Free Grammar

If you use a Classical/Charlotte Mason approach, then you'll love these great grammar freebies that Kysha over at Love's School found!

Home Organization Plan

What mom doesn’t struggle with home organization and cleaning? I think maybe homeschooling moms struggle with this even more for two reasons:

· We accumulate a lot of STUFF!

· The kids are ALWAYS here!

I found Just Mommies quite by accident, but this site has a lot to offer. Their Home Organization Plan looks very doable (especially if you recruit help from the kiddos!). It includes a convenient PDF calendar you can print each month that has the day’s cleaning tasks on it (perfect for posting on the refrigerator!). Also included each month are a monthly task and a decluttering/cleaning challenge that focuses on one area of your home.

Just Mommies is a parenting website that contains a small assortment of educational helps, including worksheets, unit studies, homeschooling articles, and resources for parents of special needs students.

I have only scratched the surface of what’s available at this site. Be sure to check this one out!

Review: Generations of Virtue "Beautifully Made" Books

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review the “Beautifully Made” book series from Generations of Virtue . This three book set includes “Approaching Womanhood”, “Celebrating Womanhood” and “Wisdom from a Woman—Mother’s Guide”. This set of paperback books comes beautifully wrapped in pink ribbon and makes a wonderful gift for that special girl in your life age 8-12. This time in a girl’s life can be very difficult and confusing, and there is a lot of misinformation to be heard. Generations of Virtue helps guide girls and their mothers through this time with factual information and biblical wisdom.

Book 1—“Approaching Womanhood” is designed for moms to read with their daughters as they discuss this important time and bond as she helps prepare her daughter for her anticipated first period. The books combine practical information with showing girls how valuable they are in God’s eyes.

Book 2—“Celebrating Womanhood” is a gift for your daughter at the start of her first period. It discusses feminine hygiene products available and even includes a modest diagram explaining tampon insertion. A menstrual record chart is also included. The book explains the symbolism of blood and tells girls how women are specially connected to Jesus with blood. On the practical side, it explains PMS and its symptoms, as well as giving natural remedies for dealing with its effects.

Book 3—“Wisdom from a Woman” is a guide for mothers. This book takes mom by the hand and guides her through this important time in her daughter’s life.

If you are preparing for that important talk with your preteen daughter, consider investing in these books. The books retail for $18.99

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	5
Ease of use:	5
Visual Appeal:	5
Durability:	NA
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	NA
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	5

Review: Beyond Five In A Row

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review Beyond Five In A Row, Volume 2. Most homeschoolers are familiar with Five In A Row, but Beyond FIAR is a literature based unit study aimed to the 8-12 year age group, using chapter books rather than picture books.

Volume 2 covers the following books:

· Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

· The Story of George Washington Carver by Eva Moore

· Skylark by Patricia MacLachlan

· Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson

Each volume of Beyond FIAR is designed to be completed in a semester. The study covers a variety of areas each week rather than a specific set of academic subjects each day. This could be viewed as a negative if you like the predictability of covering the same subjects each day. Emphasis on subjects varies from day to day and some subjects may be covered heavier one week than others. Subjects covered include History/Geography, Language Arts, Science, Fine Arts, and Human Relationships. The study must be supplemented with Math, and the Language Arts areas of grammar, spelling and penmanship.

Each chapter of the study contains a parent summary, allowing you assign chapter reading to the student while having knowledge of what the chapter is about (though the author encourages reading the assigned chapters aloud with your child). Other components of the chapter are a list of subjects to be covered in that chapter, lesson activities, and a writing and discussion question which encourages development of writing skills. A unique feature that occurs occasionally is “Career Paths”. These may be studied to varied degrees to learn more about various professions.

A sample chapter looks something like this:

(From Chapter 6 of Sarah, Plain and Tall)

· Science: Water Sources

· Language Arts: The Newbery Medal

· Language Arts: Patricia MacLachlan—Writing about what you know

· Language Arts: Hyperbole—Meaning to exaggerate

· Fine Arts: The Killdeer—a fine subject for drawing

The FIAR website also contains links relating to the lessons. At the end of each chapter is a reminder to check the site for these links. The appendix contains a handy scope that lists topics covered in each subject within each literature selection at a glance. A certificate of completion of the volume is also included.

The chapters are not designed to be covered in a day. As with most unit studies, a child’s interest in the subject should guide you in how long to cover it. On average, each chapter can be covered in 2-3 days. Moderate to heavy parental preparation is required, including gathering library books on covered subjects.

This book retails for $24.95 and can be purchased from the FIAR website.

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	5
Ease of use:	3
Visual Appeal:	4
Durability:	NA
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	2
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	4

Review: SpellQuizzer

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review SpellQuizzer spelling software. SpellQuizzer was developed by a father of two elementary school children. It is designed to help children practice and learn their spelling words. SpellQuizzer works with any spelling program.

About SpellQuizzer

I have to be honest—I expected something much different. I thought SpellQuizzer would include games and such to help students practice and be shown on a full screen. It is not that type of software. It is very simple, straightforward software that allows parents to record spelling words with an inexpensive microphone. If you do not have a microphone readily available, you can simply enter a reminder phrase (eg. “this is what we call the building we live in”, house). Students then take a quiz of the list and are given immediate feedback. If they misspell a word, the correct spelling is shown giving instant reinforcement. The software is simple enough to use—in fact, students can easily build their own lists. If they enter an incorrect spelling that is not recognized in the dictionary, they will be alerted, guaranteeing that they will not make their own lists of misspelled words.

As far as support, the SpellQuizzer website offers tutorial videos on how to use each aspect of the software. I downloaded it and was up and running in minutes. I did not have a microphone and therefore cannot say how that aspect would work, but the sample lists produce a clear quality sound. The developers are also in the process of adding free downloadable spelling lists.

My concern with the SpellQuizzer spelling program is the cost. The program retails for $29.95. I have to say that I expected something more for that amount of money. It’s not that the program is not good, it is simply too expensive. From what I can see it simply calls words out to your children—something I would not be so inclined to pay $29.95 for, especially in tough economic times. With many homeschooling families living on one income and trying to spend their homeschooling dollars wisely, I don’t see this software as something I would personally purchase. But try it out for yourself—you can get a free thirty day trial of the software here.

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	1
Ease of use:	4.5
Visual Appeal:	2
Durability:	NA
Customer Service/Support:	4
Amount of materials required:	--
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	2

Review: Math Tutor

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review two of Math Tutor’s DVD tutorials.  Our family received The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor and The Algebra 2 Tutor.

 

The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor is an 8 hour video course that covers the following concepts on two DVDs:

 

Section 1: Adding Whole Numbers
Section 2: Subtracting Whole Numbers
Section 3: Multiplying Whole Numbers
Section 4: Dividing Whole Numbers
Section 5: Adding Decimals
Section 6: Subtracting Decimals
Section 7: Multiplying Decimals
Section 8: Dividing Decimals
Section 9: Adding Fractions
Section 10: Subtracting Fractions
Section 11: Multiplying Fractions
Section 12: Dividing Fractions
Section 13: Percents, Part 1
Section 14: Percents, Part 2
Section 15: Ratio and Proportion

 

The Algebra 2 Tutor is a 6 hour video course that claims to help the student “conquer Algebra 2 immediately”.  It covers the following concepts on two DVDs:

Section 1: Graphing Equations
Section 2: The Slope Of A Line
Section 3: Writing Equations Of Lines
Section 4: Graphing Inequalities
Section 5: Solving Systems Of Equations By Graphing
Section 6: Solving Systems Of Equations By Substitution
Section 7: Solving Systems Of Equations By Addition                                                                                   Section 8: Solving Systems Of Equations In Three Variables
Section 9: Simplifying Radical Expressions.
Section 10: Add/Subtract Radical Expressions.
Section 11: Multiply/Divide Radical Expressions.
Section 12: Solving Equations With Radicals.
Section 13: Fractional Exponents.
Section 14: Solving Polynomial Equations.
Section 15: The Quadratic Formula. 

My children watched several segments of The Basic Math DVD and seemed to understand what was being presented.  It is in no way ‘entertaining’ or catchy, just simply a teacher teaching, which is perfect for visual learners when parents are unsure of how to present a difficult topic.

 

Math Tutor touts improved grades or your money back, which is always nice to hear.  They offer help for many upper level courses including Physics and Statistics.  Each of these DVDs retail for $26.99 and can be purchased at the Math Tutor website.

 

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

 

Value for price:	4
Ease of use:	5
Visual Appeal:	2
Durability:	NA
Customer Service/Support:	--
Amount of materials required:	5
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	3

 

Review: Cadron Creek's Prairie Primer

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review Margie Gray’s The Prairie Primer—A Literature Based Unit Study Utilizing The “Little House” Series.

I had heard of The Prairie Primer and thought it might be something that we would enjoy. I wasn’t committed enough to the idea of it to purchase it yet, but I put it on my wish list at Paperback Swap. However, the book is very popular, so I had no chance of receiving it on there any time soon. (And I am sure that the cost of the book contributed to one not wanting to ‘swap’!) That being said, I am sure you can imagine my delight at being chosen to review this product.

As with most anything, there are aspects of Prairie Primer that I like and those that I don’t like so much. Unit studies are relatively new territory for us. We have tried them in the past with varied success, but I am beginning to feel more of a draw toward them due to the ease of teaching multiple children with them. The key is in finding the RIGHT unit study for your family. Once I relaxed and let myself and my children simply learn with Prairie Primer, rather than trying to find a worksheet to back up every little detail (and realizing, after all this time, that we do not even really LIKE worksheets!) the study went much better. We are currently on the second book in the series: “Little House on the Prairie”. This study has served as more of a Literature only study for us though, which is not how it is intended. I like the predictability of having the same subjects to cover each day, and that is not necessarily how Prairie Primer is written. I found the science and history rather sporadic and not having much of a flow. But in order to dig deeper into matters related to the books themselves, I suppose this is how it must be. I love my Prairie Primer and would not dream of parting with it; however, we do not follow it precisely. It is more of a guide for us to read the books.

About The Prairie Primer

There is a four-week unit for each of the nine Little House Books. I loved the fact that each week was set up on four days allowing for the fifth day to be used for projects and catching up. Since we generally school four days per week, this was perfect for us. Occasionally, there are supporting worksheets or notebooking pages included to go along with the day’s lesson, though they are few. Each unit begins with background information for the parent/teacher. I found this helpful because I didn’t have to dig for information on topics such as the Osage Indian Tribe. There is also a planning guide at the beginning of each unit which lists any books, videos, and supplies you will need for the unit. There are also field trip suggestions in the guide. I did find that several of the suggested books were no longer in print, which was kind of disappointing, but was able to use others in their place.

Each day there is a reading assignment of 1-2 chapters. You will find comprehension questions for each day’s reading assignment. The activities for that day are listed and there are usually many of them. The author advises that you select the ones that will work best for your family. I agree, because there is no way you could do all of the activities she lists. There may be three activities for different aspects of science. Some days there may be no history activities at all. Some may see this as a plus, but for someone like me who needs to be able to check the same subjects off of my list every day, it was a slight problem. I loved, loved, loved how the author brings out biblical concepts from situations on Mrs. Wilder’s books. These have made for many interesting conversations at our house.

As with any curriculum, you must let it become your slave and not your master. We used the free lapbooks at Homeschool Share to supplement our study. We also occasionally used History Scribe.

Overall, I think The Prairie Primer is a good resource, but I am not sure how well it stands on its own. I guess it would really depend on your homeschooling style. You can take a peek inside the book at the publisher’s website, Cadron Creek. The Prairie Primer is paperback and retails for $50.00.

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	3.5
Ease of use:	4
Visual Appeal:	3
Durability:	4
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	2
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	3

Super Grammar Freebie

My friend Kysha over at Love's School found a great grammar freebie (complete workbooks!) and posted about it this week. See Kysha's KISS Grammar post for details!

Free Writing Workbooks

The NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) website has lots of great resources for your aspiring writers, but perhaps the best are these free 100+ page workbooks that walk your student through writing their own novel! I downloaded each of these and looked through them. They are very well laid out and look like something my kids will enjoy.

From the NaNoWriMo Website:

You have found NaNoWriMo’s 100% awesome, non-lame Young Novelist workbooks! Below, you'll see that we have three of them—one for
elementary school students, one for middle school students, and one for high
school students. Inside each workbook you'll find worksheets and activities
that will spark your imagination and guide you through your noveling journey
this November. No matter what age you are, we encourage you to explore all
three. You may find something to keep your creative juices flowing in all of
them!

Download your free copies here!

Review: One2Believe Noah's Ark

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review One2Believe’s Noah’s Ark Play Set. The set comes with Noah’s Ark, 14 animals, and Noah. It also comes with a small booklet that tells the story of Noah. Although my children are really too old to play with this set, I have a nephew who visits and enjoys playing with it. Also, my special needs child enjoys playing with it occasionally. It is an adorable set and the animals are cute and sturdy. My concern however is with the ark itself. It is made of a thin hard plastic that could crack or break easily. The animal and Noah figurines, however, are made of a more durable material. If I were to invest in a Noah’s Ark play set for heavy use by a child, I am not certain this would be the one, simply because of the ark—it just doesn’t seem very durable to me. However, if you just want to use the set in guided play and to teach the story of Noah, it would be fine. I do like the fact that it comes with so many animals, and everything stores neatly inside the ark.

Noah’s Ark retails at the One2Believe website for $29.99.

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	3
Ease of use:	5
Visual Appeal:	5
Durability:	3
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	NA
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	4

Review: Heads Up Reading Frames

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review a large variety of Heads Up’s reading frames for struggling learners. Having struggling learners, I was excited about this. I received a large variety (22 in all!) of reading frames. In case you are not familiar with what reading frames are, they are colored plastic frames that can be placed over written text to assist those with learning difficulties to focus on written material. I had previously bought a couple of these from another company, but Head Up offers a much wider variety. They have small square ones that are perfect for a paperback book, as well as larger ones that work better for a textbook or workbook. My personal favorite is the narrow one that only highlights one line at a time (many of the others highlight and entire passage) and can double as a bookmark! I feel as if it is hard to explain these without actually showing them to my readers, but if you have struggling readers, you definitely want to check these out. They are very affordable, starting at only $1.00 each. My children enjoy using them, and even ask to use them. It definitely helps them focus on the text in front of them.

Equally impressive was the Heads Up website. It contains a large supply of articles written by Heads Up owners Scott and Melinda Boring related to those struggling with learning difficulties. This website is a valuable resource that I will return to. Scott and Melinda Boring are Christian homeschool parents themselves, and that is the kind of company I like to do business with.

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	5
Ease of use:	5
Visual Appeal:	5
Durability:	5
Customer Service/Support:	5
Amount of materials required:	NA
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	5

Review: Bible Story Songs CD

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review Bible Story Songs CD, The Bible: Let’s Sing about the Book We Love. This is a CD that I would recommend for children ages 5 and under. It includes 1 full hour of music and rounds that teach about the Bible and its books. Children sing the songs in a sing-song type voice that is easy to follow along with. Scripture is recited before each song, which would make for excellent memory challenges. Many extras can be purchased to go with the cds, such as sheet music, overhead transparencies, and puzzle books. There are also several other cds available on the website.

The Bible: Let’s Sing about the Book We Love can be purchased on the Bible Story Songs website for $9.99. You can also listen to samples of the music by clicking here.

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	5
Ease of use:	5
Visual Appeal:	5
Durability:	NA
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	5
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	5

Review: Homeschooling ABCs Class

As a member of the TOS Crew, I have been given the opportunity to review Knowledge Quest, Inc.’s Homeschooling ABCs Class. Whether you are new to homeschooling or have been at it a few years, this course—emailed to you weekly for 26 weeks—is packed with information you can use to make your homeschooling experience more enjoyable. Each week, Terri Johnson guides the reader through a different aspect of homeschooling from A to Z and shows you that yes; YOU can educate your children at home successfully. Each lesson is encouraging, informational and EXCEPTIONAL in the way the information is conveyed. Easy, conversational styles make reading the lessons interesting and exciting.

Topics included in the course include (but are not limited to):

· Homeschooling Methods

· Choosing a Curriculum

· Finding other Homeschoolers

· Hands on Learning

· Utilizing the Internet and Library in your Homeschool

· Time Management

· Homeschooling Small Children

· Teaching ideas and tips for math, phonics, reading, spelling, art, music, and more

· Nature Studies and how to get started

· Field Trips

Tons of freebies are given throughout the course. These freebies include curriculum samples, full curriculum downloads, eBooks, lap book projects, charts, and informational articles, just to name a few. While I found that some of the freebies were things I had already received from other sources, many of them were new to me. There are also wonderful tips and techniques included in each lesson. The math lesson alone includes many tips for teaching basic math concepts, including a unique way to remember the 9 times table! There are also links to other websites that are useful included in the lessons.

Each week the lesson is delivered to your email inbox. The lessons are generally 5-10 pages in length and are presented in clean, professional, and visually appealing PDF files. You will look forward to receiving the lesson each week as you wonder what new and exciting information will be presented next! Terri points out that homeschooling is a season in our life that will require significant sacrifices, but reminds us of the value of those sacrifices. She covers more than just the educational aspect of homeschooling. Encouragement in the areas of personal time and household management are included in this course as well. Each lesson ends with a simple “assignment”—usually a small challenge to do or something new to implement in your home school. Terri is a REAL home schooling mom and she knows what struggles homeschooling parents face. She is open and honest about her own struggles and makes you feel as if you are conversing with an experienced friend.

I highly recommend this course to anyone who has been homeschooling less than five years or anyone that is considering homeschooling. I can promise that you will not be disappointed. If you are disappointed (but you won’t be!), they do offer a 60-day money back guarantee. The cost is $10 per month for six months. You would spend more than this for a hotel room to attend a homeschooling conference and would not come away from it with more information and freebies than you will get from these classes. Also, there are 10 free bonus gifts just for signing up! So what are you waiting for? Visit their website and find out more!

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	5
Ease of use:	5
Visual Appeal:	5
Durability:	NA
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	5
Use for multiple children:	NA
Appeal to students:	NA

Review: Write Shop Story Builders

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review Write Shop’s World of Sports Story Builders. Whether your child struggles with writing or is an enthusiastic writer, Write Shop Story Builders can provide him with endless possibilities for creative stories.

Using cards with simple, easy-to-read, basic story elements, your student chooses their character, character trait, setting and plot. From there, the creativity flows as they write their own story. There’s no more whining about not knowing what to write about! And what’s even better, they are affordable—only $7.95 for the Ebook download. It even includes both a color and black version of the cards so that you can print the one that is best suited for your printer. By printing the cards on card stock and/or laminating them, your student has plenty of creativity-inspiring opportunities at hand! Three ways for the student to choose their cards—Blind Pick, Roll the Die, and You Decide—adds to the variety. If you are looking for an exciting new way to encourage creative writing, you will enjoy Story Builders.

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	5
Ease of use:	5
Visual Appeal:	5
Durability:	NA
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	4
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	5

Review: All About Homophones

See/sea, be/bee, ate/eight—how does a child tell the difference? All About Spelling has managed to make this concept both interesting and fun with their new All About Homophones book! I recently had the opportunity to review this book as a part of the TOS Crew.

All About Homophones has simple worksheets arranged according to grade level to help your child learn about homophones. One book does it all—covering grades 1-8! There are 101 worksheets in all, but that’s not all. There are also graphic organizers that allow students to create their own pages illustrating the differences in words. The book also includes card games, crossword puzzles and a variety of teaching tools. It is an all-in-one teaching toolbox for homophones. I personally used this with my 11 year old special needs son and he has so far enjoyed this book. It is easy to teach from and requires almost no preparation.

All About Homophones sells for $29.95 for the soft cover book. An Ebook version sells for $27.95 and is available for immediate download. If printing is a concern, I can tell you that the pages are done in a light grey scale that does not use excessive ink. The 8 ½” x 11” book contains 250 pages.

Be sure to visit their website to look inside the book, play the Homophone Machine, and download their free report “The 5 Secrets of Teaching Homophones”.

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	3
Ease of use:	5
Visual Appeal:	4
Durability:	NA
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	5
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	4

Review: One Year Adventure Novel

Do you have a budding writer on your hands? If so, then the One Year Adventure Novel may be just what your young writer needs! As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review One Year Adventure Novel. I was impressed with the contents of this package—everything your student needs to write their own adventure novel, including lessons on DVD, a colorful textbook, a well-laid out workbook and more. The materials are all high-quality and visually pleasing.

My 16 year-old-son has never cared much for writing assignments. However, he LOVES adventure-type novels and is very creative. I decided to try One Year Adventure Novel with him, but really did not expect him to enjoy it much. Was I ever wrong—he loves it! The concept of One Year Adventure Novel is that through daily writing lessons, students will have their own adventure novel in one year. Each day’s lessons take the student through different literary elements that will be needed to write their novel. The workbook is simply laid out and the accompanying videos are of exceptional quality. The lessons are designed to last around 45 minutes. Although this can be substituted for their regular English course, I decided that this would not be a good choice for my son. Therefore, I assign this to him 2-3 days a week. It is almost like a treat, because he enjoys it so much. This is very doable, because there are 78 lessons and the curriculum is actually designed to be done about 3 days per week.

One Year Adventure Novel curriculum is priced at $199. It comes with everything you need except for creativity. But don’t worry about that, it comes with enough inspiration to generate plenty! If your student is serious about writing, I think this curriculum is well worth the price. And with lessons on DVD, you don’t have to worry about teaching. By visiting their site, you can see sample lessons and even order a free demo DVD. Also, once your student has written their novel, they have the opportunity to submit it to possibly be showcased on the website. The curriculum author is realistic in warning parents that most first novels are not publisher quality, but this course is certain to light a fire in any aspiring writer.

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	4.5
Ease of use:	5
Visual Appeal:	5
Durability:	NA
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	5
Use for multiple children:	3
Appeal to students:	5

Review: Insight Technical Education

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review a unique product from Insight Technical Education. Insight Technical Education provides self-directed materials to assist students in developing real life skills in areas such as Accounting, Drafting, Technical Sketching and Graphic Design. I was privileged to review Advanced Complete-a-Sketch from their Technical Sketching line of products.

The product is conveniently delivered on a CD-Rom, making it easy to print out only what you need. I was excited about this program because my oldest son loves to draw and does so quite frequently. I thought that he would really enjoy this, but unfortunately he seemed very uninterested in the program. This is not your “typical” art course and focuses on technical skills rather than creativity. I think this may have been why my son did not enjoy it so much. However, I think that my special needs son, who also loves to draw, may benefit from it in a few years. (I will have to wait and see!)

Students are introduced to isometric and orthographic projections and are given one sheet projects that have short faint lines on the paper. They are to join the lines and draw the item pictured in the corner of the page. The idea is to progress to drawing these “technical” objects—such as cars, cameras and heavy equipment—on their own eventually. There is also a section that allows them to build 3D paper models of such objects.

The website states that an educator needs no prior knowledge of the field in order to assist the student. Not having a drawing bone in my body though, I felt that the course was over my head.

Unfortunately this product was not a good fit for our family. I do not think that has anything to do with the quality of the product though. I feel that Mel Peterman, the publisher, has a unique product that would be very beneficial to a student interested in drafting as a career.

This product retails for $28 at the publisher’s website. Samples of the product are also available there for download.

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	3
Ease of use:	5
Visual Appeal:	4
Durability:	NA
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	4
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	4

Review: Deeper Roots Discovering Christ-like Habits Bible Curriculum

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review Discovering Christ-like Habits by Deeper Roots Publications. Discovering Christ-like Habits is an intense bible curriculum for 7^th, 8^th and 9^th graders that focuses on developing spiritual disciplines such as faith, prayer, and becoming a student of God’s Word.

This curriculum is very detailed. It has an excellent theme and strives to train young people in developing the Christian habits that will carry them far in their walk with Christ. The book is divided into six lessons, each sub-divided into approximately two full weeks of daily lessons. I received both the student and teacher’s guides for this curriculum. My initial reaction to the curriculum was an overwhelming one. It is a very deep, ‘meaty’ program. If you are looking for a very stringent, parent-child interactive bible curriculum, this is definitely worth checking out.

I used this curriculum with my 16 year-old son who is a tenth grader. He works independently for the most part so I let him work independently on this as well. Although it can be done, you will only receive the full benefit of this curriculum by “teaching” it using the teacher guide. The guide is full of helpful notes and conversation starters. The guide also states that it is necessary that you introduce each lesson with background, review, discussion, examples, etc. in order to prepare the student for the lesson.

Pros: A different group of Unreached People is presented in each lesson. I like the focus on missions. If you child has a heart for missions, this curriculum would be a good choice. The workbook is nicely illustrated and laid out in a clean and crisp fashion. There is plenty of scripture to back up the lessons. Each of the six lessons ends in a review. This edition is written specifically for homeschoolers.

Cons: I would not recommend this for children who are not performing at or above the suggested grade level. The amount of work required could be overwhelming to a student who is struggling academically. Also, there was a video referenced in the first lesson that would have to be purchased unless you are blessed to have access to a church library that owns a copy of it (we were not). That got us off to a rough start as we felt like we “missed” something by not having it.

Discovering Christ-like Habits can be purchased from Deeper Roots website. The cost for the Teacher’s Manual and the Student Workbook are $28.95 and $19.95, respectively. Free samples of the curriculum can be requested from there as well and will be emailed to you.

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	3
Ease of use:	2
Visual Appeal:	5
Durability:	4
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	3
Use for multiple children:	1
Appeal to students:	3

Choosing Curriculum

Are you in a quandry about which curriculum is right for your family? Are you a new homeschooler and have no idea where to begin? If so, check out this post from my friend Kysha over at Love's School here. (And while you are there, check out all of the other homeschooling goodies she has!).

Review: Motherboard Books

January 23, 2009

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review an eBook from Motherboard Books called Let’s Make a Webpage. I will definitely be using this with my oldest son soon and eventually with my younger children. Although it could not be incorporated into our studies right now, I read through the entire eBook and I loved it!

Phyllis Wheeler, aka The Computer Lady, is on a mission to educate children about computers from the inside out. Her company offers a variety of different computer education products besides the eBook I reviewed. Be sure you check out her site and download her FREE Internet Scavenger Hunt to use with your students!

Although this eBook is aimed at ages 8-12, I do not feel that it would be too “babyish” for my high school student. The cover of the eBook states that The Computer Lady “takes you by the hand and shows you how” to build a web page. And this is EXACTLY what she does! Her writing is excellent and very easy to understand. Rather than overwhelming you with computer jargon, she uses a basic level conversational style. Not only that, she explains the mistakes that COULD be made and tells you exactly why you do not want to make those mistakes.

Let’s Make a Webpage is 60 pages in length and retails for $29.99 but is currently discounted to $19.99. A 30 day money back guarantee is also offered. Free trial software is utilized to build the page as well, so you don’t have to worry about incurring additional costs to educate your child about web design. (Unless of course, they love web designing so much that you decided to continue beyond the free trial!)

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	3
Ease of use:	5
Visual Appeal:	5
Durability:	NA
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	4
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	5