We received a copy of The Tortoise and the Hare from Maestro Classics. The story is beautifully narrated and the music is performed by  the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Even the case is very appealing with its bright colors and adorable illustrations. The narrator’s voice really impressed me. So often recorded voices sound dull & flat, but his is pleasant and clear.

We really enjoyed all of the little extras on this CD. In addition to listening to the story & musical score, there is some background information and a fun little sing-along. A 24-page activity book is included to further the learning experience. You can listen to a sample HERE.

I think The Tortoise and the Hare is best for the younger crowd – I would say kindergarten & down. We are interested in hearing The Story of Swan Lake or Peter and the Wolf. There are seven titles in all.

The Nitty Gritty:

• $16.98 for CD & activity book.
• For a limited time you can get 3 CDs for $45 using the code MAESTRO45
  

Value: This is a high-quality product that can be enjoyed by your family for years to come.

See what my TOS Crew Mates have to say about Maestro Classics!

I received a free copy for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was given.

Mathletics is my favorite so far of the math products we have reviewed. It is a web-based math program with over 750 learning activities for kids from 5 to 14.

There are so many things on this site to capture a child’s attention! Here are a few of the wonderful features:

• Each avatar character is fully customized.
• Credits earned from activities can be used to purchase items for the characters like new clothes – a big motivator in my house.
• Students can compete live with children from all over the world who are on the same skill level.
• The problems adjust to your child’s weak areas, giving more practice in those areas.
• The animated math dictionary is fascinating.
• Additional games can be played on the Rainforest Maths site.
• My favorite section is the problem solving section – interactive & very clever.
• And to make this site complete, the parent can print out workbooks to go with every level.

Weekly reports are emailed to the parent so you can see how your child has been performing.

The Nitty Gritty:

An annual subscription is $59, but if you know the Human Calculator’s favorite number then it is only $49.95. (It is the number 9)

Value:

I definitely think you get your money’s worth with this one.

See what my TOS Crew Mates have to say about Mathletics!

I received a free trial membership for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was given.

Do you have a child who is interested in creating video games? Tektoma offers a safe environment for that learning to take place. Funny Girl (12) got to test drive this one. She dove into the tutorials and spent the entire afternoon creating games. When asked if she was enjoying herself, she replied with an enthusiastic “Yes!”.

Tektoma offers:

•    Engaging video tutorials for ages 7-17
•    Tutorials of varying skill levels and topics
•    Learn at your own pace in the comfort of your home
•    Natural progression helps develop technical skills
•    Customize your learning experience
•    Low monthly membership fee gives access to all our resources
•    New curriculums available monthly

The games resemble the Nintendo games from my youth, very cute. There is a member’s only forum for posting questions and suggesting future games.

The Nitty Gritty:

• $14.95 per month
• $140 per year

Free Membership Opportunities:

• Free 14-day trial
• Earn 15 days of free membership for each friend who becomes a paying member.

Things I Like:

• The site is moderated to provide a safe environment for kids from 7-17 to learn and create.
• The tutorials are easy to follow. Funny Girl did not have to ask for help at all.
• She felt a great sense of accomplishment for all the work she put into her game.

Value: This is a worth-while tool if you have a beginner gamer in your midst.

See what my TOS Crew Mates have to say about Tektoma!

I was given a 3-month free membership in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was provided.

Spelling wasn’t something that I had to really think about with my first child. She is a natural speller and any ol’ workbook did the trick. Child #2 is another story. She can do the work perfectly, but it does not transfer over into her writing. I just knew that All About Spelling would work for her!

All About Spelling is a hands-on curriculum. The lessons are simple to teach and the student follows along with the lesson using letter tiles. It is mastery-based, not grade level-based,  so students of any age can jump in at whatever level is needed. Continual review ensures that the lessons stick.

I also use this for my 7 yr. old beginning speller. The short lessons, daily review, and hands-on work keep him from getting bored and distracted.

I do our lessons on a magnetic whiteboard that I bought at Walmart. A magnet board is not a necessity for this program, but it saves a lot of time since the letters do not have to be lined up each day. I definitely recommend purchasing the magnets for letter tiles. It was so much simpler than cutting my own.

Level 1 covers:

• How to say and write the first 32 phonograms
• How to segment words into their individual sounds
• Short and long vowel sounds
• How to identify and count syllables in a word
  
• How to choose between c and k at the beginning of a word
• When to double f, l, and s
  
• How to spell /k/ at the end of a word
• How to form plural words by adding s or es
  
• Compound words
• Open and closed syllable types

Level 2 covers:

• The open and closed syllable types
• How to divide words into syllables
• How to spell multisyllable words
• When y can say /î/
• How Silent E can make a vowel long
• The vowel-consonant-e syllable type
• Two spellings for the sound of /z/
• The two sounds of long u
• The difference between hard and soft c and g
• Ways to spell long e
• That English words don’t end in i, j, u, or v
• The most common way to spell the sound of /er/
• When to use oi/oy, aw/au, and ow/ou

The Nitty Gritty:

• Starter Kit (letter tiles, magnets, phonogram cd-rom) $26.95 – used for all 6 levels
• Level 1 teacher & student   $29.95
• Level 2 teacher & student   $39.95
• items can also be ordered individually

Things I Like:

• hands-on
• easy to teach
• concepts are taught in a logical order
• works for all ages instead of grade-leveled
• my kids don’t dread spelling!

Value: Spelling is one of those subjects that is worth every penny if it works for your child. This on is particularly budget-friendly for a big family like mine since it is non-consumable.

See what my TOS Crew Mates have to say about All About Spelling!

I recieved All About Spelling levels 1 & 2 and the starter kit free for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was given.

We had fun reviewing our free copy of Gymathtics from Exploramania. Gymathtics pairs up exercise and math facts in this award winning DVD. I was expecting it to be only simple subjects like multiplication facts, so I was pleasantly surprised when Prime Numbers popped up on the screen. The targeted audience is 2nd – 5th graders, but my younger and older ones enjoyed it too.

The 30-minute program includes:

• Shape Stretches Warm Up: Stretch your mind and body with line, circle, and polygon stretches.
• Counting Calisthenics: Aerobic movements work your heart as fun counting concepts work your brain.
• Pattern Power: Growing and repeating pattern exercise combinations challenge minds and strengthen muscles.
• Well-Being Wind Down: Relaxing stretches cool down the body and open the mind to think about healthy lifestyle choices including the Nice Wave Stretch and Big Dream Stretch.

The Nitty Gritty:

• $24.95

Things I Like:

• There is a wide range of topics covered (see a list HERE).
• It’s a pretty decent workout.
• I love having something active AND educational for those bad-weather days when we’ve all been inside too long.
• This is a great resource for kinesthetic learning.

Value: I think the value of this depends on your need for it. (It’s only a good deal if you will use it regularly.) Check out a video sample below.

See what my TOS Crew Mates have to say about Mathletics!

I received a free 1-year membership to AVKO. That name may not ring a bell, but I bet many of you are familiar with one of their products – Sequential Spelling.

AVKO is a non-profit organization “that focuses on the development and production of materials and especially techniques to teach reading and spelling, handwriting (manuscript and cursive), and keyboarding.  AVKO is dedicated to the teaching everyone how to read and spell, regardless of their mild to moderate learning disabilities, dyslexia, poverty, or opportunity. “

Benefits of Basic Membership:

• Discounts on AVKO Printed Materials

• Hundreds of dollars worth of FREE e-books:

~ The Patterns of English Spelling (All 10 Volumes) with Word Families in Sentence Context

~ To Teach a Dyslexic

~ Starting at Square One

~ The Teaching of Reading & Spelling: A Continuum from Kindergarten through College

~ The Reading Teacher’s List of over 5,500 Basic Spelling Words

• Access to the Member Only section
• AVKO Newsletter with freebies, discounts, resources and promotions
• Access to Don McCabe’s most popular workshop recordings in MP3 format
• Supplemental Curriculum Materials including word games, worksheets, activities and more
• Access to Pretests and Placement Tests
• Access to the Answer Keys for the Unscramblers and Family Reunion exercises of the Engaging Language Kits

While most of these resources don’t mesh with our method of spelling, it was very interesting to poke around the site and explore all the goodies. The e-books alone are worth hundreds of dollars. If you use Sequential Spelling, or if you have a child who is struggling, this membership could be of great value to you!

You can view some Freebies HERE and some Samples HERE.

The Nitty Gritty:

• Basic Membership $25
• Deluxe Membership  $100

Things I Like:

• There are so many resources to read!
  
• The book on teaching a child with dyslexia has helped many people who didn’t know where else to turn.

Value: If you have a need for this, it is a fantastic value! For $25 you get access to hundreds of dollars worth of e-books, and the 25% discount is very valuable if you want to order any of their products like Sequential Spelling.

See what my TOS Crew Mates have to say about AVKO!