This blog is my attempt to document our busy but BLESSED lives raising and educating our children for His glory. A child of God, wife to one, and mom to 6 fabulous kids. We are in our 16th year of homeschooling using a Classical ~ Literature based approach.

Come along for the good, the bad & the ugly.



Thursday, February 25, 2016

HelpTeaching.com ~ a TOS review

HelpTeaching Review


Have you ever felt like you need a little helping hand in your school day? Were you just needed someone else to do the leg work? Whether you are a seasoned homeschooler or a newbie alike, everyone has one of those days where you just need a hand and that’s where HelpTeaching.com comes in.

HelpTeaching Review
I have been using HelpTeaching.com and their Pro Plan to help supplement my middle school and high school daughters subjects. The ProPlan offers unlimited printable drills, quizzes, and tests for elementary through high school levels. This plan also offers easy to use tools to create custom worksheets and assessments for even more detailed practice.

Getting started is as simple as signing up for an account. The Pro Plan costs $24.95 a year and includes:
Unlimited use of Test Maker for custom worksheets and tests
Include graphics with questions
Up to 100 questions per worksheet or test
Online test room
Pre-made Common Core content
CCSS-aligned standards

HelpTeaching Review

I have been using the Pro Plan for the last six weeks and it has been especially helpful in providing extra help for my children. It has been great to use there Study Skills/ Strageties section and help the older girls learn about goal settings and time management. We have also extensively used the 6th/7th grade grammar sections for my middle schooler when she needs a little extra help understanding a concept.

HelpTeaching Review
I especially enjoy all of the helpful quizzes and pre-made worksheets along with the ability to generate my own. The President’s Day quiz was especially fun for us all to go through on President’s Day to test our knowledge. The fact that all this wealth of information is available literally at my fingertips is priceless in my book!

Whether you have an elementary or high schooler there is plenty of valuable resources on this site to get into. The option to make my own lesson worksheets has proved invaluable to me! Having this option available means I am able to focus on just the areas my individual child need that extra attention. Love it!

I recommend you check out HelpTeaching.com an see if it would be a good fit for your homeschool. Also, be sure to click the banner below and check out what my CrewMates thought of this product too.

HelpTeaching Review

Company ~ HelpTeaching.com
Product ~ Pro Plan
Price ~ Pro Plan $24.95
Ages ~ elementary through high school

Hashtags:  @helpteaching   #HSReviews #printableworksheets #onlinelessons #readinglessons


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Friday, February 19, 2016

Home School in the Woods: HISTORY Through The Ages Hands-On History Lap-Pak ~ a TOS Review


This is an election year, which is exciting in and of itself! The candidates, the ads (okay, not so much the ads), but the whole process by which the American people pick their next President of The United States is exciting! This year is the first year I can really say I have been glued to the television nightly to keep up with all of it. That's why I was so happy to see that HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections from Home School in the Woods was being offered for review during the height of all the preliminary election process!

U.S. Elections History Lap-Pak  Review

Our family is no stranger to the Home School in the Woods company. I tell you it was love at first sight when I happened upon their booth at my local homeschool convention in 2011. I hit the jackpot that day with this company and it has transformed our way of schooling ever since.

U.S. Elections History Lap-Pak  Review

This U.S. Elections Lap-Pak is just as fabulous as the other products Home School in the Woods has to offer. However, don't think for a minute that this Lap-Pak is a cookie cutter, run of the mill Lap Book, because it is not! With this project your child will cover an array of topics including the different forms of Government, Caucuses & Primaries, the differences between the Parties, and the Electoral College.

U.S. Elections History Lap-Pak  Review
This Lap-Pak is more than just a Lap Book it is a hands-on History lesson all about the U.S. Election process. It can serve as a complete history unit study since it includes 21 exciting, hands-on projects to complete. Through coloring, researching, drawing & writing, and gluing your child or yourself, will take a journey through the elections process of The United States discovering all of the details of what it takes to be President of this great nation.


This History Lap-Pak is available either by instant PDF download for $18.95 or on CD for $19.95.
We received the PDF download which is accessible through the Adobe reader and includes :

~ instructions/directions
~ Lap-Pak Project Masters
~ Reading Text Pages

There are several supplies you will need to complete this Lap-Pak, but it is mostly stuff you already would have around the house including:

~Paper {colored and white}
~ Cardstock {colored and white}
~ Colored Pencils
~ Scissors
~ Glue sticks
~ Stapler
~ Double-sided tape
~ Paper fastners
~ Exacto knife {for mom to use}

Minimal prep work is needed on the teacher part as everything is contained in PDF files. I like to print the directions out and put them in a binder or three prong folder, whatever I have handy. The notes are clear and precise and easy enough for an older child to follow, if need be.

U.S. Elections History Lap-Pak  Review
I originally intended to use this with all of my school age daughters, making adjustments for learning levels as needed, however, I soon realized that the info was a bit too in depth for my younger two daughters, Kindergarten and third grade. The activities were spot on, but presenting the info to them for their understanding would take more planning on my part. Unfortunately, because it is travel season right now, I just don’t have the “extra” time needed to do that right now. SO, I plan to revisit this with them again come September when I can have it tailored to them a little more.

I also plan to have my current 7th grader go through the Lap-Pak come September. Right now, her schedule is jammed packed and adding one more thing to her learning schedule is just not feasible. Now, don’t get me wrong, the LCDR and I stress academics and school over sports any day of the week, but we know this child and she can’t handle any extra right now.


So, that leaves me with one school age daughter left at home, Madison, my current 9th grader. She has already studied American History but has yet to do any in-depth study of Government or Civics. Because I wanted to give her an overview of the election process and brush up on my own knowledge we are witnessing, we worked together on the Lap-Pak.

U.S. Elections History Lap-Pak  Review
Madison’s reading level is at mid- college level, so she was able to read and comprehend the material without much problem. We have been going at it slowly though, taking on 1-2 projects a week when we are in town on the weekends. We have not yet completed the entire Lap-Pak but it is great bonding time, coloring and discussing what we read and then watching or listening to the debates and town halls.


Once she is done with her Lap-Pak I know it will be a special memento to look back on when she does take the Government/Civics classes in a few years. She will have a better understanding of what is involved to become President of the United States.

If you have hands-on learners, I wholeheartedly recommend you check out this Lap-Pak or anything else that Home School in the Woods offers. They have many great products that we use for hands-on learning along with our regular History curriculum. HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections is a fantastic way to bring History to life!

Be sure to check out what my CrewMates thought of this product by clicking the banner below.

U.S. Elections History Lap-Pak  Review

Price ~ Download $8.95, Physical CD $19.95
Ages ~ 3rd through 8th grade

U.S. Elections History Lap-Pak  Review


Hashtags: @HSintheWoods 
#HSReviews #HistoryUnitStudies #HomeschoolHistory

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