DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.

In case you haven’t noticed, striving for balance is really important to me. That is largely because as humans it is so easy to get drawn to extremes before we even realize what is happening. I think we have seen that plainly with our age of information. Screens, especially with kids, have become a hot button, controversial issue and a source of stress for parents. Our culture pushes us to always do, get and be more which so often leaves us conflicted about what’s best for everyone, especially the children. I’ve always sided with the idea that less screen time is better, but as our family continues to grow in homeschooling, not only are screens a part of our reality, but there are times when they solve problems! There are times when our laps and attentions are just not available and we need something that will enrich our children while keeping them occupied for a time. For today’s review, we are talking about One More Story - an online read aloud library of beautiful picture books that does just that!

What We Received:

We were given a one-year subscription to One More Story. This includes access to all books on the website.

How It Works:

One More Story consists of a single user library of picture books that are read aloud with background music and sound effects and highlighted words on the page as it is read through. Each story has a vocabulary button where students can learn what different words mean through a definition and then the context sentence of the book. Each book has an I Can Read button to turn off the sound and allow the student to turn pages at their own pace. Through the Parent’s Place Dashboard, parents can see what books the child has read and what new words they have been introduced to.. On the main page, there is a Book List option where you can sort the books available by the colored shelf, Accelerated Reader, Lexile, DRA, Fountas and Pinnell or you can filter them through a key word.

What We Thought:

Like I mentioned above, I try to recognize that too much screen time can be detrimental and set boundaries appropriately. It is our custom to put off screens of any form until the rest of (non-screen) school activities have been completed. That being said, aside from not being in my lap, One More Story provides everything else that is valuable about story time! The collection of books is fantastic! I've heard of a lot of them but not all. That alone makes it just like a library visit.

When you raise readers, you find that they will always love a good story. While One More Story is a beautiful blessing for preschool age children, my 7 and 10 year old are happy to sit down with or without their 4 year old brother to listen to One More Story. This is even useful when I’m needed to help the older kids with their school and the 4 year old needs distraction. From both an educational and parenting perspective, this website is a wonderful tool to have for those times when you need an extra set of hands!

Follow One More Story on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifelongReaders
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EarlyReader

Are you interested in how other families may have used One More Story? Check out the other members of the Crew and their reviews through the link below.

DISCLOSURE: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Preschool-age kids are so fun to teach! My almost 4 year old is nothing like my other two children were, but still so fun at this age. If you are new to the preschool or homeschool arena, let me tell you it isn’t as complicated or hard as it might seem. Play in every form is education so formality is almost entirely unnecessary! Still, having a plan in some form or another is helpful to a scattered parent brain. The Crafty Classroom is a great place for finding the right tools to develop that plan. This past month or so we explored the Fine Motor Alphabet Bundle from The Crafty Classroom. In this review, we’re going highlight some great options for those busy preschoolers to make the best out of a ‘school’ day.

What We Received:

For this review, we were given a link to 19 digital, downloadable files that consisted of a variety of ways to practice fine motor skills while practicing alphabet skills.

These files included:

• Blank Alphabet (to be used however you wish)

• ASL Charts & Books

• Bricks

• Driving Mats

• Listening Skills

• Phonics

• Cuisinaire Rods

• Cut & Paste

• Dab & Dot

• Dab & Read

• Geo Boards

• Dip & Dot

• Play Dough

• Mazes

• Pom Poms

• Craft Sticks

• Patterns

• Snap Cubes

How It Works

As a collection of colorful PDFs, this bundle is ready to use however you wish. They are designed around several supplies you will likely have in your home like play dough, building blocks (like Legos), cars, craft sticks, etc. They are, of course, preschool level, but any parent knows children progress at different rates so some are a little more advanced than others. So, you choose the activities that are best suited for your student and according to the supplies available. In many cases, these printables are designed for Dry Erase Pocket Sleeves like those pictured below. This cuts down on paper and makes each activity repeatable with ease.

What We Thought:

My 3 - almost 4 year old is a busy, busy guy. He loves being given ‘school’ tasks and thrives by being kept (productively) busy. He is working largely on letter and number recognition right now so this bundle is perfect for this stage. Most of these PDFs are in color, but we only have a black and white printer. Color matching, like the Cuisinaire Rods activity shown above wasn’t possible as is, but easily remedied. My son knows his colors so it wasn’t a big loss, but the colors can always be added by a parent where necessary anyway. We didn’t have any of those nifty Dry Erase Pockets so we just did our best to keep up with the papers. It’s not impossible, but just a little added work.

In most preschool and kindergarten curriculum, you find letter formation activities where the student uses fun materials to interact with the alphabet. This bundle really covers several bases in that department and would be a perfect addition to any curriculum. The pick and choose nature lends itself to be used with students at a variety of stages. Like the blocks or phonics activities, there are suggested games that can make the activity a bit more advanced. However, the sheets are useful and fun without if the child isn’t quite ready for added steps.

The Fine Motor Skills Bundle from The Crafty Classroom turned out to be a perfect fit for my very busy almost 4 year old boy. The Crafty Classroom always offers really create digital solutions for your homeschool!

The Crafty Classroom on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Crafty-Classroom-121821161222656
Twitter: https://twitter.com/craftyclassroom
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecraftyclassroom/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/craftyclassroom/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mcclintick02

The Review Crew also reviewed the Superstar Spelling and Tracing Bundle! If you would like to learn more about those bundles, check out the other reviews through the link below.