Homeschool Review Crew: Our Review of HiGASFY Art History Video Series

     Our daughter has loved arts and crafts since she was a small child, but teaching Art History to her has been a challenge.  I was excited to hear we were chosen to receive and review a 3 month subscription to HiGASFY Art History Video Series.  The HiGASFY Art History Video Series is a fun and educational way to teach Art History to your children. 

     HiGASFY stands for Have I Got A Story For You. It is a subscription based program.  These videos last about 30 minutes or so and will be a wonderful tool to help your child learn about great artists and their style of art.  Mrs. Beth and her little friend Gasfy will introduce your student to artist such as Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, and Michelangelo.  She teaches  by telling amazing stories that will keep your child's attention for the whole time period.  That is impressive!!! 

     The video series includes 4 different periods of art studies.  Each period includes 16 lessons.  These are geared toward First through Eighth graders and are put together very well.  I enjoyed watching them just as much as my daughter did.  

     The 4 periods include:

• Renaissance Series 
• Baroque Series 
• Impressionist Series 
• Post-Impressionist Series 

     We are finishing up the Renaissance Series and have had been entertained all the way.  Mrs. Beth is very knowledgeable, yet even young children will be able to understand and comprehend what she is teaching.  

     The videos are played through You Tube so you can watch them wherever you are.  My daughter watched a few while we did errands.  It was so easy to use.  That is always a plus in my book.  I don't want to have to download a bunch of things in order to take a class.  This video series is a great fit for our family.  

    We were also able to log on to the site and use the curriculum bundle that goes with the videos.  The bundle includes lessons plan, name that artist, and flash cards to reinforce what is being taught in the videos.  The lesson plans are comprised of an objective, activity, critical thinking skills, vocabulary, and more.  I loved having it on hand. Made planning for me a breeze.  

     My daughter especially loved the Free Draw lessons that appeared throughout the curriculum bundle.  She loves to draw and was able to come up with quite a few wonderful drawings/ paintings of her own while taking these classes.  

     If you have a student in grades 1-8, I would encourage you to look into these online classes.  I believe they are a great resource for teaching Art History.

      Would you like to know more about HiGASFY Art History Video Series?  I would check out their site and their social media pages listed below: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/higasfy/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/higasfy/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrNWpYDazk50FyV7AdKhkw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/higasfy/

     We also have more reviews of this product over on the Homeschool Review Crew site.  Just click on the link below 

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Homeschool Review Crew: Our Review of Online Times Alive

 I have always enjoyed Math.  It was hard for me to see some of my children struggle with it. The frustration they were feeling was only multiplied when they had dozens of workbook pages to do.  I tried to make it fun for them, but it was not always a good experience for us.  

     Over the last month or so,  our family has had the opportunity to review  OnlineTimes Alive  from CityCreek Press, Inc. These are online lessons with animated songs and stories to help you learn multiplication.    

      If you have kids who have difficulties with multiplication, this program may just be the answer you have been looking for.  I am always skeptical at first, but I promise this program will not disappoint you. I love it!!! 

     Our twelve year old daughter Hope has been using the program, and she loves it.  This program not only teaches children their times tables, it is a great tool to help them brush up on those skills every once in a while.   I think even adults could use this program to help keep our knowledge of these skills fresh.  With cell phones that have calculators built right in these days, it is easy to just whip them out instead of using our minds to multiply and that could lead to our brains becoming lazy in this area.  

  We were given a 6 month online subscription to this amazing program. The requirements for using this product is an internet connection, speakers/headphones and a computer.  I like that it is a monthly subscription and you can use it until you are finished and then stop subscribing.  Our daughter is flying through these lessons and is now more confident in her multiplication skills. 

       The process of logging on to the program was simple. After signing in with your user name and password, you just pick a log in name for your child and off you go. After we got Hope signed in, it began to track her progress in the lessons and quizzes.  It also kept track of the time it took her to complete each task.  I also like the fact you can print things such as tests and even progress reports.  This is a wonderful way to keep your child's work if you do a portfolio for them each year. 

   Learning multiplication facts is not always fun and isn't easy for some students.  This online program makes learning the times tables from 0 to 9 enjoyable.  Our children do not even realize they are learning because of the fun games and stories.      



The site is easy to navigate and the directions are simple to follow.  Your child can learn at their own pace and that is important to me.  I don't want to frustrate my child.  I want them to enjoy learning.  

  

     For those who enjoy learning on the go, there is a Times Alive App.  I have tried the one for the iPhone 8 and it works well.   There is a lite version that you can try for free before buying the full version for just $14.99.  This app will teach your children just like the online version for the computer. I think younger kids would love to play this while on long car rides or while mom is shopping for groceries.  

     I always like having a glimpse of a how a program works before I try it so here are their social media page links to give you a deeper look into the program: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearnMultiplication/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TimesTablestheFunWay

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/citycreekpress/

     I hope you have time to check out their site and choose for yourself.  If you would like to read more reviews, just click on the link below  👇👇👇

HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW: Our Review of Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 11

     I have always enjoyed teaching grammar to my children.  It hasn't always been an easy task but we have managed to get through it.  I wish I would have had Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 11 from Easy Grammar Systems.   These lessons have made it so easy to teach many wonderful concepts to my son during our new school year. 

     The Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 11 includes a Teacher Edition and a test booklet.  There are 180 daily teaching lessons. Each lesson takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. At the beginning of the Teacher Edition there is a scope and sequence.  It will give you a look at what each lesson will be about.  It begins with introducing the concept, then follows up with a review.  The lessons also include expanded concepts and applied concepts.  

     This Teacher Edition isn't your typical teacher book. You are not just given instructions in this edition. Instead it has the lessons for your student right there.  You are free to reproduce the lessons or just use the pages from the Teacher Edition. The answers are located in the back of the book, so if you are just going to hand the book to your student to use, I suggest taking out the answers and placing them in a folder of their own.  

     The lessons in the 11th grade will include: 

• Adjectives
• Adverbs
• Analogies
• Clauses
• Conjunctions
• Difficult Words
• Double Negatives
• Fragment Sentences/Run-Ons
• Interjections
• Nouns
• Phrases
• Prefixes/Roots/Suffixes
• Prepositions
• Pronouns
• Sentence Types
• Subject/Verb Agreement
• Subject/Verb Identification
• Subject of an Imperative Sentence
• Verbs

     This grammar resource is very thorough yet it is not overwhelming to the student. My son, who is in the 10th grade has no problem understanding and completing each lesson.  I love that it is teaching him skills without making him hate grammar.  The way the lessons are broken up fits his personality well.  Not too much to take in at once. 

     After you complete 10 lessons, you have the option of giving a test. This will help you see what concepts were learned well and what ones may need worked on.  There are 18 assessments in all. In our school, we don't test instead we go over the tests together and make sure we understand what we have been taught.  This takes the pressure off of my son and allows him to learn without fear of failing a "test".  He does very well when we talk through each question and that is all I need to see. 

     I really like this grammar curriculum and will be using it in the future for my son and daughter. I can say this is a great fit for our family!

     Would you like to know more about Easy Grammar Systems?  They have so much to offer! I would encourage you to check out their website and their social media pages listed below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EasyGrammarSystems/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Easygrammar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/easygrammarsystems/

     We have more reviews of this resource and many others over on the Homeschool Review Crew site.  Just click the link below to read how real homeschooling families feel about this product 

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HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW: Our Review of Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades

     Our family loves music.  We have two guitarist, one pianist, a drummer, and our middle son plays the ocarina.  Let's just say that we spend a lot of time learning and studying music and that is why I was thrilled to receive and review Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades from Zeezok Publishing.  

      This set is geared towards the students in middle school. It is useful for all types of learners.  It will be good for those who learn visually, or who are auditory learners, or kinesthetic learners.  There is an activity for everyone.  It will teach music appreciation and invite your student to learn more about composers and classical music. 

     This collection is part of the Great Musician Series and includes:

• The Student Book
• Frederic Chopin, Early Years
• Frederic Chopin, Later Years
• Robert Schumann and Mascot Ziff
• Adventures of Richard Wagner
• Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray
• The Young Brahms
• The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky
• Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet
• Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines

     The Student Book has 7 sections of 4 to 5  week studies for various composers such as Foster, Chopin, Wagner, Brahms, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, and MacDowell.  Your child will be reading through the biographies in the set and then they will be answering comprehension questions on what they read. The Student Book is full of other activities as well. They will be studying character qualities, vocabulary, and some basic music theory. Every page is filled with so much knowledge! 

  

     What I like about the Student Book is the Scope and Sequence and the QR Codes placed at the front of and through out the book that will enhance your child's learning.  Most of the QR Codes will be used to play certain music  from the composers.  To use these QR Codes, you either use your phone's app or camera and scan it.  You are then taken to a site with fun music or little videos that go along with the curriculum.

     Your student will be encouraged to keep a journal (a spiral notebook or composition book will work great) that will correspond with the Student Book.  There will be some activities in the book that require the journal, but as the parent you can decide to do this or not.  I love that about homeschooling.  We can choose what works best for our families. 

     Zeezok also offers a lapbook that will help to reinforce what they learning in the Student Book and biographies.  Again that is sold separately and is something you can choose to do or not.  

     So far our daughter, who is 12, is enjoying this set very much.  She feels she is learning a great deal of information each time she picks it up.  The biographies are an easy read, but full of so many facts portrayed in a fun way.  We have enjoyed reading them together.  We know we will continue to use this set on a regular basis during our homeschool days.  

     Would you like to learn more about this set and more from Zeezok Publishing?  I would suggest taking a look at their website along with their social media pages listed below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zeezokpublishing/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZeezokPub

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/zeezok/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ZeezokPublishing

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeezokpub/

We also have more reviews of this set over on the Homeschool Review Crew site.  Just click the link below ⇊⇊⇊⇊⇊