Category: Review

Blue Ribbon Winners 2016 : Homeschool Review Crew

11/19/2016

Look what I received this week:

I'd like to invite you to continue on with the Homeschool Review Crew in 2017!

Isn't that great? Last year I did 23 reviews for the crew most of which I liked, but not all that I continued to use.

I thought you might like to know which reviews we are continuing to use.

Foreign Languages

You will find my review for Middlebury Interactive Languages here. My son continues to be interested in learning German. He is also using Duolingo, both programs teach German but have a different method of teaching it.

I am not convinced that we will finish the course before our time runs out and we've had vacation and some health issues, meaning we've missed a few weeks and therefore will need to do some back tracking.

Science

We have a science program that we like, but my lad has this interest in astronomy, enough so that he was looking information up on youtube. :) Therefore it's a natural thing that Apologia Astronomy is a favourite in this household. Experiments and information, is there anything more a boy could ask for in a science program?

Bible.

For bible we had two reviews that we did, Grapevine which exercises my son's creative talents, and Veritas Press. Although we LOVE both products, the one my son ASKS to do is Veritas Press. this make it the winner in this category. I will often come in from chores and find him already hard at work.

Games

We reviewed two games this year.
Sunya (a math game) and Flipstir (a logic game).

Of the two my son loved Sunya and often plays it with his gramma. He finds it an easy game to play, and likes the gramma enjoys playing it with him. Between Sunya and Chess, math is covered when he goes and visits (and needs to do some school too).

I, on the other hand, had a distinct fondness for Flipstir. I remember getting frustrated by it and having my international student come along and sort it out and even give a hint about solving it. It was an excellent smile for us.

Varied Subjects

We reviewed a number of programs that are great supplementary programs, from doing copywork, to notebooking, to online multi-subject programs. It's hard to make a choice, but I have to go with the one the we continue to use. Homeschool Copywork. A nice program, that is non-complicated to use, has elements that delight my boy, scripture and quotes, all round a good product.

I am not going to comment on the various math programs we tried out. There were elements to each that my lad liked, but until this fall math really wasn't his thing. We have a math program that he likes and at this point he's unwilling to even think about a different math program. :)

Notable Mentions

I do have a couple of notable mentions Carole Roman books. History books written in a story format. HUGE hit with my lad and CrossTimber, who name meaning gifts are so well done and the service so excellent I'd be lax if I didn't mention them.

I hope you have enjoyed this look through the year, and we check out our favourites. Good products and programs that we like in our home.

Cities, Cities Everywhere

11/17/2016

Cities are huge places, busy and so full of everything. Government workers, hospitals, emergency vehicles, transportation of all sorts. Families living, people working, running about their daily lives.

It can be a jumble of noise and confusion.

Now imagine that you have NEVER lived in a city and you have just moved there? Wouldn't you like to know more? Wouldn't you want to understand just what you have gotten yourself into? These books reviewed, should help.

I’m currently reading a book about a lad facing that exact scenario. He’s moved off a military base, a sheltered environment, with a smaller scope of people to interact with. He’s now living in New York city and he’s stunned by everything going around him. Would have been nice if he could have had The Cities Book (Lonely Planet Kids) and How Cities Work (Lonely Planet Kids). These two books, work together, to show how cities work and the beauty that can be found with them.

How Cities Work has been put together by James Gulliver Hancock.

It is a really well done lift the flap book.

Embark on a journey from the start of a city, a small gathering of buildings in the country with farms and wildlife all around. Through construction and work and organization gradually a city develops. Led through the building of roads and industry, superhighways, trains and parking lots.

We get to see people at work, people with families, shopping, moving, living. Tunnels being dug with large machines. Skyscrapers, parks, subways and more. If it's in a city, you'll find it in this book.

Every page with flaps to lift and/or pages to fold out

The Cities Book (Lonely Planet Kids) is a gorgeous book filled with a mixture of real life pictures and graphics to portray the beauty of cities from around the world. There are cities in this book from all over the world, every continent. Be amazed at the differences, similarities and all the amazing discoveries you can make.

Each page delineates clearly where it is located in the world, and gives the highlights of each city. For instance, Hong Kong is the Hollywood of the East, Montreal hosts the biggest bell in North America, in Addis Ababa Easter is celebrated with a meat feast and Seoul has taxis specially marked for those who don't speak Korean. Interesting facts from around the world.

Now don't you agree with me?

Wouldn't these be great books to introduce children (and others) to the wonders that make up cities... both in operation and what makes each one special. 86 Cities explored, countries from around this entire world.

This later book, the Cities Book, will be staying as part of our resource collection. As we travel around the world in our studies it will add a great dimension don't you agree?

Raincoast books has generously provided me with these books.
The Cities book is published by Lonely Planet Kids, is 212 pages long and is approximately 10 x 12. Good images and graphics, great text, good overview of 86 cities from around our planet.
How Cities Work is written by James Gulliver Hancock and also published by Lonely Planet Kids. 24 pages (feels like more) and 11 x 10 inches approximately. Lift the flap or open the page and discover all about how cities work.

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Christmas Books, Where Jesus Slept, a Review

11/15/2016

Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!

Over the next few weeks I plan to bring some Christmas books your way. Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as we do. Connecting with different aspects of our lives here in Ontario. :)

Do you know what we celebrate at Christmas? For those of faith in the bible, Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus.Growing up my parents made a distinct effort to help us see the difference between celebrating the birth of Christ, and the act of having presents. They never went overboard in the gift-giving department, and I try to follow that same pattern in our home now. We open presents on Christmas Eve, which makes for a nice meal together and a great evening, this leaves Christmas Day for Church services and a quiet day remembering that without the Lord coming to earth there would be nothing worth celebrating.

Today I bring you a lovely book called "Where Jesus Slept".

Simple repetitive verse make up this book, each page adding another line to the story of where Jesus slept.

Not only that, the illustrations by Katy Hudson are stellar.

When you put it all together, you have a sweet Christmas book for your younger children. Geared for ages 4-8.

All told, Norma Lewis and Katy Hudson put together a great, 32 page book to introduce your young ones to the true meaning of Christmas. The celebration of the promise that God made for us.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Format: jacketed hardcover
Trim size: 10x10
Page count: 32
Retail price: $16.99
Reading age: 4-7

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Amazon.ca : Where Jesus Slept Amazon.com : Where Jesus Slept

Review: Marie Curie for Kids

11/7/2016

Did you know that today is Marie Curie's birthday today? Doesn't that make it the perfect opportunity to talk about this great new book meant for children to learn all about Marie Currie?

21 experiments in the book allow children to jump into different aspects of Marie Curie's life.... like working on experiments that do the unexpected... shall we make elephant toothpaste perhaps? Or make a write a letter, make a vision board, make a little curie or split water as you learn about the atomic bomb. I love that the experiments engage the children in different ways. Not all science experiments or language arts activities. Variety is such a good way to keep the interest alive.

9 chapters, 131 pages, filled in information, broken down into an easy to understand format and language. So many pictures to make it all come to life.

See Marie working in her lab, growing up in her family, meet her parents, the places that she worked at and musicians she listened to.

I've reviewed another Chicago Review Press book called Michelangelo for Kids. I need to tell you how much I like how these books are set up.

Timeline at the front of the book so you know how the person's life progresses.
Chapters with enough information to help you feel informed about an area in the person's life, with a great activity or two, to follow it up.

Clear easy writing style.
Tons of pictures that fit and aren't just filler.
21 different activities to do and experiments to conduct

This book is written by Amy M. O'Quinn and she's done a great job of introducing me and my son to Marie Curie. I am looking forward to one day using this book as part of a co-op class with group of children. It will be fun to do. :) Almost all the work and research is already done for me. Such a great resource to add to my collection of "ooh... I want to do this in a class someday" books.

The only thing I can think of to make it better would be a list of questions for students to answer at the close of each chapter.

A courtesy inclusion of the amazon links to aid in you finding your own copy of this great book. An excellent resource for your classroom. They are affiliate links and only help support my blogging habit, and will be much appreciated if used. :) They do not affect your bottom line in anyway.

Amazon.ca Link: Marie Curie for Kids: Her Life and Scientific Discoveries, with 21 Activities and Experiments Amazon.com Link: Marie Curie for Kids: Her Life and Scientific Discoveries, with 21 Activities and Experiments (For Kids series)

Review: One of The Few

11/6/2016

Jason B. Ladd has written a compelling story about his life as a pilot, Marine and Iraq War veteran. His life was changed when his life was touched by God.

Throughout this book we caught glimpses of Jason's life as a Marine.

He presents a compelling defense of the Christian faith.

It took Jason a while to form a Christian worldview. He didn't start life believing in God until he was married, his wife a believer. As he formed his Christian Worldview, he took to heart the message of the gospel, and through this book he pushes people to take their faith seriously, to let it make a difference in their life.

In One of the Few you will find a book divided into three sections, 27 chapters. 297 pages long.

Life lessons through real life stories with strong encouragement to consider what your faith means. Lessons that delve into the nature of God, who he is. Lessons about how we show what's important to us.

Sentiments like these are laced throughout the book. Then we get to see those principles in action, shown through the life that Mr. Ladd lived. He lived a great life, and he learned well the importance of living a life bent for God.

My Opinion:
There is much about One of the Few that I appreciated.   I read almost half way through before I started to lose interest. And I'm sorry, because I really wanted to like the entire book.    I really liked the first half of this book, seriously. It made me think and ponder, rejoice over lessons learned and his coming to faith.

I wanted a book about a man of faith, who lived his life by that faith, and interspersed wisdom within those stories. This is how the book started for me. As the book progressed I found that wisdom taking time away from the stories that showed his faith in action. So instead of having a book about his life with wisdom interspersed, I started to find a book about how to live the Christian life (non-fiction based) with stories inbetween and it started to feel more preachy and less life-lived.   And that is NOT a bad thing, but just not where I am at right now.

Right now I wanted the encouragement of a life lived in faith, not a "this is what you should be mindful of" book.

There is SO much to learn from Jason Ladd and I will be keeping this book and I will be sharing it with others, and in time I will complete and I will write a different review.   But my headspace isn't where it needs to be right now for this book.

One of the Few
Author: Jason B Ladd
297 pages.
Available also as ebook
Booksite: One of the Few
Website: Jason B. Ladd
Media Kit: available here.

Name Meaning Gifts with CrossTimber, A Review

10/25/2016

My son has a meaningful birthday coming up so when the CrossTimber review came up I thought WAY COOL!!! This will work for my lad, and help make the birthday celebration more meaningful. My lad so fits his name, it's amazing, and what a nice way to honour the young man he is becoming.

I immediately contacted John and Katie (since I live in Canada) to talk with them about the best way to do my order. I had initially talked with them about getting some bookmarks along with a name plaque for my lad, but settled on just getting the name plaque, without the frame, since shipping to Canada has it's own challenges eh? :) They were SO nice to deal with. Talking me through the pros and cons and different options. Just marvelous customer service.

Isn't it just gorgeous? I am so impressed, my camera pic simply doesn't do it justice. Printed on a heavier quality paper you can just tell it will stand up over the years, especially once I get it into a nice frame.

I love that a personalized bible verse that my lad will be memorizing was chosen to be in his plaque. This was the first bible passage that I memorized, so it's fitting. Funny how God works things out eh?

So how did I go about getting this wonderful name plaque gift for my lad?

When you got to CrossTimber you will see a blue search bar at the top of the page, this bar leads you to all the products AND all the variations that you can use. For the purpose of showing you I clicked on "castles and lighthouses".

See that arrow button on the bottom? You use that button to scroll through the various options which pop up in the frame scene so you know what you would be getting. You can add various options like a bookmark, pocket card, and so forth.

I thought all I was ordering was the name plaque, but I also received a pocket card and and these beautiful book marks. Check them out eh? These are quality bookmarks which would stand the test of time and use. Makes me think about getting a few more done for folks at our church...

Along with these lovely bookmarks, I was sent a couple of cards, here is a front and back view.

CrossTimber started from a bullied fellow who chose to be kind instead of retaliating, using love and kindness to change his sphere of influence. The owners are kind, caring individuals who work hard to meet the needs of their clientele, sharing meaningful verses and name meanings. They sell a variety of name meaning gifts and prices vary depending on the item. They apparently haven't found a name yet they can't work with.

90 of us from the Homeschool Review Crew took at look at CrossTimber. Most of us order Name Plaques, but some of ordered other items. You really should go check them out. Who knows, maybe you will be inspired to consider special day presents for those in YOUR sphere of influence, Christmas, birthdays, or simply just because.

If you do choose to order, note the following discount applies.

One more lovely thing for you to consider before you go. CrossTimber is hosting a giveaway. I know!!! Neat eh? Click the image below to be taken to the giveaway location. Thanks eh?

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meaning.name/
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/crosstimber

Learning German with Middlebury, a Review

10/25/2016

"Mom", queried my son "Can I learn German?" This a day after I mentioned that we had a chance to do a review for Middlebury Interactive Languages. Therefore, for the past few weeks, we've been studying German with the online language course Middle School German 1.

Middlebury is a company that has created online coursework that teaches the student through a course that is rich in sight, sound and written work. Each Middle School Course provides 90 days of content. The material neither dry or boring, but filled with native speakers providing content in a variety of ways to meet the needs of different students.

Middle School German 1 is a foreign language study program geared for youth in grades 6-8, my son is just starting 6th grade. We have been working with this course for three days (Tuesday - Thursday) every week and we are making progress. :) It helps that the German language is somewhat similar to Dutch which is the language of my parents. I won't say that we are moving through the course quickly as they cover alot of material in one lesson, but joy oh joy... Middlebury is set up in such a way that we can go back over lessons until a lad feels more confident in his abilities. :)

When you first go to the Middlebury course you land on the dashboard, which shows you, three things. 1. any announcements 2. where you are in the course 3. where you would be in the course if you followed their schedule.

I have to admit, when I first saw where the schedule would have us I kinda panicked, thinking that we were already behind and how in the world would we ever catch up, but then I realized that we could work through the course at our own speed and it would turn out just fine. :)

We are currently in the middle of lesson six, each lesson has a number of interactive panels to help you learn what the lesson topic is. This includes both listening, speaking and writing skills. My son and I are working on this course together, so occasionally I will say "Doesn't ________________ mean _____________?" Or I'll ask him, where are our German sheets? Will they help us out? It's funny though, as sometimes I will have no clue what they are talking about and the lad will say "Mom, he's asking how you are doing today". (or something else). So learning together is definitely aiding us. Anyways, back to one our favourite parts of Middlebury...the abililty to move back and forth in the lesson.

If you look in the upper corner of the lesson photo you will notice a little button that says "browse activities". If you click that you will come to this page. The check marks show activities completed, the colour pages show work left to do. You can skip around forward and back until you think you have a good grounding in the lesson taught. We love this feature! :)

As you work through the lessons, they have a rolling sidebar that shows your progress through the lesson.

My son likes this bar as he's learned we scroll up to five panels back and forth in the course of a day, so he uses this screen to count.

What can I say...like every child he likes to know when his lessons are over.

He is liking the learning of German, but he also finds it hard, much harder than he thought it would be.

I've been suggesting that we will occasionally have meals where we will practice our German using flash cards... he thinks that might be fun but hard to do. Good to put a challenge forward for the lad eh?

Our Thoughts:
My Son's:
I like it, most of the time it is easy, it is not too hard. Most of the different activities are easy, a few of them are challenging, I like that they have different things I can do.
Mine:
Overall I like it. I have found it advantageous to move back and forth within a lesson to help with retention as it is a quick moving program. It does an excellent job of covering each lesson material in a variety of ways which helps ensure the student is learning utilizing different skills.

Being able to print off a PDF of our lessons has been a great boon to our study, and I have found the support by Middlebury to be second to none. Every time I have a question, or can't find the sheet I want to print off, all I have to do is ask and they are immediately helpful.

It has been great to catch the "I got that" moments. Or when he corrects me in my pronunciation or in defining words. I LOVE THAT. I have to say the Middlebury Interactive Languages works well. My son and I are learning to speak German and I hope that we can meet a German-speaking person sometime so that we can actually practice our burgeoning language skills! Wouldn't that just be fun? :)

The crew reviewed materials the courses below. Click in the image to see what other reviewers thought about these online language courses.

Spanish Courses
French Courses
German Courses
Chinese Courses

Price for the Middle School German 1 course is $119, prices for the other courses varies greatly from $119-319, depending on course and level taken.

You have the course for a whole year, along with excellent support from the staff.

Social Media Links:
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Middlebury-Interactive-Languages-141015515949753/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddInteractive @middinteractive
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/middinteractive/

Review: Natural Disasters

10/21/2016

Natural Disasters... they happen all the time. Wild weather, wild water, wild temperature extremes and more. Do you want to help your children understand them?
Here's a book that will help: The Ultimate Interactive Guide to Natural Disasters.

What you get:

48 page fact book
27 x 20" poster
3-D Volcano Model to Assemble
Spinning Tornado Model
Coil bound hardcover
Full colour pages

What Did I Discover:

Clearly presented information
Simple drawings to help explain systems such as water and weather cycles
21 chapters
Coil binding so it lays flat
Maps and diagrams
Tables
Cut outs
Excellent explanation of the global impact
Introductory sections for each new disaster

Intriguing Factoids to Whet Your Curiousity

Did you know that sometimes when lightening hits sandy ground it can turn solid?
Storms are named so,we know which major storm is being talked about as there can be more than one happening at once
Can you imagine a heat so hot it can melt roads?
There is a lake under the glaciers called Lake Vostok. Scientists investigate.
Sandstorms change the colour of the sky.
Cenotes, in Mexico.

What do I think?
This book would be excellent to let children read alone, or use as a spine for a larger study of natural disasters around the world. Little tidbits just begged to be studied more, for instance, I want to teach my lad more about the Cenotes in Mexico. This book is a great introduction to how the world works in regards to natural disasters.

The Ultimate Interactive Guide to Natural Disasters

Author: Ian Graham
Illustrations: Simon Morse and Simon Taylor

Pages: 48
Publisher: SilverDolphin

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

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Review: The Artisan's Wife

9/30/2016

Nuts about Books sent me this Judith Miller book called "The Artisan's Wife". It's a sweet romance that touches on a hard subject. Do note that affiliate links may be used in this post, provided for your assistance, and may prove beneficial to my blog. Any help you offer is much appreciated.

In the world of the late 1800's in West Virgina, Ainslee McKay is in for a shock. Her twin sister has eloped and left her holding the bag.

Someone has to manage the tile works, and Ainslee needs to be the one to handle it, whether she wants to or not. She finds herself in need of a new employee, enter Levi Judson, a talented tile maker who is also a designer... with a need for long term employment.

What follows is how two people, work past secrets and learn to trust each other.

There were some good thoughts scrattered throughout the book, this one in particular caught my eye.

So what did I think? I enjoyed the another book in this series called The Potter's Lady, and thought that another would appeal as well. One of the things I appreciated in Judith Miller's writing is that, the book is not all about the romance between two people. It's also about a greater issue, and in this one the characters needed to learn about honesty, trust and seeing people for who they really were, loving them notwithstanding. If I can find it sometime, I think I'd like to read the first in this series.

The Artisan's Wife

By Judith Miller
Series: Refined by Love

Publisher: Bethany House

Pages: 333
Type: romance, light, historical, fiction

Overall verdict: Good book

Your Powerful Prayers, a review

9/24/2016

Affiliate links may be used in this post. They don't affect your bottom line but may prove to be a blessing to me in my household and the running of this blog. Thanks :)

Today I have for you a different prayer oriented book, non-fiction, written by Susie Larson. I have not made it all the way through this book yet, that will take some time, but it's a great book, let me tell you why.

First a bit about the author: Susie Larson is a talk show host, according to her Facebook page, her goal is to draw people into a deeper relationship with God so they can live a more powerful life on earth. Know God more, live out your faith better. :)

The book is divided into three main sections

God, your fortress
God, your father
Jesus, your king

With each section further divided into four chapters.

Written in an engaging style. Filled with scripture and quotes from a variety of sources, Ms Larson draws the reader into the heart of God through prayer.

I loved how she made the book good for single or corporate use. With Personal as well as group reflection questions. She shares from her heart and life to draw us to think deeply about our lives and the things of God. What stops us from moving forward into our relationship with God?

Ms. Larson whole focus, it seems throughout the book, is to help people know how to pray, how to know the Lord more, how to move past "our stuff" so we can see the heart of God more clearly. To that end she's pulled out quote to help us remember important ideas.

Not only did the author close off each chapter with prayer, she also included a variety of prayers in the back of the book, to help us learn to pray for things such as : prodigals, being equipped, your family, for who God makes us and more. Just aids to get one started in praying more effectively.

This is a book to learn and grow from.

As I said earlier, I have finished the book, I cannot vouch for everything written, but I've read a good portion of it, and worked through much of it and glanced through the rest of it so I could write you a good review.

My suggestion: if you want to learn to be a more effectual Christian and effective prayer warrior, pick up this book. Read, learn, grow. :) Read this book expecting to be be changed.

Canadians: Find this book here: Your Powerful Prayers: Reaching the Heart of God with a Bold and Humble Faith Americans, you can find it here: Your Powerful Prayers: Reaching the Heart of God with a Bold and Humble Faith

Your Powerful Prayers, reaching the hard of God with a bold and humble faith.

Written by Susie Larson.
Published by Bethany House.
Approximately 220 pages.

Provided by Nuts about Books