Homeschool Hollow

Review: Homeschool In The Woods

2009-06-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

As part of the Homeschool Crew review team for The Old Schoolhouse magazine, we received a New Testament lapbook activity-pak from a great company called Homeschool In The Woods. The kit is designed to teach the life of Jesus, His death, and then His ultimate resurrection and ascension. It arrived in the form of a .pdf ebook and included an introduction to the lesson, lapbook templates, assembly instructions, and a photo gallery of a completed lapbook. There were also directions and templates for two bonus activities: "The New Testament News", where your child becomes a reporter and creates a newspaper about the life of Jesus Christ, and "The Armor of God" poster, an interactive activity that teaches your child how to put on God's spiritual armor.

When we first began homeschooling 4 years ago, my son was in kindergarten and we completed several lapbooks. We both enjoyed the hands-on approach to learning and it is still fun to pull out those projects and reminisce about the time we spent putting them together. They will also make great lessons to pass down to his younger siblings and they will enjoy the games and puzzles that are tucked inside. However, since more "formal" academics began in the first grade, we hadn't completed any other lapbooks, so it was exciting, and a bit nostalgic, to embark on the New Testament one we received.

This kit from Homeschool In The Woods was very comprehensive and simple to use. It was easier than our previous lapbooks since we had always created our own from scratch, which is not ever an easy task! We enjoyed having all of the pieces ready to assemble, after printing them out, and it gave us more time to enjoy the study and the process.

The lapbook included 15 different projects, but 3 of them were lumped together, so we completed one each day for 13 days, and then spent another couple of days reviewing and enjoying the activities and sharing them with younger siblings. We also spent a 4th week using our newfound knowledge to complete the newspaper activity and the "Armor of God" poster. My son is an aspiring writer, so the "New Testament News" was really fun for him and sparked his imagination in many other areas as well. He ended up learning way more about the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ than I ever knew as a child...actually, more than I ever knew as an adult! I was amazed at how much I learned as well.

My son's favorite part was the last project, called "Postcards from Paul". In this activity, you make a "mailbox", complete with a hinged door that closes with velcro. Verses from Paul's letters are chosen and written on index cards and can be placed inside the mailbox. We used these as memory verses and copywork practice.

The actual assembly was made simple by the easy-to-follow directions and the photo gallery included in the kit. Even if this is your first lapbook project, you should have no problem with the implementation. It's also a great opportunity for your children to practice their paper-folding and cutting skills - great for fine-motor development.

I wish I could have taken pictures of our lapbook to show you, but my camera cord needs to be replaced and I cannot transfer any photos right now. I will try to come back and do that in the future, but for now, if you would like to see pictures of this particular lapbook, you can visit the product page HERE.

If you enjoy implementing hands-on activities into your lessons, including notebooking, lapbooking, or other projects, you would probably really enjoy the products from Homeschool In The Woods. Their activity-paks can be purchased in .pdf format for $18.95 or on CD-rom for $19.95. In addition to the New Testament, the company also offers Old Testament, Composers, and Artists. They offer many other products as well, including timelines and complete studies in early American history.

To read more about Homeschool In The Woods and to see a complete catalog of the products they offer, please click HERE.

To see other reviews for this product from the TOS Homeschool Crew, please click HERE.

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: The Latin Road

2009-03-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

If you splurge on one curriculum product during your entire homeschooling experience, let me recommend The Latin Road to English Grammar by Schola Publications!

This is absolutely the best and most in depth English language program that I have ever used with my kids. I have to tell you, I have learned things I would have never learned in school and after completing several weeks of The Bridge to the Latin Road with my 3rd grader, I realized how "dumbed down" my public school education really was!

There are 3 levels to this program: The Phonics Road (for young children/early readers), The Bridge To The Latin Road, and The Latin Road (Volumes 1, 2, & 3). The website states the the Phonics program is a COMPLETE K-4 curriculum, focusing on reading and spelling, but also covering writing, composing, speaking and grammar. Bridge is a one year introduction to Latin and how the English language has derived from it for Grades 3-6. Bridge has an excellent review of English grammar so that you may not have to use the Phonics program first.

We excitedly received "The Bridge" for use in our homeschool and I have been so impressed that I don't think that we will ever use a different program! In fact, I will be purchasing the Phonics program for my littles and continue with my oldest through The Latin Road volumes.

Included in our package was a Teacher's binder, including DVD instructional lessons, and a Student binder. Since my son seems to learn well from videos, I decided to let him sit in on the DVD lessons, so we literally learned side by side from the very beginning. In fact, sometimes if I was confused about something, he remembered from the lesson and taught it to me!

We both really enjoyed the binder format. It keeps all of the work in one place and organized it so it can easily be found later. I do admit having a hard time finding some of the worksheets in the beginning, but once I figured out the system, it was a cinch!

Another aspect of the curriculum I really liked is that we didn't have to do separate handwriting exercises. I encouraged my son to use his best handwriting when completing the different exercises and so we easily killed two birds with one stone. Also, the lessons usually didn't take more than 20 to 30 minutes per day, and they would have taken much less time if I had watched the video lessons ahead of time.

Let me stress this point: You DO NOT have to have ANY background in the Latin language to use this course! I was so intimidated to begin a latin program, but my fears were unjustified. You will learn right alongside your child and it will enrich your understanding of and appreciation for the English language. What a joy to have the depth of understanding that you will have after just a few weeks of this program!

I highly recommend this comprehensive and highly effective curriculum for your English student!

For more information, you can check out The Latin Road website HERE. You can even download a free sample of the curriculum.

To see other reviews for the product, click HERE.

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: Math Tutor DVD

2009-03-25T19:07:00.001-07:00

I happen to really like math...that is, I really like math when I "get it". I love it when everything just kind of clicks and I know that I found the right solution and I understood how to get there. It's very satisfying!

But, I have to admit, I didn't do very well in math when I was in high school. I had one really great teacher who had to spend so much time disciplining that she just never had much time for teaching. And then I had one really horrible teacher who no one dared to "act up" around but whose endless hours of "teaching" just didn't hit home very well. In fact, I don't remember too many of the kids in my class getting good grades in math and frustration was a frequent topic of conversation!

So when I decided to homeschool, teaching math became a little intimidating. Because my son is only in 3rd grade, we haven't ventured out of the simple math problems that I am comfortable with...yet! But the day will come...

So, I'm glad we had the opportunity to try out MathTutor DVD's. This is another resource that I am glad to have in my teaching arsenal! These DVD's have been a tremendous blessing in our home. My son and I have learned so much in such a short amount of time with next to no discomfort at all!

I have to admit that I was "on the fence" about this one at the beginning. My first impression was that it was way too "lecture-y" and way too much like being in a classroom. In our home, we like to keep learning as casual and self-directed as possible, so these characteristics were not a plus for me! However, as I watched my son intently viewing The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor and working out the problems along with the instructor, I realized he was "getting it"! I could literally see concepts "clicking" in his brain!

Okay, so maybe this format is not so bad!

In fact, he enjoyed the program so much that he asked to keep watching through the next segment on that first day and in a very short time he had a good understanding of Adding and Subtracting Whole Numbers with word problems. The next day, he completed Adding and Subtracting Fractions. A couple of days later, he wanted to watch the Adding and Subtracting Decimals sections. After completing each section, I gave him some practice problems to work out on his own and he did a really great job on them all...the comprehension was great!

He's not quite ready to start moving into the Multiplication and Division sections, but I'm confident that when he is, he will cruise right through them like he did the easier segments.

I decided that I would watch the Algebra 2 Tutor on my own and see if I could learn anything. WOW! And, it was even fun! I worked through all 6 hours over a one-week period of time and learned things I didn't even learn in my college algebra courses! The instructor has a real gift for teaching in a way that you can understand. I'm even thinking about getting the more advanced courses just so I can become a better mathmetician and teacher, and so I can use them with my kids later!

You can visit the MathTutorDVD website to watch sample videos of their 15+ different DVD sets. Most are 6 to 8 hours of instruction for only $26.99, a real value for such great instruction.

You can read other reviews for this product HERE.

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: Schleich Action Figures

2009-03-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to admit: I was wondering at first why we were receiving these Schleich action figures as a homeschooling review product. Most of the products we review are curriculums, programs or websites directly related to homeschooling. But we have received items in the past that would fall under the "educational toy" category, and as I got a little more acquainted with these figurines, I understood that this is exactly where they fit in.

We received what I can only call a "goodie box" in the mail full of these little animals. My kids were so excited as they unwrapped, one by one, a horse, a turtle, a chicken, a cat, a panda, a baby lion, and more. I couldn't believe how much my 8- and 2-year olds "oohed" and "ahhed" over these little guys!

You've probably seen Schleich action figures before. You can find them in toy stores, Toys 'R' Us, and Target. This company began in Germany in the 1930's and they make many different categories of figures: just about any animal you can think of, including dinosaurs, knights, cowboys, indians, and even The Smurfs! Remember those guys?

I don't have much experience with collectible figurines, but these look very well-made. The details are exquisite and the quality and durability are top notch. There is no way my children could destroy these (short of flushing them down the toilet!), so that is always a plus in my book!
As far as the educational value goes, these toys definitely promote imaginative play! My kids have added them to their Fisher Price farm, a Noah's Ark toy from another company, and have even used them to create their own circus! My son has done still-life drawings of the turtle and horse and has become interested in learning more about pandas.

I highly encourage you to check out Schleich and all of the products they offer at their website HERE.

To see other reviews for this product, click HERE.

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: Before Five In A Row

2009-03-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

If you've been homeschooling for any amount of time, you've probably heard of the literature-based curriculum called Five In A Row. With this program, each week is based on a great children's book, which you read to your child 5 days in a row (hence the name, "Five In A Row"). Then, each day that week you focus on one subject area as it relates to the book you're reading. It's sort of like mini-unit studies.

I used Five In A Row with my oldest when he was in Kindergarten and 1st grade. We both loved it so much! We had a new adventure to go on each week and we couldn't wait to see what was next! Besides, we love to read...I mean, we really love to read! You can usually find us curled up with a book on the couch, reading at the breakfast table, and even walking across the room with our noses buried in the pages! My hubby, an adament "non-reader" thinks we're crazy...

So, imagine how excited I was to receive Before Five In A Row (for ages 2 to 4) to use with my daughter! We couldn't wait...we dove right in with a book I happened to have on a shelf. She was so happy that she was going to have her own "school time" built right into the day!

Don't you just love when you see your kids learning all kinds of valuable stuff, but they're having so much fun they don't even know they're learning? That's what happens with the Five In A Row programs!

I'll give you a quick rundown of what we did the first week so you can see how fun and easy it is. You don't have to do the books in the order that they occur in the program, you can jump around as much as you wish. So, since we happened to have The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss, that's what we started with.

Monday Bible/Character: We discussed patience and we read some verses in the Bible about the importance of this virtue. We talked about never giving up and always trying to do a good job.

Tuesday Art: We looked at the pictures in the book and laughed at the expressions on the boys face. We talked about the colors (mainly orange and brown) and then she drew her own picture of a boy with a carrot. She wanted to use orange and brown crayons, just like the book.

Wednesday Science: Even though it was still winter, we decided to try to grow our own carrot seed! I had some left over from last summer and we had a red heat lamp from when we had baby chicks, so we planted that seed in a deep pot and waited...this was the real lesson in patience! In the meantime, we looked at pictures in books that showed how a seed grows and what a carrot looks like under the soil. To our surprise, the seed actually sprouted and we can't wait to pick that one carrot plant very soon!

Thursday Language Arts: I wrote the word "carrot" really big on a piece of paper and we talked about the letters and what sounds they make. Yes, she's a little too young for reading, but she was very interested in repeating the sounds after me and trying to copy the letters. I think this was her favorite day!

Friday Life Skills: We decided to spend some time in the kitchen, so we made carrot cake! Yum! For lunch, we (actually, I) cut up carrot sticks and for dinner we had carrots and peas. Wow, a lot of carrots for one day!

We made up some of our own things to do on a couple of the days. The "curriculum" is actually a book of suggestions. There are 24 books listed and activities for each are detailed by subject. I'm sure you will have plenty of your own ideas after reading their examples.

There is als a section in the book that gives creative ideas for "reading readiness". We try to implement some of those from time to time as well.

Notice that we spent less than 30 minutes each day (except Friday) with the book and the activity. Each "lesson" is just an expansion of the book itself. You probably already do a lot of these things with your kids when you read to them! It's natural and fun and so simple. In my opinion, preschool shouldn't be fussy, it shouldn't take a whole lot of prep work, and it shouldn't feel like work! Before Five In A Row is the perfect preschool product if you're looking to enhance your little one's day. I can't say enough great things about this product!

Five In A Row also offers Beyond Five In A Row for older students.

To see more information about the Five In A Row company and its products, you can visit the website HERE. Make sure you check out the "articles" section for some really great information.

To see more reviews for this product, go HERE.

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: The Critical Thinking Company

2009-03-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

I love to supplement my children's regular coursework with extra logic exercises. I think it's so important for them to not only be book smart, but to also be able to think for themselves and to solve problems on their own. The books published by The Critical Thinking Company are perfect for this purpose.

I received for review a book for preschoolers, ages 3 and 4, called Beginning Mathematical Reasoning, a Bright Minds book which is part of the preschool Core Curriculum series. My daughter, who is only 2, has been wanting to "do school" with her brother, so this book became the perfect opportunity for her to have her own "work" during math time.

My first observation was that this book is colorful and fun, perfect for keeping the attention of little ones. It is also not overwhelming. The cartoon drawings are large and the activities on the page are short and playful. I don't believe in subjecting a young child to a "curriculum", so this book allowed my daughter to learn the basics without even knowing she was doing so. She just loved to see which "fun page" I would give her next!

My favorite part is that there is a chart at the beginning of the book that lists the skills and what pages they are on. This is helpful for navigation of the book. The skills covered are the following: counting, identifying, matching, ordering, position, comparing and estimating, addition, and patterns.

The catalog for The Critical Thinking Company is extensive, including products from every subject and for every grade level. And it's not just workbooks. They offer really great games and software products. The products are all designed to help your child think on a deeper level than what is usually expected of them, expanding their brain power and helping with thinking and problem-solving skills. I will certainly be buying more products from them in the future!

To see all of the wonderful products they have to offer, please click HERE.

While you are at their website, check out their Free Printables section for samples from their books and various software demos. Also, the Articles section is an excellent resource!

To read more reviews for this company, click HERE.

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: WriteShop Storybuilders

2009-03-14T20:58:00.001-07:00

I realize that some of you are going to hate me when I say this, but I have to risk it as a preface to this review!

My 8-year old son LOVES to write!

Seriously. He would do nothing but write (and eat!) all day long if I didn't require him to complete some chores, play with his siblings, and practice math problems! He is a self-professed "author" and I do believe it's his "calling"! To date, he has completed 3 chapter books and is half way through writing a fourth. He has an entire series planned out called "Monster Town" and has already illustrated the covers of all 60+ volumes!

I know, weird, huh?

Even though I don't have to coax him to write, the Storybuilders e-books that we received from WriteShop were still fun for him and encouraged him to expand his imagination! The concept behind Storybuilders is so simple, but I think it's brilliant!

We had the opportunity to try out 2 different Storybuilders products: World of Animals and Christmas Mini-Builders.

The idea behind Storybuilders is to inspire creative writing by providing your student with random prompts. There are cards for different story elements: Characters, Character Traits, Setting, and Plot. The student chooses a card from each category and builds a story around those specific elements. It's really interesting to see what they come up with!

We printed the cards onto colored cardstock, laminated them, and then filed them by category into a plastic index card box. This makes them durable and very easily accessible. I also had my son come up with several cards of his own to add into the mix...this was a really fun project for him and he came up with some real doozies!

The e-book includes many fun ways that the student can choose their cards. We started out by blindly picking a card from each category, but there are some great games suggested that make the process a lot more fun! Also, there are suggestions for different types of writing assignments, such as poetry or timed writing.

These e-books include:
• 1 deck StoryBuilders cards, black print
• 1 deck StoryBuilders cards, colored print
• Blank cards for writing your own story elements
• Instructions and ideas

These books are very affordable at $7.95 for the Storybuilders and $4.95 (currently on sale for $3.95) for the Mini-builders.

I highly suggest checking out the WriteShop website. They also offer complete writing curriculums for different grade levels and other writing products. While you're there, make sure you check out their Support section which includes extra tools for parents and kids, tons of online resources, and even a forum for WriteShop users.

See other reviews for this product HERE!

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: Apologia - Young Explorer Series

2009-03-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

With my son entering the 4th grade next year, I've been interested in beginning a Creation-based science program with him. We haven't used a formal curriculum for science up until now, so I wasn't really sure where to start. I was quite excited when I opened my mailbox one day to find a textbook entitled Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day by Jeannie Fulbright. This book is part of the Young Explorer's Series and is published by Apologia Educational Ministries. The books in the series, which also include Zoology 2 & 3, Astronomy and Botany, are written for students in kindergarten thru 6th grade.

When I first received the book, the first thing I did was check out what it was all about. The back cover states that the book revolves around a creationist world view and uses Charlotte Mason methodology...PERFECT! I immediately felt like this was exactly what I've been looking for!

However, my first thought was, "How can we spend an entire year just studying flying creatures? Is there really that much to learn about birds?" When I turned to the first couple of pages, my question was answered. Instead of skimming the surface of many different scientific subjects, this book uses the "immersion approach" to science, where a child learns the in-depth information that pertains to a particular subject and is encouraged to "immerse" themselves in the more deep and profound aspects of the scientific field. This got me excited! I had always enjoyed science in school, but never felt like I had a real good understanding of it. This program should give my kids a better science education than I had - and that's my ultimate goal!

I decided to complete the first chapter with my son in order to give an accurate review of the book. I'll tell you from the start that he loved it! He was so interested in the material and asked if we could start the school day with science from now on. The first chapter is called "What Is Zoology?" and covers animal classification, binomial nomenclature, habitats, instincts, extinction, and ends with a fun scavenger hunt. Spaced through the lesson are a couple of experiments and actitivities pertaining to flight. For example, we built a glider using cardbord, straws, clay and tape. The best part, it actually worked! There was great excitement in our house that day! We also made a field notebook to take on nature walks and used it for the scavenger hunt at the end of the chapter.

I can't believe how much my son (and I) learned during that first chapter. My 2-year old even learned a lot and got to tag along on a good deal of nature walks. The content is thorough and entertaining. We couldn't bear to stop after one chapter, so we've decided to continue on with it through the summer and then purchase Zoology 2 for next year.

There wasn't much prep work involved for me, as the teacher, which is another big plus in my book. I would simply read the assigned pages the night before and make sure I had any materials I would need on hand. In fact, at the beginning of the book there is a materials list that is broken down by chapter, so I can be prepared well in advance.

Although we don't use the internet very much during our school day, Apologia does offer a website that corresponds with the textbook where your child can find more in-depth information about any of the material in the book. We did check this out a couple of times and it's very helpful. You can find many links pertaining to a particular chapter, or you can find general information on zoology, including notebook pages, flashcards, and ideas for extra experiments (like how to dissect an owl pellet)! This is a great resource.

Our experience with this book has been incredible. We cannot wait to continue on with the series and we highly recommend it to you! For more information about the Young Explorer's Series, click HERE.

Apologia also publishes many other products for all grade levels through high school. To see what else they have to offer, click HERE.

To see other reviews for this product, click HERE.

Happy Homeschooling!

Heads Up! Giveaway Winner

2009-03-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks to those who stopped by and entered the Heads Up! Giveaway!

The winner is:

MOMMY'S HOME!

CONGRATS!

I've contacted you for your mailing info and I'll send out your package as soon as I hear from you!

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: Bible Story Songs

2009-03-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed how children seem to be able to memorize song lyrics better than anything else? I learned this lesson the hard way when my son was little and he started singing "Honky Tonk Badonk-a-donk"! OOPS! I had to quickly stop listening to country music in the car!

There is a company called Bible StorySongs, created by two grandmothers who believe that children can best learn about the Bible through music. We had the opportunity to try out one of their CD's and my kids love it! They have always loved listening to music and I find them singing their way through the day. It's so wonderful to hear my kids sing stories from Scripture instead of Trace Adkins!

We received the David CD, which is the company's newest release, but they also offer Moses (Volumes 1 and 2), Matthew (Volumes 1 and 2), and The Bible. What I love the most about the CD we received is that the entire story of David is built chronologically into 32 song tracks. Some of the song titles are:

Hannah No Children Had
Out on the Hills
You Come to Me With a Sword
I'd Like to Honor You
David Went Forth and Brought Up
Solomon, My Son

In the spirit of honesty in my reviews, I have to tell you that at first we weren't all that impressed. When the disc came in the mail, we were so excited and we popped it right into the CD player to listen to over lunch. The songs were cute and upbeat, children were singing them, and they told a nice story, but they just weren't all that catchy. They're not the type of songs that you hear once, catch the lyrics, and then you find yourself singing for the rest of they day. My 2-year old even asked me to turn it off! Uh-oh!

But I could see the potential in the music, so I started turning it on every day at lunchtime. After a few days, the kids started to really enjoy it and they missed it if it wasn't on. Then, after about a week, I noticed them singing the songs during the day as they went about their business. Do you know how sweet it is to hear the sound of a 2-year old's voice singing Scripture verses from the Bible?

Not only do they enjoy the songs now, but I do, too! And they've learned more about David and his faith than I could have taught them. Interspersed into the music is Scripture readings. It literally feels like you're sitting in a church sanctuary listening to a children's program.

When you visit their website, you'll see that Bible StorySongs offers more than just CD's. They also have sheet music, Color 'n Sing Song Books, and Puzzle Pages. They have downloadable lyrics for the David CD and you can hear song samples from each of the products. They also have short lyrics for a Song-A-Day that can be sung to a popular tune.

You can see more reviews for this product HERE!

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: One2Believe Noah's Ark Set

2009-03-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

We received another playset to review from One2Believe.com. Back in November of 2008, I wrote a favorable review for their Nativity playset, which is from their Tales of Glory toy line. A couple months later, we received the Noah's Ark playset and we were equally pleased with it.

Noah's Ark is a well-loved Bible story in our home. My children have requested to hear it over and over from scripture as well as children's books. When the playset came in the mail, they were overjoyed! They handled each little animal with care and matched it up with its counterpart. They re-enacted the story over and over on that first day and didn't tire of it. Even my little guy, who is not even a year old, loved playing with the little animals. The next day, I played a matching game with my 2-year old with the animals and my 8-year old had a renewed interest in the subject, asking a million and one questions about the flood and the ark and God's plan for the earth.

My favorite part: The ark opens up so all the little pieces can be stored inside! I never know how to organize all the little parts that come with some toys, so to have a built-in storage space is excellent!

One2Believe.com offers many types of faith-based toys, including playsets, action figures, and dolls that encourage creative play and a Biblical worldview. Their products are high-quality and durable...my 3 kids have not managed to break any of them yet! We have been very happy with them and the kids have had hours of good, clean fun. Please read my first review of this company for more in depth information.

To read more about this company and what products they offer, click HERE.

To read other reviews for the Noah's Ark playset, click HERE.

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: Heads Up! and a Giveaway!

2009-03-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

Heads Up! is a company who strives to provide products that will enrich the educational experience of special needs children. My family recently had the opportunity to try out a few of their products.

My 8-year old son is not really learning disabled, but we have had issues with his ability to concentrate. I think that is just a "boy thing"! I was pleasantly surprised at how well the products from Heads Up! helped him to focus on the task at hand.

We were able to "test drive" the Readers, Small and Large Frames, and the Doubles. These products were designed to create focus on one part of a whole page so that the student isn't distracted or overwhelmed by the material. We used the Frames for math problems and the Readers and Doubles for reading workbooks, textbooks, and chapter books. They were a huge success!

When I asked my son if he felt like they helped him, he said "Uh, yeah!" Remember, he's eight! But, I noticed that he was completing his workbook pages faster and he was reading his textbooks with more focus. He usually takes 30 minutes to read one page because he's overwhelmed and can't concentrate. When he was focused on one line at a time, I noticed that he was less stressed out about his schoolwork which made him much more productive!

Another great use for the frames is when you are cooking with your kids. My son's job is to pull out all of the ingredients when we are making something from a recipe. By placing a frame around the ingredients list, he was able to find the items faster.

Heads Up! products have been used by homeschooling families, special education teachers, occupational therapists, speech therapists and other specialists with much success! They have an extensive catalog of items. I've already gone through it page by page with a marker and there are several items I will be ordering for next year!

As I browsed the catalog, I noticed that there were many items that would be great for all students, not just those with special needs. There are music and art programs, fun games, learning manipulatives, and many great books that would be great for any educator. The one that caught my eye is titled 101 Activities for Kids in Tight Spaces...wish I would have had that one this past winter!

By the way, these products are VERY affordable! The Readers and Frames are $1.00 each! I don't think you could even make your own for that price, at least not of such a great quality! The book I mentioned above is only $10.00. It's difficult to find quality resources for that cheap nowadays!

48-HOUR GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I'd like to share a few of the Frames and Readers with one of you! I am giving away 2 Large Frames, 2 Small Frames, and 2 Readers. All are highlighted and I will send a variety of colors. To enter, simply leave me your name and email address in the comments section. I will announce the winner Sunday afternoon ~ Good luck!

Deadline: Thursday, March 12th, 2009 at MIDNIGHT (ET)

Please visit the Heads Up! website for more details on their mission and their products. When you visit, make sure you allow time to read some of their great articles. This is a great resource for homeschoolers! You can also visit the Heads Up! blog for a whole lot more!

To read more reviews of this product, please go HERE.

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: Alphabet Alley Part 2

2009-03-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

Back in December of last year, I wrote this review for Alphabet Alley. The products I reviewed were the Noah's Ark Go Fish and the Two By Two Matching Game, both geared for preschoolers. I recently received a third product from the company to tell you about.

If you have young daughters and they like to play "Mommy" with their dolls, then they might really enjoy the magnetic playsets offered by the Alphabet Alley company. These faith-based toys are good, clean fun and can be taken anywhere for quick, easy entertainment!

We were delighted to receive the New Baby Magnet Playset. It came with a foldable playboard and many magnets portraying adorable family characters, nursery furniture, toys and accessories. My daughter got started right away "setting up" the nursery just the way she liked it!

We have taken this set with us in the car, to doctor appointments, and on long trips to grandparents houses. It's amazing how long it can keep a 2-year old entertained!

Warning: This product has many small pieces that could easily be swallowed by a child. Product recommendation is for children ages 3 and over.

To see more about this company and their other products, visit their website HERE.

To see other reviews for this product, click HERE.

Happy Homeschooling!

UPDATE: The company website does not list these playsets in their catalog any longer. Please visit their website for other great products!

Update and Learning Thru Life

2009-03-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

Please excuse my recent absence from this blog! I have been having very frustrating computer issues and I think that they have now been fixed. I have about 10 new reviews that will be posted over the next 2 weeks, so check in and see what I've been trying out! I have some GREAT products to tell you about!

Also, I plan on posting Free Homeschool Friday this week with tons of great internet freebies organized by subject...don't miss it!

Can you believe that it is almost spring? Our school year will be ending in just 3 short months! I always like to do a lot of fun things with my kids during this time of year. We love to go on varied "field trips" and it's a great excuse to get out into the nice weather after being cooped up all winter. I also involve them in planning and planting the garden, spring cleaning, re-decorating for spring/summer, pulling out the outdoor furniture and promptly having our first BBQ of the year, and planning their birthday parties, which are in April and May. It's a fun time in our home!

One of the reasons I love homeschooling is that my children are exposed to real life every day! All of the things I listed above fit in perfectly with our "curriculum". Besides teaching life skills, they also learn about science, math, and history (field trips), while practicing reading, graphing, handwriting, organizing, and planning. Plus, my kids love to draw nature pictures and take photographs of the emerging plants and flowers on our property, so they're naturally learning art! Isn't it amazing that every subject occurs on its own in every day life? Education doesn't get any better than that!

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: All About Homophones

2009-02-21T13:48:00.000-08:00

If you have read any of my reviews in the past, you may recall that I reviewed a product called All About Spelling back in December. Marie Rippel, the creator of that incredible spelling program, has created another really great curriculum product called All About Homophones and I was thrilled to have the privilege of adding this to my stash of teaching resources!

All About Homophones is a comprehensive toolkit in book form that includes lessons, card games, puzzles and worksheets to teach children about words that sound the same but are spelled differently. It's amazing how fun grammar can be! Since being introduced to homophones, my son is constantly alert to them and is always pointing out new ones that he finds in books, on signs, in conversation, in movies, etc. He gets so excited when he discovers one he hadn't thought of before!

This book is fun and easy to read, visually appealing, and perfect for homeschoolers or any parent that wants to teach or add to their child's grammatical knowledge. It's not only educational, but because if makes grammar fun, it helps to develop an excitement about the English language. I don't think that is typical for most school-aged children!

My favorite section in the e-book is called Graphic Organizers. This is a collection of diagrams that helps your student to understand better how each word in a homophone set is used. For example, the one diagram that we have used the most has a place to write the word, its definition, its synonyms, sentences using that word, and even a "frame" in which to draw a picture of the word. There are 6 diagrams to choose from, some that are good for 2-word homophone sets and some designed for 3-word homophone sets.

The program also includes grade-level suggestions as a guide for which homophone sets can be introduced to certain ages. The curriculum is suggested for grades 1 thru 8 and the worksheets are conveniently organized by grade. My 3rd grade son, who has always been fascinated with words, has progressed on into the 6th grade level and will probably complete the 8th grade worksheets before the end of the year. He's having a blast with this course!

To tell you the truth, I am too! We often find ourselves sitting together for dinner and seeing how many sentences we can make that include homophone sets. These examples are from last night's brainstorming session:

"Mary wishes to have a merry wedding on the day that she is to marry!"

"Would you like to chop wood?"

"Which witch is the good witch?" (After watching The Wizard of Oz)

"Did you close the clothes closet?"

Marie Rippel has also created a really fun website dedicated solely to homophones! I highly recommend heading over there and playing with The Homophone Machine for free. It can be really hilarious!

To tell you the truth, I was a little skeptical at first about using one e-book to cover such a narrow topic. I thought, do I really need an entire 240-page book just to teach homophones? But I discovered that as I used this book to teach this concept, we were also covering spelling, handwriting, sentence structure, diagramming, vocabulary and dictionary skills! Plus, each of the worksheets includes a bonus: a tongue twister, an optical illusion, a fun fact, or a challenge to try something new. In fact, you could essentially create an entire unit study just around one lesson!

This book can be purchased in softcover or in e-book format. It is fun, educational, comprehensive, and can be used for at least 8 grade levels. Anything that makes learning a little more fun and easy gets an A+ in my book! For more information, for sample pages from the book, or to order All About Homophones, visit the website today!

Go here to read many more great reviews for this product!

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: Kinderbach

2009-01-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

Have you always wanted to give your child music lessons but thought you couldn't afford it? I encourage you to check into Kinderbach, online music lessons for the young children in your home!

Karri Gregor, the founder of Kinderbach, created the program when she couldn't find a piano teacher who would take children under the age of 7. She saw a need for a program for young children that would get them started in music at an early age when they could form a solid foundation. Karri began with a studio in her own home before creating the online and DVD lessons.

The lessons are accessed through video feed on your computer. They were created for preschoolers, so my 2-year old really enjoyed playing along, but my 8-year old son has had a blast with them, so don't let that discourage you if you have older kids. The lessons are really cute and fun and give the kids a great general understanding of what music is while encouraging active participation through motion songs, dancing, and playing along. In just a few weeks, my son has learned to play a couple of simple songs on his keyboard (although agonizingly slow) and has gained a real interest in learning to play the piano in more depth. It looks like we will be working Kinderbach into our curriculum budget for next year!

Don't have a piano or keyboard? Don't worry! The lessons work best with an instrument, but we began our lessons without a physical instrument of any kind. My son just pretended on a piece of paper on which he had drawn a picture of the keys. However, he received a nice Yamaha keyboard for Christmas and has since been practicing for real! You can imagine his excitement when he got to implement an actual instrument into the lessons!

The one downside for us was that the videos loaded quite slowly with our dial-up internet connection. I had to log on about an hour before I wanted my kids to do the lesson to let it load. This wasn't too much trouble, but it did tie up my phone line for an extra hour each day. High-speed isn't an option out where we live, so I've always had to deal with issues like this. It's not really the program's fault, but it was something we had to adjust to. If you have dial-up and don't want to deal with slow download times, you can purchase "Kinderbach at Home" which is piano lessons on DVD.

Other than that, the kids absolutely love the lessons and ask for them every day! They actually wish they were longer! I have been known to download more than one a day for them because they are having so much fun. There are also games, worksheets, and coloring activities to go along with the lessons. These are great because they give me something to stick in my son's portfolio at the end of the year!

There is also a syllabus and a parent guide available for download so you can help your child get the most out of the lessons. This is great to include in the music section of your portfolio as well.

How much does it cost, you ask? I wanted to know that myself. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the cost was much cheaper than one-on-one piano lessons. You can purchase an entire year up front (over 300 sessions) for $7.16 per month. If you don't want to commit to a full year up front, you can pay the monthly rate of $14.95. If you prefer the DVD lessons, they are a bit more expensive, but they are still much more affordable than traditional lessons. You can purchase them individually, by semester, or in value packs.

Are you the "try it before you by it" type? Head over to their website and try the first 2 weeks of lessons for FREE! You can also read a few research articles and a great article about how music can affect a child's performance in the three R's.

I never thought I could say that I had kids who could play the piano. It just didn't seem to be in the cards for us. We didn't own a piano, we live too far away from lessons, and even if we lived closer, I don't think we could afford them. Now that we have found Kinderbach, I think piano lessons are going to be a new "must-have" in each of my child's curriculums. I'm excited to think I might raise a few half-decent musicians! Bottom line: I highly recommend this program! Check it out today!

You can see more reviews for Kinderbach HERE!

Review: KidsWealth Money Kits

2009-01-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

I have to say that as a member of The Old Schoolhouse Crew, I have received some really amazing products to review. The latest, KidsWealth, does not disappoint! In our house, we have two words for this product: LOVE IT!

Do you want to teach your kids how to handle their money responsibly? Do you have bad habits that you don't want them to inherit? Or do you have great habits but you don't really know how to pass them on? KidsWealth is for you! In fact, if you have kids, KidsWealth IS FOR YOU!

I love great products that teach valuable life skills in a fun way that makes kids want to participate! This is one of those products. KidsWealth is basically an envelope system that teaches kids to divide their allowance or gift money into 5 different categories so that they are saving, investing, donating and even spending! Your kids will love being in control of their own money and it will make them feel amazing when they set a financial goal and reach it!

My kids started jumping up and down with excitement when we got our kits in the mail. The first thing they noticed was how colorful they are! My son got a blue kit and my daughter got a purple one. Perfect! Then, they're eyes lit up when they opened they're portfolios and glimpsed all the goodies inside! They were most excited about their very own calculators! Keep in mind that my daughter is 2 1/2, so she doesn't really grasp what this is about, but she wants to "play" with her kit everyday! Nothing like starting them early...

Now, I was a little skeptical when I started reading the Parent Guide. The creators suggest giving your child an allowance, which we've never done. I didn't think my husband would be willing to start now! Our philosophy is that members of a family are responsible for their own part and that normal chores don't justify an allowance. However, after reading through the program, I realized that we put money aside for the kids each month anyway. So, what if we took that money, gave it to them in cash, and then let them open up their own savings accounts. This is something I've been wanting to do for awhile anyway, so now might be a good time to start! After discussing it with my husband, we decided that this would be worth it if they could learn valuable lessons in money management.

So, my kids now get a monthly "allowance". They really look forward to dividing up their money into their "wallets" each month. The best part is that they always have their own spending money when we go out so they don't always ask if they can have stuff. It's amazing how discerning they are when it's their own money they're spending!

Another great thing about the program is that you can get activity books called "trackers" to go along with the kit. There are different books for different age ranges. As the name suggests, on the back of the "tracker" is a place to track each account, like a check book register. The books aid in teaching the principles of money management and they're really fun for the kids to complete. We have done a weekly lesson since receiving the program and they both really look forward to it. My 8-year old son is currently trying to decide what he wants to do with his "donate" wallet, since we don't belong to a church where we could tithe.

The kits are marketed for ages 4-12, but like I previously stated, my 2 1/2 year old loves her kit and I figure it doesn't hurt to start her early! Plus, she's old enough to spend her own money at the store...believe me! I also think they would be great for older kids. I know I would have loved to have one of these as a teenager approaching college. It would have been a tangible way for me to "see" all that gift money coming in and apply it where it was needed most!

You can purchase the kits at the KidsWealth website for $39.95 each. The Tracker books sell for $7.95.

I have to say, as a homeschooling mom who wants to teach my kids practical life skills, this product is a Godsend! Anything that makes teaching easier gets 2 thumbs up in my book! I HIGHLY recommend this if you have children of ANY age. If I had gotten this type of training when I was a kid, I would have made a lot less mistakes as an adult! In fact, I have learned so much myself that my husband and I have implemented a lot of the principles into our own financial plan...with much success!

Visit the KidsWealth website today for more information and to order your kits...you won't regret it!

See more reviews for KidsWealth HERE!

Review: All About Spelling

2008-12-24T14:42:00.000-08:00

Spelling is one of those subjects that often gets put by the wayside. It is assumed that a child will learn to spell through reading, grammar, handwriting, and maybe even weekly spelling tests. That is, in fact, how I’ve always approached spelling with my 3rd grader. Give him 20 words at the beginning of the week, practice and review them a few times, and then test at the end of the week. Isn’t that how we learned spelling in school?

There is a program called All About Spelling that completely blows that theory out of the water. Created by Marie Rippel, a literacy expert, this program uses a multisensory approach that reaches all children, regardless of their learning style. For home educators, especially, this curriculum is comprehensive and easy to teach, without being confusing or time-consuming. I think it’s like hitting a home run!

There are currently four levels available in the All About Spelling series. Over the next couple of years, there will be two additional levels added. The 6 level program will take a child from early elementary all the way through high school. You can bet we’ll be using every level in our house. We’re hooked!

The lessons are really fun. My son is a hands-on, activity-driven fella and he absolutely loves the magnetized letter tiles and the spelling games we play with the phonogram cards. He also really enjoys the Phonograms CD-Rom. This disk launches an interactive phonogram chart onto your computer screen and when you press on a letter or a combination, it demonstrates the sound(s) it makes. He practiced with this disk many times and can now recite the phonograms for every letter and combination possible! One thing that surprised me was that I wasn’t even saying the sounds of the letters correctly when I was teaching him phonics! Instead of “wh”, I was saying, “wuh”. It helped me tremendously to be able to hear the correct sounds on the Phonograms disk.

As a busy homeschooling mom, I really appreciate the work that went into making this curriculum user-friendly. On a daily basis, there is virtually no prep work involved. Granted, when you first receive the product, there is a lot of cutting and there is also an index box that needs to be set up, but once that's done, the program is extremely easy to implement. Also, some of the cards have now been perforated so there is less cutting involved. The lessons are laid out so well and they only take about 15-20 minutes per day, easy to fit in! If I had a rating system, I would give this one 2 thumbs up, 5 stars, A+++...whatever the case, we love it and it's a winner at our house!

I highly suggest checking out the All About Spelling website. You can read many articles about how to teach spelling. There is also an FAQ section that will answer any questions you may have about the program. While your there, make sure you sign up for the FREE report called "20 Best Tips for Teaching Spelling" and the weekly spelling tips email newsletter...there is a wealth of information to be had!

If you really want to give the curriculum a try, you can view sample spelling lessons HERE.

The six levels do not correspond to grades or ages. From our experience, I feel like it would be best for all students to start with Level 1 and build from there. But you may not feel like your child needs to start at the beginning, so if that's the case, click HERE to find out which level to start with.

One last thing: Each level comes with a Materials Packet. If you are using the program with more than one child at a time, you will need to purchase additional Materials Packets for each child, and possibly even an additional set of letter tiles. Keep that in mind when you are budgeting. The Materials Packets include all the cards and game pieces you will need for that level, as well as a completion certificate for the student.

I hope you enjoy checking out this product as much as I have! It is now a very valuable tool in my homeschooling arsenal!

Read more reviews of All About Spelling HERE.

Review: Motherboard Books

2008-12-22T23:26:00.000-08:00

Being a reviewer on the TOS (The Old Schoolhouse) Crew has been so phenomenal. I have received so many amazing products, most of which I already knew a little bit about or at least had heard of before. But from time to time, a product comes along from a company that I had no previous knowledge of and might have never looked into for our school. Motherboard Books falls into the latter category.

My 8-year old son has been playing computer learning games since he was 2 years old, and now my daughter is following in his footsteps. He also knows how to type and create a Word document. He's fascinated with the computer and seeing his words and pictures on the screen. I figured that the basic knowledge he has was enough and the rest he would figure out along the way as he needed it.

In steps Phyllis Wheeler and Motherboard Books. "The Computer Lady", as she is called, has created a comprehensive computer curriculum for middle school and high school students called Computer Science: Pure and Simple. Also for older students and adults, she offers a course called Website ABC's.

Realizing that there is also a need for computer instruction for younger kids, she has recently created a couple of really fun programs for kids that are 8 to 12 years old, Logo Adventures (which you can try out for free here) and Let's Make a Webpage, and an even more beginner program called Let's Make a Webpage Jr.

We had the opportunity to try out Let's Make a Webpage and I have to say, it was really fun! Mrs. Wheeler takes your child step-by-step through the process of creating their very own webpage, complete with text, photos, graphics and animation. The last lesson even has them publishing their page on the internet.

Since my son is on the low end of the age range, he still needed quite a bit of help from me. He was able to follow the directions, but I had to download a free HTML editor for him and help him navigate the internet to find graphics. I don't suggest leaving your child alone with the internet unless you have a very good security and filtering program.

He was so proud of his finished product! And I have to say, I learned quite a bit myself about simple HTML tags and how webpages are created and published. I highly recommend the products from Motherboard Books and I will certainly be investing in the higher level products to use with my kids when they are ready for them!

When you visit the website, make sure you download the FREE ebook, Internet Scavenger Hunt.

You can read other reviews for Motherboard Books HERE.

Review: Puppetools

2008-12-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

Puppetools is a website that offers parents and educators a look into the world of learning through the "language of play". The creator, Jeffrey Peyton, who calls himself "The Play Professor", touts the benefits of play as the foundation of learning. The theory behind Puppetools is that one can get into the hearts and minds of children through learning the art of play; more specifically, the art of puppetry.

Mr. Peyton has been researching the use of puppets in education since 1973. On his website he offers the findings of his research and ways to implement his theories with your own children or in a classroom. Here is a summary, straight from the website itself:

What is Puppetools?

Puppetools is an emerging worldwide learning community that shapes and directs its own training and teacher-led research with a specialized focus on play.

Puppetools is not theater. It is a teaching and learning language of handheld ideas and symbols.

With its revolutionary ‘play language’ and play-based communication system, Puppetools equips teachers with the tools and know-how of play-based communication in classrooms ranging from pre-K to college-level foreign language and teacher education.

Recognized internationally as a bridge between brain research and the classroom, Puppetools has advanced play as a foundational “learning birthright.” In its pioneering study of puppet play, Puppetools has identified a powerful wavelength of brain-directed communication energy to which children are innately tuned.

The research over at Puppetools is extensive. They also offer a patented "hinge" design and over 30 templates to get you started with making your own puppets.

Now, it's time for me to be completely honest with you. When I review a product, I want you to know that the opinions expressed therein are sincere. Although I do not wish to give a negative review to any product, some of them I just don't feel right endorsing to homeschool families. I will always give you as much information as I can concerning the basics of the product so that you can make up your mind about it on your own. But since a review is supposed to have an element of personal opinion, I will offer you that as well.

That being said, I just don't feel like I can endorse Puppetools as a resource that would be valuable to most homeschool families. Perhaps it would be useful to a homeschool co-op or church group, but I don't feel that the cost of access to the information provided on the website is worth it. I know that Mr. Peyton has done 35 years of research on the subject, but I feel like the extent of the information goes beyond what a typical homeschooling family would need. I think that if you would like to implement puppets into your teaching, you could probably find enough information for free online or at the library.

If you are interested in checking out Puppetools, you can head over to the website and read some of the free articles. The cost to join is $20 for a 60-day trial or $99 for a one year membership. The one year membership is for up to 30 users, so this might be an option if you have several other families who would like to go in with you. As a member, you could read for weeks and still not get through all of the information that is offered. It is very extensive! You would also receive access to:

* 1 year to train and master Puppetools - the "Language of Play"
* Access Puppetools' online Educator Work Area
* Access Puppetools' exclusive practitioner video library
* Access extensive research on play and education
* Access hundreds of puppet images, concepts, and patterns
* Access readings from the 200 page Puppetools Manual
* Access our global community forums - learn with teachers around the world

You can read other reviews from the TOS Crew about Puppetools HERE. Don't take my word for it, do your own research and look into what Puppetools has to offer. It just might be something your family can use!

Review: Trigger Memory Systems ~ Part 1

2008-12-16T18:56:00.003-08:00

I couldn't wait to write this review. I love Trigger Memory Systems so much that I just had to tell you all about it! They have made life in my house so much nicer on two different levels: math and chores!

The ladies over at Trigger Memory Systems generously sent me four of their products to try out. You should have seen me when I opened the box...I was literally dancing around with excitement! My kids thought I was losing my mind, I'm sure! But when I see a product that is genuinely going to make my life and/or my kids' lives easier, I get excited about it!

The products we received were Times Tales, which I will be reviewing in this post (Part 1) and the three Clean 'N Flip charts, which I will be reviewing in Part 2.

Times Tales is a memory aid system that claims to be able to teach your child his/her multiplication tables in 1 hour! Yeah, I was skeptical too! Besides a very brief introduction to muliplication, I hadn't even begun to teach my third grader his tables yet, so I thought, "No way!"

I was wrong! We dove head first into this fun system and less than an hour later, he had learned 3 X 6, 3 X 7, 3 X 8, 3 X 9, 4 X 6, 4 X 7, 4 X 8, 4 X 9, and all of their reciprocals, of course. And not only did he know them...he knew them well! And after several weeks, he still remembers them and is cruising through his practice sheets. Incredible!

Not only did my 8-year old pick this up quickly, but my 2-year old can also recite the stories back to me, so she'll probably be able to multiply before she even learns to add and subtract! Both of my kids loved the book so much that they even wanted me to read it to them "just for fun" at bedtime.

The system uses short little stories to teach association and then reinforces the learning with flashcards, puzzles, worksheets, and games. Because the facts for 0, 1, 2, and 5 are fairly simple, they are not included.

After the child learns the lower times tables, then there is a second section that teaches the upper level tables. Although we haven't moved onto that section yet, I'm sure he will learn those just as quickly, as the stories are just like the first section. I know my kids will be excited to learn that there is a whole part of the book we haven't even looked at yet!

Trigger Memory Systems sells Times Tales for $29.95. It includes a spiral-bound flip book with stories for the lower and upper multiplication tables, corresponding flashcards, worksheets, games, and tests. There is even a bonus set of division flashcards!

Head over to their website for more details and to check out the plethora of information there! There are articles, games, tips, resources, reviews, and testimonials. Plus, they offer tons of other great products, from their cleaning charts, to ebooks, to games and much more!

You can read other reviews for Trigger Memory Systems HERE!

Review: Time4Learning

2008-12-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple of months, my kids have had the chance to try out Time4Learning, which is a customizable, web-based program for PreK-8th grade. The program offers complete Language Arts and Math curriculums, with Science and Social Studies supplements included. There is also a "playground" area that has fun games as a reward for doing school work.

If your kids like to do school work on the computer, and you like to be mostly hands-off in their schooling, then Time4Learning might be a good match for you. There is a tracking system that allows parents to their child's progress in each subject. Because everything is computer-based, there is absolutely no prep work involved for the parent/teacher. You can, however, create a lesson plan and assign student work in each subject for any given day.

My 8-year old really liked the Math portion of the program and my 2-year old liked flipping through the virtual books in her Language Arts program. Because I prefer to be very hands-on with lesson planning and implementation, my family would most likely use this as a supplement to our regular curriculum, and then only after I was able to "preview" the lessons. We like to stick to physical books and products as much as possible around here.

A word of warning: To Christian families who only teach Creation Science, please note that this is a secular curriculum that supports the theory of evolution. In our home, we only teach what is Biblically-supported, so we decided not to pursue the Science portion of the program. There is also some crude and disrespectful humor in the Language Arts section that I didn't really approve of. For this reason, we stuck to the Math sections and I previewed any Language Arts lessons before they worked through them.

However, if the aforementioned issues are simply not issues for you in your homeschool, then I can see how this could be a good option for you. My son learned a lot in Math and was able to do it during "down times" in our day when he had free time.

The price for access to the program is $19.95 per month for the first child and $14.95 for each additional child. The curriculum is completely customizable, and you can even have complete sections removed from your child's plan if you'd like (i.e. Science if you don't like the evolution aspect). If you discover that what they are doing is too easy or too hard, a simple request will have that section changed up or down a level. When I requested access to the site, it was granted very quickly and my kids were online with the program within the same day. The customer service is great and the email communications were very friendly and professional.

There is a parent forum that is connected to the site, and in particulur, there is a Christian thread where parents can chat about how they get around the secular areas that they don't approve of. I would think this would be very helpful if you were planning on using this full-time with your kids. There are also supplemental lessons and printable worksheets available in the parent section if you feel like your child needs more help in a particular area.

You can check out the website and even download lesson demos for free over at Time4Learning.com. For a limited time, you can also sign up for a 2-week free trial.

See more reviews for Time4Learning HERE!

Book Giveaway Winners

2008-12-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of you who entered in the giveaway for these 2 great Usborne books!

THE WINNERS ARE:

Anonymous (thegood3@...)

is the winner of:

Big Book of Things To Spot

Clemencia (storytime5366@...)

is the winner of:

The Big Bug Search

CONGRATS TO BOTH OF YOU!

Please send your mailing addresses to me at tikesandtots at hotmail dot com. I'll be sending these out tomorrow so you'll get them in time for Christmas!

And thanks to all of you who signed up to "follow" this blog. Along with reviews and giveaways, I will be re-starting Free Homeschool Fridays this week and I'll also be doing some other fun stuff!

Happy Homeschooling!

Review: Schoolside Press

2008-12-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

Schoolside Press is an independent publisher that offers educational books for children that really top the chart! Their first book, The Little Man In the Map, has won multiple awards for its creativity and ingenuity in children's literature, including a Silver in the MoonBeam Children's Book Awards. My family thinks that this book deserved every award it received and more!

The excitement began immediately when the kids unwrapped the packaging and laid their eyes on the cover. I must admit, being a book-lover myself, that I got a little excited too! It is a beautiful, full-color, hardback book complete with dustjacket ~ very high quality. The front of the book is adorned in shiny award stickers. It begs to be opened up and read...right away! So that's what we did!

Let me explain what this book is all about. The author, E. Andrew Martonyi, created a way to help his granddaughter learn the names and locations of all 50 states. Since it worked so well for her, he decided to turn it into a children's book. It begins with the "Man in the Map", who is made up of 5 states: Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. If you look at those 5 states on the map, they really do look like a man standing sideways, complete with a hat and boots! From there, the author uses clever rhymes and memory aids to help the reader learn every other state in relation to the first five that make up MIM (Man In the Map).

An excerpt:

Four Corners Navajo Tribal Park!
That's where we go to stand
And spread our fingers four states wide,
With just a single hand.

Utah, Colorado form
The top part of a square.
Arizona's just below,
New Mexico it's pair.

To learn those states, just know UCAN.
Those letters spell a clue:
Put U and C on A and N,
And UCAN do it too!

Now, I must admit...I'm no fan of geography. In fact, when I play Trivial Pursuit and I get a question that says, "In what country...", I've been know to say something like, "Asia!" Yeah, I know, pretty sad. However, after reading this book 2 times (no lie!), I knew the location of every state in America! My son knew them all after one time through, but to be fair, he had been studying them already!

I admit, I was skeptical at first. How could a children's book help me to memorize something I've always struggled with? The proof was in the pudding, so they say, and it certainly was for me. Like I said, two times through was all it took!

If you have children, of any age, this is a great book for teaching United States geography. I highly recommend it to all parents, even if you don't homeschool! It's just one less thing you'll have to spend time teaching. Your kids will love to read it because it's fun, and in the meantime, they'll be learning and not even know it! In our homeschool, it just doesn't get any better than that!

This book retails for $19.95 (worth every penny, in my humble opinion!) and when you order it directly from Schoolside Press, you get FREE shipping for the holidays and you can request that it be autographed by the author for no extra cost. You can also purchase a MIM wall map for $21.95, or the combo set which is on sale right now for $35.00. This would make a really great Christmas gift!

Also, coming soon from Schoolside Press: A new book to help kids learn the state capitols! This is definitely on my "wish list"! I get to learn the names, locations and capitols of every state in our nation?! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks!

Okay, I know you want to go look at a United States map now and see if there really is a little man standing in the middle! So, what are you waiting for...go check it out! He's really there! And don't forget to visit the publisher's website, Schoolside Press, and their blog, FrogJumpsUSA.

You can read more reviews for Schoolside Press HERE!

Review: Molly's Money-Saving Digest

2008-12-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

The folks over at The Old Schoolhouse are starting a new project aimed to help “keepers at home” live more frugally while faithfully serving their families and friends. I’ve had the opportunity over the last couple of days to preview the premier issue of their new monthly periodical, Molly’s Money-Saving Digest and its accompanying website, Econobusters.

In today’s tough economic times, it seems that we could all use a little help now and then with our home finances. Enter Molly Green! Molly is the bargain-hunting, money-saving, frugal-living character who offers advice and encouragement to those of us who could use it. It may seem a bit presumptuous, but I would guess that we could all use it from time to time!

The periodical is in the form of an ebook and will be, in its final form, more than 40 pages long…chock full of great ideas for decorating and entertaining on a budget, finding new uses for old items, child-rearing methods and preparing for the future. There is even a feature called “On Sale This Month” that will point you in the right direction toward common items that stores markdown during certain months. For example, in January stores will be discounting winter clothing items and leftover Christmas decorations…time to stock up for next year!

I have thoroughly enjoyed this first edition of Molly’s Money-Saving Digest. I’m a bit of a frugal fanatic myself, so it was quite fun to read all of the articles, which included titles such as “Feather Your Nest Frugally” about decorating on a dime, “Parenting That Pays” about teaching your kids the 3 R’s (and it’s not reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic!), and a great interview with the developer of PearBudget called “Let’s Get Organized For Fiscal Fitness”.

My favorite piece was this month’s “Begin with the Basics” which featured a great, comprehensive article called “Bread-making For Beginners”. The article includes some history and background information on the art of bread-making, recipes for different types of bread from around the world, and links to online tutorials and ebooks for further study. Bread-making is something that I haven’t quite mastered yet, but it’s only a matter of time. This articles’ tips will help me get there!

Then, after all of this, there are some very handy worksheets included at the end of the digest. They include a home inventory record, monthly expense report, and budgeting worksheets. You can print these and use them in your home, or you can simply use the ideas to create your own that work best for your home and family.

The January 2009 edition of Molly’s Money-Saving Digest will be available at The Old Schoolhouse online store starting on January 1st for only $4.95. In the meantime, you can head on over to Econobusters and get to know Molly Green a little better. There are already some really great articles posted over there to get you right on the road to a more frugally fantastic life!

Review: Salem Ridge Press

2008-12-10T19:31:00.004-08:00

Salem Ridge Press is a publishing company that reprints wholesome, family-friendly books from the 1800's and early 1900's. The company was started by Daniel Mills, a recent homeschool graduate who has a heart for the Lord and desires to serve Him and others through his work. A quote from the website:

The underlying philosophy of Salem Ridge Press is found in the Bible: "Whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8)."

Our family was given the following books for review:

Mary Jane: Her Book by Clara Ingram Judson

I read this one aloud to the kids and my 8-year old son LOVED it! He couldn't get enough of hearing how young Mary Jane spent her days at home with her mother! His favorite part was the chapter titled "Junior's Shower Bath" about indoor showers, which apparently were not common in those times! And after reading the chapter titled "Learning To Sew", my son just had to learn, too! We spent the next afternoon at the sewing machine!

From the back cover:

"This story, the first book in the Mary Jane series, recounts the happy, wholesome adventures of five-year-old Mary Jane and her family as she helps her mother around the house, goes on a picnic with the big girls, plants a garden with her father, learns to sew and more!"

This book was originally published in 1918.

Also available from this series: Mary Jane: Her Visit

The American Twins of the Revolution by Lucy Fitch Perkins

My son started to read this book on his own, but had a difficult time following the commentary of Aunt Hitty, a servant. Here is a sample of how she speaks in the book:

"Lawd bless yo', chile, he sholy is!" cried Aunt Hitty. "I plumb disremembered!" (pg. 22)

After a few frustrating nights of trying to understand the language, he gave up. I decided to read it outloud to him and that made all the difference! He loved hearing me do the accents and he could understand what she was saying a lot better. It was a really fun read-aloud!

From the back cover:

In September of 1777, General Washington and his troops are encamped just north of Philadelphia. The war is not going well for the Continental Army, the British are closing in fast and, worse of all, there is no money to pay the discouraged troops.

Twins Sally and Roger are asked by their father, General Priestly, to help their mother hide a shipment of gold which will be used to pay the American soldiers. Unfortunately, British spies have also learned about the gold and will stop at nothing to prevent it from reaching General Washington. Mrs. Priestly and her children must act quickly to keep the gold hidden and deliver it safely to the waiting army. Based on a true story, this is a thrilling episode from our nation's history!

This book was originally published in 1926.

Glaucia: The Greek Slave by Emma Leslie

I read this one on my own and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am a bit of a history buff, so it was certainly entertaining to read about the Ancient Romans and Greeks. This is a great book that tells of the ministry of Paul during one of his imprisonments. I couldn't put it down!

From the back cover:

"After the death of their father, Glaucia and Laon are taken to Rome to be sold as slaves to pay his debts. Glaucia is sold to Valeria, the proud daughter of Fabrizzio Gracchi, a wealthy Roman philosopher who has decided to move his family to Athens so that he can continue his study of Greek philosophy. Glaucia is grateful to be going back to her native city, but feels that the gods she has loved and served have no interest in the worship of a slave. She tries hard to adjust to her new life and to please her young mistress, but she longs to find a God who can love even a slave. Meanwhile, her brother, Laon, struggles to find her and to earn enough money to buy her freedom. Then, in the marketplace, Glaucia hears about a God who cares for slaves. As she learns more about this God, she is drawn to Him, but finds she must choose between the many gods she has always worshiped and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will not share His worship with anyone."

This book was originally written in 1874.

The Salem Ridge Press website is set up nicely and it is easy to find what you are looking for. You can search by category (new releases, historical fiction, adventure, allegory, and young readers), alphabetically, by time period and location, by auther, or by age range. You can even read sample chapters of the books while you are there!

You can purchase their book in hardback or softcover. They currently have 23 books published and have several more in the works for next year. There is a good selection for all age groups and interests!

I am so excited about the books that Salem Ridge Press is publishing! It is wonderful to know that I can go to one website to find good, moral literature for my kids to read. My son is an avid reader and I'm finding it is hard to find books that are appropriate for a young Christian boy to read. I have found the books from Salem Ridge Press to be entertaining, educational, and full of Biblical principles and good moral examples. I highly recommend these books as must-haves in any homeschool library!

See other reviews of Salem Ridge Press HERE!

A "Just For The Heck Of It" Giveaway!

2008-12-10T15:53:00.000-08:00

There's really no reason for this giveaway except that I just feel like hosting it! I LOVE to give away books! It's really fun for me to share things with all of you, so this week I'm giving away TWO books from my Usborne store! And it's just in time for Christmas!

There will be TWO winners! The first name I draw will receive:

The second name I draw will receive:

(click on the books for more info)

There are 3 ways to enter:

1. For one entry, just leave a comment below with your email address!

2. For 2 additional entries, blog about this giveaway and leave me the link to your post!

3. For 3 additional entries, become a FOLLOWER of this blog! Okay, I admit...this is totally selfish because this blog has NO followers! It makes me sad, and would make my week if you'd become one of my readers! :0)

(But seriously, please only become a reader if you're interested in homeschooling and you really want to get updates from this blog...please don't do it just for the entries!

DEADLINE: Sunday, December 13th at MIDNIGHT (EST)

The winner will be announced on Monday! Thanks for stopping by and entering!

Review: Spears Art Studio

2008-12-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

Have you been looking for a comprehensive art curriculum for your Christian homeschool? If you're anything like me, you want to give your kids a knowledge of art, its history, and its various techniques. Like every other subject in our homeschool, I want a curriculum with a Biblical worldview, but until now I have had a hard time finding one with a focus on our Creator.

The last couple of months, I have had the pleasure of using a wonderful, God-honoring art program in our homeschool called Spears Art Studio. This curriculum is designed by Diane Shields Spears, an accomplished, award-winning artist and children's book illustrator with a Doctorate in Christian Education. Spears was an educator and curriculum coordinator in private and public schools for over 20 years.

We were given the K-8 Christian Art Curriculum Teacher's Manual on CD-Rom, which is a series of ebooks in PDF that give you everything you need to know in an easy-to-use format. The program focuses on the basics of art: elements (line, shape, color, form, etc.) and principles (repetition, proportion, balance, etc.). It includes an overview with FAQ's, an introduction, a comprehensive Scope and Sequence for each grade, 9 months of lesson plans and projects (Sept. - Dec.), a student assessment worksheet (rubric), an appendix with an art supply list and an extensive glossary, and a really great research article titled Art Is Good For My Brain?

I have to say that I am not an artist. My son, on the other hand, is a natural artiste! That's what we call him around here...The Artiste. Anyway, I can attest to the fact that you do not have to know anything about art in order to teach it to your kids and give them an excellent education in it! All you have to do is find a really great curriculum. Spears Art Studio does the trick in our house! In fact, my son thinks I am way smarter than I really am due to the excellent instruction Diane has provided in the Teacher's Manual. Also, we do one lesson per week, so the prep time is not daunting at all. In fact, if you have the appropriate art supplies in your home, preparing for the lessons is quick and painless!

I'll use the December module to give you an idea of what each month's lesson plans looks like. The first project for this month is an Advent calendar. The calendar features a Christmas tree and includes pockets in which you will find a scripture reading and an ornament to "hang" on the tree. Some of the other projects for the month of December are ornaments, illustrated hymns, origami stars, table decorations, cards and wrapping paper, candles, and Scripture magnets. Bible verses, recommended images, and vocabulary words are included in each one of the lessons. Each week has a theme for the lesson and breaks the projects down by grade so you can do the same lesson with several age groups at one time.

There is also a high school program, a calligraphy course, and literature guides. You can purchase the programs as Teacher Guides on CD-Rom, as a physical product in a 3-ring binder, or as a combo set. The set for the K-8 program costs $134.95 ~ a pretty great price for 9 years of art and the shipping is included in the price!

One thing to note: I know that some of my readers do not celebrate most holidays. In that case, this is not the curriculum for you! A lot of the projects center around that month's holiday celebrations and I'm not even sure it could be adapted for a home that does not celebrate these.

That being said, I do highly recommend Spears Art Studio! It is fun, effective, and a good value for the money. Most importantly, it keeps the Lord and His Word at its center. This curriculum would also be excellent for a church program or for a homeschool co-op!

You can read more reviews for Spears Art Studio HERE.

Review: Rime To Read

2008-12-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

I learned a new word this month: RIME. No, that is not a misprint! I knew about rhymes, even prided myself in knowing how to spell the word, so I was a little confused when I saw this new spelling. Turns out that a "rime" means something a bit different than a "rhyme".

Rimes are words that sound alike and are also from the same word family, such as cat, rat, and sat.

Rhymes are words that sound alike but can be spelled quite differently, such as sight and kite.

Got it? Okay, good. Now that we've had a brief grammar lesson, let's move on with this review!

Rime To Read is a program for beginning readers that teaches words from the 20 most popular word families (-at, -an, -en, -it...), as well as 35 of the most common sight words (a, the, and...). The program was created by a team of two authors, each with many years of reading instruction between them and a pretty impressive collection of college degrees, and an illustrator that brings the simple stories to life through cute pencil sketch drawings. You can read more about Sara Hines, Lynn Klaiman, and Shari Hookman Berger by visiting the Rime To Read website.

This collection of 20 digital books focuses on introducing one word family per book and is uniquely color-coded to assist the new reader in distinguishing the individual rimes. Each short vowel has 4 books dedicated to it and the program is designed to be read in sequential order, starting with Book 1 and continuing in order to Book 20. Each book should be read a sufficient number of times to allow the child to become proficient with the corresponding word family. Review of past rimes is included in each of the books.

One really nice feature of these books is the audio. If a child is having trouble with any of the words, all he/she has to do is click on the word to hear how it is pronounced. This is a brand new feature that has just been added to improve the Rime To Read product.

These are virtual books that are viewed on your computer screen, but they can also be printed once as part of your purchase price. If you or your child prefer a physical book, this is a really nice option. It does, of course, mean a little more expense on your part for the ink and paper. However, I thought it was actually quite convenient to have these books viewable online. They don't take up any space, they were loaded into my account immediately upon request, and even with a dial-up internet connection, they loaded quickly and painlessly. My 2-year old, who loves the illustrations in the books, loves to sit on my lap and "flip" through the pages. It's as simple as clicking on an arrow and you're on the next page.

When you visit the Rime To Read website, you can test out a FREE sample book to get a feel for the program. Be sure to explore the site and read the About section and FAQ's, as well as the great testimonials.

The pricing information is a bit hard to come by on the website, so I'll give it to you here. There are a couple of different options for purchasing this program. You can either purchase all 20 books for $44.99, or you can purchase each of the 5 sets (4 per short vowel sound) individually for $9.99.

When you make a purchase, you'll be able to sign in to your account on the Rime To Read website to view your books. You'll also be able to read a weekly tip for early readers and a newsletter, plus you'll be able to see your child's progress for each book.

Bottom line: We really love these books! Even my 8-year old son, who has been reading for 4 years, loves flipping through them and reading them to my daughter. I prefer to use phonemes for teaching my children to read, but once they've been taught simple phonics, I would definitely use these books for practice and review. If you have beginning/early readers or older readers that are struggling, I highly recommend that you head over to the Rime To Read website and at least register and request the first FREE book! Just remember, the first book is just the tip of the iceberg! They just get better from there!

See more reviews for Rime To Read HERE.

Review: Alphabet Alley

2008-12-05T13:45:00.000-08:00

Alphabet Alley is a Christian family-owned and operated toy company dedicated to offering Bible story-based toys for the littlest ones in your family. The company was created by a mom who just couldn't find Christian toys for her new baby. Assuming that she was probably not the only one, she decided to do something about it...so Alphabet Alley was born!

Many of you, like me, have babies and toddlers that need to be entertained during the day while your school-age children are doing their lessons. I have a 7 month old and and a 2 year old who are quite active and require a lot of my attention. Having good, safe, high-quality toys for them to play with is essential!

My family was given the opportunity to try out two different products from Alphabet Alley: Noah’s Ark Go Fish and Two By Two Matching Game. We love them! My daughter (2) has asked to play with these games every day since they arrived and her 8-year old brother even enjoys playing them with her!

The Noah's Ark Go Fish game is designed really well for little hands. The cards are large and are much thicker than other card games we have owned. In fact, my daughter bent a few of them when she was holding them and they didn't even crease! Now, I'm sure if I deliberately tried to crease them, they would, but for "normal" use (and abuse) of a 2-year old, I was very impressed with how well they held up!

Likewise, the Two By Two Matching Game was of very high quality. We own a couple of other matching games from top toy companies and they don't even compare! I would venture to say that the game squares in the Alphabet Alley matching game are at least twice the thickness of the ones from other companies! Also, there are only 12 matching sets. This is perfect for a toddler! Twelve is just the right number to be challenging, but to also hold my daughter's attention and not bore her!

Quick tip ~ Here's how we started with the matching game:

The first time we played, I placed the 24 cards right side up so she could see all of the cute little characters. I picked up one at a time and let her find the match. As we went, I also taught her the names of the animals and the sound they make (if this applies).

When she mastered this, we flipped them all over upside down. At this point, I asked her turn one over and put it in front of her. I asked her what the animal was and what sound it made (this isn't essential, of course, but made the game more fun for her!). Then, I let her randomly pick up cards until she found the match for that one. After she found it, we turned all the other back over and started again.

This is how we are still playing. I'm finding that the more and more we play this way, the less time it takes for her to find the matches. She is starting to get good at remembering where they are! As she masters this, then we will play the way the game was meant to be played.

We have fallen in love with these toys and games from Alphabet Alley! They are very high-quality and durable. They feature adorable characters from familiar Bible stories. We especially enjoyed the colors and the baby animals printed on the Noah’s Ark products. They are very endearing!

Other products offered by Alphabet Alley include:

Magnet Playsets
Stacking Blocks
Wooden Building Blocks
Wooden Puzzles
Stickers

If you are looking for Christ-centered gifts for the babies or toddlers in your life, I highly recommend these toys from Alphabet Alley! In fact, I've got my eye on a couple of their products for my little guy for Christmas and will be placing my own order this weekend!

Read other reviews for this company here!

Review: The Missing Link: FOUND

2008-11-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

Do you have a pre-teen/teenager who loves mysteries packed with action and adventure? Is Creationism taught in your homeschool and the theory of evolution rebuked? If so, then I highly recommend the Truth Seekers series, written by a homeschooling mom and daughter team, Christina and Felice Gerwitz.

Christina was only 12 when she began writing the Truth Seekers mystery series. Her parents own a publishing company called Media Angels headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida. When her mother saw the potential in Christina's writing, she decided to team up with her to create this action-packed Christian series for kids.

I had the opportunity to read the first installment of the 3-book series, The Missing Link: FOUND. The main characters are Christian and Anna, a homeschooled brother and sister, and their father who is a photographer. The book begins like a good CSI show, with whirlwind action propelling you from the very first page into the rest of the book! The characters find themselves caught up in an adventure that centers around finding the truth about the origins of mankind.

My favorite part about this book was the detail that went into explaining the deficiencies in carbon dating and the fallacies that surround previous specimens that are said to "prove" evolution. The authors really made their case for the young earth argument in a way that can be easily understood. The book has sparked my interest in Creation science so much that I am looking into curriculums that I can incorporate into our homeschool so that my family and I will learn how to stand up for what we believe in!

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the book, there were a few things that were distracting. At times, the characters and/or their conversations were a bit unbelievable. They just said or did things that didn't "fit". There were also quite a few grammatical errors and typos. And the book finished out very much like a Scooby Doo cartoon. I kept expecting them to rip a mask off of someone's face!

Those things being said, I think the story was pretty riveting and the message was clear: "The truth shall set you free!"

I highly recommend this book. The other 2 books in the series are titled Dinosaur Quest at Diamond Peak and Keys to the Past: Unlocked. You can purchase the entire set for only $22.00 by visiting the website here. Study guides are also available for these books, great for homeschoolers!

When you visit the Media Angels website, be sure to check out their online classes, as well as other Creation Science curriculum materials and writing/publishing resources. They are also sponsoring a bumper sticker contest that your children might have some fun with!

You can see other reviews for this book here.

Happy Homeschooling!
Brandi

Review: One2Believe Nativity Set

2008-11-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

One2Believe is a Christian toy company that offers an alternative to secular playsets and action figures. They offer numerous items for your child's enjoyment at prices that are competitive in today's market. The company's mission is "to help children learn important Bible lessons and to have them come to faith in Jesus" by providing "fun ways of teaching children about the greatest people who ever lived".

Our family was recently blessed to receive the Tales of Glory Nativity Set. The set includes a Mary and Joseph, baby Jesus, 2 angels, 2 shepherds, 3 wisemen, a camel, and a few other animals. There is a stable, a manger, a hay bale, and a palm tree to add to the scenery. A tiny little storybook telling about the birth of Jesus is also tucked inside.

My children have thoroughly enjoyed playing with these toys. They are made out of PVC, so they are durable and have stood up to some pretty rough pretend play! The characters are cartoon-like in appearance and the camel is especially endearing! It just so happened that we were studying the birth of Jesus this past week, so my kids really enjoyed "seeing" the story acted out with these toys.

A couple notes about safety:

First, the star came off of the stable on the very first day. It's pretty small and would definitely pose a choking hazard for small children. The star snapped back on easily, but comes off easily too, so I've had to remove it from the playset. A few of the other reviewers in our group said their star fell off too, so I know it wasn't just mine.

Second, there is some concern about toys made from PVC. A lot of toys are made with PVC and some contain a family of chemicals known as phthalates that can be harmful when ingested. As a concerned mom, I did a little bit of research on this and found two articles you might want to read before purchasing any toys made of PVC: Click here and here if you're interested in learning more.

Addressing these concerns, One2Believe has placed this statement on their website: "All Tales of Glory toys have been tested by an independent third party testing facility and comply with ASTM standards. All toys are free from harmful chemicals and are safe." I still don't let my baby play with them or put them in his mouth, as the nativity set box did state clearly in several different places that the toys are not for children under the age of 3.

Despite these concerns, I think there is a great place for these toys in today's Christian home. My kids have enjoyed acting out bible stories. They've used the shepherds to play out the story of David and one of the wisemen was the king in the story of Daniel. We only have this one playset, so they're being creative in how they use the pieces! However, there are Tales of Glory playsets for many of the popular bible stories, such as Jonah and the Whale, Noah's Ark, Moses, and Daniel in the Lion's Den.

Other toys made by this company are the Messengers of the Faith dolls, which include Jesus, Mary, Esther, David, Moses, Noah, Peter and Paul. They also have the Spirit Warrior action figures of Samson and Goliath and a P31 doll collection for little girls.

I think that biblical toys such as the Tales of Glory playsets aid our children in learning about God's Word on a different level. I found that my kids were able to relate to the characters and picture the story better when it was acted out with the toys. They were certainly more interested in the story, asked tons of questions, and came away from it with a deeper understanding. I think that for the first time, my 8 year old understood that these were real people and the events in the Bible really happened. I just saw the "lightbulb" turn on and knew he "got it". I love moments like that and it's one of the reasons I homeschool in the first place!

If you're interested in checking out the One2Believe toy store, you can visit their website here. While you're there, you can print out coloring sheets from the kids' activities page, learn about their home sales division called Blessed Toys, and even find out how you can earn free toys by collecting "Bible Bucks".

You can see other reviews for this product here.

Happy Homeschooling!

Brandi

Review: Homeschool Library Builder

2008-11-15T13:43:00.001-08:00

If you ever come to my home for a visit, the first thing you'll notice is that I LOVE BOOKS! I have shelves full of books all over my house! In fact, whenever we move (which has been frequently over the years), my husband's least favorite part is carrying out all of the heavy boxes full of books! Books are the one thing I collect, the one material thing that I cherish more than any other!

That being said, I have to tell you that I was so excited when I was introduced to a website called Homeschool Library Builder! The website is run by two Christian homeschooling families who have made it their mission to provide "great literature at affordable prices". You don't even have to be a homeschooler to benefit from their book selection...there are thousands of great reads and you are sure to find some that suit your preferences!

I'll tell you this first, because it's the best part: Through the end of November, they have set up bargain bins...$1, $2, $3, and $5 bargain bins! And there are some great books in those bins, from Dr. Seuss to Charlotte's Web to Gulliver's Travels...and that's just on the first 2 pages of the $1 bin! Also, through Thanksgiving, if you spend $50, you get a free hardcover book titled "Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving" by Eric Metaxes (while supplies last). You just have to go over there and take a look!

They stock suggested reading for many of the most popular "living book"-based curriculums, such as Five In A Row, Sonlight, Beautiful Feet, Veritas Press, Tapestry of Grace, Ambleside and more! If you can't find what you're looking for, you can let them know and they'll try to find it for you!

Their website has special sections for new arrivals, special offers, seasonal books and ideas, fundraising opportunities, and even a marketplace where other vendors can advertise for free! They also have a section called "About Homeschooling" where you can find links to organizations, online resources, book lists, and blogs.

While you're there, make sure you sign up to be a member. It's absolutely free and you can earn points from your purchases! Each $1 you spend equals 1 point, and each 15 points equals $1 you can apply to a future purchase! You can also earn extra points when your friends sign up and make a purchase!

(So if you sign up after reading this, could you put in my name as the referral? Brandon Bush...Thanks...I'll be forever grateful...although my husband might be upset that you helped me get more books!)

If you or your kids love books like me, or if you need certain books for your lessons, or if you want to get a jump start on your Christmas shopping, I highly suggest visiting their website: http://www.hslibrarybuilder.com/. You can see other reviews for their website here.

Happy Homeschooling!

Brandi

Review: HelpMe2Teach.com

2008-11-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

Do you like to create your own unit studies? Are you, like most homeschooling parents, limited on how much time you can spend researching the topics you teach your children? Do you wish you had someone to do some of that research for you?

If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, then HelpMe2Teach.com might just be the resource you need!

HelpMe2Teach.com is a paid membership-only search engine that contains "over 2300 safe, educational links for children, parents and teachers". The creator of this website, Elaine Taylor, is a retired teacher who is a 40-year veteran. She has invested hundreds of hours of her time into compiling a wealth of educational material from the internet into one central location.

I have had the opportunity to try out this website over the last few weeks. In an attempt to supplement many of our current studies, I used this search engine to find resources and activities that might help me put together some fun and educational "extras" relating to the topics. The websites that are included in the search engine have been pre-screened by Elaine herself for safety and usefuleness, so it was nice to know that each of the results would be a promising choice ~ no more weeding through hundreds of sites to find just a couple that are worth my attention!

Through this search engine, you can find resources for pre-K thru high school and beyond. In fact, many of the websites were very interesting to me...and trust me, I'm quite a ways past high school! Another useful function of the website is that each link is categorized as to its usefulness to each age group or whether it's a good fit for a parent or teacher. This feature is great because it allows me to skip over those sites that would not work for the education level I'm looking for.

Although I've thoroughly enjoyed having this resource available to me the last couple of weeks, every link on this subscription-only website could be found on any number of free search engines, such as Google or Yahoo! If you have the time and desire to search for your own material, or just don't want to pay money for something you can have for free, then this service may not be appealing to you.

Also, not all topics are available through this search engine. For example, I did successful searches for "Civil War", "alphabet", and "dinosaurs", but a search for West Virginia did not return any links that would suit my purposes. However, I emailed Elaine to ask if she had considered adding links to state info and she was very fast to get back to me. By that evening, she had added several useful sites that I was able to use with much success. Free research (within reason) is a feature that she offers to her members who have paid for year-long access. The website also states that it is updated every day, so new topics are always being added.

Currently, Elaine is offering a special if you are interested in the service she offers. Through December 31st, you can purchase 1 year for $29.95 and get one year free! That comes out to $1.25 per month. Her regular prices are as follows:

1 year: $29.95
3 months: $15.95
1 month: $9.95
3 day trial: $4.95

Included in your membership is a quarterly newsletter.

There is one thing I would like to add. This would most likely be a safer place for your children to do internet searches than a free search engine would be. However, if internet safety is a concern for you, as it should be for any parent or teacher, then I suggest taking the same precautions you would use with any other search engine. Although I'm sure that the links were "safe" when they were first added to the site, the internet is forever changing and websites come and go. It's not possible for Elaine to monitor each site after it is added, so there are most likely some broken links and potential for negative websites to appear.

Overall, I believe this could be a useful resource for those desiring this type of service. Check it out here for more details or to sign up. See many other reviews of this product here.

Happy Homeschooling!
Brandi

Lessons in Grocery Shopping

2008-11-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

As I was planning my shopping trip for the week, I remembered this post that I wrote for my other blog several months ago. I thought I would reprint it here:

Today I went grocery shopping. What a task! I try to go on a big trip about every 3 weeks, and then half way in between I go on a smaller trip to get produce and milk. Today was my big trip and I am so exhausted! Thank goodness for my husband who took the kids to KMart while I shopped!

I got some great deals. Kroger is having their Buy 10, Save $5 deal, so I did 4 groups of 10 items and also got some other items I needed. I had to do it in two separate transactions. The first one, I spent $34.xx and saved 58%!!! The second one, I spent $95.xx and saved 35%. I usually save at least 50% on each trip, and I'm only spending between $150-$200 per month on groceries for my family of 5, including all toiletries, diapers, and pet food!

If you'd like to learn more about couponing, and get great tips for shopping at stores like CVS, Kroger, Rite Aid, Walgreen's and more, visit Money Saving Mom.

What does this have to do with homeschooling? My son loves to help!

1. We compare prices and unit sizes.

2. We compare brand name items that are on sale with generics. Most of the time, generics are just as good or better than brand name!

3. We figure out the percentage saved at the end of each trip.

4. We read nutritional labels.

5. We plan balanced meals for the month based on what we bring home from our bargain shopping!

6. Fine motor skills are exercised when my son cuts out the coupons.

7. Sorting and categorizing are practiced when he puts the coupons in piles.

8. Social skills are practiced at the store. He loves to interact with all of the employees!

9. He gets practical life skills by loading the belt with the groceries and by paying with cash. He figures out how much to give the cashier and how much change he will get back.

10. He keeps a tally on the calculator for me while we're shopping to make sure we don't go over our limit!

These are all great lessons and ones that he can use in real life!

Upcoming Reviews...

2008-10-21T17:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been awhile...sorry for the neglect of this blog, but I have been busy test-driving some really awesome products so that I can tell you all about them here.

For those of you who asked, no, I am not being paid to be a reviewer with The Old Schoolhouse magazine...I volunteered and was chosen as part of the 100 person "crew". However, it is not without its perks! In fact, a few of us have commented that it literally feels like Christmas around our homes lately!

I have recently received products from the following participating vendors:

HelpMe2Teach.com - a free trial membership
One2Believe - nativity set
All About Spelling - 4 complete levels of curriculum, plus extras!
Knowledge Quest - HomeschoolingABC's
Spears Art Studio - K thru 8 curriculum
KinderBach - a free trial membership

Homeschool Library Builder

Plus, a free extended subscription to TOS magazine and one of their really cute tote bags!

It has really been exciting to open my mailbox lately! There is a lot more to come over the next several months and I will be posting reviews for every product I receive right here! You will be able to easily access every review by clicking on the "Review" tab at the top of the page.

Oh yeah...one more thing...I will be giving away some of these right here on this blog after reviewing them!

I can't wait to share some of these awesome resources with all of you!

A TOS Promotion - Hurry!

2008-10-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

I wanted to tell you all about The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's Fall Special. You can get two years of the magazine, 6 fabulous physical gifts (no downloads!) worth over $120, plus the current issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine that is full of ideas for the new school year, so you start receiving your magazine in a flash!

It really is one of their best deals ever and you don't want to miss out. In fact, they've got a really cute Homeschooling with Heart totebag (valued at $13.95) for the first 1000 to subscribe. About half of them are gone, but you should still be able to get one if you hurry! (They will remove the info from the subscription page when the bags are all gone.) The total value is over $212, but you receive it all for only $39 - 50% off of cover price! Plus subscribers get their online monthly Teacher's Toolbox which focuses on a different topic each month, giving you words of encouragement, hands-on teaching ideas, book recommendations, field trip ideas, and a bonus download item.

I really look forward to getting my magazine quarterly and the Teacher's Toolbox monthly. They are my favorite resources for giving my kids a well-rounded education! We supplement with a lot of the ideas, activities, and materials that are provided by TOS.

If you've been looking for an amazing homeschool magazine, this is your chance to get it for a great price and enjoy it for the next 2 years! You will read it cover to cover and it will prove to be a great inspiration and an amazing source of information for you and your kids!

Enjoy!

I've been selected...

2008-10-05T06:52:00.000-07:00

...to be a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew! As a member, I will receive homeschool products to use from various curriculum companies and I will be reviewing them on this blog! I am so excited that I will be able to bring you all firsthand opinions of so many great materials.

I hope you will enjoy the reviews that I share. I am under no obligation whatsoever to give glowing reviews of these products, so my review posts will be honest and forthright. I will be using each product thoroughly before reviewing it and will give every pro and con I can for a well-rounded review.

So stop in frequently to see which reviews I've added! You can access them quickly by clicking on the "Reviews" tab that I will be adding to the top of the page.

Enjoy...and please comment to let me know what you think! I love to hear from you!

The Relaxed Approach

2008-09-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to all of you who responded to my last post! It seems that most of you agree that a relaxed approach to homeschooling is a positive one. I think so too!

We "unschooled" until first grade and it proved to be very successful in the early years. My son has a fascination with phonics, so he taught himself by the age of 4 how to read and write. Seriously...I never spent one day teaching him a thing! He loved to check out phonics videos from the library and was obsessed with the alphabet from the time he was a baby. When he was just 6 months old, we took him on a long road trip. When he got fussy in his carseat, we would just start reciting the alphabet...it calmed him down and made him laugh! He loved it!

In first grade, I decided to do Five In A Row and unit studies. We had to be a little more structured, but it was fun and it never felt like "school". He was way ahead of his public school friends by the time he entered second grade.

Then, we moved from Utah to West Virginia. In Utah, we only had to send in a letter of intent every year. We didn't have to submit evaluations or participate in state testing. I wasn't being held "accountable" to the school system in any way. However, in WV we are required to either test at the end of the year or submit a portfolio. This freaked me out! Suddenly, we had to show that Benjamin was "on par" with the public school kids. Knowing that he was bypassing them in knowledge in just about every subject was reassuring, but I decided to buy a complete second grade curriculum (LIFEPACS from Alpha Omega) so that at the end of the year we could "prove" that he had completed second grade.

We passed the portfolio evaluation with flying colors. My friend who "unschooled" her son, including tons of traveling, field trips, and spontaneous hands-on activities didn't fare so well because she didn't have "written work" to show for all the things her son learned. He is well-advanced for his age, but they gave him a poor evaluation! Testing would have proved he was doing fine, but like me, she doesn't believe in testing.

Based on her experience, we decided to complete the 3rd grade LIFEPAC curriculum again this year. However, we've decided to approach it differently by implementing a more relaxed approach. Our school days are no longer scheduled out, hour by hour. Instead, at the beginning of the week, I write down where he should be in his workbooks by the end of the week and he works on them when and where he wants. It gives him control of his time. He's been able to spend more time on his writing and artistic pursuits. We do art, music, Bible, and history together, but these are so much fun that they turn into leisure activities instead of "work".

So far, it has been working out so well that he hasn't complained about school work for weeks! He's less stressed and more satisfied with what he accomplishes in a day. He can get out energy when he needs to instead of being stuck to a scheduled "outside play time" and he seems to be healthier because of it.

I think we should trust our kids more. I love the concept of unschooling and I have no doubt that those who use this method are successful. I've seen how much a child learns when left to his own devices. Maybe this doesn't work for all personalities. I think it would be perfect for Benjamin, but my daughter will probably need a little more structure. Unfortunately, because the school systems are still so regulatory, I don't feel like that is a good option for us right now. The public school teachers who are required to evaluate the portfolios are just that...public school teachers...and they want to see everything in written or project form to "prove" that the child has learned what he/she is supposed to based on the guidelines that the state has decided are appropriate.

Is it fair? How do you handle required evaluations? Do they affect your homeschooling decisions and methods?

I'd love to hear what you think!

What do you do...

2008-09-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

...when your best-laid plans get pushed to the wayside?!

I'm a planner. Like alot of homeschool moms, I like to have a concrete plan in place going into a new school year so that we have a jumping off place and a destination. This summer, I spent weeks mapping out our curriculum (LIFEPAC) so that I would know how much we had to accomplish each day so that we would finish the curriculum by the end of May. I also planned out our extra curricular activities to correlate: field trips, art, music, etc.

The Friday before school was to start on Monday, the plans were laid out in my notebook, books were organized on the shelf, pencils were sharpened, supplies for art, music and science were gathered and strategically placed for ease of use...man, I was ready! More organized than ever! I'm really catching onto this homeschooling thing, I thought...I'm really ready for this year and it's gonna be the best one ever!

WHAM!

Our first setback happened that Friday night...3 days before the first day of school even started! We went to pick up Benjamin (my 3rd grader) from his grandparents house where he'd spent his last week of summer. We arrived at midnight and I gave him a big hug (he was still up watching a movie)...and noticed right away that he had a fever...a bad one.

On Monday, he was still sick...worse, in fact. Still determined, we did some math and language arts on the couch. But I noticed that it really tired him out. We took the rest of the week off. I thought he just had a stomach bug and it would go away...so, we'll just start a week late, I thought...no big deal!

Next Monday...he's still sick, and he's developed a bad cough...that afternoon, his fever peaks again up to 103 degrees...off to the walk-in clinic. His diagnosis is worse than I expected...pneumonia. They tell me it's bacterial, load him up with antibiotics, pain killers, and breathing treatments. I'm thankful that he's insured, for a chance to be proactive, and that it's not contagious...my other children should be safe.

No school all week...again. On Friday, a trip to the emergency room for hives that are covering his entire body. Turns out he's been prescribed an overdose of medications...way more than he should be taking and some of the medications are even unnecessary. Now I'm upset...but I take him off of everything except for some benadryl for the hives. The emergency room doc says he actually thinks it's viral but still prescribes another antibiotic. I use my instincts and never get it filled...finally, after a few days off of all medications, things start to clear up.

One day, 3 weeks after this all began, Benjamin says that he hasn't coughed all day...yeah! That night, I start to feel very bad...

To make a long story short, I also had pneumonia (turns out it was viral)...for the next 2 weeks. Because I'm not insured, I didn't go to the doctor but suffered through it with only extra-strength Tylenol. I am finally feeling better, but now we're 5 weeks into the school year and, well...the best-laid plans didn't exactly work out!

The good news: Benjamin succeeded in working through his first workbooks in Math and English, half of his Social Studies, and a few pages in Science. We completed one art lesson and one music lesson. And he's done tons of reading (mostly Magic Treehouse books). He watched some educational TV and did an entry in his nature journal. He also created an amazing book about Jack and the Beanstalk. He wrote his own version and illustrated it. Plus, he created 2 Spiderman/Sandman comic strips and typed the first chapter of a book into a Word document on the computer. He learned to play checkers and practiced with his dad. He visited the library and checked out books on mummies, dinosaurs, and pirates.

All of those things, he did on his own...with absolutely no prompting from me. And I'm sure that I even missed some things. Is this unschooling? Providing the materials and opportunities and then letting them decided how, when, and where the learning will take place? I have to say, it's been pretty neat to watch him these past weeks. He's interested in so many things, he's talented and creative and loves to read.

So, I'm interested in hearing your opinion on all of this: Is it better to plan and have your kids do the items on your list for the day...or is it best to just let it go and see what happens? Or maybe a combination of the two?

I never expected that he would do so much on his own. But, it seems that when left alone, he learned more and had more fun...and I noticed a huge decrease in his stress level...and mine!

My homeschool philosophy has changed a lot this past month...I think soon I'll put it down in writing and share it all with you. This is our 4th year of homeschooling (officially, although I've "homeschooled" since birth) and I really thought I was "getting the hang of it". Now, I really need to do some re-thinking...

I think this "setback" was a good thing...and I can't wait to see where else it leads us!

Free Homeschool Friday - 9/19/09

2008-09-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

**Note: Everything in this list is 100% free, including shipping if applicable!**

General

BrainPOP Free Movies - these are GREAT!

Rubric Generators - many!

The Rudiments of Wisdom Encyclopedia - cartoons for everything!

Language Arts

19th Century in Print (1000's of digital books!)

Reading Planet

Story Starters (writing prompts)

Math

Data Analysis Challenge (pdf)

Talking Math Flashcards

Math Baseball Game

Math Facts Worksheet Generator

Science

Animated Tree Identification Guide

Digital High School Health Textbook (McGraw-Hill)

PBS Nova Videos (my favorite find this week!)

Tree and Forest Booklets, Posters, and Teacher Guides (downloads)

Social Studies

Hyper History Online

This Day In History (History Channel)

U.S. Capitols Map Game

U.S. State Jigsaw Puzzle Game

Art/Music

The Art Cyclopedia

Beginners Videography (for the church, but great info for anyone!) e-book

Fashion Design Project

"Teach Art At Home" Newsletter

Health/Physical Education

Jump Into a Healthy Life

MyPyramid.gov

Early Childhood/Preschool

Alphabetical Index of Nursery Rhymes

Make Your Own Clock (pdf)

What's The Word? Online Game

Please let me know if you find any broken links or objectionable material I might have missed.

Enjoy!

Winner of the Usborne Science Book Giveaway

2008-09-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

Without further ado, the winner of the Usborne 100 Science Experiments book giveaway is:

Mrs. Mommy

CONGRATS!!!

And, might I add, Mrs. Mommy is quite lucky as she was also one of the winners of the Dingoes at Dinnertime giveaway a couple weeks ago! This is a completely random process, I promise!

Thanks to all who entered! As soon as my pneumonia is gone and I can spend more time on the computer (mid-week, perhaps?), I will be adding a lot more useful information to this site, so I hope to see you all coming back!

No Freebies This Week...

2008-09-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry, but I won't be able to post Free Homeschool Friday today. I have developed pneumonia and can't sit at my computer long enough to compile a list for you. As this is one of my favorite weekly projects for this blog, I really hate to have to miss it this week, but please join me next week...I'll have loads of great stuff for you!

Also, on Monday I will be announcing the winner of the Usborne 100 Science Experiments giveaway...you still have until Sunday at midnight to enter! See details about the giveaway here!

And I will be announcing a really fun thing I hope to do on this website monthly...weekly if I get enough interest and participation! Stay tuned...I think you'll like it!

Usborne Science Book Giveaway

2008-09-09T05:31:00.000-07:00

Here's another great giveaway to help kick-off the "Grand Opening" of Homeschool Hollow!

This week's giveaway is for a brand new copy of Usborne's 100 Science Experiments book! This would be an incredible addition to your homeschooling bookshelf! Even if you're not a homeschooler, your children will love this book and you will love doing the experiments with them!

Your kids will learn about sound vibrations, light and color, sprouting seeds, chain reactions, weather, electromagnets, friction, elastic energy and so much more! Unlike other science experiment books (which tend to be a tad boring!), the pages are large, full-color and fun to look at! The experiments are easy to do, the materials are "normal" and easy to find, and kids love them! This is my son's favorite book of all time and science is his favorite subject now! My 2 year old even loves to get in on the action!

The book is even Internet-linked, meaning that Usborne provides a website where you can find online experiments and more to do at home! These extra activities include visiting an alien juice bar, designing a roller coaster, and building challenges!

You will love this book! Especially if you have children or grandchildren from elementary to middle school ages! There are even things that preschoolers and high schoolers would enjoy and learn from ~ a book for all ages!

(Note: the book states it is appropriate for ages 9 and up)

To enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post with your email address (please don't forget your email address!), get 1 entry!

2. Create a post on your blog linking back to this contest, get 2 additional entries! Please leave a comment and let me know if you posted on your blog! If you post on more than one blog, you will get 2 entries for each one!

DEADLINE: Sunday, September 14th @ Midnight

The lucky winner will be announced on Monday, September 15th!

Check out more books from Usborne by clicking HERE or on the "Shop Usborne" tab at the top of this page. Make sure you check out the Internet Specials ~ tons of great homeschool resources at exclusive internet prices of 40-70% off! (This is my personal website ~ if you already have a consultant, please go to their website instead!)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Winners of Dingoes at Dinnertime

2008-09-08T05:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who entered the drawing for a brand new copy of Dingoes at Dinnertime, A Magic Treehouse book by Mary Pope Osborne!

The 5 winners, determined by random drawing and listed in random order, are...

Brooke (lotswife@...)

Rebecca (legacyofbrutalitysa@...)

TXsunlover (proudyaya04@...)

Kim (slimfox72@...)

Sandy (mrs.mommyy@...)

Congrats!!!

I will be emailing you all for your mailing info and will get the books out ASAP!

Don't forget to check out Amazon.com for this book and many others from the Magic Treehouse! You can buy them used for as low as 1 cent!

Join me on Wednesday for another great giveaway!

'Til then...

Brandi

Homeschool Auction Site

2008-09-06T06:51:00.001-07:00

Have you registered with Homeschool Buy yet? It's an auction site like ebay, but it's for homeschoolers! This is a great resource for those who wish to buy or sell their used books, curriculum and other materials online. And unlike eBay, Teacher's Editions are not banned on Homeschool Buy!

Check it out today!

A Review: The Schoolhouse Planner

2008-09-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was given the opportunity to test drive The Old Schoolhouse’s new digital homeschool planner. I have to say, TOS has done it again…except even bigger and better this time!

Let me preface this review by saying that I am a self-proclaimed “planner junkie”! I absolutely love them and have way more than I will ever need or use! I finally figured out after trying out TOS’s planner that I have so many because not one of them has ever met my needs just right. Many are not designed by someone with homeschooling and all of its intricacies in mind, while others are so rigid that I just can’t seem to “stretch out” in them and get comfortable.

Calling this product a “planner” is not doing it justice. It is so much more than that! I didn’t know what to expect when I starting looking through it, but I was so excited about the sheer multitude of useful items inside! This planner is not just a slew of the same old printable forms and record-keeping sheets. The genius behind this product is that it is also a unit study guide, homemaker’s journal, and overall life organizer!

The planner begins with a fully “clickable” table of contents so that each page can be found and accessed with the push of a button. I love this! I will no longer have to search and search for just the right page! Then, each month of the year is spread out across two pages with large squares for jotting down daily schedules. The second half of the planner is full of great, original forms for homeschooling and homemaking!

The first surprise among many is that each month has its own theme. For example, the focus for the month of September 2008 is “Music Mania”. Each unit provides tons of excellent information pertaining to the theme, including worksheets, craft projects, and direct links within the text to pertinent websites! There are even coloring pages included so you can engage your little ones during your lessons. And in addition to the theme units, there are many great recipes that are fun and easy to make with your children.

The second surprise is just how comprehensive this planner is! The forms in the second half of the planner were obviously created by homeschoolers who understand the sheer amount of things that we have to juggle each day! There are forms for meal planning, housekeeping, children’s chores, babysitter info, gardening and other home projects, budgeting, books read, crafts completed, and even bible study and prayer journal pages! There are places to include photographs of things you have done during the year, a great way to record things for your portfolios!

I didn’t know if I would like the digital aspect of this product, but I have since become convinced that this is the best thing that has ever happened to homeschool organization! It is interactive, easy to personalize, and actually makes record-keeping and planning fun! Plus, because it is digital, I can print out only those forms that pertain to me and put them together in a way that suits me and my family best.

The third and final surprise, and perhaps the thing I like most, is that because of its digital nature, it is fully expandable! I will be able to easily add new forms and new modules in the future as they become necessary to me or available from The Old Schoolhouse.

The only negative that I could find about this product is that I have to use printer ink and paper to print out the pages. However, the positives outweigh this one negative so much that it is almost a moot point. The great thing is, if you like keeping your records on the computer, you never have to print a single page in order to get full use out of the planner.

With all of this being said, and at the risk of sounding like a cheesy infomercial, I just have to say: This is absolutely the last homeschool planner you will ever have to buy! I recommend it with complete confidence that you will love it, too!

Free Homeschool Friday - 9/5/08

2008-09-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry this is late being posted today. I spent the day at the doctor's office and pharmacy with my son who has pneumonia. I hope it will still be useful to you as a resource for your homeschool!

**Note: Everything in this list is 100% free, including shipping if applicable!**

General

Donna Young's Free Homeschool Planner

Homeschool Dialogues E-Book (free when you sign up for a free subscription to the The Homeschool Minute e-Newsletter!

Unit Studies

50 States (comprehensive unit for each state!)

Leafy Greens (The Cruciferous Crusaders) - send away for free suppportive materials!

Bible

Bible Book Clues Printable

Creation to Cross Totem Craft

Language Arts

Online Spelling Course

Sillybooks.net (my favorite find this week!)

Math

Figure This! - Math Challenges

Helping Your Child Learn Math (PDF)

Science

5 Minute Science Experiments

Interactive Frog Dissection (FUN!)

Periodic Table of Elements

Social Studies

U.S. Geography Interactive Map - use with unit study above

World Geography Interactive Hangman Game

Art/Music

KinderArt Color Newsletter

Music Instrument Fingering Charts

Music Worksheets

Virtual Museum of Music Inventions - use as incentive to make your own!

Early Childhood/Preschool

Fall Coloring Pages

Fall Online Games

Recipes for Dough, Slime, Paper Mache and More

Organization/Record-Keeping

Learning Checklist

Ready For School Chart

School Year Calendar

Please let me know if you find any broken links or objectionable material I might have missed.

Enjoy!

A Review: The Old Schoolhouse Digital Subscription

2008-09-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Wow, wow, WOW! I absolutely love this new way of reading The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!

Now that there’s no mistaking how I feel, I’ll tell you why!

The Old Schoolhouse (TOS) has been my favorite homeschooling magazine for the past 3 years. There is absolutely no other publication that focuses on home education that can compete with this one! TOS is a beautiful, full color publication that is released quarterly and is jam-packed with informational articles, homeschooling news and legal issues, unit studies and lesson plans, art projects, interviews, product reviews, field trips and contests, sample student work, and even a section with all-natural recipes, tips, and information for your home!

Besides being informative and interesting, the layout of the magazine is about as aesthetically pleasing at it could get. The colors are vibrant and there are photos on every page! The articles are entertaining and easy to read. The contributors are homeschoolers just like you and me who really understand the ins and outs of home education. Each issue is about 200 pages long and way more valuable than the cost of the subscription! I always read it cover to cover when it arrives!

One of my favorite things about TOS is that they feature a one-room schoolhouse on the cover of each issue and they include a page in the beginning of the magazine about the schoolhouse and where it's located. The history surrounding these old schools is enough to peak my interest and I love learning about each one!

Thinking that The Old Schoolhouse couldn’t get any better was my first mistake…it didn’t just get better when the digital version was introduced…it got A LOT better!

I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first. I really love getting my new issue in the mail! I love sitting down with a cup of coffee after everyone else goes to bed and reading it, page by page, soaking in all of the great information, marking sections I want to come back to, and circling products I want to check out with my big red marker. An online version just didn’t sound like it would fit the bill.

Boy, was I ever pleasantly surprised when that first digital issue downloaded and I sat looking at the cover on my computer screen…exactly like if I was holding it in my hands. Then, I pushed the arrow button to turn to the first page and the cover on my screen “flipped”, just like it would if I was physically turning the page. The screen didn’t have to re-load or anything, there was no waiting, it just turned to the next page…and the pages are exactly the same as in the physical magazine! How fun!

The digital version features a toolbar at the top of the page where you can: pull up the contents and quickly click over to any section, see thumbnail views of each page, search for keywords within the publication, set preferences for how you want to view the pages, view the archives, and there is even a “share” tool where you can quickly link to an article or share it with a friend! You can even download an offline version so you don’t have to be online to read it!

I love that I can load the magazine and read it while I’m doing other things online. I can also access it from any other computer, like I did when I went out of town last weekend and was able to read it at the local library. Not to mention that it’s cheaper than the paper version and doesn’t add any additional “clutter” to my already overflowing bookshelves!

The folks over at TOS have really outdone themselves with this technology and I have a feeling other publications will be following in their footsteps. I highly recommend this digital version of the magazine and hope you’ll check it out over at The Old Schoolhouse website!

Dingoes At Dinnertime Giveaway

2008-09-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

To kick off the "Grand Opening" of Homeschool Hollow, I have decided to do a giveaway!

This drawing will be for a brand new Dingoes at Dinnertime, a Magic Treehouse chapter book by Mary Pope Osborne!

My 8-year old son and his best friend LOVE these books! Chances are your kids do, too! You can find more information about them along with fun things to do at the Magic Treehouse Random House website.

Check out Amazon.com for this book and many others from the Magic Treehouse! You can buy them used for as low as 1 cent!

I have 5 brand new copies, so there will be 5 LUCKY WINNERS!

To enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post with your email address, get 1 entry!

2. Create a post on your blog linking back to this contest, get 2 additional entries! Please leave a comment and let me know if you posted on your blog!

If you post on more than one blog, you will get 2 entries for each one! This is open to residents of any country!

DEADLINE: Sunday, September 7th @ Midnight

The 5 winners will be announced on Monday, September 8th!

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ GOOD LUCK!

Also, check out my other blog for a "Homemade Giveaway"!

Another Great Sale!

2008-09-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

Need to get organized for the new school year? Cindy Rushton is offering her Organized Mom Super Set for 1/2 off! This is huge!

This is the most comprehensive organization system I've seen for homeschoolers! This is your chance to get it for a great price so don't miss out! This sale is this week only...head over there to check it out today!

And don't miss today's "Deal of the Day" from The Old Schoolhouse!

Enjoy!

TOS Special Offers

2008-09-01T06:43:00.001-07:00

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has a lot of great stuff going on this month!

Each day in September they will offer a 1/2 price "Deal of the Day". Todays "deal" is a 6-month subscription to HelpMe2Teach.com for only $14.97. I recently received a free trial membership to this website and I have used it every day! It is an amazing resource for homeschoolers!

Plus, TOS will offer 7 free e-book downloads over the course of the month! The current FREE ebook is 12 American History Unit Studies for 3rd-6th graders. This is an entire year of American History, including daily journal questions, drawing, science, creative writing, map skills, craft activities and more! The unit covers: The Mayflower, Columbus, Pocahontas, Squanto, Daniel Boone, Sacajawea,Oklahoma Land Run, Oregon Trail, Chisholm Trail, The Titanic, The Statue of Liberty, and The Alamo!

To top that off, they are also offering a Christopher Columbus downloadable unit study for FREE...great for Columbus Day coming up on October 13th!

And for new subscribers to their magazine (in my opinion, the best homeschooling magazine in print!), they are offering this really cute "Homeschooling With Heart" tote bag that would be great for the library! I wish I was a new subscriber this month!

Anyway, hope you can take advantage of some of these great offers. I know we'll be using the Columbus unit study next month. I'll post some pictures of it when we're done!

Enjoy!

Last Day!

2008-08-31T08:54:00.001-07:00

Hurry over to BookCloseouts.com for the last day of their $1.00 sale!

They have 1000 books listed that are only $1.00! I found several to add to my homeschool and personal collections.

Unfortunately, I just found this sale today...sorry I didn't give you more notice!

Free Homeschool Friday - 8/29/08

2008-08-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

**Note: Everything in this list is 100% free, including shipping if applicable!**

General

Fact Monster - online almanac, dictionary, encyclopedia, thesaurus

(my favorite find this week!)

The Old Schoolhouse: FREE Digital Back Issue - Summer '07 Issue (PDF)

The Old Schoolhouse: Planner Sneak Peak - 31 of 247 pgs (includes recipes, homeschool/household forms, resource list and more!) (PDF)

Unit Studies

Columbus E-Book - Columbus Day is 10/13/08 (PDF)

The Mayflower: Journey To A New Life

Grandparent's Day - 9/7/08

Bible

Bible File Folder Games

Bible Study Planet - 325 downloadable lessons
Kids Bible Song Downloads

Language Arts

Complete Language Arts Units - Grades 1-8

Figurative Language Resources - some of these are PowerPoint

Math

Convert-Me.com - measurement conversions

Totally Free Math -free textbook downloads (PDF)

Science

The Human Body - 33 Week Curriculum

Social Studies

AskACop.org - safety resources
CIA The World Factbook

Mr. Donn: American History - lesson plans, games, activities

Art/Music

Smithsonian Education - loads of great stuff here!

Early Childhood/Preschool

Eager Mind - Once a year free printables

Preschool Story Hour Lesson Plans - over 40 categories

Organization/Record-keeping

Homeschool Tracker: Basic Edition - free version is enough for most homeschoolers

Please let me know if you find any broken links or objectionable material I might have missed. I tried to be careful, but you just never know!

You can find last week's Free Homeschool Friday here at my other blog,

My Mountain Morning.

'Til next time...
Brandi

FREE Homeschool DVD

2008-08-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

The Foundation for American Christian Education (FACE) is offering a FREE DVD called "You've Decided to Homeschool, Do it Right!".

Head on over and get yours!

Up and running...

2008-08-28T05:05:00.001-07:00

This website is now officially up and running! Oh, it's not nearly complete...and probably won't ever be...but I will be posting here daily from now on and loads of great info will be added to the tabs above and the sidebar. Some things to look forward to:

Tabs will be added for:

Homeschool Methods

Learning Styles

Curriculum Sources

2008-08-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

This is a list of homeschool curriculums/resources that I will continue to update as new ones are discovered or published. I am listing them by subject and alphabetically for easier navigating.

This is not a complete list, but rather a very good starting point for your exploration. I also have not personally used all or many of these curriculums. I encourage you to search around for the materials that will work best for your family.

I am linking directly to the curriculum/resource website. These sites were fully family-friendly when I originally accessed them. However, please use caution as websites frequently change and I am not responsible for or aware of their current content. As always, please notify me of any broken links and/or questionable material. I appreciate your help with this!

Comments are always welcome! I love hearing from you!

Complete/Boxed Curriculums

A Beka

A.C.E.

Ambleside Online - FREE

Switched-On-Schoolhouse

Math

Systematic Mathematics

Phonics/Reading

Preparation For Kindergarten

Spelling/Vocabulary

All About Spelling
Spelling Workout

SpellWell

Wisdom Words

Wordly Wise

Writing/Grammar/Penmanship

Draw Write Now

The Latin Road

Penmanship To Praise

A Reason For Handwriting

Write Shop

Science

100 Science Experiments

History/Geography

America's Heritage: An Adventure In Liberty - FREE

Drive Thru History

Mystery of History

Health/Physical Education/Life Skills

Homeschool Karate (DVDs)

The Ultimate Homeschool Physical Education Game Book

The Young Man's Handybook

Art

Artistic Pursuits

Draw Write Now

Drawing Basics With Thomas Kincaide

Spears Art Studio

Music

God Made Music

HomeSpun Music Instruction

KinderBach

Pfeiffer House

Bible

Answers Academy

Calvary Chapel - FREE

Explorer's Bible Study

Judah Bible Curriculum

Character

Languages

Life Skills

Early Childhood/Preschool

Five In A Row

Get Ready For the Code

Kumon Workbooks

Mudpies to Magnets

More Mudpies to Magnets

Preschool Prep Co.

Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready

Please email me at homeschoolhollow at hotmail dot com if you have a curriculum you would like listed here.

Homeschool Product Reviews

2008-08-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

All About Spelling (AAS)

All About Homophones (AAS)

Alphabet Alley - Part 1

Alphabet Alley - Part 2

Apologia Science ~ Young Explorer's Series

Before Five In A Row - New!

Bible StorySongs

The Bridge To The Latin Road - New!

The Critical Thinking Company

Heads Up!

HelpMe2Teach.com

Homeschool In The Woods

Homeschool Library Builder

KidsWealth Money Kits

Kinderbach

Math Tutor DVD's

Molly's Money-Saving Digest

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - Digital Subscription

One2Believe Biblical Toys - Nativity Set

One2Believe Biblical Toys - Noah's Ark Set

Puppetools

Rime To Read

Salem Ridge Press

Schleich Action Figures

Schoolside Press

Spears Art Studio

The Schoolhouse Planner

Time4Learning

Trigger Memory Systems: Times Tales Deluxe

Truth Seekers - The Missing Link: FOUND

WriteShop - Storybuilders