Mathletics (by 3P Learning) is a subscription-based website where students in grades K-8 can practice their math skills. As members of the TOS Homeschool Crew, we were given a limited-time membership to Mathletics to review. We were given login IDs and passwords for each student participating as well as one for a parent. When signing in for the first time, a grade level is selected and the student makes an avatar (all this is may be edited through the parent account). After signing in, the student can select a category and begin going through math problems (e.g., Grade 5 categories – add/subtract/multiply/divide whole numbers or decimals, add/subtract/multiply fractions, percents, graphing/data analysis, geometry, etc.).
There are sets of 10 problems, and if the student runs into trouble, help is available via a question mark button. When this button is clicked, a step-by-step tutorial opens in the web browser and teaches the student the math concept. After completing the problems, the student earns points (gold bars) and games are ‘opened’ for him to have access to play.
Here is the really neat part about Mathletics. If your student enjoys a little competition, they can compete against students across the world. There is a section where students can play ‘Live Mathletics‘ and compete against other students worldwide (the program will find other students in the same grade level who are online) or against the computer.
The benefits of the competition is it can improve computation and typing speed – just as long as your student doesn’t get intimidated or upset and quit (like my boys tend to do). Both J and C really enjoyed this website as it makes math fun and interactive. The parent site is nice in that you can customize specific activities for the student to focus on (this is done through the ‘Task Manager’).
Mathletics membership is $59 per student for one year (24/7 access as long as you have internet connection) with a 10-day money-back guarantee. An informational brochure is also available.
You can read more reviews of Mathletics by my fellow TOS Crew members at the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
Even though A isn’t old enough to sew, and the boys have no interest in clothes-making whatsoever, I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to review an ePattern and eClass for making an Edwardian style apron. I’m a big Jane Austen fan, so the name of this company, Sense & Sensibility Patterns, immediately caught my attention! The pattern is very simple and appropriate for an enthusiastic novice sewer (with basic sewing experience and basic sewing machine ‘know-how’). The ePattern and eClass are PDF downloads. The eClass includes a separate audio file. Jennie Chancey is the creator of Sense & Sensibility Patterns, and she gives clear directions in the class (step-by-step photograph slides are on a PDF file which you follow along by listening to the audio). The pattern is 25 printed pages (8.5 x 11″) and has to be taped together to make a traceable pattern (sizes 2-14). The fabric I used for the apron was purchased online at a fabric retailer for about $4.00/yd (on sale – only a little over 2 yards was needed for this pattern). All the other materials (interfacing, notions, etc.) I already had on hand. Once the pieces were cut, and bias tape made (can be purchased), the fun part begins!
I had to dust off the sewing machine since it’s been a long time since I last used it (I used the walker-foot as I was too lazy to change it out, but it didn’t hurt. The walker-foot is my mainstay as it prevents the fabric from ‘bunching’ when sewing):
All together, I spent approximately 6 hours making the apron start-to-finish over a period of several days (including making the bias tape). A was very excited to watch the process and looks forward to the day when she can try the sewing machine (might be a while, as I’m very possessive of my Bernina). When A tried on the finished apron for the first time, she was thrilled with it and asked to wear it to church on Sunday. You should have seen the look on her face when I told her she could wear it now and can even play in it!
One thing which would have been helpful is having some sort of watermark or grid in the background of the ePattern. This would have saved some time when piecing the printed pages together to make the traceable pattern. This apron was a lot of fun to make, and A is one satisfied customer!
The pattern and eClass can be purchased at the Sense & Sensibility Patterns website. The printed pattern sells for $12.95, and the ePattern sells for $7.95. The eClass bundled with the ePattern sells for $24.95. If you’re a novice sewer, the eClass is very helpful and I’d highly recommend it. If you’re a more experienced sewer/seamstress, then the pattern alone will do just fine.
You can read more reviews of this ePattern and eClass by TOS Crew Members at the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew blog.
Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.
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HomeWork is a new e-book published by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (currently on sale for $6.23 $12.45). It is a collection of 16 testimonials by home-schooling moms who are also operating home-based businesses. Each of these businesses are unique (e.g., Bed & Breakfast/Agritourism, Computer Support, Pet-Breeding, Home-based CPA), and the testimonials offer information about how the businesses started, how each family juggles work and schooling among other daily challenges, and how the Lord has blessed them in their obedience to step out in faith to do these things. Many of the moms give tips and practical advice of how they have managed to make things work for them. One testimonial offers excellent advice and tips about book-keeping for your small business, which is essential in making tax season less stressful.
I had a great interest in reading HomeWork since our family also home-schools and runs a business. It’s encouraging to know that there are many other families like ours who share in the vision of home-schooling and desiring to have the freedom and flexibility to make our own schedules. Flexibility and trust in God is the common thread through all of the testimonials in HomeWork. Although each family business has its’ successes, what works for one business won’t necessarily work for another. A lot of time and research is invested before launching a business – and not all are successful the first time around (or second, or third in some cases). But one thing is evident – each of the HomeWork families have been blessed in many ways because they have been obedient to God’s calling them to move in this direction.
Disclosure: This product was provided for free by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, as a part of their application process to be on the 2009-2010 Homeschool Crew. Click here for details.
WeE-book is a line of short E-books published by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. There are currently 32 WeE-books in this line mainly covering a wide array of topics regarding homeschooling (e.g., classical education, building communication skills, how to teach different subjects, how to teach certain ages). Each book costs $1.95, and has a lot of information packed into less than 20 pages. I find this nice since I can sit down and read a whole book in one sitting! These WeE-books are a good source of information for families interested in or are new to homeschooling. Even veteran homeschooling families can benefit from these books as they face new or different challenges in their homeschool or if they would like information about mentoring newcomers to homeschooling. The following are three WeE-books that I have read:
‘Just How Important are Communication Skills Anyway?‘ is written by JoJo Tabares who holds a degree in Speech Communication. The author lists many reasons why good and effective communication skills are necessary in all areas of life, not just to deliver a speech or to give an oral report. There isn’t much information given as to how to be a good communicator, but the author has a line of products (Art of Eloquence) available through the Schoolhouse Store.
‘The Great Books‘, is an interview with Fritz Hinrichs, founder of the Escondido Tutorial Service and Great Books program for students who want a more in-depth classical education. This interview gives a glimpse of the thoughts and philosophy behind the program and what is offered to home-schooled students who want to participate in the program.
‘The Real Hummers‘ is packed full of information about this amazing little bird. My 8yo son has a great interest in birds (we call him our “Audubon Jr.”) so we read this WeE-book together. We were both fascinated by the uniqueness and God-given abilities of the hummer (nickname of the hummingbird by enthusiasts). Written by Jeannie Fulbright (author of Apologia’s Exploring Creation series), this book ties in the details of this bird to God’s marvel of Creation – there’s no way that evolution could have “produced” such a unique creature. The book includes a list of hummer-attracting plants you can plant in your garden. My son is making sure that we plant some of these in our landscape this spring. The only thing that would have made this WeE-book more interesting is more pictures (according to my Audubon Jr., but there’s plenty of resources on the web).
If TOS offered more topic specific WeE-books, such as ‘The Real Hummers‘ , then $1.95 is a steal for so much information in less than 20 pages. These can be read by the student or parent-teacher. Overall, I think these books are most beneficial to those who are new to homeschooling.
Disclosure: This product was provided for free by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, as a part of their application process to be on the 2009-2010 Homeschool Crew. Click here for details.
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