Read for the Heart ~ A Review

I recently had chance to review another great item published by Apologia ~ Read for the Heart:Whole Books for Wholehearted Families by Sarah Clarkson.

This inspiring 384-page book is chock-full of helpful information regarding how to make reading good books a part of your home atmosphere.

I love how this book is organized.  The first three chapters provide an introduction to both the author and why reading should be an important part of ours and our children’s lives. 

The fourth chapter tells us how to use this book and is aptly titled “A Roadmap for Using This Book”. 

The rest of the chapters in Read for the Heart contain booklists for different genres of literature.  In these chapters Miss Clarkson provides detailed book lists and book reviews for books that she recommends be on your bookshelves.  Each book review includes the author, date of original publication, awards received {if applicable}, illustrator {if applicable}, general age category, a short review, and cautions regarding content {if necessary}.

Each of the books contained in these lists are books that Miss Clarkson has either read personally or books that come highly recommended by trusted sources.  Sarah also cautions that there are many “…excellent, classic books” that are not included in Read for the Heart: 

The books I list are mostly the beloved companions of my own childhood.  Your reading exploration may begin with the books listed here, but there are hundreds more waiting for your discovery.

Miss Clarkson also includes a number of helpful appendixes at the end of Read for the Heart.  These appendixes provide booklists of Caldecott Medalists, Newbury Medalists, G.A. Henty titles, Landmark History titles, and Trailblazer Series titles. 

My Thoughts

I am a booklover myself, and I endeavor to create booklovers of each of my kiddos.  I sincerely appreciate Sarah Clarkson’s heart for reading, and it definitely shines through on the pages of Read for the Heart.

I enjoyed the way Miss Clarkson wove stories of how books affected her childhood into the pages of Read for the Heart.  Her writing quickly drew me into the book, I had a really hard time putting it down :).

The way that this book has been organized makes it quite simple for me to pick it up and quickly find a booklist that matches my needs, whether I am searching for a wholesome and fun picture book to read with my 4yo, looking for a new family read-aloud, or preparing a booklist for history and biography titles to add to our history studies.

More Information

Read for the Heart is available for purchase on the Apologia website for $17.00.

You can access a preview of the table of contents and a sample chapter from this page.

Click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about Read for the Heart.

I received a free copy of Read for the Heart in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion of the book.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review.

Considering God’s Creation {Eagle’s Wings} ~ A Review

I recently received Considering God’s Creation published by Eagle’s Wings for our family to try.  Considering God’s Creation is a creation-based science curriculum that takes “a creative biblical approach to natural science” and it was written to be used with 2nd to 7th graders.  

The authors of this award-winning science curriculum {Susan Mortimer and Betty Smith} are homeschooling moms who originally created this curriculum for their own children. 

Considering God’s Creation contains 36 lessons and can be used as a stand-alone science curriculum that can be completed in one to three years.  The authors wrote this curriculum with homeschooling families with multiple students in mind.  Their intention was that it be flexible…so that families can adapt it to fit the needs of their kiddos.

Considering God’s Creation covers the following topics:

• Creation
• The Universe: Stars, Sun and Planets
• The Earth
• Non-Living Things: Rocks and Minerals
• Weather
• The Plant Kingdom
• The Animal Kingdom
• Animal Anatomy & Physiology
• Man: Made in God’s Image

Our Experience

The package I received included a 128-page Teacher’s Manual, a 270-page consumable student workbook, and a 23-track cd. 

The consumable student workbook isn’t just a bunch of fill-in-the-blank pages.  Most of the pages require kiddos to do something {cut and paste a little book, play a game, do a bit of detective work, etc.}  The authors recommend that each child store their completed pages in a notebook and from what I have seen so far, my kiddos will have a very impressive science notebook when we have completed Considering God’s Creation.

The 128-page teaching guide is very straight forward and easy to use.

My kiddos absolutely love the audio CD.  The songs on the CD are very simple, yet catchy and they help cement the information that we are learning in Considering God’s Creation in my kiddos’ brains. 

I am extremely pleased with this science curriculum.  I have been looking for a fun and easy-to-use creation-based science curriculum that I can use with all three of my kiddos…and I think I have found what I was looking for in Considering God’s Creation.

More Information

Click here to view sample pages from Considering God’s Creation.

You can also find links to samples from the audio cd on the right sidebar of this page.

The Eagle’s Wings website contains a very helpful FAQ page about the Considering God’s Creation curriculum.

You can purchase Considering God’s Creation {teacher’s manual, one student workbook, and audio cd} for $29.95 from the Eagle’s Wings website.  Additional student workbooks are available on the website for $13.95. 

Click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about Considering God’s Creation.

I received this product for free in order to provide an honest and unbiased review of my family’s experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for this review.

Wordy Qwerty ~ A Review

If you recall, I used a product called Read, Write and Type with my kiddos back in the fall, and wrote a review of our experience on this blog.  Well, our family was recently given the opportunity to review Wordy Qwerty,  the sequel to Read, Write and Type.  This online program was designed to help 2nd and 3rd graders {7 – 10 year olds} with their reading and spelling skills.

According to the Talking Fingers website,

After successfully completing Read, Write & Type!, most 6-7 year olds are able to write any word they can say. But they may not spell them all correctly, because they need to know a bit more about spelling conventions and about how words are constructed in English. This is where Wordy Qwerty comes in. In 20 consecutive lessons, woven together with fun-to-play games and delightful songs that will stay in their heads.

Wordy Qwerty is a research-based program that has 20 lessons, with 6 activities per lesson.  According to the Wordy Qwerty website, “most words follow about 20 spelling rules”.  The 20 lessons in Wordy Qwerty teach these 20 rules using six different activities:

In the Pattern activity kiddos learn to recognize patterns in words.

In the Karaoke activity kiddos learn catchy songs and rhymes about each spelling rule.

 

In the Recycler activity kiddos learn about different vowel combinations that make the same sound.

In the Pop-a-Word activity, kiddos memorize outlaw words {words that don’t follow the rules}.

In the Write Stories activity kiddos practice using the spelling rules by typing sentences that are dictated to them.

In the Read Stories activity kiddos practice what they have learned about spelling rules by reading short, engaging stories.  These stories have words that are missing and kiddos have to choose which word would fit best from a list of three words.

You can read more about the lessons on this page. 

The Talking Fingers website also offers a product tour of Wordy Qwerty that provides you with a more in-depth look at the activities your child will complete while working through this unique online program.

Our Experience

I chose to use Wordy Qwerty with my ds9 {3rd grade} whom I consider to be a very proficient reader and a natural speller.  I think one of the mistakes that I made with ds9 was that I discontinued phonics lessons with him too early because he grasped reading so quickly.

My 9yo has been using Wordy Qwerty almost daily {4 days/week} since the beginning of April and he just finished the program this week.  Each Wordy Qwerty session took him about 15-20 minutes to complete. 

I am grateful that he strengthened his phonics skills and learned spelling rules on Wordy Qwerty…and he had fun doing it :). 

I would definitely recommend this inexpensive reading and spelling program to any parent who is looking for a fun supplement to their kiddo’s current spelling program.

More Information

The Wordy Qwerty program is available in an online version {that’s what we used} and a Home Edition CD version {also appropriate for homeschoolers}.  The prices for the online version of the software vary, depending upon the number of users that you need.  The price starts at $25.00 for one user ~ see this page for more pricing information.

You can view an online demo of Wordy Qwerty here.

Learn more about Wordy Qwerty on the FAQ page.

You can also access a video clip from Wordy Qwerty from the bottom of this page. 

In order to use either version {online or CD} of this reading software, you do need to have access to a computer.  Read more about system requirements for Wordy Qwerty on their FAQ page.

Click on the above banner to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about Wordy Qwerty.

I received a free subscription to Wordy Qwerty in order to provide an honest and unbiased opinion of our experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review.

Bright Ideas Press ~ A Review

WonderMaps is a “customizable collection of over 350 maps” that has just been released by Bright Ideas Press:

With WonderMaps’ made-to-order geography materials at your fingertips, there’s no more skipping map studies due to a lack of preparation time and resources!

This amazing digital map software offers a wide variety of maps from which to choose including:

• 60+ maps of the world
• 60+ maps of the USA
• 125 historical maps, including 25 biblical maps
• The complete map sets from The Mystery of History vols. I–III and All American History vols. I & II
• historical or modern-day maps
• outline, reference, political, or topographical maps
• black-and-white or color maps 

Our Thoughts

Wow!  That’s what I said to myself when I first downloaded this layered map software onto my computer.  To give you just a glimpse at what this product offers, here’s an example of how I am using this map collection.

Next year my kiddos and I are tackling American History in our history studies, and I am beginning to gather notebook pages for my kiddos to complete during our studies.  I like to include maps among these pages because they help give a visual of places and events that we are studying.

When I get to the WonderMaps home page, I have a couple choices to make:

• The World, Continents, Regions, Nations
• The World, Continents, Regions, Nations: Alphabetical Index
• United States of America
• United States of America: Alphabetical Index
• Historical Maps
• Historical Maps: Chronological Index
• Thematic Maps
• Thematic Maps : Thematic Index

I click on Historical Maps and I am given the choice of four time periods {Ancient times, Middle Ages, Renaissance/Reformation, and Revolutions to Rising Times}.  When I click on Revolutions to Rising Times I am given 35 different historical events to choose from, including Revolutionary War Battlesites, Lewis and Clark, Mexican War Battlesites,  US Immigration, and Europe after WWII.  I chose to print the “Revolutionary War Battlesites”  and “Lewis & Clark” maps for our studies next year.

Then I head back to the home page and click on Thematic Maps: Thematic Index.  In this category I have four pages of themes to choose from, beginning with Biblical Maps {Abraham’s Journeys, David’s Journeys, Paul’s Ministry and Letters}, moving on to Chinese Dynasties, Native American themes {Aztec Empire, French & Indian War Battlesites}, Explorers, 14 maps related to American History, World Wars and finally 20th Century Treaties.

I chose to print “Thirteen Colonies Original Land Claims” and “US Immigration I” from the American History category to add to our American History notebooks.

The maps contained in the WonderMaps collection are beautiful too!  Many of the maps are full color and they include features such as names, borders, rivers and cities.  

You can also customize the maps by clicking features on the sidebar of each map page.  For example, you can choose to have a map key {or not}, have city names listed {or not}, and have a modern overlay displayed on historical maps {or not}…and much more.

More Information

Wondermaps is a digital product that is available as a CD or download format from the Bright Ideas Website, either format is $49.95.

You can view a 6-minute tutorial of the WonderMaps software on the Bright Ideas website.

This software requires Adobe Reader version 9.1 or higher.  You can download Adobe Reader for free on the Bright Ideas Website.

Click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about WonderMaps.

I received a free download of this product in order to provide my honest and unbiased opinion of my experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for this review.

GoTrybe ~ A Review

Our family recently had an opportunity to try out GoTrybe, an online fitness website designed especially for kids. 

According to their website, 

GoTrybe.com is an online fitness and nutrition community that delivers daily fitness, nutrition, wellness, and motivation content to students and teachers across the US.

GoTrybe is designed to be used by kiddos from kindergarten all the way through highschool.  My ds9 used GoTrybe’s ZooDoos program which is to be used by K-5th graders. 

How It Works

When your kiddo first logs onto GoTrybe, they have the option of creating a personal profile and designing their own avatar, my ds9 especially loved this part :).  Once your kiddo has set up their account to their liking they are ready to go.

GoTrybe offers four different types of daily activities for your kiddos to complete: fitness, nutrition, motivation and wellness. 

In the fitness portion of GoTrybe, kids are able to design their own workout by choosing video workout segments {created for their particular age group} that interest them.  The segment choices include salsa dancing warm-ups, fun hip hop cardio, and kid-friendly yoga.  Your kiddo can also choose predesigned Tybe workouts if they don’t want to put together their own.

 

The nutrition, motivation and wellness portions consist of short video clips about different topics.  After the clip your kiddo takes a quick multiple choice “quiz” about the information presented in the video.  Some of the topics covered in these clips include: eating breakfast, dehydration, and bicycle safety.

Kiddos earn GoTrybe points each time they complete a daily activity.  These points are used to rank users on the GoTrybe site.  They can also be used to purchase clothing and accessories from the GoTrybe store, and to customize your kiddo’s avatar.

My Thoughts

My kiddos have been having a blast with this unique and fun online program.  It is so funny to see them run down to the basement so they can do their exercise program.  It is even funnier to watch a 9yo, a 7yo, and a 4yo workout together :).

My favorite part of GoTrybe is that it makes exercising and learning how to be healthy fun for my kiddos, and pretty painless for me.  Even though my ds9 is the only one with a GoTrybe account, all three of my kiddos are enjoying the GoTrybe activities, especially the self-designed workouts.

GoTrybe has an extensive FAQ page which will answer most any question you may have about this unique website. 

More Information

You can try out GoTrybe for free with the promo code “GETFIT”.

A one-year membership to GoTrybe is $19.95 after the free trial {regularly $39.95}.

Click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about GoTrybe.

I received a free membership to GoTrybe in order to provide an honest and unbiased opinion of our experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for this review.

Circle C Beginnings {Kregel Publications} ~ A Review

If you have a beginning reader who loves horses, you may want to check out Kregel Publications’ Circle C Beginnings series by Susan Marlow.  Circle C Beginnings is a series of Christian fiction chapter books written for 6-8 year olds. 

I received Andi’s Fair Surprise, a sweet little paperback book in Kregel’s Circle C Beginnings series.  The main character in Andi’s Fair Surprise is Andi Carter, a spunky 6-year old girl who lives on her family’s ranch during the late 1800’s. 

In this particular story, Andi and her family are heading to the 1874 California State Fair and Andi doesn’t want to go.  Everyone else has something to enter into the fair…but Andi is too young to take an entry.  However, once Andi gets to the fair, she finds that it is a lot more exciting than she expected. 

Our Thoughts

I chose to use Andi’s Fair Surprise as a read-aloud with my kiddos ages 9, 7 and 4.  I knew that my 7yo would love the story because she is a horse-lovin’ girl, but both of my sons enjoyed the book also. 

When we do read-alouds, I usually limit our reading sessions to one chapter.  However, we ended up completing all ten chapters in Andi’s Fair Surprise in just two lunchtime read-aloud sessions.

There are a whole host of printables available that go along with the Circle C Beginnings books.  For Andi’s Fair Surprise the printables included coloring pages featuring black and white illustrations from the book {which kept my kiddos’ hands busy while they listened to me read}. 

There were also a bunch of other fun worksheets that supplemented Andi’s Fair Surprise: a dot-to-dot page,  some state-fair math pages, a California State Fair map and more.  These worksheets made it so simple to extend my kiddos’ learning, turning Andi’s Fair Surprise from a fun read-aloud into a fun and educational read-aloud.

You can view the activity pages that match the books in the Circle C Beginnings series here.  There is also a link to the supplemental pages on this page.

A link to an excerpt from Andi’s Fair Surprise is available on this page.

My kiddos loved Andi’s Fair Surprise, and they were delighted to learn that there are more Andi books…two of them are already on our shelves waiting to be read :).

More Information

There are currently four books in the Circle C Beginnings series, including Andi’s Fair Surprise.  You can purchase Andi’s Fair Surprise {and the other three books} from Kregel Publications’ website for $4.99 each plus shipping.  

Susan Marlow has also written a series of books about Andi for older readers, ages 9-14 in the Circle C Adventures series.  These books are also available for purchase on Kregel Publications’ website.

Click on the above banner to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about Kregel Publications.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of this book.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review.

Yesterday’s Classics ~ A Review

If you use living books in your homeschool, you have probably heard of Yesterday’s Classics.  In fact, I have quite a few Yesterday’s Classics paperbacks on my shelves right now.  

This quote from the Yesterday’s Classics website provides an apt description of this company:

Yesterday's Classics is your headquarters for the best classic literature for children. We republish classic books for children from the golden age of children's literature, the era from 1880 to 1920. Many of the titles we offer have been out of print for decades and so have been hard to find.

As a reviewer for The TOS Homeschool Crew, I recently received an amazing opportunity to review a 225 ebook package {Kindle or Epub format} offered by Yesterday’s Classics.

I have to admit, I always thought that I would never be tempted to forego paperbacks in exchange for an ebook.  In fact, before this review opportunity presented itself, I did not own an e-reader.  But when I saw the book titles that were included in the Yesterday’s Classics ebook list, I decided I had to at least check this product out. 

This enormous Yesterday’s Classics e-book package contains books from 22 different genres of literature.  It includes classic history titles like:

• Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin
• This Country of Ours by H.E. Marshall
• Stories of the Pilgrims by Margaret Pumphrey
• Viking Tales by Jennie Hall
• Our Island Story by H.E. Marshall

living science titles like:

• The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess
• Among the Forest People by Clara Dillingham Pearson
• The Storybook of Science by Jean Henri Fabre
• Plant Life in Field and Garden by Arabella Buckley
• Parables from Nature by Mrs. Alfred Gatty

classic children’s titles including:

• A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
• Tanglewood Tales, Illustrated Edition
• The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang

and many, many more…Many of these titles have been on my wishlist for a long, long time. 

The ebooks in this package appear exactly as they do in book form, illustrations and all. 

This package was a snap to download onto my Kindle.  Once I downloaded the product from the link sent by Yesterday’s Classics onto my computer, I was able to transfer all 225 books to my Kindle in less than an hour…and I was a brand new Kindle owner :).

My Thoughts 

I absolutely love this product!  My bookshelves are already overflowing with books, and with this product I now have access to 200+ excellent books without having to find space for them on my overstuffed shelves :).

One of my most favorite things about this ebook package is how easy it is for me to tote from one place to another.  As long as I remember to bring my Kindle with me, my kiddos and I are never again going to be without a read-aloud. 

Being baseball season, my two younger kiddos and I have found ourselves spending many hours waiting in the van {when it’s cold or rainy} while ds9 is at practice…and the Kindle version of this package has saved the day by providing me with a huge selection of quality read-alouds to choose from.

I have also found many selections that are a perfect fit for our current history and science homeschool studies.  Pulling out my Kindle and pulling up the proper book file is definitely a lot easier, not to mention faster, than searching my bookshelves for the book :).

More Information

You can view a full listing of all of the books included in this amazing package here. 

When you purchase Yesterday’s Classics Ebook Package you have the option of choosing whether you want the 225 titles to be in either Kindle or Epub format. 

You do not need an e-reader to be able to take advantage of this package.  The files in this package can viewed on your computer, laptop, netbook, smart phone, or tablet {you may need to download an app or e-reader software}.  Yesterday’s Classics provides a full explanation of e-reader software in their “Guide to to E-reader Devices and Software” {scroll down the page on this link to view this section.}

This amazing assortment of classic books in ebook form is only $99.95 through May 31st, 2011!  If you were to buy the paper copy of all of these books you would pay almost $2500.00!   

Click on the banner above to see what my fellow crewmates are saying about Yesterday’s Classics.

I received this product for free in order to provide my honest and unbiased opinion of Yesterday’s Classics ebook collection.  I did not receive any additional compensation for my review.

Science Weekly ~ A Review

Science Weekly is a publication that is written for k-6th grade students.   The word “weekly” in Science Weekly’s title is a bit of a misnomer.  Science Weekly is actually published 2x per month in Sept, Oct, Nov, Jan, Feb, Mar, and April, and once in December.

Science Weekly offers “six differentiated reading levels” of newsletter style magazines for you to choose from. The magazine levels and corresponding reading/grade levels are as follows:

• Level Pre A {Kindergarten}
• Level A {1st Grade}
• Level B {2nd Grade}
• Level C {3rd Grade}
• Level D {4th Grade}
• Level E {5th-6th Grade}

Each edition of Science Weekly centers around the same topic.  However, the activities in each magazine vary based on the targeted grade level.  

In an effort to teach all three of my kiddos without going crazy and pulling my hair out, I try to combine as many subjects as I can.  Science Weekly’s multi-leveled magazines on the same topic make multi-level teaching a snap :)  And they also do a great job of integrating subjects. 

Each 4-page magazine contains a variety of components including a weekly lab {a hands-on activity or experiment}, reading, writing and math.   Many of the magazines also contain other sections like “bringing it home”, storytelling, and puzzles.

Our Experience

The topic of our edition of Science Weekly was fractions.  I know, at first I asked myself “what do fractions have to do with science?”.  But then I remembered how very connected math and science are :).

We used three levels of Science Weekly for our lesson.  My 9yo used Level C, my 7yo used Level A, and my 4yo used Level Pre-A.  I appreciated the fact that I was able to sit at the table with all three of my kiddos and teach them the same topic…with activities designed to match their skill level.

While my 9yo was learning about equivalent fractions in the math section of his Science Weekly magazine, my 7yo was cutting and pasting 2 halves of a {paper} apple onto a whole {paper} apple.

And my 4yo was just tickled to be included with the big kids.  He traced the words “whole”, “part” and “fraction” in the Level Pre-A Science Weekly and told me a story about how two kiddos pictured in the magazine could get equal parts of a sandwich {storytelling section}.

There is also a Teaching Notes Supplement {Teacher’s Guide} that accompanies each order of Science Weekly.  One teaching guide contains teaching notes and supplemental information for all six levels of Science Weekly.  It provides helpful background information about the topic being studied, suggestions for additional hands-on activities and more.

A list of some of the topics that have been explored in Science Weekly can be found here.

My Thoughts

As I mentioned before, Science Weekly’s multi-leveled magazines on the same topic make multi-level teaching a snap :) Each of my kiddos enjoyed their respective magazines, and I appreciated the fact that Science Weekly had done all of the planning work for me. 

More Information

With a one-year subscription to Science Weekly, you will receive 15 issues.    Science Weekly offers classroom rates {with a minimum of 20 subscriptions} and individual rates {less than 20 subscriptions}.  The individual rate is $19.95/year per student.

When you order your subscription you are able to choose the level {or levels} of Science Weekly that would best fit your needs. 

You can download a free sample of Science Weekly here.

You can also access free interactive resources provided by Science Weekly here.

Please click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about Science Weekly.

I received a free sample of Science Weekly in order to provide an honest and unbiased review of my experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review.

KinderBach {At Home} ~ A Review

KinderBach {At Home} offers online music lessons and is targeted to reach 3 to 7 year olds.

According to their website, KinderBach is a solid curriculum:

Youngsters will learn music vocabulary, note reading, rhythm, physical technique, ‘do, re mi’ singing, listening skills and music composition plus the joy in making music.

Kiddos learn about music by watching online videos that star fun characters like Dodi the Donkey, Frisco {the kid}, and Carla the Caterpillar {along with others}.  Many of the lessons also include printables that are completed during the lesson, or used to extend learning after the lesson.

View KinderBach’s curriculum here, including what concepts are taught in each of the six levels of the KinderBach program.

The six levels of of KinderBach include a total of about 22 hours of on-line video and a variety of coloring pages and printables.

Each level of KinderBach contains 10 weeks of lessons.  Each weekly lesson contains four short video sessions.  This adds up to 60 weeks of music lessons for your kiddo.

Our Experience

I have been using KinderBach’s Online program with my two younger kiddos {dd7 & ds4}.  I usually have them view one full week of lessons {4 lessons} in one sitting ~ this takes about 15-20 minutes.  They often ask to re-watch a couple of their favorite lessons after this session.  Their favorite lessons are the ones in which they get to play a song with their rhythm instruments {we use wooden spoons}.

I have been very pleased with the music concepts that my two younger kiddos have learned so far through KinderBach’s Online program.  They have learned to identify low and high notes and about finger placement on the keyboard and the keyboard landscape {placement of keys on the piano or keyboard}.  They have also had a lot of fun singing and playing their rhythm instruments along with the KinderBach characters.

I am the first to admit that I am pretty limited in my ability to teach music to my kiddos…it is one area where I definitely need help when it comes to teaching my kiddos :)  I have found KinderBach to be a true blessing to our homeschool because it has allowed me to easily include music in our  homeschool.

More Information

The KinderBach website contains a wealth of information about this fun and effective music program, including an FAQ page which answers questions about which supplies you will need,  program prerequisites and more.

A one year membership to KinderBach’s online program is $95.88/one time billing {equiv to $7.99/mo} or $19.99/month {billed in 12 monthly payments}.

KinderBach At Home also offers DVD and CD packages.

Sign up for a free online trial of KinderBach Online here. 

Click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates think about KinderBach Online.

I received a free membership to KinderBach Online in order to provide my honest and unbiased opinion of our experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review.

GoGo Kabongo ~ A Review

GoGo Kabongo is an award winning website that provides fun online reading games for kiddos aged 4-7.

GoGo Kabongo offers game play in three different habitats: Twister Top, Galaxy Gardens, and Laughter Lake. Each habitat contains three different games, and each game contains six different levels.  Which means GoGo Kabongo has a wide variety of games to keep your kiddos learning.

 

The games on GoGo Kabongo are designed to help kiddos “develop the cognitive skills that are essential to reading”.  You can read more about their approach to teaching reading here. 

The chart pictured below provides an overview of the cognitive skills that are targeted in each of the games.  This page offers a detailed explanation of the chart.

 

GoGo Kabongo helps keep you up-to-date on your kiddo’s progress by sending out weekly emails that provide detailed information about the games that your kiddo has played and the level they have attained in each game.

My Thoughts

My ds4 was delighted when I told him that I had an online game site just for him.  The games on GoGo Kabongo are both fun and educational.  Some of the games have ds4 listening to a story and then recreating the scene {Going Buggy}, or collecting letters to match the sounds he heard while riding in the sidecar of Mimi’s motorcycle {Desert Dash} or rocketing through space {Rocket Racer}.

My ds4’s favorite game is Design-a-Door. The object of this game is for ds4 to recreate the patterns on doors that he is shown.  This game helps strengthen his planning, simultaneous processing, and visualization skills {but don’t tell him that, he just thinks it’s fun :)}.  You can read more about the games and the skills that they target on this page.

I wouldn’t normally recommend purchasing a subscription to a game website, since there are so many free ones available.  However, the subscription to GoGo Kabongo is extremely affordable {Laughter Lake is free and there is a one time fee of only $4.95/each for access to Galaxy Gardens and Twister Top}.  If you are looking for some fun, interactive, online educational games for your 4-7 year old{s}, I would definitely recommend that you check out GoGoKabongo!

More Information

Access to the Laughter Lake habitat is free.  You can purchase game play access to the two other habitats {Galaxy Gardens and Twister Top} for $4.95 each {one-time fee}.  GoGo Kabongo is also currently offering access to Galaxy Gardens for free for a limited amount of time.

Try out GoGo Kabongo for free or check out their FAQ page for more information.

 

Click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying  about GoGo Kabongo.

I received a free subscription to GoGo Kabongo in order to provide my honest, unbiased opinion about our experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review.

Classical Academic Press ~ Latin for Children Primer A {A Review}

Classical Academic Press specializes in producing Latin and Logic curriculum that can be used to educate children using the classical model of education.  We recently received The Latin for Children Mastery Bundle Primer A {grades 3-6} from Classical Academic Press to review…thanks to being members of the TOS Homeschool Crew.

Our bundle included:

Latin for Children {LFC} Primer A ~ a 230-page consumable workbook/textbook. 

 LFC Primer A Answer Key ~ contains answers for all of the worksheets in the Primer A textbook/workbook.

LFC Primer A Activity Book ~ This optional consumable workbook contains over 100 pages of puzzles and games that correspond with the chapters in LFC Primer A.

LFC Primer A DVD and Chant set ~ The 3 DVDs in this set have over 6 hours of “chapter-by-chapter” training by the author of the series, and video of students doing the chants.  The 2 chant CDs contain chants for all 240 vocabulary words taught in Primer A.

LFC A History Reader ~ This 56-page paperback reader contains “15 stories  about Greek and Roman history in Latin” that are geared towards the Primer A reading level.

Our Experience

My ds9 is really enjoying this Latin curriculum…yes, really!  He absolutely loves the catchy paradigm and vocabulary chants that are contained on both the DVDs and the CDs.  These chants get stuck in your head and I overhear him singing them during the day after his Latin lesson {and I catch myself singing them too :)}.  These catchy chants make Latin hard not to learn :)

I also like the fact that the textbook and workbook is contained in one resource…less stuff for me to find when it’s time to do the work :).

Since my son is on the low side of the recommended age group for this curriculum {he is 3rd grade, it’s recommended for 3rd grade and up}, we are working at a slower pace through the curriculum.  We have been spending about 2 weeks on each chapter, doing Latin about 2-3 days per week.

My Thoughts

If you are looking for a fun Latin curriculum to use with your kiddos I definitely recommend that you check out Latin for Children.  To be honest, my ds9 was not excited when he learned that I would be adding Latin to his homeschool day…but it has quickly become one of his favorite subjects!  And I believe that he would say that the chant CD is a must have :)

More Information

The Classical Academic website contains an extensive FAQ page on their website that will probably answer most any question you have about both teaching Latin and the Classical Academic resources.

You can also view sample chapters from most of the above resources on the Classical Academic Press website.

 

The Latin for Children Mastery Bundle can be purchased on the Classical Academic Press website for $99.95.  You can also purchase a smaller basic bundle for $76.95 or purchase any of the above items separately.

Classical Academic Press also sells other Latin curriculum, including Song School Latin for PreK to 2nd graders, and Latin Alive for 7th graders and up…in addition to other homeschool resources.

Classical Academic Press also provides free resources that complement many of their products.

Click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about Classical Academic Press.

I received the Latin for Children Primer A mastery bundle in order to provide my honest and unbiased opinion about our experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review.

Big IQ Kids ~ A Review

Big IQ Kids is an award-winning online educational program for kiddos from K-8th grade.  Big IQ Kids offers both free and premium {paid} programs in four different subjects: spelling, vocabulary, math, and U.S. States. 

According to the Big IQ Kids website:

BigIQkids.com presents a unique learning method designed to help each child develop the skills needed to perform to his/her full potential. Our award winning programs are designed for students in grades K-8 and promote spelling efficiency, vocabulary building, math fact mastery and US geography knowledge via multimedia reinforcement and independent learning. We offer both FREE spelling, math, vocabulary, U.S. states and spelling game programs.

 

We received a free subscription to all four premium programs offered by Big IQ Kids for review purposes.

How It Works

As I mentioned previously, Big IQ Kids offers four separate premium {paid}programs: spelling, vocabulary, math, and U.S. States.  You have the option of of signing up for any combination of the four programs on the Big IQ Kids website.

When you register your kiddo on Big IQ Kids, you are asked to complete a member information section.  Here you provide information about your child’s age and grade level.  Big IQ Kids uses this information to determine which level of each program to use with your child; if you decide you don’t agree with the level assigned to your child it is very easy to adjust.

Each lesson takes between 5-15 minutes to complete and can be done independently by your K to 8th grade kiddos.  Each Big IQ Kids program has a “teacher” who gives audible instructions to your kiddo, including giving the spelling words and sentences for the spelling tests :). 

Your kiddo will earn a game point for each lesson that they complete {you can modify this if you would like}.  They can use their game tokens to play games on the Big IQ Kids game page…they can choose over 35 “strategy and educational games”. 

Big IQ Kids makes it very easy for you to modify the content of the math, vocabulary, and spelling lessons to fit what your kiddos are learning in your homeschool.  I was able to quickly and easily adjust the spelling words in my dd7’s spelling program so that they matched the words from her spelling curriculum.

Big IQ Kids keeps you informed by sending emails whenever your child shows mastery of a topic and is moved up to the  next level, or if they need extra help on a particular topic. 

It is also very easy to check your child’s progress in each of the programs.  There is a progress reports button on the bottom of each program intro page.  By clicking on this button you will be taken to a page where you can view information about the lessons your kiddo has completed in that particular program.

The intro page also contains a member information button that takes you to a page where you can adjust grade level settings for your kiddos and a modify lesson button that takes you to a page where you can customize what your kiddos are learning/practicing in their lessons.

You can read more about how Big IQ Kids works on this page.

I have been using Big IQ Kids as a fun “homework” assignment for my 9yo and 7yo after they complete their regular schoolwork.  Both of my school age kiddos {3rd grade & 1st grade} have been spending about 20 minutes per day on Big IQ Kids, after their schoolwork is completed.  They each complete about two to three Big IQ Kids program lessons in that time.

Our Assessment

Mom ~ My favorite feature of Big IQ Kids is the adaptability of the program.  With a couple clicks I am able to modify my kiddos’ Big IQ Kids lessons to match what they’re currently learning in our homeschool lessons.

Ds9 ~ “I think Big IQ Kids is fun.  My favorite programs to do are U.S. States and vocabulary.”

Dd7 ~ “Big IQ Kids is fun and I really like it.  I like the U.S. States program the best.”

More Information

Big IQ Kids provides six compelling reasons why BigIQkids.com is the “best e-learning site for kids” on this page. 

Big IQ Kids offers both free programs and premium programs {available with a paid subscription}.  You can purchase a premium subscription to any combination of programs {i.e. just spelling, or spelling and math, or all four}.

A premium subscription to all four programs is $19.99 per month or $99.99 per year.  Premium subscriptions to individual programs vary, you can see the prices here.

Read more about the difference between the free programs and premium programs here.

Please click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates  are saying about their experiences with Big IQ Kids.

I received a free premium subscription from Big IQ Kids in order to provide an honest review of my experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review.

Who is God? {And Can I Really Know Him?} ~ A Review

Who is God And Can I Really Know Him? is the first book in Apologia’s Biblical Worldview Series {a total of four books are planned for this series}.

 

According to Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary, worldview is defined as: the way someone thinks about the world.

There are many worldviews held in today’s society including secular humanism, socialism, Marxism, and postmodernism.  This unique resource, published by Apologia in partnership with Summit Ministries, focuses on the biblical Christian worldview. 

I found this wonderful quote in the introduction of Who Is God? that I think sums up what Apologia purposed for this book:

With the lessons contained in this, the first book of the What We Believe series, you will lay the essential foundational truths upon which the biblical Christian worldview is built: God is truth, and He reveals His truth to people…

In this 252-page hardbound book you will tackle questions like “Where am I building my life?” and “If God created the world, why isn’t it perfect?” {these are some titles of actual chapters in Who is God?}. 

Lesson components like vocabulary, scripture memorization, and notebooking suggestions help your kiddos understand and apply the information they are learning {through text, stories, and related articles} in Who is God? so that the learning becomes meaningful. 

Apologia also includes components in Who is God? that will help you {the parent/teacher} implement this resource easily.  Each chapter begins with The Big Idea which contains a brief overview of what you have learned so far, and a What You Will Do section that lets you know the learning objectives for the lesson.

There are also free notebooking printables that correspond with the lessons in Who is God? on the Apologia website.  You will be able to access these after you purchase the book.

This unique resource contains 10 chapters/lessons.  The authors provide a sample lesson schedule in the book’s introduction section {also titled “How to Use This Book”}.  This sample schedule has your kiddo working on each lesson three days per week for two weeks.  However, this is just a sample schedule.  They intentionally designed this resource to be adaptable, so that you can use it to meet your family’s individual needs.

Although I appreciated the recommendations that the authors provided for how to implement this book, I decided to use it as a read aloud with my kiddos {mainly ds9}.  This worked really well for us especially because of the conversational style of Who is God?. 

The variety of components/sections in each chapter also made it easy to find good stopping points during each of our reading sessions.  And the “think about it questions” and notebooking activity suggestions were great discussions starters for us after each read aloud session was finished.

My Thoughts

As Christians, my husband and I desire to teach our kiddos to have a Christian worldview.  Before encountering this book, my husband and I had been on the lookout for a resource that we could use with our kiddos that would help us teach them the Christian worldview. 

We were delighted when we received Who is God? as a review product.  This book looks as if it will do an excellent job in helping us equip our children with a solid foundation in our Christian faith and we think it will be an awesome resource to use during our family devotion time.

More Information

Who is God? is intended to be used with kiddos ages 6-14.  You can view a sample chapter of this book and the table of contents here. 

This resource can be purchased on Apologia’s website for $39.00.  Once you purchase the book you are also given access to free resources for this book, including notebooking pages that correspond with each chapter in the book.

Apologia {in partnership with Summit Ministries} has planned a total of four books for their Biblical Worldview Series.  You can read more about this series on this page. 

Please click on the above banner to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about Who Is God And Can I Really Know Him?.

I received a free copy of this book in order to provide an honest and unbiased opinion of our experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review.

MathRider ~ A Review

MathRider is a downloadable software program that makes mastering math facts fun.  My ds9 is not fond of the daily paper and pencil speed drills that accompany his math curriculum, so he was excited when he learned that we received a free trial of MathRider to review.

How it Works

Let’s face it, paper and pencil speed drills can be a bit boring sometimes.  MathRider puts a little spice into learning math facts by adding the excitement of quests.

Once your kiddo’s account is set up, you create “quests” for your kiddo to complete.  For each quest that you create you can choose the math function  and the number range {0-5, 0-10, 0-12} that you want your kiddo to work on. 

MathRider has four different quests that your child can undertake {the quests are determined by the type of math facts they are practicing}.  Each quest has your kiddo traveling on his/her faithful horse Shadow around the magical MathLands in search of a special item that is desperately needed  {in one instance it is a magic flower that is needed to cure an illness}.

As your kiddo and his/her horse travel through the MathLands, there are  number sentences {obstacles} along the path that they must jump.  When the correct answer is typed, the horse and rider are able to “jump” the obstacles. 

The quest is not completed with just one “ride”…your kiddo must complete a series of rides before they can complete the quest.   At the end of each ride {math fact test}, your kiddo is able to view what percentage of the quest they have completed.  This keeps them motivated to complete more rides so that they can finish their quest. 

Click here to read more about how MathRider uses your child’s answers {and non-answers} to adapt the game to your child’s needs…as your child is playing the game.  This makes MathRider not only a fun math game, but a math game that is actually tailored to meet your individual child’s needs.  

My Thoughts

This simple math software has put a bit of zing back into my ds9’s daily speed drills.  Math facts must be learned and speed drills help get the facts into your child’s head…but my ds9 is forever complaining about his “boring old speed drills” {even though they only take a minute, literally :)}.

MathRider has made math fact practice a little easier to digest for ds9…and that makes teaching math a bit easier on me :)  Math fact practice has also become somewhat of a family affair in our home since MathRider has entered the picture…ds4 and dd6 love to gather around the computer while ds9 “plays his game” :).

I really appreciate the fact that MathRider has made is very easy for me to check my ds9’s progress.  By simply clicking on the “statistics” icon on my ds9’s main page, I can view my ds9’s top five challenges, his mastery level of a particular math operation and more.

 

More Information

MathRider’s goal is for your kiddo to master their math facts in each of the four basic math operations {addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division}. 

MathRider can be used with any child who still needs to obtain mastery in any of the four basic math operations. 

An instant download of Math Rider is currently on sale for $37.00 at MathRider’s website {regular price is $49.95}.  One Math Rider license can be used with up to ten individual children.

MathRider uses Adobe Air Runtime and is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.  See this page for more information about computer system requirements for MathRider.

Click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about MathRider.

I received a free subscription to MathRider in return for my honest and unbiased opinion of our experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review. 

The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids {LifeWay Christian Stores} ~ A Review

LifeWay Christian Stores sent us The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids, a colorful, 212 page, hardback resource as a review item for the TOS Crew. 

This Bible dictionary provides information about the people, places and things {and more} that are in the Bible…from Aaron to Zipporah.  In addition to the definitions that you would expect in a dictionary, this resource also features full-color maps, photographs and realistic illustrations, charts, a pronunciation guide for hard-to-pronounce words, scripture references for most of the entries and more.

For a glimpse of some pages from this resource, download a PDF sampler here.

My Thoughts

I know that this Bible dictionary is aimed towards kids, but I am loving the information that I have learned from it…and I am definitely not a kid anymore :).  The full-color maps, charts, and illustrations are very appealing ~ they really help me {and my kiddos} understand the concept being defined…much more so than just a written definition. 

This Bible dictionary is definitely an invaluable help during our Bible study time.  However, it is also an enjoyable read all by itself. 

My ds9 was especially fascinated by the model/reconstruction of Jerusalem.  He enjoyed using the key to locate different parts of Jerusalem that he has read and/or learned about such as The City of David and the Road to Samaria.

And my ds4 even found a way to use this unique reference book to practice his ABCs :).

More Information

This Bible dictionary is an invaluable resource for kiddos from kindergarten through middle school {and their parents :)}.  This resource can be purchased from the LifeWay Christian Stores website for $14.99.

In addition to it’s online store, Lifeway Christian Stores currently owns over 140 stores throughout the United States.  LifeWay sells a variety of Christian resources including books {fiction and non-fiction}, DVDs, and music.

Click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about  the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids.

I received a free copy of this book in order to provide an honest and unbiased review.  I did not receive any further compensation for this review.

Speekee TV Online ~ A Review

According to their website, Speekee is the “world’s number one Spanish course for young children”.  Our family was given a free two-month subscription to Speekee TV, which is an online program that contains over 150 minutes of programming {10 episodes}. 

So what exactly is Speekee TV?  Well, the creators of Speekee have filmed over 150 minutes of programming designed to teach Spanish to children ages 2 - 10.  The 10 Speekee TV episodes were filmed in Spain, using real Spanish children as the actors.  Each of the 10 episodes centers around Speekee {a puppet}, Speekee’s friends {puppets and real children}, and a theme that most children are familiar with such as the park, a zoo, school, the market, etc.

In each of the episodes, kiddos are introduced to “concise, essential Spanish vocabulary, with lots of repetition”.  The vocabulary taught in each episode is a mix of essential words like numbers, colors, frequently used phrases {Where are we going?, My name is ____ {insert name}, Let’s go, hello, goodbye, etc.} and also words that relate to the theme of the episode.  For instance, when Speekee visits the cafe with some friends we are introduced to words like water, milk, and orange juice, and phrases like “I want a glass of orange juice please.”

The songs sung in the episodes are quite catchy…not only do I hear my kiddos singing along while they are watching Speekee TV, I also overhear my kiddos singing them throughout the day…and they get stuck in my head too :).

Each episode is completely in Spanish; you do have the option of turning on close-captioning which provides both Spanish and English subtitles at the bottom of the screen.

I have the Spanish and English subtitles turned on, but only my 8-year old has the ability to read along with the program.  Sometimes he does read the subtitles out loud to my younger two…but even when he doesn’t I have noticed that my younger kiddos usually figure out what is being said in Spanish.

In the sidebar of the Speekee TV screen, there are also suggested activities and printables that coordinate with the Speekee episode that you are currently viewing. 

My Thoughts

All three of my kiddos {ages 8, 6, and 4} are loving this program!   When it’s “Speekee time” they all gather around the computer and sing along {and speak along} with the familiar songs and phrases that they’ve learned. 

And I am quite impressed with the Spanish that my kiddos are learning by simply watching these Speekee TV episodes.  Speekee Online is definitely a very simple and effective way to introduce Spanish into our home.

More Information

A subscription to Speekee TV is $7.50/month.  The first two weeks of your subscription are free, and you can cancel your subscription at any time.

Speekee also offers a DVD box set that contains 10 Speekee episodes, a 34-track song cd, and a parent guide.  If you are interested in the DVD package be sure to read the “Note to North Americans” before purchasing.

Click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about Speekee TV.

I received a free two-month subscription to Speekee TV Online in exchange for my honest review of this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for this review.