Archive for January, 2009

I’d like to Compliment this book, or is it Complement?

January 26, 2009 · Filed under Books, Educational, Homeschool

In case you didn’t know, compliment and complement are Homophones, words that sound alike but are spelled differently. Honestly I forgot what a homophone was in about 5th grade, so how do I know, because of All About Homophones, (and yes I did use the book to find homophones to use in the title.) So what is All About Homophones, it’s a teaching manual, but they call it a “complete toolkit for teaching homophones.” Truly, I really liked it! It refreshed my memory quickly about homophones, had a great intro, and is a great book for teaching homophones to your kids. Whether you’re a homeschooler or just adding to what your kids learn in school.

It really is a complete toolkit because it includes worksheets, games, riddles, a suggested book list, and more for grades one through eight (or is it ate?) It breaks down many pairs of homophones by grade level, and had some interesting thing thrown in just for fun.  It wasn’t a complicated lesson book, with pages of extra reading to wade through, it got straight to the point, and stayed there for all 250+ pages. It’s well separated by grade level, so it’s easy to use for one grade or several.

At first I thought the price seemed high for some worksheets, but as I continued through the book I saw all it really has to offer. As I continued through I became more and more impressed with it, and thought the price is actually really good, especially for 8 grade levels in one book!

What more can I say, I liked it, I think you will too! My advice though, pay the extra $2 and get the printed version, then you can make copies of individual pages that you need. A $2 savings isn’t much for an e-book in my opinion.  You can order yours, and see sample pages, on the website, All About Homophones. There are some really neat extras on the site too, check out the Homophone Machine!

Stay tuned, I’m reviewing the Spelling Curriculum too, All About Spelling!

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Go Fish!

January 16, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized

And Matching too! Recently I received two items from Alphabet Alley, a company who make Christian toys for kids.  First things first, I don’t really understand their name, I thought it would be educational toys, a learn the alphabet or learn to spell curriculum, or something related to the alphabet! But no, they just have toys, semi-educational toys, but two-by-two-300just toys.  Besides the Go Fish! game and Matching game I received they make blocks, puzzles, and magnetic play sets. My impressions of the products themselves were a bit mixed.  The products were both cute, really cute. The matching game had sturdier pieces then most cardboard games, but it was still cardboard. The Go Fish! cards were also cute, but not really special in any other way. They weren’t super sturdy, they weren’t some unusual size. Really the products are just cute products. If you want your kid to ONLY play with bible items, then they may be good options for you. I like the matching game because it is simply animals, ark, and rainbow, so even non-Christians will be able to play with cute figures.

It bugged me also when I took the Go Fish cards out of the box and found that the box is several sizes to big, and there is a cardboard insert holding them in. Not only is this wasted resources, but storing them is a nightmare. You have to either fit them all in the insert, much to annoying and hard for a child,  or have them rattling around the box.

My general impressions is that they are cute, fun games. To me the prices are  a bit steep. The Go Fish game is $7, just to much to me when similar items can be found just about anywhere for just a few dollars, or even at the dollar store. Their Match games are from $11-15 depending on the number of tiles (a 24 tile set, 12 matches is $11) is really expensive when I know I bought Memory for $7 at Christmas and it includes 72 tiles!

So to sum it up Alphabet Alley DOES have cute toys, and the memory tiles are sturdy, but the prices are steep.  If you want Bible toys, then I recommend it, just be prepared to pay for it.

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Have Resolutions?

January 11, 2009 · Filed under Books, Educational, For Dad, For Mom, Great Gifts, Homeschool

A belated welcome to the new year! If you are like most people you have some resolutions for the year. If your resolution is to clean your house more, or even to get better at math (or if you’re teaching your kid the same things!) check out Trigger Memory Systems. This stuff is neat! I got a few different products to review, and I’ll talk about the more resolution-like one first.

Clean N Flips! This books are simple, step by step guides to cleaning various areas. Okay, so they are intended for kids (and GREAT for them!) but to be honest I know they helped me too! Sure I’m beautiful, eloquent and amazing, but I could definitely be a better tidier! I thought the quick approach they target for kids is also good for busy, or A.D.D (or just absent minded) parents!

They make one for bedroom cleaning, and one for laundry, but let me tell you about the zone cleaning! It features three sections, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Not only can you mark who does each room, but give a time zone of when, AND write in special jobs for certain days. For a time zone you can be detailed, “At 10 A.M” or a little more lenient, “After breakfast!” Some special jobs would be things like bringing in wood for the fireplace on Monday only, or take out the trash on Wednesday. Each zone also has existing  jobs for one day a week, such as vacuuming the living room (actually done twice a week) mopping the kitchen floor, or scrubbing the toilet. Really versatile for families of all sizes. It is also dry erase to highlight steps completed. Which while it serves as a reminder and checklist for kids (and for mom to check behind them) can also serve a good purpose to a new housewife who is adjusting, especially with a baby.

Another product they have, that I truly think is just amazing (where was this when I was a kid?!?) is the Times Tales.  It’s a mnemonic-based way to learn the times tables. Each number3,4,6,7,8, and 9, has a pictured image, for example 8 is Mrs. Snowman.  Then you simply read very quick stories to the kids, without even explaining it is  math.  After the kids know the stories, tell them the points of it. Suddenly the story isn’t just that “Mrs. Snowman stood on her Chair to reach her 3 buttons and 2 mittens.” It’s “Oh 8×4=32!” I think that the stories are cute, quick to remember, and very helpful! Very thick pages, and high quality.

One complaint, and it’s a stupid one, the coiled bindings, like many coiled bindings,  tend to uncoil slowly right out of the book. I had less trouble with the coil on the Times Tales then I did on the smaller cleaning books.  Not such an issue, but worth mentioning.

These products are a great addition to your shelf, and I highly recommend them! The Zone cleaning is $18, and the smaller two cleaning are $8. The Times Tales is $30 and reusable for multiple children! Trigger Memory Systems has other products to for home education, be sure to check them out!

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Let’s get Arty!

January 6, 2009 · Filed under Books, Educational, Homeschool

When I received the Spears Art Studio art curriculum, at first I was really “blah” and didn’t really give it a chance. As an artsy craftsy person I thought it wouldn’t have a lot to offer me.  When I finally gave it a chance I was really impressed! For only $40 you can receive the complete teachers manual for K-8 on cd. (High school is also available) The whole thing is well arranged, and in PDF format. Included in the curriculum is 9 months of art lessons, arranged with one theme per week. Each weeks lesson includes ideas for various grades and skill levels. One thing I love is that the theme is the same, so if you are homeschooling a range of kids they can all create the same item, but at their skill level!

For example, the first week of January is Winter and Snow. First there is a page with the objectives, thoughts on the theme, and recommended images (old painting and drawings to look for that go with the theme.) Then since it is a Christian curriculum it also includes bible verses and a religious inspiration for the theme. If you aren’t religious, have no fear, I think the religious aspect could be overlooked easily and you’d still get a great curriculum for $40! The next page is the art for kindergarten, draw a snowman and add paper accents (mixed media,) then first grade draw a daytime snow scene (teaches drawing dimension.) Second graders  draw a nighttime snow scene, and third graders draw a monochromatic snow scene (using ink!) Fourth graders punch holes in paper with a pin to depict a snow scene, and fifth graders draw a monochromatic scene with coffee! See what I mean? Each child creates somewhat of the same item, and they could all be done at one table, but each child is expanding his skills!

Even as an adult craftsy type this curriculum gave me projects I wanted to do, or techniques I never learned!

Really I was just truly impressed! This one CD is simply SO jam packed with great info and ideas! She rounds off each lesson really well, complete with vocabulary words, and is so detailed in the steps! Each individual lesson, every grade, includes a picture of a finished example. Anytime she mentions something specific (a handhold for a pencil, a certain way to fold paper, etc) a diagram is right there to help you!

If you’re worried about finding the supplies, don’t be! Most are readily available, but she also has a section of her site to easily order through a major art supply retailer. She really simplified the whole process!

Once again you can buy grade K-8 (wow!) on one cd for $40, or high school for $30. She also offers a printed edition, arranged in a notebook, for a higher cost.  I really recommend it! Check it out for yourself (including free sample lessons) at Spears Art Studio!

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