TOS Crew: Circle C Beginnings Book Review

I have another great book series to tell you all about.  We were given one of the books in the Circle C Beginnings series to review from Kregel Publications.

Circle C Adventures is a series written by Susan K. Marlow for ages 9-12.  Circle C Beginnings is spin off of the original series, except it is for kids ages 6-8.  In Circle C Beginnings you will read about the same wonderful characters that many have come to love from the original series, but they are younger.  Children will appreciate the nice illustrations scattered through out the book as well as the one page dictionary that introduces new words to them at the beginning of the book.

The book that we were given to review was the first book in the new series called, Andi's Pony Trouble.  In this book the little girl, Andi, is turning six and she wants a horse, real bad.  I gave this 70 page book to Computer Girl to read.  She is just starting to read little chapter books so this was great.  I think it was very easy for Computer Girl to get into this book, becasue she could really relate to Andi.  They are about the same age and they both REALLY want a horse.  Unfortunately, for Andi (and for Computer Girl) her parents think that she is much too young for a horse of her own. 

Computer Girl enjoyed reading this book, and would like to continue in the series.  She thought that the story was iteresting, she liked the characters and of course the horse! 

Let me tell you a little more about the books in the Circle C Beginnings series:
 
Andi's Pony Trouble is the first book in the series and the one that we reviewed.  Andi Carter is a 6 year old living in the late 1800's.  Little Andi thinks that she is old enough for a horse all of her own.  Her parents do not share the same opinion.  Andi will be stuck riding an old hand me down pony named Coco, unless she can prove that she is ready for her own horse.

In the second book in the series, Andi's Indian Summer, Andy's friend shows her an old book about Indians.  This book gives Andi the wrong impression about Indians and really scares her.  One day when Andi and her friend Riley wander to far from home, they learn that Indians aren't what they once seemed.   

 

 In the third book in the series, Andi's Fair Surprise,  Andi is little upset that she can't take her new foal to the county fair.  Once she gets there she ends up having a great time, until she gets some bad news.  Andi finds out that she can't keep the blue ribbon that she worked so hard to win. 

In book four, Andi's Scary School Days, Andi thinks that there isn't anything that she is affraid of, until she has to start school.  Being away from her family, ranch and Taffy doesn't seem like much fun to Andi.  She also encounters some problems with a boy at school.

Due for release in August 2011, Andi’s Lonely Little Foal, is about Andi's horse Taffy is growing up too quickly.   Taffy will soon have to leave her mom and stay by herself.  After being told by a mean boy that bad things can happen to foal's separated from their moms Andi is worried if she can keep taffy safe.

 

The next book in the series, Andi’s Circle C Christmas, is not due out until August 2011.  In this book Andi’s holiday break is spoiled once a grumpy visitor comes to visit.  Andi can no longer run and play, wear her farm overalls or watch spiders.  With a turn of events Andi learns that she can help this unwelcomed guest in a way that she never imaginied.

This is a great wholesome series for young readers and I would recommend them.  They are very reasonably priced at only $4.99 each.  You can find them on Amazon or directly through Kregel Publications.

Circle C Beginnings has a great website where you can learn more about the series as well as print out free coloring pages, do games and puzzles.  They also have lapbooks available for purchase. 



You can see what others on the TOS Review Crew are saying about Circle C Beginnings HERE.

We were given the book Andi's Pony Troubles at no charge for review purposes.  The opinions expressed here are my own and I was not influenced my the company or the free product. 

TOS Crew: Yesterday's Classics

We love to read here in the LSG house.  I think I have even said a time or two that I am a collector of books : ) I love to have great books available for our reading pleasure or for topics we are studying.  So, when I was asked if we wanted to review Yesterday's Classics for the TOS Crew, my answer was "You bet we do!"

Yesterday's Classics is a company that republishes classic literature for children.  They have taken books from the golden age of children's literature, 1880-1920, and republished them into easy to read paperback and e-book formats.   Many of the books that they have republished were otherwise out of print.  Children's literature from this time period is generally wholesome, educational and very enjoyable. These stories are like little lost treasures that have been found!

Yesterday's Classics offer a large variety of books, 225 different books to be exact.  Topics include:

• History Books - from different time periods, such as Ancient Civilization, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and the Middle Ages, and American History
• Poems
• Literature
• Faith and Bible Stories
• Fables and Fairy Tales
• Nature Studies
• Hero Tales
• Children from Around the World

We were blessed with all 225 Titles from Yesterday's Classics in the ebook format to review. (You can see the complete list of titles available on Yesterday's Classics website)  While we were not able to read and view them all, here are some of our favorites:

READING-LITERATURE: The Primer 
by Harriette Taylor Treadwell
This reading primer includes classic stories like The Little Red Hen, The Gingerbread Man and Chicken Little.  I love the fun and simplicity of these classic stories for the little ones. 

 

A Child's Own Book of Verse, Book One
by Ada Skinner
There are actually 3 volumes in this collection.  Each volume is filled with poems, lullaby's, rhymes and lyrics for the children to enjoy.  Wonderful for memory work!



 

The Natural History Story Book
by Ethel Talbot 
This is a fabulous collection of stories about some of the most interesting animals in the world.  Children will read about man's encounters with elephants, ostriches, ant eaters, wild boars and many more from the nineteenth century.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thorton Burgess
Here you will read about a variety of birds, as seen through the eyes of Peter Rabbit.  Learn about different birds, their nesting habits and food preferences. 
You will meet new friends such as Jenny Wren, Scrapper the King-bird, Redwing the Blackbird, and many more.


 

Saints and Heroes Since the Middle Ages
by George Hodges 
In Saints and Heroes you will read stories about great Christian men such as Calvin, Luther, Knox and Bunyan.  We will be studying the Middle Ages next year and I am looking forward to getting in this book more.

 




If you have have ever tried to build a home library with good children's literature, then you are well aware that it is not cheap to do so. Tracking down great books at bargin prices (online, yard sales and book sales) is not always an easy task, either.  From May 1st to May 31st Yesterday’s Classics is offering the 225 Book Collection in either Kindle and EPUB format for the sale price of $99.95.

I think it is a great deal to purchase the whole collection for several reasons:

• The price is phenomenal!!  If you purchase all 225 books for $99.95, that is like $.44 per book! 
• You will have a wonderful selection of books, mostly living books, that are great for independent reading, read a louds, memory work, and studies in history and science.
• I love that they are in e-book format.  Not sure about you, but if I were to purchase 225 paperback books I would have to go but a new bookcase or two!  I like how the e-book version take up now space in my home. 

If you would like to order Yesterday's Classics 225 Titles you may purchase them on sale, here.

You can also read what other TOS Crew Members have to say about Yesterday's Classics.


Please note that we received the 225 Ebook Collection from Yesterday's Classics at no charge, for review purposes only.  The opinions expressed here are mine, and I was not influenced by the company or the free product.

(Please excuse the spacing on my post, Blogger is acting up and after 30+ minutes of trying to fix it I threw in the towel.0

TOS Crew: Hey Andrew, Teach Me Some Greek!

We were given Level 1 of the Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! to review for the TOS Crew.  Unfortunately, for us it was not a home run kind of product.

First let me tell you a little bit about the Hey, Andrew!Teach Me Some Greek! Program, by Greek 'n' Stuff.   It is a Greek Language curriculum series that teaches your children koine Greek.  This program has 8 workbooks and offers:

• A Reader - A Primer for Preschoolers and up.  This reader teaches the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet as well as a short Bible Verse.  Pictures and catchy rhymes are used to keep the children interested.
• Workbooks, answer keys and flashcards for each of the 8 levels
• 3 Pronunciation CD's to help the children pronounce the letters and words correctly.  VERY HELPFUL!
• Bible copybook which focuses on The Gospel of John.

We only reviewed Level 1 in the Hey Andrew Series but from reading through all the other levels I can say that it does look like a great program!

For some reason my girls were not thrilled with this program.  They did work through some of the book but really did not have a huge interest in it.  This year we have been learning Greek root words and they really enjoy that, so it really surprised me that they didn't take to this program really well.  I have read about other bloggers who really love the Hey Andrew program.  My plan is to hold onto the workbook and try it again later because I can see the true value in learning Greek when it comes to studying the bible.

You can purchase your own Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! workbooks directly from Greek 'n' Stuff.  The workbooks range in price from $14.95 - $28.95.  You can also purchase the whole curriculum in one package.

If you'd like to see what others on the TOS Crew have to say about Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! you can read their reviews HERE.
We received the Hey, Andrew!  Teach Me Some Greek Level 1 Workbook, Answer Key and Pronunciation CD at now cost to us, for review purposes.  The opinions stated here are my own and I was not in way sway by the free product.

The Building on the Rock Series WINNER...

The Hubs picked #14.......


freddie said...                                                                                               14

I liked Christian Focus on Facebook
April 16, 2011 3:04 AM


Thanks to everyone that entered!!

TOS Crew :Nutrition 101, Choose Life!

Nutrition and Nutritional Healing are two major interests of mine.  In an effort to educate my children in truth, I have looked around for a nutrition curriculum that taught the truth about nutrition, but I didn't really think one existed.  So, I was over SUPER excited to be able to review Nutrition 101: Choose Life by Growing Healthy Homes!

 

 

Finally a nutrition book that is broken down for kids to understand.  I gotta tell ya, I fell in love with this book.  I love everything about it!! Really!

Nutrition 101: Choose Life was written by homeschool moms! More specifically, is was co-authored by homeschool mother Debra Raybern, N.D., M.H., C.N.C., I.C.A.; homeschool mother and researcher Sera Johnson, B.MU; mother and writer/editor Laura Hopkins, B.S.; and mother, grandmother and former Home Economics teacher Karen Hopkins, B.S.

Nutrition 101: Choose Life is not just a nutrition curriculum, it is a wonderful family reference book that you will keep forever and use again and again.  This book will teach your family about the major body systems, how they function and the diseases and ailments that can affect them.  You will also learn about foods that are support these systems and the foods that are bad for them.  The book is broken into 6 Units:

• The Brain and Nervous System
• Digestion and Elimination
• Respiration and Olfactory
• Muscular and Skeletal Systems
• Cardiovascular and Immune Systems
• Endocrine System and Emotions.
  

 Let me tell ya'll about some of the great things that I like about Nutrition 101: Choose Life -

• Like I said, I am THRILLED that this book teaches truth about nutrition.  When I say it teaches truth, I mean that Nutrition 101 talks about herbs that boost your immune system, that boosting immunity through nutrition is better for your body than vaccines, that coffee and caffeine lower your immune system, and my personal favorite - that fluoride is really POISON!! 
• My kids love to cook and experiment with foods, so we really like that each chapter has a recipe that goes along with it.  Like for instance when learning about the Brain, you can make a recipe like Guacamole because avocados are excellent brain food.
• It is super duper helpful that this book is full of colorful pictures, highlighted vocabulary words and discussion questions in each chapter.
• I also like the that each chapter has activities for the kids to do, which are broken into elementary and secondary sections.  For instance after learning about amino acids in chapter 4, the elementary kids are told to check their refrigerator to see if they have any plant sources of amino acids in there.  The secondary kids are asked to help organize a family outdoor fun time that features games that utilize the nervous system.  FUN!!  These optional activities are a great addition to the book.
• Did tell you there are 448 pages chock full of knowledge! 
• The charts in the appendix are fabulous!  I am a chart girl.  I guess because I am a visual learner, charts are my thing.  There are several in this book like the healthy food pyramid, a acid/ alkaline chart, a chart on how to choose good produce and when it is in season.  Not sure that this qualifies as a chart but they have an awesome shopping list too!
• In saving the best for last, Nutrition 101 uses scripture through the whole book!!  LOVE IT!!

You can view the the table of contents and an excerpt HERE.

There is much to like about Nutrition 101: Choose Life.  You can purchase it 3 ways:

• Book - $99.95
• CD-ROM - $79.95
• The Combo, which includes the Book and CD-ROM - $129.95

I was given a downloadable version of the book to review, so I had to print out the pages myself.  I think if you are going to purchase this curriculum, I would spend the extra $20 and get the book.  The Hubs totally covets his printer ink (to do invoices for our carpet business) so there is N O !!! way that I could print out 448 pages in one sitting.  BUT we have on off those spiral binding machines, so I would just print out 1 unit at a time and bind them together by unit.  This is a totally workable idea but I would probably prefer to just have the whole book.  Either way, which ever you choose, Choose Life and get the book ; )

You may also want to take a peak at what others on the TOS Crew are saying about Growing Healthy Homes.
Please note that we received a free download of Nutrition 101: Choose Life.  The opinions stated here are mine and I was not influenced by the company or the free product.

The Building on the Rock Series Review and Giveaway

I found a new books series that I had to share with you all.  The series is called The Building on the Rock series, by Joel R Beeke and Diana Kleyn. 

This series consists of five books, each having 30 or so devotional stories in them.  The books in the series are called:

• How God Used a Thunderstorm
• How God Stopped the Pirates
• How God Used a Snowdrift
• How God Used a Drougnt and An Umbrella
• How God Sent a Dog to Save a Family

The kids and I are currently working through How God Used a Thunderstorm and the stories are FANTABULOUS!!  Some of the stories are short (only a page long) and others are several pages long (being 3-5 pages).  I like how the stories are catergoriezed as long or short, this way I know which stories to pick from depending on the time I have available to read. 

So far, we have been reading at about 2 stories at a time, inaddition to our read a loud book, they are quite addicting to be honest!  The stories have really been a blessing to us, real life stories of how the Lord is working. 

One of my favorites, which is actually the first story in the book, was about a Christian slave that was sold to a new master.  This man was very mean, especially to the slave.  One afternoon the master insisted that Cuff, the slave, stop praying.  When the master had found out that Cuff continued in prayer, he beat him.  Instead of cursing the master, you know what he did?  He got on his knees and prayed for him, I am not sure that I could have done this.  That very night the master couldn't sleep because of the awful thing that he had done. 
He asked if anyone on the plantation could pray for him,  Guess who was brought to the master's bedside?  You guessed it, Cuff, the slave that he had beaten just hours before.  Through all of this, the Lord saved the master.  The master and Cuff spent much time studying the Word together and then traveled through out the South preaching the gospel.

That story and all the others in the Building on the Rock Series are based on true stories.  This is a wonderful collection to add to your family library.

If you would like to own your own set of The Building on the Rock Series you can purchase them directly from STL Distribution for $8.99 each.

Chrstian Focus Publications & STL Distribution, the publishers for the Building on the Rock Series, have offered to giveaway a set to one of YOU!  The GIVEAWAY will run until April 20th.  Please leave a SEPARATE COMMENT for each way that you enter and YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!  Here are the ways that you can enter:

  

• You must be a Follower or Subscriber of LSG to Win!  Please leave me a comment and let me know how you follow.
• If you have just become a new Follower or Subscriber please tell me how you heard about this giveaway.
• Spread the Word! If you have a blog and post about this contest please come back and leave me a link to your post.
• Facebook or Twitter about this giveaway and leave me a comment to let me know about it.
• Like Christian Focus Publications on Facebook.

THANKS FOR ENTERING!! 

Please note that The Building on the Rock Series was given to us free of charge for review purposes, by Chrisitan Focus Publications.  The opinions expressed here are my own and I was not swayed by the free product.

Christian Kids Explore Biology

We were given the opportunity to review Christian Kids Explore Biology, which was written by Stephanie Redmond.  We have been using this biology book through out the year and have really enjoyed it.

I don't quite know that I would have called biology fun before using this book, but I do now.  All the kids have enjoyed going through this book, even Alpha Boy (who is 4) enjoys listening, discussing and coloring along with the rest of us.


There are several things that we really liked about this book.  Let me tell you what they are : )

• We love that this book touches on a wide range of topics, all fitting under biology of course.  The kids liked that we were always learning something new.  CKEB teaches on many aspects of Biology from plants and insects to birds and mammals to the human body.
• I felt that CKEB was very well planned out.  I did not feel like I had to do a lot of advance planning.  I could just open up our book and go. 
• There are oodles of hands on activities in this book.  At the beginning of each unit you are given a list of all the items that are needed to do the hands on projects.  This is really the only planning that I felt was needed.  The projects ranged from dissecting owl pellets to making pine cone bird feeders and a butterfly life-cycle mobile.  
• Although there were oodles of hands on projects I did not feel obligated to do them all and felt I had the liberty to pick and choose what worked for us : )
• I LOVE that there is scripture through out CKEB.  There is even memory verses for each lesson.  I felt that Mrs. Redmond was very good at tying in the fact that Biology and all it consists of is God's Creation.  When learning about Butterflies and Moths we also get to read Matthew 6:20, But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
• We enjoyed Mrs. Redmond's writing style, she writes like she is having a conversation with you.  She is very good at drawing the kids in and keeping their attention.
• The kids liked the coloring pages and diagrams that went along with what we were studying. 
• In the back of the book the author gives an extensive list of supplemental materials.  Some are videos, some books and even games.  I didn't feel obligated to do these AT ALL, but we did take some of her suggestions, and we were glad we did.  If you are interested in seeing her list you can view it here.
• CKEB suggests that the kids do an Animal Kindgom ABC book as a year long project.  She even gives several animal suggestions for each letter of the alphabet.
• CKEB is geared towards students in grades 3rd through 6th, but I felt is was very adaptable for younger kids.  

There are 35 lessons in CKEB, each having a Teaching Time and a Hand on Time.  Teaching time is where we did all of our reading about our topic for the week and then Hands on Time is where we did our, you guessed it, hands on project.  We normally brought the lesson into 2 sessions a week, we read one day and then would do our project the next time we did science.  Generally we do science at least twice a week.

In case you are curious what lessons are included in the 35, I've got ya covered.  Here there are:

1. Creation
2. Cells
3. Taxonomy
4. The Biosphere
5. Food Webs
6. Introduction to Plant's in God's World
7. Photosynthesis
8. Plant Reproduction
9. Fruit & Vegetables
10. Trees
11. Birds of the Earth - Taxonomy
12. Bird Diets
13. Bird Structure
14. Introduction - Mammals in the Wild
15. Monotremes and Marsupials
16. Canids, felines, and Bears
17. Monkeys and Apes
18. Aquatic Mammals
19. Introduction - The Human Factor
20. The Human Body
21. Our Five Senses
22. Human Reproduction
23. Introduction - Reptiles All Around
24. Snakes and Lizards
25. Alligators and Crocodiles
26. Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins
27. Introduction - Insects High and Low
28. Butterflies and Moths
29. Bees and Wasps
30. Introduction - Water Creatures
31. Mollusks
32. Sharks
33. Crustaceans
34. Freshwater Life
35. Amphibians

See, there is a lot to LOVE!! There was not anything that we disliked about CKEB, it was a great fit for our family.

You can purchase your own copy of Christian Kids Explore Biology directly from Bright Ideas Press for $34.95.  You and your kids can have fun exploring biology together too!


Please note that we received Christian Kids Explore Biology from bright Ideas Press for review purposes only.  I am an affiliate of Bright Ideas Press and if you purchase anything thru my link I will get a small commission. 

TOS Crew: Artistic Pursuits

We love anything artsy.  My kids love to draw, color, paint, and all the other fun and messy things that art can be.  This year I have kind of slacked a bit with a true art curriculum, the kids do so much coloring, cutting and drawing on their own that I haven't really worried about it.

Once we were given the opportunity to review Stories of Artists and Their Art, by Artistic Pursuits, I realized how much we had been missing!

I really like Artistic Pursuits and the way it is laid out, the lessons are a mixture of art history as well as an art lesson.  Each lesson starts out with a factual story about an artist or a particular piece of art (think Mona Lisa).  Next the student gets an lesson on a project similar to the the one they just learned about. 

Here is an example, after learning about Michelangelo the students are taught how to do a Carving of their very own, OUT OF APPLES!!  The girls are doing this project, but we aren't quite finished yet (the apples take a while to dry out).  I would love to post a picture of the process that they are making but I am having computer issues again, so I will have to post the pics later.  Sorry. 

We also learned about the artist Cimabue, and then we painted just him, with water colors.  Again, I would love to post the pics but, I have issues.  Computer issues that is : )

The kids really enjoyed learning about the different artists, as well as their famous paintings.  I think even more than reading about these masterpieces, they really enjoyed trying to recreate them.

 

Artistic Pursuits offers 10 different books that take students from Pre K to 12 graduation.   We reviewed Artistic Pursuits - Stories of Artists and Their Art, grades K-3 Book 2, which has 32 Lessons/ Projects which would take you through the whole school year if you did one lesson per week.  

The materials that are introcuded in Book 2 are:

• Pan Watercolors
• Tempera Paints
• Oil Pastels
• Printmaking
• Stamping
• Papier-Mache
• Mixed Media

  The Artists/ Masterpieces that are studied in Book 2 are:

1. Cimabue
2. Madonna Enthroned, with Saints and Angels
3. Giotto
4. Lamentation of Christ
5. Limbourg
6. August (Departure for the Falcon Hunt)
7. Van Eyck
8. Jean Arnolfini and His Wife
9. Leonardo da Vinci
10. Mona Lisa
11. Michelangelo
12. Delphic Sibyl
13. Raphael
14. Portrait of a Young Woman
15. Anguissola
16. Three Sisters Playing Chess
17. Durer
18. Flight to Egypt
19. Bruegel
20. Hunters in the Snow
21. Parmigianino
22. The Conversion of Paul
23. Rembrandt
24. Abraham's Sacrifice
25. Vermeer
26. The Artist in His Studio
27. Fragonard
28. A Young Girl Reading
29. Turner
30. The Fighting Temeraire
31. Millet
32. The Gleaners


The Artistic Pursuits books cost $42.95.  They are non-consumable, meaning once you buy them you can use them over and over again.  Many of the books can be used for multigrades, like the book we got is for K-3, but my 4 year old, 2nd and 4th graders can all use it. 

I would recommend this art curriculum.  It is much more thorough and far beyond the standard arts and crafts taht we are used to.  Children get to learn art history and how to do art like the pros! 

If you are interested, you can purchase your own Artistic Pursuits book directly from Artistic Pursuits. 

Please take a moment and check out what others on the TOS Crew are saying about Artistic Pursuits.

We recieved Artistic Pursuits free of charge for review purposes.  The opinions expressed here are my own and I was not influenced by the company or the free product.

Homestead Blessing: The Art of Sewing Review & GIVEAWAY

We have been given the opportunity to watch and review the Homestead Blessings Video Series, the most recent video that we watched was The Art of Sewing.

I was thrilled to be able to watch the Art of Sewing because my sewing skills are pretty minimal, at best.  The West Ladies really do have a gift of making you feel that you REALLY can do what they are doing, and do it well.  When I watch their videos I feel very encouraged and they don't make me feel like I have to be a perfectionist to make something beautiful.

The Art of Sewing Video had several sewing lessons that teach you basting, cutting, straight stitch.  The projects in the video included a doll quilt, pillow cases, layered skirt and a RAG QUILT!  I have been wanting to make a quilt but never felt qualified to be a quilt maker, you know what I'm sayin'!  BUT the west Ladies explained that a RAG Quilt is a little more forgiving, i.e. It doesn't have to be perfect!  That sounds right up my alley.

So, I have decided to make a rag quilt for Lil' Bits for his birthday (I have until July), but I am going to wait until we finish up school for the year to start my quilt project.  I have lots of fun kids flannel prints that would make a really cute quilt for a little boy.  Plus, I have made all the other kids a blanket, you know those no sew fleece blankets and I don't want him to feel left out : )



The Homestead Blessings Videos would make a wonderful Home Education Series to do at home with the kids.  The West Ladies have a wide variety of life skills that they teach, the videos in the series are:

• The Art of Quilting
• The Art of Sewing 
• The Art of Dairy Delights
• The Art of Canning
• The Art of Gardening
• The Art of Herbs
• The Art of Cooking 
• The Art of Soap Making
• The Art of Candle Making
• The Art of Bread Making
• The Art of Crafting

You can purchase your own copy of Homestead Blessings: The Art of Sewing or any of the other Homestead Blessings videos directly from Franklin Springs Media.  While your there be sure to check out all the other AWESOME Family Friendly videos that they offer.

If you would like to WIN your very own copy of The Art of Sewing, here is your chance!  I have 3, yes THREE to GIVEAWAY!  Here is how you can enter to win Homestead Blessings, The Art of Sewing:

Please leave a SEPARATE COMMENT for each way that you enter and YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS! Here are the ways that you can enter:

• You must be a Follower or Subscriber of LSG to Win! Please leave me a comment and let me know how you follow.
• If you have just become a new Follower or Subscriber please tell me how you heard about this giveaway.
• Spread the Word!  If you have a blog and post about this contest please come back and leave me a link to your post.  
• Please visit the Franklin Springs website, let me know which other Homestead Blessings videos you would be interested in.  
• Facebook or Twitter about this giveaway and leave me a comment to let me know about it.
• Like Franklin Springs Family Media on Facebook.
• Like Homestead Blessings on Facebook.

PLEASE NOTE:  One of my wonderful ATTENTIVE readers reminded me to give an END DATE for the GIVEAWAY (thanks!).  Oops, sorry I have forgot, told ya'll I've been slackin' lately : ) 

The GIVEAWAY will END on March 23th.  Thanks for entering!


Please note that the Art of Sewing was given to us free of charge for review purposes.   The opinions expressed here are my own and i was not swayed buy the free product. 

TOS Crew: Reading Kingdom

We were selected to review the Reading Kingdom.  I was happy to get to do the review and really thought that my kiddos would love the program. 



Let me tell you a little about Reading Kingdom.  It is online based program for children ages 4-10 that teaches them to Read and Write to a 3rd grade level. 
.
Reading Kingdom was created by Dr.Marion Blank, a top expert in literacy.  It was designed to customize itself to each child.  It is the only online program that teaches that all 6 essential skills for reading and writing success. 

These skills include:

• Sequencing
• Motor Skills
• Sounds
• Meaning
• Grammar
• Comprehension

Unfortunately, my kids did not love this program.  You see, initially, you take a skills assessment to see what level you belong in.  My 2nd grader and 4 year old both tested into the training section, which means that they needed a little help with mouse and keyboard skills.  I think part of this was because at first we thought they were supposed to be using the keyboard to type the letters, not using the mouse to click on them. 



In the training sections they had to practice clicking on letters, the same letters, over and over again.  They did not enjoy this very much and thought it to be very boring.  I encouraged them to press on, and told them both that they would be on another level real soon.  After using the program several times and doing the same thing repeatedly they decided they didn't like the program. 

I do understand that the program wants you to know how to match letters and be able to click on them, but personally I felt it was a little too repetitive.  I do believe that my kids would have liked the program, if they could have gotten past the Letter Land in a more timely fashion.  They really just got bored with all the letter clicking.



I even set up my own account to see what I thought of the program.  I took the skills assessment and tested in Level 1.  Once I got to Level 1 I was reading a little bit, typing out words and whole sentences.  I can see the educational benefits from this Level but can't really talk about Levels 2-4 because honestly, I didn't get there. 



In all fairness, I think this could be a pretty nice program if the intro/ training section were shorter and the kids could dive into really learning.  If you have a struggling reader or a little one that is just starting out I would definitely Try the 30 Day Free Trial.  Your children may have a totally different take on the program and it may really work for them. 

The Reading Kingdom program is a monthly online subscription, it costs $19.99 per month or $199.99 for a 12 month subscription.  If you have multiple children using the program, it is $9.99 per month for each additional child.  If you are
interested, you can sign up HERE.

Please what other TOS Crew Members are saying about the Reading Kingdom. 

We received a 12 month subscription to this product free of charge for review purposes.  The opinions expressed here are my own and I was not influenced by the free product.

TOS Crew: I See Sam

We were asked to review the I See Sam books from Academic Success for All Learners for the TOS Crew. 

The company graciously sent us levels 1-4.  When our box of books arrived a was initially a bit over whelmed, because I wasn't real sure where to start or what to do.  Once I opened the box and started reading the Placement and Assessment Manual I knew that I was going to use the program with Computer Girl.

Computer Girl is in 2nd grade, and read pretty well prior to using the I See Sam books.  We did not use these books to teach phonics as she already has a firm phonetic foundation.  We used the Little Books more as readers to help give her the confidence that she lacked in reading and speed.   

Here is what I found from using the program with Computer Girl:

• The Placement and Assessment Manual showed us exactly where Computer Girl needed to start.  She started in level 3.
• As Computer Girl would read to me, the reader would prompt me to Praise and Encourage her.  When ever I would say Great Job! or WOW!  That was Perfect! her little eyes would just light up and she would smile ear to ear!  While I did praise her prior to using the I See Sam books I don't think i did it enough.  The extra praise was working, it slowly but surely helped to build the confidence that she needed. 
• When we read together I try to set time aside so that it was just her and I. with no interruptions and she would just read and read.  There have been several times that she sat and read me 3-4 books in one sitting.  She really enjoyed the stories and they really kept her interest. 
• While she did start in level 3 she quickly improved and moved on to level 4. 
• As her confidence improved so did her reading skills.  The once shy reader now begs me to let her keep reading.  Here is an example, when we do Bible together I have both the girls read along with me.  I used to only have Computer Girl read 1 verse, 2 at the most.  Now she likes to read verse after verse!  Now I have to tell her to stop hogging all the reading.  : )

I plan on continuing to use the Little Books with Computer Girl and plan on using level 1 with Alpha Boy next year when he starts Kindergarten.

I would recommend Little Books from the I See Sam series, but not as a stand alone phonetic program.  The kids enjoy them and they really do seem to help improve reading skills.  They have 8 sets that take you from a Kindergarten to 3.6 reading level.  Each set contains up to 27 Little Books and costs $30. 

Each set of I See Sam Little Books also have a set of flashcards to accompany the readers.  You may download them for no charge or purchase them all ready made for $15 for sets 1-4 or 5-8.

If you would like to see for yourself what the I See sam Little Books are all about, you may request a FREE Sample Book.

Please check out what other members of the TOS Crew are saying about the I See Sam Little Books.

We recieved the I See Sam Little Books at no charge for review purposes.  This did not in any way influence my opinions of this product, the opinions expressed here truly are my own. 

TOS Crew: Kid Scoop

The TOS Crew offered to let us review Kids Scoop's Reluctant Readers Solutions by Vicki Whiting, who has done a fabulous job putting this program together!

She know that in order for children to get good at reading they have to do it.  If you want kids to love reading give'em stuff to read that they enjoy and interest them.  Vicki has now just that.  She has put together some great topics that the kids are really interested in!  My kids have really enjoyed reading about Big Foot, frost, Bees, Germs and Valentines Day, to name a few. 

Not only do the kids get to read about really cool stuff, but then they get to do even cooler activities, like stories, games, puzzles and crafts!  

My kids generally like to read, for the most part so I am not generally pulling teeth to make that happen.  With that said I can't testify that my kids couldn't stand reading but now they love it.  BUT, I can tell you that when I print out a set of worksheets I don't even need to ask them to do it.  I just lay them on the kitchen table and BAM! they flock to them.  Literally!  They will of course share what they are learning and ask me if they have questions but all I hear is "Mom can you print us out another one?!!"

Here are the Pros:

• The topics really appealed the kids.  They were learning and ENJOYING it.  Can you imagine such a thing!
• I liked that many of the topics were related to history, science and health.
• Very easy to use.  With it being in eBook form, it was pretty much print and go.  Each topic includes 5-7 worksheets.
• The kids can do this independently.  Mostly.  For us anyway, but this would depend on the skill level of your kiddos.  Don't get me wrong here, these activities got their brain juices flowing and challenged them.
• With 365 pages of stories and activities, cover about 60 different topics, it will last for quite a while. 
• Did I mention that they were learning!!
• I mentioned that my kids don't really struggle with reading to much, but I can say this Kid Scoop did give them a definite hunger to want to read MORE and keep on learning.
• I liked that it could be used for multiple ages.  My 10 and 7 year olds most worked on their own, unless they had a question.  My 4 year old is not reading yet, but after seeing the fun his sisters were having he wanted to join in.  So, either we would join them or have me help him with the story and some of the activities that he could do. 

You can purchase your own Kid Scoop: Reluctant Reader Solution eBook for $97.00.  I will be honest, at first I thought that was a little high BUT hear me out for a moment and consider these thoughts....

You own the eBook, which means that you can print them over and over.  This obviously is more economical if you have a few children.  $97 divided by 365 (worksheets) is roughly $.27 per worksheet.  So, that would make each topic only about  $1.35 - $1.89 each.  Not bad considering you can print it over and over and over again.  If I did my math correctly (which would be pretty embarrassing if I didn't) it really is pretty economical.  

If you are not sure about purchasing the eBook you would probably love to know that Kid Scoop has a

365-day Unconditional Money-Back Guarantee!  

Can't beat that!  If you still aren't convinced Kid Scoop offers a FREE sample download that you might want to check out.

Also included in your Kid Scoop purchase is 12 months of access to the Kid Scoop monthly newspaper, the online newspaper just for kids. ($55 value).  Which is also very cool.  Kids love having a newspaper all their own.  

In each electronic edition of Kid Scoop News Online your kids will get to play lots of fun puzzles and games, do awesome experiments, and read profiles of kids in the new, plus lots more!   Kids get to read about current events, the natural world, and special holidays.

Page after page is filled with lots of things to do and learn!  Your kids will enjoy this subscription for 12 months along with your eBook purchase.

Please check out what others on the TOS Crew are saying about Kid Scoop!

We received a free copy of Kid Scoop: Reluctant reader Solutions for review purposes only.  The opinions stated here are my own and were not influenced by the free product.

TOS Crew: Curiosity Files

The TOS Crew asked us if we would like to review one of their new Curiosity Files ebook studies. I immediately knew that I wanted to do one, I even knew the exact one that I wanted to do.  I can tend to get a little excited about doing new things, but I contained myself and let the kids choose the topic of their choice. Would you believe that we ALL wanted to do the same study! Quicksand!

It was nice to be able to study something that everyone was interested in.  It was even nicer to be able to learn right along with the kids, and not have to do a ton of research before hand, since The Old Schoolhouse had already done it for us.

When we opened up our curiosity file we met Professor Ana Lyze, Expert in Outlandish Oddities. She kindly introduced herself and told us that she and her research team specialized in the obscure, the abnormal, and bizarre.  The kids and I were hooked and very interested to follow her through this study.

With the help of Professor Ana Lyze we learned alot about quicksand. We learned what quicksand is and what it isn't.  We found out that it takes just the right make up of water, sand, clay and salt to make quicksand.  We learned how to make our own edible quicksand.  Did you know that quicksand is very common and that most people don't sink to their death if they step in it, we do! 

 

We had a great time with this study, there were so many things to do!  After learning about quicksand you can do experiments, word searches, crossword puzzles, study scriputre, do math and even make your own (edible) quicksand!

Some of the things included in the Curiosity Files are:

• Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Quicksand
• Let’s See How Much You’ve Learned
• Figure It Out
• Morecambe Bay Quicksand
• Quicksand Drawings - the kids get to draw fun pictures of things getting stuck in quicksand
• Math Facts
• Measures
• Word Fun
• Is Your Essay Full of Quicksand?
• Spelling and Vocabulary
• Elementary Word List
• Junior High/High School Word List
• Spelling Activities (elementary)
• Spelling Activities (middle/high school)
• Word Search
• Crossword
• Just For Fun
• Copywork
• Scripture Verses
• Memory Work
• In the Lab
• Physics
• Surface Tension Experiment
• Let’s Get Creative
• Quicksand Goo
• Edible Quicksand
• Decorative Colored Sand Bottles
• Painted Walking Stick
• Sand Art Pictures
• Coloring Page
• Hands on Learning
• Cornstarch Quicksand
• The Curiosity Fact Files
• Snippet #1: Why Does Quicksand Make You Sink?
• Snippet #2: Non-Newtonian Fluid
• Music Mania
• Read All About It

 As if that weren't enough, there are books recommended for further reading and lots of websites to check out about quicksand.  Like I said, they've done it ALL!

 

The ebooks in the Curiosity Files series are:

• Quicksand
• Blue Diamond
• Dung Beetle
• MRSA
• Puffer Fish 
• Red Tide 
• Zombie Fire Ants 
• Blue-footed Booby 
• Cicada Killing Wasp

Whether you want to study Quicksand or any of the other Curiosity Files, you won't be disappointed. At only $6.95 (or $46.00 for all 9 of them), The Curiosity Files are a great way to spice up your studies or to just take a mid year break from your current curriculum.   While the recommended age range is 8-13, my 4 & 8 year olds had no problem keeping up, so I feel it is definitely adaptable for the younger ages.

To see what other TOS Crew members are saying about the Curiosity Files please check out their reviews here.

Please note that we received the Quicksand Curiosity File from the TOS at no charge, for review purposes only.  This, however, did not alter my opinion about this product. 

All Cakes Considered

To all the cakes I've loved before, I am sorry but you have been replaced.  You see I have found something better.  I have found a cake that is moist and delicious and tastes oh so yummy!  

 My new favorite cake EVER is a Peach Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.  It may well be the most delicious things I have ever put in mouth! 

Now that your mouths are watering let me tell you where I found this wonderful recipe.  I found it in a cake cookbook called All Cakes Considered by Melissa Gray. 

Melissa has done all the research and found the best of the best!  She decided to make a new cake each week and bring it into work to share with her colleagues at radio station NPR.  Melissa works behind the scenes of the radio show All Things Considered, hence the name of the book.  Lucky them!  After finding the very yummiest cakes, she put them all together into a great cookbook.  Thanks Melissa!

The majority of the cookbook is filled with fabulous cakes but in case you get tired of those she even threw in some great cookie recipes (great thinking Melissa!).  I do the happy dance when I find a cookbook that is filled with beautiful pictures, especially cake pictures!  I like to see whatever I am making is supposed to look like, ya know.

The Cake Recipes Included Are:

• Sour Cream Pound Cake - which she calls The Man Catcher, LOL!
• Brown Sugar Pound Cake
• Missy G's Sweet Potato Pound Cake
• Key Lime Cake
• Procrastinatin' Drunken Monkey Banana Bread
• The Barefoot Contessa's Sour Cream Coffee Cake - WOWWY!
• Argroves Manor Coffee Cake
• Miss Saigon Cinnamon Almond Coffee Cake
• Swedish Visiting Cake - Yummmmm!
• Rum-Drenched Vanilla Cakes
• Gingerbread
• Wacky Cake w/ Seven Minute Frosting
• Cocoa Bread with Stewed Yard Peaches
• Tunnel of Fudge Cake - Just looking at the the oozing fudge makes my mouth water!
• Butter Rum Cake
• The Naughty Senator
• Paula Deen's Almond Sour Cream Pound Cake
• Coffee Spice Cake
• Spanish Meringue Cake
• Honey Spice Cake with Rum Glaze
• Holiday Honey Cake
• Araby Spice Cake
• Black Walnut Cake
• Banana Cake w/ Chocolate Frosting-  Does it get any better than this??!! 
• Fresh Apple Cake
• Paula Deen's Grandgirl's Fresh Apple Cake from Georgia - Ok, maybe it does!
• Peach cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - MY FAVORITE!!
• Faux Fruitcake
• Martha Washington's Great Cake
• Bittersweet-Chocolate Frosted Layer Cake
• Whipped Cream Cake
• Honey Buttercream and Apricot Jam Cake
• Italian Cake - Coconut and Walnuts Galore!
• Sour Cream Spice Cake w/ Orange Butter Frosting
• Devil's Food Cake with Quick Fudge Icing and Raspberry Jam
• Dark Chocolate Red Velvet Cake
• Triple Chocolate Orange Passion Cake
• German's Chocolate Cake
• Angel Food Cake
• Chocolate Angel Food Cake
• Lady and Lord Baltimore Cakes
• Lane Cake
• Appalachian Stack Cake - The next time that I have company over this will be their dessert, WOW!
• Graham Cracker Cake
• Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pattie Cake
• Heaven and Hell Cake - If you love chocolate and peanut butter you are sure to love this one!

These cakes would be great to make and take, for special occasions or for any ol' reason at all!  You can purchase your own copy of All Cakes Considered on Amazon for $16.47.  I am sure that you too will find a new cake to LOVE!

Please note that I received All Cakes Considered free of charge for review purposes, but this not not in any way change my opinion of this product.

TOS Crew: Roman Town

We were given Roman Town by Dig-It Games to review for the TOS Crew.  So far, my kids are diggin' it!  They want to play and play and play some more!

Roman Town is fantastic educational game that teaches kids about archeology and history in a very hands on kinda way. The kids get to "be" archaeologists and have their very own digging team to explore the ancient Roman Town of Fossura (of course they LOVED THIS!). Once an ancient artifact is found the kids get to learn more about it through games, puzzles and fun, educational facts.  Along the way the kids also get to learn from and interact with children that lived in Fossura.

The Roman Town game offers 6 levels of play, so there is lots to do and discover. The game is geared toward students in 5th-8th grad,e but my 4 year old, and 2nd grader enjoyed playing as well (they did need a little bit of help from mom). My 5th grader really enjoys playing and it definitely holds her interest for quite a while.

This is a picture of our diggers.  The kids get to pick the tools that they use to do their digging. 

Once your workers think they have found something, you get to go over to finish excavating.   The kids really liked this little feature.

Here are some of the artifacts that were found.  Now, the kids get to see if they all fit together.  The puzzles and games were favorites for everyone, even mom!

These are the helpful children that live in Fossura.  The kids get to play games with them and learn lots of facts from them.

This is a fill in the blank report that the children can do to show what they have learned. 

We really enjoyed playing Roman Town, it was great to have fun and learn all at the same time!  Roman Town would go along great with any study on Rome and Ancient Civilization, we will continue to use this again and again. 

If you would like to have your own copy of Roman Town, it will be on sale from now until February 21st for only $19.96.   To get the sale price please use the coupon code TOS2011.  The regular price after the sale is $39.95. 

Please check out what others on the TOS Crew thought about Roman Town.

We received the Roman Town game at no charge for review purposes only.  The opinions expressed here are my own and were not influenced by the free product.