activity that will "cement" the lesson/experience for him. I am actually looking forward to compiling the maps we'll need to cover the Lewis and Clark exploration for our next semester's study-and that too is only a click/print away with the WonderMaps program. As with any one I of them that I choose, I can tweak it to have just the trip outlined, or add in the current state lines-or whatever I feel it needs to do the study justice. This is especially great when I want to test the children on their retention skills, because I can leave off the names of things for them to fill in and call that their quiz.

Since history is our favorite subject, the Historical maps are fast becoming our "popular zone". I love how they are broken into four time frames (Creation-33AD, 33AD-1437AD, 1457AD-1707AD, and 1708AD-Present) so I can find what I need to match our current studies. Seriously, what a great way to illustrate [and recognize/find] exactly where all this important stuff took place. All I have to do is locate, decide, click/print and stuff into their workboxes. Easy peasy.

Ah yes, and after my recent little garage sale find-I am going to be dipping into the various world maps that have all the states/countries clearly marked (minus the name labels). I need to create the map cards for the Geografacts game we found, because it is [sadly] missing them. I can now redeem my dollar purchase by using the WonderMaps collection to fix the errant problem. Whew. I would have had to either trash it, or find some other use for it-but alas, no more.

Before I end this, it would be utterly shameful of me to not mention a gem or two I found within the Teacher's Guide as well. I went there to see just what extra goodies were available and I have to say, the MP3 workshops were a delight to listen to. I also had fun strolling through the 50 Bright Ideas for Using Outline Maps. Frankly even an old dog such as myself, can use some refreshing new tricks to jazz up my geographical, instruction abilities. There you have it-a clear winner in this household. It truly is a super hero defending our best interest and map integrity skills!

Biblical maps are included, hence this notation.
A huge variety of the maps are benign as well.

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BIP homepage

$49.95 for program (CD or download)
all ages K-12 and beyond

**Don't forget to read what my TOS mates had to say about this, and many other fine homeschool products, over on our TOS Review Crew Homepage.

***Bright Ideas Press provided me with a free download version of the WonderMaps, so that I could write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: IEW Student Intensive Writing Pack-level B plus the Portable Wall (a huge review on a huge program)

2011-05-13T08:00:01.013-04:00

Before I even begin this review, Mr. Pudewa-if you are reading this-I hang my head in shame. It is not IEW worthy. I write my reviews as I would if I were sitting face to face with you, expounding the wonderment or the horrors of a product-not as though I were writing a report or something I would share with the class. I pray that you will turn a blind eye to my review, as I simply cannot poignantly pen all the check list-ables here. I love ya man-but I just cannot, as it would just be too much against my front porch, yammering it up with you style. Oh, just another nugget of information for you-I love the commas, dashes, the brackets and parenthesis, of which I am sure breaks many grammar and punctuation rules. I am just that way.

A few years back, my daughter and I were invited to join a group of homeschoolers who were working through a supplementary writing course from the Institute for Excellence in Writing [better known as IEW], and at first, we were rather excited to try out this "new to us" program. Once we started to attend, the charm quickly wore off. It was then, that we began to truly question the process, and the man (some mysterious guy named Andrew Pudewa) behind it. You see, they (meaning all the other families, say for mine and my friend's) had been using the Student Intensive Writing series for several years. We had not. I just didn't get the "why" behind all the Key Word exercises and the rewriting needed, to basically say the same thing. Especially since we got the super shortened, Reader's Digest version of the method on our first day. My daughter and I walked away from that experience with a sour attitude toward IEW. In fact, I usually did not recommend using it. I avoided it like the plague, which I now know to be a terrible shame in deed.

When presented with the opportunity to review this, I hesitantly accepted the challenge. I felt I could give it the "ole college try" (and yes, I meant to imply I would need a drink or two to get through it, even though I don't really consume alcohol); plus at the very least, I would be able to justify my aversion to the program especially if it did back my original opinion of it. Well, wouldn't you know-I am a changed woman. Yes, I am. And now that I have your curiosity peaked, regarding how a gal can go from a plague-like aversion to a love for the program in just a few short weeks-here is the reason in a nutshell...

We missed the foundational explanation of the very fiber of the program. Mr. Pudewa's DVD instruction classes found in the Student Intensive Writing [SIW] course [where we would have received the 'splaining of it all], was a huge M.I.A. component from our initial experience . I didn't have access to the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style [TWSS] workshop series either. We were that proverbial crew up a creek without a paddle. We drifted along the course without an accurate map, guide and adequate survival gear. But no more my friends, no more.

I received the B level Combo pack to review, which contains both the SWI and the TWSS set. This level is geared for your average 6th-8th grade students, but is really a great fit for those who have a wide variety of ages to teach-including high schoolers. It is consider the "middle ground" course, which certainly contains difficult enough material to suit an older student (who has had no previous exposure to IEW or writing courses in general) because you can tweak it out to require a bit more from them. It can be watered down enough to meet the needs of a savvy fifth grader too. So if you have oodles of children to teach, and their age range is somewhere betwixt the upper elementary to high school level, this is a good choice.

Let's take a look-see at each program
contained within the Combo pack :

The Student Intensive Writing series can be used as a stand alone course if need be, but I don't recommend doing so-the TWSS adds so much to the program. The SIW contains 15 units which can take anywhere from 15-30 weeks to complete. Each lesson has a section on the DVD which correlates to it, and the necessary material [provided in the student packet/binder] needed to complete the assignment. The included Teacher's Guide lists [gosh it also has the DVD disc times listed to the second for you] all the possible KeyWord choices from the sources, along with additional material to assist the instructor. The most useful is the suggested schedule. This actually breaks the lessons down into 5 day sections, of varying lengths (some only last 15-20 mins) and lists the homework assignments; so that you can better manage the time spent on the program-which ultimately avoids bored, overstressed new writers.

Starting at the basics [finding Key Words, to writing it in their own words], then gradually working up to more complex skills [such as the ever joyous research paper], the student will fine tune their writing techniques in less than a year. The ultimate goal is to create within the student, the ability [as in second nature] to take various other source texts, then easily "trim the fat" to rewrite a unique piece of work. Most importantly, doing this without plagiarizing or producing incredibly inadequate "junk".

The lessons are concise; asking just enough of the student to not overwhelm them; yet all the while remaining light-hearted, and fun due to Mr. Pudewa's charming lectures. All that, and it will stretch the student's writing skills. Furthermore, IEW allows you to advance through the lessons which the child quickly grasps, or to slow down when necessary, for more practice and/or a better understanding of the concept being taught. After completing this, you can choose to move on to the Continuation course, switch over to theme based supplements, or you can simply continue on with using new sources for inspiration.

The SWI B level course covers:

*Key Word Outlines
*Summary [from Notes] and Dress-Ups
*Story [Sequence] Summary and Dress-Ups
*Reference Summary, Paragraph Structure
and Sentence Openers
*Creative Writing and Sentence Openers

Included in the package is the binder with divider tabs,
all necessary worksheets/source texts,
and of course, the DVD lessons.

**If you are concerned your high school student will be lacking the essentials, this chart show that only two areas are not covered in the B level. This is where the TWSS [which shows you how to teach your students the IEW method of writing] is worth it's weight in gold! You can certainly address those upper level necessities after completing this program. Some friendly advice here from a HS veteran: don't get your panties in a bunch about it not being "tough enough" or that it won't push the student. If they struggle with writing in the first place, you want them to feel confident and at ease when learning these skills-so sometimes setting the bar at a height they can leap over, is better than creating a wall they have to catapult over-which may lead to them "hitting the wall" instead. With the TWSS as your assistant advisor, you can beef up the required material to a high school level, without traumatizing your reluctant or "not-so-swell of a writer" student.

*********************************************

The meat and potatoes of the IEW series is the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style Course. This dear mother (or father) is meant for you. You will work your way through ten hours of instruction which explains each concept covered within the lessons, along with opportunities to test drive the method [IE: doing the assignments] for yourself-before you teach your students. As an added bonus, you will walk away from this course having a clear understanding regarding Mr. Pudewa's not so crazy design behind the program. Jam packed with notes, helpful tips, samples of real student (not faked by adults) writings, extensive offerings of additional nuts and bolts and extra source texts; the course will leave you with so much material and know how, you will be able to teach your kiddies from grades 2-12th and beyond (and perhaps yourself too)! If that isn't enough for you, they also have the website bejeweled with areas of assistance, such as the FAQ, Articles, Where to Start, Conference Handout sections and a Yahoo Group dedicated to IEW. On top that, they have honest to goodness actual peeps on the other end of the phone line [otherwise known as customer service representatives] full of extra help, knowledge, and kindness that you can rely on as well.

The TSWW course covers:

*Overview of the program
*Note Making and Outlines

*Summarizing from Notes
*Summarizing Narrative Stories

*Summarizing References

and Library Reports

*Writing from Pictures
*Creative Writing with Structure

*Formal Essay Writing *Critiques

*Stylistic Techniques

(referred to throughout the course)

explanation and practice regarding the Key Words,

Dress-Ups, Sentence Openers,

Decorations, etc. that are the main components behind

the program's success

Included in the package is the binder,
section divider tabs,

Syllabus Appendix [includes lesson plan sheets]

and a Quick Start Guide and of course the DVDs

Now, if you have to make a choice between the two programs [due to finances]-your safe bet is to purchase this one. It has everything (including the Tips and Tricks DVD) that you will need to adequately instruct all of your students for years. Plus they include 3 DVDs [A, B and C levels] with the first lesson found on the SWI course, so you can "see" the concepts in action. This is a treasure trove of info for you, dear homeschooler. Lest I forget to mention this -teachers in public and private schools can use the IEW program with great success too (and have); as it is meant for anyone wanting to see better results in their student's writing abilities.

A last side note here regarding the TWSS-this is a big program and probably a totally different way to write than you have been taught or use. You will need some time to simmer the material in your head, so I highly recommend you get this long before you want to start teaching it. No, you do not have to watch the entire thing before you do, just the section on the lesson you will be covering next. But I found that I do better if I have time to "let it sink in", or allow for those moments when I need to go back and re-watch/learn something so that I feel confident in teaching it. I know this is a spency product, but if you really want to get the writing "thang" down pat in your children's noodles-this is one of the best programs I have come across that will actually do just that. Now remember, as you have read, skimping and forgoing the major parts of the program simply leads to a downtrodden affect, all the while losing the effectiveness of the basic understanding and reason behind it. What's more-the SWI matches the lessons found within this, so with the combo pack-you will get the best of both worlds. If you are "ify" on a particular section, the SWI will clear it up for you-visually and through verbal instruction. Now that is totally awesome.

One last product here:

The Portable Wall is a recent addition to the IEW product line. This handy little foldable [when closed it fits nicely in the binder pocket, when opened it forms a self-standing knowledge center] that contains all the necessities to super charge their writing assignments. Think of it as a large-sized, laminated version of a "crib sheet" on steroids. The students will keep track of the lists in their notebooks [on provided worksheets], but this is a great extra to have.

The Wall has been nicely organized into sections listing Dress-Ups, Sentence Openers, Decorations, Triple Extensions, "-ly" Adverbs, "-ly" Imposters (which can also be spelled Impostors), Prepositions, Synonyms for "Said", Strong Verbs, and flow charts highlighting the key points of all the units found within the IEW program.

Snippets into our IEW world:

We worked (still are) through the sections with my high school level student. She was somewhat familiar (as noted above) with the idea of the Key Word and rewriting techniques, so we were able to move quickly through the first several lessons. We slowed down and simmered over the Summarizing Narratives unit, to be sure she understood and meet the "check list" components in her assignments. She actually got so excited, she penned a small novella when only asked to write three paragraphs. So that alone is a huge improvement in her 'tude toward writing in general-especially using the IEW method. When I needed to "pump up the jam" in her requirements, I would refer to the TWSS section/pages conveniently noted (so kind of them) in the Teacher's Guide of the SIW course. This allowed for me to personalize and "upgrade" the necessities to her skill level. I appreciate that. We are now embarking on the Report Writing section, which I purposely have held off until the end of this semester. I want to allow for the entire summer to pour over this extremely needful skill, without too many other subjects vying for her attention. I will then add in the Formal Essay lessons found within the TWSS guide, to be sure we have covered the "must haves" for a well-rounded high school student. Again, this highlights the flexibility of the program.

I have seen in just a few short weeks, how my precious daughter has become a better writer, having developed techniques that she can use her entire life (to apply to any writing situation really). And that is why I am a changed woman regarding the whole IEW fiasco.

As for the TWSS-I am still pouring over it (again and again), to get a crystal clear know how and ability to apply this IEW technique to any subject matter we cover in our schooling. I will be able to pull source texts from our daily work for the children to rewrite and improve upon. I am very pleased to have this major source of excellence at my fingertips, and even more excited about sharing my new found love of the Institute for Excellence in Writing program.

[I simply cannot expound everything there is about this huge program on this undeniably long post. You need to visit the site, and do your own research (down load the freebies, watch the clips and if you can-look through the material to get a better idea of how immense this is) to see if this is a good fit for your family.]

You will have a bit more pre-work when using the TWSS-esp. if only using this program,as you will need to locate/figure out what source texts you want to use. The student can handle most of the SIW lessons on their own, with a bit of teacher assistance/grading involved
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Institute for Excellence in Writing Homepage

Level B SIW Pack info page

$239 for the Pack
target age range: 6-8 grade

This combination package is the best way to begin with Excellence in Writing. It includes Teaching Writing: Structure and Style (TWSS), Tips and Tricks DVD and Student Writing Intensive (SWI). Comes with 2 sets of DVDs (one for the teacher, one for the student), TWSS Seminar Workbook, and Student Notebook with handouts and daily lesson suggestions. [taken from the website]

Portable Wall info page

$7.00 each

all students

Components can be purchased separately.

**Don't forget to find out what my TOS mates had to say about this, and many other fine homeschool products, over on our TOS Review Crew Homepage.

***The Institute for Excellence in Writing provided me with on free Writing Intensive Pack-level B kit and one Portable Wall, so that I would use this with my children and write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: Yesterday's Classics

2011-05-04T12:00:00.007-04:00

Being all Charlotte Masony like in our style, I have tried my best to add many of the books she recommended into our humble library collection (OK, maybe not so humble-perhaps "our ever growing" collection would describe it better). Unfortunately, especially when I first started reading up on her methods and choices for literature, I often found myself engulfed in the disparaging situation of just trying to find, let alone purchase those books. Why you ask? Well, because she lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and many of those beauties have long since become (the dreaded 3 words to any book collecting enthusiast) "OUT OF PRINT." Yes, the horror. Nothing more frustrating than trying to find what sounds so awesome and perfect for your current studies, than to face the "ever present, non-existent/not available book of choice" hunt.

Thankfully, this is where the eVersion books have become so very helpful-because many of those out of print (of course in print books too) are now available for the download. I couldn't possibly spend the time it would take to locate these, nor could I afford the expense of purchasing the multitude of books (since many are way over priced) that I would want.

I cannot deny that I love, love, love the smell/feel/nostalgic comfort of books, the "turning of the pages" sound and so forth-but I do not love the bulkiness, the storage issue and most importantly-the pain of trying to lug several of them (literally the pain folks as many of my books are quite heavy) when I travel. I must face the facts here that the eVersion craze is not so crazy. I admit (wholeheartedly) that I love to be able to have several hundred books just a click away (and if you are wondering-no I do not have an eReader just yet-but I do have the free app for it on my PC and I do take my 'puter just about everywhere). So yes, I have conquered my anti-eVersionite phobia, to now actually being able to promote them. So where am I going here? Well, you have probably noted two things so far: I use mostly Charlotte Mason methods for homeschooling (ie: living books); and I am reviewing eVersion books. Well, I hope you got that anyway.

So, there is this company called Yesterday's Classics, of which I have the privilege of telling you about. They have compiled a collection (225 books so far) of several wonderful books that were written during the 1880s to 1920s-where charming and good character go hand in hand. Better yet is that Y.C.'s have dedicated a section noting which books are used for each year through Ambleside Online. They also have done this for those who follow Living Books Curriculum, and Pageant of History. I also see many, many of these titles can be used for those using the Classical education format too. They offer 22 different genres to fit your schooling needs, with clear text, beautiful illustrations [black and white and some color spattered throughout], all in an easy to use format. And it doesn't require dashing out to the local library to hunt for them, nor the continual outlay of cash to have them all in one's collection.

I zeroed in on the nature study books (some I am familiar with, others were new to me) and the Shakespeare titles. I have read through them, and found them so refreshing, understandable (not an easy thing when it comes to Mr. Shakespeare's material) and lovely in deed. The nature books [not surprisingly] hearken one back to a more gentle time, where charming and delightful mingled together like old friends meandering through the gardens of life. I am so pleased to be able to share these with my children (thanks to Yesterday's Classics). What's more, there are plenty of other selections, that will come into play as we traverse through our studies this coming term, and beyond. With 225 books to choose from, I know I have a wealth of options to use for several years to come. I even find the old science texts to be a neat challenge for my students-as I have them compare the knowledge of the time (the antiquated scientific knowledge noted within it) to today's technological advancements, so they can see just how far we have come to understand our world around us.

But like LeVar Burton (from Reading Rainbow) often stated, "You don't have to take my word for it.", spend some time reading through the site, it is the only way for you to truly grasp the wealth of materials here. Stroll through their collection to compare it to what you use for your curriculum, it may be just what you were looking for. Oh, and I wanted to note that yes, initially one may feel that the price is absorbent, but when you break down the cost of purchasing these individually, it adds up fast-and the final amount is much higher than the Yesterday's Classics package price. This is a wonderful way to build a library, especially if you are a CM, Classical, or living book educator.

Why not just use the free versions of these?

That is a valid question~and one that you alone will have to decide on. Through the bit of research I conducted, I found that some are available to be purchased or for free through the bigger online stores; and many can be found for free through online sources. But-here is the thing-many were missing the delightful artwork/illustrations, and had rather fuzzy/non-crisp text, or "citation notes" and such spattered throughout. You always have the risk of having missing pages and of course, unreliable sources to download them from in the first place . You will spend a lot of time tracking them down~ of which you will not have the results you were hoping for. Trust. Me.

For example: I decided to download someone else's [free] The Blue Fairy Book and then compare it to the Yesterday's Classics version. Right away I noticed that the free version was messy, with paragraphs running right on into the next (no breaks), and it had no illustrations. As for the Y.C.-I found that it contained the adorable images, was nicely organized [I could click the particular story I wanted, which took me directly to that page] with highlighted titles, along with a layout/font that was easy to read. Best yet, I was able to distinguish one story from the next, with a quick glance. Not so with the other. It is pretty clear that if you want quality-then the Yesterday's Classics version is right fine product.

What device is this for?

Yesterday's Classics is designed to be used with the Kindle, or Nook

eReaders (other EPUB readers too) and the iPad or smartphone devices.

Remember-

you don't need an eReader to enjoy this-

you can download FREE apps

which are especially designed for your PC!

(Amazon has the Kindle app [you can only use the Kindle file for this]

and you can also download free EPUB reader apps such the Sony reader)

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Yesterday's Classics homepage
Kindle Dwnload: $149.95 (all 225 books)-on sale for $99.95 until May 31, 2011
EPUB Dwnload: $149.95 (all 225 books)-on sale for $99.95 until May 31, 2011
all ages

Yesterday's Classics Information Letter

*Don't forget to read what my TOS mates had to say about this, and many other fine homeschool products, over on our TOS Review Crew homepage.

***Yesterday's Classics provided me with both download files for the Kindle/EPUB of the 225 books, so that I could use and enjoy with my family, in order to write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion of this product.

Well I can see the shore line up ahead-did someone shout out "Land Ho!" ?

2011-05-01T19:33:00.000-04:00

After 3 years of being on the TOS crew, I am just about to wrap it up and disembark. Yes, it is true. I decided to not re-enlist. It is starting to hit me that I won't be on a TOS review schedule or crew anymore...but that is OK. Seasons begin and end, and the best thing to do is know when to make the change. I believe I will be entering a brand new season of exciting changes and opportunities and I pray you'll come along for the ride. I am thinking that after I am done with the TOS products I will start reviewing my own stuff. The title of the blog will be wrong tho...so maybe I will let this puppy rest and just add reviews to my main blog. I will decide later. I definitely will need to switch the header tho cuz I won't be on the crew after May 31st.

Now before you think you have seen the last review from me-you haven't. I have 6 in the hopper and they are good ones (products, not necessarily my reviews). Let's see...up next is Yesterday's Classics, then I will have a juicy one on IEW, there will be one on a brand new product from BIP, one on Mad Dog Math, then Considering God's Creation and lastly-Read for the Heart from Apologia Press. Plus, as an added bonus of goodness-I will post the top 10 products we enjoyed using this year (and just for giggles, here are my posts on the previous top ten products from 2009 and 10-now this is what the whole crew voted as the top ten-apparently I forgot to come back and do one for us..oh well, I am sure I will have some in the over all top notch list I mention below).

Whew. I may even do the top notch products of the three years combined. I like that idea, so I believe I will. That is going to be hard because I have had so many good ones! Anyhoo-keep visiting and I have so enjoyed being a part of this crew, and hopefully, helping you choose great homeschool products for your family.

TOS Crew Review: See the Light Art Series-Vol. I

2011-04-22T08:00:00.158-04:00

Volume 1 DVD info page

Art is something we are very familiar with in our homeschool, when the option came up to review this product, we jumped at the chance.

The See The Light Art Series provides 4 lessons with Pat Knepley [master artist] as the instructor, a bit of art history and a Bible verse/tie in, along with just enough "how to" steps, so one can learn how to draw. Best yet, each lesson is about 15 or so minutes, keeping the student's mind focused at the task at hand..

We were able to view the first of the nine part series. It begins with very basic instruction on beginning drawing/art skills. Each DVD advances the student through a series of steps to help build their technique repertoire, and of course so they can create their own masterpieces there after. I particularly liked the fourth lesson focusing on the issue of how the student should draw what they see, not what they know. I find that to be one of the more challenging hurdles for the children (mine and the ones I teach in our co-op) to get over. I was pleased when the lesson brought to focus the reasoning behind such a statement, then quickly showed them how to do just that. Because my kids have had a lot of basic instruction regarding drawing, the first few lessons only served as refreshers for them, but we all walked away with some snippets of useful info, and that deserves to be noted. I found this to be a fun, gentle approach for elementary-aged students which, for a limited time, you can get the first DVD for free as well.

[I also was able to view the clips DVD, showing snippets from many of the other lessons-and from the look of things, it appears they follow the same layout and general instruction plan as the first DVD. Because I was only able to see one ninth of the program, I can only make an educated guess about the over all program itself-so please keep that in mind here.]

Pros:

I really like the short lessons. Kids usually are mentally checked out (OK, adults too) after about 10-20 minutes, so this fits that attention span issue nicely.

The instruction only touches on the focused technique for that lesson.

Bible verse or subject matter from Bible brought into each lesson.

Instruction actually teaches something useful (this is important, since I have come across way too many programs that leave you scratching your head, and your art skills no better than when you started it).

Cheerful and engaging art instructor-way to go Mrs. Pat.

Supplies are readily available in most folks' homes, or are inexpensive to purchase.

Cons:

Was only able to view one part of it-so I cannot give a complete review on the entire program, only the first DVD.

Cannot purchase the DVDs individually (now yes, it is an entire program that is sequential but due to my older child having had lots of experience in art, there were only a couple she would like to view-so being able to purchase those, would have been nice). [**I noticed that I can search for individual ones and add them to the cart, but we were told that they will no longer offer the ability to buy as such. So if you see a DVD that you'd really like, I suggest you purchase now, while you still can. I truly hope the option to purchase individually will remain-if you cannot search and find it-then assume it is no longer available.]

Overall cost would prohibit me from buying the entire program-as I honestly do not budget that much for the art in our home [that sounds like I don't think art is important-au contraire! Actually it is very important-we simply must find our materials and supplies for a lot less due to our meager curriculum budget].

[**Now if you consider that it is an entire year's worth of art instruction, the price doesn't seem quite so bad. And you have the option of doing the monthly online classes, so it is doable. I prefer the DVD version myself, so this is something you will have to consider for your own family and your curriculum budget.]

I feel that this could be a great program for those who have little or no art ability in them, or are timid when it comes to teaching it to their children (since Mrs. Pat does the work for you and you just learn along with your children); and for those who are looking for a program to enhance and further their children's current art skills and techniques. Being Bible based is always a good thing, as the Lord is the ultimate artist in the universe with a lot to say about it in his Word-thankfully, See the Light continually brings that into focus as well. So if art is "not your thing" or you want sequential lessons that teach (for real) then this program could be a blessing indeed.

You will need to collect a few goodies to do these lessons-therefore, the lady on the run is noted.
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See the Light Homepage
($14.99 value for the DVD I reviewed)
$99.99 for the one year set
Monthly online instruction for $10 per month

Ages: First thru about 6th but those with no previous art lessons could also benefit

You can request a free DVD of the Vol. I for a limited time-check it out for yourself!

*Don't forget to read up on what my TOS mates had to say about this and many other fine homeschool products, over on our TOS Review Crew homepage.

***Legacy for God Publishing/See the Light provided me with a free copy of the See the Light Art Series-Vol. I, so that I could view and use it with my children. I did not receive any financial compensation for this or for my honest opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: Science Weekly

2011-04-08T08:00:00.005-04:00

In today's cyber world technology it is still nice to receive a fun packet in the mail (obviously not bills) and this product is no exception. Science Weekly is a bit like those magazines we used to get as kids, but focused on all things relating to earth/life/physical science, technology or mathematical in nature. Two issues arrive in one's post box during the school year (Sept-April), to be used to further their child(ren)'s knowledge and add some fun back into their studies. Originally geared toward the typical classroom environment, this series is another way to add some sparkle to one's homeschool curricula as well.

We received the Fractions issue [Vol. 27, no. 5] to explore [they included one handout per level] along with the teaching notes [with answers to student's worksheet questions and additional ideas]. Each "packet" is approximately 4 pages worth of info-which includes a description of the topic at hand, then a practical demonstration highlighting it (so for the fractions one-the level B has the student looking at an apple and grapes which have been divided into equal parts), a vocabulary section, a weekly lab (fun idea for highlighting the concept), a math section, a small writing opportunity, a challenge that asks for the child to practice what the concept they have been learning about, and finally a "Bringing it Home" section to wrap up the study. Some of the higher levels dropped a couple of the last ones, added a puzzle challenge and/or even a "Further Your Interests" and "Meet the Scientist" section; whilst the lower levels kept it more simple by not offering more than a typical child that age would want to cover.

My son and I worked through the C-E levels and found the "Weekly Lab" to be our favorite part of the series. Most of what they ask the student to do is easily obtainable through every day items found in your home. So it isn't difficult to carry out the experiments at all. It is charming and a fun way to incorporate a few subjects which usually produce moans and groans from frustrated students and teachers alike. For about $1.33 per issue/per student, it really isn't that bad of a deal actually. What's more, they now have an interactive program online [this is a great test to see if you like the product], along with printable coloring pages to explore.

This as a supplementary item to one's regular studies, and for those with children who love to do paperwork and science experiments-then this is a wonderful way to go about reinforcing their interests. It is definitely a traditional approach to learning. So depending on your teaching method, it may or may not be a good choice. Oh, and for those who use the workbox method, this would be a good item to tuck into a box for an occasional "fun" activity. As for us, it was interesting to try but not something we would normally seek to acquire for our homeschool. Now I am not implying that the Science Weekly publication is terrible or not worthy of further investigation/subscribing to. Actually it is a nice complementary tool for some to use in their studies, and could certainly bless many homeschoolers. For us, it just is not our regular "cup of tea".

the younger set will need your assistance and some experiments will also need supervision

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Science Weekly Homepage

$19.95 for 15 issues (per child) [2 issues per month September through April]

works out to about $1.33 per issue/teacher guide

ages K-5/6 grade

Classroom rate: $4.95 per student/ 20 student min.

*Don't forget to read what my TOS mates had to say about this, and many other fine homeschooling products on our TOS Review Crew homepage.

**Science Weekly provided me with one free packet on Fractions for ages K-5/6, so that I could use it with my family and write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my penning of this review, nor for my honest opinion of this product.

Ultimate Blog Party 2011

2011-04-01T11:00:00.001-04:00

The Ultimate blog party has begun! If you haven't joined yet-do so! You will meet many new bloggers, and you can enter to win some awesome prizes!

If you are linking here from my main blog-Homeschooling on a Wing and a Prayer-then I thought I would briefly describe the purpose of this blog.

I have been honored to be a part of a unique viral marketing program called, The Old Schoolhouse (TOS) Review Crew. I have served faithfully for 3 years now, and have received oodles of wonderful homeschool (and some just for fun) products. The project required my using and then blogging about (reviewing) those items so that you, the reader, could learn how real life folks use (or don't) and enjoy (or don't) a wide variety of products that you yourself may have been pondering. I have a huge amount of reviews that are there for the reading, along with the link (noted above) to our Crew homepage, so that you can read many, many more reviews (and even some I didn't receive) to help you make an informed purchase for your family.

I will be disembarking from the crew once this cruise is over-but that doesn't mean I will stop penning my take on curricula (just will be on what I already own and perhaps I will see if some vendors would allow for me to review independently) or that I will take down this blog-no ma'am! The 1 of 100 (Plus 25) TOS Crew Review blog is here to stay!

Enjoy reading up on some great products and look for some new ones down the road!

TOS Crew Review: Z-Guide to the Movies by ZeeZok Publishing-The Hiding Place

2011-04-01T08:00:00.267-04:00

The power of the pen is mighty indeed, but the ability to watch the story unfold before one's eyes is a far better tool for grasping the very essence of the emotions, and life of the characters one is studying. While not all stories are worth having a movie made about it, there are those that are excellent enough to deserve some screen time. Using this medium will help stretch your student, and cause them to truly analyse the material at hand. Including visual resources in your studies offers the unique ability to put the situation "in their face" so that they can (as a bystander removed by time, and at the mercy of Hollywood's take on things) experience the reality of the material, have the plight or victories of the characters highlighted in a more personal way, and also be drawn into the lesson where print on paper can often times come up flat, or lifeless.

Being a passive observer is not something I would encourage, especially when the story is deserving of critical thinking and debate. It is truly a valuable tool to instruct our children to consider the content of the movie, instead of always being fixated on how hot the main character is, how good the animation is, or how exciting the action scenes are. Another reason to incorporate a "picture film" [getting all old timey in my description of the motion picture genre] into one's curriculum, is that it can bring to "life" the characters and story our students have been covering in their studies-making them almost real to the viewer. Finding movies that closely resemble the written story (just try locating a Robinson Crusoe movie that is actually in sync with the DeFoe one, it simply is not possible), or are "on spot" with the main plot can be daunting and difficult. Being able to come up with the study material to present to the student can also engulf the teacher's time and energy...so what is one to do? Where can one go for a thought provoking study of such things?

Thankfully, ZeeZok has created a nice eBook [CDs are also available] series called the Z-Guide to the Movies, to address the need. This series allows for discussion and instruction in Q and A form, along with map work, internet research, thought provoking pondering concerning the story of the events, and more. The program allows for the teacher and student to pick and choose those activities which best suit their needs, which is always appreciated.

you can purchase the movie through ZeeZok too

We chose to study the Hiding Place, which depicts the final weeks prior to Corrie ten Boom's internment in prison, the subsequent nightmare of the Nazi concentration camp, Ravensbruck; to her release and life afterward. The guide contains not only a listing of the topics [for this study it highlights WWII, life in a German concentration camp, forgiveness and civil disobedience] covered in the movie (which is great when you need to tie in certain elements to your curriculum), but also 10 student activity sections, a Family Discussion section, answers to the material (plus you can score this as well-great for figuring out grades), and a listing of additional resources for further study.

Although we are not worksheet lovers or usually promote the use of such things, we did find this to be most useful in gaining knowledge of the story. I chose to revamp it a bit by having my daughter narrate the story to me (Charlotte Mason style) after watching the movie, but for the most part did require her to work through the pages of questions. I am glad they chose to tie in some map work, as it is very important that my daughter understand where exactly in the world this occurred. This study can be completed in one week's time-but due to illnesses in our home, we stretched it to two. The only change I would suggest is that the student watch the movie first, without trying to find answers to the questions as it unfolds. I found this to be a bit disruptive, and wondered if my daughter was missing the overall experience by doing so. I am thinking that watching it first just for the sake of capturing the overall message of the story-then viewing it again a few days later to glean the answers to the questions-will increase the retention and enjoyment of the movie. All in all, the guide was a very nice way to add to my daughter's understanding of this grave period in our history.

The Z-Guide to the Movies collection offers plenty of titles to match your current studies. I have no problem recommending this product to those who enjoy a more in depth view to behind the scenes of the movie and the story itself. I will say, that the Hiding Place guide was benign in that it addressed the material and what it would be like to have been in that position-there was not an overly Christian tone contained within the questions, that I could find. Although Corrie was indeed a Christian, and the movie highlights this: the actual guide itself remains neutral. Therefore, it has received the world icon.

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ZeeZok Publishing homepage

$12.99 eBook download or CD (great for those with slow internet)
High School
Movie is also available to purchase for $15.98 (check your local library, Netflex, or other movie rental places as this is a fairly easy movie to acquire)

*Don't forget to find out what my TOS mates had to say about this, and many other fine homeschool products, over on our TOS Review Crew homepage.

**ZeeZok Publishing provided me with a free download of The Hiding Place Z-Guide to Movies eBook, so that I could use and enjoy it with my family. I did not receive any financial compensation for writing this, nor for my honest opinion of the product.

TOS Crew Review: Song School Latin by Classical Academic Press

2011-03-30T08:00:00.153-04:00

Slave Discipuli!

Oh yes, Latin. That dead language is like a Zombie that keeps coming back for more...or is it? Well, Latin really isn't so dead after all~and thank goodness for that. Pondering the necessity of it is really not such a stretch, especially since our English language is based on quite of bit of Latin root words. So why not revive the very core of our language and teach our youngsters to understand, speak and read it? I suppose the naysayers would state it is just too hard or difficult to even attempt. But alas-that is where Song School Latin comes in. Geared for the students in 1-2/3 grade (now that is really dependent on your student-so special needs kids, and those with reading difficulties could easily slip into this category. My 3rd grade dyslexic son is enjoying it and learning from it quite nicely), this program is a gentle approach to learning the mostly ignored and/or categorized under the "dead as a door nail" language option.

The program bundle contains all you need to jump start your student's Latin career. The lovely and nicely illustrated (with a cute monkey dude as the mascot) student worktext engages the student and offers just enough pencil to paper work for children this age. Accompanying the study is a CD containing the songs (noted in the wktxt) for the students to learn and sing along with (which is teaching them the Latin lesson/vocabulary) as they do their work. These little ditties are quite catchy, as we were finding ourselves (yes even me) singing them long afterward. The teacher's guide contains images of the student workbook pages with the answers, along with extra pages of practice for each lesson. The Latin Monkey Match Flash Card Game is yet another way to reinforce all the vocabulary the children will be exposed to. What's more, the website has coloring pages to print, and an online Flash Dash game for vocab reinforcement to ramp up the Latin experience.

I found little or no teacher prep was needed, which is always a huge plus for me. The lessons were short and not overstuffed with too much information, which can lead to confusion or frustration for the student. What I liked best about this program [the CD has both options on it] is that I could choose to teach the Classical version of Latin, or the Ecclesiastical one (we chose the latter) as our mode of instruction. Due to my son's reading issues, I have been very leery of introducing him to other languages, but I found this program to be gentle enough, so as not overwhelm him with things that will further delay his reading/English instruction progress. Moreover, he is enjoying it and that is ultimately the goal for me. For us, the Song School Latin program is a hit, so much so that he has asked if he can do their Greek program too! Now that speaks volumes to me.

They offer a Bible product as well, but I gave this the world icon due to the fact theSong School Latin is not necessarily Christian in nature [even though you have the op to choose Ecclesiastical version]Again-the material has to be dripping with God's Word to get a cross icon.

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Classical Academic Press homepage
Song School info page
Set: $64.00 (includes TG, Student text, Song CD, and Monkey Match Flashcard game)
K-2/3 grade (good fit for struggling dyslexics 10 and under)

*Don't forget to find out what my TOS mates had to say about this, and many other fine homeschooling products over on our TOS Review Crew Homepage.

**Classical Academic Press provided me with a free Song School Latin kit (TG, Student Text, sampling of the Monkey Match Flash cards) so that I could use this with my child, in order to write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for providing my honest opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: Apologia's What We Believe Series: Who Is God? And Can I Really Know Him Bk 1

2011-03-15T08:00:00.191-04:00

"...student-directed, Bible-based curriculum, your children will learn how to use Scripture as a lens through which to view the world around them—to see everything the way God sees it—and know the truth."

[from the Apologia website]

I cannot think of a better way to start a review than by quoting the goal for this curriculum series. As I plan out and look for the next year's learning materials for my children, I always hit a wall when it comes to apologetics/worldview instruction. I have found some material which we enjoy, but it seems to always leave us a bit disappointed in the end. I did consider this very book, for this year, but was unsure if it would fit our learning style and needs-so I delayed purchasing it (and good thing too because I have it now to review!). Boy was I pleasantly surprised when I actually got my hands on this great series (well book one so far).

Not only is this a gorgeous book-inside and out, it is well written and provides amble activities, and thought provoking material that directly applies to my child's life. Best yet, there are several areas which are really Charlotte Mason inspired-and because that is our basic philosophy for learning-it fits our family rather well.

I cannot stress enough how wonderful it is when a curriculum includes such things as a rich delicious brownie recipe, as well as one for S'more Clusters and more! I mean, sure-I have several cookbooks/recipes where I can find these things-but just imagine the delight and deliciousness of it all when moving through the chapter to suddenly find yourself staring at a fun, and tasty treat which ties into the lesson! Partner that with the amazing photography, applicable stories [to the child's experiences] used to illustrate the basic nuts and bolts of the main topic, vocabulary and Bible verse memory activities, prayer moments, and the exploration of Godly character traits. Best yet, it includes lessons to help the student apply what the Lord says in His Word vs what the world says. That is what I love the most about this curriculum. It asks the child to look at both sides of the fence to find the Truth. By providing our son with the basic building blocks to create a solid [discussed within this text] foundation [built on the Rock], we will see the good fruit unfold as he experiences "real world" situations in his life . By fruit, I inferring that he will know how to reference what he is being told by friends, family, co-workers and the media to what God has to say. Discernment in today's world is sadly hard to find. By using this as a part of our growth in Christ, we are providing him with the tools he will require to fight the influx of wrongs out there. The "Who Is God?" study is an easy to use, thorough and excellent way to assist us with our son's spiritual walk.

We are definitely going to continue with this series!

I highly recommend the Who Is God? And Can I Really Know Him to anyone looking for a balanced, interactive and enjoyable apologetics curriculum. What's more, Apologia offers not only a possible 2 week lesson plan layout for you to follow, but they include information for downloading notebook pages you can use to further the learning experience (although, being that I consider notebooking pages to be somewhat different than their version-I prefer to call them worksheets. If you are very CM oriented, you could use these as possible thought provoking narration questions, or turn them into other activities which apply more to CM's methods). Be sure to download the sample lesson, Table of Contents and the FAQ material, to glean better insight to this wonderful program.

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Apologia Homepage

Apologia's Who is God? info page

$39.00 [very nice hard back edition]

Age range: 6-14

Don't forget to read what my TOS mates have to say about this, and many other fine homeschool products over on our TOS Review Crew homepage.

***Apologia Educational Ministries provided me with a free Who Is God? And Can I Really Know Him book, to use with my children and so that I could write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion of this product.

2011-12 TOS crew application now available

2011-03-11T20:13:00.000-05:00

Visit the TOS Review crew site for more info:

New Crew Application.

Please read through the requirements you must have in order to be considered, as these have changed from last year. Also understand, this is a job and it is to be taken seriously-so no slackers man. I have enjoyed 3 tours of duty, have made wonderful friends, been introduced to awesome products and have built up a collection of blogging skills that have made me a better blogger. Do consider it!

And for my loyal readers-I am announcing my official resignation. I know it is time for me to disembark from this wonderful adventure, to pursue new ones and expand my horizons. Thanks to all of you for supporting and reading my blog. Don't fret-I still have some in the "hopper" that I am dying to talk about; and I won't officially get off board until this ship pulls into dock at the end of May. Obviously, I will keep this blog up for you to use as a reference/guide concerning many HS products.

To all the vendors I have worked with-thank you so much for the opportunity to review a product (or two or three) of yours. It has enriched our homeschooling experience beyond what I could never have imagined. Mostly though, we were able to try some things we may not have even considered, or may not have been able to afford-yet through your generosity, we were truly blessed. I hope you will consider continuing with using the TOS crew as a wonderful way to grow your virtual marketing and your business.

As it states in Ecclesiastes, and particularly the ones I have in red-this is what the Lord has been speaking to me about lately-and I look forward to the new paths He will lead me and my family on this year.

1 There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

² a time to be born and a time to die,
   a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
   a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
   a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
   a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
   a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
   a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
   a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

Oh the possibilities!~

Curriculum for sale to help adoption funds

2011-03-11T13:21:00.000-05:00

Please visit any of my blogs to check out my current for sale section. This will help build our adoption funds. Thanks.

Homeschooling on a Wing and a Prayer (main blog) look under Curriculum for Sale page

TOS Crew Review: Curiosity Files-Quicksand

2011-02-11T08:00:00.019-05:00

It is of common knowledge that when one earns their Professorship, they immediately become a member of an exclusive society (referred to the Super Smarty-pants Club by the rest of us), and when one is a part of such things-it is inevitable that one will cross paths with the more notable individuals, such as the famous Professor Henry Watson (better known as Indiana Jones). So it is of no surprise then that our precious Professor Ana Lyze has indeed rubbed elbows with Professor Watson-and I am sure she enjoyed every minute of it. After all, such a charming and handsome man draws even the most serious and/or studious lady's attention-regardless if on purpose or not.

And I am quite positive that ensuing unit study on Quicksand was birthed out of her endless discussions with Indiana-especially when he came to the story of how he, and his companions, were saved from the grips of the "lie-in-wait" death trap of sludge. All swooning aside, I am sure Professor Ana Lyze was able to regain her composure, at least long enough to be spurred on to create a new, and exciting week (or two) long study unit, for your adventure seeking children.

Swaying not from the norm here-this unit provides the same line of activities as the previous ones I have reviewed [link is to the Pufferfish]. From e-Links to direct websites regarding fascinating facts concerning the subject, Bible verse copywork (KJV) and Bible instruction, math activities, music and games, Fact File mini-booklets, science/craft projects (like making one's own quicksand), a list of relevant books to use to enhance the study, spelling/vocabulary/writing lessons, and map work. Basically, enough stuff to keep your children enthralled, all the while they are learning!

The Curiosity Files: Quick Sand is yet another wonderful themed unit study, you are sure to enjoy. Certainly this is priced right, easy to execute, and a great way to add some "bubbly" to one's regular studies.

Additional thoughts:

My son truly enjoys the activities found in the Curiosity Files [we have gone through a few now]. We were able to read through the main lesson in the guide, and as noted below-create and play with our own quicksand. Due to the fact we are just wrapping up our Blue Diamond unit, we didn't dabble too long in the mire of this one. As spring approaches, we will get back to it to see if we can locate some local spots where quicksand if found, and further explore the world of this intriguing goo. For us, we find that by using these, we are able to stave off boredom often found from only doing the "regular stuff" in our studies.

image from thesunblog.com

Being that our boy is totally into the Indiana Jones series, and that he has seen this movie (depicted above) several times-he knew right off the bat what scene, the Curiosity Files was referring to! So to capture the essence of the lesson-he grabbed his I.J. doll and set to work testing the new found knowledge of quick sand.

The fun of the "quicksand" of course, is immersing oneself [almost] fully into it.

And since Professor Ana Lyze is related to Miss Frizz,

I do believe we have lived up to her (or is it their?) motto:

"Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!"

Professor Walton may never be the same after this swashbuckling experience!

The marble was used to test how difficult it would be to remove something from the goop.

not all of it is Bible based, but there is enough of it in here to earn this

This requires some gathering and collecting of books/supplies, but not so daunting that it gets a "run" icon

The older children will require much less assistance for most of the activities
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TOS Magazine homepage

Curiosity Files-Quick Sand info page
$6.95 eBook download
General age range: 8-13 yrs-but one can surly modify to adjust for younger/older students

Be sure to visit the TOS Review Crew homepage to find out what my TOS mates had to say about this, and many other fine homeschool products.

**The Old Schoolhouse provided me with a free download version of the Curiosity Files: Quick Sand, to use with my children and so that I could write this review. Please note that I am an independent contractor for the Old Schoolhouse Magazine, that said-I have provided my honest opinion of this product regardless of that fact, and did not receive any financial compensation for it.

TOS Crew Review: VocabAhead 1000 SAT Vocabulary Videos and MP3s DVD (for computer use)

2011-02-07T08:00:00.041-05:00

If you have a Junior or Senior High student who intends to take the SAT or ACT, brushing up on their vocabulary is a necessity. One way to help melt the words into their memory cells, is to provide a visual along with the definition. VocabAhead has created a program that offers 1000 of the SAT words with accompanying videos, to do just that. The student clicks the word, then views the video whilst listening to the narrator, as they give several examples [too many in my opinion-sometimes the examples went on and on, to almost over explained it] of the definition (in sentence form). The site also offers a Study Room, where the student can create their own word list, review the videos and share them as well. Teachers have the option of posting the VocabAhead widget with word lists for their students (I guess as a homeschooling mom, this may not be so necessary) and the program is MP3 ready, so one could download the info into their player and take it where ever they go.

All in all, this is a good concept. The narrators are clear speaking and the cartoons/drawings are OK. If you have a child that thrives on visual and auditory methods for learning; the set up is conducive to this. By simply uploading the VocabAhead SAT videos CD into one's computer, or a DVD compatible player [see requirements below], the material is ready to click on to listen to. With 1000 of the typical SAT words, the student can go through the list at their own pace, to glean the meanings-and hopefully be able to recall them (especially on test day) with ease.

Additional thoughts:

Even though this would appear to be a useful product, I discovered some things in it that simply bothered me-making it a not-so-good choice for our family. I found that on several occasions, the lines of parental respect were blurred to what can be construed as negative statements in regard to the role of the parent, and the parent"s religion vs the teen's. In one example, they chose to use the debate over abortion as the focus-which in my opinion has no business being a part of study tool on vocabulary, especially when there are many other subjects could have been used instead. I am thinking because the design crew figured they would be addressing preteens/teens, that this would be the way to go. But being that we do not agree with that line of thought, I need to discuss this for a moment. Of all the examples one could use to describe these words, I am flabbergasted as to why they would need to toss in some "digs" toward the parents/adults in general. Here is an example:

The mother's bias toward her step-son caused her to totally neglect him and favor her other child; as a result of this bias, the step-son was weak and malnourished.

No, that would be child abuse and Social Services would need to be contacted. This is just a lack of good judgement on the creators' parts. How is this a good example of the word? Here is another snippet for you, on the word abase:

In a similar way, parents who abase their children will wind up with kids who don't think very highly of themselves.

Are you kidding me? Why on earth does that need to be a part of this? Regardless if they even considered the negative overtone of these statements, or to the necessity of it-which I suspect they did not; it is a big part of the reason [the cost of the DVD seems a bit high to me] that I cannot recommend this. There are plenty of other sources out there that retain their integrity by using examples that edify, and explain vocabulary without the derogatory comments. And even though many of the words in the list do not fall under this category, I am compelled to state that I am not impressed. I guess my own BIAS against something which promotes such things is prevailing here. You can watch several of the videos on their site; and I strongly urge you to see what my other TOS mates had to say regarding this product, before you decide if it is acceptable for your family.

(for us really a 1/2 a raft)

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Visit the VocabAhead 1000 SAT info page to gain more insight regarding the material included on the CD.

VocabAhead homepage

Product available through Amazon for $24.99
jr.high/high school level
You can sign up to receive the "Word of the Day" through email; and they offer iPad/Phone apps, as well.

System Requirements (according the company):
Windows, XP, Vista or Windows 7. MAC: Intel based system. MAX, OSX, iTunes 8 or later.
512MB RAM, Sound Card, up to 4.7GB free disk space, compatible DVD-ROM player. Compatible MP3 player required for portable use.

Be sure to see what my TOS mates had to say about this, and many other fine homeschool products, by visiting our TOS Crew Review homepage.

**VocabAhead provided me with a free VocabAhead One Thousand SAT Vocabulary Videos and MP3 CD to use and enjoy with my family, so that I could write this review. I did not receive any further compensation (product wise or financially) for my honest opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids

2011-01-26T08:00:00.007-05:00

Picture it -you are all snuggled up next to your child, reading a story from the Bible-and poof! You come across a word that makes your child's forehead wrinkle [or is that yours?], and their mind freeze. Usually a swift thinking parent, such as yourself, can give a brief description of the word...but there are those times of befuddlement. With the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids, every time you hit that proverbial road block, you can provide a beautiful example and/or explanation to clarify the word or concept. This is a gorgeous, colorful and neatly organized reference book for the whole family.

Definitions of words/terms (750 of them) are listed alphabetically, with the edges of the pages highlighted for that particular letter. The descriptions are thorough but not overwhelming and not so overly technical, that your child will not be able to grasp the concept. There are plenty of maps relating to the life and times of the folks in the Old and New Testaments, and charts (love the Parables one which not only details the exact reference in the Bible, but also includes the lesson taught, and occasion it can be used for) listing various needful information. A child could easily become lost in between these pages, due to the engaging content and brightly colored graphics.

Notice the little colorful tabs along the side of the pages to assist in quick location of terms

The Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids is based on verses found in the Holman Christian Standard Bible (I saw some KJV references too), but one can easily substitute with their favorite version if need be. We personally use the NIV, but I strongly encourage the children to reference other versions too-so this is not an issue with us. One thing I did notice, (if you are very persnickety about such things, you may want to hold one in your hands and thumb through it before buying) was that some of the artwork [not all of it and the actual photography is not an issue] is atypical of what you find out there in-very white looking characters in many of the drawings/paintings. Granted, the company that put this together is at the mercy of what is available to use-and in past generations, they were not so careful about being correct to the geographical and ethnic heritage of the characters. I usually just do a mini-discussion with the kids concerning that, and move along. Since no one is alive today, who actually saw Jesus or his disciples, or the Patriarchs, and so forth-the present day art is always a reflection of how the artist felt they appeared to be. But that is true with all art-not just Bible related material. I wanted to point that out because I am sure some are more sensitive to that issue-a "just so you know" tidbit to consider.

Notice the carpenter and his son on the left page

(referring to Joseph and Jesus)-this is an example of what I mean.

Nothing major, just typical of what you find out there.

Overall, I am very, very impressed with this book. It is a wonderful resource to use for my family, as we make our way through our Bible studies. This is one of the best dictionaries for Bible reference for children I have come across. I highly recommend this to anyone, including those who are looking for a meaningful and useful gift for their favorite child, Sunday School teacher, missionary-or even for themselves!

**Please note: Lifeway sells a variety of Christian materials-including this dictionary, they do not necessarily publish all of it. Now, if you are familiar with Beth Moore, this is the place to go. I have found many great Christian related material through Lifeway. I encourage you to take some time exploring their site because they offer a lot! If you want to learn more about the publisher, then head to the B and H Publishing Group.

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Illustrated Bible Dictionary direct link
$14.99 hardback
ages 5-10 but really anyone of any age will enjoy this reference book

Be sure to head to our TOS Crew Review homepage to read about this, and many other fine homeschool products.

**Lifeway Christian Resources provided me with a free Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids, to use and enjoy with my family, so that I could write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion of this product.

An Award for being Stylish-good thing Stacey and Clinton aren't around to see me accept this!

2011-01-23T11:54:00.002-05:00

Chris at Army of 5 awarded me this Stylish blogger award and I feel so special! Thank you Chris! Usually "style" is not a part of my vocab-LOL...so I am to follow the rules (oooh that is making it kinda hard already-LOL) noted below:

1. Thank and link back to the Stylish Blogger who awarded this to you. (check)

2. Share seven things about yourself (must I? OK, check)

3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers (I will award 5 cuz I am sure many of the ones that I wanna award have already been selected)

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!! (I can do that)

7 things you prob'ly aren't so sure you wanna know:

1. It is my bday today (Jan. 23). So I am sorta now kinda oldish here-and I am proud to state that I am 44 years old today. Thank you Lord for giving me these precious years-please give me at least that many more and then some!

2. I am trying to learn Russian. I have a few of the basics (hello, good-bye, no, yes) down...long way to go tho.

3. I am changing gears this year and will be making some changes concerning what I spend my time doing (not saying right now cuz it isn't the right time I 'speculate) and hopefully, what I will be spending my time preparing for (ie: adoption).

4. I am in Army Wives rehab...I have been suffering withdrawal symptoms since the last episode of the season aired and I am barely hanging on-just a few more months til the next season starts...just a few more months.

5. I have given up the battle against the dust in this house. I dunno where it is all coming from-but no matter how often I dust-it is back seconds later and never ceases. The dust has won.

6. I have like 5 active blogs and 2 dormant ones. I dunno what I am thinking-it is just they each serve a different purpose. I don't post every day, or sometimes every week-so time/energy isn't the issue...just remembering to post once in a while is! LOL

7. I am boring-yes it is true. Haven't been active in much these past couple years, trying to decide if that is a good thing or not so good thing...my goal for this year is to do more of something, like field trips and activities, but I dunno...we'll see. Til then, I remain a boring ole lady.

yes, that is all I know of myself...like I said boring. So sorry. Well, maybe the gals I pick will have some juicy tidbits of info to spill about themselves for you! Please stop by and visit them to see! (I am only doing 5, even tho I know many, many other great bloggers-please forgive me if you are not on this list-I still love ya!)

Sister Tipster (Sister Tipster)

His Mercy is New (Candace)

Adventures in Unsell Land (Jen)

Ladybug Chronicles (Lynn)

My Blessings from Above (Michelle)

Enjoy!

TOS Crew Review: Easy Classical-Early Modern History Schedule Guide

2011-01-10T06:00:00.020-05:00

If you enjoy the Classical method for teaching your own, and you desire a program that has the work of scheduling, listings of resources and activities already done for you-then the Easy Classical Schedule could be the perfect fit for you. Easy Classical actually has many schedules available to suit a wide variety of needs. From the whole "kitten-kaboodle" for K-6th grade, to science and of course-history.

Because I received the history schedule, I will focus this review on that. In case you are considering additional purchases, usually the other subjects will be cohesive with the history era being studied, so look for those time frames that match the history you want to cover. Basing the pattern of history around the 4 year cycle idea, the guides walk the student(s) through the various eras in a logical (starting with the Old Testament/Ancient Egypt times to Modern Day) pattern (for 36 weeks) which is "revisited" at least 2x by the time your student graduates.

I had the pleasure of looking through the Early Modern History (Explorers to 1820) and found it quite well laid out, and easy to follow. One of the first things that grabbed my attention is the ease of use. Clearly noted sources and their assigned pages/chapters, are listed under the appropriate day of the week. Icons also hint at additional tasks to complete, when necessary, as well. I also appreciated the fact that the schedule is designed to assist you (meaning skipping or not doing some things is OK), not bind you in some unattainable fashion of assignments that can overwhelm the student/teacher which can spiral into some sort of yoke that smothers out the flame of interest and delight in learning. In other words, there is plenty enough material assigned for reading , mapping, and crafting to allow for some discretion on your part. I have found some other curricula to be less than gracious in that department-so this was refreshing to see. A little "Post-It" note image lists the necessary supplies for that week, making planning and gathering much more easy for you too. The schedule also includes some comprehensive questions/answers to ask of your student(s), so that you are sure they have grasped the main concepts for the week. For those of you who choose to quiz their students (or are required to by state law), one is provided for each unit. Also included in the guide are some drawing "step-by-step" activities (or one can just have a student color a completed picture) for additional hands-on projects.

One will have to acquire the sources necessary to teach this, so some planning ahead is an absolute must. Thankfully, the site lists those and where you can purchase them-so it shouldn't be too difficult to manage. Many book hounds (such as myself), probably have many already on our shelves (which I did) so cruising the home "book store" is a good way to see exactly what you do or do not need. This guide follows, as the main backbone texts, The Story of the World (Vol. 2 and 3) by Susan Wise Bauer and 4 of the A History of Us by Joy Hakim, along with a couple other ones. But again-being that you are in charge, not the schedule, you can certainly substitute a few if need be. Geography and writing assignments are also included, which is a must-because if you student covers the material, but has no clue as to where in the world it took place, it simply won't be "cemented" in their head like it should. And being able to communicate with writing is another much needed skill all students should have. So the Easy Classical (Early Modern) schedule is a pretty complete history guide.

Digging a bit deeper:

Now personally, I am not a big fan of the Classical method. I have tried it in the past, and found it messed with our system. That of course, is not good, especially if I or the kids dislike it. Generally, when I come across some materials, such as this guide, I will use suggestions for materials/books, that I feel will add to our eclectic CM style-and forgo the rest. I have been able to add a couple of the noted books [in this guide], to add to our current studies, and it was nice to have some additional ideas. Frankly, I don't particularly care for the books by S.W. Bauer. I find we enjoy full stories (living literature) over snippet history, so it is not really for us, per say. So outside of a few issues I have with the backbone texts for history, I am pretty much in the same boat in regard to their choices for many of the resources listed under their Main Curriculum and Science materials (which has peaked my interest a lot). As for the discussion/quiz questions-well, we follow the narration idea of Charlotte Mason, and I expect my students to be able to recall the main points of the readings-so those would only serve to help me "think" of some additional promptings to get my student to recall more. But for those who need those, it can be a great help for them.

I did note too [and not that I couldn't rearrange a bit] that larger reading assignments were clumped/noted on one day (Monday), and not much else was given for the rest of the week (although not every time). It appeared to be a pattern, which simply may be the way the author likes to do "business", or it was done to allow for adequate time of the reading assignments from the other subject schedules they offer. It simply doesn't mesh with my preferences, because I feel it can cause overload to the student and teacher. Leaning those out would be a bit better (in my humble opinion), because with that much reading to listen to-minds invariably start to shut off, and eyes become glazed. If you have students who cannot tolerate long reading periods (which I do), I highly recommend shifting a bit of it, to even that out. Or breaking the reading assignments into manageable amounts, which are spread widely throughout the day. Again-simply our family's preference, but certainly something to consider.

IF I did follow the Classical way, and I needed something that is easy (as the name suggests) to use, which follows the 4 year cycle idea, then I would definitely seriously consider purchasing this series. The only work would be finding the sources, and carrying out the lessons-which is a God send for many folks and a true blessing. The time consuming work is done, which allows for more learning opportunities with your kids. Actually after exploring the site further, I am seeing that I am really liking the science schedules (which can be blended into our style quite nicely), especially since the lessons are listed for Tues. and Thurs. which just so happens to be my days for science too. So even though their history plan may not be our way of exploring the world as it was, the science is definitely something I will investigate further. [Just goes to show that a company may ask me to review something for them that doesn't necessarily meet our family needs, all the while they have something else there that certainly does-so keep that in mind as you go through the site! :0) ]

I put this for icon because even though there are plenty of sources used in the study, that are Christian based-it doesn't drip it on the schedule itself-I almost put the balance, but since this has no Bible schedule in it-it gets this icon instead. Just so you know....

There is some Read-Aloud books, and little ones will need more help than the older ones
Need help with icons? Click Here

Modern History Schedule Info (download samples of the material to glean a better idea of the layout)

Modern History Curriculum List (denotes the required and additional resources necessary to properly teach the material)

Easy Classical Homepage
Digital Version: $29.95 or Notebook Version: $35.95
For kids in approximately K-6 grade (use your best judgement-some K-2 graders are not ready for in depth coverage of material yet) This particular unit is noted as a part of their 5th grade complete set.

You can read about how my TOS mates felt about this product and many others, over on our TOS Review Homepage.

**Easy Classical supplied me with a free download of the Early Modern History Schedule to look over, and use with my children, in order to write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion of this product.

Nothing to do with reviews-but so much more important

2011-01-05T11:40:00.006-05:00

If you don't follow our regular homeschool blog, Homeschooling on a Wing and a Prayer, then you most likely missed this little sitzie that has come upon us. We have recently felt the leading of the Lord to adopt. But not just any child-but a child with special needs-one through Reece's Rainbow. We actually had a precious one in mind-because the Lord pierced our hearts with him-but well...I will let you read the post, Waiting for Answers, to glean the basics.

Now as we wait-I intend to not sit idly by-but to become a prayer warrior (waiting to see who we are assigned) and work on saving some money to help us adopt down the road. So what is my goal for this post? It is to raise awareness about something so needed-and you my dear readers can help! Visit Reece's Rainbow to learn more and find a darling you can help, and visit my blog for updates on our Give Away Package Fund Raisers coming soon!

Please watch this video by Eric Ludy too. All you need to do is insert your child's name and face onto that orphan, and you will be moved. What if you bore a child in a country that regarded it as nothing more than a shame and useless creature-if you had basically no option but to place your precious child into a baby house to wait, and wait for their forever family, or sadly, for some (could it have been your child?) to never be adopted-but rather placed in a mental institution with little human contact, rotting away in a crib/bed to await the ultimate price-death? Would you not want someone to consider them, anyone with the capacity to see they are fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator, and deserve to be loved? To have someone come and remove your child out of that hellhole and into their family, to be loved and cherished and provided for? I would. Many of those parents do not have the option to raise their child, or they follow what they are taught by their society-that a child who is different, is worthless. God help those babies-God help them!

You can make a difference-just by sharing their story and other adoptive families too!

Thank you for reading this and sharing it!

Curiosity Files eBook: Blue Diamond

2010-12-28T17:17:00.005-05:00

Well Professor Ana Lyze has struck again-and it is all glittery and blue in color. Perhaps she employed the Seven Drarfs [due to their uncanny, and lest we forget-singing the whole day long-knack for digging up gems of importance] to help expedite this interesting unit study. After all, even a girl who is hard wired for all things off beat and slightly weird [such as Ana], most undoubtedly has a secret need for the sparkles, and shine found in a diamond.

This study dips your budding gemologists into a vat of "geology-knowledge", better known as the time honored, pressure causing method of creating something spectacular. The intent is to glean or "pick" at the interesting facts surrounding the beauty and rarity of a blue diamond specifically, but does touch on the formation of gem stones in general. Loaded with direct web links, activity pages [such as crosswords, word finds, Curiosity Snippets (lapbook mini-booklets) and more], math challenges, Bible verses [copywork and general reference] and hands on activities [experiments, map work,baking projects, etc.]-your student will discover what it takes to make a rock a gem. Or just how absurdly rich some folks can be (or dense in my opinion) for allowing their pooch to parade around with one of the rarest blue diamonds known to man, attached to it's collar (yes, true story there folks). It is all there waiting to be unearthed.

After pounding through a rock and gem kit he received for Christmas, my son is now ready to further explore what exactly those rocks are, and how they came to be. And since we were able to actually see the very blue Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian, it won't be hard to imagine these precious stones at all. With a variety of activities, my son will learn, and have fun while doing it. That gets a big "HI-HO" from me! We're both looking forward to starting the new year with this easy to use, unit study from Ana Lyze's Curiosity Files.

*Update Posts:
Jump Start the study
Can learn your lesson and eat it too

TOS homepage

Curiosity File: Blue Diamond info page
$6.95 eBook download
ages 8-13 (can be tweaked to fit ages below 8 and above 13 tho)
KJV is used for the copywork but one could adjust for their own version fairly easily
This could be a 1-2 week study, depending on how often you cover the material. There is a suggested reading listed, as well as baking/craft projects noted-so you will need to have those resources beforehand in order to properly teach the unit.

*The eBook does not include a blue diamond (so sorry), nor singing dwarfs. But the Smithsonian Institute does have a project kit called the Rock and Gem Dig, which is another excellent tie in for this unit study.

**The Old Schoolhouse provided me with a free download version of the Curiosity Files: Blue Diamond, to use with my children and so that I could write this review. Please note that I am an independent contractor for the Old Schoolhouse Magazine, that said-I have provided my honest opinion of this product regardless of that fact, and have not received any diamonds or financial compensation for it.

TOS Crew Review: Wits and Wagers Family Game

2010-12-15T09:00:00.120-05:00

How many meeples or maybe sheeples, can you stuff all together in the local steeples? I don't know exactly, but I do know that when you play the Wits and Wagers Family Game, you can select your color meeples and place them where you think you'll get the most points-to hopefully win the game. What are "meeples" you ask? Little, painted wood-shaped peeples meant to be your game pieces.

In the Wits and Wagers Family Game, players choose the wipe off board of their choice (6 colors) and their matching meeples, grab a dry-erase marker (provided) and select one person to play the role of Richard Dawson. Then once the question is asked (regardless if you know it-just guess an answer), the players line their number response in order from lowest to highest. After pondering the options (unless you know for sure), everyone puts their meeples on the card(s) they think is correct, or closest to it. The answer is given, and points are awarded for those who (1) wrote the correct number, and/or (2) have their meeples [a big one worth 2 pts, and the little one worth 1 pt.] on the closest to, or on the actual answer [but not over]. The first to reach 15 points, wins! It's that easy.

We enjoyed playing this over and over again. The pace is quick, the questions (and remember you don't need to know the answer, just how to guess) are interesting, and the extra info about the object in question is enlightening [you can read a little ditty regarding that subject after the answer]. We found we were done within the 20 min. range. After a bit it became mundane due to it becoming "familiar" [read question, guess, answer and get points] so we simply would play a game or two, then come back to play again another day. This fits perfectly into our lives, because we don't usually have time for the more in depth games we own.

This quick overview bubble is an awesome thing here peeples. All you need to do is glance at this listing, to see exactly what you are up against. This is especially helpful if you are knee-deep into a project when your precious chillins ask you to play the game. You ponder your options: you know you are on a roll, but you also know these moments with your children are fleeting; so you consider the deadlines, and the projects-all the while you gaze into their sweet faces. It is then that the sweat droplets start to bead across your forehead, and your lips become drier than the Sahara desert-your mind starts racing for reasons not to lose half a day on a game that is complicated or never ending. Then it hits you-you can do this! It isn't some 5 hour game that drags on and on, seemingly forever! No, the little info tag says 20 mins-you can do that [and I would say that is more than generous enough]. You begin to feel a sigh of relief well up in your body, and with a twinkle in your eye-you glance down and smile. "Sure!" you reply. Twenty minutes later [maybe even less] your children are satisfied, and you have spent some worthwhile time with your youngsters. More importantly-you realize you need to brush up on your Hannah Montana and other pop culture info tidbits, so those young ones don't blow you out of the water next time around. Ah no-North Star Games didn't put this little strip of knowledge there to mimic cereal companies [in their attempt to clarify their ingredients] or to look all meepley-correct. Nope, they did this to relieve parents of their "deer in the headlights" look that inevitably sneaks up on every one of us modern day, busy folks.

Once you whet your appetite with the Wits and Wagers Family Game, you can dip your toes into one of their other fine products. We're considering the Say Anything game, as it looks engaging and fun as well. I think their tagline "Games with Personality", definitely sums up their product line.

Need help with icons? Click Here

North Star Games homepage
The retail price is $19.99-but you can usually find it a bit less at your local stores. Their Games homepage will link you to Target.
Ages 8 and up

Let it be noted here: if you are sternly against, or your religious convictions deem anything (even remotely) related to gambling-this may not be for you. There isn't any money exchanging, or betting per say-but one does decide who they will trust answered correctly, then place their meeples on their guess. We personally, did not find it bothersome; and felt the relationship to gambling was vague at best.

*Don't forget to visit our TOS Crew Review Homepage to read about this, and many other fine homeschool products. To read the specific reviews on the game, head

**North Star Games provided me with a free Wits and Wagers Family Game; so that the peeples in my family could test our knowledge, and enjoy the meeplesness of this fun game. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion, and review of this game.

TOS Crew Review: KBTeachers (worksheets, printable pages)

2010-11-19T06:00:00.175-05:00

This should come as no surprise to my regular blog visitors, but I am not a big fan of using worksheets to teach. But alas, even I realize there are moment when they come in quite handy. I especially like the challenge of taking a worksheet and turning it into a learning tool for my children. So actually, I do find that I can tweak one to get something useful for memory work, or to cement a particular lesson into my kids' noodles. There are times too-when I want to avoid having an "idle hands and mind" moment with one student, whilst I work with another, and I much prefer it to be in the educational spectrum. So again, this may mean I need to dip into the worksheet world to prevent this.

The ability to find quality material is a bit of challenge, not to mention a time swallower. Having a membership with a company that already has that done for me, is a fabulous thing. Enter KBTeachers, an online smörgåsbord of such things like: a worksheet generator, clip art [original artwork here] that can be used in my own personal projects or on my blogs; as well as a good variety of math, science, and fun activities I can access, and print as needed.

This is a free worksheet on the Rainforest layers.

It serves as a great example of how

I could "tweak" this by having my student complete it,

to place it in a lapbook on climates, or in a science notebook, etc.

I was particularly happy to see the sign language section, as we will have that course in our next co-op session. I know that will come in quite handy! I love how I can type in a message that they will need to decipher, and it is not limited because I can create new ones every time. They also have a section dedicated to the current month's goings on-and it is prominently displayed in the upper most left-hand corner, so you are sure to see it. Best yet-they have a monthly webquest section, with live links to sites regarding the gem of the day (such as Veteran's Day, Popcorn Day, Gettysburg day and so forth) designed to provide additional resources for our studies.

My example here of this sign language activity.

Can you read it?

Look at the bottom of the review for the answer.

I am also impressed to see they have material designed for children in the older grades (Jr/Sr high) which is not an easy thing to find. Best yet, they still offer up some goodies for the younger set-so this is a nice option for families with all age levels to address, like us. And although I do not usually budget for, nor purposely seek out such sites to purchase a membership [because we try to avoid having too much paper busywork in our daily studies]-I am very glad I was chosen to be a part of this review. I can see great potential for supplementing our lapbooks/notebooks for our current and future studies; and look forward to their additions and new material. My best suggestion is for you to sign up for the trial period, to see if the site addresses your family's needs.

An FYI moment: thankfully, the team at KBTeachers is open to many suggestions from their clients, especially one I addressed which was the need for more Christian materials. I saw a positive response, and hopefully down the road they will have more in their collection to offer us. Be forewarned here, the majority of the science section is evolution based-so simply avoid those if you are uncomfy with it. There are plenty enough other subject materials to use that are benign. Personally, I would like to see the sciences/geology worksheets become less date oriented-meaning they note the information about the subject, without pinpointing a date in time it was to have occurred. That way it suits both group's needs, allowing for the teacher to decide what time frame they want to place it in. Also, it would be uncharacteristic of me if I didn't note that many of the worksheets are typical of what you'd expect to find PS/PS teachers using. Like I mentioned in the beginning though, these can be used in part, or cut up to create a more "hands on" type of activity for projects and such. Creativity is one of the homeschooler's best weapons to teaching "outside the box" and this is an example of just such a moment.

I didn't put a kid icon on here b/cuz you use this to create material or download it for your students-all ages are addressed though.
Need help with icons? Click Here

KBTeachers Homepage (currently undergoing major web design changes, so look for that soon)
$29 with trial/then 1 year membership, $49 for 2 year membership
Try their 10 day free trial before you buy.
They also have free pages to download without signing up for the trial-just look for those under the specific subjects.

Don't forget to see what my TOS mates had to say about this and many other fine homeschool products over on our TOS Review Crew Homepage. To read the posts specifically for this review, head to KBteachers TOS postings for that info.

**KBTeachers provided me with a 2 year membership so that I could access and use their worksheets to assist in educating my children, and so that I could write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion of their product/service.

Answer to the sign language worksheet: This is a fun part of the KBteachers site.

TOS Review Crew: The Corps of Re-Discovery

2010-11-15T10:10:00.002-05:00

Oooh, this is a fun one! Head over to the TOS Crew Review homepage, to find out what my fellow mates had to say about the item they received to review. This company is perfect for those handicraft needs, history tie-ins and so forth. I have my mini-review posted in the product description (I was the head First Mate) so you can see exactly what I am talking about. Just wanted to do a little FYI here.

In a hurry?

Then head to the Corps of Re-Discovery homepage to take a look-see for yourself.

I have created another blog all about Charlotte Mason homeschooling

2010-11-11T14:12:00.002-05:00

I found that I simply needed to create a blog dedicated to the CM areas of our homeschool. I hope this will serve as a blessing, and challenge you to try her methods as a part of doing "school" with your family. Even if you are new to CM, or an old timey CMer-I pray something there will encourage you or provide a new idea or two.

I will be adding posts as fast as I can, I have a lot of ideas and also will be cross-posting old posts from my other blogs to this one for you (so you can find the info quickly). I hope to have an intro to CM and how we use it someday soon--but until then, I have linked in many great blogs, sites and companies that are all about CM.

Stop by for a visit and tell your friends!

A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Sampler

TOS Crew Review: Collectorz (Book Collector)

2010-11-05T06:00:00.020-04:00

Do you have more books than your local library? Or all the libraries in your county combined? I do believe that one "illness" many homeschoolers develop, [either out of necessity or just the plain love of the printed word] is the book-bingies. Yes, that lovely, yet overstuffed shelves disease, that plagues many of us. And how many of these afflicted individuals truly know their actual book count, let alone the titles of them? And how many long for the ability to pull up that data at the drop of a hat [like when it is a "need to know now" emergency]; so as to not to plop down more cash on a load of books they already own?

Amazingly, there is a company that provides a nifty product, that can do that and more! You purchase your desired plan (or edition), log in, scan (or type manually) the bar codes from your book collection, choose a cover picture, file according to your personal organizing needs, mark loaned books, rate the books and so on and so forth! Quite easy to do, with extremely wonderful results. No more "me thinks me has that" moments regarding what you own.

Collectorz is a database software which allows for you to play "librarian" so you can track your books. You can also check your list away from home on your iPhone/iPod touch (if you own one, $9.99 app. fee) so that you won't accidentally purchase books you already own, or pass up one you really needed. You can see if you have a particular one to loan, or just scroll thru and drool over your vast array to feed your book-bingies itch. They also offer programs to track your movies, games, music, MP3, photo and comic collections. The only improvement I think they could add there, would be an edition to track a person's array of Pez dispensers, or a kid's explosion of Matchbox cars; but outside of that I think they have you pretty well covered.

I was totally geeked when I saw that I would be receiving this baby to review. I quickly decided after punching in a few books manually, that I needed to get myself one of those CueCats [not too spency] to scan the bar codes, to save much precious time when logging in my huge collection. I highly recommend that extra to anyone with more than a few books, because it is easy to use (be sure it is set to USB ports so you can click it in and go) and will make your log time minimal. Due to some unfortunate and rather untimely death of my computer-I haven't had much time to play with this. I was only able to log about a snippet's worth of my books, but from what I did experience, it was pretty nice. I liked being able to choose a cover icon to have in the data section (since I am a visual person and that just makes it easily identifiable for me), rate my stuff with stars, organize it according to genres, subject, etc.-and best yet, I have an easy way to see what I own. That is huge for me. Once I re-establish the system on a new computer, I can get back to business and be all organized like. My CueCat anxiously awaits the day we get going on this project again, and so do I!

Collectorz is the way to go if you have such needs; and with a free trial (up to 100 books), there is no reason not to take a dip into the organized pool of coolness.

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Collectorz Homepage

Standard Edition: $24.95, Pro: $49.95

Don't forget to see what my fellow TOS mates had to say about this and many other fine homeschooling products over on our TOS Crew Review Homepage.

***Collectorz provided me with a free Pro version of their Book Collector to test and use, so that I could not only record my vast collection of books, but say for the opportunity to write this review. No financial compensation was received for my honest opinion of their product.

I have been tagged in a game of TOS Blog tag

2010-10-30T17:43:00.001-04:00

I have been tagged by fellow TOS mate, Nanette (Joys of Homeschooling blog), and I guess what I am to do is answer the 8 questions, then tag 8 bloggers, and come up with 8 questions...problem is I am not on my puter, and have limited access right now as my ole girl crashed into oblivion. So I will honor the tag, but not pass it along due to the issues I am having. Thanks to Nanette for including me in the game. Here were her questions I needed to answer:

1. How do you stay organized? I dunno-some days are better than others-and I honestly don't have an exact formula, ...just try to keep some pre-work for future lapbooks, activities and such, done prior to when I need it, so I can pull it to fill the workboxes as needed (instead of running around trying to get it all together as I am setting up the day)...stuff like that...
2. What is your favorite curriculum and why? (Ex: Apologia, Life of Fred, etc.)

Beautiful Feet Books programs [history and science], because it is easy to apply and adjust as needed-uses great literature. Not overwhelming at all. Been using it pretty much since the start. I have lots of other favs, this one just stands out the most right now.3. Do you notebook or lapbook? Do you have any successful secrets to share to a lapbook newbie?

Yes, and Yes. Best advice-premake the items (copy, cut, gather necessary extras and books before you want to do the project) and store in Ziplock bags...that way when you want to do an couple mini-books it is all set and ready to go. Also-don't try to do it all [suggested booklets, activities-pick and choose what strikes you as the most interesting or needed] or attempt to do too many per month-you'll get student and teacher burnout. 4. What kind of field trips, or outings do you go on for school enrichment?

Been pretty lame-O in that department. When traveling with daddy, we try to visit as many interesting sites/museums/etc. that we can. We zero in on historical places the most.

Also attend a co-op.
5. Do you have any awesome science experiments to share?

After my puter decided to die-I am wondering if we should learn to build a computer from the ground up-sorta like when Steve Austin crashed in the plane and the gov't decided to rebuild him.
6. What is the best website, book, etc; you have found that has helped you through your homeschool journey?

Any and all relating to Charlotte Mason and her philosophy, and how to apply it.

and workboxes have saved my sanity and given order to the kid's schooling...so that process has helped immensely.

7. Within your homeschool, what is one thing you could never live without?

God and his mercies that are afresh every day

8. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever heard from a non-homeschooler? It can be something from a child or an adult.

Dunno...most annoying? "I would never have the patience to hs." and dumbest? "But what about Prom?"

There you have it. Nothing fancy, or too in depth...but wanted to respond. Thanks and yes, I am the tag game party pooper....

Curiosity Files Ebook: The Puffer Fish review

2010-10-24T21:42:00.007-04:00

I do believe I have come across Ms. Frizz's zany, and somewhat lesser known (but not for long) cousin-Professor Ana Lyze...who apparently grew up [and earned her degree in all things curious] with the same ideals, and extreme need to explore the unique and somewhat obscure scientific situations, found throughout the Lord's great creation. She doesn't wear clothing that correlates with her subject matter (thankfully), but that doesn't stop her from her pursuit for the "need to know" about her topic!

Jam packed with oodles and oodles of info-these are far from "cheesy" or "lame-O". In fact, I found these [look for 2 more reviews coming soon] to be the BEST ebook unit studies I have had the pleasure of exposing my peepers to!

The Puffer Fish Ebook is spattered with links to various on-line sites to learn more, quizzes, Bible connections, math, language arts activities, copywork [KJ, but you could easily adapt one to your favorite version. Both print and cursive options available], science lessons, natural history information with extra projects/research [think nature study/journaling here], adorable art/crafts ideas, a ditty focusing on geography, a dash of music mania, and a nice book list to round out the study. Best yet, they have included "Curiosity Snippets" [lapbook mini-books] to jump start your notebooking needs. Did I mention the beautifully colored pages and graphics? Well, that is included too.

Neat facts just abound in this study! I didn't know a Puffer can tell whether something (or someone) is coming or going past them, and all at the same time! Or that they get all puffed up in a rather curious manner, but not from the way I assumed it was. These little factoids were quite surprising to learn [but I am not going to share that info-don't want to spoil it for you] and subsequently, have made it so I will never ponder or look upon a Puffer in quite the same way after learning so much about them!

Best yes, the Curiosity Files: The Puffer Fish touches on several areas, so I know that when we delve into this as a part of ocean study this winter, my son will have many of his core subjects covered. We can literally take a break from our regular routine and just enjoy this Bible-based, analyze it [or should I say, Ana Lyze?], and go forth, exploration of a very curious creature. Now that is quite puffalicious!

image from Wikipedia.com

Surf on over to the Old Schoolhouse Store

to learn more about this great unit study.

The Old Schoolhouse Store Homepage

$6.95 Ebook download-you will need to print the pages.
Target age range is 8-13 but can be adjusted to fit younger and older students nicely

***The Old Schoolhouse company provided me with a free Curiosity File: Puffer Fish Ebook, to use and enjoy with my family. I am an independent contractor for the Old Schoolhouse Magazine, but did not receive any financial compensation for my honest review of this item. It is that puffalicious and excellent, I couldn't help but be puffed up about this great study-for real folks!

TOS Crew Review: William Tyndale: God's Smuggler Ebook from Soli Deo Gloria Resources

2010-10-15T06:00:00.005-04:00

Sounds mysterious and almost criminal doesn't it? "God Smuggler"-well it actually was all that and more. Plus, the penalty for translating and/or smuggling the English version of the Bible into the hands of the "commoners" was death at the stake (with fire, not a potato [sorry just trying to lighten the grim facts here]-so obviously this was a very high price to pay to help spread the Gospel).

So who was this smuggler, and what was the big deal? Wasn't the Bible always available for the average folk to purchase and read for themselves? Why would anyone care if there was an English version anyway? Where and when did this all take place? What is the significance of researching and learning about this event from the past? Is it still "illegal or life threatening" to own a Bible today?

I can guarantee you this-your children (and perhaps you yourself) will know the answers to those questions and have a greater understanding of the exact details surrounding this God-led step in history, and all in just one week, or there about-as you can stretch it out for as long as need be.

[image from Wikipedia.com]

The name William Tyndale should be somewhat familiar to most Christians, and perhaps non-Christians too. After all, most probably heard of Tyndale House Publishers right? But why should you even consider studying him with you children? You should, because it changed history and for the better-because of it, the "commoners" all around the world have access to a Bible they can read for themselves. So how can you study him and not take a year to do it?

Soli Deo Gloria offers a week long, unit study focusing on this great man. Right off the bat, you are given some good options for ways to introduce William Tyndale to your children (lists of books and DVDs to watch), then it walks you through each day with a variety of ideas, to go further into depth and learn more. There is no pretense that you must do all the listed suggestions, but rather a more relaxed approach where you are offered enough ideas to keep everyone busy, and focused on Mr. Tyndale for your lesson time. Links to additional sites and activities are duly noted, offering some really good tie-in, hands on projects [like creating a timeline, art ideas, sites with games and quizzes, and even vocabulary work] to cement the information into your young scholars' memories.

This review came along just as we were about to leave for a trip to Hawaii, so I had to whittle the study down to do what we could during the amount of time we had. I decided to start with one of the suggested books for my son, and so during the plane ride and during down time at the hotel-we read and discussed the story. Then upon returning, we watched one of the movies and will end our study with another. We have done some of the coloring sheets (the boy does great if I give him something to "do" whilst I read, so the links to those extras really helped) and the teen did a fun translation activity too. We have actually looked up some paintings of King Henry VIII to help get a mental picture of the dude that William prayed for, and we will do a few more projects to round out the mini-unit study of Mr. Tyndale. I plan on pulling it out down further down the road, when my son covers Medieval history, as a refresher. Both the kids found this to be an interesting side-project (because right now we are in American history); and did enjoy learning about one of the many people who opened the door to get God's Word into the hands of the regular folk.

If you are looking for something that is easy to do, this is a great option-especially if you are new to the whole concept of the unit study as a way to teach. Best yet, you can sample William Tyndale: God's Smuggler to see for yourself, if it will suit your family's learning style.

I have the "run gal" up there due to the fact that you will need to collect some things in order to do this study-but after that-it is an easy project

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Soli Deo Gloria Resources Homepage

William Tyndale: God's Smuggler Ebook

Ages: lower elementary to high school

$8.00 Ebook download

Don't forget to see what my TOS mates had to say about this and many other fine homeschool products! Visit our TOS Crew Review Homepage for more information.

***Soli Deo Gloria Resources provided me with a free William Tyndale: God's Smuggler Ebook to use and enjoy with my family, so that I could write this review. No financial compensation was received for my honest opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: Digital Frog Field Trip Series

2010-10-08T01:48:00.001-04:00

One of the beauties of being a homeschooling family, is that we can head out to explore all sorts of neat places-which is often referred to as a "field trip". I actually don't refer to it as such, because it is more than that-it is a life experience that we can tuck into our child's heart and mind. I can tie in various lessons (science, history, culture, etc) with the experience, to really infuse into the children all that we have learned about that subject. And it is very Charlotte Mason like (which is our backbone method of choice), in thought and philosophy-having them experience it first hand (well lots of other methods are covered here too-I just wanted to highlight our choice of learning style) and so that is one of my goals in educating my children-to include these outings.

But being the realist that I am-I understand that visiting a lot places is simply not going to happen within the time frame of what our lessons are about...unless we are fortunate enough to go with daddy on one of his business trips, with places to explore, that just so happen to fit what we have been studying. So for example: the desert is not a very tangible option right now (although when we first started homeschooling, we lived in Phoenix, so we were able to see some of it whilst we lived there) because we live in the north east part of the country-but what if we have been covering that climate, and I truly wanted to add an outing to tie the lessons all together? What options are available that are interactive and provide more than a spew of info in a short amount of time. Where could I go for that?

That question was quickly answered when I received the Digital Field Trip Series DVD to review. Not only does this cover three different climates and an assortment of other scientific like processes/happenings (like photosynthesis, adaptations, botany, etc.) but it is actually interactive-like we are there but in virtual form, and we can experience it from our cozy home, any time we want. Now sure, it isn't the "real" thing-but the real thing also costs money to get to, has obstacles and challenges that frankly, we may not always want to deal with. Such as hot, sweaty and cranky kids, or timing it so our visit is during the time/season the parks/places are open. Oh, and lest we forget- bugs! Those blood thirsty mosquitoes, biting gnats, and yes-fire ants which litter the desert landscape, and can administer very painful bites, indeed.

And how about those critters I do not want to meet whilst traipsing through the great outdoors [snakes, bears, skunks or some crazed Howler Monkey, for example], during our exploration? Well they are virtual so "no harm, no foul" here! This is proving to be a great way to get those hard to do field studies into our schedule.

And like a great "Ginsu Knives" commercial-there is that "But wait! There is more!!!" to this than just a virtual 360 degree tour of the place. You can download both a teacher's and a student's workbook for all three of the field trips, to use as you explore the selected climate. As you walk through the well marked (by numbers) trails, you will be able to click on signs to gain details about what is around that point in the tour, or view diagrams, take a quiz, and more-all to gain further insight while on your outing of discovery. To not over load you with the details of each tour-I put the direct link [above the picture of each climate] that will navigate you over to the page detailing what each field trip covers, but I couldn't resist giving a few personal comments on each for you...

The Wetlands

We live in an area that one could consider the wetlands-well close enough to one that we could visit...in fact the kids have climbed through a plastic reconstruction of a beaver's home at our local nature center...but we did not get all this information on our quick tour. No way Nellie-sure didn't. On our virtual tour, we hunted for various critters, as if we were on a nature seek and find quest; and we even heard the local bird residents chatter and sing. And if we forget the details of what we just heard, we can revisit any time we want to take notes, play a game and well-not sink in the bog! Besides-we didn't need a passport to go on this Canadian wonderland excursion!

The Rainforest

Visiting a rainforest is not really that easy for most of us. Now granted, we just returned from Hawaii, which has 11 of the 13 climate zones found throughout the world. So we actually were in one-but not "in" it long enough to glean much [you simply do not hike in flip flops when the paths are steep and you have no water], because I was not about to go exploring the unknown entanglement of plants and trees and creatures, just to provide some sort of educational opportunity for the kids. So yes, we may be able to get near one-but to venture deep within it? Not so sure...that is why this is a great option for anyone. I was able to hear the birds sing, a fly buzz by, and even was tempted to lunch in at the Cafe o' Jungle (not sure what its name really was-but it was rustic!) And again-the info is right there, so if I forgot something I could simply click on the sign and re-learn it. This was probably my favorite tour, but the boy was totally digging the bog. Actually this series is like a smörgåsbord-it can suit just about everyone's tastes!

The Desert

After living in the desert area of Arizona, I can truthfully say-you really wouldn't want to explore this puppy on your own unless you had a guided tour, and lots and lots of water! No need for Cody Lundin (co-survivalist on the show, Dual Survival) to get you from point A to B without the need for a search and rescue. Plus, finding all the creatures and plants, within a decent amount of time, is probably impossible. So again, this series takes you there and all without leaving your home! Going on tour of the several deserts in the Southwest US, we meandered all comfy-like in our jammies, soaking in the knowledge...and without needing to pick barely visible cactus needles out of our skin (which we did many a time while living there). Re-visiting the Sonora Desert was like a step back into memoryland for some of us, and a totally new experience for our youngest. Too bad they didn't include a Pink Jeep Tour of the place-that would have really added some nail biting excitement to the visit.

So there you have my side comments of all three of the Digital Field Trips. We have only scratched the surface of these; as we did a quick tour for now, but plan on turning each into a mini-unit study down the road. It was a delight to review this item! I cannot close without mentioning that the Digital Frog gals also have a couple other great virtual products-one being the Science Matrix: Cell Structure and Function (which I got when I renewed my TOS magazine a while back). My daughter used this as she worked through her Biology course-in fact, it helped her "get it" quickly, and she had fun learning it too! They also have the Digital Frog 2.5 program, which involves virtual dissection of the amphibian (and without the stink/grossness of it all) right on your computer screen. So these gals certainly have created some very useful and Twenty-first Century ways to teach with a different approach!

You can try a free demo version by clicking here, or join the Frogger Club for worksheets, game cards, additional videos, and more.

**For those readers who like to know the angle of the material: these definitely are not coming from a Christian view point. There is reference to "millions" or "thousands" of years in a few places. I personally just insert a more realistic number and let it be. I wasn't finding it to be too much of an issue. As with most science oriented material we come across, we had to tweak it to fit our beliefs as Christians. Frankly, there is so much good information in these, and the concept is a great way to get your field trips in without leaving home-that the good totally outweighed the glitches of a worldly view point for us. But I did want to mention that so you knew before purchasing.

the younger children will need assistance

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Digital Frog Homepage
Field Trip Series info
For the Series DVD: $125.00 (plus shipping) for a single home license. Different prices for co-op use or for purchasing individual virtual field trip DVDs. Pricing page

I figure most kids of any age will enjoy this-but I should think the upper elementary and Jr. high kids will find the material best suits their skill levels the best. Once could certainly have their high schooler or younger elementary students go through this too...ah geez-let's just give it a rating for all ages, as it can easily apply to just about everyone once tweaked to fit their skill level.

Don't forget to visit our TOS Crew Review Homepage to see what my crewmates had to say about this and many other fine homeschool products.

***Digital Frog International provided me with a free Field Trip Series DVD, to use and explore with my family; so that I could write this review. No financial compensation was provided for my honest and field trip exploration opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: LanSchool Home Version computer monitoring program

2010-10-06T02:38:00.003-04:00

Wouldn't it be great if you could monitor your student's computer time? Pop in and post a note to them or receive a question from your student's inquiring mind? How about being able to see what your child is doing in real time? Or where they have been? How about being able to check to see if they are really doing their assigned work, or [gasp!] dawdling on another site instead? What if you could block out questionable websites? Wouldn't it be fun to have your students be able to see on their own screen, the "something" you are demonstrating on your computer? Or perhaps you want everyone to enjoy a video without scrunching up to see it on one screen (in other words-they watch it on theirs, without squashing you to view it). These are not some far fetched "Geez that would be swell" sort of scenarios. There is a program out there that can do just that. It is called LanSchool, and even though it serves many public and private schools, they also have a home version available. But dear readers-I simply cannot adequately describe everything it offers-so please visit the LanSchool Homepage link, and read about it-then come back to see what I think about it.

See? There is a lot to the program and obviously, they can describe it best. So on with my thoughts...

I guess I must admit-we're most definitely smack dab in the middle of the most technically advanced era on the ole timeline of human history. Unfortunately, I am not one to always embrace it. Especially the whole computer thing-sure, I can use it and have found it to be a great blessing-but I also have felt gray hairs popping, and my veins surging due to the frustrations that occur when using something so complex and downright fussy. Simply put-I am not a computer geek, and I just don't "get it" most of the time-which is why I have a very tumultuous love-hate relationship with it.

So when it comes to how we homeschool, I utilize the old fashioned way of doing things, for most of it. You know-using face to face discussions, reading real books, cuddle time on the couch, using the ole television set to view movies and so forth. I do not use much computer time during our regular school hours-but we will use some educational CDs and websites as supplemental activities to our main curriculum. Granted our teen does have her own computer; but we have the safety issues already addressed; as well as the ability to check her history at any given moment-so those bases are covered. So when I was chosen for the LanSchool review-I was unsure exactly why I would even need it-not to mention the fact that I was having a bit of a panic attack because I am not techno-savvy at all.

Some of you are probably shaking your heads and asking what the big deal is. Well, for me and those who are not all computery loving..it is a challenge. Thankfully, LanSchool has a very helpful PDF file and several (yes, I watched them) tutorials to get me started. I found that I was able to download the program fairly easily and then navigate it well enough. It certainly was not something to "freak out" about because it actually makes sense once you play around on it. Best yet-it has plenty of tech help available if and when I require it.

Now, even though I was able to do those things mentioned in the first paragraph, it simply is not a good fit for us. As I stated, we are more "old timey" in our way of learning (and if and when my son was doing computer work-it was on mine. That is definitely a valid point to ponder; as it also happens to be the one I have as the "teacher's"...so it kind of voided out the need for monitoring his activities) so I truly wasn't seeing much of a reason for this type of application for us. Perhaps I will find more of need for it down the road, but right now-it is simply "overkill" for us. But, I can definitely see this being a great program for a homeschool group or co-op; especially for those classes that can use computers but have limited funds to provide each child with their own curricula (such as a video they need to see), or better yet-used for actual computer instruction classes.

For those families who use a computer curriculum program, or for those who use the computer frequently to teach-then perhaps this is a most useful program indeed. I have to say-you'll need to do your homework in regard to whether it is right for your family. Reading the Home Version Information Flyer should fill in the gaps too. Pay attention to the specific system requirements noted at the bottom of the flyer-and you will need to have computers that "can talk to each other", so research and know that information prior to purchasing.
And there you have it folks-my take on the LanSchool program.

Basically they are doing what they normally would be during their computer time-you now have the ability to assist and monitor it with this program-so that is why I have this icon here-unless they are not computer literate, than I guess they would need assistance.

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Home Version Sign-Up (3 computer monitor limit)
$99 for home license with 3 yr. update access
This can be used for most ages-as long as they can use a computer, you can monitor them

Don't forget to visit our TOS Crew Review Homepage to see what my crewmates had to say aboutthis and many other fine homeschool products.

***LanSchool provided me with a free home version license to test and use on my family's computers, so that I could write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest opinion of this product.

TOS Crew Review: Vocabulary Cartoons Book

2010-09-29T07:00:00.367-04:00

Before I pen much more here, I need to do some defining (just in case you honestly never heard the correct term-although I am sure you have used one or two in your lifetime) of the basic premises for this review item.

Do you know what a mnemonic is?

Basically a mnemonic is some sort of device; whether it be a picture, song or silly rhyme-that is used to help one remember something else, such as a historical date, or scientific notation or yes-even a vocabulary word.

So now that we have the whole mnemonics thing all figured out, we can discuss the Vocabulary Cartoons book I was sent to review. Now I am sure many can probably figure out what it's main purpose is, but alas-I felt it necessary to draw a picture with some words to explain it....[mind you, I have two words on this example, but you only get one per page in the book. To condense and shorten the situation-I did a 2 for 1 special. Also, since my computer does not have those fancy above the letter signs-I added how one should say these words properly after the phonetic pronunciation notation, just for clarification.]. This is typical of how the book is laid out. So without further ado:

VOCABULARY

(vo kab' ya ler e) n.

[the o and the last e should be said using the long vowel sounds]

a list of words or phrases a person frequently uses

Sounds like: VOLE CAB + YOU + LARRY

CARTOONS

(kar tuns') n.

[the ar and u should be said as "r" and "oooo" like an owl]

a likeness of a real situation, animal, person, or place

-usually drawn or animated by a series of pictures

Sounds like: CAR TUNES

"A VOLE CAB with YOU and LARRY sped along, while the silly CAR TUNES played; so you could truly understand what a VOCABULARY CARTOONS book is for."

We had a VOCABULARY test on Friday, after recess.
The little boy watched CARTOONS all day and never went out to play.
Using the VOCABULARY CARTOONS book is a great way to learn new words.

Yes folks-there really are critters called "voles". See the *** for copyright info.

Wasn't that fun? Just an example of how this gem works. And talk about a creative way to memorize those pesky words that can leave you tongue tied or (yes, I have been know to pull this trick off a time or two) doing a quick inspection of the ole memory cells to find a "replacement" word, because the truly needed one is well-MIA.

We decided that we would select two words a week, to see just how effective this concept is. Not that I hadn't heard of this technique, or tried it here and there, during the many years we've homeschooled-I just never really found anything we particularly liked-until now.

The Vocabulary Cartoons book contains 210 words all noting the: pronunciation, grammar use, definition of it; with a word or words similar to the vocabulary term, along with a quirky picture, a sentence using both the "sounds like" and actual word, and a couple of additional sentences that are usually silly and fun. There are also 21 review pages scattered about in there, to help the child refresh their memories with what they have been learning. In my opinion-I see this as a world view source-which may be an issue with some of you. Especially those of you who prefer to avoid things which depict skeletons, ghosts, some other "scary" images [and there is also one with "Jason", the character from the Halloween movies that were so popular in the 80s and 90s-but obviously, if you child has never seen that-they wouldn't "get" the connection]. I felt this needed to be mentioned, so you can make a decision based on what best suits your family. I counted about 13 pictures that could be deemed "less than favorable". We just skipped those, and moved on to a different page.

Would I have purchased this for my family? I am not sure-mainly because I find my kids tend to have a wide vocabulary range due to the immense amount of literature we read, and wouldn't ordinarily have vocabulary skill curriculum at the top of my "to get" list. I do find it to be a fun way to infuse the words into their tender gray matter and since we have it, we'll use it. The children have enjoyed the word(s) to pictures concept, and my son (who is in the target range for this level) was able to recall some of the info we have discussed so far. This is actually a better fit for my teen-since she leans toward the visual way to learn. As for my son, well-since he is more tactile and less visual, we'll have to wait and see if it is a good fit or not. Regardless-we can enjoy it and will continue to go through it this year.

Now, if you have a child who does not enjoy reading "living" literature or much of anything-this could be a great way to introduce a slew words to increase their vocabulary collection. Or if they need a different way to cement those words into their heads, the Vocabulary Cartoons may be the perfect solution for them.

My best advise, is to peek at the sample before buying.
And for the more detailed-oriented purchaser, check out the complete list of words used in book.

***Please note- albeit a poor rendering- Larry the Cucumber is a registered and copyrighted image belonging to Big Idea, Inc. I have no claims of being a part of their art department team, or serving as a spokeswoman for their company. And no "silly songs" were song by Larry, whilst riding in the Vole Cab.

if your child has adequate reading skills-otherwise, you'll need to assist.

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New Monic Books, Inc.

Vocabulary Cartoons: $12.95 PB
3-6 grade level
volume purchase discounts available

Don't forget to visit our TOS Crew Review Homepage to see what my crewmates had to say aboutthis and many other fine homeschool products.

***New Monic Books, Inc. provided me a free copy of the Vocabulary Cartoons book, to read through, test out-and enjoy with my family-so that I could write this review. I did not receive any financial compensation for my honest and mnemonic review of this product.

TOS Crew Review: Schleich toys

2010-09-24T06:00:00.009-04:00

Down on the farm.....

Przwalski's horse, Dartmoor pony, Donkey

Swabian-Hall pig

or out on Safari....

Gnu and Gnu calf

Indian Elephant Calf

Okapi

you are bound to find a Schleich figurine to meet your playtime needs. Oh, and your children's too.

Delicately detailed by hand, these realistic toy animals are a wonder to behold. I was fortunate enough to review some of the other lovely critters last year, and now our collection has grown. The beauties you see above arrived nicely packed, and ready to become a part of one of the many imaginative creations my son comes up with. All but the donkey-because that sweetie is mine. I have decided I need to get myself a miniature donkey-you know-one that is potty trained, can wipe its hooves on the rug in the entry way, and showers daily. So, since that is not possible (darn neighborhood association rules), I have commandeered that sweet thing as my "pet". But I do play nice and share him with the fam.

Now if you have children, or you yourself have a passion for playtime-why not use animals, action figures and gosh, even Smurfs to jazz up your adventures? Best yet-these are built to last, are extremely realistic and just darn adorable! There is a huge selection of creatures to choose from, and now there are even buildings, vehicles and people too.

These are a hit in our home! I am even going to use them to help with the animal sketches for our art studies. It is a lot easier to draw say-a gazelle or Okapi, when it is in front of you (and not trying to destroy the house, you or in constant motion), especially when it is accurately depicted. Not to mention-when we cover the animals of Africa-it will be a lot cheaper than packing up the family, and heading to the open plains of the Serengeti. Definitely a keeper set of toys for us.

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Schleich Action Figures Homepage
prices vary depending on the animal size. You can find these at many, fine retailers near you, or on some online stores.

OH! And if you visit the site-you can click on the animal of choice, to read some fun facts about them as well.

Don't forget to visit our TOS Crew Review Homepage to see what my crewmates had to say about thisand many other fine homeschool products.

**Schliech Company provided me with a free 8 piece collection of animal figurines to test out, and play with, in exchange for writing this review. No financial compensation was provided for my honest and playful opinion of these adorable critters.

Remember when I reviewed the Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading?

2010-09-14T18:32:00.000-04:00

Well, at the time it didn't go so swimmingly. But alas-I think my child is ready for it-and I think I figured out what I am suppose to do..so we're giving it another try....I wrote a post you may want to read-esp. if you have a dyslexic in your home too. HTH

Phonics Road post

An little ditty regarding the 2010 Schoolhouse Planner

2010-08-14T21:24:00.003-04:00

"OH SNAP!"

This is what you'll be saying to yourself, once you recover from passing out from the utter shock, and amazement over an incredibly jam packed, downright needful product called the The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner .**

Nestled in between this 614 page "bounty of knowledge", you will discover a Grand Central Station for all your homeschool and household: scheduling, life planning, chore listing, mini-article encouraging, recipe sharing [many Gluten-Free to boot], internet linked resourcing, and interactive data entering needs. And that is just the beginning.

Why spend hours, and hours hunting this stuff down individually (that is if you can even find it); or expending your brain cells and your all important family time, creating something that is already done for you? Need a form to jot down the goals you want to reach for the school year? Snap! It's included. Bit disorganized and looking for a few planning sheets to schedule out your day? Week? Or month? Super Snap! They're sitting pretty-just waiting to be filled out then printed. Struggling to figure out those brain-busting high school transcripts? Snap it good sister~it's all there for you. Need to keep a list of books read? Log those field trip excursions? Track the something borrowed, something blew (right off your friend's shelf and into your hands)? Sugar snaps and rightly so-because you'll find them tucked in the Planner too.

Are the state regulations and those fussy requirements leaving you overwhelmed and drained? Double snap it now! From the Community Service Log, Progress Report and Year End Evaluation Sheets, to the Course of Study interactive record forms the 2010 Schoolhouse Planner has you covered. Looking for extra information to enhance your child's retention of dates, data and downright delightful facts? There are plenty of those available.

Require a Garden Planning Checklist; or looking for a form to mark your Bible Study Notes on? Snap it up! It is all here, and easy to use. This "Genie in an eBook" [or CD if you so choose to purchase] will set you free from the frustration of being poorly documented, unorganized or ill-prepared.**

Honestly, my little ditty simply cannot adequately describe this puppy. The best way to shock your system (in a good way) is to head over to the meaty description of the 2010 Schoolhouse Planner to learn more. Best yet, you can procure this most needful eBook for an extremely fair price of

[$44 for the CD]

Curious to know what has me loving this Snappy-snap fest? Well for starters-I am in the process of building a HS co-op from the ground up (with the help of some great moms), so the section dedicated to such projects [Co-op Information, the Planning Sheet for Teachers, and the Weekly Planning Outline], will most definitely come in handy. To further add to my excitement, there is the Lapbook Brainstorming Template (super sweet, because I am always pondering and contemplating new ideas, and this will help me track them), and the Unfinished Unit Form-which is perfectly suited for recording all those projects we hope to accomplish, but sometimes fail to finish. Best yet, the dreaded "I can't remember what we did." statement (from me, not the kids) will be a thing of the past. So yes, many, many of these forms will help keep me/us on track, and moving forward this coming year. And you too, dear reader, can have all this at your fingertips, just like me. Head over to the 2010 Schoolhouse Planner page, to get one for yourself today!

**No bees were harmed or required to work excessive hours in order to attract your attention. Planner does not come with a real Genie to do the actual work, nor does it include a handy supply of smelling salts, liability insurance, or an apology for kissing an unorganized and wayward school and home life goodbye. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery or run with scissors, while reading the 2010 Schoolhouse Planner, until you are fully aware of how you conduct yourself while under the influence of this engaging, and useful product.

Need to ponder more information and input, then visit our TOS Review Crew Homepage to read additional exciting posts about this, and many other fine homeschool products.

If you act fast, by ordering before the stroke of midnight, on the evening of August 15th-you will also receive an additional free gift of the Schoolhouse Monthly Modules-which expound oodles of useful, informative information for your schooling needs.

***The Old Schoolhouse Magazine provided me with a free eBook download of the 2010 Schoolhouse Planner, in exchange for my offbeat and somewhat zany sell sheet (guess that is an ad post); not to mention my well meaning attempt to convince my readers that their life will never be the same after purchasing and utilizing this life planner. No other financial compensation was provided in exchange for my opinion, or this contest entry. I am an independent contractor working for the TOS magazine, serving on their TOS Review Crew team and also a joyful subscriber to the Old Schoolhouse Magazine.

TOS Crew Review: Travel Kits: A Simple Way to Bless Others eBook from TOS

2010-07-22T09:00:00.231-04:00

If you have been a parent long enough to hear the ABCs being sung in the back seat, and/or have graduated to the use one of those "parent statements" like, "IF I have to pull over and whack your behind, I will-so don't push me!" or better yet, "If you two [three, four, ten] don't stop arguing, and cannot stay within your designated area, I will turn this car around and we'll NEVER go anywhere again!" Or the less overt, yet all business statement of "You know, they have a Boot Camp of Pain for kids who cannot get along when traveling in the car/van. I think I see the exit up ahead." Then you understand the need to entertain the troops while traveling the open roads or the great expanse called the Friendly Skies. You "get" the absolute necessity of making the trip entertaining, without breaking the budget. Fear not dear readers, The Old Schoolhouse Travel Kits: A Simple Way to Bless Others, offers plenty of creative ideas to survive these family outings, with life saving "implementations of sanity"-no only for yourself, but for your fellow parents too! Oh, and the kids will totally dig it, after all what kid doesn't enjoy a package of surprises? It's a win-win situation for everyone!

You will find that this 93 page download offers some excellent ways to pull together kits, with lists of great goody ideas to create them, to break up the boredom and provide entertainment for the young traveler (and old folks too). This dandy eBook provides the who, what, where, when and even ties in some scripture as well. If you struggle with ideas on how to keep the passengers restful and a joy to be with, then this very well may be a great purchase for you. I think another great title could be, Travel Kit Ideas for Dummies-because it walks you through every step in a clear and easy to understand manner.

As for me-this came a bit late in my parenting career. I tend to be a more crafty and creative kind of gal, so I have already implemented many of these ideas-to survive a move across the country with 3 small children, and also to keep the "restless and bored" generation from staging a mutiny, during the many road trips we have taken with their father. With four kids penned into a 2 ton corral-on-wheels, not fit for a miniature pony-I have had to pull out all the mom ideas I could muster, and I can report that they have served their purpose well. But it never crossed my mind to package up one or two of these babies for others-wow, that would have served as such a blessing for many. I also never really considered wrapping the stuff up into mini-count down, or into one-at-a-time opening spree packages either. So I did glean some useful ideas, and the photographs are wonderful in giving the me [the reader] a great visual. I hope to create a "relief" package for my teen and 9 year old son when we take our next trip to somewhere (and I am sure it will involve a lot of driving!) soon. A dash to the dollar store, the Target dollar section, those discount end caps found at our local grocery store, and a "reconnaissance and swipe mission" through the toy shelves/buckets, ought to provide plenty of goodies to alleviate the need for Aleve aspirin, for me and their father. So would I have purchased this? Probably not, mostly because of the reasons listed above. But if you tend to be one whose mind goes blank when pondering your car/plane/train trip survival plans-then I should think you would greatly enjoy this Travel Kits eBook.

**Just a word of caution if you have a child like me, who is sensitive to reading the printed word or just seeing a lot of words on a page while in motion-avoid them at all costs. We figured it out after a few "spewing sessions" that my poor boy simply cannot tolerate that kind of mixture. Especially when traveling through the mountainous regions of this country. If you cannot avoid such things-please, please pack a puke bag [perhaps picked during a person's travel time on board a plane] and some face wipes-it will make the trip soooo much more pleasant-for everyone (and a spritz bottle filled with a fresh scent and oh, some gum or mints too).

***A few more things-if gifting one of these useful packages or frankly doing it for your family, be sure not to pack a food that melts, if they will be traveling during peak heat months-no one appreciates a melty mess to clean up. A bag for trash will always be most appreciated, so be sure to include one of those into your kit too. And because I wouldn't be a mother if I didn't remind those with good intentions-children [under the age of 4 especially, since they tend to suck food in like a vacuum cleaner] should not receive items that are choking hazards-no snack meant to stave off boredom, is worth swerving off the highway at 75 miles per hour, to perform the Heimlich maneuver in order to save a child's life. So be wary and consider that when choosing the food items to include-when in doubt-don't.

You will need to collect, put together and deliver (if gifting) the package-so I have to give it this run icon-even tho the concept is easy.

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Travel Kits Info [this gives you a very detailed explanation of you will get]

$12.45 eBook download

All ages

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homepage

Don't forget to read up on what my fellow TOS mates had to say about this, and many other great homeschool products over on our Review Crew Homepage.

***The Old Schoolhouse Magazine provided me with a free download of Travel Kits: A Simple Way to Bless Others eBook, so that I could use this study with my family. I did not receive financial compensation in exchange for my honest opinion of this product.

Blog Walk week 5

2010-07-20T10:04:00.000-04:00

Here are 10 more of my team mates' blogs to visit! Enjoy!

1. Deanna’s Corner
2. Light, Liberty, and Learning
3. Bunny Trails
4. Flowers N Plaid Homeschool
5. Gadow Ohana
6. His Wonderful Works
7. Expand
8. Confessions of a Homeschooler
9. The Sojourner
10. A Full Heart

TOS Crew Review: The 2009 Schoolhouse Planner-Travel the World-June 2010 Module eBook

2010-07-19T09:00:00.259-04:00

Traveling is something our family is quite familiar with-but a whirl wind tour of the world? Now that is something totally different. After all, jet setting across the great expanse of the globe, is not only financially impractical, it is well-almost too overwhelming to even consider (at this point in our lives, that is). But the all important skill of finding geographical areas of interest, still abound-one should know where in the world places are-or at the very least, how to find them on a map. That has always been one of my "must have by graduation" requirements for my brood. And because geography is one of my favorite subjects, I don't mind delving into the rich opportunities to discover it. When the 2009 Schoolhouse Planner, June Module 2010 eBook arrived on my computer doorstep [don't let that double date fool ya, each year from July to June the monthly additional modules are available under the current school year-a 12 pack in all-and this happens to be the last of the bunch for the 2009 Schoolhouse Planner], I was quite eager to see what was encapsulated in this fine gem of a product.

I soon found a great deal of mini-lessons that I could use to jazz up our studies. It contains information regarding the basics-like "What is Geography?" to the 7 continents and general tidbits about them, to worksheets and word searches to cement the concepts. It is also sprinkled with coloring pages for the younger child in my home, to copywork [and I love that Charlotte Mason concept] to ideas to expand the study for the upper level student of mine. I was finding this to be a neat module for us! There are plenty of hyper-links noted, directing us to sites which will further our research on the topics, as well. Best of all-there are some lapbook components just itching to be printed and assembled. Now, if you know anything about me-you know I love to use lapbooking as a way to truly "mind-meld" the material into the kids' heads. This was a super treat for me-and even though it is not a complete lapbook, it provides enough mini-booklets to start, with links to find the rest of the goodies to complete the study. I didn't get a chance to try out the recipes in the module yet, but they sure sound delicious, and so we will try to incorporate them into our schooling this fall. I was quite pleased to see that it starts out with, and continues to denote several Scripture quotes [including some of the copywork sheets] throughout the study, which truly puts this into perspective. Meaning it hits perfectly upon one of our main goals for our family's education-as we always like to tie in what the Lord has to say about this amazing world He created.

Obviously, this is not meant to be a complete, full head-on study of the subject, but it did provide us with some great starting points. I can easily incorporate these into our major study of geography, without taking us so far off the beaten path, to the point of losing our main focus on each area. I look at it as though it is a side-order to the big meal, which makes it that much more enjoyable. Would I have purchased it outright, if I had not been asked to review it? Yes, if I was new to homeschooling, or if my students have had very little or no prior lessons covering this subject. If I was not so geography-orientated in nature, or if I needed a basic product to get the study started, I most definitely would have bought it. Now, since I have walked 2 students through to graduation, am closing in on another [in the next 2 years], and have but one younger student remaining-my shelves are loaded with materials. So most likely, due to where I am in this homeschool adventure, I would not have actively sought it out. But I cannot stress this enough-that is not because I didn't like the material and ideas that the June 2010 Module provides-it is due to the fact I am only purchasing what few things I am missing [and that is not a whole lot-thankfully!], to finish this endeavor.

you can find them listed here

I strongly recommend that you visit the site to investigate this yourself, to see if it best meets your needs. And don't forget to look over the other 11 Modules in the series-maybe geography isn't your thing, but one of the other subjects very well may be.

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2009 Schoolhouse Planner eBook: Travel the World
$7.95 eBook download, 56 pages.
Ages: K (some material, better for early elementary and up)-high school
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homepage

Don't forget to check out what my fellow mates had to say about this and many other great homeschool products over on our TOS Review Crew Homepage.

***The Old Schoolhouse Magazine provided me with a free download of the the 2009 Schoolhouse Planner: June 2010: Travel the World eBook, so that I could use this study with my family. I did not receive financial compensation in exchange for my honest opinion of this product.

The TOS Review Posse-my new unit

2010-07-16T08:00:00.002-04:00

Well, now that I have heard back from my mini-crew, I can list their blogs and names so that you can swing by there and visit them. 3 of them are actually returning maties from the first voyage. They are seasoned reviewers so they are bringing much to the table again this time round. My 4th and 5th members are new to the TOS crew experience, and I look forward to watching them grow and learn whilst on our next cruise. So please take a moment to stop by and say "hi" to them. Don't forget to start looking for the new reviews we'll all be offering up this coming year too, on our TOS Review Crew Homepage. I believe those should be arriving sometime starting in July [so reviews will be out in late Aug./early Sept.].

Again-we're on the younger crew, so our products will mostly center on curriculum and such that is targeted for the baby-6th grade level. There is also an older crew team which will handle the 7-12th grade material. All of us will also have the opportunity to try out various products which can be for any level. This is a new twist and should give you a huge variety of reviews to help you decide what will work for your family.

And without further ado: my Posse-

Lynn at Homeschool Curriculum Reviews (Lynn and I served together [along with Angela and Sarah] the first year this TOS Viral Marketing started, and we found ourselves to be friends almost immediately-I love when that happens! So I am ever so tickled she is back for another cruise, and serving on my Posse!)

Angela at Angela's Analysis (I am so glad to see Angela back this year, as I enjoyed her on the first cruise. I look forward to getting to know her better this time 'round and toward building a great friendship with her too! )

Sarah at Growing for Christ (Sarah and I had a great rapport going on whilst on our first voyage, and I am ever so excited to have more of a chance to know her better this year! I [like with Angela] hope to build a great friendship with her through this experience as well!)

and our 2 newest members of the TOS crew:

Elinette at His Wonderful Works (I am really looking forward to finding out more about Elinette and seeing this adventure thru her eyes! I am so hoping we'll get a friendship going whilst on this cruise too! So many great possibilities lay before all us this year!)

Melanie at To the Sea with Me (I just acquired this lovely lady for our Posse, and am also looking forward to getting to know her and watch her as she sails the Review Seas with the rest of us! I am also hoping we'll find ourselves friends before this journey wraps up as well!)

and while I am talking about mini-crews....my pal, and Unit member from the '09-'10 cruise, Debbie at Debbie's Digest was selected to be a First Mate this year. And I am so happy and proud, that she came back to serve on the crew again in this capacity! She will now have her own mini-crew to manage and so be sure to swing by her blog to say "hi" too.

And there you have it. My new Posse. I am like a proud mama here. And of course-where would the crew be without our fearless leader, Heidi at Reviews and Reflections and her co-cap'n, Brenda at Homeschool Trenches? They are the brain trusts of this operation, so please visit them-you won't be disappointed.

and hey-don't forget to stop by here to see what goodies I will be checking out this year too!

New Blog Walk to stroll through

2010-07-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Here we go with another 10:

1. Buckaroo Days
2. Our Homeschool Reviews
3. Reed, Party of 6
4. Training Hearts at Home
5. Along The Way
6. I Love Science!
7. Through the Calm and Through the Storm
8. Created for Home
9. Tractors and Tire Swings
10. Guiding Light Homeschool

Enjoy!

I have had to create a new icon to represent those items that are pretty balanced

2010-07-09T18:19:00.000-04:00

I am finding that I need another icon-one that says: this is from a Christian author/creator, but the over all material is not so overtly Christian in nature-yet it does contain scripture reference, respect for the Lord and so forth-so Christian, but not enough to be avoided (if you are not a Christian or have no particular claim concerning religious views). So if you see the balance, then you can assume (coming from my perspective) that you will find references to the Word and or the Lord, yet most the material itself is just material-middle of the fence type stuff. I hope that makes sense...

from my description of these icons:

POINT OF VIEW-CHRISTIAN OR SECULAR (IF THE MATERIAL ITSELF ISN'T JUST OOZING WITH CHRISTIAN MATERIAL, IT GETS THE SECULAR WORLD ICON, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR IS A CHRISTIAN)-BUT wait! I have added a new balanced scale icon to represent those products that are from Christian authors or from a Christian intent-but may not necessarily be super infused with it. They are a good balance for many, many families who are, and are not Christians.

One of these images will be listed at the end of the Quick Summary. I considered the product’s point of view, and whether it leaned toward being secular or Christian in nature. This will help you decide if it best suits your overall preferred goal for your family’s curriculum. Personally, I use both types depending on what information and needs our family has for a particular area of study-but tend to prefer Christian perspectives due to our personal beliefs.
- Secular perspective/company
- Christian perspective/company

-this is a new icon (2010) to showcase those items which present some or many references to the Word of the Lord (Bible) yet remain neutral enough for those who tend to steer clear of such products-in other words, you will find a Christian undertone, but it is not so drippy with it that you should still be able to enjoy and learn from this product, without feeling overwhelmed by the Christian connections. So the perspective is most likely Christian-but benign enough to not be labeled with the cross (as I am finding pretty much everything but Bible education material is fitting this new one).

SO be on the lookout for this new icon because I am already finding I am using it and the year has just begun!