Friday, January 14, 2011

The Life of Christ~ Positive Action for Christ Review













Product: The Life of Christ- From the Gospel of John
Company:  Positive Action for Christ
Cost:  Student Manual- $17.95
           Teacher Manual- $41.95
           Teacher Manual on DVD- $29.95
Age:  Middle School- High School

When I was given The Life of Christ to use and review with my children I was grateful, as I have previously used and enjoyed other materials from Positive Action for Christ.  I used some of their texts as a student in my private high school, and my husband has used them as a Bible teacher in  Christian school.  We have always been impressed with their products.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:

  • Both the student text and teacher's manual are beautifully made- sturdy, perfectly bound, visually appealing
  • Student text has beautiful drawings and full color maps and illustrations


TEACHER'S MANUAL:

  •  Heavy duty three ring notebook with beautiful cover
  • Tabs separating tests, quizzes, and appendix
  • Foreward:  Overview, student work, tips, schedule, memory program
  • Contents and Recommended Reading Lists 
  • Lessons:  Complete student text with included answers to student work, added teacher's notes, lesson objectives, questions, charts
  • CD with transparencies
  • 390 pages
  • 35 Lessons- average one per week


STUDENT TEXT:


  • Beautifully bound, antiqued look cover and pages
  • Reading material and homework to be completed in advance
  • Added student research for each lesson
  • Full color charts, photos, illustrations
  • Workbook spaces for students to answer questions
  • Digging Deeper questions at the end of each chapter- optional
  • 277 pgs.


WHAT I THINK:

This study is amazing!  It is difficult to find a Bible program that is truly an in-depth study that brings together devotion, deep research, and personal application.  This study does all three- and much more.  We will continue this study for the remainder of the school year and I HIGHLY suggest you look into the other programs from Positive Action for Christ!  My children, ages 12 and 13, have highly enjoyed using this text and have learned so much.  This could be used as a private devotional (with some parental discussion involved) or as a Bible study for church or small groups.

Positive Action for Christ has products available from Kindergarten through high school, as well as church curriculum.
Currently I am eyeing Wise Up- Wisdom in Proverbs to use as a family devotional book during the summer months.

Want to read more reviews of this product and company?  Check them out HERE


I received Life of Christ student & teacher's manual free in exchange for my truthful review.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Virtual Nerd- Math & Science Tutorial


Virtual Nerd is a terrific, online tutorial program for math and science.  
See Virtual Nerd for a 2 minute Introductory Video- then come back here for my review...

SOME FACTS:
  • Virtual Nerd currently offers Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Intro to Physics
  • Suggested for grades 7-12
  • Started in 2008 by Leo Shmuylovich (tutor with 10 yrs. experience) and Josh Salcman (accomplished product designer) Read about them HERE
  • Won 2010 Parent Tested Parent Approved award based on availability, functionality, value and appeal. 
  • Coming soon:  Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Physics w/ Trig, Chemistry, Biology 
  • Algebra I has 450 tutorials for over 18 hours of video viewing and over 15,000 step by step graphics
  • Subscription cost:  1 Month = $49.00  (multiple month plans available)

Virtual Nerd makes use of a dynamic white board and a live teacher.  My daughter (13 yrs. old taking Algebra I) and I were the two in our home who reviewed this product.  We were both highly impressed!  The female teacher is very clear, easy to understand, and has a pleasant speaking manner.  She had no distracting elements about her presentations.  We both enjoyed listening to her.  (We also watched several with a male teacher and he was excellent as well).

The program is simple to use.  You simply click on the subject link  you would like- ours was Algebra I.  You will then be given topic choices- each click you make narrows your choice down to YOUR specific question.  

CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE
Enter for Keyword Search or look through topics listed






You will be taken to a list of videos covering your desired topic
Click on details to see what topics are covered in the video- just to be sure
Click Play and watch the video


Here you can see the tutor teaching the chosen topic
You see the diagram/formula- top right
Below diagram you see the steps as she discusses them
Of course, you can pause or rewind as needed.

Once your video is over you are given suggestions for further videos to review.  

A wonderful feature of the program is the addition of Textbook Search Capabilities.  For Algebra I they currently work with Prentice Hall Algebra I, Holt Algebra I, and Glencol Algebra I.  

I think Virtual Nerd is a unique and exceptional tutorial program!  The site is easy to navigate and the tutorial videos are superb.  I will be looking to use Virtual Nerd next year as my daughter begins 9th grade. 

See the site for Frequently Asked Questions  

Check out the Free Basic Plan or the $49.00 Premium Plan 
Day Pass-   $5.00
Week Pass- $19.00
FREE  2 hour trial
Sign up  HERE

And be sure to check out more reviews of Virtual Nerd from The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew

I was given free access to Virtual Nerd's Premium Plan for several weeks in exchange for my truthful review.