Everyday Education - Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers Review

Disclosure: I received this product free through the Homeschool Review Crew.

We recently had the opportunity to review Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers from Everyday Education.  This has been a great addition and reference to help our writers both in school, but also into adulthood.

We received the PDF of Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers.  It is a unique one-stop reference for how to write essays, use proper punctuation, style, and usage of punctuation.  It was created to use along with the Excellence in Literature curriculum, but we used it independently.

Lydia struggles in this area.  She has been using a personal tutor for the past few weeks to help her with sentence structure, forming paragraphs, and smoothing out her final drafts of papers.  Needless to say this has cost us an absolute fortune.  

After reviewing the materials we received from Everyday Education, I was thrilled to see how she can use the Handbook for Writers Excellence in Literature to keep building on the foundation that the tutor has been helping her put in place.  

Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers has two main sections.  The first provide detailed samples for how to build your papers and write essays.  The second part hits the mechanics.  This book is not to be an independent instructional curriculum, but actually as a reference.  I had a book similar to this when I was in high school.  I was able to use it to correct my writing, and make sure that I was actually creating my writing project in the correct form.  I used that book for several years, even after graduation and when I was working I would use this book also.  I like the layout.  The ease of using the index and table of contents to seek out the section you are looking for.  

Even as a parent, I can use the Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers to make sure that the girls are completing writing project properly. There are rules of grammar that have changed since I was in high school and college.  So I can make sure they are doing thing accurately.

Even though it is not an "instructional" manual, Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers really can help student construct an argument, debate or research paper through suggestions and the examples provided.  It breaks the materials down paragraph by paragraph in some cases.  It helps the student to really break down their writing and make sure that they are getting their point across.  

The Handbook for Writers Excellence in Literature would even make an excellent gift for students who are entering high school or college.  It can give them a guide to their future success in writing.  I encourage you to visit their website and explore the Table of Contents and see all that is available.  Since we did receive the PDF, I have the pages printed and put inside of a large binder so that we can keep it on the shelf for referral.  

Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers will definitely be our go-to for literature and writing assignment for a long time to come.

Everyday Education gave several members of the Homeschool Review Crew the opportunity to review various products from their catalog.  Click on the link below to see how they felt about the products they reviewed and how they used them in their homes.

Byron's Games - Family Journal Review

Disclosure: I received this product free through the Homeschool Review Crew

We recently had the opportunity to review The Family Journal from Byron's Games.  Such a great concept to encourage family focus to work together as a team.

We have all heard the phrase, "There's no 'I' in team".  Byron's Games has released The Family Journal that allows families to really learn how to work together to both set and reach family goals together.

Using The Family Journal, families can list out yearly goals, plan shorter monthly goals that will allow them to help to reach their long term goals.  Families can discuss both what they want to accomplish with help and support from everyone in the family, but also what they want to accomplish as a family.  The Family Journal helps them to keep all these goals and the steps they need to accomplish them as a team.

The Family Journal does an excellent job in helping families by give them information on how to write a family mission statement that shows your family's values and beliefs.  By developing S.M.A.R.T. goals as a family, everyone can be more successful in what they want to accomplish for their own personal goals or even goals they want to reach as a family.

I really liked how it encouraged us to make lists of what the family's needs really are.  This is something that only you as a family can list.  Everyone's needs are different, even inside of a family living under the same roof.  Everyone will see different obstacles and how they will make it harder to reach your goals.  By working together to make those lists, it helps to encourage the whole group to successfully reach the goals.  There is encouragement included inside of The Family Journal to keep the goals and their time frame realistic.   

Have you ever thought about the power of working together as a family.  There is definitely strength in numbers.  More brains working together to get toward a goal of a long family vacation, will make reaching that dream more attainable.

But The Family Journal can also help encourage each individual in the family to reach their goals.  Yes, even though Lydia might want to become better at her 3-point riding technique, we can work together as a family to encourage her to practice reaching that goal.  What about a reading goal?  Do you want to finish a book a week?  Maybe the family could help with some of your daily chores to reach that goal.  Maybe even increased Bible study?

The monthly goals can be broken down into smaller weekly goals.  It makes everything just a bit more attainable, and not feel so overwhelming.  The Family Journal encourages weekly meetings that include some type of connection activity for your family to do together that really opens up communication.  This encourages that support from the rest of your family in what you were able to accomplish toward that goal.

All of this information and lists have been put together in a weekly activity of The Family Journal.  You can keep track for each other so easily.  There is help for you to even create your own family mission statement.  This is much harder than you think it would be.  The Family Journal  is a well-made hardcover book that will stand up to the daily/weekly use that it was intended for.  Even during busy times, you can discuss the material during dinner, in the car, or even at bedtime together.

Our Family Mission statement: 

We as the Kuehners' Will Work to Love Jehovah, Jesus, Each Other, and Others.  We will try new Adventures, Be Curious and Open to Learn New Things, Be Respectful and Act With Kindness, Nurture Friendships, Hate What Jehovah Hates, and Always Care About Others.

Included also are reviews of what you were able to accomplish as a family.  you can track any progress or what you may be struggling with.  You can track how you can make improvements, even during times of struggles.

We have really enjoyed our start with The Family Journal .  We look forward to continuing to work to reach goals that we set for ourselves and as a family.  This has been a hard year to reach out.  As we all start crawling out of our "pods", The Family Journal can keep you on track.

Several members of the Homeschool Review Crew were given the opportunity to review products from Byron's Games.  Click on the link below to see how they used these items in their homes and how their families felt about them.

12 Gates Publishing - Hamelin Stoop: The Ring of Truth Review

Disclosure: I received this product free through the Homeschool Review Crew

We recently had the opportunity to review the third book in the Hamelin Stoop series - Hamelin Stoop:  The Ring of Truth.  This series is published by 12 Gates Publishing.  You can purchase this series from major online book retailers.

                                       
The Hamelin Stoop series is based off of the story of Hamelin Stoop.  His parents were forced to make a drastic decision to protect him by secretly leave him on the porch of an orphanage.  

There are two other books in this series,  Hamelin Stoop series - Hamelin Stoop:  The Eagle, The Cave, and the Footbridge and Hamelin Stoop:  The Lost Princess and the Jewel of Periluna.  I do recommend that you collect the whole series.

In Hamelin Stoop: The Ring of Truth you will be taken on an adventure of mystery and intrigue, and a healthy side of adventure as Hamelin is pursued by the evil Chimera and his agents.  Hamlin suspects his friend Layla is the lost princess form the Land of Gloaming.  Hamlin's stories trigger memories with Layla.  Is Hamelin alone in his quest?  Or does he now have a friend by his side in the question for the Ancient One's purpose? 

The Hamelin Stoop series is written for kids roughly late elementary through middle school.  I would say actually suggest they are at a Young Adult/early high school.   Lydia and Caty have been reading through our copy.  It will take the average reader a bit longer to read this story.  Which is great for Caty, but more frustrating for Lydia.  The story though has kept her attention, which is great.

12 Gates Publishing along with Robert Sloan are working on a Readers Guide to help students with their literature studies and they will be releasing this soon.

Caty and Lydia are truly enthralled with this new series.  They both love other science-fiction monster or ancient gods series fantasy series, and the Hamelin Stoop series has become a favorite with the girls.  In fact, Caty and Lydia have both asked me a couple times if they are going to be making a movie from this series.  This fantasy series is a definite read for tweens!!

Click on the link below to see how other members of the Homeschool Review Crew enjoyed this series and what they families thought of them.