All About Spelling

All About Spelling is a program that teaches spelling “hands on”. It works great for those kids who are kinesthetic and visual learners. It does for spelling what Math-U-See does for math!

The program uses phonogram cards and letter tiles to give the learning a hands-on approach. There is a CD of The Basic Phonograms for those students who are auditory learners.

There are four levels available with two more to come. The author suggests starting with Level One, no matter what type of speller you have. Some older students will progress through Level One pretty quickly but doing it will definitely not hurt. You never know when you may touch on a concept that was not quite grasped when the student was younger.

The program may look overwhelming at first, but it is definitely worth the investment in time for the student who struggles with spelling. My son that I worked with this program on typically is one who dreads most things to do with school. After a couple of days, he was asking when we were going to do spelling.

To get a great understanding of the program, check out their website! For reviews of this and other homeschooling products, go to the TOS Homeschool Crew blog!

Kinderbach

Kinderbach is an online music curriculum designed to teach an introduction to music using the keyboard or piano. For this review, I primarily used my 5 year old daughter, even though my boys watched a little. (Quickly after beginning, the boys opted out, feeling they were a bit old for this.) Our family has been a Kindermusik family for many years, so I was curious to see how Kinderbach compared. I was pleasantly surprised.

Kinderbach is advertised as being for 2-7 year olds. I would agree, and maybe even say 2-5 if the child has had any kind of music class, such as Kindermusik. We reviewed the online class, which consists of four 15-minute lessons per week. There are 60 weekly lessons. The lessons have PDF worksheets that you can print out. The course covers such topics as rhythm, note reading, singing and identifying patterns. The tunes are catchy and my daughter seemed to enjoy the time she spent watching.

One of the things to keep in mind is that to really use the program as designed, you need to have a keyboard or piano nearby the computer. I don’t have a laptop, so this was an issue for us.
The cost for the program is $85.95 for the year, if paid at one time. You can also pay $14.95 per month. They also offer a DVD program to purchase if you’d like to use for years to come.

Check out Kinderbach and the reviews from other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew and see what they think about this program.

TIme 4 Learning

Time 4 Learning is an online educational program for ages pre-K through 8th grade. It covers math, language arts, science and social studies. For homeschoolers, I feel that the program is used best as supplemental instead of the main curriculum. (Just my opinion. Others may find that they can use it for the bulk of their studies.)

For this review, my main guinea pigs were my two oldest boys. They are the main computer users (meaning, they can navigate pretty well without my constant supervision).

There is much to cover with this program, but I’m going to try and hit the main highlights.
Initially, the parent fills out a questionnaire about the student being signed up. The questions allow for a grade level to be assigned as a starting point. The program is very flexible, and can be started at any time, including mid-year.

The student can choose from a subject, then concept, and work on the self-guided lesson at their own pace. A check mark indicates when the concept has been completed and a percentage given indicating the level of mastery.

Both of my boys seemed to enjoy the site. As for the teacher, there are printable lesson plans that show the concepts being covered and progress reports showing each student’s progress in the individual subjects.

I do need to point out that this is not a Christian curriculum and it does not claim to be. Having said that, you may want to preview the science sections before allowing your child to complete them. As with any site, I want to know what my children are seeing and learning. Just because it is “educational” in nature doesn’t mean that it is something I want my children to learn.

Though I do like it, this site is a little out of our price range. The monthly membership fee is $19.95 for the first child and $14.95 for each additional child. So for only two out of the four, I would be spending approximately $35.00. Being the bargain shopper, I can find many other resources for learning that are far less than that amount.

To read what others are saying about this site, go to the TOS Homeschool Crew’s review links.

Puppetools is a website whose mission is "to open the door to sweeping change in education by advancing the principle of play in teaching and learning." The founder of Puppetools, Jeffrey Peyton, has done much research on using puppets and play in education. The majority of homeschoolers that I know definitely agree that children learn by playing.

The site allows teachers (public school, private school, homeschool, Sunday School, etc…..) access to many types of puppets that can be downloaded and printed out for their students use. Mr. Peyton has developed a “hinged” type mouth for the puppets that is very unique. The possibilities are endless when you search through the many printables on this site.

Puppetools offers a yearly subscription for $20, or you may get a group subscription for $99 (for up to 30 subscribers). The group subscription would work great for a homeschool group or co-op.

Take the time to check out the website and see for yourself. If you’d like to read other reviews, then look at what the other TOS Homeschool Crew members are writing about this site.

Core Learning Crayola Art Studio CD

Core Learning is a publisher of educational software, books, multi-curricular projects and on-line learning applications. Their 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 provide important life skills.”

The Crayola Art Studio CD was tried out by my ultra-crafty son, the one who can construct anything from tape and cardboard. I determined that his critique would have the most credibility of the four kids.

I’m happy to announce that this CD received two thumbs up from Crafty Boy. Our conversation at the beginning went something like this:

Me: Hey G, I’ve got a new CD I want you to check out.
G: OK.
Me (two hours later): G, are you still trying out that new CD?
G: Oh yeah, Mom, this is so much fun. Look at what all you can do!!

So it is definitely a keeper.

A few details about the CD: It is very user friendly, geared for even the younger set. There are two levels, one with the whole array of tools and the other more simple that younger kids won’t be frustrated with it. There are also twelve different “realistic” artistic tools, from chalk and crayon, to oil pastels and water colors. The term “realistic” is very literal. When using the crayons, the color goes on like a crayon. When painting with water colors, the color goes on like water colors. It is very cool.

There are many features of this CD, and I felt like we have only begun to discover all of its many uses. The CD retails for $24.95 from Core Learning. If you’d like to read other reviews of this product, then check out the TOS Homeschool Crew page!

Times Tales and Clean 'N' Flip Charts

I tell you what. Those on the TOS Homeschool Crew have been receiving some great products for review, and Times Tales is one of them. We received Times Tales and Clean 'N' Flip charts from Trigger Memory Systems, and they are both great products.

Times Tales is a program that covers the most difficult to remember multiplication facts. They use simple stories and illustrations that provide students with a "memory peg" to recall the facts quickly. It is a non-consumable book and can be used by the whole family.

Along with Times Tales, we received 3 Clean 'N' Flip Charts: Zone Cleaning, Bedroom Cleaning and Laundry for Kids. What a great idea for kids (and those of adults who get off track while cleaning!). Each chart (booklet) gives step by step instructions for doing certain chores. It can be used by non-readers as well.

Trigger Memory Systems has some great products that you will want to check out. For other reviews on these products, go to the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Schoolside Press - The Little Man in the Map

Schoolside Press is the publisher of The Little Man in the Map, a beautiful hard bound book that teaches US geography. We received this for review and couldn't wait to sit down and read it.

This book is very clever, capturing the fact that the states in the middle of the country resemble a man. The well illustrated book helps us to remember the names of the states and their regions.

My kids who range from 5 - 12 yrs. old, loved the story and I'm sure this book will be read many more times. It is a great addition to our collection of picture storybooks.

The Little Man in the Map is available at Schoolside Press for $19.95. You can also purchase a wall map or download a couple of coloring sheets on their website also.

Check out other reviews of The Little Man in the Map at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Let's Make a Webpage

Let’s Make a Webpage is a 60 page e-book from Motherboard Books. It is a tutorial for kids ages 8 – 12 that helps walk them through the process of creating a Web page.

I have a son who loves to create, so this a great product for him to try out. He’s not quite finished with his site, but I hope to link to what he did after he is done.

The book leads the student through the process of creating a web page. By using a free trial version of an HTML software, the student will write an interview and make a Web page for it. He will include photos and animation, sounds and links. The book teaches how to add text, make a table and upload the work.

A younger student will need some assistance with the project, however, an older student should be able to work on their own.

This e-book retails for $19.99, making it a great choice for homeschooling families. For other great computer skill resources, be sure and go to the Motherboard Books website. For reviews on this and other great homeschooling products, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Salem Ridge Press

Salem Ridge Press is a publishing company founded by a homeschool graduate in 2005. Their mission is to republish quality children’s books of the 1800’s and early 1900’s. They currently offer over 20 books for all ages. All of the titles promote strong moral values and encourage godly character.

Our family received three titles to review, Glaucia the Greek Slave, Mary Jane – Her Book and the White Seneca.

Glaucia the Greek Slave was originally written in 1874 and is set in Athens, Greece. The story follows a young girl and her brother, whom after the death of their father, were sold into slavery. This book would be great as a read aloud while studying Greek history. There are historical notes and a timeline in the beginning of the book, as well as definitions of “new to us” words at the bottom of each page.

Mary Jane – Her Book is a sweet little book originally published in the early 1900’s. It follows the adventures of five year old Mary Jane and her family. It is written for children ages 6 – 10, but it is great as a read aloud for younger girls. There is also a sequel available: Mary Jane – Her Visit.
The White Seneca was originally published in the early 1900’s and is set in Colonial America. Again, another great historical time period read aloud for your family. While studying history, I love to be able to incorporate videos and books that give my kids a feel for the time period and the White Seneca does just that. The story follows a fifteen year old boy who was captured by the Seneca Indians and raised as “the white Seneca”. This too is a great read aloud for your family.If these three books are any indication of the quality books that are offered by Salem Ridge Press, then I don’t anticipate being disappointed by any of them. If you’d like to read more reviews of Salem Ridge Press, be sure to check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Spears Art Studio Review

I was excited to receive a fantastic art curriculum for review, the Spears Art Studio K-8 Curriculum. I received this on a CD (retail price is $39.95), which is in a printable PDF format.

What an awesome program. I have two art lovers, and two non-art lovers in the family. This curriculum is perfect for both sets! It is written from a Christian perspective, and that is definitely a plus for our family. It can be used from grades Kindergarten through 8th grade, and each month covers a different theme and art topic. There is a scripture passage highlighted with each lesson, vocabulary words, materials list and detailed instructions on how to do the activity. There is even a picture of the desired finished project, so you have a sample to go by.

There is nothing about this program that I do not love. It is well written, very informative and easy to use. Go to Spears Art Studio’s website and check it out. You may look at many samples and see for yourself why I am thrilled with this program! You can also check out other reviews at TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Rime to Read Review

Rime to Read is an online reading program for beginning readers. There are 20 books total that are online, but you are able to print them out at any time (however, you only have the ability to print them out once, so make sure you get it right!)

The books are based on "rimes" (not to be mistaken for rhymes), which are words that sound alike and look alike. Rimes are sometimes referred to as word families and are an effective way to teach reading skills. (These books remind me somewhat of what I used to teach my oldest two boys, Alpha-Phonics.) The books on Rime to Read are color coded so that your child can clearly see the part of the word that sounds the same. You have the ability to click on the words that are highlighted in the story and they will be read back to you! (This is one of my favorite features of the books.) Sight words are also a part of the books, with 35 sight words introduced throughout the series.

I think that the child needs to know the sounds of the letters before attempting to use the books. I also think that this serves as a great supplement or starter program for the early reader. The site allows you to start with a sample book prior to purchasing. The entire set of 20 books costs $44.99, or you can buy 4-book vowel sets for $9.99 each. Head over to the TOS Crew blog to check out other reviews for Rime to Read.