Workboxes

We are continuing to enjoy using workboxes in our homeschool. It is providing more structure to the day and I do think that it helps Emily to have a concrete view of all her assignments. The first thing Emily does every morning is to look in all of her boxes to see what she’ll be doing that day.

I am finding myself having to be a bit more vigilant, though, to make sure she “follows the system.” For example, this morning, she was working away and had completed several tasks. When I looked at her number board, I saw that she had completed tasks 2, 4, 8, 9, and 10. Hmmm.

I have also caught her re-arranging boxes and even adding things (like games). This mom needs to keep better tabs on her child!

The “school is in session” card hasn’t been used in a while either. This was an “extra” touch that I added for fun and has pretty much been forgotten about.

Mathletics

Mathletics is an online mathematics site that provides both instruction and drill at every grade level. In the practice mode, students can choose from a list of topics to work on. When the student correctly answers 9 out of 10 questions, he or she is awarded a “gold bar” and is one step closer to mastering the grade level. In addition, points are awarded, which may be redeemed in the cyber-store. Emily found this very rewarding and was more motivated toward accuracy than I have ever seen!  The list of topics is quite comprehensive. You can see the pie chart in the picture below how much of the content Emily has mastered so far.

Her favorite activity on the Mathletics site was the Live Mathletics area, where she was actually able to compete in speed drills with kids from all over the world.

 

A parent’s area on the site allows the parent to monitor the child’s progress, set assignments in the task manager, and print worksheets. The second through fourth grade worksheets are not yet available, but I printed some of the fifth grade level activities and was pleased with the quality. (I did have trouble viewing them on Firefox, however and had to open them in Internet Explorer.) 

A subscription to Mathletics also provides access to another math program, Rainforest Maths, which also provides a wide level of colorful and fun math activities.

A one year membership to Mathletics costs $59.  However if you know the “human calculator’s favorite number”—9, the membership will cost you only $49. I think this is a a great value for the amount of material that is covered in a way that is fun and motivating for kids!

 I received 45 days of online access to Mathletics in return for my honest review.

Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin

Though Waters Roar, by Lynn Austin opens with the main character, Harriet, in jail. It is the 1920’s during prohibition and Harriet has just been arrested for transporting bootleg liquor. The mystery of how she got to that place is told through a series of flashbacks chronicling the lives of her grandmother and mother and their experiences with the Underground Railroad, the struggle for women’s rights, and the fight to outlaw alcohol. Both Harriet and her grandmother, Bebe, are women who struggle to find meaning for lives in which they don’t feel that they fit in with society’s expectations for women and their desire to make a difference in the world.

I recently “discovered” Lynn Austin as an author and she has become a new favorite. Though Waters Roar did not disappoint me. I enjoyed the way the author intertwined the characters’ lives and gradually helped the reader figure out the mystery of what motivated each character.

I received a free review copy of this book from Bethany House.

Maestro Classics

As part of the TOS Crew, I recently received one of Maestro Classic’s CDs, The Tortoise and the Hare, to review. Maestro Classics’ new classical music CD series for children combines classic stories with symphony music.

Titles currently available at Maestro Classics are:

The Story of Swan Lake

Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel

Jaunita, la langosta espanola

Peter and the Wolf

Casey at the Bat

The Tortoise and the Hare

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

I was highly impressed with the quality of this product. The narrator was excellent and the background music was also wonderful. The CD included several tracks….the story itself, background information on Aesop, fables, and the story, an explanation of the the music by the composer/conductor himself, and a sing-a-long of one of the musical pieces.  After Emily heard the background information, she wanted to immediately play the story again to listen for the music selections that she had learned about!

The CD is accompanied by a colorful 24 page booklet with information about instruments, the orchestra, notes and time signatures, words and music for one of the songs in the recording, crossword puzzles, and more.

Maestro Classics CDs sell for $16.98 for individual titles or 3 CDs for $45. These would make great Christmas gifts!

I received this item free for review purposes.

Visit the TOS Crew site to read more opinions about Maestro Classics.

All About Spelling

All About Spelling is a comprehensive spelling program based on proven strategies to teach spelling using the best and easiest method possible. It gives parents, homeschoolers, and teachers strategies that work, including:

• Lessons with crucial concepts explained in easy-to-understand language
• Multisensory methods for different learning opportunities
• Effective techniques to teach both beginner and remedial spelling

Emily and I were sent Levels One and Two of the All About Spelling Program to try out. Each level includes a teacher’s guide and a student packet, which includes sound and phonogram cards, word cards, and key (rule) cards. Also required for every level is the starter kit, which contains letter tiles and a phonogram cd.

I will admit to being a bit disappointed at the levels we were sent, since Emily is a fourth grader and an average speller. Her spelling certainly needs improvement, but I don’t consider her a “remedial” speller either. Level One begins with learning the letter sounds and moves on to short vowel words. Some of the rules and concepts taught include: compound words, plurals, blends, open and closed syllables, and how to determine whether to use “c” or “k” in a word. The author recommends beginning at Level One for beginning spellers or remedial spellers. Children who are older can begin with Level Two, since it does have a quick review of most of the Level One concepts.

We did begin with Level One, completing one to three steps a day. We finished the whole book in about three weeks! Most of the material was very easy for Emily, but I did find a few areas in which she benefited from the review or in which she didn’t understand the “why’s” of spelling patterns, even though she could easily spell the words.

Level Two covers dividing words into syllables, silent “e,” hard and soft “c” and “g,” spelling multisyllable words and much more.

All About Spelling is certainly a unique program that covers much more than “just spelling.” I think the skills learned would be very advantageous in helping children to sound out unfamiliar words. When using the program, we sat on the floor with a magnetic board containing letter, “consonant team,” and “vowel team” tiles. The concept for each day was explained and practiced using the tiles. Only after the concept was mastered, does the child take dictation of words and phrases that reinforce the concept. Review of previous concepts is also built into the program. This approach is excellent for multi-sensory learning. The child practices each step until it is mastered, which may be just one session or up to a week or more.

I think that All About Spelling is a wonderful program that really teaches the rules of spelling, giving children the ability to tackle words that they have not studied before. Highly recommended!

The pricing for All About Spelling is as follows:

Starter Kit (required for all levels) $26.95

Level One (teacher and student) $29.95

Levels Two-Five $39.95

I received this levels One and Two of All About Spelling for review purposes.

Visit the TOS Crew site to read more opinions about All About Spelling.

Black Friday Sale at Currclick

Currclick.com, one of my favorite sites for homeschool resources is having a BIG Black Friday Sale. Hundreds of downloadable books, lapbooks, and other homeschooling resources will be available, beginning Friday, Nov. 27 at 10am central and ending 24 hours later. I always find some wonderful treasures at their “free” promotions!

In addition, Currclick’s annual “Stocking Up the Shelves” sale also begins on Friday and runs through December 15.  All of my Super Star Speech books and homeschool games will be 20% off at this sale.

The Silent Gift, by Landon and Kelley

The Silent Gift, by Michael Landon, Jr., and Cindy Kelley, is the story of a deaf/mute boy and his mother, Mary. With an uncaring and abusive husband, a child who cannot speak or even relate to others, and the poverty of the 1930’s, life looks dismal for Mary. Early in the story, she and her son find themselves homeless and desperate. Then, Mary discovers that her son has a “gift” of prophecy that will quickly change their lives forever.

I had high hopes for this book, and it did, indeed, have an unusual story line and many dramatic elements that could have made it a great story. However, I thought that the boy’s “gift” was just too unrealistic and contrived. It just didn’t make sense to me. Also, I found the book to be rather depressing. The characters moved from one difficult situation to another, with bad luck and evil or selfish people thwarting them at every turn. It did end happily, but I found the journey toward the finale to be too negative and hopeless for my tastes.

I received a review copy of this book free from Bethany House.

Gymathtics DVD

The founder of the Exploromania  company began with a vision to “help children learn through fun interactive experiences.”  Her award winning  Exploracise products are designed to create products that “synthesize education and a healthy lifestyle, beginning with a passion for math education.”  We received the Exporacise Gymathtics  DVD ($24.99) to review. This DVD covers geometry (types of triangles, obtuse and acute angles, etc.), counting and skip counting, and patterns, all included within a fitness workout for children.

First, I want to say that I think this is a great idea. I am a big multi-tasker myself, so I am all for exposing kids to math facts or concepts while exercising. Emily does like this DVD. She has watched and exercised with it several times already and I think it will be a good way for her to burn off some energy on rainy or cold days.  As an adult, I wasn’t thrilled with it. It seemed rather amateurish to me. Even Emily thought the repeated “Give your buddy a high five” commands after every segment were a bit silly. I think this might be a turn-off to many older children.

I would prefer that the workout be more strenuous and the math a bit more challenging. For example, the counting included counting by ones, tens, and hundreds and skip counting by 2’s and 5’s. I think the counting by ones would be too simple for any child who was old enough to use the DVD and I would have liked to see skip counting by 3’s, 4’s and so on.  Overall, I like the concept, but think it could have been implemented better.  We will continue use it, but it probably wouldn’t be something that I would purchase. Exploromania does have a new DVD, Gymathtics 2.0, not yet released, that claims to more intense—both in math and in workout intensity. It might be a better option for our family.  For more reviews, check out the TOS CREW site.

 I received this item free for review purposes .

Ghostline, by Carolina Pad

 

I recently received a sampling of Ghostline products to try out. I was not previously acquainted with this clever product. The poster board, display boards, etc. are marked with a very faint grid that is visible close up, but not at a distance.  (I tried to take a close up photo of the grid lines, but they were too faint to show up.) This helps students or teachers keep their writing and pictures perfectly straight. I have seen (and even produced) plenty of posters on which the writing slopes downward or the size is not consistent.

Emily made a poster using poster board from the Ghostline “Make a Poster Kit,” which includes stencils and 12 sheets of poster board in both white and neon colors ($5.99).  I think the grids did help her to produce a neater project although at times she still became careless and stopped following the lines—probably more an indication of her typical lack of attention to detail than a reflection on the product!  We look forward to using this product line more in the future. This will be great for when I next need to write out words for our church’s children’s choir!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carolina Pad is currently celebrating the 13th birthday of their Ghostline product line and is running a contest on their website to win $500 worth of Ghostline supplies. Thirteen classrooms will be awarded this prize, which ends on Nov. 30.

I received  free samples of Ghostline poster board and display boards for review purposes from Carolina Pad. I received no other compensation for this review.

 

The Dopple Ganger Chronicles—The Secret of Indigo Moon, by GP Taylor

The Secret of Indigo Moon, by G.P. Taylor, is the second book in the Dopple Ganger Chronicles series. The book itself is quite unusual—part text and part comic strip. It was designed to appeal to reluctant readers by interspersing an action-packed story with comic strips and pictures. The text is extremely descriptive and the story is exciting from start to finish.

The plot of the story involves three children who are residents of Isambard Dunstan’s School for Wayward Children, which just happens to be contained in a mysterious old building full of dark hidden passages and isolated towers, and is run by a child-hating headmistress by the name of Miss Rimmer. The heroes of this tale seem to have a knack for running into mysteries and danger, which, in this particular book involves solving the mystery of a theft of valuable artifacts hidden in the school.

From the moment Emily saw the cover, she was eager to read this book. (I made her hold off for a few days, though, until she had caught up on the books I had assigned her for school.) Once she started, though, she didn’t want to put the book down. She finished the 290 page book within a 24 hour period and is now begging me to find her the first volume in the series!

I would not call this book a classic, and for me was just an OK read—all action and not much character development, but I think it definitely meets its goal of appealing to reluctant readers and will be a bit hit with the 8-12 year old crowd.

 I received this book free from Tyndale House for review purposes.

Instant Challenge: Boat Race

Michelle, at Delightful Learning,  is posting a weekly “Instant Challenge” that encourages critical thinking and creative problem solving and used materials that can be easily found around the house, such as straws, chenille sticks, rubber bands and foil.

We decided to try out this week’s Boat Race. Emily’s task was to build a boat using styrofoam cups, foil, popsicle sticks, chenille stems, etc and float it across a tub of water. She had an 8 minute time limit to design her craft. This would have been extra fun if she had some other children around to compete with!

We are looking forward to next week’s challenge! (Actually, I think we will go back and try last week’s bridge building challenge first!)