Curiosity Files - By The Oldschoolhouse Magazine

This is a FUN one! - The Oldschoolhouse Magazine sent me a copy of "Curiosity Files - Cicada Killing Wasps" for me to review (no payment, just alot of fun!)

You will want to HURRY over to The Oldschoolhouse Store where you can pick up this unit for $1.00! (normally $9.95...) Select titles are on sale for a limited time (currently there are 9 titles to choose from). Grab the best deal by purchasing all nine! Two options: the CD is only $49; or downloadable E-Books $46



So, what is a Curiosity File you may be asking?
Professor Ana Lyze (an expert in outlandish oddities) will take you on a fun unit study for kids ages 8-13. And with titles like - Cicada-Killing Wasp, Quicksand, Zombie Killer Ants, and Dung Beetles - you will be going on a wild adventure.

Quess who were my testers at the Bentz laboratory? You got it - the BOYS!!
They love anything unsual, gory, gross and well - just "boy like"... They were not disappointed when I showed them their assignment.

The Curiosity Files - Cicada-Killing Wasp ebook was a "masterpiece". It's an 88 page ebook (you can get them going right away - no waiting.) It was filled with interesting information and full color photos (no problem capturing their attention...) Following the information were comprehension questions (to see if they were paying attention - they were!) I was surprised, I could even sneak in some math work (graphing, plotting coordinates, temperatures) and they still hadn't caught on that this was really "school" and not some fun web-site I found to show them for entertainment.

The oldest started to "smell" the school tie-in when I announced we were going to make "Cicada Killing Wasp Snacks"...he always knows I'm doing a unit study if we head to the kitchen. Not that any of them minded a snack break...

I was impressed! Look at all that’s included in this unit:

•Bible study, discussion ideas, and memory verses
•Math, history, and geography investigations
•Literature and suggested book list
•Writing, spelling, and vocabulary activities
•Beautiful copywork pages (manuscript and cursive)
•Science observations, projects, and experiments
•Discussion questions
•Art, crafts, and drawing and coloring pages
•Curiosity Snippets: lapbook/notebook pages and helpful links
•Special needs, hands-on discoveries
•Internet resources and video links
•Complete answer key


I love doing unit studies - but, I guarantee you won't find many unit study/lapbook topics so appealing to the 8-13 year old boys as the Curiosity Files are.

My testers enjoyed this product, and were begging for the next one... Dung Beetles anyone? (I'm just hoping the innocent check-out lady at the grocery store doesn't ask one of them what they're learning in school...it may be shocking!)

They want to do all of them.. and make a lapbook of their investigations. That ought to get a reaction from the Grandparents...

See what my other reviewers thought here

VocabAhead

VocabAhead - SAT Vocabulary, Cartoons, Videos and MP3S by Lafazi Publicatons.

Available online here or at Amazon.com

Well, I had the "perfect" tester for this one! My 13 yr. old, self-proclaimed genius, and astute vocabulary addict! (he tries to implement a vocabulary word in every sentence, just to earn additional "tickets" in writing class, not your average laconic teenager!)

Not wanting to be officious, I relinquised the book to him. He reported that it was written in an easy-to-read fashion. The book elucidates common SAT vocabulary words -with humerous and memorable cartoon illustrations. In addition, each page includes the part of speech, synonyms, antonyms and the word used in several sentences (for context).

But, the boon of this book, isn't even the book! You get automatic access to videos and MP3s of the vocabulary words as well. And, online we were agog - a free IPod Touch app. with "word of the day"! Well, need I say anymore... the 13 yr. old was receptive. He just saved enough for that precious - first piece of technology - his own IPod touch... I just skillfully manuevered VocabAhead as the first app. he accrued.

VocabAhead's key is the "full brained" learning approach. The illustrations and text create a "pull" for a visual connection, increasing understanding and recall. The audio MP3s and video make a "push" for the connection to be enjoyable and memorable.





The book is organized into 30 Units with a managable 10 words per unit, followed by a review. Use this as a full year vocabulary curriculum for just $12.95! Plus, implement the other components like the apps, videos, and MP3's and I guarantee you will have your panacea, and vocabulary study won't be lugbrious any longer.

I was sent a complimentary copy of this product, in exchange for my candid review as part of The Oldschoolhouse Review Crew.

See what the other Review Crew members reported here

Kaya - American Girl Week 2

What a Beautiful day for our 2nd American Girl Club meeting!

We were fortunate enough to meet at our "country" location, so that everyone could "follow the buffalo trail" to the "salmon country"...
Translated... we got to take the girls out in the woods!

We talked about Indian Homes and beliefs. Lani researched the Nez Perce Indian homes online, and discovered the tule mats were used for building material. So, off to Wal-Mart she went... since, tule is rare around here - burlap was a great alternative (even 50% off!).
The girls made burlap... I mean - tule teepees. They used the burlap in a cone shape - which they glued small rectangle "tule" patches onto. These were slipped over a cleverly designed wood frame (i.e. bamboo skewers rubber banded together). Way to go Lani - great craft! And, to make it even better - our "indian guide" dressed the part in indian clothing, turquoise jewerly and braids! (I love it when everyone is excited to join in the fun!!!)

I was with the MCA (the Masculine Club of Awesomeness...) Can I just say, teenage and almost teenage boys are soooo cool. Really, I know I started this for the girls, but the boys are full of awesomeness too! We are discussing the book - "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris. I challenged them to ask God for the "hard thing" he has for the MCA to do, I can't wait to hear about it! Then, we broke off into 2 seperate book discussions (depending upon the book they have choosen - "Dectectives in Togas" or "Men of Iron") and the boys led the discussion. All this scholarly activity was followed by a good run around the woods.

And, the littles were happily occupied with toys and rolling in the grass. Who would believe 70 degrees and sunny in late January?

George Washington

Download N Go - George Washington

I couldn't wait to dig into this unit and was not disappointed!

First, let me describe Download N Go - they are 1 week/5 day long unit studies created by Amanda Bennett. Each study (and there are many to choose from!) has everything you need to dive into the topic - in depth. But, the best thing is - you can just "download n go" - it's all been done for you. Great book suggestions, family fun ideas, notebooking pages, VIDEOS, and (best of all) the components you need to create a finished lapbook! (this will impress the other moms, that are still searching through the library catalog, just to find the right books!) And, all this is only $7.95 per unit.

So, we dove right in learning about our Nation's first President - George Washington.
We explored his childhood, and learned the legend of the cherry tree (along with nifty reciepes for cherry pie). As well as, his education and early experiences. Not to mention, we copied some of his "Rules for Civility..." One of our new favorites "In the Presence of Others Sing not to yourself with a humming Noise, nor Drum with your Fingers or Feet." (we added - "especially at the dinner table" as our own special touch) Even after all of this, we were only on Day 1 - these units are just packed with information!

Day 2, we visted Mount Vernon - complete with a tour.

Day 3 allowed us to focus in on his accomplishments, and do some art appreciation along the way. Afterwards, we enjoyed his favorite food (do you know what it is... don't want to give it away - but, I'll say he was a man after my own heart!)

Day 4 focused on the Lessons we can learn from this great man. The character, courage and faith of our founding fathers are such an inspiration to us all. Let me share this quote “Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.” George Washington. Sounds like our "mission statement" for homeschooling, don't you agree?

Day 5 wrapped up with a look at our Remembrances of George Washington. We took mini trips to see the Washington Monument and Mount Rushmore.

What a eye-opening learning adventure into the life of a great man!

One more thing to mention, Download N Go has several great specials right now - you won't want to miss out -

You can get the Mom's Fun Pack or the Season's Fun Pack (4 units each) for only $14.00 thru 2/14/11 (and if you click on my button for Unit Study website - you can go straight there to buy them!)

Don't miss out on the Unit Study Newsletter

See what the other reviewers thought here

Roman Town by Dig It Games

I can't wait to tell you about this one...

Roman Town by Dig It Games

This is a super - fun (but secretly super-educational...shhh - don't tell them!)
interactive game.

I am not usually a "video game mom"...but, since I was sent this product to review in exchange for my honest opinion (no compensation given), we gave it some "play time" around the Bentz test laboratory.

I was hooked! We were taken on an dig to excavate Fossura, a Roman town destroyed in 79 AD when Mount Vesuvius erupted. It was very easy to jump in and start the digging, as each treasure was uncovered, we were introducted to Roman contributions to art, architecture, language, and more. Each artifact had information to help us learn more.

After we completed a section of digging, we got to play the fun games, and complete the "quizzes" before we could move on. Let me warn you, reconstructing the artifacts piece by piece can be mighty addicting! I got a little possesive of the mouse, and wouldn't let my testers have their turn... (maybe that's why video games are not so big around here - character issues surface - mine that is!)

I really enjoyed this game (and so did the testers - when I let them have a turn...) Fun and educational! You can see a demo here

Dig it Games has hit a home run with this game. You can let your children enjoy the computer game time, but rest assured - they'll be learning all the while.

Roman Town is $39.95 - BUT, the coupon code TOS2011 will get you 20% off the 2010 price of $24.95. The code expires Feb 21, 2011

In addition, I discovered The Roman Town Educators Guide for $19.95. Here's what they have to say, "The Educator's Manual makes it a breeze to use Roman Town as a learning tool. Want to teach with Roman Town but have no background in Archaeology? The Educator's Manual is here to help! Providing valuable background information on Archaeology and Roman life, the Educator's Manual is an easy to use supplement to Roman Town. The Manual contains: playing instructions, an introduction to archaeology, a comprehensive glossary, and fun activities and discussion ideas to expand your lessons. Information in the manual is presented in an easy reading style appropriate for both kids and adults."

A good "Educators Guide" makes the whole thing turn from just another game into "school", anyone want to have some fun? You better get your own copy, I may just "hog the mouse"...



Check out what the other reviewers thought here

American Girl Club

I've gone off on a wild-goose chase, homeschooling rabbit trail... again!

This time, I've "persuaded" 5 other families to join me in my "adventure". We have started an American Girl Club - we'll be reading the American Girl books in chronological order, doing crafts and cooking projects, and sneaking in a good bit of American History all the while!

A total of 6 families with an amazing - 12 girls (ages 6-11), 9 boys (ages 9-14 - they are calling themselves the "MCA - Masculine Club of Awesomeness" - what else?!), and 9 "littles" (the under 5 crowd) are all meeting twice a month for this wild adventure.

For our first meeting, we started with Kaya - the Nez Perce Indian girl from 1754. I led our discussion (with 2 mom helpers), another Mom helped the MCA organize their book discussion (we made a deal - 1 hour of mom-directed activity, 1 hour of contact sports and wild boy activity), and 2 other moms dove into the world of play-doh and diapers... Can I just say, creating a schedule/syllabus for this adventure used every bit of my mathematical ability (sorry kids, you'll have to do your math on your own!)

Anyway, we created "Talking Sticks" and "Listening Feathers" - and had a lively discussion of the symbolism of each item used - i.e. bear claws = strength, feathers=peace, truth, colors to represent each character trait desired. The talking sticks are also a way to show respect - as in only the person holding the talking stick may talk! Listening feathers are a companion to the talking stick, and the owner can use them to show the person that they want to respond to questions with. The girls loved it, and it was a great way to set the tone...

Next, I talked about Indian names and how they are given, what they mean, etc. And I presented each girl with a new Indian Name written on a feather. They each made an Indian necklace that included their new name. I got this idea here

Our last topic was - of course, Horses! We discussed how indian girls/women would decorate their horses and the symbols they used. We ran out of time, but each girl went home with a horse cutout to decorate for next time (I got those from Oriental Trading).

All in all, it was a success! My girls haven't stopped asking when the next meeting will be!

Here's some pictures of the projects:

LifeWay Christian Stores & Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids

I'm sure you have all heard about LifeWay Christian Stores . If not, let me introduce you!

LifeWay Christian Stores is a chain of FABULOUS Christian bookstores, but what you may not know, is that they are also online distributors of just about everything you need for homeschool as well!

I was sent "The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids" available online for $14.99. I was not paid for my honest review of this product.

"The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids" is a hardcover 212 page book. It is FULL of colorful illustrations, clearly written definitions, and lots and lots of really great pictures. We couldn't keep our hands off it!

I left it, stragetically placed, where it would get "noticed" by the Bentz Review Crew. Before long, several of the reviewers had picked it up and were excited telling the rest of us..."come see this cool picture" (specifically - a man floating in the Dead Sea while reading a newspaper he's holding in both hands....cool!)Without a doubt, it was a hit.

After I spent some time looking at it, I was sold on it too. In addition to being a great Children's Bible Dictionary (and I don't know of many...), I was impressed by the volume of information presented in a really engaging manner. I plan on keeping this handy in our schoolroom, for a long time to come. Not only for reference, but it has numerous lists - Plants of the Bible, Birds of the Bible, Foods in Bible times, Parables of Jesus - just to name a few. Maps are also featured frequently, all in the bright, easy-to-understand presentation that is throughout the book. The "unit study" side of me recognized lots of potential here (any other unit-study-wannabes with me?)!

I'm thinking also, of using this as our Bible subject with my youngers (especially the Prek-3rd grade crowd). We can read the coordinating letter pages in the dictionary along with the letters we are studying. I'm sure they'll have a broad Bible knowledge base when we're done (and I'm sure they won't get bored looking at the pictures!)

All in all, this is a Two-Thumbs-Up product!

See what the other reviewers thought here