Guitar 360 Method Review (Using a Guitar and Baritone Ukelele)

I'm not sure why playing the guitar is so fascinating. I used to play around with my mom's spare guitar; eventually she gave it to me. My son has attempted to learn a few things, but without lessons. When we were given the opportunity to review the Semester 1 Bundle from Guitar 360 Method, we couldn't wait to get started.

What is Guitar 360?

We received access to the Semester 1 Bundle, which includes the Absolute Beginner bonus content + the 13 weeks of Semester 1. This amounts to about 18 weeks of online guitar lessons (the last two weeks will be available soon.) You can sign up for the free beginner course and get started right away to see what you think. While the lessons are laid out in weeks, you don't have to take a full week to complete a lesson if you are confident and ready to move on. The instructor uses an acoustic guitar as well as an electric guitar, and you can follow along with either.

CashCrunch Careers Review Update

Recently I reviewed CashCrunch Careers, a website that collects personality traits from a survey that you take and gives you a list of suggested careers based on the results.

I received an email today explaining some changes on the site with a suggestion that I log in to see my updated career report.

Below, with the large black letters, is the original report. The large blue letters is the new report.

Heirloom Audio Review: St. Bartholomew's Eve

Heirloom Audio has released their latest audio drama, St. Bartholomew's Eve. We love their productions, so we were happy to review this one. We were sent a 2 CD set for this review.


St. Bartholomew's Eve is a storytelling adventure based on the book St. Bartholomew's Eve by G.A. Henty. It is not an audio book, but rather an action packed audio theater version. The actors portraying the characters are recognizable, and the sound effects and music add to the drama.

CashCrunch Careers Review

The Homeschool Review Crew was offered an opportunity to review CashCrunch Careers from CashCrunch Games.

Picta Dicta Natural World - Learn Latin the Fun Way (A Review)

We're eclectic homeschoolers, but I do love the classical approach. That usually includes learning Latin, something we haven't done. When we received the opportunity to review Picta Dicta Natural World from Roman Roads Media, I hoped that it might provide a good start with Latin, but without the drudgery associated with other Latin programs.

There are two Picta Dicta options for you to sign up for. Picta Dicta Natural World, which we received a subscription to, and Picta Dicta Vocabulary Builder. Something I like about Roman Roads Media is that they have five videos available to show how Picta Dicta works.

Book Review: A Daring Venture

I received Elizabeth Camden's latest book, A Daring Venture, to review. Mrs. Camden is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. Her books contain good themes, strong women, and bits of history that aren't always common knowledge.

This book is no different, yet is an enjoyable story in its own way. The main character is Dr. Rosalind Werner, a scientist whose goal is to purify water and eliminate waterborne diseases. She and her brother were orphaned as children when their parents succumbed to cholera. As a female scientist, she faces people not trusting her work and rumors about her character. Yet she is determined and honest... until her colleague decides to take a giant step ahead with their research and she must decide if she will support him and continue their work. Hiding a secret could hurt her new relationship with Nicholas Drake.

Code for Teens Review

When I was a kid, we would play with and build things out of sticks, rocks, plywood, and whatever we could find out back, sometimes with a sprinkler added in. My kids also enjoy a little bit of stuff like that, but being able to create with technology is more their thing. They like drones, tablets, stop motion video, and all things with USB chargers. Being able to program is exciting for them. When my teens were offered the opportunity to review Code for Teens: The Awesome Beginner's Guide to Programming (Volume 1) they wanted to try it out. Being able to create computer functions from their own knowledge is rewarding and helps them develop problem solving skills.

This is a new book from Code for Teens that teaches JavaScript in a simple yet fun way. Okay, I hear some of you asking what JavaScript is. It's a programming language that is frequently used to develop software. It is used in over 90% of websites, and is commonly used with mobile apps. Back when I learned to program websites, Java was a neat tool that we used to add fun functionality to them. Now it does more than ever before, and believe it or not... teens and kids can learn it. How's that for preparing for their future?

"Math Refresher for Adults" Review

So many parents are intimidated by having to teach math to their children. I admit math is not my strong suit, and I've got two kids in Algebra, so reviewing Math Refresher for Adults from Math Essentials seemed like a great way for me to brush up on some math skills.

To be fair, my kids do pretty well with math once they understand what they are doing. But if they don't, it's frustration for everyone until they do understand. Especially my son. He's going into 8th grade and sometimes rushes through the teaching portion of a lesson, assuming he knows what he's doing, only to discover he's gotten everything wrong. Then he has to sit and wait while I read the lesson, figure out what I'm doing, and then teach him. It would be nice if I could remember what to do and help him the first time through!

"The Master and His Apprentices: Art History from a Christian Perspective" Review

I have been using the book The Master and His Apprentices: Art History from a Christian Perspective. We received a digital copy of it from The Master and His Apprentices. This book is intended to be used to study art and can be used as a full credit of art history for high school students.

It would also be good to use as a reference or supplement to other art history courses, or to just learn about art history for fun. I chose to use it as an adult studying art history. This book is full of examples of many pieces of artwork. What makes this book unique is there is no nudity. When you get to the Michelangelo pages, the statue of David is cropped to show only a foot. The Creation of Adam is cropped to show just the forearms and hands.

Memoria Press Traditional Logic I and II Review

I like the idea of teens learning logic and we have done simple logic workbooks in the past. We were offered the opportunity to review the Traditional Logic I Complete Set and Traditional Logic II Complete Set from Memoria Press. I have read and heard that this is a good, solid curriculum to use so I wanted to try it out with my teens!

These courses teach traditional logic, the study of classical syllogism from the methods of Aristotle, and is very language centered. There are some helpful descriptions and videos on the website, which I would suggest you look at if you are interested in these programs. I'm going to focus more on what the books and videos are like and how they worked for my children.

Understanding Pre-Algebra Review

We have used books from The Critical Thinking Co.™ in the past. We like their products and the way they teach. When we were offered the opportunity to review Understanding Pre-Algebra, I decided it would be a great way for my son to hone his math skills.

"T is for Tree: A Bible ABC" Review

I love having good books around our house for everyone to read. We were asked to review a new book, "T is for Tree: A Bible ABC" by Reformed Free Publishing Association. It is recommended for children ages 3-6, and my youngest is close enough to that range that we wanted to check this book out.

PandaParents Review

We were asked to review MESSYLEARNING FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND KINDERGARTNERS from PandaParents recently. My youngest is past the suggested age range for this program. She is in first grade, but does 2nd-4th grade work. Keep that in mind as you consider if this would work for younger children!

Kids Email Review

The internet can be a scary place for young children. When Kids Email offered us the opportunity to review a one-year subscription to Kids Email Safe Email for Kids we really wanted to participate!

We have reviewed KidsEmail in the past and we liked it then, so we wanted to use it again. There are so many safety features that allow my children safe access to email so they can communicate with friends and family digitally. I love that I can give them the opportunity to learn early since email is something they'll use their whole life.

Planet 316 Story Bible Review

I'm so glad you stopped by to read this review. We were pretty amazed by what technology can do and want to share it with you! We were asked to review the Planet 316 Story Bible and the companion Planet 316 Story Bible App from Planet 316 and WorthyKids/Ideals. At first it looks like a children's Bible but when you use it with the free app, it's kind of amazing!

Reading the Bible with kids can be tricky.. short attention spans, confusing words. We start sharing Bible stories with age appropriate language and pictures when our children are very little. We love children's Bibles for that very reason. When a child becomes familiar with the story, they are much more likely to enjoy reading the Bible with you and on their own when they are old enough! Our youngest is old enough to read the Bible, but she still likes pictures.

Sibley Birds of Land, Sea, and Sky postcard set: Review

We had the opportunity to review a neat set of postcards. This set is titled Sibley Birds of Land, Sea, and Sky. Every postcard is an original painting by ornithologist David Sibley.

The box is very sturdy, and is perfect for storing the cards in. I love how it protects the cards and also looks stylish on my shelves. It has five dividers that are labeled according to the type of bird - waterfowl, woodpeckers, wading birds, songbirds, and owls & raptors. 

Learn About Cultures and Civilizations with Carole P. Roman Books

We had the opportunity to review books from Carole P. Roman again! We really enjoy books that make learning fun, and Carole P. Roman books and collections do just that. They are written in a way that you are drawn into the story, which is full of facts about the country or civilization the book is about.

The books we received are:

• If You Were Me and Lived in... Brazil
• If You Were Me and Lived in... the Ancient Mali Empire
• If You Were Me and Lived in...Viking Europe

All are paperback, and there are Kindle versions available. This is the third time we've reviewed these books, and we are still enjoying the collection we've accumulated!

Here is our first review (with Ancient Greece, Colonial America, Ancient China, and the American West). and our second review (with If You Were Me and Lived in... Peru, Rocket-Bye, and Oh Susannah: It's in the Bag).

Super Beads Review

All of my children enjoy craft projects so we were excited to try Super Beads from Zirrly. We chose the Mega Pack because it seemed the most logical choice for four children who might want to use this neat product at the same time.

Á La Carte Projects: A Review

We have used products from Home School in the Woods in the past, so we already know that we love their items. Recently they offered Crew members the opportunity to try out their Á La Carte products. I was so happy when they announced this section on their website last summer, and we found a lot of neat products that we could use!

"A Refuge Assured" Book Review

I was sent a copy of a new book by Jocelyn Green to review. I have never read one of her books before so I was excited to read A Refuge Assured. This book is historical fiction and describes the difficulties of the people who lived during the French Revolution and were loyal to the royal family.