BELOVED BOOKS REVIEW

I don't know about your family but one of our goals as parents is for our children to have really good, wholesome books to read. BELOVED BOOKS and their Sugar Creek Gang Audiobook CD's are it. Beloved Books was created to offer book and audios to Christian families.

In the past, our family discovered Sugar Creek Gang on an inspirational cable channel and really enjoyed them. Since then, we cancelled cable and only had the physical books. I was very excited to be able to review the Sugar Creek Gang audio books.

Paul Hutchens began writing these wholesome, Christian books for boys and girls in 1939. These books are full of suspense and adventure.

How we used this product!!!

We listened to these CD's in our truck while we were running errands around town.

 

 

I think these stories are more appealing to boys than girls. My only boy would ask to listen to these every time we got into our vehicle. The girls, not as much. They enjoyed them but not as much as the boy. My two little bugs liked them but it didn't hold their attention. I would recommend them for ages 7 and up.

 

I really like this product. It is filled with lots of poetry, nature study, hymns and even science. The material in these exciting audios are presented in such a wonderful, godly manner. I am so thankful for having these little stories for our children to listen to and enjoy. These are wonderful CD's for the whole family to enjoy.

 

For this review, we were given the first six volumes of the Sugar Creek Gang audios. This set contains 12 CD's and six stories: The Swamp Robber, The Killer Bear, The Winter Rescue, The Lost Campers, Chicago Adventures and The Secret Hideout.

This set is available for $54.95 with free media rate postage.

You can purchase the first complete story, "Swamp Robber", for only $4.95 with free first class postage.

Drop by the TOS Crew and see what other families are saying about The Sugar Creek Gang!

Disclaimer: I received the Sugar Creek Gang Audiobooks, free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

                  

 



Schoolhouse Review: Samson's Classroom

SAMSON'S CLASSROOM is an online resource for K-5th grade that teaches sight words, spelling and reading comprehension.

There are three sections of games to Samson's Classroom.

SIGHT WORDS:   Sight words with Samson is proven to help early readers to master the 224 most commonly used words in the English language. The sight words are divided into lists that are taught in 5 steps.

Once they have finished all 5 exercises, they know the words.


SPELLING:   Spelling with Samson has over 5,000 words available. The teacher (parent) has the choice of creating their own lists or use one of the lists already included in the program. We have been using the ones provided.

My boy bug takes Tae Kwon Do, so his favorite part of the spelling is the missing letters part where Samson karate chops his way through the missing letters.


READING:   Reading with Samson gives students practice with their reading. My two bugs really liked this section a lot. There are so many different stories, very fun and engaging.

Again, my boy bug really enjoyed this. He asks me everyday if he can get on Samson's classroom. He will sit for the longest time and read these stories. He enjoys them so much that he started with the lowest level and is working towards finishing with the highest one. I am tickled pink that he is enjoying reading and spelling so much. You know it's a hit when they ask you if they can do something like this each and every day.

The swinging of the hammer was by far, the favorite! Everyone gathers around to see how many hammer points each one can get. This site is, and I quote, "TOTALLY AWESOME!!!"

HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS:

I think, for the older bugs, it's a really good site for practice. For the little bugs, it will be a wonderful supplement to their phonics and language curriculum. I can see our family using this for a long time. As of right now, I have two bugs, ages 9 and 11, using this. They are really enjoying it. I highly recommend this site, especially for a child/children who enjoy online, educational games. This is great for daily work and for "busy work" when I need to help another bug and give them my undivided attention.

You can purchase Samson's Classroom for 1 student for $30/year or $50/year for up to 4 users. They have several different pricing plans.

We were given a family membership for this review.

Check out what other crew members are saying about Samson's Classroom.

Disclaimer: I received a family membership to Samson's classroom, free,  in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

ABINGTON PRESS...DEEP BLUE KIDS BIBLE REVIEW

As a member of the Schoolhouse Review crew, we were blessed with a product from Abingdon Press to review. They began publishing a wide variety of high-caliber academic, professional, inspirational and life-affirming religious literature in the early 1920's. Abingdon Press has committed to providing the most effective religious publications available.

For this review, I received the Common English Deep Blue Kids Bible. It comes in 5 cover choices:

                    3-D Hardcover
                    Image-Flex Cover
                    DecoTone Midnight Splash
                    DecoTone White Splash
                    Imitation Leather in Burgundy

We received the "Image Flex" cover for our review. We really enjoy the flexibility and durability of this bible.

We as a family really enjoy reviewing and using all different kinds of bibles and bible translations. In our home, we mostly use the KJV(King James Version) and the NIV(New International Version). I was pleasantly surprised with this version. I feel children can understand this version quite well. We love our KJV bibles but often the bugs, and myself included, will not always understand what we have read or want to understand it more. With the CEB version, we would look up the same passage we read in the KJV and have a better understanding of the Word!

Here is a passage from Philippians 4:13 in the KJV bible: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Here is the same passage in the CEB version: I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength.

So you can see how a child might understand the CEB version better. This bible is recommended for ages 7-12.

Some other features include:

                      4-color throughout
                      Presentation Page
                      In-text subject headings
                      Bible dictionary
                      Eight full color maps from National Geographic
                      9-point type

We loved the three little characters in this bible. The Deep Blue Crew includes Asia, Edgar and Kat. They will teach and help your children discover and explore the bible in a fun, exciting way.

One of the many features I enjoyed about this bible is at the beginning of each book of the bible. There are sections that include: things you'll discover, people you'll meet, places you'll go and words you'll remember. We recently studied about Esther and read many passages from the book of Esther. Under each of these headings, it tells us about the things we will discover in the book, people we will learn about, words we will remember and my favorite, places we will go. In the book of Esther, they refer to Persia and under this heading, it tells us that Persia is present-day Iran. Just another fun way to learn with this bible. So many things we are learning that we never knew before until now.

My family and I have really enjoyed this bible and look forward to using it everyday in our homeschool. Overall, I am very impressed with this little bible. In my opinion, this is a great study bible for all ages. I am seriously thinking about ordering the Learning To Use My Bible Class Pak and Teacher Guide.

To check out the Deep Blue Kids Bible, go to http://www.deepbluekidsbible.com.

The price for the Image-Flex cover bible is $26.99. You can go here to see resources, where to buy, videos and a sample of this bible.

You can also go here to purchase this lovely bible!


To see more reviews about the Deep Blue Kids Bible, visit the crew at the Schoolhouse website.

Disclaimer: As a member of TOS, I received this bible, free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Beeyoutiful - Schoolhouse Crew Review

 

 

BEEYOUTIFUL is a Christian company that believes that we as individuals are responsible for our own health. Their goal is to carry natural products and to eventually carry every one they use as a family. Stephanie Tallent, a certified nutritionist, runs this wonderful, natural wellness company with her husband.

 

 

As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I was lucky enough to review some of their products. This is the package I received for this review:

It had four of their products in it with a very helpful DVD.

BERRY WELL - 8fl. oz. for $19.75, is an immune booster that fights flu, cold, bacterial and viral symptoms. Not only does this fight these but at the same time builds up your immune system. This is an elderberry syrup made from organic purple elderberries. It also contains raw honey, organic echinacea root, organic apple cider vinegar, propolis extract and 2% pure grain alcohol. It can be taken regularly as a preventative or taken at the first sign of a cold or flu. My plan is to use this when my boy bug comes down with tonsillitis. We battle this about every other month. I feel this will help his condition and will be a staple in our home.

LIP BALM - $3. I love this lip balm. I received the orange flavor. I use this everyday. It has a wonderful consistency. Lots of all-natural lip balms, in my opinion, are hard. This one is just right. They are available in orange and peppermint. I use it alone and under my lip gloss. It keeps our lips very moist and prevents chapping.

MIRACLE SKIN SALVE - 2 oz. for $15, 4 oz. for $25. I can't say enough about this salve. Of all the products, we used this one the most. From cuts, ant bites, rashes to minor burns and skin irritations, we used it for everything. The ingredients in this salve are wonderful. Coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, beeswax, organic plantain leaf, organic comfrey root, organic calendula flowers, propolis, lavendar essential oil and rosemary essential oil. This salve can be used for any kind of skin irritation or injury. It is wonderful. Everytime one of my bugs get an ant bite, they ask for the miracle salve. Just today, my red bug started using it for the dryness under and around her eyes. She has etopic dermatitis and I am hoping this salve will be our "MIRACLE"! I highly recommend this product.

OW!-EASE - Arnica Trauma Salve - 1 oz. for $15. This relieves pain and effectively helps reduce swelling and muscle pain associated with bruises, contusions, sprains, pulled ligaments and muscles. With a 3 and 5 year old around the house, you can imagine how many times we have used this. Everytime I turn around, one or both of them have some kind of bruise. We used this on every bruise and I really believe in its healing properties. Because it contains Arnica flower, it is not safe for internal use, so it is not to be used orally or on broken skin. Some of the other ingredients are extra virgin olive oil infused with chamomile, organic calendula, organic St. John's Wort, cayenne, coconut oil, beeswax, lavendar essential oil and rosemary essential oil.

We also received the Beeyoutiful Views DVD with Stephanie Tallent - $3. She talks about many of the products they offer and how she uses them with her own family. There is also a How-To section. I found this section very helpful. The bugs and I watched this video together and learned many things from it. One of the things we are wanting to try is the activated charcoal facial. Another section is the Healthy Pregnancy section. It gives you information on the specific products they carry that can be used if you are expecting.

I highly recommend Beeyoutiful products and encourage you to check out their website.


Check out what other members of the crew said about Beeyoutiful products. Some reviewed Beeyoutiful Skin mineral make-up and Skin care products.

Disclaimer: As a TOS crew member, I received these products, in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Music Together Crew Review

We as a family love listening to different kinds of music and audio books when we are in our vehicle. So when Music Together came up for review, I jumped at the chance.

MUSIC TOGETHER is an internationally recognized early childhood music program for many ages, even adults who enjoy learning and having fun with children.

What make this program so much fun, in my opinion, are the musical instruments that they recommend you use. Egg shakers, rhythm sticks, play-along instruments(tambourines, maracas, jingle sticks, just to name a few), scarves, drums and others.

The Songbook for Teachers was very helpful. It is divided into three sections:

     The opening section discusses the fundamentals of the Music Together approach. It includes an introduction to the Music Together philosophy, discussion of types of songs and activities, how to work with instruments and props and classroom adaptation for children with special needs.

     The middle section is pretty much the bulk of the book. It contains the 19 songs on the Music Together Family Favorites CD. Each song is followed by "teacher pages" that are organized in four different groups:

          ~all ages and setting
          ~infants
          ~preschoolers and older children
          ~children with special needs

     The final section contains information about the program, how you can become involved with its licensed applications, a glossary and a guitar reference chart.

I would have to say the 90% of our listening to this CD was done in our vehicle. We enjoy listening and singing together as we run errands. I think after listening to the CD all the way through a few times, our favorites would have to be "Ridin' in the Car", "Playin' in the Kitchen", "I've Been Working on the Railroad" and "Goodbye, So Long, Farewell".

The song "Ridin' in the Car" , I think is my 3 year old bugs favorite one. I would look through my rear view mirror at her while listening to this song and she was having such a good time with the song, pretending to drive the car!

Just the other night, in the kitchen, the bugs wanted to listen to the CD so I popped it in the player and turned on the song "Playin' in the Kitchen". I think we listened to this song five or six times in a row while the little bugs got out some pots, pans and large utensils and played with them as if they were playing drums. As you can imagine, it was a very entertaining and LOUD night!

I really enjoyed Music Together with my bugs and if you think you would enjoy it to, go to http://store.musictogether.com/family-favorites-download-info.php. You can listen to the songs on the "Family Favorites" CD. You can also buy digital downloads of the album and songs on the web page.

Music Together Family Favorites CD and Songbook Combo (K0227) is available here for a special price of $39.95, instead of buying the CD and songbook separately (saving $5). If you decide to purchase the combo, you can enter the coupon code "Schoolhouse" at check-out in the Music Together store and save an additional $2. In my opinion this is a very fun program that will get you involved and having fun with your children.

See what other crew members are saying about Music Together.

Disclaimer: I received the songbook and CD combo free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

a few happenings around the homestead....

We have been pretty busy around here lately. Tae Kwon Do testing, canning pears and baking up some delicious Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread.

Big boy just earned his advanced blue belt in Tae Kwon Do. We are so very proud of him. He works really hard in his classes and at home. Congratulations BIG BOY!!!


A few weeks ago, one of my dear friends called me and wanted to know if I was interested in some pears. Well, you know me, of course I was! The bugs and I loaded up and went to her home to pick them up. They had already picked them from the trees so all I had to do was go get them. She told me that they picked quite a few and to bring a good many containers with me when I come. I was shocked at the pears. I ended up bringing home five 5 gallon buckets full and 2 more large garbage bags full to share with friends. Now that's alot of pears.

I decided to put mine up in a light syrup, in quart and pint size mason jars. Take a look how pretty.

Another something we like around here is Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread. It is our favorite sweet bread around this time of the year. We love Autumn! We still have a little pumpkin left from last year in the freezer so I figured it was time to get it out and bake a little of this bread. I have one really picky eater and he even loves it. For him to know what it is and still like it, it really has to be tasty!

Here is a loaf, still in the pan. It didn't last long after I removed it.

Click HERE for this yummy recipe!

Right now my kitchen smells like apples. We are in the middle of canning apples that we got from an Amish farm in Illinois. I will keep you up to date on that and as soon as I finish with them, I will post some pictures and how to's on  canning apples. Until next time!

God Bless!

Homeschool Legacy Review

For a while now, I have been wanting to do a unit study with my bugs on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Well, it so happened that Homeschool Legacy was offering 10 different titles for us TOS members to review and the one we were blessed to review is entitled Lewis and Clark: From Sea to Shining Sea. We were so excited! This fit so well into our homeschool. It is recommended the unit study be done once a week for 7 weeks and one entire day be devoted to just that. It couldn't have worked out any better. We do unit studies as part of our homeschool anyway, so us taking an entire day to focus on Lewis and Clark was right up our alley.

 

 

HOMESCHOOL LEGACY offers once -a-week unit studies written by Sharon Gibson. They are biblically centered, pre-planned, hands-on and inexpensive. What more could you ask for! Each week gives you a list of books and video choices that can be checked out at your local library. They also have a suggested schedule to go by to make things easier.

These studies encourage the use of a History Timeline. If you have already begun compiling a timeline, great, just add to it. If you  are like us, have NOT, don't worry. In our study, it gives you directions for a simple, history timeline notebook. We had so much fun making our timelines. We are still adding to them. I plan on getting many more of these once-a-week unit studies from Homeschool Legacy so we can continue adding to our timelines.

There are so many great features to these studies:

          ---Lots of suggestions on reading material and many are at the library.
          ---Hands on activities
          ---Arts & Crafts
          ---Geography, History, Vocabulary, Science and more.
          ---Field Trip Ideas
          ---And additional book suggestions for your Non-Readers or Early ones.

Lewis and Clark: From Sea to Shining Sea

 

Unit Study - $19.99

Grades 2-12

 

 

Homeschool Legacy has 10 other UNIT STUDIES!!!

 

Revolutionary Ideas: The Story of the American Revolution and We the People: Getting to Know Your Constitution looks like something we will be studying in the near future.


Check out what other TOS members have to say about Homeschool Legacy.
 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this unit study, free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion and review.