Nish Homeschool REVIEW Standard Deviants Accelerate!

 

We have a homeschool that has two children enrolled. My youngest son is 7 and my oldest son is 17. Both children use online programming in their homeschooling. Of course my older child uses much more than my youngest. When I was offered to do a homeschool review of Standard Deviants Accelerate I was really excited because I knew my oldest son would be interested in trying out something new. This review focuses in on my oldest son and what he has experienced as an online student with this particular program.

His four classes in the program are AP US History, Chemistry, Algebra, and Nutrition. We would like to share some positive aspects to some of the courses that he is enrolled in this school semester.

For AP US History the diagram was very useful for him as well as the videos and notes. Also at the end of each topic there is a short quiz. There was only one week for AP US History, and each topic helped him learn extensively about the AP test for history. 

For chemistry there is a nine week program and each week the class goes more in depth with chemicals and elements on the periodic table. In each topic there is also a video along with notes that my son liked. The videos reminded him of PBS Kids programs when he was younger and he really thought that was cool. It brought back an old school style of learning for him. 

There is also a vocabulary, as well as a diagram which is a pretest before the quiz that alerts you if you need to study more or not. Also, there is an actual quiz for the student and after this quiz there is also a written answer for extra practice, if you need it. He did not feel that this was asking too much, but the written answers section is not available in the AP US History Course, which he understood since it is not that long of a class.

Overall he feels that Standard Deviants Accelerate is set up perfectly because it helps students  get right down to business. Another  positive aspect to this online school program are the subtitles that are available on the videos. This is made like this so that the student can read exactly what they are saying in the videos in case the volume is not working or if a student may be deaf. Also, another positive aspect to the program is the feature of saving personal notes to your online personal locker. This feature really helps you to stay on track. Overall our homeschool rates Standard Deviants Accelerate with an all star rating. We would definitely recommend this program to all our fellow homeschoolers and even afterschoolers alike!

Lost Little Penguin Book Review By Nish Homeschool

The Lost Little Penguin by Tracey Corderoy and Gavin Scott was an astounding tale of adventure and love that each and every reader will enjoy! Parents will enjoy this story just as much as children will. It starts off with a foreshadowing of danger leading the reader to understand that there is definitely a reason to be worried for the protagonist, Plip the penguin. This foreshadowing allows the reader to imagine a big bad wolf like character and all the danger that goes along with it. The author helps young readers and parents alike to understand that we should not judge a book by it's cover, figuratively. This was done in a way that captures the imagination of children and keeps them turning the pages of this revealing tale. The emotion of love is felt throughout the story as well as the sense of urgency and excitement. This story keeps the reader turning pages and the interest is always held.  In my personal opinion I believe that keeping the interest of the child is the main point for a children's book. It is not only beneficial to the authors to keep the reader in tune but also it benefits the new emerging readers. This benefit builds upon the literacy of a child and leads them to a lifelong love of reading and this is why it is so important to keep their interest. By keeping the attention of the child reading, Corderoy and Scott are doing much more than telling a story but building upon literacy in the life of a child! Our homeschool recommends this book with flying colors!