Progeny Press Review

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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.

Progeny Press makes earning High School Literature credits easy with high school level study guides such as My Side of the Mountain Study Guide and Animal Farm  Study Guide.  The guide suggests that one study guide is worth 1/4 of high school credit.  So if your high schooler does two different books you can use the guide for a half-semester credit.

I was excited to see Progeny Press has a study guide for My Side fo the Mountain.  When I was a boy, My side of the Mountain was one of my favorite books.  I was initially going to read the book out loud to my boys but after reviewing the My Side of the Mountain Study Guide I decided to assign reading it to my older boys for school.  The guides I reviewed in my opinion seemed to be High school level of work.  Even though the guides are for older kids there are still activities in the guides that you can use with younger children if you are reading the book out loud.  For example, there are Prereading activities you can do with younger kids like suggested field trips related to the book.  Like in the My Side of the Mountain Reading Guide one of the activities mentioned was to go on a fishing field trip which is always a hit with my boys.

The reading guides are in pdf format so I can use it over again.  The pdf actually allows you to type answers in right in the pdf.  You can have your student work on the computer and save it or you can just print it out and have them write out the answers. Each pdf has a Synopsis of the book and information about the author.  The guides also have a section for additional resources for you.  Each section of the book is covered in the reading guide with a vocabulary section and a set of questions about the chapters. Of course, the answers are provided in a separate pdf.

If you are looking for a study guide for your high schoolers literature then I would recommend you look at what Progeny Press has to offer.

 

 

Other study guides available at the high school level include The Red Badge of Courage, The Yearling, Heart of Darkness, Jane Eyre, Hamlet, Out of the Silent Planet, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Day No Pigs Would Die, The Great Gatsby, and A Tale of Two Cities. Visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read more reviews of Progeny Press.

Study Guides for Literature - A New Coat for Anna, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, My Side of the Mountain, Animal Farm & Little Women {Progeny Press Reviews}

Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving book review

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.

The Critical Thinking Co.™ provides fantastic critical thinking resources for students such as Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving. I was provided the physical book Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving to use with my kids.

The Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving book has ten chapters that each cover a different type of Logic/math problem.  For example, there is a chapter on solving Geometry Word problems, and of course, there are chapters for Algebra Word problems.  Thankfully the answers are also in the back so you will not be left wondering what’s the right answer.  The introduction of the book and the beginning of each chapter have hints for solving a particular type of problem.  In the picture below you can see the flowchart suggested.

Master Logic and Math problems?  How about enjoying Math word problems?  That’s exactly what the book is for.  The book says the goal is to “have students approach all types of problems with a sense of fun anticipation and confidence.” The book has general problem-solving strategies, a flow chart, and tips for all the different types of problems.  I thought that there were a good number of examples to follow.  I always like examples and I thought the Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving book had just the right amount of example problems.

I let my son pick out what problems he thought looked interesting and then I gave him some that corresponded with his math level.  He really likes puzzles so he really enjoyed the book. You can see in the picture below one of the problems he worked out.  As you can see many of the problems have a diagram to help you draw out the problem

Here is another example of how the book leads you through an algebra story problem. You can see how it makes it easier to figure out using the provided table to fill in. I would definitely recommend it for your child if they are having problems figuring out Algebra story problems.

My problem-solving boys loved just picking up the book and trying their hand at different problems. Even my 18 year old would try some of the problems.  My boys really enjoyed the different problems.  I would suggest making sure the problems are at their level and that they don’t cheat and look at the answers in the back before they try it.  The book says grades 6 -9 and I would agree however even higher level high schoolers will enjoy the challenges.  I would recommend Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving if you have a junior high or high schooler who is not thrilled with word problems as a supplement to your math curriculum.  I would also recommend it if your child enjoys solving problems!

We used Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving, but other families used various books from The Critical Thinking Co.™ so be sure to visit the Homeschool Review Crew to read more views.

Creative Problem Solving, Dare to Compare Math, Mastering Logic & Math and Who Is This Kid? Colleges Want to Know! {The Critical Thinking Co.™ Reviews}

Artistic Pursuit Art Curriculum Review

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.

As a child, I loved art so I was excited to review the Artistic Pursuits Inc., Middle School 6-8 Book One, The Elements of Art and Composition to use with our family for art instruction!

What is the Artistic Pursuits curriculum?

The Artistic Pursuits Inc. curriculum consists of a spiral-bound book that can be used as a full art curriculum.

The art lessons are divided into 16 units that cover different elements of art. Each unit has four lessons that cover vocabulary, art history, techniques, and applications. I especially enjoyed the historic art pieces from the past. The middle school book one that we used highlighted many artists from the orient. That was very interesting since I was not familiar with most of the art pieces highlighted. The art piece along with the culture of the artist is discussed. Each lesson has one “challenge” which is a sketch or study. You can see in the picture below one of the challenge sketches my son did.

The only items you will need are pencils and some other art supplies depending on what book you use.

What did we think

I loved just looking at all the different art pieces. The pieces selected were beautiful. They weren’t to hard to copy if required by the book.

The other thing I liked about the book is that I didn’t have to worry about pictures in the book. So many times I flip through an art book and discover that I cannot show it to my kids because of the human art studies. You can see in the picture below how Artistic Pursuits displays the human figure.

The techniques presented in the lessons were easy to follow. You can see in the picture below an example of instructions for different art techniques.

Overall I really liked the Artistic Pursuits Inc. curriculum. It is easy to do at home one child or even with a group of children. You can use the curriculum straight through or you can even choose which units you would like to focus on.  If you are interested they are also offering online videos for beginning art instruction. The blog with free video lessons for beginning drawing students is at https://artisticpursuits.mykajabi.com/blog. This is a 16-week summer series that is featured each summer.

Artistic Pursuits Inc. has many other art curriculum books that other families used so be sure to visit the Homeschool Review Crew to read more views.

Art Through The Ages & Art for Children {Artistic Pursuits Inc. Reviews}

Do you know about the Hidden Message of the National Seal?

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.

We have been supplementing our history studies with The Hidden Message of the Great Seal How Foundational Truth From The Dawn Of Liberty May Rescue A Republic In Peril from The Hidden Message, LLC. This book is fascinating! The hidden message is a needed history lesson for our day.

What is it all about

Did you know that the seal of the United States has two sides? Did you know there were several iterations?

This book is quite an exhaustive study of our countries great seal and the history that surrounds it and our nation. It is a 260-page book full of great pictures and quotes! (I am a sucker for pictures since I am a visual learner and there are plenty in this book.) One of the quotes in the book that really seems applicable today is from Patrick Henry, “Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom…”

The book The Hidden Message of the Great Seal covers the history of the seal, the mottos on the seal, the men involved in making the seal, and the message of the seal. Major themes on the seal that are expanded on in the book are virtue, freedom, Providence, and unity. The book also dispels some false information about the seal using the words of our founding fathers and the written record.

How did we use it

One of my boys picked up the book because he is really interested in money and our dollar has the images of the seal (actually you will learn by reading this book there is a slight difference in our money). I thought it was interesting that the seal design was based on the older currency of the day, and one of the seal designers also designed continental money. The book was a great tool to teach him about money, the seal, and our Nations founding.

The author, Michael Kanis, has spent a lot of time researching the American seal. I was impressed with all the Latin motto interpretations he presented. Some of the Latin was above my head, but it’s good to see all the Latin meanings and history laid out so I could understand them. I would love to see a study guide for this book.

I would highly recommend adding The Hidden Message of the Great Seal to your History book collection. Now more than ever we need to be teaching our children what the founding fathers had in mind for our great country and teach them that they have a responsibility to promote freedom and justice. For a limited time you can get a 50% off discount at The Hidden Message of the Great Seal How using the discount code “HOMESCHOOL”.

Be sure to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog by clicking the picture below to read more reviews of The Hidden Message of the Great Seal.

The Hidden Message of the Great Seal {The Hidden Message, LLC Reviews}

The Easter Storybook Review

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.

We have been enjoying reading as a family The Easter Storybook published by David C CookThe Easter Storybook is a hardback book that contains 40 stories from the Bible about the life of Christ.  Since the book has 40 stories it can be read every day during the time of Lent.

While the book is set up to be read during the 40 days of lent, it does not have to be used only during that time period. I used The Easter Storybook as a read-aloud for my younger boys every night.  I usually let them look through the pictures and then let them choose what story they want me to read to them.  We really enjoyed the pictures that go with each story.  Each story started with a short verse and were on par with a level that kept their interest.

Even though we didn’t read The Easter Storybook for lent, I still plan on using the book for the week between Good Friday and Easter.  I love the idea of reading stories in expectation of a time of celebration like Easter.  So many times the focus is on just one day.  With The Easter Storybook you can build anticipation for the real reason for Easter.

My boys and I really enjoyed The Easter Storybook from David C Cook.  I would recommend it as a read-aloud Bible storybook for your family.  The pictures kept the attention of my boys while I read the story out loud to them.  There were plenty of stories for them to choose from.

My family loved The Easter Storybook. Other families used this product too so be sure to check out their reviews by clicking on the banner.

The Easter Storybook {David C Cook Reviews}

YWAM Heroes of History book review

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.

YWAM Publishing offered us several choices from their Heroes of History series of books and we chose to review the George Washington book. We chose to review the George Washington book since we are currently studying American history.  As a homeschool family for many years, we have always enjoyed the “Heroes of History” books from YWAM Publishing.  There are 26 titles offered in the Heroes of History book series to choose from.

My daughter likes the Heroes of History books because:

  • They are easy to read
  • They cover the whole  life of the hero
  • They provide good lessons from their lives

One of those lessons that hit me was the following quote from George Washington:

“The prevalence of that pacific and friendly disposition among the people of the United States which will induce them to forget their local prejudices and policies, to make those mutual concessions which are requisite to the general prosperity, and in some instances, to sacrifice their individual advantages to the interest of the community.” – George Washington

In our current society we seem to have lost this.  It is amazing how important George Washington was in the founding of our country.  He was truly a great leader.

Study guide:

As part of the review I also received the study guide.  The Study guide is a PDF that I downloaded.

 

The study guide has two parts.  The first part has quotes, display corner ideas, questions for each chapter, Social Studies, Related themes to explore and Culminating Events.  The section on a display corner gives suggestions on how you can set up a display corner of objects related to the life and times of George Washington.  Part 2 of the study guide has a fact sheet and some maps.

I really liked reading the YWAM Publishing book on George Washington.  I am looking forward to sharing some of the interesting facts about George Washington and lessons that I learned reading the book.  I am looking forward to reading more books in the YWAM Publishing Heroes of History series.

We reviewed just one book from the Heroes of History series, but you can see reviews from other books reviewed by Homeschool Review Crew members by clicking the link below.

32 Heroes of History {YWAM Publishing Reviews}