Home School Product Reviews

Not just for Grade School and High School Students

This DVD series is not just for grade school and high school students. I purchased this DVD from Timberdoodle when I signed up for a Biology class in college. I used the DVDs to understand the topics covered in class. At the end of the semester, I ended up getting an “A”. I recommend this DVD to anyone who is has a hard time understanding topics in Biology or is one of your weak areas. This DVD presents information that is well organized, simple and easy to learn. Also, it is mixed with a bit of humor so it’s fun to watch.

I was looking for something easy and painless to teach my son history and geography but it also had to be engaging, fun and interesting. I wasn’t sure about trying SOS (Switched on Schoolhouse History and Geography) but I am SO glad I did. It is wonderful. My 14 yo son is excited to do his history everyday and spent 2 hours yesterday exploring the links provided in the lesson with interest and enthusiasm. I wished I had used this earlier. We are also going to buy the science. I love it! Another bonus was this was even less expensive than buying it from Alpha Omega directly. So thank you Timberdoodle for offering this great product at a great price!

I am a firm believer in the importance of proofreading! I tell my children often that we all make mistakes, but it is every writer’s responsibility to check for their own mistakes. Just think how much embarrassment we could save ourselves! Editor in Chief is an interesting, fun way to practice proofreading/editing skills in just a few minutes a day. I like the balance between obvious errors and those that take some time and awareness to find. I also like the fact that they sneak in a lot of interesting information on topics my children might not otherwise read about.

Learning so much!

I bought this series (Body of Evidence Curriculum – Set of 8 DVDS) for my 13 year old son but I’ve learned a great deal myself.  I’m an EMT and I wish I had access to these DVDs when I was taking my EMT classes. The good doc has a real gift for explaining things simply and clearly. I love his use of “props”. It’s especially good for the visual learner. Excellent series indeed!

Fantastic DVD Course!

We love Biology 101!  Although our children are younger than the targeted age (4, 6, 9, 10, and 13), it works wonderfully as a supplement to the Apologia Young Explorer Series because it also approaches biology from the Creation order.  Each lesson is clear, interesting, and God-glorifying.  It is packed with information in a very enjoyable way.  The product of each Day of Creation is discussed in detail.  I have found it very beneficial to watch the section (i.e. Botany, Avian Creatures, etc) many times throughout our study and also use the short lesson on a specific topic to introduce the specific chapter we are studying in Apologia.  The 114 page guidebook (included as a pdf on dsic 4) is a huge asset to the course and is filled with all kinds of information and also quizzes.  I am thrilled at how much my children are learning (and retaining) about biology in such a fun and biblically accurate way.  I feel it is a huge value for the price and I highly recommend it!

I have 2 boys 13 and 8 who were VERY excited to get this gift! They thought they would just jump on and be experts (they both have great balance), but this is a whole different realm. They spent quite a bit of time practicing yesterday after getting it set up and they are still working on balance. The good thing is-since it’s so fun-they haven’t gotten discouraged. It is great exercise and core strengthening- I can’t wait to see their continued improvements.

Timberdoodle.com currently has a special on Gibbon Funline Slackline, free DVD with each set!

This product is fabulous! I am using it for my 10 year-old son who has autism and struggles with basic language. He is benefiting tremendously from the combined visual and auditory presentation of language, plus the kinesthetic aspect of using the computer keeps him engaged. I also like the supplementary audio companion and worksheets that reinforce what he has learned during the computer lessons. The price is quite reasonable considering all that the program has to offer.

J.M.
Newcastle, WA

The Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version is on sale at timberdoodle.com until June 10th.

We have used this product for 4 years and it is still my NUMBER ONE curriculum recommendation for learning a language. My husband and I both speak fluent German but have failed to pass it on to our kids the easy way – in every day conversation. We have screened a lot of programs and curriculum, and have not seen a better, all-encompassing foreign language program. Version 3 is also a big improvement over version 2 because of the audio and speaking additions. I do caution people before investing so much, it may be best if you, or someone you know, are at least familiar with the language (not fluent), and can help out if/when needed. I like the way the program is set up that they may not go to the next lesson until they have adequately passed the current lesson. The set-up took longer than I expected (but I am terrible with computer things), but the Rosetta Stone help desk was quick, thorough, and helpful. I know I will continue to recommend this product for a long time!

Helpful for teens

Manners Made Easy for Teens is a great tool for helping young people be comfortable in various situations and for helping to teach them to be a blessing to others.  There are a wide variety of etiquette topics and they are thoroughly covered.  I appreciate the role-playing projects and plan to have my 16 yo son and 17 yo daughter do these together…it may get a bit silly, but I’m confident it will stick in their minds!  Really, their manners are quite good, but I feel that this book will provide a “fine tuning”.  One thing you might want to note…there is a chapter entitled “The Dating Game”, but you can easily omit it, if your family chooses not to date.

The 14 page book showing each piece and naming the parts found on it with a brief description of each organ and its function is helpful, but not thorough enough to fully utilize this puzzle. I’d suggest a good anatomy program or a helpful librarian. The parts seem to be well made, but I have not yet put it to the “kid test.” Some of the removable parts include: eyeball with muscles attached, lungs, kidneys, trachea/larynx with bronchi and a two-part heart with ventricles and atriums. The head is removable (really cool or really disgusting- you decide). Either way it allows for the examination of the four-part brain with brainstem, cerebellum and lobes. Also included is a spinal cord and vertebral column. There are too many parts to mention. This product (Deluxe Torso Anatomy Puzzle) would be a great addition to any home school conducting a formal (or informal) study of anatomy. Everyone should understand how the human body works in order to make well-informed health and medical decisions.