TOS Crew: VideoText Interactive Review

Anyone who knows me, will tell you I am NOT a math genius. I struggle with most math, and always have. I had to have a tutor to pass math in high school. So, it is a good thing that I married a math genius since my son is obviously going to take after him.
A math curriculum that is the right fit for your child is the hardest thing to come across. When we were offered the chance to review another math curricula I was excited! We received Geometry: A complete Course from VideoText Interactive.

What is Geometry: A complete course :
VideoText Interactive approaches math in two ways. Through a inquiry-based video format, and by not using shortcuts, tricks, rules, or formulas. With complete mastery being the end result. Developed by Tom Clark a teacher of Mathematics and Science with 46 years of experience. He worked with all levels from elementary to adult! You can read more about him here.

What is included in Geometry: A Complete Course :
I like to have the physical product, so we opted for the books and Dvd’s instead of doing it online. I was super excited when the box arrived, Monkey Man not so much! We received modules A and B.
Each module comes with:

• Student Worktext
• Course Notes Book
• Solutions Manual
• Progress Test Book
• Teacher’s Instruction Book
• 3 lesson DVD’s

We got all of that with each module A & B.
When it arrived, I cracked right into the box to check it out. I was anxious for him to get started. He just finished Algebra, and I was just doing review with him the past few weeks.

How VideoText Interactive works:
Your child watches a 5-10 minute video lesson. As the instructor you can watch it with them, and then you should discuss what you learned and make sure they understand the concept. I like for Monkey Man to take notes as he is going, but it is stated NOT to take notes. They are only to watch the video, and after that is finished they can go back and take any notes.
When the video is finished your child is then to complete the student text assignment to help reinforce concepts. You can give them either the odds or evens to do. If they get any wrong, that is where the solutions book comes in. They use that to figure out what they did wrong. I tried to have Monkey Man go back over the ones he got wrong to see if he could see what he did wrong first. Sometimes, he caught his mistake, and others I had to show him, or daddy had to go back over it with him.
After you finish a lesson, you can use the progress test book to give quizzes to make sure they are understanding the concepts. We found that taking the quiz for the lesson they learned the day before was the best way to go. Then we knew he really understood the concept. It was also noted to remember that if they miss 2 or 3 problems that doesn’t mean there is a lack of mastery.

Our thoughts:
Monkey Man is a hard child to find math for. . . being that he is in 6th grade, doing 9-10th grade math. Most curriculum is to boring for him, or even to easy. When we received Geometry: A Complete Course he was not excited at all. While he is really good at math, he doesn’t like it when I get him more. 
However, after the first few lessons he began to complain less, and do more! He really thought the instructor was awesome. He liked how he presented. He also likes that he doesn’t have to wait hours for daddy to come home and help him with a problem. Since I am not the math genius, and can’t really help him as well now. Now, he only has to wait if he gets stumped which isn’t very often.
We use the curriculum three times a week, cause that is what works for us. He has been doing really well with the concepts that I can tell. His work is good, and his quizzes have been better than he thought they would. While I don’t think he will ever admit to loving math, VideoText Interactive ranks right up there as one of his favorites!
Of all the curriculums we have tried, this one has been a bit more teacher intense. However, since this is really the only subject I have to be a bit more involved with, it has worked out fairly well. I am trying to get Monkey Man to be mostly independent, so I can focus on Little Monkey. He is really improving on this, this year.
As a homeschooling parent, I am always concerned that I can’t teach enough or good enough. My beliefs are challenged everyday, so that is why I think I really stress about that. After much stress and thinking, I discovered that this may be true, but I have the option to find the best fit of curriculum for my child. Does a public school teacher have that option? If he was in public school would they be teaching him 3 grades ahead? Probably not, so I love that we have that freedom. Having great people like Tom Clark, who love and create such great curricula really helps us!
Overall, I really think this program is a great product. The lessons are great, but short enough not to bore your child. The books are broken down very nicely, you know right where to look when searching for something. They are very high quality materials.


Cost:
I have to admit, the cost is rather high.
If you purchase all the modules you would receive:

• 8 Units
• 176 Video Lessons

For Geometry the complete online course costs $299 this is for licensing two students. If you need more it is an extra $49 for each extra student.
and the printed version of the whole course will cost you $529.
You can also purchase modules A-B-C or D-E-F for $279 each.
You can purchase all modules separately if you choose.
Online geometry module A costs $59.00 or for the printed version it is $99.95.
Keep in mind that if you purchase the online version you do get 3 years of access.
Also each complete course can count as 2 to 3 credits for High School Math.  You would be completing Geometry, Trigonometry, and Pre-Calculus.
While this is high, and I am the first to say I couldn’t afford to pay that for a math program. It is worth a couple math credits, so that helps justify the cost. I have a very tight budget myself, but I would absolutely consider this program for my kids.

You can find VideoText Interactive here, Facebook, and Twitter.

See what the rest of the TOS Crew is saying about VideoText Interactive Products.

Review: Mighty Handle

 

I have always enjoyed grocery shopping. However, I am not a fan of the redundancy of grocery shopping. Think about it. . . you put the groceries in the cart, then you empty it to put them on the belt at the checkout. Only to turn around and have to put them back in the cart, to take them back out to put them in the car! Then to turn around and take them out of the car, to carry them into the house, and have to take them out of the bags, to put them away! HOLY MOLY!

 

While I can’t solve all of that, I was happy to try the Mighty Handle out to help with unloading the car. I am one of those people, that will carry as many as I possibly can not to have to walk back out to the car! What usually happens when I do that? The handles break, or the bottoms fall out. Never fails right?!

 

The Mighty Handle, can is designed to hold up to 50lbs on each hook. Obviously we don’t weigh our groceries, so you would have to play around to see exactly how many bags would be best for you.

 

 

I used the Mighty Handle right after one of my grocery trips. I put about 4 bags on each hook. It worked nicely, and I really liked only making one trip from the car, without hurting my hand. The second time, I had Monkey Man give it a try. He really loved using it.

I would say that I need to now pick up a few more for the rest of the family. This would definitely be a great help if you have little kids you need to hang on to, or an infant to carry. If you would like to pick one up, you can buy a 2pk at Walmart or Amazon.

 

 

 

*Disclaimer: I was provided with the product in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% mine or my monkeys.

New Health Care Law. . .

I’m sure by now you have heard the buzz about the new Healthcare law. To be completely honest with you, I am so confused about all the information out there. I have been slowly trying to soak up all the information and see how it pertains to me. Let’s face it, you can’t ignore it. . . Healthcare is highly important to your family. As the person who makes most of the decisions about our Healthcare, I need to be fully informed. Did you know that 80% of women make the healthcare decisions?!

Last week I had the opportunity to listen to a presentation put on by The Motherhood, and WellPoint (which is Blue Cross Blue Shield). They were their to discuss, and answer any questions we had about the new healthcare law, and what options we have available to us. I don’t know about you, but I had lots of questions.

Patrick Blair and Ellie Kay, both WellPoint spokespeople gave us an over view of the new laws, and answered some questions we had. WellPoint does business in 14 states across the U.S. most people know them more as Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.

As we all know healthcare is highly important. It protects you and your family when sickness may occur. Major illness, and injuries can be super costly if you don’t have insurance. Here are a few figures to show you some costs:

• An average cost of a 3-day hospital stay is $30,000
• A broken arm can cost $2,500 or more (that is without surgery)

There are going to be four options to get your healthcare insurance for next year:

1. Purchasing through you or your spouse’s employer
2. Buy health insurance yourself
3. Enroll in government programs like Medicare or Medicaid plans – if you are eligible
4. Go without insurance – but you will have to pay a tax penalty

I’m sure you have seen the word Healthcare Exchanges around. If your like me, your not really sure what that is.

“Healthcare Exchanges” will be like a marketplace for healthcare. You will be able to compare your healthcare options.

• Enrollment starts: October 1, 2013
• Enrollment ends: March 31, 2013
• Coverage will begin: January 1, 2014 (this is for people who sign up before December 15, 2013)

Here are some important facts you need to remember:

• You may be able to qualify for financial help
• You can get preventive healthcare at no cost
• You can’t be denied based on pre-existing conditions
• Help will be available for people who make about $45,000 dollars a year, and families of four who make about $92,000 dollars a year.
• Financial help will be offered on a sliding scale. . . so the more money you make the less help you will get.

Later in the fall, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield will have a subsidy estimator available online for you to get an estimate of how much of a subsidy you may receive.

There will be health benefits that all plans will offer:

• Emergency services
• Maternity and newborn care
• Mental Health & Substance use disorder services
• Chronic disease management
• Pediatric services, including oral and vision care

Woman will not be able to be charged more. Cannot be charged more or denied for pre-existing conditions. Woman will get preventative care for mammograms, well woman visits, contraception, and more. You can choose your own primary care, OB-GYN and pediatricians without referrals. (I think this is HUGE)

All plans will come in levels or tiers. Such as Platinum, Gold, Sliver, and Bronze. Which means that if you choose the bronze you will have the lowest monthly premium, but will cover 60% of the costs. Or if you choose the platinum plan you will have the highest monthly premium, but will cover 90% of the costs.

All in all, there are plus sides to this new law. Like doctors are suppose to be more attentive, and be more helpful. Whether this happens or not is the real question. I’m still not 100% sure what is going to happen with this new healthcare, but I hope that it is going to work better for those who currently can not afford healthcare. I have always given up my healthcare to afford it for my children. Is this necessarily smart? No, probably not, but I think that my kids are more important. It will be nice not to have to chose between us anymore.

I hope that the information I have provided you with, will help with your decision. If you are still confused, or need more information you can look in these places.

• Healthcarereformforyou.com
• Healthcare.gov
• Anthem.com

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I was provided with information by The Motherhood and WellPoint. All opinions are 100% mine or my monkeys.

America’s ToothFairy Halloween SparX Candy Giveaway!

Halloween used to be a touchy subject with me. I am not a huge fan of Trick or Treating. Why? Well, I hate to see so many people spend huge amounts of money on candy. Only for me to throw it away! Yes, you heard me correctly. I don’t like my kids consuming huge amounts of candy. So, if they do go Trick or Treating, I go home and take out a few things, and daddy takes out what he wants, and the rest goes in the trash.
So, after a few years of me feeling so guilty. . . I came up with a different approach. We now do a night time clue hunt with them. At the end there is a bag with a movie, or small toy in it for the child. They really enjoy the challenge, and have a great time doing it in the dark! We also do a Fall Party, with lots of Halloween fun, and a costume component. Then they get to dress up just the same!

America’s ToothFairy is trying to make everyone’s Halloween cavity free. You can sign up to participate in a virtual campaign. This will help your child to work on their oral habits, and help kids with dental disease. Did you know that Tooth decay is the #1 chronic childhood disease?!

Here are some tips to help make Halloween a bit more healthy:

• Try out xylitol products instead of sugary treats
• Hand out sugar-free candy or alternatives to trick-or-treaters
• Hand out multi-colored toothbrushes instead of candy
• Host a Halloween party where people donate a dollar to a Children’s Charity
• Most of all, remember to brush & Floss teeth, and visit the dentist every 6 months.

You can also sign up for the Kids Club, where you will receive educational activities for the kids to do, and encourage better oral health. Along with quarterly newsletters, songs, mazes, videos, and so much more!



Enter for a chance to win some SparX Halloween Candy! (This candy is only sweetened with natural xylitol)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was given a sample of SparX candy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are 100% mine or my monkeys.

Making the most of your opportunities. . .

 

 

As a parent you always want what is best for your child. However, has homeschoolers, sometimes I think people question that.

 

Last fall Monkey Man was asked to do a assignment for creative writing. He was suppose to interview someone that worked in the field of study that he may want to do as an adult. Since he wants to be an archeologist, or a museum curator, and there are not really a lot of people in this area that do this, he chose to interview a local worker at a local museum.

She was absolutely amazing, and really helped him a lot! He really enjoyed this opportunity so much. This assignment really helped him to grow a bit. Therefore, he decided to volunteer with the museum on a regular basis.

This has been a wonderful opportunity for us as a whole. Every week, Monkey Man, Little Monkey, and I go in to volunteer. We help get kits together for programs they are putting on. We have made scavenger hunts for different areas of the museum, for the kids to do. They are also trying to teach him to handle artifacts, do research on artifacts, and eventually how to give tours of the museum.

 

 

 

 

We are so blessed with this opportunity. I’m so happy that he has a way to try out the things he loves so much. This will give him a good taste for the future. While this is not really something that I have a ton of time for on my schedule, I feel this is a thing I am willing to over book my schedule a tad, to give him such a great opportunity.

 

Have you been able harness and use any great opportunities that have come your way? If so, how?

TOS Crew: The Presidential Game Review

 

 

 

 

Is there really anything better than playing a game, and learning at the same time? I have always found that my kids learn so much more by playing games to get information. Anytime, I find a game that could be helpful to this we pick it up.

 

 

This past month I was offered the opportunity to review The Presidential Game through the TOS Crew.

 

What you will find in the Game:

• Game Board
• Vote Cards (1 Democrat & 1 Republican)
• 300 Chips (Red & Blue)
• 6 Dice (Red & Blue)
• 40 Write your own Politics cards
• 80 Politics cards
• Score Card
• Electoral WebMap Calculator Access Code

 

 

About The Presidential Game:

 

This game is geared towards children ages 11 and up.

It teaches you the ins and outs of politics. (Which even I could use help with) The game is played in teams of Republicans and Democrats, once you chose which your going to be, you need to decided whether you want to campaign or go fundraising. Tough decisions even as a game! However, teaches the children how the whole process works. This game also teaches really good strategizing.

Once you figure out what side your going to be and if your going to fundraise or campaign, you roll three of the dice. Whatever number you get on the dice is how many votes you get. This is where campaigning or fundraising comes in. If you are campaigning you choose which states your going to place your votes on. If you are fundraising, you have to place half of your votes on one of the 4 fundraising states. Then choose where the rest will go. Once finishing that you have to pick up a politics card.

 

The Politics Cards are cards that give you what the media is saying about your election. On the card it will state something like “Add 4 more votes to (some state)”.

 

Another feature you can do is the Electoral WebMap Calculator. That is what the access code is for, like I mentioned above. You can play using it, and the computer will keep track of the votes for you. Otherwise you have to use the scorecard. We have played both ways.

 

Our thoughts:

We really couldn’t wait for this review to arrive. We are always about playing new games, and I especially love when they are super educational. Not just for my children, but for me as well.

After reading the instructions which were a bit overwhelming at first with my kids excited to play and pulling everything out, we got to playing. The game is really easy to understand after you sit and play it a couple times.

The first time we played by campaigning. The second time we tried the fundraising option. It is nice that you can play either way. My oldest who is 11 really enjoyed it and thought it was neat. He enjoyed racing me to see if he could become president. Seeing how all the voting plays a huge part in how things go, he really started to understand the process better. When we have watched the presidential campaigns in the past, we have been confused by all the information that is thrown at you. I think we will have a better understanding of the electoral map next time. My youngest teamed up with daddy, and while didn’t always get what was happening enjoyed playing it, and learned about republicans and democrats. So it had an educational value for everyone that played.

This will absolutely be a new game we put in our “favorites” pile.

 

Cost:

You can purchase The Presidential Game for $35 plus shipping.

 

This would be an excellent addition to any Government or History class!

 

See what the rest of the TOS Crew is saying about this game!

 

 

The Homeschool Mother’s Journal:

 

 

 

 

 

• In my life this week…

We were right out straight again! PHEW!

Lots of appointments. . .
School
Activities
took a day trip with a few stops. . .

 

 

 

and organizing more around the house.

 

• In our homeschool this week…

Finished our 18th week of school
enjoyed Co-op
Volunteered at the museum
and are working on a few projects!

 

 

 

 

Now we have a couple weeks off!

 

• Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Don’t be afraid to take time off.
After a year of schooling, we figured out
what worked best for us.
Now we are doing 6 weeks on, and
two weeks off. That works the best
for us.

 

 

• Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

This week, we are going to be taking it easy.

We have a few Co-op projects to finish, and
4H binders to finish this week.

Couple appointments, girl scout trip, and hopefully
some fun!

 

 

• My favorite thing this week was…

Our day trip to the Orthodontist
We stopped to see Eartha at Delorme,
and LL Bean.

It was a fun day with my two older Monkeys.

 

 

• My kiddos favorite thing this week was…

They enjoyed our trip to the LC Bates Museum to use the
telescope.

 

 

• Things I’m working on…

Now I have to start working on our next
6 weeks of classes plans.

Plus I’m still trying to organize my living room, and
will need to stack wood soon.

 

 

• I’m cooking…

Tonight is leftover night

 

 

• I’m grateful for…

A very supportive husband, even though I
might not always think so.

 

 

• I rewarded my kids this week by…

A movie and treats

 

 

• Something I am ogling or have my eye on…

Nothing this week. . .

 

 

• A photo, video, link, or quote to share (silly, serious or both!)…
  
  My silly monkey’s!
  Love this picture!