Exploramania: Gymathtics

Fueled by a life long passion to help children and empowered with education and business experience, Carrie Scheiner, developed her dream of combining math lessons with exercise fun into an award winning DVD, Gymathtics.

"My passion is to help children learn math through fun interactive techniques. Synergizing, my math background and corporate expertise, I launched a new

business that encompasses all my passions and experience to help children exercise their minds and bodies", she states on her blog found at http://www.exploramania.blogspot.com.

Her company, Exploramania, operates under the philosophy that children learn best through multi-sensory exploration; the more senses engaged in the learning process the greater the retention of knowledge gained. Exploramania products, available at the company's on-line store, www.exploramania.com, encourages kids to move their bodies while engaging their minds. Exploramania sent me a copy of Gymathtics to use

in my homeschool in exchange for writing this review.

Scheiner shares on her website she never expected to create an exercise video for kids, but didn't let her lack of experience squelch her dream. After discovering the need for her product she relied on her neighbor, Joanne Baizan, fitness expert, to guide her in the process. Her determination to bring her ideas to reality resulted in a new business venture for her and her family. Scheiner narrates and leads all the exercise portions of Gymathtics and her two children appear on the screen along side her.

Gymathtics has won three 2009 awards from Dr. Toy including "10 Best Active Product", "Best Children's Product", "100 Best Products", and "Best Vacation Product". In addition, Gymathtics was named a "DVD of the year" by Creative Child Magazine and has received many other awards. Samples of the DVD are available for viewing on the website along with an amazing array of video taped celebrity endorsements. Gymathtics retails for $24.99 and can be purchased at Exploramania.com, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Glamma toys and Can Doo Products.

I love the idea of combining math and exercise and couldn't wait to run the DVD with my kids to get their reaction. I know as a busy homeschool Mom deliberate exercise for me often is very low on my priority list. I loved the idea of everyone benefiting from an exercise DVD designed to appeal to younger kids, aged 12 and under.

Gymathtics has a short 30 min. running time, but covers a lot of ground. Divided into four parts the DVD helps kids with stretching, aerobic exercise, and relaxation techniques. The entire DVD, as suggested by the title, combines math concepts with exercise. When we first viewed Gymathtics the intro music reminded me of a fast-paced spy movie theme song. The spirit of the song definitely motivated me to move and exercise. My kids, Micah age 12, Sierra, age 8 and Aidan age 5 were eager to start too.

The first section titled, "Shape Stretches Warm-Up" began by connecting stretches to the concepts of lines, circles and polygons. A graphic appeared beside the video demonstrating the exercise which displayed the math concept being taught through a voice over commentary. The graphic enabled us to visually learn while listening to the definition of the math concept. For example, straight lines, parallel lines, intersecting lines and perpendicular lines were drawn beside the video while the exercise participants showed us how to use our parallel arms to stretch head to toes in a straight line.

Scheiner consistently uses math vocabulary when leading her exercise routines. When reviewing the geometric terms of rays, acute and obtuse angles, Scheiner says, "Each of our arms are rays and two rays make an angle. We can make a big obtuse angle or a small acute angle." Within minutes of our exercise routine we had experienced wavy lines, semi-circles, congruent circles, similar circles, center, radius, diameter, ovals, and polygons including triangles, pentagons, quadrilaterals, rectangles, squares, rhombus and trapezoids through body movement and visual and auditory description. Add in the fact that most exercise videos should be used multiple times within a week and you have a no fail solution for math review. Very cool!

Scheiner spends a great deal of time encouraging the kids in the DVD including those working along at home. Although some might view her virtual high five towards the camera a bit corny, I thought it sweet and encouraging for young viewers. The entire last section of Gymathtics, "Well-Being Wind Down", is dedicated to relaxation and stretching mixed with positive phrases like, "Good health and well being are important for a fantastic life" or "Try to get a good night's sleep every night".

I was impressed with the quality of Gymathtics , but the real critics are always the kids. My test marketing team was unanimous in their approval and brought interesting points to our discussion of the merits of Gymathtics.

"It was a very fun way of learning different math concepts. It seemed to go by really quick. I wish they had a similar DVD for older kids too or spent a little more time with each math concept", said Micah age 12.

"It tells you what kinds of parts of your body are being used and why it is important to be healthy. Some of the exercise parts were hard and a little stressful, but I liked it. In the video my favorite exercising thing was the jumping jacks. I would recommend this DVD to my friends", commented Sierra age 8.

Having been a parent for over 20 years, I have watched endless hours of children's television programming, videos and DVD's. I think Gymathtics could easily become a favorite for kids especially those that love to be active. Although it definitely is not a stand alone curriculum, Gymathtics makes an excellent supplement for any young math student.

I love the idea of blending exercise and math concepts, especially for kids who tend to be a bit math phobic or who just need a change of pace in their school day. I have learned that any time my young children can engage their body with their mind the result is lasting retention and lots of enjoyment. I am definitely a fan of Gymathtics and according to my test marketing team they are too.

Nutrition 101:Choose Life!

Something magical happens when family and friends gather in our kitchen. It’s really remarkable that such a simple experience could have so much power, but I bear witness to it nearly everyday. Stress and troubles of the day disappear as we sit around the table sharing stories and food. Many times meal time is more than just physical nourishment

at our house. It is a time for sharing, laughing, and encouragement, story telling and re-connecting.

It has always been important to me to not only share delicious food with my kids, but to teach them the importance of healthy food choices. When we received Nutrition 101: Choose Life for review I was excited, but my kids were less than impressed. Their initial reaction was similar to the response I get when I remind them “no dessert until you eat your vegetables”. I was thrilled that I now had a full curriculum of intelligent, well researched information to back up my motherly advice.
Nutrition 101: Choose Life published by Growing Healthy Homes is a comprehensive high school level course which can be adapted to use with the whole family. This 280 page curriculum with accompanying 19 additional pages of supplemental activities and 124 pages of appendices is available as a CD Rom e-book for $79.95 or traditional paper book for $99.95 on the Growing Healthy Homes website. Customers can order a CD and paper book combo for $129.95. The text is well designed making use of color photographs, diagrams and drawings where appropriate. Sample pages of the curriculum and an introductory video explaining the purpose of nutrition education can be viewed on the company’s website.

The course is divided into 6 different units which cover the 12 main body systems. Each unit is subdivided into 4 chapters. Our family took one week to complete the reading, discussion, activities and cooking for each chapter.

Nutrition 101: Choose Life is described by the authors as “not a re-hash of biology or science, but a discovery of how the body systems are affected by the foods- good or bad- we eat.” Having recently re-visited high school biology for the 4th time I can testify the authors are accurate in their description. The curriculum is steeped in current recommendations for healthy eating based in scientific fact plus offers practical advice for incorporating these principles through the use of activities and recipes.
For example, Unit 1- The Brain and Nervous System includes detailed description of the structure and function of the brain, information regarding brain health issues, nutrition information for maintaining a healthy brain including a breakdown of saturated and unsaturated fats, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, hydrogenated fats and trans fats. Moving beyond the basic scientific information, Nutrition 101 follows with helpful information regarding the food we eat and how it detracts or adds to our desire for optimum health of the body system being studied.

After reading through the information provided in the text families

continue learning about the brain through discussion questions and a multitude of activities divided into categories for elementary and secondary students. The activities are designed to reinforce the material read in the chapter. Our favorite culminating activity by far was testing out the recommended “Power” recipe which always centered on a food choice to support the body system studied. The first chapter, “The Brain” included a recipe for guacamole described as an excellent, and I might add delicious, way to incorporate avocados into our diet. Avocados, we learned, contain healthy fats which support brain health.

We used Nutrition 101: Choose Life as a family unit study. Family members participating ranged in age from 5-45. Due to the in depth nature of the curriculum I found most of the chapter text was just too detailed for younger students, but offered a great deal to students 7th grade and older. The activities brought a hands-on approach to the topics and hopefully taught the younger ones a basic understanding of the concepts being mastered.

Polling the students I found mixed, but interesting opinions regarding the curriculum. Our 8 year old, Sierra, was enthusiastic. “I think it is fun to learn about your body. I like knowing about the things you should eat because they are healthy for your body and the things that you shouldn’t.”

According to Micah, age 12, “It was good information, but it seemed to tell a lot and it was hard to remember everything at some points. It had good recipes to eat!”

Jonah, age 15 said, “It had a lot of good information that I could use. The guacamole recipe was good. I hadn’t had guacamole before and I was surprised that it was so good. I think it would make a good course for high school.”

I was probably the biggest fan of the curriculum finding it fascinating and extremely valuable information. As a mother I struggle with balancing good food choices for my family in a culture with so many bad options. Nutrition 101: Choose Life empowers Moms, Dads and kids in their pursuit of a healthy lifestyle ensuring my family and friends can continue to experience magical meal times for years and years to come.

All About Homophones.....another treat from the publisher of All About Spelling

All About Homophones is the latest release from Marie Rippel, publisher of All About Spelling. If you have read my previous review of All About Spelling then you will remember that I do not have enough words to tell you how much I LOVE the curriculum. True to the spirit of All About Spelling, All About Homophones is fun, creative, engaging and designed to reach children in the way they learn best. It is a breath of fresh air and wonderful supplement for any language arts curriculum.

Homophones, in case you have forgotten, are those wonderful, tricky words of the English language that sound the same, but have different spellings and meanings. For example, “read” and “red”; accidentally use the wrong homophone in your writing and your sentence can take on a whole new meaning. I was never aware as an adult of the frequency of homophones within American English until I had to teach my first child to read. All About Homophones covers 99 pairs of homophones including a second look at “to, two, too” . The book is designed to assist students in grades 1-8 in grasping the intricacies of the English language.

In addition to age appropriate worksheets for homophone review, Rippel has included graphic organizers for students to keep track of the meanings of new homophones, crossword puzzles, classic card games like “Pig”, “Snap” and “Old Maid”, student record sheets for personal homophone lists discovered, tongue twisters, riddles and puns, and a mega list of homophones. All About Homophones is not a curriculum to be conquered, but a wonderful, fun-based educational resource to be pulled out time and time again. The publishers recommend the book for grades 1-8, but I think even high schoolers could benefit from occasional review with this handy resource.

All About Homophones is available in e-book format for $27.95 or traditional printed format for $29.95 on the All About Homophones website. The e-book format, of course, arrives as a PDF immediately to your inbox and allows you the opportunity to print the worksheets and games which most appeal to your family. I am still a bit on the fence with e-books being an old fashioned pen and paper type of girl. I did spend an afternoon printing out the e-book format of All About Homophones, however, and am happy to report it printed clearly without a hitch. You will want to be prepared with a three hole punch, binder and lots of paper to feed into your printer if printing your e-book as I did. All About Homophones is over 240 pages long! This is a tremendous resource!!

Sample pages are available on the All About Homophones website along with a very fun tool, the Homophone Machine designed to stimulate interest in homophones with kids, but also give adults a peek back into the confusing world of learning to spell the English language. Simply enter a sentence into the machine and click on the convert button. My sentence was “Regenia read the red book while the knight rode his horse to the castle one night.” Converted by the Homphone machine this sentence became, “Regenia red thee read book wile thee night road his hoarse two thee castle won knight.” Scary isn’t it? But, oh so fun!

To celebrate the release of All About Homophones, the publishers are offering readers of this review $10 off any order at http://www.all-about-homophones.com/! To receive the discount, visitors to the site need to enter "FUN" in the customer code box during checkout. The coupon code is good for one week, through February 2, 2009.

If you are still doubting whether homophone study can be fun I would like to leave you with one more thought from the All About Homophones website.

QUESTION: Why did the baker quit making doughnuts?

ANSWER: He got tired of the hole thing. :-)

Peterson Directed Handwriting.....handwriting with movement!

I never understood clearly the importance of handwriting study. Perhaps, it stems from haunting memories of frustration centered on second grade handwriting practice. Long ago, my school teacher, although very kind, was firm in her resolve to make sure my letters were of a particular legible standard. My mother, being a former school teacher herself, made handwriting a constant priority of my time at home in an effort to help me succeed with this onerous task. I will never forget the despair in my heart when I returned to second grade after Christmas break, finally feeling confident in my manuscript printing ability, only to hear the announcement that our class would now embark on the wonderful adventure of cursive writing. Can you still hear my cry of agony?

Perhaps, my little second grade heart would have filled with joy at the thought of additional handwriting practice if my teacher and mother had known about Peterson Directed Handwriting. Peterson Handwriting has been helping teachers teach handwriting since 1908. Why is handwriting so important in our modern world? According to information on the Peterson website, “studies have proven that handwriting fluency is a powerful link between all language skills, spelling, composition and reading”.

Peterson Directed Handwriting is different from other handwriting options on the market because their curriculum is movement based. The science and research of this movement based method is available for free study on the extremely informative Peterson website. If you have a few minutes, I encourage you to watch a 20 minute adobe presentation on the site titled appropriately, "The Peterson Method in 20 Minutes". The presentation given by Rand Nelson, Director of Training, Research and Development for Peterson Directed Handwriting, details the importance of teaching rhythm and movement with handwriting. According to Nelson, movement and rhythm are necessary for development of muscle memory for the child which in turn will develop fluency. Much like a dancer must learn basic steps to develop muscle memory and fluency of movement for advanced dance combinations, a child must develop basic directional movement and understanding of letter shapes before being able to easily pull them together for ease with spelling or composition.

The Peterson method can be broken down into four basic steps. They are:

1) Illustrate and Describe
2) Write in the air and say
3) Finger Trace and say
4) Write and say

Each of these steps and the supporting parts of the curriculum are explained in the Adobe presentation which although a bit “heady” at times is still fascinating and very informative. The entire approach is so different from traditional handwriting curriculum choices that it rapidly caught my attention and begged me to give it a try.

My favorite aspect of the curriculum is definitely the little chants students are given to support the movements they must make to form letter shapes. Peterson Handwriting offers a unique tool, “Animated Letter Cards CD Rom” which I think supports this portion of the curriculum beautifully. The CD Rom allows students and parent teachers to watch letters form on a virtual flashcard. While watching the letter being written, the memory cue chant rhyme appears as well. For example, letter a appears on its flashcard along with the memory cue, “hook, around, small down”.

Each letter has its own unique memory chant to accompany the movement required in forming the letter first in the air and finally on paper. Letter d has the memory cue of “hook, around, tall down”. Letter b, however, is “tall down, roll around”. Learning the chants and making the movements while chanting ensure an elimination of letter reversals as children develop their writing skills.

Peterson Directed Handwriting kits are reasonably priced and available on the Peterson website. A complete Grade 1 homeschool kit, for example, retails for $38.55 before shipping and handling. It includes one teacher handbook, one pupil book, two finger fitter pencils and two self-adhesive position guides. The teacher’s handbook is filled with helpful information regarding teaching the Peterson way and day by day lesson plans with step by step instructions for 36 weeks of school. When you order a kit, be sure to add on a specialized pencil sharpener for the triangular shaped pencils at $3.98, so that you can sharpen them. I did not receive a sharpener from the company and found their unique shape does not lend itself to traditional sharpeners.

I highly recommend Peterson Directed Handwriting. The lessons are short, interesting and easy to implement into your homeschool. I love the fact that they are movement and rhythm based as I am a firm believer that most children learn best through movement and action.

Peterson Directed Handwriting has convinced me to make handwriting practice a priority for my little ones. The helpful Peterson website filled with resources, educational videos and excellent customer service provided by Rand Nelson will encourage you to make handwriting practice a regular part of your day. It really is too good to miss.

All About Spelling

I love non-traditional education. Our family embraces learning based around great literature and activities filled with dramatic play, cooking, and games. Home education to me should be filled with memory making moments carefully crafted to make learning an exciting, fascinating adventure.

Unfortunately, over the years there are certain subjects that I have just never mastered at making fun or even remotely interesting. Spelling is one of those subjects that have slipped from my priority radar recently, and quite honestly, I gave up teaching. I found that no matter how much time I dedicated to traditional spelling curriculum, my worst speller still couldn’t. After comparing notes with other homeschoolers, I surmised that Spelling was definitely one of those subjects where you either got it or you didn’t. I decided some of my children would be doomed to a life of horrible spelling issues and uttered defeat with, “God bless spell check!”

I recently discovered its time to revive the fight! All About Spelling, designed by literary expert Marie Rippel, is a FANTASTIC, multi-sensory approach to spelling education. Throw away the workbooks, strap on your fun hat and be ready to make spelling the favorite subject of the day.


When I opened the shipping box from All About Spelling, it took me about an hour to prep the curriculum. I located all the various dividers and cards, cut them apart and organized them. I found this to be a bit of a negative since time is precious at my house. All About Spelling intends to produce future packages of their curriculum with perforated cards, so no cutting will be necessary; simply tear and go.

Once organized it took me 10-15 mins. to read through the introduction of the program and be ready to begin with Step 1 of Level 1. Reading through the directions reminded me of reading the rules and procedures for a new board game. The bright colored pieces, the friendly teacher manual, the magnetic tiles were all so intriguing and interesting that my seven year old daughter Sierra and I couldn’t wait to get started. I think this is the sign of a great curriculum. If you can open the box when it arrives, look at the contents with excitement and then maintain that excitement while you discover the ins and outs of using the curriculum, you are guaranteed to want to use it for days on end. Sierra and I fell in love with AAS from the moment we opened the box and gazed at all the colorful letter tiles and cards. It’s a love affair that continues now two months. Spelling is her favorite part of the school day.

Beginning with the very basics of our language, All About Spelling is based on learning the sounds (phonograms) of our language first. Gone are the typical lists of words, drill and tests. This spelling program teaches students the intricacies of the English language through lessons based around games and activities designed to support visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning.

The lessons, called steps, are scripted for the teacher; a great plus for any mom plagued with interruptions. Level One requires students memorize 32 phonograms by the end of 24 steps. They begin step one with only 26. Each phonogram has its own colorful flashcard with the
letter printed on the front and a phonetic description of the sound along with a helpful key word to aid in pronunciation on the back. Sierra loved rattling off the phonogram sounds of the first 26 as most were familiar to her. Encouraged by the simplicity of the program I challenged her to see if she could have more in her “mastered” pile than I had in my “review” pile. Quickly, mastering the phonograms became a game and a few minutes of phonics based study a treat. The total lesson time took 10- 15 mins., but the best part for Sierra was the end of the lesson as she got to place a sticker on her progress chart, provided by All About Spelling!

Step 2 of Level 1 introduced the concept of segmenting words or pulling words apart by sounds; the opposite of blends. The experience reminded me a great deal of the phonics based approach to learning to read. Segmenting practice was accomplished by using colored disks to push across the table for each sound. For example, using a three sound word like “pig” the student says “P” then slides one disk, “I”- slide, “G”- slide. Sierra, a true kinesthetic learner, enjoyed the process of using her body to reinforce the phonetic sounds she was hearing and deciphering as she segmented the words. I could almost see her brain making the necessary connections as she completed the exercise. As I watched I couldn’t help but think how refreshing it was to actually have a curriculum designed to teach young children in the way they learn best. Spelling would not be an abstract concept for Sierra, but something she saw, heard and touched through this experience.


Step 4 introduced the Sound Cards of the program using the same 26 sounds from the previously mastered Phonogram Cards. At this point the student listens to the sound and selects the colorful magnetic tile that matches the sound heard. All consonants are blue and vowels are red for visual reinforcement to connect to the the concept that vowels are “special”. When the child can match sounds the next activity is to write the sound on paper or some other format while you recite them. Rippel, reminds the teacher in the manual of the processing in the child’s brain that is happening while this activity ensues.

“It is important for the student to say the sounds of the phonograms as he writes them down. Doing so involves the three pathways to the brain: visual (seeing the phonogram), auditory (hearing the phonogram spoken aloud) and the kinesthetic (feeling the process of forming the letters and feeling the vocal cords as the sound is repeated).”

Rippel recommends using rice, sand, plush fabrics, etc. for the child to write their letters on “to maximize the kinesthetic experience of the curriculum”. Sierra loved writing on top of a bag filled with green dish detergent. The potentially labor intensive drill for a 7 year old became a joy-filled experience leading to giggles because of the unusual writing materials used for practice. The age appropriate activity proved so play oriented that Sierra skipped happily away from the table at the conclusion of the lesson. She had enjoyed every moment of writing practice. Wow!

Currently, the program offers curriculum in four levels complete with a teacher’s manual, letter tiles, magnets for the tiles, flashcards, and a phonogram CD-ROM. Two more AAS books will be added in 2009 bringing the series to completion and the student to a high school level of competency.

The Level One set retails for $29.95 with additional material packets available for $12.95. Sample lessons and a scope and sequence of the curriculum can be viewed on the All About Spelling website. The company offers a 100% one year money back guarantee to all customers.

All About Spelling is the smartest, most creative and child friendly spelling program I have ever come across in my 14 years of home education. I never thought I would be excited about a spelling curriculum, but this one sends me singing on the mountain tops. All About Spelling speaks to the child in the way she learns best. It’s fun, it’s teacher friendly, it’s easy to facilitate, and most importantly, its effective!