Excellence in Literature ~ Review

My 13 year old absolutely loves to read and is very advanced in her reading abilities. She has a love for the library like most teens have for the mall. She is however; very particular about the types of books she’ll read. It can be a bit challenging to get her excited about reading anything different from her normal selection.  So, I was thrilled when I was chosen to review Excellence in Literature ~ Introduction to Literature.  I knew it would give her a chance to read several classic works of literature that she would generally choose not to read.  Thankfully she was opened minded and even excited about a few of the books she’ll soon be reading.  

There are five books in the Excellence in Literature course series.
English I ~ Introduction to Literature
English II ~ Literature and Composition 
English III ~ American Literature
English IV ~ British Literature
English V ~ World Literature

I was chosen to review book one - Introduction to Literature.
The Excellence in Literature was designed for students in eighth grade and up.  The author, Janice Campbell, created the program to prepare students who where college bound.     

From the site:

“Introduction to Literature is a college-preparatory literature and composition course. Focus works, including novels, short stories, poems, and drama, have been selected for literary quality, and for their place in the historical development of literature. Context readings provide background information about the author, the historical period, and the literary and artistic context of the focus work.

Students will gain an understanding of the development of literature and will practice the skills of close literary analysis through essays, approach papers, and other evaluative writing.”

Excellence in Literature is written directly to the student and requires little work from the teacher. However, the teacher should be nearby to supervise and help the student when needed, as well as correct and grade their completed assignments. Other than that, the author has done all the leg work.

Introduction to Literature is divided into 9 units.

Unit 1: Short Stories by-
• Sarah Orne Jewett: A White Heron
• Edgar Allen Poe: The Purloined Letter (This one is not scary, if you're concerned about that.)
• Guy de Maupassant: The Diamond Necklace
• O. Henry: The Ransom of Red Chief
• Eudora Welty: A Worn Path
• James Thurber: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Unit 2: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
Honors: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Unit 3: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
Honors: The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

Unit 4: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Honors: Shirley or Villette by Charlotte Brontë

Unit 5: Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Honors: Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot

Unit 6: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Honors: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

Unit 7: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Honors: 1984 by George Orwell

Unit 8: The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Honors: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

Unit 9: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
Honors: The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

Table of Contents:

Introduction
Overview and Objectives for Excellence in Literature
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Read A Book
Discerning Worldview Through Literary Periods
***Units 1-9 compose the bulk of the book, providing guidance for weekly lessons.
Honors
Formats and Models
Approach Paper Format
Historical Approach Paper Format
Author Profile Format
Literature Summary Format
Sample Poetry Analysis
What an MLA Formatted Essay Looks Like
Excellence in Literature Evaluation Rubric
Excellence in Literature Evaluation Rubric for IEW Students
Glossary
Selected Resources

In unit one the student is required to read each assigned story and write an approach paper based on each story.  Now to be completely honest, prior to reviewing this book I had never heard of an approach paper before.  Thankfully, the author has included easy to understand directions and samples for the student to refer to. The author also instructs the teacher on how to properly correct all the given assignments.

My daughter has completed unit one and I’m very pleased with her work so far. We are about to begin unit two and I must say we are pretty excited to begin reading “Around the World in 80 days.”  Most of the stories in unit one my daughter has enjoyed reading.

All the links for the required reading have been provided, as well as additional links to other helpful recourses such as, about the author, poetry, music, and more.  

Each unit is divided into four weeks and each week an assignment is due.  A Writers Handbook is a must have recourse as the author tells the student to refer to it often.   

For the students that want more of a challenge, there is an Honors option added to each week.       

I feel Excellence in Literature is a great program, especially for students who are college bound, and I’m grateful we had the opportunity to review it.  I will continue to work through this program with my daughter.

English I: Introduction to Literature is available for $27 (ebook) or $29 (printed book).

Be sure to stop by the TOS hub and read what my fellow crewmates had to say about Excellence in Literature.

I'm a crew member with The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew and I received Excellence in Literature ~ Introduction to Literature free of cost in exchange for my honest review.

TOS Review: PG KEY

Title: PG KEY
Price: $49.99 + shipping
Compatible with: Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7

What is it?

The PG Key is a flash drive that plugs into your computer’s USB Port. While the KEY is connected to the computer it does a multitude of functions to help keep your children safe while on the internet. Once the KEY is installed and a user is created, the PG Key offers the parent or guardian some peace of mind.


Description from the site: “PG KEY is a patent pending, award winning device that simply plugs into your children’s computer’s USB port and immediately creates a safer and more "kid friendly" online environment. PG Key was designed and endorsed by a team that includes internet security experts, law enforcement, educators, and children’s and family psychologists to give parents the tools they need to keep kids safe online with one simple device.”

Access Control: Control computer use by inserting or unplugging PG Key

Time Allowance: Decide the amount of time the computer can be used daily.

Content Filtering: Eliminate unwanted results from innocent searches.

Site Blocking: Block sites you decide are inappropriate.

Activity Tracking: Review all activity on the PC with a DVD-like interface.

Activity Notifications: Be informed via text message or e-mail of any flagged activity.

Chat and E-mail Logging: See both sides of chat and e-mail conversations.

Computer Configuration: Properly configure all users of the protected PC.

User Name and Password Logging: Keep track of user names and passwords.

Inappropriate Activity Evidence: Use video recording to show obvious or suspected inappropriate activity

 

What I LIKED about it:
The internet offers a wonderful wealth of information, but can also be a very scary and dangerous 'black hole.'  With online predators, adult material, online bullying, etc, parents need to be aware and involved when their children are online.  I really like the peace of mind PG KEY offers.  I was able to see actual video snap shots of everything my daughter did while using her computer - music videos, games, yahoo chat messenger, internet searches, web activity, etc.  I changed the snapshot recording to 1 second intervals, rather than the default 5 second intervals.   
When the computer is in use, whether online or offline, the KEY has the capabilities to continually record up to 60 hours.  When the KEY is about full, it will begin to record over what was previously recorded.
It offers a safe search engine, so I don't have to worry about what my daughter may stumble upon when searching for something.
If the KEY is removed from the computer, the screen freezes and the admin password must be enter before moving on. 
Another great feature is it's ability to block programs from being installed or uninstalled without the admin password.  This helps to keep the computer safe from viruses and/or spyware.         
If at any point you have any issues with the KEY, tech support is available via email or telephone.  When I contacted tech support via email for a problem I was having (see - What I did NOT like) Mark was quick to return my email offering me support.  We emailed back and forth a few times, and on his day off I received an email from Justin, who was stepping in to assist.  To my surprise, Justin actually offered to call me, since we couldn't work out the problems I was having via email.  After two hours on the phone with Justin, the problems were fixed, and I was ready to dive in and see what the PG KEY was all about.          

What I did NOT like about it:
There were a few things I didn't like the PG KEY.
A) When I first opened the PG KEY box I thought it was going to be 'easy as pie' to install and begin using the program.  Boy was I wrong. The box contained the flash drive, a double sided piece of paper with advertisements, a single sided piece of paper with testimonies, and a small (8" by 7") double sided paper with instructions.  According to the instructions you 1) plug the key into USB port, follow the install prompts, and 2) protect - which means to create a user account and password, and you're done. You are then supposed to be able to move on and view tutorials, change options, etc.  However, this was not the case for me.  I installed the program as instructed, but nothing would happen. My Program File showed the PG Key was installed, however, I couldn’t register the KEY, create a user; I couldn’t do anything at all with it.  A small icon should have been appeared in the icon tray on the bottom right hand side of the desktop, but it wasn’t there.  This icon is important in using the program.  I uninstalled and reinstalled the KEY several times to no avail. I attempted to “reboot” the KEY as directed by Mark (tech support).  A day later, during a two hour long conversation with Justin (tech support) trying to debug and trouble shoot the problems we were having, he ended up correcting the problem via a remote access website.  As I said previously, I’m not a ‘techie’ kind of girl, so I honestly have no idea what the actual problem was, but once Justin was finished, the PG KEY program ran smoothly.    
B) I didn't like that the KEY could ONLY be registered to one computer.  If your children all use the same computer, then you simply create a user for each child. However, if you're like us and each of your children have their own personal computer, then you'll need to purchase a PG KEY for each computer.
C) I wasn't pleased with the 'black screen of death' as I call it, when the computer is shut down or rebooted with the KEY in the USB port.  It not really a big deal, but the black screen says, "No operating system found," as well as a lot of other things a non-techie like me doesn't understand. However, simply remove the KEY from the port, and reboot your computer as normal.    

Who could use it and would I buy it?
Although PG KEY has some kinks it needs to work out, I feel over all it would be great for any adult who has a child; younger or older, they wish to help keep safe while on the internet. 
If I didn't already own the PG KEY, I would purchase one for my home.  However, I personally would only purchase one KEY and have my children share a computer.

 If you would like to request a free trial or purchase PG KEY for your home, click HERE. 
Be sure to check out what my fellow TOS Crew Members have to say about PG KEY.

Disclaimer: I’m an independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I received the PG KEY in exchange for my honest review.

TOS Review: Foundlings

Title: The Peleg Chronicles book one - Foundlings
Publisher: Zoe and Sozo Publishing

Number of Pages: 256

Price: $11.95

Format: Paperback

          Foundlings is the first book of The Peleg Chronicles series. It’s written by Mathew Christian Harding, who is a homeschool father of four. The story evolved as a unique way of sharing biblical history and God’s amazing love with his children during that special time with Mom and Dad that all children love so much - story time.

Foundlings is a historical fiction that unfolds during the Peleg period, shortly after the scattering of the tower of Babel. Within the story you’ll become acquainted with many different characters, such as dragons, dwarfs (small humans who were forced into slavery), giants, and false priest; some are good and honorable, while others are mean and deceitful.

Mr. Harding has found a thrilling way of teaching others the importance of having a strong Christian walk with God, no matter what you may be going through. While teaching the significance of biblical principles such as, bravery, faith, honesty, worship, responsibility, and loyalty.

What we thought of the book: When I first began reading the book, I found it a bit challenging to keep up with the characters and the storyline. But, when I went back through the previously read pages, things became a bit clearer. This style of book is new to me, as it’s not the type of book I typically read. However, I do feel it would be a fascinating book for anyone, young or seasoned, who enjoys adventure style stories. My oldest daughter (12 yrs old) read the book, she really enjoyed it.  I’m delighted Foundlings is a Christian book and is appropriate reading for all ages. Mr. Harding does, however, recommend readers be at least 7 years old.

To purchase your own copy of Foundlings: The Peleg Chronicles click HERE. The second book in the series, Paladins, is also available. Book three will be released May 2011.  Both books are also available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.       

Disclaimer: I’m an independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I received the Foundlings – The Peleg Chronicles series book in exchange for my honest review.

MathTutorDVD.com

     When you think about teaching your children math, especially the higher levels; do you begin to panic a little? Does your heart beat faster? Do your palms sweat? Well, no worries. I guarantee you, you’re not alone.

It’s time to hire a tutor! We all know how costly a weekly tutor can be. But, what other choices are there? Well, thankfully I have a wonderful recommendation for you! His name is Jason Gibson with MathTutorDVD.com. Through the wonderful world of technology, you can have a highly experienced math tutor in your home, teaching you and your students how to learn and enjoy math. Math Tutor DVD offers an array of different math levels to choose from.  Mr. Jason Gibson is the instructor throughout all of the math tutor series. Click HERE to see what DVDs are available.

As part of the TOS Crew, I had the pleasure of using the Pre-Algebra Tutor: Volume 1 and The Texas Instruments TI-83 / TI-84 Calculator Tutor with my oldest daughter.

I’ll begin by telling you a bit about the Pre-Algebra Tutor: Volume 1 DVD.  

This course is a 5-hour (2 set DVD) instructional program that is broken down into individual videos. Real Number * Number Lines * Greater Than, Less Than, Equal To * Absolute Value and Adding Integers * Subtracting Integers * Multiplying Integers * Dividing Integers * Power and Exponents * Order of Operation.

No one enjoys sitting through a boring instructional math video, or any boring video at that. Sadly, my girls and I have seen our fair share of them in the past. Thankfully, I’m happy to report that Mr. Gibson is not boring at all. Each video shows Mr. Gibson in front of a large white board talking to you. He’s very informative, and teaches the student by example – completing numerous problems. He takes the time to thoroughly explain everything in detail. My daughter was a little annoyed with how long he explained things, as she said he was “way too repetitive.” However, I feel that would be of great value to a student who needs the repetitiveness. When defining something, he uses catchy useful tips (association), making it easy to remember and understand. Ex: when teaching the difference between less than and greater than (< >), he explains how the smaller number goes on the small end of the arrow, while the larger number goes on the wide (large) end. Another ex: He explains negative numbers, by saying you owe someone something. If you have -7, it means you owe someone 7 pencils (or whatever you wish).

 

The Texas Instruments TI-83/TI-84 Calculator Tutor DVD is a bit different, because rather than seeing Mr. Gibson in front of a white board, you see a large view of the calculator. This allows you to see and follow along.

  This instructional program is 8-hours long (3 set DVD), consisting of 37 different videos, such as: Basic Arithmetic and Exponents * Sin, Cons, and Tan * Convert Between Fractions and Decimals * Calculating Derivatives and Integrals * Absolute Value and Rounding * Graphing and Tracing Functions * Find Exact Value of a Function by Graphing * Find Intersections of Functions by Graphing * Calculate the Definite Integral by Graphing * Graphing and Tracing Sequences * Convert Between Rect and Polar Coordinates * Permutations, Combinations, and Factorials * Graphing Statistical Scatter Plots * Calculating with Matrices * Calculating Interest Rates * Calculating Savings and Investments.

For those of you who may want (or need) help with several different math levels, you’re in luck! You can join MathTutorDVD.com for $20 a month, which allows you to watch all the courses online – anytime, download worksheets, save 25% on DVD’s, and more.  To join or find out more information – click HERE.

I was very pleased with Mr. Gibson's teaching techniques, and I highly recommend him and Math Tutor DVD to anyone needing additional math help. To learn more about Mr. Gibson, his credentials, and available math courses, check out MathTutorDVD.com.  The Pre-Algebra Tutor: Volume 1 and The Texas Instruments TI-83 / TI-84 Calculator Tutor are available for $26.99 EACH.    

Click HERE to read what the rest of the TOS crew has to say about Math Tutor DVD.

Disclaimer: I’m an independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I received the Pre-Algebra Tutor: Volume 1 DVD and The Texas Instruments TI-83 / TI-84 Calculator Tutor DVD in exchange for my honest review.

Time 4 Writing

Title: Time 4 Writing
Created by: Time4learning.com

Cost: $99 for 8 weeks

Format: Internet Course

We all know how important it is to have good writing skills - it’s just as important as having good math skills. Nearly everything we do involves writing in some form or fashion - writing thank you notes, sending emails, handwritten letter, job applications, etc. Writing comes naturally for some people, while others find it challenging. I was thrilled when asked to write a review about Time4writing, as it thought it would give me the perfect opportunity to see what another teacher thought of my daughter’s writing abilities.

“What is Time4writing.com,” you ask? It’s an online writing course that offers many different class options for your elementary, middle, and high school students. There are 4 teachers on staff - one will be assigned to the student once registration is complete. During the registration process, you create a user name and password, and choose which course you feel best suits your student.  For a detailed list of available courses, click HERE.  You receive a confirmation email shortly after registration is completed, allowing you begin the writing course right away.

No need to worry if you’re having a hard time deciding which course will most benefit your student. You have 2 weeks from the date of registration to change courses if you choose to. Once a few assignments are completed, the teacher may recommend a course switch if she feels it will be beneficial. Within those first 2 weeks, if for any reason you are not completely satisfied, Time4writing offers a full refund. Once the 2 weeks is up, you are locked in for the remaining weeks.

I choose MS2 – Essay (Middle School 2 – Essay Writing) for my daughter. The primary objective in the MS2-Essay course is to create narrative and expository essays. The course is 8 weeks long - broken down into units. Each unit has between 4 - 10 assignments. As the assignments increase in difficulty, fewer assignments are due each week. The assignments include such things as, quizzes, writing paragraphs, writing essays, etc. The quizzes are scored immediately, allowing you to move on to the next assignment. Other assignments require the student to submit their work, and within 24 hours they will receive feedback, as well as a grade from the teacher. The parents receive an email notification when an assignment is graded, in addition to any other interactions between the student and the teacher. If the parents or student have any questions regarding assignments or progress, they are welcome to send messages to the teacher via Time4writing.com.

Over all, my daughter enjoyed the course. Some of the things she and/or I liked where,

• Being able to type the assignments rather than completing them the traditional way, with paper and pencil; which is something she wishes I would allow less of.
• The writing prompts that were provided, such as “If you could visit any state in the United States, which one would you choose and why?” or “Why weekends should be longer.”
• The quick response to our questions and grading completed work. We always received an answer to our questions, or a grade, by the next day (within 24 hours).   

There were, however, a few things she and/or I disliked. 

• Submitting completed work -
  We searched all over the site to find directions on how to submit the assignments once they were completed, and all we could find was a “save work” option at the bottom of the work page. We eventually learned that when an assignment was saved, it was also submitted to the teacher. If the assignment wasn’t completed, then the student typed “unfinished” at the top of the page.
• Finding grade once feedback was received from teacher -
  The Grade page doesn’t list the assignments and grades in order. As you can see in the photo below, there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the order the assignments are listed. 

However, we eventually realized the grades are listed in order (minus the quizzes) on the Assignment page. Having the grades listed in correct order made it much easier to keep track of which assignment she was working on.

• Little teaching (instruction) involved -  Each unit begins with a brief explanation; this is where the lessons are introduced. The student can either read or listen to the information given, which is followed by a short quiz. The student then moves on to the next assignment, which is usually a writing task of some sort. Each writing assignments give instructions on what to write about, such as, “Funniest Incident Ever,” or “Most Disgusting Meal,” however, no further explanation of what is expected is given.
• Having a clear understanding of what was expected -
  Once the assignment is turned in, feedback and a grade are given. However, I felt that the feedback given didn’t allow my daughter to learn and excel on the next assignment. The feedback given, although always kind, consisted of something to the effect of, “Great job! I made a few corrections, please look them over and let me know if you have any questions.” Sometimes she would add, “Make correction and resubmitted for a higher grade.” However, there were several times when my daughter had corrected the errors and resubmitted the assignment, but was given a lower grade than she started with. I feel the feedback would have been a bit more helpful if it were along the lines of, “Great job! Be sure to add or omit commas after ….” or “I added a semi colon after ____. Remember we use semi colons when ….”

With all that said, I’m very grateful to Time4writing for their generosity in offering my family a free 8 week course of our choice.  And although I feel Time4writing.com wasn’t a good fit for my family, I do feel it would be a great fit for a self-motivated student who has already mastered the basics of which ever course chosen (ex: paragraph writing, essay writing, etc), or for the natural writer looking for an enjoyable writing course.  

If you would like to sign your student up for one of Time4Writing’s courses, click HERE. 

Go see what other TOS Crew members had to say about Time4writing.com.

Disclaimer: I’m an independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I received a free 8 week course of my choice with Time4writing.com in exchange for my honest review.

Don’t miss out! Purchase your copy of The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner.

Title: The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner: Making a Plan for School and Home
Publisher: The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Number of Pages: 614
Price: $39.00
Format: E-Book

The vast majority of people struggle with the inability to organize all the things in their lives. With so many priorities and things to remember - the challenges continue to grow, as does the stress. If you’re a homeschooling mom, dad, or grandparent, then I feel you endure a greater degree of stress.

Sadly there aren’t too many options available to assist us in our organizing dilemmas. While some people have the incredible gift of creating their own “all in one planner,” most of us have to search multiple places in the hunt for what we need and want, only to end up with smorgasbord of stuff that only adds to our original predicament. I’ve experienced this first hand. We began homeschooling in 2007, and by 2008 I knew a good quality planner was essential for my home and classroom. However, I decided I would create what I needed with a compilation of what I could find online and in the book stores. Well, no matter how hard I tried I could not create, nor find, quite what I need or wanted. Well, thanks to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (TOS), my organization/planning crisis has been solved.

TOS has done the leg work for us, creating what I call the ultimate “all in one planner.” This planner has virtually everything you need to organize your home, life and school. And guess what?! Not only is it 614 pages long, (yup, you read it right, 614 pages), but it’s ONLY $39.00! You can’t beat that price!

The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner: Making a Plan for School and Home offers -
 

To organize your home and life

• Chore list
• Daily to do list
• Car maintenance reminder
• Craft planning
• Multiple recipes – including many GFCF recipes
• Meal Planning forms
• Budget forms
• Party planning forms
• Website password reference sheet
• Natural cleaning recipes
• Multiple links for creating more natural cleaning products
• Homemade soaps recipe

To organize your classroom…

• Calendars for 2010 – 2013
• Informative articles
• High school transcript forms
• Alphabet writing pages - print, italic, and cursive
• Monthly calendar pages
• Daily and weekly schedule
• Assignment charts
• Book report/books read forms
• 12 years worth of planning pages
• Unit Study forms
• Science lab pages
• Bible study
• Extracurricular activity log
• List of Schoolhouse Store resources
• Report cards
• Writing prompts
• Education websites

Multiple educational goodies to enrich your classroom - covering some fun “must-knows” for your students.

• Timeline of Jesus Christ’s life
• Modern art movements
• Cloud Types
• Scientists & their discoveries
• Famous people who would be considered special needs
• Animal classification chart
• Study of logic
• Different branches of government
• US Presidents
• US States and capitals
• Countries and capitals
• Scientists - their discoveries and timeline of inventions
• Caldecott and Newbery Medal winners
• Bible memorization record
• Bodies of Water
• Multiplication Table
• World Geography
• Statistics on The Thirteen Colonies and Mountain throughout the world
• Basic information about the planets

The previous three lists only include a SMALL taste of what this planner has to offer. You will NOT find another planner which offers you such a tremendous amount of educational information, articles, consumable forms, charts, pages, etc…

So not to overwhelm the user, the planner is broken down into small manageable sections.

1. Monthly: July – June: every month includes different articles, forms, charts, resources, recipes, and more.
2. Calendar pages for 2010 – 2013
3. Miscellaneous Educational Information
4. Forms & Instructions -

• Curriculum Forms

• Objective/ Goals
• Planning Sheets
• Progress Report/ Evaluation/Report Cards
• Schedule Forms
• Score Recording Sheets
• Log Sheets
• Journal Pages
• Unit Study Forms
• Co-op Sheets
• Convention Planning Forms
• Preschool Forms
• Writing/Alphabet Forms
• Misc. Forms
• Important Information to Remember
• Housekeeping Pages
• Schedule Forms
• Shopping/Meal Planning Pages
• Chores
• Budget
• Party Planning and Gift-Giving
• Bible
• Garden
• And more Miscellaneous Forms

Since the planner is 614 pages, some printing options for you could be -

• Print out all 614 pages, allowing you to physically touch and flip through planner - deciding as go, what you wish to use and when.
• Print out only the pages you wish to use each month.
• Print out only the pages you wish to use each month for each student.

A great way to store the planner (printed pages) is in a three-ring binder. This helps to keep everything neat, in order, and in one location. Once you purchase the planner, it is yours to what you wish. So, do whatever is most convenient and useful for you.

Don’t do as I did – go now and purchase your own copy of The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner: Making a Plan for School and Home

At ONLY $39, you CAN’T go wrong!

Disclaimer: I’m a member of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Review Crew.  This posting was created as part of an advertising contest via TOS.  I received this planner for free, however I do use and enjoy it.  All opinions within this advertisement are my own. 

TOS Review: Travel Kits – A Simple Way to Bless Others

Title: Travel Kits – A Simple Way to Bless Others
Publisher: The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Number of Pages: 93
Price: $12.45
Format: E-Book

When I think of a travel kit I think of a kit with personal hygiene products that someone would use when they travel. But, this E-book is all about a different type of travel kit.  Travel Kits – A Simple Way to Bless Others teaches us how to design a kit for our children to help keep them occupied and enjoying their time in the car no matter how long or short your trip is. However, I feel that with this E-Book can easily teach you how to create travel kits for anyone, regardless of their age, for any occasion.

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love blessing others with surprises.  I enjoy taking the time to find something special and adding a personal touch to it.  Sometimes this can be a real challenge, especially when I’m buying for someone who seems to have everything and needs nothing.  So if you know of someone who is celebrating a birthday, planning a family vacation, a honeymoon, a day at the beach, maybe someone (adult or child) who spends a great deal of time in the car running from one place to the next, or for any other occasion you can think of… a travel kit not only makes the perfect gift, but is a simple, yet wonderful way to bless someone you care for.    

Your travel kit can be as large or small, simple or elaborate, and expensive or inexpensive as you want.
To begin creating your travel kit you want to choose a container such as a box, hat, bag, basket, cooler - whatever you wish, and start filling it with whatever goodies you want.  Some examples would be

• Coloring books and crayons
• Reading books
• Portable music player
• Baked goodies
• Puzzles
• Small games
• Gift cards
• Your options are absolutely endless!

Next you want to individually wrap all the special surprises and arrange them nicely in the container. 

Thankfully the E-Book: Travel Kits – A Simple Way to Bless Others by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine explains it far better than I have.  It’ll break it down and teach you how to…

• Create a personalized travel kit
• Ideas for different themed kits
• Ideas of what to put in your kits
• Directions for creating your own homemade travel games
• A few YUMMY recipes
• Links to some useful resources
• List of tourist web links
• And SO much more!! 

Oh, and it even teaches you how to do simple origami!!

    

Click here If you would like to purchase your copy of Travel Kits: A Simple Way to Bless Others.  While you’re there be sure to check out what other great products The Old Schoolhouse has to offer. 

Disclaimer: I received the E-Book: Travel Kits – A Simple Way to Bless Others from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine for free in exchange for my truthful review of the product.  All opinions offered here are my own and I received no other compensation.

Practice run :-)

The time is fast approaching and the countdown will soon begin.  All TOS Crew Members are required to complete a practice review.  We’re able to choose between 2 different items to review and if we really want to, we can choose to review both items.  This is the one and ONLY time we get to choose what we want to review.  I’ve chosen one so far, but I have until Tuesday to decide if I want to review both.  I’m thinking about diving in head first and tackling both.  What do you think?  Next week we’ll receive the chosen items and due dates will be posted. Then in mid July all the crazy, fun, madness officially begins! I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me and the other 249 crew members!!  I’m so excited!!  Stay tuned :-)

E-Book Review - Help Lord, I’m Getting Ready to Start Homeschooling My High Schooler!

This is one of the two reviews I wrote for The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew tryouts...

     When the Lord first placed homeschooling on my heart, I was pretty nervous. Although I knew I would follow His direction, I still had many worries and concerns flooding my mind. I though for sure I must have misunderstood Him. Homeschool, are you kidding me I can’t do that. Where do I start? What curriculum do I choose? Will I be doing my daughters a disservice by pulling them out of pubic school? How do I teach them things I have forgotten? What will my family and friends think? These thoughts consumed me. However, I trusted God; knowing His plan for our lives is far greater than mine, and I followed His directions. We are currently in our third year of homeschooling; my oldest is completing 6th grade, while my youngest is completing 4th grade. As we got into the swing of things and my nervousness subsided.

Well, a few months ago I came to the realization that high school is right around the corner for my oldest daughter and my need to begin preparing is now. This has reignited all those crazy time consuming thoughts with incredible force. I’ve been in constant prayer for direction, guidance, and wisdom.  That’s when I stumbled on the E-book “Help Lord, I’m Getting Ready to Start Homeschooling My High Schooler!" by Homeschooling with Heart – The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. This book is truly nothing short of an answer to my prayers. Page after page is jam-packed with amazing testimonies from mothers who have successfully homeschooled their high school students and walked out unscathed. This is one E-book you definitely need on hand. Click here here and purchase it for only $12.45.

The mothers wrote about such things as the importance of focusing on our children’s strengths rather than their weaknesses. Remember God created us all very unique from one another. We all learn differently, have different interests, and skill levels. Therefore, we need to embraces the positive and the weaknesses will strengthen. About how to organize your student’s studies, how to alleviate some of the stresses associated with homeschooling by giving tips on how to organize your day so everyone knows what is expected of them, and so much more.

I love when I’m reading something and that little light in my mind glows creating a ‘ah ha’ moment. Well, one mother’s tip did just that for me. She wrote about the importance of including your student in their curriculum choices. As adult we like having many choices about things in our lives, and our children are no different. By allowing them to play an active role in what curriculum they will use, may energize your children into wanting to learn more.

While a few mothers wrote about specific curriculum that worked for them, I had hoped to see a bit more. There are so many curricula available to the homeschool community the choices can be very overwhelming. I always find it incredibly helpful and enjoyable to hear from others about what has and hasn’t worked for them. However, Help Lord, I’m Getting Ready to Start Homeschooling My High Schooler!” has a vast amount of great information, useful tips, resources, scripture, and encouraging words to help parents just like you and me successfully homeschool our high school students. At the end of the E-book there’s a fantastic list of resources given by the authors, which include books, magazines, CDs, websites, a few curriculum choices, as well as scripture. A couple of the authors have also provided their email addresses and/or their blog addresses.

I’ve taken a lot of awesome insight away from this E-book, but one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to always trust that God is ultimately in control and as long as we pray, trust, and obey, He will work everything out as He sees fit. He created our children and he wants the very best for each and every one of them. I no longer have the incredible fear of homeschooling through high school as I did before reading this E-book.  Reading so many testimonies of mothers just like me has helped me to see it’s not as scary as my mind once made it.

So, if you have a future high school student or you are currently homeschooling your high school student, go to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and for $12.45 purchase "Help Lord, I’m Getting Ready to Start Homeschooling My High Schooler!"  It’s an amazing E-book full of encouragement and guidance.