Kinderbach--revisited

Once again I received a three month subscription to Kinderbach, an online music education program, as a member of TOS Review Crew. The gift subscription was provided to me in exchange for this review.

According to creator, Kerri Gregor, "Kinderbach gives any young child the wonderful opportunity to learn music through playing the piano". I used Kinderbach in our home last year with my then 4 year old son, Aidan and 7 year old daughter, Sierra. Our comprehensive review can be read by clicking here.

In summary, according to the Kinderbach website, Kinderbach offers:

* Solid Curriculum
* Fun Characters
* Multi Learning Styles
*Engaging Video
*Hands on Pages
*Music Theory Games
*30 Day Money Back Guarantee


Since we last spent time with Kinderbach, a few extras have been added to the program. On-line lessons currently cost $19.99 a month or $95.88 a year. With the purchase of an on-line membership families receive unlimited access to Kinderbach curriculum divided into 6 different levels of instruction. In addition, Kinderbach now offers an optional Crafts and Games Level I, II and III for $9.95. The Crafts and Games subscription provides additional activities which match up with the lessons. Other downloadable PDF file extras like
a floor keyboard, music posters and flashcards are available with price points of Free- $2.95 each.


For families unsure about commiting to an on-line subscription, Kinderbach offers a FREE two week trial of their product. In addition, free song downloads are available at http://www.kinderbach.com/ and samples can be viewed on Youtube by searching under Dodies Story.

Facts First/ Saxon Harcourt

Facts First, an on-line program distributed by Saxon Homeschool and created by Skills Tutor, a sister company of Saxon, had my attention when it showed up on the review schedule for TOS Review Crew. My family has been a fan of Saxon Math since the beginning of our homeschool journey, or rather should I say, I have been a fan, my kids, well.....

Facts First is designed to develop "fluency with math facts". This skill mirrors a major portion of the Saxon Math curriculum, but math fluency complements any math program, not just Saxon. The on-line subscription based computer program drills kids in basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division math facts through timed drills. Students as young as Kindergarten easily benefit from the program targeted to younger students. Students do not need to be able to read independently to be able to use the program independently.

Our family received a 90 subscription to Facts First in exchange for this review. My 2nd grade daughter, Sierra and Kindergarten son, Aidan couldn't have been happier.

After logging into the site for the first time it guided me to register up to 4 students. Students are represented by a basic avatar, labeled with their name. Once logged into the site even a younger child can find his account by simply clicking on his name. Since I only had two students needing to develop fluency in basic math facts I quickly had everyone registered and we were ready to begin.

Although I selected addition to begin our trial, each time a student logs in they may choose to learn and practice addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. These are represented by large mathematical symbols for each, (+, -, X, etc.) on a button. Clicking on the math symbol takes users to the first "Welcome" lesson for the topic.

Non-readers easily continue without assistance as all directions to create a personalized avatar character for the lessons are spoken and written. After creating the avatar by choosing a body, clothes, etc. students are ready to attempt their first pre-test to check their fluency level.

Sierra began her first lesson by watching a teacher explain to her class the concept for adding zero to a number. Next she was asked to practice the concept a few times before taking a quiz to check fluency. Sound effects accompanied her rate of speed encouraging her inner competitive spirit.

Speed is very important with Facts First as students will not be awarded credit for completed work if it is done too slowly. A chart known as The Math Fact Matrix displays students progress when attempted. Facts marked in green note the rating of "excellent", yellow equals "good", red notes "needs work" and blue dashed lines mark the fact as "not sure yet".

Sierra received the award of "not sure yet" despite receiving all checks and check pluses when drilling her facts. She was a bit frustrated with this aspect which basically penalized her for slow typing skills. She had answered all of her facts correctly, but been told by the program her work was less than satisfactory. Unfortunately, receiving a 42% for answering all questions correctly left her discouraged instead of encouraged.

Parent control settings with Facts First allow adjusting the speed required for math facts. This can be individualized for each student in case someone is a slow typist, but excellent mathematician. As I prodded Sierra forward she took the her timed test two more times in an effort to compensate for the lack of typing experience. She began to warm up to Facts First as her scores continued to improve. By her third attemtpt her speed had improved enough to warrant an award of 84%.

Although Sierra struggled getting to know Facts First she said she enjoyed the program over all. "I liked Facts First, because it helped me learn math. I like when you begin the lesson how it puts your character in different places; sometimes it's the school and sometimes it's at the recycling center or at home," she said.

Aidan, a future computer geek, loved every moment of Facts First. He easily sailed through quite a few lessons and I believe learned new addition facts from his time spent with the program. Due to his age, I had not spent much if any time instructing him in addition math facts. Facts First lit a fire within him for reciting addition facts which he now readily shares with anyone close enough to listen.

After spending 20 minutes with a math lesson Facts First rewards students with "arcade" time. A visit to the arcade simply means more computer math games to play focused around a carnival theme. Arcade time is timed and even when in the middle of a really great game a message of "times up" appears and the user is re-directed back to the lessons. I thought this feature was good, allowing me the freedom to set my little computer nut loose with Facts First trusting his time would be well spent.

"I really loved it! I liked the person (avatar) on the screen because he is very cool with his video game shirt. I really liked the math games I got to play at the end", said Aidan.

Facts First is fun oriented for the kids and practical for the homeschool parent wanting to monitor time spent "playing" on the computer. When logged into an individual student account parents can view a detailed report for each time test. Clicking on the title of a time test shows dates of the attempts, whether the student completed the task or not and a final score or percentage calculated by measuring their mastery speed level. The report also details how much time is spent on with each time test.

Facts First is comprehensive in its scope of basic math skills. Within the topic of addition there are 40 different time tests to master, not including pre-tests and final or post tests. Addition topics include:

• Adding 0
• Adding 1 and 2
• Adding 5
• Doubles (ie. 2+2 and 4+4)
• Doubles plus one (ie. 1+2 and 2+3)
• Sums 9 to 11
• Sums 12 and 13
• Sums 14 to 17

A one year subscription to Facts First is $49.99 and good for up to four users in one home. A free demo of the program can be found on the company website at http://www.factsfirst.com/

MathScore

If math education has lost its appeal in your homeschool a subscription to MathScore.com may be just what you need. Developed by MIT graduate Steven Yang, MathScore.com promises to make math practice fun and inviting to kids in grades 1-Algebra 1 level of study. Yang, who also co-founded Direct Hit Technologies, a winner of the MIT $50K Entrepreneurship competition in 1998, is hopeful that millions of children will be positively impacted by MathScore.com

" It is a challenge in educational software design to find a balance between genuine learning and motivational fun. One of the reasons why I designed MathScore was because I felt that too much educational software was fun, but very light on meaningful learning. I hope you agree that we've achieved a good balance", said Yang.

My test marketing team is pleased to give MathScore.com two thumbs up. As a member of TOS Review Crew I was given a 6 month trial to the MathScore website to use in our homeschool in exchange for this review. My daughters, Micah, grade 7 and Sierra, grade 2 took advantage of this opportunity. After watching a brief intro video on the company website, http://www.mathscore.com/ I understood the philosophy of MathScore lined up well with my approach to math education for my children. According to the website MathScore:

• Eliminates the need for timed math tests


• Is paperless


• Promotes mastery learning


• Is Proven to raise test scores

MathScore rewards speed and therefore to enable maximum success students need to have basic computer keyboarding skills. To assist with this issue, the first topic or lesson to complete is the Copy Cat Topic which teaches using the number key pad. This aspect was especially important for my 2nd grader who did not have much experience with keyboarding skills. Once Sierra successfully completed the Copy Cat Topic a screen appeared which said, "Congratulations" and small fireworks exploded. She was also promoted to the next level of expertise, that of Trainee and was so impressed by this that she ran to me shouting, "Mommy! I completed the level! I've been PROMOTED!" Wow! Excitement over math practice equals a very good thing.

I was pleased my 2nd grader was motivated, but in my opinion the true test of this product was to appeal to my somewhat skeptical 7th grader. I sat down with Micah after she had been using MathScore for three weeks to have her show me around the website and share her honest opinions.

After Micah logged in with her student user name and password she chose "Topics" to begin. A list of 92 different topics are available to choose from for the 7th grade level. Users can choose to review the list alphabetically, show only the critical thinking topics or simply leave them as presented. Once a topic is chosen, users may elect to view a mini-lesson, practice a worksheet of problems relating to the topic or simply do a worksheet. Timed worksheets vary in difficulty and length; the more difficult the concept the fewer the problems and more time awarded to complete. Students work against a designated time to solve problems and once successful in completing the worksheet are awarded points and promoted to the next level or higher. For example, while working on the "Fraction Division" topic, Micah completed level 4 worksheet in record time, was awarded 75 points and promoted to level 7. MathScore read her speed in level 4 as proficiency and rewarded her accordingly. This aspect of the program ensured Micah didn't waste time reviewing mastered concepts.

"They usually make you jump up a level if you have more time left than the time you've spent", explained Micah.

There are many aspects of MathScore which encourage students to pursue more math study. A "High Scores" section lists students using MathScore who have achieved the most points while using the program. Students are simply identified by initials, rank and score. An "Awards" section records the various levels of accomplishment the student has met throughout the entire subscription time with MathScore. All students begin as Trainees and unlock various rankings as points are scored. For example, at 27, 904 points Micah was ranked as a Lieutenant and would move to the next ranking at 30,000 points. The ability to print her list of accomplishment was a nice feature if I desired to have a written record of time well spent. Finally, in addition to points and rankings students can be awarded virtual "trophies" as certain topics are mastered.

"I think it makes it more fun to earn points and move up in ranking,"commented Micah. "It's kind of addicting, actually", she added.

A "Statistics" section of the website detailed a summary of Micah's activity on MathScore. By choosing to click on this button I quickly learned that she had spent a total of 23 hours and 59 mins. in math practice over a three week period. As her parent I also received daily report summaries through email each and every day she spent time on the site noting the updates to her status.

Although, we did not take advantage of the math assessment feature of MathScore, students in grade 4 and older may take an assessment test on the site which identifys student strengths and weaknesses. At the conclusion of the assessment, MathScore recommends topics to be studied based on test results. Assessments are an optional part of the MathScore program and recommended to be taken only a few times a year. Concentrating on working through the math topics is the intended focus of MathScore.

I have reviewed quite a few math related websites over the past two years. I really like the simplicity of MathScore; the competitive nature which taps kids' natural motivation and the accountability aspect of reporting activity to me on a daily basis. Micah was able to use this product without any assistance from me, but I was able to keep tabs on her progress through the email updates and quick checks of her summary. The fact that she completed her traditional math lesson quickly so she could spend more time with MathScore is in my opinion high praise for an educational product geared to mastery not entertainment.

MathScore has a rather complex pricing system in an attempt to meet the unique needs of homeschoolers.

• Free half month trials are available to those wishing a test run before purchasing a subscription. After the trial period a subscription purchased month to month costs:

• First child: $14.95/month
  Second child: $5/month
  Each additional child: $3.95/month

• When logged in to your MathScore account, users can choose to purchase a 9-month subscription that reduces the price for the first child to $9.95/month. Once the purchase is made, the new pricing is locked in permanently, so after the 9 months, you can still pay the new rate on a monthly basis without prepaying for 9 more months.
  
  Another price option is a lump sum payment. If you prepay $50, you can get $60 account credit (20% bonus credit). If you prepay $100, you get $140 account credit (40% bonus credit). The lump sum payment option is the most favorable for parents who have already locked in the lowest rate.
  
  MathScore also allows subscibers to freeze their account for vacation times, then reactivate once home without any penalty. When an account is frozen account credit is awarded on a prorated basis so when the account reactivates no credit has been wasted.

Help your kids fall in love once again with their math education. Take advantage of MathScore and watch it light a fire for math in your homeschool.

Keyboarding for the Christian School

I remember 2nd grade very well. It was a challenging year for me as I had a teacher who demanded excellence and relentlessly expected nothing less. For the first time in my life learning was a bit of a chore as I was introduced to the concept of homework to keep up with academic demands. I couldn't print well to save my life and I remember many tears as I practiced and practiced letters trying to print legibly. I finally conquered printing only to return to school after Christmas break to discover that it was time for the evil "cursive writing".

When I look back at those second grade memories I am grateful for the lessons they taught me but also struck by the changes technology has brought to the lives of children. No longer is it enough to have solid penmanship. Personal computers, use of the internet, even texting on phones require children to grasp the concept of keyboarding in order to keep up with our fast paced technology based world.

Keyboarding for the Christian School is a low budget solution to technology education in the home. Delivered to your home computer in e-book format, this course eliminates all the bells and whistles of computer driven or on-line courses yet manages to provide the necessary instruction to teach children, grades K-12, keyboarding skills. Author Leanne Beitel states on her website, http://www.christiankeyboarding.com/, “Keyboarding for the Christian School can be used along with a software-based program or online program to further enhance your students learning. Most of these programs are great for graphical use, but fall short of actual teaching in word processing skills”

Beitel, who holds her Masters in Instruction from Texas A & M University, noticed a need for Christian based material for computer courses during her time teaching in the private school sector. After researching for just such a curriculum and finding none she developed Keyboarding for the Christian School to meet State educational requirements and Biblical content desired by the private Christian school.

Beitel advises on her website that typing courses in e-book format actually benefit students versus the typical computer generated versions. “Think about the things you type. Are they readily available to copy from the screen or are they something that you are looking at on a piece of paper? Usually you are typing something from a rough draft. If the lessons are only available on the computer monitor; your student will not get the needed skill of transferring information from paper to the computer. A printable e-book allows you the preference of binding the whole book or just giving your student one page at a time. A printable e-book is portable and economical,” she says.


Keyboarding for the Christian School retails on Beitel’s website for $15.95. This 106-page e-book is:

* Printable
* Economical
* Designed for grades 6 and up

In addition the curriculum promises:

*Brief lessons

*Traditional typing drills

*Letters and Envelopes instruction

*APA and MLA reports

*Centering

*Proofreader’s marks

*Creating Tables

*A Biblical Perspective

Keyboarding for the Christian School Elementary Version, designed for grades K-5, is available for $12.95, also in e-book format. This scaled down version of Keyboarding for Christian Schools teaches the basics of the keyboard while using a cute ladybug theme throughout.

Our family received both Keyboarding for Christian Schools and Keyboarding for the Christian School Elementary Version for free in exchange for this review. Since I have students in both age categories we decided to spend a few weeks testing the curriculum to see if it really is easy to use and effective.

I have a problem with e-books to be honest. I prefer not be my own publisher spending hours printing books, collating pages, and then binding them in some effective manner. I love the accessibility of e-books and the speed they are delivered to your inbox, but overall I am not a fan. That being said our family probably would have missed out on this delightful, extremely inexpensive homeschool resource had it not been offered to us for review.

I avoided the whole printing issue by keeping the courses on my computer. They arrived in PDF format by email, which I organized in a special file in Outlook. When my students needed to work on their keyboarding lessons they simply found the email, opened up the PDF and proceeded. Because I have a laptop MAC and a desktop PC I didn’t want to create a Word document on my desktop thus tying us down to home use only. Remembering the accessibility of Google Docs we created two separate Word documents on-line, one for each student, and were ready to begin our lessons.

At first we simply flipped back and forth from screen to screen, but quickly this method became tiresome. I determined my students were not getting the benefit of “ease of use” the product offered because of my stubbornness not to print and began cutting and pasting the instructions into each student’s Word document. I admit this method deters from the goal of teaching students to transfer information from paper to computer, but it worked for the busy and often multi-locations of our homeschool.

I sat beside my 2nd grade daughter, Sierra as she worked through the first 4 lessons of Keyboarding for the Christian School Elementary Version. I thought having the lesson begin with a Bible verse was a nice focus. The short lessons contained simple and straightforward directions. Sierra easily conquered each lesson in about 10 minutes with occasional directives from me like reminders to check finger placement. Although my constant presence would not be needed on a completely computer driven course, I found this simple basic format refreshing for my younger student. Ten years ago I would never had considered keyboarding skills a necessary element of a 2nd graders education, but today is a different story. I am glad to have found an inexpensive, user friendly product which addresses this need while remaining age appropriate to an 8 year old.

"I liked it. I like how you get to type on the computer", said Sierra. "The lesson on the computer can tell you what to do for directions so you won't forget. Learning to type makes me feel like I’m a big kid. I’m excited I am learning to type so I can type when I move on to older grades.”

My older student, Micah, a 7th grader, completed all of her lessons on her own. She reminded me that she had some typing experience by working a few years ago with a computer-based typing program and an online game. Still being able to benefit from instruction Micah used Keyboarding for the Christian School and easily worked through two lessons a day taking about 5-10 mins. each to complete. To date, she has worked through 11 of the 43 lessons.

“I think it’s a really easy to understand course. I am learning everything very easily. This makes it fun for me to complete. I really like the words at the end of each lesson, which makes me feel, like I’m actually typing something, not just letters. One thing that is a little bit of a negative is that the course can’t grade you. I guess if you have a teacher then they can check your work, but you have to wait for them and can’t find out right away”, commented Micah.

Keyboarding for the Christian School is one of many courses offered on the company website. Other courses include:

*Columns 2003 or Columns 2007 (using Microsoft Word) for $3.95 each

*Creating Tables: Tables 2003 or Tables 2007 for $5.95 each

*Teacher’s Tools for $14.95

*Lesson Plans (for Keyboarding for the Christian School) for $9.95

The company is currently offering a 2010 New Year’s Special when purchasing Keyboarding for the Christian School (revised edition) and Keyboarding for the Elementary School. The package is selling for $22.00! Check the website for details.

Worship Guitar

Available in English or Spanish, Worship Guitar Class DVDs offer students aged 10 and older guitar lessons in the home taught by Jean Welles, of Los Angeles, CA, professional guitarist and teacher for over 30 years. A student of the guitar herself, Welles holds a Master's degree in Guitar Performance from USC.

"One of the reasons I came to Christ is because at that time I didn't see a purpose in life. Now I have a purpose. It's to enjoy God and to help others know how great HE is!", states Welles in a letter provided with the Worship Guitar Class DVD.

I received Worship Guitar Class DVD-Volume 1 and separate student music book as a

member of TOS Review Crew to use in our homeschool in exchange for this review. According to literature provided with the DVD, Volume 1 promises:

• Step by Step Instruction
• The ability to learn to play the guitar at home
• Easy enough for 1st day beginner to beginner/intermediate students
• Instruction regarding creating a personal worship time
• Instruction for learning to lead worship in a small group setting

Volume 1 consists of 7 lessons each designed to teach one worship song per lesson and the ability to master a dozen chords. Several strumming and picking patterns are presented in the lessons. Songs taught throughout volume one include:

• He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
• My All in All
• More Precious than Silver
• Take My Life
• Lord, I Lift Your Name on High
• This is the Day
• I Love you Lord

Retailing for $24.95, Volume 1 is part of a 4 Volume set which can be purchased at the Worship Guitar Class website for $99.80. Once on the website, www.worshipguitarclass.com, I noted the student book included in each volume is also available for separate purchase for $5.95. When purchasing the 4 volume set, customers receive a $40.00 value bonus of 4 e-books titled:

• Tips, Tricks & Exercises for Great Guitar Technique
• Favorite Hymns For Guitar
• 200 Chord Charts and Pictures and Much More
• Chord Charts with Pictures for 5 Major Keys and How to Use This Guide Book

Welles offers a DVD course for the younger set, "Worship Guitar for Kids" designed for students ages 5-9. In addition to the DVD courses, customers will find guitars, gig bags, guitar stands, music stands, assorted guitar instructional books for further study, piano and drum curriculum and vocal CD's at the Worship Guitar Class website.

I was anxious to see Worship Guitar Class DVD in action based on my experience with children and music lessons. I grew up learning to play the piano, trumpet and french horn and have always valued the importance of music instruction in a child's education. When my older children were younger we were fortunate enough to find quality music lessons for them locally. They took piano, violin, voice and guitar lessons over several years, but unfortunately, great teachers seemed to move on to bigger and better opportunities. My younger children have missed individualized music instruction to date and thinking I could have a guitar instructor in our home at my disposal was a wonderful one.

I assigned my 12 year old daughter, Micah to the task of helping me with this review and she attempted the lessons with no previous guitar experience. We don't own an acoustic guitar, but she blew the dust off of her older brother's electric guitar, hooked it up to the amp and put the DVD in the player. I sat down beside her to watch the process and see if the DVD truly offered, "step by step instructions" simple enough to follow.

Jean Welles presents a professional demeanor and the set and video quality are of high standards pleasing to watch. Unfortunately, we found the instruction to move very quickly making Micah extremely frustrated even to tears within the first lesson.

The first lesson included specific instruction regarding proper holding technique of the guitar and two chords, A and E7. Students learn specific placement of fingers on strings in order to properly strum the chords both with visual demonstration and the use of a giant chord chart which Welles uses in her explanations. Micah had trouble from the beginning determining why her chords lacked musical quality when she played. Because I have no guitar experience, and Micah's hands might not have been placed exactly where they should have been, I could not help her with her frustration in finding just the right finger placement. We paused the DVD, repeated over and over the specific portion explaining the finger placement, but very quickly, Micah was frustrated and in tears over her lack of accomplishment.

I reminded Micah that "Rome wasn't built in a Day" and music like all great things takes lots of patience and practice for mastery. We wiped the tears and returned to the lesson with greater fortitude. Once Welles demonstrated finger placement of the two chords for lesson one she combined the chords to play the first song taught, "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands". I wanted to build a campfire when I heard the wonderful familiar and simple worship song, but instead of inspiring Micah this section of the DVD made her want to throw the guitar into the fire. Unfortunately, Welles, didn't explain verbally when to change chords while playing rather the instruction was provided through a close camera shot of Welles' hands strumming the guitar, making use of the chords A and E7. For a new student like Micah unfamiliar with the guitar and its elements this simplistic visual only instruction was very confusing.

"For the first lesson it would have been nice if she slowed down a little bit, just because I'm a beginner. I think something that should be added is explanation of which chords to do when she sings the songs, so you can play and sing along with her," said Micah.

I encouraged Micah to spend a week or so practicing chords A and E7 and become more familiar with holding the guitar before deciding to move on with the DVD lessons. After she practiced those skills, she decided to attempt lesson two of the video and felt much more positive about the experience.

"The second lesson was a little bit easier because I knew which fret to do and which string", she said.

When I asked Micah for a recommendation she added, "I think it would be easier to have a real instructor, but I still think I can learn a lot from this too. I think I'll keep up with the lessons and see how it goes."

A sample of lesson one of Volume 1 is available at www.worshipguitarclass.com/brochure. Customers can sign up for a free newsletter on the website and Jean writes a blog that offers tips and lessons to encourage students at www.jeanwelles.com. For more information regarding Worship Guitar Class visit the company website at, www.worshipguitarclass.com.

ACT Advantage: PLAN Test

ACT Inc., is a name synonomous with College preparations. In fact, this year, ACT, Inc. is celebrating their 50th anniversary providing standardized testing services to students, parents and colleges. The ACT of 2010, however, is a great deal more than just a standardized test to add to your college application process. ACT, Inc. currently has a host of opportunities to help students and parents EXPLORE, PLAN and DISCOVER their options for post secondary education.

Earlier this school year I reviewed with the help of my 15 year old son Jonah, the ACT Discover program designed to assist students with discovering a vocation to match their interests, personality and personal goals. Today, Jonah and I took a look at the PLAN test designed for 10th grade students. EXPLORE, PLAN and DISCOVER are components of ACT, Inc.'s ADVANTAGE program available to families through ACT, Inc.'s Homeschool Solutions portion of their website.

The PLAN test administered by many public schools to assess 10th grade college readiness may be purchased by homeschoolers at the ACT, Inc. website, http://www.actadvantage.org/plan/. The test

packet sells for $22.95 and includes:

• Testing booklet titled Sample Test Booklet and Answer Sheet
  
• Using Your PLAN Results brochure—a brief overview of score results and the process
• College Readiness Standards handbook—a handbook that provides ideas for progress in each subject to prepare students for college or the workforce

Jonah and I viewed PLAN as a pre-test for his scheduled ACT test he will take in February as a part of his application process for post-secondary classes at our local University in the fall. Similar to the traditional ACT test, PLAN assesses students in the areas of:

• English
• Mathematics
• Reading
• Science.

According to the ACT Plan website, PLAN will answer the following questions for parents:

Where does my son or daughter stand right now?

The test will evaluate students abilities in the four major subject areas listed above by identifying their strengths and weaknesses.

How can I help my son or daughter advance in the four core subject areas?

An "ideas for progress" section in the College Readiness Standards Booklet provided in the packet offers tips and suggestions to assist students in problem areas over the next two years of high school.

How do I know if my child is on track for college?

The Plan Test will reassure homeschool parents who suffer from that "nagging voice" that keeps asking, "Did I cover enough?" Consider PLAN an opportunity to receive a well deserved pat on the back.

The total testing time for PLAN is just over 2 hours; similar to the traditional ACT test taken for college entrance. Students spend 30 mins. answering 50 questions on the English portion, 40 minutes answering 40 Mathematics questions, 20 minutes answering 25 questions for the Reading portion, and conclude with 25 minutes for the 30 questions of the Science test. Sample test questions can be found at the ACT, Inc. website.

Jonah concluded his test in one sitting. He is very familiar with standardized tests including the ACT since taking it the first time last Spring, and the PSAT this Fall. When I asked him if he thought the test was similar to the ACT of last year, he quickly agreed.

"IT was just a normal test; just like the ACT. It was probably a little bit easier because I think it seemed shorter. I think there are fewer sections too, because on the ACT I think the Reading is split up into two sections and the English is split up into two sections", commented Jonah.

Instructions and answer key sheets are included in the test packet for parents. It took me about a half hour to score Jonah's tests and determine his raw, scale and percentage scores. I thought the directions were thorough, but a bit confusing the first read through. Students fill out a bubble sheet for their answers which I had to read through while scoring and then transfer those results to another answer key sheet to compute the raw and scale scores.

I was thrilled to learn that Jonah is very well prepared for college. His composite score of 23 placed him in the 97% percentile for high school sophomores and well on his way towards his goal of acceptance into the University Post-secondary program for the 2010-2011 school year.

* I received the ACT Advantage PLAN test packet free of charge directly from ACT, Inc., in exchange for this personal review.

Maestro Classics

My childhood was filled with music. Memories of choirs, bands, and private music lessons are ones I treasure as music remains a beautiful source of enjoyment and entertainment for me. Although I didn't homeschool, I credit my grandmother and parents for my early music education and fostering my love of music.

Maestro Classics, www.maestroclassics.com, like my parents and grandmother, are committed to helping young children discover the joy and beauty of music. Their "Stories in Music" series of CDs blend storytelling, great music, knowledge of history and composers, and an entertaining introduction to the orchestra and its components. According to the company mission statement, "Maestro Classics guides audiences as they expand their listening horizons and discover the magic that can only be called music".

There are currently 7 stories in the series with two in production. I received Maestro Classics latest release, "The Tortoise and the Hare", for free in exchange for this review. It arrived in high quality packaging covered with delightful illustrations of the story, a pocket to hold the mini story book accompaniment, and a section to hold the CD securely when not in use. The story booklet for "The Tortoise and the Hare" included a diagram of the orchestra with color photographs of the instruments organized in sections like a real orchestra, 2 pages of basic music theory, 2 pages of facts of turtles, tortoises, rabbits and hares, music and lyrics of an original song sung by one of the characters in the production, 4 puzzle pages and biography information of the conductor/composer, producer and narrator. Many good things came in this small package.

The "Tortoise and the Hare" CD retells the classic Aesop fable with a French twist. The Hare understanding he is well ahead in his race against the Tortoise takes time off from racing to visit a French Bistro. The twenty minute narrated story/music performance on the CD is followed by a 3 min. explanation of the story, a second performance of the "Pretzel Vendor of Paris" song, followed by a second opportunity to listen to the musical story performance designed to encourage application of newly acquired musical awareness. The total running time of the CD is approximately 54 minutes.

The "Tortoise and the Hare" was adapted for Maestro Classics by Bonnie Ward Simon, former executive director of the Washington Chamber Symphony and co-creator of the Symphony's successful "Concerts for Young People" series. "The Tortoise and the Hare" is one of the original works premiered by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. for their children's concerts. Simon created "Stories in Music" believing they, "introduce great music and classic stories, and provide the opportunity to develop important listening skills". (Maestro literature)

Every great story in the series has great music to accompany it. Stephen Simon conducted and composed all the music performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the CDs. Simon served as music director of the Washington Chamber Symphony and resident chamber orchestra at the Kennedy Center for 25 years, and has guest conducted for symphonies all over the world. He was known as the "Magic Maestro" at the Kennedy Center, and according to his bio "loves music more than anything else in the world.....and believes that every concert should be wonderful entertainment".

The story of "The Tortoise and the Hare" is narrated by Yadu (aka Dr. Konrad Czynski, professor of Humanities at Minnesota State University-Moorhead). Yadu was the original narrator of the series at the Kennedy Center his voice rich and engaging on the CD. The music is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

The "Stories in Music" CDs are available for purchase on Maestro Classics website. They include:

*Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

*Juanita the Spanish Lobster

*Casey at the Bat

*The Sorceror's Apprentice

*Peter and the Wolf

*The Story of Swan Lake

*The Tortoise and the Hare

* A Soldier's Tale and My Name is Handel are currently in production.

All CDs with accompanying mini program book retail for $16.98 on the website. Customers can find local specialty children's stores offering the series through a search engine at www.maestroclassics.com. Gift sets of storybook and CD are available for $24.99. Those wishing to purchase three or more CDs in the collection can take advantage of a special offer provided by the company of three CDs for $45.00. Look for coupon code MAESTRO45 on the website.