TOS Review Crew

Is There Anything Better Than Candy Box-Tract from Let the Little Children Come: A TOS Crew Review!

September 6, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

We are a family who believes that our purpose here on earth is to glorify God in all that we do and to take every action possible to further His kingdom. My husband is a pastor of a small church and we absolutely love the people we serve and our ministry here. Those who aren’t a part of our church probably think we are a little weird. We don’t follow the world’s ways in most things. We don’t watch all the latest movies and when we do it is almost always with a filter for content we find distasteful. Our kids do not know the popular music and aren’t familiar with many of the television shows most kids watch. Hey, we homeschool after all…we must be rebels! We do allow our girls to participate in non-scary and gory Halloween activities, including passing out candy from our home. When we lived in Florida we gave away quality candy, tracts, and radio dramas to the families who came to our home. Once our girls started getting a little older and we didn’t do this as much, but this year is going to be different thanks to this adorable little pumpkin! The Is There Anything Better Than Candy? Box-Tract from Let the Little Children Come has my girls already thinking about Halloween and how to use this Halloween tract as an opportunity to spread the gospel! This little pumpkin really is adorable and incredibly easy to put together for the girls! We first spent time reading what each of the leaves. My girls have all accepted Christ as their Savior and this was a wonderful opportunity to remember. Just like Communion serves as a reminder of our salvation story, this was a perfect opportunity to do the same.

It was very easy to punch out and only took a couple of tries to figure out how it went together. The directions are all visually explained without any words, but were quite clear. It took us a couple of tries because the girls started punching and trying to put it together without first looking at the directions! I thought it was pretty easy although I was a bit too rough on mine and popped off the stem. My girls didn’t have this trouble at all and the next one I did was fine.

Something fun about this is that I didn’t tell the girls what it would be once we put it together. I wanted to see their reactions. I wasn’t disappointed! The girls were quite pleased with the finished product and came to the conclusion on their own that this would be great fun for Halloween.

The girls repeatedly said, “These are so cute! I can’t wait to give them out!” There has also been considerable discussion about what to put into each of them. Some ideas put forth were candy, bracelets, and more candy.They are more than eager for the upcoming holiday this year and the reason is not for their own candy consumption or costumes, but because they are going to have an opportunity to share their faith and the gospel message in a fun way with those who come to our doorstep. Take a look at what my Crewmates have to say!

Everyday Cooking from Everyday Homemaking: A TOS Crew Review

August 22, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

(Read to the end for a surprise for YOU from the author!)For a homeschooling and part-time working mom, it can be really intimidating to think about what to cook for an entire week. When you add in picky eaters, dietary concerns, budget boundaries, and time constraints, overwhelmed might be a better description! Everyday Cooking from Everyday Homemaking is the perfect back-to-school title for every mom, whether you are homeschooling or not.

We already eat at home almost every night, but I’m always on the lookout for new recipe ideas or even twists on recipes we already make. I do not have a family of extremely picky eaters except when it comes to meats. My girls are not your typical chicken nugget and hot dog kind of kids! They much prefer meats in a less prepared fashion like tacos, chicken pot pie, etc. Up until recently they have not had a lot of interest in trying new foods, but as they have become more interested in cooking with me as well as watching come cooking competitions they have become braver! I really like how encouraging the introduction is. The author’s style is very conversational and as I read I felt like I was just sitting at my kitchen table having coffee with an encouraging friend! The cookbook is so very well organized and simple to locate what type of recipe you want quickly. Both the table of contents and index are extremely clear and helpful tools for finding what you need. The first recipe we tried was for taco seasoning. This is not a new meal for us, but I have never tried making my own seasoning before. I’ve always been afraid it wouldn’t turn out right and then my family wouldn’t eat it. I decided to be brave and go ahead and try it!

As with all of these recipes I was pleased to find I had most of the ingredients in my pantry already. As I skimmed through the recipes I was pleased to see there weren’t any “weird” ingredients, as my husband would say! Every recipe contained things I already bought on a regular basis or had in my pantry. This is a huge bonus for us since we work within a budget. While we do not tend to skimp on food, we do make choices to buy healthier things and not too much prepared foods.

When Beth and Grace saw I was getting out ingredients they bounced up and down and asked if they could help. I used the pdf cookbook on my iPad so I didn’t have to print anything. I easily could have and this will be the best way for some, but honestly I really like the ability to use the digital format on my iPad. I already have enough random recipes floating around the kitchen!

Let me first of all assure you, none of these photos are posed. Grace was really that excited about making this! She’s usually the one who likes to cook with me the most, so I was excited that Beth was equally as interested.

I had the girls read the recipe and find each ingredient and read to me the measurement amount. I made sure to hand the right measurement to them. We had some very good learning moments about the difference between a tablespoon and a teaspoon when they misread a direction! I love cooking with my girls and helping them learn!

The girls made this all on their own and helped me stir it into the meat I had already cooked while they were stirring this together. I did leave out the cayenne pepper because with the exception of my husband we generally do not like spicy food.

Verdict: Delicious!!!!

We all really enjoyed this seasoning mix although we are planning to use a little more the next time I make tacos. I was really excited that everyone loved it so much. We eat tacos almost weekly and although everyone has been pleased with the store-bought seasoning we use I love knowing I can make my own at a MUCH cheaper cost and with no extra, unnecessary ingredients or food colorings.

I really like that layout of the text. It is easy to navigate and has a clean style that makes it easy to follow. It is user friendly enough for kids to use, especially junior high or high school, on their own. I have a recipe scrapbook for each of my girls I’m working on and a copy of this will absolutely be included. I really liked the tips at the end of each section and the space to write extra notes. In addition to a variety of delicious recipes with simple ingredients, there are wonderful instructions for planning, preparing, and serving meals for families large or small.

If you struggle with meal planning this is an all-in-one resource. Not only are the meals simple, fast, and healthy, there is a wonderful chapter on meal planning. One of my favorite sections was, The Tortoise and the Hare. In this section the author compares slow cookers and pressure cookers. I really appreciate this comparison and although I don’t own a pressure cooker yet, I’m tempted to give it a try!
~~~

Are you ready for the surprise now from the author, Vicki Bentley? She has generously provided a coupon code for both Everyday Cooking and The Everyday Family Chore System! These two books are being reviewed by me and my crewmates on the Review Crew!

TOS10books

Use this code for either or BOTH books!

(Expires September 5)

Make sure to add the books to your cart and then put in the coupon code!

Take a look at what my Crewmates have to say!

Phonics Museum App from Veritas Press: A TOS Crew Review

August 21, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Teaching a child to read can feel like quite a daunting task when you first start out. I remember when Rose (now 12) came to me at 3 years old begging me to teach her how to read. I had no idea where to begin and put her off for a year. I was amazed that both Beth (now 10) and Grace (now 7) asked the same at about the same age. At the time I had no intention of homeschooling and really didn’t know what resources were available. It has been exciting for me to see how many new resources have become available in the last 9 years and the Phonics Museum App from Veritas Press is going to be my new go-to recommendation for homeschool moms for phonics!

Although Grace is already a proficient reader, she is still only 7 and loves apps geared towards her age no matter the content. This was a great phonics review for her and she has enjoyed it so much. The kid-friendly interface was easy for her to use. She really liked the instructional videos with Ms. Biddle. I wasn’t sure if she would feel like it was too young for her, but I know she didn’t because I never had to request she play with the app, she just daily asked if she could have permission to play her reading app. In addition to that, when she did play I would have to make her end the game or she would have continued indefinitely! Although this was more of a review for her, she jumped in with glee and excitement as with all of her learning experiences!

Grace liked choosing the character at the setup of the app. Even though Grace reads well, reviewing phonics in this way has been really good for her. The games encourage her to intentionally think of starting sounds and how they work together. Her sisters, especially Beth, would often sit alongside of her and she loved that. Sometimes Beth jumped in and played as well. One of my favorite aspects was the addition of fine-art paintings in the background! The Phonics Museum App is visually beautiful. The interface is smooth and attractive. The graphics are sweet and highly detailed, but not overly distracting during the learning process. I also like the music which is not overpowering during the games. I liked that the entire time Grace was engaged she was learning/reviewing her alphabet and sounds. The addition of handwriting takes this app to the next level. Kids are engaged with visual, auditory, and tactile activities.The handwriting was especially beneficial because Grace tends to have the habit of writing strokes in a non-traditional direction. She gets them written down, but not always quickly while printing.

This is a quality learning app without advertising or materialism. Its simple and sweet. The only thing I would like to see is maybe more options for what your little kid avatar looks like. Whether you are looking for a full digital reading program, a supplement to your current reading program, or a way to review phonics, take time to check this app out! You can get it on iTunes!Check out what my Crewmates have to say!

No-Nonsense Algebra from Math Essentials: A TOS Crew Review

August 8, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

My girls are getting older and I’m always on the lookout for where we are heading with math in the higher grades. I’ve had my eye on Math Essentials for a while now because of recommendations, incredibly low price, and the availability of video lessons if desired. I was super excited to have the opportunity to review No-Nonsense Algebra from Math Essentials. I decided to have my middle daughter, Beth, give this a try. She is beginning 5th grade, but has always found math to be both enjoyable and fairly easy. To be honest, she’s never been challenged really. My husband and I decided it would be good for her to give this a try and see how she did. I also have been working hard to brush up on my own mathematics skills. It isn’t my strength, but this does not need to mean it is a weakness. I’ll touch on my own experience at the end of the review. I love the title. No-Nonsense is absolutely the best description for this course! There are no frills or excessive practice pages. Honestly, there isn’t a need with the direct way the course approaches math is beautiful. I struggled to excel in mathematics once I passed the elementary levels and I can’t help but think a more stream-lined approach may have helped me. The instructional videos are clear and easy to follow. They are also fairly short, so if a student needs to watch a video again it will not feel it is taking an excessive amount of time.

As I said before Beth is entering into 5th grade, but has never found math challenging. She just turned 10 and almost always makes a perfect score on every math assignment I give her. I honestly rarely even have to “teach” a concept to her in the traditional way because she intuitively understands mathematics concepts and reading the instructional information is usually enough. Because of these things which are consistently true to her nature I was pretty certain she would do well with this Algebra course. I was not disappointed! Beth thoroughly enjoyed doing her math on the computer. I was a little surprised because while she enjoys the screen time we give her, she’s never been one to ask for computer-based learning. She told me she liked the lesson because it was easy to understand. Because Beth finds math easy, it is never a subject she complains over completing. What was really neat to see was that she was even more eager to complete math lessons than usual and this is really high praise indeed!

Our standard course for mathematics is to use graphing paper for written assignments. This math course is non-consumable (My favorite kind!!!!) so students will need to copy the problems onto their own paper. This was excellent for Beth. Our regular curriculum does not function this way and I found this to be a skill in which she was lacking! For the first time in a very long time Beth missed several answers. Now this may not be cause for celebration for most people, but it was for me. Finally my smart little girl was being challenged! What I discovered was all but one of the mistakes was due to a transcription error. This was only in the first lesson, but she was learning about the concept of negative numbers which was completely new to her. She comprehended the lesson completely, but the transcription errors were her downfall. This was an incredible learning experience for her I had not anticipated.

Since Beth is young compared to most students beginning an algebra course, I had her take more than one day for each lesson. This was an excellent pace for her. The first day she watched the video and completed half of the written work. I would check the work. If there were multiple errors the second day she would watch the lesson again if needed and correct her errors. If there were no errors we moved forward and finish the rest of the written work. This gave her between 8 and 10 problems a day which worked very well.

Beth has thoroughly enjoyed this program. I too have enjoyed working through it, although at a slightly faster pace. The concepts were more familiar for me. I did not feel the need to watch the videos as the instruction in the book were adequate for review. Because this is review I felt very comfortable working on one lesson a day and did so rather quickly. If I were not already stretching my time as far as possible I would have been able to complete two lessons in a day. For anyone needing to brush up on higher mathematics prior to testing for college entry this would be a good course with which to begin.

I highly, highly recommend this math course. In fact, it has been such a great fit for our style of learning that I fully intend to explore the other courses available from Math Essentials.

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Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! – Level 3 Set fromGreek ‘n’ Stuff: A TOS Crew Review

August 7, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

When your grandfather is a professor who teaches Greek in seminary, it may mean you have a keen interest to know more about biblical languages at a young age. My dad has been teaching Greek for years so it did not surprise me when Rose came home having learned how to spell her name in Greek letters when she was in 2nd grade. She began writing her name this way on everything she created and for her science class as well! While she has had a keen interest in learning Greek, we have not had an opportunity to pursue it yet. She was very excited when our package with Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! – Level 3 from Greek ‘n’ Stuff arrived! I have heard wonderful things about this curriculum and when I mentioned it to my dad he was already familiar with it. I was surprised to learn that my daughter would start in level 3, but this is because the first two levels in the series are for elementary aged students. Since Rose is in 7th grade now, this was the best fit for her.

I love that the first lessons focus on Greek alphabet recognition, writing the letters, and memorizing their pronunciation. The pronunciation CD is quite helpful for beginning students and parents who do not have a base knowledge. While 1 page a day is the intended use, it is strongly encouraged to not move faster than mastery will allow. This was very important for Rose because this was her first formal instruction in biblical Greek. As she filled the practice lines with the Greek letter she was studying, Rose would also pronounce the letter to aid in memorization. This worked well for her and she found learning the alphabet less tedious. For students who have already completed the first two levels or have previously learned the Greek alphabet the beginning lessons would act as review.

Rose completed 1-2 pages a day when she used studied. I really liked that the memorization of the alphabet included visual, tactile, and auditory components. I use this type of method for note memorization while teaching music and I think it is highly valuable. She did feel a little awkward speaking out loud while writing I think, but quickly noted the benefits of learning the letters this way.
I also very much appreciated the handwriting lines given for writing. This provided clear guidelines for how to correctly write the letter. Three lines of writing space were adequate for this activity.

Each lesson is expected to last about a week, but the first two lessons took her a little longer than I expected. Because she was learning the letters for the first time and it was important to master them fairly well, we took our time. I was excited to see her move into the next lessons where she began mastering specific Greek words. Some of the things I love about these lessons is that there is explanation in the student book for pronunciation and a place to draw a picture. My girl loves art and this is a wonderful component for her and her learning style.

The teacher’s guide is an incredibly helpful tool. My dad is an expert in Greek, but I am not! I have never taken any classes or studied Greek in any way. Still, I feel completely confident in guiding Rose through this course because of the teaching guide. In addition to teaching tips and explanations, it is a full answer key with even the handwriting portions completed! I personally am intrigued for myself and am considering getting my own guide to learn biblical Greek.

The last portion which I absolutely love is the inclusion of flash cards and copywork from the Greek New Testament. These are two components which will help ensure mastery of the language. The flash cards are available in the back of the workbook, but may also be purchased separately for convenience. For the copywork you will need your own Greek interlinear Bible, but this is easily obtained whether in a digital format or hard-copy. We are very pleased with this course and Rose is eager to continue as we will soon begin our traditional school-year. I’m excited for her to learn biblical Greek as a foreign language for her own benefit as she continues to study God’s Word on her own.
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In the Reign of Terror from Heirloom Audio Productions: A TOS Crew Review!

August 1, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

One of our favorite activities is listening to radio dramas. There is something captivating about listening to a story without visual stimuli which captivates a unique portion of our imagination. It is a beautiful form of drama I adore so much I create a radio drama with the homeschool English class for junior high students I teach. Although I have read rave reviews of the company, In the Reign of Terror is our first opportunity to hear a production from Heirloom Audio Productions. We were thrilled to hear the tale from G.A. Henty and it exceeded my expectations!

The story is set at the start of the French Revolution. I remember reading about this event when I was in high school and I’ve read a few novels with the same setting, but honestly nothing really stuck out in my mind about it. I suppose I equated it with the American Revolution. Through this incredible story I heard more about the horrors of what occurred during this time and realized the two “revolutions” were completely different. My interest is also peeked and I am excited to study further about the French Revolution.

As you listen to this fabulous drama you will be transported to a time very different from our own. You will feel the fear as the family tries to escape the horrors brought about by those leading the French Revolution. You will anxiously await the fate of the family and earnestly wish you could help them. You may even cry, as I did, at certain moments where bravery in the face of certain peril shines forth. I can’t tell you anymore because I don’t want to spoil it for you!

We listen to a lot of high-quality radio drama from a variety of companies. I was so incredibly impressed with the excellent acting, fabulous sound effects, and incredible music! This is a professionally made drama with well-known actors helping create it and we even recognized some voices from other things we have heard. We were all thoroughly absorbed throughout the story. While we listened the girls colored and drew most of the time. This is a great way to spend time together in the evenings as a family.

One note of caution is to be aware this is a very intense story. My youngest, Grace, is seven. We had been listening for about an hour when she came over to me and asked if she could go into another room. She struggles with nightmares and we are cautious with what she listens to, reads, and watches. I did not think about this being scary for her, but it was very intense. We had not even gotten into the most intense scenes yet, but she was starting to feel nervous. I was happy to allow her to slip out of the room. I say that just to let you know that this is so realistic and emotional that sensitive children may have difficult time listening to it. Both Beth (10) and Rose (11) absolutely loved it and was not bothered by the intensity of the scenes.

A really neat aspect to this production is the availability of a study guide. There is more historical information which I found to be excessively balanced and more informational than what I was taught in traditional schools. Each track has a set of “Listening Well” questions to help students (especially the younger ones) better understand what they are hearing. There are also “Thinking Further” questions that are excellent for older students. Each track also has a set of vocabulary words which may be unfamiliar. The “Expand Your Learning” sections provide even more opportunity to learn about the cultural, social, and political aspects of this time. There are also many other activities to go along with this section to further learning and discussion.There is also a beautifully outlined Bible study available. This could be a great small-group opportunity for youth and would be very unique.

One of my favorite extra resources is the chart comparing the American Revolution and the French Revolution. I was always led to believe they were incredibly similar, but nothing could be further from the truth. This logical chart shows the spectacular differences, many of which are alluded to in the drama.

If you want to get even more out of your experience, the Live The Adventure Club is a great place to go! Here you can access even more content such as the original e-book, the official sound track, printable posters, and the official script. There are so many wonderful features you can use this as a spring-board for a fabulous unit study.

Check out this incredible preview!

We can’t wait to hear another production from Heirloom Audio Productions!

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English Grammar Teaching Method from English on a Roll: A TOS Crew Review!

July 31, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Before I became Mommy, I was an English teacher to middle school students who were sadly lacking in basic grammatical understanding. I tried to teach what I could, but I was fresh out of college and struggled to know how to bring them up to an acceptable middle school level. Grammar is viewed as very tedious to learn and teach, but it doesn’t have to be! My daughters are growing up learning the parts of speech, how to diagram sentences, and how to speak and write in an intelligent way and it has been rather painless. Giving them a good foundation for sentence building has been my goal and I look for fun ways to do so. I was highly intrigued by the English Grammar Teaching Method
from English on a Roll.

When I opened our box my girls were intrigued as well and wanted to know when we were going to play the new grammar game! It does look like a game for certain with the many worded cubes and fun lesson book. Everything you need comes neatly packaged with incredibly clear instructions in the first few pages. The great part about this is that even though it looks like a game, it is really all about hands-on-learning through manipulatives, a technique proven highly useful for mathematics and now ingeniously applied to grammar instruction!

These little cubes will work in just about any learning situation you can imagine. They are intended for students who are at the mental maturity to be understand how to structure a sentence, about 5 years old. Some examples given by the company are teaching homeless children to sight read and spell, giving students on a higher level of academics a base for writing complex sentences, using them in English as a second language classes, special needs classes, or adult literacy classes. Our homeschool is just traditional, no special needs or non-native speakers, so I was really excited to see how this would work for us.

The teacher guide includes reproducible pages to give as handouts for each student. This was the first really cool part about English on a Roll. While my girls all learn grammar, they have just begun 2nd, 5th, and 7th grades. This does not typically lend itself to group grammar lessons! It was great to have something we could do all together.

The beginning lessons were fairly easy for them because they do already have a grammar base. What I noted is that this would feel easy even for students who do not have a solid grammar background, which is exactly why it is so great! Grace has the least experience with structured grammar and really enjoyed the fill in the blank lessons. Beth enjoys anything hands on and is a thinker, so greatly enjoyed the dice. Rose, who has a very strong understanding of sentence structure and word usage, did a great job helping her sisters understand with the cubes. It was really neat to see her take over as teacher without even realizing it because the word cubes lend itself to very easy instruction. This was great to see because I know it means they would be easy for everyone to use, not just English teachers like me!

Set-up and prep were just a matter of copying a few student pages and setting the cubes out for use. Each lesson shows you at the very top exactly which cubes you need and a handy cube guide along with color coded word dice make this super easy and efficient. I was able to read through a lesson once and feel ready to move forward with the teaching. I do also really like that there are a variety of options for games, conversations, and activities to teach the same concepts. This may be the most open-and-go grammar curriculum I’ve had a chance to use.

This is hands down my new favorite addition to our homeschool. I love that I can teach the girls all together and that they had a great time using it!

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Make-a-State Activity (part of the Activity-Paks series) from Homeschool in the Woods: A TOS Crew Review

July 10, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Summertime is always a great time for us to learn together. During our traditional year the girls each have their own, unique course of study, but summer provides ample opportunities for unit studies and group work. This summer we’ve had a chance to spend lots of time with family and the girls have especially enjoyed extra time with their cousins! My sister-in-law and her husband had a chance to getaway while we had a blast with their 5 kids. They are a fun group and when I told them we were going to spend a little time learning about Florida before we traveled together to see their grandparents they were game. I was excited to introduce both my girls and these five kiddos to the Make-a-State Activity, a part of the Activity-Paks series from Home School in the Woods.

When they realized this was “school” my girls were excited, but their cousins weren’t quite sure what to think. My nieces and nephews attend an amazing Private Christian School in their hometown and while they know a lot about homeschooling, they haven’t had the chance to try it themselves. While they were a little uncertain, I had every confidence they would love this project because we have loved every single experience we have had with Home School in the Woods!

Hands-On History Activity-Paks: Make-A-State

As I mentioned above, we chose to work with Florida. The downloadable files are so beautifully crafted, but incredibly simple to print and use. The directions for Make-a-State Activity are clearly written so that anyone should be able to follow them. I would even be comfortable having a high school student use this curriculum to teach their younger siblings. Because we had been camping just before all of the kids came, I hadn’t had a chance to print ahead of time like I normally do. This was actually really a good thing for me because I saw first-hand just how print-and-go these projects really are! I typically prepare days in advance for things because that is how I feel comfortable. What I learned with this curriculum is I don’t have to do that if I don’t have time!

I had the oldest two girl with the younger 4, 2 for each of them. The middle two girls worked together. I got them all set and and handed each pair the information page for the state of Florida. The youngest kids were 5 and 7 and may have had some trouble reading this on their own, but with the help of an older cousin/sibling there wasn’t any trouble at all. Parents can easily step in and help younger kids or those who struggle with reading for this portion without taking away from the learning experience in any way. I then assigned each of the three groups different portions to read and discover. After finding out information like the state capital, population, destinations to visit, and agriculture they used the printable pages included to record, draw, and color all about what they learned.

After everyone was done the kids took turns sharing with each other what they learned and then attached them to our large poster board. This is intended to be a file folder project, which I would absolutely do if each of the kids were making their own. Because we were creating a group project I chose a slightly different way to feature their learning and it worked beautifully! Adapting this project in this very small way did not take away from their experience at all.

So now I know you are wondering how they all felt about it! My girls enjoyed it as always. They even asked if were going to get to do more states after our vacation to Florida. I assured them we were as well as spend some more time playing the Name That State game! I wasn’t surprised by their enthusiasm or that they enjoyed working on this even while they consider themselves “on vacation”.

So what about my nieces and nephews? Their response was to tell me they were going to ask their mom if they could be homeschooled! There isn’t much of a better recommendation than that! Some of their specific comments were, “I didn’t know learning could be fun like this!” and, “Do you guys get to do stuff like this all the time???”

The kids’ final project!

They also were so funny after we were done. One of the younger kids asked how long we were working. It was about 90 minutes or so for us to research, color, write, and share. He could not believe they had been working that steadily for that long! His response to that was, “Really??? I thought it was only 10 minutes!” To me, this is the indicator of engaging learning. When a child becomes so absorbed in what they are studying they lose track of time, we have a winner.

You may already be familiar with Home School in the Woods, but make sure you take some time to see some of the new learning opportunities they have available! In addition to the incredible Activity-Paks there are also amazing titles in the the Lap-Paks series and a wonderful and unique way to look at history with the Timeline Trio. This is also a great opportunity to let kids choose their own areas of study.

One new feature found at Home School in the Woods is the opportunity to purchase several of the individual activities found in the Paks alacarte! I absolutely love this because this will give me the opportunity to supplement our regular curriculum with projects as we need them. I’m so excited to explore this option further!

Don’t forget to check out what my Crewmates have to say!

Lightening Lit Grade 7 from Hewitt Homeschooling: A TOS Crew Review

June 27, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

One of my greatest joys of learning is sharing my love of great literature with my daughters. Like most homeschooling moms, I have a large collection of wonderful literature available to my girls and we read all the time for school and pleasure. I was incredibly excited to have Rose review the Gr 7 Lightning Lit Set from Hewitt Homeschooling. Rose was incredibly excited to get her hands on this as well! My experience with middle school English curriculum is rather extensive. Before the girls came along I taught English to 7th and 8th graders at a private school. I’m now privileged to teach 7th and 8th grade homeschoolers at a local homeschool learning center. We have spent the elementary years of Rose’s schooling reading as much quality and classic literature as possible and discussing it throughout the reading. My teaching experience had lent itself to what some may consider a more informal approach. I was excited to see what Hewitt Homeschooing had to offer for middle school! My first impression was great excitement about the literature titles chosen. With so many traditional schools choosing trendy and often inappropriate reading material for their students I am overjoyed when a company with such a high reputation chooses quality titles to study. I was especially excited about the book Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages. The short stories and poems included in this book were many of the same I read when in grade school but are much harder to find in current literature books. They are true classics just as much as the novels are.

The workbooks which are included are incredible. As a teacher I have had the opportunity to create my own curriculum in both of my teaching settings. This follows much the same style as I use and is incredibly high quality. I love the consumable workbook format. They are clear to understand and they reflect many levels in Bloom’s Taxonomy, a guide teachers use to create activities and assessments which reflect various levels of understanding. Hewitt Homeschooling does an excellent job of hitting every level. I also love that there are fun pages worked in as well like crosswords puzzles and word searches. This company proves that learning can be so much fun!
Rose has very much enjoyed our study through literature once we started with this set. She loves that I can give her an assignment she can complete on her own. The teacher’s guide and answer key makes grading and evaluation incredibly easy. Literary elements are thoroughly covered and detailed. The English teacher side of me is incredibly impressed with just how well this is done. The mom side of me loves that my daughter is engaged and enjoying it!

Just like me, Rose adores Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages. In fact, I couldn’t find it one day when I was gathering supplies for school and found her in her bed reading it! I knew she had been enjoying what had already been assigned, but I was honestly surprised to find she enjoyed it so much she was reading it on her own time, at her own initiative. The other way I know she loves this set is it is the first thing she wants to work on each school day. Based on her answers in the workbook I can tell she is not only enjoying the study, but she is understanding and retaining what she is learning. Check out what my Crewmates had to say about the other levels from Hewitt Homeschooling!

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!