Terrific Tigers

Terrific Tigers - a Download N Go Unit Study by Amanda Bennett

Available at: http://www.downloadngo.com/ and http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/

$7.95 per unit

Have you wanted to be a Unit Study-professional-homeschool-mom? Have your children happily following after your every move as you skillfully plan and execute the perfect unit themed study? After you woke from this dream... you realized - you just don't have the time to pull it off?

Hang in there, help is on the way! Amanda Bennett has created the answer to our dilemma - it's called a "Download N Go" unit study, and she has many great, engaging topics to choose from.

The one I was happy to do is called : Terrific Tigers

(by the way, I wasn't paid for my honest opinion...)

A Download N Go study is a one week (5 day) unit study. It's called Download N Go, because that is all you need to do...download it, and go off on the adventure of learning (no trips to the library needed, unless you were there already...)

Terrific Tigers was so much fun! We learned so much about tigers. We learned about a different sub-species of tiger each day. In addition, we covered geography, science, art history and appreciation, math, vocabulary and literature. But, it was so enjoyable, we didn't even realize how much we were learning. Each Day covered a new aspect of tigers, and by the end of our week we had all the pieces to assemble a lapbook to showcase all that we had learned. (The final tiger covered was one of our favorites... you'll have to get this unit to see why!)

The unit is full of video links and web cams. The children and I could not get enough of watching these marvelous creatures. And, best of all - I didn't have to search high and low on the internet to find them! The unit also offers Book Suggestions to go with each day, and an entire page of Family Fun Ideas to keep the learning going (we can hardly wait to make a Tiger Cake).

I have completed several of the Download N Go units, and this was one of our favorites. I can't believe the amount of information presented. Amanda Bennett has put together an amazing learning tool. I highly recommend adding several (or more) of these fun units into your usual school routine... I know it will add a little "spice" to your day!

Lydia was very excited to be my "tester" - and is proudly displaying her "endangered species" - a COMPLETED lapbook! (a major benefit to this unit study - a lapbook with all the pieces ready to go...)

I am so excited about this product - that I have been given the opportunity to GIVE ONE AWAY FREE!!! This is a first for my blog... a giveaway! Please leave a comment, include your email - and if you are chosen in our random drawing on October 29th - I'll send you your very own copy of "Terrific Tigers" for free! (Sorry, no TOG Review Crew or DNG Review Crew, or any other affiliates of The Old Schoolhouse can win...)

See what the other reviewers thought at: http://homeschoolblogger.com/downloadngo/?p=935

Brill Kids - Little Reader

Time for another review from The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew. I wasn't paid anything for my honest opinion of this product, much to my poor hubby's dismay!

The Little Reader by Brill Kids
available at http://www.brillkids.com/


This is a novel program. It's goal is to teach babies to read. Yes, you read it right - infants and toddlers mastering reading. They have several videos that are quite impressive - you can view at their website http://www.brillkids.com/teach-reading/vid_kl.php

or

http://www.brillkids.com/teach-reading/vid_maddy.php

Your child is able to view their lessons on the computer in a fun and engaging way. The lessons are easy to use, and customizable (you can put Mom's picture with the word "mom"). The lessons are taught using Flash method, Multisensory Method and Intuitive Phonics. Each time you do the lesson - the computer will change the sequence, always keeping it new. New words and even foreign languages can be easily added to expand the scope of the program.

So, I checked it out... I brought over our 1 1/2 year old and our 3 year old. They both enjoyed seeing the pictures (I'm a little un-sure of them actually learning to read the words...) But, they sat happily through several lessons. The goal is to do 2 lessons per day. The lessons are short, and all you have to do is to push play. Unfortunately, after several days of lessons, the novelty wore off - and our mouse was too much of a distraction... The program does offer "locking" options to turn off some of the "distractions" available at the computer. And, they also have flashcards to use the progam in a "more comfortable" area, i.e. the sofa.

I know plenty of people who swear this method is effective, and in all fairness - I'm sure it can be, if you have the time and discipline to complete the lessons faithfully. My sister-in-law has had alot of success with a similar approach and her 1 year old. But, my 1 1/2 year old is having much more fun taking tupperware out of the cabinet and eating crayons. But, please know - this is NOT DUE TO THIS PROGRAM'S EFFECTIVENESS.... it is due to my personal lack of discipline! Brill Kids is so confident of their success that they offer a guarantee that your child will be able to recognize words after completeing the 12 month system. Additionally, they even offer a free trial - so, try it out for yourself.

The Brill Kids website had a variety of useful information about teaching early reading, and several free downloadable booklets to help you. Also, there are free flashcards you can print for infant visual stimulation, children's ebooks, and activity sheets. Fascinating research. If you like this approach, they also offer Little Math programs as well.

The Little Reader program sells for $149 for the Basic and a Deluxe version is available for $399.

What's included the Basic system?

Little Reader software installation disc
2 Content discs with 12-month, ready-made curriculum
Lifetime usage of the learning system
2 BrillKids Presentation Binders
40 Customizable Flap Cards
20 Customizable Flash Cards
160 sheets of word and picture prints:
Content Printouts for 8 core categories
5 Little Reader Storybooks
2 Weekly Lesson Planners, one for each semester
10 Sheets of Sticker Labels for playing the labeling game
"Everything you need to know about teaching your baby to Read" booklet
Teaching with Little Reader" booklet
BrillKids Loyalty Points


See what my other reviewers thought of it at www.homeschoolblogger.com/reviewcrew

Rocking Robots

Guess what?! I have another unpaid job - my wonderful husband couldn't be prouder...
I am very excited to be joining the Download and Go unit study review team.

For my first review - Rocking Robots.

Download and Go units are week long unit studies created by Amanda Bennett. They are available at http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com and http://www.downloadngo.com

At an affordable $7.95 per unit,you can add as many as you wish. (Here's an "insider tip" - they frequently offer specials, and you can get discounts by purchasing the bundles).

Here's how our homeschool uses these fabulous studies. Do you ever have a week that everyone seems to be having educational ADD - no ability to focus, on anything? Well, we have them here. So, I use them to add a little variation to our routine - usually enough to get them to come out of hiding and get interested in learning again.

I also love to use them to complement something we are already studying. We will take the week long schedule and do 1 day per week for the course of a month. They also make a great "delight driven" subjects - show your child the list of topics offered (believe me - they have many to choose from!) and see what sparks an interest and let them work on it for the month.

Now that I told you a little about these gems... I'd love to share Rocking Robots, the unit we were given in exchange for our honest opinion. (still not getting paid, but we are having alot of fun!)

Rocking Robots will introduce you to all kinds of things about robots. From the history of them, the people who have created them, the science they possess. This unit is absolutely filled with really cool video clips! And, you have everything you need to make a really neat lapbook to showcase what you learned.

We were introduced to geography, history, vocabulary, anatomy, astronomy, and just plain fun! Each day we got to meet "Robot of the Day" - the personal family favorites were the violin and piano playing robots (especially for practice time around here!) The kiddos had opportunities to design their own robots. My favorite family creation - a robot to brush their teeth at night! (and they do dog teeth too?)

In addition to the Daily schedule, each unit offers Book suggestions and Family Fun Ideas to go with the unit. I knew I was saving those shoeboxes for the perfect craft - they make a great robot body!

If you always dreamed of being a "Unit Study" mom, but found that you were too tired to pull it all together - these are for you! There is really zero prep time needed - you can just "Download and Go". You and your students will be off and learning before you can say "where's the library card?"

Read what the other reveiwers thought at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/downloadngo/?p=872

Talking Fingers

My next review - Read, Write & Type by Talking Fingers

This is a revolutionary way to teach Reading, Writing and Typing. It combines a multi-sensory approach with hearing, seeing and touching.

I tested this (we weren't paid - just got to use the program for free!) with my 9 year son. Very quickly, the sounds of "computer time" were reaching the ears of younger students who began to crowd around to see what he was getting to do...
So, while he was my "offical tester" - the 7 yr old, 6 yr old, 4 yr old and 3 yr old all sat and watched him "test" with rapt attention.

The animations are well done, and the story lines are engaging. It took about an hour to do a "unit" of 4 letters and sounds. A certificate is printable after each unit, if you want to use it to reward progess. I really liked that the computer automatically kept track of his progress - starting wherever he left off, and that it notes areas needing more attention and redirects the student back to those areas.

My tester was a little old for the phonics instruction - but it was very nice to combine the phonics with the typing instruction - which this was his first. He liked the animated characters and the games to go with them. And since, he's a more sensory learner - his retention was improved. One note of parental "caution" - if you want them to have correct finger placement, you need to watch over their shoulders from time to time. (the computer can't tell you if they're using the correct hand placement - even though it teaches the correct hand placement...)

The website offers tons of advice and testimonials. Check them out at http://www.talkingfingers.com/


THE HOME EDITION INCLUDES: $79


55 sound games with more than 200 word pictures
118 typing challenges with more than 200 words and phrases
40 animated stories with more than 600 words
40 Power Fountain games with 3 difficulty levels and 1,000 words
84 writing samples from real children around the world

Spaceship Challenge CD ROM
9 Phoneme Awareness Challenges with more than 90 items
9 Reading Comprehension Challenges with more than 90 items
9 Spelling Challenges with more than 90 items
Reports of individual or class progress
40 printable RWT™ stories
120 clip art pictures and Read, Write & Type Learning System™ characters to illustrate original stories
PLUS:

Activity Book with one lesson per page, and bonus play activities to do with your child
18 level-appropriate Stories (available on our web site) that provide a reward and extra practice with the sounds and words they are learning.
The Laminated Keyboard for practicing dictated words in the car or at home
2 sets of stickers




Check out what my other reviewers thought at www.homeschoolblogger.com/reviewcrew

Vocabulary Cartoons

Here's another product review that we really enjoyed doing (still not paid, by the way...).

It is: Vocabulary Cartoons by New Monic Books

online at: http://www.vocabularycartoons.com/

This book is a collection of funny cartoons and rhymes to teach vocabulary. It contains 210 words that every grammar student should know, as well as, review quizzes and fill-in-the-blank problems.

We have been using it as our "word of the day" resource, and all the kiddos love starting out our day with a giggle. The cartoons use mnemonics to increase retention - remember the old ryhme "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean... - blue!" That's mnemonics at work.

We are enjoying the new vocabulary - and it's been painless to introduce it to our day, since it's a very short page to look over. Everyone is getting "mom rewards" when caught using their new words.

As I looked at their website - I was excited to learn they have additional products to offer... Including CD-PDF formats (fun for printing out and hanging up!), 7-12th Grade Levels, and a book of Mnemonic ryhmes (I plan on getting those!)

What a fun way to learn, and very affordable at just $12.95 per book.

Read what my other reviewers thought at: www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew

Schleich

Here comes another TOS Homeschool Crew Review Hit!

Schleich sent us a collection of their animal figurines to test and review (we still didn't get paid...) My kiddos thought Christmas had come early.

Are you tired of toys that beep and buzz and break shortly after you unwrap them? Well, I am.
We actually discovered this wonderful company years ago, and have NEVER been disappointed with our purchases.

Schleich was founded over 75 years ago in Germany. They design and distribute their products to over 50 countries. Major retailers like Target and Toy R Us, as well as many independent toy shops are proud to carry their products.

From a "mom opinion" - these toys are wonderful. They don't beep, don't need batteries, and can stand up to whatever abuse comes their way. Also, because of the details and workmanship - these are figures that stand out from the crowded toybox. I wasn't surprised, but each of them are hand-painted after finishing. No wonder they look so realistic!

Please visit - http://www.schleich-s.com/ to see their entire 500 plus collection

Even though we were sent animals, I must mention a favorite toy in our busy, boy-filled house is the Schleich Knights (available at Target and Toys R Us). Even as I type - there is a major medieval battle raging in our hallway. I need to clarify - it's not only the "littles" engaging in this imaginative play - currently the 13 yr old, 11 yr old and 9 yr old BOYS are happily battling each other for control of the castle... not a WII in sight!

My "littles" are having a blast with the toy animals. When I asked them what they liked best - they told me they loved the detail, and all the cool animals available. Much more than just the "traditional" animals - they produce everything from farm animals to safari creatures (including the ever illusive Gnu and Gnu calf, not to mention - the Okapi!) These are an educational adventure in play.

The only downside to this review - Schleich included a catalog that shows all the cool creations available, and now the kiddos are fighting over which ones they want next! (lucky for me, they are affordably priced, and worth every dime!)

See what my other reviewers thought at:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew

Pyramath

Yippee!!!
Another Math resource for me to review. I still didn't earn any money for my opinion, but they did give us a wonderful math game!

So, here's the next product from The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew for you....

It's a simple, but effective deck of cards called - Pyramath.

I tested this out with "algebra boy" and the "other-one-that-thinks-more-like-his-mom" in mathmatical terms... we always hear a slight buzzing sound near equations...

Anyway, they picked it up and without any intervention (or many instructions) started playing a game. Not only did they enjoy it, - "my-son-like-me" even beat "algebra boy"! It truly is appealing to both of them. (not a small feat, considering the wide difference in their math apptitude...) The basic concept is to complete a pyramid using math operations - multliplication, addition, subtraction and division. First one to the top is the winner.

What I liked - it was helping them sharpen their math skills, but under disguise of having fun. Each card has multiple languages (English, Spanish, Roman Numerals, Chinese, and Arabic) so you get a little "multicultural" exposure to boot! At a reasonable price of only $6.95 - it's a great addition to your math arsenal.

How to find them: http://www.pyramath.com/

A bonus - there is a free online version of Pyramath on their website, as well as several other games which we did not review - but do plan on purchasing (at http://www.iseegames.com/)

See what my other reviewers thought at: www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew