finally friday

It the end of the week, toward the end of our "official" school year.  We will be doing some schooling all through the summer, but won't feel the pressure after we officially end.  So, with it being Friday, we have big plans.  They include a T-ball game, a softball game, pictures at the chiropractor for Howard, and Target shopping.  Howard and I may throw in one of our wild trips to Winco for more bread, milk and that kind of thing.

I know, you can hardly contain your envy.  I get to go to Target with all 5 kids, after we hit Big 5 for some hiking boots.  And we are clothes shopping.  It will be so fun, like going on a tour with a pack of wild monkeys.  Hopefully we will emerge with at least one happy kid.  That kid will most likely not be Annie.  The orthodontist did some wicked stuff to her teeth yesterday.  She took an Aleve, and guess what?  The pain is still raging.

If I am still sane after we return, I may post pictures of our booty.  As in treasure.  Not our booties, cause no one wants to see that.  Especially if Adam has an accident in the store.
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Okay, here are the results of the trip: 3 skirts for Sarah, 2 skirts for Laura, 1 pack of unmentionables, 1 pack of socks for Adam, a white polo shirt for Adam,a skirt for Emma, a shirt for me, lunch at Del Taco, 4 shirts for Annie, hiking boots for Annie for Girls Camp and 4 pairs of flip flops.  Grand Total:  $155.00  That is not too shabby.  We have been waiting and budgeting for this trip.  Our max was $170, and we weren't planning on lunch.  And we all still like each other, which is an accomplishment. 

CapJaxMathFax-TOS review

CapJaxMathFax is a downloadable program that reinforces math facts in a way that encourages kids to continue. 
We were given a trial for our review.  I had no trouble installing it on the laptop.  I did read on the TOS forum about installing the license, but it would be very doable for most people, and easy for any teen who laughs at their parent's computer skills.  If there is still an issue, there is great customer support available. 

How does it work?  Well, once you are downloaded and logged in and everything, you are taken to the main screen page. 

This is pretty much what it looks like the whole time.  You start at the beginning with the most basic addition and subtraction problems.  Its designed so that kids feel good about their mastery and want to keep going.  It covers addition, subtraction, multiplication and division math facts. The math fact is that there in the middle.  Kids can play for practice, play for a rating or bail.  When they play for a rating, they can keep their personal score.  The goal is to answer correctly and quickly.  Since we installed it on the laptop, we didn't have a number pad, so it also doubled as typing practice!  There are Super facts, which need to be answered in 3 seconds.  Whew!

Where can I find this program?  If you go here, you can see for yourself.

What is the cost? $29.95

Who is this geared toward?  First graders through anyone who needs practice with math facts. 

This is a checklist from the website

Does the program address the full range of computation from addition to division?
Does the program address computation with negative as well as positive values?
Will my student clearly understand the objectives of the program?
Is there positive feedback for my student to enjoy working with the program?
Is feedback immediate?
Does the program allow me to monitor my student's performance over time?
Will the program work at my student's best pace for learning?
Will my student succeed at a rate that is challenging, but not frustrating?
Does the program allow time for my student to reflect on his or her work?
Does the program use timing in a way that that minimizes pressure?
Does the program provide printed reports of my student's success?
Does the program provide graphical reports of success and progress?

Emma reviewed this one for us, which worked out well, as she has just finished her math curriculum and definitely needs some daily practice.  She has been using it daily with no complaint, which is an amazing testimonial. She didn't like the nautical theme at first.  She just didn't get it.  I think she has ignored it and is just focusing on the facts.  Her response time has improved.  I am not expecting overnight mastery, but she is well on her way, and not fighting about it.

To see what others think of this product, go here

*disclaimer*  I was given a license to use this product in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed herein are my own.  

Library and Educational Services-TOS review

                                                                  Go Science DVDs!!!

  Go Science videos are a series of 6 DVD's that present 67 different science demonstrations.  We were offered the choice of any two for this review.  We chose Volume 5:  Air Flight and Volume 6:  Water, Space, Solar System

 The demonstrations are hosted by Ben Roy.  Ben Roy teaches science methods at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is the former director of a science program on television.  He is very  high energy.  He presents various experiments, which are pretty cool.  Our DVDs included but were not limited to: 

-boil water in a paper cup 

-centripetal force 

-egg in the bottle 

-can crush 

-drum crush

-pour air 

-Cartesian diver 

-Bernoulli effect

-make a rocket 

The age range for these presentations is 6-14.  

The price is $14.95 each or $79.95 for the set of 6

To purchase for yourself, go here 

Here is our take on these dvds.  They are marketed as for ages 6-14.  My 4 and 5 year olds watched them.  My 9 and 12 year olds were not captivated at all.  They found the tone was geared toward little kids, talking in a preschool teacher voice.  The experiments were cool to watch, but it was hard to sit through the dialogue.  Even the older kids in the videos looked tortured to be there.  In addition, the sound was not consistent from one demonstration to the next.  It would go from incredibly quiet to blaringly loud.  So, don't watch them back to back, or if you can't find your volume remote.

 They are also Christian-based.  You don't really see much of this in the demonstrations, except at the end, where Ben declares that when we learn more about science, we learn more about our creator, God.  The kids complained that there was no correlation between that statement and the experiments, but it was a nice sentiment.  Oh, the statement was a bit repetitive too. My irreverent kids were parroting it around the house in a less than respectful manner, but I am sure other, nicer kids would appreciate it. 

The can crush and drum crush were really fascinating to watch.  The egg in the bottle intrigued the little kids enough that we had to try it with leftover Easter eggs.  There are no instructions or materials list included with the dvds, so we had to make it up as we went, but we are pretty used to that. It took way longer than in the dvd, but was worth it.

Here is a sample from one of the videos.

To see what other reviewers thought of this series, click here and click on the linky.

*disclaimer*  As a reviewer with TOS, I received these videos in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed herein are my own.

*also, I have no idea what is going on with the text or background colors.  I should ask my 12 year old!