Reviews – Page 6 – Chicagoland Homeschool Network

TOS Crew Review — Positive Action for Christ

A few years back I made a conscious decision to incorporate a Bible time into our school day. With many reasons for homeschooling my kids, one of them is to give them a solid grounding in their Christian faith and a clear understanding of how it should impact their daily living. Having this as a priority in our day has really made a difference, and it also keeps me on the lookout for ideas to keep this time fresh.

We received a 6th grade curriculum from Positive Action for Christ which included both a teacher’s manual and a student workbook. These became our Bible time for the last month and we have enjoyed many aspects of these materials.

Product: Positive Action for Christ

Details: A Bible study curriculum that includes a teacher guide and student workbook to direct a time of study in God’s Word.

Price: Teacher’s Manual — $33.95; Student book — $12.95 (or $10.95 each if buying 5 or more)

What we loved . . .

Progressive. The great advantage to purchasing a Bible curriculum is that it will have a flow to it. They have taken the time to lay out the material and make sure that topics are covered and build on each other and that the material is age appropriate. Winning the Race is designed for 6th graders that have been in the program before, but we had no trouble picking up where it was. If your child has a familiarity with key Bible stories and doctrines he should have no trouble jumping in at whatever grade level he is at. There was one reference to “as we learned last year,” but it was something all of my kids were familiar with as well.
A great beginning. These curriculum books came about as one Sunday School teacher shared what he had created and it simply caught on. People knew a good thing when they saw it, and nearly 40 years have gone by since those early days of what became Positive Action for Christ.
Doctrinally sound. It is of course important to me that the Bible curriculum that we use lines up with our doctrinal beliefs. You can take a look at this company’s history and doctrinal statement to see if they match up with yours as well.
Engaging. Even though many of my kids do not enjoy actually writing in workbooks, they do enjoy having something in their hands to look at while I teach or read. They took turns with the student book that we had and followed along as we discussed various Scripture references and character qualities.
Adaptable. Although we received the book for 6th grade I found it easily adaptable to a wider age range. My 1, 4, and 6 grader definitely gleaned some good information from our time together. It was of course a little young for my 8th grader, but still workable and still prompted some good conversations.
Variety. Not just a typical Bible lesson, these units brought up character traits, key verses, life principles, vocabulary, and other activities and teaching strategies.

Some considerations . . .

Maybe a little too broad. As each lesson covers memory verses, vocabulary, character, key verses, Bible characters, doctrine, application, and Bible study it was sometimes hard to see how some of the different components fit together. Sometimes I felt like I was stretching a bit to find the link between the key verse and the main Scripture passage. The week did end up being tied together, but not always as naturally as I was hoping, and the memory verses still seemed unrelated, although we did enjoy memorizing part of the Sermon on the Mount.
Not really enough material for 5 days. Although it is marketed as a daily Bible lesson for 35 weeks, 3-5 days a week, we did not really find enough to keep us busy each day of the week and we ended up going through the lessons in about 3 days and then just moving on to the next one. This might work well if this is a subject that you only teach a few days a week, or if you have other plans for when you finish the book.
More variety in songs would have been nice. I really appreciate that they chose to include hymns in their study. However, when we study a hymn we like to sing it each day that we study it and they only have a new song every 4 weeks. We got a little tired of the same song and moved on much sooner than that.

Positive Action for Christ has put together a quality product with a lot of thought and information. They would probably work well for a student that loves workbooks and discussion. If you are looking for a

For more TOS Crew reviews on this product, check out the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through Positive Action for Christ as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.

TOS Crew Review — North Star Games

“Why are they called ‘Meeples’?”

“Because they don’t want to call them ‘bets.'”

So began one of our first conversations about the new Wits and Wagers Family board game from North Star Games. Apparently the Meeples come from another game about 10 years ago and have been used as game pieces elsewhere also, and it makes for a cute playing piece that helps you stake your claim and earn points in this one. But, lets start from the beginning . . .

Product: Wits and Wagers Family game

Details: A board game for 3-10 (with teams) people that involves guessing the numerical answer to a question. Each player writes down his best guess and then they are placed in order smallest to largest. Each player then guesses which answer he thinks is best by placing his meeples on the numbers. Points are awarded for each correct (or closest) guess whether written or by placing meeples on it.
Price: Retails for $19.99.

What we loved . . .

Fun for everyone. Even my 5 year old could play this fairly well because it just involves guessing. Some rounds he did better than others, but every round he had fun. All the kids enjoyed this game.
Something unique. I like board games that are new. While this is a new twist on their original Wits and Wagers, it was a very new idea to us. Definitely not the same old, same old. And, with 300 questions you could play for a long time before repeating the same questions.
Easy to learn. The box says two minutes, and that’s just about right. This was a quick study!
Perfect length. Some games are too long, others too short. This one was just right. About 15-25 minutes depending on how good the guess went. My 13 year old rocked it one round and it ended in 10 minutes. So, if you play against a major trivia buff it could go quickly. No problem, just play for the best 2 out of 3. 😉
Might have other uses. Once you have the markers, Meeples, and mini white erase boards you can use these for all kinds of things. Review for upcoming tests (everyone writes down their answer and then all guess which is right), quiz dates from your time line, maybe even use it to brush up on basic math facts. Feel free to think outside the box.

Some considerations . . .

Some questions were really easy. Many of them you would have no idea (How many times does the average person blink in a day?) And, others someone might know exactly (how many feet are in a mile?) Most of the questions fall somewhere in the middle, but all it takes is a couple easy ones and a game can be over quite quickly.
Accommodating the little ones. My five and six year olds had no trouble playing along with the rest of us, but we did at times give them some advantages. They could have an extra Meeple (or two), or we would give them some verbal prompts in writing their guess after everyone else was done. It was very easy to level the playing field a bit.
The answer could be overlooked. Kind of funny how they laid out the answer side of the card. The answer is actually in a lighter gray ink on the side of the card and more explanation about the answer is in bold across the middle of the card. It took us a few questions to realize that the answer was there, we just hadn’t seen it! That made the game a little easier . . .

North Star Games has definitely put together a winner in this game. We really enjoyed it as a family game and a larger group game. I think this one will be coming with us to our family Christmas gatherings as well. It’s a keeper.

For more TOS Crew reviews on this product, check out the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through North Star Games as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.

TOS Crew Review — Master Fractions

$Master Fractions has transparent overlays, makes using fractions easy to see.$

Children unknowingly work with fractions from a very young age. They divide their matchbox cars with a friend. They share an apple with a sibling. They are told to “eat half of your sandwich” before being excused. And yet, so many of them struggle to make connections to those real life situations once the math book is in front of them.

Master Innovations has come up with a variety of visual tools to help keep their learning concrete. It all started with a ruler, and now they help with fractions, telling time, and angles as well. Here is a quick video on their fractions manipulative:

Basically, this handy little tool allows kids to see equivalencies in fractions with the flip of a page. Anything that gives kids a new perception to a problem that has them stumped is of high value, and these innovative “books” can do just that.

$Master Fractions has transparent overlays, makes using fractions easy to see.$

Product: Master Fractions from Master Innovations

Details: Master Fractions books come in a set of three. One illustrates halves (then broken into 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16), thirds (divided further into 1/6, 1/12) and fifths (broken down into 1/10 and 1/20). They also sell a corresponding workbook that helps your child best understand what they are seeing in the various fraction tools. And, they offer a measuring poster that covers a variety of measures with everyday objects to help kids get a better handle on what various measures are worth and how to estimate them using everyday objects (fingers, buttons, etc.)
Price: Set of three books is $17.95, workbook is another $15.95 (reproducible) and the poster is $10.

What we loved . . .

Hands on. This tool is a great visual for kids that need to see it to comprehend it. The workbook offers additional activities and images for making fractions make sense.
Durable. The little fraction books are made of sturdy plastic sheets that can be flipped, reflipped, drawn on, wiped clean, and still look great for the next time around.
Colorful. Visual kids need something that grabs them. These handy math teachers are full of color in the midst of their practical application.
Good for a variety of ages. One problem I often run into with tools that are helpful to reteach topics to older students is that they might seem babyish. Not so with these Master Fractions. The images are good without being overly cartoony and they are appealing to the first grader first learning fractions just as much as they are for the older student trying to master them again.
Incorporates real life. The problems in the workbook do a great job of bringing fractions home with the word problems and with the suggested activities.

Some considerations . . .

Not self-explanatory. When I first opened the box I thought it was a cool little gadget, but couldn’t quite see the application. The workbook helps some, but you do need to spend some time reading the teaching tips and looking it over to see how the tools really help solve problems.
Limited shapes. The workbook covers more shapes, but the tools only show circles, squares, and rectangles. That is good enough to help the student get going, but some students might still struggle transferring the knowledge to triangles and other polygons.

Master Innovations has definitely hit on a unique product with their Master Fractions. While it is isolated to one topic (fractions) it is one that many students struggle with and the products can be used and reused many times making them a good longer term purchase.

For more TOS Crew reviews on this product, check out the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through Master Innovations as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.

TOS Crew review — Bright Ideas Press

Last year we discovered the quality products Bright Ideas Press puts out with Mystery of History 3. We all enjoyed it. The projects, the well written book, the graphics, etc. This year we got to follow that up with a start into Illuminations.

Illuminations is to be used in conjunction with MOH 3 and provides additional resources to get the most out of history by tying it in to your other subjects. Through dynamic read alouds and intriguing read alones, the kids can really sink their teeth into the time period more than just the 20-30 minutes a day spent on history. Last year I spent a good bit of time digging around for books that we could enjoy together to correspond with a topic or time period that piqued our interest. Illuminations does the looking for you, and provides in depth study guides to make the most of it.

Product: Illimunations 3
Details : A supplementary guide for Mystery of History users to tie in Language Arts and other subjects to the time periods and topics being covered in the MOH 3 book. We received the materials geared toward 3-8 grade, but there is also a high school level product.
Price : $82.50 for first semester, $165 for full year when it is available (January 2011)

What we loved . . .

Lots of information to get started. Within the product itself there are instructions, summaries, tips to get started, and links to videos and such. There are also a number of online helps including reviews, Yahoo! groups, book lists, and companies to buy additional books through.
All in one, or not. Illuminations includes lots of subjects (mostly Language Arts related), and provides room in the planning pages for those not incorporated into the material. Geography, science, literature, spelling, and of course history are all part of the plan. But, you don’t have to use it all. Whatever you want you use, and if you don’t you can write right into the lesson plans how you plan to change, delete, or supplement the plans they put in place.
Great product. As with just about everything that Bright Ideas Press puts out, they have created a high quality product. This is a great resource that seems to have thought of everything. And, it is huger than huge. The amount of materials, schedules, lesson plans, etc. is a bit mind boggling at first. But they walk you through how to make the most of it. We have really enjoyed the books that they recommended to go along with MOH 3 and the conversations they prompted as a result. And, since we could find them at our library, there has not been an additional expense to enjoy these books either.
Quality study guides. Reading good books is a huge part of our homeschool. But, just to read them and walk away, loses some of the benefit. The study guides help prompt real conversations and grasp the meaning and lessons of these pieces.
Huge time saver. Yes, you could do this all on your own. You could dig through online book lists and your library’s card catalog, and various homeschool curriculum sites and catalogs and find the books. Then you could spend weeks coming up with comprehension questions, digging up background materials, brainstorming activities, compiling copywork passages, and divvying up the work over a school year. You could. But, they have done all that for you, and done it well.

Some considerations . . .

Requires other materials. In order to fully enjoy all that they have taken the time to lay out for you, you would need to purchase some other books. These include read alouds as well as science and English academic books.
You should take some time prepping before diving in. While the schedules and structure is all done for you, it still takes time to get ready to use this product. They give you a handy checklist to make sure you don’t miss anything from ordering materials to setting up notebooks. It will take an investment in time to start this off properly.
Somewhat costly. Illuminations is a massive project. They give you lots of material and ideas. And, they obviously put an enormous amount of work into creating this helpful tool. So, it only makes sense that you would have to put out a good chunk of change for it. However, because it is so adaptable to various ages and is reusable it will likely be worth the investment over time, especially if you plan to use the grammar and science that they have designed their materials around as well.

Even with over a month to explore Illuminations and begin to use it in our homeschool, I feel like I have just started to scratch the surface. I look forward to continuing to read the books and use this in conjunction with MOH 3. If you think this might be a fit for your family, I would encourage you to read some more reviews, and watch some of the videos to see if it will click with your home’s teaching and learning styles. It is an up front time commitment to pull it together, but then is a daily time saver while still providing a high quality education for your kids.

Take some time to read some other TOS Crew reviews on this product, over at the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through Bright Ideas Press as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.

TOS Crew Review — Corps of Rediscovery

With the boom of the computer and information age has come an accelerating slide in the area of traditional crafts. Knitting, quilting, sewing, leather-work, and even baking are not very popular pastimes any more. I try to restore a sampling of those activities in our household. There is something so peaceful about huddling around a sewing machine, reading books aloud to the click of the knitting needles, or laying out quilt pieces with my kids.

Corps of Re-discovery understands this desire to reclaim our history and has put together some special kits to help parents and children in that pursuit. We received a kit that came with everything we need to make a doll size patchwork quilt. We enjoyed working together to construct this cute little blanket, but the jury is still out on who gets to enjoy it — the baby, or the dolls it was intended for.

Product: Patchwork Quilt
Details : A complete kit to create a doll sized quilt — precut squares, yarn, thread, batting, backing material, and detailed instructions. You just need an iron and a sewing machine to finish this project.
Price : currently listed at $11.99, regularly $14.99

What we loved . . .

Complete. Everything you need is in this one kit. We preferred to use our own thread rather than rethread the sewing machine, but even the thread was included in the kit. I love the colors that came together, too. I cannot match colors for these types of projects well at all, so an all-in-one was important to me.
Unit-Study supplement. This project, along with others from this company, would fit easily into a study on pioneer living, Little House on the Prairie, or other studies of a similar era. Helping kids see in a very hands-on way how families worked together to provide for their basic needs. The instructions included some basic background into how and why these types of quilts would have been made in days gone by.
Group project. While an older child could really do this on their own, especially if they have some sewing experience, this was a fun group project. I did a bit of the sewing, and kept things going when they found the work tedious (good thing our livelihood didn’t depend on cranking these out on a daily basis . . .) Each one found a role — ironing, sewing, laying out squares, and seem ripping (yes, there was a little of that, too, despite the clear instructions).
Clear directions. With good images and descriptions of the many steps involved in creating this quilt, we had no trouble assembling it. We did rush ahead at one point and ended up redoing a section, but we slowed down and completed it correctly then.
Beautiful, useful finished product. The blanket is perfect for a baby doll or American Girl sized doll. I’m not sure whose bed it will end up on, but they all agreed it was a beautiful end result. I just might need to order another kit.

Some considerations . . .

Detailed work. This is sewing, plain and simple. If you have a child that struggles with that tedious work, this might not be a great independent activity. It only took us about 2-3 hours of work to put it together, with me doing most of the sewing. But, it could easily be done a little at at time over a few weeks as a sewing class or free time activity. Having the squares pre-cut is a huge time saver.
Pre-created. This was perfect for me, but for those of you that like to pick your own colors, and start from scratch you might not have as much fun with this kit. It comes with pre-selected colors so you don’t have a choice in the matter. They put together beautiful colors and we all loved it, but I know some people like to do their own.

This was such a great project to share with my girls. We have spent a bit of time in the past learning about pioneer days and to really dig into even a small project that represented that era was a real eye-opener. And, now I have my eye on their fringe pouch, coin purse, and corn husk doll. Lots of great stuff, all ready for the making.

Each family will have a different experience with a product (and different people received different products for this review), so I would encourage you to check out some other TOS Crew reviews on this product, over at the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through Corps of Re-Discovery as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.

TOS Crew Review — Yuck!

With a house full of kids we’ve had our share of yucky stuff — bodily fluids, sippy cups forgotten, old food, etc. But, for the first time I can recall, now we actually have some enjoyable yuck in our house.

Kids often enjoy a mess and Buckets-o -Fun has created some products called Yuck! to cater to that enjoyment. They can mix, examine, stir, and poke to their hearts’ content. This can fill an afternoon or free time for a month.

Product: Yuck!
Details : A polymer (yeah, go look it up, that’s the first school assignment related to this product) that takes on various consistencies depending on the starting form. Can be used for fun or educational purposes, or whatever your creative mind desires.
Price : $16-$20 per pound, or less when purchased in bulk.

What we loved . . .

Hands on. Obviously, this is not a teacher-do, student-watch activity. Everyone got their hands on and in this one.
Flexible. Literally, but that’s not what I mean. This can fill dead space in your day (ha, ha, I know, I don’t have any of that either). It can be done in a short amount of time and discarded, or you can do the activities and then keep the various forms of Yuck on your counter to reexamine in the days and weeks ahead. We’ve had a bucket of chunky and snowy yuck sitting on our window sill for a few weeks now. Every now and then we pull it down, stir it around and mess around with. Add water, drain water, break it up, etc. It is just fascinating stuff.
Amazing. We enjoyed the variety of consistencies to examine and compare. They were each fun and interesting in their own way. Of course the sticky Yuck we had to color green because it looked too much like boogers and my kids couldn’t resist. The sparkles in the snowy yuck was enchanting. The chunky Yuck made us want to eat ice. And, the saucy Yuck has a way of sliding off the spoon that is mesmerizing.
Versatile. Now, this won’t keep you busy for a year’s science or anything like that, but it was a fun break from the norm as we came up with ways to explore its properties and learn more about it. We hydrated it with hot water vs. cold water (the hot worked more quickly), we left it to hydrate for a day and then added more, we over hydrated and dehydrated, we tried to break it up, and we just had plain old fun learning about a substance so different from anything else.
Big plans. We didn’t try this, but I could just envision a kiddie pool filled with this stuff. They send a paper with ideas for sliding into it, hiding toys in it, and other fun and crazy stuff. This product has high-octane birthday party written all over it.

Some considerations . . .

Messy! If you child does no enjoy messes (or if you don’t . . .) this product might not be will received in your home. It is sticky and saucy and everything else it is named. It takes a long time to wash off with soap and water. Vinegar seems to speed the process, but my kids can’t stand the smell and would rather spend five minutes at the sink of running water.
Must be disposed of properly. You do need to be careful with Yuck. Because it absorbs water like nobody’s business, it is harmful if swallowed (by pets or people). You also do not want to send it down your drain unless you miss your plumber. So, just be careful and follow the instructions.
Limited educational uses. While we did have lots of fun with it and it was a nice break in the day, the educational value was limited. We did learn about polymers and conduct a few experiments, but overall it was more fun than learning.

You can get a free sample of the different kinds of Yuck to see for yourself (one per organization or individual — check out the Yuck! page).

This would be great for a summer snow day or a winter boredom buster activity. It is fun and unique and provides a great activity that a variety of ages could enjoy.

Each family will have a different experience with a product, so I would encourage you to check out some other TOS Crew reviews on this product, over at the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through Buckets-o-Fun as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.

TOS Crew Review — PG Key

A couple years ago I worked through lapbooks on Hawaii with the kids and rediscovered the need to remain ever vigilant when surfing the web. Do you know how many people get tattoos in inappropriate places of Hawaiian flowers? Apparently not a great Google search item with a bunch of kids looking on.

In the end, I searched on my own and gave them a couple sites they could then look through for graphics. PG Key could have helped me with that.

The PG Key plugs easily into your computer and with a quick registration and a few personalizations, you are ready to go. You can keep an eye on your kids’ web browsing habits even when you can’t keep a physical eye on them.

Product: PG Key
Details : A plug in for your computer that helps you place restrictions on computer usage, view a history of sites visited, and help create a safer environment for your family’s internet time.
Price : $49.95

What we loved . . .

Time restrictions. Using the PG Key you can limit your child’s daily computer time without needing to set a timer. The PG Key will automatically lock them out when their time has expired. If this happens in the middle of something, you (the administrator) can get in and alter the amount of time they receive.
Easy to install. It takes almost no time at all to get this program up and running on your computer. You can spend more time setting your preferences, but as soon as you plug it in, basic safeguards are immediately in place. Thousands of unwanted websites are instantly blocked.
Easy to use. Not just easy to get started, but easy to modify your restrictions. The controls are very easy to navigate.
Safe Search option. As a part of the program you can use a Google based safe search. This allows students to surf the web in a safer format that a regular Google account. This can still click over to the regular Google, but you could require them to conduct their searches from this site created to be safer.
One time cost. No monthly fees. With this product you buy it once and can use it without additional cost
Review what your child views. Whenever you want to check in on the internet use on the computer you can simply log in and view it all in a video format of screen shots taken every 5 seconds during computer use. It then saves up to 60 hours of this format. After that it begins deleting the oldest material first so you have the most current 60 hours of screen time available for viewing.
Easy to disable and uninstall. As long as you know your parental password it is easy to disable to key and even uninstall it if you decide not to use it any longer. This is helpful if a child pulls out the key and it gets misplaced or damaged. You can disable the program for situations like this.
Its own defense. If it is removed from the computer, the child cannot work on the computer any more until it is returned to the USB port. This ensures that students don’t just remove the key when they head into questionable areas.

Some considerations . . .

Not for the Mac. At this time this product is not available for Macintosh computers, but that is said to be in the works.
Seems to be some ghost glitches. When I first installed the key it crashed all my internet browsers that I tried to use it through. I called tech and they tried to help, but I needed to figure some things out on my end first and ended up uninstalling the key to make the process easier. That took care of the problems (since the program was no longer installed), and when we reinstalled it we went through their online installation process and the problems did not recur. When it caused those problems I was very concerned about recommending this product, but it did seem to resolve when I uninstalled and tried a second time. It seems that installing it through the key itself caused significant problems on our computer. The online installation seems to reduce some of these issues.
Your password is powerful. A child could easily disable the Key if they knew your password, so it is important (as always) to keep your password private.
Doesn’t block, just notifies. While you can block specific websites, you cannot block specific content. However, it does notify you when they search for content that you specify. This would work for kids that just need to know you are watching to keep them accountable for staying away from certain topics. However, for those that accidentally stumble on something, it will only let you know in hindsight, it will not keep them from viewing it.
Not a replacement for parental involvement. This is not to be used as a substitute parent or internet babysitter. If they are so inclined, kids will find a way to work around it or within it to get to what they want to. We need to remain ever vigilant to the threats and temptations that abound in this virtual world that enters our home through the computers.
Takes time for updates to take effect. If you want to change anything about the program it will take some time to see the change. If you add a restricted word, change the time limits, block a website, etc. you should allow at least a few minutes with the internet open for the change to take effect.
We already have a website content filter installed. Because our computers are already on a network that has a filter, I could not test the boundaries of this product, even if I wanted to. My kids are already working in a fairly safe internet environment that keeps them from even clicking on most inappropriate websites.
No online support section. For a product of this type I would like an online forum or FAQ section for support questions. You can call tech (but they are only open 8 hours a day), and can email even during off hours, but it would be easier to have a section to browse for answers and solutions to some common issues.

While the PG Key has some great features and addresses some serious issues, I felt that the glitches I faced and the inability to actually block certain words and phrases caused this item to fall short of my expectations from a product of this nature. If you need a product to monitor time spent or so you can casually keep tabs on a trustworthy child this may be a great help. Even much older children might benefit from this extra accountability to their internet usage.

At this time they are offering a free trial for one month of the PG Key. Check out their website soon as this is a limited time offer. You can see for yourself if this product will meet the internet protection needs in your family.

Each family will have a different experience with a product, so I would encourage you to check out some other TOS Crew reviews on this product, over at the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This gadget was provided to me free of charge through PG Key as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.

TOS Crew Review — Map Skills

I’m going to Tucson.

I’m going to jump up to Canada.

Look at me, I’m in Alaska!

Everyone watch out, I’m heading to Florida.

When I got everyone settled back in Illinois, or at least off the map, we opened the “books” and enjoyed another hands on geography lesson.

Product: Map Skills Unit Study from Soli Deo Gloria Resources
Details : A 2-3 week introduction to map skills unit study designed for K-3 graders.
Price : $14

What we loved . . .

Full of ideas. Although built around a geography workbook that is an optional purchase, this ebook comes chock full of ideas to keep your kiddos hopping around the world.
Multi-disciplinary. While it starts with geography it also dabbles in science, art, Bible, Language Arts, .
Multi-age. The focus age is K-3, but all my kids enjoyed working on this together. The young ones learned the most, but the older ones lead the discussion and took it places it would not have otherwise.
Compatible workbooks for further study. If you want to spend more time or have more written work, she recommends workbooks that can hit the kids more at level as well.
Active learning. The activities had the kids running and talking and working with their hands. They all had a great time and the little ones learned quite a bit in the process.
Flexible. Not every activity will float your boat, but there is plenty there to keep you busy for a few weeks, or longer if you space it out into shorter lessons.

Some considerations . . .

Light on the Language Arts. One of the challenges with unit studies is they can’t hit every subject to the depth or level of every child. I found this one a bit light on the Language Arts and did not use it in place of our regular curriculum in that subject. It was a great geography study, but it was not very strong in other subjects.
Best suited with an additional purchase. To get the most out of this you would likely want to purchase the additional workbooks. That would help in gearing it toward a wider age range and in covering the topic in greater detail. It still has engaging projects and thought provoking worksheets in and of itself.

Map skills is an area that my kids naturally learn through real life experience, but this ebook pointed out some areas that my younger kids have not had a chance to interact with yet. It provided us some fun ways to learn these areas without just reading a book or doing worksheets. They learned and definitely enjoyed the process.

Each family will have a different experience with a product, so I would definitely encourage you to check out some other TOS Crew reviews on this product, over at the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This ebook was provided to me free of charge through Soli Deo Gloria Resources as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.

TOS Crew Review — Talking Fingers

“Mom, how do you spell ‘truck’? Oh wait! I know because my typing program taught me!” I didn’t know if I should believe my five year old. His reading has been taking off, but to remember the ‘ck’ at the end of a short , short-vowel word? I was skeptical.

But, sure enough, he sounded it out and spelled it correctly, from the sometimes tricky ‘tr’ at the beginning to the two letter ‘k’ sound at the end. As he said, we owe that little milestone to Talking Fingers. Talking Fingers has quickly flown to celebrity status in our house. We received a one year license for three, so my 9 year old, 6 year old, and 5 year have been giving it a test drive.

Each of them benefited in a different way from the program. My 9 year old brushed up on her phonics and worked on her typing letter by letter making sure she typed them correctly. The 6 year old plowed through the material the same way she devours books right now, but didn’t spend too much time on the correct fingering. The five year old is steadily working through it and reinforcing the phonics that he is currently mastering.

The program begins with a catchy tune and then the typing hands take it away as they teach sounds and the corresponding key strokes on the computer keyboard through a game format. As each sound is introduced the hands show the proper way to type it, tells you the sound, and then leads you into various activities to learn the sound, practice typing it properly, identifying it in words, and hopefully rid the city of the “virus” that stole the letter sounds.

Product: Talking Fingers
Details : A program designed for K-3 graders that teaches spelling, reading, and phonics along with introductory typing.
Price : $35 for online version for one year for one student ($55 for 2, $70 for 3, etc.) They also have a CD version for $79.

What we loved . . .

Hands on and visual. All three of my kids really enjoyed this program. My six year old workbookaholic, my fourth grade anti-writing child, and my five year old that loves anything that is his. The program gives lots of opportunity to see and hear sounds and words and the typing offers a great way for kids who might despise picking up a pencil but need that kinesthetic reinforcement in their phonics studies.
Entertaining. Although my fourth grader found it a little babyish (it is designed for K-3), she was quickly won over by a program that keeps the user engaged and gives a very hands on approach to learning and reviewing phonics rules.
Multi-age. Each child will glean different lessons from the program, but those just learning to read and those that need a refresher can enjoy these lessons.
Corresponding print material. On their website you can find little readers to print out and use in conjunction with the sounds they work with in Talking Fingers. Just check out the downloads.
Printable Certificates. I find them a little silly, but my kids love to print off the certificates after each letter that they complete. Proof that they really did learn something while “playing.”
Reports. The teacher/parent can log in and see what level of mastery the student is achieving. These are pretty basic reports and don’t show many specifics about what the child needs to work on. But, it does give you an idea of how well they are doing overall on the program.

Some considerations . . .

Lengthy introduction. You can try it for free to see what I mean, but the kids do need to spend some time watching a video at the beginning to understand what they will be doing in the program and to introduce them to some of the characters. None of my kids complained about have to watch this little “cartoon” before getting to work.
Lets kids pass without passing. You can choose what the passing percentage is for each child, but it will still allow them to move on if they are doing well overall. So, my son’s spelling was below the passing expectation in the first couple levels, but he kept moving on. However, amazingly, his scores kept getting better with each level. I would not usually like a program done that way, but it still worked, at least for him.

Talking Fingers has been a hit with all three of my kids that tried it. While the ones who are reading independently worked through the levels fairly quickly it was a good review for them (and a good intro to proper typing), and my son who is just learning the sounds really benefited from this unique interaction with the phonemes he is learning.

Check it out for yourself with a demo version available online. If you do decide to order, you can find a form on that page to give you 20% off as well!

Each family will have a different experience with a product, so I would definitely encourage you to check out some other TOS Crew reviews on this product, over at the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This online program was provided to me free of charge through Talking Fingers as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.

TOS Crew review — New Monic Books

I had already decided that I needed to find a good vocabulary book to help my son boost his knowledge of words and to add into his Language Arts curriculum. When this book arrived in my mailbox we had found the perfect fit.

How could you ever forget that “abduct” means “to kidnap or carry off by force” when you have forever emblazoned in your memory a masked man running off with a duck under each arm? See their methodology? Take a word that rhymes with the vocabulary word, make a funny picture linking the definition with the rhyming word (the mnemonic device), and create an impossible to forget image.

Product: Vocabulary Cartoons by New Monic Books
Details : Vocabulary Cartoons offers 210 words taught and reviewed in 21 quizzes using mnemonic devices geared toward students in grades three through six.
Price : $12.95 (bulk discounts available)

What we loved . . .

Easy to use. Older students can even use this independently. They can read through the page and quickly and easily remember the new word.
Really works. Each entry has the definition, a picture to help you remember it, a rhyming word that corresponds to the picture, and a few sentences to hear it in context. After seeing the page, you quickly associate the rhyme with the vocabulary word and have quickly added a new word to your vocabulary.
Built in review. Every 10 words the book offers a simple review test over the previous words. Answers are included in the back of the book in case your child’s vocabulary is surpassing your own at this point.
Word list available. To see if these words are on your radar for your student to learn in the months ahead, check out the full list of words covered in this text.

Some considerations . . .

Review tests are a little easy. I found the review tests a little easy, but they might be good for younger students. They have the word written along with the mnemonic device and then students must match them correctly to their definition. Then they must fill in the blank in sentences for each word. However, I felt that if the system was really working (which it did with my kids and myself), a quiz should not include the mnemonic devices. I preferred to quiz my kids by simply saying the word and having them write it in a sentence of their own creation. This was very easy and my kids came up with some creative sentences, even my “non-writers.”
Just a years’ worth. Although this is a great book for a variety of ages (3rd-6th), it has 210 words in it which would not last much more than one school year. So, it should definitely have a place in your homeschool, but you will need to find something else once your child has mastered these 210 words. Maybe then you could move on to their SAT vocab prep books.

Vocabulary Cartoons has been a great fit for our family and I definitely plan to look into buying the next book when we finish with this one. My students can easily learn the material on their own, and I check in with them and administer a quick quiz every week or two. And, they learn words that we might not come across in their every day reading, but they should begin to learn — cultured vultures, buffoons of baboons, etc.

For more TOS Crew reviews on this product, check out the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This book was provided to me free of charge through New Monic Books as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.