Category: Family

4th Grade, Family, Homeschool, Mom Life, Morning Basket, Reviews

Plan Prep and Pray: Busy Bee Student Planner Review !

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary product received through the Melanated Gold Review Squad, in exchange for my honest review.

This year we have been trying out a few new student planners trying to find the one that works best for us. One the planners we had the privilege of trying out is the Plan Prep and Pray : Busy Bee Student Planner.

I am a huge fan of Wendy from the Plan Prep and Pray Youtube channel and her Instagram. I love all over her organization tips, meal planning and creativity. I was super humble when she let the Melanated Gold Review Squad review her latest planner the Busy Bee Student Planner .

The Busy Bee Student Planner is a 12 month planner, The planner comes to you in a digital download, that you can print or upload to a tablet. Each sheet is 8.5 x11 students are given the option to select monthly, weekly, or daily views. I really liked the cover of the planner, but what stands to me is the affirmation at the bottom “Bee Yourself; Everyone is Taken” students will find affirmations throughout the planner along with some Bible scriptures. I decided to print the monthly sheet and the daily sheets for my 4th grader. If you have a student that gets overwhelmed seeing so much to do I would recommend printing the daily sheets double sided. I like the note pages a lot I used them for his daily pages because they have sections for:

  • Prayers & Praises
  • Homeschool Checklist ( I used for that days lessons to complete)
  • Daily To Do List
  • Daily Goal
  • Reminders
  • Parents Love Note

One of the things I would love to see added is area for writing spelling/vocabulary words. There are mindfulness sheets for drawing, writing, and a beautiful butterfly to color I added this page at the end of each week as a reflection page for him . The planner also features a

  • Goal Setting Sheets
  • Password Tracker
  • Reading Goals
  • Goal Trackers
  • Field Trips
  • Wish List
  • Mini Games

There are alternative monthly and daily views. The alternative daily view has view divined into times from 7a.m. to 11:30 p.m. I used the alternative daily view as a suggested schedule for us.

The Busy Bee Student Planner has 1 Bible scripture in it, but the notepad sheets do have pray and praise section. If you aren’t of the Christian faith these can be easily covered with washi tape or stickers. The planner can be used by both parent and student, I recommend using the Busy Bee Student Planner with students 4th grade and up.

How I Used the Planner

I printed out 5 sheets of the note pages, as I planned for the upcoming weeks lessons I would write out his lessons for the week on the first 3 pages. I only did this for 3 because sometimes our lessons change slightly mid-week. I arch punch his sheets and put them in his arc binder. I always leave room for him to make his own notes to the sheet. Sometimes he will do some unschool learning on his own and he will write down what he did. He looks forward to the parent notes and praises each day. I have noticed that I dont have to remind him about some of his chores, because I will write one that needs to be done on his sheet.

Busy Bee Student Planner is a student friendly planner with the cute bees buzzing around the planner, affirmations and extra activities students will find this planner easy to manage. I highly recommend this planner to anyone who is looking for a simple, customizable, and reasonable priced planner. Be sure to check out the other squad’s reviews by clicking the banner below.

Until the Next

Mom

Education, Family, Geography, Homeschool, Reviews, Spanish

Underdog Games Trekking The World Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary product received!

Have you ever wanted to travel around the world? Well, your family will get that opportunity while playing Underdog Games Trekking The World. It was a great honor to be able to try out this fabulous game and go on an exciting adventure right from the comforts of my own home. Trekking The World is for ages 10+, 30-60 mins gameplay, and for 2- 6 players.

Trekking The World

From the moment you unpack this game, you are captivated by its bold and vivid colors. Trekking The World comes with :

  • 1 World Map Board
  • 48 Oversized Destination Cards
  • 5 Trekker Meeples (wooden)
  • 48 Souvenir Cubes (wooden)
  • 1 Custom Bag
  • 5 Suitcase Mats
  • Most Souvenir Tiles
  • 12 Journey Cards
  • 75 Trek Cards
  • 10 Region Bonus Tokens
  • 5 player Aids
  • 1 Score Pad (several sheets)

All of the items for the game can neatly be stored in the convenient box and game piece sorter. The game board and the pieces are made from sturdy cardboard and wood. The games come with complete instructions on how to play. If you don’t want to read through the instructions and need more of a visual approach to gameplay the company provides a step-by-step video link in the box and on the Trekking The World product description on the Underdog Games website.

I am a visual person when learning how to play new games so before we played as a family I watched the video so I knew how to set the board up properly. The video was great because I could stop and play as I needed. After I learned how to set up the board and play the game we set down as a family and watched the video and played. My son loved just exploring the board on the initial set-up. I let him flip through the beautiful “48 Oversized Destination Cards”. I noticed that once we finish playing the game as we were cleaning the game he separated several of the cards and asked if we could look these places up.

Trekking The World gameplay was easy for us once we got the hang of it. We played 3 times over the course of a week. I really loved how we could start the game on any continent then trek across the world. Trekking The World is not just a game for entertainment this game teaches geography, history, and cooperative learning. The game also gives you a great adventure of traveling the world.

I highly recommend this game be added to your homeschool geography gameschooling. If you are new to the gameschooling trend this would be a great way to add a geography game for the entire family.

Be sure to check out the other squad member’s reviews of Trekking The National Parks and Trekking The National Parks Trivia by clicking the banner below.

Critical Thinking and Logic, Education, Family, Geography, Parenting, Reviews

World Watch Review!

Little Learner and Mom

DISCLAIMER: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

We have been watching WORLD Watch videos on Fridays as part of our current events. WORLD Watch was given to us to review with the crew. We received a six-month subscription for the whole family.

WORLD Watch is a online news program meant for families. WORLD Watch provides news coverage of current events. Events are updated throughout the week. You can watch video coverage of these events.

“WORLD Watch is a video current events program designed for students that develops critical thinking, biblical discernment, and news literacy.”

We watched videos about the Olympics and most recently we watched a video about hurricane Ida outage. It was nice to see a nice of variety of news coverage around the world. There are some political coverage in the videos. My son was intrigued by the triceratops coverage in Paris France and this is from a kiddo that isn’t a huge dinosaur fan.

WORLD Watch videos average about 5-10 mins and they cover single topics or variety of news coverage. We did see videos that offered viewpoints from christian prospective. I personally prefer not to see religion mixed with news. I would have also liked to have seen news reporters that were diverse especially those who are covering more ethnic regions.

WORLD Watch not only covers current events there are also topics that are historical. My son also found interesting the coverage of Nairobi, Kenya about the issues that the hearing and death community having issues with masking wearing that doesn’t allow them to read mouths.

WORLD Watch does have bloopers at the end of the videos that we found to be funny. If you are looking for a clean current events news outlet that allows for the entire family to watch this is a good option. The religious focus isn’t heavily present in the videos but you will hear and see some mentions.

Be sure to check out the other crew’s reviews of WORLD Watch by clicking the banner below.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldwatchshow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldwatchnews/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLhlnq_RLfpSdQ8Fm6VEEjw

4th Grade, Critical Thinking and Logic, Education, Family, Homeschool, Language Arts, Morning Basket, Uncategorized, Writing

The Fallacy Detective Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Disclaimer: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

My son is very inquisitive and we have make a point for him to always search for the truth of the world around him. We are also continuing to incorporate logical thinking skills in our home school lesson. One thing that has been helping us the last few weeks to help feed his need to search for the truth of events and improving his critical thinking skills/logic is the Fallacy Detective .

If you aren’t familiar with the term fallacy “A fallacy is an error in logic – a place where someone has made a mistake in his thinking.” Fallacy Detective is meant to be used with students with students ages 12 and up (but can work with as young as 8 IMO). The books has 38 lessons that are divided up into 5 areas of study.

  • The Inquiring Mind
  • Avoiding the Question
  • Making Assumptions
  • Statistical Fallacies
  • Propaganda

Fallacy Detective starts with a brief introduction about the book and how to use it. Students are given a short passage about the topic of study for that section along with examples of the topic. Students move onto the 1st lesson in that unit and they are given short scenarios and then they have to decide which behavior best fits that scenario. The book have fun illustrations and some are comic strips.

How we used the book!

My son and I do the book together during our table time. I refresh his memory about the unit topic and then I proceed to the lesson with him. The answer key to all the lesson questions are located in the back of the book. What I like about this book is that it provides excellent conversations for him and I. There were times when he felt that the answer key was wrong and he defended his reason why he felt this way. To be honest with you I also found myself thinking the answer to a few of them didn’t fit well. On those days we felt that the answers could have went one way or another I put stars next to the suggested answer and our answers.

I love how this book really got my son to thinking and asking more questions. He also took a lot away from each lessons. I heard him one day tell Francine a character from the cartoon Arthur she wasn’t using an inquiring mind. Lesson 2 hit home for him and I it was about “Love to listen. Do we struggle in this area in our home absolutely….LISTENING IS A DAILY STRUGGLE FRIENDS…. We read the exercise and he said mom this kinda sorts sound a little like how I do things sometimes. I reassured him and that even adults struggle with listening and we all need to continue practicing this skill. I was very happy to see him make the connections to real life situation.

Final word!

The Fallacy Detective in my opinion is a book best done along side a small group and family. The lessons are great conversation starters and I feel like they can lead to further deep discussions. The unit topics can be applied to everyday life happenings. The book really encourages the student to us their critical thinking skills. It also teaches student to look at situations from a different prospective.

I really like Fallacy Detective it will be in rotation for our table time activities. The cost of the book at the time of this review is $9.99 plus taxes/shipping. Be sure to check out the other crew’s reviews by clicking the banner below.

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fallacydetective
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hansbluedorn/

Family

Fermentools Starter Kit Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

I was really excited about being able to review Fermentools starter kit again this year. We were sent the Fermentools starter kit and it great to have 2 starter kits this time around because that means we can ferment more items in less time.

What does it mean to ferment ? “Fermented foods are defined as foods or beverages produced through controlled microbial growth, and the conversion of food components through enzymatic action.”

Why are fermented goods good for your family you may ask, fermented foods when done properly are good for overall gut health by creating those good bacteria to promote healthy digestion and boost immune support.

Fermentools starter kit is a easy and safe system your can use at home and takes the guess work out if you are doing the process correctly. The starter kit comes with:

  • 1 Stainless Steel Lid (Fits Wide Mouth Mason)
  • 1 Glass Fermentation Weight
  • 1 Airlock
  • 1 Rubber Stopper
  • 1 Rubber Canning Gasket
  • Himalayan Powdered Salt

If you are familiar with fermenting you gather your supplies plus your Fermentools starter kit and you are all set. If you aren’t familiar with fermenting the company includes booklet with instructions and simple recipes to help get your started. Fermentools website is packed with information on fermenting and the availability of extra supplies if needed. Fermentools also has a blog that has wealth of information and recipes.

For this review I made fire cider this isn’t recipe listed on the blog, but I used the Fermentools starter kit to make our fire cider and it cam out delicious. Every year Ipay a close friend to make our family some fire cider for the upcoming cold/flu season. I have never made it before because I have always been a little scared of the process. Fermentools starter kit took away my fears and my fire cider came our delicious and I will be making another batch and batch to give away to my family.

At the time of this review Fermentools starter kit is $21.49 such a low cost for such a great health benefit. The company has great customer service and the process is super easy. I think my next project will be the Ginger Bug recipe on Fermentools blog. Be sure to check out the rest of the crews reviews on Fermentools starter kit by clicking the banner below.

Social Media Links: Fermentools

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fermentools/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fermentools/pins/

4th Grade, Education, Family, Math, Reviews

CTCMath Review!

Little Learner and Mom

I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

This one of my favorite reviews to write every year with the Crew. My son has been using CTCMath for the last 4 years and couldn’t be happier with this online full online math curriculum for grades K-12 including Calculus. We received a 12 month online subscription that we are going to full take a advantage of this school year.

CTCMath is a complete math curriculum right at your child’s finger tips. There is no extra textbook to purchase or tutor to hire. Students will get the benefit of working at their own pace and knocking out their math requirements. The program is easy to use and the parent dashboard gives you detailed reports on your students progress and areas of weakness to help you plan and adjust your lessons plans. The program is not just for homeschoolers, if traditional students need extra practice in math or more rigor they can use this program.

The CTCMath gives you access to all grade levels, no more being locked in a specific grade, parents can have their students practice lower grade levels or higher grade levels as they may need. The online per-recorded instructional videos prepares your student for the concept they will be working on. If a student needs some 1:1 help you can customize worksheets using the Questions Bank Wizard.

Now that I have given you a little insight into CTCMath let me tell you how we have been using it and what my plans are for the rest of the year. We have math curriculum that is our spine but CTCMath has been included into that spine as well. CTCMath will be used to help introduce new upcoming concepts to my son on the weekends. I know what you are thinking she really has him doing school on weekend, um YES ! CTCMath exercises are quick and take maybe at the most 10-15 mins to complete so at some point over the weekend I ask my son to hop on and do the area I have assigned for him. That brings me to another great capability you can assign areas you want your student work. Why do I do this because it lets me know exactly how much he already knows and where I need to focus my attention on.

What I like about CTCMath is their philosophy about math “We believe in the importance of teaching Math the traditional way, so we are not aligned with common core.” This philosophy alone is what makes this company stand out they are committed to meeting students where they are at and letting them learn math the traditional way.

CTCMath is a one stop math online math curriculum, it also offer placement test, fluency practice and detailed PDF reporting. With weekly revision sets that help identify learning gaps and great customer service CTCMath is all you need to start your journey of math lessons or just to supplement. CTCMath is reasonably priced and they offer monthly and annual rates, there is even a homeschool family discount. Be sure to check out the other Crews reviews on CTCMath by clicking the banner below!

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ctcmath
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ctcmathofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ctcmath
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/ctcmath/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWn5e6974bpIEAe46VnovZw

1st Grade, 2nd Grade Curriculum, 3rd Grade Curriculum, Education, Family, Homeschool, Language Arts, Math, Reviews

Cross Seven Ventures – Homeschool Musical Memory Tool Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

There is no secret that our family loves music if you follow me on all my social media platforms. One of the ways we make homeschooling fun and interactive is by including music. The crew was offered an opportunity to review Cross Seven Ventures – Homeschool Musical Memory Tool. Each reviewer was given a 1-year subscription to acess the program online.

Cross Seven Ventures – Homeschool Musical Memory Tool is for children in grades K-6 it covers subjects Timelines, History, Science, Math, English Grammar, Latin, Geography, Hymns, and Scriptures. The program has 4 cycles to help the children build a solid foundation. There is a parent dashboard in which you can track each students progress and interactive quizzes.

For this review we used the Math and English Grammar memory work. The English Grammar section really was nice way to review old concept mastered and new grammar concepts. What I did to make this more helpful for my son is I went through his grammar curriculum and paired the weekly concept with a Cross Seven Ventures – Homeschool Musical Memory Tool English Grammar song and we used that all week at the beginning of our lessons. There were times when we had more than 2 concepts and we learned the songs for those concepts. There were a few times I would hear him humming the songs while he was working on his lesson independently. I did notice that over the few weeks have been using the Cross Seven Ventures – Homeschool Musical Memory Tool for English Grammar his need for me to review or assist him was less.

For Math, we used Cross Seven Ventures – Homeschool Musical Memory Tool in the same way as English Grammar but I was able to skip several of the earlier weeks and find the memory work areas that he really needed help with and this mom was in panic mode about teaching. Cross Seven Ventures – Homeschool Musical Memory Tool made teaching my son fraction conversion to decimals a BREEZE! This mama was in panic mode 2 weeks ago when I saw fractions to decimals conversions come up in his curriculum. I prepped for the week and braced for the upcoming lesson, sure enough, I put the song on and we started the lesson and instantly he understood the concept and kept moving along. I think the one thing I would like to see included in the memory work math would be integers and exponents.

Cross Seven Ventures – Homeschool Musical Memory Tool does have a Christian foundation, but we only used the math and grammar and for those wondering if there were faith-based items in the sections, we used I didn’t encounter them. There are fun links included in each cycle for the kids to explore outside the memory work. Students can earn badges as they work through the memory work and quizzes.

Cross Seven Ventures – Homeschool Musical Memory Tool worked well for my son because he is an auditory and visual learner. The songs are short and easy to learn, I do like the videos that follow the songs as they play because it gives a nice visual for the children. I also like the option that all the memory work can be done in each cycle can be done by the week or you can pick the ones that work for you. I plan to continue to use this over the summer as part of our summer homeschool daily do’s to help prevent summer slide.

Cross Seven Ventures – Homeschool Musical Memory Tool is tablet and mobile-friendly “there are streaming channel apps on AppleTV, Roku, and FireTV, which are great for allowing the whole family to easily see the programming content.” At the time of this review, the cost for a 1-year subscription for all 4 cycles is $439.99. If the 1 year subscription doesn’t fit your family’s budget there is monthly and yearly subscriptions for each cycle. Be sure to check out the other crew’s reviews on Cross Seven Ventures – Homeschool Musical Memory Tool by clicking the banner below.

-Mom

Social Media Links: Cross Seven  – Musical Memory Work

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrossSevenVentures
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cross7Memory
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosssevenventures/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/CrossSevenVentures/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CrossSeven

Family, Homeschool, Morning Basket, Parenting, Read Alouds, Reviews

Everybody, Always for Kids Review!

Little Learner and Mom

I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

Over the last few weeks we have been transitioning our homeschool into our summer routine. What better way to swap out our morning readings with Everybody, Always for Kids by Bob Goff and Lindsey Goff Viducich.

The last 5 months we have been focusing on growth mindset and kindness. Everybody, Always for Kids has been a welcome addition to our journey. The stories in the book focus on kindness, service and empathy. Children are able to easily relate to the different lessons being taught in the stories.

Everybody, Always for Kids is written from the prospective of the Christian faith but I can honestly say that families of non-Christian faith will find the stories not intrusive and really just teaching the children to be kind to others and acts of service. I found the book very culturally inclusive. Diversity is one of the things I look for in books and we were very happy to see children and families of all ethnic backgrounds in the book as well as characters visiting other countries. Everybody, Always for Kids is a hardcover book with bright vibrant, glossy and sturdy pages.

Everybody, Always for Kids also includes a lesson plan which is fabulous. There are 5 lessons included in the lesson plan. Each lesson comes with :

  • Objective
  • Activity
  • Supply list
  • Lesson steps
  • Discussion questions

We did lesson 5 The Oaks Garden for Earth week and revisited the frog life cycle. My son really likes Everybody, Always for Kids he has been reading it the last few weeks on his own and we talk about what he has read. One story that stood out for us was Chapter 7 Building Schools it taught a lesson about gratitude and a little about the country of Afghanistan and the need for building schools for girls. As a mom Chapter 6 My Bucket also rang home for me about filling my own bucket something I dont do enough and I like the idea of having a real bucket and writing things I need to fill it with. This visual bucket is something I plan to do do not just for myself but for all of us.

We did not read the the book in order I let him read the stories that peeked his interest. The stories are short and they keep his interest and he enjoys them. We will continue to read through the rest of the book and look forward to any new of Everybody, Always for Kids by Bob Goff and Lindsey Goff Viducich series.

At the time of this review the cost for Everybody, Always for Kids by Bob Goff and Lindsey Goff Viducich is $10.27 for the hardcover on Amazon. We really like this book and recommend it if you are looking to add some positive literature for your students. Be sure to check out the other Crews reviews on Everybody, Always for Kids by Bob Goff and Lindsey Goff Viducich by clicking the banner below.

Until the next time

Mom and J

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tommynelsonbooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootedfamily/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/rootedfamily/_created/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8czPXeM9a-OULnyks60How

Family

The Family Journal by Byron’s Games Review

Little Learner and Mom

Disclaimer: I received this product free through the Homeschool Review Crew.

We received The Family Journal by Byron’s Games to use for the last few weeks and it has been a real eye opener. I love this journal it was so needed for our family. The Family Journal is a great journal if you are a busy family or large family and want to plan out family quality time and you want a deeper connection with your family. The Family Journal is meant to be done as a family its not a solo journal.

We received our journal just in time for the month of February, I was really happy to get this journal because my family has really been so much this year and I really wanted a way to help us heal from 2020. When I first received the journal I was super impressed by all the personal connections. These personal connections were s needed for us. We all have been dealing with the affects of Covid-19 and family deaths in our own way and I could feel the disconnect.

What makes this The Family Journal so unique is the deep connection questions. We have always had a mission statement for our homeschool, but we have never had one for us as a family. It was fun being able to sit down as a family and talk about what our mission is for our family.

Sunday Family Coloring Night
Family Drag Race Fun!

In The Family Journal families will embark on a journey of deep connection and accountability. The Family Journal comes with these areas to work on as a family:

  • Yearly Goals
  • Monthly Planning
  • Weekly Meetings
  • Monthly Review

Our family set down after dinner on February1st and planned out the entire month of goals for us as a family and individually. The Family Journal makes it easy for families to set goals and help each other with our goals. On the monthly calendar we wrote down activities we wanted to do each week as a family. The monthly calendar is really helpful because it held my husband and I accountable. We made it a point to shut work related and stressors down. We all really looked forward to these activities, because that meant cellphones were off and it was all about us as a family. My son really liked the calendar as well because he would check the journal each week and copy down in his own planner that weeks fun family activity.

Game Night

The weekly meetings were FABULOUS we always had our meetings on Sunday nights during our family Sunday night coloring sessions. Complete with talking points, gratitude journal and quotes this made our family meetings more connected and meaningful. We found out so much about how our son was really coping with Covid-19 and the loss of his grandmother. My husband and I had no idea that he was still grieving the loss of his grandmother and that he was afraid to talk about it because he didn’t want to make us sad. The Family Journal also allowed my husband and I a new way to communicate with each other. The end of the month review was a way for us to see if we were holding each accountable for the month and just an overview. I was really impressed that we did so well at our goals.

Planning for March

I can highly recommend The Family Journal by Byron’s Games for any family. The journal is great way to improve your families accountability and quality time. We will continue to use the journal for the rest of the year I am really thinking about getting us another one just so I will have it already on hand for 2022.

Be sure to check the other Homeschool Review Crew reviews on The Family Journal by Byron’s Games by clicking the banner below.

Until the Next Time

Mom

Social Media Links: Byron’s Games

Facebook: https://facebook.com/byronsgames
Instagram: https://instagram.com/byronsgames
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/byronsgames
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqc5skcLby7XPMPubub8CRw