Salem Ridge Press

Salem Ridge Press is a company republishing children's books from the 1800's and early 1900's. They desire to share wholesome, old fashioned books with the families of today. From reading the letter enclosed with the sample books, it seems to me that this is as much of a ministry for this family as it is a business.

I'd like to share some of the excerpt owner Daniel Mills shared from their most recent newsletter; "I feel very responsible for the content of the books we republish. If I am going to bring a book back into print, I want to be able to stand behind it with no reservations. Very early on we realized that we were going to have to decide carefully what was appropriate in our books and what was not. I sometimes joke that our number one rule is, "No Kissing!". While many books from the 1800's and early 1900's are no problem at all this way, in several cases we have slightly edited passages which included a brief kiss or embrace. We want to be an encouragement to young people to maintain the highest standards of purity in their relationships..."

These are not necessarily the same standards we set for our family, and my personal taste doesn't usually run to those books written in the 1800's and early 1900's (with a few exceptions). However, I know that this will be very appealing to some and want to accurately portray the passion with which this company seeks to provide literature they feel good about sharing with others. If the quote above reflects your standards and beliefs, you will definitely want to support this company. If you just happen to like older books, you'll be happy as well.

They currently have eighteen books available, which you can check out on their web site (along with sample chapters!). I received three books myself, Glaucia the Greek Slave, The White Seneca, and Mary Jane- Her Book. The first is church history based, the second historical fiction, and the last is one of the titles for younger readers.

Mary Jane-Her Book is the biggest hit at our house. My ten year old daughter is currently reading it and loving every minute. It tells the story of five year old Mary Jane and her everyday adventures. When I handed my daughter the book she said, "That looks boring." Once she started reading it though, she enjoyed it. I just asked her what she thinks of the book now and she said, "It's good, it's funny, it's sad. I love it!". I guess that says it all! The old saying is correct, "You can't judge a book by it's cover." and Salem Ridge Press has won her over with a great story. Maybe you'll find a great story there as well.

Rime to Read

Rime to Read is a collection of virtual beginning reader books. Rime is not a misspelling, but a way of learning! Rimes are word families which are consistent both visually and auditory (for example; can, tan, fan, man), making it easier for the child to read with success right from the start.

There are a total of twenty books, four books covering each short vowel. The rimes are color coded throughout to help the child decode the words more easily. Thirty-five sight words are also included within these books and are listed in a box in the upper right hand corner of the page. The stories are simple and the line drawings that accompany them suit the books well.

These are available only as virtual books, but you may print one copy of each book yourself with purchase. To use the virtual books, you simply sign on to the site with your username and password and then click the link for the book you'd like to read. The child can click the big green arrow to turn the pages forward or back. They have also just added a feature where the student can click on the rime to hear it said out loud, if a little help is needed.

The books themselves remind me of the ever popular Bob books. They are similar in style and I wondered why I would need a similar idea in a virtual edition. Surely my children would rather hold the books in their hands and would find this less than exciting. I was wrong.

My daughter is a late reader. She understands the mechanics of reading but struggles with remembering the sounds. This program (along with a couple of others I am reviewing) has been a huge blessing to her! She enjoys being on the computer and she loves being able to read the books with success. Because the books use the rimes, she is able to remember much more easily and it's giving her the confidence in reading that was missing.

I am happy with the way Rime to Read has worked for us, but I must mention that the site has had several technical glitches since we've been using it. I know they are working on these things and it may be a moot point in the future, but it's worth mentioning. My only other concern with this program is the price. It is a little pricey if using it simply as an added reader. For those of us with struggling readers though, it's worth every penny to see our child succeeding.

Rime to Read allows you to try the first book for free. This is an excellent way to check it out and try it with your child to see if maybe this is the confidence booster they need. A vowel set of four books is available for $9.99. The entire twenty set book is $44.99.

As always, if you have experience with this program, questions I may not have answered, or you decide to check it out yourself, please leave a comment! I'd love your feedback!

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Black Friday Sale

I just received this info from the TOS Crew and definetly thought it worth sharing! This is a great price for the magazine and would make a good gift for that amazing support group leader or any homeschooling friends or family.

"The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is having an amazing sale on subscriptions during their annual Black Friday Sale November 26 – 30. For those 5 days only, they are drastically reducing their one-year subscription price to $7.95! That's the price you would usually pay for just one issue at a bookstore!

This is their lowest price ever on the magazine and they want all of you to take advantage of this offer and share the info with your friends.

Please don't miss out. Your one-year subscription will pay for itself time and time again as you receive practical tips and Biblical encouragement to keep going strong in your commitment to homeschooling and to the Lord. Since it's a quarterly magazine, they even have a monthly subscriber's only E-Newsletter called Teacher's Toolbox that will give you seasonal teaching ideas and a free E-Book download! It's like joining a unit study of the month club! The free E-Books alone are valued at almost $250/year. It's really perfect for people who are homeschooling on a shoestring or just wanting to add in some little extras to your teaching.

Plus during the Black Friday Sale, they have all kind of bonus gifts when you spend $50, $75, $100, or $150. Some are electronic downloads that you can download immediately, while other are physical products mailed from various vendors directly to your home.

AND, their Win Big contest is going on so if you just happen to be customer 67,000, you will receive a prize package valued at almost $500 which includes a $150 gift certificate to the Schoolhouse Store! Who couldn't use that? And you can qualify to win it no matter how much or how little you spend!

Mark your calendars for November 26 - 30th and do a little shopping from your seat, not your feet at the Schoolhouse Store's Black Friday Sale!"

www.TheOldSchoolhouseStore.com

The Little Man In the Map

The Little Man In the Map is a beautiful, oversized hardcover book that teaches United States geography through picture and rhyme. Author E. Andrew Martonyi and illustrator Ed Olson have done an excellent job creating a book that is both visually appealing and fun to read aloud again and again.

The story begins in a classroom of children; none too excited to have to piece together all the states in a puzzle. They soon discover that the shapes of the states in the middle of the map create a figure, and so the Man In the Middle (or MIM) is discovered. He takes them on a journey of their imaginations where each state becomes more than meets the eye. As they travel through the regions, they find a mitten, puppy, table, chair, a turtle, an elf, and even a flashlight, all cleverly disguised as states. The children are now excited to learn United States geography, all thanks to MIM and their imaginations.

I tend to be more right brain dominant and have children who are as well. We need story and visuals to cement dry facts into our heads and this book does a wonderful job connecting the facts with the imagination. This would be an excellent choice for anyone who learns best with pictures and story, although I’m sure all would enjoy it. A short teacher’s guide is available with added activities. My favorite is “Bake the States” which contains instructions for creating a clay map of the US. There is also a wall map available for purchase, which would be an excellent reinforcement.

I will use this book myself by combining it with the Flat Travelers project and a good US Kids Cookbook. The wall map and a US State puzzle (maybe a floor size puzzle?) would also be a great addition. It sounds like a wonderfully fun way to learn about geography!

The Little Man In the Map sells for $19.95 and the 38x22 inch Wall Map for $21.95 at Schoolside Press. Also be sure and check out the authors blog, FrogsJumpUSA!

The Missing Link: Found

The Missing Link: Found is part of the Truth Seekers Mystery Series published by Media Angels. It tells the story of the Murphy family; specifically 16 year old Christian, his younger sister Anna, and their father. When Dr. Murphy's brother becomes ill, they are called to help at the anthropological dig where the missing link has supposedly been discovered. They enjoy adventures and learning as they discover that everything is not always as it seems.

The authors, Christina and Felice Gerwitz, are a mother/daughter team. Christina, a homeschooler herself, came up with the idea for writing the story at age twelve and finished at age seventeen. The Truth Seekers Mystery Series can be used along with Media Angels Creation Science, and may be a more enjoyable way to learn facts than merely reading them in a textbook.

One thing I liked is that they do a good job of being respectful to characters in the story who do not believe as they do. In fact, in the back of the book they state, "We tried to portray those who believe in Evolution and those who believe in Creation in a truthful manner. Stating both viewpoints help to make the positions understood...each should learn what the other believes and attempt to make inroads into finding a common ground so truth may be known on all accounts. While the writers of this book are believers in the Biblical account of Creation, our focus was not to put one group down by elevating another." I like that there was no belittling of those who disagree with the authors' worldview. There is too much of that sometimes, on both ends of the spectrum, and it does little to promote either viewpoint.

Felice Gerwitz seems to be a wonderful person, and I love that this was written by a homeschooler, so I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, I found it to be a tough read. The story itself held some interest but the writing style was difficult. The intended audience is reluctant readers of the "tween age" and they may enjoy it more. I did give it to my thirteen year old to read (Jonathon Parks fan) and he had the same experience as I did, although he is not a reluctant reader. I'm thinking if this was offered as an alternative to a textbook with the same information, it may be very appealing to the student. Facts are always more fun when entwined in story!

For help in using this novel in a homeschool setting, there are literature guides available as well. The book itself is $8.99 and the literature guide is $6.50 on their site. There are other books and guides available in the series as well, as well as book and guide sets. Please see Media Angels for more information.

Pre-Review Ramble Link-Time4Learning

I shared how our family is enjoying Time4Learning.com in a very casual Pre-Review Ramble on my personal blog. I thought I'd link here as well, if you're interested. More complete reviews coming soon!

Link to Contest Ending Nov. 9th!

The Homeschool Blogger is currently running a contest for the book, The Quest for Thunder Mountain by Ed Dunlop. My thirteen year old has read and enjoyed many of the books in Dunlop's Terrestria Chronicles series, and will be disappointed that we are not qualified to enter this contest for his latest book. But I thought I would share with everyone else. Go enter and if you win, let me know how you enjoy it! In fact, if you win and you live around here, we'd like to borrow it.

Go to Homeschool Blogger to enter.

Coming Soon!

I have been receiving so many new products lately, it's like Christmas came early. Wondering what products you'll see reviews for in the near future?

We're currently working our way through Spears Art Studio, ABC's of Homeschooling, Peterson's Handwriting, Kinderbach, Rime To Read, Deeper Roots: Rooted & Grounded Bible Study, All About Spelling, Media Angel's The Missing Link: Found, Time4Learning.com, Science for High School, Salem Ridge Press, Motherboard Books and ALEKS online math. I'm expecting to receive items from Trigger Memory Systems, Core Learning, and Schoolside Press any day now and have emails in my box regarding Auralog's Tell Me More foreign language and Insight Technical Education.

Many of these have deadlines in December, so we are currently hard at work digging into these programs to discover the pros and cons and be able to present them to you. And yes, we're having lots of fun too!