Living Like a Saint~ March 11,2018

Saint Joseph, Ora Pro Nobis

Till Next Time,

Monique

Review~ CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack and The Art of Cursive

Both Michael and Therese already knew how to write in cursive, however they needed a little more practice to make their writing more legible. After working through a traditional cursive curriculum for three years, I knew we needed a different approach. I wanted them to feel more comfortable writing in cursive. When we were given the chance to review the CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack and The Art of Cursive from CursiveLogic, I knew this was just what we needed!

"True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, as those who move easiest have learned to dance." 
~Alexander Pope
CursiveLogic was founded by Linda Shrewsbury.  One day while volunteering with a literacy program she was asked by one of her students if she could help him learn how to write his name in cursive so he could sign his name. She knew this young gentleman didn't have the time (days, weeks, months) to practice. She was so touched by this young man that she set out to find a way to help him. She came up with a shorter, simpler way for students to master the art of cursive writing. As a fellow homeschool mom, she knew this new technique would make learning to write in cursive fun. It longer would be tedious and students would hopefully no longer get discouraged!
First, let me tell you that CursiveLogic is not your traditional cursive handwriting curriculum. Students will not work slowly through the alphabet one letter at a time. It won't take them months to form a simple word like dog and cat. CursiveLogic is a shaped-based approach. Students will learn to string together four letters that each share a common shape. For example, the very first lesson has students practice the orange oval letters.  They will learn how to form all the letters that have an oval shape. The best part of the lesson, I feel, is that students will immediately start to learn how to connect letters. This helps them know how to string letters together. It truly is an amazing way to teach. Students will see how letters can connect together and feel how the letters will just flow into to each other. It is kind of like an intricate dance.  The system of teaching uses a multi-sensory approach to their lessons. Students will use color, shape, auditory, and verbal tools to learn the CursiveLogic technique. Colors are used to introduce the various shapes. As students form each shape and letter string, they will repeat a catch phrase to repeat. It's simply a description that students verbally say to help them learn the basic shape they are forming! Each color and shape have their own catch phrase. This is a great well to help the student learn the letter formations.

For this review, we received two products from CursiveLogic the  CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack and The Art of Cursive.

The CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack includes one CursiveLogic workbook and access to the instructional webinar that carefully explains the patent-pending Cursive method step-by-step. The pack retails for $49.00

The CursiveLogic workbook is spiral bound. The spiral is at the top of the book making it easy to use for right-handed or left-handed students. Both my kids are right handed, but I grew up with a left-handed sister and I clearly remember her complaints about traditional notebooks. The spiral was always in the way. The book contains 112 pages. Students will work through the front of the book completely, then flip t over and continue to work through the rest of the book. It's simple to follow. Follow the blue page numbers and then follow the mauve.  The pages are a nice sturdy weight. They won't easily tear and fall out. The book also includes three pages that are laminated for more practice with a dry erase marker. 

The workbook addresses key points to help students create their very best handwriting. Students should be aware of their body position, their paper, and their pencil. The workbook goes over each point and helps the students learn the proper way to sit and hold their pencil and paper. 

Students will work through the four colors and shapes. Learning how to form all the letters in the alphabet and learning how to connect them. Once they complete all the lessons about the different shapes, students will then learn how to connect the different shapes together. Within the first week, students will be writing words in cursive!

Lesson will take students about 45-60 minutes to complete. My kids completed the lesson is about 35 minutes, but they had already had 3 years of cursive.

The Art of Cursive is an adult coloring book that combines coloring and writing cursive. The book offers the CursiveLogic handwriting method conveniently intertwined in a relaxing coloring book for adults. Older teens will enjoy this book after they have completed the CursiveLogic workbook. 

The Art of Cursive contains four brief lessons to help adults learn the CursiveLogic way. After completing these lessons, you can move on to coloring the beautifully detailed pictures. There are 27 stunning images to color! The paper in the book is fairly thick making gel pens and markers an ideal media to use. Of course, colored pencils can work just as well. Each picture has a quote on the opposite page to practice your handwriting skills. The book cost $15.95.

So What Did We Think of the CursiveLogic Quick- Start Pack? I loved it. Cursive comes from the Latin word cursivus which means running. I love that this quote was included in the book. Writing cursive has always seemed to be a faster, smoother way of writing to me.  CursiveLogic is simple to follow. The kids could work through the program by themselves. Younger kids would need more supervision. The webinar was a great help for the kids to understand the whole technique being taught. They both said the lessons were not as boring as traditional cursive writing curriculum. The felt it moved at a better pace and thought it would encourage students to write a real word in the first week. They both remember learning one letter at a time and they both agreed it seemed like it took forever before they could write a word. 

Michael liked the program more than Therese. He rarely writes in cursive, so the technique worked for him. For him, it was like learning cursive all over gain. I'm hoping this will encourage him to write in cursive more and make his writing more legible! Therese forms many of her letters in the traditional form we had already learned. She didn't like how some of the letters were formed with CursiveLogic. She has modified the letters to fit her needs. I have noticed an improvement in her neatness though. I'm not sure if it's the CursiveLogic technique or just the fact that we are reviewing cursive again.  CursiveLogic has been extremely gracious and has offered a discount code to our readers. Right now, you can head on over to their website and purchase the CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack with a 20% discount. Don't wait too long though. The discount expires on March 31, 2018! Find CursiveLogic on Social Media.... Facebook Want to learn more about CursiveLogic? Just click on the graphic below and read some more fantastic reviews from the crew!
Till Next Time, Monique

Review~ Magic Stix Washable Markers & Giveaway

Recently, the kids and I were given a fun item to review.... markers! Often reviews require the kids to study, read and work hard, but Magic Stix Washable Markers from The Pencil Grip, Inc. was all about creating some art! The kids were thrilled and excited to be working on a more creative review.



The Pencil Grip, Inc. offers families a variety of useful items. Parents and students can enjoy tempera paint sticks, pencils grips for improved writing, pencil sharpeners, scissors, and an enormous selection of office and school supplies. They even have a magnetic whiteboard erasure shaped like an apple! I just may have to get that for my religion education classroom.

For this review, we received the 24 pack of Magic Stix Washable Markers from The Pencil Grip, Inc. The markers come in a sturdy, plastic carrying case. We loved the handle. It made moving the markers from room to room easy and hassle free. Since the case was a sturdy plastic, we didn't have to worry about the box falling apart like a few other marker brands. I wouldn't have to head out to the store to pick up a plastic pencil case to hold the markers. Each marker has its own slot and lock in place. For picky people like myself, the markers can stay in the order that they came. I love when my crayon, pens, and markers are organized in the colors of the rainbow.

The variety of colors was impressive. They are bright, bold, and vibrant. You'll get a wonderful selection of reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and purples. Of course, you're given the basics too. You'll find gray, brown, gold, and black. The markers color smoothly. I din't notice any little fuzzies being left behind, some markers do that and it frustrates the kids and I. They work great on paper and on poster board.

The markers are washable. They do wash off your hands and tables fairly easy. Since my kids are older, we didn't get any stains on our clothes. I'm sure a few of the other crew members with younger children discovered whether or not the markers were washable when it comes to clothing.

I have to tell The Pencil Grip, Inc. claims the markers won't dry out for 7 days with the cap off. Seven whole days without the lid on. They guarantee this! I was a little skeptical. Every marker we've owned over the years dries out with no lid.  I, of course, wanted to put the markers to the test. I took a gold and left the cap off. Yes, on purpose! Each day, I went back and wrote with it. These markers are amazing! Not only did it not dry out, but the color stayed bright and vibrant. I have never seen anything like this before. They were amazed and Michael keeps wondering what is in the markers that make them not dry out. Even on day 20, the color was still strong. I have no idea how they do it, but this is impressive. Any mom with kids knows that lids never get clicked back on tightly. Over the years, I can't tell you how many markers we've thrown away from being dried out. I wish I would have known about these markers when my kids were little. It would have saved us quite a bit of money over the years.

Now for the fun part! One lucky reader will be able to win a set of the 24  pack of Magic Stix Washable Markers of their very own! The Pencil Grip, Inc. has offered to send out a set of markers to one lucky reader! This giveaway is for U.S. residents only.

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Till Next Time, Monique

Living Like a Saint~ March 4, 2018

Saint Joseph, Ora Pro Nobis

Till Next Time,

Monique

Review~ American History with Drive Thru History

Who wouldn't want to travel the world to see all the places we learn about in history? 

Well, now you have your chance, thanks to Dave Stotts and his Drive Thru History Adventures . Over the past few weeks we have had access to some great history videos and curriculum. It seemed like we were traveling around visiting all these amazing historical sites ourselves.

For this review, we received a one year subscription to the Drive Thru History Adventure. This online subscription includes videos, readings, illustrations & art, discussion questions, printable worksheets, and a section called dig deeper.  There are two levels of subscription rates.  Subscribers have the choice of a monthly rate ($12.99 a month) or a yearly rate ($124.99 for the year). 
Yearly subscription....$124.99 *3 Curriculum Choices *Free 1 year subscription to Adventures TV
Monthly Subscription.....$12.99 *3 Curriculum Choices *Free 1 year subscription to Adventures TV and if you're not sure if Drive Thru History Adventures is right for your family you can sign up for a FREE 7 day trial subscription!

The Drive Thru History Adventures offers 3 curriculum courses. 
Bible History (18 weeks on the Gospels) Ancient History (12 weeks on Ancient Greece, Rome, and Asia Minor) American History (12 weeks on early American History)
The courses are geared for students ages 12 and up. Younger children (11 and under) can watch the videos with the family. They will enjoy the videos and hopefully pick up a few details along the way. The videos can give them a starting point and will hopefully give them some facts that they will remember when they study the topic in more depth when they are older. 
 High school students can dig deeper into the lesson by reading the source documents, expert papers, and short articles that are provided. Older students can do additional work by researching more about the topic presented in the lesson. They can also go into more depth when answering the essay questions provided. Students can work through each course one by one or they could do them all at once. It's truly up to the subscriber how they want to work through the courses. For example, you could easily do the Bible History course as a religion class and then use the Ancient History or American History as a history class.  For this review, we were asked to focus on the American History course. Since Michael and Therese were already taking a Founding Fathers course with some fellow homeschool students, I felt that this course would be a wonderful addition to their class. I was hoping it would provide them with some additional information for their class and I was right. They were able to read the letter Christopher Columbus's letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella! The American History course takes students on a 12 week journey through early American History. Students will learn about Christopher Columbus all the way up to the Constitution of the United States.  There are 12 videos/episodes to view for this 12 week course.
Episode 1: The Discovery Episode 2: Pilgrim Search for Freedom Episode 3: Beginnings of Revolution Episode 4: Whitefield & Boston's Freedom Trail Episode 5: William Penn & Early Philadelphia  Episode 6: Founding Fathers of Philadelphia Episode 7: Fighters of the Revolution Episode 8: Early Colonial Virginia  Episode 9: Founding Fathers in Virginia Episode 10: Revolution in New York Episode 11: New York and the First President Episode 12: New Jersey and Epilogue  How Did We Use the American History course from Drive Thru History?
First off, we used this as an add-on to the kid's co-op class. We watched the videos together as a family. I had the kids read the additional materials provided. I loved how the videos provided the kids with more information and facts about how our great nation came to be. 

Even the cat finds the videos entertaining

I printed out the discussion questions for both Micheal and Therese. I had them work on the questions independently (of course they did work together). Just a little FYI, there is an answer guide for parents or students to check their work. I had the kids turn in their pages to me, so that I could look over their answers.

Even if you kids only watch the videos, they will get a ton of information! Dave Stotts is amazing. His energy and enthusiasm is a huge hit when studying history. Usually, I hear complaints about how history is boring. Well, with Dave Stotts, it is far from being boring, tedious, or a drag to learn. Even Therese finds history fascinating with Dave Stotts leading the journey. He provides lots of facts, interesting details (many you probably won't know), beautiful images, historical places to explore, and a few corny, but funny jokes along the way. I will admit a few of the jokes the kids may not get, but we parents will.  As a homeschooling mama, who loves to plan out her own curriculum, I love the Drive Thru History Adventures! It allows me to still plan out my lessons, but use what the site already has. I can just add in the videos and worksheets were I see fit. If the kids are learning about the discovery of America, we can watch the video, complete the worksheets, and find out more abut Christopher Columbus from the articles provided. All this can be done while still completing the lessons I had planned out. Drive Thru History provides my kids with an added bonus to their learning. Plus it's fun and engaging. 

Included in our subscription to Drive Thru History was Adventures TV which can be streamed on Chromecast, Android phones & tablets, iPhones, iPads, and the PC. Just download the App and once you're subscribed with Drive Thru History, you can take the learning with you. Now your kids have no excuse on why they didn't get their history work done. They can watch their lesson while sitting in the waiting room at the dentist, driving to practice, or heading out on errands! Another fun feature of Drive Thru History is the private Facebook page you will have access to once you join! Here you can find other other members to talk with, ask questions, get updates, and hang out with Dave!

*******Hot Deals****** Drive Thru History offers readers of the The Old Schoolhouse Magazine a special 20% off discount! Click on over, read a few articles, and check out page 19 for the special discount code. Also right now, when you sign up for a yearly subscription to Drive Thru History, you will receive a free copy of The Gospels DVD set. Just head on over to their website and you'll find the discount code.
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Till Next Time, Monique

Living Like a Saint~ February 25, 2018

Till Next Time,

Monique

Review~ UltraKey Online from Bytes of Learning

Are your kids snails when typing? Mine sure are. As the kids have gotten older, typing has become more important. As they write more and more papers, the last thing they need to do is to spend hours typing. Recently, the kids and I received a chance to review the UltraKey Online Family Subscription from Bytes of Learning. Bytes of Learning is an online company that offers students of all ages instructions for learning to type. Their goal is to provide students with multi-media software tools and supportive materials to help them learn how to be a phenomenal typist. Having stronger typing skills allows students to become stronger students. Computers are here to stay and our kids are going to have to know how to type better than we had to back in the day.
For this review, we received a one year subscription for the UltraKey Online Family Subscription. Subscribers can choose between 3 different plans for the family subscription. 3 Users~ $29.95 5 Users~ $39.95 8 Users~ $49.95 The UltraKey Online Family Subscription provides students with clear, prices, easy to understand instructions. The online typing program offers students videos to watch and colorful animation. The program is rated and geared for students ages 8 and up. Each student will take a placement test to see where they fall. From the placement test results, students are then given their goals to works towards. The lessons and instructions are voice supported. There are even some fun games to play to help with your typing skills.

The parent account is free and allows parents (or the tutor) to manage the students. This management pages allows parents to set up accounts for their students, manage their personal goals, track their progress, create reports for the students, and even print off certificates! It's compatible for Windows, Mac, Chromebooks, and iPads.

How We Used UltraKey Online Family Subscription?
I had every intention of doing this course together as a class. The kids and I were going to sit down everyday and work through the lesson. Sadly, we realized rather quickly that this was not how it was going to happen. Since we have satellite internet, our connection was a little too slow for all of us to be on at the same time. All our computers loaded at different rates, froze at different spots, and would stop loading at different sections of the lesson. Needless to say this was extremely frustrating to all of us. For example, the lesson would say click on the button to move forward and their would be no button. I will say that my daughter had the best luck with the buttons appearing. Here buttons would appear so she knew what to click. However her graphics would only half load. 

So when the idea of working together as a class was no longer an option, I decided to have us work through the program one at a time. This has slowed down our progress just a little. I'm thankful that we have this subscription for one year. I decided to go first since I knew I needed to know more about the program to help Michael and Therese. I was also the one that had to write this review.
I've come up with the idea of having the kids take their laptops to the library with their earbuds to see if they could work on a few lesson each week.
So here are few things I've discovered.......

Pros: *lessons are explained exceptionally well *colorful images and grpahics *videos are simple and easy to understand *fun games provide practice your new skills Cons: *pages didn't completely load and would freeze *pictures and images would be partially displayed *lessons took longer than expected  *subscribers definitely need a faster speed Internet (I wouldn't recommend if you have satellite internet) 

What Did We Think of the UltraKey Online Family Subscription? Overall, I'd have to say I was impressed with the program. The videos were well done and the graphics were colorful and engaging. The instructions were clearly explained and were easy for students to understand. I learned quite a few new things. Some of the suggestions were hard for me to follow. I definitely do not sit in the proper typing position. I'll admit, I didn't change my positioning after the lesson. It just didn't feel right to me. I guess 30+ years of typing this way makes it awkward to me. What's that old saying? You can't teach an old dog new tricks! I can't believe I just admitted I old. However even with my resistance to the proper sitting I did stress it to my children. I was one of those moms guilty of letting them lounge on the couch to type their papers.  I really wish we had high speed internet. I think the program would have been a lot easier for us to stay on top of. I look forward to seeing Michael's and Therese's progress once they complete the course. I come back and let you know how it goes! Discover more about this online typing program! Bytes of learning Website Facebook Be sure to click below to see what the other crew members had to say about the UltraKey Online Family Subscription from Bytes of Learning.

Till Next Time, Monique