We’re back with more great reviews to share!

Becky from Purposeful Homemaking shares about a book that made an important impact on her homeschool mama heart.

This book was honestly the turning point for me in homeschooling. After one year of it I just wasn’t sure if I could do it too much longer. After reading this book though, I knew it was about more than just teaching academics to our children and God confirmed in my heart that we were making the right choice. No longer was I going to say to my son, “next year you’re going to school!” Homeschooling is what God has called us to at this time in our lives.

Read the rest of the review here.

What homeschool family doesn’t use games from time to time to spice up or enhance their home learning? Christine at Our Homeschool Reviews tells us about Wits & Wagers.

We had the opportunity to play a fun family game from North Star Games called Wits & Wagers Family. This game is for ages 8 and up and can be played with 3 to 10 people.

From the manufacturer:

First, every player writes down a guess to a fun question. Then players try to score points by choosing which guess is closest to the right answer without going over. That is it!

The game features 300 new family-friendly questions. And even better than that, Wits & Wagers Family includes Meeples– fun, cute, human shaped wooden pieces that the players use to select which answers they think are correct.

Read the rest of the review here.

April from Eclectic Montage discusses an important product for high school homeschoolers.

As homeschoolers, we know that our SAT scores are going to be very important to college admissions. Colleges may or may not give credence to our student’s grades, but they will look at the test scores to see if their abilities correspond with what we say they can do.

Additionally, SAT and PSAT tests are critical for those students seeking scholarships. Colleges offer merit awards based on these scores. The higher the score, the more likely it is that your student will be offered monies to attend school.

With each of my children, I have purchased the College Board SAT Study Guide. Used alone, I found it to be difficult for my kids to get into. The practice tests are invaluable, but the content isn’t very helpful. Along comes College Prep Genius. Using this College Board guide (as recommended with this program) along with a workbook, text and DVD’s, not only are the types of problems identified, but test taking strategies are covered.

Read the rest of the review here.

Thanks for sharing, ladies!

The Homeschool Crew is teaming up with Toydle to bring you a very special
CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!

Be sure to check  back in January, when we’ll be featuring more information about Toydle, along with Crew reviews.
We don’t want to give away all the details, but it is important to note a few fun facts about Toydle:
*Toydle makes forts for kids!
*Toydle is all about fun and quality!
*Toydle makes serious toys that will last a lifetime!
*Toydle forts are manufactured in the USA!
*Toydle forts come with a money-back guarantee!

And the most important thing . . .
Toydle has offered to give away
THREE OF THEIR BIG TOYDLE FORTS
to 3 of our readers!
(these forts are valued at $240 each!) 

Any  child would love to receive one of these great forts under the Christmas tree.
To enter to win one, follow the instructions below . . .

(more…)

Crew members chosen for this review received their choice of Artistic Pursuits’ products, selected from the following:

• Preschool
• K-3 Book One
• K-3 Book Two
• K-3 Book Three
• 4-6 grade, Book One
• 4-6 grade, Book Two
• Jr. High Book One
• Jr. High Book Two
• Sr. High Book One
• Sr. High Book Two

While the K-3 books focus on introducing your children to artistic techniques and on learning art through history, the upper level books provide an overview of drawing in Book One and color theory and composition in Book 2.  At the younger levels, there are 32 projects in each book, while at the upper levels (4-6, Jr. High, and Sr. High) there are 64 total lessons in each book.  Since all of the books are non-consumable, a one-time purchase will serve to teach art to your entire family.

Each of the Artistic Pursuits books follows a similar format, addressing composition, art history, and media at an age appropriate level.  Students receive both art instruction and plenty of hands-on projects, while moms have the lessons broken down for them in every detail.

Artistic Pursuits has won a plethora of awards in the homeschooling community, including repeated first places in the Practical Homeschooling Reader Awards, Favorite Fine Arts Product from the 2010 Homeschool Crew, and first place in the art category in the Excellence in Education awards.

If teaching art is something you find intimidating, looking at Artistic Pursuits is a must.  The Artistic Pursuits books Crew members received retail for $42.95.  Artistic Pursuits also sells the artist supplies required by the curriculum.  Prices vary according to which level is purchased.

Read what the Crew members had to say about the various levels they received for review:

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Thanks to Laura from My (re)Viewpoint for writing this post.

Just in time for Christmas decorating, The Old Schoolhouse Crew would like to introduce you to Wreaths of Maine.

These beautiful, decorative adornments are handmade from freshly harvested tips of New England Balsam fir trees.  The wreaths are nice and full, with greens wired onto both sides.  The finished product will measure a full two feet across and come with its own hanger.

Wreaths of Maine may be purchased directly from their website, or you may see them as part of fundraising programs for homeschool families and other youth organizations.  This is a great opportunity for a homeschool fundraiser where children can sell wreaths door to door or direct friends and family to order online.  The youth will enjoy earning funds by earning commissions for their work.

Prices range from $31.00 to $47.00.  Shipping is $3.95 per item.

When an order for a Christmas wreath is received, the wreath or spray is completed, then tightly packed, wrapped and shipped as quickly as possible.  They arrive in decorative boxes. To keep the bows full and uncrushed, they are placed in the middle and need to be attached by the recipient.

Once opened and given the chance to breathe, the tips will open up and the wreath will soon ready for hanging.

What a welcoming sight for holiday visitors!!

To see all the beautiful style choices, learn more about the company, or to learn more  about their fundraising programs, visit the website at www.wreathsofmaine.com .  Wreaths of Maine is also on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

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Thanks to Catherine from Our Village is a Little Different for writing this post.

Make Every Moment Count

The Time Timer, invented over twenty years ago by Jan Rogers in response to her four-year-old daughter’s need to see the passage of time in order to understand it, is working today to help a new generation of students, classroom teachers, special educators, and homeschoolers keep track of their time.

Time Timer is separated from your ordinary kitchen timer or wall clock by the fact that due to its unique construction, you can actually see the passage of time as the red disk diminishes minute by minute.

Time Timer is an excellent tool for a myriad of uses.

These include:

• setting time limits for work or practice sessions
• keeping track of time during testing
• keeping track of time during therapy sessions
• helping students learn to manage their time wisely
• providing a visual aid for learning about the passage of time
• helping children monitor their time spent during chores, homework, or play activities
• and many more practical uses, from timing exercise periods to timing computer use

The timer’s silent functionality (there is no ticking, just a ding when time is up) removes the noise of standard timers, making it ideal for testing situations and students who feel pressured by the ticking of a typical timer. Its striking visual representation of elapsing time can help even pre-readers be able to self-monitor timed activities. Its easy-to-use design makes it suitable for most ages.

Ranging in size from 3” to 12”, Time Timer comes in a variety of sizes to accommodate its many potential uses. It is also available as a watch, an app for the iPod and iPhone, and a software program for your computer.

Time Timers are $30.00 for a 3” model, $35.00 for the 8” model, and $40.00 for the 12” model (perfect for classroom and group use). The software is $24.00, while the watch is available for $40.00. Orders placed in the United States and those which total over $50 receive free shipping.

I encourage you to check out the Time Timer website and consider whether this might be just what your child needs to help him or her learn to manage their time more effectively…Learning to “make every moment count” could make this your child’s best school year ever.

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Thanks to Heather from Blessings Pour Out for writing this post.

Read Naturally is a company founded by Special Education teacher Candyce Ihnot and her husband, Tom. Its programs are based on a unique strategy for helping struggling readers that Mrs. Ihnot developed while working on her Master’s Degree. Their programs support and develop the five essential components of reading and combine the three strategies of teacher modeling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring.

The TOS Crew got to review two of their products this year, Read Live and One Minute Reader.

Read Live is a web-based implementation of Read Naturally’s fluency intervention. The goal of fluency instruction is to help students be able to read as well as they speak, and to be able to make sense of what they are reading without having to stop and decode words as they are reading. Read Naturally live also supports development in the areas of vocabulary and comprehension. The Read Naturally website has videos that tell you more about the program and how it is run. Read live includes Wordtastic, a vocabulary game for students, a Spanish read-along feature, and multiple reports for you, the parent, about your child’s progress. A 12 month subscription to Read Live costs $149.00. This includes access to 13 sequenced and 6 phonics curriculum levels, access to oral fluency benchmark assessment passages, online teacher training videos, and technical support.

One Minute Reader is another fluency program offered by Read Naturally, but it is not web-based. In this program, children build fluency by reading a short story aloud first alone, then with a CD, then by themselves again. Finally, they read it aloud to an adult. Each time the child reads, they keep track of their “words read per minute” and graph their progress on the story. The program also features a short quiz on the story, to support comprehension, and a puzzle the students can do as they work their way through the book.

One Minute Reader has six different levels, and there are sample stories available on the website to help you determine which level would be right for your child. A risk-free 30 day trial of One Minute Reader starter packs is available, so you can check it out to see if it works for you, and, if it doesn’t, you can just send it back! One Minute Reader has won the Mom’s Choice Award, and the National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval, among other accolades. Starter kits for this program are $24.95 and include one book, an audio CD, timer, graphing pencil and instructional DVD. The cost of a “bundle” which includes all of the above and a total of eight books, is $99.95, and you can purchase individual books with audio CD’s for $12.95.

For information about one or both of these programs, please check out the TOS Crew reviews!

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Written by Brandy Brockhausen from Kingdom Academy.

(From the Math Mammoth website)

Math Mammoth offers affordable, yet quality math worktexts and workbooks for grades 1-8, available as both downloads and printed books. These books concentrate on conceptual understanding and are strong in mental math. The directions in the worktexts are written directly to the student, and are often self-teaching, thus requiring little preparation and involvement from the teacher. Maria Miller is the author of the Math Mammoth series, and her goals for this program include teaching so students can really understand what is going on. She has strived to explain each concept so that the teacher and student can “get it” by reading the explanations in the book. The books often become self teaching for the student, and there is very little preparation work for the teacher. Maria also desired to offer all this at affordable prices. Members of The Homeschool Crew were given the choice of reviewing one of the 5 products described below…..

The Blue Series- These are worktexts on a specific topic, such as addition or subtraction, place value, clock, measuring, money, multiplication, division, geometry, fractions, decimals, ratios, percent, integers, and so on. This topical arrangement makes the books suitable for many kinds of situations, such as:

• To supplement any other math curriculum;
• As a remedial material for students who are behind;
• As a review material on specific topics.

The download versions are very affordable with prices ranging from $2.00 to $7.00. Print versions are also available.

The Light Blue Series- This is a mastery based full elementary math curriculum for grades 1-6. Each grade level in this series consists of two student worktexts (A and B), and supportive materials, which include answer keys, tests, cumulative reviews, and an additional worksheet maker. The money chapter in grades 1, 2, and 3 is available for U.S., Canadian, British, European, and Australian money. Each full year curriculum, as a download, costs $34.00. Print versions are also available.

The Golden Series- Worksheets by grade level, for grades 3-8 This series contains worksheets only, one topic per sheet, but it doesn’t teach the topic. It is best suited for review, reinforcement or for tutoring purposes. Pricing for a complete grade collection ranges from $12.00 to $14.50. Discount packages are available.

The Green Series- Worksheets organized by topic, for grades 3-7 This series contains workbooks, or worksheet collections, each with a different mathematical topic (such as geometry, integers, statistics, or measuring). Each book in the Green series spans several grade levels on the same general topic. This makes it optimal for teachers who need worksheets on varying difficulty levels, and for parents/teachers who need comprehensive review material on a specific topic. The Green series books have been compiled from the grade-level collections (the Golden Series), so they contain duplicate content. Pricing for each individual topic ranges from $2.50 – $9.00. Discount packages are available. Math Mammoth offers a sample package with 300 worksheets you can download for FREE!

In addition to the Math Mammoth products, a series called Make It Real Learning by Frank C. Wilson is also available on the website. Make It Real Learning workbooks are written for grades 3-12, and each concentrate answering the question, “When am I ever going to use this?” It will motivate the students far more than dull, boring word problems from the textbook. It will show students how mathematics is truly USEFUL. Each workbook is $4.99. A sample download of 10 different activities is available for download.

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This post was compiled by Beth from Stairsteps Homeschool Academy.