Bible Study For All Ages {Review}

I love all things multi-level teaching, meaning subjects that I can teach everyone the same thing, at the same time.  Bible is one of those subjects where I try to keep everyone on the topic or study.  

I had not heard of Bible Study For All Ages, until the opportunity to review for them came about from the TOS Crew.  

The Bible Study For All Ages is a curriculum that has families {or Sunday school classes} studying the same part of the Bible at the same time, but on their own levels.  This curriculum takes you and your family through several parts of the Old and New Testaments each year. 

There are 416 Bible Lessons that take you through an in depth study of the Bible. 

We were given the following materials for this review:

 

Beginner Level Student Pages 

Beginner Time Line

 

Children's Songs CD Set

 

 Advanced Level Student Pages

Bible Book Summary Cards 

Let me give you an example of how the lessons are laid out.  Let's take a look at lesson 14, we are studying Genesis 49-50, which is the account of Joseph.  We have been studying Joseph since lesson 1, which started at Genesis 37.  

Here is a sample of one of the Beginner Student Pages.

Here is the layout for the Beginner Student Pages and how it works for us.

Learn the Basics 

• We review our timeline cards, which we have hanging on a large kitchen doorway.  

These have been really helpful to us.  The kids love to take turns reviewing the cards.

Sing & Remember 

• In this portion we told to review books of the Bible we are memorizing (Matthew - Galatians)
• We sing He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, which is on our Children's Songs CD
• We also do about 4 or 5 review questions.  

The kids love to do the review questions, they especially LOVE THE SONGS!  They now know all of the names of the sons of Jacob thanks to a song we've been singing!  

Get Active 

• This section give ideas to get up and do something. This one has you blindfolding one child and talk about who takes care of us.  

Discover the Bible

• Here is where are read over the scripture for the day.  Most days it is a one chapter in the Bible, today there are two.  
• There are several pictures that show what happens in the scriptures we just read.  Each picture has an explanation and something to do.  For instance, one of the pictures talks about Jacob wanting to be buried in a cave, so the child is asked to color the cave brown.

This is the main part of our study.  We read through the scriptures, discuss and follow along with the activities they has us do.  I fell like this part is really helpful.  

Apply It!

• This part has a picture to color and application questions.

At the end of our study we talk about the picture and go over the review questions together.

Now for the Advanced Student Pages, these pages are set up a little differently.  Here is how we use them...

Remember It?

• This is the portion with review questions.  They are a little more difficult than the Beginner Student Pages.  Today the review is in the form of a matching/fill in the blank activity.

My girls do these on their own.  I do the review questions for the Beginner Pages aloud with everyone.

Memory Workout

• Here the kids are asked to review the New Testament Books and the Genesis Bible Book Summary.

We do the Bible Summary Card reviews together.  These are 8x11 flash cards that summarize the books of the Bible with one or more pictures.  On the opposite side of the picture there is a description that summarizes the book of the Bible that the card represents.
 

Guess What...

• These are mostly Bible facts like what a cup bearer and baker were to the Pharaoh. 

My girls usually read these on their own and share their new fond information with the rest of us.

Discover the Bible

• Just like with the younger pages, this is where we read the scripture and go through the pictures and questions.

We do this part together as a family. The Advanced Questions are more challenging than the ones on the Beginner Pages.  My girls have been fine following along with us for the scripture reading and then doing the questions on their own, asking me for help when needed.

Timeline or Map

• The timeline has several questions that the kids get to answer from reading a biblical timeline on their student page.
• The timeline portion alternates with mapping skills.  Which include labeling areas that were discussed in our Bible readings.
  

My girls do this on their own as well, of course I am available if they have a question. 

Get Active

• This is basically the same activity as the one on the Beginner Page, except this one goes more in depth with the application on blind faith.

We generally don't get to these.  

Apply It!

• This is the application part of the study.  Today's lesson includes re-reading a scripture, answering several questions related to our scripture and a prayer suggestion.

You guessed it, they answer these on their own as well{smile}

Conclusion

I like the over all idea of this program, a lot!  But I found it was hard to get into a "groove" with the different student pages.  It was a little frustrating at first, to be honest.  I felt like everyone was all over the place and Bible was taking a really looong time. 

The way that I tweaked this to work for us was that I stopped reading the scriptures twice.  At first I read the scripture while the boys colored the application picture. THEN, I would re-read the scriptures as we did the Discover the Bible portion of the study.  

I decided to pick and choose what was most important to me and focus on those things.  So we do the songs, timeline and review questions from the Beginner Student Pages.  Then we do the Discover the Bible portion, this is the scripture reading and discussion part.  Then we finish with the application.

At first I was trying to go over all the parts of both levels together, this did not work for us.  I am really glad that I found a way to make this work, because I love many things about this study.  

All of the different components in this Bible Study really set it apart from the rest.  The constant review through questions, songs, timeline and summary cards help the children to remember what they learned even two weeks prior.   I am amazed at what the kids have learned and retained about Joseph by using this study.  I believe my 5 year old could tell you Joseph's whole life story!

Another thing I want to mention, I liked that they did not include scripture on the student pages.  I know that may sound strange, but I think it makes it much easier to use your own Bible version

The student page booklets each have 26 lessons, priced at $5.95 per booklet.  To complete the whole program you would need 16 booklets per student.  First, you need to choose the products that would best suit your family, depending on grade and reading levels. 

I would love to continue with this program, but I am not sure it would not be affordable for us. I am figuring that it would cost a total of $380.00 for all four children to complete the whole study.  

If this was more affordable for me, like say if I could purchase the all the lessons together as a pdf download at a discounted rate, this would be what we used for Bible. 

You can see what other TOS Crew Members have to say about Bible Study for All Ages by clicking HERE!

See the Light - Paper Jungle Project

Recently, I got the chance to learn from a master artist, right from my kitchen table!  The kids and I got the chance to review the Art Project - Paper Jungle DVD from See the Light artist Pat Knepley.

Talk about cool!  Rarely do I get into a project like I did with this one.  It was a lot of fun!!  The day we finished our paper jungles, I grabbed my completed Paper Jungle and showed my husband my picture the minute he walked in the door.  Like a child, I kid you not, I said "Honey, look what I made!"  The poor guy barely had time to walk in the door and put his bags down.{wink}

If you have never heard of the See the Light art lessons please let me introduce you.  Pat Knepley has started a Christian based, homeschool, video art curriculum.  When I say Christian based, I don't mean Christian friendly, I mean Pat actually weaves scripture into the art lessons.  

As we watched the 4 lessons on the Paper Jungle video we got to learn about artist Henri Rousseau, listen to scripture and watch Pat take us step by step through the lesson.  I felt that she was very detailed in her lesson.  She encourages you to pause the video if you need a little extra time, which we did a few times.  

The Paper Jungle video is broken down into 4 lessons, the entire DVD is 100 minutes long.  The entire project should take about 3-4 hours to complete.  You could take an afternoon to work on the project all at once, or spread it out over several days.  Here is the lesson break down for this particular video:

• BACKGROUND: CUTTING TREES (22 minutes)
• FOREGROUND: GRASS AND LEAF SHAPES (27 minutes)
• FOCAL POINT: FLORA AND FAUNA (26 minutes)
• THE FINAL STEP: OVERLAPPING AND GLUING (25 minutes)

The Paper Jungle Project is recommended for ages 10 and up.  I think I agree with that, especially since there is a pretty good amount of cutting.  If you desired to have a younger child do this they would most likely need some help.  My older daughter (12) and I really enjoyed this video.  My younger daughter (9) struggled a bit to keep up, but I just encouraged her to press on, and paused when we needed to.  Once her Paper Jungle started coming together a bit more she was a happy camper.  

We have another one of Pat's videos, Art Class - Lesson 1 The Basics.  That class focuses on drawing.  The kids have really enjoyed that one as well.  

See the Light currently has several lessons, with different topics and mediums with which she uses.

Art Projects

• Tiffany Window - IN THE STYLE OF LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY
• Repeated Sweets -IN THE STYLE OF WAYNE THIEBAUD
• Paper Jungle - IN THE STYLE OF HENRI ROUSSEAU
• Pointillism Fruit - IN THE STYLE OF GEORGES SEURAT
• Poppy Collage -IN THE STYLE OF GEORGIA O’KEEFFE 
• Dreams of Joseph - IN THE STYLE OF MARC CHAGALL 
• Horsing Around - IN THE STYLE OF EDGAR DEGAS 
• Peaceful Seas - IN THE STYLE OF WINSLOW HOMER 
• Sunflowers - IN THE STYLE OF VICENT VAN GOGH  
• Cartooning - WITH PAT KNEPLEY

Art Class

VOLUME 1- The Basics VOLUME 2 - Shape & Space VOLUME 3 -Value & Color VOLUME 4 - Color Blending Techniques VOLUME 5 -Proportions For Composition VOLUME 6 -Texture & Form  VOLUME 7- Perspective For the Landscape VOLUME 8 -Balancing & Foreshortening VOLUME 9 -The Portrait Bible Stories  Each DVD in this series has a Bible and Art Lesson. The Crossmaker  Shipwrecked God's Runaway The Gift of Love God's Special Surprise I really do like this program, and hope to collect more of the lessons.  I think that the lessons are very well done and that each step is well explained.  The videos Pat is a very good encourager to her students, that was something I picked up on and appreciated.  So even for the reluctant artist, this program would be a great fit! In addition to Pat's art lessons, I was glad to see that she includes the Lord in her lessons.  The way that she pulls scripture in and tries it to the lesson is brilliant! See the Light would make a great addition to any homeschool curriculum.  You can purchase the See the Light art lessons that I have mentioned directly from their website.  The lessons are all available individually, as well as in boxed sets according to the series.  The individual DVD's are $14.99 and the box sets range from $74.95 to $99.99. Members of the TOS Crew reviewed The Paper Jungle DVD, as well as many others.  Be sure to check out their reviews too! You can see more reviews by clicking here.

Paperless Organization from Simplified Pantry

Once upon a time, in the land of make believe, there was a fair homeschool mama.  She had four lovely children, a well organized house and life.  She never missed an appointment or a birthday, and had it all together.

Ha! Ha! Well, at least the lovely children part is right! {smile} For some reason, I used to think that I was organized, not sure sure what gave me that idea, but I have hit reality.  As my children have multiplied and gotten older, it seems that for me, organization is more like a dream than a reality.  Until now.

Recently, I was given a much needed eBook called Paperless Organization, to review for the Molly Crew.  It was written by Mystie Winckler from Simplified Pantry, a homeschool mom of 5.

 

Paperless Organization, just as the name implies, has the goal to helping us harried homeschool mama's (well anyone really) to get organized. Minus stacks, piles and binders.

Right off the bat I felt like this was a product written for my stage of life.  Busy. Homeschooling. Busy. Somewhat disorganized.  Oh, and busy.  Mystie is herself in the trenches of raising kids, homeschooling and running a household.  She is a great source of organizational wisdom, especially since she is there herself. 

Ok, enough rambling.  Here's the nitty gritty of what Paperless Organization teaches you.  First, Mystie explains all of the wonderful benefits of having a homemaking binder.  To be honest, this was not really new information to me. I have liked the idea of a homemaking binder ever since I had heard of it.  I have actually tried to make them before, but I think I got buried in the whole idea of a binder for this and a binder for that.  But Mystie's idea of paperless binders sounded a like a dream come true.  Ahhh, organization at last!

Mystie gives detailed instructions on making a paperless home binder.  Her plan utilizes 3 online programs/ apps that are F-R-E-E!  You can get organized on your computer, pad, pod or phone.

One of the apps she uses is Evernote.  I frequently use Evernote, but I didn't realize what all I could be doing with it until reading Paperless Organization.  Basically, she shows you step by step how to turn Evernote into  personal home binder files.  This is the spot where you dump everything from your brain into - to do lists, curriculum plans, shopping lists, recipes, menu plans, clothing sizes, ideas to try, and chore charts, it all goes in Evernote.  She also suggests having a blogging binder for those that blog.

Mystie also shares how to set up Remember the Milk, a task management app, and Google Calendar and Mail.

Getting organized is not an over night thing, at least not for me, but I am on my way.  Thanks to this little eBook, I am in the process of transferring everything over from paper files to paperless files.  I really love all of her ideas with Evernote and Remember the Milk.  I have been the queen of spiral notebooks, but I am moving on to being paperless.  It just makes sense for many reasons.  Here's lookin forward to never losing a list again!

You can get a copy of Paperless Organization for yourself in either pdf or kindle format for just $3.99.  

Right now, Mystie is currently offering 30% off of any of her e-books!  To take advantage of this offer use the code TOS2013 when you checkout.

Mystie has also written two other eBooks that are worth checking out, Simplified Dinners and Simplified Dinners Gluten Free/Dairy Free.

The Molly Crew has reviewed all three of these books, you can read the reviews by clicking here. 

Papa's Pearls: A Gift of Love and Wisdom to His Children and Grandchildren

With age and experience, wisdom usually follows. Wisdom is exactly what Carol Joseph Flynn gained through the ups and downs of his life. Living through the Great Depression, and being a kid going down the wrong path, he turned life lessons into great pearls of wisdom.

Diane Flynn Keith, his oldest daughter, wrote about these pearls of wisdom in her book, Papa's Pearls: A Gift of Love and Wisdom to His Children and Grandchildren. 

 

I knew when I saw this book it would be a little gem. This book is full of humor, love and of course, wisdom. The way that Diane writes of her dad shows the immense love that she has for him, and that he had for their family.

Papa's Pearls takes us through many of the lessons Papa learned in his life. I just love the sayings that he came up with to remember them! Here are some of my favorites:

You don't kick someone when their down, you give me a hand up.

Let it go, like water off a duck's back.

Be grateful every day.

Life is too short. Take a little time off.

Keep a foxy pocket.

Doodle-lee Do It!

Papa took life experiences, like growing up in the depression and living with out necessitates and turned them into little rules for himself. As he grew up and earned money he saved and invested it. He taught his children and grandchildren to do the same. He encouraged them to save half of any money they were given or earned. He even doubled any money they put in their savings account as an added incentive. He taught his kids and grand kids to always "keep a foxy pocket," so they would never be without a little emergency cash.

Diane, thanks so much for sharing your daddy with us. I was glad to hear he got his whistle back!

Papa's Pearls is available for $21.95. It would be a great summer read!

 

Click to read more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew.

Timeline Builder

 

History is one of my favorite subjects to learn, ahem, I mean teach.  As a high school student history was the one class that I really enjoyed.  Unfortunately, it wasn't until I started homeschooling that history really came alive and clicked for me.  Prior to homeschooling, what I knew about history seemed fragmented and sloppy.

One thing that I think has really helped the kids and I to put things in perpective is having a timeline.  It allows one to stand back and look at the big picture.  Enter, Timeline Builder from Knowledge Quest, a user friendly App for history lovers of all ages!

 

 

 

Things we really liked about the Timeline Builder:

• We do already have a LARGE timeline on the wall in our school room, but I love that this one can be seated right next to me wherever I am.  Like when the kids and I are snuggled on the couch reading a good historical fiction and we want to add some thing we learned to the timeline or look something up.

 

• Timeline Builder is very user friendly, for moms and kids! This App has instructions that explain how to get the most out of your timeline.  I felt that the timelines were easy to create, change and add to. 

 

• When adding a new timeline event or figure you can connect to Wikipedia to add facts and pictures.  I must say this is quite an awesome feature!

 

• I like that you can create several different timelines.  You could have one for American history, Ancient history, your state's history, composers, scientists or even your family tree!  Endless possibilities!  The kids can also personalize their timeline a bit by choosing their own background.

 

• Fun!  The Timeline Builder is actually really fun to work with.  The kids and I both enjoy using it. We like that you can be creative and design your own timelines.  Kids love to move the pictures around to arrange their timelines.

 

What I felt could be improved:

• While this is not a huge deal, I would like to be able to create a timeline from creation to present that we could scroll through.  This doesn't seem to be possible due to the fact that each timeline is a as big as one iPad page.  Not a deal breaker by any means, just a feature I wish they had.

Here is a great video of the Timeline Builder in action....

 

The Timeline Builder is one of our favorite products that we have reviewed.  We will continue to use it for years to come!

You can purchase your own Timeline Builder through the App store.  Normally it is $6.99, but it is currently on sale for $4.99.

 

 

You can see what others on the Schoolhouse Review Crew have to say about the Timeline Builder over at the SRC site.

 

 

Essentials in Writing

We were given the chance to review a wonderful language arts program recently, Essentials in Writing.  EIW offers curriculum for grades 1-12.  In grades 1-6 the program focuses primarily on grammar skills and then starts to shift into writing for 7-8 grades, while still weaving in grammar lessons. For 9-12 grades, students work on sentence structure, paragraphs, essays and research papers, again with grammar woven into the lessons. 

We were given the 7th grade level for review, which was perfect for the Lil' Chef. 

The way that EIW is laid out is that you first look over your assignment (which can be printed out from a PDF. file or done in a workbook), then the student WATCHES the lesson via DVD.  After gaining an understanding of the new concept, the student then completes their assignment or assignments that correspond with the lesson.

We like that Essentials in Writing is a DVD based curriculum.  It is a blessing to have an experienced, former middle school English teacher teaching the lessons, and me overseeing and helping when needed.  The videos lessons are laid out well and easily understood.  The 7th grade level that we reviewed covers the following (from EIW's website):

 

• Review sentences types and sentence structure (compound sentences) and address sentence errors (fragment and run on), dependent and independent clause
• Parts of a personal letter & Writing a personal letter
• Parts of a paragraph & Writing a paragraph
• Other forms of written communication:  lists/thank you note/invitation/diary entries
• How to choose an appropriate writing form.
• Writing a business letter (includes format and composition)
  The writing process (prewrite, draft, revise, edit/publish)
• Use the writing process to compose narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive writing in formal paragraphs and informal writing
• Essays; compare and contrast essay, expository essay
• Effective writing skills: strong details, transitions, beginning/middle/end concept, logical sequence of events, variety of sentence structure, and use of figurative language including simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole; vivid language
• Revision:  word choice (use of a thesaurus), using strong details, a variety of sentence structure in writing, & figurative language when appropriate, adding dialogue when appropriate
• Research Project - a complete research project including planning, gathering information, drafting, revising, and publishing.

Supplemented with:

• Capitalization rules: beginning of sentences, names, city/state, holidays/countries, titles
• Punctuation rules:  period, question mark, & exclamation point, and comma usage; titles
• Grammar:  subject/predicate (both complete and simple, and compound subjects/predicates), nouns, proper nouns, action verbs, adjectives, pronouns, linking verbs, possessive nouns, subject/verb agreement, adverbs, propositional phrases, appositives, proper adjectives
• Spelling rules for plural nouns
• Mechanics of dialogue and purposeful dialogue

The Lil' Chef has a pretty good foundation in grammar, which is recommended before starting this level (the 6th grade level offers a pretty intense grammar course, from what I understand), at this point we really need to focus on her writing.  Essentials in Writing 7 pretty much jumps into writing, but as I mentioned, it also weaves grammar into the lessons.  With EIW, grammar rules are reviewed and not forgotten. 

So far, the Lil' Chef has done some grammar review, worked on paragraphs and now we are on to essays.  The video lessons have been helpful for her in understanding new concepts and improving on her writing skills.  I have noticed that EIW has also increased her confidence level with her writing.  At this point she is plugging along in the program and doing great! 

Essentials in Writing is a great program that is also very budget friendly!  Each Essentials in Writing level is only $40!  I was pretty amazed at the price to be honest.  For $40 you receive the writing lessons via DVD, as well as the PDF files that can be used with multiple children.  If you prefer a workbook over printing, they offer a student workbook for an additional $20.  A bargain either way!

Check out what other TOS Crew members have to say about the different grade levels from Essentials in Writing.

TouchMath - A Multisensory Approach to Math

For the last several weeks Little Bits has been "doing school," just like his brother and sisters.  He was so excited to start his new math program, TouchMath Kindergarten. 

TouchMath is a multisenory math program developed by an elementary school teacher that saw a need to help children connect abstract and concrete ideas.  She met this need by creating numbers that have counting points or "TouchPoints" on them, one for each count to get to the number the student is working with.  Counting the "TouchPoints" in the TouchMath program is really the key to the program, and what sets this program apart from the rest. 

The TouchMath program consists of four units, each one includes 90 student activity sheets, that are to be spread out through the school year.  As you can see, TouchMath covers a wide range of topics:

   

    

While the activity sheets are heart of the curriculum, there are many other components that can be added to enhance your child's learning experience.  We were given the four units of activity sheets, TouchShapes, Kindergarten Software and the 3-D Numerals.

  

This is the first official math curriculum that Little Bits has used so far.  While he is not quite in kindergarten yet, I felt this level was a better fit for him than the preschool level.  He seems to be doing quite well with it.  He is not writing on his own yet, but he is still learning the concepts from using the 3-D numerals, TouchShapes and the computer program.  He really LOVES the Kindergarten Software program!

 

 

At first, using the 3-D Numerals and counting the TouchMath way was a little foreign to my little guy.  I think he had a hard time understanding why he had to count some of the dots on the 3-D numerals twice.  After a little practice he got it, and now enjoys using them.

We like TouchMath and plan to continue using it for his kindergarten year.  I think it is a very thorough program. TouchMath is laid out very well for the homeschool mom, I felt that it was simple for me to understand and teach.  I liked that it was very hands on for my busy little boy.  One major plus, Little Bits really enjoys it!

TouchMath has programs for grades Pre-K through 2nd grade:

• PRE-K
• KINDERGARTEN
• FIRST GRADE
• SECOND GRADE

 

Each of the TouchMath units are available for $59.95.  You can also purchase all 4 units for a discounted price of $199.95

 



There are additional components to the TouchMath program available:

• TouchShapes
• TouchMath Tutor Kindergarten Software
• Math Fans
• 3-D Numerals
• TouchPoint Posters
• Texture Cards
• Number Concept Posters

We found the Tutor Software, TouchShapes and 3-D Numerals to be extremely helpful pieces of the program!

 

Please take a peek at what other TOS Crew members have to say about TouchMath!

  

 

Flowering Baby Review

 

 

 

My youngest child is 4 years old.  Many times I have wonderful intentions of doing this and doing that with him. Sadly, many times these ideas continue tobe just ideas.  We read together and do a few letter crafts here and there, but for the most part that is about it. 

When we got the opportunity to review a fun and interactive preschool curriculum called Flowering Baby I was pretty excited.  After I looking over the sample activities, I knew that they would be a good fit for Little Bits, and simple enough for me to implement.  You may also have read that I am contemplating/ taking classes to open a home daycare.  I also thought that Flowering Baby would be a great fit for a home daycare curriculum. 

  

 

 

Flowering Baby is a simple, yet effective, curriculum that helps children to develop cognitive, language, gross and fine motor skills, emotional, social skills and independence. 

We were given Volume 4: Three to Four Years & Volume 5: Four to Five Years in CD form to review.  While we used Volume 5: Four to Five, I did look over Volume 4: Three to Four Years.  I felt that they were similar in nature, just a younger level.

The Flowering Baby curriculum is laid out by calendar month, and includes 10 -15 days of activities, each taking about 30-45 minutes per day.  During the month of January you learn about the color blue, ears, healthy foods, and cold days, while reading books like Blueberries for Sal, Owl Moon and The Berenstain Bears: Too Much Junk Food. 

The suggested activities focused on the areas of language, math, music, science and foreign language.  More specifically you do things like:

• practice writing and counting numbers
• focus on a new letter each day by practicing to write that letter and looking for things that start with that letter
• when learning about shapes you do activites like reading a book about shapes and then making some of your own from paper
• reading and then having children retell (narrate) back to you what they just heard
• learn about holidays and make various crafts to go along with that particular holiday
• learn about body parts, colors, weather, firestations, magnets, etc..
• learn Spanish words for colors, shapes, numbers, etc..

The second part of the curriculum is the theme or mini-unit study part.  Each month gives 2-3 suggested themes.  For instance, the themes that they suggest for January are Aquarium, Arctic Life & Dinosaurs.  The activities in this section include books, crafts, field trips and fun ideas to cement what you are currently learning from the reading. 

What I liked about Flowering Baby:

Just as I suspected!  It is fun, creative and SIMPLE, SIMPLE, SIMPLE!  This curriculum allows me to focus my time on my son and teaching him, not on planning.  The curriculum guide is easy to understand and very detailed, giving you a list of supplies needed, suggested books to read and specific activities to do with your child.

I liked the different themes, I think they offer the perfect amount of activities.  They study a topic long enough to learn about it, but then they get to move on to something new and exciting the following week.  I feel that the activities included are enjoyable, engaging and challenging for my little guy.

If you know me, then you know I have a love for books.  I think Flowering Baby did a superb job with their literature selections!  And I LOVE that she has these little guys narrating back!  Never had I thought to do that with my little one.

I also did not feel bogged down by this curriculum, you type A mommys now what I mean!  Things were simple enough to accomplish in a short period of time, it was just enough. It was freeing to me that there where not scheduled activites to do every s.i.n.g.l.e day, especially at this age.

What I would change:

As far as the curriculum itself, I think they did a fine job and I really would not change anything. They have letters and number concepts down. And they include LOTS of great books and activities!

Purchasing Info:

Flowering Baby is currently available in CD and PDF form, which is great for keeping costs down. I actually received the CD for this review.  They are currently working on a printed option.

The CD and PDF files are available for each age level.  Birth to One, One to Two, and Two to Three are $30 and Three to Four and Four to Five cost $38 each.  You may also purchase all five year plans for $132.  This is a very reasonable price for all that is included.  The Flowering Baby curriculum is available for ages:

 

Would I recommend this?

I would indeed! If you are interested, but kind of on the fence, try out a months worth Flowering Baby for FREEEE!  You can do this by clicking on one of the links above and scrolling to the bottom.

Birth to One
One to Two
Two to Three
Three to Four
Four to Five

 

 When you order PLEASE take advantage of a 10% discount by using the CODE: Blog10
(good only at www.floweringbaby.com)

 

Please check out what other TOS Crew members have to say about Flowering Baby!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

Character First - A Character Training Curriculum {Review}

I am always trying to instill good character values in my children.  I firmly believe that it is up to parents to teach and train our children, the results of course are up to the Lord. 

 

In saying that, I am always on the look out for books, videos and curriculum to help us along the way.   I was very excited when I came across a little gem called Character First!

 

Character First is a wonderful user friendly character training curriculum that can be used in a classroom or family setting.  The curriculum is divided into a 4 part series covering 36 character traits.  Here is the break down of what character traits are covered in each series:

 

Series 1: Attentiveness, Obedience, Truthfulness, Gratefulness, Generosity, Orderliness, Forgiveness, Sincerity, Virtue

Series 2: Responsibility, Patience, Initiative, Self-Control, Punctuality, Resourcefulness, Tolerance, Creativity, Discretion

Series 3: Diligence, Loyalty, Hospitality, Sensitivity, Enthusiasm, Flexibility, Discernment, Cautiousness, Boldness

Series 4: Dependability, Thoroughness, Determination, Thriftiness, Availability, Deference, Compassion, Persuasiveness, Wisdom

 

We were blessed with the Series 1 elementary materials from Character First, which included:

 

The Series 1 Elementary Teacher's Guide - 3 ring binder with lesson plans, coloring sheets, historical and nature stories, crafts, songs and memory work for each of the 9 character traits in this series.  This is the meat and potatoes of the curriculum. 
 
 

 
Character Cards - These 9 little cards, the size of a baseball card, have been great for us.  They fit right into our memory box for daily review of the trait we are currently working on, as well as the the ones we have previously done.
 
 

 
Student Guide Collection - We received the elementary guides for each of the traits in Series 1.  These are individual guides for the kids that include stories and activities.  The kids can write in them, color the nature picture and keep them in their own notebooks.  I was glad that these were included.  My kids enjoy these and are always excited to get a new.
 

 

Nature Mini Posters - These are 8.5"x11"mini posters.  There is a set for each series, each one contains of the 9 character traits.  Each mini poster corresponds with the nature lesson.  There is a beautiful picture of the animal and character trait on the front and the nature story on the back.  I laminated each of these because the are so nice.  I hang them up as we work through them.
 
 

 

Classroom Demonstration DVD - These DVDs help to teach kids the songs, memory work, hand motions and nature stories from each character trait.  There is a 5 DVD set to go along with each series.  This is an essential part of the program, in my opinion.  My kids really get a lot out of these videos, it helps to cement what we are learning from the teacher's guide. They LOVE to do the memory work, hand motions and sing the songs in the DVD lessons.  (Mama likes the teacher tips!)
 

Let me take you through one of the character traits. When studying Truthfulness the teacher guide explains the definition, an illustration, ideas for application and about how to praise kids for being truthful. 

 

You are given the I Wills of Truthfulness.  I will:

• tell the truth.
• encourage others to tell the truth.
• not cheat or steal.
• admit it when I am wrong.
• not exaggerate to make things seem different than what they are.

 

Next we read about lions. We learned that lions are truthful about how they feel, and show it with their mouth, tail and posture. Then we read two stories about a boy in Africa that wanted to prove his courage by killing a lion, one was true and one was false. We had to figure out which was which was which. Then we read about Abe Lincoln, now we know why he is called Honest Abe.  

 

Some of the other activities included in the truthfulness unit are:

 

• Truthfulness Mural craft that illustrate the five I Wills
• Definition Scramble
• If You're Truthful and You Know It... Song
• Truthfulness crossword puzzle
• Geese Fly game
• Memory Work poem,
• Truthful Lion craft
• Notes of Truth Project
• The Pocket Watch Story & Craft
• Pass It On game
• Lion picture to color

 

Then watched the DVD and used the mini posters and character cards for further reinforcement of Truthfulness.

 

 

The Pros: 

I really love this curriculum, they are like mini unit studies! I think what makes this curriculum great is that there are several activities for each character trait.  There is repetition, yet there is variety.  Certain things you go over and over, like the memory work and the hand motions, but there are other things that add variety.  The games, videos, stories, crafts and coloring keep the children interested and having fun all while building character. 

 

I feel that the teachers guide is very simple, straight forward and easy to implement.  I have had no problems or concerns with this curriculum. 

 

Character First is a great tool to build character for families.  Our children range in age from 4-12 and while we only reviewed the elementary series, I felt it was a good fit for everyone.  I will also keep in mind that they do offer the student guides for older kids. 

 

The nature and history stories are captivating.  The kids and I have enjoyed every single one that we have read so far.  

 

The Cons:

This is really not a con, more of a suggestion.  I do wish that CF incorporated Bible stories and scripture into the curriculum.  An add on booklet with scripture suggestions to go with each character trait would be an awesome addition to the program.  I have added in some scripture myself, which no big deal. 

UPDATE:  When I inquired about this, they pointed me to some resources for biblical content that related to the character qualities. Yay!   

Conclusion:

I highly recommend Character First.  I plan on continuing to use Character First with my children, hopefully through the whole series.  It is a great addition to our studies, and I can see the fruit from using it. 

 

 

We received the above mentioned Character First materials at no charge to us in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

Science & Math Activity Bags {Review}

A few years back I participated in an Activity Bag swap for preschoolers.   I found a swap group online and signed up to do one of the pattern matching activity bags.  It was really simple to do.  I gathered the supplies that I needed and assembled ONE activity bag for 20 different children.  Even after a few years, those bags still get pulled out pretty much on a weekly basis. 

When I found out that we had the opportunity to review for Activity Bags I started jumping up and down!  Literally! 

Activity Bags were created by two homeschool moms, Paula and Sherri, that set out to have fun, educational and independent activities for their preschoolers.  The idea was to have activities ready for younger siblings to do while their older siblings were working on their school.

Activity Bags have since grown, and they now have several Activity Bag books for preschoolers as well as children in K-8th grade.  The books that they currently offer are:

• Preschool Activites in a Bag - eBook 1
• Preschool Activites in a Bag - eBook 2
• (Preschool Activites in a Bag - eBook 3 is in the works)
• Science Experiments in a Bag- eBook 1  Biology, Nature and General Science
• Science Experiments in a Bag - eBook 2 Chemistry, Human Body and General Science
• Science Experiments in a Bag - eBook 3 Chemistry
• Reading Games in a Bag - eBook 1
• Math Games in a Bag - eBook 1
• Travel Activities in a Bag - eBook 1
• Coordinator Book - for those that was interested in hosting swaps

  

     

 

   

 

We were given the Science Activities in a Bag eBooks 1,2,3 and the Math Games in a Bag eBook for this review. 

When Sherri and Paula created the Activity Bag books they created them in a format that makes it very simple for several moms to get together, each take an activity, assemble them and then swap.  But, if you are a homeschooler you know that we are famous for thinking outside of the box, right?! 

I decided that for our family right now, the best way to use the Activity Bag books was to do the individual experiments and games with out assembling all of them prior to use.  I think that, for us, we will work through the experiments and games one by one and then assemble the Activity Bags for the ones that are our favorites. 

For example one of the experiments that we have done so far is the Dancing Peanuts.  It is from the Science Experiments in a Bag -eBook 2.  In the experiment the kids start with a glass of water and baking soda.  Next they add 5 peanuts, and then vinegar.  The peanuts dance by moving up and down in the glass.  This is one of the experiments that we will make a bag for, because I know it is something that they will want to do over and over again. 

I really like how the Science Activity Bags not only include the experiments, but experiment logs, with observation questions and additional experiment suggestions.  I was happy to see that they also suggest for the children to draw what happens in the experiments. 

 

Each of the Science Experiments in a Bag have 25 experiments in them.  Some of the experiments included are:
 
eBook 1

• Catch a Web - observe intricate patterns of spider webs and draw them.
• Feasting Yeast - see how yeast and sugar can inflate a balloon.
• Fungus Amungus - learn how to grow mold.
• Worm Farm - learn what earth worms do that is good for soil.

eBook 2

• Big Bubbles - kids make their own bubble frame and make some pretty big bubbles too!
• Crayon Creations - see how heat changes a solid to a liquid, and then by cooling the liquid, how it changes back into a solid.
• Siphon It - learn how a siphon works.
• Spinning Around - how heat makes a spiral turn.

eBook 3

• Get Gluey - learn how to make glue from vinegar and milk.
• Lots of Lava - make a volcano with flowing lava.
• Seltzer Rocket - learn what happens when gas builds up.
• Sun Burn - learn how to cut a string by the sun's rays.

The Science Experiments in a Bag eBooks are available for $15.00 each.  You can also purchase the Science in Experiments in a Bag eBook Bundle, which includes ebook 1,2 & 3 for $39.00. 
 

We also got the chance to review the Math Games in a Bag.  This eBook has 32 games in it!  The games are geared for kids in elementary grades.  Some of the games included are:

• Telling Time
• Trickster #1 - find out how all roads lead to 99
• Word Problems
• Place Value - roll the dice and put numbers in the correct place value. 
• Number Writing - practice writing numbers

We were pretty impressed with the games included in this book, although I felt that they were more for the younger elementary grades.  There are lots of activities to help students master things that they are already learning. 

The Math Games in a Bag eBook 1 is available for $15.00.  Here are some sample pages from this  book.

Activity Bags has a short survey on their website to help them better gage the wants and needs of their customers.  If you take just a few minutes to fill this out they will send you a free eBook sampler of the different Activity Bag books available.

I recommend Activity Bags, they are an easy and inexpensive way to incorporate fun, hands on learning activities that can be used independently!

 

 

Check out what other TOS Crew Members have to say about Activity Bags!

Disclaimer:  We received the Activity Bag eBooks mentioned in this review at no cost to us in exchange for a fair and honest review.