Zeezok

 

Zeezok's mission statement is:  

"Established in 2003, we believe "It is better to build children than to repair men." To that end we strive to provide quality literature and educational books for use in training the next generation. We trust our products will assist you in developing your family's love for God and country."

Zeezok is a small company, but has about 50 titles currently in print. Ranging from composers to history to penmanship they have a lot to offer.

We reviewed a couple of the books from the Great Musicians Series.

Each of Zeezok's composer series has a paperback book about each author with written music throughout. It written for children to understand in story format.  There is a CD for each composer also.  The CD has the music that is in the book.  There is also a study guide too.

I did not know who Stephen Foster was or what music he had written, but I do now!  He wrote many songs I have heard of, but thought they were just folk music (which they are) with no original composer.

He wrote "Oh Susanna" and "Camptown Races."

We liked the story, but the CD was not our favorite.  It was too fast to sing a long to and the music was not very good quality.  I was disappointed with it because we had helped to learn the songs and sing with them.

 

Edward MacDowell is the other one we received to review.

MacDowell wrote instrumental sheet music.  He played the piano and had amazing talent. 

The study guides are helpful for the parent.  They give comprehension questions to discuss with your child.  There is also a bunch f little tidbits about the time period or what certain words mean.

Prices: 

Books $12.95

CDs $7.95

Study Guides $4.95

Visit the TOS crew page to read other member's reviews.

* I was sent copies of these books/CD to read/use and review.  I am not compensated for my review and I am not required to post a positive review.

Homeschool Library Builder

Homeschool Library Builder  is a wonderful website to purchase new and used homeschool books and other books.  If you are anything like me you love books and aspire to have a large library with wonderful books in it.   Sometimes it is hard to find books our local library, or we need it for a long period of time.  With Homeschool Library Builder it is easier to find books that might be out of print or hard to find.

A membership is free and can earn you points towards money off of your next purchase.

I found their website easy to navigate and fun to look at~I could spend hours on there finding books. 
You can search by any number of topics which include: age, book, new arrivals, clearance, fiction etc...  This website has it all! Whether you use Sonlight, Tapestry of Grace, or Five in a Row I am sure Homeschool Library Builder has the books you are looking for new or used, for a bargain price!

 

Right now during the month of February all books are 20% OFF!!!

Visit the crew members' page to check out other TOS reviews.

Dollar Homeschool

Ray's Arithmetic

 Have you ever wanted to go back and teach what the pioneers were leaning to your children?  Now you can.  Ray's Arithmetic is a complete math curriculum for K-12 covering counting to calculus.

I had never heard of Ray's Arithmetic so when I first downloaded this and opened it I was very overwhelmed!  There was so much to go through that it was almost too much to absorb.  I guess I am one of those people who think that sometimes modern stuff is better.  I thought it was hard to read and had math included that is unnecessary in today's time, like adding 20 numbers in a column, we have calculators to do that much math, I do believe we should know basic math facts though!  The pages are hard to read and  is not colorful and quite plain.  However if this is something you like then you will be happy that Dollar Homeschool has put this all together in CD form.

You can view the list of books on the CD here.  

Price: $59.99 for the CD which includes 38 textbooks.

Visit TOS crew page for other reviews.




*I was sent a free down-loadable file of this to review.  I am not compensated for my reviews.

99 Ways to Increase your Income

by Frank Martin

Waterbrook Press

Frank Martin has 99 ways for us to increase our income. 
Sometimes we need money to pay a bill or saving for college and we need to come up with ideas to succeed in those goals.

I have read many books on trying to increase income or making money.  While this book is a great beginning book, it was repetitious to me.  I personally did not get too many new ideas from this book.  If you have not read much about increasing your income I think this is a great book to read.  It is an easy read and fairly inexpensive.  These are tried and true ideas although a bit overly tired and done.

Price: $5.99

*I received a free copy of this book from the publish to read and review.  I am not compensated for my review.

A Mom's Ultimate Book of Lists

by Michelle LaRowe

Revell Publishing

Michelle LaRowe was voted Nanny of the Year in 2004 & she is now a mommy herself.  She has wrote this book for moms and nannies everywhere.  She wanted a book that new moms could pick up and have loads of advice and lists all in one place.

Yes, this book is full of lists~ 112 to be exact.  There is everything in the book from baby food to how to pick a church for your family.  It is Christan based. The book would be a good gift for a new mom, nearly 200 pages is about baby and toddler things. (what you need to have or baby, baby food etc...).  As my youngest is 5 I found very little in the book that I could glean from.  I found maybe 15 lists that were semi new information for a seasoned mom.  So this is definitely a new mom book.  I found that it is written for the upper middle class, with the name brands of clothing and the necessity of "high quality wipes." In my opinion I think this book will need to be updated every 3 years or so, otherwise it will be "dated."  There are new trends in parenting just like there are in clothing fashion.  Discipline for example changes, as it does for each child which was not really discussed in the book.  LaRowe gave a more one size fits all discipline method.


If you have a friend having a baby soon this would be a great gift to give (along with some books for baby).


Price~$13.99

Available January 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

*I was sent a free copy of this book from the publisher for me to read and review.  I am not compensated for my review and am not required to give a positive review.

The Choice

by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Revell Publishing

 Carrie must make a decision.  She is coming of age where she needs to decide to join the church of her upbringing, Amish, or to leave and go with Sol her boyfriend to the world of the English.  One moment she is ready to leave with Sol and the next she is sitting in a funeral contemplating the rest of her life.

There are a lot of people who die in this book.  I just thought it was a bit too much.  I did like the book.  I love reading about the Amish.  I stayed up late last night reading it and read most of the morning today.  I did think it was a bit too long in some places.  There are many choices for Carrie in this book, that will take her on many different emotional journeys.  I do think the price of the book is too high.

Price: $14.99

Available January 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

* I was sent a free copy of this book to read and review.  I am not compensated for my review.

Anything But Normal

by Melody Carlson

Revell Publishing

Sophie is getting ready to start her senior year of high school.  She is going to be the chief editor of her high school's paper, she is on the honor roll and is college bound.  But what happens during the summer becomes a secret she is determined to keep as long as she can, her world starts to crumble.  When the secret is revealed will her friends and family stand by her side or leave her to deal with it alone.

Okay,  now my opinion.  I did not really like this book.  From the first page I knew the "secret" Sophie was keeping. So no working up to it, anyone could guess what it is. The back cover of the book was not accurate.  She did not get the attention of the hottest guy in school.  Not sure if there was a mistake or something.  Anyway, the book is all about how Sophie is keeping her secret from her friends and family.  I was disappointed how easily everything seemed to for Sophie spiritually speaking.  She did not seem to take the spiritual aspect of her "secret" a seriously as she should have.  She was more concerned about what other people would think about her then what God thinks.  I would not want my daughter to read this book because I want her to realize that forgiveness from God is more important then what her friends think.

List Price: $9.99

Available  January 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

*I was sent a free copy of this book from the publisher to read and review. I received no compensation and am not required to write a positive review.

How God Makes Babies

by Jim Burns

Bethany House Publishing

How God Makes Babies is another in the Pure Foundations series of books written by Jim Burns.  This book is written for ages 6-9.

This book made me a bit uncomfortable.  My son is 9, but I do not think he is ready for some of what is in this book.  We homeschool and usually do sex education at 11 or so.  

I recommend that you read this book and be prepared to discuss with your child before you read it to your child.


List Price:$12.99



*I was sent a free copy of this book to read and review.  I am not required to write a positive review.

God Made Your Body

by Jim Burns

Bethany House Publishing


God Made Your Body is geared towards ages 3-5.  



As parents we are asked tough questions by our children.  Jim Burns has written this book to help parents with the tough questions of human sexuality.  Young children are curious and wonder where babies come from~ among other things.  From this book parents are able to read with their preschoolers and teach them about their bodies and that God made them.

I would suggest reading this book and be prepared to discuss with your child the topics included before reading to your child. 
List Price:  $12.99  See here to purchase.

*I was sent a Free copy of this book to read and write a review.  I am not required to write a positive review.

All About Spelling

In December I had the opportunity to review All About Spelling program.  We loved it!  If you would like to see that review click here.

We were sent the Beehive Reader 1 also by All About Spelling. It was written as the first in a series (more to come soon) to correlate with level one of the All About Spelling program.

My youngest, Julianna, just turned five and is not reading yet.  My next oldest son Ben is 9 and reading way beyond grade level.  So, I read the book out loud to everyone, included my day care kids. Everyone liked the stories.  I can tell that it goes along well with Level 1.  As Julianna progresses I can see us using this book as a means for her to read.




There are several stories in the book.  Each is in chapter format with beautiful pictures on each page.

 





The stories in the Beehive Reader 1 are fun, delightful, and simple.  The pictures are in sepia and are much like drawings and really are amazing.




 The pages are high quality paper.  It is hard bound and very sturdy withoutbing heavy.  In my opinion it is very good quality.




What a great book to have for a beginning reader for them to say they can read a "chapter" book!



 See here for other TOS crew members' reviews.


Price: $19.95




* I was sent a free copy of this book from All About Spelling to read and review.  I am not obligated to write a positive review.  this review is my honest opinion.

Dreams That Won't Let Go

by Stacy Hawkins Adams

Revell Publishing

 Dreams that Won't Let Go is the third in the Jubilant Soul series by Stacy Hawkins Adams.  I did a review for book two, Worth a Thousand Words.  If you would like to see my review for book two click here.

Indigo's dreams are finally coming true.  She is busy planning the wedding of her dreams and increasing her photography business.  However when her prodigal brother, Rueban, decides to move his family to Jubilant with she be able to forgive him for leaving years ago or will she let her feelings eat at her?  Indigo's sister Yasmin makes an astonishing decision that will change the family forever, but will it destroy them or make them stronger?

Eventhough this book is the third in a series, it is a good stand alone book just as the second one was.  This story takes us on a journey through the lives of the Burns family.  Many quietly kept secrets come out.

I do not have any estranged family members, but I enjoyed looked into the lives of this family to see how they could resolve the issues they have held onto for years.

To purchase your own copy of Dreams That Won't Let Go, click here.

* I received a free copy of this book to read and review from the publisher.  I am not required to post a positive review.

Apologia

Apologia is know in the homeschooling community as a Christian publisher creating curriculum.  However they are branching out and publishing resource books as well.  The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling  is one of these books.  It has been updated from older editions and is better then ever.


The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling is true to its name!  There is so much information included in this book that any homeschooler should be able to find an answer to his/her question in this book.  There are topics on choosing curriculum, preventing burnout, using the internet, and TONS more!

This is a great homeschool resource for newbies as well as those of us who have been homeschooling for years.  The information included in this book is worthwhile and helpful no matter what stage you are in homeschooling your children.

It is Christian based and does include the authors opinions that may not correlate with yours, but as with any homeschooling guide book you pick and choose what works for you.

I wish I would have had an up to date resource to help me guide my homeschooling experiences in the beginning (nearly 10 years ago!)  Debra Bell gives a step by step guide to help the newbies to start their journey off on a good foot!

For a list price of $ 20.00 it is well worth the expense!!

For other TOS crew member's reviews on this book check them out here.

Giveaway!

A fellow TOS crew mate has a FABULOUS giveaway on her blog!  You can win your very own Biggest Loser Wii fit game!!

Click here for details.  Don't forget to tell her I sent you!

Kinderbach

 

Kinderbach is an online music curriculum for preschoolers and early elementary-aged students (ages 2-7).  All you need to effectively use Kinderbach is your computer and an inexpensive keyboard or piano.  There is no musical background required to effectively teach this course.  Your child will learn to play familiar tunes!  

Children will have fun while learning about music.  There are activities, puzzles, games, and puppets included in the video lessons.  Students take a hands on approach to learning even though they are watching the video lessons.   

We were given a three month online trial for Kinderbach.  You need to have high speed internet if you choose this.  The other option is to purchase the DVD lessons.  With each lesson there is an activity/coloring page to print off if you would like.   Each lesson is broken down into 4 parts so you can do the lesson over a few days if you choose.

Prices: 

If you purchase a year of lessons it is $95.88 (which come out to about $7.99 a month) or $19.99 per month if you pay by the month.  

The DVD lesson packages start at $40.45 (plus shipping and handling).

To find out what other TOS crew members had to say about Kinderbach click here.

*I was given a 3 month trial for free as a part of the TOS review crew from Kinderbach.  I am not compensated in any way for my review and am not required to write a positive review.

Become a TOS blog reviewer!!

Do you homeschool and want to try out new homeschooling products and resources for FREE and write up your reviews to share with others?  The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is looking for new crew members for next years blog reviewers.  Click on this link to get more information.

Saxon facts first

Saxon facts first  is an online software game brought to you by the company that publishes Saxon Math.  This program was designed to help students gain fluency in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  This online program uses practice, review, and tests to help students gain these important skills.  This is a great companion to any math program you are using. We are using it as an incentive to get regular math finished.

The colorful background is helpful to keep the kids engaged and interested.  Ben, my 9 year old, thinks it is fun and wacky.  (He loves anything wacky).  The math practice and tests are timed and as a parent you can change the time allowed or change it to untimed.

At the end of the unit the kids are rewarded with 5 minutes of "arcade" type games (but they are really more math practice in disguise).  This is of course Ben's favorite part.  He really likes to play the games even though he is still doing math practice~and he thinks of it as his reward for doing such a great job on the unit

Before you start on the practice part of Facts First the students make an avatar.  This is Ben's other favorite part.  It is really a fun thing for them to do.  Ben chose an I love math shirt, a funky hat and crazy facial expressions for his guy.  The student can even give their character a pair of Crocs to wear!  It makes the program more personal~ kind of like they had a hand in the design.

To keep track of the problems your students have done there is a chart.  The students have access to see their progress of the math facts.  The are able to see if they are doing excellent, good, needs work, or not sure yet.   It is also a great resource for parents to see which facts their child knows and which he/she still needs to work on. 

                                                                                            

The membership is for one year and up to 4 students. The cost is $ 49.99.  We have really enjoyed this software membership and are glad that we were able to review it for TOS.  To check out what my other crew mates thought of it click here.

*  I was given a 3 month membership for free in order to try it out and review it.  This review is based on my honest opinion and I am not required to give a positive review.

MathScore

MathScore is a mastery based adaptive learning program invented by a couple of MIT graduates.  MathScore targets second grade through Algebra students, but can be used for first graders as well as practice for older students.

Your student can choose which topic they would like to work on or choose what the program recommends for your child.    Math subjects are broken down into smaller topics such as in the grade 6 which includes math facts, plus proportions, decimals to fractions, restaurant bills, congruent and similar triangles, with 86 topics in all.

Both of my boys, 4th grade & 8th grade, used this program.  My boys really enjoyed this program.  I especially liked it because I could have them work at what they needed specifically.  Everyday MathScore would send me an email with a breakdown of how my children did.  Parents can also go in and check on their child's progress and alter the time limit on their problems.

Pricing: $14.95 for the first child and $5 for second child and $3.95 for each additional child.

For a free trial click here.

Want more then my opinion before you purchase your membership?  Other TOS crew members also got to review this.  Check here for their reviews.

Christian Keyboarding

In today's world technology plays a huge part. It is an absolute necessity to  know how to type and work a computer.  

Leanne Beitel looked at many keyboarding programs that are on the market, but did not find what she was looking for.  As she works in the private Christian school area she wanted to find  a keyboarding program with Biblical scripture references for typig practice.  Sshe decided to design her own.  She came up with Keyboarding for the Christian School.   

"It combines the fundamentals of touch-typing, MLA and APA report formatting, with the added bonus of using passages of Scripture for typing material." 

  Christian Keyboarding sent me "two products for review – Keyboarding for the Christian School (suitable for grades 6 and up) and Keyboarding for the Christian School, Elementary Version (for grades K-5). Both programs focus on mastery of the keyboard using the touch-typing method and drill practice using Scripture references.  Each lesson begins with an introduction of two new keys, followed by a review section for previously learned keys, and half the lessons include optional timed typing drills."

I think this is one of the better keyboarding products on the market.  It lets the students go at their own pace, while teaching them the fundamentals of keyboarding and computer skills. 



The upper level program also covers the following topics: 

• MLA Reports
• APA Reports
• Cover Page
• Works Cited
• Bibliography
• Personal Business Letters
• Business Letters
• Envelopes
• Proofreader’s Marks

Although Christan Keyboarding was designed for a private Christian school setting it is very workable for homeschooling families as well.

See sample pages here.

Both versions of Keyboarding for the Christian School are available as e-books.

Price:  upper level is $15.95 elementary version is $12.95.

 

ACT~Explore & Plan Assessments

ACT Advantage  "has provided standardized testing services to students, parents and colleges for 50 years. Although their 4 part marathon college entrance exam test is used by nearly all colleges and universities throughout the United States as a standardized representation of academic excellence of the students who take it, ACT, Inc., offers a number of other career planning and college preparatory services to assist people of all ages in meeting their professional and personal goals. Their offerings fall under their ACT Advantage program."

EXPLORE  is a great tool designed for 8th and 9th grade students to measure their academical ability in English, Reading, Mathematics, & Science.  Their results from these tests can aid students, parents, and teachers in helping the student choose a career path.  The results can also identify the student's strengths & weaknesses as well as see if he/she is on track for future college entrance exams.

As Sonny is in the 8th grade, this is a great tool for him and for me as his mom.  Of course he was not to thrilled to do this, but i think it is important for hm to learn to do these types of tests to get him used to the college entrance ones later.  However I take these types of tests with a grain of salt, as they really do not give an accurate picture of what a student knows.  But to have this available to "practice" for later exams is a great option.

Price $22.95

PLAN is especially designed for 10th grade students to measure their readiness for the ACT college entrance exam.  This would be given the beginning of the student's 10th grade year so that he/she would be able to work on whatever weaknesses he/she may have.

We did not use this program because our oldest is only in the 8th grade, but I know it will be a resource for us in a couple of years.

                                                                              Price $22.95

Other TOS crew members also reviewed these products.  To see what their opinions are click here.

*I was sent these products for free to use and review on my blog.  I am not compensated for my review nor am I required to post a positive review.

Math Tutor DVDs

We received two DVDs from Math Tutor DVD for the TOS crew to review. 

The first one, Young Minds Numbers and Counting,  is geared toward young children.  Julianna just turned 5 and she thought it was kind of boring, so I would guess that it would be for children in the 2-4 range. 

There is classical music playing throughout the DVD, which is really soothing.  The DVD teaches counting from 1 to 10 through pictures of animals and other objects.  

Price: $19.99

The second DVD,  The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor, we received is geared for 1st through 4th graders. 

The DVD is an 8 hour course.  It contains 2 DVDs which start from basic addition and subtraction word problems and gradually works up to ratios and fraction word problems.  Ben, our 9 year old, is advanced in math.  He is doing 4th grade math right now.  The beginning of the DVD is pretty simple for him, so he was a bit bored, but as the Math became harder Ben learned more. 

Price $26.99

Click here to see what other TOS reviewers had to say about these DVDs.

*I received both of these DVD for free from the publisher in order to review them on my blog.  I am not compensated and I am not required to post a positive review.

Worship Guitar Class

My almost 14 year old son, Sonny, has talked about playing the guitar off and on for a couple of years.  I never gave it much thought, but when we were asked to review the first DVD  in the series Worship Guitar Class
I decided that I would let him try his hand at guitar playing.

He is still working on the DVD lessons, but so far has been enjoying them.  I am glad that the lessons are easy to follow and that Sonny can do it all on his own.  I think when I have a bit more time (yeah I know when will that happen?!) I would like to try to learn as well.

We received a free copy of the adult/teen edition from the publisher for writing a review for TOS.  There is also a children's version available as well. 

"Students can easily learn their favorite praise and worship songs from Masterfully trained, worship guitarist, Jean Welles. She considers it her purpose to enjoy her God and to help others know how great He is. She received her Master's in Guitar Performance from USC."

"The DVD formats come with combined English and Spanish. Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class is a tool for Christian churches and worshipers in over 60 countries. It is sold online and in over 1500 stores. The lessons are also available in VHS format in English or Spanish. Each volume contains around a dozen new chords, half a dozen new strumming and finger-picking patterns with 7 familiar worship songs. With the set of all 4 DVD's you will learn 28 songs, over 50 chords and over 20 strumming & finger-picking patterns. The lessons can be used individually or with a group. Students learn many tips on playing the guitar with much less excess effort."

On the website there is also a free lesson so click here to view it.

PRICES:
$24.95   each DVD
$99.80 for the set of four DVD's. ($40 Bonus eBooks available free with set of 4.)

JW Worship Guitar Class for Kids $29.97.




Check out what other TOS crew members had to say in their reviews.

Maestro Classics

Maestro Classics have created 8 CD's that combine classical music with the retelling of classical stories we all love.  


Borne out of the Stories in Music series, the creative team of Stephen and Bonnie Simon debuted at the Kennedy Center. The Simons decided to expand their innovative music series so that children everywhere could enjoy listening.

 This entertaining and educational series has earned several prestigious educational awards,

Other stories and music CDs currently available are:

                                    Peter and the Wolf
                                    The Story of Swan Lake
                                    The Sorcerer's Apprentice
                                    Casey at the Bat
                                    Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
                                    Juanita the Spanish Lobster
                                    Juanita la longosta espanola 

I was sent a free copy of
The Tortise and the Hare to review for TOS.   

The CD contains:

1.  The story with the music

2.  About the story

3.  Pretzel Vendor of Paris Song

4.  About the Music

5.  Now that we know a bit more (this is where they replay the story and we listen for various things we have learned about on the other tracks.

6.  Pepare to Perform

7.  Pretzel Vendor of Paris sing a long

I was curious to see how my children would think of listening to this.  They loved it!  I played it in the car when we were running errands.  They all wanted to listen to it again right after we listened to it the first time.  My older two picked up on the various instruments and tried to listen and "find" various instruments.  We really enjoyed it.  My only concern about this particular story is that the hare stops to eat and and talks about drinking wine.  I find that it should not have been put in the story.  I do not think having animals (or anyone) drinking in a story specifically designed and marketed to children to include drinking alcohol.

To see what oher homeschooling families had to say about Maestro Classics see here.

Price:  $16.98 for each CD

There are additionally 3 gift sets including books also available for $24.99.

To purchase visit Maestro Classics website.

3 P Learning / Mathletics

Website Membership

We love this website!  Instead of doing math in the book we opted for several days to have Ben do the Mathletics website.  He thought it was so fun, he did not want to stop!


3P Learning, the home of Mathletics, is a web-based math service, providing children a chance to compete with students from around the world, or to rack up points by working through grade-specific content, which includes step-by-step animated support. There is access to additional games at Rainforest Maths, and the students get to go shopping for clothing and backgrounds for their character with the credits they earn from many of the above activities. There are also games that reinforce math concepts. In other words, the students have a variety of ways to interact with math.

I really liked that my child is able to do certain math problems in areas that they may need help in.  For example if Ben needed more practice in fractions there is a whole section all about fractions.  The kids can earn points for certificates.  They can also compete in points earned with kids all around the world.

Mathletics is an internet subscription based product, with a price of $59 per student per year. If you know the Human Calculator’s favorite number (hint: it’s ‘9’!) and you enter that when asked, you can purchase a single child subscription for $49.95 for a year at their website.




* We received a 45 day free trial to use in order to review it.  (from the TOS crew).

Tektoma

Do you or your children want to learn to make a video game?


My children sure do!  They have always wanted to make their own video game.  I think all boys do nowadays.


Tektoma offers:


*Engaging video tutorials for ages 7-17


*Tutorials of varying skill levels and topics


*Learn at your own pace in the comfort of your home


*Natural progression helps develop technical skills


*Customize your learning experience


*Low monthly membership fee gives access to all our resources


*New curriculums available monthly
   
 
Requirements:




• Windows XP or Vista (Mac versions coming in the future)


• Broadband internet connection


• For GameMaker tutorials, you need a copy of GameMaker software installed.(Lite edition is available for free.)

 
You can learn to design a racing game, arcade game, platform game and/or adventure game.
 
I have two boys ages 9 and 13.  They usually only get about 30 minutes of computer time per day.  Since we have had access to this website my boys have been begging for extra time to use this.  They each are making a game.  They are having so much fun and are using their imagination to come up with what they want in their game.
 
This is what Sonny (our 13 son) has to say,
 
"My first game was a memory game called 'Whats New'. The object was to click on the shape that just came up.  Programming the game was the most time consuming, but the most important. The tutorial was very disciptive.  It said why the programming worked the way it did.  I finished the game.  Now I am working on an arcade style game with the Legend of Zelda character Link.  My brother is creating a Mario-like platform game.  The tutorials last between a little over an hour to a little over two hours. 
 


Price~ $14.95 month or $140 per year.   There is also a free 14 day trial.

All About Spelling

Are you tired of looking for a good spelling program?  Do you wants something easy but effective? Then look no farther then

All About Spelling!

I have tried other spelling programs, but either they were not very effective, or way too complicated for me to teach (I do have other subjects to teach besides spelling).  Last year my friend, Janet, got to review this program for TOS.  I looked through it and red her review.  I wanted to buy it but then found out I got on the TOS crew.  I hoped I would be chosen to review it and I was!!

I am using level one at the moment for my nine year old, Ben.  Although Ben does okay in spelling he does make some common mistakes.  I have been looking for a good spelling program that will teach spelling in a way that Ben will remember. 

 

All About Spelling works because:

*It is Multisensory~Children are physically involved in each lesson with sight, sound, and touch.

*It is Logical~Each lessons builds upon the previous lesson.  Each lesson is presented in an orderly manner.

*There are No Gaps~You child will not be left without gaps or holes in their spelling education.  Everything included.

*It is Mastery Based~This program is not based on grade level a child moves on when they have mastered the current concept.

*Has Continual Review~when children are taught a new concept they also review material that they have already learned.

*The progam is Clear~Lessons are taught it a forthcoming manner, no need for children to guess.

*Best of all~ it has Scripted Lesson Plans (this is what makes it easy for parents).



Price:


Starter Kit (Letter tiles, magnets, Phonogram CD-ROM)
Necessary for teaching Levels 1 to 6   $26.95

Level 1 Teacher's manual and one student material packet $29.95

Levels 2-5 are $39.95

Level 6 coming soon!

Christmas Dog

by Melody Carlson

This was such a fun story to read.  I sas not too sure about it at first.  I was afraid it might be kind of corny, but I really enjoyed it.

Christmas Dog is about a lonely woman, Betty.  She has no one to spend the holidays with.  She detests her neighbor who insists on tearing apart his house and leaving it on his lawn~making an eyesore of the place.

Out of the blue a mangy dog appears and Betty learns what Christmas is all about.

This book is about forgiveness, learning to not judge others, and love.  Betty finds all of these things and more.

To read an excerpt from the book please click here.

*I was sent a free copy of the book from Revell to read and review.  I am not compensated and am not required to write a positive review.

The Unfinished Gift

by Dan Walsh

If you only read one Christmas book this year you have to read this one!  Dan Walsh will make you cry, laugh, and get that Christmas spirit lit up inside of you.  The unfinished Gift is about a grieving little boy and a grandfather who takes him in. 

The grandfather, Ian, has a lot of anger in him.  The boy's father is his son.  They have not spoken in many years.  When Ian yells at his grandson, Patrick, the boy wants to run away~ so he does.

Will Ian find his grandson in time?  Will Ian and Patrick find love with each other?  Cans a box of letters and an old wooden soldier help Ian to forgive?  This was a great book to read to help me realize the true meaning of the season.

If you would like to read an excerpt from this book please click here.

*I was given a free copy of the book from Revell to read and review.  I am in no way compensated and am not required to leave a positive review.

An excerpt from Finding Christmas

by James Calvin Schaap
 

"Stories of Startling Joy and Perfect Peace"

  To read an excerpt from the book please click here.

 

  *I was not given a copy to read and review,  I am only offering you to read the excerpt.