TOS Review: ALEKS

ALEKS might seriously be my absolute favorite thing I have reviewed through the Homeschool Crew so far!  I can't say enough good things about a program that has my children randomly doing math in the evening, rather than playing computer games!  Wonder Boy has actually asked numerous times if he can work on his math and has told me several times how fun he thinks ALEKS is, and Super Girl just does it without even asking!

How it works:  After you set up an account on ALEKS, add your student(s), and choose their level, the child then logs in and completes an assessment.  Upon completing the assessment, they can see a pie chart of the subjects they will work on.  The wedges are shaded to various degrees, illustrating how much the child already knows.  My kids love this!  They choose a wedge to work on, and as they master different ideas, the wedge fills up.  How many courses there are to work on and how many have been completed is also listed.  One thing I really like about ALEKS is that if the program determines a child is not ready to work on a certain skill set, that wedge is not available to them until they have the prerequisite skills.  I love that the program is designed so that a child is much more likely to succeed in learning a new skill, rather than being frustrated because they haven't mastered the foundations of the new skill before attempting it.  I well remember how extremely frustrated I would get in school when I didn't understand something, but the class was moving on into more advanced areas anyhow.

When I log into my daughter's account, I immediately see several subjects for her to review, which ALEKS thinks she has probably mastered.  I am then directed to her pie, where I can see her progress.  There are also tabs for a dictionary of math terms, a calculator, and quizzes.  Apparently, there are games that the parent can turn on which help master math facts, but my kids are loving ALEKS without them!  When I log into my parent account, I can look at each child's pie, or view a different form of progress report.  I can easily see how far my child has come, and how much they have left to learn.  I can also see how many topics they have learned since their assessment and how many hours they've spent in ALEKS.  I can create quizzes for them, and even request for them to do a new assessment.  I love that ALEKS is web-based, so my children can work on it anywhere they have access to the internet.

My least favorite things about ALEKS?  The first thing would be that ALEKS is only for math.  With as much as my children enjoy it, especially Wonder Boy, my reluctant learner, I would be thrilled if there were other subjects available, such as Language Arts.  The second thing would be the price.  For homeschoolers, ALEKS is available for $19.99 per month per child, $99.95 for six months, or $179.95 for 12 months.  There are family discounts available, but a one year subscription to ALEKS would still cost my family $305.90.  For as much as my son loves it, I do think it might be worth it.  However, I'd think it was an even better value if other topics were available, as I said.

ALEKS is designed for children at the third grade level and higher, all the way through college-level courses.  If you are interested in trying out this wonderful program for yourself, I encourage you to sign up for a free two month trial.  Just click the button below to begin!

***Note:  I received a two-month free trial to ALEKS in exchange for my review through TOS Homeschool Crew.  All opinions are those of myself and my children.         

TOS Review: Math Rider

Are you looking for an intelligent math game for kids?  Math Rider might be just what you're looking for!  From the Math Rider website:

 Your child is taken into a land of fantasy and quests. Living in the Land of Ray and riding a horse called Shadow, he or she will set out on various noble adventures. Riding across amazing, digitally matte-painted moving backdrops of distinct fantastic lands, they will accomplish their quest, be it finding magical flowers, returning gems to the elves or even rescuing a princess!

The game is played by entering the answers to basic math problems.  As the child practices their math facts, the horse and rider progress through the scenery.  There are no controls to worry about - the speed of the horse depends on how quickly the child answers the problems correctly.  There are different quests to work through, and a map that shows your child how far they have gotten.  Wonder Boy was very excited to share with us that he was halfway through his quest shortly after he started!  There is also a page where the parent can see how much the child has improved, areas they still need work on, and their "top challenges".  

I thought Math Rider was great.  The game uses positive reinforcement to encourage children to continue practicing.  There is no "dying" or other negative consequence when a problem is missed or answered wrongly.  I still have access to it for a little while, and I think I will make Wonder Boy continue using it.  I like the progress I see on his statistics page, and he needs a bit more work to have fully mastered the basic math facts.  However, once he had played it a few times, it kind of fell to the wayside.  Super Girl tried it out once, and while she was excited about the horse aspect of the game, I believe that she knows her math facts too well for it and was quickly bored.  I believe this game would be best for slightly younger children - mine are 10 and 12.

Math Rider can be purchased at www.mathrider.com.  It is available as a download for $47.  However, through February 15, it is on sale for $37!  A 30 day guarantee and free updates are included in the purchase.  Best of all, you can use Math Rider with multiple children for the same price!  Woo hoo!

***Note:  I received a trial access to Math Rider in exchange for my review through TOS Homeschool Crew.  All opinions are my own.

TOS Review: Celestial Almanack

My husband loves the night sky.  He has taken us out to see meteor showers numerous times, and has seen more "shooting stars" than I can count.  When I heard about the Classical Astronomy Celestial Almanack, I knew that Mr. Man would be interested in sharing it with the kids.  Now is actually a great time for stargazing for our family, as we recently moved to a micro-town where the stars are unbelievably clear.  We've never been able to see so many stars from our own deck before.  Also, the winter weather here is a lot more mild than it was in northern Indiana.

The Celestial Almanack can be purchased through CurrClick via a quick and easy download. I found this description there: 

Learn the visual astronomy of the early American almanacks, from the Puritan colonists to the Founding Fathers.  Learn the constellations, follow the phases of the Moon, discover the visible planets, and learn the signs of the passing seasons.  Find out how these signs relate to the calendar and traditional celestial navigation.  Use the Celestial Almanack as a monthly illustrated ezine companion guide for the Signs & Seasons curriculum, a traditional hard copy publication from Fourth Day Press.

The Celestial Almanack is great for us, since we do not own a telescope.  All of the objects and events mentioned in the Almanack are visible with the naked eye.  Everyone can see them at the same time, so no jostling the telescope trying to be first!  I mean...

Mr. Man read through the entire publication, and said, "It's a great almanac!"  He really liked the illustrations showing where to locate the stars at different moments, and loved that it even diagrams how the sun changes position over time.  It is written in an easy, conversational style, and could easily be used by an older elementary aged child on their own.  However, we have always found stargazing to be a family event, and I would encourage my readers to do the same!  The one thing that I found a little distracting about the almanac was that the activities are rated by difficulty - but the rating system is never really explained, that I could find.  The higher the rating, the more difficult the task.  While I appreciate knowing that a certain task may be more difficult than another, I still wondered if the star rating has something to do with Classical Astronomy's Signs & Seasons curriculum.  Unfortunately, as with pretty much every other time Mr. Man has excitedly gotten the kids outside to see something specific in the sky, there were clouds.  You know all those stars I talked about being able to see?  Not a single one was visible.  Fortunately, the Celestial Almanack gives many different examples of things to see over the course of the month, and my night watchers are eager to try again.  Meanwhile, Mr. Man showed the kids online pictures and used some of the materials from the Almanack to teach them about the stars.  

Side note:  As one of our biggest reasons for homeschooling is the ability to integrate the Bible and our faith into all the subjects we teach, I really appreciate the Statement of Faith page of the Classical Astronomy website!  I do believe it is the first time I've seen an invitation to salvation on one, though, sadly enough.  I thought it was really awesome as I read through it!

If someone in your family loves stargazing, or you want to learn (or teach) more about astronomy, I do believe the Celestial Almanack would be a great resource to consider.  And, at only $3 per digital issue, it's very affordable, too - especially if you have a portable device that you can download it onto, and save ink and paper rather than printing the sky maps.  Be sure to sign up for their email newsletters, too!  The Celestial Almanack is one resource I can definitely see myself purchasing in the future!

***Note:  I received a digital copy of the February 2012 Celestial Almanack in exchange for my review through TOS Homeschool Crew.  All opinions expressed are those of myself and Mr. Man.

Stuck in my head...

I've had this song stuck in my head for the last week.  It came on the radio while I was driving with the kids, and Wonder Boy sang along with me:

 

TOS Review: Zeezok Publishing's "Z-Guide to the Movies"

Do you enjoy using movies to supplement your homeschool curriculum?  Or, perhaps you don't homeschool, but like to bring in a little more meaning with some of the movies your children watch?  Then the Z-Guide to the Movies series from Zeezok Publishing may be just the thing for you!

I received a digital copy of the Z-Guide for the movie Flyboys.  The guides were originally produced for high school students, however, Zeezok has recently introduced guides for younger students;  I received the elementary version.  I screened the movie myself, as it was not one I'd seen and was rated PG-13 for "war action violence and some sexual content".  After watching it, I was comfortable with letting Wonder Boy view it, aside from perhaps one scene in a bordello (there are references to prostitutes in general, and the ladies are wearing period undergarments, but I did not see anything physical aside from kissing).  The violence was fairly mild.  In fact, Zeezok actually suggests you check out any movies you're considering on a site like Plugged In.  If you cannot locate a copy of the movie you wish to use, they are available for purchase (on DVD) through Zeezok.


Z-Guides are available for movies representing most time periods, from ancient civilizations all the way up to the Viet Nam War era.  The guide for Flyboys begins with a topic overview and viewing of the movie with 14 review questions to be completed during the movie.  Following the handy week-long schedule, there are also oral and written reports, art projects, a crossword puzzle, and reading comprehension activities, amongst others.  There are two suggested activities for each day.  You can see a sample of a Z-Guide here.  Wonder Boy is technically in 6th grade, and I found the activities to be appropriate for him.  The Z-Guide even has suggestions for using it with younger students that may not be reading yet, though I don't think I'd show the entire movie to a younger elementary student.  Other movies may be more appropriate, however.


I really like how Z-Guides can be used to make a specific time period come alive for your child.  Whether your child absolutely loves history or is one that struggles with it, I think Z-Guides would enhance any history curriculum.  Z-Guides are available from Zeezok Publishing at www.zeezok.com.  You can choose an e-book or a cd, and can even get a license to use the guide with groups.  Z-Guides are $12.99 for either format (single license), and movies are priced individually.  Classroom licenses are $49.99.  Zeezok sells other educational items, including their Great Musician Series and Presidential Penmanship, "a supplemental handwriting skills program for first grade through senior high based on writings and quotes of America’s founding fathers and presidents."  


***Note:  I received a copy of a Z-Guide for the purpose of my review through the TOS Homeschool Crew.  All opinions are my own.

TOS Review: Homeschool Spanish

Homeschool Spanish is a great way to teach your children Spanish, even if you do not know any yourself.  It has audio files, so that you and your child can be sure of pronunciation, even without prior Spanish experience.  I was given a copy of the e-book bundle, including the Daily Curriculum Guide.  The Daily Curriculum Guide is great, because it breaks down each week for you with any prep work you need to do for the week, new vocab for each day, and activities to reinforce learning.  This program is big on reinforcement throughout the day, which I think is wonderful!  The book is full of suggestions of ways to incorporate practicing Spanish while you go about your daily life.  There is even a section on their website with free cultural links.  Activities there include games and puzzles, history, recipes, songs and videos, and even science and Bible verses!  I love that the Homeschool Spanish activity book really is an activity book, and not just a workbook with a nicer name.  It is full of word searches, crossword puzzles, word scrambles, and cryptograms, to name a few.  

True to its name, Homeschool Spanish was developed by a homeschooling mother - who just happens to also be a doctorate in French studies, married to a man from Mexico (which is when she learned Spanish).  Rather than being a curriculum written for schools and then adapted to homeschoolers, this program was written with the homeschooler in mind.  The book contains suggestions of how to use it with multiple children, as well as how to make use of it in your family's unique rhythm.


Homeschool Spanish is available at www.realhomeschoolspanish.com.  It is available in both a downloadable version and hard copy.  The downloadable version starts at $49.95.  If you are looking for a Spanish curriculum that emphasizes learning through fun rather than stressful grammar exercises, then Homeschool Spanish may be for you!


***Note:  I received a downloadable copy of Homeschool Spanish in exchange for my review through TOS Homeschool Crew.  All opinions are my own.

TOS Review: Vintage Remedies For Kids

I first heard of Vintage Remedies a year ago, when a friend of mine excitedly showed me some of the new materials she had recently gotten for homeschooling.  She had several books, all written by Jessie Hawkins, founder of Vintage Remedies.  One of those books was Vintage Remedies For Kids, which she planned to use as a health curriculum for her children.  Imagine my delight when one of the items I was asked to review through The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew was this very same book!

I have enjoyed going through this book very much.  Each chapter has a couple of instructional sections for parents, a "Read to Me" section for children, discussion questions, and several hands-on projects to reinforce what the child has learned.  While it is geared toward ages 2-6, I feel that it is a little advanced still as a whole for Little Miss, who is almost 2 1/2.  She enjoyed the activities I did with her based on the second chapter, "Natural Candy - Fruit", but I felt the "Read to Me" section was a bit too much for her.  I feel like, as it is written, that it is better suited toward ages 4 and up.  In my experience with children, the lessons need quite a bit of simplifying in order to be used in their entirety with children any younger.  However, I do feel that parents of 2 and 3 year olds can use this material to guide conversations with their little ones while doing some of the suggested activities.  Most of the hands-on projects are things that little ones can easily participate in and would absolutely love doing.  This is one book I really look forward to digging into in a year or so, when Little Miss is a bit older.


Vintage Remedies began as a distance-learning program for those interested in holistic medicine.  They have several different levels of instruction available - I am very interested in the Family Herbalist course.  They also have books for the homemaker and older children, as well as essential oil blends for sale.  Vintage Remedies For Kids is available for the price of $25 at www.vintageremedies.com.  I look forward to trying out the book for older kids, which includes recipes for natural skin care, among other things!


***Note:  I received a copy of Vintage Remedies For Kids in exchange for my review through TOS Homeschool Crew.  All opinions are my own.