20 Best Tips

Bertie’s War ~ Kregel Publications {Review}

Jan182010
January 18, 2010 by Leave a Comment

From the Publisher

Everything has been going wrong for Bertie lately.
  No matter how hard she tries to do and say the right thing, Bertie keeps tumbling into embarrassing–and sometimes dangerous–situations. Her stern father has too many rules, her know-it-all sister won’t stop teasing her, and her mischievous younger brother keeps getting into trouble. But what makes her really afraid are those Communist missiles pointed right at the U.S. As Bertie starts seventh grade in the fall of 1962, news of these missiles throws the nation into a panic and Bertie suddenly feels completely out of control. Can Bertie confront an ugly truth about herself and face her fears–once and for all?

About the Publisher & Author

Kregel Publications is a Christian company that is dedicated to providing books, videos and other resources for the spiritual growth of readers worldwide. Currently, they have over 900 titles available in print, for children up to adult age.

Barbara Blakely is a familiar name in homeschool circles and a nationally recognized speaker. She is the also the author of Total Language Plus, a literature-based language arts program.

My Thoughts

Bertie’s War was above our girls reading level {recommended ages are 10-14}, so I was the one who sat down to read it. I’m not aware of many juvenile fiction books that focus on the cold-war era, so I was interested to read the book. The setting is the fall of 1962 and follows a young girl named Bertie as she walks through her many fears.

While the topic interested me, I had a rather difficult time really getting into the book itself. The book itself is well written, but it wasn’t one that I personally enjoyed. However, because of the era of history that it covers, it would be a book to consider adding to learn more about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Discussion questions for Bertie’s War as well as a teacher’s guide are also available for download from the Total Language Plus website.

Find Out More

Bertie’s War is available from Kregel Publications for $7.99. If you would like to learn more about Kregel Publications and see some of the other books that the company offers, visit their site and browse through their many books.

Click on the Homeschool Crew banner to read other reviews about this product.


This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have
to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post.
All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Photobucket

{ Leave a Comment }
Filed Under: Opinions and Reviews Leave a Comment

Maestro Classics: Stories in Music {Review}

Dec182009
December 18, 2009 by Leave a Comment
image
Maestro Classics is a company dedicated to presenting wonderful music and fun stories to children. Their Stories in Music series feature classic children’s tales set to recordings by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Stories in Music has three main goals:
  1. Expand listening and musical horizons ~ listening to complex musical patterns has been shown to stimulate brain development.
  2. Develop listening skills and accumulate musical memories. Each CD provides background information on the various composers, the classical work, historical information and a little booklet for children to read through.
  3. Encourage children and adults to listen to music together ~ listening is becoming a lost art…and these CD’s make it fun.

We received The Tortoise and the Hare Set {$16.98} to listen to and review. Each Stories in Music set includes a CD, story, activity booklet and extra tracks. Our CD had 7 tracks on it {53 minutes}:

  1. The Tortoise and the Hare ~ a story read by Yanu and music by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
  2. About the Story
  3. Pretzel Vendor of Paris Song
  4. About the Music
  5. Now that You Know a Little More…
  6. Prepare to Perform
  7. Pretzel Vendor of Paris Sing-Along {Accompaniment Only}

Maestro Classics offers quite a few stories in the series: Casey at Bat, The Story of Swan Lake, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Peter and the Wolf, Juanita the Spanish Lobster, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and The Tortoise and the Hare. Each CD set is $16.98 or 3 for $45.

On the site you can listen to samples of the CD’s before you purchase them and also download lesson plans to use along with Mike Mulligan and Casey at Bat. The website also offers answers to the questions in the activity books.

Our kids really enjoy classical music and stories, so this was a big hit in our house! Listening time for us comes while we are traveling in the car or sitting at the table eating and we enjoyed listening to the story as it was set to music ~ enough that we are going to request that our library order the CD sets! If you’d like more information on Maestro Classics or are interested in purchasing some of their CD sets, visit their site and have fun browsing!

Click on the Homeschool Crew banner to read other reviews about this product.

This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Photobucket

{ Leave a Comment }
Filed Under: Opinions and Reviews Leave a Comment

Mathletics and 3P Learning {Review}

Dec162009
December 16, 2009 by 1 Comment

low_mathletics

There are times in our day {especially when trying to balance teaching four kids} that there are some lapses between subjects. We have different activities we use to fill the gaps, and lately Mathletics has been the girl’s activity of choice.

About Mathletics

3P Learning has developed an online curriculum~based math program called Mathletics that has over 750 learning games for children grades Kindergarten to 8th grade. The site offers 24 hour support and access to everyone. Essentially ~ it’s pretty amazing.

Before starting the program, children create an avatar to represent themselves ~ hair color, face shape, eyes, nose, etc… Once the avatar is created, the fun begins!

The instructional part of Mathletics has children work through age-appropriate math concepts in different areas {workbooks are also available as a pdf download for additional practice}. Children choose an area to focus on and are offered ten questions/problems to solve in each section. As they answer the question, they are given immediate feedback {correct/incorrect} and finish the remaining problems.

Based on how many questions they answer correctly, they are rewarded with points which they can later use to ‘purchase’ features to personalize their avatar. While working through the problems, children are able to get step-by-step directions if needed. Once a section is completed, children can move on to another section.

To give you an idea of what Mathletics covers, here are the main areas in the third grade course:

Mathletics 1

Features I Liked

  • Parents have the ability to track their child’s progress ~ can see what topics have been covered and how they are doing
  • Questions in topic areas get harder as a child answers them correctly
  • INSTANT feedback on answers ~ children know right away if they answered a problem correctly
  • Rewards and certificates when children make progress
  • Parents can set areas for their children to focus on {in the parent resource center}
  • Student workbooks and answer keys to download for additional practice {not all grade levels are currently provided}

I am thrilled because Mathletics clued me into something about Laurianna’s learning style and needs. While I know that she is competitive, it can take forever for her to finish a math worksheet….sometimes pushing an hour to answer seemingly simple questions. When playing Mathletics, she was flying through similar questions. The reason? Instant feedback on her answers helped her move along quickly and gave her confidence in herself!

Our Learning Time

DSC07577Laurianna was the first one to try out Mathletics. To say that she liked it would be an understatement. One game quickly turned into two, and kept going and going. Especially when she realized that she was able to compete against other kids in the US and in the world ~ then it became sheer competition to get the most points. At one point she did make it to 3rd in the world…after a total of almost 6 hours playing the math games.

After playing a few games she was able to check out the main screen and see her overall ranking. The instant gratification for her was amazing.Laurianna’s excitement was contagious and soon McKenna DSC07578was asking to have a turn playing along. Between the both of them, they logged in more computer time that week than I think they have in FOREVER. They enjoyed it that much. Especially changing their little avatars and buying new accessories to ‘pretty’ themselves up.

Knowing that our trial period is almost up has been a little saddening for the girls ~ and they’ve enjoyed it so much we are seriously considering a year-long subscription to Mathletics. Our only hesitation is that we have have to buy one for each of the girls ~ there aren’t any family subscriptions, so it would be $49.95 per child.

For some reason I had difficulty opening pdf files from Mathletics in my Firefox browser. Customer service was more than willing to help out, but I was able to use Internet Explorer to open the files without problems. Apparently it was only my computer giving me issues though since others haven’t had the same problem and the software is actually tested using Firefox.

Find Out More

If you are interested in a subscription to Mathletics, you might want to know the answer to a key question ~ it’ll save you $10! The human calculator’s favorite number? 9.

Click on the Homeschool Crew banner to read other reviews about this product.


This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Photobucket

{ Leave a Comment }
Filed Under: Opinions and Reviews 1 Comment

Pick and Draw

Dec142009
December 14, 2009 by Leave a Comment

 

image

If you are looking for a stocking stuffer for your kids that will also add some fun and creativity to their day, you REALLY need to check out Pick and Draw. It may look like a simple deck of cards, but it is a drawing game that teaches you how to draw creative faces and sparks creativity in kids {and adults}.

About the Game {and Rich Davis}

Even if you don’t think you can draw, you can play this game! The deck has step-by-step instruction cards, 45 sturdy ‘drawing’ cards to use while playing, and comes in a hard plastic storage case. The game itself…

  • uses basic shapes that anyone can draw {even our just 5 year old was playing along}
  • is easy to play ~ we were playing in less than 5 minutes
  • needs only basic tools to play ~ a pencil and paper
  • gets the creativity flowing!

Rich Davis is the creator of the game and also an illustrator of children’s books. If you’ve ever read any Tiny {the barn-sized dog} books by Cari Meister, Rich is the illustrator of those {and other} books.

As I was flipping through the Pick and Draw deck today, I noticed something that I somehow missed at first. There is one card in the deck that talks about the Greatest Artist ~ the One who made each one of us. I’m going to use a quote from Rich that sums everything up ever-so-nicely.

“I have made this Pick and Draw game so that you and I can draw together. I want it to be fun for you and I think you will be surprised how well you can draw. Your ability to create is a gift from God. So grab your paper and pencil and let’s draw!”

~ Rich Davis

Playing with Pick and Draw

When our kids saw the word ‘Draw’ they wanted to play it right away, but we managed to hold them off until after dinner time so that we could all sit down together and play.

IMG_2599

The deck of cards {$10} has five different colored sets for different parts of the character ~ face, nose, eyes, mouth, and hair. All the cards start out face down and you flip over each character piece one at a time and draw that piece. You can choose to draw each ‘piece’ as large or as small as you want, making it your very own character.

IMG_2598IMG_2600

Our favorite part? Naming them! I was ready to prompt the kids to name their creations, but the girls had already put names on their papers. The more we kept playing, the funnier the names got ~ but the stories of their creations were WONDERFUL!

Seeing the differences between all of our characters was a riot. We played about 6 games before it was time for bed, but only with the promise that the kids could play first thing in the morning! And no kidding, they played together for almost an hour in the morning, coming up with more silly stories and faces.

Pick and Draw Review1

This is definitely something that we are going to use in our school time because I LOVE the creativity and stories that were coming out of my kids. Even though they had a ‘template’ to go by, they were learning about drawing and getting those creative juices flowing!

 

Disclaimer: Thank you to Rich @ Pick and Draw for providing the review products. This review is based on my own experiences and gives my honest opinion.

{ Leave a Comment }
Filed Under: Giveaways, Opinions and Reviews Leave a Comment

Giveaway #3 ~ Flirty Apron

Dec92009
December 9, 2009 by Leave a Comment

1500 Subscriber Banner

This Giveaway is now CLOSED

My Sweet Dreams Baby has generously donated the cutest Flirty Apron to one of my readers! Please read through this post for the complete details on this giveaway!

sweet dreams baby

It doesn’t matter how hard I try NOT to ~ I always manage to spill something on myself when cooking. I have more shirts that have stains on them because of my kitchen mishaps than I really care to mention. Last year I became a HUGE fan of aprons ~ especially full aprons that cover much more ‘mess’ area on me! Would it be wrong to say I’m even addicted to my apron?

BlackapronMy Sweet Dreams Baby sent me one of gorgeous Flirty Aprons in the Sassy Black pattern ~ and I LOVE it! The aprons are available in adult or child sizes {so you can get matching ones for you and your little cooks!} and come in a variety of six fabrics.

What I love about the Flirty Apron

  • Apron is 100% cotton and machine washable
  • Pockets!! The front of the apron has double pockets for me to drop something in and have it nearby {like my kitchen timer!}
  • Long ties so I can wrap it around if I want to tie it in front or tie it in the back. The neck also ties, making it adjustable {which I love since I’m taller}.
  • Apron is double layered and has a coordinating fabric on the back
  • It is CUTE!! and it makes me feel a little bit sassy {that Sassy Black will do that to you!}
  • My husband really likes it. ‘Nuf said…Kidschocolatepink

The price is great too. When I purchased fabric to make an apron last year, the fabric alone {never mind the time to make it} was a lot more than having this one already made! And I love that you can have matching mom and daughter aprons!

How cute would the Chocolate Pink apron be for a little helper? I know that our girls would love them!

Find Out More

The Flirty Aprons can be ordered up until December 20th in order to get it in time for Christmas. Use the code homeschoolcreations and you’ll get 10% off your order!!

Aprons aren’t the only thing that My Sweet Dreams Baby offers. They also have a site full of other great products for babies, children and moms ~ backpacks, kid’s costumes, personalized baby gifts, and so much more. Some great gift ideas for last minute Christmas shopping!

The Giveaway!!

My Sweet Dreams Baby is giving away a FLIRTY APRON to one of my readers ~ for either an adult or child! There are several ways for you to enter this giveaway, but there is one mandatory first entry: visit the My Sweet Dreams Baby site and let me know which fabric pattern you would pick for your apron!

If you would like to earn extra entries {you can earn 4 extra entries}, leave a comment for each of the following:

  • If you are a subscriber to my blog, give yourself an extra entry! Thanks so much! If you don’t subscribe, hop on board and leave a comment. :)

  • Look over the My Sweet Dreams Baby site ~ let me know something else that catches your eye and give yourself an extra entry.

  • Follow My Sweet Dreams Baby on Twitter ~ they are new, so welcome them and give them a little follower boost!

  • Twitter about this contest and let me know your twitter name so I can follow you too!

This giveaway will be open until Thursday, December 17th until 8pm and I will announce the winner by Saturday, December 19th. Please be sure there is a way for me to contact you ~ otherwise I will draw another winner. Note: US Residents only, please!

Photobucket

Disclaimer: Thank you to My Sweet Dreams Baby for providing the review and giveaway products. This review is based on my own experiences and give my honest opinion.

{ Leave a Comment }
Filed Under: Giveaways, Opinions and Reviews Leave a Comment

Giveaway #2 ~ Jotham’s Journey

Dec72009
December 7, 2009 by Leave a Comment

1500 Subscriber Banner

This Giveaway is now CLOSED!

Arnold Ytreeide, author of the Jotham’s Journey trilogy, has donated a copy of Jotham’s Journey and also Bartholomew’s Passage for two of my readers! Please read through for the complete details on this great giveaway!

BartCover-125-Square

Last year our family was introduced to a wonderful advent book for families, called Jotham’s Journey. The book had originally been published years ago and gone out of print ~ until last year when the series began to be republished. There are three books in the Advent trilogy and each book is written in a devotional style for families to sit down together and read a bit of the suspenseful story each day and then finish with a short devotional story. The books can be read in a 3 year cycle, each one telling a story from a different child’s perspective, but resulting in the same thing ~ an exciting retelling of the Christmas story.

I will admit that I get pulled into the story {and even read ahead!!}. The stories are targeted for children ages 9-12, but we started reading them last year with our girls {ages 6 and 7} and they LOVED them. This year as we’ve been reading the second book in the series, Bartholomew’s Passage, they are remembering the characters from the book last year and beginning to see how they all fit together.

Jotham’s Journey

The first book in the series follows Jotham, a ten year old boy, as he searches for his family after he had run away in anger. During his trip to find his family, Jotham is helped by many different people and makes many new friends, ultimately bringing him to Bethlehem during the height of the census time.

Bartholomew’s Passage

The second book in the series follows the story of Bartholomew after his town is raided by Roman soldiers and he is sold as a slave. He is rescued by a Fool and begins an exciting travel that leads him to Bethlehem…I’d tell you more, but we’re in the midst of reading this one!!

Tabitha’s Travels

This last book in the trilogy focuses on Tabitha and is scheduled to be re-released in the Summer/Fall of 2010. Jotham meets Tabitha in his travels and this book tells the story from her perspective. {We can’t wait for this one either!}.

Note: While older children may be okay with some of the content, there are some situations in the stories that are a little more intense for younger listeners. When reading to our kids, I would either pre-read or scan the stories, editing out anything that was too much for them at the time.

The Giveaway!!

Arnold Ytreeide has donated two different books ~ Jotham’s Journey and Bartholomew’s Passage and I will draw a winner for each of the titles. There are several ways for you to enter this giveaway, but there is one mandatory first entry: leave a comment here letting me know if your family celebrates Advent together or if you have any traditions for Advent {it’s okay if you don’t!!}.

Note: US Residents only, please!

If you would like to earn extra entries {you can earn 2 extra entries}, leave a comment for each of the following:

  • If you are a subscriber to my blog, give yourself an extra entry! Thanks so much! If you don’t subscribe, hop on board and leave a comment. :)
  • Head over to the JerichoQuill site and find out what the special family Easter adventure is ~ come back here and leave a comment letting me know what it is! {it’s one that I am keeping an eye out for since it hasn’t been released yet!}

This giveaway will be open until Monday, December 14th until 8pm and I will announce the winner by Wednesday, December 16th. Please be sure there is a way for me to contact you ~ otherwise I will draw another winner.

Photobucket
I own this product and was not paid for this post.
All opinions expressed in this post are mine.
{ Leave a Comment }
Filed Under: Giveaways, Opinions and Reviews Leave a Comment