Peaceful Isle Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I just found this! Has anyone used this here? It looks very promising. It has a few courses for grades 2-6, and then another course is for 7-9. What caught my eye about it is that it does not need a textbook, you take quizzes online, and you can watch whenever during the day. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 We use it and love it...wait for a sale!! There was a really recent thread on it that answered a lot of specific questions, but I'm on my phone so it's not an easy lookup for me atm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 We use it and love it...wait for a sale!! There was a really recent thread on it that answered a lot of specific questions, but I'm on my phone so it's not an easy lookup for me atm. How do I know when a sale is coming!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 We're on our 3rd year using it and, on the whole, I really like it. I appreciate not having to pull together a thousand resources for history. This really acts as our spine and we can supplement with hands-on projects or other books as needed and wanted. The videos are well done. Not really cheesy though I don't like some of the verbal spurring that goes on between the actors The material does a great job explaining not just the facts of the events but the causes of the events and what led from one thing to another. There are games and online interactive activities that keep the student engaged. We've used VP nearly all the way through our homeschooling years, so I was already very familiar with the cards and workbooks. The old workbooks were pretty dry; this is engaging and fun for the child, but solid. The sales usually happen in September (and at various random times) if I recall. You can always get a sibling discount if you sign up 2 or more kids. Lisa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 We use it and love it! I bought it for 50% off last year in April. Register an account with them, and you should get an email when they have sales. We've already purchased our next course with them for next year. My daughter has learned so much! Remember that you only have a course for 12 months. If you're looking to buy for next year, you'll want to wait a bit. We're pushing to finish by our April cut off date. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 We're on our 3rd year using it and, on the whole, I really like it. I appreciate not having to pull together a thousand resources for history. This really acts as our spine and we can supplement with hands-on projects or other books as needed and wanted. The videos are well done. Not really cheesy though I don't like some of the verbal spurring that goes on between the actors The material does a great job explaining not just the facts of the events but the causes of the events and what led from one thing to another. There are games and online interactive activities that keep the student engaged. We've used VP nearly all the way through our homeschooling years, so I was already very familiar with the cards and workbooks. The old workbooks were pretty dry; this is engaging and fun for the child, but solid. The sales usually happen in September (and at various random times) if I recall. You can always get a sibling discount if you sign up 2 or more kids. Lisa Do you need to buy any extra workbooks or cards to go with this online course? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Even if you buy during a sale you can email them and defer the start date to when you want your year to start. I recommend getting the flashcards with the program. They will also sell you an accompanying book bundle if you want, and the schedule they suggest using for the lit is in the course itself, so you could just use the library, or you can use any corresponding lit on your own. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Definitely get the cards. My daughter uses them with every lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 There is a 2-week free sample if you want to give it a try before committing. :) My girls enjoyed the sample so I bought the OTAE course when it was on sale a few months ago. I deferred our starting date for August so we can do it next school year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Here's the other thread with a bit more info (geared towards multiple kids in the program). Also, it's worth noting that the program you saw for 7-9th grade may have been the Omnibus, which is a bit different from their History program, not a continuation I don't think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 Here's the other thread with a bit more info (geared towards multiple kids in the program). Also, it's worth noting that the program you saw for 7-9th grade may have been the Omnibus, which is a bit different from their History program, not a continuation I don't think. thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeepa Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 We've been using their self-paced history for three years and really like it. We do include their recommended literature for each course and my daughter really enjoys that added layer. We started out using the history cards too but didn't buy them for this year and I haven't noticed a difference in her retention. I would highly recommend the program! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I agree, DS has enjoyed the program. Include the literature, get the cards if you can and look for the sales. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MustardSeedsMum Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 The $99 sale has just come out. :) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 It is on sale, just note (per the email) you can't defer the start date, so you have to finish by March of 2016. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted February 28, 2015 Author Share Posted February 28, 2015 The $99 sale has just come out. :) Thanks for letting us know!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 FOR THOSE CONCERNED THAT THE VP OFFER CURRENTLY GOING ON WON'T ALLOW YOU TO DELAY THE START DATE: I know several of you are concerned that this offer doesn't allow you to delay the start date but it is still doable if you start at the beginning of August, at least for NTGR. I am assuming the others would be as well. NTGR is 160 lessons (32 topics with 5 lessons each, but the 5th lesson is a test). If your kids were willing (and my DS has been) they could double up on the last two lessons so they do a lesson then the test. If you start at the beginning of August and do 6 lessons a week (either doubling up the 4th and 5th lesson of each section or doing a lesson on Saturday), you could still finish by Mid-March of 2016. In fact, this is basically what we are doing right now. And we didn't even start in August. DS likes the lessons so much that he sometimes just goes on to the next lesson anyway. One week he completed two full sections (10 lessons) just because he was so interested in the topics. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raining Pineapples Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 We use it and mostly love it. The kids have had a hard time with a few of the exercises (beating the clock) and a couple of the spelling words (one was an ancient city ). The literature has been hit or miss with us. The lower levels books the kids will never read again and I should have looked for substitutes from the library. There is a ton of built in review and a memory song that will stick in your head after a bit. We bought one seat to use with 2 kids. There has been a lot of fighting over who gets to control the lesson. We tried separating them. If you have one do the lesson, then the other go back through the same lesson, the second can skip any parts they don't want to do (so that hasn't worked for us either!). If you want to get an idea of the topics covered, there are sample lessons available for each of them. If you find the slide that has the memory song, you can get an idea of the 32 main topics to be covered. For OTAE, all of the samples have only events 1-16 on about the third slide. For NTGR, the memory song can be found on lesson 2, slide 7. For MARR, lesson 6, slide 17. They contain all 32 events They can be found here, just pick the era and appropriate lesson, then fast forward to the correct slide. I was looking ahead to figure out what would be covered. http://www.veritaspress.com/selfpaced/history.html Glad to hear the sale is on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I will say I hate they way they do these random spelling words that are frequently complicated. The child is barely introduced to the word, there is no discussion of how it is spelled really, and a lot of them are not phonetic. They have to spell the word correctly within a certain amount of time or they have to start over. They cannot advance to the next part of the lesson until they spell it. The word is also never spelled again so there may not be much retention if they didn't already know how to spell the word in the first place. Once, DS had one word he was really struggling with and when I tried to help I ran out of time twice before I could select all the correct letters. Any child with eye hand coordination problems may need assistance with some of the games and the random spelling word. We still love the program, but as with anything else, nothing is perfect. Just don't be hard on your kid if they struggle with the spelling or the games. Some of them really ARE hard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MustardSeedsMum Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Totally agreeing with OneStepAtATime. My 2 boys started OTAE in April '14. They loved it so much they did 2 lessons a day, and on test days 3 (since the test is 1 day). I literally had to limit them to 2 lessons. But I think I might've relented a few times and they did more. They moved onto NTGR around Sep '14 and just finished the program this week. They'll begin MARR next week and have 6 months to finish it. I purchased OTAE and NTGR in April '14 and the MARR in Sep '14...when they had the $99 specials. Their retention of the material has been pretty good. Even my 3.5 yo sings the memory song. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Does anyone know how long the sale will last? I need time to mull this over. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Sale ends March 14 AFAIK... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Thank you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berley Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 FYI, the email stated that you couldn't defer the start date. The website says you can defer it to as late as Aug 1 (I believe). I purchased our course for next year at the $99 sale rate and emailed customer service. They deferred the start date with no questions asked. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aleoxmom Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I bought the VP New Testament, Greece and Rome course and scheduled it to start from next week and also the Middle Ages course which is due to start in August. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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