Eagle's Wings "Considering God's Creation"

A creative in-depth encounter with natural science from a biblical perspective. Adaptable for Second to Seventh Grade. A gigantic 272-page book plus Teacher's Manual with free audio CD! -from the website.
This is a quality, well laid out, easy to use science curriculum. It is written from a christian perspective. We used it to supplement our own science explorations but it could be a great stand alone science program. We found it informative without being overwhelming. My DD (3rd grade) personal favorites were the science detective pages and the cut outs, for instance, you can cut out a large skeleton with organs and put it together during the unit on Wonderfully Made. 
The book also contains games like crosswords, cut out board games, sketching opportunities and songs to aid memory. This product could be adapted to all teaching methods from classical to eclectic, and Charlotte Mason. We liked the black and white page layout too!
The book covers: Creation, The Universe, Weather, Rocks, Plants, Animals, Ecology, Human Anatomy and Physiology.
If you are looking for a ready to go science program that is basically complete. Here it is!

Considering God's Creation $29.95
P.O. Box 502
Duncan, OK 73534
Ph: 580.252.1555
Info@EaglesWingsEd.com

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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.

Talking Fingers: Wordy Qwerty

Reading and Spelling Software for 2nd and 3rd Grade.

"The long-awaited sequel to the Read, Write & Type Learning System, Wordy Qwerty – Foundations for Reading and Writing Fluency, takes 7-9 year olds through the next steps of reading and writing fluency, and picks up where our award-winning software, the Read, Write &Type Learning System leaves off. After successfully completing Read, Write & Type!, most 6-7 year-olds are able to write any word they can say. But they may not spell them all correctly, because they need to know a bit more about spelling conventions and about how words are constructed in English. This is where Wordy Qwerty comes in. In 20 consecutive lessons, woven together with fun-to-play games and delightful songs that will stay in their heads. "-Taken from website

That is the description provided by the company. As a parent all I can say is that my 3rd grade DD really enjoys this program. She has been doing the Read, Write & Type program through her schooling so this was an enjoyable continuation to her. She likes the games and the stories that you write. It takes a child level by level to learn the spelling rules in game form. The program is self correcting in that, for example, your child is given a story to write. If she forgets she can click on a "mouth icon" that repeats what needs to be typed or reminds her of her finger positions. She controls the amount of hint she gets by clicking when she needs it. We liked this because some of the games we have played in the past kept repeating and repeating instructions and this was very annoying. My only hesitation is that while my daughter enjoys this program and it is very instructional, we find it hard to be consistent in getting on the computer to use the program. My suggestion would be if you are trying to teach typing this is a great program. I would put into your schooling schedule so that you can use it consistently.

The Six Steps to Reading and Writing Fluency with Wordy Qwerty.

THE HOME EDITION INCLUDES: $35

• 1 or more copies of the Wordy Qwerty program CD

• 1 in Home & Network Editions
• 2 in Single School Edition
• 6 in Lab Edition
• 25 in Site License
• 1 Wordy Qwerty Program Guide in a three-ring binder
• 1 JingleSpells audio CD of the 20 songs contained in Wordy Qwerty
• Talking Fingers, Inc.
  830 Rincon Way
  San Rafael, California 94903
  Phone: (415) 472-3103
  Toll Free: 1-800-674-9126
  eMail: contact@talkingfingers.com
  
  System Requirements:

Macintosh Hardware Requirements:

• Mac: OS9 with CarbonLib or OSX

Windows Hardware Requirements:

• Windows: 98, SE, 2000, XP

Also requires QuickTime 6 (included) or greater

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.

Kregel Publications "Circle C Beginnings, Andi's Fair Surprise"

 

Andi's Fair Surprise (Circle C Beginnings)

Author: Susan K. Marlow   Illustrated by: Leslie Gammelgaard

Price: $4.99
ISBN:  978-0-8254-4184-4
Format: Paperback
80 pages.
Kregel Publishing Company

1-800-733-2607

Exciting adventures for early readers! Written for reading levels 2.0–2.8, the Circle C Beginnings series combines fun illustrations and six-year-old Andi’s signature curiosity.
In book three, if Andi can’t take her new foal, Taffy, to the 1874 California State Fair, she doesn’t want to go. But once she’s there, there are so many exciting things to see that she’s glad she came . . . until her big brother tells her she can’t keep the prize she won fair and square!

Book 3 is one of a 4 part series detailing the adventures of Andrea Carter it is geared for readers age 6-8. As a bonus you can also access learning activities to add to your child's reading experience.

My DD really enjoyed reading this book. She liked the story and the surprise ending! The chapters were easy for her to tackle. She liked the font size. She also liked getting to do the worksheets which are available that correspond to each book. This would make a good gift for a young lady who enjoys animals like my daughter. Kregel Publishing has a long list of quality reading material and activities for all age groups.
Check out their website.

Save 30% on your order April 1 through August 31, 2011



Enter code HOME11 during checkout.

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.

Greek n' Stuff Latin Edition "Latin is not so Tough"

This is a very well researched, well laid out program. It is easy to follow and very adaptable. I used it with my 3rd and 5th grader. The first 2 lessons are a review of Book 1. Lesson 3 reviews diphthongs, Lesson 4 is consonants. The Lesson 5-17 introduces new vocabulary. I really enjoyed using the program. I suppose the major pros of Latin is not so Tough is that it really takes very little time to do, and it is relatively inexpensive. Also, one can work pretty much independently. There isn't much instruction required. I do feel that memorization and drill are needed for the vocabulary instruction. I think for our introduction into Latin it was a good fit because my children are young and I just wanted a small taste of it for them. It has peaked their interest and I think we will do great when we get into more serious Latin study. The only complaint is with myself. I really had a hard time using it consistently. With my 3rd grader we were concentrating on her multiplication tables. With my 5th grader we are working on geometry.

 So... the only suggestions I can make are more consistency from Mom.

The Greek n' Stuff  Company offers a complete line of six levels of Latin Instructional Texts and other language aids.

Latin Level 2 can be purchased individually: student workbook $18.95, Answer Key $4.00 (answers only), Pronunciation CD $10.00, short set $36.45 , complete set $51.40.

Level 2 focuses on a review of the Latin alphabet, diphthongs and special consonant sounds that are introduced in Level 2. The target for this level is early elementary (6-7 years). The key to success with this program is use of the flashcards. Tips for use of the flashcard are located in the back of the workbook.

http://www.greeknstuff.com/latin.html


Greek n Stuff
PO Box 882
Moline, IL 61226-0882
309-796-2707

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.

Writing Tales: Level 1 and Level 2

Checking out this product was a really great opportunity for our family. While I love reading and feel comfortable with discussing literature and encouraging the love of reading in our studies I have to admit I feel grammar is a dry subject. Writing Tales Level 1 and Level 2 really addressed this issue for us in a fun, interesting way.

My DD grade 3 reviewed Level One which is geared to grades 3rd-4th.
Student Workbook is $19.95 188 pages, TE $24.95 388 pages.
We enjoyed all of the stories that range from fables to fairy tales. For instance, my DD liked the Princess of the Pea the best! Of course she is really into princesses right now. I have to say I really like the font in these books. It is large and spaced well which really helps her with her reading.  Each story works on copy work, vocabulary, grammar and composition. This level was right on for my 3rd grader. Each story is divided into about 10 lessons which introduce the skills mentioned above and then these skills were reinforced in her composition and practice/review pages. The practice pages are nice in that there are usually up to 7 problems to work on. The Princess and the Pea also worked additionally on the skill of use of quotations. Each story reinforces and different grammar concept like; 4 rules of sentences, capitalization noun, etc. WE liked that all of the skills were addressed without overwhelming her or giving her so much work she stopped trying. This was a hit for Mom and DD!

 My DS and I reviewed Level Two which is geared to grades 4th-5th.
Student Workbook is $24.95 294 pages , TE is $32.95 472 pages. My DS is a strong reader. He likes to narrate but he hates to write and grammar is a weakness. So while the set up of this workbook is the same as described above we focused more on learning the rules of grammar such as Memorize: An adverb is a word that "decorates" a verb, adjective or another adverb, this is an example from Aesop's The Boy Who Cried Wolf.  In this chapter we also focused helping him develop his outlining skills and then use them in composition. Then rewrite the story using his practice lists of synonyms, so two skills introduced and reinforced in his composition. He wrote a rough draft, used the writing checklist to review his draft and then was able to complete a final draft in simple, easy stages that were very manageable while still widening his skills. I have to say in all honesty that my son does not get excited about school books but this has been a hit for us too.
30 Lessons-30 Weeks-15 Models Studied-30 Stories Written!  Check out their sample pages too!

Contact Info: Amy Olsen
 info@olsenbooks.com
http://www.writing-tales.com/

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.

Science Weekly Reader

Science Weekly Love it, Love it, Love it. This is the type of product our family really enjoys. It is adaptable to both my children grade 3 and 5, has pertinent science information presented in a way that my children do not think is "babyish" and it is packed with information, experiments and game like activities but not overwhelming to the kids to read. We examined Volume 27, No. 03 on the Flu. The newspaper/newsletter format has 6 levels Pre-A through E for grades K-6.
You can subscribe to issues that cover Life Science, Earth Science, Physical Science and Technology. Some of the current issues cover pulleys, scuba diving, the science of movies, caves, teeth, green building, composting and many more...
There are even free interactive issues available on five different science subjects.

Science Weekly is an excellent supplementary instructional tool for parents to help their child enhance his/her higher-ordered skills in science‚ math‚ reading and writing.*


Order here with an individual subscription of 15 issues for 19.95 per student.

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.

Go Go Kabongo: An Online World for Brain Boosting Games for Reading

 I really appreciate the opportunity that GO GO Kabongo offered to my family as a member of the TOS crew. This program is geared toward ages 4-7 to help build pre-reading and reading cognitive skills. In other words their program is set up to help child develop the skills needed to become confident readers.
Kabongo games do not teach with “right” and “wrong” answers. Instead, they guide children toward better thinking by using exciting, engaging game design. Children use a wide variety of critical-thinking and problem-solving strategies to play and progress, including these essential skills for reading:

Attention and focus.
Working Memory.
Processing.
Successive processing.
Visualization.
Planning.
Comprehension.

Go Go Kabongo accomplishes this through engaging characters and three different habitats that your child visits and works on these skills in game form. Each habitat features three different games that teach skills that aid knowledge of the alphabet, focus, memory and comprehension. You receive a detailed report that tracks your child's progress through the habitats.
My daughter age 8, slightly behind in her reading skills, really liked the games and enjoyed earning prizes. I sat with her at the beginning levels and watched as she played. The game is very visually stimulating. After she played the games for a while she actually turned off the sound because she did not like the constant talking. A smaller child with less reading skills would find this helpful in my opinion. I liked getting the reports because, frankly many times I did not pick up on the educational factor of the game she was playing. After playing through the habitats she did lose interest in the games. Ultimately, I feel this is just a type of educational program you need to check out for your family. Kabongo makes this very helpful by offering a free trial. The website has informative information for parents. There is a section of printables and a parenting/informational blog.
If your children do enjoy learning by means of online educational games there is even a program designed for older children.

By email
support@kabongo.com

Kabongo offers a free trial of two habits and six free games to boost reading. That is a wonderful opportunity to see if the product is the right fit for your family.

GO GO KABONGO! gets 4 to 7 year olds geared up for reading by developing reading readiness skills.
Your child can start playing GOGO KABONGO! today for free--at no charge, with full access to Laughter Lake’s brain-boosting games and activities. You can expand the learning with two additional habitats – Galaxy Gardens and Twister Top which are $4.95 each. SPECIAL OFFER: SIGN UP NOW AND YOU GET THE GALAXY GARDENS HABITAT FREE! This offer is only available for a limited time.

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.