Keyboarding for the Christian School – Elementary Version
Price: $12.95

P O Box 34183
Fort Worth, TX 76162

SEE IT HERE

This is just an old-fashioned typing book like I used to learn my keyboard and how to type in High School but it is an e-book and spiffed up for use by elementary aged children. There is not all the fuss and busyness of some of the “game-style” typing software -- no blasting rockets and spaceships, just the get down to business of learning. This is perfect for my style of teaching and my youngest student’s style of learning.

My first grader is still struggling with reading and this seems to be more of a chore for her than it ought to but she is warming up to it and I know as her reading progresses, her enthusiasm for learning the keyboard will increase as well. At the moment this course is a work in progress for her.
I love that the typing exercises are Bible verses after the basics are learned. I find that much more interesting than random phrases and sentences.

I highly recommend this course and applaud its back to basics “nuts and bolts” approach to the subject.

20 percent off code for blog readers: SUMMER2012
Expiration: 8-29-12


To read what others on the TOS Crew had to say, please click here: TOS CREW


Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Homeschool Reivew Crew, I was given this curriculum free of charge to review. However, I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are my own.

Who is My Neighbor (What We Believe – Vol. 3)
Price: $39


Who is My Neighbor Notebooking Journal
Price: $24


Who is My Neighbor Coloring Book
Price: $8


Apologia Educational Ministries
1106 Meridian Plaza Suite 220
Anderson, IN 46016 US
Phone: (888)524-4724


SEE IT HERE

These books constitute part 3 of a 4 part curriculum series entitled “What We Believe.” The first set in the series is “Who is God?” Set 2 is “Who Am I?” Part 4 is “What on Earth Can I Do?” I was not previously acquainted with this curriculum so I have not looked at the other three sets, but I am very impressed by the one I received.

The hardback text book is Who is My Neighbor and Why Does He Need Me? By John Hay and David Webb. It contains about 276 pages and is a school quality textbook. The Notebooking Journal is a spiral-bound paperback of about 239 pages. The Coloring Book is a paperback and contains 64 coloring pages.

My girls have really enjoyed this series. Lesson 1 starts off discussing the fact that God created us to be in relationships with other people and with Him. Following is a story of a family fleeing China in the midst of Mao Tse-Tung’s communist revolution in China. It continues on with the theme of needing others and talks about the Buddy System and why others need us too and the concept of Servanthood. Another story follows of the Wedding Feast where Jesus turned the water into wine. Lesson 2 is How Can I Make A Difference? :Lesson 3: Who is My Neighbor? Lesson 4: Why Did God Make Families? Lesson 5: What Can I Do For My Country? Lesson 6: Why Can’t We All Just Get Along? Lesson 7: Who is God’s Family? Lesson 8: Why Does the Church Need Me?

The Notebooking Journal has the lesson plans in the front of it. Apologia has broken the book down into 48 sessions which is approximately 10 weeks of study for the 8 Lessons contained in the books. Lesson 1 pages include 2 pages of questions about the China story, a “Words to Know” section, a page called “Hide it in my Heart” for Galatians 5:13. The student writes their favorite translation of the verse on the page and then memorizes it. There is a page with questions to think about regarding the Buddy System. There is an “I Spy” page where the student can journal where you have seen God during this lesson. Next is a Mini Book page. The pattern for the mini book is at the back of the journal and you attach it to this page when you complete it. The next page is a Word Search. Following is a “My Prayer” page where the student can write a prayer. Then another journaling page to discuss loneliness and why we are better together. Then another scripture memorization page (Psalm 278:3-4 NLT). Then a full page for a “Praise Report,” a “Group Think” page where the student draws a picture or writes something about a group they would like to be a part of, another journaling page “Living Out Loud” to write about things the student is doing to help others, a couple of pages of questions to answer, a crossword puzzle, two pages of questions about The Wedding Feast and another page to record your favorite part of the story. The last page of Lesson 1 is a resource list of books and songs that relate to Lesson 1.

The Coloring Book has coloring pages that correspond with the various sections of the Lesson. My first grader enjoyed coloring a picture to help remember the information she was given or the story.

We are thoroughly enjoying this study. The girls look forward to the stories but they also provide very thoughtful insight in answering the questions and I can tell they are understanding the point of the lessons and growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ as a result. I would like to explore the other parts of this series over the next year or so and let them get the full impact of this study. This is the sort of teaching God expects of us when he tells us to bring up a child in the way that he should go. All homeschooling families and others as well should consider working through these studies with their children.

To read what others on the TOS Crew had to say, please click here: TOS CREW


Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Homeschool Reivew Crew, I was given these books free of charge to review. However, I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are my own.

Hewitt Homeschooling Resources

Lightning Literature and Composition
British Early-Mid 19th Century Student Guide
Price: $29.95
British Early-Mid 19th Century Teacher’s Guide
Price: $2.95


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PO Box 9
Washougal, WA 98671



SEE IT HERE


I received the student and teacher’s guides. The student’s guide is a paperback book of about 235 pages. The teacher’s guide is loose pages conveniently punched for a 3-ring binder and is about 88 pages long.


This study includes poetry from various writers and also goes in-depth on the following novels: Pride and Prejudice, Ivanhoe, Frankenstein and Jane Eyre. These books were not included but can be purchased separately at a very modest price or you can download a Kindle version free from Amazon.com (with a free Kindle reader for PC) or you can check them out of your local library.
My granddaughter and I are on a laid back summer schedule and she is pursuing a lot of outside activities so we have had less classroom time than usual and our enjoyment of this curriculum has slowed us down as well. We have spent more time than normal picking over all the ins and outs of the various writings. We are still perusing Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice and trying to get everything from it that we can. We are discussing Characterization and Romanticism and working our way through the writing exercises provided with the text. This curriculum is designed for a whole semester and I have a feeling it will take us all the rest of the summer and the entire fall semester to complete this book as we are enjoying pulling every detail and nuance from it that we can.


If you are educating a high school student, please consider this course. It is delicious!


To read what others on the TOS Crew had to say, please click here: TOS CREW


Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Homeschool Reivew Crew, I was given these two books free of charge to review. However, I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are my own.

Submerged by Dani Pettrey

This is one of those books that you cannot put down and carry around with you all day long so you can steal moments of delicious reading. It is a mystery and a romance – what a delightful combination.

It all starts with a plane crash in Alaska. Bailey Craig has to return to Yancey, Alaska to settle her aunt’s affairs and with that return comes all the old memories dredged up again. And also things are not as cut and dried as she thought. It turns out that her aunt was murdered and she becomes involved in finding out who the murder is, why they did it and finding them. She has to team up with her High School boyfriend, Cole McKenna, whom she betrayed in High School and bear the stares and gossip of townsfolk with long memories. But she is a new creation in Christ and Cole recognizes that. She just has to reconcile the guilt she feels over the entire matter and survive a dangerous encounter with her aunt’s killer.

Despite all the grisly murders involved, this is a feel good story about relationships, family and redemption. I can’t wait for the next installment! I received this book from Bethany House to review and right on the cover it says “Alaskan Courage Book 1” so I know there is a Book 2 in the works! Please write fast Ms. Pettrey.

IXL Learning

777 Mariners Island Blvd., Suite 600
San Mateo, CA 94404 (USA)
Phone (650) 372-4040

See it here
Family Membership: $9.95 /mo. or $79/year

This is an online site where for a membership fee, your children can log in and do math problems at their level. This is for all age levels, pre-school through High School. If you are on the family plan, each student has their own “button” to push to get to their worksite. This allows the company to keep track of each student’s progress. I have a 1st Grader and a High Schooler who is doing Algebra this year. Each one of them was able to log in independently and work at their level of expertise. The company then sent me e-mails telling me what their progress way, how much time they spent on it and what their success rate was. There are even printable awards and certificates for milestones.




Both of my students enjoyed using the site and my High Schooler actually spent a lot more time on the site than I had expected her to. She was struggling with her current chapter in her Algebra text and waiting for some outside help and so I let her spend as much time as she wanted on this website while we were waiting. She had so much fun working through this that I think she really didn’t want to go back to her regular curriculum. I will allow her to continue to supplement her regular curriculum with this. I am not entirely comfortable with this being her exclusive math course but only because this type of course is new to me and I want to get more familiar with it before making any drastic changes. Her pleasure with it is a strong motivator for me to give it some more thought.

I would recommend this subscription service to homeschoolers especially if they are struggling with a certain area of Math. It is always good to try another approach when we hit a “rut.” It has always been my philosophy with each child that you need to find out what works best for them. I always try a variety of different approaches until something clicks and then I stick with it.

And now: Confession time – I, myself, had fun tooling around in this program and testing my own skills. Try it – you’ll like it.

To read what others on the TOS Crew had to say, please click here: TOS CREW

Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given an IXL membership free of charge to review. However, I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are my own.

Creation Illustrated

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1 year (4 issues) - $19.95

Each magazine is approximately 60 pages with lots of beautiful full color photography and interesting articles. There are some ads but not an excessive number. There is a little something for everyone here.

The Spring 2012 issues contains an article on hummingbirds with lots of nice pictures. Next is an article on Yellowstone and another on Bonaventure Island. Following that is an article about Creation Day 6, Part 3. Following is an inspirational article and then an article about “Genesis Cuisine,” which includes recipes for some refreshing natural drinks. Then, my favorite part, a children’s story: “Bunny Surprise.” Next there is a photo contest for youth and then an Instructional Guide that will help you incorporate all this into your lesson plans and some suggested activities.




These are just beautiful magazines. My 1st grader loves the stories and looking at all the pictures and discussing them. My High Schooler just devoured these. She is into all things about animals and nature and loves her science curriculum which is all creation-based. If I am not careful, these magazines will disappear into the abyss of her personal collection never to be seen by me again.

This is a great magazine and a wonderful supplement for our homeschool curriculums and I would highly recommend it to all homeschool families and families with children in public or Christian schools. There is so much here and such good information. Grandparents: what a wonderful gift a subscription would be for your grandchild for their birthday or “just because.”

To read what others on the TOS Crew had to say, please click here: CREW

Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given the 4 most recent issues of this magazine free of charge to review. However, I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are my own.

Get a Free Issue as part of a subscription offer OFFER

No Greater Love by Levi Benkert and Candy Chand

No Greater Love is a book that will change your life. Levi Benkert went from a successful real estate career to great financial loss in the housing mess in 2008. At the time when his life was at a crossroads he made the startling decision to take his wife and small children and move to Ethiopia to help save children who were being murdered by their own families due to tribal superstition. He felt God's leading but had no idea of all the turmoil that was in store. The family ended up adopting one of the babies that was abandoned to die by its family and went through much government red tape and craziness to make that happen. After putting all their blood, sweat and tears into the orphanage they were working with, they were pushed out by the local directors and changes in the country's laws. They have now started a new organization in the country's capital, Addis Ababa, which provides a family atmosphere for orphans and work for widows. They have found themselves to be dramatically changed by their lives in Ethiopia and anyone reading this book will at the very least have their outlook on what is important in life radically changed.

I received this book from Tyndale to review and am very grateful that I did. This book has spoken to something deep within me about life's purpose. I challenge everyone to read this book and have their world view transformed.