Demme Learning: Math-U-See Beta (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)

I do not like Math.  Throughout my education, mathematics has always been the one subject that I absolutely could not stand.  For starters, I was bad at it.   I was lucky if I got a C in any of my mathematics classes in 12 years of school.  Second, I had terrible teachers who liked to give the "You will need this in your life" speech, I even had one teacher tell me that we would need to know the circumference of the bun to the circumference of the meat patty working at a fast food joint.  Yet, as important as they claimed math would be in our lives, they showed absolutely no passion for the subject and they seemed miserable being Math teachers.  Their lackluster teaching methods rubbed off on me as well, leaving  me bored and uninterested.   I always just made the excuse "I'm more of an English person.".  This was apparent in my SAT scores when I scored exceptionally high in English but barely pulled a 300 on the math portion.   It is because of my lack of knowledge in math that I really worried about how I would instruct my children in mathematics in our homeschool without my lack of enthusiasm rubbing off on them. I didn't want to repeat the cycle.  It was also the one misgiving my husband had in regards to my homeschooling the kids - What would I do when we got to higher math?

We tried various math curriculum but none of them were the proper fit for our family. Either I didn't know what I was doing or the format was just too boring for me to keep them interested.   It is for this reason that when I was given the opportunity to review the Digital Packs from  Demme Learning's Math-U-See , I went into the review with the hopes that this would be the math program for us.   For the last five weeks, we have been using the Beta level Digital Pack and I can honestly say, I think we have found the math curriculum that fits our needs.


What is the Math-U-See Digital Pack?

Math-U-See is the flagship of Demme Learning - a company founded by pastor and schoolteacher Steve Demme in the 1990s.  A family business, Demme Learning has grown to include other ventures  beyond mathematics such as Spelling-U-See, however, Math-U-See is probably the most popular.

If you homeschool, you are probably familiar with the popular Math-U-See program.  It is a manipulative-based curriculum that is designed to teach specific skills in a specific order.  Using a combination of video instructions on a DVD , an instructional manual, an integer block set, and a student workbook, the Math-U-See system uses both a systematic and cumulative approach to teach new material while also reviewing old material to keep it fresh in the student's mind.

Math-U-See Digital Pack Dashboard

Many, however, are not familiar with the one year subscription to the browser based Digital Packs

that are offered on the website. These Digital packs offer the same video instructions that are found on the instructional DVD but as a streaming video format which can be viewed on computers, tablets, or phones.  PDF versions of the "Lesson Summaries" are also accessible as well as other resources such as a worksheet generator and answer keys available on the Digital Pack Dashboard as well as an application that offers a digital version of the integer blocks if they are used in the selected Math-U-See level. As the Beta level teaches skip counting, the digital pack also included MP3 downloads of the Skip Counting songs as well as a PDF of the lyrics and sheet music.

How We Used It

We were given a one year subscription of the Beta Digital Pack for us to review. For the last 5 weeks, we have used both the Digital Pack along with physical copies of the Student Workbooks (which I purchased)  for five days out of the week (M-F).  We easily cover one lesson a week, including the seven workbook pages included for the weeks lessons.  On Friday, we take the lesson test included in the Test booklet (which is sold together with the workbook).  

Ash working with virtual blocks for her assignment

Each Sunday night, I would sit down and familiarize myself with the lesson for the week.  This included reading over the included "Lesson Summary" which gives the technical explanation of the concept being taught, followed by watching the video of Steve Demme teaching the lesson to a small class of students. These videos are short, anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, and I tried to watch them at least twice to get a good feel for how to present the information.

On Monday, I would teach the material and the kids would work together, with my help, on the first of the 7 worksheets.  If the manipulative were needed for that lesson, they would take turns using the included ones on the website or using the base ten set we already have. On Tuesday, I would do a quick review of the lesson and the kids would work the second lesson worksheet.  On day three and four, they worked  on 2 lesson worksheets each day  alone, although I would offer assistance as needed.

 By Day 5 they would typically have the concept understood so they would do the final worksheet and then they would take the lesson test.    If for some reason I felt more work was necessary, I printed off extra worksheets using the worksheet generator included with the Digital Pack.




What We Thought ?

Right about now I should mention that Ashleigh takes after me as far as her attitude towards math.

Garrett working through his assignment

She doesn't like it and she really wants nothing to do with it.  Garrett on the other hand, seems to have his father's mind for numbers and really does enjoy doing math.  Unfortunately they both hated the previous book based math curriculum that we used and because of this, they were struggling.   In my opinion, they were far behind where they should be at.

Using the Math-U-See program, I have seen such an increase in both Ashleigh and Garrett's skill level and confidence with Math.   While I am not surprised with this with Garrett, I am floored at how quickly Ashleigh has taken to this particular teaching method.   Within 5 weeks, she went from throwing a fit and bursting into tears when being asked what the sum of 7+2 is to doing multi-digit problems such as 456+213.  This week they began solving simple algebraic equations as they had to solve for an unknown factor.

The truth is, the reason the kids were falling behind wasn't the old curriculum - it was Mom!  I just didn't know the first thing about teaching them math concepts.  By watching the videos included with the Digital Pack, I was able to get an understanding on how to present the material to the kids in ways they could understand much better than just trying to show them over and over how to do it.  Mr. Demme is an excellent instructor who shows how to combine visual, audio and tactile cues to each lesson.  Because of this, the kids have quickly come to enjoy their math lessons each day and we haven't had one of Ashleigh's Math Meltdowns in 5 weeks.  These videos have been invaluable to me as an educator.

I especially like that I can access the videos on all of my electronic devices.  Whether I want to watch the video on my Kindle while relaxing in a bath or reading while in bed, I had no issues accessing the videos or the PDF Lesson summaries on any of my devices.  This makes accessing the videos much more convenient then having to have access to a DVD player and a television.   There was even one time I realized I did not watch the lesson before hand and I was quickly able to watch it on my laptop with earbuds while my kids worked on another assignment.   In my hectic life, convenience is always a plus.

The online digital manipulatives are also a huge plus.  While each of the kids owns their own Base Ten kit, the physical Integer  Block kit offered by Math-U-See offers increments beyond units, tens and hundreds, making it a vital part of teaching the program.  I'll be the first to admit that the main reason we tried other curriculum before Math-U-See is because I could not justify the cost of the integer set without putting my family into a financial hardship.   It seems as if Demme Learning understands this and in response has made an affordable alternative for families on a tighter budget.   While they might not be the same as your child putting their hands on the actual blocks, the digital manipulatives achieve the same result as students drag and slide units, One-T's and Chocol-Eights onto their virtual workstation.

Screenshot of the Integer Virtual Workstation

My ONLY complaint (and it is a very very minor complaint) is that there are a number of steps one must do in order to log into and access their Digital Packs.  This would be easily rectified with a landing/launch page just for logging into purchased packs.

We have loved being on this review and it has quickly become our favorite Math Curriculum.  Since Math-U-See offers math levels from Primer (which offers a gentle introduction to mathematics) all the way to the higher level maths like Calculus, I honestly can see us sticking with this program throughout the kids entire homeschooling years.. I only regret not trying it earlier with my kids.

Demme Learning and Math-U-See can be found at the following Social Media sites:

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

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mathusee/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mathusee 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mathusee

Demme Learning was genereous and offered 100 members of the Review Crew the opportunity to review their products, ranging from Primer all the way to PreCalculus.  If your interested in a particular level, be sure to click the banner below and read the other reviews available. 

Grapevine Studies (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)

Each year as a member of the Review Crew, I get introduced to vendors that I didn't know about before hand.  Some of them are really great and quickly become a favorite of ours.  Such is the case with this review:  Grapevine Studies.  If you've read either of my past reviews on this vendor, you'll know how much I really enjoy this company. So of course, when I was given the opportunity to review another one of their wonderful studies with the kids, I jumped at the chance and was so happy to be selected to review  New Testament Overview Part 1:  Birth of John to Jesus' Ministry (Level 2).   This included the Student Book as well as the Teacher's Guide.


The last time we had the opportunity to review a study for Grapevine, we elected to try a Level 1 study since we were unfamiliar with the company and I was unsure how the kids would do.  Level 1

targets 1st -2nd grade and offers large drawing areas and a traceable option (which we used). Since they did so well for that time (and because both kids have really improved their own artwork since), we elected to try the Level 2 studies this time around. Level 2 is targeted for 3rd and 4th graders but I felt that it would be a better fit for Ashleigh and Garrett.  I'm really glad I chose this option as the kids did wonderful with it.

Grapevine makes it easy to figure out what level your student might be ready for when making a decision as to which level to use.  Each level is designed with a particular age group in mind and they adjust the student pages for that age group.

Grapevine Studies was nice enough to allow me to download both Level 1 and Level 2 so that I could compare the two against each other. A few major differences I did notice were that the Level 2 included additional memory work (such as memorizing how many books are in the Bible, the names of the Gospels, ect), vocabulary words to look up, and map activities such as locating and marking Bethlehem and Nazareth on a map.  As previously mentioned, there is also a difference in the drawing boxes - while both levels have the same number of drawings per lesson,  Level 1 has one to two larger drawings spread out over more pages, where Level 2 has 3 to 4  smaller drawings per page.

This particular study is part 1 of a 4 part series that covers the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation. Part 1 begins with a very brief summary of the genealogy of Jesus and the announcement of the Birth of John to Zacharias and ends with Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. As with every other Grapevine Studies product, these lessons are taught with cute little stick figures, which is perfect for me to teach as I am not artistically inclined.

Stick Figures are about my Artistic Level

How We Used It:

Learning about Zachariah and the birth of John the Baptist

Inside the teachers manual are sample plans as to how you can use the study with your children, such as daily or weekly (and some people I know use it twice a week). In our school, the kids do actual Bible Studies on Monday so we can focus on what we learned and on our memorization the rest of the week.  Sunday night, I just print out the pages for the weeks lesson, staple them together and pass them out on Monday. Then we sit together and discuss the lesson and the kids copy what I draw on the white wall.

This has become one of the kids favorite times of the week and they actually ask for Grapevine to be the last lesson of the day as it is the "most fun".    The great thing about Grapevine Studies is that everything is already planned out for you  in the teachers guide - it tells you what to draw and with what color, what to read and how to explain it to your students.  I just grab my Expo markers while the kids grab their crayons (although, as of last week, they have requested markers) and we dive into the Word.  We also keep a Bible dictionary and a book of maps on hand for various activities that come up in the lesson.  Since we are using the Ebook version (physical copies are available if you prefer), I simply load the teachers manual on my Kindle and it's at my fingertips.

The fact that the story is told not just with the stick figures but with specific colors representing specific people has really helped with memorization of the story for the kids.  Ashleigh does tend to add little details to her drawings that aren't necessarily part of the story (Did you know Jesus had a pet cat?? yeah, me neither) but if it helps her remember the story, so be it.

Following each lesson is a series of questions used for a lesson review.  These questions are fairly simple if the kids have been paying attention to the Bible reading and not just drawing the pictures.  For the most part, the kids have done a great job at comprehending the lessons and can usually answer the questions without any problems.   Ashleigh especially has done a great job remembering everything from the lesson, as well as the memory work.

I also like the repetition.  Key points are revisited in the timeline at the start of each lesson.  The timeline helped keep the order of the events clear in the kids mind as to what happened in what order along with a review of past memory verses and the memory work for the week (which is a small Biblical tidbit that is easy for them to remember).

A typical Timeline Review

Since this is a Grapevine Studies review, I cannot get through it without mentioning how absolutely CUTE this whole thing is.   There, I said it, I feel better now :)

One of Ashleigh's lessons - Jesus had just gotten Baptized so he was still wet...  You can't tell me this isn't cute. 

As much as I've enjoyed many of the items I have reviewed, there are only a very small handful of vendors that I have actually spent my money on.  Grapevine Studies is on that very small list.  I've already purchased the next part of the New Testament series and will purchase the others as we get to them.

If this review has you curious, right now is a great time to try Grapevine Studies.  With Easter coming up fast, Grapevines is offering all of their Resurrection Studies at 20% off .
Also, I should mention that if you happened to read my review about the Grapevine Studies Calendar  then you'll know how wonderful of a resource it is. Grapevine Studies currently has a special on the calendar - buy the calendar and get the notes free.. This is a great deal and I highly recommend it :)

Want to learn more?  Be sure to visit Grapevine Studies on the following social media platforms:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrapevineStudies/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrapevineStudy 
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/GrapevineStudy

Don't forget to visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew's page to read other Grapevine Studies Reviews. Just click the banner below.

S if for Shadowcast... Senior Rings.. Scorpions and Skating

As you may have noticed, I'm missing a few letters.  The last time I participated in the Blogging Through the Alphabet, it was P is for Pocket Gopher.. (Which, for those of you interested, we did release the following day and as far as I know he's doing well.. lol)..    SOOO many things have been put on the back burner these last few weeks because of the crazy schedule and pacing that is the month of February and then again in August.  These are the months my husband is on his Honor Guard rotation and means that he's gone most of the time while I'm trying to run the household, keep everything organized and still keep up with our studies alone.   Halfway through the month, I'm absolutely ran ragged.   So originally, I thought about writing "S if for Slowing Down", after all, it was fitting now that things are back to something that resembles normal.

However, we did something very exciting last week and it also fits with  "S if for" theme as well.   

Last week, we ordered Alyssa's Senior ring.

I have been out of school now for 20 years and the one regret I have is that I never ordered a class ring.  My life circumstances left me an emancipated minor during my Junior year of high school and at that time, it wasn't a priority considering everything else I was dealing with in my life.  I didn't want Alyssa to have the same regrets.   $360 bucks later and probably the most expensive part of her Senior year is ordered and should be in her possession in 6 weeks. 

Which brings us to the second part of the "S is for".. Shadowcast....   Alyssa decided rather than selecting a traditional ring with the black antiquing, she wanted the darker metal known as Shadowcast.  A bit more expensive but her father and I both agreed we liked it and agreed to each pay the extra to get what she wanted..   As her school colors are Purple and black, it made for a nice combination.

S is for Scorpions.  Her school mascot.   She elected to have the Scorpion put on the one side of her ring and then her JROTC emblem on the opposite side.   JROTC has been the biggest accomplishment she has made in school - currently she's a 2nd Lt  as a Junior.  Her other extra curricular has been Robotics but she decided JROTC is what she is most proud of.  

It's hard for me to believe my baby is going to be a Senior next year.   Seems like only yesterday she was learning how to ice skate and had dreams of being a figure skater.     

Maybe I should add one more word to the list.... "S is for Sad".. As this Momma is going to be very sad to see her first baby spreading her wings and going out into the world in one more year :(

This blog post is being linked up with the "Blogging Through the Alphabet" linkup hosted by Through the Calm and Through the Storm and  Adventures with Jude .   

Be sure to check out both of their blogs and link yours up as well :)

Here To Help Learning (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)

If there's one thing my son hate more than anything, it's writing.   Simply asking him to write a sentence with 6 words in it elicits a response equal to if I had asked him to give up ice cream for an entire year.  Simply put, writing is NOT a fun subject in our house yet so many subjects require it.  Because of this reason, after watching the introduction video for Here to Help Learning, I figured this would be a great review for us to be on in the hopes that maybe he would come to enjoy writing.  (Miracles do happen, you know!)   For the purpose of this review, I received a one year membership to the Here to Help Learning website.  While there are various options, this review will concentrate on Flight 1 Paragraph Writing.

About Here to Help Learning:

Mrs Mora - Your Writing Guide

Here to Help Learning is a website for a video based writing
program for grades 1-6, hosted by Beth Mora (Mrs Mora) and her trusty pooch, Captain Knucklehead.  Using short segments of video that are engaging to students along with scripted worksheets for parents/teachers to follow, Here To Help Learning creates a systemic writing program to help teach students work through the building blocks of paragraph writing and then on to writing a 5 paragraph essay. Paragraph and Essay writing are both broken into three 32 week "Flights".   Flights 1, 2 and 3 for Paragraph Writing is aimed at grades 1-3 while Flights 1, 2 and 3 of Essey Writing are for grades 4-6. Membership includes access to all 6 "Flights" and can be used with multiple children in the same family.

Weekly lessons are divided up to 2 days a week with quick "writing warmups", interactive games, interesting video scenarios, and also a reward system to help students have a positive outlook on writing.

Also included with membership are literature lessons (currently focusing on the novel "Island of the Blue Dolphins"), resources about writing, a members forum, and events such as writing contests sponsored by the website.

Review:

Since Garrett is what one could call "reluctant writers", I decided to start at the very beginning with Flight 1 Paragraph Writing.  I went into this review with a very open mind but honestly, I knew that it would take something very special to get Garrett to write anything on his own.

As you can see from the above video, your host, Mrs Mora, is a complete cheese, hamming it up for the students in each video, all in the name of learning.  My kids LOVE her (yes, I meant to emphasize love).   Mrs Mora is completely engaging and relatable to my kids and they really have come to look forward to seeing the quick videos.   Mrs Mora has a very positive attitude that rubbed off quickly onto my kids and really helped to set the mood for what we were about to work on.  If they love Mrs Mora, well, they simply adore Knucklehead.  Rather than calling this program "Here to Help Learning" or even "writing class", my kids refer to this part of their day as "Doing Knucklehead".   Together, Mrs Mora and Knucklehead are the perfect combination, at least for my kids.

Twice a week, my kids and I sit down together with the video instructions and begin working on the flight work for the week we are on.   Some weeks we were playing a game called "Sentence - No Sentence" (which one more than one occasion I have caught the kids playing on their own outside of our school hours). another week we were working on brainstorming our writing assignment.   A couple of weeks, we actually worked on the same week twice in a row rather than moving on to the next week, which allowed the kids both extra time to work on the previous assignment.  This worked really well for us, especially for Garrett, as he did not feel rushed and knew that if he didn't finish the assignment, he would have more time later.  While writing normally results in a major emotional breakdown for poor Garrett, the combination of the slower pace and Mrs Mora/Knucklehead actually proved to be a positive experience for him.

Garrett's first assignment - Week 1.  No structure or full thoughts written. 

Week 3 - He's writing his own sentences.  "Play dog is skateboarding. He is white. He has big floppy ears"...   PROGRESS!

I really like that while the flights are broken down into the weekly lessons, I don't feel bad for extending them out for a 2nd week as needed, as the program states you can modify it as needed to your student.  Whether it's getting them to just copy what you dictate to them or they are actually writing their own ideas,  it's okay, so long as they are learning the building blocks of the hows and why of paragraph and essay writing.  I have noticed that as Garrett's confidence in his writing grows, we have gone from him writing words in no particular order, to him writing what I dictate, to him asking me how to write what he wants to say, all after only a few weeks of lessons.

Week 1 of Making a list. 

The one thing we've really taken some extra time on is the actual writing assignment.  We are still working on the first assignment entitled "All By Myself" which requires kids to brainstorm and then write about something that they once had to have help doing but have now learned how to do it on their own.  Garrett has decided he wanted to write about the fact that he can take care of his own personal hygiene, such as taking a bath, brushing his teeth and going to be bathroom by himself.    Here to Help Learning provides a very simple but specific process in how they teach paragraph writing which includes steps such as brainstorming, making a list, webbing (organizing the information), ect.  We are currently on the webbing step of our current writing assignment as we spent a bit of extra time on both brainstorming and making a list since we were working at Garrett's pace.    While it took Garrett a bit of extra time, he now has a full list of those things he wishes to write about and is ready to start the next step to organize so that he can writing his first paragraph, which for Garrett, is an AMAZING accomplishment.  Mrs Mora was able to help me (as parent involvement is VERY important with Here to Help Learning) to help him progress to this step and for him, this is a major achievement.

Overall, I am very happy with Here to Help Learning and I can see us using this, at least for the next few years, as our primary writing curriculum.  The kids love it and it seems to work perfectly for the learning method that relates best to Garrett when it comes to writing.

Want to learn more??  Check out Here to Help Learning on their various social media platforms:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HTHLTweets

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/HTHLearning/ 

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/HereToHelpLearning

To read other members opinions about Here to Help Learning, click the banner below.

Good Good Father

*Note*  Be sure to enter to win a chance at a Flyaway package to see Chris Tomlin live at Worship Night in America.  Details at the bottom of this post*

My family and I listen almost exclusively Christian/Worship music.  It's been that way for almost a year now, it started off with my just listening to it while I was cooking or cleaning the kitchen and slowly morphed into a full time deal.  So we're very familiar with Christ Tomlin and his music and some of his songs, such as "How Great Is Our God",  "At The Cross (Love Ran Red), and "Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)" are on our typical playlist.  

If you are familiar with Tomlin's music, you might already be familiar with the song "Good Good Father"..   A powerful worship song with lyrics that reach down into your heart and make you grateful for the goodness that is God.   How could one make such an amazing song any better???

Simply put:   Chris Tomlin with Pat Barrett.

The new video of "Good Good Father" features just that: Tomlin and Barrett together.   The combination is amazing as the two harmonize well and compliment each other.   This collaboration is simply amazing and goes well beyond just Tomlin or Barrett.

We all have a picture of who we think God is. When we get down to the foundation of what we believe, the truth is that God is exactly who He says He is – a good, good Father. ~ Chris Tomlin

Listening to the emotion that both Tomlin and Barrett speak with in regards to this song, it becomes very apparent that this song means a lot to the both of them.  They have opened their hearts to fans by telling the story behind the song and how they both relate to it, in their own words, in a second video.


The song "Good Good Father" is an amazing addition to your worship collection,  The single can be purchased on iTunes here.

 Now, here's for the exciting news.  It's one thing to hear a song like "Good Good Father" on the radio.  It's a completely different experience to hear it live, surrounded by other thousands of people all feeling the Lord around them.  Chris Tomlin is offering that experience to one lucky person.  Follow the link below for your chance to enter a change to win. The Grand Prize is a Flyaway trip for 2 in July to the nearest Worship Night in America  (Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, Miami and New York City), along with hotel accommodations and 2 meet and greet passes to meet with Chris Tomlin.    CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO ENTER

Just Call Me Jon Snow

I'm a huge fan of George R.R. Martin's  "A Song of Ice and Fire" series,  otherwise known as Game of Thrones.  Of all the characters, my favorite would be Jon Snow, the illegitimate son of the troubled Stark Clan and whom I think will end up winning the GoT (but that's better left for another day). During the course of the story, Jon Snow encounters a female Wildling by the name of Ygritte whom is known for two things:  her flaming red hair and the fact she constantly says "You know nothing Jon Snow".   Jon is naive, Jon is inexperienced, and many times Jon hides from the reality of the situation by hiding behind his pre-dictated responsibilities instead of venturing out out of his comfort zone and doing what he feels is best.

(Jon) Snow Days

In the course of our homeschooling adventures, there are days that I often feel like Jon Snow. I bet you have too. Those days where you feel like you're wondering around aimlessly, unsure what you should be doing because you feel one way but responsibilities say you should be doing another? I am currently in my third year of homeschooling two of my kids and I still have moments when I feel lost, naive and inexperienced.  These are the days when I feel inadequate in my teaching, that I feel like a failure or a screw up or I am losing control of the day and I have to take a step back.  I call these my "Jon Snow Days."

Thinks of Jon Snow Days much like the traditional snow day.  Snow days occur when mother nature tells you it's time to take a break from the desk and instead have some fun outside sledding or having a snowball fight. In the same sense, Jon Snow Days are a time to blow off steam and have a bit of unscheduled fun away from schoolwork due to uncontrollable circumstances.

A Jon Snow Day can be needed in different ways.   The first is when just about anything you do turns out wrong.  The craft you had planned doesn't look anything like the picture and is worthy of ending up on Epic Pinterest Fails.  The science experiment is a complete flop and fails to produce the desired results.  The lesson you're currently discussing has major inaccuracies in the book that you know is absolutely wrong.  Maybe you have no idea what the answers to the homework is or why the answer is what it is and finding out is much more daunting then just a quick google search. Whatever the reason, a curve ball has just been thrown and you have absolutely no idea how to react or how to counter it in order to stay on track.  Any of these types of situations can put up major roadblocks into the days plans, resulting in a need to regroup, reschedule and restart.  So have a Jon Snow Day that day and start over tomorrow.

Or maybe your schedule says you're suppose to be studying flatworms but your kid absolutely refuses to open their book and is throwing a fit.  Are you better off fighting with your kid to discuss Platyhelminthes knowing they probably won't learn a single thing with their current frame of mind or are you better off closing the book, putting the schedule to the side for the day and instead focusing on something else?    Take a Jon Snow Day.

While Jon Snow Days should be few and far between, they have become a valuable tool in my homeschooling arsenal and I don't feel guilty when I need to take one.  So next time you're having one of those days and you feel like you know nothing and nothing is getting done, instead of stressing out, go have some fun.  Let your kid blow off steam and start fresh the next day.  You'll both be happier for it.




This post was originally published at the Schoolhouse Review Crew's Website on January 15, 2016.

The Dragon and the Raven (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)

Prior to becoming a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I was unaware of Heirloom Audio Productions or the wonderful world that is G.A. Henty.  Then, roughly a year ago, I was asked to write a review for the audio production of In Freedom's Cause, the story of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, and I absolutely fell in love.  Later that year, I was once again asked to review Heirloom Audio Productions release of With Lee In Virginia and once again found my family completely immersed in the rich audio experience that these products provide.   As a member of the 2016 Crew, I jumped at the chance to get my hands on the latest release by Heirloom Audio Productions -  The Dragon and the Raven.  Once again Heirloom Audio productions knocks it out of the ball park with this fourth installment t o their The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty series.  This time around is the telling of the story of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, as his people are terrorized by the Danes.  Together with his loyal thane, Edmund, King Alfred's story teaches about forgiveness, loving your enemy, and how the Lord can use anyone to make a difference in the lives of others. 

 
What I Received:
I was given the opportunity to review the 2 CD performance of The Dragon and the Raven presented in a visually stunning, full color trifold case.  I also received the accompanying Study Guide as well as the extras that included access to the MP3 download of the performance, an Ebook copy of The Dragon and the Raven by G.A. Henty, The Dragon and the Raven Soundtrack MP3 download, a printable cast poster, a printable poster containing King Alfred's Hope (Proverbs 21:31), access to the newsletter website and access to the 50 minute documentary about the making of The Dragon and the Raven. 

Review:

As with every Heirloom Audio Production previous,  we ripped this one open and instantly started listening to it as a family the day it arrived.   

There are a few things I've really come to expect from an Heirloom Audio Production.  Two of these would be Brian Blessed and an All-Star cast.  The Dragon and the Raven once again delivers on both of these expectations. 

Brian Blessed again returns as our storyteller, G.A. Henty, and as always he is amazing.  Brian has a great voice for audio.  However, John Rhys-Davies is by far one of my favorite screen actors so seeing his name attached to this production along with Brian Blessed was more than I could ask for.  John Rhys-Davies also has one of those very distinctive voices and while I typically enjoy his talent on the big screen, he does a great job in this audio production as well.   Other well known talent included in The Dragon and the Raven include Sylvester McCoy (although, I'll be honest, hearing him I kept picturing Radagast the Brown from the Hobbit in my mind), Helen George (Nurse Trixie Franklin from Call the Midwife) as love interest Freya and Stuart Pendred who you might remember as William Wallace in Heirloom Audio Productions In Freedom's Cause.  

Another thing I've come to expect is a spectacular soundtrack from John Campbell. Campbell has produced the audio soundtracks for the past productions and has a very distinct style that I've come to enjoy.  Once again, Campbell provides the perfect musical backdrop that does not distract from the action but indeed enhances the listening experience. 

Finally, I've come to expect "edge of your seat" action and a story you get emotionally invested with but that ties to an overall message about spirituality and faith, which once again, they deliver.  These audio stories really allow the listener to get immersed into the tale being woven.  Listeners experience the emotional ups and downs through characters victories, defeats and loses.  Always, the characters lean on God and their faith to overcome hardships or celebrate the Lord for the blessings given to them, reminding the listener to do the same. 

Study Guide:

As with every other Heirloom Audio Production, the purchase of either the physical CDs or the MP3

downloads come with the complementary full color, downloadable study guide and Discussion Starter Ebook.  These study guides have always been a welcome addition with the audio as they provide a good amount of information in the life and history behind the actual person.

One new addition that I really enjoyed is that time stamps are now included at the top of each page in the study guide.  This makes it extremely easy for people like myself who prefer the convenience of  listening to the MP3 format on tablets, computers or phones to jump ahead quickly to find the proper track to match with the guide, as the MP3s are not divided into individual tracks.  I think this addition is a great feature and I was extremely thrilled to find it this time around.


Included in the 49 page ebook Study Guide:

Listening Well Questions:  These provide the perfect opportunity to test listening comprehension in regards to what your child has heard and remembers. All answers are easily found within the listed track.

Thinking Further Questions:  These questions require a bit of independent research or deeper thinking beyond just what was heard.  These are great for older students as a platform for independent study on the various topics covered in the recording. 

Defining Words:  These provide vocabulary lists of words that were used in the recording that students might not be familiar with.  These words are easily found within a standard dictionary. 

Bible Study:  A three page study is also included.  Each page uses Bible verse to allow students to see what the Bible says in regards to God's Law and the Nations, Loving Your Enemy and Literacy. 

I really enjoy the value that comes with an Heirloom Audio Production.  Each of these recording contain more than 2.5 hours of amazing story telling and each time you listen to it, you'll learn something new.  Because of this, Heirloom Audio Productions quickly became a favorite in my homeschool and in my household.  We've Enjoyed these CD's during long, cross country road trips as well as just lounging around the house on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  

While the original texts by G.A. Henty would easily be considered in the category of "Living Literature" by Charlotte Mason standards, these audio productions take his books and literally give them life.  I highly recommend them.  

There are currently four audio recordings in the series with plans for many more in the upcoming future.  Recently announced, The Cat of Bubastes is currently in production and will feature the voice talents of Anthony Daniels (Star Wars C-3PO) and is set to be released sometime this spring.    All of the currently available recordings can be purchased at Heirlooms Audio Production's Website. 

With Lee in Virginia, The Dragon and the Raven and In Freedom's Cause .  Not Pictured: Under Drake's Flag

Heirloom Audio Productions Social Media Sites:
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeirloomStories Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/HeirloomAudioOfficial/
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The Dragon and The Raven product specific facebook page:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDragonAndTheRaven 


The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty specific facebook page:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheExtraordinaryAdventuresOfGAHenty