College Prep Genius

 Homeschool, Reviews  2 Responses »
Nov 152011
 

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My oldest is a sophomore this year, and we’d already decided that he would take the PSAT for the first time this fall. He was nervous, and understandably so. We do the standard achievement tests each year, and this year he’d said it was easy, and then proved it by scoring at the top of the chart.

The PSAT is a completely different animal, and my son knew it. We received the test booklet in mid-September, and he spent a few days studying it and then taking the practice test.

He wanted me to score the test, and I was happy to do so – until I was making all the red marks and realized just how many questions he’d gotten wrong. (The PSAT is one of those tests that takes off points for incorrect answers.)

Once I had everything totaled, I decided I’d better look up average tests scores, so I’d know how he compared… and be able to give him an understanding of where he stood in relation to others his age, rather than a sea of wrong answers.

Turned out to be not too bad – he was slightly above average on every section.

Whew!

Before showing him his paper, I asked how he felt he’d done. He thought he’d done ok, but there were a lot of questions that he just wasn’t sure exactly what they were looking for, and he didn’t feel confident that he’d done well.

I reminded him of the point subtraction for wrong answers, told him that he’d scored above average, and then showed him his answer sheet. He was shocked, and determined to study his mistakes and learn from them.

And then a new review arrived: College Prep Genius,  a DVD set/text/workbook combo, now in its second edition.

I hadn’t mentioned it to Michael, because I wasn’t sure it would arrive in time to be of any use for this year. When I showed College Prep Genius to him, and asked him to please put other schoolwork on hold, and focus on it until the test, he thought I was crazy. It’s a ton of material, with over eight hours on the DVDs.

Knowing that the PSAT test doesn’t include the essay, I was able to tell him to ignore that portion for now, we’d cover it when we go through it at a slower pace later. (I’m thinking that next year, I’ll have my freshman test, too. It’s inexpensive, and the more experiences they have with the test previously, the more comfortable they’ll be when it comes down to ‘the one that counts’.)

And so he crammed, diving into the relevant videos and workbook. I didn’t hear much from him in those few days – this was one task where the parent would have just gotten in the way. It’s completely usable by the student alone, though it can also be used as the backbone for a class. (I’d think it might not be as effective that way due to distraction, but something is better than nothing, I suppose.)

When I asked him the day before the exam if he thought it would help, he told me that he wasn’t sure, but he now understood the intent of most types of questions, and was fairly confident that he could improve his score over the practice test.

After the test, he believed he’d done fairly well. I don’t have numbers and test scores to give you – we don’t expect those to arrive before December – but I will tell you this: there was a HUGE improvement in his mental readiness for the PSAT, and just that is going to improve test scores. I fully expect to see great results.

Rather than teaching facts, College Prep Genius is designed to give students a plan of action for answering each type of question. Using the methods presented, students are much more likely to accurately narrow the possible answers, and get more questions correct.

The DVD makes the program easy to use – there really isn’t any teacher prep or planning required. The large format paperback text and workbook have everything needed to follow along with the DVDs, and the DVD does the instruction.

This is appropriate for anyone who intends to take the PSAT, SAT, or NMSQT tests – or really, any kind of standardized tests whatsoever. The logic and strategy are useful to test-taking in general.

I’ll share solid numbers when we have scores back. I anticipate a huge inprovement over the practice test, and the increase in confidence alone would be worth the price of the College Prep Genius set.

College Prep Genius is going to be mandatory for all of my kids – this is college preparedness that no one should miss out on. The test scores alone are just too important for college entrance, and the possibility of increased scholarship eligibility make a program like this a necessity.

College Prep Genius is a must-have for the high-school homeschooler – and, it’s far less expensive than tradition test prep courses taught outside the home.

Right now, the College Prep Genius DVD Set is 25% off, a great deal at just $99.

Other crew members reviewed the VocabCafe fiction series. Chock-full of SAT vocabulary words, VocabCafe includes 300 words in each book, with definitions at the bottom of the page, plus a word review and appendix to facilitate ease of learning.

To see what other crew members had to say about both great products, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, College Prep Genius.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

Keyboard Town Pals

 Homeschool, Reviews  1 Response »
Nov 132011
 

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With our computer-driven society, we all know that it’s essential for today’s children to learn to type – and the younger they learn, the easier so many other tasks become.

My daughter, Cheyenne (9), has been using computer since she was 2 or 3, but only in the last year or so has her typing moved from a slow hunt and peck to something a bit more efficient.

Cheyenne recently had the opportunity to try out Keyboard Town Pals, software with a straightforward, yet far-reaching concept: teach kids to type, make it memorable, and do it quickly and stress-free.

Designed to appeal to ages 6-12, Keyboard Town Pals consists of interactive video with friendly puppets, plus a custom typing interface with the delete and backspace keys disabled.


Kids are guided through the keyboard – illustrated by the town the puppets live in – by a character named Sunny, who introduces all the residents. Sunny is represented in two separate ways – as a walking, talking, human-puppet with a mask during puppet scenes, and as a sun graphic during typing scenes. (Sunny scores high points for achieving a uniquely memorable look in human form – the flip side, it’s a slightly creepy memory. Neither Cheyenne nor I cared much for the mask. Reminds me too much of the whole “evil clown” look.)

Each resident (letter or punctuation symbol) is presented with a story that explains their position on the keyboard, and their relationship with other nearby keys. Keyboard Town Pals uses this to create a linking memory, which will aid in retention at a later time.

After the student has met the character, it’s time for practice. Rather than seeing on the screen the letters that they are to type, students are guided through practice with the audio. Practice consists of letter repitions and some short, simple words (and a few letter patterns) that utilize the newly acquired skills.

There eight sections to the video, covering approximately an hour of time. I believe this is where the “learn to type in an hour” claim comes from. Speaking from Cheyenne’s experience, where she is already familiar with the keyboard, I don’t think a complete keyboard beginner is going to fully learn and be able to type in “just” an hour.

However, I *do* feel that this material, repeated over time, would be quite effective in bringing primary age students to a reasonable level of skill on the keyboard.

While a older student could stay focused and use the complete program in each sitting, for most students it will be more effective if used in shorter lessons over a longer timespan. I’d recommend instead that students do just one or two lessons a day, repeating the sequence until desired competancy is achieved.

Cheyenne felt that Keyboard Town Pals could be used by kids as young as 4, provided they are already familiar with the alphabet. We also discovered that it was a bit too “young” for my 11-year-old. Being primarily video-based with just short typing sessions, it doesn’t present enough of a challenge to keep him interested. Chey was reluctant to repeat it by day 5, it had become “too easy” already – older kids will definitely pick up on the material more quickly. Once the material is internalized, it would be more apt to move on to something with more practice and less entertainment.

Keyboard Town Pals is an appropriate add-on to any educational style – there is something to appeal to every type of learner, visual, audio, and kinetic. Kids already familiar with using the computer should find Keyboard Town Pals easy to use without adult help.

I recommended headphones with Keyboard Town Pals! This is one of those products that the target age group will love, and everyone else in the household will be sick of hearing. Save your sanity, provide headphones, and everyone will be happy.

Compatible with both PC and Mac, there are currently three versions of Keyboard Town Pals: English, Spanish, and French.

Keyboard Town Pals is may be purchased on CD-Rom or as web-based software. Bundles are also available that include the CD-Rom or web software, plus a Concentration card game, a physical or ebook Coloring Book, and 140 Keyboard Town PALS stickers.

To see what other crew members had to say, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, Keyboard Town Pals.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

Memoria Press – First Form Latin

 Homeschool, Reviews  1 Response »
Nov 032011
 

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The Latin language has always interested me, but my schooling didn’t include it as an option. Though I’m familiar with both Spanish and French, through school and community, my primary experience with Latin is on that basis – very lightly, through its connection with other languages, and not for itself.

One of the most difficult aspects of learning a language isn’t the obvious, like memorization or grammar – it’s whether or not you have a way to practice, and by doing so, keeping it fresh in your mind. Though I’ve spent much more time in the classroom studying French, my comfort level with Spanish is much greater, because I’m surrounded by native speakers and hear Spanish on a regular basis.
We recently had the opportunity to try out a Latin curriculum from Memoria Press which has a unique approach to language instruction. First Form Latin differs from other language programs, in that it teach grammar first, rather than vocabulary. The goal is to increase and retain understanding over the long term, rather than focus on short-term ability to translate.

Six weeks isn’t a sufficient length of time to make a determination about retention rates over the long term, but compared to other language-learning methods, I do appreciate the emphasis on grammar first.

Though topical vocabulary memorization in typical instruction is useful in rudimentary communication with others, that approach becomes overwhelming later in the curriculum, when verb conjugation is added in almost as an afterthought. With the basics of sentence construction taught first, without the vocabulary clutter, it seems much easier to understand.

First Form Latin is created for classical instruction, the goal of which is to teach people to learn to teach themselves. I have to admit, I don’t have a comprehensive understanding of the classical method, so I cannot relate portions of First Form Latin directly to it.

First Form Latin is specifically designed for a teacher that has no familiarity with Latin themselves. All lessons are completely scripted in the teacher’s manual. The material is remarkably easy to use, and preparation consists primarily of reviewing the lessons ahead of time. If you chose to purchase the DVDs, the video lessons would provide most of the actual instruction, freeing the parent to learn alongside the student, and ensuring proper pronunciation.

All print materials are black & white or monochrome, though there are some illustrations, this is not a curriculum for those that need pretty pictures or bells and whistles to entice them into learning. It’s simple and to the point, nothing extra here. The DVDs, too, follow this line of thinking – no distractions, just the material to cover. Students that learn best through hands-on activities would require some creative adjustments to provide a effective experience for them.

Two different packages are available: the basic First Form Latin package, which, for $55, includes: a student text, a student workbook, a book with quizzes and tests, a teacher’s manual, and a teacher’s answer key. It also includes a pronunciation CD. The more comprehensive First Form Latin Plus package includes 3 DVDs with lessons, plus a complete set of flashcards.

First Form Latin is intended for grades 5 and up, though it would be appropriate for younger students who have complete Latina Christiana I. It’s the equivalent of one year of high school foreign language.

My primary concern with First Form Latin is that, while the no-frills approach is fantastic for reducing distractions and keeping the focus on the material, some students will just plain struggle with the lack of visual appeal. Though I personally like the simplicity, and my 10th grade student was fine with it, it was difficult to keep my two younger students, 8th and 6th, focused. They need more interactive stimulation, and it was a challenge to keep them interested and participating.

It’s a great curriculum and easy for any parent to use as-is or adapt, thanks to the extensive details, but a parent would need to carefully consider whether or not it would be the right approach for their individual student.

Memoria Press has plenty of samples of First Form Latin for your perusal on their website, including a table of contents, the student textbook, the student workbook, the teacher manual, and an example of a recitation.

First Form Latin may be purchased directly from Memoria Press. Second Form Latin is also available, and a third year, Third Form Latin can be pre-ordered. Other products available from Memoria Press that were reviewed by Homeschool Crew members are Classical Phonics and First Start Reading, for K-2 students learning to read.

To see what other crew members had to say about these products, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, Memoria Press.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

Excellence In Literature

 Homeschool, Reviews  1 Response »
Nov 012011
 

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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 five books can be purchased at once for just $135. That’s five years of 8-12 grade literature for the price of what other curriculums cost for a year.

With savings like that, I was on board and excited from the start – Excellence In Literature is affordable for any family. Even if a print copy is desired, the pricing is just slightly more.

Once we received our copy and I was able to dive in, my enthusiasm increased. Excellence In Literature is designed to be self-directed, which will do two things: take much of the burden of instruction off the parent, and prepare the student for college-style courses where the student is the one primarily responsible for the completion of the work.

Each course is arrange into nine 4-week units; this reduces planning time, because the schedule is already laid out for you. Because each unit is individual, it IS possible to rearrange the order to work through the material chronologically, or to match with history assignments, or any other order desired. The time-span is also flexible – units can be shortened or lengthened as desired to fit the needs of your family.

Excellence In Literature is ideal for most homeschooling families, because, regardless of the style of homeschooling you’ve chosen to follow, preparedness for college boils down to the same thing in the end.

One other great thing about Excellence In Literature? With any literature program, you don’t just have the cost of the curriculum to consider, there’s also the cost of the actual books. Many of the titles chosen for Excellence In Literature are classics that have stood the test of time, and are now freely available on sites such as Project Gutenberg. Inexpensive copies of these widely-used, familiar titles are also generally available at used bookstores. A complete list of all books used in the program is here, along with reasoning behind the book choices.

My oldest two, used to years of free-range reading, weren’t terribly thrilled at the idea of a planned literature curriculum, but they knew it was coming sooner or later. We’re well into the second unit now, and so far, so good – they’re enjoying it despite the hard work.

The directions are clearly written and easy-to-understand, even for a parent who isn’t reading along with the student. Evaluation rubrics are included, which takes the uncertainty out of grading and allows the focus to be on learning, not mistakes. A sample unit may be viewed here, and other frequently asked questions are on the FAQ page.

Other titles available in the series are English 2 – Literature and Composition, English 3 – American Literature, British Literature, and World Literature. All courses have an honors option.

To see what other crew members had to say, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, Excellence In Literature.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

Marshall George Washington Carver

 Homeschool, Reviews  1 Response »
Oct 302011
 

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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 just present historical fact; George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work, does a fine job providing a sense of what he was like as a person and an educator. The inspirational quotes, many taken from his writings, give clear indication of his inner drives and thought processes.

George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work, like all of Marshall Publishing’s products, is appropriate for all ages. Though George Washington Carver was born into slavery, and suffered decades of racial prejudice, this product doesn’t focus on that side of his story. Carver felt that if he became involved in fighting for rights, he’d had little time for his own scientific endeavors that he considered his real life’s work. True to his beliefs, the video narrowly sketches out his background, focusing instead on all of his accomplishments. If you have younger students that have not yet encountered lessons on slavery and prejudice, the movie covers these lightly enough that minimal explanation would suffice if questions are asked. This video would, in fact, be a nice, gentle introduction to these topics.

Marshall Publishing provides a free study guide on the product page that provides a concise summary of the information presented on the DVD, along with a list of questions that could be answered individually or as a group. Discussing the questions verbally after watching the video worked well for us; it helped to clarify and reinforce the primary information presented, without interrupting the casual family movie time feeling.

George Washington Carver: His Life and His Works runs approximately 30 minutes. It is in both color and black & white; many actual photographs of Carver are included. Interspersed with these are gorgeous modern photographs highlighting subjects that he studied. Sections of the video include: Inspiring Words, Early Life, College Years, Tuskegee Years, and Final Years.

The only unusual detail I noticed, which the kids didn’t even pick up on: throughout the video, an actor narrated much as the movie as if it were spoken by Carver. The actor has a great voice, very smooth and understandable – but when, near the end of the video, a short video clip featuring Carver’s real voice is played, it is drastically different than the actor’s, so much so that it jarred me back into real life. Though I appreciate the desire for authenticity, in this case, it might have been better to use the actor throughout.

George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work, is available from Marshall Publishing for $19.95. Marshall Publishing also offers numerous educational videos suitable for all ages. Other Homeschool Crew families had the opportunity to view Lots and Lots of Fire Songs & Safety Tips, along with a book, Lots & Lots of Fire Trucks and Firefighters. To see what other crew members had to say, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, Marshall Publishing & Promotions, Inc.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

Harvest “Trunk or Treat” Freebies at Currclick

 Homeschool  No Responses »
Oct 282011
 

Currclick has 8 educational freebies right now at their harvest Trunk-or-Treat sale, plus 75% off dozens of other items!

It’s supposed to run through October 31… right now it looks like the special pricing and freebies will end around 7am (Pacific) November 1st.

For help finding all the Trunk-or-Treat freebies, check out Currclick’s Facebook page. (It’s linked in the header at the top of the Trunk-or-Treat page.)

If you haven’t checked out Currclick yet, you should. They’re a great one-stop resource for hundreds of homeschool tools – there really is something here for everyone, and almost everything is reasonably priced.

 

Wits & Wagers by Northstar Games

 Homeschool, Reviews  2 Responses »
Oct 252011
 

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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 game – their “learning curve” estimate was right on the money. A quick read through the rules, and we were playing – and no need to refer back to the rules to figure out details in the middle of the game.

Yes, it really *was* that easy to understand – I was trying to fight off a migraine the first day we played, and we played three enjoyable games despite it!

The concept is simple. A question is asked, and each player writes down their own guess. All answers are numbers, and the goal is to get as close to the answer as possible, without going over. (Think Price is Right – just like that.)

The answer boards are placed face down on the table until everyone is done answering, and then they are flipped over and sorted into order. A number “1″ board is included; it always starts the order, just in case everyone goes over! It’s fine if two answers are the same – just place them next to each other, and if that is the correct answer, then each scores.

Once the answers are sorted, the second part starts. Each player has two meeples (people tokens), one large, one small. The meeples are placed on whichever answers you like – you don’t have to choose your own answer, and you may split them between two answers if you desire. The big meeple is worth two points, the small worth one.

Once everyone is satisfied with the placement of their meeples, it’s time to read the answer. Also included with the answer is a related fact that places the question and answer in context. Some educational, some surprising, and some are just plain bizarre. (We had a lot of laughter during this game – something we can use right now!)

Scoring is easy and quick. The person with the closest answer earns one point for the correct answer. Each big meeple on that board earns two, and each small meeple one.

Points are then marked on the scoreboard, the cards move to the left, and the game continues until someone reaches 15 points, the winning amount.

This is a great concept for a trivia game, because, as we quickly discovered, it isn’t dependent on knowing the answer to the question – it’s just as easy to win if you’re good at guessing who would be most likely to answer the question right! The kids quickly realized to follow my lead on basic facts, like the number of feet in a mile, or how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon, but for how many Disney princesses or Webkins there are, my 9-year-old-daughter is the house expert. Almost all sports questions are going to get nothing more reliable than a wild guess from me – a detail that had my oldest declaring that he wasn’t going to trust my answers anymore!


The fact that the rules can be condensed into a 30-second explanation is a huge bonus that makes Wits & Wagers Family perfect for a party. With the Family version, you can be sure that the questions will be appropriate for all ages. The game box states that it’s for ages 8 to adult; with help reading the questions, this could go as young as 4 or 5.

It also states that it is for 3-10 people. It could be played with just two, if need be, though it might be a little less lively. With more than five players, simply divide into teams. If you have more than 10 players, teams could consist of three or more players, though the larger the teams are, the more difficult it would be to reach a consensus on answers and meeple placement.

Wits & Wagers Family includes 150 question cards (two questions each), 5 dry erase answer boards, 1 dry erase score board, 5 dry erase pens, 5 large meeples, 5 small meeples, and full-color, easy to understand rules, all packaged in a nice, sturdy box.

The primary difference between Wits & Wagers Family and the original Wits & Wagers game is the emphasis on family-friendly questions. I’d love to have more questions for this game. We will probably end up purchasing the orginal game and the expansion pack for it, since my kids are on the older end these days, but I’d really like to see an expansion pack made available for the family version.

Wits and Wagers Family is available directly from Northstar Games, and is also carried by several national retailers.

To see what other crew members had to say about this product, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, Northstar Games – Wits & Wagers.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

Apologia – Educating The WholeHearted Child

 Homeschool, Reviews  2 Responses »
Oct 232011
 

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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 you can use as-is or adapt for your homeschool style, preferred teaching and learning methods.

There’s a lot of ground covered in these pages – you’re not going to pick it up one day and read it through, then never refer to again. I’d actually recommend that a first read-through be accompanied by either sticky notes or pencil and paper.

That’s actually the only thing that I would change about Educating the WholeHearted Child; I really feel that it needs a comprehensive index. While the chapter titles are good, overall categories for the topics included within, they’re on the vague side. I discovered rather quickly that it’s quite frustrating to want to re-read a section, and spending way more time looking than I should have, because I couldn’t figure out what chapter it might be in, and there is no index for cross-referencing.

Topics include ways to add “learning moments”, how to create a home environment that naturally encourages learning, subject-specific ways to enhance learning. I was surprised, a bit, at chapter 2, The Christian Homeschool; it might be more accurately titled Comparisons Between Homeschooling and Public Schooling, and Other Things About Dealing With The Outside World. If you’re feeling conflicted or attacked about homeschooling, I’d recommend this chapter to you – it alone is better than many books written with that specific purpose in mind.

Sidebars throughout the book include relevant biblical quotes interspersed with words from historical figures, modern homeschool proponents, and research data. Those snippets alone could make for a pretty interesting book! I actually sat down and read through just them one evening.

The authors of Educating the WholeHearted Child, Clay and Sally Clarkson, are the parents of Read for the Heart‘s author, Sarah Clarkson. Though Educating the WholeHearted Child does have short recommended book lists, I would absolutely recommend that you purchase Read for the Heart as a companion book. I reviewed Read for the Heart last spring, and loved it.

One caveat: Educating the WholeHearted Child is a Christian book, so if you’re adamantly opposed to mixing religion and education, this title isn’t for you. However, if you’re open-minded enough to mentally adapt the information presented to your own faith in particular, or secular morals in general, this book is a valuable tool – and I haven’t seen a similarly quality title in the secular market.

Educating the WholeHearted Child ($22) and Read for the Heart ($17) may be purchased from Apologia.

To see what other crew members had to say about this product, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, Apologia – Educating the Wholehearted Child.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

Girls Scream for Always Ice Cream

 Homeschool, Reviews  No Responses »
Oct 182011
 

PhotobucketIf 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 *was* getting to review it. (At one point, I was being asked hourly if the email had arrived yet! Not her typical mellow style by any means.)

Amazingly, Always IceCream has lived up to – and exceeded – all her expectations. She doesn’t need reminded to use it – it’s become a daily habit. The variety of learning games, “just for fun” games, educational videos, and creative opportunities keeps her coming back for more.

In an unusual move for a game site aimed at the under-13 group, Always IceCream has worked hard to provide social features for kids to interact with others on the site, and to take extreme care to make it safe for the girls. Friendships fall into two different categories – online friends, and real-life friends, who need to have memberships that are verified by parents. It adds a little bit of work for the parents, but it’s actually relatively easy to set up, and the peace of mind is wonderful. It allows the girls to learn how to handle online interactions without any of the dangers of unrestricted access.

Cheyenne lost no time in recruiting a real-life friend to Always IceCream. A recent acquaintance, it has allowed their friendship to blossom – and freed up the phone! They motivate each other to progress in skills, share the rewards of virtual pets and furniture, and make plans for real-life get-togethers.

Quite a few learning games are available, ranging from basics like Geography, Math, Science, Language Arts, and Religion to more unique offers such as Dog Breeds, Basic Anatomy, and Musical Instruments. Girls earn “Scoops”, the virtual currency of Always IceCream, that they can use to purchase and create virtual pets and items to decorate their house. They may also purchase items created and sold by their friends.

Other options to get scoops include a daily “free spin” and educational videos that include an amazing variety of subjects. It’s not unusual for Chey to say something like, “I was watching a video on Always IceCream about decorating cupcakes – do you think we could try that sometime?” It has generated some strange conversations, starting with topics like teaching the dog to sit – and ending with an “Oh, yeah, Mom, you need to remember to get some salt so we can make ice cream.”

Also available are up to 2,000 scoops per month that can be awarded as desired by the parent. This is a neat tool that works great as a reward for special accomplishments or extra chores. It’s also one area that I wouldn’t mind if they enhanced just a little bit – I’d love to be able to schedule in her regular chores and work assignments so that I could just mark them done and apply the scoops as the tasks were completed.

A nice additional feature is the parent’s account. Settings can easily be adjusted as desired by the parent without having to login via the child’s account, and it displays progress made in all activities during the last 90 days. Parents are also able to view a list of other members that their child has interacted with, and parents can choose to have a weekly summary sent to them via email.

A neat little bonus on the parents account – easy to miss seeing – is the ability to print out invitations for friends. These include a free month’s membership, and have your daughter’s friendship code printed right on them, making it easy for real-life friends to connect. So far, we’ve only used this to hand out codes to a few people, but the site suggests that they would make a great addition to a birthday party favor bag – and they’re right. Far more useful and long-lasting than the usual treats, that’s for sure!

My only real wishes for Always IceCream? I want them to continue adding more learning games. It’s so effective already, I don’t want Cheyenne to lose the momentum and the excitement by running out of new challenges. So far, no sign of that happening – but just in case.

It’s a worthy goal to bring girl-friendly, child-safe games to the internet, and Always IceCream excels in doing so. But it’s greatest strength is also my greatest dismay; my two younger sons are always watching over their sister’s shoulder, and if Always IceCream weren’t so determinedly girly-girl, I’m certain that the 11-year-old would have asked for an account already. (I’ve been told he’s considering it anyways.) As it is, she has allowed him to create occasional pieces of furniture, which he enjoys, and she has “given” virtual pets to each of them that they have named, and she takes care of for them.

While I understand the creator’s motivations and focus, I think many boys in the same age range would be equally attracted to the games and virtual community, were it not so blatantly presented as “Girls Only”. I’d love to see a “sibling” site – in effect, a boy’s “skin” with much the same or similar contents – and open this up to all children that could benefit from it.

Always IceCream may be subscribed to for $4.99/month or $29.99/year. A lifetime membership is just $99.99, which is a great deal if your daughter is at the younger end of the 7-12 range.

To see what other crew members had to say about this product, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog post, Always IceCream.

**I received this product for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

Aletheia: Writing Magazine for Teens

 Homeschool, Reviews  No Responses »
Sep 292011
 

PhotobucketWe’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, is one of the most greatly desired gifts – and one of the most difficult to achieve. For some, merely the act of creating is enough; for others, the act of creating is subsumed by the act of sharing that inspiration, and the wisdom gained within, with others.

We just have to look outside our door, and we are assailed by the creations of others, positive and negative alike. Just as art can hold beauty, it can contain decay. And if we are not careful, we can bring that decay into our homes and families.

Each parent must carefully choose what they are willing to expose their children to. In today’s world, there are a limited amount of options that would be appropriate for enlightening Christian children’s souls and creativity alike.

I’d like to share with you one such choice we recently received. Full of material created by its readers comes Aletheia Writing Magazine, written and illustrated for Christian teens by Christian teens. Aletheia Writing Magazine is gorgeous to look at; the pages and artwork just flow. A skim inside makes it clear that each work is carefully chosen for its excellence. I was surprised by the high quality within, and reminded that youth need not mean immature.

My teens were intrigued, but non-committal; they’re curious, and will read, but uncertain if they would be willing to submit. Even in a home where books are plentiful and the kids are widely read, it’s wise to sneak in a few exceptionel surprises; there can be no literary suffusion where none at all exists.

With poetry, art, fiction, and interviews with artists galore, writing, illustration and photography challenges, there is something inside the covers for every creative teen.

It isn’t a curriculum, it doesn’t fit a teaching style or a learning need, it’s not grade-able or organized or practical… but it will reach out to that place, deep inside your soul, that desires a connection of the spiritual kind with others who desire the same. And it’s for teens. It’s so easy for us to lose their hearts these days; if we must lose them, let it be to art and craft that feed the soul, rather than destroy it.

A quarterly subscription to Aletheia Magazine is just $26, shipping and handling included. It would be a great gift for the teen in your life! (Or, if you’re a teen and would like to submit, check out their website more information.) If you’d like to preview a sample issue, Aletheia’s Spring 2011 issue is online for your viewing pleasure.

**I received this produchttp://tenacitydivine.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1834&action=edit&message=10t for free as a member of the 2011-12 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew so that I could provide you with an honest review of it by our family.**

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