Letter Factory Video

I just gave my youngest child (who's about to turn two), his first video. And he loves it.

It gave me a really weird feeling to watch this little kid settle down and get into a video. I think it's because just like any other kid his age, he's basically never still unless he's sleeping. So when he sat still to watch the movie, it seemed kind of eerie. I kept thinking, something's not right - why isn't he moving?

Well, I guess that's why we'll only give him one video. :-)

This DVD is a "Pre-Reading" video by Leap Frog. The goal is to help kids learn letter sounds, and it works. My daughter learned her letter sounds from this video, and now my youngest is picking them up very quickly.

After watching Letter Factory a few times over the last couple of weeks, he's started bringing me capital letter magnets from the fridge and making the corresponding sound. He particularly likes "B", "C", "M", "S" and "Z".

The story line involves a family of frogs who are trying to put on a show. The youngest member of the family, Tad, who seems about like a human four-year-old, can't help with the show until he learns his letters.

He learns his letter sounds by visiting 26 different rooms. Each room has letters in it, that sing a song or otherwise demonstrate the sound they make.

At the end, the letters perform in the show, and they all make their sounds correctly ... "The B says buh ... the B says buh ... Every letter makes a sound, the B says buh."

This video has proven to be riveting for both my youngest kids. And I actually thought it was pretty entertaining, the first three or four times I watched it.

If I were to try to improve this video, I can only think of one suggestion I'd make. I'd rather the letters be lowercase rather than capitals. When you read books, you're reading mostly lowercase letters. So we ought to learn them first. (In Letter Factory, the lowercase letters do appear on the doors to the rooms, but the singing letters themselves are all capitals.)

Nobody's asked me for ideas on the remake, though. And we do love this video.

CyberEd Life Science (Guest Post)

The following is a guest post written by my ten-year-old son. I hope he'll be writing more here in the future.

This course is amazing. I like it a lot. It's split up into different units, like "Structure and Function in Living Organisms", each of which has subunits, such as "Organ Systems", which are divided into a lesson, application and test.

The lesson basically tells you everything about that topic, and then you move on to the application.

The application has a funny storyline ("Tommy and his dad finally fixed their pickup and decided to go fishing. Halfway there a Bigfoot suddenly jumped out in front of the truck...It seemed to be in pain. They promptly named it George and then took it to the hospital.") and then a period of application and questions ("Help the doctors find out what organ is causing George pain. We will now put George into the Body Scanner. What organ pumps blood?") Once you've done the application, you move on to the test.

The test simply askes you a series of questions, and then if you pass, it gives you a certificate to print out. If you do not, then I have no idea what happens, since I've never failed to pass!

They start at the beginning, with cell types and processes. Then they move on to more complex topics, such as "Organisms and their Environments." They end with evolution and natural selection.

I think this course is great overall. It's informative and memorable, without being boring. It's also satisfying, since at the end of each test, in the certificate, there is a bronze, silver or gold medal.

Signing off ... Signing off .... Signed off.

I've had my eye on the CyberEd science courses for a while. They are very comprehensive and have won awards for excellence. But until recently we were never able to consider using these courses, because the least expensive option available to homeschoolers was was to enroll through Johns Hopkins' CTY program (at the cost of over $600 for three months).

Just this summer, the Homeschool Buyers' Co-op negotiated a group purchase directly with CyberEd. We were able to purchase access to this course for one year for $25. We jumped on it. And I'm so glad we did! I expect we'll go on to the other CyberEd science courses once my son finishes Life Science.

The Periodic Table

of The Elements. Just a fun animation of Tom Lehrer's The Elements song.

Real World Algebra

(by Edward Zaccaro)
This book is a winner. I gave it to my son as a present. I told him that he could go through it as quickly or as slowly as he wants; the only requirement is that he has to work through the equations in each chapter. (He isn't to just read the book and ignore the problem sets.)

Son is really enjoying it. He's worked through it for 30-45 minutes a day for the last three days. A lot of the text is presented with cartoon characters ... very appealing for kids.

(Note: I don't know if this book covers everything that would be covered in a first-year algebra course. I suspect that it does not. I just got it for my son because he's been complaining about how his arithmetic is boring and he wants to get into algebra and geometry, where things get interesting. I want him to finish working through sixth-grade math before he starts a formal study of algebra ... but I think exposing him to resources like this before he begins that formal study can build understanding.)

Lingua Latina

Roma in Italia est. Italia in Europa est. Graecia in Europa est. Italia et Graecia in Europa sunt. Hispania quoque in Europa est. Hispania et Italia et Graecia in Europa sunt.

Aegyptus in Europa non est, Aegyptus in Africa est ...

Could you read that? That's the first few sentences of our new Latin textbook. It's Lingua Latina, by Hans Orberg. My son and I are reading through the first chapters, and understanding them easily.

We have a Latin dictionary on hand, but we've had to look up very few words. The author has set it up so that we can get most of the meaning from the context.

We're just beginning to study Latin. We're not starting with Latin grammar; instead, we're both drawn to what Orberg calls his "Natural Method". We both think this book is downright fun.

I'll post an update in a few weeks when we've got further into it.

Silly Redux

Hmmm ... I answered one question the other way since I was on the fence, and got a set of new questions and a new result. Eerily, I cherish this book too. It took me months to read it. The first ten chapters were easier than the last three. I kept marveling that Augustine wrote it in the fourth century ... it seemed like it could have been written today.

You're Confessions!

by St. Augustine

You're a sinner, you're a saint, you do not feel ashamed. Well, you
might feel a little ashamed of your past, but it did such a good job of teaching you
what not to do. Now you've become a devout Christian and have spent more time
ruminating on the world to come rather than worldly pleasures. Your realizations and
ability to change will bring reverence upon you despite your hedonistic transgressions.
Florida will honor you most in the end.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Silly

Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite children's books. (The whole Anne series, really.) So I guess this quiz result fits.

You're Anne of Green Gables!

by L.M. Montgomery

Bright, chipper, vivid, but with the emotional fortitude of cottage
cheese, you make quite an impression on everyone you meet. You're impulsive, rash,
honest, and probably don't have a great relationship with your parents. People hurt
your feelings constantly, but your brazen honestly doesn't exactly treat others with
kid gloves. Ultimately, though, you win the hearts and minds of everyone that matters.
You spell your name with an E and you want everyone to know about it.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.