Hearthside Homeschool Reviews...and More

My previous experience with Math Tutor involved reviewing their wonderful DVD for preschoolers, Numbers and Counting.  This time, we're taking a step forward with The Pre-Algebra Tutor Volume 1 and The Texas Instruments TI-83/TI-84 Calculator Tutor.  Okay, maybe that's a leap!

Blogging has been hit or miss the last couple of weeks, as we tried to wring every last drop out of summer (Oh, and prepare for a hurricane that decided he'd rather not join us after all).  Our annual Pizza on the Beach took place last week, as we officially closed out our summer festivities with friends (we may still sneak to the beach on nice days, just because we can!). 

Last year, it was cold and windy and we shivered while scarfing up our pizza.  This time, it was HOT and the kids were able to swim and sun and dig in the sand to their heart's content.  We've had a beautiful summer here and part of me is sad to see it go.  But I love fall and all it has to offer, so I look forward to hot drinks and crisp air and the scent of cinnamon.  As much as I love the craziness of summer, the return of some sort of structure and routine has its merits. 


And so we began our school time again yesterday.  Yes, on Labor Day.  But only the fun stuff; pancakes and listening to The Magician's Nephew via Radio Theater on CD.  Today we began our Narnia unit study, Further Up and Further In, as well as independent work.  I really need to write a post detailing our curriculum choices for this year, as I have had some interested. 


Last month I found a solar system wall stickers set on sale at Borders for 98 cents.  My youngest has been excited about it since I brought it home and we finally decorated the hall with it this morning.  He spent a good amount of time exploring the KidsAstronomy.com site and we loosely tied the study of our universe into Uncle Andrew's statement about possible worlds beyond our own.  Sometimes unit studies can stretch the application, but hey, it worked for us!  And allowed my 13 year old to introduce his younger siblings to the never-ending Uranus jokes.  Yes, I'm sitting on it.  'Cause I haven't heard that a million times since I was 13.  ;-)
With my two oldest graduated, my sophomore is the only one working completely on his own this year.  While we work through our Narnia study, he is using Sonlight Core 300.  His schedule seems to be quite heavy this year, but I think he'll be okay and will really enjoy the Sonlight.  This seems to be a good fit for his personality and learning style.  I do miss having him join in our unit studies though.  These kids keep growing too quickly.  Which I can't understand, as I'm still 18. 

Snort.

Fatal Convictions by Randy Singer tells the story of Alex Madison, a full time lawyer and part time pastor, who finds himself defending a Muslim Imam accused of ordering honor killings.  Believing his client to be innocent, he risks his ministry, his reputation, and even his life in his effort to prove they've charged the wrong man. When the Imam's beautiful daughter enters the picture, Alex's attraction to her makes his life more interesting- but his case that much more difficult.

Publisher's Weekly referred to Singer as the "Christian John Grisham".  As a Grisham fan, this was a rather large statement.  Grisham has some pretty big shoes to fill in delivering an enjoyable legal thriller.  Singer did not disappoint.  I went into this book begrudgingly, needing to finish it in time for the blog tour, and soon found myself swept away in the story.  It's one that makes you think and may turn some preconceptions on their head.  I loved the way he portrayed the characters as very three dimensional and avoided the typical stereotypes.  He treated them with grace and respect, and it was much appreciated by this reader.

More importantly, he provided a great story.  While I had figured out the "twist" long before it was revealed, it was an enjoyable read.  Well written, well done.  If you enjoy legal thrillers, definitely give this one a try.

Fatal Convictions is available from Tyndale or your favorite online or local bookstore.

JumpStart 3D Virtual World is an absolutely adorable, adventure based world where your kids can have fun, and learn while they're at it.  Math, reading, and critical thinking skills are taught as your child plays.  Already quite familiar with the Jumpstart name and reputation, I was quite excited to have the opportunity to not only review this product, but share a three month membership with one of my readers as a giveaway (directions for entering may be found towards the end of this post)!

As I was given a list of questions to guide this review, I thought it might be a fun change of pace to do a Q & A format.  If you'd like to learn more about the specifics of what JumpStart has to offer, please click the link at the beginning of this post.  They provide all the information you need to get started right there on their site. 

Q. How do your kids interact with the game? 

A. My children are already quite familiar with virtual worlds and were able to jump right into playing without any help from me.  I left them alone to do their thing and soon they were excited about helping a dragon hatch and exploring the new world.  Originally I had only signed up my 8 and 10 year olds, but my 11 year old quickly asked for an account as well and was soon immersed in the Enchanted Sanctuary.  This area proved to be a favorite among them all.  Hatching dragons will do that to a kid.  Hey, even this mom thought that was pretty cool.  

Q. What is their favorite game or quest? 

A. "I liked hatching the dragon. But I forgot to feed him every day." -Breanne, 11

"My favorite is Robo-a-go-go. Oh, and the dancing game in the arcade. And I like playing HideNSeek with my dragon." -Nicole, 10

"My favorite thing is the Scavenger Hunt. It's awesome. And Robo-ago-go is my favorite thing too." -Ryan, 8


Q. What is your take on kids using technology to learn? 

A.  I am a self professed Gamer Mom and have been dubbed the Gadget Queen by my friends, so it should come as no surprise to my readers that I am a huge fan of technology in the homeschool.  My children enjoy games and online worlds as much as I do.  Why not use this time to reinforce and develop their academics?  But if this is not done in a creative, engaging, interactive and visual appealing (key words for me!) manner, it will soon give way to more exciting pursuits or be dubbed as simply "school".  I am happy to report that the JumpStart 3D Virtual world meets all of my requirements.  It is well done and well received by my family.

Q. Do you like the parent content, such as the JumpStart Blog?





A.  The JumpStart Blog  is the place to get the inside scoop on what's new and exciting in the JumpStart World.  It would be a great way to get your kids interested in new developments and an excellent opportunity to interact and share your opinion, as there are polls and requests for input throughout.  

I have to admit to having a crazy summer and not checking out this blog as much as I would have liked.  Just from what I see now, I'm regretting this. There's a Design JumpStart's Next Mythie button that's calling to me, an update on a new hang-out spot, and the most adorable graphic of the most adorable little Pegasus.  Seems like a great way to stay informed and get even more from your JumpStart membership.

The Well-Guided High Schooler is a four year planner, designed to help you and your student stay on track during the high school years.  Written to the student, it provides one place for all your high school plans and is meant to serve as both a planner and a record of work completed.  It provides areas to track assignments, attendance, grades, etc.

The biggest surprise to me was the number of articles sprinkled throughout.  These cover what you need to know for your college prep student, including information on the SAT/ACT, the college application process, grants and scholarships, yearly checklists, etc.

Although I am of a more relaxed homeschool mindset and encourage our children to attend college if needed for their life's pursuit, I appreciate having this information at my fingertips.  When we first began homeschooling high school, we determined what was needed for both college prep and non college prep transcripts and have taught our children accordingly.  It's nice to have this information handy for those who require it, and it's easy enough to skip over for those who do not.

Although I enjoy technology, for some reason I prefer paper planning.  I need to sit with a pen (erasable!) and my planning book and physically write.  It's what works for me.  I like having the entire four years in one book that is small enough to curl up with.  With this advantage comes the disadvantage of not always having enough space or exactly the forms I would like.  So far, we've been able to tweak it and make it work. It's so pretty to look at though, sometimes it's hard for me to cross out a pre-printed word and write in my own or list more courses in tiny print to the side.  But perhaps I shouldn't use the word "pretty"!  Don't worry, it's still manly enough for my 15 year old son and I appreciate that it is enjoyable to look at and yet perfectly acceptable to either gender. ;-)

As this is designed for all four years of your student's high school journey, it is sold in four year increments depending on your student's graduation year.  My son is beginning his sophomore year and so I chose the planner dated June 2009-July 2013. I filled in his course info and grades for his freshman year and we will go from there.  Some subjects cover more than one year for us, so I just left the grade section blank if it was as yet incomplete.  Again, a little tweak or two but that's what we do as homeschoolers!

I love all the options we have available to us as homeschoolers now.  This would have been a wonderful tool to use with my two graduated students and I am happy to have discovered it in time to use with my younger kids.  If you have kids heading into high school, you may want to check it out.  If you're not quite there yet, they also have planners available for the younger grades!  

The Well Guided High-Schooler is available in spiral bound softcover for $29.95 or in PDF format for $24.95.