TOS Crew – Page 4 – Chicagoland Homeschool Network

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.

TOS Crew Review– America’s Math Teacher

“I got a new math teacher this year.”

Kind of an odd thing to hear from a homeschooled student, but it is true. My girls get to listen to someone else during math class, at least for now. We didn’t join a co-op or enroll in an online math course, we found America’s Math Teacher.

They use this site to work through their math topics at their own pace. They watch brief instructional videos, complete worksheets, and even take speed drills online as part of their daily math assignment.

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Product: America’s Math Teacher
Details : America’s Math Teacher is produced by Math Essentials and offers online math instruction through videos, worksheets, and tests. The one year subscription allows a whole family to use the site as much as they would like at any or all of the four levels which span fourth grade through Algebra.
Price : $195 for a one year subscription to the site

What we loved . . .

Broad use. Students from fourth grade through Algebra can take advantage of this website for one annual fee. They can move around as the parent directs rather than being tied to one level of work. Multiple students can use the program, even at the same time if you have multiple computers.
Easy to navigate. The kids can find what they need, or the parents can help them through it, but either way, they can easily find the worksheets, teaching videos, and tests that they need to complete their work.
Proven results. Rick Fisher has taught math for many years and has used these same techniques and lessons to bring about dramatic improvement in struggling students. He works primarily with older elementary students to get them “Algebra ready.”
Free Sample. On their website you can watch some of their videos and view some of their worksheets (which come with the answer key once you subscribe) even before paying. Definitely take a look and see if this program might be what you are looking for.
Good balance of computer and paper. Some programs rely too heavily on computers, but many students enjoy a change from just pencil paper work. Here they print off worksheets that have a reasonable amount of work on them, and also have speed drills they can complete online.

Some considerations . . .

Still getting established. The site is still fairly new, having just gone live a few weeks ago. However, despite its newness it packs in the information and has lots to offer. Parts of it are still experiencing glitches, so it might be best to wait a bit before considering this as a viable option. You can definitely use it for teaching and worksheets, but the evaluation portion of the site (tests and quizzes) was still not working for me at this time.
May not be usable as a comprehensive math course. It covers a lot of topics, but says of itself, “This award winning program compliments all basic math textbooks, so it is a perfect partner program for schools.” Presumably it is best used in conjunction with a main text, not in place of it.
Still math. I can’t say that this program made my kids love math. It’s still math. They still don’t enjoy worksheets and speed drills and listening to lessons. But, it does make it easier, and they definitely have found it easy to grasp the concepts that he presented in the videos. It is still math, but it is math well taught.
Doesn’t record or track info. You must keep records of what your child is doing. Since you have a family log in, there are not individual records kept online at this time.

America’s Math Teacher has taken what they do well and put it in a new package that is more easily usable. This is a well designed program for homeschoolers to make sure their students are ready to succeed in high school and beyond.

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

Disclaimer: This web based subscription was provided to me free of charge through Math Essentials 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 — Math Tutor DVD

I distinctly remember pre-algebra. It was eighth grade and a small class. I don’t particularly remember the material, but I remember the boredom of it all. I also recall giggling over the students that fell asleep in that class. The drool, the nodding heads, etc.

Now, my kids don’t sit in a traditional classroom, and they have not yet fallen asleep on me in class, aside from the four month old. We do now and then struggle with the boredom of a particular topic, and I am always on the lookout for new approaches and materials.

Math Tutor DVD offers a helpful resource for either parents that struggle with the teaching or students that struggle with the learning of some of the more challenging math concepts.

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Product: Math Tutor DVD — Pre-Algebra and the calculator tutor TI83/TI84

Details: The Pre-Algebra offers 5 hours of instruction on important pre-algebra topics including real numbers, absolute value, working with integers, and the order of operations. The Calculator tutor takes you through 8 hours of how-to’s from a basic overview to matrices and interest calculations. These calculators do far more than most people are aware of or know how to use them for.

Price:$26.99 each DVD set

What we loved . . .

See it before you buy it. On the site you can find recorded testimonials and sample videos so you can get a feel for the teaching style and format of the videos.
Thorough. These video sets are long, but they pack in the information. He starts basic and grows from there to explain complex topics easily enough for most upper elementary students (and most middle aged non-math minded students) to grasp.
Not stuck in his topic. Clearly, the teacher, Mr. Gibson, has a vision for teaching beyond just a video series. With a background in engineering and working for NASA he understands the real need to master math. He teaches not just to get through a subject, but for real life learning.
Broken down into good sized segments. The bite-sized chunks these lessons come in are just right for a daily math lesson or to pull out when you need a little help.

Some considerations . . .

No-fluff. These videos involve a math teacher and a white board (albeit with many colors of markers). No flashy movies or cartoons, just real life, teach ’em how it is math instruction. Some kids might view this as boring, since you can make any school subject only so exciting.
Not a complete course. And not priced or marketed to be. These products can help you with targeted areas in conjunction with your regular math program.
Long. Eight hours of calculator instruction is a lot of teaching. I never knew all you could use this for, so it isn’t wasted time, but WOW, that’s a lot of time spent on a calculator.

Math Tutor DVDs cover many topics with the same solid teaching. If you are looking for a supplementary help for some tricky areas in math, check out these and other videos that they produce.

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

Disclaimer: These DVDs were provided to me free of charge through Math Tutor DVD 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 — Peterson Directed Handwriting

I like finding people passionate about their products. Rand Nelson falls into that category. If you want to know the ins and outs of handwriting and have lots of rationale for teaching a certain methodology, he is your man. And, Peterson Directed Handwriting is your product.

Product: Peterson Directed Handwriting
Details : Peterson Directed Handwriting offers an involved handwriting curriculum based on lots of research. The books begin with posture and procedure as well as teaching actual letter formation. I received the print books.
Price : $19.95 for each e-book

What we loved . . .

Foundational. Peterson Handwriting offers lots of rationales and instruction for establishing good writing habits that even help pre-readers. Too often kids get into bad habits quickly in teaching themselves to write. Peterson addresses these and helps prevent or change them so children can write well fluently.
Step by step. The product doesn’t rush into the writing. Students have four steps to follow — Illustrate and Describe, Air writing, Finger tracing, and finally write and say. This helps to ensure success by the time they take pencil to paper.
Reuseable. Because this is an ebook, one purchase will satisfy all your kids. Copy and recopy as needed.
Helpful. You don’t face this alone. Aside from a website full of articles and helps, Rand is available to personally answer questions and guide you through effective use of this product.
Informative. The website is packed with information on how to teach handwriting. It also will help you understand why certain expectations are important. The even have a page full of coaching helps to guide you the teacher through the process.
You can preview the product. You cannot print it out (you obviously need to pay for that option), but on their website you can see the complete product before you buy. One of the challenges of purchasing online is that you can’t flip through the pages and really see what you are getting. With Peterson you can! Look at the book, look at the table of contents, look at all 65 pages if you want. You know exactly what you are getting when you buy these ebooks.

Some considerations . . .

Lots of preperatory reading and pre-teaching. The actual writing is the goal, but there are lots of steps and instruction before you get to that point.
Not for every student. While the printable pages can be used by any student, the methodology might not be a good fit for all students. My son loved the verbal cues that matched the movements and the other prep steps. My daughter found them cumbersome. She likely did not really need all of that to get the point across, but it did definitely cement it in her thinking and habits.

Peterson offers a great product for beginning writers, or for those that need to relearn due to poor writing habits. It does involve a lot of teacher intensive time to make sure the student truly settles into the best writing habits. In the end, the time invested is worth the effort as these are habits that will last a lifetime.

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

Disclaimer: This ebook was provided to me free of charge through Peterson Directed Handwriting 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 Minicrew

As mentioned previously, this year I will be bringing various reviews to this website. Through The Old Schoolhouse’s Crew a group of homeschoolers have the opportunity to receive items to use and then share their thoughts with others. This year the Crew consists of over 250 homeschoolers from around the world, but mostly based in North America.

Each month we will receive a handful of products from different vendors to use and enjoy in our home and then we will post about them on our blogs and websites to hopefully expose you to some useful new products or some needed help for your homeschool experience.

As my second year on the Crew I have been assigned a small mini-crew of amazing ladies as we try out products designed especially for homeschoolers with younger children, defined as sixth grade and under.

Our mini-crew will help give you a view from the Crow’s Nest, looking ahead to sites you may not have seen, and sharing our honest opinions about how these products worked, or didn’t, for us.

Without further ado, I want to introduce you to the rest of my team.

Terri blogs over at Days of our {School} Lives where she shares about life and learning and all the other incidentals that find their way into a typical homeschool mom’s life.

Brandi hosts a number of reviews and giveaways, as well as other great posts, that you will want to check out at Living Sola Gratia. You can definitely count on getting an honest and complete perspective from Brandi.

At Adventures in McQuill-land, Jennifer gives you a peak into their home. I especially enjoy her inspirational meme that comes up each Monday, Making Memories Monday.

And, a brand new blogger, L and Co is getting her feet wet at Proverb 22:6, which is a private blog at this point, so I can’t show you her blog right now.

You can also always check in with the main Homeschool Crew blog for the re-viewpoints of about 100 other homeschoolers as well for each of the products we highlight.

The next review you will find here is Peterson Directed Handwriting coming up at the end of August.

Bon voyage!