Simply Music ~ A Review

Simply Music is an online music program which offers a free program called Music & Creativity - Foundation Course. This beginner foundation course is for anyone desiring to learn the basics of playing the piano. Taught by the brainchild of Simply Music, Neil Moore. This is a course for all ages.

I took piano lessons as a child but pretty much have very little technique when it comes to playing. We have a piano in our house and unfortunately no one plays. It really is quite sad. I decided to work through Neil Moore's Foundation Course to really see how easy it is to learn to play piano via a video based program. The program is set up in a way that is very easy to follow. In the first videos the very basics are taught such as musical terms. He explains everything in a way that those with very little musical education can follow along quite nicely. I would have to say that someone going into the program with absolutely zero knowledge of musical knowledge may struggle. This is just my opinion. 

This pdf downloadable book is a supplement to the program. Neil Moore calls it "The Relationship Conversation" because it is his intention to "influence and expand your understanding and perceptions of music education, specifically, what it means to have a 'relationship' with music lessons." 

 There are many pdf downloads within the program. This is just one of them. You are instructed to print out a three page keyboard which you will then tape together to practice with in the beginning videos.

The course content is displayed and content is saved. You must click the green 

MARK COMPLETE button at the bottom of each lesson before you are

able to proceed to the next lesson. 

The Foundation Reference Book is a downloadable pdf. This is pretty much 

your piano book for the course. 

There is a video for each lesson. I did find that for me the lessons went a bit fast

and I had to sometimes replay or stop the videos in order to catch up a bit. For each piece of 

music you are taught it stair like steps.

A bit more challenging and faster.

Playing the actual song. This is where I had to really slow down at times.

Practice makes perfect, right. I felt pretty accomplished and proud of 

myself as I played the pieces of music in the program. 

Overall, I think that Neil Moore has a great passion for what he does. I love that he offers a FREE Foundation Course so that everyone who has always wished to try learning to play the piano has the opportunity to do so! As well as the free course there are many other courses on the Simply Music site that you are able to upgrade to. What other site offers you the ability to take a full course for free to see if it is a good fit and if you really like it before proceeding on in further study. For me, I know that I really need a physical person teaching me one on one in order to truly learn. With that said, this way of learning may be the perfect fit for you or your child. Definitely check out the website. You may just be playing your way to some of quite familiar classical, blues, and contemporary pieces of music before you know it. 

Social Media

Facebook: www.facebook.com/simplymusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplymusic
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/simplymusicinst/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplymusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/simplymusic

To read more reviews click here.

Sumikkogurashi

The Sumikkogurashi™ Writing + Plush Set is a cute six piece set that children will definitely go crazy over. The set includes a Sumikkogurashi™ Pencil Pouch 7.3”, a Sumikkogurashi™ Spiral Notebook, a Sumikkogurashi™ Tokage Lizard Plush 4”, a Sumikkogurashi™ Ball Point Pen, a Sumikkogurashi™ Mechanical Pencil, and a Sumikkogurashi™ Scissors. The set retails for $49.99.  

This fun set will definitely appeal to children. My daughter was so excited when it came in the mail. The website specifies all of the above products are appropriate for ages 3 and above. The scissors are made for small hands. They have a cute rubber safety cap that have five of the Sumikkogurashi™ characters stacked upon one another. The pencil pouch is big enough to hold a fair amount of supplies in addition the supplies in the set. The spiral notebook has 50 sheets of paper. The outside cover, both front and back are made a bendable plastic and decorated with an adorable Sumikkoruashi™ design. The spiral rings are made of metal for greater durability. Both the pen and mechanical pencil have a silicone grip. They both have a whimsical design. The vinyl pencil pouch has a cute zipper pull that is made from stackable Sumikkoruashi™ characters. The design on the pouch features Sumikkogurashi™ characters with a white background with a lime green accent vinyl for the top and sides. 

My daughter has really enjoyed the set. She really loved the plush as it is very soft and squishable. She has loved using the notebook and pen/pencil set. The only thing she wishes was that the mechanical pencil had an eraser on the end. My daughter likes that the pen and mechanical pencil have a silicone grip around the finger grip area so that it is more comfortable to hold and write with. This set has been perfect for in the car, appointments, and at home fun. My daughter has added an eraser, some colored gel pens, a small ruler, and a few other supplies to the pencil pouch. All of the products have held up to normal everyday use. 

Who is Sumikkogurashi™? I found this a fun and interesting tidbit of information about these cute little plush creatures.

“Sumikkogurashi are the characters living a quiet and solitary life in the corner. They might be able to settle down when they’re in the corners, but they don’t like being in the center of the room. When they’re taken to the center of the room, they always rush back to the corner.”

This set is fun, and my daughter has really enjoyed it. Definitely check out all of the fun products that are offered at https://jellybeet.com/. 

-Product review by Jennifer Ladewig, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2019

Learning Dynamics ~ A Review

The Learning Dynamics Reading Program by Learning Dynamics is a wonderful tool to get your young child started on their road to reading. This is a complete system that comes with everything that you will need to teach your child how to read. Each lesson, which is less than 15 minutes in length is geared for a young child short attention span. There is even a 30-day money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied with the program.

What is included in the program:

1. Lesson Manual
2. 50+ Full Color Books
3. 30+ Songs on a CD
4. Student Activity Workbook
5. Letter Rewards
6. Flashcards

How we used it?

I have had the privilege of working with a dear friend's son who just turned 4 years-old. Little man was so excited to start learning the letters of the alphabet. We were definitely starting at the beginning as he was not familiar with any of the letters, the sounds that they made, or how to write any of them. We are still focusing on staying in the lines when coloring and holding crayons 🖍 properly. It will be awhile before he is ready for the readers 📚. Slow and steady wins the race. That is the true beauty of homeschooling.

Having taught my own six children how to read I was excited about checking out Learning Dynamics. Over the years I have used many phonics programs and curriculums to teach my own children how to read. I learned what worked with one child did not necessarily work with my next child. It was definitely an individualized journey with each of them. Some of my children picked up on reading quickly while others needed much more time to tears to learn how to read.

So how exactly is Learning Dynamics taught?

1. Introduce the letter being taught. Show the uppercase and lowercase letter. Introduce the sound that the letter makes. More is added in the teacher manual. 
2. Read the story in the teacher manual.
3. Letter song on the CD. 
4. Complete worksheet in Student Workbook
5. Listen to the letter song again.
6. As a final check use the flashcards to have your child name the letters and sound that the letter makes. Reward child with popout piece. 
7. Optional Activies
8. Blending is introduced after 5 letters are learned. At that point blending instructions are given. 
9. When books are introduced it will specify which book to read, re-read, etc. 

Our experience...

M says mmm.

M is for mouse, mop, and money. 

I am coloring the mouse.

In order to reinforce each letter I decided to make fun letter crafts

that can be hung on the wall to make an alphabet wall. Here is

an M is for mouse. These crafts ARE NOT a part of the curriculum. 

I just added them in to reinforce the letters and to add in a element of

fun for each letter being learned. 

A is for apple, alligator, and ant. 

Reviewing the letters A and M. 

Working on his A craft. 

Say "cheese!" A is for ants on an apple. Little man is so proud of 

his letter A. 

P is for pumpkin, pencil, and pig. 

Little man working on his P is for pig wall project. 

Little man is still getting his letters and sounds mixed up at bit. I work with him several times a week.  I have told him mommy the importance of CONSTANT reinforcement everyday, throughout the day in order to learn and retain these fundamental basics.  

Each letter of the alphabet has a friendly character to go with its letter. 

"bbbb" as in Baby Bear

"cccc" as in Cameron Caterpillar 

"dddd" as in Dancing Dinosaur

 Flashcards are provided for uppercase letters,

and on the opposite side are the lowercase letters. 

There is a set of flashcards with blends. On one side are the blends,

and on the opposite side are a list of words that go with the blend. 

Students can earn letter rewards!

The sequence of readers for Learning Dynamics is: 

Blue

Red

Yellow

Green

The Blue Readers are the first set of readers that your students will be reading.

There are 23 books in the Blue Series. 

Book 1 starts out very simple. 

After completing the Blue Series your student will move

onto the Red Series. The Red Series has 10 books.

This is Book 1 in the Red Series. 

By the time your student gets to the Green Series they will be reading multiple

sentences per page. Both the Yellow and Green Series have 10 books each.  

After learning the first five letters ( m, a, p, s, and t ) your child will begin to blend. They will also be ready to learn their first words. By lesson 9 they will be introduced to the first reader. The music CD really helps the child to reinforce the letters and the sounds with catchy songs. 

Learning Dynamics is a solid program for helping young children learn to read. Definitely check out their website for more information about the program. Also, click on the link below to read about what other reviewers had to say about the program. 

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4weekstoread/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdum6PdUjxTu78qWPza6O_Q
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4weekstoread/?hl=en

To read more reviews click here.

Treasure Island

Treasure Island

Our family enjoys games. This game is definitely worth buying. 

"Long John silver's crew has committed mutiny and has him cornered and tied up! round after round, they question him about the location of his treasure and explore the Island following his directions— or perhaps his misdirections? who knows... the old sea dog is surely planning an escape, after all, after which he will definitely try to get his treasure back. Treasure Island is a game of bluffing and adventure in which one player embodies long John, trying to mislead the others in their search for his treasure. The hunt reaches its climax with long John's escape, when he will make a final run to get the booty for himself!"

The 4th of July

Matific Galaxy ~ A Review

Matific Galaxy is an online learning program for grades K-6 that will engage children with math games. Children will learn at their own pace while problem solving through games. 

My incoming 6th grader has been enjoying playing Matific Galaxy on her iPad over the past weeks. She does NOT LIKE MATH and has surprisingly enjoyed playing the various math games as she has leveled up on Matific Galaxy. There are ten levels in the 6th grade pack. Within each level there are levels. You must complete games (lessons) within each section in order to unlock and advance to the next level. Each game earns the student pixels which helps to fill in the character. For example,

Dusty is the first character. 

This is Kai, the second character, in it pixilated form.

Here are more of the characters as the student levels up. 

Math skills taught in the 6th grade level. 

I was impressed with the amount of concepts covered. 

There are 46 skills in total that encompass the 6th grade level.

In this particular game students get to design their own cell phone case. 

They have to mix colors by dividing the various colors using fractions. 

Students are rewarded with a screen full of stars for correct answers. 

Here my daughter is working out the problems on paper.

In the end they have designed their own cell phone case.

Here is another another game example. 

All of the games are very engaging. Students are rewarded visually as well as in written form with words such as, "You can do it my friend." Students can earn trophies and metals for their achievements. Within the Parent Zone you can keep track of your students progress and see exactly how they are performing along the way. The report will give you an Overall Learning Progression where it will show your child's strong skills as well as the skills that they need practice in. It will also show how many activities you child has completed. 

I most definitely would recommend this app. This would be an AWESOME app to download this summer. This is a great way to keep up math skills over the summer. Chances are you children will not even realize that they are doing math. I have been very impressed with the app and will continue to use this app with my daughter throughout the summer and into the upcoming school year. 

Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MatificGalaxy/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matificgalaxy/

To read more reviews click here.