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TOS Crew: Nature Nuts Game

We love all things nature!  Whether it be birds, animals, plants, bugs or anything else that the Lord created, we are all about it!  So when we were asked if we wanted to review the Wise Alec: Nature Nuts, Travel Game and Expansion Set by Griddly Games we were all very excited. 

Griddly Games also has a Wise Alec board game, that Nature Nuts can be an expansion set to.  We, however, are just viewing Nature Nuts as a travel game. 

I want to first say I was impressed with the packaging of this game.  That might sound a little lame, but if I am supposed to be able to travel with this game and four kids it needs be durable, which it most certainly is.  It comes in a sturdy, narrow box that stays closed by a magnet, very smart idea I might add.  There are no directions to lose because they are printed right on the inside of the box.  There are 200 playing cards and a dice which stay nicely tucked away when not in use by a clear plastic cover.  Now that I have all my Type A reader's attention : ) let's move on to the fun stuff! 

Nature Nuts comes with 200 Cards:

• 50 Animals Trivia Cards
• 50 Plant Trivia Cards
• 50 Earth Trivia Cards
• 50 Wise Alec Cards

Each of the trivia cards has 2 levels of questions on it so that younger children can play along with the older kids and adults.  For instance one of the Animal Trivia Cards has these two questions:

• Reptiles have these covering their skin.  What are they?   Answer: scales/scutes
• Some animals disguise themselves to look like more dangerous ones. What is this called?  Answer: mimicry

As you can see there is a big difference in the levels.  Which I think is great for a family style game, it makes it challenging to the older players as well as the younger. 

The way that you play Nature Nuts starts off this like:

• Get a pen and paper to keep score. 
• Then decide on a point goal to place towards depending on how long you would like to play.
• Roll the dice.  Depending on what color you roll, this tells who will draw a card for you and what kind of card is going to be drawn.  You will then be asked your trivia question. 
• If you roll the color purple then you get to pick up a Wise Alec card, and look out if you do.  Those Wise Alec cards can have you doing exercises, brainteasers or tongue twisters and winning or losing points in the process!
• The winner is the first person to meet the point goal!

We think the Wise Alec cards are neat, they really add a lot of fun to the game!  They have you do things like:

• Do your best bird call.
• Name 3 Mammals.
• Repeat this 5 Times - Six Sleek swans swan swiftly southwards.
• Do your best impression of a monkey.
• Do your best shadow hand animal complete with sound effects.

This game is simple, yet lots of fun.  It would be great to take on at trip.  Nature Nuts would be great for family game night or to play for science.  It would also make a great family gift for the holidays!

You can purchase you own Wise Alec: Nature Nuts Travel Game from Amazon for $14.99 plus shipping. You can also check Griddly Games' website for a local store near you.

If Nature is not your thing, but you like the sound of the game, have no fear!  They have a Sport's Buff and a Civilize This! version available as well as the full Wise Alec Game.

Hope you all enjoy this game as much as we have!

We received Wise Alec: Nature Nuts free of charge for review purposes.  We were not in any way compensated for this review and the opinions expressed here are my own.

TOS CREW: How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids by Rachael Carman

I am going to be honest, when I saw the review form for How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids by Rachael Carman, I did not sign up for it.  I really didn't think I needed to read this book.  BUT God, in all His wisdom must have felt that I needed it because I ended up being one of the reviewers.

The very day that I received the book I sat down to check it out, and 49 pages later I finally put it down.  It was around that time that I said "Thank you Lord for sending this book my way."  Even though I didn't think this was a book for me, it very much was!!  If time would have permitted I would have read the whole book right then and there. 

I had never heard of Rachael Carman before, but once I started reading her book I knew that I liked her.  She writes in such a way that really draws you in, like I said I didn't want to put the book down.  Besides this was some good stuff I was reading!  I was very impressed with her complete openness, how she shared her struggles and her true feelings.

It was a few weeks after I started Rachael's book that I learned who she was.  Rachael and her husband, Davis, are the family that purchased Apologia (you know, the science company that is now much more than a science company).  I learned this one afternoon while having lunch with Rachael and a few other wonderful ladies from Apologia.  I also learned about how Rachael had a tremendous heart for moms, especially those of the homeschooling variety. 

Ok, now back to the book.  H.E.A.R.T. is actually an acronym that stands for:

H - Have a Heart for the things of God
E - Enrich your marriage
A - Accept your kids
R - Release them to God
T - Teach them truth

I loved hearing Rachael's story and how she had NO plans of homeschooling her kids.  Several years, 7 kids and a homeschool resource company later, we see that it obviously was God's plan!  It really is an inspirational story.

Rachael is very honest about how she was excited to send her kids off on the yellow school bus, so she could have me time.  When that didn't work out she and her husband decided they would try homeschooling, but Rachael was adamant that it was only for one year.  Don't you just love how God's ways are not our ways.  : )
 
I just really felt that this book was a breath of fresh air for me.  It was something that I didn't even know I needed until I read it.  The Holy Spirit convicted me on several things and really just opened my eyes to some major areas that are lacking here at the LSG House.  
 
I especially loved the Accept your Kids and Release them to God chapters.  They were both very good and encouraging to me.  It was a joy to hear the wisdom that the Lord has given Rachael and that she is now passing on to other moms.
 
How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. would be a wonderful read for new moms as well as veterans, homeschoolers or not.  I think that no matter what season of motherhood you are in, you would appreciate the wisdom and encouragement that Rachael has to share. 
 
You can actually read a sample chapter of the book online before you buy it.
 
You can purchase a copy of the How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. book by Rachael Carman directly through Apologia for $13.00.

I received How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. free of charge for review purposes.  The opinions expressed here are mine and I was not compensated in any way from the TOS Crew or Apologia Press.

2011- 2012 TOS Crew Blog Hop

Join us for the 2011-2012 TOS Crew Blog Hop! 

Go ahead and hop around, lots of great homeschool blogs to be found....

TOS Crew: Considering God's Creation by Eagles Wings

We love the Lord's creation and we love to study all the things that the Lord has created!  We got the chance to review Considering Gods' Creation from Eagles Wings and LOVED IT!!  This was definitely one of my favorite things that we got to review for the crew this year.

 

Considering God's Creation is a  science curriculum that was created by homeschoolers for homeschoolers.  This science curriculum comes with a 272 pages workbook, with reproducible pages, a teachers manual as well as a wonderful music cd.

Let me tell you my thoughts on Considering God's Creation:

• Did I tell you that I really love this curriculum, especially the workbook!  This book includes so many different pages that we thought were great like, animal classification games, solar system detective, a large human body that kids get to put together, animal tracks books, and animal tracks game.  I could really go on and on!  
• I really love that you can use this as a stand alone curriculum or as a supplement to something that you are already using.  I feel that Considering God's Creation is very flexible. 
• We appreciate that the authors, Susan Mortimer and Betty Smith, teach from a Biblical World View. 
• The lessons as educational as well as fun.  Like for instance in Lesson 15 which is titled Fish, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals we get to make and play one of the Animal Classmates Games, learn and sing a song called Creatures God Made (also on the cd) and also read and watch addition videos that the authors suggest.  
• We also really enjoyed the cd.  It includes songs/ poems that are in the lessons.  There are 23 songs in all. 

This is one of the great worksheets that kids will love!

Considering God's Creation is jam packed with creation science lessons, 36 to be exact.  The lessons cover the following topics:

• Universe
• Stars
• Solar System
• Earth
• Light
• Sound
• Wind
• Weather
• Clouds
• Rocks
• Plants
• Insects
• Mammals
• Reptiles
• Birds
• Fish
• Amphibians
• Food Chains
• Reproduction and Genetics
• Human
• Animal Anatomy
• Physiology

 

My kids love to play detective so this is right up their alley!

 
I would highly recommend Considering God's Creation, whether you are looking for something new or just want to spice up what you are already doing.  For $29.95 you get the workbook, the teacher manual and the cd.

Eagles Wings also carries several other curriculum products that look really interesting like their Bible and History books.  

You can see what others on the TOS Crew think about Considering God's Creation HERE.


We received the Considering God's Creation free of charge for review purposes only.  The opinions express here are mine and I was not influenced by the free product or the company in any way. 

TOS Crew: Wordy Querty

The year is coming to a close for us, so it was nice to take a break from our regular spelling lessons to try out Wordy Querty for the TOS Crew.

Wordy Querty is an online computer program that teaches spelling and reading.  It was created by Talking Fingers, the same folks that created Read, Write and Type.  Wordy Querty is actually the sequel to Read, Write and Type, but can be used on it's own.  Wordy Querty was created to take children to the next level, after learning how to read, write and type new words in the first program, Wordy Querty teaches them how to spell them correctly.

Wordy Querty is intended for children in 2nd to 3rd grade.  The purpose of Word Querty is to improve phonetic skills and help children learn how words are constructed, which actually helps them when they are reading and writing.

The Wordy Qwerty program has 20 lessons, with six activities per lesson.  According to the Talking Fingers website, the following foundations are taught with in the program:

1. Some sounds can be represented in several different ways.
2. Most words follow about 20 easy spelling rules.
3. There are many word families, (words that sound the same, or rhyme). By changing the first letter(s), you can make hundreds of words.
4. Some words are "outlaws". They don't follow the rules. They must be recognized quickly and automatically.
5. Writing to dictation develops vocabulary, comprehension and fluency as well as spelling skills.
6. Reading (and filling in missing words) develops vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency skills.

 The 20 lessons in Wordy Querty teach the following Spelling Rules:

1. Silent E
2. Sounds of C
3. Sounds of G
4. J or DGE
5. W or WH
6. C or K
7. CK or K
8. CKS or X
9. CH or TCH
10. LL, SS, FF, ZZ
11. OI or OY
12. VE Words

13. Open Syllables
14. Double Consonants
15. Doubling rule
16. ER, IR, OR, UR, EAR
17. I Before E
18. Plurals: Add ES
19. Plurals: Y to IES
20. Plurals: F to VES

I thought that hte program was pretty impressive.  I had Computer Girl (2nd grade/7 yrs old) using the Wordy Querty, and she really enjoyed it.  One thing that I thought was pretty funny was that with Wordy Querty and Read, Write and Type the Lil' Chef wanted to get in on the action.  She enjoyed playing the games just as much as Computer Girl.  I thought it was a great idea because it was kinda like a refresher course for the spelling rules that she has already learned.

We have enjoyed both programs and I do recommend them.  I can't at this point say that I would rely solely on these programs for phonics and spelling BUT they definitely make WONDERFUL supplements.

Let me tell you how you can get Wordy Querty and Read, Write and Type for your very own.  You have a few options that you can choose from.
-  You can purchase a 5 year Online Home Subscription for up to five users, the price ranges from $25.00 to $100.  
- The second option is to purchase the CD editions.  Read, Write and Type costs $79.00 and Wordy Querty costs $35.00.
- The last option, which I think is the most economical, is the K-4 Reading Bundle for $99.00.  Here is what is included:

• 1 READ, WRITE & TYPE program CD
• 1 SPACESHIP CHALLENGE program CD
• 1 WORDY QWERTY program CD
• 1 JINGLESPELLS audio CD
• 1 Activity Binder
• 1 set of Reward Stickers
• 1 Practice Keyboard
• One 24" x 36" Poster

Please take a minute to check out what others on the TOS Crew are saying about Wordy Querty HERE.  

We were given an online subscription to the Wordy Querty program at no cost to us.  Please know that we were not influenced by the free product and that the opinions stated here are my own. 

TOS Crew: Institute for Excellence in Writing

We were given the Institute for Excellence in Writing's Student Writing Intensive to review for the TOS Crew.  This was a huge blessing for us, because writing has been somewhat of a struggle for my girls.  I was excited to be able to use this program with the Lil' Chef, since we were given Level A, which is for children in grades 3-5.

 

 The Student Writing Intensive is a DVD based writing class taught by Andrew Pudewa, whom you can read more about here.  The DVD lessons are accompanied by lesson plans, notes for the teacher and handouts for students.  The lessons can be done in 15-30 depending on your pace and if you complete all the optional reinforcement lessons. Each lesson teaches structural models and stylistic techniques.  There are 3 Levels of the Student Writing 

Intensive:

• Level A - Grades 3-5
• Level B - Grades 6-8
• Level C - Grades 9-12

At first I think I was a little bit intimidated by the program.  I thought is was going to being a little stressful but oh how I was wrong!!  I only wish that I had this program years ago!!

Once we started it was so simple and we actually had  fun.  The way that the Writing Intensive works is that it starts out teaching the kids how to do a key word outline, by reading an article and coming up with 3 key words for each sentence.  You then take your outline and create a rough draft, correct it and then do your final paper..  

The Lil' Chef and I actually started this program together.   We would watch the lessons on dvd, read the assigned article and do our outlines, rough drafts and then final papers.   We had a great time watching the dvd's, Mr. Pudewa has a wonderful way of keeping you interested.  The Lil' Chef finally admitted to me that she likes him and thinks he is kinda funny after I walked in the family room and caught her laughing along with the dvd : )

The Student Writing Intensive has been wonderful for teaching the Lil' Chef how to write properly.  She actually just does the lessons alone now and I check her work.  I really just can't believe how far she has come.  

Here is what we really like about the Student Writing Intensive:

 - We like that the lessons are on DVD.

 - We have learned alot from the lessons, like doing key word outlines, using the which clause and how to dress words up. 

- We like Mr. Pudewa's teaching style. 

- The fast improvement in my daughter's writing has proved the effectiveness of the program to me.

- I feel that each lesson is taught very thoroughly and we are happy that IEW includes reinforcement lessons for extra practice if we need it.

- The articles that we have read and done outlines on have been very enjoyable as well as educational.
- I am really excited that now, my daughter love to write.  When she gets up in mornings she does IEW first.  She writes up her outline and rough draft for me to correct then she types her article up on the computer and even adds a cute graphic to go with her story.   She has a love for writing that she did NOT have before.  (Thanks Mr. Pudewa!)
- I also love that I am learning new things and it has given me more confidence to teach writing.  

The Student Writing Intensive is available for purchase directly through Institute for Excellence in Writing for $99.00, which includes:

- 4 DVDs

- A binder with dividers

- Teachers notes, student handouts and checklists (about 100 pages in all)

 
Please take a peak at what others on the TOS Crew think about The Student Writing Intensive from Institute for Excellence in Writing. 

We received the Student Writing Intensive Level A from the  Institute for Excellence in Writing free of charge, for review purposes only.  The opinions stated here are my own and I was not influenced my the company or the free product.

TOS Crew: GoTryBe

My kids love to move, constantly it seems. They run, jump and play outside on a daily basis. In addition to their play, I like to have something a little more structured for them to do to get their daily exercise in (and their wiggles out).

 

We were happy to be able to review GoTryBe for the TOS Crew. GoTryBe is an online fitness membership program that helps kids get active and motivates them to stay active. The online exercise videos, motivation, fun and incentive points that GoTryBe offers all make a winning combination!

The GoTryBe fitness program has daily activities that are separated into 4 categories, fitness, nutrition, motivation and wellness. Each day kids can do the daily activities and earn points. Here are some of the fun things that the kids can do:

• Fitness - This is probably my kid's favorite. Here they have the option to make up their own workout. GoTryBe allows the kids to pick and choose which warm-up, cardio, strength and flexibility videos that they want to customize their own workout. With so many choices they can always do something different, so they aren't getting bored with the same old thing.
• Nutrition - Here the kids get to answer a new nutrition question each day. Not only do they learn fun and helpful nutritional facts they get to earn points in the process.
• Motivation - This area of GoTryBe that allows the children to watch a motivational clip about eating right, exercising and being healthy. Today's clip included a baseball player that was encouraging the kids to get outside and play, and to not to be couch potatoes! He told the kids that when he was a kid he was always outside, building forts and riding his bike. 
• Wellness - Here the kids get to answer additional questions about general fitness and wellness, and of course they get to earn more points.

 

 

  

You may be wondering what all these points that I keep talking about are. When you first sign up with GoTryBe the kids get to create their own avatar. The points that they earn can then be used in the Trybe Store to purchase clothes, shoes and accessories for their avatar. We have bought ours a new shirt and pants, I've got my eye on some very cute sunglasses and flip flops : )

 

    

GoTryBe offer 3 different levels that you can choose from depending on your children's ages:

 

•  ZooDoos - for the elementary ages, K-5th grade
• Trybe180 - for middle school ages, 6th-8th grade
•  NexTrybe - for high school ages,  9th-12th grade

This program is great to help keep the kids motivated to exercise daily. It is also a wonderful tool for homeschoolers to use for physical education. The kids and I enjoyed GoTryBe and we would recommend it! Don't just take our word for it, go try it out one day for FREE! Use the PromoCode GETFIT.

 

After you've tried GoTryBe and find that you love it too, you can get your own yearly membership for $19.95.

 

 You can see what other TOS Crew Members think about GoTryBe by clicking here.

 

We were given a subscription to GoTryBe for review purposes only. We were not influenced by the company or the free product that we received. Rest assured that the opinions expressed here are definitely mine : )

TOS Crew: Circle C Beginnings Book Review

I have another great book series to tell you all about.  We were given one of the books in the Circle C Beginnings series to review from Kregel Publications.

Circle C Adventures is a series written by Susan K. Marlow for ages 9-12.  Circle C Beginnings is spin off of the original series, except it is for kids ages 6-8.  In Circle C Beginnings you will read about the same wonderful characters that many have come to love from the original series, but they are younger.  Children will appreciate the nice illustrations scattered through out the book as well as the one page dictionary that introduces new words to them at the beginning of the book.

The book that we were given to review was the first book in the new series called, Andi's Pony Trouble.  In this book the little girl, Andi, is turning six and she wants a horse, real bad.  I gave this 70 page book to Computer Girl to read.  She is just starting to read little chapter books so this was great.  I think it was very easy for Computer Girl to get into this book, becasue she could really relate to Andi.  They are about the same age and they both REALLY want a horse.  Unfortunately, for Andi (and for Computer Girl) her parents think that she is much too young for a horse of her own. 

Computer Girl enjoyed reading this book, and would like to continue in the series.  She thought that the story was iteresting, she liked the characters and of course the horse! 

Let me tell you a little more about the books in the Circle C Beginnings series:
 
Andi's Pony Trouble is the first book in the series and the one that we reviewed.  Andi Carter is a 6 year old living in the late 1800's.  Little Andi thinks that she is old enough for a horse all of her own.  Her parents do not share the same opinion.  Andi will be stuck riding an old hand me down pony named Coco, unless she can prove that she is ready for her own horse.

In the second book in the series, Andi's Indian Summer, Andy's friend shows her an old book about Indians.  This book gives Andi the wrong impression about Indians and really scares her.  One day when Andi and her friend Riley wander to far from home, they learn that Indians aren't what they once seemed.   

 

 In the third book in the series, Andi's Fair Surprise,  Andi is little upset that she can't take her new foal to the county fair.  Once she gets there she ends up having a great time, until she gets some bad news.  Andi finds out that she can't keep the blue ribbon that she worked so hard to win. 

In book four, Andi's Scary School Days, Andi thinks that there isn't anything that she is affraid of, until she has to start school.  Being away from her family, ranch and Taffy doesn't seem like much fun to Andi.  She also encounters some problems with a boy at school.

Due for release in August 2011, Andi’s Lonely Little Foal, is about Andi's horse Taffy is growing up too quickly.   Taffy will soon have to leave her mom and stay by herself.  After being told by a mean boy that bad things can happen to foal's separated from their moms Andi is worried if she can keep taffy safe.

 

The next book in the series, Andi’s Circle C Christmas, is not due out until August 2011.  In this book Andi’s holiday break is spoiled once a grumpy visitor comes to visit.  Andi can no longer run and play, wear her farm overalls or watch spiders.  With a turn of events Andi learns that she can help this unwelcomed guest in a way that she never imaginied.

This is a great wholesome series for young readers and I would recommend them.  They are very reasonably priced at only $4.99 each.  You can find them on Amazon or directly through Kregel Publications.

Circle C Beginnings has a great website where you can learn more about the series as well as print out free coloring pages, do games and puzzles.  They also have lapbooks available for purchase. 



You can see what others on the TOS Review Crew are saying about Circle C Beginnings HERE.

We were given the book Andi's Pony Troubles at no charge for review purposes.  The opinions expressed here are my own and I was not influenced my the company or the free product. 

TOS Crew: Yesterday's Classics

We love to read here in the LSG house.  I think I have even said a time or two that I am a collector of books : ) I love to have great books available for our reading pleasure or for topics we are studying.  So, when I was asked if we wanted to review Yesterday's Classics for the TOS Crew, my answer was "You bet we do!"

Yesterday's Classics is a company that republishes classic literature for children.  They have taken books from the golden age of children's literature, 1880-1920, and republished them into easy to read paperback and e-book formats.   Many of the books that they have republished were otherwise out of print.  Children's literature from this time period is generally wholesome, educational and very enjoyable. These stories are like little lost treasures that have been found!

Yesterday's Classics offer a large variety of books, 225 different books to be exact.  Topics include:

• History Books - from different time periods, such as Ancient Civilization, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and the Middle Ages, and American History
• Poems
• Literature
• Faith and Bible Stories
• Fables and Fairy Tales
• Nature Studies
• Hero Tales
• Children from Around the World

We were blessed with all 225 Titles from Yesterday's Classics in the ebook format to review. (You can see the complete list of titles available on Yesterday's Classics website)  While we were not able to read and view them all, here are some of our favorites:

READING-LITERATURE: The Primer 
by Harriette Taylor Treadwell
This reading primer includes classic stories like The Little Red Hen, The Gingerbread Man and Chicken Little.  I love the fun and simplicity of these classic stories for the little ones. 

 

A Child's Own Book of Verse, Book One
by Ada Skinner
There are actually 3 volumes in this collection.  Each volume is filled with poems, lullaby's, rhymes and lyrics for the children to enjoy.  Wonderful for memory work!



 

The Natural History Story Book
by Ethel Talbot 
This is a fabulous collection of stories about some of the most interesting animals in the world.  Children will read about man's encounters with elephants, ostriches, ant eaters, wild boars and many more from the nineteenth century.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thorton Burgess
Here you will read about a variety of birds, as seen through the eyes of Peter Rabbit.  Learn about different birds, their nesting habits and food preferences. 
You will meet new friends such as Jenny Wren, Scrapper the King-bird, Redwing the Blackbird, and many more.


 

Saints and Heroes Since the Middle Ages
by George Hodges 
In Saints and Heroes you will read stories about great Christian men such as Calvin, Luther, Knox and Bunyan.  We will be studying the Middle Ages next year and I am looking forward to getting in this book more.

 




If you have have ever tried to build a home library with good children's literature, then you are well aware that it is not cheap to do so. Tracking down great books at bargin prices (online, yard sales and book sales) is not always an easy task, either.  From May 1st to May 31st Yesterday’s Classics is offering the 225 Book Collection in either Kindle and EPUB format for the sale price of $99.95.

I think it is a great deal to purchase the whole collection for several reasons:

• The price is phenomenal!!  If you purchase all 225 books for $99.95, that is like $.44 per book! 
• You will have a wonderful selection of books, mostly living books, that are great for independent reading, read a louds, memory work, and studies in history and science.
• I love that they are in e-book format.  Not sure about you, but if I were to purchase 225 paperback books I would have to go but a new bookcase or two!  I like how the e-book version take up now space in my home. 

If you would like to order Yesterday's Classics 225 Titles you may purchase them on sale, here.

You can also read what other TOS Crew Members have to say about Yesterday's Classics.


Please note that we received the 225 Ebook Collection from Yesterday's Classics at no charge, for review purposes only.  The opinions expressed here are mine, and I was not influenced by the company or the free product.

(Please excuse the spacing on my post, Blogger is acting up and after 30+ minutes of trying to fix it I threw in the towel.0

TOS Crew: Hey Andrew, Teach Me Some Greek!

We were given Level 1 of the Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! to review for the TOS Crew.  Unfortunately, for us it was not a home run kind of product.

First let me tell you a little bit about the Hey, Andrew!Teach Me Some Greek! Program, by Greek 'n' Stuff.   It is a Greek Language curriculum series that teaches your children koine Greek.  This program has 8 workbooks and offers:

• A Reader - A Primer for Preschoolers and up.  This reader teaches the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet as well as a short Bible Verse.  Pictures and catchy rhymes are used to keep the children interested.
• Workbooks, answer keys and flashcards for each of the 8 levels
• 3 Pronunciation CD's to help the children pronounce the letters and words correctly.  VERY HELPFUL!
• Bible copybook which focuses on The Gospel of John.

We only reviewed Level 1 in the Hey Andrew Series but from reading through all the other levels I can say that it does look like a great program!

For some reason my girls were not thrilled with this program.  They did work through some of the book but really did not have a huge interest in it.  This year we have been learning Greek root words and they really enjoy that, so it really surprised me that they didn't take to this program really well.  I have read about other bloggers who really love the Hey Andrew program.  My plan is to hold onto the workbook and try it again later because I can see the true value in learning Greek when it comes to studying the bible.

You can purchase your own Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! workbooks directly from Greek 'n' Stuff.  The workbooks range in price from $14.95 - $28.95.  You can also purchase the whole curriculum in one package.

If you'd like to see what others on the TOS Crew have to say about Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! you can read their reviews HERE.
We received the Hey, Andrew!  Teach Me Some Greek Level 1 Workbook, Answer Key and Pronunciation CD at now cost to us, for review purposes.  The opinions stated here are my own and I was not in way sway by the free product.

TOS Crew :Nutrition 101, Choose Life!

Nutrition and Nutritional Healing are two major interests of mine.  In an effort to educate my children in truth, I have looked around for a nutrition curriculum that taught the truth about nutrition, but I didn't really think one existed.  So, I was over SUPER excited to be able to review Nutrition 101: Choose Life by Growing Healthy Homes!

 

 

Finally a nutrition book that is broken down for kids to understand.  I gotta tell ya, I fell in love with this book.  I love everything about it!! Really!

Nutrition 101: Choose Life was written by homeschool moms! More specifically, is was co-authored by homeschool mother Debra Raybern, N.D., M.H., C.N.C., I.C.A.; homeschool mother and researcher Sera Johnson, B.MU; mother and writer/editor Laura Hopkins, B.S.; and mother, grandmother and former Home Economics teacher Karen Hopkins, B.S.

Nutrition 101: Choose Life is not just a nutrition curriculum, it is a wonderful family reference book that you will keep forever and use again and again.  This book will teach your family about the major body systems, how they function and the diseases and ailments that can affect them.  You will also learn about foods that are support these systems and the foods that are bad for them.  The book is broken into 6 Units:

• The Brain and Nervous System
• Digestion and Elimination
• Respiration and Olfactory
• Muscular and Skeletal Systems
• Cardiovascular and Immune Systems
• Endocrine System and Emotions.
  

 Let me tell ya'll about some of the great things that I like about Nutrition 101: Choose Life -

• Like I said, I am THRILLED that this book teaches truth about nutrition.  When I say it teaches truth, I mean that Nutrition 101 talks about herbs that boost your immune system, that boosting immunity through nutrition is better for your body than vaccines, that coffee and caffeine lower your immune system, and my personal favorite - that fluoride is really POISON!! 
• My kids love to cook and experiment with foods, so we really like that each chapter has a recipe that goes along with it.  Like for instance when learning about the Brain, you can make a recipe like Guacamole because avocados are excellent brain food.
• It is super duper helpful that this book is full of colorful pictures, highlighted vocabulary words and discussion questions in each chapter.
• I also like the that each chapter has activities for the kids to do, which are broken into elementary and secondary sections.  For instance after learning about amino acids in chapter 4, the elementary kids are told to check their refrigerator to see if they have any plant sources of amino acids in there.  The secondary kids are asked to help organize a family outdoor fun time that features games that utilize the nervous system.  FUN!!  These optional activities are a great addition to the book.
• Did tell you there are 448 pages chock full of knowledge! 
• The charts in the appendix are fabulous!  I am a chart girl.  I guess because I am a visual learner, charts are my thing.  There are several in this book like the healthy food pyramid, a acid/ alkaline chart, a chart on how to choose good produce and when it is in season.  Not sure that this qualifies as a chart but they have an awesome shopping list too!
• In saving the best for last, Nutrition 101 uses scripture through the whole book!!  LOVE IT!!

You can view the the table of contents and an excerpt HERE.

There is much to like about Nutrition 101: Choose Life.  You can purchase it 3 ways:

• Book - $99.95
• CD-ROM - $79.95
• The Combo, which includes the Book and CD-ROM - $129.95

I was given a downloadable version of the book to review, so I had to print out the pages myself.  I think if you are going to purchase this curriculum, I would spend the extra $20 and get the book.  The Hubs totally covets his printer ink (to do invoices for our carpet business) so there is N O !!! way that I could print out 448 pages in one sitting.  BUT we have on off those spiral binding machines, so I would just print out 1 unit at a time and bind them together by unit.  This is a totally workable idea but I would probably prefer to just have the whole book.  Either way, which ever you choose, Choose Life and get the book ; )

You may also want to take a peak at what others on the TOS Crew are saying about Growing Healthy Homes.
Please note that we received a free download of Nutrition 101: Choose Life.  The opinions stated here are mine and I was not influenced by the company or the free product.

TOS Crew: Kinderbach

We were given the chance to review the Kinderbach Preschool Online Piano video lessons recently for the TOS Crew.  Kinderbach is a fun and easy way for children ages 3-8 to learn to play piano at home, either online or by DVD.  Don't Worry Mom, No Musical Background Required, I Promise! 

Kinderbach is different than most piano programs, because it teaches music through stories and games.  Each music note becomes a fun character that kids are sure to remember.  Here are the things that we liked best about Kinderbach:

• Kinderbach has 240 Lessons.  With so many lessons available, there is lots for kids to learn and keep them from getting bored.
• The Characters and Stories through out Kinderbach help kids to remember the different notes and keys that they are learning in fun way.
• The lessons have Games and Printouts for reinforcement. 
• The videos are upbeat, fun and entertaining, so much so that the kids look forward to watching them!  And ask to watch them over and over and over again.
• Kinderbach includes activities for Multiple Learning Styles, which is great since different kids learn in different ways.
• The Kindebach program is Very Affordable!!
• It can be used over and over again with all your children!!!

 
The kids really enjoyed the Kinderbach program, especially Computer Girl (7 yrs old).  She really loved the characters, specifically Dotti the Donkey.  She thought he was really cute :  )  Computer Girl actually made a donkey craft in Sunday School last Sunday and when she was getting into our van she said "Look Mom, it's Dotti."  So the program it stilling with her.  She is not playing Beethoven or Bach yet, but we're hopeful.  ;  )

There are 2 ways that your family can enjoy Kinderbach.  You can order the DVD's, which would be my preference or you can have a monthly membership.  The Activity Packages (DVD & Activities Pages) are currently $40.45 but there are also Value Packages that are available for $55.95 and up.  Online memberships are also available for $19.99 a month or for $95.88 for the year.

May I suggest that you try before you buy, Kinderbach offered a Free Online Trial. 


Please take a peek at what other Homeschool Mom's, from the TOS Crew, think about Kinderbach.

Please note that we were given the Kinderbach Online Membership for review purposes only.  The opinions stated here are my own.