REVIEW: Alethia Writing Magazine for Christian Teens

Alethia Writing Magazine
Price:  $26 year
Ages:  13-19
Website:  HERE!
I say: Nice for writing teens!

Alethia Writing Magazine Fall 2011 edition was received for review without monetary compensation in exchange for my opinions as part of the TOS CREW. My opinions are my own.

We got a full color beautiful magazine of quality production from the USPS. I gave this magazine to my writing daughter who said, "This is nice!" And so we began pouring through it.  Inside you will find well written short stories and poetry from teenagers who are writing with a Christian worldview point. This is so refreshing! There is encouragement for writing teens as well in a Writer's Challenge with a biblical proverb and a picture of which the teen can chose to write either a poem or a story that shows the proverb as true. This edition's proverb is Proverbs 11:8.  Submission deadline is Oct 15, 2011 to submit to writealeithia@gmail.com~be sure to put "Writer's Challenge Fall 2011" in the subject line.  Also include which challenge!

Also this mag has little advertising which is refreshing to see so that teens are not over stimulated but rather articles concerning authors and illustrators. I loved seeing the art work of other teens and reading their works!

Wanna see a previous issue?  Here ya GO!

You can subscribe to Aleghia Writing Magazine Creativity for Christian Teens by clicking HERE. Subscription is quarterly.  We liked this for our writing daughter~she liked it too!

Go HERE to read what the Crew is says!
Blessings,
SisterT

TOP TEN TOS CREW Rewiew Team Products of 2010-11

What a year it's been and it's hard to think how fast it's come and gone! So many changes in my life such as K12 in our lives and also all the house remodeling~the joys and stresses of it all...and doing the homeschooling product reviews in the mix.  Blogging a bunch...and working on my health...WHAT a combination! LOL

I've been asked to compile a top ten and rank in order the products I believe are the BEST of the BEST for our family~We saw some really great stuff roll across our lives this year...
 Drum Roll, please~

Positive Action For Christ~Life of Christ (Gospel of John)
Yesterday's Classics
Wits and Wagers
Who Is God?

Bucket's O Fun~YUCK!
Lanschool technologies
Professor in a Box's Intro to Accounting course
WonderMaps
Reading From the Heart
Considering God's Creation
Math Tutor DVDs
IEW's Teaching Writing With Style and Structure HANDS DOWN was the best for us!

DARE SAY I have a dozen...LOL!  Well, it was a great year with all the cool and VARIED STUFF we reviewed! Wasn't bored a bit...There are a few digital products here...but overall, I prefer the in hand stuff...unless it was a program, such as Lanschool...loved Lanschool and found it very useful! WonderMaps comes into play with digital also..but it has so many applications~amazing!  One more digital we loved is Yesterday's Classics...a whole book shelf in a download! Whoot! One more, please...no! Make that two...

Virtual Nerd was awesome!
and who didn't love Speekee....and Jim! LOL...just loved that purple guy and the Spanish instruction! Still want to sing those songs!! ;-))

Okay that's a WRAP on the Top 10~ha! Top HOW MANY???

Head over to the CREW to see what they say              !  What was your faves...do you have these~want these???  I'm on my way to a big book sale where I'm cleaning out all things..okay most things homeschooling...

Review: GoTrybe~Fitness For Kids Via the Net

GoTrybe~Kids Fitness, Wellness, Motivation
CK it out here!
AGES:  6th gr & up
COST: 99 cent Introductory Trial Special
I say:  Not convinced...read on...

I was given a trial of GoTrybe as part of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew review team in exchange for my honest opinions without monetary compensation. My opinions are my own.

I've been working hard on my family and my own health for a good number of years and when given the opportunity to review GoTrybe, I was excited.  Looking at ways to bolster our efforts for a healthy lifestyle and learning more has always been my goal so that we'd be able to live more productive and satisfactory lives.  It's a noble goal, and while there's tons of info out there in the marketplace of ideas, it' doesn't all add up to what I believe is sound conventional wisdom that best suits and fulfills our needs.  So what's GoTrybe and how did it add up?

About GoTrybe~

GoTrybe is a subscription for net users that you can purchase yearly for $19.95 but there is a FREE Trial Period (unspecified) and at the end of you will be asked to join. 

From the website:

GoTrybe.com is an online fitness and nutrition community that delivers daily fitness, nutrition, wellness, and motivation content to students and teachers across the US.

You get your own homepage  on the site and an avatar where you earn points by daily picking a series of activities regarding a workout in the warm up, cardio. flex and strength training areas. There are quite a few choices of activities in each domain with varying intensities such as moderate or intense with a score card of sorts with each one so good choices can be made.  You can't do more than one sequence of Daily Activities per day and this could be good for children who need more structure, but I'd think the ages this is really targeting that allowing the nutrition and wellness videos to be seen in multiple segments really couldn't hurt anything~but then I dunno..the idea I think was to get consistency over TIME...getting short snipits of info that could be absorbed in the long run is the goal~

Here's a screen shot of my choices so you can see that each domain as a score card explaining each activity. Each video is different in duration too~as well as different GoTrybe Instructors and activities...

 When you click and drag each video in each domain into the workout recipe above the choices you form your work out for that day.  After you're done creating your workout, you can hit the start workout button and get going. 

My experience has been that what I've chosen is between 19-24 minutes in length.  The videos are well made, and the trainers are personal, attactive and engaging along with children and other young people. There are no children younger than about 12 that I can see here, and even the classroom settings are showing what looks at least to be middle and high school kids.

I do note that the work outs are mostly moderate in intensity.  I found no beginner or easy levels available which I would think might preclude some children from participating and certainly those (of us) who might benefit most.

The sets are clean, attractive and colorful.  We especially liked the Salsa video warm ups and wish there had been more dance steps with better music on these videos.  I love dancing, and I believe marketing to children/teens might be better served if  the videos used more child/teen friendly fare such as HIP music and concepts. What happened to OLD FASHIONED PLAY as warm ups, cardio, flex and strength? Don't tell me that playing hop scotch and climbing monkey bars didn't condition us...LOL...

Soo onto How It Added UP for us~

I confess that I did not jump head long into GoTrybe like I might have done had I liked first off what I saw.  In checking out the site, I was unimpressed by the 'staff' of young super healthy folks who obviously have been in the exercise/health field for a good long time and might not fully understand or appreciate the needs of the outta shape/poorly nutritioned population GoTrybe has hoped to reach.  When looking at the staff, I am skeptical because it seems they have been in this field for some time and have never experienced being out of shape or dealing in obesity.  I wonder just what they have to offer me without these kinds of experiences.  When I viewed them, I saw young instructors with their beautiful, and I don't mean this disrespectful, either.. beautiful bodies and perky encouragements and had trouble seeing that any of this was going to motivate me(albeit an obese middle aged mama, but desiring change) much less a sedentary overweight child who is already dealing in all of the ilks of their misery.  (In my own defense, if there had been a level of workout I could have accomplished, I would have.  I bike and swim. Lame effort probably, but it's what I can do...Gotta start SOMEWHERE!) 

Two things stood out in my mind: Could that child be reached, and if so HOW~Can GoTrybe be used to accomplish this? Not sure. And the reason is that I'm not sure is that 20-30 minute pretty high intensity workouts using OR not using added equipment...along with >1 min video bites seemed, try as they might, would make some connection for me.  It seems impersonal to me and doesn't seem motivating. 

I think that IF this problem were solved by diet and exercise alone, Lord knows the zillions of OTHER iniatives over the years would have worked. But what I've discovered in my own life and in the life of others as well as the 'fat' kids I know is that obesity isn't as much about the body as it IS about the mind.  Does GoTrybe address this area? NO. Other than some perky uplifting mentors who try their best to be positive and encouraging, little reached us.  I wasn't motivated a bit to leave my chair and get moving~which I believe would be the goal of this program.  Now, the question is CAN IT to the job? Maybe. If you have a child who already has made the mind-body connection and is already on the MOVE, yeah, it's possible they'd enjoy the benefits of GoTrybe which is FIRST of all~the increased health and energy/fitness.  But as for the avatar, I'm not so into that. Don't know how many homeschoolers live in 'virtual' worlds either, but if they do...buying outfits and dressing up that virtual fit/gorgeous/perky ME just might motivate me, but I'm thinking that as a fat child, and I was one..not just a fat adult, that it wouldn't have had much power to push me onward.  Sorry, SisterT doesn't usually feel so strongly, but I've battled this area ALLL my life...let's just say heading into Weight Watchers in the 4th gr taught me something about this...maybe experience that 'normals' don't get...ya think?

Soo I really hate that I haven't found here what I had hoped, and better able to recommend GoTrybe to you as a magic bullet to get you and ME off our ...and MOVING! NO, some good dance music and a phone call with some prayer~yeah...that might~no! It DOES help me!  Focusing on God and His power in my life has been just what the doctor ordered to move me..MOVE MEeee...

Don't just take my word for this, please...do your own research here and head over to ck out the          and see what they are saying on this one! I'm betting some of them see things from a different vantage point and that if you don't identify with my perspective you could very well theirs and GoTrybe IS just what will get you and your kiddos up, moving and living a healthier lifestyle. That IS the goal, isn't it? Healthier for ALL of us??

Thanks for stopping in and leave me a shout out~I'd love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts~
HUGS!

REVIEW: Zeezok Film Guide: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

And it might be a SURPRISE who actually sits down with us!

It's been 40PLUS years since Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? came out and its subject matter is LOVE, humanity, connection~all riding in the vehicles of interracial relationships/marriage showing WHAT'S REALLY important in life in a masterful way~ I was given a choice over a good list of film choices for a Zeezok Film Guide review through The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's TOS CREW review group, and I chose Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? with my children in mind.  IS today really different from the day this film came out?  I believe my teenagers could benefit from this film experience.  We had many choices in some wonderful films You can see them here! There are over 25 to choose from and more being added!
Film is an excellent way of learning, discussing, and experiencing different subject matter for homeschooling~everything from social studies to history and literature!

If you have young children, this film will certainly be lost on them entirely...but for the parent with an older, more mature child who you are guiding to understand the important things in life, the things that transcend time, culture, race and relationship~I recommend a careful and thoughtful view/study of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?  In fact, I won't spend much time here discussing this FILM Reviews!!~if you've not seen it~be prepared to find yourself ringing in on the side of love, human-ness and ultimate beauty!

Preview the film yourself and also get the Zeezok Film Guide~Included are wonderful features to help you navigate the themes of the film in a well organized and meaningful way~There are activities and questions~it's a real guide to knowing and understanding~TRUE appreciation for this what some may feel is a controversial topic~Do people still think this? I know 'back in the day' it was considered~OUT THERE in some circles! I find absolute pleasure in the idea that people of every race, color, tradition and creed can find happiness TOGETHER~I see it as something THIS SIDE of heaven! Zeezok Publishing treats the subject matter with respect and thoughtfulness~the only "uncomfortable" area I have is in the intro where Dr. Prentice is described as a 'Negro' which is an older outdated term, and  I'm not sure others will feel that this is acceptable or not offensive...


Here's the trailer:  (You can purchase the dvd HERE $22.95) 
READ Film REVIEWS HERE!


Here's the link to the Zeebok Film Guide HERE!
I recommend both as a good addition to your high school modern studies of the 1960s and United States culture.

The TOS CREW was given opportunity to pick their own film to use a Zeezok Film Guide~Head HERE to see what we picked and are saying~

Leave me a comment. What do you think? Has the world changed? Are we still facing such racial and cultural divisions and challenges as are shown in this film? Thanks for coming by!

REVIEW: Math Rider~FUN WAY to LEARN and RETAIN MATH! Woot!

Galloping horse on a mission to save and defend~speed and agility~All connected to math skills~Your kids will love Math Rider!

I got a download of Math Rider as part of The Old Schoolhouse Crew Review program in exchange for my honest opinions without monetary compensation. My opinions are my own.

From the website:

Latest Generation Math Game, using Artificial Intelligence

Ride your horse on noble quests through the magical MathLands. Math Rider combines fun game play with a highly sophisticated question engine that adapts to your child. The game propels your child to mastery of all four math operations using numbers 0 to 12.
Math Rider was developed from personal need, because we wanted to help our own children who were struggling with fundamental math.

I enjoyed this interactive game. First it's for math fundamentals: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The faster you can type in your answers the faster the horse will run~and what's more is that you can set up an account for multiple children~all for the one low price~$37 normally $49 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE~woot!.

Features of the game (from the site)

• You will know when your child has completely mastered an operation. And more importantly, your child will know it, too!
• This is the fastest way to mastery of all four math operations. The artificial intelligence rehearses what is needed most, at a rate that is tailored to each player.
• The game recognises and rewards improvement, not just perfection. This builds confidence and propels children naturally towards complete mastery.
• Noble quests exemplify positive values such as family, caring, honesty and kindness.

I like the full color animation that plays in Adobe Flash~which is a free internet download. In just a short time, your child will love playing and increase his mental math skills~THESE are so essential and WHY fight over them or DRILL and KILL with flash cards?

Check out that sale HERE!  I say mostly elementary school kids, but youngers like preschool and kindergarten could play it if they already have mouse/keyboard skills and then some jr highs would love it, but others find it not action enough~Mine weren't challenged, but I say, they're just fuddie duddies in teen suits! LOL...

The Crew is talking about it              !

You won't go wrong when learning IS FUN!

Thanks for coming by, leave me a kind word~how's your math skills?

REVIEW: Kid Scoop's Reluctant Reader Solution

Kid Scoop's Reluctant Reader Solution~

Ages: 1-6th grades

WEB:  HERE

PRICE:  $97 with 365 Day~Unconditional Money Back Guarantee

I say: Very useful to encourage reading with real life information and fun!

I received a download Kid Scoop's Reluctant Reader Solution as part of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew review team in exchange for my honest opinions without monetary compensation. My opinions are my own.

 Reading is a great skill and the GREATEST academic skill besides a love for learning we can give our children!  Strong reading skills are a huge asset! And being a reluctant reader~a struggling reader is a challenge for a child. I know. My son is a struggling reader. Over the years, I have worked more phonics and speech with him~and my daughter~literally a speed reader and tonight she's showing me a site where she's practicing reading upwards of 1K per minute...I AM NOT kidding! But to let you know, I researched that the average reader for a teen is about 250 wpm....READING IS A MUST~literacy skills are one of the keys to a good future~Are you building that future for your child working with their reading skills? 

Kid Scoop is dedicated to enhancing kid's learning with activities, games, puzzles and all kinds of pencil grabbers to get kids to WANT to learn and to READ...  "Kid Scoop believes kids want to learn and that learning is fun!" The Site has a vast array of resources to make it fun for a kid and easier for parents! If you have a reluctant, struggling reader, help is here~

Kid Scoop's Reluctant Reader Solution is a program of downloads that are a combination of reading activities, stories and fun in activity sets according to theme and ability.  Included are 365 fun Kid Scoop worksheets in sets of 5,6 or 7 by theme or chronology~these are awesome and are categorized by theme with a calendar or by chronology with a table of contents.  These work to get a kid who is having trouble to LOVE reading~with downloadable Kid Scoop News Online (12 issues)  and also the Fun Sheets! There are lesson plans included on the website to use the newspapers and also many other resources that you will want to investigate on the Kid Scoop site that are categorized by user~

The Kid Scoop News Online is a download beautifully illustrated 20 page action packed curiosity builder READ for your child~ha! The January issue even perked my interest PROMISING in Feb to TELL~how lead gets into pencils~HA HA! I wanna know, and I bet most kids want to know, too! There are jokes and riddles and challenges of ALL kinds~Definitely NOT boring!

The topics are:
backpacks
baseball
bees
big food
blooming creative
bubblegum
budgeting
butterflies
Cinco de Mayo
Clay day
Columbus Day

There are 365 topics with activities like word search, writing exercises and more!

The method to teach with these is to use the ADR method:
A~Ask questions about the content~let the things there perk your child's interest!
D~Do~let your child do the worksheet and look at the newspaper~let draw your child in...
R~Review the information on the page to reinforce learning~

Newspapers is the area where one can access the information about the Kid Scoop News which is a great tool for teachers, but also is included in many publications across the US as an enhancement for children. Let's face it, anything done to encourage kids to read HAS to be good, and I like Kid Scoop for its content as well as layout~it is appealing to kids! You can see an example:

These Kid Scoop News content can appeal to different learners~a younger child version which is My Kid Scoop, Spanish version as well as a regular version with a sample VIEW . There's also The Scoop, A Blog for Newspapers for those wishing to discuss Newspapers in Eduction to chat with Mrs. Whitting concerning Kid Scoop use in publications~this is very cool~a cool way to get kids and their parents READING! I love it!! You won't be disappointed with the resources available~HERE!  To access these, you will need to sign up for a free account ;-))

You can sign up for Make Reading FUN Daily eTip to help you know what to do to teach your child~With loads of resources, you will want to have your child  Sign Up for a free Kids Scoop E-Scoop Newsletter just loaded with fun learning teasers!  There are more FREE resources in theWebliography area where there have been collected many many FREE resources on various topics such as animals, craft projects, financial literacy, character education, government, history, language arts...Oh my! THIS IS a very cool resource! I like that there are professional websites as well as some blogger type sites with information on them which represents an array of knowledge! I like that they are really organized in a colorful and cheerful way too~easy to navigate! That's soo helpful to me!

In all, Kid Scoop Reluctant Reader Solution is a great add on to a reading program for a child who might be a bit older who would appreciate some fun, but who is struggling OR for the younger child who is advanced beyond Dick and Jane.   As you can see, they are loaded with images and are really engaging!

Go   to see what the Crew is saying! Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think! ;-))

REVIEW: VocabAhead One Thousand SAT Vocabulary Videos & Mp3s

VocabAhead~One Thousand SAT Vocabulary Videos and Mp3s

Lafazi, Inc
Website:  HERE!
Ages: Jr/Sr high school-adult
$24.95 @Amazon.com 
I say:  Great resource for anyone who desire increased vocab!

I was given VocabAhead~One Thousand SAT Vocabulary Videos & Mp3s as part of The Old Schoolhouse Crew review team in exchange for my honest opinions without monetary compensation.  My opinions are my own.

It's important to ck out a good solid vocabulary program to increase their word usage and communicate effectively no matter the age of your child and VocabAhead is a neat tool with loads of cartoon pictures to link meanings to words~This DVD employs the learning for a visual learner and an auditory learner~what a boost!  I like these cartoons that are well done and the little short film or narrative includes a word usage sentence with an explanation.  I think all kids will like this, but for the child who needs a picture, you won't go wrong.   
Here's the VocabAhead widget:



This DVD set of words number 1179 and it's amazing how great these are! Your child could actually enjoy vocabulary building, but this isn't really for a young child. The definitions employ a larger vocabulary than a young child might have and I didn't really like all of the definitions to some of the words or words used, like abase and burlesque.  Really? Is it necessary to include such?  The cartoons while appealing do present the words in a somewhat extreme manner.  The videos are short and direct~about 55 sec long~We liked that!

I checked out the website and it's got some really neat features that go along with the word videos~The Study Room has many of the videos for FREE as well as word building flashcards and quizes~the words are laid out alphabetically and you can customize your list~all for FREE~and you know, SisterT loves FREE! But if you'd like to record these videos on the Mp3 to carry around, then you will want this DVD...and it's got more words~Amazing teaching method!  You can access the site and there is a Teacher Area's area as well as a sign up to receive a vocabulary cartoon each day. 

I like this learning tool, but I'd be more comfortable if the content was consistent for the higher road in life, and I'm just not sure that unless you want to download the audio that the purchase price is worth it~like I said, SisterT loves FREE!  There's a lot to get on the website FREE, and it appears that it's just words albeit there are 1179 on the DVD~that Study Room is appealing!  Since I collect FREE resources, I am adding VocabAhead to my list.  

We like VocabAhead~Hope you will check out what the rest of TOS Crew is saying                 !

REVIEW: ROMAN TOWN: THE PREMIERE ARCHAEOLOGY INTERACTIVE COMPUTER GAME FOR KIDS (CD)

ROMAN TOWN: The Premiere Archeology Interactive Computer Game For Kids (CD) 

Website:  HERE

 Ages:  K-6th grade

Cost: $39 (COUPON CODE: TOS2011, but you only have until February 21, 2011 ACT FAST!)

I say: Fun game for elementary children!

I received a download of Roman Town by Dig It! Games as a reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew review team in exchange for my honest opinions without monetary compensation. My opinions are my own.

We're one of those families that must be weird because we never had a game system~we didn't need one~we have our computers! It all began years ago, almost twenty in fact when that first computer came into our house, and they've never left~WE LOVE THEM~and today the computer is our communication, our schooling, our working AND OUR FUN~We LOVE computer GAMES!



Roman Town is an interactive computer game for children with colorful animated pictures that provide interest and fun to learn about ancient Rome after the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in A.D 79.  It features different games that can be played and all increase the knowledge of artifacts related to that period of history.  Wish that I had this when my kids were much younger. I will say that as teens, Roman Town is no challenge for them, but I can see that a child who has pretty good reading skills such as about 3rd grade although a younger child would enjoy pieces of it such as the dig part where the tools and workers are employed.  There is a good bit of reading required, and I'm afraid that a child who would enjoy the types of skills employed in this game system would find it too difficult to really enjoy the FULL educational value because they couldn't read the words, but an older child who could depending upon their games knowledge/skill just might not like it so much. While I like the animation, there is little multimedia effect in it~it just moves some...I'd like to have seen MORE! 



I played these games in my version of this system and found that it was challenging especially the 3-D puzzles and 2-D puzzles and the matching, but again if a child isn't a reader, while they would like the colorful graphics and appeal of the these kinds of activities, the reading ability and amount would most likely frustrate that same child. I had such a child with low reading ability who was average and above in other skills, but the challenge to find engaging activities that also increased knowledge was pretty difficult, just like finding good solid easy to read story plots in literature. Imagine teaching a teen to read with Dick and Jane!  Soo while I like the features of the information provided, the colorfulness of the program and that the content is addressed to the child in a fun storyline, I have doubts about ALL that reading.  But don't get me wrong, the information is good and informative. I would have liked to have seen a timer on the puzzles or some other kinds of challenges built in~dunno what would make it more interactive, but for a child old enough to do all the reading, it might not hold his attention for very long. For the younger child, the eye hand coordination will be worked well in using the mouse or touch screen with these games and if an adult or an older sib will help with the reading it will be a good fit.

All in all, wish Roman Town had been available just a few years ago with my kids~they would have loved it b/c they were soo into archeology at that time and dug up our back yard~woot!

The CREW is reviewing Roman Town and don't just take my word for it~Head             to ck them out!

REVIEW: Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary For Kids

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary For Kids

Age:  3rd-up (possibly adults with little knowledge~the format and color would make less intimidating.)
Web:  Lifeway StoresPrice: $14.99
I say: I truly love it~This is a wonderful resource MUST HAVE for a good introductory study of the Bible for children and up.

I received the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary For Kids as part of The Old Schoolhouse CREW review team in exchange for my honest opinions without monetary compensation. My opinions are my own.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary For Kids ~

This is a beautiful hardback book with 212 pages with really cool features to teach children the historical and practical information to unlock the Bible for them.  My teens think it's a great resource for kids, and I find it useful too in teaching the Bible. The format and layout~by alphabet is a very good way to find just what I need.  The features include:

• Reconstructions~like a drawing of NT Rome. Very coool!
• Illustrated Charts~like Foods in Bible Times:  Do you want to try something 'different'? Ever eat a fig?
• Charts~The Apostles: I'm teaching about them right now in Youth Group @ church~sooo useful!
• Entries~The KJV Bible is used in the defining and descriptions of each subject defined.
• Pronunciation Guide~Ever wonder just HOW to say those funky names? Here's a great resource!
• Photographs~My fave part~ACTUAL beautiful color photos~This feature alone makes this book AWESOME!
• Realistic Illustrations~Drawn pictures of the Bible stories to depict ACTUAL HISTORY~woot! No kiddiefied stuff here!
• Definitions~Bio info about the REAL PPL of the BIBLE~HISTORY has COME TO LIFE!

 Each topic/subject is catagorized by alphabet.  All A, B, C stuff is together so it's easy for little hands.  What an awesome resource for anyone teaching or learning the Bible YOUNG AND OLD alike! Kids of ALL ages will benefit. I find the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary For Kids useful for every level.  Your kids will love it~and what better way to deepen their Bible knowledge than with a beautifully written full color resource that they can definitely understand.  Of course, there can be more study added to the topics, but it's not overly simplified what is here~soo why NOT begin with a great many facts and continue to build their knowledge?  

Read           to see what the rest of the CREW is saying~ 

Review: Speekee Spanish for Children Online

Speekee, Dino and Lupe'

Speekee~Spanish For Children
Age:  Toddler/Preschool to Elementary
Cost:  $7.50 mo  (First 2 wks FREE)
Website: Speekee TV Online also available on DVD format. 
I say: Really cute and engaging~LOVE Speekee!

I received a trial of online Speekee for review purposes from the vendor as part of The Old Schoolhouse Crew review team without monetary compensation for my opinions.

Thinking FOREIGN LANGUAGE for your child's future?  WHAT ABOUT Spanish~the up and coming language in the US~let's face it, there's a great need to know how to communicate mutli-culturally!  GET A JUMP START on those needed high school credits~Let Speekee charm and engage your little one into learning through emersion and activities~SPANISH with Speekee!

SisterT found herself singing along and remembering the dialog in this very cute multi sensory integrated approach to learning Spanish for young children!  Speekee is just a cute little purple puppet guy!  He is funny and quite engaging as the focal character along with Jim and the team of children who speak Spanish with subtitles provided to immerse children into this world of speaking a foreign language.  I love Speekee! Wish that we had had him when mine were littles.  My son watched  few episodes with me, but you can guess what a fifteen year old said about it all~BUT THEN...he can be excused as a fifteen year old, right? I KNOW children will love Speekee.  He is a brightly colored Henson-like puppet that reminds me of bygone days of Muppet mayhem! What fun and activities to get your child learning~SPANISH! 

How It works is you purchase a subscription and then obtain a user name and password to utilize the site on a monthly basis.  It's just a small investment ($7.50/mo) INITIAL 2 WKS FREE! to teach your young child Spanish in a fun way! Each video is really engaging.  Bright colors and practical themes such as the Park, Zoo, Cafe, Classroom and more. This is appropriate for the smallest learner~I actually think it reminds me not only of the Muppets, but also of the quality PBS preschool learning my children did when there were littles.  You can try Speekee  with 2 WEEKS FREE HERE!  What a wonderful opportunity to give your young child an educational advantage... The secret will be playing the films over and over~your kids will love it!...  And then when they are in high school LIKE MINE, they will be on top of the game in high school Spanish~woot! Every child deserves a kick start like this!


So won't you consider checking out SPEEKEE for your littles and give them a huge ADVANTAGE now for the future??

Go HERE to ck out what the Crew is saying!

Review: Wits and Wagers Family Edition!

Wits and Wagers Family Edition

Ages:  Age 8 & up
Price: $17.24-$19.99
ToysRUs
Amazon.com 
I say: Really really fun!

I received Wits and Wagers Family Edition as part of The Old Schoolhouse Crew review program in exchange for my honest opinions without any monetary compensation.  My opinions are my own.

Whoooooooooooooot~THIS IS ONE FUN GAME! Let me tell you~I have 'reluctant' family gamers...my teens are NOT easily impressed with board games...in an age of internet and online games, pulling out the board games can have them moaning, 'been there, done that!' in their attitudes~BUT Wits and Wagers is different.  First, I introduced it as a TEST game...LOL..but you won't have to pull this little ploy if you have WILLING participants..LOL...but so you know how I went about gaining cooperation...AND then, I also said, lets play this with the Youth Group at church...okay, so far~so good.  They like their friends at church..and playing games is something we do a part of our activities...okay...soooooooo,,,yeah. It went so well that I was amazed...THEY LOVE IT!

Wits and Wagers worked so well on several levels.As a family we could easily play it with just a few players~me and one other...and then we hauled it to church...it was a hit there as well with the 'more sophisticated' publicly schooled bunch...LOL...(like kids are ALL that different...LOL) and it was so fun..we had to TEAM UP in twos to play...You know, it was really fun...really really fun! AND another thing..we also pulled it out when our friends, the Johnsons came over with their family~big group playing...all homeschoolers...and the educational value can't be underestimated either...little known facts had the lap tops coming out...for MO research..oh, man oh man! You cannot beat a GAME that inadvertantly..okay...sneakily TEACHES! THAT IS FUN!

How it works:

Wits and Wagers has a scorecard and some 'meeples' who are used as tokens to place the 'wager' on which answer the player or team of players believes to be correct~whether it's their answer or not...oh this is the most fun~~~I found myself going with other's answers more often...just b/c I doubted my own insights and/or I realized some of the players might KNOW the answer while I was guessing...THIS IS FUN!  First team to score 14 WINS~and the heat was on...it was loaded with healthy fun competition...and amazing fun!

I found this~

AND...

You will want to read what the CREW is sayn'          too, but TRUST ME, it's a keeper...gonna haul it out tonight for mo fun with the youth...they will be THRILLED!

Review: KB Teachers (Web Learning Teacher's Resources!)

KB Teachers~Free and Premium Worksheets, Activities & Printable Pages

Ages:  Preschool-10th grades
Web: HERE!

Cost: FREE Trial then $29 yr or $49 two years

I say: Great resource for teachers! Love the FREEbies and Premium pages...

Did you know that today is Gettysburg Day and that tomorrow is...are you ready?  Peanut Butter Fudge Day? Okay, seriously! Can't you just imagine a day LIKE THAT where you just *might* make some of that stuff and study the scientific process...uh...yeah, it's science, right? No, seriously! KB Teacher's has a monthly webquest for you to draw resources from to teach the kiddos~all kinds of topics~like:  today's topic with a short narrative on the subject and some links~MINI-UNIT STUDIES of sorts or the bones to one~a little more creativity and there you go! The opportunities are endless to use this kind of compilation of information! I can really see that a family who does unit studies could draw from the monthly calendar area and really dig deep with what has been compiled.

There are over 10, 000 worksheet available on many subjects~On the left sidebar you will find the seasonal  activities called For This Season.  Underneath are categories of language arts, math, science, social studies and more~WHATEVER you are looking for, KB Teachers will more than likely have it!  There are free resources, and you know SisterT loves FREE, but within the area of the Premium are loads more resources for you to use in teaching your children.  What's even cooler is the FREE trial (10 days of unlimited access~whoohoo!)you can get when you sign up as well as a FREE newsletter! This is awesome!

I like the way the site is set up with categories, but I really wish it had a search engine.  Call me old fashioned or just "trained" lol!  I really like the vast age range that is presented with the materials and that the worksheets have the answer keys right with them~no hunting down answers by flipping to another page on the website or downloading more stuff!

I will be using KB Teachers to enhance our education especially the Medieval materials right away! I like to use worksheets on occasion as my kids are older and benefit from this experience.

You can go read the Crew to see what they think               !

I received a membership from KB Teachers as part of the TOS Crew in order to do this review.  My opinions are my own and there was no monetary compensation.

Blog Cruise: SisterT's Talking About Homeschool MYTHS~DeBunking and DeJunking 'Em!

If you are a homeschooler, then you KNOW what I'm talking about~that some people think or believe we are weird.  Yeah, they do.  In fact, they worry that we are abusing our kids or mistreating them in some ways by our kids not attending the chaotic public schools of today.  Some think homeschooled kids are basically locked up repressed little folk with overbearing mean parents who prevent them freedom of choices...ha! Okay...and they see any conservatism as weird because sometimes we dance to our own tunes...okay...soo they see us as weird, social misfits...right!

First, the statistics IF you believe in stats say that this is simply not the case.  But look at the evidence~I thought this up myself a while back~HOW MANY homeschoolers soooooooooooooo maltreated and maladjusted are in prision or in the criminal justice system? Got a number? It's not too many...no, it's not, if ANY...Have you ever heard of any of the homeschooled ending up there?~but you do hear of the prepschool pyschopaths...been quite a few of them over the past 30 years...kids who kill their parents with loads of "advantages" and public school EXPOSURE?! I am really cracking up~and my mind, however feeble isn't the part cracking~it's my humor! The evidence just isn't there that homeschooling is perpetuating some sort of weirdness gene in our kids! NO way!

Homeschooling gives advantages in so many areas to allow kids to pursue dreams and abilities~to do delight driven learning, where they can focus on a passion...like my daughter's love for Japanese and my son, the trumpet...oh yes!

Weirdness is subjective too..for what YOU think is weird, I may find normal..and vice versa...hey, I am weird, but homeschooling IS NOT what makes SisterT weird..LOL! Sooo rest your lil sweet mind on that one, okay?  I am weird, but not for homeschooling my precious kiddos...and the extra large, superduper dose of Mama my kids get~will it make them weird too? Well, could happen, but IF I've done my job educating them to be THINKERS and DOers..I have no worries...

and neither should these folk who seem to worry. I happen to think they need to worry MORE about the ones in public school who the STATS DEFINITELY prove have a high percentage of criminal conviction and other malady...Oh yeah, I'd worry...worry a lot...

Sooo what do you think? ARE homeschoolers weird or are we normal and the rest is wack? (You can ck your opinion of SisterT at the door, thankyaverymuch! LOL!! ;-))  Head over  to ck out everyone's Myth Busting HERE!  Don't forget my CARMEX Skin Care contest for a $52 prize pack! ENDS on 11/18 HURRY! HERE!

Review: Collectorz Books! Imagine Cataloging ALL Your Books~COOL!

Book Collector~Collection Database Software

Collectorz.com

Get it HERE!

Price: Standard: $29 Pro: $49
Ages: HS-Adult
I say: Useful!

I'm a book nut.  We have loads of books~954 PLUS (not all are entered..YET!) and one of my biggest challenges is FINDING THE ONE I need! Have you ever looked and searched~hunted down a book you needed in your own home because it wasn't just where you "thought" you'd left it? I have! And now Collectorz has a solution~organization with online cataloging!

I have to confess that I've given this software to my BIG book collecting daughter who in her 16 year old collection has wayy more Manga and young adult fiction than I can to know about, but she also has collected quite a few classics~whoot! woot!

Okay, to tell you about Collectorz~There are several things you can organize:
Books
Music
Movies
Comics
Photos
Mp3 downloads

Using Collectorz is easy.  With a simple download (literally SECONDS!) you can im-put your ISBN numbers or author or title into the system and it will remember it for you! I played some using just titles and it took a little longer and gave me a list to pick from, but it did show me that typing authors wasn't absolutely necessary!  There are loads this system will do.  You can print a simple list of your books.  You can mange your loans so they come BACK! You can know what you own, so you won't purchase duplicates. You can talk to others about your library of books.  You can create a wish list.  Your list can be put on I-Phone or I-pod Touch!  This is soo way cool for a book addict like me~please head over to ck it out!

If you want you can set up a TRIAL version with a limit of 100 books~such a neat way for your child or yourself to see if you like it~and for your teen to track their books!

I think this is neat because you can SEE your book covers and also have a handy list~all in one place totally accessible anytime! Did you know you can sort by author/year, author/title, ISBN, year purchased, or number of pages.  Who wants to keep up with paper copies of their organized and cataloged books?  We first printed a hard copy of all our entering and organization when we put our books in our bookcases about a year ago.  Very shortly the list came up missing~With Collectoz you never lose it! WOW!

There's a manual for rough spots! And tech support along with a FAQ section.
Head over HERE to see what the CREW is saying!

I received Book Collector in order to write a review and give my honest opinion without monetary compensation. My opinions are my own.

Review: Say WHAT, YUCK? Gross Em' OUT or Play...Fun! Fun! Fun!

Yuck! Sticky, Saucy, Chunky and Snowy

Buckets O Fun
Ages:  K-adult

Price: $16.00 per LB (bulk prices lower)
Get It HERE!
I say: LOADS of Fun potential in YUCK!

I received a sample of all the YUCK with the Science Experiment brochure w/instruction guide in exchange for my honest review without monetary compensation.

YUCK!  The word kinda says it all~I mean, WHAT in the world is it and WHY am I talking about something so gross sounding?  Yuck is a fun product that mimmics stuff NONE of us wants to talk about and yet find irresistible when it comes to fun and games!  It's a crystal grainy powder that when added to water will make up some unique substances that are either slimy, sticky or chunky. The textures are soo cool!Imagine grossing out teenagers in a youth group with YUCK  or pulling it out on a cold and rainy day to try some of the experiments offered?  I hauled YUCK into our youth group and  watched the big kids have a ball!  They loved it! It was so nasty looking and yet felt so cool that they loved it~we mixed up the YUCK and let them "play!" LOL...Well, you can imagine, right?  Six teenagers ~two semi adults(me and the other leader ha! ha!) uh...dare we admit??

Yuck was pretty easy to clean up too.  While water really won't clean it up because it causes more expansion, we used alcohol and dry paper towels which worked pretty good...we didn't EAT any either...LOL...Okay, we aren't supposed to have done that!! LOL

If you are involved with FUN activities with kids in anyway, go check out Buckets O Fun to see all the cool stuff they have...as a Mom of teens and a youth leader in our church, I just love the game ideas for all the resources they offer.  Any child that's old enough NOT to try to eat YUCK is old enough to enjoy YUCK!  There's a safety sheet pdf included on the website as well as clean up instructions FYI.  It's really fun!

From the Buckets O Fun website:

These products appeal to all ages from 5 to 95. Functions in schools, clubs, church groups, organizations, parties of all types including businesses will be more successful with BOF. Can you imagine the great memories that will be created playing Skeet Chicken with a Rubber Chicken or sliding down a Slip-n-Slide covered in Saucy Yuck? Our highest quality products along with a variety of creative ideas for their use will please you for many events now and in the future. As the market expands BOF will be in the forefront. Other products may come and go but BOF will expand utilizing the basics as a foundation.

If you want to try YUCK yourself,  Buckets O Fun offers a FREE sample of each YUCK!

Check out YUCK here to see a Yuck demonstration.

Go slime somebody~or better yet...get "revenge" (just kidding...LOL) ON the kiddos~What a perfect party or fun day activity...and homeschooling is soo much more than books and worksheets.  Laughing and playing are huge in building the bridges of love to seal the bonds of family!

Go YUCK 'em~they will love it! 

and while you're at it, check out what the CREW says             !

Review: PG Key~Internet Watch Guard For PCs

PG Key

PG Key LLC
Ages: ALL
Cost: $99.99
Get It :  HERE! or see below.
I say: Everyone NEEDS this tool!

Having teenagers can make a mama cringe when I think of all the dangers of the internet.  Seeming innocent trips into cyberspace can be so dangerous~not just for kids and teens either.  The other day, I was checking my own spam box of my email~ewww...nasty stuff!  But HOW did that junk get there? And what will protect my kids from innocently or not so innocently, but more curiously tripping into that kind of stuff?

Oh boy! I just hate to think of the dangers, but if you are like me with kids then you know that with all the potential dangers, SOMETHING IS NEEDED to protect and shield them when my eyes can't and don't see~
Enter PG Key! This is a little device that plugs into the port of the computer and does all kinds of things to assure safety for the user.

Features include:

Monitoring of the sites visited by the user.
Blocking of specific sites by the password holder.
Recording of everywhere the machine has been.
An automatic lock out of places you don't want your child to go.
AND so much more~

We think this will enable internet security to be so much stronger for every household.

From the website:

This is a wonderful plug in product for keeping children safe online.  You can purchase them in a variety of local places:  Office Max, Freys Electronics, or MicroCenter.

You can even get a FREE TRIAL of PG Key: HERE!

I received PG Key in exchange for my honest review without monetary compensation as part of the TOS Crew.

Head on over to try it out~

Read what the Crew says HERE!

Review: Digital Frog~The Digital Field Trip Series (Wetlands/Rainforest/Desert)

The Digital Field Trip Series

Digital Frog

Website!

AGES:  11and up

Cost: $125 HERE! (individual Home license is $60)
My take: I like it!

I received The Digital Field Trip Series from Digital Frog as part of The Old Schoolhouse Crew for review purposes for my honest review of this product with no monetary compensation.

Do you wanna hop around the world in an afternoon to visit some eco systems that without your own jet would be totally impossible?  With the click of a button your child can visit a wetland, a rain forest, and a desert habitats and learn all sorts of things about them interactively. You can also download pdf worksheets~soo cool!

This is a one DVD compilation of some interesting facts and interactive activities to learn about these places in our world.  You can join the Frogger Club and get demos on all three field trips to ck them out further HERE!  Each study can be purchased separately on in the set. 

System Requirements:
The DVD can be used on PC or Mac systems.
Minimum System Requirements
Macintosh—G3 300 , MAC OSX 10.3.9 or later, 30 MB MB of available RAM.
PC—Pentium II with Windows 2000, XP or Vista, 32 MB RAM (64 recommended).
You will need QuickTime on your computer and will be prompted to download it if you don't already have it.
Printer/Paper (for the worksheet extensions.) 


The Wetlands~Check out Cloud Lake's wetlands in  Algonquin Park, Canada!   In GA we have wetlands that are federally protected and you can't built or disturb them. It's been interesting learning about them via this DVD field trip.

You can explore and learn about bogs, their mechanism and how they are endangered.  There are several kinds which you learn about as well!  All the words are defined in this system and if you want to know their pronunciation you can click on the Say It Button on the definition box and it will do that~older struggling readers will like this because it will help them navigate the written information. A younger child will definitely need to be helped with the reading as there are some pretty big words and concepts.  You can help your younger child accomplish this~and for older kids(Jr/Sr high) it's a great study!

Virtually at a click you visit the bogs and wetlands~it's fun! It's a total of 80 screens that tell how wetlands work and what plants and animals live there, how they interact with each other through videos, exercises and hyperlinks along with text throughout the program that gives the information.  Also there is a Quick Tour feature to show you how to navigate it all!  A cool feature is Fast Finder and if you want to search for a specific thing, then type F and the navigation box will come up~easy!

The Rainforest is also included on this 3 program DVD set.  You can navigate to the Field Trip or explore the rainforest via the Study the Rainforest where you can see Animal Characteristics, Plant Characteristics or Dependency Web.  This is so fun!  Also you can get into the endangered Rainforests as well as the Mechanisms of the Rainforest.  Mechanism subtopics include: Rainforest Strata, Tree Fall Gaps, Succession and Seasonality and more...there's loads to see and do on this study. 

The Desert is the last of the series and is so cool...no sounds on this one~guess the desert is a quiet place! But in all the format is the same and there is so much to see and do! 

Digital Frog offers several DVD interactive lesson programs such as The Digital Frog 2.5 which is a interactive VIRTUAL dissection program to learn these components as one might in a biology class.  Click HERE to learn more about it!  I honestly hope to get this for high school biology next year! It looks great!

ScienceMatrix: Cell Structure and Function is offered as another interactive learning too that looks very cool.  You can get  this demo  HERE too! I wish I had had this when I took A&P in college a couple of yrs ago! Wow!

I Say:  Overall Digital Frog's The Digital Field Trip Series is a great deal for those wishing to study these habitats without the travel expense and details.  I can see it used in many ways to enhance studies or as a stand alone for a more tactile learner who loves the computer~Reading is definitely a needed skills so it's  a win for the older kids~the attention to detail and scientific info is not little kid looking~OLDERS will love it!
Check out what the Crew says HERE!

Review: LanSchool Home 7.4~Keepn' Up With the Kiddos

LanSchool Home 7.4

Classroom Management Software
Website
Ages: Adult (Parent/Teacher)
Cost: $99 (home license)
My Take: I like it!

I always FEEL GREAT when I check up on my kids and find them doing the right things.  We parents WANT to know that they are doing the things that are good and wholesome and since the web has so many distractions and wayward things, it's great when tonight and in previous times I found them doing just that~the right thing! Tonight my daughter was streaming the Bible on her laptop to listen to as she is sleeping. I am so thankful to have this opportunity to KNOW that she's doing what is soo good.

LanSchool is educational teacher/student software with features such as chat/messaging, blocking, monitoring, showing students your screen and more~  For homeschoolers, I think that it is useful in many applications and well worth utilizing.  

I used this software to teach and to show them my computer, as well as to check up on them when they were doing independent study or just online.  There's a feeling of security knowing you can SEE what they're doing at any given moment, not that I don't trust, LanSchool provides the proof that I definitely can trust my students!

My review version, 7.4 version does have a limitation that annoyed me.  I wanted to stream an educational film and while my computer has sound, my kid's laptops did not.  My laptop audio is not loud enough without using additional speakers for them to hear.  I would LOVE to see this feature enabled in LanSchool especially for home use.  We use a good many films and interactive media and the ability to do this together with sound would be great!  I was so sure that 7.4 audio would work, and it was my problem I couldn't get it to that I called tech support. When I learned it's not a feature of this version, I was able to request the audio feature for the developers and tech support graciously said he'd pass on the information...Check out the NEW features of 7.5 ~ See that second one?? whhooooooohoo! I am excited~oh yeah...See what you can get?

• Mac Feature Parity with Windows
• Audio Chat, Listen and Broadcast
• Multicast Video Distribution and Playback
• Keystroke Alerting on Banned Words
• New Wireless Protocol
• Browser Independent Web Limiting and History
• Remote Login
• Clear Desktop Button
• Limit CD/DVD Drives
• Testing Enhancements
• Dual Monitor Support
• 20 Additional Customer and UI enhancements

 One of the greatest assets to LanSchool is their tech support.  I had problems from the get-go with how my new lap top was configured and then figuring out HOW to get it all to work~the support was timely, friendly and very helpful.  Without it, I'd have been LOST, and I'd say that the perk of three years of tech support with each home license is a huge benefit! Huge!

We liked using this software in our schooling and those who use their computers a lot, especially with older kids where you don't want them to KNOW you are checking up on them this will be so much help.  There are no arguments over my knowledge of what they do.  I just 'know.' And they know anytime Mom is able to pop in~and I have! It's been fun (well, for me, I'm sure...they don't seem to have minded either!)

Head on over to see what the Crew is saying about this cool program              !~WOW~what is not to LOVE!!