Homeschool Review Crew: Our Review of Drive Thru History Adventures

     History is a hard subject to get your children excited about, but when my kids heard that we would be reviewing a one year subscription to Drive Thru History Adventures, they were ecstatic.  They love the way Dave Stotts brings history to life through these amazing homeschool videos.  It was so great to see them excited about studying history.  This site offers a few different sets of  online videos like Bible History and Ancient History, but we will be reviewing the American History videos for you today. 

     As soon as I logged onto the site, we were amazed at all the wonderful resources being offered.  Not only do you get to watch the full length episodes, but there are worksheets for each episode to help reinforce what is being taught.  The Dashboard on the site allows you to explore what the site has available to you. There are featured videos, the latest resources, and even a look at their Facebook page posts. 

     The Resource page on the site shows some featured articles, videos, behind the scenes, suggested readings, worksheets, and answer guides. I absolutely love the way it is laid out for parents and children to use with ease.  

    

     American History is a fascinating subject to study, but I've always had issues making it fun for my kids to learn.  These videos are such a great tool to help teach history and do it in a way that our children remember what they have been taught. My kiddos were actually asking to do their history class everyday instead of dreading it.  This is HUGE!  I have to say that the humor and way that Dave speaks right to his audience is why this is such a big hit.  Kids can't wait to see what adventure he will go on next.  

      My 13 year old son especially loves to watch these adventures and I can always hear him laughing and see him smiling all the way through each episode. 

      After we watched each episode we did the worksheet that corresponded with the lesson. The worksheets allow me to see how much they remembered about each lesson and will be great addition for our homeschool portfolios.  

  

     A couple of weeks after logging onto the site, we were surprised with a package from Drive Thru History.  Right away they wanted to open it and see what they were sent.  Inside were two patches, 2 stickers and an autographed picture of Dave Stotts.  Hope and Josh couldn't wait to show their siblings and dad what they had gotten that day. It's the little things that make a company great and this was one of those things that make me love Drive Thru History.  

     Their Facebook page is also a great personal touch to this program.  You are welcomed once you join the group and they are very active on the page each and every day.  We even received a special little message from Dave after adding a photo post.  That was so exciting for the kids. 

     Just when I thought the program couldn't get better, we were introduced to another part of the subscription. If your kiddos just want to watch the Drive Thru History videos, they can go to the  Adventures TV part of the site or download the app for it onto their Apple or Android device. Didn't I tell you this subscription is great!!!!  You can learn on the go!  

      If you think this curriculum would be a good fit for your family now would be a great time to join as there are a couple of specials going on right now. The first special is if you join Drive Thru History Adventures  yearly subscription they are offering a dvd set of The Gospels with your subscription.   The second special can be found in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine on page 19.  Here is the link to the digital version of the magazine: http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine-digital.com/thehomeschoolmagazine/2018x1/?pg=1#pg1

     I would encourage you to check this program out and to take a look at their social media pages listed below: 

• Facebook:  http://facebook.com/drivethruhistory   
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/drivethruhistory/,         
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/drivethruhistory/   

     We also have more reviews for you to read over here 

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Have a blessed week!!!

Homeschool Review Crew: Our Review of UltraKey Online Family Subscription.

     I can remember sitting in typing class during my sophomore year of high school.  At first I thought it was pretty boring, but once we started to really learn all the keys and were given timed tests, I saw it as a challenge.  I wanted to improve each time I sat at the typewriter.  It took a few months to see real improvement, but I made it! By the end of the school year I was typing over 75 word per minutes.  I guess that is why I was excited to be given a chance to review the one year  UltraKey Online Family Subscription from Bytes of Learning.  I could watch my kids learn how to type correctly and they could have fun while doing it.  I couldn't wait to see their progress.  

      These typing lessons are like none I have used before.  They offer voice supported lessons along with animation and videos as well. It is a versatile online program that is up to date with the latest software. It is easy to set up your account and to set goals for each of your family members.  Kids will love the fact that they can be rewarded with games that also teach them how to type.  My son Ryan, who has never really learned how to type, was impressed with how well the program was laid out.  You can see that this company knows what they are doing and they want to teach communication skills as they teach you how to type effectively.  

     When we started the program over a month ago, my son took the test to see how well he could type already.  He had no idea where to place his hands on the keyboard and his score was only 35 words per minute with quite a few mistakes.  He wasn't happy at all with that score and was determined to get better.  

      Right away you are taught where to place your fingers, the correct posture and how certain stretches can help you keep limber while typing.  Ryan thought that placement on a key board wasn't important until he saw how well you can reach the keys with the proper positioning.  After a few weeks, he saw that his way of typing was not only inefficient, it was making his fingers ache at the end of the day.  When you use a keyboard properly, you won't have the strain on your fingers, wrists, neck and back that you have when you type incorrectly. 

     During the last few weeks, we have seen Ryan excel in his typing skills.  He is now typing 65 words per minute without any mistakes!  I couldn't believe it. What a huge improvement.  He is looking forward to getting better with each goal he makes for himself.  

     If you would like to learn more about this resource and others, you can go to their website Bytes of Learning or check out their Facebook page here:

 https://www.facebook.com/bytesoflearning/

      There are also more reviews for you to read through over on the Schoolhouse Review Crew page here 

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Homeschool Review Crew: Our Review of Wulf the Saxon

     Ever since he was little, our son Ryan, has loved audio books and audio dramas.  He is now a Senior in high school but was still so excited to hear we would be receiving and reviewing Wulf the Saxon by Heirloom Audio Productions.  He has enjoyed all their audio dramas that we have gotten in the past and couldn't wait to listen to this one.  I am serious when I say he was waiting to get the mail for days once he knew it was on its way.  

      I always like to listen to what my children are interested in so I  listened to this awesome adventure also.  From the beginning, you know that it is set apart from other audio books.  The cast is amazing and people who you may know from other works they have done.  This audio is over 2 hours of action packed history that helps your child live the adventure right where they are.  

    Now,  let's hear what my son has to say: 

      "Wulf the Saxon is a wonderful audio drama.  The voice acting and the audio effects bring the story to life. The history of it is spectacular. It is packed full of action and adventure, great for all ages. I have heard others in the Adventures of G.A. Henty before, but this one is by far my favorite. It has a strong story, and I found myself getting attached to the characters very quickly. It felt like I knew the each one by the time it ended. I love the strength and faith that the people show in the story.  I can't really say I had any issues with this as every part of it was excellent."

   The main character was Wulf a landowner from Saxon. Soon he would become close to Harold Godwinson, who was an Earl, and would later become the King of England. The main part of the story starts when Wulf and Harold's ship shipwrecks in Northern France. This is when the adventures begin. I don't want to share more of the story line because I couldn't begin to explain how awesome the story is in this short paragraph.  You have to listen to it for yourself!"

     I think he expressed it better than I ever could, but I would like to take a moment to talk about this company.  Heirloom Audio goes out of their way to make history fun and exciting for children and adults of all ages.  Each audio is done with excellence, and that shows me that they have integrity.  There are not many companies that strive for excellence so when you find one, it's so important to let others know about them and that is why I am sharing this with you today.  

     I would encourage you to check out Wulf the Saxon  along with the many other audio dramas from Heirloom Audio.  Below are some of their social media pages you may want to check out as well:

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/HeirloomAudio     
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/HeirloomStories     
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/heirloomaudio/  
• Instagram:   https://instagram.com/HeirloomAudioOfficial  
• Google+:  https://goo.gl/d8btpX   
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ9d9hNYwfUAUHhpcvnJ1_Q   

     We also have more reviews from other families over here ↓↓↓

Have a blessed week!!!

Let's Share God's Love {Free Valentine's Day Cards}

     Today we have some free Valentine's Day cards for you to print out and give to friends and family. I hope they are a blessing to you and your loved ones.  

     Just click on the link below the image to download these cards and print right from your computer. 

VALENTINE'S DAY CARDS

Our Review of Learning Spanish 1

     For the last month we have had the opportunity to review Learning Spanish 1 by Katie Hornor over at Paradise Praises.  This workbook has been a great supplement for our Spanish class that our son has been taking.  We were given the print and digital copy of this book to review and we were compensated for our review.  We hope our honest opinion will help you decide if this workbook would be a right fit for your family. 

     

     Right away we saw it wasn't like other workbooks. Even though it a small workbook, it is filled with 30 pages of great ways to help teach Spanish.  Josh was having issues remembering the Spanish words for some people and things, but these workbook pages taught him in a new way.  They had him matching the words on the page with pictures that corresponded with them.  I saw that it was helping him memorize much easier than before.  

     I loved the way it helped associate the words for different feelings by having him illustrate how each emotion made him feel.  At first he thought it was silly, but then later he said "Mom this helped me to remember each emotion better."  We had not seen other books teach in this way, and for children who are visual this is a great resource. 

     I also liked the fact that I didn't have to wrestle with Josh to do his workbook pages.  They didn't overwhelm him at all.  When he sees more than a dozen questions on a page he gets frustrated.  These workbook pages were just right for him.  He was learning, yet not feeling like he had to learn too much at once.  

     If you have a child struggling to learn Spanish or if you would like to learn common words yourself, this workbook may be just what you are looking for.  It is a great little workbook for a great price. I will be using our digital version for our daughter when she is ready to begin learning Spanish.  I can't wait to see how it helps her too.   

      Have a blessed day!!!!