We had fun reviewing our free copy of Gymathtics from Exploramania. Gymathtics pairs up exercise and math facts in this award winning DVD. I was expecting it to be only simple subjects like multiplication facts, so I was pleasantly surprised when Prime Numbers popped up on the screen. The targeted audience is 2nd – 5th graders, but my younger and older ones enjoyed it too.

The 30-minute program includes:

• Shape Stretches Warm Up: Stretch your mind and body with line, circle, and polygon stretches.
• Counting Calisthenics: Aerobic movements work your heart as fun counting concepts work your brain.
• Pattern Power: Growing and repeating pattern exercise combinations challenge minds and strengthen muscles.
• Well-Being Wind Down: Relaxing stretches cool down the body and open the mind to think about healthy lifestyle choices including the Nice Wave Stretch and Big Dream Stretch.

The Nitty Gritty:

• $24.95

Things I Like:

• There is a wide range of topics covered (see a list HERE).
• It’s a pretty decent workout.
• I love having something active AND educational for those bad-weather days when we’ve all been inside too long.
• This is a great resource for kinesthetic learning.

Value: I think the value of this depends on your need for it. (It’s only a good deal if you will use it regularly.) Check out a video sample below.

See what my TOS Crew Mates have to say about Mathletics!

I received a free 1-year membership to AVKO. That name may not ring a bell, but I bet many of you are familiar with one of their products – Sequential Spelling.

AVKO is a non-profit organization “that focuses on the development and production of materials and especially techniques to teach reading and spelling, handwriting (manuscript and cursive), and keyboarding.  AVKO is dedicated to the teaching everyone how to read and spell, regardless of their mild to moderate learning disabilities, dyslexia, poverty, or opportunity. ”

Benefits of Basic Membership:

• Discounts on AVKO Printed Materials

• Hundreds of dollars worth of FREE e-books:

~ The Patterns of English Spelling (All 10 Volumes) with Word Families in Sentence Context

~ To Teach a Dyslexic

~ Starting at Square One

~ The Teaching of Reading & Spelling: A Continuum from Kindergarten through College

~ The Reading Teacher’s List of over 5,500 Basic Spelling Words

• Access to the Member Only section
• AVKO Newsletter with freebies, discounts, resources and promotions
• Access to Don McCabe’s most popular workshop recordings in MP3 format
• Supplemental Curriculum Materials including word games, worksheets, activities and more
• Access to Pretests and Placement Tests
• Access to the Answer Keys for the Unscramblers and Family Reunion exercises of the Engaging Language Kits

While most of these resources don’t mesh with our method of spelling, it was very interesting to poke around the site and explore all the goodies. The e-books alone are worth hundreds of dollars. If you use Sequential Spelling, or if you have a child who is struggling, this membership could be of great value to you!

You can view some Freebies HERE and some Samples HERE.

The Nitty Gritty:

• Basic Membership $25
• Deluxe Membership  $100

Things I Like:

• There are so many resources to read!
  
• The book on teaching a child with dyslexia has helped many people who didn’t know where else to turn.

Value: If you have a need for this, it is a fantastic value! For $25 you get access to hundreds of dollars worth of e-books, and the 25% discount is very valuable if you want to order any of their products like Sequential Spelling.

See what my TOS Crew Mates have to say about AVKO!

Unlike some of the products I review, everyone can afford this one…it’s FREE!

The American Heritage Education Foundation “is a non-profit, non-partisan educational foundation dedicated to the understanding and teaching of America’s factual and philosophical heritage to promote constructive citizenship and Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility among our students and citizens.”

They have lesson plans for elementary, middle school, and high school. This curriculum seems geared more for a classroom, but I think most everyone can find something useful here. There are some good units on the symbols of our country like the Statue of Liberty and the Star Spangled Banner. We will be doing an activity next week from The History of Thanksgiving.

The Nitty Gritty:

• Download FREE
• Lesson Plan CD FREE
• Printed Binder $19.95

Things I Like:

• There are interesting topics for all ages.
• The lesson plans are broken up into themes, which makes it easy to just do a short unit.

Value: FREE!

See what my TOS Crew Mates have to say about AHEF!