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Ireland ~ A Part of the By the Way Book Series from By the Way: A TOS Crew Review

September 19, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

The inclusion of geography into our studies always encourages conversation and fun! We especially love studying about the locations of our ancestry. We have done this before, but only rarely do we have the opportunity to do so with a resource that has a wonderful message from a biblical worldview. Learning about our family heritage was new once again when we read about Ireland, a part of the By the Way Book Series from By the Way Book My daughters had a great time reading this book together! I did too! The photographs are stunning and I could imagine walking the green hills and rocky coast. We learned about animals which I did not realize were a part of the geography. I also absolutely love the addition of Scripture scattered throughout the pages and pictures. While we have studied quite a bit of geography that has been very informative this is a wonderfully unique resource in how it brings in spiritual truths so seamlessly to the story and information.
I absolutely loved that this was a story alongside informational. The use of Irish dialect brought the characters and their adventures to life. We love using living books as a part of our mostly-Charlotte-Mason way of homeschooling. This is the first time I’ve encountered a living book for Geography! The girls liked this aspect as well. They seemed surprised when I told them they were going to get to read and learn about Ireland, but found the book to be very story-like. While we already knew the basics of the history of St. Patrick, it was wonderful to be reminded of this again and with new information added!
Another aspect the girls enjoyed was looking at all the glorious pictures of the castles. The history that resides there is amazing, but I think they were all imagining living inside as well. This sparked an interesting discussion about what it would really be like to be royalty. We talked about the good, but also what the downsides would be. They came up with some really interesting thoughts, like not being able to go shopping whenever they wanted or having to always have guards around. In the end while they still were in awe of the castles, I think they decided this may not be the life for them!

I saw my girls pick this book up several times before and after we officially read it together. They enjoyed reading and rereading it. Each page is so fully packed with information I’m sure they learned new things each time! I really loved that in addition to the narrative style of text there were fun informational boxes and ideas for your family to implement. One that we want to give a try is geocaching! We tried this several years ago when the girls were really small, but they did not find it to be much fun. I think they will enjoy giving it a go again soon, especially with how fun the book made the activity sound!
The best way to show just how inspiring this book was to my girls is this quote:
Mommy, can we go and visit Ireland? Their interest has been peeked and their eyes opened to the world beyond what they have always known. While a trip is not in the near future, our daughters often talk of world travel and I won’t be surprised if one or all of them ended up living overseas at some point and one has expressed she feels called to overseas missions work. Who knows where the Lord will take them, but books like this one are just the thing to let them experience a small taste of other lands while they are still young. In addition to this fantastic title here are a few others available:
I highly recommend any one of these whether you are looking for an additional resource for your geography studies or you are just looking for some fun new reading material!
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Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith from The Captain Sun Adventures: A TOS Crew Review

September 17, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

The idea of good verses evil is fascinating our current culture. Superheroes permeate everything from movies to television to books and along with them toys, games, and clothing. It is a truth as old as creation itself, from the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden. We know this battle well and I believe it is what has fascinated the rest of our culture. We were very excited to read a super hero story with a biblical core. Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith from The Captain Sun Adventures was enjoyed by all three of my daughters, ages 13, 11, and almost 9.

The idea behind this fantastic little book is a great story of good vs evil, woven together with truth from God’s Word creating a wonderful devotional with will teach and inspire children of all ages. Each short chapter is created as a comic book. At the end there is a devotional which is fashioned as a newspaper. I love this creativity!

Rose is an artist and snatched this out of my hands almost as soon as it arrived in the mail! She told me she thought it was so much fun that it was a comic, but also a devotional. She read through it very quickly that afternoon and told me she thought she would like to write her own devotion in the style of a comic book. The graphics are beautifully crafted and compliment the story in a lovely way.

These two gals enjoyed reading the devotion together. They too read it all at once. Because it is short and simple, I really liked that they wanted to read it on their own. One of the things I’ve attempted to instill in my daughters is the desire to study God’s Word for themselves. As they grow and mature in their faith I look for ways to show them just how exciting the Scriptures can be. This is a wonderful tool to develop a perspective of excitement as they read.
I LOVE the idea of this for personal devotions. While it would work well for group family devotions as well, I think it served us the best as personal quiet times, even though 2 daughters read together. I really like that in addition to explaining the biblical truth behind a Scripture, a question is also posed in each devotion directly to the reader to ponder. The best part about this book is that while secular super heroes point the glory to themselves or their teams, everything about this book points the glory back to God. This very biblical, but very uncommon perspective makes this a valuable resource for kids. I and my daughters all highly recommend this whether you are looking for a way to spice up your family devotions or to encourage your children to have quiet times with the Lord on their own. You may even use it for yourself and explore a different way of studying the Scriptures! Don’t forget to take a look at what my Crewmates have to say!

Who Was Jonah? & Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? from the Kingdom Files series by Barbour Publishing: A TOS Crew Review

September 10, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

For the last year or so I have included reading a chapter from a biography every day as a part of my daughter’s schooling. They have the chance to choose any person they want and read an age-appropriate biography of that individual. They have had the opportunity to read about a wide range of individuals. Since most of these have been from more recent history, Beth and Grace were both excited to get to read 2 books from the Kingdom Files series: Who Was Jonah? and
Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? from Barbour Publishing.

Kingdome Files Who Was Mary Mother of Jesus

Biblical biographies are a lovely way to continue our historical study of Scripture. Materials like these are an excellent way to reinforce our worldview that Scripture is 100% historical. These fantastic little biographies are quite engaging! They are structured in a modern way and are written so that even early readers could enjoy them. As long as your students can handle small chapter books, they can read these on their own. If they are not quite there yet, or you would like to engage with these titles as a family, they would also make very nice read aloud selections.

These two read through the books in less than a week! Even though I only assigned one chapter a day, they eagerly read much faster. They also decided to take a chance to read each other’s books.

The books are illustrated beautifully inside and out. The color cover invites the reader to dig in and learn more. Within the pages are beautiful drawings which feel like sketches. The pages art structured like a notebook “clipped” notes which are shadowed to give a 3D appearance.

As far as the information, it is historically accurate and completely compatible with Scripture. I love knowing I can send my girls off to read material which will supplement and never contradict God’s Word. That is a rare find in children’s literature and it is important to know a company is trustworthy. Barbour Publishing has proved themselves to be a trustworthy resource in our household time and time again.

My favorite part is the “Power File” section towards the end of the book. This creates greater substance beyond just the facts. We are a family who wants to study God’s Word as a historical text, but also as the living, active Word of the Lord. It should and does teach us if we are willing. There are 10 life application lessons directly written to kids so they see that God’s Word is for them too! This is such an awesome feature.

Seeing my girls snuggled up reading is one of the greatest blessings of homeschooling. They get great pleasure reading and learning from what they read. Including biographies in our daily structure. These are great resources for your family to start the habit as well!

The best news is, these are not the only books in the series! Take a look at all these great titles available in the
Kingdom Files series…

WOW! Check out what my Crewmates have to say!

Taking the Mystery Out of Geology & Geology and Apologetics from Northwest Treasures: A TOS Crew Review

July 26, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Our culture heavily saturated with the idea that evolutionary theory is fact, so much so that even children’s television begin teaching this to preschoolers and young elementary students. Proponents of the theory gloss over the problems and ridicule anyone who questions them. We have never shied away from teaching our children the theory of evolution. We think it is important they know the different beliefs which are swirling around us and why we (my husband and I) do not agree with them when considering the Scriptures. We know it will be their own choice whether they choose to believe evolutionary theory or not, but I want them to be full equipped with all of the knowledge available. This is why online classes such as Geology and Apologetics and Taking the Mystery Out of Geology from Northwest Treasures are so helpful. Our daughters take a science class at a homeschool learning center which seeks to remain neutral on this topic. For that reason, we choose to supplement at home with teaching that shows both sides of this issue. This short class is a wonderful introduction to Geology, especially if your children have never had the opportunity to study this discipline. I also personally enjoyed this course as a brief and informative reminder of the basics of Geology so I am fully equipped to understand what new scientific “discoveries” are actually referring to with regards to geology. I greatly appreciate that this deals with both the science and philosophy behind modern geology. Understanding this pairing is vital to see why the proof used to support evolutionary thinking can actually be interpreted differently based upon your beginning philosophy. This 6-part study dives more deeply into how geology and apologetics must go hand-in-hand. Rather than blindly accepting what mainstream science claims under their personal faith in evolution, students are readily equipped to see things from a different perspective and understand God’s hand in it all through creation and the flood. The class is geared towards ages 8 thru adults.
I personally appreciated that right off the bat the difference between science and philosophy are discussed in a very clear and understandable way. Also the importance of studying and knowing the Scriptures for yourself is reiterated over and over again. These are all things we have taught our daughters, but having them hear it from a different voice is beneficial.

After each of the six lessons there is a series of questions for discussion. This makes it ideal for a group setting. We would pause at each question and talk about it, sometimes returning to various portions to watch again before discussing. I’ll be honest, I was a bit surprised just how much my 8-year-old retained. She is definitely at the young end of the age range and learned quite a bit. One of our longest discussions centered around the difference between observational science and faith. I think the girls really grasped the differences between the two after watching this course. We had some wonderful talks about how to tell the difference between what can be observed and what is taken by faith, whether that faith is in the Lord and His Word or in evolution.

We found both video courses to be beneficial for the entire family to watch together. We used this as some of our learning time during the heat of the afternoon we get here in the South. When the girls didn’t want to be outside in the muggy weather and I wanted them to be productively engaged, science videos are a great option!
There are some other really good things offered from this company on their website and from Schoolhouseteachers as well. You can use physical products such as their high school course Northwest Treasures Curriculum Project. If you are looking for something geared towards the younger set, Geology for “Little Eyes” is a great choice! Some of my Crewmates also took a look at Dinosaurs and the Bible which looks fascinating to me!
We want our children to believe the Scriptures and follow the Lord as they grow into young ladies. We do not want them to do so just because my husband and I tell them to do so. We want them to learn for themselves and chose for themselves whom they will believe. The most valuable thing we can do as we homeschool is equip them with knowledge and understanding, allow them to ask questions, and seek the answers alongside of them. Northwest Treasures is a wonderful tool to help with this along the way.
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Smart Kidz Radio from Smart Kidz Media: A TOS Crew Review

July 25, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Safe media content is sometimes hard to find for kids. We live in a media-saturated society, but more often than not the available music and video reflect the opposite of our family’s moral values. Parents are ridiculed and made to look unintelligent or at least out of touch and misbehavior goes without consequence. We recently watched a new popular animated movie and were shocked that there were curse words including the use of God’s name multiple times. It is hard to feel the need to say, “No,” to so much of what is available for kids that it is refreshing when we have the chance to say, “Yes!” with excitement. Smart Kidz Radio from Smart Kidz Media is something we can definitely give a thumbs up!
All of the content I heard from this station was 100% safe. It is non-religious, but I did not find anything objectionable or that went against anything in Scripture. I was surprised to hear a section which focused on gender. I was honestly a little skeptical at first, but was pleased that this too reflected our belief that girls are girls and boys are boys. While they can have interests that converge and cross over “traditionally” accepted ideas (girls cook, boys fix things, etc.) it does not change who they are fundamentally. The streaming content is arranged with topics. It is introduced with a short narration and followed with songs along the same theme as the narration. Much of the content was geared towards character education, promoting positive messages and encouraging thoughtful consideration about how to treat others and keeping a positive self-image. I was very pleased that there was a short section about how to view parents. The gist of the segment was that parents aren’t perfect, but they love you and you should always be respectful. This is definitely a different message than what is sent in most media geared towards kids currently.
There are a wide variety of music styles, but I felt like the overall it was best suited towards preschool and early elementary. My girls liked the stories which can be accessed in the podcast section the most. They were short and fun versions of some stories they were already familiar with and some which were new to them. I am looking forward to the on-demand programming that will be available soon. Being able to choose the specific content would be helpful when wanting to address a particular subject. I think they would really enjoy the Christmas classics on demand and the bedtime songs as well as some of the Bible stories.
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Code For Teens: The Awesome Beginner’s Guide to Programming (Volume 1) – A TOS Crew Review

July 16, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

I remember when my dad first got an IBM desktop computer. I was six and we had moved in order for him to get his doctorate at a major university. It was a big investment and I loved opportunities to work on it. He bought me a book that taught how to program using DOS. I thought it was the coolest thing ever, but I only got a few sections in. Life has changed so much since the 1980s, especially wiht tech. That programming book I had is quite outdated and coding is the new term of the day. We had the chance to review Code For Teens: The Awesome Beginner’s Guide to Programming (Volume 1) from Code for Teens and Rose has absolutely fallen in love with it!

The structure of this 10 chapter guide has been perfect for Rose. She will turn 13 in August and she found it very easy to follow along. This first volume focuses on JavaScript. Each section has a paragraph explaining what she would be coding. Following this is a section of what you should input and finally what the outcome should be. Rose told me she loved how easy it was to follow. She understood exactly what she was learning and could explain it to me with ease. She was even able to teach me a few things along the way. She said it was logically ordered and the instructions were very clear.

After every lesson Rose inevitably said, “Mommy! Come look what I learned how to do!” I’ll be honest, while she was really excited to start I didn’t think her excitement would last. BOY! Was I ever wrong! Not only was this what she looked forward to most with our daily lessons, she would often do more than one day’s worth of work. This is a self-paced book and she chose her own pacing. I initially thought a chapter a week, but she did a lot more. She did not work faster than I expected, but for longer amounts of time. There were times when she worked for over 90 minutes just because she loved it so much!

The best part for me is that this is completely independent. While I was eager as a kid to learn programming, my interest did not last the way Rose’s has. I really had no idea how to help her learn this. I love the drills, challenges, and review available to make sure she fully understands the concepts. I did have her work downstairs because she used a web-browser. We do not allow unsupervised technology use yet.

She did not bring her book with her, but she did ask if she could do some coding for fun while we were visiting Florida. It was really neat to see her practicing what she learned without needing the book handy! She also has asked me when the next volume will be available because she is so very ready to keep learning!
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The Oprhan’s Wish: A BookLook Blogger Review

July 11, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Melanie Dickerson has done it again! I completely adored this adaptation of Aladdin from page one. Dickerson’s fairy tale renderings to justice to our love for the classics while removing the mystical instead replacing it with characters who develop and grow in their faith. Aladdin, a young orphan, is rescued from a life of forced crime in the Holy Land and raised by a kind man of God who offers him a new opportunity. Once in Germany, Aladdin finds new purpose in life and discovers his many talents. As this favored young boy grows, so does his friendship with Lady Kirstyn. Intrigue, peril, and mystery flow throughout this tale and will leave you captivated from start to finish!

I love that Aladdin was the central figure for this tale. Lady Kirstyn is definitely important, but the shift to telling his story at the start is perfect for our times. We sadly live in a world where human trafficking is a common practice and children around the world are stuck in situations not of their choosing. This novel, although taking place in the 1400s, reminded me of the need to pray and support those who are rescuing these children.

One of the things I adore about this author’s writings is I never feel as if she is trying to teach me a biblical message, yet I’m always left with that. She is a masterful storyteller and if you have not yet read her other fairy tale adaptations you need to do so! They are excellent summer reading. Make sure you have plenty of blocked time to read. You won’t want to put it down!

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

Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3 from Hake Publishing: A TOS Crew Review

June 25, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Grammar historically elicits groans from students. I vividly remember a class-wide moan when I was in a traditional grade school class, even from the teacher! My own best teaching of grammar came from my father who taught me at home to diagram sentences and gave me a much deeper grammar foundation than I received in school. I believe the core problem we face in teaching grammar is excessive complexity without solid foundations paired with excessive amounts of time spent on the subject. As with everything in our homeschool I prefer quality over quantity. I have been incredibly impressed with the ability of Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3 from Hake Publishing to address both of these problems! Grammar has been a part of our schooling since the beginning. In first grade I introduce a little bit each week and then second grade provides a more structured experience in our home. This means Grace already has had more grammar instruction than many kids who begin this series. The format is simple and scripted, my two favorite attributes for a homeschool curriculum! It is written to a teacher working with an entire class, but it can easily be adjusted to individual teaching.

The slim nature of each of the books surprised Grace. This is thinner than others we have used and she absolutely loved that she could write in the book rather than use another paper. The consumable textbook and writing workbook are a great feature so you don’t have to include extra paper or notebooks. The teacher guide has a full answer key as well as tests which can be copied for each student. I appreciate this aspect because if you are teaching multiple children over the years you will only need to purchase the student books again. I also really like that more practice is available in the back of the teacher guide for students if needed. So far Grace has not utilized this, but knowing it is there eases my mind if we come upon a more difficult concept.

Completing one lesson each day took about 15 minutes total. Wow! That is really fast. I love that there are Greek and Latin roots taught at the beginning of each lesson and reviewed in subsequent lessons. The grammar teaching is bite-sized and very clear. Because Grace has had a full year of formal grammar instruction I asked her what she thought about this. She said she really loved that she could write in the books and that it was short. She also really enjoys the vocabulary with Greek and Latin. Grace loves new words and even enjoys reading the dictionary for fun, so this was heaven for her!
After each test there is a writing assignment which will help them apply what they have learned in the structure of grammar to actual writing. I adore this application. One of the problems with many grammar programs is a lack of application. There are a variety of writing styles represented here. While this feels a little bit too structured for my taste when it comes to writing, I appreciate that it does take what has just been learned in the lessons and applies it to actual writing.
Overall both Grace and I give this curriculum two thumbs up! We like the short amount of time it takes each day and the overall structure of the program. It also teaches diagramming which is a huge plus in my book!

Artistic Pursuits Full Video Lesson Grades K-3 from ARTistic Pursuits Inc.: A TOS Crew Review

June 11, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Teaching art can be a pretty intimidating prospect for homeschooling parents. We see the value, but unless we have had a thorough art education ourselves it is a subject that can feel overly difficult and get set on the back burner. I don’t believe any family would deny the value of art education, but finding the right resources to effectively and systematically teach this subject matters. You won’t need to look any further than ARTistic Pursuits Inc.. This well-established company knows how to make art fun for the student and simple for the teacher! We reviewed Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary, part of the ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray from ARTistic Pursuits Inc.

For this particular course I allowed my 12-year-old to be the teacher to her younger sister, Grace, who is 8. Rose has a strong love of all things art, both its creation and history. She desires to be an art teacher one day and is often looking for opportunities to spread her wings. I love giving her these chances and I have the opportunity to guide her along the way. We all liked the layout of the hard-cover book. It is engaging and vibrant as well as laid out in a clear and consistently organized manner.

I love that the textbook is for both the teacher and student so there are not lots of unneeded extras lying around. I also really like how classic works of art are used to teach various concepts. In this title there are a wide variety of mediums used so students can have the opportunity to explore all sorts of different types of art including paper folding, sketches, oil pastels, water color crayons and more! In addition to learning different mediums students are also taught artistic techniques. Some are basic and some are quite complex. The lesson on drawing figures teaches body proportion and is full of clear instruction and tips.

One of girls’ favorite lessons was learning about texture and using oil pastels. Rose sat with Grace and walked through the lesson in the book. Grace enjoyed having her sister teach her for this course!
The book is very easy to go through, making it perfect for anyone! Rose has not had extensive art lessons, just what she has picked up on her own and through books. This shows me that anyone can pick this up and use it! Grace had so much fun creating and learning.

Although this is geared towards K-3 I think all ages can benefit from the art techniques taught. It is not a “crafting” sort of curriculum as some art I have seen. Rather it teaches very clear art technique using famous art for observation. I as well appreciate the diversity represented in the artistic styles, but also the cultural diversity in the historical art chosen. Art spans all cultures and heritage and I love having my kids see this represented in a curriculum.

We all highly recommend this and other levels from ARTistic Pursuits Inc. I had the chance to stop by their booth when we were at a homeschool conference a few weeks ago! It was so fun to see the wide variety of options available!

Don’t forget to check out what my Crewmates have to say!

Gospel Reset: A New Book Review Crew at NLPG review

June 7, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Have you noticed that our society has changed rapidly? It seems that almost daily something new an different is the trend and it is hard to keep up. One thing that never changes is the truth of God’s Word. Paul talks about reaching others for Christ by determining how to relate to those around him in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Romans 12:2 then guides us to remember to be conformed to God’s will rather than the world’s. The pairing of these two ideas is the theme behind Ken Ham‘s new book from New Leaf Publishing Group, Gospel Reset: Salvation Made Relevant.

Ham does an excellent job of outlining the reason for a change in how we take the gospel to our culture. In all honesty, reaching the lost has become a bit of a cross-cultural experience for those of us who grew up in solidly Christian homes. Where as the generation before me had a basic understanding of and respect for the Bible, my generation generally does not.

The most insightful moments of how the culture has changed were the percentage graphs broken up by age. One of the reasons this really hit me was that the small congregation my husband pastors is generally older and we are often trying to answer the question why there aren’t more young people in the church. These graphics give a clear, visual understanding as to the shift in culture based on generational breakdowns.

The conclusion is that we must reset our thinking and presentation of the gospel in order to meet the masses where they are, a place of very little knowledge or understanding of the God of the Bible. I think the greatest benefit of this book is opening the eyes of the generations who continue to lament the overall social change of the American landscape, but still assume the average person has a basic working knowledge of the Bible. This is simply not true. My one disappointment was that there was only one chapter dedicated to how to do this now. The information presented in this chapter was excellent and I agreed 100%, I would just like to have had more.

I personally think this is an excellent tool for anyone within an aging congregation. The first step to fixing any problem is fully understanding the problem. The significant problem now is not knowing how to effectively share the gospel to a generation who has no working knowledge of the Bible. We need to know the Word of God so we can share it with the world!

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