2 Digit Multiplication Practice: A Channie's Review

Growing up I had two brothers, I was a nanny for two boys and now I'm a mother of two boys.  I feel like I have a good handle on what it's like to teach boys.  My sons are very active and would rather be busy moving around than not.  That often leads to doing the undesirable things in life (like math for J) in a big hurry!  Doing schoolwork in a hurry can not only lead to messy handwriting, but making simple mistakes becomes a way of life. We  reviewed a handwriting book from Channie's Visual Handwriting & Math workbooks a couple of years ago that had a wonderful format for neat and orderly practice.  Today's review is from the same company only this time we're considering a One Page A Day 2 Digit Multiplication Practice book.

What We Received:
A One Page A Day 2 Digit Multiplication Practice workbook with over 50 tear-out pages, a cardboard back and an answer key in the back.  

How It Works:
Each page contains visually guided problems, beginning with 2 by 1 digit problems and eventually graduating to 2 by 2 digit problems. Each number or number answer has it's own box so that everything lines up clearly.  In the 2 by 1 problems the single digit row is shaded green. The 2 by 2 problems continue with shading, but this time green boxes signify the first calculation and answers and blue boxes signify the second calculation and answers.  On both types of problems there are white boxes for the final solutions.  Near the back of the workbook the shading goes away, but the boxes are still present.  The net is taken away, but the format is still simple and clear.

The intent of this product is clear by the name 'One Page A Day...' so this is a drill type product that encourages the student to actively practice while not being overwhelming at the same time.  Also, all of their products encourage neat and clear handwriting skills, even in math!  The pages are designed to be ripped out, giving you the option to assign work separate from the answer key.

What We Thought:
True confession time! When signing up for this review, I overlooked the 2 digit part and only saw multiplication and 3rd grade.  J had not learned double digit multiplication when we received the product!  At first I panicked, but then I just took this opportunity to teach him double digit since he was already pretty proficient in his times tables.  And guess what?  All it took was one sitting and he figured it out!  Small mistakes are still his way of life when he gets in a hurry, so this was no exception, but the more he practiced the better he got at it.

The visual guidance in this workbook is genius and the best way to practice double-digit multiplication I have ever seen.  With so many new elements with double digit multiplication, it can get really confusing and difficult to teach sometimes.  The color-coded blocks, while seemingly not that important, makes this program highly effective and unique in my opinion.  So effective that a scatterbrained mom can use it to teach the skill from scratch with no issues!

Keep Up With Channie's on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channiesworkbook/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/channiesvisualhandwriting/

Did you know Channie's offers a variety of workbooks?  Several other Crew members tried out other books as well as this one so click below to find one that meets your education needs!

Smartick: A Math Enrichment Program Review

Doing math and thinking mathematically aren't necessarily the same.  I had a hard time grasping that as a new algebra student who just wanted it to come naturally.  As any parent can tell you, every child is different with different strengths and weaknesses. Logic and reasoning are skills that feelers like me may not have in spades, but need developed in order to excel in school.  Today's review, Smartick, speaks directly to the need for more mathematical thinking rather than just seeking right answers.  The past few weeks J (8) and miss Z (6) have been using Smartick as often as we could with interesting results.

What We Received:

We were given a 6 month subscription for two students to Smartick, "a unique online learning method that helps your child reach maximum potential by using mathematics to increase mental agility, calculation skills, concentration, and studying methods."  This includes online access for me as the teacher/parent to monitor their progress.  It is designed for students age 4-14.

How It Works:

As the teacher, I registered both students and set up ages, usernames and passwords.  When each student first logged on, they set up an avatar that can be changed at any time later.  From there, each session has a consistent format.  Students are asked in emoji form what their mood is and then they begin a 15 minute series of questions and exercises.  As they answer questions, they earn ticks (this program's currency/reward) and for correcting their mistakes at the end of the session they can earn another tick.  After the session is complete, they are allowed access to a play area of sorts.  In this area, they can play games, challenge others, change settings like painting their house, changing clothes, etc., go shopping, make 'friends' and send messages.  

It is intended for students to have a session every day, at least 5 days a week.  Like exercise for the brain, the more you stretch your muscles, the more adept and agile they become.  The difficulty level increases very gradually over use so that is not overwhelming, but adequately challenging.  It is also not viewed as a quick, short-term solution for students.  If your student is struggling or way behind, this program isn't touted as something that can bring them up to speed over a couple of weeks.  Smartick is a long-term program designed to maximize potential.  In that way, it is not a math curriculum at all, but a mathematical training program to optimize a student's ability to maneuver within their curriculum.

What We Thought:


From day one the kids loved using this program.  Whenever possible, they like to watch their sibling do their session in addition to their own.  There were few how-to questions and no complaints other than when it was going to be their turn.  I appreciate the wisdom of requiring their session to be completed BEFORE they are allowed to play around.  They would never want to do anything else otherwise!  

Honestly, using it every day was a big challenge for us.  Part of that was due to a death in the family and then a week long vacation, so certainly not normal life.  Still, once we got home getting 5 days in was harder than I expected.  Most programs like this we would expect to do 2-3 days a week.  Now that I've used the program and have seen how it works,  I absolutely understand the value and importance of engaging very regularly.  Behavioral issues aside, I have been pleased with the kids' school performance in a variety of areas lately.  It sure would seem that this program was contributing to that outcome! I feel like another couple of solid, regular months of use would give me more feedback to confidently confirm its effectiveness. 

Smartick on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Smartick
Twitter: https://twitter.com/smartickmethod?lang=en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smartick/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD_f6FMb0X1QDp5j7puQh1Q



Do you have different aged kids and wondering if it would work for them too?  Check out other Crew members reviews through the link below and see if they had a similar experience.

The Shepherd's Stone and The Lion's Roar: A Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Review

We have had the pleasure of reviewing books from The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series two times before and each time the kids adore them!  WorthyKids Books has brought joy to our house again with the next two installments, Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd's Stone (Book 5) and Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Lion's Roar (Book 6).  If your elementary students have never read any of these books, today is the day to start!  As Christian parents, we want Bible stories to come alive to our kids, but ancient words on a page sometimes get stuck in translation.  Each book magically transports Peter and Mary to Biblical times where they race against the clock to solve secrets of the scrolls before they are stuck back in time! They kids get to spy on events like Noah's ark and the battle at Jericho, bringing a kid's eye view to some of the most fantastical events in our history.

What We Received:

We received the next two books in the series.  Both are paperback and over 100 pages and at least 12 chapters.  There are great black and white illustrations at least every 3 or 4 pages.

The Shepherd's Stone takes the kids to David as a shepherd boy and a pack of wolves, they witness the kingdom of Israel and it's enemies the Philistines.  The kids get the chance to hear about David's faith and where his strength comes from!  

In The Lion's Roar, they travel to Babylon where they meet Shadrach and hear about he and his friends' trial by fire years ago.  Then they are introduced to Daniel and the trouble he's having with the high priest.  As the children hide from the high priest with some help from a local friend, Hannah, they witness Daniel's  commitment to God and punishment to the lion's den. 

Who Is It For?

The reading levels of each book is around 2nd grade.  My 8 year old races through each book in a day because he is voracious reader, but also because he loves a good adventure book.  They are simple enough for 6 year old to read and enjoyable enough for 3rd grader to beg for.  As the author continues to add books, I'm certain my son will want to read them despite their ease simply because he's invested now.

What the Kids Thought:

It goes without saying that my 6 and 8 year old enjoy reading these books. When I asked them why, I was told it was because it had to do with the Bible.  They really seemed to connect with these familiar Bible stories presented from a different eye view.  It certainly helped that the series reminded them of certain other book series about a brother and sister that go on adventures to different times.  

What Mom Thought:

In addition to the Biblical reinforcement, the books make a point to label Satan and his forces within each story and then highlights how the children deal with that.  It's been a good exercise for my kids to wrestle with how they deal with Satan's temptations in their own life.  So much more than a fun book!

Would you like a chance to win all 7 of the books in this series? There is a giveaway going on right now! Follow this link to enter: http://bit.ly/ScrollsSweepstakes

Keep Up With Worthy Kids Books on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorthyKidsBooks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worthykidsbooks/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/worthykidsideals/

Wondering what other families thought? Check out everyone else's reviews at the link below!

Brain Blox: An Educational Wooden Toy Review

I've been reviewing educational materials for over 4 years now and rarely do I across items that are straight up bad or unpleasant.  For the most part, everything we try out has a good use and a proper place in someone's education.  What is rare is a 100% fun AND educational product that all three of my children (8, 6 and 2) can play with together at the same time!  Today's review from Brain Blox did just that! We're talking about Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks  - a set of unique blocks that provided my kids with a lot of imaginative and creative play time. 

 What We Received:

We were given a box of 200 planks and a booklet of ideas on how to use them. On top of that, their website provides some great printable ideas for free! Also in the box was a handy red string backpack that says brain blox on it. 

How It Works:

The slogan on the box is 'Imagine. Build. Repeat.' and that pretty much sums it up! There is no wrong way to use these fun blocks and there are a million right ways! They could be used as manipulatives in working out math problems.  They can top off any school day by 'assigning' students to build something from what they learned that day.  Say we learned about forests today - try your hand at building different kinds of trees.  There are ideas in the booklet included in the box and also examples online of what others have done.  The ideas are endless! Each plank is the exact same size, solidly made from New Zealand Pine. Storing the planks in the box it came in is useful if you are trying to stack things in your game closet, but storing them in the drawstring bag makes clean up faster. 

What We Thought:

All three kids were able to immediately dive in and play with these planks.  Their favorite thing to build was structures or houses with rooms in them.  When I would part with my phone, they would start taking videos of their creation and taking the viewer on a tour of each room!  It seemed pretty silly, but creative nonetheless.  The 9 year old created his own Jenga game to see how high he could get it without it falling.  My 2 year old mostly just stacked them into a big tower when he wasn't knocking over what his brother and sister built, but seemed to enjoy himself either way!  After being a parent for almost 9 years, we have acquired all kinds of toys and certainly a variety of blocks.  So, why would you need another set of blocks?  Maybe you don't, but I can honestly say we did not have anything quite like these that are big enough to handle easily in small hands, but small enough to create interesting designs.  

Her playground with teeter-totters and a zip line! 

Brain Blox on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mybrainblox
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainblox
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUttakNtthj_haX8LwRlwA


Do you have kids older than mine and looking for a different perspective?  Check out the rest of the Crew reviews through the link below!

A Progeny Press Study Guide Review

Giving a child a complete education is more than checking all the boxes and completing all the tasks.  What we are trying to do here - especially as homeschoolers - is to grow them!  Growth can come from a rigid schedule and all the right drills, but a deeper growth can come from a great conversation  with your family about something they've just read together.  It's easy and very tempting to get caught up in the concrete and quantitative, where we can see and testify that they 'learned' something today.  Slowing down to read something together and discuss things about it is sometimes hard, not because it is a complicated thing, but because we are so busy.  There's always more chores to do, errands to run and distractions to get hung up on.  My latest review highlights a beautiful process that has the potential to do more than just widen vocabulary and reading comprehension.  Today we're talking about The Long Way to a New Land Study Guide from Progeny Press.

What We Received:

We were given access to one digital file containing a 50 page document entitled The Long Way to a New Land Study Guide by Colleen Schreurs.  This document included activities like fill in the blank worksheets, short answer questions, definitions, crossword puzzle, family heritage activity suggestions, and a lot of discussion ideas pertaining to the students feelings if he were in the character's position.

How It Works:

A study guide is a document of exercises intended to aid the reader in pulling as much understanding out of the original text as possible.  How you use it is largely up to your discretion, but this study guide is divided up into before you read activities, activities based on each chapter and after you read activities.  In the Notes to the Instructor section, they recommend students reading the entire book first while doing some of the before you read activities and then reread each chapter as they go along in the study guide.  The exact order, while natural to go through sequentially, isn't vital for learning since all of the activities and subjects are related within the text.  This study is a great example of individualized education based on each student's pace and needs.  With 5 chapters and a host of pre and post reading activities, this study could be spread over several weeks if desired.  For most students this will require some parental involvement and some great discussions certainly enhance their learning.

What We Thought:

The most challenging part of this project was simply finding the book! Neither of the library systems we have access to had the book so we finally found a proper reading of it on the internet.  Everything past that was well-organized, straight-forward and value-added to the reading of the book.  My son is in 8 (almost 9) and all the activities seemed appropriately leveled including some easily done while others more challenging. For example, the vocabulary words were not a problem, but the pages that asked about the student's own feelings or how they would feel if certain things happened to them took a little more time.  Still, the empathy inducing questions were some of my favorites!  My kids struggle with appreciating how good they have it and tend to complain.  These types of discussions are important to keeping their perspective accurate rather than distorted by our culture's standards. 

According to their website, Progeny Press' mission is "To teach our children to think clearly, to understand literature, and to rely on the scripture for truth and values, and enjoy themselves while they do it!"  Based on this singular study guide, I can say that they are succeeding! From asking students to apply scriptures to characters actions to encouraging them to empathize with the characters, this study guide supports character building and alongside the initial reading comprehension! 

Follow Progeny Press on Social Media:

Facebook: facebook.com/progenypress
Twitter: twitter.com/progenypress
Pinterest: pinterest.com/progenypress

The Homeschool Review Crew reviewed a variety of study guides spread over several age levels.  If you are interested in another age or simply looking for another perspective, go ahead and click below!