Thoughts on Learning the 500 SAT/ACT Word with Vocab Videos!

August 10, 2012 by Jill Leave a Comment

This homeschool product review, Vocabulary Videos, brought tears to my 2 high school son’s eyes!

I have to admit I found the concept behind Vocab Videos quite inquisitive and thought watching a skit to instill the most used SAT/ACT vocabulary words was clever and would be memorable.

What I didn’t expect was the lack of positive character exemplified by the individuals in the skits. In addition, some of the language used crossed the line of what we feel is healthy for our teenagers.

However, I did find the quizzes, study guides, and the flash cards quite helpful for the students to engage in after they watched one of the 500 videos. The parent can view the child’s progress on the site at anytime. It’s very teacher friendly, meaning no prep time.

I do believe my children retained the vocabulary words learned from the skits, but like I mentioned before, this product is inappropriate for our family. I really was disappointed because my boys really laughed out loud and enjoyed the videos.

An account includes:

Access to the entire video library of 500 Vocab Videos
Total access to an extensive suite of study resources and tools: digital quizzes, digital worksheets, multimedia flashcard maker, downloadable crossword puzzles

6-Month Subscription $24.99
12-Month Subscription $39.99

Read my thoughts on other homeschool products.

I received a Small Educator subscription, which is for up to 20 students, and it costs $74.99 in return for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Filed Under: homeschool, homeschool products, reviews Tagged With: homeschool, reviews

Encouraging and FUN Way to Teach Sight Words!

August 8, 2012 by Jill 32 Comments

Playing games is part of our homeschool day! I was excited to introduce our FUN homeschool product review, The Reading Game, to my 5 and 7 year olds!

And I can’t think of a better way to learn sight words than playing The Reading Game!

Each afternoon after lunch my 5 year old and I play several games of the hands-on, fast paced game,The Reading Game, on my bed right before quiet time.

He has not learned all his sounds yet, so it is a bit challenging for him. He takes every opportunity to smoke me each game. I require him to read each match before moving on.

My 7 year old played the game with the entire 6 decks. It was a great review for him. Often he plays with his little brother and acts as his tutor. It’s FUN for everyone.

The Reading Game consists of 6 deck of cards and 6 storybooks. Each of The Reading Game’s six stories is told using just 30 new words. These are broken down into six sets of five words. The student learns to read each set of five words by playing a simple word matching game. Frequent exposure through play instills these words into long-term memory.

After completing the first deck of cards, the child will be able to read the first book out of the set. This is fantastic encouragement for the beginner reader.

The Reading Game is a great addition to any phonics program and can be used later for review. This would be very beneficial to the struggle reader or a child with special needs since you can move at your child’s own pace.

_{The Reading Game was awarded the Tillywig Brain Child of the Year Award for 2012, and given the Homeschool.com Seal of Approval. It will also be featured on the morning talk show, The Balancing Act, along with the President of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, in a segment on developing literacy through game play. The show airs every morning on Lifetime TV, and this segment will be aired this October.}

You can purchase The Reading Game and use Discount Code: BBD for a discount of 10%!

Now for the FUN giveaway!

The Reading Game would love to give one of my readers their very own game for their family. I will be choosing a winner August 18th at 12a.(My dad’s 70th b-day) The winner will be contacted via email and must respond within 48 hours.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You won’t want to miss the TONS of giveaways at the Mommy Time

Facebook Party!

I received The Reading Game in return for my honest review. No other compensation was given.

Sharing with: WFMW, WLW , Encouraging One Another,RaisingHomemakers,Hearts4Home,SixSistersStuff,Saturday Show & Tell, Weekend Bloggy Reading,The Better Mom, Monday Musings, Mama Moments Monday,Domestically Divine Tuesday, Time – Warp Wife,Frugal Days,What Works,, Flash Blog, Thursday, Show Me Extraordinary, Mommy Teaches, , Weekend Whatever, Big Family Linkup, Feminine Friday, HipHomeschoolMom

Filed Under: Family, FREE Stuff, Giveaways, reviews Tagged With: homeschool, reviews

Homeschool Product Review – Addition Teaching and Learning Made Easy!

August 7, 2012 by Jill Leave a Comment

We had so much FUN with the homeschool product review, Addition Teaching and Learning Made Easy.

My 7 year old is enjoying practicing and memorizing his addition facts with creative daily worksheets, games, post tests and flashcards. The daily worksheets are fun and engaging and some involve coloring and cutting, too.

This is a 6 week course that helps your child ages memorize the addition facts without counting on their fingers. In fact, there are only 36 facts to memorize.

Each day we review the math facts and then he completes the daily worksheet on his own. We practice the flash cards numerous times throughout the day. By the end of the week, he has mastered all of the facts for the week, as well as, retained the facts from the previous week.

My son learned addition last year, but has not mastered his facts proficiently. This program is an excellent supplement to any math program or can stand alone. By the end of the 6 weeks, I have no doubt that my child will have mastered all the addition facts.

Of course, you can teach math facts numerous different ways, but I believe children love to engage in different activities while mastering their facts to avoid repetitive flashcard blues!

You can purchase Addition Teaching and Learning Made Easy for $24.95. I had the option of receiving an ebook or hard copy and I chose the hard copy. I only wish I requested the ebook form, so I could utilize the product with my younger children in later years.

Read my thoughts on other homeschool products.

I received a copy of Addition Teaching and Learning Made Easy in return for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Filed Under: homeschool, homeschool products, reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: homeschool, reviews

Homeschool Product Review – King Alfred English!

August 3, 2012 by Jill 1 Comment

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I love reading history to my children. I was thrilled to be asked to complete a homeschool product review on the ebook, King Alfred’s English by Laurie J.White.

King Alfred’s English states to be the only book that explains the history of our language for student’s below the college level.

The theme of the book is the true story of how we got the Bible in English and it’s influence upon our language. I took a high interest in the topic.

We are studying early American History this year, so I was anxious to start reading King Alfred’s English to my 2nd, 6th, 9th, and 10th grader as a read a loud after lunch everyday. They are all boys, too!

I found the book quite interesting and easy to grasp, but my boys were bored to tears. They requested that I choose another book for read a loud after the second week. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed because I found it adventurous and very informative. I was shocked that they didn’t enjoy it because the author refers to many battles in the book.

I really liked how the author referred us to different maps throughout the book. This helped me picture in my mind where the action was taking place. At that time, I passed around my Nook to the boys, so each of them could view the map.

This book is an excellent resource for a family using the Principle Approach in their homeschool. Also, a student who highly enjoys history would appreciate this book. My boys enjoy history, but it’s definitely not their favorite subject.

Although my boys did not appreciate the historical significance of the translation of the Bible into the English language, I felt it was well written and I plan on finishing these read myself.

Read Chapter One!

See the Table of Contents!

You can purchase this book at The ShorterWord for $16.95 or for as low as $5.95 on your Kindle.

Read my thoughts on other homeschool products.

I received King Alfred’s English ebook in return for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Filed Under: homeschool, homeschool products, reviews Tagged With: homeschool, reviews

Pros and Cons of Homeschool Co-ops!

August 3, 2012 by Jill Leave a Comment

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Welcome to Day 5 of the 5 Days Back to Homeschool Blog Hop.

Today we are discussing Homeschool Co-ops!

We have always been blessed with every homeschool co-op that we have participated in the past.

However, during this season we are choosing not to participate in one for various reasons. I decided to write the pros and cons that we have experienced through the years of participating in local homeschool co-ops.

PROS

Socialization
Being held accountable other than with Mommy
Assigned Homework
Students exposure to subjects that you are not gifted in
Use your gift to train other students

CONS

Takes away from your normal routine
Extra work for the teacher – time consuming
Commitment
Can be very costly – especially for large families
Hard to manipulate with a 5 Day Full Curriculum

However, I believe co-ops are wonderful if they meet your family needs. I do believe it would be easier for us if we were not a large family. Getting 6 kiddos out the door isn’t always an easy task before 8am.

What’s your experience with homeschool co-ops?

Don’t forget to check out all the FUN giveaways:

The HOTest Back to School Gadget!

$25.00 convenient shopping spree!

If you are new to homeschooling or are on the fence, read How to Homeschool – 10 Steps!

Make sure you don’t miss a day, subscribe today!

Filed Under: homeschool Tagged With: homeschool

5 Days of Back to Homeschool Blog Hop! – Our Homeschool Classroom!

August 2, 2012 by Jill 3 Comments

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Welcome to Day 4 of the 5 Days Back to Homeschool Blog Hop.

Today we are taking peeks into our classrooms. We are blessed to have one rather big room dedicated to our classroom.

It’s definitely not fancy by any means!

This is our HUGE board that needs to be cleaned. I write their daily assignments on it and I use it to teach. We got it for 20.00 at a office supply store close out.

The children’s computer with no internet. Internet research is done on my laptop.

Our rustic school table that we got for FREE. I never have to worry if they will spill paint on it! It’s perfect for projects!

I have numerous crates labeled with all of our supplies. A few years ago, we lost our school supply cabinet, so we resorted to this system. Works great for us.

And tomorrow I will be sharing the pros and cons of participating in a coop.

Don’t forget to check out all the FUN giveaways:

The HOTest Back to School Gadget!

$25.00 convenient shopping spree!

If you are new to homeschooling or are on the fence, read How to Homeschool – 10 Steps!

Make sure you don’t miss a day, subscribe today!

Filed Under: homeschool Tagged With: homeschool

5 Days of Back to Homeschool Blog Hop!

August 1, 2012 by Jill 6 Comments

Join the Schoolhouse Review Crew July 30-August 3, 2012 for our 5 Days of Blogging — Back to Homeschool Blog Hop!

More than 70 members of the Crew will bring you their thoughts, ideas, recommendations, and tips for homeschooling.

There may even be a few giveaways on Crew blogs! HINT, HINT!

Homeschool Topics:

Homeschool Methods - I will be sharing our approach to education with a twist of Charlotte Mason and the Principle Approach.

Homeschool Curriculum - my favorite topic!

Homeschool Planning - I will be sharing how I no longer get my panties in a wad. It’s only taking me 8 years.

Homeschool Classrooms- we are truly blessed to have a classroom. Can’t wait to show you pics and how we organize!

Homeschool Co-ops - the pros and cons of our coop experience throughout the years.

It’s going to be an informative and fun-filled week of homeschool bliss. I can’t wait to read your comments each day.

If you are new to homeschooling or are on the fence, read How to Homeschool – 10 Steps!

Make sure you don’t miss a day, subscribe today!

Filed Under: homeschool Tagged With: homeschool

Homeschool Product Review – Create Better Writers!

August 1, 2012 by Jill Leave a Comment

Writing is a high priority in our homeschool. I believe that if you are going to strive academically, as well as, spread the gospel effectively, you must be able to write successfully.

I always jump at an opportunity to participate in a homeschool product review involving the essentials of writing.

Create Better Writers was a new curriculum to our family when we recieved the ebook. We were not provided with the full writing program, but we were requested to review the lessons How to Teach the Paragraph and How to Teach the Five Paragraph Essay.

Before beginning to teach the How to Teach the Paragraph to my 6th, 9th, and 10th grader, I read over the the Homeschool Action Plan, the objectives and steps to the lesson to get a better understanding on how this entire program worked. It’s imperative to fully understand the foundation of the program.

The How to Teach a Paragraph is suited for grades 3 and above. Depending on how quickly your child masters each step in the writing process will determine what pace you and your student will take. A younger child will go at a much slower pace.

The How to Teach Paragraph will show you how to teach your students one simple trick for mastering the paragraph. This is the foundation of the entire writing program. Once your student excels in this simple step, the rest of the writing system will fall into place quite easily.

My high schoolers mastered the simple trick quickly and it reinforced their paragraph writing skills making them feel more confident writers. Review is always good thing in our home. With my 6th grader, we are spending more time working on mastering this one simple trick. We are in no rush.

After mastering the paragraph the Homeschool Writing Action Plan will direct the teacher to the resource, Writing Tricks Plus. This will help build stronger sentences and vocabulary.

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My high schoolers moved on to How to teach the Five paragraph Essay and we are currently still working on this lesson. Since my children mastered the one simple trick, writing a 5 paragraph will be easy. They are just expanding what they mastered in writing a paragraph.

Our goal is to master the 5 paragraph essay by Christmas.

After completing the How to Teach the Five Paragraph Essay, The Homeschool Writing Action Plan will again point the teacher to the resource, Writing Tricks Plus where they will enhance on sentence and vocabulary. Also, they will do descriptive writing lessons, learn to write stories with literary devices such as characterization and setting.

This writing program is very easy to teach and is very comprehensive. The author does an excellent job explaining the lessons to the teacher. I feel confident that after completing the full program, my children will be successful writers.

Being able to purchase one FULL writing program curriculum just one time for all my children is a major plus for our large family.

You can purchase the full writing curriculum or by individual lessons. This full writing curriculum is very reasonable priced for around $100.00 as an ebook. A huge deal in my opinion!

I plan on purchasing the entire full writing program for my crew!

Read my thoughts on other homeschool products.

I received How to Teach the Paragraph and How to Teach the Five Paragraph Essay ebooks in return for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Filed Under: homeschool, homeschool products, reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: homeschool, reviews

5 Days of Back to Homeschool Blog Hop! – The No Plan Homeschooling Plan

August 1, 2012 by Jill 9 Comments

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Welcome to Day 3 of the 5 Days Back to Homeschool Blog Hop.

Today we are discussing homeschool planning!

I have to admit that I don’t plan anymore! And I feel like a FREE woman!

I used to be one of those over organized stressed out homeschool mamas that would get her panties in a HUGE wad when we were off schedule!

I would plan everything school related right down to the minute. I literally would spend all summer long making these ~~perfect~~ plans.

After 7 years of being a crazy homeschool mom, I learned to be much more relaxed.

Amen!

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I am still pretty organized and have a pretty Mommy Homeschool binder. I just don’t have lesson plans written down.

There’s absolutely no reason to label my pretty binder because it’s the coolest one in the house and everyone knows it’s Mommy’s.

I love it!

And I have really cute dividers, too!

My dividers in my CUTE Homeschool Binder:

Attendance – just to roughly see how many days we do school for my own benefit.
Calendar – monthly and yearly – I write field trips, etc.
Unit Study – my plans and printouts for the topical study we are working on.
Borrow/Lend – this has really helped me over the years to keep track of what we lend out and borrow from other homeschool families.
Student- I have a divider for each child. I include credits, grades, educational objectives, and course of study.

In the beginning of the school year I write a rough draft of where we should be before Christmas in each subject with the knowledge that I will have to alter the requirements. Right before Christmas, I review my tentative plan and alter it to meet my expectations by May. Most of the time, I write their assignments on the big dry erase board the night before. There has been times when I have seen my children work on their assignments before breakfast because they wanted to finish up early. The older ones usually know what I expect.

Last year was the first year, I utilized this approach. And it was a success!

Don’t forget to check out all the FUN giveaways:

The HOTest Back to School Gadget!

$25.00 convenient shopping spree!

If you are new to homeschooling or are on the fence, read How to Homeschool – 10 Steps!

Make sure you don’t miss a day, subscribe today!

Filed Under: homeschool Tagged With: homeschool

5 Days of Back to Homeschool Blog Hop! – Tips on Choosing Homeschool Curriculum!

July 31, 2012 by Jill 3 Comments

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Welcome to Day 2 of the 5 Days Back to Homeschool Blog Hop.

Today we are discussing one of my favorite topics of homeschooling!

Curriculum!

Check out what we are using for our homeschool curriculum choices for the 2012-2013 school year.

Today I am going to share 7 tips on what I consider when searching for homeschool curriculum for our family.

7 Tips on Choosing Homeschool Curriculum

Non-consumable - this is imperative for our large family.
Christian Based – does it conform to our Christian faith?
Minimal Teacher Prep – I rather spend my time ~~blogging~~ teaching instead of spending hours of prep time.
Multiple Credits – will this curriculum cover more than 1 subject? (I believe this is the key in homeschooling)
Modification – I need to be able to easily adapt it to fit all my children’s level. This is more so with Bible, Character, History, Science, and Geography rather than the core subjects.
Cost – can I find it used?
Pray before making each purchase.