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Rosie’s Doll Clothes Patterns {Crew Review}

November 1, 2013 by Dana

I believe sewing is a very important skill that children should learn. My own mother was a seamstress and taught me to sew by hand from a very young age. My children have watched and helped her with small sewing tasks from young ages. So I knew that Rosie’s Doll Clothes Patterns would definitely be a program that my children would enjoy using.

I’ll be honest, I kind of handed this one off to Emma and my Mom to work on. I read through the program, set up the lessons, printed off the patterns, set up the videos for Emma and Mom to view and discuss them together, then allowed them to work their magic. It was an amazing bonding experience for Emma, learning a skill from her Grandmother that she will use for the rest of her life.

The Learn How to Make Doll Clothes Video Course begins from the very beginning and basics of sewing, providing over 130 videos to introduce every little thing one needs to know about when it comes to sewing equipment and basics. Needles, thread, the machine itself, patterns, cloth and so much more are discussed within the video course. And that’s all outside of the patterns themselves.

This course is designed to last 6 weeks but could last longer or take less time depending on how well your child works. Experience is not necessary, as Mom can learn right alongside of their daughter. The course truly teaches you step-by-step, everything that you need to know.

The course that we used teaches Emma to make doll clothes to fit her 18 inch American Girl style doll. This was perfect since her Aunt had given both my daughters dolls in this size for Christmas last year. Emma was very excited to be able to learn to make clothes to fit for both dolls. There are also patterns available for Cabbage Patch dolls which we are planning to look into. They are reasonably priced for purchase, giving Emma more sewing to accomplish.

I must admit, Emma was impressed by the name Rosie’s Doll Clothes Patterns right away. Rosie is what she named all of her dolls and pets from the time she was age 4 to 9. Needless to say, she was intrigued to find out what she’d be able to learn through Rosie’s lessons. She and Grandma got started on this review right away and it was challenging but fun for them both. The clothes were just the right size to sew. A Barbie pattern would have been too tiny and overwhelming, while a child’s size would have been too large for her to manage.

Since I had set up the program, all Emma and Grandma needed to do was log into the website, watch the videos, which Emma was able to do while Grandma supervised and did other things. Emma would review what she learned with her but most of those parts of the lesson were completed by Emma alone.

Grandma also helped Emma with setting up her machine, teaching her the hands-on parts of sewing after Emma finished her videos. She visually pointed out the parts of the machine, as well as showing her how the tension worked and the foot peddle ran the needle.

Grandma also helped Emma to cut out her patterns, lay them out on the material, learn to mark them with chalk, then cut out the material so she could sew them together. She assisted Emma in learning to line up her sewing, placing the edge under the needle foot and applying pressure to the foot peddle to sew her patterns together. Emma has learned so much from this program and it’s truly a joy to see the together time she is spending with her Grandma.

The patterns were easy to download and print out. Just make sure your printer is not set to “fit to page” when printing so the dimensions are correct once you cut the patterns out. Material and pattern choice is completely up to you and needs to be purchased a head of time. Something we like to do is purchase skirts or shirts in large sizes that can be cut up and used with the patterns. This saves cost and re-uses things that would generally be thrown away.

Rosie’s Doll Clothing Patterns: Learn How to Make Doll Clothes Video Course is available for subscription purchase for $47.23 and is for children ages 8 and up. This includes 8 patterns for shorts, top, sarong, nightie, underpants, hat and even a Halloween costume. The live-stream videos for the program are also included for the subscription price.

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ChessHouse: Starter Chess Learning Kit {Crew Review}

October 16, 2013 by Dana

As soon as I saw ChessHouse.com on our vendor list, I knew this was going to be a great review for my family. I personally love to play Chess and my kids follow right along behind me. What could be more perfect for us than to be able to test out this product!

I wasn’t sure what we would receive, of course, until the Vendor form went up. I was so excited to find the product we would be receiving was the Starter Chess Learning Kit. This kit has everything one needs to begin learning about Chess.

It didn’t take long before our Starter Chess Learning Kit arrived. I immediately handed it over to my 12 year old son, because I knew this was going to be the review for him! He opened the box cautiously as he does everything and wasn’t at all sure what was inside. As soon as he unzipped the case though, he knew just what he had gotten and boy, was he thrilled!

We received a tan/green camo case. It’s soft and comes with a strap or handles for carrying. The color was perfect for Winston, who really loves hunting and first thought it was a case for his hunting gun. Inside the case are several zippered pouches, each containing the Chess pieces to use for play and instruction. They are black and ivory like most Chess sets. There is also a vinyl, roll-up Chess board. Winston LOVED that it rolls up so he can carry it with him to his Grandmother’s or his Aunt’s house, or wherever he’d like to play.

Of course, the set also comes with an instruction booklet and extra pouches are built into the case for holding the instructions. There is also room to hold lesson DVD’s which our set came with. We received a DVD copy of Elliott’s Chess School Pawn Level 1 with our kit.

Elliott’s Chess School Pawn Level 1 is amazing. The kids really enjoyed the simple but thorough instruction. Even Grandma said she learned from this easy to learn and listen video. It provides instruction on each of the Chess pieces, how to avoid mistakes and prepare for success in playing Chess, along with important game strategies.

Pawn Level is the beginner level of video instruction but there are additional levels available for purchase for more advanced players. Because the kids kids loved this instructional video so much, we will be purchasing more of these DVD’s to further our Chess education. The video series is appropriate for ages 4 and up. It is 49 minutes in length.

I cannot express how much we love ChessHouse.com or our Starter Chess Learning Kit! It’s been one of the biggest hits from our review items this year. All the kids have enjoyed it from my oldest to my youngest and as I mentioned above, even Grandma! It’s an educational tool that everyone can enjoy!

Everyone learned so much just by watching the lesson DVD and each additional time they watched, they were able to learn even more. The DVD has truly taught Winston so much about this game that he so truly loves to play. He’s even competition for me now! It’s wonderful.

You can purchase your own Starter Chess Learning Kit set for $39.95 plus shipping. Additional instructional DVD’s are also available. The Starter Chess Learning Kit comes with the Full portable Chess board with pieces and a DVD copy of Elliott’s Chess School Pawn Level 1.

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Keyboard Town Pals {Crew Review}

November 14, 2011 by Dana

Keyboard Town Pals is one of our absolute favorite reviews. Both my 10 and 8 year olds loved the PALS Learn To Type program. The program doesn’t take long to use but helps to greatly improve typing skills in a fun way.

Recommended for ages 6-12, Keyboard Town Pals Provides a wholesome, stress-free and self-motivated way to learn to type in just an hour at a time. No games, no tests just quick instruction through quick video instruction.

My two greatly enjoyed the simple, quick videos provided to excel in typing by Keyboard Town Pals. This is one review item we will be recommending and comtinuing to enjoy for a long time. You can find more reviews on the TOS Homeschool Crew.

Disclaimer – this review item was given free for use from Keyboard Town Pals and The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew.