Motherboard Books: A TOS Review

I was recently asked to review Let's Make a Web Page by Phyllis Wheeler of Motherboardbooks.com.  This is a little e-book aimed at 8-12 year old children who are interested in developing their own web page.  It's features, as listed on the site, include:
"- It's a 60-page e-book intended as a short-term homeschool project for kids 8 and up.
- Kids younger than 10 will need an adult alongside. No expertise required.
- Parents download a free trial version of CoffeeCup software.
- Software is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and later (not Mac).
- Instructions for the parent include Internet safety and uploading to the Internet.
- Tone encourages experimenting and creativity.
Price: $19.95"

My son was the lucky reviewer in this case as he is 9.  He had a lot of fun playing around with the Visual Site Designer that we had to download from CoffeeCup.  He is having so much fun designing his background and fonts and such that he hasn't finished his actual page at this point.  Personally, I don't think he'll finish as he is enjoying the process more than the finished product.

Personally, I didn't really care for the process as once he would try to advance to the next step, he'd have difficulty reopening the work he'd done.  I'm not sure if that is because of the software we downloaded or the programs on the computer, but the e-book unfortunately isn't a manual for those of us who aren't quite computer savvy (Me that is!)  I will agree with them and state that it's easier for the kids to navigate and figure things out than us who are slightly older, me, and have difficulty understanding tech terms.

The e-book itself is well written.  It lays out every step very well for the child to create the page by showing screen shots so they know they're in the right place in the directions.  That was really helpful when he was working through his page.

Disadvantages to me is that the software we need to download to use is only a free trial and once the time limit is up, you can't go and make changes to your web page, unless you purchase it.  The other is that I feel $19.95 for an e-book is on the high end for what it offers.

Now, just because I had difficulty navigating, don't let that put you off from trying it out for yourself!  Click here for other reviews to make a well-rounded and informed decision as I'm only one voice!  

Math Mammoth: A TOS Review

We were recently asked to review Math Mammoth's Light Blue Series.  For the review, we received a digital download of the product to use.  My son, Thomas, was the recipient for the review and we went through the grade 3 book.  

The pricing for the download version is as follows:

Full set grade 3: $34.00
(part A and B worktexts, answer keys, tests, cumulative reviews, a worksheet maker, and Soft-Pak)

Full set for 3-A: $17.50
(part A worktext, part A answer key, tests, cumulative reviews, a worksheet maker, and Soft-Pak)

Full set for 3-B: $17.50
(part B worktext, part B answer key, tests, cumulative reviews, a worksheet maker, and Soft-Pak)

Supportive materials $8.95
(Answer keys, tests, cumulative reviews, worksheet maker, and Soft-Pak. NO worktexts. Not needed when you purchase the full set.)
**The 7 programs in Soft-Pak (4 math, 1 language arts, 2 testing) offer both on-screen and printable activities in a low-graphic, high content format
You receive the Soft-pak for free when you purchase through the Korgi site.  More info is listed on the main page.
You can also choose to purchase a CD version or the printed version as well.

The main areas that are covered in the Third Grade material are:
* an understanding of multiplication and division
* understanding of fractions
* concepts of area and perimeter
* to fluently add and subtract within 1,000
* to use addition and subtraction in problem solving
From the site:
"Some main features of Math Mammoth complete curriculum (Light Blue series) are:
focuses on understanding of mathematical concepts
uses clear explanations, lots of visual exercises and pattern exercises
mastery oriented: concentrates fairly long on a topic, with fairly few topics per grade
emphasizes mental math and developing number sense
very little teacher preparation needed"

I really like the mastery oriented part of the book as he is better able to grasp a concept before moving on rather than jumping around as he had done in previous studies.
The mental math development was great as I would watch him figure problems out through talking it out rather than the writing down of everything, though there were parts where writing down was more useful for him.
I also really like the 'very little teacher preparation needed' part as with other kids needing more hands on help in other areas, this frees me up to better help them and gives Thomas the freedom he loves with his schoolwork.  During this review period, he'd have his math work done before I even came out of my bedroom in the morning!
Here is a screen shot(a poor one at that off of my phone!) of just one of the many colorful pages!

 To say that I,and my son, liked it is accurate!  It is student lead, meaning that there is no teacher's manual!  He reads exactly what he is to do and then does it!  If he has questions, he comes to me to ask and that's it!  He loved the colorful pages vivid descriptions.  His other favorite thing was the 'puzzle corner' located at the end of each lesson.  He was able to apply critical thinking skills to solve many types of problems.

My only negative about the downloaded version is that he can't work out the problems on the page, unless you want to print out the pages!  To me, I'd rather buy the printed book version and not use up all my ink on printing out near to three hundred pages for the two books.  :)
That being said, I think that this curriculum will be seeing itself into our schoolroom this fall for Thomas as he really liked the ease at which he was able to learn and how it isn't 'dry'.  Also, it's very cost effective for my house!

To see other reviews on this product and others that they offer, go here!

A Lovely Year of Finishes: June Goal Edition!

Okay, now I guess you all were right to laugh at me for last month's goals as I didn't finish them.  I did, however, gain a lot of ground on them!  So, this month I am finishing said quilts-one is sandwiched and ready to quilt, the other is ready to be basted.  I need to head to my church to do that as I need a space big enough to spread it out!

I also have three other customer orders which need to be finished so my goals are rather huge!  Thankfully, my eldest daughter is almost finished with school and can occupy the kiddos if needed.  :)

So, my official goal for this month is to finish ALL of my customer orders!  That is it.  Yep.  I've gone crazy. If you don't hear from me, that is why.  (Though I have some reviews to post, so you'll hear about those.)

I'm posting the same picture as before as the quilts are not in great positions to be photographed.  :)

So, head on over and see all the other goals being set!

Memorial Day Sale at Craftsy.com

This Memorial Day weekend, join Craftsy in honoring the brave men and women who have served in the US Armed Forces. For every class sold this weekend, Craftsy will donate a portion of the proceeds to benefit a veterans' organization. Select classes will be on sale up to 60% off! This is an extremely awesome deal!  Go!  Grab up those classes! Have all the classes you want? Consider gifting a class to your favorite service member!


*This post contains affiliate links.*

Schoolhouse Library from The Old Schoolhouse!

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has just released a new resource for homeschool families!  Whether you're a first-time or seasoned homeschool family, there is something for everyone!  With over 175+ e-books or audio books in over 25 available topics such as: Arts & Crafts, Bible, Geography, Organization, and Special Needs, I'm sure you'd be able to find something for your family!

Here is just a partial list of available books straight from the website:


2 Study Guides from YWAM
Draw Write Now Sampler E-Book by Barker Creek
Heroines of the Past-Victorian unit study from Amy Puetz
Map Trek: Atlas and Outline Maps of World History from Knowledge Quest
Teaching Writing E-Book from WriteShop
15 audio E-Books from My Audio School in history and literature
A Glimpse at Carnivorous Plants Lapbook from In the Hands of a Child
Video from Jessica Hulcy on  “Learning as a Family”
From Frazzled to Focused: 7 Planning Tools for Busy Moms from Mary Jo Tate



Want to know the best part?  It is all available to you for a ONE-time purchase of $25!  How awesome is that?  You can't find a better deal for that many books for this low cost!

*This site contains affiliate links*

Blogger Quilt Festival: My Entry #2

This quilt is my second entry.  I'll be entering this in the group or bee quilt category. It was made by my bee mates in the Comfort Quilts Bee for a little guy, Blake, who was diagnosed with Leukemia.  The colors were meant to be bright and boyish as he is only 2 years old. 

Stats:

Size: Roughly 48" x 48"

Pieced and Quilted by Me with each individual block pieced by individual bee mates

Blogger Quilt Festival: My Entry

Well, I decided to throw my hat in the ring and enter this quilt into the contest under the baby quilt category.  I made this quilt for a friend of mine.  You can read more on that in this post.  This quilt was a first for me in that I'd never done as much intense machine quilting before!  The lines are about 1/2" apart.  It took me a lot longer than I expected to quilt it, to say the least!

.

Stats:

Quilt measurement: 40 " x 40"

Special Techniques: All those lines I machine quilted on my home machine

Quilted by: Me!