Classical Historian - Ancient History Go Fish Game

Ancient History Go Fish Game

The Classical Historian

1019 Domador

San Clemente, CA 92673

www.classicalhistorian.com

See all Products
Ages 5-129

Some reading required

$11.95

Go Fish Bundle -- all 3 for $29.95 

(Ancient History Go Fish, Medieval History Go Fish, American History Go Fish)

Purchase here



We're big fans of games for learning in our home.  Our latest new game is the Ancient History Go Fish Game from Classical Historian.  I received the game free to try in order to write a review for the Mosaic Reviews team.  Let me tell you a bit about this fun game.

This deck of 50 cards is used to play four different games which teach basic historical facts, chronology, geography, and association.


The four games include:

1. Go Fish - players try to collect all four-of-a-kid cards from categories which include Prehistory, Ancient Asia, Mesopotamia, Ancient Hebrews, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Roman Republic, Roman Empire, Native American Homes, Political Leaders, Seven Continents, and Rivers of Early Civilizations.  Whoever gets the most sets wins.
2. Collect the Cards - players use historical facts to guess the image on a card.  If guessed correctly the player wins the card.
3. Chronology - one player shuffles cards and the other puts the cards in chronological order as fast as possible.  Answer key is included, and the fastest time wins.
4. Continents - players assemble cards under the correct continent card as quickly as possible.  Answer key is included, and the fastest time wins.

The game cards are very sturdy and larger than normal playing cards.  There is a colorful picture on each card which helps with association and identification of many historical sites and items.  Take a peek:  

History is not the favorite topic around here, but that may change with these games.  The games are quick, easy, and fun to play!  We had fun checking out the pictures and learning about the different categories.  My younger son was very interested in the cards too--definitely a plus!  I look forward to working these into our rotation of games to get history facts memorized.  After we get good at Ancient History we'll probably try Medieval History.  I absolutely love the ability to play several different games with the same set of cards.  The price is reasonable for the quality of the products.  I'd even give these as gifts!  I'm seriously considering getting the six game bundle to start working with my little guy on these games to help him get ahead on learning the different time periods and references.  Hmm, we have a birthday coming up pretty soon.  (Grin)  I'm quite interested in checking out some of the other products Classical Historian offers.  (See link above to See all Products.)

Classical Historian also has History Memory Games for the same three categories for younger children.  The History Memory Games teach historical image recognition and chronology and geography.  The History Memory Games are $14.95 each or all three for $39.95.

There is also a History Game Superbundle- all 6 games for $59.99 (over 25% off retail)

Time 4 Learning - A TOS Review

Time 4 Learning 
 6300 NE 1 Ave, Suite 203 Ft Lauderdale, FL 33334
(954) 771-0914
Fax: (954) 827-7600
www.time4learning.com

$19.95 for the first child/$14.95 for each additional child/monthly membership

Ages PreK-8th Grade

For my latest review as a member of the TOS Homeschool Product Review Crew our family received a free month membership to Time 4 Learning.  Let me tell you a bit about Time 4 Learning and show you some screen shots to help you get a feel for it too.

A Time 4 Learning membership includes 1000+ multimedia lessons delivering standards-based math and language arts lessons--science, social studies and art are also an option in most grades. Art is available after the first month of membership for fourth through eighth graders. Each student gets an individual login and access to multiple grades--the grade above and below their own in most subjects.  Students are able to work fairly independently while completing activities.  Parents have access to lesson plans, teaching tools and automated grading and progress reports.

The math and language arts curriculum are designed to meet all state standards, but science and social studies lessons may need to be supplemented to meet individual state requirements. Online lessons and activities may be used or worksheets may be printed if desired.

Demos are available for viewing, and a Curriculum Overview is also shown on the website.

 
 

Preschool Colors Game

 

Fractions

 

Latin & Greek roots

 









This online curriculum can be used for summer review, after school, preschool early learning, homeschooling, special needs learning, or just plain fun. Time 4 Learning can be used alone or with curriculum such as K12, Charlotte Mason, Singapore Math, Saxon Math, ABeka, Five in a Row, Sonlight, Switched on Schoolhouse, Bob Jones University.  The program even works fine with lapbooking and unschooling.  Art is available after the first month of membership for fourth through eighth graders. For many families Time 4 Learning is also a great fit for their special needs students (ADD/ADHD, autistic, dyslexic, visual learners).

 



Here's How It All Works

 
This computer-based curriculum does not require you to download any software-- members just sign in and get started.  Preschool, elementary school and middle school are split into Lower Level and Upper Level on the site log-ins.  Topics for the various grades may include:

• Math
• Social Studies
• Science
• PreAlgebra & Algebra Online
• Online Art program - Time 4 Art (after the first month of membership)
• Spelling Skills - including word lists by grade
• Writing & Reading Skills (Online Reading Programs, Reading Comprehension, Writing Software, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics Curriculum, Elementary Grammar and Vocabulary)

 

Parent Community & Forum



Parent resources include a Parent Forum, Scope & Sequence and Lesson Plans.
In addition, parents also have access to information regarding:

• Homeschool Portfolios - Homeschool Record Keeping 
• Homeschool Curriculum Reviews of Time4Learning 
• Secular Homeschooling 
• Getting Started Homeschooling Guide 
• Homeschool State by State Information 
• Information for Homeschool Charter Schools

At $19.95 per month for the first child and $14.95 per month for each additional child the price is not too bad for the materials covered.  I suspect many larger families would not be able to afford the program easily since this is monthly.  There are no contracts, and you can cancel anytime by giving notice to discontinue membership. Time 4 Learning also offers a  2 week money back guarantee!

Time 4 Learning will work on PC or Mac computers.  "Fast access" (DSL or cable modem) to the internet would be preferred.  Although we were able to access via laptop at various places with Wi-Fi/high-speed, this program really is not a good fit if you are on dial-up internet.  Much of the site could not be accessed at dial-up speed.  In addition, because most of the Time 4 Learning lessons use Flash technology, iPads, iPhones and iPod touch are not usable options.

Love it or Leave it?  I'm conflicted on this one.  While filled with fun graphics, the curriculum content wasn't exactly a great fit for our family.  The colorful pictures, activities and games definitely capture a child's attention.  Topics seemed to be covered adequately, but some of the content seemed too simple for the grade level given.  I suppose that could be taken care of by jumping to the next level perhaps.  This wasn't a great fit for my 6 year old because he thought it was game time rather than learning time.  Since the little guy wasn't getting into the curriculum, I opted to spend more time with my 14 year old using her level of the program.  Although she said there were some "cool" and "fun" things, she also pointed out that stuff seemed a bit too easy.  I was not surprised that she enjoyed the Playground games section.  I'm sure the kids would continue to use the program occasionally, but this wasn't a favorite for either child.

I did like the ability to check on the progress of my children through the parent account.  The reporting available could be great for documentation to prove topics covered.  This isn't a real big issue for us right now though since we frequently monitor and always supervise our children while they are online.

My bigger conflict came in the content of the curriculum.  We have tended to use Christian curriculum and resources while teaching our children.  This curriculum is definitely secular in nature.  The content was adequate but seemed odd at times and didn't quite fit for us.  This doesn't mean the curriculum was necessarily bad, but I'm not sure that I could suggest this to parents who prefer Christian, scripture-based materials.  It was fun to check out something new, but this is not a membership we would purchase.

Find out more thoughts from the Crew

Disclaimer:  As a member of the TOS Homeschool Product Review Crew I received a free month membership to Time 4 Learning for my children to use in order to provide an honest review of the program.  I have not and will not receive further compensation.  I am not obligated to provide a positive review.  All comments and opinions are my own.

Can You DigIt? Roman Town - A TOS Product Review

Dig-It! Games - Roman Town
info@dig-itgames.com, or 1-877-21DIGIT (1-877-213-4448)

For 5th to 8th graders, kids from 8 to 88

ROMAN TOWN: THE PREMIERE ARCHAEOLOGY INTERACTIVE COMPUTER GAME FOR KIDS (CD) Price $39.95


ROMAN TOWN TEACHERS EDITION (CD)
A multiple-use version of Roman Town for the classroom setting. Pricing is on a per-license basis.
Price $299


ROMAN TOWN EDUCATOR'S MANUAL (Download)
Price $19.95

The Educator's Manual is available for download, and the game is on CD.

                                                      ***For a Limited Time Only***
****Until February 21, 2011, TOS Crew Readers can get 20% off the 2010 price of $24.95.  If you use the coupon code TOS2011 you get $15 off the 2011 price PLUS an additional 20%...so price is $19.96!

This winner of the National Parenting Center’s 2010 Seal of Approval and Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Products Award was created by an archaeologist and former middle school educator.  Her blog is linked to the game website for further information.

Have you ever thought about sending your kids looking for buried treasure?  Have you ever wished your kids could play in dirt without getting dirty?  If you answered yes to either of these questions you should check out this fun game we've been playing.

Roman Town is a historically accurate archaeological simulation game which allows kids to learn about Fossura, a Roman town destroyed in 79 AD when Mount Vesuvius erupted. In this interactive game players excavate buildings, find ancient artifacts, and dig up treasures. Roman culture, society, and history become real to your kids during “hands-on” discovery, analysis, and problem solving.

At this authentic dig site players send out their team and participate in a complete excavation. Players get to dig, analyze, sort and reconstruct the site while learning about Roman art, architecture, language and artifacts.

There are six levels to the complete excavation, but they may be played at different times and can be saved for later. In addition, players find something different every time they play. The game contains realistic 3D graphics of artifacts.

 Kids actually get to remove dirt layer by layer, and reconstruct rare artifacts piece by piece.

Roman Town is fun for any age, with no violence or inappropriate material. You can’t play the game without learning something. Kids learn new vocabulary, think through puzzles and get a taste of what archaeology is really about.  My 5 year old loved "digging" with the computer mouse to find the artifacts/treasures .  He was getting up in the morning saying he wanted to "dig".  He was going to bed saying he wanted to "dig".  This boy is really "digging" this game.  My 13 year old liked the game, but she figured out I was getting her to learn something too so had to act like she was really "helping" her brother.

Roman Town is currently only available in a Windows version. The MAC version of Roman Town is coming soon according to the website.

The game has a really interesting feature.  The L.E.A.R.N., Locate Engrossing And Remarkable Knowledge, interactive, in-game encyclopedia, lets kids learn at their own pace. Kids can choose to LEARN more from related articles in the encyclopedia. Throughout the game are quizzes on LEARN to test players’ knowledge. 

We really like this game.  We found out you really do find something different each time too!  It was fun to find out more about archaeology and a real ancient Roman town.  This game is definitely a fun way to learn some ancient history.  For my little pirate lover the "digging for treasure" concept was wonderful.  Now, if I could use something like this for all those other topics ... hmmm.  This game got "thumbs up" all the way around at our house.  Definitely worth the price for fun learning.  If you're even slightly interested, you really should get this game - especially now while it's so cheap with the TOS coupon code!
 

The website also contains links to archaeological resource sites for further information and articles.  We'll be checking those out as we continue to play the game.  To see more information click here

To see what other TOS Crew reviewers thought of Roman Town click here

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received a free download of Roman Town to try in return for a fair and honest review.  The observations and opinions stated here are my own.  I received no further compensation.

  

Looking Forward - Stepping Back

It's that time again, you know, the anticipation of all those Spring and Summer things to do while sitting with "cabin fever".  One of the things we do as a family is pre-1840 fur trade reenactment during the summer.  We get into our "funky clothes" (according to my daughter, 13) and go back to a simpler and less stressful time.  Now don't get me wrong, most people would agree that this was not a simpler time, but I'm pretty sure they just need a little coaxing.

See that guy down there, he's my favorite mountain man.  He holds our camp together.  He goes by "Sleeps With Gophers" or "Fire Without Matches" most of the time.  Yes, you earn your name, so take your best guess at what prompted those names.  Better yet, guess how "Painted Toe", "Boomer", and "Two Moons" earned their names.  This is the most family-oriented activity we've done over the years, and I thought you might like to know a bit about it. 

You can click here  to access the website of our local Coon-n-Crockett Muzzleloader Club. 

All things pre-1840 fur trade era are to be found on this comprehensive site.  There are links to almost anything related to the time period.  The website has even had out-of-country hits and has a number of foreign fans.





Click  here to go to the Buckskinner Cookbook for recipes using bear, beaver, javelina, wild rice, muskrat, rabbit, raccoon, skunk and more.  (Yes, cookies too!)

Click here to check out the Language of the Rendezvous

Click here to explore the Almost Complete List of Muzzleloading and Buckskinning Links

The Book of Buckskinning Series is the place to go for everything you need to know to equip yourself to reenact the fur trade era.  Check it out here.

It is definitely not just about the guns.   We put the clocks and watches away and live by the sun.  We cook everything over a campfire that has to be started and kept going into the evening.  We sleep on cots in a large canvas "one-pole" tent with candle lanterns as our on lights once the sun sets.    We haul in our own water.  We have a block of ice for refrigeration.  Ah, relaxing . . .  Looking forward to getting back into "camp" mode, when this beautiful abundance of snow leaves.  For now, I guess I'll just look at the pictures and reminisce.