Critical Thinking Press is a company that provides a variety of materials to aid in building thinking skills in all areas of learning. From math to science to writing, products are available to help students achieve deeper thinking and understanding . I have often wanted to utilize their products but have never followed through.  When a review for Critical Thinking Press became available, I just couldn’t pass it up!

Over the past several weeks, we have been using Crypto Mind Benders: Famous Quotations. In this book, students will build their mathematical reasoning and critical thinking skills. The use of Crypto Mind Benders is simple. There is no prep work needed! Make as many copies of the page as needed for your family. Grab a pencil and let the fun begin! Through a series of three clues, your child will deduce the value of each letter. Once each letter has been assigned a value, the secret code can be broken.

You can view and print a sample page here!

Crypto Mind Benders is a great activity that can be added to your regular studies so easily. We used Crypto Mind Benders as a “fun math” activity on our “fun school day”. At first, my children were not excited about trying this out. However, after the first day, they were loving them. I have four children who have been solving the quotations and it is a race to see who gets the answer first. I must admit, I enjoy solving the quotation as much as the children!

Crypto Mind Benders: Famous Quotations is designed for grades 3-12+ and can be purchased for $10.99.

A second book, Crypto Mind Benders: Classic Jokes is available as well. I think I might need to get this one for my son. Critical Thinking Press has many products for all ages.

Other members of TOS Review Crew have been using other products from Critical Thinking Press. Head on over and see what they are saying!

**Disclaimer: As a member of TOS Review Crew,  I received a complimentary copy of this product for the purpose of review. No compensation was made. All thoughts/opinions expressed in this post are my own.

God’s Great Covenant is a four part course that takes the student on a journey through the Old and New Testaments.  Instead of choosing a Bible story or event to focus on, God’s Great Covenant emphasizes the importance of a chronological, purposeful study of the whole Bible. Through this type of study, you are able to see how God has moved through His people over time and gain understanding of His covenant. God’s Great Covenant is taught from a covenantal and reformed theological perspective, and rooted in Scripture; just a fact to be aware of in case you are looking for a Bible curriculum without a reformed theological focus.

God’s Great Covenant: New Testament 1 is a course designed for 4th graders and up.  I chose to bring all my children together and we had fabulous discussion! For the course there is a student workbook, teacher’s text and mp3 audio available. GGC New Testament 1 covers the four Gospels; bringing them together to be studied and understood. The course begins with an Introduction sections and will take several days to work through. So much information that really helps create a clear picture of where God’s people are at when the Gospel begins. The Introduction is very helpful if you have not covered the Old Testament.

There are several introductions: Historical/Political, Chronological, Geographical, Religious and Daily Life.  As we studied the introductions it was refreshing to see how much my children were familiar with and enlightening on what we all learned together!

After the introductions New Testament 1 is broken up into four units; each unit contains 9 chapters which include a review of what has been learned. Each chapter has focus texts from the Gospels; pulling parallel text together for a full picture of what is being studied. A memory passage is suggested and key facts are provided. After the reading, there are review worksheets to aid in retention of the material that includes a “think about it” question to help the student apply the Scripture personally.

The teacher text provides the same information as the student workbook but has added in-depths notes for the teacher to use in discussion or even older students could read on their own. The in-depth notes are a wonderful resource of information. God’s Great Covenant: New Testament 1 is a thorough, meaningful Bible study.  It also provides answers to the review worksheets.

In the past, I have not been impressed with various Bible curricula. Either it has been simplified or didn’t match our theological perspective. Classical Academic Press recognizes the ability of our children to study and learn and it shows in God’s Great Covenant. My children and I have had fabulous discussions as we are working through this course. I think that it has worked well to bring everyone together for this study but would have no qualms about handing the teacher’s text to my older children for independent study.

The mp3 audio files were not used for our family study time but work great for the younger ones to listen to during quiet time. The audio files would also be helpful for students who struggle with reading and could better focus having the text read.

One aspect of God’s Great Covenant: New Testament 1 was an issue for our family. The student text is meant to be consumable so copies can not be made of the review worksheets. Each student would need their own text if the review portions were used. Due to our family circumstances, we could not purchase student workbooks for each child. Classical Academic Press publishes excellent products and they are worth the pricing; it just wouldn’t be allowable for our family. We worked around the issue by having family discussion which is our preference.

God’s Great Covenant: New Testament 1 can be purchased as a bundle or the each resource can be purchased individually.

Student Workbook: $26.95

Teacher’s Edition: $29.95

MP3 Audio Files: $9.95

Bundle Option containing all 3 items: $56.95

Take a moment to check out God’s Great Covenant: New Testament 1 and the other products at Classical Academic Press!

Also other TOS crew members have their thoughts to share!

**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Review Crew, I received a complimentary copy of this product for the purpose of review. No compensation was made. The thoughts/opinions expressed in this post are my own.

After much thought and prayer, I came up with a game plan. They younger students would just enjoy nature, reading books about different science topics and a fun experiment now and then. Once my student was a solid reader we would add in a science course and add in living books as desired. What science course could I use for my 4-6th graders? Bright Ideas Press has a wonderful resource that is working so well!

Over the past couple of years, I have reviewed other  products from Bright Ideas Press. (Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers, WonderMaps) I have always been pleased with a curriculum/product that meets my needs and my student’s needs, is user friendly, and affordable. BIP has always treated me with excellent customer service when needed. When the review possibility for Christian Kid’s Explore Science became available, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. After talking with my daughter that was in need of a science course, we went with CKE Chemistry.

CKE: Chemistry is designed for grades 4-8 but can easily be adapted for studying with multiple ages. This is clearly a Christian course as Scripture is seen throughout the lessons always keeping the focus on the Creator. There are 30 lessons, 5 units each, that cover topics such as: Chemistry Tools, Atoms, Chemical Bonds, Compounds and more. You can see a full Table of Contents.

In each lesson there is Teaching Time which gives information on the topic being studied. Along the side of the text, vocabulary and other information is listed in the margins. The lesson wraps up with a Review It section to make sure the student understood the main points. Then you reach the Hands On portion which always makes for a fun morning in our home. After the Hands On, there are some questions to help us think over what we learned during our “experiment”.  Unit review and coloring pages are also included. If using the course with younger students, the coloring pages are a great way to keep little hands busy and minds focused!

The 2nd edition of CKE: Chemistry now comes with a resource CD. This wonderful resource makes utilizing this curriculum so easy! The resource CD contains: Reproducibles from the lessons (coloring pages, review questions, etc) , material lists, supplemental reading list (love this one!) and  even lesson plans.

Even though my daughter is using this course independently, we still can utilize the lesson plan to help her pace herself through the course and to make sure she doesn’t forget important aspects like vocabulary in each lesson. As a book loving family, adding in some supplemental reading is always high on our list so I was pleased to see this feature on the resource CD.

My daughter is doing well working through this course, learning much about chemistry and not held back by her science challenged mom. I was so impressed with CKE: Chemistry that I am hoping to get some of the other CKE books to use as well. Bright Ideas Press gets another thumbs up from us! Easy to understand and implement, affordable, Biblical worldview and from a company that was started by homeschoolers? Definitely worth taking a moment or two to check out Christian Kids Explore: Chemistry and the other products BIP has available!

CKE: Chemistry – 2nd Edition with Resource CD can be purchased for $39.95! The resource CD makes this product non-consumable so a great price for a family with multiple student!

Swing by and see what other Crew Members are saying about Christian Kids Explore..Biology, Chemistry, Physics…

**Disclaimer – As a member of TOS Review Crew, I received a complimentary copy of this product for review purposes. No compensation was made. The thoughts/opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Our children need to have the ability to express their ideals and beliefs in a way that presents their Christian worldview.  So often writing curricula focus on teaching the mechanics of writing and fail to build the desire to write and express what is real to the student.  Writing is sadly a poorly developed skill in college students and basic mistakes are growing more and more common. These and other issues caused World Magazine to produce Write With World. A two year writing curriculum designed for middle school students.

As a mom of two middle school children, one who desires to be a writer, I was thrilled with the opportunity to test the pilot copy of this program! I was not disappointed.

Write With World comes with a teacher’s manual and a student text. It is recommended that you utilize World Magazine but any magazine will work. Toss in a thesaurus, dictionary and a notebook, and your child is ready to begin.  In September 2012, the program will also include access to a website that will have a teacher’s forum, student publication, writing prompts and other resources.

Write With World  Year One is divided into 4 Units and each unit contains Capsules and that is further broken down into lesson.  The five units are: Developing Critical Readers, Developing Writers: Building Blocks and Biography, Writing Autobiography and Crafting Narratives. You can see a full table of contents of both years of the program.

I appreciated the approach that Write With World takes. Beginning with “low stakes” evaluation to show and encourage the student in finding weak areas and learning where improvements are needed. Plenty of opportunities will be provided for more detailed evaluation but we don’t want to stunt the process before we get started!

My 7^th grader is currently taking a year off from grammar. Well, she was taking a year off. Write With World looked at the most common grammatical errors that college students were making and incorporated them into this curriculum. While you can you  separate grammar curriculum it is not necessary. Here are the common grammatical errors or trouble spots that are covered in Write With World.

The approach and lessons in Write With World are engaging and relevant. They help to spark interest in the student by using current events to promote interest, ideas and writing. Take a look at this sample lesson.

There are two options to purchasing Write With World:

Purchasing Each Year separately is $95 each. If you choose to purchase both years at the same time, the cost it is $165. While at first glance this may seem high, please note that this is a non-consumable product and all you need for each student is a notebook.  As a mother of 8 children who could utilize this curriculum, this is  a bargain. And the quality of the program is exactly what you would expect from World Magazine!

Write With World has produced an excellent writing curriculum that is simple to implement and builds the valuable skill of helping our children express their Christian worldview. Learning to write  is so much more than just forming complete sentences. It is about sharing our beliefs and communicating the Gospel! Write With World understands that crucial skill and makes it attainable.

Please make time to read more about Write With World at LearnWithWorld.com and also see what other TOS Crew Members are saying about this curriculum!

*Disclaimer: As a member of TOS Review Crew, I received a complimentary copy of the pilot edition of this program for the purpose of review. No compensation was made. The thoughts/opinions expressed in this post are my own.

We had reached a point in our homeschool where we had finished up a year of study with a curriculum. I was really torn on moving forward with it for another year. After much thought and prayer, I decided I would create my own course of study for history. And then I had the opportunity to review TruthQuest History. God’s timing is perfect,yes? I was thrilled to choose the Age of Revolution II guide. It was almost exactly where we need to pick up in history!

Age of Revolution II 1800-1865

Taken from the TruthQuest Website:

TruthQuest History is a deep and rich literature-based history study…but with a difference. You will not learn the story of mankind; you will learn the lovestory of mankind. You will not focus on the rise and fall of human civilizations; you will focus on the arrow-straight line of God’s unchanging existence, power, love, truth, and plan for civilization. You will not simply ‘meet the culture’ or ‘get the facts;’ you will probe the truths of history so deeply that your students will be equipped to change their world!

The Age of Revolution II might be mistaken for a lovely booklist but that would be such a disservice to this resource! In this guide, this period of time is divided by significant events and important people. For each section commentary is given to help the student (teacher) pull the previous studies in line with what is up ahead, to offer reminders to see and think about how God’s hand is moving and what that means for that time and for now.  ThinkWrite questions are offered with each major section and can serve as great “writing prompts” for the student or a starting point for some in depth family discussions.

Family discussions are an important part of what I desire our day to hold. With children ranging in ages from baby to teenager, I love having the ability to bring us all together and to share in our studies. While that doesn’t work so well in math, it is attainable with history! The Age of Revolution II guide is designed for grades 5-12. However, book suggestions are included for the elementary years. (If your family just has younger learners right now, TruthQuest has American History guides just for them.) While my older daughter may be reading How Should We Then Live and my little ones are cuddled up with a picture book, we are all learning and studying the same part of history. It can make for lively discussion around the dinner table. Maybe more like a race to see who can tell daddy the most information first!

In the Age to Revolution II and other guides, several types of books are suggested. Spine books that provide a steady course as you travel through history. More in-depth, focused books on a particular person or events and even subtopics are provided. Mrs. Miller also includes activity books and movies when applicable.

I know that some will look at the TruthQuest Guides and think “That will never work for me!” , “Why doesn’t it come with a schedule?” or “I can’t buy all those books!” It can seem overwhelming at first glance. Take a deep breath. Here is how I make it work for me:

For me. Very important words. What I enjoy doing is reading a core or spine book aloud to everyone. We are a read aloud family so this flows along with how we spend our time. While I’m read aloud they may be drawing pictures, writing, building with Legos or knitting. I learned early on that if you keep the hands busy, the mind stays engaged so well. Once I’m done with our read aloud, the independent readers will have their reading assignments and can go about their day. Throughout the day I can sit with my younger ones and share some picture books on our topic or person so they are learning as well. (It is not surprising to catch my older ones listening in or reading the picture books on their own. There are some fabulous picture books!)

To enhance our reading, I have the children do other activities as well. I assign them to pick a person or event to write about that week. We may use the Think Write for the writing assignment or just discussion. Some will just narrate to me what they have read or draw a picture of something that they found interesting. It is sometimes helpful to have the older ones search Scripture for issues we see occurring in history.

A schedule/lesson plan isn’t provided so we move at our own pace and I don’t have to feel guilty for spending two weeks studying Madison and only a few days on Lincoln.  I love having flexibility with our learning. It is one of the beauties in homeschooling! as we work through the guide I don’t even attempt to utilize all the books suggested. I am a faithful patron of our local library. While I sometimes can’t find as many books as I desired or just the one I wanted, I usually find just what we need.  There is no way our budget would allow for purchasing a huge bundle of books and it has not been an issue with Age of Revolution II.

Key Thoughts on Why TruthQuest May or May Not Be For You:

*Christian Perspective - this curricula is written clearly from a strong Christian perspective. The purpose behind TruthQuest is to see how God’s hand has moved through History.

*Learning is mainly through living books. By reading a through living books, we learn so much. You can choose to incorporate other methods such as notebooking, geography, timelines, writing, etc but at the core, TruthQuest is about using literature to bring about understanding.

*No Schedule or Lesson Plan. If you like to check off little boxes you will have to make your own. While TruthQuest.com offers suggestions on how to “plan out” a guide, it is completely up to the discretion of each family how they work through the guide and how long it takes.

*Conversational Commentary. Throughout the Age of Revolution II guide, Mrs. Miller’s commentary may come across as “too relaxed” or “simplified”. She is writing to the student and she is aiming it at various grade levels. I don’t care for books that “dumb down” the information for children. By no means, do I think Mrs. Miller has over simplified the information. It is just in a more casual tone. At times, I may chose to summarize it in my own words.

*Supports/encourages family learning. While you could definitely keep your children separate and learning on their own cycle of history, TruthQuest is definitely a curriculum that can work for a wide variety of ages and learning abilities. If you are looking to study history as a family, then check out TruthQuest.

Age of Revolution II is available in two formats.

Print copy -  $29.95

PDF copy – $24.95

Interested?  Take a look at a sample lesson, table of contents and spine information. Be sure to check out FAQ , How to Choose and Families Share for some great information on using TruthQuest.

TOS Crew members reviewed various guides. So if Age of Revolution II (1800-1865) isn’t the guide you need, check out what others are using!

Disclaimer: As a meber of TOS Review crew, I received a complimentary PDF copy of this product for the purpose of review. No compensation was made. The opinion/thoughts expressed in this post are my own.

I have been interested in Progeny Press for a few years but always talked myself out of giving them a try. What a pleasure it was to have the opportunity to review one of their literature study guides: Across Five Aprils – study guide for grades 5-9.

Progeny Press is a family owned company. While homeschooling their own children, the Gilleland, saw a need for literature study guides that taught children to take the cultural relevance and put it with Biblical truths. It is a valuable skill to be able to break down what you read and test it against Scripture as you learn about the world around you.

To use the Progeny Press study guide, all the student needs is the work of literature, a dictionary, thesaurus and her Bible. The NIV is the translation used in the study guides; but it works well with other translations.  The internet can be a valuable tool as well if you are comfortable with allowing your child access.

The middle and high school study guides take about eight weeks to complete. The study guides are very complete. Pre-reading and post-reading activities are given. Most selections have an overview that works well as a test. Essay and writing suggestions are provided. Your student will cover questions on what is happening in the story, vocabulary, etc. However there are questions that help the student to dig deeper into the story and get beyond the surface. Throughout the guide, the Bible is used to help keep us focused on Christian perspective.

We were able to review the Across Five Aprils – Interactive Format. The Interactive  format is an upgrade to the pdf download. While the file can still be printed, it gives the option of the student typing directly onto the computer and saving her work in progress. This is a wonderful option that works well for the family on a tight budget or with more than one child using the guide. I am normally one who loves a print copy. However, with a tight budget and two students working through this guide, the interactive format was a blessing!

Take a peek inside the Across Five Aprils Study Guide!  Also test out the interactive study guide!

Our Thoughts:

Both of my girls had read Across Five Aprils before and were not exactly thrilled about working through the study guide. However, they are getting a better understanding of the story this time. And a better appreciation of it as well. Just in the first couple of weeks, the information they had learned about the Missouri/Kansas Compromise was referenced in other literature. Our discussion of another book went to a deeper level because of what they have learned from the Progeny Press study guide.

I appreciated the thoroughness and variety of the guide. It was well thought out and didn’t just cover the basics. We are looking forward to using more of the study guides. One daughter would love to get her hands on the Pride and Prejudice guide. With guides from Kindergarten to High School, everyone can dig a little deeper!

Pricing:

Across Five Aprils Study Guide:

Grades 5-9

Booklet: $18.99

CD: $16.99

CD + Booklet: $23.99

PDF (email download): $16.99

Progeny Press has 107 study guides available this year. Take a moment to browse around and find a guide to enhance your homeschool!

Other Progeny Press guides were used by other Crew Members…be sure to stop by and see what others are saying.

**Disclaimer: As a member of TOS Review Crew, I received a complimentary copy of this product for review. No compensation was made.

Thankfully, Classical Academic Press has made a Logics resource that makes teaching and learning Logic attainable.

Argument Course for the Junior High Student

Junior high aged students will argue (and sometimes quarrel), but they won’t argue well without good training. Young teens are also targeted by advertisers with a vengeance. From billboards to commercials to a walk down the mall, fallacious arguments are everywhere you look. The Art of Argument was designed to teach the argumentative adolescent how to reason with clarity, relevance and purpose at a time when he has a penchant for the “why” and “how”. It is designed to equip and sharpen young minds as they live, play, and grow in this highly commercial culture. This course teaches students to recognize and identify twenty-eight informal fallacies, and the eye-catching text includes over sixty slick and clever, “phony advertisements” for items from blue jeans to pick-up trucks, which apply the fallacies to a myriad of real life situations.

The above was quoted from Classical Academic Press

In Art of Argument, 28 fallacies are presented ; Begging the Question, Sweeping Generalization, Straw Man, Mob Appeal, etc . The text is written in a style that is easy for the student (and teacher) to understand and think through. With each fallacy, illustrations are given to help emphasis the fallacy being discussed.  Each chapter contains the fallacy text, discussion questions, examples and there is an ongoing dialogue with Socrates. There are chapter and unit tests as well. The teacher’s manual contains all the student text plus answers to the exercises and tests.

Along with the teacher and student texts, a DVD set is available. On the DVD, two Logic teachers and four students work through the fallacies. This is really helpful to see how discussions are worked out when you are not able to be in a group setting. Thankfully, I have two daughters who will go through this at the same time so we can have a good group discussion. I liked the DVDs from the teacher’s perspective to help me see how to draw out the discussion.

When I first handed the text to my 7th grader, she wasn’t exactly thrilled. After explaining the purpose of the texts, she was a bit more willing to give it a try. She is interested in learning how to win an argument. I look forward to this course building her argument skills and her confidence in defending her point of view as well. A true asset when it comes to defending her faith!

Classical Academic Press provides samples for the teacher and student text of Art of Argument.

Teacher Sample Chapter.

Student Sample Chapter.

You might also find the Logic FAQ helpful in deciding if this course is right for your family.

Pricing:

Art of Argument Basic Bundle is $88.95. This bundle contains: Student text, Teacher text and DVD set.  If interested in buying the items separately, that option is available as well.

There are many other products available such as Argument Builder that can enhance you homeschool learning!

Other Crew members reviewed Art of Argument or Argument Builder. Take a moment to see what they have to say!

Disclaimer: As a member of TOS Review Crew, I received a complimentary copy of this product for review. No compensation was made.

MathRider, math game for kids, has been a big point of interest in our home the past several weeks.  When we had the opportunity to review this math fact game for a second time, I wasn’t sure how well it would be received. I shouldn’t have worried! My children were thrilled to have access to MathRider once again. It isn’t often that you can put “math facts” and “exciting” in the same category.

Why does MathRider work so well at building proficiency in all four math applications?

*MathRider engages the child with a sense of adventure through the noble quest

*Maps provide a fun way for the child to track their progress and encourage her to continue

*Problems are given at your child’s level and increases in difficulty as your child progress; challenging without being frustrating

*Math Rider works in building math skills and it shows; even the child can tell a difference in their math abilities

As a mom/teacher, why do I like Math Rider?

*It is a program with a purpose that doesn’t waste my child’s time with pointless “games”.

*I can easily track all the children’s progress/weak areas. (With five children in various levels of math and ability, this is such an asset to Math Rider!)

*I like the option of “practice runs” before beginning a quest. For my younger children, this give them to time to become familiar with the set up of the game and they like doing well on the quests.

*I love how even a pre-Algebra student can realize she is weak in quick subtraction recall and work diligently to improve her time.

MathRider was designed by parents who wanted to help their own children overcome their struggles with math facts. I believe that a product made by someone who truly and fully understands the reason for the product adds to it validity. No matter the age or level your child is at, MathRider could be a helpful tool. MathRider provides a free trial to see if it is a good match for your child.

MathRider is purchased as an instant download, available for Windows, Mac, OSX and Linux, for $37.  This pricing will not last long! As of February 15, 2012, the pricing will increase to $47. If you are a large family, please note that you can have up to 8 players on a single license. This could be a great way to drill facts efficiently with several children.

Please visit MathRider.com for more information and check out the Crew as well!

**Disclaimer: As a member of TOS Review Crew, I received a complimentary copy of this product.  No compensation was made.  The thoughts/opinions expressed are my own.

Making hands on learning a part of your homeschool is a wonderful way to make your studies real and interesting to your children. Pitsco Education has a wonderful selection of products that can provide the hands on learning you might be looking for! We recently had the opportunity to utilize their Siege Machines Kit.

The Siege Machine Kit includes:  a Trebuchet Kit, Catapult Kit, Mass Plates and the Siege Machines book. Through building these medieval machines your child will incorporate learning in science, math and experiments.  They will learn the history of these devices and build their problem solving abilities.

While we are not currently studying the medieval time period, my children knew exactly what these machines were designed for and couldn’t wait to assemble them. The Siege Machine Kit is for middle school and up. Although my son is only 10, we decided to let him take charge of this project. Dad provided the adult supervision and guidance and “the boys” had a great time. They discussed the process and design as they progressed through the project and there was much satisfaction for my son when they were ready to fire!

The Siege Machine Kit is available from Pitsco Education for $21.95. From our experience, this is an excellent price for this kit. Although I did have to put a stop to firing at mom while she was in the kitchen, boys.

Pitsco Education has a wide variety of items that can enhance your learning experience so please take time to look around their site! Also make sure to swing by the Crew and see what other review families though of the Siege Machine Kit!

*Disclaimer – As a member of TOS Review Crew, I received a complimentary copy of this product for review. No compensation was made.

Sure, we cut and glue and create all kinds of colorful creations when they are in the preschool years. I am more than willing to buy sketch pads, pencils and let them create to their hearts content. But a focused study? Not so much.

We recently had the opportunity to review a product from Artistic Pursuits. After some debating on the best fit for our family, I chose Book One for grades 4-6The Elements of Art and Composition.  My most dedicated artists are 3rd and 6th grade. I also have a 5th and 7th grader that I felt would enjoy the course as well. We definitely made the right choice to stretch this course to work for our family.

Artistic Pursuits is a comprehensive art program that provides  methods to encouraged the creative process while building observational skills. It is designed to be an independent learning program which I love. I struggle greatly with art so a program like Artistic Pursuits is exactly what I need to get art instruction for my children.

The Elements of Art and Composition includes 16 units. Each unit contains:

*Visual Vocabulary – creative assignment designed to bring together environment, experience and create a work of art.

*American Art Appreciation and History – Master works are used to demonstrate the focus of the lesson. They also learn about the artist and the time they lived.

* Techniques – Learning the use of tools and materials that is then used in original works.

* Application – Final project incorporating all that has been learned.

In the Elements of Art and Composition book topics such as space, texture, form, depth and contrast are covered. Your child will learn to use pencils, markers and even some scratch art throughout this course.

My thoughts…

I had heard of Artistic Pursuits in the past and the price of the course and the supplies had always given me pause. Our homeschool budget is very limited for “extras” so I had never looked too in depth at Artistic Pursuits.

I was pleasantly surprised to realize that I was mistaken about the value of this program. As a mom of seven, one of my favorite words for curriculum is “non-consumable”. Even though, to me, at first glance the price for the book seemed high. However, when I break down that cost over all the children who will use it, it really isn’t bad at all!

I also had a concern about the art supplies. I know the recommendation would  be for each child to have their own set of supplies. However, we are use to sharing in our home, so we make sharing of art supplies the standard practice as well. It works for our budget and provides access to the materials needed.

I did find trying to find the supplies I needed, like the ebony pencils, a bit challenging since I was clueless. However, Artistic Pursuits simplifies this process and all needed supplies can be purchased directly from them! Outstanding!

Due to a computer virus, I can’t share any great works of art created by my children but will try to come back and update later!

Interested in Artistic Pursuits for your child? They have products for preschool to senior high. Art supply kits are available for those as well. Take a moment and check out Artistic Pursuits and make art instructions a part of your homeschool

The Elements of Art and Composition can be purchased for $42.95.

The Art Supply Kit for this book is available for $45.00.

Other reviewers tried different products from Artistic Pursuits, so make sure you swing by the Crew to see what others are saying!

*Disclaimer: As a member of TOS Review Crew, I received a complimentary copy of this product for review. No compensation was made.