$650 Curriculum MEGA GIVEAWAY

 

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Prize List:

A Child's Geography Volume 3 with Wonders of Old Timeline Book ($59.90)

NotebookingPages.com Treasury Membership ($99.95)
Philosophy Adventure Physical set ($89.95)
Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries Intro Pack from Diana Waring ($64.95)
Writeshop Primary Level (winners choice of A, B, or C) plus Activity Pack plus You Can Write A Story ($51.85)

Raising Real Men prize package ($100) Raising Real Men Book, My Beloved and My Friend Book, A Cry From Egypt Book, Boot Camp 9-12, Hero Tales Complete set
A Journey Through Learning $50 Gift Certificate
3 Months A+ Tutorsoft ($49.95)
Lilla Rose (2 Flexi Clips) ($32.00)

See The Light (2 DVDs) ($30)

King Alfred's English and Baktar (Laurie White) ($25)

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A Child’s Geography Volume 3 {Review & GIVEAWAY!}

 

I was incredibly blessed to be part of the launch team for A Child’s Geography Explore the Classical World and receive a copy of this book to review. 

I’ll tell you what this is now our history and geography for this year!

Are your kids bored with history and geography?  Have you searched and searched and never found a fun engaging way to teach or learn history?  Do you need something that can be taught to multiple age ranges?  Something affordable, that won’t break the bank? Something with very little teacher prep? 

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions then, read on!  (If not, still read on!)

This book, written by Terri Johnson, is the 3rd in a series.  The first two books are written by Ann Voskamp and are A Child’s Geography: Explore His Earth and A Child’s Geography: Explore the Holy Land.  Neither of which we have ever used.  All 3 books are published by Knowledge Quest.  They are said to all compliment each other nicely, but you do not have to make the commitment to do all of them.  They also do not have to be done in any particular order.  I can appreciate a book that stands on it’s own like this.  This book is geared toward kids in grades 1 through 6 and can be used with a few supplements for older kids.  I have primarily been using this with my 8 year old 3rd grader. 

Explore The Classical World has 15 chapters covering 11 countries.

• Greece
• Macedonia
• Albania
• Montenegro
• Serbia
• Bosnia
• Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Slovenia
• Italy and,
• Malta

Each book also comes with a CD-Rom full of optional activities such as map work, prayer guides, activities and and recipes, each organized by chapter for easy to find resources. 

Each chapter is written in a conversational style with sentences like; “Let’s head back down the zigzag footpath to the port below.” You really feel like you are on vacation in the location you are learning about.  A true living book!  Not a boring bland textbook!

This is not written chronologically but rather by location. Katey has had an amazing time being able to remember what she has learned this way, feeling like she is actually there.

The pictures are stunning!  Katey fully loved the way every location was described using multiple senses.

We chose to do about 1 chapter each week.  Sometimes a chapter took more than one week.  We fully used the CD-Rom full of optional activities.

We have made mosaics, baklava, and even painted some Greek pottery. 

There are truly so many activities to choose from and the book stresses that it is not important to do them all.  Terri  wants to give you more options then you will ever need!  The recipes are simple, unique and true to the culture you are learning about.

Each chapter has two “stopping points.”  One is about the middle of the chapter and one is at the end.  At each one you are asked to take field notes.  - Katey is not a star writer and we chose to do her field notes picture style.  She drew and colored pictures about what she learned and remembered.  This took the pressure of her worrying about what to write and be willing to listen and learn. There are also some discussion questions.  I totally appreciate those as sometimes I am just not sure what to ask my kids to make sure they were listening intently and paying attention.  These are questions like; “What is a peninsula?”, “Would you like to live there?”  and “Why?” 

We have been using this book as our special one on one- no interruption school time that I try to do with each of my children.  That has made this book particularly special for us.

What a typical week of using this geography looked like for us:

We began each week on Monday reading the first half of the chapter together. Doing the discussion questions that came up.  Then she would draw a picture of her favorite part.  Tuesdays we would do one of the activities in the book, usually a craft type activity.  On Wednesdays we would read the second half of the chapter and do the discussion questions, again, she would draw in her field guide. We took Thursdays off since that is our co-op day.  On Friday’s we would make one of the suggested recipe from the CD-Rom.

Explore the Classical World is priced at $34.95 and can be purchased from Knowledge Quest. 

Change History in your home!

Oh, oh, oh!  Guess what!  I almost forgot!  You can win your very own digital {PDF} copy of this book and all the additional resources just by entering using the Rafflecopter below!! 

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While your at it, don’t forget to enter the Ultimate Giveaway too!  over $650 worth of Homeschool Curriculum.

 

  

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest opinion and review.  I am not required to give a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.  All opinions I have expressed are my own and those of my family.  I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.

 

 

Beauty In The Heart–A character study for girls {Review}

 

 

Doorposts is a company that is known for Bible based parenting and character training materials. 

They have a brand spankin’ new book, Beauty in the Heart, written especially for young ladies ages 10-12. My daughter was lucky enough to be able to receive this book to review.

This Bible study specifically focuses on inner beauty, while still realizing that wanting to be pretty on the outside is natural and acceptable.  It’s not completely shutting out trying to make your self look your best.  This study shows you that you can’t have full outer beauty without inner beauty.  

One of my favorite quotes from the introduction is where is; 

“The truest beauty comes from our hearts. No matter how hard we work to be beautiful on the outside, if our hearts aren’t right with God and right with people, we won’t really be beautiful. A rebellious, selfish heart usually shows.”

As well as helping you grow to understand inner beauty, this workbook style Bible study is a perfect first Bible study book as it teaches/uses basic bible study techniques such as;

• Use a concordance
• Study a specific topic in the Bible
• Perform a character study
• Use marginal study notes
• Study a verse, passage, or entire chapter or book of the Bible
• Find the original word used in a passage and how it is used in other passages
• Use free Bible study tools on computers and mobile devices

Each of the 86 lessons, which are spread throughout 10 chapters, only take about 5-15 minutes each. They are meant to be done 5 days a week for a duration of about 17 weeks.  Many lessons also have optional “For Further Study” suggestions.  Using the optional studies you can stretch this out over an entire year. 

The 10 Chapters are entitled:

1. Beauty in Submission: An Inductive Study in 1 Peter
2. Beauty in the Heart: A Verse Study on 1 Peter 3:3-4
3. Beauty in Trusting God: A Character Study of Sarah
4. Beauty in Humility: A Book Study of Ester
5. Beauty in Modesty: A Verse Study of 1 Timothy 2:9-10
6. Beauty in Serving: A Word and Topical Study
7. Beauty without Discretion: A Verse Study of Proverbs 11:22
8. Beauty in Crisis: A Chapter Study of 1 Samuel 25
9. Beauty in The Gates: A Book Study of Ruth
10. Beauty in Review

In the back there are also Alternate Questions for Young Men.  This guide can be used with young men so they know what to look for in a wife.

Along with a Bible you don’t mind marking up, there are two highly recommended materials; Nave’s Topical Bible and Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.  This study primarily uses the KJV version of the Bible, but can easily be adapted to your translation of choice. 

My daughter is beautiful on the inside and outside.  However, I wanted her to have a bible study that helps her to see that outer beauty comes with inner beauty.  

I mean with the pressures of todays society, this seems imperative for me to have her learn. 

I have Emily doing this 5 lessons a week, sometimes more.

A few typical lesson may look like:

• Pray and Read an assigned section of the Bible.  Find the answers to the questions in the text.

or

• Memorize this verse
• Use a dictionary to define these assigned words that are used in the verse.

or

• Highlight the main characters in this particular story of the Bible. 

There are such a wide variety of lessons that is just a small sampling.  Check out a PDF sample of the book right here!

All of the lessons did only take her the 5- 20 minutes each.   She said they all made her think and reflect on her feelings and what the Bible says.  She said the lesson were easy enough to not feel overwhelmed, with just enough challenge in them to not make them feel babyish or childish.
 

Beauty in the Heart retails for $14.00 for the softcover book and $10.00 for the ebook.  The softcover books will begin shipping on August 29th! 

They have a similar Bible study book specifically for boys as well, Because You Are Strong.  Some of the crew members reviewed this book as well.

To see what others think of both of these books, check out this post. To see a wide variety of reviews check out our crew blog.

  

Random 5 on Friday

 

 

I saw this great blog link up called Random 5 on Friday.

 

Without further ado, here are 5 random things about my week.

1. I paid my library fines to the tune of $50.  ouch!

2. I have been up to my eyebrows in planning our school year.  (yea, I know can we say procrastinator?)

3. I am making some zucchini salsa to use up my over abundance of zucchini and canning it. 

4.  I began to menu plan this week and I actually stuck to it for 3 nights in a row!!  HUGE!!

5. I had an incredibly stressful start to my week as I discovered my url was bought right out from under me.  So now I just sit here with a .blogspot address.  I am dealing. 

A pic to share.

 

This is my planning stack!  YIKES!  Better get on that first thing in the morning.

Menu Plan Monday or not.

 

Blah!

Yea, I am aware it’s Tuesday…… uh, Wednesday. 

I decided to menu plan again.  I have loved using Simplified Dinners, and I will actually continue to do so.  I just wasn’t planning real well with it.  I love decided to still use it for the most part just adding in a few other recipes here and there.

It helps that I found a recipe set that I used to own and always regretted getting rid of at a yard sale this past weekend. 

I am also going to share one of our favorite quick lunch recipes, Ham and Cheese Roll Ups. 

Anyways.

Here goes. 

Breakfast:

Choices this week are: bagels, toast and egg, cereal or toaster waffles.  

Lunch:

Choices this week are: Leftovers, Breakfast Burritos, Speedy Pita Pizzas, Ham and Cheese Roll ups, Chicken Cesar Salad and lunch out one day.   Unless you are having leftovers you must eat what is made that day.

Dinner:

Monday- Pork Chops, green beans and potato wedges

Tuesday- Spaghetti Bake, cheesy biscuits

Wednesday- Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken, rice and broccoli.  (the leftover chicken will go in our chicken caesar salads for lunch)

Thursday- Taco Salads

Friday- Flank Steak with scallop potatoes

Saturday- Grilled Salmon, Ranch Red Potatoes and Salad.

Ham and Cream Cheese Roll Ups

Ingredients:

ham slices

cream cheese

crescent rolls

green onions

honey

mustard

mayo

Directions: mix 3 oz cream cheese with 1Tb honey and a few minced green onions.  Spread this mixture on an open crescent. 

Top with ham slice

mix 1Tb mustard with 1/4 c mayo and 1 Tb honey

Top ham slice with honey mustard mix. 

Roll up crescents and bake for 15 min at 350 degrees.

 

Our County Fair ~

 

Emily and Katey both entered multiple things in our county fair.  I am just highlighting a few of them.

Let me start off with some fantastic news!  Emily entered a pillowcase from a sewing class she was taking with our homeschool co-op and it got 1st place and qualified for the state fair!  WHOOP! WHOOP! 

Katey entered an extra pocket she made using the book Sewing School 2.  Katey is still a Cloverbud with 4H, therefor she is not judged.  She still got a ribbon. 

Another favorite is the Little Red Barn put on by our local FFA.

The fireman’s challenge is a sure hit every year as well.

 

Katey was chosen to go up on stage our the Scales and Tales Reptile show.  She got kissed by a lizard!!

We went to the Demolition Derby this year and they had Monster Trucks there.  It did make for a long night all the setting up and taking down of everything.  It was still a lot of fun.  This was a great derby.  (Last year we actually ended up leaving early it was so boring)

After the derby we went to the family dance with a local band performing.  It was a lot of fun and one of my favorite things every year.  This year a young man asked Emily to dance, and she said “yes!”  It was so cute and I am sure it made his night!   That takes some guts right there!

All of these things were free for us!  All of them!  There were reserved seats you could pay for at the derby, but we just sit in the free seats.    Don’t get me wrong I did spend money at the fair on food and rides, oh and I bought some things at the booths, but you can do many things for free at your county fair! 

I highly recommend going and participating in things.  We love the fair! 

 

 

Relax, It's just a flat tire........

We load up the car, all things carefully packed and in a precise spot.

 We load in, our car full to capacity.

We get about halfway through our 10 hour drive.  We are enjoying the scenery as we travel through the middle of Utah on a Sunday.  

The 4 year old suddenly has to pee and he means NOW!  

We do what any respectable family would do and pull off the side of the highway.  I unbuckle him and he does what he has to.  I hear a bug making a funny noise.  Then suddenly it hits me right upside the head..... 

The tire is going flat and fast!  

Yay for us, I have a tire emergency repair kit, in the stow and go......... beneath some luggage and a cooler and the kids feet and.....well you get the idea.  

So as I feverishly work toward uncovering the repair kit as the weight of all our stuff and our bodies are deflating the tire, and, I mean FAST.

I finally uncover it.

My husband and brother, who was along for the adventure began to work as a team plugging the hole.  

One plug in and we're golden or so we thought....  The tire is still leaking, we try a second plug and now we're golden.....

We head to the nearest gas station about 10 miles down the road.  We made it, full the tire up with air and......

If you know my luck, you guessed it, still leaking.  

2 more plugs later and it's still leaking.  

We call a truck stop and ask them how much it would be to patch a leaky tire.  It was just a measly $320.00 dollars.  Which happens to be slightly out of my budget.  Not to mention more expensive than a BRAND NEW TIRE.  We even double checked that they realized we were not a semi.  They did.  

We begin calling around other places.  No where was opened.  It was a Sunday afternoon.  

My husband decided to go in the gas station and ask, they suggested a Walmart about 20 miles back.  

I called them.  They are open and can patch my tire for $10!  Yay!  If I can make it there.  

We try.  

We make it!  Yay! 

Then they inform me that they can not patch a tire that has a plug in it. 

What!!!!

We ask them to try since the plugs weren't holding anyways.  Actually it was more of a begging from my husband.  They say they will try. We get some lunch and wait.

They call us up to the counter.  They were able to fix it!   

Now...... Yay!!!!

We get on the road again and made it to the cabin!  

After a trip like that we all have a fun family campfire complete with karaoke.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our adventure.

A few notes to justify our behavior:

The spare wouldn't have held the weight any better than the under inflated tire.  

Walmart was only able to do the patch after the plug, because the hole on the tire was so big the plugs wouldn't hold.  

My kid had to pee and he couldn't hold it.  Pulling over, running something over on the shoulder and all that we went through was better than my kid peeing his pants.  (At least that's what I keep telling myself).  

Freaking out wouldn't have helped.

I was able to teach my kids to:

Relax, even though we just go a flat tire in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday with a car full of stuff and people, just relax while we figure it out.