Showing posts with label Mom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mom. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Essential Skills Advantage Complete Home Learning Suite Review

Essential Skills Advantage Review

We are testing out a program known as Essential Skills Advantage . They have several options but we received the Complete Home Learning Suite for this review. This is an online supplemental program. It has lessons on different topics, math, science, language arts, reading, geography etc. Has lessons for grade levels K-6th.  How ever not all subjects are offered in all grade levels. The program is composed of 43 individual programs 998 units totaling over 14,000 interactive lessons.
Since we are at the end of our standard school year. We have been using this as our summer curriculum. Three days a week the girls do one unit a day under each subject that is available for the grade level that they are in. While this is not a complete curriculum it is a wonderful supplemental program. 
Essential Skills Advantage Review
Like I noted above this is an online program so you will need an internet connection to use this program. I felt it covers a wide range of subject areas. All though I would not call this a complete curriculum because it doesn't cover quite everything needed to meet GLE. I do give it high points for a fun supplemental program

Essential Skills Advantage Review My girls have really liked using this as there summer curriculum. My oldest has a high opinion of the spelling section. It gives her things like word searches instead of just typing or writing the words over and over, and I think that's what draws her to it. I have actually seen an improvement in her spelling and her understanding of what the words mean. 
They have both enjoyed the science units we have tried. We used two of them to go along with what we had just finished up in our regular curriculum. We started with one on the solar system. It was great for filling gaps and brushing up on the topic before we took the end of year test. It covered some things like phases of the moon that our other curriculum did not cover. It really rounded things out well. The girls wanted me to mention that the graphics were great and the activities or experiments were FUN even though they were on a computer.

My little one is my math nut she said the lessons were fun and she didn't mind doing them. She felt they were explained well and frequently ask to do ESA math over a paper workbook. She had no real issues with it and seemed to glide on through each unit. My 3rd grader was a little frustrated at times but we seemed to be able to work though it after I played with the math lessons my self to see how they worked. Her least favorite part was the riddles, but she doesn't like riddles any way so that was no surprise.

Grammar was also an area that my 3rd grader spent some time on. She took to it quite well, She liked the bite sized lessons. She said the smaller shorter lessons made it less over whelming to do. That's a bonus in my book. Grammar can be so over whelming for younger kids. This is broke down about as simple as it can get. 

We hit up the reading section last week. So we haven't been using it all that long and we have only used the story time section. But I like what I see and what I am hearing from the girls. Story time gives a short story then some questions about the story after. The questions all fit the story and the stories are entertaining enough that the girls are not complaining about having to read them. I did find a few things in the first grade reading that I felt were a little below first grade. But you can easily skip over them or just do them quickly as a review. Every child reads at a different level so may be its just my child. 

 I was a little disappointed that all the subjects are not offered for each grade level. But that was my only disappointment and I was only disappointed because we like it so well I want my little one to be able to do all the subjects. 

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Essential Skills Advantage Review
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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Trudeau's Stress Less Kitchen tools






Trudeau is introducing its exclusive new Stress Less line of kitchen tools. They are designed to reduce the strain on your hands and joints. Great for people with arthritis or limited hand dexterity, they are also great for anyone looking to make everyday kitchen tasks easier than ever. Each item comes with a lifetime warranty. Prices range from $12.99 to around $34.99. Everything can be found hear at www.shoptrudeau.com
My picture

I got these items in a couple weeks a go and took them right to my mom. She has arthritis and I knew she was the perfect person to test them out.

First up is the Stress Less Pizza Cutter it sells for $12.99 and is so worth it. You can hold it by the handle or over the top for less strain on your wrist and hand. It cuts so smooth way better then the $15.00 one I bought from walmart a few years back. My loved it she had no trouble using it at all and said the grip was perfect for her hand. I love that the blade pops out for easy cleaning something that non of my other pizza cutters do, and its dishwasher safe.

In the process of making pizza we tested out the Stress Less Garlic Press sells for $19.99. This thing is super easy to use. You flip it open stick in a piece of garlic lay it on the counter and press the handle down using the counter as leverage instead of having to squeeze it with your hand. No stress no strain and because its dishwasher safe No fuss trying to get it clean.

Picture from Trudeau
I also used the Stress Less Rotary Cheese Grader price $19.99. I don't normally like this type of cheese grader because I am left handed and the crank cheese graders are just backwards for me. But this little baby can be used for Left or Right handed you just switch the drum around. This little baby is Ergonomically designed so it reduces stress on your finger tips and eliminates wrist torsion. Its got a cast iron handle that turns so smooth and easy you'll be amazed. the vertical design lets you cheese drop right on to your food in our case the Pizza saving me the clean up of another bowl. It also disassembles easily for quick cleaning.

Picture from Trudeau
Next up is the Stress Less Salt Grinder price $34.99. I don't use a lot of salt mostly fresh pepper and I have been through quite a few pepper mills looking for one that was smooth and easy to grind. I have to admit I was a little bummed that it was a salt grinder and not a pepper grinder but I still had to test it out. This baby turns so smooth I couldn't believe it. You can adjust the grind on it for how fine or course you want your salt. It gets so fine my camera couldn't come in close enough to pick up the individual salt pieces I am talking slightly gritty baby powder fine. If there Pepper grinder grinds as easily as the stress less salt grinder does I would love to have one. I had my mom test it out too to be sure it wasn't just me finding it super easy to grind. She was quite amazed at how easy it was to use normally she has a hard time grinding fresh pepper or salt because they are difficult for her hand to turn and and hard to grip. there is something about the size and shape of the Stress less salt grinder that just fits your hand.

Stress Less Can Opener
Picture from the www.shoptrudeau.com
Last but not least the Stress Less Can Opener. Price $19.99. This is a unique can opener as the rotating cranking arm provides extra leverage that requires 50% less effort. Its got this unique safety cutting mechanism that cuts on the side of the can while never coming in contact with the food and it leaves the edges completely smooth so that you or your kids don't get cut a bonus in my book. You can even set the lid back on top of the can. It even has lid pliers built in so you can get the lid off easily. The handle folds down into the main body of the can opener so that its compact and fits in any of my drawers with out getting hung up on things trying to get it out. Like me my mom is in love with it. Its the first manual can opener that she doesn't have trouble using. 

Trudeau's products are available at www.shoptrudeau.com
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Disclosure: I received these products at no cost for review. All opinions are my own or what my kids thought of the product.