TOS Review: We Choose Virtues

From the website:

Real lasting change. When called upon to shape the attitudes and actions of children and youth, you don’t want solutions that rely on the quick fix. Time is too short and the outcome too crucial.
That’s why we made We Choose Virtues so simple. It’s simple to use, simple to grasp, and simply effective. You see real, lasting change in attitudes and actions. Transform your classroom or your home with Virtues.

 I'm all about training the character.  I mean, one of the core reasons I chase after a Charlotte Mason education for my children is its primary focus: to train up a child--mind and spirit.  So, it's not uncommon for me to get off the beaten path in search of great tools for this purpose.

Not knowing exactly what to expect, I was thrilled to accept the opportunity to review training tools from We Choose Virtues, which produces products intended for both home and schools.  Receiving a stack of  Virtue Clues (now selling for $5.99) within its own fancy velcro-pouch, as well as the PDF download of coloring pages ($3), I thought, if anything, these items were surely get-up-and-go.  No instructions were needed, and that's always a good thing.  As you can see (to the left), each card highlights a virtue, giving a bit more information to explain it further, and then providing the antonym for contrast.  For example:

DILIGENT

I start fast, work hard, and finish strong!

I am not... slow to get started or lazy, and I don't quit early! 

 Now, my kids loathe to color within the lines of anything, so I couldn't even bribe them to use the coloring book (although I secretly wanted to color it myself).  And having children between the ages of nearly seven and now fourteen, the flash cards were "too childish" for even my youngest fellow.  Literally, I dodged rotting tomatoes as they laughed me out of the room.  I've got to throw away those tomatoes.  They are rotting.

See how much we need this character training?!

However, if they were all much younger, I could indeed see how these very affordable resources would come quite in handy.  I can imagine how I would spend perhaps three to six months studying the virtues included and memorizing together the do's and don't's of each.  I can picture it now, how we might expand each study by finding examples of the virtue within the pages of the Bible itself; how I might point out diligence as a chid took immediately to a chore asked of him; and how I might encourage diligence by returning to the card when he didn't.

Good, clean fun.  And you can find everything you need right HERE.

So, if you're in these earlier stages of parenting, or you have children with special needs, these cards might very well be a great and cheap addition to your character training.  You can make it as simple or as complicated as you like.  I always go for complicated.  It suits me.

Oh, and if you like to color, please come over.  But bring blue.  I'm all out of blue.

Disclaimer: I received these products from We Choose Virtues in exchange for a fair and honest review, and in partnership with The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew.  To read more reviews, please visit the TOS Blog.

TOS Review: Maestro Classics

As an lifelong artist now putting into practice the education philosophy of Charlotte Mason, who did nothing if not advocate learning experiences richly seasoned with any and all visual and performance arts, I was more than thrilled to get my grubby paws on Maestro Classic's The Story of Swan Lake.  This was indeed right up my alley and I was chomping at the bit, hoping it would be everything I wanted or needed in a learning tool.  But first:

The Nitty-Gritty (from the website)

Maestro Classic's The Story of Swan Lake

• Website: http://www.maestroclassics.com/the-story-of-swan-lake.aspx
• Appropriate for ages 5+ and families
• $16.98 for the CD; $9.98 for MP3 download
• Also available at iTunes and amazon.com
• Other titles available: 
• A TON!  A few of my favorites: Peter and the Wolf, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and My Name is Handel: the Story of Water Music

As for the one I received: 

The Story of Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky’s greatest ballet score, is the tale of a prince who falls in love with a beautiful princess. The princess, however, has been turned into a swan by an evil magician, and only the prince’s love can break the spell. This narrated version of the classic tale for children is sure to delight all who love ballet and enchanting storytelling.

A 24-page activity book included with the CD contains a biography of Tchaikovsky, information on acoustic and electric guitars, sheet music and words for a sing-along song, explanation of major and minor keys, puzzles and more. MP3 download from Maestro Classics website includes a PDF of the activity booklet.

My Nickel
This was as fantastic, if not more so, than I was hoping--than I could ever hope!  We listened straight through the very first time.  My kids were totally into it.  And then we listened again during the week, using the activity book and all its 24 pages, except the crossword puzzle.  My kids don't dig them at all.

I can not say enough glowing words of praise for these high quality resources.  I loved that they learned just a little but more than they would had they merely listened to the music, and I feel they are much more in tune with the tale, which will help them to more easily understand the associated ballet in future.

In my homeschool, I could see using one or two of these CD's each semester.   They are a very affordable resource through which you can re-cycle.  I really, really hope they make more that focus on well-known and even more obscure masterpieces, because now that I know how wonderful they are, I can't see not using them at all!

If you're like me at all, you will love them too.  And if you're not sure how to incorporate music into your already full homeschool, these are the ticket!  You see: NONE of us can go wrong with Maestro Classics!

Disclaimer: I received Swan Lake in exchange for a fair and honest review and in partnership with The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew.  You can read more reviews at the TOS Blog.

TOS Review: Z-Guide to the Movies: Johnny Tremain

In our homeschool, I use a lot of movies.  I use them as incentives, rewards, and just for plain fun.  I like movies and so do my kids.  So, I was pretty excited about receiving this guide from one of my favorite publishers of homeschool materials, Zeezok Publishing.  Promising to help me to incorporate movies into my curriculum, these new Zeezok Guides to the Movies provide ten activities to further tie your studies together.

Each Z-Guide to the Movies starts with an historical overview and a movie synopsis, which may include historical background and context to help students better understand the relationships and conflicts within the film.  Then it's time to get down to business and watch the film together, during which students can answer questions posed in their worksheets, or wait until the end, whichev works best!  The goal isn't to fragment or distract from the learning in the movie, but to help your student to be an "active learner" instead of merely soaking in the film for entertainment's sake.

Finally, there are several activities that require more research, using resources such as the internet and library, plus opportunities to write formal essays about what they've uncovered.  Always, each guide provides hand-on activities and directed questions to explore the concept of worldview within each film.  

Oh, and bonus!  Not only can you supplement your historical learning with the activities included in these Z-Guides to the Movies, but within each guide you will learn something new about the art of filmmaking. Each guide will explore the techniques used effectively in each movie to influence its viewers, according to its director's agenda, things like "music, lighting, humor, character development, irony, foreshadowing, and even character names."  This should really put to work those senses of discernment or critical thinking, an area in which we could all use a little more exercise, right?

The Nitty-Gritty

Z-Guides to the Movies, published by Zeezok

• Website: https://www.zeezok.com/z-guide-to-the-movies
• Numerous titles from which to choose, which means something for everyone!
• Guides for the whole family: from elementary through high school
• $12.99 each
• DVD's of the movies can also be purchased at the website
• Ten activities; suggested two (2) activities per day, so each guide should only require one week to complete
• Check out this SAMPLE!

My Nickel

Like I said, we already very much enjoy using movies in our homeschool, but conquer them a little bit differently than with this guide.  We typically read & study the book and then enjoy the film when finished, so some of the activities seemed redundant.  However, I loved the addition of hands-on ideas and active family discussion questions, plus the aspects of filmmaking.  Honestly, there was only the tiniest portion of the guide that was not used effectively and with joy.

I think these guides would be great for those movies that might be a nice fit for your studies, but you just don't have time to read the book.  You can easily jump right into the movie and get a whole lot more from it than you could otherwise, and it would only take a week, compared to however long you might normally take to read the book together (for us, this would be weeks!).

And with so many titles from which to choose, and a price that is not out of its mind, not to mention that most of these titles can be found at Netflix, I could see easily adding at least three of these guides into our year, outside of the ones that correspond to books we're already studying, using them during our breaks from regular lessons.  This way, we're still actively learning and yet having some fun too.  I doubt any of our kids would complain about watching more movies, eh?

Check out the website for tons more information!

Disclaimer: I received a Zeezok Guide to the Movies in exchange for a fair and honest review and in partnership with The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew.  You can read more reviews at the TOS Blog.