Need a Break From Family Movie Night? Give Audiobooks a Try! Here's One to Start With...

The entire family just finished listening to Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein which we downloaded using our Audible account, and I couldn't resist posting my review because we absolutely loved it. I figured, why reinvent the wheel when I (think I) already said nearly everything I had to say in the review I left on their website?

If you don't have an Audible account already and have any sort of device you can download audio books to, I highly recommend it as a valuable resource for home educating (and any) families. Audio books can be entertaining, educational, and excellent for keeping the kids (and parents) happy on road trips or during prolonged errand days.

Also, lately, Audible has been adding some awesome new content, such as many of courses from The Great Courses company...and they are all one credit each. Now that's an amazing deal for homeschoolers, especially high schoolers, and for the many dads (and/or moms) who have to commute to work each day, too.

They also have shorter books (as well as longer ones) which are on many of the commonly referenced homeschooling book lists, such as Paddle to the Sea, Tales from Shakespeare, and Parables from Nature.

If you are interested in giving Audible a try, why not try a fun and motivating book like Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein first? You can read on for my recent review of this enjoyable adventure...and please don't forget to check your favorite deal sites or do a Google search for free book or reduced cost promotions before signing up. It never hurts to save a bit of money. You can always turn around and invest it in buying more audio books!

*FYI: I am not trying to promote Audible for any personal gain. It simply happens to be the service we use. If you  know of any others that are good, please feel free to share in the comments below. Thank you!

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Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

UNABRIDGED

• by Chris Grabenstein
• Narrated by Jesse Bernstein
Reviewed: 8/5/14

"The Most Fun We've Had Listening to an Audiobook in Ages"

Overall

Performance

Story

What did you love best about Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library?

The story line was riveting from the very beginning. The characters were varied and interesting. The plot was rollicking fun in the form of a mystery/game/scavenger hunt held in the most amazing library ever. It was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwieler wrapped up in a scavenger hunt and a game of Clue. Lots of fun all around. Most of my family, the children ages 3,5,8,10, and 16, plus my husband and I, all thoroughly enjoyed the story. In fact, the kids didn't want to get out of the car as we were running errands until we finished each chapter, and then we had to take the Kindle inside to finish off the story before bedtime.

What did you like best about this story?

I absolutely loved all of the literary and cultural references. The overriding message of the value and appeal of books and learning in general was well-integrated throughout the story in a way that drew my kids into wanting to read many of the titles that were mentioned. As a parent, I loved how it emphasized families and friends playing board games together, the pleasure derived from reading good books, the benefits of being friends with all types of different people, fair play, and teamwork. As a teacher, I can't wait to get a print copy for my older home educated kids to go through so they can highlight some of the books referenced that they have not already read and put them on their reading lists. I really hope that a few of the games mentioned in this book will actually be marketed. They sounded like a lot of fun!

Have you listened to any of Jesse Bernstein’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I haven't listened to his other performances, but after hearing this one, I'd be glad to listen to another. The only performance I've heard that was better was Brendan Fraser's reading of Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. That's our family's other favorite audio book (because his voices are hilarious). I don't know. This one might top it because the story is so much fun and a bit faster paced.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Twelve children. Twenty-four hours. One huge, state-of-the-art library. Who will solve the mystery and win the amazing prize?

Any additional comments?

Don't miss this book. I am not sure why some folks called this formulaic or accused it of copying other works...sure, it references many works of literature and uses traditional literary devices, but it is it's own excellent work of children's fiction (yes, as an adult, I figured out some of the clues ahead of my kids, but they sure had a blast and it didn't bother me one bit to have caught on more quickly). Teachers would do well to incorporate this one into their curriculum, or at least, their recommended reading list. It is excellent as a read aloud/audio book, and would be perfect to pass time on a road trip. Enjoy!

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On an additional note, other audio books we have greatly enjoyed together include: 

• Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke read by Brendan Fraser (also InkHeart, but it is darker and I only listened to it with my oldest two years ago)
• Urchin of the Riding Stars: Book One of the Mistmantle Chronicles (it is the only one available on audio, but it will get your kids jazzed to read the rest on their own) by Margaret McAllister. Great story.
• Ella Enchanted, The Fairy's Mistake, The Princess Test, Two Princesses of Baumarre, and any other books by Gail Carson Levine. Most of them are VERY amusing. A few have serious lessons they teach with the same engaging storylines.
• Eight Cousins by Lousia May Alcott...good classic with wonderful vocabulary. Even my boys liked it.
• The Boxcar Children books (1-3 are available as a set on Audible)
• The Magic Treehouse Books
• The Henry Huggins Collection by Beverly Cleary
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• And, of course, any of the Adventures in Odyssey stories, the entire Jonathan Park series, My Own Stories (most of them), and the Uncle Rick stories from the Boyers (not technically all audio stories...some are retellings of scripture, and wonderful for nighttime listening)...check CBD or Library and Educational Services for the best prices, though the My Own Stories collections are now available on Audible. Adventures in Odyssey and MOS can also be found online for free in limited quantities if you want to try them first.

**Please let me know of any of your favorites in the comments below...especially ones you have found for free download or on Audible or another downloadable audio book service. 

And, of course, if your budget is limited, please don't forget one of my favorite sites, My Audio School (MAS), which for a VERY minimal yearly subscription rate provides links to quality stories and audio productions that are available online for free (and many lovely pictures to complement each selection). 

Quite a few of the selections MAS suggests are difficult to find on your own, plus they categorize them for you, which saves tons of time. Most of them are on homeschool (and some other schools') recommended reading lists. This excellent method of "reading" quality books works very well for children with special needs (such as reading delays or autism), as well as expanding the options for early readers to books which are good for them, but beyond their ability to read independently.

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Lately I've noticed lately that Amazon is providing low cost narrations for many of the books you may choose to download to your Kindle (including free ones, which are numerous). This gives you a much nicer option to listen to than the text-to-speech voices. This feature has really been great for my one struggling reader who loves to read harder books, but benefits from following along as someone pronounces the more difficult words for her. The text-to-speech voice often mispronounces the same words she would (such as reading the word read the incorrect way), so having the option to purchase the narrated audio copy for a few dollars if I already own the book is something I find especially advantageous (and Audible keeps track of what you own on your Kindle and will make you offers based on your purchases). 

You are also able to sync your devices, so you can start listening on one device in the car (such as the cell phone), then pick up with reading and listening on the Kindle or computer later on at the same place. That's awesome. It's especially good when we've run out the battery on the phone listening to the book in the car, and the kids are insisting that we MUST finish the book before bedtime, so we pull up our Audible account on my computer, snuggle on the bed and chairs in my room, and have a bedtime story all together. 

I love family time. 

I love good books. 

Family time + good books = priceless.

Well, that's much more than I planned to say, but I am excited about all these new options for appreciating literature using technology (it can do so much more than be a tool for playing video games). 

I am not saying I will ever give up my many beloved REAL books (no way, not ever!), but I think I am finally ready to embrace the various new ways to get the content of those books into the hearts and minds of myself and my family (and it's not bad to be able to give your own voice a rest once in a while and just sit back and enjoy the experience of listening to a good book, either, is it?).

Have fun exploring the options!

Many blessings to you,

Heather

Zoo Whiz: Great Fun Learning

 

 

Do you have a budding zoologist in your house? Or perhaps you host a wanna-be park ranger, like me? Cowboy, age seven, is our resident ranger and he LOVES to put on his explorer vest, deck himself out in all his gear (binoculars, bug grabber, collection jars, magnifying glass, etc.), and head outside for outdoor adventures, usually bringing home something with six legs or more to draw in his nature notebook and look up in one of our many books (or on the internet).

 

Do you have a handy dandy bug grabber? I think you need one. It's very cool!

 

Sometimes it's rainy outside, though, and as the days get chillier, thoughts turn to more indoor activities, and it's nice to have a few fall backs for days when I just need to get something done or to work with one of the other Amigos. Recently, we were offered a free Premium membership to Zoo Whiz, an online game produced in Australia (so you get to hear all the fun accents and Australian terms for praises) to help kids ages 5-15 with math, reading, grammar, spelling, and phonics.

 

 

Built around the theme of a zoo, your child will have opportunities to choose a subject area and level, then complete problems in one of the three areas (maths, reading, words) in order to earn coins. These coins can be used either to buy games at the arcade or to purchase animals for their "zoo."

 

The "zoo" is basically a collection of all of the animals they earn/buy, divided by habitat and animal type (there are animals of all types, plus some mythological creatures, dinosaurs, and extinct animals). Your child will get to learn about their animal by reading the animal's "card." Your child will learn about habitats over time (if they do not already know about them), and they will become familiar with which animals fit in each habitat when they check out their card collection at "The Biodome."

 

Unfortunately, at this point, there is no way to interact with the animals...they are not wandering around a virtual habitat, you can't give them a personalized name, or anything like that. Basically, the animals are simply virtual stickers or virtual cards in a collection book, and other than look at them, there is nothing you do with them. I will admit that this diminished my zoologist's interest somewhat. He wanted to play with and "feed" the animals, or at least see them walking around...However, the collection process is still interesting enough that when he was asked to go play Zoo Whiz, he did not complain. Instead, he'd grab a sibling (usually a younger one) and they'd work together to solve problems and choose animals.



 

You do get to personalize your animated "zoo keeper" a little bit, and Cowboy liked that part. He chose the one on the very left of the picture above. It reminds me of him when he's all decked out in his explorer gear. He even got a hat just like that one for his birthday.

You can see his poor nose where he did a face plant on concrete at his birthday party...

He's a trooper, though, and got up with a smile.

 

 

Zoo Whiz offers games at "the arcade" in addition to the animal stickers/cards you collect. My zookeeper usually used his earned coins to buy more animals, but he did play games from time to time. You get to play each game one time for free and after that you have to use coins to play the games. There is a limit to how long you get to play, so your child can't get fixated on the games and avoid the learning. Either time will run out, or they will run out of coins and have to do more learning to earn more. Cowboy says he really liked the game "Paint 'n Play" and would sometimes give up coins to play it.

 

 

There are multiple levels within each age/ability grouping. You can set what you want your child to work on in your parent account, or your child can change the level if they find the work they are trying to do is too easy or too difficult. The problems are narrated within the easiest reading section (age 4-6 only offers "reading" as a subject) for the youngest students. No other areas offer the option of narration of the questions or answers at this point. I hope they plan to add a "read this" button in the future as I believe this would add a lot to the program. Some kids are higher in the math skills than their reading skills, for example, and being able to hear the problems read alound would allow them to advance more effectively, and it's a good accomodation for different types of learners. There were times when Firefly (age 5) wanted to try the program, but she does not read and I couldn't always have Cowboy there to read the problems out loud for her.

 

 

 

Parents can check up on their students' progress to see which areas need work. The happy faces change according to how your child is doing.



Below are some examples of maths, reading, and phonics screens. As you can see, there are a variety of subjects covered on multiple levels. We really only used the "ages 5-7" section, though Ladybug did try out a few of the next level of problems and had a nice time earning coins for her brother to spend. She wasn't as motivated to play the game, though. I don't think it was "girlie" enough for her. She'd rather play with her dolls or sew at this point (though on nice days you will still find her up in a tree...go figure). Firefly (age 5) liked it when Cowboy would sit behind her and read the questions, then she'd click the answer and get to help him choose a new critter when they earned enough coins.








The kids all thought the Australian accents and the praise that was given profusely (out loud with that awesome Aussie lilt) were a lot of fun...Cowboy liked hearing what each new correct answer would give him in the way of encouragement each time. He always smiled and laughed when he played Zoo Whiz. He never grumbled or groused. However, he also didn't beg to play it, if that says anything. I think he would have wanted to play it more often if there was actual interaction with the animals, such as a zoo room where you'd go to actually see your animals wandering around, or a place where you could at least name them, then print up their personalized card to keep at home.

All in all I'd say that for a fun supplement or a way to give your younger children something to do while you work with another child, Zoo Whiz is a nice idea. It is not meant to replace any of your curriculum...just to be a little bit of drill and practice in an entertaining and motivating way. In my opinion, I don't think it is currently worth the $59.95 price that was initially advertized (I feel it needs more content, more games, and more added to the animal collection process...they indicated to us that they are in the process of adding more to the game and that content is building each month), but there is currently a SALE going on that you might want to take advantage of if you have an animal lover in your own home zoo and want to give the Premium option a try.

If Zoo Whiz sounds like something one (or more) of your kids would like, for a LIMITED TIME ONLY you can purchase a year-long premium membership for only $14.95. This allows everything the free membership offers, plus access to premium animals, more parental controls, and more games. This price will not last forever, so if it interests you, go sign your child up for a free membership and try out Zoo Whiz today. Once you know they like it, now is a great time to buy that Premium Membership. Zoo Whiz is great for those rainy or chilly days when your wanderers can't wander outside and need a little something to do since it is educational and fun at the same time.

My wanderer wandering at the park...

 

To see what others had to say about Zoo Whiz, visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

   

Blessings,

 

       

Disclaimer: I received one free year's subscription for the purposes of reviewing Zoo Whiz here on my blog. All opinions you read are my own and are based solely on our own experiences using the product. No other compensation was received.

Putting the Story Back into History

From the Heritage History Introduction: "We developed the Heritage website with the intention of helping to repopularize old-fashioned narrative history. We believe that the current trend of teaching Social Studies rather than history to young people is unfortunate, not so much because it is politicized, but because it is boring. Too many students leave school with a vague disinterest in history because it was never presented in an engaging manner.

At Heritage History, we seek to promote, not so much the study of history as the enjoyment of History. By making available old-fashioned history, as it was enjoyed as a pastime rather than studied as a subject, we hope to help reawaken the interest of a new generation."

Heritage History is one of those products that makes me very glad I am on the TOS Review Crew. It has been an almost perfect fit for our family, so you will pardon me if I gush a bit.

I want to start out by telling you, though, that at first, I wasn't so sure why it would be all that useful. I am a clever and enterprising individual and at last count I had over 1200 quality, older ("heritage") FREE books in my Amazon Kindle account (utilizing their free app for desktop computers). Why would I want to buy a collection of e-books when I can find so many online for free?

Columbus Discovers America

Speaking of free, Heritage History offers ALL of the books available on their disks FOR FREE online. How's that for generous?? You can read them to your heart's content on your laptop or desktop directly from their site. You can even download and print up FREE timeline figures, maps, and character sketches. I especially like the timeline figures since they are all pictures from old books instead of cartoon-y clip art. Not to mention that they are FREE!


What is offered for FREE on the Heritage History site is absolutely amazing, and exceptionally helpful to anyone studying almost any sort of history: Greek, Roman, Christian, American, World Wars, Norse, African, Asian, and more. The only facet of history that is missing is the more modern history because the books used for Heritage History area all printed before 1923.

So why invest your hard-earned homeschool budget in buying a disk of Heritage History e-books if they are available for free online?

1. Well, first there's the altruistic reason that you should buy the disk to support the incredible efforts these folks are making to their growing site.
2. Then, there's the convenience of being able to access the books even without an internet connection (which is handy if you have limited time online or prefer to have your kids use their computers offline).
3. There is also the benefit of the Teacher's Guide and printable reading registers (book lists and accountability forms) to help you implement the curriculum.
4. Not to mention the fact that the disk makes the e-books printable, so you can choose a book (or ten) and print/bind them yourself for off-computer use (or take them somewhere to have it done).
5. But my main #1 reason for LOVING the disk option (vs. reading from their site) is because it allows you to download the books onto your Kindle (or other e-reader).

Did you catch that? I said the "K" word. YES! I did get a Kindle Touch for Mother's Day and we have been using it non-stop since then.

If you know me at all, I'll bet you'd never have guessed I'd go for an electronic reader. My cell phone is almost four years old (yes, I know I am due for an upgrade), but I am resisting changing it because I just don't want to get sucked in my all that Blackberry web-surfing and texting and constant Facebooking/Twittering stuff.

Then there's the fact that we own some where around 12,000 REAL books...we donated over a thousand back in Florida before moving this last time and did not even put a dent in our supply. Anyway, I just love the feel and the experience of holding a REAL live book in my hands. Curling up with a good book on the couch on a rainy day just wouldn't be the same as using a cold, hard electronic device to read a book...would it?


I am not going to try and tell you that using the Kindle (or other e-reader) is as good as a book. It's not in many ways. BUT it does have two advantages over real books which we have found very helpful in our homeschooling: Text-to-Speech capability and type-size customization. Wowsers!

My Three Amigos are LOVING these features in every way. Text-to-Speech allows them to "read" the more difficult books from our Young Readers Classical Curriculum from the beginning, and the text-customization allows them to follow along with ease.

Here's what we've been doing for history/reading/writing for the last few weeks since I received the Kindle and downloaded the Heritage History Young Readers Collection to it:

Listen to the book online at Books Should Be Free

• I chose a book called American History Stories to use for the summer, to give the Amigos a break from Ancient Civilizations, which is where we are in history. Since we live in a historic area, American History is always relevant! Also, the Young Readers Collection is geared towards elementary students, while the other collections are not necessarily as easily independently useable by them. You can check on the Heritage History website for age-appropriateness as they have color-coded each book link according to Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced.
• The first reading, the children get to sit either with the Kindle or with me and listen to the story (chapter or section). This helps familiarize them with the story and the words. I ask them to narrate back what they learned to make sure they comprehended the information, and they have a chance to ask any questions.
• The second time they "read" the story, they follow along as the Kindle reads the story. The first time we worked through the process, I demonstrated how they should follow along and we worked out bugs like not touching the screen to point to words or you will mess the Kindle up! The purpose of this is that any difficult words and names will be pronounced again for the child, so when they read it through a third time on their own, they will be very familiar with the story and can read confidently. As the majority of the books in this collection are geared towards upper elementary, I am pleased that they can do the reading alone when it is presented in this way.
• The final time they read the story, they really read it...independently, out loud, to me. I allow them time to read it silently before they "present" their oral reading to me (and often an audience of non-readers) if they request it, but mostly they are eager to show what they know and don't want more time. I use this as a final opportunity to ask a few questions to make sure they learned the information and as a way to let them show me how smart they are.
• Lastly, they complete a notebooking page to demonstrate their learning. Ladybug writes most of hers on her own (I may write a few words down on a paper for her to copy after her narration), Cowboy narrates to me and I write his narration down for him to copy, and Firefly either only copies a few words, or I write what she says down for her. We get pages from Notebooking Fairy, Notebooking Pages, Notebooking Nook, Enchanted Learning, or by using a Google search for a specific topic.

During this time we also read a few picture books on the same topics, but we did that at night, for "fun." I feel as if by using this method, we are covering history thoroughly (a bit at a time, at an age-appropriate level), as well as really working on their reading and writing skills (not to mention neatness, diligence, creativity, memory, art, public speaking, and much more)...all using just one book of a large collection of 82 stories which cost only $29.99!!

I keep track of what they read on a reading chart that was in the Heritage History Study Guide that came with my disk.

So far, the kids, especially Ladybug, are very eager to pursue this form of learning. We have used notebooking before, especially for science/nature study and reading (journaling) and I am SO happy we are finally working notebooking into our history program, as well as integrating our reading and writing programs with our history studies even more.

I plan to utilize the excellent collection of clip art to use to develop our timeline later this week. I figure if I start out by adding our timeline figures after every few stories (every other week), I won't get overwelemed by it. We can work it up to once a week, once we become accustomed to it.

There is also a nice collection of maps we can use, though I will probably continue to pull maps from some of my other favorite sources. These will go into the children's history notebook, along with the notebooking pages (they all put their pages in a history notebook together, while their reading journaling pages are in individual notebooks).

I just can't tell you enough about how excited the kids and I are to have found such a convenient and easy way to do history/writing/reading/art and more. Heritage History has inspired and empowered me and I am so thankful for that!

Another thing I love about Heritage History is that it is easily integrated with other curricula. That means that if  you have a favorite curriculum like TruthQuest (which we also reviewed and loved, and which suggests that you can substitute books you do have for any they list that you don't have), you can still use it.

The Heritage History collections will serve to compliment many other programs rather than taking them over, which makes it an enormous asset and very versatile. Think of all the money you will save by having to buy just one disk opposed to having to buy a huge box of "real" books to read (not to mention how much easier it is to buy just one disk, or all of the library trips and fines you will avoid...).

And then there's the fact that when we went to the optometrist's office today, I only had to take one book (well, the Kindle) instead of five or six or...(I usually can't decide what we might be in the mood for or have time for, then each of the kids wants their own books, and my bookbag just gets heavier and heavier, and my back gets more and more painful...). Anyway, it was so nice to be able to take just one small item, then rotate the kids between using the Kindle to read their current book (or listen to it), and coloring one of their (light) notebooking pages (and playing with Boo).

Having all those books on disk might not be my romanticized idea of what it means to "read a good book," but it surely does provide some tangible and appreciated benefits to my family as a resources for filling their ears with really GOOD, heritage, classic, quality books from the Golden Age of Literature, and I am very, very glad I was chosen for this review. Thank you, Heritage History!

A "heritage" historical book

Oh, I almost forgot to mention one last important thing: The stories on the Young Reader's Collection are just plain interesting. They are easy to read, as "living books" are...they will immerse you and your students in the world of the characters and draw them into their adventures. This will lead your students into wanting to go on their own adventures, both in the pages of many other wonderful living books and also in your big backyard (and the rest of the real world). Anything, electronic or not, that gets my kids interested in and excited about learning is a BIG winner for me.

I give this product an enthusiastic bump to the top of my list for favorite history products.

• There are five main curriculum disks from which to choose: Young Readers, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, British Middle Ages, and British Empire.
• Here are the books listed by Genre and Level/Seriesif you want to "try before you buy."
• Each disk includes the stories in three formats: MOBI, ePUB, & PDF.
• You can check out a complete listing of ALL of their books. Note that different colors indicate different reading levels (see key at top).
• Each disk also contains a study guide, teaching tips, record sheets, timelines, timeline figures, maps, geography terms, and more.
• Disks are $24.99 each. Currently, there is a buy two, get one free sale going on! You can also save $25 dollars by buying the five disk set at one time for just $99. This means you get over 250 books for about $.40 each. WOW!
• You can purchase printed copies of the study guides for $24.99 if you do not have access to an inexpensive printer. The full content of each study guide is included on the coordinating disk, so if you buy the disk, you do not need to buy the printed guide unless you feel you need a printed copy (and don't want to print it yourself...it was nice to have it,  but most pages could remain online and still be just as useful).
• Read about their philosophy of history education...Putting the story back into history.
• Check out their Frequently Asked Questions to learn more.
• See what others on the Crew had to say about the collections they received, and see how they used them in their homeschools.

Blessings,

Disclaimer: I received a Young Reader's Classical Curriculum disk and supporting printed materials packet for the purposes of completing this review on this product. All of the opinions you see expressed here are my own based on the experiences and feelings of my family. If you have questions about this product, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment.

Action Alert--FREE! Computer Protection

As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, we were asked to review a computer protection downloadable software program called Action Alert. While Hubby already has computer monitoring stuff installed (yeah, I know that's not a very technical term...I am NOT the IT expert at our house) on our computers, I didn't mind the opportunity to try out this program, a "rebirth" of another program you might have heard of called PG Key. After all, you can never be too safe, right?

At our house, we take computer safety seriously, as I am sure you do, too. We routinely check all of the computers not only for viruses, but for access issues. Hubby has firewalls set up, as well as    . We set up our computers in common areas of the house rather than in remote areas, and whenever a computer is being used, I wander around and check up on the users from time to time, to make sure they are on task, as well as only on approved sites. To make that job easier for me to keep up with, I even set up blogs for our kids with links to their school sites and other approved sites (see their sites by clicking on the links on the left sidebar), and I have a website, homeschool-for-free, which we use to organize educational and fun sites the kids like that I have already checked out and approve of. So far, this approach has worked for us. We have had no problems with internet use. The worst problem we have had has been some spam that arrives on this blog or in our email box, and that all gets immediately deleted.

Still, we thought the idea of being able to monitor the kids' activities even more closely was interesting, so we checked out the Action Alert website to see what they have to offer. It seems that Action Alert combines eight internet safety tools (see below) in their FREE downloadable version:

 By upgrading to their Maximum Protection Program for a fee of $29.99, you add mulitple computer protection and make the program fully customizable, plus add social network monitoring. We received the Maximum Protection Plan for our review.

I will be honest right away and tell you a few things. First, Hubby is the IT go-to guy around here (though Tex is fast learning most of his moves), and he was away on a trip for much of this review period. So as far as customizing our experience...it didn't get done very well, as I just didn't find the process particularly user-friendly. However, the customer service department WAS very friendly and helpful and they answered my questions quickly and they were easy to get in touch with and to talk to.

Secondly, I have a new laptop. It was a blessing from a friend of Hubby's whom he'd helped out a time or two, after my original laptop's hard drive crashed irreparably. In any case, my new HP laptop was running great before we downloaded Action Alert. Since the download occurred, I have had issues with it running more slowly and seen both Internet Explorer and Google Chrome crash inexplicably. We will probably be uninstalling the program now that this review is done. No hard feelings Action Alert, but there just isn't any other explanation for the problems...

I've also had to add several perfectly innocuous sites I regularly use (homeschool ones) to the "safe" list becuase for some weird reason, the program was blocking access to them. Once I added them to the "good" list, I never had trouble again with accessing them (and while the patient Customer Service rep talked me through the process, it took a chunk out of an already busy day), but it was frustrating, especially since they weren't even close to being questionable sites (one was a frequently used free downloadable printables site).

Lastly, we did get emails that notified us if questionable terms were used in searches, but they didn't always make sense. I got one today when I was using the computer about me typing in the word "kil*ing" and I honestly could not remember typing that in ever...unless I typed something like, "My back is killing me...what do I do?" but I didn't. I think the idea of this feature is a great concept, and would be especially useful if mom and/or dad are often gone (or working at home away from the kids) and have fancy cell phones to get text messages on alerting them of potential problems (the e-mail or text itself allows the parent to shut down the computer remotely when a potential problem is spotted...nice!), but I am always here, I do not have a fancy phone, and I am not on my computer all day to use it to monitor Tex's internet forays. It is easier for me to walk into the living room or dining room and peek over his shoulder. I have popped in unexpectedly before when I thought something a bit off was going on and the worst I've ever caught him doing was wasting time playing some silly game called Plants vs. Zombies...usually he's "wasting time" doing more Khan Academy than he needs to (to put off doing his science), or changing songs on Pandora or Spottify (and he follows our rules for song choices pretty well).

While this product did not suit our family (our little ones are well enough protected by our current protection and my personal monitoring of their activities, and I am just not "plugged in" enough to use this technology efficiently), it might work for yours. Some families are tech savvy enough that getting texts about computer use will help them organize things better. Some families will appreciate being able to set limits on computer usage by using this program. Even other families might already be aware of hidden issues and this program might just be what you need to keep things on track.

If you have a need for an Internet security program, you should check out Action Alert. You can try the FREE! version of the program and see if it works with your computers and your family situation. Then, if it suits you, you can go ahead and buy the Max Protection for a one time fee of under thirty dollars instead of an annual fee...that's a great price, isn't it? [And here's a little hint for you since you read this far...if you want to buy the Maximum Protection Program, click on the link to download the freebie program and when I wrote this it was on special for only $19.99 for the full deal...a savings of 33%!]. Also, remember, if you buy the Max Protection, you have a 30 day money back guarantee if problems turn up, and their customer service was very helpful (they also help you even if you only have the free program).

Blessings,

Taking Off for Ooka Island...Arrival Time TBA

Ooka Island

When the opportunity to review a new online reading program arose, I eagerly volunteered (maybe even begged a little) to be a part of the Crew chosen to review the product. I have three young-uns who are early readers, or pre-readers, and I know they all love a chance to "do school" online...learning disguised as fun.

Happily for us, we were chosen (yay!!), and as soon as the email instructions for downloading the program were received, we gathered around the computer to get things set up and get started. Our introductory email explained that Ooka Island requires an extensive download onto the hard drive of your computer (at least 2 gigs), so we expected a long wait and practiced patience. Well, silly me didn't realize (I am decidedly un-techie) that the netbook we use for Firefly and Cowboy's online work would not handle that sort of thing. I started the download, it proceeded...slowly...as in hours...we practiced more patience...and then it finally seemed as if it was going to work. Yippee!! Anticipation and jubilation faded to disappointing reality when it did not. Bummer.


Thankfully, I am not shy about asking for help, so I emailed the company and they patiently explained (without making me feel silly) that the program would not work with a netbook (not enough memory...duh), and that I would need to install it on a desktop or regular laptop. Though installing it on the computer downstairs meant I could not monitor the children and work on my laptop at the same time since my computer has to stay upstairs (because Boo has halfway disassembled it and if I move it, it may fall apart...sigh), we figured it needed to be done. So we started the download process again, with my three eager Amigos again practicing their patience. 

Not so long later (less than an hour, I think...we were gone that long, though), we sat down to try our latest cool learning tool. The Three Amigos clustered around me bouncing happily through the catchy intro scenes and commenting about the fun characters and bright graphics. When we reached the log-in screen, they excitedly pointed out their picture log-in icon (the program uses pictures so your pre-reading learners can log in on their own as long as the teacher is already logged in), and when the "play now" button appeared at last, they practically exploded with eagerness...especially Cowboy and Firefly, who were waiting to see which one of them might get to try the program.

That's it. That's the story. That's as far as it goes. We clicked on the button, and clicked again, and clicked again, and...you get the picture. Nothing. Sigh. What a let down. 

Well, we're not the type to quit that easily, so we emailed the company again and received a prompt response requesting information about our system, which Techie Tex happily provided. Many days and emails later, the Ooka Island folks came to the conclusion that it was not our computer's error or inadequacy this time (or mine), but some glitch in their system that needed ironing out. They politely asked for us to be patient a bit more while they worked things out, hopefully to provide us with a new test model the next week.

Unfortunately, in spite of their efforts and our patience, that model is not yet available (hopefully next week, they say), so here I am with a review due, and I really can't tell you much about the game that you can't go see for yourself on their website. The game looks like it will be a lot of fun for whichever lucky kid gets to be the tester at our house. It is designed to take kids from pre-reading to reading (grades pre-K through 2nd grade), using educational activities and games. There is a library of online books, fun characters, catchy music, learning time balanced with game time, and upgrades you can buy with points you earn by completing activities. But that's all I can really tell you because we haven't tried it yet.






So, here's what I have learned from the Ooka Island web site:

• The storyline sounds appealing and fun. A villainous pig has taught his naughty cohorts to read and to use their increased abilities to capture and hold captive the illiterate Ooka elves. You must complete reading activities in order to free them. This crazy tale sounds like it will tickle almost any kid's funny bone.
• Students create their own personalized avatar to use throughout the game.
• Ooka Island uses the Ooka Method to teach your child to read. It combines phonological development with language-rich text and activities  to increase reading comprehension and fluency. 
• Your student must complete 20 minutes of fully directed FUN learning activities to earn 8 minutes of play time at the Pencil Playground.
• Each interactive activity, such as those at The Cave of Sounds, Bubbly Troubly, The Cake Factory, Clumsy Wacky Moving Company, Submarine Listening, and Alphabet Mountain, has a specific set of learning objectives targeted towards helping your child become a better reader.
• Your child will earn incentive stickers during learning time.
• Throughout their adventures, your student will earn tokens which can be used for bonus items such as avatar upgrades, customizing your treehouse, purchasing new playground equipment and virtual snacks, and much more.
• Unlock and collect 85 books in the Popcorn Library, where students can start reading books almost immediately with Zobot the Robot.
• Ooka Island is aligned with Common Core State Standards, which makes it a great after-school enrichment activity for home, private, and public schooled children.
• Children can also interact with the program via a microphone, which can help determine if they are reading the words correctly.
• Pricing: For one child it is $12.95 a month, $59.95 for six months, or $99.95 for a year. To add multiple children (up to four), the price only goes up to $19.95 per month, $99.95 for six, and $129.95 per year. Not bad for a program that takes your kids from not reading at all to reading independently! 

Here's what I know from our limited experiences that you might find useful:

• You have to download a very large file onto your computer that will take up space for as long as you pay for a subscription to the game
• It takes up a lot of memory and might not be ideal for older model computers (like our school computer), or for those with slow internet connections
• It does not work on netbooks, which is a drawback for us since a netbook is one of the machines we use for school (I know several families that do this).
• Not quite all of the bugs have been worked out yet. I know that we were not the only ones who had issues, but the issues ARE being dealt with rapidly. The Ooka Island program is just out of Beta testing and I imagine it will be running more smoothly for everyone very soon.
• The customer service folks were extremely helpful, polite, and responded quickly and thoroughly to my questions. I know that they tried multiple ways to resolve issues with us and others. I feel that good customer service says a lot about a company...and their customer service was very good. They offered service by email, online, and by phone. I chose to use email, as it worked best for me. I appreciated all of their assistance. They have even extended our six-month subscription by a month since we did not get to try it out last month due to the issues stated above. Thanks!

I plan to keep checking my in-box for an email that says that the new test build is ready for us to try. I am hoping it will arrive this week, so the kids can dive in before we head off to the in-laws' house for Thanksgiving. I plan to post an update telling our impressions of Ooka Island once things are straightened out.

In the meantime, if you are interested in reading about what others who were actually able to try the program thought of Ooka Island, then check out the TOS Review Crew blog.

You can also sign up for a 14 day free trial HERE, to see if your student likes it and to make sure it works for your system. That sounds like a good deal to me.

If you are interested in purchasing Ooka Island, there is a special running for you right now. If you use the Promo Code LAUNCHSPECIAL30, you will get 30% off on a monthly subscription!

Blessings,

Disclosure: I received a subscription to Ooka Island for the purposes of trying out the program in my homeschool and reviewing it here on my blog. I have related to your our own experiences with the product, and I do not expect or guarantee that they are the same as experiences you may have or have had. If you have questions about what I have stated here, please feel free to contact me or comment on this review.

How I Use Computers in My Homeschool

I have been dabbling with using computers and the internet as an educational tool for some time. If you look on my sidebar, you will see a link to my website, Homeschool-for-Free. Feel free to open it up in a new tab and you will see that I am a firm believer in the benefits of incorporating the internet into our childrens' education...especially when it involves FREE stuff.

A few weeks ago, I asked friends on a forum I frequent if any of them use blogs, websites, or other things like that as part of their curriculum for homeschooling. Of the responses I recieved, not one was a resounding "YES!" Several folks said they had thought about it, but nobody had really committed to it.

Well, I am here to tell you that I have fully committed to using computers and the internet for a HUGE chunk of our homeschooling curriculum this year. Let me list for you the ways we are using them this year, and perhaps you will be inspired.

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I am going to focus on how I am using the computer with my older homeschooling student, Tex (age 13):

1. My oldest homeschooler likes doing his math on the computer. Last year, we used Teaching Textbooks and he LOVED it. This year, we reviewed America's Math Teacher, on online math tutoring program, and he liked that, too. We still have a few weeks left of that math subscription, then we will re-evaluate where he is and decide where to go next. He also uses IXL  or to Cool Math Games to do some daily math practice. IXL allows you to do twenty problems a day on any level without becoming a member, so he can practice whatever he feels he needs to improve. Cool Math Games is geared more towards fun. He also did his writing practice on the computer, as part of a review we wrote about an online writing program called Time 4 Writing (read about it HERE) recently. He discovered that he prefers to type his papers rather than hand write them, and will write more when he can type. I think that is good to know!
2. Last year, I set up two free websites for him to post reviews he writes about books and movies. One is called The Reading Room and the other is called The Screening Room. Because of the Crew reviews, we haven't had much time to add to either this school year, but he has hopes to keep developing them later in the year. He even inspired a public-schooled friend of his to start a book blog! Having his thoughts "out there" inspires him to write a better quality piece, I think. He is learning quickly to write for an audience and to defend his ideas in a rock solid way (because people can check up on you using the internet, too!) I think it's a good way to establish a goal and develop student interests. Why not have fun while practicing our English skills, instead of just doing dry grammar exercises in a workbook?
3. This year, I set up a blog for Tex to help me keep track of his weekly work (it is private, so I cannot share the link). He was doing a lot of our Review Crew stuff online anyway, and I figured being able to access the direct links to his coursework from one place would be a good thing. It also provides a place for me to write what I expect of him, and to post reminders about what is due or happening each week. That doesn't mean that I don't have to talk to him and check on his work...it just means that we are trying to be more organized about it. He still has to write down his accomplishments in our weekly planner (in case I ever have to defend what we did in a week to an official), and he keeps a list of the books he has read in that planner, but he is enjoying setting up a "Shelfari" online (it is a gadget that looks like a bookshelf and shows pictures of books you have read and/or liked) and has a good time finding links to add to the sidebar of his blog.
4. For my own accountability, I have arranged on my blog a list of memes that we are trying to participate in this year with some regularity. We are really enjoying this. It is keeping us focused on accomplishing certain things that previously got set aside in favor of "more important" subjects...things like nature study and art. By having a deadline (each meme is different...some have linkys that stay open for a while, whereas others close within a day or a week of posting the topic), we are motivated to produce the work and get it posted on our blog. Then, we have the payoff of not only seeing it on our own blog, but of seeing it out there in cyberspace on someone else's blog...and sometimes get comments from other folks about it. I guess it fills the one need they were missing out on by homeschooling...having someone other than Mom seeing their work. The kids' current favorites are: Lego Quest, Outdoor Hour, Nature Study Tuesday, Sketch Tuesday, and Walls of Art Wednesday. We also started one of our own, a geography meme, called Where in the World? Wednesday. Having to come up with a post for that is inspiring us all to look up information and find fun links about the states we are learning about. It's a good thing.
5. My son is helping with the photography, editing, and technical management of our blog, site, and computers. This is helping him learn skills that are easily translatable into jobs later on in life. He helps find links for the Homeschool-for-Free site, and is my "review partner" for the Homeschool Crew items I review on my blog. This is helping him to learn about accountability and deadlines. He is learning to proofread (he is actually spotting my typos now!) and is gradually tackling web design. He also already fixed one of our computers this year (it was BAD) and is going to check my laptop out this week (sometimes it sounds like a helicopter getting ready to take off....yikes!)
6. Another current interest of his that uses computers is stop-animation. We looked up (together) some funny Lego animation videos and he was inspired enough to ask for an animation kit for his 13th birthday last week. He has been watching the mail every day, waiting for that thing to arrive...it is late. He is going nuts. He already has plans for his first movie, and has arranged for friends to come over on the weekend to help him film it.
7. We use the computer for typing practice. Tex uses Dance Mat Typing.
8. We LOVE our books, but we also enjoy using the computer to access news articles, magazines, and other print materials. You can see a nice selection of sites that offer free books on my Reading Links Page. Tex likes taking quizzes about books he reads on Book Adventure and my little ones LOVE playing on Starfall (helps develop reading skills).
9. We LOVE audio books (sites such as Librivox and BooksShouldBeFree and My Audio School are awesome!). Listening to a more difficult selection can make digesting it easier, and it offers a nice alternative to TV...you can listen while you do housework, crafts, or put together a puzzle. You will find more links on my Audio Links Page. Many of these can be downloaded onto an iPod or similar device, to be listened to while a child is playing, doing chores, or on long car rides. HomeschoolRadioShows is nice for a change of pace, and of course, Adventures in Odyssey and other Christian audio shows (find out more links on my site's audio links page). You can listen to the Bible online, too.
10. Gotta love Netflix, especially the Instant Streaming feature. This month, they added a bunch of National Geographic and Imax-type specials that I can't wait to see. Already, we have watched The Amish, A People of Preservation to go with our study of Pennsylvania. We have a dozen more lined up for the next few weeks. We also use Netflix as an occasional diversion for the little ones when I need concentrated time with my oldest student. Currently, Liberty's Kids is on Instant Streaming (it's about the Revolutionary War), and they have been watching those in order. There is a fee for this service, though. If you want to watch something educational, but free, you can try The Homeschool Channel for a variety of quality educational programming.
11. We have used LessonPathways for finding some interesting links in specific topic areas...and it is now FREE!! It offers pre-screened lesson plans (with links to information and activities) for many levels of students in many subjects. LP does require registration.
12. We also love sites like DonnaYoung for printables (like scheduling, chore, and handwriting sheets), CurrClick for freebies, and Lapbook Lessons for lapbooks (mostly used with the younger kids). You can find more links to internet options on my site, homeschool-for-free.
13. The internet is an almost limitless resource for homeschooling materials, many of them free. We also visit Homeschool Freebie of the Day regularly for an endless variety of fun free stuff. Blue Behemoth also offers daily freebies. Registration is required.
14. We use our computer to learn languages. Currently, we have Rosetta Stone, which the children enjoy. Recently, I have been having fun "grading" assignments (as a native speaker of English) on LiveMocha, a free online language learning program, to earn points towards free stuff. You can hear others speak their language, type in your responses, and even hear their spoken comments about your recorded answers.
15. There are lots of fun and educational games online that I allow my kids to play when their regular work is done, or if we need a break from our usual routine. The educational games also come in handy when someone is not feeling well and needs a break, or if we have inclement weather and are trapped inside for long periods of time. Some of our favorites are listed under Our Curriculum Links on our website, or on individual subject pages.
16. We like Mark Kistler's Mini-Marshmallow lessons and online video classes for art. We bought a three-year membership for the family for under forty dollars through the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op. All of the kids (who are old enough to draw) have enjoyed this purchase. Mark makes art lots of fun. Other art links (all free), are available on my site, homeschool-for-free.
17. Of course, the internet is invaluable when researching topics of almost any nature (as long as the research is supervised). A recent review I did of LanSchool offered a viable option for monitoring his research from a remote location (check out my review HERE). All the kids enjoy checking out links. It's like a treasure hunt online. You can find almost anything online with Google (but we are always monitoring online activity)...from art lessons, to math, to how to play the guitar, or how to blow up a roll of toilet paper...it's on there.
18. Access to the library stacks using the internet is great. The bookmobile comes to our house, so all we have to do to get the books we want is to go online, find them at our library, order them using our card number, and wait for them to arrive!
19. Email is a nice tool for keeping in tough and for practicing letter-writing skills. Tex hasn't done a ton with email, but it is there as an option, and along with typing, he will be learning how to write business letters (an email to complain about why his animation program did not show up in 3-5 days, asking for a refund of the priority shipping fee!), thank you notes (to his grandparents who babysat his siblings so I could take him to lunch on his birthday), and friendly-letters (to his friends).
20. Word Processing programs help teach English grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I love the feature that autocorrects...incorrectly, if you are not careful! He has already experienced the fact that you can't just choose the first thing that comes up. You have to pay attention to what you are doing and what you are trying to say (or spell). You can also learn desktop publishing using your computer as you write papers for classes, or produce a family newsletter, or make a photo collage, etc. The possibilites are endless.
21. Of course, I have to admit the use of non-online computer games, if I am being completely honest. I do try to keep the games in the justifiably "educational" range...sort of. Tex likes Civilization IV at the moment, and other games like that that remind me of the board game Risk. I used to make him tell me something about each of the time periods he entered or personalities he encountered, but he's gone through them now, and has learned something from the game. It is interesting to talk to him about strategy, too. The little ones like Reader Rabbit, Putt-Putt, and Freddie Fish. These educational and problem solving games serve to occupy them if I need focused time with my older student.
22. Speaking of strategy, we do have a computer chess teaching program that is good for learning critical thinking skills. I think that counts as school. We do other thinking skills sorts of things online by visiting our site, HERE.
23. How about programs like Paint and Photoshop, that help you alter photos or make your own designs? That's useful and counts as school, too. You can find many "how-to" tutorials for these things for free online, if you look.
24. Tex's dad has been teaching him to use Outlook to keep track of his schedule. He emails what he is doing to his dad, who can participate in his school day from work via email. That's kind of neat, and I think organizational skills and accountability are two of the most important things we teach.
25. We do NOT currently have a textbook or curriculum we are using from online, BUT there are many available. You can find many listed at my site, homeschool-for-free, especially in the science and spelling sections.
26. We use the internet to stream audio and video sermons for our family Bible studies. I do a series of posts called Sermon Sunday at my blog that I sometimes have Tex use during his Bible time.
27. We LOVE using YouTube to look up demos of experiments we'd like to do, songs done with ASL, hymns, and educational clips on artists, musicians, and more. You can even take entire classes using YouTube, from places such as MIT. As far as YouTube goes, I recommend, creating an account, then making playlists of the various things you find, such as "Music," "Art," "Science," and "How to Play the Guitar." It will make accessing what you like a whole lot easier, and help you avoid looing at junk you don't want your kids to see during school time.

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I could probably think of more, but this list is getting kind of long, so I will stop here. As you can see, your computer can be a really useful tool in your homeschool...when used judiciously and safely. As with anything, too much of a good thing can lead to trouble, so reading print books, playing outside, and doing some honest hard work can balance out computer use and ensure it remains a positive learning experience.

I am looking forward to seeing how others use computers in their classrooms.

Blessings,

Heather