New Look for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has gone digital!  Ok I'm a little behind the times.  The magazine went digital a few months ago.  I have to admit, I was not happy about this when I heard.  Every quarter I really looked forward to that wonderful magazine in my mailbox.  Grabbing a cup of coffee to curl up on the couch to read through it.



I never (I mean ever) thought I would want to read this magazine any other way.  Until now!

I can still curl up on the couch with my Kindle Fire to read the magazine.  Although I'm a bit more careful when it comes to drinking my coffee around it.  The colors are SO vibrant and beautiful. 

The magazines are available every month now.  When they were in print they were sent 4 times a year.  Now they are sent monthly!  How great is that.  No more waiting for the next quarter. 

One of the features I really like is that there are a ton of links throughout the magazine.  Starting at the table of contents.  You find the article you want to read and just tap it....

And away you go.  Right to the article you want to read.  So convenient and easy.

There are videos throughout the magazine as well.  As long as you have Internet access you can watch the videos with no problems.  You will also find Internet links all over.  I don't know about you...but so many times I'm reading through the magazine and say "I really have to go visit that website."  Then when I have time to go to the website...I have forgotten where or even what it was!!  So frustrating.   Now it's right there for me at anytime.

Another advantage to digital magazines and books....it is much easier to move a small lightweight Kindle than it is to move a whole room full of books.  (smile)

If you have been wanting to read a great homeschooling magazine.  The Old Schoolhouse is one you really must check out.  I have been reading this magazine since we began homeschooling 6 years ago.  It's the longest we have subscribed to any one magazine ever. 

Amazing Science~TOS Review

Science and Math website has a new DVD!  It's called Amazing Science.  The DVD's come in a 2 disc set.   The DVD's sell on their website for $19.95.  They also have a Math Tutor DVD as well, available on their website.  Also, when you sign up via their website for updates you will get FREE science and math videos.

Here is the DVD trailer...

Now back to the DVD's.  Like I mentioned the DVD's come in a set of 2 discs.  There are 23 science experiments in the set.

DISK 1 contains the following experiments:

Color Changing Milk

Egg in a Bottle

Exploring Air Pressure

Build a Lemon battery

Inverted Cup of Water

Candle Suction Power

Amazing Magnetic Force

Lift and Ice Cube with String

Unburnable Money

Matchstick Speedboat

Cloud in a Bottle

Reversing an Image with Water

DISK 2

Floating Eggs

Keeping Paper Dry Under Water

Dry Ice Bubbles

Balloon in a Candle Flame

Ocean in a Bottle

Build a Motor with Lights

Simple Lava Lamp

Invisible Ink

Density Tower

Soda Can Fizz

Build a Motor #2

OUR THOUGHTS:

These are the most amazing science experiments I have ever seen.  Not so much what the experiments do but how easy this makes teaching science.  When this arrived in the mail the kids fought politely talked among themselves about what experiment to do first.  I have never seen our children so excited to do science as I have been this past month.  Although I have caught them watching this DVD after hours I try not to complain about that.  As long as they are learning.  And learn is what they have done.  All of the concepts are explained in detail in the videos so they will learn science just by watching.  I highly recommend this DVD!  We are going to look into the Math Tutor ones for next year as our children struggle in that area.

Disclaimer: We were sent this product free in exchange for our honest review. 

To see what my other crewmates are saying about this go on over to the Crew Blog.

God's Great Covenant~TOS Review

God's Great Covenant is a new Bible curriculum from Classical Academic Press.  It is written for grades 4th and up.  In this course children will learn about Jesus from the cradle to the cross.  It uses stories, worksheets, memory verses, devotional guides, quizzes and a little boy named Simon. 

There are four units in this study:

Unit 1: Jesus, the Son of Man, Has Come...To Live Among His People.

Unit 2: Jesus, God's Servant, Has Come...To Proclaim the Good News.

Unit 3: Jesus, the Messiah, Has Come...To teach About God's Kingdom.

Unit 4: Jesus, the Son of God, Has Come...To Conquer Sin and Death.

Within each unit there are individual chapters.  In each chapter there is a Lesson Theme...for example in Chapter 8 the lesson theme is..."The Son of Man satisfies man's spiritual thirst."

Each chapter consists of:

Theme~What is this chapter about.

Scripture~What Scripture references are in the chapter.

Memory Passage~Memorization

Key Facts~From the chapter.

Prophecy Fulfilled~Prophecy from the Old Testament that have been fulfilled.

Story Time~Lesson materials.

Worksheets~These are to review what was covered in the lesson.

Chapter Quiz~Test to see what was learned.

Read a SAMPLE lesson on their website.

Available from their website is:

Student Worktext~ $26.96

 Teacher's Edition ~ $29.95

Audio Files ~ $9.95

OUR THOUGHTS:

Classical Academic Press does it again!!  Just because something is written for children does not mean it needs to be cute little stories where everything looks bright and cheery.  I love that in some of the spots in the lesson, the words are explained and defined.  Hebrew and Greek is touched upon in this curriculum.  Everything is explained in a way that any child or adult can understand it.  You do not find that very often in Bible a curriculum.  You either have something that speaks way down to children, or way up to adults...if that makes any sense. 

I am looking forward to going through this more next year.  This can also be used as a family Bible time study.

Disclaimer~~I was sent this curriculum free as a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew in exchange for my honest review.

To see what my other crewmates said about this head on over to the Homeschool Crew blog.

Christian Kids Explore Science-Earth and Space (TOS Review)

Christian Kids Explore is published by Bright Ideas Press.   There are a number of books to choose from:

Chemistry~$39.95

Biology~$34.95

Earth and Space~$34.95

Physics~$39.95

Each book contains 24 lessons and 6 unit reviews.  Each lesson is scheduled to be completed in one week.  You will need to schedule enough time in the week to complete the lessons, about 60-90 minutes for 2 days.  Every lesson has a teaching time and hands on time.  It is best to separate the days, one for a teaching day and the other for hands on activities.

Teaching Time:

Depending on the level of your child...you can read the lesson to them, or they can read it themselves.  After the lesson is read have your child complete the "Daily Reading Sheet".   Each lesson has a vocabulary list.  You can place these on 3x5 cards for easy review. 

Hands On Time:

Most children learn best with hands on activities.  It is hard for the children to just sit and listen to facts being read off of a page.  Making the lessons fun is key.  This section is where you will do the science experiments.

Timeline Activity:

These are shown at the beginning of the unit.   These are used to add to your child's knowledge of what is being studied.  This will also give you a start for extra research if you so desire.

Coloring Pages:

There is one page per unit.  The drawings are full of detail.  Everyone will enjoy coloring these pages.

Unit Wrap-up and Show what you Know!:

This is just what it says, wrap up.  Here you will find review and a quiz.  The review will give the students an opportunity to write a short summary of what was learned.  There is a form in the appendix section for this as well called "Write About it!".  After writing out what they have learned they can place it in their science notebook.

Reproducibles:

There are a number of forms for you to copy as you wish.  "Daily Reading Sheets, Checking it Out, Write About It!, Coloring Pages, Show What You Know." 

 Our Thoughts:

We thoroughly enjoyed this study.   When we first got the book in the mail I thought WOW this book is huge.  It has about 360 pages of science goodness to it!!  We followed the schedule suggested in the front of the book (page xxviii).  We reviewed the memory work, discussed what we had already learned, covered the new lesson, filled out our reading sheets to put in our notebooks, reviewed vocabulary and read library books on Tuesdays.  Then the next science day we pretty much reviewed the lessons again and were able to get our hands dirty with experiments.  My favorite part of the whole book...S.C.R.I.P.T.U.R.E through out!!  The lessons are very simple and easy to teach. 

Disclaimer: As a member of TOS Review Crew I was sent this book free in exchange for my honest review.

To see what my other crew mates are saying go on over to The Homeschool Crew blog.

AIMS-From Head to Toe~TOS Review

Activities Integrating Math and Science

AIMS (Activities Integrating mathematics and Science) Education Foundation began in 1981 with a grant from the National Science Foundation.  It is a non-profit organization that publishes hands-on instructional materials that build a great understanding of the subject. 

I Hear and I Forget,

I See and I Remember,

I Do and I Understand.

~ Chinese Proverb

As the title says, this company produces Math and Science curriculum.  You can purchase any of their programs through their online store.

As a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew we were sent Head to Toe to use.

Just as the title of the book suggests, From Head to Toe, your student will learn just that.  You start out at the top and work your way down.   Each lesson is very well organized.  The lessons consists of:

Topic~What are we learning about?

Key Question~This is like a thesis statement of the lesson.

Learning Goals~What the student will know after the lesson.

Guiding Documents~Not really sure what these are. 

Science~What subject is covered.

Integrated Processes~Comprehensive skills worked on.

Materials~What you need for this lesson.

Background Information~Introduction of the lesson.

Management~What the teacher needs to do.

Procedure~Step by step of lesson.

Connecting Learning~Questions to ask students for review.

Extensions~Extras for the lesson.

Internet Connections~Internet resources.

Solutions~Shows the teacher the parts learned.

I loved how easy the lessons were to teach.  Most of the time all I had to do was prepare the copies and the kids were able to go over the lesson themselves.  We added a few library books for them to really study each topic. 

All of the materials needed for each of the lessons were things we could easily find.  I love that!  Most science books we have used required a lot of fancy equipment.

I do not mind the time it took to prepare the lessons.  I liked that the kids were able to be on their own and explore the lessons.  Our children learn more if they are able to learn that way.  Just like the Chinese Proverb I posted at the beginning of this post.  Seeing, feeling and touching will really help make something stick with a child.

This curriculum sells for $24.95 at their online store.

Disclaimer~As a member of TOS Homeschool Crew we were sent this free in exchange for our honest review.

To see what my crew mates are saying about AIMS go on over to the Crew Blog.

Write with World (TOS Review)

Write with World is a writing curriculum designed for middle school students.  The publishers of this curriculum are also the ones who publish God's World News and WORLD Magazine.  The magazine publishers are branching out and publishing a writing curriculum.  Seems logical to me.  They have been one of the top Christian news magazines around (in my honest opinion).  The Homeschool Crew was sent the pilot program of year one for review.  You have no idea how thrilled I was.  Now a little about the curriculum.

Write with World was developed by education and media professionals for middle school students (grades 6-9).  If a student struggles with writing in high school this would be a great one to use.    Not only will the student learn writing...they will also learn critical thinking.  Students learn how to write with a purpose.

The curriculum covers the following:

Concepts of comparative and critical reading.

Writing fundamentals

Narratives

Reporting

Reviewing

Critique and Opinion

You can see the full table of contents HERE.

The Write with World website also has a sample lesson you can view.

This is a brand new writing curriculum that will ship out to customers this summer.  The cost of the curriculum is $95 for one year curriculum, or $165 when both first and second year books are purchased together.

Here is what we thought about it...

Usually when I say, "Ok it's time for writing", I am met with all kinds of groans and moans.  Our children are not usually fans of workbooks.  Frankly neither am I.  It seems so "school-like".  Not that there is anything wrong with that...just not for our family.

So when the kids saw the workbook sitting on the desk they immediately moaned and groaned.  I said, "Oh please just humor me!"  They could not stop looking at the book.  Everything was broken down into very small sections.  At the beginning of each lesson you will find a black box with materials needed.  These are usually the same with a few added things like pictures or a magazine.  Children will keep a "Writers Journal" throughout the year.  This is a great idea...you can see how the writing progressed throughout the school year. 

The curriculum is listed as being for middle school students.  But we used this with our 17 year old.

The best part of this is it is not filled with "boring" writing activities.  Each lesson is fun (directly from our 17 year old-I-do-not-like-writing-at-all daughter).  In lesson one the student is asked to describe a picture.  Get to know the subject of what you are writing about.  It was like a light bulb went off in our 17 year old-I-do-not-like-writing-at-all daughter.  She is now our 17 year old-I-do-not-mind-writing-at-all daughter.  We are going to use this fully next year.  I look forward to her becoming our blossoming writer by the end of next year!!

You can visit the crew blog to see what other's had to say about this as well.

Disclaimer: As a member of TOS Review Crew I recieved this free in exchange for my hones review.

TruthQuest History~TOS Review

TruthQuest History is a literature based history study.  This is not just a what happened in history course.  This is a study that will "seek God's truth...embedded in the flow of history."  This history course will take on a life of it's own.  Your kids will look forward to history class.  They will not only learn history...they will live it.

Each child is different....that is nothing new to anyone.  Each child learns differently as well.  TruthQuest History helps you (the teacher/parent) teach your child history in a fun and informative way....with books!!  The book list for each topic is exhaustive.  Do not feel you need to use every book on the list.  That is the joy of this program.

The program we were sent for review purposes was TruthQuest History for Young Students III~ 1865-2000+

From the Wild West to World War II...the Wright Brothers to the Vietnam War...Artic Explorers to the tragic September 11.  Topics to keep you knee deep in history for a long time.   If you would like to see a list of topics you can go to their website HERE.  You can view a sample HERE.

WHERE TO PURCHASE:

You can purchase this curriculum on the website:

For a printed copy....$29.95

For a PDF copy...$24.95

OUR THOUGHTS:

We loved this curriculum!!  At first glance I thought...oh this is a nice list of books to use for unit studies.  BOY was I mistaken.  This is SO much more than just a nice list....it is that and much more.

So far we have studied pioneers...we have studied them many times before but never like this.  Not only is this a book list...but it is a time saver as well.  All the hard work is done for you.  We have done a lot of unit studies in our years of home schooling.  It has taken me many hours of planning and searching in order to teach them properly.  This is all done for you.

We also studied the history of Trains.  So with our book list in hand we headed out to the library.  We came home with...

The sight of books is pure joy to me.  The kids could not wait to get home and start reading these books.  Many of the topics also have some movies to go along with the topic you are covering.

I love that I did not have to stand or just read "boring" history facts to the kids.  They were able to read about it and actually live it through the books.

Our children are old enough that they can just grab a book and go to their favorite reading spot.  Nothing warms my heart more than to see my children with a book in their hand.

So if you want history to bring a smile to your child's face...you H.A.V.E to check out TruthQuest History.

Disclaimer: I received a PDF copy of TruthQuest History free in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

To see what the other Crew members are saying go on over to the Crew Blog.

Progeny Press~TOS Review

Progeny Press Study Guides has over 100 guides to choose from!

Written for children in grades Kindergarten thru High School

Cost: $10.99 for the younger student thru $21.99 for the high school student.

Progeny Press study guides for literature are designed to help your student enjoy the classics.  Not only will your student learn about the story itself, but also how a book was written.  Each guide is written from a Christian Perspective.  Showing your student how to go back to the Bible in a parallel with the story they are reading.

The goal of Progeny Press is to teach children to think clearly, understand literature, rely on Scripture for truth and values.  They also want children to have FUN while doing it.

We were sent via email a download of:

Pride and Prejudice is one that we have read over and over here.  So when we were given the guide to go along with it we were thrilled!  Not only did we get to re-read one of our favorite books, not we will be diving right into it...studying it!

Each study guide has a way of transporting the reader right into the story by making you really think like the characters in the story.  I love how these did that.  We had so many wonderful discussions about how they lived and acted back in the day the story took place.

BEST of all...we enjoyed the Scripture searching we did!  We talked about pride, humility, judging others and much more.

We also were sent:

I have to admit.  I had never heard of this book until this review.  I was thrilled to get this one because our son love everything Civil War!  And I knew he would be more than happy to pick up a book and read more about it. 

This book was about the Creighton family as the war between the states approaches.  The Creightons and their neighbors in southern Illinois have friends and relatives on both sides of the war.  The younger sons look forward to the war and all the excitement that comes along with it.  But the older sons know better.  The war breaks out and all the sons head off to battle.  Sadly they find that the war has divided their family and friends.  When tragedy strikes the family nine-year old Jethro finds himself in the position of man of the house. 

This was a great book!  One that we really enjoyed reading. 

The beginning of the guide has a "Prereading Activity" page.  Here is where we talked about the civil war.  We researched the causes of the Civil War.  After each chapter section we have vocabulary words we go over.  I like how they are broken up into small groups.  That way the student is not overwhelmed with the words.  It gives them a chance to actually learn them.  The most difficult part of this study was putting the book down. 

We talked about the characters of the story.  The setting where the story took place.  We tried to make ourselves feel what the characters were feeling.  Then again as I mentioned in the Pride and Prejudice study, we also "Dig Deeper" into Scripture.  I cannot say enough about how much I love this.  If we can always point our children back to Scripture then we know they will have that great foundation to handle what they will face.

You can see a sample of the kinds of questions in the guides on their website.

You can also view their online catalog for more information.



The Art of Argument~TOS Review

Classical Academic Press publishes different curriculum.  Their moto is "Classical Subjects Creatively Taught".  The company was formed in 2001.  In the following year they published their first book "Latin for Children, Primer A.  The rest they say is history.  The curriculum they publish are Latin, Greek, Spanish, and French.  They also publish Bible, Logic and Poetry.

As a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew we were sent The Art of Argument an Introduction to the Informal Fallacies.

We were sent the student text.

And...

Teacher Edition

This curriculum is designed for Junior High students.  The Art of Argument is designed to teach the argumentative teenager how to reason with clarity, relevance and purpose. This is the time in their life when they really want to know the how and why.  Children in this age group are a target group for advertisers.  The Art of Argument teaches your Junior High student to recognize and identify 28 fallacies.  They will also be taught how to recognize the sneaky way companies use words to trap them into purchasing their product.

The student text includes:

Dialogs

Worksheets

Real life application

Phony Advertisements

Dialect discussion questions

Tests

Many fun extras like: skits, and famous short stories

We were also sent a DVD that showed the first 6 chapters and an introduction.  The DVD has 4 very eager students and three logic teachers.

You can view a sample chapter here.

WHERE TO PURCHASE:

The Student Text sells for $21.95

The Teacher Text sells for $24.95

You can also purchase a DVD set to go along with this curriculum.

OUR THOUGHTS:

This was the first time we had tried a Logic course.  I figured my children argued with us enough.  They didn't need to learn how to do it better!  I have to say I loved this course.  This course is very well written!  It's easy enough to grasp, but not so easy you will not be challenged.  I've mentioned before that we have 2 with learning disabilities.  So I've often stayed away from the "extra" courses that are not required by our state.  This really is more than just a logic course.  This course is teaching us all how to see through the glitz and glamour of advertising.  We are also watching the politicians with clear eyes thanks to Classical Academic Press.

My kids love to "act" out things.  So they were very thrilled to see that this course would have them doing skits.  They are also working on their own different kinds of fallacies, they will then make up skits or commercials to go along with them.  If we have a chance I will record them and post them here as an update.  I am really surprised how much they really got into this!!

This course also comes with a "warning" from the publisher:

"Parents and Teachers beware~~students may use these skills against you."

OH great!  Now they tell me.  We are having a lot of fun with this one.  This is going on our schedule for next year.

**As a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew we were given the above free in exchange for my honest review.**

Creek Edge Press~TOS Review

Creek Edge Press is a company that brings together many different forms of Classical Education, Charlotte Mason and Montissori.  The task card approach encourages independant learning.  The task cards are non-consumable, which means they can be used over and over again. 

We were sent Geography and Culture Task Cards to review.

This is a course for those in Kindergarten thru 8th grade.  The best thing about this program is that no matter what your child's age or ability this will work. 

We used Geography and Culture task cards.  I loved them.  The first thing I did was punch a hole in the corner and attach a ring.  This kept all the cards in one place. I also had them laminated so the kids can write on them and check the tasks off over and over.  I had my kids pretty much go through this at their own pace.  The library is right up the street, so off they went with notebooks and cards in hand. When they completed a particular task all they had to do was check it off.  I gave each child a different color marker so I could see who had done what.   I SO love this approach that we will be using it again next year. 

Creek Edge Press also has:

Science~$18.00

History, Geography and Culture~$18.00 and $20.00

Art~$32.00

Music~$32.00

Grammar Reinforcement~$18.00

Each set includes the task cards and a guide book for the parent/teacher.  If you would like to see their products you can visit their Gallery Page to see them.

They also have a FAQ's page that will help you see how you can incorporate them into your schooling.  They have done all the hard work for you.  You can even read the book list and online resources they have for you.  If you like to read blogs then Creek Edge Press also has one.

**I was given this set free in exchange for my honest review.**

K5 Learning~TOS Homeschool Crew Review

WHAT IS IT?

K5 is an online math and reading enrichment program.  Just like as in the name it is geared toward children in grades Kindergarten thru fifth grades. 

With this you are actually getting 4 programs in one:

K5 Reading-

This area of the program will help your children develop a love for reading.

K5 Spelling-

Focus in this program is on vocabulary.  Building it up one word at a time.

K5 Math-

Builds a deep understanding of Math.

K5 Math Facts-

Guides your child into a better understanding of math facts.

All of the lessons are based on the assessment of the child.  So if they are struggling in one area you can adjust it so they will learn at their own pace.

You can get a 14 day no obligation, no credit card, free math and reading assessments, FREE Trial!

Regular subscription pricing is available for either monthly or annual installments.

Monthly....

First child....$25

Second child...$15

Annual...

First Child...$125

Second Child...$129

OUR THOUGHTS:

We really enjoyed using this program.  Like I've mentioned before we have a daughter who has many learning disabilities.  She struggles with pretty much all aspects of learning.  She would sit for hours using this program.  Many of the vocabulary words were difficult for her.  Even the ones in the early grades.  But she was still determined to move through the lessons.  I liked that there isn't a lot of "hoopla" within the program.  Sometimes this becomes overwhelming for kids with learning disabilities.  There is an even amount of "fun" within the program.  In between the lessons the kids can play some pretty neat games. 

Now this is not a complete curriculum.  This is designed to use along with your current curriculum. 

**We were given a free subscription in exchange for our honest review.**

Reading Eggs~~TOS Crew Review

Reading Eggs is a fun online reading adventure!   This is one program you will not have a problem getting your child to use...boy or girl. 

Reading Eggs has 100 lessons that will keep your child ages 3-8 interested in reading for hours.  It's colorful, engaging and exciting.  The lessons focus on comprehension, writing, spelling and more.    As your child works through the lessons they will earn rewards they can use towards fun items to furnish their "apartments". 

When starting the lessons on Read Eggs your child will be asked to take a reading assessment.  This will give the program an idea of where your child needs to be.  That way they will be right around their own level.  There is nothing more frustrating for a child than to be in over their head or way below their level.

There are a number of options available for you to try out Reading Eggs.  Go on over to Reading Eggs and sign up for a FREE Trial for 14 days!  There are no credit cards required for this.  So you have nothing at all to loose.

If you want to sign up there are a number of options if you want to just sign up:

1 year subscription for $75.00

6 month subscription for $49.95

With either of the above subscriptions you can take advantage of the 50% off for your second and third child.

If you still are not sure you want to commit to a whole year or even 6 months you can opt for the monthly option.  Which is $9.95 per month.  Which is reoccurring.  You can cancel at any time.

Our thoughts:

Our daughter Hannah has learning disabilities and it takes her a lot more time to learn.  But with Reading Eggs she was able to learn larger words than she was use to.  The bright colors on the website and interactive atmosphere.  She was actually begging us to use it.

Our son Andrew loved the library part of it.  He could go and actually read a book there.  It was just like an e-reader.  After finishing up the book he was given a comprehension test.  Not his favorite part but it was mine!!

As a part of TOS Crew we were given this free in exchange for our honest review.

Apologia~Who Am I?

Last year we were able to review the first in the "What we Believe" series, "Who is God and How can I know Him?"  We love this series. 

This year we are yet again blessed by Apologia's "What we Believe" series.  We were sent "Who Am I? and What am I doing Here?"  This series is designed for children ages 6-14 but can easily be adapted for younger or older.  It's never too early or too late to teach them about what God tells them regarding self-image.

We were sent for review:

Textbook ($39.00)

Notebooking Journal ($24.00)

Copy of the book on MP3 CD ($19.00)

Coloring Book ($8.00)

The textbook is amazing!  Have you ever wanted to teach your child about their identity in Christ?  This curriculum will assist you in doing just that!!  This text will help your child develop a healthy self-image based on what the Bible says.  How great is that.  Especially this day and age.  Our children are bombarded with what the world says they should look like.  TV, Magazines, everywhere they turn they are told they need to look a certain way.  You can help change this by directing them toward what Scripture says about self-image.

Our children love seeing first hand what the Bible tells them about self-image.  The questions in each section gets the children searching Scripture.  I L.O.V.E. that!  They get their journals out and write down what they are learning.  Then on the days they are feeling down about themselves they can just open it up and read for themselves how much God adores them.

At the end of each lesson there is a prayer our children can pray. 

No matter what learning style your child is there is something in this curriculum for them.  Our children learn mostly my seeing, touching and hearing.  So the coloring book was an excellent addition to this.  While they were coloring the picture it opened up a bunch of conversations about what we had been going over.  So we popped in the CD and let the conversations commence. 

My favorite part of this curriculum was the lesson plans that are in the journal.  I don't know about any of you, but planning is something I really do not like to do.  So when I can find a curriculum that does it for me...sign me up!  Also, I like that each lesson is broken up into bite sizes.  You can complete this book in 4 months up through 9 months.

Right now there are three books in this series with more on the way.

1. Who is God?

2. Who am I?

3. Who is my Neighbor?

The fourth one What on Earth can I do? will be out later this year. 

You can find samples of each book at Apologia's website.  You can also see the table of contents for each as well.

To see what other crew members are saying go on over to the crew blog.

As a part of TOS homeschool review crew we were sent these books free for review. 

TOS Review~~Maestro Classics

Maestro Classics are "Stories in music" CD's for children ages 5-12 played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.  Some of the titles available are: Peter and the Wolf, The Soldiers Tale, Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, My Name is Handel:The Story of Water Music, Casey at Bat and many more. 

Each CD has almost an hour of playing time.  There are 7 tracks on the CD's. 

These CD's sell for $16.98 or for a MP3 download for $9.98 on the Maestro Classics' website.  Also on the website you will find Homeschool Music Curriculum Guides to help you teach a full unit to your children.  Everything from math to Language arts included.   Each CD comes with a very colorful program booklet.

As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's Review Crew we were sent "The Story of Swan Lake"  for review.

Our first thoughts about this CD was WOW!  The cover artwork is truly beautiful.  I found myself really taking in the pictures.

The CD has 7 tracks on it:

The Story of Swan Lake

Tchaikovsky's Life

Speed Metal Swan

About the Music

Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet

Want to Have Some Fun? Prepare to Perform

Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet "Sing Along"

When we first got the CD we popped it into the CD player and had a listen.  Oh how beautiful.  Our daughter Hannah loves classical music.  She listens to it all the time.  She also loves the ballet.  So for her this was an easy review. 

Hannah

We learned about the music.  The CD is such a great learning tool.  The conductor teaches us about the different types of music used in a ballet.  How to listen to the tempo of the music to depict what the person is doing.  This really helped us all learn more about ballet.  It's not just people dancing on the stage...they are acting out a story without words.

Andrew

Andrew enjoys listening to the classical music.  Especially after the conductor described the different things within the music to help us "hear" the emotions.  It has really opened up our minds about classical music and the ballet.  Perhaps a field trip is in our near future.

Katrina

Katrina loves music.  She wasn't really too fond of classical music....until this review!  She said she never knew there was so much to this "stuff".  Her favorite track was "Speed Metal Swan".  It is a "rocked" up version of Tchaikovsky's.  It's described as a "heavy metal version of the main theme."

I have found myself putting this CD in while I'm doing some housework.  I have really enjoyed this review.  I love that they combined education with entertainment.

You can go on over to The Crew Blog to see what my crew mates are saying about this review.

***I was given this CD as a member of TOS Review Crew free in exchange for my honest review.***