Category: Reviews

Product reviews

Corps of Re-Discovery

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What do you get when you take two adventurous boys, some paint, knives, guns, flashlights, and industrious imaginations?  If you were here at our house you would get an ambush.  As I write this, my boys are laying in wait for their father to come home.  I am not sure what they will do with him when they catch him but nonetheless he will receive a surprise attack.

We encourage our children to be imaginative.  When my boys play together it fosters a healthy relationship between brothers.  It also builds into them a spirited desire to be men.  It is because when they play they are winning wars, saving princesses, fighting enemies, rescuing the helpless, doing mighty deeds, and becoming heroes.  In addition, allowing my children to have active imaginations makes it a lot easier in teaching history.  For example, when my boys pretend to be frontiersmen, the account of Lewis and Clark turns from boring historical facts into real, authentic stories lived out in their minds.   This is why I am excited about my discovery of The Corps of Re-Discovery. 

The Corps of Discovery was the name Thomas Jefferson gave to Lewis and Clark’s party as he commissioned them to find an east-west water passage to the Pacific Ocean over 200 years ago.  The Corps of Re-Discovery is the name of a home-based family business who wants to help inspire imaginations and create memories.  They offer project kits to enrich studies of American Indians, Frontiersmen and Pioneer Americans so children can “re-discover” America. 

I was given an opportunity to review one of their products, a frontiersmen coin pouch.  Unfortunately, I was only given one to review.  Therefore, we had to come up with a creative solution to “who gets the pouch.”  Aaron decided that if he could make it then Andrew could take it.  The kit was easy to understand and simple to complete, taking just a few minutes.  In fact, after starting it Aaron went ahead and let his younger brother finish it.  Priced at just $4.95 it was not only fun but economical. When a child makes his own toy from the past he easily becomes excited about this era of American History.

When you visit their website you will see that they have everything an American Indian needs from throwing tomahawks, to arrow kits, to moccasin kits.  Perhaps your children like to pretend to be pioneers or colonials.  They will enjoy a quill feather pen kit, a weaving loom, or a cornhusk doll kit.  In addition to the coin pouch, your frontiersmen might enjoy the powder horn or a coonskin hat.  However your children like to play they will find something they love at The Corps of Re-Discovery.   Below is a picture of Andrew and his new coin pouch.

  

Click here to see what others are saying about The Corps of Re-Discovery project kits.

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received the coin pouch free of charge in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

A Sure Foundation

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Did you ever sing as a child the song about the wise man and the foolish man?  I love that song.  “The wise man built his house upon the rocks and the rains came tumbling down…..”  While the song is catchy and fun to sing, there is more to it than that.  It teaches a profound truth of building upon a sure foundation.  For every believer that sure foundation is Jesus Christ and Him alone.  Many try to build their life upon sandy foundations.  But sadly, it is to their detriment.

When it comes to teaching my children, I must remember to build upon that same sure foundation.  That is one of the reasons I love homeschooling.  I am able to choose curriculum that builds upon Truth.  When I was given the opportunity to review a writing curriculum by Rebecca Celsor, from The Write Foundation, my curiosity was stirred.  

Rebecca began her career in the public school system teaching language arts.  After several years she took her experience and began to apply it to those students who she had the most vested interest in – her own children.  This was the beginning of her homeschooling journey with her three children.  Her journey continued as she began to teach other children creative writing in Christian co-op classes.  As she developed her own curriculum she realized that when it comes to writing, failure is almost always because the basics have NOT been learned.  The Write Foundation takes students back to the basics and lays the foundation needed for success. 

There are three levels in The Write Foundation curriculum.

Level One – Sentence to Paragraph Writing (ages 11-13)

Level Two – Paragraph Writing (ages 12-15)

Level Three – Essay Writing (ages 14-17)

I choose to review Level One with my children.  The goal of level one is for students to become well thought-out and organized writers.  Each lesson can be used for reluctant and average writers building confidence in them.  But it is also creative enough to be used for children who excel in writing.  Below is a description of Level One from their website.

  • Lesson plans formatted in an easy-to-follow system 
  • Reinforces the construction of a basic sentence 
  • Improves sentence structure with basic grammar and figures of speech 
  • Teaches the organizational process of  brainstorming, outlining, rough draft and editing. 
  • Quickly develops more interesting, informative sentences 
  • Steps to writing the basic paragraph 
  • Progress to writing two-paragraph papers 
  • Guidelines, checklists and correct structure 
  • Creative poetry writing 
  • 30 lessons with lesson plans for either a one- or two-year format

The entire Sentence to Paragraph Writing Curriculum for teacher and student includes a Spiral-bound Teacher Instruction Manuals with Lesson Plans, One set notebook-ready printed Worksheets (200 single-sided pages), One CD with additional resources.  The curriculum is $100.  The website does offer options for ordering the manuals, worksheets and CD individually as well. 

 I have modified this curriculum somewhat to fit our needs (isn’t that another beauty of homeschooling?) but overall we have all enjoyed the simple, easy to understand lessons.  We will continue to use this in our home throughout the semester.   

To learn more about The Write Foundation visit their website.  You can click here to see what others are saying about this product.

 

“He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock,” Luke 6:48.

 

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received The Write Foundation Level One free of charge in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

Student Planners

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Moms, how are you coming on your organizational skills this year? 

I’m going to admit right now that I have not always been the most organized person.  But over the years and with much prodding from my dear husband, I have become much more organized in all that I do (from running the house, to my writing, to teaching the children and everything in between).

So this year I started off with great expectations.  At the beginning of the school year I had everything scheduled and organized.  Of course, I must give credit where credit is due and The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner sure has helped in this area.  So I’m off to a good start.  Now comes the challenge of imparting to my children the same organizational skills.  After all, it is important for children to be structured.  It’s important for them to have order.  And as they get older it is even more important that they learn the self discipline it takes to keep them organized.

There are two things I have learned to help my own children with these skills.  First, I have to emulate the behavior for them.  After all, when it comes to children, more is caught than taught.   Secondly, I must provide for them good resources and tools to use.  For example, if I want to teach my children to be early risers then I myself must be an early riser.  Secondly, I should invest in an alarm clock for them (giving them the proper tool). 

To teach my children to be organized I first must be.  Then I need to give them the proper tools or resources.  This is where the Schoolhouse Student Planner comes in.  I received the Middle School (7-8 grade) planner from TOS in exchange for an honest review.  It is 278 pages of informative articles, helpful calendars, valuable forms, and so much more.  In fact, there really is too much to list but below are a few examples.

  • To-do lists (today, tomorrow, next week . . .)
  • Audio/Visual log
  • Log sheet
  • Marking period planners
  • Wish list (stuff to buy later)
  • Science lab sheets (use to gather all the supplies and record the experiment too)
  • General book reports
  • Early elementary book reports (with room for pictures!)
  • Chore charts (includes tasks and pictures for primary and secondary grades)
  • Loaned and borrowed lists (no more lost books, CDs, DVDs . . .)
  • Important phone numbers and contacts (never forget a phone number again)
  • Address book (from A–Z)
  • Family tree
  • Community service record (college and scholarship applications may require this information)
  • Dates to remember (birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, important events)
  • Website login/password reference (handy!)

In addition, there are those much-needed, must-know lists for those hard to remember facts and figures:

  • Thirteen colonies
  • Multiplication table
  • Branches of government
  • Planets
  • Measurement conversions
  • Elements
  • Capitals of states or countries
  • Timelines
  • Kitchen and measurement conversions
  • And more!

The student planners complement the Schoolhouse Planners in a very nice way but can also stand alone.   At just $19 they are affordable as well.   I must say that our family is well on our way to having a smooth, well-run household and a very productive year!   Visit the store to learn more information.

Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. (Psa 25:4)

 

Encouragement

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There is something about a good story that makes spiritual truths more comprehensible. When a story touches our heart the impact of its validity is long lasting. Christ, himself, taught in parables. Think about the principle behind the golden rule. What story comes to mind? Perhaps it is that of the Good Samaritan. It is because we relate to stories. Stories inspire us. They encourage us.

I was given the opportunity to review The One Year Book of Encouragement through Tyndale House Publishers. The book, written by Harold Myra, is broken into 365 days. It is filled with stories from various Christian men and women throughout history. Written in an easy to read format, the stories are short and conclude with a prayer and Scripture verse. This offers an appeal for busy readers. The stories are full of inspiration and share insight from men like John Wesley, Oswald Chambers, Billy Graham, Martin Luther and many more.

I am not personally one to read devotionals. I have always believed that the best source for wisdom and inspiration is the Bible itself. I still and always will stand on that statement. And while this book should never be used to replace the study of God’s Word it could be a nice supplement. It is encouraging, being true to its name. So, for a story book I would recommend it. For a devotional, pick up your Bible. You’ll never go wrong there.

Disclosure: I was given The One Year Book of Encouragement from Tyndale House in exchange for an honest product review.

Teaching the Word of God

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Nothing is more calming to my soul than picking up God’s Word and reading from the Psalms.  Perhaps it is because there is such transparency with the Psalmists.  As we read, we get a glimpse of heartache, troubles, sorrows, fear, worry and doubt.  But, in contrast we also see complete faith, hope, love, joy, and delight.  My heart is pointed to my Creator, Rock, Salvation, Strong Tower, Deliverer, Refuge, Preserver, Shield and Strength every time I read the Word of God.  My mind is transformed by the power of His Words, and I am strengthened through them.

I believe that giving my children a love for the Word of God is one of the most wonderful gifts I could ever give them.  We encourage Bible memorization within the family, their father and I read the Bible to them and we persuade each of them to read on their own as well.  Dana is currently teaching Bible Catechisms each morning after breakfast to the children. 

We use the Bible in all of their studies.  It is the most precious book we have.  It is the inerrant (incapable of mistakes), inspired (God breathed), all sufficient (completely adequate), Word of God.  In other words, the Bible is all we need and we cannot know it or study it enough.

Recently I was given a pre-inductive study of the Psalms, Young Hearts Longing For God, from Soli Deo Gloria Resources.  It is a 30 lesson workbook geared for children in 4th through 8th grade.  Each lesson takes the student through one Psalm per week.  It encourages daily reading of the Psalm creating repetition (which helps in memorization).  The student is given questions to answer as well as thoughts and prompts for journal writing.  The workbook is $16.00 or you can download immediately an ebook for $14.50 from their website.  (When you go to the site be sure and check out the free resources available.)

Abigail, my 6th grade daughter has been going through the study and has enjoyed it very much.  The only fault I found was that it was only available in NIV.  Since we are a KJV only family I had to print off the psalms myself in King James.  This was not too much of a problem in that I simply put the KJV pages in her notebook.

Soli Deo Gloria (Latin for To God Alone the Glory) has many resources and their goal is to assist the parents in teaching for God’s glory alone.  Below is an excerpt from their website.

 Why do we educate our children?

  • If we educate our children so that they will be intelligent and successful – we may be seeking THEIR glory.
  • If we educate our children so that they will impress our family, friends and neighbors – we may be seeing OUR OWN glory.
  • If we educate our children so that they can pour forth facts and figures accurately – we may be seeking the glory of KNOWLEDGE (and knowledge puffs up).
  • But if we educate our children so that they have a big view of God, are aware of their individuals giftings and seek to use them for the advancement of God’s Kingdom around the world and in eternity – then we are seeking GOD’S glory.

                                            

I must say that is a wonderful reason to educate our children!   Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth. (Psa 57:11)

To learn what others are saying about Young Hearts Longing for God click here.

 

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received Young Hearts Longing for God free of charge in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

Field Trips

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I love taking my children on field trips.  Whether we are going with a homeschool group or just as a family, this is something that has added to our educational experience over the years.  To name a few, we have been up mountains, to zoos, museums, corn patches, and river boat rides.  We have been to chicken farms in rural Arkansas, an alligator hatchery in southern Louisiana, Dr. Pepper plant in Waco, Texas, a power plant (two days before a hurricane was coming in) on the Gulf Coast, and just last week we went to the WDAM TV studio, Way Down Around Moselle, Mississippi.

These are just a few field trips we’ve taken over the years.  More recently we have been to the wetlands in Canada, to a dessert in the southwest United States, and to a rainforest in Belize, Central America.  While I would like to say that we hopped on a plane or took an excursion to these places we did not.   After all, the world is full of many amazing places to visit and the average family can only go to so many of them.  Therefore, these field trips were taken in our home, around the kitchen table.   I am referring to The Digital Field Trip Series by Digital Frog International. 

You may wonder like I did.  Just who is Digital Frog International? 

They are passionate creators of natural science software.  Digital Frog is probably most known for their virtual frog dissection software but they offer more, including the Digital Field Trip Series to the Wetlands, Dessert, and Rainforest.

When we loaded the DVD into our computer we first choose to visit the Blue Creek Rainforest Reserve in Belize.  We took a tour and explored 360-degree panoramas using QuickTime Virtual Reality.  We viewed stunning photographs and interesting videos of the rainforest.  We spent an hour just looking at all of the information and will go back to learn much more.  During this study you can learn of the types of rainforest of the world, the difference between temperate and tropical forest, about endangered forest, global benefits, human impact, and statistics.  You can study the mechanisms of the rainforest, the animal and plant characteristics, and the dependency web.  You can take a quiz or play a game.  And that is just a few of the attributes to one field trip.  Don’t forget there are two more.

When I first received this product to review I was somewhat apprehensive.  To be honest I thought the price of $125 for a computer DVD was a little too steep.  We live on a budget and I know most other homeschool families do as well; therefore, I am very careful about the curriculum we choose.  However, after spending some time investigating this product my concerns were calmed.  There is a wealth of information on each trip.  This software can be used to support learning K-12. In addition to the field trip, each trip folder comes with full student and teacher workbook material that are located on the disc.  The rainforest workbook alone is 65 pages.  We could not even begin to cover all of the information in these few weeks.  So, I have planned to extend our study into several months over this next year.   I also see us using this in the years to come as well.

To learn more about Digital Frog Internationals or to see what others are saying about the product you can click here.

 

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received The Digital Field Trip Series free of charge in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

Computers and our Children

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Computers – they have been called a necessary evil.  But, what would we do without them?  Our family is computer poor.  Two years ago we had four laptops and three desktops.  We sold one desktop and gave away another bringing us to only five computers.  We are a family of five therefore logically we needed five computers, right?  However, due to our dinosaur desktop finally giving out this year and one very misfortunate computer crash, we are now down to only three computers. 

Our three computers are used every day.  We use them for the children’s schoolwork, for studies, research, writing, communication, and much more.  Therefore, they are rather necessary.  Unfortunately, they can be tools for evil as well.  The door of temptation has been opened many times with the click of a mouse.  Marriages have been dissolved due to chat rooms and networking sites.  Children have become innocent victims and men and women have been enslaved to sin via the internet.  As a Christian family, we have done our best to protect each other from the dangers of computers.  We use internet filters and parental controls.  One cannot be too safe.  So when I was given the opportunity to review Lanschool v7.4 from Lanschool Technologies LLC, I was very curious about the benefits it would bring.

 Lanschool is classroom management software with many features.  It was easy to install and in a matter of minutes I was able to view my children’s computers from my laptop.   With the software I am able to see what they are currently doing, view their history, and limit their web use via my computer.  Lanschool software allows me to even start or shut down their computer.  All of these are wonderful safety features.  But it offers so much more.  Because we use the computers for schoolwork there were several benefits with the software.  When the children had trouble with their computer I was able to take control of their monitor, keyboard, and mouse through my computer.  I could also grab their attention by blanking their screen and showing a message like, “Come here now.”  (This was useful when, in another room, I saw a calculator pulled up during a math lesson.)  Often times I have had the children stand around me while I showed them a program or an educational website, with Lanschool I am able to pull my screen up on their screen.  This allowed everyone to look at their own computer.  And these are just a few of the features that the software offers.

For families with multiple computers this software is very useful.  And for families who want to protect their children from harm, limit temptation, and remove distractions – this software can be extremely valuable. 

Lanschool  Home is available for $99.  It provides the same features as Lanschool.  The only difference is that you can only monitor three computers.  If you are a teacher or administrator (sorry, unfortunately it does not apply to home educators) you can sign up at their website for a free copy of Landschool Home.   To get a free 30 day trial or to find out more about Lanschool you can visit their website for a guided tour.  To see what others are saying about the product click here.

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received Lanschool v7.4 software free of charge in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

A Must Read…

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We are a family of readers.  From the youngest to oldest, we all enjoy good quality books.  Books are like everything else, there are very good ones and very bad ones.  And there are many in between.  Therefore, you cannot be too careful when choosing books.  As believers in Christ, my husband and I try to be diligent in searching out the best things to put into our minds.  It is because we believe that what goes into the mind also goes into the heart. We are told in God’s Word to “keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”, Proverbs 4:23.

 While we love reading, and I encourage my children to do it often, it needs to be more than just entertainment.  I want them learning.  I want them to be inspired.  I want them to meet men and women in the books they read, of the highest character.  I desire for my boys to be motivated to be brave and strong.  I want them stirred up for greatness, not for self glory but because they are children of the King.  I want my daughter to read of noble ladies of utmost disposition.  I want her to be encouraged in her faith.  And I always desire for our family to be pointed to God in everything we do.  Sometimes it is hard finding such commendable literature.  But sometimes, God just brings it to your door.  That was the case with our family’s newest delight, Foundlings, Book One of The Peleg Chronicles.  It was written by Matthew Christian Harding. 

 In our family, we save the best books to read together.  Dana usually reads one chapter each night before bed.  From the first page our family was captured.

It began:

 “There be dragons.  There be giants.  And God: our maker, our help, and our righteous judge…It was in the days of Peleg, when the world was divided.  After the flood of Noah, after the tower of Babel and the dispersion, when men wondered where they were upon the earth…when beast were more numerous than men – predators in the woods, in the water, and in the air.  But men struggled and fought, carving their place…”

 This book was an absolute pleasure.  After reading to the children five chapters the first night, Dana read ahead and finished Foundlings the following day.  We have already purchased the second book, Paladins, to read to the children.

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 There are too many heroes in this book to count.  But in my opinion the biggest is the author.  He is committed to produce the highest quality of Christian fiction without evolution or humanism. There is no magic and no compromise.  Matthew Christian Harding is dedicated to the Word of God and has even enclosing the Gospel at the end of his book.  More than an entertainer, Harding is a servant of the God of Noah and has been given a great ministry. 

Foundlings can be purchased from Zoe and Sozo Publishers for $11.95.  To see what others are saying click here.

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received Foundlings free of charge in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog. 

Seeds of Turmoil

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As a small child, I remember hearing stories during Sunday School about God’s chosen people – the Israelites.  My entire life I have heard men of God preach about this insignificant people whom God loves.  As I read in the beloved Word of God, I am reminded of God’s promise to Abram to make of him a great nation, to make his name great, to bless them that bless him, to curse them that curse him, and that through him will all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12:2-3).  And nearly every time I read the news, the nation of Israel is in the headlines.  All eyes are on Israel; and they should be, for Israel will continue to play a significant role in this world until the end.

Recently I was privileged to review a book from Thomas Nelson called Seeds of Turmoil:  The biblical roots of the inevitable crisis in the Middle East.  The author is Bryant Wright, founding pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

Bryant Wright’s Seeds of Turmoil is a very enjoyable read!  In a simple, concise way he takes you back to the days of Abraham.  He shows you the sin of one man and the worldwide consequences brought forth from his sin.  Wright gives a peek into the life of Sarah, Hagar, Isaac, Ishmael, Esau and Jacob in a way that will make you reach for your Bible.  Combining biblical facts with current events, this book answers questioned that explained the hostility between the State of Israel and her neighboring Arab nations.  And it gives hope for all those who trust in the One and Only God of Abraham.  It is not only an interesting read but also very informative.  I will be adding this book to the list of studies to be used in the home discipleship of my oldest son and will recommend it to anyone who desires to learn more about God’s Chosen People.

Disclaimer:  I received Seeds of Turmoil from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

Let’s Play!

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Having imaginative children, I often get a glimpse into the life of cowboys lassoing wild pinto stallions.  I get to witness brave knights saving princesses from evil men.  On some days my children travel back into the times before Noah and walk with dinosaurs.  Other days they are zoo keepers tending to animals or missionaries in Africa fighting terrifying lions.  It is good for children to play.  It is good for children to be creative.  I often tell my children to “stop watching everyone live life on the television – go out, get up, dream about life, and live your own.”

Not only is it good to encourage your children to play but it’s also good to give them resources.  When our family got a box of Schleich animal figures to review for The Old Schoolhouse we were thrilled!  It was mostly because we were familiar with Schleich figurines.  My boys love to play with their knights and horses.  When we go into a toy store they always make a stop at the Schleich display.

Here is Andrew playing with his new Schleich figurines: Przewalskis Horse, SwabianHall Piglet Eating, Donkey, Dartmoor Pony, Asian Elephant Calf, Okapi, Gnu, and Gnu Calf.

Friedrich Schleich founded Schleich GmbH  in 1935.  They are the leading manufacturer of animal figurines and imaginative playworlds.  The figures are very realistic, definitely a true reflection of nature.  They are simply on a smaller scale.  One thing that I love about the toys is that they are simple and very durable.  They will not tear up.  They do not need instructions.  They do not need batteries.  They spark creativity.  And they will last for years.  My children love them.  Therefore, this mom loves them!

Schleich has over 500 items available.  Visit their site to see the collection.  And go here to see what others are saying.

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received the above animal figures free of charge in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.