Great Latin Adventures

I was sent Great Latin Adventures by Classical Legacy Press to review for you.

This was a tough review for me because we’ve tried Latin programs before and it has not gone well. When I said the word Latin, I got groans and gnashing of teeth from my children.

It is also hard for me to review a Latin program because, honestly, I am not in agreement with the whole Classic Education theory. I know, shocking. I may get kicked out of homeschooling for revealing that one. I am more of a Charlotte Mason, living books, unit study, delight directed, homeschooler. I think you should know that so you know where I’m coming from.

I appreciate how this program is laid out. I appreciate the lengthy introduction, and the Master Chapter Plan. If I thought I needed to teach my children Latin, and I had no background in Latin, these chapters would be a wonderful help. In these chapters Katharine Birkett, the creator of GLA, lays out for me the why’s and wherefores and most importantly the HOW’s of this program.

There are programs out there with many bells and whistles and DVD’s and Histories attached etc, but not GLA. GLA is a simple Latin program. And when I say simple, I don’t mean easy or lacking, I just mean it is Latin. It is not Religion, or History and it does not teach Mythology. It is just Latin. I appreciate that. (I’m not against Mythology by the way, we recently did a giant unit study on Greek Mythology, but I appreciate that there is a Latin program, especially one that is aimed at the younger 4-6 grades, where I can teach Latin without automatically having to teach about false gods as well.)

Katharine uses the classical pronunciation system rather than the ecclesiastical. I have no idea what that means. I read about it in the introduction, but, well, I didn’t quite understand it. The good news is that Katharine tells us that it really does not matter and that you can easily adjust the program to use the ecclesiastical pronunciation if that is what you prefer.

Katharine also gives examples in the Master Chapter Plan of how to use this program in a Homeschooling Family, A Christian School, and a Homeschooling co op.

In the Homeschooling Family (which I am assuming most of you are) she suggests working one on one (thought you can easily add siblings) three to four times a week for thirty of forty-five minutes at a time for thirty-six weeks of instruction per year.

This program is not the type of program you can simply hand to your child and walk away. It is going to take work on the teacher’s part in order for this to be a successful venture. However, I think if you as a teacher are after a Latin program that is simply Latin, and not full of unnecessary fluff, that will help your child in his future Foreign Language endeavors and also in the study of the English Language, I think Great Latin Adventures is an excellent choice.

Price…
Student Book $15.00 apiece (with a binder, $22.00)
Teacher’s Manual with CD included $30.00 per level (with a binder, $40.00)

You can go here to the GLA Faq’s page to see more about GLA and to see samples, and you can go here to see what others had to say about GLA.

Happy Homeschooling!

Lobster Network

Lobster Network is one of those simple, yet brilliant ideas. It is an online catalog, and inventory system.



It works like this. You invest a little time to put your ‘stuff’ online. For me I simply did the homeschooling things I want to get rid of that we no longer need. I listed it on the site, visible to anyone. I had the option of making it just visible to specific networks or ‘friends’ but I decided to let anyone browse through it.

I could have listed it for sale, trade, borrow, free, or various other options.
There are other ways this would be helpful though, especially if you had a local network. I was thinking of various groups like Churches, Bible Studies, Homeschool groups, Book Clubs, or just a local group of friends.

You can list anything on this network, car parts, books, kids clothes, the 5oo lawn mower parts my teenager has collected…hummm.

Anyway, I think this is just such a great idea. We live in a society of so much STUFF! I love the idea of being able to bless someone else with stuff I don’t need any more.

And best of all, the site is FREE to use!

You can go here to check out Lobster Network and sign up. Go ahead, give it a try!

You can go here to see what others had to say about Lobster Network.

Happy Homeschooling!

Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure

I received Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure for this review. It is the fifth in the Circle C Adventures series, about a girl named Andrea Carter, who lives on a cattle ranch near Fresno, California in the 1880s.

This book is published by Kregel. This is the second book I’ve received from Kregel to review. You can read about the other book here. I’d like to say how much I appreciate publishing houses like Kregel. I know that if I get a book published by them, it’s going to be clean. That is something to be appreciated!

The book I got this time, Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure was a cute little book. It is #5 in a series of 6 so for about Andrea, who goes by Andi. I usually don’t like to read a book in the middle of a series, but these books make great stand alone stories and there is a little note from Andi in the front telling us a bit about her previous adventures.

Honestly, I skimmed this book and then it disappeared. This is common in this house. My 11 year old ran off with the book. She read it quickly and said she really liked it. This is saying something, because she is my dyslexic child and will not spend the effort to read something that does not hold her interest. She gave it a thumbs up!

You can go here to find out more about Kregel Publishing. You can go here to find out more about the the series of books about Andi and the Circle Adventures Series, and as always, you can click here to see what other Crew members had to say about this book.

Happy Homeschooling!

History of the U.S. AP Exam Prep

Exam prep for the digital age.

Let’s face it, our kids are learning in a different environment then we did. I mean, I learned to type on an actual typewriter! I felt blessed to have the electronic version to learn as opposed to the old version. My typing class was high tech! Now they don’t even teach typing anymore. Kids are seemingly born knowing how to type thanks to the age in which they are born.

Remember the way we used to have to study for tests? The flashcards, the notes, the books, the reading and re reading and then re re reading! Well, our students have more in their study arsenal than I would have thought possible!

I was sent to review for you, a nice little video from Cerebellum/Standard Deviants. It is the History of the U.S. AP Exam Prep. I watched it with my daughters who are way too young for this type of thing, but they found in engaging and interesting none the less.

Now, the thing with these DVD’s (and this company has many of these available on many topics) is that they’re not supposed to teach you the material, just help you study for the test. They are assuming you have already learned the material. This is a good thing because they don’t use the term ‘light speed’ lightly. These are fast paced videos with lots of interesting graphics and bells and whistles.

The price is very good for these DVD’s. If I were going to be taking an AP exam, I would definitely we willing to spend the $14.98 (On sale now for $11.24, by the way!) to get one of these video’s. It’s just one more way to study for that test.

You can find out more about the Standard Deviant Video series here and as always, you can click on the icon below to see what others had to say about this product.

Happy Homeschooling!

BeeYoutiful

After all the curriculum we reviewed this year, it seemed quite a treat to be getting something special to review for you. Something pampering! The lovely folks at BeeYoutiful sent me LaveshMint Daily Moisturizer and Toner,

Honestly, I don’t spend a lot of money or time on my face. I’m a busy mom; I don’t have time for that kinda stuff. I’m not saying I don’t need too, just that I rarely get around to it.

I really enjoyed these products. I spray on the toner as soon as I get out of the shower every morning. It just makes everything feel fresh and clean.








I put on the lotion about 2 or 3 times a week. It really feels nice, tingly, and fresh. And it smells great! I also like the idea that I’m purchasing this from a company that is more natural in their approach to health and beauty.

I have a feeling I’m going to have to make a purchase from BeeYoutiful when these two products are gone!

You can go here to find out more about BeeYoutiful and you can click on the icon below to see what others had to say about it.

Happy Homeschooling!

Ideal Preschool Curriculum

Ideal Curriculum is a preschool curriculum that covers the topics, Literacy, Math/Calendar, and Science/Social Studies. It is unique in its approach because it sells topical, one month kits. I was sent the first month, Transportation, to review for you.

I think Ideal is a thorough curriculum. It has everything laid out in a very easy to follow format once you get it figured out. (It is a bit confusing to figure out what to do with all the files at first.) This is especially good for the first time homeschooler. One of my favorite aspects to this curriculum is that along with your various printable downloads; you also download mp3’s that go along. Music is a great way for kids to learn and remember things, so I Love the fact that this is included.

You can purchase one month or all 9. I think this is a good thing as well because you can try it out and see how it works for your child and you don’t have to buy an entire years worth.

My one concern about this curriculum is that it may be a bit much for the preschooler. I believe in a more natural learning approach in the early years. More play and less structure. There’s plenty of time for structured learning, with my preschoolers we played games and read, read, read.

But, for those that are looking for a little more structure, but don’t quite now where to start, Ideal Curriculum might be just the thing for you.

They are offering a discount in the month of May. 10% if you type in the code ‘welovekids’ The regular price for a one month kit is $30 and $55 for a print version.

You can go here to find out more about Ideal Curriculum and you can click on the icon below to see what others had to say about it.

Happy Homeschooling!