Tag: review

Typing Tournament v2: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

(There is a freebie offer for everyone at the bottom of this review!!!!)

My daughter has been begging to learn how to type for months. She has already been typing each week, but you can see her method was one finger, hunt and peck. It was a good start, but she kept at me to learn how to type like I do, so the search began for an affordable typing program which she found enjoyable and was effective.

I was very excited to try out Typing Tournament v2 from EdAlive Educational Software. I loaded it on the computer after the girls went to bed so I could try it out as I usually do before giving the girls a chance to play new games. The thing was, I was having fun! Then my husband saw what I was doing and wanted to try it out. He was determined to beat my score, but couldn’t! Believe me, if there is a typing program that intrigues my husband enough that he wants to use it, there is something special about it.

The 16 levels progress the student forward at their own pace starting with beginning typing skills. The practice isn’t anything that different from other programs I’ve seen, except that it places the student in the frame of being a knight in a tournament. The graphics are cute and engaging.

After finishing the lesson students can play a variety of games which are really fun! My husband and I really enjoyed these. Rose prefers the lesson! At whatever point the student feels ready they are able to take a test to see if they are ready to move on to the next level.

Rose is progressing slowly…a pace I expect from a 7-year-old! The fact that she is improving and learning typing at all impresses me at this age. She enjoys the practice and is starting with real typing skills. In the technological world she is growing up in, typing will be a necessity. The fact that she can learn to type in a fun way is exciting. My typing courses were never fun. They were dry, dull, and simply a means to an end. I’m thrilled that we have found something more enjoyable for the girls to use as they begin to learn to type the proper way. The one area she really needs to improve in is not looking at her hands. This is tricky for her, but since I require the same for her piano lessons I know she’ll get there eventually!

The program costs $49.95 which seems very reasonable considering the wide scope of typing skills which are covered. In addition they quite frequently offer discounts and deals through their Facebook page.

Check out this promo video to get a better look at the program! 

EdAlive Educational Software has lots of great things to offer in addition to Typing Tournament v2! Click here and sign up for their mailing list. You’ll gain access to a free math program! 

Disclaimer
I received Typing Tournament v2 in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received. 

Attic Book’s Advice for Seekers: Book Review

Grace-Filled Writer

When I was growing up I only vaguely knew who Charles Spurgeon was. I remember hearing him quoted in sermons so I knew he was someone worth quoting with godly wisdom, but that was pretty much it. When I got to Bible college I heard all my pastoral major friends discus Spurgeon as well as other great pastors from over dinner and my interest was piqued. Since then I began reading about Charles Spurgeon and other great pastors of his time. While I learned about his life, I never got around to reading any of his books or sermons. I was very excited to read this newly released Advice for Seekers from Attic Books, a division of New Leaf Publication Group.

This beautifully bound book is a rare gem in an age of e-books. The rough edged pages gives the tangible awareness that you are opening a treasured book of wisdom passed down through the decades. Attractive enough to leave on your coffee-table and small enough to fit in your purse…but for all it’s outward beauty, it is the wisdom inside which is the true treasure.

Spurgeon originally wrote for those who were looking for Jesus, so although I was looking forward to this read, I didn’t expect to be as drawn is as I was. The language would be considered old fashioned, but it isn’t too difficult. In fact, the more I read, the less I noticed the difference from modern language. My faith was encouraged as I read through this short work, reminding me of some of the vital, yet simple truths that all seekers must accept.

The other helpful purpose of this book was to help me better understand those who are seeking Christ as adults. My path to salvation started before I was born. It started with my great-grandfather who turned his life toward God for his wife who died soon after their marriage of consumption. When he married my great-grandmother he was a different man and eventually became a pastor. His son, my grandfather, was also a pastor and my own father became a pastor and now trains future pastors at a seminary. I have a deep spiritual heritage and because of that understood the truths in Scripture long before most. Although I have a deep desire to see the lost come to Christ I cannot exactly relate to the struggle with doubts, misunderstandings, and hindrances which can cause adults to hesitate in giving their lives entirely to God. Advice for Seekers has given me greater insight and understanding into these things.

“Would you dare put your miserable life in comparison with the life of God’s obedient Son, who gave himself even to death? Does it not strike you that you are insulting God?” 
My favorite quote actually comes from the first page. One of the most often exhibited attributes of those who have grown up in the culture of the church is the feeling that it is something we have done which has caused us to find favor with the Savior and allowed our salvation. This could not be further from the truth, but it is so very easy to fall into this trap. Just take a poll of the average church. When asked to share the story of their conversion my pastor husband has often heard responses such as, “My parents brought me to church from the time I was born,” and, “I’m basically a good person,” even from those who have heard the true gospel preached all their lives. I too need to be reminded that it is by the grace of God alone which has saved me from eternity apart from Him.
Although this may be most appropriate for a more academically minded reader, I believe the truth imparted here by the great Charles Spurgeon can benefit anyone no matter their educational background or where they are on their journey with Christ. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and plan to read it again each year to keep the thoughts imparted here fresh in my mind. 

Click here to read more reviews!

Disclaimer
I received Advice for Seekers in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received. 

Homeschool in the Woods’ Composer Activity Pak: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
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As a music teacher one of the things I lament about my 30 minute lesson slots is that I don’t have time to teach my students very much about the composers whose music they are playing. I might give some background, but there simply isn’t enough time. In addition, most of my students are in traditional schools which do not have time to cover things like music history alongside their standard curriculum. I was very excited to have the opportunity to complete the Hands-on History Activity Pak: Composer from Homeschool in the Woods. This is the first lapbook I have ever completed with any of my children and I was very pleased with how beautiful all of the graphics were. Many lapbooks I have seen do not appear to be as concerned about attention to detail as the lapbooks from Homeschool in the Woods. 


photo ComposersGroup-SMALL_zps73a0d718.jpgThe lapbook may be purchased as either a download ($18.95) or CD (19.95) and is geared for 3rd through 8th grades. While this is a bit more costly than other lapbooks I have looked at (not completed) I feel this has more artistic and detail focused graphics than cheaper versions. Included are instructions to guide you through the process. I had a difficult time understanding exactly how to put everything together at first. This may have been due to the fact that I’ve never completed a lapbook, but it took several readings for me to feel I understood everything exactly. The printed pages are labeled at the bottom which makes assembly  little bit easier.

Rose is finished up 2nd grade so I helped her quite a bit with the assembly since she is on the younger end of the age range. I had some assembly trouble and accidenitally attached the composers all upside down! I probably shouldn’t have helped her as much because she is a perfectionist at heart and would have noticed this rigth away. Older students should be able to do the assembly on their own.


Rose really enjoyed coloring the various pieces of the lapbook and cutting out the pictures of the composers. This ignited her interest to start learning right away! She has also spent quite a bit of time studying the composer cards on her own which has been fun to watch. We would listen to some of the included music while she did this which also inspired her desire to learn.


I like how neatly the materials were arranged. I could easily figure out what I needed to print from the files and match it up with other correct items. Rose did get a little tired of cutting, but she is a little younger than the targeted age, so I’m sure this is why. I had to remind her that it was okay not to be perfectly cut straight edges. 




I loved that Rose was inspired to learn about many different composers, music styles, and music periods. She frequently ran to tell me exciting facts as she read them in the large stack of books we checked out from the library.




I did make a discovery about myself…Lapbooking is not my preferred method of instruction. I have heard the wonders of lapbooking exclaimed all across the homeschool blog world, downloaded numerous freebies to try sometime, and have thought they looked like so much fun. I’m a scrapbooker at heart, so I’m surprised that I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. I think the reason ultimately boiled down to the preparation time. I’m spoiled by our regular curriculum which is very open-and-go. I don’t have to go to the library to check out books, or print a large amount of papers, or spend a lot of time preparing for our lessons. 

Rose did enjoy this study. She likes to learn on her own so lapbooks are a good fit for her personality. Lapbooking is something much more suited for our family for the summer for my girls to pursue their own interests. 

Even though lapbooking in general is not something I enjoy I highly recommend this company if you like lapbooks. They are beautifully done with clear instructions which create a lovely keepsake for future reference. I am keeping our finished lapbook to use with my piano students to give them more information about various composers and perhaps ignite their interest in music history as well!

Don’t forget to check out the other reviews by my Crewmates!


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Dr. Craft’s Active Play Book: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
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Spring is in the air and along with it the cure for cabin fever! My girls were so anxious to get out in the yard and play once the warm air finally decided to visit the South. I’m happy to let my kids go out and play in the backyard and I join them most of the time, but I typically let them play while I relax and watch on the porch. I’m not very good at structured play to encourage specific skills. 
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Dr. Craft’s Active Play Books equip adults caring for young children with 52 different active play activities. For $39.00 you receive Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children, a spiral bound book and DVD with incredibly clear instructions. There are pictures of children playing the activities throughout the book and video of real kids (not little paid actors) participating in all the fun. I do think it would have been nice for the pictures in the book to be in color. Sometimes it was difficult to clearly see what was going on in the black and white pictures. 

We used several of these activities for outdoor fun with my girls. While the intended target age is toddlers and preschoolers, my 5-year-old kindergartner and 7-year-old 2nd grader genuinely enjoyed participating with their little 3-year-old sister. I wasn’t sure how much they would want to participate, but they surprised me by wholeheartedly getting on board! Some of our favorites were Egg Farmer, Sock Tails, Outdoor Obstacle Course, and Sock the Cans. 

Egg farmer was a lot of fun because we had so many eggs left over from our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt! The girls rolled eggs down our backyard slide into a white tub. Because the list of items are basically everyday household things they are easily substituted if you don’t have something. It took some time to find just the right egg catcher for the bottom. Another fun variation was to have one of the other girls be the egg catcher. They had fun trying to catch the eggs as they slid down!

Grace in particular really liked this activity. She became quite good at this activity. It was a great team-building time for my girls. They would cheer one another on, encourage one another if they missed, and took turns collecting the eggs and toting them back up to the top of the slide. I know thy all liked it because after we  were “done” with our official playtime the girls kept on playing this one.
Sock Tails turned into Towel Tails because I found this first. We actually named this game Catch the Bunny Tail for our spring-theme. The girls have been searching for bunnies under our shed because they know they lived there last spring. The only uh-oh portion of the activity was when Grace (3-year-old preschooler) dropped her pants right in the middle of the yard because she couldn’t find the tail! Oops! You can tell our neighbors are close so I’m glad no one was outside. (At least not that I know of!) They had a great time with this one though and it was a fun variation on tag, which I’ve never really enjoyed that much. I joined in the fun too and Grace really liked catching the tail when I was wearing it.
Soon after this the pollen hit full-force, so I asked my husband to take over the Active Play portion of our days. I love spring, but boy does the pollen get to me. The neat part about this was I got to let another adult try out the book and sure enough he enjoyed it as well. (Thanks to my mother-in-law who was in town to take some shots of the fun too!)
My husband first set up Sock the Cans. I didn’t want to use the girls’ new socks outside and we didn’t have cans…so once again we got creative! He pulled out some containers from the recycling bin and Grace used a softer bouncy ball. She loved this! I think it may have felt like a carnival game to her. 
My husband had a good time setting up the obstacle course using what we had just laying around the yard and in the shed.
 Here is the layout…
Down the slide…
Under the lattice…     
Around the table…
Over the bridge…
And onto the swing! (All my pics of the swings turned out blurry!)
One of the things I really liked about the book was the list of materials presented before the activity explanation was given. This made it easy to make sure I had everything I needed before beginning. I also liked that the goals for the activity were listed at the top of each activity. This way if I wanted to focus on a particular skill, like galloping or jumping, I could quickly scan through the games to find what I was looking for. The demo DVD was fun because of the real kids doing the activities. Although I felt like the instructions were very clear, having the DVD in case something wasn’t clear to me was helpful. Seeing real kids having fun was great!
Don’t forget to read other reviews from my Crewmates!

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Math Rider: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
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When I was in school math wasn’t my best subject. I always just felt like I just wasn’t very good at it even though I didn’t know exactly why. Looking back on it, I wonder if perhaps it was a lack of math fact mastery. I recently found out our state is attempting to pass a law that requires students to master addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division math facts. Now, I have no idea why this isn’t already required, but if this was the case when I was in grade school it would make sense that math would be more difficult if I never mastered the facts initially.

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Math Rider is far and away the best program I have seen for math fact retention. It is fun, it is quick, and it works! I honestly feel the $47 is well worth the price. I have been recommending this to everyone who tells me their children are struggling with math facts. This single program covers multiple levels which can be adjusted to individual users as well as all four math operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division).  Math Rider is intended for ages 6-12 (2nd-6th grade) but it is a good program for any age who has good basic understanding of addition concepts.

The game is set up so students can practice their facts in practice runs. When practicing the facts they may speed up or slow down as they need to according to their ability. I love that the game automatically adjusts to their speed. It also is not one bit discouraging when they miss a fact. Students have a certain amount of time to find the correct answer before the entire fact is simply read aloud. The same fact is then quickly introduced again so they can have an opportunity to answer correctly thus quickly building mastery. Students can also complete quests. These quests give them a goal to get medicine, find things, help the princess, and return objects to their lost land. The graphics and music are engaging and keep kids interested.

 One of the best features allows me to see what facts my girls have mastered, almost have mastered, and don’t know at all. The chart is easy to read and the students’ biggest challenges are listed to the side. A sliding bar shows mastery level at a quick glance and another chart shows how much improvement has been made. This is available for each operation studied. I couldn’t think of anything else I would add to this and ti has proved extremely helpful for me as their teacher.

I used this with Rose (7) and Beth (5). Rose felt like she struggled with math. In reality, she understands the concepts, but recalling math facts quickly has been a frustration for her. When she did speed drills as part of her study she would get the answers correct, but not be able to finish them all in the amount of time allotted. I see the value of speed drills, but encouraged her that even if it took her longer to recall a fact the important thing was that she knew it. Even so she still felt frustration at not being able to finish her speed drills.

After just a few week of using Math Rider Rose consistently finishes her math fact drills early. That’s right! She moved from consistently having 4-5 out of 20 not done in the 60 second time limit to getting them all done correctly with 5-10 seconds left. I can’t tell you what this has done for her confidence.

Beth is only in Kindergarten, but she excels in math and has moved on to the 1st grade curriculum including starting working math facts. I didn’t have to actually teach the concept of addition. She just knew it (I assume from listening in on her older sister’s lessons).

Moving forward into adding three numbers was a breeze due in no small part to Math Rider. I never taught her this concept either (gasp!). She started working on her lessons while I was finishing up the morning chores. The next thing I knew she was adding three numbers without any explanation needed.

Math rider has blessed both my girl immensely. The game was created by a family who was looking for help with their own kids. They did a great job! I intended for them to use it a few times a week, but this has turned into a daily activity, because they beg to play it! They frequently ask to play this game when it isn’t even school time. Are you kidding? Math for fun? Now you know why I can’t say enough good things!

Don’t forget to check out the other reviews from my Crewmates!

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Field Trip: Museum of Life and Science and Giveaway!

Grace-Filled Writer

When I started homeschooling last year it wasn’t expected, I felt an incredible amount of pressure to get everything in, and all my glorious ideas of field trips flew out the window. I kept a mental list of field trips…the only thing is that nothing ever got checked off the list. Then I decided we’d do field trips on Fridays so we could have something to look forward to each week…which lasted one week. It isn’t that I didn’t like field trips, but things started coming up, or they came down with colds…I’m sure you understand and could probably add to the list!

One of the best ways I found to fit field trips in more frequently is by looking locally. No matter where you live there are opportunities for experiential learning through field trips. We are blessed to have a variety of museums close enough for a day-trip that doesn’t leave us completely wiped out. One of those is the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC, a hands-on science museum which explores mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry and so much more!

In all honesty hands-on doesn’t even begin to do it justice. I remember visiting this museum when I was a child and I loved it every time. Some of my favorite exhibits are even still there! Still, no matter how much I loved it as a kid, seeing this through the eyes of my children brings me joy in such a different way. Their wonderment of discovery seems even greater than my memories.

The aerospace and weather exhibits have been here for years. Instead of “hands” off signs, children are encouraged to touch and experience all they see. Even the space ship which Enos (the second chimpanzee in space) rode in is available for everyone to see and touch. The girls love this area and I love all the history from our own space program represented here.

Also located inside are wonderful exhibits of animals native to the area. The girls really enjoy the variety and I like that everything is behind glass!

Rose really enjoyed Flip It, Fold It, Figure It Out upstairs. Intricate examples of origami inspires visitors to try their own creations!

Also inside are examples of animal jaws along with a display of how a variety of animals eat. Grace really liked the shark jaw!

Outside are the barnyard animals, which I sadly have to avoid! My husband is used to this though due to my hay allergy. Still, the kids see goats, sheep, rabbits, donkeys, owls, and many more.

Just past the barnyard animals is the Insectarium and the Magic Wings Butterfly House. While I’m not a huge fan of the insectarium, I could stay in the butterfly house all day! The insecterium houses a variety of amazing insects, but again I’m thrilled they are behind glass…mostly! There is one particular spider which I was told did not stray from its habitat, usually. My husband likes it, but not me!

The butterfly house is amazing…unbelievably amazing! Butterflies are everywhere, filling the warm air with beauty you don’t usually see this up close. If you are fortunate, butterflies will land on you or your clothes. Young butterflies are released twice a day and kids can seen them up close as they flutter away. The variety of flowers and butterflies provide endless opportunities for photographers, experienced or just beginning like me! This is easily my favorite part of the museum.

Beth loves the Dinosaur Trail. Beautifully crafted dinosaur statues line a walkway. Kids can see, touch, and climb on life-size dinos!

Other things we didn’t experience because of time! Younger kids have an indoor play area, the outdoor playground provides endless amounts of fun, train rides occur every 30 minutes, when the warm weather comes Into the Mist is a great way to cool off, and special events run throughout the year! On April 20 the Shark Tooth Hunt begins!

You can bring your own lunch to enjoy in the picnic area, but you can also buy yummy treats at the Sprout Cafe. We all enjoyed the variety of food which was healthy, filling, and oh-so-good!

Sometimes field trips take a lot of planning and preparation. The Museum of Life and Science needs none of this. You can spend as much or as little time in whatever areas that interest you and your children more. We arranged our visit just as we finished up Rose’s astronomy unit. There is so much to see and experience a single day to visit may not cover everything. We ended our visit by purchasing a year-long pass!

Now for a give-away! The Museum of Life and Science has generously donated a 1-day-family pass for a giveaway! There are several ways to enter. Take time to visit their website and tell me your favorite exhibit!

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Family Friendly: 10
Kids Engagement: 10
Likelihood to return: 10 (We may just come weekly!) 
Disclaimer
We received admission for our family to The Museum of Life and Science in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received. 

Tower of Babel from New Leaf Publishing: Book Review

Grace-Filled Writer
My daughters, especially Rose, love history and science. They love it to the point of wanting to read and study things on their own outside of our curriculum. Since homeschooling seems to be an indefinite path for our family at the moment my husband and I decided it would be good to make sure we had resources available for our girls which were quality and in accordance with our beliefs for science. Companies like Master Books (a division of New Leaf Publishing) fit that criteria. We purchased a handful of science books published by this company last summer because I knew I wanted books with creation at the center. What I didn’t know was I would be learning some things.
I received an excellent public-school education by a wonderful group of Bible-believing teachers. Many even told our class they didn’t believe in evolution but were required to teach it. I knew I believed the Bible’s authority of the account and I just brushed the text-book accounts of where we all came from off as nonsense, not thinking much more about it. As I began to read through the resources we purchased for our girls last summer I had a sudden realization that all the things I had been taught concerning science (geology, chemistry, biology) and history had been first soaked in an evolutionary belief-system without my even knowing it. I began to dig deeper and search out resources so I would be fulled educated and equipped with an accurate understanding of history, not simply the one taught to me from text books who created the Bible as historical fiction and the beliefs of Christianity as outdated. When the opportunity came up to read and review Tower of Babel: The Cultural History of our Ancestors I jumped at the chance to embark on my own new study of history, and I was not disappointed.

This historical study of what happened at the Tower of Babel written by Bodie Hodge covers an incredibly wide range of information from how to actually pronounce the name to what happened to all the people groups. I plan to reread this again over the summer simply because there was so much good stuff in here and I don’t want to miss any of it!

While it is a history book, the majority of it is not difficult to read. The references to the Scriptural account are abundant, but equally so are other historical documents which help to uncover a deeper understanding of the history. I was taught that Babel was just a myth which people used to explain away the variety of languages found all over the world. I didn’t believe this, but what I didn’t realize what how this impacted other teaching like when writing first began, how language developed over time, and even why some languages are clearly related. I was told that the reason other groups had similar “stories” in their cultures was because other had taken the story as they traveled toward people groups and the biblical account was probably not the original source.

As I read I felt as if I were myself digging in the desert to uncover the truth of ancient history. I learned why the biblical account is clearly the source of all the other accounts found in other cultures. I already knew this was true, but now I’m equipped with the reasons why it is true beyond simply my understanding of the truth of Scripture. Now I can answer the questions of unbelievers who care nothing about the Bible in an informed way.

The only chapter difficult for me to get through was chapter 17 which explained where each of the family groups traveled to as they dispersed. It was fascinating, but the amount of information and variety of names started to all run together. I would have preferred to see a separate chapter for each family group, but I understand the reasoning behind putting it all in one chapter. This is one I would like to revisit so I can better understand the dispersion.

I had two favorite parts as I studied. One was learning of how the names in various cultures related back to Noah and his sons. Even accounts of the flood in China have similar names. The other was learning how people would have been able to disperse more quickly than I was taught. When you have been taught history from a millions-of-years-old perspective these thing are taught very differently.

Now, I want to clarify that I do believe in a young-earth, but I don’t believe that Christians who don’t hold to this view are not saved. I have studied the evidence for myself because I was taught that evolution and the biblical account of creations, the flood, and the tower of babel could all co-exist. I no longer believe this and I’m so thankful for companies like New Leaf Publishing who provide resources which give extra-biblical proof and reasoning for that which I know to be true.

Take a look at this preview of the book and then go buy it! I think you’ll enjoy this enlightening read as much as I did. 

You can read more reviews by clicking here! 

Disclaimer
I received The Tower of Babel in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

Knowledge Quest Sacagawea E-book: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
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photo SacagaweaBook_zps004a015c.jpgRose loves history.  I love providing her with resources which capture her interest and cause her to want to know even more, I”m sold! We studied Sacagawea about 2 months ago through our core history curriculum. She couldn’t wait to delve into the biography, Sacagawea: Brave Explorers Every Child Should Know, from Knowledge Quest. Knowledge Quest was founded by a veteran homeschooling family dedicated to providing solid resources for history and geography for home education. Click here to read more about their story!

The e-book was originally published in four installments which can each be purchased separately for $1.49. It is also available in its entirety for $3.99. I feel it is an excellent value for a uniquely written and produced piece of accurate biographical literature. It is intended for ages 8-14, but younger students can certainly enjoy this as a read aloud. My daughter is 7 (5th grade reading level) and read this independently.

We study literature by genre once we move past the emerging reader stage. Rose is reading several grades above her grade-level, so I felt this would be perfect for our biography unit…I was right! The Sacagawea e-book is an interactive biography told in the first-person narrative. The two aspects I liked most about this book was that it had links to a variety of topic right in the text for further study and it was written from Sacagawea’s perspective telling the story to her son, nicknamed Pompy. Our core curriculum advocates living books and this fits that description beautifully.

To go along with our literature study Rose completed several activities. She kept a log of words she wasn’t familiar with so we could look them up together, a char which indicated how she was the same and different from Sacagawea, a timeline, and two post-reading projects I’ll talk about later. While we added these items in for our literature study I feel this book stands alone nicely. The integrated links to websites which give further information about the topics adds a unique dimension to reading. This would also be excellent for read-loud as a family and then exploring the links together.

Rose usually does her literature studies during the girls’ quiet time and would typically curl up on the couch or in her bedroom. Every once in a while she would choose the school room, but not usually. It took her about two weeks to finish the book reading 1-2 chapters a day (or three if she missed a day!)

At the end of the book she filled out a literature page which helps her identify aspects of literature such as main characters, genre, setting, conflict, etc. She did this completely on her own for this unit and I was pleased with her retention from the story and attention to detail. This shows me how captivating the story was to her.

 I asked her what her favorite part of the book was and she told me it was being able to click on the links. She particularly enjoyed learning more about Native American culture as well as the variety of animals mentioned in the story. Once again I was shown how nice modern technology is for research. Kids love using the computer to study. The vibrant illustrations and valuable information at a moments notice provides extended learning far beyond what many ever imagined would happen. I also know I can trust Knowledge Quest to include links I don’t have to worry about. I learned alongside her as she navigated the various links, but I was never once concerned about the content she would be accessing.

One of the post-reading projects Rose completed was an acrostic of Sacagawea’s name. I was pleased with how many facts she retained! She wrote the poem with me and I copied her ideas on the whiteboard to make the writing process a little bit more fluid. I also helped her figure out how to turn some of her sentences around and assured her that because it was poetry it was okay to be creative!

She was kidnapped
A new medicine she made
Charbonneau was her husband
A member of the Shoshone tribe
Guided Lewis and Clark
Able to speak Shoshone
Went to get horses for the journey
Even ate roots and berries
A son she had named Pompy

Another activity we did was make trading cards of some of the historical figures Rose learned about. She really liked learning more about Sacagawea’s family so that is what her trading cards focused on. We found the pictures for her trading cards through some of the links which were found within the pages of the pdf file. This is another fun way for her to remember who she read about. Also included within the story were a handful of illustrations including portraits and maps. While Rose is well beyond the picture-book stage, she always enjoys seeing illustrations.

I highly recommend this living history book be added to your library. Sacagawea is a fascinating character from American history who is often only taught about in the context of her help to Lewis and Clark. While this was a very important event in her life, there was much more to her as a person and this e-book portrays the many other events of her life beautifully.

Don’t forget to read other reviews from my Crewmates about this e-book and another product from Knowledge Quest, the Timeline Builder App for the iPad! This app really makes me wish I had an iPad!

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Safari Ltd.: Review and Giveaway!

Grace-Filled Writer


I’m so excited to partner with Safari Ltd. for this review and giveaway! My girls love to play what they are learning about in school whether it is history or science. I love all of the beautiful figures Safari Ltd. has created for both science and history. This company strives for excellence in accuracy and detail which shows in all of their figures. 

Our family owns several sets from Safari Ltd. Our collection includes both historical and animal figures. This Christmas we pieced together a Chronicles of Narnia playset and one of my favorite parts is Mr. and Mrs. Beaver which came from Safari Ltd. 

I love their motto: Discover the frontiers of your imagination. Imagination is what leads to invention, art, and discovery. I love giving my girls tools which encourage imagination rather than box it in. I also love seeing how what we learn integrates into their play. Our early American histories studies have been greatly enhanced. Rose would often pull out our Jamestown settlers and act out the various stories from history I read. We studied the Powhatans extensively this year, so I was thrilled to receive this Toob ® to review. 

The Safari Ltd. Toob ® series are affordably priced and come with 12 different figures. My girls love them because they get so much in one container! We have purchased several of these including penguins, Jamestown settlers, baby sea life, dino babies, and arctic. Other sets in the Toob ® series include other historical figures, world landmarks, trees, instruments, people…there are just so many to check out! 

I especially like that the historical figures are based on actual individuals in history like Pocahontas, Wahunsenacawh (her father), and John Smith.The effort to make these figures appealing in clear as they are all beautifully painted and have such intricate detail.  

You can see what effort and care have been made in these figures. I love the natural look of the rumpled clothes. I also appreciate how carefully the faces have been painted. Many children’s toys don’t always take care to make sure the eyes are even in the right spot for toys this small. Every little detail has been monitored with each figure. 
My kids rarely play with just one set of toys. We often have the feel of the movie Toy Story with dinosaurs playing with the early settlers or the Powhatan tribe traveling in a car. Beth enjoyed using the background scenery from her older sister’s origami set and Rose preferred our set of Nature Blocks. One day I found Grace had included her miniature princesses into their play! That’s the point though…imaginative play. It doesn’t matter that they are playing with figures from different eras or even fantasy and reality. Imaginative play is the key, and these particular sets of toys bring out imagination in such a beautiful way! Our curriculum incorporates living books for both history and science. What better complement to this than actual figures to make the history jump off the page! 
We were also given the Toob ® set Land Down Under to review. The girls liked them so much I couldn’t get them to slow down their play enough to get some good photos! The set is also beautifully crafted and includes an Aboriginal trail guide to make sure everyone stays safe. (At least that was his job in our house!) Just as with the historical figures the detail included for each of these figures is exquisite. The frizzled lizard was a particular favorite among my girls! 
Now I am privileged to host a fun giveaway for you all! Safari Ltd. will give one winner the Toob ® of their choice! The winner will also receive a second surprise if following one of their social networks! (The links to those networks are listed in the rafflecopter below) There are lots of ways to earn extra entries so don’t forget to enter as much as possible! 

Draw and Write Through History: Review and Giveaway

Grace-Filled Writer
Rose has done a great job transitioning to cursive as a 7-year-old second grader. This is a little earlier than most schools teach it. She began learning some cursive last year and has continued to do very well this year. Her only big issue is being able to think about both how to spell the words correctly and form each letter correctly as well. When I mentioned this problem to a more experienced homeschool mom she said this is typical and explained how copywork helps this issue. Draw and Write Through History has given her the opportunity to combine her love of drawing alongside cursive practice. 

There are many things I like about how this enhances history studies. The first is its biblical worldview. It is a privilege to teach my daughter the Bible is 100% true and I strive to make sure all of our curriculum reflects that.

It is also independent. There may be times when she needed a little guidance with perspective at first, but this is meant to be done independently which is helpful when teaching multiple children.

I also really liked that it used traditional handwriting paper for the cursive copywork. This made it much easier for Rose, still in the learning stages of cursive, to copy correctly. I did have to remind her to proofread because she sometimes forgets to cross and dot letters, but overall this was a much better way for her to practice handwriting than merely requiring her to write in cursive for her schoolwork.

Rose didn’t complain once about doing this work! I can’t say that is always true about our usual handwriting program. Coupling this with whatever history you are studying gives double purpose to the assignments. All of the copywork is related to history so students are learning at the same time that they are practicing handwriting.

Here is one of her assignments. She has been learning cursive for a little over a year and is now 7 1/2 years old to give you perspective. I was pleased that both the issues of letter form and spelling seemed to clear up almost completely! This is a part of the recommended Heart of Dakota curriculum so I’m excited to see it incorporated more fully next year into our days!

Are you ready for the giveaway now?

There are new options for entries! Grace-Filled Homeschooling has finally made it to Twitter and Tumbler! There will also be TWO winners! Each will receive a copy of the newest book: Invention, Exploration, and War: The 20th Century

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