Help Teaching Pro Subscription from HelpTeaching.com: A TOS Crew Review

Help Teaching Pro Subscription   from HelpTeaching.com

I just love it when I can find everything I'm looking for in one place, especially online!   My Help Teaching Pro Subscription   from HelpTeaching.com is just that place! HelpTeaching.com does offer a "member" level - you can give a try for free. 
This easy-to-use site offers customizable tests, printable worksheets, on-line lessons, games and more for students in grades K-12.  I've been using it for awhile now, and you can read my previous post (which focuses on resources for high school students) here. This time - I can't wait to show you some of the treasures I found for my younger students!
This very affordable subscription offers a VAST selection of printable worksheets, tests, lessons, and  more all organized by subject, grade level, or even topic. If you don't find one, you can make your own too.  

Here's a quick glimpse at what you can explore - Arts, English, Science, Math, Social Studies, Seasons & Holidays, and Art & Music.  I spent most of my time in the 2nd and 3rd grade level for my testers. 

I'm going to show you some of the goodies I uncovered.  First, On-line Lessons.  Many of the lessons include a video with the lesson. My testers are visual learners, and they love getting to watch the lesson and then do the practice questions online. You can schedule lessons and quizzes online for your child, and send them via email.  My testers are a bit young for this option right now, but it's very convenient if you have older students as well.

The Game Generator.  Here you can create your own bingo cards and word searches.  I love making these with their weekly spelling words and literature vocabulary.  We are also working on those pesky multiplication facts and had a great time making it more fun with bingo!

If you don't see a quiz, test or worksheet you want, you can make your own.  It's easy to do, or just search by subject for ones that are ready to go. You can choose T/F, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank and open ended formats. The Pro Plan allows you to create tests with up to 100 questions (the free version only allows 10 question tests) They can be printed, scheduled or taken online.

 I found this gem...Fitness Bingo!  We are doing this as a family,  I printed it, laminated it (a birthday present..a laminator - can you say HOMESCHOOL NERD?) and we are playing "blackout" where you need to complete the entire board.  

 Worksheets and Tests - they have them available for every subject, on every topic you can imagine.  Really...check it out, Football Rules, Scavenger Hunts, and Alphabetical Order.  Did I mention...all in one place, no hunting the internet for hours!   

One of my favorite sections was the Literature Quizzes.  These correspond to many of the books my testers are reading, and the work (with answer key) is all done for me!

This is one program I use over and over.  Plus the program is an affordable $24.95 per year, you can't afford not to have it!

Find HelpTeaching.com on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helpteaching
Twitter: https://twitter.com/helpteaching @helpteaching
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/helpteaching/

Hashtags: #hsreviews #printables #printableworksheets #Math #Science #elementaryworksheets
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Getting Started with French from Armfield Academic Press: A TOS Crew Review

Getting Started with French from Armfield Academic Press
Learning another language is a big part of our homeschool.  But, what about when your child wants to learn one that you don't know?  We've been using Getting Started with French from Armfield Academic Press, and are excited to share it!
This is a 281 page soft-cover book with additional resources  - pronunciation mp3s and Author Commentary files available online.  It is designed for beginners, and students of all ages to work independently. The author also has two other books in the "Getting Started with..." series - Latin and Spanish, Russian is coming soon.  You can Take a peek for yourself too and see a sample. 
The book contains 172 lessons.  Lessons are intended to be self-taught with the help of pronunciation mp3s.  The lessons are also short, just a few minutes a day. They recommend doing short, daily sessions for the maximum learning.
My tester is in high school, has dutifully done his 2 years of Spanish, but - wanted to learn French instead.  I do not know the first thing about French!
He has been using Getting Started with French, and he is really enjoying it.  It's particularly great for visual learners.  .
The early lessons focus on pronunciation with the vocabulary word printed in bold - French can be tricky, words don't sound like the look!  The vocabulary is presented to help you learn the words for everyday activities like being, going, eating, and more.  This way, you can put what you learn into use right away.
The Author Commentaries (online or downloadable) are short, but very useful.  They give more grammar teaching, and some tips about how words are used.  My tester would start with this, and then move onto the lesson in the book.  That way, he had already heard the words pronounced correctly.
Grammar, translation exercises, conversational skills, and composition skills are covered.  The lessons are sequential and build on each other.  The best part is that you go at your own pace, and can repeat lessons as needed.
I think this is a great way to give your student an exposure to another language.  It's easy, not teacher intensive, very affordable and my student is picking up quite a bit of French already!

Find Getting Started with French on Facebook

Hashtags: #hsreviews #homeschoolforeignlanguage #foreignlanguage #frenchcurriculum

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CHSH Download Club from CHSH-Teach.com: A TOS Crew Review

CHSH Download Club (Christian HomeSchool Hub) from CHSH-Teach.com 

The beginning of the school year is always exciting...new possibilities are everywhere!  I have been enjoying exploring them with a new favorite resource the CHSH Download Club (Christian HomeSchool Hub) from CHSH-Teach.com . 

I truly have no idea how anyone homeschooled before the internet, do you?  However, searching for that perfect complement, or freebie can be extremely time consuming.  Time is a commodity I don't have much of lately...

CHSH Download Club is a subscription site that offers over 50,000 downloadable educational resources - take a peek at theire Download Catalog   for grades Prek-12.  You can homeschool your entire crowd with this site!  Best of all, it's all organized and available right in one place - no more searching! (except through their massive collection of amazing resources)  The download library contains full curriculum and supplemental resources as well.  
Not only can you find that perfect "something" but you can become a contributor by adding  your own, self-made curriculum or printable that you have created.
CHSH founder Lynda Ackert is a regular contributor and actually sells many downloads on popular Teacher resource pages.  As a Download Club subscriber, you'll have access to all of them! You can check out the freebies page to see a glimpse of what you get as a subscriber.

I can spend hours on sites like this. This one is very easy to navigate. You can search by topics like:

• Bible
• Language Arts
• Science
• Foreign Language
• Arts, Crafts, Music
• Electives
• Math
• Social Studies
• Health

Or - they are also organized by Grade level.  Here's a few treasures I discovered:

I jumped right into Bible resources (my favorite)  I was so excited to find the "Bold Believers" downloads.  These are a great way to teach your child about geography - and the persecuted believers around the world at the same time.  

We are studying Ancient history this year, the Download Club had everything I needed to create a great unit study.  Like these awesome Egyptian craft ideas.

I have elementary through high schoolers.  It can be quite a challenge to find great resources for the high school level.  But, the Download Club is packed with them, did I mention...no searching - all in one place?

The Literature section alone is worth the affordable $25 annual subscription! (they promise to never raise your subscription fee)  Lifetime subscriptions are available as well.

CHSH also offers many other treats like a blog and forum that are excellent ways to connect with other homeschooling families to get advice and share tips.

New downloads are being added all the time.  This is one of those sites that is a "must have" - Be sure to check it out for yourself! 


Find CHSH-Teach.com  on Social Media:
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheChristianHomeSchoolHub/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ChristianHomeSchoolHubPage/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachWithCHSH
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lyndaackert/chsh-teachcom-creations-by-lackert/
Google+ Group: https://plus.google.com/b/117967118184286217472/communities/108322787218266183941
Google Business Page: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/117967118184286217472/117967118184286217472/posts
Linked-In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndaackert
Tumblr: http://christianhomeschoolhub.tumblr.com/

Hashtags: #hsreviews #CHSH #homeschool #homeschoolresources
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Exploring Creation with Astronomy, 2nd Edition from Apologia Educational Ministries: A TOS Crew Review

Exploring Creation with Astronomy, 2nd Edition  from Apologia Educational Ministries    WOW!  Get ready for an adventure around the galaxy! We have been delighted with the NEWLY updated Exploring Creation with Astronomy, 2nd Edition  from Apologia Educational Ministries!  This elementary science course is designed for grades K-6,  We were fortunate to get the following:

• Student Text
• Notebooking Journal
• Jr. Notebooking Journal (for K-3rd)
• Audio CD

They also just released Astronomy 2nd Edition Science Kit - which contains all the supplies you need to complete the 42 activities found in the textbook and 21 bonus activities noted in the textbook and found only in the Apologia Astronomy Science Kit.

We have been long time fans of  Apologia Educational Ministries at the Bentz Test Laboratory.  We have even done this course in the past.  Let me tell you, this new edition is BEAUTIFUL! 

The Student Text is written directly to your student and is filled with full color photography that will inspire your young students to take a trip around the universe to see what God designed.  By spending 2 weeks on each of the 14 lessons, you have a full year of learning.

The 14 lessons cover:

• What is Astronomy?
• The Sun
• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• The Moon
• Mars
• Space Rocks
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune
• Kuiper Belt & Dwarf Planets
• Stars, Galaxies, and Space Travel

The Text includes hands-on activities that are easy to do, and require minimal supplies.  This is our favorite way to do science, by experiencing it - not just reading about it.  It's a very easy curriculum to just open and go.  My testers were able to work quite independently, although everyone wanted to help them!

My young testers enjoyed making their own solar system models.  The text inspired them, and they took their models beyond the balloons and made their model with perler beads!

They also were using the solar power to melt chocolate chips (I forgot to grab a picture of this) But, they learned that South Texas sun is HOT! :-)

The Notebooking Journals are my favorite part of this curriculum.  They offer 2 levels, one for your older elementary students, and one designed especially for your younger ones.  My testers were in grades 6 and 2.  They each had their own Notebooking journal.

The contain handy "Suggested Daily Schedules"  I let my students use those and check their work as they finish - simple planning for mom!  The Journals contain places for them to record their observations, Scripture copywork, activity/experiment pages, crosswords, vocabulary, "What do you Remember" reviews and mini books (perfect for lapbook fans!).

The Notebooking Jr. contains coloring pages instead of the "What do you Remember" reviews, nice for students who aren't big fans of writing too.

The Journals make an excellent way to keep everything they are learning well organized, and we love looking back at them at the end of the year.  Apologia also offers a Field Trip Journal (read my review here) - another great tool you can use to record your learning adventures together. 

The Audio CD is a great companion for the busy mom too.  It is a very well done audio recording of the Student Text.  We like to listen to this while we're on-the-go.  It's especially nice for younger students who may not be at the right reading level yet.  Sometimes, it's just nice to give mom's voice a break! 

This is a wonderful, rich, and fun-filled way to study God's creation!   Find Apologia Educational Ministries  on Social Media:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/apologiaworld
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/apologiaworld @apologiaworld
Pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/apologia/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/apologiaworld/

Hashtags: #hsreviews #apologia #astronomy #homeschoolscience

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Our final Hurrah of Summer

We wrapped up our final weekend of summer all together (and my hubby's 50th birthday) with a weekend at the beach!

Bittersweet time...we soaked up every minute in cozy Port Aransas in our slightly-kitchy cabin.  We ate great food, took a trip to the USS Lexington and made a bucket full of great sandy memories!