Nov 012011
 
Excellence In Literature

For quite some time now, I’ve been seeking an effective, but thorough, literature program for the middle school and high school years. I’ve been frustrated, because though I’ve run across a couple that are highly recommended, they’re also high-priced – and our budget just wouldn’t stretch that far. So I was quite pleased when we were offered the chance to review Excellence In Literature; English 1 – Introduction to Literature from Everyday Education. Skimming over the website, I was thrilled with the pricing – each title in the Excellence In Literature series is just $27 for the ebook, or all [Read More...]

Oct 302011
 
Marshall George Washington Carver

No matter what homeschooling method your family uses, if your home has a TV, it’s a sure bet that your family can benefit from educational videos. Around here, though we intermittently watch movies as we get them from the library or stream them over the internet, our favorite time to curl up with a movie is when the weather turns cold and stormy. It’s a great way to add history and science without increasing the curriculum load. We recently received for review a biographical video about George Washington Carver from Marshall Publishing. I was pleasantly surprised, for the movie doesn’t [Read More...]

Oct 252011
 
Wits & Wagers by Northstar Games

We have a new favorite board game in the house! We recently received two board games from Northstar Games to review, and today I’m chattering about Wits & Wagers Family. (I’ll be talking about Say Anything Family on Thursday, but there’s a link further down the page if you’re curious before then!) On the box, Wits & Wagers Family says it takes 2 minutes to learn, and 20 to play. In my experience, that usually means that it’ll take you at least 15 minutes to figure out what to do, and explain it to the kids. Not so on this [Read More...]

Oct 232011
 
Apologia - Educating The WholeHearted Child

It doesn’t matter if you’re brand new to homeschooling or a veteran, the new edition of Educating the WholeHearted Child has something for you. I was a little intimidated when it arrived – it’s a HUGE book – 8.5″ x 11″, over 370 black & white pages and totally stuffed full of information. Intended for parents of children age 4 to 14, Educating the WholeHearted Child isn’t a curriculum – instead, I’d call it a guide for living a “learning life”. Grouped into four sections of Home, Learning, Methods, and Living, the suggestions within are just that – ideas that [Read More...]

Oct 182011
 
Girls Scream for Always Ice Cream

If you frequent the same places online that I do, you’ve seen the ads for Always IceCream, and maybe even thought about letting your daughter try it out. I’d meant to, but kept putting it off. It’s created for girls age 7-12; there would always be time later, right? And then Cheyenne saw one of those ads, and asked if we could take a look at it. By then, I was aware we might get it as a review, and asked her to wait just a little bit longer. So she was thrilled when she found out that yes, she [Read More...]

Sep 292011
 
Aletheia: Writing Magazine for Teens

We’re forever expecting our kids to write. Assignments and stories, essays and reports, encouragement and nurture of their creativity and communication skills. And then what do they DO with? We tell them that they’ll need it later in life, as a part of their jobs, maybe even use it a little bit in volunteer work or as hobbies. A few will have such a creative spark inside them that they’ll gravitation toward fields consisting solely of creation – and often, they never know, until they succeed, that they can. The act of bringing something into being, where there was nothing, [Read More...]

Sep 252011
 
Tri-Cross from Games For Competitors

Math, reading, science, history… it’s relatively easy for us as parents to evaluate skill level in the core subjects. Asking questions, reviewing schoolwork, seeing grades on a test – those are all quantifiable subjects. But as parents, regardless of whether our kids are homeschooled or not, we want them to learn something a bit more difficult to pin down: logic. The ability to plan ahead, to predict someone else’s actions, to compare choices, maybe even understand that a short-term negative can have long-term positive results… these are all highly desirable skills. Thing is, they’re hard to teach,more often hard-won through [Read More...]

Sep 202011
 
Before Five In A Row

My teens may not thank me for saying this on the web, out here where everyone can read it, but… they still read pictures books. Willingly and randomly. At least on occasion. It’s only been a few weeks since I packed up our shelves full of picture books. (I’m being optimistic about finding a place to move to.) But before I could pack them, I had the challenge of convincing the kids that 1. No, I am NOT getting rid of them, and 2. They really can live without them for a few months.) Of course, as soon as I [Read More...]

Sep 132011
 
When is it Time 4 Learning? All the time!

One of the most exciting benefits of a second year on the TOS Homeschool Crew: getting to try out products that we missed out on last year! For the last month, we’ve been using Time 4 Learning, an online, subscription-based curriculum. Cover math, language arts, science, and social studies for preschool to 8th grade, Time 4 Learning includes over 1000 animated lessons. Time 4 Learning claims to be usable as either a full curriculum or a supplement, and much to my surprise, I’d have to agree. Those wishing to supplement their regular curriculum could simply allow their child to have [Read More...]

Sep 082011
 
Wise but nutty: Griddly Games, Wise Alec, and Nature Nuts

One of the best things about homeschooling is that we don’t have to teach – or learn – in the traditional manner. When learning is fun and interactive, kids are more involved and interested, and retention is significantly improved. No matter what type of homeschoolers we are, what sort of curricula we use, or what our preferred methods to teach and to learn, we can always benefit from adding in something *extra*curricular. The Wise Alec game series from Griddly Games has one primary game, plus three expansion sets that may also be played alone as travel games. We received Nature [Read More...]