Geometry Notebook connect the lines and angles for learning fun

If you have been following our homeschool journey you know In the Hands of a Child is one of my favorite companies, so when they came up as a vendor with the Schoolhouse review crew I was happy to work with them to review a project pack.  It was actually a bit of a challenge to select a project to review that I didn't already own (I'm a little addicted). I decided to go with the Geometry Notepack (I already have the Lapbook project as well as the coordinating younger student lapbook so it made sense).

This was not our first In the Hands of a Child, if fact since we began homeschooling 5 years ago, the boys have completed more than 20 units. This time we used the laptop to read the research guide from (usually I either print it out or load it to my Nook). I also printed 2 copies of the notebook pages as Cameron's friend who is one summer break was spending a lot of time around the house and when asked to participate in school he was willing and eager.
We actually did the project in 5 sittings as I printed a couple days combined.  I love the lesson plan guide in the front of the pdf file, it makes it so easy for me to plan our sessions and gives the kids something to check off as we complete the activities.
This unit is geared to grades 4-8 (Cameron is going into 5th grade , and his friend is also a 5th grader so it was a perfect match)  While the older boys worked on the Intro to Geometry unit, Nathan also worked on the coordinator K-3rd grade unit Shapes: Simple and Solid and had fun adding his own style to the lapbook project.
The Intro to Geometry notepack retails for $12.00 is has everything you will need to read and complete the notebook as well as a reading list of books you can add to the unit.  During August and the Back to School sale this unit is on sale for only $5.00 (the sale ends August 20, 2013)
I love that I was able to teach Cameron and his buddy more than the basic geometry terms and shapes, we also talked about occupations that use geometry and even got hands of with teaching and understanding the Pythagorean theorem (I didn't understand it myself until my freshman year of high school). Making the learning fun and hands on and having a finished notebook made the whole project that much more fun for both boys. We even talked about angles and such incorporating the concepts into their bike jump building. Keeping 2 10 and 11 year old boys engaged can be a challenge but thanks to In the Hands of a Child we not only kept them engaged but also taught them something that they will use again before their school careers are over.
 In the Hands of a Child was founded in 2002 by 2 homeschool Moms, (Niki and Kim) in 2005 they brought Katie on board and since the first pack , Plants was published have published over 450 units in a variety of topics and a wide range of grade levels.  What makes  In the Hands of a Child  different is the research guides written for each unit. Everything you need to complete the unit is included, from lesson plan ideas to answer keys, from research guides to graphics (notebook pages or mini books for lapbooks). Many of the units come in a variety of types from basic lapbooks to lapboos with a type it in feature to Notebook packs all as pdf files and even printed materials; some of the units even have full kits where everything is printed and ready to put together.
The Schoolhouse Review Crew reviewed a variety of the  In the Hands of a Child  and share their thoughts on each product, check them out by clicking on the button below.

A Bible Study for all age? Yes and we love it

Studying God's Word as a family is a huge thing for this Mom, but sometimes finding something that fits that bill is tough, thankfully we received a review item recently that fit the bill perfectly, Bible Study Guide For All Ages.
We received two different levels to review, Beginner and Intermediate. Along with these student pages we also received the following items: Beginner Time Line,  Children's Song CD,  and Bible Book Summary Cards to use with the program.
We decided to go with the Beginner for Nathan as a way to work on some issues we were having with following directions and his need to continue to work on his fine motor skills related to coloring. I am glad I made this decision as the stories are the same in each level just adding more concepts and memory work as the levels progress.

Bible Study Guide For All Ages is a multi -level Bible study program that takes all levels through the Bible at the same pace. The same stories are told at each level which helps with continuity. The boys could have discussions about their lessons even though they were studying at their own levels.
Beginner is intended for ages 3 through Kindergarten
Primary is intended for grades 1 and 2
Intermediate is intended for grades 3 and 4
Advanced is intended for grades 5 and 6

Although  the Beginner set is really intended for younger children I was still very happy with the results with Nathan. We did the lessons together with both boys so the story was more important than what was on the page in front of him. I also left out the detail of what the recommended age was when we opened the box.

The student pages we received contained 25 lessons which retails for $5.95.
The Timeline Cards and Children's Song CD we received coordinate with the level  in the student pages but also engaged both boys even though they were working at different levels.

The songs on the Children's CD were all short but easy to learn and fun to sing along with. Surprisingly my boys actually began singing the songs without the CD as we worked through a few lessons. While they haven't "learned" all the songs yet, they have listened to both CDs repeatedly, almost to the point that I have to put a time limit on these CDs. The 2 disc set retails for $19.95 which is a value considering the number of songs in the set (90 songs)


The Timeline cards which retail for $24.95 contains 34 full color 8 1/2 x 11 picture cards that simplify the Biblical Timeline for younger students and include keywords to help them remember the various stories. We decided to put our cards into a binder and slipped each card into a sheet protector giving us the option on making extra notes with a dry erase pen if we thought of questions or ideas related to the story.


The intermediate Student pages also include 26 lessons and retail for $5.95 a set follow the same stories with just more detail and longer reading/ listening passages. The questions in each lesson are at a 3rd / 4th grade level but still manageable to youngers that may be listening. The coloring is more detailed but also gives room for some creativity. Cameron enjoyed searching the Bible passages for the answers to the questions of his pages and seemed to connect with the stories as well as the Bible Summary Cards.
The Bible Summary card set contains one card for each book of the Bible in full color 8 1/2 x 11 size. Again we slid these into sheet protectors and a binder to keep them together and easy to use. Having these in protectors also allowed Cameron to write favorite verse from each book on the sheet protector with Wipe Off Crayons or pencils.

 Overall we have really enjoyed this program especially as a summer Bible Study program for the family. It was easy to pull out a lesson sheet for each of the boys and have them work on their page while Mommy read the story after lunch as a low key yet meaningful activity.
I did find out from several of my local friends that this program has been used in a couple of the local churches as well as homeschool families. I love hearing how other families have incorporated this program and the various add on pieces. As a homeschool Mom , I often find myself tweaking a program and then wondering how others are using the same program in their situation.  The Schoolhouse Review Crew reviewed a variety of the Bible Study Guide for All Ages products and share their experiences, you can click on the button below to read their thoughts.

Schoolhouse EXPO is coming August 19th-23rd

Are you ready  to be inspired?



Are you ready for 5 days of inspiration from some of the leaders in the Homeschool community? I know I am!
August 19-23, 20313 is the Old Schoolhouse Expo, an online conference where it doesn't matter how dressed up you are or aren't. You can join in wearing your jammies if you want. 
The schedule is full of awesome speakers and a wonderful time of encouragement with most speakers starting at the top of the hour.  You can purchase a ticket to this amazing event for only $24

Ray Comfort		Carol Topp
Dean Butler		Adam Andrews
Todd Wilson		Andrew Pudewa
Jessica Hulcy		Ann Dunagan
Diana Waring		Christine Field
Dr. Jay Wile		David C. Gibbs III
Hal & Melanie Young		David Stelzl
Kim Kautzer		Davis Carman
Antony Kolenc		Evonne Mandella
Terri Johnson		Tyler Hogan
Andy Harris		Marie Rippel
Jennifer Courtney		Deborah Wuehler
Joaquin Fernandez		Heather Laurie
Malia Russell

And More!!!

What an amazing list of speakers. 

I am on the west coast and am excited mostly because the activities don't get going until 10am Pacific time.

Will I see you there?

***I received my ticket to the event in exchange for sharing my thoughts before , during, and after the expo. All thoughts and opinions on the event are my personal opinions. ***

5 days of Elementary Montessori: Day 2 Sentence Fun

Welcome to another fun episode in 5 days of Elementary Montessori.  Today I want to share a couple of non-traditional Montessori style ideas for Sentence and Grammar activities.

I have the Farm Game for Nathan and he still enjoys playing with the set up we have even though the farm game is meant for a younger student. I also have several other printed materials for grammar and parts of speech. Eventually I will finish his grammar boxes and his sentence modeling set, but for now he is enjoying creating sentences with a set of plastic tiles a friend gave us. The colors don't coordinate with Montessori, but that actually has an advantage for Nathan as he was starting to memorize the colors instead of what part of speech we were working on.  

While his older brother works on a variety of other activities, Nathan can play a variety of games with the letter tiles and work on creative writing.  Recently he created a sentence that led to a discussion on verb tenses and how to make the verb tense match to the rest of the sentence. We also worked on writing the sentence on our home printed paper (we use Handwriting without Tears model currently, so I created a custom size paper for him).
Write the sentence and then write 2 additional senteneces that expand on the subject in the initial sentence is one of our daily tasks. Another thing these tiles have been very good for is self directed clean up, they have their own bucket with lid and when we are done with the activitiy the tiles fit in the bucket and are returned to the Language Arts Shelf in the Resource Room. As a way to encourage sharing with Daddy, Nathan is allowed to leave his completed paper on the table until he shows Daddy the work, then the paper is filed in his workbox under finished works.
We have also played a couple of rounds of Story Cubes to encourage Creative Writing and Creative Thought. 
I do allow Nathan to explore writing with either hand as he shows ambidexterous tendancies and I want to encourage whatever is most comfortable to him. 
Later this fall, I am going to have Nathan help me "build" grammar boxes and a few custom sentence strips. I am thinking we will use a modified idea, but still work with each part of speech progressively.
We are taking it at his pace rather than falling into a pattern of what the books say he is suppose to.

If you found us from the crew blog hop anchor post, thanks for stopping by, if not I'm grateful you found us. Be sure to come back tomorrow for day 3 of 5 days of Elementary Montessori and be sure to check out the rest of the 5 days of ... from other crew members by clicking on the button below.

5 days of Elementary Montessori: Day 1 Spelling Fun

Welcome to 5 days of Elementary Montessori with Unionvale Homeschool, I'm glad you stopped by. 

Today I want to share a couple of fun ideas for spelling. We don't do a formal spelling program although I am looking into a couple for later in the year. Right now, we play a lot of games with the boys for spelling. 

The favorite is Boogle Dice. 

This simple game keeps the boys focused on what is in front of them and incorporates both boys and a parent to play. 
We have combined 2 Boogle jr. games into a small plastic container.. The rules are simple. Everyone sits together in a circle on the floor. Parent starts, gently tossing the dice on the floor between everyone. Parent goes first and builds a word (no more than 4 letters) using the letters that fell in the circle. The next person buiilds 1 word with the remaining letters, and finally the last person goes repeating the activity. After everyone has built one word and said the word, we look for rules or formulas to discuss and then start round 2. The next round 1 of the boys goes first, usually we go clockwise just to keep it simple. The person that rolls goes first and the game goes around. 

Another spelling activity is movable alphabet races. This is a game Daddy made up for the boys. I gave him a stack of 2nd and 3rd grade Dolche word flash cards and he started calling out the words with the boys, the first boy to spell it correctly got to build it and write it. Since it was a race the boys immediately responded to the competition idea and worked to be the first one to spell the word. 

I also recently purchased an e-book of 101 Ways to Make Spelling Fun and can't wait to put these in the mix of choices for the boys. I love the idea that they have options for meeting their goals.

Come back tomorrow for another episode of 5 days of Elementary Montessori where I will talk a bit about sentence building activities.
Be sure to check out the rest of the bloggers on the Crew Blog Hop by clicking on the button below, 90 Schoolhouse Review Crew bloggers are sharing 5 days of... with a huge variety of topics.

Planning with The Schoolhouse Planners: A Short Review and Giveaway

****AND THE WINNER IS****

Congratulations to Beverly Steele, I will email you shortly for your choices

While I start thinking about our upcoming school year and plan for what we are hoping to do I also pick out some of my favorite planning pages form the Schoolhouse Planner. As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I receive my planner as part of the package. If you are a member of SchoolhouseTeachers.com you also receive it as a benefit of membership, and finally you can also purchase anyone of the 5 planners directly.

The Schoolhouse Planner is available in 5 different styles to fit a variety of ages and roles.

The Main planner , Mom's planner is actually a Home and School planner with a ton of forms for household, life, events, and homeschooling. It comes as a zip file and contains 3 folders: Household, Homeschool, and Calendars as well as a separate Start here document.  I love the variety of forms, especially when you can type in the document and save, you can also save a set of documents  as a single pdf file for the ones you reuse (especially the scheduling forms for multiple children )

We also use the Primary Planner. I like that the variety of forms and helpers are geared toward the primary ages. While we don't use all the forms or helpers, my 3rd grader is happy to have helpers that are what he needs.

My oldest son is starting 5th grade and will be using many of the helpers and lists from the Intermediate Planner this year. While he hasn't settled on the actual calendar and assignment format he wants to use, he is happy to use the helpers and lists from this planner.

I don't have any High School students yet and we don't use the Special Needs one  (although I may download it to get a look at some the behavior helpers as we are having some anger issues with one). 

Now you can win a copy of the Mother of all planners plus your choice of one of the student planners. 

This is open to all our readers with the exception of employees of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.

Leave a comment below letting me know which add on planner you would like to win.

***Extra Entries****

Follow us on one of the social media links found in the upper right corner and leave us a message with which one and your user name. (You may enter once for each social media site 5 total)

Share this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus , or Pinterest  and comment with a link  to the post. (Pinterest shares please use the graphic below )

Entries accepted until midnight PST July 10, 2013. Winner will be notified July 11th and will have until noon PST July 12th to respond . (I will be leaving town on the 13th so need to make sure I can let the publisher know before I leave who the winner is)

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OCEANetwork Anchored in Christ Conference coming soon! #sponsored

I can not wait for the upcoming OCEANetwork Conference. In less than 2 weeks my husband , the boys, and I will journey into Portland to the Oregon Convention Center to join other Oregon homeschool families for the annual Homeschool Conference in exchange for my blogging before and after the conference..
This year's theme "Anchored in Christ" is fitting as our homeschool mascot the sailor and our school theme of a journey with Christ at the helm align with the theme perfectly.  I have already printed a list of the exhibitors and vendors along with a Conference Workshop Schedule. I am working my way through the vendor list making notes of who I want to talk to about their program along with a list of products I am searching for.
This year, OCEANetwork has a wonder children's tract with Stories from Bruce Isham and science stations throughout by Twin Rock Science Camp. Nathan is looking forward to the various science stations after last year's sea star dissection.
Our plan is to take the boys on Friday and then just Mike and I on Saturday, that way we can attend more of the adult encouragement workshops on Saturday and also the Used Curriculum Sale together without the boys having to be juggled.
So Friday looks like 3 stories by Bruce Isham for the boys , a lunchtime Exhibitor's workshop maybe 2 (can't decide between Institute for Excellence in Writing and Doorpost for Friday), 2 Heidi St. John workshops for Mom, General Session with Norm Wakefield, and 1 undecided session. Of course, this could all change once we arrive on Friday.
Saturday is looking good too. I found a Jon Dunagan workshop for Mike to attend first thing in the morning while 1st session is still undecided for me. Also the General Session in the morning looks good, but you can't go wrong with a message from Dick Karman. lunchtime will likely be a screen of Overruled! from Parental Rights.org followed by 1 of 3 workshops that seem like they will speak to me. The last workshop session has several workshops that I want to attend, I may have to step up and purchase the CDs or MP3 downloads after the conference.


Online registration has closed for the conference but you can still register by the door for $60 for yourself and your spouse. Children are $10 each.  You can also purchase an Exhibit Hall only pass $15 for adults and $10 for children.
I am looking forward to blogging more about the conference and even posting to Facebook and Twitter during the conference.

Grammar anchor charts for homeschool writing #sponsored

"I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because even the English major turned homeschool mom can use a little help."

We are hitting the books pretty hard this summer, especially with writing and grammar. Since the boys seem to struggle with very simple plain writing, I was looking at some ways to help them . Searching Pinterest I found a couple of interesting ideas, but actually felt that I could make my own fairly easily. I hit the Dollar Tree for sheets of poster board on the cheap ($.50 a sheet). I cut each sheet into quarters since I do not need huge charts, so each chart starts out with a cost of $.125.

The first chart I made: a collection of NOUNS to go with story stones (I'll share those in another post)

I dug through my stash of old Creative Memories stickers and ABCs and found the perfect collection. I used 2 sheets of ABC stickers and 2 sheets of the coordinating stickers. I color coded the squares and the words to help the boys see the whole word and not mix it up with the word above or below. This chart has 22 simple nouns and is for Nathan more than anyone else.

The  Adjectives chart came from a Pinterest post by Step into 2nd Grade. The boys already love the design and examples. I kept it to 3 colors (Pink, Green, and Blue) as those are the colors we tend to use (Pink for Mom, Blue for Cameron, and Green for Nathan)

Finally, the Adverbs poster. This is a combination of several charts and worksheets. I left space in each box for additional words the boys might find to add.

My next projective includes strong verbs and proof-reading/ editing symbols. I may also include a grammar symbols chart for Nathan to use when diagramming sentences. I am considering a set of anchor charts for Math as well, but that will have to wait.

Thank you to Grammarly.com for assistance with this post. Have you tried Grammarly yet? 

*a portion of this post was sponsored by Grammarly, I have a membership with Grammarly that I pay for.***

1,2,3 Touch Math a hands on approach to 2nd grade math

We have been using a variety of hands on math products looking for a good fit for our 2nd grader. Currently we are using Touch Math's  2nd grade program.

With a variety of grade levels (preK- upper Elementary) Touch Math's Homeschool program is a comprehesive hands on program.
So far in about 4 1/2 weeks we have covered 2 1/2 modules with in the first Unit.
Since it didn't line up exactly with our usual Math program , we found some things to be easy and some of the "new" concepts to be just challenging enough for Nathan. Our plan is to continue on and finish Unit A and assess where we are and how we are all feeling about the program. Nathan wants to jump ahead to Unit D to work with Time, Money, and Measurements and I will probably let him to keep him engaged, if we continue with the program after than we can go back and do Unit B and C to finish off the year.
The recommendation for time on the subject is 2.5 times your child's age. Nathan is 7 so we are spending between 15 and 20 minutes on Math 3-4 days a week. That gives us enough time to go over a module and do 1-2 pages thoroughly.  We have been using the program as is with only slight adjustments to the order in which we touch the numbers, especially 7 and 9, we found the order in which the touches where counted to be more frustrating than it was worth for Nathan. We adjusted the location of the single and double touches to match up with the way we write the numbers to keep consistency across the curriculum.
We  have been using the Flip Cards with each of the modules as a review, although Nathan isn't a big fan of flash card style learning when working on math facts, he would much rather me just ask him the facts. We even started having him orally recite the fact family; for example I give him the fact: 7+6=?, he says 13 and then says 6-7=13 13-7=6, 13-6=7 which is encouraging him to remember the fact families and making the connection between addition and subtraction facts.
The flip cards we received with the program match up to various units within the 2nd grade program. There are 3 sets of cards per unit so I was trying to figure out how to store 12 sets of flash cards so there could be used but still kept nice in their boxes (wishful thinking I know),
I finally found a basket to store the flip cards in so there are easy to get at. All 12 sets fit in the basket and as we open a new set I can rotate them around so the ones we are using can be found on top. I think I will tape up the boxes a bit to make them a little sturdier. For now though, this basket will fit on our Montessori shelf and be easy to get to.   The boys are working on some game style activities using the cards, as we come up with successful ones I will post some to share.
The other manipulatives we received we have been using some of the time, the number cards have been a fun colorful way to build larger numbers and work on place values without the normal color clues the boys are use to having.  We have also been using the form numbers as reminders for how to write the numbers. For now, since these manipulatives are used more for fun , we are storing them in the box they came in and keeping them available for the boys to use for creative learning activities.


If you are interesting in trying this out, you can download samples of the Touch Math program under each grade. The units can be purchased individually for $59.95 as a download (pdf including the teachers guide with the worksheets, or you can purchase all 4 units and save for $199.95.  Honestly I don't know if my budget would allow me to purchase this for just 1 child. We have enjoyed working with the program, and have seen positives in the way the program is helping Nathan. It has been a blessing to receive the program for reviewing. If price were not a factor I would highly recommend the download units. The various manipulatives are not required to use the program but do ad fun elements.
You can also read more about the program from other members of the Schoolhouse crew

Be on the look out for more reviews from Unionvale Homeschool and the Schoolhouse Review Crew, there are some more fun ones coming up.

Teaching boys for their delight

Check out the fun with the Schoolhousereview Crew's 5 Days of Teaching Creatively Day 1

I have talked about our eclectic style in many posts and mentioned our Montessori homemade materials, but some of the best things about teaching the boys are the hands on activities they like to do. 
Both of the boys love to build things, give a kid a hammer and a few nails and watch out. Nathan loves building anything he can, he especially loves the wooden kits he can work on it the shop. He is learning skills as well as staying focused on following directions. The skills he has gained from the kit building has led to him crating a building a shelf out of scraps (he is going to hang it on the way in his room when we are done moving things around). He also loves creating metal art and working with concrete. Working in the shop with the various materials incorporates more subjects than just fun.  Math skills including measuring , fractions, and some geometry are easy to find in the shop. Reading for directions as well as labels is as common. Cooperative skills are also key in the shop because sharing Daddy's tools with your brother and Daddy are critical.
Shop time is fun, but there are so many other fun activities related to school, Legos or similar building kits are always fun and open up the door for learning not only cooperation, following directions, spatial skills, and basic counting skills, we have also found engineering skills as well as a creative outlet when we don't have the right piece have emerged from building blocks. 
I  am adding more options for the boys, I think of them as electives , they think of them as fun, we are all happy.  Upcoming activities include a unit study on Nascar from Hands of a Child, tangram activities, sentence games including Mad Libs card game, and a couple of building projects in our mud room to store canning jars.  Both boys are also asking for more computer programming lessons thanks to a product we are currently reviewing and creative writing activities similar to our playmobil story game so we will be adding more of those activities to work on spelling, grammar, and story tell

While we will still have our core 3 (Handwriting/spelling, Math, Bible) we will continue to have the boys take the lead in many of the remaining subjects and we will still have lots of stories and amazing books available to explore history, science, and the world around us at their disposal as well as a variety of video based subjects.

Teaching Creatively an amazing Giveaway 3/9-3/17

I'm joining in with Marcy @Ben and Me and Sam @Sam's Noggin to bring this awesome giveaway during the 5 Days of Teaching Creatively Blog Hop, hosted by the Schoolhouse Review Crew! The Blog Hop  begins Monday, but why wait until then, we are starting the fun early by giving you the opportunity to win incredible bundles of books and homeschool resources!

There will be a total of 3 winners chosen -- one GRAND prize, a 1st RUNNER-UP and a 2nd RUNNER-UP! The contest will begin at 12am on March 9 and end at 12am on March 17.  Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter, but read the contest rules, found at the bottom of the Rafflecopter widget below 

The GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive ALL of the following -- a $525 value!

Geography Matters -- Profiles from History Package ($50 value)

Looking for a way to help your students connect with history? The Profiles from Historyseries is dedicated to telling the stories of people, whose lives are worth remembering. Whether they made a discovery, led heroically in a war, created a masterpiece through music, or art, used a pen to change the world, or impacted humanity with their bravery—they made a difference. We can learn so much by looking at those who came before us. Be ready to change your mind about history, with Profiles from History, Volumes 1, 2, and 3.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine --  1-year membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com, a new Print Issue of The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine, and a Homeschooling with Heart Tote Bag ($90 value)

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is an online classroom and has more than 2 dozen expert teachers who cover 25 different subjects presented via teaching videos, ongoing lesson plans, worksheets, lapbooks & unit studies, writing prompts and other assignments to choose from, students can additionally interact personally with the teachers by asking them questions and gaining feedback.

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett -- Passport Geography set, consisting of the Combos (K - 12) for United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany ($50 value) 
Taking an in-depth look at world geography with the new Passport Geography™(PPG) series by Amanda Bennett. These one-week studies use a cross-curricular approach (covering geography, history, science, etc.) to take students on virtual journeys around the globe. Each study is interactive, including daily lessons for both elementary grades and Jr/Sr High grades, with no prep required.

Shining Dawn Books -- Early Spring Bundle ($21 value)

Early spring is known for its wonderfully rainy weather, leading to lots of beautiful fungi. It’s also the season when animals busily go about their regular activities after the relative quietness of winter. This bundle will help you to explore each of these exciting aspects of the spring season in-depth.

A+ Tutorsoft -- 1-yr subscription to the online A+ TutorSoft math program -- winner's choice from    grade levels 1st-4th ($150 value)
A+ TutorSoft, Inc. provides Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Full Curriculum products to help students improve their grades at all levels. Our Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH helps homeschooling families as well as public and private school teachers and students. A+ TutorSoft offers everyone a FREE 30 day trial on all products. Visit the top right corner of our website: http://www.aplustutorsoft.com/. And through 3/31/13 they are offering 50% off all products with code spoffer50!

Five in a Row -- Complete Digital Holiday book ($34 value)

A complement to any lifestyle of learning, this book is different from the Five in a Row manuals. It doesn’t give a specific book to study for each holiday, rather it is a treasury of traditions, memories and ideas for making your own! Each unit also includes calendar pages, blank pages for recording your own memories, and combinations of traditions and recipes, book and movie suggestions, quotes, decorating ideas, and more! 

Knowledge Quest -- Wonders of Old Timeline Book ($25 value)

Wonders of Old is divided into four historical time periods: ancient, medieval, new world and modern. Significant dates are listed at the conclusion of each section as a helpful reference. This hardcover book measures 9x12 and is printed on extra thick 70# paper for durability.

In the Hands of a Child -- 1-Year Super Membership ($75 value)

Super Memberships Save You Time and Money! Each month Super Members receive two free downloadable Lapbooks. These Lapbooks are always brand new and have not been released for sale to the general public. Super Members also receive:

• 15% discount off all purchases of existing eBook Lapbooks.
• A free Birthday
•  Lapbook10.00 off the price of any custom ordered unit

Southern Hodgepodge -- A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook ($20 value)
Looking for an easy way to add art to your days? With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook – just add chalk pastels and paper! Short lessons for a whole year, 100 pages of tutorials, art for all ages.

Tricia Goyer -- Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska ($13 value)
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But When singer Ginny Marshall travels to the isolated town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, she is charmed by the town's colorful characters and stunning scenery. She discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between an early missionary to Alaska Territory and his accidental mail-order bride. Written by homeschool moms, Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss.

Frontier 2000 -- No Regrets: How Homeschooling Earned Me a Master's Degree by Age Sixteen by Alexandra Swann and Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years As a Homeschooling Mother by Joyce Swann ($20 value)
No Regrets: The engaging story of Swann's experiences growing up as a Southern Baptist homeschooled child from New Mexico earning her education at a highly accelerated pace. At the age of fifteen she became the youngest student ever to graduate from Brigham Young University in its 111 year history.

Looking Backward: From 1975-2000, Joyce Swann homeschooled each of her ten children from the first grade through master's degrees by the age of sixteen. In this book, she discusses the methods she used to teach as well as the obstacles that threatened her success.

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The 1st RUNNER UP will receive ALL of the following -- a $225 value!

Geography Matters -- Cultural Geography Package ($50 value) Have you ever thought that geography was a boring subject? Then you've never used these books! Eat Your Way Through the U.S.A. and Eat Your Way Around the World are a taste buds-on approach to geography. Each state or country has its unique geographical features and agricultural products. These influence both the ingredients that go into a recipe and the way food is prepared. Why stop with only your taste-buds? Let's involve all the senses by adding Geography Through Art! This hand-son approach will supplement any study of geography, history, or social studies. Geography Through Art is sure to make a lasting addition to your home or school library. You'll find yourself reaching for this indispensable guide again and again to delight and engage students in learning about geography through the culture and art of peoples around the world.

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett -- Discover the Senses Download N Go ($9 value) In this study, your child will investigate a new sense each day, learning what it is and how it works, as well as what it does for him. He will learn what impacts that particular sense. And he will meet some of history’s heroes, such as Louis Braille, who helped along the way. Each day, your student will explore and investigate, creating and adding more learning components to his Discover the Senses lapbook—building a wonderful reminder of all that he is learning to be enjoyed for years to come.

Shining Dawn Books -- Remarkable Rain ($9 value)

Quiet and peaceful, or wild and raging – rain comes in many forms. This NaturExplorers unit sets out to examine rain in all its beauty, observe its effects and make you look forward to the next rainy day!

A+ Tutorsoft -- 3-month subscription to the online A+ TutorSoft math program -- winner's choice from    grade levels 1st-4th ($50 value)
A+ TutorSoft, Inc. provides Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Full Curriculum products to help students improve their grades at all levels. Our Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH helps homeschooling families as well as public and private school teachers and students. A+ TutorSoft offers everyone a FREE 30 day trial on all products. Visit the top right corner of our website: http://www.aplustutorsoft.com/. And through 3/31/13 they are offering 50% off all products with code spoffer50!

Five in a Row -- Set of Five Audio Files from Steve Lambert ($20 value)

We all need some inspiration from time to time! Steve and Jane Lambert have been encouraging homeschoolers on their journey since 1994. These Five in a Row audio files have been recorded at major state homeschooling conventions around the United States and Canada and have been chosen because we believe you’ll enjoy it for its wisdom, humor and encouragement shared by Steve. Including: Where do I Begin?, I Can't Teach All the Grades at Once, Making Your Children into World Changers, On Becoming Great Teachers, and High School and Beyond.

In the Hands of a Child -- 6-Month Super Membership ($55 value)

Super Memberships Save You Time and Money! Each month Super Members receive two free downloadable Lapbooks. These Lapbooks are always brand new and have not been released for sale to the general public. Super Members also receive:

• 15% discount off all purchases of existing eBook Lapbooks.
• A free Birthday
•  Lapbook10.00 off the price of any custom ordered unit

Southern Hodgepodge -- A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook ($20 value)
Looking for an easy way to add art to your days? With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook – just add chalk pastels and paper! Short lessons for a whole year, 100 pages of tutorials, art for all ages.

Tricia Goyer -- Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska ($13 value)
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But When singer Ginny Marshall travels to the isolated town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, she is charmed by the town's colorful characters and stunning scenery. She discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between an early missionary to Alaska Territory and his accidental mail-order bride. Written by homeschool moms, Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss.

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The 2nd RUNNER UP will receive ALL of the following -- a $190 value!

Geography Matters -- Adventures of Munford Package ($35 value) Although he's just two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, Munford is all adventure. He can be rain, snow, sleet, or steam. He has traveled the world in search of excitement. Throughout history, he has been present at some of the most important and world-changing events. Fun and educational, Munford will inspire your children to learn more about many of history's greatest moments. These readers make a great addition to your learning experience in areas such as history, geography, and science. This book series is written on an elementary reading level, but provides plenty of read-aloud entertainment for the entire family!

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett -- Discover the Senses Download N Go ($9 value) In this study, your child will investigate a new sense each day, learning what it is and how it works, as well as what it does for him. He will learn what impacts that particular sense. And he will meet some of history’s heroes, such as Louis Braille, who helped along the way. Each day, your student will explore and investigate, creating and adding more learning components to his Discover the Senses lapbook—building a wonderful reminder of all that he is learning to be enjoyed for years to come.

Shining Dawn Books -- Remarkable Rain ($9 value) Quiet and peaceful, or wild and raging – rain comes in many forms. This NaturExplorers unit sets out to examine rain in all its beauty, observe its effects and make you look forward to the next rainy day!

A+ Tutorsoft -- 3-month subscription to the online A+ TutorSoft math program -- winner's choice from    grade levels 1st-4th ($50 value)
A+ TutorSoft, Inc. provides Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Full Curriculum products to help students improve their grades at all levels. Our Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH helps homeschooling families as well as public and private school teachers and students. A+ TutorSoft offers everyone a FREE 30 day trial on all products. Visit the top right corner of our website: http://www.aplustutorsoft.com/. And through 3/31/13 they are offering 50% off all products with code spoffer50!

Five in a Row -- Volume 4 Digital Unit of Winner's Choice ($9 value)

Five in a Row was created by Jane Claire Lambert, a successful homeschool teacher with more than 17 years of experience. To use Five in a Row, just pick one of the 70 books used in Five in a Row, locate the corresponding lesson plan in your teacher’s guide, read the story aloud each day during the week and use Jane’s suggestions and lesson plans to lead your children on a wonderful learning adventure. It’s that simple! Each unit covers Social Studies, Geography, Language Arts, Applied Math, Science and Art in a way that causes children to fall in love with learning.

In the Hands of a Child -- 2-Month Super Membership ($45 value)
Super Memberships Save You Time and Money! Each month Super Members receive two free downloadable Lapbooks. These Lapbooks are always brand new and have not been released for sale to the general public. Super Members also receive:

• 15% discount off all purchases of existing eBook Lapbooks.
• A free Birthday
• Lapbook10.00 off the price of any custom ordered unit

Southern Hodgepodge -- A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook ($20 value)
Looking for an easy way to add art to your days? With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook – just add chalk pastels and paper! Short lessons for a whole year, 100 pages of tutorials, art for all ages.

Tricia Goyer -- Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska ($13 value)
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But When singer Ginny Marshall travels to the isolated town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, she is charmed by the town's colorful characters and stunning scenery. She discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between an early missionary to Alaska Territory and his accidental mail-order bride. Written by homeschool moms, Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss. 

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