Circling Through This Life

TOS Review: ALEKS (Online Math)

2012-02-14T15:48:00.001-08:00

I love math. I don’t, however, love teaching it. I feel as though I’ve been on a quest to find a math program that meets the needs of my students and does the teaching for me. It’s possible I have found the answer: ALEKS.

What is ALEKS?
Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces is an online mathematics program that provides personalized learning and assessment tailored to a student's individual needs. Using artificial intelligence and adaptive, open-response questioning, ALEKS quickly and accurately determines what a student knows and is most ready to learn within a course.

This online math course offers courses from 3rd grade through post high school. I was provided a two month free trial for each of my children who could use ALEKS, along with a master account. They even encouraged me to create a student account for myself so I did! I’ve been working my way through the Algebra II course while BooBear age 16 (11th grade) has focused on Mastery of SAT Math. Turtlegirl is working her way through Algebra I and Tailorbear is studying Middle School Math Course 2.

A student accesses her coursework through the the MyPie tab. As the student masters each topic, the pie fills up.

ALEKS automatically assigns assessments periodically to determine a student’s progress. ALEKS adjusts the MyPie chart to reflect this progress. If a student misses a question the topic will reappear in the chart. These assessments typically occur after the student has completed roughly 20 topics.

One of the pluses of ALEKS is that it adapts to the students. ALEKS will only make available topics for which you are ready. If you have not mastered a topic, it will not let you proceed. On the other hand if you are struggling with a concept it will not allow you to continue that session but instead will encourage you to try another concept and come back to the difficult one at another time.

Another aspect that all of us appreciated was the notes of encouragement. After completing a problem correctly you will see Good Job! or Very Good. The student is told something like “Very Good, if you answer correctly two more times without help, I will add this topic to you your pie.” How many times a student must practice a topic before ALEKS will add it to the Pie depends on factors such as how many times the student asked for an explanation or whether the student got the answer correct.

I love that ALEKS is a mastery based program and that it includes review. When a student first logs in s/he will be greeted with “Here are some topics you may want to review”. I don’t like that the student can skip these by just clicking on the My Pie icon however, I do like that they can click on the review icon at anytime and review any topic.

Here are some thoughts from my children using ALEKS:

Thoughts from BooBear (Mastery of SAT Math): “ALEKS is OK. I’m not sure that it’s my most favorite math program. I wish it had an auditory option for explaining problems instead of just reading. I’d appreciate having video explanations so that I could see and hear a problem being worked out.”

Thoughts from Turtlegirl (Algebra 1): “I really like ALEKS. It allowed me to go at my own pace and move as fast or as slow as I needed to. It also made sure that I actually knew the topic either through review or another assessment. I liked the fact that I could choose from any available topics and if I needed a break I could go work on a different topic and not have to wait until I finished the first one. ALEKS is a really good fit for me. I wand my mom to buy it for me. It’s an awesome program.”

Thoughts from Tailorbear (Middle School Course 2): “It was good it challenged me. It was cool. I liked the Pie Chart because it let me see. I could see my progress. I like trying to fill up the pieces. I wish I could keep using ALEKS for math.”

There are far more features of ALEKS than I can talk about in this review so I would encourage you to take a tour of ALEKS or check out the different courses they offer.

ALEKS offers monthly ($19.95), 6 month ($99.95), and annual subscriptions($179.95). ALEKS also offers family discounts for multiple children.

I only reviewed Junior High/High School level courses. Please visit the TOS Crew blog to read reviews from my fellow crewmates who have reviewed a variety a of levels.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about ALEKSAll information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received a two-month free trial to review. This review is my honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.

TOS Review See-N-Spell Quick Reference Guide

2012-02-11T16:27:00.001-08:00

I do ok with spelling. Most of my mistakes are typos and not true misspellings. My oldest daughter though has always struggled with spelling. Even now, in high school, it is her weakest area. I have another daughter who is a natural speller. Spelling comes very easy for her. She is our walking dictionary. This type of conversation happens frequently at my house:

“Hey, how do you spell <a difficult word>?”

With a heavy sigh, “Look it up. I’m not a dictionary.”

“I can’t look them up because I can’t spell them enough to find them in the dictionary.”

So you can imagine how excited I was to read this description:

“Easily find the correct spelling of 300+ commonly used American English words just by knowing the sound of the first letter or first few letters.”

I eagerly expressed interest in the See-N-Spell Spelling and Vocabulary Quick Reference Guide from CadenaSmith Enterprises. Recommended for Grade 4 through adult this booklet is described as “Easy-to-Use, Fast, and Focused.” The inside cover gives instructions on how to use the See-N-Spell.

This $9.99 reference guide includes a document sized See-n-Read Reading Tool. (Want to know about the nifty See-N-Read tool? Check out my blog review of See-N-Read). I found this tool helpful when I was trying to look up words in the “Commonly Misspelled” section. (The instructions I mentioned above include how to use the See-N-Read tool with the See-N-Spell guide.)

Thoughts from BooBear (age 16): " I was frustrated because I would try to look up a word [in the first section] that I needed and it wouldn’t be in there. There were words that I already knew how to spell but not the hard ones I needed. The homophones section is good though. I liked that it had gorilla and guerilla. I do always mess that up. I think this would have been really helpful when I was in 4th or 5th grade.”

[Mom note about BooBear. I think she would benefit from using the 2nd section “Commonly Misspelled Words” as well as the 3rd Section “My Special Interest Words” which is a blank section, divided by letter, where you can list words you need.]

Thoughts from Tailorbear (age 12): “I used it when I was writing my paper for school. It was easier to use than a dictionary. It’s like a spelling dictionary. I thought it was helpful.”

My Thoughts: I think the 1st section which divides words by function (noun, verb, adjective) would have been wonderful for my oldest when she was younger. I think for natural spellers such as my Turtlegirl, this isn’t as useful as a tool. She rarely needs help with spelling. My favorite aspect is the homophone part of the 1st section. On the page for Tt, you’ll find to, too and two as well as there, their and they’re including definitions so you’ll know when to use each word. I think this is a very useful tool to have around.

I found the website could be hard to navigate so let me give you some specific pages to check out:

Description page: http://www.see-n-read.com/seenread.html

Ordering page: http://www.see-n-read.com/store/seenspell.htm

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about See-N-SpellAll information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received this product free of charge to review. This review is my honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.

Book Review: I kissed Dating Goodbye

2012-02-09T20:10:00.001-08:00

As the mother of 4 girls-3 of whom are in or near dating age-, I want a resource I can use to discuss dating and courtship. I jumped at the chance to request I kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris.

From the Publisher: Joshua Harris's first book, written when he was only 21, turned the Christian singles scene upside down...and people are still talking. More than 800,000 copies later, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, with its inspiring call to sincere love, real purity, and purposeful singleness, remains the benchmark for books on Christian dating. Now, for the first time since its release, the national #1 bestseller has been expanded with new content and updated for new readers. Honest and practical, it challenges cultural assumptions about relationships and provides solid, biblical alternatives to society's norm.

From the Back Cover:

Tired of the game? Kiss dating goodbye.
Going out? Been dumped? Waiting for a call that doesn’t come? Have you tasted pain in dating, drifted through one romance or, possibly, several of them?

Ever wondered, Isn’t there a better way?

I Kissed Dating Goodbye shows what it means to entrust your love life to God. Joshua Harris shares his story of giving up dating and discovering that God has something even better—a life of sincere love, true purity, and purposeful singleness.

As I read the book, I found myself nodding. Though I have not been “single” for over 19 years (2 years of being a couple + 17 years of marriage), I do remember when I was single. My thoughts and views on dating were very similar to Joshua’s but unlike him, my views didn’t spring from a Christian perspective. At least not consciously. And I dated. I just had a “rule” that if I couldn’t see myself married to the person, I didn’t accept a second date. Well, most of the time that worked. There were a few exceptions here and there. I think I would have greatly benefitted from reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye.

The book is divided into four parts: “Isn’t there a better way”, “The Heart of the Matter”, “Building a New Lifestyle”, and “Looking Ahead”. Parts 1 and 2 spoke to me about my past and helped me to better understand what I couldn’t explain to my friends then. Joshua put into words some of the thoughts and feelings I had but he went further and backed it up with a Christian perspective. He explains why dating is a set up for failure.

Parts 3 & 4 are not applicable to me personally at this time since I am married after all . But these parts are the heart of what I want for my daughters. I’ll be making sure that they read this book and that we take the time to discuss it. Especially the part on page 115 about making your parents your teammates.

Joshua writes from the heart and shares his struggles. He isn’t perfect. He hasn’t figured it all out yet. But he doesn’t claim to have it all figured out. He keeps it real.

I highly recommend this book!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for this honest review.

January’s Snow and Ice

2012-02-08T18:59:00.001-08:00

Now that we’re into February and I’ve had several (4!!!) days in a row of sunshine, I’m ready to share about the week of um, interesting, winter weather. Unusual weather and “historic” amounts of snow.

The first round. This what fell Saturday. I had a Sisterhood meeting at church but even though I wanted to go we thought it best for me to just stay home.

On Tuesday night we got another 6 1/2 inches. We declared it a snow day! Snowball fights!

Snow shoveling!

And a Snow Sphinx named Edward!

The next day brought yet another storm. This one ICE! It was too much for our little tree.

I can’t say that I’m sorry to see that week end. I learned I really like my heat and electricity.

TOS Review: Celestial Almanack (February)

2012-02-07T18:39:00.001-08:00

I love astronomy. I especially love looking at the stars and learning about the constellations. I confess that, though I am fascinated by the concept of astrophysics, the math is beyond me but I can still appreciate the stars and how constellations have been used to track and mark seasons for centuries.

I remember being so excited to take my first astronomy class in college. The prereqs clearly stated that I did NOT need to know physics. Somebody forgot to tell the professor who took over the class. I think he thought it was the astrophysics class. I just wanted to study the movement of the stars and planets and be able to recognize what I saw in the sky.

When ever I gaze up at the night sky, I am in awe of the Creator.

The heaves declare the glory of God; the firmament shows the creation of His hands. (Psalm 19:1)

Jay Ryan, of Classical Astronomy, has started a monthly almanac for novice stargazers. The Classical Astronomy Celestial Almanack a Visual Representation of the Sky is a monthly publication available from Curriclick for just $3. As a member of the TOS Review Crew, I’ve been given a copy of the Volume 1 Number 2 issue..

Even though I love astronomy and star gazing, I was really hesitant about this almanac by Jay Ryan. Why? Well I live in the Pacific Northwest and I was afraid that I would only be able to read about the cool things in the night sky and not actually get to witness them. But we’ve had several days in a row with beautiful weather and clear night skies. But even if I had not been able to do some of the activities, this almanac is still worth taking the time to read.

This 21 page e-book is overflowing with information! I learned so much and I am so impressed with this inexpensive (but highly valuable) resource. I think the most important thing I learned was that I am in love with classical astronomy. I didn’t know there was a name for it!

Two of my daughters have been as delighted and fascinated by this Celestial Alamanack as I am. The three of us have been taking advantage of the rare clear skies here and were able to go out three nights in a row. I love how Mr. Ryan has categorized things to find by 1 star, 2 star etc. The higher the number of stars the more difficult it is to find with the naked eye.

I could keep going on and on about how much fun my daughters and I have had. I could keep telling you how impressed I am. But I think I want to tell you to just go buy it! I know we’ll be wanting to purchase these every month. We want to take the “Orion Challenge” and learn all 35 constellations in a year.

One last thought. I just can’t resist. I have to share how thrilled I was to see The Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple on the chart of page 4. As a liturgical Christian, I just have to share this quote from page 3:

It is lesser known that February 2 is the The Feast of the Presentation of the LORD in the traditional liturgical calendar. This feast commemorates the dedication of the baby Jesus at the Temple, as recorded in Luke 2:22-40. This feast occurs 40 days after Christmas, to commemorate the period of the purification of Mary, as stipulated in the Law of Moses, according to Leviticus 12:1-4.
This is another aspect of how the traditional church calendar is designed to mark the seasons while commemorating events in the New Testament, with their correspondences to the Old Testament. In this way, the liturgical calendar dedicates large portions of the calendar year to remembering the narratives and other teachings of the Bible.

I wish that college professor had been able to use Jay Ryan’s materials! I might have actually learned something back then!

I also highly recommend checking out Jay Ryan’s website especially the Sky this Month page.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about Celestial AlmanackAll information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

DVD Winner (A Mile in His Shoes)

2012-02-06T09:02:00.001-08:00

Thank you to all who entered my giveaway for A Mile in His Shoes.

I had 18 entries. I used Random.org to choose a winning entry and random.org picked:

Number 18 is PK! Congratulations PK!

I’ve received her mailing information and passed it on to the people at Propeller (who provided this giveaway opportunity).

PK, congratulations! I hope you enjoy the movie!

The Measure of Success

2012-02-05T08:42:00.001-08:00

It’s been a long while since I’ve participated in a TOS Blog Cruise. This week Marcy asks “How do you measure success in your homeschool?”

At first I thought, “I have nothing to say.” Measure success? Many days just getting school work done is a mark of success.

Seriously, a successful day, a day I feel really good about, (which happens every now and again but not nearly often enough) is a day where I feel I have accomplished something. All four girls getting 90 % or more of their assignment sheets complete, a couple loads of laundry done, and dinner actually made. That’s a successful day in my life.

But how to measure achievement in my homeschool? How do I know that my efforts in providing an education for my children is successful? Is it all about grades?

Nope. As I type this I realize it is very much NOT about grades. It’s about learning. It’s about growing. It’s about building character. So how do you measure those things? Can those things be measured?

For me, the measure of success is a light up look in the eyes, or a smile of delight at a discovery. Sometimes, success is laughter or yes, even tears. Those are outward signs of the successful work of learning, growing, and building.

“Mama, 2+2= 4. I remembered!” “Mom, relationships are hard.” “Look! Look! I got it! I solved the problem!” When I hear those things, I know I’ve been successful in my home school.

This topic: How do you measure success in your homeschool? Will be live on the TOS Blog Tuesday, February, 7th. You will be able to click on the link and go straight to this question. Until then, please enjoy re-visiting past Blog Cruise topics.

TOS Review: Kinderbach at Home(2012)

2012-02-02T19:18:00.001-08:00

First I need to share that I am writing this review because I love this product. I volunteered to write this review; I was not required to provide one.

About a year ago I did a TOS Review of this music program for young students and we loved it so much that I purchased a one year subscription!

So what makes this such and incredibly wonderful program? Let me list some reasons:

The Lessons are fun! Karri enjoys what she does and this enjoyment spills out into the lessons. She’s having fun and that means my daughter has fun.
The Lessons (Sessions) are short. Each “week” is divided into 4 sessions. These are very short which means my daughter, who can be easily distracted, doesn’t lose focus. Also because the video clips are short, she doesn’t mind re-watching several at one sitting.
Covers six areas of music development. 1)Ear or Listening Skills, 2) Sight or Note reading, 3) Rhythm, 4)Hand position or Technique, 5) Singing, 6)Composition
Does not require a piano. You can use just an inexpensive small keyboard. Many of Karri’s demonstrations are done on a small keyboard.
Includes fun activity books. Some of these are coloring pages, while others are “song sheets” to use for practice. The activities reinforce the topics covered in each week.

My daughter struggles with fine motor skills; multiple strokes have impaired her ability to fully use her left hand. Yet, despite the physical limitations, she loves the piano. She may never truly play the piano, but Kinderbach instills in her an appreciation for the piano and allows Supergirl to have “piano lessons like my sisters”.

For us this is so much more than an introduction to learning to play piano. It’s a course that teaches left and right and develops fine motor skills through coloring and cutting as well as finger strength in learning piano technique.

(Above Supergirl colors in the Train station remembering that the train station is for the three black keys. Below she works on rhythm with Karri.)

Designed for children ages 3-7 Kinderbach offers DVD packages as well as online subscription options. DVD packages start at $40.45 The online subscription options start at $7.95 per month.

Kinderbach offers the first two weeks of the online program for FREE so you can try it before you buy it. (Two Weeks Free) After you try it out and decide that you really like it you can use this Coupon Code: TOScrew2012 to save 30% off your order. This coupon is valid until 2/1/2013!!!

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about Kinderbach At Home All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: I was asked by the The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew to write this review. I did not receive a free subscription. This review is based on my purchased 1 year online subscription.

Book Review: Heroes and Villains of the Bible

2012-01-28T15:56:00.001-08:00

So many children’s Bible story books are interpretations of scripture. The author is retelling the Bible, as s/he understands it, but not using actual Biblical text. Heroes and Villains of the Bible stands out among Bible story books because it uses actual Bible text. These are real stories of “adventure and betrayal, daring and cowardice, unbelievable bravery and terrible treachery.”

From the Back Cover: Heroes and Villains of the Bible is a collection of true-life adventures of real people from the Bible-stories of good versus evil, right versus wrong, and heroes versus villains. These stories and their life-shaping lessons point children to God—the greatest hero of all!

Book Description From the Publisher:

50 true-life adventures of real people from the Bible—stories of good versus evil, right versus wrong, and heroes versus villains—and their life-shaping lessons that point children to God—the greatest hero of all!

The Bible is packed with stories of courageous people who loved and served God, and how He used them to do great things in the world. It is also filled with villainous people who disobeyed God and did horrible things. Heroes and Villains of the Bible encourages its readers to aspire to become great, courageous, and heroic servants of God, and reject all that is evil in the world.

With Heroes and Villains of the Bible, children will realize some of their favorite heroes aren’t from the movies, but are real people from the Bible.

My thoughts: Overall, my daughter and I have really enjoyed reading these stories together. She loves this book. Although she is not yet reading, she enjoys sitting and paging through this beautiful book.

My favorite features include Eikon Bible Art, which are four-color, full page digital images, and the story introductions. The introductions “establish important surrounding events and where the story comes in the Bible.”

I used the “Thoughts and Suggestions” section following each story as a springboard for discussion. This allows me to use it as a character training tool.

Although the Bible translation, International Children’s Bible is not my preferred bible, I would recommend this Bible Story book to other families. The 50 stories are action packed and a great way to bring the Bible to life. But I do have a caution. Because this is actual Bible text, some of the word choice has been in appropriate for my daughter’s maturity level. Specifically, the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. I was uncomfortable reading the text but I just softened it for my daughter’s ears. I would suggest parents look through the book before handing it to an independent reader.

This is a book that my daughter will continue to cherish.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Mile In His Shoes Review and DVD Giveaway!

2012-01-25T19:45:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I received an email asking if I would be interested in reviewing A Mile in His Shoes. I clicked on the link to watch a preview for this true baseball story and knew that I had to request it!

About Mile in His Shoes:
From the director of Angels In the Outfield comes an inspiring story about a special boy with an amazing gift, and the coach who believed. Dean Cain and Luke Schroder star in the gmc movie based on the book The Legend of Mickey Tussler.

This movie has received the Dove Seal from the Dove foundation. I agree that this is a family movie. I am very sensitive when watching movies. At least one scene caused some discomfort. I was on the edge of my seat wanting to shout-“no, don’t go. It’s a trap. You’ll get hurt.” I was a little (ok more than a little) worried about how much violence we would see. But the scene was handled so well that we saw only a hint. We knew what was going to happen but we did not have to see it. We only knew that it took place. I have no qualms about my sensitive children watching the movie again and again.

My daughter made it a point to tell me that she liked the fact that “they weren’t in your face about Christianity. They lived it. They didn’t just preach it.” She shared with me that she wasn’t sure she was going to like the movie but she enjoyed it and plans on watching it again with friends.

I love baseball. It is my favorite sport. I was drawn to the movie because it was baseball. It’s a true story and a great one, but baseball? Yea that made it even better.

I think y’all would enjoy it, too and I get to give away a copy to one of my readers!

To enter please leave a comment telling me what your favorite sport is (This is the mandatory entry)

For additional, optional, one time entries you can do one or both of the following.

Watch the preview I linked above and leave a comment telling me which position Mickey plays.
Follow my blog using either Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs (only one entry)

For an additionals entries that can be done once per day you can:

Comment on another of my blog posts (non-giveaway post). Leave me a comment here telling me you’ve done so. (One entry per day)
Share my giveaway on Facebook or Twitter. Just leave a comment telling me you’ve shared today

This Giveaway will end at 9pm Pacific Time (Midnight Eastern Time on Thursday February 2, 2012. One winner will be drawn using Random.org. I will contact winner by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond. Please make sure I have a way to contact you. I reserve the right to re-draw if, after making a reasonable attempt, I cannot get shipping information for the winner. Once the winner has been confirmed, I’ll announce it here on my blog!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Project: The School Room aka Dining Room

2012-01-12T20:54:00.001-08:00

Whenever someone asks me about having a dedicated school room, I laugh. I am a home schooler. We do “school” all over the house. I like to do read alouds in the living room. We listen to audio books and watch educational dvd’s in the family room. Lately Tailorbear has been taking her stack of school work and hiding out in her bedroom. Turtlegirl prefers to camp out on the futon in the family room whereas BooBear takes up residence on the couch next to the icon corner in the living room.

I rarely require them to sit at the table or a desk. We gravitate to whatever area seems most logical at the time. Science experiments in the kitchen, independent reading in the living room, Latin in the family room so we can watch the lesson on DVD and use the computer to listen to the audio pronunciation cd.

But this past weekend, I realized that educational resources have taken over my dining room. I tend to use the dining room table for “seat work” with Supergirl. We have bookcases, cabinets and other storages for school books, notebooks, pencils etc. We’ve got maps and a measurement poster decorating the walls. It looks more like a school room than a dining room. And it is a mess!

So my first big project of 2012 is to organize the ~~dining room~~ school room. Ok confession time. We hadn’t eaten at the dining room table in ages and ages. And the table became a catch all so that I couldn’t even do school at the table with Supergirl.

The cleaning out and organizing is a longer term project but I did want to share one before picture and then a picture from tonight’s nice clean table. I hope to share more before and after pictures as I complete different parts of this project.

I had the table all cleared off before I started the organizing project. The table quickly became the place to shove everything as I emptied cabinets. It got worse before it got better. Below is the table just before we served dinner. I like using placemats at meal times. It helps to create the idea that it really is a dining room! These are my favorite placemats for January. Sometimes I even use them in February because there are hearts.

Have you started any projects for 2012? Does the New Year mean new plans for you?

TOS Review: Z-Guides to the Movies

2012-01-10T19:43:00.001-08:00

Recently, my family had the opportunity to use another Z-Guide to the Movies from Zeezok Publishing. I was so impressed with the Z-Guide we reviewed during the last Crew voyage, that I jumped at the opportunity to review another one.

Zeezok gave us the opportunity to choose which Z-Guide to the Movies we wanted. After some discussion with my 11th grade daughter, she chose the movie Miracle at Midnight. This movie is set during World War II and we both felt this would be an excellent choice to supplement her 20th Century World History studies.

So what is a Z-Guides to the Movies? A Z-Guide is a movie specific guide available in either e-book (download) or CD (Shipped) formats that contain 10 activities. You can read more about Z-Guides to the Movies by clicking here. You can view a sample of a Z-Guide here.

Z-Guides are movie specific and you will need access to a particular version. The Z-Guide cover lists which movie and version you will need. Zeezok Publishing has many of the movies available for purchase along with the corresponding guides. Z-Guides to the Movies retail for $12.99 each. Zeezok has dozens of titles available. You can view them here.

The Z-Guide for Miracle at Midnight will not be available until February of 2012 however, there are many other great titles available if you are studying World War II. There are Z-Guides to the Movies available for Elementary, Middle School/Jr. High and High School levels.

Though the cover says that Miracle at Midnight is a jr high level Z-guide, I found that it was appropriate for my high school student. I successfully used this z-guide with my 7th grader, 9th grader and 11th grader.

My Thoughts: I really appreciate the activities that cause my children to think critically and deeply and explore character issues. Our regular history curriculum suggests adding in a movie as way to explore a topic of interest. I love that with a Z-Guide I can sneak in some extra history lessons through a movie.

I liked that I could use this guide with 3 of my girls. I could adjust some of the assignments to be a little easier for my 7th grader and I could easily require more from my 11th grader to make it a little more challenging.

I didn’t like the answer key for the cross word puzzle activity. The puzzle was not numbered which made it difficult for me to find the answer when the girls were stuck. I would have loved to have the puzzle numbered in the answer key *or* to have the word written out next to the clue.

I didn’t like the order of the activities or the recommendation to complete 2 activities per day. The guide is a supplement and according to Zeezok is not intended to replace our core history curriculum. Some of the activities require time, time to research the answer and then time to write the 200 word essay answer.

I appreciated the flexibility of the guide. Though they recommend doing 2 activities per day and completing the Z-guide in one week, I found it easy to re-arrange activities and some days we did 1 activity , some days 2 and some days 1/2 an activity. We took a little longer than 1 week but it made the daily time commitment much more manageable for our family.

Here are some thoughts from children:

Tailorbear (age 12, grade 7): “It’s a movie guide. Pretty cool. I wish we had done a movie that went more with my school instead of my sister’s. My least favorite activity was the map work. My favorite activity was figuring out the double entendres in the movie.”

Turtlegirl (age 14, grade 9): “The movie was really interesting and the guide helped me think more about it. I especially enjoyed doing the crossword puzzle despite the fact that it was very difficult. It was difficult because some of the words I didn’t remember from any of my studies. I also liked the entendres.”

BooBear (age 16, grade 11): “I really enjoyed the questions. They made me think about the movie. I like using the guide to add more depth to movie and to see more than just a good story. I found the map confusing. The way the map was displayed confused me. I would enjoy doing more Z-Guides.”

Overall I feel confident recommending Zeezok’s Z-Guides to the Movies. Be sure to check out what my fellow crew mates had to say about their Z-Guides to the Movies.

All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Ding Dong: They’re Back!

2012-01-09T21:06:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd seen the last of the Kirby vacuum cleaner salespeople. They hadn't been around for awhile. I thought they had given up. Nope. Apparently, they ran out of salespeople and needed fresh blood. (I've never seen the same one twice).

I was in the middle of something important, not that I can remember now what it was but I’m sure it was important <grin> and the doorbell rang. I answered the door and found a young, pretty, woman holding some type of leaflet. I am losing my hearing so I only caught a word or two. I glanced at the paper, inwardly groaned and handed the paper back to her. “No, thank you. I don’t do business with Kirby.”

That has become my standard response. Why? Because the sales people are hired because they do not comprehend the word no. But really it all started with the very first time a Kirby Vacuum Cleaner Salesperson rang my doorbell.

The girls were very little. We were new to the neighborhood. The doorbell rang and I was flustered. A young man had a stack of raffle tickets and a pen. He did NOT identify himself. And did I mentioned I was flustered. Four children. One with major needs. All of them under 6 years old. And I homeschool. He asked for our phone number. Then handed me a raffle ticket.

A few days (weeks?) later the phone rang. Hi, you’ve won a free carpet cleaning. This time I wasn’t flustered. (Girls must have sleeping or playing outside or something). I said no I haven’t. I’d see the raffle ticket sales gimmick before. The idea is that you give away a free chance for a drawing for a great prize. You know like cash or a boat and the third prize is always something intended to sell you a product such as a gym membership or a vacuum cleaner.

Kirby wanted to schedule a time when a representative could come out and give me my free carpet cleaning. I refused. To say I strongly dislike the raffle ticket method would be an understatement.

That was only the beginning. At first they came bearing “gifts”. Items like a bottle of carpet shampoo. The bottle was yours to keep if you let them enter. I have reached the point where I just hand it back and say “no thank you.”

They’ve gotten more aggressive. Some of them I have felt sorry for. One even used the “can I come in and use your bathroom” in order to get inside the house. For safety reasons I did not. (There are fast food restaurants, a gas station and a grocery store 5 minutes up the road. All with public restrooms.)

So today the doorbell rings. The pretty woman smiled and I felt bad for her. I returned her leaflet. I forced myself to be polite and to have a pleasant tone. “No thank you. I won’t do business with Kirby” She was flustered. She asked why (not an unreasonable question but after 10 years I’m tired of trying to explain.). I simply respond. I don’t like the selling tactics. She started to protest. Maybe if she’d been number 3 or 4 or even number 5 to the door, I’d have had the energy to try to explain. But I was becoming impatient. I had to shoo the woman away like a small (but cute) kitten. I really don’t like it when people fail to understand the word no.

I wonder if they’ve upped the prize for just getting inside my house? Our family joke is that Kirby is offering a special bonus prize like an expense paid cruise to the first salesperson who actually gets inside my house. Maybe next time I’ll ask them. Maybe I’ll let them in if they’re willing to share the prize <grin>.

Super Easy 8 Minute Cheesecake

2012-01-03T20:30:00.001-08:00

On an online forum that I visit daily, I mentioned that I was making “8 Minute Cheesecake” for Christmas Dinner. I was asked for the recipe but until now haven’t got around to sharing it. I originally got the recipe from a friend who had made some healthy changes. I made this at Thanksgiving but was lazy and used cool whip and store bought ready made graham cracker crusts.. I was pleased with the results and since I only make this a couple times a year decided that I would stick with using cool whip. Sorry I did NOT take any pictures.

What You’ll Need:

2 (yes 2!) prepared graham cracker crusts. (I used Keebler. I think the chocolate or oreo ones would be fabulous!)
1 8oz package cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 8oz container of cool whip (store brand should work fine!)

Putting it Together:

Start by beating the cream cheese until smooth (I use my hand mixer as my Bosch mixer is a bit too large for this job!). Add sour cream and vanilla, continue mixing until blended. Fold in the cool whip blending well with the cream cheese sugar mixture. Divide between the two crusts. Chill for at least 4 hours. You can top it with fruit if you like. I used a homemade apple pie filling at Thanksgiving but used canned Cherry Pie filling at Christmas. I’m thinking it would taste really yummy with mini chocolate chips folded into the mixture and then caramel sauce drizzled over the top at serving time. This is not a firm cheesecake but it is light, fluffy, and creamy and super easy. I think the cool whip gives this extra volume which is why I could get two pies out this recipe. At Thanksgiving, I only had 1 crust so I filled it as full as I could and then we just ate the rest of the filling right out of the bowl. Now that I know that it makes two pies so I planned on two for Christmas.

Now I am craving cheesecake. I think I will make this for Valentine’s Day. Maybe I’ll even make it for Cheesefare Sunday potluck at Church.

Hope you enjoy this dessert as much as my family does!

Goal Planning Monday 1/2/12

2012-01-02T18:15:00.001-08:00

Oh hey! Look at that! Today is 1-2-12. I love things like that. Well today is Monday and over at Mama Manuscripts, mama hosts a meme for Goal Planning. Since today is the first Monday of the New Year I’m thinking it’s not such a bad idea to get something down for this week. You know get the year started on the right foot so to speak.

Goal #1.. take a nap (ok ok I only put that so that I can say I actually did accomplish something. Does it count that I fell asleep while reading aloud to Supergirl? I just laid my head down and someone covered me with a blanket. But I got a nap!)

Goal #2… build consistency. Today BooBear and I talked about being focused and consistent. I’m trying to narrow down our focus so that we can become consistent in that one area and then add another area, build consistency etc. This week’s focus is building consistency with school specifically for BooBear it is focusing on her Sonlight Core 300 studies. We’re still officially on Christmas Break but this week is “catch up on what was supposed to be done before Christmas Break”. I also need to be more consistent with Supergirl. Hence the reading aloud which admittedly didn’t go so well today since I fell asleep but I do have a plan for this week!

Goal #3… Get back into the swing of meal planning with E-mealz. Tonight is planned as “pizza hut $10 any pizza” night and tomorrow night is beef chow mein (homemade. Recipe calls for ground pork but I’m using ground beef cause that’s what I have) I do need to figure out meals for the rest of the week. Friday is a Feast Day so I want to plan something special. I’m thinking of either making lasagna or my father’s “stuffed peppers” (really not stuffed peppers but the most awesomest pasta sauce in the whole world). So goal #3 for this week.. make sure we have a dinner plan for each night of the week so we don’t end up spending money on things like McDonald’s)

I think I’ll leave it at 3 before the list becomes more of an impossible to do list rather than something I’m striving for. What are your goals for this week? Want to join us? You can read her guidelines here. You can link to her post this week here.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T14:33:00.001-08:00

Just a brief little note to wish all my bloggy friends a Happy New Year. And to all my Orthodox readers Happy Feast of St. Basil! What a joy and a blessing to hear the service for the cutting of St. Basil’s bread after Divine Liturgy this morning. Alas, no one in my family found the coin. (Want to know more about what I am talking about? Check out these articles Vasilopita and/or Basil the Great). This is more of a Greek Orthodox tradition but I am glad that my Orthodox Church in America (which has Russian Orthodox roots) has this custom.

May God pour out His blessings on us in 2012!

The Last Day of 2011

2011-12-31T18:56:00.001-08:00

If you regularly read my blog, you’ll have noticed that I really haven’t posted in the month of December. In fact this is my 4th post of the whole month! I had such high hopes of blogging about Advent and then blogging about our wonderful Christmas but I guess instead I just kind of took a blogging break.

On my blog in 2012 you can look forward to a review of Joshua Harris’s novel I Kissed Dating Goodbye. I also have a pending review for Booksneeze: a children’s Bible story book called Hero’s and Villains. I also have a couple of pending TOS reviews: a Zeeguide to the Movies from Zeezok and a history video program called Learn Our History. There are more TOS Reviews coming up and I’ll keep my sidebar updated.

In January I hope to post a year in review and/or a goal type post. Or better than goal perhaps a “where I’d like to be on Dec 31, 2012”. I am planning and hoping to participate in more recipe memes. I like Tasty Tuesday but I so often forget to post! And there is a soup one for the month of January. That sounds yummy and interesting. I’ve been finding it difficult to participate in the Review Crew’s Blog Cruise which is currently on break. I’d like to participate more regularly with that when it resumes.

I can’t say that I am really sorry to see 2011 go bye bye. It’s been a rough fall for me and I’m hoping the New Year will bring a much need uplift for me. I’ve got a new paper “Plan Ahead” planner by Mead (a lovely Christmas gift from Turtlegirl.). I really love the layout. Each month starts with a two page month at a glance followed by a two page week at a glance for each week of that month. I tried and tried and tried to make my TOS Planner do that for me and it just didn’t have the right monthly and weekly forms for me. Still, using my TOS planner and the Weekly Planning pages are perfect right now for trying to plan out what to accomplish for school to get caught up. I guess you could say that I really dropped the ball on being organized in 2011 and I need to be more organized in 2012, especially with my time.

Oh and expect some changes on my blog. I woke up a few days ago to find my blog all messed up so I started playing with backgrounds. Since I’ve been celebrating the Holidays, I haven’t really played with my available options for blog backgrounds.

I’ve been informed that our New Year’s Eve snacky food style supper awaits. We’ll play some games and eat our way to the New Year. See you next year! Oh and here is a pic of our feast tonight!

TOS Review: World’s Greatest Stories

2011-12-14T14:14:00.001-08:00

Years ago I heard a friend do a dramatized reading of a Bible passage. She read the actual Bible. I think it was the King James Version. She brought the Bible to life. It was incredible. When I visited the website for World’s Greatest Stories, I could not help but be reminded of Nikki and her Bible readings. If these CD’s were dramatized Bible stories, I knew I would love them and my daughter’s would enjoy them.

I was not wrong. Through the TOS Review Crew, we received Volume 1 of The World’s Greatest Stories “The Prophets. We were given our choice of the KJV or the NIV version. I love the language, style, and poetry of the KJV so I picked that one. This is available in both CD and Cassette Tape format. We received the CD, which retails for $7.95. Visit the website at Worlds Greatest Stories or give them a call toll free at 1-888-STORIES for more information. Visit the FAQ page for some great questions and answers such as “Does Mr. Sarris memorize the stories before recording them?” (The short answer: Yes.)

This volume contains the following stories: “The Blazing Furnace”, “The Handwriting on the Wall”, “Daniel in the Lion’s Den”, “Elijah and the Prophets of Baal”, and “The Prophecy of Jonah”. Professional actor and narrator, George W. Sarris, brings these stories to life using the art of dramatic storytelling. These stories are word for word from the Bible. No words are added and no words are taken away; it’s straight from the Bible!

All four of my girls found some aspect of the CD enjoyable but I’ll let them each share their experience:

Thoughts from Supergirl (cognitively around age 7): “My favorite story is the one about the Fiery Furnace. I like when he talks about Meschach & Abednego walking around the furnace. I liked the sound effects of the fire. Another story I liked was about Daniel trying to read the [handwriting on the] wall and the king’s wives drank the wine.”

Thoughts from Tailorbear (age 12, 7th grade):”I liked when he did accents otherwise I thought he was way too dramatic but that was just me. He’s a great storyteller otherwise. He talked the characters the way I would have talked them probably just not during the story part. I would have preferred the emotion to be when the character was speaking rather than during the narrative part of the story. Some parts I enjoy hearing and others I don’t care for.”

Thoughts from Turtlegirl (age 14, 9th grade): “I just really liked the CD. I’ve always enjoyed well told stories and these were very good. I liked how with the things that he did made it sound like it wasn’t word for word from the Bible. It was much more interesting than just hearing or reading the Bible passage word for word. I liked how he changed his voice for each person. I liked his vocal expressions. I didn’t really have a favorite story, I liked them all.”

Thoughts from BooBear (age 16, 11th grade): “I thought they were very interesting. I enjoyed his talent for story telling and dramatizing. I think they are very good for little kids to learn about the Bible in a way that is more interesting.”

Perhaps it’s because of my theater background or maybe it’s because of my friend Nikki who I mentioned above, but I found these very entertaining. It was hard to not to smile and giggle while driving but my oldest and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the “drunkeness of the King as he slurred his words.” or the “anger of Nebuchadnezzar” as he ordered the furnace to be heated up 7 times more. I appreciated that these stories were straight from the Bible. It’s less than two weeks until Christmas but these would make great Christmas gifts. I’m considering getting Volume 2 “The Life of Christ” as a Pascha (Easter) gift this spring.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about World’s Greatest StoriesAll information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Lots of Stuff

2011-12-12T18:45:00.001-08:00

If you are on Facebook, then you know that in the space to type your status it says “What’s on your mind?”. So what’s on my mind? Stuff. Lots of stuff. I haven’t been blogging. Not because I haven’t had anything to write but more that I just haven’t been managing my time very well and I just couldn’t take the time to blog.

I look at the calendar and I am shocked that it says 12/12/11. What?! How did that happen? What do you mean I haven’t blogged at all the month of December? I said I was going to blog about Advent/Nativity Fast. Wait just a minute. It can’t be half way through December yet.

But we did manage to get the Christmas Tree up so if feels a bit more like Christmas really is coming. The Advent Chain is getting smaller (though we’re still several days behind). But yet, I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that it really is December. It really is nearing the end of the year. So Christmas is one piece of “stuff” on my mind.

Another bit of “stuff” on my mind: Judgmentalism. It bugs me. Not that we can’t judge “righteous judgment” or use discernment. I’m just not liking stereotypes being applied to judge people’s hearts and motives. I’m guilty of it. I constantly have to remind myself that I don’t know what is going on in that person’s life. I repeat over and over again to myself the verse that says “with what measure of judgment ye use, you shall be judged.” OUCH. I want mercy and grace so I better give mercy and grace.

But there’s still more on my mind. SCHOOL. Yup, school is screaming at me. I feel like I’m spinning in circles going faster and faster and yet, I make no progress. Oh I’m sure there’s some progress, we’ve just not accomplished what we set out to do. We decided today that we’re not taking a full two weeks off as originally planned for Christmas. Week 2 (which starts Jan 2) will be “catch up week” so I still leave it as “Christmas Break” so that no NEW assignments will be generated but the girls will have a few days to maybe make some headway.

The true meaning of Christmas has been dancing through my head and I’m sure there’s a whole blog post I could devote to that. In fact I want to do some blogging about Christmas and what it means to me now as an Orthodox Christian. I’d love to do a couple of posts, maybe as a series about my Christmas Celebrating (or non-celebrating) Journey over the years.

So maybe now that I’ve mentioned some of the stuff on my mind, maybe I’ll actually get around to blogging a bit about it!

TOS Review: Pitsco’s Medieval Machines Pack

2011-12-05T15:43:00.001-08:00

One of the most fascinating aspects of studying medieval history is learning about siege warfare. I don’t know anyone who could resist building and playing with some flinging type weapon such as a catapult. I think getting to play with a catapult is the real reason my daughters wanted to study that time period!

As a member of the TOS Review crew I received the Medieval Machines Pack from Pitsco Education. The pack included a Trebuchet Kit, Catapult Kit, Mass Plates, and the Siege Machines book. Pitsco also included some extra clay for us. This package retails for $21.95. For more information about the Medieval Machine Pack click here.

Turtlegirl’s friend came over to help her build the machines. He had this to say: “It was fun but frustrating to build. They need stronger wood.” We did have a piece of the catapult break while building but fortunately,it was only the trigger so the catapult still works you just have to hold it down manually while loading. Release your finger to fling.

Thoughts from Turtlegirl:“The trebuchet was a bit more complicated to build. The directions were reasonably clear, but it would be best to read through the whole thing first, and then go back and start building. We didn’t read through the whole thing first, so we would do steps and then have to go back re-do them because we didn’t have enough information. Catapult instructions were crystal clear. We didn’t have a problem with those directions. I liked the trebuchet because it was cool to watch and figure out the mechanics. I also liked the catapult because it flung stuff really well. (Sorry Mom for hitting you and Tailorbear) The book is very interesting and I am planning on doing more with the activities. I’m especially looking forward to playing with the variables on the trebuchet.”

My Thoughts: I think this is an excellent package to use to add science and math to a Medieval or Middle Ages Unit Study. I don’t usually comment on the value of a product because value is so subjective but for $21.95 I think it is a steal! I love that the Siege Machines book addresses standards from three national education organizations. This would be very helpful in planning how to integrate these activities into a unit study to cover math and science.

Pitsco Education has a section just for homeschoolers. Check it out here.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about the Medieval Machines Pack.All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received the Medieval Siege Machines Pack free of charge to review. This review is my honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.

TOS Review: Artistic Pursuits

2011-11-30T16:41:00.001-08:00

When my oldest was very young, she did not like to color. She didn’t really like to paint either. I even had difficulty encouraging her to just draw. Perhaps she is just too much like me. I’ve always wanted to be able to draw or paint. It isn’t something that comes naturally to me. I don’t know how to make my hands draw the lines that my eyes see. Because this is a weakness for me, I’ve had difficulty including art instruction in my home school.

For the past few weeks, BooBear (age 16) and Turtlegirl (age 14)have had the opportunity to use Artistic Pursuits High School Book 2. This books covers color and composition. It is not necessary to have completed book 1. Brenda Ellis writes the lessons directly to the student, making this an ideal program for independent study. This book retails for $42.95. For a complete description of the book and to see a lesson visit the High School Book 2 page of the Artistic Pursuits website. For US Orders you can order directly from Artistic Pursuits. For international orders, you can order this book directly from Artistic Pursuits or you can check here to find a local retail store.

The book contains all the instruction you need to complete the course, however, you will need to purchase supplies such as watercolors, paper and brushes. Although not necessary to purchase these from the publisher directly, Artistic Pursuits has made it convenient by providing kits for each book including the Sr High Book 2 Color and Composition. You can find information about art supplies here. Click here for the specific page for the Sr High Book 2 supply pack directly from Artistic Pursuits.

Thoughts from BooBear: “I like how it is set up in Units with lessons. I really enjoyed the small lessons because they allow you to process the information. I also like how they have a painting by a famous artist and talk about it in one lesson of every unit. They even include quotes from modern artists. I was never really into art before I used this program. Now I want to do more with art.”

Thoughts from Turtlegirl: “I really like it. It helped me to finally understand color. It has also inspired me to experiment. I enjoy the projects. The lessons are simple and easy to comprehend. I like the way it is set up. I like that they sometimes include pictures from previous students. I recommend the program for anybody who wants to learn how to paint.”

The TOS Crew reviewed the different books/levels of Artistic Pursuits from Preschool to High School. Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about Artistic Pursuits. All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Gratitude Challenge: Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-27T19:05:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving is over but the Gratitude Challenge continues (at least for me!) though the end of November. I am thankful for the long holiday weekend.

I didn’t realize how much I’d been pushing myself, or the girls. I didn’t realize how much stress I had been heaping upon myself or my family. It was wonderful to take several days off and just hang out as a family.

We didn’t have a fancy Thanksgiving. In fact I wasn’t too pleased with how my stuffing turned out and I messed up the cranberry orange relish but I loved having my girls helping out with the dinner process and hanging out and playing games.

Tailorbear helps get the turkey ready! She asked if she could do it and I was happy to let her do the job. <shh> don’t tell her but it’s really a job that nobody wants. She seemed to enjoy it though and I am grateful for her help.

With all the cooking going on I did not want to make breakfast. Turtlegirl and I picked up some caramel apple rolls for a quick light breakfast. Of course no one could eat until the Turkey was started in the roaster.

I treasure the memories that we make as a family. Hanging out, playing games, snacking on homemade Chex Mix, then enjoying a feast of good food, it doesn’t get any better than that!

On The Eve of Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T19:33:00.001-08:00

I love Thanksgiving. It’s not the food (though I love the food!), it’s the memories. It’s creating new memories and reliving old memories.

I remember the very very long drive when I was very very little to get to Grandma’s house to spend Thanksgiving with Grandma Elsie and Papa. I remember eating lots and lots and lots of olives. I still love olives. It isn’t Thanksgiving without a relish tray with olives.

After my grandparents moved “back home” to Kentucky, we didn’t spend Thanksgiving with them anymore but my parents still made it special. My mom always made a turkey and to this day I still crave her stuffing. My homemade stuffing is basically my tribute to my mother. It’s simple but well loved.

Each of the last 18 Thanksgivings have been wonderful even if I can’t remember each one exactly. Honeybear and I had been a couple for nearly a year when we celebrated our first Thanksgiving together 18 years ago. (Tomorrow will be the 19th Thanksgiving that we’ve had together and we’ve never missed one! That is incredible considering he was active duty military for the first 10 years of our marriage!).

17 years ago we celebrated our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. It was just the two of us. I roasted a chicken instead of a turkey. A year later we celebrated thanksgiving with a couple of other military families and a baby Boobear joined us.

Two years later we spent Thanksgiving with family. Baby twins held everyone’s attention. We had so much to be thankful for that year. Supergirl had survived against all the odds but she still had a long, hard road ahead of her.

Tomorrow, my husband and will celebrate our 19th Thanksgiving together. I’m looking forward to a fun day with my family. A few years ago we started playing board games all day. The girls have already been planning which games we’ll play while the turkey cooks.

I have much to be thankful for this year. My husband is still employed. Supergirl continues to do well with heart and other health issues. The other girls are, for the most part, healthy. We have a roof over our head, food to eat, clothes to wear. We are abundantly blessed with wonderful friends.

May God bless each of my dear readers. Happy Thanksgiving!

TOS Review: The Reading Game

2011-11-22T15:15:00.001-08:00

I think I've said it before and I know I wasn't the first. Children learn through play. A child's job is to learn and their work is play. Learning to read is hard. It's work. The Reading Game by Kenneth Hodkinson "transforms rote learning into a fast paced game" (Teacher Guide).

The Reading Game uses a concentration/memory game as fun way to drill whole words. You can use this product to teach phonic rules and patterns as well after the students have mastered the 180 word vocabulary. Suggestions for how to incorporate phonics into the game are included in the The Reading Game Rules and Teachers Guide. Visit the How It Works page to learn more about the background and approach of this supplemental tool.

For 2 players ages 4+ (one player must be the tutor), The Reading Game retails for $24.95. The Reading Game also provides teachers and home educators assessment tools/worksheets. Click here to read more about how this curriculum supplement lines up with core standards. From this page you can also access the FREE downloads.

What I liked: Supergirl enjoys playing the game and she is learning to read these words. I like that the goal of the game is to get students to read real books. I like that she is gaining confidence. I loved seeing the look on her face when she read a sentence using the words she had learned. She needs to have a multidiscipline approach to learning to read and this idea of “hard wiring the words into memory” works well. I like the idea of having an assessment tool that I can use to test Supergirl before we start a new word pack and after we’ve worked with those words.

What I disliked: I’ll preface this with perhaps I don’t understand Mr. Hodkinson’s reasoning about punctuation. Perhaps, I’m just too used to seeing correct punctuation, but, in the end, the reality is I disagree with the idea that punctuation marks are “mysterious squiggles and dots.” I found it more confusing to NOT have proper capitalization and punctuation and I’m concerned that it will be more confusing for Supergirl because she is familiar with punctuation marks and she is learning that every sentence starts with a capital. I also didn’t care for the approach to phonics.

Thoughts from Supergirl: I like it. I read. I read sentences. I play the game to learn to read. There is [the word] fun in the game. There is and, and play in the game. There’s to in the game. [Mom’s note. She is listing the words she has learned in Reading Game] It’s a good, good, good game. And it’s fun to play it. You read books about a cat.

My Thoughts: As a supplement this has been a great addition to our learning to read process. I don’t think this approach would have worked well for BooBear when she was 4. I think it works great to build fluency. Drilling words using cards has been an effective way to help struggling readers build fluency. With that in mind, it has been great for Supergirl who has learning issues and it would have been great for BooBear around age 7. Turtlegirl was an early reader and I think she would have done well with this at age 4.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about The Reading GameAll information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Gratitude Challenge Days 18, 19 and 20

2011-11-20T19:36:00.000-08:00

Another Multiple Day Gratitude Challenge post because I just can’t seem to make myself post everyday. I think I have a good excuse for yesterday though. It was my anniversary and I had lots of things to do.

So let’s see I posted on 11/17 with 7 Days of thankfulness. 18, 19, 20… that’s 3!

Day 18 (item number 1): I am very thankful for the TOS Review Crew. Through the Crew, I have the opportunity to review some really great products that I just would NOT be able to afford or justify the expense. I think the Time Timer is a great tool for Supergirl but I don’t think I could have justified spending $30 to try it. It’s good for her and I am thankful we received it through Crew.

Day 19 (item number 2): I’m thankful for my husband. November 19 is my anniversary. I’m thankful for 17 years of marriage.

Day 20 (item number 3): It was a frosty, cold, but beautiful day. Someone at church labeled it “a perfect winter day”. I was very appreciative of the beautiful sunshine today. It helped make a very LONG day at church much more pleasant.

And I’m thankful for my daughter, Supergirl and complete honesty. Today was a very long day at church for her. Sunday School, Divine Liturgy, Coffee Hour, special Vespers service and then she still had to hang out while the rest of the family cleaned the chapel. She had to go potty during Vespers. She returned just as it finished. There was complete silence in the chapel and she calls out “Is it all done?”. Even our priest chuckled. We’re not sure if she was happy it was all done (long day remember) or if she was upset that she missed the ending. She does love church!

What are you thankful for today? Come join Brenda’s Gratitude Challenge over at Garden of Learning.

TOS Review: Time Timer

2011-11-18T11:44:00.001-08:00

Supergirl struggles with the concept of time. She’ll come to me and beg to be allowed to watch some program claiming that she hasn’t “seen it in years”. When she discovered the word “weeks” everything was measured as 2 weeks. Mommy and daddy have been married for 2 weeks. It’s been 2 weeks since we last saw Nana. Telling Supergirl that she needs to play quietly by herself for 20 minutes became an exercise in frustration. I’d set the the timer and every couple of minutes she’d come to me with the timer to ask me how much time is left. We needed something to help her grasp the concept of short increments of time. To help her grasp the idea of time elapsing.

I admit that I can be overly emotional at times but I don’t usually cry over a review product. As I looked over the website for Timer Timer and filled out the form (for the Crew) expressing interest, I cried. This sounded so perfect for us!

From the website:
The disappearing red disk allows students to "see" time without knowing how to "tell" time. The Time Timer is perfect for setting time limits, managing transitions and training students to make better use of available time, making every moment count.

Everyone in the family was excited to try this different looking timer. Supergirl got to try it first. I explained that she needed to read her book until the red area was all gone. Yes I did tell her that it was 20 minutes. She did NOT come ask me how much time was left. There was a time or two that she declared that she was done but I pointed out that there was more red left so no, she wasn’t done.

The rest of the family, especially my husband, was quick to point out that the optional audible signal was NOT loud enough nor LONG enough to really be useful. I found that I could not use Time Timer for myself because I would forget about the time and I need a loud, long ring, buzz or beep to get my attention that I need to stop what I am doing.

Although I would not recommend this timer for someone who needs an auditory reminder, this has been a great visual tool for Supergirl. When I need her to do an activity independently for a specified time, I can set her up with the Time Timer and not hear “how much time is left, Mama.” She knows that she has to “look at books” or “play quietly” or “work on puzzles” until all the red part is gone. She can SEE the red area become smaller and smaller.

Time Timer is available in 3 sizes: 3”, 8” and 12”. The 3”, which I received, retails for $30. You can read details about these 3 timers here. Time Timer also has watches, puzzles and software apps. In fact some of my crew mates had the opportunity to review the Ipad app.

Time Timer has many uses in Education, Business, In Special Needs and in Everyday Life.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about the Time Timer.All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

2011 Gratitude Challenge Update (7 Days!)

2011-11-17T16:57:00.001-08:00

I missed so many days in this Gratitude Challenge that I started to think I would just give up and not bother finishing the challenge. I think It’s been at least a week since I posted a Gratitude Challenge Post.

Let’s see seven days so I’ll come up with at least 7 things to be grateful for!

1) I am thankful that we are two working vehicle family. Notice the WORKING part the description. A year ago we owned two vehicles. Only one of them worked so we were basically a one car family. I value having a working van so that when we run out of toilet paper (how did that happen? UGH) I can run to the store. Having two vehicles means the girls and I can participate in Bible Study and some weekday services at church. It also means that the girls get to go to piano lessons.

2) I am also thankful that despite being hit so many times with illness in the past two months that the girls are working hard to get on track so that all our lessons will be done by the end of June. They appreciate having a summer vacation and they know that if we don’t get the work done NOW it will still need to be done sometime.

3) I am thankful for E-mealz. Thanks to E-mealz I did not have to think about menu planning or or put any extra effort into making a grocery list when I was so sick with this cold. If you haven’t read my review of e-mealz then you can click here to find it.

4) I am thankful for the TOS Homeschool Crew. It is such a blessing to be a part of the Crew. It’s not just about the really cool products I get to use and review but about the friendships I’ve made with other homeschooling moms (and Dad.. can’t forget Tim!!)

5) And speaking of the TOS Crew, I am thankful for a little mini-break I’ll be getting in December. I’ll have a couple of weeks here and there with NO reviews due! I’m looking forward to being able to enjoy the 12 days of Christmas with my husband home from work without having any reviews due while he is off! Thank you, Brenda! I know you worked hard to make that happen!

6) I’m thankful for spreadsheets. Yes, that’s weird. My spreadsheets are helping me keep track of our family budget. I also use excel to keep track of review post due dates. I should have put Gratitude Challenge posts on my spreadsheets! Thanks to my friend Debra, I think I’ve become addicted to spreadsheets but I think it’s a good addiction and I’m grateful that I’m learning how to use them.

7) And last but not least. ..oh wait that is how the saying goes but I think this is least <grin> I’m thankful for Coke. Yes, that carbonated, caffeinated, really bad for you beverage. I no longer keep it in the house but I do indulge every now and again. And since I had to run to the store to buy toilet paper (who, in their right minds, lets toilet paper get down to 1 roll for 5 females before restocking? Oh, me. that’s right.) I got myself a Coke.

What are you grateful for? Click on the button above if you want to join in Brenda’s Gratitude Challenge over at Garden of Learning.

TOS Review Math Mammoth

2011-11-15T17:58:00.001-08:00

Thanks to some friends who have reviewed Math Mammoth in past TOS Crew years, I had heard some wonderful things about the math programs. Knowing that a couple of my girls could use a different approach to math, I expressed interest in reviewing this vendor.

I have not been disappointed. Maria Miller, author of the Math Mammoth books, helped me to choose the best program for Tailorbear. She also included some math for Supergirl. Tailorbear received the complete worktext for Grade 6 from the Light Blue Series. For Supergirl, Maria gave us Addition 1 from the Blue Series. (These are only TWO of the series available. Click here to see all the options available!)

The Light Blue Series is complete curriculum available for grades 1-6. We found it challenging but engaging and easy to use. By challenging, I mean that Tailorbear had to apply herself. This, in my opinion, is a positive feature. I don’t want a math curriculum that is hard to understand or hard to use, but I don’t want a math program that doesn’t encourage my daughter to apply herself.

The description “complete curriculum” means very thorough! All the concepts that a 6th grader needs are included but they are in bite size, easy to swallow pieces.Tailorbear shared with me that her favorite thing about Math Mammoth was the way it was divided into manageable chunks. I like that Tailorbear can be mostly independent with this math program. The instructions are easy to understand.

Thoughts from Tailorbear: It’s alright. It’s just really really tough but it’s ok. I like the Mammoth. It’s adorable. It’s got good math skills so that’s kind of why I like it. I like how it is organized.

Addition 1 from the Blue Series has been a wonderful program for Supergirl. She really enjoys it. She calls it her “Elephant Math” and insists that Manny, her woolly mammoth do math with her.

I love how Ms Miller uses an incremental approach when introducing concepts. Yes, it is a mastery based program, however, mastery is achieved incrementally. I should note though that some topics are introduced but mastery is not expected immediately.

Let me give an example from the Addition 1, Blue Series. Supergirl is learning about greater than and less than. Ms. Miller first introduces the symbols for greater than and less than. Pictures of objects are used so the student sees which is more and which is less. Gradually the student progresses from objects to dots to making dots themselves, if needed, to just using the numbers and symbols. Supergirl is mastering the concept of less than, and greater than, but she is doing it in nice bite size pieces that she can handle.

Another aspect of both the Light Blue Series and the Blue series that I appreciate are the games and internet sources listed in the beginning part of each chapter (Light Blue Series) or book (Blue Series). I value having additional ideas available without having to spend time hunting them down myself.

Math Mammoth is an affordable curriculum with a full range of products to meet most home schoolers needs. The Light Blue Series Full Curriculum for 6th grade is just $34. This includes part A and B worktexts, answer keys, tests, cumulative reviews, a worksheet maker, and Soft-Pak.

The Blue Series books range from $2 to $7 per book. (Addition 1 is $3.75) Math Mammoth also offers bundle packages that range from $38 for three grades of Blue Series books to $240 for the Everything Bundle. Most items are available as both a CD or a download. (The Everything Bundle is only available as a download)

Be sure and check out the website at www.mathmammoth.com where you can find samples for each of the levels/books, placement tests, and opportunities to take a Math Mammoth Tour.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about Math MammothAll information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Announcing the Winner!

2011-11-13T17:05:00.001-08:00

I had stated that I would announce the winner by a certain date and time. Unfortunately, I missed that date and time. I have a really good excuse. My family has been hit with yet another virus! I’m feeling better today but the last two days I’ve been pretty miserable. I’m still not over it but at least I am slightly less congested and my throat doesn’t hurt as much.

But enough about me! Congratulations to Carrie! Carrie will be receiving a copy of the movie Christmas Lodge. I’ve already confirmed Carrie’s mailing address and notified my contact at Propeller (many thanks to Propeller Marketing for giving me the opportunity to review the movie and host a giveaway!).

I used Random.org to generate a winning number. It gave me number 11:

The winning 11th comment:

Congratulations, Carrie! I hope you and your family enjoy the movie as much as my family has enjoyed it!

2011 Gratitude Challenge Days 9, 10 & 11

2011-11-11T17:40:00.001-08:00

It’s November. The month of Thanksgiving. Brenda’s Gratitude Challenge (over at Garden of Learning) is not the only challenge happening this month. I’ve seen 30 days of Thankfulness and a few others. Same concept, different names. I’ve even seen people participating on Facebook by posting thankful statuses.

One of my FB friends made a comment about how we should be thankful everyday of the year and not just for the 30 days in November. She’s right. We should be thankful every day of the year. Her “complaint” reminds me of my own criticism of Feed the Hungry type programs that only seem to operate for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The hungry and the poor need to eat every day of the year not just on those two holidays. So I totally get where it is coming from by reminding us that we need to be thankful every day of the year.

So knowing that I should be thankful in all the months and not just November, why I am participating in this challenge and why doesn’t it irk me the way the “donate money to buy food to feed the hungry”? Well, because I don’t take the time to express my thankfulness. Some days (even in the 8 previous days) it’s been hard to find something to be thankful for. Well you know something other than the basics. Sometimes my attitude is just so stinky that I forget to be thankful for food, shelter, clothes. And I forget to be thankful that I have the freedom to home school. Or to be thankful that I have 4 beautiful daughters who are incredible and wonderful and bring so much joy into my life. So participating in the Gratitude Challenge during the month of November is a reminder that I can and should find something to be thankful for each and every day.

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I meant to post the above bit in its own blog post on the 9th of November. I just didn't remember to post it. And yesterday? I don't even remember why I missed posting yesterday (11/10). Oh wait. I know it was cause I had 18 million things to do and I just didn't prioritize posting to my blog. So here's my one thing for 11/10: I am thankful that I can leave my daughters at home and go out to a really nice dinner and not have to either a) bring them with or b)find a babysitter. Outback had a special this week for Veterans and since my anniversary is next week, Honeybear and I went to Outback Steakhouse. Since the advent fast starts on Tuesday the timing was perfect.

So today is 11/11/11 and that means it’s Veteran’s Day. Today I am I thankful a)in general for all the Veterans, b) in particular for the Veterans I love dearly, both of my grandfathers (both of whom were WWII veterans. May their memories be eternal, my father (Korean War Vet) Memory Eternal Daddy! and my husband (though he wasn’t ever in combat he was serving his country during the first Gulf War (1990), and the more recent Gulf conflict (2003) as well supporting missions such as Operation Joint Endeavor (The Bosnia thing) And speaking of that… in 3 days it would be the anniversary of his homecoming from that deployment. Our twins are “deployment babies” so I guess in a strange way I’m thankful for that deployment.

Thank you to ALL the veterans and their families for serving their country!

I shared this picture last year on Veteran’s Day. It’s my daddy.

TOS Review:College Prep Genius DVD Set SAT Prep

2011-11-09T12:27:00.001-08:00

For high school students planning on attending college, the SAT could be the ticket to gaining admission to the college or university of choice. It can also mean money for college in the form of scholarships. Because this test is so important, many students spend hours studying. Being prepared to take the exam can relieve some of the stress of taking the SAT.

As a member of the TOS Crew, I received a DVD Set from College Prep Genius to prepare my high school student to take the SAT exam. The complete program retails for $99.00 and includes: College Prep Genius 2nd Edition Textbook ($49.95), Workbook ($19.95) and DVD ($59.95). Purchased individually these items would cost $129.85. Click here to read more about the DVD set.

Thoughts from BooBear (age 16, 11th grade): I like how the program explains the purpose of the SAT test. The SAT is a logic or thinking test not a fact test. Knowing that helps me to understand how to study. I like how the program is laid out. I read the sections in the text book, then I watch the DVD. I didn’t do this part but I want to start making my acronym cards while working through the text reading so that I don’t lose a day making the cards to memorize. When I’ve memorized the acronyms for that test section, I work through the practice test in the workbook. After working through the workbook, I plan on going to the College Board site and taking practice tests. I’m really glad to have help coaching me for the SAT.

My Thoughts: I love that this is independent. BooBear has been able to take this and run with it and work it into her schedule. We meet once every week to week and a half to touch base. I love that College Prep Genius suggests setting up a College Board account. BooBear has one and I have a parent account. I like the easy to read layout of the textbook. I appreciate the “Fun Tips” such as “Sometimes when there are two answer choices that are opposites, one of them will usually be the correct answer.” or “If there are two answer choices that are similar in meaning, then they are both wrong because the test leaves no room for subjectivity.”

I wish we had known more about the PSAT and National Merit Scholarship sooner. I love that College Plus Genius’s SAT Prep course also prepares students for the PSAT. Turtlegirl (age 14 and currently 9th grade) will work through this program to prepare her to take the PSAT/NMSQT in her junior year.

For homeschool students planning on taking the PSAT/NMSQT and/or the SAT, College Prep Genius 2nd Edition is an excellent choice for preparing for the exams. If you want some help with vocabulary, you may want to check out the Vocab Cafe series here.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about College Prep Genius. Some of us reviewed the SAT DVD Prep and some reviewed the Vocab Cafe Series.All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

2011 Gratitude Challenge Day 7 & Day 8

2011-11-08T14:54:00.001-08:00

I missed yesterday. So I’ll just give a simple one sentence for yesterday. I am thankful for my husband. He loves me. Even when I’m not so loveable. Ok so that wasn’t one sentence but it is pretty simple. He loves me and I am thankful for him and his love.

I am amazed at the sunshine that I have had this week. Very unseasonable. I think I said that already. But still sun in November is a gift and so I say thank you!

Today I am also thankful for lots of apples in the house and for teens who like to bake. We’ll be enjoying an apple pomegranate crisp tonight.

I’m thankful for Bountiful Baskets produce co-op (that’s where I got my apples and my pomegranates). I am thankful that, although I missed out on the tangerines this week, I was still able to “order” two conventional baskets. I wonder what yummy things I’ll find in my baskets when I pick them up on Saturday..

What are you thankful for today? Check out Brenda’s 2011 Gratitude Challenge over at Garden of Learning.

2011 Gratitude Challenge Day 6

2011-11-06T16:38:00.001-08:00

I am thankful today for unseasonable weather. Sounds bizarre doesn’t it? November here is usually not so cold but it is dark, dreary and rainy. Temps usually in the 50’s.

Today was cold. On the way the church the bank sign read 31 degrees. Yup. It was below freezing. On the way home from church the same sign read 47 degrees. It had certainly warmed up!

I didn’t mind the cold. I wish I had grabbed a winter coat rather than my heavy fall sweater but I didn’t mind the cold. I don’t like cold. But there is dry cold and there is PNW wet cold. I don’t mind dry cold. Dry cold means I can drink hot tea and snuggle with blankets and I can find a way to get warm. Wet cold? That’s the kind that chills you to the bone. The kind that gets inside of you. Hot tea, hearty soups and other warm liquids help but even with layers of sweaters and fleece throws I can still feel the cold.

Today was not a wet cold. It was cold. I didn’t like it. But there was a wonderful reason for the chill in the air. The sun. The beautiful ball of gas that gives life to our planet was shinning in the clear blue sky. Clear Blue Sky. Are we sure it is November? Are we sure were talking about the Pacific Northwest? Clear blue sky with the sun shinning? In November? In the PNW? Very strange.

But I loved seeing the sun and so I didn’t mind freezing as I walked back and forth from the chapel to the parish house with Supergirl who insisted she needed to go to the bathroom again.

The sun shining is rare treat and I treasure it. So today I am thankful for an unseasonably sunny day!

What are you thankful for today? Want to read others are thankful for? Come link up at Brenda’s blog, Garden of Learning.

2011 Gratitude Challenge Day 5

2011-11-05T20:26:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful for the short time that I knew Alla. She was a very special lady and my family will miss her. Though we only met her two years ago, she touched our hearts. Memory Eternal, Alla!

I am also thankful for funerals. Alla’s funeral was this morning. We had a chance to say good-bye to Alla. I must have looked strange with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face. Supergirl didn’t quite understand what was going on, she would alternate between being sad “I’m going to miss Alla.” and being absolutely ecstatic because her godmother was there. We hadn’t seen her godmother in a long time. It warmed my heart and brought a smile to my face to see my daughter so happy.

It’s been a sad day and a very happy day. Thankful to spend some extra time with a wonderful friend and thankful we had the opportunity to say one last good bye here on earth to a dear older lady.

What are you thankful for today? Come join Brenda at Garden of Learning for her 2011 Gratitude Challenge.

2011 Gratitude Challenge Day 4 and Read Aloud Challenge for 11/3

2011-11-04T17:46:00.001-07:00

I decided to combine two challenges into one post. Partly because I am lazy and I do not want to do two blog posts today and partly because I want to challenge myself to see if I can connect the two memes.

Today is November 4th. That means it would be my paternal Grandparents wedding anniversary today. I think they were married in 1933. (I think they celebrated 50 years in 1983). My grandparents were childhood sweet hearts. My grandmother didn’t remember a day in her life when she did NOT know my grandfather. They didn’t have an easy life together, but they were together until death parted them on October 29, 1984. I am thankful for my grandmother’s steadfast faith in God that carried her through until her death on May 16th 2008. I’m thankful for my Grandfather who understood how much I loved to travel. He called me his Travelling Tessie. And he knew how much I loved steak. The very last time I saw my Grandfather he handed my father some money and told him to “take his Tessie out for a nice steak dinner”.

My grandmother was a writer. She cultivated in me a love of poetry. She encouraged me to read it. She encouraged me to write it. She encouraged my love of books in general. She was a born story teller and though she did not read aloud to me, she spent hours telling me stories.

I am grateful for poetry books and audio books. Today we listened to Story of the World Volume 1 on CD. Jim Weiss is quite the story teller. Almost as good as my grandma <grin>. Tailorbear’s been listening to SOTW but today we all listened with her.

We also listened to Focus on the Famlly’s Radio Theater version of The Horse and His Boy. We finally started disk 2. We haven’t been making it to piano lessons so we haven’t been listening to these CD’s.

Daddy’s been reading to Supergirl. They finished Home Price and have started Mr. Popper’s Penguins. I’ve also started reading poetry aloud to her. I haven’t been reading poetry aloud for a long time. We also started a new bible story book. I’ll post more about that later. I’m reviewing it for Booksneeze.

We haven’t finished the audio version of The Magician’s Nephew yet but we haven’t been listening to it either. Illness has made lunch hour more of a working lunch with students grabbing a bit to eat while they work to get caught up on school work.

So today I’m grateful for my grandparents and for storytellers. I’m grateful for great literature that I can use to build memories with my daughters.

What are you reading aloud to your kiddos? Check out Debra’s Reading Aloud Challenge over at Footprints in the Butter.

What are you grateful for? Check out Brenda’s 2011 Gratitude Challenge over at Garden of Learning.

TOS Review: Ooka Island Adventure

2011-11-03T19:23:00.001-07:00

For children play is work. Children learn through play. Ooka Island Books describes Ooka Island Adventure as “a downloadable hero-mission in 3D designed to teach young children how to read fluently and well.” From the website: “The OokaMethod^TM combines phonological development and language-rich text with comprehension activities so that children have the opportunity to achieve effortless reading”. You can down a PDF Guide to Ooka Island Adventure by clicking here.

My oldest daughter made this observation about Ooka Island: “This is designed so that the work isn’t separated from the games. She can’t just go on and play around and avoid doing the learning activities. And she has fun doing the learning activities. This combines the fun of the games with the hard work of learning.” For a detailed explanation of the learning activities click here (Ooka Island books also has a trailer you can watch at that same link.)

Be sure and check out the FAQ’s for Ooka Island Adventure. The FAQs provide more information on downloading and installing the game, how the adventure works, requirements and more. I highly encourage taking the time to explore that page. If you click here, you can find information geared for home schooling families. Thanks to the FAQ’s I learned how Supergirl can play the game in Full Screen Mode.

This has been an amazing fit for Supergirl. I love how the game adapts to her level. She is challenged but loves the games. I like that it is guided play based on her learning followed by reading the book and then she gets 8 minutes of free play. She can choose to play a game that has already been unlocked or go to “pencil playground.” At the end of 8 minutes, if she is still logged in, the robot appears and takes her through another round of guided activities. She loves playing with the elves in pencil playground. Here’s Zobot with two elves.

Thoughts from Supergirl: “I like it. It is fun. I’m saving the robot.. I’m getting words. I read books. I get to save the Ooka Elves. I’ve saved 5 Ooka Elves so far. I like making cakes for the elves. To make a cake you listen for sounds and click on them. You go to the library to read books. I go to the mountains and I learn A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z. (Mom note. Yes Ooka Island has helped her to become fluent in letter order!). I learn the alphabet. I play with Ooka Elves.”

Ooka Island Adventure is intended for Pre-K through 2nd grade. Both family pricing and school pricing are available. Family pricing begins at $12.95 for one child with several options though 4 children for 1 year for $129.95. According to the FAQ page, if you are a home schooling family and wish to use this with 5 or more students, you need to choose school pricing. (for 5-30 students it is $20 per log in for one year.) Click here to view the pricing options. Ooka Island also offers a 14 day Free Trail. To begin the Free Trail process click here.

I need to point out that this is a download product and it is HUGE. The file is over 2 GB. From the FAQ page: “It is normal for the download to take 2 hours or more to fully download. The game download is over 2GB in size and includes full 3-D graphics, 85 digital books, all instructions in audio format, and 9 original OokaTunes. Because of it’s size, the game can take some time to download - we appreciate your patience while the game is downloading.”

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about Ooka IslandAll information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received a 6 month subscription/license free of charge to review. This review is my honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.

2011 Gratitude Challenge Day 3

2011-11-03T15:14:00.001-07:00

Some days are easier than others to find something to be thankful for. Today is one of those days for me. A couple of my daughters woke up on the wrong side of the bed. We’ve had lots of tears.

One of my daughters is even further behind in her her English studies than I thought. Another daughter isn’t as far along in math and I am several weeks behind in read alouds.

But that isn’t all. The washing machine decided it just did not want to fill with water. At least not when I wanted it to fill with water. Turn the dial. Pull knob to start. Nothing happens. Push in knob. Turn dial some more. Pull to start. Nothing. Push in, turn, Pull. Water starts! Oh wait. Wrong cycle. Push in, turn, pull and NOTHING.

So today it is a challenge to find something I want to express gratitude over. My daughter, who’s behind in English, said “you could be thankful that I got caught up on my Teaching the Classics homework.” Yes. She did set the timer for 45 minutes and work very diligently to complete the work she was assigned to finish a week ago. I am grateful that she was able to stay focused and worked through several days worth of TC.

I’m also grateful that we own more than one computer. Two children are currently using the computers to do school work while I type this post on my laptop.

And I’m grateful for my husband who is more than willing to fix the washing machine and the dryer when needed. A few weeks ago when the washer would not agitate correctly he fixed it. He thinks he can fix the washer. I am thankful that he can do those kinds of repairs for us.

What are you thankful for today? Come join Brenda at Garden of Learning and link up to the 2011 Gratitude Challenge.

2011 Gratitude Challenge Day 2

2011-11-02T18:45:00.001-07:00

Today I am grateful for generous friends who bless me with things I need. Today, I received a package in the mail from a good friend. She sent me the Teacher’s Manual for a writing program I want to use with Tailorbear and she sent a literature book that I needed for Turtlegirl. She also included a surprise for Turtlegirl

So thanks to my generous friend, I got to start the Medieval History Theme based writing program by IEW today with Tailorbear. I think we’re both going to love it!

What are you grateful for today? Brenda over at Garden of Learning is hosting the 2011 Gratitude Challenge. Come check it out!

DVD Review: Christmas Lodge (and giveaway, too!)

2011-11-02T10:10:00.001-07:00

Recently my family and I watched a new Christmas movie. Christmas Lodge is a G-rated family movie appropriate even for the little ones.

Here is the official Synopsis:
Thomas Kinkade presents Christmas Lodge: a place where a heart-warming past and loving future meet for one remarkable group of people. During a weekend trip to the mountains, Mary (Erin Karpluk) finds herself at the now- dilapidated lodge where she spent the holidays with her family growing up. She becomes determined to restore the building to its former glory. Inspired by her grandfather and guided by her grandmother in heaven, Mary throws herself into the project, and during the process finds herself drawn to Jack (Michael Shanks), a handsome man who loves the lodge as much as she does. Historically unlucky in love, this chance encounter allows Mary to renew her faith in life and discover her one true love. For an uplifting story about the importance of faith, family and the true holiday spirit, go to the Christmas Lodge.

You can watch the Trailer by clicking here.

This was a movie my whole family enjoyed! My girls were especially interested in watching the movie because Michael Shanks portrayed Jack, the male lead. I think Michael Shanks and Erin Karpluk did an excellent job. The characters were very believable. I am very impressed with Michael Shanks and his portrayal of a Christian widower striving to renovate this lodge that his great-grandfather built.

I loved that the movie was rated G! In the beginning of the movie Mary and her boyfriend Kent are driving to the mountains to spend the weekend together. He talks of taking her to NYC and specifically mentions getting “a couple of luxury hotel rooms”. When they arrive at the lodge in the mountains, Mary hands Kent a key card and says “Here is the key to your room.”. I loved that it was clear that this unmarried couple were NOT sharing a room. I found that refreshing!

Speaking of dating and relationships, I loved the contrast between the boyfriend Kent whom Mary dates and the relationship that develops between Mary and Jack. Jack even uses the word courting when asking Mary to go out with him sometime. I even appreciate the way the movie handled Kent’s break up with Mary. I think the break up scene was well written and the actor playing Kent did a great job.

My family’s favorite scene comes after Thanksgiving Dinner. For my husband, this scene made the movie. I really don’t want to do a spoiler but Jack brings up marriage. And he does so exactly the way my husband brought up marriage with me. My husband’s new joke is “Hey, it’s a real proposal. I proposed like Michael Shanks.” My daughters who have heard the story many times giggled and laughed and recognized immediately that Jack’s attempt and Daddy’s attempt were so very similar. We loved the movie and especially that scene so much that we watched the movie a second time two days later. Supergirl just told me that she wants to watch Christmas Lodge again. I told her that we would watch it again at Christmas time. This movie is being added to our family tradition of watching Christmas movies during the holiday season. I know it will be one we watch year after year.

So now that I’ve told you how much we enjoyed the movie do you want a copy for yourself? I get to give away 1 copy of Christmas Lodge to one of my blog readers!

To enter please leave a comment telling me your favorite Holiday Movie (This is the mandatory entry)

For an additional, optional, one time entry you can:

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This Giveaway will end at Midnight Eastern Time on Wednesday November 9. One winner will be drawn using Random.org. Drawing will take place before 3pm Eastern Time Thursday November 10th. Winner will be contacted by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond. Please make sure I have a way to contact you. I reserve the right to re-draw if, after making a reasonable attempt, I cannot get shipping information for the winner. I will announce the winner in a blog post by Midnight Eastern Time Saturday November 12th.

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Fine Print: This giveaway is a sweepstakes and is only available to U.S. Residents ages 18 and over. Odds of winning are dependent on the number of entries. Winner will be selected using Random.org. If mandatory entry is not completed, other entries will be deleted. If I cannot contact the winner, I will redraw. Winner will have 48 hours to respond. I reserve the right to redraw if winner has not responded within 48 hours. No purchase necessary.

TOS Review: The Person I Marry (Bower Books)

2011-11-02T06:04:00.000-07:00

Product: The Person I Marry written by Gary Bower and featuring oil paintings by Jan Bower.
Vendor: Bower Books
Format Hardcover, 32 pages, fully illustrated
Cost:$11.99
Vendor Website:http://www.bowerfamilybooks.com/

This book is part of the “Bright Future Series”. Other books available from Bower Book Series include “Michigan Kid Books”, and the “Little Loveable” Board Books.

As a member of the TOS Crew I received a link to access a digital copy of The Person I Marry. (The digital copy is not available for retail purchase) Because I haven’t seen a physical copy of the book, I can’t comment on the quality of the printing, the formatting or the binding, but I can say that the pictures are gorgeous. This would be a wonderful treasure of a book to just sit and cuddle with a young child and look at the pictures.

I had hoped to use this book as a spring board for discussions with my teen daughters, however, I really feel the book is better suited to younger children. I think this would be an excellent book for a young child who has an older sibling who is beginning to date/court or will be attending or participating in a wedding.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about The Person I Marry:All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received access to a digital copy (not available for retail purchase) free of charge to review. This review is my honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.

Gratitude Challenge Day 1 ~ 11/1/11

2011-11-01T12:46:00.001-07:00

Last year my friend Brenda from Gardens of Learning hosted a Gratitude Challenge for the month of November. This year she is hosting it again!

A good friend challenged me to post everyday this month as part of the Gratitude Challenge. This means that for this month, I will often be posting twice in a day. If I have a review I’m doing, I still want to post to the gratitude challenge.

Today I am grateful for sunshine. Here in the Pacific Northwest, sunshine in the fall is a rare treat. We receive the most rain in the month of November (according to Weather.com stats). Today on this first day of November the air is brisk but the sun shines brightly. I look out my window and mostly I see evergreens but here and there amid the green I see vibrant golds and reds. I love fall. I always have. Today I am grateful for a fall that reminds me of my family back home in Minnesota.

What are you grateful for?

Come join us at Garden of Learning for the 2011 Gratitude Challenge!

TOS Review: EIL: Introduction to Literature (English 1)

2011-10-31T19:17:00.001-07:00

I believe that every student should study literature as part of a well-rounded solid education. I’ve been looking for years for a curriculum to study literature. Last year as part of the crew, I was exposed to a series called Excellence in Literature written by Janice Campbell. These are published by Everyday Education.

I really liked what I heard about Excellence in Literature and so while at my homeschool convention this past summer, I purchased the British Literature Survey course for my oldest daughter. Imagine how thrilled I was when I saw a vendor interest form asking for my level of interest in book one, Introduction to Literature.

Introduction to Literature is the first level in the Excellence in Literature series. There are four other levels including the Survey of British Literature. (Click on the image to read more about the series as a whole.)

Janice Campbell divides Introduction to Literature into 9 units. Designed to take approximately four weeks each, each unit focuses on one literary work. Except Unit One. Unit One focuses on short stories.

Anatomy of a Unit:

Focus Text: This section lists the title and author
Honors Text: A list of one or two additional pieces to read for the Honors Track.
Unit Focus: explains the objective or purpose of the unit such as “In this unit, you will learn to see elements of continuity in different literary forms.” (Unit 5)
Introduction
Something to think about… Ms Campbell will give a related fact or detail usually related to the period of the piece such as “Many novels in the Victorian era dealt with the sad plight of orphans or the horrors of boarding schools and poorhouses.” (Unit 4) and then pose a question for the student to ponder.
Be sure to notice… Similar to the above section but points out literary features and then poses a question.
Context Resources: Resources for digging deeper into the time period, genre, author’s life. Includes suggestions for resources for poetry, visual, music and more
Assignment Schedule: Assignments are listed by Week. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4. Student must learn to manage their own time and break weekly assignments into daily segments.

Click HERE to view a Sample Lesson. For more information about this particular level click here.

Thoughts from BooBooBear (11th Grade): I really like how Ms. Campbell has it laid out. She gives you the framework to create your own schedule. It’s very loose and flexible which gives you the ability to go as fast or as slow as you want. I like how she has all these resources to look a little deeper. I think it was very helpful to use her recommendations of Teaching the Classics and Elegant Essay. Having Teaching the Classics as a background helped me to formulate the questions for my approach papers. I’m looking forward to doing more units in the Excellence in Literature series. I do feel though that she didn’t quite make it clear enough what to do with the honor’s texts.

Thoughts from Turtlegirl (9th grade): I like the papers. They’re fun. They’re fun because there is a set structure. I don’t have to figure out how to write the papers; I just have to figure out what to put in the papers. Some of the short stories they had use were quite interesting. I think my favorite is “A White Heron.”

My Thoughts: I appreciate that this curriculum is written to the student and develops independent learning skills. I also appreciate all the information included such as “How to Read a Book”, “Discerning Worldview through Literary Periods” and the “Frequently Asked Questions”. Both of my girls, as well as myself, appreciated having formats available for reference to helsuch as “Approach Paper Format”, “Literary Summary Format” and “Author Profile Format”. I received the E-book format but I think I would love having both the e-book and the physical book since I have multiple children who will be using this program.

In the course overview section, Ms Campbell writes “If you are not sure of your skills in literary analysis or essay writing, there are two resources I strongly recommend.” She lists Teaching the Classics by Adam Andrews and The Elegant Essay Writing Lessons by Lesha Myers. Based on my experience, I believe that this course would have been too difficult for even my 11th grader if she had not already begun to work through those two programs. Those programs can be done concurrently along side Excellence in Literature.

Excellence in Literature is intended for use by students in grades 8-12. Introduction to Literature is available in both print format ($29) or e-book format ($27). You can click here for ordering information.

In addition to the Excellence in Literature series, Everyday Education has several other products available such as Transcripts Made Easy, Spelling Made Easy, and Grammar Made Easy.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about Introduction to LiteratureAll information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

An Experimental Dinner

2011-10-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

The other night we tried an experiment for dinner (sorry I didn’t think to take pictures!) and I think it turned out very well. For lack of a better term I told the girls it was “hash”.

My oldest daughter said “Was this an emealz?” I said “Nope, I made it up!” She then asked me for my inspiration. Thought I would share it with all of you.

A few months ago at Bible study, we were discussing sauerkraut and the different ways to use it. I’ve been meaning to try it rinsed and fried with potatoes but just hadn’t gotten around to it.

A week or so (or more?) ago one of my emealz was “beef hash”. It called for frozen cubed hashbrowns. I knew I wouldn’t have any left over roast so I planned to use some cooked ground beef. Well we never made that recipe because… well because life happens <grin>.

So then I was at the grocery store with Honeybear and we found smoked sausage on sale. Hmm, could I do something with sauerkraut, cubed hashbrowns and smoked sausage? Why yes, I think I could.

First I sliced about 1 lb of smoked sausage links diagonally and browned them. I tossed them into my 11 x 13 baking dish and used the same frying pan to cook the hashbrowns getting them nice and brown. In the meantime I took some sauerkraut, drained, rinsed and drained again. When the hashbrowns were finished, I tossed them in with the sausage and browned the sauerkraut. After mixing it all together, I popped it into the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so just to make sure everything was good and hot.

Ok truth be told the I’s should all be We’s because BooBear and I took turns standing and frying.

It turned out far better than I anticipated and was a huge hit with the whole family. We’re going to try omitting the smoked sausage, adding some peppers, onions and whatever veggies I might have and increasing the sauerkraut to try for one of our meatless meals. With the Nativity Fast just around the corner I’m on the look out for some new meatless meal ideas.

What have you been cooking lately?

TOS Review: First Form Latin (Memoria Press)

2011-10-29T13:28:00.001-07:00

There are many great reasons to study Latin such as “studying Latin improves a student’s critical thinking skills” or “studying Latin improves a student’s understanding of English vocabulary and grammar.” I know that studying Latin can provide an excellent foundation for studying other romance languages such as Spanish, French, or Italian.

Despite these great reasons for choosing to study Latin, Latin wasn’t on my radar for this school year. We’ve dabbled a bit here and there with Latin but we decided to go in a different direction.

God, apparently, had alternate plans for my daughters’ education. As part of the TOS Crew, we received the bundle package from Memoria Press for First Form Latin which includes the DVD, audio CD, Student Textbook, Student Workbook, Teacher Manual, Workbook and Test Key, Quizzes and Tests, and even the flashcards!

I wasn’t sure I wanted this program because we’ve used Latina Christina 1 from Memoria Press and it wasn’t a good fit for my family. First Form Latin, however, is turning out to be a much better fit than I expected.

Let me state upfront that if it was not for the DVD this is not a program I would be comfortable using. The DVD relieves the stress of having to spend hours preparing to teach Latin. With the items in the bundle kit, I can mentor, monitor and grade assignments but allow the program to truly do the teaching.

How we are using it: We are striving for one lesson per week or one lesson over 5 days: I used information from the Teacher Manual to create the following outline:

Day 1: As a group we watch the DVD Lesson and then flip through the new flashcards. On their own the girls complete the first section and the enrichment section of the workbook.
Day 2: As a group we listen to the pronunciation CD as part of the daily recitation. Then we go through flashcards including reviewing past lessons. On their own the girls complete a section a of the workbook.
Days 3 & 4: Same as Day 2. Some lessons have more sections than others sometimes Day 4 has two sections to work through in the workbook
Day 5: Quiz or Test

This is a very thorough, systematic, mastery based approach to studying Latin. .I like that grammar is incorporated right from the start and not just a list of vocabulary words. I like that on both the CD and the DVD the students are reminded that proper pronunciation is not as important in Latin because “there really aren’t any Ancient Romans around to correct us.”

I also like that I can use this program with all three of my “big girls”. First Form Latin can be used by students as young as 5th grade and is appropriate through adult level. Completion of First Form Latin is equivalent to one year of high school foreign language.

Additional optional resources are suggested in the teacher manual including when to add them to the weekly schedule, however, we did not choose to use these. These resources would be a bonus to those who are studying Latin and will be taking the National Latin Exam.

The bundle kit that I received includes everything for $115. For more information about First Form Latin and to see individual prices (which are listed in the How to Buy box on the right hand side) click here.

Memoria Press has provided online samples of First Form Latin Lesson 8: Student Text, Student Workbook,Teacher Manual, and the Table of Contents. Latin is not the only subject available from Memoria Press. At Memoria Press you will also find materials for Classical Studies, Christian Studies and I even spied something for Greek!

It wasn’t my plan to study Latin, but we were impressed enough with First Form Latin that I purchased additional workbooks so that my 7th grader, 9th grader and 11th grader could all use this program together.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about First Form Latin from Memoria Press:All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Words

2011-10-27T21:55:00.001-07:00

Words are powerful tools. They can be powerful weapons. It grieves me when I see words misused and tossed around in hurtful ways.

“Everyone” knows that communication on the Internet is difficult. We bring our conceived notions and ideas and even our presumptions to the table when we read an email or forum discussion. We cannot hear the tone of the person writing. We cannot see her face. We cannot read his body language. We interpret what we read through the lens of our own knowledge, experience and understanding. And most of the time we get it wrong.

But miscommunication happens just as much in face-to-face contact as well. I don’t know how many arguments, disagreements and fights could have been avoided if my husband and I had stopped to truly hear one another. Even having the body language, facial expressions and vocal tones, we still talk past each other bringing our own baggage to the table.

It grieves me when I see words taken out of context and twisted and held against the speaker. It grieves me when I see two people striving to communicate but neither one hears the other.

I’ve heard it said that we should strive to first understand the other person and then seek to be understood. So many times I fail. So many times I think I am so sure that I know what the other person means that I focus on making sure she knows what I mean.

Lord Have Mercy.

TOS Review: Game: Say Anything (Family Edition)

2011-10-26T17:30:00.001-07:00

Last year as part of the TOS Crew my family had the opportunity to review Wits and Wagers (Family Edition) from Northstar Games. (You can read my review here.) We noticed then that Northstar Games had listed Say Anything (Family Edition) as “Coming 2011”. We spent the summer looking through game shelves but hadn’t found it. Then this year’s Crew began. I saw that Northstar Games was an upcoming vendor. We were thrilled to be chosen to review this new game.

From the Rules: Overview (Read to new Players) Say Anything is a light-hearted game about what you and your loved ones think. It gives you the chance to settle questions that have been hotly debated for centuries. For instance, “What magical power would be the coolest to have?” or “What would be the most fun thing to throw off a tall building?” So dig deep into your heart or just come up with something witty- this is your chance to Say Anything!

Requiring at least 3 players and allowing for up to 6, players should be at least 8 years old or able to read and write fairly well. The game is easy to learn and a full game only lasts about 30 minutes.

To play the game you have a judge (the youngest person gets to go first as judge) who reads a question that begins with “In my opinion”. All players *except* the judge write an answer and place answer face up on the table.. After all players have given their answer, the judge uses the “SELECT-O-MATIC 6000” to record their choice of best answer. The judge places the selector face down on the table. Now the players try to guess which answer the judge picked. Each player has two tokens. You place your tokens however you want to indicate which answer you think the judge chose.

What I ~~like~~ love about Say Anything (Family Edition)

Reduced Down Time—Unlike most games where each player takes a turn and you are just sitting there waiting for your turn, Say Anything involves all players in every turn. There is a bit of waiting if you are really fast and you write your answer first and you have to wait for others to finish or if you are the judge and are waiting for the other players to write their answer.
Saves paper-- Say Anything uses wipe off boards and dry erase markers for players to record their answers. Even the scorecard is a wipe off board so it can be used over and over again. No need to scrounge for paper and pencil. Even the dry erase markers are included. You do need to provide your own napkins or tissue for wiping the board though.
Interaction of players: I think the best part of the game is when players try to convince the judge to choose his or her answer. I loved hearing my children justify their answers. My favorite comes from my 12 year old, Tailorbear. She said “It wouldn't be cool to be a cyborg. You'd have a fake leg and have to have interchanging parts. Oh wait. That would be cool.” We all laughed so hard! I laughed so hard I cried. This interaction of players helps to build relationships and encourages my sometimes socially awkward daughter to feel more comfortable in expressing herself.
There can be more than one winner: In this game you can have multiple winners. No need to worry about ties for first place and trying to break the tie. Tailorbear thinks this also makes the game more fun because she is less worried about losing.
It’s a lot of fun. My whole family agrees it is a lot of fun and brings lots of laughs. Great way to make memories.

Supergirl isn’t really reading and writing just yet but she wanted to participate so we created an adaptation that allowed her to play along. We skipped her turn as the judge but gave her the maximum number of points a judge could win. When others were the judge we had her tell us her answer verbally and someone would write it for her. We would read the other answers to her so she could choose where to place her tokens. I don’t recommend playing the game with young children however. If you have young children who want to play with the older children and parents, this worked for us.

The list price for Say Anything Family Edition is $19.99. Although not available at this time directly through Northstar Games, you can check your local book or game store or check with your favorite online retailer. You can click here to find the retailer nearest to you.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about Northstar Games’s Say Anything Family edition

Some of my crewmates this year had the opportunity to review Wits & Wagers Family Edition. Click HERE to read those reviews!

All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

TOS Review: George Washington Carver:His Life and His Work DVD

2011-10-24T20:35:00.001-07:00

Recently, as part of the TOS Review Crew, my family received a copy of the DVD, George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work. Published by Marshall Publishing & Promotions, Inc, this 30 minute documentary covers 5 areas:

Inspiring Words: Quotes from George W. Carver set to music with fantastic scenery
Early Life: narrated as if Mr. Carver himself is telling us about being born into slavery and his father dying and other tidbits from his early life.
College Years: with scenes from the different places Mr. Carver traveled we learn about how he worked his way through several schools.
Tuskegee Years: An overview with photos of his time at Tuskegee and his commitment to his students.
Final Years: This part contains actual footage of Mr. Carver! Though a narrator speaks for most of the DVD, we actually hear Mr. Carver’s voice as he gives a speech.

We enjoyed some parts of the DVD more than others. We particularly enjoyed the bits and parts of real time footage of Mr. Carver before his death. It was interesting to hear his voice as he gave his acceptance speech and to watch him at his desk.

My music loving 16 year old appreciated the musical score on the soundtrack. We all appreciated the beautiful nature shots showing gorgeous, colorful flowers.

Although the website recommends this for grades 4 through adult my 16 year old, 11th grader thought it was a bit on the young side for her. She said it seemed appropriate for “middle grades”. My 9th grader says it wasn’t too babyish: “It was a summary and it was very informative.”. I would not call this video entertaining but it is educational and it is indeed informative. I did not know that he always signed his work George W. Carver and that he didn’t really use the Washington part of his name.

We did not use it, but there is a study guide with discussion questions available on the website here.

Regular Price for the George Washington Carver DVD is $24.95, however the web price is $19.95. Marshall Publishing & Promotions, Inc has authorized me to offer a discount for all home schoolers reading my review. Just enter TOSC1 at checkout to receive a 15% discount off the internet sale price. That means your final cost is just $16.95 (plus S&H)

You can order this dvd or any of their other educational historical documentary DVDS by visiting the website at www.marshallpub.com or calling their toll free number 888-300-3455 between 9am and 7pm CST.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about this DVD. Some of my fellow crewmates had the opportunity to review the Fire Safety package. Those reviews can also be found by clicking on the banner :)All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Book Review: Shadows in the Sand by Gayle Roper

2011-10-24T15:03:00.001-07:00

I tend to shy away from typical romance novels. When I read this line from the back cover “While her heart does a happy snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her,” I thought to myself nope this isn’t a book I want to read. But I kept reading the description. “When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries.” That did it. This wasn’t going to be a typical romance. It’s a mystery. With some romance interwoven.

From the Publisher:She serves him breakfast at her café every morning … but he never seems to notice her.

Carrie Carter’s small café in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with a motley crew of locals … although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children—and from the year he tried to drink his reality away. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her, to Carrie’s chagrin.

When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries … and into her life. But when Carrie’s own painful past becomes all to present, her carefully constructed world begins to sink.
Will the fragile relationship she’s built with Greg implode from the weight of the baggage they both carry?

My Thoughts:I love a good book. I especially love a book that makes me smile. This was a book that made me smile. Recently, I came across a quote (attributed to Stephen King) "A successful novel should interrupt the reader’s life, make him or her miss appointments, skip meals, forget to walk the dog." I would classify Shadows in the Sand by Gayle Roper and published by Multnomah Press as a successful novel. I found myself so engrossed in the book that I wasn’t paying attention to my favorite tv show. My family was happily watching the streaming screen and I had my nose buried in the book. I found the book to be an easy read and I finished it much faster than I planned. I think I will look for more books in Ms. Roper’s Seaside Mystery Series.

I felt drawn into the coastal tourist NJ town right away. The characters felt real. Real people, real problems. Though my life has been nothing like Carrie’s I could identify with the emotions she felt. I could identify with her fears.

I appreciated the style of writing. This book mentions church, God, Jesus, praying etc but doesn’t preach at you. Instead I felt the author portrayed her faith through the characters actions. I saw love of Christ displayed in the characters as they interacted.

If you like mysteries and you like romance (or in my case even if you don't generally like romance novels) you'll like this quick easy read.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for this review.

Sigh

2011-10-23T18:45:00.001-07:00

It’s been a rough week. Actually it’s been a rough fall. We had a rough start to our school year with 3 of us having confirmed strep. This weekend (well starting on Friday) we’ve had 3 visits to Urgent Care in 3 days.

It amazes me how one or two people being sick can throw off our entire family. Especially if one of them is mom and the other is mom’s right hand (aka The Oldest Daughter).

I posted about how our schedule had gotten all out of whack and we had an afternoon tea party meeting to sort things out. Things are so crazy here that we’ve barely started implementing some of the changes and then <wham> <bam> we get hit again this week.

Things are so thrown off that I haven’t been blogging as much either. I’ve got several reviews coming up and I really like posting in between reviews but this coming week you might see reviews back to back, something I prefer not to do.

And to make getting back on track even more difficult, Honeybear is taking off three days of work. Maybe that will be a good thing though but usually we don’t get much school done when dad’s home. It’s just too much of a treat to have him around. Maybe I’ll make a big Honey Do List for him <grin>

If you’re lead to pray, my family sure could use the prayers!

TOS Review: e-mealz

2011-10-20T16:49:00.001-07:00

Now that our home school is in full swing, I need help with making dinner. Some days are just too full with coaching and mentoring two high school students as well as one junior high student. Throw in Supergirl’s educational challenges (she’s working at first grade level) and I’m not sure I have any functioning brain cells left to think about dinner. Thankfully for the last 6 weeks I haven’t had to think about dinner. As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received a 3 month subscription to e-mealz.

E-mealz is a menu-planning (with grocery list included) subscription service created by Jane DeLaney. For $15, you receive a menu plan with a grocery list each week for three months. E-mealz offers several different plans and options. You’ll want to explore the options tab to see which plan would suit you. Each option is clickable so you can read about each plan and each description includes a sample menu and grocery list.

I wasn’t sure at first if e-mealz would be a good fit for my family. I’ve always made menu plans and have even blogged about creating a rotating menu plan but creating menu plans every week is mentally exhausting and using the same menus over and and over again such as a rotating meal plan gets boring. But would I like the meals? Would my family eat them? Would it really save me time and money?

We have loved e-mealz here and I plan to renew my subscription. I no longer dread the “what’s for dinner, mom?” question. Just the other day this conversation happened:

One daughter: “What’s for dinner?”
Another daughter: “Ask mom, she knows. She always knows what’s for dinner.”
Mom: “Yes, thanks to e-mealz I do always know what’s for dinner.”

I wish I could adequately describe how much my stress has been relieved with e-mealz. I don’t have to stress out about what’s for dinner. Because of the detailed grocery lists that tell me even which staples I need, I know that I will have everything to make dinner. No more last minute changes or extra trips to the grocery store because we’re out of some key ingredient.

Though there have been some weeks of meals that had more hits than others we’ve had many meals we’ve enjoyed. Of the meals that we actually tried, there was only one that didn’t quite work for us. We won’t be making that one again but we did find several meals that the girls have asked if we could do them again. Here’s a picture of Tailorbear’s favorite meal. We’ve actually made it twice now. It’s a penne pasta with smoked sausage and summer squash and a picture of a cheesy baked tilapia. We’ve made that one twice now too!

I found e-,mealz easy to adapt for my family. We prefer creamier sauces and the recipes just do not seem to make enough “sauce” or “gravy” but I had not trouble doubling ingredients to make it more appealing for my family. For example in the Penne Pasta it called for 1/4 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk. I just knew that would make it a very dry pasta. I don’t do dry. So I doubled the milk and the cream while keeping the cheese the same and it was perfect. Here’s another picture of a recipe I adapted. This is a keeper as well and I plan on making it again. Instead of putting the rice in a baking dish and toping with pork pieces and sauce, I made the sauce with chunks of pork and served it over cooked rice. This allowed me to use less meat and make the meal more economical for my family.

My Final Thoughts: We found e-mealz greatly reduced my stress and saved my sanity. It saves me time. I didn’t think I would need a subscription service to make menu plans but this is well worth the $15 every three months. It’s easy to adapt the meals for my family size and our preferences. We get to try new recipes that I would never have tried otherwise. If you struggle with “what’s for dinner” or with making a grocery list and remembering to include staples like spices, oil, flour or sugar you may want to give e-mealz a try.

For more information on how the program works click here. To view FAQ click here. To purchase a subscription click here.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about e-mealz:All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

TOS Review: Always Icecream

2011-10-17T16:47:00.001-07:00

For the last several weeks my daughter has been having a blast playing and learning on a website just for girls ages 7 to 12.

Always Icecream strives “to combine three important aspects of child-appropriate online learning in a unique way:”

Motivation: Girls experience Always Icecream as a fun “play” site, with a friendly community (parents can turn off the social features). *
Learning: Girls practice a wide variety of academic and practical skills in a playful way.*
Rewards and Recognition: Girls earn “$coops,” our in-game currency for playing learning games. This currency can be used to take care of online pets in PetWorld and decorate homes in MiniWorld. Achievements are recognized through medals and special awards as well as progress reports to parents.*

Tailorbear’s Review of Always Icecream (age 12) It is….. well it’s social. Very social. I have almost no clue who some of my friends are, but because it is moderated I can get to know them. It is TONS of fun because even though you have to do the educational stuff that is fun too! I love always Ice Cream because girls can learn,and have fun with other girls.

Always Icecream has a look and feel of social media; however, unlike some popular social media sites, this one has moderation. Here is what your daughter sees when she logs in:

Parents can also control which games and activities the daughter can access. I can choose to let Tailorbear have only access to the educational activities but not any of the social or community activities. I can also pick and choose which activities I allow her to use.

Initially, I had some concerns about Always Icecream. The website has an appeal to younger girls. Supergirl is not developmentally ready for this program but she constantly asks for her own account. It looks fun. It looks inviting. It is not appropriate for young girls who are not reading independently.

I was also concerned that Tailorbear would find the website layout unappealing and too babyish. I was wrong. Though she is not gushing over the visual appeal, it does not bother her the way I thought it would. I also feared that being 12, this program would not challenge her. I had concerns that the educational aspect would be lost amid the fun rewards. Again I was wrong. She has been challenged. She has been learning.

The friendship and community interactions caused me to raise an eyebrow. Would Tailorbear spend so much time interacting with the friends that she does not complete the educational activities? Would she be safe? Again my worries were unfounded. Always Icecream takes the safety of our daughters very seriously. You can read their position on safety HERE. And with the moderation provided, I am not worried that my daughter will read something inappropriate or that she will post something inappropriate. Overall I am pleased with Always Icecream. I like that Tailorbear must complete educational activities in order to earn scoops and the the fun activities such as decorating a room or caring for a pet require the payment of scoops. If she runs out of scoops she can’t play anymore. I like that I can add up to 2000 scoops a month as a reward for school work completed, or as payment for chores or as a reward for something she’s done above and beyond such as helping out at church.

I don’t recommend Always Icecream for girls who are not reading independently around a 3rd or 4th grade level. I think they would be frustrated. Always Icecream discourages the use of shared accounts and I agree. With separate accounts girls are more motivated to earn their own scoops.

I do recommend Always Icecream for girls who read very well and who are motivated by earning rewards.

Always ice cream has several membership plans ranging in price from $4.99 a month (your first month is only 99 cents!) to $99.99 for a lifetime membership. Click here to see all the options. You can also try Always Icecream for free by clicking here.

*Information in these sections provided by Always Icecream

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about Always Icecream.All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received a lifetime membership for one daughter free of charge for review purposes. This review is my honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.

You know you’re a homeschooler when…

2011-10-16T17:45:00.001-07:00

Your 14 year old says “Do we have to do Lit analysis while eating dinner?”

Yes, she was a bit annoyed at her 16 year old sister who started the conversation with “Hey Mom, who would you say is the antagonist in Emma?” I thought f or a moment or two and responded with:

““I’d have to say Emma. I’d say the conflict theme is man versus self so Emma’s really in conflict with herself” She agreed and brought up Frank Churchhill and how he just wasn’t really the antagonist.

That’s when Turtlegirl piped in with her objections to the conversation. And rolled her eyes at us. I’m not sure I blame her. <grin>

TOS Review: Visual Latin 1

2011-10-14T14:37:00.001-07:00

Latin wasn’t a subject I wanted to focus on for this school year. There are a million great reasons to study Latin but I had a few good reasons to not pursue it. That is until we had the opportunity to review Visual Latin. One of my objections to pursuing Latin centers on my lack of Latin ability. I am not a Latin teacher. I don’t have the desire to spend hours and hours learning a language just so that I can teach it to my girls. With Visual Latin, I don’t have to teach. <insert happy sigh of contentment>

When trying to decide if I should express interest in reviewing Visual Latin, I spent some time exploring the website What I found completely changed my mind about studying Latin. Check out this video!

Visual Latin | A Quick Explanation from Compass Cinema on Vimeo.

I strongly recommend reading The Unique Design that Really Works. That page explains the simple design of Visual Latin and how it works. If you’re as impressed as I was you’ll want to download 6 free lessons. These six free lessons include four hilarious but educational introduction lessons (these were so funny that my girls insisted that Daddy had to watch them too!) and two regular lessons.

Visual Latin is of course, visual. Each regular lesson is comprised of three parts: Grammar, Sentences and Reading. For each part there is a video segment and a worksheet. These worksheets are available on the DVD-ROM disc. Or as a download. I love the worksheets! Each section is just one page. Students can use these worksheets to create a Latin notebook. Worksheets include charts of vocabulary and/or grammar. Click on the picture to download Lesson 1 PDF worksheets to go with the FREE Lesson 1 Video.

Visual Latin even has a scope and sequence available to download so you can see what is covered in Latin 1. For other information or questions you may have they have a FAQ titled All the Specs in One Place.

Thoughts from Turtlegirl, age 14, 9th Grade: He keeps things short and simple. I was glad for the humor. This is really good as an introduction to Latin. I really liked it. The worksheets are simple and easy to do. My favorite section is the sentences part. There isn’t anything I don’t like about it.

Thoughts from Tailorbear, age 12, 7th Grade: I like how he doesn’t just do vocabulary. I like how I am learning how to put words into sentences. He’s humorous.The worksheets are alright.

Thoughts from BooBear, age 16, 11th Grade: I liked everything. I like how it breaks it down into small chunks that are easy to grasp. I like how he explains things. He is easy to understand.

My Thoughts: I like how Dwane is real. He makes mistakes and he could have edited those mistakes out of the videos but he doesn’t. This appeals to me because I have perfectionist tendencies and so do my children. I like that Dwane demonstrates that we all make mistakes and that it is ok to make a mistake. You just acknowledge it and move on. I recommend this program for Latin Phobic moms like myself who want their students to have the benefits of studying Latin but are intimidated by the thought of teaching it.

Nitty Gritty Details: Visual Latin, recommended for ages 9 +, is available on DVD or as a download. DVD’s can be purchased for 10 lessons at a time for $30 or the entire set (3 discs, 30 lessons total) for $80. Download version can be purchased for $25 for 10 lessons at a time. There are two levels of Visual Latin. Visual Latin 1 and Visual Latin 2. For more information about purchasing options click here.

Please click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about Visual Latin 1, Lessons 1-10.All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received both the DVD for lessons 1-10 and the download of lessons 1-10 of Visual Latin 1. free of charge to review. This review is my honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.

An Afternoon Tea Break

2011-10-13T21:01:00.001-07:00

Things have been spinning out of control around here lately. Or longer than lately but we reached the breaking point today. School hasn’t been getting done, or at least not consistently enough to meet my long term educational goals. I have a list a mile long of projects and chores that need to be accomplished and I have a spreadsheet full of schedule dates that I find myself pushing off and rearranging.

Let me take a moment to tell you about a crazy lady with multiple personalities. I know she has at least two. I’m pretty sure there are more. Prideful Tess and Practical Tess. I’m sure there’s the Tess who lives on Fantasy Island and Dreamy Tess but let’s just focus on Prideful Tess (cause she is getting her behind kicked big time this week) and Practical Tess (who has been doing some of the “I told you so”s and butt whipping of Prideful Tess)

Prideful Tess is herself mixed up. On the one hand she’s very insecure (or maybe that’s just another Tess altogether) but this Prideful Tess rears her very ugly head when someone implies that she’s not good enough or that somehow she’s not the absolute best. She’s rather vain thinking that no one else can get the job done as well as she can; that is if she wants the job or if the Insecure Tess doesn’t step in and interfere with Prideful Tess’s plans.

Anyway, Prideful Tess has to admit that despite the fact that she knows she’d be fabulous at anything and everything she sets her mind to do, she really can’t do it all. Practical Tess has been whispering to Prideful Tess that we need a plan. We need a budget for our time just as much as we need a budget for our money.

Practical Tess has been secretly evaluating the things Prideful Tess has been seeking to do. I think Practical Tess might even have been praying because I’m pretty sure God had a hand in helping clear the plate a little bit.

So back to today. It was bit explosive here with multiple meltdowns and lots of tears. “I can’t do it all!” “I can’t take it anymore” It wasn’t just mom either.

Practical Tess decided enough is enough. She secured the blessing of the principal and called an afternoon tea meeting to solicit suggestions for how to get things done around the house.

The afternoon tea break was a great way to get everyone to settle down. We went from a lot of tears and frustrations to laughing so hard it hurt. It felt good to laugh at ourselves. We got some scheduling ideas for things like who gets to have the shower when (thus eliminating the traffic jams). The girls worked out some great solutions for who is going to vacuum the living room and when it will get done. Although we all agree that Supergirl needs to shower more often than just when it’s Tailorbear’s week to wash dishes (yes that’s an inside joke. It went something like this “so when it’s her week for washing dishes that’s when the floors get vacuumed and Supergirl gets a shower. Oh wait…. Yeah it was much funnier if you were there. But I just know that’s going to be a catch phrase to make us all laugh.

Having a rough go of things? I highly recommend an afternoon tea break with earl grey tea and lots of laughter.

A Review Related Homeschooling Kind of Day

2011-10-11T20:57:00.001-07:00

Every now and again we have a day in our homeschool schedule that seems driven by the TOS Homeschool Crew. (Check out my sidebar of upcoming reviews with links to the products and/or vendors).

I usually try to space things out and we work review products in our school schedule. Every now and again things get thrown off because Daddy takes a day off so we can go to the Greek Festival in town or there’s a federal holiday and dad is off work or we get strep throat or… well.. life just happens.

Today was one of those review driven days. We have several new programs to add into our schedule. We also needed to focus on a couple things that are review related but aren’t items currently being reviewed.

Maybe I should have said today was Institute for Excellence and Review driven. It feels like everything we did today some how related to either IEW or the Review Crew.

We started 4 new products today:

A math program for Tailorbear. Supergirl gets to try one of the workbooks too. I think both girls will like this new math program.
A learning to read game for Supergirl. She loved it. She excitedly reported to Daddy that she “gets to save the robot tomorrow!”
A Latin program for the three “big” girls. I really expected the girls to give me some grief about it but they liked the dvd lesson. The teacher reminds them of Dr. Rodney McKay of Stargate Atlantis. They had Supergirl convinced the teacher is Rodney’s cousin. <sigh> I think we watch too much Stargate here.
An SAT Prep Course for BooBear. She and I are both so thankful for this resource. I’ll use it again with Turtlegirl maybe next year.

So for IEW related school today we accomplished:

IEW Student Writing Intensive C with BooBear. We went over her 3 paragraphs that she had to rewrite using all the dress ups and adding decorations. It was cool to see these three paragraphs that she had written several months ago. We had a good laugh too over a typing mistake. “he was badly” “yes” “um, dear, he was badly what?” “Oh… injured.. I forgot to type injured. We received this product last year as part of the TOS Crew
Teaching the Classics with BooBear—this is not published by IEW but is recommended by IEW and sold by IEW. It is also recommend by Everyday Education (Excellence in Literature). We’re reviewing Excellence in Literature’s Introduction to Literature and I purchased the British Lit program.
IEW Student Writing Intensive C with Turtlegirl. She is going at a slightly slower pace than her older sister. We went over her 3 paragraph/topic paper on <drum roll> rocks. She loves rocks.

Oh hold the presses… we did do something that wasn’t IEW or Review related! Turtlegirl and I spent some time going over her Sonlight Core 200 History of God’s Kingdom student guide. We put the parts into different binders.

I have to say it was a more relaxed kind of day. I had a list of 11 things I really wanted to get done today. I have check marks by 8 of them. That feels really good. I think every now and again it’s a good idea to attack the day a little differently. Investing my time today with meeting with the the high school students means they can move forward with new assignments leaving me with more time to focus on the other two students.

TOS Review: Principles of Marketing (Professor in a Box)

2011-10-10T17:12:00.001-07:00

My oldest daughter wants to have her own piano studio someday. She’s planning to have her own business providing private piano instruction. We both were so excited to have the opportunity to use and review the Principles of Marketing course from Professor in a Box.

Also known as Basic Marketing, Introduction to Marketing, Fundamentals of Marketing, Marketing, or Marketing Principles, Principles of Marketing retails for $119.99. This course can be completed by any high school student with basic reading and math skills. Professor in a Box also offers a money back guarantee! For more information click here. For more information about Principles of Marketing click here. Would you like to see a sample of chapter 1? Click here.

Features I love:

Includes a lesson plan for the course. There is a file included containing lesson plans for the Marketing Course. Each activity also gives a time estimate so students can budget their time! The syllabus also suggests how many lessons to complete based on a semester (Aug – Dec for example) or Full year (Sept – May) time line.
Everything a student needs is available through the disk! Well maybe not everything. Student should still have paper and pen available and may want a printer but all necessary course content is included. It even includes online resources. There is no bulky textbook to try to wade through.
Quizzes and Exams are interactive! The chapter quizzes and the exams can be completed right on the computer! The program even keeps score and provides a grade. If you do not get a minimum passing score on a quiz it instructs you to go back and re-study the material and take the quiz again.
It is independent! I love that my daughter can do this without me. I love that it is set up with lecture slides and that I am not doing the teaching or the grading. I love that this is training her for college.

Thoughts from my 16 year old: I would recommend it to other people because it gives the information in small chunks that are easy to swallow. It’s not overwhelming. I love how it is formatted and that the quizzes are on the disk and you can take them on the computer. I really really really liked it. The piano business is very very different but this program might give me some ideas I can use. I don’t recommend this program for anybody who doesn’t like the computer or doesn’t like having a class on the computer.

There is one negative, or drawback with this program: It doesn’t save the scores. There is no student log or way to access quizzes already taken. This isn’t a significant enough of a drawback, however, to cause me to NOT recommend the program. I just recommend that students be encouraged to do a “print screen” or to write down the quiz score so it can be recorded. I plan to have my 14 year old use this course as part of her high school studies.

In addition to Principles of Marketing, Professor in a Box also offers Financial Accounting, and a universal Study Guide for Financial Accounting.

A few of my fellow crewmates also reviewed Principles of Marketing. You can click on the banner below to read what the TOS Crew has to say:All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Read Aloud Challenge 10/6

2011-10-08T17:44:00.001-07:00

I don’t even remember the last time I participated in Debra’s Read Aloud Challenge over at Footprints in the Butter. It’s been a crazy start to our school year. Some Reading Aloud or er uh listening to an audio book has been happening. Not as much Reading Aloud as needs to happen but some is better than none right?

I have mentioned this before but I think it is such a great resource so I am going to mention it again. Ancient Faith radio has a podcast series called Under the Grapevine by Chrissy Hart. A few years ago Dr. Hart read aloud the entire Chronicles of Narnia series. These FREE podcast readings are still available on the website. So we finished The Last Battle and we’ve started The Magician’s Nephew.

Speaking of Chronicles of Narnia series We finished listening to the Focus on the Family Radio Drama version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and we started The Horse and His Boy. This book is presented after the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe because in the Narnia series timeline it happens while Peter and siblings are Kings and Queen of Narnia. I’d forgotten how much I love The Horse and His Boy I am so glad that I get to enjoy listening to it as well.

We or rather Honeybear finally finished reading Charlotte’s Web. Supergirl is naming all creatures Wilbur. Doesn’t matter if it is a pig or not. I see a stuffed pig in future as a Christmas present. Honeybear is now reading Homer Price aloud to Supergirl. Supergirl also got to listen to King Tut’s Mummy: Lost and Found. Mommy read some one day and daddy read some on another day.

I’m hoping to finish Mara, Daughter of the Nile. I also want to start God King We haven’t made as much progress in Sonlight’s World History In-Depth part 1 program as I would have liked so we might overlap the end of Mara with God King. Oh we have continued to listen to Story of the World volume 1 on CD.

What have you been reading aloud this week? Would you like to join the Reading Aloud Challenge? You can find this week’s post by Debra here.

TOS Review: Scruble Cube

2011-10-06T19:05:00.001-07:00

Being a part of the TOS Homeschool Crew can be a lot of fun. Recently my family and I have been enjoying playing with the Scruble Cube. It’s a toy and it’s a game. But it’s not just entertainment. From the Scruble Cube Universe Tab of the website:

SCRUBLE Cube can promote the development and exercise of key brain functions- logical deduction, analytical processing and word development skills in a unique and challenging way. And although you can challenge yourself on a variety of levels- if you can simply spell ‘CAT you can play SCRUBLE Cube. (emphasis in original)

So what exactly is a Scruble Cube? The website offers this explanation:

In SCRUBLE Cube™ there are 96 individually rotating letter and premium scoring pegs inserted onto a 4 x 4 x4 cube. The letters rotate to aid in pattern recognition when players are creating words. The cube offers a stimulating single or multi-player environment for spelling words of at least three letters on a single plane or over several faces: 3-Dimensionally. All of the letters have point values and scoring occurs at the end of each player’s turn. Bonuses are awarded for words that have a letter on at least three faces. And that’s the fun and challenge of SCRUBLE Cube: thinking in 3-dimensions!

Some things to know about Scruble Cube:

It is quite difficult to move at first. The pieces seem to stick. The instruction sheet included in the box did say that this should improve with use and that was our experience but it did make the first couple games very frustrating. I recommend playing with the cube and just working the tiles for a bit before beginning any rounds.
It’s addictive. Well maybe it’s just me but I find myself picking up the cube to just play with turning it to see if I can get the letters to line up the way I want. We’ve had the Cube sitting on a table or ledge and multiple family members pick it up as they pass just to practice turning it. I find it relaxing.
Scorecard Template Available. One thing I dislike about games is running out of the included scorepads. Well with Scruble Cube when you use up the included score pads you can print more from the website here.
Scruble Cube has lesson plans available! Scruble Cube isn’t just a game or toy. It doesn’t just improve your thinking skills either. You can use it teach academic skills. You can read about the academic and life skills you can teach with Scruble Cube on the Scruble Cube Education tab. You can download lesson plans from the website here.

What My Family Thinks of Scruble Cube:

Turlegirl”s Thoughts (age 14): I like it. It is fun. It’s kind of fun to try to make one word and to discover that word won’t work but you then find that you accidently created a word that will work just as well. I think this a good game to play with friends and family. It’s a good mind bender.

Tailorbear’s Thoughts (age 12): The only problem is that when you are looking for a certain you can lose your starting point. That’s the only bad thing. It’s fun except when you can’t find a word. I wish it was easier to turn the inside sections.

Honeybear’s Thoughts (the Dad): Overall it’s a fun a game. You have to pay attention to where you are trying to create a word. It’s not just a matter of creating a word but it’s the strategy of turning the cube to get the letters to line up. This is different from Scrabble because you don’t have the tiles in front of you. With Scrabble you can rearrange the letter tiles. It’s different with the cube you have to strategize a way to create a word.

My opinion: I like the Scruble Cube because it isn’t just entertainment. I like that while having fun, we are challenging our brains. I like that lesson plans are available. If you like challenging puzzles and you like word games, I recommend Scruble Cube . My oldest daughter enjoys mind bending challenges, however, she was overwhelmed and intimidated by the word aspect. She does not enjoy word games the way her sisters do. This was not a game she enjoyed and she tended to sit out when we played. If you dislike word games it is possible that would not enjoy this game.

The Details:

retails for $24.95 and can be purchased directly from RSV Productions here
for ages 8 and up
for 1 to 4 players
Includes scorepad, Scruble Cube, and timer
you can purchase a full set of replacement letters for $4.95

.To see what my fellow crewmates have to say about Scruble Cube click on the banner below:All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Winner: What Is He Thinking?? by Rebecca St. James

2011-10-05T11:25:00.001-07:00

It’s time to announce the winner of my What Is He Thinking?? book giveaway! There were 20 comments on my Review Post but only 19 entries.

I used Random.Org to select a number between (and including) 1 through 19. It spit out number 10.

Debbie provided comment number 10 with:

Congratulations Debbie! I hope you enjoy the book!

Thank you everyone for participating in my giveaway.

Today’s Breakfast is brought to you by the letter…

2011-10-04T20:29:00.001-07:00

Last week my husband took some much needed time off from work. Though our school schedule didn’t allow for us to completely drop school for 3 days, we were able to reduce our work load.

Having Daddy home is a treat in and of itself but Daddy wanted to make it even more special. When he was growing up his father would make pancakes for breakfast. These were not ordinary round cakes though. They came in shapes. Letter Shapes.

Continuing in the tradition of his father, Honeybear will sometimes make letter shaped pancakes to make breakfast just a little more fun and special. He choose one of his vacation days to make letter pancakes for all of us.

And yes even Mom got one too!

Beyond Survival: Homeschool Goals for 2011-2012

2011-10-02T20:43:00.001-07:00

We’re several weeks into our 2011-2012 school year and I haven’t really set any formal goals for our home school. I’ve got some rough ideas and some basic lesson plans. I think I’ve laid out a frame work of what I want to accomplish. Sometimes it helps me to write it out and this week’s Blog Cruise Topic happens to be What are your homeschool related goals for the year?

So what are my homeschool related goals for the year? I think it would help me if I broke it down into parts. Grab a cup of coffee or tea or whatever cause this could get long.

General:

To Survive. Yes, I have a general home school goal of survival. My goal is to survive having two in high school, one in junior high and one who defies grade levels. I’ll be searching for ways to overcome home school burn out. Maybe I’ll even blog about them. Assuming I find some ways <grin>.
Record Keeping. As I type this I find myself challenged by how far behind I am in my record keeping. Should I even be admitting this out loud? I love Homeschool Tracker Plus and I intend to continue using it but my goal this year is twofold: 1) finish up the records from last year 2)not let myself get so behind this year.

BooBooBear:

Language Arts: We are focusing primarily on writing skills. We’re using materials from Institute for Excellence in Writing. I want her to be comfortable and confident in writing abilities. She’s planning to take the SAT and we’ll be using a program to help her write SAT essays.
Weekly or Bi-weekly meetings: My goal it is to meet with BooBear at least twice a month to discuss her Sonlight studies. She is using Sonlight’s Core 300 “20th Century World History” for her Social Studies credit. I cannot read every book but thankfully Sonlight provides extensive notes and a study guide. I want to use those notes and study guides as the basis for some great discussion and mom/daughter time.

Supergirl:

Consistency: Last year I felt like we did school in fits and spurts. When push came to shove and something had to give, it tended to be Supergirl school that shoved aside. My goal this year is to be more consistent and make her school work a priority.
Struture: Supergirl tends to thrive on structure. I think if we have a stronger routine (closer to a <gasp> schedule this will give her the structure she needs and provide a nice frame to build up consistency.
Language Arts: We are using Primary Arts of Language by Jill Pike and published by IEW. We’re using both the Reading and the Writing portions. With structure and consistency we should be able to accomplish my third big goal for her this year: printing the letters of the alphabet. Our goals are to be able to write her name from memory as well as be able to do some simple copywork. We’ve been working for several years on foundational skills for penmanship and we are ready to put pencil to paper.

Turlegirl:

Time Management Skills: As Turtlegirl enters High School, she needs to learn how to manage her time to accomplish all her weekly assignments. My goal for her is to be able to give her a weeks worth assignments and have her create her own daily agenda. Managing time is a weak area for many in my family and this year I hope to use a combination of TOS Planner and Homeschool Tracker Plus to teach Turtlegirl how to divide up her work and still have time to play.
Weekly or Bi-Weekly Meetings. Yup this goal is the same as BooBear’s but Turtlegirl is studying Church History or The History of God’s Kingdom using Sonlight’s Core 200 as a starting point. We’ve made some adaptations so that it has more of a focus on Orthodox feel rather than a Western or Protestant feel. I am so excited to explore church history this year with her

TailorBear:

Finishing what we start: If we start a project or a book or a paper or whatever, I want to see it through to the end. This is as much a character goal as it is a home school goal. Tailorbear has lots of great ideas but unfortunately she inherited her parents flaw of lousy follow through.
Extra Reading: I don’t just want to read aloud to her the books scheduled by Sonlight to read aloud but I have some books on my Nook that I would love to read aloud to her .There are also some books that she could read alone.

So moving beyond merely surviving the school year, I want to deepen my relationship all four of my daughters and choosing to home educate is one way to build our relationship.

A little wildlife… a little close to home

2011-10-01T18:39:00.001-07:00

So today is Saturday. But not just any Saturday. Today is Bountiful Baskets Saturday. New shipping routes/company means new pick up times and a (new to us) location.

So at oh dark thirty Honeybear and I roll out of bed, throw on some clothes and plan to exit house to pick up produce. He opens the door. We both go.. Aaaahhh! And he slams the door closed. We peek out the peep hole and decide those are NOT moths attracted to the front porch light. I am sure they are some type of stinging insect but the behavior seems unusual. The sun has not risen but they are active!

We exit through a different route and pick up my baskets of produce. (I “contributed” for 2 conventional baskets and 1 Asian pack. Lots of veggies and some fruit. Good stuff.) After we returned home and entered through alternate route, Honeybear investigated.

The porch light was off and the creatures had settled down ON the light globe. It was still early enough that they were not real active so Honeybear, armed with spray, decided to kill the ones on the porch.

Ewww! Yuck!!! Creepy! I was going to post a picture of the carnage but well I couldn’t handle looking at dead “bee” bodies. Ewww!

Later in the afternoon though, Turtlegirl and Honeybear made a much more pleasant discovery. They were doing some yard work and when Turtlegirl went to start weeding she noticed 3 baby bunnies scurrying away. They “hid” in the area near the front porch.

See the weeds? The weeds need to go but we decided that it would be better to leave the weeds and not frighten the poor babies. The baby bunny in this third picture is very hard to see. It’s cowering in the corner.

I expect wildlife in my back yard. We have a forest back there (really! There’s just a chainlink fence between our back yard and a forest). We’ve had squirrels (both gray and little black ones), rabbits, possum, raccoons, honeybees, and lots and lots of birds that have lived or visited us in the back but now we have nasty stinging things and cute little baby rabbits in the front. At least the baby bunnies are adorable!

Book Review: The Realms Thereunder

2011-09-30T11:07:00.001-07:00

My 14 year old daughter loves fantasy fiction. I have been reading more fantasy fiction because I want to expand my literary genre and so that I can better understand my daughter. When I read the description for this new trilogy by Ross Lawhead, I knew this would be a book that we would both enjoy. The Realms Thereunder is book 1 in the The Ancient Earth Trilogy series.

From the Publisher:
Uncover a land that has been hidden for over a thousand years.

Beneath the land of Britain, a great army is sleeping. On a visit to an old church, Daniel Tully and Freya Reynolds awaken two ancient knights from a centuries-old slumber. They are kidnapped and taken to an underground city that stands in peril, besieged in all directions by a vicious war host. Nidergeard is the only thing protecting the upper world's blissful ignorance of mythical forces that have been held at bay since the creation of the world. In order to return home, Daniel and Freya must strike at the heart of the opposer's power.

Fast forward eight years. Daniel, now homeless, still wages what he believes to be a righteous war against those he judges to be evil. Freya has tried to put the past behind her and concentrate on getting an education, a job, and a life. When they reconnect in Oxford, unseen forces begin to ally against them. Daniel is pulled through a portal and into another world. Freya is abducted by someone—some thing—posing as her professor and drugged to keep her in a delusional state. After they finally break free, neither can deny the truth . . . they must return to Nidergeard and resume the battle.

With a thrilling narrative that draws heavily upon British mythology, The Realms Thereunder will quickly establish Ross Lawhead as a major new voice in fantasy.

My Thoughts: I found this book appealing because Mr. Lawhead combined mystery with adventure to create this fantasy. There is something going on and as a reader I am pulled in because I want to know what that something is.

At times I found myself a little confused because chapters rotate between then and now and within the now chapters we have divided sections that flip between three main characters, Daniel, Freya and Alex Simpson, a Scottish police officer. But over all, I enjoyed the story line, the characters and I even grew to appreciate the rotations in locale and characters.

Mr. Lawhead employed another element I particularly enjoyed. He used the epilogue to both wrap up the current book by answering a question or two but at the same time sets the stage for the next book in the series.

There is one disappointing fact, however. The next book in the series is not scheduled for release until September 2012. I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series.

Dinner: a Family Affair

2011-09-29T11:12:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week I had a Monday. Oh wait it was a Monday. And it was one of those kinds of Monday’s. With two in high school, one in junior high and the 4th daughter doing early elementary level some days I get nothing but school done during the day. Because it was one of those kinds of days, I was thrilled that dinner was already planned (thanks to e-mealz and the TOS Crew. Watch for my review of e-mealz mid-October!).

But this time dinner was special. Not the food itself or the menu. It was special because the whole family (except Supergirl who stayed out of the way.. that in and of itself is helpful!) contributed to dinner. HoneyBear sliced and fried the smoked sausage. BooBear prepared a salad.

Tailorbear diced tomatoes. Turtlegirl cut up a honeydew melon.

Me? I grated zucchini and yellow squash, and boiled the pasta. I then assembled the bits and pieces into “Creamy Penne with Sausage & Squash”

We worked together as a family to prepare dinner because we had all worked hard all day at our “jobs”. It didn’t take long at all to put dinner together. From start to finish maybe 45 minutes? We then enjoyed each other’s company at the dinner table.

I didn’t serve the side dishes suggested by e-mealz, but it was a fabulous family affair dinner!

Note this post is linked up to e-mealz Family Week Blog Carnival. Read the original post here.

TOS Review: Aletheia Magazine

2011-09-28T14:49:00.001-07:00

I must start with True Confession time. I really wasn’t all that interested in this vendor. I saw them on the Upcoming Vendor list for the TOS Crew and I didn’t get all excited or jump up or down. God never ceases to amaze me though. My teen girls, especially my 14 year old, however, have been really excited about this vendor.

Aletheia Writing Magazine is a quarterly publication for Christian teens. The founders of this magazine, Nicholas & Stephanie Muzekari are committed to “offering readers a quality literary and artistic publication that nurtures spiritually-minded creativity from Christian teens across the country.” Each issue includes stories, poetry, photography and art as well as Features and Book Review.

As soon as the Fall Issue arrived, Turtlegirl, my 14 year old literature loving, budding author, disappeared into her room with the magazine.

Thoughts from Turtlegirl: I enjoyed reading stories from kids around my age. I like seeing that I’m not the only person who likes to try to write stories when I haven’t finished my education yet. It’s interesting to see how some of them weave Christian elements into their stories. They usually do it in a way that doesn’t scream denominations. I like that. I am considering participating in the Writing Challenge. Maybe I’ll even submit something to the magazine. I’d like to try writing the poem from a picture but I’m not a good poet.

Tess Notes: For information about the current Writing Challenge click here. The deadline is October 15th.

Thoughts from BooBear age 16: It’s kind of inspiring. Kind of makes you want to write on your own. I have always wanted to write and this gives me that push to actually do it. I’ve thought about writing something to submit. I don’t want to do the Writing Challenge because I can’t be told what to write. I need inspiration. I thought it was cool that it has Orthodox stuff that it was more than just Protestant and Catholic.

What I love about Aletheia Writing Magazine:

I love that it is Pan-Christian! I love flipping through the pages and finding Orthodox references. I love seeing that all Christian backgrounds are represented.
The founders are homeschoolers! The magazine is open to all Christian teens and their families and many of the contributors are homeschoolers.
I love that Aletheia Writing Magazine inspires my daughters. This means more to me than I can express. It is important for them to see other Christians exploring themes in writing. I like that there is a resource that can “creatively enhance their education”

Something to think about: This magazine is geared for teens 13-19. The maturity level of the contributions depends on the maturity level of the contributors. This means that some material may not be suitable for younger teens or may be immature for older teens. My 12 year old (she is exactly 12 1/2 this month!) was not as interested in the magazine as her two older sisters. She too wants to write and I suspect that in another year or two Aletheia Writing Magazine will have more appeal for her.

Some fun Trivia: Aletheia is the Greek word for “truth” or “unveiling”. Our home school is Aletheia Academy. We choose the Greek word for truth because we want our home school rooted and grounded in God’s Truth. I love that the name of the magazine uses the Greek word. I think it’s a very pretty word and I love the meaning that it brings to the magazine!

If you would like to know about Aletheia Writing Magazine please check out their FAQ Page and their ABOUT page on the website.

For $26 (of course that includes shipping and handling) you’ll receive four, 40 full color page, issues. I do wish they had a digital subscription option that would make it a little more affordable for my family. I think Turtlegirl would love a digital subscription! For more information about subscriptions including Canadian and International pricing click here.

Please click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates have to say about Aletheia Writing Magazine:All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received the Fall Issue of Aletheia Writing Magazine free of charge to review. This review is my honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.

Jeremy Riddle “Furious” CD Winner!

2011-09-27T20:10:00.001-07:00

I really love this CD! I am so excited that I get to give one away! Last week I posted my review and giveaway. There were 21 entries at Midnight Eastern last night when I closed the comments. This morning I used Random.org to draw a winner. And the winner is #5!

Giant Sis contributed the 5th comment she said:

Congratulations Giant Sis! I hope you enjoy this CD as much as I have been enjoying mine!

Thank you EVERYONE who participated in my giveaway!

Review and Giveaway: What Is He Thinking???

2011-09-27T11:17:00.001-07:00

Award winning Rebecca St. James is an internationally successful entertainer who also writes best selling books. For more information about Rebecca St. James you can visit her official website.

About "What Is He Thinking??"

In WHAT IS HE THINKING??, Rebecca interviews a range of men from high-profile types to the guys next door, men that every woman can relate to. Although the interviews focus on single guys ages 20-35, Rebecca also includes words of wisdom from older mentors she respects who have been successfully married for years, people like her dad, life coach, and pastor.
The men share their thoughts on topics like how women can respect themselves and the men in their lives, modesty, purity, taking it slow, friendship, letting guys lead, and more. This book gives them the floor to say what they would really like women to know.
The men respond candidly to questions such as:

What is the most attractive quality to you in a woman?
Is modesty truly attractive?
Is neediness a turn-off?
What do you find beautiful?
How can we be dependent on God for our identity, not on you?
How can we help you with boundaries physically?

Rebecca also discusses her own dating life, speaking openly about the single life, her struggle with loneliness, and her hope for the future. She challenges women to see the men in their lives as brothers in Christ and to trust God with their dating lives.

My Thoughts: I am not single nor do I need advice on dating for myself, however, I have daughters. Four of them. And two of them who are beginning to think about their future. I wanted to read this book so that I could discuss dating, love and marriage with my daughters. I confess to being a bit frustrating by Ms. St. James writing style. I wonder if it is just that I am happily married and have been for nearly 17 years so maybe I am out of touch with the dating world? In any case I did discover valuable nuggets to share with my daughters and I will have my 16 year old read the book soon. I very much appreciated the chapter on marriage mentors and Ms. St. James interview with her own father on what makes a marriage a success.

Though I was not pleased with the style of writing, I found the book worth reading and I am pleased to offer my readers a chance to win a copy of this book for themselves.

To enter please leave a comment telling me one thing you would like to know about “What guys think” (This is the mandatory entry)

For additional, optional, one time entries you can do one or both of the following leaving me a comment that you’ve done so (one comment per entry please):

Like What Is He Thinking?? on Facebook.
Like Rebecca St. James on Facebook.
Follow my blog using either Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs (only one entry)

For an additional entry that can be done once per day you can:

Comment on another of my blog posts (non-giveaway post). Leave me a comment here telling me you’ve done so. (One entry per day)

This Giveaway will end at Midnight Eastern Time on Tuesday October 4, 2011. One winner will be drawn using Random.org. I will announce winner on 10/05. Winner will have 48 hours to respond. Please make sure I have a way to contact you. I reserve the right to re-draw if, after making a reasonable attempt, I cannot get shipping information for the winner.

My Wonderful Birthday Weekend

2011-09-25T21:27:00.001-07:00

I can’t believe it is Sunday night already. Time really flew this weekend. What’s that saying? Time flies when you’re having fun? It sure did for me this weekend.

My birthday was yesterday but I started celebrating Friday night. My husband (and I guess the children were included <grin>) decided that I needed to see Duran Duran in concert. A friend of mine emailed to ask if I would like to go and my family insisted that I join her. Two more of our friends were also planning to attend so we got seats together. That was ages ago… or well at least during the summer. I admit I was fairly excited to go see a favorite band the day before my birthday!

Friday night was wonderful. Yummy dinner with great conversation with friends followed by an amazing concert was a great way to start the weekend, especially a birthday weekend.

On Saturday morning, I got to sleep in a bit and when I wandered out to see what everyone else was doing I found this:

We had a lovely day together as a family. I dragged them all with to go grocery shopping so that I could spend time with everybody. I love brownies so instead of a birthday cake my oldest made brownies. To make it more special she sprinkled butterscotch chips on top. We played a new game while enjoying our brownies and ice cream. It’s called Say Anything Family Edition by NorthStar Games. It’s a review crew product but it was perfect for a family birthday celebration. (You can look for my review to appear sometime later in October!). Here’s a picture of the yummy dessert.

But the birthday celebrations didn’t end Saturday night. Today I got to celebrate by going out to lunch with a dear friend of mine from church. Her birthday is tomorrow so we had a little celebration for the two of us. We went to this wonderful Italian restaurant and we both got free ice cream for dessert.

It’s been a very full and wonderful weekend and I’ve got lots of memories to treasure, but I think I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

TOS Review: Tri-Cross by Games for Competitors

2011-09-23T10:02:00.001-07:00

When I read this on the Games for Competitors website , I knew I wanted to request to be considered to review the Tri-cross game:

Helps develop skills in the following areas:

Logical Thinking

Cause and Effect

Predicting

Interpreting Outcomes

Abstract Thinking

Memory (In Variations of Play)

Visualization

We love games here and teaching my daughters how to think is high on my list of educational priorities so a game that teaches thinking and problem solving skills is going to win my heart.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received both the Standard Edition and the EcoTravel Version. We preferred playing on the standard board, however, I loved having the travel version to take with us on our day trips and picnics. Everything you need fits inside the drawstring bag which easily fits into a purse or bag.

There’s an old saying that a picture is worth a 1000 words. I think a video might be worth even more. I’m not sure I could adequately explain the game using several thousand words so instead I’ll include this video link I found on the website:

You can watch more videos on the website here.

This game has quickly become a family favorite. We’ve even included Supergirl in some games. The box suggests ages 10+ however according to the FAQ page just as you can teach a younger child how to play Chess, you can teach an 8 year old to play Tricross. She is developmentally 6 years old and I’m not sure how much she actually understands of the strategy but it is wonderful that all four of the girls can play the game together.

I’ve watched both Turtlegirl and Tailorbear improve their thinking skills while playing the game. The first couple games we played were very short but the as the girls learned how to plan moves and counter opponent strategy the games have lengthened. This is a fun way to build these skills. If you like strategy games, then you would like Tri-Cross.

This is the standard edition of the game and retails for $24.95. You can purchase this version, the travel (Eco) edition ($19.95) or the wood edition ($35.95) from the Tri-Cross store here By clicking on the Tri-Cross store link you can access a link to a list of retail locations where you can purchase Tri-Cross..

To see what my fellow crew mates thought of Tri-Cross click on the banner below.All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Games for Competitors generously provided me with the Tri-Cross Standard and Tri-Cross TravelEco Editions for my review.

Announcing the Winners of the THEO Giveaway!

2011-09-22T20:41:00.001-07:00

I am pleased to announce that ~Jamie~ and Alane @RaH won the Introducing Theo giveaway. Last week I posted about this adorable new series for children and you can read about that here.

My giveaway ended last night and this morning I used random.org to pick two winners. I had a total of 21 entries so I used 21 as my range and I drew number 15.

The 15th Comment belonged to ~Jamie~

I removed ~Jaime~’s entries from the count and drew another number from random.org. This time it was number 6.

The 6th comment belongs to Alane @RaH

Congratulations to both of you! Thank you everyone who participated!

TOS Review: AIMS Earth Book

2011-09-21T20:11:00.001-07:00

One of the things I love about being part of the TOS Review Crew is discovering new curriculum products from vendors I have never encountered before. The Earth Book, subtitled, Hydrosphere, Geosphere, Atmosphere, and Their Interactions contain activities integrating math and science. It is published by AIMS Education Foundation. AIMS is an acronym for “Activities Integrating Mathematics and Science.”

From the Back Cover: “The AIMS Education Foundation is a research and development organization dedicated to the improvement of the teaching and learning of mathematics and science through a meaningful and integrated approach.

I received a thick reproducible book (it’s over 475 pages!) and a CD-ROM. The CD-ROM contains PDF files for the activities. What a convenience! I didn’t have to tear my book apart and I could print only the pages we needed. The PDF files do not contain all of the information from the book but it does contain all of the consumable parts that can be reproduced.

At first I had a hard time wrapping my brain around how to use this resource. Should I use it as a stand alone science curriculum? Should I try integrating it with an earth science curriculum? I have some earth science resources so I thought I would try to incorporate those readings with the hands on activities in AIMS Earth Book. That proved more difficult for me and in the end, we decided to just use the book as is by itself at least for now.

Divided into four sections, this fun resource covers the hydrosphere, geosphere, atmosphere and interactions. Each section is further divided into lessons each with a hands on activity.

A typical lesson includes:

one to two pages of explanation for the teacher which includes the topic, Key Question, Learning Goals, Materials, Management, Answers and more
pages necessary for the hands on activity
a rubber band book
a section entitled Connecting Learning .

Turtlegirl,decided to start with the Hydrosphere. Here she has laid out everything she needs to do an activity about currents.

Here she records her results on an activity page:

Retailing for $49.95 the Earth Book is listed for grades 6-9. You can purchase this activity book directly from AIMS Educaitonal Foundation HERE. You can see what other products are available HERE. AIMS has a series called Essential Mathematics that looks very interesting!

We’ve enjoyed Earth Book. Turtlegirl and I both love the Rubber band books that accompany each lesson. We’re both looking forward to the other 3 sections of the book. I think this program would be awesome for home school co-op. I love how it worked so well for us as an independent way for Turtlegirl to explore science.

The Crew reviewed several AIMS products. Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crewmates have to say:

All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Hair, Hair and more Hair!

2011-09-20T20:15:00.001-07:00

My daughter has extra extra extra thick hair. Seriously! I think her hair is 4 times as thick as my own. When she divides her hair into two parts for ponytails or braids, there is enough hair in just ONE part for at least two people.

She really struggles with how to “do” her hair. She did a really cute ‘do the other day and since I liked it so much, we grabbed the camera. I just had to share:

Here’s another picture. This time from the side:

She pulled back part of her hair into a bun and secured it with an octopus clip and then braided the rest of the hair. I am so glad that she found something she liked for her hair that was fairly easy and simple to do but looks fantastic!

Giveaway: Jeremy Riddle’s “Furious” CD

2011-09-19T14:10:00.001-07:00

This past week I’ve been listening to a pre-release of Jeremy Riddle’s new album, Furious. I started listening at the end of a not so good day and found that the music was soothing for my soul. This is contemporary worship music not just contemporary Christian rock. Though I don’t care for contemporary worship music in my corporate worship at church, I do enjoy listening to it for myself. Like a private prayer, if you will. Listening to Jeremy Riddle allowed me to focus on God, gave me a kind of connection while I washed dishes or chopped veggies or just played on my computer. After a very stressful day, I found Furious to be just what I needed. I felt the tension leave my body as I closed my eyes and listened to the music.

I think my favorite song is “Love Came Down” it starts with “If my heart is overwhelmed and I cannot hear Your voice, I’ll hold on to what is true though I cannot see.” The chorus begins “Love came down and rescued me. Love came down and set me free.” Beautiful music. Beautiful words.

To read more of the background of this fabulous cd you’ll want to visit Jeremy’s page at Vineyard music.

I really love this album and I’m so excited that I get to share one copy of the CD with one of my blog readers. I wish I had more copies to give away! To enter please leave a comment telling me who you think would most enjoy this album at your house.

For additional one time entries you can do one or both of the following leaving me a comment that you’ve done so (one comment per entry please):

Like Vineyard Music on Facebook. (As a bonus you’ll be able to download 3 Jeremy Riddle Songs FREE!).
Follow my blog using either Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs (only one entry)

For an additional entry that can be done once per day you can:

Comment on another of my blog posts (non-giveaway post). Leave me a comment here telling me you’ve done so. (One entry per day)

This Giveaway will end at Midnight Eastern Time on Monday September 26, 2011. One winner will be drawn using Random.org. I will announce winner on 9/27. Winner will have 48 hours to respond. Please make sure I have a way to contact you. I reserve the right to re-draw if, after making a reasonable attempt, I cannot get shipping information for the winner.

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Winner! Ginny Owens: Get In, I’m Driving CD

2011-09-19T08:32:00.001-07:00

Just a quick announcement to let everyone know that I used Random.Org to select a winner for the Ginny Owens Giveaway.

I had 29 entries so I set the max for 29. I drew number 26:

Which corresponds to this comment:

I have sent an email to Sara. Congratulations Sara! I hope you enjoy the cd as much as my family has enjoyed it.

For those of you who didn’t win there’s still a chance for you to win!

My friend Debra at Footprints in the Butter is also hosting a Giveaway and so is my friend over at Ramblings from the Crazy House 2.

Congratulations again to Sara @ Embracing Destiny! Thank you, everyone, for participating!

Week of 9/17 Bountiful Baskets

2011-09-18T18:51:00.001-07:00

Over the last several months I kept hearing how my friend Brenda from Garden of Learning and my friend Debra from Footprints in the Butter loved Bountiful Baskets. Two weeks ago I picked up my first basket. I had only requested one conventional basket but I also did a special order of peaches. My girls canned the peaches and I blogged about it here.

I don’t remember exactly what was in my first basket but here’s a rough guesstimate:

8 ears of sweet corn
2 bunches of kale
green beans
some roma tomatoes
5 pears
some teeny tiny (but delicious) plums
3 mangos
2 personal size watermelons
some peaches

This week though.. oh my word. Let me show you in pictures what I got. Keep in mind though that I got TWO conventional baskets.

Doesn’t that all look yummy! We’ll be eating well here!

TOS Review: Discovering Who I am In Christ

2011-09-16T17:52:00.001-07:00

For the past several weeks Turtlegirl, age 14, and I have been working through Deeper Roots’ Discovering Who I am In Christ bible study. This study is intended for students in grade 8 but can be used for grades 7 or 9 as well.

Discovering Who I am in Christ is book 2 in the Discovering Series but book 1 is not a prerequisite for this course. This book focuses on helping 7th, 8th and 9th graders understand their identity in Christ. The teacher book is laid out exactly like the student book but contains answers, teaching tips, suggestions and notes. For the study pages and tests the teacher guide has the student copy and a second copy with the answers.

Through the TOS Crew we received the student workbook and the teacher guide. The teacher guide which sells for $28.95 is the heart of the program and, in my opinion, a necessary component. I recommend purchasing the teacher guide even if you do not purchase a student workbook ($19.95)

We really like this course but before I get into what I am loving about this Bible Study I’d like to share a few cons:

Though labeled as a “Home school edition” this was not home school friendly. It is laid out for a classroom approach involving multiple children.
If I were to do this program exactly as laid out it would be very teacher prep intensive. I am not willing to do that much prep for just one student that I am teaching one on one
Requires outside sources such as movies, books or movie clips to watch and additional supplies such as poster boards, markers, and wooden blocks. Having to hunt down materials to use in a presentation designed for a classroom does not appeal to me in a home school Bible study.

Despite the cons I’ve listed above there are some things that I am really loving about this curriculum:

I love the focus. I wanted to review this product because I felt my daughter would greatly benefit from a better understanding of who she is in Christ.
I love the discussions I am having with Turtlegirl. We get to spend time one on one going over the questions and discussing the answers
Turtlegirl says she likes the discussions too and that it isn’t hard to add stuff from our denomination.
I loved how it easy it was to use a study bible to give deeper insight to the verses used in each lesson.
Turtlegirl also likes the “reflections” section because they give her an opportunity to write.

I think that this product as written would be an excellent curriculum for a Co-Op or Sunday School but for homeschoolers I would adapt the program by cutting out the presentations and just focus on using the questions as a starting point for some great in-depth family discussions.

Visit the Deeper Roots Website here: Deeper Roots. In addition to the Discovering Series of bible studies for junior and sr high students you’ll find lots of other resources too!

The TOS crew reviewed several Deeper Roots products. Click on the banner to read other TOS Crew Reviews
All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

What a week! What do you mean it isn’t over yet?

2011-09-15T17:39:00.001-07:00

I keep thinking or maybe it’s just wishfully hoping that today is Friday. It’s been a long week and we’re not done yet! I almost titled this post “The best laid plans” you know “the best laid plans of mice and men yada yada yada.

I planned for this to be our first FULL week back to school. I even had a “school wide meeting” on Sunday afternoon to discuss how to do some extra work on Monday and Tuesday so that we could go to church on Wednesday for the Feast day. I made lesson plans and printed out some ebook pages for certain students. In other words I was close to being organized. And then….

A nasty, unwelcome, tiny critter invaded my home. Sunday evening I hear: “Mom, my throat hurts and I don’t feel well at all.” A kiss on the brow confirmed the fever. Monday morning said child is feeling worse and fever is not abating and child 2 begins to complain of the same symptoms. In the middle of the night I awake to the sound of crying. Child number one is withering in pain from an earache.

Tuesday morning child 2 is feeling better but I take child 1 to the doctor. STREP. *sigh* Wednesday take 2 more children to the doctor. More strep. This time we’re seeing OUR family doctor and not just another doctor in the clinic. Dr. S decides it would be best to treat the WHOLE family (thank you thank you thank you!!) because by now I am starting to develop a sore throat and my wallet is broken. (Those co-pays are NOT cheap!)

Thankfully child #1 who has been on antibiotics the longest is feeling much better. Child #2 and Child #3 are doing slightly better and my throat is at least NOT worse. Child #4 still displays no symptoms (Thank you, Lord!!) but today I had to deal with prescription mix up/mess up. It’s all straightened out now and everybody has the right prescription with the correct dosing and the correct number of doses.

Can it be Friday so I can put this week to bed and move on?

Circling Through This Life

TOS Review: ALEKS (Online Math)

TOS Review See-N-Spell Quick Reference Guide

Book Review: I kissed Dating Goodbye

January’s Snow and Ice

TOS Review: Celestial Almanack (February)

DVD Winner (A Mile in His Shoes)

The Measure of Success

TOS Review: Kinderbach at Home(2012)

Book Review: Heroes and Villains of the Bible

Book Description From the Publisher:

A Mile In His Shoes Review and DVD Giveaway!

Project: The School Room aka Dining Room

TOS Review: Z-Guides to the Movies

Ding Dong: They’re Back!

Super Easy 8 Minute Cheesecake

Goal Planning Monday 1/2/12

Happy New Year

The Last Day of 2011

TOS Review: World’s Greatest Stories

Lots of Stuff

TOS Review: Pitsco’s Medieval Machines Pack

TOS Review: Artistic Pursuits

Gratitude Challenge: Thanksgiving Weekend

On The Eve of Thanksgiving

TOS Review: The Reading Game

Gratitude Challenge Days 18, 19 and 20

TOS Review: Time Timer

2011 Gratitude Challenge Update (7 Days!)

TOS Review Math Mammoth

Announcing the Winner!

2011 Gratitude Challenge Days 9, 10 & 11

TOS Review:College Prep Genius DVD Set SAT Prep

2011 Gratitude Challenge Day 7 & Day 8

2011 Gratitude Challenge Day 6

2011 Gratitude Challenge Day 5

2011 Gratitude Challenge Day 4 and Read Aloud Challenge for 11/3

TOS Review: Ooka Island Adventure

2011 Gratitude Challenge Day 3

2011 Gratitude Challenge Day 2

DVD Review: Christmas Lodge (and giveaway, too!)

TOS Review: The Person I Marry (Bower Books)

Gratitude Challenge Day 1 ~ 11/1/11

TOS Review: EIL: Introduction to Literature (English 1)

An Experimental Dinner

TOS Review: First Form Latin (Memoria Press)

Words

TOS Review: Game: Say Anything (Family Edition)

TOS Review: George Washington Carver:His Life and His Work DVD

Book Review: Shadows in the Sand by Gayle Roper

*Sigh*

TOS Review: e-mealz

TOS Review: Always Icecream

You know you’re a homeschooler when…

TOS Review: Visual Latin 1

An Afternoon Tea Break

A Review Related Homeschooling Kind of Day

TOS Review: Principles of Marketing (Professor in a Box)

Read Aloud Challenge 10/6

TOS Review: Scruble Cube

Winner: What Is He Thinking?? by Rebecca St. James

Today’s Breakfast is brought to you by the letter…

Beyond Survival: Homeschool Goals for 2011-2012

A little wildlife… a little close to home

Book Review: The Realms Thereunder

Dinner: a Family Affair

TOS Review: Aletheia Magazine

Jeremy Riddle “Furious” CD Winner!

Review and Giveaway: What Is He Thinking???

My Wonderful Birthday Weekend

TOS Review: Tri-Cross by Games for Competitors

Announcing the Winners of the THEO Giveaway!

TOS Review: AIMS Earth Book

Hair, Hair and more Hair!

Giveaway: Jeremy Riddle’s “Furious” CD

Winner! Ginny Owens: Get In, I’m Driving CD

Week of 9/17 Bountiful Baskets

TOS Review: Discovering Who I am In Christ

What a week! What do you mean it isn’t over yet?

Sigh