Learning Character Resources Review 2016-2017

Now for the next review post for our curriculum that we have used for the 2015-2016 school year. I have written a post in the past about the two different character resources that we were using together. After awhile we went back to our original program that we have been using since the first year of homeschooling back in 2011. There is nothing right or "less than" with the other program. I think that we were just use to the lay out of the first character program.

So the first program that we have been using for awhile now is from the company "The Learning Parent" by the Rick and Marilyn Boyer. I think they may have changed the name to "Character Concepts" now, but when we first used their materials it was called "The Learning Parent". We just love the ease of the program, and the fact that it can be used with a range of ages. By range of ages I mean that the preschool and early learner books would be usable for ages 3-9 years of age. I love products that I can cycle back through with my children. I don't expect them to remember every character trait learned. By going back and reviewing previous learned character traits it is helping to reinforce it each time. It is my hope that they will internalize each character trait as they get older. There are other programs available from the same company to use as your child gets older, but for us it works better if we are all in the same book.

We normally learn a new character trait or review one as apart of our morning time after we have read our Bible passage. In the book with the character traits there are Bible stories and verses, stories revolving around the Boyer cousins, and true stories about people from history who have displayed a particular character trait. There are also coloring pages that your child can color while listening to one of the stories. This really is a easy and fun program to implement. We will be cycling through both books again for the up-coming school year.


Again for the record all opinions are my own. I am not a paid representative for "The Learning Parent" or "Character Concepts" or the Boyers. I just love talking about homeschooling, curriculum, methods and styles. I would love to hear what your family uses for character training.

You can check out the materials by visiting "Character Concepts": http://www.characterconcepts.com/store/

This should take you to the Preschool Character Package: http://characterconcepts.com/store/product.php?id_product=1572

This should take you to the Early Learner Package:

http://characterconcepts.com/store/product.php?id_product=3260

Dollar Tree Educational Materials 2015-2016 Review

In today's post I will be talking about the different educational products from the Dollar Tree. Actually we have been using Dollar Tree workbooks since we started homeschooling back in 2011. The preschool and kindergarten level workbooks are a great and inexpensive way to introduce basic learning to your children.


The most recent books that we used were on a 1st and 2nd grade level to help supplement my daughter's spelling, phonics, and handwriting. The pages were colorful, and the activities didn't take her long to complete. Normally I would only assign about 1-2 pages per week from each book. If her other subjects had a lot of writing then we might skip a week here and there. These workbooks were easy to use, and once she learned what was expected from each type of exercise she was pretty independent in getting her work done. (which was a big win for me so that I could have more focused attention with my boys) My daughter and I both loved these types of workbooks, but I'm not sure if we will be able to find any for her level this fall.


Since 2011, we have used not only the workbooks but have also stocked up on items from the teacher section and school supplies. We have a blow-up globe that is wonderful to use when we want to look up a location from our studies. All of my kids love picking out pencils, stickers, and notebooks that they get to use during the year. Honestly, the Dollar Tree is one of our top spots to buy items we need to stock up for the school year.

Explode the Code 2015-2016 Review

Today I want to talk about the Explode the Code Book series by Nancy M. Hall. We have used at least one of the books in the series for the past two years. All together we have used Books A,B,C, 3 and 4 for two of my children. These were not the only books we used for our language arts, but they were definitely favorites for my children. I felt like the books were a great fit for us because each one was on target for the individual learner.


Let's start with the beginning books. I used these with my Kindergartner/1st grader. He completed all three books over the course of 1 1/2 school years. He loved these books which is a plus in my book! The book order is "Get Ready for the Code, Book A", "Get Set for the Code, Book B", and "Go for the Code, Book C". All three of the books cover the consonant letters and sounds, but there is a certain set of letters covered in each book. These were a great way to introduce my son to the consonant letters. The books could be used as a stand-alone program or in conjunction with another beginning reading program. There are letter and picture cards that can be purchased separately as well as a wall chart to display the cards, but we didn't use that part of the program. There are about 6-8 pages of activities for each letter. The pictures are simple black-line drawings that are appealing for young kids, and the activities are simple but engaging. I did purchase the Teacher's Guide to go-along with the Student Books. The Teacher's Guide is necessary for some of the activities because you will need to read a description of a picture for your child to identify. The Teacher's Guide also offers different teaching ideas, hints, literature links and introduces sight words. Once your child completes these books then it is on to "Explode the Code, Book 1". My son has requested to continue using this series, and I am happy to oblige.


The other books that we used were "Explode the Code, Books 3&4" with my 2nd grader. She completed these two books in about 2 school years. We slowed down when she needed extra practice which helped to stretch out the books as well. In Book 3 the focus is on long vowels. In Book 4 the focus is on compound words, common word endings (such as -ful, -ing, -est, -ed, -ness), and syllables (such as open, closed, silent -e and digraph). The pictures are still the same black-line drawings in the A,B, and C books. The activities are more advanced than the books that my son used, but I felt like the books were still a good fit for her level. There is a consist amount of writing with these books. According to the product description on Christian Book Distributor Books 3 &4 are geared for children in grades 1st-3rd. I also purchased the Teacher's Guide for these books. The guides are grouped for two books at a time. So the first Teacher's Guide is for Books 1&2, the second Teacher's Guide is for Books 3&4, and so on. There are also half step books between each level for extra practice. We haven't used any of these books yet. I normally google ideas or hit up Pinterest for activities to help if my children are struggling to understand a concept. My daughter enjoyed these books for the most part, but I am not sure if we will continue with this series for next year yet.



For the record all opinions are my own. I am not a paid representative for Explode the Code. I just love talking about homeschooling, curriculum, methods and styles. I would love to hear which language arts curriculum that you use and why. Also if you have used the "Learning Language Arts Through Literature" for the elementary grades I would love to hear about your experience. Thanks a bunch, and have a blessed week!

Math-U-See 2015-2016 Review

So for the next several blog posts I am planning on giving more details about what we used for our school year, what worked for us, and what didn't work for us. I know that I love to read other people's curriculum reviews. It has helped me to get a bird's eye view as well as helped me to decide if I really want to invest in that particular curriculum or not. I don't know about you, but around here there is more time than extra money to invest in expensive curriculum.

Math-U-See is a mastery-based, hands-on math curriculum that begins with Primer Level and continues into high school math. The complete set includes a Teacher's Manual, a Teaching DVD, Student Text, and Student Test Booklet except for the Primer Level. You can also purchase the integer block set, fraction overlays, and a CD with songs to help reinforce basic math memorization such as skip counting.

For this past school year we have been working through the Primer and Alpha Levels. I was able to get an older integer block set from my mom from when my younger brother used Math-U-See which worked for us. I did purchase the complete sets for the Primer and Alpha Levels. Some reviews that I read said that the Teacher's Manual and Teaching DVD were not necessary if you were comfortable teaching math. But I have to say that I am glad that I did because there are example problems, extra teaching hints, a basic script that tells you how to explain a math concept, and the teaching DVDs are great. The creator of Math-U-See is the teacher on the DVDs, and he makes math fun for the students. My kids love watching Mr. Demme.

Overall I love Math-U-See because it is mastery-based, includes hands-on learning, and there is online support if I need it. I think that it has been a good fit for both of my kids, even for my non-math kid who had rather not have to learn math. The manipulative blocks are great for visual and kinesthetic learners. As of today I am planning on continuing with Math-U-See in the fall. I will have three kids in a more structured math time then, and we would be using Primer, Alpha, and Beta Levels. For the summer I am planning on making sure that my kids review what they have learned in a more relaxed fashion, aka math games. This is where Pinterest will be my best friend...lol. The main thing that I want them to do is commit to memory their addition and subtraction fact families. Math is a building block subject, and before we can continue they will need to have that mastered.

For the record all opinions are my own. I am not a paid representative for Math-U-See. I just love talking about homeschooling, curriculum, methods and styles. I would love to hear which math curriculum that you use and why.

Our 2015 - 2016 School Year in Review

It is that time of the year for us. We have recently wrapped up our 2015 - 2016 school year. Boy, am I tired! This year was the first time that I was actively homeschooling three of my four children. So for grade levels (even though we do not strictly follow them) I had a 2nd grader, K/1st grader, and a Pre-K5; but like I said we do not follow within the guidelines of what is typically learned for each grade. I have witnessed the spark of learning in my children if I don't rush them or hold them back. One of the beauties of the homeschool lifestyle!

Here is a breakdown of the curriculum that we used:
~  Math-U-See
~  Explode the Code (Books A-C & 3-4)
~  Additional Spelling Workbooks from the Dollar Tree
~  Character Trails (from The Learning Parent)
~  All About Reading (Pre-Reading Level)
~  Heart of Dakota (Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory)
~  BOB Books
~  Before Five in a Row (we only did a few books this year)
~  Variety of Read-Aloud Books

I am planning on writing a brief review for each of the items listed above in separate posts over the coming month. I am hoping that by having an idea or plan in place that I will be able to post more. I love homeschooling and think that I could talk about it all day long. I'm off to enjoy our much needed summer break! I would love to hear from you so leave a comment below about how your school year went or didn't go as planned!