I started Closing Time in 2009, and I have loved writing here. Sometimes, though, it’s just clear when a season ends. I stopped writing here several months ago, and that time has given me a much needed writing break and the opportunity to focus on other things that needed my attention.

Today, I’m happy to announce a brand new writing home. Please come and visit me at:

erinulrich.com

If you are a Closing Time subscriber, you will need to resubscribe at my new site.

I hope to see you there!

Erin

My six year old likes to stay busy. She’s a hands on learner, and the average worksheet has never held much appeal for her. Last year we reviewed All About Reading Pre-Level 1, and she absolutely loved it. The opportunity to review Level 1 of the same program was an absolute gift!

I had very high expectations of All About Reading Level 1. Having used both the Pre-Level 1 as well as All About Spelling 1, I knew that All About Learning Press produces incredible products. That being said, I wondered if this new level would hold the attention of my daughter, who loves new exciting things. Could they hold her interest for a second level?

When the Deluxe Interactive Kit arrived in the mail, I was completely impressed. Level 1 takes the great types of activities and lessons that we loved in the previous level (but at higher difficulty, of course) and combines them with the All About Spelling letter tiles for a complete reading curriculum to fit any learning style. The multisensory approach uses sight, touch, and sound to teach the five components of reading:

• Phonological Awareness
• Phonics and Decoding
• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension

I can’t recommend this one highly enough. Seriously.

I don’t say things like that lightly. We have tried a lot of different reading programs. This one is truly a gem. Completely worth the investment, in my opinion.

The Deluxe Reading Interactive Kit ($48.95) is a one time purchase which will be used for all the levels includes everything you would receive in the Basic Interactive Kit ($28.95):

• Letter Tiles (They recommend that you use the letter tiles on a 2′x3′ magnetic dry erase board)
• Magnets for the Letter Tiles
• The Basic Phonograms CD-ROM
• Reading Divider Cards

and includes three additional components:

• Reading Review Box
• Reading Tote Bag
• Star stickers for your child’s progress chart

We also received the All About Reading Level 1 Kit ($99.95), which includes:

1. Teacher’s Manual  (sample)
2. Student Packet (includes Activity Book)  (sample)
3. Run, Bug, Run! reader  (sample)
4. The Runt Pig reader  (sample)
5. Cobweb the Cat reader  (sample)

Click the links above for samples!

I really do encourage you to check this program out if you have children who are ready (or almost ready) to learn to read. It’s such a solid curriculum from a company that offers great customer service!

To read what my fellow TOS Crew members have to say about this product, click here.

Disclosure: I received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received, and the opinions expressed are my own.

Erin

For homeschooling parents who don’t have a background in piano or music, finding practical, affordable ways to include music in their child’s education can be a challenge. Kinderbach provides a way for parents to do that.

This online, video-based curriculum targets children ages 3-7. Using fun characters, worksheets, and practical application, students learn the basics of music theory and beginning piano. The approach is very entertainment based, which works well for the ages suggested. Each of the six levels includes ten lessons. Multiple learning styles will find appeal in the presentation and application.

You can watch an introductory video here.

Kinderbach is available online for as low as $7.99 per month. You can also purchase the program on DVD & CD with packages starting at $40.45 plus shipping and handling. They also have plenty of extras such as downloadable coloring pages, sheet music, and more.

A free trial of Kinderbach is available on their website. They were also generous to offer a special coupon code for the TOS Homeschool Crew members to share with our readers:

30% off any order – homeschool, classroom, online or DVDs – good for one year!

Coupon Code:  TOScrew2012

To read what other crew members thought about Kinderbach, visit the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog.

Disclosure: I received a free online subscription to Kinderbach for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received, and the opinions expressed are my own.

- Erin

One of the areas I feel least confident in as a homeschooling parent is foreign language. Sure, I had my two years of French in high school, but that hardly makes me an expert.

Because of this, I know that I will lean heavily on solid foreign language curriculum throughout school. And while my girls are learning, I will learn, too.

R.E.A.L Homeschool Spanish, by Dr. Karen Williamson-Coria, is designed to teach Spanish to the whole family. The goal is to allow the parent to learn alongside the child. Created for use with multiple ages, the curriculum provides a flexible framework for foreign language learning.

Built on a conversational framework, Homeschool Spanish teaches practical Spanish vocabulary and language skills. The goal of the program is to enable you to incorporate Spanish throughout your day, with “Home Educator Tips” and “Ideas” to use Spanish in an immersion environment.

The unit lessons are made up of vocabulary clusters and phrases. There are a total of 33 vocabulary clusters and 15 sections of ideas (3-4 pages each). There are fun and practical ideas for incorporating Spanish into your day.

The company’s website has an excellent selection of online resources, including puzzles, games, songs, recipes, videos, history and culture, and much more. The activity sheets for each lesson make learning and reviewing the vocabulary and grammar fun. This, combined with the practical vocabulary and language selections of the lessons creates a great mix for learning the language.

My biggest struggle in teaching and learning a foreign language is pronunciation. I must rely heavily on the audio portions of the program to ensure correct pronunciation. Unfortunately, this is where Homeschool Spanish fell short for me. I received the downloadable MP3 version of the audio. The introduction and short music interludes sound fine. The vocabulary sections were recorded in a manner that is hard on my ears. For ears unfamiliar with Spanish pronunciation (particularly children), it is hard to get the exact pronunciation. It also moves very quickly through the vocabulary list. The conversation sections of the audio are even more difficult. They are recorded with an effect on the voices that makes it very hard, especially for my children. For my family, the most important part of the curriculum, learning to pronounce the words properly, is the weakest part because of the recording itself. I was very disappointed by this.

There is always a chance that there is something strange about the particular files I received, or that it isn’t playing properly on my computer. However, I am using iTunes on my Mac, and everything else works fine. As I mentioned before, the introduction to each track sounds fine. It truly sounds to me (and my husband who has experience with professional audio & video recording) that it is an issue with the way the recording itself was done.

Because of the audio issue, I think R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish would be a great program for a parent who already speaks Spanish to use with their children. They key components of vocabulary and learning activities are all there. But for our family, with no background in Spanish, it unfortunately is not an effective learning tool. In our case, it would be a great supplement to another language program.

Homeschool Spanish is available as a download or hard copy purchase:

You can purchase the program and read more about all it has to offer here.

You can also read more reviews at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Disclosure: I received the download package of Homeschool Spanish for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received, and the opinions expressed are my own.

- Erin

Both of my daughters ask a lot of questions about nutrition. They come by it fair and square. I’m the kind of grocery shopper who reads the ingredient list of almost everything I put in my cart. If I pick up and item and toss it in without reading the label, it’s probably because I’ve read it before.

Talk about healthy foods occurs pretty regularly in our home. I’m often surprised at the interest my girls show. Having open dialog on the subject from an early age really has an impact!

The lessons are divided into three categories:

• Food & Drink
• Health & Wellness
• Healthy Lifestyles

In the Food & Drink section, children learn why we eat food, what kinds of food are healthy, types of food to avoid, and how to begin growing a garden. Hands-on activities introduce kids to working in the kitchen, meal planning, and a great selection of fun (and healthy) recipes. These recipes are perfect for my almost six year old! She loves helping in the kitchen and is particularly interested in learning about being healthy these days! I love that Vintage Remedies for Kids gives me the opportunity to give her the cooking fun she craves while teaching her to create healthy meals from such an early age!

The Health & Wellness section teaches children that being healthy involves more than just the food we put in our mouths. Children learn about cleanliness, bacteria, natural solutions to common illnesses.

In the Healthy Lifestyles portion of the book, children are taught to be responsible for their impact on our world.

The 18 lessons in Vintage Remedies for Kids are perfect for preschool and early elementary ages. There is enough information to satisfy children who enjoy being read to, like my older daughter. At the same time, the hands-on activities are perfect for those busy little ones like my younger daughter. The lessons are easily adaptable. The “Read to Me” sections could be read directly to the child, or they could be discussed during the activities. Another huge plus is that you can use this with multiple ages at once. This book is perfect as a health curriculum for homeschoolers, but it is equally well suited for the non-homeschooling parent who wants to teach their child about good health.

Vintage Remedies for Kids is available for purchase for $25 here. The 201 page, spiral-bound book is 5.5″ x 8.5″ in size. This is just one of the many resources Vintage Remedies has to offer. Their other titles include Vintage Remedies for Guys, Vintage Remedies for Girls, Vintage Remedies for Tweens, The Kitchen Herbal, The Vintage Remedies Guide to Real Food, and The Vintage Remedies Guide to Bread.

The Kitchen Herbal, which explores the use and benefits of 18 traditional culinary herbs, is a tremendous resource for any home! I highly recommend it to you!

My fellow TOS Homeschool Crew members reviewed this as well as other Vintage Remedies books. Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog to read more!

Disclosure: I received Vintage Remedies for Kids free of charge for the purpose of this review. As a special thank you gift, Vintage Remedies also sent me a copy of their book, The Kitchen Herbal. No other compensation was received, and the opinions expressed are my own.

I need more time. I bet you do, too. It’s impossible add minutes or hours to the day, so the only answer is to be a good steward of the time we have.

As a parent, part of my job is to teach my children to manage their time well. That’s hard to do if I can’t manage my own time. I’ll be honest, I have not done very well with that this year. When I try to fit too many things into a small amount of time, it just doesn’t work very well.

You can imagine how glad we were to receive the Time Timer! It’s great to have a concrete time teaching tool like this available.

I had one question that needed to be answered right away.

Does it tick?

I really can’t stand ticking clocks. Neither can my husband. I was surprised and very happy to learn that the Time Timer does not make any ticking sound! What a relief.

The most helpful feature of the Time Timer is that my children can actually see the passage of time. With it’s patented red disk, the Time Timer helps children gain a concept of time. It was developed by Jan Rogers over 20 years ago to help her inquisitive four year old grasp time.

The product is very easy to use, and my girls quickly took it over as their own. There are so many possibilities for using the Time Timer:

• clean up time
• homeschool
• homework
• reading time
• TV or computer time
• pretend play
• cooking

The 3″ model has a protective cover that also doubles as a stand. When we first received it, I was a bit concerned about durability, but the Time Timer has not had any trouble with my girls repeated use. The ending signal is not super loud, which can be a pro or a con depending on your perspective. The Time Timer also has an option for turning of the ending signal.

The Time Timer is used frequently in schools and is excellent for those who have special needs.

In addition to the 3″ Time Timer, there are also 8″ and 12″ models available. In addition, there are watches, apps for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, and computer software for teaching time. You can see their whole line of products here.

The Time Timer 3″ is available for $30 at www.timetimer.com.

My fellow TOS Crew members reviewed the Time Timer, as well as the iPad app. Visit the TOS Crew Blog to read more!

 Disclosure: We received the Time Timer 3″ free of charge for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received, and the opinions expressed are my own.

Keyboard Town Pals Learn to Type makes learning to type simple for children ages 6-12. In just an hour, the program covers all a child needs to know to learn to type (letters and simple punctuation).

The program itself is simple. The rows of letters on the keyboard are each given a name. The middle row is Home Key Street, with Uptown and Downtown being the other two. There are eight lessons, each one named after a key (or keys) in Home Town Street.

• Lesson 1 – Left Hand Amy
• Lesson 2 – Left Hand Sam
• Lesson 3 – Left Hand Dora
• Lesson 4 – Left Hand Frank & George
• Lesson 5 – Right Hand Jane & Helen
• Lesson 6 – Right Hand Kay
• Lesson 7 – Right Hand Larry
• Lesson 8 – Right Hand Semicolon

The child is guided through the learning process by a Sun, who looks a bit strange but has a very kind voice. Everything is explained very clearly. Each lesson focuses on a particular finger, and covers all the keys that finger is used for in typing.

The Helper Hand shows the child how to type each letter.

One of the biggest perks of the program, in my opinion, is that it takes a very laid back approach. There is no focus on speed or drilling. There is no “punishment” for making a mistake. It is just learning to type at its simplest. The creators have achieved that goal very well. Sometimes learning games apply pressure and feel almost stressful. That is certainly not that case here, and I greatly appreciate that!

With only eight lessons in the program, repetition is certainly required for mastery. The claim is that the program teaches your child to type in one hour. It covers the material in one hour, but of course, anyone needs more than an hour to truly master the skills. If your child doesn’t mind repetition, this program can do that. However, if they need a lot of variety, they may find themselves wanting something new.

The puppets seem geared for younger children, but the age of the program is 6-12. I think the younger side of that age range is more accurate, due to the nature of the puppets, tone of voice of the characters, etc.

Keyboard Town Pals Learn to Type is available as a web-based program for $30. You can purchase a CD-ROM version for $35. In addition, finger puppets, concentration cards, coloring pages, and other items are available for purchase on their website. You can find it all here.

To read what other TOS Crew members had to say about Keyboard Town Pals, read their reviews here.

Disclosure: I received an online trial of this program free of charge for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received, and the opinions expressed are my own.

Ooka Island is a downloadable 3D virtual learning world that promotes literacy in preschool through second grade children. With its combination of phonological awareness, rich vocabulary, and learning activities, Ooka Island uses proven methods to create fluency.

The Ooka Method was developed by Ooka Island Founder and President, Dr. Kay MacPhee. Dr. MacPhee’s first reading intervention program, SpellRead, was recognized as one of the top rated intervention programs by the US Department of Education’s What Works Clearing House, the leading authority in analyzing results of educational programs. Notably, SpellRead was rated #1 for improvement in reading comprehension.

In addition to the solid method of instruction, the feature that stood out most to me is the way Ooka Island guides the child through each step of the process. The introduction gives an overview of the entire program: the different games, goals, and steps. It was so helpful for me as a parent to be able to grasp what was going on and where we were going early in the program. During each activity, there are wonderful instructions for the child. There is no confusion and wondering what you’re supposed to be doing. This is a huge perk! There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to figure out something that is supposed to be fun. With Ooka Island, that is definitely not a problem!

My girls did not care for the appearance of the characters, particularly the elves and the pigs. They thought they looked strange and a little creepy. This may be an issue for some families if their children are sensitive to such things.

The learning aspects of the program are excellent. The child’s play adapts to fit her level, as the program’s algorithm makes adjustments based on performance. Real-time data is collected as the child works her way though the program. This allows the parent to track progress, identify areas that need more work, and have a record of learning.

Below is pricing information Ooka Island:

 Visit the Ooka Island site for more info, videos, and to sign up today! You can get a free trial here.

Visit the TOS Crew Blog for more reviews of Ooka Island!

Disclosure: I received this free of charge for the purpose of this review.

We interrupt this school year with an important news flash…

First Start Reading and Classical Phonics from Memoria Press is now my five-year-old’s favorite part of the school day!

That is saying a lot. My little one has not shown much interest in writing. She wants to read, but has not wanted to put in the work it takes to learn. She is busy and likes to have fun!

When I opened our box from Memoria Press, it caught me by surprise. This curriculum is simply adorable! Then I opened the books, and it got even better!

First Start Reading: Phonics, Reading, and Printing teaches children the sounds of consonants and short vowels, as well as manuscript printing. Children learn 45 common words. With each letter, children have a coloring picture and the opportunity to draw a picture based on the lesson. With a quick start to reading, students feel a sense of accomplishment from the very first lesson.

Classical Phonics: A Child’s Guide to Word Mastery is an excellent companion to First Start Reading.  It is perfect for Kindergarten and 1st Grade! It relies heavily on phonics mastery, and it is an adorable, excellent tool in teaching little ones to read!

You can view further information and download samples of both here.

This is truly an excellent curriculum, and I highly recommend it!! Not only is this a high quality curriculum, it is also extremely affordable. The prices are as follows:

First Start Reading $29.95 (includes Books A, B, C, & Teacher Guide)

Classical Phonics $14.95

You can order these great products and see all the other curriculum that Memoria Press has to offer here.

My fellow TOS Crew members reviewed these items, as well as First Form Latin, here.

Disclosure: I received these items free of charge for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received, and the opinions expressed are my own.

Relevant is only two days away, and I’m incredibly excited to be going back again this year! Brooke and Erin are hosting a fun link-up, so I’m sharing the ten things my Relevant roomies should know about me.

I have two roomies this year. One is Logan, from Life for Dessert. Logan and I are IRL buddies, we go to the same church, our kids love each other, and we’ll be traveling together. I can’t wait for her to experience her first blogging conference! My other roomie is a dear friend whom I have never met in person. Kristin, of The Schell Cafe, and I bonded while I was working on her blog design, and we’ve been buddies ever since. Kristin is one of the most encouraging people I know, and I can’t wait to see her face to face!

So I have to pick 10 things…hmmmm….

1. I lose things. When it comes to organization, I tend towards extremes. It’s all or nothing! Last year, I repeatedly lost my hairbrush in the hotel room. Seriously. Just ask Melissa.

2. I need to eat often. If you notice me acting irritable or slightly irrational, just tell me to eat. My metabolism is high, and if I don’t eat frequently, I feel really, really bad. And then I’m not fun. So I’m bringing snacks!

3. I come overprepared. I will pack too much stuff, because I might need something. That’s why my suitcase was too full last year…and my hairbrush got lost in it.

4. This year I will not bring coffee. Last year I didn’t know what the coffee situation would be like. My coffee has to be strong and good! So I brought my own. And my own little Mini Moo half-and-half supply. You know….just in case. Thankfully, Sarah Mae knows how important coffee truly is, and I feel confident that my coffee needs will be met this year!

5. I forget to take photos. So please, please remind me to take more this year! Last year I only took about five pictures, and I later regretted it!

6. I am really bad at remembering people’s names. I do try, I promise. Since you’re my roomies, I will remember yours. But I hope other people won’t mind if I ask their name more than once!

7. I hate white noise. I really hope neither of you is bringing a noise machine. Because it will keep me Awake. All. Night. I’ll bring my earplugs just in case.

8. I am not a shoe person. I mean, I do wear shoes. But shoes for me have to be functional…and comfortable. My crazily narrow heels and an old foot injury make life tough in that area. So there is not doubt that Logan will win the cutest boots in the room contest (unless Kristin has some serious Texas boot tricks up her sleeve)!

9. I am slightly intimidated by my roommates’ recipe-creating-prowess. I love to cook! But I don’t love to create new culinary masterpieces. So I’m happy that both of my roomies do that for me. Then I can just follow directions. And if you are reading this and don’t already read my roomies’ blogs, you are seriously missing out! Two suggestions:  Fig and Sausage Pizza and Bacon, Prosciutto, and Swiss Puff Pastry Quiche.

10. I’m a really unlikely candidate for this whole online world, social media, blogging, conference going thing. It’s really funny. I’m a really private person. I don’t like to put myself out there. Yet here I am… I know God has a purpose in it, and I’m loving the journey, but sometimes I just have to stop and laugh!

So there you have it…can’t wait to see many of you there!

This post is linked at A Life in Need of Change and Home with the Boys, as well as Top Ten Tuesday at Oh Amanda.