Showing posts with label curriculum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label curriculum. Show all posts

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Home School in the Woods Time Travelers: New World Explorers Review


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 Time Travelers U.S. History Studies New World Explorers from Home School in the Woods 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.

Home School in the Woods is a family run business that creates Christian based history curriculum for homeschooling. This curriculum immerses your student in the topic. It is very hands-on with lapbooks, timelines, recipes, art, creative writing, notebook projects, dramatized audio theater, maps, crafts, projects, re-enactments, file-folder games, vocabulary to learn, etc.

The Time Traveler American History Studies are a seven part series that starts with the New World Explorers and concludes at the end of World War II. These are recommended for grades 3-8. There are two different versions you can purchase, a CD version or a digital download version. With the CD version everything that you access and print is on the CD. With the digital download version you download a zipped file, place all of the contents into a folder on your computer, and access it by the start.htm file that is in that folder. We received the digital download version.

 

Left: Main Menu, Right: Lessons 1-5

 

We found that there was a lot of preparation that needed to happen before getting started. There is a lot of things needing printed, items needing prepared for crafts and other projects, and general preparation of materials before one can begin the travel. The Beginning of the main menu includes: Acknowledgements / Copyrights and Usage / Bibliography, Introduction, Tips to Consider Before Starting..., and Teacher Helps which gives you a great foundation. Teacher Helps guides you with preparation and organization, gives you a Lesson Planner schedule to help you see an overview of the things being taught and Additional Resources to pull from. It also includes the printables for the 3-Ring Binder Covers and the Teacher Keys for the timeline.


Each study has twenty-five lessons and is supposed to last roughly 5-10 weeks depending upon how quickly everything is completed. These lessons have reading Text Pages and an activity that go with them. Project Pages accompany these to give directions, list of supplies needed, printing instructions, and illustrations for each project and activity. Masters are provided for all printables.

In the Other Resources section at the end of the main menu there are some visuals and directions to help you with the projects, activities, and lapbook. These include: All Master Pages in numerical order, A Gallery of Project Photos (final photos of what projects should look like at the end), and Lap Book Instructions. You can also have your student catch up with the five Project Days that are included in the schedule. The student will compile a lapbook in the 24th lesson. This lapbook is pieced together throughout the studies. The final lesson is a party with a theme that goes along with the series to celebrate the end of the study. These are very flexible and you can pick and choose what projects work best for your family.

You will need a few items to get you through the lessons:

  • Working Printer
  • Color and Black Ink for the printer to cover all the printing that will be happening
  • White and Colored Printer Paper
  • White and Colored Cardstock (this is best, but admittedly we didn't have any of this and used only white printer paper and it worked OK)
  • One 3-Ring Binder for the Teacher's Binder (reading text, project direction pages, the "Guide-at-a-Glance," teacher keys, and any of the other teacher helps)
  • One 3-Ring Binder for the Scrapbook of Sights (student binder for all notebook projects including)
  • Colored File Folders or Colored Pocket Folders with Fasteners
  • Scissors and/or an X-acto Knife (when using an X-acto Knife you will need a thick piece of cardboard or self healing mat to use as a cutting surface)
  • Crayons, Markers, or Colored Pencils to color the pictures, if desired
  • Glue
  • Other Craft supplies specified for each of the different projects that your student wants to do

 

Lessons for Time Travelers American History Study: New World Explorers:

  1. What is an Explorer?
  2. The Life of an Explorer - Pt. 1
  3. The Life of an Explorer - Pt. 2
  4. Ship Ahoy!
  5. PROJECT DAY - 1
  6. Navigation
  7. Brendan, Eriksson, & Columbus
  8. Cabot & Vespucci
  9. Ponce de León & Balboa
  10. PROJECT DAY - 2
  11. Pizarro & Magellan
  12. Verrazano & Cortés
  13. Cartier & de Soto
  14. Coronado & Drake
  15. PROJECT DAY - 3
  16. Cabrillo & Ribaut
  17. Raleigh & Smith
  18. Oñate, Champlain, & Hudson
  19. Bering & Cook
  20. PROJECT DAY - 4
  21. Pirates! - Pt. 1
  22. Pirates! - Pt. 2
  23. PROJECT DAY - 5
  24. Pulling Together the Lap Book™
  25. Exploration Celebration


Zari coloring the binder cover and spine.

 

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:
I enlisted my daughter Zari, who was in 4th grade this past school year, to learn about New World Explorers. She has loved doing Home School in the Woods in the past. This is supposed to be for 3rd through 8th graders so most of the projects she did very well on. She did need my help with some of the more advanced projects and writing assignments and it took her a lot longer to get through some of the written assignments than it might have taken for my older kids. I learned quite a bit too while helping her with this study.

We have been learning about an explorer and ship that is tied to the history out here. The Columbia Rediviva was under the command of John Kendrick and Captain Robert Grey. They sailed in the Pacific Northwest for the maritime fur trade. They used the Columbia River as a key transportation route. This ship is said to have been the model for the local high school being "The Columbians". The Home School in the Woods Time Travelers: New World Explorers goes hand-in-hand with what we have been studying.

 

My girls with a chainsaw carved sea captain sculpture at Rainier Jr Sr High in Dec. 2017.

 

This study was jam packed with information. This is all about early U.S. History. It is about the explorers that discovered the new world. In the weeks we had before this review we learned about explorers, their life, and ships, etc. There are creative writing, recipes of the era, notebook timeline, factfile cards, file folder games, penmanship pages, notebooking activities, three-dimensional projects, arts and crafts, lapbooking, and a Exploration Celebration to bring the whole unit to a close. We still have not gotten through all the lessons, but we have enjoyed everything that we have done thus far.

 

Zari coloring the ship and learning about ship's anatomy.


This was differently laid out than the Project Passports I was used to. There were no stops or pretending to be on a trip and these did not have any audio files to listen to. Like Project Passport though, the instructions are not hard, but there is a lot of things to set up and print out initially and throughout the program....so be aware of that and set some time aside to begin with to get things done so you are not overwhelmed.

Zari really liked our project time together the most. She loves art and making things. She especially loved tying nautical knots, making dried apples, making flags, learning about the ship's anatomy, making and drinking lime juice, and singing sea shanties. We can't wait to make the ship out of a large box that we acquired, dress up like pirates or seaman, find constellations in the night sky for navigation, making navigational tools, and make some of the recipes, etc. We are learning a lot and are enjoying every moment. These are so much fun!

Dried fruit was a main staple of food on a ship while exploring.

 

I highly recommend the Time Travelers American History Study: New World Explorers from Home School in the Woods. This is great for anyone homeschooling who might need some help with teaching about explorers in the new world in a highly educational, fun, and very hands-on way. This is a great stand-alone unit study or can be used to supplement something already being taught. This would also be perfect for those wanting something fun to do with their kids in the summer time. I am looking forward to reviewing more from Home School in the Woods in the future and learning more about United States history with this study!

 

BUY IT
You can purchase the download version of the Time Travelers U.S. History Studies New World Explorers from Home School in the Woods for $27.95 and CD version for $28.95.

Download the scope and sequence, look at a sample lesson, see photo examples of projects, and watch a video of "What is a Time Traveler" when you click the link above, to get more of an idea about the program.

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Tuesday, May 4, 2021

YWAM Publishing Heroes of History George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist and Unit Study Curriculum Guide Review

 

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 reading the Heroes of History - George Washington Carver from YWAM Publishing 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.

YWAM (YOUTH WITH A MISSION) Publishing is a nonprofit organization that produces and distributes books that help Christians make a difference in the world by giving a portion of every dollar spent to buy books through YWAM Publishing to children and adults in other countries that are in need. Their books focus on evangelism, educational training, prayer, discipleship, and mercy ministries.

YWAM Publishing has two popular book series; one called Heroes of History and the other called Christian Heroes: Then & Now; in which true stories are told of real people that lived in our history. In the Heroes of History series we learn about great men and woman who changed the course of history. In the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series we learn about ordinary people who have put their trust in God and in doing so accomplish extraordinary things. Both of these book series help us as: parents, teachers, and caretakers; give our children wholesome biographies to read or be read to that teach good character traits, values, and virtues.

 

George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist

 

George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist by Janet & Geoff Benge is part of a series of 29 biography books called Heroes of History by YWAM Publishing. This series covers the years 1451 to 1951. This book tells the true life story of George Washington Carver who was a brilliant American agricultural scientist, inventor, and professor. This Christian biography book from YWAM Publishing about George Washington Carver teaches great character traits, values, and virtues too. This book covers the years 1864 to 1943. It chronicles his life from a baby to his death in 1943. It is a total of 16 chapters and 189 pages long.

 

George Washington Carver Unit Study download page tab.

The Unit Study Curriculum Guide that is paired with the George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist book that I received was in the digital downloadable format and opened as an executable file. The digital version is downloadable in a zipped format, so you will have to unzip before you use it. After selecting where it will go on your computer, unzip it, and find the folder it placed it all into. Find the file version you need: __MACOSX for Macintosh and the other for PC. Click on the file that has START HERE in its title and it will open in a new window in your browser. You can then read a very short synopsis of the biography under the George Washington Carver tab, download the unit study under the Unit Study tab, etc.

The Unit Study downloads in PDF format. It also has a 25 page guide for classroom and homeschool as well as a 12 page guide for a small group that tells you how to best use the unit study. This shows how flexible you can be with the unit study. You can do the whole study or just parts of it. It is all up to you how you use it. The unit study goes in depth to help you go above and beyond the book and explore other areas that pertain to the material like: crafts, cooking, art, and writing assignments; has questions to ask your children to see if they comprehended the reading, and quotes to use as copywork to enhance handwriting or memorization. The unit study is broken into two parts.

Here is the Unit Study Curriculum Guide Contents:
Part 1 -
Introduction (how to use the study)

  1. Key Quotes (great for copywork, memorization, theatrical presentation, or art display)
  2. Display Corner (an area designated for hands on display of items relating to the reading)
  3. Chapter Questions (questions that enhance the reading: 1 vocabulary, 1 factual, 2 comprehension, and 2 open-ended)
  4. Student Explorations (essay questions, creative writing, hands-on projects, audio/visual projects, arts & crafts)
  5. Community Links (field trip ideas)
  6. Social Studies (places, journeys, terms/vocabulary, geographical characteristics: mapping, timeline: plotting historical events, conceptual questions)
  7. Related Themes to Explore (cultures, math, literature, history, current events, science & medicine)
  8. Culminating Event (sort of a show and tell ending, ideas include: invitations, clothing, competitions, presentations, food, displays)
Appendix A: Books and Resources
Appendix B: Answers to Chapter Questions

Part 2 -
Appendix C: Social Studies Reproducibles

 

Zari reading YWAM Publishing Heroes of History George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

My 11 year old daughter Zari and my 13 year old daughter Teela read the book. Both have been doing the study guide with me. We learned more about George Washington Carver's life from reading this book than any textbook we had read or movie we had watched previously. It was quite refreshing to learn more about this important man.

After each chapter Zari and I did the first three questions from the study guide which are geared toward the younger students. They include a vocabulary question, a factual question coming from the reading, and the first comprehension question. The study guide is geared toward ages 10+. Zari and I would look up the words in a dictionary and thesaurus as well, for more understanding. My daughter, Teela, had no problem with the reading and vocabulary, but that is because she is a voracious reader. I had Teela do all of the chapter questions. Besides the chapter questions I had Zari do copywork from the key quotes and I had Teela memorize them and say them back to me. I will have Teela do an essay as suggested in the study guide under the student explorations and essays. She will also be doing some creative writing.

We also tried to go to the websites in the books and resources section of the study guide to learn more about George Washington Carver, but most of them were unfortunately broken. We looked up our own and found some pictures of his paintings of flowers and explored the George Washington Carver National Monument Park in Missouri by virtual tour and multimedia. We didn't know he was an artist as well as a botanist and inventor until this study. He was a very well accomplished man.

There was so much to learn and explore in this unit study. We were amazed at the very complexity of it all. We are going to check out some more books and biographies that they recommend in the study guide later. We didn't even begin to scratch the surface and were still very engaged in this lengthy unit study. This would be a great study to incorporate for Black History Month.

The YWAM Publishing biographies are historical and true. These true stories along with the unit studies are great for homeschooling families. We hope to get to read about Theodore Roosevelt next in their extensive biography list. I highly recommend these!

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YWAM Publishing Heroes of History - George Washington Carver book:
Regular Price: $9.99 YWAM Price: $7.50

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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived

 

Disclaimer: I received this complimentary 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 Art of the Northern Countries from Artistic Pursuits Inc. 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.

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. creates art curriculum for children. This full-color curriculum helps children to grow their skills of observation and critical thinking. It teaches all components of fine art, including creativity, art history, art appreciation, and art techniques. This unique homeschool art program permits the student to be expressive and make up their own decision about what and how they will draw, paint, or sculpt.

ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray by Brenda Ellis are brand new hardcover books for kindergarten and elementary students. These have art history and art instruction lessons in text with pictures to study and video lessons on how to use the art materials. There are a total of 8 volumes currently:

  • K-3 Vol. 1 ART FOR CHILDREN, Building a Visual Vocabulary
  • K-3 Vol. 2 ART OF THE ANCIENTS
  • K-3 Vol. 3 ART OF THE MIDDLE AGES
  • K-3 Vol. 4 ARTISTS THAT SHAPED THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
  • K-3 Vol. 5 ART OF THE NORTHERN COUNTRIES, RENAISSANCE TO REALISM
  • K-3 Vol. 6 ART OF THE IMPRESSIONISTS
  • K-3 Vol. 7 ART OF THE MODERN AGE
  • K-3 Vol. 8 ART IN AMERICA


Each book covers one whole semester of art if you have your student do one lesson a week. You can do these lessons chronologically starting with volume 1 and follow the history volumes in order or do volume 1 and then skip to the volume of choice after that. It is all up to you.

Art of the Northern Countries is the fifth volume of the series. It is a hardcover book with both Blu-ray and DVD. It has 64 pages, 18 lessons (12 text lessons featuring artworks by ancient artists and 6 video lessons featuring art instruction on materials), and 86 illustrations. This art curriculum book and videos takes a look at of the Northern Countries of Europe from renaissance to realism. The book covers monoprints, observation drawing, relief prints, and more. Young learners will discover where the long lasting tradition of Realism in Western art began as they create and respond to art of the Northern Countries of Europe. They will experience art from famous artists like: Durer, Tuner, Millet, and Carot. Children will work with printmaking, watercolor, charcoal, and oil pastel.

K-3 Vol.5 Art Supply Pack | ARTistic Pursuits

K-3 Vol. 2 Art Supply Pack (can be purchased separately or with the book for additional cost) Includes:

  • Prang Pan Watercolors, set of 8
  • Blick Vine Charcoal sticks
  • Watercolor Paper Pad, 30 sheets
  • Sketch Paper Pad, 30 sheets
  • Speedball Hard Rubber Brayer
  • Water Soluble Printing Ink in teal, yellow, and black
  • Foam Printing Sheets, set of 12, 9" x 12"
  • 15" x 15" cotton fabric burnt orange cotton tote bag

You will also need these materials from K-3 Vol. 1 Starter Pack Materials list:
  • Ebony pencil
  • Watercolor brush, #8 round
  • Watercolor paper pad
  • Drawing paper pad
  • Construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Elmer's Glue-All


ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries Lessons 1-4.

 

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I did this art instruction for kids with my daughters Zari and Teela who are in 4th and 7th grade this school year. We did one lesson a week and completed 4 lessons. We did what we could with what we had at home and I also bought some supplies as well. My kids love art so they enjoyed these activities and learning about the art and history very much.

The lessons without videos have prep notes with tips and information about the type of art. It also has notes on how to instruct a larger group. Then there is the art history lesson on the next page with pictures of an art piece and questions at the end in bold. After the history lesson the book has a page of how to do the art. Each art lesson has a box of text that will list the materials needed for that art project, an example picture of the art made by a student, pictures of the art being assembled and instructions with more insight into the history. The lessons that have videos are truncated in the book and have a minimal amount of information to show you what art will be created and what materials are needed to make the art. These are used with the DVD or Blu-ray.

 

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries Online Course.

We also received access to the Online Course for the Art of the Northern Countries. When you login you get to a page that says "My Art Courses". This lets you click on view product and sends you to that course page. This page lets you start the course online with some bonuses. First it has a "Course Introduction" which has "Welcome to the Course", "Your Instructor", and "Course Book and Contents" in video format. The next category in the Online Course is "The Art of Seeing". This section has 2 bonus video lessons: "First Landscapes" and "Discovering Light". The next section is called, "The Fundamentals" and it has all of the same video lessons online as the DVD to follow along with the book lessons. The next category is called "Advanced Tips" and has a video on "Why Light and Dark Need Each Other". Last is a "Course Wrap Up" and has a video called, "What's Next". It will automatically mark these video lessons as complete once they are watched or you can mark as complete yourself. After they are completed they will have a check mark show up beside them in the course menu. We loved having the option to watch these videos online.

 

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries, K-3 Vol. 5: Lesson 1 (monoprint).

 

The first lesson we had an introduction of art in Europe around the Northern Renaissance and learned how to use a brayer roller and black water-soluble printing ink to make a monoprint using plants and stencils. This lesson was accompanied by a video (video #1) on the DVD or Blu-ray. This gave us very visual step-by-step instruction of the process. We liked the videos and thought they were very thorough, educational, and nicely done. The video had the art history and art instruction to show how to use the brayer roller and black water-soluble printing ink. Teela did this lesson and she did a butterfly as her stencil. She found plants in our yard to use as well. Hers didn't quite come out as crisp as the one shown in the video and book, but she at least got to understand monoprints and how they work.

 

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries, K-3 Vol. 5: Lesson 2 (observation drawing with oil pastels).

The second lesson in the book we learned about Durer and his painting, "The Large Piece of Turf". We read in the art book how Durer was inspired by art that looked like the real world and how he choose to paint plants when others were painting people. There are questions at the end in bold of this art history lesson about the "The Large Piece of Turf" painting in the book to make sure the children are paying attention to the art. Then we are told with words and shown with color pictures in the book how to make a frame out of construction paper and draw plants with oil pastels. Teela did this art outside and picked plants in our "fairy garden" to draw.

 

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries, K-3 Vol. 5: Lesson 3 (oil pastel drawing, snow scene).

The third lesson we learned about Bruegel's painting, "Hunters in the Snow". There are questions at the end in bold of the this art history lesson in the book to make sure the children are paying attention to the art. Then we are told with words and shown with color pictures in the book how to make an oil pastel drawing of a winter scene. Zari made a snowy cabin in the woods with snow falling and a moon.

 

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries, K-3 Vol. 5: Lesson 4 (relief print).

The forth lesson we learned more about relief prints. This lesson was accompanied by a video (video #2) on the DVD or Blu-ray. This gave us very visual step-by-step instruction of the process. In this lesson you make a white figure of a pet on a dark background. The video had the art and art instruction to show how to prepare the wax paper surface with the registration sheet, make a printing plate with foam printing sheets, and use the brayer. Zari decided she wanted to do our bunny, Norman, who had passed away. I helped make the printing plate. It asked us to use a picture of a light colored pet. We have a white horse, but Zari wanted to do Norman instead, so even though he was a black and white rabbit I think she did a good job as the correct areas of him were white and black.

There was only one thing that I would change if I was the author. My daughters and I wished that all the lessons had videos because we are very visual and the videos made the instruction so much easier, but we would also have liked those that did have videos to have the whole instruction and art history lesson in the book as well. This would make it easier to use with those children that are too young to read and those that learn better by reading than by visual and audio as well would benefit if both were used for all lessons. This would help our learners of all types.

So far ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray Art of the Northern Countries has been very educational and fun. We have learned so much about the art of the time. I highly recommend this art for children. ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray Art of the Northern Countries would be a great art curriculum for use with art history lessons and unit studies of Renaissance, Realism, and Europe.

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You can purchase ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray. They are each $39.99. If you would like to purchase the art kits with these it is more and depends on the kit.

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Monday, April 12, 2021

Math-U-See Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Multiplication with a Bridge to Division Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived

 

Disclaimer: I received this complimentary 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 Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Multiplication with a Bridge to Division from Math-U-See 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.

The Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Multiplication with a Bridge to Division Set has everything to teach older students who are struggling with math, specifically with a mastery of multiplication facts. This instructor-guided intervention program is generally targeting students age 10+. With the use of proven methods and manipulatives from Math-U-See, AIM strives to give students the confidence to learn better methods to succeed in multiplication and thus excel in more complex math continuing on in their education. Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Multiplication with a Bridge to Division has 10 lessons for multiplication learning and 2 lessons with a bridge to division.

  • Accelerated – The opportunity for students to move quickly through a skill set they have not yet mastered, without extra distractions.
  • Individualized – Each student is different, as are their learning preferences. Using as many approaches as possible, the program creates an environment for a student to master the skills they still need at their own pace.
  • Mastery – In this program, mastery means that a student can recall all the math facts using as little mental energy as possible to remain engaged in the process of problem solving.

 

Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Multiplication with a Bridge to Division Kit

 

Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) Contents:

  • Resource Guide Step-by-step guide that includes the techniques, components, and instruction for presenting fact strategies and practicing for mastery. Includes 10 lesson plans for multiplication and 2 with a bridge to division.
  • Integer Blocks Proven Math-U-See manipulatives illustrate strategies and are integrated within the instructional materials.
  • Fact Check Cards Set of cards used for planning instruction and assessing mastery.
  • Math Facts Strategy Posters Individual posters illustrating the Math-U-See multiplication fact strategies.
  • Digital Pack Set includes code to redeem access to the AIM for Multiplication with a Bridge to Division Digital Pack. The Digital Pack includes lesson videos, instructions, solutions, and
    printable resources required for successful implementation of the AIM for Multiplication
    program. This gives you access to all the online and downloadable activities and resources. Internet access is required to utilize the Digital Pack. 

 

Lesson 2 in the Digital Tool-Box.

Getting to and using the Digital Pack that comes with the kit after it has been purchased is easy. Once you have purchased the Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Multiplication with a Bridge to Division and it has arrived at your home you will receive a Digital Access card inside the box. This will give you access to the Digital Tool-Box online, just follow the directions to sign up. There is a pull down menu to select a product on the left. Pick Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM). On the right hand pull down menu select Multiplication. Once you select a lesson you can play the Streaming Instruction Video and/or click on the pull down menus underneath each video with printable PDF links for a Lesson Summary and Lesson Solutions. There are also Additional Activities and Resources that you can also print out.


How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I used this program with my daughter Zari, who is 11 years old. She takes a long time with solving multiplication facts. Zari and I are familiar with Math-U-See and how the program works because we had used the Primer kit when Zari was in preschool and the AIM for Addition and Subtraction last year. Now that she is in 4th grade I believe the Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Multiplication with a Bridge to Division will get her back on the right track for math and help her become more positive in her skills.

First Zari did the Before-AIM Assessment so that we could see where she was with her multiplication facts. This assessment is an important step to evaluate your student's progress and mastery. There will also be a After-AIM Assessment that will show you if your student achieved the goals. In this assessment 81 multiplication facts are asked verbally to the student in a stress free environment. Make a slash through the facts they answer correctly. Students being assessed can take a break after 1-2 minutes. You will then tally up the number of correct answers at the end.

This is what I did before most lessons:

  • Watch lesson video
  • Read lesson instructions
  • Study example problems
  • Gather lesson materials

These are the sessions of most lessons:
  • Session A: Present Lesson Instruction
  • Session B: Demonstrate Understanding
  • Session C: Transition Math Facts to Visual Memory
  • Session D: Assess for Mastery

 

Color by Block Value Activity

Lesson 1 was all about the integer blocks. This was review from last year. Zari loved the activities and resources parts of the instruction the most. In Lesson 1 her favorite was the color by block value activity. I thought she did very well with the activity sheets too in getting to learn the colors that went with each integer block. After mastering them again we moved onto lesson 2.

 

Zari watching Lesson 2 in the Digital Tool-Box.

Lesson 2 was all about rectangles, factors, and product. This lesson only has a session A. This lesson was also review for her. She also reviewed about area of a rectangle. After this we went onto the Digital Tool-Box and did the activity sheet that went along with the lesson. She did the Build, Write, Say method with the sheet. There are activities A-C on this sheet. Zari did very well with this lesson and knew how to solve for the area of a rectangle, and so we moved onto the next lesson.

I think that Zari is having fun doing these lessons and learning multiplication without taking so long. The instruction of the Math-U-See Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Multiplication with a Bridge to Division is outstanding and well put together. I highly recommend it if your student needs this to succeed in math.


BUY IT
You can purchase AIM for Multiplication with a Bridge to Division for $45.


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Tuesday, January 5, 2021

SchoolhouseTeachers.com Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived

Disclaimer: I received this complimentary 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 Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers.com 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.

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is a wonderful homeschooling website for wholesome Christian worldview based courses which saves time, resources, and money. They are self-paced and flexible for you and your children and once you start the membership you have all their Christian homeschool curriculum right at your fingertips. They have courses in many subject, including: Bible, Language Arts, Math, History, Geography, Social Studies, Science, Art, Computer, Drama/Speech, Languages, Music, Health/Fitness, Electives, Unit Studies, Literacy Center, Preschool, Learning Center. The curriculum is very flexible. You can build your own curriculum or use the information found in the Scope & Sequence to put a subject or grade together. Parents can easily build a customized curriculum that matches the specific needs of their children. This is an online membership with downloadable, printable elements as well as online classes and video components. Interactive courses are also being added as well so that the parent or guardian doesn't have to directly teach the student. All updates and enhancements to courses are included in the membership, so as more interactive courses become available, they are automatically added to your membership. Once you have your membership you can browse by grade: learning together, elementary, middle school, and high school or by subject.


Subjects Included in Membership

 

There are also School Boxes at no extra cost. These are like boxed curriculum, but are in digital format in SchoolhouseTeachers for your convenience. They come with your membership and include all you need to teach your student at home. Included is a curriculum guide for each subject that correlates with the Scope and Sequence, weekly checklists to keep you on track, daily checklists that guide you and your student through each activity, direct links to the SchoolhouseTeachers courses and resources you need by the week, all the additional suggested materials for the year listed in one place, and links to additional SchoolhouseTeachers resources for those days you want to spend more time on a topic your kids love.

 

SchoolhouseTeachers School Boxes
 

Under resources you can also find back issues of the The Old Schoolhouse Trade Magazine in digital format. With your subscription you will be able to read so many awesome articles on homeschooling. I love that they have this as well because I can read articles that I might have missed in the previous years.

There is also a Literacy Center that helps teach your child how to read in 101 simple steps. The Literacy Center covers pre-reading and reading from a preschool-2nd grade level and reading comprehension through a 3rd-4th grade level. In this center they have downloadable books for Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. There are also other series and classics as well to read. 

 The Focused Learning Centers are also included in the membership. These are resources available when your student needs help in a particular area. They have resources for math, reading, special needs, foreign language, high school, college planning, or science.

A SchoolhouseTeachers membership is one price for the entire family with courses for all ages. From preschool through the last high school year, SchoolhouseTeachers has it covered, and the price is locked-in for as long as you keep your membership!
 

How We Used This and Our Thoughts: 

During our review period we checked out SchoolhouseTeachers and their "Christmas Corner" since Christmas was coming up. You can find it under the resources tab in the Holiday and Seasonal Content. We downloaded the Finding Christ in Christmas Activities PDF. It was basically a advent calendar for the month of December. Each day had an activity and a related scripture. All activities focused around Christ and his teachings about love for others. December 30th was make a food pine cone for the birds and we found out that we were doing this for both these lessons and a lesson in the "Let's Do Science Outside" that we were also going through this year. In the "Christmas Corner they also had Christmas themed videos for both kids and the rest of the family and other Christmas themed lessons that spanned subjects, for example: learning about the animals of the nativity, building a gingerbread house, copywork and lapbooking, learning about what Christmas was like in the renaissance, and learning to play Joy to the World on a violin, etc.

 

SchoolhouseTeachers Let's Do Science Outside Overview

 

We checked out the 4th grade science out because my daughter, Zari, loves science and this would be age appropriate for her. We looked at all the curriculum and settled on the "Let's Do Science Outside" lessons. We had previously done the "Let's Do Art Outside" lessons last year and thought this would be fun to do as well. The "Let's Do Science" has a lesson plan and 20+ lessons that you can download and print in PDF format. The Lesson Plan is a PDF and has the class length, schedule, resources needed, instructions, lessons completed (you check the box by each lesson as soon as they are finished), and a table with date, lesson, materials required, and notes that you can fill in yourself. Each activity has fun things to do with science outside. We love being outdoors in nature and doing lessons outside is a big plus because it gets the wiggles out and lets minds explore. I thought that overall the lessons all looked like fun and so we picked one to do that my daughter was interested in doing. She picked the one called "Natural Pine Cone Bird Feeder". Since it is winter birds need the extra food and fat that these give them. We had a lot of great pine cones from an evergreen tree that drop them in our backyard, so she went out and found a good one to use. We didn't have lard like it said in the recipe to use so instead we used peanut butter because that is a great alternative. She had a lot of fun with this lesson and definitely will want to do more of the lessons when it isn't as wet outside.

 

Zari Making the Natural Pine Cone Bird Seed Feeder.

 

Lessons of Let's Do Science Outside... 

  1. Make Your Own Wormery
  2. Making a Wormery Step-by-Step Instructions 
  3. What to Feed Worms in Your Wormery 
  4. All About the Worms in Your Wormery 
  5. Wormery Sequencing Sheets
  6. Build a Boat 
  7. Butterfly Life Cycle Windsock Craft
  8. Carrot Family
  9. Design Your Own Flower Activity
  10. Design Your Own Flower Activity - My Flower Design Sheet
  11. Five Sense Scavenger Hunt 
  12. Flower Finder Mini Book
  13. Hotel Fit for Some Bugs Activity
  14. Hotel Fit for Some Bugs Activity Recording Sheet
  15. Hotel Fit for Some Bugs Activity (Advanced)
  16. Leaf Perimeter Problem
  17. Make Your Own Butterfly Garden 
  18. Make Your Own Butterfly Garden Activity - Butterfly Checklist
  19. Make Your Own Butterfly Garden Activity-Butterfly Shape Cut Outs
  20. Make Your Own Worm Hotel Activity with Questions
  21. Making Bubbles
  22. Natural Pine Cone Bird Feeder
  23. Nature Walk Bug Hunt
  24. Nature Walk Observation Checklist
  25. Nature Walk Plants and Flowers Hunt
  26. Sycamore Seed Helicopter Activity
  27. Sycamore Seed Helicopter Fantastic Flight Challenge 
  28. Tree ID Activity
  29. Tree Tally Chart

 


There is also a great video library that you get access to with the membership of SchoolhouseTeachers. This has 450+ videos across several academic areas, as well as kids’ entertainment, marriage and parenting, apologetics, Bible study, and holidays. There are some videos in this library that are hosted on RightNow Media. You will need to have an account with RightNow Media in order to view these videos. These videos are noted by the orange banner in the upper right hand corner of the image. The videos that are strictly North American are noted by the red banner in the upper right hand corner of the image. There are videos that are only included in the Ultimate membership and these are noted by the blue banner in the upper right hand corner of the image. Some of the videos in the library are parts of the many classes on the SchoolhouseTeachers site. The video page is a library with all the videos rounded up in one place so that you can find them easily and all together. If you click on the images then it goes directly to the lessons they go with or the streaming video on their site. We absolutely love the Drive Thru History videos and Violin and Guitar lesson videos.

I love that with this membership you have the flexibility and ability to build a customized complete curriculum. You can create a schedule for each of your children using their Schedule Builder. You can choose a weekly schedule or a 9 week schedule. The scope and sequence will help you build you schedule and know what needs to be taught depending upon the grade or subject. You can build a whole curriculum for your child or pick and choose courses to use as a supplement to your child's education.

There are so many pockets on the SchoolhouseTeachers that I have not even gotten a chance to see yet and they keep on adding more things. I definitely haven't mentioned everything. I am going to love exploring more and expanding both mine and my children's learning. I know I can count on SchoolhouseTeachers to have wholesome Christian based lessons which save me time, resources, and money.


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There are currently two membership options:

  • Ultimate Membership – PreK – 12th Grade – Access to Every Course
  • Standard Membership – PreK – 8th Grade – Access to Hundreds of Courses.
Save on the Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership now and get access to every course available PreK – 12th! Until the end of January you can join SchoolhouseTeachers.com for $139/year by using discount coupon code: START139 or $16/month using the discount coupon code: START16


Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for SchoolhouseTeachers.com...

SchoolhouseTeachers.com - Every Subject - Every Grade - Every Student {SchoolhouseTeachers.com Reviews 2021}

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Thursday, November 5, 2020

Drive Thru History® Adventures Bible Unearthed 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 Bible Unearthed from Drive Thru History® Adventures 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.

 

 

Drive Thru History is a great series that makes history fun. There are currently four different captivating series to choose from: Bible History (Acts to Revelation: The World of The First Christians & The Gospels: The Extraordinary Life of Jesus of Nazareth), American History (America: Columbus to the Constitution), and Ancient History (Ancient: Christianity and the Birth of Western Civilization). These bring the history to life and engages the viewer in an exciting adventure and learning. These not only tell us about the history, but also the archaeology, geography, and art surrounding the people, places, and events that have defined our world and the Christian faith. These videos are shot on location to bring you an up close and personal view of what the tour guide wants you to learn.

Dave Stotts is our host of Drive Thru History. He has spent the last 20+ years in the professional film and documentary production which has taken him to nearly 30 countries to shoot and edit works. He loves shooting and editing films, videography, writing, media creation. Storytelling is the driving force behind his work.

Bible Unearthed is a brand new 12 episode Drive Thru History® Adventures series produced by RightNow Media that has yet to be released (we received early access to it). It explores archeology and the discoveries that help us understand the ancient world. Dave Stotts, the host of Drive Thru History® Adventures introduces us to his friends and colleagues: Titus Kennedy, PhD and Randall Niles to unpack the world of archaeology in the Holy Land.


Episode 3 Layout...you would see more text if you could scroll.


How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We received a lifetime access to Bible Unearthed. This has not yet been released and so we received early access. We have reviewed different products from Drive Thru History® Adventures before and loved every single one, so we were excited about this product too.

Bible Unearthed Episodes

This digital course has 12 episodes. It also has a 2-part introduction and 3-part course resources. This makes 17 total lessons. Each lesson can be marked as complete and then it will have a check mark beside it in the course menu. Every time you complete a lesson and mark it as done the next lesson will popup to move forward. Each episode has a video, course materials you can download and print out containing a worksheet and answer guide, and some text you can read about the subject with full color pictures and links to learn more. The worksheet contains the same text as what is online minus the pictures and then has about 5 discussion questions to answer. The answer guide is an answer key to the questions asked in the worksheet. The text has one or more paragraphs about the subject (a full written exposition and breakout), a "Getting Technical" section to go more in depth into a specific aspect, a "Scripture Reading" section to tie into a bible study and scripture, an "Optional Activity" section for more hands on, and a "Dig Deeper Articles" section for further investigation and research. 

 

Some Bible Unearthed video screenshots.
 

This was different than previous Drive Thru History® Adventures productions that I have seen. Besides Dave Stotts (the host of Drive Thru History) the videos featured two other people that were also knowledgeable in the field of archeology: Dr. Titus Kennedy (the resident archeology PhD) and Randall Niles (lead writer for Drive Thru History). The videos did not have as much eye candy as the other series in Drive Thru History® Adventures because it wasn't all on site. Instead Dave lets his friend Titus do most the talking about his passion, archeology, while they sit around a table in the "lair of archeology", as Dave calls it. The videos within the episodes incorporate items of interest, slides of pictures, and videos of Titus in the field. All the while Dave is up to his old antics as he has some well placed humor throughout to make you laugh.

We enjoyed these episodes and learned a fair bit when we watched each one. Titus does a great job at sharing his passion. I also loved that Titus goes through and points out a lot of the archeological evidence that shows that the Bible is a true book. This would be great for people that homeschool or afterschool or great for anyone that likes history.


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Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Drive Thru History® Adventures Bible Unearthed...

Bible Unearthed {Drive Thru History® Adventures Reviews}

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