Beyond Five In A Row -- Loving Learning

A long time ago, when we first began to consider homeschooling, I asked the only two homeschoolers I knew what curriculum I should use.   My children were just 2 years old, and 6 months old at the time.  Both ladies (one online and one in my church) recommended Five In A Row.  So, I went to the Five In A Row website and fell in love with their philosophy of education.   As a book-lover, I was excited to find a curriculum that used beautiful picture books to teach children.   I knew that was what I wanted for my homeschool.  I kept thinking, "I wish I'd been taught like that!" 

I started reading at the discussion forums.  The ladies there patiently answered my questions, encouraged me, guided me, and helped me get started with homeschooling.  We began with Before Five In A Row (ages 2-5), moved on to all four volumes of Five In A Row (ages 4-8), and eventually Beyond Five In A Row, volume 1 (ages 8-12).  We loved "rowing" the books as a family.  I can't imagine a more enjoyable start to our homeschooling journey.  As a perfectionist easily-stressed and "prone to freak out" new homeschooling mom ... I needed something as gentle on the kids and as simple for Moms to use as Five In A Row. 

I love all the Five In A Row products.  It is always the curriculum I recommend to others with young children, or to new homeschoolers.  I love how well it fits with Charlotte Mason's teaching style: reading living books to learn about social studies, geography, history, language arts, science, art, and applied math.  Five In A Row creates the "gentle art of learning" in your homeschool. 

As part of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew, we were sent Beyond Five In A Row:  volume 3 to review.  It is hard for me to separate one part of the Five In A Row curricula from the others, so although I will be reviewing Beyond Five In A Row, I will also be mentioning the other curricula, as well.

Beyond Five In A Row is a literature-based unit study using chapter books, as opposed to the picture books used in Before Five In A Row and Five In A Row.  It is designed for children, ages 8-12.  Like all the Five In A Row products, Beyond Five In A Row includes lessons on the following subjects:  social studies, geography, history, language arts (including grammar and writing), art, applied math, and science.  Students will still need additional math, handwriting, and grammar to complete their education (and phonics for the younger students).

Beyond Five In A Row is extremely versatile.  It can be used with minimal preparation, teaching directly from the manual without any previous preparation -- or it can be used as a launching point, with additional books, projects, and lapbooks to expand your study.  The teacher's manual provides enough information that you can teach directly from it, or you can find additional resources to read with your children.  You can assign your older children to research the topics introduced in Beyond Five In A Row, as well. 

Each Beyond Five In A Row volume covers 4 chapter books; two fiction and two biographies.  Unlike Five In A Row where you read the same picture book for five days in a row, with Beyond Five In A Row, you read the chapter and then spend as many days as you need exploring the lessons in that chapter before moving on to the next chapter.  Beyond Five In A Row can move as quickly as you like, or take as long as you like.  If you desire to use it as a launching point for deeper study, then the study can be stretched out over a longer period of time.

The broad age-range of the study, and its unit style approach, not only covers many subjects in one curriculum, but also allows you to use it with children of varying ages.  You can simplify the lessons for younger students, and assign additional research, writing, and other projects for the older children.  The conversational style of teaching builds wonderful relationships with your children, and amongst your children.

For this review period, my 8 and 9 year olds studied The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden with me.  We enjoyed seeing New York City through the eyes of Chester Cricket, Tucker Mouse, and Harry Cat.  Because these children are at the younger end of the age range for Beyond Five In A Row, I taught them directly from the manual, without any supplementation.  We used a conversational approach, although we did use the writing assignments.  When I used Beyond Five In A Row with my older girls, we created a notebook as part of our lessons.  (That's just another example of how versatile the curriculum is.)  I loved snuggling into the love seat with them and we all enjoyed our study.  Don't tell, but I know the older girls were also listening in.  That tends to happen with Five In A Row.  The younger children often migrate over and climb onto laps, as well.

Beyond Five In A Row is affordable, with each teacher's manual costing only $24.95.  You can save 10% by ordering all three manuals at once, for $67.50.  The additional Beyond Five In A Row Christian Character Bible Study Supplement is available for $17.95, or it can be bought with all 3 volumes for a total of $85.00.  The chapter book package of the twelve books used in all three volumes of Beyond Five In A Row is sold at the Five In A Row website for an additional $89.95. They also have a line of digital products, including nature study guides.

Beyond Five In A Row was written by Becky Jane Lambert, the daughter of Steve and Jane Claire Lambert who created Five In A Row.  She was homeschooled using this style of education, and is now teaching her own children using it as well.  The Lambert family truly has a heart to encourage homeschool families, and help them teach their children in a loving, gentle, and educationally rich environment.  I've heard the Lamberts speak, and have attended one of the Five In A Row conferences in the past.  They are blessings to the homeschool community.

The Lambert family has created a helpful website with discussion forums where homeschooling parents can share ideas, seek advice, and receive encouragement from other Five In A Row users.  The Lamberts even respond to some of the posts on the forums with suggestions and encouragement. You can find inspiring articles at the website, as well.

I can not say enough wonderful things about Beyond Five In A Row and the entire line of Five In A Row products.  Although we are no longer using Five In A Row regularly, I still own all of my manuals and I'm still collecting the books that go along with them.  We switch back to it whenever we miss it too much.  We only switched to something else because my oldest daughter was approaching high school and ready to move on from the Five In A Row products, and I found it overwhelming at the time to think of teaching several different levels of Five In A Row, and an additional curriculum.  But it makes me sad that my younger children are missing out on the rich Five In A Row experience, so we do switch back and forth with them.

I highly recommend Five In A Row and Beyond Five In A Row.  I can only think of two "cons" to tell you about Five In A Row and Beyond Five In A Row.  The first "con" is that it doesn't have a high school level.  I have always wished that it did.  The highest product they have is Above And Beyond Five In A Row for students age 12 and up.   The second "con" isn't really a "con" either  -- these are parent led unit studies (except Above and Beyond)  so they are more teacher-intensive than other forms of curricula.  But, that is what makes Five In A Row special, the relationships and memories they build in families.

We give Beyond Five In A Row and Five In A Row 18 thumbs up ... that's two thumbs up from every member of our family!

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Trusting in Him,
April

Sometimes you know more than the "experts" ...

It's February, but it's been a very warm February.  We've had days and days in a row of weather in the 50s and even 60s.  Every now and then we get some 30s or 40s for a day or two, to remind us it's still winter.  But it's been very warm overall. 

We've been having allergy symptoms, but every time I checked weather.com for the pollen forecast, there was NOTHING there.  No data recorded.

Until Sunday.  Suddenly I notice the flashing sign across the top that says our area has HIGH pollen.  So I click on the pollen forecast, and yep ... tree pollen is HIGH right now, and forecast to continue to be HIGH.

I doubt it SUDDENLY became HIGH.  It's probably been creeping up for the past couple weeks, which our bodies have been telling us here in the ElCloud home ... but because it's February, no one was paying attention to it.

I wonder which allergy sufferer finally said "you know, maybe we should be checking the pollen around here, because I'm feeling yucky!"  It had to be a fellow allergy sufferer who would finally think to check the pollen, in February. 

But I'm glad to have the confirmation of what I was suspecting.  My own nose has felt tingly and stuffy, some of the kids have had drippy noses, and a few have had some red puffy eyes.  But what I notice even more is their behavior.  They whine and argue so much more when their allergies are flared up.  My Dad says it is from a decrease in oxygen making its way through their bodies, it makes them tired.  He's a paramedic, so I certainly won't argue with him.  All I know is that the next few months won't be fun, then we'll get a break in the summer, only to have another miserable set of weeks in the fall. 

But, we'll survive.  And we'll consider buying stock in over the counter loratadine.  We'll limit stresses and outside commitments to some extent, and we'll just "circle the wagons".   We'll turn our focus inward, on supporting the family unity during a time of stress. 

Maybe we're the only family that has behavioral issues that go along with allergies.  I certainly don't read about that side-effect very much, but it was the first clue with 12 yo R.  Spring when she was 3 and 4 were terrible, before we finally got a clue and had her tested when she was 5.  She's allergic to trees, grass, weeds, mold, and penicillin.  Not highly allergic, she's not going to have an asthma attack or anything.  But it's so many different allergens that we just can't get a break.  Trees may stop, but then the grass kicks in.

We haven't had the other children tested for allergies, but we know the signs now.  Not just the drippy noses, but the whininess, the temper tantrums, the tears.  I only wish the chewable loratadine wasn't so expensive.  My kids don't particularly care for liquid medicines, but oh well.  When you're doling it out to 6 whiny kids on a daily basis, you opt for the less expensive route.  Actually, most of my kids take it daily for awhile and then reject it.  Fine, feel miserable, but if you start making me feel miserable with your whining you've got two choices ... take a nap, or take the medicine.

I'll be cherishing my early mornings alone for the next few months, because the children's allergies do wear on me.  It's tiring trying to keep the children emotionally steady.  My current 5 year old is often "on the edge" of a meltdown anyway.  When he's sick, he's just one meltdown after another.  Um, I think I'll go to the library alone on the weekends for awhile.  We've had too many meltdowns, or near meltdowns, in that quiet zone already.

It's time to really start doling out vitamin C, as well.  Vitamin C helps the body deal with allergies, too.  And you may find me sipping lots of chamomile tea, to reduce my own stress, for awhile.  Strap on your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride ... Allergy Season 2009 is upon us.

Trusting in Him,
April

Cadron Creek: Further Up & Further In

Cadron Creek Christian Curriculum publishes year-long unit studies.  They have three different unit studies for different ages:

• Prairie Primer elementary level unit study, based on the Little House on the Prairie series;


• Further Up And Further In, for upper elementary and junior high students, based on the The Chronicles of Narnia;


• Where the Brook And River Meet, for senior high students, based on the Anne of Green Gables series.

We were sent Further Up And Further In to review.  My oldest daughter loves The Chronicles of Narnia and has read the series several times.  My younger children have enjoyed reading The World Of Narnia (a picture book version) and our family enjoys the recent Narnia movies.  So, we were excited to be able to read the Narnia books as part of our curriculum. 

Further Up And Further In is a literature based unit study.  It is designed to cover the following subjects:  English, literature, history, social studies, geography, science, Bible and character, cooking, art.  You would need to add a separate math, spelling, and grammar program for each student.  You would also need additional history studies, as well as additional science, in my opinion.

I love literature-based unit studies, but have struggled to implement them in our ever-enlarging family in more recent years.  We began this review period with me leading the daily lessons, and ran into some of the struggles we'd faced previously:  crying babies interrupting my reading, and the constant struggle to balance chores, babies, and the unit study.  We then decided to try having the girls work independently on Further Up And Further In.  I filled out an assignment chart for the week, telling them what lessons to do through the week.  They read the chapter to each other and worked through the lessons themselves.  They made use of the encyclopedia and dictionary extensively.  I was available to provide direction and explanations, as needed, but they were not relying on me to teach them directly.  I was actually surprised at how well this worked for us.  It required some additional planning on the weekends, and a gathering of supplies for the lessons, but didn't have a daily demand on my time.

The further into the study that we went, the more I became disappointed that it didn't include enough history and science.  However, when I looked at the Cadron Creek website again, I realized it clearly states that additional history studies will be needed.  (Although the Further Up & Further In manual itself does not say this.)  I was expecting it to be a complete unit study, but it is not as strong in history as the other two Cadron Creek unit studies.  (Which makes sense since Narnia is a fictional world, and not a true period of history).  I was glad to see that the author and publisher realize it needs additional history studies.  Knowing that changed my expectations of the curriculum, and my satisfaction with it.  Students could study ancient civilizations or World War II for a natural connection to the Further Up And Further In unit study.

Pros:

• Multi-level approach can include several age students at once


• Relationship building occurs as a family studies together


• Can be Mom-centered as she reads to the children and leads discussion


• Can be studied independently, with junior high students working on their own


• Literature based learning provides a natural connection to the subjects being studied


• Can be adapted to work for different ages and abilities


• Cross-curricular unit study approach saves money over multiple curricula


• Minimal amount of other resources required


• Cost-effective plan for a year's curriculum

Cons:

• Needs additional history and science to provide adequate junior high education


• Some chapters only have Bible and literature lessons


• Lesson content and amount varies from chapter to chapter, book to book

Further Up And Further In is available in paperback for $56.00, or spiral bound for $62.00.  That is a wonderful price for a year's curriculum for multiple children.  The study requires a set of The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis.  I recommend buying a set, so you can take as long as you need with each book.  In addition to the Narnia books, there are several additional resources that are helpful.  They are sold at the Cadron Creek website.  Three of those resources are included in the Basic Pack, for $85.00, saving you money.  You can also find sample pages, and helpful resource links at the Cadron Creek website.

Our family enjoyed our visit to Narnia, and the learning that Further Up And Further In made possible.  Anyone seeking a unit study for their upper elementary and junior high students will be sure to enjoy it as well.

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Trusting in Him,
April

Heads Up! Reading Tools

I don't usually use pictures in my reviews, but this is a product you really have to SEE to understand and appreciate. This is an item (and company) for the wiggly, bouncy, distractible students in your life!  These are products that help the students who have tracking issues, eye dominance issues, distraction issues, dyslexia, learning disabilities, sensory issues, or neurological issues. 

Heads Up! is the company who provides these wonderful frames and reading aids for students.  They also provide many other helpful items:  fidgets, weighted blankets, weighted lap pets, books, and cushion disks to sit on.  Those are just a few of the items they provide to help our students stay focused on their work.

These Heads Up! Frames come in two sizes, the large and small frames.  They are available in six different colors (pink, yellow, red, orange, blue, green) for only $1.00 each.  They help a child focus in on one section of a page, without being distracted by the rest of the page.  The square ones work well for math problems, and the large ones work well in most other books.

These Heads Up! Readers come in the same six colors as well as clear, and are also sold for $1.00 each.  They draw the student's attention to a single line of text, and are excellent for beginning readers and those who have trouble tracking as they read.  My beginning reader has really benefited from these.

These two products come in yellow or blue colors, and are also sold for $1.00 each  They have a yellow or blue strip at the top to highlight the lines you are reading, and a gray opaque section to block out the lines beneath the colored portion.  The Top Of The Lines (on the left) highlight a single line of text (or two if you're reading a smaller print).  The Double Times (on the right) have a larger highlighting section and show more text at once.

My children are distractible, active, creative, and strong-willed.  Despite their distractibility and activity level, they are avid readers ... once they finally "get it".  Every single one of them reads with a bookmark under the line they are reading. 

I wasn't sure if they would like these products or not.  I thought they would help ... if the children would actually use them.   I planned to keep some for ourselves, and give away a set on my blog.  But the kids love them!  They've scattered them around the house in different books and textbooks.  I can't give them away because my children are using them all!  They make great bookmarks, too.

The only child who isn't using them is my 9 year old daughter.  She is actually the most active of the girls, but she found the readers and frames to be more distracting to her.  She tried them out, but quickly set them aside for her regular bookmark.  That surprised me.  I thought she would be one of the ones to benefit from them the most. 

(Just a little note:  they come covered with a clear plastic layer that peels off.  It's there to protect the readers and frames until they are in your home.  Once you peel them off, they're actually easier to read through.  The catalog tells you to peel this off, but I didn't notice that until my kids started asking me why the edges were curling up.)

I highly recommend these items if your child has trouble staying focused on their reading and their bookwork.  And if your children have any other special needs, I'm sure that you can find many helpful items at the Heads Up! website.  I personally would love to see if those weighted lap pets keep these fidgety kids of mine from falling out of their seats for no reason at all.

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Trusting in Him,
April

The Bible CD -- Let's Sing About The Book We Love!

THE BIBLE CD - Let's Sing About The Book We Love!
by Bible StorySongs, Inc.

The TOS Homeschool Crew members were each sent a different CD by Bible StorySongs to review. Bible StorySongs has six different CDs available:  Moses vol. 1, Moses vol. 2, Matthew vol. 1, Matthew vol. 2, The Bible, and David.  Our family received The Bible CD, with 32 original songs and rounds about the Bible.  The songs include books of the Bible songs, as well as songs based on key Scriptures. 

Bible memorization is important, but it often takes the backburner to other things that seem more urgent.  The Bible StorySongs CDs allow your family to memorize Scripture while going about their other tasks: like putting away toys, washing dishes, driving to the library.  Multi-tasking at its finest, and music is an excellent memory tool!

Our family loves playing CDs while we sleep.  We put them on repeat and let them play all night long.  This helps my children fall back to sleep if they wake up during the night.  The Bible CD is calm enough that it can be played during the night, but also enjoyable for day-time listening.  I love knowing that they are hearing Scripture and Truth all night long if we play The Bible CD.

The music is sung by children in natural voices -- not by adults, and not by character voices.  The music is a mix of original tunes and those borrowed from folk songs and classical music.  This lends itself well to use in home settings, as well as church settings like Awana, children's church, Vacation Bible School, and homeschool groups.  Many of the songs would be perfect for use in a homeschool or church choir -- practicing blending voices, listening to each other, and singing in rounds.

Bible StorySongs also has sheet music available at their website.  Some of the CDs have puzzles or coloring songbooks available, as well.  You can even hear samples of the music HERE. 

The CDs are reasonably priced, at $9.99 per CD.  The sheet music is available for $9.99 alone, or is sold with the CD for $16.99.  There's a quantity discount available, as well.  You can see all their CD prices HERE. 

If you're looking for another tool to teach Scripture to your children, Bible StorySongs'  The Bible CD is a versatile, affordable option for your family, church, or homeschool group.

Click the banner at the top to read more reviews on this product by other Homeschool Crew members.

Trusting in Him,
April

The Latin Road To English Grammar -- You CAN teach Latin!

I have to tell you that studying Latin has always been on my "probably should" list for homeschooling, but also on my "haven't got a clue how" list.  Which means, it kept getting ignored.  My 13 year old daughter has been hinting about learning languages for a year or two; so, we were excited to review The Latin Road to English Grammar, volume 1.  I've heard about The Latin Road and Schola Publications before, and was curious. 

The Latin Road to English Grammar has 3 volumes.  When all 3 volumes are completed, the student has earned 2 high school language credits and 1 English Grammar credit.  They are designed for students in 5th through 12th grade.  Starting early allows them to be covered in a more leisurely fashion, taking 2 years per volume.

The Latin Road is designed to be taught by parents who have no previous Latin background.  The parents are to work with the student, learning together.  It is recommended that the parent actually work a lesson or two ahead of the student.  Lessons should take about an hour each day, with students working half an hour with the parent, and half an hour on their own.

We found The Latin Road to be a comprehensive Latin curriculum.  The Audio CDs  are very helpful, allowing you to hear the correct pronunciation for each Latin word.  We did find it difficult to figure out how the notebook pages were to be set up, and relied on the Teacher Training DVDs for that.  It would have been helpful to have a sample of each type of notebook page in the student book and the teacher's manual.  I definitely recommend buying the Teacher Training DVDs.

Although the program is designed to be worked through by parent and child together, we weren't able to use it that way.  With 3 children age 5 and under, in addition to the four school-age children, I wasn't able to commit to the time involved.  I intended to, but failed.  My daughter worked through it on her own, with me using the Teacher Training DVDs to help her overcome any confusion along the way.  I actually know two other large families who also use it in this way, the student working through the text without the parent.  It isn't the ideal method for using the program, but it is possible. 

The Latin Road To English Grammar can also be used in a multi-level way.  It could be taught simultaneously to your 5th and 7th grade students.  Work with them together for half an hour, and then have them each work independently for another half hour.  They'd each need their own student notebook and their own set of worksheets and tests.  They could share the textbook, flashcards and Audio CD. 

The Latin Road To English Grammar is an expensive program, but it is reusable.  Future students would need a new student notebook and a new set of worksheets and tests.  It is reusable, but not entirely non-consumable.  This is also a time-intensive program, but starting earlier and taking 2 years per volume would help to lessen the weekly commitment involved (for parents and students), and spread out the cost of the program.

It's an excellent program for the classical educator, or for those whose children will be entering fields that will benefit from an understanding of the Latin language or English grammar:  medical fields, science fields, and professional writers.  With the Teacher Training DVDs, it is especially  user-friendly.  The Teacher Training DVDs are divided by lesson, so you can go directly to the lesson you're needing to view.

My 13 year old daughter enjoyed her study of the Latin language.  She enjoyed learning about the Latin derivatives in the word studies, and enjoyed learning to pronounce the Latin words.  She greeted her Dad each night, excited to share with him the new words she'd learned that day.  Her only complaint was the amount of writing involved in the notebook.  However, slowing down the study to stretch it out over two years would allow a student to spread the writing out, if they struggle with extensive note taking.

Because we had not used The Bridge To The Latin Road, she had some "catching up" to do in the grammar department.  The Latin Road To English Grammar introduced grammar rules she hadn't learned yet.  However, it didn't slow her down very long, and she handled it well.

The best value for The Latin Road To English Grammar is by buying The Big Fat Latin Special for $249 (value of $297). It could be used less expensively (although not quite as easily) if you only bought the teacher's Curriculum Set for $149 and the Complete Student Package for $39.95.   However, we found the Teacher Training DVDs very helpful, and they are included in The Big Fat Latin Special. 

If you're interested in learning more about The Latin Road To English Grammar, you can view a Free Sample HERE.  You can also find  helpful articles about the importance of the study of Latin in our education, and read the  Frequently Asked Questions at the website.

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Trusting in Him,
April

Math Mammoth Review: Simple and Effective

Maria Miller, author of Math Mammoth books, has set out to create a series of math curricula that is affordable, self-teaching, reproducible, and explains the concepts behind the math so children and teachers understand the "why" and "how" of the math.  She has succeeded! 

She has several different lines of mathematics workbooks and worktexts:  the Blue series is for grades 1-5 and are topical; the Light Blue series are complete math curricula available for grades 1-4; the Golden series are age-based workbooks for grades 3-8; and the Green series are topical workbooks for grades 3-8.  The Blue and Light Blue series contain explanations, as well as practice problems.  The Golden and Green series do not have explanations, only practice problems.

We reviewed Grade 1 and Grade 2 of the Light Blue Series, the complete math curricula.  I appreciated the variety of methods Maria Miller used to explain each concept being taught.  The curriculum is topical, in that they work only one concept each day.  They will study money, time-telling, or subtracting two-digit numbers, without daily review to confuse them.  Reviews are provided periodically throughout the curriculum, and links are provided to print more worksheets when children need extra work on a specific concept.  You can also reprint a lesson whenever necessary.

The worktexts are not flashy, and since we printed them at home on our printer, there wasn't any color at all.  Even though they were black and white simple worktext pages, my children enjoyed them.  They were able to focus on learning just one concept each day, and covering the concept thoroughly, from several different directions.  If they didn't really "get it" the first way, they usually "got it" through one of the next sets of problems. 

Both my son and daughter were not ready to go into their grade level Math Mammoth Light Blue Series worktext, according to the placement test Maria Miller provided.  We went with the lower grade level, and I only printed the lessons I felt they needed to cover.  Because we were only covering the concepts my children needed to review and understand more fully, they quickly progressed through the math curriculum.

What I especially love about Math Mammoth is that it is affordable and reusable.    If you've read any of my previous reviews, you know this is important in my family.  There is no expensive teacher's manual to buy separately, either.  Once bought (in digital format), it's just a matter of reprinting it each year, at a much lower cost than replacing workbooks for other curricula. 

The Light Blue Series include 2 worktexts for each grade.  Each worktext download costs $14, or $27 for both of the grade's worktexts.  Also, the curriculum can be bought in a package deal that saves even more money.  If you prefer to buy printed worktexts, those are also available for just over $12 each.  The curriculum is also available on a CD, instead of a download.  The cost is$32 for the CD alone, or $54 for CD and printed worktexts. 

My only concern about the Math Mammoth curriculum is that the Light Blue Series Answer Keys had a few more mistakes in them than I am used to.  Every math curriculum we have used has had at least one error in the answer key each year.  Math Mammoth, especially the 2nd grade Light Blue series, had a few more than we normally see.  That is something to watch for as you are grading.  Hopefully, Maria will be able to correct that.

The Math Mammoth website, also provides links to Maria's other website,  HomeschoolMath.net, which provides free math worksheets and other resources for teachers and parents.  Also, at the Math Mammoth website, you can scroll down on the main page to sign up for the free Math Teaching Emails, and the free Homeschool Math Newsletter.  Signing up for either one will give you access to a free gift of 280 math worksheets!  I receive these emails, and they are full of helpful tips, as well as answers to questions from the readers.

There are no bells and whistles, but Math Mammoth is an effective, affordable, and reusable math curriculum!  We give it a "thumbs up" at our house!

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Trusting in Him,
April

"15 Minutes to A Better Homeschool Marriage" free download

If you didn't see this in "The Homeschool Minute" email from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, I wanted to let you know that First Class Homeschool Ministry and Real Life Marriage are giving away this free ebook:  15 Minutes to a Better Homeschool Marriage.  Download it for a refresher on what love really is, just in time for Valentine's Day!

Trusting in Him,
April

Math Tutor DVDs Review

We received two Math Tutor DVDs to test:  Word Problems, and Algebra 2.  Wow!  There is a lot of math on these DVD sets!  The instructor, Jason Gibson, is a NASA scientist and engineer.  He truly desires to help people understand math.

The children and I have viewed these DVDs together.  My 7 year old son keeps asking me if he can view the Word Problems DVD with pencil and paper to work the problems as his math lesson for the day. My 12 yo daughter viewed the dividing decimals section of the Word Problems DVD to help clear up her confusion on dividing decimals.  My 13 year old daughter said, "If only I'd had this sooner!" while viewing the first part of the Algebra 2 DVD.  She hasn't yet reached Algebra 2, so it quickly went over her head, but his graph explanations did help her understand plotting points better. 

These are very helpful DVDs to have if your child struggles in math.  But they can help any homeschooling family, as another voice to explain concepts clearly.  This can be very important if your child resists listening to Mom's explanation.  The Math Tutor DVDs provide a neutral third party to explain the problems calmly and clearly.

Pros:

• Thorough step-by-step explanations


• Conversational tone


• Menu takes you directly to the section you need


• Uses a variety of problems to explain the same concept


• Works the problems out on a white board as he explains them


• Covers many concepts on each DVD set
  


• Each DVD set packed with sample problems and explanations to help your child


• Can help a struggling student


• Can help a Mom who needs to brush up on her math skills to better teach her own children


• No distracting backgrounds, music, or flashy "stuff"


• Focused math tutoring


• Available for lower and upper level math


• Available for college courses, consumer and business math


• Affordable (ranging from $26.99 - $31.99 per set)


• Less expensive than paying a math tutor


• Can be viewed at home, 24 hours a day, over and over ... unlike an actual tutor


• Can be bought in bundles to save money


• You pay the same shipping & handling for 1 DVD set as you do if you buy 10 DVD sets


• 30 day money-back satisfaction guarantee

Cons:

• There are a few mistakes, where he says the wrong number, but thankfully writes the correct number.

Some children will find these Math Tutor DVDs boring.  But that's not the point, is it?  If they are struggling in math, it doesn't matter if they think the DVDs are boring ... as long as they learn what they need to learn.  When I first viewed them,  my artistic mind thought the instructor needed a brighter colored shirt.  He was blending into the white board, it seemed.  But then I realized that was also a good thing.  It keeps HIM from being a distraction from the math he's teaching.  So while those two things could be cons, I can't really list them under the con list.  They're beside the point, I decided.   The only true con I could think of were the occasional mistakes.

You can view samples of his DVDs on the Math Tutor DVD website.  The website also has worksheets available for Algebra 1 and Algebra 2.  Plus, there is a chance to win the entire Math Tutor DVD collection each month if you join their email list. 

I recommend the Math Tutor DVDs if you, or your child, are struggling with certain math concepts.  I believe the Math Tutor DVDs can help.  I'm thankful to have had a chance to review them, and will find them useful in my own family as we begin to work our way through upper level mathematics.

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Trusting in Him,
April