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Wednesday, 16 September 2009
The Reviews They Are A Comin'

If you thought that last month's reviews were cool, wait until you see this month's! Yep! I'm about to review five (5) (FIVE!) new items this month! These include lapbooks, phonics curriculum, study aids, writing helps, and a neat healthy eating program. I just posted their links over to the left if you want to check them out early. Just click on the icon and it should take you right to the company's website. This month's products are really neat. Keep checking back for the new reviews.


 


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Posted by tink38570 at 12:20 AM CDT
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Tuesday, 1 September 2009
BCM International
Mood:  lazy
Topic: Ministry

Lately I've been talking about homeschool products so much, that some of you may thing that that is my main job. Although raising and educating our children is an important job for us, Sarah and I do have another, main job. We are missionaries with BCM International. BCM (Bible Centered Ministries) is a global mission with over 700 missionaries worldwide. Our missionairies do various types of ministry around the globe, but there are three "Core Ministries" that BCM focusus on - Children's Ministry, Evangelism, and Church Planting. BCM has put together three short videos, each focusing on one of the core ministries. Since Sarah and I are heavily involved in children's ministry, that is the first one that I chose to post. Please feel free to leave a comment or email if you have any questions regarding BCM or our ministry.

 

 

 

 


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Posted by tink38570 at 5:42 PM CDT
Updated: Saturday, 26 September 2009 12:29 PM CDT
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Wednesday, 26 August 2009
The Quarter Mile Math - By Barnum Software
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Homeschool Product Review

I remember going to the fair when I was younger. My mom always had a stand set up for her business, so we would practically go everyday. I would have a blast! I would visit all of the displays, go to the animal barns, walk the midway. One of my favorite things to do was play some of the carnival games. One game that I liked was a race game that involved rolling a ball and trying to get it to drop through holes on a board. Each hole had a different point value that would determine how far your race car would move on the track. I remember playing with my older brother one day and begging him for more money to play just one more game. After one bout of pleading, he looked at me and said "Tim, you're addicted." And you know what? I was! The thrill of the race cars moving across the track and the anticipation of whether or not I could hold first place until the finish line would get me every time.

1/4Mile ImageThat's the kind of excitement that I felt when I first played Quarter Mile Math. Quarter Mile Math is a research based computer math review game and is very similar to the game that I used to play at the fair, but, instead of rolling balls into holes, you are answering math questions! The TOS Homeschool Crew was very blessed to have received the Deluxe Version of Quarter Mile to review. After opening the package and following the simple installation instructions, the kids were on their way. First you enter your name and choose a password. Then you determine what math concept that you would like to review. Quarter Mile has almost every arithmetic concept that you can think of from very simple keyboarding and counting skills for a kindergärtner to complex pre-algebra problems. As soon as you've chosen a concept, you begin your race. A math problem will flash onto the screen. If you answer it correctly, your car moves forward, if you don't, your car stands still and you receive another chance to answer the question. After a few missed tries, the computer will flash the correct answer, wait for you to punch it in, and then bring up another problem. You begin by racing five computer generated opponents but, after a few races, those opponents become your five best previous times. So, you are actually racing against yourself! As you keep getting better and receive better times, your opponents get faster because your new, better times replace your old races. If your child gets bored with cars, he can switch to riderless horses racing through a meadow! There are even sound effects that your child can enjoy while they are racing.

There are two ways that you can purchase Quarter Mile Math. You can purchase either the Deluxe Version or the Standard Version. With the Deluxe Version you have to have access to the internet because you have to download the program. However, you can download it on multiple computers at no extra charge so that more than one student can use it at a time. The internet also tracks your child's progress and you can access the number of topics that your child has practiced, how many races he participated in, and how many correct answers he got. It also allows your children to actually race against another opponent! You can even have it installed on grandpa's computer in another state and race against him! Your child never goes to the web, so there is no worry there. The Deluxe Version also comes with every topic, from kindergarten level up to pre-algebra. You can even order a back up CD if you wish.

Don't have the internet? No problem! You can order the Standard Version. The Standard Version has all of the regular features that the Deluxe Version has, but since there is no internet, there are a few differences. You obviously can't play against someone on another computer, and, although the game will keep track of your times, it won't have the other report features that the Deluxe Version has. The Standard Version allows you to install it on different computers, but since you need the CD to play, two students can't play at the same time on two different computers. With the Standard Version the topics are divided into three levels - grades k-3, 4-6, and 6-9. You can buy each one separately, or buy one of Barnum Softwares bundle packages. Photobucket

By this time you might be thinking "This sounds great, but does it really work?" You could look at some of the 200+ positive comments that are listed on their website, or ask any of the Sylvan Learning Centers if their students have progressed, but let me give you a personal testimony. I can assure you that it does work. Joshua is just learning addition, so he worked on his addition skills. John Allen, chose to review his multiplication facts first, then moved on to fraction skills. I was amazed at how both of them advanced, but especially at Joshua, our Asperger's child. He has been having a lot of problems just learning his basic addition skills. Quarter Mile has it broken down so that you can review addition skills in increments. We began with addition up to 3+3. In just a couple of days he had those mastered so we moved up to 4+4. He whizzed through those in less than a week. The past few days, he has been working on 5+5 and has been making great progress! Last year Joshua really excelled in reading. This year we prayed that his math skills would really take off, and so far they have! Quarter Mile Math has been a big part of the reason. We are sold on it!

The cost is very reasonable. The Deluxe Version is $2.95 per family a month, $19.95 per family per year, or $34.95 per family for two years. The Standard Version costs from $39.95 - $89.95 depending on the level or bundle that you choose to purchase. BUT, if you decide to purchase before September 30, 2009, you can use Referal Code "7P7E7" to get $5 off any purchase! Have you ever heard the saying "Membership has its priveliges?" When you buy Quarter Mile Math, you can participate in the membership forum and take advantage of the homeschool section of the Barnum Software website. If your still not sure, click here or on any one of the highlighted areas above, and you can download a demo. There's nothing to lose. Check it out now, and Happy Racing!


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Posted by tink38570 at 11:41 PM CDT
Updated: Tuesday, 15 September 2009 11:17 PM CDT
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Tuesday, 25 August 2009
A New Carnival Ride! The Venus Fly Trap!
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Blog Carnivals!



Doesn't that sound like a wild ride at the carnival? The Venus Fly Trap! But, alas, once again, I'm not going to a carnival nor do I have a Venus Fly Trap in my garden. I am, however, taking part in a Garden Carnival. You can find it at My Gardening Patch. Just click here to join in the fun! What post of mine are they putting on My Gardening Patch? You'll have to check it to find out. The August carnival is posted sometime on the last Wednesday of the month. Have fun at the garden carnival and, while you're there, take a ride on The Venus Fly Trap!

Hi All,

The mother-in-law of Brenda Emmett, the lady who hosts this carnival, passed away right before the August edition was to come out. I'm sure, as things settle down, she will post the new carnival. Keep checking back and clicking on the link to see if it is up yet. In the mean time, please be in prayer for Brenda, her husband, and the rest of the family.

Thanks,

Tim


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Posted by tink38570 at 11:56 PM CDT
Updated: Tuesday, 1 September 2009 5:08 PM CDT
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Friday, 21 August 2009
Aleks Math
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Homeschool Product Review

I have always been skeptical of online homeschool curriculum. I don't know why really. I guess I like the personal interaction that I have with my child. At least when I am teaching, I know what he is doing and keep track of his progress. I have used different computer programs to supplement my child's education, but have not found a program that I feel can do as good of a job teaching as I can with personal one on one time with my child. Until my son tried Aleks Math!

I have always liked math, and enjoy teaching it to my children. The oldest, John Allen, doesn't necessarily like math, but continues to plod along, learning what he needs to get by. Thankfully, homeschool curriculum tends to be advanced, so he is learning more than most kids, but has never made any great leaps in his learning, nor, really liked it. I was pretty sure that Aleks Math would be the same way. Boy was I wrong!

Photobucket 

This math program is for grades 3-adult, but an advanced first or second grader, or even a very advanced kindergärtner could use it as well. I signed John Allen up for the "Middle School Math Course 3" which is for a 7th grade student getting ready for pre-algebra in 8th grade. To insure privacy, John Allen was given a login name and password for whenever he signs in to continue working on his math studies.

The first thing that he did was take a pre-test to determine what he knew and didn't know. The immediate results told us that he knew 11% of what this course covered. The program is set up so that a student doesn't need to relearn things that he already knows. Will he have to review those things, yes, but he won't have to go through a class where something he already knows is tediously taught step by step. If he were in a regular class, he would have to do this for all of the students who still need to learn those concepts. Even in a one-on-one homeschool environment, we would have to look over each lesson and try some problems before determining whether or not to move on to the next lesson. Aleks does all of that for you.

Next, we were presented with John Allen's pie. However, the "pie" isn't something that he can eat, but a pie graph that tells what John Allen already knows and still needs to learn. His pie was divided into six slices Whole Numbers and Integers; Rational Numbers; Measurements, Proportions, Percents and Probabilities; Variable Expressions and Equations; Functions and Graphs; and lastly, Geometry. The darker portions of the chart represent how much he has learned, and the lighter portions tell how much he still needs to learn. As he progresses through the course, more and more of the pie will become darker until, hopefully, sooner or later, the pie will be completely dark, which means he has completed this course. When John Allen presses on a piece of his pie, it gives a selection of topics that he is ready to learn. He can press on any topic, and begin the teaching process.

The teaching process is very user friendly. A screen will appear with a problem or a group of problems on it. You simply choose an answer from a multiple choice list, or put the correct answer in a box using your keyboard. They are very encouraging and tell you nicely to try again or congratulate you and ask you to try another problem. When you have answered several in a row correctly, they will end that particular topic and encourage you to try another. After going through this with several topics, they will give you an assessment to make sure that you have truly mastered that topic. Occasionally you will press on a piece of pie that will tell you that there are no topics for you to learn in that area until you master one or two topics from another slice of the pie. Of course, with some things, you have to have a pencil and paper handy to figure a problem with, but that is really all of the outside equipment that you need. They even have an online calculator that they allow you to use with some types of problems! Every thing is easy, efficient, and very encouraging! They even send the parent a weekly progress report or, they give you a password to check on his progress any time you want.


I must admit, that when we were first given a one month trial to evaluate this product, we were on vacation and not able to use it right away. Then, when we were finally able to begin, we were given another math review program to evaluate as well. All in all, John Allen has probably used this program for about two and a half weeks, for only about half an hour a day on average. Which is much less than he would normally spend on math, but we had to make time for the other review program as well. I tell you all of this because after only about 9 hours of use, John Allen now has 22% of the course mastered! He has doubled his knowledge! If he were to keep up at this pace, he would finish this course in only half a year! All without fuss - he actually likes it! In fact, he asked if we could sign him up for the whole year.

If you would have told me a year ago that this would happen, I would have thought you were joking. Now, I am sold on this product. I heartily recommend Aleks Math. But, don't take my word for it, sign up for a free month's trial today and see for yourself. Just click here:

Visit ALEKS for 1-Month Trial

Aleks Math can be used as a complete math program or as a math tutor for students who are struggling in a regular math class. Although Aleks may be a little more expensive than a regular homeschool math curriculum, it cost a lot less than a math tutor or one of the tutoring centers that you could take your child to. And, when you think about the gas that you could spend to take your child to a tutor or center, it makes the price a little more bearable. They give you several options for purchasing. It can be purchased month-to-month for $19.95 per month, or $99.95 for six months, or $179.95 for 12 months. Family discounts are available for 6 and 12-month subscriptions when purchasing for multiple students. We're already planning on signing John Allen up for another month and see where it goes from there. He actually asks to do math now. This is the happiest I have ever seen him when it comes to math. And, as they say, you can't put a price on happiness! 

 


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Posted by tink38570 at 12:18 AM CDT
Updated: Monday, 24 August 2009 5:54 PM CDT
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