Table of Contents
One of the first things I do when looking into any homeschool curriculum for my children is to read the reviews.
To read the in-depth review of a product, that I have written, just click on the colored title of each product that you are interested in.
Bible Product
Bible class is the main subject in our homeschool. The Bible Breakdown sheets, from TeachSundaySchool.com, gives a ton of biblical information in an easy-to-read format.
These sheets are perfect for any child or adult wanting more information about each book of the Bible and chapter/verses.
Digital Libraries
Having and holding a physical book to read is wonderful, but when I saw LightSail for Homeschoolers’ digital book collection I was in my glory.
You’ll understand my reasoning if you read my Homeschool Tips from A to Z: The Letter L post for Library.
Thousands and thousands of digital books, audiobooks, augmented reality books, video clips, 360-degree images, unit studies, World Book Encyclopedia articles, historic news articles, live streams…… just read my review and you’ll see for yourself! A ton of reading options, incentives, and awards to keep your child reading.
Writing
With all of this reading, we can’t forget the subject of writing. Excellence in Literature: Handbook for Writers from EverydayEducation.com is two books in one.
The first part teaches your child how to think and write persuasively.
The second part is all about grammar. It’s set up in an easy-to-find manner so that you can look up any grammar rule quickly and see the correct way to write something.
This is an invaluable tool for any child to keep in their notebook for reference.
Math Curriculum
Since we covered reading and writing, we need to discuss math.
CTCmath breaks down all the math skills needed for each grade, so you can quickly access exactly what your child needs to work on. Diagnostic tests and fun speed drill games keep skills sharp.
Teaching Textbooks just updated to their 4.0 online version. Their fun, quirky characters with sound effects keep kids engaged and encouraged.
Teaching Textbooks now has the functionality for parents to see overall grades and averages quickly and easily.
Calculator
Tough math requires a good calculator and the TI-30XA Scientific Calculator is the one for the job.
This calculator performs functions into calculus and trigonometry math problems, all the while, being very affordable at under $20.
If your child is going to be taking the SAT or ACT, this is the only model of calculator allowed to be used on these tests. This course doesn’t teach math, but it does teach how to use this very affordable resource.
Math Games
Math isn’t fun without games.
The Budgeting and Stock Market Game is really neat. With its real-life experiences and situations used in the game, your child will learn what real-life is with a mortgage, car, insurance, repairs, and the everyday ups and downs of real-life budgeting.
Also included in the Stock Market Game, kids can virtually invest their pretend money into the stocks of their choosing, and then they watch real-world headlines and events to see if their stocks grow.
Kids can invest and sell anytime while they play the game and it is a real eye-opener into the world of stocks.
MathRider is a downloadable software that has your child ride a horse through magical lands to get to their final destination.
They will only reach their destination if they continue to improve on their math facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
The horse runs and jumps the fences faster if they can answer the math questions faster, and of course, the horse will run slower if they still need some time to think and recall the answers.
The Speed Wheel Drills aren’t set up to be used as a family game, but my daughter and I competed against each other, the clock, and the total number of correct answers to see which one of us would be the fastest and most accurate with our math facts recall.
If there’s no one else to compete against in the family, then kids can just try to improve on their own previous times.
Science
Enough of math, let’s move on to science. Greg Landry’s Homeschool Virtual Science Labs are really neat.
You don’t have to worry about buying expensive science supplies and any explosive messes with science labs being virtual.
Mr. Landry has set up the lab in a well-organized fashion and the kids just follow the instructions, record their data, follow the Scientific Method, and create their formal lab report.
When they’re all finished in the lab, kids hang up their lab coats, take off their goggles, and turn out the light.
Music
Fine Arts was always a favorite of mine, and it still is!
For music, we played a memory-style game called Maestro Mastery: Explore the Composers.
While playing the game, you can listen to the composed and instrumental music on YouTube. The links are included in the directions.
Not only do you attempt to find a pair of matching composer’s faces, but then you put them in chronological order. Don’t worry, there’s a chart provided to help you.
Art
Art class for homeschoolers has gone virtual.
Drawing with Graphite Pencils: Beginner Level is interesting. The teacher didn’t show us each line to draw, instead, she taught us steps in the drawing process.
In the first step, we learned how to look at and draw only the outside of our object. Then, other steps followed to help us make our drawing more interesting.
As long as we followed the drawing steps, we could draw whatever interested us.
Creating A Masterpiece, on the other hand, did teach you step by step what to draw first, then second, etc.
We all worked on the same project at the same time, pausing the video with each step.
It was very easy and our projects turned out very well.
For this Art History Program, the teacher showed us real works of art from the time period that we were discussing, and then we based our project on that time frame as well.
This art curriculum was more than just pencil drawing. There were plenty of projects using unique materials.
Transcripts
Not everything we review is a student curriculum.
Sometimes the parents need teaching, too. HomeScholar’s Total Transcript Solution helped me to understand the value and importance of a good student transcript for my kids.
The HomeScholar equipped us with plenty of templates, classes, tips, and one-on-one assistance to make our child a transcript that is beyond exceptional.
All-in-One Curriculum
The Homeschool Review Crew is a branch of The Old Schoolhouse (TOS).
Besides the Homeschool Review Crew, TOS has created SchoolhouseTeachers.com.
This subscription-based, online site has over 450 different courses and classes for preschool-age children up to twelfth grade, in every subject imaginable.
Some lessons are purely text-based, while others are all audio, video, or a combination of all three.
Your whole family can use any class or course on the site for just one subscription rate, and it is totally affordable.
Books
Pursued to Eternity by John Riley was a good book.
This book is geared for late middle and high school students. It gives a lot of great information about historic cultures that influence us today.
Through the acts of people during biblical time, one man’s faith in God was changed and his thoughts on Creation were questioned and put to the test. A must-read for anybody doubting God’s Creation.
God’s Very Colorful Creation and Esther and the Very Brave Plan are two Bible storybooks geared toward preschool-age and elementary-age children. These books are bright, vibrant, and will keep your kids engaged.
Archer & Zowie by Hans Bluedorn was a cute little book for middle school kids.
Archer & Zowie take us with them through one day of playtime as their imaginations take them out of this world to battle overgrown penguins and a microwave oven that has turned into a Teleportee Machine.
This book is cleverly cute and pure fun.
It’s never too early to start introducing your kids to Bible stories. The Dad Who Never Gave Up and The Little Man Whose Heart Grew Big will help you do just that.
Any Time, Any Place, Any Prayer teaches elementary-age and middle school-age children about why, where, and how to pray.
I think all kids like to hunt and find hidden pictures.
Seek and Find: New Testament Bible Stories is a fun, engaging book that will give your child plenty of practice with finding those hidden pictures based on the New Testament Bible stories.
Mere Evengelism is for teens and adults interested in evangelism tips that are based on C.S. Lewis’ personal evangelizing tactics.
Biographies
YWAM Publishing gave us the opportunity to choose a Christian Hero from History and read their story. We chose Louis Zamperini: Redemption, and it did not disappoint us.
Mr. Zamperini’s story is unforgettable and you will want to share his story with others, and then, of course, watch the movie about him as well.
Gladys Aylward: The Little Woman with a Big Dream and Betty Greene: The Girl Who Longed to Fly are both excellent missionary biographies geared for elementary-age children.
When you read the review, I’ve also added some unit study ideas that will give you some great starting off points for a simple missionary unit study.
Movies
Family-friendly movies are sometimes hard to find.
I had the privilege to see and review God’s Not Dead: We the People. You don’t want to miss this inspirational movie.
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