Peterson Directed Handwriting~Review

I had the opportunity to review a couple of products from Peterson Directed Handwriting. Before I received the products to review met with Mr. Rand Nelson in an online conference to see what would be the best fit for my children.

I was given two of their E-workbooks to review:

ABC’s and 123’s Cursive and Kindergarten Print. You can view these two E-workbooks as well as the rest of the E-workbooks for free here.

The Peterson Handwriting method uses the following four key points to teach writing:

Illustrate and Describe~by using large visual pictures and word chants to describe each letter stroke. For example to make the letter A print: Slant Left, Slant Right, Slide. Additionally each letter stroke also has it’s own color. There are three colors utilized green, brown and red.

Air Writing~you create the letter strokes in the air using your arms and elbows. Starting out making big, exaggerated strokes and using the chant. This creates muscle memory. Example making a lower case d. You would use your arm or elbow and start out making the round part of the d then the straight line, always starting at the top: hook around, tall down. You say the chant as you do the air writing. Eventually you can do smaller air writing as your student gains more control.

Finger Tracking and Chant~in this step the student has moved on to printed pages. The student traces the letter while using the chant. Using their voice and not their eyes to lead them to make the correct letter strokes.

Write and Say~in this step the student once again uses paper and is now using a pencil to create the strokes while using the chant. Unlined paper at first and then moving on to lined paper as they become more confident and in control of their writing skills. Always making sure to lead with their voice and not with their eyes.

I have to say that I really like this method of teaching handwriting. It really makes sense to me to teach it this way. We will be continuing on with this method.

I will say there are no lesson plans with the E-workbooks and I did have to do a bit of searching around on the website for additional info. I know though that Rand would be happy to help you out with your questions about the products. He was a very nice man to speak with and was very helpful in helping me decide what products were the best fit for my boys.

I love that the lessons are reproducible. They can be used with your future children if you have a larger family or more than one child. The E-workbooks cost $19.95 each and come in a variety of levels.

The Peterson website has a wealth of information and products available. If this method is something you are interested in take some time to visit the website and look around. You can watch a video here that gives you more information on The Peterson Handwriting Method.

Please be sure to visit the TOS Crew blog to read other reviews from Peterson Directed Handwriting.

Disclosure: This product was provided to me free as a member of the The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew 2009-2010. All reviews and opinions expressed on this blog are my own

Lobster Network~Review

Have you heard of the Lobster Network? Well I hadn’t either until I was asked to review it as part of the TOS Crew.  It is a really neat web application that you can use to keep track of inventories of such things as audio books, books CD’s, DVD’s, video games, household inventory, homeschool curriculum, magazines, personal collections just about anything you can possibly think of.

The best part? It’s FREE!  There are many other advantages to using Lobster Network. You can also create inventories of items you want to sell, give away, trade, are looking for  or want to  loan out.  You can invite your friends to sign up and they can create their own inventories and then you can loan items back and forth if you so choose. You can also create your own private communities with a group of friends or family or even a particular organization. For instance if you have a homeschool co-op or support group you could set up your own community for your group. You can create your own online lending library.  Lobster Network will notify both you and who you have lent your item to when it is time to return a borrowed item.

I think this is a great tool.  You can use it strictly for inventory if that is what you so choose. Finally a place to keep track of what you own. I know for me, just having our DVD’s books and music all in one place would help me to be more organized and prevent me from buying the same item again, especially books. There have been times that I have purchased a book only to realize I already own it.  (tell me you have not done this with one item or another at some point in your life!).

You can watch a video here (scroll to the bottom of the page) about how to set up your own Lobster Network account.

Be sure to visit my crew mates at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to read more reviews of the Lobster Network!

  Disclosure: I received no compensation for this product. This product is free to everyone. My opinions expressed on this blog are my own.

Cerebellum Corporation Light Speed Chemistry~Review

Advanced Placement tests. Otherwise known as AP. Have you heard of them? If you’ve gone to college or have a child either in college or close to going,  you most likely know a little bit about AP.

Cerebellum Corporation  is a company that offers quality learning and instructional videos for both school and home.

Their Light Speed collection includes topics such as:

• Writing
• Vocabulary
• Math
• History of the US
• SAT

and now their newest offerings: Advanced Placement programs which include:

• AP English Language & Comp. Exam Prep
• History of the US AP Exam Prep
• Chemistry Exam  Exam Prep
• US Government & Politics AP Exam Prep

I received the Light Speed Chemistry AP Exam Prep to review. All of the Light Speed DVD’s sell for $14.95 and currently you can purchase them for $11.24 each. Chemistry comes with 2 DVD’s. The first DVD is the video program.  The quality of this video is excellent. The actors high school/college age. The sound quality is also excellent.

This video covers the following

• taking the test~how the test is broken down into two parts, using your time wisely. Why you should not guess, how the test is scored, topic breakdown and more….
• a free response section~explains how this section of the test is graded, the importance of using clear concise answers to answer the test questions, how to organize your answers, using your time wisely, length of time for each question, when you can use a calculator and more….
• 30 in 30~this section goes over  30 chemistry hot topics in 30 minutes.

The second DVD contains a workbox in PDF form. There are 26 pages to this workbook. It contains handouts, quizzes, practice questions and worksheets that go over some questions that could be on the test.

Here is a sample video that gives you a good idea of what the DVD is about.

Since I obviously do not have high school aged children there is a lot here I do not know. I do think these are great value for the money.  They give good basic advice on AP testing. 

You can read more reviews of the Chemistry DVD’s as well as the other Light Speed DVD’s I mentioned above at the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog.

Disclosure: This product was provided to me free as a member of the The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew 2009-2010. All reviews and opinions expressed on this blog are my own

An Impromptu Science Experiment~Dry Ice!

Yesterday I received a package in the mail that contained dry ice.  The boys have never seen dry ice up close and in person before so I could not let a great opportunity go by without doing a couple of experiments!

At first we just looked at it and studied it. The boys thought it was cool that it looked like there was smoke pouring off of it.  I explained that dry ice is a solid form of carbon dioxide and that “smoke” is actually  water vapor. As dry ice “melts” it actually converts directly into a gas without going through a liquid phase.

  Then they  blew on it which created even more “smoke”.

Next we decided to try an experiment. We broke off a piece of the dry ice and placed it in a glass.

we poured in some warm water

and created a cloud! The dry ice mixed with the warm water creates a carbon dioxide and water vapor cloud.

It was safe to touch!

Very cool! Can you see the dry ice making the water bubble in the bottom of the glass?

Our second experiment was to create some really cool bubbles. This time we added warm water and some dawn dish soap to a glass.  Then we dropped in a chunk of dry ice.

We were able to create these awesome bubbles! Instead of just making a cloud like we did above, the soap traps the carbon dioxide and water vapor into a bubble!

The bubbles felt really neat to touch. Soft and smooth not like normal soapy bubbles.

  We added different colors to our water for even more fun!

 

This was a really fun, unexpected science experiment!

Of course the boys want more dry ice!

Beeyoutiful~Review

 

 

Not long ago I had the opportunity to review a product from Beeyoutiful.  Beeyoutiful is a company that sells natural products to help maintain your health.  I was able to choose the product I wanted to review. I chose the Baby Body Lotion.

Beeyoutiful carries a variety of products from multi vitamins for men, women and children to hair and skin care products, essential oils and much more.

You may be wondering why I chose the baby body lotion when there are no longer any babies at my house. I happen to love lavender. You know the real lavender not the perfume type lavender that you find in the store but real honest to goodness lavender. This lotion has both lavender and chamomile.  Both the boys have dry skin. This was a nice and soothing lotion to use  on them and they liked the smell.  I  have been using itas well and love that lavender fragrance! A little of this lotion goes a long way.  You can purchase the baby body lotion for  $13.00 (plus shipping)  for a 6 ounce bottle.

Be sure to check out all the other products that Beeyoutiful has to offer.

You can read more reviews of some of the other Beeyoutiful products at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Disclosure: This product was provided to me free as a member of the The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew 2009-2010. All reviews and opinions expressed on this blog are my own

Ideal Curriculum~Review

 

 Ideal Curriculum is a preschool curriculum. Each theme covers a month of study.  We received month one transportation kit to review.  There are a total of nine kits to cover a nine month school year.  The cost for each month is $30 for the downloadable version and $55 for the print version. Discounts are available if you buy multiple kits.

Each kit contains:

• literacy (letters, sounds, sight words, phonological awareness)
• music downloads
• science and social studies (transportation, weather, about me, health, animals, people in my community)
• math (route counting, shapes, number recognition)
• calendar (concept of time, day, week, month and year)
• Teachers manuals~there are three with this unit. One for literature, math and science
• weekly schedules

What we thought: While I like the concept I found this just was not a good fit for us. We loved the songs that were included with this kit. They were really fun and catchy. Additionally the content of the unit was good.  However curriculum was just too structured for me.  I use a more relaxed approach in my preschool. I also found the teachers manuals a bit overwhelming. There are over 100 pages in these three manuals combined. That is just for one unit for one month! 

While this is really not my style, if you really like structure or you are looking for something more structured this curriculum may be something that would work for you. I think this would be ideal for a preschool or daycare type setting. 

You can check out the curriculum for yourself with a one week free trial if you sign up for their ezine.

Be sure to visit my crewmates over at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to read their reviews on Ideal Curriculum.

Disclosure: This product was provided to me free as a member of the The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew 2009-2010. All reviews and opinions expressed on this blog are my own

Marcal Toilet Paper Deal ($2.99 for a case of 24) from Staples~ TODAY ONLY

I just scored  5 cases of marcal toilet paper for $16.00 with free delivery from Staples. You can too!  In addition you can earn an additional 3% if you shop through Shop At Home. If you are new to shop at home you will also earn an additional $5 if you are new to Shop At Home.

Here what you need to do:

• go to Shop At Home and either login or sign up.
• look up Staples in the search engine
• click on the Staples coupon and then click on Deal of the Day. You will see the marcal toilet paper deal.
• click on the order now button
• at the top of the page over towards the right side you will see an order by item number button. Click on that and enter 593805-v6 and enter the quantity you wish to purchase. You do not have to order five cases like I did. You can order one case. If you choose that option you will want choose delivery to store to save on shipping costs. If you order 5 cases it will put you just over $50 and you will get free delivery. 
• The discount appears at check out.  The toilet paper should be $2.99 per case.
• Be sure to enter your rewards card if you have one to get credit on that as well.
• My total came to $16.00. $14.95+tax with free delivery.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

26 years ago today…….

I married my sweetheart!

Yeah I wore cowboy boots under my wedding gown and my grandma made sure everyone knew it!  They even had gold boot tips.  No Larry did not wear that hat during our wedding!

Support Your New Jersey Library~Our libraries are in danger of loosing vital services.

If  you live in NJ and use the public library you may soon loose many services that you currently enjoy.  

Governor Christie has proposed in his budget cuts for NJ a bill that will eliminate many of the services the library provides and also the possibility of some NJ libraries closing.  While the NJ budget needs some serious cutting, libraries should not be one of them!

We utilize our library each and every week.  We borrow books, audiobooks, magazines, movies, use interlibrary loan, download e-audiobooks  and attend many programs the library offers.  There are so many other services our library provides. Free internet, free Wi-Fi, reference materials and much more.

As a homeschooling family we borrow many books for our studies. While we do have our own quite extensive book collection here at home there are many books we borrow that I could not afford to purchase outright. I rely on the library for school as well as personal use. I am an avid reader and borrow many books for my personal reading enjoyment.  I know I could never afford to purchase all that I have had the benefit of borrowing from our library.

We love our library and our librarians are wonderful! They always are friendly and helpful and take the time to ask how we are and know us by name.  Our library is clean and quiet. They have a wonderful children’s room and wonderful children’s programs. Just last week we attended two children’s programs.  They also offer many programs for adults as well.

If this bill gets passed this is what our library and other libraries will loose:

Jersey Connect
Our library will lose its internet connection, email hosting and website. The cost of private connection will vastly limit the number of public access stations.
Databases
Our library will lose the EBSCO databases, and other research and reference databases that are currently available for free to our patrons.
Delivery
Our library will lose interlibrary delivery. This will prevent us from borrowing books from other LOGIN libraries. Budget constraints prohibit the purchase of all the books we currently share through LOGIN.
Interlibrary loan
Our library will lose interlibrary loan, including ordering books out-of-state. Patrons will be unable to obtain those hard to find titles patrons request for academic, business, and personal reasons.
Summer Reading Program
Our library will lose the statewide summer reading program funding after this summer.

Jersey Cat

New Jersey’s Statewide virtual catalog and interlibrary loan system.

 

As of June 30th these services will stop at your library.

How you can help.

• Contact your legislators by letter, email or in person. Go to Save My New Jersey library for more information on how you can contact your legislators.
• if you are on facebook you can join the Save NJ libraries page.
• Become a Library Champion you will receive updates and can take apporiate action by contacting your legislators.
• Spread the word. Do you use the library? Do you have friends or family that use it? Let them know about this proposed bill so they can contact their legislators.
  

Please take a few minutes to contact your legislators!

Lesson Planet~Review

 

As part of the TOS Crew I had the opportunity to review Lesson Planet, a subscription website for lesson plans and worksheets.

There are over 150,000 lesson plans and 75,000 worksheets available at Lesson Planet.  A one year membership is $39.95.

You can search Lesson Planet in a number of ways:

Searching by keyword, grade level and overall rating

Clicking the Narrow, Related or My Recent Searches keyword options

Browsing for reviewed resources by Subject, Calendar or Theme

Exploring relevant State Standards, matched to each member’s state

Utilizing Advanced Search to narrow by duration, method, technology, and more

Basically I found that this site has compiled information from other sites on the internet. For instance I did a search on flags and it came up with some worksheets on flags from sites like ABC teach and Making Learning Fun. 

I also did a search on the solar system a favorite subject in our home. I searched worksheets first and once again came up with similar sites as I listed above. I did find a worksheet of the sun and Olympus Mons on Mars.   Also in the very same search found worksheets for Kansas, Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania and several other state worksheets. Now technically all of these states are in the solar system but that was really not what I had in mind! lol

So onto the lesson plans search. Once again I searched solar system. On the first search I came up with several dead links. I did find links for lesson plans which were geared more to a classroom setting and not something I would really use.  I also found links to the sites like The Franklin Institute and Space.com. 

I did do other searches on other subjects and once again found them geared more towards a classroom setting. 

Honestly we do not use a lot of worksheets and I either make my own lesson plans or use the curriculum that I have purchased.  If I want information on a particular subject it is just as easy for me to do the search myself and not go through a third party. 

Lesson Planet is not something we would really use in our homeschool. It may be something you would be interested in.  If you are interested you can sign up for a 10 day trial on their website and see if it is something your family would benefit from.  You do need a credit card to sign up for the free trial and you will have to cancel once your 10 day trial runs out.

Be sure to visit my crewmates at the TOS Homeschool Blog to read other reviews of Lesson Planet.

Disclosure: This product was provided to me free as a member of the The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew 2009-2010. All reviews and opinions expressed on this blog are my own

Shark?

Last month we went to a library program (you know how we love our library here!) about baseball! 

The kids got to hear some really cool stories about baseball read by one of our favorite librarians, Miss Linda.

Then a really cool visitor stopped by! A Shark! Run! Oh wait! It’s ok this shark was nice. It was Finley the Shark the mascot for the The Camden Riversharks! 

Finley is a pretty big shark!  He barely fit through the door!

  Finley enjoyed hearing a baseball story too!

Time for a bit of movin’ and groovin’ with Finely!

Time for a photo op!

They also got to make pennants to take home.

Justin was the lucky winner of a huge box of baseball cards as well!

The boys had a great time! Thanks goes out to Miss Linda and Miss Ellen (whom I neglected to get a picture of) for hosting such a fun night!

Super Star Speech~Review

Both of my boys have had minor speech issues and have struggled with particular sounds.  I was really happy to have the opportunity to review Super Star Speech.  This was an answer to prayer since speech therapy is not in our budget at this time.

Super Star Speech was created by Deborah Lott a Speech language pathologist a with Master’s degree in Education and speech pathology.

I had the opportunity to review the following e-books:

• Super Star Speech Therapy Made Simple~this book is the main speech therapy handbook. Inside you will find the speech articulation test as well as  directions for administering the test. Sample lesson plans, a planner for planning out your lessons. Sound instructions for P, B, T,D, N, K, G, NG, F,V,L,SH, CH,J, TH, S, Z, R and Therapy games and activities.
• Super Star R and L~this book focuses specifically on R and L sounds.
• Super Star S, Z and Sh~this book focuses specifically on S, Z and Sh sounds.
• Super Star Ch, J and Th~this book focuses on Ch, J and Th sounds

The last three books also have picture cards, word games and activities specific to the sounds for that particular book.

Each of these books are available for $12.95 each in e-book form.  Print formats are also available at a higher price with shipping additional.

What we thought: I really like these! If your child has a minor speech issue and is having trouble with articulation of a certain sound this could be just what you are looking for.  The directions for giving the articulation test are easy to follow and implement.  Debbie provides a wealth of  information to help you help your child such as proper tongue placement when making a particular sound. I really like the word lists and practice sentences for each sound as well as the tips for teaching sounds. They are very helpful. The games that are provided are keep teaching proper sounds fun!

I also like that these e-books are very affordable. If you are a one income family like we are you can get the tools you need for your child at a very reasonable cost. If your child is struggling with one particular sound you can just purchase the e-book that you need. You do not have to purchase all of them if you do not need them all.  I love the e-book format. I can print off just what I need.

How about a bit of savings! From now until June 30th 2010 my readers  can save 20% off Super Star Speech buy using  the code TOS. (note: the 20% off applies only to hard copies at the super star speech site and not the e-books found at currclick)

Debbie also has some great games available. If you are looking for some fun and inexpensive games that are also educational you need to check out Super Star Games.

Here are the games available:

• Silly Snail
• Road to the Revolution
• The Inventors Game
• Colony Quest
• Climb the Vine
• All About Animals
• Planets, Moon and Stars
• Explorers of the World
• Covering the Continents
• Exploring Egypt
• The Insect Game

Each game sells for $3.50 and are available as instant downloads.

What we thought:  These games are fun. They reinforce subjects your child has learned or is currently learning.  The directions are easy to follow and most of the games have options for younger and older players. Which I thought was great since we do a lot of school together and there is almost a four year age difference between my boys.  If your child loves playing games this might be something you are interested in.  These games are really inexpensive. If you are on a budget these games would be a way to include some fun into your learning without breaking the bank. 

Be sure to visit my the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to read what my crewmates have to say about Super Star Speech and Super Star Games.

 

Disclosure: These products were provided to me free as a member of the The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew 2009-2010. All reviews and opinions expressed on this blog are my own

Praying for the people of Nashville

I honestly had no idea that there was massive flooding in Tennessee until I read my friend Jen’s blog this morning! I knew they had heavy rains but I had no idea of the severity of these storms.  My prayers are with the people of Tennessee as they recover from this flooding.

Taking a little walk

Last night just before supper the boys took a walk with our neighbor Mr. Roy.  He found something he thought the boys would like to see.

This is what they saw!  A Snapping turtle

(click on the pictures to enlarge)

  Her shell alone was about a foot and a half long.

 

She (or he) was very wary of us and kept watching us. In turn we were very wary of her as well.

I love getting up close and personal with nature right in our own surroundings!  

CSN Stores Review and Giveaway Coming Soon!

 

I was  recently contacted by CSN Stores to do a review/giveaway of one of their products.  I am so excited! CSN stores carry many wonderful products. With over 200 stores  to choose from there is something for everyone.  They carry everything from toys and cookware to tv stands and furniture home decor and much more.

Be sure to check back soon to see what I picked out to review and giveaway! While you are waiting you can go and check out all the great CSN Stores and the products they offer!

Alphabet Beats~Review

 

Lately  Kaden has been wanting to  spell. He is always asking me how to spell one word or another. We have letter tiles that he loves to use but he has been eager to learn to write on his own. I was excited to have the chance to review Alpha Beats  (uppercase) by The TV Teacher.

Alpha Beats is a fun interactive video that teaches proper letter formation and can be used with a TV or computer. Both uppercase and lowercase DVD’s are available.   The video is  taught by Miss Marnie. Each letter has a chapter  and each chapter is 5 minutes long.  Miss Marnie uses her finger, a chalkboard and pen and paper to write each letter.  There are chants for each letter that are very catchy and memorable.  During each chapter there are also lots of visuals for each letter. For example the letter A shows a arm, ankle, apple, astronaut, alligator etc.   You can start the video at any letter and stop where you want and stop when you need to.

Alpha Beats sells for $35.00 each or $64.99 for both upper and lower case DVD’s. You can order them direct from The TV Teacher.

You can watch a demo here. This is for the lowercase letters and this gives you a feel for what the video is like.

What we thought: I really like these DVD’s. They are very easy to follow and teach the child proper letter formation in a really fun way. Kaden loves them and asks to do them often. He loves the rhyming of the chants. One thing I really like is at the beginning of the video you are shown how to hold your pencil properly. I have had quite a time getting Kaden to hold his pencil properly until we got this DVD.  Having a visual has helped tremendously!

I want to buy the lowercase DVD once Kaden has mastered the uppercase.

Be sure to visit my crewmates over at the TOS Homeschool Crew  and read more reviews of  Alpha Beats.

Disclosure: This product was provided to me free as a member of the The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew 2009-2010. All reviews and opinions expressed on this blog are my own