Angie

Angie, a domestically-challenged artist and writer, is a homeschooling mom to three children. She writes about everything that happens in their lives between all the loads of laundry at Many Little Blessings. She is also the founder of The Homeschool Classroom, Catholic Mothers Online, Tiny Owl Designs, and Just a Tiny Owl {Etsy shop}.

Making Music Praying Twice

 Elementary, Music, Preschool  2 Responses »
Dec 152010
 

Making Music Praying Twice Homeschool Edition

Making Music Praying Twice is a Catholic music curriculum that focuses on children from birth through 8 years old, although many older children may enjoy the curriculum (or maybe even just being helpers).  It is a 95 song journey through the Liturgical year of the church.  Making Music Praying Twice (which comes from a quote by St. Augustine of Caterbury who said, “He who sings, prays twice.”) is available as both a regular edition (for parishes and preschools), as well as a homeschool edition.  My family has been thrilled this year to have been able to receive the homeschool edition of this wonderful and faithful music curriculum.

Making Music Praying Twice is one of those pieces of curriculum that makes me feel even better to use, as it was developed (and is sold) by a homeschooling family.  I love the thought of supporting other homeschoolers!

What is included in the set?

The homeschool version of Making Music Praying Twice (which sells for $96.00) includes:

  • A 273 page Homeschool Edition guidebook which contains a wealth of information including lesson plans for using this program either daily or weekly (so that each day or week looks different), as well as all of the music with suggested activities for each song.
  • Five CDs each containing between 17 – 25 songs.  Each CD represents a certain part of the liturgical year – Ordinary Time – Fall, Advent-Christmas-Epiphany, Ordinary Time – Winter, Easter-Pentecost, and Lent.
  • Five Children’s Songbooks, each corresponding to one of the CDs.  They contain pictures, words to the songs, as well as the actual written music.  (My older boys feel a sense of accomplishment to look at the music in some of them and say, “Hey – I could play that on the piano!”)
  • Online Music Education Activities are not specifically included in the set, but they are available on Making Music Praying Twice’s website.

Making Music Praying Twice uses everything from traditional children’s songs to finger plays to Gregorian chants to favorite hymns, plus so much more!  There is a fabulous variety of types of songs and some spoken word recordings (even some in foreign languages) in order to teach and promote all types of musical brain development such as different types of tones, beats, meters, and tonal and rhythm patterns.  The best part about all of that is that children just feel like they’re having fun!

Although my children all take piano lessons, one of their favorite things is getting to play with some of the instruments and equipment that Making Music Praying Twice suggests that you use with their program.  These aren’t included with the program, and we only bought shaky eggs and rhythm sticks, as well as being able to use some of the items on the list that we already have at home.

My only regret with Making Music Praying Twice is that I didn’t start it when all of my children were young.  Although the older children still enjoy it, I know that it is definitely more geared toward my younger child (although my nine year old that loves music is also a big fan, but it really helps that he loves music so much).

I would definitely recommend Making Music Praying Twice as a music curriculum for Catholic families with children in the 0 – 8 age range.

Angie writes about faith, family, and household management at her blog, Many Little Blessings.  She is also the founder of The Homeschool Classroom and Catholic Mothers Online.  She dreams of being an artist.

Disclosure: I received the homeschool edition of Making Music Praying Twice in exchange for blog advertising space, as well as for reviewing this product.  All opinions are my own.

Music for Little Mozarts

 Elementary, Music, Preschool  1 Response »
Nov 242010
 

Music for Little MozartsLast school year, I had a strong desire to start my boys in music lessons.  And, while this led to a quest for a free piano, which my husband spent many hours refinishing for us, it has also brought much joy into our home.  At the time, our daughter was in preschool, and we decided to focus only on starting our boys with the piano, since they were eight and ten at the time.

This year, since our daughter started kindergarten, we decided to start her in piano lessons as well (since all of our children had to change teachers).  Our new piano teacher started our daughter (who was reading only very small words) in Music for Little Mozarts from Alfred Music Publishing, which touts itself as “a piano course to bring out the music in every young child.”  The deluxe starter kit is available from Alfred Music Publishing for $69.95.  (In interest of saving money, it appears to also be available on other sites for under $50.)

Although we are using these books and materials in conjunction with formal music lessons, I feel confident that at the first level, I would have been able to do them at home with my daughter with my limited musical abilities.  As a matter of fact, if you have an older child who has taken piano lessons, they could probably do it with a younger sibling as well.  Although you would eventually need to go with more formal piano lessons (from a teacher), this can be a great introduction in your own home.

My daughter really enjoys that there are characters that go along with the different concepts, as well as that lessons consist not only of time to play, but also of some coloring activities as well.  I like that this helps to cement some of the musical concepts by approaching them in a variety of ways.

All of the books for this program can be purchased individually, not only in the starter kit.  Using the books in weekly lessons (with daily practice on what was covered during those weekly lessons), she has moved through the first level in just a couple of months.  However, at least some of the books and materials can be reused for other children.  (There is a workbook that would need to be replaced after each child was done with it to use the program with another child.)

Music for Little Mozarts has been a great way to introduce a young child to the beauty of playing the piano, and it’s one that we’ve all been enjoying.

Angie writes about faith, family, and household management at her blog, Many Little Blessings.  She is also the founder of The Homeschool Classroom and Catholic Mothers Online.  She dreams of being an artist.

Doodle Books for Creativity

 Art, Unschooling  2 Responses »
Oct 272010
 

Do You Doodle? coverThough I never did well in art in school, I like to encourage lots of different types of art activities with my children.  I want them to feel like art has many different forms and it can be fun.  Although we do artist studies, Artistic Pursuits, and lots of free art time, we also really enjoy doodle books.

What is a doodle book?

There are a variety of doodle book available.  Each of my children have their own copy of Do You Doodle? by Nikalas Catlow, which they all enjoy reading through and figuring out exactly what they might draw.  In a doodle book, there is typically the beginning of a picture and a caption to help the children know what to draw.  For instance, there might be a page with a genie lamp at the bottom and the description at the top “Make the Genie Appear.”  The child can then choose how to finish drawing the scene.

Do You Doodle? is a doodle book that has a variety of picture starters and is perfect for boys and girls alike.  There are also doodle books that are specifically made for boys (such as a starter for an alien invasion) or for girls (such as a starter with drawing in shoes in a boutique-style shoe store).  While I realize that may sound stereotypical, I know that my kids would actually really enjoy the gender specific ones (probably even more than the general ones, to be honest).

What we enjoy about Do You Doodle?

I like that this book not only encourages children (or adults!) to use their drawing skills, but even more so, it inspires their creativity and problem solving skills.  It is fun to watch what they come up with.  In fact, it often makes me wish that I could steal a book away from one of them and make my own creations.

Not only is Do You Doodle? a great art activity, but it can be picked up for under $10 (at Amazon, though the actual retail price is $12.95) and can make an excellent gift.

If you’re a creative type, however, I will have to warn you about one thing: You just might want to buy an extra copy for yourself so you can join in with your children while they are drawing.

Angie is a former domestic flunkie who records her attempts at domesticity, and everything else that happens in between all of those loads of laundry that keep piling up, at Many Little Blessings.  She is also the founder of The Homeschool Classroom and Catholic Mothers Online.

Hooked on French Program from Hooked on Phonics

 Elementary, Foreign Language, Preschool  5 Responses »
Sep 172010
 

Hooked on French language programHaving taken French in high school and college, I couldn’t help but want to work on French with my children once we started homeschooling.  Urged by many people to focus on Spanish instead, we spent a gross amount of money, bought Rosetta Stone, and started working on Spanish.

After six months, when my kids only seemed to be able to use about as much Spanish as they had learned on Dora (apparently the program just didn’t mesh well with us), I decided that we were going to start on French instead.  I was thrilled to find a great price on Hooked on Phonics’ French program called Hooked on French.

What We Like About Hooked on French:

  • Cost – Hooked on French can currently (as of this writing) be purchased on the Hooked on Phonics website for under $15.
  • Variety of Materials – The kit includes workbooks, flash cards, interactive CD-Roms (with games and lessons), story books, and a progress chart.
  • Appeals to a Variety of Ages – Hooked on Phonics has this program listed as being for ages 4 – 6, but even my boys (ages 9 and 11) enjoy it and are learning from it.
  • Works on the Basics – One thing that didn’t work for us with Rosetta Stone was that I wanted a program that worked on the basics – numbers, colors, object names, etc.  Hooked on French works on these, and my kids are having fun walking around counting objects in French.
  • Not Just French – Okay, so our program is just French.  But I like that for just  bit more money, we could also get Hooked on Spanish.
  • Independent Work – Kids can work through the interactive CD-Rom part independently.  I have taken to sitting with them and brushing up on my French.  However, when I got an important phone call while putting in the CD-Rom the other day, the kids were able to use it without me.

What I Would Change/Issues:

  • Not for Older than Elementary Age – It would be great to have an inexpensive, interactive program for older children, but since Hooked on Phonics is a company that makes products for younger children, this makes sense.
  • Story Books We’ve Used Are Not in French.  I was surprised when we got to a story book that we were supposed to read and it was in English only.  Apparently we were supposed to count items in French.  However, I do like the workbook, as it gives us a chance to not only hear the words on the CD-Rom, but actually see words written out in the workbook.

Would I Recommend It to a Friend?

I would definitely recommend it to a friend whose children were not older than mine.  (Mine range from kindergarten to 5th grade.)  It is definitely for younger kids, but it is a fabulous price and really works on the basics.  It is a fun introduction to a foreign language.

Angie can be found writing on her blog, Many Little Blessings, about faith, family, and household management.  She is also the founder of The Homeschool Classroom and Catholic Mothers Online.

The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History

 Elementary, History, Middle School  1 Response »
Aug 202010
 

When we used Winter Promise last year for studying Early American History, we were introduced to the book The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History by Jennifer Armstrong.  Although I had been advised against using it in our homeschool (which I’ll touch on later), I found myself delighted by the stories that make up this fun and informative history book.

Things That We’ve Enjoyed About This Book:

  • Engaging Stories – My kids are all interested each time we read a new story from The American Story. Some of the stories are funny and some are very serious, but we have found each one that we’ve read to be very interesting.
  • Stories You Don’t Find in History Books – Perhaps it’s because I’m generally a fan of what others might consider superfluous information, but I really like that The American Story has stories about things that you wouldn’t find in your typical history book.  There is a story how the city of Washington D.C. was laid out, a story behind the famous unfinished portrait of George Washington we all know so well, how bananas came in to popularity in the United States, the 1835 discovery of life on the Moon (which was actually when tabloid newspapers really caught on), the cookie cutter houses of post World War II, tales of the Pac-Man craze, and so many others.
  • Great Illustrations – The illustrations were all done by Roger Roth.  He did a great job of making illustrations appropriate to the situation, as some stories are funny and others are quite serious.
  • Large Time Span – Stories in the book range from 1565 through 2000.

What Doesn’t Work as Well for Our Family:

  • All Stories Have to be Previewed by Me – This is, of course, a good practice for any homeschooling material.  However, it is definitely a must with this book.  There are several stories that people might object to for a variety of reasons.  I have still found, however, that because I like this book so much, I don’t mind having to preview stories before sharing them with the children.  We have only had to skip a couple of stories thus far.  One was just because I didn’t like the tone of the story, and another because I didn’t like the way that missionaries from our religious denomination were depicted.  (That being said, there are other mentions of that nature in the book that we read anyway and it was an interesting opportunity for dialogue with my kids.)
  • It is Not a History Textbook – It’s not fair to hold that against this book, as that is not its purpose.  However, I just say it to point out that it might not be a good choice for your history spine, unless you will be doing a lot of supplementing. For instance, Henry David Thoreau made the book, but the Gettysburg Address did not.

Details About the Book

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, as long as you are willing to always be reading a little ahead of your children. However, even if something was read that you don’t agree with, I think it offers up a great opportunity for dialogue about why your family might not agree with a story (or just an aspect of a story).

Angie can be found writing at Many Little Blessings about faith, family, and household management topics.  Angie is also the founder of The Homeschool Classroom and Catholic Mothers Online.

Map Skills by Continental Press

 Elementary, Geography  1 Response »
Jul 052010
 

I feel a bit like a nerd to share this, but one thing that I always loved working on while I was in school was map skills.  I thought it was most fun when those maps were brightly colored, having always been a pretty visual kind of gal.  I was thrilled, then, to find the Map Skills series from Continental Press, which is available from a variety of online stores.

Pros:

  • Affordable – Because each level is just a thin workbook (though it is full color), the price for each level is very reasonable (the prices vary by the places I found them)
  • Optional Teacher’s Guide/Answer Key – The teacher’s guide/answer key is also very inexpensive, as it is just paper (no cover) and is only around 20 pages long (varies by level, I imagine).  The Teacher’s Guide gives information about the student objective for each page, as well as introductory activities and often extension activities.  There is also, of course, a section of the booklet that is an answer key.
  • Visually Appealing – The student workbooks are full color.  This makes the maps easier to read, and is also just fun to look at.
  • Easy to Understand Instructions – Assignments can be done with minimal adult assistance, if desired, once a child understands the basic concepts.
  • Wide Range of Grades/Levels Available – Continental Press makes these books in Levels B – G, which they say are for 2nd grade through 8th grade.

Cons:

  • Length – Although this is a non-issue with me, if you are wanting to do a couple of pages each week for an entire school year, you will have to buy more than one level.  However, if you are happy with one page per week (or a couple of pages every other week), then one level will be enough for one school year.
  • Can Be Difficult to Find (if you want to combine shipping on your homeschooling order) – I wasn’t able to find this program carried at many of the bigger homeschooling websites.  I easily found it, however, through the Continental Press Website, Amazon (through third party sellers, though some are selling cheaper than CP’s website), and Catholic Heritage Curricula (though it is not a religious based program).

Angie is the founder of Many Little Blessings, The Homeschool Classroom, Catholic Mothers Online, and Catholic Gadget.  She also might need to make a map to find her bed soon.

Draw and Tell Bible and Saint Stories

 Art, Elementary, Preschool  1 Response »
Jun 182010
 

I am not the world’s best artist. As a matter of fact, my idea of drawing people usually involves a whole lot of “stick” lines, and perhaps a set of triangles put together to make a bow, as well as some eyelashes, to indicate which of those stick figures is a girl.

Because of this deficit in the area of drawing, I was thrilled when I was in a religious book store one day and found these fabulous books – Bible Stories to Draw and Tell and Draw and Tell Saints.

For every story in the books, there is a step-by-step simple drawing for the reader to draw as they read. For instance, in a story about The Creation (from Genesis), it shows you that you read, “A long, long, long time ago there was nothing, nothing except GOD.” When you read this, it shows that you draw a single circle. The story progresses, and for each passage, it shows you what to draw next. At the end of each story, you are left with the drawing that you have worked on throughout and a question to ask the kids. For instance, with this story, you end up with a drawing of faces of a boy and a girl. And, at this point, the story has progressed to the point when God made people. So, the question to ask the kids is “What do you think God made?” (And the answer is people.)

Each book has a number of stories in them. The Bible Stories book includes 25 stories — starting with And It Was Good (A Creation Story) and ending with He is Risen, with all of your favorite Old and New Testament stories in between.

The Saints book includes 17 stories — Archangels, St. Blase, Blessed Damien of Molokai, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Joan of Arc, St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph, St. Juan Diego, St. Julie Billiart, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Katharine Drexel, St. Mark, St. Nicholas, St. Patrick, St. Peter Claver, and St. Therese of Lisieux.

We really love these books, and have such a fun time drawing them up on our dry erase board. The kids enjoy hearing the stories in a unique way, and I enjoy feeling like I’m not a drawing flunkie.  Another bonus of these books is that the drawings are simple enough that older siblings can do religion instruction with younger siblings through these stories as well.

Do you have any untraditional ways to teach religion to your kids?

-When Angie isn’t drawing eye lashes on stick figures, she can be found writing about faith, family, and household management at Many Little Blessings.

Get Your Hands on Learning!

 Art, Charlotte Mason, Elementary, Geography, Hands On, History, Language Arts, Unit study resources, Unschooling, Writing  2 Responses »
May 272010
 

I have recently had the pleasure to read the first e-book by Kris, the widely read author of the blog Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.  The book, in true WUSH fashion, features games, projects, learning centers, and presentations all with a focus on hands on learning.

Get Your Hands on Learning! has four main sections, as well as an appendix full of even more information.  The sections include:

  • Projects: Papier-mache Model, Salt Dough Map, Cookie Dough Map, Ongoing Studies
  • Games: Bingo, Memory/Matching, Go Fish, Board Games
  • Learning Centers: Writing Center, Preschool Learning Centers, Mini-Offices
  • Presentations: Around the World Day, Night at the Museum Party, The Castle Presentation Board, Knights Shields and Swords
  • Appendix: Helpful Websites, Basic Papier-mache Paste Recipe, Basic Salt Dough Recipe, Fifty State Friday Resources, Blank Bingo Card, Reading Bingo Card, Learning Center Resources, Hands-on Activities to Enhance Any Study, Narration, Paper Bag Report

What I Liked:

  • Great Variety – There is a great variety of activities in this e-book, which can appeal to both the families that don’t mind mess, as well as the families that avoid it like the plague.  It’s a nice reminder that hand-on doesn’t have to mean messy, but it can.
  • Step-by-Step Directions – Things like the word “papier-mache” give me hives.  However, with Kris’ easy to understand, step-by-step instructions, it makes me a little less nervous.  The layout, in general, makes it easy to read and follow.
  • Lots of Full Color Photographs – Because I am a visual learning, the combination of photographs with the step-by-step directions are exactly what I would need to execute these projects.  It’s also always nice to see what a finished project should look like.
  • Length of Book – At 50 pages, this is a book that I felt comfortable sitting down and reading in one sitting.  Not that I can’t read a book that will take me many sessions over several days (because of other commitments), but it’s nice when I can sit down and just finish a book.
  • Well Organized – I enjoyed that the activities are each in their own section, so that when I want to implement an idea, I don’t have to skim back through the whole book to find what I was looking for.
  • Reasonably Priced – At only $7.95 for an immediate download, this e-book is competitively priced compared to other e-books that I have purchased.

What I Would Change:

  • It’s Just What I Was Looking For – This e-book was exactly what I anticipated it would be, so I couldn’t really think of anything that I would have changed.

Get Your Hands on Learning! is available for immediate download for $7.95 at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.


Disclosures: I received this e-book for free in order to review it, although I had planned to buy it before receiving it for free.  Although I have been a fan of Kris’ blog for several years, in interest of full disclosure — I am the founder/editor of The Homeschool Classroom where Kris is a writer.

Angie is a university trained elementary and special ed teacher turned eclectic homeschooler.  She can be found working at Many Little Blessings, The Homeschool Classroom, and Catholic Mothers Online.  It is also very likely that if you find her, she will be tired.

Wordly Wise 3000

 Elementary, Language Arts, Vocabulary  14 Responses »
May 192010
 

This year, we decided to add in more branches of language arts into our schooling.  One of the things that I felt we were lacking was in vocabulary.  I was thrilled to add in Wordly Wise 3000 (Second Edition), in which we are currently using Book 3.

While I can only speak for Book 3, since it’s all we have used, hopefully readers might chime in with any differences in other levels.

In Wordly Wise 3000 (Book 3), the general lesson make up is as follows:

  • It starts with either two or three pages of vocabulary words for that lesson.  (Each vocabulary word  lists the word, part of speech, definition(s), and a sample sentence that uses that word.)
  • Five to six exercises that work on identifying the meaning of the vocabulary words and applying them in a variety of manners

We are already sure that we will be continuing to use Wordly Wise next school year, and I will also introduce their lower levels to my daughter who will be starting kindergarten in the fall.

What I Like About Wordly Wise 3000:

  • A variety of exercises – Because Wordly Wise uses a variety of types of exercises in the workbook to help understand and apply meaning, it can meet the needs of a variety of learners.  From simple matching to reading it in passages to crossword puzzles, words are more easily remembered and applied.
  • Can be shortened – If we don’t have time to do all of the exercises for a word list, I don’t feel like I have cheated the kids if we do three of the exercises, instead of five, for instance.  The kids still seem to get just about as much out of it.  We just need that kind of flexibility sometimes.
  • Independent work – I have my boys (though they are one grade apart) in the same book, and I let them work together on Wordly Wise.  However, I rarely have to assist them.  Directions are clear and easy for kids to follow.  Also, because many exercises are the same format, they know what to expect when given directions.
  • Increased vocabulary – This is probably obvious, but since we are studying new words, they will often try to use some of their new vocabulary in conversation.
  • Appropriate Length – I sometimes stress when we can’t finish a whole book in a school year.  It may not be right, but if I plan that we can and then we can’t, I practically get hives over it.  With 15 lessons (each with 5 – 6 exercises), it is very possible to do this book in one school year.
  • Website – Though we haven’t used the Wordly Wise 3000 website, there is one and there are review games for each lesson (and each book) on it!  In writing this, I found that they also read aloud the word lists, which is perfect for struggling readers (especially those with learning disabilities).

What I Would Change:

  • Nothing – I like to try to highlight something I would change about a book or resource in a review,  but I just can’t think of anything at all.  If I got very picky, I might say that I would prefer it to be spiral bound to allow for easier opening, but that’s just picky.

I would definitely recommend Wordly Wise 3000 to friends who wanted to infuse vocabulary lessons into their language arts program.

Angie is a university trained elementary and special ed teacher turned eclectic homeschooler.  She can be found working at Many Little Blessings, The Homeschool Classroom, Catholic Mothers Online, and Homeschool Lifestyle Media.  It is also very likely that if you find her, she will be tired.

Horizons Math

 Elementary, Mathematics  6 Responses »
Mar 292010
 

One of the few curriculum choices that we haven’t changed in our two years of homeschooling is our math program.  Although we came very close to trying out Math U See, we realized that Horizons Math is working for us, and if something is working for us, we need to keep it!

What I Like About Horizons Math:

  • Spiral Approach – Because of having some children who has difficulty with new concepts, it is nice to have new ideas given just a bit at a time.  Concepts are introduced in a more basic way first, and then details are added in more as time goes on.  In addition to this, as concepts are learned, they are reviewed many times.
  • Repetition – As mentioned above, I like that there is a lot of repetition in Horizons Math.  My kids (just like most kids) will forget concepts if they don’t practice them regularly.
  • Easy to Use – Directions are generally pretty straight forward and can be easily understood by the children.  I rarely have times when I say, “What do they want you to do here?”  If I do, the teacher’s guide is well organized.  (Here’s my confession – I only use the teacher’s guide for the answer key, though they do have a guide to follow for each lesson, as well as extra practice sheets.)
  • New Material at Beginning of Lesson - When new concepts are introduced, they tend to be at the very top of the first page of the lesson (lessons tend to be two pages long, until higher levels).  The reason I list this as a plus is because the children tend to be able to work more independently after working with a parent in the first section.
  • Built in Testing – Every ten lessons, there is a test.  I grade only the tests, and just glance through lessons.  This means that we have a nice way to see how the kids are doing without making up our own tests.  In addition to this, though we don’t give keep grades currently, we could easily come up with a math grade if we needed it.

What I Would Change:

  • Not Quite as Much Repetition – I love the repetition for review, but sometimes it’s just too much.  The nice part about this is that it is easy to just cross out some of the review problems.  It is not uncommon for me to have the kids do only one or two problems when there is a whole row of something that they have done many times, while my best friend lets her kids totally skip those rows of problems that they have down pat.
  • Graphics Sometimes in the Way – I really enjoy that there are color graphics in the Horizons Math books, but sometimes they don’t have anything to do with the page and we would prefer to have a little extra room for figuring out problems.
  • Hard to Finish in 180 Days – With 160 lessons and 16 tests, there is very little wiggle room for finishing a year’s worth of lessons in one school year.  This sometimes causes me stress, so I would love it if there were only 150 lessons and 15 tests.  This would free us up for field trips and other math projects on 15 days of the school year without falling behind in our math books.  (In two years, I have yet to finish a level with the kids in one school year.)
  • Roman Numerals – If you have a great love of Roman numerals, you would love that Horizons Math uses them not infrequently.  Personally, I want the kids to know the very basics of Roman numerals and then to not worry about them.  We just cross them out when we see them.

Other Information:

  • Pricing – Pricing varies on different levels.  Books can also be purchased individually or as a set.  A set includes a teacher’s edition (some levels include two books for this) as well as two workbooks for the school year.
  • Grades Available – Horizons Math is available for Kindergarten through 6th grade.
  • Lessons – As mentioned above, each level includes 160 lessons and 16 tests (one test every ten lessons).
  • Book Availability – Books can be purchased separately or as part of a set.  This is great if you are using this program with multiple children, as you can use the same teacher’s guide over and over, and just buy new workbooks – two are needed for each school year.  (Though workbooks are sold online for $14 per book, I was able to find some last year at a homeschooling convention for $10 per book last year.  For three kids, that is a savings of $24!)

We plan to continue using Horizons Math again for next school year, which will make it one of the programs that we stuck with this longest, along with our grammar program.  I have also recommended it to several friends and new homeschoolers as an easy to understand and implement math program.

Angie can be found writing about faith, family, and household management topics at Many Little Blessings.  She is also the founder of The Homeschool Classroom and Catholic Mothers Online, as well as the co-founder of Homeschool Lifestyle Media.

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