Wordless Wednesday

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TOS Review ~All About Reading, Level 1

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As a homeschooling mom I think we all have that one program we would love to try out.  All About Reading was that one program for me.  You can imagine my surprise when I saw my name on the review list a few months ago.  I did my own sort of happy dance and my girls laughed at me when I did a cartwheel…but it was so worth it!

We received the All About Reading Level 1 Deluxe Kit which is a multi-sensory learning experience for students. The program is based upon the Orton-Gillingham method, which involves the senses of sight, sound, and touch, to understand and learn to read and spell.  The interactive design of the program naturally progresses in a logical step-by-step order and builds upon the previous lessons. AAR1 builds upon the concepts to teach five key concepts in reading: phonological awareness, phonics and decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. All the while your student is learning to read in a fun and interactive way.

The Level 1 Kit includes:

~ Teacher’s Manual {sample}
~Student Packet (includes Activity Book) {sample}
~ Run, Bug, Run! reader {sample}
~ The Runt Pig reader {sample}
~Cobweb the Cat reader {sample}

Normally priced : $107.70 but currently on sale for just $99.95.

The Deluxe Reading Interactive Kit($48.95) includes:

~  Letter Tiles
~ Magnets for the Letter Tiles
~ The Basic Phonograms CD-ROM
~ Reading Divider Cards                                                                           ~ Reading Review Box                                                                      ~Reading Tote Bag (<3 tote bags)                                                          ~Star Stickers

The lessons are FULLY scripted and telling  you exactly what to say. This makes the program so easy to teach. There are also must read helpful teacher scripts in light grey boxes found in the margins of the teacher's manual. You also need a magnetic whiteboard or you can get crafty like I did and use a metal cookie sheet as I did not have any wall space for another whiteboard to go.  Plus, it made the program portable for us.

AAR 1 is choke full of activities that make learning to read fun.  From fluency practice sheets to just plain fun activities your beginner reader will be hooked from the start.  The readers are excellent books with great stories for your beginner reader. I love that they are hard back books with many different stories in each one. One of the best parts of the books is that your child starts reading their first story at Lesson 5. I used this program with Montana who already had a head start on reading short vowel words so this was great for her. She wants to read Chapter books and the books a set up like a Chapter book, so she was a happy camper.

Now, you might be thinking that this is more than what you want to budget for a reading program.  And in all honesty this is part of what held me back from purchasing AAR last fall.  However, I am pleased to say that All About Learning Press' products come with a Go Ahead and Use it One-Year Guarantee.

"That's right. You and your child have a full year to try out the programs! If you find that the curriculums do not meet your needs, simply return the materials at any time within one year of purchase for a full refund of your purchase price."

If I would have know this last fall I would have definitely taken the plunge and purchased this program without hesitation. While we are using AAR 1 in conjunction with another reading program, I wholeheartedly recommend this to everyone looking for a reading program.  With the One-Year Guarantee you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!  Click over here to see what my fellow Crewmates have to say about All About Reading, Level 1.

Company ~ All About Learning Press

Product ~ All About Reading, Level 1

Price ~ Level 1 Kit: normally $107.70, but on sale for $99.95; Basic Reading Kit: $28.95; Deluxe Reading Kit: $48.95

Age ~ beginner readers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I received All About Reading, Level 1, in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but are not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

TOS Review ~ Apologia: Who Am I? {And What Am I Doing Here?}

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When most people hear Apologia’s name mentioned they immediately think of their award winning science programs.  But did you know that they also offer excellent bible curriculum too? Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing the first book in the What We Believe Series, Who Is God. Now we were given the opportunity to review Who Am I? (And What Am I Doing Here?) and I am equally thrilled!

The second book in the What We Believe series, Who Am I? (And What Am I Doing Here?) helps children understand what it means to be fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of the Most High God. This study will enable students to develop a healthy self-image based on these biblical truths: God made me in His image and crowned me with glory; He has given me special gifts and a unique purpose in life; I can creatively express God's love; I am meant to think about beautiful and praiseworthy things, especially God and His Word; I must make decisions based on God's truth; I can always know the wise thing to do; I must cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in my life; I am a beloved child of God whose true identity is found in Christ.

                                                                          ~ from the website

So, what makes this program so great you ask?  Well for starters it comes with a recommended lesson plan. That is always a big plus in my book.  With these suggested lesson plans you can take anywhere from four to nine months to teach and complete the 8 lesson curriculum. This program is also ideal if you have several children on different grade levels as it is recommended for children ages 6-14.  You have the opportunity to beef it up or water it down as much as needed for your family.

Lessons Include:

What are we doing here?

What will you make today?

What’s on your mind?

Can you trust your feelings?

Will you choose wisely? (Click to view sample lesson)

How will you run the race?

What kind of fruit are you growing?

Who do you think you are?

 

The beautiful hard-cover book retails for $39, while the student notebooking journal is $24.  Also available are the Who Am I? coloring book which is $8 and the Who Am I? Audio Book, MP3, CD is $19. The CD is an accompaniment to the book and is great for those who are auditory learners or for those who are busy and on the go.  We fall into this category and enjoyed listening on our 30 minute drives to gymnastics practices. The coloring book is nice to keep your younger students engaged and feeling involved.

Apologia's What We Believe Series has four books that can be taught individually and does not require any particular order. We read Who Am I as a family (or listened in the van on busy days. I really enjoy the What Will You Do
section throughout the book. This section gets you thinking and discussing about God and His word as it pertains to your life and situations.  We love all of Apologia’s products; from their full Science programs, writing, geography, and acclaimed parent resources; and I am sure you will too, check them out!

Check out what my fellow Crewmates thought by clicking here.

Company ~ Apologia Educational Ministries, INC.

Product ~ What We Believe: Who Am I? (And What Am I Doing Here?)

Price ~ Hard-cover book, $39, student notebooking journal, $24, Who Am I? coloring book which is $8,  and the Who Am I? Audio Book, MP3, CD is $19.

Ages ~ 6-14

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I received Apologia’s Who Am I? book, lapbook journal, Audio CD, and coloring book, in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but are not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

Wordless Wednesday

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Happy Valentine’s Day

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Back in early January I signed up for a Valentine’s Day card swap on the Well Trained Mind Forum that I frequent.  The cards started trickling in around the end of January and it was hard for some of the littles to wait.  Our list of swapper's included over 40 kids, so you can image the girls surprise when they checked the mailbox daily.  The girls all ended up with a great haul and all were very excited for there goodies.  When they finished up Madison, Mikayla, and Montana headed across the street to deliver their Valentine’s to their besties.

The Lt. and I headed to a late lunch and then on to a movie date.  We ate a very nice Japanese restaurant.  I choose my beloved Chicken Teriyaki. It was yummy, however, it did not come close to my beloved Ichi Bentos in WA State. We saw the  new Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds movie, Safe House.  It was really good…it has been so long since I have been to the movies.  I take that back I took the girls and their besties to see Alvin and the Chipmunks: Shipwrecked, but does that count as a movie?

Here are some pictures from the day, enjoy!

         

TOS Review ~ See-N-Spell

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Last year I had the opportunity to review the See-N-Read® reading tool that was the recipient of the The Old Schoolhouse Magazine’s Review Crew Blue Ribbon Award in the “Favorite Special Needs Product” Category.  This year I was excited when I was offered a chance to review the See-N-Spell booklet.

This 40 page See-N-Spell™ booklet enables young writers to compose stories, essays, and even articles  by providing a more advanced vocabulary at their fingertips.  Most young writers lack the confidence to spell these more advanced words correctly and that is where the See-N-Spell comes in.

See-N-Spell was designed to be easy to use tool and it is!  Words are broken down into three alphabetized categories:

1. Most Commonly Used Vocabulary Words
2. Commonly Misspelled Words
3. My Special Interest Words

It is so easy to use, which we love. Your student can simply turn to the page showing the first letter (a,b,c, etc.) of the word you are trying to  spell, scan down the page, then copy the correct spelling into their written work.  It is that simple!  Plus each See-N-Spell comes with the handy dandy reading tool the See-N-Read.  You can read about my review and how it works by clicking here.  I used this product with Mikayla and we had good results.  She is always asking how do you spell…?  Now, I first send her to the See-N-Spell to find the word.  If she has misspelled a word in her writing I again send her to the See-N-Spell to look first. For $9.99 this handy book we recommend this book and know it will be a great addition to your home library.  Check out what my Crewmates thought of the See-N-Spell by clicking here.

 

Company ~See-N-Read

Product ~ See-N-Spell

Price ~ $9.99

Age ~4th graders and up * I used this product with my 3rd grade daughter with no problems.

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I received a download of See-N-Spell, in exchange for a thorough and honest review.  Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews.  The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but are not influenced by the company or the free product provided.