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A Vital Truth

6/11/2013

Today I was doing my devotions and was reminded of a vital truth in life.

Christ is Sufficient.

He really is. He is the firstborn of creation (a position of authority not of actual birthing). He is the one through him all things were made (remember he is the Word) and through him all things are sustained.

So it doesn't matter you know.. all the bookwork and learning and worrying if I'm doing it all right.

Christ is sufficient for all my needs and longings and hopes and dreams.

He is the one who is in charge. The creator of all that is important to me.

I need to trust him more. To rely on him more. To turn to him more.

My God iS my creator and sustainer.
And I am so humbled before him.

Let me now HOLD to that as I go into this week. Let me just HOLD ON

Review: Birdcage Press - Go Fish Ancient Egypt

6/8/2013

Did you know how nice and easy it is to get something that is simply FUN to do? We received a game from Birdcage Press to review that was simply fun. It is my pleasure to give you that review today. :)

Product Information

Vendor: Birdcage Press
Product: Go Fish for Ancient Egypt
Ages: 7+
Price: $10.95

I picked this game to review because my son loves the TV show Stargate SG-1 and I thought this would give me a chance to provide some background information to the show in question. It did that job.

Details on the product itself

Go Fish - Ancient Egypt photo birdcage-gofishAncientEgypt_zpsd2be6b43.jpg

Check out the detail on the cards. They are firm, not flimsy material. Glossy, easy to hold for adults, a bit tougher for children with smaller hands. Easy to lay out to see the details. The booklet that came along with gave more information than the cards did. There is a variety of ways to use them. You can play go fish, you can read through the book, you can pick out your favourite and say why, you can use them to test knowledge, all sorts of things.
Six areas are depicted

Gods
Goddesses
Symbols
Pharoahs
Mummies
Afterlife

Six cards for each area.
Each card lists the others in the series.
Each card also gives a bit of detail about the object depicted.

How we used it

We mostly just played the game of fish. The lad enjoyed this game so much he would take it along to play with friends. Their response was "I like it".

My son enjoyed laying them out and picking out his favourites. He mostly would pick the scarab beetle cause he likes bugs, and the cat mummies, cause well "I like cats Mom!" But regardless of which cards we picked out we would read about them, he read the words he knew and I helped with the rest. He didn't really like any of the afterlife ones and would try very hard not to collect that set (even to the point of inventing a trading game so he could get rid of them).

My son's method of picking was to call out the number on the side.
For good readers we called out the category.
We didn't play with anyone old enough to call out the name of a particular card, which is how older students would play it.

My Son's Reaction

My son's reaction to this game is "it's fun!" "I like to play this." "It makes me think of Stargate SG-1. That's a good show Mom."

BUT he struggled with holding all the cards in his hands. He would often lay them out on a chair or the table and ask me not to look at them.

My Reaction

This game met my objectives. It gave me a fun way to reinforce what was accurate in the TV show Stargate SG1, and to teach how shows sometimes change around facts to suit what they want to do. It's a game we go back to frequently and simply have fun at playing.

We've made up our own games as well (as my son loves to do that) and the cards have stood up well to the test of being used frequently.

We even managed to rope Dad into playing with us a couple of times and Dad agree that it was a good game. :)

And did you know that this game was the winner of the 2010 Parent's Choice Silver Award? That helps reinforce what a solid game that it really is. :)

The reaction of other reviewers

Other very fine folks have reviewed products from Birdcage Press as well. I invite you to click on the image below to go and read them.

Disclosure Policy

Today was a busy day

6/6/2013

We worked some more on the Insects study today. We learned about the different types of metamorphosis that insects go through. Complete (4 stage), incomplete (3 stages) and simple (three stages).

A question was raised for us though.... it told us that earwigs are imcomplete, but according to this picture and various other images, they are most likely to be classified as simple.

The above image taken from here.

We did some more work with Samson's Classroom. The lad gets quite vexed at times, but since he's forced to do the words correctly before he moves on, he's learning. :)

We did TWO pages out of Mammoth Math today. Mostly addition work. The lad seemed pleased with his efforts today, and really seemed to understand the "get it to 10 to make it easier). :)

Oh and I got the lad out for a bike ride. He continues to work on his confidence and his need to trust his mom and God to not let him get hurt. He's starting to figure out what the best speed for biking is for him. Just fast enough to make mom walk faster, but not too fast to be frightening. It is coming along just fine.

This afternoon we went up to a friend's house and helped her to put in her garden. She's recently had a baby so it's been a bit tough to get the garden in. She had the plants and the potatoes so it was just a matter of working together to get it done. I enlisted the help of the children for part of it (particularly in doing the potatoes).

Review: Christianity Cove

6/6/2013

photo christianitycovelogo_zpsb3aa66f4.jpg

Today I am doing a review for Christianity Cove. Christianity Cove features easy to do lessons and crafts.

Christianity Cove is your one-stop-shop for free Sunday School lessons, Bible games, crafts, skits and activities for Children's Church. Our blog features hundreds of fresh, fun, and creative ideas for helping your students understand the Bible and relate it to their own lives.

Vendor Information

Vendor: Christianity Cove
Product: The Lord's Prayer Lesson Pack
Price: an ebook. Normally #39.99 but currently on sale for $19.99. Meant for teaching a Sunday School Class or similar.
Age Range: My son is Seven years old. This study was great for his age. I could see using this with children 5-10 years old. With modifications you could use it for older children as well.

This is what you get:

Two object lessons that will grab kids’ attention and really get them to understand the importance and the value of the Lord’s Prayer!

Two games that are fun and will help kids understand each part of the Lord’s Prayer!

Three crafts that reinforce your teachings on the Lord’s Prayer – with these craft projects you won’t just be sending kids home with a craft, you’ll be sending them home with a message!

Songs that are designed for you to incorporate easily into your lesson — even if the only instrument you play is the spoons! (I put the Lord’s Prayer to a well-known song in the public domain so that the tune will be easily recognizable and teachable.)

Two snack projects that will help you reinforce the message, only this time using great-tasting food – you’ll be able to show your kids how things like Graham Crackers relate to prayer … which proves how God’s word is relevant to everything we do, including eating!

Two worksheets that help kids visualize all the concepts involved in the Lord’s Prayer!

Plus, there’s even a science lesson that shows kids how our prayers work in heaven … and a meditation lesson that will help kids put thoughts and images to the prayer to make it that much more meaningful!

How We Used It

We used the Lord's Prayer Lesson pack to learn more about the Lord's Prayer. We sat down and did it all in about three sit downs over the course of three weeks. We went through each object lesson, did the crafts and the activities. I didn't do the song as well... my boy child tends to dislike singing real songs and prefers to make songs silly. I didn't much want the Lord's Prayer turned into silliness. We spent a lot of time listening to various renditions of the Lord's Prayer as well. Some of this we did as asked in the Lesson Pack, and some we simply just chose to do because well.. we could. :)

Here my son is working on the Word Search. This was an enjoyable activity for us as we talked about the words, what they meant, and then raced to see how could find it first.

The good and the well...Not so good....

I can't say that this was a particularly good fit for us. Mostly do to differences in opinion or not really understanding the point the author was making.   There were times when I would say "HUH?" and then when I tried to explain it to the lad he would go "HUH?".. even pastor hubby didn't always get it. :)    I have to admit, we worked it through, but some aspects of it were a challenge.

For instance, the lesson where I'm to have a helper... um... I have one child, no assistant, so having a helper wasn't going to happen for me.   And the lesson was difficult (though not impossible) to do without a helper, just required some brain power on my part.   The rephrasing of the Lord's Prayer was difficult for us.     Some of the alternatives didn't make a lot of sense for us and we weren't sure where to fit them in.. BUT on a positive note, that lack of surety gave us ample opportunity to say "I don't know what fits, what do you think might be something that YOU could say that might fit here?" So that was good.

One of the crafts we worked hard at doing but just couldn't figure it out. My crafty boy tried hard but well... It just didn't turn out the way it was supposed to.   Not entirely sure why as we did follow instructions....

BUT I LOVED a couple parts of this lesson pack. The whole Oreo cookie with figuring out what prayer was... that clicked really well for me and my son.   The Wordsearch went over well and it was an excellent opportunity for us to talk about what the different words meant. We spent an enjoyed 15 minutes talking our way through the search.

This Lesson Pack did do what I wanted it to: It gave us the opportunity to learn more about the Lord's Prayer but more particularly to just talk about what prayer is all about. Our focus was not on memorization of the Lord's Prayer but on really understanding what prayer was all about.    Not quite the intention of the Lesson Pack, but it's how it worked for us.

I do encourage to to check out what other crew members have said about the Christianity Cove products.    Please CLICK HERE in order to read them.   Thank you.

Disclaimer

Robin's Nest in Action

6/5/2013

A church friend likes to send me various links to videos and what not. This time he sent me one on a robin's nest

You can find that link here.

Ah... here we go I found it on YouTube as well.

My son giggled at how the babies demanded food all the time.
and then when the one parent came back and the babies were gone? It was like.. mom.. the babies left without saying goodbye? Do all babies do that? Just leave without saying goodbye? That wasn't very polite of them. :)

Followers Needed Please

6/4/2013

Do you like my blog? I hope so. :)
I know that I enjoy sharing some of what the lad and I do during the day and the opportunities we get to review things.
I would LOVE to be able to continue to review things and share how they work in the home of a singleton boy.

BUT the Schoolhouse Review crew has revised it's mandates.
I will need to have 50 visible followers in order to continue on the crew.
That's just 12 more people.

Surely there are 12 people in the world who like my blog enough to sign up on my Linky Tools.

It would be a lovely encouragement to me as well. :) You have no idea how it does my heart good to see that I know have 38 people willing to say they are following me. :)

NOW.. how does one do this?   Go to the side bar. You'll see a box that says linky followers, and at the top of the box is a blue follow me. Click on that. It will take to you Linky Followers. Sign up (email and password) and voila! You are done.

Are there any strings attached? NO. No emails sent to your already getting full inbox.   It's very benign. Gives you an easy place to go if you so inclined to go there.   It's like a meeting house so to speak. You don't need to go there unless you want to.

So... if my blog at all blesses your heart, or inspires your creativity in teaching a child, or if you like that I actually do reviews, and put up recipes that are generally pretty good, then do my heart the encouragement and help me to continue support our homeschooling and sign up on the Linky Followers.

I would be so appreciative. :)   I'll even do some sort of a giveaway should we reach that magic number of 50. So 12 more people, come join us! :)

Insects and more

6/4/2013

My son is more and more using his reading skills in his learning.

Today we started a new program called Samson's Classroom. I was able to purchase this quite inexpensively through Educents.

Everyday of doing formal homeschooling (or is the hope) my son will be doing a new sight words list and working through a reading comprehension game. He will be practicing the spelling word list that I designed for him all week. These are words that he has struggled with pronouncing and reading on a regular basis or are taken from his reading program. The goal is to reduce memorization and to cement words into his brain better. :)

Today he showed me how well he knows some of the common sight words which is a confidence booster for him. Each level he needs to do perfectly in order to advance.

Oh Insects...where does that come into play?
We continue to work through our Insects Study from In the Hands of a child.

The lad is enjoying this study. Today we learned the exciting fact that Katydids hear through their knees. That struck the lad in interesting and kinda funny. But the Moon Moth totally intrigued him so we looked it up. They don't eat when they are fully mature, and then to live as adults for only one week (surviving only on what they took in as caterpillars). They go through five larval stages, changing colours at each stage. We read these online articles: Meet the Moon Moth and Wiki.

The above photo comes from this source.

The lad also continued this morning to work through mammoth math. This morning's sheet was a puzzle he needed to solve in order to answer a question. The lad had fun doing it but was highly disappointed in the answer.
The question: how do you get a giraffe in the refrigerator?
The answer: open the door. Put the giraffe in. Close the door.

Made me laugh, but the lad was just ... but mom, that won't work, giraffes are too big to fit in, you have to shorten him first!

This afternoon the lad will go for a bike ride (phys ed) and do some horitcultural work with me (planting our beans and moving his broccoli around a bit to make room for our own veggies).

We've continued to enjoy our bird feeders and I am hopeful to put up a finch feeder this afternoon and to get the lad to help me protect one or two of our feeders from the grackles. I like grackles but they will eat a feeder empty in one afternoon and I can't afford to feed that many birds, eating that much food, ALL THE TIME.

this captures perfectly how hard the grackles will work to get free food. They don't fit on the feeder, but boy oh boy will they try hard to do so. They flap and flap and work and work. They do succeed IF they are the smaller grackles, the bigger ones just can't. :)

Oh! It was rather cool on the way home last night. I saw a smallish turtle on the side of the road. So we stopped to take a look. It was rather neat. It was a wild eastern painted turtle. :)

We didn't mean to, but we made him hiss at us. It was a soft but determined KR--ISS. He threatened us with an open mouth and everything. But the lad commented something to the affect of "Mom, why do people call turtles slow, he can really scurry away fast". But I pulled him out of the grass a few times so we could take a good look at him. He was quite determined to get away from us and as soon as he was put down would get as far into the grass as we could. When we were one looking at him, we made a path in the grass for him to get through more easily and he used it speedily to get away and down into the ditch.

This encouraged some research on the boys part. How do you tell a girl turtle from a boy turtle? The size of the tail for the most part. Boys have a longer, heavier tail.

Forward>>

A Vital Truth

Review: Birdcage Press - Go Fish Ancient Egypt

Product Information

Details on the product itself

How we used it

My Son's Reaction

My Reaction

The reaction of other reviewers

Disclosure Policy

Today was a busy day

Review: Christianity Cove

Vendor Information

How We Used It

The good and the well...Not so good....

Disclaimer

Robin's Nest in Action

Followers Needed Please

Insects and more

Who Am I?

Archives

Categories

2013 TOS Reviews

Other Reviews

A Vital Truth

Review: Birdcage Press - Go Fish Ancient Egypt

Product Information

Details on the product itself

How we used it

My Son's Reaction

My Reaction

The reaction of other reviewers

Disclosure Policy

Today was a busy day

Review: Christianity Cove

Vendor Information

How We Used It

The good and the well...Not so good....

Disclaimer

Robin's Nest in Action

Followers Needed Please

Insects and more

Who Am I?

Subscribe to our mailing list

Archives

Categories

2013 TOS Reviews

Other Reviews