Broom and Crown

The Radical Book For Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 22:25:00 +0000

I received a book to review for you and I'm excited to share it! The Radical Book For Kids has already become a favorite of my 10-year old. In fact, I had to go digging around in her messy room to find it in order to review it myself.

About the book:

Take your children on a fascinating journey into the ancient roots of the Christian faith as they learn about men and women who trusted Jesus and stood for him in Champ Thornton’s new book, The Radical Book for Kids. Along with examining some of the most exciting realities in the universe, the handbook is vibrantly illustrated and chock-full of fun facts and ideas. Deep truths are communicated to elementary and middle-school aged kids while stimulating their curiosity and sense of adventure within a gospel-centered framework.

A kid-sized explorer’s guide to faith and life

The Radical Book for Kids is a fun-filled explorer’s guide to the Bible, church history, and life for boys and girls age 8 and up. Along with examining some of the most exciting realities in the universe, the handbook is vibrantly illustrated and chock-full of fun facts and ideas. Deep truths are communicated to elementary and middle-school aged kids while stimulating their curiosity and sense of adventure within a gospel-centered framework.

This power-packed book is “radical” in more ways than you might think! It is “radical” in the sense of the original meaning of the word, “going to the root or origin.” The Radical Book for Kids will take children on a fascinating journey into the ancient roots of the Christian faith. But it’s also “radical” in the more modern sense of being revolutionary. Kids read about men and women who learned to trust Jesus and stand for him—displaying radical faith—even when everything seemed against them.

But The Radical Book for Kids is also “radical”—meaning fun or cool—in the eyes of a child. Kids read about ancient weapons (and how to make one), learn about jewels, create pottery, discover ancient languages, use secret codes, locate stars, tell time using the sun, play a board game that’s 3,000 years old—and more.

Check out the table of contents, skip around, or read straight through. However a child chooses to explore it, The Radical Book for Kids will open new vistas for their imagination and help to make straight paths for their feet.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

{MORE ABOUT CHAMP THORNTON}

Champ Thornton grew up in the Carolinas. He is presently an associate pastor at Ogletown Baptist Church in Newark, Delaware. Beginning in 2003, he pastored in South Carolina and later served as director of SOMA, a ministry training school in Columbus, Ohio. Champ is also the author of “God’s Love: A Bible Storybook,” and of Bible curriculum for early and upper elementary-aged children.

Find out more about Champ at http://www.champthornton.com.

My thoughts, and those of my 10-year old daughter, are that this book is engaging to young minds curious to learn more about God's love, the Bible, what life was like in Biblical times, and how to apply Biblical principles to modern life. I think this book would be best targeted to 8-12 year old kids. The pages are colorful and full of images that help bring the learning to life. Chapters include: How to Understand the Bible, Great News! (or what it means to be a Christian), What To Do When You Are Afraid, friendship (how to be a friend AND choosing friends wisely), Eat This Book (or how to read the Bible), and How To Clean Your Room (Thank you, Mr. Thornton!), among many others.

My daughter is looking forward to participating in some of the activities such as playing an ancient game of Dogs and Jackals, making a model catapult, learning the Greek alphabet, and making pottery. I like the sound scriptural teaching, and that my child has been carrying the book upstairs and downstairs so she can read it whenever she has some free time. I can't think of a better testimonial than that!

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review.

Book Tour: Total Family Makeover and Family Fun Night Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 23:50:00 +0000

About the book: Total Family Makeover: 8 Practical Steps to Making Disciples at Home (Abingdon, September 2016)

Train children in the way they should go; when they grow old, they won't depart from it. ---Proverbs 22:6

God calls us as parents to be key disciple-makers in our children's lives, but if we're honest, some days it's a battle just to get them dressed and ready for school on time. How can you mold their hearts when sometimes you can't even find their shoes?

In Total Family Makeover, author Melissa Spoelstra gives parents a way---a sort of spiritual track to run on---when it comes to building family discipleship. She focuses on eight key habits of growth:

-Spending Time in Prayer

-Reading God's Word

-Growing Through a Mentoring Relationship

-Finding Community in the Church

-Serving Others

-Taking Time to Rest

-Giving Back to God

-Sharing Your Faith

Disciples are made, not born. Whether your children are babes in arms or teenagers getting ready to leave the nest, making disciples at home starts with you! Give your family a makeover with this practical approach to helping your children learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/2d5hLtG

About the author:

Melissa Spoelstra is a popular women's conference speaker, Bible teacher, and writer who is madly in love with Jesus and passionate about helping women of all ages to seek Christ and know Him more intimately through serious Bible study. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Bible Theology and enjoys teaching God's Word to diverse groups and churches within the body of Christ. She is the author of the First Corinthians: Living Love When We Disagree, Joseph: The Journey to Forgiveness, and Jeremiah: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World Bible studies and Total Family Makeover: 8 Steps to Making Disciples at Home book. She lives in Dublin, Ohio, with her pastor husband and four kids.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

My thoughts: I think this book is a good starting point to ease some of the pressure on families (especially the pressure mothers put on themselves!) to have perfect kids. I love that this book expresses your kids are not your report card. They are unique individuals, and even the best parents can have kids that struggle. Just stay the course and work on creating discipleship in your family, not "the perfect family". I received a complimentary copy of the book for the book tour and review purposes, but now I want to go back and re-read it, sit with it, and put some of the principles into practice in our own family. Highly recommended!

Begin to build your family discipleship and become the key disciple-makers in your children's lives with Melissa Spoelstra's new book, Total Family Makeover. Disciples are made, not born. Whether your children are babes in arms or teenagers getting ready to leave the nest, making disciples at home starts with you! Give your family a makeover with this practical approach to helping your children learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Plan an evening of fun, pizza, devotionals, and games with your family! Melissa is giving away a Family Fun Night Prize Pack.

One grand prize winner will receive:

A copy of Total Family Makeover

A copy of Deep Blue Family Devotional: Fall 2016 - Summer 2017

A copy of CEB Deep Blue Kids Bible Bright Sky Hardcover

A $50 Pizza Hut gift card

Qwirkle Board Game

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on October 7. The winner will be announced October 10 on Melissa's blog.

How Many Times Do I Have To Tell You? -- Book Tour and Review

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 21:03:00 +0000

How Many Times Do I Have To Tell You? by Rachael Carman

(Apologia Educational Ministries, September 2014)

About the book:

You’ve probably said these things to your kids, but have you listened to what you’re saying?

“I remember the day you were born.”

“Turn down the music!”

“This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you.”

“Hold my hand.”

Your heavenly Father wants to tell you many of these same things. Rachael Carman knows how noisy it can be when you’re raising children—she has seven! But this lovely devotional book will help you to hear God’s still, small voice amid the chaos of carpools, cut fingers, and carpet crawlers. You’ll learn how to recognize God’s instructions for you, even as you seek to follow His example as a parent.

About the author: Rachael Carman is an author and speaker for Apologia Educational Ministries. The wife of Davis and the mother of seven children, Rachael challenges parents to live by reckless, obedient faith. As a direct reflection of her heart's desire to encourage, inspire, and celebrate motherhood, Rachael also leads Real Refreshment Retreats, weekend events that energize and invigorate homeschooling mothers with meaningful worship and speakers plus practical encouragement for the homeschool journey.
Find Rachael online: website, Twitter, Facebook

My review: I'm going to be honest. This book stopped me in my tracks right away. From the title and introduction alone, I started searching my heart and examining the words that come out of my mouth when I talk to (or at) my kids.

Am I speaking words of love that reflect the way God speaks to me? Am I using words of grace? Or am I being harsh in a way that is inconsistent with my Father's love and guidance? Reading How Many Times Do I Have To Tell You offered a bit of a course correction for me. That wasn't even the author's intent with this book, it is more of a devotional and reminder of the Lord's messages to us, his children. But the Holy Spirit works in us to bring us back where we belong.

This book is full of short chapters, each about 5 pages long, starting with a familiar "parent phrase". "Slow down!", "I love you.", "Share", "Now is not the time", "It doesn't matter what everyone else is doing.", "Where does it hurt?". Rachael then tells a personal anecdote, relates it to God and His love for us, and finishes with "a moment of introspection" with a few questions we can ask ourselves about how we are teaching our children and what message or inspiration God has for us as well.

From words of love to words of wisdom, from words of caution to words of correction, author Rachael Carman reminds us that God, as our most loving Father, has these very words for us as well. Would it benefit you to be reminded that He remembers the day you were born? Children love to hear how excited their parents were to see them for the first time, and how much they are loved and wanted. Your Father in heaven wants you to know these things, too. We may need reminding to stay close, listen, rest, stop whining, be still, and trust.

This book can comfort your heart with the reassurance of God's great love for you, and it can help you consider how you speak, listen, and live by God's grace.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my honest review.

To purchase a copy of How Many Times Do I Have To Tell You?: http://amzn.to/1FcMvCl

Book Review: Let There Be Light

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 04:49:00 +0000

I recently received the board book Let There Be Light by Archbishop Desmond Tutu for review purposes.

The book takes little ones through the seven days of God's creation. The words chosen are warm, gentle and full of wonder at God's love and the wonderful things He made. The illustrations by artist Nancy Tillman are beautiful. I especially love the way the art almost seems to sparkle, and the crowns the children wear in the book seem to glow. The book reassures little ones that God loves them and made a beautiful world for them to enjoy and take care of. The final page simply says, "You are loved." My 5 year old enjoyed this book as much as my toddler twins. Of course, the kindergartener gets more out of the creation story. The littles just like to roar at the lion and pretend to be elephants at this point, but they still enjoy it.

The only thing that bothered me about this book - and I hesitate to even say it because I like the book so much - is that the image representing God or God's power is a bright, glowing, sun-like orb that reminds me a great deal of the "eye of Sauron" from the LOTR movies. I really hope the illustrator didn't intend to create such a similarity. I won't let that stop me from recommending the book though. It is sweet, magical, and reminds the smallest children of God's love.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the BookLook Bloggers program in exchange for my honest review.

Think We Have the Perfect Homeschool? Think Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 21:09:00 +0000

I am going to admit something. Our homeschool is not always what you see on this blog. We have our fair share (I think more than our fair share) of bad days. Days when things don't get done, the kids are distracted, we argue, I yell (yes, I'll admit that I yell - I'm not proud of it, but it happens).

These things are not generally reflected on this blog. Why?

I enjoy reading those other blogs that spill all the details. They make me feel more "normal". I like to laugh with those candid bloggers who can lay it all out there, warts and all, with humor or with emotion. But I'm not really one of those bloggers, and I'll tell you why.

I struggle - really struggle - with negativity. When things aren't going well, I sometimes say harsh words, I want to pack it all up and say forget it, we're done, I stink at homeschooling and homemaking and parenting and Christianity and everything else. In person, I make jokes about it, when I'm not crying about it. But on the blog, I have something that my kids and I can look back on and remember. That other people can look at and be inspired or just have something to smile about. I want to post the best of us here. The best of me - when I've not failed my kids and we've had a good day. I want to post and share and look at those smiling faces, doing fun things, proud of their achievements. I don't want to post tears or snide remarks, because I feel that we have too many of them. Honestly, I feel like I'm failing my kids all the time, and sometimes it takes a positive post - a shared achievement - to feel like I'm doing a passing job with this homeschooling and parenting thing.

I just wanted to share that just because you see successful projects and smiling faces on this page, it doesn't mean we are always this way. It also doesn't mean I am trying to hide anything from you. It is that I have chosen to present our happy times to you, and to myself, because those are the times I want to celebrate and remember. Let me encourage you that if you are having a rough time of it, you are not alone and it doesn't mean you should give up. Focus on the positive, do your best to change the negative, and persevere. This is not a sprint, it is a marathon. I'm running right there with you.

My New Phonics Graduate

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 20 Dec 2014 00:46:00 +0000

My sweet Sunshine has finished The Reading Lesson and is declared "A Reader"!

She is so proud. She has just realized she can read things that aren't in a leveled reader or phonics book. It's so fun to watch her pick up her kid magazines and read them herself, or listen to her read to the babies.

Congratulations!

St. Nicholas Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 22:26:00 +0000

Tomorrow, Dec. 6th, is St. Nicholas Day. It is not celebrated much here in the U.S., but we were reading about the real St. Nicholas and decided to have a little fun along with our learning.

The girls made paper bag Saint Nicholas puppets with templates from the St. Nicholas Center
Click here for instructions

Hello, I'm Saint Nicholas. Hello, I'm Saint Nicholas.

The girls will leave their shoes by the fireplace tonight with the expectation of a surprise tomorrow morning. The surprise will be golden chocolate coins, to commemorate the legend of Saint Nicholas secretly blessing a needy family with gold by leaving it in their shoes/stockings that were drying by the fire.

The girls know that Saint Nicholas is no longer living, and that he is the source of the Santa stories we enjoy today. We are not total bah humbugs about Santa, I just happen to like the real stories and then we "play along" from there, knowing that the man does not actually come down the chimney or bring all the good gifts on Christmas morning.

If you decide to celebrate it, enjoy your St. Nicholas Day!

Book Review: Riley Mae and the Sole Fire Safari by Jill Osborne

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 23:30:00 +0000

The third adventure of Riley Mae, pre-teen shoe spokesperson, takes her to Kenya. There, she learns about a different way of life, builds her character and faith, and faces danger and adventure.

My eight year old daughter is excited to read this series, and I am happy to give it to her. The content is wholesome and is still fun and relevant to girls. Riley Mae makes mistakes, she is not perfect, but she learns from them. I would recommend starting with the first book in the series, Riley Mae and the Rock Shocker Trek, to get the background on who Riley Mae is and how she found herself in this situation! This is a good choice for kids age 7-12.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the booklookbloggers.com blogger book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Buy the book HERE

We Really DON'T Have To Do Everything Every Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 04:33:00 +0000

I have had an epiphany!

I have heard it for years from experienced homeschooling moms, and yet I never really took it to heart until this year. We REALLY don't have to do everything every day. Really. They're still learning a lot.

This change of mind/heart/schedule may have come from switching up our curriculum choices a bit this year (see what we're using here). We were using a pre-planned curriculum (which I really enjoyed) but I found myself wanting to check off every box for every day's lesson plan. I'm not even a Type-A person, but seeing those boxes waiting to be checked gave me some angst.

This year we are doing things differently, possibly even doing less (I'm not sure we've done any history lessons yet this year) but we have such a happier household. Managing twin toddlers in addition to homeschooling two children, and dealing with some personal family issues has made this the Year of Letting Go.

I'm not an unschooler (yet), because I still love to buy curriculum, and I worry that my kids would only want to study magical princesses or unicorns for their entire school career. However, I have found ways to be flexible. Some days we'll start at 8:30 and finish at 12:30. Other days we'll go to the park or library in the morning and start school after lunch. Some days we'll start at 9:00 and take three breaks plus lunch, and finish up somewhere around 4:00. Once or twice I've even looked at my kids and said, "that's it, we're done, you need to get outside and play". It has been SO freeing to not feel the need to check a box. Even if I go back to a pre-planned curriculum, I am going to have to use it on my terms.

My homeschool planner isn't even a planner, really. It is more of a record of what we have done after we have done it. If there is something coming up that I don't want to forget, such as a holiday activity, I'll pencil it in. Pencil it with real pencil, because I'm going to erase that sucker if my plans change.

The other day this dance party was happening at 10:00 a.m. because breakfast wasn't even ready yet. Ok, I'm not totally proud of that part, but the kids were having a great time and we still did everything I wanted us to do that day.

My kids are so much happier, and so am I. We are enjoying homeschooling in the midst of our craziness.

Now if only I could remember to blog about our experiences again, I can share some of our fun times. I've relaxed myself right out of blogging, it seems. Well, tomorrow is another day.

Book Review: Magnificent Tales: Treasury of Bible Stories

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 20:20:00 +0000

About the book: Part of the Magnificent Tales series, Treasury of Bible Stories: Rhythmical Rhymes of Biblical Times will delight children ages 4–8 with rhyming Bible stories pairing spiritual truths with playful illustrations.

Featuring lyrical stories full of lighthearted moments, this colorful collection of Magnificent Tales is perfect for reading out loud. As families read these stories night after night, they will make memories together while learning about the Bible.

About the author: Kelly Pulley works from his middle Tennessee home writing and illustrating children’s picture books, most recently “Ten Unusual Features of Lulu McDunn” and “The Cycling Wangdoos.” He is best known for illustrating dozens of books in the Beginner’s Bible series, including “The Beginner’s Bible” (over 1.25 million copies sold).

Find out more about Kelly athttp://www.kellypulley.com.

Learn more and purchase a copy at Kelly’s website.

My review: My 5-year old enjoyed the illustrations and lilting rhymes of this Bible storybook. It makes a fine supplement to Bible lessons, and is a fun bedtime read. I do think that it is so whimsical that a "real" Bible storybook is a must for little ones to really learn their Bible stories and understand that the people and events in the book were real, and that this is not just a collection of fun stories. I would recommend this book for Preschoolers and Kindergarten age kids.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Free Admission to Los Angeles Museums

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 04:30:00 +0000

I thought I'd share the Free Admission dates to museums around the L.A. area 2014-2015:

L.A. County Museum of Natural History Homeschool Days:

November 12, 2014: Excavating Our Past
February 5, 2015: Fossil Fanatics
April 20, 2015: Bugs and Botany
June 17, 2015: Art and Nature

No preregistration required. Just mention at the ticket counter that you are there for homeschool days and you get in free.
Click here to go to the NHM site

The museum also has free admission the first Tuesday of the month.

Page Museum (La Brea Tar Pits):

Get your saber-tooth fix for free on the following homeschool days

October 22, 2014: L.A. Underground
January 15, 2015: Bugs and Botany
March 20, 2015: L.A.'s Carnivores
June 5, 2015: Astounding Adaptations

No preregistration required.
Click here to go to the Page Museum site

California Science Center

Admission to the exhibit halls and over 100 exhibits is always free. You will pay for IMAX or to see the space shuttle Endeavour (though the shuttle fee is only $2 or free with the purchase of an IMAX ticket).

Click here to go to the California Science Center site

Griffith Observatory

Another location that is always free! If you're studying the solar system, you have to visit. There is a charge for the planetarium show, but there are plenty of things to see for free.

The Autry National Center of the American West

Free Tuesdays! Every SECOND Tuesday of the month, admission is free. There is also free admission on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Presidents' Day.

The Autry National Center of the American West is all about the West: art and artifacts about cowboys, Native Americans, art of the West, and more. There is a Family Gallery with hands-on exhibits, and kids can pan for gold on weekends (though weekends aren't free).

Click here to go to The Autry site

Historic Southwest Museum

(part of The Autry but on a different campus)

Always Free! Featuring Southwestern Native American artifacts

Click here for the Historic Southwest Museum site

Skirball Cultural Center

The Skirball offers free admission every Thursday! This Jewish cultural center has art, artifacts, photographs, music, and theater events all about Jewish life. There is a whimsical, hands-on Noah's Ark with life-size animals made of upcycled materials -- it is a must-see for little kids. Tickets are required for Noah's ark, in order to reserve a time slot, but they are no additional charge.

Click here for the Skirball site

The Getty Museum

(Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades)

Admission to The Getty is always free. The hilltop Los Angeles Getty museum is all about fine art, architecture, and their beautiful garden. They have frequent family activities and festivals. The Getty Villa - all about ancient Greece and Rome - is also free, but requires a timed-entry ticket, available from their website. Click here for more Getty info

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

LACMA has a NexGen program where children 17 and under are admitted free, along with one accompanying adult. You need to sign up for this program, which you can do HERE

Adults have to pay $15 regularly, but there is free admission the Second Tuesday of every month.

Note: Be ready to pay for parking at any of these museums, generally $10-$15. Check the museum calendar and ticket information before visiting, in case anything changes with their free admission dates.

Book Review: Conrad and the Cowgirl Next Door

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 04:32:00 +0000

Conrad and the Cowgirl Next Door is a Western-themed picture book for kids ages 4-8 with a Christian message about loving your "enemy".

Conrad is spending the summer at his uncle's ranch. Conrad is no cowboy; in fact, he is more interested bandaging his stuffed animals with his Mega Ultimate Extreme First Aid Kit. Accident-prone Conrad struggles in learning how to be a cowboy, and on top of that, has a know-it-all little neighbor, Imogene. After several mishaps, Imogene teasing every step of the way, Conrad has a chance to return the rudeness when Imogene takes a fall. Instead, Conrad shows kindness and forgiveness to Imogene.

This is a Christian book, and the back page has a note to parents about the parable of Conrad and loving his enemy (or, his annoyance). There are several bible verses and discussion questions about Biblical character traits that parents can use to spark further conversation.

The illustrations are colorful and expressive. My 5-year old didn't understand some of the cowboy lingo ("greenhorns" and "tenderfoot", for example) and struggled a bit when we read things like "ain't botherin' you none"- I had to stop and explain. Still, we enjoyed reading the book together and it had a good message. What kid doesn't get teased sometimes?

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Back to Homeschool 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 15:41:00 +0000

I thought it couldn't be done -- getting the school room clean and ready in time for our first official day. The babies (15 months) have been using it as a Zone of Destruction and Chaos.

Fortunately (?) for me, everyone was sick over Labor Day weekend, so I had plenty of time to work on the school room instead of going to the beach. Ta Da!

This is the last time the room will be clean until about September 1st, 2015, so feast your eyes while you can.

We actually started back to most of our lessons the week of August 25th, but since we usually start the day after Labor Day, we went ahead and took our First Day photos then. Why mess with something that works? To make things more "official", we held off on a few subjects (handwriting, new science textbook, and grammar) until this week.

We have a 3rd Grader in the house!

And a Kindergartener - Woot Woot!

I handed out our traditional First Day gift. This year the girls got new forest-theme notebooks and note paper, a rainbow-writing journal, Disney Frozen tattoos, glow necklaces/bracelets, and Pocky. I ate my Pocky in secret while I was cleaning the school room the day before. I love you, Pocky.

We got a late start on lessons, which is no big change from the usual. We read Bible and Science during breakfast. The babies were wondering why we weren't reading Potty Time With Elmo.

After breakfast we attempted our lessons amid diaper changes, toys being thrown, and Potty Time With Elmo. Things got easier during nap time, during which we crammed in math, grammar, reading, penmanship, and science. I'm pretty sure I left out something major. It wasn't as nearly as relaxed and fun as I envisioned (it never is), because tick-tock, those babies will only nap for so long.

The best part of our First Day? Frozen yogurt when lessons were done!

There were some road bumps during our First Day, but we made it through and hopefully will find our groove some time before the start of next year. Here's to hope!

Our Curriculum Choices 2014-2015

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 21:54:00 +0000

The decisions have been finalized. Box day has come and gone. The school room is still a disaster, but at least we have books.

We have been using and enjoying Heart of Dakota for over three years. However, we are going to try something new this year. The girls still strongly desire to do as many lessons together as possible, but the way the HoD guides are set up, their skill levels will keep them apart. We'll see how this year goes with combined schooling, and if Buttercup becomes more independent in her work this year, we may go back to HoD next year. I'm sad not to be using it for our core curriculum this year because I love it, but it's good to try new things, right?

3rd Grade Choices:

Math: Teaching Textbooks Math 3 -

I agonized over math choices over the summer. Agonized! I liked the BJU Math books we used for 1st and 2nd, but math was taking a looooong time when I was not sitting right there moving things along. Admittedly, there were a lot of distractions in our house last school year, and my rising 3rd grader does best with individual attention. Even though she learned a lot, she was no longer enjoying math, she was zoning out, I was getting mad at her, there were lots of tears. I KNOW what that is like to dislike math, so I needed to change it up before math negativity developed in our house. Teaching Textbooks is interactive - all of the lessons are on the computer and there are hints and helps all along the way. We are excited about a new math format. I have heard rumors that TT is "behind" in scope and sequence when compared to other popular math choices within the homeschool community, but I decided to dive in with 3 anyway, instead of the next grade level up as many people have recommended, to build Buttercup's math confidence (I want to hear "Hey, I know this!"when we get started) and allow for an interactive, independent math program to keep things moving along when my attention needs to be divided among my other littles.

We are also loving Reflex Math for fun games to help solidify math facts. The website helped immensely with addition and subtraction facts, and we still have a long way to go in our yearlong subscription, so we will use them for multiplication/division facts also.

Language Arts:

Grammar/Vocabulary/Poetics - Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts - Island Series

Because math is going to be independent for 3rd Grade, but Buttercup loves together-time, I chose a snuggle-on-the-couch language arts program. MCT Language arts Grammar Island/Building Language/Music of the Hemispheres is designed to be read through together, in an engaging and visually interesting format. I was drooling over this curriculum when I looked at the samples, and I can't wait to dig in. Language arts happens to be my personal favorite subject, and it comes easily to Buttercup, so this should be fun for us. Sunshine can listen in as well, as the lessons are short and may capture her attention as well.

Reading/Literature - Drawn Into the Heart of Reading

I didn't leave Heart of Dakota behind entirely. I am going to be using their stand-alone reading/literature program this year (Level 2/3). This program can be used throughout elementary (there are student books for 2/3, 4/5, and 6/7/8). You can use any books with this program, which is nice because the reading level doesn't have to necessarily match the writing/assignment level in the Student Book.

I also picked up a few Veritas Press Literature Guides as a supplement to our reading program, just because I liked the ones I tried last year.

Spelling - Sequential Spelling - I chose the DVD-Rom format of this, because I think spelling is also something that can be studied independently, and handwriting is still a struggle around here.

Cursive - Memoria Press

In addition, I have a healthy list of read-aloud books I plan to enjoy with the girls this year. I'll have the girls practice narration with some of them, and we may complete book projects with others. Or not. We'll see how it goes with two toddlers in the house.

Kindergarten Choices

Math - Horizons Math K coupled with the hands-on math activities in Heart of Dakota's Little Hearts For His Glory that I am still holding on to.

Phonics - The Reading Lesson (continued from last term) and Phonics Pathways as needed after.

Handwriting - Handwriting Without Tears

Together Choices

Science - Science In The Beginning

Science is something we love to do together. Buttercup, as the resident science-lover in the house, wanted an overview science program. She wants to study everything. I liked the previews of this book, which has six units of 15 lessons each. Each unit corresponds with a day of creation, so the first 15 lessons are about light, the next 15 lessons are about water and air, the next 15 are about land/rocks/plants, then 15 lessons about the solar system, next are 15 lessons on animal classification and birds, and finally land animals and the human body/senses. Each lesson has a hands-on activity, and we are excited to get started.

We also have some lapbook materials: Rocks and Minerals, Owls, and Volcanoes are planned lapbook studies for the year.

Bible - The Gospel Story Bible and companion devotionals. Plus weekly memory verses. I also have a lapbook on Biblical Character Traits.

History - Beautiful Feet Books Early American History

Health - Library books about nutrition, exercise, and dental care, plus fire and household safety.

Physical Education - A homeschool PE class, plus ballet and swimming.

Arts - Fine art appreciation will be through a study of famous artists, picture study, and composer studies on Handel and Vivaldi (primarily using library books). We will also study the mechanics of art with How To Teach Art to Children.

Is that everything? I certainly hope so, because it seems like a truckload to me! Now, I just need to finish organizing my school room. Right now we are using it for our Rocks and Minerals study, with cardboard castle blocks in the middle of everything, and books on the floor.

Product Review: Veritas Press Literature Guides

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 20:48:00 +0000

If you are looking for a guided reading comprehension series using real, quality children's literature, I would like to suggest that you take a look at Veritas Press comprehension guides.

Normally we do narration in the Charlotte Mason style for our literature studies. We still do, but I wanted to try something new last year (2nd grade) to see how it compared. We tried out a couple of them: Little House In The Big Woods and The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook.

These are fairly straightforward as far as comprehension goes. It is basically, "what do you remember about the story?", at least at the level we used. There were no character study or higher-order thinking questions. Perhaps older levels of the guides incorporate deeper thought. Still, the comprehension questions would be useful for someone who wouldn't otherwise know "what to ask" to gauge the student's comprehension. I still prefer narration for this. They are also useful for students who are working independently on their reading. The pages are reproducible, so you can give your student a worksheet to complete on his or her own. We prefer reading time to be together-time, so I had Buttercup answer the questions orally instead.

What we really did enjoy about these guides were the "extras". Sprinkled throughout the guides are fun crafts, recipes, and activities to help bring the stories to life.

For example, the Milly-Molly-Mandy guide had paper dolls to color and cut, a map to trace the paths MMM took around her village, a recipe for blackberry pudding, a recipe for a hedgehog-shaped treat made from a chocolate-dipped pear (yum!), and instructions for making character faces out of construction paper.

The Little House in the Big Woods guide had instructions for making a corn-husk doll, a recipe making butter at home, and instructions for making an apple clove pomander, like the one Ma received for Christmas.

The side projects were a lot of fun. I picked up a few Veritas Press Comprehension Guides to use with our 3rd grade reading books.

For more information, visit http://www.veritaspress.com/curriculum/

Book Review: Get to Know Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sun, 10 Aug 2014 19:30:00 +0000

I previewed Jesus from the Get to Know series of biographies for children ages 6-10. I loved it! It is a perfect book for my 7 year old daughter to read on her own. I plan to use it for the biography genre of our reading program during our upcoming homeschool year. It would be a great book to use for an elementary book report.

The book has 12 short chapters (generally 7-10 pages) that are chock-full of information in an easy-to-read, enjoyable format. Chapters include "A Special Birth", "Childhood and Youth", "The Teacher", "Stories and Parables", "The Son of God", "Miracles", "A Sad Day", and more.

The book contains many pictures - images of Jesus from classic art, photographs of things referenced in the Bible that kids might not understand (such as a millstone); a timeline of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection; and pictures of actual places in the Bible, such as the Jordan River and the Mount of Olives. There are maps, definitions of words boxed at the bottom of the page (and an alphabetized glossary) that kids might need help with, such as "anointed", "blessed", "repent", and others.

There are scripture passages (noted with a purple oil lamp), information about Bible heroes (noted with an orange sandal), eyewitness accounts (noted with an eye), and fun facts in the "Did You Know?" sections, noted by a blue clay jar.

I love that this book doesn't talk down to children, it presents facts and sources that help kids understand Jesus as a person and not just as a "Bible story". I wholeheartedly recommend this book and am looking forward to reading others in the Get To Know series (including Mary, Daniel, Apostle Paul, and King David).

This book meets Common Core Standards for Second Grade:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.1 "Ask and Answer Questions such as who, what, when, where, why and demonstrate understanding of key details in a text"
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.3 "Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges."
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.5 "Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently."

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the BookLook Bloggers program in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Raised? Finding Jesus by Doubting the Resurrection

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 05:03:00 +0000

Did Jesus really die and then rise from the dead? That is the core belief of Christianity, but it sounds so...impossible. Unbelievable. Irrational. The modern mind is beyond this thinking, right?

That is the question addressed by authors Jonathan K. Dodson and Brad Watson in Raised? Finding Jesus by Doubting the Resurrection. Guess what? Modern thinkers aren't the only ones who have found the resurrection to be doubtful.

"The resurrection of a man from the dead was not easy to believe then, nor is it easy to accept today. It has never been easy to believe -- and yet millions have.

"If you still don't believe it, it's understandable. It's difficult to switch beliefs overnight. Doubt is normal -- even good. But at some point you've got to come up with an explanation for this massive shift in belief..."

First century Greeks and Jews were not expecting a bodily resurrection, and even early Christians had doubts (have you ever heard of Thomas?). It is entirely reasonable to want to investigate the veracity of the audacious claim of Jesus resurrected. The authors encourage you to own your doubt, and then seek answers. Were followers of Jesus delusional? Why did Christianity change the world? Isn't the idea of an "afterlife" just sentiment to make us feel better when someone dies? Why does the resurrection matter?

These questions and more are answered in this thought-provoking little book. If you're doubting, why not give your doubts the attention they deserve. You can start with this little book. The text is less than 100 pages. Isn't the topic worth that much? It may spark more interest in seeking answers to the question of the resurrection; it may allay some doubts; it may even change your life.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the BookLook bloggers program in exchange for my honest review. I would have read this book anyway; you should, too.

The Tyranny of Pinterest

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 14 Jun 2014 23:18:00 +0000

You've gotta love Pinterest. There are so many beautiful, creative ideas there. I'm thinking about Pinterest-worthy parties right now. Beautiful, social media sharing-worthy parties. Because what's a party if you can't put it on Instagram or get lots of likes on Facebook?

Don't get me wrong, I love the look of these parties. However, I'm finding the Pinterest party to be a bit tyrannical lately. For example, it seems that lately all parties, whether they are birthday, graduation, holiday, baby shower, or wedding, must have:

1. A party table. This is the centerpiece of your party, where you WILL display color-coordinated candies and pastries that match your theme. You DO have a party theme, right?

You may have to rent out a barn for this one.

Beautiful, yes? Absolutely. Am I going to do this? Nope. Too much work. Too much candy. My table generally has a bag-o-salad and 4 boxes of pizza, still in the box. You can choose between cheese or pepperoni pizza, though!

2. A homemade banner. Don't you dare hang up that Dora the Explorer birthday banner you bought at the dollar store. You can, however, use colors reminiscent of your favorite episode, and you may use the officially licensed picture as long as you use it to make your own banner out of cut paper doilies and ribbon.

Don't forget to include the guest of honor's name ("Happy Birthday" won't cut it) and that banner had better coordinate with your candy table.

3. A photo booth - once an element of surprise, now a requirement. Don't even THINK about forgetting the mustaches.

What is it with mustaches? Will this fad never end?

4. Mason Jars OR custom soda bottles

So that your one year old will know that you care.

I am feeling exhausted just looking at all these adorable parties. I feel like I just can't muster the creativity, even if I am just copying someone else's creativity from Pinterest. I get the same way looking at the Pottery Barn Kids catalog. Is it just me? Will my kids be scarred for life if they get a cake from the grocery store with a plastic figurine on top, or lopsided homemade cake without any theme? What if they have to get a bottle of Kirkland water from the cooler outside on the patio, and nothing more to play with than squirt guns or our old inflatable bouncer? Will they feel that they missed out? I don't think so. We are celebrating them, after all -- even if it is just our family and a piece of cake.

Well, there was that one time my husband insisted that we rent a pegacorn.

But it was just once, I swear!

Update: What We're Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 12:00:00 +0000

We are winding down our school season, though we plan to keep reading and practicing math over the summer.

Sunshine is working her way through The Reading Lesson: Teach Your Child to Read in 20 Easy Lessons, reading short stories. How cute is she with her McRuffy Reader? She is excited to read those and her Now I'm Reading playful pals level 1.

McRuffy First Step Reader

The Reading Lesson

Buttercup just finished The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook

as her reader, and she'll be reading Little House in the Big Woods to us next. I've never read the Little House series, so I'm looking forward to listening to my daughter read it to me!

We're also starting our last week of Literature Pockets: Caldecott Winners. We've had a great time with this study, as I mentioned in my post about making art.

Craft for the Caldecott Winner Why Mosquitoes Buzz In People's Ears

Buttercup is also finishing up her 2nd grade math book by learning about multiplication. There are only a couple chapters on multiplication and division in the 2nd grade textbook, and it picks up again in 3rd. Over the summer we'll take some time to memorize our addition and subtraction math facts so we'll have those out of the way to focus on multiplication tables next year (heaven help us!).

Lastly, we took a trip to a local nature center for an animal show. We got up close to a falcon, a desert tortoise, a tarantula (don't look down if you're arachnophobic!), a snake and a great horned owl.

Lovely day, but I kept brushing at my ankles after seeing that tarantula up close (shiver).

Book Review: Riley Mae and the Rock Shocker Trek

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Wed, 21 May 2014 06:06:00 +0000

I reviewed Riley Mae and the Rock Shocker Trek on behalf of my 7-year old daughter. I was looking for some fun books to read over the summer that are wholesome and would align with our faith and values. This is one that I am happy to let her read now that I'm finished with it.

Riley Mae is a sporty 7th grader who has just been chosen as the spokesperson for an athletic shoe company for girls. She loves the free shoes, and being in ads for the shoe company. She doesn't love missing out on her softball team's games, and the friction that her busy new schedule causes with her best friend. This book had the expected pre-teen friend problems, but a lot more than that. Riley Mae grapples with a mystery, has a mountain-climbing adventure, and discovers a way to help a friend in need. Family and Christian faith are important to Riley Mae, and she leans on both to help her navigate through her challenges.

I actually enjoyed reading this book, even though I was only reviewing/previewing it on behalf of my daughter. I am looking forward to reading other books in the series.

You can buy the book here.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes through the BookLook Bloggers Program.

Mothers' Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 12 May 2014 01:08:00 +0000

It was such a happy Mothers' Day. I was blessed to have my family over for brunch, and we enjoyed a birthday party for the twins at the same time. What a wonderful day.

Mr. Man was not having it. He wanted to play on the grass, not pose for a picture.

That's better.

Soil Layers

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 09 May 2014 12:00:00 +0000

I was browsing online to find some quick and easy science lessons for the girls. I found a simple soil layers craft making layers out of construction paper.

Humus: living and dead organic matter, leaf litter, and if I am seeing correctly, I think Buttercup drew some dead bugs in the bottom picture.
Topsoil: where most plant roots are. You might also notice worms and ant colonies here. This was supposed to be dark-colored, but my girls wanted to be able to draw on it, so it is yellow.
Subsoil: composed of clay, silt, and sand. There is little organic matter so it is lighter in color.
Bedrock: that would be rock.

The real reason I wanted to study soil layers is because I wanted to make dirt cups for dessert. The layers consisted of biscotti bedrock, tapioca pudding subsoil, crushed sandwich-cookie topsoil, and some almond slivers and crushed cinnamon cereal for humus.

Crushing the cookies to make topsoil.

Mixing some cinnamon in with store-bought tapioca pudding. It looked a little like sand particles.

Ready to eat!

Yum!

You can get a free printable worksheet about soil layers from

http://www.layers-of-learning.com/soil-horizons/

or from

http://www.education.com/worksheet/article/soil-layers-1/

Oh, I Guess We HAVE Been Doing Art

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sun, 04 May 2014 04:00:00 +0000

The other day I was lamenting that we never have time for art. We look at picture books, including Come Look With Me, which is a great introduction to famous works of art. I was feeling, however, that we were missing out on making art. We have no formal art curriculum.

Then I realized we have been doing art in our Literature Pockets: Caldecott Winners (Grades 1-3). With this guide, you make 11 pockets based on Caldecott Award-winning children's books, learning biographical information about each illustrator and the type of art they created for their award-winning book. Students have a chance to try out a variety of artistic styles.

For example, after reading The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, the kids made their own cut-paper collages.

They made their own scratchboards like illustrator Barbara Cooney.

They made mixed-media Wild Things, inspired by Where The Wild Things Are.

I love these sponge-painted hills covered in heather, with a cross-hatched wee house, just like in Always Room For One More.

Adorable!

I could go on, but instead I'll just tell you that we are having a great time with Literature Pockets, and learning about art, too.

Book Tour: Mom Seeks God

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 12:00:00 +0000

About the book: The first months and years of motherhood can be the most challenging and disorienting of your life---and faith. When you're surrounded by the happy chaos of children, how do you spend quiet time with God if the only quiet time you get is while you sleep? How can you demonstrate a solid spiritual life to your children if you don't have time to pursue one yourself?

When Julia Roller discovered that her spiritual growth had been stunted by the busyness of life with her toddler, she embarked on a yearlong journey through ten spiritual disciplines: prayer, fellowship, submission, study, simplicity, silence, worship, fasting, service, and celebration. As she focused on each discipline, she discovered practical ways to observe them---even in the chaos of her every day.

Purchase a copy and find out more about Julia at: http://www.juliaroller.com

About the Author: Julia Roller is an author and editor. Her books include Mom Seeks God (Abingdon Press), A Year with God (with Richard J. Foster), A Year with Aslan, and 25 Books Every Christian Should Read. Working with Renovaré, she has also co-authored four spiritual formation guides. She has written study guides for authors such as Desmond Tutu, Richard J. Foster, Henri Nouwen, Jenna Bush, and Rob Bell. Her articles have appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, Street Spirit, Group, Rev.!, and Children's Ministry. She and her family live in San Diego, California.

My thoughts: This book chronicles one mom's struggle to rediscover her spiritual life after having her first child. You can glimpse into her life as she works to get back to what she calls "spiritual disciplines". I think Christian mothers can likely relate to the author's challenges, and root for her to find her way. As someone who has four children, two of them infant twins, plus homeschooling, I think it's safe to say that I understand you can lose a little bit of your spiritual life when you are caring for children. I would recommend this book to new moms who aren't sure how to get back to prayer, fellowship, and other aspects of the Christian life.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Good Friday crown of thorns craft

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 04:56:00 +0000

It has been a busy day/week/month, with little time for blogging, but I wanted to share this with you on this Good Friday. The girls were very excited to try their hand at drawing a crown of thorns, like the one we saw on the blog Hodgepodge.

The pastel drawing is of a crown of thorns on a purple king's robe edged in gold, with golden light shining from above.

After we completed the art project, Buttercup read to us the story of Jesus' trial and crucifixion from her New International Reader's Version Bible. There is something so touching about hearing the Word of God from the mouth of a little one. She is looking forward to reading to us about Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday.

He suffered the things we should have suffered.
    He took on himself the pain that should have been ours.
But we thought God was punishing him.
    We thought God was wounding him and making him suffer.
But the servant was pierced because we had sinned.
    He was crushed because we had done what was evil.
He was punished to make us whole again.
    His wounds have healed us.
All of us are like sheep. We have wandered away from God.
    All of us have turned to our own way.
And the Lord has placed on his servant
    the sins of all of us

Isaiah 53:4-6 (NIRV)

God is good!