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Let’s Learn About The States with Make-A-State {Crew Review}

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For the second time this year, we were offered to review an item from Home School In The Woods.   The products this company produces are just amazing.  They go above and beyond to provide some of the best studies they can put together for families like ours.
For this review, we were given a full download of their Make-A-State Activity from the HISTORY Through The Ages: Hands-On History Activity-Paks series.  This pak is awesome, y’all.  It’s a complete course that can be used with any state you choose!  All in one place for you to use.
The Make-A-State Activity pak is set up with a start page, like all the programs we have reviewed from Home School In The Woods.  This page takes you through the ins and outs of the program, like a walk-through, making it easy for you to maneuver through the course.  It’s so simple and easy to use.
As with their other programs, you read the introduction first which tells you all about the activity-pak you are using.  From there, you’ll read the project instructions which explain how to put the project together.  Then you’ll follow this with your Lap Book Assembly which instructs how to put together the lap books used with the program.
The awesome thing about the Make-A-State Activity Pak is that it provides information on every state in the United States of America.  So this activity pak works for ALL the US states, not just one.  There is key information provided for each and every state in America.
The pak includes Key State Facts, the State name, each state’s motto, the state symbols, state songs, information on industry, agriculture, and climate, wildlife information, and geography as well.  It also includes information about the governments of each state, each states seal and flag, the state quarter, their native tribes, sports, landmarks and famous people as well.  History, vocabulary, a timeline are all covered and even a recipe for each state is included within these set.   There’s also a state page.  And finally the pak includes a gameboard and gamecards for a fun addition to learning about the states.
This program is packed full of information to learn about every state you’ve ever wanted to and it’s easily all in one place.  The activities are easy to put together and fun to complete.  The lap books keep lessons fun and not boring, exciting for any age putting this to use.
How We Used It:
This was easy to use with all the kids because it provides activities and information in one place.  If something was a little hard for the younger ones, my older kids helped them work through it or they wrote it out for them.  This can be used with a variety of ages: we used it with ages 4, 9, 14, and 16.  The kids learned a great deal through using the pak together.
Where You Can Get It:
You can grab your own Make-A-State Activity Pak from Home School In The Woods for $18.95 as a download or for $19.95 for the CD version. This is a great asset for anyone wanting to learn about the states and a great way to do it!
There are lots of other products available at Home School In The Woods as well.  They have a full line of HISTORY Through The Ages: Hands-On History Activity-Paks which the Make-A-State Activity is a part of.  These awesome paks cover composers, artists, the new testament and the old testament.  All great subjects to learn about!
There is also the HISTORY Through The Ages: Time Travelers American History Studies.  These awesome activity paks cover New World Explorers, Colonial Life, The American Revolution, The Early 19th Century, The Civil War, The Industrial Revolution through the Great Depression and World War II.  These are great studies of each subject for your home school.
Additionally, there are the HISTORY Through The Ages: Hands-On History Lap-Paks which cover different studies for different grade levels and is being added on to often as each new study is completed.  Subjects currently available for grades 3-8 are US Elections, The 20th Century in America, and Wonders of the World.  For Grades K-2 there are Benjamin Franklin and Knights available.
And now available, brand new are A-La-Carte Projects which are single projects for you to use in your home school or summer program.
Any of these studies would be an amazing addition to your home school year!
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    Lightning Literature {Crew Review}

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    I’ve been looking for a good program to use for Literature with Laycie for a little while now but hadn’t been able to find anything.  Homeschool Review Crew to the rescue!  They had the perfect program at the perfect time.
    I had heard of Lightning Literature from Hewitt Homeschooling over the years and always been told that it was a great program to use for literature and composition.  I wasn’t aware just how great a program this product is though.  For our review, we were sent the Grade 1 Lightning Lit Set.
    The Grade 1 Lightning Lit Set includes the Teacher’s Guide by Elizabeth Kamath and the Student Workbook also by Elizabeth Kamath.  Additional children’s books are needed for the course but these are easily obtained through your local library or through a local book retailer or even online.
    I chose this level to use with Laycie since we are just moving forward into literature and this is the first time of us using a literature program with her.  I was looking for something more structured but not so rigid that it made learning stressful for her.  Lightning Literature surprisingly has been great for that.
    This program allows for the fact that some first graders won’t be able to read the work or books provided.  The goal is to provide a love of literature beginning at a young age.  The program allows the child to dictate their answers so that they can have help to complete the exercises.  The books used are classic children’s picture books with a few newer books also included to give a well-rounded example of good literature.
    Every day there are activities to complete for the specific book that you read for the week.  The first book is Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.  The activities change with the books.
    Of course, this is a basic 5 day a week lesson set up for the program.  The course teaches literature, grammar and mechanics and also composition.  There are included Reading Journal pages, Dictionary pages, and Alphabet and Sentence pages.  Aesop’s Fables are included on Day Four of this curriculum each week but these can be skipped if your child does not enjoy them.  There are also lesson extensions shared to expand on the weekly lessons.
    Break Down of Each Day’s Basic Set-Up
    On Day One of the lesson, you read the book and answer comprehension questions specific to the book being covered.  Grammar and Mechanics is covered with a quick multiple choice worksheet. Composition is covered as well on Day One.
    Day Two leaves you with the decision to read the book again but preferably to have your child narrate the story by telling what they remember of it back to you.  You can do this by looking at the book together and discussing it as you go.  This is a great way to encourage reading.
    Day Two’s workbook work covers Grammar and Mechanics by completing a worksheet specific to what the child is learning at the time through the course.  This develops as they work through the program and learn.  This day also includes the Reading Journal activity: the child can either write or dictate the sentences related to retelling the story.   This particular part of the program is scheduled early in the week but can be moved to later in the week if preferred.
    On Day Three, you and your child read the story again.  This day has more comprehension questions to help your child discover even more about the story they are learning about.  On this day, the dictionary pages are introduced for the week.  for these pages you can choose words from the story or you can choose words from daily life.  It’s up to you what words you chose for your student to learn. The longer sheets can be completed with assistance from the parent/teacher.
    Composition is worked on daily with planning and on Day Three the work is put onto paper as a rough draft.  This can also be done as dictation if needed.  Whatever your child is ready to do.
    Day Four introduces a new Aesop’s Fable each week.  The Dover edition of this book is used or you can use a free one found online.  These are random and shared for enjoyment of reading purposes mostly.  Grammar activity is done on this day in relation to what’s being learned for that week.  The composition final draft is also completed each week on Day Four.
    Day Five is a free day or a catch up day if needed.  It’s up to you how it’s used.  This day could also be a day used to expand the lesson.
    How We Used It:

    This program is just awesome!  I used it with Laycie but it also worked great with Jack too.  As I read they both listened.  Jackson wasn’t ready for the book work but because these books are common children’s books, I was able to find activities online to use with him outside of what the curriculum provided.
    The workbook provided just enough work for Laycie yet it wasn’t overwhelming.  This helped her writing skills and her storytelling and dictation skills as well.  We worked together to write answers both with dictation and working on her writing skills.
    We chose to read our story daily together.  We also chose to do the weekly Aesop’s Fables and found additional activities to do online for that as well.  It was great to have the workbook to follow and guide us in this curriculum.
    Where Can You Get Lightning Literature:
    You can find Lightning Literature in different levels at the Hewitt Homeschooling website.  The price for the Grade 1 Lightning Lit Set is $88.11.  The set includes the books mentioned above and Aesop’s Fables as well.
    Hewitt Homeschooling on Social Media:

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    Hewitt Homeschooling {Reviews}

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    A Planner for Home and School: Homeschool Planet {Crew Review}

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    I’m not a very organized person.  I can admit it.  I don’t do schedules well.  Not since I left that big old high school I used to attend.  I have a hard time keeping it together.  My kids do too.  So when Homeschool Buyers Co-op came up on the Vendors List, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to give their program, Homeschool Planet or the Lesson Plan Marketplace a try.  I talked it over with a friend and well here we are!
    Homeschool Planet is an online organizing program that keeps both your home and your homeschool in order.  It’s an all-in-one program that helps you stay on track, create a schedule that works for you and meet goals you make for your family through the year.
    The program is easy to use.  You sign up through the Homeschool Buyers Co-op website and then you can immediately get started.  Homeschool Buyers Co-op offers a one month free trial of the Homeschool Planet program available on the website as well.  This gives you a great way to see just how the program works and if it will work for you.
    Homeschool Buyers Co-op also offers many already designed Lesson Plans for some of the top curriculum available to homeschoolers today through their Lesson Plan Marketplace.  These plans vary in price, depending on the curriculum.  They do help make planning easy for you.
    I was able to grab two of the Lesson Plans from the Marketplace for our review.  One was a gift for a special that Homeschool Buyers Co-op was having. They often have great freebies available for those who use the website.  The other was a lesson plan specifically chosen for this review.  Both have been an awesome help in planning for our homeschool.
    The free lesson plan we received was for their Virtual Field Trips from Clickschooling lesson plan.  This plan lays out online and free field trips that you can do with your children.  This is just a fun way to expand learning outside of a day-trip and to learn a lot through researching online.  The lesson plan makes it easy though, providing links to everything you need to take the virtual field trip online.  It even includes activities that go along with the virtual field trip so that learning becomes fun!  We enjoyed this free lesson plan because it was different and exciting to use as an additional adventure in our homeschool.
    Our review lesson plan is which we were given to try out with Homeschool Planet was the Mystery of History Volume 1 Lesson Plan from Bright Ideas Press.  This lesson plans lays out the full program for Mystery of History Volume 1, making it easy for you to just put the curriculum into place in your homeschool.  You simply follow the prompts to add the lesson plan into Homeschool Planet so that you can use it daily via the schedule set by the lesson plan.  All the assignments are already scheduled for you and if you miss an assignment or a day on the schedule, you can simply move it forward to make it happen later.  It’s easy to shift the whole schedule forward with Homeschool Planet.
    Let’s Talk About Homeschool Planet:
    Homeschool Planet is a planner and a calendar all in one.  It allows you to schedule what you need to do for your home and your homeschool.  It allows you to create schedules for every person in your family, not just your students.  It helps keep you on track.
    The program is fully online but it can be printed as needed.  Printing allows you to place the schedule in a notebook or post it on the fridge so everyone can see what needs to be done.  You can also hand a copy to those teens who need a little extra prompting to get things done.
    When you sign up with Homeschool Planet and log-on, you will be prompted to set your classroom up with the individuals that you need to create scheduling for.  This is easy to do as it’s all simple fill-in the blanks information about you and your family.  Simply fill in as much as you can.  You can always come back later and add more.
    A feature I really like is that you can add photos for your individuals so that you can visually see who’s schedule is who’s.  These are shown on the left side of the page when you log-on so you can quickly click on a picture and go to that persons schedule to see just what they need to do that day.  This makes it easy for me when I’m tired and I’ve just woken up in the morning, eyes are still blurred and I’m having trouble seeing what’s what.  You know… before the tea kicks in.
    Centered on the page is the schedule.  You can click to see the calendar, the planner, resources or the lesson plans.  You can choose the date you wish to see for each.  There’s also a “today” button that you can press to easily get back to today when you are planning your schedule.  This is also where you personally type in the lesson plans you create yourself and important events that you need to schedule for each day.  You can choose to view this schedule in Day, Week or Month mode as well, and choose who’s schedule you are viewing.  You can choose multiple persons or just one person or all of the people in your list.
    In the right panel of the program, you’ll find a Weather app.  Input your zip code to see your local weather for the day.  Below this is the To-Do list for the day.  It shows mine but I can switch it to whoever else I need to in order to see what they need to get done.
    Under the To-Do List is a shopping list for things you need to purchase.  This can be school supplies or food or other items.  It’s convenient to have things in an organized place.
    The final widget I have is our reading list.  This helps keep up with what we are reading or have read.  It’s a great widget to use for keeping up with review items as well.
    There are other widgets you can choose.  There are daily quotes and Bible messages to inspire your day.  You can create the planner that works best for you by switching the widget apps to fit your day and lifestyle.
    How We Used This:
    So I’ve basically covered a lot about how we’ve used this program. There’s a lot more to it but these are the basics.  The program is pretty simplified design wise so that it’s easily used and not overwhelming to create a schedule that fits your life.
    I’ve only been using this program a few weeks so I’m really still trying to get a feel for it.  I have used other online planners in the past and not liked them but this one is different.  It has a lot more to offer for planning and helps you create a schedule that fits.  I’m still learning all the little ins and outs of the program and finding a set up I like as far as widgets go and making the plans work for us.

    Where to Get It:

    Homeschool Planet is available through Homeschool Buyers Co-op for free for 30 days and for purchase once your free trial has ended.  Lesson Plan Marketplace has compatible lesson plans available for various curriculum at varied prices.  For the month of June, you can get a free lesson plan of your choice from the Lesson Plan Marketplace with your subscription to Homeschool Planet.  You only have until the end of June to get this amazing bonus! Homeschool Buyers Co-op is free to join and offers many great deals throughout the year.
    Social Media:

    Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/homeschoolbuyers    Tag:   @homeschoolbuyers   

    Twitter:  https://twitter.com/hsbuyerscoop/    Tag:   @hsbuyerscoop   

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    Homeschool Planet {Homeschool Buyers Co-op Reviews}


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    Rush, Rush, Rushing To History {Crew Review}

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    “Rush, rush, rushing to history!”  Have you been looking for an interesting way to teach American History to your child?  Have you wished for a story that was both captivating and accurate to help build your child’s love of history?  The Adventures of Rush Revere #1 New York Times Bestselling Book Series by Rush and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh is a series created just for you!  The Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series is amazingly fun to read.

    Y’all, can I just be honest a minute?  I took a look at these books before and thought Rush Limbaugh wrote these, I’m not sure I really want to read that.  Judgmental I know!  But seriously, I have been AMAZED by the quality and accuracy of these books!  And, oh wow, how he and Kathryn bring History to life through these fun stories!  Once we started reading, we had a hard time putting them down!

    At this point, there are 5 books in the series.  They came adorably bundled and tied with a blue Rush Revere Ribbon just like old fashioned school books.  I hated to untie them but I really wanted to read the stories!  And the books themselves are GORGEOUS!  All hardbacks with eye catching dust covers.

    Each book discusses a different topic in history, teaching you important aspects of the time period.  Rush Limbaugh himself morphs into the character of Rush Revere to take you on these time hopping adventures along with his trusty steed Liberty.  What would a Revere be without Liberty by his side??

    The first book is Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims.  In this story, you meet Rush and his horse Liberty.  Rush is a history buff and teacher in today’s world.  He and Liberty have managed to find a way to time travel through history, seeing first hand what happens in the past.  Rush projects these experiences through technology back into his classroom where his students follow along.

    In Rush Revere and The Brave Pilgrims, you learn about Pilgrims like William Bradford and his family.  You are taught what type of clothing these people really wore and what their personal experiences were.  Rush teaches us the fine details as well as the ones we already know, or think we know.

    The books are packed full of images too that go along with the stories.  Pictures of the pilgrims, the ships, the land when they arrive in the new world, and so much more.  He brings the experiences to life in each and every book.  This additional touch makes learning even more fun.

    Book 2 is Rush Revere and the First Patriots.  In this book, we learn what freedom means and why the colonists wanted to break free from English rule.  We learn about taxes and the cost to the people.  We learn about Treason and the real american fight for freedom.

    Book 3 is Rush Revere and the American Revolution.  This book brings to life the fight for freedom, sharing with readers the whys and hows of the American Revolution.  In this book, we meet George Washington and others like him who fought to break free from England and create a new government for us all.

    Book 4 is Rush Revere and the Star-Spangled Banner.  This book teaches the principles of Freedom and the meanings behind some of our most important American elements like our national monuments, American symbols and even our nations anthem.  Each topic is touched on and taught with the imaginative story Rush provides.

    Book 5 is Rush Revere and the Presidency.  In this book, we learn how George Washington became our first American President and what he went through during this stage of life.  We learn about elections.  We learn about the Presidential Oath and the meaning behind it.  We meet Thomas Jefferson and learn how he helps to build a stronger nation alongside President Washington and others of the time.

    These 5 books provide a wonderful introduction into Early American History that is unlike any other that I have found.  It’s interesting to see history come to life with Rush’s help and to learn details that other curriculum have not touched upon.  So much history has been left out of past texts and Rush and Kathryn really step up to make sure that history isn’t lost.

    Additionally, on the Rush Revere website there are downloadable study guides and activities which can be used along with these already amazing books.  They provide questions which help to expand the already extensive information provided in the books themselves.  These are a wonderful addition to the lessons and a great way to show what your child is learning from reading these wonderful stories.


    How We Used The Rush Revere Book Series:

    We read this series as a read-aloud together as a family.  It took several days to read each book because we were reading out loud.  All of us enjoyed these stories from Jackson who is 4, Winston my 16 year old and even Dad at 47.  The stories were really interesting and captivating.  Honestly, they were a joy to read!


    Where Can You Buy the Rush Revere Book Series:

    These books are available through most nationwide retailers for around $12.59.  Each book is different but part of the Rush Revere Book Series.

    Social Media:


    Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rushrevere    Tag:   @rushrevere   
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    Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series {Reviews}

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      Apologia: Internship for High School Credit {Crew Review}

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      Those of you who know me well know my great love for all things Apologia Educational Ministries.  My relationship with them began at our first Homeschooling introductory gathering when the head of the association we were considering mentioned their wonderful science curriculum.  Apologia has come a long way since then and we’ve enjoyed many of their curriculum products along the way, including our recent addition: Internship for High School Credit.
      Apologia’s Internship for High School Credit is a great workbook to help parent’s and teens alike create a plan for creating an Internship to gain High School Credit for their High School years.
      What is an internship you ask?  It’s when a student works alongside someone who already has experience in a field that they wish to learn more about.  Internships can be created for any job so that the student can see what is required for the career and they can see if it’s a good fit for their life.
      Internships have been around as long as their have been people.  In the 1500’s most people learned their trade by completing apprenticeships, which is similar to what a student does in an internship.  An internship lasts for a short period of time, just long enough to really give the student a feel for the career that interests them before they commit to the program in college or jump into the career otherwise.
      Internships gives students a chance to explore a career, to learn the day-to-day responsibilities of that career, and to gain experience related to their career goals.  Having early experience in a career through an internship helps students gain marketable skills as well as increase their future potential job offers for the career of their choice.
      How You Use This Workbook:
      The first section of this workbook explains what an internship is.  The next section helps the student decide what kind of internship will be good for them.  Applicable laws are also considered in the content of the book for planning what can legally be provided and covered during an internship.
      The last part of this workbook includes worksheets for you to plan the internship as well as complete it.  There are weekly worksheets to complete to show what your student is learning from their internships.  This allow you to show how the internship is working for your student as well as provide written proof of the internships completion for credit later when needed.  This is a great way to keep all your information in one place for record keeping.
      The booklet is around 100 pages in length and provides everything needed to create an internship.  This is not a program just for homeschoolers but can be used by Public school students as well.  It includes a note for Guidance Counselors in the back along with an example formal letter for obtaining an internship.
      Overall this is a great resource for any family interested in creating an internship for your high school aged student.  Internship for High School Credit is available for $33 from Apologia.  The Crew also reviewed How To Homeschool with Stunning Confidence, Contagious Joy and Amazing Focus (DVD and Coursebook)



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      Whistlefritz: Educator’s Spanish Collection {Crew Review}

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      Ever since I first saw an advertisement for Whistlefritz I have wanted to give their products a try.  I was so excited to see them on our Crew Vendor List this year and could hardly wait to apply for this review.  I was so happy when we were selected to give their Educator’s Spanish Collection a try!
      What We Recieved:
      We were sent the complete Educator’s Spanish Collection from Whistlefritz.  This package costs $165.  It was created to be used with children in the Early Education years. 
      The package includes:
      Whistlefritz Spanish Lesson Plans for Kids – Pre-K/Early Elementary (40 Lessons)
      Whistlefritz Spanish Matching Cards
      Whistefritz Ultimate Collection: Spanish For Kids (Ages 1-7) 5 DVDs and 3CDs set
      How It’s Used:
      Whistlefritz is a fun program to use for learning Spanish in the early years.  The fun DVD’s keep your child entertained as they learn basic Spanish words.  The adorably entertaining characters keep your child engaged in the program as they learn.  The games also help to keep the child interested and engaged when learning new Spanish words and comprehension of these new words.  
      Another fun aspect is that the program includes live, native speaking adults and children.  This helps children with annunciation of the words they are learning.  Plus children love seeing other children using the language they are learning!
      It’s never too early to introduce your child to a second language.  Whistleftitz provides all the things you need to make this happen in your home with ease.  This is a complete program that is fun to use.
      How We Used It:
      First we began by watching the DVD videos and following along.  My kids love entertaining DVD’s that teach them fun things.  They were immediately intrigued by the adorable characters teaching them this new language.  
      Don’s grandmother is Spanish so the kids were even more excited to learn a language related to their family.  Anything related to their ancestry is exciting to us as a family.  So this was another complete bonus for us all.
      Jackson, in particular, loved the flashcards.  Even though this is a game, he really wouldn’t let us use it as such.  He’s a big card collector so these were added into his stash.  Emmalee and I would talk with him and Laycie about the words on the cards.  He really enjoys the Fox that is on them in different poses, teaching him the new words.
      I liked the Spanish Lesson Plans for Kids workbook.  It was easy to use.  The lessons are not hard and are easy to adapt as needed.  The games are fun and help the kids better understand what they were learning from the videos.  I look forward to working with this more throughout the year. 
      Emma enjoyed the CDs. She likes to listen to learn.  Even though she’s older, she enjoyed learning the pronunciation of new Spanish words with these CD’s.  They didn’t bore her like other Spanish programs have in the past.
      Where Can You Buy Whistlefritz:
      Whistlefritz is available online.  They offer the Educator’s Spanish Collection and the Educator’s French Collection, as well.  
      Whistlefritz in Social Media:

      Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/whistlefritz  Tag:   @whistlefritz   

      Twitter: https://twitter.com/whistlefritz    Tag:   @Whistlefritz  





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