Thursday, July 31, 2014

Thrifty Thursday


Here are the THRIFTY deals for today.

FREE Animal Fact Sheets @ 3 Boys and a Dog

FREE Homeschool Attendance and Grade Printable @ Meet Penny

FREE Introduction to Fractions @ CurrClick

FREE Student Assignment Sheets @ Blessed Beyond a Doubt

FREE Cooking Unit Lapbook @ Homeschool Share

FREE Kid Family Tree Template @ Family Tree Template

FREE Printable Alphabet Playdough Mats @ This Reading Mama

FREE Going on a Picnic Copywork Printables @ In All You Do



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©2010-2014 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Analytical Grammar Review

Analytical Grammar Review

Grammar.  It's what many children hate learning and many parents dread teaching.

Analytical Grammar is a no-nonsense, mastery approach to teaching grammar.  I heard about it many years ago, so I was excited to review it with Funny Bunny, who will soon be starting 6th grade.

We received Analytical Grammar and the Analytical Grammar Companion DVD Set.

Analytical Grammar Review
This program is very different from what we have been using for the past several years, so here is how it works.

Analytical Grammar is designed for children in grades 6 and up.  If your child starts the program in 6th or 7th grade, it is designed as a three-year program, with a total of 34 units.

Year 1: Units 1-10 {with one reinforcement one day, every other week}
Year 2: Units 11-17 {with one reinforcement once a month}
Year 3: Units 18-34

It's mentioned that an older child may want to complete the program in less than three years. A sample of a shortened schedule is given in the teacher's book.  The 34 units could be done over two years or even one year by completing one unit a week.  That's the benefit of homeschooling, as the parent, you can determine the best fit for your child.

Each unit is broken down in the following format:

* Lesson Notes
* Exercise 1
* Exercise 2
* Exercise 3
* Skills Support {units 1-10}
* Test

I think it's great that they give the option to complete three different exercises for each unit.  Sometimes Funny Bunny needed the extra practice, and other times she knew the material and didn't want to complete another page.  And that was okay with me.  If the child scores at least an 80% on the test, they can skip to the next unit.


It's also recommended to make all exercises and tests "open notes."  This gets the student use to their books and helps them easily find information when they need it.  The student workbook pages are perforated so the lesson pages can be pulled out to create a grammar reference book for future use.

There are also notes on correcting the tests.  This was extremely helpful to me since I would not know where to start to correct her work.  I found that it was also an easy way for her to go back with me and fix the mistakes.


Lastly, the Companion DVD Set is very helpful.  We started the program without using the DVD but then when we hit a lesson that Funny Bunny needed some help on, I had her watch the DVD to review the lesson and it helped tremendously.  I will have her use the DVD to introduce the lesson for now on.

Overall, I think Analytical Grammar is a strong grammar program and I would recommend it.

Funny Bunny, however, found it very repetitive.  I would like to continue the program so hopefully her feelings will change over the next few units.

Find Out More:  You can find out more at Analytical Grammar.  The Analytical Grammar set, which includes one student workbook and one teacher book is $94.95.  An extra Analytical Grammar workbook, which you would need for additional children, is $49.95.  The Companion DVD Set is $39.95.  Analytical Grammar is for grades 6 and up.

You can also find Analytical Grammar on Facebook and Twitter.

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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Summer Days


The dog days of summer have really hit around here.  After a week of church camp {for both Funny Bunny and I} and a week of dance workshops {which are happening this week}, we have hardly any free time to spare.

Most free time this week has been dedicated to reviewing curriculum so stay tuned because you'll be seeing several reviews coming throughout the next couple weeks.  :)



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Monday, July 21, 2014

Away at Camp


Funny Bunny and I are taking a break while we are away at camp this week!



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Saturday, July 19, 2014

HomeSchoolPiano Review

Homeschool Piano Review

If you are looking for affordable piano lessons for your children, in the comfort of your own home, look no further.  HomeSchoolPiano is a subscription program that gives you access to online piano lessons.  We received HomeSchoolPiano - Complete Set of Books, which is a lifetime subscription for up to five students.

Funny Bunny has been taking piano lessons since she was 7 {almost 4 years now} so I wasn't sure if we would like this program, or even be able to use it.

HomeSchoolPiano follow a six step cycle for learning:
Homeschool Piano Review
1. Technique
2. Rhythm
3. Ear Training
4. Reading Music
5. Song
6. Improvisation

Once enrolled, you get instant access online and can learn at your own pace, using a phone tablet, or computer.  No special equipment is needed and you can view lessons as much or as little as you need.

Homeschool Piano Review

There are three books available:

Book 1 {Perfect for Beginners} - This book includes six units that help you learn things like how to read music, improvise, properly grab at the keys, and includes six original pieces.

Book 2 {Building a Foundation} - Continuing where Book 1 left off, Book 2 includes six units and focuses on rhythm, technique, reading music, songs, and improvisation.

Book 3 {Unlocking the Pianist Within} - Building on the previous two books, Book 3 also includes six units that help teach harder chords, patterns, and rhythms.


Want to try before you buy?  You can sign up to try a FREE lesson to see if you like it.

My Thoughts:  This was a little tricky for me.  Funny Bunny has many piano lessons under her belt, but since I do not know how to play piano or read music myself, it was hard for me to figure out exactly where she would start. I had to have her try several of the lessons in all three books.  I think she falls somewhere between Books 2 and 3, but since he is teaching at a different pace then her books, it isn't exact.  Our challenge was finding a lesson that was new for her so she wouldn't have to sit through things she already knew. I would still like to continue the lessons, but I may first email HomeSchoolPiano to make sure we are where we should be.

Thoughts of an 11-Year Old:  I have been playing piano for almost 4 years now, and I think HomeSchoolPiano would really help beginners and people who would know where their piano level is. For me it was challenging because what I'm doing in my books is different from what is on HomeSchoolPiano. We did finally settle on Book 3 - Lesson 1. I think the instructor did a good job teaching piano, and he was very good at playing it. This wasn't my favorite piano class, but I think it is a good product for beginner-intermediate students - or any student, really!

Find Out More:  You can find out more at online HomeSchoolPiano. HomeSchoolPiano has two payments packages.  The Success Package, which includes unlimited lifetime access along with bonuses {downloads, jam tracks, sheet music} and up to 5 students, is one payment of $299.  The Payment Plan includes the same items as the Success Package but is $99.97 per month for three months.

You can also find HomeSchoolPiano on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.  


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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: DMB Concert


We had a fun night out and got to see Dave Matthews in concert last night. Prior to 2003, we traveled to see him 5 times.  This was the first time since Funny Bunny was born that we were able to see him live.  Fun night!



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Monday, July 14, 2014

Summertime Fun!


I wanted to send out a quick note about why you haven't seen as many posts from me the past couple weeks. Summer is in full swing and we are either cleaning things around the house or out playing with friends.

Next week there will be even less as we will be away at camp.  Yes, me too!!!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!




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Friday, July 11, 2014

Freebie Friday!


Here are the FREEBIES for today!

FREE A Hero's Journey @ CurClick

FREE Easy Peasy Chores @ Intoxicated on Life

FREE Lego Spelling Test Printables @ Blessed Beyond a Doubt

FREE States & Capitals File Folder Game @ Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood

FREE American Presidents Card Pack @ Homeschool Giveaways & Freebies

FREE Printable Addition Flashcards @ Imperfect Homemaker

FREE Printable Journal Cards @ Clothed in Scarlet

I hope you enjoy some of these FREEBIES! If you know of any others, please leave a comment below. 



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©2010-2014 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Moving Beyond the Page Review

Moving Beyond the Page Review

If you are looking for a complete literature-based homeschool curriculum that encourages critical and creative thinking, provides challenging and engaging projects, and supports different learning styles, then look no further!!

Moving Beyond the Page may be that complete literature-based curriculum that is perfect for your family!

Moving Beyond the Page has a lot to offer.  I received the Language Arts Package - The Wanderer and the Science Package - Weather and Climate.



Once you arrive at their website, you can shop for complete packages or individual units by age or by subject {science, social studies, language arts, or math}.  Funny Bunny and I chose her review selection by age.  If you need help with choosing the appropriate age range, you can read more at Choosing the Right Age Level.

Funny Bunny is 11 years old, so she and I browsed the titles available in her age range.  In the 10-12 age range, she selected the Language Arts Package - The Wanderer and the Science Package - Weather and Climate to go along with it.

There are 12 literature units included in the 10-12 age range. They are made to go along with one of the 6 science or 6 social studies units that make up the complete curriculum package.

All units are broken down into daily lesson plans. When you begin lesson 1 of a science or social studies unit, you will also begin the first day of the corresponding literature unit. 


You can read more here at the 10-12 overview {there is an overview for each age range}.  Scroll down and you will see the corresponding units. 

Here is how we used it:

We received the Weather and Climate Science Package in the mail, along with the The Wanderer chapter book.  The Language Arts Curriculum was provided to us as an e-book.  Included in the Weather and Climate Science Package was

* Weather and Climate Curriculum
* Weather by Brian Cosgrove
* Weather and Climate Science Kit



Each day after we began a lesson in the literature unit, we began the corresponding lesson in the science unit.  Everything was well laid out and all the instructions were very clear.

Below are a few samples from the literature unit.  Since 
Language Arts Curriculum was an e-book, we had to print the worksheets.  I think that's a great idea if you have multiple children working in the same unit, but I would have liked the physical workbook so I didn't have as much printing.  It's nice to have both options though.



We LOVED the Weather book and Weather and Climate Science Kit!! The Weather and Climate Curriculum was well laid out and easy to follow. All of the worksheets were in the booklet and everything needed for the experiments were in the Weather and Climate Science Kit.

Below you can see Funny Bunny made an anemometer to measure the wind speed.


Thoughts of an 11-Year Old:  For Moving Beyond the Page, I chose the book The Wanderer which went with the Weather and Climate science book. 

The Wanderer is a book about a girl named Sophie who boards a ship bound for England called The Wanderer and sets sail with her three uncles and two cousins, Cody and Brian. Along the way, each cousin learns about friendship and each otherThe three are constantly having to learn and try new things, such as sailing terms, radio code, and working together. But when a rough storm hits The Wanderer hard, they start to wonder if they'll ever make it to England. 

I really enjoyed reading The Wanderer, and it's one of my favorite books now. 

The Weather and Climate Science Kit was pretty cool!  The Weather Book has a lot of neat pictures, and there were some interesting things in it!  I think the best part was that I had read something strange in The Wanderer, and I thought, What is that?  Then I read about it in the Weather Book two minutes later, thinking, Oh, yeah! I just saw that! So that's what it means! 

The experiments in the Science Kit were really easy to do, and they were fun. You know, sometimes you do an experiment, and it either doesn't work, or you think afterwords, Huh. What did that do? But not only were these easy and fun, they worked in real life and I can use them! 

I think when I picked The Wanderer and the Weather and Science Kit I made a great choice!    

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Moving Beyond the Page.

The Language Arts Package - The Wanderer is $19.92 and includes the physical chapter book and curriculum e-workbook.  The Science Package - Weather and Climate is $50.28 and includes the Weather and Climate Curriculum, Weather by Brian Cosgrove, and a Weather and Climate Science Kit.  

The entire 10-12 Full Year Package is $842.58 and includes hard copy curriculum, literature, and manipulatives for science, social studies, and language arts.  Make sure to check out the curriculum samples and these helpful Getting Started and FAQ pages.

Shop for complete packages or individual units by age or by subject.  Available for ages 4-14. 

You can also find Moving Beyond the Page on Facebook.


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Thursday, July 3, 2014

Thrifty Thursday


Here are the thrifty deals for today!

FREE Art Through the Year @ Our Homeschool Forum

FREE Preschool Curriculum @ Motherhood on a Dime

FREE Printable Plant Journal @ World for Learning

FREE Picnic Copywork Printables @ In All You Do...

FREE Tic-Tac-Toe Printables @ Little Learning Lovies

FREE Digital Magazine @ The Old Schoolhouse

Pay What You Want Sale @ CurClick

I hope you enjoy some of these FREEBIES! If you know of any others, please leave a comment below. 



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Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Veritas Press Self-Paced History Review

Veritas Press Review

I can remember hating history as a child.  The material was boring and the books seemed to go on and on. There were no connections between events and we only learned the material so we could pass the test.

I'm glad that I now have a daughter who enjoys history, and we can learn together using products from a company like Veritas Press.  Veritas Press offers classical Christian education along with award winning curriculum.

Veritas Press Review

We have had the amazing opportunity to review the Veritas Press Self-Paced History.  There are five self-paced history courses available so we chose Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation.  We also received the Middle Ages, Ren & Ref Flashcards. We are going to be studying this time period in the upcoming school year so I thought it would be perfect!

Each self-paced history course has 160 classes that cover 32 important historical events.  Each of the 32 historical events span 5 lessons, which last approximately 30 to 50 minutes each.

The courses are self-paced, so your child can work on them when they want and repeat any that need repeating.  The course is available for 12 months from the time of enrollment, so parents do need to be mindful of how often their child is working.

The five courses available are:

* Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Old Testament and Ancient Egypt
* Veritas Press Self-Paced History: New Testament, Greece and Rome
* Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation
* Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Explorers to 1815
* Veritas Press Self-Paced History: 1815 to Present

As I mentioned earlier, we chose Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation.  

The classes are interactive and all taught with live actors.


Students play games and are quizzed throughout.  Quizzes and tests are automatically graded so they know their score immediately.


Both the student and teacher have areas where they log in.  The teacher's area lists the classes each student is taking and has all their graded assignments.  Below is the view the student will see.


The Middle Ages, Ren & Ref Flashcards are helpful and can be used throughout the course.  I would absolutely recommend getting them for the student to refer to.  The 32 historical events are listed on each card.


Thoughts of an 11-Year Old:  I like Veritas Press a lot, because it's funny, has a lot of facts, and the course makes it easy to remember everything.

Once you log into Veritas Press, you can launch the next lesson.  The lessons include things like mapping, history card review, games, and of course the new information.  Each one is unique and fun.  I think it's a great way to learn history!

My Thoughts:  I have really been enjoying this course and so has Funny Bunny. I feel that the material is engaging and activities varied enough that the student will not get bored.  And the material is reviewed enough that they will retain it.

I do wish, as the parent, that I could have more control over the slides.  The student is not able to move forward without first completing a section.  And they cannot skip lessons.  I don't  have a problem with this, but even as the parent, I cannot skip lessons or slides.

Once Funny Bunny paused the lesson toward the end and came back to finish it later in the day and then logged out.  When she logged in the next day it was back where she had originally paused it.  There was nothing we could do and she had to watch about 10 slides over again.  There was also a glitch in one of the games on two different occasions, and she had to play them a second time before she could move forward.

These are not things that would keep me from purchasing the course, it would just be nice if the parent could have more control.

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Veritas Press.  The tuition for the Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation course, as well as the four other courses, is $199 with a $100 discount for siblings.  The course is recommended for grades 2-6, with the prerequisite that the child is at least 7 on the first day of class.  The Middle Ages, Ren & Ref Flashcards, as well as the cards for the other courses, are $19.95.

You can find Veritas Press on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.

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