TOS Crew Review: Dive Into Your Imagination

Dive Into You Imagination

is a company that is driven by the passion of

Annie Crawley,

an ocean-environ educator.

After watching the...

...Dive Into Diversity DVD,

I can hear the passion

for the ocean in her narration

and see it in the underwater images she has helped film.

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This DVD was created to be used with

a downloadable teacher's guide,

which REALLY adds so much to the DVD.

Yes, the DVD is interesting itself,

but the lesson guide is what really 

pumps up the educational component. 

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Each guide uses is divided up into sections

based on the chapters of the DVD.

For each section,

the following components are included:

*Character education and imagination play for kiddos

*Pre-video questions, which are designed to prompt discussion and
enhance learning during video and multi-media viewing.

*Ideas and support materials can be used

to build learning centers/activities in your home,

combining science with other core subjects.

*A glossary of scientific terms,

eco-tips, and websites

*Suggested book lists and extension activities

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Now,

I don't know about you,

but the kiddos and I will probably never get a chance

to go suba diving,

so watching this DVD was a treat!

The underwater creatures I got to see 

are God's "eye candy,"

in my opinion.

The activities included to go along with this DVD

are very well thought out,

and include great worksheets and interactive components,

which only adds to the 

underwater virtual field trip...

(It really makes me feel like

Ms. Frizzle...)  ;0)

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The DVD is available for purchase

HERE

for $19.95,

as well as other educational DVDs.

Normally, the educational guides for all the different DVDs

are available as a printed version for

$299 (for the whole set of them)

or as individual PDFs for $69.95.

As a special for the The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and its followers,

 Annie Crawley 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.)

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Check out what other TOS Crew Members are saying

about this product by clicking HERE...

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 Disclaimer:

I was given this DVD free in exchange for my open 

and honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way.

TOS Crew Review: Write Shop Junior Book D

A few weeks ago,

our family received an e-book version of...

...Write Shop Junior Level D.

This download included the Teacher's Guide,

as well as the

Student Activity Pack.

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Level D is recommended for 3rd-4th graders,

but it can be used for kiddos in as far up as 6th grade.

My Jungle Girl is finishing up the 4th grade,

so this is the perfect level for her.

(We have recently begun a 6 week Summer Break,

so we will continue the Write Shop lessons

for my soon-to-be 5th grader

when we start school up again in July...)

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I REALLY like the way

Write Shop Jr. organizes their writing lessons.

A lesson spans anywhere from 1-3 weeks,

depending upon how you pace the parts.

You will generally begin with some grammar practice with the

 

...Fold 'n Go Grammar Packs,

which I think make grammar FUN for the kiddos.

There are a total of 10 packs,

which cover the topics of:

*Punctuation Marks

*Self-editing

*Nouns

*Pronouns

*Verbs

*Adjectives

*Adverbs

*Prepositions

*Capitalization

*References

I have not been the best at teaching

Jungle Girl about all of these parts of speech,

so I am very appreciate of these

Fold 'n Go Packs.

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After the grammar,

the lesson moves into writing lessons.

Topics that are covered include:

*Letters of Invitation

*Humor

*Adventure

*Science Fiction

*Mystery

*Poetry/Haiku

*Folktales

*Historical Fiction

*Personal Narrative

*Expository Writing: Factual Articles

Also, a different writing skill is cleverly

covered in each topic,

including:

*Proper grammar and punctuation

*Narrowing a broad topic to a specific topic

*Brainstorming

*Sentence Structure

*Writing a paragraph

*Choosing strong words instead of weak ones

*Writing sentences of different lengths

*Using emotional words to develop voice

*Using the five senses to add descriptive details

*Self-editing and revision of work

*Creatively publishing a draft

Hands-on type activities work these skills into

a lesson with little or no protest from the kiddo

at work!

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I would highly recommend this product

to any parent who needs something to help an

unmotivated kiddos learn to write.

In fact,

I am hoping to look into the lower levels

to use with my younger kiddos 

this next school year.

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Pricing for these products is as follows:

Teacher's Guide (e-book): $34.95

Activity Pack (e-book): $ 29.95

You can also order an optional

Time Saver Pack (e-book) for $13.95.

I like having e-books because I can use them

for all my kiddos,

but you can also look into bound copies

if you only have one kiddo you are going to be working

with one kiddo.

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Check out what other TOS Crew members

are saying about this product

by clicking HERE...

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Disclaimer:

I was given this product free in exchange for my

open and honest review.

I was not compensated in any other way.

TOS Crew Review: CapJax Math

 

CapJaxMathFax

is a computer program that 

helps kiddos learn their Math Facts.

We use Math U See in our household,

and this program EASILY fits into our curriculum.

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The kiddos can practice their math facts

at any level,

but it is highly recommended that all kiddos

start at the lowest level to build confidence.

 (And, if we are being honest here,

reviewing "old" information is always 

beneficial for young minds...)

As the kiddos complete levels...

...they are rewarded with merit badges,

giving achievable goals to work for.

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CapJaxMathFacts is an 

EASY to download program

that costs $29.95.

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So,

did my kiddos like thew program?

Well,

they liked it better than flashcards,

that's for certain.

But,

this is not a program they would choose 

to do to practice their facts.

(Probably because they need more

"bells and whistles"

due to their Wii game play...)

HOWEVER,

if you need to find something

to help your kiddos learn

their math facts,

I would highly recommend looking into

this program.

It might just be the right fit

for your family...

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Check out what other TOS Crew members

think about the program 

by clicking HERE...

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Disclaimer:

I received a subscription to this program

for free in exchange for my 

open and honest review.

I was not compensated in any other way.

TOS Crew Review: Homeschool Library Builder

I have a confession:

I am a tad addicted to children's literature.

(Seriously-

I have a garage full of tubs of children's books...)

So I

MOST DEFINITELY

am finding a great use for the...

...Homeschool Library Builder.

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A few homeschooling families

got together and created this website

as a place for other homeschooling families

to access needed books at cheaper prices.

What I really like about the site is how they have it organized.

It is so easy to find books you are looking for,

whether you are looking by

curriculum,

price,

or

subject.

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I have been using it to look up

needed books for my 

future 5th grader.

I have always liked Sonlight's literature

choices for kiddos,

so I clicked on the 

 Search by Curriculum tab

and went to their listed

Core 5 book choices.

I was SO HAPPY to discover

the Chronicles of Narnia

 listed at prices as low as

$3.50 per book,

as well as

Blood and Guts: A Working Guide to Your Own Insides

for Science for only

$6.99.

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Now,

since I signed up to be a member of the site,

when I order the books from them,

I can earn  points which will

earn me dollars off of future purchases...

(Click HERE for more details about the benefits

of membership.)

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So,

as you are pulling together your curriculum

for nest year,

please check out

Homeschool Books Homeschool Library-

I think you will find this site extremely helpful,

AND you will be supportinganother

 small homeschooling business

in the process...

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Check out what other TOS Crew Members

are saying about this site

by clicking HERE...

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Disclaimer:

I was sent this site to review

and given a discount and free book points

in exchange for my open and honest opinion.

I was not compensated in any other way.

TOS Crew Review: Critical Thinking Company- Mathematical Reasoning Level F

Mathematical Reasoning Level F

from the

Critical Thinking Company

looks like a normal math workbook

from outwards appearances.

(I'll be honest-

that's what I took it for

before I examined it closer for this review...)

So what makes it different

from other math texts out there?

THIS:

 This book REALLY assists kiddos

in learning to think critically...

 ...all while covering national math standards. 

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I really think the way this book is laid out

will prove highly effective

in teaching a variety of math skills,

all while keeping kiddos' interested.

The book makes math fun

with different games like...

 ...riddles...

 ...drawing...

...and cross-word puzzles.

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It would seem like this is more of an

enrichment type book,

but I truly believe it could be used as the main

teaching text too.

The lessons taught...

 ...are clear and to the point...

...and sometimes contain rote practice drills.

Level F would definitely provide a 5th grader

with a full year's worth of curriculum,

even giving the kiddos a preview into 

new 6th grade skills.

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The activities I think

provide kiddos with the most 

critical thinking skills

are activities like the following:

 (All of the above activites

have books of their own at the

Critical Thinking Company,

and would definitely be worth looking into

if you need to challenge your kiddos...)

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This book is listing for

$37.99,

and you can read more about it

by clicking HERE.

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Oh,

and one last thing-

for those of you

(myself included)

who are nervous about teaching Math

to your kiddos,

don't fret!

This book...

...DOES have an answer key.  ;0)

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Check out more TOS Crew Member reviews

by clicking HERE...

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Disclaimer:

I received this product free in exchange for my

open and honest review.

I was not compensated in any other way.

TOS Crew Review: God's Great Covenant, NT 1: A Bible Course for Children

We know a bit about...

...Classical Academic Press

in this household.

They offer QUALITY products 

for homeschoolers which include the subjects of

Latin, Other Languages, Logic,

Bible, Poetry, and 

Other Educational Resources.

(You can read about the curriculum 

we reviewed last year by clicking HERE...)

Again,

I have been THOROUGHLY impressed

by Classical Academic's Curriculum!

God's Great Covenant, NT 1: A Bible Course for Children

 is a Bible Curriculum

for grades 4th grade and up.

Besides New Testament 1,

Classical Academic Press also has the following

Biblical Curriculum for this age group:

Old Testament 1

Old Testament 2

 

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In order to truly appreciate

the content of this curriculum,

let me take you on a little 

"photo journey"

through the Student and Teacher books...

 

Both of the books begin with extensive...

...Introductions.

There is a general introduction...

 ...which updates kiddos about the covenants

they learned about in the 

Old Testament studies,

and compares them to the new covenant 

they will be learning about.

After the General Introduction...

 ...comes information about the

History and Politics of Jesus' day.

 A Chronological Timeline of Jesus' life follows...

 ...and a Geographical Introduction...

 ...which includes maps.

Rounding up the Introduction section...

 ...is the Religious Introduction,

which includes...

 ...informative charts.

Ans finally...

...there is an introduction into 

Simon's World,

a section the kiddos will read

at the end of each chapter,

 which will help them familiarize themselves

with the world Jesus lived in.

This introduction section will take at least

a week for a kiddo to get through,

and maybe longer,

depending upon what you choose to do

with it as a parent.

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After the introduction section is over...

 ...the Unit Lesson begin.

Each lesson in a unit contains the following elements:

 1.  Memory Page

 2.  Story Time

 3.  Review Sheets

(And if you want further review for your kiddos...

 ...there are chapter quizzes in the Appendices.)

Each lesson is scheduled to take kiddos

about a week to complete,

but as we all know as homeschooling parents,

those timelines are flexible dependent upon your 

kiddos' abilities.

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At the end of each of the four units are...

 ...a Memory Passage Worksheet...

 ...a Devotional Guide...

...and a look into 

"Simon's World."

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Oh, and let's not forget to look at the

different appendices!

Appendix A...

 ...includes more biblical messages explained.

Appendix B...

 ...discusses the roles Jesus has as

Prophet, Priest, and King.

Appendix C...

 ...delves into The Lord's Prayer.

And what curriculum text would be complete without...

 ...a Glossary and...

...Maps?

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Now, the Student Workbooks are just great,

but my favorite part of this curriculum is...

...the Teacher's Manual.

Of course,

 the manual contains...

...the answers to the worksheets and quizzes.

But ya wanna know the BEST part of the

Teacher's Manual?

The margins are CHOCK-FULL of...

 ...notes!

 The notes are clearly numbered...

 ...and explained.

(These are such a great resource 

for those of us who are not

"theologically minded!")

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 The student workbook costs $26.95

and the

teacher's manual costs $29.95

To save 15%,

you can purchase both together for

$56. 95.

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To see what other TOS Review Crew Members

are saying about this product,

just click HERE...

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Disclaimer:

I received this product free

in exchange for my open and honest review.

I was not compensated in any other way.