New Review!!! Andi's Pony Trouble from Kregel Publications!

Well, hello there!!!  I'm so glad you stopped by!  :)  I bet you'd like to get my posts delivered right to your inbox, now wouldn't you?  So why not sign up for Feedburner?  Check it out, it's right there in my sidebar!  Thanks!!  :)

About the product/service: As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received a free copy of Andi's Pony Trouble by Susan Marlow from Kregel Publications so I could share it with my kids and let you know what they thought!  :)

This book features Andi, who first made her debut as an older child in the Circle C Adventures series.  Now younger kids can get to know Andi, too, through the Circle C Beginnings series. It's a chapter book, recommended for ages 6 to 8 but, in my humble opinion, is quite appropriate for kids a bit older.  (I have been known to read and enjoy many of the kids' books around here!)

In the story, Andi sets out to prove to her family that she is old enough to own and take care of her very own horse.  Can she convince her family?  Will Andi get her own horse?  You'll have to read it to find out!  :)

What are the pros of this product? It's just a nice little book for young readers. 

What's not to like? Drawing a blank here.  :)

The Crazy Mom take:  I knew right away who'd be my "Junior Reviewer" this time around.  It had to be Bear because she loves horses and this book was right up her alley.  Even though it is written for kids in the 6 to 8 year range, and she was 9 (almost 10) when she read it, she loved it! She would highly recommend it to others!  :)  (Oh, and she is literally begging me to get the rest of the books as I type!)



What's the bottom line? $4.99

I am going to give Andi's Pony Trouble 5 out of 5 smileys!!!

Check it out! http://store.kregel.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=2199

See what my fellow TOS Crew members have to say @ http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/783897/

*The Smiley System:

I can't really recommend this product.

I doubt this product would be helpful to many people.

This is a good product, but isn't right for everyone.

Most homeschool moms will find this useful.

This is great, and I would recommend it to anyone!!!

Disclaimer!!! I reviewed this product because I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I was given the product by the vendor to use and evaluate in my home so that I might share my insights with others. Other than receiving the product, which I kinda have to to be able to assess the product, I am not compensated for my reviews in any way. I am in no way obligated to give a positive review. I do try to point out negatives when I see them, though I am admittedly a pretty easy going gal! What you read are my honest assessments of the products I receive.

As with all products, you must do the research before buying. Please visit the the other crew members' blogs, the vendor websites, and any other review sites you might find before buying. I can't guarantee that a product will work for you. You must decide what will fit with your teaching style, and your child(ren)'s learning style(s). I do not judge anything other than the educational value of the products I review. I am not qualified to make judgements as to the safely of any product, and I make no guarantee that the products I review are safe for you, your family, or anyone else. I am simply giving my opinion; only you know what is best for you and your family.

Don't use your blow dryer while you sleep or take a bath. Don't read my reviews in the tub either, and please do not read them when you are asleep, though I do not guarantee that you won't fall asleep reading them!

Copyright 2011 Ramblings from the Crazy House 2

New Review!!! Roman Town from Dig It!

Well, hello there!!!  I'm so glad you stopped by!  :)  I bet you'd like to get my posts delivered right to your inbox, now wouldn't you?  So why not sign up for Feedburner?  Check it out, it's right there in my sidebar!  Thanks!!  :)

About the product/service: As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received a free download of Roman Town from Dig It!  This game is targeted to kids in 5th through 8th grade, but can be enjoyed by just about anyone who wants to learn more about Roman history. 

In this game you are an archaeologist who is working to excavate Fossura, a town which was in 79 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted.  As you move along in the game you virtually uncover all kinds of exciting treasures that will help you learn all kinds of things about the ancient Romans!  Learn about their art, their language, their architecture and more.  You also learn about archaeology in general as you learn things like which tools you are best used for which projects.  Your guides are an archaeologist and two kids right from Roman times!

What are the pros of this product? This is a very clever and well thought out way to get kids interested in Roman history.  My experience is that kids prefer to do just about anything on the computer rather than in a book.  Well, other than simply reading for pleasure.  I like it that you can dig deeper (no pun intended) into the different topics if you want to, but it is not required to play the game.  That way kids who are not really huge on Roman history will still get something out of it and won't be bogged down with the details.

What's not to like?  If you are into flashy graphics, this will seem quite simple.  Also, I had a hard time getting it to work until I changed the screen resolution on the computer.  (Uh, I think that's what it's called.)  The end result was that my screen is not quite as sharp as it could be.  I am not that motivated to keep switching it back and forth, but Sane Man didn't even notice, so I guess I'll just keep it that way as long as the kids are interested in playing the game.


The Crazy Mom take:  When I first got the program I tried it out myself.  My first thought was that it wasn't nearly as good graphics wise as what my kids were into (when allowed to play games, which is rarely.)  I decided it was that it was a nice game, but more educational than fun.  Since I'm not really into Roman history or video games, and extremely short on time, I didn't really get into it.  I did, however, think the whole idea of the game was quite clever and well done, even though it is not exactly animated in the way most games are today. 

I had decided that for this review I would ask my son, Dode Man, 11, who is the resident history buff, to play it and give me his thoughts.  Now, I might add here that while Dode Man loves history, he is more of an American History guy.  However, he did spend quite a few hours playing this game, and he tells me to let my readers know that he did, in fact, like it!  He further stated that he still prefers American history, and he also agrees with me that it is more of a fun educational tool than it is a game.  However, he still gives it a thumbs up.  I do know that he learned a lot, because he started spouting facts about Roman history.  I can't complain about that!

Happy digging!


What's the bottom line? $39.95. SALE!!!  TOS Crew Readers can use a special code TOS2011 which gets them 20% off the 2010 price of $24.95. The code expires Feb 21, 2011.



I am going to give Roman Town 3 out of 5 smileys!!!

Check it out!  http://dig-itgames.com/


See what my fellow TOS Crew members have to say @

http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/783744/





*The Smiley System:

I can't really recommend this product.

I doubt this product would be helpful to many people.

This is a good product, but isn't right for everyone.

Most homeschool moms will find this useful.

This is great, and I would recommend it to anyone!!!


Disclaimer!!! I reviewed this product because I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I was given the product by the vendor to use and evaluate in my home so that I might share my insights with others. Other than receiving the product, which I kinda have to to be able to assess the product, I am not compensated for my reviews in any way. I am in no way obligated to give a positive review. I do try to point out negatives when I see them, though I am admittedly a pretty easy going gal! What you read are my honest assessments of the products I receive.

As with all products, you must do the research before buying. Please visit the the other crew members' blogs, the vendor websites, and any other review sites you might find before buying. I can't guarantee that a product will work for you. You must decide what will fit with your teaching style, and your child(ren)'s learning style(s). I do not judge anything other than the educational value of the products I review. I am not qualified to make judgements as to the safely of any product, and I make no guarantee that the products I review are safe for you, your family, or anyone else. I am simply giving my opinion; only you know what is best for you and your family.

Don't use your blow dryer while you sleep or take a bath. Don't read my reviews in the tub either, and please do not read them when you are asleep, though I do not guarantee that you won't fall asleep reading them!

Copyright 2010 Ramblings from the Crazy House 2