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UnLock Pre-Algebra from UnLock Math: A TOS Crew Review

June 20, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

When I talk to my homeschool mom friends, we almost all agree that math is one of the most intimidating subjects to teach. What is intimidating in elementary school is even a greater challenge in middle and high school! Math has never been the easiest subject for Rose and I’m always excited to try new approaches. Even though mathematics is not her favorite subject, Rose is always ready to try new things and approached UnLock Pre-Algebra from UnLock Math with an open mind, eager to see how this program worked.

I appreciate very much that Rose could work at her own pace. We had already begun to address pre-algebra topics, but they haven’t stuck very well…until now. We are working a bit slowly through the program because that is what is best for her at this season, but she is thoroughly enjoying each lesson!

When I asked her what she like about it, she told me that the lesson videos explain things very clearly and concepts she has not yet understood began to become clear. We have found that having someone other than myself or her dad explain a topic feels less intimidating. I don’t really understand the reason behind this, but I’m grateful when I find a quality curriculum that gives her this opportunity. She also likes that the assessments are short and to the point. One thing I like about this program is if she struggled, she could re-watch any video she needed to. We took advantage of this a couple of times. Sometimes because we were interrupted with “life” events which were uncontrollable and it was a good way to review. Other times it was because the assessment revealed she needed the instruction given once more. Both are typical reasons homeschooling families need this option, and it is important to be able to do so easily.

While our current curriculum is not computer-based, I have found this to be a perfect fit for my oldest daughter. I’m very pleased with the progress she has made am excited to have her continue using UnLock Pre-Algebra. This is one of the easiest online programs to navigate for both student and teacher. After showing her the initial setup I was able to allow her to work independently without any trouble and check in on her progress at anytime. While I personally think it is beneficial to complete the unit in order, you also do have the option to skip over lessons which may not be needed. This is a good option if you are using the program to fill missing gaps or for students who are more advance and do not need instruction in certain areas. We will be progressing in order, but I do think this option is beneficial. I have highly recommended this program to several homeschooling friends already who are looking for an online option for higher math levels. I also look forward to giving my girls the opportunity to learn math with this program. UnLock Geometry is the newest of the courses offered and I’m excited to see new courses from this quality company. Take a look at what my Crewmates had to say!

The Adventures of Rush Revere Series: A TOS Crew Review

June 19, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Adventures of Rush Revere Our homeschool learning centers around and thrives upon living history books. Living history simply means the books we read are written in a story-like way that is much more engaging than a typical history textbook filled with facts and dates. Living history books focus on the people who lived and their stories more than the events of the times. As a result our girls absolutely love history. They enjoy going to historical sites and museums and will all tell you that history is one of their favorite things to study in their schooling. We are always on the lookout for new history titles which will engage their minds. The Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series from Adventures of Rush Revere #1 New York Times Bestselling Book Series by Rush and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh was recommended to us by another homeschooling family a while ago and we were very excited to have a chance to review the entire series!!!

It isn’t often the girls get to read their own copy of the books we review and they were ecstatic to do so! Our summer learning still happens, but it is quite a bit more relaxed than the rest of the school year. Everyday the girls have a math assignment and a required 2 chapters of reading. This was assigned for their summer reading time and they were really excited! The writing style of these books is very personable and perfect for today’s generation of kids. They are sprinkled with humor and because the characters time-travel lots of references to modern technology and current trends.

I would say this series is written in a way that a typical 4th grade reader would enjoy them although they engaged all of my girls (and me) while reading! Even if your kids are not old enough to enjoy reading them on their own this series would make a great read-aloud series for your family. I appreciate that the authors spent time researching and really working to understand the time periods represented in the books.

There are many wonderful illustrations scattered throughout the book. Some are cartoon-ish renderings of the characters, some are photographs, some are copies of historical documents, and some are paintings. The pages are beautifully created with a vintage feel and glossy finish. They are sturdy and will hold up well to many readings year after year. Here is what my girls had to say…

Rose likes that the characters can time travel back in history. It was easy for her to read and they were good stories.

Beth likes that the books are funny and that the horse, Liberty, can talk. She also likes that Liberty clogs because she does that as well! She likes that some of the historical expectations which we have but aren’t always right were corrected, like the colors of the Pilgrims clothes.

Grace, my outdoor reader, likes that the pictures are in color because a lot chapter books don’t have pictures or they aren’t in color. She really likes the horse and that she read the book about George Washington. He is one of her favorite people to learn about from history. While I am not personally fan of the style of radio one of the authors is known for, I was incredibly pleased with just how well written and accurate these books are. I am an advocate for accuracy in history. Although presenting all the facts of the events must be tempered with discernment for the age of the audience, I do not want to teach my girls falsehoods or glossy versions of history. These titles are truthful and presents the facts that are appropriate for all ages. I highly recommend them to supplement your American history curriculum and encourage you to take a look at the website. There are many wonderfully fun and engaging things to see and do there! Take a look at why my Crewmates had to say!

K5 Learning Online Program: A TOS Review Crew Review

June 6, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

My daughters are just like every other child of this century. They adore their technology! I’m often quite hesitant when it comes to including technology as a part of our regular learning program because I am well aware of the dangers posed online. That being said, I’m not against technology completely. I am just extremely picky about what technology we use and how we use it. I was very excited for my girls to have the opportunity to try out the online program from K5 Learning. We used this delightful program as a supplement to our regular studies.

There are three subject areas covered within the program: Math, Reading, and Spelling. Prior to beginning the program students take an assessment to determine their course of learning. Each student will have their own accounts and a unique course of study. All three of my daughters have been using the program and it has been a lot of fun for each of them!

The assessment results are easy to understand, and I appreciate that the program sets itself for each students needs. This means if you have any gaps in your child’s learning you’ll quickly identify it and they can work on these specific areas where they need it most. I also really like the feature which allows the parent to create spelling lists. Even if you currently have a spelling program which you are happy with this will allow for a different way of reviewing the words.

The girls would ask to be the first one to do their computer work each day. This tells me they truly enjoy it! The lessons are short and simple, but clear. They are presented in a fun, story-like way that kept my girls engaged. The lessons’ brevity did not keep them from wanting to work more. The graphics are not the most modern, but I personally appreciate this. I tend to appreciate less distractions or my girls where technology is concerned. They thought the stories and illustrations were fun and I typically had to pull them away from their work each day because they were enjoying it so much.

The most helpful thing for me was seeing where the girls placed in math and reading with the assessment tests. They were at the points where I thought they were, which was affirming, but more than that I am pleased that they are getting specifically directed instruction to fill in those gaps. Math seems to be the area where gaps happen most often. One thing I did realize was that some of the perceived gaps are not always actual gaps. Math curriculum often varies in its sequence even if the scope remains the same. The problem is many standardized tests to not account for this. While many recognize this and some are trying to address it, there will always be some differences between curricula and this is a great way to not only assess the issues, but have a practical solution to them. While this is not a full curriculum, the program is intended for children of all educational backgrounds and I highly recommend it as a supplement no matter how your child is learning. Subscriptions are available monthly or annually. We will be continuing to use the program and the girls couldn’t be happier! Check out what my crewmates have to say!

Heroes of History: Milton Hershey from YWAM Publishing: A TOS Review Crew Review

May 30, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Our family enjoys learning bout the origins of what we take for granted in our daily lives. There are so many things we can’t imagine living without even though most of those items are luxuries and for convenience. Take chocolate for instance. I can’t imagine not having a Hershey’s candy bar available whenever I want and neither can Grace! If she is ever asked what her favorite candy is she responds without hesitation, “Hershey’s chocolate!” When I told the girls we were going to get to learn more about the man behind the chocolate everyone was excited. We have been reading Heroes of History- Milton Hershey, a part of the Heroes of History series from YWAM Publishing.

We are already familiar with the biographies YWAM publishes and have enjoyed every one we read. This was especially exciting for us because we were already planning to take a family trip to Hershey, PA. The girls enjoyed having the opportunity to learn about the man behind the candy. We read this in the evenings together as our family story time. It was engaging and interesting. While I usually only read one chapter a night, they would often beg for me to read more!

I really liked that there were many options so students of various levels can study together. Our girls ages are 11, 9, and 7. All three fully engaged and learned from this study! As a general rule we rarely do worksheet type studying. That means when the girls do use them it is a novelty and therefore quite enjoyable. They also like it that this was a unit done together which is also not typical of our studies.

We learned that there was so much more to Milton Hershey than merely making chocolate. His desire to create and provide a community for his workers is truly inspiring. I was especially impressed with his desire to provide quality education for the town. I’m fully aware that not everyone is a fan of this company, but his ideas for the community he built were forward thinking for the time. We were also impressed to learn that the company still uses locally sourced milk to make their products.

A little peek at our fun trip to Hershey after learning about Milton Hershey!

One of the things I appreciate most about the books from YWAM is that they include study guide materials for use with my girls. While it is fun to learn and read together, I want to make sure the girls are gleaning as much as they can from this time. Each of the study guides includes a number of excellent options for furthering learning. Since these study guides are also written for traditional classrooms there are some interesting ideas, yet a bit impractical for our in-home implementation. Some of these include group activities and classroom display ideas. These are really fun things, but not very practical for us. The items we did make use of were chapter questions and key quotes. We also utilized the written study guide which are highly valuable for students to record while they are reading. While we did not use the essay and further studies section, these are both excellent and well-suited for older students. Take a look at what my Crewmates had to say!

The Good Book for Kids: A NetGalley Review

May 26, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

One thing I desire for my children is that they want to learn the word of God on their own. I pray for their souls to hunger for His truth. As children this often just looks like enjoyment from going to church on Sundays. As they grow older it is important they spend time studying God’s Word alone. My oldest two already do this as a part of their homeschool studies and I appreciate the habit it is building. I am always looking for solid resources and The Good Book for Kids is exactly the kind of tool they can use!

This engaging title invites pre-teens and older to dive deeply into the Word of God for themselves. Larger passages are assigned for reading, there is some thoughtful devotion, and then there are questions intended for the reader to use to seek more about what is in the Scripture. The theology is solid while the writing is geared toward the correct audience. It is not simplified down in anyway, but written in what I like to call kid-speak. The author does not attempt to emphasize theological terminology, but rather just teach what truth is in the Word.

My oldest daughter has begun using this and told me just how much she has enjoyed it. I love that it contains a sweeping overview of the Bible so she can see how it all relates together. In addition to getting into the text of the Word, the author also seeks to give historical and cultural context to the Bible. This is incredibly important as we learn more about the Word of God. We must know the full context of the words written centuries ago.

I highly recommend this title to anyone with a child who is ready to study the Word of God more deeply.

Disclaimer: I received this title from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Bloom Where You’re Planted: A BookLook Blogger Review

May 24, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Sometimes the Lord blesses us with deep Christian friends whom we can talk to regularly and help us along the way. During other seasons it feels like no one around us is like-minded. Bloom Where You’re Planted is like sitting down with a mentor and friend as you read.

We all have moments of frustration with whatever our current life-path is. Sometimes it is hard to forget God has placed us where we are for a very definite purpose. Although each devotion focuses on a different area, the theme is the same: You aren’t where you are by accident. Seek God fully and see what He has in store for you there.

The style is conversational and easy to digest, although the content is not surface material alone. I felt everything had a solid biblical undertone and appreciated the way theological truths were taught in a simple, yet full way. Although themed together, many different areas of the Christian walk were also addressed.

The only negative I saw was that the reader is not encouraged to open the Bible for themselves. It is nice for the Scripture to be printed in the book and that can be beneficial in some circumstances, but I like my devotionals to encourage me to get into the Word on my own.

I do recommend this title as the content is biblical and encouraging as well as being more than just surface faith. I would, however, not read this as my only daily time with the Lord because it does not spend much time in Scripture or encourage the reader to look in their own Bibles.

Disclaimer: I received this title through BookLook Bloggers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors from The Pencil Grip, Inc.: A TOS Review Crew Review

May 22, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

My girls love anything art-related. It doesn’t take any convincing on my when I offer an opportunity to create. When I told them we were going to get to review Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors from The Pencil Grip, Inc. they couldn’t wait until they arrived. This is a unique product in that it is tempera paint in a stick form. When using them they almost feel like oil pastels in how they glide across the page. There are also package with an even wider range of colors. They are ideal for little hands and work well on thicker paper like card stock or poster board. We opted to take a little trip to the craft store and the girls picked out some wood projects to complete. We also did some rock painting. These were ideal uses!

The girls had fun painting these little wooden characters from the craft store. The paint glided on easily and dried extremely fast. These dried in less than 90 seconds. Their only issue with these was that they are very thick and fine detail was a little tricky. This is only an issue because of the age of my girls. Grace did not mind not having a finer point for details, but Beth and Rose prefer a finer tip for art. These would be ideal for young crafters if you are a mom like me who is not a fan of big messes when making things. I saw no need to have the girls wear any protective clothing because the paint is in solid rather than liquid form. If the girls were younger I probably still would have had them cover with something.

Our second project using Thin Stix was a favorite for all of us!

We have a little potted flower garden in the front of our house and raised beds in the back. We decided to take smooth rocks and paint them for the flower garden. The girls painted rocks for a full hour! They did use some other paints for fine details this time, but most of the work was done with the Thin Stix. I loved how easily they glided onto the rocks surface and especially how fast they dried. One of the frustrations with art projects like this for my girls is waiting for things to dry. When they have inspiration, they don’t want to wait! They made rocks to look like favorite story characters, gems, animals, and all sorts of fun things. (I did find out from a test run that the paint may wash off in the rain, so if you do an outside project make sure to use a sealant on your project!) We did not use this product on paper for a full project, but I did try them out as a test. You will definitely want to use thicker paper for best results. Again, the speed of drying time is a huge factor in how much these impressed me. Impatient little artists won’t have time to become engaged with something else because of the waiting. There have been so many times when the girls were very young that projects we tried simply flopped because of the extensive drying time. Take a look at what my Crewmates have to say about Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors!

Captain Absolutely from Focus on the Family: A TOS Crew Review

May 17, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

We are Adventures in Odyssey super-fans! I began listening to this wonderful series when I was a kid with my dad in the afternoons. When we got married I introduced my husband to the series and we began to collect the CD sets. Now our kids are huge fans and we listen to 2 or 3 episodes every day and often at night at bedtime. One of our absolute favorite characters is Wooton Bassett. He is both a mailman and comic book author. One of his main series is Captain Absolutely who defends truth, justice, and lots more truth! When I told the girls we were going to be reviewing an actual Captain Absolutely comic from Focus On The Family there were cheers and dancing all around! When this amazing comic arrived in the mail we had to make a plan as to who would read it first. Beth ended up with the privilege, but her sisters were looking over her shoulder! The comic itself is incredibly high quality. The sturdy cover and pages will enable your kids to read this over and over, which I think they will be doing because mine have! The combination of humor, adventure, and just plain fun make this already a well-read book in our house!

We have a few comics, but the girls pretty much stay to very mild ones, not action and adventure and definitely not super heroes. We are extremely cautious with what they view and read. So many modern comics have scantily clad characters and messages we don’t want our kids to absorb yet. This is a spectacular alternative to those! The illustrations are stunning and completely appropriate in every way. The bad guys do attack and have evil powers, but it is done in a very mild and as non-violently as possible in a super hero story. The story of how Captain Absolutely came to be is also included and I like the science-type way he gained his super abilities, but I won’t tell you how because I don’t want to spoil it!

All that being said, there is one thing which stands above the rest in this comic and that is the biblical world-view. It is not presented in a cheesy way, but just as part of who Captain Absolutely is. He is not perfect, but he always looks back to the Word of God for answers. What a wonderful lesson to teach my girls! Superhero stories are unrealistic, but the example of seeking the Scripture for answers and most importantly truth is exactly what I want my girls to learn. Anytime I can give them fictional heroes who emulate these values I’m totally on board. Here is what my girls had to say:
Rose (11): I loved that at the very end Wooton Bassett is in it. I also like that there are Bible verses in it. Beth (9): I liked that it had Bible verses and that it points things out to you. It explains things in the story so you understand. Grace (7): I like that it is from Adventures in Odyssey and I like all the characters!Whether you are already an Adventures in Odyssey fan as we are or if this is the first you’ve heard of it, you will want to take a look at this new title. You won’t be disappointed! Take a look at what my Crewmates had to say!

Drama Free: A Net Galley Book review

April 27, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Drama…It seems like we can’t get away from it! There is drama in the news, drama in our neighborhoods, drama in our schools, drama in our churches…everywhere you turn, drama, drama, and more drama! Why is this? Why is everything around us extreme, over-the-top, and dramatic? I find social media to be a big culprit as is our me-first culture in general. I am personally annoyed by all the drama, but find I can easily succumb to the masses and dramatize my own insignificant life-situations. I don’t like it, but I do it just like everyone else.Drama Free by Cindi McMenamin is a biblical look at how to tame our own drama and how to deal with the drama around us.

I appreciate that the author gets right to the heart of things with Scripture from the start. She also helps point the reader to an understanding that when we are feeling overwhelmed by the emotions surrounding a situation the only place to begin is by going to God and His Word. In a world where we are told to drive out the drama with any number of distractions, confronting it head on with God’s help is a novel idea.

One of my favorite phrases came from chapter two where the author encourages us to trust God’s script for our lives. Here she says, “And that, my friend, is where peace is found: in accepting – and trusting – God’s script for our lives.” This is not advice given in most circles. Most of the time we are told it’s okay to dwell in the drama. We seek validity for our emotional upheavals without grace or peace. The reality for Christians should be very much the opposite. In the midst of the unexpected we should seek Him first, rely on His strength, and settle into His peace. We will still feel the emotions. They are not wrong to have, but they should not become the primary focus of our life and circumstance.

I highly recommend this book for women whether you find yourself in the midst of drama now, have ever experienced struggles, or think you might sometime in the future have difficulty struggling to cope. This is also a useful tool for those who are walking along with someone who is having a hard time with overwhelming emotions. The godly council given here is excellent.

Disclaimer: I was given this title through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Berenstain Bears Easter Fun Sticker and Activity Book: A BookLook Blogger Review

March 23, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Grace loves anything about this sweet bear family! I grew up reading their books from the library and it is fun to see my daughters enjoying them too! The recently published Sticker & Activity book series has been a huge hit with her!

She loves the stories, mazes, stickers, games, and more! With Easter coming it was fun to have this new book for her to use. She often likes to use these when we have our afternoon quiet time after lunch.

She tried a few different ways to color the black and white pages. We found that crayons didn’t lay down very much color, markers tended to smudge before they dried, but standard colored pencils were a perfect fit for the glossy pages!

Grace’s favorite part of this book was the stickers. She did have some trouble pulling them off the initial page and tore a few, but she didn’t get upset by this! I believe she completed all of the sticker pages before anything else. She also enjoyed coloring once we found a good medium to use.

There are Easter egg baskets, but the focus in this book is celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ! It is really exciting to have such a sweet book series which helps my daughter focus on the reason we celebrate every spring. Some of the events which are highlighted are Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, the women at the tomb, and the resurrection. The bear family attends church together and celebrates Easter as a family.

I highly recommend this for early elementary or preschool children who are celebrating Easter!