Heroines of the Past a Bible Study

I've been receiving Amy's email newsletter for a while now and have been blessed by her wonderful History bits so when Golden  Prairie Press came up as a review vendor I was very excited. I have boys but still want to give them a women's perspective and share stories of strong biblical women with them. Thankfully that is exactly what I know Amy shares. Her Bible Study Heroines of the Past is available in e-book or print. The e-book is on sale on Amy's website for $21.60 and makes a wonderful Bible study for children (boys or girls in this mom's opinion) This sale price is good through September 1, 2012

Amy Puetz is a homeschool graduate and a wonderful example to young ladies. I have listened to Amy online  and read her Facebook page. She is an inspiring young lady sharing her passion for history through her story telling.

One of the things I really enjoy about Amy's work is the art that she includes  with here books. It adds a wonderful element to each book.

With such a wonderful variety of e-books for both boys and girls, there is really something for everyone in the family.



Heroines of the Past is a wonderful study of Strong Christian Women from the past. Not only is the book available online (ebook and print) but also as a 3 week Bible Study email through Amy's website. The book not only is a wonderful collection of stories about courageous women, but is also a wonderful Bible study focusing on the Virtues in Proverbs 31. I love the stories and then the Virtue study that follows each story. Within each of the virtue studies are questions about the story and questions that lead you back into the Word, also memory verses to work on.
I would love to put together a group of young ladies in our co-op to work through this study. (adding that to my list of wishlist classes to teach).

I really can't say enough wonderful things about this study or any of Amy's books we've used over the last few years. I am grateful that God has lead this young lady on her path of sharing so that so many more of use can gain from her young wisdom.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Crew's thoughts on this book as well as other's by Amy.

disclaimer: we received the ebook copy of the above book as a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for our honest opinion of the book.

The British Hymn Makers? Check out Mr. Pipes from Christian Liberty Press #hsreviews #music #homeschool

Have you ever wondered about where the Hymns we sing came from?  If you have then you are ready to begin this journey.  Take a trip with 2 teens on vacation in England as they befriend Mr. Pipes and learn about the Hymns we sing and the power in the praise and worship music we sing today.
While the suggested grade level for Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers is 7th grade and up, I really enjoyed sharing this story with my boys (2nd and 4th grade) as a read aloud. This is the first book in a series from Christian Liberty Press by Douglas Bond a Pacific Northwest author and English teacher.


Sometimes my boys don't always understand the hymns from church and using this book as an introduction to the idea of Hymn Makers (they really liked that term) has helped them see the bigger picture when it comes to the hymns of praise and worship and the messages in the hymns.  I know that many hymns it is easy to see as they are based on scripture verses making it really easy to introduce the boys to those hymns first. But, getting to know the writers from a different perspective has been not only a learning experience but has also brought us closer to the WORD and helped encourage them to give a little more credit to the hymns we sing. It is about more than words and notes on a page. The message is so much bigger than that.

The boys have so much enjoyed the story time together (partially I think because of the setting and timing it with the recent Olympic games) that I am adding the rest of the series to our school wish list, especially as we move through Ancient History this year and toward the Middle Ages and the Reformation. I love being able to find connections with various subjects and this is looking to be one of those wonderful connections (history, Bible, Music, etc...)

See what the rest of the crew thought of this book

disclaimer: I received an e-book copy of this book free as a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review of the book.

Do you have enough Faith to be an Atheist?

Better yet, do you have enough Faith to teach Truth to an Atheist?

That is where my husband and I were when we started reading the book   I Don't Have enough Faith to be an Atheist and the accompanying workbook from Apologia  educational ministries  

The book is written by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek and is intended for high school students but can really be read and used by college students and adults alike.  Like so many other products from Apologia (a well know company in the Christian Homeschool community) this book is a strong guide for young people and older adults. This particular book guides the reader through all the arguments for a creator God and how to see doors open to share God's creative power and Love with those around you.

The authors do an amazing job guiding readers along the journey and teaching the skills needed to not only question their own faith (creating a stronger faith) but also challenge the reader to better integrate their beliefs in conversation. 

We have been reading and studying the first 5 chapters in depths over the past several weeks We also have the workbook (we have been discussing the questions together rather than writing in the workbook) that corresponds with the book
Since we began our study together, we have also spend more time studying the scripture together as questions in the book bring us back to the source document, the Bible. I also have seen a huge change in my husband's willingness to share his faith and open a dialogue with his friends and even his customers about his faith. If nothing else comes from our study in the book then that, what a huge testament. One book can really make a difference and this book did, it lead him back to the source in his ultimate search for Truth.

The book retails for only $16.00 and the workbook for $33.00. The book is an amazing value and will live on our bookshelf or nightstand for a long time to come. The workbook coordinates with the chapters of the book and is a good value if you are using this in a school setting and need the extra discussion questions to go along with the book and to delve deeper into the message. For my husband and I using the book together the book is enough, but we plan on using it with the boys later on so having the workbook will be a value at that point from the perspective of a classroom setting, but also from the teacher's perspective in having guidance to dig deeper.

Check out what the rest of the Schoolhouse Review Crew thought of this book and workbook

disclaimer: I received a copy of the above mentioned book and workbook as a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest opinion of the product.

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Spelling Lists, Definitions, and Games oh My #hsreviews

Vocabulary/ Spelling City has all this and more

Are you looking for a flexible resource for spelling and vocabulary needs? I think I have found the answer to my search with SpellingCity.com 

Reviewing 2 different vocabulary programs at the same time was unique but since they are targeted at different groups and use differing formats I was able to get bits and pieces for both and will continue to use them both. 

That said, as a Mom of 2 elementary aged boys I was really needing something that would work with their various activities, units, books, etc.. So when I came across SpellingCity I was overjoyed at the flexibilty of the program. 

We don't do structured spelling but we do a lot of reading and writing activities. My goal for this year is to make lists of words we have spelling wrong and work on those words for "spelling", but also have a list of "new" words we find when reading a book or working on a new unit, with the ultimate goal being a personalized vocabulary book. 

Vocabulary Spelling City allows us to do just that while making the words into games and activities and giving me the option to create flashcards and writing practice sheets.

For only $29.99 a year for a homeschoolers Premium Subscription, a family with up to 5 children can customize word lists or search the existing lists to find the perfect list for their child. 

There is even a collection of Literature word lists sorted by grade level. 

  Each student can have a personalized log on so their lists and acitivities are personalized. As the teacher you can also create your own lists and save them. 

I am already creating word lists we will be using for some of our upcoming books and units and will be saving them. 

I love the sentence practice activities and flash cards options. I can print in manuscript or cursive depending on which of the boys I am working with or I can save the list and activities to his account so they are waiting for him.

Many of the games (actually I think almost all of the games) can be turned into a printable which is incredible handy since our computer is not near the school work area currently and I don't have the boys set up for internet access on the laptop yet.  There is so much flexibility with this program and for less than $30.00 for a full year access this is a HUGE value.

Don't take my word for it, check out what the rest of the Crew thought about this program 

disclaimer: as a member of the Schoolhouse Review crew I received this product free to review and share my opinion 

Have you tried Spelling City? Share your thoughts in a comment.

How is your vocabulary? Could it use some help? Vocab Videos may be the answer. #hsreviews

Vocabulary is one of those subjects that while important seems to get little attention until you realize it is a HUGE part of the SATs or similar situation. Around here we have a joke with the boys, "Did you eat the dictionary for lunch again?". While we are usually kidding around with them, we try to incorporate words into lessons that they won't hear watching cartoons or on the playground. Sometimes it becomes a game to try and use the word in a sentence correctly, other times it just happens.

My husband is always amazed at the words the kids come up with for their focus, most of the time they are good words, but occasionally we have to have a talk about if a word is ok to use (especially if the meaning has changed over time.)
My husband and I decided to give Vocab Video a try for several reasons.
First, improve his vocabulary and second, introduce some new words to the boys in a different setting.
Let me start off by saying Vocab Video is a secular program and needs to be viewed as such. Parents need to watch each video to preview it before showing it to their children no matter what age the child.

Now that I have that out of the way, we found the comic relief reminiscent of 80's and 90's Saturday Night Live Episodes so for the adults in the house it was easy to watch and learn. I did sort through the videos and have our boys watch a couple of the episodes and they enjoyed the ones I let them watch. It also opened up some rather interesting conversations about situation appropriateness.

The workbook even has a comic appearance, which was perfect for my husband. He is taking steps to improve his education, which leads me to see our homeschool classroom as 2 elementary and 1 adult learner. We try and find activities that we can do together and this one is actually one of those activities.

Each student has their own account, but since we were working on this mostly as a family and I needed to have more controll over which videos they watch, I logged us on as a single person (usually my account).
I found the flash card feature to be visually encouraging.
 The cards could be flipped on the screen and are clear images
Vocab Videos offers a variety of packages perfect for single to large families and even company programs. We received Small Educators Subscription  which retails for less than $80.00 for a 12 month subscription. With that subscription comes the teacher's dashboard where educators have access to a variety of downloadable resources, a view of the students progress, and completed student worksheets.
Overall the program is a good value, however since it was used for the adults, I think I would search for something a little different for the boys. If you have older children or adults in the family that are looking for a vocabulary program this could be a good option.
Check out what the rest of the crew thought of the program by clicking the button below.


disclaimer: We received a subscription to the above program as members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for our honest review of the program .

Back to School means new shoes for the kids

This post brought to you by Famous Footwear. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you ready for Back to School? 

Around here one thing about the Back to School season is new shoes for the boys, but with 2 growing boys that can add up fast.  Good news there is help on the horizon. Famous Footware has a Back to School Deal for you and me. BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwear Coupon, what an amazing deal.

Famous Footware has locations all over plus an online store to help you find just the right pair of shoes for your  family at affordable prices. Better yet, they have introduced an amazing rewards program. Earn 1 point for every dollar you spend at the store or online and redeem the points for certicates worth up to $100 a year. Even better, you get exclusive perks and coupons just for signing up. If you are a Rewards Member that 15% becomes a 20% coupon saving you even more.

With 4 of us in the family this could lead to some amazing deals, what about your family? Could you use the extra savings this Back to School season? Download and print your coupon before August 18th to save the extra 15% off. 

Between the coupon, BOGO, and rewards program this is the perfect opportunity to check out Famous Footware either locally or online and find current trendy style along side traditional work, play, and active shoes. 

I'm always looking for ways to save on things we need for school and Famous Footware can help save a little extra on shoes for the whole family this season and through out the year to come.

 

 

Salem Harvest, a blessing of yummy

This was the first harvest we were able to participate in this season.


Cameron and I picked up onions, a lot of onions. We filled 4 boxes for the Marion Polk Food Share and then picked up about 125 lbs for ourselves and family.

Cameron decided it was pretty hard work and I will admit he was right, but only that our backs felt the work.

I made 3 quarts and 2 pints of french onion soup to process. We also diced and frozen some for soup, chopped some for salsa, and dried a lot from Onion powder.
I gave away a lot, and will keep sharing as long as I find people to share with.