Core Foundations for Men {The Tummy Team Review}

Today I'd like to share about another AMAZING new product from my favourite company The Tummy Team. They are an online specialist physio therapist team specializing in functional core rehabilitation.

Personally the Tummy Team have given me back my life as a mom struggling with post partum tummy issues and I was thrilled to see them release a special program just for men called: Core Foundations for Men.

 

Our Story

Seventeen years ago our lives were dramatically changed when Paul suffered a traumatic back injury which resulted in spinal surgery.  Little did I know that more than a decade of ongoing constant pain and frustration would follow.  Four years ago I was extremely dissatisfied with the constant merry go round of pain management and physio that was not permanently resolving the pain and sciatica flare ups for Paul.

After hours on Google searching for a way to heal Paul's back trouble and recurring, debilitating pain all I could find was the standard protocol: pain management and Pilates/physio.  However we had done that many times and always ended up back to square one with Paul bed ridden in pain and restricted movement.

How We Found The Tummy Team

I was surfing Instagram one day when I came across a rather intriguing graphic explaining that planking was not a good exercise for your core. Paul routinely did planks and was still having back pain issues so I went to the account  to find out more.

There were the most amazing before and after photographs of what Core Foundations could accomplish.  I was rather surprised at the info graphics explaining that Planking,  Crunches and Cross-Over Crunches are really bad exercises for your core and do not accomplish what we think they should.

I was drawn to find out more about their program since Paul had been regularly exercising including doing planking exercises to strengthen his core but was still having pain issues and regular flare ups with his back.

Four most common presentations of diastasis recti in men

Symptoms of Diastasis Recti in Men

• A trench or football-shaped bulge down the midline of your tummy when you do crunch like movements or cough
• Bulging tummy that gets worse with traditional abdominal exercises
• Back pain (lower, mid or even upper back)
• Overall weakness in your core – affecting your posture, your ability to lift or exercise
• Lower back or SI joint instability – where your back randomly “goes out”
• Sluggish intestinal function, constipation, the need to bear down to go
• Flared rib cage or barrel chest

For more information read this post: What Men Need to Know about Diastasis Recti.

How does Online Core Foundations for Men work?

Here is a walk through of how the at home physical therapy program works.

Once you have purchased your course and log in you will be taken to the My Account screen.  Here you are able to update all your information and access any courses and past purchases. This screen is accessible at any time by clicking on My Access.

Navigating to your course is via the My Courses tab.  Here you will find a list of your registered courses and pending courses that still need to be activated. Once you select your course, it will open a new page showing the weekly lesson/course materials links.

 Upon completing the work for that week, and you mark a unit/week of study as complete a green check mark will appear. Lessons are released at the pace of one a week. This is intentional.  The information you receive builds one upon the other and needs to be viewed and implemented in the order that it is presented in the same manner as if you were actively meeting with your personal physio therapist once a week. 

Each weeks lesson/consultation is presented as follows and in the same format:

Each weeks class/consultation opens with a welcome note and summary of the weeks focus.  Below this there are three buttons:

1. Focus of the Week - Here is where you will find the purpose and focus for the week ahead. Some great encouragement and coaching.
2. Helpful Tips - Here you will find a bullet point list of possible physical responses to the exercises / stretches for the week.  The list is comprehensive and spot on.  We appreciated knowing these things before commencing the weeks homework as we were prepared for the changes and how Paul's body may respond or react to the new alignment and strength it was gaining.
3. Weekly Downloads - This is where you will find the pdf downloads for you to print.
• Rehabilitation plan for the week ahead. 
• Exercise Explanation Summary -  these contain detailed  photographs and explanations of the exercises/stretches you will be focusing on for the week ahead.
• Exercise Chart - this is a chart to help you track when you do your exercises and helps you to find natural spots in your daily routine to incorporate them.
• Assessment chart - this is done twice during the course of your treatment.  I encourage you to take your time and do these.  Paul discovered symptoms that were such a normal part of his daily living that he did not even realise they were symptoms until he did the assessment.  It also assisted him to see progress as it was so gradual.

Below this section you will find your video list for the week.

As you work your way through the video's the little dot to the left changes colour to green indicating you have completed that specific video.  Once you have completed the list of video's there is a button at the bottom to Mark your week Complete.  This in turn changes the tick box to green on the course home page making it super easy to know where you are each week.

The video can be played full screen by clicking on the four mini arrows on the right and the little cog allows you to manually select the quality of the video you want to play, available streaming is 360p to 1080p. It's default setting is auto. The video's in the play list will auto load upon completion, there is no need to click on next video.

Core Foundations for Men Handouts

The handouts are comprehensive and informative.  We printed them each week and at the end of the program had a 40 page document which I comb bound.  Paul is able to refer back to these notes and continue his journey to strength and wellness.

What is covered in Core Foundations for Men?

• Introduction: Anatomy & Education
  
  • Welcome to Core Foundations for Men
  • Anatomy of the Abdominals
  • The Transverse Abdominis Muscle
  • Diastasisi Recti in Men
  • How to Self Check for Diastasis Recti
  • The Role of Abdominal Splinting
• Week 1 - Awareness
  
  • Focus of the Week: Awareness
  • Initial Self Assessment
  • Functional Rehab Process
  • Active Sitting & Belly Breaths
  • Active Sitting & Transverse Holds
  • Abdominal Splinting
  • Initial Functional Integration: Desk, Car, Work, Exercise
  • Week 1 Recap
• Week 2 - Connection
  
  • Focus of the Week: Connection
  • Progressing Transverse Holds
  • Common Compensations
  • Stretches for Initial Soreness
  • Abdominal Massage
  • Functional Integration: Bending & Lifting
  • Potty Posture
  • Week 2 Recap
• Week 3 - Neutral Pelvis/Prostate
  
  • Focus of the Week: Neutral Pelvis/Prostate
  • Active Standing: Neutral Pelvis Stretches
  • Active Standing: Transverse Holds
  • Pelvic Floor Connection: Prostate Health
  • Weaning From Your Splint: Part 1
  • Functional Integration: Active Walking
  • Week 3 Recap
• Week 4: Neutral Rib Cage
  
  • Focus of the Week: Neutral Rib Cage
  • Neutral Rib Cage
  • Neutral Rib Cage Stretches
  • Upper Back Activation
  • Rib Mobilization & Myofacial Release
  • Functional Integration: TA Squeeze & Release with Resistance Training
  • Week 4 Recap
• Week 5 - Challenge
  
  • Focus of the Week: Challenge
  • Determining Your Personal Priorities
  • Multitasking the Core
  • Core Integration: Sports
  • Core Integration: Progressing Resistance Bands
  • Functional Integration: Household Chores
  • Weaning from the Splint: Part 2
  • Week 5 Recap
• Week 6 - Core-Strong Lifestyle
  
  • Focus of the Week: Core Strong Lifestyle
  • Stretches for Your Toolbox
  • Optimal Alignment
  • Ongoing Functional Integration
  • Advanced Weight Training Considerations
  • Final Self Assessment
  • Case Study
  • Thank You

Other Courses from the Tummy Team
I have personally worked through Core Foundations and Floor of Your Core for Women and have benefited from the Teams online rehabilitation. To read more about what each course covers and how online rehabilitation works with the Tummy Team click on the following links:

• The Tummy Team - Core Foundations {Review}
• Floor of Your Core {Tummy Team Review - Pelvic Floor Rehab at Home}

Does Online Physical Therapy Work? 
Yes!  Both Paul and myself have benefited immensely from online therapy.  I have had a skype consultation and the therapist resolved my pain issue within five minutes.  There are many reasons to do online therapy.

Within two weeks there was a dramatic change in pain and range of motion.  Paul had not been able to sit tall while driving as it caused him too much pain.  At the end of week two he was able to tilt the back of the car seat into an upright position and sit comfortably.

Kelly and her team are experts in the field and currently are training therapists and medical professionals around the world.  Enrolling in online therapy means that you can set aside private space to do therapy without having to take time off work.

It's affordable!  An average physical therapist sees clients 2x/week for 6-8 weeks if not longer. Average physical therapy sessions run between $100- $250/session. This adds up. The Tummy Team online programs range from $63-$159 (Currently discounted to $53-$135)**. Their most popular online programs include the equivalent of  6-8 individual PT sessions.

**Prices current at time of review and subject to change at the discretion of The Tummy Team.  Please do check the prices BEFORE committing to purchase your course.
** Sale ends 31 July 2020 

Connect on Social Media

Website | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube

If you have any other questions about The Tummy Team
please contact them directly via their website here.

A big Thank You to the Tummy Team for sponsoring Paul with Core Foundations for Men to Review.  

 

Floor of Your Core {Tummy Team Review - Pelvic Floor Rehab at Home}

Over the last few months I became aware of feeling like I was falling apart and my core was not feeling as strong as I was a few years back following the Core Foundations program by The Tummy Team. This was in no way the programs fault it was mine for not remaining consistent in maintaining the strength I had gained.

This time I know I needed more help than just my core.  As a woman I was noticing some symptoms that are often seen as a normal part of being a woman/mother and often the advice is just put up with it, this is how you cope. I honestly did not want to have coping strategies for the next 40 years.  I want to live well, strong and stable.

After seeing how The Tummy Team transformed my husbands life a few years back I knew I needed some true lasting functional pelvic floor strength with realistic tools to obtain it. I had noticed some chat on the Client Forum that The Tummy Team have a program specifically to help woman called: Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation.

Functional pelvic floor is about connection, coordination and consistency not tension, gripping and intensity - Kelly Dean, MPT

What I Gained doing Floor of Your Core

• I learnt realistic tools to obtain functional strength.  Functional strength is not found through a ten minute exercise session each day.  It's found in what you do the most of every day through out your day.  
• The Tummy Team taught me how my body was designed to function how to use this effectively to help me heal.
• Each week they provided me with a rehabilitation program that is structured into my personal daily routine (for example I learnt that I could do the calf stretch while brushing my teeth). 

  Symptoms of Pelvic Floor weakness

• Stress/Urge/Urinary Incontinence - wetting yourself when laughing, jogging, sneezing or being unable to hold on to go to the bathroom.  While this is common to many woman it is not normal.
• Pelvic Organ Prolapse - feeling pressure after intimacy, a feeling of heaviness down there, feeling a bulge when wiping.  
• Intimacy Issues - pain during intimacy or a numbness is not normal and may be a symptom of weakness or injury.
• Pelvic Pain - painful tailbone, pain in pelvis during your cycle, deep pelvic pain, pelvic instability, pubis-symphysis pain.
• Pain - lower back, sciatica, pubic bone pain/instability, abdominal and hip. 
• Birth Trauma - both physical and emotional.

Finding balanced helpful answers to these issues can be a challenge and I was so relieved to discover that The Tummy Team are committed to supplying woman with the correct information and dispelling the myths that surround pelvic floor issues and providing accurate medical advice and support.

After reading more about the pelvic floor on their blog and hearing Kelly explain how the pelvic floor is an important part of the core I contacted the team who have graciously gifted me a Floor of Your Core - 8 week On line Program to try in exchange for a review.

Floor of Your Core Program Walk Through

Once you have purchased your course and log in you will be taken to the My Account screen.  Here you are able to update all your information and access any courses and past purchases. This screen is accessible at any time by clicking on My Access.

Navigating to your course is via the My Courses tab.  Here you will find a list of your registered courses and pending courses that still need to be activated. Once you select your course, it will open a new page showing the weekly lesson/course materials links.

Upon completing the work for that week, and you mark a unit/week of study as complete a green check mark will appear. Lessons are released at the pace of one a week. This is intentional.  The information you receive builds one upon the other and needs to be viewed and implemented in the order that it is presented in the same manner as if you were actively meeting with your personal physio therapist once a week. 

Each weeks lesson/consultation is presented as follows and in the same format:

Each weeks class/consultation opens with a welcome note and summary of the weeks focus.  Below this there are three buttons:

1. Focus of the Week - Here is where you will find the purpose and focus for the week ahead. Some great encouragement and coaching.
2. Helpful Tips - Here you will find a bullet point list of possible physical responses to the exercises / stretches for the week.  The list is comprehensive and spot on.  I appreciated knowing these things before commencing the weeks homework as I was prepared for the changes and how my body may respond or react to the new alignment and strength it was gaining.
3. Weekly Downloads - This is where you will find the pdf downloads for you to print.
• Rehabilitation plan for the week ahead. 
• Exercise Explanation Summary -  these contain detailed  photographs and explanations of the exercises/stretches you will be focusing on for the week ahead.
• Exercise Chart - this is a chart to help you track when you do your exercises and helps you to find natural spots in your daily routine to incorporate them.
• Pelvic Floor Assessment chart - this is done three times during the course of your treatment.  I encourage you to take your time and do these.  I discovered symptoms that were such a normal part of my daily living that I did not even realise they were symptoms until I did the assessment.  It also assisted me to see my progress as it was so gradual I was unaware of my progress until I compared notes.

Below this section you will find your video list for the week.

Week 8 Video List

  As you work your way through the video's the little dot to the left changes colour to green indicating you have completed that specific video.  Once you have completed the list of video's there is a button at the bottom to Mark your week Complete.  This in turn changes the tick box to green on the course home page making it super easy to know where you are each week.

Week 7 Video 3 - Low Impact Fitness Guidelines

When you click on a video to watch it opens an embeded video. At the top just above it there is a short one or two focus sentences for the video class.
The video can be played full screen by clicking on the four mini arrows on the right and the little cog allows you to manually select the quality of the video you want to play, available streaming is 360p to 1080p. It's default setting is auto. The video's in the play list will auto load upon completion, there is no need to click on next video.

What does each week cover?
When I started Floor of Your Core I had a traditional mindset of pelvic floor exercises and was a little confused when for the first four weeks there was no specific pelvic floor exercise instruction. Having worked with the TT before I trusted their judgement and did the exercises I had been given.  I was thrilled to discover that all the exercises I was doing, were effectively exercising my pelvic floor without me being aware of it. By the time I did week five I had the correct basic strength and technique needed to do the exercises taught to bring about deeper healing and strength.

• Introduction
  
  • Welcome
  • Connection Between Core and Pelvic Floor
  • Anatomy of the Abdominals
  • The Transverse Abdominis Muscle
  • Common Symptoms
  • How Exercise Contributes to Dysfunction
  • Emotional and Spiritual Connection
  • Splinting for Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation
  • Pelvic Floor Self Assessment
• Week 1 - Anatomy and Core Awareness
  
  • Understanding Your Transverse Abdominis
  • Active Sitting
  • Basic Abdominal Massage
  • Functional Integration of the Core
• Week 2 - Core Connection/Pelvic Floor Awareness
  
  • Engaging vs Bracing
  • Bones of the Pelvis
  • Adding Pelvic Floor Awareness to TA Holds
  • Common Compensations
  • Potty Posture
  • Preparing Your Environment for Baby
• Week 3 - Neutral Pelvis
  
  • Neutral Pelvis
  • Standing Transverse Holds
  • Active Core Postures
  • Active Walking
  • Weaning from Your Splint (Part 1)
• Week 4 - Pelvic Floor Connection
  
  • PF Reassessment
  • Muscles of the Pelvic Floor
  • Pelvic Floor Strengthening
  • The "XOXO" massage
• Week 5 - Pelvic Floor Integrations
  
  • Pelvic Floor Standing Integration
  • Pelvic Floor Connection in Active Walking
  • Weaning From Your Splint (Part 2)
  • Neutral Rib Cage Stretches
  • Vaginal Devices
• Week 6 - Functional Awareness/Intimate Connections
  
  • Integrating Squatting and Bending
  • Listening to Your Body
  • Intimacy Issues
  • Pelvic Floor Massage
• Week 7 - Challenge
  
  • Squatting Progression
  • Low Impact Fitness Guidelines
  • Low to High Impact Progression
  • "I love U" Massage
  • Finding a Pelvic Floor Specialist
• Week 8 - Fitness and Lifestyle Transition
  
  • Final Self-Assessment
  • Case Studies
  • Mini Trampoline Training (advanced)
  • Transition Fit2B
  • Fit2B: Pelvic Floor Connections
  • Fit2B: Defining Deltoids Workout
  • Fit2B: Walking Workout
  • Thank You 

What do you get with the program

• Eight weeks of personal Pelvic Floor and Core Rehab Specialist  instruction. These are presented by a Core Rehab / Pelvic Floor Specialists in pre-recorded video sessions which are accessed in the comfort of your own home, or any Internet connected device. 
• A new set of instructional on line video's are made available to access each week. This is intentional structure in the course so that the content builds upon the week before. It is important to watch each instructional video as understanding why you are doing things a certain way is foundational to you successfully healing.
• Each week there are a set of pdf sheets containing a summary of  the weeks lesson.  Where appropriate an exercise tracking sheet and on line support handout.  These are the same handouts which are given to clients who come into the clinic.  They are a written summary of the key elements of your program for the week.
• Access to a private client forum on Facebook. On this forum you can ask any question and one of the Tummy Team Core Rehab Specialists will answer you.  Most questions are answered within a couple of hours. 
• Tools to help you become strong at life.
• Ten weeks of on line access. 
• If you need an extension you can purchase an extra Four Weeks of on line access  for your course.  Please note that extensions begin immediately so do not purchase until your original course access is complete. 
• Extension access can be purchased should you want to do a refresher of any of the courses you have completed with the Tummy Team.

Please note there are two purchase options for each program

1. BUY NOW, START NOW - means your ten week access starts immediately upon payment of your program.
2. BUY NOW, START LATER - means you get a voucher that you use when you are ready to start your program.

FREE Resources for You
These include downloadable printables and where applicable YouTube video's.

• Daily Posture and Alignment instructions/worksheets: These cover active standing, sitting, computer station (standing and sitting), picking up items and driving.
• Parenting Postures -Carrying your children, stroller, high chair, diaper changes, play pens, playing on the floor, feeding baby etc.
• Stretches - These five stretches will help release the muscles that are compensating for your week core and pelvic floor.
• Pregnancy & Postpartum - These are really helpful if you are pregnant or just had a baby. There are 12 video's to help you.
• Pelvic Floor - Four Video's covering Kegels VS Functional Strength, What is a Prolapse, Exercise and Incontinacne and Why "Holding It" is a bad idea.
• Fitness exercise to avoid and three exercises to replace them with.
• Planks are not good for you, watch this clip and Kelly will explain why.  The second most common exercise done for core which does not work is the crunch.  Kelly explains here why you should stop doing crunches.

Who are the Instructors?
There are two instructors for Floor of Your Core: Gillian Sukachevin and Kelly Dean. Together they form an encouraging and empowering team and walk you through each stage of your rehabilitation program.

Gillian Sukachevin

Gillian is a passionate holistic pelvic care specialist who graduated from Andrews University in 1998, becoming a clinical instructor at Georgetown University where she became familiar with neuromuscular re-education.

Gillian teaches from a foundation of personal experience in that she herself has experienced a back injury, car accident, infertility and a delivery-related injury.  She came to The Tummy Team for care and recovery in 2012.

After finding healing and relief for herself she completed further training to specialise in Core Rehabilitation alongside The Tummy Team.  Gillian combined her passion for holistic pelvic care and core rehabilitation to develop Floor of Your Core bringing hope, health and healing to others.

Kelly Dean

Kelly is an articulate instructor. She takes time to explain your anatomy, the process needed to gain healing and more importantly the why behind every step of your core rehabilitation instructions.

Kelly's focus is on empowering you with knowledge to help equip you with the tools you need to become strong for life.  She is a Core Rehabilitation Specialist who specialises in neuromuscular rehabilitation and home health. Kelly is passionate about to fully understanding the neuromuscular, postural, and alignment issues that contribute to core weakness and abdominal separation. Her combination of multiple approaches specifically treats these conditions for long-lasting changes.

The thing I appreciate about learning from Gillian and Kelly is that they are speaking from personal experience.  They recognise that each of us have our own story and it is these very things that influence how our bodies are going to heal. Together they equip you the patient with the knowledge and tools you need to heal and become strong for life.

Learn More about The Tummy Team

• The Tummy Team Story
• The Full Story Behind The Tummy Team  (21 min)
• Benefits of Abdominal Rehab Splnting 
• Could you be suffering from a diastasis?
• Overview of Core Rehab   
• Encouragement and information on The Tummy Team Blog.

 Connect on Social Media

• Facebook @TheTummyTeam
• Twitter @TheTummyTeam
• Instagram @thetummyteam
• Pinterest The Tummy Team  
• Hashtag: #strong4life #StrongCore4Life
• YouTube: The Tummy Team

I would like to thank Gillian Sukachevin and Kelly Dean for their passion and dedication, for making Floor of Your Core available worldwide. It is revolutionising my life and helping me to take my health back in a way I did not think was possible. The changes that I noticed within a couple of weeks were surprising.  The initial symptoms I experienced were barely noticeable within three weeks of beginning my rehabilitation. I love the new habits I have gained because they are sustainable and I have a deeper understanding behind why I am doing what I am doing and how these actions are protecting my body making it strong for life.

Blessings

Chareen

A big Thank You to the Tummy Team for sponsoring me with Floor of Your Core.  

 

Introducing Floor of Your Core by The Tummy Team

Spring is a marvellous time of the year.  I love the deep blue skies and the warming weather I find it invigorates me and spurs me on to make some health changes.  A couple of years back I discovered Kelly Dean and The Tummy Team and was thinking about taking out my notes and doing a refresher to re-establish my core strength as I had noticed that I was not as strong in my daily life as I know I can be.   I still follow the team on Instagram and have seen some interesting posts relating to a new program they recently launched called:  Floor of Your Core.

As I was reading the posts I thought yes I can identify with these myths and the ridiculous pelvic floor advice some people had been given (I had been given the same advice in the past). Kelly and her team were sharing and saying there is a better way. It is unrealistic to expect physicians to know everything, especially in this day and age where medical insights change on a daily basis however there needs to be a balance and it is not right to be careless with comments that are not truthful to patients.

Functional pelvic floor is about connection, coordination and consistency not tension, gripping and intensity - Kelly Dean, MPT

  Symptoms of Pelvic Floor weakness to be aware of

• Urinary Incontinence - wetting yourself when laughing, jogging, sneezing or being unable to hold on to go to the bathroom.  While this is common to many woman it is not normal.
• Pelvic Organ Prolapse - feeling pressure after intimacy, a feeling of heaviness down there, feeling a bulge when wiping.  
• Intimacy Issues - pain during intimacy or a numbness is not normal and may be a symptom of weakness or injury.
• Pelvic Pain - painful tailbone, pain in pelvis during your cycle, deep pelvic pain.

 Finding balanced helpful answers to these issues can be a challenge and I was so relieved to discover that The Tummy Team are committed to supplying woman with the correct information and dispelling the myths that surround pelvic floor issues and providing accurate medical advice and support.

After reading more about the pelvic floor on their blog and hearing Kelly explain how the pelvic floor is an important part of the core I contacted the team who have graciously gifted me a Floor of Your Core - 8 week Online Program to try in exchange for a review.

More Information on Pelvic Floor

• 4 Helpful Answers To Validate Your Pelvic Floor Symptoms 
• 5 Questions to evaluate pelvic floor strength
• 5 Things Making Incontinence Worse
• 10 Questions to ask a Pelvic Floor Specialist
• The Most Ridiculous Pelvic Floor Advice I Got From A Doctor

How I found The Tummy Team

Two years ago I discovered The Tummy Team when in desperation I was searching for a solution to Paul's chronic back pain and annual winter trouble that he was experiencing as a result of a serious back injury which ended in surgery followed by more than six months of rehabilitation in New Zealand.

While researching the topic I was appalled to realise that most medical protocol is to manage pain with medication as there was no premise to fix the root cause as there was no known solution.  At that stage Paul would religiously do Pilates but he was still in constant pain.

 I was scrolling through Instagram and I was rather surprised at the info graphics explaining that Planking,  Crunches and Cross-Over Crunches are really bad exercises for your core and your tummy and actually do not accomplish what we think they should. I was drawn to find out more about their program because Paul had been regularly exercising including doing planking exercises to strengthen his core but was still having pain issues and regular flare ups with his back.

We are so blessed to have our lives changed when The Tummy Team blessed me with their online Core Foundations Program. This program dramatically changed my life and my husbands. You can read my review on how the program works and how it can help you here:  The Tummy Team - Core Foundations Review.  

Learn More about The Tummy Team

• The Tummy Team Story
• The Full Story Behind The Tummy Team  (21 min)
• About Core Foundations Online Program - Who is this For ? 
• Abdominal Splinting - Splint Options 
• Could you be suffering from a diastasis?
• Overview of Core Rehab   
• FREE Resources from The Tummy Team 
• Encouragement and information on The Tummy Team Blog.

Connect on Social Media

• Facebook @TheTummyTeam
• Twitter @TheTummyTeam
• Instagram @thetummyteam
• Pinterest The Tummy Team 

I would like to thank Kelly Dean and the Tummy Team for sponsoring me with Floor of Your Core I am looking forward to the next step in becoming Strong 4 Life and I look forward to sharing my journey and progress here on the Blog.

GrammarPlanet {Review}

I am super excited to share my new favourite home schooling product.  Nathaniel and I have been working our way through GrammarPlanet and are finally beginning to understand how to parse sentences using the different parts of speech.

What is parsing? Parsing is labeling each part of speech in a sentence, and using an abbreviation over each word to indicate which part of speech each one is.

Grammar was not my forte at school or after for that matter.  I could give you the definitions of the parts of speech and examples of each one, but I could not apply my knowledge to every day sentences at all.  When it came to teaching grammar to Timothy and Jane they were handed a grammar curriculum and told to work through it.  I was very grateful for the Teacher Key so I could mark their work because it made no sense to me at all.

We have been using GrammarPlanet for the last month and LOVE it! I'm finally beginning to understand how to apply my grammar knowledge.  I do this daily with Nathaniel and we are both enjoying the journey.

How to get started

• Click on sign up for FREE! and create the parent account. You will need to put in your first and last name. Under role select Teacher and then input your email and selected password.
• GrammarPlanet will send you an email with a link to activate your account.
• Once activated you will be taken to a page to enrol your students, which can also be found when you click on the drop down arrow next to your name in the upper right hand corner. Click on +ADD STUDENT. You will need to add in their first and last name, user name (this will be lower case), a password, under group you will need to select the group you made and you can add in an optional parental email. Click CREATE.

I love the simplicity of the program.  You have the flexibility to group your students or have different classes.

As the teacher you can see each students progress and average percentage score at a glance.

From the class page you select a student to see a review of their personal progress.  This is the page you will need to access to either reset or unlock a unit should the student need this done.

The program is based on mastering the materials they are working on.  Should the student get too many incorrect answers the unit is locked and an alert is emailed to the teacher.

I can look through the unit and see which sentences the student incorrectly labelled and help the student understand which ones were incorrect and why. The unit report button produces a pdf document with a list stating the unit practise numbers and whether the student got them correct or incorrect.

The GrammarPlanet program has been written to asses the students understanding of the work and adapt to their specific need.  Should the student need more practise it will provide more practise questions. For example in Unit 1 Nathaniel was given fourteen practise questions and five Test questions whereas I was given eleven practise questions.

When a unit is locked you have the option of either unlocking the unit or resetting the progress. I have chosen to RESET PROGRESS on the units so that he can redo the unit he has not successfully navigated and gain proficiency before learning the next part of speech.

Resetting a unit is done by clicking RESET PROGRESS, upon which a pop up window appears stating Reset Student Progress with a drop down box for you to select the unit needing to be reset.  Select the unit you want reset and click RESET.  GrammarPlanet will then double check and ask if you are sure.  If you are click on YES and the unit is reset back to the beginning.

One word of caution when doing this be sure to select the correct unit to reset as the whole program will delete everything achieved by the student from the unit you select and includes all units completed after the selected unit.

When the student logs in they will be taken to their dashboard, from here they can see their progress at a glance. They can go back to completed units or continue forward by clicking on the green CONTINUE PROGRESS BUTTON.

• On launching the program opens up the next unit being studied.  In this unit we can see at a glance on the top right we are studying Pronouns.  
• The orange button on the bottom left is where we access the unit notes which are provided in PDF format and are to be printed.  We have been printing these and will be comb binding them upon completing the program.   The notes are concise and beautifully presented.  I'm looking forward to having a complete grammar reference book upon completion. You do not need to read the notes to your student as Erin (the teacher) will fully explain the grammatical part of speech within the video referencing the notes on hand.

Erin speaks clearly and slowly carefully teaching the concept at hand. If you hover over the video an outline of the class will appear on the left hand side of the screen.

After a concept has been taught,  the video will auto stop and a small multiple choice quiz question will appear. If you answer the question incorrectly you have the option to replay the last section or continue. Upon completing the video teaching the student then progresses onto the unit practise questions.

From here you then commence the practise questions for the unit you are working on.

Each word in the sentence is contained in a box.

A pop up box containing the parts of speech already learnt opens.
The student selects the part of speech relevant to the word they have selected.
The parts of speech within the box are shown in order of operation as taught by the teacher.

Once they have selected the part of speech pertaining to the word.
The word is highlighted and the part of speech selected is added.
Once you have finished all the words you want to mark  you hit submit.

GrammarPlanet then marks the work submitted.
Students receive instant feedback on work submitted.

Any incorrect or missed selections are highlighted in red.
Correct answer is indicated above the word in a green text box.

How long does it take?
The recommendation is for students to work on a lesson for 15 minutes a day. I found that doing a longer lesson or multiple lessons left us both feeling overwhelmed.

• Our routine now is to listen to the lesson and answer the video questions on day one.  
• We then attempt the practice questions the following day.  
• If we don't pass the practice questions I reset the progress and we redo the practice sentences the next day. I keep resetting the unit until we pass.  
• Once we pass the practice questions Nathaniel then does the test the next day.  

Scope and Sequence
GrammarPlanet currently has 13 units available.  New units are being added weekly and the total number of units will be 60 upon completion.  Sentence diagramming starts in unit 7.  Once we reach that level I shall add a screen shot to this review for you to see.

Cost of GrammarPlanet

• You can sign up for FREE!  The free version of GrammarPlanet is supported through advertising.  
• Purchasing GrammarPlanet removes the advertising bars (this option is currently under development and will be available shortly).

Recommended Age Range

• GrammarPlanet is aimed at students from 10 to 99 who want to improve their English. It can be used by students in school, students at home, or adults individually or as a group.

About GrammarPlanet

The creation of GrammarPlanet is the realisation of a years-long dream to be able to make grammar education … REAL grammar education … available and affordable for anyone, regardless of the type of school, the economic background, the location, etc. While there are a lot of homeschoolers who will benefit from it, I also hope low-income schools, students who go to schools that don’t teach it, and adults who never learned it, will be able to finally learn HOW our language works and therefore learn how to speak and write it correctly.
The core philosophy behind GP is my mother’s creation: Analytical Grammar, a book-based program that has been on the homeschool market for more than two decades. Mom passed away more than three years ago, but before her death we were talking about how cool it would be to have a website like this. It’s SO exciting to me that the dream she (and Jerry!) and I discussed back then is now real. Her way of teaching grammar is just SO GOOD. I want as many people around the world as possible to have access to it, and digital is by far the way to go to achieve that dream.

- Erin Karl CEO Grammar Planet/Owner of Analytical Grammar -

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Over All I thought ...
I love this program and am very grateful to the developers for making it available to us.  As a mom who personally struggles with parts of speech and sentence diagraming it's a relief to have someone available to teach each part of speech along with reliable notes.

I like that the program gives instant feedback on each problem and test. Erin Karl is a great teacher who speaks clearly and helps the student understand the part of speech they are working on. Grammar is taught in a logical easy-to-understand manner.  I have learned so much in the first four units I can confidently explain the why behind each grammatical choice I make (thank you Erin!).

I am looking forward to working my way to the end of this program and gaining a fuller understanding of grammar in the English language and would highly encourage you to enrol your students in the Grammar Planet program.

Blessings
Chareen

Wulf the Saxon Audio Drama {Review}

One of my favourite things about being a memeber of the Homeschool Review Crew is receiving new to the market products.  One of my all time favourite companies is Heirloom Audio Productions. As a family we have absolutely LOVED every single audio drama they have produced. Heirloom Productions specialise in producing quality audio productions bring history alive, their mission statement is

To engage our listener’s imagination by taking them back in time and immersing them in the story.

We have been collecting their Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty and their latest addition to the series is AMAZING!!!

What we received

• A downloadable copy of Wulf the Saxon. (127 MB MP3 version)
• The music score is an original and written by Emmy Award Winning Composer John Campbell.
• Listening time: 2 1/2 hours
• Recommended ages: 6 to Adult. (IF listening with younger children please be aware that some scenes are intense listening!)
• Featuring: Brian Blessed, Chris Larkin, Helen George, Jack Farthing, Sian Phillips and Patrick Godfrey. 

The Story...
Wulf the Saxon was written by master story teller G.A. Henty and published in 1895. It is the story of the Norman Conquest.

Shipwrecked on the shores of Normandy in the year 1065, a desperate struggle for the throne of England begins.

Edward the Confessor is the King of England. Wulf is a young man and landholder (known as a Thane) who has the respect of everyone he serves through his devotion, courageous attitude and his reputation of honor.  Wulf and his friend Harold (a devout Christian) are ship wrecked on the shores of Normandy along with Earl Harold whom they serve.  Together they escape and report their capture to the local Baron and events are started which see their Lord released and tricked.
From here they are involved in the Battle with the Bretons and return to England.  Upon King Edwards death they return to Normandy where the king survives an assassination attempt.   Through many historic twists and turns, political manovoures they  survive the Viking Invasion and immediately find themselves outside the battle of Hastings.

Join them as they boldly capture a castle in the Welsh wars and climax's in the Battle of Hastings.  Join them as a nation is born. The story is based upon The Bayeux Tapestry. This tapestry will be displayed in the UK for the first time in 950 years.

This is a tale of courage and loyalty full of real life heroic deeds and inspirational characters from the medieval world.


How we used it
We have an account with Heirloom Audio's Live the Adventure Club.  This club has numerous benefits (Adventure Library, Kid Activities, Games, Educational Treasures, Resources and Articles) for it's members and is a great place to keep all your adventures in one plance.

We were gifted a copy of  Wulf the Saxon. Within the library section we were able to choose to download the audio drama or listen to it online. After downloading it weextracted it from it's zip file (127 MB) and extracted.

We burned it to two CD's in the mp3 format to listen to in our old car stereo.  We LOVE listening to audio drama's when we are traveling to our multiple weekly commitments OR on long holiday journey's.  It's become a family tradtion to take along our Henty Adventures!

Other Available Audio Drama's

• Captain Bayley's Heir
• In the Reign of Terror
• The Cat of Bubastes
• Beric The Briton
• The Dragon & The Raven
• With Lee In Virginia
• In Freedom's Cause
• Under Drakes Flag

Connect with Heirloom Adventures 


Over All I thought ...
We absolutley love every single one of our Extraordinary Adventures collection.  The music and drama are a sheer delight to the listening ear. Wulf the Saxon inspires and encourages and we are looking forward to listening to it on our cross country adventures. This audio drama is well worth adding to your library, it is a treasure you and your children will enjoy many times over.

 Blessings
Chareen