Schoolhouse review

We Choose Virtues {Crew Review}

June 12, 2014 by Dana

Over the past few years, I have heard the absolute BEST things about We Choose Virtues and have really been wanting to try this company and it’s products out. I was very excited to see it in our Schoolhouse Review Vendor list this year and knew it was going to be one I would sign up for. The product we were gifted for review are the We Choose Virtues NIV Parenting Cards, along with the We Choose Virtues Download Bundle which contained a ton of goodies for us to use with our cards. This set is designed to be used with children ages 3-11.

I was able to choose which version of the cards I wanted. The options were NIV and KJV. Normally, I would have gone for the KJV for myself but since I am using these for the kids, I chose the easier to understand NIV version. I’m not sure that would have made a difference in the cards since they are written for children regardless but in my head it made sense at the time of choosing.

Shipping on this product was really quick and we were able to get started right away. I chose to use a few cards each week as we discussed these Virtues. I usually picked whatever card seemed to fit our days at the time. The card I started with was Obedient, since we all seem to struggle with following direction without complaint or argument.

In the corner of each card, it begins with I am within a bright yellow circle. Then comes the word for the Virtue in large font across the card itself. An adorable child representing the virtue is presented below this word on the right each time so you can clearly see how they fit to the lesson of the virtue itself. Next comes a phrase to make the child think that is catchy in order to stick well into the memory to be repeated later on. Then there is a smaller bit of info on the subject to help explain it further, followed by the biblical scripture that it relates to below that.

On the back of each card, you find the Virtue User Challenge. Each of these is different and should be completed together, yet individually within the family. It’s like a family pact to make this virtue top priority for the length of it’s lesson.

Underneath the Virtue User Challenge, the virtue itself is featured and described so that it’s easy to discuss with the family. And beneath that, is an box that tells What to say after “I’m Sorry”. This section was my absolute favorite as I’m never sure how to explain this to my children and they are never certain what they are really expected to say. Please, forgive me for _______ has become a blessing to our family and our daily expression of love, gratitude and simple forgiveness.

On the right half of the cards, you find the Teachable moments for families section, in which the virtues are further explained by examples from others lives. These really get you thinking and sharing with one another. This particular section led us to great conversations that we were otherwise missing in our day to day life.

Below the Teachable Moments section, The Kids of VirtueVille are featured, explaining who the adorable child representing that virtue is and what they are all about. These little descriptions are adorable and really help children relate to the purpose of the virtue. Each one has their own quirky personality that my children were really able to see bits and pieces of in themselves.

Each of these awesome cards ends with What is that… do you think? What a topic starter! My children always had some thought provoking answer following this one great question each time we went over one of the 12 cards. There’s also a basic parent card with the set that tells you about the concept of the We Choose Virtues Parenting Cards and how to use them.

In the We Choose Virtues download bundle, there is a Teacher’s Handbook which further explains how to use the We Choose Virtues Parenting Cards and other parts of this wonderful program. This colorful PDF file breaks it all down for you so that you can better teach the Virtues to your children in a classroom or personal setting. Ideas and instructions for each tool of We Choose Virtues can be found in this wonderful document and implemented as you see fit.

A PDF of We Choose Virtues Sing Along is also provided in this file. This is a black and white printable file containing a little song to sing for each virtue being taught. I chose to print these off with each lesson and post them where the kids could see and sing them throughout the process of this review. The kids loved them!

Another provision in this file is the We Choose Virtues Family Assessment. I printed this right away and filled it out. What a great way to see where our family needed improvement so we could start with the Virtues we needed to cover the most right away! I was really impressed with this document and it’s help in planning for our use of this program. We completed an assessment for each member of our family, compared them and helped each other as we worked on these virtues together.

The Kids of Virtue Coloring Book was also a ton of fun! I printed copies of this book out for each of the kids to use and they enjoyed coloring in the Kids of VirtueVille as we talked about the corresponding cards each week. I think this one was Laycie’s favorite part.

The PDF file also contained a Butterfly Award to download. This printable is designed to help encourage children to follow the lessons they learn through the We Choose Virtues program. These can be awarded throughout the program as the child learns the importance of each virtue and blossoms into a better person.

The entire set of items works beautiful together to create a program that promotes the Virtues that children need to learn in this day and age to be better people. We absolutely LOVE We Choose Virtues and look forward to using more of their products in the future.

We Choose Virtues NIV Parenting Cards are available for purchase for $38.49. There are a total of 13 double sided cards measuring 8.5″x 5.5″ on heavy cardstock. These are full color cards.

The We Choose Virtues Download Bundle includes the Teacher’s Handbook for the program, the Family Character Assessment, Coloring Pages, Butterfly Award and Sing-Along-Song Sheets for $7.99. These come in a PDF file download.

You can also find We Choose Virtues in the following places online:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/wechoosevirtues

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/WeChooseVirtues/

Blog — https://www.wechoosevirtuesblog.com/

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French Essentials {Crew Review}

November 13, 2013 by Dana

Looking for a quality French program to use at home? Need something simple but thorough to teach French to your children? Planning a trip to France and need to learn the language? Look no further than French Essentials.

French Essentials was created to be an adaptable French language program. Designed to be used with children in grades 2 and up, this program is perfect for everyone! French Essentials is a complete French program that is easy to use.

The website states that if a student completes one module per year beginning in Grade 3, they will complete the course during their senior year. So as you can tell, this program is extremely adaptable and lessons can be completed as needed by you and your child. Lessons for younger students will, of course, take more time than those for older students and younger students will require more parental assistance than the older students will need.

French Essentials is designed to be used both on and off line with students. Modules are expected to be downloaded to print off the worksheets necessary for the lessons. There are currently 5 modules. Module 1 contains 20 lessons, the student workbook, keys and a module checklist. Module 2 contains 25 lessons, workbook, keys and checklist as well. Module 3 contains 15 lessons along with the workbook, keys and checklist. Module 3 also includes a Pronunciation Workout as well. Module 4 contains 16 lessons, the student workbook, keys, checklist, Pronunciation Workout and also includes Video Scripts to use. Module 5 contains 15 lessons. The first 5 lessons contain the lesson workbook and key to use while learning.

The lessons begin with the pronunciation of the French Alphabet and moves forward from there. Lessons are thorough but not too intense, packing just the right amount of learning within them. Each lesson contains several exercises to complete and can be done in a day or more as needed. They are completely adjustable to your personal schedule.

Each module includes links to everything that is needed within the lesson. So sounds play right as you need them within the program simply by clicking on the microphones to activate them. The sound bites are created by French speakers so the correct pronunciation is best learned. Online exercises can also be reached by logging into your account online to connect to the necessary module per lesson.

There are also links to learn about the French culture included with the lesson plan. These are available by clicking on “culture” in the Student Area. These extra little tidbits bring to life the lessons you are learning as your work through the program. They are a fun bonus to help your child better connect with the French culture.

We were able to fit this program in as needed during our days. When we found an extra moment, we worked on a module. Since the modules were printable, I simply printed out what I needed to and use the kids computers to complete the sounds and videos that went along with the lessons. All three children worked together on these lessons with ease. This was a refresher course for me as I took two years of French Foreign Language as a course in High School but I desperately needed the brush up!

French Essentials can be purchased in individual modules or as a full set, your choice. Each individual module costs $69.95 and each purchase is available for 90 days. The French Essentials full package for the year can be purchased for $149.95. This includes the lesson downloads, sound bites and videos used during the lessons.

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God’s World News: God’s Big World {Crew Review}

October 21, 2013 by Dana

Have you been looking for a way to teach World News in your home? How about a way to teach Current Events? Would you like a Christian perspective to help teach these subjects? God’s World News is a great source for all of these things.

World News Group, the company that publishes God’s World News, has been around for over thirty years. This wonderful company provides the news from a Christian perspective for children and adults of all ages. For our review, we were given a free subscription to God’s Big World, a magazine for children who are in grade Pre-K to Kindergarten.

I chose this subscription particularly for Laycie, who I knew would enjoy having something just for her coming in the mail. I also knew she would enjoy learning about Earth’s creatures, how the world works, simple current events and much more through this magazine. Not only was Laycie able to learn so much, her brother and sister, who are ages 10 and 12, also enjoyed looking through the magazines and reading them to her. This subscription is perfect in so many ways for our entire family!

The magazines are short. The months that I received for review contained around 25 pages each, give or take. The paper is like newspaper print but full of color. The images are crisp and clear and the writing is simple yet jam-packed with so much information! Each time the kids would read through, it seems they would learn something new which is very important to me and something I look for in every magazine subscription we use.

Each article is fairly short and not overwhelming for Laycie at age 5. Topics vary throughout the magazine and coincide with events and seasons for the time of year. Since God’s Big World shares articles covering the entire world, these topics provided lessons for other countries that we may have otherwise missed.

We were sent a large map to go along with our magazines. This map is titled Map-It in the News and allows Laycie and the big kids to follow along and “see” where things are happening in the world. We can write on the map or pin it, or put on stickers we obtain as it is ours to keep to help support the stories we read in the magazine. I thought this was a great bonus to the lessons provide and if you can have the map laminated, it would probably be a wonderful tool for years to come.

We were also given access to the World News website online with our subscription. Here you can view back issues of the magazine, as well as current events happening in the world daily. Provided online is also a digital version of the print Map-It in the News map.

There are also lessons online that can be completed. The lessons include a story, a comparison of the bible into life and a quiz to see what the child has learned. This is a great way to further lessons learned from the actual print magazine.

There are also biographies provided which go along with sections from the magazines and help to expand those lessons. The biographies discuss important persons from around the world. There are quizzes listed at the end of these online articles as well.

You can also download PDF files of the magazines to view straight on the computer. The PDF copies contain the same information as the print copies and is a great digital way to keep up with the lessons. You can use these if something happens to your print copy or if you have another child who’d like to read the stories but can’t because a sibling doesn’t want to share. I found this to be a great extra.

God’s World News and God’s Big World has been such a blessing for us! We have really enjoyed reading the articles. I loved the photos shared in the article on the Civil War in the August edition and both Emma and Laycie enjoyed the one about Wild Ponies in the September edition of our subscription. There were so many more that we also enjoyed looking at, reading together and sharing in what we read and learned.

I allowed each of the kids to take one magazine to look over, then switch. I let them read at will and peruse the images and articles. I allowed them to discuss them with one another. We also looked over and discussed them together. Even though these articles are relatively short, they pack a lot of learning into each section and page which provided so much knowledge for my children. We really enjoyed that.

You can order a subscription to God’s World News by visiting their website. God’s Big World is written for young children in grade Pre-K through Kindergarten. It is available for $28 for a Home subscription but can also be ordered for a group or a school. This includes 10 full-color issues for the year, a weekly email and access to the children’s website.

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The Presidential Game {Crew Review}

September 25, 2013 by Dana

Democrat or Republican: You decide who you choose to play as in The Presidential Game: The Most Powerful Game in the World! In this fun board game, students learn how voting actually works. They must work to prove they are the best candidate for the country and earn their votes.

Through either campaigning or fundraising in each state, the team who reaches at least 270 out of 538 Electoral votes wins the game! The Republican team is represented by Red, while the Democrats are represented in Blue. Each team is given 150 chips each and 3 die for gameplay. The team must roll the die to be able to choose whether they campaign or fundraise and in which states they will run! The goal is to earn as many votes for that state as possible so that the team can claim the state at and it’s votes at the end of the game.

The Presidential Game was created to help students better understand the voting process for electing our largest government official, the American President. The game’s board is made up of a map of the United States on a dark blue background. President Washington’s face graces the states that have the largest amount of Electoral votes available. The gameboard opens to a large surface but folds down for convenient storage into a quarter of the unfolded size. There are also tally cards inside the box, to help keep up with the game’s score or you can keep up with the score online using the included access to the online WebMap. The WebMap is simply a fun addition to add to the gameplay.

We played this game a few times and it was interesting to try out. The kids had never considered the election process before, so it was something I had to explain to them before we began to play. They caught on quick, each taking opposite sides. Emma the democrat and Winston the Republican. Republicans won many of the rounds we played. The game itself can vary in time. It usually took us around an hour to play. I now catch the kids playing this game, just for fun to see who will win!

The Presidential Game: The Most Powerful Game in the World is available for purchase for $35.00, plus shipping. It is designed to be used with students ages 11 and up but my 10 year old was able to play it very well.

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People Keys: Student Binder {Crew Review}

September 16, 2013 by Dana

If you’ve read the title of this post, then you are probably wondering just what are PeopleKeys? PeopleKeys is a program that has been created to help unlock the potential of every human being who uses it. Through a series of booklets, PeopleKeys helps you better understand you.

Designed to be used individually, by an employer, or a school system, PeopleKeys provides a thorough program for discovering how you work and who you are as an individual. This allows you and your employer to figure out if a career is right for you. This also allows you to find a career that truly fits who you are!

With PeopleKeys, you can learn more about a particular DISC style through the purchase of individual booklets or through the StudentKeys Student Binder. The StudentKeys Student Binder provides a complete study of your DISC style and how these work for you, personally. Using the StudentKeys Student Binder provides a full report to help you better yourself.

DISC stands for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientious. Dominance shows how headstrong, stubborn and productive you are. Influence focuses upon how talkative, excited and how much of a charmer you may be. Steadiness helps you discover how dependable you are, how well you listen and how loyal you can be. Conscientious helps you find out how organized and detailed you really are. Together these four things help you find just how well you really work.

Learning how DISC works, helps you make it work better for you! You can learn to strengthen individual skills and build upon weaknesses in yourself. You can learn to set goals that help you to work towards a better you. You can find out what best motivates you. You can cultivate your strengths and weaknesses to work best for your life.

I must admit, this is not my first time seeing or using PeopleKeys. This program was first introduced to me when I was in High School through our Guidance Counselor. It was provided to help prepare our student body for better careers and to help us better understand ourselves individually. I found it very helpful at the time, though I do remember wondering why in the world I needed to know these things about myself. From what I remember, not a lot has changed since High School as far as my results go. I didn’t find that at all surprising.

Through the 6 booklets inside the PeopleKeys StudentKeys Student Binder, I have discovered that my behavioral style is a DI. My skills focus on Dominance and Influence in style. I am a good problem solver, have a strong ego, and motivate others but I am also short tempered, argumentative, and I like to overstep authority. All of those things are very true about myself. I am also very persuasive and optimistic, talkative, trusting and emotional but I’m not organized and I am inattentive to details. All very accurate for me.

I prefer to do things the quick and fun way!

I was a bit thrown off by my learning style results. I’ve always considered myself to be visual in learning. I prefer to see things over hearing them, though I like to combine the two. According to my results from the booklet though, I am a Kinesthetic, hands-on learner. I learn better when I can actively do something and feel it as I process it.

Learning this, I have to say I agree. I feel best about myself when I see the results of a project finished. Like with organizing my home, I don’t feel accomplished and I am not able to imagine a finished area until I actually jump in, get to work, and see the finished results for myself. It’s the same in homeschooling my children. I enjoy working through our projects together, digging in and completing something over simply reading it and imagining the result. I really think my children take after me in this or maybe my motivational skills simply help them to jump in and follow along!

Through the Cognitive Thinking workbook, I discovered that I am a Literal Thinker. I’m a dedicated worker, genuine, traditional and steady. I disagree with organized part but truly, for the most part, I am very organized though I rarely put it into action. I see bits and pieces of the other thinking in myself and that’s ok because those things are what make me the individual that I am.

As a Literal Thinker, I view things literally and take them at their worth, no more and no less. I look at things as being useful or not. I prefer rewards I know exist such as new dry erase markers for organizing the room the board is in or a new laminator for completing printables that are needed for school. I also prefer to have a dinner out after a long week, as a reward for cooking and being Mom all week.

In the Value Style workbook, I learned that I am a Loyal person. I like to work towards the greater good. I don’t like to lose the respect of others. I try to correct situations that others have failed in. I expect the same amount of loyalty to be given to me in return as I give. I prefer to work in a non-dramatic, cooperative group setting. I am also extremely protective of my personal life and my individual beliefs. I believe these things work greatly in my favor as a person.

For occupational style, I found myself to be influencing by the results of the test. I am creative and inspiring. I’m also a very verbal person who enjoys being encouraging. I like to help solve conflict, though I often find myself in the midst of it unexpectedly.

My favorite workbook and the one I probably needed the most from this binder, is the Goal Setting workbook. Throughout high school, I was taught how to plan and set goals for myself but since I’ve been out of school, this has been a real struggle for me. I become overwhelmed with setting goals and lax in making them happen. I become disappointed when goals that are set are not reached within a certain amount of time and I cannot see tangible results in my work towards them. I give up quickly.

Through the Goal Setting workbook, I was reminded of tips and tricks to make goal setting work for me. I was reminded of how to set goals, update and revise them, prioritize my goals, allow time for their completion and measure my progress accordingly. I believe this is a booklet we could all benefit from, unless, of course, you are a super goal setter!

Through the Goal Setting workbook, I was able to set some individual goals for myself for personal reasons, homeschooling and leisure. I will now be able to break these goals down into smaller portions so that I can easily complete them following a plan that works for me. I also know how to reevaluate and adjust my goals as I work towards them, giving more time as needed or putting a boot in my butt to get moving if necessary.

Through the PeopleKeys StudentKeys Student Binder, I have learned so much about myself as an individual. Some of it was a reminder of things I already knew from using this program before but it was definitely a reminder that I needed for myself. The StudentKeys Student Binder has been helpful in allowing me to rediscover a me that had somehow gotten lost in the shuffle of life along the way. It is something I plan to return to in the future and also use with each of my children to help them learn who they are and develop a better understanding of how they work best as an individual.

The StudentKeys Student Binder is available from PeopleKeys for $49 and is well worth the investment. This binder can be used with children or adults. I recommend this binder for middle school age and up, though there is also a Children’s profile available through PeopleKeys for younger students. I personally used this binder for myself only at this time.

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Greene Bark Press {Crew Review}

September 6, 2013 by Dana

Greene Bark Press, Inc. specializes in original books that expand the imaginations of young readers. They believe that in this digital age, it’s still important to provide children with solid, colorful books that allow children to grow and learn. They believe books should capture a child’s attention.

Look Left, Look Right, Look Left Again features the adorable Wally Waddlewater. Wally wants to find a mailbox to send a birthday card to his Grandmother. Through this book, Wally learns how to safely cross the road with rules.

This 26 page board book is full of color and detail. Designed for ages 3-8, the words found in the book are challenging for the age group and easy to follow along. The story itself teaches children the rules of street safety, showing them how to safely cross the road. It also teaches safety in crossing train tracks and other important outdoor areas.

This was a wonderful book. I wanted it specifically to share with Laycie since, out here in the boondocks, we don’t have many roads for her to cross. Street safety is something she really needed to learn since she can be very impulsive and what better way to learn than with this adorable book about one of her favorite animals: a duck! She absolutely loved Wally Waddlewater and now she knows how to safely cross both the road, the parking lot and the train track.

We were able to practice the lesson we learned in this book by crossing our driveway. We made sure to Look Left, Look Right, Look Left Again as we did it, just like Wally Waddlewater did in the pages of the book! She loved being able to reenact the story in this way and verified she had learned the lesson provided in the book.

Look Left, Look Right, Look Left Again is available from Greene Bark Press, Inc for $8.50 plus shipping. It is a boardbook written by Ginger Pate.

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