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Title: Latin Curriculum -- Latin's Not So Tough!

Target Ages: early elementary students, especially ages 6-7
Format: workbook, audio cd, and answer key
Price: The information that I received for review had a $32 retail value. Prices will vary based on levels and options chosen.   


Greek 'n' Stuff provided Greek and Latin curriculum for review by The Homeschool Crew. We were fortunate enough to get the Latin's Not So Tough Level 2 curriculum. As the company wrote to me, 
"Level 2 focuses on a thorough review of the Latin alphabet, diphthongs, and special consonant sounds (taught in level 1) followed by a core vocabulary of 50 Latin words."
We received the workbook, "Answers Only" Answer Key, and pronunciation CD.


The Queen's Assessment
I had some concerns about receiving this item for review. I thought the prince needed to have a better grasp of the English language before embarking on a foreign language ... just to avoid confusion of the two. I also thought it would add frustration to his learning day because we were starting with Level 2 and not Level 1. 


Was I ever wrong!


The prince loved this curriculum. He often asked to do it before his other subjects. 


The lessons started with a review of the Latin alphabet, diphthongs and special consonants. By lesson 5, we were learning Latin words! By lesson 7, my "puer" was calling
his dad an "agricola." (That would be my "boy" calling his dad a "farmer.")

The worksheets had matching, fill in the blanks, activities, and puzzles to re-inforce the new words and review the previously-learned words. You can see samples of the workbook pages here. The flashcards were really great for helping the prince to remember the Latin vocabulary words. He loved to see his stack of "correct" cards grow.

Other Homeschool Crew Members reviewed this product. Be sure to find out what they thought at The Homeschool Crew Blog.



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Disclaimer: This was a review of my experience with the product described. I tried to give a complete and honest assessment. In order to review the product, I received a free trial of the program with no additional compensation. This in no way influenced my review of the product. The opinions expressed are my own and were not affected or edited by anyone prior to publishing.


The grass is green. It’s good to be
 

date Friday, April 29, 2011

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Title: Art Class -- Volume 1

Target Ages: Grade K - 8
Format: DVD
Price: $99.00 for the complete set of 9  


For this review, we received Volume 1: Art Lessons 1-4 of the Art Class DVDs. This DVD was entitled "The Basics." 


The DVD case tells us that
"Each lesson provides kids with progressive, hands-on tools to learn everything from basic art skills like perspective and shape before tackling tougher challenges and more advanced topics and techniques."
The first lesson was about the basic tools needed to draw.
The second lesson taught about the basic line and how lines are different.
The third lesson was on training your eyes and hands to work together to create contours.
The fourth lesson was on drawing what you see, not what you know. Just because you know a table has four legs, it doesn't mean you should show them all in your drawings.
The BONUS lesson was the chalk artist drawing a scene from another DVD from the same company.


The Queen's Assessment:
I really thought the prince and princess would enjoy this product. They have both been tapping into their creative sides for the past three or four months. They were really excited to see that we got an art video for review. We watched the promotional DVD together and they were ready to start!


For the first  lesson, they followed along and assembled their tools. The second lesson involved drawing the contour of an apple. They tried drawing the apple during the video session. However, they didn't want to practice enough to perfect their skill. The princess drew some more apples, but not by using the instructions given. The prince just gave up all together. 


I think that if your child is really interested in drawing and learning to draw better, this video may be helpful. For the child who likes to draw and just be creative in their own way, it may be challenging to do as the instructor says.


I really liked that the instructor wove Biblical messages into the lessons:


"FOR WE ARE GOD'S MASTERPIECE"  Ephesians 2:10
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Other Homeschool Crew Members reviewed this product. Be sure to find out what they thought at The Homeschool Crew Blog.



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Disclaimer: This was a review of my experience with the product described. I tried to give a complete and honest assessment. In order to review the product, I received a free trial of the program with no additional compensation. This in no way influenced my review of the product. The opinions expressed are my own and were not affected or edited by anyone prior to publishing.


The grass is green. It’s good to be
 

date Friday, April 22, 2011





I'm linking to Wordless Wednesday,  Project Alicia, Five Minutes for MomLive and Love Outloud, Seven Clown Circus, Dagmar's momsense, and Better In Bulk.

The grass is green. It’s good to be
 

date Wednesday, April 20, 2011





The princess is at it again.


Last week, we were running our regular errands ... library, bank, and grocery store. As we approached a light that intersected with the interstate off-ramp, I spotted another driver that I thought I recognized ... a farmer friend who lives in another town.


ME: I think that was Mr. Lee.
PRINCE: (Who notices every farm truck and trailer en-route) Mama, remember the man who thought our goat was a dog?
ME: Yes. That was Mr. Lee.
PRINCE: That was him.
PRINCESS: I wanna give him a piece of my mind.


She has grown quite attached to said goat and doesn't want anyone having ill-words against it.

****


I'm linking to Tiny Talk Tuesday so you can see what other cute things the children are saying. 


The grass is green. It’s good to be
 

date Tuesday, April 19, 2011

WOW!!! What a great response to my recent giveaways. Thank you to all who entered.


Before I give announce the winners, I wanted to let you know that some of my friends are doing this giveaway too. So, if you didn't win from me, go to these other blogs and enter for more chances to win.


For the Rebecca St. James CD, the winner is: 
comment #6 -- Heidi


For more chances to win, visit:


ending 4/11
A House Upon A Rock
Walking Home
The Berry Patch

ending 4/12 
Glimpse of Our Life
Acorns or Nuggets of Gold
Joy In Our Journey
The McClanahan 7
Day By Day In Our World


ending 4/13
Our Homeschool Reviews


ending 4/14
The Legacy of Home


ending 4/15
Marine Corps Nomads
Reed Party of 6


ending 4/18
Guiding Light Homeschool
Our Village is A Little Different


The winner of The Crossmaker DVD is:
comment 31 -- JADAVIS 

If you didn't win, visit:


ending 4/12 
Day By Day In Our World


ending 4/14
A House Upon the Rock
Footprints in the Butter
ending 4/18
Guiding Light Homeschool




A special thanks to Catherine at Our Village is a Little Different for compiling these lists.



The grass is green. It’s good to be
 

date Monday, April 11, 2011

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Title: Science Weekly

Target Ages: Grade K - 6 
Format: hardcopy worksheets
Price: Individual Rate: 15 issues - $19.95 per student per year (less than 20 subscriptions)  
Classroom Rate: 15 issues - $4.95 per student per year (minimum order 20 subscriptions)


From the Science Weekly website:

Science Weekly is a curriculum supplement that offers an interdisciplinary and inquiry approach to enhance teachers' knowledge and skills in teaching science and literacy. 




Each issue of Science Weekly ascribes to the national science standards. Each topic is written at six reading levels (K–6) in diverse science content that provides the opportunity for students to exercise their curiosity about the world around them. 

The Queen's Assessment:
We received a Composting edition of Science Weekly for this review. We received Levels Pre-A through Level E which correlates to Grades K-6. The princess completed lessons Pre-A and A. The prince did Levels B and C. 


Each unit had age-appropriate lessons in math, vocabulary, language arts and science. The labs in the units for older children was more involved than those in the lower units. The teaching notes made it easy to give students background information and work through the lessons. 


The prince and princess really enjoyed this review. They spent several days talking about what could go in the compost and what could not. 


I liked that everything was together. The materials to be read were not far from the materials on which to be written. (That can sometimes be a problem around here.) In addition to the materials presented, there were internet links for further study.


We enjoyed this lesson. You can take a peek at a sample and see what you think.  


Other Homeschool Crew Members reviewed this product. Be sure to find out what they thought at The Homeschool Crew Blog.



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Disclaimer: This was a review of my experience with the product described. I tried to give a complete and honest assessment. In order to review the product, I received a free trial of the product with no additional compensation. This in no way influenced my review of the product. The opinions expressed are my own and were not affected or edited by anyone prior to publishing.


The grass is green. It’s good to be
 

date Friday, April 8, 2011

It has been a while since I have posted a Wordless Wednesday picture. I've taken quite a few photos, but can't seem to get them posted. 


The other day, I had some things to do outside. The princess came with me and brought two baby dolls that she got for Christmas. She went straight to her favorite, neglected flower bed to play. When I looked up, this is what I saw:
Ride 'em flamingo-girl (?)


It wasn't long before I saw this:
Bucked Off!
O.K. So, maybe it wasn't so wordless. It wasn't word-ful either, but I'm still linking to Wordless Wednesday,  Project Alicia, Five Minutes for MomSupermom, Live and Love Outloud, Seven Clown Circus, Dagmar's momsense, and Better In Bulk.

The grass is green. It’s good to be
 

date Wednesday, April 6, 2011





The princess had the funny this week. We haven't spent a lot of time talking about the minor holidays. This year, the prince and princess began to ask about Groundhog Day and St. Patrick's Day. The week before April 1, the prince kept asking, "When is April Fuel's (that's the way it sounded anyway) Day?"  So, when the big day rolled around, he was ready with his little joke. Then, the princess piped in with, "Mom, it's April Fool's Day. You have to prank somebody or they will pinch you."


I guess we need to work on the holiday lessons a little more.

****


I'm linking to Tiny Talk Tuesday so you can see what other cute things the children are saying. 


The grass is green. It’s good to be
 

date Tuesday, April 5, 2011

On April 5, Rebecca St. James will release her first studio project since 2005. I had a chance to preview this cd and I can tell you it is wonderful.


The soothing sounds of I Will Praise You will lead you to a calming place of worship as you listen. Tracks include:

  • I Will Praise You
  • You Never Let Go
  • Shine Your Glory Down (Rebecca explains this song here)
  • You Still Amaze Me
  • In A Moment
  • The Kindness of Our God
  • When the Stars Burn Down
  • Almighty God
  • You Hold Me Now
  • You Make Everything Beautiful



Rebecca St. James charts yet another new course with I Will Praise You, a new collection of worship songs she terms “ her most personal recording to date.” From the opening notes of track one, listeners are offered a welcoming connection with Rebecca’s recognizably authentic vocal warmth and delivery. More than anything, I Will Praise You represents the latest steps in Rebecca’s life long journey towards the presence of God.


You can preview the cd at the listening party.


You can also win a copy of this cd. For your chance(s) to win, leave a comment for each mode of entry. Make sure that I have a way to contact you if you win. The prize will be sent from the sponsor.


To enter:
1. Leave a comment that you want to win.
2. Follow this blog using Google Friend Connect (or leave message that you already do)
3. Go to Rebecca's website and tell me which voice in the Easter Carol is Rebecca's.
4. Enter my other giveaway.




Contest closes at midnight EDT April 10, 2011, and will be announced on April 11, 2011.


I'm linking to I'm Lovin' It. Jump over there to see what others are lovin' this week.


I'm also linking to these blogs that feature low entry giveaways: Tightwad in Utah, and Oh So Savvy Mom


Disclaimer: This was a review of my experience with the product described. I tried to give a complete and honest assessment. In order to review the product, I received a free copy of the cd with no additional compensation. This in no way influenced my review of the product. The opinions expressed are my own and were not affected or edited by anyone prior to publishing.



The grass is green. It’s good to be
 

date Friday, April 1, 2011