Monday, July 22, 2013

On particularly rough days.....



This is my quote of the day- I found it on facebook and searched for the author but only seem to find "author unknown".


Educents

I like to be "in the know" when it comes to new homeschooling resources and feel that there are so oh so so many great programs that sometimes it is overwhelming to figure out what might work best for my family (and fit in my budget). I've been thankful to have the opportunity to try out some of the products available through educents and love that they are such amazing deals!

If you would like to see what i'm talking about - https://www.educents.com/#researchedparenting here is the link!!

The most recent product i've been able to sample (in order to write about it on my blog) has been Digital Creativity Box for Kids  m and I'm amazed by how many different types of products are available. This is designed for the busy mamma as an organized set of suggestions for activities pertaining to specific themes- for example if the theme was hot/cold then there might be a game, a craft, recipe and a coloring page.

Personally I ENJOY coming up with different activities and crafts and encourage my children to come up with them as well for topics that interest us- but i know many mammas who dread it. This is for you.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Super Excited - Games For Language (AKA maybe my kids will learn German in spite of us)




My children *should* be bilingual. My husband is German and his family live in Germany. He moved to Canada so we could be together. A more romantic love story I've never heard. I imagined I would quickly pick up the language and we would raise bilingual- no multilingual children who would one day follow our love of travel all over the world. Sadly i was mistaken - even though we go to Germany at least every second year- my children somehow are NOT multilingual. They are not even bilingual - I feel like we've failed them. So I have purchased German books, dvds and cds. I have done German language programs one after the other and somehow it just doesn't click. If I'm honest- I lack the consistency required for language learning.

I was asked to do a review for Games for Language. I have to admit i wasn't even a little bit hopeful. It started out so slowly- I was sure my daughter wouldn't keep with it- but i was wrong!! This is so exciting. They started off so slowly- building confidence, teaching how the different games worked and now my daughter (age 7 but a strong reader) is hooked! Since this is something she can do on her own for 10 min a day i am now wondering- could this be it?

I AM SO EXCITED

And i'm learning too- you can repeat a lesson as often as you wish so we're both doing them- she does them first and then later i do them as well.

I love online subscriptions- it means no curriculum taking up space- it means we're super flexible- even if we're on vacation and need some quiet time we can log in and continue and it is usually reasonably priced so you can start a program and see what you think before committing.

Try the demo here http://www.gamesforlanguage.com/?_source=4ab06fcedff321355

BUT the most exciting part? Well......it is on SALE RIGHT NOW- so today try the demo- fall in love and then tomorrow it is on sale - HERE -  https://www.educents.com#researchedparenting you can purchase a 6 month or 12 month subscription for up to 43% off a great deal!!

French- German- Italian and Spanish are all offered!


I was given a sample in order to try and post about it on this blog- but the opinions stated are my own. I have included my referral links as well and appreciate your support. Have a blessed day.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Rock N Learn

This week I've been given 4 preview DVD's from Rock N Learn- and as some down time after a park date today was the perfect time to try one out. We watched Letter Sounds http://rocknlearn.com/html/letter_sounds.htm

And now you can get a bundle of two DVD's for the price of one- http://educents.com/national-deals/deal/words-sounds-bundles#.UdM9B_lQLoI

I was excited to start the DVD as it looked interesting and informative- as a homeschooler we are always looking for "educational opportunities" and if my kids are watching television then I certainly hope they are learning something positive! It was long- just over an hour- but the kids were glued to it the whole time- which I found surprising. It was engaging and enjoyable. The age range suggested was 4-7 and my 3, 4 and 7 year old were watching with interest.

It was really too young for my 7 year old to watch more than once, and my 3 and 4 year old were a captive audience- however it went a bit too quickly at times for them to actually be reading the words on the screen (there were pauses but they were not quite long enough) .Although the benefit of the dvd is that you can watch it again and again until they are able to!

I appreciated the opportunity to review this DVD and am looking forward to watching the other DVD's with my children.