Thursday, December 31, 2009

Practical Jokes for Moms

It wasn't my idea, but I quickly agreed to play along...

With the break for the holidays, I've been setting up quite a few play dates for my kids. This week my son had someone new over, spurred by a mutual interest in Legos. The morning the boys were to get together, the mom asked me if I'd play along with a little joke she was pulling on her son.

She told him they were participating in a half-day math seminar that afternoon. She made him pack up his math book and they were on their way to our house, practicing flash cards on the way. When he arrived, I had the following waiting for him by our kitchen table.

He just sort of paused at the board when he saw it. I can only imagine what was going through his head. The plan was to eat lunch first, then go on to the "seminar". After lunch, our guest whispered to his mom if it would be ok to play for a little while. Her response was, "Now A, do you know why we are here?" He sort of hung his head and said, "I know..."

When she announced he was over to play...and only play...his face looked like it was Christmas morning! He was such a good sport, and very happy to not do math that afternoon.

Then I had a thought. I had no clue the meaning of the formulas I used for the board. Having graduated with an engineering degree, I'm sure I did at one time. I'll need a refresher before my oldest hits calculus in high school. Maybe I'm the one that should be spending the afternoon doing math. I guess the joke was on me!

Monday, December 28, 2009

Strange and Unique Gifts

There are at least a couple each year. You know, the gift that gets numerous comments at the family gathering and is usually followed by, "Where on earth did you find that?" Then there are the gifts that provoke no comment, yet fill your head with thoughts about why the giver thought it might be appropriate for you.

Most gifts our family received this Christmas were right from wish lists or fairly standard. However, two stuck out this year. The first isn't a strange item on its own, but I thought it rather strange as a generic Christmas gift given without explanation to someone who has been happily married for 15 years.


Now, I'm sure Dr. Laura has lots of wonderful advice and I have nothing against her. However, I have to wonder if the giver thinks I'm in a rocky marriage! It may be a great book, but it just makes you wonder if it is perhaps some cryptic message or judgment? Just wondering...but not asking. At least it wasn't a weight loss book.

The second item falls within the unique category...giant marshmallows! What fun!

My son and daughter happily received these, with cocoa and jumbo mugs, from a grandparent. They are pictured with a standard sized coffee mug and mini marshmallows. I had to ask the gifter where they got these mammoth globs of squishy sugar. Unfortunately, it was clear on the other side of the country. However, through my friend named Google, I discovered they can be purchased here. I bet these would be a hit with all ages at winter parties.

What strange and unique Christmas gifts did you receive this year?

Plays, Legos, and Holidays

The last few weeks have been very hectic. I had planned a nice relaxed schedule the beginning of this year, but things never go as planned. Thankfully, our time-sinking activities have all come to a close within 2 weeks of each other. I'm not quite sure what to do with myself yet. I'm sure I'll fill my schedule soon enough though.

Updates...

My kids went to the FLL (First Lego League) State Championship on Dec 14th. Being a rookie team, their participation was a complete shocker. They did great and earned a 2nd place in "Creative Presentation". That really pleased my daughter, who wrote the skit for the play. I don't have a pic of the trophy, but do have a pic from mid-presentation where strawberries come to life and tell dreaming scientists the solution to their problem. My son is on the far left. Notice the interesting hair-do of the only girl on the team? That is because she had a play performance the same day and we had to leave mid-competition for her role of Amy in Little Women. It seemed that the schedule was going to work out fine, as the competition powers-that-be accommodated our request for a morning schedule. However, we later discovered that the team was called back to present again for finals. That was problematic because she had most of the lines. Another team member played dual roles and all worked out fine.

While being involved in Little Women was a wonderful experience, it was the biggest time sink of all, especially the last two weeks. Rehearsals built their way up to six hours long and the last week involved seven performances. I felt it was "all about the hair" because my main job was to make stick-straight, waist-long hair into ringlets. The hairspray brand Got 2 B Glued was my best friend that week. Overall, the experience was awesome for my daughter and she was very sad when it was all over. She loved working with the all adult professional actors and actresses and they treated her just like one of them. Below are pics of the sisters in a play acting scene with Laurie and the scene where Amy (my dd) shares how she got in trouble over pickled limes. The performances are shadow interpreted with ASL, which is very interesting to watch. One of the interpreters is standing behind dd in the pickled limes scene.


Christmas is always a wonderful time of the year. It was more hectic than usual this year, but we had a very relaxing Christmas day as a family. I hope yours was just as memorable!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Review: Tektoma


Most times, we homeschoolers like to learn right along with our kids. Usually, it is one of the perks of homeschooling. There have been areas, however, where I've felt I either just didn't have room in my brain to learn or knew my kids would be better off getting a jump start with someone else to show them the ropes. Usually this involves something techy. Not that I don't like learning techy things, but my learning curve is rather flat in this area.

Do you have a gamer in your life? Are they interested in programming their own games? Is learning game design low on your list for brain stretching activities or just something of zero interest for you?

Tektoma, created by Tom Marx and Matilda O'Connor as an extension to their offline summer camps, is designed for wanna-be game programmers ages 7-17.

Tektoma offers members:
  • 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 video tutorials of this subscription website make use of the free Game Maker software. Six video tutorials, ranging in length from 1 - 2 1/2 hours, take students step-by-step through creation of a video game. There are also currently six shorter tutorials that teach individual components. To assist with learning, a forum is available to post questions about the tutorials and make requests for new tutorials. You can see a list and description of all the tutorials here. In addition to learning to create games, members are able to both download and share games created with Game Maker.

My son was initially excited about the 3-month subscription I was given for this review. He already enjoys playing video games and the thought of creating them on his own was certainly intriguing. While he started out with vigor, the tutorials were really too long to keep his interest. I think the combination of the attention required and the little details that go into creating a game, made the tutorials not a great fit for my son. His attention span is perfect for playing fast-paced games, but not so great for the detail and time required to create them.

Next, I had my almost-teen give a tutorial a try. She is a bit more techy and has put hours in creating websites. She isn't a big gamer though. She does like them enough to happily try out the site. She got quite a bit farther into the tutorial than my son before she lost interest. She had fun while trying it, but wasn't really motivated to work at it more.

One issue both of my kids had was they made a mistake somewhere during the tutorial and the game didn't work at the next step. Both of them did this in different areas and it was a stopping point for each. They could have easily gone back to watch the tutorial to find their mistake, but the novelty had worn off at that point. My son decided he'd rather play games or Legos and my daughter wandered off as well, likely to work on a website or less techy adventure in drawing or reading. When given the option for help in trouble shooting to complete the tutorial or to try a different one a week or so later, both declined.

My son had the initial interest, but not the attention span. My daughter had the attention span, but marginal interest. The next to try was one with marginal attention and zero interest, and might I add, zero skill- yours truly!

The tutorials are very easy to follow. Each step is explained and shown on screen. You do need to have Game Maker and the tutorial running at the same time. This means you either need to run one from a laptop while you work on another computer, or size the windows and switch back and forth. The latter was doable, but did require a lot of pausing of the tutorial to switch screens to perform the task. This made the time required to complete the already lengthy tutorial longer.

The tutorials are divided up in segments. It would be easy to watch just a few portions, save your game, and come back to it at a later time. This won't satisfy those that need instant gratification of a completed game, but would be a good solution for those with enough interest in the details, but who need shorter tutorial segments.

Tektoma was created in 2009 and is still developing. I liked that request for tutorials can be made on the Discussion Forum. While there doesn't appear to be much recent activity on the forums, previous discussions seemed to have reasonable responses for both help in programming and requests. The online support and interaction is a helpful feature for those that desire to take things a step further.

For our family, this wasn't a great fit. If you have a child interested or just starting out in gaming, Tektoma may be a perfect solution to getting them started with little effort on your part. It is not for the marginally interested nor the marginally attentive, however. The tutorials are easy to follow for those with both the attention and interest. The first 40-minutes of the racing game tutorial is available for preview. This would be an excellent way to determine a fit for your student. The resulting games are not the sophisticated games of today, but the focus isn't on the end result so much as it is the process. Those looking to work with Game Maker software and wanting some hand holding may get quite a bit out of a Tektoma subscription.

Tektoma is available for a $14.95/month or $140/year. This is a very inexpensive option to in-person tech courses, based on our personal participation in similar camps. There is also a 14-day free trial.* Visit the Tektoma website to learn more about the service or to obtain a subscription.

*To take advantage of the free trial, you must become a member and cancel within 14 days.

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew's blog to read more reviews on this product and others.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew, a team of 100+ homeschooling parents. While the product was provided at no expense to me in order to provide this review, I have not received any other compensation. Furthermore, receipt of the product does not guarantee a positive review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Review: Maestro Classics' The Tortoise and the Hare


What do you get when you combine great story telling with the London Philharmonic Orchestra? Maestro Classics.

Maestro Classics produces CDs that are a wonderful story-telling experience and music education rolled into one. Classical music need not be unobtainable nor boring to young audiences. Maestro Classics strives to bring the magic of music to all ages.


Mission Statement
Maestro Classics™ is the ambassador of great music for both children and adults, helping them experience the art form in new and exciting ways. Through wondrous new recordings, innovative educational and performance materials, and uplifting live performances, Maestro Classics™ guides audiences as they expand their listening horizons and discover the magic that can only be called music.

Each story is told in the tradition of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf for a perfect blend of story and music. The merging talents of Yadu, narrator, and Stephen Simon, conductor and composer, make for an enjoyable delivery of each story adaptation by Bonnie Ward Simon. More about the CD series and the reasoning behind the structure can be read at http://www.magicmaestromusic.com/whatwedo.html.

Titles available are:
  • The Tortoise and the Hare
  • Peter and the Wolf
  • The Story of Swan Lake
  • The Sorcerer's Apprentice
  • Casey at the Bat
  • Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
  • Juanita the Spanish Lobster
  • Juanita la longosta espanola
The title I received for review was The Tortoise and the Hare.

I'll be honest; I wasn't expecting much from this product. My children have always enjoyed listening to stories on tape. Over the years, we have become pretty loyal to two different series and I wasn't sure how this one would compare. I was also a bit suspicious that the music element would seem a bit forced.

If packaging accounts for anything, it gives an impression of quality. The colorful three-fold cardboard sleeve contains an introduction from the Simons, a 23-page guide, and CD. The guide has general music information such as instruments of the orchestra, notes and fractions, and time signatures. Also included is story specific information. For example, in the guide for The Tortoise and the Hare, there is a one-page spread explaining the differences between a turtle and tortoise and a rabbit and a hare, music to a song in the story and related puzzles.

There are 7 tracks on the CD. The first is the story itself, lasting 20.43 minutes. While I've heard the story of The Tortoise and the Hare many times, this version was quite enjoyable. I've never heard of the narrator, Yadu, but he did a fabulous job. This is not a dumbed down version; the vocabulary is rich and despite my original concerns, the music component is not forced.

The following three tracks, approximately 10 minutes long, tell a bit about the story, feature a song from the story, and explain the included music. The latter was my favorite portion. Conductor Stephen Simon shares how and why he selected various instruments, rhythm, and music to portray the characters and various events. He highlights a component that might otherwise be taken for granted with an unexplained listening.

I particularly liked that the music discussion took place after the story track, so listeners could simply enjoy the story performance without an initial dissection of parts. After learning more about the story and music included, the listener is directed to listen to the story once again on the next track. The listener, with more information on both the story and music, is then better equipped to understand the purpose of the story, to recognize the interaction of the music and story, and hear the individual instruments. The following few minutes to the CD highlight the "Pretzel Vendor of Paris" song and encourage the listener to participate in a sing-along.

I was pretty impressed with this product. My only issue wasn't about the product, but that my kids were a bit too old for it. I think they actually enjoyed it, but associate The Tortoise and the Hare as being for much younger children. It was a bit of a stumbling block for my tweens. However, this is an excellent CD for younger children, especially if they are involved in music lessons of any kind. It would be a great starting point to get them to notice music around them in general, whether its use in a favorite movie or what type of story it tells on its own. I would love to see this same concept applied to stories more appealing to older kids. I noticed that my oldest perked up during the portion explaining the music choices as I'm sure it wasn't something she considered during the first listen.

Individual titles run for $16.98 or you can take advantage of the current 3 for $45 special. Listening samples of Peter and the Wolf and The Story of Swan Lake are available at the Maestro Classic website, http://www.magicmaestromusic.com/.

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew's blog to read more reviews on this product and others.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew, a team of 100+ homeschooling parents. While the product was provided at no expense to me in order to provide this review, I have not received any other compensation. Furthermore, receipt of the product does not guarantee a positive review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Review: Mathletics by 3P Learning


In an effort to keep math learning fun and interesting, I've tried out various computer-based math products for my two children. There certainly isn't a shortage of such products and I've reviewed several in the past. Mathletics is different than others I've experienced. First of all, I had never heard of it before being on the TOS Crew. Secondly, it is the first math product that both of my children have requested with batting eyes to continue, even the older child who has declared math evil.

What is it?

Mathletics is a subscription based math program for grades K-8. It has several components to it, including a full curriculum, live challenges, and games. Also included in the subscription price is Rainforest Maths, an interactive program for grades K-6.

How do students use it?

Students have several options once they log in. They can play games, work some lessons, or do live drills with other students.

The curriculum's lessons are based on the child's registered grade and are presented as practice and problem solving. For the practice portion, topics are broken down into 10 questions. If the student gets all 10 right, they earn a gold bar. The problem solving section is a little more interactive. For example, a student may be given blocks to manipulate on the screen to assist in getting the correct answer. Games are also available to solidify the concepts taught in the lessons. If the lessons are too easy or too hard, parents can adjust the grade level of the student.

Students can also complete lessons using a separate area called Rainforest Maths, which has 30 (K) to 200 (6th) activities per level. Each grade has activities in four areas: Number, Measurement, Algebra and Space (geometry).

Aside from the doing interactive lessons and games, students have the opportunity for live 60-second competitions with other users around the world. Speed and accuracy are the objective as students race to be the first across the finish line. Three incorrect answers get competitors disqualified from the race. The drills are on basic math facts and a great way to improve automaticity.

Another fun element is the ability to earn points and spending coins for various activities. The home page also has a listing of top performers based on points earned for public recognition. The coins can be used to purchase various accessories (hats, sunglasses, backgrounds) for the student's custom-designed avatar. Certificates can also be earned when reaching certain point levels.

What is available for parents?

Parents get their own login and password for access to the Parent Centre. In this area, instant workbooks are available for download. The workbook levels are K through Year 12, but not all levels and workbooks are available yet. The higher levels seem to be more complete at this time, with some of them having 20+ workbooks available in both student and parent versions.

Parents can also look up the progress of their students in the Parent Centre, viewing past weekly reports and certificates earned. The weekly reports, which can also be emailed, include the amount of time spent at the site, points earned, activities performed, and scores achieved.

What are our thoughts?

I have to say that I was quite surprised at the reaction of my kids. They both have tried a variety of online math programs, some successful and others not. None have had the appeal of this one.

My daughter, almost 13, gave me an eyeroll when I told her I had a new math program for her to try. She sat down to try it with a less-than-enthusiastic attitude. However, when I tried to get her to sign off to move on to another task for the day, she kept telling me "hold on". Excuse me? Is my math disliking daughter telling me to "hold on" because she wants to continue doing math drill? That alone is enough for this program to impress me. My daughter's assessment of this program is that it is "strangely addicting". The live competition was a complete draw and I found her signing on to compete with other kids around the world during her own free time.

My son had a similar reaction. He can be rather slow at math facts, but it was completely motivating racing live against other kids. He discovered that he was really whipping the others in multiplication facts, but had to work harder with other facts. I liked that answers had to be accurate to avoid disqualifying, since my son tends to be a guesser. Racing against students in other parts of the world made it more exciting and I'd often get reports of what countries the competitors of the day were from.

My son seemed to like the lesson portion better than my daughter, but both were willing to complete them without many grumbles. Because the live competition was such a big draw, I would have my kids do a lesson or two prior to being able to race against other users. Never would I have thought that I could have used math drill as a reward for completing lessons! My son was motivated to keep doing a lesson to earn a gold bar (100%). This was great to get in the repetition needed for mastery without complaints.

I really liked the information available in the Parent Centre. It is broken down into two components: Mathletics and Full Curriculum. Parents are given the number of correct answers and an accuracy percentage for Mathletics, as well as the level (1-5) the student worked in. For the Full Curriculum, activities completed, date, and score are given. I could see when and how many times an activity was performed, starting scores, and when a 100% was earned.

I wasn't able to utilize the instant workbooks during the review period, but was pleased with the looks of them and the amount available.

Conclusions

Both of my kids asked if their subscription could continue after our review period. Folks - that just doesn't happen in our household. While I have found products that have been effective with both of my very different math learners, never have they both actually requested such a program. The main appeal was the Mathletics competition portion, but the variety of the lessons and games kept the rest from being too drab. The added elements of earning points and getting coins to buy items for the avatar kept motivation high.

My oldest is doing algebra, but there was still benefit of her going through the lessons. The live competitions are great for increasing the speed of her computational skills. The instant workbooks have more difficult material, up through Year 12. The material is an appropriate level for my 5th grader, with a mixture of review and new material. I don't know that I would use this as a full curriculum, but it certainly is a great value as a supplemental product. There is such variety on this site - with interactive lessons, games, and workbook downloads. I also like that there are no extra downloads and only access to the internet is needed. The only downside I see is that each student needs to have their own account, which could be costly for large families.

A 1-year subscription runs $59 per student and comes with a 10-day money back guarantee. For a limited time, if you enter in the Human Calculator's favorite number (9), you can get a reduced rate of $49.95. Visit the Mathletics site, http://www.mathletics.com/, for more information or to subscribe.

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew's blog to read more reviews on this product and others.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew, a team of 100+ homeschooling parents. While the product was provided at no expense to me in order to provide this review, I have not received any other compensation. Furthermore, receipt of the product does not guarantee a positive review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Fun with Phun

A couple of months ago I ran across a free download for a software called Phun. Phun is described as a 2-D physics sandbox. You can see what sort of things can be done using the program on the video below.



I'm always up for trying out free software and we've found some great ones out there. This one is a keeper and enjoyed by both of my kids. I love the creativity it inspires! You can download your own copy at http://www.phunland.com/wiki/Home. Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

A Wonderful Little House Night

Last night was the big opening night for Little House on the Prairie, the Musical at Detroit's Fox Theater. My family was in attendance as "Little House Ambassadors". I just love going to the gorgeous Fox Theater. We don't get to go very often and seeing a show downtown is always a treat.

Little House on the Prairie, the Musical starts out in the beginning, with the Ingalls family staking their claim to land in the West and continues on through the marriage of Laura and Almanzo. Kara Lindsey, who plays Laura as child through adult, beautifully captures the wild child of Laura. Her voice inflections and mannerisms surely convince the audience that she is just a youngster, with her stage voice and actions maturing with the character. Alessa Neeck and Carly Rose Sonenclar, cast as Mary and Carrie respectively, do an equally fine job of portraying their characters. Pa is played by Steve Blanchard, who has appeared on Law and Order, a variety of soap operas, and numerous stage productions on and off Broadway. As a special treat for those that grew up watching the Little House TV series, Ma is played by Melissa Gilbert.

Wicked fans will enjoy seeing Kate Loprest, who played Wicked's Glinda, return to the Fox stage, this time as Nellie. Loprest as Nellie adds quite a bit of humor to the show. I didn't miss the irony that Loprest had previous played a witch, a characterization I've always put on the mean Nellie. Both characters are "good (and manipulative) witches" that are transparent in their folly. Kevin Massey plays Almanzo, who courts Nellie for a time after Laura's rejection, before winning over Laura, which brought about applause from the audience. Massey probably brings more appeal to the boys in the audience as a young male lead who tames horses and tends to the land - while in pursuit of the girl.

My whole family enjoyed the show, especially my theater-loving daughter. This wasn't a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat show for my 10-year-old wiggly son, but I did get a "It was good," out of him when the show was over. If you have a young boy in your house, you'll know that isn't too bad. For those who have fond memories of the Little House book and TV series, this will be a fun trip down memory lane while sharing the experience with your young Little House fans. It isn't often that a production comes around suitable for the whole family without having adults succumb to big yellow birds or the need to cover eyes and ears of little ones.

For those of you who must have every single detail to be true to the original 9-book series, don't expect the whole series to be portrayed exactly in a 2-hour production. I had no trouble with the the theatrical version, though I'll have to admit that I don't remember every detail of every book or episode. However, there was a family of three behind us that left at intermission in a huff grumbling that the play wasn't "accurate". I have to admit I felt sorry for their little girl, who was about 7 or 8, as I can't imagine that she wasn't enjoying the show immensely! I honestly can't imagine why anyone would have such expectations, but thought I'd mention in case there are any of your who are that, um...uptight...about accuracy. I can't give you details of discrepancies, nor was I looking for them. I simply enjoyed the show.

While the show was enjoyable, one of the highlights was getting to meet some of the cast after the show. My normally outgoing, theater-aspiring daughter suddenly turned shy when presented with the opportunity to chat with professional actors and actresses. She finally mustered up the courage to ask Neeck and Lindsay about their paths to the big stage. These two young ladies were sweet and honest - a joy to talk to. Blanchard gave her excellent advice as well, and encouraged her to strive toward her goals and not get discouraged if others get her down, as there will always be someone ready to do so. Melissa Gilbert made a brief appearance. Gilbert's visit was unexpected, but was arranged for a little girl donning roses, who was anticipating her and looking a bit crushed. We really didn't talk to her, but our family did get a huge chuckle over an overzealous mother who was gushing on with, "I've read all of your books..." as if she were THE Laura Ingalls Wilder. Gilbert looked particularly tired after the performance, but was polite. Her dog, Josephine, was a bit grumpy though! I only know the dog's name because it was scolded a few times! We did get an autograph for our program and an attempt at a picture with a cell phone. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed in the theater and it was too dark for a cell picture to turn out. There are no photo memories other than the one outside the theater, but it was a great experience nonetheless.