PG key

Have you ever wondered how you are going to protect your children as they grow up?  I have a lot.  I try to teach him and I pray that he will one day grow up to be a good person.  I still feel that there are areas that I need just a little bit of help.  One area that I could use a little extra help is on the internet.  It’s scary isn’t it?  To let your son or daughter loose on the internet.  With all the adult content, bullying, and scams.  It’s enough to give someone nightmares.  Cole hasn’t been on the internet too much yet, however that day will come when he will insist and I will need to let him.  So the way to protect him is PG Key. 

 

 

I have to say that this little item packs a lot of safety in it.  My favorite is the Age Appropriate Website blocking.  This function works wonders.  In fact before I even knew what I was doing, it had blocked some of the blogs that I follow and even my own blog!  Ha Ha.  So it definitely works to block everything!  All I had to do to fix it was enter in my password, remove my account from the protection, and it no longer blocked me.  Easy!

 

Another feature is the Timelock feature.  This is such a cool feature.  If you only want your son or daughter on the internet for an hour or less.   Set the feature to only give them an hour and then it kicks them off of the internet, needing a password to continue.   No stress, no more yelling, and the most important part is that you know how much time is spent.  Ok before I let Cole go online I set the time for 20 minutes.  So when he started I told him he had 20 minutes, and when his time was up he was calling me. {grins}

 

The another feature that I like is the session recorder.  This is designed to record all of the websites that your child visits.  You can sit there and watch it back to make sure you know what they were doing.  So as they get older and you give them more freedom on the internet you can see what they are doing.  The PG key will also let you know the content of emails.  Not just your child’s side of the email, but the person who is communicating with them too.  Cole doesn’t email yet, but I will definitely have this ready when he is. 

 

 

PG Key is available for $49.95, and currently is available for PCs only.  While I am not tech savvy, it was fairly easy to install. I didn’t have any problems installing the PG Key.   Overall I would recommend PG Key to anyone who needs a little more help watching over their child’s internet use. 

Visit their website here.  

 

 

 

~I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew and receive free products and services in exchange for a thorough and honest review.  Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews.  My reviews will always reflect my honest opinions, findings, beliefs and experiences on the products and services that I receive.

William Tyndale – God’s Smuggler

 

Did you know that centuries ago there was a man who devoted his life to translating the Bible into English so that we could understand it? When I say devoted his life, I mean his entire life.  That man was William Tyndale. William Tyndale lived in the 15th century and was persecuted by the king and the church for heresy for disobeying the laws that stated no one was to translate the Bible into a common language.

 

Soli Deo Gloria Resources, which means“To God alone the Glory,” is a website that offers us a  unique unit study on the life of William Tyndale.   It’s called William Tyndale – God’s Smuggler Ebook.   

 

It’s a one week unit study that guides us through more than history, it also covers geography, science, language arts, Bible, character study, and art. One thing that Cole and I enjoyed was one of the science studies on the printing press.  We had such a good time making a mess and learning how they used to print books back then.   I just wish my camera wasn’t broken.  We also had fun mapping Europe and learning about the bubonic plague.  The only thing that Cole didn’t like was some of the copy work, but that is normal.  Does anyone have any ideas to help him enjoy writing more? 

 

This Ebook is offered for a low cost of $8.00, so anytime that you need to add a little fun while learning  into your year this would be a perfect fit.  Not only is it inexpensive but also educational.  It’s easily downloaded and after you collect some cool videos and books to go with this study you’re all set. 

Even though it is geared for children of all ages, I feel that maybe children 2nd grade and up would understand it better than the younger children. 

 

Soli Deo Gloria Resources also has other wonderful items in science, geography, history, and the Bible that are all affordably priced and would help you and your child to Glorify God in your studies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew and receive free products and services in exchange for a thorough and honest review.  Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews.  My reviews will always reflect my honest opinions, findings, beliefs and experiences on the products and services that I receive.

Time4writing

A few weeks ago, we were asked to review a company called Time4writing.  I have to confess that when we started the Time4Writing class, it was in the middle of the summer and Cole politely reminded me that it was summer and that he didn’t want to participate in the class.  I told him to give a try and let’s see what happens.  He grudging said OK. 

What is Time 4 Writing?  It is an online writing class for grades 2-12 that will help your child learn the skills needed to write better and gain the confidence in themselves. 

How do they do this online?  Via multi-media lessons, writing assignments, and quizzes.  When you are finished, the teacher grades the assignment and gives you feedback. 

They have Elementary, Middle, and High School classes for students.  Cole is in 3rd grade so we had these choices.

• Grammar
• Sentences
• Paragraphs
• Essays

Since Cole knew basic grammar, we decided to go with the Sensational Sentences Course.  He can form sentences, but they aren’t very elaborate.  In fact he doesn’t like to write at all.  So we stuck with something that would improve his sentence structure. 

~I will note here that if you set up an internet connection for them and put parental restrictions on it, it will not work with Time 4 Writing.  Just saying.

In our first two lessons we learned the sentence types and how to distinguish the four types of sentences.  We listened to an audio explaining the all the differences while we followed along. 

 

The next few lessons covered nouns, verb agreement, punctuation, homophones, and homonyms.  By the last lesson we should be able to create and proofread sentences.  At the time this review is posted, we have only finished through week six and will finish in a week or so. 

After each lesson and quiz we received a grade.  Each grade is cumulative and by the end of the 8 weeks we should earn a certificate of completion. 

There was one little problem that we had with this type of lesson.  Cole  isn’t very proficient with typing on the computer, he’s only 8, playing games is more his thing.  He knows his way around a keyboard, but his frustration just increased.  Partly because it was summertime and he was working on school work!  I mean really mom!  The other part was his hunt and peck typing.  So I offered to type while he dictated to me.  If I hadn’t done that, I think we would still be on lesson one.  

Also while there was a teacher on the other end, we only interacted with her when there was an assignment that needed to be graded.  She then offered encouragement or constructive criticism.  Cole only needed constructive criticism a couple of times, and was always happy to see his grades.   To those students that needed more guidance I’m sure that the teacher would be there for them.  Simply send her a message and correspond through the website. 

Each course is $99 and 8 weeks long, requiring 2 hours per week to complete.   While it is a great idea to get children on the computer and writing, I feel that this type of lesson would be better suited for someone who is older and more comfortable with typing.  For instance, that High school student that needs to improve his writing skills for college.  Or maybe even the Middle school student who needs additional help with grammar. 

I also feel that with a $99 price tag per course, that it would deter some homeschoolers because it’s a bit pricey for only 8 weeks.  They could get an entire curriculum for that price.  I think it will depend on the homeschooler and their learning style. 

To learn more about the different lessons for your student go to  their website at Time4Writing.com.

 

I am a member of  TOS Homeschool Crew and receive free products and services in an exchange for a thorough and honest review.  Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews.  My reviews will always reflect my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, and experiences on the products and services that I receive.

Peterson Directed Handwriting

Last summer, when we first started homeschooling second grade, my son begged me to teach him cursive handwriting.  It was the only thing that he insisted we learn.   I purchased a  handwriting curriculum, and we began to learn.  This year we were given Peterson Directed Handwriting to review.  At first, I thought that this wasn’t going to help us because Cole knows how to write in cursive, but then we started and I found out that we didn’t know as much as we should have. 

Peterson Directed Handwriting is a very unique handwriting curriculum established in 1908 that focuses first on the controlled movement in a rhythmic manner with the aid of our voice.  This way we can master the movements even before we begin to write on paper. 

With our curriculum last year, it focused on the form, shape and slant so much that it drove us both crazy.  It was trace this or that and for my son became so tedious that he quickly dreaded it and for me I became frustrated because he would find every excuse not to do his handwriting.  With Peterson it wasn’t like that, we were able to print a worksheet for each letter and quickly move through the letters. 

The first thing that we were taught was how to finger trace and by creating a game out of it, it was easier to teach.  Another thing that we learned was that as a leftie Cole didn’t have the paper in the proper position.  So I tried to teach him the correct way to hold the paper and Cole told me that it was harder this new way.  I keep trying to teach him the correct way, however I may have to give up on it, because he just resists too much. 

I used the PDF by Hand Cursive step 1 first to learn the basic movements and review the letters the Peterson way.  It has 81 pages that include the steps to learn the rhythm and four basic movements for the letters.  I then moved on to PDF by Hand Cursive step 2 it has 59 pages and gives you “sequenced movement practice for cursive letters and words.”

Both of these are e-books that were designed to work with a digital tablet.  We don’t have a digital tablet, so we printed a worksheet a day and moved through the lessons at our own pace.  They are in color, but if you don’t have a color printer it can be printed in black and white.  They are individually priced at $19.95.   But if you wanted the PDF by Hand full version, which includes the note pad (digital tablet), picture pad, On Your Mark Game, Print step 1-3, Cursive step 1-4, and Word Masters 3 and 4.  All for $125.  I recommend that you contact Rand at Peterson Directed Handwriting for the best fit.

One of the unique features of Peterson’s is that they offer a series of handwriting webinars at no extra charge for those who register.  I found the few times that I “sat in” on the webinar with Rand, I found him extremely informative and helpful.  They also have a wide variety of tools from pencils and position guides to textbooks and training classes. 

I do believe that if we had started with Peterson Directed Handwriting it wouldn’t have been as much a struggle to learn cursive handwriting, and I also believe that he would handled it much better.  Cole said that he liked Peterson better than the one last year, but he doesn’t particularly like that we have to learn everything over.  I reminded him that this time we were doing it the correct way.  

 

 

 

I am a member of  TOS Homeschool Crew and receive free products and services in an exchange for a thorough and honest review.  Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews.  My reviews will always reflect my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, and experiences on the products and services that I receive.

Travel The World!

Remember last month when I told you that I was now apart of The Old School house Magazines’ Homeschool Crew?  Well guess what ?  This is my first official review!  I have been so very anxious to dive in and get started and I can’t wait to share this with you.  It’s called  TOS June 2010 Module – Travel The World! 

What is a module you ask ? Well according to TOS a module or e-book is an add-on for The Schoolhouse Planner, offering enrichment activities in various topics for your family each month. 

We started this e-book by learning basic map stuff like the Earth’s axis, the equator, and a compass rose.  Then we found out about the five oceans and the seven continents. It gave us tons of trusted web sites that saved me from hours and hours of searching the internet  for each little subject.  It also included lots of fun sites that had games that taught us many lesson points, like latitude and longitude. This is where Cole and I had the most fun.  We learned how to find a little girl by the coordinates given and we also learned that we didn’t know as many countries in Europe as I we should.

This e-book works for children of all ages and it included great copy work pages that Cole didn’t care for only because he is an 8 year old boy and dislikes writing.  It even has an High School Expansion where your high school student can learn about the branches of Geography and how to incorporate Geography into a home based business!

It has a price point of $7.95, and I was able to print off as many copies of the activity pages, quizzes, or copywork pages that I needed.  It also has several convenient maps that can be printed off in color, or in black and white for coloring pages. 

It doesn’t come with an outline, which I didn’t feel we needed but an outline for this module could be easily set up for those who needed one.  We aren’t homeschooling for the summer so we enjoyed the freedom this e-book gave us to read and learn casually.  Just sitting in front of the computer, playing and learning at the same time!

Overall this is a fun e-book study that I could see us using as a welcome break anytime during the year or  possibly using it monthly to help enhance Cole’s our learning experience.

A 12 pack of the 2009-2010 modules can be purchased for $83.95 saving you $11.45 over the individual module’s price.  A few of the modules included in the 2009-2010 12 pack are Wondrous Weather, Checks and Balances, Bible Stories, Astronomy and many more .  Check out The Old Schoolhouse Store website for more information.

 

~I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew and receive free products and services in exchange for a thorough and honest review.  Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews.  My reviews will always reflect my honest opinions, findings, beliefs and experiences on the products and services that I receive.