Our SOUNDSORY® Review from Sound for Life Ltd.

My daughter was diagnosed with auditory processing disorders when she was five years old a short time after being diagnosed with epilepsy. I learned from the start that I had to handle conversations with her differently than my other children and had to have patience with her as learning was different compared to my other children. When I learned about Soundsory from Sound for Life Ltd, I definitely wanted to review it. Being able to help her with better memory and better attention is something that very much interested me. SOUNDSORY® can help people with more than just auditory processing disorders as it's a multi-sensory program designed to also help people with:

• Motor delays, Balance and Coordination;
• Autism spectrum and Developmental delays;
• Sensory processing disorders; and 
• ADD and ADHD

The Program Contents

The SOUNDSORY® program comes with a nice carrying case to store the headphones, guide, USB cord and headband to keep the headphones in place as needed. 

How it Works and Set-Up

The neuro-acoustic modifications provides the person with music that is delivered through air and bone-conduction for auditory stimulation with the headphones that are provided. It's important to ensure the headphones are positioned with the top part directly on the head and special attention has to be made to the right and left sides of the headphones to the head. We were able to use the first part of listening to SOUNDSORY® while my daughter drew or painted. The second part included five minutes of a movement paired with music. After inputting the special access code on their website, it was easy to follow along with each movement as they weren't complicated which was really nice as sometimes children can be resistant to change or the perception something will be difficult.

The setup was extremely easy with both an enclosed paper instructional as well as a quick guide available online. To charge, it only requires using the USB cord to a computer or an outlet adapter if you prefer (not provided). A nice feature is the headphones can be switched to bluetooth to listen to non-program music and phone calls.

While researching SOUNDSORY®, the information provided really grabbed my interest more:

• SOUNDSORY® was specifically designed to emphasis the rhythm of music as rhythm is connected to many brain functions. This connection has been shown to be critical in effective coordination of mental and physical activity. 
• Did you know that the auditory function (sensory organ) and the vestibular function (motor organ) of the ear are interconnected and that music can have an impact on balance, coordination, and balance? I thought that was really interesting!
• The music was crafted to focus on rhythms which are similar to our body movement physiology such as the March music which I was listening to as I started writing my review. It's a very catchy motivational tune for me.
• Each song is short enough to avoid habitual processing while long enough to allow the brain to get use to the rhythm and each day is organized with a change of tempo many times to challenge the brain.
• Processing information requires the ability to predict and anticipate information. The tunes chosen provide a challenge to adapt as there are sudden changes in tonal contrasts triggered by timbre and intensity. Our brains are always trying to build a prediction on melody based on its understanding of rhythm and tempo. When the brain confirms the prediction, it provides satisfaction and confidence thus improving the ability to stay focused and develop organizational abilities. They provide the analogy of seniors listening to heavy metal music and how it poses a challenge to them. After I wrote this paragraph, I tried to reiterate this to my husband and kept forgetting key points so I've decided I will be utilizing the program starting today to see if it will help my brain functioning.

There are so many very interesting details, facts and information surrounding SOUNDSORY® it would be impossible to list everything so I tried to cover some that really were most interesting to me. The online protocol provides all the information needed to answer questions, to adjust for the auditory sensitive or the exercise portion, as well as how to utilize SOUNDSORY® to gain the maximum benefit.

After listening to the 30 minutes of music, the five minutes exercise concludes the daily program. It is recommended to use 5 to 7 days a week for 40 days. The exercises are found on the Sound for Life Ltd. website.  They are divided into four exercises with a young boy providing the example to guide the child such as:

• Body Rubs
• X Stretch
• Front/Back Jumping
• Open/Close

The headphones, which are already programmed, automatically shut off when each portion is complete allowing the user to precisely know when it's time to move to the exercise component or to stop and wait for the next day. The fit is extremely comfortable too and the exterior sounds are not audible.

The program can be restarted if there is a pause in listening but there are precise instructions on whether to restart at the very beginning or where one left off pending the number of days that had lapsed. The program can also be repeated but Sound for Life Ltd recommends waiting four weeks.

Our Review

My daughter was a little reluctant at first but as time progressed, she adapted to the use of the program and didn't mind it at all. I found that I at first, would help motivate her with performing the five minute exercises with her. After a few sessions, I allowed her to do the program in privacy as a 16 year old sometimes feel a little silly in situations like this. After I walked her through the benefits of the program and why it's an ideal fit for her and her epilepsy and learning disabilities, she was willing to continue the program. She liked that the duration of the music was only 30 minutes and that she was able to listen while doing another activity such as drawing. She also liked that the exercises were only five minutes. She noted how comfortable the headphones are and how well they fit. She said she feels she can think "clearer," and that she is having an easier time understanding directions. The true test will come this Thursday when she starts volunteering in the children's department at a local facility. I'm hoping she will have gained the perceived confidence in her ability to be an integral and effective addition. I will post an update in a few weeks. As of now, I definitely feel there has been an impact in her confidence level, her ability to listen and take directions as well as just seeming to be a little calmer and relaxed. 

The ability to utilize this program from home makes it a hit and the versatility for who would might benefit from it is wonderful. I'd like to try it with my mother for a cognitive boost. Overall, we recommend Soundsory by Sound for Life Ltd.

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Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 9 by Easy Grammar Systems Review

Grammar is fundamental to every facet of life which is why I was eager to review Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 9 with the Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 9 Test Booklet by Easy Grammar Systems. Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: Grade 9 provides 180 daily lessons in only 10 minutes of time each day. It utilizes the concept of continued learning through daily application building on the previous day(s). Another bonus with this curriculum is the ability to reproduce (with limitations) the student pages from the teacher's text. If one does not want to copy the pages for subsequent students, they can purchase the student workbook. The answers are provided in the back making it a very easy open and go curriculum. There is a separate test book with the answers in the back of the book and an option to purchase a downloadable version. The covers of both books are made of a nice reinforced material that does not tear or crinkle easily.

How it Works

A lesson a day in approximately 10 minutes is the expectation for this curriculum. For this review, we utilized it four days a week over a six week review period. 

Each concept is first introduced, expanded, and reviewed in the text. The Scope & Sequence provides rules and which lesson it can be found. Each lesson is set up in a repeating format that will allow them to complete each lesson with ease while focusing on what they are learning.

Every lessons consists of five sections for every lesson:

• The first section consists of capitalization errors that the student is required to identify and correct. 
• Section 2 requires the student(s) to correct the punctuation by rewriting the sentence or they can utilize the sentence to provide the correction. I preferred to have mine rewrite the sentences.
• Section 3 and 4 are the teaching, reviewing and the application of the grammar rules and concepts. It starts out teaching concepts and then subsequent lessons build on it such as incomplete sentences, fragments, and run-on sentences.
• Section 5 is combining sentences which gave my daughter the hardest time. With my help, we were able to work through them with greater ease as we continued through each day. The knowledge learned in the prior sections and previous lessons help the student gain the knowledge and concept to work through these without as much trouble when they first begin the curriculum.

From my experiences with the curriculum, the level of teacher involvement is dependent on the child's skill level. However, in the Suggestions and Other Information of the Teacher Edition, it does have guidance on how to teach the lessons. I definitely utilized the helpful tips and found it was the key to working with my student.

Getting Started

After I read the answer key for each day, we proceeded with starting Day 1. The suggestion is to have the student provide their insight and discuss answers. A thing to note with the sentence combining exercise is that it does provide information about geography, history, cultures and more so it's a great opportunity to take that knowledge and expand to make the curriculum go outside the grammar scope.

Here are some example pages from different days:

As the lessons proceed, they become a little harder and more intense but again, they do build on the previous lessons. Here is a look ahead at Day 155:

This is an example of the answers so the student can self-check or the lessons can be checked together:

The assessments are found in the Grade 9 Test book. The 18 assessments are given at practical intervals ensuring the student has retained and understood what they were taught. After Day 40, she had her 4th assessment:

Overall, I like the concept of a teaching textbook and the short concise lessons each day. It provides just enough to teach the concepts and to provide practice over the next lessons. I think my student would have benefited from the earlier grade levels and built up to this one as she might be a little behind due to her listening and learning disabilities from having epilepsy. I plan to utilize the grammar curriculum with my 12 year old as she's advanced enough to be able to grasp the learning material while breezing through the daily lessons. This is a gem for the child who prefers short and concise lessons. It provides the knowledge needed for test taking skills and the ability to speak and write properly.

More About Easy Grammar Systems

• They have received the Parent and Teacher Choice Award from HowToLearn.
• There are placement tests available at their website.
• Videos are also available to learn more about Easy Grammar and the author, Dr. Wanda Phillips.

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Our Review of Essential Reading Skills for Kindergarten by Reading Eggs

OUR REVIEW

Sometimes a little one, especially in kindergarten, can be a little reluctant to learn. They are full of energy and curiosity but if they aren't ready to learn, it can be a challenge. This was the case with my grandchild who is almost five years old. That was, up until we had the opportunity to receive and review 240 Essential Reading Skills for Kindergarten by Reading Eggs. Reading Eggs offers many reading skills and math skills workbooks across various grades. The 250-page plus certificates workbook is compiled in a manner that allows for great ease of use by having a content page at the front which provides each lesson and the corresponding page number as well as an explanation on how to use the workbook. For our review, since it's self-paced, we used the workbook four times a week and at least a page a day.

Background on the 240 Essential Reading Skills for Kindergarten Workbook:

• It is built on the five pillars of reading success: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
• The 240 Essential Reading Skills for Kindergarten workbook covers the first 60 lessons of the Reading Eggs program for Kindergarten.
• Each lesson provides four pages that reinforce learning. This was a key feature that really helped him to retain what he learned. At the end of the majority of each lesson is a lesson check that ensured he was learning and retaining everything. 
• There is also the online program that can be used along side the workbook to really reinforce the learning activities. 
• There is a year planner that provides the entire book in sections called Maps. Each of the six maps are indexed by lesson, lesson focus, pages and more to help guide teaching the curriculum.

Interesting Fact:

"Reading Eggs is a multi-award winning #1 learn-to-read site trusted by 12,000 schools, and 10 million children!"

The lessons were short enough at approximately 15 minutes a day so he stayed interested with 1-2 pages completed a day yet enough for him to retain the information. He was very eager to do his school work and felt just like his big sister and his aunts who are also homeschooled. It's logical as it set him up to learn sight words such as in lesson 3, the sight word "am" was used and he was able to remember it. It really helped him with his fine motor skills by working on his handwriting and coloring skills. He loved the pictures and graphics and thought many were "cute!"  In the short amount of time we reviewed the workbook, the sound and identification of letters really clicked with him. His writing has even improved. Another feature that was nice was the open and go concept as there was nothing else needed to teach.

An example from Lesson 1 compared to the short time to Lesson 4 and the letters are better such as "M."

Looking ahead, the lessons become robust such as reading and word families and fun activities like hidden pictures and connect the dots.

One of the later quizzes.

Completion certificate.

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This pretty much sums up our review of Reading Eggs' 240 Essential Reading Skills for Kindergarten. It was a hit, he loved completing the assignments and is learning so much!

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Special Offer

Reading Eggs has a wonderful online program too. We didn't utilize it for this review but have in the past for our other children. It's a program designed by experts that provide self-paced and one-on-one lessons that are geared towards each child. From my memory, it has adorable graphics, fun songs and engaging activities to keep them busy that they don't realize they are learning. There are other levels from Reading Eggs Junior (ages 2-4), to Reading Eggs (ages 3-7), Reading Eggpress (ages 7-13), and Math Seeds (ages 3-9). Reading Eggs is providing 4 FREE weeks of Reading Eggs by clicking this Reading Eggs 4 FREE weeks link.

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Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades by Zeezok Publishing Review

Some of the classes I took relative to the arts and humanities as a child were the ones that seemed to be the most fun. Although when the book work instruction was discussed, it wasn't always as fun as the hands on activity. When given the opportunity to dive in to music appreciation in a different manner, I couldn't wait to try it out with my homeschool. Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades by Zeezok Publishing grabbed my interest because it was not just a book with words. It's a user-friendly, multi-grade curriculum that consists of nine biographies of seven composers and a student book. The curriculum, although the main subject is music, covers grammar, history, character trait studies and much more turning it into an excellent resource for introducing music while re-emphasizing other subjects.

The Curriculum Details

The one year curriculum utilizes the nine biographies, the Student Activity Book and the optional use of a lapbook (sold separately) or notebook and QR codes. There are two sets of books to utilize across different grades. Book 1 is intended for K-6 and Book 2, what is being utilized for this review, is for grades 5-8. The curriculum's expectations are that each composer will require approximately four weeks which special notation that it is allowable to adapt to your child's abilities and schedule as needed.

The Student Activity Book provides lessons that were written for a variety of learners. As a supplement to the reading books, it provides activities that include geography lessons, history lessons, and much more.

The Student Activity Book provides an additional option of having the student(s) create a journaling notebook which are contained within each week's lesson. The optional lapbook provides further activities by having the student create a lapbook for all the composers with pre-printed pages that can be purchased separately. 

These are the books and eBooks for the nine composers:

• Frederick Chopin: The Early Years
• Frederick Chopin: The Later Years
• Robert Schumann and Mascot Ziff
• Adventures of Richard Wagner
• Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray
• The Young Brahms
• The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky
• Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet
• Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines

Each book is complete with interesting facts and information about the composers. The drawings are black and white. Each book had an old school feel which I liked and challenged my student. I was disappointed that I couldn't get her as thrilled about the curriculum as I was at first but as we kept moving forward, she find herself liking it more and more. I really enjoyed the first two books on Chopin and learned a lot. As she completed each lesson, she didn't resist me as much and would tell me little facts she had learned.

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Another cool feature that is also new is the Music Appreciation for the Middle Grades App. The app allows the user to click on the link to play the composition linked to that particular lesson as shown above. There is also a QR code feature that can be utilized that I will discuss further in the review. The app contains many cool features and activities that coincide with each lesson. For example, this video about Chopin:

I have to admit that I was pretty amused over the QR codes and having the ability to hear the specific songs from each composer with the use of my phone. The technology of today is something to marvel at especially from an educational level. While studying our first composer, Chopin, it was nice to be able to play the songs as we learned more about him. The App also provides the links. Here is a quick sample of using the QR code to hear one of Chopin's compositions and then Schumann. I don't have my phone and QR code app set up to optimally use the program but it will provide a quick example:

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Our Review

Our seven week review period allowed us to complete our lessons for Chopin and start on Schumann. In future assignments, we will complete Wagner, Foster, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and McDowell. As we started with Chopin, it included a book for his earlier years and a book for his later years.

The Student Activity Book provides a Scope and Sequence that allows the teacher/parent a chance to see how each composer matches up to Music Appreciation Standards:

The Student Activity Book provides a weekly outline for each composer with all the assignments for each four weeks:

As she progressed through the weeks, she found that reading the chapter assignments and working close with the Student Activity Book helped her to be able to complete the Comprehension Questions. The answers are contained in the book.

The entire course is set up so nice to maximize the educational opportunities from the vocabulary words to even sections like Tidbits of Interest that provided fun facts such as:

"Frederic's (Chopin) thinness and weakness seems to be something he struggled with his entire life. He weighed less than a hundred pounds even as an adult."

Once we reached Schumann, she had experienced a great volume of information and enjoyed the musical notes, key signatures, music symbols and vocabulary, and the grand staff. The pages of the Student Activity Book have tab like sections to easily find each composer. Looking ahead, I reviewed each of the composers and loved the layout, the information presented and how the music lessons continued to build on the previous knowledge learned. I really look forward to my student having a chance to learn about each composer, the time period, significant world events, and much more! The bonus recipes throughout each composer's biography was a hit with my student as well and we look forward to using them during our home economics time. My plan is to have her help cook some of the recipes and provide a note-card detailing the significance of the composer at hand relative to each recipes.

Overall, I think it's an innovative, fun, creative and highly educational curriculum. We both loved the special features of the apps to hear the music or watch a video and much more. It's the right mixture of reading and activities that make up one of the most robust music curriculum I have seen.  We recommend Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades by Zeezok Publishing. I plan on purchasing another Study Activity Book for my other daughter as well as my granddaughter.



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Our Review of Britfield & the Lost Crown and Study Guide

We had an opportunity to review Britfield & the Lost Crown as well as the 83 page Study Guide. I'm pretty much game for any and all things English since I'm a dual citizen and just love England. I've been there several times so providing my children an opportunity to learn more about their grandmother's home country, is something I like to encourage. I offered the adventure novel to both my children and they both wanted to read it. For this review, however, I will utilize my 12 year old's thoughts and work. Before I dive into the novel, study guide and more, here is a quick overview of Britfield & the Lost Crown:

• Available in a 394 page physical book (soft cover or hard cover) or eBook.
• Written by C.R. Stewart, a native Californian, he has 20 years of experience in writing.
• An 83 page study guide provides additional opportunities to engage students into a fun learning experience. 
• Provides the reader with an opportunity to learn more about England as they follow best friends Tom and Sarah, orphans, through a mystery that teaches about family, loyalty and friendship. 
• The entire book and study guide are intended to be utilized over eight weeks depending on each student's ability. 
• Britfield & the Lost Crown has already received numerous awards in a short time period to include Book Excellent Award, Chanticleer (5 out of 5), 2019 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Book Awards, Kids Buzz (5 out of 5), Story Monsters and many more!

The Book

The novel begins at Weatherly Orphanage in Aysgarth, Yorkshire, England. Weatherly was an old Elizabethan castle that has all the security built-in to keep those that were suppose to stay in, in and those not wanted, out. Tom, the main character is 12 years old, is liked by the other orphans and has a best friend named Sarah. Sarah is also 12, but is from Scotland. Tom has been at Weatherly all his life and only knows the cold, cruel, poverty of life there. On the other hand is Sarah, who only arrived two years earlier after her wealthy parents died in a mysterious accident. 

Mr. and Mrs. Grievous are the mean, unscrupulous, greedy and nasty owners of Weatherly who employ Mr. Speckle as their shady caretaker. The Grievous' purchased the castle years prior and if the orphanage remains private, the British government will continue to help pay for it. It is in their best interest to keep the orphanage to appear to be running smooth since they pocket most of the money. It was obvious by the appearance of the castle and the children, there was no oversight into their well being. The orphans occasionally sneak out to the Grievous' beautiful mansion to borrow a new book while exchanging an old one and outsmarting Wind the vicious watchdog of Mr. Speckles.

One night after Sarah got in trouble and was sent to the attic, Tom broke her out and the real adventures begin with the only clue to his past, the word BRITFIELD. The journey continues with added characters such as Detective Gowerstone and Dr. Hainsworth. Students feel part of the experience as they are transported across some of the most wonderful and beautiful places in England to which the book brings alive. Who wouldn't want to fly a hot air balloon all the way to Windsor Castle for a glimpse of the Queen? I don't want to give the book away as it has an ending that will reveal itself when you read it. There is another book following their adventures titled Britfield & the Rise of the Lion, Book II due to be released in 2020.

"I really liked how the characters developed through the story. Tom's background was sad but the adventures and mystery kept me wanting to read more," Jamie. 

My daughter LOVED the utilization of Latin at various parts of the novel.

On a side note, if the student wants to learn more about the locations and facts about the novel, the website provides excellent information to supplement from history to maps to glorious photographs. 

Also, students who want to learn more, enter contests, win prizes and collect merchandise can join the Britfield Academy and the Britfield Explorer's Club.

Study Guide

The downloadable study guide provides all the instructions needed to cover 17 chapters of the book with additional resources and answer key sections. Each section of the study guide is broken down to allow for one to two chapters to be read and discussed a week. For my review, I did have my student write her answers on a separate piece of paper because although the study guide is beautifully done with an old English paper appearance, I wanted to get the most out of my ink cartridge. With the answer keys residing in the back of the guide, she was able to complete the questions by working online from the downloaded guide.

Each section provides an opportunity for the student such as:

• Vocabulary with challenges such as finding the correct synonym for the underlined word, word searches, complete the sentence and more.
• Comprehension questions that ensures the student understood what they read.
• Going Deeper requires the student to think a bit further and helps to bring out critical thinking while utilizing grammar skills.
• Learn More with Technology allows the student to utilize research skills by looking up a specified topic and recording/reporting what was requested.

There are some other fun items on the website such as printable creativity quotes, ideas to make one's classroom more creative and much more.

Overall, I like how the study guide provides an opportunity to bring a cross array of educational learning to coincide with reading the novel. The novel is adventurous, fun and full of immense excitement. It's not a Christian based novel but there is nothing that detracts from it being an overall great educational opportunity while encouraging reading. As I always tell my children, knowledge truly is power and reading provides the opportunity. The reader never knows what will happen next which is the marking of good adventurous novel to me! As fellow authors, C.R. Stewart created a thrilling novel that inspired me and my 12 year old to write more. I would recommend the Britfield & the Lost Crown and the study guide.

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