Speekee

Speekee is a delightful way for your young child to learn Spanish. It is available on DVD or as an online course. What I received was the FastTrack, a one-year curriculum where a lesson is e-mailed to the student each week.

Speekee is a puppet who is the main character in all the episodes. My 7-year-old granddaughter loves watching the program, singing along on all the songs and repeating the Spanish phrases. It is extremely entertaining but also repetitive enough to really get the words and phrases in the child's memory.



The first week we received instructions for making Speekee's friends, sock puppets Dino and Lupe. There were also flashcards that could be downloaded on the website. There are games and activities with each lesson, as well as songs to learn. A link to the video is given and also a page of teaching instructions is included in each weekly e-mail.

This is really a fun, easy way to help your child learn Spanish and even learn it yourself along with them if you have not already learned it. The videos are engaging, fast-moving and fun. I have tried out several different Spanish curriculums for kids and this is one of the simplest to use, most enjoyable and effective programs I have seen.




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


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

Math911

Per the Math 911 website: “Buy Math911 for $49.95 (Student Special) includes FREE USB version (Algebra In A Flash).”


Math 911 is a website where you can practice your math skills. In our case, it was Algebra. Since my granddaughter is taking Algebra I this semester and I am about as rusty as a grandma can be on her Algebra skills, I was all over using this program. Right now you can get the Algebra I for free but when you get the $49.95 package you get much more: you get Pre-Calculus and Statistics as well.

It is a simple download and I didn't experience any difficulties. It is not as polished looking as some of the games but who cares? It does the job. You can use it with any curriculum you are using and it just provides extra practice and instruction. It was great for me because it gives you the answer when you mess up and then it asks you the question again later in the sequence or at least a similar one so you can get it right this time if you were paying attention. As you advance through the lessons, you start feeling a little more confident of your ability to succeed in all this. It keeps track of what you have done and also allows you to go back and do those sections again if you so desire.

My granddaughter has been using it to hone her skills and get some extra practice where she needs it. The bulk of the time, however, I have been using it trying to brush up on my skills. I did well in Algebra "back in the day," but that was many, many days ago and I need lots of review in order to keep up with her. She is happy to have discovered a format in which she can just jump in and be successful while getting some feedback on where she might be missing the mark. I am happy to find a format in which we can just move forward without having to peruse several pages of a chapter trying to figure out where we went wrong. We were stuck for about a month with our old curriculum because we kept re-listening to the instructions, trying it and failing at it. We had to get outside help. With this, it just kind of works you through it by showing you the correct answer and then giving you more similar questions until you get the hang of it.

I would have liked some video instruction clips of some kind like we had been accustomed to, to go along with the practice but we were able to move through it without them. Also, as I already mentioned, they haven't always been that helpful in the past anyway. I believe the Professor is a no frills kind of guy who expects the student to succeed using their own brains. Novel concept! I like it. I love his disclaimer!



Professor Weissman mentioned to us in his introductory letter that he has been teaching mathematics for 49 years and that both of his children are Mathematics educators. I love his method and I think that the fact that his children are pursuing mathematics as a career, as well, is proof of its effectiveness. The Algebra teacher at our Co-Op has the kids play math games as part of their "homework." I have recommended this site for their use as well.




We will continue to use this and work through the lessons. It has been a great supplement to our other curriculum.


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

Disclaimer: As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was given a Math911 membership free of charge to review. However, I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are my own.

Reading Kingdom

The Reading Kingdom is a subscription game program that helps your child learn to read.


Price: You can try this out for 30 days free. After that it is $19.99 / mo. ($199.99 / yr) for the first reader and $9.99 / mo. ($99.99 / yr.)for each additional reader. In addition, you can buy the accompanying books for each level for $14.99 per set.

http://www.readingkingdom.com/

There is a plethora of information and resources on the website for parents and students. Included are activities for kids, books for kids, apps, reading games for kids, worksheets for kids and much more. Activities -- a couple of examples: How to make your own soap boat. How to make your own soccer ball. Fun! The APPS contain a list of helpful apps -- mostly for Math. The Books section lists kids storybooks that might interest your child and includes some of the classic tales we all know and love. Worksheets include printable downloads of holiday themed practice sheets, top 100 sight words, and 2 reading comprehension worksheets. Games mentioned included Simon Says, Name Ball and Connect Four. We didn't have the physical game to play connect four and not enough people for Name Ball but we did enjoy playing Simon Says.

My granddaughter has enjoyed Reading Kingdom. She is learning to read and these types of interactive games are very helpful for her. She loves to play "that owl game." You click on an owl to get into the lessons. She seems quite adept at the game and I am hoping that it is slowly helping her reading skills.



Reading Kingdom keeps you updated on your child’s progress with regular e-mails.


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 membership free of charge to review. However, I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are my own.

Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers

Christian Liberty Press


Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers


502 W Euclid Ave
Arlington Heights, IL 60004

Currently selling for $9.89 on the Christian Liberty website.








While the subject may seem dry at first glance, this book is fascinating in its history of some of the wonderful old hymns of the faith and even some general British history factoids that you and your children will find interesting. This book was published in 1999 and has 242 pages. It is recommended for grade 7-12 but I think younger children would find it interesting as well and adults will certainly find it noteworthy.


The story, illustrated in delightful pictures reminiscent of my old early reading books from the 1950s and 1960s, is about a young girl and boy (siblings) who are visiting Olney, England while their mother is doing research there. They find themselves with time on their hands in the quaint little village and become acquainted with the church organist, Mr. Pipes, who undertakes their entertainment and education for the period of their stay there and tells them all kinds of interesting things about the old hymn writers. Their every day adventures keep the children busy and they forget all about being “bored” and start enjoying the old hymns.


There is the story of Charles Wesley, the Anglican priest whose heart was with the downtrodden and visited the prisoners in Newgate prison to bring them the Good News of the Gospel and who wrote so many of the old hymns; and the story of John Newton, the slave trader, who gave his heart to the Lord and then wrote Amazing Grace, along with many others.


I loved this book and my girls are learning to love and appreciate the old hymns too as a result. What a wonderful addition this will make to any homeschool Bible curriculum!


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 this ebook free of charge to review. However, I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are my own.

Vocabulary Spelling City

Vocabulary Spelling City
Price: $29.99 / year for up to 5 students


VocabularySpellingCity.com, Inc.
6300 N.E. 1st Ave., Suite 203
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334
info@spellingcity.com
Phone (954) 357-1150


When I received a Premium Membership to Vocabulary Spelling City to review, I was excited because we have been using a well-known spelling program for years that is just a series of study sheets and tests. My oldest granddaughter has been lukewarm about that process although she has progressed well with spelling. She was thrilled to test out this program and was happy with the idea that she could play games and do some interesting things with a word list that she could study ahead of a test. I was happy that it brought vocabulary into the mix, as well as some grammar elements.

My youngest granddaughter is not ready for this program yet and so I was unable to put her on and unfortunately, my oldest granddaughter’s schooling was on only 1-2 days a week during the summer because she had an outside internship and she ended up getting in all her days and finishing the school year half way into this review period. We have every intention of taking up where we left off when our school year starts again at the end of August, but we did not get to use this program extensively. What we did use and see of it impressed both of us.

You get printable handwriting worksheets, games, ability to make your own list or take their suggested lists of words, and all sorts of teaching resources and helps.

Even if you already have a spelling program like I have, this would be a great addition and $29.99 per year is nominal for what you get here. You can plug your curriculum’s spelling lists into Vocabulary Spelling City and then take advantage of all the games and activities and worksheets that come with the program. I highly recommend this program.


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 premium membership free of charge to review. However, I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are my own.

King Alfred’s English / The Shorter Word


1345 Butler Bridge Road
Covington, GA 30016

770 786-6758


For sale at Amazon and other online bookstores. Lowest price is at CBD for $14.89.




Click Here to see more: King Alfred’s English / The Shorter Word






What a wonderful book! You get so much rolled into one with this book. You get some Language, history, and bible classes all in one very comprehensive book (170 pages soft cover). I received the e-version of this book but there is a paperback version available. This is one of the most entertaining sources for learning British History that I have seen. We have enjoyed reading this book and will hold onto it to reread when we are doing World History next year.


It was fun to see how many of our common and overused phrases originated with William Shakespeare. We also enjoyed finding out how some words evolved into the meanings they have today and what the original meanings were. We have even made up our own list of words that meant something many years ago and mean something totally different now and a list of words that a brand new in this century. Considering how many different countries invaded Great Britain and added their language to the mix, it is no wonder there are so many fascinating word studies that can be done.
There is a clickable resource list on the website (and in the back of the book), as well as printable worksheets and tests. There is even information on making this into a unit study.


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 this curriculum free of charge to review. However, I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are my own.

Create Better Writers

PRICE
How to Teach the Five Paragraph Essay: Ebook $17.95
How to Teach the Five Paragraph Essay: Soft Cover $19.95

The Complete Writing Program: Ebook $54.80
The Complete Writing Program: Soft Cover $59


SEE IT HERE






I was given all the tools I needed to review:
1. How to teach the Paragraph
2. How to teach the 5 Paragraph Essay.


I received the following ebooks:
How to Teach The Five-Paragraph Essay (62 pages)

The Homeschool Writing Action Plan (54 pages)

How to Write a Paragraph from David Dye’s Writing Workshop: The Complete Writing Program


I have reviewed similar curriculums in the past and knowing my 13-year-old, I assumed I was in for a tough time of it. It has just never been her favorite thing to do. The very first day I had to be away from the classroom. I said something like, “you might not get very far but read this short manual and write your first paragraph for me.” When I got back to her I was amazed at what she had accomplished! I had never seen this quality of work from her before and she had actually enjoyed the process. I said, “what’s all this?” She then proceeded to explain the process to me and I could not believe how much she had gotten from one exposure to this curriculum.
Learning the process and the “one simple step” the author teaches has opened up new horizons for my student. Simply setting up her paper for success somehow made it all clear to her. Then the following methodology for putting those paragraphs together and creating the essay just all made sense in her mind and suddenly it was fun and not drudgery. I can’t really explain it because I have been writing for years and it all seems elementary to me but to her it was like a key turning in a lock. She is improving exponentially over anything I have seen from her in the past. When her younger sister is ready for this in a year or two it will be fun starting her off with this from the beginning and seeing what she can accomplish with it.


I would suggest buying The Complete Writing Program. For $59 you have gotten some excellent curriculum that will benefit 3rd Graders through High School so it will cover a lot of ground. You can buy it in eBook form or softcover. You could even get your eBook printed and spiral bound for a nominal amount at a local copy center if you buy the eBook format and decide that you could prefer a paper copy. I have frequently done this for things that I use a lot.


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 this curriculum free of charge to review. However, I did not receive any compensation. All opinions are my own.