Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Memoria Press Second Form Latin Complete Set Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived


Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. Affiliate links are in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

My family had the privilege of trying the Second Form Latin Complete Set from Memoria Press for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.


Memoria Press is a family-run publishing company that produces simple and easy-to-use classical Christian education materials for home and private schools. It was founded by a woman named Cheryl Lowe in 1994. They currently have preschool through ninth grade in most of their curriculum and some through twelfth grade. They also cover subjects in: Classical Core Curriculum, Latin, Classical Studies, Christian Studies, Logic & Rhetoric, Phonics & Early Reading, Penmanship, Literature & Poetry, American & Modern Studies, Writing & English Grammar, Science & Math, Greek, Modern Languages, Educational Resources, eBooks, Special-Needs, and Art & Music.

Second Form Latin is a Latin grammar course for grade 6+ students that have finished First Form Latin. It comes with a Student Text, Student Workbook, Quizzes & Tests, Teacher Manual, Teacher Key, Pronunciation CD, Flashcards, and Instructional DVDs. This course was designed for teachers with little to no background in Latin. Second Form Latin reviews all material in First Form (the previous course to this one), completes the verb paradigms for all four conjugations in the indicative active and passive, and much more! After completing Second Form Latin, Memoria Press has the next course in the series called Third Form Latin. There is also a course that is for grades 1-3 called Prima Latina and a course for 3-5 called Latina Christiana that you can have your younger children do before the First Form Latin course, but it is not required.

After finishing Second Form Latin, the student will have mastered:
  • 6 indicative active and three indicative passive tenses of all four verb conjugations
  • 5 noun declensions, including -er/-ir nouns and i-stem nouns
  • Adjectives in three declensions
  • Personal pronouns
  • Prepositions
  • 365 vocabulary words (185 in First Form, and another 180 new words in Second Form)

Everything Included in the Set:

The Second Form Latin Student Text is a 9×7.5 inch soft cover book that is 120 pages long. It includes 31 two page lessons on facing pages. These are very concise and informative to teach the lessons in the workbook. There are also Appendices that include: Conversational Latin, Prayers, Latin Sayings, Sentence Labeling and Diagramming, English-Latin Verb Tenses; Pronouns, English-Latin Pronouns, Grammar Forms, Oral Form Drills, and a Vocabulary Index. Go here to see a Student Text Sample and a Table of Contents of the Student Text in PDF format.

The Second Form Latin Workbook is a spiral bound consumable workbook that can only be used by one student. This workbook consists of 211 pages with 5 units of 26 lessons total. The lessons begin with word study and grammar, sometimes vocabulary review, declensions, form drills, dative/genitive case, translation and ends with derivatives usually (sometimes ending on review or enrichment). The exercises are about 4-7 pages long. It also has Translation Checklist at the very beginning of the workbook and after all the lessons it has an Appendix with Grammar Questions and Vocabulary Drill Sheets with a how to. Go here to see a Student Workbook Sample in PDF format.

The Second Form Latin Quizzes and Tests is a soft cover booklet that has reproducible weekly quizzes and unit tests that ensure material is being mastered. The pages are perforated so they can be torn out easily if needed. Go here to see a Sample Quiz in PDF format.

The Second Form Latin Teacher Manual is a soft cover teacher and parent guide to Second Form Latin. It is 119 pages. It consists of Teaching Guidelines with: Introduction, Lesson Overview, Lingua Angelica Syllabus, Games; Syllabus, Preparation, Testing, a Student Text with Lesson Plans and Student Text Appendices with: Conversational Latin, Prayers, Latin Sayings, Sentence Labeling and Diagramming, English-Latin Verbs, Pronouns, English-Latin Pronouns, Grammar Forms, and Form Drills, ending with a Vocabulary Index. The Lesson Overview Schedule consists of 5 parts: Lesson, Workbook, Final Oral Drill, Quiz, and optional Lingua Angelica. The Lesson Plans have an opening with a Latin greeting from both teacher and student, Recitation of: grammar forms, Music and Prayers; and Review which could include Grammar Questions, vocabulary drill with flashcards, vocabulary drill sheets, form drills, and / or Latin Sayings. Then the lessons go on to include: Latin Saying, Vocabulary, and Grammar - Syntax. The pages of the Student Text are in miniature on the page for each lesson. Go here to see a Teacher Manual Sample in PDF format.

The Second Form Latin Teacher Key is a spiral bound answer key for the workbook, quizzes, and tests. This has inset pages from the student workbook & quizzes and tests booklet with a with the answers in an easy-to-read, 2-color format. A grammar summary including all questions from First Form is included, as well as, vocabulary drill sheets. Go here to see a Teacher Key Sample in PDF format.

The Second Form Latin Pronunciation CD is 2 discs that include all vocabulary and grammar forms and the complete verbal ecclesiastical pronunciation (the way the word sounds when it is spoken) for each lesson. It has 32 parts. You can listen to a CD Sample here.

The Second Form Latin Flashcards are a large stack (238 cards) of 3.5 x 2.5 inch pre-cut cards to help with study and memorization. It includes: vocabulary, Latin sayings, and grammar forms. These contain all the words in the Second Form Latin program. On this page there are Sample Flashcards in PDF format.

How The Flashcards are Laid Out:

  • Vocabulary (Latin, lesson number, and any derivative, on one side; English on the other)
  • Latin sayings (Latin and lesson number on one side, English on the other)
  • Grammar forms (cue word and declension or tense name on one side; Latin forms and lesson number on the other).

The First Form Latin Instructional DVDs are a set of 3 discs having a total of about 8.5 hours. Lessons take an average of 15-20 minutes per lesson. The teaching is done by former Highlands Latin School teacher Glen Moore. There are on-screen notes, illustrations, diagrams, a full First Form – Second Form recitation, “Latin parties” (Glen’s version of unit reviews), and more! This makes it easy to educate yourself in Latin. On this page there is a DVD Sample.

Teela reading the Second Form Latin Student Text.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We love Memoria Press and their classical christian curriculum! We have a bunch of their other studies and have found them all wonderful. We've been very blessed to have been able to also receive a number of their curriculum to review here.

Second Form Latin is a fabulous curriculum for kids to master more Latin after First Form Latin. We did this curriculum for my daughter Teela who is in 6th grade and has finished First Form Latin last year. We did this on an average of three days per week. This classical christian homeschool curriculum is fantastic!

I found the Teacher Manual very convenient and thorough. I loved how it was laid out and how it explained things. The information is given to me, the parent and teacher, so I could teach the student in a way that we both comprehend all the information. I also liked having all the answers of the workbook, quizzes, and tests in the Teachers Key at my fingertips so I didn't have to seek them out myself.

Both DVDs and CD were very helpful tools. We started out watching the lesson for the day on the DVD. The DVDs helped me learn along with Teela. The DVDs I found especially great because of the illustrations and diagrams they used as well to clarify and explain the point better. These lessons are the perfect length as well which helps the learning happen without information overload. The CD we used to teach the correct pronunciation of the vocabulary in the student books and flashcards.

Teela working out of the Second Form Latin Student Workbook.

The Student Text can be easily followed along with the DVDs and Teacher Manual. I had my daughter read the text and work from the Student Workbook after each lesson and if there were Quizzes & Tests she needed to do I would have her work out of the booklet for those. If we needed to review something it was easy to get the lesson back up on the DVD and find where the specific thing was talked about or look it up in the Teacher Manual.

Teela working with the Second Form Latin Flashcards.

We also thought the flashcards were very handy to have with the set. This deck is huge and covers all of Second Form Latin vocabulary. We used these as a further study and memory aid reinforcing learning the Second Form Latin vocabulary. I love that I didn't have to punch out the cards or cut them out myself because this would have taken me a long time. I am glad that these were pre-cut. I also liked the fact that these had the lesson number on each card so we could reference back to it if needed.

We highly recommend Second Form Latin by Memoria Press! It is a great Latin curriculum. I look forward to using other curriculum books from Memoria Press with my children in the future and after finishing the Second Form Latin moving onto Third Form Latin.

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You can purchase the Second Form Latin Complete Set for $125.00.

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Prima to Fourth Form Latin Complete Sets {Memoria Press Reviews}
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Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Beyond the Stick Figure Art School Complete Drawing Course PLUS 3 Bonus Courses Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived


Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of trying the Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course PLUS 3 Bonus Courses from Beyond the Stick Figure Art School for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Beyond the Stick Figure Art School is a online art school taught by Sally, a homeschooler of 8 and graduate of Loughborough College of Art and Design in England. She has multiple courses to pick from in her shop from making a bouquet for Mother's Day to the Complete Drawing Course Plus 3 Bonuses! These are great do at your own pace art courses that you can have a lifetime membership to.

Beyond the Stick Figure Art School Complete Drawing Course PLUS 3 Bonus Courses are art instruction courses online. These step-by-step lessons will take you from drawing stick figures to making realistic art.  These are a total of 55 drawing lessons, 15 pen and ink lessons, 52 water color lessons, 24 Acrylic lessons, and 30 bonus lessons in 3D Design. These courses will teach you techniques and skill that masters of art know and practice. By the time you are done you will be drawing, painting, and sculpting with confidence. These art classes are easy to use and great for the whole family! This program is designed to be used as a daily program for one year, however it is very flexible and can be used to fit your own schedule.


 Here is the basic layout of the courses:

Drawing
  • Drawing Part 1
  • Drawing Part 2
  • Drawing Part 3
  • How Am I Doing?

Pen & Ink
  • Pen & Ink Part 1
  • Pen & Ink Part 2
  • How Am I Doing?

 Watercolor
  • Watercolor Part 1
  • Watercolor Part 2
  • Watercolor Part 3
  • How Am I Doing?

 Acrylic
  • Acrylic Part 1
  • Acrylic Part 2
  • Acrylic Part 3
  • How Am I Doing?

3D Design
  • 3D Design Part 1
  • 3D Design Part 2
  • 3D Design Part 3
  • How Am I Doing? 

Zari drawing circles and circles in back of circles.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

The Beyond the Stick Figure Art School Complete Drawing Course PLUS 3 Bonus Courses series of courses are incremental. Each lesson builds on the last and each course builds on the course before. So you have to begin at the beginning and work your way through. Each lesson needs to be marked done by a checkbox after it is completed so that the site will know exactly where you have left off at if you need to leave and come back. Otherwise the site will give you an exclamation point with a message saying, "Please go back and complete the previous topic." and won't allow you to move on. These courses can be done at your own pace and you can come back to sections and repeat them if you like. Each lesson has a video to watch that explain the art you will be doing in more detail and what supplies you will need. Some have files to download as well that make up a workbook. In my opinion the workbook is optional, but might have some ideas if you get stuck. There is also a supply list at the very beginning to let you know everything you will need for all the courses all at once. I just wish the supply list was broken into separate lists for each course.


Click to see the materials list better.

We started with the Drawing Courses and worked our way through the lessons. Even though these lessons are for one per day, we worked through a few in one day because I knew we wouldn't have time otherwise, even then we only got done with Part one of drawing. I have been super busy with the FFA teacher planning and implementing an online plant sale for the high school because I am on the Alumni and Supporters board as the Vice President. Anyway, the drawing courses that we did get through was very easy and basic. We loved that we could use copy paper and cut it into fourths so it wouldn't be too much white space to fill. In part one we learned: how to see like an artist, about shapes that artists use and finding them in real life, to practice the shapes on paper in different ways, about primary and secondary colors, and about perspective and overlap.

How finished lessons look online. The Next Topic button used to be the yellow Mark Complete button.

Looking ahead at the other courses was difficult because you have to mark each lesson as completed to do so, even when they are not. Also, there are no written descriptions of each lesson. You instead have to watch the videos to see what they are all about. This is a huge downside to these courses...especially when trying to review them. The titles of the lessons like, Drawing Part 1 Day 1, etc., in each course leave something to be desired as well.

Yellow "Mark Complete" button and how it changes.

Unless the previous lesson/topic has been marked as complete you cannot move on.

I did; however, find short descriptions on website to help tell you more about the other courses and so I put them into my own words. The drawing course goes from learning to draw shapes to drawing realistically. The pen & ink course will teach pen and ink techniques that are inspired by the art of E. H. Shepard in the classic Winnie the Pooh books. This course will have you doodling realistic scenes, etc. The watercolor course will build upon the pen and ink lessons to give them color. This course will have you go from total beginner to painting with watercolor like a pro. The acrylic course will let you learn how to paint with acrylics to create gorgeous paintings. The 3D design course teaches how to make things with clay. You will learn how to sculpt and build a real slab pot too.

Here is the art we did for Drawing Part 1.

This is an amazing jam packed homeschool art curriculum. It is very well rounded and covers a lot of ground. I am excited to do more lessons with my kids. I recommend this for ages 8 and up as the lessons get progressively more difficult and I do not believe younger kids will be able to keep up. This would be great for kids that want to learn to draw, learn to paint, or learn to sculpt.

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Purchase the Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course PLUS 3 Bonus Courses for only 10 easy payments of $37!

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Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course {Beyond the Stick Figure Art School}
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Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Fermentools' Starter Kit Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived


Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of trying the Starter Kit from Fermentools for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Fermentools was started by Matt Gross in 2013 to produce a product that turns any wide mouth mason jar into a fermenting vessel with a custom designed airlock system. In 2019 Alex and Cassie Deputie joined the Fermentools family to expand upon the vision that started the company. They along with their 7 children use fermented foods and nutrition to maintain health, even since Cassie was diagnosed with chronic health issues in 2005. The Deputie family run Fermentools together and assemble, package, and ship every kit and product that is ordered from their website. All of their products are made and sourced in the USA.


Fermented foods are really good for you because of the probiotic nature of the end product. Probiotics are live microorganisms, good bacteria, that provide health benefits when consumed, generally by improving or restoring the gut flora. Having good gut flora is extremely beneficial for our: immune systems, digestive systems, skin, and absorption of nutrients from the foods we eat. It is generally great for overall health.

 Fermentools Starter Kit comes with all you need to start fermenting foods and beverages. Fermented foods and beverages should be created in an anaerobic environment away from air. This is helped by submerging the food underneath the brine (salt water solution) with a weight. The Fermentools kits come with glass weights that are the perfect size for a wide-mouth jar to keep the food under the liquid so that mold will not grow. This environment is necessary for lacto-fermentation to happen and produce a pro-biotic rich preserved product. The airlocks that Fermentools uses help keep the oxygen and external air away from the submerged food trapping in carbon dioxide and lactic acid. Carbon dioxide is produced and the more of it that is, the more air is pushed out and kept out of the container via the airlock. With this kit you can make sauerkraut, fermented veggies, pickles, beverages like Tepache, sodas, Kombucha, etc.; fermented hummus and other condiments, sourdough bread, fermented legumes, dairy like yogurt and cultured butter, fermented fruit, Kimchi, and Curtido. They also have these recipes and more on the Fermentools' website.



Fermentools’ Starter Kit Includes:
  • Himalayan Powdered Salt – This ancient Himalayan sea salt has over 80 trace minerals and is ground fine enough to easily mix with cold water.
  • 1 Soda Lime Glass Fermentation Weight – Made to fit inside your standard widemouthed Mason jar perfectly, are 2 ¾ inches in diameter and 10mm thick, and won’t react with your food like other weights on the market.
  • 1 Rubber Canning Gasket – These are durable rubber gaskets from Tattler canning lid company and last up to 10 years when used for canning....probably longer for fermenting.
  • 1 Stainless Steel Lid – Made from 304 food grade surgical stainless steel, the corrosion resistant lid will last a lifetime and is dishwasher safe. This lid is far superior than regular canning lids and has a hole with a 10° extrusion to make a tight seal on the stopper.
  • 1 #2 Rubber Stopper with Hole – This is made from natural rubber and is used with the fermentation lid and air lock.
  • 1 #2 Rubber Solid Stopper – This is made from natural rubber and can be used when removing the airlock to seal the container until a regular lid can be installed after fermentation is completed so that no air will enter the vessel.
  • 1 Three Piece Air Lock – This is to help air escape with the help of carbon dioxide buildup. The CO2  helps push the oxygen through the air lock and out of the vessel.
  • Instruction Guide with Basic Sauerkraut recipe – Goes through what's included, how to use, fermentation process, and other tips...along with a simple Sauerkraut recipe and some variations.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We received the Starter Kit and thought the craftsmanship was wonderful. This looked like a very nice kit that will last a good long time. I was very happy with the products and excited to start the fermentation process. I have never done this before and since it was my first time making fermented foods or beverages, except for making Milk Kefir, I was also a little nervous. I have a lot of friends that do this on a daily basis, so I was also in good company...even though if I needed their help I could only ask them by phone or online since we were still social distancing because of COVID-19 restrictions. I also was excited to share this process with my kids, as this was a great learning experience for both them and me. Fermentation is also a great way to preserve harvests and since we have a large garden and orchard I have wanted to do this for a while.

The veggies going into my ferment.

We made carrot, purple cabbage, radish sauerkraut with the Fermentools' Starter Kit. I shredded 4 carrots, 10 radishes, and a small head of purple cabbage. It was very colorful looking.

Shredded veggies for my ferment.

After adding the 1 ½ tablespoon of the Himalayan powdered salt, my daughter Zari massaged the vegetables with her clean hands in a large mixing bowl for 10 minutes until they became softer and more liquidy. We could have used a masher tool instead, but she wanted the tactile experience. I liked that there was a conversion chart right on the salt that tells exactly how much salt you need for the brine you would like.

Zari mashing the veggies and salt to make the brine.

Then we packed the large wide mouth canning jar that we had with the veggie mixture and brine until we only had about 1 inch of space between the food and top of the jar. We then added the glass weight so that the veggies were all submerged under the brine and unexposed to air.

From top clockwise: placing glass weight, rubber gasket, fermentation lid, and canning ring.

Next we placed the rubber canning gasket on the outer lip of the jar making sure it was clean and dry first so it would create a good seal. We then added the stainless steel lid, writing side up, making sure the gasket didn't slip into the jar. We found a wide mouth canning ring in our supplies at home to place around this and tightened it down. After that we stuck the rubber stopper with the hole in the hole in the lid that came with the kit.

Last fermentation steps: place stopper with hole and fill airlock 1/2 way with water and place in stopper.

Last, we filled the airlock 1/2 way with non-chlorinated water and placed it in the rubber stopper hole. Then we placed the whole contraption into one of our cabinets because it had to be in a dark, moderately warm place. Typically you wait 3-14 days depending upon how fermented you like things, usually about a week is good. We did a whole week and the carrot, purple cabbage, radish sauerkraut was really good.

The pluses of having this kit verses not were numerous. I did not have to have a large crock to ferment with. I did not have to take the time to 'burp' the jars every day myself so that they wouldn't explode. I also did not have to worry about mold because of air getting in. I was also thankful that the Starter Kit from Fermentools was so easy to use.

There are so many yummy looking recipes on Fermentools' website that I want to try! I will definitely be trying out more recipes with this kit! I recommend the Starter Kit from Fermentools highly!

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You can purchase the Starter Kit or other Fermentools products here. You can get 15% off with coupon code CREW2020 until June 30, 2020.


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Fermentools Starter Kit {Fermentools Reviews}
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