Website Review: Games for Language (currently an Educents deal)

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.  This simply means that if you click on the link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you.  I also received free access to this program in exchange for my review through Educents.

Games for Language

Games for Language is a website to help adults learn a new language.  The languages that are offered are Italian, Spanish, French, and German.  I am fairly fluent in Spanish, but love to brush up on it when I can and I want my children to also learn Spanish, so I chose to try out the Spanish language program.  My almost 11 year old daughter and I sat down to check it out and I have to say, I am pretty impressed.  She was having a blast playing the games and was really learning at the same time.  We played for about an hour, and she was bummed when I told her we had to log off to do other things.  Over that hour, she increased her vocabulary and improved her pronunciation.  The games use real conversations to teach the language in the ways it is used in everyday life.  It uses listening, speaking, reading, and writing to improve the learner's proficiency.  There are grammar lessons built in as well, but they are spread out so that you are gradually introduced to the grammar rules.  You can also ask questions through their Google + and facebook pages.  Each game also allows you to earn points, and the more points you earn, you can earn free months access.

Starting today, you can find a special deal on Educents to purchase access to the website at a great discount.  If you want to see the games for yourself, you can visit the Games for Language website and play their free demos, in each of the 4 languages.

I recommend Games for Language to anyone who is interested in learning a new language, or brushing up on a language they already know.  Although the website is geared to adults, children will also benefit from the games as well.

Review of VocabularySpelling City and a giveaway

A few weeks ago, I told you about an upcoming review of VocabularySpellingCity.com.  Well, here it is and the best part is, that I also have a 1-year Premium Membership to give away.  We have been using the free version of Spelling City for a while now and like it.  In the free version, you can create spelling lists and your kids can play some of the games to practice their spelling.  I had not thought much about trying the paid version, basically because no one I knew had used it and I did not want to spend money on something I was unsure of.  Then I received the opportunity to review the paid service and I am so glad I did.  We have been missing out on SO MUCH!!

There are so many more benefits of being a paid member of VocabularySpellingCitycom.  For starters, you will see that I refer to the free version as just Spelling City, that is because the vocabulary games are only available to those with a paid membership.  In addition to vocabulary, your students can practice parts of speech and synonyms and antonyms of the spelling words.  Another great benefit is the ability to create records and track progress for your individual students.  This is nice because all I need to do is go in and enter their spelling/vocabulary lists and then let them "play".  I can see their progress and address it as needed, but as of yet, I have not needed to.  They were learning with the free version, but definitely enjoy the paid version much more and are learning so much more as a result.  My 9 year old absolutely LOVES the spelling game Letter Fall, which is only available with the premium membership.  Both versions also offer spelling lists that others have created, so you also have options of using those.  There are also tests available for each list in both spelling and vocabulary, with only the spelling test being available for free members.  Another benefit, although somewhat minor, is that there is no paid advertising with the premium membership.  I say this is a minor benefit because even on the free version, advertising was never very distracting. 

So how much does this all cost, you ask?  For families and homeschoolers, it is a very reasonable $24.99 per year and allows you to register up to 5 students.  For a school classroom, up to 30 students, it is $49.99 per year and they also have rates for schools as well.  If you want to see more of the benefits and FAQs visit the premium membership page.

I am a very frugal homeschooler and really dislike spending money when there is so much available for free.  However, spelling and vocabulary are areas where I have not found much available.  In addition, there is a lot to be said about curriculum that allows my children to learn with minimal time spent by me.  The best part is that $24.99 a year, for 5 children, is an excellent price for this, so even my frugal-side is appeased.

How would you like to win a 1 year Premium family membership to VocabularySpellingCity.com?  Here is how to enter:

Mandatory entry:  Tell me which of the benefits you think would be the most helpful to you and/or which game you think your child will enjoy the most.

Extra ways to enter (leave a comment for each one you do):

- subscribe to The Happy Wife
- follow The Happy Wife on Google Friend Connect

- Like The Happy Wife on facebook (you can also click the like button on the right hand side of the blog)
- share this giveaway via your blog or other social networking site.
- Follow me on Twitter

The giveaway will end on Tuesday, October 18th, sometime after 9PM.  You can enter until I choose the winner.  The winner will have 48 hours to get back to me or a new winner will be chosen. 

Disclosure

I received a 1 year premium family membership to VocabularySpellingCity.com in exchange for my honest review.   No other compensation was received and as always, my opinion is my own.

Homeschool Product Review: The Curiosity Files- Quicksand

Being that I recently combined my homeschooling blog with this one, I am going to start this review with a brief biography of our homeschool.  I have 3 girls and 1 boy.  My daughters are ages 10 years (4th grade), 8 years (3rd grade), and 4 years (pre-school) and my son is almost 3 years old (also pre-school).  I have been homeschooling from the beginning and use an eclectic mix of styles and curriculum.  Due to the age gap in the children, we generally do a broad study of a topic together and then I work with them in groups of two, based on age.  Having told you all this, you will better understand how I will review homeschool products.  

My children and I had the opportunity to review an e-book from The Old Schoolhouse.  It is part of The Curiosity Files, a series of unit studies that cover a variety of topics including quicksand, dung beetles, Zombie fire ants and more.  We received the e-book about quicksand, edited by Karen Sargent and compiled by a team of researchers, led by Heidi Strawser. 

This e-book is a comprehensive study of quicksand at an upper elementary through junior high level, but can certainly be adapted to slightly younger ages and older age levels as well.  The e-book starts  with an introduction to quicksand by Professor Ana Lyze and goes on to address myths and scientific facts about quicksand.  Once the reader has learned a bit about quicksand, including what to do if you encounter quicksand, there is a quiz to test the reader.  After the quiz, there are several passages of Biblical scripture and a Bible story, all having to do with sand and building a firm foundation for life.  There are several math problems, covering a variety of math topics such as conversions, place value, and basic operations.  The math problems cover a range of abilities and I suggest using the ones that are appropriate for your student and creating your own if more are necessary.  Language arts are also covered, both in the form of word games, an essay topic, a blank outline and tips for writing essays, spelling and vocabulary lists for elementary and middle school levels, and games for learning and reinforcing the spelling and vocabulary words.  In the copywork section, there are several scriptures both in manuscript and cursive so that you can choose the form your child is working on, or both if need be.  My favorite section was the science section which includes lessons and labs to learn about surface tension and viscosity.  In social studies, the reader learns about geography.  The book then offers recipes to make goo, a mixture similar in properties to quicksand; as well as an edible quicksand.  There are several art projects to do as well, including making a sand bottle, sand art pictures, and a painted walking stick.  Near the end of the e-book, there are snippets that help walk the child through creating a lapbook or notebooking pages for the topic; and there is a page with some music ideas as well.  The e-book concludes with a list of books and websites for further study and answer keys to the quiz and worksheets found in the book.

When I first received this e-book, I reviewed it by myself to see how it would best suit my family.  The topic of quicksand is not one that we have encountered in our daily life and not one that we have discussed at any great length.  After reviewing the activities in the e-book, I decided that I would do all of the teaching activities with just the older two, but that I would involve the younger two in some of the more hands on activities, mostly the science and art activities and in the making of the recipes.  

You can purchase The Curiosity Files- Quicksand for $6.95 at The Old Schoolhouse Store.  It is an instant download so it is available for use right away and there are no shipping costs.  If you are interested in other e-books in The Curiosity Files series, they are also available on the website.  Prices vary from $1-$6.95 for individual e-books, or you can buy a 9-pack bundle for $46.

I recommend this for anyone that has a child with an interest in quicksand, as well as those who are teaching across a variety of ages, particularly if at least one of them is in the upper elementary or junior high level.  This could also be nice if you want to study quicksand every year or every few years, adding activities as they are appropriate. 

***Disclaimer***
I received a free copy of the e-book in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.