I first heard of The Cat of Bubastes when I was planning a unit study about Egypt for the girls a few years ago.  We didn’t read the story back then, but after listening to it I was a little disappointed in myself for not taking the time to read it to them earlier.  This is a testament to just how well the story was produced and shared through this medium.

The program is written “to be self-explanatory, self-paced, self-contained, and inexpensive.” I can say that all four of these components are true about the program.  There are 172 lessons in the book which are written clearly and concisely, and doesn’t leave much room for misunderstanding the purpose of the program.  

The journal pages are duplicated providing the user with a bit of comfort since the format is the same throughout.  There is a sample page which serves as a reminder on how to journal within the nine designated prayer areas since the blank pages do not have directions on them nor do the spaces specifically say what should be written within instead each space has the initial of the idea that should go within it.   For instance, L/V is the label for the musical note shaped space where lyric or verses are to be shared.  In this space, my daughters can write about a lyric or Bible verse that has caught their attention. 

Foreign Language for Kids by Kids include lessons for all learning styles. There are stickers included to allow for children to move around and label items around the house in Spanish.  There are flashcards to help review the words that have been learned from the video.  The flashcards are actual images from the video so this helps to put the video into the child’s hand.  She is able to recall what the scene represented during the video. There are also several games included within each level.  Each level only has one video, but the information from the video is used over a course of 11 lessons for level one, 18 lessons for level two, and 20 lessons for level three. Each level has a certificate of completion to be given to the student.

CTC Math has a clear scope and sequence of the mathematics concepts taught in each grade level.  My oldest daughter who is using grade 6 appreciates the video instruction that is provided while my youngest daughter who is using grade 4 appreciates the fact that she doesn’t have to write as much along with having shorter lessons than traditional math texts.  I appreciate the fact that I will less likely get behind in grading since CTC keeps track of the girls’ progress for me.  I am able to use this information to pull out the mathematical concepts which need further development if they do not do well on a particular topic.  This will also help them from becoming frustrated from repeatedly doing multiple problems of skills that they are able to confidently solve or have mastered.

ArtAchieve offers instruction using a variety of methods.  This is one thing that I really like about the program.  The girls are able to watch the videos to get step by step verbal and visual instruction, and I was able to use the PowerPoint instruction for my quiet art moments.  Within the one year online membership we received, we have access to both instruction methods along with access to any supplemental materials needed for warm-up exercises or to help create the main project.