Why are so many parents excited about Orphs of the Woodlands?

Orphs of the Woodlands is a groundbreaking educational series that encourages the love of learning with a 3 step approach designed to capture your child’s imagination. This educational journey combines a reading adventure, an academic treasure, and a rewarding game.

Over 300 lessons are woven into the story, including: math, science, language, vocabulary, thinking skills, life skills, character, and the arts. A fun learning game caps off each chapter. Parents love StarToaster.com because their children love it. Who would have thought that learning could be so much fun?

How do I get started?

You can subscribe to Orphs of the Woodlands by visiting our BOOKSTORE. The story, curriculum, and game are designed to be completed within 2 months. However, if you would like more time, you can extend your subscription at any time. Once you have subscribed, you will need to set up accounts for your children. You can do this by logging in and visiting the MY ACCOUNT page. There you will find links for activating each account you have purchased. Parents and children use the same email address to login, but each have different passwords.

How many children can I have on my family account?

Up to three children can be included on your family account. First you must subscribe by visiting our BOOKSTORE to become a member. Children's accounts can be activated by visiting the MY ACCOUNT page after logging in, or at the time of purchase. Near the top-left of your screen, you will see the licenses that are available. CLICK on a license to activate a child's account. You will be asked to enter your child's name and choose a password. You can purchase additional family accounts if you have more than three children.

Where should my child start on StarToaster.com?

You will want to show your child how to LOGIN to their account. You can access their account from the Login screen using the family email address and the child's password. You can also login from the parent's MY ACCOUNT page by clicking the STUDENT ACCOUNT link under the book with the child’s name on it. After logging in, your child can view videos on the HELP CENTER page to know how to get started. Then it’s time for the adventure to begin. Vocabulary is the first subject that is introduced. New subjects are added throughout the story using a variety of teaching methods including: videos, lesson notes, flashcards, and MemoryTyper.

How do I add another child to the account?

Up to three children can be included on your family account. First you must subscribe by visiting our BOOKSTORE to become a member. Children's accounts can be activated by visiting the MY ACCOUNT page after logging in, or at the time of purchase. Near the top-left of your screen, you will see the licenses that are available. CLICK on a license to activate a child's account. You will be asked to enter your child's name and choose a password. You can purchase additional family accounts if you have more than three children.

How do I change my e-mail address or password?

To change your email address or password, login and go to the MY ACCOUNT page. CLICK the e-mail address listed in the top right corner of the screen and choose either the "change e-mail address" or "change password" option. Changing the e-mail address will change it for everyone using the account, parents and children. To change the password for a child’s account, CLICK the STUDENT ACCOUNT link under the book with your child’s name on it. Choose the “Change Password” option.

Is Orphs of the Woodlands a story or a curriculum?

Orphs of the Woodlands is both a story and a curriculum. As your child reads the story of a gray squirrel who is an orph in the Woodlands, the importance of learning is emphasized. The main character does a variety of jobs in order to support a settlement of orphaned critters. Before undertaking each job, a lesson is presented. Thus, your child will learn as lessons are seamlessly interwoven into the story.

What types of lessons are included in The Treasure of HighTower?

The Treasure of HighTower  includes lessons in a variety of subjects:
Math: place value, decimal point, reading large numbers, lines, angles, basic geometry, algebra, union of sets, the abacus, and much more

Science: pH and acidity, lever and fulcrum, sound waves, animal facts

Language: punctuation, capitalization, homonyms, Latin quotes

Vocabulary: hundreds of vocabulary words (rollovers show word families)

Thinking Skills: reading comprehension (your child creates spy files on each character); memory games that train your child to pay attention

Life Skills: cooking, nutrition

Character: inspirational quotes, the study of character

The Arts: tessellation, short lessons on art topics

Where can I find the Latin Lessons?

Orphs of the Woodlands teaches an appreciation for Latin by including common Latin sayings and phrases. Latin is included under Language and can be viewed by logging into the parent’s MY ACCOUNT page. Click the VIEW SKILLS link on the book with your child's name on it. Click on Language and look for the lessons that say “Latin”. Other Latin phrases are included in the story in addition to those that are listed here.

What are Word Families and how are they used to teach vocabulary?

As your child reads, hundreds of rollovers show synonyms for words in the story. Synonyms are used instead of definitions because they expand your child's vocabulary more than a definition. For example, if 5 synonyms are presented, your child has learned five words instead of one. These word groups are called word families. The synonyms listed in a word family are arranged from the easiest to the most challenging. The first word tells the child what all the other words in the word family mean.

My child loved reading The Treasure of HighTower. Are there more books in the series?

The response to The Treasure of HighTower  has been overwhelming. It is the first in the series, The Orphs of the Woodlands.  More books are in progress. When completed, the series will cover the entire curriculum for one year of school in the subjects included.

I want to tell my friends about StarToaster.com and was wondering if you offer any specials?

We don’t offer any discounts or sales on our site, but we do send coupons to members so that they can invite friends. Keep a lookout in your email for coupons to share with your friends.

Can I see my child’s progress?

If you are a member, a Skills Page is provided that shows all of the lessons that are available for your child, as well as which lessons your child has completed. Login and go to the MY ACCOUNT page. Click the VIEW SKILLS link on the book with your child's name on it. There are fun lessons in each of the categories listed. CLICK on any subject to view the lessons and “jobs” for that subject. CLICK a REVIEW link to see a Lesson. CLICK on DONE TRAINING to view a job. Then CLICK on the JOB LIST button to return to the skills page. A checkmark will appear on the SKILLS PAGE next to each “job” that is successfully completed by your child. For every ten jobs successfully completed, your child will get a pay raise, and the number in the shield goes up by one.

What does the two month subscription fee for The Treasure of HighTower  cover?

The Treasure of HighTower  is a reading adventure, an educational treasure, and a learning game that was designed to be completed in two months. The story is the length of a novel, which ties into over 300 academic lessons. At the end of each chapter, students are engaged in a challenging game. This learning environment is not supported by advertising. It is a safe place for children to learn with no outside links. Our low subscription fee enables us to provide exceptional content that will encourage your child to learn. Visit our BOOKSTORE to become a member.

How can I subscribe to The Treasure of Hightower   for more than two months?

Occasionally, additional time is needed to complete the program due to circumstances unique to a family. You can subscribe for additional months over your initial subscription for an extremely reasonable rate of $6.99 per month. Just login and visit the MY ACCOUNT page. Then click "Buy Extension" to subscribe for additional months.

My subscription has expired. How can I reactivate my account?

Your subscription expires after two months. You can subscribe for additional months over your initial subscription for an extremely reasonable rate of $6.99 per month. Just login using the email address and password from your expired account. Visit the MY ACCOUNT page. Then click "Buy Extension" to reactivate your account.

What payment methods do you accept?

Star Toaster accepts all major credit cards, as well as PayPal. If you do not have a credit card, many grocery stores sell pre-paid credit cards that you can use on our site. Simply purchase one of these from your local grocery store, and enter its information on our subscription page. You can visit our BOOKSTORE to subscribe.

Do I need to cancel my account after 2 months?

There is no need to cancel your account. Your subscription will automatically expire in two months, which is the amount of time it usually takes to complete the material. If you need an extension, you can subscribe for additional time by visiting the MY ACCOUNT page. You can always reactivate your account by signing in at www.StarToaster.com at any time. Just login and visit the MY ACCOUNT page. Then click "Buy Extension" to subscribe for additional months.

How do I subscribe for an additional month?

Additional 1 month extensions can be purchased for the reasonable rate of $6.99 per month. Visit the MY ACCOUNT page, then click "Buy Extension" to subscribe for additional months.

Can I get a refund if I decide not to use my subscription?

We want you to be completely happy, so we offer a money-back guarantee on our subscriptions. No questions asked. For a full refund, contact us using the customer support contact form at the bottom of this page. Please provide the email address that you use to login to your account.

What options do I have for payment?

When you sign up for StarToaster.com, you can choose to pay with either a credit card or through PayPal. We accept the following credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover.

I forgot my password.

If you are a member of StarToaster.com, and you have forgotten your password or would like to change it, you can use the "Forgot Password" link on the LOGIN PAGE to receive a new password.

I do not have an account.

Before you can log into our site, you will need to purchase a two month subscription. This can be purchased from our BOOKSTORE. The story, curriculum, and game are designed to be completed within 2 months. However, if you would like more time for your child, additional 1 month extensions can be purchased for the reasonable rate of $6.99 per month. Visit the MY ACCOUNT page, then click "Buy Extension" to subscribe for additional months.

I used to be a member. How can I reactivate my account?

If your subscription has expired, you can subscribe for additional months for the reasonable rate of $6.99 by logging in at www.StarToaster.com using your old login information. Go to the MY ACCOUNT page. Then click "Buy Extension" to reactivate your account.

What are the system requirements to run StarToaster.com?

We recommend the use of a monitor with a 1024x768 or higher screen resolution, and a modern release of Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, or Internet Explorer (such as Internet Explorer 8 or highter).

How can I fix something that is not loading?

Refreshing (that is, reloading the page you are on) your browser can usually fix problems associated with loading properly. If this does not fix the issue, try restarting your computer and logging back in to your StarToaster.com account. Make sure your Internet browser is updated. Clearing cookie (temporary files stored on your computer) can also help.

How do I get started?

You can subscribe to Orphs of the Woodlands by visiting our BOOKSTORE. The story, curriculum, and game are designed to be completed within 2 months. However, if you would like more time, you can extend your subscription at any time. Once you have subscribed, you will need to set up accounts for your children. You can do this by logging in and visiting the MY ACCOUNT page. There you will find links for activating each account you have purchased. Parents and children use the same email address to login, but each have different passwords.

How do I see my child’s progress?

If you are a member, a Skills Page is provided that shows all of the lessons that are available for your child, as well as which lessons your child has completed. Login and go to the MY ACCOUNT page. Click the VIEW SKILLS link on the book with your child's name on it. There are fun lessons in each of the categories listed. CLICK on any subject to view the lessons and “jobs” for that subject. CLICK a REVIEW link to see a Lesson. CLICK on DONE TRAINING to view a job. Then CLICK on the JOB LIST button to return to the skills page. A checkmark will appear on the SKILLS PAGE next to each “job” that is successfully completed by your child. For every ten jobs successfully completed, your child will get a pay raise, and the number in the shield goes up by one.

How do I change the name of the main character that my child chose?

Your child chooses the name of the main character in the story when filling out the Application to become a “spy” for the WAK Underground. Your child can change the name or other information on the application by logging into their account, clicking on their username on the top right corner, and then clicking on the “Application” link.

How do I change my e-mail address or password?

To change your email address or password, login and go to the MY ACCOUNT page. CLICK the e-mail address listed in the top right corner of the screen and choose either the "change e-mail address" or "change password" option. Changing the e-mail address will change it for everyone using the account, parents and children. To change the password for a child’s account, CLICK the student’s name under “Student Accounts”. Choose the “Change Password” option.

How do I add another child to the account?

Up to three children can be included on each family account. You can purchase additional family accounts if you have more than three children. Subscribe by visiting our BOOKSTORE to become a member. Children's accounts can be activated by visiting the MY ACCOUNT page after logging in, or at the time of purchase. Near the top-left of your screen, you will see the licenses that are available. CLICK on a license to activate a child's account. You will be asked to enter your child's name and choose a password. A book will appear on the screen with your child’s name on it. Important statistics showing your child’s progress as well as the skills they are learning are shown on this book.