Friday, November 19, 2010

Review: KB Teachers TOS Crew


In the world of educational websites the options are nearly endless. While the options are almost limitless, the quality of most sites leaves a lot to be desired. As homeschoolers are time is precious and wasting time searching through a sea of educational websites does not typically rank high on our everyday to-do list. Imagine then, how excited I was when as part of The Old Schoolhouse review crew I was given the opportunity to review KBTeachers.

Initially I expected the average run-of-the-mill educational website. You know the kind, one full of busy work worksheets and lacking in educational content. Upon delving into KBTeachers my low expectations were blown out of the water! The first night I explored KBTeachers I could not possibly look through all of the wonderful resources and worksheets available for preschool through older students (roughly junior high). KBTeachers provides teachers with graphics and clipart, custom worksheet generators, activities, printable worksheets in a wide variety of subjects (even biology lessons), coloring pages, and handwriting sheets (printing, cursive, etc). No matter your subject matter there is sure to be a resource available on KBTeachers while will add educational content to your lesson.

How we used this resource:
Unlike other educational websites, I was able to utilize KBTeachers for all 3 of my children (ages 3, 6, and 9). Some days this option proved to be a wonderful time saver. If one of my children finished their schoolwork early or needed extra help with a topic I simply (and quickly) found a worksheet or activity for them to complete and enjoy. When my 9 year old needed extra cursive practice which our current handwriting curriculum does not support I simply printed out the appropriate worksheet from KBTeacher. When my preschooler needed something to color which corresponded to a lesson I was teaching her older brothers I found some wonderful coloring resources on this site. Lastly, when my 6 year old wanted a math lesson which his current curriculum did not cover to the depth he desired I was able to customize and print additional worksheets from him to complete. The more and more I used KBTeachers the more I realized the educational limits were endless.

The best part of KBTeachers is that much of their worksheets and resources are completely FREE! If you find that you want to use their premium resources you can purchase a premium membership for a reasonable fee.

At the time of this posting: 1 year $29, 2 years $49. If you pay with paypal you can enjoy their premium services for 10 days risk free. If you pay with your credit card you will have 30 days risk free to use their premium resources.

Be sure and check out the other wonderful reviews from my fellow TOS Crew reviewers!




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Monday, November 15, 2010

Review: Corps of Re-Discovery Fringe Pouch Kit


As part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew my boys and I were given the opportunity to review a wonderful craft item from Corps of Re-Discovery. The fringe pouch kit is a complete craft kit that when completed is an article I can imagine a frontiersman carrying during the frontier days. Corps of ReDiscovery was started by a homeschooling family inspired by their journey along the Lewis & Clark trail. They offer complete craft kits for items found during the Frontier era of American history.  

About the product:
The fringe pouch kits includes pre-cut suede leather pieces, needle and thread. When completed the fringe pouch is a cute little drawstring bag that any child studying early American history would enjoy using. When complete the bag measures approximately 5.5" x 6" not including the fringe.

How we used the kit:
One cool and quiet day my boys and I decided to have some craft fun with our fringe pouch kit. Because there was only one item to complete and 2 boys, this project became a lesson in sharing and working together. What Mom doesn't love that! We read the directions that accompanied the kit together a few times to make sure we all understood how to properly put the pouch together (the directions were very clearly written). As the boys assembled the pouch they took turns in using the needle and sewing the pre-cut pieces together.  My boys (ages 9 & 6) have never sewed so this was a wonderful opportunity to teach them about stitching, needle work, and sewing safely. While they worked we discussed what types of things they thought frontiersman would put in their pouch during those early American days.

Completing the kit did not take long at all, less than a half hour. As a craft inept homeschool Mom I truly appreciated the fact that this kit was complete. I did not need to hunt around the house for anything. We simply opened the bag and dove in. Our fringe pouch now carries everything from toy cars to rock collections.

You can purchase the fringe pouch kit for $11.99. If you are currently studying or will be studying early American history in the near future I highly encourage you to check out the other high quality craft kits offered by Corps of Re-Discovery.

Be sure and check out the other reviews from TOS review crew members for this and other items offered by Corps of Re-Discovery!



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