Product Review

A Child’s Life In The Andes E-Book

April 29, 2015 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

One reason I haven’t shared a post lately about Ecuador is because we are heading soon to Banos to check out the thermal baths, volcano and waterfalls. Also, we will be making a jungle excursion.

I will be sharing about our adventure soon.

Hands-on Homeschooling

The other reason though is because I have been excited as we have been reading A Child’s Life In The Andes E-Book by Daria Marmaluk Hajioannou.

Learning the culture of South America has not only been fun, but when I find resources like this that have hands-on activities to study the culture of an area along with listening to native South American music it just makes learning about Ecuador that much more fascinating.

The author, Daria speaks Quechua, which is an ancient tongue from the Andes Mountains.

It is an Amerindian language spoken also in a lot of other places here in South America.

Besides overhearing Quechua being spoken here, it will take us more time to able to tell the difference in the traditional dress.

We are trying to learn which dress goes with which geography region here.

Again, that will take us some more time but in the meantime I am tickled to be able to review this product because I think it is a fun supplement for elementary aged children.

Making learning come alive is best done by taking a look at the food, animals and language of this area, which A Child’s Life In The Andes does.

The music we are listening to that comes with this download is also played by traditional instruments from this area.

Too, not only does it come with music to listen to, but it has several fun downloads like coloring pages and a word search.

I can’t wait to share the fun and simple hands-on things we have been doing in an upcoming post.

What about you?

Have you seen this fun supplement to a South American Unit Study?

Hugs and love ya,

Hands-On Science Units for Middle School Kids

April 24, 2014 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Finding hands-on science unit studies as your kids approach the older grades is not always easy to find. So when I come across something I have been eye balling and wanting to try out, I have to let you know about it.

(I received Life Logic Ecology Explorations in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my kids. And for sure I will tell you what is on my mind. Click here if you want a full disclosure.)

Life Logic Ecology Explorations by Eva Varga is one of those units I have been looking over to do with Tiny when we want to make a change to our schedule. Because I feel like we haven’t really covered enough about ecology, I will be using this during the summer. Hopefully, before we move too.

Written by a science educator and homeschool mom, Eva Varga understands that we want curriculum that is laid out and that can be used with multiple children.

Take a look at this snippet from the table of contents. The outline gives you a heads up about what will be covered each week in case you do want to squeeze in extra teaching moments.

One of the things I like the most about Life Logic Ecology Explorations though besides the 20+ activities planned throughout the 10 week unit is that it has background information for each lesson.

Because I have been packing and decluttering just about every day, I want something that as we get closer to moving that requires little effort no preparation on my part. Non-fiction book recommendations are given in the outline and then of course I love using living books when I can, but the truth of it is right now I have one great big huge mess and trying to locate books from now on is not going to be easy. I have to confess a bit though because even if I did have time to read background information and find books, I still like curriculum that makes my job easier as the teacher.

Too, some homeschoolers shy away from unit studies even though they want to try one or two because they are not sure how to assign the subject areas. So between listing subject areas and objectives for the day in Life Logic Ecology Explorations there are measured steps in place which I happen to like because they satisfy the teacher mom in us.

Too, with the unit being geared toward 4th-6th grade, I don’t have to worry too much about it being over Tiny’s head.

I am eager to try this unit because it fits my version of what I think science should be about and that is doing and not always having to read about it.

This is not the only unit Eva Varga has, look at a few of the other ones she has too.

Between a masters material list, notebooking pages that are needed and ideas for long term projects, the 103 page ebook download has plenty for me to choose from when we start.

Too though I homeschool for faith based reasons, I never shy away from secular curriculum like Life Logic Ecology Explorations because it always give me an opportunity to add my own content to it.

Whether you are new or seasoned to unit studies, I think you will love this hands-on science curriculum written by a homeschool mom for homeschool families.

Product Name: Life Logic Ecology Explorations

Website: Eva Varga

Price: $19.90

Type of product: ebook download

Ages: Middle School or about 4th – 6th grade.

Hugs and love ya,

The Value of Learning How to Type in Education & Psssst! A Little Something For You – A Giveaway

March 31, 2014 | 67 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This Giveaway is now closed! Thanks for stopping by! Guess what? I plan on doing another giveaway for this wonderful typing program in the summer right before back to school. Be sure you are following me to know about it. The winners are listed at the bottom of this post after I draw them.

Learning how to type was something I valued learning in high school. Dare I mention that the typewriter I learned to type on was even older than an IBM Selectric typewriter, which is dinosaur old by today’s fast changing standards. It had one of those moving carriages and weird me loved looking up at the end of a sentence as I pushed the carriage return back to the left.

Though moving carriages and the more advanced sphere like ball, which replaced moving carriages are both things of the past, the skill of touch typing is alive and thriving.

How Did You Learn To Type?

Because typing is a necessity in this fast changing world of technology and a life long skill that I know my kids will use, I have been searching for a typing program that fits my standard. It has not been easy. So I was thrilled to receive Ultimate Typing and to use it with both of my sons these past few months.

(I received Ultimate Typing free in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my kids. And for sure I will tell you what is on my mind. Click here if you want a full disclosure.)

Oh sure there are some free programs and other typing programs I used when the kids were little that taught them some light typing. But now that they are older, I have been looking for a solid program that goes beyond just fun.

Look at my list of what I think a well-rounded learn how to type program should include:

Tutorials should be state of the art. With the technology we have today, my interactive learners like video teaching and the videos should be high quality and engaging. Boring lessons on a blank page do not do it for us. I mean this is typing right? So I need it a bit more lively;
My older kids should be able to do it independently;
Don’t penalize me because I have a large family or want to use it with multiple children. Even if I had one child, I may want to use the program for myself or brush up on my skills without worrying that I am breaking copyright laws. Complicated pricing for multiple users is a big turnoff for me;
It should have incremental teaching tips;
It needs to educate my boys on ergonomics because when sitting for a long time, it is important to take care of their hands, wrists and back. I had a test in high school on the importance of posture and its affect on the body. Of course this was because I was a serious typist typing 130 words a minute in my prime, but its important that my boys know how to correct back or hand problems if they have them;
Because my boys are not preschoolers or kindergarteners, I want a tracking system that I can use for each child to chart their progress, which is not babyish;
I want it meaty enough so that I can count it as a high school credit elective for Mr. Awesome;
I want it to have easy to read text with bright and clear pictures; and
And for both age groups, I want lots of games and ways to make it fun.

I got all of this and so much more as we used Ultimate Typing over the past few months. At first I was hesitant about accepting the curriculum for review because of the lack of well, glamour, in previous programs I have used. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t just want something that is state of the art with high quality graphics that is pretty to look at, but it had to teach typing in a way that is not boring.

After I unwrapped Ultimate Typing, I instantly saw the superior quality. There is just no comparison to other programs I have used over the years and that includes comparing what you get for the price too.

Ultimate Typing has a variety of games and exercises for every age learner, which is one fact that I really love. Also though, a high quality video precedes the lesson to explain what to do and what you will cover. Watch the high quality tutorial and begin your lesson. The boys don’t need me standing there.

The boys hunted and pecked with free programs when they were young, but wanting to seriously learn how to type so that it is a life-long skill requires a program where you actually learn how to type. I am glad we have used free things over the years as it strengthened their finger skills. But teaching my last two boys how to type shouldn’t take as long as it did with Mr. Senior 2013 because of not having an actual typing program instead of just playing games.

Bored and Board

There is no substitute for old fashion drill, repetition and practice when learning how to type. So I certainly don’t envy the company that can make tutoring that skill a lively one and Ultimate Typing has done just that.

There is even practices for dictation and the first one was A Tale of Two Cities.	Love the fact that even though my sons have not got there yet, the advanced lesson topics include vowels and diphthongs, common phrases and prefixes and suffixes to name a few.

Educators know that the value of typing is the ability to be able to articulate and convey ideas without being hampered by fine motor skills.

Though I feel that cursive handwriting will always be the hallmark of a well-educated child, learning how to type is essential today. Communicating ideas through typing allows any level of writer to focus on his overflowing ideas instead of formation of letters.

Whatever the complexities about keyboards too, most young children start learning quickly on them and their passion to express their ideas needs to be nurtured.

Ultimate Typing touts several honors and recognition and rightly so. I too am proud to partner with Ultimate Typing because I want to use a first-rate typing software in my homeschool.

There is so much more to Ultimate Typing that you will want to visit Ultimate Typing’s site to take it all in.

One more unique feature though I have to tell you about and that is after completing this program a certificate is issued to you stating that you have successfully completed this comprehensive course. Knowing that Mr. Awesome will have this skill to add to his high school diploma just makes his future opportunities for employment a bit more aggressive.

Who knows maybe the Mr. who refuses to give up his hunt and peck style will give Ultimate Typing a try also.

If I had to change one thing about it, I would change the name of a few of the games. Some of the games like beat the monster says to type in the magic spells and another one is titled ghosts. Again, a program of this caliber and high quality doesn’t need to use those title names. Titles like solve using your detective skills or mystery type games would be just as appealing to learners. Though there are plenty of other games to choose from, I did want you to know that.

Overall, I am delighted to partner with Ultimate Typing and to tell you about them because they have been committed to not only make learning to type educational, but to make it entertaining.

Ultimate Typing is a program that your family grows into and never outgrows.

Guess what? The folks at Ultimate Typing love giveaways and love educators too. So I will be giving away 2 programs.

Product Name: Ultimate Typing

Prices: Windows version: $29.95

Mac: $29.95

License: Unlimited User Accounts. {I love this because we can ALL use it.}

Type of Product: Instant download.

Customer Service: I received my download on time and it installed safely and quickly. Also, when I had questions, I received timely answers.

Ages: 7 to Adult. Love this fact that you never outgrow this program either!

Social Media Links:

Facebook

Twitter @ultimatetyping

Google +

All prices are good at the time of this blog post.

A Giveaway! Yipppeeeeeee

>>>>>>> RULES. Let’s keep it easy. <<<<<<<

The Giveaway for 2 Ultimate Typing programs starts today and ends Saturday April 5, 2014 @ 2:00 p.m. CST. Winners will be chosen by Random dot org and I will notify the winners by email and post here on the blog.

Let me give you every chance to win and allow up to 2 entries on this baby. Comment here on this blog post for all entries. So one entry per comment here on the blog.

The first comment is your choice.

The second comment should be posted on one of the social sharing sites for Ultimate Typing (and then post the link here on my blog as your second comment). Here are the social sharing sites again for Ultimate Typing.

Facebook

Twitter @ultimatetyping

Google +

Your comments/entries should look something like this.

1st comment. “I can’t live or school without this or I hope you are having a great day or I don’t like my kids.” (okay okay). Your choice!

2nd comment. “I commented or shared on (insert Google, Facebook or Twitter) and here is the link : (insert link)”

Lastly, because I can’t have once in a lifetime email readers, the winner has 24 hours to claim his/her prize or I will pick another winner.

Hope You Win & Let’s Get this Party Started!! Come here to this blog post: The Value of Learning How to Type in Education & Psssst! A Little Something For You Too – A Giveaway, and I have even linked it for you.

Hugs and love ya,

Congratulations to the 2 Winners! Comment Numbers 23 & 5

Danielle & Tanecia

Danielle Hull
Mar 31, 2014 @ 13:37:54

Thanks so much for the thorough review! We have been using a free program, but my oldest has completed it and is ready for something more!

Tanecia
Mar 31, 2014 @ 11:53:04

This looks like a fun program!

Fun & Easy Hands-on Ideas with Zeezok Music Appreciation

February 13, 2014 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Tiny has been loving the easy hands-on activities he has been doing as we have been going through the curriculum by Zeezok Music Appreciation. Also, look at Fun Facts About the Phantom of the Opera & Styles of Music Unit Study.

One of the reasons I wanted to review this curriculum was because of our love of unit studies.

Fun & Easy Hands-on Ideas with Zeezok Music Appreciation

The homeschool music curriculum is Zeezok Music Appreciation – Book 1.

Many curriculum providers may not have on their website a product description of their curriculum as a unit study.

However, this curriculum goes above and beyond in fitting my description of a comprehensive unit study.

Zeezok Music Appreciation

Beyond having work texts, each unit is filled with hands-on ideas that are easy.

Sometimes I know I fuss over hands-on ideas too much, but they don’t have to be complicated.

I always have to remind myself of that too.

Also though in the music appreciation curriculum other subjects like history, geography and language arts are certainly included.

You’ll love Zeezok Music Appreciation – Book 1.

You know I told you we honed in on a study of Beethoven and one easy hands-on idea suggested was to make Beethoven’s porridge.

We tweaked the activity a bit to fit our need, plus the original recipe I wanted to preserve in the curriculum so I don’t ruin any surprises for you.

We have enjoyed getting to know Beethoven’s lively music personality as he directed from his piano.

He would forget that he was a soloist as he became so engrossed in it that he would jump up and begin conducting. We feel kindred spirits with him as he would leap in the air at the loud parts, wave his arms to the skies and even crouch in quiet parts.

Look at the parts that come with the curriculum Zeezok Music Appreciation – Book 1.

Tiny would not ever forgive me if I showed you the pictures I took as he acted that out when reading about those tidbits on Beethoven and listening to his music.

Easy Hands-On Ideas for Music Appreciation

The porridge pictures are not quite as exciting, you’ll just have to imagine the other pictures.

Later this month, I will be posting a full review on this curriculum that we are savoring every bit of the way.

Because there is no way in one post I can tell you the things we have been loving about our music curriculum, I shared a few other things we have done on this unit below.

More Homeschool Music Curriculum Resources

Keyboard Classroom – Learn How To Type in Your Homeschool

January 23, 2014 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

(I was given a copy of Keyboard Classroom in exchange for my honest opinion. This post also contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosures here and here.)

Back when they still offered typing in high school, I took it as an elective and I am glad I did.

Typing is a skill I have used to this day and so I wanted to be sure each one of my sons had a good grasp on the skill.

I don’t do the hunt/peck sort of typing just for the fact that on my job interviews back in the day they required timed tests. That is not my goal for my sons. I do have a list of things I am looking for in a typing program and a few of them are that it has to be easy to use, would teach typing in increments, have some way to see a record of their progress, could be used for multiple children or the family, incorporated some of the skills I learned as a quick typist like taking dictation and is pretty self-manageable. I don’t want to be managing lessons for another subject.

So when I was given the chance to use Keyboard Classroom for the past few months I was delighted.

Benefits of Keyboard Classroom

easy set up	the home screen is easily understandable by a child of any age
it has that incremental approach which I was looking for	repeat practice is the best way to learn typing as it is used in this program
games are used to incorporate fun and give you a sense of accomplishment. The minute Tiny figured out you only needed 2 tokens for a game, he over there on the games.	short spurts like one minute of work was good for Tiny too

Did you notice those nifty little finger guards up there in that first picture? They are placed on the keyboard to help your child keep his fingers in the right position. That is a nice plus for those who struggle to keep their fingers positioned correctly. I think that is the hardest part for any new typist.

We only used the finger guards for the first lesson or so because Tiny had some prior typing experience, not much, but he still was okay without them.

The greatest advantage for us in using this program is that it helped to strengthen Tiny’s finger reaches. Too, Tiny has had piano lessons so I think that helped in understanding finger placement. He found this program quite easy to understand, but it still presented a nice challenge when he went to the higher levels.

Look at the levels this program has:

Keyboard Finger Trainer/Typing Words/Home Stretch/Typing Sentences and Capital Stretch. Unlike some other typing programs I used with my older boys, with Keyboard Classroom Tiny seemed to make improvement a little faster. I think it was the satisfaction knowing that he completed a level.

The short one minute lessons were easy for Tiny to remember and do which is another unique feature about this program.

This next feature may or may not be good for you. Not sure it would appeal to girls either, but you never know. But you work hard to move through the ranks moving from cadet up to corporal and general. So that is the way used to show progress.

Of course I had to try out one or two drills to get the feel of it and one thing I figured out was that the child does not hit the enter key to return to the next line, but the space bar. I couldn’t really read on the site why that is an effective way to teach, but I think I would prefer he use the enter key which is more natural to typing.

When it comes to correcting errors, no big alarm or sirens go off, thank goodness. But you see a small x so you know that it was not correct.

I think the pricing is a bit cumbersome for homeschool families. It comes with a single user license and it can add up quickly when you have multiple children. Most of us, including me have multiple children that we might want to use this with.

If you have a pick up and go sort of style about teaching you may like this program because there were no videos to watch to learn how or interactive videos for the lessons. Too, if you are not interested in tracking progress other than moving through the ranks you will like the easy way Keyboard Classroom keeps up with progress.

Overall, the program was easy to learn and Tiny likes it and sneaks in the office to practice.

Product Name:Keyboard Classroom

Prices: $49.95 for a family license (5 people)

Type of Product: CD-rom purchase.

Customer Service: I received my CD on time and it installed safely and quickly.

Ages: 8 and up!

Social Media Links:

Facebook

All prices are good as of the date of this review.

Hugs and love ya,

Product Review

A Child’s Life In The Andes E-Book

Hands-on Homeschooling

Hands-On Science Units for Middle School Kids

The Value of Learning How to Type in Education & Psssst! A Little Something For You – A Giveaway

This Giveaway is now closed! Thanks for stopping by! Guess what? I plan on doing another giveaway for this wonderful typing program in the summer right before back to school. Be sure you are following me to know about it. The winners are listed at the bottom of this post after I draw them.

How Did You Learn To Type?

Bored and Board

A Giveaway! Yipppeeeeeee

>>>>>>> RULES. Let’s keep it easy. <<<<<<<

Congratulations to the 2 Winners! Comment Numbers 23 & 5

Danielle & Tanecia

Fun & Easy Hands-on Ideas with Zeezok Music Appreciation

Zeezok Music Appreciation

Easy Hands-On Ideas for Music Appreciation

More Homeschool Music Curriculum Resources

Keyboard Classroom – Learn How To Type in Your Homeschool

Benefits of Keyboard Classroom

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Product Review

Hands-on Homeschooling

This Giveaway is now closed! Thanks for stopping by! Guess what? I plan on doing another giveaway for this wonderful typing program in the summer right before back to school. Be sure you are following me to know about it. The winners are listed at the bottom of this post after I draw them.

How Did You Learn To Type?

Bored and Board

A Giveaway! Yipppeeeeeee

>>>>>>> RULES. Let’s keep it easy. <<<<<<<

Congratulations to the 2 Winners! Comment Numbers 23 & 5

Danielle & Tanecia

Zeezok Music Appreciation

Easy Hands-On Ideas for Music Appreciation

More Homeschool Music Curriculum Resources

Benefits of Keyboard Classroom

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