It is the winner’s responsibility to contact Sponsor by sending an email to PartnerRelations@ChoosyHomeschooler.com to claim their prize within thirty (30) calendar days.
Click here for additional information.

__________

Wednesday September 30, 2009

Chris Ellyson of Virginia

has won…

While some people may find its primary use to be that of the word processor, OpenOffice is much more. It’s a complete office suite. In addition to the word processing application, OpenOffice includes programs for working with spreadsheets, presentations, desktop publishing, databases, and more—including drawing and mathematical equation applications.

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Nikki Phipps is a freelance writer of numerous articles and other publications, including the premiere issue of Perspectives Magazine. She also maintains a gardening site, GardenCrypt in her spare time. Drawing inspiration from family and past experiences, Nikki believes everyone has something to say that can benefit others, which is why she turned to writing. “There’s no better tool for learning than that of personal experience.” Nikki resides in NC with her children.

Name of Product: OpenOffice

Link to Product/website: http://www.openoffice.org/

Description of Product:“OpenOffice.org 3 is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.”

Nikki’s Description of Product: While some people may find its primary use to be that of the word processor, OpenOffice is much more. It’s a complete office suite. In addition to the word processing application, OpenOffice includes programs for working with spreadsheets, presentations, desktop publishing, databases, and more—including drawing and mathematical equation applications.

In fact, many of the OpenOffice applications are similar to those found in Microsoft Office, with one big difference—it’s Free! It can be downloaded and used for any purpose free of charge. Not only can you install it on several computers, but you can even make copies for friends and family. OpenOffice is easy to use as well, especially for those already familiar with MS applications.

Homeschool Uses: OpenOffice can be an ideal tool for both creating and managing a number of homeschool activities and lessons. Use the word processor to create lesson plans, write reports, edit web pages, and more. Use the spreadsheet application for tracking lessons, teaching math topics and studying formulas. Presentations are great for teaching a particular topic or for creating hands-on activities. Keep up with important resources using the database program, create challenging math problems with the special math feature, and use the drawing tool for all sorts of illustrations, graphics and more. This program is made for the teacher and the student, from elementary to college levels!

Content and Safety: Not only is it easy to use, but OpenOffice is also safe to use. In addition, it’s cross-compatible, running on numerous platforms—Windows, Linux, Mac, Solaris—and contains everything you need in one installation package.

Nikki’s Experience Using the Product: I’ve used OpenOffice numerous times for various things and have found it to be very user friendly. I especially like the additional feature of exporting files to pdf. The OpenOffice suite supports many of the major features found in MS Office and includes the following applications:

Writer – This word processor is similar to MS Word and can also function as a desktop publisher and web editor. It even includes a special feature to export docs into pdf files.

Calc – This is a spreadsheet that mimics Excel (and even Google spreadsheets), providing many additional features. It’s also capable of creating spreadsheets as a pdf.

Impress – Similar to PowerPoint, this application is good for creating multimedia presentations using special effects, animations, and more. It can export presentations to Flash and includes the ability to create pdf files as well. It can also read MS PowerPoint formats.

Base – This program is similar to Access and other common database applications. You can create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports. Base can also be used in conjunction with other database systems.

Draw – A vector-graphics editor closely related to CorelDraw, Draw also contains features commonly seen with MS Publisher. You can create simple sketches, charts, 3D images, and more.

Math – This is a great tool for creating mathematical formulas, which can be embedded into other docs or exported to pdf.

Tutorial or Promotional Video of the Product: This site contains tutorials for using Impress and Calc. OpenOffice tutorials can also be found on their site and include many choices. Simply choose the tutorial that you need. In addition, you can download the complete guide to OpenOffice in pdf, which requires Adobe Reader to access.

Summary: I think OpenOffice is a great alternative for those who either don’t have or cannot afford MS Office. This free office suite contains many features that both parents and their kids can find useful for nearly anything under the sun.

Editor’s Note: Read these FREE Language Art Reviews:
Does your Homeschool Student’s Paper Contain Plagiarism? Find out!
How Can Google Tools for Educators Enhance Reseach and Learning? Find Out!
Student Blogs: An Excellent Writing Tool, But How Can You Ensure Safety?

Architect Studio is a free, no membership required site for teaching children the components of architecture. Children choose a client from a broad area of characters, each with its own special needs. Then, they use their imagination to choose a landscape and build a home to suit the client. The computer skills needed are much like those necessary to use Paint.

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Jennifer K Gray: I’m the mom of three very active boys. Our family enjoys taking educational “field trips” to destinations throughout Europe (specifically the Netherlands) and we have visited many of the Carribean islands. We also like letterboxing and creating home-made board games.

Some of my previous projects include: creating technical documentation for a social science research company; copy-editing and indexing continuing education books on teaching special needs children; and creating and facilitating creative writing courses for inner-city youth in Baltimore. In my spare time I enjoy running, biking, and reading. I also volunteer in a local women’s shelter, teaching yoga and relaxation classes.

Name of Product: Architect Studio

Link to Product/website: http://www.architectstudio3d.org/AS3d/index.html

Description of Product: “Architect Studio provides students with a unique opportunity to expand their knowledge of architecture and the design process, and to learn about Frank Lloyd Wright and his innovative work. The interactive experience enhances your understanding of spatial relations and the process of design. And state-of-the-art 3D modeling technology allows you to enter your creation to personally experience the space.”

Jennifer’s Description of Product: Architect Studio is a free, no membership required site for teaching children the components of architecture. Children choose a client from a broad area of characters, each with its own special needs. Then, they use their imagination to choose a landscape and build a home to suit the client. The computer skills needed are much like those necessary to use Paint.

When you enter the site and click on Design Studio, there are information windows that open with extensive information that the children need to be able to build dreamhouses for clients. They will have to choose a client, a landscape to suit the client, and then design a home that fills the client’s needs. There is the option of 3D, where you can “walk” through your project, or non-3D, which is basically drawing floor plans. Upon completion children go to the Design Gallery and answer questions to judge if they completed their task satisfactorily. Plans can then be printed or shared with others in your address book.

Architect Studio is powered by the Frank Lloyed Wright Preservation Trust and also offers a lot of historical information about him and his work.

Homeschool Uses: My impression of this site is that it will definitely serve to enrich my hands-on approach to teaching math, science, art, social studies and language arts. Math skills are enriched through studying architecture by teaching the relation to a structure’s proportion, scale, and metric and customary measurements. Closely examining the principles of composition and structure will help train the artist’s eye in your children as well.

Deciding on what kinds of building materials work best in different environments teaches the use of scientific method in thinking through problems. The social studies component of architecture can be as simple as exploring the economic, historic, and geographic impact on design of the building in your hometown. Language Arts skills can be employed to make an architecture journal for use when visiting different areas and having the children make observations about the types of buildings and materials used in comparison to the history of the time the buildings were built.

Content and Safety: Since no membership is required and no personal information is asked, I don’t believe there are safety issues with this site.

Jennifer’s Experience Using the Product: I like to enrich my curriculum with hands-on learning experiences like the ones offered in Architect Studio. Learning how to visualize space when building the floor plans was a great exercise. Each square on the floor plans were equal to 3 square feet. Using the actual room sizes in our home to visualize what the graphs meant helped them to decide on room sizes and understand using a scale measurement, making it easier.

The really awesome part was that when I was in junior high we all did a project like this for home economics. This is a subject area that I have a hard time finding unique tools for. My daughter, 17, really enjoyed herself. She spent hours building a 3D model of a house for a client that owns four dogs. She managed to put herself into the client’s mindset, which is a good skill to practice for many special needs children, and had fun doing it.

We were surprised at how easy it was to incorporate the different study areas. For example, when choosing roofing materials, we questioned how the wind would be on the landscape she had chosen thereby including climatology into our lesson effortlessly. Then when the time came for interior design, my daughter and I loved the 3D model because you could instantly see how the colors melded.

Tutorial or Promotional Video of the Product: 

Summary: Although the site recommended that for an older computer like ours, we should not use the 3D option, we found that it did not take overly long to load and worked smoothly.

We have saved our house plans and as time goes on it will be interesting to see how much they change as our children grow up.

Editor’s Note: Read these reviews of FREE architect tools:
Explore the World of Art with this FREE Interactive Site!
Free web-based vector drawing application for older homeschool students
Homeschoolers May Be Ahead of the Technological Curve

Our next “Wednesday Winners” prize will be awarded Wednesday September 30, 2009. Our winner will receive a…

Barefoot Books Kids’ Kitchen Deck-40 Fun and Healthy Recipes to Make and Share
(Value: $19.99)

Step into the kitchen for some child-friendly fun with food. The forty recipes in this colorful deck are based around the five main food groups, and offer a healthy and exciting way to learn about cooking.

Barefoot Books Kids’ Kitchen Deck-40 Fun and Healthy Recipes to Make and Share is for ages 8 and up.

Written By: Fiona Bird

Illustrated By: Roberta Arenson

About: Barefoot Books began with two mothers who wanted their children to have books that would feed the imagination, while instilling a respect for diversity and a love of the planet. Today, we are a world-wide community of writers, artists, storytellers, musicians, and others who are committed to providing timeless stories and captivating art that can help children become happy, engaged members of a global society.  Mission: At Barefoot Books, we celebrate art and story that opens the hearts and minds of children from all walks of life, inspiring them to read deeper,search further, and explore their own creative gifts. Taking our inspiration from many different cultures, we focus on themes that encourage independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning, and sharing of the world’s diversity. Interactive, playful and beautiful, our products combine the best of the present with the best of the past to educate our children as the caretakers of tomorrow.

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Would you like to enter our “Wednesday Winners” contest for a chance to win homeschool products and gift certificates? Just enter your email address into the blue “Sign up for the ChoosyHomeschooler Email Newsletter” link at the right. After confirming your subscription to our newsletter, you will automatically be entered to win each week!

It is the winner’s responsibility to contact Sponsor by sending an email to PartnerRelations@ChoosyHomeschooler.com to claim their prize within thirty (30) calendar days.
Click here for additional information.

__________

Wednesday September 23, 2009

Dana Carroll of North Carolina has won…

Teaching Children about Money

(Value: $97.95)

Name of Product: Lesson Pathways

Link to Product/website: http://www.lessonpathways.com/

Description of Product: LessonPathways.com is an innovative new tool that will save you time and money in planning your child’s homeschool education. Using prescreened, high-quality, online resources, we have created a series of dynamic topic unit “Pathways” for grades K-3. Each Pathway contains resources that cater to a variety of learning styles and instructional methods.

Follow our Guided Journeys for an easy-to-use, full-year Pathway curriculum OR use our integrated Planner to create a custom plan for your child. With LessonPathways.com, you’ll have all the tools you need to provide your child with a customized, multisensory education. Take a Tour to learn more!

This week’s featured Pathways:

Science Pathways

Year K: Your Body: Part 1

Year 1: Forms of Energy: Heat, Electrical, & Motion

Year 2: Birds & Insects in Winter

Year 3: Habitats & Plants of the Sahara

Year 4: Animal Structures & Functions

History Pathways

Year K: Work & Jobs: Part 2

Year 1: The Aztecs

Year 2: Monarchs & Dictators

Year 3: Exploring Ancient Egypt

Year 4: Life as a Knight

Language Arts Pathways

Year K: Good Night Gorilla

Year 1: Chicken Little

Year 2: Runaway Ralph: Part 2

Year 3: Catch a Little Rhyme

Year 4: Wind Song

Math Pathways

Year K: Skip Counting & Pairs

Year 1: Working with Numbers

Year 2: Ordinals to 100

Year 3: Division Facts

Year 4: Roman Numerals

Note: Stay tuned for Year 5 (all subjects) Coming Soon!

Our friends at Barefoot Books are running a fun kitchen competition (for kids and grown-ups!) that we want to share with you.  To celebrate the launch of their healthy cooking deck Kids’ Kitchen: 40 Fun and Healthy Recipes To Make and Share, Barefoot asks you to enter a picture or a short video of how you share healthy living with your kids and you will be entered to win a $500 Whole Foods Gift Card or other great Barefoot Books prizes!

Visit Barefoot Books to find out more information about how to enter.  This contest ends October 15th!

Enter now!>> Kids’ Kitchen Contest

Connotea is a free social bookmarking system that allows students and parents to collate their research online. It also provides the ability to import and export references in RIS, DOIs and OpenUrl formats that are used by academic publishers. Using this system enables students to organize all their research links in one place, the My Library area, plus it automatically generates bibliographies for sixteen popular research sites.

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Debbie Chikousky is an agricultural columnist that has combined her love of farming with her love of homeschooling. Her writing allows her to be a stay at home farm mom with four children ages 20,19,17 and 15. Although the two oldest went through public school, homeschooling has always been her preferred method of education. Combining homeschooling with a busy day of farm chores and teenage life can be a challenge but it is always fun. She utilizes free tools as much as possible in her endeavors to keep learning connected to life.

Name of Product: Connotea

Link to Product/website: www.connotea.org

Description of Product: “Free online reference management for all researchers, clinicians and scientists.”

Debbie’s Description of Product: Connotea is a free social bookmarking system that allows students and parents to collate their research online. It also provides the ability to import and export references in RIS, DOIs and OpenUrl formats that are used by academic publishers.

Using this system enables students to organize all their research links in one place, the My Library area, plus it automatically generates bibliographies for sixteen popular research sites. Due to the social aspects, it opens up a world of scholarly people to help find research information as well. This is done through a group forum by joining the Connotea discussion mailing list.

Homeschool Uses: This site is geared towards high school students that are engaged in writing and researching technical topics. Its use doesn’t have to be limited to these students, however, because any site on the Internet can be bookmarked to it. As long as a child can read,  he or she would be able to use this site to keep track of school work–it is so easy to use.

Although there are no downloads required when using Connotea, the set up does involve adding an ADD TO CONNOTEA button to your toolbar. The site provides step-by-step instructions for achieving this. Once this is done, all the child or parent has to do is click on that button, add the tags on the next screen that pops up, and click save to My Library. Your My Library screen will come up with the bibliography next.

To retrieve information that they store is also simple. Using the search box, type keywords in and hit enter. The system allows you to either search all public bookmarks, your own library, or just the collection you are currently viewing. There are also options for quickly going to tag and user listings, and for searching Connotea via Google.

Content and Safety: The privacy of the members remains anonymous unless you desire to be known. When you add links to Connotea, you can choose to mark it either private or public. If you don’t want to join the forum, then your identity in the group would never be known.

Debbie’s Experience Using the Product: One of my daughters least favorite things is to write essays. She particularly found it frustrating to have to keep track of links from the many, many sites she visited looking for just the right quote. We were cutting and pasting them to a Word document but inevitably she would forget to grab the ones she needed. Then, she would have to waste time searching the computers history to find what she wanted. With Connotea this is no longer a problem. She can add each site to our Library and add tags to enable her to find them easily.

We found this better than just entering them into my Favorites file. They get lost there too, and retrieval search was limited. With Connotea’s search engine, she will never lose a link again. It is also becoming popular for homeschool students to take online University/College courses during high school. By utilizing the social aspects of this site, the student can open many opportunities for knowledge exchange and mentorship with others in higher education.

Tutorial or Promotional Video of the Product: A video tutorial can be found here and opens in Windows Media Player, Quicktime, or Flash. This page also has the written tutorial.

Summary: We were very happy with the ease of using this site. If my children continue with their educations, they will be able to add to their Library as they go. The possibilities are endless.

Editor’s Note: Read these FREE Reviews of other social learning Tools:
Student Blogs: An Excellent Writing Tool, But How Can You Ensure Safety?
Create Custom Tests and Worksheets for your Children! Easy and FREE!
Teach Self-Expression by Turning Dreams into Reality, One Goal at a Time, Through Creative Videos
Use This Free Online Tool and Make Organizing or Sharing Research Notes Much Easier.

The United States History Map is an interactive website where kids can learn about the geographic features, regions, and history of the United States. The site is broken down into five major sections: From Sea to Shining Sea, 50 States, Indians, Colonists, and The Nation Expands. Each section provides background information on the topic, an interactive, and a timed quiz.

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Nikki Phipps is a freelance writer of numerous articles and other publications, including the premiere issue of Perspectives Magazine. She also maintains a gardening site, GardenCrypt in her spare time. Drawing inspiration from family and past experiences, Nikki believes everyone has something to say that can benefit others, which is why she turned to writing. “There’s no better tool for learning than that of personal experience.” Nikki resides in NC with her children.

Name of Product: Interactives: United States History Map

Link to Product/website: http://www.learner.org/interactives/historymap/index.html

Description of Product:“Become a geography whiz as you learn how the United States was settled. Discover how the continent was irrevocably changed by European colonization, the events that caused the wholesale displacement and decimation of the land’s original inhabitants, and how the 50 states came to be formed.”

Nikki’s Description of Product: The United States History Map is an interactive website where kids can learn about the geographic features, regions, and history of the United States. The site is broken down into five major sections: From Sea to Shining Sea, 50 States, Indians, Colonists, and The Nation Expands. Each section provides background information on the topic, an interactive, and a timed quiz.

In addition to the U.S. history interactive, you can choose from other subject areas as well, which are located in the upper right corner of the site. You can pick from a list of subjects, including math, science, language, and additional history topics.

Homeschool Uses: Homeschoolers can use this interactive to teach or supplement a variety of history topics, as well as any other subject of their choosing. This particular interactive makes a great supplement for teaching your children about the 13 Colonies and Native Americans. It’s also good for use with geography lessons relating to North America and the U.S. The use of interactives makes learning about history much more fun, especially with children. Rather than pouring through books and listening to drawn-out lectures (yawn), interactives allow children to take part in the lesson, bringing the topic at hand to life and making it more interesting.

Content and Safety: This site and its content was designed for upper elementary and middle school grades. However, all ages and grade levels can benefit from and gain a basic understanding of the United States and its history. The site requires Internet Explorer 5 (and higher) and Mozilla 5 (and higher) as well as the latest versions of Flash player.

Nikki’s Experience Using the Product: I had the opportunity to explore this site and found it to be quite interesting—seems you’re never too old to learn (or re-learn). In the first section of the site, From Sea to Shining Sea, kids get a chance to learn how to read and interpret a map of the United States in order to understand its geography and how it has influenced our history. They will also be asked to identify major mountains, rivers, and oceans of North America.

The 50 States section focuses on the various regions and individual states. The other three sections focus on the original inhabitants of North America. Many distinct Indian tribes originally inhabited each of the regions that are now part of the country, and you can learn more about these various tribes in the Indian section of the site. Life for North American Indians began to change with the arrival of Europeans—or the Colonists, which kids will also learn about.

Under the Nations Expand section, kids will learn how the United States grew into the 50 states, expanding from the original 13 colonies.  After reviewing interactive overviews in each section, you can test your skills by answering questions relating the U.S. history map in a series of timed quizzes, which will be scored and can be printed off for review. Check out my score and yes, I could use a bit more review!

Tutorial or Promotional Video of the Product: I did not find any specific tutorial for the site; however, once you get there, it is pretty much self-explanatory. You simply read through the sections following the “Next” link (or arrow) located on the bottom right side of each page.

Summary: I really enjoyed this interactive and look forward to checking out some of the other ones on the site. I think children will greatly benefit from the information, and the interactive lessons are good for holding their interest. Although much of this might already be familiar to older kids, they can still revisit and appreciate our history with this site. You may even learn something new, as I did.

Editor’s Note: Read these Reviews of FREE map tools:
Free 3D photos of U.S. National Parks, virtual tours, and more!
Take a virtual tour of the Interactive Maps of the World (Field Museum, Chicago)
Fun, interactive and FREE! Learn geography online!
The World IS a Canvas! Explore Geography and Culture with MapSkip.

Our next “Wednesday Winners” prize will be awarded Wednesday September 23, 2009. Our winner will receive a…

Teaching Children about Money

(Value: $97.95)

1. “50 Easy Ways for Kids to Make Money” ebook sent as a 7-day course with full book at end. This Free 7-Day course gives your child over 50 easy ways for kids to make their own money.  $39.00 value

2. “Pre-Made Mind Movies for Kids and Teens” These pre-made mind movies have been specifically designed to bring health, wealth, creativity and long lasting happiness into your children’s lives.  $19.95 value

3. “Allowance Secrets: To Give Or Not To Give?” ebook Over 20 Kids and Money Experts give you their personal opinions on whether or not you should give your child an allowance as a tool to teach them about money.  $39.00 value




About the Author: “Amanda van der Gulik, a homeschooling mompreneur, is the owner of TeachingChildrenAboutMoney.com and AllowanceSecrets.com, and is co-owner of GetUnstuckForKids.com, websites devoted to empowering kids and helping parents teach their children about money and life skills. Amanda is passionate about educating kids and teens about life. She wishes to empower young people to go for their dreams, reach for the stars! She is the author of “The Insider’s Secrets To Teaching Children About Money”, “Allowance Secrets: To Give Or Not To Give?”, and is also the co-author of “Get Unstuck for Kids! A Fun, Interactive Guide to Empower Your Children for Life!”. Amanda’s enthusiasm for teaching kids and adults about how to create their own positive passive income from their own passions and hobbies is contagious!”

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Would you like to enter our “Wednesday Winners” contest for a chance to win homeschool products and gift certificates? Just enter your email address into the blue “Sign up for the ChoosyHomeschooler Email Newsletter” link at the right. After confirming your subscription to our newsletter, you will automatically be entered to win each week!

It is the winner’s responsibility to contact Sponsor by sending an email to PartnerRelations@ChoosyHomeschooler.com to claim their prize within thirty (30) calendar days.
Click here for additional information.

__________

Wednesday September 16, 2009

Denise Olson of Colorado has won…

One complete set of 12 Illustrate My Own - My Unknown Bible Hero Books
(Value: $42.00)

Name of Product: Lesson Pathways

Link to Product/website: http://www.lessonpathways.com/

Description of Product: LessonPathways.com is an innovative new tool that will save you time and money in planning your child’s homeschool education. Using prescreened, high-quality, online resources, we have created a series of dynamic topic unit “Pathways” for grades K-3. Each Pathway contains resources that cater to a variety of learning styles and instructional methods.

Follow our Guided Journeys for an easy-to-use, full-year Pathway curriculum OR use our integrated Planner to create a custom plan for your child. With LessonPathways.com, you’ll have all the tools you need to provide your child with a customized, multisensory education. Take a Tour to learn more!

This week’s featured Pathways:

Science Pathways

Year K: Natural vs. Artificial

Year 1: Introduction to Energy

Year 2: Animal Babies: Part 2

Year 3: Anatomy of a Bird

Year 4: Plant Structures & Functions

History Pathways

Year K: Work & Jobs: Part 1

Year 1: The Mayans

Year 2: Ancient Greece: Part 3

Year 3: Life in Mesopotamia

Year 4: Kings, Knights, & Castles

Language Arts Pathways

Year K: The Three Little Pigs

Year 1: Eletelephony

Year 2: Runaway Ralph: Part 1

Year 3: Tornado

Year 4: The Rainbow

Math Pathways

Year K: Classifying & Sorting

Year 1: Subtraction Facts

Year 2: Comparing Numbers (Using >, <, and =)

Year 3: Division Words & Ways

Year 4: Perfect Squares & Square Roots

Note: Stay tuned for Year 5 (all subjects) Coming Soon!

Kids Dinos is part of the Kids Know It network, a free educational resource for kids. On this site, your child can learn all about the age of dinosaurs in a fun, interactive environment. Kids Dinos allows your child to experience science, history and geography in a fun way, using hands-on activities and games, rather than relying solely on books, which makes learning more interesting.

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Nikki Phipps is a freelance writer of numerous articles and other publications, including the premiere issue of Perspectives Magazine. She also maintains a gardening site, GardenCrypt in her spare time. Drawing inspiration from family and past experiences, Nikki believes everyone has something to say that can benefit others, which is why she turned to writing. “There’s no better tool for learning than that of personal experience.” Nikki resides in NC with her children.

Name of Product: Kids Dinos

Link to Product/website: http://www.kidsdinos.com/

Description of Product: “65 million years ago monstrous reptiles roamed freely across the Earth, only to mysteriously disappear. Read articles about dinosaurs, search the dino database, vote for your favorite types of dinosaurs, and play dinosaur games, on KidsDinos.com, our dinosaur website.”

Nikki’s Description of Product: Kids Dinos is part of the Kids Know It network, a free educational resource for kids. On this site, your child can learn all about the age of dinosaurs in a fun, interactive environment.

Homeschool Uses: This would be a great supplemental tool for teaching history/geography topics relating to the dinosaur age, from the individual time periods and where they lived to the different types of dinosaurs and what they ate. The flashcards, located in the Dinorize It section, make excellent study material as well. Here, your child can create a list of dinosaurs that he or she wants or needs to study.

Kids Dinos allows your child to experience history and geography in a fun way, using hands-on activities and games, rather than relying solely on books, which makes learning more interesting. Science lessons could also find their way here by studying meteors or using scientific inquiry skills to hypothesize what your child thinks may have happened to the dinosaurs.

Content and Safety: All the information on the Kids Dinos site has been thoroughly researched for both accuracy and appropriateness. I found nothing that would be deemed unsafe or inappropriate for children. In addition, there is nothing to sign up for and no registration required for using the site. No one asks for or uses any private information.

Nikki’s Experience Using the Product: While exploring the Kids Dinos site, I found a neat interactive dinosaur map (located in the purple bar of the homepage) where you can click on areas of the map to learn more about the dinosaurs that were found in different places around the world. You can also click on the View Dinosaur Types to learn more about a specific type of dinosaur.

The Dinosaur Timeline allows you to choose the time period you would like to learn more about. In addition to these interesting tools, users can visit the Dino Data section to find information on all sorts of dinosaurs and interesting facts about them, including what a specific dinosaur may have eaten and how big it might have been. The site also includes a featured dinosaur on each page, and you can also vote for your favorite dinosaur on the Vote for Dinosaurs page. Finally, your child can play Dino Games or take part in other fun activities like classifying the dinosaurs, matching games, dinosaur hangman and more!

Tutorial or Promotional Video of the Product: While researching and exploring the Kids Dinos site, I did not come across any tutorials on using it. However, the site is fairly straight forward and does not take a genius to get around on it. All the activities, games, and other information are easy to comprehend.

Summary: I found the site easy to maneuver around and easy to understand, with kid-friendly information for younger viewers. While it’s aimed toward the elementary school-aged learner (K-5), those in grades 6-8 may also find the site both useful and interesting. Overall, it would definitely be worth a look. Let us know what you think.

Editor’s Note: Read these FREE Geography Reviews:
Fun, interactive and FREE! Learn geography online!
The World IS a Canvas! Explore Geography and Culture with MapSkip
Take a virtual tour of the Interactive Maps of the World (Field Museum, Chicago)

Library Thing enables its clients to catalog up to two hundred books FREE. If you want to catalog more than two hundred books, however, there is a small fee. A one-year subscription is $10.00 a year or pay $25.00 for a lifetime membership. You don’t need any special software or skills to use this site. I would describe this tool, if you take part in the social aspects, as a Facebook for book lovers.

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Debbie Chikousky is an agricultural columnist that has combined her love of farming with her love of homeschooling. Her writing allows her to be a stay at home farm mom with four children ages 20, 19, 17 and 15. Although the two oldest went through public school, homeschooling has always been her preferred method of education. Combining homeschooling with a busy day of farm chores and teenage life can be a challenge but it is always fun. She utilizes free tools as much as possible in her endeavors to keep learning connected to life.

Name of Product: Library Thing

Link to Product/website: www.librarything.com

Description of Product: “LibraryThing is an online service to help people catalog their books easily. You can access your catalog from anywhere—even on your mobile phone. Because everyone catalogs together, LibraryThing also connects people with the same books, comes up with suggestions for what to read next, and so forth.”

Debbie’s Description of Product: Library Thing enables its clients to catalog up to two hundred books FREE. If you want to catalog more than two hundred books, however, there is a small fee. A one-year subscription is $10.00 a year or pay $25.00 for a lifetime membership. You don’t need any special software or skills to use this site. I would describe this tool, if you take part in the social aspects, as a Facebook for book lovers.

Homeschool Uses: The idea of being able to connect with other people interested in the same genre of literature is interesting for my high school children. Of course, parental supervision in any of these environments is necessary, but homeschool students often lack in this kind of education. They do not have the ability to sit in a class of thirty and discuss the many interpretations of Banquo and MacBeth’s relationship, for example. But here they can.

An interesting group for members to sign up for is the Early Reviewers group. Here, select publishers provide advance copies of books to members in exchange for reviews. You are chosen by how well the new book fits your profile and books that you have entered into your database. Again, parents would have to be watchful of what the content of these books are, but I thought it would be a great way for older children to put their language arts skills to practical use.

Content and Safety: Setting up an account requires only a user name and a password. There is the option of making your profile either a private account or a public one. With a private account, nobody else can see what books you have, which would be a very safe environment for children. If they want to belong to discussion groups, then the account would have to be public and parents would have to exercise Internet watchfulness.

Debbie’s Experience Using the Product: We have piles of books. They are everywhere and using this site to catalog them is very useful. You can create a collage of photos of all your covers too. That way they are there at a glance.

Each of us have our own account so paying isn’t necessary. I enjoy using the Local events area. Just type your postal code into the search and click go to plan field trips. I can quickly peruse a list of bookstores, fairs/festival and library events in any area we are heading to.

I am encouraging my son to interact in the group discussions about books he is currently studying to broaden his thoughts on them. I am also encouraging our older son to join the authors’ groups. These are very useful for young adults/teens that are trying to write because it connects them with people their own age.

Tutorial or Promotional Video of the Product:

If you are interested in a more in-depth overview of what Library Thing can do and find out why it is the largest library in the world, you can watch the seminars given by Tim Spalding (Owner and Creator of Library Thing). He posted them on YouTube: Future of Cataloging (1/2) and Future of Cataloging (2/2).

Summary: This site is a great organizing tool as well as a learning tool. It can be used by all members of the family. If a group isn’t already established, you can start your own. We are happy with the service the free account provides, and now all those books can be easily organized.

Editor’s Note: Check out these other FREE Organizational Tools:
The Ultimate Online Organizer. Perfect for Homeschooling Families!
A Labor Day Library Challenge: How We’re Conquering Chaos in Our Home Library

Name of Product: Lesson Pathways

Link to Product/website: http://www.lessonpathways.com/

Description of Product: LessonPathways.com is an innovative new tool that will save you time and money in planning your child’s homeschool education. Using prescreened, high-quality, online resources, we have created a series of dynamic topic unit “Pathways” for grades K-3. Each Pathway contains resources that cater to a variety of learning styles and instructional methods.

Follow our Guided Journeys for an easy-to-use, full-year Pathway curriculum OR use our integrated Planner to create a custom plan for your child. With LessonPathways.com, you’ll have all the tools you need to provide your child with a customized, multisensory education. Take a Tour to learn more!

This week’s featured Pathways:

Science Pathways

Year K: Predicting

Year 1: Solids, Liquids, Gases

Year 2: Animal Babies 1

Year 3: What Makes a Bird a Bird

Year 4: Animal Adaptations

History Pathways

Year K: Community Helpers: Part 2

Year 1: Land Bridge & Early Americans

Year 2: Ancient Greece: Part 2

Year 3: Ancient Mesopotamia

Year 4: Intro to Middle Ages Europe

Language Arts Pathways

Year K: My Shadow

Year 1: Love You Forever

Year 2: Fish is Fish

Year 3: Dream Variations

Year 4: Children of Odin: Part 4

Math Pathways

Year K: Counting from 6-10

Year 1: Addition Facts

Year 2: Place Value: Part 2

Year 3: Number Multiplying

Year 4: Prime Factorization

Note: Stay tuned for Year 5 (all subjects) Coming Soon!

Our next “Wednesday Winners” prize will be awarded Wednesday September 16, 2009. Our winner will receive a…

One complete set of 12 Illustrate My Own - My Unknown Bible Hero Books
(Value: $42.00)

A new line of Bible Story books for children and families to learn from while they create their own illustrations!

Illustrate My Own books provide an affordable option for
* Providing quality books for your children to read and have read to them
* Engaging your children . . . and your whole family  . . . in the Bible and helping them remember, understand and know how to live God’s Word in their everyday lives
* Planning for birthday and holiday gift giving
* Homeschool Bible class materials

Illustrate My Own books are designed to provide answers and options for these and many other situations families face when it comes to purchasing books, homeschool resources, family devotionals and gifts! Illustrate My Own books provide the story and engage your children like no other books by allowing them to create the illustrations! You may print out as many copies as you like for your family’s use, involve your family and children in illustrating and then keep some and give others as gifts!

As families work through each book and the true Bible accounts they will be able to think about, remember and understand how God worked in the lives of real people and better understand how God wants to work in their own lives, too! At the end of each story you will find application projects and activities as well as a number of service project ideas to help your children and family live the lessons learned!

We have twelve titles available in the Illustrate My Own - My Unknown Bible Heroes series:

* Able and Seth
* Enoch
* Job
* Moses and the Snakes
* The Donkey that Talked
* Joshua and the Day the Sun Stood Still
* Deborah and Jael
* Abigail
* Jehoshaphat
* Hezekiah
* Jeremiah
* Josiah!

About the Author: Lynda Freeman has 30 years of experience working in Children’s Ministry. She has served as children’s director for churches of 1600 people - as well as in churches of 100 people - so she understands first hand the needs of small, average and large church Children’s Ministries. Lynda worked as a consultant for Gospel Light, Group and ZonderKidz/Big Idea, ZonderKidz/Promiseland. Currently, she is the editor of ‘round about the church.com, an on-line webzine, and is known for her reviews of curriculum and church resources. For the past nine years, Lynda has taught children’s ministry workshops across the country plus worked with churches as a consultant and trainer for Kregel Bookstores. Lynda is one of the writers of the VeggieTales Connections Preschool Curriculum and she contributed to the Group Publishing Humongous Book of Bible Skits for Children’s Ministry! Additionally, Lynda’s writing credits include articles for Children’s Ministry Magazine and Your Church Magazine (article found under heading of “Special Downloads”).

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Would you like to enter our “Wednesday Winners” contest for a chance to win homeschool products and gift certificates? Just enter your email address into the blue “Sign up for the ChoosyHomeschooler Email Newsletter” link at the right. After confirming your subscription to our newsletter, you will automatically be entered to win each week!

It is the winner’s responsibility to contact Sponsor by sending an email to PartnerRelations@ChoosyHomeschooler.com to claim their prize within thirty (30) calendar days.
Click here for additional information.

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Wednesday September 9, 2009

Mariah Scales of North Carolina

has won…

Susan Marlow’s Andrea Carter and the Long Ride Home + Lapbook
(Value: $25)

Learn all about recycling at the Recycling-Guide website. Here you’ll find everything from how-to guides to recycling etiquette. You’ll also learn about the important reasons why we should recycle, which includes numerous facts and figures. They even have a page that helps you learn where to recycle. As if all this weren’t enough, they also include valuable educational activities for teaching your kids all about recycling, with lots of fun recycling crafts and projects that are easy to do.

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Nikki Phipps is a freelance writer of numerous articles and other publications, including the premiere issue of Perspectives Magazine. She also maintains a gardening site, GardenCrypt in her spare time. Drawing inspiration from family and past experiences, Nikki believes everyone has something to say that can benefit others, which is why she turned to writing.  “There’s no better tool for learning than that of personal experience.” Nikki resides in NC with her children.

Link to Product/website: http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk

Description of Product: “Loads of tips and advice on how to recycle almost everything! Recycling is a big issue and we are here to help…Recycling is one of the best ways for you to have a positive impact on the world in which we live. Recycling is important to both the natural environment and us. We must act fast as the amount of waste we create is increasing all the time.”

Nikki’s Description of Product: Learn all about recycling at the Recycling-Guide website. Here you’ll find everything from how-to guides to recycling etiquette. You’ll also learn about the important reasons why we should recycle, which includes numerous facts and figures. They even have a page that helps you learn where to recycle. As if all this weren’t enough, they also include valuable educational activities for teaching your kids all about recycling, with lots of fun recycling crafts and projects that are easy to do. Parents can stay up to date on all the latest recycling news on their Blog as well.

Homeschool Uses: What better way is there to improve the environment than to teach our youngsters that recycling is not only important but fun. In the Recycling-Guide’s Educational Activities section (on the schools page), parents will find a number of recycling ideas and hands-on projects. They even provide teaching tips–like using role play to express opinions. There are pages that help kids become familiar with recycling symbols, arts and crafts that make learning more interesting, and puzzles. This is a great topic to weave into your science curriculum. In fact, the Recycling-Guide also contains a Science page, which is designated to teaching kids about various types of recycling materials.

Content and Safety: I didn’t find anything on this site that would threaten safety. There is nothing to sign up for and no personal information is given out. The content focuses on recycling topics and is targeted towards educators, parents and their children.

Nikki’s Experience Using the Product: I took a look around and was surprised at all the information packed into one site. Although this is a UK-based site, the information can be used and put into practice anywhere. One look at the recycling facts should be more than enough to provoke interest in utilizing their recycling tips at home. For instance, did you know that just one recycled can would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours? Amazing!

I found the site to be easy to maneuver around and all the topics are easily located at the top on individual tabs, which consist of additional pages. The activities were simple, and I even printed off the recycling poster, which requires Adobe Reader.

Tutorial or Promotional Video of the Product: I did not find any tutorials or videos regarding the use of the site; however, you don’t really need one. Everything you need is right there within easy viewing.

Summary: Recycling is definitely important to the future of our precious environment–but also to our children, as they are our future. Teaching them the importance of recycling, through the use of fun projects and interesting facts, can hopefully lead the way for greener habits and lifestyles as they grow. Not only can your children benefit from the Recycling-Guide, but we parents could certainly learn a thing or two as well.

Editor’s Note: Read these Review of FREE Tools about the Environment:
EcoKids - FREE Online Games and Activities for Learning About the Environment
Learn More About the Environment and Green Living by Building Your Own Eco-Friendly Home!
Why are Quarries Important? How do they Impact the Environment? Tour a Virtual Quarry to Find Out!