Thursday, September 30, 2021

Convention Time




If you've know me for any time... you'll know that Homeschool Conventions are my HAPPY PLACE!  One of my dreams came true... my family had our own booth for CrossWired Science at the Great Homeschool Convention in CA!

We had a blast showing off our fun science-y stuff and introducing the homeschool convention world to CWS, not to mention,  goofing off together in the booth.  I'm so happy we got to share it all together.


He's kinda my hero...



Noah's magic tricks were a huge hit!



My boys ❤️

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The prize girls ❤️


 We got a chance to meet and encourage tons of different homeschool families, and do what we love most - TOGETHER!  What a gift!

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Reading Eggs and Mathseeds from Reading Eggs: A TOS Crew Review

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew


         Reading Eggs


Reading Eggs and Mathseeds from Reading Eggs



Reading Eggs and Mathseeds from Reading Eggs is a  great way to keep those reading skills sharp for students ages 2-13! We have been using this program for years.    This program works on your computer, laptop, tablet or on your mobile device with their new app.

The online, yearly subscription includes access for up to 4 students to:

Reading Eggs Junior is designed for your preschoolers - ages 2-4. It uses a variety of read-aloud books, alphabet games and more to get your child focusing on letters and the sounds they make.

Reading Eggs is for ages 3-7, uses a self-paced program to get your children excited about reading. They can complete a variety of activities and earn golden eggs as a reward!

MathSeeds is a great program for ages 3-9 to practice and perfect math skills with over 200 lessons, printable worksheets, and fun rewards. 

Reading Eggspress helps ages 7-13 with practice for their reading skills. A simple placement test helps put them in the correct spot.The program is full of games, activities, online books and more that help your child learn to love reading. This is where my tester has been.
 
Fast Phonics is for your 5-10 year olds. It's packed with games and levels to keep your new readers engaged by practicing systematic phonics! 

Mental Minute Drills - designed to practice and master essential math skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.This program is based on solid research and focuses on building essential reading skills through phonics, sight words, spelling, vocabulary and comprehension. But, it's so fun - they had no idea they were really learning!


My student has her own dashboard.  She can choose to practice skills like spelling, play games and compete against others, complete lessons to earn golden eggs (the reward!), visit the library, see her targets, play games in the arcade or even go "shopping" at the mall.



and,  I get detailed progress reports on what she is working on.


My tester has been using the program for the past several years, and loves it!  Her lessons are arranged on a "map" that she works through that corresponds to the book she chooses.



A lesson for them covers several key reading skills. There are several different sections that focus on different skills for reading:


  • Cover Story - they answer questions about the cover of their book. 
  • Dictionary lets them learn new vocabulary with dictionary practices.
  • Fact or Opinion practices recognizing the difference as they read.
  • Main Idea & Details and Making Inferences helps them identify key sentences and learn to make inferences from what they are reading. The program offers immediate feedback on answers.
  • Words in Context helps pinpoint how words are being used.
  • Reading allows them to read directly from an interactive book. They have plenty of great books to choose from.
  • The Quiz checks how much they remember. They need to score a minimum level to advance to the next step on their map.


After each section is completed, she earns gold "eggs".  These are the currency of the program.  The eggs can be used to play games, or go shopping!  Of course, this is my tester's favorite part.  She loves to decorate her apartment, collect pets & change her avatar...




I've been impressed with the depth of the content on Reading Eggs and my testers have loved it. 


I recommend checking them out with the FREE 30 day trial to see for yourself!





Find Reading Eggs on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/readingeggsUSCATwitter: https://twitter.com/readingeggs
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingeggs/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8ED-7e2xA3fxgrM7Wq2XGQ

Hashtags: #hsreviews #learntoread #readingeggs    


                  Learn to Read with Reading Eggs

Thursday, September 9, 2021

WORLD Watch: A TOS Crew Review

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew


WORLD Watch 





WORLD Watch is a great way to start off your school day!  We have been enjoying this 10 minute long daily newscast from WORLD Watch.  It's a Christian perspective on world news  hosted by Brian Basham, AKA "The Big Bash" who is also the program director.  Great for all ages, the reoccurring theme of  WORLD Watch programing is "Whatever the news, the purpose of the Lord will stand".


We have been long-time fans of the WORLD News Group, addition to their lineup is in its second year and  is hands-down, our favorite way to keep up with what is going on around the world!  





Your subscription gives you access to the entire library - Full Episodes, Feature Stories and the Daily Newscasts, as well as, access to the complete archives.  



We like to start off our school day with our "All Together" time, and WORLD Watch was the perfect addition.  The Full Episodes are each about 10 minutes,  there is quite a bit packed in for you to unpack later with your students. 

In addition to the World News they frequently include short, high-interest segments that bridge to other subjects like science, history, or vocabulary.  Even I found myself saying, "I never knew that"... Very well done!



The Newscast is a daily update on news from around the world, from a Christian perspective.  I can't thank them enough for providing an enjoyable and educational way for my children to keep up with world events, WITHOUT the negative, anti-christian worldview in our mainstream media today.



You also get daily email reminders sent directly to your inbox.  I like to forward them on to my children.




We love the host, reporters, and the  presentation - it's fun, upbeat and positive.  Who thought the NEWS could be that way?  Helping my children see the world and develop Biblical discernment is one of my main goals as we homeschool.  


Check out their 30-day free trial at  WORLD Watch!  We're fans for life!!



Find WORLD Watch  on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldwatchshow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldwatchnews/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLhlnq_RLfpSdQ8Fm6VEEjw

Hashtags:  #hsreviews #WORLDWatch #WORLDWatchNews