Go Fly a Kite!

It’s the best time of year – SPRING!  Everything gets green again, and the weather is perfect (in between raindrops).  We weren’t able to make the Japanese Garden Kite Festival this year, so we had a little festival of our own…

Solving Science, Naturally! (One Minute at a Time)

 If you’re like me, science was a bit of a mystery in school.  I’d rather read a good book.  Then, along came Science Naturally!  This independent press is dedicated to providing books that support math and the sciences.  The highly-acclaimed series has even become eligible for STEM grants.  Because their products are aligned to state and national standards, teachers can be confident that they are meeting the Common Core Standards (if need be), but what is even more exciting is the FUN this brings to science lessons!

I was pleased to receive my review copy of  65 More Short Mysteries You Solve with Science to sample.  When I was a kid, I loved to read those “mini-mystery” books like “Five Minute Mysteries”.  Like a puzzle on paper, I was anxious to find the flaw in the description or someone’s statement to solve the crime before I turned the page!  I’m thrilled to have found a similar style, but with a scientific twist.

Science, Naturally! has been winning awards and snagging national attention on programs like NPR’s Science Friday.  Written by the father/daughter team of Eric and Natalie Yoder, these quickie quizzes are just the ticket for setting up your science lessons, closing a study period, or just squeezing in a few extra minutes of critical thinking skills.  Designed to be read in just one minute, each story challenges your knowledge of various science principles.  We found the brief passages ideal for read-aloud (even in the car!), yet easy enough that my 9-year-old could enjoy them on his own.

Just a few of the highlights of Science, Naturally!:

• Self-study, family, or class use
• Affordable - $9.95  for print book (paperback, 185 pgs.), also on Kindle, Nook, and iPad
• Flexible - Go at your own pace, skip around, or read straight through
• Multi-Age – Recommended for ages 8-12 (but Dad thought it was pretty cool, too!)
• Time Extender- Boost a lesson or use on-the-go
• Fun - Uses real-life situations with a variety of cultural characters and settings

• Sample Stories - Click HERE for an excerpt of “Tanks A Lot” (see…even the titles are funny)
• Free Monthly Mystery – online – visit the website for more monthly minute mysteries!

This book was such a great addition to our science learning that we kept a permanent place for it on our homeschool shelf.  I’m interested to read the original, 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science! and 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Math!

You can read more experiences right HERE,at SchoolhouseReviewCrew.com, and in the words of Reading Rainbow’s Levar Burton, “Don’t just take my word for it!”  Read these other great reviews by parent educators like me!

DISCLAIMER

Spanish for You! Review

Buenos Dias, y bienvenido a la pagina para critica de Spanish For You!  I recently received a sample for review, and thought I would share my opiniones con usted!

With the Spanish for You! program, elementary and middle grade students can learn the beautiful Spanish language by themes.  No boring verb tense drills, here – just lots of relevant words to a main topic (you know, kind of like real life…)

I received the ESTACIONES (Seasons) book.  There are also currently theme books for VIAJES (Travels) and FIESTAS (Celebrations), with more to come.  The books start at $9.99, with an expected learning time of 4-6 weeks.  Class packs are also available, as well as teacher guides, for an additional cost.

The ESTACIONES book starts with some basics… the alphabet, common words, phrases, and commands, and then moves into the units.  Each one established around a topic.  There is “Calendar and Weather”, each of the four seasons, and school terms.  You can see a complete table of contents and some sample pages HERE.

Learning a foreign language is like studying a musical instrument.  It’s best to take it in small bites.  That’s why Spanish for You! recommends studying just 10-30 minutes a day.  In a school schedule, this is more likely to be 3-4 times per week.

When I first received the book, I thought it was kind of on the slim side, but the interior is packed with great information!  It’s easy to see how just one unit can take more than a month to complete!  There are lots of practices, paired with pictures.  (And if the pictures seem reminiscent of child drawings, that’s because they are!  The author’s daughter illustrates her books!)

Each lesson introduces vocabulary words with their accompanying pictures, before moving on to simple sentences.  The audio files are a big help for those without Spanish training or experience, or for letting the student listen to on their own.  I was also thrilled that I could use the same program for both children, eliminating re-teaching and repetition.

Perhaps my favorite (and most fun!) were the Games and Activities listed.  These simple games made learning the vocabulary words easier and more memorable, while letting the kid think they were having “fun time” without the books!  Language-learning versions of “Memory”, “Bingo”, dice games, and “Simon Dice” (Simon Says) had everyone smiling in no time.

Just a few of the highlights of Spanish For You!:

• Self-study, family, or class use
• Affordable - $9.99 for electronic download, $12.99 for print book
  
• Flexible - Go at your own pace.
• Easy to use - Just follow the lesson guide & go!
  
• Time Saving- Use one package with students of multiple grades at the same time.
• Fun - Uses simple games and activities to engage students.
• Your Choice: soft cover book or e-book (currently only our trial pkgs.)

• Lesson Guide: 24-30 week lesson guide for the grades you need (24 weeks for G5-6 & 7-8, 30 weeks for G3-4) (PDF download)

  • *Teacher lesson plans are NOT included. These need to be purchased separately.
    
• Worksheets - self-checking worksheets (PDF download)
• Audio files of entire book (includes bonus audio of native speaker of entire book) (MP3 download)
• Flashcard/activity pictures (PDF download)

You can read more experiences right HERE,at SchoolhouseReviewCrew.com, and in the words of Reading Rainbow’s Levar Burton, “Don’t just take my word for it!”  Read these other great reviews by parent educators like me!

DISCLAIMER