2017 Homeschool Review Crew Blue Ribbon Awards

Sadly, the Crew year is over for the holidays, but I am super excited to have been invited back for the next year!

I really have missed the Crew, the curriculum, and all of the wonderful ladies. 

I am really looking forward to next year, when I'll have a full year!

I only reviewed four products this Crew year, and they were fantastic! 

The first review I had this year was for Reading Eggs.

I had never heard of it, and was supposed to review it from the toddler perspective. However my niece came to stay with me for this year so I could homeschool her. 

I got to really use the main part of the program and I'm glad I did. 

This has to be one of my all time favorite reading programs. I will be using this with her, and with Brently. 

The next three products I reviewed were all from The Pencil Grip, Inc. 

I reviewed the Ultra Safe Safety Scissors, The Three Step Pencil Grip Training Kit, and Thin Stix. 

We thoroughly enjoyed all three of these products, especially the scissors and the paint markers. 

The last review I did for the Crew this year was Forbrain.  

Now, the rest of the Crew members reviewed MANY more products this year. 

The Crew has something we call Blue Ribbon Awards. At the end of the Crew year we get to vote on what/who we think the best product was, and to be able to say THANK YOU to all of the vendors who so greatly blessed us this year. 

You can check out the 2017 BLUE RIBBON AWARDS HERE!!

I hope you find some great, new products that you wouldn't have found other wise. Good luck!

Forbrain / TOS Review

I recently received a product called Forbrain from Sound for Life LTD to review.  It is quite different than any other product I have reviewed before. 

This product looks like a head set, but instead of listening to music or other audio, you listen to your own voice. 

Forbrain uses bone conduction to transmit the sound of your own voice faster, and with more clarity than air conduction. 

It has a filter that enhances specific frequencies of speech that surprises the brain to increase memory, attention, and sensory processing. 

It corrects the way you hear your own voice, which leads to better speech production and increased confidence. 

OK, so your probably wondering just what/who this product is made for. 

Forbrain helps people with many issues.

 Some areas that you could expect to see an improvement in are:

• A greater comprehension of the written word and verbal fluency
• An improvement in verbal or short term memory
• A sustained attention span and a greater ability to stay on task
• An increase in concentration and focus
• An improvement in speech, pronunciation and fluency
• A greater self esteem and self confidence

If you could use help in any of these areas, Forbrain is for you. 

Forbrain can be used with children ages 3 to adult. There are a few exceptions. 

Forbrain is not suitable for:

• Children under 3
• For people with Parkinson's disease
• People with hearing loss in both ears of 80%
• People carrying a cochlear implant
• People with epilepsy

OK, now your probably wondering just how you use this product!

In a nutshell, you put the headset on, read or sing out loud, and listen to yourself.

I know that's an oversimplification, but that's really all there is to it. There is obviously a lot more going on scientifically, but as far as how to use it, that's pretty much it.

If you are interested in the science behind it you can read about the scientific evaluation and the scientific results. 

Forbrain is meant to be used daily, for 6 to 10 weeks. (It can be repeated)

Depending on your age, you would use this for 10 to 30 minutes a day.

 The following chart shows how many minutes you should use it per day depending on your age, and what areas you can expect to see improvement in depending on age as well. 

OUR EXPERIENCE:

When I first learned that I would be reviewing this product, I thought I'd use it for myself to see if it would improve my memory and for my niece to see if it would improve her attention span. 

I tried it myself first to see what it is like. I'll admit I had NO idea what to expect. It was a little intimidating. 

It is a little weird at first, but you get used to it pretty fast. You hear yourself talking, but it's like if you were covering your ears and talking, except that you can hear everything clearly. 

I read out loud while I had it on. I do see how it can make you aware of your pronunciation and speech. 

You are forced to hear yourself, I mean really hear yourself.  You could read out loud or talk out loud all day long and never really hear, or pay attention to the way you speak, or how you sound. When your wearing this device, you are totally aware. 

My niece is almost 6 and she couldn't wait to try it. I put it on her and I read out loud to her and she repeated what I said, or she recited the alphabet. 

We've had this device for 6 weeks. You are suppose to use it for 6 to 10 weeks. I think I need the full 10 weeks to be able to see full results, however I do think that this product has potential. I definitely see how it increases your focus already, even though it's only been 6 weeks.

 We have also had a lot of sickness the last couple of weeks. I haven't been able to use it with my niece the entire time as I had planned, due to a bad case of Croup. 

I do think this is a case where I need to add an update later on, but from what I have seen already, I expect more good things from it, along with what I have already seen, such as increase in focus and awareness of speech and pronunciation. 

I encourage you to read the reviews and testimonials  on the Forbrain site as well as the reviews of my fellow crew members. 

Also be sure to check them out on Facebook and Twitter. 

The Winner is....

The winner of the Thin Stix Giveaway is Brittney!

 Congratulations! 

I used Random.org to randomly pick the winning number, and I skipped over my comments when counting...

Thin Stix / TOS Review and GIVEAWAY

I was given the opportunity to review a product from The Pencil Grip, Inc. called Thin Stix Creativity Pack.  
I was excited when I found out that these were paint markers! 
Yes, these markers are actually tempera paint, in marker form, and they are super fast drying. They dry in 90 seconds!
I received a set of 24 tempera paint markers. 

I went out to the store and bought a few items for the kids to paint. 
I bought pumpkins because it was almost Halloween.
 I also got these little canvas animals, and two small wooden puzzles that the kids could color.   They had a blast coloring the pumpkins. Both of them are too small for carving, so I had already planned on letting them paint them, so these were perfect!

4 During our painting of the pumpkins we really put these markers to the test. 
These markers really are very easy to use, even for toddlers.
 Here is my 2 year old twisting the markers.I didn't even show him how to do that, he just figured it out on his own. 

Now, as things usually do get messy with toddlers and paint, here is my 2 year old putting his freshly painted pumpkin on his head!!!

Now, if this had been regular paint, this would have been a disaster, but since these paint markers really are fast drying, there was no transfer of paint to his hair at all!. 
And just as surprising was that they did not have messy hands after painting either.
 I would never just let them alone with regular paint and brushes, but with these I can let them sit at the table and paint all they want without worrying about a huge mess. 
Here are their finished pumpkins!

Now, I also got them these little canvas animals, and wooden puzzles.
 I bought these before I had actually received the product. 
We could not use the little wooden puzzles with these paint markers because the marker tips are wide, and round. 
I was thinking they would be more like regular markers. 
So the tips of these markers are too wide if your wanting to color in things like coloring books, or anything with fine lines, but we could still use them with our little canvas animals. 

If you look closely, you can see on their papers that it didn't leave a very big mess. 
They both turned their's over and I was like, wait it needs to dry first, but it didn't seem to do any harm.
They really do dry fast!

Here is a picture that I took of their hands right after they finished painting these. 

They really are MESS FREE!
They get more color on their hands when they use regular markers. 
We love the Thin Stix Creativity Pack, and will definitely be using these instead of regular paint.
As I mentioned before, they probably won't work for finely detailed items, but are great for making posters, painting on canvas, pumpkins, wooden items, etc...
With Christmas coming up you could let your kids paint wooden jewelry boxes, bird houses, or all kinds of gifts to give. 
When I use them it reminds me of a gel eyeliner. That's how it feels when you are drawing with them. 
I didn't notice any smell to these paint markers. They are washable and non-toxic. 
They are also nut, egg and gluten free for those who may need that consideration.
I asked my five year old niece what she thought about the Thin Stix paint markers, and she said "They're cool, and fun, and kinda great and awesome!"
So, there ya go. They are awesome! 
They really are a staple for a homeschool family, but even if you do not homeschool, your kids will love them, and you will love the fact that your kids will not leave a huge mess after painting!
You can get the whole set of 24 Thin Stix Tempera Paint Markers for only $19.99. 
Would you like a chance to win your own 24 pack of the Thin Stix Creativity Pack?
Just leave a comment on this review, and please follow my blog!
I will choose a winner by random number on Sunday the 12th, and will announce and contact the winner for their mailing address. Thanks and good luck!

Be sure to check them out on Facebook and Twitter too!
Click on the banner below to read more reviews of this product. 

Little Sweeties

These little sweeties. It sure has been wonderful, and challenging to have my niece staying with us. 

Her and Brently love to play together and act just like brother's and sisters. 

It is a little difficult to adjust, though. I am not used to having children close in age. All of mine were so far apart. 

It's like I just got another daughter, but she is 5 years old. Expenses have doubled, because one cannot get anything without the other one wanting one too, we are late everywhere we go because I am not used to having to get two children ready, and one being a girl! 

I am loving teaching her, but she is more difficult to teach than my other children were. 

Have any of you taken in a child and how did you adjust to the new way of life? 

I wouldn't change it, and I'm not complaining, even though it sounds like it a bit. I love her to pieces, but it has been challenging at times. She misses her mom, and therefore acts out sometimes. 

I have to be careful of my attitude. I notice if I get mad or frustrated at her, her attitude really comes out. And its hard sometimes not to get frustrated with her behavior. 

If anyone has any advice for this situation, I would greatly appreciate some!