Showing posts with label Product Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Product Reviews. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

My Home School Grades - Another One of Those Mosaic Reviews




800-516-9USA (9872)




Once upon a time there was a homeschooling mom who vowed 
to do everything within her power to teach her children 
everything she knew and more.  She had a plan to meet each 
educational need with every resource and extracurricular event 
she could find.  She read all the curriculum catalogs, 
downloaded numerous planners, prepared lesson plans, 
and created her own forms for keeping track of all major 
educational topics, music lessons, library programs, and all the 
club meetings and activities each child attended.  She created 
her own "grading" system, maintained a calendar upon which 
she checked off and color-coded appointments, tests, and 
daily "learning" hours for each major topic tackled.  At the 
end of each day she sighed, smiled and thought, 
"MHeart's Sure Generous."

Just in case she was ever sick or unavailable she created an 
extremely detailed binder of information for each child, with 
each page carefully placed in a page protector, which she 
referred to as MHome/School Guide.

At the end of each day, week, month and year she created a 
brief but complete list of accomplishments for each child and 
thought, "MHomeSchool's Great!"   

When her first child was ready to graduate, with highest honors, 
of course, she sat down, put her feet up and said, "I've done all 
that I could do."  She then asked her child what were the most 
favorite memories of homeschooling.  With a pleasant smile and 
a hug her child responded, "Mom, my favorite memories are the 
days that you didn't have any paperwork to do.  We read books, 
played games, sang songs and had a good time.  I remember 
learning math and reading with some of those great games you 
got me for birthday and Christmas.  We did some great projects 
during your free time."  She sighed heavily and thought 
"MHomeSchool Goofs!"  

Beep, Beep, Beep!!  Hmm, that was an optimistic 
and fanciful dream.  I do not know one homeschooling mom 
who does or could live that life.  Homeschooling is a lifestyle 
which takes a lot of time and effort.  Keeping up with 
paperwork, portfolios and transcripts seems to be a 
monumental task for homeschooling moms, especially in 
families with several children.  At times I've even known 
some homeschooling moms who have said they just 
plain don't have time to do the paperwork, nor do they have 
anywhere to keep it all anyway.  For all you homeschooling 
moms that wish for the dream of organized and complete 
records that don't take hours to compile and prepare, keep 
reading!  Your kids can have better memories than watching 
you spending all of your time creating and filling in forms and 
paperwork instead of spending one on one time with them.  
I think you'll be excited to see what I've been 
checking out lately as part of the Mosaic Reviews team.

Da ta da da . . . 
You have to try this lifesaver software!



MHome School Grades is the product of a home school dad, 
John Echols, who saw the need to gather all the information 
about a family's homeschool adventure and figured out a way 
to manage and report the information as needed in a 
user-friendly way.

John got together with Jordan Schute, a 2010 homeschool 
graduate fascinated with computer programming, and this 
unique program was created.


How the Program Works:  After setting up your 
account and password you'll fill in the following for each 
student:

Enter each class the student is taking.  Drop-down menus 
are available to save you some time while entering credits, 
school year, semester, subject, and student grade level.  
You then decide how you want to grade the class--letter, 
number, fraction, etc.  You can use your own lesson plans 
and curriculum to make these entries a breeze.  You'll 
also find drop-down menus for curriculum publisher and 
curriculum by name.  If you don't see your curriculum 
there is an "other" category.  If you want to be more 
specific, MHSG will add this information into the menus 
at your request.


Adding a Student (can even add picture!)




Adding a Class for a Student


After you've added all of your student's classes you'll want to
enter your student's activities such as scouts, church programs, 
music, 4-H, etc.  You'll also find places to fill in descriptions, 
awards and references.

Adding an Activity



Example of Project Details for 4-H




Example of Class Details



















With My Home School Grades you can manage, track and report 
your student's grades, curriculum, extracurricular activities and 
other events quite easily and quickly.  At the end of each school 
year you have an updated transcript already filled in from the 
information you've been adding along the way.  You can even 
enter information retroactively--yes, filling in last year because 
you didn't get around to it.

On the website are video tutorials to walk you through each step 
in setting up the software to track progress from year to year.  
A number of curriculum options have been pre-programmed and 
show up in drop-down menus for ease, but if your curriculum 
isn't there you can use the "other" option or contact MHSG 
support to have them add in your information.

How It Worked for Us:  

*This is easily one of the best and easiest software products
I've checked out for managing homeschool records and
transcripts.

*Setting up my students took very little time and minimal effort.

*The program is very user-friendly, flexible and complete. In
addition to tracking everything I could think of, I was thrilled to
see the flexibility in types of grading.

*The fact that the creators are very willing to hear your concerns
and make changes and additions to the program to meet your
needs is fantastic!

*One of the best things about this online program is that support
is available seven days a week.  When I called about a minor
issue I was promptly connected to a real person (unlike most
service calls I get to deal with) who made sure he understood
the issue.  My issue was resolved within minutes.  I really
appreciate that kind of service!

*We'll definitely be continuing to use My Home School Grades
for our record keeping needs.  I'll have an easily created transcript
in a couple of years when my daughter needs it, and I'll have
complete records for our son who is just starting.  This program
is a time saver I'd recommend to all of my homeschool friends.

*Although we only have a couple of students, I think this is a
very reasonably priced program, especially since the number of
students is unlimited and users receive a lifetime membership.

If you'd like more information about the program features 
and ways to use this program in your home you'll want to
visit My Home School Grades.  Try a 14 day free trial to see how 
useful and easy record keeping could be for your family.  
After you've tried the program I'm confident that you'll be 
signing up for a lifetime family membership, at the very 
reasonable price of just $49.99, which covers all of your 
children through their academic years.  Psst!  Your 
membership even includes all future updates and 
enhancements to the program. 

Visit My Home School Grades on Facebook and follow them 
on Twitter to keep up to date with the latest program 
developments.  

Visit Mosaic Reviews to see more great team reviews!


Wednesday, May 15, 2013

The Waterproof (Yes, I Really Said That!) Bible - A Mosaic Review


The Waterproof (Yes, I Really Said That!) Bible - 
A Mosaic Review





Bardin and Marsee Publishing
438 Carr Ave Ste 12
Birmingham, AL 35209
866-846-4338
Pricing varies depending on product chosen--See link below.



My Bible - Cute huh?
At some point you've probably heard the question, 
"If you were   stuck on a deserted island what is the 
one thing you would want  to have with you?"  
(or another variation of that type of question)  If it 
were me I'd have to respond with, "Hopefully my 
Bible."  It's a source of encouragement, joy, and 
wisdom that I suspect I would need in that 
situation.  The problem with that answer would be
that it's not very likely that I would end up in 
that situation without some type of accident 
or disaster happening, and if that were the case, 
the last thing I'd be doing is carefully waterproofing, 
wrapping and figuring out how to carry and keep 
track of a book.  I've been reading for a very 
long time, and I've lost, torn, and spilled on more 
books than I can count on both hands.  Finally, 
someone has come up with a mostly indestructible 
book.  (I'll explain the "mostly" part a little later.)  
Speaking for myself and the other bookworms 
I know, we'll read a book almost anywhere and while doing 
almost anything. Honestly, that presents very good odds that 
a number of our books are not in perfect condition when 
we're done reading.  When given the opportunity, as a 
member of the Mosaic Reviews team, to receive a copy 
of the Waterproof Bible to read and write a review, one 
of my first thoughts was "Hmm, a challenge--bring 
it on."  I found it quite funny that a whole team of people 
would be given a book with a "dare" to try to destroy it 
just to provide a review.  

Before going any further, yes, the book is indeed 
waterproof.  Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow ...  It just 
occurred to me that my mailman might need one of 
these.  Here's a bit of an explanation and description 
of the great features of the Waterproof Bible.

Cola wouldn't stay on the page for camera















The creators of the Waterproof Bible wanted to make a Bible 
that could be taken anywhere, regardless of the weather or 
circumstances.  All Waterproof Bible products are 100% 
waterproof inside and out. The books are made using 100% 
synthetic materials (plastic).  These Bibles float, are stain 
resistant, and do not bleed through when using ballpoint 
ink or dry highlighters. The books are very durable and can 
even be recycled.   

In the About This Bible section at the front the Bible is the 
following:

"The WATERPROOF BIBLE is printed on 100% plastic.  
This material is both waterproof and tear-resistant with 
normal use.  This material is adversely affected by 
temperatures above 150° F.  If the WATERPROOF BIBLE 
freezes while wet, thaw before opening.  This durable 
format can be dried with a towel or by standing it on the 
spine with the pages up.  Water will cause the pages to 
adhere to one another, but once dry, they will return to 
their original condition.  Petroleum products can cause 
the ink of the WATERPROOF BIBLE to smear, so keep it 
away from all such products, including bug spray."

Other notable points include that the Waterproof Bible is 
available in NKJV, NIV, ESV, NLT and KJV.  The books 
are available in a complete form containing the Old and New 
Testaments or in a New Testament plus Proverbs and Psalms 
form.  The pages are much stronger than paper and even 
stretch before tearing.  Ball point pens, pencils and dry 
highlighters may be used if you choose to write in the books.  
If you're interested in purchasing the Bibles for a particular 
group or want one customized for yourself or a gift that is 
also possible.

Bardin & Marsee Publishing also partners with individuals 
and ministries who desire to send out Waterproof Bibles 
where they are needed.  Visit the website here to find out 
more about ministries you might be able to help.  People 
who have been through hurricanes, tornadoes and other 
natural disasters have been recipients as well as homeless 
people and ministries in other countries.


It really floats!















I really love that this book can go through life's storms, literally. 
I tried rubbing lotion on a small area of print.  We've tried cola 
and water through the pages  We've soaked and floated this 
Bible.  I'm happy to say that none of these had any effect on 
the pages or the print.  Everything seems to just rinse off, run 
off, wipe off and go away.  My Bible is still in great condition, 
as if it had never been used.  I love the compact version that I 
received.  It's handy to stick in my purse or computer bag while 
I'm out and about.  For those who might be wondering, I 
compared the pricing with that of comparable Bibles which are 
not waterproof.  The pricing is very close to the same.  There 
are also sales which bring the prices down.  You can even get 
accessories to go with your Bible such as Waterproof Bible 
Jackets, sketchbooks, journals, pens, highlighters, a magnifier, 
index tabs and that hat you see below. 

These items are currently on the website as clearance specials.  










Thanks Bardin & Marsee for putting out such a great product!

To find out more about the Waterproof Bible in action you can 
visit Vimeo,  the blog on TypePadFacebook, or Twitter.
To find a location where you can purchase your very own 
Waterproof Bible click here.
To check out the options available and pricing click here.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Come Along to Ooka Island! Mosaic Reviews



OOKA ISLAND
www.ookaisland.com
1-877-307-3616
3630 Woodbine Rd.
Woodbine, MD  21797

Sign Up here
Ooka Island Bookstore
Powerpoint explaining the program


Have you heard of Ooka Island?  It's not on any map you've checked out.  It's a great learn-to-read online program for kids in Pre-K through Second grade.  We've been spending some quality time getting to know the island to write up this Mosaic Review.  Let me tell you a bit about it.  It's Ooka-riffic!

This program includes instruction, a narrated e-Reader and progress reports in real-time.  Children visit a 3D virtual world which contains various sites to visit in order to learn phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.  The various places that children visit on the Island include:













  • Alphabet Mountain  (identify and sequence letters of the alphabet)
  • Bubbly Trubbly (letter/sound correspondence)
  • Cake Factory (letter/sound recognition, blending and decoding)
  • Cave of Sounds (auditory recognition of letter sounds)
  • Clumsy Whacky (blending sounds/words/rhymes)
  • Submarine Listening (identifying vowel sounds)
  • Word Ball (auditory discrimination between syllables and words)
Additional resources available include activity pages, motivational tools, Ooka Island Workbooks, Ooka Tunes (Sing-Along Songs app), and Reading Heroes.

Activity Page

Activity Page
The online Ooka Island Adventure program can be used alone or as part of a "blended" learning experience by using printed components (offline) such as books, guides, lesson plans, sentence strips, consumable workbooks, and story game cards.  The total adventure program contains about 80 hours of "learning to read" time, and by the end your child is reading at second grade level.

The free downloadable Ooka Island workbooks provide hands-on activities including word identification, sentence construction, sequencing, and story comprehension.  Your child can use these with the e-Books in The Ooka Island Adventure as well as the paperback library from the Ooka Island Books Series.  Who doesn't love free?!

The Ooka Island print programs consists of 95 books that are leveled from Pre-K to 2nd grade.  The first 85 are also in e-Book format on the Island website.  The last 10 books are only available in print.  For guides and story game cards click here.  More motivational tools can be found here.

The three parts of the Ooka Island Learn-to-Read System include Guided Play, e-Reader, and Free Play.  Now that I've told you a bit about the island and additional resources, here's a bit about the Free Play options.  After about 20 minutes of learning games your child gets "Free Play" time.  During that time they are able to go anywhere on the island that is "unlocked" and play again.  They can also read their found books again, visit the Trophy Room, or visit the Mist Mart.



The Mist Mart is a fun feature.  While progressing on their adventure your children earn "Ooka Mist", the island equivalency of currency, which they can spend at the Mist Mart to get clothing and costumes for their avatar.   There is also playground equipment, wallpaper and flooring available.  Your children can also purchase Ooka Tunes music.  (The Ooka Tunes Music is also available as an app.)  There is even a Zopet (dog-like critter) which can be purchased after your child reaches the top of Alphabet Mountain.  Don't forget to have your child purchase teddy bears too!  There's a lot more to explore and purchase at the Mist Mart too.


In addition to the Ooka Island activities, there is also an Ooka Lighthouse Reporting System which allows parents and teachers to see real-time progress reports on things such as the number of books unlocked, the time played in the program, the current level, level score and average percentage for each activity.  While at the Lighthouse parents can check out a Report Card, a Reading Comprehension Report, an Accuracy Analysis Report and a Book Progress Report.  (After 20 minutes of game play on the Island, children visit the Popcorn Library and read a book twice, complete a comprehension activity and a concept of word activity.  While the child completes questions the answers are recorded in the Lighthouse.)

I'm sure you're probably thinking by now that the program sounds interesting but find yourself wondering if it's affordable.  Actually, it's quite affordable compared to a lot of other options.  The Homeschool Edition prices are included below, and prices and options for schools are available by contacting the folks at Ooka.  If you figure out what you'd pay for books, workbooks, guides, testing, an E-reader and other components to get a total program from another company, I'm pretty sure you'll see what a great deal this program is to ensure that your child learns to read.

Homeschool Edition 
Family (up to 4 students)     
$19.95/month or $149.95/year


Individual (1 student)

$12.95/month or $124.95/year

Click here for discount

Keep or Toss?  How did it work for us?

This program is definitely a hit at our house.  Our beginning reader loves the games and is learning the material very quickly.  He begs to get on my laptop to play.  The silly kid has fun and doesn't even realize he's reading.  He's doing quite well and actually beginning to read at other times too.  This is huge since he's not very interested in sitting still to learn to read.  I love watching him make connections and figure things out.  He doesn't really have a favorite part of the island. He loves all of it.  He loves the characters, the songs, the games, and the free time activities.  He also loves that it is something that he gets to do by himself, for the most part.  He loves his "special" computer game time with mom.

One of things he gets excited about is the ride through the Cave of Sounds, which is quite a bit like a roller coaster in his mind.  After the ride he also gets quite excited to use the magnifying glass to find letters that make the sound he's heard.  He also loves the Alphabet Mountain climbing game.  After he reaches the alphabet level for the section he's completing, he loves cruising on the skateboard run at top speed.  Popping bubbles and decorating cakes are also great fun for my little guy.

I really appreciate the 20 minute learning followed by free time.  It allows a little time for the information to sink in while giving him incentive to continue moving forward in the program.  Although you can set it up to be about 1/2 hour for computer and activity time, we end up on the program for 1-3 of the 20 minute learning sessions at a time.  We're accomplishing a lot in a relatively short amount of time.

The only downside I've run into actually has nothing to do with the program.  Our internet is prepaid for a certain amount of data per month.  The program does eat up that data fairly quickly, and, therefore, we've limited our use more than if we had unlimited internet.  That is somewhat of a bummer for both the little guy and this mom.  That said, we enjoy the time that we do spend on the island, and we have taken the laptop elsewhere to visit the island too.  I'm glad we have the printable workbooks and motivational tools to use too since we are limiting the online time.

Will we continue to use Ooka after this review?  I think we probably will for at least a short while.  It has provided a fun start to reading in our house.  Will we purchase it monthly or yearly?  I'm not sure yet, but I'm seriously considering at least monthly for a while.  This program is definitely worth the cost and the time!  As you'd see on the Island, jump, spin, fist pump, and, of course, we'll say it loud and say it proud!  

Visit Mosaic Reviews to see what the rest of the team had to say about Ooka Island.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Ring the Bell DVD Review and Giveaway


Ring The Bell -- Movie Review and Giveaway
Directed by Mark Miller
$19.99
Ring the Bell Facebook page here


"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the
 products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would 
mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products 
or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 
16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and 
Testimonials in Advertising."


Confession time, I wasn't all that excited to sit and watch this movie 
when it was offered to me for a review.  I had just responded "Yes" 
when I realized it was about baseball and a sports agent.  I'm not usually 
a big sports person, but I figured I'd give it enough time for a review.  
I am soooo glad that I said yes to this review.  (Baseball is definitely in 
the story, but for me it was definitely the secondary story line.)

Ring the Bell is about a big city sports agent and baseball, but it's 
about much more too.  When this agent gets stranded in a small town he 
finds out a lot about the people there and himself.  Yes, he came to the 
town to get a baseball star, but he soon realizes that his mindset is not
the same as the player and the people of the town.  When he first arrives 
and goes to see the baseball player he is pursuing he is curious when a 
group of kids go ring a bell in one of the trees.  While waiting for his car 
to be fixed he finds out the significance of the bell and what ringing it 
means.This slick guy is pursued by God while he pursues his next "star".  

Christian music artists such as Mark Hall, Casting 
Crowns, Steven Curtis Chapman and Matthew West are 
part of the movie.  There are also several former and current 
Major League Baseball all-stars in the film including John 
Kruk, Rick Sutcliffe, and Ben Zobrist. The bigger 
surprise to me though was that the producer is Mark Miller, 
the lead singer and founder of the country music group Sawyer 
Brown.  (Apparently he's also the producer of Casting Crowns--
who knew?)

The DVD also contains several special features including a Casting 
Crowns "The Well" music video.  The story is family-friendly, 
inspiring, and well-developed.  The characters in the story are 
believable and effective in bringing across the idea of "living the 
gospel".  I really enjoyed this movie and will be watching it again 
and passing it on to friends and family.  

It's Another Giveaway!!

Sound interesting?  Would you like to watch this great movie too?  
Why not enter to win a copy?  

I will be randomly drawing a winner of a 
copy on Friday, May 10th at noon.  

To enter just leave me a comment that you're interested.  
For a second entry tell me your favorite Christian 
group or individual singer.  
For a third entry tell me your favorite sport.  
Please put all entries as separate comments here.  
Good luck and Blessings to all who enter!!

****Hey Christy, you're a winner!!****

Bible verses Pictures, Images and Photos

Some Great Links

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