A Day in the Life of a Homeschool Review Crew Member

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

I have been blessed with being part of the Homeschool Review Crew since 2018. It has not actually been a very long time, but I feel like the Crew Members and the staff of its parent company – The Old Schoolhouse®  – have been part of my life for so much longer. Being on the Crew has had such a positive impact on our homeschooling quest, I wanted to share with you what it is like to be a Crew member. While I may share information about several different reviews that we completed, I will be focusing upon BJU Press Focus on Fives from BJU Press Homeschool in a few parts to better illustrate my points. 

Read on to explore my days as a Crew Member – daily tasks, time commitment, using, reviewing, and writing 

Seeing a New Product is Available to Review 

Over the course of the year, Crew members will have the opportunity to review quite a number of different products and curricula. In 2018, I reviewed over 20 products. In 2019, I reviewed over 30 products. In 2020, before I joined the Crew Leadership Team this summer, I reviewed over 25 products. These are conservative numbers because I may have missed a few when I was looking through my blog planner (as a Crew member you get an awesome planner to help you track your reviews). 

This worksheet from the planner allows Crew members to write down every vendor, the product to review, check off that they complete the interest form, and more. I find this helpful to use even for my reviews that are not for the Homeschool Review Crew.
(I would share a photo of mine, but it is very messy.)

When a new product is available, Crew members are provided with the name of the company, the product, and links to each so we can research more about them. It is very important to take time and read over the available information on the company and product. Will this be a good fit for our family? Do my kids do learn best with online programs or hands-on curricula? How will we be able to incorporate this new material or curriculum into our homeschool day? 

When deciding whether or not I would like to review Focus on Fives from BJU Press Homeschool, I looked over their website and spoke with our daughter because it is a kindergarten curriculum. There were eight components included in the review product, so I clicked through the different links to read about each part - the teacher's editions, worktexts, books, visual chart, and more. There were also videos available to watch to learn more about Focus on Fives. 

Over the course of the year, when learning about other vendors and their products, I have even sought out reviews done by previous homeschoolers. Sometimes this means reading blogs or watching YouTube videos to see the product in action. All this research takes time but ensures that the materials will be the right fit for our family. 

Making the Review Product a Part of Our Homeschool Day 

I find it easier to incorporate new homeschool products and curricula into the schedules of our younger children than into our high school student's schedule. Of course, when a curriculum comes along that will greatly help our high school homeschooling student, it is easy to make a switch. For example, CTCMath was a great fit for our older son because he does better with video lessons for mathematics. 

When reviewing Focus on Fives, we used the materials almost every day. It was requested that we use the curriculum three to five days a week, as it is a complete curriculum with reading, mathematics, science, social studies, and more. Since we are a homeschooling family, we adapted the curriculum to meet the needs of our family. So sometimes we skipped parts (e.g., lessons that were teaching skills our daughter already mastered) to include more of the optional activities.

How long does it take to use the product? Every review product will take a different amount of time to incorporate into ones' homeschool. For example, a game like Math Sprint from Byron's Games was rather easy to incorporate. We played the game several times after dinner. With Focus on Fives, our daughter and I sat down together during the day to complete the lessons. Sometimes, the lessons took 15 to 30 minutes. Other times, they took longer because we were completing art projects or reading story books. 

Behind the Scenes of a Homeschooling Blogger 

In addition to actually using the review product, as a homeschooling blogger, I need to take photographs of the product (or screenshots for online programs). I share some of those photographs on my social media platforms before publishing my review. This helps advertise that I have a review coming up on my blog and helps the vendor because their product will be seen by those who follow me. For me, it is a bit trickier to take photographs because I have chosen not to share the faces of our children. So, I have to position the product in such a way as to show off the work being completed as well as protect our children's identities. 

Sometimes, I write my actual review post while we are using the product. I compose the general information about the company or the product in the beginning weeks (we usually have about four weeks or so to use the product before our review is due). I also like to prepare the information on my blog that shares links to the vendor and their social media accounts, the legal disclaimer, and the links back to the Crew's anchor post. 

In the final days before the review is due, I write about how we used the product in our homeschool. I might also interview our children to share their opinion of the product. Sometimes, I even ask my husband to include his thoughts when he is editing my posts (I ask him to edit all my blog posts). It is during this final phase that I will make my graphics, too. 

How long does it take to prepare the review post? If I am not interrupted, I can write my entire blog post in about an hour or so. I edit all my photographs on my phone, download them, and then put them into my blog or create graphics with them. This can take anywhere from one to two hours, depending upon technology cooperating. Putting in the links and ensuring they work takes a shorter amount of time – maybe 15 minutes or so. I will also check my links after I publish my blog post to ensure they are all correct. 

Now that I Have Published My Post 

Once my review is posted, I still have responsibilities as a Crew member. I must link up my review on the Crew's anchor post. There are specific instructions to follow to make it easier for the team to check that I included all the necessary information – links, photographs, how we used the product, etc. After linking up, I need to share my blog post at least two times on social media. I usually share more than that on multiple social media platforms. After I share my post on social media, I fill out a Google form to share those links. My links will be shared with the rest of the Crew members with the vendor! There is a possibility for great exposure for my review. 

If you are already blogging, you probably have an idea of how long it takes to share your blog posts on social media. Personally, the only scheduler I use is that on Facebook, so I manually pin, tweet, and post all my shares. I use the blog planner provided by the Crew to track how many times I have shared my blog post on the various social media platforms. I try to share each review once to Facebook, twice to Twitter, at least once to Instagram, and three times to Pinterest. I space these shares out of the course of a week, so each day, I may spend 15 to 30 minutes sharing my most recent review. 

I LOVE this calendar spreadsheet. I sometimes use the schedule column for whether or not I have linked my blog post or for other notations. I prefer to handwrite most information, so I like that I can print one of these out for each month rather than relying upon an online spreadsheet.

The Commitment 

Being a member of the Homeschool Review Crew is a blessing and a responsibility. It is important to use each product provided by the vendors in our homeschool, write a Christ-honoring but truthful review of the product, and fulfill the obligations in sharing the review. When I have needed help – a product did not arrive in a timely fashion or something was not a good fit for our family – I have been able to seek the advice and wisdom of my fellow Crew members and Crew Leadership Team. By joining the Crew, you will add additional time commitments to your day, but you will be joining a family that participates in card exchanges, swaps recipes, prays for each other, and promotes each others' blogs and social media accounts. 

The only other part that I haven't discussed was that – to be an active Crew member – you must post at least one other non-review post a week. There are many opportunities to share non-review posts while being on the Crew. There are weekly blog challenges that allow you to link up and write a non-review post hosted by the Crew as well as other link-ups and challenges shared by Crew members. In the past, several Crew members (including me) have written weekly posts Blogging through the Alphabet. 

Do You Want to Join? 

Now that I have shared a glimpse into my life as a Crew member, would you like to join? You will grow your blog, YouTube, and/or social media platforms and – at the same time – review new and interesting homeschooling products. I invite you to apply to join the Homeschool Review Crew! As a team, we work together, using current on-the-market home education products and then share those experiences with our readers and viewers. If you are a homeschooling parent that is willing to review products, then this might be a great opportunity for you! Apply here: www.homeschoolcrew.com.

Learning More about Jesus: A Review of The Easter Storybook

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

I am always on the lookout for excellent books to help our children understand the amazing life of Jesus. So, I was very excited to read and review The Easter Storybook: 40 Bible Stories Showing Who Jesus Really Is written by Laura Richie and illustrated by Ian Dale with our two younger children. It is a very colorful hardcover book of 93 pages that focuses upon the life of Jesus and not just His final days published by David C Cook.

About The Easter Storybook

This is a beautiful hardcover book designed to be read during the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday. There is a table of contents that you can use to find specific stories if you wish. The Easter Storybook does not just focus upon the last days of Jesus but on the many events in Jesus' life such as:

• Jesus in the Temple as a boy 
• The temptation of Jesus 
• The parable of the Lost Son 
• Jesus walking on water 
• The parable of the Good Samaritan 
• The story of Lazarus 
• Jesus clearing the Temple 
• The tearing of the curtain in the Temple 
• Jesus meeting with the Disciples 

Each page of text lists the day, a title, references to the Bible, a quote from the Bible, the text of the story itself, and a question or two at the end. Accompanying each day's story is a full-page illustration of the story.

Let's look at Day 18 – The Son of Man Shines. After a quote from John 17:24, we read the opening sentence of the day: "When Jesus lived on the earth, many people tried to understand who He was." We then continue reading about the time when Jesus asked his friends who they said He was and the time when they saw Jesus standing with Moses and Elijah. Day 18 continues with relating how God named Jesus as his Son and the fear of Peter, James, and John. Finally, it closes with Jesus telling them not to share what they had seen "until the Son of Man is raised from the dead." We then are presented with a very thought-provoking question: "What do you think it was like to see Jesus' glory and to hear God's voice?"

How Did We Use The Easter Storybook in Our Homeschool

I tried to read one day's story each day with our children either during lunchtime or before bedtime. The stories are easy to read aloud and provide great discussion points as each poses a question at the end. One could also use The Easter Storybook as part of your morning basket routine or story time or include with your devotions or Bible Study.

What Did We Think?

I love the vibrant colors in The Easter Storybook. The illustrations are so engaging and relate so well to the text on the opposite page. The text is very easy to read. And the book is easy to hold in my hands even with both kids sitting on my lap. And it is easy to hold if I am reading it to them while they are eating lunch. Because everything is contained on two pages, there is no need to flip pages which can be difficult when children are sitting on your lap.

Our first grader enjoyed the questions at the end of each day's reading. He also likes when there are answers within the reading. He also enjoys the verses that begin each day's reading. He said: "Some pictures look like the story." His two favorites were the story of Jesus walking on water shared on Day 8 and the story of Jesus calming the storm which was shared on Day 10. He would recommend The Easter Storybook to other children.

Our four-year-old daughter is enjoying the stories in The Easter Storybook. She likes that the different stories remind her of her lessons from Sunday School such as the story of the Good Samaritan. As she was looking through the table of contents, she also came across stories that reminded her of some of the songs they sing in Sunday School. I like the fact that she can relate easily to the book as well and can read some of the stories to me with help.

I would highly recommend The Easter Storybook from David C Cook. It will make a perfect addition to your bookshelves and help bring the story of Jesus to life. I can easily see the reading of this book becoming a very welcome Easter tradition in many families.

Do You Want to Learn More?

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – Pinterest – YouTube

We also had the privilege of reviewing The Action Bible Anytime Devotions from David C Cook. If you are looking for a devotional for your children ages 8-12, please visit my review of this nice softcover book. 

Other members of the Homeschool Review Crew also enjoyed reading The Easter Storybook in their homes during the past several weeks. Please remember to check out their thoughts on this lovely book.

Reflecting Upon Another Year with the Homeschool Review Crew: 2019

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

I am finishing up my second year as a member of The Old Schoolhouse® Homeschool Review Crew. While researching homeschooling, I found my way to SchoolhouseTeachers.com and contacted them about writing a course for them. Eventually, I filled out an application to join the Crew and the rest has been history.

Our family has been blessed with many opportunities through my time reviewing for the Homeschool Review Crew as well as my time working in other capacities for SchoolhouseTeachers.com. I am truly thankful for the friendships I have built, the products we have received to review which have been integral in our homeschool, and the new work avenues that have opened for me. Last year, I looked back upon our favorite products from 2018 and in this post, I would like to share what we enjoyed the most in 2019.

Online Resources and Products 

IXL 

One of my favorite online resources that we reviewed from 2019 has been IXL from IXL Learning. All three of our kids were able to have access to the program which has been very helpful during our homeschool days. I was able to assign review questions for geometry for our teen. For our two younger children, I often just let them work on areas of their own choosing. As we also had access to the program via their app on our tablet, our younger kids often thought of IXL as more of a game than an educational tool.

Our kids love the awards and prizes that are given out as they answer questions correctly, practice for a certain number of days, master skills, or complete categories. Our first grader loves working through the different subject areas for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade as he picks out new topics to test his knowledge.

CTCMath 

As a mom, one of the resources I was very thankful to review and receive a family membership for was CTCMath, as all three of our kids can use it for their mathematics. Our homeschooling teen is using it for his Algebra II and our younger children are working through kindergarten and first grade. CTCMath makes it so much easier for me knowing that math is taken care of and I don't have to worry about what resources we will be using or need.

Print Resources 

Memoria Press 

One of my favorite companies that I have been privileged to review several products from is Memoria Press. Through learning more about their company, I have discovered that I really like Classical Education. I love the idea of ensuring that our children are familiar with great books and the great thinkers of Western tradition.

We were able to review three different products from Memoria Press:

• Classical Phonics with the First Start Reading Program 
• Simply Classical Writing Books One and Two
• StoryTime Treasures 

We used each with our six-year-old as he moved from kindergarten to first grade. The First Start Reading Program with the Classical Phonics book really was a great start to his working on reading and writing. As to the lessons he did not finish, we will be able to use those with his sister as she has been working steadily on reading and writing.

I have enjoyed using both the Simply Classical Writing books and the StoryTime Treasures student and teacher book in our homeschool language arts lessons. We also get to incorporate Bible Study with our edition of Simply Classical Writing as we are using the Bible Story Edition. StoryTime Treasures allows both our younger children to enjoy classic books together as we read the story and then our first grader works on key language arts skills as he completes exercises in his student workbook.

I can easily see our homeschooling family using products from Memoria Press for years to come!

Crafty Classroom 

One of the fun homeschooling resources we reviewed as the Pattern Block Activity Bundle from Crafty Classroom. With such a huge selection of patterns to use with pattern/geometric blocks, I have had a great time picking and choosing different ones as we move through the seasons. With over 700 pages, there are always new ones to print and share with our kids.

Books And Media 

We had the chance to review so many great books this homeschool year! From Heroes of History – Ronald Reagan from YWAM Publishing to the first two books in the Goldtown Beginnings Series from Kregel Publications, everyone in our family has been able to enjoy new books. With these additions to our homeschool library, I have been able to add more titles to our children's wishlists and incorporate new authors into our library.

We also started our collection of DVDs from Drive Thru History® with a review of Acts to Revelation. Our family enjoyed sitting down together after dinner to watch each new episode as Dave Stotts took us on a journey through the New Testament after the Gospels. We have since made several purchases to add to the collection with Discovering America's Founders and others. 

These, of course, are only a few of the excellent products we have reviewed this year. Other members of the Crew have also shared many reviews through 2019 and shared their favorite products on their own blogs. On November 15, 2019, please take a moment and check out what the rest of the Crew has to say about 2019. I look forward to what 2020 will bring for all of us. Happy Homeschooling!

Movie Review of Life With Dog – Hope Comes in Many Forms

It is nice to be able to sit down and watch a movie with my husband that is uplifting and entertaining. We recently watched Life With Dog from Mill Creek Entertainment. It is an interesting movie to review because even though it is a story about a man who loses his wife and is left without faith, there are some laugh-out loud moments that help lighten the tension. Personally, I felt the entire movie (106 minutes) held my attention and when I needed to leave the room, we paused it because I did not want to miss a moment.

Description from the back of the DVD we reviewed:

"After losing his wife Alice (Marliu Henner) in a mysterious bike accident, Joe Bigler (Corbin Bernsen) is left alone without Faith to help him grieve. that and the circumstances of Alice's accident leave more questions than answers, and Joe begins a fast descent into the dark abyss of uncertainty. But his salvation arrives when a Dog wanders into his garden and won't leave despite Joe's many attempts to rid him. Without so much as a single bark, "Dog," as Joe has named him, shares His voice; a deep love and comfort that Joe has never experienced before. With Dog's love comes the discovery of God's love, and a Faith that not only helps Joe toward the road to recovery but also the unsolved mystery surrounding his wife's accident, and the ability to finally grieve her passing."

Actors and Actresses 

Corbin Bernsen – Joe Bigler

I was previously only familiar with Corbin Bernsen from his role in baseball movies of the late 1980s and 1990s and his work on a law television show. I was very surprised by Bernsen's acting in the movie. I really felt like he was Joe and was living the sad months after his wife's death.

I really didn't know that Bernsen has acted in and produced about a dozen faith-based films over the past ten years. So it was a very pleasant surprise to see him as the lead in the movie that he also wrote and directed. Not for one minute was the movie overshadowed by my preconceived notions of who Bernsen was based on previous characters he had played. This for me is a big win in recommending a movie because sometimes there are actors who can't get away from previous roles. They are truly typecast but I do not think Bernsen has that to worry about – at least from this viewer.

Marilu Henner – Alice Bigler

Even though I knew who Marliu Henner was prior to watching the movie, I was not overly familiar with her as an actress. I enjoyed the brightness and honesty her character, Alice, brought to the movie as she conversed with Joe. It is almost a shame that the tale takes place after her death so we could not see more of Henner in the movie.

Even though I like movies, I am more a fan of older movies so I was unfamiliar with the other actors  and actresses. For example, Chelsey Crisp plays Zoey, Joe & Alice's daughter, and I don't recall seeing her in any movies but she did a wonderful job of trying to be there for her dad while still giving him the space he may need after her mom died.

Overall, I felt the acting was very good. For example, when Norman is being questioned by Joe, we can feel his anxiety and nervousness in the situation.

Finally, let me mention Dog played by Monty. He arrived at the perfect time in Joe's life. A companion that Joe needed even if he didn't want to admit to it himself. Dog came in through a few bent/broken fence pieces and ingratiated himself right into Joe's broken heart. Dog (Monty) is quite a lovable animal – the perfect animal companion who brings closure to the story.

I love that movies have subtitles! With young children we usually watch movies with
the subtitles on to make sure we don't miss any of the plot. 

Location, Music, and Plot line 

The entire movie is set in and around the home of the Biglers which a development company wants to purchase. This potential buying of the house is integral to the choices that Joe makes during the movie and are part of what gets him in trouble multiple times. He even thinks the development company may be linked to his wife's death.

The background music was perfect for the movie. It did not distract from the plot nor drown out the voices of the actors. There were no numbers with lyrics which is a nice change of pace from most movies.

Throughout the movie Joe speaks with his deceased wife, Alice. The moments are usually to help propel the story along as something big is happening in Joe's life. She isn't actually there and we really don't know if Joe thinks he is physically seeing her, just remembering previous conversations and making up new ones, or we are just seeing a visualization of his imagination.

When rewatching the movie, I see how the very opening scenes provide the viewers with so much information about Joe and his family. From the boxing gloves sitting on the bureau to a photograph of children, I can see in a second viewing a lot of foreshadowing and storytelling told in a mere few minutes.

Potential Spoilers 

Some of the information that was revealed regarding Joe Bigler and his family prior to the death of his wife was very saddening. We learn that his daughter Zoey had a twin brother who died. During the telling of this tale to the Pastor, Joe explains how he turned to God for help for his son but was not heard. His prayers were unanswered a second time when he prayed over his wife's hospital bed.

It was during this meeting with the Pastor, who Joe was seeing because he promised his daughter he would, we learn a lot of information as to why Joe feels the way he does in regards to God and religion. Sadly, I see many who feel this way regarding unanswered prayers and God. I think this makes Joe an even more realistic and believable character.

End Potential Spoilers  

Thoughts 

I admit that at the end of the movie – when the credits started to run – I was upset. I wanted a bit more closure. What happened to Joe? How could they leave the movie like that? Was I supposed to come to my own conclusion whether or not he found faith again? Nope...we did get an ending that appeared on the screen shortly after I voiced my concern to my husband. See why we need to watch till the end of the credits?

One of my favorite parts is the beginning of the movie when we see what Joe and Alice's home looks like after her death and prior to her death. The dirty dishes in the sink, mail piling up, dead flowers in the vase are all signs that I have seen before in the lives of people close to me. I think the difference between the darkness in the house and the light, cheery nature when Alice is shown in the home is a very accurate way to demonstrate how people's lives can change with death.

I also do not know if I feel that the Dog adequately represented "His voice" as implied on the DVD jacket. I know that the Dog taught lessons to Joe throughout the movie – just with a simple look that caused Joe to rethink what he was or was not doing – but I do not think it was overtly sending a message from God. Perhaps that is due to the nature in which Corbin Bernsen chooses to send his messages. In reading a few of Bernsen's interviews, he states he does not want to make 'preachy movies' but instead ones where people are figuring out their connection to God. That is a big part of what Life with Dog is all about – Joe figuring out his connection and relationship with God after the death of his wife.

Would I recommend Life With Dog? Yes, I would recommend it. I do not think young children should watch the movie as there are some scenes where Joe is very upset and angry, punches the wall, and threatens a representative from the development company and a banker. However, I did not have any problem handing the movie to our teen and asking him to watch it. I think it all depends on personal choice and a teen's level of maturity.

I would also recommend watching it a second time about a week or so after the first viewing. I discovered many new things by watching it a second time but still reacted in the same way when Joe is angry and hurting.

And what did my husband think?

As a widower himself, he felt Bernsen's portrayal of a grieving husband was both accurate and heart wrenching. My husband quoted from C.S. Lewis' own reflections in his book, "A Grief Observed," who wrote, "No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear." Bernsen's acting conjured that sense to my husband and he wondered whether Bernsen even knew of the book or not. Either way, he said the actions of Joe were believable.

If you are interested in picking up your own copy, you can do so starting June 4, 2019 at Walmart. It is also available via other sites including Amazon.

If you would like to learn more about Mill Creek Entertainment, please visit the following:

Website – Facebook – Twitter – YouTube

Available at Walmart June 4, 2019.

If you are curious as to what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew had to say about Life With Dog, please visit our review link up.

Learning How to Write the Right Way: A Review of Rhythm & Writing with the Get Write Crew

There is much conflicting information regarding when and how to teach your child to write. Our five-year-old son was an early reader and thus began writing before we had any formal program in place for him. When the opportunity became available to review a program from Rhythm & Writing called Rhythm & Writing with the Get Write Crew, I was very happy to incorporate it into our homeschooling day with our son. Prior to receiving the workbook in our house, I requested the pre-assessment (which is also printed in the beginning of the workbook). We were also able to meet the Crew and watch three of the instructional videos to see and discover more about the program.

A spot on the front for your child to write his or her name.

What We Are Reviewing 

Rhythm & Writing with the Get Write Crew is a fun handwriting program presented with a musical group who teach kids to write letters the right way. Our five-year-old and I are reviewing the spiral-bound workbook and videos from Rhythm & Writing.

We received a copy of the Rhythm & Writing workbook, a dry erase overlay, and access to the instructional videos. We also received a welcome letter that briefly outlined the "Steps to Success" as found in the workbook.

The creator, Nikki Wilson, is a school-based occupational therapist who has seen "first-hand what happens when children don't learn to form their letters correctly: they write slower, their hands get tired faster, and they have a harder time transitioning to cursive." As a homeschooling parent, one of my concerns is helping our younger children learn how to write properly.

Rhythm & Writing uses catchy phrases – which both our son and daughter sing – to learn how to write the right way. Even if you don't watch the videos, the instructions that are part of the songs is printed on each page in the "Learn" section.

How Our Family Used Rhythm & Writing with the Get Write Crew 

When the workbook first arrived, we let our five-year-old son look through the book. He read some of the narrative pages as well as asked questions about the different vocabulary words and characters he discovered.

The Rhythm & Writing with the Get Write Crew is divided into sections based upon letters that are written similarly starting with the easiest to form and moving to more difficult letters like upper and lowercase J. 

On the first day we incorporated Rhythm & Writing into our homeschool day, we watched the video that accompanied the first three pages as well as the introduction to the Crew video. Our son then read the narrative page, practiced writing his letter L, and colored the pictures in the workbook. 

Each new day that we worked on Rhythm & Writing with the Get Write Crew, we watched the appropriate video that accompanied the letter we were working on as well as two additional videos. Our three-year-old daughter would choose one video and then our son would choose the next one. The welcome letter states that the kids would like the videos (and they sure do!).

All the videos are found in one password-protected place.

The videos have catchy lyrics that help your child remember how to properly write the letter. And they practice the letter multiple times during the video while singing the song. Our son was then able to take that information directly to the workbook to help him learn how to write the letters. 

Here you can clearly see the green, yellow, and red of the writing lines. Keep reading to see why I like them!

Our children taking turns picking which video they would like to watch.

What We Like 

There are many different aspects of the Rhythm & Writing with the Get Write Crew workbook to like. The fact that the workbook is spiral-bound is great because it can lie flat on the table. The color choice for the writing lines – green at top, yellow in the middle, and red on the bottom – provides a good visual clue for young writers. As the Steps to Success page states: "they resemble a stop-light and are used as visual clues to show them were to start, slow down, and stop each letter."

I also like the way that the learning and practicing is broken down on each page. From reviewing the letter and a word that start with the letter, to going over the rhyme, and practicing the different parts of the letter independently to putting it all together and finally writing the letter all on their own, the program is helpful.

Our son really enjoys coloring in all the pictures in the Rhythm & Writing with the Get Write Crew workbook. I love that he gets additional practice in properly holding a pencil or crayon through the coloring pages.

One of the many pages for your child to color.

Our son and daughter really like the Crew. Whenever our son is coloring in the pictures in the workbook, he talks about the different members of the Crew whether they are in the image or not. There are four members to the band (pictured below from the Rhythm & Writing website). The connection between the videos and coloring pages inclusion of the Crew is good. Our son enjoys learning more about the different characters as they interact in the book. 

"Big Country sounds like a farmer." –  five-year-old son

There was only one song that both our children did not like – lowercase g & q. It was mixed too loud for them and very fast. So far, they have enjoyed all of the other videos they have watched together. And our son sits and sings the songs as he works on the pages.

The only other problem we came across so far is that the way that the uppercase letter M is introduced in the video is different than how it is taught in the workbook.

Do you want to learn more about Rhythm & Writing? 

If you are looking for a program that will help your children learn to write or even help your children practice writing if they are struggling, Rhythm & Writing and Rhythm & Writing with the Get Write Crew might be the perfect fit for your homeschool. I know that we are really enjoying the program in our homeschool. This turned out to be one of those things that I didn't know we needed. It was a perfect fit for our son. It even inspired our daughter to try writing herself.

Website – Facebook 

If you want to see how other members of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Review Crew used Rhythm & Writing with the Get Write Crew, please visit the website. 

Art of the Ancients – a Review of ARTistic Pursuits Inc.

Looking for a fun and creative way to bring art into your homeschooling experience? ARTistic Pursuits Inc. is "the curriculum for creativity!" Choosing from several different volumes (K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8), families can easily bring art into their home even if they are not artistic or creative. Last year, our family reviewed the introductory volume, Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary and this year we are using Art of the Ancients, K-3 Vol. 2 to learn about the ancient Mediterranean World and create art representative of the styles of Ancient Greece, Egypt, and other cultures of the time.

It is recommended that one starts with Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary, K-3 Volume 1  and then you can either follow chronological order through volumes 2-8 or you can skip to any historical period that interests you or your children. These volumes from ARTistic Pursuits Inc. provide families with a four-year course from kindergarten to third grade with one art lesson a week planned for you with text and video lessons.

All the materials needed are laid out in the beginning of the book. I simply took the book with me to the arts and crafts store to purchase the items we required. While some of the suggested brands are not always found at your local store, we found what we needed on this trip so we could get started with the lessons.

What Do You Get?

One hard cover volume
2 discs (one blu-ray and one DVD)

Instructions for 18 projects
12 Text Lessons
6 Video Lessons

A list of materials needed from the art materials that we purchased (such as a soft pastel set, 5 lbs. of gray self-hardening clay, and a wire clay cutter) to household items like paper towels and hairspray.

Many of the text lessons also provide instructions for teaching the lesson outside of the home environment to a group of children.

How Much Time Does It Take?

"Each lesson is simple. It takes only ten minutes of your time, and yet your involvement is crucial to learning."


Reading through each lesson with your children and watching accompanying video lessons does not take a lot of time. The majority of the time will be while your children are creating their art. During this time, you can either observe, help, or join in like I have in the past.

Depending upon how much time and effort your child puts into each art project, the lessons can take from 15 minutes to an hour or more. Our five-year-old son usually spent about 30 minutes or so on each project from start to finish (not including the time we sat together and read the background history information). If your children are older, they might spend more time to perfect their art masterpieces.

How Did We Use Art of the Ancients in our Homeschool? 

Even though the lessons are geared for Kindergarten to Third Grade, our preschooler also joined in on the lessons as she likes to do everything her older brother does while homeschooling. The lessons themselves are not very difficult to adapt to complete with both our five-year-old and three-year-old. So, we focus upon the history-related information with our son and our daughter can join in with the drawing and sculpting.

The book is designed so you can do one lesson a week over the course of 18 weeks. We did not space it out in the same manner during our review period. There were some days where our children would happily do two lessons in one day – they were having so much fun!

As we had not used soft pastels in our home yet, we watched the first video lesson twice which instructed us on how to use them to draw pictures. This information would be invaluable for the next several lessons. Soft pastels were used in the lessons on European Cave Drawings, Minoan Fresco Painting, and Art in Pyramids (although we used regular crayons for this project) that we have completed so far.

Some of the kids' artwork using soft pastels 

Another art material we had not yet used in our home was the gray self-hardening clay. (The kids have played with play dough but not a more official art clay.) Our five-year-old son and my husband watched the video lesson together and then made their own hockey player as we love ice hockey (not football).

Art in Minoan Palaces lesson – our son chose a sheep to draw with the soft pastels.

What We Liked 

Just as with the review of the first volume, Art for Children, I really like that Art of the Ancients is a mix of video and text lessons. This provides a great way to meet the needs of a variety of learners. The video lessons are quite clear and both our five-year-old and three-year-old sat and watched the lessons together.

One of our son's favorite lessons was Clay: Slab Building. We watched the video and then with the help of Dad, he started creating his own figure – a hockey player. We had to make some adjustments as we did not have canvas or a rolling pin to use but everything still worked out okay. The only problem we had was that the arms and hockey stick did not adhere to the body figure. Perhaps they weren't scored properly as instructed in the video?

If we had used canvas as suggested in the video, our clay would not have stuck so badly.

Putting together the hockey player.

A finished project! 

The bright colors and images included with the text lessons make it easy to teach the lessons as if reading a story book. Our five-year-old son and I sat together on the couch and read through the history information before working on the art project. For example, before creating an Egyptian-inspired mural, we read the background information on art in pyramids and examined the mural Harvesting and Pressing Grapes using the questions provided in the book. Some of those questions include:

• How do men carry grapes from the vineyard? 
• Can you find jars used for storing the drink that was made from the grapes? 

After answering the questions, our son then made his own mural (inspired by a video game he has been playing lately).

Drawing one of the people on his wall mural.

Coloring in the first scene on the wall mural.

Working on the second scene on his wall mural.

The inclusion of objectives at the end of the book is a fantastic bonus for the homeschooling family. If you want to look for a particular art skill or history topic, you can review the 18 objectives and then pick the lesson to study. This would be beneficial in planning your homeschool schedule. 

I also like the inclusion of a bibliography and the fine art credits so if we wish to look for more information we have a starting point. 

How We Will Use Art of the Ancients in the Future 

As our two younger children get older and their art skills progress, we will be able to revisit the lessons in Art of the Ancients, K-3 Vol 2 as well as expand upon the history presented by doing additional research. Although I know the next project we will probably be doing is that of the Roman Portrait Paintings because our daughter has asked to draw pictures of ourselves. 

Our teen will be studying World History next homeschool year, so I will be able to incorporate some of the art projects into his lessons if he wishes to continue his pursuit of art. (He did join in the art projects last year when we reviewed Volume 1.) So even though the book is for grades K-3, we will be able to use the video lessons to review art techniques and then our teen son can create a clay relief as we study Mesopotamia or draw a portrait as we study Roman mummy portraits.

Art of the Ancients, K-3 Vol 2 is a wonderful hardcover book packed with 64 pages of great information and wonderful visuals! As each lesson includes a sample created image (either by Brenda Ellis or a student), children are sure to see that all art can be beautiful.

If you wish to learn more about ARTistic Pursuits Inc. and the other volumes in the series, you can visit the following sites including reviews by my fellow members of the Homeschool Review Crew.

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