Showing posts with label elementary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elementary. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Reading Eggs

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.


My kids have enjoyed using Reading Eggs from Blake eLearning Inc in the past and were thrilled to be able to review it again. We've tried many online learning sites over the years, but this has always been their favorite.

Reading Eggs is an online program that teaches kids to read in a fun, engaging way. The program focuses on a core curriculum of skills and strategies by incorporating both activities and games. Because it is an extension of what students learn in school, it encourages sustained reading success and gives students the confidence to read. These quality literacy products are used successfully all over the world.



When you sign into your Reading Eggs account, you'll be taken to your family dashboard. If you have more than one student using it (up to 4), you can choose which profile you want from there. The dashboard also gives important stats like the student's estimated reading level, how many phonics skills and sight words he knows, his progress, how many books he's read, quizzes, lessons, and more. You can easily change between students and the various other programs and levels included in a subscription (Junior, Eggspress, Fast Phonics, and Mathseeds) by clicking the images on the dashboard.



The lessons, which are designed for ages 3-7, are divided into maps with the first one being for absolute beginning readers and the last one is geared to help early readers gain confidence. Your child should take the placement test so the program can determine where he needs to work.

The lessons are animated and incorporate a variety of options for teaching. There are songs, books, videos, and many games. The games--which teach letters, blending, word families and more,--include things like adding hair to monsters, squirting sauce on eggs, catching frogs on lily pads, hopping penguins to blocks of ice, adding stamps to letters, and so much more. These silly games keep my kiddos interested in learning.



Most of my kids are strong readers now, so I am thankful for the other programs that are offered, such as Reading Eggpress for ages 7-13 and Mathseeds for ages 3-9. Each program utilizes the same philosophy for teaching in an age-appropriate format.

A new learning option is the Fast Phonics section. This world, set in snow-capped mountains and surrounded by yetis, helps early elementary students or those older who might be struggling with reading to fully grasp phonics. This program includes powerful visual memory aids, colorful decodable books, and systematic phonics instruction as it takes the student through 20 fun-filled levels.



As the students progress through the lessons in the various programs, they earn rewards (golden eggs, acorns, coins, etc. depending on the program) to purchase various items. They can choose clothing for their avatar, furniture for their house, pets, background scenes, trading cards, and more. This is always a favorite with my kids! They love saving their rewards to add to their scenes.

A new variation to the rewards is the addition of monthly themes. Each month there is a whole new set of things that can be purchased based on a particular theme. For instance July was a Medieval theme that included options for a torch sconce, a stone fireplace, a wooden dining table, hanging coat of arms, and more. August was space-themed and offered an astro table and chairs, a hover bed, a Saturn plant, a transporter, and more. There are also costume options for your avatar such as a queen, princess, bard, aliens, and robots. Each reward is limited to that month only for buying, but is kept forever once purchased. My kids are already eyeing some things to buy for this month's party theme.



There really is so much included with a Blake eLearning Inc subscription, and they're adding new features all the time. A couple more new ones are the Mental Minute in the Mathseeds section which builds fact fluency in one-minute drills and the new Android app which allows you to take your learning on the go. There are also tons of online homeschooling resources which include over 500 printable worksheets and lesson plans and emailed progress reports. It's easy to see why the program has won dozens of awards.

We have a relaxed schedule in the summer months and though I don't require a lot of traditional school learning, I had no problems getting my kids to work through the programs. In fact, they often asked me if they could do Reading Eggs. They each have their favorite activities.



"I like bouncing the balls and racing and the yetis. And I like learning my letters."

"I like all of it! My favorite thing is to buy stuff for my guy."


"I like the Driving Test, because it's fun."

"My favorite part is the Library because it has books I can read.
I also like writing for the Story Contest." (And was even shortlisted for the weekly top five stories.)




And then my teenager even told me what he thought of it.


"I don't like Reading Eggs, because my siblings are always hogging the computer."


Ha! He was being sarcastic, but I think that explains just how much my kids enjoy using the program.


If you would like your kids to work through the learning path to strengthen their reading and math skills, you can try a free 30-day trial to Reading Eggs. I must warn you though, your kids might start "hogging the computer," too!



You can connect with Reading Eggs and Blake eLearning Inc on the following social media sites:


If you'd like to see how other homeschoolers used these programs, you can read more reviews on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.



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Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Homeschool Easy

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.



Homeschooling comes with plenty of challenges, but choosing a curriculum doesn't have to be one of them. This review of Homeschool Easy will show you how you can get everything you need for your elementary student all in one easy-to-use package.

Homeschool Easy is a "back-to-the-basics approach that focuses on the fundamentals." There are daily worksheets for the core subjects--history, grammar, math, reading, science, and writing--that can be completed in approximately 4 hours each day. This all-inclusive curriculum was designed to help those parents and guardians with no teaching experience to easily and confidently homeschool their children. While there are options for grades 1-5, we chose the 3rd Grade Entire School Year Curriculum.


Homeschool Easy comes as digital download. You'll need access to the internet, a printer and lots of paper. All of the lessons are divided by subject in folders. The parent can print the worksheets weekly, allowing the student to work at his own pace and then have time to focus on personal interests. Each subject will require instruction from the parent.

  • Reading -- weekly word lists, flashcards, crossword puzzles, fill-in-the-blank, word search, and comprehension paper, daily reading of chapter books
  • Math -- teacher instruction and video links, exercises, and printable flashcards and manipulatives
  • Grammar -- teacher instruction and video links, exercises
  • History -- video links and worksheets, teacher instruction for projects
  • Science -- video links and worksheets, teacher instruction for projects and experiments
  • Writing -- teacher instruction, 2 writing exercises weekly

The reading word lists are categorized into groups like short vowel words, long E words, homophones, three letter clusters, words beginning with un- and re-, proper nouns, and so on. Each word lists includes the same reviewing methods (as stated above.) My only concerns is the amount of ink it requires to print the crossword puzzles. A floating puzzle would be much more cost-effective.

Chapter books like Mr. Popper's Penguins, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Stuart Little, and The Boxcar Children among others are incorporated. On average, the student will read a chapter a day and answer a few comprehension questions.



The math lessons focus on a topic each week. In addition to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, the lessons teach concepts including place value, decimals, measurements, polygons, area, charts, and time. There can be anywhere from 12-34 exercises for each lesson with the daily number usually being around 15. There is no explanation on the worksheets and very few examples, but there is a teaching video included weekly on the teacher answer key.

Grammar covers topics such as statements and questions, parts of speech, compound sentences, commas, tense, contractions, pronouns, sentence combining, and more. Each topic is reviewed for a week before moving on. There is no full explanation for the teaching, but there are examples for many of the lessons and weekly YouTube videos.

The history course is packed with videos. Instead of one a day or one a week, like the other courses, there are multiple videos to watch each day. Since this course is American history, topics taught include patriotism and people, places, and wars of our past. Hands-on learning is encouraged through drawings, poster board displays, and paper projects.



Science is also filled with teaching videos. Topics are divided into months and study things like the solar system, energy and light, water and land, and animals. Projects include drawings, a comet craft, a dessert diorama, creating a model of a river, making an animal habitat poster board, and more.

The writing folder includes a simple teacher's guide, a grading rubric, and months, and two writing prompts for each week.




Homeschool Easy is a straightforward curriculum. Each week, the parent simply prints the needed worksheets and guides the student through the daily worksheets and videos. As it is very heavy on worksheets and filling in answers, it is not a good fit for our style of learning. The teaching videos are a variety of styles and voices from all over YouTube. As with all things, some videos are better suited for the age group than others. Some will keep the attention of a third grader, while others are more difficult to follow. For instance, we watched videos using heavy accents, and while sometimes that is fine, it might not be the best choice for teaching young ones, grammar especially.


Homeschool Easy definitely lives up to their name. It's easy to use for both the teacher and the student. If you're looking for an all-in-one package for your elementary student, this might be the option for you.


You can connect with Homeschool Easy on the following social media sites:

Since everyone has different learning styles, you will want to read more reviews of this program from other homeschoolers to see how it worked in their homes.

Homeschool Curriculum for Grades 1 to 5 {Homeschool Easy Reviews}
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Thursday, August 13, 2020

Super Teacher Worksheets

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.



Anyone who knows us knows that our educational style is not based on textbooks, but rather literature and hands-on learning. Even though we don't focus on a lot of workbook pages, I love whenever we get a full 1-year membership with unlimited downloads/access to review Super Teacher Worksheets.

Why is that? Because they offer many options that keep my kiddos engaged and interested while covering a variety of topics.


Super Teacher Worksheets is a website devoted to providing teachers with printable educational materials. These aren't just your typical worksheets that are common and monotonous. There are pages that cover specific areas like determining cause and effect, finding adjectives that come after nouns, skip counting dot-to-dots, learning about the digestive system, tracing hexagons, literacy units for many popular books, plotting latitude and longitude, and much more. There are many crossword puzzles, word searches, cipher wheels, flashcards, coloring pages, sequence cards, and other games that support individual topics.

There are also hands-on activities such as a project to measure the heights of different people, a simple machines board game, word family memory games and word spinners, solar system scavenger hunt, and coin flipping to test probability. With over 16,000 printable teaching resources, there is something for everyone.



So many options can seem overwhelming, but the printables are divided into main topics:

  • Math
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reading & Writing
  • Phonics
  • Early Literacy
  • Grammar
  • Spelling Lists
  • Chapter Books
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Holidays
  • Puzzles & Brain Teasers
  • Pre-K and Kindergarten

From there, you'll find many subcategories to meet specific needs. Once you choose a subject, the search is narrowed down even further. For instance, if you choose math and then volume, you'll have 5 worksheet options.
There is also a Teacher Helpers section that is full of resources to help keep you organized and provide some fun extras. There are dozens of awards and certificates (from reading 10 books to tying shoes to excelling in music), crafts (like a winter scene diorama and a bunny with movable arms and legs), electives (such as learning the parts of a computer and labeling musical notes), and anti-bullying resources (including stories, poems, and worksheets). There are also aids for sticker charts, lesson planners, word walls, lined paper, calendars, birthday decorations, and tons of templates.

Along with those aids, there is an entire section dedicated to worksheet generators. If you can't find exactly what you need already on the site, you have the option to easily create one with your own information. You can make bingo, flashcards, crossword puzzles, word searches, multiple choice, matching, short answer, and more.
I used the generator to make a cryptogram puzzle. I chose a Dr. Seuss quote and typed it in. Then I was able to personalize it by deciding on a difficulty level and key type (using numbers, letters, or symbols.) Then I printed. That's it! So fast and simple. I appreciate that I could make an easy option for a fun activity for my 8-year-old and then a more difficult version to work on critical thinking and common letter/word combinations with my 12-year-old. They enjoyed it so much that they asked for more puzzles like this.
Super Teacher Worksheets has been the perfect addition to our summer learning. We are year-round homeschoolers with a relaxed schedule in the warmer months. I like that not only do my kids enjoy the worksheets, but actually ask to complete them.
Our favorite section is Puzzles & Brain Teasers. We've worked through all the What Am I? challenges, traveled through Word Maze puzzles, guessed Hink Pinks, solved Thinking Riddles, deciphered Rebus Puzzles, became Number Detectives, and used our brains in other ways. The kids also really enjoyed plotting coordinates to graph pictures and solving math equations to find hidden objects. There are so many options for worksheets that feel like fun instead of work. The kiddos don't even realize they're doing "school!"
If you're looking for resources to supplement your curriculum or to add some fun summer exercises, Super Teacher Worksheets might be exactly what you need!

You can connect with Super Teacher Worksheets on the following social media sites:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest

You can read read more reviews of Super Teacher Worksheets from other homeschoolers on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.


Printable Activities and Worksheets! {Super Teacher Worksheets Reviews}
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Friday, July 10, 2020

Literature Study Guides

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.





Our family loves reading. Literature is the foundation of our education, so we always appreciate reviewing products that are based around books. There's something very special about opening a story and getting lost in its pages together as a family.

When we want to take our learning deeper than just simply reading the book, we utilize the help of study guides. These aids enrich the experience and help the reader fully grasp the themes within the pages. One of our favorite companies to use for this purpose is Progeny Press. We've used their products multiple times in the past and were excited to work with them again. This time, we were able to use two of their downloadable resources: A New Coat for Anna Study Guide for elementary and My Side of the Mountain Study Guide for middle school.


Progeny Press is a Christian company owned by Michael and Rebecca Gilleland. It is their mission to "teach our children to think clearly, to understand literature, and to rely on the scripture for truth and values, and enjoy themselves while they do it!" They offer more than 100 study guides for classic, popular, and award-winning books. The guides are designed to help students better understand and enjoy literature by getting them to think through the themes and ideas written in the stories. The study guides are available in three formats: a physical book, a CD with a PDF ebook, and a downloadable PDF file.

The A New Coat for Anna Study Guide is designed for grades K-3. The guide accompanies the book by Harriet Ziefert. A New Coat for Anna is a picture book that is based on a true story. In it, young Anna had outgrown her winter coat. Because of WWII, stores were empty and money was scarce. Anna's mother used her resourcefulness to meet her daughter's needs. Anna learned the art of bartering and the value of hard work as she watched her mother trade her possessions for goods. She learned about sheering sheep, spinning wool to get yarn, using berries to make dye, weaving yarn into cloth, and sewing the bolts into a coat. It is a story of patience, sacrifice, thankfulness, and planning ahead.

The study guide has 30 pages of learning activities. It starts with a synopsis of the book and background information about WWII.  There are a handful of Before-You-Read activities including map work, questions to ask relatives who lived during the war, watching a movie, taking a field trip, and more. The next sections are the As-You-Read activities, Vocabulary, and Looking at the Story exercises. Each portion reviews the story through various means such as short answer, matching, defining, and chart work.


There are Bible verses that complement the lessons in the story in the Dig Deeper sections. The verses are written out in the guide itself, but we chose to pull out our KJV and read directly from the Bible. There are also questions that accompany the verses and reinforce the themes.

The study continues even after the story is finished through the After-You-Read activities. This is our favorite section as it is filled with hands-on learning! There is a recipe for a silver cake (reminds me of my favorite childhood recipe!), a craft idea and template, a writing and art project, and fill-in-the-blank questions which correspond with a word search. The guide ends with suggestions for further reading of other books by the author and those of related interest for the age range. A full answer key is available as a separate download.

My younger boys (ages 5 and 8) completed this study together. We enjoyed reading the story and expounding on the hardships of the war. We took advantage of the editable PDF and filled in the answers together on the computer. The boys learned some new things like how to take clothing measurements, the meaning of various words like garnet and bolt, how to paraphrase, and what the Bible teaches us about patience.


Because we like to learn as a family as much as possible, I chose a second study guide. The My Side of the Mountain Study Guide is for the 5th-8th grade group and has 63 pages. My kids range from preschool-9th grade, but everyone can benefit from spending time together enjoying a good story and hearing rich vocabulary used in context. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George brings to life the dream of many people--running away from the hustle and bustle of city life and responsibility and living secluded off the land. It follows the story of young Sam as he learns to care for himself by finding what he needs to survive on the mountain. Though the story is fictional in nature, it mentions many factual survival skills such as how to find food in the river and on land, using all parts of an animal for various uses, finding necessary nutrients in foraged food, storing and planning ahead for difficult weather, building a fire, finding shelter, and more.  The story will resonate with anyone who loves the wilderness and adventure.

The guide begins with the same type of sections as the other (synopsis, author and background information, and pre-reading activities), but then suggests reading the entire book before delving into the meat of the study. This format worked well for us as the kids got to simply enjoy the story without stopping to work. There were a few times when we had to go back to review parts of the story where they didn't remember exactly, but that's all part of the process.


This guide for middle school includes vocabulary skills and comprehension questions, but they are more difficult than the elementary level. This guide also has an editable PDF so a student can type the answers directly without having to print it out. Because of that option, a separate file with the answer key is given, so a student does not have access to the answers himself. One way that this level is different is that the Bible verses are not written out, encouraging the learner to grab his Bible to look them up himself. There are a lot of "what do you think," "what does this mean,'' "why or why not" questions. The guide is also broken into sections that correspond with chapters of the book.

Other activities include discussing safety protocols and choosing a family safe word; measuring rooms in your house and calculating square footage; determining flashbacks and foreshadowing in stories; creating a shelter in your home using blankets and furniture; creating a journal and learning to record daily entries; making a wooden slide whistle; learning about skunk spray through videos and articles; following recipes for candied nuts, mock frog soup, and more; making snow dough with common household supplies, and more. There are multiple ideas for research topics, field trips, art ideas, and writing assignments. The study could easily take 8-10 weeks to complete by incorporating many of the learning exercises.


As always, my kids enjoyed these studies from Progeny Press. We had many thoughtful conversations about life of the past and how blessed we are now, about utilizing the resources that God has given us, and being content with what we have. The books were a good reminder that we could live a simpler lifestyle with many fewer possessions and that we take too much for granted. We make family read aloud part of our regular schooling, but it's good to take our learning deeper. I appreciate that these guides incorporate Bible lessons to help kids see a deeper meaning behind the stories.Whenever you can apply a lesson, rather than just hear about it, it's much more likely to make a lasting difference.

We reviewed an elementary guide and a middle school guide, but Progeny Press offers many different study guides ranging from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade and cover many popular books. There truly is something for everyone. If you have older students, make sure to check out the upper level guides, as well. Their resources are greatly enjoyed in our home.



You can connect with Progeny Press on the following social media sites:

You can read more reviews of these study guides along with additional choices reviewed by my Crewmates on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.


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}
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Friday, June 12, 2020

Creative Problem Solving

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.




One of the reasons we homeschool is that we want our children to be able to think for themselves, to be able to problem-solve to find a solution. That's why we love when we get to review for The Critical Thinking Co.™. We want to develop those critical thinking skills in our children to prepare them for life, not simply teach them facts from a book and how to pass a test. We strive to give our kids the tools necessary to make clear, reasoned judgments by teaching them to identify and evaluate evidence to guide their decision making through life.

The Critical Thinking Co. is "committed to developing students' critical thinking skills for better grades, higher test scores, and success in life." They offer many books and curricula to prepare students, not by teaching through drill and memorization, but instead by teaching in a way that empowers the mind. In the past, we've used a variety of their products from a critical thinking detective book to a phonics program to an analogies software. This time, I was excited to use Creative Problem Solving Level 1 with my little ones.


I often say that my kids got my husband's engineering mind. He is able to see a problem and find a viable solution. At home, at the store, with gadgets, everywhere--he's able not only to recognize an issue but also to figure out how to fix it. The kids naturally have inherited that cleverness, and I want to encourage their ingenuity and allow it to grow.

The Creative Problem Solving book is perfect to bolster that process. It is designed for grades PreK-2 and makes finding solutions fun for little ones. In fact, the first day we used it, one of my boys told me, "Mom, thank you! This is so much fun!"



Unit 1, The Magic Pencil, gives kids 28 challenging situations in which they need to creatively solve a problem. For instance, they need to draw a way to protect a boy from the school bully, stop a bee from stinging a child, help a turtle win a race, save a special tree from being chopped down, and more.

My boys (ages 5, 8, 10) have been working through this unit. I am not exaggerating when I say that it is one of their favorite things! I knew my 8-year-old would love it (after all, he is my child who will sit and doodle all over his pages, drawing elaborate machines that accomplish tasks), but I was pleasantly surprised just how much the other boys like it, as well. In fact, when they are finished with their challenge for the day, they often draw their own scenarios for each other to finish, like helping the mouse get over the wall to get the cheese and helping the astronaut get safely back to his ship. Not only is Creative Problem Solving encouraging them to use their imaginations to solve problems, it's inspiring them to let their creative juices flow in deeper ways, also. In fact, they were having so much fun with these simple exercises, that their 12-year-old artsy sister even joined in on the fun. She puts much thought into her solutions and enjoys adding minute details.


The other units of the book build on The Magic Pencil concept. There are sections creating creatures to survive in specific locations, choosing super powers to help in proposed difficulties, drawing aids to meet the needs of aliens, inventing gadgets, determining the steps to take in an emergency, and more.

I like the Enigma unit which shows various random drawings and asks the child what it might be and then to draw it. There are also mind riddles and puzzles at the back of the book. Many pages have lines for writing why the student chose what he drew and why he thinks it will work.


I appreciate that the pages are open-ended. Sometimes--many times--there is more than one way to solve a problem in life. It is no different in these scenarios. One child drew ropes connecting a broken branch to another branch like a swing so a sloth wouldn't fall and get hurt, another drew a connecting piece like the branch was repaired, and another drew people on the ground holding a giant blanket.  Some of the stories are silly (who honestly needs to worry about a flying shark who shoots teeth with  a tranquilizing potion?), but that only adds to the fun! The more unlikely the situation is, the more creative the child needs to be. 


Here's what my kids think of the book:

"I love it! I love all the pages!"

"I like it! Drawing the pictures is really fun!"

"I think it's pretty cool that you can solve the problem using anything that will work."

"I like that it's creative and every answer is different. I like finding the funniest way to do it."




Creative Problem Solving is designed to be a stand-alone activity book that students can complete on their own. I chose the paperback book because I like physical copies, but there is the option of an eBook, as well. Honestly, that would have been easier than photocopying the pages in the book (the Critical Thinking Co. does allow reproduction within one home), but the perforated pages of the paperback make it easier to remove and send through a printer. Since the kids have already asked for additional copies to rework certain pages, that is probably the better option for me.

Creative Problem Solving Level 1 has been a huge hit with our family. I love that my kids are strengthening their critical thinking skills and having fun while doing it.

Happy kids. Happy Mom. The perfect supplement.



You can connect with The Critical Thinking Co.™ on the following social media sites:


You can read more reviews of this book or learn about one of the other materials reviewed by my Crewmates on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.


Creative Problem Solving, Dare to Compare Math, Mastering Logic & Math and Who Is This Kid? Colleges Want to Know! {The Critical Thinking Co.™ Reviews}
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Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Goldtown Beginnings



Our family is always reading, so it's no surprise that we love book reviews! I have a little one just learning to read all the way through a high schooler who is an advanced reader. We have many picture books and even more novels for the older ones, but I've realized it's trickier to find good books for kids who are just venturing into chapters. If your child is ready for more complex sentence structures, a richer vocabulary, and a much heavier emphasis on words over pictures, this new series from Kregel Publications might be perfect for you.

My boys have been enjoying the first couple books in this six-book series: Jem Strikes Gold and Jem's Frog Fiasco.


Kregel Publications was founded in 1949 to provide quality, life-changing, Christian resources to pastors, missionaries, teachers, and leaders. Their mission is "to develop and distribute--with integrity and excellence--trusted, biblically based resources that lead individuals to know and serve Jesus Christ." They now offer over 1,000 titles on Christian education and ministry, contemporary issues, reprints of classic works, and more. Their fiction selections appeal to adults as well as children, as seen in these Goldtown books from author Susan K. Marlow. Along with authoring dozens of books, Susan was a homeschooling mom, taught writing workshops, and cares for a 14-acre homestead. Some of her other books include the Circle C Stepping Stones that we reviewed a couple years ago.

The Goldtown Beginnings series follows the life of Jem Coulter, a nearly 8-year-old boy living in California during the Gold Rush. The stories weave in interesting characters as they teach history in a fun, exciting way. Each book is less than 80 pages long, 10 chapters, and geared toward the lower elementary ages.


My 7- and 9-year-old boys read the stories. I asked the older one to help me with the summaries. Here is what he said about Book one, Jem Strikes Gold:
Jem was panning for gold and found a small gold flake. His fingers were too big to pick it up. His sister Ellie wanted to help, but he wouldn't let her. He eventually gave in since her fingers were smaller. After that, it was time to deliver his mom's pies to the miners. They pulled a wagon with the pies and got gold nuggets as payment. Everyone was living in tents and trying to make enough money to survive. 
Before they finished delivering the pies, a rich boy named Will started picking on them. He tried to steal a pie, so Jem pushed him. Will pushed him back and made Jem fall in the wagon on top of the pies. His pants were covered in mushy blueberry pie. When they got home, Ellie told her mom everything that happened. Their parents comforted him and told him it was ok. They helped cleaned everything up. The Jem and his dad delivered more pies. 
Next, their neighbor had a dog follow him home. Jem and Ellie wanted it, but they knew their parents wouldn't let them have it because they couldn't feed it. The dog kept following them though and would play with them all the time. When they went to deliver pies again, the dog followed and bit Will's pants when he started teasing them. Their mom was happy and let them keep the dog and their dad found some gold. They named the dog Gold Nugget.

 Here is my son's description of Jem's Frog Fiasco:
Jem and Ellie went to deliver pies again. Jem wanted to get another job, so he went to the cafe to ask for one. The cafe owner said he could have a job catching bull frogs to put on the menu. When Jem and Ellie went to catch bull frogs, they saw one. Ellie tried to get it. When she grabbed it, she started screaming. Then it slipped out of her hand. All the other bull frogs hopped away. 
The next time they went to catch them, Jem wanted to do it by himself, but Ellie tried  to help anyway and scared the all the frogs away again. Then he yelled at her and she stomped home. Jem waited a while and caught a lot of bull frogs. After he caught them, he couldn't lift the pail, so he had to drop a few out. When he went home, he realized Ellie wasn't there. Everybody in town went looking for her. Someone told Jem to use Gold Nugget to find Ellie. The dog sniffed Ellie's doll and found Ellie in a coyote hole. He got her out and they went home. Jem realized he wasn't being nice and Ellie forgave him.  

One thing that I appreciate about Susan's books is her passion for teaching. She realizes that books for young kids can be much more than simply entertainment. Each one contains a list of new words that might be more advanced. Vocabulary such as pester, fiasco, hoarse, and tuckered out are listed and given a brief description so the reader can better understand the text. The end of each book contains a short two-page history of a relating topic from the story, in this case, gold miners and coyote holes.

Not only that, but she offers many other learning resources to enrich the experience. There is an activity guide that offers a daily schedule, a lapbook that includes read-to-be-cut colored pages, and coloring pages that correspond directly to the books. The free activity pages include something for each chapter. There is a wide variety of exercises: short answer, vocabulary matching, maze, math problems, writing prompts, Bible lessons, dot-to-dot, and more. There are also activities that involve drawing, cutting and gluing, graphing, and a recipe. A full answer key is at the end of the guides.


The Goldtown Beginnings books are morally sound and filled with much learning. They are great as both read alouds and silent reading for 1st-3rd grade or so. My guys enjoyed the stories and had fun completing some of the activities.

I can't wait to see which adventure Jem has next as the series continues!


 
You can connect with Kregel Publications on the following social media sites:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter


You can read more reviews of these books on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.


Jem Strikes Gold & Jem's Frog Fiasco  {Kregel Publications Reviews}

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