Home School Navigator Review

Vendor: 

Home School Navigatorhttp://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/HomeSchoolNavigatorfinal-3-3.jpg

Product: One year subscription to Home School Navigator Reading and Language Arts Curriculum

Price: $97 per student

Age: Elementary Age

About: Home School Navigator is an online Readinng and Language Arts program. This includes a schedual abs online portfolio maintenance to keep track of their work and the samples you may need for your state. Since all children learn at their own pace they have made six different levels. The hlevels are color coded as follows; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo. Each one of these levels includes:

•A 36 Week Course

· Daily Reading, Writing, and Word Study Lesson Plan (including flex days for your busy schedule!)
· 60 Instructional Videos
· Word Study Program (including word wall headings, cards, and games)
· Activities That Encourage Multiple Learning Styles
· Monthly Skills Checklist
· Portfolio Maintenance
· Monthly Goal Sheet/Portfolio Check-In
· Downloadable Review Games
· Interactive Notebooks

I was using this with two of my children. We used the blue and green levels. I really like the idea of levels being named by color instead of grade level. My children have some learning disabilities, dyslexia, and sometimes it’s a bit of a downer when they see something that is labeled for a younger grade than they are in. 

They use picture books that are short sweet and to the point. This is great since my one child hates reading anyways. So she is able to read at her level but not have to sit through several chapters to get to the ending. This gives her more motivation to finish it all and know what happens knowing it isn’t going to take days or whatever. 

Everything is planned out for you which is really nice and helpful. The portfolio maintenance allows you to take a screenshot or a picture and upload it to the page to save. This is great for those states that require the portfolios and keeps down on the actual paper upkeep you have to find a place to store. The program also contains interactive notebooks. We didn’t use these because my kids see them as art time and want to work great at cutting, pasting, and coloring but they don’t want to actually take the time to fill them in correctly. 

I don’t believe that this was good for grammar study though. While there were some work with it there was no actual instruction. It was like a review of things they possibly should have already known. So you would want to make sure you had a good starting to grammar or a supplement to go with it. The instructional videos were nice to help. Only one student can be logged in at a time so that does mean you can’t work on it together you less your children are at the same level. I do wish since it is online you could do the work online too and less printing would have to take place. Overall I do think it has a great approach to getting the kiddos reading and excelling from where they were. I do find it is more parental navigating the site as the kids didn’t seem to get it very well. It can be tricky. I think this is a good program for parents to get for their child. Really good for those in states that need that portfolio because this really does well building it all up for you. 

Be sure to check out what my other crew memebers had to say about their experiences. 

To learn more about Homeschool Navigator, Come visit their Social Media Pages:
· Facebook: Home School Navigator
· Pinterest: Home School Navigator
· Instagram: @homeschoolnavigator

Toes in the Sand

Sometimes you just have to sit back and put your toes in the sand and let the world melt away! Sometimes it is best to drown in the sounds of the waves crashing on shore while the hot sun warms your soul. Sometimes you just have to enjoy the moment like it maybe your last. 

We all face hard times in our lives and we all have things that we do to cope with those times. I use the beach, even though I feel like I am a million miles away from it.  I remember as a kid moving away from the mountains and telling my parents daily I hated where we moved to.  I never felt like I was at home again after that move.  Then one day as an adult I moved close to the ocean.  I never in my life felt like I would ever think of a place feeling like home again.  However I found home again.  I moved away and moved back and finally away again. Sometimes life doesn't allow you to be "home". I will tell you when I get to go back I enjoy every minute of it as it could always be my last time.

Six Flags Read to Succeed

MAY 1ST was the deadline to get all the entries in to get your tickets! I hope everyone remembered as they are supposed to be sending out the tickets sometime this month!

Let's get crafty!

First fun craft is a stained glass window.

Take a 50/50 combo of water and glue.

Paint your window with the mix.

Take torn up peices of tissue paper and sick to the window.

When window is covered paint over the tissue paper covered window with your 50/50 mix.

Now you have a pretty stained glass window.  To removed just spray with water and let soak in then scrap all the paper off.  Then clean windows with vinager or windex as you would normaly.

Second fun craft is a fish bowl!

Draw a fish bowl and color it in blue.

Cut out and paste fish into the bowl, or draw them in.

Decorate your fish bowl as you like.

When done paint the water part of your picture with corn syrup.  Let dry for a bit then cover with plastic wrap to cover the sticky. 

Now you have a real looking fish bowl!