Handwriting is one of those things that we didn’t practice much with Super D.  Confession: He’s in 4th grade and THIS is the year that I explained to him, step by step, the difference between uppercase and lowercase letters, and when to use them.   Homeschool mom fail?  Perhaps.  But, we only had to talk about it for 15 minutes, and he’s pretty much got it down!   Some things do get easier as they get older.   But, there’s still a lot to be said for starting them off right.  Sweetheart, my 1st grader, is still in the process of learning to read AND write.   She loves to…

I love the way audiobooks can bring stories to life and captivate kids!   For the most part, I don’t enjoy reading out loud, so audiobooks are a perfect solution for us!   Heirloom Audio Productions offered us the opportunity to review The Cat of Bubastes this summer.   I’ve been intrigued by their previous productions including In Freedom’s Cause, and so was eager to give this audio adventure a listen.   They sent us a beautiful 2 cd set, containing over 2 hours of audio.  We also received access to the mp3 version of the soundtrack, a colorful illustrated ebook of the original novel by G.A. Henty, a printable copy of…

Kids naturally love to imitate what they see their parents doing!  We love to watch our little ones mimic Mom and Dad, whether it’s something like mowing the yard, putting on jewelry, or clomping around the house in oversized shoes.   Our kids are tech savvy earlier and earlier, and so naturally they want to copy us in that area too!   The Internet can be a scary, scary place though and it’s easy for our kids to unwittingly stumble into trouble.   KidsEmail.org is working to change that, and we at the Homeschool Review Crew had the opportunity to review their Annual Subscription. We’ve all had inboxes full of…

We LOVE Apologia Educational Ministries at this house, so I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to review their Exploring Creation with Astronomy course.    We have reviewed both their Field Trip Journal and their Writers in Residence program before and have really liked them, so we had high expectations for this product too.   Apologia did not disappoint! Apologia sent us materials for their Exploring Creation with Astronomy, 2nd Edition, which included the following materials: * Student Text * Notebooking Journal * Jr. Notebooking Journal * Audio CD The student text is a very nice, full color, hardcover book.  It reminds me of a textbook, but it’s very…

I love exploring tools to help my kids learn how to spend time with God.  Now that my oldest can read, there are more and more possibilities open to him!   I was excited when Spiritual Circle Journal asked us to review their new Spiritual Circle Journal for Kids & Teens. This journal is a nice size, 8.5 x 11″ landscape.  It has a clear plastic cover, with a card stock inside cover.  I love the thoughtfulness of the Spiritual Circle Journal team; they also included a blank cover so that kids can personalize their own. The journal includes 3 pages of a Parent/Teacher/Leader Guide to help parents and ministry…

Enlivenze LLC sent us a fun puzzle to try over summer break! We took it with us on a road trip, to ensure that the kids had time to sit still and really play with it. We reviewed their FlipStir puzzle called Solar System.  FlipStir Puzzles have won numerous awards from organizations like Dr. Toys, The National Parenting Center, Creative Child Awards, Brain Child, and lots more. The puzzle is self-contained and includes the solution image both on the box and on the bottom of the puzzle.   My kids wanted it to come open so they could move the pieces with their fingers, or add a drink!  I appreciate…

I really want my kids to be able to speak Spanish competently, since a lot of doors have opened for me, both in business and ministry, because I can speak and translate a basic level of Spanish.   Because of this priority, I tend to jump at opportunities to review foreign language programs.   Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids kindly sent us their complete Spanish Starter Set 1, and it’s a robust kit! Our box included: DVD with videos for Levels 1-3 Three Parent-Teacher Guides which sets out a detailed lesson plan, with a suggested viewing schedule and a variety of fun, supplemental and hands on activities to choose…