Luv'N Lambert Life

Mental Health, Homeschooling, Epilepsy and More

crew review

Creating a Masterpiece {Crew Review}

by

What We Reviewed:

For this review, we were given access to Creating a Masterpiece’s Monthly Plan subscription.  Creating a Masterpiece is a wonderful art program that teaches art in an innovative and encouraging manner.  Creating a Masterpiece really helps you to create art masterpieces of your own.
What We Received:

We received a monthly membership for the online website, Creating a Masterpiece.  This gave us full access to the website for a small payment fee of $39.99.  There are other payment options for this program as well which I will mention later on in this review.
About the Program:

Creating a Masterpiece is a program that can be used by multiple grade or art levels.  You don’t have to know a thing about Art to use this program.  You can simply gather your necessary equipment and jump right on in.
Creating a Masterpiece offers art pieces to create from Beginners Level to Level 5 and also offers Art History lessons for your student or yourself to complete.  Each level offers multiple projects to choose from in different art media forms.  Each level increases in difficultly to challenge your student (or yourself) to become more developed as an artist.
In the Beginners Level, there are lessons in Watercolor, Ink, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media and even Alcohol Ink.  These masterpieces are easily completely and gorgeous when done.  This level is for those who haven’t had a lot of art instruction and wish to begin the program to learn more about how to use these media forms in Art.
Each increasing Level contains different lessons each using different types of media, leaving your student learning a well-rounded ideal through their art mediums. No activity is the same though many use similar materials.  These are not necessarily things you will have on hand but they are easily purchased through an Arts or Craft store or ordered online.
The program is linked to an outside source for purchase of necessary materials to make gathering the materials necessary for your projects easier.  The prices of these materials is fair.  I chose to work on one project at a time so we weren’t spending too much to complete our review and luckily since I have an artist in the house, we already had a great deal of the necessary tools needed for many of these projects.  Still we did find some projects where we had to purchase a new brush we didn’t own or some other object but nothing too expensive.  This review also fell into the time frame of my artist birthday so I was able to gift some of these expenses to her for her enjoyment of both Art and this program as well.
Each lesson in the program shares a series of videos walking you through each step of the art process for the media chosen.  Lessons also show a color swatch palate to help you prepare ahead the colors you will need for the lesson itself.  A list of tips for working on the project or with the art median follows sharing helpful things for using that type of art media for your project.
There is a highlight section which shows you glimpses of the project you’re working on as you work your way through the program so you can visually see where you are at what level of the lesson.  This is followed by a download section which includes a high resolution image for the project, a downloadable shopping list to prepare for the project and the ability to purchase supplies online through the connected vendor.  This section is followed by the final section of the lesson which shows encouraging reference art for you or your student to view in the same art form that you are using for the lesson you are working on.
The lessons are well prepared.  The videos are concise and easy to follow.  The exercises are easy to complete.
How We Used This:

Emma is my resident artist.  She really took to this program and completed the projects quickly and with little help from me.  She really liked the videos.  When she was stuck, she could reverse the video and try again until she got it the way she wanted.

The program was perfect for Emmalee but it was a bit advanced for my younger two children.  They just weren’t ready for the lessons or the time it took to complete their projects.  Emma, on the other hand, found the projects challenging and didn’t mind the time it took her to complete the projects she chose to work on.

I allowed Emma to pick and choose from various lessons.  She particularly enjoyed the Watercolor lessons and the Ink lessons.  I found she knew a lot more than I realized about the different types of art media in these projects.  Some things I didn’t even know so she taught me what they were as well.
Membership Information:

Creating a Masterpiece is an online program for learning Art.  It is available by Monthly Plan subscription for $39.99.  This is for unlimited family access to all projects.  The program has over 144 projects listed at this time.  Even though this program didn’t work well for my young students, it can still be used for young or old students who wish to learn more about Art.
You can also access this program for a yearly fee of $349 per year or purchase access to single levels for $119 a year.
Other Places to Find this Vendor Online:
Read More Reviews of Creating a Masterpiece:

Creating Beautiful Art at Home {Creating A Masterpiece Reviews}

Disclaimer:

Crew Disclaimer

Meet Andi: Circle C Stepping Stones {Crew Review}

by

What We Received for Review:
We have reviewed for Susan K. Marlow and Kregel Publications in the past and LOVED the books we received from them about Andi’s adventures.  This time we were gifted books from the newest Andi Carter series: Circle C Stepping Stones.  Book #1 was Andi Saddles Up and Book #2 was Andi Under The Big Top.
I knew because of our past experience with Susan K. Marlow books through Kregel Publications that these books were going to be wonderful for Laycie and Jackson.  They did not disappoint.  These became our bedtime story read-alouds for the last month.  Laycie especially enjoyed them but I think Jack is a little young yet because his attention was not captured by the stories like I had hoped.  Still we will hang on to these for when he’s old enough to appreciate them. 

About The Books:

Circle C Stepping Stones takes you back to when Andi Carter was a young girl, just 9 years old.  My Laycie is 8, turning 9 in April so she was very excited by this. This series is intended for kids ages 7-10.
  Andi loves her life on the Circle C Ranch and she absolutely loves her horse, Taffy.  Taffy is now three so that means Andi can finally ride her.  That’s her birthday wish.  In Andi Saddles Up you’ll learn all about Andi, Taffy, their family, friends and their life on the ranch.
Then in Andi Under The Big Top, the circus rolls into town and becomes the center of attention for the whole town.  Andi and her family attend, making new friends and helping a young boy find his way home.  There’s even an attempt made by the Circus to steal Taffy for one of the acts.  You’ll have to read to see how this one turns out.

Study Guides As Well:

Due to my recent health issues, we did not use the accompanying study guides for these books but I did take a long look at them and found them to be wonderfully creative.  Each title of the series has it’s own study guide to help you educationally build upon the story itself.  They are around 25+ pages in length and filled with information, puzzles, new words and other fun activities to encourage learning with your student.  I will definitely be going back to these in the future when we read the rest of the book series as it’s released.  You can download these guides on the website when you purchase the titles in this series.

How We Used These:

Laycie absolutely LOVED these stories.  We read them at her bedtime, snuggled together on the couch.  We chose to read one chapter per night but sometimes we read two when she could not wait to see what happened next!  She was excited for the next night to see what Andi was up to next.  She loved that Andi had a horse and was able to ride her horse alone.  She also wants to see the Circus now because she loved the description provided in the book.  She cannot wait for us to purchase the rest of the titles in this series so she can read more about Andi and Taffy’s adventures.

Where You Can Purchase the Series:

Each book within the Circle C Stepping Stones series is priced at $7.99.  They are well worth every penny.  The Study Guides are free on the website and go along with each book in the series.

You Can Also Find Kregel Publications and Susan K. Marlow Here:


Twitter (Kregel Books): https://twitter.com/KregelBooks  
Twitter (Susan K Marlow): https://twitter.com/SuzyScribbles
Facebook (Kregel Books): https://www.facebook.com/KregelBooks/
Facebook (Susan K Marlow): https://www.facebook.com/SusanKMarlow?fref=ts


Read More Reviews:



Andi Series {Kregel Publications and Susan K. Marlow Reviews}


Disclaimer:

Crew Disclaimer

Freewriting Creatively {Crew Review}

by

What We Received for Review:

Home School Adventure Co. graciously provided us with a digital copy of Creative Freewriting Adventure: A Journey into Freewriting.  They also gifted us with an additional digital copy of the Creative Freewriting Adventure: A Journey into Freewriting, the Coloring Book Edition. Both of which have been wonderful resources for our school.
What Is Freewriting?
What is freewriting you ask?  Freewriting is a method of writing where you simply just write.  You don’t take time to correct puncuation or spelling.  You don’t worry about it making sense.  You just freely write and let your words and thoughts flow.
About This Product:
Creative Freewriting Adventure encourages students to release their creative side.  It’s suggested to set a timer for 15 minutes.  Then to write and see what comes out onto the paper.
Creative Freewriting Adventure is a bit more structured than just giving the student the assignment to write with no topic or instruction.  Students are provided with a lesson for each assignment.  There are 10 exercises included in this curriculum.
Thales was the first.  Through the lesson the student learned about Thales and how his prediction of a Solar Eclipse had stopped battle.  Then begins the writing.
There are questions to get the writers mind moving and motivated to help their writing come to life.  The scene is set for them but the ending is completely up to their imaginative minds.  And they are to write out, freely, what they think and feel happened following the suggested events in the guide.
Each lesson goes in this manner.  Each lesson explores a different person, thing or event in life.  And each lesson provides a different story for your student to freewrite about and learn from.
How We Used This:

Of the two versions, I decided to use the Coloring Book Edition of Creative Freewriting Adventure with my daughter, Emmalee who is 14.  She’s an artist so I knew this version would fit her better.  The Coloring Book Edition includes images to color and design along with your writing, so you are providing some illustration as well as the story itself.  This was a plus for her and kept her from becoming bored with just writing.
But really, she didn’t become bored with writing with Creative Freewriting Adventure because unlike other writing programs we used, this one allowed her to be herself and write the adventures her way.  She was able to not worry about what she was writing, about letter form, or spelling and instead she was able to concentrate simply on the stories themselves through her writing.  Adding in the additional coloring, artistic element as well was just a bonus.
Where You Can Buy This:

You can purchase Creative Freewriting Adventure: A Journey Into Freewriting from Home School Adventure Co. for $18.95 for the Digital Edition or $21.95 for the Print Edition.  The Digital Edition does allow typeable formatting so your student can type their stories instead of writing if you prefer that method.
The Creative Freewriting Adventure Coloring Book Edition is available as well for $21.95 in Digital Download only.  This edition has the same content as the original Creative Freewriting Adventure but includes additional art for coloring to enhance the learning experience.  We preferred this version to the original.
Where You Can Find Home School Adventure Co.:

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/HomeSchoolAdven  @HomeSchoolAdven


To Read More Crew Reviews of Home School Adventure Co.:


Resources with a Biblical Worldview{Home School Adventure Co. Reviews}

Disclaimer:

Crew Disclaimer

Eclectic Foundations Level A {Crew Review}

by

When I first took a look at Eclectic Foundations, I knew this program was something I was definitely interested in giving a try.  Just the simple look of the website told me right away this program was going to fit well for us.  I often look for old fashioned educational materials that are simple in format to use with my children because I find they learn better with things that aren’t over the top.
I chose the first level of the program to review: Eclectic Foundations Language Arts Level A in the PDF format so I could print the program for more than one student.  I like this option because if I need to redo a worksheet with a student who didn’t understand it or who just needs a little more practice, I can simply print out another one.  It also allows me to provide a worksheet to my youngest child who may not understand what the others are learning but still wishes to join in.
What We Received For Review:
For review, we were sent the PDF file of Eclectic Foundations Language Arts Level A.  We were also sent a PDF copy of McGuffey’s Eclectic Primer by William Holmes McGuffey.  If you’d rather have an actual book, you can order this Primer online through various websites.
McGuffey’s readers have been a favorite of our family for years now and we’ve used them from time to time to teach reading when other readers just wouldn’t work.  They are timeless classics used by many families.  Their format is very simple and easy to understand and use without extra fluff to confuse children.  I personally tend to look for these characteristics when choosing curriculum for our eager learners to use.
The file for Eclectic Foundations Language Arts Level A was the complete PDF download of the Teacher’s Guide for this level.  It includes everything you need to get started except the reader I mentioned above.  The student worksheets are contained right in this text.  The day to day lessons plans are written out for your easy use.  To me this was a blessing.
There are 144 lessons in Level A.  The format is simple.  Lesson 1 begins with reciting the Alphabet, then moves to a playdough activity.  Next is an activity to teach children to recognize letter sounds.  And finally there is a daily poem from Mother Goose.
This format is similar daily which helps the child know what to expect and you as well.  The activities are simple but really teach the child.  Activities change by the day as well so you’re not doing exactly the same things every day.
Somewhere around Lesson 65, the McGuffey reader is introduced and you will begin to use it for daily lessons.  Before this, your lessons are all from the Teacher’s guide and the printables which are included within the guide.  The basics of the beginning of Level A, lead up to learning to read before you actually get to the book itself.
There are also word cards which are to be printed and used with the lessons.  The students color the nouns red and the verbs green to help them see the difference in the parts of speech.  We colored these and then I laminated them so they would be able to be used for a long time.
The lessons are adaptable.  You can expand on the activities if you wish.  You can use other activities that you may find that fit with the main lesson itself.  There’s many ways you can expand the program other than suggested within the daily lessons.
It would be great to find the daily Mother Goose’s poem in the actual book to read together.  You could also find a printable of the rhyme to showcase for your student that day.  Then you could expand on learning the poem by including an activity to go with that.


How We Used It and What We Thought:


The program is designed for 4 lessons to be taught a week.  Since we homeschool all week, all year round, we more than met this suggestion.  Because these lessons were so easy to use, I wasn’t overwhelmed by making them happen every day and neither were my little ones.  The length was perfect for us to work through and complete within an hour a day, sometimes less or more depending on the activities we did.  Sometimes the kids continued to expand the lesson on their own, especially on play dough days.
Some days I added in more activities because I felt the kids needed a little more than the lesson plan called for.  I also searched online for printable copies of the poems to grab the kids attention and laminated these so they could look at them through the day.  This allowed them to have extra practice recognizing words and visually see print on paper.  As it was laminated, the poems weren’t easy for my young son to damage and it was easy for him to carry from place to place each day as he played.  Sometimes he likes to read to his Dino’s.
My littles barely realized they were learning.  The activities just flowed for them.  They enjoyed “reading” with Mommy and learning.
This program is one I would have picked for my kids if I hadn’t received it for review.  We do a lot of Charlotte Mason and Ambleside style learning in our Eclectic homeschooling so it fit us really well there too.  Using the McGuffey Primer made it an even bigger WIN!  It’s definitely one I plan to continue to use and I look forward to purchasing more levels in the future.
How Can You Get This Product:
Eclectic Foundations Language Arts Level A is available on the Eclectic Foundations website.  We received the PDF file which costs $30.  Level A is for students in First Grade but could be used with a Kindergarten child or a child who is older but struggles with reading.  The skills start from the very beginning and build from there.
The printed Teacher’s Guide for Eclectic Foundations Language Arts Level A is available for $12 if you prefer the printed format.  The Student Workbook for this level is $24.  The Level A Appendixes and Word Cards are available for $20.
The program also has other Levels available for your students.
The Eclectic Foundations website can help you determine which level is right for your students.


Where Else Can You Find Eclectic Foundations Online:


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eclecticstudent
Read Other Reviews Of Eclectic Foundations:

Language Arts {Eclectic Foundations Reviews}
Disclaimer:
Crew Disclaimer

Math Mammoth: Light Blue Series for Grade 1 {Crew Review}

by

As a homeschooling Mom, I am always looking for products which are easy to use with my children but are also thorough for their education.  We were introduced to Math Mammoth years ago through the Homeschool Review Crew.  So when this vendor came up for the year, I knew I wanted to do this review.
What We Chose for Review:
I chose the Math Mammoth Light Blue Series for Grade 1 for our review.  This was the perfect grade level to use with Laycie.  We’ve been working on Math concepts in her homeschooling but I felt she was ready for something a bit more structured and I wanted to cover a few things she still gets mixed up about like money and time.  This grade level provided just the right mix of things for us to work through.
What We Received for Review:

For this review, we received the digital download version of Math Mammoth Light Blue Series for Grade 1.  This was a downloadable link which gave us access to all the files we needed to use this curriculum.  This series is a full curriculum, containing a full set of concepts for the grade level.  Once these files are downloaded you are able to immediately get started.
To begin, you can locate the User Guide file which explains what you need to do to use the curriculum.  This document shares the basic principles for using Math Mammoth then goes on to explain how to use it, how to set the pace for the curriculum, how to use the tests that come with this curriculum and so much more.  There’s also review of the curriculum included and a worksheet maker for extra practice in learning.
Lessons in this curriculum are designed to be used over a span of several days with your student.  Each lesson contains several pages to help your student thoroughly learn the concept being taught.  These lessons are very easy for the parent/teacher to teach the child and help them complete.  In fact, there is no teacher’s guide for the lessons.  You and your student just work through the course.  And yet, these lessons are still challenging enough for the student to learn from.  
Math Mammoth Light Blue Series for Grade 1 contained two worktexts for our lessons: 1-A and 1-B.  1-A was for the first semester of learning and 1-B for the second.  There are also answer keys provided in a separate file.  Tests are also provided but these are completely optional for your use.  They could instead be used as review but there are also review lessons included with the curriculum for you to use.  Editable versions are also included.
The chapter on Money is included in a separate file as well and can be used for different grade levels.  This chapter covers different currancies from different places around the world.  Tests are provided for this chapter as well.
How We Used This Product:

This was a pretty simple product for us to use in our lessons.  I was already looking for Laycie a program for Math and we’ve had such a great experience with Math Mammoth in the past that I knew this would be a great fit for her.  The lessons don’t require a lot of time which doesn’t overwhelm her with her ADHD.  The worksheets keep the concepts simple and the instructions are easy for us both to follow.
Laycie worked on these pages daily for the most part.  There were a few days we missed due to life but overall she worked straight through them.  She enjoyed some of the online games that were included as suggestions to complete and practice throughout the lessons.
Mostly we just enjoyed the simpleness of the program.  The clean lines of the worksheets and the designs of the objects and animals used to represent the math problems kept her from feeling overwhelmed, yet there was enough color to keep it interesting for her.  It fit very well with our laid back, eclectic, delayed academics approach to learning.
Where You Can Buy This Product:

You can buy Math Mammoth Light Blue Series for Grade 1 for $37.50 for the Full Grade Set as a digital download.  You can buy just Worktext Part 1-A or Worktext Part 1-B for $18.75 each.  You can also purchase this product on CD for $42.50.  Printed copies are also available in various places mentioned on the Math Mammoth Website.
Math Mammoth offers other grade levels as well for all grade levels.  The Light Blue Series offers curriculum for grade levels 1-7.  A placement test is also available for help in choosing the right level for your student.
Don’t forget to check out the other Math Mammoth products available as well!
Where Else Can You Find This Vendor:


Click Below To Read Other Reviews For This Vendor:



Affordable Quality Math {Math Mammoth Reviews}


Disclaimer:



Crew Disclaimer

Home School In The Woods {Crew Review}

by

Home School In The Woods
HISTORY Through The Ages Project Passport World History Study
Ancient Egypt

Digital Download $33.95

For this review, we were gifted a digital download of Home School In The Woods’ HISTORY Through The Ages Project Passport World History Study for Ancient Egypt.  Home School In The Woods offers several Project Passports for you to learn through such Renaissance and Reformation, The Middle Ages and their newest study Ancient Greece.  They are currently working on creating a study for Ancient Rome as well.

These studies are wonderful! They are thorough in design and so very easy for anyone to use.  Everything you need to learn about the particular time period of history right in one place.

The Product We Chose:

We chose Ancient Egypt for our Project Passport because we simply love learning about Egypt.  Plus my little ones were asking me lots of questions about Egypt at the time.  It’s such an interesting time period of History.

What We Received and How It Works:

This study was sent via my email with a download link that gave me access to all the files needed to use the program.  Once downloaded, I was able to open the file and find the start file which provides the specifics to using the study.  The introduction and all the linked files are set up in the start file.

Opening the start file, you will find information on how to use the study, tips to get through the program and additional materials and books you may need to complete your lessons.  Most of these items you will have on hand or be able to borrow from your local library or purchase at your local store.  I did have to purchase a folder to use for the passports but these were really inexpensive at Walmart.  You could also adapt and use card stock or a  file folder instead.

Ancient Egypt includes 25 stops or lessons that are intended to be taught over a period of 8-12 weeks depending on how you space it out.  The time frame is completely up to the parent/teacher and how the student learns.  You can choose a slower pace and expand your lessons very easily with books and extra internet research or you can work faster, using just the program and what’s included to quickly complete the program for a thorough study on Ancient Egypt.  It’s really all up to you.

We chose to take our time on this study because I really wanted to hit some key points for the younger kids and I wanted to reteach some areas of interest to the bigger kids that we didn’t cover with other lessons on Ancient Egypt.  My aim was for them to really take in the history and enjoy it over flying through the program.  In doing this, I was able to stop as needed and explore more on the history that truly interested us.

Each of the 25 stops covers an important part of Ancient History.  Each stop also has an interesting aspect to aid in teaching the topic.  Some stops have audio, some have stories, some have wonderful projects to complete such as the Sovenier Craft Card for Dress Like An Egyptian which has both a girl and boy version for fun.  The instructions to make these projects are all included and the materials needed are usually on hand as I mentioned previously.  Only one or two things will need to be purchased for completion of a project and many of these items can be worked around simply by using a different paper or material to complete it.

The Project Passports do include a timeline and figures for you to keep up with who is who in your lessons.  These timelines can be used for any parts of history and reviewed in other lessons or Project Passports.  They are a great addition for you and are really simple to put together.

Maps are also included in the Project Passport to help you and your students see exactly where History happened as you learn.  They too are simple and easy to use, can be printed for multiple use.  We like to laminate these when we finish them so we can go back to them again and again for future use. 

How Did We Like It:

Honestly, I absolutely loved our Ancient Egypt Project Passport from Home School In The Woods and so did our kids.  I like having all the activities in one place, easy to put to use.  I enjoyed having all the book suggestions to go on so I could easily pull out a story to build upon our lessons.  And the projects were so much fun to complete.

My kids looked forward to listening to the lessons provided in the program.  They really looked forward to the activities and enjoyed the hands-on learning experience they received while we worth through our Project Passport.  They have asked to complete more Project Passports on other subjects as well.  I’m thinking Ancient Greece will be next for us.

How We Used it:

The past few weeks have been pretty busy for us so I didn’t get to use this one as I had intended but I found it was easy to adapt for us.  We had planned to use our Project Passport more often but unexpected appointments caused us to slow our pace even more completing less of the program than I had hoped for our review.  We were still able to work through most of the stops each week, completing 1-2 stops per week.  My goal had been to complete 2-4 stops per week and more as we worked through the program.  I am still thrilled with our results though.  And as you see this program can easily be adjusted to work for you and your family as it has for ours.

To Purchase Your Own Product:

Home School In The Woods’ HISTORY Through The Ages Project Passport World History Study for Ancient Egypt for $33.95 for the download that I received.  You can also purchase a CD version for $34.95 plus shipping.  There are other Project Passports available for purchase as well at similar prices.

Where Else Can You Find Our Vendor:



Click Below To Find More Reviews Of This Vendor:
HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study Reviews

Disclaimer:

Crew Disclaimer

Verified by MonsterInsights