TOS Review - Christianity Cove

I homeschool a 2nd (just promoted to 3rd) grader, teach the 3rd/4th grade girls class in Sunday School and help facilitate a children's life group with kids Pre-K through 4th grade.  That's a lot of hats to wear, so I'm always looking for new ideas to use.  I was excited for the opportunity to review two products from Christianity Cove:

Outstanding Object Lessons , $28.00

and

Bible Science Experiments, $25.00

Christianity Cove is an online resource loaded with Bible ideas and activities to use in a Sunday School class or Children's Church.  While there are many freebies available, they also offer a wide selection of downloadable products ranging from Sunday School Lessons, Bible Crafts, Bible Snacks to Vacation Bible School and Bullying.  

My musings:

My intentions were to use the products with all three of the groups of kids that I work with...I got 2/3 done.  My SS class is larger (and we're currently in a high school cafeteria until our new church building is completed), so while I am quite accomplished at adapting materials to overcome these circumstances, sometimes the environment we're in wins.  That said, I am looking at the Super Bible Games and Bible Memory Games for next Fall.  We work on memory verses every week and I need some new games!
The layout of the two e-books I received is the same:  description of the lesson, scripture reference, materials needed, instructions, "script" for the teaching part, explanation and the Biblical connection.

Outstanding Object Lessons has 28 activities that use everyday objects (spoon, flashlight, blankets, etc.)  The lessons are very short, but may require some preparation...just so you can make sure you have the materials ready and available.   Bible Science Experiments has 25 lessons broken down into five areas: light, color, motion, magnetism and gravity.
One of the experiments we did (read: the only one I thought to take a picture of - duh!) was Experiment #21: Gravity Doesn't Care About Weight.  In a nutshell, the lesson taught Galileo's Equivalence Principle (gravity pulls all items toward the center of the Earth with equal force - 32 ft per second), so weight doesn't effect a freefalling object.  The scripture correlation is Galatians 3:28 - "There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female.  for you are all one in Christ Jesus."  It was a fun lesson.  You use a raw potato and a pencil and drop them from the same height at the same time.  Of course, Julianna predicted that the potato would hit the ground first (which I would have too if I hadn't read the lesson ahead of time) - since it was heavier.  We were both pleased with the way the lesson went.

Getting ready for the countdown to drop!

Which will it be? (You can see the pencil blurred to the right of the potato.)

It's a tie!

Christianity Cove is a great resource when you work children in any capacity - in your home or at your church.  Check out their website to see all the products they have available.

TOS Review - K-5 Learning

If you Google the phrase "reading or math online activities" you will get over a million results...literally. Obviously you won't be able to check them all out , so you just choose a couple from the beginning and go from there. (I feel kinda bad for the results on latter pages of a Google search.  I mean, really, who goes past page 4 or 5?) Well, I can give you one to add to your short list:  K-5 Learning.

K-5 Learning is a supplemental program designed for Kindergarten through 5th grade.  It covers 4 areas: reading, spelling , math, and math facts.  When you first sign up for the program (and they do offer a free trial period), your child completes assessments in both math and reading to get a level for the program to begin.  Parents have access to an interactive dashboard that allows them to view progress reports of lessons completed and at what level their child is performing and also assign specific lessons in the different areas, as well as adding customized spelling lists.

My musings:

I really liked K-5 Learning.  So much so, that I'm pondering extending our subscription past our review period.  The main selling point for me is the fact that parents have detailed reports available all the time (pro/con for me because I tend to care a little too much about being on grade level) and the ability to customize the lessons to correspond with what you are teaching.  Another plus is that the characters, while still cartoons, are not too young for her...or animals...or aliens.   And the lessons seem to move at a good pace.  No continuous repetition of skills that are already mastered. (Not that I feel repetition is a bad thing, but when it seems like the activities are repeating at a lower level with no challenge at all, boredom and silly mistakes set in which cause the activities to repeat again.  Vicious cycle.)   

Julianna's musings:

"Well, math is okay, but not reading.  The reading is kinda weird because they say fairies are not real and they're real!"  (There was a game about things real vs make believe and it said fairies were make believe.  As if! We'll keep your secret, Tinker Bell.) 

If you are looking for a supplement for your reading and math instruction, check out K-5 Learning.  After the free trial offer, unlimited memberships run monthly ($25 one student/$15 additional students) or yearly ($199 one student / $129 additional students).  The pricing is on the high side (in my opinion), but is worth it if it works for you.  

**Disclaimer:  As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received a trial subscription to K-5 Learning in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was given.**

TOS Review - Reading Eggs

Teaching Julianna how to read has become my homeschooling Achilles heel. I have tried many different approaches...which could be part of the problem.  Anyway, recently we had the opportunity of to review an online reading program called Reading Eggs.

Some information about the learning process behind the Reading Eggs program from their website:

1. Learn skills: Children complete animated online lessons where they learn essential reading skills. The variety of fun activities within each lesson provides the repetition needed for these skills to become part of the child’s long term memory.

2 Read books:  Children gain confidence by reading books online that only contain words they have already learnt in the program. For further reinforcement, they can also read the real books at home if they have the Reading Eggs book packs.

3. Earn rewards: Children earn golden eggs as rewards for work completed. They can use these eggs to buy reward games.

4. Quiz:  After 10 lessons, children complete a Mastery Quiz. This provides you with a report of what your child is learning. Children can repeat the online lessons as many times as they like. Young children enjoy repetition and it has great benefits too, as it helps them to learn.

It truly is a wonderful experience to watch a child learn a new skill. And when that skill is as important as learning to read, you’ll love being part of that experience. We wish you much enjoyment in the journey you’re about to begin with your child.

My musings:
Reading Eggs is a colorful, fun, educational experience.  It wasn't a big hit in our house, though.  I don't know if it moves a little too slowly through the activities or if maybe I'm throwing too many different things at her (all moving at different levels and using different methods to teach reading).  I think if I had done this program when she was younger, maybe we would have had better success.  For a preschooler, I would definitely recommend Reading Eggs, but it didn't work for Julianna.  They do have a more advanced level called Reading Eggspress, but she's not ready for that yet.

Details:
Reading Eggs offers two programs:  Reading Eggs (3-7 yr, setting the stage for reading and then building on it) and Reading Eggspress (7-13 yr, continue strengthening the skills they have learned.)  They offer a free trial, so if you have an emerging reader or just want to give your older reader some extra practice, check out their program.  After the free trial, subscriptions run monthly to yearly.

** As a member of TOS Homeschool Crew, I received a trial subscription of Reading Eggs in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was given. **

TOS Review - We Choose Virtues

I'm not sure if it is common place in this day and time or it's only common place in my household, but kids are clearly lacking in the area of character development. Are poor character traits a learned behavior?  Are they innate?  Is it just the status quo for our world today?  Regardless of the origin, I'll take any guidance in instilling good morals into Julianna.  One of our helps is coming from We Choose Virtues. 

From their website:

We Choose Virtues (created by Heather McMillan) is not unit study that you use once and then move on from. It is actually a character development tool that you use  every day, every year. You introduce the Virtues, then demonstrate them, memorize the catchphrases, then learn the antonyms, then capture teachable moments when they are being used…or aren’t.

The 12 Virtues in the Early Childhood/Elementary set are:  I am Diligent,  I am Kind, I am Honest, I am Obedient, I am Forgiving, I am Perseverant, I am Gentle, I am Obedient, I am Self-Controlled, I am Content, I am Honest and I am Attentive. (Actually, us adults can benefit from these Virtues too, huh?)

There are six different character kits that are available:  Family (ages 3-18), Homeschool (ages 3-18), Faith-Based School (ages 3-11), Kid's Church/Sunday School (ages 3-11), Community Schools (ages 3-11) and Mentoring (ages 12-18). You can also purchase items (posters, coloring book, Teacher's Handbook, etc.) individually. 

My musings:

We were given a set of the new Virtue Clues cards, as well as, the Teacher's Handbook and coloring book (both downloadable PDFs) as part of our review package. Each character trait you teach has a "Virtue Kid" that goes along with it.  For example, when teaching "Forgiving", you have Feather Heather (her picture is on front of the Teacher's Handbook) to use as a visual reminder.  The characters are so cute!   I am totally in love with the graphics that are used. The website also has several free downloadables you can use to supplement the program, including memory verses and Bible heroes and individual and family assessment forms.The clue cards are basically reminder cards of what the virtue is, what it is not and challenges the child to demonstrate the virtue throughout the day.  I will admit, I was a little lost as to how to implement the cards into our day, even using the Teacher's Handbook. What I ended up doing was, Julianna would choose a card at the start of our day, we would read it, (talk about how cute the character was...well, I would), review the Bible hero story and memory verse that went along with it (from the free download sheet) and then discussed examples of ways we could implement it throughout our day.  I was going to hang it up as a reminder, but wasn't consistent with that part.  My bad. Unfortunately, Julianna isn't a big coloring page type of girl (even though they turn out lovely when she does them), so we didn't end up doing many.  After seeing the materials they have on their site, I think I might invest in the Parent or Teacher Virtue Cards to use in our home.  I love the activity ideas on the teacher cards, but will probably buy the parent cards because, even though they have less information/ideas to use, they are much cheaper...keeping it real.  :-)  

Julianna's musings:

"I have a hard time remembering to do the stuff on the cards.  The pictures are sorta cute." 

Check out the We Choose Virtues line of products if you are interested in implementing character development activities in your homeschool (or you just want to look at the cute characters.)  

**Disclaimer:  As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given a set of the We Choose Virtue Clue Cards, Teacher Handbook and coloring book in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.**

TOS Review - Zeezok Publishing - Z-Guide to the movies

If you know my daughter even a tiny bit you will know she is crazy over all things American Girl. Saying she loves them is an understatement.  (As I type this, she is staging her dolls in preparation to make her own AG movie. Budding movie director...amongst a million other things.) So when we were given the opportunity to review the Z-Guide to the Movies for the Kit Kittredge: An American Girl movie, we were all over it. 

What is a Z-Guide? From the Zeezok website:
If your student enjoys watching movies, we just made it easy for you to incorporate them into your curriculum. We have dozens of guides— each of them falling within a specific time in history. All of the guides contain ten educational activities that build upon the movie. The guides are movie specific. We tell you exactly which movie we used, and almost all are available thru Netflix. Most you can probably get through your local library. So you don’t even need to buy the movie to use our guides!

The guides are designed to be used as a supplement to you history curriculum. Each one is laid out as follows:

• Topic overview (period of history and a summary of the movie)
• Activities (review questions, research topics, hands-on activities, worldview activities, etc.)
• Family Discussions questions
• Answer keys

My musings:
Kit's movie is a favorite in our house and being able to add the movie guide to it was fun.  The guide is listed at an Elementary level, but I would say it is upper Elementary, at least 3rd grade and above.  Since Julianna is only in 1st grade, I had to adapt the activities that we did.  For example, the directions for the first activity, answer review questions, asks the student to fill them out while they are watching the movie.  As a beginning reader/writer, I asked her the questions after the movie was over (and she got them almost all correct.)  We did discuss some of what The Great Depression was, but we're not at the point of doing research yet.  The hands on activity suggested doing a Powerpoint presentation of Great Depression fashions.  Instead, I had her draw what a dress she made out of a chicken feed sack would look like (In the movie, out of necessity, Kit and some friends have to have dresses made out of chicken feed sacks. Julianna's dress was a fashionable shade of green.) I can definitely see us using this again in the future when we study The Great Depression era in greater detail.   One of the greatest features? Zero teacher prep! Got to love that.

Julianna's musings:
"I love Kit's movie. I liked answering the questions. Kit is the next doll I want to get."

If you want to incorporate a movie into your history curriculum, check out Zeezok to see if they have a guide available. They have Elementary thru High School guides for a wide range of historical periods. They are affordable too, $12.99.

*Disclaimer: As a member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a copy of Z-Guide to the Movies: Kit Kittredge: An American Girl in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was given.*

TOS Review - Artistic Pursuits

I first discovered the Artistic Pursuits art curriculum at a homeschool convention last Spring.  I almost bought it to use this school year, but I had already gotten a few other things (read: spent my allotted budget), so I hesitated and then didn't end up ordering it. When I found out that they would be one of the vendors on the list to review, I was bananas excited! I could have possibly done some shameless begging to be on the list, but we won't talk about that.  Bygones.  Regardless, I am glad I was chosen because I was not disappointed.

Artistic Pursuits offer 10 different curriculum levels spanning from PreK to High School and they also offer a corresponding art pack available for each one except the PreK level.  We were chosen to review the K-3 Book 2.  Here is a description of it from the Artistic Pursuits website:

This book is sure to delight young children as they make connections with artists from the past. It focuses on the lives of artists who left the world with a vision that has awed and inspired others for generations. Using colorful illustrations and works by the artists, this book tells the stories of artists from the 13th century late Gothic period to the academy artists of the 18th century. Children explore painting in watercolor, tempera, oil pastels, printmaking, sculpture with paper mache, and mixed media.

My musings:

Watercolor painting of our house

I have given birth to quite a little artist.  I try to do a lot of art projects within our week because 1. it is a definite strength for her,  2. there is much less resistance to completing the task and 3. she loves to do it.   Artistic Pursuits is proving to be a great match for us.  Each lesson has the same layout:  information about the artist of the particular period you are learning about (our book goes from the Gothic period into the 18th century) told in story format and then an activity that demonstrates a technique or materials that are similar to what the artist used.  According to their site, " A complete study of art should include the subject matter shown on each shelf in this illustration. The K-3 program covers the elements of art and compositional ideas suited to the age within the context of art history. Techniques are shown as new materials are introduced. In this way even the youngest students experience a complete study of art. Grades 4-12 get a complete, in-depth study of the elements of art and composition based on a variety of applications. Each application offers a different way of thinking about the topic, helping to expand awareness of the visual world." Here is a link to their philosophy and approach for teaching art.

While there is very little teacher preparation required for the program, unless you buy the art pack that corresponds to your book, you have to get your art supplies ready for the activity.  We are pretty well stocked in art supplies, so we had everything needed to complete the projects (or close enough) that we did.  If I invest in other books, however, I would make it easier on myself (I am a selfish being.) definitely purchase the art pack.  I have a feeling that their supplies might be a higher quality than some of what we have and higher quality art supplies produce nicer products.  Just a fact.  Plus, you get a tote bag.  I love tote bags.

Julianna's musings:
**This is a new feature of my reviews.  I thought it might be interesting to get a 6 year old's perspective on the products since she is the one also using it.  I will, however, maintain my editing rights.**

"I think that the program was fun!  I think it was awesome! Today my Mom twisted out my top tooth."
Short and sweet...and completely off topic at the end.  See?  Editing will be needed.  


If you are considering an art program for your homeschool, give Artistic Pursuits a look.  Each book is $42.95 and the art packs range from $45 - $92.  You can order from their site, by phone or by mail and they offer a 30 day money back (minus shipping) guarantee.     


*Disclaimer:  As a member of TOS Homeschool Crew, I received a copy of Artistic Pursuits K-3 Book 2 in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was given."

TOS Review - "The Person I Marry"

Julianna is only 6 years old, but she has already started talking about and planning her wedding.  She has even drawn pictures of her wedding dress and of she and her dad walking down the aisle (complete with Dad weeping).  I'm not ready to think about any of that.

At all.

To ease me into what we'll inevitability have to face, I had the privilege to read a copy of the book "The Person I Marry" written and illustrated by Gary and Jan Bower of Bower Family Books.

You can watch a trailer of the book here.

My musings:  This is really a sweet book.  The illustrations and the message are both beautiful.  However, it didn't seem to hold Julianna's attention very well.  I think part of the reason was because the book we were asked to review was an ebook version(Not complaining. Just stating the format we had to use. ;-) ) and she is a "book in hand" kinda girl, like her Momma.  And, at the time, she was wanting to perform a gymnastics routine in the living room (and did begin the warm ups while I was reading the ending). "The Person I Marry"  would be a nice heirloom book to have in your family library or to be given as a gift.  It is written from a non-gendered point of view, so it would be appropriate for either your daughter or son.

** Disclaimer:  As a member of TOS Homeschool Crew, I received an e-book copy of "The Person I Marry" in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was given. **

TOS Review - Ooka Island Books

I first saw Ooka Island advertised in a teaching resource magazine this summer and couldn't wait to try it.  (It met two very important criteria for me:  1.  teaches reading in a very systematic and fun way and 2.  It's set on an island with peppy, Caribbean music as a theme.  My standards are shockingly low.)  When I was chosen to be a reviewer for the program, I was over the moon.  I'll take any help that is offered to teach Julianna to read.  I know, I know.  She WILL learn to read.  Regardless, it haunts this homeschool mama, I'm afraid.  I'm also starting to freak out about her writing, but I will leave that for another day.  Back to the review.

Ooka Island is an interactive literacy program designed for emerging readers Pre-K through 2nd grade.  Their website describes it this way:

The Ooka Island Adventure is a downloadable hero-mission in 3D designed to teach young children how to read fluently and well. The Ooka Island Adventure combines the highly engaging components of a state-of-the-art virtual world with the scientifically proven OokaMethod that builds literacy skills.

Carefully embedded within the Ooka Island Adventure are dozens of interactive instructional activities that captivate the child and motivate them as they learn essential pre-reading, reading, spelling, and writing skills. After completing the Ooka Island Adventure, children will be on their way to reading fluently and well for life.

And it has cool music.

My musings:

I love Ooka Island.  It captures Julianna's attention with it's colorful, interactive games and music. Plus, she loves any game that she can change her person's appearance multiple times per session. The "goal" of the program is to help free the Ooka Elves from the Fliggs (Fliggs = Flying Pigs) that have taken over the island.  Auntie Kay is the one leading the expedition, but your guide through it all is a robot named Zobot.  Zobot is Julianna's arch nemesis.  For some reason she thinks he is working against her instead of helping her through the adventure.  I think it's because for a memory game, you play against him and he won a few hands in the beginning.  That was Zobot's fatal error in judgement.  It might be better if you would play against the Fliggs.  Just a suggestion.  As you work your way through the levels, you unlock new items to use (like clothing, etc.) and new games.  You earn points to buy items in the Mist Mart as well.  For each level, you begin by playing phonological games, then you unlock a new book that is then read to you and comprehension is determined through a question game at the end of the story. 

The only downsides I see are, sometimes the accent of the voice over narrating during some games is a little difficult to understand. I know I have had to listen twice to figure out what he is saying (especially in the Wacky Moving Company game) and the addition of new games within the levels is slow.  In the beginning, Julianna loved the games, but now she is getting tired of them because they are the same ones she started with.  I'm hoping some new ones pop up soon as she is progressing through.

If you have emerging readers or have little ones that need just some added reinforcement, give Ooka Island a try.  They are offering a special launch discount on a monthly subscription.  Yippee! 

Oh, and tell Zobot to watch his back.

**Disclaimer:  As a member of TOS Homeschool Crew, I received a subscription to Ooka Island in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was given.**

TOS Review - NorthStar Games - Wits & Wagers Family

Description:  (from Target's website):

Challenge your kids to a game of Wits & Wagers in this family-friendly edition featuring 300 new questions. Simplified rules and scoring work to combine laughter and learning as you move your Meeple character to select what is hopefully the correct answer.

• Wits & Wagers Family Edition has 300 new family-friendly questions and simplified rules and scoring
• Every player writes down a guess to a fun question, and then everyone tries to score points by choosing which guess is closest to the right answer
• Combines laughter and learning in a game that all ages can enjoy together
• Also includes Meeples (fun, cute, human-shaped wooden pieces) that the players use to select which answers they think are correct
• Meeples have been a hallmark in European-style strategy games for years, but this is the first time they have made an appearance in a party game
  

How to play:
Each player chooses a color (you get two Meeples of same color and a small dry erase answer board and pen), a scorekeeper is chosen and the youngest player goes first.  Meeples are colorful, painted wood game markers shaped like humans.  Once a Question Card is read, players write their answer on their board (all answers are numbers) and the boards are sorted from smallest to largest.  Players then place one or both of their Meeples on the answer they feel is correct. The winning guess is the number answer closest to the real number without going over.  Points are scored based on correct answer written, guessed, size of Meeple used, etc.  First player to reach 15 points wins.  Easy peasy!  Here is an example question for you, "How many different colors of Froot Loops are there?"  Our answers ranged from 5 to 1000 (I'll give you three chances to guess who said 1000. Ha!) The correct answer is 6.  Each answer is also either given with an explanation (it listed the 6 colors used) or another fact related to the question.  How about this one: "How many times does a honey bee flap it's wings in one second?" Our answers ranged from 1 to 60.  None of us were right.  So, what is the answer? Leave me a comment with what you think. And no cheating! :-)

My musings:

Wits & Wagers Family is a neat game. The 150 Question Cards (two levels of questions on each card, so 300 questions total) are an interesting, wide range of topics and are interesting and the Meeples are just fun to play with. Much cooler than the regular plastic markers in other games. Apparently they are a pretty popular game mascot in Europe, but this is the first time that they have made their way across the Atlantic. It's an easy game to get the hang of and one that I can see playing repeatedly...when Julianna is older.  The game is listed for age 8+ and I think that is definitely an accurate age range (she is only 6).  While it gave her good math practice in writing and identifying numbers, sorting them in order and adding of points, she just didn't get the concept of estimation.  She got frustrated if she didn't get the "right" answer even if her answer was the closest without going over...which wasn't very often with answers usually written in the thousands. Most of the Question Cards we went through (obviously we didn't get through all 150 of them) were interesting, though a few dealt with pop culture tween TV shows that we knew nothing about.  I just skipped those.  All in all, if you are a game playing family, I would recommend giving it a try.

Details:  Wit & Wagers Family
Publisher:  NorthStar Games
Players: 3-10 players, ages 8+
Buy:  Amazon, or at Target, Barnes and Noble, Kohls

**Disclaimer:  As a member of TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given a free copy of Wits & Wagers Family in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.**

TOS Review - E-mealz

Meal planning is one of my weakest areas of running my household...that and completing laundry...or decluttering...okay, and housecleaning in general, but why dwell on the negative? If you also have trouble figuring out how to feed your family without blowing your grocery budget envelope (I'm still trying, Uncle Dave Ramsey) for just a few meals, then the cavalry may be coming to your rescue.  Enter E-mealz.

 E-mealz is an online service that, for a minimal monthly fee, allows you to choose a grocery store (five specific stores listed (Kroger, Publix, Ralphs, Aldi, and Walmart) and an "any store" option) and then they provide a weekly meal plan and organized grocery list.  On a diet?  No problem.  They have low fat, low carb and portion control plans available.  Have special diet restrictions?  Got it covered.  Gluten free and vegetarian plans are also offered.  Don't need to feed an army?  Problem solved.  There are also plans for feeding 1-2 people in all the categories previously listed.  Easy peasy!

My musings:
E-mealz is a great program that I would recommend anyone giving a try.  It's affordable and takes all the guess work out of the dreaded duty of meal planning.  It really tries to cover all the bases by offering a wide variety of plans. What is not to like?  Nothing, but for some reason it just doesn't work for me.  :-(  I don't know why.  The recipe ideas were great.  Meals were tasty.  I think one reason is it doesn't have the grocery stores I typically visit as an option (my subscription is for the "any store" plan, so I need to check out another one to see if it works better. You can switch plans, as a courtesy, one time during a three month subscription period).  I think the other main reason is I have a hard time planning by the week because I may not "feel" like eating what is planned.  Silly reasons.  Maybe I have deep seeded control issues.  Lol  Like I said, I think it's a great program with lots of variety that I would recommend using - I just can't justify spending the monthly fee for MY FAMILY.  Give it a try.  It might just be what you've been looking for.  

**Disclaimer:  As a member of TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given a free membership to E-mealz in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.**

TOS Review - Always IceCream

My girl loves to play games online, so what could be better than a site with safe, educational games created JUST FOR GIRLS?  Not much. (Well, not much to a little girl.  For this big girl, a fresh cup of coffee first thing in the morning beats it by a mile, which is probably why it's not targeted for the 40 something crowd.) I digress.

Always IceCream  is a pretty (all fluffy and pastel-y ice cream colored), fun site chock full of a variety of girly games. Their tag line is "A Scoop of Laughter. A Scoop of Learning."  The target age for the majority of the games is 7-12 years. They have a large selection of educational games (that progress in difficulty) in the following academic areas:  Language Arts, Math, Science, Geography and History, Music and Arts, Religious Education (Christian), Computer Skills and Foreign Language.  They are very proactive with their safety measures, offering, among other features, moderated communication between friends (there is a social connection side where your daughter can link to other friends online), and tons of parental reporting and control.  A couple other features are MiniWorld (when they first sign on, they create a MiniMe avatar.  MiniWorld is where they set up a house, art studio, etc.) and Pet World (hatch and raise a pet). 

My musings:  Julianna and I have both really enjoy this site.  She is younger than the recommended age, so many (okay, most) of the games we need to play together. (I won't say how woefully pitiful one of us is at identifying the states west of the Mississippi...barring Texas and California.  The ones in the middle all run together. :-)  ) There are some games (dress up, cake decorating, etc.) that can be done independently, but she is still an early reader and needs help for everything else.  That's okay.  I like having something available that she can grow into.  My favorite thing?  NO ADS!  Ugh, ads on kid's sites drive me bananas. There is a very popular preschool site that used to really annoy me with their ads. I'm sorry, but my preschool daughter does not need to know about adult hair coloring products! Nuff' said. I also love the extra measures implemented for safety and parental controls.  I expect us to get loads of use out of our membership over the upcoming years. 

Nitty gritty details: Always IceCream
Target audience:  girls, 7-12 years
Membership:  4.99 per month (first month .99)
                       29.99 annual
                       99.99 lifetime
(Always IceCream offers a money back guarantee if you aren't satisfied.)

**Disclaimer:  As a member of TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given a free membership to Always IceCream in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.**