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!

Apologia Review

Vendor: 

Apologia

Product:

Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology

Price: $29-$49

Age: The Notebooking Journal is for grades 3/4 and older. The Jr. Notebooking Journal is for K-2/3.

About: Apologia is one of my most favorite all in one curriculums. I was very excited to get to review yet another great set they have, Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology. We got the entire set which included the following:

• Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology Text
• Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology Junior Notebooking Journal
• Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology Notebooking Journal
• Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology MP3 Audio CD

It is a great set that allows you to teach multiply grade levels all at the same time. Since you can match the Notebooking journal to the grade level that works best for your child everyone is learning at their correct level. The journals are already lined out with a schedual that will be enough for all years worth of science for you. There are four to seven assignments per lesson with at least two lessons per week. There is an audio disk that comes with this. If you don’t want to read the book you can listen to it. This would also work for road schooling. Or for children that don’t read as well. They can listen to the disk as the follow along in the book. There are lots of amazing experiments to do in the book. One is the edible cell. I remember making this in school myself. I did a cake using all kinds of candies for each part of the cell. So we of course did the same thing, but ate it before we could even get a picture haha. The notebook has scripture copy work to do for each lesson, vocabulary crosswords, and more suggested experiments. It gives a space to create notes and interesting things your child has learned through each lesson. But done in fun ways. The jr notebook is similar but the puzzles and diagrams are more simple to do. Once again Apologia does it all to lay out your lessons so you can grab and go. The only prep work needed is on days you wish to do the experiments, you would need to gather or purchus the things to do those ahead of time. I love this for busy moms and those that are schooling several and don’t have the time to plan all lessons out. However it would be easy to do your own lesson plans with it as well if you wished. 

We had loads of fun learning about the body. I like how the journal goes along with the text and gives them something to do, even if it is just coloring for the younger ones. It is a great way to learn about the body and have fun while doing so. We used this with my kids that range from 9-13. 

Don’t forget to check Apologia out on social media as well as see what my fellow crew mates and their families had to say about the curriculum. 

Social Media Links: 

• Facebook:  www.facebook.com/apologiaworld    Tag:   @apologiaworld    
• Twitter:  www.twitter.com/apologiaworld      Tag:   @apologiaworld    
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/apologia/            Tag:   @apologia    
• Instagram:  www.instagram.com/apologiaworld            Tag:   @apologiaworld    
• Google+:  https://plus.google.com/105053356034237782125    
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/apologiaworld   

Memorial Press Review

Vendor:

Memoria Press

Product: 

Traditional Spelling I

Price: $5.00-$24.95

Age: Grades 1-2

About: I was very excited to get to review Memoria Press. Their bundles are always great and ready to go. Traditional Spelling I is for grades 1-2 or children that are behind and need more help. The set includes the student book, teacher book, practice sheets and flash cards. The teacher book has a daily schedule laid out for each lesson. This helps those busy moms that need a plan made out for them.  No guess work all the tops and things you need to teach are written right there in the book. The lessons are short and yet the repetition of the lessons builds each day to teach the phonics of the words. We spent probably about 30 minutes a day on the lessons because my child is dyslexic and has a harder time adjusting to reading the words. These lessons could easily go 15 minutes and you could do other activities to build on and practice the list of words for each week. I also like how the teacher book has a copy of the actual student page with the answers filled in. This helps when I’m sitting across the room doing something else and she has a question I don’t have to go to her, I can see it right for myself. So I do believe this is a good for those teaching more than one child.  We also liked to be able to use the flash cards as additional practice. It helps give a visual and we can work on quickness of memorizing those sounds to the letters. You also get more practice spelling with the practice sheets and a weekly test to take to see how well you are doing. We take Thursday practice test to see where we need to work on harder to do our best on Friday’s test. 

I think this would be a great curriculum for spelling for any mom that needs a premade ready to go lesson. There is no guess work. It is just pull it out and go type of work. Also makes it easy for those that need to plan ahead or need to have someone help if you are sick or having a baby! No need to worry about the plans as it’s already made for you. 

Be sure to check them out of social media and also check out what my other crew mates have to say about this one and more lessons from Memoria Press. 

Social Media Links: 

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/memoriapress/  
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MemoriaPress    Tag:   @MemoriaPress     
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/memoriapress/          
• Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/memoriapress/         Tag:   @memoriapress   
• Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Memoriapress1  Tag:  +Memoriapress1   
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/memoriapress/   

Carole P. Roman Review

Vendor: Carole P. Roman

Product: Carole P. Roman books and collections

Price Of Products I reviewed:

Oh Susannah: It’s in the Bag $6.99

Oh Susannah: Things that go Bump $6.99

Oh Susannah: Color With Me $4.99

Age: 7-12 years

About: Carole P. Roman is the author of these books that I was very excited to review. She actually started her writing career on a dare from one of her sons. She was named Kirkus Reviews’ Best in 2012 for that first book she ever wrote, Captain No Beard. She now has many more books written and another Kirkus award in 2015. 

The Oh Susannah books were a joy to read. These books feature Susannah Logan, who isn’t having a good day. In, Oh Susannah: It’s in the Bag, book Susannah Logan is having a bad day, starting with the fact she had unfinished homework in her bag. Then hurried through breakfast and given a banana she didn’t want, she throws it in her bad as well. Then on the bus to school her friend Lola gives her an invitation to a sleep over. Which she doesn’t want to go to because Lola’s brother always scares them. Her day continues to her worse. Including a letter home from gym class.  To end the school day with her zipper on her backpack ripping and sending her over the edge. She ends up having a nightmare about her bag exploding and her parents rush in. It leads them to be able to have a conversation about her stressful day. 

Oh Susannah: Things that go Bump is about her getting invited to her friends house for her birthday. She really wanted to go but she was afraid. Her friends brother has told her that it is haunted. Though through friendship she is able to face her fear and go to the sleep over. She ends up having a blast and learns that little brothers can be annoying sometimes and sometimes they can be great. She also learns that friendship can help each other overcome their fears together. 

The coloring book goes with the chapter books. You color pages that go alone with them and also draw your own images on things. Like one was something you might be afraid of. It helps tie in the book and give a little activity to have some deeper thought to what your child just read. 

The kids really enjoyed the books as well as getting some coloring in. We think these are some fun easy chapter books for a quick read or a good starting point when merging into chapter books. They stay interesting and leave you wanting to know more till you finish the book. Carole P. Roman is a an amazing author and I don’t think you will be disappointed in any of her books you choose. 

Be sure to check her out on social media. 

Social Media Links: 

• Facebook:  www.facebook.com/CarolePRomanAwardWinningAuthorAndBooks
• Twitter:  twitter.com/caroleproman  Tag:   @caroleproman   
• Instagram:  www.instagram.com/caroleproman         Tag:   @caroleproman   
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6A9PDx7NdBgYUN1giUOp0A   

Also be sure to check out what my fellow crew members had to say about her books. Their were many different titles to choose from so there is lots of reviews for each of them.