Single Membership from CTC Math ~ A Homeschool Crew Review

Finding a math program to fit your child's needs can sometimes be a daunting task. I had the chance to review this wonderful program last year, and Gavin loved it! You can imagine my excitement when I found out I would be able to review CTCMath's Single Membership this year, and that they are offering 60% off plus 6 bonus months right now!

Math can be a very stressful subject for some kids. With CTCMath, your child will have short and to the point lessons that are engaging and easily understood. The child is able to work at their own speed and can even stop and rewind the video if they need to. There are over 1400 math tutorials that teach the concepts of math in a step by step process. We love that the lessons are short enough to hold Gav's attention, but are very well laid out so that the concept is explained in full detail. You will have access to every grade offered with your membership! No having to choose just one single grade. Also, there are placement tests to see where your child falls in their program.

Are you homeschooling more than one child? I love CTCMath because with the Family Subscription, you can have math for everyone. It can be utilized as a full curriculum up until grade 8. They offer high school math along with it, but it becomes more of a supplement which is also wonderful. With CTCMath you will have 24/7 access to all of it everyday so that there is no rush to get it all in.

How do we use it in our school?

This is such an easy program to use, and getting it set up only takes minutes. One thing that I like when using an on-line program is that when they give you a parent/teacher log in and a student log in. CTCMath gives you both of those options.

While logged into the parent log-in, in a glance you can see your child's overall grade, activity, awards, and weekly reports. There is also an option to get a pdf in order to print out their grades if you need it.

Another option that is offered to you is setting up daily tasks for your child. We personally do not use this option because Gav just knows what he's supposed to do next. This is a great option to have though. For example, you could go in and set up the task that you want your student to do for Monday. You could even name it Monday's work. When they sign on under the student log in, it's ready for them to go under the tasks section and see their daily work. All the student has to do is click on that specific task and it will take them to the lesson. If you have the family subscription, then you can do this for multiple students. I can see where that would be a great help for keeping it all straight. 

So for Gav, this program is used daily. After he logs in, he goes to his daily lesson. Unless he had issues on the lesson before hand, he starts a new one. If he didn't understand the previous lesson, or just needs some extra practice, we redo it. 

The lessons are laid out one right after the other, and he can see what they are plus his grade/progress on each one from the student dashboard. He can even customize the colors of his dashboard which he loves. 

The lesson starts with a short video somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 to 9 minutes. This is where the concept that they are working on is explained in full detail with plenty of examples. He has watched quite few lessons, and has not had to come to me for extra help hardly at all. The lessons are clear and very easy to understand. He loves his "Australian teacher" and even asks to do his math lessons. That's a first for us!

When he's done with the video, he moves on to his questions. He keeps his pen and paper handy next to him to work out all of his problems, and then he adds his answer in to the computer. It's very straightforward and simple for him to do.

If he does good, which he normally does, the next day he will move on to the next lesson. If we feel like he needs additional help, he will redo the previous lesson. When he's finished with the entire group of lessons on a specific topic, I have him take one of the tests to make sure that he understands it all.

The only thing that I wish they could add is maybe an option to print out extra worksheets on each topic. I think it would make it easier to add extra reinforcement to each topic being taught. I don't think this takes away from the program at all, it's just something I would love to see as an extra option.

What did we think?

Well when your child asks to do math, and actually enjoys it, you love the program! He is doing so well right now, and has strengthened all of his math skills using CTCMath! I highly recommend this program to homeschoolers, or even public schoolers that need some extra supplemental help!

Don't forget that they are offering 60% off plus 6 bonus months right now! That is a fantastic price for this program!!

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It's a....gender reveal for Baby Brou!

We are so excited over our new grandbaby! This past weekend we had a fun gender reveal party to celebrate the new little one. Is it a boy or a girl?

IT'S A BOY!!!!

We can't WAIT to welcome our newest grandbaby

BARRY SINATRA

We got to see Baby Brou today! ~ Wordless Wednesday

We got to see Baby Brou today!!!

This week's #beforethepen

I really love how this week's layout turned out! I literally threw it together Monday because I was busy all weekend. I love the colors and the fox washi!

Captain Bayley's Heir by Heirloom Audio Productions ~ A Homeschool Crew Review

When I see a review for one of my favorite vendors pop up, I know it's not going to disappoint! This time we go on another wild adventure in Captain Bayley's Heir by Heirloom Audio Productions.

I think every single time I listen to an audio production from Heirloom Audio I say, "That was my favorite!" Not long after, I will get new one and it will also be my favorite. The stories are the type that keep you on the edge of your seat with quality family entertainment.

If you have never had the pleasure of listening to an audio drama from Heirloom Audio, then let me tell you a little bit about them. What they do is recreate the stories from the legendary story teller, G.A. Henty. Mr. Henty was a war correspondent, a big guy with an even bigger beard, and he lived for adventure. His passion comes through in every story he tells. He loved to share his stories with his friends and family, and throughout the years, he went on to write 122 books! This is where Heirloom Audio comes in. They take these beautifully told stories, and turn them into adventures that come alive as you listen to them. I am an avid reader, and I also listen to a lot of audio books. These audio dramas are completely in a league of their own. They are not your average audio book. These are brought to life with award winning actors, amazing sound effects, and the beautifully written sound track that goes along with it. As soon as you start listening, you enter the world of G.A. Henty, and his love for adventure is brought to life.

I want to talk a little about all of the different components that we received for this review. First off we got the 2 CD set along with the extra digital download features.

Captain Bayley's Heir Adventure Playlist ~ This is how you are able to listen online, or download it and listen to it on your phone. We have used this feature many times, and love to have the option.

Captain Bayley's Heir E-book ~ This is the original e-book, but with all new colorful graphics.

Official Soundtrack ~ Original music by Emmy-winning composer John Campbell

Printable Cast Poster ~ Printable promotion poster featuring the star studded cast

Inspirational Hymn Poster ~ I love this, especially since this book is built around one of our favorites, Amazing Grace.

Desktop Wallpaper Download ~  A stunning wallpaper for your computer.

Study Guide and Discussion Starter ~ This is an amazing extra that gives you the ability to turn this into more than just something to listen to. When we listen to this as a family, I like to have the study guide pulled up on my phone or computer. You could definitely print it out if you wanted to, because it is so beautiful and colorful. It would be nice to have a notebook devoted to all of the study guides. That way they would be easily accessible.

The study guide starts off by telling you about G.A. Henty, and a little bit about Heirloom Audio Productions. It is then broken down by every CD and track number. This makes it easier to stop the drama, and talk about each chapter. I love to use this with my kids because it makes them pay better attention to it. They start listening for details because they know they are going to have some questions about each chapter or track.

There are several different parts to the study guide.

• Listening Well ~ These are to ask your students what they've heard or learned throughout the chapter.

• Thinking Further ~ These are a little bit more in depth and will get your students thinking about things such as drawing conclusions to character's actions. These are great for older students.

• Defining Words ~ This is based on vocabulary words throughout the story. This is my kids favorite part! We go over what they think certain words mean, and then what they really mean if they don't know. 

At the end there is not one, but TWO Bible studies that are included! This is a fantastic extra that talks about God's grace, and becoming a Christian. They go above and beyond with their study guides!

One last thing I want to talk about is the new feature called Live the Adventure Club. This club adds even more fun to your listening adventure that includes different resources and other kids activities to go along with the stories.

Now this brings us to what Captain Bayley's Heir is all about. Amazing Grace. This story encompasses those words.

We start our adventure with our favorite narrator, Mr. George. He's writing a letter to his friends Ned and Gerald while on a train ride to the gold fields of California where he's conducting research for his new book, Captain Bayley's Heir. He even hired a wagon and driver so that he could experience exactly what those pioneers went through. His driver turns out to be a young and ambitious 18 year old boy who has already started his own company with a horse and wagon. He knows that Mr. George is a writer, so they start talking about it. He even tells him that he's thought about writing a book. He then asks Mr. George to tell him his story, and that's where it all begins.

It starts in England where we are introduced to Frank Norris, an 18 year old carefree kid, who is friendly to everyone. We quickly learn exactly what kind of person Frank is when he dives into icy water to rescue a dog from drowning. Harry, the dog's owner is extremely grateful, and wants Frank to come to his house and meet his parents. You will learn more about him later.

Soon after we are introduced to Captain Bayley. He is a robust and loud man who on the surface seems pretty intimidating. After learning a bit about why he is the way he is, his personality starts to make more sense. He has made some mistakes and now has to pay for them.

While Frank is attending school he sneaks out with his friends to attend a meeting of rebels who despise Brittain all because they want to see a real fight. The problem is this is completely against school rules. They end up getting into a fight and Frank breaks someone's nose. Next thing he knows, he's being told that unless he pays him 10 pounds then he will be turned in and inevitably kicked out of school. While Frank is stressing over this and telling his friends, someone anonymously leaves a 10 pound note on his desk. The problem is that he doesn't know where it comes from, and is accused of stealing it. This is where Frank's life is completely turned upside down.

Frank decides in an effort to clear his name that he is heading to America. He takes a ship called the Mississippi where he meets his new boss Hiram. Here he learns what it means to work hard, and what it's like to face treacherous storms! Frank is living one adventure after another. He ends his journey with Hiram to head to California to look for gold! Along the way he meets some cowboys that also teach him about the Pioneer journey, how to fight the Indians, and also the most important lesson on God's grace. He goes through many hard ships along the way, and in the end it only makes him stronger. In the three years that Frank is gone from England he is introduced to not only the hymn Amazing Grace, but also what it means to be unconditionally loved by God and actually have His amazing grace poured upon him.

As you can tell, we always love these books. Along with a wonderful story, they also give you so much more to think about. If you are looking for something different to add to your collection, I highly recommend Captain Bayley's Heir by Heirloom Audio Productions. You won't be disappointed!

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#beforethepen

I haven't posted my before the pen lately so I wanted to post this weeks layout! I want to be a chicken lady one day and found these precious stickers at Hobby Lobby. I used some paper cut outs I had to fill in the boxes, and some of my favorite washi tape to bring it all together. I love how it turned out!

Imagine. . .The Great Flood by Matt Koceich from Barbour Publishing ~ A Homeschool Crew Review

We recently had the chance to read and review a fantastic Biblical fiction book called Imagine. . .The Great Flood by Matt Koceich from Barbour Publishing.

The Imagine series is a fun Bible adventure that is geared for kids 8 to 12. It brings the Bible to life and lets readers time travel back in time to see what living in Bible times is all about. Imagine. . .The Great Flood, which takes us right back to Noah and his Ark, is the first book in the series and, it has been a lot of fun to read.

I initially intended for Gav to read this book alone, but I reconsidered it and decided that we would just add it to our Bible time every morning. I thought the book was short enough we could read one chapter a day, and if we had more time we could even take on a few more in the day.

After diving into the book, I realized that the chapters were pretty short so we just read what we felt like that day whether it was one or four chapters. Needless to say, it didn't take us long to finish it.

So what's this book about?

Corey Max is a typical 10 year old boy who recently found out that he has to move from Texas to Florida.  As you can imagine, no pun intended lol, he isn't happy about this move. He has trouble understanding why they have to move because it's a big change for all of them. His mother tries her hardest to help Corey understand that it's for the best, and sometimes God calls us to places before we know why we are there. She goes on to tell Corey that they had to fully rely on God and put their trust in Him, because God would not ever let them make a move alone.

With a Texas storm quickly approaching, Corey can hear his dog barking in the woods. The weather is getting worse and as Corey heads out to check on her, he trips over a log and hits his head pretty hard. As he lies there in and out of consciousness, he is suddenly transported to a place he never could have imagined.

From this point on, Corey is taken on the ultimate journey back to the times of Noah and the Great Flood. Corey quickly meets Shem, one of Noah's sons, and he explains that his father is building the Ark because that's what God commanded him to do. After explaining a little bit about why Noah is building the Ark, Corey is soon taken on an adventure where he will fight the Nephilim (giants) and learn what it means to truly put all of his trust in God.

As Corey goes through his time in 2400 BC, he will encounter a character named Elizar that is trying desperately to gain Corey's trust. Even his name means "The One Who Deceives", and he uses dark arts to perform magic. He makes promises that he can get him home safely, but what he's really doing is redirecting Corey's faith from God to him.

Corey will go through many trials and errors throughout his time in this far away land. There are many twists and turns throughout the book and even some fun chapter cliff hangers. This wasn't always fun for the kids since we were doing it as a read aloud. They wanted to go on!

We have really enjoyed this book because it tells about a wonderful Bible story that we all know and love, but also adds an adventure flare that is fictional.

I asked Gavin what his favorite part of the story was and he really enjoyed when Corey was stuck in the big hole, and remembered his great grandfather's story about forgiveness and breaking up a blessing and multiplying it. I have to say that was my favorite part of the story too. He also said that he really enjoyed when Shem and Corey rode the rhinos after he was freed from the hole.

We had some great discussions from reading this book. We talked about how Corey throughout the book would ask God to help him. Corey went through a lot of emotions and even doubted God at some points when he felt hopeless. In the end, he was learning that he had to trust in God and Him alone, and that even if things change around us, God never changes.

Gavin is 12 years old and really enjoyed this book. Since we were reading it aloud, by 16 year old listened in too, and she also enjoyed it. I think it's a great first reader book especially since it has nice short chapters.

If you are looking for good clean books for kids, or FICTION adventure, then I would definitely recommend Imagine. . .The Great Flood by Matt Koceich from Barbour Publishing.

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