What about the Lobster Network?

As a member of the TOS Crew, I've had the opportunity to look at the Lobster Network online. This is a free online service that helps you get the word out to others of items you may have for sale or to let friends know of items you are willing to lend. It then has applications to help you track the items you have lent as well.

You can maintain an inventory of multiple items, along with photos and descriptions of your items. According to the Lobster Network site, they use industry standard security procedures as well, collect a minimum amount of personally identifying information, and do not collect your physical address. They are connected with Amazon Web Services, and we've all heard of and most of us have purchased items through Amazon.

Having said all that, I haven't actually bought, sold, borrowed, or lent anything through Lobster Network. I have explored the website, though. At this point, I don't have a need for this service, but I am not in any way criticizing it. I can see potential for our family's use of it, just not at this time. One thing I do want to point out about its search feature--you can filter your searches to include items up for sale, to be borrowed, wanted, or items for free.

I can see how this could be an appealing option for homeschoolers, since, for the most part, we're always on the lookout for good deals and often have items we could be a blessing to others with by sharing or passing on as a good deal.

As always, use wise internet safety tips, especially since this can concern personal belongings. There is a very helpful, informative video on the Lobster Network site that goes into more detail about how to set up an account and get the most out of what it has to offer. You can learn more at the Lobster Network home page or by clicking here to check out what other TOS Crew members have to say.

By the way, this is my last review as a member of the TOS Crew. I hope my reviews have been helpful to anyone who has read them. From this point on, I want to steer more in the direction I've wanted to go for a while but didn't have time, more into the nitty gritty of homeschooling, the resources we use, the freebies I find, the thoughts and strategies that bring success, and the issues that homeschooling families address as we go against the grain. I want to keep it positive and real. So, until the next post, I hope your days are full and blessed!

Looking at Ideal Curriculum's monthly kit.....

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was given the month 1 preschool kit from Ideal Curriculum. This is a set of lesson plans, printable books, workbooks, sequencing cards, and songs which all correspond to the theme for the month. There are nine months in all, and this one is month 1. In this case, the theme is transportation, so all the different components work around some aspect of transportation. Before I tell more about this, let me say I was somewhat skeptical until I really looked at the material. The cost is $30 for the download version, which is what I have, or $55 for the print version, with an extra $7.50 per additional child. After getting to know the materials, though, I believe this is a good product, one that would benefit the preschooler in a homeschool. I didn't see the fluff I've come to expect when I look at curriculum packages, but rather skills-targeting lessons and activities and printables which take on multiple avenues of learning. In fact, as you'll see on the ordering page of their site, you can actually save by ordering sets that contain multiple months.

For someone looking to buy a preschool curriculum, this one encompasses pre-reading skills, writing skills, math skills, science skills, and plenty of music and games, as well. The download version came with files of lesson plans, literacy assessments, student workbooks, and sequencing cards. The books have high quality illustrations and are both informative and age/level appropriate. The lesson plans are clearly and thoroughly written. I was very impressed with the student workbook, which had practice in areas that preschoolers actually need practice in, such as drawing straight and curved lines, concepts of print, and listening. And the music files contain songs that are both educational and entertaining for that preschool age, reinforcing skills across the curriculum spectrum. The songs are simple, but reinforce as well as foster the use of the kids' imaginations.

Especially for someone new to the idea of homeschooling or someone who just isn't sure where to start, Ideal Curriculum provides the bulk of what you need to get off to a great start in the next school year. And considering what you get, I think this downloadable version is a good value, too. To learn more, go to the Ideal Curriculum website. You can also find out more about this product by checking out what other members of the TOS Crew have to say. In fact, in the month of May, Ideal Curriculum is offering TOS Homeschool Crew followers a 10% discount on their first purchase. Be sure to use the code welovekids .

Find teaching resources around the globe with Lesson Planet....

As a member of the TOS Crew, I have had the opportunity to try out Lesson Planet, an internet search engine for teachers. According to the website, it gives teachers access to over 225,000 lesson plans, worksheets, and teaching ideas. These resources come from all over the web, and the teacher reviewers rate them with a star system. Teachers can access printables and plans in a variety of subjects--

• art and music


• health and nutrition


• geography


• research


• social studies


• education


• language arts


• math


• science and technology

When searching for resources, you can filter your search by not only subject, but also by type of resource (and even more detailed filters pertaining to types of questions), grade level, and teacher reviewer rating. Each resource listed in a search has a short description to give you a heads up about what it really is. I found the grade level filter particularly helpful as I searched for printables to go into our maps unit. I've also used this site to seek out resources that fit the dinosaurs and rocks and minerals research projects our two oldest are working on this month. Some of the sites Lesson Planet pulled up for me, I'd never have found or thought of on my own and didn't recall seeing them in my own searches. I did find a few duplicate resources, but that wasted all of about ten seconds. You can also search for information on your state's educational standards. However, when I did this, the list of standards for my state was incomplete.

In addition to providing an internet search engine for teachers, Lesson Planet also provides tools for subscribers to help them create their own web sites, lessons, and email newsletters. You can also access a calendar that gives ideas for learning experiences based on events that are significant for each day and find articles to help in lesson planning.

The cost is $39.95 annually, which comes to about 11 cents a day. You can sign up for a free 10-day trial on the website. Why not check it out and see if it's right for you? The site has a very informative FAQ section as well, which provides answers to questions about the resources you can access as well as membership guidelines and fees. You can also click here to find out what other Crew members had to say.

Super Star Speech: Speech Therapy Made Simple!

As a member of the TOS Crew, I received Super Star Speech: Speech Therapy Made Simple! to review. I'll be honest....I was quite skeptical about the nature and contents until I received this resource. Deborah Lott, the developer, doesn't make grandiose promises or take on issues that truly need a professional. This book is simply strategies and guidance for a workable at-home plan to tackle very minor speech issues. And it is very simple to read and implement. And at a price of only $12.95 for the ebook version, it's not a huge investment.

Super Star Speech includes instructions for a pre-program articulation test, directions on how to teach and practice each sound, 240 practice cards, and a number of reproducible practice materials. It is not meant to be used in treating severe speech problems, but rather minor issues in a child's speech development. And I can say that the strategies we have applied around here have been very simple for me to explain and demonstrate, thanks to the easy-to-understand language used in the program.

On the website

http://www.superstarspeech.com/speech-therapy-materials.html you can actually look at some sample pages as well, including the table of contents, specific sound instructions page for p/b, sample speech picture cards, and a printable game. The ebook version is 74 pages. I was, before I took the time to get familiar with it, very unsure of whether this was something I could do, but the instructions are so simple, and Deborah truly lays it all out very plainly and in a very organized manner.

The strategies are easy to understand and systematic to implement for those of us who are not speech pathologists, and she even provides the forms for lesson plans and record keeping, as well as instruction for how to do this very simply. Another aspect of Super Star Speech I really like is that the games and resources within it are reproducible, so they can be used with more than one child. These reproducibles are engaging and appropriate for either boy or girl.

If your child's speech development has hit some minor snags, and you're ready to learn what you can do to get past it, check out Super Star Speech: Speech Therapy Made Simple. This is one product I feel sets realistic goals and then goes on to give parents real information and resources to reach those goals. You can learn more at http://www.superstarspeech.com/speech-therapy-materials.html, and you can also check out what the other TOS Crew members had to say here.

Include the little ones with Time4Learning!

As a member of the TOS Crew, my 4-year-old and I have had the opportunity to review the Time4Learning website and its many offerings for preschoolers. Let me say first of all how refreshing my dealings with their customer service representatives have been! I was able to get fast responses to my emails and even talked to the same person I'd emailed! I was very impressed with the graciousness and attention to helping me as the customer that was displayed as my questions were taken care of.

What is Time4Learning? To call it a website seems an understatement. It is a site that has a variety of components to stimulate learning in a fun and safe way, simple enough that my 4-year-old can navigate semi-independently. We are enrolled in the preschool section, so what we found were a collection of topics that each have a short song/video and correlating games, art, and writing activities. There are matching games, memory games, pre-reading and counting/early math skills games, just to give you an idea. Different topics include, but are not limited to:

• human body


• nature


• pets


• measuring


• making music


• rhyme time


• numbers


• weather


• on the farm

There are two levels within the preschool age category, so it can serve both those little ones just starting out on their educational adventure as well as those who are practically ready for kindergarten. I found that my four-year-old benefited from a mix of both, and it was as easy as clicking a link on the side to go back and forth.

Something else kinda cool is the "playground" feature. What it is is a page with educational games, puzzles, and activities, and external links, like to pbskids.org . I like this because I can let him choose where he'd like to go for his "recess" and feel confident it will be to a safe site, and he likes to be the boss for a little bit, too. You cannot be careful enough these days, it seems, so I really appreciate this feature. I was familiar with some of these links, but not all, so I had something to learn here, too. This playground feature is a timed one, also, which I like because it makes it more of a special deal to get to play those games. By the way, as a parent, I can set up how long his lesson and playground times should be.

And the lesson plans....this is where it gets good to me. This site has tons of lesson plans, from pre-K through 8th. Each lesson has the learning objectives, activities, and resources it covers or includes in the scope and sequence parents can access.

While we have gotten to experience the preschool level of Time4Learning, there are features for both elementary and middle school students as well. In fact, according to their site, some homeschoolers use Time4Learning as the core of their curriculum. Time4Learning has built-in progress reporting features, too, which can be a huge time-saver for parents. I will say, though, that the preschool version of this is in progress. On the FAQ page on their site, there is an explanation of what subjects and objectives are covered for different levels. In fact, the FAQ page really explains a lot about what all this site can be for students and how parents can make the most of it, too. What is the cost? $19.95 for the first child and $14.95 for each additional child monthly. There are no other costs to use this site. If you're curious about how it works, you can access demo lessons from their site. Okay, here's my take on the cost. If you are like me and thoroughly enjoy the challenge of staying up all night to find internet games and activities that align with your lesson plans, the price may give you pause. Otherwise, you are really paying for someone else to do the hard work here in providing a meaningful educational experience for your students on the computer. You just will have to check out their demos and the rest of the site to decide whether the cost is justified in light of what your kids will get from it.

You can check out what other TOS Crew members have to say here. Be sure to head on over to the Time4Learning site to see for yourself, too!

A world of math practice with Math Galaxy!

As a member of the TOS Crew, I have had the opportunity to review two products from Math Galaxy, the Math Galaxy Fraction Riddles ebook and the Math Galaxy Whole Numbers Riddles ebook. Let me just say that what I like about both of these is that they combine straightforward practice in essential math skills with a touch of fun. What is it about riddles that propel kids through a worksheet they otherwise would whine and dawdle about?

I chose the ebook format, which is handy because I've got it and can print off what I need when I need it. The price, by the way, of each of these is $12.95. The Whole Numbers Riddles ebook contains 130 riddle worksheets, while the Fraction Riddles ebook has 215 riddle worksheets. They are in color, which is a nice touch, and include the answer keys, of course. Many paper practice books cost more and then you can only use them once. With these, I can reuse them with each child. I like that.

I taught fourth grade for several years, and now as a homeschooling mom, one of my biggest goals is to build a strong foundation in the basics. I am all about lots of math practice. The riddle worksheets in these ebooks do just that. They are full of just good, solid practice sheets. I think these are products that would complement just about any math curriculum. In fact, I don't know of any curriculum that actually couldn't benefit from some additional practice.

Even my younger daughter, who isn't as interested in math as her sister, gets engaged by a riddle. She loves to solve them, so she will focus on the problems and work diligently until she has the answer.

I can truly recommend these ebooks. To find out more about these and the other ebooks and software downloads available through Math Galaxy, click here. You can actually access a lot of freebies, too, which is always cool! To see a list of the products you can order, click on the "order" icon at the top. My impression of this company is that they are out to provide quality products and to listen to what customers have to say about them and what they offer. You can also check out the reviews of other TOS Crew members here.

Check out this springtime unit!

We just finished a great weather unit, capped off by a visit to the local news station, and now we're moving on to a study of springtime. Each year, we do this, but we can take our study a little deeper each year as the kids get older. We spent Monday's science time reviewing just what causes the seasons and watched some pretty neat videos online. I'll try to remember to post the links for them later. Then, on Tuesday, we began a unit available online through http://www.nappc.org/curriculum/ . It's called "Nature's Partners: Pollinators, Plants, and You" and is made up of six modules. So far, we have done modules 1 and 2, and it hits all the learning types! It includes background information and reproducibles, too! One word of caution--there is some hint of an evolutionary slant, but you don't have to share that. It's just as easy to point out, instead of evolution, how God created the plants and pollinators to work together in the pollination process.

This is a free curriculum and really gets brains in gear as kids observe, make models, process data, and learn tons about the importance of those tiny beings we call pollinators. Check it out!