MathTutorDVD.COM Review

Have you ever tried to teach your child something in math and he just wasn't getting it? Or maybe you couldn't remember how to do some of the math you needed to be teaching and wished there was someone else who could teach it to your child? Well now there is a way. MathTutorDVD.com is a company that offers DVDs for basic math through all levels of Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Physics, and Probability.

Jason Gibson is the founder of MathTutorDVD.com and the teacher in all the videos. What started out as Jason tutoring some friends, has now turned into a way for anyone to be tutored by him in their own home at an affordable cost. I reviewed The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor and The Algebra 2 Tutor DVDs.

When you turn on the video, you will find a very simple setting with just Jason and a white board. There are no distractions in the background. Jason is a very easy person to watch. His presentation style is calm and direct. He very quickly gets into working out the problems and there is not a lot of lecturing. In both videos, there are a lot of problems worked out on the board. He explains each step as he works through it. There are plenty of problems to make sure your child understands the concept.


What's covered on The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor:

Disc 1
Section 1: Adding Whole Numbers
Section 2: Subtracting Whole Numbers
Section 3: Multiplying Whole Numbers
Section 4: Dividing Whole Numbers
Section 5: Adding Decimals
Section 6: Subtracting Decimals
Section 7: Multiplying Decimals
Section 8: Dividing Decimals

Disc 2
Section 9: Adding Fractions
Section 10: Subtracting Fractions
Section 11: Multiplying Fractions
Section 12: Dividing Fractions
Section 13: Percents, Part 1
Section 14: Percents, Part 2
Section 15: Ratio and Proportion

My son really liked this course. He kept asking to watch it every day. He is not a child to sit still and he never moved from the couch while watching this. He even got some paper and a pencil and worked out the problems with Jason. He would ask to pause the video to get his answer first before it was given.


While my son is only in 3rd grade, and we spent most of our time reviewing The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor DVD, I did watch The Algebra 2 Tutor one as well. I wanted to see if the same simple approach was used for higher level math. And the answer is yes! Jason still breaks everything down into small simple steps and it is easy to understand.

What's covered on The Algebra 2 Tutor:

Disk 1
Section 1: Graphing Equations
Section 2: The Slope Of A Line
Section 3: Writing Equations Of Lines
Section 4: Graphing Inequalities
Section 5: Solving Systems Of Equations By Graphing
Section 6: Solving Systems Of Equations By Substitution
Section 7: Solving Systems Of Equations By Addition

Disk 2
Section 8: Solving Systems Of Equations In Three Variables
Section 9: Simplifying Radical Expressions.
Section 10: Add/Subtract Radical Expressions.
Section 11: Multiply/Divide Radical Expressions.
Section 12: Solving Equations With Radicals.
Section 13: Fractional Exponents.
Section 14: Solving Polynomial Equations.
Section 15: The Quadratic Formula.

There is a companion CD that goes along with this video. It is strongly recommended that you get it because it contains the worksheets to use along with the course.

These DVDs are worth the money if you are looking for a different way to teach math in an area your child is not grasping. These are not going to be fancy, entertaining videos. But they will be thorough, easy to follow, and effective. Which is more important?

Each course is about 8 hours in length and most cost $26.99. This is a real value! And for a limited time, each new Math Tutor DVD customer will receive 60 minutes of FREE live online tutoring available 24/7. This is a $35 value! If a course does not improve your child's grades, there is a money back guarantee.

To find out more about these DVDs, click here and be sure to check out the sample videos available online for you to watch.

Heidi Miller-Ford

Bible Story Songs Review

Bible StorySongs is a company that has music to teach your children about the Bible and Bible characters. The CD I reviewed was called The Bible. It contains 32 songs about Gods' Word and is one hour long. That's a lot of music! My two year old absolutely loves the music. Every time we get into the car, she asks me to put it on. This is a great way to bring Bible stories and truths into your home and the earlier the better.

The music is very calming, which I appreciate, when so many other children's CDs that are out today are chaotic and difficult for the parent to listen to over and over. There's some good content in these songs and I believe they can really show a child what the Bible is about and why it's important to us.

There were a couple of things I wish had been different about the CD. I found it difficult to understand some of the words on a few of the songs that were done in a round. Also on another song that teaches the books of the Bible, it was a little difficult to follow because there really wasn't much of a pause between the books being said and I'm not sure a child could learn them easily. They all just seemed to run together. It was especially difficult to understand during the not so familiar books. However, the lyrics are included and you can look them up and figure out what is being said and teach those few songs to your children if necessary. Once they understand the words, they would have no problem singing along.

Despite those few things, there were a lot of good songs on the CD and all in all I'd say we've enjoyed it and will continue to listen to it. Any music that is wholesome and tries to teach my children about the Lord is a plus with me.

One thing to note, there are a couple songs that quote scripture and are not true KJV. They have been modified to fit into the song. This may bother some people and I thought it worth mentioning. One example is a song that uses the scripture Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

The lyrics to the song are,
"Let the word of Christ dwell,
Let it dwell in you.
Richly in all wisdom,
With psalms and hymns and songs,
Teaching one another,
Singing them with grace
In your hearts unto the Lord,
Colossians 3:16."
Others songs that refer to scripture are giving a general idea of what the scripture is about and not quotes.

CD's are $9.99 each.
Other CDs Bible StorySongs offer are:
Matthew (Vol. 1 & 2)
Matthew for Young Singers
Moses (Vol. 1 & 2)
Moses for Young Singers
David

They also offer E-Sheet music, E-Color N' Sing Song Book, and E-Puzzle Pages which can be used with the CDs.
To find out more about this company and their products, please CLICK HERE.

Heads Up! Review

Heads Up is a company that was created to give educators and parents with struggling learners the information and products needed to help each child feel successful. These materials can be used by homeschooling families, occupational therapists, speech therapists, teachers, and specialists who work with children who have developmental delays, learning disabilities, autism, and other special needs.

I reviewed their Heads Up! Frames, Readers, Top of the Line, and Double Time. These products help a child to focus in on what he is reading. They can be used in a variety of ways. The frames put a box around the text the child needs to focus on, while the others provides a line for the child's eyes to follow and not lose his place. They are very effective.

For some children, many math problems or text on a page can be overwhelming and they simply can't focus to even begin. When these Heads Up! Frames are laid down over a section of the page, it becomes so much easier for them to focus and a lot of times they will finish a page in no time at all. They come in two different sizes depending on whether you need them for text on a reading page (4" x 9") or a smaller area (4" x 41/2")

Children who have tracking problems can greatly benefit from the Heads Up! Readers, Top of the Line, and Double Time. The Readers have a brightly colored strip in the middle. The dark color above and below the area where the text is, really makes the text stand out. Top of the Line is a bigger reader with the transparent strip at the top. This helps to block out more text below and only show the line the child is reading. Double Time is the same thing except the strip at the top is wider and allows for two lines of text to be seen at a time to remind the child to continue to the next line. They are all about the width of a standard paper (anywhere from 8"-9") and easy to hold and move as the child reads.

These can be used for any child with focusing problems. Not just children with special needs. They are a very simple and inexpensive way to make reading and focusing a little easier for your child. They are sturdy and can be used as a bookmark also.

All Heads Up! Frames, Readers, Top of the Line, and Double Time are $1.00 each.


To learn more about other products Heads Up! has, please click here.

Heidi Miller-Ford

Math Mammoth Review

I had the wonderful opportunity of reviewing Math Mammoth. The products I reviewed were from The Blue Series and included Subtraction 1, Add & Subtract 2A, Introduction to Fractions, Geometry 1, Place Value 2, and Money. The Blue Series is made up of individual topics your child may be having problems with.

My son was actually quite good in math up until 2nd grade when the math facts and place value became an issue. I didn't want to hold him back with a lower curriculum and have him miss out on things I knew he could do, but I knew I had to address the math facts and place value problems or he wouldn't be able to progress in other areas. Math Mammoth Blue Series was the answer!

Each book contains explanations of how to work the problems and lots of practice. What I really like most about Math Mammoth books is the way they are set up. Each set of problems is numbered and then grouped with a rectangle around that group. For children who are easily overwhelmed by too many problems on a page, this really helps them to zone in on the ones they are working on. Working in smaller chunks is also more appealing to many children.

When my son finishes his regular math each day, I let him pick one of the blue books and he does one or two blocks on a page. This way he is reviewing foundational skills every single day but it's not overwhelming to him. He really seems to enjoy these workbooks. I usually print out about 6 or 7 pages from each of the workbooks and then put them into a binder with dividers. Then he just looks at the tabs and chooses which one he wants to do. He must pick a different one each day. This way we get in a review for 5 different topics each week. When he gets near the end of the pages I printed in a section, I print up a few more and stick them in the binder.

I would highly recommend these to any parents looking for an inexpensive and effective way to reinforce specific math skills your child may need to work on. These workbooks are very reasonably price. The Blue Series I reviewed costs anywhere from $2-5 for each workbook. There are also package deals available.

Math Mammoth has four series:
Blue Series- explanations and problems organized by topics for grades 1-5 (available in pdf download or print)
Light Blue Series- a complete curriculum for grades 1-5 (available in pdf download or print)
Golden Series- workbooks (worksheets) organized by grade level for grades 3-8 (available in pdf download or print)
Green Series- workbooks (worksheets) organized by topic (available in pdf download)

Heidi Miller-Ford

Write Shop StoryBuilders Review

Do you have trouble getting your kids to write? Even coming up with an idea to write about? WriteShop has come up with a nice way to overcome this "writer's block" many of our children seem to have. StoryBuilders are decks of cards (in ebook format) that will spark your child's creativity.

Each deck contains four different types of cards: character, character trait, setting and plot. This gives the child the basic elements needed to complete a story on their own. There is an abundant amount of choices within each of those categories. Not only does this make it easier for your child to get started writing, but it's also fun! They suggest three different ways your child can choose his cards. We like the "Blind Pick" method. It's pretty funny to see what combinations you end up with.

My son is NOT a writer and he really doesn't even like having to tell about something. I was really hesitant about whether or not this would work. This actually helped him to come up with a story on his own. It was a small story but a story nonetheless! But what I noticed was that each time we used these cards, his story got a little longer and had a little more detail. These are definitely worth looking into if you have a reluctant writer or an aspiring writer that needs some inspiration.

All StoryBuilder decks can be used together because none of the cards are the same. They are fast and simple to use. There is not a lot of teacher preparation once the cards are printed, cut, and the child understands the concept. You can basically put out the piles and let them go on their own. These can be used from kindergarten to high school. Just vary what you require from the student. There are also some blank cards included for you to write your own words in for each category.

Some suggestions for other ways to use this product: These could be used orally in the car when traveling. In fact, my son really doesn't like the physical aspect of writing either, so I had him tell his story into a tape recorder. He thought this was neat and enjoyed playing it back and listening to it. I could then type up his story for him and keep all of them in a binder. I could also let him illustrate each story and cover art at the same time. There are several other suggestions given as well in the directions.

These decks are available in a couple of different topics such as World of People, World of Animals, Christmas Mini-Builder, and coming soon, World of Imagination.

Be sure to check out some of the other products Write Shop has by clicking here. They include writing programs for K-12.

These StoryBuilder Cards (ebook) are $7.95 each. The Christmas one is available for a limited time at $3.95 (at the time of this review, it was still available on their site).

www.writeshop.com

Heidi Miller-Ford