The Shepherd's Stone and The Lion's Roar: A Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Review

We have had the pleasure of reviewing books from The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series two times before and each time the kids adore them!  WorthyKids Books has brought joy to our house again with the next two installments, Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd's Stone (Book 5) and Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Lion's Roar (Book 6).  If your elementary students have never read any of these books, today is the day to start!  As Christian parents, we want Bible stories to come alive to our kids, but ancient words on a page sometimes get stuck in translation.  Each book magically transports Peter and Mary to Biblical times where they race against the clock to solve secrets of the scrolls before they are stuck back in time! They kids get to spy on events like Noah's ark and the battle at Jericho, bringing a kid's eye view to some of the most fantastical events in our history.

What We Received:

We received the next two books in the series.  Both are paperback and over 100 pages and at least 12 chapters.  There are great black and white illustrations at least every 3 or 4 pages.

The Shepherd's Stone takes the kids to David as a shepherd boy and a pack of wolves, they witness the kingdom of Israel and it's enemies the Philistines.  The kids get the chance to hear about David's faith and where his strength comes from!  

In The Lion's Roar, they travel to Babylon where they meet Shadrach and hear about he and his friends' trial by fire years ago.  Then they are introduced to Daniel and the trouble he's having with the high priest.  As the children hide from the high priest with some help from a local friend, Hannah, they witness Daniel's  commitment to God and punishment to the lion's den. 

Who Is It For?

The reading levels of each book is around 2nd grade.  My 8 year old races through each book in a day because he is voracious reader, but also because he loves a good adventure book.  They are simple enough for 6 year old to read and enjoyable enough for 3rd grader to beg for.  As the author continues to add books, I'm certain my son will want to read them despite their ease simply because he's invested now.

What the Kids Thought:

It goes without saying that my 6 and 8 year old enjoy reading these books. When I asked them why, I was told it was because it had to do with the Bible.  They really seemed to connect with these familiar Bible stories presented from a different eye view.  It certainly helped that the series reminded them of certain other book series about a brother and sister that go on adventures to different times.  

What Mom Thought:

In addition to the Biblical reinforcement, the books make a point to label Satan and his forces within each story and then highlights how the children deal with that.  It's been a good exercise for my kids to wrestle with how they deal with Satan's temptations in their own life.  So much more than a fun book!

Would you like a chance to win all 7 of the books in this series? There is a giveaway going on right now! Follow this link to enter: http://bit.ly/ScrollsSweepstakes

Keep Up With Worthy Kids Books on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorthyKidsBooks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worthykidsbooks/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/worthykidsideals/

Wondering what other families thought? Check out everyone else's reviews at the link below!

Brain Blox: An Educational Wooden Toy Review

I've been reviewing educational materials for over 4 years now and rarely do I across items that are straight up bad or unpleasant.  For the most part, everything we try out has a good use and a proper place in someone's education.  What is rare is a 100% fun AND educational product that all three of my children (8, 6 and 2) can play with together at the same time!  Today's review from Brain Blox did just that! We're talking about Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks  - a set of unique blocks that provided my kids with a lot of imaginative and creative play time. 

 What We Received:

We were given a box of 200 planks and a booklet of ideas on how to use them. On top of that, their website provides some great printable ideas for free! Also in the box was a handy red string backpack that says brain blox on it. 

How It Works:

The slogan on the box is 'Imagine. Build. Repeat.' and that pretty much sums it up! There is no wrong way to use these fun blocks and there are a million right ways! They could be used as manipulatives in working out math problems.  They can top off any school day by 'assigning' students to build something from what they learned that day.  Say we learned about forests today - try your hand at building different kinds of trees.  There are ideas in the booklet included in the box and also examples online of what others have done.  The ideas are endless! Each plank is the exact same size, solidly made from New Zealand Pine. Storing the planks in the box it came in is useful if you are trying to stack things in your game closet, but storing them in the drawstring bag makes clean up faster. 

What We Thought:

All three kids were able to immediately dive in and play with these planks.  Their favorite thing to build was structures or houses with rooms in them.  When I would part with my phone, they would start taking videos of their creation and taking the viewer on a tour of each room!  It seemed pretty silly, but creative nonetheless.  The 9 year old created his own Jenga game to see how high he could get it without it falling.  My 2 year old mostly just stacked them into a big tower when he wasn't knocking over what his brother and sister built, but seemed to enjoy himself either way!  After being a parent for almost 9 years, we have acquired all kinds of toys and certainly a variety of blocks.  So, why would you need another set of blocks?  Maybe you don't, but I can honestly say we did not have anything quite like these that are big enough to handle easily in small hands, but small enough to create interesting designs.  

Her playground with teeter-totters and a zip line! 

Brain Blox on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mybrainblox
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainblox
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUttakNtthj_haX8LwRlwA


Do you have kids older than mine and looking for a different perspective?  Check out the rest of the Crew reviews through the link below!

A Progeny Press Study Guide Review

Giving a child a complete education is more than checking all the boxes and completing all the tasks.  What we are trying to do here - especially as homeschoolers - is to grow them!  Growth can come from a rigid schedule and all the right drills, but a deeper growth can come from a great conversation  with your family about something they've just read together.  It's easy and very tempting to get caught up in the concrete and quantitative, where we can see and testify that they 'learned' something today.  Slowing down to read something together and discuss things about it is sometimes hard, not because it is a complicated thing, but because we are so busy.  There's always more chores to do, errands to run and distractions to get hung up on.  My latest review highlights a beautiful process that has the potential to do more than just widen vocabulary and reading comprehension.  Today we're talking about The Long Way to a New Land Study Guide from Progeny Press.

What We Received:

We were given access to one digital file containing a 50 page document entitled The Long Way to a New Land Study Guide by Colleen Schreurs.  This document included activities like fill in the blank worksheets, short answer questions, definitions, crossword puzzle, family heritage activity suggestions, and a lot of discussion ideas pertaining to the students feelings if he were in the character's position.

How It Works:

A study guide is a document of exercises intended to aid the reader in pulling as much understanding out of the original text as possible.  How you use it is largely up to your discretion, but this study guide is divided up into before you read activities, activities based on each chapter and after you read activities.  In the Notes to the Instructor section, they recommend students reading the entire book first while doing some of the before you read activities and then reread each chapter as they go along in the study guide.  The exact order, while natural to go through sequentially, isn't vital for learning since all of the activities and subjects are related within the text.  This study is a great example of individualized education based on each student's pace and needs.  With 5 chapters and a host of pre and post reading activities, this study could be spread over several weeks if desired.  For most students this will require some parental involvement and some great discussions certainly enhance their learning.

What We Thought:

The most challenging part of this project was simply finding the book! Neither of the library systems we have access to had the book so we finally found a proper reading of it on the internet.  Everything past that was well-organized, straight-forward and value-added to the reading of the book.  My son is in 8 (almost 9) and all the activities seemed appropriately leveled including some easily done while others more challenging. For example, the vocabulary words were not a problem, but the pages that asked about the student's own feelings or how they would feel if certain things happened to them took a little more time.  Still, the empathy inducing questions were some of my favorites!  My kids struggle with appreciating how good they have it and tend to complain.  These types of discussions are important to keeping their perspective accurate rather than distorted by our culture's standards. 

According to their website, Progeny Press' mission is "To teach our children to think clearly, to understand literature, and to rely on the scripture for truth and values, and enjoy themselves while they do it!"  Based on this singular study guide, I can say that they are succeeding! From asking students to apply scriptures to characters actions to encouraging them to empathize with the characters, this study guide supports character building and alongside the initial reading comprehension! 

Follow Progeny Press on Social Media:

Facebook: facebook.com/progenypress
Twitter: twitter.com/progenypress
Pinterest: pinterest.com/progenypress

The Homeschool Review Crew reviewed a variety of study guides spread over several age levels.  If you are interested in another age or simply looking for another perspective, go ahead and click below! 

Our Visit to The Ark Encounter

HiGASFY Art History Video Series: A Review

On the surface art history probably sounds pretty dry to most people and I would agree that it certainly wasn't my most memorable class in school, but I think it's all about your perspective.  No matter the subject, I always love a good story and the product we're reviewing today capitalizes on the skills of a great story teller.   The  HiGASFY Art History Video Series is hosted by  Mrs. Beth and her animated friend Gasby who take viewers on a tour of 4 different art eras over 48 videos.  My kids were always asking to watch another video so they certainly didn't get bored with it!

What We Received:

We were given a 3 month subscription to the HiGASFY Art History Video Series  which includes access to all episodes covering 4 eras (Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Renaissance, and Baroque) - a total of 48 episodes, each about 20+ minutes long.  As a part of our subscription we were also given access to downloadable lesson plans, downloadable flashcards, and a game designed to test students retention of information called "Name That Artist." 

How It Works:

This program is designed for 1st - 8th grade students and can be as intense or light as you would prefer.  The videos are a strong education all by themselves where each one reviews what was learned last time and picks up where it left off.  Each video is a conversation between Mrs. Beth and Gasfy that switches between her art studio and various artworks and artists she's talking about.  Gasfy is cute and a fun element my kids enjoyed. These could be spread out to once a week or sometimes even watch two at a time.  The lesson plans, flash cards and Name That Artist game can all be used as much or as little as needed.  The lesson plans include art activities, vocabulary words, writing assignments, cross-curricular in Geography, History and Science.  With all of the video and downloadable content, you have more than enough for a great art curriculum! The Name That Artist is an easy and fun way to evaluate how much information is sticking.

What We Thought:

Since we were just starting a new science, history and Bible curriculum at the beginning of this review period, we opted to dive into the videos and see how it went.  Like I eluded to above, the kids loved the videos and always stayed very engaged.  My favorite has always been the Impressionist period so that's where we started and honestly I think I learned more (and cared more about what I learned) than I ever had before.  My 8 year old son told me it made him really want to paint realistically when I asked him what he thought of HiGASFY.  Since we didn't utilize the lesson plans or other materials much this time around, I do see how it would be fun to go through the videos again in a couple of years with the added activities and tests to increase knowledge and understanding.  I can especially see adding in painting activities being really fun and useful.  

We loved this series and would highly recommend it to anyone in the market for an art history curriculum!

 Keep Up With HiGASFY on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/higasfy/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/higasfy/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrNWpYDazk50FyV7AdKhkw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/higasfy/

Are your kids older than mine?  If you would like to get an older students perspective, check out all of the other reviews through the link below.

Cultivating Community as a Homeschool Family: A Fall Love Letter

All of us fall lovers have our reasons for getting so excited about this pumpkin spice and turning leaves time of year.  Cooler temperatures, cozy clothes, and harvest activities are all things anyone in their right mind would look forward to, especially in the midst of a still sticky September.  Still, there is something deeper about fall that can draw the heart in.  It makes tender moments feel closer and harsher times farther away somehow. My favorite thing about fall is also my favorite part of homeschooling - the opportunity to cultivate richer relationships.

When educating my children at home, the majority of our life is done in each other's presence with each other's input and help. Nobody is perfect and we're all growing, but since we are witnesses to the ups and downs, we celebrate and mourn together.  Isn't that what a community is for?  The fall is the a perfect time to see and be seen within our community - something that is sorely needed. I'm sure there is plenty of blame to go around, but our current culture is losing its sense of community and individuals are suffering every day because of it.  Anxiety, depression, and suicide aren't rare anymore.  Feelings of loneliness and insecurity are the rule - no longer exceptions.  With the rise of social media, we all felt like we were adding to our communities, but it is backfiring because we're losing our skills and opportunities to invest in those around us.  A Facebook group of filtered people that only live like I do is much more comfortable than the melting pot of people in my neighborhood or at the local places I visit.

As we enter this yummy season, take some time to think about ways you can cultivate a deeper relationship with your community.  As homeschoolers we are already doing that with our families, but don't miss the chances to spread it around further.  Have you ever thought about the community elements you might be creating by going to the same grocery store every week or taking 5 minutes to chat with someone while you wait rather than dive into your phone?  We're good at hiding on Instagram, but the statistics are screaming that we all just want more connection.  We want to feel a part of each others lives - especially those of us that are buried in nothing but disconnection.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Offer a hand.  Fall brings leaves to be raked, pruning to be done, and plenty of chores.

Make a seasonal treat.  Pumpkins and apples are everywhere, especially flavoring our favorite treat!  Make some apple butter or a few extra loaves of pumpkin bread to share with your neighbor.
 Having extra is a great excuse to connect!

Ask for help.  Whether it's a school activity or around the house project, asking for help is an easy way to include someone else in your miniature community.

Send Letters.  Your children have many people of service that impact their life every day, even without them realizing it.  Taking time to send them a letter from your kids thanking them and even asking questions about their job can be an important way to reconnect with those close yet so far away.

Look around.  From pumpkin patches to parties, you are likely to be bustling around your local community this fall.  Take some time to look up and really see the people around you.  Do they need help?  Could they use a smile and some encouragement?  The rich relationships you are building with your family are something everyone around us are craving for, even when they don't realize it.  So, let's be mindful of the blessing we can be just by living in a community.

This content was originally posted as a part of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew.

When Marriage Gets Worse Before It Gets Better

The refining years.

You don't know what you don't know.  That sums up marriage, doesn't it?  We're all good-hearted people here, but there is so much baggage that we're carrying with us that we don't even realize is there until it's silently causing problems everywhere.  With all the variables of jobs, kids, moves and extended family elements, every couple's timeline is different, but generally speaking there is a stage where a marriage gets worse before it gets better.  We don't usually like to talk about it because it feels like admitting to failure somehow, but I think that is a misconception.

You have likely read a story about how silver is refined in a fire and that it isn't purified until everything else is burned off at very high temperatures.  Marriage is a continual picture of this.  Our marriage may begin with impurities and it certainly can pick up dirt and unproductive films.  As we are going through life together we often have at least two choices.  We can all sit in our filth, allowing it to poison us against each other or we can endure the fires that allow us to throw off all the junk allowing this relationship to become this entirely new thing.  Your marriage just might get worse before it gets better, but it may be the only way for it to truly get better. 

Easy Grammar - Grade 1: An Easy Grammar Systems Review

Grammar is the kind of subject that a lot of people remember learning at some point, but that doesn't mean it stuck.  If you're like me, maybe you know what sounds right, but the details and rules of why are a little blurry.  The company behind today's review has designed their products for mastery learning - meaning you should expect it to stick!  Easy Grammar Systems, authored by Wanda C. Phillips, came from a teacher's experience in the classroom that just wasn't cutting it and prompted her to utilize a different way to teach grammar.  As a result we have Easy Grammar Systems and today we are getting to talk about Easy Grammar:  Grade 1.

 

What We Received:

We were given one soft-covered book, Easy Grammar Grade 1 - the Teacher Edition.  The book is divided into three sections.  The first section is Scope and Sequence that includes notes and suggestions for each day.  The second section is the student section with 180 pages of reproducible worksheets.  The last section is the Answer Key for all of the worksheets.

How It Works:

With 180 pages of worksheets, it is clearly designed for a complete school year.  Each daily lesson is 5-10 minutes of teacher led instruction and student practice.  However, within the Scope and Sequence it isolates different elements and indexes them for you as well.  For example, if you wanted to brush up on commas, all of the lessons and their various uses are listed for you.  Each lesson includes Capitalization, Punctuation, and Grammar principles and often revisits what was introduced the day before.  Since this is the Teacher's Edition, I do make a copy of the day's student worksheet.  If that is more time consuming than you would like, they do offer consumable student workbooks as well.

What We Thought:

While these lessons are very short and straight forward, if you are looking for something to teach itself, this might not be for you.  Sometimes I would print off a page and just tell my first grader to follow the instructions, but other times I would introduce each element before asking her to do anything.  Regardless of how I approached it, she usually had questions that required me to explain something.  So, it's not a hands-off program, but the book goes over and above to prepare the teacher  for all that will be required of them.

We really enjoyed the simplicity of this program.  As you have seen, the worksheets are nothing fancy, but the content is direct and short.  With every day reinforcing similar concepts in slightly altered ways, there was nothing burdensome about any of it.  My first grader felt confident and I was comforted that she was grasping some important concepts - especially as a foundation for the future.   Easy Grammar is an easy addition to any curriculum that ensures these important concepts are introduced and mastered.

Easy Grammar Systems on Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EasyGrammarSystems/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Easygrammar
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/easygrammarsystems/

The Review Crew looked at several products at various grade levels so make sure to check out the rest of the reviews if you are looking for something other than 1st grade.

Aldi Curbside!

Umm....ready for your life to be changed?