A Stable Beginning: June 2022

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Book review: The Imagination Station's Islands and Enemies from Tyndale ~ a TOS review

Disclaimer: I received a Complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.

Morning friends! I am so excited to share with you the newest book from Tyndale's The Imagination Station series called Islands and Enemies. You may be familiar with the Adventures in Odyssey audiobooks, but did you also know they have a chapter book series as well? My son Micah who is 8 and a rising 3rd grader has enjoyed reading book. Let me tell you about it.

Tyndale published their first Imagination Station book in Summer of 2010 and there began the adventures of two cousins Patrick and Beth as they travel through time back to the past. Along the way the kids explore a specific historical event while Biblical truths are highlighted. So far this series that is a resource of Focus on the Family has sold over 1 million books!

In the newest book, Islands and Enemies, the 28th book in the series Patrick and Beth find themselves aboard The Victoria in 1521 with Captain-General Ferdinand Magellan and his crew. Unfortunately, the two cousins make a bad first impression with Magellan and they are accused of being witches. Once they reach the island miracles begin to happen and the crew must take sides and either stand with Magellan or try to overthrow him with outright mutiny.

Like the rest of the Imagination Station series this newest book is a fast-paced adventure that is an easy and exciting read. The Island and Enemies book includes 17 chapters and 147 pages. This book also includes black and white hand-drawn photos throughout.

Micah really enjoyed reading this book! He read the book independently as I scheduled it out over the course of a week. Once his read his assigned chapters each day, Micah would narrate back to me. The book can also be read aloud as a family read-aloud. The suggested reading level according to the Flesch-Kincaid method is 2.7 and it is recommended for ages 7 and up. In our opinion it is the perfect length for my son, who just turned 8 to read within a five-day school week.

I am in the process of purchasing the rest of the series for him to read because he is enjoying them so much. So far we have the first six books in addition to this one. All the books in this series can be purchased on the Tyndale website, Christian bookstores, and many online retailers too. I like that the books in the Imagination Station revolve around a real historical event so Micah is getting exposure to history events as well. These books and this series have earned a coveted spot on our overcrowded bookshelves right next to our Adventures in Odyssey books.

Don’t just take our word for it, be sure to check out what my CrewMates thought of the newest book in the Imagination Station series by clicking the banner below and reading their thoughts.

Company ~ Tyndale

Product ~ Islands and Enemies

Format ~ hardcover book

Price~ $9.99

Ages~ 7 years and up, 2.7 grade level on Flesch-Kincaid scale

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https://astablebeginning.com

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Wordless Wednesday ~ Box Day

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Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Building Thinking Skills Level 1 with The Critical Thinking Co. ~ a TOS review

Morning friends!

Hope your week is going great! Aah, welcome to summer break! Are you looking for something to combat the “summer slide”? One of our favorites is called Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 from The Critical Thinking Co.™.

If you are long term readers then you already know that The Critical Thinking Co.™ is our favorite critical thinking course to use. So much so, that I am excited to use the Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 (BTS level 1) with my youngest, my son Micah. This course is a complete logic/critical thinking program for grades 2-3.

The Critical Thinking Co. is a family-owned business that has been “empowering the mind” for more than 50 years. They sell critical thinking products/supplements that cover reading, writing, mathematics, science, and history. Instead of rote drilling and memorization, students are encouraged to “carefully analyze what they are learning.” The Critical Thinking Co. is on a mission to develop the critical thinking skills in all children.

We received the softcover workbook for BTS Level 1 in the mail about 6 weeks ago. This is a thick workbook with over 300 pages. Inside you will find activities that will help your child with thinking skills for reading, writing, math, science, and test prep.

There are ten different focus areas throughout the book including:

Describing Shapes

Similarities and Differences in Shapes

Figural Sequences

Figural Classifications

Figural Analogies

Describing Things

Verbal Similarities and Differences

Verbal Sequences

Verbal Classifications

Verbal Analogies

There is a full answer key in the back of the book. It is full color, miniature sized pages of the student pages with the answers marked.

Micah has enjoyed using this book each day as part of our summer learning time. Since the activities are meant to be developmentally sequenced and build upon one another we have just been plugging along in the book completing 2-3 pages a day. Normally it just takes him about 10-15 minutes to complete 2 pages, depending on the activity presented. Somedays he choose to keep working until he got tired and that got no complaints from me.

Overall, this has been a great fit for Micah and I am excited to see him build upon his critical thinking skills as he works to complete this book over the summer and next school year. This curriculum has earned a spot in our Plan of Study line up and I am excited to see Micah reap the benefit from such a thorough critical thinking program.

But, don’t just take my word for it! Thirty-four of my CrewMates also reviewed this workbook and several more, including Building Thinking Skills® Level 2 - Grades 4-6, Understanding Fractions, Percent, and Decimals - Grades 4-6 , Understanding Algebra I - Grades 7-9 , Thinking Skills for Tests: Early Learning - Workbook & Guide - Grades PreK-2 , OLSAT® Test Prep Level A - Grades PreK-K , The Language Mechanic - Grades 4-7 , and Language Smarts Level E - Grades 4. Be sure to click the banner below to read their thoughts.

Company ~ The Critical Thinking Co.™

Product ~ Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 -Grades 2-3 (Ages 7-9)

Format ~ softcover workbook

Price ~ $34.99

Ages ~ 7-9 years old

Find The Critical Thinking Co.™ on these Social Media Links:

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https://astablebeginning.com

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Wordless Wednesday

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Tuesday, June 7, 2022

At My Pace Pre-Algebra with High School Math Live ~ a TOS review

Morning friends! Hope your week is going great! Have you already finished your school year? Or are you in the last few weeks or days? Are you looking at courses for next school year? Have you decided on what you are using for high school math? Teaching high school math intimidates many homeschooling parents but the courses in the At My Pace Courses -Pre-Algebra from High School Math Live can make it a bit easier!

High School Math Live (HSML) offers Live and At My Pace (AMP) courses for students in Pre-Algebra through Calculus I. We received the first semester of the AMP course for Pre-Algebra A (first semester) and we tried it out with McKenzie my rising 7th grader.

The beauty of the At My Pace courses are just that, at your student’s pacing. So if your child has difficulty on a particular topic they can spend as much time as needed to master the concept. Students are enrolled in the AMP course until the final exam is taken or for a period of 12 months from day of purchase. I should note that if your student fails to finish the course in the twelve months allotted, they will receive a grade of incomplete.

If your student needs specific instruction on math topics and concepts you are able to purchase each semester individually or as a pair since the courses are divided into two semesters, AMP course A (first semester) and AMP course B (second semester). However, each semester is sold separately. If you need or want accreditation the courses are accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges. If you have a student athlete, you will be pleased to know that all of the courses from High School Math Live are also approved by NCAA!

Once you enroll, an experienced, credentialed educators teach each of the following At My Pace (AMP) courses including:

• Pre-Algebra

• Algebra I

• Algebra II

• Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry

• Calculus I

Each AMP courses 35 lessons are taught by pre-recorded video of the teacher teaching the lesson. Videos are about 30-45 minutes in length and can be stopped, paused, and rewound if need be. Suggested homework problems for each lesson, usually the odd numbered problems, are assigned to check for concept mastery. Students can find the solutions to the odd problems in the back of the book so they can check to make sure they have solved the problem correctly. Seventeen assessments and a cumulative final exam is provided for each course. Each course also comes with 2.5 hours of one-on-one tutoring during the course of enrollment.

Using this course with McKenzie has been a good so far. We are taking it very slowly as I don’t want to overload her. We have been working each lesson over the course of two weeks because we have the time during the end of the school year and summer when we are using this program. The format is different from our normal math curriculum, so that has taken a little to get used to for myself and McKenzie. I myself felt overwhelmed during the first few times we accessed the course. It became easier as McKenzie worked through the program. The setup of the course was a familiar setup for McKenzie as she has taken live online courses this year.

At this point we plan to continue on with this homeschool Pre-Algebra curriculum for the fall. Be sure to check out what my CrewMates think of this program as four others have reviewed the Geometry and Pre-Calculus programs by clicking the banner below to read their thoughts.

Company ~ High School Math Live

Product ~ At My Pace Courses Pre-Algebra

Format ~ online, at students pacing

Price ~ $300.00 per semester

Ages ~ high school level math

Find High School Math Live on these Social Media Links:

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https://astablebeginning.com

Thursday, June 2, 2022

Challenging Word Problems with Singapore Math Live ~ a TOS review

Morning friends!

Hope your week is going great! Have you already finished your school year? Or are you in the last few weeks, days? If you are looking for something to keep your children's math skills sharp over the summer I would suggest you looking into the Singapore Math Live and their Challenging Word Problems program. Word problems can be just as challenging for parents to explain as it is for students to complete; that's why I was thrilled to review Singapore Math Live - Challenging Word Problems Level 4 with McKenzie.

We received the Challenging Word Problems Level 4 workbook as well as access to all of the online videos to accompany. The multi-step problems found in this program can help your child in their problem solving and critical thinking skills needed for daily life by using it with your current math curriculum for just 10-20 minutes a day.

In the video course your student will watch teacher Brenda, a fellow homeschooling parent, work out all the solutions on a whiteboard. These videos hep the student see the why and how to strategize and solve the problem. If you have an older student, they can probably watch the videos by themselves as they work through the word problems. Younger students would benefit having a parent with them as they go through the videos.

The Challenging Word Problems Level 4 workbook includes over 300 questions and covers the following topics: ~ whole numbers ~ four operations of the whole numbers ~ mental calculations ~ operations on fractions ~ decimals ~ angles ~perpendicular and parallel lines ~ tiling patterns and symmetry ~ area and perimeter ~ tables and graphs ~ volume ~ solid figures

The math problems in the Level 4 book were just the right amount of push for McKenize. Who is my rising 7th grader. She is strong in math, but some these problems made her think and see the full process of how to get to the solution. I like that she is able to work her solutions in the actual notebook and that she has to show her work. Typically, she is able to figure out solutions in her head without showing her work. It drives me bonkers, so I like that she needs to show her work.

Overall, I have found that this is a great supplement to our main math curriculum. I think these videos will make a great addition to any homeschool and to help your student really master the thought process needed to work through word problems. But don’t just take my word for it! Fourteen of my CrewMates also reviewed the Challenging Word Problems Levels 1-6 so be sure to click the banner below and see what they think of the program.