TOS Review: Big IQ Kids

This turned out to be a much harder review to write than I anticipated.  For one thing, Big IQ Kids has a LOT to talk about and for the last several weeks I've been in a decidedly non-talkative mood.  But then I realized that if you really are interested in Big IQ Kids, you don't really want me re-hashing all the same details you can easily find on their website.  So I'm going to give you the short and sweet version of what Big IQ Kids is, and then tell you how our family used it, and whether we liked it.

Big IQ Kids offers online practice in spelling, math, vocabulary and geography.  It is geared toward kids from Kindergarten to 8th grade, and when used daily can improve proficiency in all those areas.  Each subject can be tailored to your child's current levels - for instance, the spelling portion can be set up to use your child's current spelling words.  It is supposed to be used independently, so parents don't have to hover over their child while the program is being used.

You can click on the picture above or right here to get a full run-down all on the programs that are offered.  Or, you could just check out this video:

Big IQ Kids offers quite a few options through their 100% free program.  However, you do get some upgrades if you choose to subscribe to their premium program.  The premium program offers a free 7-day trial, and after that there are a variety of options.  If you chose to subscribe to the premium program for all the subjects, for instance, you'd pay $19.99/month or $99.99/year.  It's cheaper if you only want to upgrade one program - for instance, if you chose to upgrade the math to the premium program, you'd pay $9.99/month of $49.99/year.  You can check out an example of what's included with the free and premium versions here.

Here's another video that also discusses the differences:

They offer a "classroom" option for the "per year" subscription, which might be a valuable option if you wanted to use it for multiple homeschooled kids in one family.  They also offer a $9.98/year upgrade for the free program, which just gives the child access to all the games, and the "buddy".  Okay, so what's the "buddy?" would probably be your next question.  The buddy is a customizable avatar (but bigger) that occasionally give the child instructions.

We had two premium memberships, so I signed up Kaitlyn (7) and Aaron (11).  I did not give them any instructions on how to use the program, but rather "let them loose" to play, explore, learn, and give me their feedback.  Occasionally they'd come to me with a problem, but otherwise they used it on their own.

Here are the things I liked:

• One more thing to help hone their basic skills that *I* don't have to plan for, prepare for, or research ahead of time.
• The daily updates I receive via e-mail help me keep track of what they are learning
• There were no complaints, even though I told them that I wanted them to spend AT LEAST 15 minutes every day using the program.
• Program can be customized to each child's learning level for each subject

Here are a few things I didn't like:

• Lots of tests, very little learning.  It seemed like they were constantly taking tests, after only a few minutes spent "learning" a subject.  
• Somewhat TOO EASILY customizable.  In order to customize each program, you log in as the child and just click "modify lesson" to change spelling words, decide how many math problems, etc.  The program does not distinguish between adult and child, so a child who watches you require 50 math problems can go back later and change it to 5 problems.
• Out of date information.  Several of the states had information that was incorrect or out of date.  I have since read that if you e-mail them, they will very quickly rectify the information, so put one in the bonus column for fast customer service.
• The ads.  This was my biggest beef.  If I'm going to pay money for an online learning program, I expect it to be ad-free.  Not "minimal" ads, or "occasional" ads.  I pay money, I don't see any ads.  Period.  If I'd been checking this program out before deciding whether to use it, the ads for the paid program would have been a deal-breaker for me.  There is absolutely no reason for a learning site, that you pay money for, to have ads to distract your kids.
• Naked and semi-naked cartoon characters.  This just bothered me as a parent, as a Christian, and as a person.  One game has the kid dress a character that starts in a bra and panties.  My 14 year old was really offended by this (which is how I came to find out about it).  This would be deal-breaker number 2.  I mean, have some creativity!  There is no reason to expose young kids to naked or semi-naked cartoon characters.  It doesn't matter that they aren't real.  It's pointless and stupid, and I wouldn't pay money or even use a site that chose to do so.
• The computer voice.  This was especially frustrating for the spelling.  My 7 year old is just starting to be able to read fluently and has barely begun spelling.  When she gets "dinged" on a word because she can't hear the subtle difference between the words FAT and THAT, yet can actually spell both well, it becomes very frustrating for her.  The computerized voice made it nearly impossible for her to do well on her spelling tests, and I had to tell her to stop doing spelling to avoid the tears.

I hope that some of this helps you decide whether Big IQ Kids might be a good fit for your family.  You can also check out what the other crew members thought here.

Disclaimer: As a member of the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received two complimentary 1-year Premium Memberships to Big IQ Kids in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased review. No other compensation was received.

TOS Review: Reading Kingdom

I'm a big fan of teaching children to read using phonics.  As a 2nd generation homeschooler, I've been both the teacher and the student, and I've never been convinced that the whole-word (or "sight word") method really teaches children to decode words on their own.  So color me super-surprised that Reading Kingdom was able to change my mind, if only just a little.

The Reading Kingdom program has been developed by Dr. Marion Blank, director of the Light on Learning program at Columbia University and author of The Reading Remedy. The interactive lessons teach the six skills (sequencing, motor skills, sounds, meaning, grammar and comprehension) that Dr. Blank theorizes are necessary for reading mastery. You can read all about her theories for reading and how the program works here.  In short, here's what she proposes:

Dr. Blank says that these six skills are necessary for a child to be able to master reading.  As you can see, she suggests that the pure phonics approach only teaches one of these six skills.

I must admit, this approach had me question my firmly held beliefs.  After all, a child doesn't really learn to read the word THE by using a phonics approach.  In fact, my favorite reading program, Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons, calls THE a "funny word" and teaches it by having the child learn that it does not work to sound it out, then teaches the correct pronunciation and reviews it for many lessons in a row.  There are quite a few other "funny words" in Teach...; understanding this, I also realized that my approach to reading has never been 100% phonics, and that whole-word does have it's place.

However, even with my new "enlightened" approach to reading, I wasn't completely convinced that Reading Kingdom is the best approach for a new reader, for two reasons.  First, because I found that the lessons concentrated much more on sequencing than phonics, meaning or comprehension.  In my book those would be the top 3 things that are necessary for a beginning reader.  Second, because most beginning readers are young (age 4-6 usually) and Reading Kingdom required fairly fast keyboard skills, which can be frustrating for these little kids.  Even my older (7) child using the program ended up in tears more than once because it was "too fast".

On the plus side, the program is structured to allow the child to work independently, which can be a great benefit for those kids who want to learn how to read and are insistent on doing "BY MYSELF!"  Both my girls (age 5 and 7) were able to do their Reading Kingdom lesson on their own each day.  I was able to keep track of their progress with the online progress reports.

Progress Report Showing Status of Different Skills

Progress Report Details
The yellow section shows the session details for a selected skill
The section at the bottom is the key for the progress report

Reading Kingdom offers a "kid customized" program.  It starts with a skills survey that assesses the child's abilities in pre-reading, reading and writing. This is an activity that a child completes before starting the actual teaching. It assesses his or her skills in pre-reading, reading and writing. Based on the results, the program places each child at the point that is just right for his or her skill level. This prevents children from wasting time learning something they already know (which leads to boredom) or being faced with tasks that are too difficult for them (which leads to frustration).  The child then embarks on their program that takes advantages of the child's strengths and helps him overcome any weaknesses.  You can read more about how the program works here.

One of the nice things is that you don't have to commit to Reading Kingdom right away.  They offer a free 30-day trial to get you started.  If you decide that Reading Kingdom is for you, then it is very reasonably priced at $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year (pricing is per child).  You can cancel any time.  Additionally, if you are unable to afford purchasing Reading Kingdom, they offer a scholarship program.  They are that sure that their program works!

Though Reading Kingdom wasn't a good fit for us, I can see how it could work very well for some families.  Beyond using it to teach reading, it would be helpful for children who have trouble with spelling or reading comprehension.  It seems to be a very well-thought-out program, with science and experience to back it up.  Their free trial and scholarship program shows their dedication to making sure that children get a good start with reading.

Find out what other crew members thought about Reading Kingdom here.

Disclaimer: As a member of the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received two complimentary 1-year subscriptions to Reading Kingdom in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased review. No other compensation was received.

TOS Review: I See Sam

Having now taught four kids to read, I think I can safely say that I've "been around the block a few times" when it comes to reading programs.  As with most things, my first was very easy when it came to reading.  I think he pretty much taught himself.  But with the other three, I've had to employ a variety of different programs and techniques to get them from hesitantly sounding out short-vowel three-letter words onto easily reading anything they pick up.

One of my biggest frustration is finding good practice books that they can use to hone their newly-emerging skills.  The typical "I can read" books you find (generally sporting the latest pop-culture cartoon character) don't seem to have any rhyme or reason to the word content, and a level 1 book can be as difficult for the new reader as a level 4 book sometimes.  

That's why I found myself pleasantly surprised by I See Sam, the reading program from Academic Success for all Learners.  Now, I must admit up front that we did not use I See Sam by following the instructions that came with it.  I went through the kit and studied the suggested uses, and decided to use the materials a little differently. For one thing, when we first got the kit, my youngest - who turned 5 in October - was already beginning to read using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, and she was doing very well with that particular book.  As much as I want to use and do a good job reviewing the curriculum we receive, I don't feel I can move my child off something that's working so well, just to try something out.  So I decided to supplement 100 Easy Lessons with the materials we got.

These were the perfect practice books for her.  They were simple enough that she was able to easily sound out the words she didn't already know, but not so simple that they seemed like "fake" books to her (which is how she describes the Bob Books).  She was eager to try out each one, and I had to limit her to two per day.  Every day when dad got home, she would rush to meet him and drag him over to sit down and "listen to me read this book!"  She felt a great sense of accomplishment as the books she could read "all by myself" piled up.  At the same time she was gaining valuable reading experience, she was actually honing her skills.  

I also gave her the word cards to use for copy practice.  I'd have her tell me the words, and after she did, she would take 2-3 at a time and make her "spelling list" for the day while the other kids were doing their spelling. This was a huge relief for me, as I'd been trying to include her when we do spelling (at her request) but you can only give a kid "at, cat, hat, bat" so many times before she catches on.  ;)

We received the first four levels of Little Books ($30/level), The Instructors Guide, Motivational Materials, Placement and Assessment Manual ($10), and flashcards sets for all four levels ($15 or download free from the website).  The items can also be purchased as a set (with some extra items) for $160.

Now, the way we used this program worked well for us.  However, I would caution those considering using this as a stand-alone program.  The I See Sam program is very whole-word heavy.  That is, the phonics training is pretty slow, and the child is expected to read the words on sight, rather than sounding them out.  If you follow the program as laid out, the child will go through over three levels of books, and over 1000 pages of "reading", before they are even taught all the letter sounds.  From my experience, children who learn to read using a whole-word method tend to struggle with both spelling and reading down the road.  So while the books worked very well as a supplement to our current reading program, and the cards were a great "spelling" activity for my daughter, I would not choose to use the I See Sam program to teach reading.

Want to know what other crew members thought about I See Sam? Find out here.

Disclaimer: As a member of the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a complimentary set of the I See Sam program in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased review. No other compensation was received.

TOS Review: Math Rider

As I've mentioned a few times now, my 11-year-old son struggles with memorizing his math facts.  Despite using a variety of programs, he's still having trouble with anything beyond addition.  Luckily, we've had the chance to try out quite a few different programs, thanks to The Crew.  This one - Math Rider - seems to be the best one for him.

The video gives you a pretty good overview of how the program works, but here's my quick rundown.  Math Rider is set up to resemble a magical quest.  The child is given a story line (both written and spoken, so the child does not have to be proficient at reading to play) and sent on an adventure.

Each part of the quest requires the child to complete a series of math operations to achieve the goal.  Whether it's to find the magic flower, or returning a gem, they're practicing and perfecting their math facts along the way.  Each operation is separate, and you can choose which operation your child needs to work on.  I simply started all three of my kids who are using the program on addition, because they all need to work on ALL their math facts.

Math Rider is purchased as a one-time instant download for $37.  You can have up to 10 different users for that one low price!  Even the largest homeschool family (okay, 99% of the largest families) can have ALL their kids use the program and only have to pay once.  $37 is less than you'd pay for one session with a private math tutor.  

The program offers fairly basic information for the parent/teacher to keep track of each child's progress.  The demo screen above shows the statistics for "Kim".  All the green areas are division facts that she has mastered.  Yellow are "needs a little work", orange is "needs some work" and red is "needs lots of work".  The gray areas show facts that haven't been introduced or worked on yet.

Overall, I REALLY like Math Rider.  So do my kids.  I don't have to coax them to do it; in fact, they've taken the initiative to each do their Math Rider first thing in the morning, before I'm even downstairs ready to start our day.  I like the constant practice.  My kids' only complaint was that the "hard" level of the quest is really fast, which challenges their typing skills.  A small investment in a numeric keypad for the kids' laptop computer might help that.  Oh, and my 14-year-old (who isn't using the program) said that the stories were kind of "cheesy", which my 7- and 5-year-old both vehemently denied.  But honestly, it's a math program - I wouldn't expect it to rival Lord of the Rings with its story telling.

My only wish is that the information provided for the parent be more detailed.  I can see what the child is working on and how they're doing, but I'd love to see a daily snapshot.  How long the child was on each day, or how many math facts they did total, how many they got correct and how many they missed.  Just a little more detail than what is currently provided would be nice.

The important thing is that my oldest is finally getting a handle on his math facts, and I don't have to force him to do something he hates to get it done.  For that alone, I LOVE Math Rider.

Want to see what other crew members think about Math Rider?  Check out what they have to say here.

Disclaimer: As a member of the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a complimentary download of Math Rider in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased review. No other compensation was received.

TOS Review: VocabAhead SAT Vocabulary

My husband set a challenge before me shortly before this book arrived.  Just because our 11-year-old son was struggling with spelling at his grade level, he said, that was no reason not to have a higher expectation of him when it came to vocabulary.

So when VocabAhead sent us SAT Vocabulary: Cartoons, Videos & MP3s, I decided to take up that gauntlet, and instead of going with the obvious choice and using this product with my 14-year-old, I decided to use it with the 11-year-old.

VocabAhead's SAT Vocabulary, available for $12.95 from Amazon.com,contains 300 words.  Each word is illustrated with a cartoon - most of which are perfect examples and great visuals for the word - to help increase retention.  For every 10 words, there is a "match the word to the definition" quiz (30 quizzes in all) to help check that the student is really learning the words.

But that's just the beginning.  VocabAhead offers a free download of the same material for your computer, where each word is presented with the cartoon and the definitions are presented using audio.  In my opinion, this is a definite plus over just the book.  I was a little concerned that the book did not contain the pronunciations for the words.  The mp3s fix this problem.

So far, we love it.  There are a couple of cartoons or examples that some parents might find slightly questionable.  For instance, the word ogle says "Bob ogled Mary as he stood next to her.  Yes, yes, he did.  That's what men do."
WHAT???  (okay, keep your pants on!  not finished yet)  Yes, if that were all it said, I'd be pretty upset that this is what my child is learning.  But it continues!
"Well, some men do.  Well, Bob does."  (continues after that)

I can see where some parents would have an issue with this, but as with any other teaching material, I think it's important that we pay attention to what our kids are using and, sometimes, instead of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, take the opportunity to discuss the things we find questionable or objectionable with them.  In this case, particularly because this book is meant for high school age children, I think discussion is the way to go.  Especially since the word ogle is on the SAT vocabulary list.  But that's a whole other post!

In general, though, the book and download approach seems to be working very well for us.  I've challenged my 11-year-old to not only learn the words, but to do his best to use a few of them in his everyday conversation.  Not only has he done this, but he's used them appropriately, showing that he's learning them well.

VocabAhead offers lots of other products, and tons of support via their website.  Their Study Room offers videos, quizzes, flash cards and more.  Definitely a resource worth every penny!

Check out what my other crew members thought about VocabAhead here.

Disclaimer: As a member of the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a complimentary copy of VocabAhead's SAT Vocabulary book, videos and MP3s in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased review. No other compensation was received.

TOS Review: Times Alive

"Math Facts, Math Facts, MATH FACTS!" [stomp, stomp, stomp]  "I HATE MATH FACTS!!!"

Welcome to life in my house, where I was spoiled rotten by my first child, and now I'm paying for it with the other three.  Child number 1, now 14, has always "gotten" it.  Whether it is spelling, math, grammar or history...he just gets it.  Easily.  The first time.  Every time.  In fact, until child number 2 started school, I prided myself on choosing curriculum so well, because I had obviously picked the perfect curriculum for him.

You know what they say: Pride goes before the fall.  Enter child number 2...and child number 3...and child number 4.  With every single one of them, I've dug through the curriculum bins, combed through the catalogs, pulled all-nighters reading reviews, purchased books and CDs and subscriptions and online memberships - essentially tried everything to find a program or book or service that would help them learn the things they will have to know.  Not "should" know.  NEED to know.  Those basic things that are critical to function in the real world.

Things like Math Facts.  I now have a 5th grader (child number 2) who barely knows his addition/subtraction facts and is fighting me tooth and nail when I insist that knowing his multiplication and division facts is essential and non-negotiable.

That's why I was beyond thrilled when I found out that we'd have the chance to use City Creek Press's Times Alive software.

Times Alive is a completely unique approach to memorizing the multiplication facts.  Instead of endless drilling and frustrating repetition, times alive presents the facts using unique stories and fun music.  Each lesson is interactive, giving the student a short lesson followed by immediate practice.

Here's a quick preview:

Times Alive offers your choice of either a CD-ROM (for PC or Mac) for $48.95 or an instant download (also for PC or Mac) for $44.95.  You can use the program with multiple users, no extra fees.

City Creek Press says that Times Alive will:

• Increase retention to 95% with our interactive method
• Eliminate boring repetitive drills once and for all
• Bring success to students with learning disabilities

Times Alive doesn't teach the function of multiplication, it's simply a tool to help children memorize the multiplication facts.  

Unfortunately, Times Alive didn't work for child number 2 any better than the CDs, the worksheets, the online programs...  For us, it's simply a "push came to shove" issue where we're going to have to go with something that he will have to do whether he wants to or not.  I think the Times Alive is a little...childish...for an almost-12-year-old, so I probably won't use it when I push him to memorize his multiplication facts.  However, I plan to continue using it with child number 3, my 7 year old, because it's the perfect tool for her to learn with, and she's a good age to appreciate it, even though she doesn't really understand the mechanics of multiplication yet.

Find out what other crew members think about Times Alive here.

Disclaimer: As a member of the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a complimentary download of Times Alive in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased review. No other compensation was received.

TOS Review: Ten marks

I had a love/hate relationship with math through my middle school and high school years.  On the one hand, when I understood a concept, I loved the challenge of being able to find the correct answer.  On the other hand, the repetition and drudgery of doing the same thing, so many times, all the time, frustrated me.  I can remember vividly sitting before a page of 30 problems, fighting tears.  It wasn't hard math, or anything that I struggled with understanding.  But I knew that those 30 problems would take me at least an hour to do, and I wanted to be doing other things.

I think that's why my kids both found Ten Marks to be so appealing.  Each child doing the Ten Marks program is assigned a total of 4 worksheets every week.  Each worksheet only has 10 problems.  The child works the problems and selects the answer.

Every problem displayed offers the child the option of help in the form of 3 hints, and a video lesson.

The video lessons show the type of problem the child is working on (not the actual problem) being solved using a whiteboard-like demonstration.

Once the child has completed their ten problems, they are shown how they did, and what problems need to be re-worked and corrected. The work is then submitted for evaluation, and recorded to a report card that the parent can access.  When I look at my parent screen, the first thing I see is a little "mini-report" for the child selected.

This gives me a snapshot of what's going on with his progress and allows me to go in immediately to change his curriculum.  Or, I can look at the bigger picture by going to his report card.

This provides more detail, and shows where he's strongest and where he's weakest.  The report card keeps track of how much "help" he is using, and what he's scoring on each worksheet.

From there, I get the best picture of what he has firmly grasped, and what areas he needs to continue working.  I can then customize his worksheets based on that information, or choose to let the program continue as planned. TenMarks personalizes the students´ learning experience so they can work at their own pace while following a curriculum based on their grade, proficiency level and learning preferences.

Ten Marks also offers the parent the option of providing rewards to motivate the child.  The parent chooses the reward (and can provide a picture of said reward), the start date, and how many worksheets the child has to complete to earn the reward.  We didn't choose to utilize the reward program, but for children reluctant to do even 10 math problems a day, this might be a great incentive.

Actually, I should say, I didn't choose to utilize that reward program.  There is actually a built-in reward program where "games" are unlocked when a certain number of worksheets are completed.  Both boys looked forward to unlocking new games (which - shhh, don't tell - are actually more math practice).

Ten Marks is priced very reasonably.  For each child, the program is $10 per month, $49 for six months, or $89 for the year.  Ten Marks is mapped to state standards.  Here's a great video that explains the entire Ten Marks program.

Overall, we really liked Ten Marks.  Several times the kids mentioned to me that the worksheets seemed to "get hard really fast".  Part of that, I think, was that I wasn't keeping up enough with customizing the curriculum, and the other part is that they're used to doing Saxon math, where they review the same concepts for weeks on end.  With Ten Marks they were just jumping from one concept to the next, with very little overlap or review.  In that respect, I wished that there were more built-in review.  I believe, especially with math, that it is critical to have mastery of each subject and Ten Marks doesn't ensure this to my satisfaction.  In the end, I wouldn't choose to use Ten Marks as a stand-alone curriculum because I don't see enough repetition to reinforce concepts.  But I could see using it as an every-other-day supplement to keep the "drudgery" of math to a minimum.

The Ten Marks customer service was excellent.  One day we had problems loading some of the videos.  I sent off an e-mail and within an hour we had a complete explanation of the problem and when it would be repaired (it was actually done much sooner).

You can see for yourself how Ten Marks works - check out their free trial.

Find out what the rest of the crew thought about Ten Marks here.

Disclaimer: As a member of the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a complimentary subscription to Ten Marks in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased review. No other compensation was received.