review – Page 22

Nature Blocks from Lake Shore Learning: Review

April 1, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

I love giving my girls toys which are unique and promote imaginative play. I’m also rather partial to toys which are of a simple nature encouraging more ingenuity and less button pushing! Anything reminiscent of the toys of yesterday immediately draw me in. Nature Blocks from Lakeshore Learning fit all of these ideals!

As soon as I opened the package my girls nearly grabbed the box out of my hands! The box of 36 blocks are beautifully crafted and resemble trees. Their smooth texture and natural wood-grain appearance make them so attractive. My girls have played with similar blocks at our local children’s museum and remarked how they liked these better because they stacked more easily. I loved that they could easily play with these on carpet. Other building block sets we have don’t stack well on the carpet and frustrate my daughters since they don’t typically want to play in the kitchen where there is a smooth surface.

The girls enjoyed making buildings out of the pieces. As much as I love these I honestly didn’t know how long they would captivate the girls’ attention. The answer? I had to drag them away! The only problem was no one wanted to take down their creations which in turn meant no one could build anything new!

Rose enjoyed building structures for her Colonial Settler and Native American figurines. She built forests, houses, bridges, and much more over and over.

Beth liked trying to make animals. The unique shapes really allowed her imagination to run wild! She told me this was a giraffe.

Grace just liked to build anything she could! She did prefer to use the hearth for a building medium. She had an easier time stabilizing the base of her creations here.

This past week Grace wasn’t feeling well enough to focus much on her lessons. A cold, cough, and slight fever made for one cranky little girl! Typically this is a problem because she doesn’t feel like trying on her lessons but doesn’t want to miss out on learning. This week I had no problem because she spent at least 45 minutes each day playing with the Nature Blocks! For a three-year-old anything that occupies for longer than 15 minutes is a winner!

In addition to the simply fun of building, these also provided an opportunity to show Rose and Beth tree rings. The circles very clearly show tree rings and provide a nice, kid-sized, hands-on learning tool for science!

Check out these and more fun learning toys at Lakeshore Learning!

Disclaimer

I received Nature Blocks in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

A Journey Through Learning Astronomy and Space

March 30, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

I really love our regular curriculum and so do my girls, but every once in a while we need a change of pace! I especially like unit studies because it gives my girls a chance to explore their own interests. It also is nice to deviate from the normal every once in a while to keep things exciting. A Journey Through Learning provides a creative way for the learning process. Through their lapbooks and unit studies students of all ages can explore subjects that interest them and create a scrap-book style resource for use of review at a later date. The Review Crew had an opportunity to review the following products in a variety of age ranges:
LapbooksLetters, Numbers and Shapes (ages 3-5)
The Earth (grades 1-4)
Knights and Castles (grades 2-7)Unit Study
Astronomy and Space (grades 2-7)
Unlike most studies I’ve seen online there are several ways these can be purchased. Purchasing the downloadable versions ($13.00) is the easiest for me, but this is not the most convenient for everyone. The lapbooks are also available in a CD ($14.00), a printed version ($20.00) and an assembled version ($29.00). The unit studies also come in a a CD ($14.00) and a printed version ($21.00). I showed the different options we were given for review to Rose who immediately jumped at the chance to study more about Astronomy! My lover of science couldn’t wait to start learning as much as she could. This study is laid out very simply. The instruction pages are clear and enable both parent and student to begin immediately with little preparation.

Included is a list of books and other resources to enhance the study are included. Rose opted to focus on one book for further study called The Astronomy Book. It has a biblical focus which fits in with our family’s beliefs. The nice thing about unit studies is you can choose which resources best reflects your individual family’s values and beliefs as well as choosing appropriate reading levels if you are teaching different ages. Another beauty of unit studies is that multiple ages can study together.

Each topic within the unit has a light page of reading which give interesting facts and information. Following this is a page for students to write down what they learned from what they just read. Rose particularly liked learning about the various planets. I have the order of the planets hanging in our schoolroom and she enjoyed finding out more about them.

Another section she thoroughly enjoyed was the study of the moon. She liked coloring in the phases of the moon although at first she flipped them all around. We fixed that easily enough and I really feel that she may know them better now. Isn’t there a saying that we learn more from our mistakes?

By far Rose’s favorite part was making a diorama of space. She started by painting the inside of a shoebox black. She decided to leave the lid attached to make a title for it. Rose loves being creative with her studies. This was a perfect project for my budding artist!

Included in the study is a page of decorations for the diorama which represent various objects in space which we studied. Rose was so sweet to let her little sister, Beth, help her decorate! I let them use some glitter glue to color the items before cutting them out. I asked if she wanted to color them before adding the glitter, but glitter was enough!

Here is her finished project!

We finished our unit off with a trip to our local children’s museum. It has a very nice display of space travel. Many artifacts, including the craft which Enos, one of the chimps who flew to space before man traveled, orbited the earth. This was such a fun way to close off our study!

If you are in the market for a unit study or lapbook this is a great company to explore. Take a look at the history of who they are. I love that it was two moms, just like me, who had a vision for something and worked hard through trials and adversity.

Don’t forget to check out the reviews from the rest of the Crew!

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Draw Write Now: Review and Giveaway!!!!

March 25, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

One of my favorite past times from childhood was drawing pictures using coloring books. I would work for hours getting the dimensions just right. In our school we had a choice: Music or Art. You could not participate in both and I chose band over art. Still, drawing was a fun pastime of mine until I went away to college and other things seemed to take up my time. Rose especially has seemed to acquire my love of drawing. She has several notebooks of different categories where she draws everything from Angry Birds to real birds! When I told her we were going to get to review some drawing books she was over the moon!

The Draw Write Now series from Draw Your World is a clear instructional series which combines handwriting and drawing. These non-consumable books encourage looking at handwriting as art and combines the two skills seamlessly. Each lesson includes several sentences about what the child will draw and clear directions for how to draw the picture. The sentences are written in manuscript, but can easily be transcribed into cursive you like. They generously sent me a fun package to review including the eight-book series and a variety of pencil grips.

I used paper which had room for a picture at the top as well as handwriting lines at the bottom. I first had the girls practice their handwriting, then move on to the picture. My reason was that I knew they would become so engrossed in their pictures the handwriting would possibly be forgotten. I was very pleased with how quickly they completed their copywork and how neat it looked!

I knew Rose would enjoy this series, but I wasn’t sure about Beth. She likes to do things her own way and I’m having a hard time teaching her it’s not always okay to decorate her words with smiley faces and flowers! She has clear artistic tendencies, but getting her to conform to set standards is not easy. I actually love her decorated letters and words, but I also want her to know they aren’t always appropriate. I was shocked at how quickly her handwriting improved! She was incredibly focused on neatness and proportion of her letters for the first time.

Rose enjoyed drawing the pictures and also adding the background scenery. She made it her own and enjoyed coloring the scenes as well. She was so pleased with her work and I appreciated the simple instructions for her to follow. The books do not need to be completed in any particular order, but book 1 has the simplest pictures and instructions. Other topics in the series include a variety of science, historical, and geographical themes. These will be a lot of fun to include as we continue our studies throughout the years!

Although Grace is not really to the drawing or handwriting stage, the various pencil grips worked well for her. We tried several different ones and her favorite was the basic Pencil Grip. I love how it helps her know exactly how to hold the pencil so as she grows the grip will become second nature. From one who still doesn’t hold a pencil correctly this is a great product!

The girls tried out the other grips as well. Beth particularly liked the Twist ‘n Write. She uses this one frequently for a lot of her work! She likes to do things out-of-the-box by nature so I think that is why she is partial to this one!

Rose liked the idea of The Writing Claw, but said she felt like her fingers were too big to fit it. I think it was more a matter of too many years of not using a pencil grip. She did use one when she first started writing, but it has been about 3 years. I like how flexible this particular type was because it give the writer more individual control.

I also really loved the pencils! They were so easy to use and had such smooth flow for writing. I have relegated these for handwriting/drawing only because they are so nice and we tend to break a lot of pencils around here with learning how much pressure to apply and all that.

Here is an example of Rose’s artwork:

Rose – 7 years old

Here is an example of Beth’s artwork:

Beth – 5 years old

I am so proud of my girls, especially Beth. She always used to say, “I can’t draw pretty pictures!” Now she says, “Can I PLEASE draw using my drawing book?” What a beautiful change.

Are you ready for an incredibly giveaway now? Draw Your World has generously donated a $50 gift card to be used on their site! Enter several ways below.

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Disclaimer

I received the 8 book set of Draw Write Now and a pencil grip starter set in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

Adventus MusIQ Homeschool: Piano Software Review

March 20, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My parents tell me I asked to take lessons of all the typical girl interests: dance, gymnastics, horseback riding, and piano. They wisely asked me to choose one and I chose, much to their pleasure, piano. They of course told me they wanted me to do lessons for a year before deciding if I wanted to continue. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with music and making music with the piano. I loved it so much, my parents would typically have to force me away to work on my homework. Believe me, this is not typical for music students. I should know this since I now teach piano.

Grace “practicing” before she could even walk!

Thanks to my parents providing me with lessons from the time I was 8, I now have 24 students in my home each week, two of whom are my own sweet girls! I love teaching, but I understand all too well the financial aspect of music lessons. There are often families who inquire after music lessons only to discover they are not financially able to move forward. Adventus has created and excellent, affordable alternative for students to begin piano lessons for families who cannot afford traditional instruction. MusicIQ Homeschool is perfect for use by anyone, even if you don’t have any musical background.

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There are seven level options which include software, lesson plans, activity, and theory sheets. Parents can choose a monthly subscription for $10.95 which allows access to all levels of the entire curriculum. For families who would prefer to pay one-time the younger beginning three levels (ages 4-10) are priced at $89.95. The level used for ages 10 and up is priced at $109.95. Two separate level of ear training are only $59.95 each. To give you an idea of how this compares to traditional lessons, one month of private piano instruction provided by me, in my own home costs $60. You can easily see the price comparison!

Families do need to own a midi piano (which can be purchased directly from Adventus along with the curriculum in a package) since you must connect the piano to your computer in order to use the software. This would be an investment made for piano instruction anyway if the family did not already own a piano. I can assure you that anyone who learns to play on a keyboard can easily make the transition to a traditional piano. Over half of my students play on midi keyboards and have no difficulty playing on the grand piano at our church for their recital. There is a difference in key weight, but it will not cause any problems moving from one to the other.

For some, 4 years old may seem quite young to start learning music formally. I have successfully taught several 4-year-olds. Both Beth and Rose began lessons when they were 4. I hadn’t planned to start teaching Grace yet…she is only three after all! I have been “teaching” her a lesson every Friday along with her sisters, but it has been mostly to appease her pleas and hadn’t amounted to much…until I opened Year 1 on my computer and took a look. Much to my surprise the beginning lessons were similar to what I had been teaching her on my own (low and high notes).

Grace was quickly drawn into the program. I love the immediate immersion for students into classical music and composers. One of the things which is difficult to include in traditional 30 minute music lessons is information about composers and their music. Various composers introduce each lesson and music by the composer is played at the beginning and end. The music is also used during the practice sessions. Another fun aspect is that music composition is encouraged from the very first lesson!

The reason Grace was so quickly able to succeed with these lessons is that the concepts area taught without using traditional musical scores. High notes are called bird notes and low notes are called whale notes. When she was asked to play bird notes, she learned to play notes above middle C. When asked to play a whale note she knows to play below middle C. The program encourages students for correct answers and correct for wrong ones, giving them an opportunity to fix it during the practice sessions. Placing a sticker on middle C is a trick I’ve used with all my beginning students, especially the youngest ones. I used this technique with Grace as well because it is difficult for young students to recognize the pattern of the black and white keys.

Even though my older daughters have been taking lessons for a while (Beth – 2 years and Rose – 4 years) there was still opportunity for learning through this program. Beth completed several lessons from Volume 2. She very much enjoyed Ms. Melody in the practice room!

Rose has surpassed the lessons offered in all three levels of the Children’s Music Journey in what I have taught her already, but the music games were an excellent review for her. She frequently asked to play the games which were an excellent reward for after her daily practice. Everything from interval identification to ear training to note recognition is covered in the games.

I also used this with a few of my students to review. I found the music note review to be very helpful both for assessment and practice. When I tell my students they need to review their note names I often feel they don’t really understand the necessity of this skill. After playing through the cookie factory game my students recognized exactly where they stood. The only thing I didn’t like was that the correct note was not identified when they answered incorrectly. I feel this would have been beneficial so they would have had a better chance to answer correctly the next time.

This is an excellent program for families who are looking to begin music instruction but may not know how long their child will keep interest or have financial constraints. I also think this is a good resource for a traditional music teacher to have in their toolbox. My students who had the opportunity to use this program genuinely had fun and learned at the same time!

To see this program in action watch the video below of my sweet Grace. Keep in mind she is only 3 1/2 years old! I’ll admit this is younger than the program is intended for, but considering she is daily surrounded by music instruction it isn’t surprising she is doing so well!

Don’t forget to read more reviews from my Crewmates!

Touch Math: Preschool Review

March 11, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

Grace is my youngest. She has only ever known home-learning. Even though my oldest had a year at kindergarten, her other sister was learning to read that year. There was no transition for Grace because it was simply normal. Maybe it’s because she’s the third or maybe it’s just personality, but I cannot seem to give this little girl enough learning to satisfy her! She has her own curriculum and daily work, just like her sisters, but it is never enough.

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I was beyond ecstatic to review Touch Math’s Pre-K program with Grace. For $59.95 even the youngest learners are able to learn basic math. The printable pdf files are engaging, but not distracting with unnecessary graphics or colors which I often feel take away from the concepts. However, the manipulatives used with this program are brightly colored and engaging in a way that causes the child to want to use them!

Grace could not wait to get her hands on them! We received our package on a Friday afternoon. One glimpse of the beautiful numbers and number cards cause a period of jumping and cheering from my three-y-ear-old. The Texture Cards and 3D Numerals (Sold separately) kept her entertained by themselves for almost an hour with her Grandma the next day. She touched each number, practiced tracing them, counted whatever object or character was on the card, and overall simply enjoyed these thoroughly. The 3D Numerals were a great way to introduce each number. I was surprised to find out she already recognizes her numbers consistently and we had fun using these to identify numbers of objects on the worksheets as well as around the room. Included in the numeral box are pdf files on CD with activities and ideas for teaching. These manipulatives are intended to be used for more than one level.

Touch Math also sent us a set of Touch Shapes. These transparent, colorful shapes are so much fun! The multiple colors, shapes, and sizes provide varied levels of learning opportunities including sorting, size arrangement, and shape & color recognition.

Grace jumped right into these without hesitation! After I printed the worksheets I opted to slip them into protective covers which could be written on with dry-erase markers. This way I could reuse the lessons with her and save paper. Not to mention that she will jump at any opportunity to use markers!

In just a couple of days Grace understood the concept of equal. I hadn’t considered teaching her this since I had only seen the concept in Kindergarten level materials. Touch Math gives scripted lessons which really helps me out. Sometimes I have a hard time finding the words to say to teach a new concept to my young girls. When a curriculum gives me step-by-step directions, the guess work is gone. I may have to re-explain something, but it is much easier to have a starting point.

I really liked how the worksheets incorporated both written work and manipulatives. I like math programs which give both a hands-on and traditional writing approach. We used the 3D numerals and Touch Shapes the most. Grace loved everything about this and asks daily to do her math. We typically use 3-4 worksheets a day so we’re going to get through the program quickly. I have already reviewed some of the earlier pages and she loves doing them a second just as much!

I highly recommend this program for preschool math. It is not the cheapest one available, but it isn’t outrageously priced and it is far and above the best I have seen for math at this age. The manipulatives are colorful, but not distracting. The pages are simple and not overwhelming with the amount of work. The concepts are challenging for this level and preparing the children for more complex math ideas. You won’t be disappointed with this engaging preschool curriculum!

Don’t forget to check out the other reviews from my Crewmates!

Disclaimer

I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

Lone Star Learning: Greek and Latin Roots Review

March 1, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

When I was in college and studying to be a middle school English teacher I spent a lot of time researching vocabulary. I was taught via the memorize-each-word-and-definition approach in school. To be honest, my vocabulary increased more through reading, but this didn’t help a lot on tests like the SAT. As I researched and studied I came to be a believer in knowing roots from Greek and Latin. I incorporated this into my vocabulary teaching and still do with the homeschooled middle schoolers I teach once a week.

Stuck in the back of my mind was always the desire to teach Greek and Latin roots to my daughters, but they are still very young and I wasn’t quite sure how to go about doing this. Lone Star Learning has made this easier than I ever expected with their Greek and Latin Roots Picture Vocabulary Cards. Pictographs beautifully illustrate the definition for each root in an memorable way for elementary students…or any age!

The package costs $39.99 and contains 60 sturdy, laminated flash cards comprised of 30 Greek roots and 30 Latin roots. Also included is a definition card with sample words. A separate page gives helpful tips for studying and creative ideas for using the cards including activities and games. While the cards are intended to be used with upper elementary and middle school students (3rd-8th grade) I found them very appropriate for my second grade daughter, Rose. She already reads at a higher grade level and is constantly asking what words mean so she was more than ready to be introduced to Greek and Latin roots.

My daughter saw me open these the day they arrived in the mail. She was so intrigued that she began studying them even before I had a chance to look through the pack myself! She was immediately drawn to the colorful, artistic illustrations. Because her grandfather teaches Greek at seminary, she already was excited about learning Greek roots. He has taught her to write her name in Aramaic Greek and she was very excited to begin learning more. Rose literally danced a little jig when I told her it was time to study her Greek roots!

We spent two days a week studying and reviewing roots. In just four weeks Rose has mastered the 30 Greek roots! The cards were easy for Rose to read and quite often she could figure out the root’s definition simply by the picture. There were a couple of cards which were more difficult for her, but even those didn’t take her long to master. I had her study them by saying the root name out loud, then the definition. Once she reached 20 roots I decided to see if she could remember the roots without the cards. She knew all 20 I quizzed her on the first time!

I had already explained how roots make up a lot of the words we use daily and knowing them helps us understand their definitions. The day I realized this was really taking root (tee hee) was when she was reading her book for literature to herself in the other room and she came running in saying, “Mommy! Mommy! Guess what? I just found the word hydrate! It has to do with water, right? Just like hydr?” Success!

I intend for Greek and Latin to be a part of their entire education. This has been a beautiful way to start my daughters learning about roots!

Don’t forget to check out the other reviews by my Crewmates!

Disclaimer

I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

Abraham’s Journey: Review

February 27, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

My Kindle Fire has become one of my favorite tools for homeschooling! I love finding books, unit studies, and pdf documents. The girls enjoy it as well because of the apps, but I limit their playtime. While I’m happy to have learning apps, I have hoped they would enjoy reading. I was very excited for my daughter to read Abraham’s Journey: A Celebration of the American Dream, by Kathleen and Robert K. Basmadjian, written for students ages 7-12.

This unique children’s book combines beautiful illustrations reminiscent of traditional comic books and an engaging story. You can purchase either the book version ($14.95) or the Kindle or i-Pad version ($9.99). While the story takes place during present day, historical figures provide an unexpected twist. The story revolves around a young boy, Abraham, trying to help his parents who have both lost their jobs. With the help of historical figures Abraham discovers what the American Dream means and is inspired to find a way to help his family.

Rose and Zoe, our kitty cat, snugged in for some reading one afternoon with this book. She eagerly jumped at the chance to read on Mommy’s Kindle and settled into her beanbag chair. She enjoyed the story. When I asked her what her favorite part was she said she really liked the illustrations and that Abraham Lincoln was in it as well.

The idea behind this book is so many in America have lost their hope in what is possible. We used to call it, “Living the American Dream.” The dream used to be taught and encouraged in schools. Now children are often taught America isn’t as great as we were once told. The evils of our history are emphasized while the triumphs and events we can be proud of are diminished. The authors of this books are hoping to instill once more the ideals of what “The American Dream” is stood for.

The American Dream includes aspects of faith, courage, imagination, innovation, compassion, self-sacrifice, and so much more. In spite of those commonalities, it always looks different for each individual…

…My great grandparents surviving through the Great-Depression by running a bakery from their home in Illinois when my great-grand father lost his job at an oil refinery.

…My grandfather working long, hard hours at a coal mine in Kentucky until he had saved enough money to buy his farm.

…My parents moving from New York to North Carolina when I was six and leaving full-time ministry as a pastor so my dad could earn his doctorate and become a seminary professor.

…My husband and I both graduating from college debt-free.

We want our girls to see they can do more than expected too. I appreciate the author’s desire to reteach this to our youth and inspire them to reach higher.

At the end of the book is a list of definitions and mini biographies of each historical figure in case students haven’t studied them yet. I really like this feature because my daughter, for instance, had only studied about Abraham Lincoln. She had heard the other’s names, but didn’t really know much about them yet.

I asked Rose if she’d like to read another story like this one and she enthusiastically said, “Yes!” That is enough of an endorsement for me!

Don’t forget to check out other reviews from my crewmates!

Disclaimer

I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

College Common Sense Review

February 25, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

Hubby and I met in marching band in college!
(Yay Liberty University!)

Ahhh college…sometimes it feels like forever ago and sometimes it feels like just yesterday! My girls are so young right now I don’t even want to think about college…but it is inevitable! College Common Sense gives parents the tools they need to help them through the process of finding scholarships, touring colleges, and getting their students prepared early on with their Going to College and Paying for it Online Video and Workbook

Visiting the falls on the campus where
I went to college!
(Yay Toccoa Falls College!)

Although college is not something I am thinking about very often for my girls, my husband and I have talked about how important it will be for them to apply for as many scholarships as possible, take CLEP tests, and work in high school in order to help pay for college. We mention going to college and how great it was for my husband and I. We also have taken them to our own college campuses. While we would not be angry or upset if they chose a different path than college, we want them to know we believe in them and will help them along the way as much as possible.

College Common Sense encourages parents to have a continuous dialogue with their children about their goals, dreams, and hopes for the future. For $25 a year (Or a one-time payment of $50 for a CD copy) parents receive access to videos, a workbook, and a monthly curriculum with age-level friendly ideas from elementary to high school. While a large portion is obviously going to be on what to do in your junior and senior year, there are also ideas for elementary and middle school as well.

Many of the ideas we are already implementing. We talk to the girls frequently about different jobs they can do when they grow up, we take them on field trips to see different occupations, we happily answer questions and look up information online about various careers, and most importantly we talk about the importance of seeking God in all of their life decisions.

We are also careful to encourage whatever their ideas about the future may be, even if they seem a little odd. Rose went through a year-long-phase of being convinced God wanted her to be a policewoman so she could help people. Just two weeks ago she informed me she was now going to be an artist!

Another idea is for kids to begin a journal where they write down their ideas about the future. It’s called an All About Me Notebook and I really liked this idea. While Rose, who is seven, is the only of my girls ready to keep a journal like this herself, the idea of letting the kids express who they are and what they love each year as they grow up intrigues me. I remember all too well how my own interests changed constantly as I grew and matured. It would be a neat thing to show my children if I had kept my own notebook like this.

One of the things I found interesting as I began to review College Common Sense was that there are scholarships available for children as young as 6…are you kidding me? While we know the colleges our daughters choose will be their choice, we both attended Christian universities and would be very happy if they could do the same. In order for this to happen, however, scholarships will be an absolute must. The fact that the girls can apply to some scholarships this early on is a vital piece of information I was missing!

College Common Sense is a great way to make sure you’re on the right track whether college is coming up next year or in another 11 years like it is for us!

Make sure to check out the other reviews written by my crewmates!

Disclaimer

I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

A+ Tutorsoft Review

February 20, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

Math is not my favorite subject to teach. I didn’t mind math in school…until I hit my sophomore year of high school and Algebra 2. Math wasn’t the easiest subject for me, but I understood the concepts up until that class. I quickly lost confidence in my ability to do math and that hasn’t really ever gone away.

I anticipated reviewing A+ Interactive MATH from A+ Tutosoft, Inc with mixed feelings. While the idea of giving over the actual teaching portion of math sounded appealing, I’m typically not someone who uses computer-based teaching. I was impressed with the concepts covered for first grade and decided to look forward to this opportunity with an open mind. Beth is in Kindergarten, but completed her kindergarten math by the end of October and was more than ready for something to challenge her thinking. The program costs between $99 and $124.99 depending on whether you want to be able to have parental track and reporting (feature available for up to 5 students). It also offers levels 1st-6th grade as well as Pre-Algebra and Algebra and is available in an online version in addition to the CD format I received.

My husband helped me install the program the day after we received it in the mail. It was easy to setup and easy to get her started. I simply needed to print the corresponding worksheets for each lesson. I also had the option to print the answer key, but decided just to use the answer key on the computer to save paper. The pages are colorful, but not overly distracting with lots of unnecessary illustrations. I appreciated this fact since Beth tends to get distracted with wanting to tell stories about the pictures!

My sweet little girl was over-the-moon excited to use the computer for one of her subjects! The girls typically only get to use the computer as a reward after school-work is completed. She was also excited to be the only one of her sisters to get to use it.

Beth used headphones most of the time since we school all together each morning. It was very easy for her to use the mouse and to know where to click to move the program forward. She did not want to repeat after the lady who was teaching the lesson, but after some coaxing I convinced her she would learn her math more easily if she followed the directions completely. She seemed to feel a little self-conscious about this until I told her she could whisper. After that she didn’t mind so much.

Both Beth and I really liked the virtual quiz given at the end of each lesson. She loved when the little frog would ribbit as she pushed the submit button for her answer. The first time this happened she giggled and said, “Mommy! The froggy says, ‘Ribbit,’ when I get it right!” Nothing makes my heart smile more than hearing my girls enjoy learning! I really liked this portion because if she missed something the program immediately reviewed the concept and then gave her another chance to answer immediately. The only issues we had with this was the frog wasn’t always present and she was sometimes confused what to do when he wasn’t there.

Next came the worksheet portion of the lesson. My sweet girl can get overwhelmed when she thinks she has to do a lot of work, so when I handed her multiple pages she gave me a rather panicked look. I quickly explained there were only a few problems on each page and then she was fine. In fact, when she finished the day’s work she would typically ask to do another lesson! There were a couple of times I had to explain a concept, like how to group tens, one more time, but overall she did great on her own letting me know this program was doing it’s job!

At the end of every unit is a test which looks very much like the daily worksheets. I wasn’t certain how Beth would do for several reasons. Because she is only in kindergarten she had not yet taken a formal test. In addition it was 9 pages long and contained 40 problems…many more than she had ever had to do at once. To my pleasant surprise she took this in stride and just handed me page after page as she finished. She was getting over a cold as well, but this didn’t stop her! Out of all the problems she only missed 3, which I was very pleased with.

The one downside is I missed being the one to teach her this particular subject. Although I could check her work I did miss being directly involved in the learning process. However, this is a program I would like to revisit as my girls move forward into more difficult math concepts I may not feel as confident teaching.

Overall I feel A+ Tutosoft, Inc math program is an excellent program for any family looking for a computer-based math curriculum. It is thorough, builds skills logically, and reviews concepts for the students when they don’t quite get something. I also liked that I could track my daughter’s progress and review any missed problems from the program in addition to her worksheets and tests.

A+ Tutorsoft, Inc has generously offered Review Crew readers a coupon for 50% off! If you are looking for a computer-based math program this is an excellent opportunity!

Use SPOFFER50 at checkout for 50% off until the end of March.

Don’t forget to check out other reviews by the TOS Review Crew!

Disclaimer

I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

Flowering Baby Review

February 13, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

(Flowering Baby is generously offering a 10% discount to my readers! Read to the bottom to find the discount code!)

When my first daughter was born seven years ago I was full of joy…and completely clueless. I had taught full-time for two years, worked for many years with children in our church, and had countless hours of babysitting experience — all with older children. I was an only child and the youngest of my cousins, so I was never around babies in my family and felt rather intimidated by this squalling little creature God had blessed me with.

I figured out the mechanics of baby care rather quickly, but as far as for providing learning I had to make it up as I went. I figured things out along the way, but felt like I could have been more intentional with how she learned. I enjoyed spending time with my sweet little girl, but feared there were skills I was neglecting to teach her. It was typically when our pediatrician asked if she was doing a certain skill that I would know we were on or off track.

Flowering Baby is a full birth through preschool curriculum which gives parents a guide to make sure age appropriate skills are being addressed. The five separate levels (birth-one, one-two, two-three, three-four, and four-five) include cognitive skills, engaging activities, fine-motor skills, and enrichment appropriate to the age and presented in an easy-to-follow week-by-week guide. The curriculum comes as a pdf download or CD and costs between $30.00 and $38.00 per year or $132.00 for the entire 5-year program ($26.40 per year). I love any curriculum which comes as a pdf because I can use it on my Kindle Fire!

Although my youngest daughter is three I was impressed as I browsed through the younger years at the wonderful ideas and activities presented for this age. I particularly liked that each month included books to read even to the youngest babies. That is something we did with our daughters and they all three are avid readers!

I have been using the three to four-year-old level with Grace and she has loved the new activities! There are two parts to this level and the four-to-five-year-old level. The first part is a monthly curriculum guide. This guide includes a suggested list of books which correlate with different ares of discovery like color, part of the body, weather, and foods. A list of supplies for the month is also included. Following these lists are daily plans for 13 days of fun! Activities include sensory exploration, signing, and fine motor skills. Detailed instructions for each day are listed making this a truly open-and-go curriculum for our youngest learners!

Each month we explore a different style of music. This month was classical, one of my favorite genres! I listen to classical music a lot in the car with Grace and she calls it, “Mommy’s music”. The girls and I make up stories about what we imagine is happening as we listen to the melody. For one of the Flowering Baby activities Grace drew pictures while she listened. She drew several people and said, “Some are happy. Some are sad.” I asked her why and she said, “Because the music made them that way!” We were listening to a particular piece by Beethoven which did in fact change in mood from sad to happy. This was a fabulous way for Grace to experience music I had never thought of!

The second part is my favorite! Along with the monthly curriculum guide is a theme guide with suggested themes for each month. You can follow these suggestions, or do like we did and pick your own themes each month. I thought it might be fun to do a winter theme in the middle of summer and the summer theme during one of the cold winter months! Our favorite theme we studied was gardening.

Like the monthly guide each theme contains a list of suggested books and monthly supplies. Also included are field trip ideas and suggested websites for learning. I plan our garden for spring in January, so it was the perfect time for this theme! We read several books about gardens including Planting a Rainbow by Lois Elhert and Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. Grace loves books and this was a great way to introduce the theme!

Daily activities engaged Grace and immersed her in the gardening theme. She enjoyed investigating vegetables with a magnifying glass. We talked about the texture and color of each vegetable and for dinner we ate some of the same ones she investigated!

We also planted seeds for our garden this spring. We started four varieties of tomatoes, two kinds of peppers, gooseberries, huckleberries, wonderberries, and ground cherries. We’ll have much more we plant once the last frost date hits, but this is a great start!

If I wasn’t still recuperating from surgery at Christmas we would have made a field trip during our unit to the Butterfly House at our local children’s museum. Admission is free on Wednesday afternoons for county residents and we take advantage of that when we are able. This beautiful indoor garden is always a pleasant respite during the cold months of winter. Butterflies are everywhere and often will even sit on your finger! I really wanted to be able to go for a field trip, but I just wasn’t up to it. Instead we looked at pictures of our previous visits and talked about how much fun it was!

Flowering Baby is a comprehensive curriculum which will challenge your young learner and give you a wide range of ideas and activities. By following this curriculum you can be certain your little ones experience a variety of learning and be academically prepared to begin school.

Use the code Blog10 to receive a 10% discount on your order!

Disclaimer

I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.