TOS Review Crew – Page 10

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.

Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day (Apologia) Review

February 8, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

I have heard such wonderful things about Apologia Educational Resources for all ages and I was thrilled when the opportunity to review one of their courses came my way! My girls love all things science: books, experiments, projects, research…for them it is pure pleasure. I have always been partial to learning about the seas. I, like so many other kids, thought being a marine biologist would be the coolest job ever when I was a kid.

What is it about the ocean that captivates us? The creatures are mysterious on many levels. They have different qualities than us land lubbers! Just the fact that they breathe underwater is enough to make most kids dream of having fins of their own!

There are two items needed for a year’s worth of science curriculum: The text book and a notebooking journal for all students participating. The text book costs $39.00 and the notebooking journals are $24.00 each. One of the beautiful parts of this curriculum is it covers a wide age range including kindergarten through 6th grade. For a high quality science curriculum which keeps God as the Creator, I feel this price is well worth it.

I was impressed with the simplicity of Apologia’s Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day. The introduction contains a simple, thorough explanation of the logic behind the scope and sequence as well as a complete breakdown of the types of activities the students will work on with each unit. The Step-by-Step guide follows giving further clarification of how to teach this course. Finally you find a list of supplies followed by the table of contents. I also love how often Scripture is incorporated into each lesson.

The photographs for each section are stunning. They captivated my daughter at first glance! For each chapter students complete experiments, narration (retelling what the story is about in the students’ own words), notebook pages, and a continuing ocean box project. Some days I read aloud to Rose and other days she read to herself. She did well with comprehension both ways.

Rose’s favorite chapter so far was the one on sharks and rays. I read this particular chapter aloud to her this week and she loved coloring the pages at the beginning of the chapter. I’m not sure why, but I have found my girls all listen better when I read if their minds are engaged in drawing or doing another quiet activity at the same time. I thought it was great she only colored while I read and took several days to finish it.

One of my favorite aspects of this curriculum is picking out favorite facts and recording them in the Junior Notebooking Journal. Rose loves science and she really loved recording what she found in her journal. She has gone back to look at her facts several times! I also love the extra cursive practice she is getting! Rose would tell me the facts, I wrote them in cursive on the board, then she copied them into her journal.

I’m slowly working towards Rose doing all of her work in cursive. This was a great transition step into more cursive. I was so proud of how neat her cursive is already! After the students finish their facts they get to draw a picture of what they are studying in the box beside the facts. Rose loves this because, as I said before, she loves art. I love how this science course incorporates so many different aspects of learning.

The older students have their own notebook. This is great for families who want to combine their children for learning science. This won’t work for us for a few years, but when all of my girls are old enough I really like this option.

I have heard wonderful things about Apologia, and I was not disappointed! This is an excellent science curriculum grounded in Scripture. To see more reviews of this great curriculum click the link below!

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 nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

Schoolhouse Teachers: Review Crew Review

December 7, 2012 Grace-Filled Writer

I really love our homeschool curriculum, but there are moments when I feel the need to supplement, or just want to try something a little different. Sometimes a particular concept may not click with my girls, or perhaps we just need a break from the ordinary. SchoolhouseTeachers.com from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is a great resource which can act as an entire program or be used to supplement your current program. It has material for all ages, pre-k through high school. For $5.95 per month (The first month is only $1.00!) or $64.26 for the year, this is really an incredible investment.

In addition to lessons on every subject there is a wealth of information and encouragement for homeschool parents. For each month of membership you gain access to a new set of E-Books including unit studies, resource books, and encouragement for homeschooling parents. Twelve new books are available after each month of membership. Wow! I have gained a new appreciation for these resources as we have chosen to stay on the homeschooling path indefinitely. We’re open to God’s leading and for now we are being led forward. I appreciate knowing I have these types of resources at my disposal.

The site is very neatly organized by grade level and subject making it extremely easy to navigate. The only difficulty is deciding which content to use first! I was immediately drawn to the math section because math is not my strongest area. I appreciate so much about this section! My daughter enjoys using these worksheets to practice her math facts. She’s smiling because she was excited that she knew all of the facts she was practicing!

Here are just a few things I’m liking…

1. Each month there are lessons for several grade levels

2. There are videos explaining the concept

3. Practice worksheets are included along with the videos

Another favorite area is the Dailies section. Here you will find daily work ready to print. There are daily exercises for grammar, math, writing, handwriting, spelling, science, geography, and history. In addition you can also find recipes here. What busy mom couldn’t use that?

Also in the Dailies section are some fun printable games for my girls. This is a new feature and the current games are focusing on phonics and spelling patterns. This is perfect for my oldest girls who are working on spelling patterns in words currently. They had a lot of fun with these word searches!

The girls really liked this word search style game. They took turns looking for Consonant-Vowel-Consonant words.

Honestly this site has more than I can cover in this review! Click the picture below to see some samples!

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.