Great Backyard Bird Count and SNOW!

It's snowing!

In my part of Georgia!!

It started around noon and has not slowed even slightly. I know some of you have had more than your fair share of snow lately and are probably a little sick of the stuff. You can't imagine why some silly woman in Georgia would get so excited about this....

But trust me when I say that magnolia trees rarely look like this....

And southern bird baths almost never freeze over like this....



Speaking of birds (how's that for a segue?!)...

Today is also the start of the Great Backyard Bird Count. The snow interfered with our regular plans. Normally we would spend the first day of the GBBC searching for birds at a nearby lake. Two years ago we took the boys and their birding competition teammates there and spotted over 1,000 birds. We wore light-weight clothing and drank cold water.

Today, however, we didn't want to venture too far from home in case "the roads got bad".

Okay, I was going pause for a giggle here. Then I went outside to take this picture...

And there was a wreck right in front of my house.

Seriously. I clicked my camera. Then a car slid out of control and slammed into a light pole.

Not even 10 feet from me.

Everyone was okay, but it just goes to show how it only takes a dusting to create dangerous conditions.

So take it easy out there, Georgia. We're just not equipped for this kind of weather in the Deep South.

Okay, the public service announcement is over, so allow me to get to my story of the day- the real point of this post.

We drove very slowly around our neighborhood and stopped in front of our neighbor's yards where we saw birds. We identified them while inside the car if possible and got out as necessary. Michael kept the car creeping along as the boys and I peeked through the foggy windows as best as we could, using our binoculars to inspect birds on wires, chimneys, bushes, and the ground.

Did you get that mental image?

Think about it for a second.

Four bundled Southerners creeping slowly through the neighborhood, looking all around their neighbor's houses... through binoculars.

Yes, we got a few funny looks.

But thankfully, no one called the police.

We managed to identify 10 different species, including a loggerhead shrike- that's a new one for our list, and it was a fun day that motivated us in the bird watching department. We were getting a little rusty and, dare I say it, apathetic. The long, dreary winter was affecting us I suppose.

Well, since this post has gone in fifty different directions, allow me to summarize...

• drive carefully
• if you see strange people scoping out your neighborhood, they are probably bird watchers
• you can freak out your neighbors join in on the bird watching fun, too

The Great Backyard Bird Count takes place today through Monday. You only have to bird watch for at least 15 minutes to participate, and you don't have to be an expert.

You can also look at pictures of birds from around the country on the GBBC website. We took a little time to look at them today and saw familiar birds searching for food in the snow and western birds perched on cacti.

You don't have to brave the snow or scare your neighbors either. You can watch your feeders from the comfort of your own home.

Visit the Great Backyard Bird Count's site for more details.

Product Review: Homeschool Library Builder

Interested in saving as much as 35% on your school books?

Look for special offers from HSLB in yellow.

Homeschool Library Builder offers a large selection of great books, many of which are on the reading lists of widely-used, literature-based curricula like Tapestry of Grace and Sonlight.

HSLB sells both new and gently used books and offers a number of additional services like a book search for out-of-stock titles and product marketing. This service, called the HSLB Marketplace, offers free advertising for its members' small businesses.

Members may also reap the rewards of a frequent buyers program in which points accumulated from purchases can be exchanged for discounts on future purchases. Members may also accumulate points through referrals and by linking HSLB to their own websites.

I searched HSLB for books on TOG's Y4 and Y1 lists and found a good number. I was able to search by title, subject, keyword and curriculum. I thought the prices were reasonable and will probably purchase some of our books for next year from them.

Now is a good time to start ordering for next year because HSLB is offering 20% off all purchases made during February.

Additionally, when you make a donation to Heartline Ministries for a Helping Hand to Haiti, you will receive a coupon code good for an additional 15% off any HSLB purchase made on Super Bowl Sunday (2-7-10).

Membership to HSLB is free.

I was not compensated for this review and have provided my unbiased opinion.

For more reviews of HSLB, please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Product Review: Facts First

Facts First is a paid membership site that offers fun math drill practice. It comes to us from one of the most trusted names in homeschool math, Saxon.

Students begin by creating a personal avatar.

Then they select which set of facts to practice, addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. The facts are taught in small segments. For instance, when learning addition, the first lessons will focus on 1 + 1 and 1 + 2 only. After a few rounds of drilling, the program quizzes the student and integrates previously mastered facts for upkeep.

Students see their progress on the chart below. It gives them almost immediate feedback on their speed and accuracy and serves as a motivator to work on both.

Each time they complete a round of practice, they are rewarded five minutes in the arcade which has the feel of a game room. However, the games are not just for fun. They are designed to continue the upkeep of mastered skills. You can read more about how Facts First works here.

What We Thought
Wilbur was the Facts First user in our house. He loved having an avatar. At first, I was not so happy about the avatar. He wanted to spend his entire first session getting just the right look, changing hair color, eye color, clothes, etc. After that, it became a non-issue though because he was not required to return to the avatar page.

He was highly motivated by the arcade. He wanted to master the lesson so he could have the "play" time, but he was not allowed to linger too long once there since he was required to leave the arcade page after five minutes. Once he had to leave, he could not wait to return and worked so hard to get the next arcade break.

The math practice was perfect for him. His computation speed and accuracy increased over a few weeks of practice. He enjoyed the drill work, too.

I give Facts First two thumbs up and recommend it. You can purchase a Facts First family membership for $49.99. This provides access for four users for one year.

I received a free membership to Facts First in order to complete this review. I have received no other compensation and have provided my honest opinion.

To read what my crewmates have to say, please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew page.

Product Review: Eclectic Education Series

The Eclectic Education Series from Dollar Homeschool has made the curricular resources of the 19th Century American classroom available to the 21st Century home educator.

Gathered together on five CDs, the EES "is a set of textbooks which from roughly 1865 to 1915 WAS education in the United States." * This collection provides a comprehensive K-12 curriculum which covers English grammar, history, science, math, and reading. The lessons are written to promote patriotism, traditional values, and the Bible… much of which have been lost in modern education.

The Eclectic Education Series includes the following:

• Ray's Arithmetic
• Thalheimer's Histories
• Cromwell
• Progressive Course in Reading
• Cyclopedia
• Andrews Constitution
• American Poems
• Rhetorical Reading
• Good Morals and Gentle Manners
• Norton's Elements of Chemistry, Physics, and Natural Philosophy
• Ray's Elements of Astronomy
• McGuffey Readers
• Pinneo's Grammar
• Harvey's Grammar
• And MORE (click here to see a complete list)
  
  

What We Thought
In a nutshell, the EES is just not for us.

There are certain books or reading selections that I am thankful to have and will add into the boys' studies in high school, but as an overall curriculum, it does not fit our style. We prefer living books to text books, learning by doing over rote memory, and authentic work over worksheets. The EES is a compilation of textbooks and relies heavily on isolated skill and drill exercises.

Also, it is not very "user-friendly". If you are looking for a curriculum that spells out what to teach, when to teach it, and how to teach it, the EES is probably not for you. I had to spend a lot of time looking through all of those documents deciding which materials to use.

However, the content and skills covered are excellent and thorough in their scope, particularly for the price. The EES lives up to its promise of promoting a Biblical worldview and patriotism as well as godly conduct. I cannot sing its praises highly enough in this regard. It is not what is taught that does not work for us. It is a matter of how it is taught.

For that reason, I will not assign this product any thumbs up or down. The Olive Plant family will not be switching to this curriculum; however, I believe homeschooling parents can provide their children a well-rounded, Christian education with the Eclectic Education Series.

The entire Eclectic Education Series is available on CD for $159, a tremendous value when you consider the amount of materials included, from Dollar Homeschool.

I was given the Eclectic Education Series for free in order to complete this review. I have not receive additional compensation and have provided my honest opinion.

Please visit the TOS Homeschool Blog for links to my crewmates' reviews of this product.

Product Review: The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling

The title says it all.

This amazing book from Apologia Press is The ULTIMATE Guide to Homeschooling.

The author, Debra Bell, covers a wide range of homeschool-related topics and answers just about any question a potential or current homeschooler could have.

Here is what you will find inside:

• Homeschooling: Is it for you?
• Choosing a Curriculum
• Organization and Planning
• Preventing Burnout
• What to Teach- When and How
• Homeschooling Teens
• Computers in the Homeschool
• Creative Solutions
• Measuring Your Success
• Resource Guide
  
  

What I Thought
This is an all-inclusive book that I could ramble on about all day. So… to keep you from having to read a War-and-Peace-sized review, I chose the chapters that cover what I consider to be my strength as a homeschool teacher (Organization and Planning) and the section that covers what I consider my greatest weakness (Preventing Burnout).

The chapters on Organization and Planning contains step-by-step instructions on setting goals and writing objectives. It was like Ms. Bell took everything I learned in 3 years of teachers' college and condensed it into thirty fluff-free pages. This section is chocked full of valuable advice to help you set a good course for your school year. She also includes a number of additional resources to help you find the materials you need and a section on homeschool philosophies to help you find a way of "doing" school that works for your family.

For the section on burnout, let me just say Hello, my name is Dawn, and I'm an overachieving perfectionist. Ms. Bell offers valuable insight for homeschooling moms like me. She offers suggestions from her experience and seems to know us type A's pretty well. She writes about raising independent, responsible learners, field trips, sharing the load (something I don't do well), and getting plugged into a support group. I have made a few changes in my approach per her advice and will let you know how things go in later posts.

I also intend to delve into the section on Teens soon. I am not there yet, but the time is quickly approaching and am pleased to have such an invaluable resource to guide me. Michael and I are particularly interested in the section on college from home.

I give The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling two thumbs up and highly recommend it. You can purchase a copy of The Ultimate Guide from Apologia for $20.

I received one copy of The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling for free in order to complete this review. I have received no other compensation and have provided my honest opinion.

For more reviews of this book, please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Product Review: Zeezok Publishing

Zeezok Publishing sent me such a nice package of goodies to review.

I received the Chopin set which includes two soft-cover books (one on Chopin's early years and one on his later years), an enhanced CD, and a study guide.

The books chronicle Chopin's life from birth to death and tell the stories behind his compositions. Sheet music is included within the body of the story, allowing readers to see his work immediately after reading about it. There are a number of illustrations, all simplistic sketches that give the books a nice, old-fashioned tone.

The study guide includes comprehension questions and extra tidbits of information on the composer. It is neatly arranged, making it easy to line up the questions and extras with the reading.

The enhanced CD provides mp3 sound recordings of all the compositions mentioned in the books. It also contains printable sheet music of Chopin's works and coloring pages for each chapter.

What We Thought
This is one of the best products I have received as a member of the Crew. Zeezok will most likely make my top ten list at the end of the year.

We have enjoyed reading both books. The boys snuggled next to me and listened intently. We like the writing style and the illustrations. I think starting with Chopin's childhood helped to capture my boys' interest. In fact, Orville, who is learning to play piano, was most interested in the chapters that detailed Chopin's course of study and dedication to music as a child. He was inspired by these books.

I liked having the music right at my fingertips, too. After we read a chapter, I simply popped the enhanced CD into my computer and played the recording while I printed the coloring sheet. The boys colored while listening to the music of Chopin. These sheets are also perfect for coloring while the teacher reads aloud, if you like to keep little hands busy while listening.

I give Zeezok Publishing two big thumbs up and encourage you to visit their site. The set I received retails for $30.90. The individual pieces are sold separately as well.

I received the products mentioned in this review for free. I have received no other compensation and have offered my honest opinion.

To read more reviews on this and other books from Zeezok Publishing, please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Product Review: Math Tutor DVD

I received two DVDs from Math Tutor, Young Minds: Numbers and Counting and The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor. Let me tell you a little about each.

The Young Minds video is a montage of beautiful scenes set to classical music. It teaches counting by using pictures that represent each number, 1-10. There are bonus features that include puzzles and games.

What We Thought
Because the intended audience is preschoolers, this DVD was not age-appropriate for any member of our household. However, I thought it was beautifully done and enjoyed watching it. This is a DVD that I would have watched over and over again with my boys when they were little, particularly during those times that we needed a quiet, sit-down moment. I give Young Minds two thumbs up.

The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor is approximately 8 hours in length and covers 15 different "types" of word problems- addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, for example. Each session teaches students how to dissect the word problem. They are instructed to consider the question being asked and key words contained within. They are also given strategies for solving each type of problem.

What We Thought
Okay, you need to know that the Olive Plants family loves math. Solving word problems is something we would do for fun. So… unfortunately I cannot say that this DVD "worked for us". There were no a-ha moments.

However, the methods the tutor uses are excellent. He breaks everything down into manageable chunks and gives his students an effective way to approach each problem. If you and yours are not math geeks like us, this DVD could be very helpful. I give it two perpendicular bisectors and a piece of pi!

The Young Minds DVD sells for $24.99, and The Basic Math Word Problems Tutor sells for $26.99. You can purchase them here.

I received both DVDs mentioned in this review for free. I have received no other compensation and have provided my honest opinion.

You can read more MathTutor reviews at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Product Review: KinderBach

KinderBach is a paid membership site with a full, interactive music curriculum for preschool and early-elementary aged students. It is filled with videos and activities that engage the learner and make learning a treat!

Here is just a sampling of what KinderBach offers.

Additionally, Kinderbach offers an assortment of activity books and printables for children to complete while not online.

What We Thought about KinderBach

As a mom and teacher, I LOVE this site! The lessons are easy for children to follow and require no input from or planning on the part of the teacher. My son was able to work at his pace whenever we had time for a lesson. I have studied music since I was a Kindergartner myself and thought what was being taught was exactly what young musicians need to know and that the pace and progression were perfect. In fact, it is child paced with no need to rush or stress out young learners.

I also liked that my son was able to set his piano keyboard up next to our computer with Internet and receive lessons from a highly-qualified instructor. No rushing to get to lessons on time! The price is amazing, too, a huge savings over private lessons.

Orville completed the lessons for this review, and he enjoyed them. He recognized that it was geared for a younger audience, but because he is new to playing piano, he still learned from Kinderbach. In particular, the lessons helped him learn to keep a steady beat and not rush through his pieces.

If you would like to know more about KinderBach, I recommend this introductory video.

I give Kinderbach two enthusiastic thumbs up and invite you to give it a try. You can start your free session here. After that membership is as low as $7.99 per month.

I received a free membership to KinderBach in order to complete this review. I have received no other compensation and have offered my honest opinion.

For more great reviews, please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Bonsai

Bonsai Tree

painted by Wilbur

Product Review: Math Score

Created by MIT graduates for students in first grade through Algebra I, Math Score is a paid membership site that offers ample math practice on a large variety of topics. It can be used as a complete math curriculum or as a supplemental program. We opted to use it as a supplement.

From a teacher's perspective, the site is excellent. Students log into their personal accounts and compete problems on a specific topic within a specific grade level. Students attempt to complete the assigned work within a set time limit. If they make errors, they are shown their mistakes and then allowed to complete another set of problems on the same level of difficulty. They progress to the next level as they demonstrate mastery.

What I appreciated most was the balance between computation skills and critical thinking. So many math programs emphasize one at the expense of the other. Math Score recognizes that successful mathematicians need both. Likewise, math is the star of Math Score, not gaming or extrinsic motivators. It is not a bells and whistles program (more about that in a minute) which, in my opinion, is less distracting and keeps students focused on what is important. For more on how Math Score works, watch this short introductory video.

Orville completed the Math Score work for this review and LOVES the site. He says the math work is challenging, compared to other math practice software/websites we have used. He also says that trying to beat the timer is VERY challenging and has kept him highly motivated. However, teachers can adjust the timer if needed. Orville wanted to return to the site as often as possible to try to meet the challenge the Math Score creators set before him.

As I said earlier, Math Score is not a bells and whistles program. It has a worksheet-like format and does not have the typical kid-friendly look you may have come to expect from math practice programs. Points are awarded and students progress through a series of rankings. Fireworks go off when a score of 100 is reached, but there are not bright colors, sound effects, avatars, or a game-like format. If you are looking for a program that includes tons of extrinsic motivators to get your kids excited about math, Math Score is probably not it. If you are looking for something to increase your child's computation time and hone his mental math abilities, Math Score is sure to please.

Overall, I give Math Score two thumbs up and recommend it. You can find more information about the site here. Membership costs $9.95 per month for the first student, $5.00 for the second student, and $3.95 for each additional student. You can start your free half-month trial here.

I was given a free subscription to Math Score in order to complete this review. I have received no other compensation and have provided my honest opinion.

Please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to read my crewmates' reviews.