Math Facts Now

Math Facts NOW!" is a simple yet very effective program that will identify weak areas in your child's knowledge of the times tables and basic facts of math, and drill in those specific areas, automatically giving increased drills in those areas.
That is the introduction that the company provides to this downloadable product. I agree that the product meets those claims. But as anyone with a child that needs to learn their math facts will testify there is "many a slip between the cup and the lip." My 3rd grader willing started each math lesson and she enjoyed it for about 5 minutes. She did not like having to type in (twice) her wrong answer showing the correct answer. And she did not have the patience to get to the minimum of 50 points to complete the lesson.This is the way the program works:  daughter answers 8x3=27. This is incorrect. So she has to retype the complete math sentence 2 times in a row before she can continue to the next problem. This is very reasonable to me as a Mom, but very irritating to my daughter. I did not like that the lesson was not "saved" so that she could add to her previous points as she continued the lesson. It always began at 0 points though she did continue with the same set of preset up math tables i.e. 5 and 3 multiplication facts.

The program is very user friendly and easy to install and run. As a parent I did feel that it met the claims and that it does have useful components. This is just one product that I liked but my daughter did not. She is still learning her math facts in multiplication and at the beginning of that learning curve. She also only has rudimentary typing skills so typing in her answers also added to the learning curve.   My son in the 5th grade is past this stage in his math experience and did not use the product.

In the conclusion, if you want to add another tool into your family's learning of math facts this product would definitely be worth looking into. The company also offers a free trial. But in our family we will just stick to good ole flash cards.

Math Facts Now
Ages- K - 6

Download - $15.95
CD - $15.95 plus $3.95 S&H

2871 Shenandoah Shores Road
Front Royal,VA 22630


http://www.mathfactsnow.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.

Great Find: North Star Games "Wits and Wagers Family"

Looking for a fun, simple to play, great for all ages family game? Then I would definitely recommend Wits and Wagers Family!  Before playing the game I went to the website to check out the company. The makers of the game set out to design games with "personality." Wits an Wagers Family!  is full of personality. When we have played the game it is with two adults and two children ages 11 and 8. It has been fun for the whole family. The variety of questions made it an game everyone has a chance to win. Our 8 year old has won fair and square several times! (We played with the suggested idea of letting the reader of the card pick their question to even the odds.)

I also found this description from the December 10, 2007 Washington Post:

Wits & Wagers is a trivia contest, but with a gaming table twist. Players seek to answer numerically based questions and use casino-style chips to place bets on their responses and those of other players. Whoever has the most chips at the end wins. Since that date, the game as been adapted to the family audience. The premise is the same but now it has a family feel and Meeples shown above instead of chips.
The instructions are simple and easy to follow. You can play the game by teams or individual.  The game is a guessing game. You can answer questions (150 come with the game) such as "How many texts does the average teenager send each day?" "In miles, what is the furthest a person has traveled on a unicycle in one 1 hour?" Each person/team writes down their "wager" the person closest to the correct answer without going over scores. The first team to score 15 points wins. There are 3 ways to score which is a variation to the game and makes it fun. I would suggest you buy the game to found out those 3 ways! You can purchase the game from the site. Currently the game is out of stock which is an indication of its popularity but you can purchase from Amazon for $17.24 which was recommended when I called the company directly about how to purchase.

In conclusion this is a really fun game. I like the eco-friendliness of the packaging also. All materials are supplied and instead of paper you use dry-erase pads (pens included). It would make a great gift but I would buy it to keep!


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.

Apologia Press Good Morning, God

Apologia's Good Morning God is a beautifully illustrated 44 page book.  The sweet story follows a precocious little boy through his week. Woven throughout the story is the theme text of Deuteronomy 6:6,7 where parents are reminded to inculcate God's standards on their children when they are at home, walking on the road, when resting and when getting up. You can read this book as storybook, use it to teach the days of the week, or for bible study for children.
At the end of the book there are suggested questions and activities that are organized by the theme of each day in the book. For example, Wednesday's theme suggests drawing a picture or taking a picture of your child, read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and discussing questions like " How can you take care of your body?" or "How can your sins be forgiven?".
Alluded to are ideas identifying Jesus as God, heaven and the cross. So if you want book that is more secular in nature you might take that into consideration. You can examine a chapter at the link sited above.
In conclusion, attractive watercolor and black and white illustrations, simple text, and introduces scriptural study to you children all for $14.00 plus tax and s/h.
Another quality product from Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc.

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.

Master Innovations "The Master Ruler"

We love the Master Ruler. It is simple to use+easy to read+and hands-on=Great product! You can get a ruler that measures metric or standard units. The concept is easy to read using clear, color coded overlays that flip over each measurement (from largest to smallest unit of measurement). The standard Master Ruler has blue bindings and the metric Master Ruler has green bindings. The measurement increments are marked on clear overlays in blue, green, red and purple. There is also an available workbook.

My children are in the 3rd and 5th grades. I was able to adapt the workbook to both of their levels. I used the workbook to introduce them to them to the Master Ruler. I watched the YouTube videos from the company's website before giving it to my children. The videos on the website are very comprehensive and easy to follow. I have to say that I fully agree with the testimonials on site!

After watching the videos, the children and I worked the workbook pages. It took them a second to get the hang of deciding which ruler was needed by looking at the color coding to check for the standard (blue coded) or metric (green coded). After that the workbook pages identify which ruler should be used and then the children were able to follow the directions and complete the problems. The workbook follows a simple progression from comparing fractions, equivalent fractions, reducing fractions, converting fractions and then computing with fractions. Note: We focused on fractions because this was an area of need in our family. The book very thoroughly covers standard measurement also). The problems were challenging to my students but the Master Ruler is very self correcting. When in doubt count it out. That is what my children did and that help them see the math behind measuring too. With the clear marking it is easy to count if you have not yet learned to remember the measurements of say how many millimeters in a centimeter.
You can purchase a starter set for $41.25, this includes the workbook, metric and standard rulers and the teacher ruler which is clear so that you could use it with and overhead projector. As a homeschooling family though I would recommend purchasing the standard and metric rulers individually and then the workbook, which would save you some money.
"Master Innovations, Inc. was originally formed with one simple goal in mind, each child in the classroom should own a Master Ruler."
  
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.

Bright Idea Press: Christian Kids Explore Chemistry

30 Lessons in five units
Hands-On Activities: including making model atoms, breaking covalent bonds, and making gas expand.
Chemistry Terms, Notations, and Rules
Unit Reviews
Supplemental Book List
Coloring pages
Comprehensive Glossary
Elements Tables

Answer Keys
Lists for further Biographical Study

This is all you need to teach a strong, basic chemistry course for Junior high and upper elementary students.
Organized and easy-to-use!
Grades 4 – 8, 384 pages.
$39.95 also for $12.95 you can purchase a downloadable student activity guide to make copies for multiple students.

I was eager to get to examine Bright Idea Press Christian Kids Explore Chemistry.  This family owned publishing company has an excellent reputation in the home school community. I have heard a lot about the whole Christian Kid's Explore Science Series written by Robert and Elizabeth Ridlon.
I was not disappointed. Though this is our first foray into chemistry, a subject I know nothing about, the book is well written and very easy to follow. I like the simple explanations and word definitions in the margins. It starts with an introduction to chemistry and progress through atoms, molecules, states of matter and concludes with organic chemistry. While my 5th grade son and I have not completed the book (do to his age we are using it as a reference work to correspond with his earth science studies). We are enjoying reading about the basics of chemistry and doing the "hand-on" activities that go with the chapter we are reading for example for Lesson 18: Salts you do a hands-on experiment to see how acids dissolve calcium carbonate. You will have to get the book to learn more, LOL.
What my son said " The book is very easy to use and understand. I am enjoying the experiments which are easy to do."
Some of the practical skill the book introduces are the scientific method, safe scientific practices and note taking skills (Lesson 4 on the Elements teaches your child to make index cards of the periodic table.)

I appreciate the comments made on the FAQs page to help you make your own decision about where to start the series in your family.

http://brightideaspress.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.

Check out: Corps of Re-Discovery Fringe Pouch Kit

I always like a project for my children that encourages their creativity. I like them to have hands-on TV free activities. This pouch by the Corps of Re-Discovery filled those needs very nicely. My son chose to do this project. He really enjoyed doing the project. He is 11 and was able to do the project on his own. We found the instructions somewhat confusing when it came to attaching the fringe of the bag and the drawstring. Other than that the materials for the bag were all included with the holes pre-punched so that he could sew the bag easily. This bag is $11.99 on its own but can also be purchased in a kit with other "frontier" like items.

The Corps of Re-Discovery is a family owned business that specializes in frontier, American Indian, pioneer and colonial craft kits.



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.

Book Sneeze Review: The American Patriot's Almanac

The stories in this book are part of what Abraham Lincoln called the "mystic chords of memory." So begins the lead in to The American Patriot's Almanac. The Almanac is a daily source of information about history, heroes and achievements that sum up what American history is all about... What drew my interest to this book is my enjoyment of history. I also wanted a resource that I could go to for quick facts. This 560 page book certainly fills that need. Though a  packed resource the Almanac is very interesting reading. The format is broken up into months starting in January and going through December. Each day of the month for the entire year has facts, stories, biographies, newspaper clips, letters, poetry and trivia from American history.  Important documents like the  Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, The Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation are recorded in their entirety.  The reading is pleasant and enjoyable. The format well thought out. This book would make a great gift for a history buff or for use as a reference book.

By William Bennett, John Cribb
Published by Thomas Nelson/Revised edition, 2010

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255