Technology is often a double-edged sword. What is intended to save us time (computers) can also consume our time. Admittedly, I am not one to jump on software programs because typically they don't do what I have in mind and I end up spending frustrating hours not accomplishing what I had initially hoped.

Schoolhouse Technologies' Vocabulary Worksheet Factory turned out to prove my above theory wrong. I popped the CD into my computer, waited a few short minutes for it to install, then was quickly taken to an index page with helpful headers such as "Fast Start" and "The Least You Need to Know." Don't you love that one? Often, we overly busy home educators need the least amount of information to get us going rather than having to read page upon page of complicated and confusing instructions. Subheadings include "The Big Picture" (quick tips for making your first worksheets a snap), "Creating Your First Worksheet," and "Creating Your First Word List." This is technology at its simplest and least limiting; there are 22 terrific and easy ways to use Vocabulary Worksheet Factory.

Even if you don't have your own pre-made vocabulary list, you can create great worksheets using the lists they have pre-loaded, such as The 3,000 Most Commonly Used Words, Mathematics, Rulers of the Past, and See the World. You simply choose a worksheet format (alphabetical order, crossword, decoding, hidden letters, matching, word jumbles, word search, or one of the other nine options) and then click on the word list you want to use. If you are using your own word list, Vocabulary Worksheet Factory makes it utterly simple to create a list. You can even modify your lists by omitting words or combining lists.

Vocabulary Worksheet Factory is slick, high-quality software. The creators have thought of all of the tools we educators would want to access. In addition to easily created worksheets ready to pop out of your printer, you can utilize a bad word checker, clues, word bank, gridlines, headers, and footers. Every feature is easy to see, easy to access, and easy to use. An A+ in my book.

Product review by Kendra Fletcher, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, February 2007