TOS Crew Top 10 Round-Up

My final review for the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Crew was posted last week! What a fun and busy year it's been! I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Crew and share my thoughts on such a variety of interesting products.

In order to clean up the blog some, I've made a page just for the reviews I've done over the past year - just click on the 2010-2011 TOS Crew sidebar picture to go to it! I've organized them all by category, so hopefully it will be easy to find what you may be looking for.

To finish up the year, I wanted to recap my top 10 favorite products... and like any good countdown, I'll work my way down to my favorite!

#10 - Maestro Classics
The kids and I really enjoy stories on CD. Set to music, they're even better! We love our Peter and the Wolf CD, and hope to get more of their "Stories in Music" in the future!

#9 - Download N' Go - Expedition Australia
While this one was my "trial review" before I was officially signed on board the Crew, I really enjoyed this product, so I included it on the countdown! I am not a good "Unit Study" homeschooler, but using this e-book made it easy to become one. It was timed perfectly for when we were studying Australia on our own, and it enriched our studies immensely!

#8 -Illustrated Bible Dictionary
We have pulled this resource our countless times to look up useful bits of info - I've been pleased by the ability it gives us to look up the sometimes random questions kids can ask about the Bible!

#7 -Positive Action for Christ
A high quality Bible Study curriculum - I appreciate how easy it is for my oldest to use independently, but it isn't just busywork - he's learning and retaining what he's studying!

#6 - Nutrition 101 - Choose Life!
My review really says it all - an excellent family resource, not just for hoemschoolers, but anyone interested in nutrition - young and old alike!

#5 - Wits and Wagers Family
A fun family game we still love to get out and play together! Some of the questions are so funny!

#4 -Math Facts Now!
My review sums up pretty well why I like this product so much. The interesting thing is, my children have come to enjoy it, too! Awesome!

Now, for the top 3 of the year....

Math Rider
We bought this after our review trial was over - the kids couldn't stop talking about how much they loved it, and my sweet husband said "If it works, and they love it this much, why don't we just get it?" 'Nuff said!

ALEKS
I love this online math program! I really appreciate that it is designed for the student to use independently, but also adjusts to the student's strengths and weaknesses, to ensure that the student is really mastering the problems, not just assigning preset worksheets. The super user-friendly parent's page is great! We actually ended up purchasing a year's subscription for the boys to use alongside their regular math curriculum.


and, my Number One favorite product of the year.....

Writing Tales!
As I mentioned enthusiastically throughout my review, Writing Tales has been the perfect fit for our family, helping my oldest to overcome "writing phobia" and start to feel more comfortable in creative expression. The ease of use and the effectiveness of Writing Tales makes it my #1 favorite review product of the year!