Wordless Wednesday - The Love of Grandparents

Kregel Publications Review - The Three Trees: A Traditional Folk Tale

The Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale, by Elena Pasquali, illustrated by Sophie Windham, and available from Kregel Publications, is a touching and beautiful story.  Here's the summary from Kregel Publications:

Three forest trees dream of what they will one day become. One dreams of becoming a royal throne; one of being a ship that can withstand any storm; and one longs to stay in the forest and grow as tall as tall can be. When they are felled, it seems their dreams are over. But as each tree is crafted into a new item--a manger, a fishing boat, and a rugged cross--it becomes clear that through the role they play in one important life their hopes are more than fulfilled.

I had actually read this story many years ago, so when The Three Trees arrived at our house, I was very excited to read it to the children.  Unfortunately, remembering the story also caused me to do something I don't do very often while reading aloud - I cried!  Not because the story is horrible!  No, the story is a sweet, tender story showing what God can do with our dreams when we give them over to Him.  They might not turn out the way we imagined, but they will turn out to be more than we imagined! The book also tells the most beautiful story of all - the story of Jesus - His birth, His life, His death, and, wonderfully - His resurrection!  All written in such a lovely way that my heart was stirred with the beauty of God's lovingkindness and mercy.

Not only is the story wonderful, the illustrations are gorgeous (here's an example):

I couldn't recommend The Three Trees more!  The children also love it and ask for it repeatedly.

The Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale is available for $14.99 from Kregel Publications.  It is hardcover, 32 pages, and suitable for all ages.

Disclaimer: I was given this product  specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as participant in the Kregel Publications Blog Tour. I received no other compensation in regards to  this review.

TOS Crew Review - Keyboard Town PALS

Keyboard Town PALS is a typing program for children ages.  Different from traditional typing programs, which focus on speed + accuracy, Keyboard Town PALS approaches typing instruction in a unique and innovative way.  

Keyboard Town PALS focuses on a gentle learning approach, not focusing on mistakes and no time pressures. (Click here for a more in-depth look at their method and reasonings.)  The lessons consist of 8 videos, each about 6-7 minutes long, so the entire course is about an hour. (The website promotes: "help kids learn to type in an hour!") In the videos, the letter keys are introduced as characters that live on Main Street, Uptown, or Downtown, based on each letter's location on the keyboard.  All of the letters' characters' stories intertwine, creating a town of friends on the keyboard, hence the name "Keyboard Town PALS"!  As the video progresses, the student is encouraged to type the letters in a text box below the video.  Within a very short time, the student is typing entire words, as well as spacing and punctuation.  You can see a sample lesson here.

Keyboard Town PALS is available both online and as a CD-ROM, for the price of $39.95, and is available in English, French, and Spanish.

Unfortunately, for us, this program wasn't one that we enjoyed.  Before I explain why, I want to remind my readers that just because something hasn't fit our family does not mean it would not fit yours!  Each family is different and has different needs and methods that work best for it - that's the beauty of homeschooling, being able to meet those needs individually.  So, please read over my comments keeping that in mind.

I, personally, don't agree with the overall philosophy that Keyboard Town PALS endorses.  I believe that "Mistakes are opportunities to learn" and should not be overlooked, but gently corrected, so that (especially in learning a skill such as typing) the new skill is learned the correct way.  Since there was no correction offered in Keyboard Town PALS, a student could easily be typing incorrectly and it would not matter. It would seem to me that would only cause a development of incorrectly learned habits that would have to be "unlearned" later down the road.  

Also, part of the reason no correction is offered is because the instructional portions are just videos.  This means that the typing that the student does is not interactive in any way with the instruction, so a student could potentially sit there and waste all their time doing nothing at all or fooling around, unless a physical instructor (teacher or parent) was standing over their shoulder making sure they stayed on task.  Even with a diligent child, management would still be needed as there is no way to monitor the student's progress.

My reviewer for Keyboard Town PALS was Joel (6.5 years old), and he did not enjoy the program, either.  He thought the main narrator, "Sunny", was (in his words) "freaky", he was frustrated by the fact that he could not use the backspace to fix a mistake when he made one, and that the program would not wait for him unless he paused it, which caused his fingers to lose their spots on the keyboard.  

Overall, Keyboard Town PALS was just not a good fit for our family.  I have heard from other reviewers that it is a great program for special needs children, and perhaps younger children that just need a basic, gentle introduction to the keyboard.  To read for yourself what other reviewers thought, please check out the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog.  I highly encourage you to do so, and not just take our negative experience as the only perspective!

Disclaimer: I was given this product specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.

TOS Crew Review - Ooka Island

Ooka Island Adventure is a 3-D interactive reading program designed for ages 3-7.  Ooka Island is a virtual world in which children participate in different activities designed to teach phonics, word blends, sight words, and early reading.  All of the activities are designed to be fun and engaging, while also educational.  You can read about Ooka Island's philosophy, methods and features here.

The student starts their island adventure by creating an avatar.  This avatar then travels to different areas in the island, completing various tasks and challenges, for which they receive "Ooka Mist" - a currency they are able to spend later on.  Activities include the "Cave of Sounds", in which they have to listen for as well as visually find different phonic sounds, "Alphabet Mountain" in which they climb a mountain by jumping from letter to letter in alphabetical order, and then skateboard back down, also identifying letters, and "Z-Doo", in which the student rides on a watercraft vehicle and has to practice saying various sounds at checkpoints, plus many more! There is also a visit to the "Popcorn Library", where the student hears a book being read to them, and then has to answer some basic questions about the story, as well as learn sentence structure and sight words.  As the student progresses in their lessons, more and more parts of the island become accessible, teaching more and more complex skills, such as phonics blending and sight words. 

After about 20 minutes of lesson time, the student is rewarded with "Free Play" which lasts about 8-10 minutes.  During Free Play, the student can visit "Pencil Playground", where they can play with elves, change their avatar, listen to music, or spend their Ooka Mist on other fun things.  The student can also choose to go play some more of the learning activities during Free Play - which, surprisingly, was a popular choice here!  That goes to show how fun the learning activities are!

Check out videos on The OokaTube to get a more in-depth look at the program!

Nathan (4.5) was my reviewer for Ooka Island, although ALL the boys enjoyed watching Nathan play.  He eagerly asks for his "Ooka Island" time every day (even on the weekends!) and I feel that the program has definitely strengthened his progress in reading.

We did find a few small potential drawbacks that I wanted to address.  First, to access the program, it must be downloaded, and it is a very large file.  It took several tries to get my computer to complete downloading it, and once it finally did, it took over an hour for the entire download.  (Also note, that even though it is a downloaded program, web access is still required to play - not a drawback for me, but just something to keep in mind.)

Second, there area  few games that said a microphone was needed for voice recognition so the student can practice saying the sounds.  The games are actually still fully functional without the microphone, so if the student doesn't have one, that's OK.  However, we noticed that even with the microphone, Nathan could say whatever he wanted into the microphone, and the game still continued as if he were saying the correct thing.  I didn't understand this, but the FAQ's on the Ooka Island website somewhat addresses this (and also leads me to another point):

At Ooka Island our goal is to help all young learners achieve reading success. We wanted to make the game accessible to all children, so the game is playable without a microphone or headset. If a child plays without a microphone, she/he will not miss out on any features or activities on the Island.

Not having a microphone does not change the game play experience but it does change the data that we are able to process during play. Without a microphone we are unable to record and process speech using voice recognition. Without this data we are unable to produce a report in the Ooka Lighthouse that displays progress in the Z-doo (Voice Recognition) activity.

It says that the voice recognition feature is used to produce a report in the Ooka Lighthouse, which is supposed to be the parental control spot, where I would be able to see Nathan's progress.  However, at the time of my writing this review, the Ooka Lighthouse was not yet functioning, so I can't comment on how well it is laid out or how useful it is.  That was a bit disappointing for me, because part of using a computer-based educational program is the ability to track my children's progress, since I am not teaching them directly.  I am looking forward to when I can get a look at it!

My final drawback was that I felt the lessons were a bit too long.  I'm not a fan of my 4 year old sitting in front of the computer for a half an hour at a time.  I know many people don't have a problem with that at all, so its a particular issue I had, and may not be something that concerns others at all!

However, despite these drawbacks, overall I feel that Ooka Island is an early reading program that is effective and engaging, and I would recommend it!  You can actually try it yourself for 14 days free, to see what you think!

Here is the pricing list for Ooka Island:

(Please note that if you are a large homeschooling family with more than 4 children that would be using the program, they recommend buying an annual school license.)

Here's a promo code you can use to save 30% on a monthly subscription!

Check out what other Crew Members thought of Ooka Island by heading over the the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog!

Disclaimer: I was given this product  specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of  the TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to  this review.

Awesome Sale!

I'm sure everyone is tired of me going on and on about MyMemories Suite and how much I'm loving digital scrapbooking, but I just had to share this!  This weekend only, MyMemories is offering a coupon to get their MyMemories Suite Software for only $9.97 PLUS a $10 credit to use in the MyMemories store!  Regularly, it is $39.97!

Also, be sure to stop by and "Like" MyMemories on Facebook - they're always having fun challenges and giveaways - and once they hit 10,000 fans, they'll be giving away an iPad 2!

Oh, I guess I should go ahead and give you that coupon code, huh?  Use: FB8000 when you checkout, and the price will drop to $9.97!

I *love* MyMemories!  Here's a few more of my recent pages:

Seriously, if I can do this, anyone can!  It only proves what a great program MyMemories is!  Don't miss this great sale!

TOS Crew Review - Bower Books - The Person I Marry

"The Person I Marry", published by Bower Books, is a sweet and beautifully illustrated story designed to remind readers of all ages of character traits that are important to look for in a potential husband or wife.

In a day and age where marriage is considered disposable, love and lust are interchangeable, and culture as a whole encourages emotionalism and seeking after one's own self, this book is a breath of fresh air! 

It lays out sweetly and simply that marriage isn't just about emotion, it isn't just about a big wedding day, and love isn't all about looks.  It describes marriage for what it really is meant to be - a lifelong covenant - and goes into detail about important character traits that need to be sought after, as well as developed in oneself, while waiting for the time for that special day to arrive. Traits such as honor, mercy, humility, and most importantly, loving the Lord, are just a few of the many that are discussed. Along with the wonderful storyline, the illustrations are gorgeous!  Here's a video with some peeks inside:


The Person I Marry from Bower Books on Vimeo.

"The Person I Marry" is hardcover and 32 pages -  a keepsake! It is available at Bower Books for $11.99.  It is a part of the "Bright Future" series of books - all of which look as equally delightful!  I recommend it for families of any age or gender children, or even as a gift for older children or newly engaged or married couples!

Please check out what my fellow Crew Members thought by stopping by the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog to read more reviews!

Disclaimer: I was given this product specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.

Treasures of October

I haven't had much time this month for blog-browsing, so I know I've probably missed a bunch of really great posts!  However, here's a few that I've enjoyed!

Good Mom, Good Kids? at Owlhaven -if you only read one post in this list, this needs to be it!

Living By Whose Standards? at Preschoolers and Peace

Imperfectly Perfect at No Greater Joy Mom

Why I {still} Homeschool at lifeingrace

From Steady Mom:

• Do This Today and Change Everything
• What Choosing Peace Does NOT Mean

The Do Not Forget Things at BOOKS and BAIRNS

When the Milkshake Runs Low at Femina

Ask Auntie Leila:  Six Strategies for Sibling Rivalry at Like Mother, Like Daughter

Three Things I've Learned About Homeschooling for Kindergarten at The Homeschool Classroom

From The Happy Housewife:

• Debunking a Few Myths of Homeschooling
• Five Minute Pick-Up

Toddlers, Tiaras, and Fig Leaves at Give Them Grace

15 Ways to Affirm Your Kids at Encouraging Words

An Honest Look at the Postpartum Period at Lambs In His Arms

All Work and No Play:  Why Your Kids are More Anxious, Depressed at The Atlantic

From Passionate Homemaking:

• 24 Ways and Reasons to Keep a Family Journal
• Time is of the Essence
• Impacting Your Child's Blueprint

From Better Mom:

• A Child's 10 Commandments
• Grace in The Moment