Tuesday, February 28, 2012

And the Cooper and Me Winner Is...

Comment #11 - Jennifer Rogers said...I follow Our HS Reviews on Twitter!

I used Random.org to pick the winner and I have already notified her via email.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Cooper and Me Giveaway via Our Homeschool Reviews and thanks again to Cooper and Me for allowing me to offer this great product!

Monday, February 27, 2012

miscellany monday

Miscellany Monday @
lowercase letters

~one~
finally drinking my starbucks ♥

~two~
after several hours of the computer being on my screen starts blinking in ie.  have no idea why but it is quite frustrating.  having to shut them down and reopen in firefox.

~three~
hubby had to work all weekend long so we missed him a lot.  :(  hope he comes home early tonight!

~four~
my thirty-one business is starting to take off and i'm very excited!  had my first official show on sat and it went well...then had another {last min} on sunday.  busy, busy, busy...

~five~
this is short b/c my blinking screen is driving me crazy...lol!  hope everyone has a lovely week!

 

Friday, February 24, 2012

Reading Eggs Review


Reading Eggs is a fun and interactive online reading program for children.  It is designed for beginning or early readers ages 4-8, with an extension for readers ages 7-13 who can tackle early chapter books and beyond, called Reading Eggspress.

Reading Eggs has 120 learn to read lessons and 96 spelling lessons.  Once logged in, your child will come to the following screen.


As you can see, there are many things for them to do.  For the youngest children, the Playroom is a perfect start.  Here 3 and 4 year olds can play matching games, music games, art, puzzles, cook, play dress up, and have stories read to them.


Older children take a placement test and complete lessons.  Every lesson has at least five short parts which include letters, sounds, words, and reading.  After 10 lessons your child will be given a mastery quiz and once it's completed, they get to read a special book online.

As they complete lessons they earn golden eggs, critters to add to their zoo, and games to play.  Golden eggs are like currency and can be exchanged for games and other items.


Maps 1-4 are aimed at 4 - 6 year olds who have little or no reading skills and the maps that follow are for emerging and early readers.



Funny Bunny, who is almost 9, has been playing around with Reading Eggs and enjoys the fun games and zoo critters.  She is way passed the level of the lessons offered though, so she has been working in Reading Eggspress as well.  Reading Eggspress includes 200 comprehension lessons and a library full of more than 600 books!  Once they read a book they take a comprehension quiz.  The higher level the book they read, the more golden eggs they receive.

My Thoughts:  I know I have only touched on a little of what is included in Reading Eggs.  There are so many different levels of lessons and games I cannot begin to mention them all.  I like how each lesson builds on the one before it and earning prizes is a great motivator for children.

Thoughts of an 8-Year Old:  Reading Eggs is one of my favorite online programs because it is super fun and I can play games.  The tests are fun, the Playroom is silly and the Puzzle Park is cool.  But what I like the most is the Story Factory because you can make your own stories and enter a contest.  It's a fun, fun game!

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Reading Eggs.  A 12-month subscription is $75 and a 6-month is $49.95.  You can also purchase a $9.95 recurring monthly subscription and cancel any time. And if you add a second or third child at the same time you can receive 50% off their subscription price.  If you are not sure, you can register up to three children for a FREE trial.

My Crewmates are also reviewing Reading Eggs, so you can check out what they think HERE.

Photobucket

Disclosure:  This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor.  I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own. 

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Thrifty Thursday


Happy Thrifty Thursday!  Below are the deals for today.  If you find something I've missed, please leave a comment below!  I would love to hear from you!

Homeschool Freebie of the Day
K5 Computer Lab
Classics for Kids (one of my favorites)

Freely Educate
Spelling Curriculum
Civic Lesson Plans and Games for Middle Schoolers 

CurrClick Freebie
Presidential Trivia & Election Games Lapbook

Hodgepodge
All Blue: A Chalk Pastels Tutorial

Art Projects for Kids
Watering Can Flowers

IHOP: National Pancake Day 2/28
FREE short stack on Tuesday, 2/28 from 7 am – 10 pm

Restaurant.com: 80% Off  
Save 80% at Restaurant.com using code MEMORIES at checkout.  This makes a $25 gift card only $2!  Ends 2/28

Free Homeschool Lessons at Kahn Academy
Kahn Academy has over 2,000 educational videos on subject from math to history.  ALL FREE!  And if you use Singapore Math, you will be excited to learn that they are starting with Grade 3a, Unit 1 and will (eventually) do all of the lectures in the Singapore Math curriculum!!  Just scroll down to "S". 

My Memories Suite Deal
Use code STMMMS99585 to get $10 off the purchase of the software AND a $10 coupon for the My Memories Store (a $20 value)!  Also get a FREE Digital Kit!!


FREE Sample Roundup
For anything I missed, you can get your FREE sample roundup from Deal Seeking Mom!



Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Jawa?


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Flower Hair Clip Tutorial


Flower Hair Clips are fun to make and so simple and easy your children can make them without your help {we use a low temp hot glue gun so it is not too hot if it gets on little fingers}. 

Materials:
Flowers
Hair Clips
Tiny Pom Poms
Hot Glue Gun

We purchased our flowers at the Dollar Store {and WalMart sells them as well}.  Each bunch came with 6 flowers so for just a $1 we could make 6 hair clips!  I used a wire cutter to clip all the flowers and leaves from the stems and pulled them apart.  Once apart I lined them up in order from the biggest pedals to the smallest.

Step 1:  Place hot glue on your hair clip and attach the green leaf from the flower



Step 2:  Hot glue your largest pedal first and then follow with the others.



Step 3:  Hot glue the pom pom in the center


That's all there is to it!  If you buy several bunches of flowers, you can make plenty in no time!


Monday, February 20, 2012

Beeyoutiful Review

Photobucket

Beeyoutiful was created to assist in bridging the nutritional gap between modern diets and our bodies nutritional needs.  Their website includes information on nutritional supplements, natural skin care, and other items that promote a healthy lifestyle.

I am always on the lookout for natural products for our family so I was excited to learn about this online company.  And after a little digging on their website, I also found out that they are a Christian company. 

Beeyoutiful's Values:  We are believers in Jesus Christ. We strive to act according to what this means to us. We believe in treating others the way we would like to be treated. We strive to quickly and accurately meet every need, answer every question, take every call, and ship every order, without mistake. But we're human. We make mistakes. So we pledge to do our best to make it right.

Now on to their products!  They have a large supply of Bath and Beauty products, Essential Oils, Natural Supplements, Books, Tea, and more.  To make your search for products easier, you can even shop by health concerns like Digestion or Hormone Support.

I received two products that I would like to tell you about.

The first is their Lip Balm, which comes in Peppermint and Orange.  Ingredients include Organic Grapeseed Oil, Organic Shea Butter, Beeswax, and Essential Oils. 

I am usually not big on the peppermint smell, but this one is nice.  A little like a candy cane.  It goes on smooth and keeps my lips moisturized throughout the day.

PhotobucketThe second product I received is the Winter Breeze Vapor Rub.  This is the healthier version of traditional vapor rub, using body-friendly coconut and olive oils, along with beeswax, rather than petroleum. 

Ingredients include Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Beeswax, Camphor Essential Oil, Menthol Crystals, Eucalyptus Essential Oil, Wintergreen Essential Oil, & Tea Tree Essential Oil.

Thankfully I haven't needed to use this, but I will say that it has a light menthol smell.  It rubs in pretty well and I don't feel like I have a greasy residue.

Oh, and I find it interesting that they say you can also apply Winter Breeze to your feet, where antibacterial, antifungal oils soak through your skin and into body cells.  If it is applied regularly at bedtime for several months, foot fungus and cracking should disappear.

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Beeyoutiful.  The Lip Balm sells for only $3 and the Winter Breeze Vapor Rub sells for $18.  Orders generally ship between 1-3 business days.  Defective and/or damaged products maybe returned within 60 days for a full refund of the purchase price and if for any reason you are not satisfied with any Beeyoutiful Labeled product, you may return the item within 60 days for a complete refund minus shipping.

You can also find them on Facebook or learn more on their online forum.

My Crewmates are also reviewing Beeyoutiful and some of their other products, so you can check out what they think HERE.

Photobucket

Disclosure:  This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor.  I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own. 

Friday, February 17, 2012

Apologia: Who Am I? Review

Our children are bombarded on a daily basis with competing messages.  Every song, movie, book, TV show, blog, and game is full of ideas—ideas about God, people, truth, morality, beauty, identity, faith, and more.  Not all of these ideas are true.  Some are wrong, some are deceptive, and some are outright destructive.  It is more important than ever that young children be equipped to discern among competing ideas and stand in the truth.   This is why Apologia has teamed with Summit Ministries to bring you the "What We Believe" Series

The "What We Believe" Series is an outstanding way to teach your child the essential beliefs of the Christian faith, but it’s so much more!  With this student-directed, Bible-based curriculum, your children will learn how to use Scripture as a lens through which to view the world around them—to see everything the way God sees it—and know the truth. 

Last year I was given the wonderful opportunity to review the first book in the series, Who Is God? And Can I Really Know Him?  This year I am blessed again in receiving the second book in the series, Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here? 

This book introduces children to the basic truths of the Christian faith.  It is broken down into eight lessons. Each lesson is then broken down into smaller, more manageable topics and stories.  The authors have included a helpful section in the Introduction on how to use the book, with a section on how to include notebooking, and a detailed description on the lesson structure.  They have also included a very helpful sample lesson plan, which is based on a schedule of three weeks per lesson, two days per week.  Here you can view all of Lesson Five.

Included with the purchase of this book are optional, FREE online teacher helps and downloadable files that include:

* Key themes and lesson objectives
* Vocabulary words and memory verses
* Suggested activities for use with the lesson
* Child-directed discussion questions for each topic covered
* Lists of Bible stories and references that address the key themes
* Recommended reading list for deeper study
* Notebooking Pages

I'm also excited to tell you about the Notebooking Journal that goes along with the text!!  You can see a sample here, along with the detailed lesson plans.  The Notebooking Journal is amazing and will really get the student thinking about what they read.  Yes, there are questions to answer and words to define, but there are also poems to write, pictures to draw, prayers to pray, praises to give, and activities to complete.  This Notebooking Journal not only compliments the text, but brings so much more value to it!

I also received the Audio CD, which is the full audio version of the book and the Coloring Book, which follows along with the stories.

My Thoughts:  I absolutely LOVE the "What We Believe" Series by Apologia and Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here? is no exception!  This hard cover book is put together so well with beautiful pictures and stories that really touch the heart of the reader.  It is recommended for ages 6 to 14, and although younger children can work on it with their parents, I think it would be most beneficial for older children, who can read it and complete the assignments on their own. 

I also like that they include a sample lesson plan, and the program is flexible so you can follow it or go at your own pace. 

Find Out MoreWho Am I? And What Am I Doing Here? is available on Apologia's website for $39.  The Notebooking Journal is $24, Audio CD is $19, and the Coloring Book is $8.  It is an investment, but one well worth it!

My Crewmates are also reviewing the Apologia: Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here?, so you can check out what they think HERE.

Photobucket

Disclosure:  This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the products to the vendor.  I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own. 

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Thrifty Thursday


Happy Thrifty Thursday!  Below are the deals for today.  If you find something I've missed, please leave a comment below!  I would love to hear from you!

Homeschool Freebie of the Day
Ellen McHenry’s Basement Workshop
American Sign Language University
Cool Math 4 Kids

Freely Educate
FREE Gardening Site

CurrClick Freebie
Element Detectives Webquest

Art Projects for Kids
How to Draw a Teddy Bear

Free Homeschool Lessons at Kahn Academy
Kahn Academy has over 2,000 educational videos on subject from math to history.  ALL FREE!  And if you use Singapore Math, you will be excited to learn that they are starting with Grade 3a, Unit 1 and will (eventually) do all of the lectures in the Singapore Math curriculum!!  Just scroll down to "S". 

My Memories Suite Deal
Use code STMMMS99585 to get $10 off the purchase of the software AND a $10 coupon for the My Memories Store (a $20 value)!  Also get a FREE Digital Kit!!


FREE Sample Roundup
For anything I missed, you can get your FREE sample roundup from Deal Seeking Mom!



Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Chalk Pastels

I mentioned a couple days ago that Funny Bunny has been working on a couple of art projects to enter into our local Agricultural Fair's Art Show.  Below are some of her chalk pastel drawings.  She is trying to decide which bird she likes better...maybe you can help her choose!




You can find the tutorials for both over at Hodgepodge.

Wordless Wednesday: ♥


To: Daddy
Love, Funny Bunny


Tuesday, February 14, 2012

P90X Week 7


Today is our 7th week {day 44} of P90X!! 

The good:

*  Total of 4lbs lost {that's 1 more lb since last time I posted}
*  More inches lost
*  Fit in a new pair of jeans that have been hanging in my closet

The bad:

*  We missed three workouts last week
*  Over the weekend I ate more junk food than expected

I was nervous about stepping on the scale this morning because of all the junk food I ate over the weekend.  Stunned {and excited} to see one more pound lost!

Last night we tried the P90X Cardio dvd for the first time.  It is a mixture of moves from many of the other dvds and incorporates core, yoga, and cardio.  It started slow with yoga {can I just say right now how much I don't like yoga} but ended strong with some hard cardio! 

So, today Valentine's Day, and I'm sure at some point this week I will consume chocolate and other goodies, but our plan is to just keep going. 

I'll post another update in two weeks so I hope you will join me.  If you are working on getting fit, I would love to hear about what you are doing.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Cooper and Me and the Military Review and Giveaway!


Meet Trooper, Cooper’s best friend, and learn how he was adopted by Gracie and Joe and their parents, who both serve in the military. Find out how this family stays close despite being separated.

A must-read during patriotic holidays and for anyone with friends and family in the military, this book helps children know, that even when loved ones aren’t with us, they still love us and think about us.


Cooper and Me and the Military is an cute book which was illustrated by mother-daughter team, Monique and Alexa Peters. 

A talented young artist and writer, Alexa wanted to give back to others in a meaningful way through her art.  Starting at a very young age, Alexa created illustrated stories about her daily experiences, and from the pages of her sketchbooks came the idea for her first book, Cooper and Me. 

Funny Bunny's Review:

It's a hot summers day. When Cooper goes to the park, who does he meet but his best friend Trooper and his owners' kids, Gracie and Joe? Their parents serve in the military, and when they find Trooper, the military dog is injured and needs a home. They go back to Gracie and Joe with Trooper, but they soon leave for work again. How can they stay together when they're so far apart?

I like this book because it is a really good story and a happy ending.

Find out More:  You can find out more about Cooper and Me online.  Cooper and Me and the Military sells for $12.99.

--------------------------------------------------------

GIVEAWAY!!

So, here's how to enter to win a copy of Cooper and Me and the Military!  For each comment, you will get one (1) entry.

1. Leave a comment telling me why you would like to win

2. Follow my blog using Google Friend Connect

3. Subscribe to my blog by email through Feedburner

4. Like Our Homeschool Reviews on Facebook

5. Like Cooper and Me on Facebook

6. Follow me on Twitter @OurHSReviews

7. Follow Cooper and Me on Twitter

8. Post about this giveaway on your blog or Facebook

9. Tweet about this giveaway up to once a day:  I entered to #win #cooper_and_me @OurHSReviews  http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/cooper-and-me-and-military-review-and.html #Giveaway ends 2/27

**Remember to please leave a separate comment for each entry**

Contest ends on Monday, February 27, 2012 at 11:59 EST.  The winner will be chosen by Random.org.  This contest is open to U.S. residents who are 18 or older.  If I am unable to reach the winner by email within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be selected.  Your entry is only valid if you include a way for me to contact you (either an email address in your comment or on your profile).  The winner's name will be obtained and publicly announced.  The number of eligible entries determines the odds of winning.  No purchase is necessary to win and this contest is void where prohibited by law. 

Disclosure:  This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the products to the vendor.  I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.

miscellany monday

Miscellany Monday @
lowercase letters

~one~
the last time i posted a miscellany monday (in jan) we were out in the yard gardening on a beautifully warm day.  today we woke up to temperatures in the 20's.  brrrrr!

~two~
funny bunny has been working on some art projects this past week, which i'll be sharing in a later post.  she wants to enter them into a local argricultural fair art show.  last year she entered one painting and received a blue ribbon and a few dollars so her goal this year is to enter several.  so far she has completed four.

~three~
i have my very first thrity-one party booked for the end of this month!!!  although sales have been really good since i started in oct, it was hard to book a party during the busy holiday season.  a good friend of mine is hosting the party and i am so excited {doing excited dance}!!

~four~
since the beginning of jan, we have been trimming our expenses and watching our budget.  we have tried to cut out all unneccesary expenses, like eating out, which was a large part of our budget.  i called several of our service providers and was able to get some of our bills lowered for six months to a year.  one bill was cut in half!  did you know you can call your service providers and ask about specials currently running?

~five~
valentine's day is tomorrow and i haven't even thought about it.  i need to run out sometime today to get something for funny bunny!  we don't have any special plans tomorrow, other than funny bunny taking some cards into dance class, and doing some crafts at home.  i'll probably make her a special breakfast too.  thursday her cbs group will have a valentine's day party at the park after class.   :)

~six~
friday we are taking a field trip to legoland!!  there are supposed to be over 400 people going in our homeschool group and we all have to meet at the front of the park between 9:00 and 10:00am to get our tickets.  should be interesting...lol!

 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Aleks Review

Photobucket

Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) is a Web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system.

When I first heard of this program and visited their website, I was not sure what to think.  There are no colorful characters jumping around and no animated games to play.  I was worried that Funny Bunny would not be interested in it.  And to tell you the truth, it looked a bit complicated to me.  But before I give you my assessment, let me tell you a little about it.

ALEKS is available for a variety of subjects and courses in K-12, Higher Education, Continuing Education, Homeschool, and Independent Use.

For homeschoolers, ALEKS can provide instruction and support in math for grades 3-12 and is accessible from any computer with Internet access.  ALEKS includes:

*  Complete Curriculum for Math with Full Course Library
*  No Textbook Required
*  Artificial Intelligence Targets Gaps in Student Knowledge
*  Assessment and Individualized Learning for Grades 3-12
*  Master Account - Monitor and Direct Learning Progress
*  Unlimited Online Access - PC & Mac Compatible

Once the student account is set up and they become familiar with the system, an assessment that includes about 30 questions is given.

Following the assessment, the student receives a report in a color-coded pie chart.  Each slice corresponds to a particular area of the course, such as fractions.  The darker portion of each slice represents the topics that the student has mastered and the lighter portion represents what the student has yet to learn.


The Pie describes the student's current knowledge of the subject and makes recommendations for further study.  Each slice of the pie may be opened to produce a list of the concepts on which the student can choose to work.

Above is Funny Bunny's Pie Chart.  This is a great tool because we can clearly see what she has mastered and completed and what she still needs to work on.  For a third-grader, I think she is right where she should be. 

By clicking on a topic suggested in the pie chart, the student goes into the Learning Mode. The Learning Mode provides practice problems and offers explanations of concepts and procedures. Once a student has demonstrated mastery in the Learning Mode, the item is added to the Pie, and new topics become available.

The student will receive immediate feedback in the Learning Mode and, in some cases, suggestions for correcting mistakes.

And for a little fun, ALEKS offers something called Quick Tables.  Students are tested on addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and are awarded games to play as the progress.


All student progress can be monitored in the Master Account.  The blue bar below represents the percent of course material that the student has mastered during the assessment; the green bar shows the percent of new topics the student has mastered in Learning Mode since the last assessment; and the yellow bar represents the percent of topics the student has yet to learn.

You can also edit student accounts, request a new student assessment, view a detailed progress report, track time spent, topics attempted and mastered, and create quizzes. 

My Thoughts:  I think ALEKS is a very comprehensive math program.  Each time Funny Bunny logs in, she is taken directly to her Pie and completes the next piece of her choice.  If she does not understand something right away, she has the option to have the program explain it to her.  When she answers the problems she gets immediate feedback.  I'm surprised that she has not complained about it being boring since most online learning programs she has used have colorful, animated characters and games, but I only have her complete a little each day, so she does not mind it. 

I love the reporting feature and have more information than I will ever need.  I can see what she has worked on, for how long, what she missed, what she completed correctly, and more.  I can give her quizzes and even generate worksheets.

The only thing that would keep me from continuing with this program is the price.  It is pretty steep for just one child, so it would have to fit into your budget, especially if you have a larger family.

Thoughts of an 8-Year Old:  I like ALEKS and use it a little every day for math.  You get a Pie after taking a math test.  Then you pick something like addition or subtraction and then pick something like Adding Double Digits and you do it.  You also have Addition, Subtraction Multiplication, and Division tables.

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at ALEKS.  Sign up for a special two-month FREE Trial to see if it is a good fit for your family.  Subscription to ALEKS for an individual student is $19.99/month, $99.95 for 6 months, or $179.95 for 12 months.  They also offer a family discount program

My Crewmates are also reviewing the ALEKS, so you can check out what they think HERE.

Photobucket

Disclosure:  This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the products to the vendor.  I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.