TOS REVIEW: Amazing Science!

Science can be pretty awesome. It can be pretty amazing.

Unless you are my homeschooled kid.

Did I just say that out loud?! Ack! That I did. And it is true. I can’t seem to help it. If it makes a mess, I don’t want to do it; if it makes a lot of noise, I don’t want to do it; if it makes a mess –oops said that already… Well, perhaps you’ve gathered that I’m not too big on experiments. Actually, I think it is *science* in general. If there was just one class I’d have my kids do outside of homeschooling, science would be it.

Enough about my faults. Through the TOS Homeschool Review Crew I was one of the chosen to review Amazing Science, Volume 1, from Science and Math.com  And I am so very happy that I was one of the chosen. I love these DVDs!!

I think I might just like science experiments after all…

This set of 2 DVDs covers 23 different experiments. In those, you will learn, I mean your kids will learn *wink* about air pressure, electricity, heat, surface tension, magnetism, and much more. These experiments will make your jaw drop. No joke.

Here’s the experiments on these DVDs:

Disk 1

1. Color Changing Milk
2. Egg in a Bottle
3. Exploring Air Pressure
4. Build a Lemon Battery
5. Inverted Cup of Water
6. Candle Suction Power
7. Amazing Magnetic Force
8. Lift an Ice Cube with String
9. Unburnable Money
10. Matchstick Speedboat
11. Cloud in a Bottle
12. Reversing an Image with Water

Disk 2

1. Floating Eggs
2. Keep Paper Dry Underwater              
3. Dry Ice Bubbles
4. Balloon in a Candle Flame
5. Ocean in a Bottle
6. Build a Motor with Lights
7. Simple Lava Lamp
8. Invisible Ink
9. Density Tower
10. Soda Can Fizz
11. Build a Motor #2

We watched a few (probably at least 4) before we even attempted any of them. One of the things I really like about these is that the materials needed are easily acquired. You probably have quite a few already in your home or garage. And these can include all ages of the family (many do require adult supervision and/or assistance).

When the experiment starts, Jason Gibson, our ‘tutor’, gives a nice rundown of what is going to happen. He also makes sure to put safety first (always wear your safety glasses- just in case). The materials needed are right on the screen as he describes what is needed. The only thing I noticed in regards to the materials is that once or twice he uses something that is not on the list (such as the lemon battery; he uses a knife but it is not included on the list). After the experiment (which is covered by different camera angles, allowing us to view it from at least three different views), he explains what happened and why. I did notice that he repeats himself a few times while giving explanations but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We get the point.

The first we tried was the Color Changing Milk. I was so excited when we did it that I totally missed my photo op. But here is a quick collage of the experiments included in the DVDs (and if they look amazing- it’s because they are!):

This volume of 2 DVDs is available for $19.95 at the time of this post. Or you can purchase them as a download for $17.95

ScienceAndMath.com also offers Chemistry, Physics, Basic Math, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Advanced Algebra, Geometry/Trigonometry, and Calculus DVDs. Check out their Ultimate Science and Math Bundle!

Bottom line:
Amazing! The title of this is accurate. I love these DVDs and will recommend them to anyone who is looking for a way to make science more fun. The price is great (imho) and these can be done again and again. I will be watching anxiously for Volume 2 of Amazing Science!

Here is one video you can watch on the website (it’s almost like it’s magic!):

This gets multiple thumbs up from our family. Be sure to check out other reviews for this item by my Crewbies at the TOS Crew blog.

***Disclaimer: I received the above 2 DVD set from ScienceAndMath.com via the TOS Homeschool Review Crew for free in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given. All opinions stated are my own or those of my family. I only recommend products that I truly feel will be beneficial to others based on my experiences. See Disclosure/Policies.***

TOS REVIEW: Action Alert

Action Alert is intended to be a simple to use, all in one Internet parenting solution. But it does not replace the parent. It can be used for any age of child that uses the internet.

The features of this program:

It has been granted the following award as well as been featured:

You may recall that I did a review of a security program last year by the name of PG Key. This is the same company but they have changed their features as well as the way the software is distributed. Feel free to have a look at the previous review I did (I’ll give you a hint: I thought it a good program).

This is an install that you can do instantly and it is always on the computer. The basics are the same but with this new Action Alert, there is also a free subscription that parents can sign up for to give them some peace of mind for when their kids are online. If you don’t know the online dangers, here is a page at their site to help you understand.

With the free version, you can install it fairly quickly, give it a trial run and see if you would like to upgrade to the maximum protection. What is the difference between the free install and the paid install? From the creators of Action Alert:

Free Version - Action Alert offers a 100% free version that many parents feel gives them the amount of protection and peace of mind they need - and for good reason! Our free version offers more protection than you would otherwise pay $40 per year for or more with other products. It includes a web filter to ensure safe searches, website blocking that prevents access to a constantly updated list of websites, time use controls – it even sends texts or e-mail alerts when dangers are detected. All of this PLUS free tech support where calls are taken at our Arizona based support center by our friendly staff.

Maximum Protection – Action Alert sends a message to your cell phone or e-mail when an event occurs that you should be aware of. This message lets parents know they should take a look at the computer and probably have a talk with their young computer user.

The Maximum Protection version simply gives parents a much more complete set of tools to see the details of the missteps their child or teen took online, or in some cases provides usable evidence of interactions when they were targeted by a wrong doer. From the moment our 100% free version is installed, our technology goes to work recording the computer activity of your protected user.  If needed, you can activate Maximum Protection and watch everything that happened like watching a DVR.

We were given a maximum protection install for our review (which costs $29.99 per year). The install was very simple. I had no problems with that. I set up my account online and did some very basic things with the site blocking. It also allowed all of the favorites for users to be added to the safe websites list. I had to do this because my dd wanted to go to a site that she has visited in the past (which I actually made her aware of in the first place) but Action Alert blocked it. After allowing the favorites to be accessed, there was no problem with sites being blocked. I honestly did not block any sites because there aren’t any that I know of to block- and I certainly wasn’t going to go searching for any.

I received notifications at the email I included in my account. I found it to be somewhat amusing, though. The first notification let me know that a particular user had searched (that is what it said in the notification) in the letter x three times. I panicked! Why would my child be typing that in?! But what it doesn’t register or doesn’t tell is that whenever certain combinations of keystrokes are typed, in search or not, it counts it as being ‘searched’. In this instance it was for a game where the letters q, w, a, s, d, z, and x were used as controls. The letter x was hit three times consecutively. Another time the word “association” was typed but the notification only alerted me that the first three letters were typed.

Also the notification I received was hours later than the action occurred. If I had wanted to disable the computer at the time, I couldn’t have. I have since discovered that you can receive a text message and when you do you have the ability to disable the computer then. But it is still somewhat delayed.

The one thing that I appreciate the most about this program is the video playback of activity on the computer. It stores up to 60 hours of computer time. The parent can log into their account (on any computer) and view the latest activity. It can be set to record in second increments (like 2 seconds, 5 seconds, etc). This enables the parent to see things such as chat and instant messages that the child has engaged in. It also allows the parent to see the sites and things searched for, games played and such. 

There is nothing supposedly that will harm your computer or your files while using this program but personally I did have problems while this was installed. My computer froze up quite often and perhaps the storing previous computer sessions took up too much space because my CPU usage was up to 100% on the occasions when it froze. I did uninstall the program and for some strange reason it uninstalled my antivirus program as well.

In regards to my experiences- it could have been a fluke. Perhaps my antivirus was incompatible and uninstalled itself. I did contact Action Alert pertaining to the issue and they were quite polite, professional and eager to help figure out and fix the problem.

When trying to use the User Manual that is available at the website is still geared toward the PG Key and therefore some things are not applicable. For instance, it talks about the USB port- which you don’t need to Action Alert because it is a downloadable software.

Bottom-line:It has potential. It is a great idea and I know that the thinking on the kids part that their parents can watch whatever they are doing- and cut their computer time- is a great protector in itself.

Personally, it isn’t going to work for our family (or perhaps it’s just my computer) because it causes too many issues and stressors. I know the sites my kids visit- I’m here majority of the time when they are online. Also, it adds stress to me to think that my kids are visiting or searching for inappropriate sites when in reality they are merely doing things they normally do but the software doesn’t know that hitting the x key so many times is part of a game and not what it is programed to think it is.

I encourage you to have a look at other reviews, including those by fellow TOS Crew members, to help decide if this is a program that would work for your family.

***Disclaimer: I received the downloadable software reviewed above free from Action Alert via the TOS Homeschool Review Crew in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are mine or those of my family. I only recommend products that I truly feel would benefit others, based on my experiences with the product. See Disclosure/Policies.***

TOS REVIEW: Creek Edge Press Task Cards {Physics}

Creek Edge Press Task Cards-
Physics and Digital Science

“The Task Card Approach draws from the Classical, Charlotte Mason, and Montessori approaches to education and learning.” from the website

Working with the TOS Homeschool Review Crew I am able to review some pretty neat products geared for homeschoolers (and sometimes not!). This post is going to be a review of the Creek Edge Press Task Card system, specifically their Physics and Digital Science Set.

The program was put together by Amy Hilsman for her own homeschool. You can read more about her experience here. She designed it to be “a simple tool that pulls [these methods] together”.

As many of my readers know, ours is a Charlotte Mason homeschool (as best we can be). We use a lot of good books and assessments are in the form of narrations and ‘showing’ what they’ve learned. I encourage you to read the ‘articles’ page at Creek Edge Press to see how this program can be lined up with the three above mentioned methods of schooling. If you still have questions, search the FAQs at the website.

We received an Introduction book and a set of 30 task cards. The cards, which measure approximately 5.5” by 4.25”,  are non-consumable allowing them to be used over and over. The introduction book is comprised of 5 sections:

1. Introduction and Use
2. Approaching the Tasks
3. Preparing the Environment
4. Book List and Tips
5. Card by Card

The cards are fairly self-explanatory, I feel. They can be used for grades K-8 (younger ages will need assistance and these could possibly be used as a supplement to higher grades). Below is an image of card #12. It gives you an idea of what is on the cards.

One of the best things about these cards {imho} is that the cards are open-ended requiring more thought and attention than a ‘yes/no’ question. It facilitates “investigation and experience of discovery” (Introduction book, page 3). In Approaching the Tasks, she goes through the different tasks on the card and explains what is expected and/or suggestions. For example, Sketch and Label activities can be completed by either drawing the object themselves or if they are not able, tracing an object, and then labeling the features. If they students are younger, she gives the suggestion of working on a coloring page.

The book has a section on suggested books and Amy has a linked list of books on their website (At Creek’s Edge). I did think at first that I would need to purchase some books (or at least hit the library hard) but it turns out that really you can use whatever you have on hand for this. Part of “Preparing the Environment” is to make the books and tools readily available for the students and because of this I did decide to purchase a science encyclopedia. But the library is a great resource if you can’t purchase something. And the internet is full of free resources! *I did purchase a science encyclopedia because I’d been wanting to anyway- it was just the incentive I needed You can see from the photo where our Science books are kept on the shelf –labeled and easy to find.

Specifically, these are the books that we used (the only one I purchased for the purpose this review was the Usborne Internet Linked Science Encyclopedia –and you can see that a few are library books). And the internet was used.

At first I was just having Fox (my 12 yo ds) go through the cards, in order. We started with one card a week. And since he is an independent reader, I had him do 2 tasks each day and I would look over his work (or he would narrate what he found). But after two weeks we discovered that the first few cards we’d gone over quite extensively in previous lessons (not using the cards). In an effort to make sure that my ds did not become ‘bored’ with learning about the same things, I went through the cards to find where we had yet to learn about –meaning we skipped ahead.

The cards cover (followed by the card numbers):

• Simple Machines (1-6)
• More on Machines (7-10)
• Energy (11-13)
• Motion (14-17)
• Light Waves (18-19)
• Sound Waves (20-21)
• Electricity (22)
• Magnetism (23)
• Automation (24)
• Digital (25-28)
• Inventions (29)
• Wrap-Up (30) (looking back at all that has been learned)

I decided to integrate technology early on with this and suggested that he make Power Points instead of posters or booklets. Great idea! He took off with the suggestion and has since made 4 Power Points. He gives his presentation generally on Fridays (if he can contain his excitement that long).

The Power Points are also helping him with written narrations (and summarizing information that he has read). Here are quick screenshots of part of some of his presentations –he really enjoys this part of using the cards.

Anyway, I think I’ve gotten a bit carried away with sharing what we use while working with the cards. We have gone through the Machines cards and will be moving onto Energy next week.

This Physics and Digital Science set is available from Creek Edge Press for $18 (plus shipping).They also offer Geography, Culture and History sets, Science sets, Art and Artists sets, Music and Composer sets, and Grammar sets. Also, if for some reason you need replacement task cards, you can get those as well. See the website for current pricing.

Bottom line:
Love these. Absolutely love these. They have the ‘assignment’ already figured out but in a very straight forward way. The cards are portable; small enough to be out of the way but not get lost. They present a good ‘jumping-off’ point for many of the topics covered if a student wants to explore more- this whets their appetite. And at the same time (if the student isn’t quite so interested) it gives a nice basic knowledge. The number of tasks for each card is manageable.

I appreciate these aspects the most:

• not being fill-in-the-blank
• not yes/no questions
• doesn’t limit learning
• requires research and digging to complete the tasks.

I would like to have these laminated at the time of purchase but I understand that Creek Edge Press is a small family business. In order to use these with more than a few kids, I would think laminating them would be a great idea.

The price of the set is reasonable, in my humble opinion. It gives almost a full years worth of work on Science. Whether or not they are supplemented with other materials is probably going to depend on each family. We found them to be adequate for our science work. And my son really is enjoying them. We hope to have a nice collection of work/projects to show at the end of the year using these cards.

I would most definitely recommend these to other homeschoolers, and even families that have children who are in public school for extra learning activity cards. Great product.

Be sure to read other reviews for Creek Edge Press’s Task Cards at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog- there are reviews for almost all subjects that Creek Edge Press carries.

***Disclaimer: I received the above mentioned items/products from Creek Edge Press via the TOS Homeschool Review Crew for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own or those of my family. I only recommend products that I feel will be of use to other families. See Disclosure/Policies.***

TOS REVIEW: Reading Eggs

Through the TOS Homeschool Crew I was given a free trial from Reading Eggs in order to give an honest review. Since my son is on the tail end of the age range this is designed for, he used Reading Eggspress much more than the base program, Reading Eggs. This review reflects that.

I hope you like images, because this review will have quite a few! If you cannot see them well enough at their current size, click on them to enlarge. Use your browser’s back button to come back here (or open images in a new tab/window). 

Reading Eggspress is a unique learning environment for 7-13 year olds, designed to boost reading, comprehension skills, spelling and grammar. The spinning world gets students involved and motivated to learn. Children love the games, songs, golden eggs and other rewards which, along with feeling proud of their reading, really motivate children to keep exploring and learning. from the website

The website includes a variety of games and lessons that engage the reader. It is set up in a fashion where it all feels like a game yet learning is the goal. From the website on “Why it Works”:

• This powerful educational program is based on the most up-to-date research on how children learn to read.
• The lessons use animation, activities and reward games to keep children motivated.
• The program is completely interactive to keep children on task.
• Children want to come back because they are having fun as they learn.
• When children start the program, they can complete a placement quiz to ensure they are starting at the correct reading level.

Reading Eggs offers a free trial for parents or teachers. If you would like to purchase a subscription, they offer these options:

• Monthly- $9.95
• 6 Months- $49.95
• 12 Months- $75.00

They also offer book packs to go along with the online subscriptions {check the website to see what each includes}:

• Level 1- Matches the first 40 lessons of the program- $65.00
• Level 2- Matches the second 40 lessons of the program- $65.00
• Level 3- Includes all 80 lessons books- $114.95

The set up is fairly pain-free {super easy}. There is an assessment for the Reading Eggs portion {which is for beginning or struggling young readers} but not for Reading Eggspress that I could find. I had Fox take the assessment anyway. It placed him as a 5.5 year old. Below is a shot of one of the assessment screens.

From that point on, Fox was allowed to enjoy himself on the site. And he did. Immensely. So much so that he could spend hours at a time playing on Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress. The shot below shows the Floating Island where the student chooses a place to learn, play or buy stuff with earned golden eggs.

When first starting out, the student can choose who they want to ‘be’ {their avatar}.

From the parent screen I can look to see what Fox has been up to while on Reading Eggs. The shot below shows his achievements.

And actually above that is the students reading age and comprehension age {you can see this on the parent’s homepage, at the bottom of the page, as well}. Here is Fox’s according to Reading Eggs.

 

Okay so if the student wants to go to the library to read a book, they will go here:

I took a screenshot of the books available for my son’s age range in a particular genre in the library. Comedy is what I chose to capture here.

After the student reads their choice of book, they take a quiz. They have to pass the quiz in order to get gold eggs and a trading card.

A student can also go to the Stadium to ‘compete’ {with another person or with the computer- Fox only ever competed against the computer} in different games dealing with reading, spelling, and such.

All of the things that are done on Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress can earn the student gold eggs. These gold eggs are like currency. With them the student can go to the mall and purchase things for their apartment, clothes, and other items. One thing {no, the main thing} that Fox has used his gold eggs for is trading cards.

I hope I have given you a general overview of the program. Now here are the Pros and Cons as I see them for our family.

Pros:

• Colorful- as you can see from the screenshots, there is a lot of color in is this website. It is ‘appealing’ and draws the student in and makes them feel that they are having fun {like playing a game}.
• Fun- a lot of the activities are fun for the student, while still attempting to get them to retain important information.
• Engaging- the students want to use this program.
• My son loves it!

Cons:

• Inaccurate- on a few occasions although the lessons that were presented had accurate information, the answers that the student had to choose from were incorrect {so if Fox chose the right answer- it said it was wrong}. Also the assessment is extremely flawed. Reading Eggs is intended for beginning readers or struggling young readers. Reading Eggspress is for older, more experienced readers {although they may be struggling}. When Fox took the assessment for Reading Eggs it placed him as a 5.5 year old reading level. Even before he missed answers on the lessons, he was placed at an 11 year old reading level with a 9.5 year comprehension level. He is 12 and reads at a high school level {standardized testing has shown this consistently}. So something somewhere is not right with the assessment.
• Twaddle- the books that the students have to read from are not original works; they are edited and abridged {from what I read}. I just felt that they were not high quality works.
• Strange characters- the avatar that my son chose {since he is a boy} looks like a little man- not a boy. Also there are very odd characters throughout the program that sometimes we were just so distracted by. I think there was a centaur lady with a half-shirt-vest-type-thing. The trading cards, although my son’s absolute favorite part of the whole program, also have questionable characters on them- some parents may find them inappropriate.

Bottom line:

When we first started this, I felt it was going to be too young for my son. It never hurts to have fun when learning, though. It was good at first because he really wanted to get on it and do the lessons, play the games, hit his targets, etc. But as time went on, it’s just a game and his reading level and comprehension has gone down. Granted, I understand that this is partially {perhaps even mostly} due to the fact that my son is not applying himself as completely as he could. However, I feel this is just too much of a distraction to be continued with as anything other than a for-fun thing after his other work is done. He still loves this program and wants to play it everyday- but the results have not be as desired.

As for the cost: that is something that each family/teacher would need to decide for themselves but I think this could be considered reasonable for what is offered.

I might recommend this to others if they have a struggling child- one who is uninterested in reading and/or one that needs to have the visual stimulation. I would not recommend this to families that have strong readers.

Make sure to read other reviews by other TOS Crew members to get a better feel how it might work for your family/class.

***Disclaimer: I received a free trial to the above program as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. All opinions stated are my own. I only recommend products that I feel will be of benefit to others. No compensation was given. See Disclosure/Policies.***

TOS REVIEW: Beeyoutiful!

Through the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, Beeyoutiful sent me two items to review: Hair Shine All-Natural Leave in Conditioner and Beeyoutiful All-Natural Lip Moisturizer {makes the acronym B.A.L.M.}.

I will start with the Hair Shine product that I received. I’ve tried quite a few different shampoos and conditioners in order to get my hair ‘nice’. My problem is that usually the shampoo dries out my hair and the conditioners are too heavy and leave a residue. I have fine, thin hair {sadly, yes, it’s true}.

The bottle says it is a leave-in conditioner that detangles and gets rid of snarls. With the simple ingredients of aloe vera, water, sweet orange eo*, lavender eo and rosemary eo, I couldn’t imagine there would be anything to weigh my hair down. And I was right. It is very light and for me stayed that way. I used it on both damp hair {towel dried} and dry hair {especially when it started to get static}. It didn’t leave me feeling like my hair was dripping in oil. As for the detangling effects…well, it wasn’t too bad. I don’t recall the last time I used a detangler, though.

As far is making my hair shine, I didn’t notice a real difference. Although I did like it for it for something else: my hair resists curl but after using this, it held soft curls- all day. It isn’t like hairspray but it seems to give curl an advantage against the stubborn hair

I give the Hair Shine two thumbs up for the smell, the way it makes my hair feel and for helping me finally get some curl! I’d have to give it no thumbs {as opposed to thumbs down} for detangling and shine- I just didn’t notice that as a benefit. 

Two things that I must mention however: 1) if you are sensitive to scents, you may not like this one. My ds, bless his heart, really dislikes the scent. He says that he gets an instant headache from it. I think that is because I make my own cleaner and lavender oil is the main scent- he just is reminded of work {workitis?}. 2) I wouldn’t recommend using this after using a strong scented shampoo/conditioner. The smell you end up with may be, um, quite interesting {and not always in a good way *wink*- personal experience talking here!}.

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The second item that the folks at Beeyoutiful sent me was their All-Natural Lip Balm. The scent/flavor of the balm is orange- but the product itself is…wait for it…GREEN. The smell is like an orange creamsicle.

We {my daughter and I} have a bit of an obsession with lip balms. We have a collection and we carry around various ones all the time. I was super excited to have a new one!

This lip balm contains only four ingredients- super simple: organic grapeseed oil, organic shea butter, beeswax, and orange eo. It glides on smoothly and I think {and I’m no expert!} that the grapeseed oil keeps it from feeling like it ‘glops’ on your lips. I don’t have a lot of experience with either grapeseed oil or shea butter but do with beeswax. Sometimes if the ratio is not correct that beeswax feels like it’s a wax layer on your lips {until it warms up sufficiently}.

I left my lip balm near a computer at work, however, {in my jacket pocket} and although not terribly hot, it caused the orange oil to ‘leak out’ more than usual. It made quite a mess in my pocket and it made the canister sticky. After that it has felt like using one of those roller lip glosses; my lips felt like there was an excess of ‘flavor’.

For the most part this has worked well for keeping my lips moist and free from dryness. They were slightly chapped once and I tried this to help with that. It only kept them from getting drier; I didn’t notice it taking care of the chappedness {it didn’t moisturize as I hoped}.

I would give this one thumbs up for consistency, scent and moisturizing quality. It’s not bad but I didn’t think it wonderful.
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Beeyoutiful is a company that has “Healthy Living for the Real World” as their goal. From the website you can find a forum for discussions and questions. Also find articles ranging in scope- but all dealing with healthy living; find videos, too.

They offer vitamin supplements, hair care, moisturizers, cleansers, essential oils, and etc- check out all of their products.

You can purchase the Hair Shine at Beeyoutiful for $12.75 (plus shipping). It contains 4 fl oz. and comes with a spray pump.
You can purchase the All-Natural Lip Moisturizer for $3.00 (plus shipping). It contains .15 oz.

*’eo’ stands for essential oils.
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Bottomline:
I enjoyed the products I received although I think I expected more out of them. Both have lasted quite a while and have been used extensively- the price for quantity is good. I like that the ingredients are ones I can pronounce and know what they are. The fact that they are organic doesn’t personally sway me towards their products, but I know there are quite a few people to whom this does matter. I would have no problem recommending this company {and its products} to others.

If I were giving stars for these products I would give a combined 4 out of 5. I like the aesthetically pleasing look of the products {with the exception *possibly* of green lip balm that has an orange flavor}, the exclusivity of natural, safe ingredients, the benefits of each of the products I used {even though they did not fulfill all the claims put forth- no real shine for Hair Shine; somewhat less moisturizing than expected from the lip moisturizer}, the cost is practical and affordable, and the company has many different avenues for educating their customers {and perspective customers}. It loses a star for not living up to all the claims put forth for the products that I tried.

Have a look at other reviews of products from Beeyoutiful at the TOS Homeschool Crew.

***Disclaimer: I received the above reviewed items from Beeyoutiful via the TOS Homeschool Crew free in exchange of an honest review. All opinions stated are my own or those of my family. No compensation was given. See Disclosure/Policies.***

TOS REVIEW: Classical Astronomy Celestial Almanack {February Issue}

There are three rare occurrences to take place in the sky this year, do you know what they are? With The Classical Astronomy’s February issue of Celestial Almanack, you will!
I’m not inclined to understand astronomy. I mean, I must not be. I look at the night sky and see the dots of light that pierce the blue-black blanket but cannot distinguish much more than the moon and possibly the Big Dipper {or is that the Little Dipper??}. I think you get the idea that I’ve not branched out in this area…and if not, I’ll say it again…I’ve never approached the subject of astronomy. Never more than marveling at the beauty that I see when I look up.
My lack of understanding or perfect eyesight doesn’t keep me from wanting to understand astronomy, to see more of God’s amazing creation. The Celestial Almanack from Fourth Day Press is a great resource for igniting the desire to learn more about astronomy. It is recommended for ages 11 and up but I think that this can be used with the entire family {some adapting would be necessary for the younger ages of course}.
From the opening pages of this little almanack {it is a monthly publication} I was intrigued. This is an illustrated guide to the sky. You really should see a preview of this almanack.
What I liked about this:

• First and foremost- Beautiful illustrations of the sky, both day and night. Also, the different viewpoints of the sky. These made it extremely easy to spot the constellations. I saw Orion {not just the belt!} for the first time *ever* –not in a photo- using this.
• There is a lot of information in such a small space! It is 21 pages. I learned that ‘declination’ and ‘right ascension’ are the coordinates {measured in hours not degrees} for finding positions in the sky. And there’s much more!
• There are activities throughout this but it doesn’t feel like ‘work’. They range from one to three stars, I believe, to show the level of complexity.
• The calendar at the start of the book includes happenings that I would not think to put on the calendar. For example, Trial of Galileo (1633) on February 13th {quite fitting to be in an astronomy guide though} or “Only Nixon can go to China" (1972) on the 21st. There are also little things such as “Read Moonfinder to your kids!” on the 24th.

And some other things I enjoyed:

• I could put it on my Kindle Fire. This may seem somewhat non-related to the guide itself but I disagree. The format allows me to have it in color wherever {within reason} that I wish to take it. On page 8 of this almanack is a representation of the night sky the first week of February. Having this on my Fire allows me to take it outside and actually see what is being pointed out.
• The antique look of this publication. It isn’t ‘antique’ looking throughout but I enjoy the bits that are included.
• Jay Ryan is in Cleveland, OH…that’s where we are! Just the location makes this guide a bit more ‘applicable’ to our family.

I’m looking forward to the middle of the month when we will see Jupiter dip lower on the horizon. And I wouldn’t know this expect I read about it in The Celestial Almanack.
Overall, this is a wonderful resource! It can be purchased for $3.00 as a download and I think it is a very good deal. Other items from Fourth Day Press include the January issue of the Celestial Almanack, Signs and Seasons curriculum, and more.
Short of my including a photo of my jaw dropping when I could pinpoint Orion in the sky {which I was tempted to do but the batteries are dead}, I cannot tell you with enough words how this has been a great resource for me.
You can read what others had to say about this at the TOS Crew blog.

***Disclaimer: I received this download from Jay Ryan of Classical Astronomy via TOS Homeschool Crew free in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given. All opinions stated are my own. See Disclosure/Policies.***

TOS REVIEW: Z-Guide to the Movies {A Man For All Seasons}

Last year with the Crew I was able to review many great products from various businesses. One of those was the Z-Guide to the Movies from Zeezok Publishing. I’ve been blessed to review another Z-Guide to the Movies from Zeezok -and I’m still saying this is a great resource!

Last time I chose Johnny Tremain, this time A Man for All Seasons. I chose each because they fit in nicely with what we were studying at the time. Although A Man for All Seasons is marked for high school, I think it is suited fine for middle school grades as well. Most likely it is geared toward high school because it is more detailed than it may be in middle school for this time period. Both Lee (my high schooler) and Fox (my middle schooler) watched this movie with no problem. The guide could easily be adapted to middle schoolers as well, imho.

High School
$12.99 (available as a download {no delivery fee} or shipped CD {plus shipping})

The guide is designed to be used specifically with the 1966 version (you can purchase the DVD from Zeezok for $14.98 {plus shipping}), which we found easily enough at our library.

The Z-Guides are movie specific, with almost all available thru Netflix, or through your local library. They include topic overview, movie synopsis, and review questions (in hopes of encouraging active learning versus  passive viewing). Also highlights historical time frame of the movie (more about the people or events that happened in the movie). These questions cannot be answered from watching the movie. The student needs to have or develop research skills using libraries and/or the internet to properly answer these questions. The Z-Guides encourage research and writing skills through the activities included. All of the guides include at least one hands-on activity, a worldview activity, and The Filmmaker’s Art activity (with the goal of helping the student to be able to discern not only the agenda of the movie, but also how they are being influenced by it). A worldview activity helps get the student to think critically through what he believes and what is being presented in the movie. Family discussion questions are included that also develop critical thinking from the worldview promoted within your family. And answers are provided for all of the questions. *read “What is a Z-Guide?” at the website*

And, this may sound a bit odd, but I really like the cover of the Z-Guide! It is simple but not boring

The movie itself seemed to be extremely long to us. It actually took us two viewings to get through it. Zeezok has given a good suggestion of how to break up the Z-Guide but we didn’t use it the way suggested. And they do say feel free to omit or change the order to best suit your family/learners/situation. We are obviously a family that takes more than one week (as they suggest) to complete this type of thing…I know we aren’t the only ones…right??

It took us two viewings (or was it three?) to watch the movie and the guide is more than one weeks worth of ‘study’ for our family. We didn’t use the crossword puzzle but that’s a good thing with the pdf file- it is easy to print off what we want and not worry about what we don’t.

A very interesting ‘activity’ was #10, The Filmmaker’s Art. This put a different spin on watching a movie for history’s sake because while we were watching it for learning history, we were learning something else that I didn’t expect. We learned a bit about how the filmmaker used different tactics in the movie to develop the theme, achieve foreshadowing, and it helped us to see how the inclusion and omission of certain aspects (even characters) makes the movie more dramatic. It sometimes affects how you feel about a character by they way they are portrayed- the lighting, the props, by omitting or including them in particular scenes, etc.

The only thing that I can think of that I would like to have seen more of is the Additional Resources for Further Study. There are only three listed. One we had already used in our school, another I could find at the library but I had to search some for the Letters and Papers of Henry VIII. I just felt there could have been more resources added. But… this is a movie guide to be used along with study of the time/person, so perhaps this isn’t an oversight. *Z-Guides are meant to supplement your current history curriculum. They are not intended to replace your core curriculum for history.* from the publishers

Look at a sample Z-Guide to the Movies from Zeezok Publishing.

Both of my kids have ‘had enough of More’, they say. That translates to “they learned quite a bit” and I say this is a great resource. I would definitely recommend Zeezok Publishing’s Z-Guide to the Movies to others. They also offer resources for Government and History, Presidential Penmanship, Great Musicians, Reading and Literature, ebooks and audio books. 

At their website, you can browse by category (such as the linked above) but within each category they’ve also made it easier to search for what you want. For example, when clicked on, Z-Guide to the Movies gives you a Timeline to choose from. A Man for All Seasons fits in 16th Century Europe. There are quite a few other Z-Guides to the Movies that I am wanting to get.

Interestingly, I discovered that they are just ‘up the road’ from me also! That has absolutely nothing to do with my review

Bottom line:
GREAT RESOURCE.. I am definitely a fan. I’m watching and waiting for more additions to these.

Read what other Crew Members had to say about this at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

***Disclaimer: I received this download from Zeezok Publishing via TOS Homeschool Crew free in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given. All opinions stated are my own. See Disclosure/Policies.***

TOS REVIEW: REAL Homeschool Spanish

Spanish- it’s a language that is fast becoming a first language in many homes in the United States- and around the world, really. It was my first choice of languages in high school {for myself} and the first I wanted my kids to learn. But which curriculum to choose? I actually didn’t…couldn’t find one that was agreeable to me. With no idea how to teach it {although I’d been taught it}, I left it out.

The TOS Homeschool Review Crew chose our family to receive the R.E.A.L Homeschool Spanish curriculum in exchange for an honest review. This program is designed with the homeschooling family in mind and it is multi-age adaptable. See more TOS Homeschool Crew reviews here.

I am going to be upfront with my readers- my computer succumbed to a virus not long after we received this product as a download, therefore we were not able to use it as thoroughly as I would have liked (my files were all gone!). Nevertheless, I do feel that I can give decent review mixed with personal experience. Bear with me? Then let’s move along

The curriculum comes with Book, Activity Book, Audio Files, and Answer Book for $49.95 (download) or $89.95 (hardcopy). There is also the option to purchase the bundle (the afore mentioned) with the Daily Curriculum Guide for $59.95 (download) or $99.95 (hardcopy). The Daily Curriculum Guide can be purchased separately for $9.95 (download only). Those prices all include free shipping as well. See the website for all details.

Right after receiving the download, I immediately read as much of the curriculum as I could. A foreign language is sometimes difficult and working with a curriculum that one is not familiar with makes the task doubly difficult! {For the downloaded purchase} I think it would be best to print out much of the beginning of this curriculum if you are anything like me- need to have it in black and white. I do have at least two ‘years’ of Spanish to my credit but I was needing to learn right along side my kids so I had to know how to best use this. I would have loved to have the hardcopy version.

Here is the ‘pattern’ for learning set out as a suggestion in the book:

1. Plan which vocabulary you will study and how you will present it using the Tips to the Home Educator section for each unit. Use the Audio if you need it.
2. Present the new vocabulary and have you and your child become familiar with the new words and sentences in the Vocabulary section.
3. Use the IDEA section to come up with fun and interesting activities to continue using the language throughout the day/week. Have your child listen to the Audio to reinforce his/her listening and pronunciation skills.
4. Practice writing the language with the ACTIVITY BOOK.
5. Set aside some time for CULTURE learning with the FREE CULTURE LINKS section found on our website: www.realhomeschoolspanish.com
6. Above all... Relax, Enjoy, Aspire and Learn Spanish!!! (R.E.A.L. Learning!)

If you would like to see samples of the curriculum, click here.

The idea behind this curriculum is to have fun with it and use it! It isn’t enough to just fill out worksheets and recite vocabulary words. Conversations are a great way to get it embedded in your mind. Another point is that the creator of this curriculum understands that it will be necessary to adapt it to each family- their learning styles, the different ages, etc.- one reason {I’m sure} so many different ideas and activities are suggested.

Included are 10 Units- each between 1 and 4 sections- that cover vocabulary, grammar, and include tips, ideas, audio and activities. There are links at the website for free culture extras to help make it more interesting, fun and applicable {more personable?}.

Some things I would love to see in the download version:

• Clickable audio files- click them and automatically get your audio file {I’m sure this would require more work for the publisher but it’d be so helpful!}
• Clickable links for culture- same as above. Whether it is a video or audio, it would be wonderful to have it all in ‘one place’.
• Less ‘books’. It seems there is a ‘book’ for all parts of the curriculum. It would be nice to have it more in one place. It seemed that it took me a while to get it ‘planned out’ for each lesson. {Was it just me? It could very well have been!}

What did I like about it?

The ‘feel’ of it- and it’s conversational approach. The audio files and activities. I have two very different kids {don’t we all?}; one likes worksheets; one despises them. One catches onto concepts {and languages!} quickly; the other not so quickly {lack of interest plays a large part in that}. Where I’m going with this- both of my kids liked the worksheets and the activity suggestions. At first I thought some would be ‘too young’ for my 12 and 15 y.o.s but we had a good time so I know it was good {the vocabulary has even been used when not doing school}.

And, very quick and friendly customer service! Dr. Williamson-Coria was quick to help and replied to my emails when I needed to contact her. She does say, many times in the book that if there is any questions or if you need help, email her- she’s there! Questions are directed to support@realhomeschoolspanish.com

Bottom Line:
I think this is a decent Spanish program. It has a solid foundation, includes many good features and may be the program you are looking for. It is more fun than other programs that I have investigated. I have no reservations about referring homeschoolers to this curriculum.

Don’t forget to see read other reviews of this curriculum at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

***Disclaimer: I received the download version of R.E.A.L Homeschool Spanish via the TOS Homeschool Review Crew in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions stated are my own. See Disclosure/Policies.***