New Monic Books: Vocabulary Cartoons Word Power Made Easy

 This has been a very fun book for me to review! Vocabulary Cartoons by New Monic Books, Inc. uses mnemonics in the form of hilarious cartoons and rhyming words. We have enjoyed Vocabulary Cartoons (grades 3 and 5) . This is helping with the children's reading comprehension and, in our state, standardized testing.  Vocabulary Cartoons promotes learning by association and not just memorization. Check out some of the sample pages.

The composition of the book gives you 21 word lists with 10 words per list. There are 10 cartoons per section and then a 10 question review quiz. Though not officially broken up into chapters each word list is clearly grouped. So you could say to your child "Please read Review #6" and they could find it on their own and begin reading that section of study words.

My son enjoyed the pictures but did not really pick up the book to read it. So for our use I would assign word lists for him to read. We did not do the quizzes because he had a good understanding of the meanings after reading the cartoons.

Since this is a skill area we are working on for him in this year (5th grade) it has been a useful tool for us. I think I would rather if the book was set up like a dictionary so that we could use it as a reference book to look up words to use when writing papers but the book is like a workbook and we just adapted it to our particular needs.

If you have a reluctant writer who uses the same words over again, this would be a highly recommended resource to add interest to their writing and encourage them to learn new words in a fun way. The company has a large variety materials. This particular books is for grades 3-6 and sells for $12.95 before tax, 245 pages.

Any products reviewed by me as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew have been given to me free of charge in order for me to provide you with an honest review of the product and/or how I used the product within my family. I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

Great Gift Idea ! Schleich Animal Figures

I am always on the look out for unusual gifts for children. I keep a few things in the closet just for back up. Recently I had the opportunity to learn about Schleich GmbH. This German company is the leading manufacturer of animal figurines and play worlds.
Their quality, durable products are poured into moulds and hand painted. They are very substantial and age appropriate from 3 years of age up.

I like them personally because no batteries are included or involved. My daughter, in particular, likes to set up whole play sets and entertain herself for hours and even days on end because she constantly shifts and changes her set.
These animals also lend themselves to learning if you are studying animals, dinosaurs, habitats, Native Americans or again to encourage imaginative play.  The sets are divided up into 7 worlds: Farm life, Wild Life, Prehistorical Animals, World of Knights, World of American Indians, Bayala, and Smurfs. Also if you want to provide a creative alternative to online pets Schleich provides interactive activities that can supplement your child's studies or provide rainy day activities.  Some of the neat and unusual animals you can purchase are Meerkats, Whale Sharks,  giant Octopus, Jaguars, Apatosaurus,  Clydesdales,  Bernese Mountain dogs and the list goes on and on. You can also purchase a stable girl, covered wagon driver, various knights, elfs, dragons to round out your child's world. At our local store you can by these figurines anywhere from $2.99-$7.99 but you might go to the website to check local availability. 

My daughter and I recommend these products as a great gift and/or high,quality, long lasting educational toySearch Amazon.com for schleich.


Any products reviewed by me as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew have been given to me free of charge in order for me to provide you with an honest review of the product and/or how I used the product within my family. I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog

Salem Ridge Press Wholesome Family Stories

As Fall approaches and inclement weather, I stock up on chocolate, coffee and good books! I like to have books on my shelf just waiting to be enjoyed. I am trying to get my children to take an interest in reading and stock up their own shelves. Recently I was able to present my son (age 11) with a book from Salem Ridge Press based on true events with a fictional setting. I am trying to expose him to a variety of "quality" reading material. He has his favorite reading genres but sometimes I would like to see him read something more meaty.
Soldier Fritz
 
Story Setting: Germany in 1525 - 1526
Notable People and Events: Martin Luther, German Reformation
Originally published in 1871; 137 pages; For Ages 8 – Adult
$10.95 soft cover edition

The font of the book and line spacing makes for easy reading for children. The drawings are simple black ink pictures. This book has two illustrations which might seem lacking to some children who still enjoy picture books. I like that unfamiliar words like : furbishing, palfrey, anteroom are defined simply in the margins of the book.

My son's opinion: That the story is long, very wordy but interesting. He would describe it as realistic and teaches the lesson of conquering your inner fears and learn to control yourself before you can conquer the world. It teaches that the Holy Bible is real and though people tried to keep the bible out of the common people's hands they failed. It shares the historic fact that before people could read the bible for themselves they were taught lies by the spiritual leaders of the day. It is a good story for kids because it explains how children lived in medieval times and kids can relate because the lessons the book teaches are still valuable today.

My daughter (age 7) and I are enjoying Mary Jane Her Visit


Originally published in 1918; 190 pages; For Ages 6 – 10
Softcover $12.50
The second book in the Mary Jane series, five-year-old Mary Jane has more happy wholesome adventures, this time at her great-grandparents' farm in the country where she hunts for eggs, picks berries, finds baby rabbits, goes to the circus and more!

I have to say I like the illustrations better in this book. They are very reminiscent of the ink drawings of Victorian art. Again the spacing and font are well suited to pleasant reading with definitions in margins as needed. I am enjoying this story because it dignifies the values I want my children to learn of contributing to the welfare of the family by working together (Chapter 10 Learning to Cook), working to earn what you want (Chapter 13 Earning Money), and being considerate to others (Chapter 5 Gardening with Grandfather).
So in conclusion I would definitely recommend these stories for your family's shelf. The wordiness my son mentioned can be attributed to the time period that many of these books were written in-late nineteenth century. I liked that it caused him to "stretch" himself and think more as he read. I also enjoyed that the stories broadened both children's vocabularies. We used the word "valor" in a sentence! The stories reprinted by Salem Ridge Press are historical fiction but they have made selecting the stories very easy by dividing their book lists into categories based on readers' age, time period and author.


Winter's coming get stocking those shelves.

Any products reviewed by me as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew have been given to me free of charge in order for me to provide you with an honest review of the product and/or how I used the product within my family. I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

Looking for help teaching math?

An opportunity to review an up and coming math site was presented to me recently. America's math teacher is a new math tutoring site that is just launching. The producer/teacher Rick Fisher is a math instructor for the Oak Grove School District in San Jose, California. Since graduating from San Jose State University in 1971 with a B.A. in mathematics, Rick has devoted his time to teaching fifth and sixth grade math students.
Rick designed this system for elementary, middle grades and even high school students who were not prepared for algebra, to help bring them to algebra-readiness in less than one school year. The program, states that many of Rick's students have improved several grade levels in their math abilities in just one school year. Rick has also used the program successfully with students who are struggling with math and have limited English skills.

I am teaching (3rd, 5th) and I did find that my children used the recorded tutorials and worksheets provided. The program is divided into 2 courses. We examined course 1 which covered math tutorials from adding, subtracting, dividing, and multiplying whole numbers to fractions, probability, ratios, and over and above the course of study my children are currently using. Based on my examination though I found all tutorials easy to follow and understand.

One year's subscription is $195. You can check out the program by taking advantage of the free sample lessons and downloads. So if you are looking for a better fit for teaching math this would definitely be something to examine.

Any products reviewed by me as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew have been given to me free of charge in order for me to provide you with an honest review of the product and/or how I used the product within my family. I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog