Castle View Academy

Chinese Myths and Legends

Out just this year is Chinese Myths and Legends: The Monkey King and Other Adventures from Tuttle Publishing, who have kindly sent us a copy for review. Find out what our family thinks of this book below. There are 7 main stories in Chinese Myths and Legends; however, many of the stories are broken down into 5-12 sections/chapters, which makes for easier reading and thus it doesn't seem as daunting to younger readers. The stories are: Pan Gu and the Creation of the World Nu Wo, ... read more

Make ‘N Break ‘N Repeat For Fun

Castle View Academy homeschool reviews Make 'N Break

Games that are a mix of both skill and chance are a great way to level the playing field between players of differing abilities...add in some team play and a unique way to add up the points, and you have Ravensburger's Make 'N Break! This post may contain affiliate links through which I may receive a small commission. Ravensburger kindly sent us a copy of Make 'N Break to try out and the kids are having fun with it! It's aimed at people aged between 8 and 99 and can accommodate ... read more

Gift Ideas For Inquisitive Detectives Of All Ages

Gift Guide for Detectives of all ages at Castle View Academy homeschool

Do your children love solving mysteries? It's a great way to introduce them to forensics and logic while also sneaking in some math and science at the same time! Who can complain with that, when it's also so much fun to play the detective? If you have a detective-in-training on your gift list, check out these awesome detective gifts! We have all sorts of detective kits and books in our home! The kids love to solve cases (have you seen our review of Something Fishy at Lake ... read more

The Importance of Homeschool Electives: Let Student Choose!

The Importance of Homeschool Electives at Castle View Academy homeschool

Choosing homeschool electives are one of the most wonderful things about homes education! Public schools each offer different options and students don't always have a wide choice of what they are able to take from the options available. Home educators have the freedom to tailor their lessons to fit the talents and interests of their children; the sky's the limit! Home education has the benefit of being flexible and can quickly change with the times if a student changes their direction ... read more

Learning Japanese Kanji as a Beginner

Japanese Kanji are fascinating to the ‘outside’ world; how can anyone remember them all? After all, there are thousands and thousands of them! And when you add in the additional three alphabets used in Japanese (Hiragana, katakana, and Romanji), and perhaps all used within the same sentence- wow! The kids and I are learning to 'crack the code' with two fun products from Tuttle Publishing: My First Japanese Kanji Book and Beginning Japanese Kanji Language Practice Pad. This post may ... read more