Audio/DVD/Website - Resources

[cbollin]

DVDs/Websites - Does MFW have suggestions?

We will be homeschooling our soon to be 2nd and 4th graders this Fall 2008 and I am very excited. My children are not so excited as this will be our first year homeschooling. I have compared three curriculums. I liked them all but feel that MFW is the way we should go. I love the value and the library book suggestions. I am also looking forward to starting the first year geography program with my kids.

My question is, Does MFW have a list of DVDs and websites that we can use as resources like other programs have? Not only do I like good books but also like good educational DVDs. Does anyone have any feedback for me.

Thank you
JAK's mom

JAK's mom,

Yes. MFW includes some DVD and video suggestions in the Book Basket enrichment lists that are in the manuals.

There are occasional website suggestions in the manuals. However, weblinks can change very quickly and it can be hard to keep it updated on paper all the time. So, to help out with that, MFW has this message board where you will find those kinds of web site suggestions for each of the MFW programs in the appropriate Ideas Forum. Those Ideas Forums are in the section just under the general forum.

For example, you are planning to use ECC (Exploring Countries and Cultures) next year, you will find many suggestions in the ECC Ideas Forum located at http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewforum.php?f=15

and as it says in the intro/welcome section of each of those Ideas forum, if you find a broken or inappropriate link, let MFW know and they'll fix it quickly.

Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 1:18 pm
I do know that in all of the other years after that, there are video suggestions in the TM as part of book basket. I don’t remember if there were video suggestions in the ECC teacher’s manual or if I just added them in.

I do know that *we* used videos in ECC. Schlessinger Media had a bunch of titles with various countries. And our library had a series about various families in the world. Some of the titles in that series (non schlessinger) were Families in Russia, Families in China, Families in France, Families of the USA (etc.) Produced by Master Communications, Inc.

Sorry to add to the confusion there :) But you can see how easy it is to add in videos.

[Lucy]

I have been doing ECC with an older child this year and I have not noticed DVD suggestions but when I did this for the first time with my 2nd and 4th grader that we got the same video series that Crystal mentioned.

It was easy to find other great science videos as well. We did encounter a bit of evolutionary material in some of the science videos. It seems like the best ones for science were the ones put out by Eyewitness(?). I think these are part of DK but I am not sure.

I just went to the call number for the country or content or science topic and looked at what the library had.

If you do not find any suggestions on the current ECC Ideas forum you can always ask here and see what DVD's others may have used as well.

Hope that helps,
Lucy

[donutmom]

We are in ECC (not too far into it), but I do have the newest manual. I haven't come across any specific videos listed, although under some of the books they make the suggestion of looking for the video version (eg. Heidi).

I have done as the other ladies also mentioned and just searched on our library's website. My children (4th and 1st grade) have also enjoyed the above mentioned Families of the World series and Schlessinger videos. I also get some of the suggested books on tape or CD as a change of pace when I can find them.

Another resource which you may be interested in signing up for now so you'll be receiving it by the start of school is Voice of the Martyrs. (seems like that sentence should have a comma somewhere, but I don't know where!) They have a monthly magazine and also quarterly (I think that's how often) issue just for children. It describes the plight of Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith. That has added a lot to our world perspective this year and opened my children's eyes--and mine. They have a website. Did I mention the subscription is free?!

You sound excited for your coming year! Yeah!!

Dee

[Julie in MN]

Hi there,
Just agreeing with the others that ECC won't have a lot of video recommendations in the manual, but there are several on the Ideas Board.

The history years have plenty of DVD recommendations, IMHO. There has been one almost daily in EX1850.

The best part is that it is NOT just a list -- of things that happen to correspond to that year in history. ALL books and videos recommended in the teacher's manual have been read/viewed and can be recommended by the author. She also gives details such as what ages would enjoy the materials (even outside of the publisher's age recommendations).

Julie

[Scott]

Links to the above mentioned resources.

Voice of the Martyrs "Kids of Courage" magazine
https://www.kidsofcourage.com/

Also, past features from "Kids of Courage" which are organized by country can be found once you sign up


Scott

[Jenn in NC]

The VOM resources Scott listed above were extremely helpful for us when we went through ECC and dovetailed really well with Window on the World. They are worth checking into (imo).

[JAK's mom]

Thanks for the Info. I'm so grateful we have this forum. It's a pleasure to meet all of you:) I just signed us up for Kids of Courage and VOM. They sound like great resources.

God Bless!

Lizette
mom to 3 dd,ds,ds
wife to dh
new to MFW and homeschooling:)

[sojen]

We have found some good streaming videos on Netflix this year to go with CTG.

Today I found a funny science kid's show that reminds me a bit of the silliness in Genesis For Kids. It's called Beakman's World. My kids got to watch an episode as we are wrapping up work before Christmas break. Pretty humorous!

What are you favorite videos on Netflix?

[Mom2theteam]

We don't have TV anymore. Only Netflix, Hulu (for mom) and DVD's. We LOVE Netflix. They have lots of documentaries for streaming. I was just watching one about Wal-Mart last night. My kids are younger, but they enjoy some of them too. My son loves the Walking With Dinosaurs series. (I think there are only 2 for streaming. Not sure.) He also loves a cartoon called "Dino Squad" and another called "Dinosaur Train." (Do you see a pattern? ) Both do teach that dinos and humans were not on earth together and that they were here millions of years ago, which I don't believe. He knows what that part isn't right and will even tell me they are wrong sometimes. Both are very clean since I'm pretty strict about the content of shows my kids watch. I also like Cyberchase. It's a PBS series you can get through Netflix. It teaches math.

ETA - I just added what you mentioned to our Queue. I'll check it out. My oldest is only 5, but he might like it anyway. I love stuff that is educational and fun.

[mandolin]

I like netflix too, but for high school (ie shakespeare, ww2,history documentaries, drive thru history).

I also like the pbs stuff for the littler children too. I have both ends. They have a lot of the new Veggie Tales if anyone else likes those. We have the checkout plan as well as the streaming and we take turns checking out for each of us and school subjects. I am a Duggar fan too and they have those on streaming right now.


Mandi

[NJCheryl]

agreeing that netflix is a great resource. We haven't gotten into the streaming, but I have dvd's sent almost weekly. we are in CTG and there are many dvd's listed in the back that I have not been able to find anywhere but netflix. It's great!

Cheryl

[tiffany]

With the streaming option, you do pretty much see what has been viewed recently, so that is somewhat of a safeguard. It certainly comes in handy on sick days-no more runs to the video store!

[cbollin]

Since we have the issue of dyslexia and my dc are both below their reading level we have been getting more and more audio books. Mostly from the library when we can but I would like to know what other resources are available. Preferably free but I know that's not always possible.

I just found a site called lit2go that has free audiobooks of classic stories and poems but they are pretty limited.

I also ran across a site called audiobookstore.com where it looks like all of their audiobooks are $7.49. They seem to have a wide selection to choose from but I have not used them before. Has anyone else?

Does anyone know of any other good audiobook resources besides these? TIA

http://librivox.org/
provides free audio of books in public domain.

check your library's policies on audio cd with books. That might work for a lot of general fiction.

I have recently learned of a site called myaudioschool dot com
it is a subscription service fifteen dollars a year.
don't know a lot about it. so.. check it out and learn more. I have no idea what's on there. But I learned it existed just this morning on another forum... so just sharing.....

check biblegateway for some Bible out loud. or Faith Comes by Hearing
http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/amba ... e-download

supper
-crystal

[Julie in MN]

FREE

Like Crystal, I've used the audio on websites like Bible Gateway, Dictionary.Com, etc.

Some free sites like Librivox have audio options on some of their (no longer copyrighted) classics. e.g. Famous Men of Rome.

There are some random sites made by folks who love certain books, like Shakespeare audios at Speak-the-Speech / Sounds of Shakespeare. Or The History Place for some great speeches. Basically, you can just google a particular work and add the word "free audio" to see what you find. One place that might come up in your search is even called FreeAudio

FAVORITES THAT ARE NOT FREE

SingNLearn
LibraryAndEd
ChristianAudio