Practicing math regularly (outside of regular lessons) is important to me, so I am always looking for new ways to get a daily dose of something math-related, especially multiplication. Channie's Visual Handwriting & Math workbooks let us try out their One Page A Day 2 Digit Multiplication Practice for review, and we found it to be a great, simple way to practice long multiplication AND practice remembering facts.
Cover: Channie's One Page a Day 2 digitt nultiplication practice
We received a physical copy of the workbook, and it's fairly simple and straight forward. The cover and layout would best be described as similar to a handwriting or drawing pad with the binding at the top, and the pages can easily be torn out. The pages flip open to the top and the sheets are double-sided. There are less than 50 pages, so it's pretty thin compared to most workbooks. I really like the clear simplicity and the purpose of the book.
One of the first few pages of the book, and completed by my 6th grader.
What does this book have in it? This math book is several pages of two-digit by two-digit multiplication (with some 2 by 1's at the beginning). That's all! But, it's great practice because not only are they practicing math facts, but they are getting the visual of how a problem like these works. There are little boxes for each number that is to be written down under the problem. This visual is a great way to keep all the numbers under control all through the problem, and really see how it is laid out for every problem.
The problems start out pretty easy with ones, twos, and threes (pictured above). As the student moves along the pages become harder, moving into two digits by two digits throughout most of the book. There is no instruction on how to work any problems, so it is purely practice. The student should have already been instructed on the steps needed to complete these complex multiplication problems. There are also answers in the back for correcting. Completing one page a day would be about 48 days of great math practice!
One of the pages toward the end of the book.
This multiplication workbook is a great way to get a lot of good practice. I know I have to convince my kids of this, but I believe that practice really helps mastery. It's tedious, but it's worth it! The same goes for handwriting, reading, and any other subject really. That is why there are other products that Channie's Visual Handwriting & Math workbooks offer such as the ones pictured below. They have sight words, flashcards, and we even tried out one of their handwriting books last time we did a review for them. The crew reviewed a few other products as well as this one, so if you want to see what they tried out you can click on the image below.
We live in a city where Spanish speakers are a really big portion of the population. In fact, our local elementary schools even have Spanish immersion programs starting in Kindergarten, so for my kids to have even a little understanding of basic Spanish words would be a big plus. I have learned that online and videos are definitely the way to go when learning a foreign language, so I was excited to see what Excelerate SPANISH was all about when offered the opportunity to review it. We received a one-year streaming membership with access to level 1 and level 2.
Homepage for Excelerate SPANISH
With our Excelerate SPANISH Streaming subscription, we can log-in from any computer or device that has an internet connection fast enough to stream videos. With 2 levels of Spanish videos, there are 24 video lessons in total to watch. The videos are about 30-50 minutes in length depending on the lesson and are recorded with a live class that the teacher interacts with as she is speaking in pretty much all Spanish words.
My log-in page to Excelerate SPANISH
As the teacher speaks in spanish she is introducing a whole lot of new vocabulary, and writing it up on the whiteboard, teaching the students what each thing means, and giving each word or phrase some sort of hand or body movement. After all the vocabulary is introduced she uses real-life situations to sort of tell a story or create a scene. She has children come up and act out or help demonstrate parts of the story she is saying, emphasizing all the new vocabulary and reviewing the past as well.
A lesson from Level 1
The students in the videos seem to really be enjoying the acting scenes. They don't really talk, just mostly emphasized movements. While this was fun to watch for a bit, it was hard not to wish we could be a part of the action. We were wishing it was more interactive for us too. Maybe if we had the books that accompany the program it might be much more interactive, but we didn't have those for this review. But, even without the books or the interaction, there is still a ton of great Spanish to learn in these videos. I really like all the new vocabulary and phrases, and how they are introduced together with a common theme or story.
A lesson from Level 2
I would mostly recommend this for older kids. Probably middle school and above. It looks like there are younger kids possibly in the video, and they could definitely do it if they have the focus to keep paying attention to the video. It does move kind of fast (the talking in Spanish part), and there is a lot of new stuff introduced each video, so a student can get lost quickly if not paying attention for even a short bit.
These videos can be a great introduction to Spanish, for sure! If you'd like to see what other crew members have to say about this Spanish program, you can click on the image below1
We had the opportunity to try Smartick an online Math Program for grades K-8. This math program was not only a great way for my kids to get some practice, but it was also a great way to see where they are at and what they need to work on. They worked on reviewing things they'd already learned, but they also had lessons on new concepts throughout the program. Every day there was something new to start whether it be logic, a video to watch about a new concept or just a fast practice of stuff they needed to brush up on. I was impressed at how "smart" this program is to the child's needs.
Smarttick homepage
Smartick is a completely online program. I was able to sign all three of my children up for a 6-month subscription, each with their own sign-up page. I also have my own parent page to keep track of things. The sign-in page looks like this:
Smartick sign-in page
The child picks their avatar/name from the log-in page to start a session. Once they do that it opens up to a personalized page welcoming them, and a play button to get started. They click on the green play button...
Starting a Session: Welcome page
To find this "how are you feeling" page. My boys usually always picked the sad at the beginning and ended with the happy (they are asked this at the beginning and end of a session)
Starting a Session: How do you feel?
Finally, it's time to get down to work! They answer a series of questions based on the level they are at, and what the task is for the day. Note: if they are just starting the program they will have to do an assessment for the program to place them at the right level (this took a few days for my boys).
On this particular day, my son Alex who is 3rd grade is just working on some addition. Each problem that he works through gets him closer to another tick (the bar at the top in the picture below). This is great to be able to visually see the ticks, but what my boys didn't like was when they finished a bar like the one pictured below, suddenly a whole new bar would appear and they'd have more problems. This frustrated them greatly as they didn't know if/when they would finish. They need to see clearly that a) they are almost done or b) they have a long way to go, but there is an end. I am not sure exactly why that happens. Maybe there's a good reason, and my boys just have to get used to it (which they have).
Starting a Session: An example of a problem.
Smartick is fun and engaging. Other than my boys thinking it took forever to do, they seemed to really enjoy the pictures, sounds, and fun things. There is a store where they can spend their ticks. My 3rd grader decided to earn enough ticks to buy a soccer outfit for his avatar. That was motivating for him! He was very excited when he reached that goal.
The 3rd grader working on a session
One other thing about Smartick is that it's timed. This kinda stressed my boys out at first, but it's another thing they got used to, and it was actually a really good thing. It pushed them to not waste time, and get faster at their mental math. The program keeps track of how quickly the child is answering the questions, and I get a daily report of how well they did in each session. They liked it when I said the report was "OUTSTANDING" and this was another motivator for them.
The 3rd grader working on a session.
Overall, I think this is a great online math program. I love how it works and gauges where the child is in their math journey and presents new lessons or logic questions as the child progresses. It's engaging and challenging at the same time. It really pushes the child to just past what they think they can do. Give it a try for free. I believe there's a free trial, so see for yourself!
Or you can also read what other crew members had to say by clicking on the image below.
My kids are always telling me that they want to get better at drawing, so I was excited to try out this Drawing Program from Creating a Masterpiece. We had used Creating a Masterpiece program a few years ago for a different review, so I was pretty familiar with the quality of the lessons. The drawing lessons are no different. They feel like a real art class with real techniques that we can do from the comfort of our own home!
Creating a Masterpiece--Beginning Drawing lessons
For this online art curriculum, we received a year's subscription to all the drawing courses. This included all the beginning, level 1, level 2, and level 3 lessons. The lessons are presented in video format, and most are split up into several clips for easy access, finding or going back to certain parts. It is also encouraged to obtain high-quality art materials, so we had to purchase a set of real drawing pencils, and special paper to get started. We could easily find the materials we needed at the local art or craft store or online. In fact some we already had on hand from previous art kits, so check your supplies too, you might just have something already on hand! The main materials used are different hardness of pencils, charcoal, and colored pencils.
Before I introduced this to my kiddos, I gave the first lesson a try. I wasn't sure how difficult it would be.
Mom's drawing of a "Giraffe in cartoon" from the beginning level, lesson 1
After doing it myself, I decided to let my younger 2 give a try. I had a 6th grader and a 3rd grader try out the first lesson. It was a little too hard for the 3rd grader, but he gave it a good try. It is definitely more fit for middle school and above, I think. Although, I think if he had more patience, he could have probably had more success.
3rd grader watching the lesson introduction, and doodling on his paper.
My early middle schooler did a bit better, and this would definitely fit him better. He was able to make a nice drawing, but he didn't want me to post a picture of it, so out of respect, I am not putting it on here. He wasn't thrilled with how it came out.
6th grader drawing "giraffe in cartoon"
There are a total of 4 levels of drawing lessons included in this subscription, but we didn't even make it past the beginning. Here is a glimpse of the 3 other levels and the projects included:
Creating a Masterpiece--Level 1 lessons
Creating a Masterpiece--Level 2 lessons
Creating a Masterpiece--Level 3 Lessons
I think this is a great drawing program. It teaches real techniques to get some great artwork, so if you have a budding artist this is definitely a great program for that. My daughter (age 18) who draws very well now said she would have liked this back in her learning to draw years.
If you want to see what other crew members had to say about this drawing program you can click on the image below. They have all received the same program, but they may have done different drawings! Go check them out!
We received physical soft-cover copies of these books. They are a nice size for children's books (about the size of most chapter books in height and width), and about 120 pages each. This can be a pretty easy read for an older child. When my older son was still interested in reading these (10-year-old) He read through one in a day. It takes my 8-year-old a little longer because we read it aloud together. The chapters are a good length that we don't feel like it's too long to get to the next one, so a reading session is usually a chapter or two and takes about 15 minutes.
What are these books about?
Each book in the series has its own new bible story where two kids, Peter and Mary, are staying with their Great Uncle Solomon who is an archaeologist with a lot of old artifacts around his house. Uncle Solomon tells the children of all his adventures including the Legend of the Hidden Scrolls. These Scrolls would allow the children to travel back in time to Bible times, and there they would learn and discover more about their favorite bible stories than they had ever known before by living through the story and interacting with the people and events of the time. These books can be read in order or they can be read independently.
In Book 5 Peter and Mary and their dog Hank travel back in time to meet David from the story of David and Goliath. They get a little glimpse of David and his story, and they get to travel with David to the battlefront to visit his brothers where they get to battle the familiar enemy. They have to solve the Secret of the Hidden Scroll before the time is up or they'll be stuck forever.
In Book 6 Peter, Mary, and their dog Hank travel back in time to Babylon into the story of Daniel and the lion's den. They meet Daniel and learn of the evil plot to get rid of him, helping him all along the way, and solving the secrets on the scroll before time runs out.
I love these kinds of books. The ones where kids travel back in time to an important time in history and learn great lessons from the people or places they visit. They are full of adventure and give kids a little glimpse of what things might have happened at that time. These books would be a great addition to any kids' library. If you'd like to see what others had to say about these books you can click on the banner below.
We had a blast with another great product from Brain Blox! I wrote about the chess set a few days ago that we loved, but they also sent us this set of Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks to try out as well. We have really enjoyed the endless ways to play with them.
We received a box of 200 planks with a nice drawstring carry bag to store them in, and a little booklet with some building ideas. As soon as my son saw what was in the box he couldn't wait to dig in and play. The box opening was just as fun as playing for this kid. He was full of excitement and curiosity as he opened the box.
As he opened the box he first discovered the red drawstring backpack for storing the planks in. It was all nice and neatly folded up.
After pulling that and the idea booklet out he finally made his way to the planks. They were all so neatly organized in the box. He just had to dig them all up!
He opted to build his own thing for his very first project. He built some stairs!
I tried out something from the idea booklet. I made the bridge. There are no directions on how to build the ideas, just a picture, so I had to figure out what blocks were needed that weren't visible in the picture. A great way to use visual cues and build the brain!
We also had the opportunity to use some of the additional free resources at the Brain Blox website. There are a few additional things available there including more brain puzzles, additional building ideas, and some printable "let's build!" cards. We chose to print up a few of those cards to try out. The kids had fun with those. I wish I could print them all up!
The 200 piece plank set is a good number to build with multiple children or to make really big/tall structures. There is also a 100 piece, or a 300 piece set available. I would almost prefer the 300 pieces set since I have 3 boys and they all seem to want to build at the same time. They would have to take turns if they wanted to build something like this tower.
Even building big towers requires a lot of thinking. He had to figure out how to make it sturdy and decided that a platform would keep it so. He also had to make a decision on how to best knock down his tower so it would fall the way he wanted to. Watch this video to see how he pulled one precise plank out of the bottom to knock it down.
The building planks provide so many fun opportunities to learn and build brain connections. As my son was building his tower he discovered how cool it was to look down inside it too. He loved it so much he asked for a camera to take a picture of the view. Looking at things from a different angle sure does give a different perspective! What a cool view! I love that he discovered that new way of looking at his tower.
I am so glad these come with a nice storage bag, and that it's labeled! I don't have to guess what's in the bag, and it's a bright red to capture attention. It's nice and sturdy too. The cloth is thick, and doesn't feel like it will fall apart! Thanks, Brain Blox!
Overall, I'm pretty sure you've realized by now that I'm very happy with Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks. Such a good quality product with so many ideas and creative ways to use them. I would highly recommend putting these on your Christmas lists, or even investing in them for your homeschool. I know I want to get more!
If you'd like to see what other crew review members have to say about these, you can click on the image below.
