2018 Homeschool Review Crew Applications are Now Open!

2018 Homeschool Review Crew Applications Now Open

If you have ever thought about writing for the Homeschool Review Crew, like I do, your in luck!

Applications are now open! Click on the link or image above to apply!

One Year Anniversary!

Today is our one year anniversary. It sure has been a crazy year, but I am so thankful for my husband. 

The Pencil Grip, Inc./ TOS Review

The Pencil Grip, Inc. sent our family two products to try out: The Ultra Safe Safety Scissors and The 3 Step Pencil Grip Training Kit. 

I thought I would show you the video of my son opening the package, because it is just too darn cute.  He loves surprise! lol

This is his first attempt at using scissors. As you can see in the video below, these truly are safety scissors.

I would never give him a pair of scissors, even normal safety scissors, and just let him have at it. He still could have cut himself with other safety scissors.

 This pair is so different because it has a guard built in and no matter how he holds them, or moves them, he can not cut himself.

 He is obviously not familiar with scissors yet, but he got the hang of it pretty fast, and he was so proud of himself when he did it all by his self. 

He has really got the hang of the scissors now and cuts up every paper he colors. 

 But I am OK with it because I don't have to worry about him hurting his self with them. He can't cut his self and even if he fell with them he can't poke his self or anyone else. 

They are not the easiest of scissors to maneuver, but for toddlers just starting out, or for scissors that you can let a child use without super close supervision, these are perfect! 

You can see exactly how these scissors work in these close up pictures:

Now the second item I received was the The 3 Step Pencil Grip Training Kit. 
These come in three different steps.   The first one is for beginners. It is called the Crossover Grip. It has wider wings on it to prevent your fingers from crossing over to the incorrect position. 
The second is called the Pinch Grip and it is a transition grip to the last one, the Pencil Grip. 

I have tried to write with these many times, and I like the feel of them, but I just can't get the hang of using them. It feels so off to me. I hold a pencil so differently, it's not even close to how you are supposed to. I didn't even realize that I wasn't holding my pencils correctly!

I am glad I was able to try these out and see how you were supposed to hold a writing utensil.

 I will definitely start my children out with these so that they will grow up knowing how to correctly hold a pencil. 

They have an R and an L on each grip so you know exactly how to place the grip on your pencil.

They are fail proof. You know exactly where to place your fingers, and can't hold your pencil wrong when you are using these.

These really are a great idea for children to use when they first start using a pencil. 

You can continue to use the Pencil Grip even as an adult for comfort.

Here my niece is using the beginner one, the Crossover Grip.

Here she is using the middle one, the Pinch Grip.

She is just starting to learn how to hold a pencil, so she doesn't quite have it down yet, but she likes it.

She says it's comfortable and that it helps her to hold the pencil. She prefers the middle one, the Pinch Grip, over the other two.

Overall, I really like both products. The children's safety scissors are an absolute must have.

 Your young child can feel grown and have their own pair of scissors, while you don't have to worry about them cutting themselves!

The grips are great for teaching children how to hold a pencil correctly.

 I definitely recommend having both of these items in your homeschool arsenal!




You can order the Ultra Safe Safety Scissors for only $4, and The 3 Step Pencil Grip Training Kit for $8.13 from Amazon.


Be sure to check out the Facebook and Twitter pages for lot's of other cool products and ideas on how to use them!

Reading Eggs/ TOS Review

I was lucky enough to be chosen to review a program called Reading Eggs. 
I was supposed to review the Reading Eggs Jr. program, as my son is almost 3, but luckily my niece is going to be staying with me for a while, and we got to use the main portion of the program, Reading Eggs, as well!
Now let me say a couple of things before I get to the review part. This online reading program is awesome! I am so excited and thankful to have received a six month subscription, and I can definitely say that I will continue the subscription beyond the six months.
 The price is amazing as well. $59 for an entire year, and that includes a math program as well! And they are offering a free 4 week trial until 11-30-17, just for you. So be sure to try it out and see what you think!
Now, on to the review....

The main portion of this program is called Reading Eggs. It is designed for children ages 3 to 7. It is the heart of the program, the "learning to read" part.

 Each lesson consists of about 10 to 20 individual sections. Each section teaches a new way to learn the letter sound. 

The lesson will introduce a letter sound and the children play "games" that reinforce the sound. 

By the end of the 3rd lesson your child is reading a whole sentence!

 I think that is awesome because it really gives the kids the confidence and motivation they need to want to continue learning to read. Your child feels so good, when after just a couple of lessons they are already reading! 

I think this is brilliant. Your child doesn't have to go through every letter, learning it's sound, before they start to read. They may give up, or feel like they are never going to learn to read if they have to do it that way.  

Another great feature of the program is that it keeps track of everything your child does. It lets you know when your child has completed a lesson, it shows you where your child's estimated reading age is, and how many phonics skills and sight words they know. You can find all of your children's information in the family dashboard. 

I also like the fact that they offer printable worksheets to go along with each lesson. When your child is learning the sound for the letter "M", they can also learn how to write the letter. 

Your child can take a placement test to find out where they need to begin so that they aren't wasting time learning things they already know or starting somewhere that is too difficult. 
Some of the newest features that have recently been implemented are the Homeschool Guides. Theses are available for grades K-2. 

Now, honestly, until I looked over these guides, I didn't really realize that this program also included Science and Social Studies. I knew it included books, but I really didn't put it all together.
 I am so glad I found these! These guides lay out each day for the homeschool parent.  Science and Social Studies are implemented through the Library. There are thousands of books to choose from. 

My only complaint about this program, and it definitely isn't a big one, is that I would love a pause or mute button. When we are doing the lessons, and my niece is trying to think, or I am trying to explain something to her, the ant keeps repeating "click on the word AM, or whatever we are working on. It is a bit annoying. If I could just click a pause, or mute button, that would be super helpful. Sometimes the child may need a bit longer to figure it out than the ant gives, and it makes it hard to think when the ant keeps talking.  

My son loves doing "his school". He is doing the math part here. He cracks up at the monkey.  (Please excuse the dirty face. He had just been eating. But hey, real life, right?)

Brently's cousin is showing him how to do it! They both worked together to learn their numbers!  They both love this program.
 My niece asks me every morning, as soon as we get up, if we can do school. I always have to tell her, "Let us at least eat breakfast first!" 
I asked my niece what her favorite part of her schoolwork (Reading Eggs) was. Her response: "I love it and it's really fun!"

The next part of the program that we are reviewing is Reading Eggs Jr.  Reading Eggs Jr. is designed for toddlers ages 2 -4.

  In the Jr. part of the program your toddler is being introduced to the letters, and their sounds. There are games they can play, like putting the toy that starts with the right sound in the toy box. 
Your child can choose a book, and it will be read aloud to them. They can play puzzles that help them learn their shapes, they can watch videos and much more.   This is a great introduction to letters and their sounds. If you have have a child in the Reading Eggs program, your toddler will love having his "own school". 
My son likes it, but he wants to do what he sees his cousin doing. Which brings me to...
MATHSEEDS!

Mathseeds follows the same format as Reading Eggs, but with numbers. Now I am assuming, since it is designed for ages 3 to 9, that it will eventually get into actual math, but at the beginning it starts with learning the number one. Just as your child has lessons with games and activities to learn their letter sounds, the child has the same for learning their numbers. 

Just as with Reading Eggs, your child can take a placement test so they are put right where they need to be. 

My son LOVES this. Even more than Reading Eggs Jr. I think it's because it follows the same format as the "big" school. I can't tell you how excited he gets to play this. He is learning to count, so this is the perfect accompaniment. 

You just can't beat this program. Reading, comprehension, math, spelling and more, all for only $59 a year! I honestly can't believe the value. 

But, that's not all! There is one more section to this program. It is called Reading Eggspress. 

Reading Eggspress is for children in the 7 to 13 age range. It is for children who already know how to read, but need continuing reading education. The focus in this part is more on reading comprehension. 
Your child can pick a book from the library, and they can read the book and take quizzes to see if they are comprehending what they are reading. 
There is also a spelling section. I love this. It teaches the specific spelling rules, then has activities and quizzes for the child to do to practice their spelling. 

My 7th grader tried this section out for me, and he said "it was pretty cool". I could tell he was having fun doing the spelling portion. I really, really like the spelling portion because it is not just your basic spelling program. It incorporates so many different ways to teach spelling. 
There are so many "extra's" to this program that it would be impossible to list them all here. 
The more we get into this program, and the more I check it out on my own, the more I fall in love with it. This will be a curriculum staple in my home for many years to come, for sure...
 Use the free trial to see what all they really have to offer and see what you and your children think about this program. 
You can use this program on a computer, or a tablet! It works on iPad, iPhone and Android.   You can get a six month subscription for $49.95,  BUT for only ten dollars more, $59, you can get an entire year's subscription, that includes all parts of the program. 
Additional children get 50 percent off their subscription. 
You can also purchase book packs that go along with the program at discounted prices, when you have a subscription. 
You can find all of the pricing for subscriptions and book packs here. 
If you are still not 100 percent sure, please remember they are offering a FREE 4 WEEK TRIAL so that you can try it out before purchasing. 
The free trial that is normally offered is for only 2 weeks, but if you use the free trial links from this review post, you will get a special trial of 4 weeks! 
The free trial includes the new Reading Eggs Jr., Reading Eggs, Reading Eggspress and Mathseeds. (4 week free trial expires November 30th, 2017)
Don't forget to check them out on Facebook and Twitter too!

Kindergarten AGAIN!

I've gained a new child to homeschool!

My niece is going to be staying with me this year and I get to homeschool her! 

It's been a while since I've done kindergarten! Those are the funnest times. My 3 year old is learning right along with her! 

I sure have missed theses days, and am excited to be doing them again!!

IEW Student Writing Intensive. /For sale

I am regretfully selling this item. It is one of my absolute favorite programs ever. I will be purchasing it again in the future, but now I have my niece living with me and I am homeschooling her, and I need to get her the items that she needs. If anyone is interested, I am selling this for $50 shipping included, OBO. Just let me know!

Mission Organization

I have been working so hard on getting my home clean and organized. Here is my bedroom all clean and organized. feels so good! 

I am on a mission to get my entire home clean and organized, all at one time. I have found some great items for organizing that have become life savers. I will share this with you in future posts. I am thinking about starting a Mission Organization Monday's post. 

For now, I thought I'd share a picture of my room. I should have taken a before picture. 

I have been getting rid of anything and everything that I can. I am so tired of mess, and clutter. 

What is your best organizing tip?

UPDATED/ CURRICULUM AND BOOKS FOR SALE

Institute for Excellence in Writing  Student Writing Intensive Group B

Retail $109  Selling for $55 shipping included. 

Think it Through Tiles, plus 11 books. 

Retails for about $180 or more for all. Amazon sells just the tiles for $79.99

Selling for $50 firm plus $5 shipping

The Way Home and All the Way Home by Mary Pride. 

The Way home is new, All the Way Home is very used. 

$10.00 for both 

The Hidden Art of Homemaking  New $5 

For the Children's Sake $4

The No Cry Sleep Solution New $5

Set of 4 books $10

More Choices Eat Well Live Well New but bottom left corner got a little bent. $5

Super Foods for Super Kids $3

If Skies be Blue Bob Jones Reading book. Retails $35, selling for $10 because front cover got bents quite a bit and toddler took scissors to first page. 

A Biblical Home Education New slight bend in bottom right corner. $5

Making Brother's and Sister's Best Friends. $5

Love Must be Tough $4

10 Things I want my Daughter to Know. $2 

Hand Sewing Lessons   $2

Set of 4 Louisa May Alcott books $20

Jo's Boys  $4

Novel Vocabulary Anne Frank $2

Summer Bridge Activities Grades 4-5 First 20 pages done. $5

Ten Divided by Five is Not Five  NEW $5

Five Times Five is Not Ten few pages done $8

Both Books $10 

Considering God's Creation Retails $30 Selling for $15 shipping included

The Ultimate Homeschool Planner Debra Bell Retails $30 selling for $10 New but slight crease in front cover

Spelling Workbook $5  Few pages done

Broadman Bible Study Maps $8 Used with MOH

If there is no shipping price, it just depends on how many items you get!