The StudyPod is a unique, one of a kind, book holder that my family loves. Soon after we received ours to try out, John Allen confiscated it and has been using it since. And it has really helped. You wouldn't think that a small thing like the StudyPod would revolutionize your way of living, but this really does. It starts out the size of a book but opens up to hold almost any size book that you can think of. It really is the answer to each of the above problems that I mentioned. You can use the StudyPod to hold a book that you are taking notes from. No, more trying to hold the pages of the book down so that they won't turn, the StudyPods nifty arms do that for you. And, like I said, they expand to hold any size book. You can put your cookbook on it so that it is out of the way but still able to be seen while preparing a meal. You can even hold a sheet of paper on it so that you won't be looking up and down or back and forth while typing. After you are done, it folds right back up so that you can stick it in your back pack to take it with you wherever you are going! It even has convenient pockets on the inside and outside to hold pencils, pens, even an ipod! Check out this really neat video that tells all about it.
Now that you've seen the video, you can see why I am so happy with this product. Let me tell you, with three boys, the house gets cluttered. Anything that will cut down on the clutter is a plus for me, and the StudyPod does just that!
The StudyPod comes in Black, Blue or Pink, but if you click on their BookPod link, you will see the same item, under the name BookPod, in Gray or Beige as well. They are the exact same items, made by the exact same company, but with a different name to market to a different type of clientèle.
The StudyPod normally sells for $19.95 for one StudyPod or $16.95 each for two or more. But, the makers of StudyPod have given our readers a special discount! You can get $5.00 off of your order by using the coupon code TOSBLOG5! This is just in time for Christmas! StudyPod even has a "Buy it. Try it." 30 day, full refund, gaurentee. They even have a fundraising opportunity if you are looking for ways to make money for your club or organization! You can go to their website by clicking on any of the highlighted links above, or here. Cut down on your chiropractor bills! Go to their website today!
Praises for Rocket Phonics Mood: a-ok Topic: Homeschool Product Review
Now I know that it seems like I exude enthusiasm for every item that I review on my blog. And, I also know that I promised that I would not just point out the good in everything just to be nice to the vendor for sending me a free product. But, I am not joking, I really like Rocket Phonics! Now, having said that, at the beginning, I did have my doubts. And, there are a few minor things that, if I had my druthers, I would change. I will explain a little further in my post. But, all in all, I really think that Rocket Phonics is a great fit for, at least, Joshua, our Asperger’s child. Here’s why!
I have used (believe me when I say this!) many, many, phonics programs over the years. Some I have really liked, others I have not. One, I credit for really setting Joshua on the road to reading. However, these phonics programs have been just that, a phonics program. Rocket Phonics is so much more than a just a “phonics program”. It has much more than cutsie stories that reinforce the phonics sound of the day. Along with the phonics sounds, Rocket Phonics also includes punctuation, thinking skills, critical thinking and more. These are all things that Joshua has experienced in the few short weeks that we have been using this program. But, since Joshua reads on a 2nd - 3rd grade level, let’s begin at the very beginning with Rocket Phonics.
Rocket Phonics is a “research-based, scientifically proven method of teaching reading” developed by Dr. Stephen Guffanti . You can begin using this program whenever you feel that your child is ready to begin learning letters and letter sounds. This can be done as early as three years of age. To teach beginning sounds, the Rocket Phonics kit contains “Play and Read Cards” with instructions on how to play simple games such as Bingo, Go Fish, Memory Games, Simon Says - even a Treasure Hunt Game! And, that’s not all! With your purchase of the Rocket Phonics kit comes 28 weeks of email bonuses and games that you can download and print out to supplement your regular materials! Their bonus gifts include more games, more stories, a complete beginning writing curriculum, spelling strategies to help you with spelling, and more. There are even YouTube videos that you can access that will give you teaching tips.
After your child learns the basic letter sounds and can put sounds together to make words, then you begin using Rocket Phonics’ unique “helpers”. Helpers are used when a word can’t be pronounced phonetically, or if there is more than one way to say a letter(s). All of the words are printed in blue except for the letters that present a difficulty. Those letters are printed in gray. When a child sees a gray letter, they know to immediately look below that letter to see how the letter is supposed to sound in that word. See the below section for a sample.
This is where I would have changed a few things. I am a perfectionist when it comes to sounding out words. For example, I think that the word “Begin” should be pronounced with a long e - be/gin. Rocket Phonics is more practical. They know that most kids are not going to pronounce it with a long e, but make more of a short I sound to pronounce it bi/gin. There are a couple of instances when I would change the way they sound out their words, but by and large, there helpers are exactly what I would use.
Later, when a child becomes more proficient at reading, they move to reading Aesop’s Fables then on to reading short chapter stories. If your child gets distracted by all of the words on the page, and needs to focus on just the word at hand, the kit includes a really cool rocket shaped “peeker” that will block out everything but the word that the child it reading. As they become more advanced, they even begin learning Latin and Spanish sounds, and common prefixes and suffixes.
This is no simple phonics program, but a complete reading curriculum. But, it all happens so quickly and easily. Rocket Phonics does not encourage you to push your children too quickly, but if you are consistent in using this program, your child could advance two or three grade levels in one year! Already, in only using this program for a few weeks, Joshua has advanced probably a half a year in his reading. And it is all plainly laid out and easy to use. I am so sold on this curriculum that I am going to begin Jacob, our three year old, on the very basic levels of this program soon. I will let you know in a later post how he and Joshua both are doing.
The price of Rocket Phonics is very comparable to other phonics curriculum. Some other curriculum want you to buy their products piece mill. For example, levels one, two and three may all be sold separately. With Rocket Phonics you get everything for one price of $160.00 plus shipping and handling. But, that includes everything, including all of the bonus downloads. The free gifts are worth well over $100 by themselves. Rocket Phonics also has a three month payment plan of only $54 a month available, and everything is completely satisfaction guaranteed. Your Rocket Phonics Kit comes with three bonus gifts already, and even if you are not happy with the program and choose to send it back, you get to keep the bonus gifts! You really have nothing to lose, but don’t take my word for it, read the testimonials of some of the other crew members by clicking here, or go directly to the Rocket Phonics website by clicking here or on any one of the highlighted links above. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Happy home schooling!
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.
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.
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.
That'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.
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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