A New Opportunity! VocabularySpellingCity.com!

Pssst!  Would you please take my poll in the sidebar? ;)

Hello everyone!  :)

I've been given a premium membership to VocabularySpellingCity.com for a candid, personal, online review.

VocabularySpellingCity.com helps students study word lists using 25 different learning activities such as MatchIt Sentences, HangMan, and Word-O-Rama. Parents can create their own spelling lists, find published lists already available on the site, or use any of dozens of free teaching resources on topics such as analogies and compound words.

To be honest, we've been so completely busy around here that I haven't had a ton of time to really learn the site.  It has loads of activities and things to click around and do.  In my old age, I find that it's even harder for me to take the time to figure things out.  My very simple, ADD brain can only take so much!  These days I am often heard telling my kids to figure things out for me.  :)  So, that's what I did here.  I'd sign the kids in and let them do whatever they wanted to, which they were perfectly happy to do.  Of course, they gravitated to the games.  They especially liked playing the HangCat game which is a not-so morbid version of hangman.  Actually, it's not morbid at all!  LOL

Like I said, I didn't have a ton of time to figure it all out.  (Eight of use share one laptop.)  I didn't end up creating any of my own spelling lists, but I did use some of the ones already there.  The neat thing is that you can plug any list into any of the games.  My youngest two, Bear, 10, and Baber, 8, found it great fun.  I'm sure if I really took the time to figure it all out I could create an organized curriculum using the site.  As it is now, I find it just a great supplement.  My youngest, at 8, is really just "clicking" when it comes to reading, and I don't want to push any official spelling work on him right now, so this is a great way to weave a little spelling in painlessly.   I really hope that maybe by next year, when he has regular spelling lists, I will have had the time to really figure out how to maneuver the site so I can use it more intelligently.  Until then, I am content to have kids begging me to do schoolwork, even if it's only because they think they're just playing games.  :)

Happy Spelling!  :)

New Review!!! The Beehive Reader 1 from All About Spelling!

It would just so totally ROCK if you'd sign up to get my posts in your inbox.  Got to my sidebar where it says FEEDBURNER and simply enter your e-mail address.  It's that easy!!!

About the product/service:  As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received a free copy of the Beehive Reader 1 by Marie Rippel from All About Spelling for the purposes of this review. You might have heard of All About Spelling.  I did a review of their spelling program last year.  You can read all about it here.

The Beehive Reader was created for kids just learning to read.  There are ten simple, beautifully illustrated stories for your little one's reading pleasure.  (Illustrations are by Renee LaTuilppe.)  The book is hardcover, and looks like it will hold up under the "gentle care" of your new reader.  :)  

Any beginning reader should be able to read most of the words in the book, though it was specially designed to compliment All About Spelling's Level 1. 

Your young reader will find out what happens when...

...a busy cat lives in a windwill.
...a sleepy bear cut takes a nap.
...a grumpy duck demands a snack.

What are the pros of this product? My first impression is that it looks like a very high quality book.  It's hard cover, the pages are thick and made with special non-glare paper, and the illustrations are just adorable.  The stories are a little more interesting than in many of the other readers I have seen. 

What's not to like? I really don't see any issues with this book.  It is a tad expensive, but it does look like it should last.  Frugal as I am, I am learning that you have to pay for quality.  I have a lot of torn up paperbacks around here to back up my point.  LOL

The Crazy Mom take:  I like this book and look forward to using it with Baber soon.  I tried getting him to read it, but he is not quite ready for it yet.  He is getting there though!  I did read to him a couple of the stories.  I am hoping in a few months I can pull it out and have him read it to me.  Most of my kids just did not learn to read until about seven.  Baber is still six.  He can sound words out, but right now it is just too laborsome to make him try to read a story.  There's pleny of time for that later. 

I did find it to have sort of an "old fashioned" feeling, which I like.  I would say the illustrations remind me a bit of the "Little Bear" stories.  It's cute.  Oh, and one of the stories has lots of tongue twisters in it.  I'm not sure I'm ready for that!  :)

 

What's the bottom line? $19.95

I am going to give out of The Beehive Reader 1, 4 our of 5 smileys!!!  :)  :)  :)  :)  :) 

(I couldn't get my regular smileys to work, so please forgive my low tech smileys!) 

Check it out!

 http://www.all-about-spelling.com/beehive-reader-1.html

See what my fellow TOS Crew members have to say @ http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HomeschoolCrew/763935/


 
*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