This year we have focused on interest led Science. Instead of working with a curriculum like I have in the past I chose to let the kids ask questions and answer them Scientifically. When I was invited to review Eat Your Science Homework from Ann McCallum Books I knew I had to jump on it. R loves to spend time in the kitchen cooking and she loves it even more when she can cook with me.

What did I receive? 
I received the Eat Your Science Homework book from Ann McCallum Books.

How were the lessons set up?

These weren’t your typical sit down and do book work lessons. Instead you start with a basic understanding of the Science concept. It generally ends with an invitation to make something delicious.
On the next page you will find a recipe that will go well with the lesson. Throughout the steps of the recipe there will be questions related to the lesson that your child can answer as they cook.
After the recipe you will find another page that wraps up the lesson. This page will have information that goes a little deeper, pictures of things relevant to the lesson, and fun facts that kids will enjoy.

What did I think of it? 

R and I started with the Atomic Popcorn Balls for a sweet treat. She was able to relate well with the lesson on atoms. Because she is 9 we also made time for a Magic School Bus episode that would help her really grasp the concept.
The recipe was very easy for her to help with. I would advise having your popcorn made and separated before starting any cooking though. R really enjoyed building her H2O and looked in to other things she could build using her popcorn balls. I liked that while I had to help her with some of the components of the recipe for the most part she was able to do it.

We also decided to try out the Pizza Lasagna. This lesson focused on sedimentary rocks. We were able to read through the lesson together and then start cooking as a team. R was able to make the entire recipe without any real assistance from me. The only help she needed was making sure she wasn’t reading numbers backwards due to dyslexia. She really seemed to learn a lot both from the book work and the process. While the food was cooking we looked up different types of rocks so that R could have a deeper understanding of the concepts presented.
I won’t lie. One of my favorite parts of this lesson was the fact that I didn’t have to cook dinner. There are few things better than completing a lesson and having dinner cooked all at the same time. I will give this book bonus points for getting my daughter to be the one cooking dinner. R even asked if we could purchase the other books in the series. I think that is the biggest recommendation for the book you will find.

How easy is Eat Your Science Homework to use?

This book is so easy to use. As long as you have the supplies on hand to prepare the meals you are set to have a great time learning. Some of the recipes require adult help for my 9 year old while others she did without any assistance.

Where can I buy it? 

You can purchase Eat Your Science Homework  from Ann McCallum books as well as many other stores in your area that sell books.

What did I receive? 
I received a full year subscription to the SmartKidz Media Library for Homeschoolers.

How was the site set up?  

This site was broken in to categories based on what you could be looking for. Some of the categories include World of Discovery, Music & Fine Arts, Mighty Ebook Collection, Baby Signs Program, My Animal Family, Learning Special needs, and even the Fun Zone.

Each category takes you to a page filled with content that fits that category. Some sections are more full than others but all sections have some content your child can dig into.

What did I think of it? 

R and C were both excited to try SmartKidz Media the minute I told them what it was.  R scoured each part of the animal section and spent hours with me watching and learning about animals. Some videos were more her style than others.

Some of the videos were shorter while others offered longer videos to help the child learn more. R spent a good deal of her time watching the animal videos. She really didn’t seem interested in any of the other sections on the site. Her favorite video of all was definitely the Wonderful World Magnificent Beasts. That may have a lot to do with it having a tiger on the cover though.

For C, the videos about snakes and such were more of a hit. He also really enjoyed the fun section filled with games that were right on his level. He did not like the fact that the games were repetitive in nature. Once he completed the game it was always the same game each time.
C also enjoyed the Mighty Ebook Collection. His favorite book was the Woodpecker Knockin’. He enjoyed the simplicity of the stories combined with bright colorful images. These ebooks are not of the interactive variety so don’t expect for your child to be able to do anything with them. These are more like an audio book with flash animation. The words are highlighted as the story is read in case you child would like to read along.

How easy is it to use? 
This site is very easy to log in to and use. The site is designed so that even if I weren’t watching it with my children they would be able to pick out something they want to watch and enjoy it. My only hope in the future is that they would consider a roku app so that we could stream this on our television instead of our computer or tablet.

How much does it cost? 
12 months of access is $99. That comes out to less than $9 a month. That is not a bad price at all for educational media whether you are using it for fun or to add media to a lesson you are teaching.

If you have been reading for long you know what my daughter struggles with Dyslexia. Part of that includes trouble with spelling, building words, and vocabulary. When I was offered a chance to review WordBuild Foundations Level 1 from Dynamic Literacy as part of the review crew I said yes. I would love to tell you more about our experience.

What did I receive? 
I received the Foundations Level 1 which included a Teacher Book, Student Book, and Basic Activity Book.

How were the lessons set up? 

There is a basics book you can start with. I really liked this book because it was smaller and let R get used to the way the lessons would be laid out.

Each page offers simple directions that are easy to understand. The lesson will start with a Magic Word Box where you will build the words you will learn about in the coming pages. After doing your word building you will move to the next page and go deeper with those words. This can include definitions, using the word in a sentence, fill-in-the-blanks, and word searches.

As your child does the lessons they will learn how to make compound words, make words plural, and change tense, as well as many other things.

What did I think of it? 

R was not sure about the Word Build Foundations Level 1 when it came in. In fact, I think she said, “more work? Really?” Once she found that the layout was designed to be easy for her to use she was a bit happier with it.  She also really liked the fact that she was able to start with a smaller book filled with lessons before getting into the larger book. This gave her the opportunity to work on some basic skills before stepping into the curriculum.

Another thing that R really seemed to enjoy was the layout of the lessons. Each lesson works on the skills using a different format. For instance, the one in the picture above worked on building words using root words. This was great practice for R. Depending on the level of independence your child has, they could work on this alone. R started this page alone and I worked with her to complete it because there were some words she didn’t recognize.

Word searches are also a great part of these books. R didn’t love them as much but it had nothing to do with the curriculum. She just wanted them to be about the subject she wanted. Once she set out to do them they were easy enough for her to complete and to do a great job with. I really like that the lessons don’t stick to one learning style. There is a variety to it which keeps things more engaging for the child.

In this curriculum you will see the Magic Square Box a lot. This a great way to have children work on the skills in place in a fun way.

How easy is it to use? 
Word Build Foundations Level 1 is very simple to use. The book seems to be set up so that a child can work independently and not feel overwhelmed with the assignments. There also didn’t seem to be a lot of time for me to invest in teaching the information.

How much does it cost? 
The Word Build Foundations Level 1 that I started with is $82.99 and can be purchased at Dynamic Literacy.

However, you can use code couponqueen www.dynamichomeschool.com for 25% off the books or at www.wordbuildonline.com for 10% off the online option.