$25 Amazon or PayPal Giveaway - Ends April 7, 2018

 

Reader appreciation giveaway time! As I pass on a prize I have either won or earned to my readers as appreciation to reading and interacting with my blog, here is an easy to enter giveaway!  Enter with just one option or all as the choice is up to you as is the prize of either a $25 Amazon gift card or $25 PayPal cash!

Please note that all entries will be verified and any entry claimed to have been done untruthfully will be voided.

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The Pencil Grip, Inc.'s Magic Stix Washable Markers Review & Giveaway - Ends 3/31/18

Note: This review contains an affiliate link which means a portion of any sales will go towards our non-profit.

I have a daughter who loves markers! She loves markers that can go on and on as she colors many many masterpieces. She has tried many different brands and whereas she might have liked others, she really enjoyed using Magic Stix Washable Markers by The Pencil Grip, Inc. The 24 pack already in their build-in case have moved into her basket of favorites and she tries to hide them from others.  Before she laid eternal claim to them, I was able to test whether or not they truly will not dry out for 7 days with the cap off as it's guaranteed.  Here are my results and as you can tell with my meager palm tree, I will not be up for any artist awards:

Not only do kids love markers but so do some of us adults as I couldn't pass up a chance to try them out. The color I used for the test was an olive green color and there was no change from day one to day seven. This is a big deal especially for those with small children who are notorious for leaving caps off.

The Pencil Grip, Inc.'s Magic Stix Washable Markers also state they are washable so I tested that out as well. I did have difficulty getting the marker out of my dishtowel but after several washes, I was able to remove the marking. I was able to remove it easier after my three year old grandson decided to get some on his arm and the floor. 

My youngest loves the Magic Stix Washable Markers and I like that they are odorless, non-toxic and have an array of bright and bold colors. They are perfect for all the little artwork and more, as seen above from the picture of Lady Mary from one of our favorite BBC shows drawn by my 10 year old. She couldn't stop coloring and decided to make a project of it by creating her very own artist portfolio!
Below are two more of her masterpieces and as you can see, they are not exhibiting any fading in the color:

Overall, my little Rembrandts and I recommend Magic Stix Washable Markers for the following reasons:

• The wonderful sturdy carrying case is see through which allows them to be inspired to grab a color and start creating new works of art!
• The case holds each marker securely and posed no issues even for my three year old grandson in choosing to remove a marker.
• The wide array of many bold and bright colors.
• The pointed tip for fine lines as well as the sides to allow for larger strokes.
• They didn't get in trouble if they accidentally marked up somewhere outside the paper since they are washable.
• They didn't dry up if the cap was left off.
• The paper doesn't get wrinkled up while coloring as other markers do. They do bleed through thinner paper as all markers do from my experience. 
• The caps aren't color coded to the marker so placing caps back on is easier when multiple markers are in use.

Stay up to date with The Pencil Grip, Inc. on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

The Giveaway:

Don't forget to enter to win a 24 pack of your very own Magic Stix Markers!  The giveaway is open to the US only and will end 3/31 at midnight.
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Check out what other reviewers had to say:

Drive Thru History® Adventures Review

My family were so excited to receive and review a one year access to all these great homeschool videos from Drive Thru History Adventures and what is even better is we also gained access to three wonderful courses to go with these videos! Bible History, American History and Ancient History are all important for me to teach my children and to expose my grandchildren to. I don't believe you could find a more enthusiastic person as Dave Stotts and he reminds me of one of my favorite college professors who taught history. To capture the attention of a student is to teach outside the box in my opinion. Dave truly does that with his lively videos full of dress ups, props and so much more. He has proclaimed on the website that "I've started calling it "Adventure Learning" - history education that's Christ-centered, fact-filled and super fun." He has been traveling the last 15 years to share the truth about history on location thus providing a more profound learning experience by feeling as if you were there with him.

Once you log in, it's an intuitive program to proceed with a top menu that includes:

• Dashboard - the starting point for each session on the site. The latest shows, documentaries, blogs and specials as well as the latest news and social media links.  It also has a social community to see how others are using the Drive Thru History® Adventures.
• Curriculum - the place to start any or all of the three curriculum of Bible History, American History and Ancient History. Each course has a half hour video, extra reading and a worksheet with discussion questions along with answer keys to share in the experience as a family or one on one. Each week has new updated information so it's never dull and an introduction on how to use each curriculum.
• Resources - the one stop for articles, expert papers, suggested readings, worksheets, answer guides, behind the scenes and more.
• Community - this is the place to link up to the Facebook group and other social media.
• Account - this is where all the information on individual accounts are contained and the information can be updated.
• Adventures TV - Adventure TV can be watched on the desktop, Chromecast, iPad,  iPhone or Android.

Curriculum Reviews:

The 18 week adventure begins with a half hour episode, reading and a worksheet on discussion questions.  By the time the student completes all the episodes, the first half of the New Testament will be covered.  The course starts out with an introduction and then Dave travels on-site to Israel. I have to say that the videos are thoroughly entertaining, engaging and educational. Dave really knows how to capture both young and old with the various locations, images, graphics and more. I think our favorite part of the curriculum are the videos in the locations where the study is focusing on such as Israel. 

All three were interested in learning more and found the videos entertaining. They prefer this type of learning especially when it's of historical nature and it's the easiest way I can get them both to learn. My granddaughter even enjoyed the lesson that my middle child was viewing. I confess my youngest, 11 this June, didn't like the Roman paintings of near nudes and that's my fault for not introducing classical art to her. I, on the other hand, really enjoyed the art that was utilized to help present the course.

• The video on-site filled with actual footage on location, paintings, illustrations, maps and more providing such an in-depth look into the time period and a clear understanding of what is being taught.
• A summary about Episode 1 is provided.
• After the summary is scripture reading allowing the student to reinforce the learning from the video.
• More information about the four apostles along with stained glass pictures of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
• Discussion questions to reinforce and ensure the student(s) understood the material.
• The Gospels Episode 1 Worksheet downloadable PDF. 
• The Gospels Episode 1 Worksheet Answer Guide downloadable PDF.
• Dig Deeper provides additional updates and articles.
• The Historical Influence of Jesus for further reading.

We completed that episode and we're on to the next!

American History Adventures and Ancient History Adventures has 12 episodes (weeks) each. American History starts with the discovery of the new world and ends with the American battles of Trenton, Princeton and Monmouth leading up to the Constitution. Each week, is a new adventure with a 30 minute video, a selected reading and completing worksheets. It provides the formidable events and people that led to the foundation of the United States. As with the Bible History curriculum, we started these episodes on the computer but with Adventures TV, we were able to sit comfortably in our living room and watch each of the Ancient History episodes. Being able to stream each episode through Adventures TV was fantastic! I enjoyed watching both my girls' reactions to Dave and how he makes learning about history fun even if they thought he was corny at times but that's how kids are! The other perk about Adventures TV is how you can install the app on your device and take it on the go. Adventures TV also has many other episodes outside the curriculum to include segments on Behind the Scenes, Dig Deeper, Side Roads and Dave's Adventures. It's yet another area where Dave has thought of everything to provide a comprehensive, exciting way to teach many aspects of history.

Ancient History Adventures begins with the Rise of Civilization and ends with the Best of the Ancient World. It also contains 12 episodes with a 30 minute entertaining video, discussion questions and other resources to thoroughly examine this important time period.  As with the other two curriculum, there are beautiful pictures and resources to reinforce the time period as Dave provides the historical significance of the time backed with Christian references. I believe all three curriculum are beneficial to a student to understand how each interlock together to provide how civilization not only began but how it influenced so many cultures relative to religion, law and principles. 

Disregard the messy desk :)

Each of the worksheets are well thought out and reinforces what the students just viewed during the episode. The answer key is provided and can be used by the educator or for self-check.

Overall, I would highly recommend this set of curriculum for the following reasons:

• Even though the curriculum is most appropriate for those over 12, younger students ages 5-11 can still enjoy the videos and the discussion questions. My seven year old granddaughter enjoyed watching the videos and viewed each one with us. 
• It can be utilized just as one, two or all three but I feel all three provide a robust learning experience to begin students on a journey with history. I love history and certainly believe if I was taught via the way Dave does, I would have most likely pursued it in college. My eldest, 29, was walking by as the girls were watching an episode and even said she would have enjoyed history taught in this manner. He's engaging, funny and yes, to my girls, sometimes goofy but that is what makes a teacher memorable!
• The supporting pictures, photos, on-locations shots and more really brings a sense of being there at the moment. It also provides a wonderful break from textbooks especially for the learner who prefers to watch versus reading. 
• The additional readings of documents, excerpts from the Bible, experts papers and articles provide interested students, and parents for that matter, more information to further the topic in an inviting manner. 
• Dave is always updating and adding additional information which is a plus to learn even more!

I forgot to note that both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this!  We both loved the Christian basis for how all the information is taught and Dave is so engaging and entertaining.  I am going to post an update once my children and I finish all three curriculum.  This one is a keeper!

UPDATE: Another week has passed and as a family, we are really enjoying and learning so much from Dave! He's a great teacher and is so entertaining! This is one of the best history courses I have taken and love the Christian base in every episode.

Drive Thru History Adventures has annual and monthly subscription options along with a free trial.

There is also an online community available to subscribers:

Drive Thru History Adventures on Facebook

Drive Thru History Adventures on Pinterest

Drive Thru History Adventures on Instagram

Catch Dave on his YouTube channel for more wonderful adventures that is available to anyone.

SPECIAL OFFERS:

Currently, there is also a special where with an annual subscription, you will receive a set of The Gospels DVD plus an additional discount. Visit Drive Thru History Adventures to learn more.

If you are a subscriber and reader to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, in the Winter Edition page 19, there is a coupon for 20% off an annual subscription.

Starfall Education Foundation's The Starfall Home Membership Review

I'm always looking for fun and educational learning  games for both my younger child and my grandchildren so I was very happy to have an opportunity to review The Starfall Home Membership from Starfall Education Foundation. It is a flexible online program that offers free and fee-based curriculum either on a desktop or mobile via Apple, Google Play or Amazon Apps. There is also a store to purchase various products such as children's books, instructional cards and more. For some parents and educators, it's important to stay linked up with the States Standards Initiative and align with Common Core which Starfall does. It's a comprehensive program for the experienced home educator, teacher or the parent who wishes to provide their young one with further educational opportunities. 

In the Complete Guide to Using Starfall, you will have everything you need in one place to understand how to move forward with your child(ren). What I liked first upon setting up my child and grandchildren to begin the program was the Guide.  It provides key skills appropriate for each grade level and how the skills align along with mobile app activities.  There are supplemental products as well as parent and teacher resources. I suggest the first step in starting to begin your plan for teaching is to review the many guides that pertain to your needs:

• Guide to Pre-K
• Guide to Kindergarten ELA
• Guide to Kindergarten Math
• Guide to First Grade Reading
• Guide to First Grade Math
• Guide to Second Grade Reading
• Guide to Second Grade Math
• Guide to Starfall Book Levels

Membership Perks Only $35 Annually

There are many free activities but once you purchase the $35 yearly membership, you will have complete access to all the activities, expanded math and reading content covering grades Kindergarten through second grade and additional songs and rhymes.

Review of Guide and Second Grade Math:

Each PDF downloadable is full of information to kick start your child's education in that subject matter. For this part of the review, I'm going to cover Second Grade Math which I'm using as a refresher for my youngest child.  The Guides are short and concise and outlines major areas and for Second Grade Math, it covers:  

1. Understanding place values
2. Using place values to add and subtract
3. Adding and subtracting within 20
4. Foundations for multiplication
5. Beginning Multiplication

The actual program is very easy for younger children to use with click and drag features, colorful animations and pictures, playful music and clear audio to easily understand.  There is repetition in the activities to ensure a student is understanding and remembering the task. It was a good refresher for her.

Review of Guide and First Grade:

My granddaughter has been utilizing the online activities and the printables for Kindergarten. To date, I have not ordered any of the resources available on the online store so I cannot comment on the quality of those but knowing there are more resources available is good. Both her and her three year old brother take turns playing with the games and the various activities provided. She has utilized the online games, activities and the worksheets.

She really enjoys the worksheets and has already learned a lot from our time using The Starfall Home Membership. Backpack Bear's Books was also a wonderful activity as the words are spoken in a slow enough manner for children to understand and with easy click and drag features, it's a great way to teach words.

Of course everything that big sister does, little brother has to try too! They had a lot of fun playing the games and even though he didn't understand the activities clearly, I truly felt he benefited from it. We worked on this into the night so when I told them it was time to stop, they were disappointed. This is something you want to hear when you are trying to teach your children!

For the math, we started with Beginning Multiplication and moved into Understand Place Value and she really liked it! I heard her say it was fun and she smiled and was very happy that she was doing so well with using the program. She had been using the free resources for a couple of months prior to this review so she was already familiar with how to maneuver and get around each screen.  She often played it on her own via her tablet. It's very user friend and intuitive.

Talking Library Review:

I am a huge fan of libraries and being that we reside in an area where winter is very cold, the library isn't always feasible. The Starfall Talking Library is one of the best features I liked about The Starfall Home Membership and here is why:

• Contains a wide selection of both non-fiction and fiction with poetry.
• The opening page is easy to maneuver even for small children and has a selection of favorite books by other members.
• The children can adjust the sound volume on the screen and can choose to pause the audible. An easy to see finger prompt shows the children to press the button to go to the next page.
• Words are highlighted as the reader continues with each sentence for easy to follow along.
• Sound effects provide a great way to capture the children's attention as the book comes to life.

Other Activities/Levels of Starfall 

We focused on Second Grade Math and Kindergarten for this part of the review.  It's great to know that my granddaughter will have the resources available for First Grade next year. As with the Kindergarten curriculum, there are many areas of concentration to include:

• First Grade Math
• Operations & Algebraic Thinking
• Base Ten Number & Operations
• Measurement & Geometry
• First Grade English
• Literature & Informational Text
• Phonics

All of the different activities are engaging and fun for little minds. They are intuitive and makes learning fun versus boring and redundant.

Other Benefits of Starfall 

• Starfall also has free and low-cost mobile apps via Apple iTunes, Google Play and Amazon Apps.
• Products such as children's books, instructional cards and more are available for purchase at the Starfall Store.
• Supplemental Parent and Teacher Resources in the Parent-Teacher Center.

To stay up to date and find out the latest, stay connected via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Overall, my family really liked The Starfall Home Membership from Starfall Education Foundation. It's a flexible program to be used on a desktop or on a device. It's fun, eye catching and full of many activities that will not only educate but provide hours and hours of fun. It's well worth the subscription cost to have a comprehensive math and English program, and for those that want a common core aligned program, it has all that you would want.

UltraKey Online Family Subscription from Bytes of Learning Review

My children are all self-taught typists so there was no formal education that taught them the proper way to place their finger on a keyboard or the correct posture required to achieve optimal results. My review of the UltraKey Online Family Subscription from Bytes of Learning provided a program that allowed for concise, clear instruction supported by voice-supported instruction with animation and videos. Bytes of Learning utilizes technology by developing and publishing multimedia software tools and material to help teach people of all ages. Another feature that caught my attention was the ability to have an interface that allows me to control what my students (aka children) will learn. The program itself is equipped with unlimited administration as well as school and class manager sizes so whether you need it for a single child or many, it's an ideal product to try.

The Ultrakey Online Family Subscription is an affordable choice for most families with options ranging from 3 user, 5 user or an 8 user priced from $30 to $50 for a year. It truly is an all family program for use by adults or children.

Getting Started:

• Setting up the UltraKey Online Family Subscription was easy and after I registered, I was able to start by familiarizing myself with the Bytes of Learning program. After I read the overview, I started enrolling my students which was very intuitive and easy. Next, I had my first child start using the program. 
• The "Go to my Instruction" option provides the student everything they need to begin their lessons. It might feel overwhelming for them at first as there is a lot of information in front of them which is why it's important for the parent or teacher to review the program to provide the initial foundation of what is expected of the student. It is very easy to use. 
• I suggest starting with the Play Introduction to UltraKey first with the student. Next, the assessment test is a great way to ensure the student is beginning at an appropriate level as well as setting goals (challenge level). The levels can always be adjusted and it will teach the student proper posture and correct striking technique by finger placement.
• Lesson and skill check modules are the main part of the program. The students learn from first practicing isolated keystrokes. They then move to letter chains, then letter pairs, then words and finally, sentences. The end of assignment skill checks ensures the student is meeting their own goals. There are even 3-D model of stretching techniques.
• There are buttons at the top that provide additional resources for the students such as posture reminders, finger placements and they can access the lessons, skill checks and much more!
• The Left Buttons also provide further resources for the students such as setting their goals, settings, learning, reports and more.

Practice and Learning Time:

My first student, aged 14, started her first lesson and didn't have any issues with the program. It will take a little time since she has never had formal keyboarding lessons but that is part of learning something new. The best part of the program, for my schedule, is most of it is very user friendly and doesn't require me to sit side by side throughout the entire lesson. She was able to navigate through it completely on her own after I walked her through the introductory information and explained the features of the site.

My second student, aged 10, is not always cooperative when it comes to learning something that does not interest her. She's adamant that she knows how to type the way she likes so having her sit down to try out the program with little resistance was a win for me. She took the assessment test and completed the first lesson with no fuss. She explained it was hard for her as she couldn't see the letters as she typed which I had to explain the purpose of learning how to keyboard properly. I was able to convince her that by learning proper keyboarding, it would allow her to write more stories and accomplish more tasks that she sets her mind to. She was a little confused since in Lesson 1, capital letters were intermixed in the lesson before being introduced at a later lesson. 

NOTE:  It was explained to me that the UltraKey Online program presents sentences and paragraphs with upper and lower case throughout the program to model correct punctuation which makes absolute sense and I'm glad they do that!  Until the shift key is taught at lesson six, the student will receive the correct number regardless if they capitalize or not.

After utilizing the program, both students didn't give me a lot of grief as they normally do when they aren't interested in learning a skill. They did understand the fundamental benefit in proper usage of the keyboard, placement of fingers and posture. The continuous reminders to sit properly was a feature I also liked since I am alwasy reminding them to sit straight.

I had my first student complete lesson 1 (shown below) to provide an opportunity to see the ease of use of the program. At the end of the lesson, she took an assessment and was able to see her progress for net speed and accuracy which she passed both. There was a recommendation statement to help her increase her speed and accuracy which was nice to help her understand where she could improve. There are 12 lessons that the student will work through to include skill checks. Goals can be changed as well and at the end of the course, the student will receive a certificate!

Overall, I think it's a great program for many reasons. It's very affordable, has flexibility for the number of students one might have, it reinforces keyboarding fundamentals in a non-boring way, it's challenging and having real time progress is motivational for students.  The ease of use and flexibility for children and adults is also an asset to families. I even had my seven year old granddaughter ask to start the program! I would recommend  UltraKey Online Family Subscription from Bytes of Learning. We tried another program last year but this one was unanimously approved as being our new program.

Visit Bytes of Learning on Facebook by clicking here learn more!