TOS Review Crew

HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study: Ancient Greece: A TOS Review Crew Review

February 20, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

History can be one of the trickiest subjects to teach. Too much of the mundane and you will bore your little learners. Too much “fun” and they may miss the point of what they are learning. Home School in the Woods is an incredible company that takes history and makes it come alive. My daughters thoroughly enjoyed our chance to review HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study: Ancient Greece! The entire History Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study series looks incredible. After working through a portion of the Ancient Greece study I can only imagine how much fun the other titles in the series will be. My middle daughter, Beth, is studying Ancient Greece already this year so this was a fun way to add to what we have already been doing. My other two daughters were really excited to join in on the fun a well. The three girls are typically studying different levels of history tailored to their ability levels, but they enjoy the times we learn together. This particular study lends itself well to multi-level learning. The suggested levels are grades 3-8, but my 1st grader has thoroughly enjoyed our journey thus far! The premise of embarking on an actual journey through history with our imaginations is really fun. The study is broken into 25 “Stops” which you can pace as you like. This can easily be completed in the 8-12 weeks as suggested. There is so much packed into this study! In addition to the history there is an enormous amount of information detailing the daily lives of those who lived through it. You’ll learn all about the culture, food, education, arts, literature, medical information, religion, agriculture, and more. While traveling your way through Ancient Greece you will have the opportunity to try out recipes, create some amazing projects, and collect a scrapbook to remember your travels. I love that the scrapbook includes pages for a timeline. Home School in the Woods is well known for their amazing timeline products and once again they do not disappoint! Everything you need to get started is contained in the pdf files. It does take some time to print what you will need so it is a good idea to work ahead on this. The more time you spend on prep the smoother the study will go.There are so many fun projects to work through. Here were some of the girls’ favorites.

Beth is always interested in learning about the clothing of the time periods we are studying. When we travel to historical sights she will often choose a coloring book that shows lots of different historical clothing. She loved the activity where she colored a historical figure and layers of clothing. These are placed on clear transparency pages and attached so they could layer on top of the figures. She really enjoyed this because of how detailed the images are. This is something else you can expect from this wonderful company. The images are beautiful and so your kids will end up with amazing projects they will treasure far after they complete their studies!

Little miss Grace drams of becoming a nurse. She was particularly interested in the medical history of the period. This turned into a little flip book that can be attached into their lap books. She enjoyed coloring as well as reading the information and how they relate to current medical practices. She is 7 and in first grade, but it was a simple project she could complete with little help and guidance from me.

Rose has already studied through Ancient Greece so she was excited to explore some of the things we didn’t delve into as deeply. One of her favorite projects was working on the family tree of Helen. This was a neat little flip page that also can be placed into the lap book. She did not need to spend a lot of time studying to complete it. Once the pages were printed she colored, cut, and pasted all while learning through the process. The girls all agreed that their absolutely favorite part was the dramatized audio tours. They found them entertaining and humorous. We would get finished with one and they would beg to listen to another. We actually listened to the dramatizations more than once. I asked the girls what they thought of this way of studying history. They all told me how much they enjoyed it and said it was fun to learn in such a different way. Learning is all about finding meaningful ways to make connections so what your kids learn sticks with them. Home School in the Woods has a hit with this fabulous program!

HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study

Check out this video to see even more of what you can expect!

Times Tables the Fun Way: A TOS Review Crew Review

February 7, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

What comes to mind when you think of memorizing times tables? Dread? Intimidation? Mind-numbing boredom? If you are like me, this was what my traditional math education left me feeling. I’m happy to say it doesn’t have to be that way anymore! My girls absolutely loved using Times Alive online lessons with animated songs and stories to learn times tables the fun way. Even the two who have already worked to memorize them found this to be fun and enjoyable! Unlike the traditional method of rote memorization, Times Alive uses stories, songs, and memory tricks to help the process stick. All three of my daughters have completed it, but I will focus mostly on my youngest daughter, Grace’s, experience. She is seven and had only been introduced to the idea of multiplication from hearing her sister’s math lessons. She had no prior formal instruction in this area until beginning Times Alice.

We reviewed the online version of Times Alive and I was very impressed with it both because of my daughter’s response and the teacher-friendly resources. Each of your children will have their own record, so make sure to remember the name with which you sign them in the first time. It is recommended to be used a lesson a day at least twice a week. This was not at all a problem. In fact, the only problem I had was getting her away from it! “Mommy, can I please work on my times tables?” Was asked multiple times during the day. In fact, she finished the entire program in a week because she was having so much fun! The best part is she has retained what she learned. It was such a fast and painless way to introduce and for the most part cement her times tables up through 9. The graphics are charming and do not distract from the most important part, the songs and stories. The numbers often become characters in the stories and are involved in funny little situations which leads to learning a math fact. All three of my girls have been singing the songs and giggling about the stories since we started the program. One of Grace’s favorites was 6 x 6 = 36 because the story talked about thirsty sixes. She found this completely hilarious. My other two daughters have also enjoyed the fun of this program! Both girls are working on much more difficult multiplication with multi-digit numbers, but as they watched their younger sister having fun, they both asked to work through the program. They giggled along with her and love quizzing her on her multiplication facts as well! We discovered a couple of facts which Grace struggled to recall so I brought her back to those to review which was easy as could be. Click here to see a sample of a Times Tables the Fun Way story!

Record keeping is absolutely wonderful with this program! You do want to make sure you accurately type in the same name for each student so you can track their progress. You can see exactly how much of the program they have completed and how well they are doing at the checkpoint assessments. It is printable and user friendly, more so than other tracking reports I’ve seen from different online math programs. I quickly assessed that Grace was moving at an incredible pace, but she was also retaining what she was learning. If I felt she was not retaining as she progressed I would have had her complete the lessons again. I would like to be able to see which ones she missed specifically, but seeing the percentage is very helpful. All of the tests are printable so I think I would like to use that option as we review some of these again so I can see better where she is not retaining facts.

My oldest daughter has also greatly benefited from this program. While she is working with much higher levels of math, she sometimes has a hard time recollecting her math facts. She gets there eventually, but because it isn’t immediate she is frequently frustrated. These stories, songs, and tricks have been incredibly helpful to her in this area.

Whether you are just starting out teaching multiplication or you are looking for a way for facts to stick, this is an excellent resource at an incredible value! Be sure to read reviews from my Crewmates!

The Beginner’s Bible from Zonderkidz: A TOS Review Crew Review!

January 5, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

I’m so excited to start this new year off with a review of The (BRAND NEW!) Beginner’s Bible from Zonderkidz! This will be our third version of this wonderful children’s Bible and the updates are just spectacular.When my girls were little we found this to be our favorite for Bible story time and we used it for history as well when they first started to read. I was very excited to get my hands on the updated Bible, as was Grace! Grace is 7 and is in 1st grade. She is reading at about a 3rd grade level so this was an easy, but not too childish version for her to read from. Growing up in a pastor’s home you can imagine we receive A LOT of children’s Bibles. We have the tradition of reading a Bible story or devotional together before bed on nights we do not have church. The girls take turns choosing the book and Grace most often chooses The Beginner’s Bible. I love that the pages of this Bible are sturdy. So many of our children’s Bibles are rather flimsy and just can’t hold up to the wear and tear of young readers. We have always encouraged the girls to pick up the Bible or Bible stories on their own to read anytime they want, but this means I’ve had to use a lot of book tape to make repairs. The pages in The Beginner’s Bible are thicker and glossy. The binding is also much sturdier than most children’s books are made. This will absolutely hold up to use be little hands, which is exactly how a children’s Bible should be made. We want them to explore God’s Word on their own so they can begin to deepen their faith even at such a young age. I assure you they will beg for just one more story between the beautiful storytelling and whimsical illustrations!

Since were in the Christmas season the very first stories we read were about the birth of Christ. Familiar as this is to our kids, they still loved to hear as I read aloud. The illustrations are darling, but also very accurate. One of my favorite parts about this particular story is that they showed the Magi visiting Jesus Christ as a child, not a baby in the manger. While we absolutely include the gift-bearing men in our nativity scenes (almost as numerous as Bibles in our home!) this isn’t exactly what is described in Scripture. It was wonderful to see a more accurate presentation in The Beginner’s Bible. One more aspect that I appreciate about this particular Bible is that it includes such a wide range and large amount of stories. There is a feeling that it is a complete account of the Word of God, just written in a way that very young children can absolutely understand and even read for themselves. It includes some of the standard stories we are used to, such as Daniel and the Lion’s Den, Jonah and the Big Fish, and Lazarus Lives Again, but in addition there are also others not always found in children’s Bibles such as Earthquake in Prison (Paul and Silas’ escape), Deborah Leads the Way, and Jesus is Coming (Revelation). This full presentation of the Word of God is a uniquely important feature of The Beginner’s Bible. Watch below to see a sample story… Also included is a dictionary of potentially unfamiliar terms and even a map of Paul’s missionary journeys. The terms are clearly defined in “kid-speak” and even gives multiple definitions for words such as “heaven” which in Scripture refer not only to where God lives, but also the sky itself. I highly recommend The Beginner’s Bible if you are looking for a solid children’s Bible told in story form for your own children or as a gift. I encourage you to start your own tradition of reading the Bible together to help your little ones’ learn the habit of the importance of consistently learning from God’s Word. I can think of no better way to introduce a little one in your life to the Word of God as this new year begins!

French Essentials: Review

November 12, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

My girls are always asking how to say things in another my response is typically, “Ummmm….let’s look it up a little later!” Foreign language is not one of my strong-suits. I did take a few years of a foreign language in high school, but it became very clear my freshman year of college I didn’t retain very much! Needless to day, foreign language hasn’t really been on my radar for homeschooling yet…until now!

French Essentials uses a combination of downloadable pdf files and online content to explore the French language and culture in a unique blend of interactive and pencil-to-paper instructional activities. The available assessments are a wonderful way to check and gauge the students progress. You can choose either to purchase a full set with access to all modules and downloads or to purchase modules individually. Each module can be purchased for $69.95 (available for 90 days) and the full-package will all modules (available for 1 year) is $149.95. We were given the Full Access Online Program for review.

My girls really enjoyed getting to hear the letters, words, and phrases pronounced correctly. As I said before my foray into foreign languages wasn’t all that fabulous and my pronunciation is simply dreadful! Native French speakers teach correct pronunciation and the entire program was created by experienced French teachers. I appreciated how grammar is incorporated so as the students learn the language they also learn how to put the parts of speech in the correct order. Another nice feature are the audio files embedded into the pdf files so there is no need to open multiple programs.

I loved the very first activity in the first module. In order to help student learn to identify the correctly pronounced French alphabet a native French speaker calls out letters which will spell English words. This unique activity really resonated with Rose. She quickly picked up on the different vowel sounds and I really think the connection to English helped her do this more rapidly. Beth also liked the activity although it was harder for her.

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This program is ideally used with students 3rd through eighth grade, but it can be used with students who are younger because of the extensive amount of oral practice and older if they are interested. The worksheet portions are best suited for students with a 3rd grade reading level or higher.

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As I mentioned before many aspects of the French culture are included which provide a nice balance and a fuller picture of what the language is all about. This is a really fun portion which I think would also encourage students to be open to more cultures as they learn.

Although the girls did enjoy using this, I learned something very important. None of us is ready for language study this extensive or in depth yet! The program is excellent, but it will take more time than we have right now to add it in daily as I would want. With that in mind, when we are ready for a full foreign language curriculum, this is definitely something we will revisit. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a full-course language curriculum as it is high quality and seems to thoroughly explore the language.

Click here to see what else my Crewmates had to say!

IXL.com: Review

November 2, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

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What do my girls work hard for each day? Computer learning time! They know they must wait for my permission, but usually at some point during the day, unless they have lost the privilege, the girls get to play learning games on the computer. I am not a fan of a full computer-based curriculum for our studies, but I do like for them to have opportunities to learn on the computer. My girls have learned far more computer skills than I would have imagined at their age! I was eight when we got our first computer, an IBM, and I was one of the first in my grade-school class to turn in a typed assignment. Now children take computers for granted as part of learning, so I am always on the lookout for high quality programs.

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IXL.com is a website dedicated to enhancing math and language arts learning for students. Their math site is for pre-K through 12th grade and language arts is for 2nd-4th grade. We were blessed to review the math portion of the site. A subscription to IXL is $9.95 for math only, $9.95 for language arts only, or $15.95 a month for both. If you purchase a yearly subscription it is $79.00 for either math or language arts, and $129.00 a year for both subjects. Each additional child is only $2 per month, or $20 per year.

Screen time has been a hot commodity since our family acquired an iPad. Rose really loves the IXL app and I love that she is able to further master certain skills like multiplication. I love having so many options of activities for her to choose from and that I am fully aware of what they are working on. Rose’s goal was to get everything under her name checked off!

Grace also thoroughly enjoyed the app! She loved being able to sign in on her own. Each of the girls had their own unique symbol and they signed in with a password they would remember. The parent must be logged in first, but then the kids are able to access it on their own.

A feature which is really nice, especially for preschoolers, is that each question can be read aloud. It took her a little while to figure out what some of the questions were asking, but she soon mastered many of the preschool skills. She has completed the most of any of the three girls. She has really enjoyed growing in her math skills. I appreciate that even though it is fun, it is still more traditional math practice rather than games. It checks their knowledge directly rather than using flashy pictures and cartoons which in my opinion can sometimes distract from the skill. While it is very colorful, unneeded background scenery and distracting music is blissfully absent. I never once had to ask any of the girls to turn the volume down because it was distracting to the others.

I do hope that a language arts app is in the works. I have found that learning and play is much easier for the girls, especially Grace, on the iPad. She doesn’t waste time and get frustrated with the mouse. I’m so glad IXL has this app available so she can have a better experience.Click below to see what my Crewmates had to say!

If You Were Me… from Away We Go Media: Review

November 2, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

Our girls have always loved learning about other places. We frequently have missionaries in our church and what my daughters are most curious when they visit is what the country where they are from is like. They want to know about the food, the people, the music, the clothes…just everything! I’m always on the lookout for resources to encourage their curiosity.

Carole P. Roman and Away We Go Media has created a wonderful set of resources for children to explore other cultures. They are beautifully illustrated and give children an idea of what life is like for other kids all around the world. So far If You Were Me and Lived in… South Korea, If You Were Me and Lived in… Mexico, If You Were Me and Lived in… France, and If You Were Me and Lived in… Norway (link coming soon!) are included in the series. The first three books in this series are available for purchase on Amazon in two formats: Kindle ($.99 each) and Paperback ($8.99 each). If You Were Me and Lived in…Norway is $1.99 (Kindle) or $10.79 (Paperback). They can also be purchased at Barnes and Noble for $9.99 each with the exception of If You Were Me and Lived in…Norway which can be purchased for $8.63. They are geared toward preschoolers through 8-year-old children. My girls thoroughly enjoyed each of the four and enjoyed taking turns reading them!

AAEach book contains information about the language, customs, heritage, and lifestyle. I loved the inclusion of various tourist sites as well as what children would do at every age. The girls snuggled up on the couch and took turns reaching through each title in one sitting!

Something I liked about the cover was that the location of each country was shown on a globe. Many other books on other countries I have seen show the country’s shape or in the context of its neighbors, but I have never seen it shown on a globe. This world-wide view gives them a wonderful big-picture sense of location.

Beth’s favorite was If You Were Me and Lived in South Korea. She really liked learning about the variety of food. She also really liked the picture of the baby, which is why I think she most enjoyed this one!

Rose and I really liked If You Were Me and Lived in Norway. We have good friends and neighbors who moved their a couple of years ago. It was a lot of fun to think about what our friends might be doing, eating, or seeing!

I also enjoyed the inclusion of words from other languages. The girls are forever asking me what other words mean in different languages. I’m not very good at knowing those things, but these books gently introduce new languages and give children an opportunity to use context clues to decipher what they mean.

While I haven’t had a chance to do this yet, I also plan on using the books in this series with our children at church during our missions meetings. We meet once a month and I have the opportunity to teach the children more about missions. I love how easily these will fit into the other activities I already have planned!

Take a minute to watch this preview of If You Were Me and Lived in Mexico!

Check out what my Crewmates had to say!

Rosie’s Doll Clothes Patterns: Review

October 31, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

A sewing project from last year…Yogi, Cindy, and Boo Boo Bear!

My husband and I got married two weeks after I graduated from college and my sweet man bought me a sewing machine, something I’d wanted for a while but didn’t have any clue how to use. This was obvious from the fact that it sat in a closet for several years. I finally pulled it out to give a go at sewing a plain straight curtain. My husband (who took a home economics class in junior high in the hopes of meeting girls) taught me how to use it. I got frustrated, made a curvy curtain, and into the closet it went again for a few more years. I’ve had a good friend helping me gain courage and I’ve managed a few projects for my girls. When Rose came to me during my last project and asked me to teach her to sew I panicked! I barely know what I’m doing and don’t have a clue how to teach an eight-year-old!

Enter Rosie’s Doll Clothes Patterns! This simple to use site was just the thing I was looking for. The How to Make Doll Clothes Video Course ($47.51 for a 1 year membership) is excellent for beginners as it teaches the most basic aspects of sewing and is easy to follow. Since the videos are online I could access them from my computer or iPad. I found it easiest to use the computer because of the larger screen. Patterns are available for 18 inch (American Girl Doll size) and 18 1/2 inch (Cabbage Patch Size) for a variety of seasons and uses. They are all very simple patterns, perfect for those just learning.

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These lessons are intended for students 8 and up (which means adults can learn too!) There are six modules intended to be used over a period of 6 weeks, but as with any course such as this you can speed up or slow the pace down as needed. Each module is broken down into smaller sections which is then divided into video segments. I much prefer this over a long video without sections because there were some things I already knew, and this way I wasn’t concerned I would miss something if I skipped ahead. In addition to the course instruction are 8 doll clothes patterns along with video instruction for each. This was great for Rose because she had the visual explanation along with someone who actually knew what they were talking about!

Rose was very interested from the start. Rosie’s gentle voice and soft Australian accent kept her captivated! She attentively stayed engrossed for each segment and was so excited to finally be learning how to sew.

I appreciated that even the most basic steps, such as pattern cutting, were fully explained in a way Rose could understand. I also appreciated that not once has Rose had to ask me what something. It isn’t that I mind answering her questions, I just know I probably wouldn’t know the answer!

Another aspect which I appreciated was the emphasis on sewing safety. It is so very important that children especially are aware the tools used for sewing can be dangerous if not handled properly. Since my other two girls were up at this time they received some much coveted iPad play time. They’ll have their chance to learn to sew when they are older.

For Rose this has been a dream come true. She was very careful to pin the fabric pieces together just the way Rosie instructed her and patiently followed every step. She asks me frequently how soon we will get to practice sewing again. This is been a real joy for us to work on together.

Whether you are just beginning to sew yourself or have a child interested in learning, this is an excellent way to learn! No confusion, no pressure, and no hassle! My favorite quote was when Rosie was explaining the various tools used for sewing. When she got to the seam ripper she said no matter how experienced you are at sewing everyone makes mistakes and needs the seam ripper to help fix them. It meant to much for me to hear that because my daughter with perfectionist tendencies gets very frustrated when she gets something wrong. This one matter of fact statement put her at ease for the rest of her time with Rosie. See what my Crewmates had to say by clicking below!

VocabularySpellingCity: Review

October 23, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

One of the first sites I stumbled upon as we began our homeschooling journey was VocabularySpellingCity. I thoroughly enjoyed the site and felt it was very helpful from the start. Getting to use the premium membership ($29.99 for up to 5 students) has been even better! The extra content which is now available to us has really been fun for Beth, my 1st grader, as she works on her spelling words each week. This is a great internet-based program for grades K-12. Not many cover this wide age range!

Since our iPad is new and shiny I’ve enjoyed finding learning apps for the girls. I was so excited to find out I could use this for Vocabulary Spelling City and she was too. I give my daughter a pretest of 20 words each week, then the words which she misses or she had to think longer about become her spelling words. I don’t believe in busy work and in my opinion including words she already knows is busy work. This program allows me to include only the words I want which can range from 1 all the way to 51. She has been averaging about 6 a week.

Once I enter the words under the parent account she can log in under her account (which is connected to mine) on the computer or the iPad. She of course typically chose the iPad! I really like that when I enter the words I also chose a definition from a pre-selected list which also created a vocabulary aspect to her spelling lists which hadn’t been present before.

There are so many games to choose from for practice. She liked to try them all and when I asked her which was her favorite she said, “I don’t know. They were all so fun!” It is great to have something fun to add to our spelling. She is already learning spelling rules which she seems to enjoy, but a change of pace is always a welcome diversion for any subject. The games are colorful and fun with immediate feedback so she knows if she made a mistake and how to fix it.

This past week I let Beth enter the word list herself instead of doing them for her. She felt so grown up to be able to do the parent’s part and it was also great practice. She choose the definition she thought fit best and I was pleased she did this with ease. I also really like the option for a spelling test. The program calls the word out and she types out the correct word. Since everything is scored and recorded with the premium account her weekly spelling tests have been a breeze!

Rose, 3rd grade, has also been using the site, but only with the supplied grade-level appropriate lists since she doesn’t have weekly spelling tests at the moment. I love that even without imputing a list my girls can practice their spelling skills and find it very enjoyable. Even Grace, four-years-old, has been wanting to spell! She watches her big sisters play on the site and will try to help them. She doesn’t quite understand it all yet, but she does know letters have to go in a particular order to spell correctly so she too is gaining insight from this website.

Click here to see what my Crewmates had to say about the site!

Diary of a Real Payne Book 1: True Story from Barbour Publishing: Review

October 18, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

All of my girls are avid readers. They come by it genetically probably. Just like their mother, they’ll read anything they can get their hands on even if it is just a cereal box. Although they read anything and everything, they are very honest about their opinions about what we read. If they don’t like something, I know it immediately. I knew we had a winner in Diary of a Real Payne Book 1: True Story almost immediately!

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Annie Tipton has written a truly engaging story with a Christian world-view brought to us by Barbour Publishing. Diary of Real Payne Book 1: True Story ($5.99) follows precocious EJ, a 4th grader, who keeps a detailed diary of her life. Geared towards children ages 8-12, this is a delightful story sure to engage readers both younger and older.

Rose just turned 8 and absolutely loved every word. We read this for the humor genre in our literature studies although it could also fit for realistic fiction. I asked her to read a chapter a day…and she begged to read more. She would hide under the table and read ahead, as if I would have banned her from reading or something!

She read long after lessons had ended for the day and would bring it with her in the car. The first thing she asked at the start of school each day was, “Can I please do my literature first?” Seeing my girl so excited about reading always makes me happy. I’m very much the same in that when I find a book I love I can’t put it down. To make this even better, the Christian worldview presented in each chapter left me feeling confident this was a book I wanted her to read. There are many engaging works out their for girls her age, but I know few will leave her with a God-honoring mindset.

Rose completes a book report poster for each genre we complete. It was fun to discuss the different literary aspects of this novel. My favorite part was the blend of 1st person perspective alongside 3rd person narrative. Each chapter opens with a diary entry from EJ and closes with a narrative portion. This unique blending of both points of view provides a lively story-telling medium which keeps the story fun and full of laughter.

The best part? Book 2 is coming out soon! You better believe it is already on my daughter’s wish-list.

Read more reviews from my Crewmates by clicking below!

God’s World News: Review

October 14, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

I remember reading a children’s news magazine when I was in grade-school. While I don’t remember the name of it, I remember really enjoying it! I loved learning about what was going on in the world, seeing news which impacted children in other lands, and keeping up on the latest science discoveries. I was looking around for something like this for my girls several months ago, but I was not happy with what I found. My main struggle was the world view from which they were written. When the opportunity came my way to check out a magazine with a biblical world-view I started getting excited!

God’s World News publishes a variety of new magazines for all ages from preschool through high school. Each magazine is geared towards specific age levels so you know the content will be appropriate. I love how the age ranges are divided by ever two grade levels for the younger readers which ensures appropriate reading levels. A 1-year subscription for any level costs $28.00.

I received Early Edition, the 1st-2nd grade level, to review. My girls range from PreK-3rd grade so this was a nice middle-of-the-road choice for them. The magazines are filled with beautiful photos and illustrations. The content is interesting and my girls have enjoyed reading the issues they received. They also received a full-sized wall-map so students can locations the articles are referencing.

One article in particular which I really liked was about the T. Rex. There are such a variety of views on when dinosaurs lived even within Christian circles. I’m always cautious when reading information about dinosaurs because of this. What I loved about this article was it provided observational scientific facts. I appreciate the magazine’s statement of faith includes the affirmation that God created man in His image and did not contradict this in their coverage of a new dinosaur which was found.

I also appreciated the extra articles and curriculum available online with your subscription. Old issues may be viewed and extra activities are there for students to learn from. There are more quizzes as well as ideas for curriculum implementation available. One lesson which was particularly timely for us was about new treatments for cancer. Our neighbor’s son was diagnosed with kidney cancer this past summer and has spent quite a bit of time with my girls. They are very much aware of his treatments and how difficult they can be. Learning about new treatments was good. Having age-appropriate discussion questions was extremely valuable. I sometimes don’t know how to address the issue of cancer because it is so close to them now. I very much appreciated how it was handled in the online article which gave further study to an article about helping cancer patients keep their hair.

There is also a newly launched site (http://kids.wng.org/) which gives even more information for kids to explore! This is a safe site which is user friendly for kids and gives them access to even more articles and activities.

So far both girls have loved the activities within the magazine the best. They hurry to find these pages first and anxiously work to figure them out! Rose has enjoyed having some new reading material for our afternoon quiet time.

Beth was thrilled to find an article about horses! The reading level seemed appropriate for both girls. It was simple enough for them to read and yet not overly simple. The articles were written creatively from biblical standpoints and did not bore them.

I highly recommend this magazine for Christians who are looking for a children’s news magazine. Interesting, informative, biblical world-view, curriculum ideas…God’s World News has taken care of it all!