Judah Bible Curriculum was sent to me as a download for my review, access to their website and an 8 series lectures for teachers.  The idea of using the Bible as the key guide for a Bible course is certainly not original, but the way the author, Bill Burtness, suggest looking for specific themes and keys through the text is.

This curriculum is for all grades/ ages and every year the Bible is read and re-read. There is a suggestion for what ages study what and a break down into themes and keys to look for. The keys are: individuals, events, institutions and documents.

With the Bible as the textbook and concordance and dictionaries as support, the teacher and student make a notebook to record their findings.  The goal isn't necessarily to read the Bible through every year (though of course it is certainly fine to do so!), but rather to search for key people and events to support God's goal and intent for His kingdom through scriptures alone.

It is difficult to put down in words how to use the curriculum. At first, I read and read again the different ideas and printed out the entire curriculum. Initially, I hoped to read everything on the computer, but it just didn't work that way. I kept losing my place and finally gave in and printed it.

To explain further, I took this directly from the Judah Bible Curriculum website:

• A Principle Approach curriculum for Bible class.
• Develop a comprehensive knowledge of the Bible.
• Build strong, Godly character in your children.
• Study the Bible together.
• Study the hand of God in the lives of individuals and nations.
• For homeschool, Christian school, Sunday school.
• Teach your children living Biblical principles to guide their lives.
• Apply God’s word personally in every area of life.
• The Bible is the textbook.

Even though I did print out the pages for the keys- in the beginning- I knew for us that was going to result in many lost pages. So, instead I bought 5 subject notebooks for each and had a different page for each day's studying. This seemed to work well for us- even though we do have plenty of 3 ring binders. At the beginning of the school year, we get single subject binders for free or 10 cents each, but I thought the 5 subject notebook would work better.

This was confusing for me. I am not sure if I am the only one, but it took me weeks to grasp what it was we were supposed to do. I don't know how it could have been explained differently. However, I much prefer a curriculum I can just open up and use. I guess it is a combination of me not being a trained teacher and also being spoiled by many homeschool guides presenting the material in a very direct manner.

I did appreciate that each theme and key was identified for the teacher so I could make sure we were finding the right information. However, it frustrated me to figure out what was meant by institutions and documents. My children were definitely frustrated by that.

Would I have bought this for $44- for the download or $74 for the hardcopy? Most likely not. I am still not sure I am using the curriculum correctly. I strongly believe the Bible alone should be the textbook for every Bible curriculum, but this particular program confused me and I don't think it needs to be confusing. I loved the concept, though- now that I understand. I would suggest this curriculum to others, though, particularly if I felt it worked for them. But I will continue to incorporate this method in our Bible class from now on.

Below is contact information for Judah Bible curriculum:

Bill Burtness, author

Judah Bible Curriculum,

www.judahbible.com

bill@judahbible.com

217-344-5672 land

847-863-3421 cell

Disclaimer: This curriculum was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Library and Educational Services (LES)  sent me 2 videos from the Go Science Series offered by their company. I chose to review Volume 2 and Volume 5 of the  6 DVDs in the series.

This series was originally  made for a spot on a  Christian TV program. Ben Roy still travels and presents live shows for Science Zone in his "over the top" manner that has earned him at least one Teacher of the Year award. The DVDs are copyrighted 2006 and are produced by Go Science LLC. While offered in other places online,  I doubt they can be found at this great price other than through Library and Educational Services.

Volume 2 covered the subjects of Simple Machines, Sound and Weather, in 14 demonstrations. Each demonstration is very short and would be easy to incorporate into a science lesson in place of working an experiment or just as educational entertainment  or the whole DVD can be watched as a stand alone item.

Volume 5 is nearly  50 minutes long and covers Air/ Flight  in 12 short, high energy demonstrations.

Ben Roy demonstrates in front of a classroom type settig with the help of children volunteers. It is refreshing to see his class is made up of average seeming children. It seemed the volunteers  weren't overly  rehearsed and most of the children appeared clearly interested in the lesson being taught.  At the end of each lesson, Ben Roy points out all Science teaches us more about our Creator, God . A sample lesson can be viewed here:

My 2 younger school aged children watched these DVDs  over and over. My 8 year old described both DVDs as "awesome" and hopes we will get the other DVDs in the series. My 7 yo daughter especially loved the egg in a bottle demonstration, and also liked watching the lessons repeatedly.  However, even though the age range is stated to be 6- 14, I think this series would not hold the attention of many 14 yo's. My 10 yo has read a lot of science books and experiment books. He didn't feel the DVDs taught him anything new. He stated he would not want to watch them again and would not be interested in me getting more.

In fact, he opted to not watch anything instead of watching the lessons again with the 7 and 8 yo this afternoon.

Personally, I had a hard time watching or listening to much of this DVD . However, I have never really enjoyed programing geared specifically for children.  So, I am really not the best judge. I believe these DVDs would be great for many families and for children in the 6- 10 age range. Some of the subjects covered are appropriate for older children, but I feel they would think the DVDs are below them. At only $8.97 for an individual DVD or $47.95 for the set of 6, they are in the very affordable range- I feel.

It was a pleasure getting to know more about the company Library and Educational Services  (LES) and what they have been offering  the homeschool community for 35 years. LES is  a wholesale company selling directly to educators (including homeschoolers),  librarians, church leaders, missionaries, resellers and  licensed day cares for 30 - 70% off list price. Almost all the products offered are completely free of evolution references.

While I don't think we will be ordering more of the Go Science DVDs, I do expect to order from Library & Educational Services again in the near future.

There are several ways to contact LES. If you qualify to purchase from this company, you can simply set up an account and order online. However, here is also a link to alternate ways of reaching LES.

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS review crew, I recieved these DVDs for free in exchange for my honest review.

This 50 year company outdoes itself over and over again- in my opinion.  We own many items by this company and I was happy to be chosen to review. In fact, we are using 2 other books currently along with our other work.

This book is the latest in a series of 4 books that contain picture puzzles and activities as a way to teach Algebra.  Because of the visual approach, children seem to grasp and make sense of the concepts easier than traditional Algebra problems. The problems start out very easy and increase in difficulty- as would be expected.  A picture shows a scale. On one end is a symbol or symbols and on the other side is a number or a combination of numbers and symbols that help the child figure out  the number each symbol stands for.

Balance Math Teaches Algebra is available online at www.criticalthinking.com for $14.99. Don't let the thinness  fool you,  a lot of ground covered in these lessons. Level 1, 2 and 3 deal with addition, subtraction and multiplication and are $9.99 each. It can also be ordered by calling the company directly- at 800-458-4849. If you would like free shipping, please follow this link!

My 7 yo loves math and while this was definitely not at her level, she does work above her grade level in math and was able to do some of the first  lessons. My 8 yo didn't love it, but he did still like it. I am not sure how to make math click for him or if he just doesn't want to think- so this company isn't about finding the right answer and putting it in a blank. My 10 was very matter of fact and analytical- as he tends to be in most things. My 14 yo started out hesitant and expected to be frustrated. When he found out the puzzles were fun, I could see him gain confidence. Algebra hasn't been his favorite subject. He started out well, but seems to get lost easily. So, we have started and backed up more than once. Math is certainly not a good or favorite subject for him. You can also look inside the book to see what it is like.

We used Balance Math ^tm Teaches Algebra as a supplement to the math each child is currently doing. At first, we worked together on the pages, but it didn't take long before my children were asking me to make copies for them and wanting to work them on their own (except my 8 yo who can take even a fun subject and make it into work. Interestingly, he seems to have the capacity of being a great student and is very intelligent, but he seems to put his thought into things other than school time- unless it isn't school. If he is supposed to be setting the table, for instance, or tonight before bed, then he will likely be doing school… He can be a *little* contrary!

All in all, we loved this book and it made a difficult and frustrating subject more fun. This book is geared for 4th - 12th grade. I feel that is the perfect range for this book. We love this company!

Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of this product as part of the TOS Review crew in exchange for my honest opinion.

My husband sat looking at me to see if I might continue, and then burst out in song, "Cliff Hanger, hanging from a cliff".

Who knows why I found it so funny, but have you seen the PBS Cliff Hanger? Because I think it is hilarious!

I recieved both the Student Guide- an impressive, consumable 351 pages in a 8 1/2 x 11 paperback book written by Claire A Larsen, and the Teacher's Guide. Throughout both, most scriptures are taken from the New International Version, but occasionally the New King James Version is also used. This particular book is targeted for 4th grade and up. Here is a link to a sample- if you care to see what is included.

This course consists of 4 units: Jesus, the Son of Man, Has Come… To Live Among His People, Jesus, God's Servant Has Come… To Proclaim the Good News, Jesus, the Messiah, Has Come… To Teach About God's Kingdom, Jesus, the Son of God, Has Come… To Conquer Sin and Death for a full school year's worth of material.

Each unit is further divided into chapters, for a total of 36 chapters. Each chapter is made up of the actual lesson, memory material, activities and a quiz and should take only a week to complete. 

At first, I wasn't sure if the Student Guide ($29.95) would be necessary, but  it does provide a lot of additional cultural  information, a place to keep notes and answers to all the questions asked in the student's  lessons . So, it is useful to have both the Student's guide and Teacher's guide- especially if you will be using this course with multiple children. However, if you work through the material directly with your students you might not find the  Teacher's Guide necessary- as it is basically a copy of the student guide and you likely won't need the answers if you work through the course with your student(s). Alternately, you might wish to purchase the Audio Files ($9.95) to this course. The text can be read to your student through this downloadable MP3 format and would be particularly helpful for auditory learners or struggling readers.

We initially used God's Great Covenant in our daily reading time. It might just be the first chapters, but I had a hard time keeping the interest of my 7 and 8 yo. So, my 14 yo -who was my only student who didn't have a Bible curriculum to work on- was given this book so he could work on it alone. Personally, I didn't feel  this was below my 14 yo because it is not written in a tone that speaks down to the children it is geared for. The character of Simon is written for a younger student, but my son didn't say he thought it was below him. 

This is a great program for multi-ages or a family devotional book. I could imagine this course would be excellent for a traditional classroom or even a Sunday School.  It really didn't fit what we were currently doing and I am not sure if we will finish the course. I can't quite put my finger on why, though. I think it is just a matter of timing and not a great fit for us at this time. It is a very thorough curriculum that is put together very well and I don't  have any complaints about the book. I like the various activities and depth of this course. We typically memorize scriptures out of the  New American Standard Version and I personally prefer King James Version, but those aren't things that would keep us from using this course either. We will probably revisit this course in the future and see if the fit is better at that time.

Disclaimer: I was given this product for free as part of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was pleasantly surprised to find Christian Kids Explore (CKE) - Earth & Space  to meet all these criteria. I realize someone who does not believe in a world created in 7 days by a supreme God would not be interested in this curriculum, but if you- like me- believe this universe was spoken into being by a supreme God, and if you have children are roughly grades 3rd - 6th , this review might be of interest to you.

CKE - Earth and Space ( $34.95)is authored by Stephanie L. Redmond. She is a homeschool mom who saw a need for a science program and decided to write a series to fill that need. Her brother and sister are involved also by illustrated for her books. Bright Ideas Press (BIP) publishes the series (along with several other homeschool curriculum- some of which I have had the opportunity to review before.) I received the physical 360 page, paperback book. The size is 8 1/2 x 11 and the cover has a glossy finish- perfect for wiping free of jelly (I have been told. My angels would never have anything sticky around their school books…)

The textbook is broken down into 6 units are divided into a total of 24 lessons and each unit also ends with a review- called a "wrap up" for a total of 30 weeks of lessons. It is suggested to do all the reading one day of the week and the hands on activities on the 2nd day- for a total of 2 days a week taking  approximately 60 - 90 minutes of class time.

Each lesson has material to be read out loud- or by your child(ren) if they are old enough.  There are also vocabulary, coloring pages, and labeling exercises. The hands-on activities are a combination of experiments and instructions on making a folderbook that will serve as both a keepsake and review for each unit.

If you find it necessary, there are supplemental materials as well! It would be easy to add books on the non-science days that complemented the text book as well- if you wish. However, I find 2 days of a formal science curriculum at the younger ages is more than applicable. I would recommend reviewing the flashcards daily, though. All the material you absolutely need for this course is provided in this one book- including answer keys for the questions along the way. It is not consumable (though you might wish to have your child(ren) color in the pages in the main part of the book since the drawings are completely black and white). Don't worry if you decide to make copies of the pictures, since there is a whole section of reproducibles in the back.

While not actually necessary, I chose to purchase the Student Activity Book  of downloadable reproducibles to make it easier to print out copies of the many pages we will need to make the folders and assemble  notebooks. This month of April the downloads are available at a discounted rate of $7.95 (marked down from $12.95). It is hard to get a clean copy from this thick book- it seems. I didn't like the dark lines we got when using the book on my copier. Of course, if you don't own a copier, then I definitely recommend getthing the downloads.

This book spends about 24 weeks on the subject of Earth and the remaining 6 weeks on Space. It is easily adjusted down for younger children. I doubt I would use this with children too much older, but if you have a child who has no interest in science, then perhaps it could be used up to grade 8. I didn't use this with my 14 year old. But my 7 year old did benefit  as well as my 8 and 10 year old. My 10 yo even studied and read through this book on his own. Science is "his thing" and he loves to draw too.

Disclaimer: I received this product as a member of the TOS Review crew for free in exchange for my honest review.

Included with the 185 page paperback Fabulous Fractions book  ($21.95) was a set of 5 Fractional Transparencies ($14.95) and also a CD providing  reproducible items in one convenient location. A pdf version of this book is available for $19.95. Fabulous Fractions is meant to teach 3rd - 5th graders more about fractions through hands on activities.

There are additional suggested material as an aid  to making fractions hands on and understandable. Some of these items I have on hand and others I didn't, but we made do with what we had! The suggested additional materials are: Fraction Cards, Tangram Puzzles, Plastic Pattern Blocks, Fraction Circle Transparencies (and the fractional transparencies I did receive). The projects we did can be done without these additional materials, but I suggest at least looking into getting everything recommended as they are all very reasonably priced and will make using this book very simple.

This book does an excellent job of explaining how to use each lesson for whichever age range you are teaching to. Teaching fractions has always been frustrating to me, and this helped take the worry out of the process.

By the end of several hands on lessons, my younger 3 students were seeing fractions in everything. I used this book as a supplement and not our main math. However, this book did help my children to see fractions around them.

I would not say all of my children now "get it". In fact, my 8 yo seems like he still doesn't have a clue. The 7 and 10 yo needed very little explanation in order to understand and this was below the 14 yo, but he actually still participated with many of the activities since he happened to be in the same room.

We have 3 students close enough in age to work together on the group projects. Yet - in my experience-  this particularly book works best for a group setting. So, for homsechoolers, I could picture this being a great product for a co-op. Since 200 copies of anything in the book are allowed per school/ home,  it would not be necessary to buy multiple books and makes this extremely affordable for even the smallest homeschool group/ co-op. There are 22 activities altogether. In the back of the book, answers to activities are provided. The book is more of a teacher's guide, but the pages can be copied directly out of the book, so the book is not consumable.

Fabulous Fractions retails for  $21.95 on the AIMS Education Foundation  site, www.aimsedu.org . You can also contact AIMS through their toll free customer service number: (888) 733-2467 during business hours Monday through Friday.

Here I have paraphrased the 3 promises AIMS makes to their customers: To make learning engaging,  make activities affordable (and supporting material readily available) and to make activities easy to use. I found all 3 of these to be true.

I loved the hands on component, straight forward explanations and clearly defined list of learning  objectives. For us, it worked out well to introduce the material a little at a time and not use this daily - but still often. I would recommend getting a bin and compiling all the items needed, then using this book - along with supporting materials- as a fun activity center.  I am not trying to suggest this product can only be used as supplemental activities, though. To me, the material just seemed to lend itself to that sort of application. It is a nice way to break up the monotony so common with the process of learning math.

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Review Crew, I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review. All the opinions expressed are mine.

Write with WORLD is (not surprisingly) published by the same company known for God's World News and WORLD magazines. If you parent, homeschool and/ or teach in a Christian worldview manner, I recommend getting a subscription to one (or more) of these magazines. Bringing current news into your home month after month that supports , not contradict , the Bible and Christianity is something foreign to today's media campaign.

What I received to review was the 1st year of a 2 year writing program called Write with WORLD, geared for 5th - 8th graders. Included was both a student manual and also a teacher's manual.There will also be a website/ online component to the program, but it isn't functional yet. In fact, this curriculum is currently only available for pre-order. The curriculum will be available for the 2012/ 2013 school year, though- as the books will be available in August of 2012. In order to get an idea of why Write with WORLD was conceived, it would be useful to read the introduction to the program. Several journalists, professors and editors worked together to make this curriculum available. It is not necessarily homeschool specific, but it definitely is homeschool friendly and no modification is necessary to use in a homeschool program.

Students can work at their own pace of one the teacher sets for them. Each lesson consists of 5 capsules written directly to the student in an easily understood manner. There are 4 lessons in each of the 4 units. Feasibly- if you have a very motivated student- it would be possible to complete this program in 4 months. Since our school year runs year round, we will likely do 3 capsules a week . However, I wouldn't be surprised if my 14 year old starts moving through faster once he gains more confidence in his writing. Vocabulary, critical thinking, writing assignments and check ups are included in each. Instructors are encouraged to take a soft approach to correction and be light with the red pen. I am not sure i have personally found the right balance in that!

To introduce this writing program to my children, I read the first capsules out loud during our daily reading classwork time and assigned the first capsule. My purpose was to see if my younger children would also benefit from this writing program- even though they are all below the recommended reading age. They certainly enjoyed the lessons, however, my 8 year old clearly was not ready. My 10 year old shows some natural talent for writing and he seemed to grasp what was going on, but it was still not quite suited for him either. In one or 2 years he should be ready for this program and I look forward to using the program with him. I think it helped that we did cover the first several days together before simply turning the book over to my 14 year old to work through on his own. That being said, it is certainly written in a way that could be handed to a student with very minimal input. Encouragement and acknowledgement of well written work and coaxing to flesh out writing is expected- of course.

Perhaps others would take this course at a faster pace and finish multiple capsules in one day. Since my student is not an eager writer, I want to set him up for success and start at a slow pace and let him decide to move faster if he wishes. I love the way the presentation of the material and am very hopeful this program is going to fit a need for our family.

While not absolutely essential to using the course, I decided to subscribe to News Flash and Top Story magazine for my children. There already are some references to using WORLD magazine for particular capsules, and the assumption seems to be the student will have these available to them. I believe this writing program- which I have decided to continue with- will be enriched by using these materials. We do not currently get a newspaper at our home, yet I know it is important for my children to be aware of world events. It is also important they be able to express their views in a God honoring way. I do not often feel compelled to continue using the review items we receive, yet this particular product filled a need and void in our school program. Needless to say, it is not for a lack of looking! I plan on buying the second year as well.

What would I change? Well… not anything about the program itself, but I would change the font for the student's guide. It is not - technically- too small for my 14 year old, but even I prefer to read a larger font. I understand the font of the teacher's manual being on the small side, but feel at least the student's manual would be more inviting for a child if the font were larger (particular for a younger student or one hesitant/ self conscious about the program ) . Second, I feel the first units had a pop of color and interest with the pictures added, but after the 2nd lesson of the 1st unit, there aren't any more pictures. Granted, I imagine they are not technically needed (or they would be there) and the author uses highlighting and blocking to clearly differentiate material in the unit.

I realize smaller print and fewer pictures means cost effective printing making this curriculum-perhaps- more affordable, but would probably personally prefer/ hope for an online interactive type program to a book with such small font. Possibly, since this is a prototype of a product, there will be more "flash" in official version. The teacher's manual is awkward to hold. The paper is too thin to support itself and it is floppy and unusual. It is nice to have a different look to the book so the student guide is not confused for the teacher's guide and vice- versa. So far, I have not needed to refer to the teacher's guide. Since a website and forum will be part of what is offered in the price of the curriculum, I wondered if a teacher's print manual will truly be needed? It is nice to have the option, I am sure. I just haven't needed it yet since it is easy enough to read the objective and see if my student has done what was asked.

The price of $95 a year ordered individually or $165 for both years is higher than I would normally spend- particularly if I knew nothing about the product- yet I believe this product is worth the expense and I do highly recommend it. Eventually there will be a website where teachers and students can interact and post in a forum as well as have their work evaluated (I hope I have that right! Since it isn't live yet, I did not use this part of the program). Write with WORLD offers a 30 day return policy on their curriculum- but not on the shipping costs- which is understandable! Hopefully through the online examples and other reviews, it will be clear to you if this is something that would be useful- or not- for your home.

Plus, neither the student or teacher's guide needs to be consumable- a fact we consider to be very important in our household. I can see this program being useful even for older writers looking for a starting point.

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Review Crew, I received the first year of Write with WORLD for free in exchange for my honest opinion. ]]> Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:58:00 GMT http://www.larocque.net/item.asp?ID=2269 http://www.larocque.net/item.asp?ID=2269 The author of TruthQuest History (Michelle Miller) presents History Guides for the homeschooler with a unique twist: focus on God and less focus on what mankind has done. How true that history would not be without God and what God has chosen to do for us and through us! Yet, so much of what I tend to think of history is a series of dates, locations and events.

I received a pdf version of  TruthQuest's History Guide entitled Beginnings: (Creation/ Old Testament/ Ancients/ Egypt),geared for 5th- 9th graders. The guide is 304 pages long, includes an easy-to-read narrative guide, book suggestions and lots of practical suggestions for the use of the material. No books are included, but the focus is not placed on what books you read, but rather on the Bible. In fact, for this particular History Guide, no book other than Scripture is necessary, but there are lots and lots of suggestions for additional materials that can be used with this particular guide. The author also includes the grade range for which she feels the materials are appropriate. In fact, on the TruthQuest website there is a link to spine material to use with their history guides and different suggestions for implementing the curriculum depending on how many years you wish to fit the material into. I was not able to get a good feel for how long it would take us to finish this guide if it were our only history.

After reading all of the introductory information, I found there is much to love. The focus clearly points to God and His love for us. It is encouraging to read Mrs. Miller's advice not to panic while teaching from her guides . This is a reminder I really need. My initial mode was to be overwhelmed by all this guide had to offer , and the relatively short time I had to review this item. Since the guides are clearly referred to as a "servant" to the instructor, it was refreshing to be given permission to use the guide to work for our family.  In contrast some guides practically preach completing each step a particular way "or else".

It turns out we had enough materials in our home between creation videos, books and of course the Bible to dive right into this guide. I always keep our main history curriculum constant, in spite of all the reviews we do, so this can be a challenge when reviwing a  history guide. This is especially true if the guide doesn't particularly match up with what we are doing. Currently, we are studying non-Western civilization and there wasn't a guide available specifically for this. Though, it is highly possible it is woven into and through other guides. I was able to still incorporate much from this guide because we often discuss Creation and God's handiwork. It fit perfectly  into our day by weaving  around the rest of our activities as well as on car rides, during dinner time conversation,  and as the subject matter came up in other school time reading.  This did mean a little extra effort on my part.  If I used the guide as part of our daily class schedule, it is set up to simply read along.

The conversational, pleasant writing manner of the author, makes Beginnings both easy to read and understand. In fact, the tone reminds me of  a favorite children's history book we own, so I felt at home. It did feel almost "too easy". I have tried to overcome the habit of feeling like each class has to be a certain length of time to "count" and a subject has to be "school-like" to count.  I do not mean the material is fluff either! It is just "easy" to walk through and even easier to implement.

It is my opinion this particular  guide could also be uses as a Bible curriculum in addition to a History guide  since Mrs. Miller uses so much Scripture in her guides.  The flow of the guide also complements the timeline we have set to memory through flashcards we have used in the past.

To me, this particular guide and many of the suggested activities could be done by just about any age child with very little adjustment. Well, of course the books you choose to read would vary. But since you choose the books appropriate for your family, there isn't any issue there. If you prefer to have books suggested for you, then that is OK, too. There are PLENTY of books. I love books and I wish I could purchase a book set of core books to go along with this guide.So, if you have a wide range of ages, chances are you can use this guide for the whole family.

One negative experience I had with this guide was due to the pdf  file.  I felt it could have been made  easier to use.  Personally, I have become  accustomed  to interactive pdf pages . As an example, when I wished to look up Egypt, I expected to  click the word "Egypt"  in the table of contents and jump directly to those pages . Also, the page numbers of the pdf did not coincide with the pages of the guide's table of contents. Once I learned the subject of Egypt started on page 128, I scrolled down to page 128 on the left hand side, only to find page 128 of the pdf is actually page 116 of the guide. Granted, it didn't take me long to figure out, but would be more user friendly if the numbers were the same.

A print copy of Beginnings is available for $29.95 and the pdf price is only $23.95.

I can tell a lot of work has gone into the guide I received. To accompany each guide, there are optional pdf resources available: Binder-Builders  ($18) (fancy lapbook), Notebook pages ($13), Timeline/ Report Package ($13) or all 3 for $39.

I still have not found a history I would use in place of what we already use. While I was able to view the table of contents in each of the 11 guides offered  (3 for lower levels and 8 for upper) , I would be curious to see how other cultures and all of history is presented through these guides.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free as a member of the TOS Review Crew in exchange for my honest opinion about the product I received.

Since Debra Haagen- the author- lives in NC, I can't help but wonder if she visits my favorite zoo- the Asheboro Zoo. More information about this book can be found on the book's website and facebook page.

I received this 24 page book as a pdf and intended to read the book on the computer. However, instead I printed the book out so my daughter could color in the pages. I wish it had printed out as a coloring book with a clean black and white outline.

My children who are 7, 8 and 9 enjoyed the book and asked lots of questions. I feel there is a great need for more books to focus specifically on the proof of a Creator.

While I did think this book was cute and had some interesting information, the $8.99 price for a hardback or $7.99 price for the pdf is affordable, I feel.  it is not likely  I would choose just because we have SO many books. I would highly recommend the book. The writing is great. The Illustrations are simple, but very attractive.

I find I prefer a traditional book- specifically for children and would be highly unlikely to buy this (or any children's book) as a pdf. The bound version of the book would be one I would definitely recommend to others and possibly buy as a gift for a child who loves animals.

Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Review Crew, I received the pdf version of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. All the opinions are mine.

I do have to say, it wasn't all bad, I got to go hang out with a good friend.. My wonderful (and very wise) husband made 2 batches of apple crisp- one with Stevia just for me- since I am still trying to stay clear of real sugar. My oldest son came for a visit (and to do laundry and get a hair cut). He brought me a cute frog (not live) for my collection and super adorable bracelets (like his) for his baby brothers. Still, every day seems like it is 3 days in one lately!

I asked David if he could call a school bus STAT and get the kids on it today. Don't get me wrong-  I LOVE to homeschool my children. I love having the freedom in our country to provide an education at home for our children- if we choose. Yet, there are days like today when I feel I am on a treadmill or trying to walk up the down escalator. Phew! I am so tired.

Thankful for all my children, though! I am so proud of each one. Everyday, I am reminded what a gift they are. I know this day will be a blur soon. Yet, it is hard when the long days outnumber the short days. When I want to do fun things with the kids, but they won't co-operate so we can get to the fun. They didn't know if we got through everything today, I planned on taking them on a field trip tomorrow. But now they will miss out and I will feel like I could have done more and have been a better Mom and a better teacher. I acknowledge I have a part in it when the day unravels. It seems I have to not expect anything out of the day. Today, I needed everything to happen on a particular time frame or I knew I wouldn't get everything I wanted done. It seems my hand got slapped and I am being told, "Let go and Let ME be in charge" by God. We did have a chance to talk about scriptures, but I feel like I am not living for my children a good example. I could be more patient and certainly more kind.

Well, goodnight- finally- and I am hopeful tomorrow will be a better day (though my youngest son gets a helmet because his head is long and narrow from the time spent in bed at the orphanage or in the hospital before the orphanage, and I think he is going to hate it! His older brother (by 2 months) likes to wear hats and took right to his helmet. In fact, he never wants it off. My youngest  is probably going to be quite upset , though. I can already imagine  his little bottom lip quivering and those eyes letting us know  how mean he feels we are- when he doesn't get his way. Prayerfully, I will be proven wrong. With both boys in helmets it will save Lukas some nasty bumps he currently has been getting when his unprotected head meets up with his brother's hard hat.

Action Alert is an innovative, award winning  tool for monitoring the online activity of your child(ren)'s use of the computer.  It is produced by Keyware Inc.  The program was awarded the Disney's iParenting award and has been featured on The Today Show.

Installation is pretty straight forward and simple once my husband learned it required Internet Explorer to install. Some wording was confusing in the manual because it referred to a USB device and I was sent a link.

There are 2 different programs available: Free Protection and Maximum Protection. There are 8 safety tools included in the maximum protection program I was given to review.  The maximum protection program can be used by multiple people and can be customized. Features include: the ability to shut down the computer remotely, block sites, allow sites you consider to be safe, keep track of user names and passwords, keep track of chats and emails sent, record 60 hours of activity, only allow a certain amount of time on the computer daily and receive emails or text messages about suspicious activity (you can set phrases or words- including your phone number, address and contact info if you are afraid your child might be giving out that information online).

My husband and I  were very unsure about adding this program to our computers for fear it would interfere with what was already set up. We have the capacity to do some of these things already in place on our children's computer. For instance, we already have a set time the computer shuts down, we do not have web access available- except a couple sites- including our family site.

I honestly didn't feel I would like to use Action Alert and requested to opt out of this review. However, I am glad I tried it out- though I am not sure I will continue using it- since we do not allow most of our children any access to the web or facebook. I believe high school age and up should start learning how to use the internet for studying and research, but most younger children would click on YouTube all day long and I find no value whatsover in giving them access to the internet or Facebook before highschool.

In reality, the results were very interesting. I thought it would take forever to play back the recorded information. It didn't. It was easy to scan through and look for any concerning information. I should have mentioned this already, but all of our children realize their internet activity is a privilege that can be monitored and taken away at anytime this privilege puts themselves or others at risk.

By monitoring what activity actually happened on the installed computer, it made me realize my children are actually using their computers for the intended purpose- at least while this program was installed. I did not warn my children I would be installing Action Alert since we already have a monitoring program on the computers and they are aware of this. The other monitoring systems do not allow us to view past activity like watching a video and view chat, email or passwords, however. Our old program didn't sent alerts when suspicious activity occurred- as Action Alert does.

Monitoring was easy, but seemed to only work from the computer it is installed on. There are instructions on how to view from a remote computer, but I couldn't get that to work correctly. This is problematic since all of my children know how to change passwords and I might or might not be able to gain access to view . I would change that feature. Also, I think some of my children would attempt to un-install the program. It seems it should be invisible to them, but the icon wasn’t.

Since they do know we can and will monitor, that wasn't necessarily an issue for us, but if you felt your child was possibly involved in something seriously dangerous, you might not want to advertise the monitoring. I personally do not view this as invasion of privacy because it is not a requirement for us to provide a computer or internet access to our children. However, I still felt nosey. If the monitoring had revealed anything I needed to be particularly concerned about, I am sure I would feel differently.

The video viewing feature was not intuitive for me. If I tried to pause in order to look at something closeup, the screen blanked out until I resumed. I never did figure out how to move at the right speed. I can move forward or backward while viewing. Sometimes I could figure out how to slow down enough to read as the video played. Also, while advertised as being able to view both sides of the conversation, I could not figure out that mode. So, many of the logged conversations made no sense since they were one sided. Nonetheless, I could still tell nothing alarming was going on. The one alert I got was for a particular word. When I read the word in context, it was appropriate and I am thankful my children are not cyberbullying anyone. :)

Action Alert has a 100% free program or you can choose  Maximum Protection for only $29.99 a year - any upgrades made during that year are included in the price. If you are not satisfied, you can get all your money back within the first 30 days. If you are concerned about what your children are saying and doing online, this might be the perfect answer for your family! I am split on allowing more access to websites and installing this on more computers. I do not want to set up a sting operation, but am pretty happy with just blocking all internet for my younger children unless I personally allow the site. However, I believe older children should be given more freedoms and Action Alert would allow for that and even shut down the computer immediately if the computer use is inappropriate.

I was very impressed by the quick response when I had concerns/ questions about downloading and use of this program. Yet, I am so not computer savvy, I did rely on my husband to make sure this was set up correctly. Also, both of us had some trouble understanding the answers given to us by customer care. I am sure I am not using this program to its full potential.

This program was provided to me through The Old Schoolhouse Review crew at no cost in exchange for my honest opinion. I might at some point join the  affiliate program offered by Action Alert. I do believe this program is offered at a great price and would definitely suggest installing at least the free version if you don't have any current monitoring systems in place for your child(ren).

The second guide I received from Progeny Press was the guide to Across 5 Aprils by Irene Hunt. The study guide author is Carol Clark- a junior high school language arts teacher. Progeny Press offers many different guides. Their website lists these by grade level. The site also lists specials and best sellers. I found the site a little difficult to navigate and couldn't seem to find a purchase button on the page describing the guide. I thought that was odd.

This guide is also interactive, but I chose to print it. I then realized one key reason to not print, and promptly lost and found it many times  while reviewing. Yes, it was handy to take with me and I should have stuck it in a labeled notebook right away! Yet, it pointed out to me how much I appreciate the interactive forms and that my children can fill the whole guide in online and then I do not need to keep track of papers.

This guide has a clear table of contents, offers pre-reading activities, ideas of activities to do while reading , looks at 2 chapters at a time and has additional activities if you need to  flesh it out for an advanced or older student. The suggested age range is 5th - 9th grade. We have read this book together out loud and we also answered the discussion questions mostly out loud. I believe this particular book could be read with and understood by children younger than 5th grade- at least with an adult assisting. All of my school age children (even my 7 yo- who was 6 when we first read it) were intently into this book. This was my 3rd time reading Across 5 Aprils to my children and it always makes me cry. I am not particularly into war books or even movies, but this one is truly gripping and written in a very conversational way.

So many ideas and concepts are introduced and while a lot of "coming of age" books are controversial are focused on boy/ girl relationships. In this book we watch Jethro grow up during the Civil War and watch his brothers, teacher, sisters and family be affected by the war. Also, we see other changes in his family as he helps his sister in law and has to step up in a major way when his father gets sick and with his brothers and cousins all gone to war, but also experience the ups and downs of day to day farm life and morphing from a daydreaming child to a hardworking man- who is really still quite young at the end of Across 5 Aprils.

This guide also come in 3 forms: as a bound booklet ($18.99), on CD in pdf format ($16.99) or an email attachment as a pdf (also $16.99).

I personally use a curriculum that is literature based and already have study guides included. For that reason, I would probably not purchase a study guide from Progeny Press. I personally  was surprised there wasn't more of a price difference between a pdf and print copy. It seems most of the expense would go into the production and the printing.  I haven't done a price comparison between study guides, but did like this guide. It would be pricey for me if I were using it once, but clearly if I were using this with a group or many times in my school, it would be more affordable.

As part of the TOS crew, I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review.

I received both The Screwtape Letters and Across 5 Aprils Interactive Study Guide from Progeny Press. The guides are for use with MAC or Windows and come in 3 optional forms:  a bound booklet , on CD in pdf format or an email attachment as a pdf . The pdf has a READ ME file, the study guide itself and an answer guide for the teacher.

The Read Me file  for both guides are thorough and informative for how to operate the program- if you choose to use the guide online.  By following the step by step tutorial, I learned how to underline and cross out words and phrases.  While I use my computer many times a day, I would not consider myself to be particularly computer savvy, but the instructions are extremely straight forward.

Interactive means just what it implies - each child can have his own online guide to be  answered online and graded online by the teacher! No more "dog ate my homework" or "sister made a paper airplane" type excuses!

Yet, if you are on the road or just like to have a paper printout, of course, that is still fine!  I tried both ways.

When you purchase a study guide from Progeny Press, you receive the rights to reproduce pages for home or classroom use, but you cannot copy pages for others or sell the file - unless you have an original CD in an original sleeve.  The Screwtape Letters guide is $21.99 for the booklet, $18.99 for the CD or emailed pdf. Progeny Press has been business owned and operated since 1992. You can read more about the mission behind Progeny Press here

The Screwtape Letters Guide is authored by  Rev. Michael S Poteet, an ordained Presbyterian minister.

A good dictionary, thesaurus and Bible are necessary in addition to the book The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis- which we purchased through Kindle and was less expensive than the gas to go to the library and back again! Scriptures in the guide are primarily from the New International Version (NIV) translation.

The study guide itself consisted of optional pre-reading activities , asks questions on  2 - 4 chapters at a time and also includes optional activities and research paper topics. It is recommended the student take a week or so to read the text completely beginning the review guide.  Each section includes vocabulary words and questions about the text.  A variety of  multiple choice, fill in the blank, word finds and other activities are interspersed though the guide. My children each have different strengths and I like the variety of ways to answer so it will challenge each in a different way. I used the Screwtape Letter guide myself.

I felt the  background information on the author of  The Screwtape Letters (CS Lewis) was thorough and useful information to be included in the guide. From the very start it gave me a different perspective on this book from when I read it  in highschool. Through the years I have read (and re-read) many books authored  by CS Lewis and enjoy his writing very much. Yet, I didn't know he had turned away from God and then was led back before being prompted to write this great book. This revelation made The Screwtape Letters and accompanying study guide even more meaningful to me.

Reading The Screwtape Letters in highschool, helped develop in me the image of the daily battle we wage with the devil. It made me realize how powerful and real Satan is and how much he hates us. CS Lewis is able to preach to me in a way very few authors have. Yet, I find I missed the first time  and The Screwtape Letters meant something completely different to me this time around.  Plus, on this end, as I am nearing 40 - my take on evil is quite different. Sometimes, I feel I have lived several lifetimes for all the sorrow, sickness, sadness and evil I have seen.

The message of The Screwtape Letters is very current and worthwhile today. This study guide doesn't shy away from the hard questions that get your highschooler thinking and challenges them towards developing their own belief system.  As CS Lewis points out, it is often the "transition from dreaming aspirations to laborious doing" that causes us to stumble.

Geared for highschool students grade 9 - 12, this could be modified for use with adults. I believe my 14 yo would not be ready to truly tackle this book for another 2 years, but each child is different.  If your child is ready to read this book, then the study guide shouldn't be too difficult. The Screwtape Letters is set in the 1930s and would be appropriate  while studying Christian Literature or British Literature or CS Lewis.

I personally use a curriculum that is literature based and already have study guides included. For that reason, I would probably not purchase a study guide from Progeny Press. I personally  was surprised there wasn't more of a price difference between a pdf and print copy. It seems most of the expense would go into the production and the printing.  I haven't done a price comparison between study guides, but did like this guide. It would be pricey for me if I were using it once, but clearly if I were using this with a group or many times in my school, it would be more affordable.

As part of the TOS crew, I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review.

We received The Art of Argument to review consisting of 2 paperback textbooks (student and teacher's guide)  from Classical Academic Press  (CAP) plus the first CD in the series that can be used to compliment the text. Classical Academic Press provides quality, profession materials for homeschoolers, co-ops and classrooms that promote a "Classical  Education, Creatively Taught".  This particular set is geared toward the Junior High age student. I took that to mean 6th - 9th grade level.

CAP  is physically located in Camp Hill, PA, but of course has a presence on the web- www.classicalacademicpress.com or can be reached by phone- (866) 730-0711 or fax (717) 730-0721.

I have heard good things about CAP and have reviewed a program for younger children previously. In fact, Classical Academic Press offers educational materials in Languages (Latin, Spanish, Greek and French), Bible and Poetry in addition to logic. I will be reviewing the first book in their Bible Old Testament series soon.

This review is mainly going to be informational. While I personally loved the subject of debate and felt my 14 yo was ready to tackle the subject, he was frustrated and couldn't figure out what he was supposed to learn. I honestly do not feel this reflects on the text. However, even the introduction was overwhelming to him.

My son doesn't have some of the educational struggles my oldest daughter has, he is very resistant to anything new. He wants to learn and he can be a very good student, but we attempted to start this book several times and I was met with a confused expression and irritable manner on each attempt.

It became evident we would have to step away and approach the subject of debate again in the future!

I loved the look of the books we received. The Art of Argument introduces the student to 28 informal fallacies.  The fallacies are divided for the student clearly into 3 categories: Relevance, Presumption, and Clarity. Students are guided to read and answer questions to aid them in their study of these fallacies. The text is clear- to me- I wasn't introduced to this subject until highschool. While I could certainly have made my son memorize the different terms, he would not have been in a place to actually understand what was meant and it seemed I would be doing more harm than good by pressing the matter.

Logic can be an intimidating subject matter to teach and I was thankful for the first DVD in the series to assist me. My son and I listened to the introduction and first lesson together. He then used the  DVD and the text to answer the questions best he could. The student workbook is consumable, but can be used as a review guide in the future. While I like to stretch workbooks out among other students, by letting the children write on a report cover or such, this time I felt this book should be written in and kept as future reference. 

The  $21.95 pricetage for the student book seems very reasonable for a book of this scope and sequence. The Teacher's guide is available for $24.95, while the DVD series is $54.95. Logically, there is a savings if you buy as a set. In fact, the savings is substantial. The set is available for $88.95, but would come to $101.85 if each part were purchased separately. I imagine the DVDs possibly could  be used alone, if a teacher were able to monitor, but I recommend getting the full set. I doubt you could find a course  covering these basic 28 fallacies for less than this!

Plus, the texts are very well planned out and have additional tools for learning spread throughout. In addition to text, there are short comics and pictures used by way of illustration.  So, I would NOT recommend trying to skip any part of this series. I guess the DVDs wouldn't be essential, but for us they not only saved time and helped ease some of the frustration, but I felt more confident about presenting the material with the DVD available. Probably I would have put off this review in a panic otherwise at the first sign my son didn't just take right to the subject matter! I would personally aim to learn a different fallacy each week throughout the school year and aim for getting each fallacy mastered.

We will for sure be using this program in its entirety.  I wish my son had taken to it instantly, but realize everyone learns at a different rate and have come to realize there is no point in really pushing something. If I introduce something over multiple days and it still isn't "catching on" then I have to assume the timing isn't right. I will wait until he is ready to understand the material and try again! This year, I have seen tremendous growth and a true desire to figure out "Why" things are they way they are. I thought that would mean he was ready for this series, but maybe in another 6 months he will be! To learn what other members of the TOS review crew thought of this produce, click here!

As part of the TOS crew, I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review.

K5 Learning is an online program for Math and Reading Enrichment. Initially I thought K5 was Kindergarten level for 5 year olds, as I worked a summer in a preschool with a K3, K4, K5 class. However, the name is actually meaning K-5th grade level in learning. This is the target age, but actually, this program could also be beneficial to struggling students or students who are learning English or speak English as second language.

K5 Learning can easily be found at www.K5learning.com. Once you arrive you can have your child(ren) take a free assessment for placement in the program as well as view sample lessons and sign up for a free 14 day trial. You can also call customer service and ask whatever questions you might have about their program: (888) 281-2145.

The free trial is absolutely no obligation and doesn't require your credit card information to get set up.

I had all of my school-age children participate in this review. Some used the program more than others. While I did "require" each child to spend time working on this program every day, some did better than others. I contemplated micro-managing and enforcing their use, however, we are currently doing more than one type of math and we do a lot of reading. I felt if the program was going to be truly useful to me, it would have to help my children want to use it every day and be something they could intuitively use independently. This year is different than any other year. We are so busy and have had so many life changes, it is not possible for me to spend the amount of individual time with each child on school- as I have in the past. In fact, we have gone from a program that was almost entirely teacher intensive (4-6 hours of teaching ) to me reading out loud and reviewing/ checking progress for only 1 - 3 hours a day.

Instead of a 2 week trial, I was given 6 weeks. However, it honestly wasn't enough time for me to determine if this program would work well for our family or not. Some programs I know instantly I would not use and others we love. I am not crazy about my children spending all day on the computer. I feel it is not appropriate for young children. My husband- who works daily with computers for pay- does not want our children to learn primarily on the computer either. So, it isn't the typical thing for us.

We have a wide range of interests and skills. Our 7 yo daughter loves math, but has been resistant to reading until recently, our 8 yo son is an excellent reader, but seems unable to follow written or verbal directions from a computer or in person, our 10 yo son is a slow reader, has great comprehension and is pretty good at math. I would say our 7 and 8 yo are mostly active/ kinesthetic learners, but our 10 year old is more auditory. All 3 jumped right into the program, but were not crazy about the assessments.

I didn't realize our 7 yo was actually taking the 10 yos assessment, and that added unnecessary frustration for her. However, that was corrected with help from customer service. While, it wasn't on purpose, it was nice to know K5 Learning provides excellent and very speedy help when needed. I emailed the company for help to get a new assessment set up, but I could have called or checked out their forum for help as well. Everything progressed better after that little wrinkle, but the assessments seemed long. While they could have taken a break, it seemed better to just finish it at once.

The lessons were very short. It seems like they are even shorter if the child gets many things wrong. Maybe the lessons are always that way. Since children are placed based on the assessments, the work should not be too difficult or easy. However, if it is, you can get that adjusted.

I found it very easy to check up on the progress of each child via the Dashboard available for the parent. From the dashboard, it is possible to change the password, view reports, assign lessons, add spelling words or change spelling settings. We actually only used the Math and Reading lessons and not the spelling lessons on this program. We are pretty set on the spelling program we are using and I didn't wish to complicate things. However, I feel different approaches to math and reading are always welcome. My children all have different styles of learning math and some struggle a lot with that subject. So, I am always on the lookout for ways to make learning "stick".

My 14 yo son had no interest in using this program once he found out it was for up to 5th grade. I figured it wouldn't hurt him to review and might be a fun way for him to be reminded of areas he struggled with the first time around. However, he wanted nothing to do with it. He did do a couple lessons just to comply. He didn't dislike them, but he didn't do anymore either.

My 10 year old completed more Math than Reading, but he didn't get very far in the 6 weeks we had. He mastered almost all of the areas he tried, though and I believe he did his best and know he enjoyed the program.

My 8 yo jumped around and spent very little time on each subject. He did try the spelling also, but - as stated earlier- I didn't expect or even want my children to spend time on the spelling. It is possible it would have helped had I entered in the words they misspelled in their regular spelling program, but I just really didn't want to try this part of the program.

My 7 yo seemed to spend the most time on the K5 Learning site, but she didn't get through very many lessons. Her reports show she is working at grade level for lessons she did complete- except in one area.

All of the records were helpful for me. However, it still left me wondering if my children had really done enough on any particular subject. I know they enjoyed the games and wonder - based on the number of lessons and amount of time my children were supposedly "doing K5" if they found a way to play games instead of complete lessons.

The advantage to an online program is no grading on my part is necessary. The computer saves me time in other ways. It is handy to work with one child while another does a computer based program for a while. Plus, since we don't complete much work on the computer, I could K5 as an incentive to finishing other work. Naturally another advantage is no paperwork to keep track of and it is impossible for a stubborn child to claim they lost their K5 Learning.

While we used this program in our homeschool program, it is designed for use in traditional schools or as a supplement/ study aid also and is not a product specifically tailored to homeschool. I would suggest you try the program for free and see how well you like it for your family!

I came to the conclusion I can't justify the cost of this particular program, since we have so many other math and reading materials. The cost for the 1st child is $25 a month or $199 a year. The cost of adding additional child is $15 a month or $129 a year. I would love to try it out for 6 months or longer because I can't seem to come to a thunb up or down on this . K5 Learning does have a reward system for referrals and offers $25 for each referral. They also offer Fundraising opportunities.

If my younger children were better about staying on task and money were no object, it would be nice to use this program in our school.

As part of the TOS crew, I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review.]]> Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:53:00 GMT http://www.larocque.net/item.asp?ID=2251 http://www.larocque.net/item.asp?ID=2251

Here is the complete review for the Reading Eggs program I spoke about a couple weeks ago.

From the very first sight of the Reading Eggs website, I was pretty sure this was going to be a hit. My youngest daughter was the only one who tried this online program out.

Set up was easy, log in was simple enough for my 7 year old to do on her own. While some things didn't work quite right , this is to be expected with any computer related program. I didn't personally see or hear anything that was offensive, so I appreciate that a lot!

The beginning assessment placed  my daughter in the correct level (it seems) and she likes to do several lessons a day. There are so many different areas she can  go into and explore. She discovered most of these on her own, and only avoided a couple (didn't like the songs because she thought they were "weird" and didn't know what she was supposed to do in the Story Factory).  She can buy items from the store and she can also play games. As expected, most of the games are actually designed to develop stronger reading skills.

This program worked perfectly for us since she often needs something to keep her busy and she struggles with reading.  More correctly, she struggles with sitting down and focusing on it. She has a great memory and clearly has the ability, but I did not care to repeat the mistakes I made teaching my 14 year old to read. We both ended up being completely frustrated and it was clearly a battle of the wills. I knew she would read and I have no doubts she is going to be a great reader. Between the babies coming home from Russia and trying to fit in all the other schooling, it just wasn't a battle I wanted to fight.

Reading Eggs definitely made reading fun for her! While the lessons are great in concept and her reading has definitely improved, there are some glitches that need to be worked out still. Sometimes the lessons took a while to load, but generally there is a game to play in the meantime. My daughter takes after me and has very little patience for that sort of thing. Sometimes there were glitches and I would hear the instructions coming double or 2 voices speaking at once. I imagine it is because she was clicking on something repeatedly, but it still was confusing and irritating.

Clearly, the program draws children in and they know how to navigate intuitively. I intended to sit with her more along the way, but she figured out almost things on her own. Unlike other programs she tired of, she would spend all day on  Reading Eggs.  (Some programs we used in the past held her attention for 3- 4 weeks, but then I had to really encourage her to keep doing them. With Reading Eggs she asked turn the computer on for her every day) The rewards are fun, but I don't think she even needed those as motivation. Though, she did know how to use them and buy things for her avatar creature.  So, they might have had more of an appeal than I think.

The  Story Factory didn't seem appropriate for her reading level and the directions are not spoken, instead, she would have to read the words as they scrolled by on a screen. I feel she would not have been able to do that.

All in all, we were very happy with this program. Reading Eggs has levels for older children as well. Since you can take advantage of the free trials, I would definitely recommend this program for any family- homeschooled or not- and see if it is a good fit. Also, the free trial doesn't require any credit card to register. So, you don't have to worry about being tricked into paying for something that claims to be free. Also, there is a wealth of information on the Reading Eggs website about why is works, sample lessons, other produces offered and FAQ.

I can't remember what level she started out on? 62 I think? And she is now on lesson 94 out of 100. Each lesson is made up of 10 sections. After each level is unlocked, the child can go back and redo the lessons if wished, but they have to be unlocked in order. Her sight word retention is really improved after just a few weeks trying this program out. I am SO thankful we have this program to use until May. I can't imagine telling her it is over when she loves it so much. We couldn't afford to buy the program right now (we will evaluate in May). The cost is steep for us- since it would be for only 1 child to use. It is $9.95 a month , $49.95 for 6 months or $75 for the year. We have several other reading materials, and lots of paper readers, etc. So, I would probably not spend the money on it at this time. I feel it is well worth the money, though. A second or third child can be added at the same time and receive 50% off. So, I really do think that is a good price, just not something we could afford to do right now.

Often with online programs, I am not sure if the much is learned or if it is a glorified worksheet/ time filler type activity. I saw a marked improvement in my daughters reading ability and a new interest in words that I have not been able to wake up in her. I know that is directly related to her using Reading Eggs.

As part of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, I  received a free trial and 3 month subscription for free in exchange for my honest review of this program.

After reading what others received from Beeyoutiful! - www.beeyoutiful.com I think we received everything meant for us. We received 2 items: Tension Tamer and Orange scented Lip BALM. The Tension Tamer was handed over directly to my oldest daughter -recently out of the hospital. I was highly recommending she stay away from any medications- even for headaches- and asked her to try the Tension Tamer instead. During her stay in the hospital, it became clear she did not react well to medications of any sort- prescription or otherwise. At home I try very hard  not to use any medications with my children unless absolutely necessary. While at college, my daughter got into the habit of taking over the counter medications for headaches, stomach aches,  sleeping better etc and I believe it contributed to her ending up in the hospital. Not that she over used them, but she complained of them making her feel funny and I believe she is just extra sensitive to medications that likely have no effect on most people.

Over the next few weeks I noticed her using the roller tube when she started to feel anxious or if she developed a headache. Tension Tamer has eucalyptus, essential oils and other all natural ingredients. It does not contain parabens, petroleum or artificial colors or preservatives.

Tension Tamer actually helped me quite a bit personally when I started to have an allergy attack of some sort. This only occurs very, very rarely, but it is out of the blue. Usually if I drink some water or something it goes away. Well, I was driving the last time this happened, but Carmen had her  Tension Tamer. I was able to wave the roller under my nose and the episode went away immediately. I have not had an episode clear up quickly and completely like that before.

The BALM in Beeyoutiful  Lip BALM stands for Beeyoutiful All- Natural Lip Moisturizer. I received the orange kind to try. Beeyoutiful sells both orange and peppermint scents. The ingredients consist of Organic Grapeseed Oil, Organic Shea Butter, Beeswax and Orange essential oil. I have used other organic/ all-natural lip balms before and this is my all around favorite. I love the scent, the way it applies and the moisturizing quality. I looked at the ingredients of my other natural lip balm in my purse and it has over 10 ingredients and I can't read several of the words. I have 2 complaints : No lip balm ever seems to really stay on and I don't like how often I need to use it. I wish I could find one that really stays well. Also, for $3 and then shipping, I am not sure how often I would buy lip balm from an online source.

Tension Tamer is available for $11 and is  something I haven't seen before. It definitively helped both me and my daughter. In fact, I never actually rolled it on, but my daughter did use it for headaches and stiff shoulder muscles and she was quite sore from both the seizures and just being in the hospital. I didn't get a clear answer from her about how well it worked since she wouldn’t have had anything to compare it to. Stil,  I know she liked it quite a bit since she carries it with her everywhere and uses it in stressful situations. Now, that she has been out of the hospital and recovering well for a while, I see her needing it less. I am very thankful she does have something she can use that is not a medicine. I would definitely order this product again in the future. Generally I do order online, but the high cost of shipping would keep me from ordering just a couple items. Also, the prices of certain items and not knowing if they would work or not might  prevent me from just trying out products from Beeyoutiful. My sister-in-law and mother-in-law. Have bought a lot of items from this company. I love it is a small, family-run business. I like the discounts for ordering multiple quantities of the same item. Also, you can earn bee points for writing reviews or adding tags. But I don't know what the bee points can be redeemed for. I can certainly see myself placing an order for several items at once from Beeyoutiful in the future. I know many people who order and love their products and I did enjoy both items I was given to review.

As part of  The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, I  received Tension Tamer and Beeyoutiful Lip BALM for free in exchange for my honest review.

In addition to the hardback book ($39) which is of superb quality and a perfect size (not too big or small),  we also received a coloring book ($8), Audio Book MP3 CD ($19)  and Notebooking Journal ($24) to accompany. This was a huge surprise and so typical of the above and beyond quality that has been a part of our continued experience with Apologia. I was overwhelmed by the generosity and thoughtfulness they demonstrated by their choices for our family. While it is entirely possible each person recieved the exact same items, it felt as if these review items were handpicked for our family!

Since our family consists of ages ranging from infants to college aged, this was perfect for us. My 7 yo daughter enjoyed coloring in the book and I enjoyed reading the pages of the coloring book with her and reviewing what we learned. I had a bit of dilemma about which child to use the  notebooking journal. I felt the activities would be ideal for my 14 yo son. However, the Norman Rockwell's painting of a  young girl looking in the mirror on the front cover,  really didn't seem appropriate for him (or any of my sons). Yet, my daughters are 19 and 7- so I didn't feel either one was the right age range for completing the actual notebook. That being said, I still used the notebook, but by taking questions from it and getting ideas for a future notebooking journal we will all create during our next school break coming up (next week actually!) The MP3 Audio Book is excellent if you intend for this book to be used by a child(ren) who is not a strong reader or simply an auditory learner. The book is simply read all the way through. Your CD player must support MP3 CDs in order to use this.

The Bible version used  is predominantly the New International Version (not my favorite as I find the New American Standard to be what I typically prefer and what we memorize from as a family) als othe New Living Translation and other scripture versions typically  considered easier for young children to read.

My husband read a lesson or part of the lesson from the main book almost every night and  then we discussed the material together.  Often our children spontaneously asked questions , but there are also questions and notebooking ideas throughout the text. We had just finished up with the first book in the series we had previously received as a review item, so this review couldn't have come at a better time for us! Also, I must add, the items we have received from Apologia are  my husband's favorite items we have recieved. 

Each lesson is clearly written, beginning with an overview of what has already been learned ,  then what is expected to be learned in this unit, a short story about relatable characters (we find the story that takes place in Russia to be very relatable to our family and is a great way to introduce some Russian cultural information to all our children!), questions to think about, Vocabulary, Bible Memory and much more! While each Unit has the same layout, and it is recommended to progress through the units in order, you can skip around inside the unit if you wish. Also, it is easy to condense or expand on any material within the unit. We have been going through the text slower than we would expect our 14 yo to progress through on his own, since we don't want to lose or confuse the younger children. Considering,  all the school age children seem  engaged with the text, I believe we have found the right speed for us. We are not looking to get through the material in a set amount of time, so  we are taking smaller chunks and stopping while the children still want to hear more. Personally, we  have other memory verses we are working on for school, but we do talk about and look up the scripture verses as well.

In short, I feel Who Am I? (And What am I Doing Here?) belongs in the hands, homes  and hearts of every Bible- believing Christian. The price tag of $39 for the hard bound book might seem steep, but I believe it is a wise investment. We need more books out there like this that defend and explain what beliefs we hold. This book even tackles some hard material and explains the differences between our beliefs and other Worldviews out there. Discussions are encouraged to compare and contrast. We should truly be ready to give an answer for our faith. This series helps with that and this particular book puts the focus on the fact God didn't make a mistake when He created us.

These review items were sent to me for free in exchange for my honest review.

What is Math Rider??

Math Rider is an intelligent math game useful in aiding rapid recall for the basic math functions: addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication.

I strongly recommend everyone who has access to a computer try this out with their children (or parents who are rusty on their math skills can certainly try as well!)! The Math Rider game is available as an instant download and allows for multiple riders. The cost  of $37 is the same to you no matter the number of riders. This makes it an excellent tool for large families, yet it is still affordable for small families as well. I know it is more than packs of flash cards, but unless you have a child with perfect recall, the flash cards just seem to make it even harder to remember when they are wrong. Speaking from personal experience, they never, ever helped me with learning my 8 time tables! No more boring flashcards that require constant frustration for both the student and the parent.

Recently, Math Rider came out with several updates to their system and the updates were free to those of us already using their system! My children love it even more. Plus, with a free trial offer and  30 day money back guarantee, there is zero risk to trying the program out yourself!

The game itself involves a story of  a princess who needs to be rescued. Each rider is seeking to do that by traveling over hurdles while answering math questions . In keeping with the story, the background also changes, yet it was not a distraction to my children. New parts of the story are told  as quests are completed and before moving on. Math Rider intelligently adjusts to the speed and knowledge of each rider. Your horse in the game jumps over hurdles with each problem solved. When the answer is correct, the next question is shown. A pleasant chime sounds if the answer is correct  and if incorrect, an adorable voice gives the correct answer (One Plus Three Equals Four- for example) and then the game proceeds. The wrong answers are then inserted into the ride more often at a proper timing to encourage long term retention.

As a reward for completing a ride, points are given. 500 points are needed to answer a quest. Great rewards are also handed out to the successful students. Even my 14 year old gets excited about these- which I find amusing!

It really is one of those things you will have to try on your own. In spite of how much I love this game, this review doesn't give it justice! There are too many parts to mention. At first, I was frustrated I couldn't start multiple quests. However, in the testing of the game, it was discovered that all students should start with the most basic function and complete that before moving on the other functions. I thought it would be good for my older student to start separate quests and alternate which days they work on each. I even tried to work around this "problem"  by having them start separate quests under different names. The problem with that is they didn't earn the full rewards that way. Also, if your child truly knows addition- for instance- they will rapidly move through that quest. There is a good chance he has gaps you are unaware of, however.  I love how I can be out of the room and still listen and tell the child is still working on his math rider.

Even though David works with computers, we do not typically believe school on the computer is a great idea. However, we make an exception for Math Rider. Our children love it and we love the improvement we have seen in their math facts!  Clearly, we use this program as a supplement to our homeschool math program. However, I know of others who do not homeschool and still find Math Rider very useful as a practice.

My only complaint? Wish they came out with an app for the iPad or iPod touch so we could bring it with us anywhere!

While I did receive a trial of Math Rider through The Old Schoolhouse review crew, we also purchased our own copy (great news is your child will not lose the points he earns once you do convert to the full version) and I am an affiliate as well. The free trial is an excellent way to see if this program is a fit for your family and school.

Through all our current experiences, we know  prayer has uplifted us. Nevertheless, nothing brings out  true heart attitudes the way stress and unexpected changes can. What I saw in myself and some of my children was not pretty, and it really hit home what I brat I could be. Of course, we truly  love each other and if things go as planned and our routine stays routine, all is well. Yet, we have a unique combination of very strong and different personalities under one roof and many of us share a common desire to have the final say. Since we have not changed our schedule in quite a long time, I didn't even realize my children wouldn’t be able to deviate from it or respect other adults who were stepping in for us while we were away- until we were suddenly faced with that need.

The timing of this review was excellent, and I jumped at the chance when offered.

We Choose Virtues is designed for use in secular or faith-based settings-  as materials are available with supporting scripture passages or not - making it suited for  children in any public school , private schools, homeschool, Sunday School, etc.

I received a set of small cards called Virtue Clues ($5.99)  for use  by my family. The virtues included are:  I am Honest, I am Self-Controlled, I am Attentive, I am Helpful, I am Content, I am Attentive, I am Forgiving, I am Kind, I am Obedient, I am Perseverant and I am Diligent.  I also received  downloads for the Kid's of Virtueville Coloring Book ($3 download), a handbook  ($4.95 for download and $15 for print ), and a Student's Character  Evaluation Tool (available for free for anyone).  If you are considering this Virtue based curriculum, you might find it handy to look at the comparison chart offered on the website to choose what works best for you. You can also take advantage of one of these codes:

• VIRTUE15 for 15 % off the shopping cart
• FAMILY for $3.00 off the Kids Virtue Poster (not applicable right now because of the current poster sale)
• SHIPFREE for free worldwide shipping

We Choose Virtues also has a Facebook page.

Incorporating the cards during our  daily school reading time took very extra effort. After reading each card, we spoke briefly about each trait. My children immediately identified with certain ones  without prompting. Naturally, they were full of suggestions for their siblings as well, but it didn't take too much time to redirect. Interestingly, I didn't realize how much I need to work on!

Once sure we all understood each trait, we each filled out a personal evaluation sheet. Then, I followed up and ranked each child as well. Surprisingly, my children took this very seriously and - for the most part- graded themselves  the way I expected. Occasionally, we disagreed, but instead of over grading, it seemed the kids would often grade lower than deserved. My 8 year old struggled a little, but even he did a pretty good job of evaluating. He was very discouraged starting out and he needed some assistance in filling it out. He definitely struggles with impulsiveness and we have many conversations about this. Yet, he is very helpful and kind- even if he doesn't stick to anything for more than a few minutes. 

Was this program magic and are we now living in perfect harmony with each other ? Certainly not (as anyone who sat near us tonight at church would know). However, with just a short time of talking through the character qualities during this review period - as well as an extra  focus on my part to "catch" my children exhibiting positive qualities, seems to have made an impact already.

In fact, it seems so simple and has made such a difference already, I am surprised it took me needing a tool like this to think about it. I realize I had fallen into a rut of just getting exasperated and reacting to the problems that cropped up. Now, I find myself anticipating a frustration or anger speed bump and we talk through how to have self control or diligence before it happens.  Also, it became clear when I used a term such as "self-control" previously, I never explained to my children what I meant by that. Now it seems obvious, but with a short explanation and a quick story to illustrate, all my school age children are now on the same page with me and know what is meant when I ask them to have self-control or be diligent. The cute characters on the cards are helpful, too. Even though I haven't used the stories, the kids know that Jake Cake has something to do with contentment.

The NIV is not a version of the Bible we have ever used before and honestly, we prefer to memorize out of the New American Standard (NASB).  So, that is sort of a  negative for me. Yet, we also aren't stuck on only one version of the Bible either. It just would be nice to have the option. Some items seem expensive to me. However, the quality and presentation is quite nice on the small cards we have already received and I believe the price for those are reasonable. Plus, clearly a lot of time has gone into developing the entire line. I will see if I feel differently once I receive the items I purchased. I am pretty much on the cheap side, but don't mind paying more for convenience and quality when warranted.

I just  purchased the homeschool kit- even though some is a repeat of what I was given to review. I hope to build on the current momentum and eagerness all the children show toward working on their virtues. My 7 year old doesn't seem quite able to grasp all the concepts, but it seemed like a relief to my 14 year old to have a checklist of sorts for the various virtues. With everything we have had going on this year, I feel almost like this month is the true start to our school. Since we homeschool year round and get our longest break around now, it also seemed appropriate.

As a disclaimer, I was sent several items for free in exchange for my review, I also bought the homeschool faith based program and signed up for the affiliate program as a result of how much I liked the concept. Now that we all speak the same virtue language, I believe we are going to be helping each other reflect the virtues we all truly wish to have and hope to be a family that has a better testimony for God.

Tchaikovsky's music has always been a favorite of mine, so I jumped at the chance to review The Story of Swan Lake as presented by Maestro Classics. When I received my CD, I panicked a little thinking it was just a CD of music  narrated, but was very glad to know the entire explanation of the music as well additional educational material all on one CD.  I received the 54 minute CD that sells for $16.98, but it is also available as a download for $9.98.

I fully intention to work with the online guide and design a complete unit study revolving around Swan Lake- back when I signed up for this review. That was before we even left for Russia to bring our baby boys home. However, I received the CD very late for reasons unknown. When it finally reached me, it actually wasn't even postmarked , so I believe this was a post office error and not a mistake made by the sender. However, I have actually only had the CD in my hands since Saturday , January 7th. Three of thedays this week were spent at the bedside of my oldest daughter while she was hospitalized.

Because of the current serious health condition of our oldest daughter, 2 of our younger children are very concerned about death and dying, I felt the subject matter was too serious to go over yesterday - the one full school day this week- since the swan and prince jump to their deaths and then are reunited on a boat going to heaven. Also, my oldest daughter is now home and very sensitive to any mention of death also. While, this particular hospitilization was not as tramatic as the one in December. None of us expected her to be back in the hospital again. So, in many ways this time was much more emotional for us all.

I will update this review at a later date or post a new one once we have had a chance to do a full unit study. We are definitely interested in learning more about Russian since our new sons have that heritage in common with the composer of this beautiful work.

Included on the Maestro Classic website are links to online resources and suggestions  for  teaching under the category of Educational Materials and subcategory Homeschool  Music Curriculum Guides encompass History, Science, Geography, Language Arts, Art, Music, and Math turn any of the 9 CDs(currently, 8 have the curriculum and 1 is coming soon) into a complete stand alone study for school. After each suggestion -in parenthesis-is the grade recommendation or range for the material. I would love to order Casey at the Bat right now since that is currently a favorite story for my 8 yo son.

This series is recommended for a wide range of grades, but K5- 5th grade is probably the target age- yet, my  13 month and 11 month old sons listened along and were very intrigued by the music- perhaps they listened to a lot of Tchaikovsky in the Russian orphanage. They both love music, but our 13 month old particularly does.

My 14yo and 9 yo son also listened to the CD with me and surprisingly didn't leave the room (even though it wasn't a school time), In fact, I was listening for review purposes intending to use this CD each day in school this week. My 9 yo loves all music and takes piano lessons, however, I never thought my 14 yo was interested in music at all.  Both had questions about the music and were clearly interested in listening. Before recieving this item, ,I thought it would be a "hard sell" since it isn't a video and we haven't listened to music for school in the past. If it had been part of school itself, staying would have been mandatory. But since the CD didn't reach me until Saturday, I listened to it all the way through on Sunday and then was in the hospital with my daughter from Monday - Wednesday.  The rock version of Swan Lake called  Speed Metal Swan arranged and played by Joe Stump was a hit with both my boys, but I honestly have never understood the appeal of heavy metal music. I did find the way Joe Stump plays the guitar to be amazing, though and can see how this could be a benefit to get kids interested in the music. For me it was a negative thing to have that version on the CD. The original music is so beautiful. I really appreciated the narration and back story of the ballet by the composer as well as the fun song to teach a summary of Swan Lake

In short, I wholeheartedly recommend this entire series (even though I have only listened to this one CD). I am very eager to pull together the suggested items and build an unit study around it. Additionally, the narration is quite well done . If we didn't have such a scare with my daughter recently, I would have certainly at least listened to this with all my children. The tragic, though also heartwarming , end, it is just not a subject matter I can expose to my 7 and 8 yo at this particular time. I did not know we would be dealing with any of this back when I requested to review this item.

As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, thisStory of Swan Lake CD  was given to me in exchange for my honest review.

This review  is for  the Medieval Machines Pack from Pitsco  and was an item  I really hoped to be chosen for because I thought my 14 year old would love it! (He did!) Wonderfully, the kit came just in time for his birthday in the beginning of November. Since his grandparents were  visiting  around the same time, I suggested his grandfather (who is also an engineer) help build it with him.

Overall, the building of the small model trebuchet  went without a hitch. There were a couple parts of the instructions that took longer to understand and my 14 year old was thankful to have help since he didn't feel comfortable assembling it alone. I was nervous the thin boards would splinter when separated from the sheets. Each piece needed to be punched out of a single sheet of balsa wood. No cutting was required, but some pieces did stick a little and I thought for sure they would break- but didn't. Our experience in the past with balsa airplanes  (not from this company!) was the cause for my anxiety. The wood seemed thicker than other punch outs we have had experience with.

The assembly ended up taking about 1 1/2 hours for the trebuchet, which was longer than I thought , but I have never assembled anything like this , so I didn't have any idea what a realistic expectation would be. Both my son and father-in-law enjoyed the time they spent making it and my husband's Dad spent a long time explaining the trebuchet as they went.  The overall size was much smaller than I expected. Let's say, I was OK with him shooting it in the house.

My son completed the catapult included in this kit on his own. He lost one small piece, but was able to make his own based on the shape of the missing piece. He was very proud of his accomplishment and it was an excellent project for him to work through.

Before you purchase this kit - available for $21.95 -or others on the Pitsco Education site, you can see a full list of needed supplies. That was very helpful to have collected before the arrival of the kit.

In addition to just being a fun building activity, my son spent several days weighing out different sized balls he made from the clay (separate item from this kit, but included in my kit for this review).  He measured how far the clay balls flew and noted which went the furthest.  My son also shot about anything else that would fit in the sling of the trebuchet or the bucket of the catapult. Wrapped soft mints seemed to be the favorite thing, though Marshmallows, crumpled paper and coins were also tried.

Many other kits are available and all are reasonably priced. Some of the kits come with full lesson plan sets including over 20 hours of teaching material.  There is also a larger model demonstration trebuchet. The experience has given my son more confidence in trying to build other things and certainly sparked an interest lacking before.  He has both still and keeps them well out of reach of his brothers. He pulls them down to work on them and shoot things off. I wished we had been able to do a mini-unit study surrounding medieval times, but 3 trips to Russia took place between my son's birthday and this review. Plus, my oldest daughter spent 2 weeks in a hospital almost 5 hours away for seizures and breathing difficulties. So, needless to say, we had too much going on to build a whole unit study around these items. We did pull out a few books and my sons remembered reading about medieval times in the past. So, we spoke about that.

 I would buy more kits in the future if we had the funds to do so. However, I would probably get a kit with the other materials included since I don't know much about the workings of things and have zero experience with physics. Clearly, Math, Science and History would easily be included in a unit study using this kit.

As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, this kit was provided for free in exchange for my honest review.

FracTasmic ^TM is part of an amazing line up of educational card games offered by BrainyAttic ^TM on this website: www.iseecards.com.

In this fraction forming game, there are 3 suits of fractions in 3 different colors. The blue is 12ths illustrated by varying amounts of  eggs in a carton of 12, red is 16th illustrated by an inch, and green are 10ths illustrated by a liter water bottle. Each colorful card is marked with a fraction (ie 1/4) and also a picture to illustrate the fraction (ie 3 eggs in a carton). The way we play as a group is by picking up and discarding as well as playing the cards we were dealt to make sets of whole fraction.  The winner who has the most complete sets when the cards are all used is the winner.  When I taught each child individually, I had a child turn over a card at a time and make sets that way.

I am a firm believer that learning can be both fun and educational. In fact, I prefer to teach new concepts or reinforce old ones with  games when possible. Some of my children have a great sense of fractions, but others don't. All of us enjoyed this game to some extent. At first my children played the game only when they were asked to. Then, they played for fun a few times. I wouldn't say it is their favorite as a game, but they prefer it to workbooks or watching a math video. Mostly, I played this game one on one in a solitaire type style with each child until I knew they understood and were more or less on equal footing.

While, this game claims to be fast paced, it wasn't  fast while playing with a 7 yo, 8, yo, 9 yo and 14 yo. This is the type of game that would appeal to me if I were at an educational store, but would be highly unlikely to buy from a website if I just stumbled across.  Now that I do have this set (provided free for my review), I would be very likely to buy other sets sold by this company  as a provider of  fun educational games for home or school. This product is not designed specifically for homeschoolers. It might have been a faster paced game with children all the same age and with similar skill sets.

With 60 cards in a set,  free teaching math download, online games and more on www.iseecards.com the $6.95 price for each deck seems very reasonable. The online game and download free even if you don't purchase. My impression was this company has a true heart for teaching children to succeed and providing quality products at a reasonable cost.

A pack of FracTasmic ^TM cards were given to me in exchange for an honest review.

I have taken an unintended break from homeschool reviews while my oldest daughter has been struggling with major health issues and has been hospitalized out of state for the last couple weeks. Additionally, 3 weeks ago, 2 new little boys joined our family from Russia. So, we have been out of the country many times recently. Thankfully, our daughter is now out of the hospital and home again and the babies are on a predictable schedule. So, I am ready to get back to posting reviews. We have continued with homeschooling and using the items we have been given to review. It has simply been impossible to sit down and try to get my thoughts down to write a semi-intelligent review.

The World's Greatest Stories ^_TM are spoken dramatizations of scripture read or quoted directly from the King James Version or New International Version of the Bible.  George W Sarris expertly narrates in such a wonderful voice and with such enthusiasm that successfully holds the attention of young and old alike. While targeted at children with a focus on "Getting Eternity into the Hearts of the Next Generation", it is still enjoyable for adults . In fact, it is one of the very few reviews I have done that made me want to order all the items offered by the company.

That is not to say other items I have reviewed haven’t been wonderful! I have felt blessed by each item we have had the opportunity to review, but I connected with this item more than many since I deeply desire my children to memorize scripture and to have the Word of God in their hearts. Plus, the price is low enough to be what I consider affordable. Since the recitations are directly from scripture, we can listen without interruptions and explanations that are necessary when typical Bible stories add their own interpretation in order to make it more entertaining for children.  I believe in the power of scripture and that even the youngest child of God can benefit from the scripture alone.

I is wonderful for the children to use their imaginations to visualize the passages being read.  Granted, the voices George Sarris uses are his own interpretation and might color the impression of the listener. However, this helps to differentiate characters while listening and is a large part of why these stories are so enjoyable.

Honestly, my children would prefer to watch a video of some sort to listening to a CD, but we often listen CDs  while we drive. Currently, the children most often request these Bible stories over the other CD options. At $7.95 each, they are affordable as well. Shipping is only $1.25 and free if 6 or more items are ordered at a time. Interested in seeing live performances? Click here for a tour schedule.

We received Volume 1- The Prophets. The 5 stories are: The Blazing Furnace (Daniel 3), The Handwriting on the Wall (Daniel 5), Daniel in the Lion's Den (Daniel 6), Elijah & the Prophets of Baal (1 Kings 17-18), The Prophecy of Jonah (all of Jonah). We kept the CD in our van. I chose King James because we don't have NIV version Bibles readily available in our home. While we simply listened so far, these CDs would also make great read alongs!

I received this CD free in through The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review.

In a world where reading early and getting ahead is foremost in many parent educator's minds, The Reading Game comes along as a breath of fresh air!

The maker of Wordly Wise, Kenneth Hodkinson,  presents (in his own words) his "second great idea in forty years". And a great idea indeed! No parent or teacher I know of wants to watch a child dissolve into tears and frustration because she can't remember what letters make which sounds or struggles with reading. But we all know reading is important and some children don't take to the process as easily as others! Even if you have an eager reader, The Reading Game is a great way to play your way through learning sight words.

This teaching tool truly does 2 jobs: it teaches an emergent reader how to read and it takes the pain out of the process.

My daughter loves matching games. So, The Reading Game is a perfect fit for her. She took right to it and soon easily mastered sight words she had struggled with in the past. She is not a poor reader, but she doesn't embrace the process with enthusiasm either. She should be able to read better than she does and I feel this game gives her the boost and confidence she needs.

If you view the video on www.thereadinggame.com  You can see a sample of how the game is played. There are 6 playfully illustrated books that go along with the 5 card sts for a total of 30 words per book. All 10  cards in the first set are turned face down and then the 5 words are paired up in a typical matching game fashion. At first, the tutor says the name of each card as it is turned and the student repeats. When the student can read each word correctly without assistance, it is time to introduce the next pack of 10 new words. Once 2 packs are read, the first 2 pages in the first book can be read to see if the words are truly mastered. The process repeats with the 3rd pack and another 2 pages are read after the 4th until eventually all the cards are learned and the book is finished. In this fashion, the author taught his 4 year old grandaughter to read in a week.

Gently and gradually, each 32 page book is read and each new word is mastered. So, at the end, the student knows a total of 180 sight words.

This game was developed for early readers, but  can be played with brand new readers, struggling readers, English as a second language students and even special needs students. The cards are a heavy weight that hold up to frequent use. All the words in the stories are made up of the learned word. It gives a great sense of accomplishment to new readers and encourages struggling readers in a fresh and fun way.

I do not know if individual cards can be replaced if they are lost or ruined somehow. I hope so. I did send an email asking about this, but have not heard back from customer service. I am a little disappointed by that. I did not tell them I was reviewing their product because I wanted to get a feel for customer service. Ordinarily I would follow up with a phone call, but am still in Russia and it isn't possible for me to do that.

I wish the cards were numbered more subtly. 10 cards at a time is not enough of a challenge for my little matcher. It would have been nice to add each set as they were mastered and let her play with all the cards from the books. Since teach card has a large number on the back, it really isn't possible to do that.  I know it is necessary to differentiate the sets, but it seems a small number on the front of the card would suffice.

Our family is pleased with this product. On the company website under "How it Works", you can watch  video of the designer's grandaughter reading her first book. You can also read what others have to say about the game .So, we are not the only ones who found this game to be a wondeful and useful tool for anyone learning to read. Additionally, at only $24.95 for each game (less if ordered in quantities of 8 or more) it is an affordable addition to any homeschool "must have" tool kit.

Bravo!

I was provided a free copy of The Reading Game through The Old Schoolhouse Review crew in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you have every struggled with visualizing time or have a child who does, the Time Timer might be the exact tool you are looking for. Initially designed for the inventor's 4 year old daughter over  20 years ago, the Time Timer has been developed and marketed as an excellent teaching tool for K-12 students, the special needs community, and even adults in the work place. Actually, anytime a visual reminder of the passage of time is more appropriate than a clock itself.

I was  given the 3 inch square timer from Time Timer a try. After getting the plastic lid off and finding an AA battery (not included), I simply turned the clear knob on the front to move the red film on the face for the amount of time I needed.  As time passed, the red window grew smaller and smaller. Unlike many timers mark the end with an obnoxious ringing noise that won't stop, the Time Timer has a barely noticeable  optional ding indicating  time is up.

We have used the timer often during the last several weeks. It is easy to use for all of my children- as long as they could get the plastic cover off. At first it seemed the timer was out of sync with our actual clocks, but when I set a regular timer to go off a couple minutes before and watched the Time Timer for the last couple minutes, it did match up. ( It is very possible my children were adjusting the timer to speed up or slow down while they were using it independently. )

The protective cover is frosted, so, while it is still possible to see  red film and gauge the passage of time with the cover on, but a very young child wouldn't be able to interfere with the timer if he wanted to. Additionally, this cover serves as a stand when flipped open. This feature aids in making traveling with the Time Timer convenient as well.

We did have a couple issues with the timer. First, my 14 yo tried to set the timer for exactly an hour, but the clear knob on the top, would not allow it to move past the slightly raised area the film comes out of. This caused an issue with my younger children, but was - of course- easy to explain. So, in our experience, the most the timer can be set for is 55 minutes instead of a full hour. We typically work in increments of 45 minutes at the most, so it wasn't a big deal.

The second issue was protective cover was too difficult to remove for some of my children. So, they accidentally wrote on the face of the timer with a pen while trying to pry the door open. This could be a positive thing when very young children are concerned, but could also be frustrating for a child expected to use the clock on his own if he has dexterity issues.

At first, I didn't care for how quiet the timer rang at the end. Since it is meant to be set for tasks like seat work it made sense, though. The timer is quiet enough to not distract other learners if they were each working with their own timer.

I love how the little timer stood on its own and did not distract in anyway, since the  timer doesn't tick or make any other sounds until the time is up. The red area just gradually decreases making a very easy and quick way to assess the amount of time left . We use timers a lot, but I find some of my children distracted by the counting down of the numbers. My youngest 2 children don't read a face clock well yet, so this also helps take away the need to know the numbers to know what time is left.  My 7 year old often asks "how many is 20 minutes" or something of that nature. The Time Timer answers that frustrating question!

I felt the price point of $30 was a little high for our family, but I understand the work and time that has gone into its production. I don't think it is overpriced, just more than I would typically spend on a timer. I definitely would choose the 12 inch model for a classroom or the watch for an individual. But at $40 a piece for the watches, I wouldn't spend that for my younger children. Plus, I am not sure how practical the watches are outside of a classroom situation. We didn't test one, and so I can't actually speak to that.

I certainly would spring for the $1.99 APP version that can be used on an Ipod touch, Ipad or Iphone. I did not test that version and so I can't compare the usability of the two, but feel it would function even better than the clock version since multiple timers can be set.

The Time Timer is great and I loved it.  I am glad I had the chance to try it out, even though I would not have purchased it on my own. I will definitely recommend it to others.

This Time Timer was given to me through The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew for free in exchange for my honest review.

 My hope in participating in this review was to encourage more fluency in reading for my 9 year old particularly. 

 I was sent items from the One Minute Reader series designed for home use. The books are small, paperback and consumable and come with a DVD included in the front cover. There are 6 levels:  E level for early 1st grade level, 1,2,3,4 and 5. The books can be purchased separately for $12.95, as a bundle with a minute timer, pencil with red on one side and blue on the other and a book in a plastic case meant for storage for $24.95 or as a complete level set of 7 books for $99.95. Each book has 5  separate stories. A placement guide can be found on the site .

 While the Read Naturally site is the best place to go for FAQs , I will try to give an overview and how it worked for us.

 We were sent Ready, Set, Orange from Level 1 and also Disasters from Level 3 in a bundle with a timer and double sided graphing pencil. The graphing pencil and timer are also sold separately for $9 each. 

 The student reads the story he chooses for one minute, using the included timer. The timer itself is nice because it doesn't show numbers counting down or make any noise as it counts down. My children commented it was nice to not be distracted while they read. As the student reads, he will underline words he can't read in red and then subtract that number from the number of words read in a minute. This number is recorded at the bottom of the page.

 Next, the student listens to the included DVD stored in the front of the book.  He should read out loud with the story at least once and up to 3 times. The story is read for him 3 times- slowly at first, then a little faster and eventually at normal reading speed. At the point, the student and/ or teacher decide whether those steps need to be repeated to achieve fluency.

 It is best to not spend more than 30 minutes a day on this process and up to 5 times a week, but no less than 3 is recommended.

 This program worked very well for us. While the goal is for fluency, the quiz after reading also promotes reading comprehension and word find helps promote vocabulary. So, this program emphasizes all the necessary skills to become a great reader.

 The whole program allows the student to take initive and  pride in his accomplishments. He chooses the story, charts his progress, reads along and then reads out loud to his instructor show the how well he can read. There is a degree of competiton, but the competition is only with himself. If there is any stress or if the student is upset, the program should be stopped and started again another time. Of course, an instructor should be handy and available to both redirect (in necessary) and also be a cheerleader.

 Of course, we all know how important reading is to the future success of a child as s student. I believe this whole program is a positive tool  and is an excellent system for teaching reading fluency. The stories are interesting, but relevant and educational. The price is reasonable and the method is proven to be effective. I wish I had started out with this for my older children. Two of my older children struggled with learning to read. I believe we all endured unecessary frustration because I didn't have the right tools to properly teach them. I think this program could have made a difference.  I wish the books were not consumable. I do see the advantage of each child having their own book, but I do not like to waste paper and also like to save money.

 This program was provided to me for free as part of the The Old Schoolhouse Review crew and in exchange for my honest review.

My initial impression from the cover illustrations and synopsis of these paperback books: IM for Murder, Operation High School, Planet Exile and Summer of St Nick left me wondering if I had signed up for the right review and if the content would be appropriate for my 14 yo son. The covers promised a storyline focused on "hot" girls, boys and girls sneaking around behind their parents backs and participating in other "typical" teen activities. It felt the publishers were trying to interest readers who would not normally be tempted by "wholesome" books. From a marketing viewpoint, I understand the idea behind this, however, I would not have even picked up 3 of the 4 books. For instance, Operation Highschool pictures a teenager sitting in the dark, ringed by candles with her arms crossed. If I knew nothing about the series, I would instantly think the subject would be witchcraft related.

In reality, the plots are not what I feared and are wholesome, free of bad language and the dating references are G-rated. However, there is lying to parents, sneaking around and other characteristics that wouldn’t be my top pick for reading material.

Besides the plot issues, this series left me wondering if I needed to read a particular book first since they are a series. I started with Planet Exile and intended to let my 14 yo read it after me. However, he would have really struggled with the words presented. While each key word is in bold italics and defined at the bottom of the page, sometimes the words were used in an awkward manner and the definitions didn't really help. A dictionary would be required as well for many words.The end of each chapter lists the review words used in that chapter. The words are reinforced throughout the text and really shows great promise

I feel I should also point out, there were clear editing mistakes in the book. I.M. for Murder- for instance- has a sentence that stops in the middle of a  thought on page 96.

Perhaps I am simply too old, but I just couldn't get into the style or the storyline, yet liked Planet Exile the best, though I typically do not care for Sci-Fi.

This was a review I really looked forward to and was prepared to love these books. While the concept behind these books is wonderful,  the execution is poor and would not appeal to most homeschool family I know. If written differently, this could be a series  every colleg bound homeschooler would want! . The books themselves missed the mark in readability and subject matter for me and my family. In fact, there wasn't one book I felt I could give my son. I considered sending the series to my college aged daughter, but felt they wouldn’t be worth her time and didn't want them to compete with her studies.

There is a current special of buy 3 and get the 4th book for free for a total of $38.85 before tax and shipping. They might be a perfect fit for your family, even though they weren't for mine.

These books were given to me for free in excange for my honest opinion.

When you purchase Keyboard Town PALS (Purposeful Associative Learning System)  for $39.95, you will meet puppets Amy, Sam, Dora, Frank &George, Jane & Helen, Kay, Larry (plus semi-colon)  on "home street" and eventually all their friends uptown and downtown as well. Keyboard Town PALS is an innovative typing program introducing typing in an easy and friendly manner.  However, the typing skills learned are genuine.

Before you begin, there is a link outlining how to use the program. As soon as you open the program music begins and a friendly sun greets you with introductions.  Each letter on the keyboard takes over from there. While the hands stay on "home street" (middle row), each character goes uptown or downtown until each key is learned.

There is never any correction for wrong letters typed. There is never actually any indication if you type correctly or not.  The backspace and delete key are disabled while using this program. With repetition, the student gradually masters typing.  In this program, there isn't a clear break between lessons, but the program could be paused or lessons started at any time and in any order. 

While my oldest had the easiest time mastering  the typing, my middle 2 made great progress and my youngest did better than I expected. She will definitely need to repeat the lessons many more times to make the best use.  My 14 yo breezed through the lessons in about 1/2 an hour.  Previously, he was mostly doing the search and peck method of typing. 

Before this review, I thought the promise to teach a child to type was a pretty lofty promise.  However, this program did exceed the expectations. While  primarily marketed to  7-10 years old, this is also appropriate for special needs students or even older students who need would benefit from a laid back approach.

I don't know why it seems everything has to take a long time and be complicated to be a "real" course. I will purchase the full license in the future. The other typing courses have not held the attention of my younger children and this one did.

It is true the characters received some amount of  ridicule from my children for  being especially silly, it didn't keep them from using the program. My children don't currently have their own internet  access, so it is easy to gage what interests them on the computer. The 8 and 9 yo asked often to let them play Keyboard Town PALS. My 14 yo did get on when I asked him to.My 14 yo said it did help him.  He didn't complain about repeating the lessons.  My 7 yo completed all lessons, didn't follow along quite as well and did not want to do the lessons again.

Keyboard Town PALS is probably better suited  for  younger children. However, my 14 yo preferred this easy and whimsical approach to the traditional keyboarding program we had tried in the past. He is not a special needs learner, but It is generally hard to introduce a new idea to him and he was actually looking for more lessons when he was done with the 8 lessons.

After completing the lessons, there is a link to an assessment area to double check the true progress that has been made.

The $39.95 price always all members of the household to access the program for 2 full years! . However, there is a sale  going on right now and free shipping until the end of December 2011. If this program was a little more sophisticated and less silly, but still fun and if the video didn't start right away it would have been completely perfect.

I was given a 30 day trial of this program for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

To my knowledge, I have never seen or heard of Bower Books before the opportunity to review their book: The Person I Marry - book 2 in their Bright Future Book Series. I did request to review the book, but was a little nervous because I am pretty particular about books.

I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and content of the text as well as the length of this book,  and positively thrilled by the illustrations. Even though this book is written in a sing song poetry style- which I typically find sappy - the overall flow was decent and the message is excellent. Sometimes the cadence and rhyme seemed forced making reading out loud initially difficult. Many of the words would be too difficult for a beginner reader to grasp and that can mean stopping and starting to explain. It is a great book for parents to read to their child(ren) and discuss after, though.

Clearly this book is written from a Christian point of view, but the character traits highlighted in this book are universal. This book stresses the necessity of really thinking through the kind of person on the inside would make the best spouse.

I never thought about having a book focused on marriage for young children. However, in this "till love do us part" culture, we currently live in, it is necessary to stress the importance of choosing someone with substance to spend a lifetime with.

I am not sure I agree this book fits all readers. I do believe the content would appeal potentially to young and old, teenagers are likely to find  this to be "too young" and my beginner readers can enjoy the pictures, but wouldn’t be able to read this book on their own. The pages wouldn't hold up to young children and I would hate for the beautiful pages to be torn (though I received my copy in e- book form, I can imagine the pages are a typical weight for this type of book). I do feel this book should be read and left out to be read by children who are old enough. I find the message to be relevant and of great importance.

Plus, at $11.49, I would buy the book for the art alone. The illustrations are phenomenal. I enjoyed watching the painting videos and reading more about the husband and wife duo who write and illustrate Bower Family Books. The video of the Bower girls singing on the beach is also quite heartwarming! 9 of the 12 Bower children are girls!

This review left me wanting to purchase all the books in this series. I also want to purchase the physical book because it just seems more natural for me to read to my children that way. I don't think the book is typically available in e-book.

Gary Bower also is a guest speaker and can be reached in several ways:

Gary Bower

Author & Speaker

BOWER FAMILY BOOKS

7700 Timbers Trail

Traverse City, MI 49684

231-941-0899        *  231-590-0077 (cell)

garybower@charter.net

www.BowerFamilyBooks.com

This book was provided to me in ebook form through the TOS review crew for free in exchange for my honest review.

It isn't always easy for a homeschool child to adjust to the process of writing  needed for college. Excellence in Literature helps with that. In fact, I have seen many literature based curriculum, but generally, they are highly teacher/ parent involved.

Introduction to Literature- English 1 comes highly recommended by many well respected experts from the homeschool community. It is packed with everything your child needs. While not targeted specifically to a home school student, it doesn't need any adjustments to be used in your homeschool classroom (i.e. no group projects or games that would be difficult or impossible to do with a single child). Each of the 9 challenging units helps guide the student through an important work or works of classic literature. Not only does this course encourage your 8th- 12th grader to read, but to look at the work(s) for each unit in relation to the time it was written and other relevant surrounding information- such as art. This course can easily be used in a co-op situation (check for licensing specifics of course), traditional classroom or a homeschool high school.

Unlike a course that just outlines what a child should do and leaves it up to a parent to get all the supporting material and scramble/ struggle to figure out how to grade the work, a clear rubric is provided for grading and is actually free for anyone who wishes to request it. This can assist with the grading of any English paper your child might have. However, the link didn't work for me when I tried. So, I am not sure when that will be fixed. This course is designed to be used by the student and gives them everything they need or informtion about where to get what is needed! Books are not included. It is recommended to buy the books that are focused on and to get study books.

The author, Janice Campbell, has a site : www.Everyday-Education.com with a lot of useful information as well.

I was expecting to use this curriculum with my 8th grader- since he is in the range, but it was simply not something he was capable of doing on his own. I am certainly not saying most or some 8th graders couldn't use this text and run with it, though. My 13 yo has some reading struggles and I knew we would both be set up for failure and frustration if I tried to make him actually work through this on his own. 

I highly recommend this course or the others offered by Excellence in Literature for a homeschooler or traditional school setting. It is challenging, but realistic and offers much more to the student and teacher than just a list of book selections. Resources are included with links to websites , samples to follow and traditional layouts. It is hard to explain all that is included, but there is a lot more information available on the Excellence in Literature website. A single year course (each unit is covered in 4 weeks) is available for $29.95 +$4 printed or $27 as an e-book. Or you can order the whole series to cover all highschool years for  $139 +shipping (already in a binder) or $135 in e-book.

I received this e-book for free in exchange for my honest review.

George Washington Carver is a fascinating man who overcame and accomplished  much during his extraordinary  life. George W Carver indeed was EXTRA ordinary. Much of his life I already knew since I had read many books and articles previously.

This video - George Washington Carver- His Life and His Work- started out slowly. The graphics aren't flashy and my original impression was how bored I expected we all would be. The first few minutes were a little rough and we all had a hard time getting "into" the video.

Approximately 30 minutes in length, this video- in DVD format- packs much into that time. I am hesitant to actually describe particular content because I do think this video should be seen by all school age children and don't want to give away anything! The photography from the times of George Washington Carver's life were really interesting.

For instance, I believed Washington was actually his given middle name. I didn't know he never married. I had forgotten he was mute for unknown reasons as a child. I knew he had been separated from his parents and raised by the Carver family where his education was encouraged , but didn't know the facts surrounding his separation from them. No one knows exactly when George Washington Carver was born, but it was around the end of the Civil War.

You can find the DVD for sale as well as a study guide  about this DVD on www.marshallpublishinginc.com . The sale price is  $19.95- regularly $24.95. For a 30 minute video, it is a little steep for our family. However, I expect we will watch it over again and I was not able to find it for rental from other sources. We will definitely include this in our regular course of study and I look forward to picking up on more facts about this amazing man.

I am not sure what age is recommended, but it was over the head of my now 7 year old. My 8, 9 and 13 yo boys did seem very interested however.  The company that produced this video can be contacted by mail, email , facebook, twitter  or by phone. Below is the contact information for the physical address and email.

Marshall Publishing & Promotions, Inc. 123 S. Hough St. Barrington, IL 60010

E-MAIL: info@marshallpublishinginc.com

(224)238-3530

This DVD was provided for me free in through The Old Schoolhouse Review in exchange for my honest review.

When the box from North Star Games arrived for review, it was like Christmas at our house. :) We love games and have quite a few.

Say Anything- Family Edition is another great game from North Star Games.  I had to read through the instructions a couple times to really "get it", but I was trying to play this game at a restaurant with my children and so we were all distracted.

The concept of this game is great! It really had our children talking and thinking. The judge asks a question from a card. They have a choice of 3 "In my Opinion" questions. The players then have to answer the question as quickly as possible (repeats are not accepted and the judge asks the slower responder to choose another answer). The card I randomly just picked asks; " In my Opinion… What's the best breakfast cereal? Which Superhero outfit looks the most uncomfortable? What would make a long car ride more fun?" When the judge asks one of the questions, he then looks at the answers given and using the "Selectomatic 6000" secretly chooses the answer she/he likes best.

This game gave me a lot of insight into how well my children knew each other. I found out some are very observant and know each other very well . Not all of my children were enthusiastic about this game. There was more thinking involved and they weren't all good sports if their answers weren't chosen. On the other hand, the kids were very fair and didn't just pick favorites. They seemed to really consider the questions and liked the option to pick the answer they liked best. I read the answers and questions for my youngest, so she was able to play as well. I wrote some of her answers for her as well. The game calls for 3-6 players and is fun with more people, but would be difficult to play with a team. Young children could play this with an adult being the reader and writer. Next, the players pick the answer(s) they feel is selected on the Selectomatic 6000 (A spinner with the different colors representing each players dry erase board and voting chips). Points are awarded to the player chosen by the judge as well as the players who also guessed what the judge would choose.

Say Anything Family is indicated as "coming soon" on the North Star Games website, however it IS already available in Target and amazon.com. I did not find it at Barnes and Noble online, though. The price was $13.85- $19.99.

I wish all the markers had worked. They are essential to the game. Make sure you use a paper towel to erase because the oils from your finger will prevent writing on the boards.

We enjoyed this game. I liked it more than the children have. It is not one they pull out each time, but think it will come out more as they get used to it. Because there are 3 questions on each card and each judge is stating their own opinion, the cards can be used for quite a while before flipped over to the other side. There is a marker that indicates when the cards have been used.

As a member of the TOS Review Crew, this game was given to me for free in exchange for my honest review.

Wits & Wagers Family is the easier to play version of the original Wits & Wagers game presented by a genius team of designers from North Star Games.  More information about how North Stars Games came to be is available on their website and they have a Facebook and Twitter Page as well.

5 Teams or individuals ages 8 and up can play this game of guessing number answers to family friendly trivia questions.  No one is supposed to actually know the answers- that is part of the fun! 

Everything required to play the game is included. In addition to playing this game at home, we found it easy to take and play in places like restaurants known for long waits or while waiting for music lessons or doctor appointments.

You will find mini dry erase boards, dry erase pens (though some of ours had defective caps and were dried out) and 2 small game pieces  per player or team. The differently sized game pieces are affectionately called "Meeples" in 5 colors (their size difference comes into play while scoring). There is also a score card and a mini board with a number 1 on it.

Play always begins with the youngest player. Children younger than 8 can play if they can read or else younger children can just have someone else read for them. Everybody takes a turn as the reader, but the reader  still gets to guess since the answer is on the other side.

An example of a question is, "In inches, how tall is the world's tallest dog?" There are 2 questions on each card for a total of 300 questions. I liked that there was even a place holder that is placed in the back of the deck, so you will know when you have read through the top questions and then can switch to the bottom. Alternately, the reader can just decide which question to read on their turn.

Once all guesses are in, the players use their larger and small Meeple and placed to indicate the best guess for the number closest to the correct answer without going over. After all wagers are placed, the answer is read. The large Meeple counts for 2 points if on the correct answer, 1 point is awarded if your small Meeple is on the correct number and 1 point is also given to the person (people) with the correct answer. More than 1 person or team can have the right answer if they guess or happen to know the right answer.

This explanation is probably longer than it needed to be. It is a fun and easy to understand game. My youngest daughter just turned 7 and had no problem playing the game. Play continues until 15 points and recorded on the score board. We were very happy with the game. The only disappointment was over the dried up markers. I do wonder how long it would  take for us to memorize the questions and believe an extension pack might be needed in the future. Otherwise our family would have an unfair advantage if we played with other families.

Wits & Wagers family can be found locally in my area at Targets and Barnes and Nobles or ordered online through Amazon.com, Target or Barnes and Nobles. Prices seem to range from about $15- 20.

The word "wager" did set my parental controls on alert. I hope this game doesn't get overlooked because of that. It really was guessing and not "betting" in my opinion.

As a member of the TOS Review Crew, this game was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest review.

Now that we have a college student in the family, I realize we should have taken advantage of more dual enrollment and college level classes in the last 2 years of high school! And for anyone with entrepreneurs in the making, I recommend looking into Professor  In A Box. While the focus is actually on the homeschooled highschooler, the courses offered- Financial Accounting and Principles in Marketing - are actually challenging college level courses taught by professors.

We have reviewed the Financial Accounting course before, but this time I reviewed the Principles in Marketing taught by Dr Julie Pirsch, Ph.D.  She is an assistant professor at the Villanova School of Business in Pennsylvania.

 The content is challenging and very good. I believe it to be thorough and know it definitely stretched and challenged me. It is not a fluff course that can be half listened to- I tried that for one lesson while I caught up on emails and I failed the quiz! I would not recommend this course for a young student, but rather a serious student who has an interest in marketing.

When you insert the disk and run it, immediately the screen indicates to review important information about the course- Professor's introduction and credentials, syllabus and objectives for the course. You can choose where you go and when and how often to review the material or take the quizzes. I don't seem to see a feature the forces the student to take the lesson over if a quiz is failed. Each chapter opens a new window and so the student can easily return to the chapters again. I could type out each chapter covered in the syllabus, but it is easier to simply let you see on the Professor in a Box website! 

If your student isn't very motivated to study or likely to just guess at the answers, you might want to check each test. The course is designed to be complete with just the disk and a computer, though! No parent involvement is necessary- unless you choose. There are online helps if necessary.

I reviewed the course myself( since my oldest daughter decided to go to college instead of take some more classes at home). I know her first semester is challenging enough without another course. My 13 year old would not have been ready for the material, yet, but does show potential to be a businessman, so he will be experiencing this course in the future. I really enjoyed the lessons. I did notice a couple issues. Sometimes the speaking doesn't sound as smooth and maybe could have been a little more polished in the recordings. A question on quiz 2 is actually not covered until the next chapter (I went looking and looking for the answer after I got it wrong and then found it when learning the next chapter) and I don't know what is supposed to happen when I push the "finish" button after the quizzes. Nothing seemed to happen when I did that!

With a purchase  price of $119.99 (includes shipping), I would generally put this in the "too pricy" category for our family. However, I plan on using this with all of my children still in school and actually feel it well worth the price.  My copy was free in exchange for my review through The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew. 

Can Scrabble and Rubik's cube have a successful union and produce an offspring? That is exactly what the makers of Scruble Cube hope to be true!

I was immediately drawn to the design of this educational game. As a child, I loved Rubik's cube.  This version doesn't move quite as smoothly, but the letters do rotate and I enjoyed the look and feel, though I would like colorful cubes instead of so much white!

On the other hand, Scrabble never was a favorite. I do love word games and games in general, but seem to never find the high point words and am a poor loser. :)

This game can be played in so many ways. Additionally, there are lots of downloads teachers can use. Unlike many games, the classroom instructions  were suited for homeschoolers just as much as a traditional classroom. In fact, RSV Productions has managed to even have a science activity for their brainchild with a patent pending design.

Like Scrabble, different letters have a different value. There are a few bonus squares and you can seek all you want, but Q and Z will not be found. So, you won't have to work around those letters. But wait! What if you need those letters? There are a couple blank tiles that can be used for any letter. Both can be used in one word, but not next to each other. They have no point value.

As a toy?? My children lost interest quickly. However, I do see value and potential in a classroom with the worksheets. My children did like to move the cube around and find words when they had nothing else to do. I played a several solo games to see how the scoring worked. However, I couldn't get my children to play an actual game. I DO plan on letting a friend who loves puzzles and games a chance to borrow this for a while after my review is posted. I look forward to playing a game with her once she has a chance to get familiar with the cube.

My oldest daughter was going to review this item with me. However, she has gone off to college and so she wasn't able to.

This game receives a mixed review for me. My children generally don't turn down a game of any sort. It was a little too "school like" to get their interest outside of school. On long road trips, they did use and seem to enjoy the Scruble Cube, though.  I definitely DO plan on playing with this more. I like that the words don't need to be connected- like Scrabble- but can be for bonus points.  I also appreciate all the tips and aids available with the game and on the website: www.scrublecube.com Clearly a lot of thought has gone into this game!

It is available online for $24.95. Replacement letter labels can be purchased as well. (One of my siblings used to peel off the stickers on my Rubik's cube and I really hated that!) It can also be found in  Barnes & Noble stores, some Learning Express Stores, FAO Schwarz, Toys R US and more. If this was $14.95 or so, I probably would have bought it on site- in memory of my Rubik's cube and in hopes my children would love this game. However, it is very sophisticated and perhaps a little complicated for my children currently ranging from 6 - 13. The age range is for 8+ and certainly all of my children did find words on the  cube. However, the average game is 10 rounds and I doubt my children 8 and 9 yo would be able to do that.

I personally love the flexibility, looks and lesson plans offered even though the price was a little high in my opinion. I do hope to incorporate this cube into our school day somehow. As always, I  appreciate the opportunity I had to review this item as a part of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest opinion.  You can find Scruble Cube on Facebook, too! www.facebook.com/scrublecube

Well... back to my current frogs, David let my son buy the frogs for me and so the adventure of owning live frogs began!

The Fire Bellies seem to be very easy to care for. At first I had an almost dry habitat with live plants and water bowls, but they were not happy and started to turn brown- which is a clear sign they need something to change! The crickets were very happy in this habitat, but the frogs just sat around and hardly ever made any noise. The crickets even climbed on top of the frogs! So, next I made their tank 1/2 rocks and coconut fiber and 1/2 water. Of course the water is brown because I didn't think it through, but everyone seems happy and it reminds me of a more natural habitat.

In April, I felt the frogs were bored. Though, they seemed very happy and made plenty of noise. In fact, we often thought a dog was barking off in the distance. (I love the noises they make, but am not sure if David does. Since he is the one that allowed Felix to buy them,  I guess he *is* fine with it!) I read they sometimes will eat fish. So, I went and bought 2 of the very cheapest and very smallest fish I could find. One went belly up in the first week, but the other is still thriving 6 months later and I have never given it any fish food whatsover! I couldn't bear to buy food for a fish I bought to be food! Clearly, my Fire Bellies only like crickets (well, they like flies, too, but they can get out too easily and I had to put my foot down on that food choice).

One day this summer, I was waiting to get crickets at PetSmart and struck up a conversation with a lady about what kind(s) of creatures she needed to feed  crickets. Turns out, she also had Fire-bellies. However, my 9 yo heard her say she also caught lizards and other frogs- including tree frogs and even a toad- and added those to her tank. Well, that did it! For months, I had told my children "NO" to tree toads because I did not believe they would be compatible. Turns out the frogs completely leave each other alone. We have had a huge Tree Frog population this summer. We also found one little cricket frog. He is the only frog with a name. We call him "Itty Bitty". The toad from the garden was put back because he eats ALL the crickets he can no matter how many we put in. When we let him back outside I don't think he can even hop he was so rotund!

The original fish is still swimming around and is quite happy. None of the frogs ever try to eat him. Today I added a Rubber Lip Pleco and a Yellow Mystery Snail. They have already worked to almost completely clear the algae out of the tank! I had to add a lot more water for these fish, though. The crickets apparently, don't understand they can't swim and so we have had more cricket loss! They have been laying eggs and reprocing in the peat moss and so we hope that will help with the cost of keeping these froggies fed! I have found a place online that offers good prices on crickets and free shipping. However, we haven't had success with keeping crickets live in a separate area. So far, they have been accidentally let out- in the house! Then someone added a toad and Praying Mantis to the second batch and this last batch the substrate was too wet and the bin started growing mushrooms and mold! Someday, I hope to have pictures, but I want to move them all to a much bigger tank. However we need to make a lid for that tank.

Currently, we have a ban on bringing any new frogs into the house. One tree frog came in on his own, jumped on my face in the middle of the night, and got himself added to the tank! Originally, I thought he escaped, but in the morning, I counted and found he was an extra! Guess he heard about the unlimited cricket buffet and came to join in!

Do you have a teen author in your home? Is she/ he interested in reading what other teens (ages 13-19) have to say or interested in being a published author? Then Aletheia Writing Magazine  might be exactly what you are looking for!

Aletheia (from the Greek word "truth" or "unveiling") is a magazine designed to allow budding authors the opportunity to submit their own writing for print or as a place to read what other teens have written. All of the stories have an underlying message of hope and are original. I reviewed both the Fall 2011 magazine and the Spring 2011 edition offered to view for free online.

Each quarterly magazine is in color, 40 pages long and has a mix of fiction, non-fiction, book reviews, poetry and even photography. The format is well planned  and profession in look and feel. The pages are glossy. Illustrations and photography are in color.  Each issue has a spotlight on an adult author or illustrator to help inspire and encourage, as well. A yearly subscription is $26 in the US or $29 to Canada. The subscription price includes shipping.  While the works represented are from teens ages 12- 19, I would imagine this magazine would be of interest to children as young as 10 - if they love to read.

My overall impression was positive, and I believe there is a need for magazines like this that offer a creative outlet. More information is available online: www.aletheiawritingmagazine.com . Fans can also follow on their Facebook page or via Twitter. I personally would like to write better, but I would only pay for a subscription for my child if they really, really liked to write and showed an interest in being an author/ illustrator some day. Decide for yourself by viewing the Spring edition online. Also, if your teen is interested in submitting work, there is an excellent section explaining what the editors are looking for in detail.

The fall edition of Aletheia Writing Magazine was provided to me through The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew for free in exchange for my honest review.

Artwork by Heather Greenwood, Age 17

AIMS in AIMS Educational Foundation stands for "Activities Integrating Mathematics and Science", and has been around since 1981. We were chosen to review a 15 day workbook on the Area Formulas for Parallelograms, Triangles & Trapezoids. This thin activity book comes with a CD of  files with instructions, but also printable pages. Up to 200 copies are allowed to be made for school use at one school. The book with accompanying CD is merely $9.95, but it does only contain 15 lessons, so it is more than I probably would typically spend on a unit? However, if you have a child that would benfit from a hands on approach and unique review through the use of comics, then under $10 for that seems worth it! Plus, if you have several children, this book can be preserved and pages can be printed out without the need to buy multiple books per family as is needed for many math books.

I knew my son would benefit from learning about the area this way. He needs to visualize in a more tactile way to really learn something. So, I was thankful to be given a chance to review this. To be honest, area never really made sense to me when I was his age. I constantly would get the perimiter and area confused. While this book is geared for 6-8th grade, it could clearly be used by an older student needing review OR by a younger advanced student. This particular book was certainly not written specifically for homeschoolers-  since the first lesson indicates to split up into groups for 4 - 5 students. Sometimes I am so used to texts that really are designed for the homeschooler in particular that it catches me off guard. Yet, this book can still be used by an individual student. Nonetheless, it would be possible to teach multi-ages at one time because all my kids love to cut and measure!  I doubt a very young child woudl have the ability to master the whole idea, but they could still have some benefit from the process. The CD included offers tips on teaching that can be used by the teacher or student if needed.

Not only is this text a fun and interesting approach, it is wonderfully illustrated with relatable cartoon kids and cute comics, but it isn't so heavy with illustrations that you lose sight that this is indeed still a math book.

There are other books available from AIMS in their Essential Math Series. I had never heard of this company before, but I do intend to look into other books in this series and spend more time on the AIMS site: www.aimsedu.org/ There is a lot of useful information and it is clearly laid out as well. A+ for presentation and performance!

As a member of the TOS review crew, I was provided a free copy of this math book in exchange for my honest opinion.

We used Time 4 Learning  (T4L) 3 years ago in 2008. Not much has changed, so I almost simply directed you to the old posting. However, that felt like cheating!

Time 4 Learning is an online teaching tool that could be used as a core curriculum, study help, educational time filler or just fun activity!

T4L is geared for preschool through 8th grade and is completely done on a computer.  We generally do very little school on the computer. For some this might be a plus, but for us it wasn't.

Daily a child can have a certain time of lesson and a certain amount of time to play the games. The lessons are mostly like games, though.My children do love this program. It is a great time filler and they definitely do learn. I limit the amount of play time and love that feature. Sometimes, the children are directed away from the main site and that is a problem for us - because of parental controls.

The Time 4 Learning site is packed with information about how to best use their program. There are demos and you can try out parts for free or write a review and have your own trial period. Additionally, you have 14 days for a complete money back guarantee.

You decide when you join what grade level to assign your child. Any individual class can be adjusted up or down  at any time if it is found to be too difficult or too easy. That is helpful in our situation. For instance, my 1st grader is not the strongest reader, but she loves math.

I loved how easy it is to check on the progress in the parent admin area. Through the admin site, I was even able to go through a lesson with my child. My 8 year old has a short attention span. Many of his scores were in the 0% or 20% range

We did enjoy Time 4 Learning. For us, $19.95 for the first child and $14.95 for each additional child was too much when we already have so much curriculum and already have this year planned out.

A month trial of this program was provided for me as a member of the TOS Review Crew in exchange for my honest review.

My younger children made up different games with this game. They loved the pigs. There are 40 pigs!! So, that is a lot of pigs. We were never able to call this game "fast paced", but it was something that was easy enough for my 6 year old. Even my 20 yo played a game of it tonight with us. I think this could be played with children younger than 7 (though my 6 yo is almost 7). I believe it could be played with a child as young as 5. There are a couple wild cards, but they look very different and non-reading child could easily pick up on them. In fact my youngest could be a good reader, but isn't yet. So, I am sure she wasn't reading. My younger children always have trouble holding their cards without showing them off. I have thought about getting a couple card holders. Mostly you only have a few cards at a time, but as the game progresses sometime people are stuck with a handful.

Even though we played this game several times, we actually never played 5 full rounds or used up all the pigs, we finished still laughing- which is hard to do when you try to play a game with 7 people aged 6 - 37!  One really funny new variation came about by accident tonight. We kept repeating: " The number must be equal to or greater than the card that is face up". So, my youngest (who loves numbers) slapped down two 1s on top of a 2. She was so dissapointed to find out she couldn't add 2 cards together to make a number equal to or greater than the number that was face up. She thought she had found an excellent way to get rid of more cards in one turn. Normal play is only 1 card at a time and then pick one up- unless you have more than 1 card of the same number or a "clear the deck" card.

At $15.95, we probably would not have purchased this game based in looks alone. Though the desciption on the box and artwork are adorable. For me, I woudl prefer to see this in the $7.99 - 9.99 range and feel more people would take a chance on it in that range. Surprisingly, I didn't see a website on the box. The use of color and illustration was excellent, though. It would have grabbed my attention on a shelf in a store. On the negative side, there are a lot of pieces to lose for my youngest 2  children. . Our dog did chew up 1 and we lost a couple. There are still plenty to play the game. It was very cute. I wonder if it is possible to buy more pigs? We really did find a lot of uses for the cute little things.

This game was provided to our family for free in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

HEART is an acronym for 1. Have a heart for God 2. Enrich your marriage 3. Accept your children 4. Release them to God and 5. Teach them the truth.

While this book isn't lengthy, it packs a powerful punch. The author references a lot of scripture and I felt her heart for God and her children through this book. Important to note is her focus on her marriage as well. It seems so much of homeschooling is about the children, her encouragment to focus on the marriage we have before we even look to teach our children is a point not often made.

This book is available through Apologia Minisries  for $13 and is a book worth buying for your own library and to lend out to others as well. I have come to expect a quality and integrity to the books purchased through Apologia. I still mostly think of Apologia as a Science Curriculum, but they are now about defending the faith we have in God and the Bible through a variety of resources. They have always been an encouragement to me and a source of light and truth in the gray world we currently live in.

How to Have a HEART for Your Kids was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest review, as part of The Old Schoolhouse review crew.

The biggest news is my oldest daughter- age 18- deciding to go off to college only 10 days before the semester started! Thankfully she did get in and she is having a great time! We have heard from her daily and she is adjusting well.

I hope to post often (at least weekly) throughout this year.

Wishing you the best year for you and your families!!

So far, I have recieved a game with a bunch of pigs and a book from Apologia.

On another note, 4 of us are taking a reading class. It is interesting to have homework. I am enjoying the class. The kids seem to like the classes as well. I hope this leads to an even better and more productive school year for us all!

I can hardly wait to start another fun year of reviews!

Any products I do review for TOS is given to me for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hello Fellow Savvy Shopping Homeschoolers!

I am excited to share with you that your next $210 could be the last you ever spend on your groceries!! Please look into www.gasandfoodvideo.com to see what I am referring to!

Most moms (and dads too!) are looking for ways to save money and cut their bills. How would you like to possibly even do away with that often dreaded grocery shopping and earn money for telling others how??? Well, I am here to tell you, that it is entirely possible to both obliterate your grocery bill AND earn money by just telling other about MPB Today. Once you start earning your groceries, you will be able to use that money you save for whatever your family needs or wants! The money we save will go towards our current adoption from Russia (short term) and will be used to help our church and others who are looking to adopt be able to afford to do so!

In April 2011 I joined MPB Today. MPB stands for My Premier Business. Though some others call it "My Perfect Business". It  certainly has been a perfect fit for me! In May of 2011 I  earned my first check and will now receive checks (and gift cards) weekly based on the effort I am able to put into my business. So far, I have only worked very minimally and primarily have encouraged my immediate family and friends to look into this program. I may not know you personally, but I encourage you to do the same! It is perfect for anyone who has no time, part time or full time hours. Of course, the income you earn is directly related to the amount of time you put in, but you can earn full time pay for part time hours. No other home based business (and I have tried many!) offers so many completely free tools to get started.

In a nutshell, when you join as an affiliate,  you pay $10 for your own website to promote an in- home, grocery delivery company based in Pensacola Florida. called Southeastern Delivery. You also make a 1 time (for life!) purchase of $200. If you live in or close to Pensacola, then you can order and receiver your name brand groceries immediately upon signing up. However, those of us who live further away (I am in NC) can get free shipping OR choose a WalMart gift card. All that is required to earn either of those, it to simply refer 2 people who also refer 2 people. You are rewarded for each personal referral ($50) and also earn free shipping or the WalMart gift card once you have a group of 6.

It takes a little more work to convince people this is the real thing, than I initially thought- I am not going to lie about that! I thought everyone would immediately see the future in this! Afterall, many of my friends sign up for memberships to warehouse type stores. For that money, they just get a membership. These people are happy to pay that and really get nothing in return for it. So, when I heard I could join for $10 a YEAR and get all the training I needed? And I just need to make a single $200 purchase FOR LIFE and refer a minimum of 2 people FOR LIFE, I thought everyone would want to do the same.

Well, it did take me a full month to earn my first WalMart Card. However, I strongly believe anyone can do the same thing and I believe anyone who is able to put some effort into this business will do this in their first 3 months. However, there is no time limit to how quickly you start earning money and there is no limit to how much you can earn. That is entirely up to you! I already refer people to other things all the time! I love my vet and dentist as well as certain stores and definitely when I watch a good movie. Sometimes I am rewarded for that with discounts and other incentives. Often I don't get a reward,  but this business is pretty much the same.

MPB Today is growing by leaps and bounds! From 1 affiliate a year ago to over 65,000 one short year later. I see the future in grocery delivery stores in general and know there is an actual need. And it is a need that is going to grow greater and not less. Unlike many businesses that are actually selling items that could be considered luxuries, groceries are not and grocery delivery is not a luxury for many Americans today. I don't know anyone personally who is 100% self sustainable and does not ever need to shop in a store. I am sure there are a few people like that in the USA, but they are few and far between. Even if you don't live near Pensacola or near a WalMart or Sam's Club, you are rewarded with checks for referrals. The gift cards can be saved and used when needed or even split up and given as gifts. Of course, the advantage of receiving a WalMart gift card is being able to choose how to spend that. So, perhaps you like to shop for groceries somewhere else, then you can just use your gift cards for any other purchases. Everyone needs toilet paper and papertowels. I have heard a couple people comment they don't like to shop at WalMart. Well, I used to actually be in that category. However, there are times the stores are not busy and getting in and out is very easy to do. I can even order my items online- such as special items for my cats not generally available in the store, get them shipped directly to the WalMart and not pay a shipping fee if I pick them up at my local Walmart.

If you would like more information or my explanation is not clear, please attend a live webinar. I strongly believe this will be time well spent! If you are one of the first to join after the webinar ends, you will also be rewarded with a free $20 WalMart card. There is a recorded webinar you can listen to: www.gasandfoodvideo.com and there is also a live and interactive webinar twice a week. The days for the live webinar are Sunday and Thursday at 9 pm EST. This is an online meeting and you can ask questions. After the webinar, if you decide it is for you, simply go to www.grocerygurufamily.com and sign up as an affiliate. You can also call me or email me for more information - if you have questions.

Alternately, if you want more information in email form and also want to be entered into a monthly WalMart Card drawing (no purchase necessary to enter!), please send me your email address. I will give you 2 entries if you also post a link to this on your own blog! You can enter every month and the drawing will be held the end of the month.

I am an affiliate with MPB Today and have been earning checks and WalMart gift cards since May 2011. I believe this is the best business because everyone needs groceries. Checks arrive after only 2 referrals. I can not make any promises of earnings, but can tell you this business is something I believe anyone can do and it is very little risk involved.

The maps are grouped by Continents, USA, Historical Maps and Thematic maps. Those maps can be viewed in several different ways. You can choose to view in black and white, color and add or delete various labels. This is a very handy feature for quizzing or reviewing. If you need outline maps, you can do that. This program filled a huge need in our family. I am not very strong in geography. I take so long to find a location that sometimes I put the searching off for "later" and often that time never comes. My children love geography and love searching for locations. I just don't always take the time required. By viewing the maps on my laptop or the kid's computer in the school area, it means we don't have to track down the globe or map of the world. My children always play with globe and I have to keep interrupting my reading or teaching to ask them to stop. So, while that might not be a big deal in most families, this program does remove that issue also! Lastly, I can print the maps to use as quizzes or whatever!

If you use Mystery of History or All American History with your students, you can click on either of those, choose what you are using and access all the maps used for those.

You can register your WonderMaps and get updates as they become available. This is great since I am sure more will be added and/ or tweaked in the future. Yes, there are some errors in this version. I expect that in a 1st edition. I still highly recommend WonderMaps for your homeschool family. The license is for a single family and not to be used with a co-op either. However, there is an upgrade available, if you wish to use this program with a group. There is also a version available for churches.

I love how prominent both the home and teacher's guide buttons are. You might want to take a peak at the technical FAQ as well. It could help you decide if this will work with your computer. Almost all of Bright Ideas Press material work on a MAC as well as other types of PCs. I don't think there is a particular age range for this product. People of all ages can benefit from knowing more geography!

You can always contact Bright Ideas Press at 877-492-8081 or through their website- if you have additional questions about any of their products. Customer service has exceeded my expectations on the few times I have needed assistance.

Wondermaps was provided to me for free through the TOS review crew in exchange for my honest opinion.

I actually have this series on VHS tape. I was also given the DVD called Structure and Style Overview that sells for $10 to review. It is very informative and necessary to watch before trying to start this program. In addition to the 4 set DVD that has enough material for a year or a semester- depending on your pace- I received a copy of a portable wall. The Portable Wall contains handy information to use as a guide while you write. It takes the place of hanging posters in a classroom, but is a "take with you anywhere" guide with a pocket inside to store papers as well.  The cost is $7. I probably would just make extra copies of the material included in the wall and attach to the inside of their notebooks, somehow. Also, my children use their computers for most of their writing assignment. So, it would be more fitting for our family to refer to this information online. I can see how it could come in very handy in situations when you need a quick reference, though.

Each student should have their own notebook with their own worksheets. It is easy to keep this in a 3 ring binder. Pages can be copied for individuals within the same family.

The teacher, Andrew Pudewa,  is humorous, entertaining, easy to listen to and has an all around engaging manner. These are not qualities easily found in an average writing instructor. I have had many very good teachers in my life (and many not so great), but have found very few who can hold the attention of just about any age and makes you want to keep listening and watching.

Each DVD has all the contact information for their website: www.excellenceinwriting.com and their phone # as well (800) 856-5815, so it is easy to contact someone if you need to, without even starting the DVDs. I had expected maybe a redoing or updating from the VHS tapes, but it seemed the same. I wonder if some would discount the program because it does not look up to date. There seems to be a disconnect between how professional and wonderful the teaching is and the outdated appearance. I know the material hasn't changed since the first filming, but I often think something polished looks that way . I also found their website a little slow and sort of hard to find things on, but am not sure I am supposed to actually be reviewing that. I just think if I had stumbled on the course accidentally, I wouldn't have looked into it. For instance, I tried to use the FAQ section, but all questions and answers  for all the different materials were in one place. I never did find an answer for my question.

I hope this doesn't sound like I am unhappy with IEW. Quite the opposite is true! I love their programs and find this course easy to use and very worthwhile. I believe this course should be used by all families. The cost of $99 for each level is well worth the expense. I know that might seem out of the budget for some. However, I feel confident you will be very happy with the courses offered and they also fully guaranteed.

The IEW products I mentioned were provided to me for free through The Old Schoolhouse Review crew in exchange for my honest opinion.

You can try before you buy, by watching the  3 Free lessons offered online. You can purchase  the DVD set of 9 containing 36 lessons for $99.99 or sign up for "club meetings" - in the future- that will be a monthly club for $10 a month . You will have access to 4 lessons per month until you have finished the series. This is a great way to spread the expense over the school year. For us, that pace would not be enough art, unless we used this as a separate add on.

If you want to know what is included on each DVD, you can download a course syllabus to know what is covered in the lessons and decide if this is something your family could use.

The 4 lessons on the DVD I was given to review are: Tools of the Trade (pencils, eraser, basic tool kit), It all starts with a line (different lines like curves, straight, crooked), Contours and Composition, Draw what you see and a bonus chalk drawing lesson. DVDs are not sold individually any longer. There is also another DVD series offered for $14.99 each that are a combination of Art lessons and Bible lessons. Currently, the titles are The Crossmaker and The Gift of Love. A short preview of both are available online. There are plans to add more in the future.

My children did one lesson a day and were really eager to do more. I wish we could have reviewed the whole series because we could not afford to purchase the whole set at this time. I do not mean that as a complaint, as I am thankful to have received anything for free to review for the TOS Review Crew! The crew has been such a blessing to our family and our homeschool program.

While the lessons are geared for ages 6 - 10, it can certainly be used for anyone who is a beginner artist. The teacher, Pat Knepley is part of team of artists featured on See The Light Shine's site.  She speaks very clearly and simply. Again, more geared toward 6- 10, but if you have older children (or are a beginner yourself!) it does not seem silly or juvenile. We all really enjoyed listening to Pat. She explains a lot about "why".

Since I minored in art, I love all sorts of art. However, many of my teachers really didn't teach. Pat really teaches. It is a perfect series if you are not an artist yourself or just are looking for an actual art lesson for your children.

Sadly, my children have lost their art projects and I couldn't scan them. They did the lessons while I was out of town and my husband was doing school. He didn't know I wanted the art work to scan and post. If we find them, I will try to post them in the future!

The children gained a lot of self confidence about their drawing skills. Even though we have all sorts of crafts and art books, it was the first course my 6 and 7 yo have tried. They enjoyed it. Even my 13 yo was asking for more. The lessons were too simple for him since he has taken other courses. However, he did like the classes .

We enjoyed the chalk lesson presented by Gloria Kohlmann as well. We have not done much with chalk in the past, but this helped me be less intimidated by using chalk for future art projects.

As much we we liked the lessons, the price was too much for our family. Compared to individual lessons, the price is very reasonable. For a family, like mine, with many children, it really wouldn't be too much - if we were looking for an art class. I have shelves of drawing books and materials, however. The reason I wanted to review it was to use with a co-op. I never wrote to ask if there is a separate pricing for that. I would suggest writing to ask if there would be an extra price for using the curriculum that way.

I received one video from the Art Class series for free as part of the TOS review crew, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nutrition 101:Choose Life! is conveniently divided into 6 units with 4 chapters in each unit. Each chapter is meant to be covered in a week's time.If covered in this way, it will take 24 weeks to complete. It is co-authored by Debra Raybern N.D.,  Sera Johnson, Laura Hopkins, and Karen Hopkins.

Each unit has very in-depth coverage of a different body system and the effects proper nutrition has on each body system. It also covers the consequences to those systems if you consume the wrong types of food.

There is so much to this book, and I have barely been able to scratch the surface! The book did motivate me to start some changes right away, though. For instance, I have been making fruit smoothies with a great superfood blend called NatraBurst for my family.

My children already participate in a Junior Master Gardener Club and this year are very interested in gardening. Last weekend we planted some herbs and vegetables. I have also been going with a neighbor monthly to the local farmer's market to get plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Still, the convenience of boxed and frozen foods has been winning out far too much in our family. Now, I look very closely at the labels. I was not able to throw out the bad stuff. However, we go through food so quickly, I am just going to replace it with good.

We are also going to take the suggestion offered by the authors and make lists of all the healthy foods we already enjoy and start there.

While my children really enjoy many good foods,  they also like a lot of junk! I look forward to teaching them why healthy food is better and will make them feel better. When we start our next school year, we are going to do a complete coverage of this course. In the meantime, I am doing my homework now to change our habits to healthy. I look forward to doing more than just the quick review I did for this review purpose.

If you want to see an example from the book, here is an  excerpt shared on the Growing Healthy Homes website. This book is meant to be used for the whole family. The subjects covered can easily be discussed with a variety of ages by slightly modifying the material to your particular family. I know the whole family would gladly participate in making the power food recipe for each chapter. Many other activities are suggested.

There are 3 options for purchase: CD-ROM for $79.95, Book for $99.95 or both Book and CD-ROM for $129.95. As a co-op, you can purchase a Multiple-user license for only $35. However, you can also get a a 15% discount by using the code: TOScrew11.Even though this book is more expensive than most text books I purchase, the content is far more than an average text book. I highly recommend it to any family.

As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, this nutrition and health program was provided for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Even though it was my intention to use this Latin program with my youngest 3 children- ages 9,7, and 6. However, everyone within ear shot was soon singing the cute and catchy tunes.

The lessons are easy to follow and easy to learn. My children breezed through each question and would have liked more. They enjoyed asking each other questions as well. It is the only time I have heard them spontaneously reviewing their school work outside of school.

I felt the teacher's manual should have explained more about the reasons behind Song School Latin, the way it works and the reason(s) it is a better method for young children. Clearly, my children love it and that is enough for me- since I didn't pay for it. If I had paid for the teacher's manual, I would have been disappointed. There are a few worksheets for each level in addition to the answers for the blanks. At K- 3rd grade level, I would expect the teacher to be doing the work with the child and certainly know the answers to the blanks without needing a teacher's guide for that purpose.

I find the price of $22.95 for the student manual and CD to be extremely worth it. I am not sure I would spend the same for the teacher's manual. Also, there are wonderful card game- Latin Monkey Match for $24.95. This set includes 210 cards of Latin words for all levels sold by Classical Academic Press and not just the Song School Latin. Instructions for 3 different  games are included.The whole set is available for $64.95.

We have tried to learn some Latin before, but I felt I was slaughtering the pronunciation (now I *know* I was!). I was too afraid of teaching the wrong way and was intimidated by it. Now, I am convinced my children will be more eager to learn higher Latin because of this fun and easy introduction. It reminded me of how much I love educational songs. My children have been humming and singing the songs all along. Vale!

The Song School Latin and Teacher's guide was provided to me at no cost, for my honest review.

For this review, we were given 2 premium accounts. I chose to use the program with my 7th and 3rd grader. BigIQkids is for elementary to middle school ages. My 7th grades is behind in spelling and vocab. Since we are already reviewing a couple different math programs, I left it up to my sons whether or not they studied math on BigIQkids.com. My youngest 2 did not have premium accounts, but they did use the free version. Click here to read the differences between the 2 accounts.

My 7th grader had a lot of fun dressing his personal character, but my 3rd grader left his in a t-shirt and underwear. :)

I did read about how BigIQkids works before my children started, but then left it to them to see how motivated they were to earn coins and see how they used the program. After all, it is meant to be an independent program. Both sons made significant progress in the subjects they studied. They both were very motivated to learn about the states and locate the states. That is where they spent the majority of their time. My 7th grader did a little vocabulary and several spelling lessons as well. (We do a separate spelling program and I guess they felt the same reason they didn't need to do math applied to spelling!)

One thing I discovered, though, is my children will learn to cheat to play games. They were always playing games. The free version gave the coins back if my 2nd grader hit the back arrow. I don't think this happened with the premium version, but it seemed they played games a lot more than they studied! I truly wanted to see how much they would use this program as a school activity while I worked with their siblings. It was not very successful for that purpose. I would use the free version- for sure- but it was not a good fit for our family as a stand alone school subject. My children have proven they do not do well when given options. Even though I told them we would not continue on with the program after the review period if they were only playing games, that wasn't enough motivation.

It is easy to see exactly what each child has attempted and what scores they got.  The program also sent emails about the progress of each child in each subject.

This program could be the perfect solution to many families. We do not watch TV and our kids only occasionally watch movies. It was a great time filler for them on rainy days. Unfortunately, it was also a time waster. They loved the games and the temptation to play them won out over their other responsibilities many days. Many times the competition for playing the games also led to fights, arguments and pushing.. That is one reason we have chosen not to have gaming systems designed for single players. Nevertheless, It wasn't a complete waste, I felt confident they were learning something. However, they also clicked on ads and the program would occasionally direct them to other sites. My children do not have access to the internet- except for certain allowed sites. I prefer for systems like this to only have games on one site and not direct to another page.

Overall, my impression was mediocre. The computerized voice drives me crazy. The emails were somewhat bothersome if they both completed several items in a row. I believe I would have preferred a digest form for the day instead of individual emails. Clearly, my children are learning more about the states. Now that the review period is over, but I still have a subscription, I am going to use a schedule and monitor differently. Yes, I could have done this all along, but I wanted to see if it fit the need our family has of an educational program they can use completely independently while I am working with other children.

My children loved the program- more specifically the games. They were also very proud of themselves when they did well. The constant praise led them to also praise each other. It is very sweet to hear them telling each other what a good job they are doing. They want to continue using the program. I hope to use this program for the length of our free evaluation period and see if my opinion has changed or not.

There are too many pricing options to list. Here is a link to the prices. You can also use the program for free, but there are more options available to premium users.

2 Premium subscriptions were made available to our family at no cost in exchange for my honest review of this product.

I am sincerely thankful for authors such as John Hay and David Webb who put pen to paper and seek to explain Bible truths to children. I am also thankful for Apologia ministries for promoting and presenting material that goes against the current tide of atheism sweeping through our schools and even in our churches.

I have never been disappointed by the unapologetic stance presented by Apologia ministries through their science division. Their is a  clear, conversational manner present in every book I have ever read of theirs. We have studied 5 of the science books over our many years of homeschooling. and own many more we are looking forward to studying one day. I am impressed by the scope and depth of all their texts, as well as their strong position of creation.

I did not know they had branched out and started a new series called What We Believe until recently and gladly asked to be able to review this book when given the opportunity by The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew. My husband had just finished our current study, so the "timing "was perfect for this review.

It seems to me this book can be used in several ways. It can be a Bible course for children ages 6 - 14 or as a family devotional book. Our children are ages  20 down to 6. We all have benefited from the lessons. My 6 year old loses attention before we are done, however, it is also right before her bedtime.  This is not simply a reading book, however. When you purchase the book, you also then have access to supplemental tools to teach the text. As with all Apologia line products, the text can be studied by an individual student, multiple students, or teacher led.

Naturally, unless you have a very advanced 6 year old, this isn't a text you could simply hand over to a first grader. My 6 year old still has a "blind" faith of a child. She has no doubts right now and  sings songs of love for God. While I hope that is characteristic of her whole life, I know doubts and questions are part of life and we do need to know what we believe so we can stand for something. My 9 year old is very sure about what he believes as well. However, my other 4 have many questions. Clearly, a walk with God is a personal relationship and I can't teach that. Nonetheless, Apologia is in line with my beliefs of the Bible and the world He has created for us. It is hard to properly express and sometimes I feel our children simply "know" the way we believe. It is great to have a book to work through and explain what is hard to explain clearly when questions come.

This book, Who is God? And Can I Really Know Him?, lays out lesson plan suggestions for the teacher or student as well as a clear explanation of how to use the book and the need for the study. Each lesson covers key components and has clear explanations, illustrations and Bible verses to emphasize and back up their position. The lessons are packed full . This is not a breezy, lightweight, feel good book.

We have not finished the book . So far, the only thing I would change is the Bible translation used. My husband and I prefer the New American Standard Version, King James or New King James. This book used mostly New International Version, the International Children's Bible, and the New Living Translation. This would not keep me personally from using this book, but know others might not feel the same way. KJV, NKJV and NAS were occasionally used in addition to other references.

I truly appreciate the depth and scope of this book. We are having some excellent discussions around the topics we discuss. It we were using this as a school course, I would use the note-booking ideas and additional resources as well. For our purposes, we are covering what is in the actual lessons, but not writing out answers or testing our children on the material. I have had and have taken the opportunity to reference the stories and discuss what we are talking about through our other daily lessons, however.

It is my strong belief the $39 asking price for this book would be money well spent and well invested for all Christian families. I do believe if we teach our children the truth that is in the scriptures and arm them with the armor of God, they will be able to withstand the fiery darts that WILL come in life.

This book was given to me for free in exchange for my honest review.

What a great tool to add to your homeschool experience! Virtual nerd might be exactly what is needed for a family that does not have  their own "nerd". Currently, the subjects covered are: Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2  and Introduction to Physics. I encourage you to take some time on their site and watch the video on their front page.

Once you are a member, simply search or browse for the video you need. The videos are concise, but you can also review a specific concept over and over or you can explore a particular area further by clicking on the box. A new window with a new video will open up. You can continue to open additional boxes and watch more videos.  This is what the Virtual Nerd site refers to as "drilling down".  You can see the notes to the side and additional information will pop up if you hover over the text. The text along the side allows for you to see the same information in print. Practically any type of learner  (who has the ability to use a computer) can benefit from Virtual Nerd. However, best way to know if this would be a benefit to you is to get a free 2 hour trial.

I provided my oldest daughter this product to take on a test drive.. She found the lessons easy to understand, clearly written and enjoys the way the teacher presents the material. She  occasionally had trouble finding the specific video out of the  1,000 + videos offered. She did not like how slow some videos were to load, either. We have a very fast connection, yet sometimes the time to load seems too long. We are not very patient and maybe this  isn't an actual problem?

I personally did not have any trouble with finding the videos to explain the problem areas . When my daughter told me what she needed to watch, I was able to locate exactly what she needed in a very short amount of time.  I believe she didn't actually look hard enough or thought they would have the specific problem she was working. She often was  searching too specifically and wished for the videos to work the exact  problem in the text,  the way her (actual nerd ) father does.

Unlike some online math tutor programs, the subscription options are very flexible!  Use it for a day  ($5), a week ( $19), a month ($49) or 3 months   ($129). The  monthly option is charged automatically, but the other subscription methods are not recurring. A 2 hour trial is also available for FREE! If you are an educator (not a homeschool parent, though), you can get the program for free.

If I did not have an (actual nerd) husband who answers any and all math problems and already helps our older students with their math, I would definitely find a program like Virtual Nerd to be a necessity. However, even the Virtual Nerd site states  the purpose of the site is not to replace a human teacher and/ or a human tutor. The cost is definitely less expensive than hourly tutoring and the benefit of tutoring anytime is advantageous as well.

Virtual Nerd is award winning and the videos are designed by professionals. It has great plans for future expansion! For instance, there is  supposed to be a search feature for a particular textbook. We are currently using Saxon, but I have other textbooks.  I didn't find our particular books now using the search, but this might already be in place and just not compatible with the texts I have. Eventually, there will  be an option to review, take quizzes and receive  grades.

I like the tutor style of Virtual Nerd (compared to online stand alone programs ) since my daughter could continue using her current textbook and didn't need to switch texts for the purpose of the review. However, for the cost, I might expect it to be a stand alone program. Also, while my daughter didn't like searching for the videos herself. This means I still was asked lots of questions and I had to help her find the correct videos or she had to wait for her Dad to come home and explain. Maybe she would have improved in this area, if the trial we had was longer and not broken up by our 3 week break (we school year round).

As part of the TOS review crew, a  free trial was provided to our family for free in exchange for my honest review of this product.

Disk 1

Sect 1 - Real Numbers

Sect 2 - The Number Line

Sect 3 - Greater Than, Less Than, Equal To

Sect 4 - Absolute Value and Adding Integers

Sect 5 - Subtracting Integers

Disk 2

Sect 6 - Multiplying Integers

Sect 7 - Dividing Integers

Sect 8 - Powers and Exponents

Sect 9 - Order of Operations

True Story! One of my sons is just starting Algebra.  He took right to this video.  It was a great refresher for him as he started  into Algebra . This video really helped him out.  In fact, he told me he wanted to watch the next part before he started his assignment on the 2nd day. (Little did he know it was my intent to have him watch the whole DVD)

I generally find a teacher on this type of  DVD hard to watch. Yet, I didn't mind watching  or listening to the instructor on these DVDs. Included in just Level 1 are  5 hours of one-on-one tutoring for your student.

This video is available to view online or through DVD. The online option is available for  $19.95/ month and gives access to all worksheets and all levels of math - some are not even released on DVD yet.  This particular DVD's stand alone price  is  $26.99. If you are just starting out with Math, there are wonderful bundles available that include everything at a large savings!

Compared to an hourly rate of tutoring, this is clearly an excellent value for either the DVDs or the online subscription. Your student is able to watch just the individual lesson he needs help with. It is easy and seamless to move between. I put my DVDs through  quite a workout. They didn't skip, slow or have an issue in my player. It amazed me how my children literally ran over to watch the videos as soon as the intro music began. The teacher generally presents in just a business attire and writes on a white board - so there isn't any sort of bright , catchy display .(However, at least one lesson he was in more casual wear and  I did find that out of character with the rest of the DVD style and preferred a more business type attire)

I was also given a chance to review  The Texas Instruments TI-83/ TI-84 Calculator Tutor.

I have to admit, my very first thought was... "8 HOURS of a calculator tutoring???  How can someone speak so long about a calculator?? " However, I was pleasantly surprised by the presentation.  I believe, if you own this calculator or plan to, it is a MUST BUY. It is an extremely thorough teaching tool. If you need to review a certain aspect of the calculator, then just skip to that. If the calculator is new to you?? Watch the whole video as an introduction and then review it the sections as needed.

Let's be honest! Who reads the manuals?  While I don't actually have any experience with this kind of a calculator ( or ever have needed one), it was quite interesting to review this DVD set covering the topic. I was able to download a calculator to work with since I didn't own a TI-83 or TI 84 calculator. I do not have a strong enough math background (my husband teaches the upper levels to our children!) to really review each section, however, I watched all of the intro and several of the sub sections. I know one or all of my younger 4 children will need a calculator like this one day. So, this is one I plan to hold onto. This truly does "unlock the power" of this calculator as claimed.

The lessons range from about 10 minutes - 40 minutes or so. They are short enough to not lose interest in the matter. In fact, I found myself pausing and trying out the calculator to see how it functioned and then going back a little to review what I just learned. I never knew a calculator could contain so much.

If I had the budget for it, I would buy the whole series. I didn't see a "Lifetime Subscription" offer, but think I would buy into something like that - again- if I had the budget. With the worksheets offered, I believe this could even be a standalone math program instead of just a tutoring tool. Either way, I believe the DVD price is excellent. I feel nearly $20 a month is more than I would spend for my family. However, it does give access to all levels and all worksheets.  Plus, you do not need to sign a year long agreement. So, it really could be very cost effective if you find you are enjoy being connected.

I found the website easy to use. Some of the information was outdated- that is the only fault I could find. For instance, one benefit stated for an online subscription vs the DVD  is the ability to view lessons that aren't released yet. However, several of the lessons appear to be available in DVD form now. So, that was a little confusing.
Overall the website was very easy to find my way around and very well laid out.  Also, there are lots and lots of video samples to view.

I found these DVDs to be as good as they claimed to be and they left me wanting to get them all! In fact, I know I would personally benefit from several.

*These DVDs were given to me for free in exchange for my honest review of theses products.

The Old Schoolhouse Travel Kits: a Simple Way to Bless Others is an informative guide to prepare travel kits . A travel kit is assembled with items meant to fill the time and make the trip go faster for children. In turn this should make the trip less stressful and more fun for the adults as well.

When I was a child, my family traveled a lot.  One fond memory is a time someone gifted us with a travel kit when I was about 10. The kit given to us was a large ball of yarn. We unwound  a section at certain times until we came to a joke or an idea for a game or a piece of candy. It was a great memory, a lot of fun and a very special gift.

So, I was very interested to review this Travel Kit ebook that is produced by The Old Schoolhouse (TOS). TOS offers a large selection for the homeschooler through their store.

The 93 pages initially intimidated me a little. I also doubted I would be organized enough to pull it off. However, the clear layout, simple instructions and readability made this review easy . The guide includes great suggestions of what to pack and how to pack an entertaining kit  for your family or another.  The more ideas I read and pictures I saw, the more interested I became in assembling my own travel kit.  I ended up with so many ideas and I found myself on the lookout for items to add to my travel kit collection everywhere I went.

I assembled my kit for a big trip we plan to take in the fall. Originally, my thought was to use items from around the house or collect small items for  free. However… I started browsing  websites geared towards teachers. Needless to say, I got a little carried away. My theme was animals. Each kit I make for my own family will be a different theme.

 If you are creative, I am sure, it would be possible  to assemble  a kit without any extra expense. Books, CDs and DVDs can be borrowed from a library ,  activity sheets  can be printed from the web, and collecting little toys or making small items wouldn’t be too hard. Snacks can be made instead of bought. I found it is important to plan ahead for the maximum you want to invest before beginning.

Since I purchased extra items, I hope this means I can quickly assemble kits in the future. It is my hope to send kits off with friends when they travel as well.  My plan is to prewrap all items I plan to use in the kits and place in labeled grocery bags so I know what is in each. I think my children will be slightly less likely to get into the gifts ahead of time if they are already wrapped.  

 I suggest - if you make a kit for someone else- that you  make  a checklist for the adults before planning the kit. For instance: Will the family take scheduled breaks? Will those breaks be at rest areas? Are the children allowed to chew gum? Does the family eat snacks in the care?  Are there any allergies? Are markers and crayons OK? Also, of course, be careful about small pieces if toddlers or infants are in the car.

I did enjoy this ebook and am glad for the chance to review it. It is not what I would  consider to be "simple", as claimed in the title . For me, the word "simple" implies something that can be thrown together quickly. That seems unlikely for these travel kits.  I guess that is partly because I do not routinely keep snacks, candy and  toys available.

 $12.95 is more inline with what I would pay for a hard bound book with this content.  So, the price is high for me. Some of what is included seems self explanatory as well. So, the length doesn't seem completely justified. I do recommend this ebook, however. Obviously, there are distinct advantages to an ebook. I did not print it out because I did not find necessary in this case.

This ebook was given to me free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

Update: Last weekend (7/24) I sent my first travel kit off with a family who came to visit on their way to somewhere else. The Mom thought it was a great idea. I hope to hear soon if it made the trip go easier or not.

I have come to expect a certain quality from The Old Schoolhouse. This module - Travel the World- doesn't disappoint.  It is the module for June 2010 from the 2009 Schoolhouse  planner.

For the cost of $7.95, this unit study seems very thorough and cost effective. The way we personally used the module was in parts and pieces. This module can be purchased separately as a single unit. Alternately, the entire Schoolhouse Planner can be purchased.

 Often we will work a unit from start to finish. However, we are not currently back to a full load of school. So, I printed all the activities to be used on trips as time fillers. I didn't print out the rest of the module in its entirety for my children, but did print it out in 1/2 size because I found it easier for me to review it that way. I like the flexibility of an e-book and the ease of storage. I have so many books and not enough books shelves anyway. Also, there are many internet links in the module that would be lost if used in a print out fashion. When I read the info to my children, they colored the lapbook pages. They came to view my computer when I looked up a link.

We are working on assembling the lapbook. My children enjoy making lapbooks. We are used to assembling lapbooks along with a book. This time we will have to use other books and resources to fill in some of the information.  However, this will also allow us to add to the book throughout the year.

We plan on adding information from the countries we read about during the year.

There is a great variety offered in this module - everything from copywork in print and cursive to songs and coloring sheets.

I found this module to be primarily geared towards 2nd - 7th grade. However, there is supplemental material that would make it applicable for older grades as well. My older children often help their younger siblings with projects. If a particular child needs reinforcement in a certain subject, then they are usually the one assigned to the task.  I am the one who needs the most help in the area of Geography.

This module was easy to use, attractive and useful. I highly recommend purchasing  this unit. Many other units are available  on The Old Schoolhouse website.

This module was given to me for free in exchange for my honest review.

Anyway, back to my main post!!

Below is a list of companies I might have the opportunity to reviewi as part of the Older Crew (I have been told this is *not*  because of my age , but the reviews will mostly be for 7 - 12th grade! )

I have never reviewed items from these companies before. I am looking forward to it!

Whatever items I do get the chance to review are being given to me free in exchange for my honest opinion of the product.

Vantage Learning

New Monic Book

Zoe and Sozo Publishing

Professor in a Box

The Write Foundation

Homeschool Programming

Now, here is the list of companies not necessarily targeted towards the Highschool ages. I have never heard of some of these. A couple I have heard of or reviewed before. I am very excited about all of these and hope to be chosen to review. A couple I wasn't sure I had any interest in. However, I checked out the websites of each and am interested in learning more!  This should be a fun year!

Time 4 Learning 

Math Essentials

Speekee / Lingua4Ltd

Schleich Action Figures

LanSchool Technologies

Digital Frog

GreeknStuff

Soli Deo Gloria Resources

Buckets - O - Fun

Collectorz

Bright Ideas Press

Master Innovations

SmartKids Innovations

Institute for Excellence in Writing

ALEKS

Positive Action for Christ

North Start Games, LLC

Zeezok / Book Peddler

Please check back throughout the year! I will post about each company I have the opportunity to review.

Krista LaRocque

This program has proved to be a lifesaver for us. My oldest son and daughter are supposed to take turns reading the lists in their Spelling Power books to each other.  However, while my 16 yo daughter LOVES spelling and reading , my son loathes it. So she is always nagging him to read her the list and he is always "forgetting" to get to it. It is not on the list of top 10 things and sometimes he struggles with pronunciation and using the words from her list in sentences, too. I know he was slowing her down in her progress, but she is far ahead and  I just didn't have enough hours in the day. I have often thought how nice it would be to record myself reading the lists and using the words in sentences so any of the kids could work on spelling independent of me and each other.

Then into my lap - through the The Old Schoolhouse Crew- dropped the opportunity to test out SpellQuizzer designed by Dan Hite.

I simply downloaded the software onto the computer my kids (by myself, I might add!) and started entering the lists. Set up was a breeze. It also saves on paper for us. My children only need to transfer the missed words to thier 10 step study sheet OR better yet start a custom list of words they missed so they can quizz themselves the next day.

The program is completely cusomizable and even my younger spellers will be able to use it. My son doesn't know it yet, but he is going to get practice entering the spelling lists in for the younger levels. There are even lists that can be imported from the website. I highly recommend this program as a handy tool to aid teaching. It works with ANY and all spelling programs. Additionally, it will help with keyboard practice. Younger kids could have an older child or parent type the word while they spell it, but even my 5 yo would love the novelty of getting to use the computer for spelling.

The program is only $29.95. You can also download a free trial offer for 30 days. If you are part of a school group or co-op bulk discounts are offered. Satisfaction is guaranteed. Dan's website is wondefully formatted and as easy to use as his program. Bravo! And thanks for the opportunity to review this wonderful program. It has been such a useful tool already!

So… I must admit…. I had a preconceived idea that I would not like this curriculum, Beyond Five in a Row -volume 1. I never have used it. I do like a literature approach, however, both the name and the way the program had been described to me think it must be a "light" curriculum. I did not get how do stretch out a book or books and adequately cover all the areas of study?

Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find this to be one of the easier curriculums to review. The books were easy to locate, the suggestions of what else to study and how to go about it was clear. The guide truly guided me as a parent. I did not feel stressed out or pressured to do everything.

The age range was for 8 - 12 years old. That was an issue for me. The kids I teach in that range would not have benefitted from working through this curriculum. I intended to do at least some of it with them. Instead, I modified it to use with my 7 year old son, 5 yo son and 5 yo girl I teach as well as my 4 yo. I did not expect my 4 yo to really follow along because she hasn't shown much interest in the past. However, she LOVED the books we read and really got into this.

I do think 7 - 10 or 11 would be more fitting for this course. However, I would need to do all the activities to really make a judgment about that.

My kids really enjoyed this and so did I. In fact, for the younger ages, I found it to be a lot less stressful than what I had been using. I plan on starting this and using this in depth and completely next year. For now, I only started one book because that is what we had.

The opportunity to review Beyond Five in a Row has changed my mind completely about this program. In fact, if I didn't already have (and love!) the books and materials for my current literature based study, I would probably have used this for my kids up until age 10 or so. Their love of learning approach is very much in line with the way I believe a child will learn best. I also believe if a child loves to read and has the skills in place for reading, then he/she can accomplish just about anything academically!

Best of all, each of the 3 BFIAR volumes are only $24.95. I might even consider breaking up my school year so I can do a unit of these studies interspersed with my other course of study. The Five in a Row website is great, too. I was really impressed by the simplicity. In a day and age when simplicity is lost and where children are being overwhelmed this company offers a relaxed approach that I felt was still complete in its scope. In fact, the guide points out what areas each activity covers.

My only problem with the curriculum came from my own need to have everything prepared and ready to go. I often do not look far enough ahead. However, with only a little bit of planning, I could have done ahead and organized the needed supplies for much of the suggested projects. This might be a problem for missionaries or others abroad who might wish to use this curriculum. There is an option to buy the main books used in the study as a collection.

Another Math Curriculum! I have had the hardest time finding and sticking with a Math curriculum for my kids. I have really enjoyed being a part of the TOS Crew this year as an alternate. It has given me a great chance to review a lot of math!

When given the chance to review Math Mammoth, I decided to request the complete curriculum from the Light Blue series for both 4th grade and 1st. I had my 11 yo take the online placement test. While my son was ahead of 4th grade in some areas, all my skipping around caused him to have some gaps. So, I felt starting him in the 4th would be best. To download both sections is only $29.70. There are SO many options on what to order and prices - depending if you want download, CD or printed copies- that it would be easier for you to go look that up on the site directly. There are also package deals for those who are looking to save even more money.

My review was for the downloadable series. At first I was not sure about this. I like to actually look through and hold in my hand. However, it has turned out to be perfect for me. I do not need to print the answer key off. I do print individual pages, but I also have the flexibility to print off exactly what I need.

Through the TOS crew, I realized my 11 yo son seems to be able to focus better and read better when reading through a blue filter. My hope is blue paper will do the same thing. So, I plan on getting some in the near future. This will help him to not lose the filters he now uses from Head's Up! 

I do not like to waste paper, but if pages need to be redone, I can keep the one done correctly and recycle the others by shredding and using as bedding in my worm bin or as pet bedding for my pet Degus.

I have been very happy with this curriculum. I have taken longer to get this review in than I should, but have also had a chance to do quite a bit of each book with my younger 3 sons (and the kindergarten student I teach as wel)l. I am not usually workbook oriented. This is in part because of the waste of paper and also because it is often easier and quicker for me to go over math verbally. But I have found I really enjoy this worksheets. Only 1 of the 4 children I have used these with has needed to repeat the sheets. For him, I have found, he needs to stand right beside me and we need to talk through several of the problems before he is ready to go write. However, he is actually only just 5 and doesn't have the quickest responses when we review verbally either.

I recommend this curriculum for its cost effectiveness and thoroughness. I also find the website easy to look around. If you do not need to cover the whole year, but just fill in gaps, then you can purchase by subject matter as well. This is what I could have done with my 11 yo. However, he is actually enjoying the pages and even asks to do some at times when they aren't required.

Their products are adorable, prices are reasonable and quality is as good as I have seen. Their products can be used in Sunday School classrooms as filler time, as quiet time projects in church or in the home. They are great to bring to Grandma's house or to send with your older children if they babysit.

They could be used as an open door to witness if you bring your own toys to places like the Dr office or dentist.

Mostly I am writing to say they have something that is very hard to find! Customer service!! I had an issue with a product I had recently recieved from them. They took imediate responsibility for the error and immediate steps to correct the issue.

This company sells their products in a variety of places. I encourage you to support this company whenever you have the chance to! I wish more companies - like this one- existed. Not only do they carry a product with a Bible message, but they seem to embody what the Bible teaches. I do not feel they simply are marketing to this "unique niche", but that they care about their customers and are passionate about their products.

In fact! I plan on going back to order some wooden ABC stacking blocks soon! I have been looking for those for my children.

Heads Up!  is a company that sells a unique combination of products geared towards children with special needs. I was sent several color  panels  to review. Heads Up! Calls these reading aids and are available in these stylesl: Frames, Readers, Double -Time, Top of the Line. My first impression was … "What is this??"

The strips of color  intrigued me. I immediately used them to look at a book I was reading. (The viewing was easier after my daughter -who is very observant- discovered a sheet of clear protective coating and peeled that off. I hope that it was supposed to come off!) I suspect I read slower and with more difficulty than many people I know, though I enjoy reading. I was very shocked and surprised when the blue colored panels did improve the way I saw the page.

Also, my eyes will sometimes wonder or I will lose my place. My attention was focused where it needed to be. It did improve my reading speed and focus for sure! Next I shared them with my son who is in 5th grade and has issues with reading and also staying on task. He also found the blue color to work the best for him. My left handed son chose Green. In fact all my children who read found they preferred reading through a particular color.  Several distinctly disliked the yellow and orange. Blue seemed the most popular.

I wouldn't consider most of my children to be "special needs" and I would not have known that a product like this might help my children, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I wish the product had some weight to help hold the book open or keep it in place if interrupted for a while. It  got me wondering if there was a light magnet on both sides would it work even better? Or what if they were wrapped around the book and held it open as well as framed the areas that were needed?  However, at $1 a piece the price is right and any modifications would - obviously- make them less affordable to others.

I also found myself using them as bookmarkers in the books my 5th grade son reads. He keeps one with him and also used the frames for math problems. My 5 year old will also ask to use the frames or readers with his school.  I am glad the kids like to use them.

I strongly recommend looking on the Heads Up! Site . There might be something that will aid you in your teaching program.

When I was given the chance to review this art curriculum for The Old Schoolhouse Crew, I was very excited and interested.

I like the format and layout for this art curriculum. The one I reviewed was for Book 1 for 4th -6th grade.

My 5th grade son is very interested in art and , even though I teach an art class weekly for a group of homeschoolers, I thought he would like his own book. However, once looking it over, I realized there were parts I wanted to incorporate into the class I was teaching.

Each lesson is formatted simply and with the intention of a student using without additional teaching.  The lesson covers an introduction to an art concept, a couple pages of art history and discussion about the introduced concept in relation to the art , technique, and then application by drawing practice. The 2nd book of the same level will cover color and composition. More information and sample pages can be found on the Artistic Pursuits website.

I feel this is a very thorough and appropriate art book. It is easy to understand and believe any child would have success with this program. The price is $42.95 for each book. Since the book is not consumable, this could be a very good value for families with more than one child. The website also has a FAQ section that does an excellent job of explaining themselves!

My children found both Math Tutor DVDs-  Math Help: The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor (8 hours)  and the Algebra 2 (6 hours) - helpful and  interesting. Both sets contained 2 DVD disks. The teaching style was clear and concise.  Even though my son is not currently doing Algebra 2 he was able to understand and work the problems.

The price of $26.99 a DVD the price is very affordable. Obviously, the DVDs can be used for multiple children in the same family. This makes the series more affordable than any tutor I know of. I would recommend these DVDs if your child is struggling in a particular area in math. Sets are also available for a discount.

The only complaint I had about the DVDs were they would not play in my very old DVD player. I have no idea why that was.  They worked fine in our regular player and my computer, though.

Rocket Phonics is a very thorough and fun phonics program. It mixes phonics games with reading. The program was written by homeschool parents, Stephen and Maureen Guffanti, for their daughter Stephanie.

It is a complete program that includes 2 reading books, cards for playing several games, and activities for scavenger hunts. Additionally, every week , bonus material is sent to your inbox to use as well.

I think it is an excellent product. I love the view finder used to focus the attention on one word at a time.  We paired the Head's Up color frames with the view finder and some of my children did respond well to reading through a color frame at the same time. The cards for playing the games with are very bright and attractive. The stories used in Rocket Phonics start out as the typical readers, but progress into Aesop Fable stories and common tales. It appeals to me that real literature is used.

My children who were already reading well found the view finder to be bothersome. So, I used it with some of my kids and not with others.

Also, because my middle readers were 1/2 way through the another phonics , I only used the card games and sounds with them. I envisioned using the Rocket Phonics with them as well, but it was difficult for them to switch gears and I didn't want to frustrate them since the other program was working well with them.

I have not gotten as far along as I would have liked.

For me the price- $160-  was more than I would spend since my other phonics program was far less expensive. However, I do plan on continuing the program with my reluctant reader. If it works well with him, then I will be revising my position. It is well worth the price for a curriculum of its scope. If I did not use one already, I believe I would have purchased this to use. I have taught 6 children how to read. With the last child I will use this curriculum and with my reluctant reader as well.

Looking for a GREAT creation based science course for your children? Look no further than Apologia. This is the best, most clearly written and easy to understand, yet thoroughly understandable, program I have seen. If you want to look at samples of the modules, there are many to look at on their site as well as other extras.

My college degree is in Biology. I wish these books had been available to me when I was growing up. Their books for Elementary students are written by Jeannie Fulbright include: Exploring Creation with Astronomy, Exploring Creation with Botany, and Exploring Creation with  Zoology 1, 2 and 3. The books for High School Students include:  General Science, Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Advanced Biology, Marine Biology, Advanced Chemistry and Advanced Physics.

There are many other resources and helpful material available on Apologia's website. Apologia is also offering a Conference in the Baltimore, MD area the weekend of Feb 27-29th. If you are able to go, I am sure it would be of great benefit to you!

My 4 year old daughter cannot get enough of the Alphabet Alley    game sets we recently product tested for The Old Schoolhouse Crew. She always chooses to pack them in her bag for Sunday night church (along with the One2Believe Noah's Ark figures) to keep her busy when she sits with us.

The Two by Two Matching Game is a memory game that sells for $10.99. The pieces are very thick and durable. They are easy to pick up off the table and flip over. The illustrations are adorable and vibrant colors seem to make them even more fun AND easy to spot when it is clean up time. My daughter plays with the set the most.

She loves that the Noah's Ark Go Fish game has the same pictures as the Two by Two Game. She likes to make up her own games with the pieces. We also have played Go Fish with them and she likes that. The cards seem thicker and are larger than the other card sets we have. They are easy to hold.

When we use the games it opens up discussions about the Bible. In fact the whole line up of products look great. Why not substitute your traditional Go Fish game with these charming Biblical characters? Alphabet Alley also has a set of Go Fish cards comes in a Christmas theme, also. At $5.99 I feel the price is very competitive.

Alphabet Alley is a great place to do shopping for baby showers (How many onesies do babies really need? Why not get a set of stacking blocks instead?) or birthday gifts or Christmas. Great for grandparents house, too. Oh! Don't forget your church nursery!

While I haven't tried out much of their program, I have had the privelege of  putting to use 2 products from their Story Builder line: World of Animals and World of People. The Story Builder sets are are 192 printable cards sent as an e book. There are instructions and suggestions on how to best use the cards. You save the ebook and print the cards off yourself. The cards are divided into 4 categories representing the main parts of a story, such as character and setting , and can be  printed either  on colored paper in black and white or on white paper with colored ink . The writer chooses one card from each category , by a method the teacher assigns,and uses that as the framework of a creative story.

Obviously, this is somewhere in between telling a student what subject to write about and expecing him to come up with something on his own.

The combinations are endless and there are some blank cards in each category for your own cards. These cards are a lot of fun. I think they will be enjoyed for a long time and not just as a novelty. My plan is to use them weekly. I will try to post a sample of writing from one (or more) of my kids using these cards in the near future. This  style works really well for my children .

I am surprised WriteShop doesn't have their website listed on the indvidual cards. I think anyone who sees them will want to know where to order their own! Each Story Builder sets sells for a recently lowered price of $7.95.

There are many other great looking products on the WriteShop website. It looks like their other materials will be equally as impressive and easy to implement as well as being interesting for your aspiring writer or the writer who just has to get the assignment done!!

The One Year Adventure Novel is written and produced by a novelist and written from a Christian worldview. There is zero prep work for parents. The classes are taught completely on the included DVDs. However, it is not meant to have no parent participation. There are quizzes and tests for the parents/ teachers to give after every lesson and they are expected to review and give feedback to their child(ren) throughout the process. There is also an online forum for the student writers to be involved in. Our kids do not have online access at this time and so we have not tried out that particular area. Of course we can mark the site as an apporved area and plan on doing that in the future.

My oldest son took this program and ran with it! He has been assigned 3 lessons a week, but usually does 4. After every 3, the teacher is supposed to give a quiz. It is a mix of true/ false and fill in the blank. I hadn't warned him about those and yet he only got 1 question wrong. That greatly impressed me because I know he had picked that up only from the DVDs and lessons and not from a cram session.  His story and writing style is extremely creative and I didn't know he had the potential for this kind of work (though his spelling and grammar need work for sure! We were asked to not be particular about that, but just let them write!) . This is the same son who only speaks a handful of words on most days. I am definately recommending this to my friends who homeschool as well as teachers I know.

I have looked at a lot of writing material. This one is not only unique it what it has to offer to just about any kind of student. As different as my children are, I picture each using this course as soon as I feel they are old enough and able.  In fact, I personally plan on going through the course in the future. I would like to learn to write better.

When you purchase  the OYAN it is licensed for use within your own family and it is not meant to be resold. The DVDs can be used by additional children in the same family or a co-op/ school license purchased. The website includes all the information needed. Basically., for a single student in a family the cost is $199 and then additional texts maybe be purchased for additional students in the same family.

Try it out for yourself with a FREE demo CD and sample lessons . It will be the best way to see if this particular study is right for you and your family.It has been a blessing for us to use this course and came at a perfect time. My daughter is currently working through a unit study based on Anne of Green Gables. Once she has finished that (also a year study), I know she wants to try her hand at the One Year Adventure Novel as well! My son is already asking if he will be able to get his book printed when he is finished.

Feb 7: My son asked this week to get books from the library and documentary style DVDs so he can learn more about what his main character would have been like and so he can make him believable. I never believed he would be writing like this. This program has been a great blessing for us.

This book - available in traditional bound version for $29.95 or ebook for $27.95- is a great resource for students of all ages. My older children already have a firm grasp, but we all get rusty over time. The cards included to play games and rules are great. They can be played and are everybit as fun as your typical Go Fish or Old Maid games.

What I really liked about the e-book version is being able to print out just what I needed for each of my children. Most are at very different levels. The worksheets can then - of course - be printed and used with other children. In our home it is very important to have text books be reusable with multiple children. Also, it is becoming second nature for me to look through my e-book collection before I look through my bound books when I need something.

I would like this book in bound version as well because I still find it more natural to flip through a "real" book.  However, because of the nature of the book, I am quite satisfied to have this in e-book only. Also, your satisfaction is guaranteed or your money back ! Go to the site and check it out for yourself!

And this is the big news: to celebrate the launch of All About Homophones, you get $10 off any order at www.all-about-homophones.com! To receive the discount, simply enter "FUN" in the customer code box during checkout. The coupon code is good for a very limited time, so order yours before Feb 2, 2009.

It also challenged me to think of unique ways for enjoying my  family  without spending money. One idea in the book we already do - and is a huge success with all -  is give "coupons" as gifts to our children. We all win and enjoy planning special "prizes". Many of these coupons are redeemed for things that are free - like a day off chores or stay up late. However, there were other original ideas in this book that were new or I hadn't considered doing to save. That is generally not the case when I pick up a book on saving.

This book came to me at a time when I needed a refresher that it *is* worth it to dig out of debt. I need to be reminded to "diet" in this area and tend to think if I have "extra" that I can spend it somewhere else.

This is what my friend Kathy had to say about using Kinderbach:

We used Kinder Bach with a 4,5,& 6 year old.. The children really enjoyed the computer component of KinderBach. The Tunes are catchy and appeal to young children. The computer animations, sounds, and games held the children’s attention much better than if I was trying to teach them. There were a few lessons I couldn’t print due to a problem with my printer (no ink), but the children were so excited about “Dodie” and his friends that they asked to draw what they had seen in their lesson that day. They weren’t as enthusiastic about the keyboard exercises. If we had used a keyboard (instead of a piano) to make different noises, they may have had a longer attention span. Overall KinderBach is a great program to teach younger children music.

There are options for both classroom and home to teach piano with this curriculum. Also, you have the flexibility of online classes or DVDs. The pricing options and packages are too numerous to list. It would better to go look on the KinderBach website for that information.

Here are a couple examples: Bronze -  Web Lessons (over 300 sessions) and PDFs - $14.95 per month or only $7.16 a month if paid for in one lump sum of $85.95 for the year. You can also purchase the DVD sets. A semester set with bonuses can be purchased for $137.45.

 All the pricing options seem to be very well priced. Multiple children can learn from the same materials. So, compared to the cost of traditional piano lessons, there really isn't any comparison.

My friend ,Kathy, reviewed this product for me sincer she was already teaching music to my younger 3 children once a week, while I attended a co-op with my older children and her children. It is a program we probably will work into our curriculum in the future.

As part of The Old Schoolhouse review forum, I was given the opportunity to research and explore Mr. Jeffrey Peyton's Puppet Tool website. He describes himself as "The Play Professor" and has obviously put alot of his heart and soul into the making of this site.

I  feel Jeffrey  makes valid points and can undertstand his misson to promote puppet play into education.

The site itself makes at least one reference to evolution and is not written from a Christian worldview. Certainly puppet play has its value in classrooms, homeschools, sunday schools, vacation Bible schools, etc. On the Puppet Tools site there is a forum for people  to discuss different aspects of puppet play.

The site itself I found  boring, confusing and had diffuculty navigating through it. Jeffrey has many papers he has written and videos he has made on the site. Several are in pdf form and need to be downloaded and others open up and he speaks for 90 seconds or so. However, the way to create a paper hinge for the puppet was clearly explained and it was nice to simple print out some puppets that could then be cut out and glued on the hinges. The paper I used for the hinges was from old coloring books that were already used up. I showed my 7 year old how to construct a hinge and printed out the beaver template. He set right to work and really enjoyed it. I only saw 37 patterns to print out. There are hundreds of examples of student and teacher puppets, though.

The best part is watching the expressions of joy in  the videos and pictures of the kids and adults with their puppets. Almost everyone is beaming and having fun. The universal appeal is undeniable.I look forward to making many puppets and looking through our favorite books to create characters.

In the future I am sure my kids will get hours and hours of fun and play from the ideas in Puppet Tools. I have also been challenged to think more about using puppets in my teaching. It makes me feel funny to use puppets, but I do agree with Jeffrey that puppets are a very helpful tool while teaching. This was certainly not a site I would have stumbled on or even given a second glance. I do feel most of the material can be found for free on other websites and not a lot was new or original to me personally,

www.puppetools.com

$20 for an  individual per year

$99 for a group (up tp 30 members) per year

ALEKS is unique compared to other math programs we have tried. In the past we have used Switched on Schoolhouse, Math U See and workbook based programs like Singapore Math. While all these have seemed to be very good and I have liked them, it seemed like my kids would do well with the parts they already did well and didn't on the others (like fractions for some reason). I like that ALEKS pin points what my children are ready to do and then teaches them how to do it. Also, the lessons are clear to understand.

My kids do like the program and are making progress. It is slower than I wished for. However, I have had the advantage of my own subscription as well. So, I have been able to test it out more than just relying on the reports or checking progress "blindly".

ALEKS provides parents with a master account and reports sent directly to your email account. I would like to recieve these automatic reports more frequently, but I can also access my student's account. ALEKS shows a graph and charts of what your child is learning , what they are set up to learn and how long they have spent.

I have 6 children. When I ask my children to do certain subjects for certain lenghts of time, I often get "I did" or "I will" and then it is up to me to remember to check. Often I really have no way to know how much time they have actually spent.  ALEKS has made it really easy to see at a glance how much time my children have put in.

With younger children who are not reading really well, this might be frustrating. Perhaps there is a way to have the material read outloud and I am not aware. I should ask about that. My 11 year old has reading delays and he had problems with this.

I have already recommended this program to other homeschooling friends and people who have mentioned their child(ren) struggling with math. I believe the prices to be very good. It is less expensive than some programs I have seen (based on a year, but of course you can't reuse ALEKS with other children), but it is more than others. However, if you currently using a math tutor, ALEKS might be a much more cost effective method.

There are so many courses and you can switch the courses. So, over the course of a year you might actually be able to finish several levels. So, in that way, the price can be even better.

We do plan on continuing with ALEKS even after our trial ends. You can have a free month trial. I strongly recommend trying it out. We did have an issue with having more than one child on their separate computers , but linked into one main computer. The program would freeze up. So, we simply alternated and made sure each child had their own math slot. This worked with us and 3 kids. Also, since it is an online program, it will be necessary to allow your child access to the site. We currently do not allow any of our kids access to websites - other than our own family site.

 ALEKS has flexible subscriptions for  1 month - $19.95 , 6 month - $99.75  and 12 month - $179.95 so it can be used however best suits your family - either short or long term. The best thing is ALEKS offers a 48 hour trial offer and now through this link , you can try it out for a whole month . Family disounts are also available.

I reviewed this book series with the help of my 5 and 6 year old sons. They liked reading on  the computer and using the mouse to turn the pages. The also liked the length of the books and asked to read more. They both are learning how to read and working on reading for fluency. The books kept their attention and I liked the feature that allows for a new rime to be read outloud if they are having a problem with it. Rhyming is a hard concept for my boys to learn, and I liked working on different rimes.

However, there are also features that I didn't care for or that didn't work for our family.

We were given access to all 20 books. The feature that allows you to see what books you have already read or started to read didn't work for us. Even if it had worked, since I had more than 1 child reading the books, I am not sure how that would be a helpful tool unless each child had an account. I did not know if there was a certain way to introduce the books. My daughter who just turned 4 and doesn't read was intrduced to the books. She liked the pictures, but showed no interest in trying them. I did not push it, but she does show interest in the other reading program we use.

Also, some of the books did not have all new words highlighted. For instance in book #3 when the word bad and Dad are used, the word bad and had were not always highlighted. My one son struggled with reversals so I was encouraging him to click the words he was not confident reading. When one word -bad- was written, but not  highlighted, it was clickable - however- the voice said "cat" for this word.

We also had issues with the printing feature. I wanted to print out a book to bring with us to our homeschool group. You get one chance to print the book. I admit I am not very good at printing, but when I followed the directions (or tried to) I ended up with a huge piece of paper and 1 word on it and a picture.  It just seemed like a waste of paper. Perhaps there was a way to print smaller and then assemble into a book, but we didn't get that far. I imtended to ask my husband to print the books for me in a small size, but never found the time. Unfortunately the school printing tasks generally do fall to me and have to be extremely simple to do. In thic case, the  process wasn't  easy for me

The biggest drawback for us is the cost.

 Rime to Read costs $9.99 for a set of 4 books or $44.99 for all 20 books. To me, the program is a lot less thorough than other reading programs I have seen. I think the cost of a virtual, online program would have less overhead and should be more affordable than a paper and ink version. AS a matter of comparison, "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" has step by step instructions and a definate flow and plan. It also incorporates writing, but costs only $20 new.

This just didn't work for our family. I am sure there are features I am overlooking and the program probably does fit alot of people. I *do* want my children to be able to rhyme, and do think it is important, but this just did not work for us. I think if the cost were lower and the printing were easier then I would recommend this program. I do appreciate the purpose and the mission behind the books and think it is wise to be virtual when possible. .

www.rimetoread.com

The lessons come weekly . There is a different lesson for each letter of the alphabet- as the name implies. I would recommend this course as a *must read* for new , struggling or  even seasoned homeschoolers.

There are currently only a limited number of spots available for this course. So, if interested, sign up soon. The course is well written and extremely easy to understand. I have not gone through all the lessons yet, but look forward to the others to come. In addition to the large amount of "meat" in each lesson, there are very valuable REAL extras in many or all of the lessons. I hate when you sign up with the promise of free "extras" and they turn out to be useless or there is a "catch".

Bravo Terri! Thank you so much . I whole heartedly recommend this series and feel you will not regret this investment ($60 total broken up into $10 a month increments).

www.homeschoolingabcs.com

Additionally, there is an offer of a mini-course to try it out for free.

www.knowledgequestmaps.com

This has been a very fun review and you can try with no risk at all to you! If you homeschool, do yourself a favor, and check this out.

All my children crowded  'round and listened  while I read,
A book  new to us before retiring  to  bed . 

I was half a asleep and tired, yet they all sat so rapt,
While MIM introduced us, in rhyme, to his friends in the US map.

My memory is not so great and now I must admit,
Mr MIM reminded me of his pals  who had often given me fits!

So, thank you  E. Andrew Martonyi for the book you wrote,
And to Ed Olsen for giving life to silly MIM who we will be sure to quote.

Who learned more, my kids or me, from the reading of  this book?
I do not know, but  most assuredly say, it was worth a look!

In the future, when we attempt to name each state,
It will be done with smiles while picturing ours (North Carolina) holding  MIM's plate.

If rusty on your states, perhaps a refresher you seek?
Go check out the website; I feel it's worth a peek!

The Little Man in the Map, available from www.schoolsidepress.com  for $19.95

(On this site there is information about the author, a short video of a partial reading of the book and coloring sheets as well.)

I think I should add a couple more things... While I found this book to be completely enjoyable and charming, it is more than I would normally spend on a book of this size. However, I do think the educational value makes the price worthwhile. Also, there is some mention to "magic dust" and "magic key" as well as pictures of elves. While I personally have no objections to the wording or characters , it has been pointed out to me that others might have an objection. Personally, I felt this book was very imaginative and put together beautifully. We have read it many times already and it will become a classic in our home. It is fun and I will never see the US states the same way again.

Thanks for reading my review!

It is meant to be used interactively.

The only downside is we don't let our kids get online. There is just too much temptation. Alot of this module is linked online. I wish I could have just turned it over to the kids. But I am thinking of making some safe sites the kids can go visit and maybe this will give me the motivation I need for that.

This was a fun way to experience math! Thanks TOS!

http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=159&products_id=7262

(Oh! The best part is the price. At $7.95 for a 48 pages and a wide variety of activities for various ages, I think it is a great value.)

So far it is held up well to my childen (which is no small feat) ! I am a little concerned about the star being pulled off somehow, but my kids are rougher on toys than average children. I forsee this set giving my children a lot of enjoyment. Initially, I thought about letting them play with it a few days, and then putting it away until Christmas. However, they are having too much fun playing with it. Maybe I will have to get a second one!

The pieces are very sturdy, well made and guaranteed safe by the company that makes the set. It retails for $24.99 on their site www.one2believe.com

It comes with a little booklet in 3 languages. I love that it comes in different languages, but I was dissapointed it wasn't a little more to the booklet.

I highly recommend this playset if your kids like toy figurines like mine do. It also would make a great gift.

My first introduction to the TOS magazine was in the bathroom of 2 other homeschool families. When my friend Caryn told me about all the free things that came with the magazine when you order it, I went online and ordered! I always love "free".

Here I must admit that I am an "order on line and have your books delivered" kind of homeschool Mom. I do not attend the large conferences OR make regular trips to my local homeschool stores - even though we have at least one very large and great store relatively close and many teacher resourse kind of stores. I would spend way too much at places like these.

So, to me, TOS magazine offers a way to "browse" for homeschool items without leaving my home and be introduced to ideas and products that can help me while teaching my children.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is the only homeschool magazine I subscribe to. I am sure there are other great ones, but I feel the scope and weight of this magazines is all I need. If you are a Christian homeschooler, then I highly recommend this magazine. There is such a wide variety of articles and many would be of interest to a secular or non-religious homeschooler, but the magazine is clearly written with a Christian worldview in mind.

I love the size of the magazine, the type and variety of articles as well as the thought and preparation of the articles. It is very professional looking. It goes with me everywhere until I read the whole magazine from beginning to end. I often go back and re-read or look up articles as well. I could go on and on about the kinds of articles, but there is such a variety and they are written by other homeschoolers.

Welll... now for the offer. If you want to susbscribe to The Old Schoolhouse magazine, do so now! (If you are like me and like FREE, they have some really great offers for joining now)

http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/US_Promotion.php

This is the first magazine I viewed this way (OK! So, I know they are not "new", but I just like the real deal when it comes to my books.)

Pros: The magazine is very easy to download and flip through. It was easy to read the articles and find  the information I was looking for and I save the copies on my computer. No magazine ink on my fingers when I am done. No wondering what to do with the magazine when I am done (Keep entirely, scan in pages, recycle, give to a friend?).

Cons: I didn't realize how much I look forward to actually getting my magazine in the mailbox. I anticipate when it will show up and then spend time throughout the day over the course of several days thumbing though. My laptop is not handy to throw in the car if I have a few extra minutes waiting at the doctor.

I found myself wanting to print out the articles I didn't have time to read entirely.

So, I do like the digital version of this magazine, but I like the paper version too! I found myself wanting both. I would (most likely) look thoroughly through the print version when I recieved it, but then pass that on to another homeschooler or someone thinking about homsechooling. Then I would use the downloaded version to look up the articles again.  Personally, I would probably want the digital version to be a free add on or come at a discounted price along with the paper version. I think the digital version is well priced as a stand alone.

So... I needed a way to keep it all straight and have plans written down for each day!

What I did not expect was not only does this planner have a variety of pages to be used in planners, but also just about every form you can think of for School and Home! Instead of this simply being a school tool it is equally useful as a household tool. The forms are able to be filled out on the computer and then printed out. There is enough space in the boxes for the average person to fill in by hand, but it seems I can't ever write inside of the boxes. Additionally it is hard for me to write clearly enough for the younger kids to read clearly.

In fact, the only regret I have about this planner is I didn't get it at the end of last school year. If I had more time, I think I would have been able to use it more thoroughly.

Currently, I am still trying to figure out a few features with it. Also, I tried to download using Firefox after placing my order, but the planner did not like to be downloaded with Firefox.

I highly recommend this planner. Even if you are well underway this year it is worth checking out.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Let me know what you think.

Summary: One of a set of unique restaurants in the Triangle area. We stopped by on a whim, looking for something different. We were impressed with our friendly server, and the wonderful selection of quite different, yet appetizing-sounding entrees. Expect crowds usually - there's even a pool table in the waiting area, if you can manage to get a turn on it.

Pros: A quiet Tuesday evening, with the place pretty much to ourselves at almost closing time. Turns out this is an unusual night for the restaurant, but we still enjoyed it! The food was excellent; this restaurant specializes in seafood, yet offers a good selection of chicken, beef, and non-meat options. We shared a Soup Sampler so we didn't have to decide which soup to try, and enjoyed them all. Krista got the special, a pretzel-encrusted Mahi with veggies and onions. David ordered a peppered gouper, surrounded by withered spinach. This spinach was really, really, good - going to have to try making that sometime!

Cons: Crowded on regular nights; expect to wait an hour or two.

Who: Those bored with the regular chain food, and want to experience something new and delicious. It's something like Bahama Breeze, but not so exotic. Get someone to watch the kids, unless yours really like trying new and funny-looking stuff.

Rating:

Summary: A great multi-purpose PDA running Palm OS 4.1 (in other words, access to my mission-critical apps and thousands of other quality programs), with photo and audio apps added in. It also reads Sony's miniscule Memory Stick.

Pros: The screen. The screen. Did I mention the screen? Nothing comes close. It's like going from EGA to XGA, like going from dot matrix to laser, like going from night to day. The double benefit of double-resolution screen, and in color just take your breath away. Oh, by the way, it's a full-fledged MP3 player, complete with cool headphones and an inline volume/track/play controller built in. And (this just keeps going on) there's the Back button! Finally, I can use my deeply ingrained web behavior, and back up through the Palm. I've always floundered when I wanted to go back to a previous application, because Palm OS doesn't provide a close button. This is even better. OK, one more; the Memory Stick can be accessed from Windows through drive-letter access. I can stuff any kind of file on there. Time to get a bigger one.

Cons: The photo viewer doesn't read JPGs, they have to be converted to PGPocket viewer format. It's free, and it works, but that's more of a hassle then throwing the pictures on the Memory Stick. The video viewer is a joke - all grainy and jerky. Good thing I didn't buy it for that. OK, I'm trying hard to cover both sides here: touching the screen. I guess because of the space the front-lighting takes up, I have to press harder than I expect to touch the screen. As it is it's so beautiful I don't want to hurt it!

Who: I got mine for $260 refurbished at a Sony Outlet store. Great deal! These retail for $400, but you can find them used for less, because they're an "older" model. If you want color on a Palm OS PDA, this is the one for you. Other color Clies will probably work, too, though - they all have about the same screen. This one has the big bonus of the MP3 player, though. It doesn't have the keyboard that the 70s do, but I tried those in the store and didn't like how it worked anyway.

Pros: There are plenty of funny situations without overdoing the time traveler bit. Meg Ryan does a great job with her part, and there's a solid story line.

Cons: How did they fall off the bridge and end up on the road? Making the dramatic requirement of jumping off a bridge to time travel isn't thought completely through.

Who: Anybody looking for a good solid, calm movie.

Summary: A famous steakhouse in a big red barn; famous for good food, great service, and high prices. We visited the day before Mother's Day, arriving around 5pm. We didn't have to wait at all, so didn't get to experience the waiting area's amenities. We were taken to a table in the back by the windows, and soon all the tables around were full.

Pros: The service was the best we've had in a long time. Several greeters out front welcomed us in, and were friendly enough - a dramatic departure from the bored / tired attitude of most hosts/hostesses at other restaurants. Our waitress was friendly, efficient, and helpful. The h'ordeurves were definitly an unexpected plus; the kids loved the crackers, celery, cheese, and pickles.

Cons: The entrees were good, but far short of exceptional. There wasn't much ambiance where we were, but at least we were separated from the main dining room, with all its noise and crowds. If the food were much, much better, and the dining experience classier, the prices would have been justified. As it was, it was fancy restaurant prices for average food in a country atmosphere.

Who: There are plenty of other great steakhouses, so this would be for people who want to say they've been to the Angus Barn. We've heard the wine cellar is exceptional, so perhaps those into wine would better appreciate the restaurant. Businesspeople with substantial expense accounts looking for a unique restaurant to treat their clients would also be attracted here, especially if the clients are the type that are impressed with big-ticket items.

Summary: This is one of the best children's Bible story books we've seen. The Bible stories are accompanied by verse excerpts to memorize, activities to share, and fun facts about the Bible story.

Pros: The writing style keeps the young kids interested and the illustrations are very well-done. The activities are great, and applicable, including making food, getting outside, etc. The stories are also followed up with character traits to learn.

Cons: God is more than love, and sometimes the stories gloss over some of the truth of sin.

Who: The book is targeted at preschoolers, but first and second graders enjoy reading along with the stories.

Summary: A cute version of the old cartoon. Madeline is an orphan at a girls' school with an impetuous attitude. (PG)

Pros: The girls do a really good job, and the untranslated French and Spanish is refreshing in a modern film (instead of just a thick French or Spanish accent).

Cons: Nice, but kind of boring, and where is the red Vespa on the cover?

Who: Little kid movie, and just interesting enough to watch with them once.

Summary: An epic-length telling of the day that will live in infamy, through the eyes of three people. (PG-13)

Pros: Focusing on the story of individuals lends a remarkably personal look at war, and how it affects people. Very good to get you thinking about the value of life, and how fragile it is.

Cons: Way, way too long. Also, war doesn't spare the heroes, making the whole saga of these two guys really improbable. And, for all the trouble taken in digitally recreating the attack, it was too fake. The smoke alone in that attack would have made "filming" extremely difficult..

Who: A war movie - watch with caution, and no kids.

Summary: A man meets himself as a child, and gets his life back on the track he imagined it would be. (PG)

Pros: Really good acting on the part of the kid, lots of funny lines and scenes. There are pleny of unexpected twists to the storyline - you don't get bored.

Cons: Hey! Hey! Hey! Bruce has some brainless lines.

Who: Good family film.

It's always expensive to retrofit a house with a central system, but our home's tri-level configuration compounds the problem by requiring extra ductwork. We had somebody give us a quote, which comes in around $8000 or so!! Wow.

The wheels start turning

But, hey! Talking with the HVAC guy, and from what else I know about sizing these systems, it's all about compromise: finding the best balance from different parts of the house. Not too mention the closet space you lose with the ducts. Well, since it's so expensive to run ductwork, why not install a room unit in each room? They would have to be heat pumps, not just a/c, and we want them to be in-wall, not window units. 6 units would take care of the house, and they have to be less than $1300 each to be competitive with central.

• Amana wall units run around $500
• Carrier has one, for $650
• GE has an extensive line, ranging from $500 to $800
• Whirlpool has a few, but only one in the wall. No pricing.
• Friedrich has a versatile line, with even split systems. No pricing.

It gets better

Doing a lot more reading, and I discover ductless split systems. These work just like a full-size regular unit usually does, with separate chiller and air handler, but are a single unit with no ducts. You put them in on a room-by-room basis. You gain a lot of efficiency, as each room is its own zone, and lose all the duct noise.

• According to their website, Mitsubishi apparently came up with idea, and has a few models available.
• Friedrich's systems are what caught my attention in the first place.
• More research on Google turns up Goodman/Janitrol, Enviromaster, and an article from James Dulley. Turns out Carrier, Fujitsu, GE, LGE, and Sanyo also make these units.

Several manufactures, zone cooling, no ducts, high efficiency, much lower capital expense - it all sounds too good to be true. Now to find some local dealers and see if this will actually pan out to all it's made up to be.

Summary: Lots of fun, great gizmos! Cool action movie with an original storyline. What made it especially neat for us is that the girl's name is Carmen, there's an uncle Felix, and Antonio Banderas takes the part of the dad: all our kids' names! The whole movie is set in quite a hispanic setting, for a nice change. (PG)

Pros: Good gadgets, very clean movie, not even any stupid "kick the guy between the legs" scenes. Several unexpected twists to the plot keep you engaged.

Cons: Hmm. Can't think of any at this point.

Who: Anybody wanting a fun, clean action movie!

Rating: 4 Rocks (David 4, Krista 4)

Summary: A nicely done, interesting movie. Interesting characters and a well-developed pleasing plot provide the core to a pleasant village backdrop. It has almost a fairy-tale quality to it, considering the incredible power of chocolate in people's lives, and the (of course) instant romance between the gypsy and the wanderer. The most interesting and powerful character is actually the Mayor, who fruitlessly tries to enforce his traditions on his townspeople. (PG-13)

Pros: Nice music score, luscious chocolate scenes. We liked the references to Maya culture and Guatemala, and the pottery was neat. Gets you thinking of life beyond traditions, and ends with a solid "good" feeling.

Cons: Foul-mouthed grandmother, religion is mocked, two short scenes. The gypsies were the only people that were happy.

Who: Pretty much by the rating (older kids, adults), and it'll be interesting for everybody.

Summary: A great 3.3 megapixel camera. 3x zoom, LCD preview, several program modes, creates Quicktime movies, accepts Compact Flash types I and II cards.

Pros: I love the flip-out LCD preview for getting the camera into awkward positions, or for self-portraits on the tripod using the remote control. The auto modes work great, and it's very nice to have the shutter priority, aperature priority, and full-manual modes to get photos in those odd settings. My favorite special mode is the Photo Stitch mode, which visually guides in taking several photos to later mix into one large composite on the computer. The battery usually lasts through a two or three 128MB cards full of photos/movies.

The hot shoe for an external flash is rare on this level of digital camera. I got a flash unit from a friend, and it helps a lot in people pictures. The Quicktime movies can be taken in 30 sec increments until your card is full, complete with sound. It's nice to be able to get superb stills, but still catch those funny action moments, too. The camera also supports those humongous IMB Microdrives, but my 128 CF card / laptop combination has been adequate for me.

The software included with the camera is very surprising. Usually the included software in these types of things is next to useless, but here is an exception. There is an excellent photo stiching program that intelligently makes great panorama view, even allowing you to manually match them up even better. The other great software is PhotoRecord, which is hands-down the best photo printing software I have ever seen. Professional-looking templates for layouts are nice, but it's even better how it lets you print any combination of photos, sizes, orientations, and arrangments on a page at superb quality.

One other feature of mention that I haven't tried very much is the ability to capture photos in RAW mode, which simply saves the CCD info for later processing on the computer. The problem with this is that the only way to get those photos is through the USB connection, which is a lot slower than the PC Card adapter method I usually use.

Cons: I wish I had a bigger zoom. The built-in flash usually overpowers the subject, and it's really hard to take crisp non-flash low-light photos without a tripod and really stationary subject. Using and external flash helps a lot. The included 16 MB CompactFlash card is a joke - why do camera makers expect somebody buying a 3.3 megapixel camera to be using it in low-quality mode? I get 70 hi-res photos on my 128MB card.

The usual lag-time trouble common with most digicams is here, too. Either you have to take the time to pre-set the photo with a half-press of the trigger, or you wait a long time for it to do it itself. I usually find that pre-setting is critical to checking the photo quality in the LCD, as the most common problem is the camera focusing somewhere else than what you expect. Kids move around so much!

Who: This camera isn't cheap, so you need to be really interested in digital photography to buy this. It's nice and small, takes great photos, and gives you the potential for manual control over everything. You'll need to come over and check mine out, or visit the excellent reviews at Steve's Reviews, Digital Photography Review (which also has owner reviews and forums). I bought mine from CDW.

Today this camera retails around $800. Is it worth it?  As of this review, we've taken about 2500 photos & movies with ours since we bought it at the end of January, and have saved 784 of those. So we've thrown away something like 1700 photos. Let's say those were all 24-shot rolls, developed at a Walmart price of $5 per roll: $350 would have been wasted in thrown-away photos in just 6 months! This camera is well on it's way to payback, simply in saved developing costs.

Summary: A fairy tale (as the intro calls it) of an Italian Jewish family during World War II. The first part of the movie is a charming, funny story of how the couple meets and ends up married. The second part is an unusual view of a concentration camp: trying to pretend it isn't real. (PG13)

Pros: Hilarious lines, great scenes, touching story line. It's refreshing to see such a harsh time placed in such a soft light. Yes, war is horrible, but life is beautiful!

Cons: Impossible events, especially at the concentration camp. But, hey, this is a fairy tale, in which anything can happen.

Who: Families with older kids, couples, it's worth your time.

Summary : The classic Winnie-the-Pooh cast takes a closer look at my favorite character, Tigger. He's on a search for his family, because nobody seems to want to bounce with him. But he discovers that his family is really the friends around him, especially Roo. (G)

Pros : Super-duper kid fun, great family message, tons of great Tigger-isms.

Cons : Ok, it might be a little too childish for some adults, go figure.

Who : Family, kids, anybody not afraid to cry at the end.

Summary : A workaholic FedEx guy is the lone survivor of an airplane crash, and lives several years on a remote island with a volleyball for a friend. He gets rescued to find his girlfriend married, so manages to make himself find a new life. (PG13)

Pros : Great acting by Tom Hanks, Wilson the volleyball is great!

Cons : Long, without much of a plot. I guess you can't expect much on a remote island. It's a little hard to believe that a modern jet would crash in a storm, or wouldn't have at least turned around.

Who : People who have nothing else to do, or like Tom Hanks a whole lot.

Summary : An advertising guru accidentally gets the ability to hear what all women are thinking. He of course uses it to his advantage in every way, but she loves him anyway. (PG13)

Pros : Pretty funny when you realize what people think and what they say are often worlds apart, and how embarrasing it would be to have your thoughts wide open. Teen sex is portrayed in a dissaproving manner.

Cons : Lots and lots of sexual innuendo, this guy is a ladies' man to the hilt. Why would she want him after he's lied to her, stolen her ideas, and all his "sensitivity" is nothing more than mind-reading?

Who : Forget it. The bad stuff way outweighs the funny.

Summary : A long, slow movie about a miracle worker that ends up on death row. The guards believe him, and the bad guys get taken care of. Not sure what the point of it all is, though. (R)

Pros : The trick mouse is great! Makes you want to go start Mouseville yourself.

Cons : Wierd, God-less miracles. Doesn't leave you with many answers, especially when the good guy gets the chair anyway. Really intense electric chair scene, and lots of profanity and blasphemy also detract from the movie.

Who : Watch this if you're interested in wasting some time, definitely no kids.

Summary : This is a great film that really gets you thinking about the values of life. Here's a guy that has it all, or so he thinks. He gets to see what his life might have been with a family, and even though it seems painful at first, the value of family over money becomes painfully obvious. (PG13)

Pros : Pro-family, thought-provoking, humorous, fully-dressed romance between husband and wife

Cons: A couple blasphemies, scene of wife in shower through frosted glass

Who : A must-watch for couples, and good for kids if you're good enough to blank the screen during the nudity.

Summary : A few years in the life of Judah the son of Hur, who lived at the same time as Jesus Christ. He lives through some interesting twists of events, and crosses paths with Jesus a couple times. He ends up realizing that the forgiveness Jesus showed was the only way to conquer the bitterness he held toward those he hated. (G)

Cons : This is a long old-style movie, with somewhat tedious portraits that try to convey people's thoughts. It's unfortunate that the movie ends with Jesus in the grave, because His resurrection was more important that even His death.

Pros : Elaborate sets and full story line make the film interesting throughout. Jesus is placed in a remarkably good light for a secular production, and several dramatic scenes liven things up throughout.

Who : Anybody with enough time, especially those who are familiar with the life of Christ and the state of the world around Him.