CTC Math review

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Struggling with Math?

Most often it's for this reason. Something has been missed or not understood earlier.

Since the rules and principles of math build on each other step-by-step, if some of these crucial building blocks are missing, then it's very tough for your kids to really understand math going forward. 

What happens then is the age-old problem.

Kids fall further and further behind until finally they convince themselves they're "no good at math."
But here's the good news...

This can change. And it can change for you and your kids without the pain normally associated with change.

Proven to Raise Grades Fast

CTCmath guides kids through math, lesson by lesson.
It allows them to pause, rewind and repeat all or part of any lesson until they get it.

• Learn math at their own pace - no stress, no pressure
• Pause, rewind or repeat a lesson until they really get it
• Increases confidence in class
• Catch up on lessons missed or concepts not fully understood
• Preview lessons at home before school
• Gain understanding and confidence especially in areas where they struggled before
• Gives your kids the freedom to learn without stress at home in their own time
• All results are recorded so that progress can easily be seen
• Above all, this really does work!

Because math concepts build upon each other, sometimes it's necessary to go back and revise a particular concept before moving on to a new topic. 

By being able to review all lessons no matter what grade your kids are in, they get the chance (maybe for the first time ever) to finally understand math properly.

Which greatly lifts their confidence. Not just in math, but in themselves.

So no matter what grade your kids are in, this program helps. They can go back if they need to. Or even look ahead if they want.

Who Is It For?

All ages, K-6 students studying Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Pre Calculus, Calculus, Algebra II, Geometry and Trig

Review 

Math has never been my strong suit, so when I was asked by the Educent teams if I wanted to try out CTCmath in exchange for an honest review, I was all over it. I decided I would use CTCmath with Poppy and Yang.  I started Poppy on Algebra I since she completed Pre-Algebra with K12 before Christmas break. Clearly Poppy is good at math so I'm really looking for something to actually challenge her at this point. Luckily I'm able to move her around as need be and I plan to move her up to Pre-Calculus next week to see how she does. 

I started Yang out on the third grade level.  She is pretty good at math but she likes things to move along and not spend 20 minutes doing the same type of problems. You start out each lesson with a short 3+ minute audio/video lesson which is followed by 10 online questions on the material just covered. If the student gets the answer wrong it gives them the correct answer, otherwise they will receive a green check. At the end students have the option to print off their score along with the test questions and their answers. If they did not master the concepts they are able to do the lesson again. 

The lessons are in depth so that the students can learn the materials but they are not long and drawn out so the student loses interest. Owlet has always had a hard time with math so once she gets done with her OGT testing at the end of next week I am going to try some lessons with her to hopefully get some missing concepts to click for her.

We are all looking forward to continuing to use CTCmath!



Disclosure: CTC Math was provided to me to try out and review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Essential Skills Advantage’s online Reading & Language Program ~ Review

This post may contain affiliate links.

 

For the past decade, Essential Skills Advantage has been changing the face of education across North America. Up until now, ESA has primarily been used in 20,000 schools, where it helped countless students. Due to its profound success for boosting students’ learning potential, many of our members began to ask about using ESA at home, as a supplement for homeschooling and tutoring. The demand for a home-ready learning supplement continued to grow, and we are proud to announce the next incarnation of our innovative learning system, fully optimized for use at home!

To successfully use Essential Skills Advantage, you’ll need:

• Internet Access
• Java Script enabled
• Flash Player 10 or higher
• Volume - make sure that your speakers are turned ON and UP

In your Parent Portal you can:

• Manage login for students: you can change each student’s username and password at anytime.
• Learning Measurement: you’ll have complete access to your child’s progress with the ability to access marks, number of attempts, mastery, date, and time stamps.
• Download certificates: on completion of all units, your student can be awarded a certificate.  You simply download and print. 
• Access freebies and giveaways to help motivate and reward your student(s).

 

For your convenience, each parent is assigned a unique URL so that their student(s) can access any grade at any time, independently. Student can select the grade level icon of their choice, enter their unique username and password, and begin.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/skillsadvantage

Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/skillsadvantage/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/skillsadvantage 

 

 

 

REVIEW

 

As a member of Educents Blogger Program, I was asked if I would be interested in reviewing Essential Skills Advantage. After taking a look at the program I decided to give it a try. We stopped using T4L a few months ago when we got off track. Yang hasn't said anything about it so I was sort of looking for a new program anyways. 

ESA is bright, colorful, fun and inviting. When you get an answer correct you get a little "triumph" victory sound. If you get the answer wrong you get a different sound. At the end you get little dancing puppy with your score and time (I love that there is no timer during the actual lesson as those tend to make Yang panic). Yang laughed the first time and said, "Look at the fat puppy!" 

Yang has always had a little trouble of reading comprehension. I think it is mostly because the story passages are dry and boring, so she tunes out and then is never able to answer all of the questions. I know she has a great memory because she can tell you almost everything there is to know about My Little Pony. We began by working in the Complete Reading for Third Grade - Reading Comprehension. The stories were fun, upbeat and help her interest so that she was able to answer all of the questions correctly, the first time.

 

I love that I am able to select grade level based on the different parts of the program based on my child's abilities vs so standard grade level.

 

While the background sounds of birds and crickets chirping can be soothing to some, with Yang's sensory issues it became overwhelming after awhile. 

All in all we have enjoyed ESA and are eager to work our way through more of lessons.

Spirituality for Kids ~ Tools to Win the Game of Life REVIEW

For the past few weeks Yang and I have been working through the online lessons at Spirituality for Kids. Spirituality for Kids is a non-profit organization that provides online lessons via videos and a companion PDF workbook to teach kids to see challenges as opportunities, to reflect on their actions, to develop self-worth and instill a desire to make a difference in the world around them. Spirituality for Kids has simplified basic universal spiritual principles in the form of a game. Each video lesson/game has rules, goals, players and challenges, just like in the everyday "Game of Life."

"Give your children universal spiritual tools that help them realize their true potential and develop a sense of purpose in life."

As we start out we meet a young boy named Ari whom comes into a toy store, and like most boys and girls, Ari is idealistic, wide-eyed and even a little sarcastic. Upon meeting the toy shop owner, Mr. Why, Ari's sarcasm gets him in trouble. 

Fortunately for Ari, Mr. Why sees an eagerness to learn within Ari and gives him a special game called the Game of Life. After Ari rushes home to play the game, he soon finds himself trapped in an alternate universe where he needs to learn the rules of the game in order to get back home. 

Luckily for Ari, Mr. Why is there to guide him through the interactive game. Together with your boys and girls Ari discovers that everything he is learning in the game will help him in real life as well. 

Yang and I both enjoyed working through the lessons. I've already begun to notice changes in her behavior as she stops to think of her actions before reacting at times. Doing the lesson on spirituality fulfillment was an interesting one. It took her a while to understand how the things she wants and needed make her feel, and the difference between the two. At 8 1/2 years old, she thinks she needs everything! I think that can be hard one for a lot of us though.

Being the youngest with a significance age gap from her sisters, Yang didn't have to share a lot when she was younger. It has always been something we have struggled with since she usually prefers to play alone. She is slowly becoming more aware of how others feel when we don't share, and how it makes us feel when we don't share with us.

When I received the email to see if I wanted to do a review of Spirituality for Kids, the email stated that it was best suited for kids 6 - 12 years old. Since Poppy is 13 I thought that she would be a little to old for it but I now plan to go back and start at the beginning with her. I think it can easily be adapted for both younger and older children. The exposure alone would be good for the younger ones.

While we've only been able to work on a handful of lessons so far, I believe I can see a new leaf being overturned! I can't wait to work through more of these lessons and see how Yang and Poppy grow.

Follow Spirituality for Kids

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read more about affiliate links under my disclosure policy tab, or by clicking here.
I received monetary compensation for my honest review.

Time4Learning - Is it really all that it is cracked up to be?

Last month I sent an email to Yang's K12 teacher advising that I would be withdrawing her and submitted my notice of intent to our county Board of Education. I received her acknowledgment letter from the BOE 4 days before her withdraw was complete from K12!

Just as I had made my decision, I received an email for a 2 week free trial for Time4Learning. I took a look at their site again and found I could do a 1 month trial in exchange for a candid review. I submitted all the required information and waited. Since I had already looked at their site a few times and had contemplated using it when I withdrew her. the email came at the right time. I have heard many good things about Time4Learning. Some saying they use it as their sole homeschooling curriculum while other supplement with it. I've always been worried that it wouldn't be enough, so this free trial was a great chance to check it out.

In the beginning things were crazy with Owlet taking semester finals, my best friends little boy getting into a bad 4-wheeler accident and Yang getting sick, that we weren't able to use it each and everyday as I had planned. Luckily, we got past all of that and things feel into place!!

I really like the fact the T4L covers multiple subjects (math, language arts, science and social studies) instead of just a single subject, or even just math and reading like most do. However, I do not like that there is no history included. I would have liked to see more with the science. Yang really likes science a lot, and as a kinesthetic learner the hands on of experiments are right up her alley. 

In Language Arts Extensions the reading comprehension has cute and silly interactive lessons which Yang really enjoyed. I would have liked to seen on the "Read by Myself" sections that there was a recording option of the student reading. This way, parents can go back to see words per minute read and/or missed words to practice with the student.

I really like that I have the ability to set minimum time limits for working in T4L each day. If there was the ability, I was unaware of it, but I would have liked to been able to set time limits per subject. As Yang is getting more comfortable with things she is wanting to work more independently, something that we never encountered while we used K12. With this I have found on a few occasions that if she does not like what I have assigned her to do she will page through or just exit the lesson. To prevent this it would be nice to have 2-3 questions about the lesson at the end that must be answered, or the ability to set password to be entered in order to exit a lesson that was not completed. This would prevent children from manipulating the system by spending just enough time in the lesson to not drawn suspicion without actually doing it. I found several times we would have to restart a lesson because there is no pause option during audio parts. This became very frustrating and while we did our best to time breaks and such, sometimes it is unavoidable. 

All in all, we really like T4L but I do not feel that it is a stand along curriculum. From a homeschool standpoint you definitely have to supplement. If you are looking to use it as supplement or even for reinforcement/additional help for a child attending a brick and mortar school,  it would work great.

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DISCLAIMER:
As a member of Time4Learning, I have been given the opportunity to review their program and share my experiences. While I was compensated, this review was not written or edited by Time4Learning and my opinion is entirely my own. For more information, check out their standards-based curriculum or learn how to write your own curriculum review. My review is based on the use of the 2nd grade level.

A+ TutorSoft - Charitable Homeschool Math Giveaway & Review

During the months of November and December A+ TutorSoft held a Charitable Holiday Giveaway, donating $6,250 worth of A+ Interactive MATH to families. You could nominate yourself or another deserving family. After filling out all the basic info you had to give a story/reason why you or this family deserved to win. Approximately 400 - 500 families entered, and our family was 1 of 50 lucky winners! Once I received the email that we had won, and put two and two together I became worried. See, I had downloaded a free trial of the same program from currclick.com and we had only used it once. I had actually forgotten I had downloaded it.

Once we received our disk in the mail it actually sat on my caddy for a few weeks before I installed in on my laptop. To be honest, the only reason I installed it was because Yang wanted to learn multiplication. It wasn't available for her grade level in the current program we are using (or at least that I had seen), so I wanted to see if it was covered with A+ TutorSoft. I went through the setup, after having to go back and retrieve what I thought was just a packing slip from the top of the trash! Setup wasn't difficult but the instructions are necessary!! Once I had everything set up, I went exploring, and with every click I was becoming more and more impressed. I liked that while each topic is outlined under different chapters, you do not have to work the lessons starting with chapter 1. I was able to skip right to chapter 6 for multiplication.

I really like is that A+ Interactive MATH Curriculm goes beyond and isn't just another computer/internet program. There are actually worksheets that go along with each lesson, and not 1-2 question worksheets either. You can either print them off individually as you go or everything in one sitting. Another option is purchasing the workbook, which includes all the worksheets and exams - close to 400 pages! This may even be a more economical option if you plan to print everything. I do believe this may be the route we take next year, as it will be easier to have everything in one workbook vs lose papers.

 

I LOVE that there is a pause button. That is a big thing for us. Nothing is more frustrating than having to having to restart from the beginning, and for us that would be several billion times! Between two other kids calling whenever they need help, dogs running around barking, needing out, phone ringing, restroom breaks, etc. it is just something that is essential for us.

Yang is wanting to become more independent (which I am having mixed feelings about) so it is nice that she is able to work alone on the A+ Interactive Math Curriculum since there is audio for everything. She is even able to work on the worksheets alone after I give her the directions.

One thing I would like to see is some kind of way to mark a lesson as complete at the end once the student has mastered that lesson, and for it to be reflective on the left sidebar of the chapters. For example, a password must be entered to mark the lesson as complete. Once it has been marked as completed, the lesson turns a different color (from the whitish/blue sheet to a green sheet) or has a check mark on it. Once the entire chapter is completed change the file folder from yellow to green or a check mark. 

I also find it somewhat time consuming to have to enter the progress in myself vs the system automatically doing it for me. Of course this is optional. However, I already keep a lesson planner, so I would be marking it has completed with results and notes in two locations. 

At the end of the interactive Q & A you can print a certificate. You can also print weekly certificates for work completed the previous week and progress reports. However, both of the are contingent on you entering the progress in manually.

A+ TutorSoft offers general and technical support through their website or by phone. There is even a facebook group that was created and moderated by the A+ TutorSoft, Homeschool MATH. The group was created for families to share success stories, tips, or anything MATH! I have not had to utilize A+ TurtorSoft support, but I did contact A+ TutorSoft for some info and screen shots for my review, and everyone was super nice and super helpful!

A+ TutorSoft is graciously offering 50% off with code SPOFFER50 valid on any A+ Interactive Math Curriculum through 3/31/13. Still wondering if this is a good fit for your family? Check out a free one month trial here. But hurry, this offer won't be going on for long.

Don't forget to enter a chance to win 1 or 2 Starbucks e-Gift Cards. 

Share this giveaway, tell you friends to like our facebook page and comment that you sent them. Whomever brings the most most people to our facebook page will also receive a $10 Starbucks e_gift Card.

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DISCLAIMER: I won a free copy of the aforementioned with no mention of doing a review. I decided to do a review so that others can make an informed decision. I received no monetary compensation, and all opinions - good, bad or indifferent are solely my own.


 

Nate Rocks the Boat by Karen Pokras Toz Review & Book Excerpt

Welcome to my stop on the Innovative Online Books Tours for Nate Rocks the Boat by Karen Pokras Toz. Below you will find synopsis about the book, book excerpt, helpful links, buy now links, youtube trailer video and my review.

ABOUT NATE ROCKS THE BOAT

With fourth grade finally winding down, 10-year-old Nathan Rockledge is looking forward to a fun and relaxing summer at home with his friends. That is, until his mom decides he has to go to overnight camp with his annoying older sister. When his best friend Tommy decides to tag along, Nathan thinks maybe his summer won't actually be so bad. After all, he does get to be away from his mom's awful cooking for an entire 6 weeks.

Amongst Color War competitions, a flaky counselor, and a bully named "No-Neck," Nathan turns to his trusty sketchpad, transforming himself into Nate Rocks: 10-year-old extraordinaire. His speedboat ready for action, Nate saves the day time and again from the perils of floods, snakes, ghost, and even the most wanted criminals.

Join Nathan, Tommy, Abby, and a whole new cast of characters as Nate Rock once again proves nothing can hold him back in his second book of the Nate Rocks series.

Author, Karen Pokras Toz

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NATE ROCKS SERIES:

Website: www.karentoz.com

Blog: kptoz.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/karenptoz

Twitter: www.twitter.com/karentoz

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/author/show/5009570.Karen_Pokras_Toz

EXCERPT:

"Welcome, Hawks. I'm Matt, your counslor. I've been coming to Camp Spring Ridge every summer since I was your age. This is a great place, and it's my job to sure you biys have the best summer ever." Matt looks up at the sky as the wind rustles through the paper on his clipboard. "Now, before it starts raining, let's see is if we an get through some of the camp rules."

"Rules? We don't need any dumb rules! It's summer!"

I look over toward the sound of the husky voice to see a boy who looks more like he's Abby's age than my age. He also appears to have arms as big as my thighs and no-neck. I've never seen anyone without a neck before. I'm sure it's there somewhere. It's just that this kid's head is enormous. I am in the right bunk aren't I?

Matt doesn't seem disturbed by the outburst as he continues right along. "The rules are only there to make sure you have the most fun possible while staying safe. We wouldn't want anyone getting hurt...or worse.

Worse? Tommy and I look at each other. I turn around to scan the dirt road. Dad must still be at Abby's bunk. If I left right now and ran, I could probably get there before he and Mom leave. I'm sure Mom would take me with her to see Grandma once I explained how dangerous it is here at camp. She's always saying we don't get to visit with Grandma enough. Or I could just stay at Tommy's house. I'm certain Tommy would follow me if I took off running. But what is they were already gone? Then I would have to return to my bunk. I cold already her that other kids laughing at me as the camp director returned me to the Hawks.

"Okay," Matt starts, holding down the paper on his clipboard. "Rule #1: Always listen to your counselor - he's the coolest guy here." Matt starts laughing, but quickly notices no one else joins in. He clears his throat and continues. "Rule #2: Stay with your bunk at all times unless you have specific permission to go somewhere. Rule #3: Lights out at 10:00pm. Rule #4: When it's our turn to have kitchen duty, everyone must participate, and the most important rule - Rule #5: Stay out of the forest! Look, you guys are old enough to hear this, so I'm just going to tell it to you straight. The forest may look cool, but it is big and dangerous. Every summer, one or two campers decide to wander in there, and the same thing always happens. They get lost. The camp has to call in a search party with dogs and the whole bit. If you wander too far in, you might run across snakes or even coyotes and wolves. So do yourself a favor and stay out!"

I look around the table to see everyone staring at Matt....Even No-Neck.

My Review -  4.5 stars

It has taken me a lot longer to write this blog post & review than it does most. Not because I did not like the book. Not because it was so-so, but instead I have found myself daydreaming and wandering with my thoughts just like Nate! Now, if I could only become a great hero like Nate and save the day! HMMM.......

Karen has a done a delightful job with writing Nate Rocks the Boat. The creativity and imagination she has given Nate is wonderful. This is actually the second book in the Nate Rocks Series. I will be reviewing the first book, Nate Rocks the World next Tuesday, February 19th, so be sure to check back! There is a less than 3 weeks before the release for the third book in the series, Nate Rocks the School on March 4th. I will be hosting a review and giveaway on Match 7th that you won't want to miss!

Nathan sure does endure a lot. From his evil older sister always giving him a hard time to his Mom's awful cooking to getting a black eye just before leaving for a new summer camp. And from no other than his Mom's best friends annoying daughter, Lisa. There is no way he can tell the kids at camp that he got a black eye from a girl. He has to come up with something, and it better be good. Luckily Abby will be tucked away on the other side of the lake. Nathan's best friend Tommy surely won't tell the truth. WHEW! All is well.....or is it?

Poppy and I have both been reading the Nate Rocks series. Poppy says that she loves the way it blends so seemingly between reality and Nate's daydreaming. She especially liked during the Color Wars when the teams had to preform a skit in front of the entire camp. There are 6 teams, Red Boys, Blue Boys, White Boys, Red Girls, Blue Girls and White Girls. The teams are a mixture and are not based on their cabins. Nate is on the red team and Abby is on the white team. Abby's teams skit is based on how Nathan got his black eye. All of a sudden the Hawks are looking at Nathan, knowing that it is not a coincidence. Guess the cat is out of the bag on that one! OPSSS!!! What are older, evil sisters for after all?

I do believe that regardless if you have a "tom-boy" or a "girly-girly", all children will definitely enjoying reading about Nate's daydreaming adventures. Next month I will begin reading Nate Rocks the World to Yang. Seeing as I have natural daydreamers I feel they are/will be able to relate with Nate, making it ever more enjoyable for them. Or did Karen just give them new things to daydream about? ;)

Wanna know a secret?

Today ONLY you can get Nate Rocks the Boat for FREE on Amazon, & you don't need a Kindle!! (Click here for more info) Plus you can get the audio version for just $1.99 & hear Nate come to life! Hurry up and click below to get your copy of the ever awesome, Nate Rocks!!

DISCLAIMER: I received the aforementioned book for the sole purpose of providing an accurate and honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation and all words and opinions are my own.