Category Archives: Review Crew Post

March 6, 2015 · 2:29 pm

Koru Naturals . . . My T. O. S. Review

My family and I have had the “pampering pleasure” of reviewing products from Koru Naturals for a little over a month now.

Along with all of the other crew members to be on this review, we received the WONDERFUL Emu Oil.

I also was given the Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner.

Unlike the Emu Oil, I did NOT share my Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner. No, no, no, that was just for me. Unlike some of my crew mates, I am the only female in the house, and didn’t have to share. 🙂

I want to tell you why I asked for this review when it came up for the crew. Two of my children, “Mr. Loquacious” and “The Puzzler” are biracial. They are African-American/Native American. As such, they have serious problems with drying skin, especially when it comes to their elbows and their knees. Unfortunately, we have not been able to get them to use ANY kind of lotion without great protest. Ever. And we’ve been trying ever since their adoption five years ago. Well, they are 13 years old now, and I have despaired of EVER finding something they won’t fight against. They both have serious sensory issues, so with everything else we’ve tried, there has been a problem with the feel or the smell. Then, the Emu Oil arrived! First after their showers, I had them take just a few drops and apply it to their elbows and their knees. Now, this was the first time, so it was a few drops for the elbows, and a few drops for the knees, but even the twins were (so far) OK with it. There was no scent that bothered them, and it so quickly is absorbed into the skin that there was no “greasy” feel for them to object to. On the advice of my hairstylist, I also started putting a few drops into their hands and having them rub it through their hair, which also is working wonders, and they are still using it without major objection, which makes their skin less raw, and me very happy! 🙂

At first, to show them what I wanted them to do, I put the drops in MY hands and worked it into their hair, which led me to an accidental discovery! Just the tiny little bit of residue on my hands, actually began softening them! Since we live in the desert, this is a nice thing! 🙂 Emu Oil is a great addition to our household, and well worth the $9.85 cost for the two ounce bottle we were given. WE have had it for over a month, it’s being used by a large family of six, and we still have most of the bottle to go, so clearly, a little goes a LONG way!

Now, on to the Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Cnditioner , which as I stated above, I have NOT shared. I have enjoyed using this shampoo and conditioner. It has a very invigorating smell and feel, which helps me a lot when it’s difficult to get myself going in the morning, lol! The Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner has also been good in that my hair is nice and soft. I was worried about that, as I tend to tangly hair. Be aware that this product does not lather a great deal like brands that are full of sulfates and other chemicals, but that is a good thing. It isn’t the lather that cleans, and if you have color treated hair, all of the chemicals we are used to having in shampoo and conditioner tend to strip the color or make it fade faster. Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Comditioner is a very nice product, and costs just $14.95 for the set.

To find out what other crew members thought of Koru Naturals Emu Oil, along with the variety of other Koru Natural products that were reviewed, please click on the banner below.
Koru Naturals Review

Crew Disclaimer

AS Always, I would just love it if you would join me on all of “My Journeys Through Life”. Just go to the “sign me up” button at the top of this blog and enter your email information. Then you will be notified whenever there is a new post. If you enjoy “My Journeys”, please go to our Facebook page and give it a “like”. I’d sure appreciate it if you did! 🙂

2 Comments

Filed under Review Crew Post, TOS Review

Tagged as , ,

February 26, 2015 · 10:29 pm

In Freedom’s Cause: The Real Story of Wallace and Bruce, a T.O.S. Review

During the Review Crew run last year, my family was very lucky in that we were able to review the audio drama “Under Drakes Flag“, so we were THRILLED when the audio drama In Freedom’s Cause: The Real Story of Wallace and Bruce (Single Package) came up on the review list. I jumped all over this one hoping we would be chosen, after how much we had enjoyed our previous (and first!) experience with audio drama done using one of G. A. Henty’s extraordinary books, and we were SO Happy when we WERE picked! 🙂

THIS wonderful audio drama was generously provided to us by Heirloom Audio Productions, from whom you can purchase several different packages.

The In Freedom’s Cause: The Real Story of Wallace and Bruce single package includes an attractively packaged two CD set and a miniature copy of the prayer of William Wallace. You also will receive the following bonuses:

  • In Freedom’s Cause Study Guide: Digital Download

A very nice study guide which will be a great addition to the audio drama! This will enable you and your children to have discussion points, additional historical tie-ins, and really brings it together with relevant Biblical study.

  • In Freedom’s Cause Soundtrack: MP3 download

THIs MP3 download gave us all the original music by John Campbell, who is an Emmy-winning composer. He also responsible for the  original score for C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. This music can be downloaded to any device capable of playing MP3 downloads.

  • Printable copy of The Prayer Of William Wallace

This is a  one page beautiful printable letter size poster  ready to frame for your family’s inspiration, and is a version of Psalm 23 in the Latin Vulgate.

So, back to the actual audio drama. This two CD set runs approximately two and a half hours, and we listened to the entire thing in one sitting. Yes, it was that good. Because we are not a small family, I chose to have us listen to it through our DVD Player, rather than the computer. It was really comfortable, and really, as if we were listening to an actual theater production, as opposed to a book on tape, such as I used to check out from the library before we would travel. With a production such as this, it really is impossible to NOT become “involved” in the action. I will say that I have all boys, but I’m pretty certain that a family with girls would also find this drama to be as exciting as we did.

We were transported to 14th century Scotland, and joined freedom fighters Sir William Wallace and King Robert the Bruce. They were largely the leaders who helped Scotland gain their freedom at the time from their oppressive English ruler. There is certainly plenty of action, along with bravery, such bravery. There is much tragedy in this portion of world history, but I think it is still very much an important part to learn about, and this audio drama from G. A. Henty’s book brings us right into history and makes it easier to learn and retain it.

Below, you can see a trailer for this wonderful production. I do hope you enjoy it!

While WE Listened in our living room, I think this audio drama will be great to use in our car when we travel, as well, and look forward to doing exactly that!

I look forward to many more materials from the books of G. A. Henty. I also am very excited to hear that Heirloom Audio Productions will be releasing a new audio drama, “With Lee In Virginia”!

 

TO find out even more, check out Heirloom Audio by way of their social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InFreedomsCause
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InFreedomsCause
Google+: > https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/112701427096792421838/112701427096792421838/posts
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jointhecause

 

 

 

 

In Freedom's Cause ReviewCrew DisclaimerAs always, I would just love it if you would join me on all of “My Journeys Through Life”! Just go to the “sign me up” button at the top if the blog, enter your email, and you’ll never miss another update! 🙂

2 Comments

Filed under education, Review Crew Post, TOS Post

Tagged as , , ,

February 24, 2015 · 11:24 pm

IndoctriNation: A T.O.S. Review

For my first review in this, my third year as a member of the Review Crew, I was privileged to receive the DVD IndoctriNation: Public Schools And The Decline Of Christianity In America from Great Commission Films.

As I have long believed that the public school system is now, and has since it’s inception, been brainwashing children away from their parents and away from their faith, I have been wanting to view this film for some time. So, when it came up on the review crew schedule, I definitely was hoping to be chosen for this one!

IndoctriNation confirmed many things that I had already learned during my years of homeschooling, and of researching schooling in general. So many people believe that we as Christians need to “take back the schools”, as Franklin Graham says during one segment of this film, but the problem with that is that Christians never had them in the first place. The modern school system was created by men who were nowhere near to having the best interests of our children at heart, rather, they wanted to create a society of people who would not be independent thinkers, who would do as they were told, and be good citizens, according to whomever might be in power at any given time.

Colin Gunn, born and raised in Scotland but now living here in America with his wife and seven children, was public schooled while growing up in his homeland. Here, he and his wife choose homeschooling. He remembers what public school was truly like. Wanting to document for us why the public school system is no place for Christian children (or teachers, for that matter!), he and his family purchased an old yellow school bus, and went on the “field trip of a lifetime”, traveling across America, asking questions about the origins and social impact of America’s public education system” (quote from the DVD case). He wanted to find out things such as:

  • Who established the American public school system?
  • Are my kids physically and morally safe in the schools?
  • Are the public schools religiously neutral?
  • Should Christians try to be “salt and light” in public schools?
  • Can the public school system be fixed or redeemed?

 

Most people, I believe, would be quite surprised by the answers to these questions, sadly.

Here is a trailer from the film:

I was really struck by some of the interviews given in this film. One in particular was a young lady who had been publicly schooled, and who was opted out of the early grade school “health” classes by her parents. She points out that if you really believe your kids aren’t going to be instructed as to whatever was taught in that class, you are wrong. by recess, she had been informed by the other children about condoms, different methods of sex, etc. She saw Christian children made fun of for their Christianity, and found herself in later years even denying that she was a Christian, something she is ashamed to have done. It was very sad, in my opinion.

Another interview was with a lady who came from a long line of school teachers, who ended up resigning because of her faith, and being flat-out told she could not tell her students why she was leaving. She was made to leave that day, rather that after the two weeks notice that she gave, and her students were taken out to play, while she was escorted off the premises from a different direction, in order that the children not see her when she was leaving.

A similar thing happened to a principal, only he was outright fired. He was told if he would promise never to mention the name of Jesus again, he could stay. It interests me though, that other religions are welcome, that I read in the news about students being taught about Mohamed, for example.

This film is extremely thought-provoking. At the very beginning, there is a caution given regarding some of the subject matter. I chose to watch it without my children. I suggest you use your own judgement as to what your own children are ready for. I will say that I strongly believe every believer who is a parent should view this film, whether their children are homeschooled, privately schooled, or in public school. I further believe that every pastor, youth worker, or children’s worker in church should view this film. I do not believe it will change the mind of a non-believer, but the plain fact is that too many believers are not in possession of knowledge that could make a major difference to their family.

The DVD IndoctriNation

is available at the cost of $19.95, and I believe it is well worth it.

IndoctriNation DVD Review

Crew Disclaimer

As always, I would just love it if you would join me on all of my “Journeys Through Life”. Just go to the “sign me up” button at the top of the blog and enter your email, then you’ll never miss an update! I’d love it also, if you went and gave our Facebook page a “like”. 🙂

Leave a comment

Filed under Review Crew Post, TOS Review

Tagged as ,

October 16, 2014 · 2:28 pm

Apologia Educational Ministries (iWitness) . . . A T.O.S. Review

Our family has really loved using material from Apologia Educational Ministries ever since first being introduced to one of the science resources after a friend had used one and told me my boys would love it. They did, too!

This particular set of books which I am writing about today though, is different. As a member of the Review Crew, I received three books in the iWitness series:

1. iWitness Biblical Archaeology

iWitness Biblical Archaeology gives an awesome look at archaeological finds which prove many things that we as believers already knew (by faith) to be true. Many people and places which are referred to in the Bible, were not really shown in “historical” texts, because there was no “proof”, but many finds over time have more than proven the truth of their having existed.

2. New Testament iWitness

New Testament iWitness takes the reader along as it investigates things such as “Who wrote the New Testament?” “How do we know?” “How was it handed down?”, among other fascinating things. This book follows the history of and formation of the canon, while the reader sorts through the information given.

3. Old Testament iWitness

Old Testament iWitness goes into discussion of the differences between the Old Testament and the Hebrew Bible. It asks questions such as “Who wrote these ancient books?” “how were they collected?” “Is it mythology or history?” As with the other two books mentioned above, the reader is led through looking at evidence for him or herself, and gaining a great deal of knowledge in the process!

These books are written and designed by Doug Powell, who purposely does not write from his own opinion. He gives facts, actual photos, archaeological proof, and then we are expected to think for ourselves and come to our own belief. While they are very well put together for all ages, the suggested reading level is age 11 and up.

The first thing I want to tell you about is my initial impression when the books arrived. These are extremely sturdy paperback size books, but there the similarity ends. these books have very thick and sturdy pages, which means they will last, and continue to be a good resource on our shelf for many years to come. The other thing that caught my eye immediately was the layout of the pages. As an avid scrap-booker and paper crafter, the scrap-book style layout of all the pages was really pleasing to my eye. There is a nicely done combination of pictures and text. The text is all arranged on separate pieces which look like pieces of scroll or parchment. Over all, the look and feel of each of these books is, in my opinion, of very high quality.

Both “The Artist” and I have been reading through them, beginning with iWitness Biblical Archaeology. I must tell you that this is the book which turned out to be a favorite, although we enjoy all of them. 🙂 However, I have always wanted to learn more about archaeological finds which prove the things I know to be true because of my faith in God’s Word.

“The Artist” and I had different “favorite” parts, though. He says his favorite was when the archaeology book gave information about the Mesha Stele or Moabite Stone. It discusses how one group attempted to destroy it, rather than have the Turks get it, but that the original discoverers managed to find enough of it to reconstruct much of the stone, giving valuable information regarding people and places within the Old Testament.

“My” favorite part was the recounting of the story of the flood of Noah’s time, as related by different cultures throughout time. I had always heard that different cultures had their own passed down stories of the flood, and iWitness Biblical Archaeology talks about several of them. It then also shows the similarities and differences between Genesis and these stories. For me, it is just one more reason that I believe there is no real excuse for claiming God does not exist.

In Old Testament iWitness, I was interested in the sections about the manuscripts and how they were copied, along with how the books were arranged and included.

In New Testament iWitness, I was again interested in the methods of copying, along with differences in copies, and why certain books were rejected.

The bottom line is that we really enjoyed these books, and we definitely recommend them. They can be purchased at the cost of $14.00 each from Apologia, and I must say that I feel they are well worth the cost.

You may also check out Apologia Educational Ministries via social media:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/apologiaworld
Twitter – https://twitter.com/apologiaworld
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/105053356034237782125/posts
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/apologia/

99 other crew members also reviewed these iWitness books. Please click the banner below to read about what they thought!
Click to read Crew Reviews
Crew Disclaimer
As always, I would just love it if you would join me on all of “My Journeys Through Life”! Just go to the “sign me up” button at the top of the blog and enter your email, and never miss an update again! Also, if you DO enjoy “My Journeys”, please, go to our Facebook page and give it a “Like”. I’d sure appreciate it if you did! 🙂

Leave a comment

Filed under Review Crew Post, TOS Review

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

June 13, 2014 · 4:57 pm

We Choose Virtues: A T. O. S. Review

I was asked recently to review a product from the company We Choose Virtues.

The product I received was the set of NIrV version of the Parenting
Cards, which arrived as 13 double-sided cards, printed on high quality card stock, size 8.5′ x 5.5′, which retail for $38.49. They also come with a free downloadable Family Character Assessment.

I was also given the We Choose Virtues Download Bundle, priced at $7.99. This bundle includes the following:

•Teacher’s Handbook
•Family Character Assessment
•Coloring Pages
•Butterfly Award
•Sing-along-Song sheets

I really like this set of cards, it covers several virtues which are good not just for our children to learn, but parents as well, believe it or not! For example, there is a card that has us working on being content. Now, children are certainly NOT the only ones with a problem in this area. I’ll admit to it, and I think most adults should, though, as we sometimes do NOT have our “WANTER” under control . . . do we?

Here is the front of the contentment card . . .

And here is the reverse side . . .

I came into this review a little bit late, so I don’t have quite as much information for you as I usually do, but I do believe these cards will be a benefit to our family. Virtues that will be worked on during our time with the cards are:

  • Contentment
  • Gentleness
  • Attentiveness
  • Obedience
  • Forgiving
  • Self Control
  • Kindness
  • Perseverance
  • Patience
  • Diligence
  • Honesty
  • Helpfulness

We will make very good use of the cards, although we will continue looking the Bible verses up in our King James Version Bibles, as that is all we use. We Choose Virtues DOES sell a set with King James Version verses, which they developed for their Jewish customers who prefer to only use the Old Testament. However, There are many Christians who will use only the King James Version too, including Messianic Jews. Therefore, I would love it if the set I received also came in KJV, including New Testament verses.

With regards to the download package, we will use all of, with the possible exception of the teacher manual. To me, it seems much more geared toward a school or Sunday School setting than to a homeschool setting.

My kids always enjoy the coloring pages, and the printable awards, though. The Family Character Assessment is a terrific tool. As I said above, I think the whole family should do this program. We parents need to be a Biblical example to our kids, and often we forget that! I’m not sure yet how my boys feel about the sing a long sheets, they’re a bit balky in that area. 🙂

The only downside I have is the price of the cards. It is a fairly high price point for many homeschool families, especially given that if they want the cards to last, they will probably need to go and have them laminated at their own cost. $38.49 seems to me to be too much for 13 cards.

Check out We Choose Virtues via their social media contacts:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/wechoosevirtues
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/WeChooseVirtues/
Blog — http://www.wechoosevirtuesblog.com/

Many of my fellow crew members also reviewed this and other products from We Choose Virtues. Please go and check out all of their reviews by clicking on the banner right below!

Click to read Crew Reviews 

Crew DisclaimerAs always, I would just love it if you would join me on all of my “Journeys Through Life”. Just go and enter your email into the “sign me up” button at the top of the blog, and never miss another update! Also, if you do enjoy “My Journeys”, please go to our Facebook Page and give it a like. I’d sure appreciate it if you did! 🙂

Leave a comment

Filed under Review Crew Post

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

June 2, 2014 · 1:49 pm

Progeny Press . . . A T. O. S. Review

My children and I have been given the fun opportunity to review a study guide from Progeny Press, our first time ever! 🙂

Progeny Press Review

Progeny Press gives us the chance to study works of literature from a Christian perspective, which I do appreciate. Their guides do use the NIV translation of the Bible, but in the “Note To Instructor” section of the Study Guide, it is clearly stated that the study can be used with any version of the Bible. My family prefers (and always uses) the King James Version.

Because we already owned the book and had been needing a push to get it read, I chose the Study Guide for “The Courage Of Sarah Noble“, which is currently available for the cost of $11.99. This is a downloadable product, so there are no shipping costs, plus, you have the advantage of using it for more than just one child if you like.

The Courage Of Sarah Noble, The E-Guide is suggested for lower elementary (grades K through 3), and my kids are older than that, but we quite enjoyed it anyway. My guys are special needs, two of them still struggle with reading, and the others with thinking skills, so it was a good fit. I would definitely put the reading level of the book at the upper level of the suggested range, but that could just be because “Mr. Loquacious” and “The Puzzler” still struggle somewhat when it comes to reading, and “Mr. Loquacious” dislikes reading altogether! We did think it was a pretty good book, which is based on a true story, something that all of my boys thought was really “cool, mom!”

The book “The Courage Of Sarah Noble” is about an eight year old girl in the year 1707, who goes to cook and clean for her father when he builds their family a home in the wilderness of Connecticut. During her time there, she learns the meaning of trust and friendship as she gets to know the Indians living nearby, and stays with them when her father goes back to get the rest of the family.

The pdf Study Guide is 39 pages long, and if you have reluctant children when it comes to handwriting (or are not proficient with it), the guide is set up so that they may type in the answers, and then print out the pages to keep in a notebook, portfolio, or any type of records you like to keep.

Within the study guide, there are “Before You Read” activities, such as defining a word, looking up a place on a map, or speculating on the “why” of something you will be reading about.

There are “As You Read”
Activities, such as making a list of how many times Sarah reminds herself to “keep up her courage”, and holds her red cloak. We are asked why she holds it, and what it reminds her of.

As we read the book, the study guide broke it up into two chapters per session, with pages for vocabulary, questions, and Bible passages having to do with something in those two chapters.

Question and answer portions we generally do orally, because we like to do unit studies together, and because it makes it easier for all to participate, no matter what their writing or thinking proficiency happens to be.

Finally, there are “Activities, Arts and Crafts” which relate to the book, and which your kids may find to be lots of fun. There is a crossword puzzle, a game that Sarah played with the Indian children, instructions for an art project to create a picture of Sarah and her father, a craft project in which the child can build a pretzel log cabin, and a recipe to make corn meal biscuits.

Finally, our study guide gave us a list of suggestions for further reading, plus an answer key for all of the questions in the study guide.

The Courage Of Sarah Noble, The E-Guide from Progeny Press is very thorough, and we really liked it. I particularly like that it is from a Christian perspective, and that we are not locked into a specific Bible version. It was definitely “tweak-able” for my special needs family, and also for my “King James Version only” family. I also appreciate that as far as I can see from looking at the various titles available, if you do not already own the book you are interested in studying, you will most likely find it at your local library, which definitely saves on the cost! 🙂

Check out Progeny Press via the following social media:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/progenypress
Twitter – https://twitter.com/progenypress
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/progenypress/
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/ProgenyPress

100 Review Crew members reviewed a variety of Progeny Press Study Guides. To see what they and their children thought, please click the graphic below!
Click to read Crew Reviews
Crew Disclaimer

I’d love it if you would join me on all of “My Journeys Through Life”. Just go and enter your email information into the “sign me up” button at the top of the blog, and never miss an update! Also, if you DO enjoy “My Journeys”, please, go to our Facebook page and give it a “Like”. I’d sure appreciate it if you did! 🙂

1 Comment

Filed under Courage of Sarah Noble, education, home education, homeschool products, homeschooling, Progeny Press, Review Crew Post, TOS Review

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 12, 2014 · 1:30 pm

Golden Prairie Press, A T. O. S. Review

Digital Heroes & Heroines of the Past: American History Curriculum, is a curriculum we were given to review, along with 99 other Schoolhouse Review Crew members.

This curriculum is from Golden Prairie Press, the home of “History At It’s Best”, according to their header.

Digital Heroes & Heroines Of The Past: American History Curriculum is a one year package of 30 lessons, and has been designed for children from 1st through the 6th grade levels. It is available for $98.99.

This downloadable curriculum will take your student from 1000 AD up to the present day, using two e-books.

The first half of the curriculum is Heroes and Heroines of the Past: American History Part 1 e-book, which covers the original people in America and continues on through the administration of President Jackson ( 1829 – 37 ).

You will then continue on with the second half of the curriculum: Heroes and Heroines of the Past: American History Part 2 e-book, covering 1837 to the present day.

We also received the following items, which are included in the digital curriculum:

Additional Materials CD (we received this as a collection of pdf files) which can be used as supplemental materials, including timelines, instructions and videos, coloring pages, and much more.

Historical Skits e-book, which contains 19 skits from the time of Columbus to World War 2. Your children can use these to further bring history to life, if they are interested in acting out what they are learning.

Sing Some History CD, which we received as audio files. This contains many of the songs that are referred to in the curriculum, further bringing the history to life while you and your children listen to them.

Listen to Some U.S. History MP3 CD (we received this as a downloadable collection of mp3 files), allowing you and your children to listen to 20 original speeches, poems, sermons, and documents that are mentioned in the book.

What we like:

The format of the curriculum e-books. I enjoy that we are given two different options for each lesson as far as the reading goes, one for younger students who aren’t ready for more lengthy information, and one for the older kids, which goes into more depth. For my kids, we are actually able to (mostly) use the more in-depth portion, as long as we are using this as a read aloud. This is not a problem, since that’s how we do a lot of curriculum, allowing us to do it all together. I enjoy being able to read right from my laptop, so that we only need to print things like coloring pages, etc.

The sound files! We enjoy hearing what we are learning about, whether it is the music or the speeches and such.

We like the Additional Materials CD for things like coloring pages, the extra sound files, and the timelines. Speaking of the timelines, the thing I like the best regarding them is that there are different versions available. You may choose to print out the fully filled in timelines (perfect for some of my kiddos), or the partially filled in (allowing your kids to fill in the rest), or the blank ones, so that your more advanced kids may fill them in from memory or by looking them up.

Here’s the best thing, as far as I am concerned . . . while there are Bible verses throughout for the kids to read and/or memorize, only the reference is given. The verse is not written out in the text (or at least, I haven’t come across any which are as yet), which means no matter what version of the Bible you use (we are a King James only family), you need to get your actual Bible out and LOOK UP THE VERSE FOR YOURSELF! I LIKE that! There is no reason any child who can read cannot learn to look up verses, and too many of us, especially in curriculum, become lazy and just let the text we are learning from do it for us.

What we don’t care for:

Most of the activities are simply things we rarely bother with. We will probably do some of the cooking ones, but I don’t see my kids making paper canoes and such, for example, or a teepee in the house. However, as some of my friends would remind me, that’s mostly because “I” don’t like the mess involved, so, maybe if not for that, my kids WOULD do them. Maybe “I” need to loosen up a little bit on this one, LOL!

All in all, for my kids, I do enjoy this curriculum, and am pleased that it is digital, allowing me to print as many copies of things as needed for my kids. Although it is designed as a 30 week curriculum, I’m quite sure that we will take considerably longer. We very likely didn’t get as far as other reviewers, because with four special needs boys, I do tend to go much slower when it comes to working our way through curriculum. But that’s OK. In MY opinion, it’s one of the beauties of homeschooling, the fact that you do not have to do things in a specific way or time frame. 🙂

To check out Golden Prairie Press on social media, please go to:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoldenPrairiePress

Please always remember always that my opinion is just that, and there are many other crew members reviewing the same product. I encourage you to click the graphic below, and go check out there reviews as well!
Click to read Crew Reviews
Crew Disclaimer

As always, I would love it if you would join me on all of my “Journeys Through Life”! Just go and enter your email information into the “sign me up” button at the top of the blog, and never miss an update again. If you DO enjoy “My Journeys Through Life”, please, go to our Facebook page and give it a “like”. I’d sure appreciate it if you did!

1 Comment

Filed under education, home education, homeschool products, Review Crew Post, Schoolhouse Review Crew Post, TOS Post, TOS Review

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 8, 2014 · 7:25 pm

Victus Study Skills System . . . A T.O.S. Review

We recently had the opportunity to review the Victus Study Skills System, written by Susan B. Ison, founder of http://www.studyskillssystem.com. The author explains the Latin word victus means “a way of life,” and the goal of the system is to “equip the student for success in Academics and in life.”
We received the Teacher Edition (priced at $40.00) and the Student Workbook, (priced at $20.00)

Both are easy to read and follow, and the appendix comes with worksheets and tools to use throughout the course. This system can be taught to all ages, with more teacher involvement needed for younger students. It is most appropriate for students from 5th to 12th grade. The author gives a good description of the courses aims, goals and objectives. The author’s “Foundational Cornerstones” for the course ask three questions:

1) Where Am I Now?
Lesson One (Study Habits Checklist) is a self-assessment to help determine what the student is doing now. Lesson Two (Learning Strengths) helps assess how the student takes in information (through Visual, Auditory, or Kinesthetic means) and gives some useful tips on how to help your dominant learning strength or improve a weaker one.

2) Where Do I Want To Be?
Lesson 3 (Mission and Goal Setting) first asks the student to visualize where they were 5 years ago, where they are now, and where they would like to be five and ten years from now. This helps the student visualize long term goals for themselves. They are also introduced to the “SMART” method of goal-setting; the objective must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. The lesson ends with an introduction to a system to help them set priorities for long-term goals.

3) How Do I Get There?
Lessons 4 through 10 get into the specific details and exercises to help the student develop good study habits through Time Management, Organization and Study Environment, a study process with the mnemonic “PQRST” (more on this later), Listening, Note Taking, Test Taking, and a final review.

This is the type of course my husband says he would have loved to have when he was back in school. He says he was a “brainiac” who never had to study that much in high school. When college rolled around, however, he struggled until he learned how to study.

If you run a structured home school and you have a student (or students) struggling with some course materials, then this course might be a welcome addition. In our loosely run, lightly scheduled, eclectic situation, however, we did have some challenges.

My husband has had experience with courses like this in the past through his workplace, so I asked him to take the lead on it. We chose “The Artist” to work with, as we were hoping to help him with his habit of flitting about from project to project and help him prioritize things.

They did quite well with Lessons One through Three. They determined how The Artist best takes in information (Visually, with Auditory and Kinesthetic in a virtual tie for second place), and we are using some of the tips to help the weaker aspects.

2014-04-05 06.20.52

Lessons Four through Ten, however, were a bit difficult. For example, the Time Management chapter was good for people still in “analog,” as my husband calls it. It gives tips like, “Write your schedule in pencil to allow for changes.” We’ve been using Google Calendar on “The Artist’s” tablet for several months now for scheduling daily chores, appointments, etc. with good results. Plus, he is already a good note taker, so he didn’t get a whole lot from the Note Taking lesson. We use a notepad application on his tablet so he can transcribe and organize notes from various study subjects into color-coded pages. We also do not use any kind of curriculum that has examinations, so he totally lost interest in the Test Taking lesson.

We were able to find some wheat among the chaff. Lesson 6, PQRST, outlines a great method of reading for better comprehension and learning. The mnemonic stands for:

Preview – get the high points
Question — to determine which facts to look for
Read – “action” reading, to find answers, note, highlight, etc.
State – read aloud what you’ve just read
Test – a daily review of what you read the previous day

“The Artist” finds learning by reading very easy (just like his father). But his father told him that, as he continues in his education to more advanced subjects, he will hit a brick wall at some point! He told “The Artist,” “There will be subjects that just do not jump off of the page and into your head; you will need to know how to pull that information out of the book by force! Better to learn those methods now instead of waiting until you really need them!” “The Artist” was not happy at first, because the PQRST method takes a little longer than just simply reading the page. But he has now incorporated it into his study routine, and we do believe it will serve him well when we start moving to some more complicated subjects down the road.

Now, to the bottom line:

At the beginning, we thought we would not get much from this course. We don’t test, so we have no way to measure whether or not the course is effective for us. And several of the lessons just simply did not apply to our circumstances. However, as mentioned above, this system was helpful in that “The Artist” HAS been able to incorporate some of the methods into his way of learning. While I personally would probably not spend $60.00 on the Victus Study Skills System, as written above, I can certainly see where it could be of immense help to a homeschool student in a structured program, or even a student in public or private school.

Check out Victus Study Skills System on the social media listed below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VictusStudySkillsSystem
Twitter: @VictusStudy

To see what other Schoolhouse Review Crew members thought of the Victus Study Skills System, please click the graphic below:
Click to read Crew Reviews
Crew Disclaimer

As always, I would love if you joined me on all of “My Journeys Through Life”! Please go to the “sign me up” button at the top of the blog and enter your email. And if you enjoy “My Journeys”, please, go to our Facebook page and “like” it! I’d sure appreciate it if you did! 🙂

Leave a comment

Filed under education, home education, homeschool products, Review Crew Post, TOS Post, TOS Review, Victus Study Skills System

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,