TOS Review Crew

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 Some are cartoon-ish renderings of the characters, some are photographs, some are copies of historical documents, and some are paintings.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!

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!

Homeschool Rescue from Only Passionate Curiosity: A TOS Crew Review

May 16, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

The Secret Bridge from Lamplighter Publishing: A TOS Crew Review

May 1, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

I love classic literature. My favorite authors growing up were writers of the classics. Much of what I read would have been considered advanced compared to what my peers were reading. I loved reading the dialog of bygone eras and exploring the significantly more complex sentence structures. I strive to push my girls in this direction as well with their reading for school. While I also enjoy modern literature and jump at the opportunity to learn about new authors I continue to circle back to the classics. I was excited to have the opportunity to read The Secret Bridge by Amy Le Feuvre from Lamplighter Publishing. Our family has enjoyed many of the dramatized stories from this company, but have never read any of their books. Before we get to the actual story I just have to comment on the beauty of this amazing piece of literature! When we opened up the package my girls exclaimed over the cover, how it looked, how it felt, and the color. The embossed design on the front drew me into the story before even opening the pages. I know the old saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover…” but this is not an accurate description for this novel! By all means, judge the novel by its cover. You won’t be disappointed!

The Secret Bridge {Lamplighter Publishing Reviews}

For this review I chose to read the book because my oldest daughter is 11 and is not yet interested in novels which involve romance. I think girls who are interested in light romance and are preteens or older would enjoy this. While this is not a book which I would consider heavily romantic as such, it does center around a young married couple, so I doubted my daughter would find this interesting yet. I certainly did not mind taking this one on myself! We follow our heroine, Bridgett Channing, as she begins a new life journey. We meet her in the opening as she is first introduced to her future-groom on a voyage. She is grieving her father’s death and Godfrey Bullingham is a kind distraction for her. I found myself cheering for them both as the story unfolded.

The wonderful thing about this novel is although the love of these two characters is integral to the story-line, the central theme of the novel is Bridgett’s search for God. She initially states she does not believe in God, yet her quest for God is the central, driving force of the story. Watching a fictional character seek the Lord when she had no desire to do so when we meet her is a beautiful thing. The author does a beautiful job of creating a natural growth and progression for Bridgett. I get the sense she fully understands the journey of one genuinely seeking the Lord.

While I enjoyed watching the author artfully weave the love story in a tasteful way, something many modern romances lack, the skillful way she tells Bridgett’s love story with God is masterful. This author clearly desired to honor the Lord with her writing and did so in a way which challenges us to seek God more fully ourselves. One of my favorite classic authors had this same goal in mind when she wrote and I am thrilled to find another author who strives to honor the Lord with her writing. This will definitely be on a list for my daughter when she is a bit older! See what my Crewmates have to say!

Shepherd, Potter, Spy–and the Star Namer: A TOS Review Crew Review

April 4, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Novels are always one of our favorite things to review! Rose in particular loves historical and biblical fiction. She was quite anxious to start reading Shepherd, Potter, Spy–and the Star Namer from Peggy Miracle Consolver – Author. Set during the time when Joshua led the Israelites to victory in Canaan, this novel has captured my daughters imagination. She has been reading 2 chapters a day and I keep catching her picking it up during other times! We love living history books and this fits beautifull right into that genre. While it is fictional, the historical information is abundant and extremely accurate. Don’t worry though, this is in no way a history text! The author has the ability to weave the historical facts surrounding her setting into the story so that it blends beautifully. So in addition to being a very enjoyable read, your children will be learning at the same time!

This is one of Rose’s favorite spots to read. Our Puppy Penny loves to cuddle with her while she reads on the beanbag chair! She had just started the book here. After reading the first couple of chapters she was already eager to read more. It is so important for authors to grab their audiences within the first few pages and she does this well!

I would say this would be ideal for middle grades on up through high school, and even adults if you enjoy this genre! It is not a book for a struggling reader. All three of my daughters are reading several grade levels ahead. Rose is reading on a 10th/11th grade level and finding resources for her which are age appropriate and still engaging her at a level that will meet her ability can often be a challenge. This beautifully written book is completely safe and perfect for her as a pre-teen. A wonderful study guide is also available to use! In it are videos, deeper historical information, maps, and more. This resource would allow this to be a wonderful unit study for your family or a co-op setting. I could go on and on about this novel, but I’d also like to let you hear from Rose and her perspective of what she liked.

“I like this book tells the side of the story of the Canaanites, not just the Hebrews. They are the main characters of the story. There are a lot of books which tells the side of the story of God’s people and it is good to read it from the Canaanites perspective. I also like all of the history in it. It is well researched and makes a better story if it sticks to the facts that are true. I know it is a fiction book, but I like the history.” Digging deeper into the history of God’s Word through literature is an amazing adventure! Here is a message from the author about why she chose to write this novel.

Peggy Consolver – Author from Four Rivers Media on Vimeo.

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

American History from Memoria Press: A TOS Review Crew Review

April 3, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

History is incredibly important to us and our homeschooling. Reliable history is vital! We want to make certain our girls are learning the facts, not a glossed-over story or an agenda-heavy, slanted viewpoint. At the same time, we want them to view history through a biblical lens. I have heard great things about Memoria Press, so I was very excited to give their American history texts a try. We had opportunity to review both The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & The Great Republic Set and 200 Questions About American History Set. Although this is geared towards grades 5-8, I think it is very appropriate for younger elementary if the parent works with them. I used this most heavily with Grace who is in 1st grade technically, but working on a 2nd grade level and higher in every subject. She is reading on a 5th/6th grade level and I had already planned to begin studying American History with her. Her older sisters also listened in on the days I read aloud to her.

I usually read the bite-size chapters aloud to her which took about 7 minutes. When she read on her own it took about 10 minutes and she fully comprehended what she read. Some of the historical names threw her a little bit, but I think we all face that! I like the style of writing. It feels very much in line with the living history style we like although Memoria Press is known for having a more classical education feel. This text reads in a story-like way which means it would work well for upper elementary independent learners. As we read Grace would ask more questions and wanted to find out more information. That by itself tells me this is an excellent choice for history. Anything that provides a natural desire to know more has my recommendation!

When I asked Grace what her favorite part was she squealed and said, “Looking up new words!” What she meant was completing the vocabulary assignment. After we read a chapter I would have her look up 3-4 words from the list in the workbook. She loves dictionaries anyway, so the fact that she was assigned to use one for school was great! Because she already reads the dictionary for fun (Yup…for fun!) she had no problem locating the words and understanding how alphabetical order works in the dictionary. There were only a few times when I needed to guide her a little. We would look at the different definitions and then find the word in chapter we read. Using context I would have her tell me which definition she thought fit best. She did great with this!

I also chose several questions for her to answer from the student book. We would discuss the answers and then she would write them down. This was a little harder for her merely because of her age. Forming sentences comes naturally but as she is still fine tuning her handwriting skills getting those words onto the page can be a little frustrating, which is why I did not have her do this solely on her own. However, after just a couple of units she was becoming more independent and needed less help from me in this area. So many times kids just need the opportunity to try something at a higher level and they surprise me!

After the first unit we began incorporating the flashcards and questions from the 200 questions about American History set. Being that we do not typically use a classical approach to learning I had no idea how this would go over. I shouldn’t be surprised that Grace loved this, she loves everything! She had fun studying this way and then answering my questions. These little cards are very basic in design, but are a great way to review facts!

Grace learns best when she is speaking…she’s our little chatterbox for certain! She would read herself the question and try to remember the answer, then double check. It only took her about 10 minutes with the cards which easily corresponded with each unit in The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and The Great Republic before she could recall them. Again, the historical names gave her pause, but once I taught her how to say the words she was fine.

This is Grace being, well, Grace! She is vibrant, wiggly, and energetic. She loves to learn, but is usually bouncing while doing so! She was working in her student book in the kitchen with me and being her usual fun self. I wanted to include this silly shot to show that even if you do not have a get-down-to-business, workbook kind of kid, you will want to look into this American history curriculum from Memoria Press. The chapters of the book are short enough to keep even the shortest attention span occupied and the questions are not just busy work. They are well-thought through and often allow for inference and good discussion. Grace loved this and asks to work on history first thing each morning. I love that there is an answer key included for the teacher! With three children in three different levels of everything teacher guides with answer keys are a huge help to my getting through the day with ease. I can move from one subject to the next without any difficulty at all. I highly recommend these programs and am now intrigued to explore other subjects offered by Memoria Press. Don’t forget to check out what my Crew-mates had to say!

First Form Greek, Iliad/Odyssey and American History {Memoria Press Reviews}

Creating a Masterpiece: A TOS Review Crew Review

March 20, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Probably one of the most difficult subjects for me to make sure happens in our homeschool is art. We absolutely value the arts and I have a daughter who dreams of being an art teacher overseas at an international school, so I should make this a priority. The trouble comes with logistics, cost, and ability. I’m not artistic enough to be able to teach my girls how to more than cut, paste, and color. Art classes can be very pricey. Needless to say my girls were jumping with joy when they learned we were going to review a new art curriculum, especially Rose!

When my daughters saw this young artist and her amazing creation they couldn’t believe it! If this was an example of what they would create they were absolutely on board with trying out Creating a Masterpiece. We had the opportunity to review the monthly plan which is great for families who may want to plan for certain parts of the year to focus on art lessons. The value of these lessons is well worth the cost. They are well done and have enabled my daughters to create beautiful works of art.

Our experience with this art curriculum was spectacular. The girls understood the instructor clearly and were eager to work on their projects. Our first project was a beginner charcoal piece.

I enjoyed sitting back and watching my girls create. We haven’t done any art with charcoal so this was a completely new medium for them. This is my oldest daughter’s yaht. She would like to try this one more time as this was her first experience with charcoal. One thing I’m very pleased about with her is how she has matured and is willing to grow through what she sees as mistakes. I appreciated how the instructor emphasizes that erasers are fine, no two pictures need to look the same, and you can always include things you didn’t originally intend in the final picture. The girls each made the most of their own projects and had fun dressing them up so they were unique.

Here are their final products!

Order: Rose (11), Beth (9), Grace (7) One of the other projects we worked on was a chalk pastel painting. I joined in for this project and learned so very much! For instance, I did not realize that chalk pastels contain no actual chalk, but are pure paint pigment in a dry form. I have to admit, I struggle with art because I feel inadequate, but my daughters absolutely love when I join in their creativity. I genuinely enjoyed creating this picture. This was a level 1 lesson, so it was a bit more detailed.

I snapped this shot while the girls took a break for a snack. We used painters tape to attach the paper to the table. We already had chalk pastels although they were not the ones recommended by the curriculum. We have used this medium before to create so the girls were a bit more comfortable with this project.

Here are our final products!

OrderTop: Rose (11), MommyBottom: Grace (7), Beth (9) We completed each of these in a day although they can be completed over the course of several days. My daughters tend to like to work to completion if possible. For these beginning levels this is absolutely doable. Some of the more complex projects definitely need more than one day.One of the very unique aspects of this curriculum is having all levels and all types of art mediums available with one subscription. Families with kids who want to try different things have the opportunity to allow this freedom! Also the wide variety of supplies used is amazing! You can choose projects which you already own or venture into the unknown. Young students and adults will enjoy these projects and might just be surprised with their results.
Painting, sculpting, carving, wood burning, mosaics…I have never seen a curriculum with so much available at such an affordable price. This is the perfect fit for large families and families with kids who have multiple levels of artistic abilities. It’s also a perfect fit for children who want to try a new artistic medium they may have never tried before. I highly recommend giving this curriculum a try and fully expect you and your kids to love every minute! Read more from my Crewmates!

Creating Beautiful Art at Home {Creating A Masterpiece Reviews}

Walking With the Waodani from Home School Adventure Co.: A TOS Review Crew Review

March 13, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Home School Adventure Co. is one of my go-to companies for solid biblical teaching resources which are affordable. Their unique content is always refreshing and a nice break when we want something different from our usual resources. The opportunity to review Walking with the Waodani was a great one for our family. Although we have not been called to full-time overseas mission work we are passionate about missions and passionate about teaching our children about those who have come before and trail-blazed through unbelievable difficulties, leading the way for what we call modern missions today. This unique study highlights the Waodani people now. I love this perspective because we get to hear about a first-hand account of a young man, Russel Green, and his journey to visit Ecuador and learn where the sacrifice of missionaries who walked the land before had taken this native tribe. While the target audience for this study is middle school, all of my children participated and they all enjoyed it! The girls and I worked alongside each other, but in addition to being an excellent collective-learning family study, I think it would also be appropriate for independent learners to complete on their own.

We have previously learned about the missionaries martyred in 1956 and a little about their families who then went back to the tribes to tell them about the love of Christ. It had been a while though so we watched an animated retelling of this story. Because of the violent nature of what happened I felt it best to prepare my youngest as gently as possible. She still struggles with nightmares at times and while we do not want to soften the sacrifices made, this was a good way to introduce our learning time. I remember the first time I heard the story of Operation Auca when I was in college. I had just finished reading one of Elizabeth Elliot’s books. I learned what happened to her husband, Jim, and his colleagues, and was deeply moved by the desire of their widows and children to come back to the place where their husband’s were martyred to tell them about Jesus. These examples of faith are exactly who our children need to learn about during their studies as they are young.

I love that this study shows the Waodani people currently and tells how many have come to find salvation through Christ. This study isn’t only about this people group! We also learned a lot about Ecuador geographically, economically, and socially. The images in this study are absolutely stunning! I printed the work pages for my girls and we used my iPad to look at all the pictures. They are vibrant and enticing. More than once my girls asked if we could visit Ecuador just because the pictures were so beautiful!

Agriculture, food, and animal life are also taught. I absolutely love how seamlessly all of this information is woven into the story of Operation Auca as well as the eventual salvation and growth of the church there. This is such an incredibly rich study with so much information! The information led my girls to ask more questions about the region and we did even more research on things that peaked their interest. There were a few, “Ew!” moments as they discovered what the indigenous people of the land ate, but it was a wonderful opportunity to talk about respecting other cultures and how missionaries must often sacrifice comforts and desires in order to take the gospel to unreached peoples. Rose, my oldest daughter has a strong desire to serve overseas as a teacher. When I first told her what we were going to be studying her eyes lit up and she revealed a huge smile! While I know God may shape and even change this dream, we try to encourage her even now by giving her opportunities to learn about missions. This study was an absolute joy for her and she couldn’t have been more eager. If you desire to include missions study in your homeschool this is a great unit study with which to begin!

You can see a little more about the trip that led to this study here:

You can read more from my Crewmates below!