MarshMedia Educational Videos (Review and Homeschool Special)

MarshMedia has been a respected name in educational videos for almost my entire life (and I suspect that some of the videos I watched in my elementary years may have been produced by them ;)). Now they are reaching out to the homeschool community with a Homeschool Special to view their videos that cover health topics including hygiene, puberty education, safety, nutrition, immune system disorders, head lice, special needs social skills and special needs puberty, as well as character education for the early elementary crowd.

Puberty
MarshMedia's main programs are those that deal with puberty, and they have a number of selections targeted specifically towards boys and girls separately, as well as for a variety of age ranges, from 3rd grade to 8th grade. Puberty can bring up topics that many parents find difficult to discuss, so having the option to utilize one or more of these videos may be helpful. If you choose to take advantage of the Homeschool Special being offered, I do recommend previewing the videos as a parent to determine if they are suitable for your specific child(ren) and which one is appropriate for your child's maturity level.  Overall I found the puberty videos I previewed to be presented very factually, without a lot of nonsense, and as tastefully as possible considering the sometimes awkward information being presented.
I will mention that "A Baby Is Born" does *very briefly* introduce the words menstruation and sexual intercourse, so if you aren't ready to answer questions that might arise with new vocabulary with your third grader, you may want to wait a little while... ;)

Health and Hygiene
Beyond the puberty videos there are a number of health and hygiene videos, again for a variety of ages.

In the "Take Care Of..." videos (K-3rd grade) Annie and the Funsters tackle hygiene in a style reminiscent of many early ed videos, adding in enough "fun" to keep attention while imparting important information on keeping our bodies clean and healthy.

"Your skin is totally washable!"

I watched "Wash Those Hands" and "Whatsa Hygiene" with my 9 year old. He hates washing his hands, and rolled his eyes at me every time it came up in the videos, but I am hopeful that hearing it from a source besides "Mom" might have an impact. "Whatsa Hygiene" seemed to catch his attention, so you never can tell. :)

Here's a sample/trailer from "Wash Those Hands"


There are a number of safety videos as well, some of which I will preview as I have time before deciding to show them to my son. Others are less relevant to our immediate situation, so I will probably not check out those dealing with Aids/HIV at this time, for instance. However, those are realities that some folks have to address, whether in families or ministry, and having videos to consider as resources may be useful to some. I am interested in the nutrition and manners videos for future use.

SPECIAL NEEDS
I didn't preview the Special Needs videos, but be sure to browse through some of the other TOS Homeschool reviews, as I am expect others touched on them as they fit their situations.

Character Education
MarshMedia has produced a number of Character Education videos that utilize children's picture books to address a variety of issues. A couple that we watched were Emily Breaks Free, which touches on bullying behavior and peer pressure
while Stanley's"This is the Life" tackles healthy eating/behavior.

Although all of the Character Education stories aren't available for streaming, I plan to use many of the ones that are for a good, "quiet break" when the need arises. Although my Youngest is almost 10 he still enjoys a story, and so do I!

You can see "trailers" for most of the videos available for streaming on the MarshMedia website, which will give you a greater idea of what's available than just the snippets I included here.

Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 

• Company: MarshMedia
• Product: Homeschool Special
• Ages: K-8th grade
• Price: $50 for unlimited viewing of 59 programs until December 31, 2017.

You can visit Marsh Media on the web on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube.

If you wish to take advantage of the opportunity to introduce the MarshMedia curriculum to your home schooler(s) click on the link below for more information:
https://marshmedia.com/pages/homeschool-offer
Once you reach the landing page, you MUST click on “Homeschool Special” which will take you to a microsite strictly for homeschoolers (note that it may take a few seconds to load, so please be patient). The language on MarshMedia's regular website does not reflect this homeschool special price, and the 24 hour "rental" period does not apply for this offer either. You will have access with no time constraints and unlimited viewing through the end of 2017.

Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Homeschool Review Crew and see what others had to say. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

Instead of 20 Questions, How about 25 Truths?

Remember the game of 20 questions? The idea was to try to stump your opponent by making them use up 20 questions to try to guess the object of which you were thinking. The answers to the questions were simply "yes," "no," or "maybe." Rather than making everyone DIG for the answer, sometimes it's nice to have your path "Salted" with gems, like the latest item that showed up in my mailbox (courtesy of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Review Crew). This time it's a compact little book by Ed Douglas Publications filled with "Life Lessons." The book is  25 Truths: Life Principles of the Happiest and Most Successful Among Us.

Ed Douglas (a gentleman with an extensive financial and educational/coaching background, he is well respected and highly regarded in his home state of Missouri) distills some timeless wisdom in 25 short chapters.

Each chapter begins with a concept, its truth is illustrated with a personal example from Ed's life (Often drawing on his coaching experiences, as well as his professional career experiences). Following the illustration(s), there is a summary and then a series of questions.

It is a commentary on our society to some degree, that such a book is necessary. Many of the truths that he discusses used to be considered common sense, or were at least commonly understood (I'm sure you've heard some of them as cliche's #4 Be Slow To Judge, # 11 Take It One Step At A Time, #15 Never Surrender), but some of them seem to be more of a rarity these days, more's the pity.

Why I appreciate this book, and consider it a nugget of gold: 

• It helps me to make sure that my kids hear in an organized fashion, these real-life examples of good character. 
• I respect the fact that they are based on Christian values, regularly backed up with Scripture.
• The reasons for WHY those character traits and values are important are discussed. 
• My children are able to recognize those values and traits in themselves and those they come into contact with in their daily lives.

I will say that my two older children did start to roll their eyes with the repetition of the 1st question following each illustration: "Do you think this is an important truth? Why or why not" and the last question which was always a variation on "What can you do to incorporate this truth in your life? What will be difficult for you? What steps can you take to overcome those difficulties? How might your life be different, or what might change if you do this?" 

Those are legitimate questions, but I did begin to vary which ones I used each time. The questions found between those two repetitive "Bookends" of questions were more thought provoking, personal application sorts of questions, and we have had some good (albeit short) discussions.

We used this book as part of our morning "Together" time. I had to modify the wording in a few of the illustrations due to content that was beyond my 6 year-old's (And sometimes 12 year-old's) maturity level, but even my youngest was able to glean from these truths. It was also amazing how sometimes the truth we were reading about would coincide exactly with our other more age appropriate readings (A "God Thing" for sure!).

25 Truths started as a list of "inspirational" ideas for the athletes that Ed Douglas had occasion to mentor through his years of coaching. I think it is valuable in that setting, as well as in just about any learning setting~ the values that are incorporated can be applied to sports, school, and life in general. The sooner learned the better the chance for contented and fulfilled lives. Note: this is not meant as a substitute for Scripture, or a relationship with Christ, but more of a practical working out of the themes and values found there.

Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 

• Company: Ed Douglas Publications
• Product: 25 Truths
• Ages: 6th grade-12th, young adult+
• Price: $12.50 (Price in cart)

Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Review Crew and see what others had to say. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

Leadership Garden Legacy (Review)

Every now and again we are asked to review items that are more electives vs core. That would definitely be where this latest group of material falls on the spectrum. Leadership Garden Legacy sent me a set of books, pdf files and mp3 audio books to be used in what I would call a Character Training Course for future leaders. 

The main product that I used in this set was the book U.N.I.Q.U.E. KIDS: Growing My Leadership Garden. This paperback book is an 8 chapter allegory set on a farm. The story follows a timid little sheep named Hugh, who learns through visits with the animals on the farm how to harness his Understanding, Nurturing, Inventive, Quality, Unstoppable, and Expression qualities that will help him to develop his own unique style of leadership, based on his strengths. Throughout the story Hugh also learns how to weed out weaknesses (or weeds) in his leadership garden.

The Activity Guide (pdf file) includes discussion questions and activity suggestions for each chapter as well as "Standards" descriptions if your state requires such integration (thankfully, that section is all Greek to me at this point :) ). There are a number of activities that lend themselves more to classroom use than homeschool use, and some of them seemed a little more nebulous than my concrete thinkers were able to appreciate. 

Included in the Activity Guide download was the Leadership Garden Journal, which includes themed journal and activity pages that are integrated with the activity guide above. I will admit that my children take after their mother and are not great "journalers" so this was not as useful to me at this point in time.

For those who find value in hearing as well as, or instead of, reading an audio version of the book is available as an MP3 download. My children generally tend to prefer to read on their own or listen to me, but I *do* appreciate the option. 

There is an adult version of the book available as well, that is a little more detailed, but follows the same general storyline as the U.N.I.Q.U.E. KIDS book:  U.N.I.Q.U.E. Growing the Leader Within.  The Leadership Garden Guidebook contains similar materials to the children's Activity book and Journal, but on a higher level. 

One of the tools that I particularly enjoyed using (for myself as well as my children) was the Leadership Balance Wheel which gives you an idea of where your strengths together with areas that could use strengthening in order to be more well-rounded. 




There are definitely things to appreciate about this story and the many of the lessons found there. The whole thing sort of struck me as a response to the helpless victim mentality that we so often see in society today. Rather than being a generation of responsible and capable people, so many in our society today seem not to know what to think or do. As a result they just let life happen to them, instead of taking charge of their lives. Many of the lessons covered are an attempt to help alleviate that sense of helplessness and apathy. 

I see a rather significant caveat to these books as a follower of Christ~ Because the secular world also needs guidance in leadership qualities it seems that this course may have been written to allow for inclusion in a public classroom. In order to do this, it appears that the humanistic tendency of so many self-help books today, the power of positive thinking, has slipped in as the cornerstone of success. 

There is a bit of a tightrope walk that in my mind is difficult to accomplish without mentioning faith in God and HIS strength. . .  positive thinking will only take one so far. It can be a powerful TOOL, but the real power comes in acknowledging that "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13. 

What I'm trying to say here is that while I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater here, I would proceed with the understanding that I may wish to supplement the lessons with Biblical principals as well.

Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 

• Company: Leadership Garden Legacy
• Ages: recommended 5-12 /12+

• Products and Prices: 
• Physical Books:
• U.N.I.Q.U.E. KIDS: Growing My Leadership Garden ($18.95)
• U.N.I.Q.U.E.: Growing the Leader Within ($18.95)
• The Leadership Garden Guidebook ($18.95)

• Downloadable Resources: 
• U.N.I.Q.U.E. KIDS Activity Guide & My Leadership Garden Journal - PDF Downloads ($8.95) 
• U.N.I.Q.U.E. KIDS Audio Book MP3 Download ($8.95) 
• U.N.I.Q.U.E.: Growing the Leader Within - Audio Book MP3 Download ($14.95)  (includes bonus pdf materials from the printed book) 

Leadership Garden Legacy is offering the TOS Community a “Spring Special Discount” of 20% on all their Empowerment Tools. 

This is in addition to their already discounted Tool Kit bundles.

 

To receive your discount, enter the discount code: TOS-SS20D upon checkout. 

This is a limited time offer and the code will expire on May 31, 2013.

Preview the bundled Tool Kit Discount options

With the bundle price of the Family Empowerment Tool Kit and the TOS extra 20% discount this is a $28.70 TOS savings off the retail price of the products. 

I can see pulling this out every couple of years as a refresher/review in addition to a picture of progress made. 

Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Review Crew and see what others had to say. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

We Choose Virtues

 

We Choose Virtues recently sent the TOS Crew a package in the mail with some handy little tools for encouraging virtuous behavior. The Virtue Clue Cards (currently priced at $5.99). This is a set of business-sized cards, one for each of 12 virtues, intended for use with children ages pre-K through elementary.

• Diligent
• Helpful
• Obedient
• Perseverant
• Gentle
• Content
• Attentive
• Honest
• Self-Controlled
• Forgiving
• Kind
• Patient

Every card has a cute character on the front with a declaration of the what the virtue might look like in real life, as well as the converse. For instance, the "Attentive" card featured above says

I am Attentive

I watch and listen carefully

I am NOT forgetful, distracted 

or distracting and I don't 

ignore or interrupt

The back of the card carries the instruction: Choose to go the whole day without someone needing to remind you "Listen!" or "Don't forget!" Airplane Betty Jane knows you can do it! 

These are quick little lessons in what this set of virtues looks like in real life, with simple clues on how to incorporate each one (or see if it is recognizable) in our lives at home.

I appreciate the direct and to-the-point approach that can reduce the need for a "lecture" for my olders (Really, just directing their attention to a particular card gets the point across), and I can see that the alliterative connection between the characters and their virtues may make it easier for my youngest to learn a catchphrase that will help him work on virtuous behavior (For him, learning that first little bit "I am Attentive  ~  I watch and listen carefully" is just the right amount).

I am planning to make it through the stack, with an emphasis on one character trait/virtue per week. Diligent and Kind have been in focus, but I need to decide where to go next. That is where this little handy tool comes in~ The Family Character Assessment is a checklist tool that is offered as a free download. This is a helpful tool to pinpoint virtues that might need a little work for each member of the family. I have my own personal set that I can fill out for each family member to give me a goal for each one(Privately, not for general knowledge), but I also intend to have my eldest (at least) use this as a private growth tool. Learning to honestly assess strengths and weaknesses is a great lesson! 

We were also given access to a pdf file of the Teacher's Handbook($4.95 pdf, $15 print copy). The handbook covers "4 Steps for teaching virtues" as well as detailed instructions on incorporating the We Choose Virtues products into the school-year. Personally, I found the handbook to be much more geared to a classroom setting, and less helpful for a homeschool situation, although there were a few ideas  that I could glean. 

The final "Tool" we were provided with was The Kids of Virtueville Coloring Book ($3 download only). These are nicely illustrated pages of each "Character" and their accompanying Virtue. Pleasant little product to have to work in conjunction with the Clue Cards, particularly if you have children who love their crayons, pencils, etc. I have some children who enjoy coloring during read-aloud time, and I can see these provoking some Character discussions from our literature. ( For instance, reading Charlotte's Web, you could ask "Did any of the characters show diligence?"  "How?" "Why do you think this was easy/hard?", etc...)


We Choose Virtues also offers posters, stickers, journals, flashcards and more. You can check out their Homeschool section, and the Clearance section. Visitors to their facebook page  will find tips on parenting, leadership, and inspiring virtues. 

SPECIALS:

JANUARY/FEBRUARY-The 100 Days of Virtue Poster and Stickers will be included FREE with any Homeschool Kit purchase during these months. 

PROMO CODES

You can use only ONE at a time. 

• VIRTUE15 for 15 % off the shopping cart is still available
• SHIPFREE for free worldwide shipping

As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget. For other opinions, please visit the TOS Crew Blog, and check out the Mr. Linky list of reviews.
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."

The Person I Marry will be......

Little girls weave romantic dreams about weddings (Spurred on by all the "Princess stories" that abound, perhaps?), and little boys seem to try to avoid them... ("Yechhhh!!!" or "Not THAT again!!" are refrains heard from the lips of the boys in my home, whenever there is even the hint of a love story). 

However, it is especially important in these days, where divorce is rampant and 30/40/50 year wedding anniversaries are becoming more and more rare, that we prepare our children from a young age to recognize, pray for, and prepare to nurture, outstanding qualities in themselves and their future mates. 

Seldom have I seen the subject addressed so sweetly and innocently, but with profound impact, than in the picturebook, The Person I Marry by Gary and Jan Bower.  Check out this video to get a glimpse of the book and the hearts of the authors:

The Person I Marry from Bower Books on Vimeo.

There are a number of ways that I can see this book being shared~ 

• Character building lessons when they are younger~ What sort of person do I want my children to be when they grow up? The character traits included in this book are all admirable!
• Conversation points for discussions with your teen who is starting to show an interest~ What sort of person do THEY want to be, and reminders of character traits they should be looking for.
• Celebratory Gift for wedding showers, or even significant anniversaries(Where it could serve as confirmation of choice). 
• I think that any husband or wife would do well to read this book to themselves (As motivation and gentle reminder/conviction) and together (As a chance for encouragement and affirmation, if you will)

All of my children enjoyed the artwork ~  Littlest  was intrigued by the illustration of the children fishing (With a hook caught in a hat!). The children dressed up in far-too-large grown-up clothing caught my Middlest's eye, and Eldest (And I) really enjoyed the picture of the boy bursting forth into enthusiastic song at the piano. (And this was all in the first reading of the book!) The illustrations are delightful. :)

Although the Crew received access to a "not-for-sale" e-version of the book for review, it can be purchased in hardcover for $11.99 directly from Bower Books. Personally, I think this is may be one of those "must have" books for any family's home library. The Person I Marry strikes me as a solid, sweet, training book without being "preachy" ~ the tone is just right in my book! The more I read it the more I appreciate it.

Bower books offers 3 more "Bright Future" books~ What Do Heroes Wear? The Jingle in My Pocket, and There's a Party in Heaven, each for $11.99 hardcover, as well as Board books and "Thinking of Others" books.

For further opinions and perspectives, please take a moment and check out a few of the reviews at the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog.

As always, I hope that this review was useful to you, as you search out meaningful gifts for your family and friends.
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."

Theo Presents~ Theology for the young'ns (Giveaway X2 ended)

We were recently given the opportunity to review a new DVD series for kids. (And I get to give away 2 of the same Sample DVD's that I received... details at the end of the post) Theo Presents combines cartoons with Theology. :) The series follows a gentle English theologian and 2 (church?) mice, Belfry and Luther through many topics, each as a separate episode:

1. Saving Faith Currently Available
2. Trust and Obey Currently Available
3. Forgiveness Currently Available
4. Armor of God Currently Available
5. Redemption Coming Soon~ Not Available Yet
6. New Birth Coming Soon~ Not Available Yet
7. Justification Coming Soon~ Not Available Yet
8. Adoption Coming Soon~ Not Available Yet
9. A Day in Prayer Coming Soon~ Not Available Yet
10. Abiding In Christ Coming Soon~ Not Available Yet
11. Light Unto My Path Coming Soon~ Not Available Yet
12. What Is Church Coming Soon~ Not Available Yet