Many years ago, while we were on a camping trip, the kids and I (I didn't have as many then as I do now!!) were sitting at the playground looking for rocks, classifying them, etc. and we were having a blast!! I knew then that I needed to find something different for our science curriculum so we could do more hands on things and have fun. We got home, and I did some searching on the internet, and found Considering God's Creation curriculum. It was fun and hands on and we enjoyed it. Fast forward to when this review came up. I realized I hadn't yet done this curriculum with my younger set, so I was glad to be able to review it!
Considering God's Creation is an easy to follow science curriculum or supplement, whichever will meet your needs. It covers such topics as creation, solar system, earth, rocks, weather, Plant and Animal Kingdoms, and animal and human anatomy and physiology. How's that for a lot of earth and life science topics??? It is easy to follow, with comprehensive lesson plans and minimum cost. What a great combination!
This curriculum is for grades 2nd-7th, although it can be adaptable for other ages, too. There is a "digging deeper" section that is for the older students. It is great for all students in your homeschool to learn together.
My children like this curriculum. It is full of activities, and I like that it is hands on and more enjoyable than just reading a textbook. You can go to the website at http://www.eagleswingsed.com/ and take a look at this fun, affordable science curriculum. You can get the teacher's guide and student workbook for $29.95, and additional student workbooks for $13.95. There is also an audio CD included, and a replacement is $3.00.
This is worth checking out to see if it will work for you family!
***Disclaimer: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review of it. I received no other compensation.***
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Mad Dog Math
I struggled with math facts when I was a kid. I remember having to stay after school to practice them over and over. While practice and review is a good concept, the delivery and results weren't the best! Mad Dog Math gives a better option to practicing math facts that is fun and effective. It was developed by Julie Kotoff, who has been a classroom teacher, administrator, and now an educational consultant. It was while she was a 3rd grade teacher that she came up with this program using paper and pencil. Now, with our technology, it is done on the computer.
Mad Dog Math is downloadable software that gives the student short, timed practice tests that are paced individually. There are 3 levels, plus a challenge level, to give the student/s lots of practice. Levels 1-2 are addition and subtraction, level 3 is multiplication and division, and the challenge level has all operations. The student can do a worksheet that has 20 math problems (levels 1-2) or 24 problems (level 3 or challenge) and if they get 2 or less problems wrong in 2 minutes, they will get a student sticker for the 2 minute club. Then, they would go back and do a worksheet in 1 minute, and again if they get 2 or less problems wrong in 1 minute, they will get a student sticker for the 1 minute club. Then, it moves on to 30 seconds. It is recommended to do this program for 10 minutes a day, which would be time well spent. Drill, drill, drill has never been so much fun!!!
I had my 7 and 9 year old boys do this program. They liked it, and were challenged to get better and better. They got pretty competitive, even though it was MATH they had to work on, and enjoyed it and learned from it in spite of that! My 12 year old daughter looked over their shoulder, then finally had to try it for herself. She had a disinterested interest in it, as most 12 year olds do, but had some fun with it. We weren't able to do it every day for 10 minutes, but we did it when we could, and it worked for us. A big thing in homeschooling is the flexibility, right?!
Mad Dog Math is $19.99 for 1 year, $29.99 for 2 years, or $39.99 for a perpetual license. It is a good deal for a product that can produce results. Check out the website for more information, (and see some cute pics that I'm still not able to download onto my blog) at www.maddogmath.com and see what you think. You can sign up for a free trial and give it a test drive today! You can see what other crew members say about this product at homeschoolblogger.com.
***Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest review of it. I received no other compensation.***
Mad Dog Math is downloadable software that gives the student short, timed practice tests that are paced individually. There are 3 levels, plus a challenge level, to give the student/s lots of practice. Levels 1-2 are addition and subtraction, level 3 is multiplication and division, and the challenge level has all operations. The student can do a worksheet that has 20 math problems (levels 1-2) or 24 problems (level 3 or challenge) and if they get 2 or less problems wrong in 2 minutes, they will get a student sticker for the 2 minute club. Then, they would go back and do a worksheet in 1 minute, and again if they get 2 or less problems wrong in 1 minute, they will get a student sticker for the 1 minute club. Then, it moves on to 30 seconds. It is recommended to do this program for 10 minutes a day, which would be time well spent. Drill, drill, drill has never been so much fun!!!
I had my 7 and 9 year old boys do this program. They liked it, and were challenged to get better and better. They got pretty competitive, even though it was MATH they had to work on, and enjoyed it and learned from it in spite of that! My 12 year old daughter looked over their shoulder, then finally had to try it for herself. She had a disinterested interest in it, as most 12 year olds do, but had some fun with it. We weren't able to do it every day for 10 minutes, but we did it when we could, and it worked for us. A big thing in homeschooling is the flexibility, right?!
Mad Dog Math is $19.99 for 1 year, $29.99 for 2 years, or $39.99 for a perpetual license. It is a good deal for a product that can produce results. Check out the website for more information, (and see some cute pics that I'm still not able to download onto my blog) at www.maddogmath.com and see what you think. You can sign up for a free trial and give it a test drive today! You can see what other crew members say about this product at homeschoolblogger.com.
***Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest review of it. I received no other compensation.***
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Monki See
I received some Monki See products to review, and it was fun to try them out! I have 4 children who I knew might benefit from this, ages 2, 3, 4, and 5, two with some learning challenges. The age range on this program is actually 3 months-2 years, but I knew the older children in my "young crowd" would benefit from it as well. They loved reading the book and watching the video, and even for a child farther along in reading, it would be a good review.
My kids loved the book we received called Know Your Monkey. The two year old carried it around a lot, even before we watched the DVD. He would sit on the floor and go through the book and say words to go along with the pictures. It was such a cute little book, and all the kids enjoyed the rhyme and pictures.
The DVD, called Baby's First Words, was very fun for my children. There were 40 words introduced with poetry, music, puppets, and real life images. It (mostly) held the attention of my 4 little ones. There was a slide show with the words and real life pictures at the end, and they liked going through that.
My children aren't reading War and Peace or anything, but they had fun that happened to be educational and that is what matters to me. The creator of the MonkiSee products, Krista Guerrero, says in the DVD not to push, but allow the child to have fun. Goal accomplished!!
I am still having troubles trying to put pics up on my computer, or I would have posted some of the cute MonkiSee logo, or other fun pictures from the website, but you'll just have to check them out yourself when you are looking into these products at www.monkisee.com. You can get the books for $9.95, the DVDs for $19.95, and lots of other products like word cards and a reading kit. It may just be a good fit for the younger crowd at your house!
My kids loved the book we received called Know Your Monkey. The two year old carried it around a lot, even before we watched the DVD. He would sit on the floor and go through the book and say words to go along with the pictures. It was such a cute little book, and all the kids enjoyed the rhyme and pictures.
The DVD, called Baby's First Words, was very fun for my children. There were 40 words introduced with poetry, music, puppets, and real life images. It (mostly) held the attention of my 4 little ones. There was a slide show with the words and real life pictures at the end, and they liked going through that.
My children aren't reading War and Peace or anything, but they had fun that happened to be educational and that is what matters to me. The creator of the MonkiSee products, Krista Guerrero, says in the DVD not to push, but allow the child to have fun. Goal accomplished!!
I am still having troubles trying to put pics up on my computer, or I would have posted some of the cute MonkiSee logo, or other fun pictures from the website, but you'll just have to check them out yourself when you are looking into these products at www.monkisee.com. You can get the books for $9.95, the DVDs for $19.95, and lots of other products like word cards and a reading kit. It may just be a good fit for the younger crowd at your house!
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