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Review: Talking Fingers (Read, Write & Type!)
My Sweetheart is busy learning to read, so I relish the opportunity to try out programs that will help her build that oh-so-valuable skill. I was especially intrigued by Read, Write & Type because of the typing skills it incorporates. Sweetheart hovered over Super D as he learned to type with a different program and was super excited to have a version of her own. Talking Fingers, Inc kindly gave us a one year subscription, good for multiple users to their program, Read, Write & Type. This is an internet based program, so no downloading is required! Read, Write & Type is ideal for ESL students and works really well for parents…
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Review: Homeschool Copywork
I regularly scour the Internet for copywork and so I was eager to try out the offerings from Homeschool Copywork! They offer three levels of membership, and kindly gave us a Lifetime Membership to their site. I like to incorporate regular copywork into our schooling for a number of reasons. The most obvious is that my kiddos need to practice their handwriting!! Good handwriting doesn’t just come naturally to kids (right?!), and so they need to practice! I well remember learning to write in cursive in 3rd grade, and practicing over and over (and over) again! I also like to give my kids copywork because it gives them…
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5 Days of Tips for Homeschooling Parents: Stretch Your Homeschool Budget!
Look for free curriculum! Lots and lots and lots of sites offer free curriculum! Even some public schools are offering their programs online for free, if you want to go that route. Pinterest is FULL of free curriculum as well and you can find great sites like How to Homeschool for Free. Look for used curriculum! One of my favorite sites to look for used curriculum is HomeschoolClassifieds.com. It pays to look in unusual places if you’re looking for a specific kind of curriculum. I’m part of a yahoo group for Math U See users where they post used materials. I’ve gotten LOTS of our Math U See…
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5 Days of Tips for Homeschooling Parents: Meals Made Simplier
Why does it still surprise me so much of the time? These kiddos want to eat at least 3 meals a day! And, after I’ve fed them a meal, they appear in the kitchen only 30 minutes later, hungry again! They must be growing. Too many times, I get to the end of the day and then remember I have to cook dinner. I know I’m not alone, so I want to share a couple of tips for getting meals on the table. Set aside 15 mins a week to plan your meals! I like to do this on the weekend. Some of you have beautiful…
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Review: FishFlix.com Owlegories DVD
I love the opportunity to receive new Christian movies for the kids to try. Our van has a DVD player, and we love to take family road trips, especially to state parks. We also live about 30 minutes from the city, and so we are in the car a lot! FishFlix.com kindly sent us one of their new releases to review, entitled Owlegories: The Ant, The Fruit, The Butterfly, so we popped it in on a recent road trip to try it out. My kids LOVED this DVD! I wondered if it might be a bit young for Super D (3rd grade), but he is the most…
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Review: Demme Learning’s Math-U-See Digital Packs
Choosing a math curriculum is NOT an easy task. There are a number of good options on the market, but Math-U-See is far and away our favorite. We’ve been using it since Super D was in kindergarten, and he is currently breezing through the Gamma level. We were so excited to have the opportunity to review Demme Learning’s Math-U-See Digital Packs and especially thrilled that Demme Learning generously gave us not only a year’s access to the Delta Level Digital Pack but also surprised us and sent us the student workbook & tests too! Math-U-See is based on the premise that children learn best when they have tactile input…
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Review: Faith Builders Bible
We know it’s important to get our kids in the Word, but it can be challenging, especially when they’re little! We’ve read a lot of Bible storybooks and my Super D, who’s 8 and in the 3rd grade, has really enjoyed his comic strip-like bible. I’m ready for him to really start digging in to the Word, and reading a more in depth version that is full of verses that he can memorize. Zonderkidz sent us their new Faith Builders Bible to review and I believe it fills a needed niche! I’ve looked at a fair amount of Bibles for slightly older kids, and it’s very difficult to…
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Hidden Dangers of Minecraft
Like many of our kids, my oldest is CRAZY about Minecraft! He plays it every time I let him 🙂 and is always telling me stories about what he’s building. He eventually started learning about playing on other servers, and was particularly excited about one called LifeBoat that a neighbor boy showed him. I sat next to him one day while he played and I was HORRIFIED. Not at the game, although it wasn’t my favorite. But at the CHAT feed! It was full of profanity and sexual talk! Thankfully, Super D is still young enough that he doesn’t pay any of that a second glance, but we were getting…
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The Showdown: Tuna vs Salmon and Why You Should Care
Tuna has been a favorite lunch in our household. One can will feed our entire family, so it’s cost effective, and they like the taste! We started researching and learning more about tuna…and so we’ve made some changes to make sure we’re eating the healthiest option! I’ll share what we’ve learned, and give you a ranking of our preferences of canned fish, from best to worst. We are taking three things into consideration: the potential amount of heavy metals in the fish, the type of preservatives used in the processing, and the amount of omega-3’s in each fish. Let’s start with the potential amount of heavy metals. …
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Review: The Birth of Jesus Bible Study
We adore the Grapevine Studies, so when we were offered the opportunity to review another one of their studies, I jumped at the opportunity. They kindly sent us the digital versions of the Birth of Jesus Multilevel, the Traceable, and the Teacher’s Guide. I firmly believe that raising our kids to know the Word of God is one of the best things I can do for them. The Bible has been such a guiding, life-giving influence for me, and I want them to have the same! We are intentional about discipling our kids in a number of ways, and the Grapevine Studies are a fabulous tool for our toolbox.…
