Speak Up Saturday–Book Review–The Biggest and Toughest

Prepare for a blast of book reviews! I’m still backed up and I don’t want to be anymore!

This was a fun book to review with my kids:

The Biggest and Toughest: The Short Story of David's Big Faith

From the Publisher:
What would you do if you saw a GIANT scaring a whole army? Would you run away too? Or would you bravely take him on, if that’s what God wanted you to do?         David, a small shepherd boy, shows gigantic faith and courage when he battles the nine-foot-tall Goliath using only a slingshot and stone!
Magnificent Tales are rhyming Bible stories with clever art and clear lessons that the whole family will enjoy. The stories and illustrations are so engaging that you won’t grow tired of reading and re-reading a Magnificent Tale night after night!

Nate really liked it! There were several things he particularly liked about it: the pictures, the age appropriate wording, and the fact that it was on mommy’s kindle-computer :)

I liked the biblical accuracy, yet not too advanced for my 3-year-old. I felt like it was an excellent retelling of the story of David and Goliath. I also enjoyed the rhyming flow of the book. While it might seem cheesy sometimes, I’ve noticed that it really works to get the story stuck in their heads. Nate is just catching onto rhyming words, so this worked particularly well for him.

The only drawback of reading it on my kindle is the formatting. It is not super-smooth, like one might hope. The words end up on one page and the picture on another. I used this “feature” as an opportunity to discuss the pictures in more detail than I might otherwise, so it wasn’t all bad.

Can’t wait to check out some other titles in this series! (4 stars due to Kindle formatting, story was 5 stars!!)

~S
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Speak Up Saturday - Book Review–The Chase by DiAnn Mills

From the Publisher:

To the FBI it's a cold case. To Kariss Walker it's a hot idea that could either reshape or ruin her writing career. And it's a burning mission to revisit an event she can never forget.
Five years ago, an unidentified little girl was found starved to death in the woods behind a Houston apartment complex. A TV news anchor at the time, Kariss reported on the terrifying case. Today, as a New York Times bestselling author, Kariss intends to turn the unsolved mystery into a suspense novel.
Enlisting the help of FBI Special Agent Tigo Harris, Kariss succeeds in getting the case reopened. But the search for the dead girl's missing mother yields a discovery that plunges the partners into a witch's brew of danger. The old crime lives on in more ways than either of them could ever imagine. Will Kariss's pursuit of her dream as a writer carry a deadly price tag?
Drawing from a real-life cold case, bestselling novelist DiAnn Mills presents a taut collage of suspense, faith, and romance in The Chase.

This is the second book that I have read by this author, and it was just as fun as the first.

It was an fun and entertaining look into the life of an author researching a book, kept me interested throughout the book. It moved at a good pace without keeping me up all night reading (a problem I’ve been known to have).

As with the last book of hers that I read, the character development was well woven into the story. The characters wove together to make a good story from beginning to end. The interactions between the two main characters especially were true to life.

I have learned that I really enjoy this genre (if it qualifies for it’s own genre, maybe it’s a sub-genre?) This would be the light suspense, light romance, from a Christian perspective, with maybe a bit of mystery thrown in, genre. Surprisingly, I feel like there are quite a few books out there that fit that category, and I have yet to be disappointed by one. I like them, and this one in particular, because they are interesting from start to finish, but not too heavy. A “vacation read”, if you will. I think after all the other books that I read for bible study, for homeschooling, for parenting, etc, that something that’s just fun is a good thing. And it doesn’t hurt if it only takes me a few hours to finish either.

All that to say I would recommend reading this book if the genre appeals to you :-)

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Speak Up Saturday–TOS Review–Activity Bags

Today I want to share with you all about Activity Bags! There are lots of these types of ideas floating around, but this product that I had the chance to review pulls it all together for you.

What is an activity bag??
Quite simply, they are self-guided activities that a preschooler can do by himself with little to no help. He can see immediately if the activity was done correctly, and each activity is contained in a one-gallon zipper bag.
These books feature activities that can be independently done and put away by preschoolers. Get children ready for kindergarten with skills on 123s, ABCs, color, motor skills, patterning and more skills they'll learn through having fun! At only around $1.00 per activity bag, activities are frugal and easy to create with household objects and the included reporducibles. Activity instructions are clearly written, with a description of the activity, the skills it develops, supplies needed, assembly instructions, bag contents, label example, and buying tips. Instructions to individual mothers, as well as those running an "activity swap" are included.
There are two main features of these books. The first is the activity bags as described above. The second, and equally helpful, is how to plan an Activity Bag swap. It’s much easier to create 20 of the same bag and swap than it is to create 20 separate bags, so the creators of Activity Bags have laid out the directions for hosting such a swap. They explain in detail what they have found works and how to do each step along the way.  While I did not have the time to host a swap before this review, I am definitely planning on hosting one soon! (Probably in the new year, if anyone is interested in joining in!)
The activities themselves are laid out in an easy to follow and consistent format throughout both preschool books (I’ll talk about the travel book in a bit). At the beginning of each book, besides the swap instructions, there is also a page that includes basic information for each activity including the name, the supplies needed, and the basic skills learned. This was helpful to me doing it on my own because I could just print out this page and gather supplies that I already owned in order to decide which activities I was going to start with. After I did that step, I then selected several activity bags to try out with Nate, who is almost 3 1/2. I assembled a few bags from each book to give him a variety of activities to try out.

Here he is sharing one of his bags with a friend before tot school started last week.

I was pleasantly surprised how well he did with the activities. I showed him how to do it the first time, and then left them in a place he could get them whenever he wanted to. He has played with the few that I made up several times and enjoyed them. He likes that he can do them independently with success every time! I like that too :-) He’s the kind of kid who wants my help all. the. time. but there’s something different about being able to just go grab his activity bag and do it whenever he wants.
I was not as impressed with the Travel Activities in a Binder. I’m not sure what I was hoping for, but that wasn’t it. First of all, the idea of hosting a swap just for a travel binder is rather silly. Why would I spend the effort to do that? I would rather just have people pay me for the whole binder and I could assemble them all, it would be much less work! Also, the activities included were either too old for my kids (they required reading or drawing skills that my kids don’t have) or the activity was a game that needed two people, which wouldn’t work well with my two. The idea of a travel binder to have activities on hand in the car all the time is a great one, but the implementation of this e-book was not all that good.
Overall, I’m excited to use these e-books more in the future and coordinate an activity bag swap so that we can have more activities for Nate to do. I think the idea is sound, and they fulfill their purpose in giving him something to do independently, which is something I really need right now while I try to do first grade with Kahlen. The activities included are simple, cost effective, yet hold his interest long enough. As a side note about the difference in books 1 and 2, I would start with book 2 if I were just going to have one of the books. It’s better laid out as far as printing things out goes, and the activities are equivalent in both books.

Each e-book retails for $15 or you can get both the Preschool Activity Bag books for $27. They also have several other activity bag books including Science Experiments, Math, Reading Games, and Daily Activity Journals.

~S
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product through The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Speak Up Saturday–TOS Review–Crossbow Reading Rulers

If you’re a blogger like me, do you ever have about a dozen posts all written in your head but can’t find a moment to write them down? Or maybe I’m alone in that…

ANYway, that leads me to today’s review, which I wrote out in my head on Saturday while driving to Denver to go to CostCo.

As you’ll know if you’ve read any posts of mine about Kahlen lately, she’s starting to read, which is awesome! One thing I’ve noticed that she struggles with, and I think all emerging readers do, is keeping her place on the page. Enter Crossbow Reading Rulers!

The Eye Level Reading Ruler is a colored overlay text highlighter about the size of a six-inch ruler. Discreet and portable, the reading ruler is made of a combination of opaque and transparent plastic that both underlines the text and highlights it in a colored tint. Simply read the text through either of the tinted plastic strips of your selected color, and track down the page: broad strip for paragraphs; narrow strip for single lines.

(Here she is reading with her ruler)

The set that we received included 10 different colors, so that you can pick the one that works best for you. The main use for these rulers is to assist with visual stress and dyslexia. I do not think that Kahlen has either of these problems necessarily, but hubby used a full page overlay during college and it helped a lot.

Kahlen has really enjoyed using these rulers. They have helped her read longer paragraphs and to keep her place while she’s doing copywork. For her level, we’ve used both the big side and the small side, depending on the size of the words in whatever book or paper she was reading at the time. She didn’t tell me if one color worked better than another, so I think we’ll have to keep using them to find the perfect one for her.

I feel like the Reading Rulers have helped her with her reading and her schoolwork, just by helping her keep her place. They are a bit wide for regular reading books, but for all of our school/text books, they are great!

I would recommend these Reading Rulers for anyone who struggles with visual stress, mild or severe dyslexia, or other conditions which makes reading large amounts difficult (like ADHD, like my husband). The 10 pack is only $16.95 plus shipping, while a 5 pack is only $9.45 plus shipping.

You can find more about the company and the other products they offer here. They have essential oils, makeup, skin care, vitamins, and more.

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product through The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Speak Up Saturday–TOS Review–I Don’t Have Enough Faith…

For this review, I received two products: I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist and the accompanying workbook both from Apologia Press.

Sample Chapter
Table of Contents

To some, the concept of having faith in a higher power or a set of religious beliefs is nonsensical. Indeed, many view religion in general, and Christianity in particular, as unfounded and unreasonable. Norman Geisler and Frank Turek argue, however, that Christianity is not only more reasonable than all other belief systems, but is indeed more rational than unbelief itself. With conviction and clear thinking, Geisler and Turek guide readers through some of the traditional, tested arguments for the existence of a creator God. They move into an examination of the source of morality and the reliability of the New Testament accounts concerning Jesus. The final section of the book deals with a detailed investigation of the claims of Christ. This volume will be an interesting read for those skeptical about Christianity, as well as a helpful resource for Christians seeking to articulate a more sophisticated defense of their faith.

Sample Chapter
Table of Contents
Introducing Apologia’s first apologetics curriculum for high school students! Based on Norman Geisler and Frank Turek’s best-selling book I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, this study will prepare teens and young adults to defend their Christian faith with boldness and effectiveness. During this course, your student will tackle the question of absolute truth, demolish the follies of postmodernism, debunk moral relativism, and march logically and surely toward the inescapable truths of the Christian faith.

I have not yet read the entire book, but I’m looking forward to doing so. Already, within the introduction and first few chapters, I’m intrigued and interested to see the authors flesh out their points. It reminds me a lot of other apologetics books that I have read in it’s logical progression, but is different enough that it is still interesting. The introduction lays out clearly where the book is going, which I really appreciate. I feel like this book would be good for anyone who is willing and able to read it.

The authors make an excellent point in the introduction:

There’s a difference between proving a proposition and accepting a proposition. We might be able to prove Christianity is true beyond reasonable doubt, but only you can choose to accept it. Please consider this question to see if you are open to acceptance: If someone could provide reasonable answers to the most significant questions and objections you have about Christianity – reasonable to the point that Christianity seems true beyond a reasonable doubt – would you then become a Christian? Think about that for a moment. If your honest answer is no, then your resistance to Christianity is emotional or volitional, not merely intellectual. no amount of evidence will convince you because evidence is not what’s in your way – you are. In the end, only you know if you are truly open to the evidence for Christianity.

So, whether you are already a believer looking to deepen your understanding of the truth, or a seeker thinking about the truth claims of Christianity and the Bible, this is a good place to find answers.

The workbook is written for high school students and you can tell, it doesn’t really provide any thought provoking questions, more just provides reading comprehension questions. If you have a hard time remembering and processing what you’ve read this would be a good resource. However, for me, it would just be time consuming busy work. Again, though, I think it has a place.

This set is 4 star material. The book is well thought out, yet easy enough to read. The workbook would be great for the correct audience.

The book retails for $16 and the workbook is $33 from Apologia Press.

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product through The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

TOS Review–Christian Keyboarding

HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN KEYBOARDING:  As Leanne was teaching in the private school arena; she noticed a need for Christian material for the computer courses since the only ones were Glencoe, Century 21, and Mavis Beacon software.  Through a diligent search; there was no suitable curriculum which demonstrated proper touch-typing methods, offered MLA and APA report formatting, and had Biblical-based references and material for students to copy.  Thus, Christian Keyboarding was formed combining the elements needed to satisfy state education requirements and Biblical references for the private school requirements.

I have to admit, I was very skeptical about this product when I was chosen to review it through TOS. I mean, a keyboarding program that is an e-book/printable instead of a “game” or some other electronic method? But, this is why we get to review products, right? ;)

Here’s the deal: Kahlen *loves* this program. She has really enjoyed the lessons we’ve done. I printed it double sided in booklet format and it just sits next to the computer while she’s typing. I think it makes her feel very mature to be typing just like mommy does.

So, what I like:

• The length of each lesson. It’s perfect for my 5.5 year old. It would be easy to do another lesson if it’s too short for your child.
• The extra words to explain what you will be doing in each lesson. They are appropriate; not too basic, not too advanced as far as the word choices and quantity.
• By lesson 11 (out of 31), the lessons are already having her type some portions of appropriate verses in addition to the nonsensical letter and word combinations. This goes well with my eclectic-leaning-toward-classical homeschooling methodology.

Things that slightly annoyed me:

• I still think that Elementary Keyboarding could be just as easily accomplished with a computer program or website app without the need to print anything out. That adds to my cost and adds a level of frustration that is not needed. When Kahlen is just learning where the letters are on the keyboard, it’s very hard for her to keep looking at the paper, then back to the keyboard. Also, if it was all on the computer, I would not have to sit with her while she practiced, because the computer would be able to help her with what she was learning next. Not that I want her to always do schoolwork by herself, but we could get a lot more done if it was something she could sometimes work on by herself.
• I also think it would be helpful to show the entire keyboard at least once in the first few lessons, not just the row of letters that they’re working on. Since this is Kahlen’s first exposure to typing, she didn’t even know where to look for the letters that were shown in the picture in the book.

Overall, we enjoyed this product and will be happy to continue it when we have time. I definitely agree that keyboarding is a necessity and a good foundational learning will help her in the long run. If she’s ever going to catch up to my 90 words per minute, this is a good place to start.

The normal price for the Elementary Keyboarding from Christian Keyboarding is $12.95 but I have a coupon for you! Use code SUMMER2012 through August 29, 2012 to get 20% off this or anything else from their website. They have an e-book designed for 6th grade and up as well as a few e-books teaching Word 2007 skills like Creating Columns and Creating Tables. So go check it out!

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product through The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.