Messianic Prophecy for Kids GIVEAWAY

Curious about how Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled through the Messiah? The pick up a copy of Messianic Prophecy for Kids: Follow the Threads by Brynn Padrick. For upper elementary grades (but adaptable to just about any age), it's engaging, fascinating, and includes different activities.

Follow the Threads makes the complicated prophecies accessible for the younger ages. OK, who am I kidding? Some OT prophecies can be a bit confusing for those not so young, too, but Brynn does a good job of making everything as clear as possible. It's not just another workbook, either, it's got all sorts of fun activities to help youngsters remember what they learn.

GIVEAWAY: I have one copy of this great resource to giveaway to one of my friends here in bloggy world. You must live in the continental U.S. and leave a comment including your email address in the comments below (not on Facebook or wherever). I'll choose a winner on Friday, March 8, and email her/him.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for a review; however, the opinions expressed are my own.

Little Pilgrim's Progress Adventure Guide GIVEAWAY

It's hard to belive that Helen Taylor's Little Pilgrim's Progress has been around for 60 years already! But it has, and it's been improved with the addition of an Adventure Guide, written by homeschooling mom Deanna Conrad. Written especially for those in grades 4-6, families with children in other age groups can still benefit from the guide.

It's not just another fill-in-the-blanks workbook. The Little Pilgrim's Progress Adventure Guide provides engaging vocabulary, thought-provoking questions, allegorical concepts, literature elements, biblical applications, and character analysis in various formats. From trusted publisher, Moody Press, you know you can trust the content!

GIVEAWAY: I have not one, but TWO sets of Little Pilgrim's Progress, 60th Anniversary Edition, and Little Pilgrim's Progess Adventure Guide to give away! All you have to do is leave me a comment below (on my blog, not on Facebook or Google + or wherever you're reading my post). I'll choose a random winner on FRIDAY, March 8, 2013, and email the winner (so you must include your email address where I can find it). The giveaway is open only to those living in the continental U.S. only, sorry.

Disclaimer: I received both the book and the guide free from Moody in hopes that I would provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own, though.

Mathematical Reasoning (review)

An educational, easy-to-use, middle school supplement that combines logic and math skills? Yes, please! The Critical Thinking Company manages to do just that with their latest offering, Mathematical Reasoning: Middle School Supplement. Word problems encourage creative, logical thinking and reinforce common 7th-8th grade math concepts. This is a great supplement to whatever math curriculum you're using and takes just a short time each day.

To be totally honest, I have to say that my middle schooler's least favorite subjects are math and logic. However, the clean formatting, engaging questions, and included math facts needed for each problem set made these subjects almost bearable for her. The detailed solutions and tips made it almost painless for her equally challenged mom :-). I have yet to be disappointed by a Critical Thinking Company product.

Visit The Critical Thinking Company's website to purchase your copy today for only $19.99, not a bad price for the 50 activities (2 pages each) it contains.

Disclaimer: The Critical Thinking Company provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. The opinions expressed, however, are my own.

Louisa, book and reading guide review

Louisa is the story of a young, African-American girl who was taken from her family and native country as a young girl. Her inspiring story includes details of learning to read, write, and speak English in her new Boston home. She eventually became an internationally known poetess and gained her freedom. Louisa is loosely based on the life of African-American poetess Phillis Wheatley.


The novel is inspiring and touching. Written from a first-person point of view, the book enables younger readers to relate to Louisa's feelings and escapades. Set during the late 18th century, it adds real-life depth to American history and evangelical studies. 


The Resource Book for Louisa: A Guide for Teachers provides everything homeschool or classroom teachers need to make this a full unit study. Included are journal writing prompts, thought questions, worksheets, projects, vocabulary, a test, teaching tips, and background information. Although not stated, the grade range looks to be about 5-8. The resources are thorough enough to pick and choose, yet not too overwhelming. There's a good variety of projects for writers and those who hate to write.


Hurry on over to Parson Place Press and purchase your set today! The novel would make a great Christmas present.

Disclaimer: Parson Place Press sent me a complimentary copy of Louisa and The Resource Book for Louisa for me to review. The opinions expressed are my own though.

This Year’s Curriculum

We’ve just finished week 4 of our school year, so I figured it was time to catch y’all up on what we’re using and how things are going. Are you ready for another true confessions post? Good, because that’s what’s coming!

The most different aspect of this year is that my older daughter is now a COLLEGE STUDENTS! Crazy, I know, but they tell me that’s what happens after you graduate them from high school. Go figure. Since she is waaaaay too young to be living on campus anywhere, she is attending our local community college (4 courses) and taking 1 course at a new branch (at our church) of a small Christian college. She loves it and is thriving. That makes me happy . Of course, that also makes me crazy because she doesn’t have her driver’s license yet. Oh yeah, I’m also teaching 2 English classes at said community college.

Anyway, let’s focus on  my younger daughter now. She’s working through 8th grade. “That’s the last year of middle school, you know, Mom!” Since I had previously decided not to follow the same academic track as I had used with my older daughter, 8th grade was up in the air. We used Sonlight’s Eastern Hemisphere history curriculum last year and enjoyed it, so I decided to go with their 1-year world history track for this year. I figured it would give Miss Kitten a solid foundation before we hit Veritas Press’s Omnibus next year. For Bible, we’re using The Life of Christ by Positive Action for Christ, and we’re really enjoying it.

For math, we made the switch to Teaching Textbooks for pre-algebra, and so far, it’s getting the stamp of approval from both of us. We stuck with Apologia for science, and we’re scooting right along with Physical Science.

English continues to be a conglomeration of several different curricula, but it’s working fairly well. Vocabulary from Classical Roots B, Fix-It!, and The Lost Tools of Writing (with a few other kids) comprise our English in addition to the literature books from Sonlight.

We’re attempting logic this year. I thought starting with The Fallacy Detectives would make for a smooth transition, but only with my help. Art, again with a few friends, is Artistic Pursuits, Jr. High book 1, while Spanish is from the 10-Minutes a Day series. I now have Spanish labels all over my house, but it sure does help with vocabulary words.

So, that’s what we’re doing for 8th grade this year. What are you all using and how is it working for you?

Bethany

Who Is God? (review)

Apologia isn't just about science anymore. Their new line, Apologia Press, includes a number of resources for parents, a geography curriculum, a writing curriculum, and a "What We Believe" section. Who Is God? is one of four new books designed to help children ages 6-14 to become grounded in the basics of their Christian faith.

The over-250-page hard-back, full-color textbook includes Internet links to free, downloadable notebooking assignment sheets and additional resources. The multi-level format makes it easy to use for the whole family, or an older child may use it alone since it is written to the student herself. The 10 lessons can be complete one every two or three weeks to last through most of the school year. For those familiar with the Apologia Elementary Science series, this book follows that easy-to-use format.

Who Is God? is a non-denominational look at how our ideas of God and the Bible shape our everyday world view. It emphasizes finding out what the Bible says about selected topics, memorizing verses, and applying truths to our everyday lives. It includes engaging stories, thoughtful questions, and fun activities to reinforce the concepts being taught. Lesson titles: 1. Where am I Building My Life? 2. How Can I Know What's True? 3. & 4. What is God Like? 5. Who Are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? 6. If God Created the World, Why Isn't It Perfect? 7. Why Did God Create Me? 8. Will God Meet All My Needs? 9. Why Does Sin Keep Me From Knowing God? 10. Is Jesus the Only Way to God?

We love it! My 13-year-old daughter is able to do the lessons completely on her own, although she comes to me with any questions she has. She has a tendency to read tidbits to me (from everything!) that she finds interesting, and I've heard quite a bit of this textbook. Our biblical, evangelical world views are being reinforced with this thorough curriculum. My daughter completes the notebooking pages as she reads and enjoys the activities and extra challenges that are in each lesson.

Click here to view a sample lesson, the table of contents, and to order. The $39 is well worth your money.

For more opinions and reviews, check out the official TOS Review Crew blog @ 

http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/783783/

Disclosure: 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.”

Professor in a Box: Financial Accounting (review)

Professor in a Box is exactly what it sounds like: a professor teaching my teen a subject with which I am not comfortable: “Financial Accounting.” The 4-CD (for the computer) set comes in an oversized CD case with a paper course syllabus and learning objectives by chapter as well as an itemized list of the contents on each disc. The first CD is for the instructor/parent and contains an introduction, a detailed lesson plan, templates for all of the homework problems, demonstrations, quizzes and exams, solutions, and a grading guide.

This is a high school (1 full year, 1 full credit) level math elective aimed specifically towards homeschoolers. Since I have absolutely no business or math thoughts in my head, I was very excited when the package came in the mail. What’s more, my high schooler was also excited (but probably not as much as I was). She reports that “the video lectures, although easy to understand, are a bit on the long side, so it’s a good thing that there aren’t too many of them.” She was thrilled that this particular math program did not come with a hefty textbook and a million problems to solve per lesson. I’m thrilled that all of the answers are on my CD; I might actually be able to handle this math course. Since it is on CDs, it’s reusable. I would definitely recommend this course for high schoolers not wanting to take trigonometry or calculus.

The topics covered include an introduction, financial statements, recording transactions, merchandising, short-term financial assets, inventories, long-term assets, liabilities, stockholders’ equity, cash flows, and financial statement analysis. All of the course content is included in the flash lecture slides and a brief key concepts and terms file for each of the 12 chapters (28 lessons total). These also include demo problems and step-by-step illustrations of how to work through the various types of accounting problems covered.

You can see a sample chapter on the Professor in a Box website as well as FAQs and a link to purchase “Financial Accounting.” The program costs $134.99 and includes free priority shipping via the USPS. That’s not a bad price considering it’s everything you need for a complete high school course.

For more opinions and reviews, check out the official TOS Review Crew blog @ http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/783255/

Disclosure: 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.”

My Access! (review)

Vantage Learning recently provided our family with an online account at My Access! (Home Edition), a completely web-based writing curriculum supplement.

The Home Edition does not provide lessons in how to write, nor does it focus solely on the mechanics of writing. It is to supplement your current writing curriculum and to help you, as the teacher. “At the center of MY Access! ^® is IntelliMetric™, an artificial intelligence scoring tool. This tool instantly evaluates student writing against a standard rubric and provides students with suggestions to improve their writing. Around this intelligent core, MY Access!^® incorporates instructional courses for each genre at each age range (8–10, 11–14, and 15–18), an in-depth writing manual, organizational resources, and a host of word-processing tools.” You receive a report of your students’ progress and scores, and your children can keep track of their own progress in an individualized writing portfolio.

You can choose which features to use. You can specify either pre-loaded writing assignments (there are 96) or topics that you enter to go along with your other academic subjects. You can give as much or as little hands-on guidance as necessary. The word processing program, editing and writing tools, and self-paced, interactive lessons guide students through the writing and revision processes. “Graphic organizers and other printable resources help students plan and build successful informative, persuasive, and narrative essays.” Included are many samples of actual students’ work for your children’s reference.

My oldest child thought their recommended topics were on the childish side (age 15, grade 11/12). My youngest daughter (age 12, grade 7) struggled with the actual program, since she’s not very technically literate, but did figure it out. I assigned her a topic from her history lesson, which was as easy as choosing one of the pre-loaded subjects. I liked the ease of assigning topics and allowing my kids to choose which one they wanted to write about and when they wanted to do them (the pre-planned ones). I also liked the autonomy and the tutor-suggested revisions it provided (although it might be overwhelming to ingest all at once). This product would be especially beneficial for parents who lack confidence in their own essay-grading skills.

Check out more features and benefits on the MY Access! Website @ http://www.vantagelearning.com/home/products/mahome/. It costs $99.95 for 3 students for 12-month subscription. Other products that are available from this vendor include the following: Home version, college version, professional version, Lexipedia, iSeek, and additional add-on packs.

 

Check out the TOS Review Crew’s blog for more opinions & reviews @ http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/782910/

Disclosure: 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.”

This Year's All-New Curricula Choices

Our 11th year of homeschooling has begun! We are in 11th grade and 7th grade. While not in my original plan, both girls have almost completely new curricula for this year.

Sissy, my junior, is still using Auralog's Tell Me More for French. For Bible and English, she's using guides from Hewitt Homeschooling. The "I Dare You" syllabus is for Bible and "World Literature 1 & 2" are for English. Both use real books instead of textbooks and require more papers and journaling than answering comprehension questions. She is also taking 2 dual-enrollment classes via the Internet from our local community college. They are "College Algebra," which will fulfill her Algebra 2 requirement, and Astronomy 1, which will fulfill her last required science slot. So far, she thinks it's "easy-peasy." We'll see how long that attitude lasts. She's hoping to add a few more subjects to her load so she can finish early, but that's still under discussion.

Kitty, my 7th grader, has had a bit of a shock to her system. Turns out 7th grade is a lot harder than 6th grade and takes a lot more time! She is using Sonlight's Core 5, "Eastern Hemisphere," for Bible, History, and Literature. I think she will enjoy it more as she gets into the groove of using the new curriculum. I think it's great exposure to different cultures and different history than she's had before. For English, she's using Vocabulary from Classical Roots Book A, Fix It! Grammar, and WriteShop 1 (that will start in a few weeks when I teach a co-op class using it). For math, she's still using Math-U-See, and has progressed to the Zeta stage. Kitty is thrilled that this year I've allowed her to do Spanish using Auralog's Tell Me More series instead of Latin. A "Building Thinking Skills" workbook rounds out her curricula for the year.

As for me, I'm starting my first master's class next week. I'll be working towards an MA in English from ECU (East Carolina University) online. My first class is entitled "Research Methods in Technical and Professional Writing." Yep, that title alone is almost enough to send me running for the woods! Really, I'm looking forward to it, although I'm nervous about being a student for the first time in a long time.

Q4U: What's on your curricula shelves for this year? Same old stuff or new stuff? Let us know!

What's Your Style?

What's your homeschooling style? If you're not sure, or if you're curious about some of other styles out there, I thought I'd detail some of the highlights here for you. Of course, there are many variations, but I think these are the main styles.

Classical homeschooling is based on the classics, with three basic stages that correlate with how children learn at different ages: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. It’s methodical, rigorous, and the style that my family and I have embraced for many more reasons that I don’t have space to detail here. The Charlotte Mason method is more flexible, emphasizes nature and artistic studies, and uses a lot of narration. A pre-packed curriculum is just what it sounds like: everything you need in a box from one publisher, including lesson plans. Some of the more well-known publishers of pre-packaged curriculum include A Beka, Bob Jones, and Alpha & Omega. Unit studies focus on one key topic at a time—say, butterflies or moon landings—and encompass most of the required academic subjects. Homeschoolers who use some of this and some of that are classified as eclectic. They take what they see as the best of several different methods and/or publishers and craft a more custom educational experience. Relaxed or unschooling families are more child-centric and use real-life experiences to teach their children. They take each day as it comes and include more play and games than worksheets and grades.

I encourage you to take the time to explore each of these approaches and to think about your family’s current lifestyle. A number of books are available that detail each of these methods. Other books are available that will help you to figure out your children’s learning style. Knowing your children’s learning styles will enable you to tailor your homeschool teaching to your children, which will enable them to thrive.

So, what do styles have to do with organization? I'm so glad you asked! Your style will determine what kinds of materials you need, how you want to organize your space, and how your children learn best.

Q4U: What's YOUR style?

P.S. - Please notice my new signature & my new blog button (feel free to use it to link back to my blog from your blog). Yes, it took me most of a day (plus a few emails from Jodi Wisenhunt), but I'm very proud of myself for figuring it all out!

SpellQuizzer Review

Do your kids want to practice spelling without writing the words over and over again? Are you tired of saying the same spelling words repeatedly? The innovative SpellQuizzer spelling program solves these problems and more.

Simply record vocally each week’s spelling words and a clue phrase, then type in the correct spelling of each word once and you’re done. Your child can select the appropriate lesson and practice her spelling words as many times as needed. If a word is typed incorrectly, the correct spelling is shown and at the end of the list, your child is prompted to redo the wrong words again. My fifth grader gave SpellQuizzer two thumbs up—cool, interesting, and fun!

A single license for the SpellQuizzer spelling software is only $29.95. You just download it onto the computer your child uses and it’s ready to go. It can be used by multiple children for multiple years. SpellQuizzer is not just a spelling program; it can also be used to quiz children on vocabulary words. It’s totally customizable. SpellQuizzer works with any spelling program. Try it FREE for thirty days. What a novel idea and a great bargain!

Calling All Frustrated Writing Teachers

Calling all frustrated teachers of reluctant writers: WriteShop has the solution to your child’s “I don’t know what to write about” dilemma! WriteShop has created StoryBuilders to jumpstart your child’s creative juices. They’ve solved the “Oops, I forgot to put the setting (or plot, or character trait, or character) into my story” excuse, too. StoryBuilders are FUN, creative, nonthreatening helps that will have your reluctant writer asking to do more. They’ll also have your creative writer begging to use them. My 10-year-old reluctant writer actually got excited about her writing assignments from StoryBuilders and requested to use more than one card from each element to spice up her stories.

The WriteShop StoryBuilders are e-books that you print out onto cardstock (either a different color of cardstock for each element with black ink, or white cardstock with colored ink) and cut apart to make a deck of cards for each basic story element: characters, character traits, settings, and plots. Each StoryBuilder set is theme-based, so you can choose just one that fits your child’s interests or buy all three—they’re only $7.95 each. WriteShop StoryBuilder e-books come with a teacher’s guide to help you utilize them to their best advantage for your children. Each story element has forty or more cards, enough to last for a loooong time without having repeats. Since I have neither colored paper nor a colored-ink printer, I printed mine on white cardstock with black ink and then colored them to indicate which element they were. Check out the box in which I store all my StoryBuilder card decks. This method makes it easy for my daughter to choose which theme and which cards for each element she wants to use for each story.

Want to try a StoryBuilder for FREE? The World of Animals StoryBuilders is being offered for FREE (for limited time only) at The Old Schoolhouse Store: http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=62_128&products_id=2530

Peace for a Piece of Language Arts

“Mom, Mom, come here my peace for the school play! Can you help me decide what to where?” “Yes, I’m looking foreword to seeing you act. Don’t practice so much you become horse!” It’s not a complement if someone asks if you die you’re hare. The plain with the American Idle in it crashed into the see.

Yikes! Have you seen similar erroneous sentences in your children’s writings? Do YOU struggle with its versus it’s or your versus you’re? I have to admit that those last two are my personal pet peeves in others’ writings. Struggle no longer! From the creators of All About Spelling come a brand new offering to help with word usage dilemmas: All About Homophones.

All About Homophones is a multi-grade, multi-learning style curriculum designed to take the pain out of teaching about words that sound alike, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Have fun with games, cards, graphic organizers, worksheets, and more while teaching homophones in an engaging, relaxed, easy-to-remember way. The Tool Kit also contains a huge list of homophones separated by grade level to make it easy to make sure your kids are learning the appropriate words.

The All About Homophones Web site includes FREE samples and how-to-teach articles. The creator is so sure that you will absolutely love All About Homophones that she offers a thirty-day, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee. You can purchase a hard copy for $29.95 and an e-book version that you can download right away for $27.95. Either way, it’s a bargain for a great tool you can use with all your children for many years.

Deeper Roots Bible Curriculum Review

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6–7 NKJV).

“Blessed is the man . . . his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night . . . he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:1–3 NKJV).

That’s what I want for my children. Isn’t it what you want for your children? Discovering a Christ-Like Character by Deeper Roots Publications will provide you with the tools to help your children develop the Christian maturity they will need to stand firm in this world.

Discovering a Christ-Like Character is not fluff; it delves much deeper than a fill-in-the blank workbook. The lessons are comprised of memorization, journaling, reading, thought-provoking questions, and “cool activities” (according to my teenager). Each lesson also includes beautiful artwork, maps, prayer suggestions, and an unreached people group profile. It can be used for a full credit on a transcript for high schoolers. The lessons in this Bible curriculum are designed first to help young teen students focus on Jesus Christ and to come to a deeper knowledge of His character, and second, to enable them to personally develop a more Christ-like character. The lessons cover eight different aspects of Christ’s character with which young teenagers most often struggle. The Deeper Roots Web site says, “We believe that Christians only become truly like Christ by growing in knowledge and relationship with Him. Our part is to study God’s Word and obey it; God’s part is to conform us to be like Christ (Rom 8:28–29).” By taking time to discuss each lesson with your children, you will be discipling them and mentoring them in the most effective way towards growing deeper Christian roots.

Deeper Roots curricula were written for homeschoolers. Student books are $19.95; teacher books are $28.95, and the bundle is $62.45 (includes a student book, a teacher book, and one set of Matthew DVDs). The Web site has FREE samples and highlights their many other Bible curricula choices for all age groups, and encouraging books for homeschooling moms.

Think Child, Think!

Higher test scores, here we come! An oft-repeated mantra in our house is “Think child, think!” While the Building Thinking Skills series may not help your kids remember to brush their teeth in the morning, it will help them to use their noggins to think through school stuff.

The Critical Thinking Company has been teaching thinking skills in core subject areas for fifty years. What is critical thinking anyway? “Critical thinking is identifying and evaluating evidence to guide decision making. A critical thinker uses in-depth analysis of evidence to make decisions and communicate his beliefs clearly and accurately.” Isn’t that what we as homeschoolers want for our kids? I sure do! I want my kids to think through not only test answers, but also life decisions. I want to raise independent learners. Using Building Thinking Skills will help accomplish these goals.

The hefty workbooks can be photocopied for use within your own family, making the $29.99 a worthwhile investment. My fifth grader test-drove Level 2 for grades 4–6. She looked forward to her assignments and breezed through them every day. My ninth grader, who has unhappily used other logic curricula, happily worked on the Level 3 Verbal book. The books are incremental and teach skills in a non-threatening manner. Kids have so much fun completing the assignments that they don’t even realize they’re learning critical thinking skills they’ll use throughout their lives.

Core Learning = Your Ticket for the Technology Boat!

Core Learning products (CD-ROM programs) make computer learning fun for all ages! The technology boat is cruising quickly through exciting destinations. Don’t miss the boat!

“Core Learning’s mission is to provide effective learning solutions for the development of fundamental knowledge and skills. Its primary focus of skill development is in areas that both support higher order thinking, but also proved important life skills. Products address key elementary and middle school curriculum areas in math, English language arts, health, art, and technology. Core Learning also publishes software to help develop critical thinking skills and maintain mental processing capabilities in young and mature adults.” Core Learning has been the recipient of many awards.

Do your kids love to play on the computer? Do your kids love to create beautiful art projects? Now they can do both with Core Learning’s brand new Crayola Art Studio! It is VERY easy to use and the tools produce realistic images. My kids (ages 10 and 13) continually clamor to use it. The Crayola Art Studio sells for only $24.95. The Corefx super-duper program allows you to draw, paint, animate, and edit photos on three different levels. It sells for $59.95. The new Creativity Express software sells for only $30 and is a COMPLETE visual arts curriculum for grades K to 8. It meets national standards and can be used by multiple students year after year. What a deal! You can download a FREE three-day trial of the Crayola Art Studio here: http://www.core-learning.com/pt_downloadrequest.asp?demo=artstudio&Title=Crayola%20Art%20Studio



The Health Series includes a program for kids and a program for families. Both are family-friendly, interactive, have cute, engaging, animated guides through the body, and cover a variety of topics appropriate for each age group. The Family Health Series offers five volumes: The Body, Illnesses & Injury, Staying Healthy, Becoming an Adult, and Emotional Health. It is $150 for the set of five topics on one CD-ROM, or get an individual title for $39.95. The Kids Health Series (for ages 7–10) offers two volumes: Explore Your Body, and Explore Your Health. It is $39.95 for both topics on one CD-ROM, or $29.95 for a single topic.

The Math and Language Arts series are extensive. Check out their offerings at http://www.core-learning.com/. The math series offers printed workbooks, textbooks, and help guides in addition to the computer programs. These courses are geared towards kids in grades 3 to 8, but may also be used for advanced younger students or remedial older students. The Language Arts series are geared for grades 2 to 6 and are comprehensive introductions and references to English grammar and writing skills. The lessons in all the series are engaging and interactive. Assessments enable exact placement; test results can be printed, and the lessons meet national standards. The CDs run about $49.95 each—a bargain price for a complete curriculum!

The Perfect Math Tutor!

Do you wish you had a private math tutor who was available at any hour of the day or night? Do you wish you could find a math program your kids would actually like? Do you wish you could find an effective math program that based its recommendations on personalized assessments? Wishes granted!

What: ALEKS is an interactive, math learning Web site subscription service.

Pros: ALEKS uses a very specific assessment for each child to pinpoint exact strengths and weaknesses. It lets kids choose topics to review based on ongoing assessments. It’s totally interactive and explains each topic as kids go along. It sends parents a VERY detailed, weekly report straight to their inboxes. ALEKS reinforces what is being taught in your chosen math curriculum. Kids love using the computer and won’t even realize they’re learning since they’re having so much fun on ALEKS.

Cons: The assessment takes a long time for each child to complete. You kids may not want to return to their dry, dusty workbooks.

Cost: ALEKS can be purchased month-to-month for $19.95 per month, $99.95 for 6 months, or $179.95 for 12 months. Family discounts are available for 6 and 12-month subscriptions when purchasing for multiple students.

Bottom line: We love it! My kids actually asked to work on math—but only on the ALEKS Web site. An in-person math tutor would cost a lot more and not be as accessible.

All About Spelling--And Then Some

Ever forget a spelling rule? You won’t forget again after using All About Spelling with your kids, and neither will they. I wish it had been available when my youngest daughter was struggling through spelling in first and second grades.

All About Spelling offers a phonetic, multi-sensory, no-fail approach to spelling. It is the most thorough and well-organized spelling program I have ever seen (in over eight years of homeschooling). “All About Spelling approaches spelling as a thinking subject, not merely as a subject for memorization.” It is a great program for tactile and auditory learners, as well as for children with auditory processing disorders. It can be used as a phonics program in addition to a spelling program. It is thorough and reusable for other children in your family. If you want to teach more than one child at a time, just make sure you purchase a separate materials packet for each child in order to ensure complete customization of the program.

All About Spelling costs more than a cheap spelling workbook, but it is well worth it if you’ve got a struggling or reluctant learner. Costs: Levels 1 & 2 are $29.95 each for the teacher and materials packet set. Levels 3 & 4 are $39.95 for each set. The letter tiles (essential to the program) are $9.95. The magnets for the letter tiles (helpful for keeping your tiles organized on a magnetic board or cookie sheet) are $5.95. The phonogram CD is $14.95—this will ensure that each phoneme is pronounced, and therefore spelled, correctly. This item is especially helpful for those who live in areas of the country which have strong accents (i.e., the drawl of southerners, or the dropped r’s of New Englanders).

Bethany’s bottom line: the All About Spelling program is great for beginning readers and spellers; it is very comprehensive and you’ll be thrilled with the results.

Time 4 Learning Review

Do the words “time for school” bring groans from your technologically savvy children? With Time 4 Learning, you’ll never hear “I wish I could do my schoolwork on the computer” again. Time 4 Learning brings core curriculum straight to your computer for grades Preschool–8 with no software to install.

How it works: Your children each get their own login with daily, new, multimedia lessons, interactive exercises, assessments, and printable worksheets. The snapshot reports provide an ongoing record of activities and progress. Parents can use Time 4 Learning for enrichment, as core curriculum for homeschooled students, or as part of an overall homeschool program. The lessons and assessments are self-paced and national standards based. The curriculum is based on CompassLearning Odyssey.

Pros: It’s interactive. It can be a complete curriculum or a supplement. It comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Kids can work at their own pace and be on different levels in different subjects; the computer tracks kids’ progress and generates reports for parents. It covers math, language arts, social studies and science and it’s based on national standards. Parents can have full control in assigning which lessons kids work on each day. It has a fun playground area with games as a reward for finishing schoolwork. A new Christian parent-discussion forum has been added.

Cons: There were some instances of what our family considers crude humor. If you’re looking for a Christian program, this is not it—it is clearly secular. The science curriculum promotes evolution. I found the parent/teacher area and lesson plans hard to navigate. It didn’t hold my fifth grader’s attention.

Cost: $19.95/month for the first child; the second child is an additional $14.95/month. Time 4 Learning could be a cost-effective way to cover the basics if that’s all you’re using. If you’re using it as a supplement, the monthly fees could really add up.

The Tutor Review

How do I make sure my children are getting a well-rounded education? Where can I find all the extras that were once standards in a complete education without cluttering my bookshelf and depleting my wallet? The answer to these questions and many more is The Tutor.

The Tutor promises to be a tool to provide “a richer and fuller education experience for [your] children.” It focuses on art, music, geography, classic literature, elocution and more. Every quarterly issue is packed with a wide variety of subjects in each category. Some sections concentrate on one theme (like ants in the Nature section of Volume 1), while other segments have different topics.

But, you may wonder, how many trips to the library will I need to make in order to find the music resources and art prints recommended in The Tutor? None! Your purchase of The Tutor includes two CDs containing all of the referenced music (full-length pieces, not just samples) and six full-color art prints on nice paper by the featured artist.

The Tutor is not dated and not a rigid curriculum. A plethora of information (nearly 200 pages) makes it useful for as long as you wish, although four issues are published each year. Spiral bound books with sticky-finger-proof covers will last for years to come and all age groups will find something useful.

What’s not to like? Nothing. So far we’ve dabbled in the art, music and literature sections and are really looking forward to diving in deeper into other topics. The only thing that would make The Tutor more user friendly is the addition of a more detailed index for easier referencing.

How can you get The Tutor? Check out The Home Educator Tutor Web site. Each issue of The Tutor costs $24.95 (plus s/h). If you prefer to download it, the cost is $15 and includes the art prints, but not the music. The music is available to purchase for downloading separately, though. The bottom line is that The Tutor is worth every penny, just like your children’s education.