Progeny Press Study Guides for Literature

There is a way to help your child get more out of the literature they are reading...Progeny Press Study Guides.  When offered the opportunity to review one of their study guides, I saw that the book, Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt, was a study guide available and, since I am teaching about the Civil War to the 6th-8th grade students at our homeshool co-op in which two of my children are involved, I gladly accepted the assignment.

When I received the study guide, I realized that they have been using Progeny Press products at our co-op for years.  A good friend of mine has been teaching literature for a few years, and I recognized the study guides as Progeny Press guides.  I hadn't realized this previously.

There are many wonderful activities to further their learning while reading literature, and it is all done from a Christian perspective.  There are vocabulary activities and writing activities.  Depending on the book you choose to read, there are connections to history where you learn more about important historical figures and events as it is with Across Five Aprils.

Use of maps is incorporated.  Various elements of grammar such as learning about synonyms, personification, and overshadowing are part of the study guide as well.  There are exercises that allow the student to dig deeper by looking at how what they are reading applies to Scripture.  There are writing assignments that teach the student how to write persuasive essays.  There are so many topics touched upon by these study guides it makes it an invaluable tool along side any other language arts curriculum that might be used.  The student looks so closely at the book through all of these various topics that they are sure to get a greater understanding of what was written than they would have by simply just reading it.

Progeny Press has products available for all grade levels: Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, and High School.  You can also search by genre and new titles.  There are also additional resources available.  There are items from time to time you can save money on, and there are also CDs available.  I did notice that they offer a military discount of 15% for all active duty military personnel.

There are 36 different study guides for middle school including The Giver, Anne of Green Gables, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and Treasure Island, to name a few.  The study guides are available in three different formats: printed and bound booklet, CD in .pdf format, and as a .pdf in an email attachment.  No matter how you receive the material, it all has the same content.  The shipping cost is what varies.  If you receive your guides as an email attachment, there is a simple $3 flat rate fee to cover employee time for order downloads, payment processing, and time spent assembling sending emails.

Pricing is as follows (it seems as if this is for each study guide):
Booklet  - $18.99
CD - $16.99
CD and booklet - $23.99
Email attachment - $16.99

They also sell the books for each of their study guides.  Prices differ depending on the book purchased.

Check out their website for additional information.  There is a FAQ page, a link to physical stores that sell their products, and information about Progeny Press and using their materials.

They can be contacted by address at:

Progeny Press
PO Box 100
Fall Creek, WI  54742

or by phone at:

1-877-PROGENY.

Their email is progeny@progenypress.com.

I hope you will check them out and will enjoy their products as much as I do.

DISCLAIMER:  I received this product free of charge in order to review it and provide an honest review.

My Continuing Fascination

I captured 3 photos using my camera of the clouds in the sky one day a few weeks ago when I was dropping Jacob off for his robotics class on a Saturday morning.  I thought I'd share them with you.  I just love the artistry of God.

I'm Teaching My Kids How to Argue

Do you get tired of listening to your kids argue?  Did you ever think it would be a good thing to teach them how to argue the right way?  Did you ever consider it an art?

I received The Art of Argument from Classical Academic Press to use with my son who is in eighth grade.  I have been using it also with my sixth grader.

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The first book I received and used was The Argument Builder.  As I read this book with my boys, I knew it was too deep and that they were getting lost in the words.  In looking through the book, I could see that it would be a great resource as my boys got older.  I did also receive the book, The Art of Argument, which I began using instead of the other as soon as I received it.  It is much easier to use for younger students.  This book is an introduction to informal fallacies.  It begins to teach the student how to argue correctly by avoiding arguments that are irrelevant, avoiding arguments that presume, and making sure their arguments are clear.  The beginning of the book is a bit wordy as it introduces the idea of logic and fallacies.  I was worried it was going to be like the other, but it has conversations between "Socrates" and "Tiffany" that help to explain things in a way that is easier to understand.

The book details 28 fallacies and encourages the student to memorize them so they will always have them in their memory when trying to determine if an argument is valid.  This is especially helpful in evaluating every day situations presented by advertisements and even political speeches.  There are discussion questions and worksheets.  The book is in black and white, but there are a lot of pictures and illustrations that make learning more enjoyable. 

The Art of Argument is a book in a series of books on logic sold by Classical Academic Press.  The student book is 230 pages and is geared towards junor high students.  It sells for $21.95.  The teacher book includes an answer key and reproducible quizzes.  It also includes the entire student text and sells for $24.95.  There is also a DVD that can be purchased for $54.95.  There are three logic teachers who present the information to four enthusiastic students in a thought-provoking yet humorous way.

Classical Academic Press also sells various language products such as Latin, Spanish, Greek, and French.  They have Bible products available, a poetry curriculum, and education resources for parents.

Classical Academic Press can be reached at 3920 Market Street, Camp Hill, PA 17011.  Their phone number is 866-730-0711.  A catalog can be downloaded as a PDF from the home page.

DISCLAIMER:  I received this product free of charge so that I might use it and provide an honest evaluation.

The Pennsylvania Homeschooling Adventure, Part I

I tried to give a talk on Saturday at the Greater Pittsburgh Homeschool Workshop about putting together portfolios.  I was sleep deprived, so my mind wasn't working well at all.  It was probably the worst talk I've ever tried to give.  This series of blogs, then, is my attempt to rectify my failure.  Hopefully some of the people who left just as confused as when they started will find this blog and gain some valuable information from it.  One of my deepest desires is to be a resource to people who have questions that I am able to find the answers for.  So, here we go...

First and foremost, if you feel God calling you to homeschool, do not disobey.  He will reward you in so many ways. You will wonder why you ever doubted you could do it.  Besides, it is not you doing it alone.  God will be with you EVERY step of the way, even on the days when you are pulling out your hair because your kids just aren't sitting still to do the work.  (I have many of those days.)

Second, if you are even considering homeschooling, contact your school district's administrative office and let them know you are thinking about homeschooling.  They will most likely send you a packet of information about requirements.

The third thing I would recommend before getting started is obtaining a copy of the PA Homeschool Law.  This can be purchased from PA Homeschoolers or viewed on their website at http://www.pahomeschoolers.com/act169.html.  This will give you information on specific items that are required by the state of Pennsylvania to keep you in compliance with the law.

When do you need to start keeping records for homeschooling or, as I like to phrase it, when does the school district need to know my child exists?  If you have had your child in first grade (not kindergarten) for at least one day and decide to pull them out, you need to file your affidavit and objectives and turn in a portfolio at the end of the year (to be discussed later).  If you haven't had your child in school yet and they don't turn 8 until after September 1st (or whatever your school's cutoff date for birthdays is), you don't need to let your district know they exist.  If your child has not been in public, private, or charter school before they turn 8, the first full school year after they turn 8 is the year in which you need to file your affidavit, objectives, medical and dental records, have your child evaluated at the end of the year and turn in a portfolio.

An notarized affidavit is to be filed "prior to the commencement of the home education program and annually thereafter on August 1st."  You can find an affidavit at http://files.chaponline.com/docs/forms/Affidavit_Form.pdf.  This form is your documentation that you are the superintendent of the home education program, that you will teach the required subjects, that no one in the home has been convicted of a felony, that your child has been immunized (unless religiously exempt), and that your child has had the required medical exams.  It MUST be notarized.  All of the children you are homeschooling can be included on the same form.  You do not need a separate form for each child.

The required subjects for elementary are:  English, to include spelling, reading, and writing; arithmetic;  science; geography; civics; history of the United States and Pennsylvania; art; music; physical education; health and physiology; and safety education, including regular and continuous instruction in the dangers and prevention of fires.

At the secondary level, the required subjects are: English, to include language, literature, speech and composition; science; geography; social studies, to include civics, world history, history of the United States and Pennsylvania; mathematics, to include general mathematics, algebra, and geometry; art; music; physical education; health; and safety education, including regular and continuous instruction in the dangers and prevention of fires.

Next, writing objectives.......

*If you have any tips or suggestions regarding anything in this specific blog, please message me.  I will consider adding your thoughts to my blog.

K5 - A Supplemental Learning Program

K5 is an online reading and math enrichment program specifically for kids in kindergarten through grade 5.

My daughter is in 4th grade, and I am always looking for something to enhance her math skills.  This program was an added bonus for us in that it had reading and spelling.  While I wasn't concerned about her ability to read, I did appreciate the added spelling lessons, as well as vocabulary lessons.

Upon entering the math portion of the website, the student is given an assessment.  I went through this with my daughter.  Much of what was asked in the assessment was beyond her learning so far.  She does not enjoy math to begin with and was frustrated with this program.  The problems in the assessment weren't simple but expected greater understanding.  

Between segments of the assessment, the student is given a small game to play to break up the assessment.  The characters on the screen are interactive.  When the math lessons start, they teach by speaking so the student does not have to read everything.  The screen is very colorful, so this enhances learning.

The vocabulary and spelling lessons aren't colorful.  They show a simple box where you type your answer. For spelling, you can hear the word being said, and it is clear and understandable.  A sentence is also provided to give context to the word to aid in spelling.

There is a math facts section that times your student's ability to answer math facts quickly.  I personally like this section.  It keeps ME on my toes and makes me feel like my brain is working, but my daughter gets frustrated when she has to try to remember things quickly.

K5 provides a free 14-day trial.  Simply go to http://www.k5learning.com/ and click "Start My Free Trial."  It will then ask you for your information and to create a password but does not ask you for credit card information.  If you are satisfied with the program, a monthly subscription for one child is $25.  Each additional child is $15.  If you sign up for a year, the first child is $199.  Each additional child is only $129.

I believe this to be a great program.  I wish I would have known about it earlier as I could see the benefit of starting a child on it at the beginning of their schooling.  Unfortunately, my daughter is quickly frustrated when she is timed regarding math, as it is a difficult subject for her, and she doesn't like to look like she doesn't know much.  She did, however, do well with the spelling, but that is a section that is not animated and was, therefore, easily bored by it.

There is a FAQ page available for any specific questions you may have regarding K5 at http://www.k5learning.com/faq.  

K5 can be reached by phone at 888-281-2145 or at their address of K5 Learning, 510-4438 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6R 4R8.

DISCLAIMER: I received this product free of charge in order to provide an honest review of it.

Being Beautiful

We women like to look and feel beautiful.  I had the opportunity recently to review 2 products from a company called BeeYouTiful.  

BeeYouTiful's About Us Page states:

"At Beeyoutiful.com, we believe that each individual is responsible for their own health. It is not a doctor's responsibility to keep you in good health. Instead they are a tremendous resource, especially for those times when urgent care is required. But, they are only one of many resources. And the tools they use, while powerful, are not the only tools available. But a tool is worthless unless one knows how to use it.

We have found a lot a tools that have worked very well for our families, and made Beeyoutiful a repository for those tools, as well as the information to effectively use them. As we learn more, we share more. Our goal is to eventually carry every natural product that we use. We're not there yet. We may never be as we are constantly being exposed to new and great products. As much as is in our power, we want to aid others in obtaining and maintaining good health.  Our mission is to do good to all men."

They sell all types of products including hair care, skin care, lip care, products for children, essential oils, nutritional oils, books on healthy living, supplements, baking supplies such as Stevia and gluten, tea for all purposes like colds or to help sleep, and even some small appliances like a diffuser and a Nutrimill.

Two of the products I was able to try were the Ow!-Ease and the orange-flavored All-natural Lip Balm.

The Ow!-Ease is an Arnica trauma salve.  It comes in a 1 oz size and sells for $15.  The more you order, the more you save.  It is intended to relieve "pains associated with sprains, strains, and pulled ligaments and muscles, bruises, and contusions" using a blend of herbs.  I have not had any great pain, thankfully, while I have had it, but I do notice that as I put it on my shoulders that are often very tight I have a warm sensation which helps to relax my muscles.

The lip balm is 0.15 ounces, the size of a normal tube of lip balm you could buy at the grocery store.  I used the orange flavor, but it also comes in peppermint.  It is three dollars and is made from grape seed oil, beeswax, Shea butter, and essential oils which provide the flavor.  It glides on very smoothly and never feels caked on like cheaper brands.  It also helps to relieve my chapped lips which I do suffer from all winter long.  I have tried higher priced products that are all natural, but I know because this is only $3 that I will be buying from BeeYouTiful!  Again, the more you order, the more you save.  It looks like the base shipping price is $6.00 (that was just for a $3 tube of lip balm).  Shipping costs would go up based on weight.

BeeYouTiful is a company that states on their values page they are believers in Jesus Christ.  They aim to treat everyone with respect according to their belief system.  They treat others the way they want to be treated.

It is definitely worth a look on their website,  www.beeyoutiful.com.  I believe you will find something that will suit your needs and make you glad you purchased it.

DISCLAIMER:  I received these products free of charge in order to provide an unbiased review.  

Another Wonderful Math Program - This One was for the Boys

As my son worked through his algebra 2 curriculum, he expressed his displeasure very openly.  I have to admit that as we passed the halfway point in the book, the problems got hard enough that I couldn't pull from my memory banks of middle school or early high school; and I would more often than not tell him to watch the video that accompanied the curriculum in order to understand how to work a problem.

Along came the chance to review ALEKS.  

ALEKS stands for Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces.  It is a web-based program that assesses what the student knows and instructs them on what they are ready to learn.  Upon getting access to ALEKS, we stopped algebra 2 and decided to review algebra 1.  I haven't heard any complaints since he started except that he doesn't enjoy the assessments.  When first starting out, an assessment is given to determine the knowledge of the student.  Periodic assessments are then given throughout as the student masters the material to make sure they are still learning new concepts and have retained the information they have already learned.  Parents receive emails as part of the master account to keep them informed of their child's progress.

ALEKS has a wide variety of math products available for K-12, higher education, independent use, and homeschool.  Before signing up, you can take a tour of some different modules and watch some videos about the program.  A free trial is also available.  Once you sign up for it, you have a 3-hour time frame in 48 hours in which to use it. 

A subscription to ALEKS can be purchased for one month for $19.95, 6 months for $99.95, or a year for $179.95.  If you have more than one child in your family and are purchasing the 6-month or 12-month program, there is a significant savings for each additional child.  When you purchase ALEKS, two accounts are created: a student account and a master account.

The master account allows you to create and assign quizzes and see the results, view other resources that are available through ALEKS, reset student passwords, edit billing and subscription options, and add additional students.  You can view reports of your child's progress and keep attendance records.

Above is a snapshot of the "MyPie," which gives the student an idea of their progress.  Both of my sons love to work from MyPie.  I think they feel a sense of accomplishment as they finish a piece of it.  When clicking in the colored area of the pie piece, a window pops up to let them know what concepts they still need to work on.  They can click one of the underlined topics which will then present problems for them to work through.  

Once they have mastered the concept, more of the piece is filled in.  If they understand it well from the beginning, they will usually only have to do 3 problems.  If they have difficulty with a problem, they can click the "Explain" button.  The program will then go to a page that details the same type of problem so that they can figure out how to do the one they were confused about.  They will then receive enough practice problems to be sure they have mastered the concept, and then the piece will be filled in.

This "MyPie" page is able to be printed.  When it is, the pie displays, as well as topics they are able to do, what they are ready for, and gives a history to view progress.  Progress reports are also emailed on a regular basis.

ALEKS comes with training guides that explain how to use the program, how to choose the right program for your child, and supplies the answers to other FAQs.

I highly recommend ALEKS if you are searching for a different way to teach your child math, especially if they are having difficulty or are bored with the traditional textbook approach.  They are able to monitor their own progress by watching their pie without feeling like you are always watching them over their shoulder.  You can still follow along with the reports that are sent to you or that you print out.

It is both PC and Mac compatible and comes in Spanish and English versions.  ALEKS' corporate office address is:

ALEKS Corporation

15460 Laguna Canyon Road
Irvine, CA 92618

Their phone is (714) 245-7191, and their email address is http://support.aleks.com.


DISCLAIMER:  I received this product free of charge so that I could provide an honest/unbiased review.

A Math Adventure Game

My daughter struggles with math.  She simply doesn't like it.  She thinks it is too hard.  Learning multiplication has taken all year, and she still hasn't mastered it.  Along came a review for a math game for kids, an adventure game with a horse in it.  I figured if this game didn't peak her interest, nothing would.  She loves horses and playing adventure video games.  This program is called Math Rider.

This is a screen shot of the adventure land.  You are trying to work with the king to rescue his daughter.  You are on a horse that jumps over hurdles.  Each hurdle is a math question.  If you answer the question before your horse comes to it, you get points. At the end of that particular part of the quest, you can look at a map of your progress in the imaginary land.  It will show you your progress on the path.  If you answer questions correctly, the horse speeds up.  If it takes you more time, it will slow down.  The quicker you answer, the more points you receive.

The types of questions that can be answered can be chosen by the parent. It does different levels of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  When my daughter began the program, she loved it.  I did notice that she began to remember math facts better the more she played the game.  She spent most of her time doing addition and subtraction.  I wanted her to use the game to do multiplication.  As soon as we started with the multiplication, she was frustrated.  I told her to just listen for the answer to the ones she didn't know.  When the program tells you the answer, it will give the same question a hurdle or two later.  I could see that this was helping her remember her multiplication.  After missing more than she got right, however, she didn't want to do it anymore.  In her mind, she wasn't given enough time to figure it out.



This is a picture of the statistics page for your child.  It lets you know what they have mastered, where their difficulties are, what percentage of mastery they have achieved, and how much they have improved since starting.


I even used the program once or twice myself, and it does keep you on your toes with your math facts.

I like the program, and I think it is very beneficial.  The only issue I have is that it does make you feel pressured as you answer the problems.  Sometimes when you feel pressured you can't think quickly enough to answer or your hands hit the wrong keys.

Math Rider is an intelligent math facts game most appropriate for children ages 6 through 12 who at least have a grasp of addition concepts.  One downloadable Math Rider program allows up to 8 students to work on the same program but not as a multiplayer game.  Each student can work at his/her own level based on their knowledge.  Each purchase of Math Rider also allows you to install up to 3 times, so you can put it on more than one computer in your home.

Math Rider is regularly $47 but is on sale now through February 15th for $37.  You can purchase online and download for PC or Mac using PayPal, Visa, MC, and American Express.  They also have a 30-day risk-free guarantee.  They have a 7-day free trial accessible through their contact page.

Their contact information is:
Sharper Edge Pty Ltd

31 Hannah Street
Beecroft NSW 2119
Australia

Phone: +61 2 8005 8531
Office hours: 9am to 5pm (East Australian Time – GMT+10), Mon-Fri

DISCLAIMER:  I received this product free of charge so that I might try it and provide an honest review of it.

Time Flies...Sometimes

I have neglected my blog for over a month.  Last week I thought to myself, "I really need to get blogging.  It's been over a week."  Imagine my surprise when I realized it had been almost a month.  I have no idea where the time went.  Since last week, I have thought every day, "I need to blog.  I need to blog."  Something always seems to get in the way, however.  It's either a box that needs packing or a can of paint that needs to be used.   In an effort to prepare our house so we can sell it, there seems to always be something that needs done.  I wonder how we were able to ignore all these things that need fixed all these years.  If someone wants a house that is move-in condition, they ought to just take it the way it is, right?  I guess they don't want it lived-in condition.

We have been trying to move since right after Thanksgiving.  John has applied to many jobs in Florida with the search now going to North Carolina.  He grew up thinking he'd move to NC since he spent some summers there and loved it.  He is simply opening us up to God's direction.  We are still holding out for Florida, but we don't want to put God in a box.  We are waiting to hear from a company in Jacksonville about when he'll go down for his third interview.  We are hoping to hear this week.  This is the part that seems to be dragging despite the fact that the rest of life seems to be flying by.

I can see God's wisdom in that, though.  First of all, it causes us to trust Him.  John has gotten a little discouraged because he hasn't gotten a job yet, but I say, "God is in control.  He knows what he wants you to do."  My faith has been strengthened through this process.  I usually am a person that wants something to happen right away and, while I would love a confirmation of this grand adventure, I am glad that He is giving us the time to get things done around here and also have more time with our friends.

Once John gets an offer that he accepts, our house will go on the market.  I have painted 5 rooms so far and have 4 more left.  We have odds and ends to fix or replace.  This takes time.  I think our house will sell quickly.  If it does, that may allow us all to go South together instead of having to be separated for any length of time.  I can see God's wisdom through it all.  I can see how He has orchestrated everything since last April.  I am thrilled to be a part of the symphony.  I look forward to hearing more of the music.

Endings and New Beginnings

My favorite holiday is New Year's Eve.  I have been told it is not a holiday.  I'll buy that I suppose, but it is still my favorite DAY of the year.  I love endings and new beginnings!  How much more final is the end of a year?  To reminisce about all the things that have happened.  To know that good things happened, bad things may have happened, but we made it to the end of another year.  This year I became the mother of a teenager.  All 3 of my kids achieved double digits.  If I didn't feel old when my son became 13, I certainly felt old when Paige reached the age of 10 in November.  :-(   We got 2 new cars this year, both Honda, because we were tired of car repair bills.  We haven't had any since we got the new ones, thank the Lord!  We vacationed in Disney in November and decided that we want to move to Florida.  We attended family reunions and funerals.  Kids went to camp again this summer and won a lot of awards for memorizing Scripture.  I started writing a novel, which I haven't picked up since September.  We attended the Washington County Fair.  I started selling Arbonne in an effort to quit my typing job.  This year was so full that I can't even remember half the things we did.

On New Year's Eve, I mentally drift into the next year and wonder what things could possibly transpire in the next 365 (or 366 if leap year) days God gives us.  I know it's just numbers and you could easily think of each day the same way or go from October 1st of one year to September 30 of the next year, but I deal in chronological years where I need to buy a new calendar to hang on my wall on January 1st.  That metaphorical action of throwing away the old year and hanging up a new one, full of possibilities, makes me happy.

So, what will this new year hold?  I know that Jacob will be starting high school in the fall.  We may be living in Florida at some point before the end of the year.  If not Florida, then possibly a new home in PA.  I will still be selling Arbonne, but I have come to realize that my typing job was a gift from God over 13 years ago and that I need to get my head on straight and be thankful for what I have and not complain, so I'll be keeping this typing job until I don't have to work anymore.  This year, more than any other, is so full of the unknown for us.  I am actually very excited about that.  I know that whatever this new year holds we'll be under God's care.  He will guide us.  He will help us to grow closer to Him.  Therefore, I know this new year will be wonderful!!!

I pray yours is as well!!

Vintage Remedies for Boys

With eager anticipation, I received Vintage Remedies for Boys to use with my 13-year-old and 11-year-old sons.

This book is filled with chapters about real food, healthy drinks, snack time, sweet desserts, local foods, healthy bodies, coughs and cols, backyard medicines, etc.  It has kitchen tips and many recipes using real foods, not artificial anything.  There are also quizzes included for each chapter to test their knowledge.

I was glad to have a supplement to my health curriculum for my boys, and this book is put together well with a lot of very useful information and delicious recipes.  There are only two issues I have with it.  One is that it is all words.  There are no pictures, hand-drawn or photos, whatsoever.  The second issue I have is that it doesn't seem to have been proofread.  There are a lot of typos in it. Besides that, it is a wonderful resource.

The website is http://www.vintageremedies.com/home/.  They have Vintage Remedies for Girls, Guys, and Kids.  The guys and girls versions are $45.00.  The  kids version is $25.  There is also one for tweens which is $29.95.

Vintage Remedies offers other great products for healthy living.  They even have a course called "The Family Herbalist."

They can be reached at 230 Franklin Road, Suite 807; Franklin, Tennessee 37064, or by phone at 615-807-0882.

DISCLAIMER:  I received this product free of charge in order to provide honest feedback.

Anybody for Punkin' Chunkin?

It is fun to watch Punkin' Chunkin' on television.  Imagine getting to build your very own trebuchet to toss large pumpkins thousands of feet away.  Wouldn't that be fun?  Of course, the machines those people build cost them sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars.  I've got a machine you can build for a couple of tens but then it won't chunk punkins either.  You will, however, learn a great deal about the machine and the history behind it.

Pitsco Education is dedicated to helping students succeed by offering a wide array of STEM-oriented classroom solutions (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).  I received the trebuchet and catapult kit that included  the Siege Machines book, the Catapult kit, and the Trebuchet kit and weights.  It retails for only $21.95.  The kits are AMERICAN made in Kansas.  There is a more expensive kit that includes all that is listed above plus two in-depth teacher/curriculum guides for another 20+ hours of teaching material for each kit.  It retails for $64.95.

The Siege Machines book that was included is full of wonderful information about the trebuchet and catapult. It talks about their history, safety, and mechanics.  The book provides experiments and charts for data.  I really enjoyed going through this book with my kids.  The directions for building each machine are separate from the book and are included with the kit.  They were NOT easy to understand.  Not that these kits are designed to be put together by a child, but there is certainly no way they ever could be.  Even my husband and I had trouble understanding them.  There is a lot of cutting of tubing and string or scoring of wood that is required with these kits.  The instructions would often say to look for an example in the picture above, but it would actually be in the picture to the left.  The pictures were dark and slightly fuzzy as well.  If the directions were in a much better format, I would have nothing negative at all to say about these two kits.  The instructions as they are, however, make putting these kits together a less than enjoyable experience.

Because these are the kits I received, I cannot speak to the quality of the other kits they provide or what the instructions are like, but they do offer other items such as airplanes, hot air balloons, kites, CO2 dragsters, many different architecture kits, math tools, physical science tools, and robotics.  It is definitely worth the stop  at the store,  http://shop.pitsco.com/store/, to see what they have.  The list is extensive.

Pitsco Education also has an Academy for student-directed learning or teacher-directed learning.  As I browsed this tab on their website I was amazed by the quality of the experiments.  It seems Pitsco is truly devoted to helping kids understand and succeed in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math.  Perhaps all they need to do is work on their kit instructions so the parent who is not a scientist or engineer can   help their child put the kits together.

Pitsco can be reached at 800-835-0686.  Their address is Pitsco, Inc.; PO Box 1708; Pittsburg, Kansas, 66762-1708.  Their email is for purchase orders only.

DISCLAIMER:  I received this product free of charge in order to provide an honest review.

"The Curriculum for Creativity!"

"The Curriculum for Creativity!" is a trademark slogan for Artistic Pursuits, an art curriculum I received in order to use and review.  I welcomed the opportunity to review an art program with my children because I am always looking for ways to encourage their love for art.  The grade 4-6 book we used was Book One which teaches the elements of art and composition including space, line and shape, texture, value, contrast, balance, overlap, depth, proportion, etc.  There were 16 units in all combined in a spiral-bound, 88-page book.

At the beginning of the book, it lists all the supplies that are needed and for which unit they are needed.  There are some pages for "Getting Started" - What Parents Want to Know (book content and scheduling), What Students Want to Know (learning to observe and focus), The Elements of Art.  In the back of the book, there is an evaluation sheet for obtaining a number and letter grade and a bibliography.

Each unit provides students with many opportunities for drawing.  The unit begins with discussion of the topic such as texture or balance.  The student is given "a creative exercise using real-world experience."

The next lesson for each unit is a painting by a famous artist.  The student observes this painting according to the topic being discussed in the unit.  Some biographical information of the artist is provided and a section about what times were like during the period of the artist or the period painted.  Students are then given the assignment of drawing from observation.

Lesson 3 is the lesson on technique, trying to draw using the topic of the unit.  For example, unit 6 is "Form Using Value."  The technique discussed in lesson 3 is "How to See Shading and Shadow."  For the exercise, the student is to look outdoors for an object that has form and draw one object showing form by shading.  The technique lesson describes how shadows occur and how to draw them.

The fourth lesson, or final project, shows pictures drawn by other students that are like what they will be drawing themselves.  Instructions are given for how to set up for the final project for each unit, including what they will need to complete it.

My oldest son is in 8th grade, but he completed the assignments along with my 4th and 6th graders.  He enjoyed this curriculum, as art is his favorite subject.  Any time he has the opportunity to create, he is happy.  I am pretty sure my 6th grade son enjoyed it as well, and I think he learned some techniques from it that he did not know before.  I can see a real improvement in his drawing ability as he gets older and learns new techniques.

My daughter claims she is a horrible artist and can't draw anything.  I'm sure she didn't do her best during most assignments because of this fear of drawing poorly, but when she did apply herself she did a great job.  I'd love to try one of Artistic Pursuits books geared towards younger children so she might gain some confidence.

They have preschool curriculum, curriculum for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade that includes an introduction to the visual arts, stories of artists and their art, and modern painting and sculpture.  Each book includes projects for the student as well as learning about great artists and their work.  There is the book I used and the companion, book two, that teaches about color and composition.  There are two junior high books for the elements of art and composition and color and composition, and there are two senior high books (for grades 9-12) of elements and color and composition like the two previous grade levels.  The books are written to the student, so no teacher preparation is required.  The high school books are intended to be used independently by the student, and they include 64 lessons in each book.  The pictures in the books are in color, and they are printed on thick paper so the book holds together very well despite being opened and closed many times and tossed from child to child during the homeschool year.  Each book that has been created by Artistic Pursuits sells for $42.95.  They provide a view inside each book.  Simply go to the products page for the books and click on the book you'd like to view.

Artistic Pursuits also supplies art packs that you can buy that contain most of the supplies you'll need according to the grade level.  The art pack for Book One for Grades 4-6 is $45.00.

Artistic Pursuits can be reached at Artistic Pursuits Inc., 2626 East 109th Avenue, Northglenn, Colorado, 80233 or by phone at 303-467-0504.  If you have questions or need shipping information, their email is alltheanswers@artisticpursuits.com.  Their fax number is 208-567-4269.


My 8th grader wanted to be sure I let you know that he loved this curriculum.  I may have to purchase the high school curriculum for next year because he loved it so much.  I know that he will learn techniques and have the opportunity to practice, and he will learn about the masters.  This is an excellent art program for any stage.  I especially love that it requires no preparation on my part except purchasing the tools required to draw.

DISCLAIMER:  I received this product free of charge so that I would use it and provide an honest review.