Reading Success Mini Books – Word Families

 Age, Elementary, Language Arts, Phonics, Preschool, Reading, Vocabulary  1 Response »
Apr 062012
 

One day, while doing phonics with my first grader, I realized that we needed a break from our regular curriculum – for both of us. My daughter understood the concepts in her phonics book but was just becoming tired of it. I wanted reading to be enjoyable and hands on! I searched our local teacher’s bookstore. I found a book that worked for us: Scholastic’s Reading Success Mini Books – Word Families.

This book turned reading into fun by helping my daughter make her own Word Family Mini Books. Now, I could have developed this activity myself but I liked the way this book made the whole thing easier for me and fun for my daughter! All that is needed to make the Mini Books is a pair of scissors, some crayons and felt pens, if desired. There are 20 Word family Mini Books to make in all.

Benefits:

  • Builds your child’s reading vocabulary through learning word families.
  • Includes all the pages that you need to make 20 Interactive Mini-Books to read aloud, color and collect.
  • Each book features the same sounding word ending, such as ack, ag, am, ape, ing, ink, ug ump, etc, thereby teaching the concepts of word families.
  • This offers practice in writing and reading word families, with lines to write in.
  • Includes illustrations of each rhyming word, ideal for students who like to color.
  • Builds self-confidence through hands-on learning.

My daughter not only enjoyed making her mini books, but also loved sharing them. She prided herself on her writing, and enjoyed reading it out loud all to her family – especially to her dad at dinner!  This gave her a feeling of confidence in the sometimes difficult process of learning to read. And being the author of the book herself didn’t hurt! My favorite experience with this book was when my daughter would read her word family mini books to her dolls! (I think they must have learned a lot too!)

When we returned to our regular phonics curriculum, my daughter had not only gained new vocabulary words but also brought with her new confidence to the whole process of reading!

For more information, please go to www.scholastic.com.

If you are looking for a nice, hands on break from the usual, I recommend Word Families – Reading Success Mini-Books for any of your early readers.

Look for more reviews of other Scholastic books for young learners by this author.

~Betsy lives with her husband, daughter and two cats near Puget Sound in the northwest.  A waldorf-inspired and unit study-loving homeschooler, she offers Homeschool Consulting to new families at Jane Sproger.

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Letter Writer Oceans App Review

 Apps, Elementary, Handwriting, Phonics, Science & Technology  No Responses »
Feb 272012
 

Both the iPhone and the iPad have become teaching tools. Educational apps abound, with an amazing variety of subjects available. This month, we look at the Language Arts category, with Letter Writer Ocean by Barking Dog Interactive.

Letter Writer Ocean is another engaging title; a game that uses the iOS technology to teach writing. It is geared toward preschoolers who are just beginning to write.  It teaches the correct method of writing the letters of the alphabet. You dive beneath the ocean surface to find the letters floating below.

The object of the game is to “draw” the letters correctly.  The letters float beneath the ocean’s surface, and tapping on a letter causes it to float alone on the screen.  A friendly fish guides your finger to the correct starting point.  As you drag your finger along the letter’s lines, the friendly fish follows your finger–as long as you correctly follow the lines of the letter.

 

After successfully completing a letter, you earn a starfish.  After earning four starfish, a poem about the letter is unlocked.  Tapping an open book on the screen, the app reads the poem about the letter.

There are different animated backgrounds for each letter, with undersea adventures occurring behind every practice letter.

Letter Writer Ocean is a simple app that teaches an important skill.  Our preschoolers love using it.

Enjoy this video of the game.

  • Available from the iTunes store for .99
  • iPhone app which can also be enjoyed on the iPad. “Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.2 or later.”
  • View screen shots at Barking Dog Interactive.
  • You might also like Letter Writer Space, which “does for astronomy and the space program what Oceans does for oceanography.“

~Steve keeps busy with five children and a job in information security. He has a second job as principal of the Hodgepodge homeschool and also writes for Habits for a Happy Home and Passionate Purposeful Parenting.

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Ooka Island Adventure

 Elementary, Hands On, Online, Phonics, Preschool, Reading  No Responses »
Feb 242012
 

Since I have a struggling reader, I am always looking for tools to assist her achieve  Ooka Island is not intended for struggling readers solely.  It is a computer game designed to teach early literacy skills.  The visual and fun way Ooka Island uses can appeal to preschool through Kindergarteners.  It even appeals to my struggling reader.  Her confidence grows in the area due to her achievements on Ooka Island.

Here is the breakdown:

Product: Ooka Island Adventure

Format: Downloadable Computer Game

Ages: 3 to 7

Focus: Literacy, Phonics

Use: Supplement to any reading program, extra practice, fun and learning game

Rating: 5 out of 5 golden pencils

What is Ooka Island?

Learning early literacy skills was never so much fun!  The game teaches phonics and letter/sound recognition. A friendly robot named Zobot guides your child in a mission on Ooka Island.  Your child will visit the Cave of Sounds, Alphabet Mountain, Bubbly Troubly and more!  Once your child visits Popcorn Mountain she will get the chance to read books.

What did I love?

  • An approach to teaching literacy that breaks the code of reading.
  • It may be fun but it does teach foundations that a child will use in reading development.
  • Each game centers on a skill that builds upon another skill until your child begins to read.
  • Build confidence in young readers.
  • The staff is quick to respond to customers and easy to work with.
  • My 6 year old asks to play daily alongside her 3 year old sister and both are learning at respective rates.
  • Improvement in my daughter’s literacy skills.

 

Richele is an eclectic homeschooling mom to four reflections of God’s love whose greatest accomplishment thus far was teaching physics, folding laundry, and playing Candyland simultaneously.  Find her blogging at Under the Golden Apple Tree.

K5 Learning

 Elementary, Language Arts, Logic, Mathematics, Online, Phonics, Reading, Spelling, Uncategorized  2 Responses »
Jan 182012
 

To be honest, when I was approached about writing a review for K5 Learning, I was going to pass. We just haven’t liked any online sites that we have tried. I decided it was only fair to give it a quick look before saying no, and my five-year-old was immediately drawn into the site. I responded to the request with a yes.

We started with the recommended learning assessment, to see where my son scored on grade level, so the program could correctly place him to start the program. The assessment has a variety of levels given within it. Some answers will be too easy, others too hard. This is the only way the program can know where your child is in his learning.  However, I wish there was a button for parents to choose “does not apply”, as my son correctly answered some questions he had no clue about, just by chance.  Once the assessment is over, the parent can log in to see where your child was placed. Evan scored 1st grade, and he is in Kindergarten. (I thought he was reading above K!) After the program knows where your child’s skill level is, you are ready to learn.

The layout is attractive and inviting. Evan has really enjoyed learning his lessons with this program. I wanted to share with you a few examples of the curriculum in action, to give a better idea of what a lesson looks like.

The pros:

These lessons aren’t full of games and a little education, your child will really learn:

  • phonetic awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary and reading comprehension.
  • numbers and operations, geometry, measurement (including time and money), algebraic thinking and data analysis.
  • basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. (with monitored progress for mastery)
  • spelling-you can even assign your own word lists.

Other positives:

  • works for special needs learners.
  • parents have access to learning reports to track progress.
  • the lessons adjust to your child’s individual learning automatically.

 

 

{my favorite part of the lesson}

  • Each lesson also has a preview of sorts that explains what you are about to learn and how to answer. I really like that about the program.

{this math lesson was challenging, but enjoyable}

{we apparently needed this, as Evan asked if dragons were real!}

The con:

This online curriculum has some great positives and I am glad we were invited to try it. I do have one negative to give, however:

When we went to work on the math facts for mastery, we found they are timed drills. Drills makes sense for older children – but Evan is five, with little keyboard skills. He never could get fast enough to pass, even though he answered all of the questions correctly.

 

As you can see, 0 were answered quickly enough, but all were correct. It had nothing to do with knowing the facts. I do wish the curriculum had thought of smaller children with little hands and no knowledge of why the numbers don’t go in order on mommy’s computer pad. Evan couldn’t understand why he didn’t pass when he knew all of the answers.

The rest of this site is great, so we will likely just be skipping this section unless that aspect is changed. Overall, it is a great program with true learning as the star. It is just fun enough to keep Evan from feeling overwhelmed, but this isn’t busy work. I would definitely recommend this if you have any interest in computer learning.

Purchase info:

  • After the trial ends, the monthly subscription for one child is $25 or you can purchase one year for one child for $199.  K5 Learning has a free 14 day trial that doesn’t require your credit card to begin. (I love that.)
  • I would recommend giving the free 14 day trial a try. Evan has really enjoyed this in the few weeks he has been using it. If we had the extra $25 in our budget, I would continue on when our subscription expires. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy K5 Learning this much. It has been a great addition to our day.

Sam's Noggin

**I was given a 3 month subscription in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

 

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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.

 

Primary Arts of Language: Writing

 Elementary, Handwriting, Phonics, Spelling, Writing  No Responses »
Nov 302011
 

This review is Part 2.  If you haven’t already read my review of Primary Arts of Language: Reading, please do so before continuing with this post.

Primary Arts of Language: Writing by Jill Pike of Excellence in Writing is the companion program to Primary Arts of Language: Reading.  While the reading program focuses on early phonics and reading skills, the writing program focuses on printing, beginning story writing, copy work and spelling.  Using the two programs combined gives you a complete and thorough language arts curriculum for the K-2nd grade student.

Primary Arts of Language: Writing is divided into three parts.

  • Part 1 introduces your child to printing using correct letter formation and story summaries.  Handwriting is taught in a variety of ways, most importantly through modeling by the parent.  (A DVD-ROM comes with the program which teaches you precisely how to teach your child.)  Letter stories are introduced to your child at the same time they are learning to write the letters to reinforce sounds the letters make.  After handwriting practice, your child gets to listen to simple stories and learn the fundamentals of comprehension through sequencing, and understanding characters, settings, plots and more.
  • Part 2 builds on handwriting fundamentals through copy work and begins spelling lessons using the very popular All About Spelling , Level 1.  (You can read my previous review of All About Spelling here or read Lynn’s review here.)  During copy work times, you will also discuss such things as punctuation and capitals.
  • Part 3 assumes that handwriting is now automatic, spelling is going well and story charting (characters, setting, etc.) is no problem.  If this is the case, your child will move into beginning composition.  These 16 final lessons are meant to ease your child into the basic units of the Institute for Excellence in Writing’s Teaching Writing: Structure and Style methods.  Your child will learn to take notes, summarize from the notes, create a story sequence and write creative stories.

You can certainly choose to move more slowly than the material suggests!  I am using Primary Arts of Language: Reading with my K4 at a slow pace.  My little guy is only ready for some of the handwriting lessons, so that’s all I plan to complete this year.  I’ll probably wait to use the remaining parts of the book until first grade, because I know he won’t be ready for copy work and composition until at least then.

Besides the daily lesson plans, the teacher’s guide also includes a scope and sequence of writing skills covered, several printable posters, charts and templates, and additional tips for teaching writing.  You also receive a DVD-ROM with video instruction on how to teach the lessons, audio seminars from writing teachers and the all-important printable student pages.

Just as the reading program, Primary Arts of Language: Writing is a fantastic program!  The only warning I might give…the reading and writing programs are meant to be used together.  My feeling is that the reading program can be started much earlier than the writing program.  I would be very weary about starting the writing program with a child younger than 1st grade, while the reading program can easily be started as early as K4.

-Cindy West is an eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of a high schooler, middle schooler and K4.  You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her NaturExplorers studies and other creative curricula at Shining Dawn Books.

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.)

 

 

My Father’s World: 1st grade

 Art, Bible, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Geography, Grammar, Hands On, Language Arts, Living books, Music, Nature Study, Phonics, Reading, Science, Spelling, Unit study resources  3 Responses »
Aug 222011
 

What immediately drew me to My Father’s World is that the curriculum is the fact that it is fairly stand alone. You purchase either the basic set or their deluxe set, and you are ready to go!  I adore this as our little library in this rural community really doesn’t have the variety or selection of books that we were used to in San Diego. This means filling in blanks or filling out a curriculum is a challenge now so a curriculum with most of the absolutely necessary books included was a huge plus to us.

However, like the true bibliophiles that we are, I wanted the option of having more, should we be able to find them. True to the Charlotte Mason element, the curriculum is surrounded by the “living books” concept so the usage of books is completely up to you.  I love that they include this in every year.

About My Father’s World 

mfw basicMy Father’s World isn’t just a Charlotte Mason style offering but rather a unique fusion of sorts, merging both “the best of Charlotte Mason, classical education, and unit studies with a Biblical worldview and international focus.”

My Father’s World offers grades K-2nd grade as a more independent, semi-stand alone element and then moves into a family 5 year cycle that works around a central theme. The 5 year cycle is specifically geared for multiple ages, for grades 2nd-8th so there is savings to be found as families with more than one child use the same program to teach all children in 2nd – 8th grade.

Year One Geography: Exploring Countries and Cultures
Year Two History: Creation to the Greeks
Year Three History: Rome to the Reformation
Year Four U.S./World History: Exploration to 1850
Year Five U.S./World History: 1850 to Modern Times

 

They also offer a bridge year called Adventures in My Father’s World, which is geared for families 2nd or 3rd graders who have no siblings in 4th – 8th grade.(We will be doing this program next year as I have a 4year old and a 7 year old.)

 

Our Adventure

Currently we are working our way though My Father’s World, 1st grade.  I adore this program as it is laid out in an easy to follow, daily workbook fashion.  It’s easy for me to combine the integrated social studies, science, art and Bible elements with both kids, while focusing independently on the phonics and math.  My boys love that they are learning together, doing the same things, despite their age and grade differences.

The curriculum does include a 1st grade phonics-based reading program that focuses on the Bible and more fun, hands-on math activities.  We include our own K4 phonics and and additional math program (Math U See) for both boys as I found their math not as intensive as I think it needs to be for the grade.

mfw craftsOne major element we always seemed to miss with our previous years curriculum was the arts; we simply didn’t always make time for them.

With My Father’s World, art, music, crafts,hands-on learning is a major part of the curriculum. Everything is planned out and outlined for you to see the day before so you can prep easily, using common household items most of the time.  My boys have enjoyed this more consistent addition to our learning and I have found they have better attitudes and have better lesson retention.

The only cons that I have experience thus far is that the 1st grade teachers book is only formatted with a daily lesson plan. It lacks the easy, one glace, weekly grid that their latter versions offer.  I also felt the math that is included is a bit weak for the age group so we needed to supplement an additional math program. Ultimately, minor things that we easily rectified.

For a full curriculum, It’s fairly affordable, especially when you compare it to larger, more known companies. For the 1st grade curriculum, you can elect to get their basic package for only $136.oo or their deluxe package for $239.00.  As the years grow in complexity, so does the number of books included which will contribute to a steady raise in the overall costs. However, remaining competitive and within reach for most families.

Overall, My Father’s World, or MFW, has been a blessing to our household. It’s affordable, fun, engaging and the children really do learn.

The Ordinary Parent’s Guide To Teaching Reading

 Phonics, Reading  4 Responses »
Aug 172011
 

This school year I am teaching my 5 year old, Evan, to read. In my short two years as a homeschooler, I had somehow collected about 8 books to teach reading, as well as a huge boxed reading curriculum. We went through the most widely recommended curriculum with Emma, now 7, and she hated them all.

Since we had such a difficult time with Emma, I wanted to try to avoid that with Evan. I went through all of my options and really looked at how each curriculum chose to teach a child to read. I then narrowed my choices down to three and went through them all, going through the lessons as if I were teaching Evan from them in that moment.

I quickly chose to go with The Ordinary Parent’s Guide To Teaching Reading, written by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington.

 

 

Although Evan has been watching Leap Frog videos for over a year, and knows that the letters have their sounds, he has really been learning a lot with this curriculum. I see him really “getting it” in a short time. He enjoys sitting down for every lesson, and we often do two at a time.

What a lesson looks like:

Evan and I take out our flashcards and review the sounds learned in previous lessons. I then introduce the newest letter and it’s sound and write it on our little white board. I then let him show me how to form the new letter. (He really enjoys that part.) We then follow the instruction laid out in the lesson and review what we have learned.

 

What I like about the curriculum:

  • The different methods for teaching reading are  explained. I had tried them all, except explicit phonics, which this curriculum uses.
  • No distracting pictures that give clues to what is written on the page.
  • The progression made sense to me.
  • Constant review of previous sounds in the beginning
  • Exceptions are addressed later in the curriculum, as to not confuse your child.
  • The price.

 

What I would change:

  • Simplify the pages. I would prefer that there be a separate teacher’s guide, and then a student text with what they need to read. I plan on highlighting each lesson to cause me less confusion in the future.

So far, that is my only negative. We are only 13 lessons in, and we have only been doing the alphabet sounds at this point, but I like it over every other program we used for Emma when I was teaching her to read.

The price for this curriculum is around $20.00 on Amazon. You can also purchase and see a preview of this curriculum on the Peace Hill Press website, as well as read some helpful information from Jessie Wise.

We also purchased, and I highly recommend, the flashcards that are available from Peace Hill Press. I printed mine out on card stock. They are really helpful, saved me the time making my own, and are only $5.95 to download. We also use them to play the memory games suggested at the end of each lesson.

I believe that after a long and expensive search, with The Ordinary Parent’s Guide To Teaching Reading, I have finally found the right curriculum to teach my children to read.

Now if I could only find “the one” for math!

Epi Kardia

 Bible, Biblical Principle Approach, Charlotte Mason, Elementary, Hands On, High School, History, Middle School, Phonics, Reading, Science, Unit study resources, Writing  4 Responses »
Jul 152011
 


Epi Kardia.

In Greek, it means “at the heart.”

To me, this curriculum gets right to the heart of what we want homeschooling to be in our family – a Christ-centered relationship and discipleship between parents and their children.

My Family’s Story

I’m continuously searching for the “best” curriculum for our needs, which are ever-changing.  Unfortunately, my small town leaves a lot desired when it comes to curriculum availability.  And, because I’m an incredibly visual and hands-on person, it’s hard for me to commit to buying things that I can’t thumb through.

I was recently given the chance to take a sneak peak at the Epi Kardia curriculum by the company.  It, along with a few others, had been bookmarked in my “check out later” file – so when the chance came along, I was giddy.  No lie.

Epi Kardia is a literature based Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling.  What does that mean?  Well, Epi Kardia uses the Bible to take your student through history.  But, wait.  If you think your student is just going to be memorizing passages, you are so wrong.  The folks at Epi Kardia have broken down a structured learning plan for each grade.  For example, if you choose the first set in the 1st Grade plan, you’re child will be learning about:  The Ancients, Middle Ages, Renaissance & Reformation.

With each topic, the Bible along with a variety of other christian and non-christian (but approved by Epi Kardia) books are used to help teach your child more about the subject he or she is supposed to be learning.  Because of it’s Charlotte Mason approach, Epi Kardia also includes a lot of copy-work and handwriting exercises.  It’s so impressive to see how they’ve really brought a myriad of important subjects (Bible, History/Reading, Science, English/Phonics, Arts) together in a wonderful education plan.

Quick Breakdown

The Pros-

  • Teaches Bible, History/Reading, Science, English/Phonics, Arts (some programs similar to this one do not teach science)
  • Included is a book list, complete with ISBN numbers
  • The plans leave plenty of time for “projects”
  • Costs about the same as its competitors’ programs ($250 for printed, $200 for CD)
  • Requires little planning as it’s all done for you!

The Cons-

  • It’s a Charlotte Mason approach, so if your child doesn’t learn well with this method, it may not be right for them.  (Although, if you’ve never tried it, I’d recommend it!)
  • It didn’t have quite as many projects as I’d like – I’m VERY hands on and project-oriented, as is my oldest.  But, this is easily remedied, and an extra project or two can be added to our schedule.  However, for those of you who aren’t insane about crafting and projects the way I am, they have the perfect amount.  Enough to teach a point without being overbearing for your schedule.
  • You’re actually going to have to go to the library or amazon.com to get the books.  Everything you need is not included in these plans (meaning, you’ll have to buy or borrow books from their book-lists).
  • The website can be a little confusing (navigation and figuring out which package entails what).

Would I use it?

Yes, yes I would.

Learn More:

To learn more, you can visit their website, check out their scope and sequence, or view a sample.

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

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