IXL ~ Online Math Practice

Math~ Love it or hate it, we all have to master it (Or suffer the consequences.....)
For kids who hate writing, workbooks, and "traditional" pencil and paper math practice, computer based programs are a boon. IXL is one such program, and one of our latest review items as part of the TOS Review Crew.

IXL is a standards-based online subscription math practice service, with a goal of helping your students exclaim that "I Excel at math!" (Just a note~ it took me awhile to "get" the "I Excel/ IXL" connection~ color me slow...)
There are thousands of math skills addressed from Pre-K - Algebra (Geometry, Trig, etc are in the "Coming soon" category).

Here is what we liked about this program: 

• Skills are practiced with a wide variety of question types, from multiple choice and fill in the blank to interactive responses. 
• In the Pre-K - 1st grade section the instructions are "audio-enabled"  by clicking on the "Volume" icon, so that even pre-reading and beginning readers are able to be fairly independent. 
• The student is given control over which topics they practice, which is not as much of a factor for my youngest, as he isn't reading the topics yet, but Middlest was very pleased to be able to skip around and work on skills of his choice.
• Immediate feedback for incorrect answers, with explanations~ Here are some screen shots from an example problem that I answered incorrectly (mind you, I did that on purpose, for the purpose of sharing how it works... ;) ): 

• The reports section helps me to see where each child needs improvement in those skills (At which point, I can just tell them which sets to practice for a bit~ ;) ) Here is a screenshot of a portion of my Middlest's report:

• You can see that he skipped around some (pie chart table shows problems from 6th-8th grade). In the Skills Practiced table I really like the "Time spent/Problems Attempted/Smartscore" columns. I particularly appreciate the highlighting in red of skills that need improvement as well as yellow for skills that are satisfactory, and  blue for skills that are good. This makes it very easy at a glance to see what needs work.

• Newsflash  and weekly reports that are sent directly to my email~ Here's an example~ "We're happy to say that Xxxx has been hard at work on IXL! Xxxx has answered 500 math problems so far. Print certificate. To view a full report, please sign in to IXL and click on the Reports tab. You'll be able to see how Xxxx is doing on each skill, and you and Xxxx can set new practice goals together." And for those little ones, the certificates are a great incentive! :) The weekly reports give you access to the exact problems that your students worked, and what their answers were~ this helps to pinpoint problem areas, as well as keep track of outstanding achievements. :)
  

• Another great incentive, particularly for the younger set (Although I have known my Eldest to be very "Competitive" when given "Achievements" to strive towards), is a chart with virtual prizes to be earned. All the pictures are earned prizes~ click on the picture and it will tell you how it was earned. The squares with a "?" tell the child which skills need to be mastered in order to earn that award. It's very helpful for those younger learners, as the skills are clickable links that bring them right to the practice page. 
• What Middlest particularly liked: The ability to try many different skills, including testing his skills in higher grade levels... :) 
• What Youngest particularly liked: "Mastering" skills and earning those sticker prizes.

Now for what we wish was different, and/or "other" comments 

• I think a "placement test" would be very helpful~ it would eliminate time spent on skills that have already been mastered. 
• Perhaps a different "Award system" for 5th or 6th grade and up, as filling in a sticker chart isn't really much of an incentive as they get older. I do think the certificates are nice, tho'.
• Important to note~ this appears to be not so much a teaching program as a practice program. The explanations are useful, but may not be enough to constitute a stand-alone program in every situation.

In general, we are fairly impressed and pleased with the IXL Program~ You can try 20 questions per day for free (but keep in mind that there are no reports available, and only limited practice~ ) to get a feel for the program yourself. 

 ~ The Not-so-Nutty Nitty Gritty ~

• Company~ IXL
• Ages~ Pre-K Through Algebra
• Pricing~  $9.95/ month or $79/year 

Be sure to click on the banner below to see what my fellow crew-mates thought about IXL, and discover if this might be a program for  your homeschool. I hope that this review was helpful to you as you choose where to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

Disclaimer: I received this/these item(s)/service for free as part of the TOS Review Crew Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Rainbow Sentences iPad app Review (TOS)

We've had our iPad for almost a year now, and boy howdy have we been having fun! :) In addition to all the fun games, and "portability of the web" that we enjoy, I am very pleased and amazed with the number and quality of educational apps that are out there.

One such app is Mobil Education Store Rainbow Sentences for iPad,®, which some TOS Review Crew members received for review (others received the Story Builder app for review).

While Rainbow Sentences was developed as a speech and language tool to help developer Kyle Tomson's daughter (who is on the autism spectrum) with her language delay, it is a useful tool that I feels defies some of the more common "labeling."

Because I am not a fan of reinventing the wheel (and I don't have an iPad simulator... ;D ), I'm going to share the Mobil Education Store Rainbow Sentences video tutorial with you. While it runs close to 10 minutes, it really gives a great feel for the app, and will help my comments on the app make complete sense. If you have time at all, please watch this first.

Rainbow Sentences teaches and/or reinforces basic sentence structure and builds up to more complex structures. This is done through color coding of sentence parts (there are 55 sentences in each level to allow for plenty of practice and success).

Level 1 includes
Who or What  the sentence is about

What they are doing

Level 2 adds

Where the action is taking place and sometimes

what the subject is doing the action to.

Level 3 is the most complex level, and adds to the previous 2 levels

Why the action is taking place, and sometimes

What the the subject is doing the action to.

Here are some of the things that really impressed me with this program:

All learning styles are addressed with this app, as is true with many apps, but I felt that Rainbow Sentences really succeeds very well on many levels. 

Visually there are pictures (Which stimulated all sorts of "Why is that happening? or What do you think they did that for?" sorts of questions from my 4 year old) as well as color coded words and/or lines (There is an option to turn the color coding off either word or lines or both. What a great tool for learning!).

Auditory~ I think the best way for you to get a sense of the auditory features would be to see (or rather hear) the app in action. If you didn't already watch the video I included above, hit play and then drag the cursor to the 2 minute mark, when actual play begins. The instructions are very clear, and depending on the amount of structure your child needs, can be turned on or off (More on the auditory aspect in a bit).

Finally, the kinesthetic value comes into play when dragging the correct word (as it is spoken in the program) to the correct line. Each correctly built sentence receives positive auditory reinforcement, and incorrect sentences are given further chances to be built correctly. After a second incorrect attempt, an instructive screen appears that shows how a sentence of that type should be built. The student is then returned to the previous screen. The words in the correct positions remain, and the incorrect words are returned to the bottom of the screen to be dragged up once again, hopefully to the correct spot in the sentence.

After the sentence is correctly assembled, there is an option for the student to record the sentence. This is where I really appreciated the "Speech" aspect of this program. I put together the following clip from a couple of the saved sentence files which I emailed to myself~ the first one with the kangaroo was the 8th sentence we saved, the second, with the ants was the 45th sentence (He's almost done with level one!). In addition to working on his "s" sounds, we started working on the "f" sound. The difference between "Falling" and "Food" was amazing to me! :) 

This is definitely an app that I see growing with my youngest, and one that I feel will help him learn basic sentence structures somewhat organically. I have to say that I was delighted to realize that he does recognize when beginning to drag the words up, whether they make sense. The foundation for sentence structure appears to be fairly strong in his little brain already!

I can't really say that I found any cons to this particular app. The only suggestion I might make would be to label the parts of speech with their color coding in the information section, so that a more independent child would know exactly what they are looking at. 

~The Not-so-Nutty Nitty Gritty~

• App ~Rainbow Sentences - Mobile Education Tools  for iPad only
• Age ranges~  3-6 and 6-10
• Price~ $7.99 at the
• The Mobil Education Store develops other apps (For both iPad and  iPod touch,® ) that focus on speech and language including SentenceBuilder™ for iPad - Mobile Education Tools ,  LanguageBuilder for iPad - Mobile Education Tools, and StoryBuilder for iPad - Mobile Education Tools among others. 
• Be sure to visit the TOS Crew Review Blog by clicking the banner below, in order to read more reviews on both Rainbow Sentences and  Story Builder.

As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you determine where to best spend your homeschool budget. 

Blessings~

Disclaimer: I received this/these item(s)/service for free as part of the TOS Crew Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Dive into your Imagination DVD/Curriculum

My latest product received as part of the TOS Review Crew is from "Dive Into Your Imagination" and when they say "Dive" they mean scuba dive!

Crew members were sent one of three DVDs

• Dive Into Diversity
• What Makes a Fish a Fish?
• Who Lives in the Sea? 

We enjoyed watching our Dive Into Diversity DVD, which was filled with stunning film from undersea dives. Dive Into Diversity has 8 "Chapters", as well as a "Meet Annie" (The founder and CEO of Dive Into Your Imagination) and "Meet Craig"(The music producer of the video) section. I recommend watching "Meet Annie" before jumping right in to the various chapters. It is a great introduction to scuba diving gear, underwater photography, and a tiny bit of ocean ecology.

There are 8 chapters in Dive Into Diversity

1. Night Diving on the Reef
2. Dive into Diversity
3. Be a Submarine Pilot
4. Swim in a Kelp Forest
5. Invertebrates of the Sea
6. Coral Reef Living
7. Sea Animals with Backbones
8. Wacky, Weird, Crusty Crustaceans

Here are my pros and cons for this series, based on our viewing of this DVD

Pros:

• The photography is absolutely stunning! Your children are likely to be riveted to the TV or Computer as an incredible array of ocean creatures make their way across the screen. The photography is just stunning!
•  Some great little factoids about some more obscure animals.
• Good introduction to ocean ecology. 
• Interesting to a variety of ages (including adults). My Eldest, listening along commented that it *is* important to care for and keep our oceans clean as the greatest number of oxygen producing plants live in the ocean (kelp).
• Great vocabulary with explanations included. 
• Using my Christian worldview it is easy for me to extrapolate ~ With such an incredible amount of diversity in the ocean, it is just SO apparent that we didn't all come from one big bang! The fact that everything is so finely tuned and balanced~ In Ocean Annie's words: "Diversity in nature helps to protect the balance that is necessary in the world." I can't imagine that our world's ecology could have existed and thriven without that delicate balance all along.

Cons:

• A little nit-picky, but in my opinion worth mentioning. I have to say that the narration and many tonal inflections of this film grated on me, personally. There are so many pauses... between phrases... that I'm thinking... that it sounds... like a script is being... read "Clearly" ...but without much ...conversational quality... or personality. It also reminds me of some of the videos I've seen that were intended strictly for toddlers. I have to admit that my youngest wasn't bothered by this at all, and my Middlest didn't mention it, but my Eldest definitely agreed. While I would like to say that these videos are totally appropriate for all ages, because of the style of narration, they are *mostly* appropriate for early elementary. That being said, I am very likely to contemplate purchasing other videos in this series, because they are just so beautiful.
• There are a few factoids that made us wonder about their inclusion (The wrasses that change from female to male, and clown-fish that change from male to female...) ~ we just commented on how "odd" that is...

Personally, I feel that the pros(incredible, crisp, clear photography and scientific information) far outweigh the cons (Which are mostly personal taste). I also have to mention that once the video has been watched for "content" there is the option to play it with music only~ what a lovely background, or "quiet down" time. There is also a Spanish Language Option, for those who are interested.

Here's a sample from Dive Into Diversity so you can see for yourself some of the stunning photography, however, I have to caution that the quality of the DVD is so much brighter, clearer, and more pristine that the quality of this YouTube video~ I can't emphasize enough that the DVD photography really is fabulous!:

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Educator Guides that can also be found on the website(s). Each DVD has 2 Educator Guides (PreK/K and 1st-3rd) that can be utilized for extended learning and activities. My littlest is the only one that they are appropriate for, and right now he is into coloring, so the coloring pages that came along with this guide were perfect. He was paying such close attention to detail~ he pointed out to me that he made the seahorse's eye green (Can you see that? It's tiny! His motor skills are coming along! :D). However, coloring pages aren't the only things included in these guides. The Pre-K/K guide alone has over 300 pages~ That's a lot of material!

From "How to use this book" For each chapter of the video there is a lesson plan that includes:
a. Character education and imagination play for your students.
b. A set of student questions correlating to the lessons designed to prompt discussion and enhance learning during video and multi-media viewing.
c. Ideas and support materials you can use to build learning centers in your classroom which combine science with other core subjects.
d. A glossary of scientific terms, eco-tips and websites for educator content support.
e. Suggested book lists and extension activities that can be used to bring an ocean of imagination flooding into your class.

Now for the Nitty Gritty~
Company website(s):www.AnnieCrawley.com and www.DiveIntoYourImagination.com

Product: Ocean DVD Dive Into Diversity  ($19.95) and optional Educator Guide 

Running Length: 45-ish minutes

Special Offers:

• Free shipping for orders placed on www.AnnieCrawley.com during the month of June 
• Free Educator guide with DVD Order (As a special for the Homeschool Crew and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and followers, Annie Crawley of Dive Into Your Imagination will gift you a set of PDFs with purchase of the DVDs. When you place your DVD order, just let her know in the notes that you are a Homeschool Parent!) If the Educator Guides are something that you are remotely interested in, be sure to order soon, as the price appears to be rather cost-prohibitive for the average homeschooling family if not ordered with this special. (I do not know how long this offer is valid, but I would expect through the month of June, along with the free shipping?)

Ages: For Educational Purposes, Pre-K through 3rd Grade, but I feel that these videos can be enjoyed by all ages. They really are spectacularly filmed!

I hope that this review is helpful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget. Please be sure to stop by the TOS Review Crew blog and see what others had to say about the DVD's that they received for review.

Blessings~

Disclaimer: I received this/these item(s)/service for free as part of the TOS Crew Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Heritage History Living Books and Curriuclum(British Empire)

As  I *think* I have made fairly evident to my readers I love books~ I love story and character. I love reading in general, and I have passed this love on to my children. This means that I was very pleased to receive Heritage Classical History Curriculum for review. :)

So, what exactly is Heritage History?  In a nutshell Heritage History is a provider of "vintage" history books that are in the public domain, but have been formatted for e-readers and organized into electronic libraries containing  "biographies, legends, adapted literature, and introductory histories. All were written for the general reader and are easy and enjoyable to read." The books work as the basis for a history program on their own (For those with a literary/classical/Charlotte Mason-ish bent), or as a supplement to your current history curriculum.

The books arrive on a CDrom and can be printed, or uploaded to your e-reader, printed, or read from your computer monitor/laptop. The convenience factor of having the books organized and well-arranged in digital form makes this a worthwhile purchase, as compared to scouring the web for free copies of these books. It is also very convenient to be able to take the books you want to read with you in the car, to the park, or wherever you happen to be schooling on a given day. While you can spend hours scouring the internet for free e-reader versions of these books, I can just about guarantee that they

The Folks at Heritage History currently offer the following individual collections in their World History Curriculum~

• Young Readers
• Ancient Greece
• Ancient Rome
• British Middle Ages 
• British Empire

We received the British Empire Library Collection.
Now here's something else~ in addition to all of the books on the CD Rom, there is one additional feature that sets Heritage History apart~ A Study Guide is included on each CD Rom.
Ours included the following features:

• Recommended Reading lists for grammar, middle and high school ages (Highlighted in Green for Grammar, Maroon for Middle School, and Red for.... Rebellious teens? Nah.... Red for  Highschool ;) ) They are split into Core reading selections and supplemental reading selections. I love this feature!
• Historical Divisions~ Typically chronological, but in our case (British Empire) they were more geographical in nature~ This is the bulk of the study guide and includes short summaries for each division, timelines within the division, and lists of major characters in the time or locale. The appropriate books are also cross-referenced in this section.
• Dozens of Historical Maps and reproducible maps
• Battle Dictionary listing all major wars, battles and conflicts
• Short Biographies of famous characters
• Summaries of major events associated with historical eras
• Accountability forms to keep track of how much history reading each student does over the course of the week.
• Curriculum User Guide which gives some guidelines and tips on sequence, scheduling, retention and review, as well as incorporating into other curricula.

I will add that this guide is also available in printed format, and I was delighted to receive that in my review package, as I tend to be a "page-flipper" when planning, and all those charts, lists and references are easier for me to assimilate when they are in front of me in hard-copy vs on the computer or ipad (You can also choose to just print up the pages you need from your CD Rom if you need to cut your costs~ although ink isn't cheap...).

Here's an idea what my package looks like (Sorry~ lighting wasn't the greatest~ but you can see the Study Guide (It came 3-hole punched, I supplied the binder), the CD Rom case, and my daughter's itouch and my ipad open to chapters in books contained on the CD.


Here is a picture with less glare of the Ancient Greece pack, and a kindle (not mine~ ). Just to give you an idea of size and scale. :)




We decided to read up on the British Empire in India, which was fine for everyone except my Eldest at the high-school level. I didn't realize that the book she was reading as her "Core" selection would include so much violence (Yep... I loosely "knew" that India's history was violent, but didn't think about it showing up here. My bad... she's in high school now, and some things I should pre-read a bit, I guess.... suffice to say that she switched to "supplemental reading" at lower levels, which were a little more tame in their descriptions.

Some of my kids' favorite times are "Read-a-louds", so I foresee some more interesting afternoons reading more about The British Empire (Mostly on the Grammar/Intermediate levels when dealing with warfare, but that's a personal choice).

The Nitty Gritty~

Heritage History Curriculum ~Living Books for History in great digital format, with supplements and a study guide.
Ages~ K-12 (With cautions to pre-skim some selections, as some pre-1923 literature can have different sensibilities...)
Classical Curriculum CD~ $24.99 individually $99 for all 5 collections
Study Guides alone~ Print (Color) $24.99  Download~ $12.99

Spring Sale (You'll find it on the right side bar of the store page) Buy any 2 Curriculum/Library CD's, get a 3rd free! (I don't know how long this is going on, but wanted to make sure I mentioned it here) There is also a Kindle Giveaway being run on their site ~ for my bargain-hunting/ giveaway entering readers. :)

Don't forget to pop on over to the TOS Review Crew Blog to see what others had to say about the sets they received. I hope that this review was helpful to you as you determine where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this/these item(s)/service for free as part of the TOS Crew Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Go Science! The Object of Science

 I've been a member of Library and Educational Services for years, and appreciate the prices they offer on so many different educational materials (Just a note, in order to purchase from Library and Educational Services you need to create a wholesale account as a homeschooler, but there is no obligation to purchase, you just have the opportunity to save!).  The number of products offered is rather large, and portions of it change regularly, so it isn't surprising that my next review item was one I hadn't seen before.
As a member of the TOS Review Crew, I was offered my choice of 2 DVDs from the  Go Science DVD series, distributed by Library and Educational Services.

The titles in this series are:
Vol 1: Motion and the Laws of Gravity
Vol 2: Simple Machines, Sound, Weather
Vol 3: Magnetism, Electricity, Engineering, and Design
Vol 4: Chemistry, States of Matter, Life Sciences
Vol 5: Air, Flight
Vol 6: Water, Space, Solar System

Because we've reviewed Chemistry and Physics items this year, I thought that Vol 2 (Simple Machines) and Vol 4 (Chemistry) would be good choices to reinforce some of our learning.

Ben Roy, who teaches science methods at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga is an energetic scientist who engages the younger ages with dramatic demonstrations of scientific properties.

I particularly appreciate his key "Catch Phrase":
"Every Time we learn something about Science, we learn something about our Creator God!"

Ben's background in science enables him to show some simple as well as some rather exciting (Don't-do-this-at-home) experiments that each serve as an object lesson for a spiritual application. This is a very cool idea. A good object lesson will endure in a child's memory for a very long time.

My initial expectation was that these videos would demonstrate and explain scientific principles from an academic standpoint. That particular expectation was not entirely met. The format that has been chosen for these videos (About 3-4 minutes for each episode), does not leave time to fully explain the how or the why of the experiments, but does provide enough time to create some interest in the topic which can be captured for further exploration. There is also a certain "Wow" factor for the younger set in these videos.

Here's a sample video for you to check out:


Demonstrations on the Chemistry/States of Matter/Life Sciences DVD(With our quick thoughts):

• Chemical luminescence (nice "Wow" factor~ but don't know "how" it was done)
• Exploding Bottle (Very cool.... my Littlest's favorite)
• Exploding Balloons (Also impressive)
• Flash Paper (pretty exciting)
• pH (great visual. We did something similar in our general science class last year)
• Root Beer Float (This one is a fun party trick... ;))
• Liquid Nitrogen (This one is definitely not a home trick....)
• Single Cell (life science discussion about ostriches/single cells {eggs})
• Optical Illusion (Obviously  talks about senses~ another good object lesson that can be replicated at church)
• Lycopodium Powder (I thought this one was cool, and good application as well)
• Camouflage (This one can be done at home with polymer crystals... great object lesson for AWANA or children's church!)

Demonstrations on the Simple Machines, Sound, and Weather DVD:
The demonstrations on this DVD had more explanation that the Chemistry DVD, so they met my initial expectation a little more. Most of these experiments could be fairly easily replicated, and a few of them would make good science fair demonstrations. Hurrah!
(I've added a few comments for some of the experiments here as well)

• 1st Class Lever  (Each of the lever and the incline plane experiments could be done as object lessons fairly easily)
• 2nd Class Lever
• 3rd Class Lever
• Incline Plane
• Pulleys (Mechanical Advantage ~ can you guess the object in this lesson?)
• Trebuchet ( great go-along for David and his sling)
• Singing Glasses ( love this one!)
• Singing Rods (impressive)
• Sound Waves (Fun!)
• Singing Pipes (this one is a little more dangerous~ but neat to watch!)
• Making a Cloud (Requires dry ice~ cool)
• Weather Balloon
• Tornado Tube
• Air Pressure

Nitty Gritty ~
Library and Educational Services Go Science DVDs
Recommended Ages: 5-11 (The back of the DVD says 6-14, but I think Library and Ed pegged the age just right!)
Price: $8.97 individually or $47.95 for set of all 6 DVDs

Be sure to visit the TOS Review Crew Blog and see what others had to say, particularly if you are interested in a specific title, as all 6 were reviewed. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where to best spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this/these item(s)/service for free as part of the TOS Crew Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Judah Bible Curriculum (Principle Approach)

Have you ever heard of "The Principle Approach" to education? What is it?

I will try to answer this question, as I discuss the Judah Bible Curriculum (A "Principle Approach" to studying the Bible), which we were recently sent for review.

I think the first order of business is to define "principle":


principle |ˈprinsəpəl|
noun
1 a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning. ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French, from Latin principium ‘source,’ principia (plural) ‘foundations,’ from princeps, princip- ‘first, chief.’


So a Principle Approach Bible curriculum that is based on the fundamental truths, the foundational source of Christianity must clearly take as its text.... the Bible.

Understanding this definition makes it easier to understand that the Judah Bible Curriculum is less of a curriculum, and more of a method of study. Bill Burtness, author of the Judah Bible Curriculum is clearly concerned with the prevalence of "Glossy, Sunday Christianity" and the lack of Biblical literacy not only in our general culture, but sadly in the church as well.

An overview of the Judah Bible Curriculum Philosophy  can be found at this link. The extremely basic, and short version is that your philosophy of Government will influence your philosophy of Education, and vice versa. The contention is presented that there are 3 basic philosophies of government or sovereignty: Individuals Reign, the Government Reigns, or God Reigns. 

• If the individual is sovereign there is no government and anarchy reigns.
• If the government is sovereign there is a loss of freedom, and socialism and tyranny reign.
• If God is sovereign, the individual is governed internally, based on their faith, and Liberty and Law reign.

The Judah Bible Curriculum splits the Bible into 5 basic themes:

1. Creation
2. The Plan of Redemption Begins
3. Kingdom of Israel
4. Kingdom of God
5. Early Church

Each theme is covered more in depth each year, with a focus on different "Bible Keys" each time. 

Now that I've covered the concept a little bit, what exactly was included? 

• Judah Bible Curriculum K-12 Manual, e-book format to download: This includes an in-depth overview of the principle approach, the themes and schedules(Scope and sequence can be seen here), as well as some sample, filled-out "key" sheets. The appendix includes many of the visuals that are referred to in the Eight Lecture Teacher Training Seminar.
• Elementary Notebook Ideas booklet to view online or download~ This is not a "print-and-go" sort of document, but rather a compendium of completed pages and projects that others have used to fill out their notebooks when using the Judah Bible Curriculum. 
• Eight-lecture Teacher Training Seminar. listen online or download. These lectures follow the curriculum and the manual to some degree, but not precisely. There is a "Teacher walk-through" on the website, available once you purchase, which is useful to check out as you listen to the Seminars, and the appendix in the manual is also useful (However, the page numbers referenced throughout the seminar do not match the manual, so be aware of that). There are also figures and illustrations referenced in the lectures that will throw the visual oriented teacher for a bit of a loop (The series would be very well done as a video vs audio, in my opinion). 

A key portion of this study method(For upper elementary and high school ages) is the Key Sheet. There are "key sheets" for events, people, and institutions. The concept is to choose the appropriate sheet for each "Key" you are studying, and fill out each section. For instance, the basic Key Event sheets ask 4 basic questions

• Cause and Purpose of the event
• Key Individuals
• Principles of Civil Government
• Historical Significance

There are some sub-questions for each category, and the student will hopefully be able to answer those that are applicable. This was a bit of a problem in our house, as I *do* have industrious children who want to fill in the answers to ALL the questions, and then get frustrated when they can't find the answer because the question doesn't apply to that particular event, person, or institution.

The Judah Bible Curriculum is intended for use from K-12 (With cyclical studies, similar to a Classical Approach). I would say that it is very teacher intensive, particularly in the younger years, as it is advised to have each child compile their own notebook, with a page for each topic studied. This could be as simple as a drawing or narrating what they remember (If your children are used to the Charlotte Mason methods, this would fit right in), or creating a little poster or mini-book. There is also a recommendation for "Quizzes" and "Assigned Essays." However, those are not supplied, so it is once again, up to the teacher. If one is used to creating their own Unit Studies, this aspect will certainly be appealing.

Regarding the Teacher Seminars, I felt very much like I was sitting in on a bunch of sermons vs. teacher lectures, but that could be based on my Preacher's Kid background. ;) These audios remind me very much of my father's style of preaching/teaching, which is very thorough and inductive. Each lecture is intended to give some information to the teacher which can then be discussed with the students as they fill out their key sheets. These could be very helpful for someone who doesn't have an extensive background in Bible Study. However, the teacher still has to distill the information they want to impart to their students, this is not a "plug-and-play" curriculum.

I wish that I had been able to spend more than 6 weeks trying to wrap my head around the basic concepts~ I have the feeling that I am making things more difficult than intended (I like to "answer all the questions" just as much as my kids, which can sometimes be a problem!). I totally appreciate the concept being taught, but call me lazy, I would be much happier if there was just a bit more work done for me (ie, handouts, coloring pages for the littles, quizzes, and essay questions).

Nitty Gritty~
Company~ The Judah Bible Curriculum
Ages~ K-12  (Classical approach)
Purchase ~ Electronic version~ $44   Hard copy~ $74 (inc. shipping)

Because we are all coming to the table at different seasons of life, and from different backgrounds, it might be very useful for you to check out some of the other TOS Review Crew blog posts, and see what someone with a background similar to yours thought (With 100-ish of us on a review, we should be fairly diverse).

As always, I hope that this review was helpful as you choose where to most wisely spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this/these item(s)/service for free as part of the TOS Crew Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Critical Thinking Company: Crypto Mind Benders

Well, this was a fun little item to review! I appreciate the Critical Thinking Company products, and they recently sent the TOS Crew a variety of items to review. We received "Crypto Mind Benders".

This slender volume is filled with 30 puzzles(And their solutions) to exercise the logic muscle of your children. :) When Eldest picked up the book as it lay on the table, she commented "Oh! This looks like fun!". Middlest was less excited (That word "mathematical" on the cover did it for him... ;p), until he learned how the puzzles worked~ now HE thinks they are fun as well!

This is a wonderful thing, as lately we have been working on getting Middlest to think more logically, and including math in the equation is a bonus from my perspective.

Here is a sample activity~ use the equations on the left side to fill in the chart, and logically deduce which numeral = which letter.

After each puzzle on the page is worked, the letters are placed into the appropriate blanks in the cryptogram to discover a famous quotation.

 (You can find and print this sample activity from the product page's "click to look inside" link)

The symbols used in the clues are identified in the front of the book, and the first 2 pages are a "Sample activity" that walks the student through the process. Very simple to pull out and use, but the problems definitely get more challenging.

Crypto Mind Benders are one activity that I can just lay out, and my kids jump to do them~ I don't even have to ask. :) (And, yes~ I am a puzzling mom that enjoys this sort of thing as well).

Nitty Gritty~ 
Critical Thinking Company
Crypto Mind Benders ($10.99) 30 activities and solutions
Ages ~ Grades 3-12+
Limited reproduction permission granted for home or classroom use

Other TOS Crew members received Balance Math Teaches Algebra , Mathmatical Reasoning Level F, and Inference Jones: Beginning  for review. Please visit the Crew Blog to check them all out.

Blessings~

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this/these item(s)/service for free as part of the TOS Crew Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."