Dear Maddie,
We chose to homeschool you and your brothers and sisters because we always wanted you to have a love of learning. We hope we gave you the tools you will need to continue to learn and grow. The one thing we couldn’t give you is our faith in Christ. We have been able to share ours with you, but yours is something that is inside you that you need to make your own. 2Timothy 3: 15-16 says “and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable to teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness.”
Many years ago we jokingly determined our homeschool graduation requirements. They were to master homophones such as to, too and two and there, they’re and their and count back change without the use of a cash register or calculator. You have met and exceeded these. We are proud of all your accomplishments and we know that God has great things in store for your future.
From here your decisions will guide your future. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight.” It is our prayer that you choose to follow God in all circumstances. You have the opportunity to use your determination to achieve many things. Not everything will be what you had wished for, but remember that life is 10% circumstances and 90% what you do with them. You can choose to dwell in your circumstances or rely on God to teach and guide you to something immensely better than you could have ever thought.
This is our blessing and wish for you!
Love, Mom and Dad

CapJaxMathFax is a math facts computer program.  Your student can practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  You have the ability to control how many functions get practiced each time.  It is easy to set up and use.  There are no distracting graphics or sounds.

This program was created by an interesting man named Jack Fretwell.  He has a degree in educational technology. He has spent more than 30 years teaching math, business and computer technology to students ranging from elementary to corporate executives.  He is a member of Menas and enjoys sailing.  He holds several patents relating to sailing and mathematic software.

CapJaxMathFax is available as a download for $29.95 or for an additional $5.95 for shipping you can order a CD.  This program is available for both PC and Mac.  It is great for elementary level students just learning their basic facts, but also a great review or drill for older students that need some reinforcement.  Negative numbers can also be drilled for more of a challenge.

We enjoyed this math program.  Currently, we have two different math levels here.  I have one just beginning to learn math and one that’s struggling with fact memorization.  This program has been beneficial for both children.  This is a great alternative to flash cards.  My kids love to track their progress and see what they have earned! They are able to work independently and I have been able to monitor their progress.

You can download a free evaluation package  here.

Other members of the TOS Crew also reviewed CapJaxMathFax.  See what they had to say about it here.

*Disclaimer:  As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are mine.

Go Science from Library and Education Services has great science dvds!!!  I was able to pick 2 of the 6 to review.  I chose Volume 4- Chemistry, States of Matter and Life Science and Volume 6- Water, Space and Solar System.  The dvds are available for $8.97 each or $47.95 for the set of 6.  These are recommended for ages 6-14.

Ben Roy is the host of these dvds.  He is excellent at holding young children’s attention with fun science activities!   Mr. Roy teaches science to education majors at the University of Chattanooga.    He travels often for live science shows.  Ben Roy “captivates, motivates, and inspires students to be excited about science, while providing effective instruction based on science phenomena. Each spectacular demonstration of physical or chemical science has a spiritual application and points to our Creator!”

As you have seen from some of my other posts, we really enjoy science here.  I even teach it at our weekly co-op.  The kids loved this one.  It seems to keep younger children’s attention.  Mr. Roy is very entertaining and has a great voice and energy in presenting this material!  My co-op class is first and second grade.  They liked seeing the activities that we could not do in class.  A lot of the space ones were great to watch, but we were not able to do them.  We watched them at home with David (Kindergarten) and Allie (7th grade).  They loved them too!  I think this is a great addition to our science curriculum.  Many of the experiments we could do, but some we could not.  We enjoyed watching Mr. Roy doing those and explaining them in great detail.

*Disclaimer:  As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are mine.

WooHoo!!!  We can never have enough cereal in this house!  Have you tried Honey Bunches of Oats with more granola bunches?  Super good!  We are big fans of Honey Bunches of Oats and try to always have some.

Enter to win a coupon for a FREE box of Honey Bunches of Oats- each of the following actions will give you one entry!  3 Winners will be chosen at random on May 22.

• Follow my blog Facebook page
• Like Honey Bunches of Oats Facebook page
• Post on the Honey Bunches of Oats Facebook page and mention my blog.
• Comment on this post and let me know how you entered

Find out more about Honey Bunches of Oats on their Facebook page.  Right now they are offering a $1 off coupon.

Did you know:

• It has 10 grams of Whole Grain per serving
• only 6 grams of sugar
• provides 9 essential vitamins and minerals
• 4 nutritious grains
• heart healthy

*Disclosure: Post provided a free sample of their Honey Bunches of Oats- Honey Roasted for this post.  My participation is voluntary and my opinions, are my own.

Judah Bible Curriculum (recommended for K-12) is a comprehensive Bible study using the Principle Approach. I was unfamiliar with this method and read about it on their website.

“Principle Approach refers to a philosophy of education whose content and methods are designed to build character in teacher and student capable of sustaining liberty.

The Principle Approach is a resurgence of the Biblical philosophy of education prevalent in the founding period of America, when the character of the American colonists was one of dependence on God, not the State. This enabled and impelled them to overthrow their opposition under the tyranny of England and become a new nation, free yet not in anarchy. This education was done almost entirely in the home and the church and yielded a populace that was 96% literate; today we are 46% literate.

As America has veered away from God and increased in dependence on the state while becoming more chaotic, the critical need is to educate a next generation of Christians who are intelligent based in Truth, self-taught not media taught, and self-governed under God not dependent on state control.

With the Judah Bible curriculum, your children will be studying the Bible, not just studying about the Bible. They will learn to utilize reference materials and outside resources in their study. They will learn to reason from the Bible basis and apply Biblical principle to every area of life.

It is our desire that Bible class will become the favorite part of your school day, and that the lights will turn on in your students’ minds and hearts as they learn about our great God and His ways through the scriptures.”

I received a digital download including:

• K-12 Bible Curriculum Manual
• Elementary Notebook Ideas Booklet
• Eight lecture teacher-training seminar

The program divides the  Bible  into 5 chronological themes for study.  These 5 themes are covered each year.

1. Creation
2. The Plan of Redemption Begins
3. Kingdom of Israel
4. Kingdom of God
5. Early Church

See the Scope and Sequence here.

I liked that it teaches that the Bible is the textbook.  This program shows you how to teach and learn from the Bible.  It uses the notebooking method geared for different ages.  This curriculum is very intense and a great way to study the Bible.  It does take some time to learn how to use it and does take significant prep and teaching time.

The digital download is $44.00, a hard copy is also available for $74.00 including shipping.  They can be purchased on their website.

Many people on the TOS Crew also reviewed Judah Bible Curriculum, see what they have to say about it here.

*Disclosure: I received a downloadable version to review as a member of the Homeschool Crew. All opinions expressed are my own.