Early Reading that is Fun and Engaging!

Kids love to solve mysteries, even if they come within a short spurt of a sentence. What Am I ? by Marie Rippel and Renee LaTulippe gives early readers just such page turning fun in their level 2, volume 1 book. These are the same folks that put out the "All About Spelling" program that some of you may be familiar with. They recently sent me a copy of two of their Readers, from their "All About Reading" program, for review. Even though my students are well past the “early reader” stage, I enjoyed perusing the pages of What Am I ? (which I will review first) and soaked in the beautiful, rich sketches that graced the pages. 

As with most early readers, the words are short and mostly one syllable to begin. Weaving various stories that, in one way or another, ask the reader to deduce who is talking or what is being described, this particular book slowly progresses in its complexity. There is a delightful variety of stories and poems to hold a child’s interest with a gradual increase in difficulty, easing the reader from one syllable words written with only a few sentences per page, to small paragraphs sprinkled with greater word challenges. 

I can see young readers really digging in and exploring these stories, delighting in playing detective, absorbing the lovely illustrations as they go. From cover to cover, this little gem imparts innocent fun that kids shall want to return to again and again. For those that are too young to read, the stories and poems will provide sweet little moments for mother and child to investigate together.

Here’s a short poem that I found particularly playful:

In My Backpack

“A frog.

A flag.

A hotdog.

A bag.

A rock from the creek.

A sandwich from last week.

A secret map to find gold.

A cute pumpkin you can hold.

The wing of a bee.

Seeds I got for free.

A bike spoke that is bent.

But no...not even a cent.”

Some selections are longer, written in story form; others are brief like the poem above, ensuring that your child will probably ask to read more! This particular book is part of a new series of Readers to be released as a set in fall of 2010. However,  What Am I? will be available to grace your collection on April 12th for $19.95. This hardcover, winsome book is one of those that will likely be saved to be explored, once again, with the grandkids. If that makes you feel rather old, then think of it as a worthwhile deposit for your child's hope-chest! Click here to obtain your copy anytime after April the 12th.

Math Galaxy, Providing a Universe of Math Practice!

Math Galaxy is a stellar math program that would work alongside any sort of math curriculum your child is using. Designed for grades K-12, I was able to choose (in exchange for my review) just what my kids needed, for their particular ability level.

The key to Math Galaxy is user friendly, repetitive practice…something you almost can’t get enough of when learning concepts that continue to build on each other. The beauty in this program is its capability to generate a NEW worksheet page, every time your child uses it! That makes for unlimited practice without the possibility of memorizing the worksheet answers. Furthermore, with each worksheet, there is an option to generate step-by-step explanations or just the answer.

Using bright graphics (that are a bit on the old fashioned side, not cutting edge like the latest video games) and with the added option of using riddles or games, Math Galaxy should easily hold student’s interest. They also specialize in using visual examples to help make abstract ideas more concrete. In fact, they have really tried to make that leap from the elementary math to the higher levels as painless as possible, linking back to familiar concepts and giving as much practice as needed within every area.

Here is a quote from their website philosophy that I found rang true (and I figured I would butcher it if I tried to restate it!):

“Unlike most math textbooks, which throw a mass of material at the student, Math Galaxy focuses student attention on concepts sequentially and interactively, based upon the ideas behind math manipulatives (such as counting blocks) and connecting new concepts to familiar experiences. Unlike most math software, it goes beyond simple games, low-level operations or rule memorization to link familiar and concrete experiences to higher-level processes. It goes beyond physical math manipulatives by linking each physical operation to its mathematical counterpart at each step, and by allowing manipulations that are difficult to do with physical manipulatives. It stresses concepts that run throughout all of basic math to provide basic understanding rather than memorized rules. Our goal is to provide students a foundation for analytical thinking in the modern world and for higher-level math and science.”

There really is a plethora of options within each category. For example, within the heading of Fractions, there are 14 specific sub-categories that you can choose from, such as: reducing fractions, word problems, volume, and pictographs, to name a few. If that isn’t enough, you also have the option of making a worksheet that uses riddles or other sorts of games using each of these sub-categories! That’s adds up to a bunch of practice, folks! (“Bunch” is a technical math term, used in those higher levels of math, in case you didn’t realize it- hee-hee).

You can order a CD that contains all of these choices that will run on your computer for $29.95 (free shipping!). Furthermore, you can order an eBook of only riddles for specific subjects that will download right on your computer for $14.95. And, on top of all these choices, there are many categories on the homepage of Math Galaxy that you can generate and do through the internet. In fact, why not try it now, and see all of the choices by clicking here, and see what you think? I’m telling you…it’s out of this world!

Review of a Beguiling Romantic Mystery!

Chick Lit is not my favorite genre, but I did enjoy A Bride in the Bargain by Deanne Gist when I reviewed it last year. So, when given the opportunity to review Ms. Gist’s latest novel, Beguiled, one she collaborated on with mystery writer J. Mark Bertrand, I was expecting good things. (And, it doesn’t hurt that mystery is my favorite genre when reading for sheer escapism). 

Riley Monroe is a dogwalker in the charming city of Charleston, South Carolina. Though she once hailed from the old money that now pays her bills, Riley is content to live meagerly in order to afford a quality nursing facility for her grandmother that raised her. Her Nonie is all the family she has since her dad walked out at age 5 causing her mother to swallow a bottle of sleeping pills, a few days later, in grief.

Riley values her client’s trust and is dependent upon their steady income to take care of Nonie. So, when a series of break-ins begin in the homes of her clients, she is angry and a bit paranoid, especially when she returns from walking a dog to discover the burglar is upstairs committing his crime! The peculiar thing about this criminal’s mode of operandi is that he only takes one item, (of lower monetary value-- but high on the sentimentality scale-- compared to other items in the home), and then donates his item to charity. Obviously, this guy is trying to make some sort of statement.

A local reporter, Logan Woods, dubs this dude the “Robin Hood Burglar” and begins to snoop around, trying to get into his head. One of the obvious connections is the beautiful dogwalker, Riley, who just happens to have keys to nearly every mansion that has been burglarized.  The police have noticed the connection as well and begin to wonder if the Robin Hood Burglar may be a she rather than a he. After all, this struggling young woman used to be one of the very elite that she now works for...could she be harboring some resentment about how life has turned out for her? Logan Woods doesn’t think so, at least not when he’s around the girl, the occasional red-flag eclipsed by her beauty and innocent personality. 

For the most part, Beguiled offers a good read, providing a nice balance of romance and mystery. The characters flesh out and the authors let the story unfold at a pace that keeps the reader turning pages. I will say that I did not care for the first several chapters of character development, in which the descriptions of the opposite sex, when encountering one another, were littered with unrealistic, rather gratuitous adjectives that were a bit over the top (not licentious, mind you, just quixotic). Frankly, I don’t think total strangers, no matter how attractive they are to one another, notice every little rippling muscle and toffee flecked glimmer of the eyes that the author’s felt necessary to include. Those descriptions felt forced and as if they were solely threaded in to attract a certain female audience that lives on the shallow side of vain. These descriptions, along with designer “name dropping”, kept me from believing the characters for who they were and made me feel like I was being advertised to: this is a cool and relevant book with beautiful characters, all wrapped in a clean-cut Christian package!  Thankfully, that changed as the book progressed, which made the the early encounters seem that much more unnatural.

I know my little blog doesn’t stir much dust in the realm of the world of publishing, but it is my hope that someone at Bethany House publishing will read this and take note that it’s readership doesn’t need to have character’s cheapened in such a way. 

Overall, Beguiled is an intriguing mystery that causes you to care about the characters as you try and connect the dots to figure out what all the subtleties could mean. I know a collaboration must offer it’s own unique set of challenges but the authors really complimented one another well and I hope they will consider another book together, down the road!

Engaging History Curriculum with a Classical Approach

It’s that time of year again...when we homeschool mom’s have to look to next year and begin to figure out just what our students will be doing then (while still keeping an eye on what they are doing now! Aren’t we amazing?!!!). With my youngest going into 7th grade, I am all for curriculum that she can do (mostly) on her own; but with her personality type in mind...it cannot be just a straightforward textbook or she’ll be miserable!

Thankfully, Pandia Press sent me a copy of History Odyssey: Early Modern by Kathleen Desmarais for me to review, and I have been happy to check off “history/geography/writing” curriculum from my list! With a classical approach, History Odyssey: Early Modern will give my daughter detailed lessons that will lay a good foundation in this period of history (1600-1850 AD). Intended for 6th grade and above, this curriculum integrates whole books along with the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia and The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem Van Loon as the basis for study. My daughter will enjoy a varied palate of activities that will be filed into a notebook that she will compile over the course of the year. 

There is a healthy emphasis on outlining and writing essays as well as note taking, keeping a timeline, writing biographies, and learning geography in this curriculum. In fact, the cover of the book states that it is “a literature based study guide combining history, geography and writing” (however a basic writing course prior to using this material is recommended because it does not delve deeply into logistics; assignments assume there is some basic knowledge of structure). Although some parental oversight will be needed, it really looks like a program she can take initiative with, understanding what is required from each lesson. There is quite a bit of reading involved so, if that is a struggle for your student, you may need to be more hands on in that area. The maps and workbook pages are all included in the appendix and are reproducible for your child, which is always a plus. Another feature I appreciate is that the material was sent unbound, but three-hole punched, ready to be placed into a notebook! Way to make life easier, Pandia Press! (I just realized that there are a list of vendors on the Pandia Press Website that carry the paper versions of the book. However, you can instantly buy all of their curriculum as an eBook that will download directly to your computer, just printing out the pages you need. You can decide which version will be best for your school).

History Odyssey: Early Modern is one of many history curriculums offered on their website, utilizing the Classical approach (written for the logic and rhetoric stage). They also offer science curriculum. See for yourself what they carry, and enjoy the "try before you buy" feature by clicking here. You will get a full years curriculum, for $28.99 -$33.99 depending on the particular history time period you buy, this price is for the eBooks, there is not a price given for the paper versions, but there are connections on site to those that carry them. Also realize that you will need to purchase the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia and The Story of Mankind, as well as purchasing or checking out from the library about a dozen other books for reading through the year. For the sake of interest and retention, this is the best fit for my student and will be worth every penny!

There's a "Mapp" for That!

Ever watch your man study a map? There’s just an intensity there, wheels visibly turning, all the parts falling into place as the big picture becomes focused. Then, there’s the favorite map of females everywhere... the mall directory with a great big red star that proclaims: “you are here!”. Maps are important; maps give perspective; and maps are a big part of understanding the larger scope of history, especially for kids.

Homeschool in the Woods recently sent me their wonderful maps to review and I am excited to share them with you! As your kids study the past, maps will help to provide a big “red star” of sorts, that let’s them know that this important event happened “here”...and helps them to reflect the past back to their own spot on the map, to see how that relates to them currently.

If you have been homeschooling for any length of time, you know you can’t underestimate the power of a good, handy map! Much time can be wasted on the internet looking for just the right one, with certain borders or features, or from a particular time period. Or, like me, you may own a book of maps that are reproducible...but you can’t quite get the book flat enough in the copy machine to print out one decent piece of paper minus a dark, foggy line up one side...argh!

Argh no more! Homeschool in the Woods has thought of everything for your mapping needs. Their Olde World Style United States Maps come in so many format choices, there should certainly be something for everyone. From U.S. maps that show physical features or political borders, to maps that display Colonial America or Slave/Free states, there seems to be a map for any and every need. You also have the flexibility of having a map with or without labels, enabling you to print from your computer just the right amount of info and leave off things you want your child to fill in. 

The folks at Homeschool in the Woods suggest printing these maps on manila or parchment to give an old world feel, there are other tips for creating beautiful yet functional maps, as well. There are also pages to print for various labels, flags, notebook covers (to create a nice, personalized map book) and more. They’ve even included bonus notebook pages for you to use containing state facts, and special sheets for lap-books too!

But wait! There’s more! Forgive the sales pitch, but I have only given you half of the story as far as the offerings from Homeschool in the Woods is concerned. Besides the thorough options for mapping the U.S. (more than I have mentioned), there are equally amazing maps for charting the rest of the world. 

It would take up too much space to list all of the maps you can print for studies with their Olde World Style Modern and Ancient World Maps, but let me just throw some out there (besides the obvious maps that one would expect in such a collection, there’s many more that you will find useful). For instance, there are maps for ancient Rome, the twelve tribes of Israel, Paul’s missionary journeys and the Ancient Viking World, to name a few. Furthermore, there are modern maps, timelines, and maps for oceans too.

The notebook pages available with the World Maps are well rounded, spurring on creative ways to make history or geography come alive. There are pages for Explorers, Flora and Fauna, Languages, Holidays, and more! Your kids can make travel brochures for places they are studying with the Brochure templates. There are also printouts that look like scrolls, or pages to help your student write a report. The plethora of choices gives a whole new meaning to “thorough”. Homeschool in the Woods seems to have covered all bases and I am very thankful to have their maps available on my computer, to print out just what I need, just how I need it...without a big black smudge across the edge! I hope I have piqued your interest enough that you will check out these offerings, as well as many other helpful history and timeline products, including free unit studies, available on their website: here. At just $18.95 each (downloaded straight to computer, or for $1 more you can have it in a CD format) or $28.95 for both sets (add $1 for the CD) these maps are an investment in your school with paybacks every time you hit that “print” button.

Psssst! Homeschool Library Builder is a Resource You Need...Pass it on!

A few moments at a homeschool book-fair and any newbie can deduce that curriculum is not a one size fits all affair. So how unusual and refreshing to find a homeschooling website that has something to offer everyone! Best of all, membership is free!

Homeschool Library Builder is truly a benefit to anyone in the realm of homeschooling that uses those highly sought after items: books! New, used or specified, this site is a great first stop when hoping to find a book your child needs, they even will let you search by curricula. Looking for a rare, hard to find book? The staff at Homeschool Library Builder is even there to play detective if you need them. What a marvel! Or, how about a safe place to advertise to other homeschoolers about your homegrown business? There’s an app for that--er, um-- a place for that, rather, on this site, too!

Basically, Homeschool Library Builder is one of those sites you would like to pass on to everyone you know...or perhaps wish someone had already passed on to you. Better yet, when you share this site with your friends, you can earn money toward the purchase of books you need when they purchase books for themselves. All the info is on the site, when you click on this link. Check it out, it won’t bite and it will likely reel you in to browse their book selection, sign up for free as a member, and start reaping the benefits of being well connected to a truly helpful homeschooling source! And for a little icing on this already sweet cake...a portion of the proceeds from the site go to help various ministries, making this an eternal investment as well. Homeschool Library Builder is a win, win situation for everyone!

Graphics Toolbox: Discover the Creative Graphic Possibilities!

“Brilliant”, “creative”, “limitless” and (dare I say?) “genius” are words that come to mind when thinking about the possibilities that Graphics-Toolbox has to offer. Unfortunately, there are a couple of other words that tag along behind the first group, words like: “big learning curve”, “frustrating” and “huh?”.

Let me back up a bit. Awhile ago the amazing minds at Graphics-Toolbox contacted all of us on the TOS Crew to review their program that enables its users to design professional looking ________(fill in the blank with anything containing a photo and/or text in it) right from their home computer. Not only were they offering us a chance to try their software, but they were enthusiastically giving online sessions to show all of the wonderful things Graphics-Toolbox is capable of.

After viewing the first session, I was quite impressed and really pumped! In fact, this is probably my favorite product of the many fine things I have received thus far in my tenure as part of the Crew. And, I might add, even though I’ve yet to figure it out well enough to complete a single project (hence the “frustration”), I still say it’s my favorite.

Ok, let me back up a bit more...Lynda Holler, the founder of Graphics-Toolbox, spent 25 years working in the NYC fashion industry using powerful graphics software for textile and design. Having been spoiled by such software, she felt the void of no longer having such magic at her fingertips once she left the industry. She also knew she could still utilize such magic for a plethora of other things in this digital age, if only she could have such a program for home use.

Apparently a doer, rather than a dreamer, Lynda contacted William Tsao, the man who designed the "Colour Matters" software she enjoyed using so much (that also costs thousands of dollars, I might add!). Knowing that others would also love to have such potential to create amazing graphics from the comfort of their home, she and William set out to bring the affordable  Graphics-Toolbox to any home PC (just $149).

Fast forward to present day blog...my PC now has some of the coolest software ever, taunting me to let the creative juices flow. Thus far, I have tried and failed, but I will try again. I really hoped to have a cool example of what I made for show and tell with this blog, but as the deadline for this review looms close, my projects haven’t made it off the cutting room floor. I hope that I will have an example for you soon, but in the meantime there’s much you can look at on their website (link below).

The customer service offered is another component of the Graphics-Toolbox product that makes the investment worthwhile. They want you to learn how to use their software and get the most from it. Besides being able to watch videos on their website to train you to use their product (I have watched two thus far), they have been quick to answer questions I have emailed and even offered to walk with me through my snares and obstacles to get a finished product. As you might guess (due to lack of finished product), I have not been able to coordinate my free time with theirs in order to do that.

To this point, I feel I have not given you, the reader, a very good idea of what you can do with Graphics-Toolbox. That is a tough one because there’s a tremendous amount of tools to help you tackle any sort of graphic job you could possibly dream up! Scrapbook pages, school projects, and cards for all occasions may be some obvious ideas that spring to mind. But the possibilities are only limited by your imagaination. Report due for school or work? Resume? Business cards? Newsletter? What about a fun before and after picture in which you take subtle elements from the original picture of your son’s baseball team (let’s say a ball, a tennis shoe, and...oh...hmmm...people’s heads, maybe?) and swap them seamlessly around in a second photo, then pass them out as souvenirs to the team and see how many changes they can spot! Sound crazy? Well, that is actually one of the video demonstrations I watched. It is crazy! You really can clip out one person’s face and swap it with another’s. You can change the logo on someone’s shirt or just subtly change hair color. Add cool borders and text and it looks incredible!

One plan I have for this software is to take a picture of the side of my house and try different awnings (striped, solid, multicolor) and shutters from pictures I find on the internet, to see what will look the best before I purchase it. I can find a photo of an awning and very precisely cut it out and place it (enlarging and shrinking as necessary)on the photo of my home for a realistic idea of the finished product!  If we ever decide to paint our home, we could try any color we want and get an excellent idea of what it will look like in real life. Cool, eh?

I know, it doesn’t make much sense that I cannot quite work the software, and yet here I am bragging about how great it is! Let’s just say, it isn’t the software, it’s me. Well, maybe a bit of both. There is just a tremendous amount of variety in the tools. So many colors to choose from (or you can mix your own), so many ways to cut out an area, erase something, center an image and fill in the background...or is there? So many of the tools do something similar to their counterpart but they aren’t precisely what I want, and even after looking at the manual (which is large and seemingly thorough, yet still being misinterpreted by me when I refer to it), I cannot quite get the effect that I am after. However, I am certain that it is a worthwhile endeavor-- sort of like learning to drive a stick-shift car-- complicated at first, but in the end, it flows easily and you're glad you made the effort!

That said, the ability to create just about any amazing project is sitting there on my computer, I just haven’t mastered it yet (hence the “learning curve”). But I am still stoked about the possiblities and so are my children. I had them watch one of the videos with me and they were truly excited to try Graphics-Toolbox as well. Unfortunately, they hit the same road blocks that I did. (Which makes me feel better about my skills...apparently it isn’t just me). But I am confident that with time and effort we can all utilize this tool for so many projects and we will be glad to have it at our disposal.

I honestly believe you will be too! Once purchased, the software is installed on your computer for good and should pay for itself repeatedly in professional looking reports, fabulous scrapbooks, impressive projects and personalized cards that others will treasure for years. Click here to go to the Graphics-Toolbox site and see for yourself what wonders you can create!

Be a Part of History: World Math Day and Guiness Book of World Records!

WORLD MATH DAY, MARCH 3rd, 2010 - SET TO BREAK A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD.



World Math Day is free and lots of FUN!


Join us in a celebration of numbers as students from
around the globe unite in their quest to set a world record in answering mental arithmetic questions. Be a part of this great education event involving more than 2 million students from over 200 countries.


It's Free and Fun!


• Brand NEW format.


• World Math Day is the education event for the world!


• Your students will love it! Be part of setting a world record!


• It will create an amazing buzz around Math


• Designed for all ages and ability levels. Simple to register and participate. All you need is internet access.


• Great prizes


• And it’s absolutely free!!

HURRY, registration closes March 2nd 2010


www.worldmathday.com

Wow! Our Forefathers Cut Their Teeth on Ray's Arithmetic!

Looking at the sad state of public education today, it isn’t any wonder to those of us that homeschool WHY we chose to homeschool. Certainly the lack of quality and content with the rise of value-based education had some sort of influence on your decision to home educate, (although I don’t presume it is the only reason for that decision). The American school system was not always such a squandering, time-waster that prepared kids to feel good about themselves no matter how poorly they performed (everyone gets a trophy!!!).


There was a time when American’s had the best education in the world. Standards were high and morals were higher. From approximately 1865 to 1916 everyone used the same textbook for math, reading, grammar and science.


“So why did the United States stop using them? It is a sad story: After WWI, John Dewey, the head of the Teachers College at Columbia University launched an all-out campaign to "reform" education. Dewey was a humanist, a socialist, and an atheist. He saw the McGuffey Readers and the entire EES as threats - they emphasize patriotism, traditional values, and the Bible. Dewey believed, in his own words, that public schools should be the "State established church." Dewey viciously attacked the textbooks of the day as "antiquated" and he was able to successfully bring about their demise, as well as the demise of quality public education.”


The above quote is brought to you by Dollar Homeschool Company. They are enabling homeschoolers of today to have the textbooks of yesterday. They sent me a free copy of Ray’s Arithmetic to review from the original Eclectic Education Series that early American's used in their one room schoolhouses.


I have seen McGuffey's Readers, and even had a copy of one of the Readers at some point during my early homeschooling years. I remember how charming, how innocent, how “non-fluff” they were. Yet, also challenging! I had not heard of Ray’s Arithmetic, however, until I received my copy from Dollar Homeschool Company.


Here’s my dilemma: I see the benefit of this rigorous curriculum, I see the lack of intensity that is often present in modern day curricula, and I really appreciate the availability of this material once again. However, if you are not a math-minded sort (which I definitely am not!), I cannot imagine the structure of this math curricula giving you anything but stress.


I feel like the hunter that kills Bambi’s dad saying this; but there’s just no way I could use Ray’s Arithmetic. There are absolutely no visual cues, and it is written much like verses in the Bible. I have never seen math problems in paragraph form until now. Rather than problems separated by space, there are just problems written one after the other for the entire lesson. Although there are directions to use counters such as beans or marbles (in arithmetic, for example), there are not any examples for students to refer to. This would just drive me crazy, as a student or an adult!


I so appreciate what Dollar Homeschool Company is trying to do by bringing back Ray’s Arithmetic, but I also think they may be wise to consider a revised version, in which examples are added and space is provided to have a visual “rest” between problems. Being a visual learner, I would really struggle to do the curriculum as is.


That said, I realize that we are all not alike in our mental wiring. There are probably plenty of you that would see the great potential in this style of textbook and method of learning. After all, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” right? Well, the American education system certainly wasn’t broke before Mr. Dewey came along with his “bright” ideas. I guess I would have figured it out or flunked out as a child back in the day when Ray’s Arithmetic was the only way to do things! I know I would have just adapted in that time period, but I must say I am thankful that I have other choices now.


I will say that if you have a love for all things yesteryear, you should at least give a look to the charming material that Dollar Homeschool carries. The McGuffey’s series is easy to use and has beautiful, old fashioned illustrations as well as providing a solid English foundation. There’s grammar, history and science as well, all at exceptional prices. Ray’s Arithmetic is a phenomenal bargain, giving you the entire collection of textbooks: that’s 12 core textbooks, plus teacher’s manuals, as well as other interesting math texts, such as Surveying and Navigation and Bookkeeping all on one CD for just $59! You couldn’t touch that price for anything similar. Even if it is just for curiosities sake, to peek at what our forefathers used to learn their subjects, I hope you will take a look at the website by clicking here. It is always interesting, to me, to see how other people think and how different we all are in the way that we learn. It will at least give you an appreciation for all the wonderful curriculum choices we have today, and perhaps persuade you to take a stab at the curricula of yesterday, too!

Math Score Takes Your Child to the Next Level, and the Next, and the Next...

Where were all of these math programs when I was struggling through math as a child? Ok, if you want to get technical, I am old. At least too old to have had access to computers for more than learning DOS, and there certainly WASN’T an internet when I was in school. So, I guess that explains it; I’m old. I need to get over it, I suppose.

I have been homeschooling for13 years now and I can see a huge difference in what is being offered in the math realm for students in more recent years, as opposed to the choices even five years ago. Homeschooling parents no longer need to be a math whiz to make one out of their students. With programs like Math Score, kids can move ahead at their own pace, concentrate on topics that make them frustrated, practice on a huge variety of subjects, and all the while parents can sit back and watch the results (or at least read about them in the handy reports that are emailed to you!).

So, what is Math Score? It is a completely internet based math site that requires zero installation on your computer. No software to malfunction or become dated when you buy a new computer. It was designed by some braniacs from MIT, which automatically means (to me) that they must have designed a pretty sweet website and thought of everything!  I think that seems quite likely as some of the topics are so specific, it never would have occurred to me (a non-braniac, NOT from MIT) to set up practice for some of these functions.

For example, there’s practice for things such as tally and pictographs (not sure what that is), odd or even theory (I know the odd and even part...not so sure about the theory), using parentheses (who doesn’t need more practice with that?!), Perimeter and Area of Composite Figures (huh?), and even batting averages! Wow, and that’s just a smidgeon of the topics that Math Score will give your students, from 1st grade through Algebra 1, the ability to practice. Of course, there are loads of the usuals to work through as well. In grade 6, for instance, there are 86 different things to choose from!

If you have read many of my reviews, you know I can get overwhelmed by having almost too much information and choices to wade through. I do feel a bit like that when I get on the website, but that is mostly due to my own wiring. And although there’s much to take in on Math Score, it is arranged very logically and there are links to help you learn to navigate and understand what you are looking at. 

My daughters jumped in with ease, taking assessments and getting started on the worksheets. My 6th grader really loved racing against the timer, and then trying again to  beat her last score. Each worksheet is generated right then, so there is never the same set of problems, and the software is intelligent enough to adjust the level of difficulty to your students progress. Within each topic are different levels, beginning with the basics of that subject and moving on to more complex problems. To move up a notch you must get a certain score, showing mastery in the basics before moving on. By the time all of the levels are complete, you can be fairly certain your child knows that topic!

Parents, you will receive frequent email updates from Math Score (or you can log in and check anytime) that show your child’s progress, what they have mastered, what they are working through and what may need some intervention if they just aren’t showing any grasp or cognizance in a certain area.

Furthermore, there is detailed information for you to know exactly when and for how long your student worked on each subject. Even beyond that, you will see actual working time on the subject in addition to the time logged in; in this way you can see the fruitful time spent learning the subject, not just time logged on but potentially goofing off. I told you they thought of everything!

Although it seems that Math Score is marketed more for serious math practice and skill building, most likely used with other curriculum, it would not be a stretch to see this site used exclusively as a math curriculum as well. With sample problems and step by step solutions, most subjects could likely be grasped through the support offered on each topic. In fact, if you explore the parent section of their website, you can read how Math Score is working in just such a way for homeschooling families.

Of course, one nice thing about the internet based programs is that they usually offer a free trial, so you can really see whether their product will meet your needs. You can check Math Score for yourself, as well as sign up for a free trial by clicking here. If you like what you see, a membership costs just $9.95 per month for the first student, $5.00 for the second and $3.95 for each additional child. I would encourage you to peruse the site and just read up on the information given to see all that is offered by purchasing Math Score. I feel smarter just looking at it!

Math Tutor...Affordable and Specialized Math Help!

Ahhh, Math! Just the sound of the word...gives me hives and sends me into a panic-- especially if I am supposed to teach it!!! Thankfully, there are more and more homeschooling math products available to help those mathematically challenged mother’s like myself!

I would say, that beyond being intimidated by math in general, I find word problems especially troubling, particularly when they get just a wee bit complex. It is rather humbling to help your child through a problem only to arrive at the wrong answer! 

Recently Math Tutor sent me a couple of DVD’s to review and one of them just happened to be “The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor.” In this set of 2 DVD’s, Jason Gibson walks math students through 8 hours of word problem instruction. (Oh glee! Pop some popcorn and put that baby in the player! LOL) From the most basic of word problems (addition) through much more complex calculations such as dividing fractions or decimals, Mr. Gibson leads the students step by step through each word problem. 

Since the DVD is divided into chapters for word problems using a certain math function, the DVD can easily be used as a resource that is specific to a problem (“I don’t understand when I am supposed to subtract...”) or can be used systematically to build in complexity through the course of a school year. (In other words, it isn’t intended to be used all at once! Put the popcorn back...).

This video is definitely not a high-tech media blitz. However, such graphics really aren’t needed. It is a lot like being in a classroom, with the teacher at the front of the room explaining things on the white board. (Ok, in my day, it would have been a chalk board!). No bells and whistles here, just straightforward explanations from an easy to listen to math teacher. 

After a short explanation of the terms and what hints within a problem to look for, Mr. Gibson jumps in, reading a word problem (which is also shown on the screen), and solving it on the white board. He does a good job of walking students through the different steps and explaining what is necessary to structure the problem correctly. He then solves the problem (with neat handwriting). It would be a good idea to have your child write down and solve the problems along with Jason Gibson. It would have been nice to be able to print out the problems in each section and give kids the choice to try some of them as they go along and become more comfortable with these sort of problems.

The only other suggestions I would have for future DVD’s (assuming that Mr. Gibson will read this, be struck by my genius, and incorporate it next time), is to write the “keywords” on the board, as he calls them out, giving a visual child (like me) an extra advantage by getting to see his hints. For instance, if keywords such as “altogether”, “the sum”, and “how many in all” are clues that the problem is addition, then take a moment to write those on the board as they are explained, letting the visual learner take it in via the best manner possible.

Furthermore, it would be my recommendation to have a small music stand or podium nearby for Mr. Gibson to place his notes and pages of problems that he is working from. I found the way he waved the pages around as he talked a bit distracting (did I mention that I am visual?).

However, those are small items that don’t take much away from the big picture of leading kids through the toil of word problems. Truly, this is a most important concept to be grasped in math, since it parallels the sort of math problems we all use in day to day life.

The other DVD that was sent to me was sweet, delightful and lovely to watch. “Young Minds, Numbers and Counting” is geared toward the preschooler that is just learning their numbers. However, this video was not the parental-torture trap that many DVD’s can be for this age group! Set to beautiful classical music, and using vivid nature photos and video clips, the DVD takes its time exploring the beauty of creation while identifying “how many” things are in the particular photo/video. 

The quality of each image is National Geographic-good. A clear and innocent child’s voice counts and identifies objects for the viewer. The pace is slow and leisurely, giving time to soak up the beauty and concept. No wonder this DVD has won several awards including a DR. TOY award for one of the top 10 Audio/Visual products. There are also some simple games/puzzles included in the bonus material of this DVD that reinforce the concepts, such as dot to dots that are solved while counting from 1 to 10.

“Basic Math Word Problems” sells for $26.99, (Strangely, I cannot find anything on the website about the "Young Minds DVD. I will contact the company and update this blog when I get the info-- sorry!) If there are other math subjects that stump you or your child, there are MANY other Math Tutor videos on a wide range of subjects, including advance math, carried on the Math Tutor website. You can even watch samples of the DVDs to get a feel for how they work. Check out all of the helpful products by clicking here.