Homeschool Planet

Today, I get the pleasure of introducing you to Homeschool Planet,  an online planner from Homeschool Buyer's Co-op.  I am going to say at the beginning, that this did not work well for us, and I will explain why at the end, but it is still a valuable tool you may find helpful in your homes.

There are A LOT of great benefits of Homeschool Planet...probably my single favorite is the AUTOMATIC RESCHEDULE function...miss a day, week month, etc and you are able to reschedule all of that work by pushing it forward...this SERIOUSLY is my favorite function.  I have planned out MONTHS of plans only to have things go awry and then all that work is garbage.  This is the best thing ever!  I tip my hat to you Homeschool Planet!

My second favorite function is the planning out your school year tool.  You select the days you school or don't, the time you have off, start and stop dates, etc.  This is a WONDERFUL function as you begin to shape your days...I know this seems small, but I seriously LOVED IT!

Ok, so pros or what I liked about Homeschool Planet:

You can give assignments to more than one child at a time if the info is the same with just a simple click...EASY!

You get email updates for your calendar and assignments, etc

You can track attendance and create a transcript

The dashboard is WONDERFUL...you see your calendar, family members (with pictures if you like), you can add widgets, (like a shopping list, memory verse, weather, daily quote) which customizes what you see each time you log in. Oh and you can CHANGE the background theme...this became VERY IMPORTANT as I began to work with Homeschool Planet.

It is pretty intuitive and easy to learn and there are several tutorials available to help you begin.  This is great for those of us (ME) who aren't as tech-y as others!

The Customer Service was AMAZING!  This is such an important thing for me.

And Cons or what did not work for us...

I accidentally assigned the same lesson everyday through the end of our school year.Rather than an automatically filled in date being in the box when you are adding a class, I would love to see that be blank.  Oh and it assigns it to the END OF YOUR SCHOOL YEAR...Delete and begin again.  This was a SMALL irritation, not a HUGE problem.

The layout when you have all the classes is a bit much for me to take in among the regular calendar items...looks cluttered and hard to see among the many entries.  There are both planner and calendar views, but I did not see much difference between the two.  You can color code which helps but I think I would like to see a greater difference between the two views.

I did not like that I had to be a member of the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op to use the planner.  I got several emails over the review period that were not something I was interested in.

Price- The price puts this out of range in my home.  It is $65 a year or $6.95 a month.  My regular planner is less than half that price. 

It was hard to get to the computer to get to the lesson plan...I personally function better with a paper planner.  This was the kicker for me EVEN with the automatic rescheduler.  I just love my pen and paper.  Mobile access in regard to my planner means I can pick it up and throw it into my bag.

See what my friends at Home and School Mosaics had to say here.  

Still not sure, try it free for 30 days here.  They will not ask you for credit card information, so you do not have to worry about any charges unless you sign up.

Udderly Smooth

Have you ever walked through the aisles of the store you're in and seen a product called Udderly Smooth...with packaging that looks like cow markings? I know I sure had, but had never tried the product until now...The generous folks at Udderly Smooth  sent me a box full of products and a few samples and I have to say, this may be the product you are looking for.

So, first, from their website:

Made in the USA for over thirty years, Udderly Smooth® products contain rich moisturizing ingredients. Not your average moisturizing lotion- Udderly Smooth® can be used on Dry Skin, Cracked Skin, forDiabetes Foot Care, as a Facial Moisturizer, as a General Moisturizing Lotion and many other uses.

Pioneered by a Pharmacist, reasonably priced and made in America’s heartland. Use Udderly Smooth® daily for smooth, soft skin head to toe.

AND:

 Original Udderly Smooth® Udder Cream is a greaseless, stainless water-based moisturizer with a light fresh fragrance.

           Originally developed for use on dairy cows, Udderly Smooth® Udder Cream. is used            by many people for their dry and chapped skin.

           Use Udderly Smooth® as an everyday multipurpose moisturizing lotion. Udderly                  Smooth®. contains rich moisturizing ingredients that perform to soften dry,                          chapped skin.

Ok, so you may be thinking...this was originally created for cows and you want me to use it on MY SKIN...well, I have to tell you trying is believing...I struggle with dry skin and my feet are ABSOLUTELY the worst!  So I gave it my best shot...

Here is what we loved:

Almost instant results...overnight, my feet were better...I wish there was a memory cream though to help me remember to put it on...but on the feet with socks...in the morning, my feet were 100% better...I think if I were to get a pedicure and then put this cream on at night...you would most likely never even know my heels were hard and cracked and terrible...

Hands- A couple of my children's hands get REALLY BAD in the winter...red up to the wrists...and of course they have to keep washing hands, because, well you all know why...and so they are often BEET red in the worst of the cold dry weather...this did NOT STING going on and worked right away!!!  There hands healed quickly and then remained moisturized.

This product soaks into the skin QUICKLY...no greasy residue, no waiting to dry.  The foot and body creams are light and sort of whipped looking.  It feels GREAT going on!

I enjoyed the light fragrance!

These products are carried in A LOT of places!  It should be easy to find!

PRICE!!!! Can we say AFFORDABLE!

They have been a family owned company for over 30 years!

What could be a challenge:

While I enjoyed the scent, those with allergies, may find it too strong.  There is a fragrance free option, but I haven't looked to see how available it is in the stores that carry their products.


And, a word from my heart...So a few of you may know that I have family members that have struggled with cancer over the past few years.  Cancer patients who battle the disease and the treatments they have to go through may be able to use this product for some of the side effects the treatment may cause on your skin.  I am not offering any medical advice here, but you can read about it on the website and then ask your doctor if Udderly Smooth is the right product for you.  There is also some information about diabetes skin care there too!



What I got:
 Udderly Smooth® Foot Cream with Shea Butter $6.50

Udderly Smooth® Body Cream, 12 oz. Jars $5.75

Udderly Smooth® Udder Cream, 4 oz. Tube $2.75

Udderly Smooth® Udder Cream, 2 oz. tube $1.75

Udderly Smooth can also be used for:

* Dry and chapped skin
* As a shaving lotion
* Chamois cream for bicyclists
* Needlework and quilting

There are quite a few places to find Udderly Smooth products, but you can order online as well. And...it looks like you can find a $1 off coupon on their facebook page

Just for fun...


See what others thought about Udderly Smooth here

A Tale of Two Kingdoms and God's Unfolding Story of Salvation

A Tale of Two Kingdoms $23
Guardian Books/Essence Publishing
God's Unfolding Story of Salvation $22
Resource Publishing, an implant of Wipf & Stock Publishers
Heather A. Kendall
Ages: High School-Adult

I received two books to review, written by Heather A. Kendall.  I thought these books were to be used together in a survey of the Bible, but it appears that they are not lined up to be used in that manner in an easy way.  It can be done, but the divisions are slightly different, so I will treat them as two separate books, rather than one resource.

I spent most of my time reading A Tale of Two Kingdoms.  This book is intended to be a survey of the Bible's main themes: The redemption of man through Jesus Christ and the feeble attempts of Satan to thwart God's plan.  I did not get all the way through this book.  Shortly into the reading, some things the author said did not sit well with me.  So I went and re-read passages several times and went to her website to see if there was any insight there.  I am not sure I can pinpoint anything specific...it just seemed like many statements on her website were in an all or nothing sort of tone, broad brushing everyone of this group as being these characteristics.  Maybe I am reading more into the words than what was there...I am not sure...Back to the book though, this statement, for example, didn't sit well with me:

" Do you inwardly chuckle when a good person sins?  Beware of the sin of Ham.  When the Lord looked into the heart of Canaan, the son of Ham, he saw one who probably approved of his father's behaviour, whereas Ham's other three sons did not"  This seemed to question the sovereignty and omnipotence of HIM who knows all...the Lord does not look to see what is going on...HE knows the beginning from the ending...since before time began.

Another passage that didn't sit well with me was this one, " Moses spent the next forty years in the wilderness with Reuel, a priest of Midian (Exod. 2:15-21).  Reuel was a descendant of Keturah, Abraham's third wife (Gen. 25:1-4). Through Reuel, Moses learned more about the one true God."  Ok...while this COULD be true, I have only read about Jethro (Exodus 18 also Reuel???) suggesting that Moses appoint overseers to meet daily with the people, so that he would not get wearied hearing every case, but he would hear the most important cases.  I was under the impression that Moses learned more about the ONE TRUE GOD FROM the ONE TRUE GOD, see Exodus 3, 4, etc...

While I believe that reading the Bible is the MOST IMPORTANT thing we can do (Gives us daily nourishment and communication with our GREAT GOD!)I do want to say, that I think a Bible Survey is a good thing.  I think it is good for believers to see the larger picture of God's plan, as much as we can understand or that which has been revealed to us.  I know as a brand new believer at 23ish...I KNEW NOTHING of the Bible...NOT ONE THING...and so I read many children's story Bibles so that I could get a feel for the main stories in the Bible.  I think that having a resource like this would have been helpful, but I didn't know where to look or what to ask for.  While I was hoping this book would be that resource, I feel like it falls short.

Pros:

I thought the Points to Ponder at the end of each chapter was a helpful way to summarize the main ideas in the chapter. These were short sentences, easy to read, an accurate bite of what was just read.

Cons:

It appears that I do not agree with some of the author's points in her book

The story line of the Bible was hard to follow...it was a bit choppy and the author's personal illustrations/testimonies were more of a distraction for me than a clear segue into the survey of the Bible.

If you would like to get a better feel for A Tale of Two Kingdoms, you can view the free download 

God's Unfolding Story of Salvation
The Christ Centered Biblical Storyline

This book is similar to the book mentioned above, but it is a bit more interactive.  Rather than being more of a narrative of the Biblical theme, it is more of a Bible Study, allowing the student to draw conclusions and read from the Word of God themselves and be instructed by the Holy Spirit Himself into the way of truth.  This book is divided into 4 main sections: Preparing for the Promised Seed; The Prophets: Waiting for the Promised Seed: Jesus, the Promised Seed; and The Church: Proclaiming the Promised Seed.  These four divisions have a total of 38 lessons to work through, which could be studied at any time, but might be good to work through for Easter or in the Summer.

Pros:
I like that the student is studying the Word in the context of doing a Biblical survey.  This allows for the Holy Spirit to teach, rather than a person.

There are application and reflection questions...time to ponder the Word and then become a doer of the Word, not just a hearer.

The lessons seem pretty short and the questions in the main part of each lesson look pretty easy.  This means that on days when time is short, a study of the Word is still do-able.  Also, this study could be done by high school students and newer believers.  I remember as a newer believer that going to a Bible study was a bit intimidating...what if they call on me, what if I don't know the answers, etc.  It does not look like this would be an issue.

Cons:
I am a little leery of giving my full recommendation for this book because I had some issues with the other book.  I did not get all the way through either book, so I cannot make comments for the parts I did not complete.  I will say though, God's Unfolding Story of Salvation was better in my opinion.

You can preview a download of God's Unfolding Story of Salvation here

You can read what others had to say about these books here

See The Light Art Projects-Sunflowers

See The Light
Art Projects
Sunflowers in the Style of Van Gogh
Ages: 10 and up
Price: $14.99, with discount options

See The Light offers Art Instruction Products that draw children's hearts to the Savior. From the website,

With a love for the Lord Jesus Christ, a heart for children, and a passion for ministry, Dave and Pat Holt bring you the SEE THE LIGHTteam: 

ARTISTS with specialties that include teaching a large variety of techniques, art history, chalk artistry, performance art, gospel chalk art (with black light), crafts, creative lettering, and more; 

MUSICIANS whose talents include songwriting, musical performance, arranging, and producing. 

The SEE THE LIGHT team is dedicated to bringing scripture and biblical principles to viewers in a fresh, engaging way. . . and promising to teach some exciting art skills along the way!

With that as the background to the materials, I was EXCITED to jump right in!  We selected the Sunflowers Lesson in the Style of Vincent Van Gogh and waited for it to arrive! When we received our DVD and went off and got what we needed...which for this particular project was not very much...a sheet of pastel paper, a set of oil pastels, paper towels or napkins, an artificial sunflower and wipes.  I think we spent around $10 for everything we got (We had some pastels and got another inexpensive set and the Sunflowers were on a DEEP DISCOUNT...got two nicer ones for about $1.50).  Materials vary from project to project and are clearly noted both on the website and on the DVD cover.  Lessons in the Art Projects line include:

DRAW A WINDOW IN THE STYLE OF LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY

- DRAW A WATERCOLOR PAINTING IN THE STYLE OF AMERICAN POP ARTIST WAYNE THIEBAUD

- CREATE A PAPER COLLAGE IN THE STYLE FRENCH ARTIST HENRI ROUSSEAU

- CREATE A FRUIT STILL LIFE IN THE STYLE OF FRENCH ARTIST GEORGES SEURAT

- CREATE AN ABSTRACT FLOWER IN THE STYLE OF AMERICAN ARTIST GEORGIA O’KEEFFE

- CREATE AN ACRYLIC OR TEMPERA PAINTING IN THE STYLE OF RUSSIAN ARTIST MARC CHAGALL

- DRAW A CHALK PASTEL IN THE STYLE OF FRENCH ARTIST EDGAR DEGAS

- PAINT A WATERCOLOR SEASCAPE IN THE STYLE OF AMERICAN ARTIST WINSLOW HOMER

- CREATE AN OIL PASTEL SUNFLOWER IN THE STYLE OF DUTCH ARTIST VINCENT VAN GOGH

So, MY plan was to have my children work on the lessons, one at a time...spreading it out between 2-4 days.  Lessons are ABOUT 30 minutes long ( I say ABOUT, because there is quite a bit of pausing that happens as your child draws.).  Well, my children were SO INTO the project, they did all four lessons back to back...so we had ART DAY, which was fine with me for that day...just letting you know in case your children are tempted to do the same and it does not work in your schedule for that particular day.  This project was for children aged 10 and up, which is THE PERFECT AGE...I let my 7 year old do it as well and he was OFTEN frustrated...I think his drawing looked WONDERFUL but he was not happy with it when compared to his siblings..

Pat Knepley is the instructor for this project and I loved the way she interacts as she instructs.  She gives TIDBITS about Vincent Van Gogh's life and works.  She does not give a complete history, but little feels for the artist as you work alongside her in that artist's style of art.  It whets the appetite for more and your child may decide he or she wants to know more.  As she is instructing, Pat talks about Van Gogh's spiritual life and adds Scripture that is relevant to what is happening in the lesson.  I LOVED the very natural way that I saw this put into place...it is more than art...These products point to the Savior!

The Project we chose was broken down into 4 lessons: Planning the Composition, Detail the Petals and Leaves, Fill in the Negative Space, Shadows and Highlights.  Each lesson was VERY CLEARLY laid out.  My children were able to understand what they were supposed to do.  While I thought that the video quality  and  instruction were excellent, it would have been nice to get some views from straight on  a little more, so the student would see the artwork from the angle they were working from.  There were some views from that angle, but not as close up as I would have liked...often you are viewing the sample work from the side.  Throughout the instruction, there are tips and reminders of what to do as well as taking care of your supplies or protecting your project from smears (we were working with Oil Pastels and there were cautions for little pieces on your page and reminders to clean your hands from time to time so as NOT to add color where you didn't want it.)

Well, I do have to say, I LOVED See The Light Art Projects.  I was BLOWN away by the work my children produced in such a SHORT time and they had fun and would LOVE TO DO MORE.  As I mentioned above, you can get each project for $14.99, or the set of 9 for $99.99, but there is also a subscription option where you get one of the Art Projects lessons sent to you each month for $12.50...I LOVE that and I think I am going to sign up for that option.  See the Light Art Projects Lessons can be used for a Fine Arts High School Credit and there is a PDF on the website detailing a possible lesson plan for both a half credit and full credit option.
Here are some of our Pictures:

Rough Sketching the composition of the drawing

After Lesson One- The Princess

After Lesson 1- The 'Nager

After Lesson 1- DD

Filling in the Negative Spaces- Princess

Filling in the Negative Spaces- DD

Yippee for ART DAY!

Filling in the Negative Spaces- The 'Nager

The 'Nager's final project...The Princess gave her drawing away...so no final picture of hers...I think DD crumbled his up, but you can see most of it in the picture above.

Do you have younger children you would like to have art instruction too?   The Bible Stories DVD set may be just the thing for you.  I have not tried it, but it looks fantastic!  Here you can view a short video on About The Light and one that is a Conversation between Pat and a homeschool mom and mostly covers the Art Class series, but touches on all three product lines.  I LOVED what Pat said in this video, " You really can't separate the Master Creator, God, from learning about art and how to draw."

Not sure if See the Light is for you...well, here are some resources to look at:
Blog
Free Lessons
Downloads
Video Tips

See what other reviewers had to say about See The Light Art Projects here

A Light for My Path

A Light for My Path
Apologia Publishing
Written by Davis Carman
Illustrated by Alice Ratterree
Price: $14.00
Ages: Birth-8+

As a homeschool mom who has been doing this for a while, I have found certain publishers that are my favorite.  Things I LOVE that have stood the test of time in our family.  Apologia probably tops that list.  I really love everything I have used in their product line...Science books, The Ultimate Homeschool Planner and now, A Light for My Path.

A Light for My Path is an alphabet book...but really it is so much more than that.  This is probably the most well thought out children's book I have ever read.  When you open up the book, you see a two page introduction with LOTS OF SMALL writing...do not skip over that...there is SO MUCH IN THERE and I was AMAZED at everything this sweet little book contains.

So, I said this is an alphabet book...Yes, it is, but it is an alphabet book that helps children fall in love with the Word of God and teaches them foundational truths about what God's Word is...for instance, God's Word, Law, Statutes, Decrees, Commands and Precepts are...Instructive, or Merciful, or Just...So while your child is learning the English Alphabet, every page has one truth about God's Word from Psalm 119. Incredible, isn't it?  In the back, there is also the Hebrew Alphabet.  Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem intended to teach the  Hebrew Alphabet.  The last 22 pages have the entire text of Psalm 119 written out with the alphabet at the top...just a note- the spelling of the letter has been written to aid in pronunciation.

One of my favorite things in this book is what the author calls the most important purpose for the book.

Most importantly, this book is meant to instill in children a love and reverence, or deep respect, for God’s Word, thereby giving children a sincere desire to read the Bible and learn attributes of God’s Word. For example, the T page says that God's Word, law, statutes, decrees, commands, and precepts are True, while the U page uses the word Universal as the description. These words, combined with the simple repetition within the pages, will help your child hear, read, and know God's written words and, consequently, fall in love with the living Word, God's only Son, Jesus Christ.

See why I LOVE this book!

As you are reading, you begin to notice some things...First, The truth about God's Word and the plant or animal pictured, start with the same letter...so the page that states that God's Word, Law, Statutes, Decrees, Commands and Precepts are... instructive...has a picture of an iguana.   The names of each image are not on the page (this gets confusing when you see a hummingbird on the X page, but in the introduction you see it is a "Xantus' Hummingbird)...the text FOCUSES on a truth about Scripture from Psalm 119.  When we first picked up the book, I skimmed the introduction pages (don't do that...there is SO MUCH IN THERE) and began reading to my 7 and 11 year old children.  So we read A, B, and get to C and I notice something...so I flip back just to be sure I am not crazy (those of you who know me well can claim the 5th here!!!). No, I did see it...so while there is a central plant or animal on the page, starting with the letter B, you can see a smaller image from the page before.  You will see a small butterfly on the caterpillar page. This was a very fun surprise and is just one small part of the thought that went into the book.  I will say though...we did have a hard time finding two...We THINK we found the jellyfish on the Koala page, but we are CLUELESS about where the urchin is on the vine page...if you see it, we would love to see it too!

A Light for My Path also teaches about Capital and Lower Case Letters, which is important for children just beginning to read.  There is a large capital letter and then just below or next to it, the attribute of the Word has a lower case letter.

A Light for My Path has repetition, which I have found that my children LOVE...so the left side of every two page spread begins the same way: God's Word, Law, Statutes, Decrees, Commands and Precepts are...then on the right side,  you get the truth.  I really LOVED this...having a beginning reader, it was helpful when he wanted to read the book to me.  There are a lot of big words in this book for early readers, but having so much of it being repeated was a helpful bonus in my opinion and he was encouraged enough to try!  I loved that he is repeating, "God's Word, Law, Statutes, Decrees, Commands, and Precepts are blessings RATHER  than, "I do not like them Sam I am"...I mean Sam has his place, but this is for my children's souls.

I really cannot say enough good things about  A Light for My Path, but check it out for yourself.  There is a link to download a 13 page sample, which includes the introduction, some of the God's Word/Creation pages (Look for the smaller image from the previous letter) and a portion from Psalm 119 from the back.  This sample will give you a great feel for the book.

One concern I will bring up, is reading 80 pages to young ones...I think the book is really intended for preschoolers, even though I gave it a larger age range...how on earth will I get them to sit through that...and I will admit...at bedtime, when everyone is tired, getting through 176 verses of Psalm 119 at the end is hard...so every time we read it, we will read a few pages from the back...as many as we feel we can do for that night, marking our stopping place so we can pick it back up next...cause you all know  you ARE going to be reading it again...and again...and again...which in the case of A Light for My Path will bring great blessings because we hide God's Word in our hearts, that we might not sin against Him and it is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

One last thing to mention...this book has the sweetest illustrations...My children really loved just looking and them, lingering over them, and trying to observe everything that was in the picture.

Click here to read more reviews

iTooch Educational Apps

iTooch Educational Apps
eduPad
Cost: Free to $9.99
Grades: 3 and up
For iOS, Android or Windows

Technology is changing the way we interact with our world.   The newest information is before us NOW through many different tools and our children are almost born knowing how to use it.  eduPad has developed an extensive line of educational apps to make learning more fun.  We downloaded the free version of a few of iTooch Elementary School's apps, including Language Arts, Math and Science.  My daughter has been trying it out.

"eduPad is a French based start-up developing great applications for
education on mobile devices from Elementary to Middle School.
We also work on the eduPad Studio, a cross-platform solution that
enables 3rd parties with educational content to easily publish mobile
apps.
Tablets and smartphones are changing the way we learn. They are
intuitive and have the ability to eliminate the barriers between school
and home, work and personal life, play and study."

eduPad's iTooch Apps available:

 iTooch Elementary (Grade 3 to 5)
Language Arts and Science

iTooch Middle School (Grade 6 to 8)
Language Arts and Health (Grade 6)

iTooch French as a Foreign Language
Grammar, Vocabulary and Pronunciation worksheets
to learn French and prepare DELF exam

iTooch TOEFL
Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing questions
to prepare for the TOEFL Exam

iTooch SAT
Worksheets on Critical Reading, Math, Biology,
U.S. History to practice for the SAT Tests

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Some of the features of eduPad's apps:
Largest Database of content-each title has between 1,500-6,000 questions

Educational content that plays like a fun video game

Practice and test modes

All apps come with a virtual blackboard and calculator

The app will update when you are connected to the internet

In app purchasing and feedback options

Internet connection is not needed to play in the app...learning can take place everywhere

What we loved:
FREE VERSION!
My daughter thought the games were a lot of fun.  She has already quickly played through some of the games and is excited when I tell her she can have more time in one of the apps.

She loves the belts and seeing the levels being completed.

My daughter loved the orange character

What was a challenge:
The free versions of the apps can be worked through pretty quickly and it was a bit disappointing to get to the end for her.

Please always consider whether or not a product lines up with your worldview or belief system.  I did not come across anything particular in what I looked at, but I have not been able to dig deeply into the content either.

In a media saturated world, this is just one more thing to be connected to.  I really enjoy seeing my children holding a book, playing outside or doing something creative. 

Overall, this was fun for her and I am considering buying an app and trying out the full content.  I like that it was a good way to review certain subjects.  

available on the App Store, Windows 8 and now on Google Play Store

 This is an informational review for Mosaic Reviews.  I downloaded a free version of this app.  I did not receive anything free.  The opinions expressed are based on our interaction with the free content.

Click here to read more reviews

Math Mammoth

Math Mammoth
Prices Vary
Grades 1-12

After homeschooling for closer to two decades than I care to admit, we have fallen into a math groove...we use what we like and we LOVE it! What do you do though, when you have a child who just does not get it...well, we had been contemplating leasing one of those video school options for math...as I am not sure how to explain it so he gets it...anyway, along comes Math Mammoth to lend aid.

In case you have not heard of Math Mammoth before,

Math Mammoth are affordable, yet quality math worktexts and workbooks, available as both downloads and printed books.

Math Mammoth books concentrate on conceptual understanding and are strong in mental math. The directions in the worktexts are written directly to the student, and are often self-teaching, thus requiring little preparation and involvement from the teacher.

You can choose from many different series of books:

A complete curriculum for grades 1-6 (Light Blue Series);
Books by topic for grades 1-7, with both instruction and exercises (Blue Series);
Review workbooks for grades 1-5: these provide a comprehensive review of the specific grade level of math. Great for summer math, for example.
Worksheets by grade for grades 3-8 (Golden Series);
Worksheets by topic for grades 3-7 (Green Series);
Make It Real Learning activity workbooks for grades 3-12—highlighting how math is used in real life. These books are authored by Frank Wilson.

This video tells a little bit about the difference between the four series of books available.

For this review, we were allowed to pick the option that worked best for us...so I chose the Blue Series Books for Addition and Subtraction. Prices for the Blue Series E-books range from $2.25-$7.50 a book. If you have an affordable way to print, this can be a HUGE savings from buying other math books. You may want to check with your library to see if they have a printing policy...ours does and we can print 70 black copies a week per library card...WOO HOO! There were some pages where color may be necessary...and you can use a crayon or colored pencil to make that clear. Also, for those who are techy-er than I am...I am sure that you can save your answers into the PDF and then have no printing costs. Options for purchasing books can be found at the bottom of the particular options you are looking for, with two basic options Download from Kagi or printed from Lulu

What we liked:

The Blue Series concentrates on ONE function of math!

The price is VERY AFFORDABLE!

We could print out more sheets and re-do an entire section if needed.

This book is meant to be student directed...which is WONDERFUL for a busy Momma!

The Blue Series would be AN EXCELLENT supplement where more review is needed!



What was a challenge:

DD REALLY struggles with math concepts and needs one on one time that I just am having difficulty finding right now. He does not understand the concept and math is flowing for him rather than constant...most of our problems with Math Mammoth had to do with that rather than any discrepancy in the curriculum. As simpler math is easy for me, I found I was having a hard time explaining it to him that he understood.

A lot of the suggestions to supplement the curriculum are online...I do not allow my children online without me present, so this was time that was VERY DIFFICULT to carve out in this season of life.

DD is struggling to grasp addition concepts and I really needed a lot of practice with that in the workbook pages...I thought that the problems where you found a missing addend rather than finding the sum were a little difficult...he had trouble switching from one way of thinking into another. While he did make progress in his addition skills, he is still not up to where I think he should be and I will need to either carve out more time for math for him or see if I can find another way to get him to understand math concepts better.

Overall, while this did not work for my little guy yet, I think that Math Mammoth is a power packed little bundle of curriculum. Created especially for homeschool familes by a math teacher who began homeschooling her children, Math Mammoth explains math in simple ways and concentrates on helping students understand the concepts being taught. To help figure out where you want to be, you can get a placement test/assessment here.

Whether you are looking for a complete math curriculum, review help or concentrated study on a particular topic, Math Mammoth might be for you...but don't take my word for it, try it for yourself. Take a 7-day virtual email tour around Math Mammoth! You'll receive:
A package of over 300 free worksheets and sample pages;
7 individual emails on 7 subsequent days that answer the most commonly asked questions, including "What is the difference between all these different-colored series?"
Math Newsletter
OR see what my fellow reviewers had to say about Math Mammoth here

Homeschool Programming KidCoder Web Design

Homeschool Programming
KidCoder Beginning Web Design
Grades: 4-12
Price-See Below


We were given the opportunity to review a Homeschool Programming course of our choosing and I JUMPED on the Beginning Web Design option, thinking that would be a GREAT SKILL for my boy to learn. I thought he would be interested in it and I have about as much knowledge of computer-y things as your average kitchen sponge, so I KNEW this would NOT COME from ME!

We received a downloadable textbook, a link to download the files for the course onto our computer and a link to view videos to help along the way. Since my eyes sort of begin to glaze over with techy talk, I handed this over to my 15 year old son to handle...and since it was SUMMER, I thought...woohoo! He will have plenty of time to work on this! The Beginning Web Design course is a one semester course and will earn my boy half a credit for an elective. We did not have any issues with any of the links loading, but it was difficult having a PDF of the textbook. I printed off a few of the pages of the book, but at about 200 pages, I thought my boy could just look at it on the screen...while not impossible, it would have been more helpful to print the whole thing. I believe that the PDF and file download was just for review purposes and a printed textbook and a CD Rom is what you will receive when you order your course.

The textbook and videos step you through the process of designing a website. If I am understanding things correctly, it is not necessary to have both, but one may be more helpful than the other depending upon learning styles. Your student then works on a practice website: Raptors: Birds of Prey. As they are inputting the codes, they see things coming together piece by piece.

For those of you in the know, here is a list of topics covered in Beginning Web Design Course:

Mark-up concepts
Website layouts and files
Backing up projects
Essential HTML symbols
Styling of text
Using symbols and lists
Internal and external hyperlinks
Navigation bars and footers
Simple CSS effects
Spacing and positioning
Graphics and image editing
Tables

Here are a couple of screen shots of my boy working through the program:



This is still a work in progress, as we were busier this summer than anticipated, but my boy has been working on it and learning quite a bit. He thought that it was a good way to learn how to build a website...and while he may never do this again, he has gained a skill that I cannot even begin to teach.

Ok, so what we thought:

This was a TOTAL SELF STUDY...every time I tried to look in at it, I felt like I was reading a foreign language...I did not need to know anything!!!! HUGE PLUS!!! This program was designed by homeschool parents with degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering...I am telling you...I am SO THANKFUL for these people! They created these products after finding nothing on the market to teach computer programming to children and young adults. These courses work with natural interests to fan the flame of delight into a possible future career path (or even a fun hobby). As many of you know, I LOVE PRODUCTS created by homeschool parents!

This is a great way to teach a subject that I am not skilled (AT ALL) to teach...my boy was able to complete every task that he came to. The directions were very good and he understood what he was reading. There was quite a bit of information in the textbook giving a lot of background that was necessary for the course.

There is an option for giving high school credit to student who finish the course. I could not find much about it on the Homeschool Programming website, but that it should be left to the determination of the teacher. After my boy completes this course, I think I would require some sort of an independent project to show that he KNOWS the material (Maybe a face lift for my blog!!!) and then would give him a half of a credit. This looks like it would be entirely up to the parent.

Cost is always something to consider with homeschool families, as many are one income homes. The course we selected was $85 for the course with the video (which I recommend!). There is an option to buy both Beginning Web Design and Advanced Web Design for a discounted price.

I am not sure if my boy will become a Web Designer, but it was a fun course with great instruction. If you have a child who has interests in this area, I think it would be a great fit for you. I have added links for sample pages and video below...check it out if you are not sure.

Here is a list of all the courses offered by Homeschool Programming:


You can view sample pages from each of the courses here and sample videos here. I think these would give you a feel for if it would be a good fit.


Check out more Mosaic Reviews for Homeschool Programming here