Preschool » The Curriculum Choice

Stack the States App Review

Apps, Elementary, Geography, High School, History & Geography, Middle School, Preschool 1 Response »

Jan 302012

The iPad has become a teaching tool. Educational apps abound, with an amazing variety of subjects available. In the geography category, we have Stack the States by Dan Russell-Pinson.

Stack the States is both fun and educational; a game that uses some of the best mobile features – interaction and manipulation. While learning about the 50 states by answering questions about them, this app requires critical thinking skills as well. Your brainpower is tested in your ability to stack your states successfully.

Pin It

My First Science Kit

Elementary, Preschool, Science No Responses »

Jan 252012

My five-year-old son received My 1St Science Kit – The Science of Color from his grandma and grandpa for Christmas. We were both excited but I had no idea it would be “the” source of motivation for school every single day for a week!

What was so motivating? The goodies my son found in the box. Hands down. Giant, plastic test tubes, pipettes, little plastic cups, a mixing tray, a (tiny) magnifying glass, color tints and growing crystals made him feel like a real scientist!

The kit includes enough materials for 10 experiments relating to color. Most experiments allow your child to observe the effects of mixing primary colors, while a few involve water-absorbing crystals. All the experiments are very elementary, but we’re talking about using them with children who are under 2nd grade, so they should be elementary. After so many engaging experiments about color mixing, my son has a very good grasp on primary and secondary colors.

Could I ditch the fun test tubes and do most of the experiments with materials found at home? Yes. But, I’m telling you, something about the kit turned my son from a mildly-interested-science-experiment-kid into Eli, Super Scientist Extraordinaire! Plus, the supplies can be used over and over again as long as you have some extra food coloring on hand.

Pin It

Geography Songs

Elementary, Geography, Middle School, Preschool 3 Responses »

Jan 062012

You know how, in secret societies, people recognize each other by a sign, a gesture, or a word? Well, that’s how I used to feel about Geography Songs.

You’d just have to start, “North A-MER-i-ca,” and any homeschooler nearby would join in, “South A-MER-i-ca!” That’s how we could tell who homeschooled.

I haven’t heard much about this CD lately, and that’s a pity because it’s one of the catchiest ways to learn basic geography facts. In over thirty songs with accompanying outline maps, Kathy Troxel teaches names and locations of countries of the world, as well as oceans, planets, and states of the US. Some songs are just listings of names. Others also tell about the culture of an area.

The music is light, cheerful and catchy, occasionally even tying in with the culture of the countries in the song. It remains pleasant even after hearing it hundreds of times…and that is important.

My children begged to listen to it. If children color the map while they are listening (mine don’t like coloring), they will learn the locations even more quickly. In any case, this is a great basis for any geography study.

Our version is old but the CD has been newly updated and includes a large world map as well.

Listen to samples and buy at Audio Memory or download individual songs from Amazon.

-Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate. You can read her other Curriculum Choice reviews here.

Pin It

Explode the Code

Elementary, Language Arts, Online, Phonics, Preschool 1 Response »

Dec 072011

Explode the Code is a phonics based program I consider invaluable in helping my daughter learn to read!

The series starts with three Primers, all introducing the child to the consonants sounds and written letters. Then the series moves on to the vowels and basic phonics patterns in Book 1 and Book 2. The best thing was that my daughter loved doing it! First thing in the morning, she would ask for her Explode the Code book.

This program did not require any prep on my part. All I needed to do was read any new letter sounds out loud, or read her “listening sentences” for her to write down. And of course, celebrate the learning!

We started with the Primers in kindergarten. Some families choose to do these in the preschool years. The primer workbooks are entitled Get Ready, Get Set, and Go for the Code. These books, full of child drawn illustrations, really caught my daughter’s eyes. Meanwhile, she was learning all the lower case letters and sounds.

The primers prepared her for the first official book in the series, Explode the Code, Book 1. Each lesson followed the same format with the fun child illustrations. My daughter quickly became independent in her work. Through reading, spelling, writing and copying, she prepared herself for early readers. She was so proud of herself.

Explode the Code then goes on to Book 2. (There are also additional workbooks labeled 1/2, such as Book 1 & ½ for extra practice). Following the same consistent pattern, the series progressed to more advanced phonics, such as consonant blends and phonetic patterns, preparing the child for intermediate reading. The consistent format and layout of the lessons helped make the learning easy.

As we continued in the series, with Book 3, Book 4, etc, my daughter strengthened her phonics skills and her reading. These more advanced books included breaking words into syllables, diagraphs, three letter blends, diphthongs, etc. These concepts were all laid out in an easily understandable manner and could still be done independently.

The Explode the Code offers a series through Book 8. We chose to work through Book 5, which, in my opinion, gave my daughter a solid foundation in phonics. She also became a good speller. I would highly recommend Explode the Code for any family looking for a well thought out and FUN phonics program.

Where to find Explode the Code: For more information, please visit Explode the Code online or view the entire line of workbooks here.

~Written by Betsy, an experienced homeschooler who likes waldorf-inspired approaches and uses unit studies in her homeschool.

Hands And Hearts Curriculum

Elementary, Hands On, High School, History, Middle School, Mom Helps, Preschool 2 Responses »

Nov 282011

It’s a well-known fact that we learn best by immersion. When we’re studying a foreign language, it’s recommended that at some point, we fully immerse ourselves into the language and culture to learn and absorb more. But, when it’s time to study history, learning by immersion can be a little tricky. We don’t always have the resources (or, time!) to re-create a version of the past to immerse ourselves in and most history textbooks leave much to be desired.

So, what’s a family to do?

Recreating the past has just gotten easier with Hands and Hearts. When I stumbled across Hands and Hearts History Kits, I was sold after reading what came in the kits. Each kit is jam-packed with everything you’d need to do projects from the past as well as a CD with printable instructions and background history – making learning so much fun!

For example, the Early American History Kit included everything I needed for the following activities:

(as stated on the website…)

Dip candles: This kit contains 100% pure beeswax and natural wicking. Your child is sure to enjoy creating his own hand-dipped candles, then eating or studying by candlelight.

Craft an apple pomander: After reading about the importance of fragrant herbs in early America, your child will enjoy creating a spicy-smelling apple pomander.

Make and play the Bowl Game: The Bowl Game was a favorite game for many Indian tribes, and it was a favorite for our testers as well!. Your child will paint the wooden playing pieces, then enjoy playing the game with others. Comprehensive math tie-in projects are included.

Prepare and drink black brick tea: Think you know about the Boston Tea Party? Think again! We don’t want to ruin the surprise, but you may never look at tea the same way after trying a cup of this brew!

Create a talking feather: No, this feather isn’t going to start chatting with you. A talking feather was a decorated ceremonial feather used by Indians during gatherings. Only the person holding the feather was allowed to talk. Your child will be delighted to create his own talking feather using an imitation eagle feather, real buffalo bone beads, genuine rabbit fur, leather, artificial sinew, and more. You will be delighted with the lessons he will learn about social graces!

Stitch a lavender sachet: Your child be so proud of making this fragrant and beautiful sachet made with lovely dried lavender and attractive calico fabric. The time spent stitching it will give him or her a glimpse of the work that went into creating clothing and linens long ago.

String a bone cross necklace: This amazing necklace is made from a hand-carved bone cross and authentic glass tile beads.

Decorate and play a bamboo flute: This simple toy was enjoyed by many children long ago, and your child will enjoy decorating his own bamboo flute with leather and genuine glass crow beads. He will enjoy playing it even more!

Learn about the importance of beads in early American history: You and your child will be fascinated by our section on beads. We include a bag of genuine imported lampwork beads, trading and valuing information, and several bead projects from which to choose.

Create a wonderful keepsake notebook: We include a packet of reproducible notebook pages, information on notebooking, and specific notebooking suggestions.

Learn timeless language lessons: Our copywork section draws from classic sources such as The New England Primer, the founding fathers, and more.

Study the geography of early America: Our Early American History Discovery Kit includes maps from Knowledge Quest, Inc., and comprehensive, easy-to-implement lesson plans co-authored by Terri Johnson of Knowledge Quest, Inc. and Kate Estes of Hands and Hearts.

Hide God’s Word in his heart: Our exclusive Bible Truths Cards will help your child discern important Bible truths drawn from the KJV and the New England Primer.
This kit includes a comprehensive instruction manual containing full background information for every project, and clear step-by-step illustrated instructions. Everything you need to do all of these projects is right in the box – *you need only to provide an apple and two empty metal cans (like soup cans). All materials are of the very highest quality and are extremely historically accurate. Your child won’t just be learning about history – he will be living it!

Each kit – whether you want to learn about Ancient Egypt or Ancient Greece and Rome – are full of learning possibilities and everything you would need for the activities. Most kits are between $39.95 and $69.95, which is well worth it when you consider the contents are provided as are the CDs with instructions and history lessons – and, the gas you didn’t have to waste while trying to find similar items.

Bottom Line – Would I Recommend It?
Yes! It’s a great time-saver and packed full of fun ideas. Of course, you could put your own kits together, but in my opinion – these are reasonably priced and make things a lot easier and faster!

-Written by Ashley. Find more of Ashley’s writings and reflections on motherhood, marriage and life on her blog.

Science Is Simple

Elementary, Hands On, Nature Study, Preschool, Science 1 Response »

Oct 142011

Science is Simple

Why, yes it can be!

With two little ones – a Kindergartner and a toddler, science needs to STAY simple. Both of my girls are hands-on learners, so that makes science REALLY fun in our house!

Because my girls are young, and because I believe exploration and hands-on activities (especially science!) is best, Science Is Simple is a great book for us!

Written by Peggy Ashbrook and having won the Learning Magazine’s Teachers’ Choice Award, Science Is Simple divides its experiments into lessons.

What Kinds Of Lessons Will My Child Learn From This Book?

Of course, just like with any tools or curriculum, it really depends on how you present the material and their curiosity, but here are a few of the great “lessons” listed in the Table of Contents:

Magnets and Testing Hypotheses
Year-Round Gardening
What Do Seeds Need To Grow
Why Do Some Tree Leaves Change Color?
Stretch Your Senses on a Walk To A Nearby Park
Compost Critters
Spring-Flowering Bulbs…Are Planted In The Fall
Corn and an Introduction to the Globe
Winter Birds
What is Melting
What Can the Wind Do?

Why Is This Book Different From Other Science Textbooks?

Well, first off, it isn’t a textbook! Second, it’s written for Preschoolers and Kindergartners (although the activities can definitely be altered for older kids if you have siblings involved).

Science is Simple contains over 250 Activities and each Lesson is divided into different sections that give you tips for presenting the material to your child. And, if you struggle with what to say or the questions to ask, this book covers that too! Also included in each lesson is a section on other activity ideas and book ideas beyond the experiments to help supplement what they just learned.

Would I Recommend This Book?

Definitely! This is one of those resources that we’ll continue to use with all of our children. Whether you are a home-educator or you teach in a classroom, it’s great!

PS – Want to see one of our experiments from the book? Check out our mantis babies!

-Written by Ashley. Find more of Ashley’s writings and reflections on motherhood, marriage and life on her blog.

All About Learning Press Readers

Elementary, Language Arts, Living books, Preschool, Reading No Responses »

Oct 072011

My beginning readers are children who have been raised on a wide variety of literature, from Dora the Explorer books (which do not really count as literature) to classics like Heidi and everything in between. As they have begun learning to read one thing I have tried to find are beautiful books on their level. I’m sorry, I’ve seen those beginning readers where the whole story is 3 or 4 words repeated in different combinations with varying punctuation. You know, ones that say:

“A cat?
A cat.
A mat.
A cat sat.
Cat on mat.
Cat sat.”

My children very quickly made it clear that those insipid readers were not worth their time and effort. I heartily agreed. On the other end of the spectrum you find beginning readers that include a whole list of ‘sight words’, words the child is simply expected to memorize by sight so they can read a story. Most of these sight words are, in fact, able to be decoded once you learn the spelling rules, but with a beginning reader I want to find beautiful stories that do not depend on a list of sight words outside the child’s reading level. Imagine my excitement two years ago when I discovered the readers put out by All About Learning Press, publishers of the All About Spelling curriculum.

We own all the readers available at this point. They are beautiful! The illustrations tell an often funny story, one that goes beyond the beginning reader text. Even at this very early level a story is not limited to 3-5 words repeated over and over. Currently there are 3 readers for level 1 and two available for level 2.

Our most recent purchase is the Run, Bug, Run! reader. In the 157 pages the only words that were not ‘short vowels’, and therefore completely decodable for my beginning readers, were “the” and “A”. A quick talk about open syllables and closed syllables explained why the vowels had long sounds. My 5 and 6 year old both love these readers. Even the 3 year old is beginning the sound out letters from this reader. The artwork is simply beautiful, and the stories are original and sweet. (You can read a sample story HERE.)

Every family has different tastes in reading material. Finding books for beginning readers can often be frustrating. If you are looking for beautiful books for a beginning reader be sure to check out the samples for each book in this series!

Tristan is the happily homeschooling mother to 6 blessings age 9, 6, 5, 3, 1, and 2 months old. You can drop in and visit anytime over at her blog, Our Busy Homeschool.

Anno’s Math Books

Charlotte Mason, Elementary, Living books, Mathematics, Middle School, Preschool 5 Responses »

Sep 262011

It is very difficult to find living math books that present complex topics in an accessible way. One math author whose books we have learned to love is Mitsumasa Anno. Anno believes “that mathematics is more than merely manipulating numbers, it is a way of thinking, and that it has bearing on all scholastic subjects, indeed on all forms of creative thought.” Children throughout the world have enjoyed his award-winning picture books.

We regularly borrow Anno’s books from the library and indulge ourselves. When very young, my children enjoyed the whimsical illustrations while the older children are intrigued by the puzzles and concepts. As a math-loving mom, I’m delighted at the way advanced concepts such functions or factorials are presented. Children comprehend much more than they are given credit for; having enjoyed a concept with Anno, they will be able to understand it so much better when it is introduced in math lessons.

Anno’s many math books include:

Anno’s Math Games

In four pictorial chapters of games and puzzles, Anno presents the ideas of

same and different
combining and assembling
numbers, ordering and coordinate systems
more and less.

In an afterword, Anno discusses the concepts presented in each chapter. Our children have always loved tall Kriss and tubby Kross as they work, ponder, and experiment.

Anno’s Math Games 2

Full of mathematical ideas, this is a fascinating book of games for children. Anno’s whimsical drawings illustrate ideas such as

cause and effect (functions)
differences and similarities
dots and pixels
counting and tabulation
volume and units.

Anno’s Math Games 3

This book was every bit as good as the others, but I cannot tell you the details since it is no longer available in our library.

Anno’s Magic Seeds

An old man gave Jack 2 large golden seeds. “These are magic,” he said. “Bake one seed in the oven until it is red and then eat it. You will not be hungry again for a whole year.” The other seed was to be planted and would produce two more seeds. How Jack fared with his seeds, the big decision he made, and what happened next is a fascinating story driven by math, but representing much of history as well. While children can understand it, adults can continue to ponder it for a long time.

Anno’s Counting Book

With a growing column of cubes on the left side of the page, and a large number on the right, Anno shows the development of a small village. On each successive page, spread throughout the year, the village increases by one child, one building, and one tree. Each picture is full of small stories such as building a railroad, photographing a wedding, or fishing, as well as many examples of the number. There are opportunities for adding, such as when three of the geese on the number 4 page lag far behind the other one, and for thinking about sets, and other concepts. Though it is a counting book, it is also much more.

Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar

Inside the jar there was water, and there seemed to be just enough wind to set the water rippling…and suddenly we are inside the jar, on a sea, sailing toward 1 island. On it there are 2 countries. Fascinating pictures tell the story of factorials in the first half of the book, and Anno explains them explicitly in the second half.

Besides math books, Anno has also created many other amazing volumes, and we’ve enjoyed each one we’ve seen.

Disclosure: As always, I am not compensated for my reviews and I give my own honest opinions.

-Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate. You can read her other Curriculum Choice reviews here.

Time 4 Learning

Elementary, Online, Preschool, Reading No Responses »

Sep 192011

What Is Time 4 Learning?

Time 4 Learning is an online curriculum for PreK – 8th Graders. It can be used to complement their current curriculum or as an entire curriculum in itself to cover language arts, math, science, and social studies.

My Thoughts:

The Positive –

Age appropriate “cartoons” teach the lessons. Lorelei (age 4) and I tested out several different grade levels to see the differences in each. As the grade level goes up, so does the appropriateness of the “cartoons.”
The lessons were fun for Lorelei. She generally enjoys school and learning anyhow, but these were easily presented as games for the most part.
The ability to move at your own pace within grade levels and even beyond.
Easy enough for a 3.5 year old to know how to move to the next lesson and within lessons (easy navigation)
Slow and repetitive (great for younger or slower learners)
Parents are able to see progress reports for their child’s work and set time limits for child to be on the program.
Enhances computer skills
Provides lessons plans and extra printable worksheets

The negative -

Parents can’t select certain lessons to show or not show on a child’s page – would be a helpful option so the parent can let child do “assignments” instead of possibly wandering. Also, would be helpful to not repeat lessons already learned.
Repetitive and slow – great for slower learners, not so great for those who catch on more quickly.
Not what I would consider a complete curriculum – except maybe the Pre-K could possibly stand alone. Time 4 Learning lesson plans are correlated to the learning standards for all 50 states, however I believe there are some things that need to be hands-on and covered in more depth.
Not enough reaction time before the lesson will begin repeating itself. Lorelei would sometimes get very frustrated because she didn’t have enough time to make her decision and click.
Price – Their prices are always available to change, so please check to see what their current pricing is set at. Currently (at time of posting), their program cost about $20 per month for the first child ($14.95 for second child). So, for us, that would be $240 for one year.

My Final Thoughts:

While Lorelei did enjoy the program, it wasn’t right for our family after we considered the yearly cost and the completeness of this particular program compared to what we needed for her. However, if it was less expensive, we might consider it as a “fun activity” to complement her learning. Also, I’m not very comfortable with her being on the computer for a large amount of time – whether it’s schoolwork or not.

Is it for you and your family? You decide. Check out Time 4 Learning and their lesson demos for free!

Disclaimer: I received Time 4 Learning as part of a review. Like always, my thoughts and opinions are my own and are not swayed in any way.

Written by Ashley. Find more of Ashley’s writings and reflections on motherhood, marriage and life on her blog.

Primary Arts of Language: Reading

Elementary, Language Arts, Phonics, Preschool, Reading 1 Response »

Sep 142011

Wow. What a curriculum! Primary Arts of Language: Reading by Jill Pike of Excellence in Writing has put together a fantastic set of materials for teaching reading to your little one.

Using the “blended sound-sight” method of phonics skills and sight words-based education with a playful, game-like approach, children are intended to have fun and progress rapidly at the same time.

There are four stages to the program:

Foundations – Phonics rules and sight words are introduced through games and manipulatives. This stage is very parent-led with mom or dad teaching how to play the games, use the manipulatives and use time wisely. Later in the program, your child will become a more independent learner through the intensive training you offer during this stage.
Activity Time – This stage continues in adding new phonics rules and sight words to your child’s “arsenal”, but also expects independent and partner time to practice the games and manipulatives previously learned.
Discovery – This stage comes after your child has a good grasp of phonetic decoding skills. Your child is given small stacks of word cards daily and asked to independently work on decoding (reading) the words. Once decoded, he comes to you to read them aloud.
The Library – In this final stage, you simply provide appropriate books from a list of easy, medium and hard books for your child to read. He is expected to read the book aloud with you and again on his own at first, until progressing to simply reading on his own or aloud to siblings.

As all of the stages are progressing, there is a general theme of daily activities followed: poetry, journal, phonics and printing/composition. A poem becomes the “centerpiece” of each lesson with the same poem being used for several days. During this time your child will develop rich language, comprehension strategies, memorization skills and begin to internalize writing techniques. Phonics skills are taught and practiced in a variety of ways:

The Phonetic Farm is a full-color folder picturing a farm in which your child adds sticker characters to help remember and organize all the phonics rules he’ll learn throughout the program. (It’s super-cute and lots of fun adding the stickers to the folder!)
Phonics Games of all sorts are provided for lessons and independent practice of phonics rules. You’ll find the games printed in the back of the teacher’s manual for your to cut, color and paste. So that putting together all the games isn’t overwhelming, you’re encouraged to create the games with your child as each is introduced.
The Sight Word Card Game is created by you on index cards and used in various ways suggested through the lessons to increase your child’s sight word recognition.

The author has also written The Primary Arts of Language: Writing (which I’ll review at another time for you) that should be used concurrently with this curriculum if your child is old enough to learn to print – around five. She suggests that you use the two programs concurrently even if your child is a little younger, limiting the handwriting expected if necessary. The journal and printing/composition portions of daily lessons come from the writing curriculum.

You are provided with a Teacher’s Manual that includes very clear and concise daily lessons plans for 80 lessons. It also includes appendixes of a scope and sequence chart, phonogram chart, poems used in the lessons, alphabetical list of words used in readers, homophones list, chart of words in each discovery card pack, and a list of readers to check out or purchase. The discovery cards are also printed on green card stock in the back of the book for you to cut apart.

A book of Phonetic Games provides you with “game boards” printed on regular paper that you cut, color and paste into folders. Game pieces for each game are printed on card stock. Again, you must cut and color the pieces, then decide how you will affix the pieces to the game board for use over and over again. (A baggie or envelope attached to the back of the folders works well.) You make the games as they are introduced in the lessons, so the construction isn’t overwhelming, and in the end you have an arsenal of phonetic games that your child will be expected to practice throughout the program.

The curriculum set also comes with a DVD-ROM including the author walking you through the program step-by-step as well as many extras like MP3 seminars. But, the best part is two full PDF books of 200+ student worksheets to supplement the daily lessons, as well as four printable early readers.

I tell ya, even with the extra bit of effort it takes to put together the games and print off the student pages from the DVD-ROM, this curriculum is worth it! My little guy is in K4 (will be five in a few months) and is responding well so far. We’re taking it slower than her suggested schedule but he’s doing great and loving the games!

Watch for my review of the companion writing program soon!

-Cindy West is an eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of three kids in high school, middle school and K4. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her NaturExplorers and other creative curriculum at Shining Dawn Books.

(Cindy was given a free copy of this curriculum for review upon her request. As always, she shares only her honest opinion.)