TOS Review ~ Eagle’s Wings: Considering God’s Creation

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If your a long time homeschooler then maybe you have heard of Eagle’s Wings Educational Materials.  Our family is just completing our 2nd year of homeschooling and this is my first exposure to this awesome company and there products.  Eagle’s Wings Educational Materials  has been providing resources to the homeschooling community since 1987.  They currently have products for math, phonics, history and science.

We received Considering God's Creation to review.  It  is a hands on, multi-grade life science curriculum with a Christian worldview geared toward children in the grades of 2nd to 7th.  We received the Student manual (268 pages) and the Teachers manual (128 pages) for this review as well as an audio CD.

The teachers manual includes scripted lessons that can be read or used for discussions. The answer key to the student's book is also included in the teachers manual.  Some of the 36 topics covered include the solar system, weather, reptiles, insects, and the food chain.

Each lesson includes:

• Preparation
• Vocabulary
• Introduction
• Song/Poem
• Hands on Activity
• Bible Reading
• Notebook
• Evolution Stumpers
• Review
• Digging Deeper

Here are a few samples of the pages included in the book.

Considering God’s Creation (including Teacher’s Manual, Student Notebook, and CD) is available from Eagle’s Wings for $29.95.  Additional Student workbooks are available for $13.95 each.

With this one book you can cover all areas of your science study. One of my favorite parts of this curriculum is the low amount of prep time needed to get a lesson ready.  I was able to let the girls pick a topic and then we dove right in and started learning.  I also loved that the materials needed to complete experiments were items that we already have in the house.  We plan on continuing to use this during our summer studies and throughout next school year as a supplement to our biology curriculum. 

  Check out what my crewmates had to say by clicking, HERE.

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I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew and as such received a copy of  Considering God’s Creation from Eagle’s Wing Educational Materials, 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 ~ Reading Street

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Pearson Education gave our family a copy of their Second Grade Language Arts, student texts, Reading Street 2.1 and 2.2 by Scott Foresman as apart of the  of the TOS Homeschool Crew.  If you have spent any of your childhood in a public elementary school you would be familiar with the format and layout.  The two student volumes we received consist of living books that have been republished and broken up into units that each have a theme.  The story is first introduced by giving high frequency words and an introduction to the genre of the literature.  Reading comprehension questions are also included at the end with the stories.

 

Mikayla and I really enjoyed these books.  I was pleasantly taken back to my elementary school days with the format and layout.  The stories were engaging  and kept Mikayla reading.  Some of my favorite things include the wide range of literary choices in the volumes (poetry, fiction, non-fiction, & folk tales), grammar reinforcement, and organized units with colorful pages.

While the pricing for the textbooks are comparable the teacher’s manuals are quite expensive.  However, one does not really need the teacher’s manual to get the job done in the home school classroom.  Weekly tests are also available  but I think that would be more for a school classroom.

Each Textbook costs $43.47, or a two book set is $86.97

DVD-ROM Version of the texts $86.97

Weekly Tests Student edition $ 7.97

Weekly Test Teacher Manual $41.47

Unit Teacher Manual $38.47 each (12 volumes in set)

Check out what my crew mates had to say by clicking HERE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew and as such received a two Reading Street textbooks from Pearson Education, 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 .

sick…again

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This is the 2nd time within the last few months that I have been sick.  This time I got really sick.  Like loosing 5 pounds in one day, laying on the floor and can’t move because I am seeing bright blue stars, sick!  The last three plus weeks we have been on the move constantly and my body is telling me to slow down. Um, I got it, things are going to change for the better and quickly!!! Thankfully the Lt. was home to take care of me and to preoccupy the girls.  I found some great deals yesterday at the thrift store, can’t wait to show them to you.  But for now, I am off to climb back into bed and rest I will catch up with you next week…

Chat later!

TOS Review ~ Wordy Qwerty

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Remember when I did my review for Talking Fingers company? Well now the company has a new program out called Wordy Qwerty.  This new program is marketed towards children aged 7 to 10 and teaches spelling skills along with typing skills at the same time.    

Throughout the program two keyboards named Qwerty and Midi act as your guide.  In 20 consecutive lessons  your child’s  goal is to help Midi build a music machine.  These two guide your child through  each of the 6 steps inside each lesson.  Wordy Qwerty focuses on six steps inside each lesson to guide your child to reading and writing fluency through the program:

1. Patterns – such as sorting words by the beginning letter.
2. Karaoke – rhyme and song combine to make spelling memorable.
3. Recycler – word families are as simple as changing the first letter.
4. Pop-a-Word – helps work on recognizing outlaw words.
5. Write Stories – using recently acquired spelling rules the child types stories dictated a line at a time.
6. Read Stories – reading a good story make learning fun, but these stories are missing some words. Students get to fix them.

Wordy Qwerty is available from the Talking Fingers website and is available in two formats. You can purchase an online edition with a 5 year license that includes an audio cd, JingleSpells of the 20 songs in the program. Below are the prices:

• $25.00 for one user
• $40.00 for two users
• $52.50 for three users
• $60.00 for four users
• $71.25 for five users

The Home Edition is $35.00 and includes the program CD, program guide, and cd of all 20 songs contained in Wordy Qwerty.

System Requirements

Mac: OS9 with CarbonLib or OSX

Windows: 98, SE, 2000, XP

Also requires QuickTime 6 (included) or greater

Mikayla was my primary reviewer for Wordy Qwerty.  She thoroughly enjoyed logging on and using the program.  I do plan for her to continue using the program over the summer to complete all the lessons. Want to test it out for yourself? Try before you buy?  Check out the free demo online, here to use lesson one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew and as such received a subscription for Wordy Qwerty, 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 .

2011 ~ 2012 Plan of study

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I can’t believe we just finished up of 2nd year homeschooling!  Can I tell you a secret? I.LOVE.it!!!  I hear people tell me all the time that they can’t handle having their children home over the summer, let alone all day, Everyday.  Wow, that is pretty sad, huh? I have run across naysayers along the way who bring discouragement and I have tried to let it roll off my back.  That is a learning process for me, I am working on it with lots of prayer! 
We had a whirlwind of a year  in 2010 - 2011 but we finished on a great strong note.  I have finally figured out our “style” and the direction I want to take the girls on.  We started transitioning to a classical approach about January this year and we love it! It just makes sense to me and the girls are enjoying it too. 
Marie is my rising 9th grader, GULP! I had a lot of trepidation with processing that my baby, is entering high school. How can that be?!?  I have done A LOT of reading, praying, researching, praying, and talking with seasoned moms who have been there, done that to get her a strong 4 year college prep plan scheduled out.  I am confident  that I can get this job done and will call on the one who hears my prayers if the going gets tough. 
Here is our finalized plan of study for the 2011 – 2012 school year:
Marie ~ 9th (Freshman year)
Bible History 110, 1 cr                                                                                        
~ Behold your God
~ Sonlight 110
English & Composition I, 1.5 cr                                                             
~ Sonlight American Historical Literature 130
~ Sonlight Writing
~Rod & Staff 9/10, book 1
History, 1 cr                                               
 ~ Sonlight Core 100: American History 120
Math, 1 cr                                                                                                  
   ~Chalk dust Algebra 1*
Science (Honors), 1.5 cr
~ Apologia Biology with living books & movies
Foreign Language, 2 cr
~Rosetta Stone Spanish 1 using MFW schedule
~Latin: Henle I
Logic, 1 cr
~ Traditional Logic 1
Typing, .5 cr (1st semester)
~Typing for Christian Service
PE, .5 cr
~ Competitive cheerleading, 2 –3 X’s a week
Total credits: 10.0 credits
* Marie took Algebra 1 in 8th grade but the Lt. and I have decided that she has not mastered the material to our standards so we are going to do a major review with a different program.
Madison ~ 5th
 Bible
~Positive Action for Christ - Building Life Castles
~AWANA TNT ultimate challenge
Language Arts
~ Rod & Staff 5
~Rod & Staff Spelling 6
~A Reason for Writing, F
~Writing With Ease, Level 4
~ Reading lists
Math
~Saxon, 6/5
~Menu Math
History/Literature/Vocabulary/Geography/Worldview
~Tapestry of Grace DE, Year 1 (Upper Grammar level)
~Poetry & Memory work using The Matrix
Science
~Elemental Science – Biology (Logic stage)
Health
~Health for the Glory of God
Logic
~Building Thinking Skills, Lvl 2
~Mind Benders
Latin
Latin for Children, Primer A
Foreign Language
~Spanish for Children, A * spread out over two years*
Music
~Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers
Art
~Art projects for Kids
~How to Teach Art to Children
~The Worlds Greatest Artist
Co-op
Digitial Photography
PE
~Level 4 competitive gymnastics team, 12+ hrs week



Mikayla ~ 3rd
 Bible
Positive Action for Christ - Building Life Castles
~AWANA TNT
Language Arts
~ Rod & Staff 3
~Rod & Staff Spelling 3
~A Reason for Writing, C
~Writing With Ease,  Level 2
~ Sonlight’s Grade 4-5 Readers 
~Reading lists
Math
~Saxon 5/4
~Menu Math
History/Literature/Vocabulary/Geography/Worldview
~Tapestry of Grace DE, Year 1 (Lower Grammar  level using SOTW Yr 1 as Spine)
~Poetry & Memory work using The Matrix
Science
~Elemental Science
– Biology (Logic stage)
Health
~Proper Manners and Health Habits
Logic
~Building Thinking Skills, Lvl 1
~Mind Benders
Latin
Latin for Children, Primer A
Music
~Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers
Art
~Art projects for Kids
~How to Teach Art to Children
~The Worlds Greatest Artist
Co-op
Drawing
PE
~Level 5 competitive gymnastics team, training with Level 7/8 girls, 18+ hrs week
 
Montana~ Kindergarten*
*We are officially opting Montana out of starting Kindergarten in our school district for there records, but she will be doing Kindergarten work*
Bible
~Positive Action for Christ –Learning about God
~AWANA Sparks
Phonics
~Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading
~ Lots of reading
Writing
~A Reason for Handwriting, K
Math
~Saxon 1
Science
~Elemental Science-Intro to Science
Latin
~Song School Latin * spread out over 3 years*
Co-op
Suzuki Piano
PE
Gymnastics, Advanced Bears 1.5 hrs/week

McKenzie ~ Tot School

~ lots of reading and exploring
~ Reach For the Stars Toddler
~ Before Five in a Row
~ Gymnastics, Mommy & Me class, 1 hr/week

And any other blessing we receive as we sail for our second year with the TOS Homeschool Crew. 

So, what are your curriculum plans?  Don’t forget to come back next week and check out our updated school room!

I am linking this up with Weird Unscocialized Homeschoolers – 2011 Curriculum Special Edition Weekly Wrap Up, Not Back To School Blog hop

Review ~ Lead Serve Love

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Wow, this little book packs a great big punch! Lead Serve Love by Gregory E. Lang is a Christian inspirational book that gives you little three-word wisdoms.  Practical wisdom so we can better understand our walk with God.

The cover of the book is simple, yet cute and I was attracted to it immediately.  Each page contains the simple three-word phrases on Christian living followed by a paragraph that expands on the phrase.  The adjacent page gives 3-5 scripture references to go along with the phrase.

You could read just one three-word wisdom each day or just cruise through the book like I did.  Some of my favorite include:

Share your blessings

Give second chances

Believe in miracles

Forgive yourself too

Hold yourself accountable

Live in today

I really enjoyed this book and the sound tidbits of advice offered.  This book would make an excellent Bible study tool also.  I plan to spend more time digging deeper and practicing each three-word phrase each day.  I think it would make a great gift for any stage of your Christian walk and give it five stars!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I received this book free from the publisher through the Thomas Nelson book review bloggers program 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 .