TOS Review: IXL: Math and Language Arts

  Have you ever had those times during your homeschool day when you are not able to give your attention to "school" like you would like because of life happenings?  (If you're like me, this happens daily!)  For times like these, IXL Math and Language Arts can come to the rescue!  We have used IXL for the past year.  We have used both the math and language arts, but mainly the math program. 
      I have found the two best ways to learn a concept is through repetition and making a game out of it. IXL.com does both.  IXL is a computer program where your child(ren) can practice math or language arts skills.  Their motto is: "Practice that feels like play."
     My 8th grader and my 10th grader have used the program to fill in gaps and give practice towards their math and language arts skills.  Most recently, my son used it to review his Algebra 1 skills before moving on to Algebra 2.  It was a lot more fun than paper work! Since we used IXL mostly for math, that will be the main perspective from which I give this review.
   

How it works: 

     Like most online programs, the first matter of business is to establish a password and user name.  The parent does this along with creating a student profile.  You can even choose a fun icon that your child will like. 

     After the proper icon is clicked, a screen will appear with choices from kindergarten through Pre- Calculus.  Your child will click on the grade level s/he wants to practice on.  This will take them to another screen where all the skills are listed for that grade level.   The skills are grouped together accordingly.  (i.e. Percent skills are listed altogether.)  Your child can then click on the skill that they want to work on (or that you assign them).  When your child is choosing from this list, they will be able to see which skills they have mastered (There will be a gold ribbon beside the skill.) and what score they have so far.  This makes for easier selection.  

     Once a skill is selected, the practice begins!  The questions begin very simply, then get tougher as you move through. The questions are asked a variety of different ways to help insure mastery.  (For example: One problem may ask which numbers are prime, while another may ask which are not composite.) If your child gets an answer correct, the IXL program gives immediate feedback by saying on the screen, Fantastic!, Correct!, You Got it! or some other encouraging words. There are many other motivators, like watching your "smart score" getting closer and closer to the desired "100."  If  a question is missed, your score goes down several points, and you back up and have to answer several more "review" questions before moving ahead in your score.  Your student will also be given an explanation as to why they missed the problem.  Once you reach a score of "100" you will get a "well done" on the screen and a message that you have mastered the skill and that you have been awarded a gold medal.  You can then take a break, or continue practicing.  The whole process is very simple and straightforward. Not a lot of bells and whistles...just what's necessary. (But visually appealing!)

 

  

The Parent Connection:

     One of my favorite things about using IXL is the updates I get each week.  I get an email when my sons have completed 100 math problems.  I get a weekly email update letting me know the skills they are working on, their proficiency and how much time they has spent working on problems.
     The amount of time required for mom varies with each child and with each level.  For my teenage boys, very little is needed from me. I just usually assign that they master 3 categories.  Unless they get stuck or frustrated, they are able to work very independently with very little assistance from mom.  

    

Membership Costs:

Monthly: $9.95/one subject (Math or Language Arts) or $15.95/both subjects

Yearly:   $79/one subject or $129/both subjects

IXL Mobile APPS! 
Go HERE to find out more about IXL apps for iPad, Android and Kindle.

 

TOS Review: New Liberty Videos (Warriors of Honor)

 

           When you hear the names "Robert E. Lee" and "Stonewall Jackson," what first comes to mind?  It will likely be something different once you and your family view the Warriors of Honor DVD by New Liberty Videos.  The Warriors of Honor DVD is a documentary covering the lives of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, highlighting their deep Christian faith lived out during the Civil War.  The film is 80 minutes long. (There are also 3 bonus segments on varying topics. The total time of the bonus topics is 21 minutes.) It covers background for both men. It shares about their family life: their wives and their children. It covers many of the battles of the war, a few of which were new to me.  It shares about their relationship with their soldiers.  Lee's life post-war is told about. Their deaths are also covered by the video.

     The film includes both pictures, reenactments and historians talking.  There is such variety, the documentary never feels stale.  The film was set up so that both Lee and Jackson were woven throughout.  It did not feel choppy.  

     My favorite parts were those that told of specific times and places. It was wonderful to hear of the heroism and humility of Lee and Jackson. The character of these men was truly incredible.  A secondary theme of this film was that of redeeming the reputation of the South.  Even though slavery was indeed an evil practice, it shared many positives of the Confederacy. 

 How we used the film..  

     We watched the documentary together one evening as a family.  I didn't want to do it during "school time," since I knew my history-loving husband wouldn't want to miss out. We watched all 80 minutes straight through because no one wanted to stop watching. (Well, we did pause it a few times for discussion and comments.)   My oldest son took American History last year, so throughout the movie it was good to hear him say, "Oh, yeah!  I remember studying that!"

    Cost of Product:  $19.95   Age Range: General Audience This is a film that includes many references (obviously) to the Civil War.  Therefore, there are war images: fighting, dead bodies, cannon fire, etc.     More New Liberty Videos:   Anthem for a Nation The Forbidden Book  Mystery of the Dead Sea Scrolls  A Nation Adrift  Teaching Origins Objectively    Quotes from my sons:   "I thought the movie was great because it was willing to put away the idea that the South was entirely bad, and show us an example of two great Christian men." -- age 16    "I'm glad that this movie was able to show me the devotion to God that these two generals had, in which no secular book would have showed me." --age 13      

A TOS Review: Fortuigence~~Essay Rockstar

     Over the years I have come to believe one of the most important parts of a child's education is knowing how to write well.  Fortuigence may help your child on the way to becoming a rockstar--an essay writing rockstar that is! Our family received Essay Rockstar Expository Essay Writing to use in our homeschool.  My 8th grader used it for several weeks until he had completed the entire short course.
     The methods used were fairly familiar to us, but getting to "turn in" my son's work to another teacher was completely different for us!  It was a neat experience.  I was glad to let someone else to the grading/editing for a while--and I think it gave my son confidence to hear feedback from someone besides "mom."
     The writing instruction involved 5 basic steps: brainstorming, organization, free writing, revision and editing.  These were arranged into several lessons.  For each lesson we visited the Fortuigence website, entered our password and clicked on "classroom."  (Always an easy process!)  For each lesson, my son watched a short video with the teacher.  He then listened to the teacher as she gave further audio instructions.  He was able to read along with her on the screen as she read.  Several links and pdf's were available for further instruction and help.  My son then completed the assignment.  It was typed and sent to the teacher via the website.
     We would then wait a day or two and then my son would receive an email back from Mrs. Iatridis (or "Mrs. I").  She would then instruct what the next step would be.  The "classroom" was automatically updated each time an assignment was completed.  (A gray check indicated an assignment being graded/turned in. A red check meant it was all done.)  Everything was done very linearly and was very self-explanatory.  Each level is mastered before moving on.

The Teacher:  

 Lily Iatridis taught in the traditional classroom for 10+ years.  She holds a master's degrees in:  secondary education and liberal studies.  She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree.  She now does her online teaching full time.  Fortuigence works mostly with homeschooling families.

Age Range:  12-18 years old

Cost: $57

 Similar Products: 

Essay Rock Star Personal Statement Writing Course

Essay Rock Star Persuasive Writing Course

 Essay Rock Star Textual Analysis Writing Course

Pros: 

• A great choice for many types of learners: audio learners, visual learners, etc.
• The clearly mapped out format was a huge benefit.  My son was able to easily proceed to the next step without confusion.  Very little (if any) help was needed from "mom."
• There is no strict due date for assignments.  I love this.  Life happens. 
• Quick feedback.  Very impressed with this!

(Possible) Cons: 

• I had trouble getting the website to upload a word document.  All it took was an email to Fortuigence and it was handled immediately.  Mrs. I even wrote me a personal email explaining how to make it work in the future.  I was very impressed with this and I never had any more problems uploading anything.
• We did not receive a lot of "corrections" on my son's work--not until the final editing process.  I was hoping to get a bit more instruction, but in the end it turned out great.

A TOS Review: Institute for Excellence in Writing~~~Fix It! Grammar: Robin Hood, Book 2

     The Institute for Excellence in Writing has a new program out call Fix It! Grammar. Our family received  Fix it! Grammar: Robin Hood, Teacher Manual Book 2. and Fix it! Grammar: Robin Hood Student Book, Book 2. My son and I were so excited that book 2 was "on his level" because he just loves the story of Robin Hood! 

How it works: 

     This program is like no grammar curriculum I have ever seen.  It is unique in that all the sentences in the daily lessons build and build until you have the story of Robin Hood at the end of the year.
     There are 33 weeks worth of material, with 4 days in each week.  Day 1 is the most teacher/mom intensive, since you are introducing new concepts.  Each concept has a corresponding card which the student cuts out.  (They are found at the back of the student book.) Each card is labeled in the upper right hand corner on the back as to which week it is introduced in.  We found this very helpful as we were gathering our new cards on all the "day 1's."  A further explanation and tips are found on the back of the card also.  I had a wooden file card holder that works perfectly for what my son needed.  He keeps only the cards that have been introduced in this file box.  We add to the box each week.  Several cards are added weekly. 

 

     After the new concepts are taught, one sentence from the story of Robin Hood  is corrected and marked each day in the student book.  (Yes--just one sentence per day.)  Skills learned in week 2 are transferred on to week 3 and so on.  The student will take the incorrect and unmarked sentence and fix things like: indenting, capitalization, commas, correct usage, etc.  They will also mark parts of speech.  A vocabulary word is marked each day in bold print.  The student is to look that up each day and write down a definition for how it is used in the book.  We have been keeping a vocabulary notebook for years, so this worked easily for us.  We just added to our notebook.

     When the student has marked the sentence, the parent would then use the Teacher's Manual to check the work and use the information given for each day's assignment to answer any questions or give clarification. 

 

      Once the sentence has been checked, it's time for your child to add the sentence to the ever-growing story of Robin Hood.  You may choose wait and have your child write all 4 sentences as the assignment for day 5.  We always did it on the day in which the sentence was corrected.  Some days we did two sentences if we were making up from the day before. (This curriculum could also be used a quicker pace for students who are ready to move on to the next level.)

       What we thought about Fix it! Grammar:

• I found the Teacher's Manual to be most helpful.  It explains every mark that there might be a question about. There is a page for each day's assignment.  I love how everything is explained simply and clearly.  I have never been confused.  It even gives "extra" information for all those grammar lovers out there!
• This curriculum is easy to add in to other things you are doing as part of your English curriculum.  It's just the right amount of grammar so that your child still has time for writing and other great literature.
• My son loves it! He is thrilled to only have one sentence per day and to be reading the story of Robin Hood again.
• I think this is the best way to learn grammar.  Sentences in a context (and even better--great literature!) instead of isolated sentences.  This style of teaching grammar reinforces great writing.

  Cost of Product:  Student book: $15 Teacher's Manual: $19   Age Range: 3rd Grade and up (Take a placement test to find out what level your child is on.)   Similar Products: Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree (Book 1) Fix It! Grammar: The Frog Prince or Just Deserts (Book 3) Fix It! Grammar: The Little Mermaid (Book 4) Fix It Grammar: Chanticleer (Book 5) Fix It! Grammar: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Book 6)             

A TOS Review: Under Drake's Flag

    
      How do your children prefer to learn history?  If your kids are like mine, "textbooks" is not at the top of your list!  How about through adventure and a great story?  The Heirloom Audio Production's Under Drake's Flag will take your children on a 2 hour thrill ride back into the 1500's as they board the ship of Sir Frances Drake, a renowned seaman. Your children will not only learn about sea voyages of the Elizabethan Era, but will be challenged by the characters to live a courageous and upstanding life.  

How we used Under Drake's Flag in our Homeschool:

     The day before leaving on a 6 hour car ride to the mountains, we received Under Drakes Flag!  I was thrilled.  We always pack books on CD to take on long trips.  We put the Under Drake's Flag CD in on the last 2 hr. leg of our trip.  Wow, did that make it go by so much faster!  My boys (ages 13 and 16) loved it!  It completely held their attention.   My husband and I were very entertained as well.  

     My youngest son recognized several characters in Under Drake's Flag from a book he was currently reading, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  I thought that was so neat!  He was pretty excited about it too.  We had a great conversation about how so many times one work of literature can help you understand other works of literature. 

     Under Drake's Flag is not all non-stop adventure.  There is humor as well.  Older children and adults will will most likely "get" the funny parts.  Biblical morals and scripture are an intregal a part of the story.  

     I appreciated the great vocabulary in the story.  I always love for my children to hear different vocabulary words used in a story in such a way that the definition is understood in context. (Vocabulary is also covered in the included study guide.)

     There were parts of the package that we did not take advantage of.  There is a wonderful study guide inside the CD case.  We chose not to use it since we had plenty of discussion without it--and the fact that my kids were on "summer vacation."  There is also a Bible Study at the end of the study guide. 

Other Ideas for how to Use this Product:

*This would make a fabulous Christmas present for any older boys on your list!

*Would be good to use with a group of homeschoolers or kids at church.  You cold have a lot of fun making a day out of it.  Theme decorations, group listening and a Bible Study to top it off at the end.

*Make this a part of your history study of the Elizabethan period.

*Great jump start to a writing activity.

     

    

Historical References:

 The Spanish Inquisition

Slavery-Africans

Plymoth/Americas

Age Range: 
 Ages 6-Adult
Please note that there is torture, killing and fighting involved in the story.
(Not gratuitous, but it is there.)

Favorite Quotes from the production:

"There is no stronger wind in a man's sail."  

 (Speaking of God's power, protection, and presence.)

"If we're not men of honor we're not men at all."

"Perhaps God himself is trusting you with this trial."

My favorite part of the entire CD is reading/hearing the prayer of Sir Francis Drake:
"Disturb us,Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves...When we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore..."

Cost of Product:  $29.95  (2 CD set)   Similar Products:  "Instant Access" MP3 Download Version of Under Drake's Flag: $20
Family 4-pack (With LOTS of bonuses!): $99.97  

Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms (A TOS Book Review)

   The name "Apologia" brings with it the confidence of quality education and instruction.  So, when I heard that Apologia Educational Ministries had published a book for homeschool moms, I knew it had to be good. 
Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms  is a brand new book written by Mary Jo Tate.
   Imagine, if you will, a flower.  It is washed out and a faded with drooping leaves planted in parched and thirsty soil. Now imagine a more vibrant flower--one that is bright red with moist green leaves planted in rich, fertile soil.  Which flower would you choose to be? I think we'd all choose the latter, the flower that is flourishing, much the same way we homeschool moms would rather flourish as we home educate our children than just barely keep our noses above water. That's what this new book, Flourish, is all about.
     What do we need in order to flourish in our homeschools?  No doubt you may have answered, "time!"  Well, Mary Jo Tate gives attention to that in several chapters.  She also covers topics like setting goals, planning, and boundaries.  The second half of the book gets a little more personal and specific.  She talks about attitudes, taking care of "you," training your children, making memories, managing your home, the ins- and-outs of homeschooling.  The books culminates with two very specific chapters: one just for single moms and one for moms who also run a home business.
     I have never read a book quite like Flourish.  There are how-to-homeschool books, how-to-manage your time books and how-to run a home books.  This book is unique in that it shares how to basically manage all of  life as a homeschooling family, not just certain aspects separately.  So much is included in the pages...all based on the fact that you, as mom, home educate your family.  Mary Jo Tate understands from years of experience that homeschooling really does affect most everything else in your life.  All of this advice and encouragement from Mary Jo is also based on God's Word. 
     The first time I sat down to just read "a little bit," and found that I had finished 3 chapters in no time.  Flourish is a very easy read in that it is very easy to follow and is so engaging that you just don't want to stop reading.  My book is full of underlined phrases and stars indicating parts I really, really liked or want to try.  I will definitely be re-visiting this book as a reference book and a source for encouragement to do better and to be better.

 

The Product:

The cost: $15
Paperback, 290 pages

Who would benefit from reading this book?

• Moms thinking about homeschooling
• Moms just getting started homeschooling (Oh, how I wish I had read this 8 years ago!)
• Moms in the midst of homeschooling. (A good "shot in the arm" to get you going again!)
• Single moms home educating their children
• Moms with a home business and homeschooling
• Anyone who loves a homeschooling mom and wants to better understand their needs.

     

Some of my favorite quotes from Flourish:
(I just love a good quote!  This book was FULL of them!)

• "Develop the habit of asking yourself, 'What am I saying no to when I say yes to this choice?  Are there any hidden costs?'"  (I was able to put that into practice this week, saying "no" to something I knew would cost me time away from my family and added stress!)
• "...commit your goals to writing."  (I did this for the first time in a long time...a great exercise for me.)
• "'How do you do it all?'  I don't, and I redefine 'it all.'  Nobody can do it all.  (How freeing!)
• "As you plan your week, be sure to include the important things, not just the urgent things."  (Oh, how easy it is to get caught up in the urgent when the important is so, well...important!)
• "Inspect what you expect.  That's how you add accountability to independence."  

About the Author: 

     It is easy to get to know Mary Jo Tate as you read her book.  She is a long-time homeschool mama of 4 boys and even runs her own at-home business.   She is a radio host, author, international editor and book coach.  Mary Jo even makes time to teach high school literature at a co-op and blog at: http://flourishathome.com/blog/.  What's amazing is that Mary Jo does all of this as a single mom.  She is full of insight and wisdom. 

TOS Review: Moving Beyond the Page

     Are your kids creative?  Do you want them to be more so? Are you bored with just books and worksheets?  Do hands-on activities sound like what you need more of in your homeschool?  Then Moving Beyond the Page may be right up your alley.  Moving Beyond the Page provides Language Arts, Science and Social Studies curriculum for ages 4-14.  Our homeschool received two of their individual units to review:  Language Arts Package: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (which came with an online guide and the physical book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain) and Science Package: Health and Nutrition (which came with a physical guide and both physical books: Boy's Guide/Girl's Guide to becoming a Teen).  I will share with you how each of these worked in our home and the details of each, beginning with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

How it worked in our homeschool:

     The online version of the Language Arts Package: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was so easy to use!  It was simple to access the online curriculum each time my son sat down for his next day's lesson.  We liked how that when we had completed a lesson we clicked "lesson completed" and it was automatically marked out in the Table of Contents.  This gave a sense of accomplishment and helped us keep track of where we were. On the Table of Contents page there is a button which allows the parent to turn the "parent overview" on/off (with a password).  This was very handy...I could turn it off while my son was working on the computer, and then turn it on for grading or instructional purposes. 
     Each lesson begins with an introduction about what the focus will be on that day.  It gives you "things to think about"/"things to know" as you prepare to read the assigned chapters from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Usually 3 chapters were assigned each day and there were 3 questions for the student to answer at the completion of the reading.
     Next came the Language Arts Lesson.  Topics like point of view, the 3 basic types of writing or irony were taught.  The student/parent was usually given 2 activity options to choose from in order to learn the topic for the day.  (I always like options!)  Most of the choices were hands-on or at least a thought-provoking writing assignment.  (At first, the activities seemed like so much work...like is is really important to build a raft from rolled-up newspapers?  But...as my son worked, I could see the value in the activities!  Problem solving, creativity and learning-by-doing all came into play.
     A note about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: I realize that MBTP (Moving Beyond the Page) cannot take credit for the authorship of this novel, but I commend their choice in literature.  My son loved the book!  I read the first half aloud to him.  He read the second half to himself since I had a cold.  He could not wait to finish the book since it was so exciting.  In fact, once we were just a few chapters in to the book, he went and got The Adventures of Tom Sawyer from the library to read.
    

Getting started: One of the first activities was to map out the slave/free states during the time period of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. (I love the integration of subjects!)

A map of Huck and Jim's Journey.  The stops along the way were numbered in order as we read the book. All the worksheets were easy to print from the online site.

Building a raft.  This was made from instructions that we printed off the online curriculum.  My son was a little frustrated at first, but in the end really enjoyed this project.

A language arts activity.  MBTP has several activities that take time/effort...but most of them are well worth the effort.  My son was proud of all the hard work he put into these posters.  I was happy to hang them beside his school desk for future reference!

Product Cost/Similar Products:

$22.88 (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn online version, like the one my family received)
$26.94 (for the physical version)
OR
Purchase a Full Year Language Arts Package (physical version) for $255.68

If you'd rather have the online version, that would cost $219.30.

 

Age Range:

12-14 years old  (new age range just added in 2014)

Health and Nutrition

How it worked in our homeschool: 

      The curriculum, Science Package: Health and Nutrition was different in that my son had an actual notebook to work in, which was handy. Similar to the Language Arts unit, there are "ideas to think about"/"things to know" before beginning each lesson.  A reading assignment is given for the Guide to Becoming a Teen most days.   There are questions to answer and activities to complete.  There were several video links to watch online, especially for the Drug Abuse chapter.   The activities in this unit did not seem as hands-on/creative as the Huckleberry Finn unit. 

      We only needed the Boy's Guide to Becoming a Teen since I had a son completing the unit.  The guide was written by the American Medical Association. There are several worthwhile chapters in this book, like "Eating, Exercise and  Healthy Weight" or "Your Skin, Teeth and Hair."  However, I need to note that there are also sections in the book that our family, as Christians, disagreed with.  To be fair, most of these sections were not assigned, but they are there. (MBTP is a secular company.)  Our family made some modifications to the curriculum and still made it work for us. 

Filling in answers in the Health and Nutrition workbook.

My son discovered some scrapbooking tools of mine that came in handy with all the hands-on projects with MBTP.

 

Watching online videos about Drug Abuse and filling in a chart in his notebook. (The links were given in the workbook.)

Product Cost/Similar Products : 

$46.89 

Online $42.83 (This includes an online curriculum, Health and Nutrition and physical books: Boy's Guide to Becoming a Teen and Girl's Guide to Becoming a Teen.)  If you only need just the Boy's Guide or just the Girl's Guide, you could purchase the items separately and pay $27.88.

OR

Purchase a  Full Year of Science for 12-14 year olds for $436.08. (Physical)
or the online version for $400.36

Age Range: 
12-14 years old  (new age range just added in 2014)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moving Beyond the Page is on Facebook!

Note: The prices given in this post reflect the prices at the time of posting.  Prices are subject to change. 

TOS Review: Veritas Press~~ Self-paced Omnibus 1 Primary

  

      For the first time in our 8 years of homeschooling, my youngest son is at a point in his history and Bible studies where he is "caught up" until high school.   We thought this would be the perfect time to to try out something new, like Self-paced Omnibus from Veritas Press.  We started at the beginning, with Omnibus 1 Primary.  Omnibus means "all encompassing" in Latin.  History, Theology and Literature are all taught together.  Omnibus 1 covers Ancient World Literature culminating with the first century.  (Omnibus 2 and 3 continue on into later periods in history.)

The Product (what you get)

     Self-paced Omnibus is an online teaching curriculum. Once purchased, you will have access to the lessons.  The lessons are done in a video format.  Each lessons lasts about 30 minutes.  The lesson is broken up into segments.  Generally a lesson includes:  a teaching time, an interview with an expert, on-location talks, interactive games, quizzes and more. (No lesson is the same thing twice.  This helps keep things interesting.)  Each student will need an Omnibus Student Text.  (You can purchase either the hardback or the e-book version.)  The program will keep track of your child's grade average.  This is very easy to access, simply click "my grades" on the student page.  Once you complete a lesson, then the next lesson is available.  (Thus "self-paced.")

*You will need to purchase the literature books (Like Gilgamesh, Code of Hammurabi, etc.) for the course. These can be purchased separately or from Veritas.  You will also need a Bible.  

The Instructor

     The instructor for the course is Bruce Etter.  He is a very easy to follow and understand teacher.  Mr. Etter is very personable and relates to the students as their teacher and doesn't just lecture.  He is obviously well-versed in this field of study.  Mr. Etter begins and ends each lesson with a review.

Price

$295 for access to the online course.  ($100 sibling discount is available.)

Omnibus Text: $75 (or purchase within 7 days of ordering the course and only pay $50) 

 The e-book is $37.50.  Literature books that go along with the course can be purchased from Veritas as part of a kit.  The kit without the ebook is: $137.63; with the ebook is $151.32
A teacher answer CD is available for $30.  (Gives all answers to the questions in the Omnibus Text.  It also includes the Omnibus Text.)

Age Range

7th-9th grade

(Minimum of age 12 on the day you begin the course work.)

How Omnibus 1 Primary worked in our Homeschool:

     I sat and did the first 2 books (Genesis and Exodus) of the course with my son.  We watched the videos together and read the Omnibus text together.  My son read the reading assignments in Genesis and Exodus on his own. (I am still trying to catch up with him on my Genesis and Exodus reading.  Let me tell you, this course will make you want to dig in deeper to God's word!)
     This curriculum involves sitting in front of a computer and listening.  At times this can be a bit tough for a 13- year-old boy, but I was amazed at how much information he remembered.  A lot of reading is also required.  In a 5 day period, a student is expected to read the entire book of Genesis or Exodus, for example.  This may seem daunting to some...but it is also doable!  (What an inspiration it was for me to see my son read that much of God's word in one sitting without complaining!)  There will be reading assignments both for the Omnibus Text and the piece of literarture that is being studied. The videos and the reading assignments work together as layers of learning, which helps to both review and solidify ideas and facts.
     Within minutes of beginning this curriculum, I felt as if I was in a first year seminary class.  I was so  impressed with things my son (and I) were learning.  My husband (a seminary graduate) had the same response.  Topics like covenant theology, differing views on creation, freewill vs. predestination are all talked about during the first two books.  It was all explained in such a way that my son was able to keep up and understand the concepts. The course work is not too overwhelming, but the concepts are much "deeper" than I had expected.

     It is important to note that Veritas Press is a Christian curriculum that follows the classical teaching model.  Even though my children have never gone by a classical model, it has always intrigued me.  I found it to not be a problem to jump right in and not feel like we had missed something.  The Bible teaching is wonderful, though a bit more reformed than we are.  This really is not a problem, though, as the instructor is very even handed and generous in his openness to discuss other biblical viewpoints.

 

What I didn't like as much:

• During much of the videos there is music playing.  This was distracting at times.
•  A few questions that my son got incorrect on the online quizzes, I was unsure why they were incorrect.  I wish there was some short explanation at the end of the online quiz.

A few notes: 

• A high-speed internet is very important to run the videos.  
• I consider art appreciation/education  to also be part of this curriculum.  For example, my son and I really enjoyed the lesson on the art in the Sistine Chapel during the study of Genesis.
• The guests speakers are top notch!  Professors, a rabbi, experts...
• Veritas Press has excellent customer service.  Twice I have had to call for help. (Once my video was "stuck" and once I just had a question.)  Both times, I was speaking with someone right away and my question or problem was answered/fixed within less than a minute.

There's more to learn about Veritas Press!  Check out my fellow TOS Review Crew bloggers and what they had to say:

Schoolhouse Review Crew: December Posts

During the holiday, Schoolhouse Review Crew is taking a break from reviewing homeschool curriculum, but not from providing lots of great articles for you from their reviewers!  Check out these blog posts from my fellow TOS homeschool blogger moms who are full of creative ideas:

Christmas Recipes Round-up

 

 Family Traditions

Creating Christmas Traditions

 

Advent Idea Box

Ways to Incorporate Field Trips into Your Homeschool 

More to come all month long!  (Even from yours truly!)