{Review} Kwik Stix

 

When most mom’s hear the question, “Mom, can I paint?” they cringe at the thought of the paint and the mess that comes along with it.  The water that gets spilled.  The paint that gets all over not just the kids but random places around the house.  Then either grudgingly they say yes and pray that the paint stays in one place or they say no, not at this time and have disappointed kids.  Let me introduce you to Kwik Stix from The Pencil Grip, Inc.  Kwik Stix, the paint that you will not hesitate to say yes to!

My family was first introduced to Kwik Stix earlier this year when we had the opportunity to review the product as a part of the Homeschool Review Crew.  The Pencil Grip, Inc. contacted me recently to see if we would be interested in reviewing their Neon & Metalix sets.  We said yes!  My kids love them and so do I!

I was once that mom that I mentioned above.  I cringed at the thought of painting, especially with 5 young children and Kwik Stix changed that!  I find myself now saying yes nearly every time they ask to paint and the two youngest (4 & 3) love to paint with Kwik Stix.

Kwik Stix are solid tempera paint in stick form about the size of a standard glue stick and are perfect for little hands.  You uncap, twist, & paint.  No water is needed so no mess when the cup is accidentally tipped over.  You don’t have to worry about the colors mixing because they do not bleed!  The best thing about Kwik Stix is that the paint dries in 90 seconds!  Yes, 90 seconds!  Kwik Stix are also great for classrooms and co-ops (96 ct & 144 ct sets are available!).  Clean up is a breeze!  Other than putting things away and making sure the caps are on tight so the Kwik Stix don’t dry out, clean up is minimal.

The colors in the Neon set are nice and bright & I love the glittery shimmer of the colors in the Metalix set.  Both sets are a great addition to the classic set we reviewed earlier in the year.

With Christmas quickly approaching Kwik Stix by The Pencil Grip makes an awesome stocking stuffer or gift.  They also make excellent gifts throughout the entire year!  You can find them in variety of colors and sets.  They can be found on Amazon (Metalix – Set of 6
Neon – 6 Pack, Classic – 6 Pack, Classic – 12 Pack, 24 ct Classic, Neon, and Metalix Combo set, 96 Pack, and 144 ct Classic – 12 of Each Classic Color) & at Target (online & in stores).

My older girls recently painted pictures of the characters from the movie ‘Inside Out’ (Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger).

This is a picture that Little Man (4) made for me.

Lil’ Bit made a crown.  Since the paint is dry in 90 seconds she was able to wear the crown almost instantly!!

 

Website:  http://www.thepencilgrip.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/thepencilgrip
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/KwikStixPaint/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ThePencilGrip

Disclosure: I received one or more of the items mentioned above for free 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.

{Review} FamilyChristian.com website review plus a giveaway!!

Recently, I had the opportunity to review FamilyChristian.com with a $25 certificate.  FamilyChristian.com has a wide selection of items from gifts, décor and apparel to books, Bibles and much more!  They even sell things for churches and various ministries.  If you are looking for something faith based please check out FamilyChristian.com or one of their local stores!

When looking at what to spend my $25 on I took a look at the Bibles that FamilyChristian.com carries.  I have been looking for a new Bible for a while and haven’t found anything that was what I was looking for.  I was interested in a journaling Bible but nothing stood out in the Bible translations that I preferred until I came across the ESV Journaling Bible: Interleaved Edition w/ strap – Brown Leather at FamilyChristian.com!  It has a FULL blank page next to every page of Bible text!!!  Most of the other journaling Bibles only have extra wide margins and that wasn’t enough space for me!  The other problem that I was running into was the majority of the journaling Bibles had lined margins, which I didn’t want.  Sadly, this Bible did not go into my cart due to the cost ($129.99) but it was added to my wishlist!

I love to read and there is a large selection of books to choose from at FamilyChristian.com!  You will see all of the books that are sold in stores as well as at FamilyChristian.com.  There is not a filter to filter out the items that are sold at stores only so if you do not have a store close by you, you will see many products that are sold in stores only.  Here is what I finally decided on buying with my $25.  Traces of Guilt by Dee Henderson and The Amish Nanny by Leslie Gould and Mindy Starns Clark.  Dee Henderson is one of my favorite authors and this is one of her newest books and The Amish Nanny is the second book in a series called ‘The Women of Lancaster County Series #2’.  Since I enjoyed book one I decided to go ahead and get the second book.  I am excited to receive them!

Currently, FamilyChristian.com is offering a Buy One Get One 50% off sale on books, music, DVD’s, wall art, jewelry, coloring books, kitchen items, and boxed cards through August 25th.  You can mix and match items from different departments and the sale is also available at local Family Christian stores as well.  Please check out Summer on the Go to see what is on sale!

Something that I learned about FamilyChristian.com is that in late 2012 they changed from a for profit company over to a non-profit ministry!  Here is information on their mission and calling!  All purchases help support children and families in need in U.S. as well as around the world.  Additionally, while checking out you are given the opportunity to round up your purchase to the nearest dollar or choose an amount of your choice to be donated to their mission!

Now for the fun part!  It is giveaway time!!! Enter the giveaway below for your chance of winning a $25 certificate to spend on anything at FamilyChristian.com or at your local store.

Enter Giveaway Here!

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Product Recommendations

Whether you’re road tripping, vacationing with the family, lounging on the beach or staying close to home, Family Christian has you covered! Here are some items we suggest you check out this summer:

Bible: Journaling Bibles

Description: Select journaling Bibles are now 30% off through August 25! Ignite a renewed passion for exploring God’s Word, whether you’re jotting down notes from a church sermon or recording prayer requests from small group—you’ll have all the space you need. And many of our journaling Bibles are filled with illustrations to inspire and get you started. Choose from 26 styles, and save now!

Book: For the Glory by Duncan Hamilton

Description: Eric Liddell, hero of Chariots of Fire, ran and lived for the glory of God. This compelling narrative is his untold and inspiring story of athletic heroism and faith in the darkest circumstances—from his Olympic medal to his missionary work in China to his last, brave years in a Japanese work camp during World War II.

Book: Traces of Guilt by Dee Henderson

Description: When Evie Blackwell arrives in Carin, Illinois, it’s to help launch a new task force dedicated to reexamining two of the city’s unsolved crimes. As she dives into evidence and develops new leads, she unearths a surprising connection . . . possibly a third cold case. She’s determined to solve them before she leaves town, and Sheriff Gabriel Thane and his family will be key to those answers. Book #1 of the Evie Blackwell Cold Case series.

Music: H A R D L O V E by NEEDTOBREATHE (available July 15)

Description: This sixth studio album from NEEDTOBREATE finds the group reflecting on the tumultuous seasons behind their recent albums, Rivers In the Wasteland and The Reckoning, and enjoying extraordinary success while experiencing personal conflict. “We were in a dark place when we made the last record, but to me this album is mostly a story of redemption,” Bear Rinehart said. H A R D L O V E delves into the world of electronic effects and instrumentation, resulting in a sublimely crafted and expansive sound that reflects the band’s unforgettable live show. Includes lead singles “Happiness” and “Money & Fame.”

DVD: Miracles from Heaven (available July 12)

Description: Upon discovering her 10-year-old daughter, Anna, has an incurable disease, Christy Beam becomes a ferocious advocate of finding a solution. After Anna has an accident, an astonishing miracle unfolds in the wake of her rescue, restoring her family’s faith. Based on a true story. Stars Jennifer Garner and Kylie Rogers with Queen Latifah.

DVD: Risen

Description: Risen tells the story of a powerful Roman military tribune and his aide seeking to solve the mystery of what happened to Jesus in the weeks following the Crucifixion. Their goal: to disprove the rumors of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem. Stars Joseph Fiennes and Tom Felton.

Kids’ Items: Summer Reading Club

Description: Encourage kids 12 years and younger to take their reading to new heights by joining our Summer Reading Club. When they read six books, we’ll give them a free book of their choice. Jump start their reading now with our Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off sale on all Kids’ Books! The Club is going on now and ends August 25, so get them reading!

Link to learn more: http://www.familychristian.com/summerreading

Kids’ Items: VeggieTales

Description: Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber, Junior Asparagus and the rest of the VeggieTales gang will keep kids giggling and learning with their silly songs and life lessons on a wide selection of DVDs, books and CDs! Introduce kids today to some fun and hilarious new friends by inviting them on an adventure with the VeggieTales.

New Product Line: Active Faith

• We’re thrilled to be the exclusive retail partner for Active Faith Sports! Formed by a group of Christian athletes, Active Faith offers apparel with Christian-inspired designs and messages, encouraging you to share your faith whether you’re on the court, out for a jog or running errands around town.
• Pro athletes seen wearing Active Faith apparel include Stephen Curry, Demaryius Thomas, Clayton Kershaw, James Harden and more!
• Men’s apparel is available now in stores and online. Women’s and youth apparel will be available mid-July.
• Here are some videos we filmed with founder Lanny Smith about Active Faith to help inform you about the line:
  • https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jdb2x55bmbx0wmu/AACziccfPNwOczTBOYzBvXwQa?dl=0
• Watch Active Faith’s promotional video about the line and feel free to link to:
  • http://familychristian.com/active-faith#commercial

About Family Christian

• Family Christian is a Christian retailer, operating in 250 stores across the country. They are committed to helping you find, grow, share and celebrate your faith through a wide selection of Christian books, music, Bibles, DVDs, gifts and more.
• When you shop with Family Christian, your purchases support their efforts to unite with ministries that are helping children and families in need around the world.

{Review} Enlivenze LLC ~ FlipStir Solar System Puzzle

Do you have a puzzle fan in the house?  Are you tired of pulling out puzzles only to find you are missing some pieces?  Are you looking for a puzzle that you can take with you while traveling?  Then I have a puzzle for you to try!  My family had the pleasure of getting to try one of the FlipStir Puzzles by Enlivenze LLC.  We received the Solar System FlipStir Puzzle to review.

The Solar System puzzle, for ages 7 & older, has ten 3D pieces that are sealed in a durable container.  No need to worry about trying to find that lost puzzle piece!  They will not come out!  The instructions are very simple!  Shake. Stir. Solve.  That is right!  Shake!  Stir!  Solve!  There is a metal wand with a plastic foot to help you maneuver the pieces around inside of the container or to hold the completed pieces together.  A sticker of the completed puzzle is located on the bottom of the container if you need to take a peek at what goes next.  Shake and stir again to enjoy the puzzle another time.

When our FlipStir Puzzle arrived, my hubby took it and had the puzzle completed in just a couple of minutes.  It took me about 15 minutes to complete and it kept the girls occupied for much longer.  I love that we can take it along with us and not have to worry about losing any pieces.  No more lost puzzle pieces with a FlipStir Puzzle!  This is an awesome product!

For more information you can find the FlipStir Puzzle on Facebook and Twitter and you can find Enlivenze LLC on Facebook and Twitter.

There are a total of four FlipStir Puzzles being reviewed by crew members.  Please click on the banner below to read reviews for the Rainbow Pencils, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Solar System, and Statue of Liberty FlipStir Puzzles!

{Review} Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids

Are you looking for a fun and engaging Spanish program?  My family had the pleasure of reviewing the Starter Set 1 by Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids.

 

My family received:

• DVD with videos for Levels 1-3
• Three Parent-Teacher Guides
• Flashcards and Card Games for Levels 1 to 3
• Workbooks for Levels 1-3
• Stickers for Levels 1-3
• Go Squish Card Game

Flight 101: Basketballs Aren’t for Breakfast starts off in the morning with three boys and their mom getting ready for breakfast.  Then you follow the family throughout their day.  You watch segments of the video during every lesson and will watch the segments multiple times for the repetition.  The kids and I accidently watched the entire video for Level 1 the first time we played it.  We were enjoying it so much that I completely forgot about having to stop the video at the time marker for lesson 1.  (There is no marker on the DVD to let you know to stop the video).  At the conclusion of the video it left the girls and I wanting to watch more.

The Guide for Teachers and Parents has everything laid out for you!  It makes it easy for those who have had no prior knowledge of the Spanish language.  There are vocabulary word banks in the guide that include the English translation  of the words.  During every lesson you will watch either a portion of or the entire segment of the video and then there a few activities, including games, to do.  You will repeat the lessons multiple times and it is very flexible in fitting the needs of your family.  You can complete this program at the pace that works best for your family!

The flash cards are colored coded by level.  Blue for level 1, green for level 2, and red for level 3.  There is a set of picture cards, word cards, and word bank cards.  The word cards are all in Spanish and they match the picture cards.  Every picture card is numbered so you can quickly glance at the word bank cards for the answer.  The cards are used in the Go Squish Card Game and other activities that are found in the teacher’s guide.  They are open ended so you can design your own game or activity as well.

All of the very bright and colorful pages of the student workbooks are printed on quality paper.  The workbooks are designed for upper elementary students.  In the workbooks there are various activities to be completed by the students.  If you have younger students you can complete the workbook together.  The activities include a word search, a cross word, decoding words, and answering questions.  If needed, the answers are provided in the back of the book.

Sheets of stickers with vocabulary words are provided to be placed around the house to aid in helping the students remember the vocabulary that they have learned.  I didn’t want to encourage my kids to stick stickers on things around the house so Sweet Pea and I brainstormed on how we could use them.  Sweet Pea decided to place the stickers on colored card stock and cut around the edges.  As you can see in the photo below she added a design to the edges while she was cutting them out.

The Go Squish card game is similar to ‘Go Fish’.  The game is designed for 2-4 four players but with additional cards (either using the cards from the other levels or buying an additional set of cards) you can play with more children.  It is suggested to have a second set of cards if you have non readers playing so you will have two sets of the picture cards.  The object of the game is to get enough miles for Squisher to go visit his friend through matching the pairs together.

I think this beginner Spanish set is a great way to introduce Spanish to children!  It is designed to teach to the various learning styles and it keeps the kids engaged.  The girls want to continue using Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids along with the program that they have been using.
Visit Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForeignLanguagesForKidsByKids
Please click here for more reviews of Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids!

{Review} Talking Fingers Inc.: Talking Shapes

Peanut and I were blessed with the opportunity of reviewing Talking Shapes: A Supplemental Curriculum for Early Literacy by Talking Fingers Inc.   We received a one year subscription.

{The link in this review is for the app but Peanut and I reviewed the online program and we used our computer to access the program.}

Talking Shapes takes seven stories and introduces all forty phonemes in the English language as well as introduces the alphabet to young children.  Every story builds upon what the child has learned in the previous books.

To access Talking Shapes, you log in through an internet browser.  It may take a few minutes to load so please be patient!

Once loaded you will see a scene with seven books in it.  The completed books will be filled in and the uncompleted books will be grayed out.  The books must be completed in order.  There are four sections in each of the books; Story, Letters, Spell, and Read.

Patrissa & Natalia, who their friends call Pat and Nat, and living in the ancient world and love to tell stories about the letters and alphabet that they have invented.  While students listen to the entire story they learn the alphabet, their sounds, and how to blend CVC words.

 

Students are given fun ways to remember how to write the letters.  The students trace the letter a few times and then move on to blending them together with other letters they have already learned in the prior books.  When blending they trace the letters, connect them together and when the letters are connected they hear the blended sound.  Peanut did have a bit of trouble connecting the tiles together using a trackpad mouse and will ask for my help with dragging and dropping.  If your child is able to drag and drop with a trackpad mouse then they should not have any problems with this task.

 

The students work on spelling CVC words such as hat, cat, pan, man.  Each book has three games for students to do.  In Game 1 the students work on spelling the words by draw the letters inside the picture.  In Game 2 the students work on the same set of words but they now draw the letters inside the guidelines.  Then in Game 3 they work on the same set of words but this time they draw the letters inside the picture without any guides.

Before the student finishes the book they listen to the story one more time.  The word that is currently spoken is lit up so the student sees it on the screen as well.  After the paragraph is read the CVC words scroll across the screen on balloons and the students work on filling in the blanks of the paragraph, one sentence at a time.  If the student needs assistance they can click on the lips and the sentence will be read back to them.  When they select the correct answer the balloon pops and the word appears on the blank.

 

Peanut loves talking shapes and asks daily to play it!  I think it is a nice program overall.  Talking Shapes has kept Peanut engaged and she asks to use it regularly.  It has a lot of opportunities to practice tracing the letters and blending as well as learning the sounds.

Social Media Links:
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TalkingFingers/
YouTube:   https://www.youtube.com/user/talkingfingersvideo
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ReadWriteType/with_replies

Please click on the banner below for additional crew reviews of Talking Shapes: A Supplemental Curriculum for Early Literacy 

{Review} CTCMath

 

We received a one-year CTCMath Homeschool Membership by CTCMath to review.  With the membership we have received unlimited access to all lessons for every grade and can access it from anywhere that there is an internet connection.  CTCMath is great for large families!  The CTCMath Homeschool Membership allows up to 10 students!

Parent Area of CTCMath:

In the parent’s area, I can manage and create tasks, manage my kid’s information, and view weekly reports.  In the parent’s area I loved having the ability to schedule tasks in advance! Creating tasks is simple.  I choose the date and time that I want the assignments completed, a title (up to 100 words) and description (up to 200 words) are entered, add the lessons, add diagnostic tests, and assign students to the task.  The other options that are available are that I can have the task report automatically emailed to me when the task falls due, I can require that the lessons and diagnostic test be completed in a specific order, and I can hide the year level of the lessons and diagnostic tests from my children.  Lessons & diagnostic tests are not available to my children until the date and time that are entered.  If needed the dates and times can be changed on every task.  The weekly reports are emailed to me every week.  In the weekly reports, I receive a pdf attachment that contains the weekly activity log and the overall performance of my kids (how many assignments that have been completed on time, late, and incomplete, the average grade, and how many lessons that have been completed.  The weekly reports are also available on the CTCMath website for up to three months.

Lessons are a great length for my young children!  The lessons are video lessons for my girls the videos have been less than 5 minutes in duration and then my children answer a series of questions.  They receive immediate feedback if they answered the questions correct or not.  At the end of every lesson I have an option of printing a copy (More about that later.) of the questions that my girls have completed.  The lessons take about 15 minutes total to be completed.

Student Area of CTCMath:

Every child has their own log-in information to access the student area.  The student menu contains lessons, tasks, results, settings, and history.  The girls have access to every lesson from Kindergarten to Trigonometry.  While it is a great option to have for student led learning, it would be nice to be able to have an option to disable access to other areas if needed.  All of the asks that have been assigned to the student are accessed from the tasks menu.  The girls are able to view their results for the tasks, diagnostic tests, as well as view detailed reports.  In settings, they are given the option to change the display colors, including making their own choice of colors to pair together.

Printing from CTCMath:

After every lesson has been completed, CTCMath offers the opportunity to print the completed lesson directly through a print button on their website.  I like having the ability to print a copy of the work that my children have completed.  Sweet Pea has been completing most of her lessons on an iPad.  There are a couple of different ways to print the lesson from the iPad and I printed both ways to compare the way that they print.  The two options I used was printing through the print button on the CTCMath website and printing through the share to printer feature on the iPad.  I did notice a couple of differences.

The pages printed from the website print button:

I like that the pages included the student’s name, the date the lesson was completed, the grade level, the lesson name (Subtraction up to 20) & location (2nd Grade –> Number, Patterns and Algebra –> Subtraction), the score, the number correct, and duration.

On the printed page, I am shown the problems that my girls have completed as shown to them.  Some of the questions are just the questions themselves (IE: 12-4, 10+1, 37-23, etc.) and others had the questions along with the manipulatives they used (ice cream cones, smiley faces, blocks, etc.), the problem, a blank answer box, and a check mark to mark that the problem was answered correctly.  However, it did not have the answer in the answer box.  The formatting of the page is slightly off.  The questions themselves are smushed together and the words are overlapping.

From the iPad share to printer option:

When we printed the completed lesson using the print button on the CTCMath website there is a little more formatting at the header and footer of the page (see the picture).  In between the two it is set up similar to printing through the CTCMath website print option.  However printing through this option, the answers the girls responded with ARE included on the page.  Like printing directly from the CTC print button feature, the formatting is off when printing through the iPad share to printer option.  This time some of the questions, overlapped onto the question to the right of it, or part of the question was cut off completely.

I did find out that there is no way to go back and print a copy of a previously completed lesson so the lessons & tests must be printed at the time of completion.  An option to be able to print the completed pages at a later date or email a pdf copy of the completed lesson to the email on the account would be a wonderful addition!

Below is a picture of Sweet Pea using her Nabi Big Tab to access CTCMath.

Overall, we enjoyed using the elementary school levels of CTCMath!   When I asked Sweet Pea what she liked the most she told me that she loves everything about CTCMath!  I think it is a great program whether you are looking for a complete program or something to supplement in the elementary school years.

 

Social Media Links:
CTCMath (US and Canda)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ctcmath?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ctcmathofficial
Periscope: https://www.periscope.tv/ctcmathofficial
Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/ctcmath/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWn5e6974bpIEAe46VnovZw

Maths Online (Australia Only)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsonline.com.au
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MathsOnlineAU

 

Please click the link below for more CTCMath

 

{Review & Giveaway} All Things Bright and Beautiful

Are you looking for a great book to read to your young daughter or granddaughter?  My family had the pleasure of reviewing ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ by Cecil Frances Alexander and Illustrated by Katy Hudson.

Cecil Frances Alexander first published the hymn ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ in 1848.  This hymn is still sung by many churches today.  Katy Hudson brings everything to life with her beautiful illustrations!  When the book first arrived I sat down and flipped through all of the beautiful pages!

In the book, three young children spend a day walking around, enjoying God’s creations, and discovering all of the things that are bright and beautiful.  From the sun, moon and stars to the plants and animals God made them all!

‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ is a 32 page jacketed hardcover book for ages 4-7 and retails for $15.99. Every two page spread is a part of Cecil Frances Alexander’s hymn and Katy’s marvelous artwork.  Sweet Pea enjoyed looking at all of the pages over and over again.  It is a great book to curl up together and read with young children!

About the artist:

Katy Hudson was raised in Middlesbrough, England, and started her career as a small child drawing on freshly painted walls. Her parents quickly encouraged drawing with pencil and paper instead. The idea stuck, and after earning a degree in illustration, Katy is now a freelance illustrator. Katy works at a desk in a studio within Old London Library and likes to tap dance in her spare time.

Propeller Consulting, LLC has provided a prize for me to giveaway to one of my viewers.  Please click the link below to enter for your chance to receive a copy of ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’!

ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL GIVEAWAY

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

{Review} Notebookingpages.com

A Lifetime Membership to NotebookingPages.com is a wonderful addition to any homeschool!  My family and I were blessed by the opportunity of being able to review the Lifetime Membership!

 

Notebooking is a fun way to record what students are learning.  The pages can be used for short term or long term projects.  You can use them to copy vocab, write sentences, or write stories.  You can use them for just about anything that requires writing!  They can be bound in a book or stored in a 3 ring binder.  Right now our favorite method of storing notebooking pages is to bind the completed pages with a comb binder.

Available topics include: A – Z, Bible and Character pages, Famous People, Fine Arts, Geography, History, Holidays, Language Arts, and Science/Nature.  In the A – Z pages you will find pages for various animals, sports and transportation.  If you are studying Bible you will find over 50 different sets to go along with the events of the Bible from both the Old Testament and New Testament.  Famous Americans, Artists, Composers, Missionaries, and World Explorers are just some of the topics you will come across under Famous People.  There are maps and country study pages in Geography.  There are various history pages including pages for Ancient Times, Middle Ages, Renaissance & Reformation, and Current Times.  Besides pages for plants, animals, and other topics such as astronomy, the Science and Nature section also includes blank template & experiment pages.  Holidays include pages for various Holidays but not all of the major holidays that are celebrated in the US.  In the Language Arts section there are alphabet pages, word study pages, and various other pages that can be used for writing.

I LOVE how NotebookingPages.com has everything laid out.  It is simple to find what you need and you have some choices on how to download the files.  You can download the files individually or as a batch.  A Table of Contents and Catalog are also available!  Another awesome resource!  The catalog is something that can be downloaded and printed to have a preview of all pages available in one location.  You decide which catalogs to add and it makes it easy for you or the kids to look through and decide which pages to work on next!

NotebookingPages.com provides assistance to those new or interested in notebooking through their Free Resource Center.  In the Resource Center you will find various tutorials, free product sampler, notebooking pages, and other resources.  Once a Lifetime Membership has been purchased, there is an EasyStart Guide to guide you along the way of getting your notebook journey started.

With the Lifetime Membership you will have access to all current material as well as anything that is released in the future.  The membership is very affordable!  It is $97 for a Lifetime Membership.

Peanut working on her “K” page. (See the description below.)

Most of the pages from NotebookingPages.com that we used through the review period are the pages where the girls can draw pictures and write a sentence or two about their picture.  Peanut has a great imagination.  When I gave her the K Alphabet page and asked her to draw something that begins with the letter K.  She wanted to draw a picture of a Kangaroo.  In her picture the Kangaroo was celebrating her birthday with a birthday party.  Then Peanut decided to draw herself celebrating Kangaroo’s birthday too.  Lil’ Bit decided to draw a Monkey when she worked on her M page.  I am in the process of printing and putting together the catalog that NotebookingPages.com offers.  I find this to be a very valuable resource.  I like being able to have a glimpse of all of the pages available in one notebook!  The kids will also be able to flip through it and choose the page that they would like to work on next.  I am already planning out which pages to use next in our homeschool!

 

About NotebookingPages.com

NotebookingPages.com was created by fellow homeschooler Debra Reed.  Debra is a mom of 10 and has been homeschooling since 2000.

My mission is to help moms break free from busywork, burnout, and overwhelm to find the success they desire for their children and to homeschool with freedom.

Debra Reed
NotebookingPages.com

 

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{Review} Veritas Press

Are you looking for a fun and engaging online Bible program for your family?  My family had the pleasure of reviewing a one year family subscription of VeritasBible.com by Veritas Press.

 

VeritasBible.com is a fun and engaging program for the entire family!  There are currently three courses available on VeritasBible.com and they are: Genesis to Joshua, Judges to Kings, and  The Gospels.  According to their website two additional courses, Chronicles to Malachi and Job & Acts to Revelation are in the works.

Setting up accounts for my kids was very simple.  I entered their name, selected their gender, selected an avatar, and the account was ready to go!  Every student account is individual so your children can work independently, at their own pace.  You can go back and forth between the three courses however, the lessons in each course must be completed in order.  The only time any skipping around is allowed is in sessions that have already been completed.  Your students are also free to go through and review the previously completed lessons as many times as they wish.

The lessons can be adapted to any schedule.  Every lesson is split up into multiple sections and when you log in the next time you have the option to pick up right where you left off.  This makes it easy to find your place should you have to stop in the middle of lesson.  There are multiple, professional, videos in every lesson and each one is kept to a couple minutes or less.  The videos are engaging and keep the attention of even the younger crowd.  For example the lesson will start off with a 2 minute video, followed by another video that is 45 seconds, and then a third that is a little over a minute.  Following will be some review questions or new questions, then back to a few more videos.  At the end of every lesson there will be a graded worksheet to be completed.  Once the worksheet is submitted, it will be graded and you will have an opportunity to print the graded pages for your record.  On the printed pages it will record the date, the child’s name, the questions asked, the correct answers, and the answer that was chosen by the student.  The passing grade for the graded pages is 70% and the student must earn a star in order to move on to the next lesson.

Initially, I had set up individual accounts for Sweet Pea, Peanut, and Lil’ Bit.  However, Peanut and Lil’ Bit preferred to watch the video with Sweet Pea.  Since I couldn’t skip past the videos on their accounts so they could do the interactive portion of the lesson they just worked together under Sweet Pea’s account.  We started with the Genesis to Joshua course.  Peanut and Lil’ Bit enjoyed watching the videos.  Sweet Pea said she enjoys all of it, especially the videos.  She also mentioned that sometimes she finds it hard but is glad that it is challenging her.

 

I highly encourage you to sign up for a free 14 day trial and give VeritasBible.com a try!  The free trial does NOT require you to provide a credit card and you receive 100% access to the membership area for the trial.

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{Review} Progeny Press ~ The Drinking Gourd Study E-Guide

 

Sweet Pea and I had the pleasure of reviewing The Drinking Gourd E-Guide by Progeny Press.  We received one copy of The Drinking Gourd E-Guide by PDF.

 

The Drinking Gourd E-Guide is a 34 page PDF file.  You can either print the e-guide out or use your computer or tablet to read it and print out only the pages you need.  I chose to print the entire e-guide since it was a small book.  The copyright includes permission for me to make as many copies as needed for my family.  It also gives permission for teachers to print a copy for their classroom.  I printed two copies of the guide out.  One duplexed copy for me and I printed Sweet Pea’s pages out single sided.

 

 

Priced at $11.99, The Drinking Gourd E-Guide is a great price for homeschoolers.  The low price does not mean low quality.  I found this guide to be well planned and thought out full of various activities.  The physical copy of The Drinking Gourd by F.N. Monjo (pictured above) is needed to complete this e-guide.  The book retails for $3.99 and you can buy the book directly through Progeny Press.  I had never read this book until we got this review.  Sweet Pea and I enjoyed reading this book together.  It is a book about a young boy who learns about the Underground Railroad as he and his dad helps a family with two young children continue on their journey to be free.  Read the book to see if they make it through without being caught by those who are actively seeking this family.

The e-guide starts of with a note to the instructor with information on how to use a Progeny Press Study Guide, a synopsis of The Drinking Gourd, and background information on the Underground Railroad.

 

One of the first activities that Sweet Pea completed was drawing a line between the states that were free of slavery and those who still have slaves.  Then she was asked to color in the states as seen in the picture above.  The free states were colored blue and the slave states were colored gray.  Next there were 10 multiple choice vocabulary words.  Every sentence had an underline word that the student needs to choose the correct meaning for.  Next there were a set of questions for every chapter with lines for the students to write their answers.  Instead of having Sweet Pea write every answer we sat down and discusses the answers.  On one of the last pages there was a hidden message game in which the students were expected to solve the secret message.  Words varying from 7 to 19 letters had to be unscrambled and filled in according to their number.  Once every word is unscrambled a group of circled letters will reveal the answer.  Sweet Pea is a little young for this activity but it is great for an older child!  An additional activity we also completed was listening to Follow the Drinking Gourd on YouTube.  It was an enjoyable song!  The book finishes up with suggestions for further reading and the answer key to the comprehension questions.  Progeny Press also offers a list of other available study guides for lower elementary, upper elementary, middle school, and high school.

I look forward to checking out additional titles that are available for purchase!

 

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