Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Review Bright Ideas Press

TOS Crew Review 

Publisher: Bright Ideas Press

Products:

*I received two different products from this company (for free), for the purpose of sharing my opinion.*

First:
Book: Christian Kids Explore Earth and Space by Stephanie L. Redmond
Pages: 360
Price: $29.95
Age recommendation: Grades 3 –6. Bonus: the author offers helpful suggestions for including younger students.

I am a “relaxed” home school teacher. I rarely ever use lesson plans and don’t particularly like Teacher manuals. Throughout the years, I’ve had a very hard time finding Science curriculum that I actually liked. However, this book is different. Here is some of what you’ll find inside:

1. Vocabulary words.
2. Introduction to each lesson.
3. EASY Activities (such as looking at a globe and finding the continents). I think I can handle that!
4. A list of materials needed to do each lesson.
5. Coloring pages.
6. Review it! Section- (Short and sweet.)

The book suggests you get a three ring binder to store all your papers. The author says a Scientist must document and record their findings! I really appreciated her saying that, since I (personally) would rather not be bothered with too much paperwork. But she makes it very easy and fun and actually enjoyable!
Some of the lessons covered are: Structure of the Earth; Caves; Volcanoes; Earthquakes; Types of Rocks; Glaciers; and Air Composition.

I am really happy with this book. If (like me) you are intimidated by Science in general, this program will really get you excited and involved!

Second:

Set of books: All American History II - Student Reader (557 pages); Teacher’s Guide with Answer Key (336 pages); and Student Activity Book (306 pages).
Price: The entire kit is $68.00

This is a colorful, professional history curriculum. I LOVE it! Here are the basics:
1. Covers the Civil War to the 21st century.
2. The Teacher’s Guide explains how to use the program. It has detailed instructions, teaching resources, book lists, Questions and Answers for further study, Answer Key, and much more.
3. The Student Reader has the “meat” of the program. The text is beautifully illustrated. It is set up to cover 32 weekly lessons.
4. The Student Activity book has worksheets, maps, and reviews. It is an excellent resource where students can take notes as they go along and really get a lot out of the program.

Here is how we are using this:
Amy (14) loves History. John (12) and I sat with her in the kitchen while she read the first section of the Student Reader. We took notes as she spoke. She paused on occasion to share a personal insight or reflection. When she finished the section, she opened the Student Activity Book and filled out the first sheet. She went back into the reader to find the exact answers. The entire process took about 20 minutes. We all really enjoyed it and plan to do this each weeknight.

We have come up with a fabulous idea……

The Author of this book, Celeste W. Rakes, has included an amazing list of books for further reading. These can be found in the Teacher’s Guide. The lists are broken into units and by grade level (K-4); (5-9); and (9 and up). She not only lists the books, but includes their descriptions.

We are enrolled in the Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT program for the coming school year. I plan to have the children read books from Celeste’s History reading list and use the Pizza Hut program as their reward. We are setting goals of 2 – 5 books each week. The children will have to fill out a book report form once they complete each book. These will then be placed into a folder. At the end of each month, as long as they’ve reached their goals, they will get their free personal pan pizzas!

I am just delighted with All American History Volume 2. It is an excellent product. Celeste has included so many wonderful ideas to add to the learning experience.


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2 comments:

Hidden Jewel said...

My dd did AAH 1 and we used a book basket with library books for each unit. This was an important addition to the program for us.

Mrs. White said...

That's a great idea! Thanks!!

Blessings
Mrs. White