Name Meaning Gifts: A CrossTimber Review

I received a FREE 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.

When I was a kid, I remember being given a small plaque with my name and it's meaning on it.  It wasn't anything fancy, but it certainly meant a lot to me, even helped define me sometimes when I was upset.  The names we give our children might seem random sometimes, but history and my personal experience would support that a name is a powerful thing.  All three of my children embody the meaning of their names in some way, which I honestly didn't expect at the onset of motherhood.  My final review as part of the Homeschool Review Crew is of a company that is in the business of name meanings!  We're talking about CrossTimber and their variety of name meaning gifts like Name Bookmarks and AmazingName Print Activity Sheets.

What We Received:

We were given the choice between an 8x10 Name Plaque print with a printable activity set or five NameCards or Name Bookmarks with a printable activity set.  We chose five Name Bookmarks and an AmazingName Activity Set. 

How It Works:

Once I decided on the bookmarks, I began searching through all of the images available.  They have a wide variety of images which made it possible to choose a completely different one for every member of my family.  For example, my oldest son loves horses and I had several horse images to choose from.  Once you choose an image, then you choose what type of quote you would like at the bottom.  You can choose from a Presidential quote, a Famous Author Quote, a Bible Verse, Character Quality Definitions, or a custom quote option.  put in the name and they provide the meaning and corresponding scripture.  I chose scriptures for all of mine.  Finally, you enter the name and add the order to your shopping cart.  

The AmazingName Activity Sets are even easier to order because it simply requires entering a name.  Each set comes with 28 pages of different activities that involve the child's name.  There is everything from learning the letter your child's name starts with all the way to cursive handwriting practice.  Crossword puzzles, mazes, coloring pages, word searches, and even a craft that can be displayed on the child's desk.  It's definitely an educational, entertaining and personalized set!

What We Thought:

When I ordered the bookmarks, I really wasn't sure what my kids would think. The big kids are avid readers so at minimum a bookmark would be useful.  However, when we received them they were very impressed and excited.  There is something about having your name - and the meaning of your name- laid out and made especially for you that makes you feel extra special.  I was happy with the images and felt like they were really nice.  The one disclaimer I would make comes from my 3 year old's antics.  He loved his and I let him use it on a car ride, but before it came to an end he had pulled off the top layer of plastic.  It wasn't ruined because I could then re-laminate it with my own laminator, but it is something to beware of.  Still, it's not a shock that a 3 year old could be destructive!  The name activity set I gave to my 7 year old daughter, knowing that my 3 year old wasn't quite ready for it.  She LOVED it.  Some of it was easy, some of it was challenging.  She raved about it either way.

Both the bookmarks and the name activity sets are GREAT holiday gifts, especially for kids!  It's a really meaningful way to give a unique gift that can make the recipient feel special and loved.

Follow CrossTimber on Social Media:

Facebook: http://www.fb.com/meaning.name

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/crosstimber

Are you interested in the Name Cards or the 8x10 Plaques?  Check out reviews from the rest of the crew to see what those are like by clicking on the link below.

Spelling Shed & Math Shed: An EdShed Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE 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.

Play is king when it comes to learning methods.  If you can find a game or some kind of playful activity to teach or reinforce a concept, you are miles ahead of a stale presentation format.  Today's review of  Spelling Shed and Math Shed from EdShed knows that fun repetition leads to mastery.   When it comes to spelling and math facts, at the end of the day, you just need to get them memorized in order to move on to greater things. Let's talk about how these programs help students do that!

What We Received:
We received a one year subscription to the online programs Spelling Shed and Math Shed for up to 5 students.
How It Works:
Spelling Shed consists of 4 different styled games that can be played in a web browser on any device.  The main Spelling Shed game is a spelling bee setup where you are told a word and then you choose letters from a group to correctly spell the word.  The faster you spell it, the more points you get awarded.  The second is a hive game that is played against other players that have the same code.  This requires a parent/teacher to set up the game from the Teacher Hub account.  In a homeschool setting, this is limited to the people and device within your home or other friends who use the same program.  The last two games are a version of Hangman and Fill in the Blank with beedis.  Every game has multiple difficulty levels.  In addition to the games, Spelling Shed offers a full printable Spelling curriculum for grades K-5.  Spelling lists are provided and easily used for any level.  

MathShed is a straightforward math facts game where you answer problems for points.  This includes Number Bonds, Times Tables, Powers of 10, Add & Subtract, and Negative Numbers.

Collecting points turns into honeypot currency where you can make changes to your avatar.


What We Thought:
The students using this program were my 6 year old daughter and 9 year old son.  Both of them had an easy time playing both games with no technical difficulty.  The favorite and the biggest complaint were over the same thing.  The Hive game that is designed for students competing against each other in a quick spelling contest would be a great motivator in a group setting.  For my two kids it was a great motivator - they love competing against each other.  However, they are not on the same grade level so no matter what level we put it on, my daughter was going to be frustrated because her brother beat her every time.  Obviously it wasn't a waste, but she tolerated the constant defeat only so long before getting cranky.  Still, they keep asking to do it so it must be fun!

Some online programs require specific apps that don't always work on multiple devices very well.  EdShed worked the exact same on the iPad mini, Kindle Fire, and Windows computer we used.  The spelling curriculum that goes along with the online games is a super easy way to incorporate effective spelling training that is fun.

Follow EdShed on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdShed-US-113476190342149/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EdShedUS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spellingshed/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJKXC4Rd29eQQWPbSdITLhw

A lot of families tried out EdShed's program and maybe their perspective will give you a more complete picture of all they have to offer.  Read their reviews through the link below.

Beyond the Stick Figure Art School: An Art Curriculum Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE 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.

Being a musician myself, I didn't begin to appreciate the educational value of drawing and painting until my children started school.  Since that time, I grow more and more convicted that every student needs to explore all of the creating mediums and fine tune them throughout their educational years.  Like reading and writing, every grade level brings new layers of understanding and skill.  As home educators, we have a beautiful opportunity to incorporate art class - that unfortunately may be only once a week in our public school counterparts - into our students daily habits.  While there is great flexibility in homeschooling, I am subject to far more insecurities when it comes to art unless I was trained in school for it.  The trick here, I'm learning, is to find great curriculum to educate where I'm not able to.  Today we're reviewing Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course PLUS 3 Bonus Courses from  Beyond the Stick Figure Art School .  This art curriculum doesn't require me to have any previous skills but provides step-by-step instruction in artistic discovery. 

What We Received:

We received online access to Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course PLUS 3 Bonus Courses and Paint Your Family Portraits Course.  

This included 5 courses in all:

• Complete Drawing Course
• Pen & Ink
• Watercolor
• Acrylic
• 3D Design
• Paint Your Own Family Portraits

Each course contains multiple videos varying in length, usually included a materials video that lines out all the specific materials she uses in the course.  As the instruction requires, there are a few downloadable files to print and use. 

How It Works:

The program states that it is designed for students age 5-95 so it is suitable for anyone who can easily hold a pencil or paint brush.  There are specific materials that the instructor recommends the student to use so there may be purchases you need to make before starting. The videos are required to be viewed in order and the viewer is unable to jump around unless you mark all of the previous videos complete. The Complete Drawing Course contains the Pen & Ink, Watercolor, Acrylic, and 3D Design Bonus courses so you must go in order or take the time to click complete on each video prior to the one you want.  It was a slight inconvenience because we wanted to look at all the courses at least a little bit to give a complete review, but it didn't take very long when it was all said and done to click through. The videos are usually no longer than 10 minutes and introduce only a few steps in a larger project.  This allows the student to establish well whatever is taught before moving on.  Of course, it being a video allows for pausing at anytime necessary as well.  As specific elements are discussed, variations are encouraged so that the students feel empowered to play around with techniques.  In drawing, the students learn to draw big pictures in small sections.  Pen & Ink involves tracing and texturing.  Watercolor explores the nature of water and paint together.  Acrylics highlights paint mixing and shading. 3D Design teaches sculpting methods.

What We Thought:

The instructor, Sally is originally from England and her accent along with her motherly tone is quite enjoyable to listen to an something my kids have loved!  My 6 and 9 year old were able to follow everything pretty easily.  My oldest had in his mind that he wanted to draw people and the drawing course didn't really address that at all.  So by the end he was pretty frustrated.   However, we then tried out the Family Portrait course which was exactly what he was looking for!  My 3 year old didn't really watch any of the videos but because the big kids were drawing and painting, he dove right in. Now we've gone through a big chunk of paper that is scattered around the house drying!  

Once we were able to "complete" all of the lessons and able to move around within different courses, it proved to be a really versatile and inspiring program! Sally discusses all kinds of technique in bite-sized chunks and the reasoning surrounding each one.  By the end of each course you have something to show for it, which is confidence boosting as well as educational.  This program is versatile and definitely something you could revisit as children age to dig deeper into details or do unit studies.  

Follow Beyond the Stick Figure Art School on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondthestickfigure/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britladyinamerica

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/beyondthestickfigureart/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCROy5BkqT_cZvQu1dTPRYzw

Do you have older children? Check out the rest of the reviews through the link below and see what other aged children thought about this program.

Perfect Reading & Beautiful Handwriting: An Everyday Education Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE 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.

Learning to read and write is a very beautiful thing.  It comes with tears and arguments for sure, but once it starts to click, those bright eyes of knowledge are simply beautiful.  As with anything, there are all types of reading and writing programs. Some have lots of bells and whistles while others are very minimalist.  Now that two of my three children are readers and I see my 3 year old bending toward it, I have a greater appreciation for the minimalist approach.  Today we are reviewing just such a program - the Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting ebook from Everyday Education, LLC. 

What We Received:
We received access to a single download of the Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting ebook: The Intelligent Parent's Complete Step-by-Step Program for Teaching Any Child How to Read in 60 Days!  This is a 218 page ebook that teaches children how to read while providing a model for handwriting that is simple yet beautiful.  As a digital file, it is reproducible and useful for multiple children or repeated practice. The first five chapters include 60 reading lessons with handwriting practice.  Chapter 6 focuses deeper on handwriting.

How It Works:
As is stated in the beginning of this book, you can use Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting in at least four different ways:

• To Teach Young Children How to Read and Write
• To Teach Children With Reading Difficulties to Read Effectively
• To Teach Children To Have Fast, Legible, Attractive Handwriting
• To Teach Yourself Beautiful Handwriting

If your child is new to reading then starting at the beginning is ideal. Each lesson focuses on a collection of words that share a similar sound or grouping.  Typically there is a reading page and then one or two handwriting practice pages.  While some fast paced students could theoretically do one lesson per day, it is not really recommended that way.  In the Charlotte Mason tradition, short lessons are found to be more effective and these lessons are great for revisiting as long as is necessary.

If handwriting is your main focus for this program, the practicing pages are conveniently separated from the instruction pages so that you aren't forced to print unnecessary portions.  As the handwriting progresses, it delves further into calligraphy ideas which is great for all ages.  It discusses slanted lettering, joining letters, edged pens, etc. Learning to slant your letters is something I have always been able to do, but I honestly have never thought very much about it.  Along with a uniquely lined handwriting practice pages, this program plainly and simply provides a beautiful framework for enhancing your own writing abilities. 

How We Used It:

My 6 year old daughter is an avid reader so we had no need for that portion, but her handwriting still needs a lot of practice.  I printed the handwriting practice pages without the instruction pages in order for her to practice.  While reading is not something she struggles with, it was so fun to watch her read the silly sentences and get so tickled by it that she ran and showed her brother on multiple occasions.  "Yell at a pig, have a big fig. Pet a fox, kiss an ox. A big black blob is on a block."

What We Thought: 
This program is very flexible to suit all levels of learning.  It is comprehensive, but easily split apart as needed.  The reading aspect is minimal, basic and adaptable to any situation. The font used is very accurate to actual handwriting that is clean and clear, but easily shifts into joining letters eventually.  The goofy sentences are fun and effective for children learning to read (and beyond) and my kids cracked up at them!  In my experience, learning to read doesn't require a lot of bells and whistles, but consistent instruction and lots of being reading time together.  This program has it down to a fine art all while combining handwriting instruction too.  I highly recommend this for new readers and writers!

Follow Everyday Education on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janicepcampbell & https://www.facebook.com/excellenceinlit/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EverydayEdu & https://twitter.com/JaniceCampbell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jcwords/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.mx/janicecampbell

Do you have a brand new reader or a special needs student?  Check out the other reviews to see other perspectives on this product!

The Action Bible Anytime Devotions: A David C Cook Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE 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.

Does your family own a copy of The Action Bible from David C Cook?  If you haven't ever read one, I encourage you to look into it because it has been a fun and really powerful tool in our children's Bible study.  My kids received The Action Bible Guess-It Game as a holiday gift and beg to play it every night mostly because they want to beat their sibling at it.  So, when we were given the chance to review  The Action Bible Anytime Devotions, you can bet everyone was excited!

What We Received:

The Action Bible Anytime Devotions is a paperback book with 195 pages that features 90 devotions designed to 'help kids connect with God anytime, anywhere.'  Every page is colorfully illustrated in the same vibrant comic book fashion as The Action Bible itself.  Each devotion is labeled with a category of Love, Courage, Hope, Trust, Faith, Kindness, Strength, or Service and presented in no particular order.  In the front there are  several pages of Contents where the title, subject and passage of Scripture of each devotion is listed followed by some instructions to parents and recommendations on how to get the most out of the book.

How We Used It:

We didn't have a set plan for this book, but simply added it to our reading time rotation.  Since the devotions are not in any kind of set order, it was easy to have someone pick one or two at random with just as much effect as reading from first to last.  It was readily available to my kids and both of them picked it up and just read from it on their own on more than one occasion.  As I've  thought about its usefulness, I could see it being incorporated into a curriculum plan by assigning a devotion as well as the original scripture passage that could include copywork, memorization and completing the (usually written) task located at the end of each devotion.  One of the things my kids really enjoy doing is tracing the pictures in The Action Bible, especially in their comic book form.  That is another great element to engage Bible elements into everything else.

What We Thought:

When I asked my 9 year old son what he thought about this book, this was his response:
"I liked it.  I liked how it put a verse with each one and talked about things in my life.  It answers questions that I had never thought of before."

With each devotion being 2 pages long, it wasn't too much for my almost 3 year old to sit through it so we were able to read from it all together as a family.  With the wider age range between my oldest and youngest, I appreciate being able to share something with the entire family.  The devotions themselves stick close with the intent of the scriptures while tying in common life occurrences that my children can relate to.  That is what it is all about, if you ask me! This is another great tool for developing my children's faith and understanding of God's Word.

Follow David C Cook on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidCCookPublic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/David C Cook
Instagram: https:///www.instagram.com/david.c.cook/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/davidccook/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DavidCCookVideos

Do you have children older than mine?  Check out the rest of the Crew reviews to see what older children thought about this book.

Musescore: A Music Notation Program

I’m not a good musician.  I can sing okay, but not great.  I can play the piano but only early-intermediate level (no real Mozart for me, only the dumbed down stuff).  I can play guitar, but that’s worse than the piano from lack of use.  Don’t get me started on middle school trombone.   But all those are in order of regular use.  Engineers don’t generally take music theory…and I didn’t though I did sing in the choir my senior year of college, but that was only because my girlfriend suckered me into it. I would not have tried out otherwise, though I did enjoy the experience.

Long story shortened, I heard a song on the radio and wanted to try to sing it at church, found some sheet music online and bought it as an electronic PDF but it had several thing against it.  It was not in the right key, it was spaced out to 5 pages long(our church likes thing 3 pages or less and it was not  written the way I was used to (we use something called “Solfege” notation at our church so what I had needed to be converted).  I spent about 2 weeks complaining that I didn’t have a way to change it short of spending “all that money” on finale (a software app used by composers to digitally notate and compose music) because that was all I knew existed. 

I felt like a victim a little bit.

Complaining is just that kind of thing, you say but don’t do something, and I didn’t. Finally over the New Year’s break I sat down and did the 2 second google search of “free music writing software” and got several options.  After spending too long down a couple of Reddit-holes, I decided to download MuseScore to my 10 year old laptop and hope for the best. 

The music I’d bought was a PDF and MuseScore said it could import PDF’s and I was stoked but the import was messed up because of the music fonts the writer used.  So I had to settle down over 3+ days and manually enter every note and lyric of the 5-page score and figure out how to condense the space down to 2 pages. After playing with it for a week now, I thought it’d be a good idea to let you know what I think of the software. You might want to create something on your own.

1. It’s like a programmer made a music program.

The interface is pretty sparse and looks a little windows 95, with flyout toolbars that you can remove on top and on both sides.  You can actually manually click-in notes with a mouse, but it’s a 2-step process.  Click the duration, click the score location, and hope you didn’t mess it up.  Though you can click and drag stuff around pretty seamlessly.  The program uses an extensive list of hot-keys, so 1-9 keys stand for durations, A-G keys stand for notes, and alt,shift and control buttons can be used for a wide variety of things.  Once I learned this it was pretty easy to notate “relatively” quickly.  I’ve heard Finale functions like this too so it’s not really surprising how it works, just don’t expect it to be really quick without practice.

Below is a screenshot.

2. The kids will get a kick out of it.

It’s kind of like a new language and I’m not particularly afraid to let the kids mess with the program since there’s almost nothing they can mess up.  They can do a little of anything they want and they certainly did.  They won’t pick the hot-keys up fast, but to tell them to just plunk in notes with A-G is an interesting lesson in modes and progression, or maybe 21^st century music.  Up-down arrows make accidentals appears so that can be a lot interesting too.

They don’t actually have to be able to play an instrument to make some form of sound.  Mozart had to learn all the music theory before he could compose.  My kids don’t have to to create, though the music theory would make it easier.  The ability to create a full score with multiple instruments will lead to some fun exercises.  You can even add lyrics to the music.

3. It’s free and not version-stale.

Can’t beat free.  A non-student version of Finale is $600.  MuseScore runs on Windows and Mac and it’s being updated about every month or so, so it’s not something that’s stale, or unstable.  A lot of open-source software can get to a point where the last version is sort-of useful, but isn’t being updated and eventually the updates on your computer operating system can wreak havoc and cause problems with old stale software.  I’m less likely to keep anything (even apps on my phone) that isn’t updated regularly.

4.  It’s probably MEANT to be used on a large screen(or two).

My 14 inch laptop led to a lot of frustration just because the interfaces can be pretty crammed.  Having a larger screen or more real estate would have made the easier.  But overall I got used to it and was able to shutdown the sidebars when I didn’t need them to give me space.

Overall I will continue to use this program and as a result of my positive experience I’ve got at least one other project I’m contemplating.  You don’t have to be a musician or trained in theory to use it, but a basic understanding of music is probably best.  I think using it to let kids experiment would be a really good use of it, regardless if they are little prodigies or not.  Go look it up and see.  Download available at MuseScore.org.

-Randy

Note: I was not paid in anyw

Pattern Explorer: A The Critical Thinking Co. Review

My 8 year old, J, has been learning to do long division and I'm gaining much respect for those elementary teachers who do this year after year! He's really been doing pretty well, but long division is full of a lot of steps and definitely wearing on him.  Today's review of Pattern Explorer Beginning  from The Critical Thinking Co. him has been a nice break while also strengthening his math skills at the same time.

What We Received:

We received one digital file.  Pattern Explorer comes as an ebook that you can save and print off as needed.


How It Works:

The book includes a Table of Contents, Introduction, 40 different activities, Hints, Solutions, and a Sample page from Dare to Compare, another resource by The Critical Thinking Co. Pattern Explorer is designed to help 3rd and 4th graders strengthen their mathematical pattern and structure skills through a series of activities that are divided into 5 themes:

• Pattern Predictor
• Equality Explorer
• Sequence Sleuth
• Number Ninja
• Function Finder

The themes cycle back throughout the entire book to give students a variety of exercises.  All activities can stand alone as an enrichment resource, but it is designed to be used from beginning to end, as the activities build up on each other in skill.  The activities themselves use the basics - addition, subtraction, multiplication, division - in higher level ways that stretch students thinking from concrete to abstract.  

At the end of the activities, there is a Hints section that is a great help for times when a student is stuck, but you aren't ready to just give them the solution.

The Solutions section immediately follows and makes helping or grading students' work easy and efficient.

How We Used It:

Since my son doesn't always have the confidence in his math skills that I do, we just dove in and started at the beginning. I printed all 40 activities at once so I would leave it open as to how many activities he should do in one sitting.  Depending on how challenging on section would be, some days he would do several in a row.

What We Thought:

As a parent/teacher, I loved this product!  The activities were right on point for bridging the gap between learning a concept to answer questions correctly and grasping skills that help you ask the right questions.  Seeing patterns is something difficult to teach when it doesn't come naturally.  This book gives specific aid to students struggling with getting there on their own.

J gave it a 5 out of 10 because it was hard at first to figure out.  After he figured out how to do each activity he enjoyed it and sped through.  As his teacher, that means it did exactly what it needed to do - challenge his thinking and gradually increase his skill!

Overall, I feel like this is an important resource to have that helps strengthen important skills in preparing for higher math.  It is easy to use and great for multiple students.  I highly recommend this product and feel it is worth the money!  

READER'S SPECIAL: If you order anything from The Critical Thinking Co. for the remainder of 2019, you can receive FREE SHIPPING plus 15% off any size order when you use the coupon: TOSCREW19

The Critical Thinking Co. on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCriticalThinkingCo
Twitter: www.twitter.com/criticalthinks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/criticalthinks/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsVEVNa6UpVqXxo_t5sbb7Q
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecriticalthinkingco/ 

The Homeschool Review Crew reviewed several products for middle school and high school from The Critical Thinking Co.  Follow the link below to check out other products you might be interested in!