Weekly Wrap Up 2014 Week 9

I have to say that I am ridiculously happy to be able to write WEEK NINE.  And, those were 9 CONSECUTIVE weeks.  Seriously, I don't think that has ever happened throughout the time that we have been homeschooling.  There has always been a break-sometimes a very long one-somewhere in the middle.  I am so, so, so thankful and finally feel like we have a routine that works for us and that we can continue with.  

So here's a peak into week 9 :).

Calendar Time (Solar System):

Since we are in a new month, we changed calendar themes.  I realized I don't have any photos of this, but trust me they are pretty cool.  We chose to learn about the Solar System thanks to (free) calendar cards from 1+1+1=1.  This week we talked about Astronomy, the Solar System, rotation and revolution, the sun, solar flare, and solar eclipse.  

Parts of an Amphibian:

We started out with the basic parts of an amphibian cards.  We went through them together, and I added parts of amphibian booklets to their workplans.  Charger makes a BIG mess when he is working on things.  Cracks me up!  The cards are free from The Helpful Garden.

Frogs by Gail Gibbons is a great book (mostly about Frogs) but it does touch on Amphibians, too.

We read About Amphibians, by Cathryn Sill.  It's a really great book for my crew.  The basic book is geared for young children, but then in the back there is a bunch of detail about each page and photo.  This allowed my littles to listen in and then leave when they were bored as I read the details for Mustang and Charger.  The book on the left, Amphibian, is not a very good read aloud, but it is great for a curious young boy to learn more :).

This was something I picked up at a yard sale last summer and I thought it might be fun. But, I didn't really want to dissect anything.  So, we just looked at all the pieces.  The kids REALLY enjoyed this!

It included the skeleton and organs.  

St. Patrick's Day

Charger enjoyed our last Magic Treehouse book so much that when I saw these on the end-cap when I was at the library last week, I decided to pick them up.  I have been reading the storybook aloud each day and Mustang has been working on the research guide on her own.  She has already finished it.  These are some of her favorite books.

Beginning Animal Research

This week we added animal research to our workplans.  I was happy to find direction and a free printable for this on Montessori for Everyone.  Because this is so new for us, I went with her ideas and figure I will make it more difficult as my kids can handle it.  

The work is to find an animal to research.  After reading about the animal, the cards at the bottom are to be answered.  There are answer cards in the packet as well.  After answering all the questions, they draw a picture of the animal and use the cards to write a sentence about the animal.  This is Charger's work (age 6).  We used the Bald Eagle as an example and did the research and questions together.  The work page he did alone.

I have asked the kids to research one animal a week for now.  I've suggested that they may want to use our Wild-Life Fact File binder (an AWESOME hand me down from a friend who graduated her homeschool students).  But, of course mentioned that any animal they want to research I will help them get books on that animal.  

Bible

We completed our lesson packet from Bible Study for All Ages.  We LOVE this curriculum.  And, I can't wait to order the next session.  But, for Christmas my parents gave us a learning game from Dave Ramsey about money.  We are going to do that, first, and then order our next set.

State Studies

Our state this week was South Carolina.  When I introduce a state, we first go through all our previous states and see if we remember the capitols.  Then I introduce the new state using the three part cards and state cards that I purchased from Montessori Print Shop.  I read a book about the state-my favorite are the alphabet books like the one in this photo.  

The work added for each state are pages in their state notebook.  I print the state pages free from Primary Graffiti.

Types of Musical Instruments

Our last group work for the week was to talk about the different types of musical instruments.  For this work, I found these great posters here.  I printed off two different copies.  The first set, I laminated and we went over them together.

The second set I cut all up.

And, turned it into a sorting activity.  It was well received!

I hope you had a great week!  Thank you so much for stopping by!

God Bless,
Lisa




Books and items we used this week (affiliate link in widget only):

TOS Review: Notgrass Company

I always enjoy finding homeschooling materials that are written by veteran homeschoolers.  I appreciate materials that are well thought out, easy to introduce, appealing to my children, and affordable.  The Notgrass Company seems to understand what I am looking for.

The Notgrass Company is a family owned and operated business. They have been homeschooling since 1990!  In 1999, they decided to start producing homeschool materials.  It started with just mom and dad, but has grown to include their son, daughter, son-in-law and daughter-in-law.  So, there are also homeschooled adults producing homeschooling materials. Yep, love that!

So what did they send us?  We received their line of Draw to Learn products.  This includes Draw to Learn Acts, Proverbs, Psalms, the Letters of Paul, and the Life of Jesus.  We received all of these in e-book form and also a physical copy of Draw to Learn Proverbs.

The Draw to Learn products provide a unique way to learn about the Bible.  The entire goal behind the Draw to Learn series is to encourage students to READ, THINK, DRAW.  For each lesson, a Bible passage is read.  The work page then repeats part of the story, and provides a detailed idea for you to consider.  After reading the further thoughts, the lesson then asks you to draw what you just read about.

Some of the ideas are easy to think of-such as draw the three gifts the Magi brought, but none of the lessons just say 'draw a picture.' Each lesson wants you to think a little more about the passage.  For example, in the photo below Mustang is drawing an angel visiting Mary.  The instructions say 'Mary was troubled when the angel spoke to her, and she wondered about his words.  Make a drawing of Mary with a wondering expression.'

 

Of the books we were sent, I decided to focus our review period on Draw to Learn the Life of Jesus.  I thought this would be the easiest of the 5 for my young children to understand.  And, because we were sent the e-book version, I was able to print off copies for all of my children.  The copyright of the physical books does not allow for any copying, but the e-book allows you to print for your own family.  That was a huge savings with 3 children!

I was very impressed at how easily the children understood what to do, and jumped right in to draw.  Even my 3 year old was able to add her version of Mary and the Angel.

I really enjoyed the depth of this product, as the idea of encouraging journaling of the Bible through art beginning at such a young age will really stick with them!  I loved that I could draw right along with them and we could study and remember the Bible together with just a few pieces of paper and some crayons.  The Draw to Learn books have also been a great way to encourage my Mustang, especially, to think further about what she is reading during the Bible lessons.

Each of the Draw to Learn books contains 150 lessons!  They retail for $14.95 for the physical book and $9.95 for the e-book.  While I raved about the e-book because I could used it for all my children, I really think the physical book is wonderful, too.  It is spiral bound, and is very pretty.  I like the idea that when finished, you would have a great representation of not only your art, but also of your Bible studies!  I do intend to allow Mustang to use it when she is finished with The Life of Jesus.

The ages for the Draw to Learn books are 'all ages' and I would certainly agree.  My Mini Cooper at just 3 was able to participate, and even Explorer-who is one-enjoyed having her own page to scribble on.  But, that will soon turn into purposeful drawing. Even I found this to be an enjoyable way to study the Bible.  So, I have to say that the Draw to Learn books would make a perfect to your family worship time.

To see what other families on the crew thought of the Notgrass Company, be sure to check out the crew blog!  Some reviewed the Draw to Learn books, and some reviewed a very popular history set, America the Beautiful.

Thanks for stopping by!

God Bless,
Lisa

TOS Review: Bible Study for All Ages

Bible time is part of our everyday routine.  We spend a little time learning about the Bible together, sometimes singing together, and saying a prayer together.  We have tried a lot of different Bible resources, many of which were nice, but I am finally able to say we have a keeper :).  You know, the one that I will (and actually have already) spent money on to continue the program.  This great program is Bible Study Guide for All Ages.

Bible Study Guide for All Ages has a few different programs to cater to each child's needs.  And, since I have 2 children ages 3 and 5, we were sent for review the Beginner Level Student Pages.  Now Mustang is beginning 2nd grade, but the publishers suggested that if you have more then one child, you should start with the level that the youngest is in, so that's why we requested the Beginner Level.

So, let me tell you a little bit about how the lessons work.

Here is a first half of a sample lesson.  As you can see on the right side, there are things to do each day.

 First up, is to learn Beginner Time Line Cards.  These are a set of 34 8.5 x 11 cards that have Bible facts to memorize.  The cards start at the beginning of the Bible and progress through to the end.  Each day, you review a few and learn a new one as part of the lesson.

Next, we worked on memorizing the books of the Bible.  Mustang already knew them, but Charger and Mini Cooper did not.  They now have a huge start on their AWANA verses for the year!

Each lesson also includes a song from the Children's Songs CD.  The one that you start with helps memorize the names of all 12 tribes of Israel!  I know I didn't memorize them until I was in college, so I think it's very fun my children get to learn them so early in life!  Other times, as in the lesson that you saw above, the song is a traditional favorite.  Our church hardly ever sings the traditional songs, and my children just don't know them.  I love this creative and fun way to mix them in!

The biggest gem in Bible Study Guide for all ages are the Bible lessons themselves.  You, the parent or teacher, reads the story straight from the Bible to the children.  Then, the coloring page allows you to help them understand what they just read.  Each box on the page explains a different portion of the story.  Sometimes we colored angry people red, or crossed out people who died.  Often, we outlined or circled the name of God to show that He was the one in charge or the one giving power to others.  Check out this page for a sample lesson.

Our review packet only included two copies of the student pages, so Mustang just listened at first.  That wasn't any fun :).  So, I went ahead and placed an order for another book for her.  Yes, we REALLY like it!!  

After getting tired of looking over every one's shoulder while they did their lessons, I ended up going ahead and placing a second order and getting a book for me, too.  I wish I had decided to do that before hand so I didn't have to pay shipping twice!  But, I think it speaks a few volumes for my recommendation that I did go ahead and place not just one, but 2 different orders.

Now, in case you are wondering, the books include one semester (26 lessons) per book.  And, there are sixteen of them!  So we have a program that is going to take quite a while :).  That is why I am so glad it hits all the different points and is easily adaptable for my various ages.  

Because of this lengthy approach, this first semester covers Joseph, Daniel and Jesus.  I appreciated the reason the authors chose to do this.  You can read the full answer on their frequently asked question page, but the short answer is that they have the students study part of the life of Jesus each year, so they don't go straight through the Bible.

Now, I do have one small thing that mostly just gave my husband the giggles and left us with a question mark.  And that is, the first few lessons in the book discuss the story of Joseph and Potifer's wife!  Now, yes, I do realize it IS in the Bible, but I thought it a little strange to make it one of the very first stories that we are teaching to 4 and 5 year olds?  

The presentation of the Bible in this program is my favorite so far.  The materials are affordable and effective.  I love that Bible Study for All Ages covers reading the story, comprehending the story, music, memorization, and then has an application story at the end.  So, it really covers each style of Bible learning.  It even allows for coloring and a 'take home page' if you want to call it that, without a cheesy craft :).

Bible Study for All Ages Student Pages retail for $5.95 per book.  You will need one for each student in your family.

The Beginner Timeline Cards retail for $24.95 and you will just need one set that is used for all the students throughout the entire 16 book curriculum.

Children's Songs CD retails for $19.95 and, again, you will just need one.

The Beginner Teacher Visuals are for use with two or more students.  They retail for $9.95 for each semester.  Though you can choose to just purchase a student book for yourself, the Teacher Visuals are on sturdy card-stock.  

If you are looking for a fun, detailed, unique approach for teaching the Bible to your littles, I HIGHLY recommend Bible Study for All Ages.  But, I am not the only one who reviewed this program.  Check out the crew blog to see what other families thought, too.

Thanks for stopping by!
God Bless,
Lisa

Mom Select Review: Superbook

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about Superbook showing on ABC.  I hope you were able to watch the shows!!  If not, you may be interested to know that the entire series is not available on DVD.  Over the last few weeks, we have had the opportunity to review the DVD's in our home.

Superbook is a 16 DVD series of episodes created by CBN to tell the stories of the Bible to children.  They feature Chris Quantum, his friend and neighbor Joy Popper, and his robot Gizmo.  Well, Gizmo actually belongs to Chris's dad (an inventor), but he ends up with Chris on all the journeys.

In the first episode they have this little mechanical thing that all of a sudden comes alive and Chris, Joy and Gizmo are sucked in.  Before they know it, they are transported back in time where they run into a man and woman who are-ahem-under dressed (they don't show anything, but Gizmo has issue with it and has to 'fix' the problem).  They have no idea at first that they are actually talking to Adam and Eve!  As the episodes progress, they begin to get used to the idea that they are going back in time, and have an idea of what will be next as they go in Biblical order.

When they are in each story, they watch a very accurate Biblical account unfold.  They also interact with the characters, trying to help in anyway that they can.  For example, they try to warn Daniel to stop praying, and he explains why he can't.  On one episode, He is Risen, Chris' mom ends up along for the ride, and she comforts Mary as she is losing her son.  It really brings the stories to life for Chris, Joy, Gizmo, and the children watching.

There are 16 episodes, of which we were sent 14 to review.  The episodes available are:

In the Beginning
The Test
Jacob and Esau
Joseph
Let My People Go!
The Ten Commandments
A Giant Adventure
Jonah
Roar!
The First Christmas
Miracles of Jesus
The Last Supper
He Is Risen
The Road to Damascus
and the two we did not review:
Fiery Furnace
and Revelation

The Episodes are just under 30 minutes in length and feature awesome animated graphics, catchy songs, and-most importantly-the Word of God in a way that children can understand.

You can watch the trailer here:



So what did we think?

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!  Seriously!  My dad is a pastor, which means that I have seen just about every kids Bible story movie out there.  Believe me when I say, this one is pretty much, if not THE, best one.  The graphics are UNBELIEVABLE.  They really draw an audience in and hold their attention for the whole time.  The story lines are ACCURATE.  They don't dumb down the story or turn it into something it's not just to 'retell' the story for a young child.

For example, in the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den (Roar!), Darius says he is going to throw the other guys into the lion's den at the end of the, it isn't left out.  They do, however, move on at that point and not show them being thrown in ;).  There are a few scenes that the writers warn may be a bit graphic for young, sensitive children, so you may want to preview them before letting kids watch.  However, my quite sensitive 3 year old had no problems with any of the scenes, so I think overall they are pretty safe.

The stories also include the spiritual warfare that is going on in the stories.  They don't go overboard, so it's not a constant thing.  But, for example, when Satan goes into Judas as he betrays Jesus, the movie shows Satan overshadowing Judas.  You also see an angel comforting Jesus as he prays in the garden before his death.  At first, I was taken aback by this choice, but after a bit I was very glad it was there.  I love that when my children read the stories, they will notice the spiritual warfare written in the Bible because they were introduced to it at a young age.

A little more on the spiritual warfare, I almost forgot that in the first episode, In The Beginning, they actually show the story of Lucifer and his followers fighting with angels in Heaven, and then being cast down to earth.  This sets the stage for the story of Adam and Eve, but is certainly a story that is often left out of kid's shows.  But the story is true and portrayed in a way that kids can understand and also helps the story to make sense.  Normally, we just show Adam and Eve and then this guy Satan-who is bad-comes out of nowhere.  Showing the fall of Lucifer helps piece this story together.

As soon as the Superbook DVD's arrived at our door, there were lots of requests to watch them.  We were packing for a trip, so I was happy to have a distraction for them.  So, I let them watch the first one.  About 40 minutes later, they were back begging for the next.  It went on like that for 2 hours, before I finally had to tell them they had watched enough TV for the day.  From then on, anytime they had a TV time, their first request was Superbook.  They have seen all the episodes, so they don't every single time, but they still do often.  Today, when we finished our Bible lesson about Joseph, they were quick to beg me to watch the Superbook Joseph.

Now, you may remember the OLD Superbook episodes.  Yep, I am showing my age when I tell you this is the remake of Superbook!  As I tell you all about the new ones, you may be thinking about a Japanese anime that you turned on Saturday morning.  Well, for those of you who know what I am talking about, there is an added bonus to these DVD's.  As a bonus feature, they have included the corresponding old episode with each new episode.  So cool!!

The last thing that my children have absolutely LOVED is the new theme song for Superbook.  I catch my girls, especially, singing it ALL.THE.TIME!!

I highly recommend this series and am going to have to purchase the two DVD's that we don't already have yet!  I believe they are planning more in the future, as well, so I will be watching for those!

How to Buy?

There are two ways to buy the Superbook DVD's.  First of all, through the Superbook DVD club.  If you sign up for the club, you will receive 3 copies of the Fiery Furnace DVD for $25.00 (one for you and 2 as gifts), then every 4 to 6 weeks, you will receive a new Superbook DVD, and your account will be charged $25.00.

Or, you can purchase each DVD individually for $25.00.

You can read all about the purchasing options and order your DVD's on the CBN website.

Connect:

You can check out the Superbook website-that has info about the show, games to play, trailers to watch, and Bible Study guides (free) for each of the DVD's.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperbookTV
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SuperbookTV


I'm so glad you stopped by!  Hope you enjoyed the review!

God Bless,
Lisa

Disclosure:  We received our Superbook DVD pack as part of a promotional program from CBN and Mom Select, in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Superbook is Coming to ABC!!

Even if you aren't big TV watchers, I have a show you won't want to miss!  

Superbook is a fully animated cartoon about Chris, his friend Joy, and his robot Gizmo.  They travel back in time to visit different stories from the Bible!  

Now, you may remember Superbook from your childhood.  And, while it has the same great message, Superbook has a brand new look, brand new music, and brand new story lines.

Superbook will air Monday July 1st-Friday July 5th at 9:30 AM.  

The episodes that will air are:

July 1st - In the Beginning: Adam and Eve

July 2nd - Let My People Go: Moses

July 3rd - The First Christmas

July 4th - He Is Risen: the Resurrection of Jesus

July 5th - Revelation

As you can see, it's going to be a great week of episodes!!  You could even treat it like your own mini-VBS!  You can get more information and lots of cool extras by checking out the CBN web-page.

Also, be sure to check back, because we will be doing a review of ALL the episodes and DVD version of Superbook!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

God Bless,

Lisa

Disclaimer:  We were sent a Superbook promo pack and DVDs in exchange for an honest review (that is coming).  These came from CBN as part of the MomSelect promo.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

TOS Review: Christianity Cove

During our recent Bible times, we have been trying out new (to us) lessons from Christianity Cove.  Before this, I had never heard of Christianity Cove, but I really wish that I had!

Christianity Cove is an online resource for Sunday School lesson plans, crafts, games, activities, and more.  They have over 700 free lessons on their blog, and over 25 great lesson plan ebooks for sale!  I love their mission statement:  "We strive to make Jesus real to children.  Jesus is a real guy-he's not a concept, a list of rules, or an imaginary friend."

Some of their products include:

Super Bible Games
Bible Quick Skits
100 Simple Service Projects
20 New Testament Life Lessons
Make & Take Bible Lessons
And many more!
You can view the complete list of Christianity Cove products here.

For our review, we got to choose 2 of the Christianity Cove products.  We chose Bible Science Experiments and The Divine Dozen: 12 Parables of Jesus Every Child Should Know.

Let's start with Bible Science Experiments.  This pack included 25 simple science experiments used to learn more about science, and also point out Biblical truths at the same time.  The experiments used everyday household items such as glasses, water, crayons, pennies, and flashlights.  They were VERY easy to present and only took about 5 minutes-tops.  Along with the experiment, there was an explanation for how it was working.  Then, there was a Biblical truth and Bible verse to go with it.

Here is an experiment that we did.  To start, we put crayons in a glass.  We observed how they looked (like crayons in a glass-he he he).

Then, we added water (please excuse my glass!  It is clean, but the water softener leaves marks).  Notice that the crayons look broken?  The Bible lesson explained that it is because the speed of light slows down in water, so it appears differently.  

The Bible lesson to go with this pointed out that people are not always what they 'look like.'  God does judge our outward appearance, but He looks at the heart.

We really enjoyed the Bible Science Experiments.  It brought out lots of discussion about the things they saw, and they enjoyed recreating the experiments themselves.  It was also a fun change to our Bible time that is usually just reading and singing.  I didn't notice an age range, but I can say that my 5 year old and 7 year old both enjoyed the experiments.  They were a little above my 3 year old.  

The cost of Bible Science Experiments is $25.00.  It is a download-able eBook.  It seems a little high for a home school situation, but if I were looking into lesson plans for our Sunday School, I would certainly think this was a competitive price.  I love that it wouldn't matter who was teaching the lesson, it would be simple to bring an exciting object lesson to the Bible time.  You can listen to author, Mary Kate Warner, explain her product, and order it, here.

Now, on to The Divine Dozen: 12 Parables of Jesus Every Child Should Know.

For this book, there are 12 lessons.  Each one is designed to take about 30-45 minutes.  It contains Bible passages (the actual parable told by Christ) a story designed to help the students understand the parable, and then an activity or two to go with the story.  Some also include printables, if needed.

For one story, there is an outside bird feeder to make.  Another, there is a game to fill each classmate's cards with smiles.  Yet another has a work page with word finds and letter scrambles.  Many different creative ideas to keep the Sunday School class interesting from week to week.  

For each lesson, the kids and I read the Bible passage, and then I read the Christianity Cove adapted story to them.  We found that we weren't able to do all the games due to the small family setting, or due to the age of my children (too young), but I still think they enjoyed the lessons.  In a Sunday School setting I think the games would have been a lot of fun.

I think that these lessons are also easy to present.  Laid out in an easy to prepare and follow way, and were certainly a good program.  However, when it comes to presentation, as with any Bible story, it can become kind of subjective.  I didn't think there was anything wrong or unbiblical with what was said, but I was disappointed with the first lesson about the Good Samaritan.  Instead of focusing on being a Good Samaritan to other people, the author decided to give an object lesson on how to be a Good Samaritan to animals.  While the lesson was well written and the kids were very interested in helping the birds in our backyard, I was left wondering how to convey that the original parable wasn't about animals at all.  

On the other hand, I thought The Wedding Feast & the Unwilling Guests and also Faithful Servants and the Thief in the Night were pretty good.  So, I would say my feelings on this one are mixed, and honestly it's only the part where I say if I liked it or not, because it's a good solid product even if I don't love every part of it.  

The Divine Dozen: 12 Parables of Jesus Every Child Should Know is an 88 page eBook and costs $24.00.  I don't see an age range on this one, either, but I would say probably 1st-6th with ideal being 2nd-4th grade, mostly due to the games at the end.  Being able to read, write, and decipher scrambled words are a must.

Because this is a religious product, be sure to read Christianity Cove's statement of faith, and also get to know a bit more about this great company!

Now, I mentioned that Christianity Cove has 26 products for sale!  Each member of the crew that reviewed Christianity Cove got to pick two products.  So, I'm pretty sure all the products got at least one review.  Be sure to head over to the crew blog to help you decide which of these great products you might want to use in your Sunday School or home school!  

Thank you for stopping by!!

God Bless,

Lisa

TOS Review: Growing Up Wild

With all the many wonderful review products I have been sent over the last 2 years on the Schoolhouse Review crew, I have never been more excited and honored to bring you a product then I am today!!

Many countless times, I have come across this question on homeschooling moms' message boards and Facebook pages:

"Does anyone know a good curriculum to teach about missions and missionaries?"

Everyone does their best to answer the question, but the fact is that we have always come up short due to a lack of a good curriculum to fit that need.  But, I am sooooo excited to tell you about a product that not only fills the need, but exceeds it in every possible way.

Let me introduce you to the Wild Family.  The Wild Family are missionaries with New Tribes Mission. Mike, Elizabeth, Asher, Kion, Morgan, and Hudson Wild live in the Wano Valley and minister to the Wano people in Papua, Indonesia.

The Wano people were an unreached people group before NTM and the Wild Family went to the Wano Valley.  The language of the Wano people was unknown, and so the Wild Family had to learn their language and then write it down.   After they translated the Wano peoples' language, they were able to present the message of the Gospel with the Wano people.

The Wild family also homeschool their children, and I suspect at one time or another, they saw the same question I did. But, they were in the unique situation to offer a solution to this question.  And answer they have!!!

Growing Up Wild follows the day to day adventures of the four Wild brothers as they live, play, learn, and spread the love of Christ with their family in the Papua Highlands.  Their life there is very different from the one that most American children live, and children are drawn in right away to see what happens!

Growing Up Wild is a DVD series that currently has 5 volumes.  Each volume has three 15 minute episodes that highlight a different aspect of growing up as a missionary kid in the jungle.  The DVD's also come with an activity guide that contain ways to take the episodes further in your learning.  It is always nice to have a homeschooling family write the curriculum, because they know how nice it is to have a CD-rom with the printables all ready to go! 

The DVD and Activity Guide sets retail for $18.99 plus tax and shipping.  You can also save if you buy all 15 volumes at the same time for just $80.99.  

The Wild Brothers and Our Country Kids:

We received copies of volumes 1 and 4 for review.  The first episode of the first volume is called 'Home Sweet Hut.'  This episode takes you on a tour of the Wild Family home in Wano.  It certainly sets the stage to let you know that things in Wano are quite different then those here in the States!

The Wild family lives in a ROUND house!  Made of local building materials, with local builders-and themselves.  Talk about green ;).  Their furniture is all made locally with wood from trees in the area, and it locks with a string and stick lock.  

But, the similarities to an American house are still there.  The boys sleep in bunk beds, mom has a washing machine for their clothes, and there's even a LEGO LOFT that is currently the envy of my son!

One of the activities afterwards is to make your own Wano house.  We watched the episode a number of times to help us get a true feeling for how the house is built and what materials we had on hand to build one. 

  

This is our group house made from an oatmeal container, bendi-stix, and soybean stubble.

Then, each child made their own.  Charger felt that since the Wild house has a lego loft, that the house should be made out of legos.  He didn't seem to care that it wasn't at all round.  

Apparently Bob and the gang didn't care either :).

 Mustang's house used the other half of the oatmeal box, and she decided that a flat roof was much easier then a gabled one.  Excuse the no smile.  She specifically wanted to have a photo with no smile.  

Another suggested activity was to create a Venn-Diagram to compare and contrast the Wild Brother's house with our house.  

We found that the Wild Brother's house:

• Is round
• has a round roof
• has an electrical station
• unique lock system
• a cat door
• homemade furniture
• 1 bath (that we saw)
• BIG spiders
• a dog
• LEGO LOFT

Our house:

• Is a rectangle
• has a triangle (gabled) roof
• locks with a key
• electrical box
• bathtub
• girls (except mom)
• 2 baths
• small spiders
• cabinets
• car and driveway

We both have:

• A metal roof
• wood floors
• kitchen
• bugs
• windows
• cat
• schoolroom
• big trees
• rats/mice
• ladder to a loft
• books

Now, you may be wondering why it matters that we see where the Wild Brothers live to learn about Missionaries?  It means everything.  "Go Ye into all the world." is a big, vague, kinda scary sounding verse.  But, it's very important that we, as Christians, understand this command.

Growing up, I went to a church that was very missions minded.  Every fall, they would host a missions conference and invite 10 or more missionaries to come and be part of the conference.  The church members would attend little classes designed to help us meet the missionaries and understand what they did.  My dad was the pastor there and so we often had these missionaries come and stay in our home during the conference and other times.  Many of these families became friends, some of them like family.  I also had an aunt and uncle serving in Honduras.

Getting to know these families takes the mystery out of 'going into all the world.'  It's no longer something scary.  Real people and real families go.  It's something that God can equip any willing person to do.  By the time I was in high school, I was eager to have an opportunity to go.  The summer after graduating from high school, I went to Ghana in West Africa.  Three weeks that forever changed my heart.  

At one point in life, I thought maybe I was called into foreign missions.  It has become clear that isn't the call God has for my life.  But, I certainly want to help my children understand this command to go.  Maybe one of them will be called.  And, even if they are not called to go, we are all called to send.   Understanding who we are sending and what they do is vital to developing a heart for the missionaries and their needs.

And, just in case you might think that living in the jungle means a home video quality movie, do not worry!  The quality of Growing Up Wild is top notch!  The music is catchy, the pictures are clear and beautiful, the narration is great, too.  The Wild family has done a perfect job of speaking to the children their product is aimed at, while at the same time including  mom and dad.

Bringing the Wild Family into our home has allowed me to teach my children about a real family who lives 1/2 way around the world in the middle of the jungle.  They sleep in bunk beds in a round house, they catch sun rays to power their laptops and ride in a helicopter to go to the grocery store.  They catch snakes for fun, kill spiders with spears, don't wear shirts, and have their noses pierced!  But, most important, they are a real family making known the mystery of the Gospel to the Wano people.  I feel beyond blessed to have Growing Up Wild as part of our curriculum and HIGHLY recommend it to you, too!!

If you would like to see what other families thought of Growing Up Wild, you can check out the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.  

God Bless You and thank you for stopping by!

Disclaimer:  I received copies of Volume 1 and 4 of Growing Up Wild in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own!

TOS Review: Grace and Truth Books

Today there are so many places you can purchase books online.  Most of them are focused on having the biggest and best selection so they can be your one stop shopping site.  They pay no attention to the actual product, they just know that if the competition has it, they want it on their site, too.

But, imagine for a moment, an online store that has taken the time to seek out the very best in Christian books.  A store that isn't interested in keeping up with the current trends and trying to be just like all the other online sites.  An online store whose model is 'about reinvesting in our Christian lives through traditional Christian books that have been published for centuries.'

Well, this is a real place! The model is real, in fact, I copied it word for word from their website.  This online store is called Grace and Truth Books!

When I first headed over to Grace and Truth Books, I noticed right away that I pretty much wanted to order everything on the website, lol.  Title after title hit on a subject that I would love to study or share with my children.  Titles like The Children's Character Building Collection, The Donkey Who Carried A King  (Christmas list!),  and Jim Elliot: He is no Fool (he is on our CC timeline!).  That's just 3 of my top favorites.  There are hundreds of amazing titles!

Grace and Truth Books offered a list of items we could choose to review, and I was drawn to With the Children on Sundays by Sylvanus Stall.

If you have read my blog for awhile, you may know that I am always on the look out for new Bible time material to use with my children.  It is the #1 most important subject in our school day and, because of that, I am always trying to find the very best for our study! 

The description for With the Children on Sundays made me very interested in giving it a try:  

A giant volume, which ranks as one of history's greatest Family Worship books ever composed.  A limited number of copies are available of this book, which has been out of print many decade and is currently not being printed by anyone.  Filled with many of the most delightful family readings you'll find anywhere, from an author with great skill in presenting Bible truths in a  form which grips the eye, holds the mind's attention, and wins the heart of a child for Christ.  Many call this the finest book for family worship they have ever used.

Certainly sounded like a great match for a mom looking for Bible time lessons!

So what did we think?

When I first opened With the Children on Sundays, I was immediately pleased with the presentation of the book.  It is a nice size and the print is over sized.  The pages lay open nicely and the book fits well on my lap.  This is important because the stories in With the Children on Sundays include object lessons and I need my hands free while I read!

Today's lesson was on the pull of the holy spirit in our lives and how Jesus draws us near to him.  The story used magnets, nails, rusty nails, tacks, and paper.  

The tacks were to represent children and how easily they come to Christ, the nails represented older children who still came to Christ but not quite as easily.  The rusty nails represented old, rusty people, who were no longer attracted to Christ just as rusty nails can't be picked up by the magnet.

The second part of the lesson consisted of placing a paper between the magnet and nail (or a safety pin in our case).  The magnet represents Jesus, and the pin represents us.  The pin can not see the magnet, but the pull of the magnet allows the pin to stick to it, and can even move with it.  Jesus guides us even though we can not see Him by continuing to draw us to Him.

After the story is read, there are about 8-10 comprehension questions that really help to make my children think about what they just heard.  It also helps me to know what they did and did not hear and understand, so I can repeat a point of necessary.

Each of the lessons in the book are written in this same way.  We have objects to learn from, explore, and then tie them in to our Christian walk.  The children love these!  Most of the objects are common household items.  On the times when I didn't have one handy, we pretended and looked at the drawings in the book.

Because it is our most important subject of the day, I appreciate Bible lessons that also bring other learning into them.  One day we learned about measuring, inches, yards, meters.  Another day we learned about maps, charts, and boats.  Still another, about how an apple grows from a flower into a fruit and how a worm can get stuck in the apple from when it is just a flower!

A few challenges: 

With the Children on Sundays was published in 1893, so I can say that some of our terms have changed a bit.  For example, one of the stories mentions that boys who want to go their own way may end up being a tramp.  Well, it's been a long time since I've heard the word tramp-and even then it wasn't referring to boys!  

Another example of the times having changed was the reference to how it wasn't acceptable to go to the theater.  I know that used to be a common issue in churches that has changed.  So I just reworded it and went on.  

Assuming all the children had likely ridden on a steamship was a humorous part of one example that lead to talking about what a trip on a steamship would have been like.  There are a handful of references like these, but I honestly found them to be refreshing.  

There are also a few instances where the wordage used seemed to step on toes in ways that current churches try to avoid.  For example, one story talked about children being allowed to run wild and not attend church as being neglected, and that they could not be expected to grow up to be Christians.  As much as this is very true, if you were to use this book in a Bible club, you may want to be careful of reading it word for word.  Our times have changed a bit, and the way we say things has as well.  Using the older style of speaking could end up hurting more then helping.  This was my opinion while I read, but it was just a few places and for the most part I welcomed the older writing as a unique way to look at a situation.  

But we really like this one!!

With the Children on Sundays will certainly go onto my list of recommended Bible time materials-which, by the way, is a very SHORT list! It covers EVERYTHING on my want list for a Bible curriculum.  

1. accurate
2. enjoyable
3. easy to understand
4. holds attention
5. challenging
6. not too much prep work
7. covers more subjects and offers additional learning opportunities
8. brings my children to Jesus

Overall, we are really enjoying With the Children on Sundays.  The stories are written for children ages 4-10, but they are interesting to me as well as my children. I would recommend it to anyone looking for new Family Worship materials, or for Sunday School or Bible club teachers.

How to Buy:  

With the Children on Sundays retails for $23.95 and is currently listed for $17. 50 on the Grace and Truth website.  

Grace and Truth Books is currently offering free shipping on orders over $49-great for Christmas shopping!!  

If With the Children on Sundays is any indication of the rest of the books offered by Grace and Truth, they will all be wonderful!!  In fact, you can find out about a number of them by reading reviews on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.  We received one of 10 different products to review, so there are plenty of different books to read about!

Thank you for stopping by and God Bless you!

Disclaimer:  As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received a copy of With the Children on Sundays in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.