Carole P. Roman (A Homeschool Review Crew)

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Members of the Review Crew have been sharing Carole P. Roman's assorted series of books with their families.  Each written by author Carole P. Roman, these books have won numerous awards, including the Homeschool Review Crew's Blue Ribbon Award, and are a really fun way to expose learners to geography, cultures and world history.

About Carole P. Roman

Carole P. Roman is an award-winning author who began writing books after being dared to do so by her son.  After writing her first book based on a video game that she liked to play, she has now written over 35 books.  The "If You Were Me and Lived in..." series allows elementary grade readers to explore what life would be like for people living around the world at various periods of time.  Describing clothing, food, education, games, and religion for each time period, readers are introduced to cultures that differ greatly from our own.  She also has a similar series of non-fiction books for older readers.  Her books, both fiction and non-fiction, have won over 100 awards.









For this review, we were given out three choices from the many various titles offered from the various series.  This was extremely hard to do as there are so many wonderful titles to choose from. Ultimately,  we selected the following titles from the culture and history selections:

If You Were Me and Lived in... Renaissance Italy
If You Were Me and Lived in... India
If You Were Me and Lived in... the Ancient Mali Empire
If You Were Me and Lived in... the Mayan Empire

About The Books:

If You Were Me and Lived in...India 

Part of the "A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World", this 26 page book introduces younger readers to two children from India as they describe their culture.  Readers learn general facts such as where India is located and what is the country's capital city as well as holidays that are important to the Indian culture.  Readers continue on to learn what the children call their mother and father as well as their school, how they dress, what they eat and how they like to spend their time.

If You Were Me and Lived in... Renaissance Italy

This 54 page book, illustrated by Silvia Brunetti, discusses the period of time in Tuscany Italy in 1480s. The book covers topics such as the fact students did not typically attend school due to the many diseases at that time period but instead were homeschooled, about the discoveries made in the fields of sciences and artists of that time. Readers are introduced to famous Italians such as Filippo Brunelleschi, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Niccolo Machiavelli and learn about the lives of the people living during that time were, depending on their financial class.

If You Were Me and Lived in... The Ancient Mali Empire

Illustrated by Mateya Arkova, this 78 page takes students back to the height of the Mali Empire in the 14th Century.  The book describes the rise of the empire, the history of the cities, and then introduces readers to the traditions, food, music, clothing and other aspects of life during that time period.

 If You Were Me and Lived in... The Mayan Empire

Part of the same series as The Ancient Mali Empire and Renaissance Italy, within the 68 pages of the Mayan Empire, readers will encounter the ancient Mayan Empire and what life was like for them nearly 1500 years ago.  Written from the perspective of a 15 year old boy, readers learn about the religious beliefs, society system, and more.  This book is illustrated by Paula Tabor.

Our Review

It's always a real pleasure when we get the opportunity to review books by Carole P. Roman.  This time around was no different.  These books have beautiful illustrations and are packed full of facts to introduce children to the cultures of other countries as well as different periods of time in history  (although, one of the books in the If You Were Me series discusses what life would be like on another planet, Mars).

For our review, we read these books together as a read aloud at the beginning of our school day. The first book, about India, was a very quick read for us as it's written for a younger student and we were able to read it within a few minutes.  The kids really wanted to read this one because we often go out to eat Indian food and so they were curious about the culture of the family that runs the restaurant.  The book proved to give a nice little introduction to the country and would be great for a student around 3rd-4th grad. 

Reading the India Book aloud during school

The other three books we received are written for an older audience which is where my kids are currently at.  Out of the three, the kids really enjoyed the book about the Mayan Empire, followed closely by the book about the Mali Empire book.   They related to some of the things in the Mayan book, such as the making of tamales and we had discussion in regards to the fact that members of the Mayan society had arranged marriages at 15 years of age.  It also led to much discussion about what a woman's place in that society was and how even males were limited to what they could achieve simply by being born in the wrong caste of their society.

Illustrations from the Mayan Empire Book

We followed that book with the book about the Mali Empire.  Imagine my kids surprise when we read that in that time period, your parents arranged for your marriage at around 12-13 years of age.  As we are only a few weeks away from Ashleigh turning 12 and Garrett is already 13, this totally took them for surprise. Both kids are very happy, after having read these books, that they live in the time period that they do.

Beautiful illustration from the Mali Empire book

 Our last book was about Renaissance Italy.  The kids have studied the Renaissance period in regards to art history so some of the material, especially in regards to the art masters of that time, were familiar to them. This book they found very relatable - such as playing chess and checkers, wearing nice clothing, going to dances and the invention of the violin.  There were again some things that we could use for discussion, such as the fact that the Italians put beauty over health - this was mentioned when discussing that they word lead makeup on their faces.

Illustration from the Renaissance Italy book.

We really enjoy the Carole P. Roman books and over the years have a very nice collection of them.  I personally like that while the book is fine for the kids to read on their own time, it can easily be used for a springboard for discussion or even to encourage independent research for the kids to learn more. Our only, very minor complaint, as well as a suggestion, is that next time the books go to print, that the author utilizes an editor to proofread the text before the next publication.  The books contain many typographical errors which can be distracting for some readers.

For more information about Carole P. Roman and her books, be sure to visit the author's website.  You can also find the author on the following social media platforms:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarolePRomanAwardWinningAuthorAndBooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/caroleproman

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caroleproman/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6A9PDx7NdBgYUN1giUOp0A?view_as=subscriber

Members of the crew were given their choice of four books from a large list of offerings of books from Carole P. Roman.  These selections range from storybooks for young children to the history and culture series for older readers.  Be sure to click the banner below to read their reviews today.

Starfall Education Foundation ( A Homeschool Crew Review)

For the last few weeks, the kids have been having a blast practicing their math and language arts skill with the Starfall Home Membership from Starfall Education Foundation. An annual membership, the Starfall Home Membership is a single account that can be used by all members of the family for one year that can be accessed on multiple devices such as tablets, phones, and computers.  

Starfall Home Membership provides access to interactive content in the form of games, riddles, songs, poetry, and a reading library to help develop skills for Pre-K through 2nd Grade. By using fun animations and sounds as well as engaging gameplay, younger students as well as for older elementary students who might need extra practice to master skills have access to a useful tool that provides hours of educational fun.

Available on both a website or as a downloadable ap for both Android and Apple products (Google Play Store, iTunes and Amazon App Store) , Starfall can be used on different platforms, whether it be a home computer, tablet, Kindle or Smartphone.  Both the computer website and mobile app are very easy to navigate allowing for the youngest of students to easily figure out on their own. 

Both the website and the mobile versions of Starfall are free from advertisements or outside links to other pages.  Even the  Starfall Store and the Parent-Teacher Center for Starfall require an adult to answer a question.  While a student who is able to read well and a bit more advanced in math might be able to circumvent the process, the average Kindergarten or 1st-grade student most likely will not.

Being that the website doesn't have links to outside websites or questionable advertisements allows for safe viewing of the content.   I have no problems allowing Ashleigh and Garrett to play this on their Kindles or to hop on the computer and work on this while I'm making dinner or grading work instead of hovering over their shoulder to make sure that they do not see something that I would prefer they did not. 

The Parent-Teacher center offers information to help to learn what State Standards the different offerings on Starfall teach and how they align with your state.  There are many resources (some free without membership) to use along with the Starfall website, such as printable worksheets, althought most of these worksheets are for Kindergarten and 1st Grade and were a bit young for my kiddos.  

How We Used It

Starfall has been a wonderful addition to our educational toolbox. The kids have struggled a bit with their multiplication tables (something that as an adult, I still struggle with to be honest) and we have used Starfall almost exclusively for practicing memorizing these skills.  From 2x all the way to 9x, I can finish each school day with telling the kids to work on Starfall for 15-20 minutes and know they are getting much-needed practice on a skill they need to work on.

Garrett really likes some of the other games, such as the Road Trip game.  It focuses on place value which Garrett doesn't necessarily need extra help with but he still enjoys the graphics.  It doesn't hurt that he can select a car that somewhat resembles our own car.  It also shows some basic geography and photographs of places along the trip.  He likes the graphics and the photographs, so this particular game appeals to him.

A few things we did notice is that the website offers much more than the mobile apps offer.  We discovered this when Garrett wanted to play the Road Trip game and it was not available on the mobile version.  The website offers quite a bit more, which just means that the kids spent a bit more time at the desktop than they did on their Kindles.

When my oldest daughter, who is now 18 and graduated, first heard that the kids were going to be reviewing Starfall, she was hit with a major case of nostalgia.   She herself used Starfall when she was in Elementary school and she admits that not much has changed since she used it herself.      Now Ashleigh and Garrett will be able to continue with their learning using Starfall as well. 

Social Media Links: 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/starfall.education/       
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/starfalledu        
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/starfalleducation/           
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/starfalleducation/ 

Greek 'n' Stuff (A Homeschool Crew Review)

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know the struggle that I have had with finding a foreign language for my kids.  We tried Spanish for a bit, we tried French for a while, and we even tried Chinese.  Once the "newness" of the program wore off, none of these held interest for my kids.  Eventually, we found the right fit with Latin for Ashleigh, but that left Garrett without a language.

When the opportunity to review Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! - Level 3 Set from Greek 'n' Stuff was offered , I was slightly hesitant. After all, Greek can be somewhat intimidating with it's entirely different alphabet.  I asked myself plenty of questions before asking for this program - How would Garrett react to learning a completely new alphabet? Would it be too hard for him? Would we sit down for the first lesson and have him balk and have a meltdown?  As the mother of a special needs student, I knew I wanted him to learn a second language but would Greek be asking too much from him for his capabilities.   After a long, thoughtful internal debate, I ended up asking for the review.  

And I'll be honest right now.  The moment I filled out the form saying I would like to review this product, I completely second guessed myself on the decision.  It's very rare that I actually do this - typically I have a decent idea if something can work for my kids.  I had very mixed feelings when I was informed I would be on this review - part of me was very excited to try it with Garrett but the other part of me was very anxious, thinking I might have gotten over my head and it would be too much for Garrett.   My fears were especially compounded when I pulled out my own book about the Greek language (that I honestly hadn't picked up since I purchased it)..  To say "it was all Greek to me" would be an understatement.  Granted, I had looked at the sample pages but I'm sure we all have those moments were we second guess things.   BTW - There's a Greek Placement test available on the website to help you select the correct starting level for your student, in case your like me and second guess every decision you make.. For our review, we opted for Level 3 based on Garrett's age and Grade.  I should also mention, prior to this review, Garrett had no previous introduction to Greek or Latin.

When the materials arrived, Garrett and I opened the box together and inside we found the three components that made up the set.  First was the spiral bound Biblical Greek Workbook.  This workbook is the textbook for the student and contains all the lessons, reviews, glossaries, and also the flash card templates that the students need to work though the curriculum. Second, there was a second spiral bound Level 3 Full Text Answer Key.  This book contains all the answers to each lesson found in the student book, as well as a schedule of lessons, teacher's tips and an appendix of very useful information about the Greek language.  Finally, the third component was the Pronunciation CD which contains audio pronunciations of new vocabulary and an Alphabet Song to help with memorization.

Our VERY first Greek Lesson

The new shiny curriculum was of interest to Garrett. He already knew that this would be "his language" and he was raring to get started.  A positive for sure but I had seen him get excited about other things, only to lose interest very quickly. How would this turn out? 

This system teaches Biblical Greek, also known as Koine Greek, and is the language most used by the Greek Orthodox Church. Designed by Karen Mohs, the way the program is broken down is fairly simple. For the first couple of weeks, the students learn the Greek Alphabet. Once they learn the letters and the sound that each one makes, they they begin to translate those letters into pronounceable words.  Activities throughout each lesson help reinforce what they have learned and provide additional practice, while the flash card templates can be cut out and put on index cards to provide additional review material.  Along with the CD, the program provides both written, audio and visual stimulation in which to present the material to the student.   

We decided to follow the recommended schedule as listed in the Answer Key.  Following this

schedule, this curriculum can be 36 weekly lessons consisting of roughly 4-6 pages out of the student workbook each week.  I found this scheduling recommendation worked well for Garrett and it did not overwhelm him.   The Answer Key does offer recommendations for additional books in order to find more information but I did not find that I needed any of those outside references to use the curriculum with Garrett.

The first two weeks, Garrett and I focused solely on learning the Greek Alphabet, learning three letters each day while reviewing those we had already learned.  I found writing the letters on our white board and allowing him to both identify the name of the letter as well as to tell me the sound that it made worked really well for us.  The three letters a day pace also worked well.  I admit here, Garrett had a bit of trouble with pronunciation of some letters due to his speech delay (for example, he struggled with Beta  and Theta) but consistent reviewing and correction helped to cement the proper annunciation in his head.   After two weeks, it was time to move on to actual words. 

I'm not going to lie.  The first time I wrote Άνθρωπος (the Greek word for A Man) on my white board, I cringed. It was one thing for Garrett to recognized θ as Theta, but he struggles with reading when using the English Alphabet as it is. How would he handle actually deciphering a Greek word?

I wrote it on the board and like a pro, Garrett proved to me that he had indeed learned those letters and their sounds. We broke the word down phonetically (anthropos) and defined it (a man). Garrett did the accompanying activities in his workbook which included writing the word several times and drawing a picture of a man. We made a flashcard for the word to start our deck of review cards and the lesson was over without any tears or meltdowns.

That has basically been how our last few weeks have gone. Tear free, meltdown free, and dare I say it, Garrett LIKES Greek. Weeks later, he's still as excited to do his lessons as he was for that first one. He's also very possessive of his Greek lessons - he does not want his sister (who has managed to also learn the Greek alphabet from listening in on our lessons) to participate in his lessons, after all, she has Latin and this is HIS Greek.

The format of the lessons works well for him, especially when we incorporate the flash cards with his lesson. I spread out the cards in front of him, pronouncing the word for him and ask him to find the correct card that matches. By flipping the cards over to their English meaning, I can work on proper pronunciation of the Greek word with him as well, making them a very handy learning resource at my disposal. I especially like that this resource is part of the workbook and not an extra expense. I simply trim out the words for the week from the back of the workbook, glue them onto index cards and we're set.

I recently got asked by a family member - Why bother teaching the kids Latin and Greek? When will they ever use these languages?  Wouldn't they be better off learning Spanish?  But when you realize that many of the words we use today are derived from Latin and Greek, especially in the fields of science and technology, then one can see the usefulness of learning them. For example, just the one word that I used above, Άνθρωπος , which is pronounced as Anthropos, meaning A Man, is the root for the word Anthropology, which is today's term for the study of man (from a historical aspect). And as Garrett progresses with Greek, then that opens the door for Latin as well.

Greek has worked very well for us and I found that all my nail biting and second guessing was really for naught as Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! turned out to be the perfect fit for Garrett. This is also a program that he could stay with for many years to come (there are 8 different levels currently available on the website), allowing us to stay with a format that works for him.

For more information about Greek 'n' Stuff and the Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! curriculum, be sure to visit their website (they even offer some free downloadable activities). You can also find more information on the following social media platforms:

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GreeknStuff/         https://www.facebook.com/groups/heyandrewteachmesomegreek/ 
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/GreeknStuff  
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kuriakos/greek-n-stuff/     
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/karenmohs/ 

While our review for Greek 'n' Stuff focuses on one of their Greek curriculum, members of the Crew were offered more than just Greek.  Be sure to click the banner below and read not only about Level 2 for the Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! curriculum but also reviews on Greek 'n' Stuff's Bible study curriculum for the book of Ester, Jonah & Ruth, 1 Samuel and the Book of Acts.