GrapeVine Studies - The Resurrection

GrapeVine Studies have become my favorite bible study curriculum resource.
Recently our family had the opportunity to use The Resurrection bible study from GrapeVine Studies. And once again, we were not disappointed.

Before I get into this particular study, I would like to talk to you a little bit about the premise of GrapeVine Studies, and their bible studies. You can read about the first time I used GrapeVine Studies in my first review for them.

One of my favorite aspects of the GrapeVine Studies is that it makes studying the bible interactive. My family is a hands on kind of family, so this is a big deal for us. But even if your family does not need to be hands on, what I have come to learn is that everyone learns better, when we use different modalities to help concrete what we are learning.

GrapeVine Studies first takes a look at the big picture, giving your student a road map of where they will be going in the study before them. Then the big picture is broken up into the little details of the stories.You and your student will be able to spend time discussing, stick figuring, and for your older students they will be looking up terms in a bible dictionary or concordance. This is one of the aspects that I really love about these studies. You have the ability to teach all of your children, no matter their age at the same time. It is a wonderful study for the entire family. My high school students can do this study with added research and assignments, along with my  middle school student. And I must tell you.. they all still enjoy to draw!

 This study covers the events from the last supper to the ascension of Jesus Christ.  The lessons include The Last Supper, The Six Trials of Jesus Christ, The Cruxifiction, Jesus' Death and Burial, The Resurrection and The Ascension. It is a wonderful resource for your family to use with Resurrection Sunday coming up. This wonderful resource would be such a helpful resource to help your family have a deeper understanding of the sacrifice our Savior made for us.

In addition to a wonderful homeschool curriculum, these studies would be a wonderful resource for a family devotion materials.

These bible studies are very affordable (prices start at $8.95), and high quality. The Resurrection bible study is available in Beginner, which is for ages 5-7 and Multi-Level 7 and up.  I also would like to reiterate, that while the Multi-Level is for ages 7 and up, you really can use these studies for all ages. If you have a large family, this is a wonderful option for you, and allows you to teach all of your children at the same time. Also, if you have teenagers, that seem to not connect during bible studies, these bible studies will really help them to bring them into the study in a way that I have seen no other study have the ability to.

You can visit GrapeVine Studies for FREE Sample Lessons!

TOS Crew: Read for the Heart

As homeschoolers, we are very familiar with the book of books concept. Basically these books are books that list books that would be ideal for your children to read. They have been created from several different angles. Some have simply targeted age groups, or genres, or curriculum, etc.. However, I have recently had the privilege of reviewing Read for the Heart by Sarah Clarkson, for the TOS Homeschool Crew.  This book, is written from the students perspective. Interesting!

One thing that is evident by reading ' Read for the Heart" is that Sarah Clarkson has spent her life surrounded by words. She has such a command of the English Lanuage, that she paints vivid, beautiful pictures with her words.  Isn't that our goal for our children?

Sarah Clarkson shares that, reading great literature, gives witness to the world of both good and evil and helps children learn how to decipher between the two with vivid examples of consequences  of choice.  She also makes the case for good literature in a child's life to show life's goodness.  God's love, as well as, sin in the life of the child.  Sarah also discusses the positive outcomes in a child's life from exposing them to a vast number of words throughout their life.

As a parent, when I read this book,  it not only included a list of book recommendations, those recommendations, come with information about each one and why she recommends them !   But the book, also makes the case for whole books in your family. Sarah provides all the reason why you would want to include whole books into your child's life. However, the most persuasive element is Sarah herself. She shares with her tidbits from her life, and how books have impacted her from a small child, through adulthood.  You can see that her parents sacrifice and commitment to their children's education was evident and it is now shining through their daughter!  Additionally, when you are reading the words that she has penned  you can vividly see the product of such an environment. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it was not simply informational, it was inspirational!

Read for the Heart is available for $17 , you can get it by visiting the Apologia website! While there you can visit there, to read a sample chapter.

Check out the crew blog, to see what crew mates have to say about Read for the Heart.

**I was provided a free copy of Read for the Heart, in exchange for my honest review.**

TOS Crew: Institute for Excellence in Writing

Way back when in my homeschool journey, I detested the idea of utilizing the computer or the television for any large chunk of our education. I also did not want our school to simply look like we were doing school at home.  And for most of our homeschool journey, that has served us well.

However, what I am finding as my children have gotten older, I have rather enjoyed utilizing these very methods (eegads).  Especially the DVD player and the computer!

Enter in the amazing writing program Institute for Excellence in Writing with Andrew Pudewa. If you have been homeschooling for any amount of time, and have researched writing curriculum options, this program is on the top of many peoples list.  So, why haven't I tried it up until now?

I will be honest with you.. it was the cost. We have a miniscule budget for homeschooling, and while we could have fit this in, I was leary of spending this kind of money, and have it not work. My children are not a fit in the box kind of group.... so I never dove in and made the purchase!

Here is where I would like to proclaim.. God is good!!!!

As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew line up this year was IEW! And praise the Lord, I was able to be on the list and review this writing program, that  I have heard so much about.

I followed the suggestion, that if you had never used IEW  and children are older to choose Level B. So that is where our family started. We also planned on teaching multiple grade levels. Now, typically this level is for grades 6-8. However, if your child has had limited writing instruction, or you are new to this program, it is, indeed,  a good place to start.  I do believe we made the right choice, however, in the beginning my older students took issue with younger students in the video. However, that was soon dismissed and we were able to proceed with the program unhindered!

So first, let's look at what we received in our package. Our family reviewed Teaching Writing/Student Writing Intensive Combo Pack Level B

Teaching Writing Structure and Style

We received a notebook of notes and reference material and  10 DVD's.  7 of the DVD's are teaching the parent, and 3 are demonstration classes, where the parent can watch Mr. Pudewa teach.  One DVD for each age group.   The teachers set is designed to equip you the homeschool parent with all the skills you need to teach structured writing to your students.  It is abundantly clear that there has been much care taken in the production of the Teacher's Program.  It is key that you the homeschool parent have the tools in your toolbox to equip your children with the tools they will need to complete the program, and ultimately achieve success in writing.

At the end of this seminar, you will have all the skills and tools needed to teach structured writing to your children.  However, if you feel that you need some more help.. or an extra boost... that is where the Student Writing Intensive comes in.

Here you can see a video of Mr. Pudewa discussing Teaching Writing Structure and Style.

Student Writing Intensive

Once again we received a notebook of materials for the student, as well as, DVD's for the student to watch.  This is again in a seminar format. Mr. Pudewa is teaching a 4 day long writing seminar to actual students.  Your students will be attending the seminar right along side the students in the video.  Instruction, explanation and directions will be given by Mr. Pudewa, and while the DVD  is paused your children will complete the work. The same amount of care that was put into the Teaching Writing Structure and Style, has been taken with The Student Writing Intensive.

Here you can see Mr. Pudewa discussing the Student Writing Intensive.

Portable Wall

The portable wall serves as a place where your students can have the word lists they have been learning at their fingertips. It is a tri-fold folder that also serves wonderfully as a divider on a table if you have more than one student working, to give them privacy, or to help them concentrate if they are easily distracted.

 

Here you can find a quick start guide, as well as, a sample from Level B.

Our Thoughts

Something that I learned years ago is that writing is a very difficult process for anyone, let alone special needs kids, of which we have a few. I  believe that I first learned this while learning about Charlotte Mason and her methods. Putting pen to paper, requires many steps that most children, especially special needs kids, have a difficult time navigating.  The child must have a thought, then verbalize that thought in their head, to see if that thought makes sense. Then they need to construct that thought into sentences and then write them down.  This is why so many children have blank page syndrome,  they simply cannot get started with writing words on the paper.

IEW knows this, and takes out this step initially, by giving the child what to write. Not an assignment, as in go write a paper about  _________. However, with IEW, the student is using a source text, learning how to construct outlines by pulling out keywords, and then rewriting it  in their own words.  These skills are taught in small enough chunks that even a struggling learner will understand and be able to follow along. If you do not have a struggling learner, and your child is excelling, then you can move the pace a little faster.  From this starting point, your child will be given a methodology on how to construct thoughts, and then translate that into written work.  Through the course they will learn to do this with reference material, for research papers, and writing from pictures, to name a few. Ultimately transitioning them to the blank page.

Overall, our family was very pleased with IEW. We enjoyed watching the Mr. Pudewa teach. His style is very personable, friendly and relate-able. We used the program with 4 of our children ranging in age from 11 -16. Some of those children do have special needs and had a few struggles and bumps along the way. However, all in all, as we worked through IEW at our pace, which was a couple of weeks or so to do each lesson, they all have improved in their writing abilities.  They other by product of using IEW that I have noticed is that it has helped their reading comprehension in general. They look at stories that they are reading in a different way altogether.

Below you will see a comparison chart for each of the levels of the Student Writing Intensives.



If you have been contemplating purchasing IEW, like I was for many years, yet you let the price keep you from doing so. Let me strongly urge you, to take the plunge! Your children will greatly appreciate the skills they will learn from Mr. Pudewa and you will be grateful to have laid a strong foundation for them to build on. Our family intends to purchase Level C next year!

You can purchase the Combo pack that I received for $239. The portable wall sells for $7.

Please visit the crew blog to see what my crew mates have to say about IEW.

 

TOS Crew: The Write Foundation

During our homeschool career, I have struggled with teaching writing. I have always concentrated on the children being able to create complete thoughts; however, I have not focused nearly as much as I should on grammar and dynamics.

I have been looking forward to teaching writing, and finding a program that will help do so,and do it well. While, I feel like I have some level of writing skill. I surely, do not remember all there is to know about writing. And with all of the writing curriculum options, where am I to begin?

Enter in The Write Foundation.  As part of the crew, I was able to choose which level we were going to use, so I started at the beginning. We reviewed the first 15 lessons of Sentence to Paragraph Writing.

I keep thinking of the song Do Re Mi from the Sound of the Music… Let’s Start at the very beginning, .....a very good place to start…. when you read begin A-B-C when you write you begin with The Write Foundation!

In all seriousness, The Write Foundation truly does start by giving you the foundation you need to be a good writer. I am currently taking college courses and I wanted to brush up on my grammar, to ensure that I was meeting the grade in my lessons, as well as, making sure that my children are grasping all that they need to succeed!

So what is included?

The entire Sentence to Paragraph Writing Curriculum for teacher and student by Rebecca Celsor includes:

• Spiral-bound Teacher Instruction Manuals with Lesson Plans (about 160 double-sided pages)


• 1 set notebook-ready printed Worksheets (about 200 single-sided pages)


• 1 CD with additional resources
  
  
  
  • Grading System
  
  
  • Grading Record Sheets
  
  
  • Word Games
  
  
  • Checklists
  
  
  • Teacher Presentation Sheets
  
  
  • Weekly Assignments
  
  
  • Extensive Reading list
  
  
  
  There are several different packaging options that range in price from $65 - $100. Please check out their website to see which set would be a good fit for your family.

Here is what Level 1 aims to teach your student.

• Lesson plans formatted in an easy-to-follow system


• Reinforces the construction of a basic sentence


• Improves sentence structure with basic grammar and figures of speech


• Teaches the organizational process of  brainstorming, outlining, rough draft and editing.


• Quickly develops more interesting, informative sentences


• Steps to writing the basic paragraph


• Progress to writing two-paragraph papers


• Guidelines, checklists and correct structure


• Creative poetry writing


• 30 lessons with lesson plans for either a one- or two-year format

Now, that all of the official information is covered, what did I really think of the program?  Well, I think that it is very thorough. And my children did indeed learn basic grammar and sentence structure, as well as, some poetry. The poetry was particularly helpful, as while we have read poetry, they have not learned a ton of poetry.

While the program did indeed get the job done, it was not something that my children enjoyed immensely. However, they did learn the material and complete the assignments.

If you would like to see what my crew mates think about The Write Foundation, please visit the crew blog and check out their reviews!!

I received a free copy of lessons 1-15 and teachers manual, in exchange for my honest review of the product.

TOS Crew: Our Land Publications ~ California

This land is our land, this land is your land, from California to the New York Harbor....

Well, actually we are staying right here in my home state of California!  Our Land Publications has taken a very unique way to teach history! They have broken up the text book and created easy to use and read newspapers that are put into chronological order. These bite size nuggets of information are just right for students to really hang on to what they are reading. As well as, understanding how each event impacts the next, or another part of history. Most history books are dry and boring, however, Our Land Publications is far from boring!

The program is designed for upper elementary students. I actually used this program with my 6th grader, as well as, some of my older children that have learning disabilities, including dyslexia. I wanted to see how they could handle this approach. Here is what I discovered...

It was right on target for the 6th grader. And for the older kids with learning disabilities it was awesome. This is  not dumbed down information! Many times, as a parent with a child with dyslexia, it is difficult to find reading material to match the intellect of your child. The books and information seem watered down or babyish. Not the case with this program! If you have a struggling learner, then this is indeed a history program you should look into!

So what is included in our package? You receive a teachers manual and a student packet. Within the student packet you have 32 issues of a newspaper to hand out to your student(s) to read. Within the pages are questions, maps, vocabulary, pictures and other activities! The 'Reaction Time' questions at the end of each issue require the child to think before answering! It is not a matter of simply perusing the paper and finding the answers!

In your manual you are given additional information for you to use to help teach that week, as well as some black line masters that will enhance your students learning and understanding.

All in all, this is a unique and successful way to examine history! I only wish that all history books were presented like this.

Our Land Publications also produce Our Land of Liberty, My Illinois, My Indiana,  and My Texas. You can purchase the My California set for one student and one teacher for $65.

Please visit the crew blog to see what my crew mates have to say about this and other products published by Our Land Publications!

Homeschooling for FREE!!! Yes it is possible!

Recently, I conducted a poll on my facebook page, asking fellow homeschoolers to share their favorite free or nearly free homeschooling resources.

Why would I do this? It's simple really... look around you, families all around are struggling to keep their heads above water, whether they homeschool or not. However, when you homeschool, that is an added burden to the pocket book. Usually one parent is at home, add to that the fact that we are also responsible for our children's educational needs.

I do not have to look very far to see the effects of the current economical climate. My husband lost his job 2 years ago, while he has a new job, we still have been living on only a fraction of his previous earnings. This has given us the opportunity to see God provide in ways we could never imagine, as well as, really test my ingenuity.

We never were wealthy, so I have always looked for ways to get the most for my money.. or spend no money at all!  Applying this principle to all areas of our life, including educating our children, has served our family well.

What you will find below are the results of my facebook poll, as well as, my favorite resources. Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear what you and your family have done to keep homeschooling affordable!

I want to start by saying that over the years, what I have found is that when you are purchasing boxed curriculum, you are purchasing the convenience of someone else dong all the leg work for you. However, if you are willing to put in the time and effort and the leg ( or finger) work, you will find that you are still able to create a curriculum for your children, far superior to what you had even imagined. You will no longer be at the mercy of your pocketbook!

As a side note, before we move forward, I want to remind all of you, that it is up to you, to use your God given discernment to know if any of these resources are or are not appropriate for your children. Click through, investigate and enjoy creating your homeschool learning environment!

To start, I want to share a bit about what our homeschool group does. We have a curriculum  lending library. Members have the ability to check out available curriculum and keep as long as they need, and as long as they are members. No fee or late fees! Only requirement, you must be a current member! The next thing we offer is a used curriculum sale. We meet in one of our members church, and set up tables and invite homeschoolers in the area. This event serves 2 purposes, it allows us to make a little money on our books we no longer need, as well as, gives us the chance to purchase products we may need at a fraction of the cost.

If your homeschool group does not offer a used books sale, or if you are not a part of a local group, try the website www.usedhomeschoolcurriculum.com for both buying and selling! This site is run by a homeschool family, and there are no fees to buy and sell.

Now onto the suggestions:

The first suggestion was to utilize your public library for books, high school courses on CD and even better you can utilize their heat and air conditioning!  Also, our library has periodic 'friends of the library' sales where you can pick up a book for 25 cents up to $1, and the last day of the sale is $1 a bag.  This is an awesome deal. I was able to pick up 2 Landmark American History textbooks on the $1 a bag day!

Visit any Nature Center, Zoo, Aquarium or Museum website, they usually are jammed packed with awesome resources.

http://www.englishgrammar101.com/ Free online grammar lessons designed for Middle or High School

http://www.oldfashionededucation.com/fullcurriculum.htm Has free homeschool curriculum for K-11th grade. Uses books that have lost their copyright (old) and are available on line for free, among other sources.. You can print for the hard copy, or simply read online.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/cec/online_resources.asp FREE Answers in Genesis Books, including study guides to go with them!

http://peacecreekontheprairie.com/?page_id=196 Free large family printable homeschool forms.

http://www.starfall.com/ For early reading skills (preschool up to around 2nd or 3rd grade). There are online books, games, and a free language arts/writing workbook you can download.

http://harvestministry.org/twghw Teaching With God’s Heart for the World

http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/2010/09/homeschool-for-free-math-resources.html This is my friends blog. She started a new weekly posting on free homeschooling resources. This week is a full listing of math resources!

http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/2010/09/homeschool-for-free-reading.html This is my same friend, this is a listing of free reading resources.

http://donnayoung.org/index.htm Awesome printables and other resources, both for your home and your homeschool!

http://simplycharlottemason.com/ Lots and lots of resources!

http://www.amblesideonline.org/index.shtml More Charlotte Mason resources.

http://www.currclick.com/ When you sign up for their weekly newsletter you will receive free download each and every week!

http://homeschoolingonashoestring.com/lapbooks.html Lapbooking on a shoestring.. however, this entire website has lots of resources!

http://www.gardenofpraise.com/art.htm Art Appreciation

http://stosselintheclassroom.org/ You can order free dvd's, can be used for civics.

http://www.spellingcity.com/ Online spelling practice and tests.

http://www.theheadoftheclass.com/ K-4th resources,  many subjects.

http://www.education.noaa.gov/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

http://www.mrdonn.org/ Lots of great history and geography information.

http://lewis-clark.org/ Great Lewis and Clark information

http://www.the-simple-homeschool.com/simple-schooling.html Too many resources to list!

http://clickschooling.com/ClickSchooling is an ezine that brings you one, F.R.E.E, web-based curriculum idea every day — Monday through Saturday!

There are many many more that have not been listed here! So please, post your comment below and let me know what sources have helped your family!

TOS Crew: Digital Frog

As a homeschool parent, I am always looking  for ways to give my children access to new and exciting, field trips and material.  With a limited budget, and limited time,  it takes a toll on what we can access. Especially when you  have a large family. This is where Digital Frog comes in and saves the day! You will be amazed where our current stops are going to take us on our TOS Crew Voyage. In fact, we will be stopping in three unique locations! The Desert, The Wetlands and The Rainforest.  How can that be possible, you ask... let me show you......

The fine folks from Digital Frog  have put together an awesome field trip series that comes on a DVD/CD.  We have had the program for several weeks now and have only begun to uncover all of the features that are available.

While I have looked through all of the field trips, we as a family have spent most of our time in the Rain Forest! My children have thoroughly enjoyed their visits!

Finally, there is a way for you to take your family on field trips of a life time and this time, and you don't even need a passport!   That is because, it is from the comfort of your own home!

On each field trip there is a wealth of information, that I could not possibly do it justice in a simple blog post.  I am going to focus on the Rain Forest Field Trip and share some of the features that are available.  And what our family thought about this program!

Once you open the Rain Forest Field Trip, you will find yourself with a choice to make. From the front Navigation, you will need to choose, whether you would like to take the Field Trip, do a Rain Forest Study, learn about Rain Forest Types, or about the Mechanisms of the Rain Forest or about the Endangered Rain Forests.

From here, I am going to show you what it looks like under one of the sign posts. Simply to give you the idea of the shear magnitude of information that is included within this program.

We are going to visit the Rain Forest Study..

Clicking on the black words, will open a definition window. Clicking on the sign posts, or on the blue words within this text will take you to the next destination.  For us, our next stop will be the Dependency Web.......

Now once you have entered into the Dependency Web section, you see, that once again, there is a sign post of many choices. As well as an option for a game, on the porch.... under each one of the sign posts, you will find a wealth of information on that topic... for us, we will be visiting the habitats....

Now, what you find under each tab, in the individuals sections are unique. You will find text, animations, photos, little movies all that really engage the kids throughout the field trip!  And they are learning interesting facts in context, not simple, boring, dry facts like coming from a textbook!

Now the last photo I want to show you is of the field trip...

Now while this is our favorite part of the program, it is also the part that we had the most trouble with!  Here you see a screen shot of the first post of the field trip.  In the gray screen, you will be transported to that location. You have the ability to click and drag the camera, looking in different directions, as well as, zooming.  As you journey through the field trip, you will be taken to different posts, and everything that is at that post will be discussed in the text, with clickable, definable words.  However, as you see, in this shot, the screen is gray. On this computer, we were never able to get this feature to work. However, we were able to get it to work on our other computer. So the children were able to experience this feature, and absolutely loved it! But I would be remiss if I did not mention that we struggled a bit here.

There are  2 other things, that I feel like I need to mention. First, if you have a struggling reader, whether that is due to a disability or because they are young, you will need to sit next to them and help them with the reading. There is quite a bit of reading. However, my dyslexic told me that the words were in small enough chunks and with all of the animations, and clickable things he could do, it kept him interested. Much more than if it were a textbook.

The second thing would be the fact that this is from an evolutionary foundation. So you will need to decide for your family if this product will be a good fit or not.

Now in addition to all that is available that already showed you, each field trip comes with printables to supplement the field trip. As I mentioned in the beginning of this review, I simply cannot even begin to cover all that is available.

Please visit Digital Frog to learn even more about their product. On their website, if you join their Frogger Club, for free,  you will have access to additional online websites to supplement your field trip.  You can purchase these field trips individually for $60.00 for the Home User License, or you can buy all three on one cd for $125.00.

Please visit the crew blog to see what my crew mates have to say about the amazing product.

Happy Exploring!

TOS CREW: Foundlings Review

You will find swamps, caves, dragons and dwarfs  at our next port of call. We are visiting Zoe & SoZo and the book Foundlings by, Matthew Christian Harding.

Right off the bat, I will be honest with you. I did not read the book. I simply handed it to my 15 year old son, and assigned him to read it, and allowed him to give me his thoughts on the book.

Here is how Foundlings is billed......

"Foundlings, book one of The Peleg Chronicles
is Historical Fiction that takes place in the
time period of Peleg, soon after the tower of
Babel dispersion. In its pages we meet
dragons, giants, false priests, the death hunt,
an under-city of the Dwarven Brotherhood,
and many memorable characters."

My son says, " This is a book about adventure, and how they trust in God in their tough times."

When I first gave the book to my son to read, he was not all that thrilled. He loves to read, however, the first part of the book was challenging for him. He struggled a bit to feel connected to the story.

However, in the end, he said, " I actually liked it."  It took him a few chapters and then he was hooked!  He even added... "This book was alot of fun!"

One of his favorite parts of the story was reading about these characters trusting God no matter their circumstances. He really liked the part about them trying to get out of the castle.

Author Matthew Christian Harding is a Christian, and the Peleg series is a Christian series of books. You will not find magic, evolution, or humanism within these pages!

Foundlings is available for $11.95, you can even get an autographed copy! Visit Zoe & Sozo to see their  full line of products available.

Please visit the crew blog to see what my crew mates have to say about Foundlings!

TOS Crew: Vocabulary Cartoons SAT Word Power

This year's voyage is off to a great start! Our next port of call is with the fine people from New Monic Books, Inc.  As part of the TOS Crew, we were sent a free copy of Vocabulary Cartoons SAT Word Power Learn Hundreds of SAT Words with Easy Memory Techniques, in exchange for our honest opinions... and here is mine....

First, let's talk about what are Vocabulary Cartoons? Are you familiar with mnemonics? A mnemonic device helps you learn something new, by using something that is familiar. Usually a picture and some sort of 'saying'. We, as a family, have used these to teach  geography and math, so I was excited to try this with my kids.

The purpose of Vocabulary Cartoons is to help your high schooler, really any age child, to remember unusual words that will be found on the SAT. Click here to see a few pages from the book.

As you can see, these 'Vocabulary Cartoons' are a lot of fun! Kids really do retain much more when they are having a good time!

How is this book used.......  (from the book introduction..)

" Each page has five elements:

1) The main word.  The word you wish to lean. It is followed by the phonetic pronunciation, part of speech, and a definition.

2) The link word. The link word is a simple word or phrase which rhymes or sounds like the main word.

3)The caption.  The caption connects the main word and the link word in a sentence.

4) the cartoon. The caption is illustrated in a bizarre or humorous cartoon which incorporates the main word and the link word into a visual mnemonic.

5) Each cartoon is followed by two or three sample sentences."

When you put all of these elements together, it really is a successful combination!

Now.. how did we use this book?

I simply handed the book, to two of my teenage boys. the instructions I gave them was to work on  2-3 words a day, and work their way through the book. To test each other, and do the little quizzes that are throughout the book.

The boys enjoyed the book, not only were they learning the words that were in the book, they had a good time doing it! They will never forget those visuals!  And in the end, they really did retain more words than they typically do! That scores points in my book!!!

And to top it off... the book is available at the ultra affordable price of $12.95!  Be sure to check out New Monic Books to see their whole line of vocabulary helps! Create a milieu of words in your home!

Take a moment, and visit the crew blog to see what my crew mates have to say about this neat product!

TOS Crew: Math Tutor DVD Review

Well, I must say, that I have been thrilled each year that I have served on the TOS Homeschool Crew that Math Tutor DVD has decided to be part of our voyage! I have been a long time fan of Math Tutor DVD.You can read my first review here and my second review here.  For those of you who have read my blog (or know me in real life) know that math is simply not my thing!

So as a homeschool mom, I have been on the lookout for math help! And for me, that has come in the form of Math Tutor Dvd!  Jason Gibson, math tutor extra-ordinare, walks you and your children through math.  Math Tutor DVDs have been such a helpful tool to us. When I simply cannot explain something to my children in a way that they can understand, I pop in the DVDs and Jason explains it for me!

As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew this year we were sent 2 FREE DVD's in exchange for our honest opinion.

I was sent Pre Algebra Tutor and the Texas Instruments  TI-83/ TI-84 Calculator Tutor

Both of these DVD's are available at the links listed above for $26.99.

As in all the previous DVDs that I have either purchased or reviewed for Math Tutor DVD, your student will receive clear instructions on how to figure problems, or in the case of the graphong calculator how to use the calculator.

Now, I must admit, I do not have a child currently in Calculus so the Graphing Calculator DVD, I looked at, but we are not yet at the point where we need it. However, I put in on of the DVD's and Jason, once again, explains how to use the calculator in very clear and easy to understand terms.  There is an awesome screen shot of the calculator, which enables you to see exactly what he is doing, as he explains it!

If you are a family that will need help teaching math at any level, please look into Math Tutor DVD to help you teach your students! These DVD's have really blessed my family over the years!

Please visit the crew blog to see what my crew mates are saying about Math Tutor DVD!

Happy Calculating!

Fundamentals of Story Writing Part 2 ~ Jim Baumgardner

This is our 2nd installment of Fundamentals of Story Writing by Jim Baumgardner, author if the Sarah Books. You can visit Jim's Blog here. And you can learn more about the Sarah Books by visiting here.

Now, I would like to invite you and your children for our second lesson in the Fundamentals of Story Writing.  Here is Mr. Jim for our lesson.......

Fundamentals of Story Writing

Part 2





When I began writing my first novel, I had no idea what I was doing. Today, several years and many reams of paper later, I have a pretty good idea. It took a lot of work and study of writing techniques. I read about techniques—and I read books. I’m a visual person. I like to see it done and then I find it easier to do. So, I read each day and observe great authors of the past and how they keep my attention with their writing style. Do you want to improve your writing? If the answer is yes—then read.

There are key elements which must be incorporated into the writing of a story, whether a novel or short story. I want to mention five in these next two articles. There are more of course, but these five are fundamental and will lay a foundation on which you can build a good story.

Setting

You have decided on an idea for a short story, now ask yourself, “Can I actually write a story and make it believable.” If the idea involves a story about how a man survives a shipwreck near a small island in the South Pacific, yet you have never been there nor studied the area, and know nothing about ships—you may have problems. My advice is to select another idea. Pick something that can be set in an area in which you are familiar.

The Sarah Books are set in Western Ohio. I have been there many times. I know the lay of the land, but I also read about how the area appeared in the 19^th Century. Set your story in an area you know. Maybe you live there or it’s a place you have visited. With that knowledge, and sometimes an emotional attachment to the area, your story will come alive through the five senses.

Consider these words from the introduction of Sarah’s Wish: ‘...in your “mind’s eye” you see, and hear, and taste, and smell, and touch nineteenth century Ohio. The story begins one stifling hot afternoon. Do you feel the heat? Taste the dust? Smell the horseflesh? Hear the laughter of mother and daughter? And-see that snake! You are in 1858. Hang on-here we go!’

Please keep in mind your reader! Do not ramble on paragraph after paragraph describing a sunset, mountain, or anything else. It’s not necessary. Give your readers credit for having sense enough to picture a sunrise in their mind.

For example: “Morning dawned bright pink with shades of violet splashed across the eastern sky.” I would think most folks have seen a similar sunrise. Here is the first line from Sarah’s Promise: “Before the sun peeked over the horizon, while the morning star still shimmered in the western sky, they attacked.” The reader gets the picture. It’s just before dawn, not light, not dark, but gray; and all stars have disappeared except for the brightest. You can make out shapes, but no colors. That’s it. Now get on with the story. I did.

Your character’s actions and language must conform to the time period. Writing a story set in 2010 is easier than a setting in 1858. We are familiar with today’s language and customs, but how about the 19^th century? If you want to identify a character’s race what terms would you use? Sarah’s friend Esther is called a Negro in the Sarah Books because that was the term used in Sarah’s day, today the term in African-American. Running Fox is called an Indian by Granny, and a half-breed (his father was Shawnee and mother English) by his enemies. Today many people use the term Native-American.

Actions are important, too. Men bowed to ladies in the 19^th Century, but generally, unless there is some compelling reason, you wouldn’t have a character doing that in 2010. On the other hand Sarah is not giving high-fives or low-fives to anyone. She doesn’t greet her friends with, “What’s up dude”, either.

A word about order of events is needed, especially if you are attempting to write a book. Make sure the characters’ actions are kept in chronological order. Example: Last night in the woodshop Uncle Alvin slipped and cut off his hand with the table saw. Yet, this morning he’s holding a cup of coffee in one hand and with his other hand he’s eating toast. What? He’s got three arms? Be aware of what you have written previously.
Characters

A story would be meaningless without characters with which we can relate. In my first novel, Sarah’s Wish, Sarah is twelve, has dark hair falling in ringlets to her shoulders, dark eyes, dimples, and is short. Fine, that describes thousands, probably millions of girls. A good character is more than a good description of her or his physical attributes. You must get beyond the physical and show how she thinks, feels, her goals, why she acts as she does, and so much more. Why does Sarah continually refer to her mother in the present tense when Rachel has been dead for months? At the end of the third book she has a full blown character flaw—the question is: can she overcome it? Now developing a character to that extent is not possible in a short story, and not necessary. If you’re writing a novel it is vital.

Make the characters real to the reader. Give them flaws. Shortcomings can be made obvious by how they reason things out or maybe inter feelings of hate, greed or jealousy. There are numerous things from which to choose, just make it real to that character. As you read the Sarah Books you will see Sarah has flaws as does Granny Evans. No one is perfect, so don’t try to make your characters that way. It’s not believable. People understand imperfection, since we’re all in that condition.

On the other hand give the main characters something unique about themselves. Sarah is very smart, and you will see in the fourth book, The Making of a Spy, how that brilliance is put to use. Granny has her dialect and habits (smoking her corncob pipe and carrying a gun in her knitting bag) that set her apart.

To invent a likeable hero begin by listing the characteristics you want him to manifest. Include physical and emotional characteristics along with his values. Ask yourself what is it that defines my hero? Maybe it’s traits from someone you know or a combination of people. Granny Evans in the Sarah Books is a combination of my granny, her sister, and a television character of many years ago.

Allow your characters to tell the story through their actions and dialogue. A good story is made up of a logical beginning, an emotional, up and down, nail biting middle, and a satisfying end. But a good plot is made up of more than just these basics. Characters serve the plot; in fact they drive the plot. An interesting character is interesting because of what she does. Please understand; a story is in the mind of the reader, so give the reader just enough to picture the scene. What I see in my mind’s eye is not necessarily what you would see. It’s probably close, but not exactly the same. Have you ever seen a movie that is based on a book and went away saying the book was better? Maybe it’s because what you visualized about the story is not what was put on the screen.

A funny thing about readers, they don't want the hero to be happy all the time. A reader wants to see conflict, pain, troubles and sorrow. In the Sarah Books, Sarah’s mom dies, Sarah has a broken arm, her friends are kidnapped, she hides from someone chasing her, etc. These things keep the reader engaged in the story. They are fine as long as it works to a happy ending. People do not like crummy endings. We will talk more about conflict next time.

Students, now is the time to get a head start on the upcoming school year. You may be asked to write a story. Start now by using the things you have learned in these first two articles. Look back to the first lesson on how to finds ideas and writing what you know. Then, use the suggestions on selecting a setting and developing characters to begin putting a story on paper. I like to make a rough outline of the story idea. It always changes (for the better of course) and that is fine. At least you have an idea of where you want to take the story and how to get there.

If you have any question you are welcome to email me at: sarahbooks@cox.net

I do have students who like to write and send me samples to read and comment on. I would be glad to do that for you. Thanks for reading and happy writing.

Next: We will look at using conflict, dialogue, and action in your stories.

http://kansasjimbo.bravejournal.com/ http://www.sarahbooks.net/

Jim Baumgardner, author of the Sarah Books

Graphics Toolbox Tuesdays - What's Wrong With This Picture

For this weeks installment of Graphics Toolbox Tuesdays, we are looking at something that you the parent can create over and over again, to help your special needs child.

With this project you might choose to print out these projects, however, you can also put them in a photo album on the computer and just flip through them.

Many special needs kids have a problem at look at the big picture. They cannot look at something and find items that do not belong, for example.

So I made up two samples of  'What's Wrong With This Picture' cards, that can be used with your special needs kids. These cards I made a bit obvious, however, depending on the needs of the child, and the age of the child, this might be where you start. As time goes on, you can make more subtle changes in the pictures. The possibilities are endless.

So look below and see if you can see what's wrong with these pictures.....



In the above picture, it is plain to see that we have added a crown on this soccer players head.. clearly not the appropriate head gear for a soccer match! As well as changing the soccer ball to a football.. one of my teenagers thought that was quite clever, considering we are the only country that refers to it as soccer and not 'football'.  With both of these changes, I used an irregular frame to pull out the image from it's original background and then added it into this photo. You can use this feature for many different reasons, not just the 'What's Wrong With This Picture' card.

And..........



In this photo I placed an apple in the pitcher's hand,  using the same technique as described above.  We also changed his show to a purple color. We used the color change option for that. We framed out the shoe, by tracing around the outline of the shoe, and then we were able to change only the color of the shoe.

As you can see Graphics Toolbox is a versatile tool that can help enhance your child's educational experience, no matter their age or learning abilities.

If you would like more information on Graphics Toolbox, please visit our website at

www.greatsoftwaretools.com

or email me at jennifer@greatsoftwaretools.com

Graphics Toolbox equips homeschoolers with cutting edge tools to enhance their education today, and give them the skills they need to be competitive tomorrow.

TOS: Homeschool Crew Year 2, Voyage is Complete

It is hard to believe that I have been reviewing curriculum for the TOS Homeschool Crew for 2 years now. I am not sure where the time has gone. When I am knee deep doing reviews, it seems there is no in sight, though not that the 2nd year is complete, it is hard to believe it is over!

I have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of being on the crew. THe friendships made while on the crew, is not something I was looking for nor expecting! God is good to bless in ways we could not even imagine.

The amazing women and 1 gent have been a wealth of information, and a constant source of support. And I am not just speaking of crew related issues.

They are quite the prayer warriors, the each have a wealth of knowledge to be shared, about homeschooling, special needs, techie stuff, as well as having some good ole clean fun!

I have been asked to serve another year on the crew! What an honor!
I am thankful for the blessings that God continues to shower down on me, that make homeschooling continue to be possible for our family.

I am going to miss the crew members that will not be joining us next year, and I am looking forward to keeping touch with them through other means.. facebook, twitter, their blogs!

I am also looking forward to meeting our new crew and getting to know who has been assembled for the Year 3 Crew.

As we close with Year 2 I thought I would share with you the list of Crew Awards for our favorite products.
If I reviewed the product, I have included a link to that review here.
If you would like to read any of the reviews my crew mates wrote about these products you can do that by visiting the crew blog.

The results are in!
Here are the winners of the 2010 Homeschool Crew Seaworthy Awards:

Favorite Language Arts Product => EDUDPS

Favorite History Product => Bright Ideas Press (All American History and Mystery of History)

Favorite Science Product => Nature Friend Magazine

Favorite Math Product => Math Mammoth

Favorite Online Math Product => Mathletics

Favorite Handwriting Product => Zeezok (Presidential Penmanship)

Favorite Fine Arts Product (art, music, etc.) => Artistic Pursuits (review from year 1)

Favorite Pre-school Product => Time 4 Learning

Favorite Elementary Product => Critical Thinking

Favorite Upper-Grade Product => Professor in a Box

Favorite College Prep Product => Cerebellum/Standard Deviants

Favorite Special Needs Product => Super Star Speech

Favorite Health and Beauty Product => Virginia Soaps & Scents

Favorite Christian Product => Grapevine Studies
Best Resource I Didn't Know I Needed => Studypod
Best Homemaking Product => Sue Gregg

Best Customer Service => Graphics Toolbox

Best Online Resource => ABC Teach
Best e-product => Nutrition 101
Best Office and Technology Resource => Web Designs for Kids

Best Homeschool Resource => Apologia – Ultimate Guide …Best Map Resource => Homeschool in the Woods

Best Book, Novel or Magazine => Sarah Books

Best Children's Book => Children’s Bible Hour

Best Hands-On Resource => Journey Through Learning
Most Adaptable Resource => Sue Patrick’s Workbox System

Most Unique Resource => Lobster Network

Most Family-Oriented Product => Family MintKid's Choice => Maverick Books
All Around Crew Favorite => All About Spelling

TOS: Advanced Placement Exam Prep by Cerebellum Corp.

object>Are you wondering how Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Prep has anything to do with homeschooling? Not to worry, you are not alone! That was my first thought when I received my package from Cerebellum Corp/ Standard Deviants. Receiving this DVD has sent me, and actually many members of my local homeschool group, on a quest to learn more!
The DVD really couldn't have shown up at a more perfect time! We were about to hold our monthly mom's night, discussing homeschooling your high schooler!

I think to understand what the product is, you first need to know how it could impact your homeschool.

Here is what I have learned. First, you may want to visit HSLDA to learn more about all testing available to high schoolers! Here is a blurb about Advanced Placement Classes;

Advanced Placement (AP) courses are rigorous courses taken during high school but taught at a college level. The courses typically require an extensive amount of study, reading, and writing. There are 37 different AP courses across 22 subject areas that culminate in the taking of a standardized AP test for each course given nationwide in the late spring (usually May).

Here it is in a very brief nutshell. As homeschoolers you can study and prep for an Advanced Placement Exam. What is the benefit of doing this? Some colleges look favorably on transcripts with AP courses on them.

However, not every college will even except these AP test scores, much like some will not except CLEP (please HSLDA link) scores. I personally would not through ALL of my eggs into one basket, especially if you are not sure which college your child will be attending.


With the said, if you do decide to pursue Advanced Placement testing for your homeschooled high schooler, then the DVD's available from Cerebellum/Standard Deviants, just may be your ticket!

I received History of the U.S. AP Exam Prep. I sat down and watched the whole DVD. I did not do this with my high schoolers as of yet. They have a heavy load, and I did not want to upset the apple cart!
However, my thinking is that I will have them watch it next year as we cover High School American History.

The DVD is very fast paced. A typical teenager would probably keep up with it's pace. They use young and engaging actors to help walk your student through what they can expect on the AP Exam , as well as, some strategies in taking the test. They do all of this in about 30 minutes. Then they follow that with a bit more of an in depth look at U.S.History. Discussing the significance of many historical events.

It also comes with a worksheet CD. This gives them some example questions. As well as, some study guides.

All in all, this is a great resource, and it is not going to break the bank! You can purchase Light Speed History of the U.S. for $14.98. Right now it is on sale for $11.24.
You will find a trailer for the US History Test Prep located on the bottom of that page.

Please visit the crew blog to see what my crew mates are saying about Cerebellum/Standard Deviants!

TOS-Schoolhouse ExpoVendor Hall

If you're researching or buying homeschool curriculum, you have to check out the Vendor Hall at the Schoolhouse Expo! It's open to everyone. Browse through companies such as Rainbow Resource, WriteShop, Apologia, Latin Road/Phonics Road, Multiplication Shake, Go Phonics, and MANY MORE!

Latin Road/Phonics Road has freebies in their booth. Rainbow Resource has a free shipping offer. Spears Art Studio has a free CD. Real Science by Gravitas has a 25% discount coupon.

There is just so much to see. Stop by and meet the virtual hostess from each company, browse their selection, and look for "conference specials".

http://www.schoolhouseexpo.com/?page_id=180

TOS Crew: Ideal Curriculum

We are now pulling into the port of call known as Ideal Curriculum. What is Ideal Curriculum you ask? Ideal Curriculum offer all inclusive Preschool/Kindergarten Curriculum Here is how the describe themselves;
   At Ideal Curriculum we're passionate about educating children. We are constantly researching the best, most effective ways to teach, so that we can provide you with up-to-date information, how-to's and products.

Let me start by saying this is not a curriculum that I could use. It is a preschool curriculum and my youngest child is 10 years old. So this review is based on my opinion after looking through the program.

What were we sent? I was sent a free monthly kit, ( I received Month 1, transportation) for the purpose of this review. This was a via a file to download. When purchasing the kits, you have the choice of the print version of the download version. The download includes, Teacher manuals, music files, print files, read files and overview and introduction. I listened to all the music files and reviewed all of the material.

Who would benefit from this program? If you are brand new to homeschooling, and have absolutely no idea how to teach your young child, this may be a good fit for you. It explains step by step how to instruct the child.
The kids would probably enjoy the music files.

However, I must note, that this does not match how I would teach my young children. It seems very cold and disjointed. Much of what they have put together I feel like you could put together on your own from the library and the internet at a fraction of the cost.  However, again, if you are brand new to homeschooling and have no idea where to start with your very young child, Ideal Curriculum, definitely will map out the course for you.

You can purchase kits monthly, the download is available to $30. The print version is available for $55. You can order 3 months at a time for $85.50 and you can order 9 months for $240. As of the posting of this review, only the individual print versions are available for all the months. And the Month 1 download. May and June of 2010 are listed as release dates.

Please visit the crew blog to see what my crew mates are saying about Ideal Curriculum.

TOS Crew: Lesson Planet

Our next stop on the Homeschool Crew voyage, is to another planet.. Lesson Planet that is. As part of the crew, we were givin free access to a member account on Lesson Planet, in exchange for our honest opinion.

So let's start with the basics, what exactly is Lesson Planet. Lesson Planet is a website that makes it easy for teachers and parents to search over 225,000 online lesson plans and worksheets that have been reviewed and rated by teachers.

With Lesson Planet you have the ability to search both lesson plans and worksheets on any subject, from Art to Science and everything in between.
They also give you options to narrow your search by grade, and teacher ratings.

You can watch a quick one minute tutorial on how to use lesson planet by clicking here.

Judging by the time I spent on Lesson Planet, it appears to have been designed for the classroom teacher. At this stage in my school year, I am not creating a unit study, or planning for the new year at this very moment. So I did not have a project in mind as I searched. So, I first started by searching very general topics, such as; Math, Language, etc.. and then narrowed them down based on the results I would get. I found a few things that were useful.  However, I had to sift through many websites before I found something that would be useful in my homeschool.

Many times, the results were on Company websites, and the lesson plans were to accompany their books, books that I do not own. Or they are from a school district, and the names of the books used were not listed. Within in those, there were at times links to other pages that may have some useful information.  For example, while clicking through the links I was able to find some math worksheets to use for a student in my homeschool group. However, I had been researching for about 15 minutes before I came across something useful.

I also did searches on some specific topics; gardening, the civil war, civil rights, astronomy, etc.. While there were some interesting things along my journey. However, what I found was not always relevant to my homeschool. And each search took a good chunk of my time.

This is not a service, that I think that I would pay for, for our homeschool, however, what is good about Lesson Planet, is they are offering a 10 day free trial. I would recommend that you sign up for the free 10 day trial and check it out for yourself. It very well may be a perfect fit for your homeschool style!  If it is you can become a member for $39.95 per year.

Please visit the crew blog, to see what my crew mates are saying about Lesson Planet.

2010 Schoolhouse Planner

I wanted to clue you into to one other promotion that The Old Schoolhouse magazine is offering. That is on their 2010 Schoolhouse Planner.
I have used the planner for the last 2 years, and it has been such a blessing! Each year they tweak it and add new forms and new info, so you are not purchasing the same thing over and over. The popular forms are still there from year to year! The planner is chock full of not only planner pages, but homeschool resources, household helps along with those forms.
I have used mine so much this year. I actually printed out 3 different copies of the calendar! And have used it for all of my planning needs this year.
Check out the special they are having right now!

Home and school organization made easy! The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner is available and ready to help you plan your best homeschool year ever. With over 120 forms and 600 pages for home and school, everyone in the family can stay organized. You can even use the pages to make personalized organizers for each child. Plus, they've included recipes and helpful articles from homeschool experts.


If you order before midnight on April 30, you will receive a free gift--E-Book: The 2009 Planner Useful Excerpts--packed full of articles and recipes.

There are so many features, and this link has all of the information and the link to a 40+ page sample! Get organized now and receive the bonus E-Book!


http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com//TO...lanner.htm


Happy Planning!!!!

FREE Tote Full of Goodies from TOS!!!!

Hey everyone,
I have been a long time fan of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. I have been an on going subscriber since 2005! When my TOS magazine arrives in my mailbox, it is almost like Christmas!
The magazine is filled with stories of what other homeschoolers are doing, how to stories, unit studies, and product information. And what is best about it, is that it is an unashamedly Christian magazine! You will find articles that will help you on your Christian walk, as well as, helping you along your homeschool journey.
Another awesome thing about the magazine, is they really are in the 'business' of helping homeschoolers. And their current promotion reflects that! If you subscribe right now, at regular price, you will receive a tote full of goodies!! Read about it below!!!

http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/ho...-Promo.htm

You can have a free Homeschooling with Heart tote bag. The above link will show you a picture, and give you all the details on how to get yours. You'll also receive some free E-Book resources worth over $70 when you subscribe--shipping is FREE to the U.S. Plus, you'll receive the Spring issue free! Hurry, there are a limited number of bags--when they're gone, they're gone!

The FREE tote is made of poly-canvas with snap closures and shoulder-length handles. It's perfect for the library, a field trip outing, support group meeting, or homeschool convention! Its versatile design makes it the perfect bag to just throw over your shoulder and go!


Click here to get the details!

I hope that those of you who have yet to subscribe will take advantage of this awesome offer!!!

TOS Crew: Alphabet Beats

The TOS Crew ship is docking at our next port! We are visiting with Alphabet Beats. As a crew mate for the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received a free copy of Alphabet Beats lower case to use with my family, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Because of our families history of special learning needs, I am quite familiar with the idea, of marrying movement, or song, and hands on activities and visual learning in order to help facilitate learning. And most important retention.

So what exactly is Alphabet Beats? Well, it is a DVD handwriting program.
It is geared for kids ages 2-8, however, I tried this out with 2 of my children. My extremely special needs child and my 10 year old.  Both of them could write, however they both needed help with formation, and they both tend to tend to write only using capitals. 

We sat down and watched the DVD as instructed. I watched along side them. It really is indeed geared for the younger set. When you are watching it, there is lots of reinforcement of letter sounds and letter recognition. The presentation of these letter sounds is not at all 'sing song'. It is very straight forward and distinct. While the Alphabet Beats videos are not designed for special needs kids, the way the program is designed will be very beneficial for your special needs student.

So what is so special about Alphabet Beats. Well, it's all in the song!  Well not just the song. In the Alphabet Betas videos they use;

1) Visual:  Most children are visual learners and tend to retain more when taught visually

2) Auditory/Rhythm: Children like rhymes and rhythm-it's a great way to learn. Most children learn their ABC's for the first time by singing the ABC song!  We always incorporate catchy songs and chants in our videos that children will remember and which will help guide them through motor planning the desired action later.

3) Repetition: Children enjoy and learn through repetition! How many times have you read the same book to them at bedtime?

I can tell you that the little jingles they have come up with really did help with my kids. Both. They sing it to them selves if the forget. Or if I correct their formation, they go back and will use the song to help them along with the correction. Also, you can watch the 'TV Teacher' write the letter correctly as she is singing the jingle. Great reinforcement, as well as, using audio and visual learning styles!  I can tell you that I have seen a marked improvement in both of my children's handwriting since they have started using Alphabet Beats.

 

If you have a little one just beginning to start handwriting, then this would be an awesome tool to have in your arsenal.

There are 2 DVD's in the Alphabet Beats Family, one for Uppercase and one for Lowercase. Each one is available for $35. What I thought was handy, was the fact that they have workbooks to go with it. 2 workbooks for each level, a beginning and advanced. The beginning books run for $4.49 and the advanced is available for $4.99. You can purchase these items by visiting their website.

My fellow crew mates have posted their thoughts about Alphabet Beats on the crew blog. Sail on over and check out what they have to say!