The Joy of School

Beef and Veggie Ramen

2012-05-24T23:45:00.001-05:00

I stumbled across this recipe several years ago and decided to try it for my family. I was pleasantly surprised how much they enjoyed it. It really isn't hard, but there is some prep work to it. I do have to warn you that I really don't measure much of anything. I just kind of eyeball things as I put them in so that there is a good balance.

Beef and Veggie Ramen

3/4 - 1 lb. Ground beef
1 medium onion chopped into desired size pieces
Broccoli florets, cut (Instead of measuring, I usually use about a cereal bowl full)
3 medium Carrots, shredded
4 Cups water
3 packages ramen noodles
Seasoning packets from Beef flavored ramen or 2 bullion cubes
1 tsp. Dried red pepper flakes

Shredded carrots.
Cut broccoli into managable pieces. I usually cut most of the stem off each piece, so my bits are small. but cut according to your families preference.

Brown ground beef and onion in large skillet. Drain.

Add water and seasoning packets or bullion. After water is hot add broccoli, ramen noodles, and red peppers.
Bring to a boil so both cook through.

Just before all water has cooked off, add carrots. They don't take long to cook since they are small.

After adding carrots continue to mix so it doesn't stick to the pan. Serve immediately.

Part of what I like about this recipe is its versatility. You can leave the onion out, I often forget to cut one up. I have also used cauliflower instead of broccoli. When I used cauliflower I didn't add it with the noodles as I didn't want it to get mushy. I waited until they were fairly soft before adding the cauliflower.

I also plan to try it with a bag of frozen mixed veggies, but don't know how that will work yet.

Heritage History TOS Review

2012-05-23T22:22:00.002-05:00

Heritage History Ancient Greece CD
http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage.php

A CD collection of 46 classic stories about Greece, mythology, and life in Ancient Greece. These books are categorized as Comprehensive History, Military History,Biography, Mythology and Hero Stories, Adapted Literature, and Historical Fiction.

The mission of Heritage History is to promote a traditional narrative history curriculum for homeschools. To achieve this they provide numerous complete, with text and illustrations, classic books covering a wide range of historical eras and locales. These books are available in e-reader formats as well as CD.

Both on the CD and the Heritage History website, book titles are color coded for approximate age and interest appropriateness. The purpose behind this it to make it easier to find books for students at different levels.

Study Guide

The CD also features a comprehensive study guide with tips and ideas to use the story resources, timelines of Greek History, maps, and reading records. These can all be printed and assembled into a companion guide for a student to use while reading these books independently.

The Heritage History store also offers CD collections of Roman, British, European, Norse, Asian, African, Christian, Moslem, Hispanic, and American books in addition to this Greek history CD. They also have a special collection deigned just for young readers. Each CD sells for $24.99.

Individual book titles may also be purchased from Heritage History.

The study guide is included on the CD's but it is also available in printed format ($ 24.99) or an individual download($12.99) for selected courses.

My Thoughts

Quite honestly, I have mixed feelings about this book collection. I was hoping for books which would supplement and flush out the stories and information in our primary history text. I had hoped to supplement my existing history curriculum with additional 'meatier' sources for my 11 year old. This was very hard to do as so much of these books are not of actual historical events, but are mainly literary resources, not studies of events. The events and incidents in the stories do not correspond to the history in our textbook. Thus I was not able to assign to assign her a specific book to read that would enrich what was already being studied.

I asked my 11 year old to read one of the books to herself following the advice in the study guide. She attempted this on several occasions. She read them, but was not overly enthusiastic. My 8 year old showed some interest in the stories when they were read aloud.

What I did do was to read from several of the books out loud to my children. This way they learned about some of the characters and events in Greek mythology. It also gave the opportunity for discussion which added to the experience. We also enjoyed several of the historical fiction titles. They were especially thrilled to hear The Spartan Twins by Lucy Perkins. We have read some of her other works and greatly enjoy them.

When using the CD on the computer it is very easy to navigate to the books and read them. They are in an e-pub format which opens and functions just like a web page.

The CD also contains a lot of user information, notes, and recommendations. In fact I found so much information it was overwhelming. I had difficulty remembering where I found specific notes when I wanted to go back to it. I would recommend printing these pages at the very beginning of organizing the course so they are handy.

The overwhelming majority of these books tend to be trade books, not particularly scholarly works, thus I probably would not use them as the basis of a history program much past junior high level. I do find this to be an excellent collection of Greek literature to complement Greek history, these are great stories which are a part of the Ancient Greek culture, but not history per se.

As to approximate level for various books the color coding maybe helpful, but I could not find information with concrete grade/ age recommendations. However, after reading through many of the texts, I have to question how many of the books were leveled. It seems to me that Heritage History may haven taken the original target audience of many of these books and rearranged them for today's students. For example, labeling those which were intended for or used in upper elementary or middle school classes when they were written as current high school level books today. This can be misleading. Back in the time when the majority of these books were written most formal education did not continue past the 8th grade, thus these books would not have been used in high school. The upper limit on them would have been 8th grade. Thus the idea of many of the resources being appropriate for high school is not accurate.

I also found the classifications on the website to be very scattered. I don't think there is much of a pattern for placing books in a particular collection over against another collection. It was also difficult to determine what collection may contain a particular book as well.

Other members of the TOS Crew had the opportunity to use other volumes from the Heritage History collection. Read what they had to say at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received a gratis copy of this CD to enable me to write this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner and all opinions expressed here are solely my own.

CapJaxMathFax TOS Review

2012-05-17T23:16:00.004-05:00

CapJaxMathFacts

www.capjax.com

CapJaxMathFax drills math facts in all four operations. It works on facts from digits 0-9 in addition and subtraction and 0-10 in multiplication and division. It can be customized for the number of problems in a set and length of time in which to figure each fact. When a student can correctly answer a fact in 3 seconds it is considered to be mastered and becomes a 'Super' fact. When each set is completed the student sees their new score and often a quote from a famous personality.

As the student uses CapJaxMathFacts they are given a cumulative score based on number of problems answered correctly. These are then plotted on a graph so there is a visual showing their progress. Progress in each of the operations in shown on the chart, but in different colors. A bar graph is also used to show how close the student is to mastering an operation. In addition to showing separate progress for all four operations, a cumulative score is shown near the bar graph.

Facts are presented to students in both horizontal and vertical positions. Both a dot and an 'x' are used to signify multiplication. I presume both of these are done so children realize they problem is the same no matter the layout.

There is also review of facts built into CapJaxMathFacts. At the end of a set the student is given several problems previously mastered to answer again.

Certificates are issued and can be printed when all the facts in an operation are mastered and continue to be available in the future.

CapJaxMathFacts is available for $29.95. There is a free evaluation program download and if you like what you have experienced a license key will be emailed after purchase. This will unlock the full program. It is also available as a CD for $29.95 plus and additional $5.95. To learn more about the trial or purchase visit, CapJaxMathFacts.

My Thoughts

My child who loves math enjoyed CapJaxMathFacts, but my child who doesn't like math didn't really care for it. The one who enjoyed the program spent a fair amount of time with it and was able to make good progress.

Both of my children liked seeing what the new quote would be and it often triggered discussions of who someone is/was. They also liked to see their scores and ratings climb. I think this gave them encouragement and motivation to continue.

There is a time element to the program, but it can be set to suit the needs of the student. This time applies to working an individual problem, the user is not racing against the clock to complete a group of problems. I think this takes some of the stress out of the timing aspect.

Read what other TOS Crew members had to say at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received a free trial of this product in order to enable me to write this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner and all opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Write Shop TOS Review

2012-05-17T11:26:00.000-05:00

Write Shop
http://www.writeshop.com/

Writing Instruction for my children has been something I have struggled with for my children. I can teach them the steps of writing or the elements of a paragraph or composition, but the how to get there is the tough part. Write Shop has provided this crucial bridge in writing instruction.

I have had the opportunity to use and review Write Shop Level B, designed for 1st and 2nd grade, but also suitable for 3rd grade. Level B contains 10 lessons with each lesson studied for 2 weeks. The lessons can also be stretched for use over 3 weeks if the child needs more writing practice.

Write Shop Level B teaches the following writing skills: letter writing, standard spelling, acrostic poems, nursery rhymes, fairy tales, in the news, problem solving, humor, characters and settings, and using graphic organizers. We have used the first three lessons with topics of Grandparents, holidays, and space. Additional topics in the curriculum are neighborhood and community, dinosaurs, ocean animals, nursery rhymes, fairy tales, animal homes, and neighborhood helpers.

Each lesson focuses on a specific theme or event, such as holidays, birthdays, trips. All the topics chosen for the lessons are exciting to children and something most children are already familiar with. Thus they are aren't faced with writing about something which they don't know about, a major hurdle in the whole writing process. The major elements of writing; brainstorming, pre-writing, writing, revising and editing are practiced several times over the course of each lesson.

The lessons are designed to be done in approximately 30 minutes a day, with several different, yet related activities accomplished during this time.

In addition to performing the various steps of actual writing, students using Write Shop also are exposed to spelling and word families as they relate to the writing projects. Throughout the course students are encouraged to make a spelling notebook containing words which are related to the subjects of their writing projects. Students also review word families and make diagrams of them in preparation of poetry projects.

Write Shop requires a lot of parent/ teacher preparation and participation. This adult needs to gather various materials for the course and have them easily accessible for each lesson. It is also necessary to prepare some papers or cutout items for each days lessons. Much of the teaching in the Write Shop program is done interactively between the student and teacher. The adult is encouraged to do the physical act of writing for the student so they may focus on the thoughts involved. The teacher carries on a conversation with the student while he is engaged in the writing process to him him remember details and mechanics of writing. This conversation is also designed to help prompt the student to remember details to include in their writing.

The teacher helps include a detailed schedule for one, two, or three weeks per lesson on a grid format and show which parts of the lesson are to be completed each day. There is also a grading rubric or checklist for each of the 10 lessons. This is on two pages, but clearly shows what the teacher should be looking for as they work with the child to master the various styles of writing presented.

Write Shop level B also uses an Activity Set. This is a collection of pre designed pages which are used with the lessons to introduce the topic, peak interest and give a nice form to the culminating writing activity of each lesson.

Write Shop B is $26.95 e-book format, $29.95 book. Activity pages Level B are $4.95 print, $4.50 e book. All of these products are available from the Write Shop store. Now through June 15th 2012 Write Shop is offering a discount to readers of the TOS Crew Reviews a 15% discount at checkout with the code CREW15 This includes all Write Shop Primary and Junior books and e-books.

Write Shop also has additional levels of writing programs for kindergarten thorough high school.

My Thoughts

Both my 8 year old son and I love this program. Using the Write Shop program has changed writing from a subject which is dreaded to one eagerly anticipated. My son has gone from "No, Do I have to write?, I don't want to write" to "Mom, we can't forget to do today's writing assignment." He has been interested in all three of the topics we have completed, but especially space.

The first lesson features a little ditty to help students remember the parts and order of a letter. They learn a letter has a heading, greeting, body, and closer and associate them with parts of their head, hands to greet, body, and feet to sign their letter. My 8 year old enjoyed acting this out and my 11 year old thought it was so fun that she joined in.

One of the components of the program is making a 'Super Speller' notebook containing words the student has difficulty spelling. I think this is a great idea and one which I had started in a different format. I had set up an index card box with letter dividers and wrote words on individual cards. That way we are able to update the word collection as his vocabulary grows and interests change.

Another component involves making a flower garden featuring word family flowers. The flowers contain a word ending in the center and words made with that ending for the petals. The flowers didn't not appeal to my 8 year old son so he decided to make a vegetable garden. He thought it would be more interesting to have a variety of vegetables, rather than just one kind.

The pictures above feature lettuce and red potatoes; to the left corn and tomatoes.

I received a pdf copy of the Write Shop text and activity pages for this review. It was convenient to have the activity pages on my computer and print when I needed them, however I did not find the electronic copy of the text as convenient. Because teaching the course requires some much parent preparation and participation I found it challenging to have an electronic format. It was not easy to go back and forth on each page to see what needed to be prepared or try to follow the directions while teaching the lesson. I had to print out a number of pagers as well as the schedule before I could really get a handle on how to present the program to my son. My personal preference would be to have a hard copy of the book available for preparation and next to me while working with my child.

Other members of the TOS Crew reviewed this level and other Write Shop levels. See what they had to say at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received a gratis pdf copy of this program to enable me to write this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Library and Ed Go Science DVD TOS Review

2012-05-12T18:14:00.001-05:00

Go Science is a 6 volume DVD collection demonstrating and explaining scientific concepts. Physics, Chemistry, and Life science concepts are the focus of the set. Running time varies per disc: the ones I reviewed were 45 and 60 minutes.

As a TOS Crew member we reviewed DVD's 3 and 4. Disc 3 features experiments relating to Magnetism, Electricity, Engineering, and Design. Disc 4 features Chemistry, States of Matter, and Life Science experiments.

The host, Ben Roy, demonstrates numerous scientific principles in front of a live audience of children of all ages. Many of the experiments he demonstrates require materials often not found in a home, so its likely viewers have not seen many of them or tried them for themselves. Not only does he interact with the audience, some of his questions are addressed to his viewers.

There is a definite religious influence in these episodes. God and Creation are mentioned at the closing of each segment as well as some references are also made throughout the episodes.

Each DVD is available from Library and Educational Services for$8.97.

Library and Educational Services is a small family wholesale distributor offering a variety of books and educational materials at discounted prices to homeschools, schools, churches, libraries, missionaries, and licensed day cares. They are located in Michigan.

My Thoughts

Both of my children enjoy science and can't get enough. So they were very excited to watch these experiment demonstrations. The explanations of what is being done, results, and the science behind it is very through.

Both my 8 and 11 enjoyed watching the demonstrations. They both enjoyed the demonstrations because they were able to see experiments they wouldn't normally be able to do. They also saw a new perspective to some demonstrations they had seen or done previously.

While each DVD has limited topics, the experiments and demonstrations featured are varied and demonstrate numerous principles.

However, I was very disappointed in one of the demonstrations with chemical changes in Volume 4. Mr. Roy asked what Bible story tells about a chemical change and his student helper answered with "Jesus turning water into wine". He replied, "Jesus turned water into sparkling grape juice". This is an error as the Biblical text clearly states "turned water into wine".

We also experienced some frustration with the audio quality on both discs. The volume varied from demonstration to demonstration and many had quite loud feedback.

Other TOS Crew members had the opportunity to view these and other Go Science DVD's. See what they had to say at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received gratis copies of the above mentioned DVDs for the purpose of writing this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All opinions expressed here are solely mine or my family's.

Elementary Economics

2012-05-03T13:12:00.000-05:00

One of the unpredictable things about children is what will catch their interest and when. Sometimes it is the least expected topic which is most interesting to them. Then what is even more amazing is when both of them agree on one single topic. My most resent experience in this regard was when both my 8 and 11 year olds decided they wanted to learn about economics.

Since they were both extremely interested I didn't want to pass up the opportunity, but I was left scratching my head about how and what to share with them. I figured this would be in addition to my current plans and we wouldn't spend more than a couple weeks on it. So my first stop was the library website. I was able to find a couple books that looked to be on their level so maybe I would be able to pull something together. I also did some research online, but didn't find a whole lot to start with.

After studying the books from the library, I decided I would be able to use two of them. I also found one of my resource books had several hands on ideas for teaching economic principles. After further thought I decided to have them put together a lapbook to record what they learned. I started looking for lapbook sets, but couldn't find one on their level which addressed economics, not money. I purchased one, but it turned out to be too in depth. So now, I was making my own lapbook. This was getting to be a bigger project all the time. Some of the templates were fro sets I purchased, but I also made my own.

In the end the economics study consisted of activities learning about scarcity and value, wants and needs, and making value assessments. The lapbook contains mini books examining:

What an Economic System is and the major types
Wants and Needs
What makes up the Economy
The Government's Role in the Economy
Goods and Services
What Economics is
Scarcity
Taxes
The Stock Market
Which Government Agencies Influence the Economy

This is what the finished lapbook looks like. We have to glue the two books together yet, but it was easier to take pictures first.

Mega Prize Package Giveaway from Homeschool Freebie of Day

2012-05-01T21:21:00.000-05:00

I don't usually post about giveaways or contests here, but this time I am making an exception. I discovered a great site a couple years ago, Homeschool Freebie of the Day. Each week day they have a link to a great web site or a pdf book to download. Many of the books are older classics which can not be found other places but are a great resource and often just plain fun. The book resources have so much to offer and are a great supplement to any homeschooling plan. But, the resources offered are useable by anyone,not just homeschoolers. Since I found Homeschool Freebie of the day they have offered comic books, handicraft books, stories from history, nature studies, and many, many links to fascinating websites. If you just visit their site for the web links they share you will have a treasure trove of information at your fingertips.

This week they have a great giveaway going on. They are taking entries for a HUGE package of resources. Some of the products included are two foreign language curriculum, American History titles, a Fairy Tale collection, a collection of dog stories and so much more. While many of the resources included in the package are designed for homescholing families, many of them would be interesting to those families who don't homeschool too.

Using this link with take you to the form to register for your chance to win this amazing set of resources.

amhttp://homeschool.greenthumbfily.com/?cdr=4f9b705600861

By using this link, you will also give me several more entries, so if you are interested I would be grateful if you used this link.

Balance Math Teaches Algebra TOS Review

2012-04-23T21:21:00.000-05:00

Balance Math Teaches Algebra
The Critical Thinking Company
www.criticalthinking.com/
1-800-458-4849

Balance Math Teaches Algebra is an introduction to solving equations and the processes of algebra. In solving the equations students are introduced to the skills of filling in proofs, simplifying equations, and substitution.

Rather than employing just a straight row of symbols and numbers, Balance Math uses a balance scale to represent the equation and geometric shapes for variables. In some of the equations the shapes have numbers in them, others are blank inside. The pages of the book are non distracting black print with no extraneous decorations, with 3-8 scales to solve on each page. Students are given several equations to solve with proofs to fill in to acquaint them with the type of equations they will be working with then they move on to several pages on which they practice those skills and types of problems. This practice may include activities such as matching equations which are equal or determining which equations are equal to a simplified balance scale shown at the top of a page. There are also several pages where the student matches equations to the mini word problems which are missing their variables.

While the equations progress in difficulty throughout the book, the types of activities generally remain the same.

The book contains 52 pages of student work, a tip sheet for the student with guidance and ideas to solve different types of equations, and an answer key. It is recommended for 4th through 12 grade.

Balance Math Teaches Algebra is $14.99 from the Critical Thinking Company. Samples are available by clicking the cover on the product page.

Critical Thinking Company has core and supplemental books in the subject areas of language arts, math, science, social studies, and logic for preschool through high school. Some subject material is also available on CD format for use on the computer.

My Thoughts

My 11 year old is eager to start learning algebra, so when I had the opportunity to review this book. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for her.

Balance Math starts out fairly easy and my daughter found it enjoyable. However, by the time she was about a third of the way through she started having difficulty as many of the problems require multiplying and dividing by fractions and she is not comfortable with that operation yet. This is not a problem with the curriculum, but simply her level of knowledge at the present.

I liked the simplicity of the book, there was nothing there to distract her from work as is often the case with other materials. It is also small enough not to be overwhelming to the user. Another great aspect of the book is user are presented equations with the geometric shapes rather than a long string of variables. This helps students to focus on the skill and process rather than the letter otherwise used.

Despite the challenge my daughter enjoyed working through Balance Math Teaches Algebra and getting a taste of algebra. Using this book has opened one of the secrets of upper grade work to her.

Other members of the TOS Crew had the opportunity to review this book as well as other publications from the Critical Thinking Company. See what they had to say at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received a gratis copy of the above reviewed books through the TOS Crew to enable me to write this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner and all opinions expressed here are solely my own.

April Birthday

2012-04-21T21:12:00.001-05:00

Last month was Daughters' birthday, now in April is Sons' birthday. I am late in writing about his day and getting a picture of his cake posted, but I decided I better get it done. His birthday was last Sunday, April 15th.

On his birthday we went out for pizza. He had the opportunity to see all his grandparents via the computer and enjoyed several phone calls.

Since his birthday fell on Sunday I let him have Monday off from school. He spent the day working on different projects and just generally relaxing. I think he enjoyed this day just as much as his birthday.

This is his birthday cake. He had had a difficult time deciding what kind of cake he wanted and then I was looking through my cake books. I found a round cake that was decorated as a donut. He likes donuts and asks us to buy him a donut all the time. It doesn't matter if we are in the store or just passing a place which has donuts, he wants one. So this was the perfect cake.

I made it in my angel food cake pan so I would get the hole in the center and just left it upside down so I would get the rounded top. Then covered it with a chocolate glaze and sprinkles. Something else he enjoys.

Amazing Science TOS Review

2012-04-19T18:05:00.000-05:00

Amazing Science Vol 1

scienceandmath.com

Inside the case you will discover 2 DVD'S packed with 23 science experiments explained and demonstrated.

Topics covered include:

Electricity

Magnetism

Heat

Temperature

Pressure

Surface Tension

Buoyancy

Optics

At the very beginning of each experiment all the equipment is shown and viewers are given guidelines and tips for what type of supplies are required. For example, sometimes paper cups are used and other times glass are used. If there is a possibility there might be a question as to what is needed it is clarified. A list of supplies is also put up on the screen briefly at the beginning of the segment.

The experiments use basic equipment that can be easily found around home, although I know I would need to make some purchases such as a copper pipe or lemons.

In each segment the experiment is fully described, demonstrated and the science principles explained. At the beginning of the segment the viewer is given a brief description of what scientific principle will be demonstrated,the experiment is described and then it is actually demonstrated. Each step of the process is narrated while the process is being shown, so that the viewer can see what should be happening. The segment is recapped with a more in depth discussion of the scientific principle just demonstrated.

The host of Amazing Science is Jason Gibson, an engineer and physicist.

Amazing Science volume 1 sells for $19.95

This picture shows the end result of one of the simple experiments you will find in the Amazing Science DVD's.

Also available from SCIENCEandMATH.com are Physics and Chemistry courses, as well as Math courses in Basic Math, Algebra, Trigonometry/Geometry, and Calculus. These are all on DVD and available separately or in bundle packages.

My Thoughts

Amazing is definitely the proper adjective for this collection of science demonstrations!

My children are usually thrilled and delighted by anything having to do with science. They begged to watch these over and over again. They love them and can't get enough. I think it would be safe to say these are among their favorite DVD's to watch.

This is an amazing collection of great science experiments! I like the fact that Jason explains the why behind how something works or occurs. This makes abstract science concepts concrete. It brings science alive for anyone, not just children. These videos tie science and daily life together in an easy to understand way without being simplistic.

As the necessary equipment is fairly common, most of it is safe and because of that children are capable of completing many of the experiments on their own with just supervision. When an experiment does use materials which can be dangerous Jason is very careful to remind viewers of that fact several times. He also emphasis the need for adult help at those times. He also tells viewers it is important to wear safety goggles and wears them himself when demonstrating the experiments.

Another positive I like is that the surroundings are so neutral and fairly uncluttered. The viewer can focus on the project and process while not being distracted by the TV environment.

A huge plus for me is this is a purely scientific presentation; there are no references to creation or evolution. This no pushing of a specific agenda.

After seeing this very well done DVD I would not hesitate to investigate further other products offered by SCIENCEandMATH.com .

We were able to complete the Color Changing Milk activity with common household supplies. Although the video suggested whole milk we used 2% and it worked just fine. My children wanted to do it several times and the only "problem" we encountered was that the plate evidently wasn't dry enough after the first time and thus the milk didn't spread out well in the plate.

Read what other crew members had to say at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received a gratis copy of the above reviewed DVD to enable me to write this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner and all opinions are solely my own.

God's Great Covenant TOS Review

2012-04-16T21:11:00.000-05:00

God's Great Covenant New Testament 1
by Claire A. Larsen
Classical Academic Press
http://classicalacademicpress.com/

God's Great Covenant NT 1 explores the life of Jesus in the four Gospels. It particularly emphasizes his roles of Prophet, Priest, and King and shows how he fulfills this throughout his life, death, and resurrection. In the course of doing so, the gospels are studies together, in a chronological manner rather than each one separately.

The course begins with several introductions: Historical/Political, Chronological, Geographical,Religious, Daily Life, and a General introduction.In these sections the author examines the various influences on the time period into which Christ came to give students and teachers a more complete understanding of the world at that time. All of these factors influence what happened and how it was understood and thus are vital for our proper understanding when studying the Bible.

The general introduction gives a brief overview of the Old Testament and how it is connected to the New. It examines the roles of the prophets, priests, and kings in the Old Testament by mentioning people and their activities and how all of these would be fulfilled in the coming of Jesus.


Student Text

The work in this course, which is designed for children fourth grade and up, is divided into four units each emphasizing different work of Jesus; He has come to live among his people, to proclaim good news, to teach about God's kingdom, and to conquer sin and death. Each of these units has 9 chapters. The units also contain a memory passage worksheet, devotional guide and a chapter of Simon's story. Simon's story tells about a young boy living just before the time of Jesus. He brings daily life to young readers/listeners. The book concludes with a quiz for each of the chapters.

Each chapter begins with a page breaking down the theme, Scripture selection, memory passage, key facts , and prophecy fulfilled. Most of these are self explanatory, but I would like to give a short example of the key facts. In the section of Jesus' arrest and trial the key facts presents all the people in the text and what they did. When an event is found in more than one gospel, all of the texts when it is also found are mentioned on the first page as well.

There are generally two pages of review questions and activities for each chapter. They address story facts as well as ask the student to think about and apply what they have learned to their lives. Generally there is at least one short answer type question in each chapter. The rest of the questions are either fill in the blank, matching, true/false, various types of puzzles or even a maze.

Additional material in the text examines Old Testament prophecies and their fulfillment in Christ, a discussion of Jesus as prophet, priest, and king, and a discussion of the Lord's prayer. There are also several maps in the text as well as a glossary. The maps are full size pages, black and white, and share a fair amount of information without being overly detailed. The text also contains quizzes for each of the chapters.

Map

Sample student page

Teacher Book

The Teacher's edition contains the entire student text, but in a smaller size. It also contains additional notes for the teacher which offer explanations of the text, customs, additional Scriptural references, comments regarding society of the day and its impact on Scripture, and theological notes. Answers are added to the copies of all of the student worksheets. In addition to all of these features, there is also plenty of space for the teacher to write their own notes and thoughts.

Both books contain a bibliography, but most of the titles seem geared to adults rather than elementary students.

Sample teacher page

As part of the bundle to review we also received a download of the story portions of the text.

A sample is available on the product page for both the Teacher book and Student book.

God's Great Covenant Student book $26.95
God's Great Covenant Teacher book $29.95
Audio Download $9.95
Bundle of all above products $56.95

Classical Academic Press has also produced God's Great Covenant Old Testament 1 and 2.

My Thoughts

I have to say I am impressed by the curriculum and other products produced by Classical Academic Press. We use several of their language programs and recently reviewed their beginning logic program. All of these materials are thoughtfully written and compiled to make them interesting and engaging for the student and provide support material for the teacher who may be learning right along with their children. God's Great Covenant New Testament 1 does not disappoint. It is of the same high quality I have come to expect from Classical Academic Press.

Classical Academic Press also has an online interactive website with additionally learning activities, however, I did not find anything other than wallpaper which corresponded with the Bible curricula.

Because we were in the middle of Lent and were already working through the Holy Week bible stories when we received this book, that is where we began with God's Great Covenant NT1. My children, ages 11 and 7, were already familiar with the concepts of Prophet, Priest, and King, so they had no trouble jumping right in. I read the Simon story to them all as one story, instead of over the course of the lessons. They enjoyed this story as well as the whole course. Although I did start in the middle of the course due to the length of time I had to review it, starting at the beginning of the book does offer greater continuity and thus the student will get more out of it.

While there is a lot of material and substance to the course, I don't feel there is enough there for one week per unit, but too much to use two units per week. Using this course as our main text I would probably add in additional resources.

My children really enjoyed listening to the story recordings in addition to reading the bible stories. The recordings are pleasant to listen to; there is is enough vocal differentiation to make it interesting, but not too much to distract from the story.

My children also enjoyed the variety in the activities and that there was usually some kind of puzzle in addition to the questions. They don't care to write, so often we went through the question aloud after listening to the story.

I appreciate how the course sticks to the Biblical text and for the most part does not add doctrinal interpretation. There are some doctrinal notes in the teacher guide, but they were easy enough for me to adapt to add my Lutheran beliefs when needed. For instance, in the lesson of the Passover and Lord's Supper the text presented the Biblical events and in our discussion I was able to add the doctrine of the Real Presence in the Lord's Supper without contradicting what was heard in the story or changing the activity pages.

Read what other TOS Crew members had to say at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer:I received gratis copies of the previously mentioned books and audio in order to write this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner and all opinions expressed are solely my own.

Homeschool Mothers Journal Weekly Review 4/14/2012

2012-04-14T15:43:00.000-05:00

In my life this week…

I realized it has been an awfully long time since I posted anything on my blog which wasn't a review and I need to get back to writing some other posts.

In our homeschool this week…

We had a very productive week.

On Monday we celebrated the 100th day of the year. I found a number grid and devised a hidden picture for my kids. Before hand I figured out which squares would need to be colored to make the number one hundred and marked them on my key. I gave my kids blank grids and orally gave them math problems whose answers would be one of those numbers. When they solved the math problem they would color in the square with the proper answer. Some numbers don't lend themselves to any problem except that number times one, so for those I just told them the number. I tried to jump around so they would have to keep guessing what the final picture would be.

Throughout the week we also used jelly beans for various projects. They estimated how many were in a jar, reviewed adjectives by describing them using their five senses. We also need to finish up the project of coming up with new flavor names for different colored beans.

We've made progress in our regular core subjects as well and had time for some science experiments. Much to the delight of the children.

Daughter also finished several art projects she has been working on. This is a water lily, she made to go with our Monet study.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

The children had piano lessons again this week after the teachers' spring break. They were excited about this.

We also made a trip to the library again.

My favorite thing this week was…

I really enjoyed celebrating Easter.

Things I’m working on…

I'm thinking about what I want to do for next year. About all I have figured out so far is what products I already have which I will continue to use or can reuse for my youngest.

I also need to work on prepping several lapbook projects.

I’m reading…

Twitter for Dummies

Various Cookbooks I need some inspiration for new things to make. I feel like I have fallen into a rut again.

I’m cooking…

I made ham with all the trimmings for Easter. I can't remember what else I made except for chicken and leftover ham.

Thanks to Sue at Homeschool Chick for hosting Homeschool Mothers Journal.

Christian Kids Explore Physics TOS Review

2012-04-14T12:36:00.001-05:00

http://www.brightideaspress.com/

Christian Kids Explore is a science series specifically designed for homeschooling families with children in grades 4-8 from Bright Ideas Press. The series features books exploring Physics, Chemistry, Earth and Space, and Biology. I had heard of these books before, but had not had the opportunity to look at them. So I was excited about having the opportunity to review physics through the TOS Crew. It turned out that we really enjoyed our study from Christian Kids Explore Physics.

Christian Kids Explore Physics is a full year science curriculum with 30 lessons. Each lesson is designed to be taught two days a week. The book begins with three lessons which teach what the study of physics is and includes, measuring, and introduces famous physicists.Topic included are: Matter, Mechanics, Matter in Motion, Energy in Motion, Electricity and Magnetism. Each of these topics is a separate unit and are covered in 5-7 lessons. At the beginning of the unit is a vocabulary list, unit objectives, and materials list.

The information of each lesson is found under the heading of "teaching time", a scripture verse, vocabulary, discussion, review, and an activity. Additional reading is also encouraged.

For the first days lesson the lesson plans suggest using the "teaching time", the review questions, working through the vocabulary words and bible verse, and coloring the page for the unit. On the second day the hands on activity(a puzzle or experiment) is scheduled along with reviewing the vocabulary, and doing additional/supplemental reading.

The text is formatted to include sidebars. These sidebars contain the vocabulary words and definitions, interesting facts, and a Scripture reference. The vocabulary words are also highlighted in the text.

As would be expected by the title, the authors study science in the context of Christian faith. The first page of each lesson features a scripture verse which the lesson plans suggest having the student memorize. Many of the lessons include references to God creation as it relates to physics.

Another feature of the physics curriculum are coloring pages. These are mosaic images related to the study of physics or the upcoming unit. As an example, the coloring page for the unit on mechanics features line drawings of people skydiving, sledding, snowboarding, and bungee jump. In general the style of the coloring pages is very similar to the colored picture on the book cover.

Also a part of the Christian Kids Explore curriculum is a resource CD. This CD is loaded with lesson plans for each lesson, materials lists, a bibliography,glossary pages, and a literature study guide, and all the reproducibles found in the book. These reproducibles include the coloring pages, activity pages, unit reviews, follow up questions, and activity pages.

Christian Kids Explore Physics sells for $39.95. This is for the new 2nd edition. The resource CD is also available as a download for $12.95. The information provided says the CD is compatible with both the 1st and 2nd editions. I received pdf copies of the physics book and resource CD.

In addition to this science series, Bright Ideas Press also publishes history, geography,and literature curriculums. They have additional resources in these subjects available as well. I have also had the opportunity to use and review the Wonder Maps program from Bright Ideas Press.

My Thoughts

I used Christian Kids Explore Physics with both my 7 and 11 year old together as science is one of the subjects we do together. I simply tweak it for their levels, usually adding requirements for my oldest. We began with the three introductory lessons and then skipped to the section on mechanics as it was a topic we had not recently studied and my children were interested in. We were able to make this jump fairly easily. The lessons do not build upon each other in a way which requires using them in numerical order.

Overall, this was a very easy program for me to implement with my children and we all enjoyed using it. However, I do feel it is quite lightweight for my 11 year old. As we used it I had her do additional reading and will continue to have her do more in depth research and activities as we continue. I definitely would not use it for any higher levels than she is now. I think it could work well for mid-elementary levels.

Additionally, I did encounter a couple of challenges. The biggest challenge I encountered was because the course was a pdf file and due to finances I was not able to print everything we used. Therefore, we worked through the course by reading it off the computer. The print of the text is fairly small and it can't be enlarged. The other challenge with the pdf format is the physical book is often referenced and used as part of the experiments and hands on activities. In the lesson on measuring, the book is one of the items measured and listed in the predesigned chart. It is also used for the friction activity. Additionally, the text also refers to the book in numerous places. Thus it was necessary to change the text I was reading in several places. Substituting a book was not difficult, but it is something of which to be aware.Personally I would prefer a hard copy book. Having a hard copy book would make it easier to involve my children in reading the text as well as letting them refer to it at other times. It would also be easier to have a book in hand for many of the activities.

Despite the difficulty having of having the textbook in electronic form, I loved having all the printables in this form. It is so easy to access them and print only what I wish to use. The resource lists are great. I plan to print these out and put them in my planner to refer to as we continue to use the course. That way I can easily look ahead several weeks and make sure I have what I need.

The resource pdf file (which is the material on the cd) also includes a literature study guide for a book about Ben Franklin. The study contains vocabulary, comprehension questions, as well as questions requiring deeper thought. It looks like a through study, but I have not been able to use it as I can not get a hold of the book.

I can not say enough how delighted I was to have all the printable resources all in one resources. It made prep work so much easier.

Neither of my children like to write so I did not have them write out the review questions or unit summaries. I simply read the questions and they took turns answering them. The questions are short enough this was not a problem.

When it came to the religious aspect of the curriculum I left out or added to some of the references to make them more compatible with Lutheran beliefs. I also used the included references as an opportunity to explain differences in religions.

I like how it is designed to be used two days a week. As we generally work on science two days a week, this worked well with our schedule.Using a program designed the way we work really simplified planning for me. Also having all the printables separate from the text makes them so much easier to print and use.

The coloring pictures are absolutely lovely, even in black and white. There is so much information presented in the pictures. If my children liked to color I would definitely print them out for them. I have thought about printing them for myself, but I know I wouldn't have the time to sit and color.

TOS Crew members had the opportunity to review other books in the Christian Kids Explore series. Read what they had to say at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received gratis download copies of the book and CD for the purpose of writing this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner and all opinions expressed here are solely my own.

From Head to Toe TOS Review

2012-04-10T20:47:00.001-05:00

Activities
Integrating
Math and
Science

AIMS Education Foundation produces materials to teach math and science topics in an hands on engaging manner. Unlike many traditional teaching resources which separate each subject, AIMS materials integrate multiple subjects in ways which more closely imitate real life.

From Head to Toe is written to teach youth in 5th thru 9th grade (the recommended level) about the human body. The students are given the opportunity to explore and learn about the human body with many hands on activities.The nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and urinary systems are studied. The sense organs are also included.There are a total of 39 lessons, including two wrap up activities.

Each lesson begins a one page poster showing the key questions and goals for the lesson. The first student item is a rubber band booklet which is a full page divided into 4 parts. They are designed to be copied front to back, folded, and held together with a rubber band. They present to the student the main information about the body system or part. These are illustrated in a simple and engaging manner with 2-4 sentences for page.After these are read and discussed with the included questions, the lesson progresses with a hands on activity. Some of these are simply cut ad paste, but others require movement and cooperation between students.

The From Head To Toe curriculum is $24.95 for the teachers book and CD which contains all the printables in the book in pdf format.

AIMS Education Foundation offers books covering a variety of math and science topics for Kindergarten through High School. A number of their resources are available in pdf format as well as traditional bound books. A variety of supplies and manipulatives are also available from AIMS.

My Thoughts

Several months ago, I also had the privilege of reviewing another book from AIMS which we really enjoyed. This time From Head to Toe is another winner with my children. They loved everything we have studied from the book.We have discussed the brain, nervous system, and skin and completed many hands on activities. Both my 7 and 11 year old used the material together. Except for pronunciation of some terms, my youngest had no problem understand the text and doing the projects.

The mini books are a great way to teach the majority of the topic and allow them both my children to participate with their own copies. Copying on two sides is not easy with my printer, so I simply made single sided copies, cut the pages apart and stapled the booklets together. We will make some type of holder in which to store all the booklets for future reference.

The activities allow them to show what they have learned and provide an easy means of review as well.The quantity and variety of activities integrated into the text is one of my favorite features of the book. Even though I have to assemble the supplies, the work of choosing an activity is done for me.

One of the projects we did was making skin models. I did modify the directions to make the models larger. The original dimensions called for a model of approximately 3x4 inches, but I simply cut larger pieces of foam to make a model of 4 1/2 x 6 inches. I did this to avoid the possible frustration of not being able to place all the items on the model. As I enlarged the model base it would no longer fit on the included form, so I had my children make their own color/item key. We just attached both of these to color paper.

Other projects include making a model heart, crafting pair of model lungs,testing skin for sensitiveness, constructing a paper skeleton, and labeling brain and bone models. Templates are included to help students construct a body diagram with transparency overlays. The wrap up activity is a body scavenger hunt. The clues are provided and the students task is figure out what body part is referenced.

I appreciate having the included CD with all the printables. It is so much easier to pop the CD in the computer and print what I need rather than copy from a bound book.

Some of the hands on activities in the book require materials/ supplies which are not easily obtained. For example a heart activity requires a one way valve. I have looked in several local stores and school supply outlets and not found one. While AIMS does sell this item, I would not know it was needed until after looking at the book.

While From Head To Toe is generally adaptable to the homeschool setting, an activity designed to show how the nervous system works had to be redesigned as it is called for teams of students.In this activity the teams raced against each other to see which team could send a hand squeeze message from one end to another quicker. Instead we recalled what a friendship squeeze is. (Often in scouts, at the close of an event, the participants gather in a circle, sharing closing thoughts, and squeeze their neighbors hand in a gesture of friendship.) Several other activities have directions for a number of students, but I think they will not be as hard to tweak for only several participants.

Overall, I like the materials I have seen from AIMS. I believe they are innovative and applicable in many ways to life. Additionally, they require students to interact with the material and think through it. I would not hesitate to purchase other publications from AIMS.

Other Crew members had the opportunity to review this and other books from AIMS. Learn which books were reviewed and other families thoughts at the crew blog.

Disclaimer:As a member of the TOS Crew I received a gratis copy of this book in order to write this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner and all opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Write with World TOS Review

2012-04-06T16:38:00.000-05:00

Write with World is a brand new writing instruction program for junior high students from World magazine.

Write with World contains 4 units of 4 lessons. Each lesson is organized with 5 sublessons each. Each sublesson contains a lesson or teaching section and then a short practice or application exercise.

Unit 1 gives students the opportunity to study various images and think about the meaning behind them. Students review basic grammar while continuing to examine several images and looking at the differences and interest communicated by using different types of words. Then students apply this same skill and comparison to paragraphs. The unit concludes with helping the student put together strong, interesting sentences and fashioning them in to paragraphs which are also strong and interesting. A sample lesson (Unit 1 Lesson 1) is available in the top orange bar at Write with World.

Unit 2 provides practice for writing more complex sentences as well as writing topic sentences and organizing paragraphs. The fourth lesson focuses on taking the skills learned for writing an interesting paragraph and applying them to longer written pieces as well.

Learning and writing about themselves is the focus of Unit 3. Students reflect about themselves and various aspects of their lives. They are then guided to write a piece about themselves and a significant event.

In Unit 4 the student practices several new concepts. The focus is on writing from second and third person points of view, the difference between showing and telling in writing, and determining a clear purpose for writing before beginning the process. This unit concludes with the student writing the autobiographical narrative they have been planning. The student will also work on revision in this unit.

The course focuses on helping beginning writers make their writing interesting and strong through clear expression of their thoughts. They also encourage the student to read and write with a critical and questioning mind.To this end many writers and editors are quoted in the text and students use these passages as examples and guides for their own work. Additionally, students are given the opportunity to examine and compare multiple samples of work to learn what techniques and styles make reading more pleasant.

The teachers manual is an exact copy of the student book, but contains additional teaching/ guidance notes. These are in the margins of the teacher text, giving the teacher an exact copy of the student work as well.

There are currently two years of Write with World available. These are designed for a junior high level. Each year costs $95 for the teacher book, online access, and the student book. If purchased together, both years materials sell for $165. Ordering is available from the God's World News subscription page.

According to the publisher, there are plans to develop a site which will give students an opportunity to publish their work as well as provide material to supplement what is in the text. Access for this site is available with purchase of the books.

The course does require a separate writing journal or notebook for the student to record their work in .

My Thoughts

I have been impressed with this program. It takes the often intimidating task of writing a piece and breaks it down in to smaller more manageable steps and provides plenty of guidance in the process.The example paragraphs are interesting and engaging and they clearly demonstrate the point being taught.

I like how grammar is incorporated with writing. This way the student is given a purpose for knowing all that "boring stuff" and they don't have as much of an opportunity to forget.Students are also given several new words over the course of a lesson which they need to look up in a dictionary and learn meanings of. These words are used in the context of the text so they are meaningful to the student, not just random words.

While the introductory material says it is not necessary to be familiar with World magazine or have copies of it in order to use this course, there are several exercises throughout the course which use the magazine. Because I do not have the magazine, I needed to come up with a substitute resource for those activities. At times this was challenging as I do not know the "voice" or style of World magazine. Write with World is a fully independent writing course; none of the benefits or instruction of Write with World is lost if the magazine is not available at the same time the course is used.

I appreciate having the full student text in the teacher book, as that way we can take turns reading it aloud and following along as well. I can also help my daughter even if I am not right next to her. The teachers notes are generally reminders about writing mechanics to reinforce or make sure the student thoroughly understands. Other notes share guidelines for "grading" or reviewing students work. I found these to be helpful as writing proficiency is challenging to grade.

I like having a "hard copy" teacher guide in comparison to an ebook. It is so much easier to get a good overview of the course as well as helpful for referring to previous lessons and looking ahead. I also find having physical copies of books is easier as computer equipment is shared and not portable. It is not as easy to gather around a computer as it is to share a book even.

I used this course with my newly 11 year old daughter and have found it to be quite beneficial for her. She has had previous writing instruction, but still finds writing challenging. As previously mentioned, she has found Writing with World interesting and relative to her. The lessons are not overly long so they maintain her interest and attention. While she has a history of trying to do as little writing as possible she has not protested too much about having to write for these exercises. Additionally some of the questions we have done orally, so as to save the act of writing for those exercises which need to be written.

The introduction discusses the publishers reasons for designing this course with one of them helping students to develop a Christian world view in their writing. I appreciate the way this is worked out in the course; they are not politically correct with sources or texts used, yet at the same time they do not promote one Christian belief over another.

Our pace with Write with World has generally been about 5 days per lesson, one day per capsule, with each lesson generally taking 30 -45 minutes. As we progress I know this will slow down as the writing assignments become more complex.

Read what other TOS Crew Members had to say about Write with World at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew I received gratis copies of this product to use to enable me to write this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner and all opinions expressed are solely my own.

Another Year

2012-03-20T23:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my daughter turned 11. It seems like just yesterday I was just cuddling her as a baby.

I usually give the kids the day off from school for their birthdays or we take a field trip. They really wanted a day off so that is what we did. The weather was so nice that they spent a lot of time outside playing with their water guns and drenching each other.Usually it is still chilly enough she has to choose an indoor activity.

Each year I try to make a decorated cake which somehow reflects their interests or is one they pick out from my cake decorating books. Daughter has been taking piano lessons for several years and really enjoys it. Several years ago I had made her a piano cake and didn't want to duplicate it this year, but she was thinking something music. In one of my books she found a loaf cake with candles shaped like music notes and wanted that one. However, we weren't able to find the candles so I designed a cake myself. Here is the result.

I used a pan which is shaped like a book and then simply frosted the cake and decorated it with the musical score of Happy Birthday.She liked it, so that makes me happy.

Action Alert TOS Review

2012-03-19T23:09:00.000-05:00

Action Alert
action alert.com

Action Alert is an award winning program which provides a kid safe environment for computers and online activity. Action Alert assists parents in controlling youngsters computer usage by several means: site blocking, content monitoring, logs user names and passwords, logs both sides of conversations in email and chat sessions, records 60 hours of PC usage, allows the parent to set times when the computer can be used, sends notification of activity via email or text to parent, and allows for remote shutdown of the computer, even from a phone.

Action Alert is available in two versions: one is free and provides protection for young computer users. A second version provides protection for several users as well as monitoring social network usage and is fully customizable. This version costs $29.99. Both are downloads.

My Thoughts

Unfortunately Action Alert was not a product I really liked. First of all I had problems downloading it. My antivirus program viewed it as malware and thus did not want to allow me to put it on my computer. My husband temporarily deactivated the antivirus program and installed ActionAlert. The computer would not boot normally after that. We tried it on Windows XP with an entry-level PC from 2005 that the children use. I do not know if this might be a problem because I could not find any information regarding OS and hardware compatibility on the Action Alerts website.

We were able to get the Action Alert search engine to work only once. I was very disappointed with what I saw there. Two of the three highlighted stories I would not want my children viewing: one was discussing how two entertainment personalities are not sure if they are done having children and the other was promoting something a child did even though it was against a parents wishes.

Action Alert also did not stop or block some sites where questionable material is easily seen.

I did receive an email showing what sites were accessed, but there was a delay of several days.

Because Action Alert slowed this old, lower-end PC to the point where it was barely usable, as well as the fact that some questionable material still got through the filtered search, we decided to remove Action Alert from the computer. One must boot the computer in safe mode, run the uninstaller, then use regedit to manually scrub the registry of some leftover keys. The program installs in a nonstandard way in order to prevent average users from removing it.

After removing the program and restarting the computer, the machine booted normally and functioned normally, with CPU usage at a usual 6% instead of being pinned at 100%.

Read what other Crew Members had to say at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received a free download of this program to use and to allow me to write this review. All opinions expressed here are solely my own and I have not been compensated in any other manner.

Across Five Aprils Study Guide by Progeny Press TOS Review

2012-03-12T22:37:00.000-05:00

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I recently had the opportunity to review a literature guide from Progeny Press. They produce over 100 literature study guides for all levels from Kindergarten through High School. Progeny Press says about their guides:

"Progeny Press study guides concentrate on critical thinking, comprehension, literary analysis, and Christian application. Our goal is to teach our children to think clearly, to understand literature, and to rely on scripture for truth and values, and enjoy themselves while they do it!"

I received a download copy of the study guide for the novel Across Five Aprils. Across Five Aprils is classified as American literature and takes place during the Civil War.

The study guide opens with a synopsis of the book,a brief biography of the author, and a description of the political/ social climate leading up to the Civil War. The beginning portion of the guide also features several literature based prereading activities to familiarize the student with causes of the Civil War as well map work showing the major battles and Union and Confederate states.

The study guide takes readers through two chapters of the novel at a time and focuses on several literary concepts. Vocabulary is addressed several ways. First students are required to define several words, determine word meaning from its context and then double check their guesses in a dictionary. Vocabulary words and definitions are presented to be matched. Another vocabulary activity is a multiple choice format. Another vocabulary exercise has the student use a thesaurus in studying definitions.

Next are several questions which ask the student to recall events from the book and analyze them. Several literary devices such as similes, synonyms, foreshadowing, hyperboles, juxtaposition,metaphor, personification, and idioms are reviewed and their uses in the text are studied. Some questions ask the student to examine the characters and actions in simple recall and application type questions.

Students also study the characters' personalities, reactions to events, and events in general in light of Scripture passages. The student is directed to read one or more Scripture references and apply them to events or reactions discussed in the story.

There are also activities and questions which relate more to the historical context of the novel than the story itself. Topics covered here include studying various generals, battles, The Gettysburg address, and Lincoln's positions and assassination.

Each section concludes with one or two questions for group or class discussion and one or more writing activities.

Concluding the study guide is a brief study regarding plot and additional research and writing projects and suggestions. These activities feature more in depth study on people and battles of the Civil War. Students are directed to learn more about specific people as well as generic groups of people such as soldiers who fought for either the North or South.It is also suggested that students research some of the battlefields as well as visit, if possible. Researching the impact of the Civil War on the community where the student lives is also suggested.

At the end of the study guide is a list of other books by the same author and additional Civil War related resources and websites. Brief biographies and qualifications of the study guide authors are included at the beginning of the product.

The suggested length of time for finishing a study guide is 8-10 weeks. The first week being used to read the book and then working on one section a week.

Progeny Press also offers study guides covering the genres of British literature, Christian literature, World Literature, History, Poetry, and Shakespeare. Study guides are available in printed format, CD in pdf. format, or pdf. format via email download. Novels/ books are also available for purchase from Progeny Press.

Prices for Across Five Aprils study guide are:
Booklet $18.99
CD $16.99
CD & Booklet $23.99
Email attachment $16.99

My Thoughts

My daughter enjoyed the interactive format of the study guide I received. This allowed her to write her answers directly into the document on the computer, rather than printing out papers that she would have to fill out. This interactive format takes some of the writing pressure off of her and makes the assignment less of a chore.She is quite capable of handling the material and analyzing the questions, but seemed to be overwhelmed with the amount of work presented.

In addition to questions regarding the plot and literary elements of the story there are a number of activities designed to help the student learn more about and understand the historical setting of the story. I appreciate having all of these and feel they are well chosen and designed. However, since this is her first in depth literature study I don't want her to lose focus on the story therefore, I do not plan to have her do all the history related activities at this time. We will probably do more of those when we study the Civil War in our history studies.

I also like the scope of the study guide. By studying literary devices, their uses are made clearer to the reader than maybe found while just studying random examples. Seeing them in action may also help young writers use them in their own written work more easily and effectively. I am reading the novel myself and feel this guide is very complete and well done in what it covers from the novel. Most of the points and elements I would have tagged as important as addressed in the study guide.

My only disappointment with the guide is a point or two regarding Biblical choice and application. A couple verses chosen and applied to story events do not necessarily mesh with my Lutheran beliefs.

Other members of the TOS Crew had the opportunity to review this same guide as well as guides for other novels. See what they had to say at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received a download copy of the above reviewed guide for the purposes of writing this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner and all opinions expressed here are solely my own.

The Art of Argument by Classical Academic Press TOS Review

2012-03-11T23:18:00.000-05:00

The longer I homeschool my children the more value I see in the approach and subjects of a Classical Education. I see so many benefits for life and so as I am trying to prepare them in the best way possible I continue to try to implement a more classical methodology. One of the companies who produces many resources for this method of education is Classical Academic Press and thus I find myself exploring their product line quite frequently. As I use several other products from Classical Academic Press and find them to be of high value I was very excited to have the opportunity to review their beginning Logic course, The Art of Argument.

Art of Argument is designed to be a first semester course for students in 7th grade and above. Art of Argument introduces students to informal fallacies, the basics and beginning of logic study.In this course students study What Logic is, and 28 fallacies falling into the categories of Relevance, Presumption, and Clarity. Each fallacy is studied in its own chapter with several additional chapters at the beginning of the course discussing what logic is and the purposes and reasons for studying it. Students are also introduced to Socrates and his contributions to the world of thought. Each lesson is approximately 5 pages long. Each lesson uses a brief real life example or one which could be real life to discuss the fallacy and make it relevant to the student. After this discussion one or more ads are used to illustrate the fallacy discussed to show how students may encounter it in life. The chapter concludes with 3 -5 questions for the student to answer.

The teachers edition provides the full text of the student book as well as answers for the student questions. This book also provides tests for the end of each Unit and a Final Exam. Answers are given for each of the tests as well.

I also received a sample of the DVD which accompanies the course. This DVD contained 6 of the fallacies studied in the book. On the DVDs each of fallacies is presented and discussed in a small group setting with two adult facilitators and several students.

There is a separate course designed to follow Art of Argument which helps students learn to build their own solid arguments.

Student Book $21.95
Teacher Book $24.95
DVD Set $54.95
Bundle Set of All Items $88.95

In addition to Logic, Classical Academic Press also offers Latin, Greek, and Spanish courses for all ages. They also have several Bible study courses and a poetry course and resources for parents/teachers defining and designing a Classical education program.

Classical Academic Press also offers a free online enrichment program which offers fun practice for many of their subjects. Unfortunately, (in my opinion) Headventureland only contains activities for the language courses they offer. The only item available under the Logic section is computer wallpaper.

My Thoughts

I have used other books published by Classical Academic Press and believe my children have and continue to learn a lot from them. Art of Argument really is the same. I believe it is a very well done introduction to Logic and Fallacies. However, I did find it to be quite challenging for my 10 year old, which is in line with the recommended 7th grade level.. She was willing to work through it together and did comment that it was interesting, but it was a lot of work and required a lot of thinking.

My daughter enjoyed the conversations with Socrates throughout the lessons, as he tried to teach points of logic and as well as understand practices and colloquial expressions of our times. The conversations in the text among other students also makes the text fun and engaging.

We both thought the fake ads in the book added a lot to the substance. They are instrumental in making the fallacies concrete for the learner. Additionally, the text is lively and uses real life examples to teach the fallacies. While there is space for the student to write out their answers to questions, we just verbally discussed them.

I greatly appreciate having the full student text in the Teachers book. Having everything before me makes it so much easier to discuss the topic because I know exactly what they are looking at as well. While the teachers manual does contain tests to copy and answers for both the text and test questions there are no additional teacher helps in the book.

I have mixed thoughts about the DVD's from the sample we saw. While the sessions brought up some interesting points we did not think about in our discussions, they did seem to drag a little. I did not time each session, but they seemed long. We watched the sessions as a conclusion to each of the fallacies we studied, so it is possible they may not have seemed as drawn out if we had used them as an introduction rather than a summary. You can watch a sample video class on the information pages for purchasing Art of Argument.

Art of Argument is a well done course, however, it is somewhat too challenging for my oldest at this time, especially in addition to her other work. I believe she will get even more out of the course when working through it again. At this point we plan to set it aside for several months and then continue again in the fall.

Read what other Crew members had to say at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the materials discussed here for the purposes of review and writing this piece. I have not been compensated in any other manner and all opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Creek Edge Press TOS Review

2012-03-07T22:55:00.000-06:00

I recently had the privilege of using and reviewing the Earth and Space Task Card set from Creek Edge Press. The highlight of the set is a group of 35 4 by 6 inch index cards featuring topics of Earth and Space. Also in the set is a spiral bound letter size book detailing the approach taken by the course and suggestions and tips for setting up the course and learning environment to assist the student in learning the most they can from the course. Another feature of this book is a listing of possible resource titles. This is very important, as the student needs book resources to use the Task Cards. Recommended resources are also available at Creek Edge Press.

The cards are written and designed by a homeschooling Mom to be used in and complement Classical, Montessori, and Charlotte Mason inspired educational approaches. She desired to blend and bring to life these educational approaches for her own family. Thus the Task Cards use the Montessori approach of having many materials available for the student to use and experience, follow a Classical scope and sequence, and incorporate the nurturing/ living book philosophy of Charlotte Mason.This is not to say those who favor other approaches would not be able to use the Task Cards, but they most closely follow these approaches. If you are not familiar with these educational approaches, Creek Edge Press' website features several helpful articles. Because of this approach the cards are appropriate for all elementary levels, but with different resources and levels of parent/ teacher involvement and assistance.

The Earth and Space Task Cards facilitate learning about earth science, weather, space, the planets, and constellations. Among the specific topics included are rain, storms, sun, day/night, rivers, caves, seasons, seasons, and space exploration.

Activities include research from Encyclopedia articles, reading non fiction resources, and then sharing knowledge in some manner. These may include making posters, charts, or diagrams, writing a story, sharing information in a booklet, or drawing and labeling diagrams. Several cards suggest watching a video or program. Generally supplies needed for these activities are easily found at home.

Creek Edge Press also offers Task Card sets focusing on Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern World History, and Geography and Culture. Science sets are available for Life, Earth and Space, Physics and Digital science, Chemistry and Great Scientists. Additionally, Music and Composers, Art and Artists, and Grammar reinforcement sets are also available.Prices range from $18-$32 per set.The history and science cards are also available as complete sets.

My Thoughts

When I received this set I shared them with both of my children and let them choose the topic they wanted to research first. My 10 year old daughter studied clouds, coral reefs, and icebergs. My 7 year old son choose the water cycle and wind. While they could have requested books from the library for their topic I did it simply because I had some general books already on hold and I wanted to get it done that evening so the library process would begin. If I was using the task cards for my whole science program I would purchase several of the compendium type resources suggested by Creek Edge Press as well as ones I found through my library. The cards would be too challenging too use if I had to rely on getting main resources from the library.

As the first task on the cards is Encyclopedia research I insisted that the majority of this was completed before they moved on to other activities. Thankfully our library has a set of encyclopedias from which individual volumes can be checked out. While reading the articles wasn't difficult, this step took both of my children a while when it came to writing the summaries.

When this was accomplished they did additional reading from the science encyclopedias and other non-fiction books while working on the projects on alternate days. The number of additional sources they read depending on what I could get from the library.

I love these cards and curriculum for so many reasons.

They are extremely flexible. Both my 7 and 10 year olds were able to use them easily. Some of the topics don't call for as much work as others and thus work well for younger children.
There is a huge variety of topics in the Earth and Space category. While some of them need to be done in order, I found a number could be plucked out of their numerical order and done when the children were interested.
The activities and steps on the cards clearly show what needs to be done and can easily be checked off. My son had a great sense of accomplishment when he finished all the activities on the water cycle card.
There is a great mix of activities. While all the cards begin with encyclopedia research the activities are varied and help the learner apply to real life what they read.
They engage learners in various ways. Not only is "book learning" guided, students can also learn to compare resources, and are provided guidance with hands on projects.
The task cards are a great step towards helping the learner become more independent and responsible for their learning. My 10 year old daughter was fairly independent in her research and projects. However, I did need to coach her regarding summary writing as this is a skill we have really only been working on this year.I like how they have to work, they can't just coast through the assignments on the cards.
They are compact and don't take much storage room. Many sets of task cards would fit in one card file. The accompanying book does not take much room on the shelf.
I found I didn't have to do any tweaking to make the Task Cards useable for us. This is most likely because they are written by a homeschooling Mom.
I know my children have learned something from all their work. As we have had several days of intense wind my son has talked about isobars and how close or far apart they are from each other.My daughter has also made spur of the moments about clouds.


Water Cycle Poster

Cotton Ball cloud chart

The biggest disappointment for my children was that there were few experiments or similar activities suggested. While this is not a major emphasis in the targeted educational approaches at this level, my children missed it. I have been looking through other resources to find experiments which would coordinate with the task cards they have completed so hopefully we can add that ourselves.

While not spelling out exactly what sources must be read, or exactly how a project must be completed, the Task Cards are very complete in the subjects addressed and the depth each is studied. When all research and activities on each card are fully completed, the student will have gained and applied a vast store of knowledge on the subject they have studied via the Task Cards.I feel I need to mention that the child will need to put some work into learning with these Task Cards. It is not an approach which just has the child read something and fill in the blanks.

As I mentioned earlier there are many different sets of Task Cards and TOS Crew members had the opportunity to review the set which they felt would work best for their family. To learn what sets other people used and their thoughts, visit the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary set of cards described above for the purpose of reviewing them and to enable me to write this review. I have not been compensated in any other way and all opinions expressed are solely my own.

K5 Learning Math and Reading Enrichment TOS Review

2012-02-29T12:12:00.000-06:00

K5 is a online math and reading program. It is designed as a supplemental program to be used alongside a childs' regular curriculum or during vacations.All of the work in K5 is totally online, there is nothing to download or take up space on your computer.

K5 features activities in the subjects of reading, math, spelling and vocabulary. Reading instruction includes phonics, sight words and comprehension. Spelling and vocabulary are together, but its possible to choose one or the other. Math topics include numbers and operations, measurement, and geometry. Math facts are also drilled. In total, K5 features over 3,000 lessons in these subjects areas. With the exception of the spelling lessons, all the lessons and work are presented in full color and a visually appealing manner.

5th grade Math

Scoreboard for fact drill

The K5 program includes online math and reading placement tests. After the assessments are completed the instructional material is personalized to the specific skill levels of the child.When the child begins using K5 the lessons are automatically selected and follow in a preselected order. However, it is possible for the adult who controls the parent account to make changes to the lessons. Additionally, K5 offers sample lessons and a free trial.

K5 is full of solid educational content, games and entertainment are kept to a minimum. However, there are activity rewards with limited time given to the students upon reaching predetermined milestones in their academic work. These are play time in math drill and the other is a short movie after spelling 50 words correctly. This movie features an animated line drawing in a story.

As the name implies, K5 features instructional material for students in grades Kindergarten through 5th grade.

K5 Subscriptions are:

Monthly Subscription

First Child.......................$25

Additional Children..........$15

Annual Subscription

First Child.......................$199

Additional Children..........$129

My Thoughts

I liked the length of each activity, about 3-5 minutes, as this prevented my children from getting bored with them.

Additionally, I appreciate the bite sized practice offered by K5. The material presented is long enough to refresh the students mind about process and give practice, but not overwhelm them with too much practice and thus become sloppy in their work. This is particularity true with the math drills. The student drills several facts until they remember the answer. Drilling facts in this manner is a lot more fun than flashcards.

Right after receiving access to K5 for this review, my children took the placement tests. The tests were easy to take and comprehensive. The reports I received were easy to understand. They explained my childrens' level both in words and with a timeline like visual. I believe they are fairly accurate as the results I received were consistent with their performance on daily work.

Upon completing a predetermined amount of math drill, my children were awarded 5 minutes of play time in the arcade. They enjoyed this break from the learning activities and particularly enjoyed the spot the differences activities.

Filling in the blanks on the advanced math activities (my daughter used the 5th grade level) was challenging. It took her quite a while to figure out how it worked. For us it seemed the order of filling in the spaces for showing work and answers did not seem logical all the time.

Another challenge for my children was the clarity of the words in the spelling exercise.The voice was not always clear when it gave the word and thus spelling was more challenging. One element which helped with spelling was the presence of a definition for the target word. Even with the vocabulary clues some words were difficult to tell what they were.

I like the convenience and ease of math, reading, spelling, and vocabulary review and practice in one place.My children enjoyed using K5 to interactively practice some of the items they are learning from their books. I did notice some improvement in my daughters math abilities after using K5 math lessons.

Other TOS Crew members had the opportunity to review K5 as well. Check out the Crew Blog to see what they had to say.

Disclaimer: I received a free trial to this program to enable me to write this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Reading Eggs TOS Review

2012-02-26T19:00:00.001-06:00

Reading Eggs

Reading Eggs is an online, interactive program designed to help children learn to read while having fun. The program consists of a collection of games to teach phonetic sounds and concepts as well as sight words. There are 120 learn to read games as well as 96 spelling lessons. These 120 lessons are sorted into 12 maps with 10 lessons each. Each lesson focuses on a couple concepts and has the learner practice them in games. Upon completing a game the user has the option to replay that game or continue on to the next. There is also the ability to go back to a previous map. Free activity sheets are also available which correspond to the lessons in each map.

In addition to the lessons students have the opportunity to visit the story factory, music cafe, skills bank, driving tests, puzzle park, general store, and arcade. An area entitled Storylands is coming soon according to the website. These can be accessed through the introductory page when the user first gets on as well as through the sidebar. The side bar has small icons as well as words to reference the varying activities.

While a child is playing on reading eggs, their egg character follows a track through a map and stands on the lesson where they are currently learning.

There is also an assessment test available to help place the student at the correct level of Reading Eggs. The user simply has to answer a series of questions and the program automatically places them at the appropriate level.

This is a sample question from the assessment.

Reading Eggs offers a 14 day free trial so you can try it out and see if it works for your family.

As reading eggs is designed to help children learn to read, the recommended ages are 3 -7. Reading Express is a companion website designed for 7-12 years. Reading Express is designed to help children increase their reading and comprehension skills. Among the features are books to read, comprehension activities, individual and competitive games.

Comprehension gym in Reading Eggspress

An email is periodically sent to the parents registered email detailing their student(s) progress and achievements.

Subscription Information
Monthly Subscription $9.95
6 Month Subscription $49.95
12 Month Subscription $75.00
Discount for second child when purchased at same time

Purchase includes full access to Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress. Book Packs which go along with Reading Eggs are also available.

My Thoughts

My 7 year old son started off using Reading Eggs by taking the assessment/ placement test. I was surprised at the results as they were lower than his reading level and I don't believe he made mistakes on the test. As a result he was placed below his level for working through the program. He used it at this level, but the material was review for him.

He did enjoy the games and remarked on several occasions that it was a lot of fun to have games where he did different things. Some of the lessons have similar games, but using new material. I liked the variety of games on Reading Eggs. I believe the diversity helped to keep his interest and encouraged him to play as much as he did.

Reading Eggs is very easy to navigate due to the use of icons in the sidebar to describe places where the child wants to go as well as the well sized arrows which move in the direction they are pointing. I believe this would help children to focus on where they should be doing next. Having said these things I do find the individual maps to be somewhat cluttered with scenery and extra pictures. Many of these pictures move in some way when the mouse rolls over them as well.

I also liked having activities my son could do while waiting for the next activity. These activities helped to keep him engaged and not lose interest.

The feature I liked the most in Reading Eggs is the Story Factory. After choosing a title users choose pictures and then write a story. My children struggle with writing and this activity helped them to write a simple story. The challenge in Story Factory was choosing pictures for all the pages in the story before writing it. Several times as he wrote his story my son realized the order in which he put the pictures didn't really work for what he was writing. We were not able to find a way to change the pictures without losing his writing.

Overall, Reading Eggs didn't teach my son phonics/ phonetic patterns which he did not already know, but I think it would have been extremely beneficial for him when he was learning to read. He has always enjoyed computer activities and games and I am fairly confident Reading Eggs would have taught and reinforced many concepts for him. Reading Eggs does a superb job helping children have fun while learning many fundamental skills and concepts essential to reading.

Both of my children enjoyed Reading Express tremendously. They liked having the opportunity to read books online. I liked the fact that they were then able to take a comprehension quiz about what they read and it wasn't drudgery for them.

Other members of the TOS Crew had the opportunity to also use Reading Eggs. Visit the Crew Blog to read about other families experiences with Reading Eggs.

Disclaimer: I was given a free limited time subscription to use for the purpose of writing this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner and all thoughts expressed here are solely my own.

Sewing to Summer Challenge #1 Results

2012-02-22T20:43:00.001-06:00

It's hard to believe that it's time to post the results of my sewing for the first period of The Summer Sewing challenge. My post describing the sewing challenge can be found here. But I do have to say I was almost successful in completing my project. The majority of the work is done, I just have to hem. My goal was to make a nightgown for my daughter. So here it is:

I wanted to get a good picture of the nightgown so you could get an idea of the style, but in order to do that I wasn't able to get a close, sharp picture of the fabric.

This is just a picture of the fabric:

It's a white background with butterflies of various sixes and shades of pink. Definitely a girly print for my girl. And it looks like the picture is up side down and my computer won't turn it right side up. Ahh, technology.

So since this is the first project of the sewing challenge I need to decide on something else to make for this next block of sewing time. I am thinking about starting Easter/ Spring dresses for daughter and myself. I am pretty sure which pattern I will use for myself. It is one I had a dress made from a long time ago, so since that dress still fits and the pattern doesn't look too hard or that it was altered much, I don't think it will be too hard. I have a couple to choose from for daughters dress, but need to see what she thinks. Those are more complicated patterns so it will be a challenge.

However, these plans depend on what fabric I have in my stash. I need to do through the boxes and see whats there that would be suitable for dresses. I have some pieces in mind, but I don't know if there is enough yardage for dresses.

Thanks to Milk and Honey Mommy for hosting the Summer Sewing Challenge and coming up with the great idea.

Homeschool Mothers Journal Weekly Review 2/17

2012-02-17T19:43:00.000-06:00

In my life this week…

Not much, but I really need to get started on the taxes.

In our homeschool this week…

We have had the opportunity to use TWO great review products. I can't wait to review and share about them.

The children had their second art class today. A former Homeschool Mom leads a six week art class at a local library branch. My daughter has done this before, but this is the first time my son has participated.

We are continuing to work on an economics lapbook.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

Piano lessons and library visit.

What’s working/not working for us…

I was trying to make a history timeline and wrote out a sample for my children to see/copy and realized the information is too complex for them to write in the space available. So I think I need to type out the information, print it, so they can glue the info on the timeline.

Summaries about material read or listened too are continuing to be a struggle.

Things I’m working on…

Sewing a nightgown for DD, thinking about a couple upcoming projects.

I’m reading…

Scorpions for Breakfast by Jan Brewer Governor of Arizona

The Write Start by Jennifer Hallissy

I’m cooking…

I made cupcakes for Valentine's Day.

Thanks to Sue at The Homeschool Chic for hosting HSMJ.

Celestial Almanack TOS Review

2012-02-06T23:08:00.000-06:00

The Classical Astronomy Celestial Almanack

A Visual Representation of the Sky
February 2012 edition
$3.00 available from Currclick.com

First of all what is Classical Astronomy? What makes it different from searching the sky with a telescope and sky chart in hand? Well, from the website..."Classical Astronomy is the traditional practice of observing the sky, to tell time, and to navigate by the Sun, Moon, and stars." From reading articles and information there I get the impression one big difference between Classical astronomy and traditional astronomy is technology. Classical astronomy doesn't need fancy telescopes or other equipment, maybe just a pair of binoculars and some information about where to look.

Jay Ryan, the website author has produced a monthly guide to the skies; The Classical Astronomy Celestial Almanack. Although small in size this 20 page pdf is an amateur sky watchers dream come true. It is jam packed with loads of information about all the wonderful activity occurring above our heads this month along with teasers for what is yet to come this year.There are a lot of special things to see in the sky to look forward to all year.

In the Almanacks' extensive discussions of the position of the planets and stars for this month you will find full color charts and pictures showing the positions of the constellations, their positions relative to planets and the moon and detailed descriptions of where to look for them in the sky. There is also a discussion and diagrams of the suns position and relation to the constellations if they could all be viewed at the same time.

Of special interest in this February edition is discussion and dating of the conjunction of Mars and Venus, a very rare event. The reader is told where in the sky to look and given detailed pictures of the angles. positions, and dates of various phases of the conjunction. With all this information sky watchers can become familiar with the path and angles of Mars and Venus and track their movement toward the conjunction in March.

The Almanack discusses many objects of the sky while giving both their history and what they will be doing in the near future. In discussing the constellations, diagrams are presented for the reader, minus all the additional lines and embellishments often found on constellation charts. I think this allows the reader to concentrate on the stars and makes it easier to look for them in the sky.

This issue of the Almanack features a brief history lesson on the reason for leap year as we celebrate it this month.Discussion of historical calendars reminds or teaches readers how this month has come to be set up the way it is.Events in the liturgical or church calendar are also referenced in their connection to celestial events. Rounding out the opening material is a calendar listing each date, day of the year, a significant event, moon phase and significant celestial events. I imagine this information is similar in each months issue, just tailored specifically to that month.

A complete astronomy curriculum, Signs and Seasons, is available from Classical Astronomy as well.

My Thoughts

Generally in my reviews I try to keep my first part to simply facts about the product and then my reaction towards the end. While I have tried to do that here, I realize I have let some of my thoughts slip in above. So I do not know how much more information I have to add at this point.

I do need to say I find this Almanack to be very easy to understand and full of great information. It is written in a very conversational tone which makes it easy to understand the first time through. However, you will probably want to look through it more often as the month goes by and the stars and planets change their positions. While there is a lot of scientific information it is presented in an uncomplicated manner so most family members can understand and appreciate what is happening.

Another neat feature are the star ratings sprinkled throughout the guide. These simply tell the level of difficulty for finding a particular constellation. Many of these are one star, which means they are totally easy to locate.

After reading the Almanack I believe I could go outside, look up, and find some of the constellations and celestial activity mentioned even though I live in town and thus have to deal with a lot of artificial light.Now, I just hope we get a clear night to be able to look at the sky.

I am also encouraged to explore the night sky more simply because of the authors enthusiasm and writing style. From reading both the website and the Almanack I know he is passionate about his topic and wants to help other people know more about as well.

I give this a 5 Star rating.

Other TOS Crew members had the opportunity to review the Celestial Almanack also. See what they had to say at the Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I received a free download copy to enable me to write this review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All opinions expressed here are solely my own.