Grapevine Studies - New Testament Overview Part 1: Level 2 Birth of John to Jesus Ministry Review

Who doesn't love drawing?  How many of you don't even realize you are doodling on a piece of paper while listening to a conversation?  Doodling and drawing is a past time of most people.  Drawing or re-creating scenes from something that a child has just read can reinforce the material in their mind.  It can also bring it to life in their imagination.  Grapevine Studies has created a wonderful option for students to help reinforce Biblical teachings with your children.  We had the opportunity recently to review Grapevine Studies - New Testament Overview Part 1 - Level 2 Birth of John to Jesus Ministry (Ages 8 - 10).

Grapevine Studies calls it stick figuring through the Bible. Students learn about the events surrounding the birth of John the Baptist through Jesus Life.  New Testament Overview Part 1 - Level 2 Birth of John to Jesus Ministry provides studies with 12 weekly lessons or 45 daily lessons.  They will learn individual verses and also learn how to create a timeline of the New Testament through the workbook pages.  Extra memory work is also included at this grade level to keep challenging students as they grow in their spirituality.

As part of our review, we received the New Testament Overview Part 1 - Level 2 Birth of John to Jesus Ministry student e-book  ($10.00) and New Testament Overview Part 1 -2 - Level 2 Birth of John to Jesus Ministry e-book ($18.00) Teacher's Manual.  

Along with your own copy of the Bible, you can sit down with your child and they can journal or draw the main point of the verses you are reading.  It allows them to Chronicle the life of Jesus from before the birth of his cousin John through his ministry.  

Each lesson not only contains the journaling boxes, but also reinforcement questions to go through with your child.

The New Testament Overview Part 1 -2 - Level 2 Birth of John to Jesus Ministry e-book Teacher's Manual gives parents examples of what material should look like when students are finished.  Also helps them with answers to the Lesson Review questions if your students are working on this work independently.

And it also scripts out for parents what they could say to make the instruction easier.  You can use the material or just say what you would like.  It is your choice, and this series is easily adapted to multiple age levels in your home or in a co-op setting with many children.

Each daily lesson is also easily done and I found that as we were reading from our copy of the Bible, it really drew out more questions from our children.  They were wanting to draw the right type of picture to go with each box.  So we would re-read scriptures and really talk about the issues surrounding the events that we were reading about.

I think my favorite part of New Testament Overview Part 1 - Level 2 Birth of John to Jesus Ministry you can use it with your own copy of the Bible.  It does not require you purchasing a specific Bible study aide.  GrapeVine Studies does offer the ebook option, so you can print specific materials for your family bible study, a coop or just your lessons for the day or week.  It is also very affordable for families with multiple student levels.  You also do not have a long list of needed supplies to create the lessons, you simple need writing materials (crayons/markers if your kids like it fancy) and a copy of your Bible.  That's it.  You could use a dry erase board if you wanted to, but we did not find it necessary to have the extra materials out.  

The New Testament Overview Part 1 - Level 2 Birth of John to Jesus Ministry is definitely an added benefit for students.  Several members of Schoolhouse Review Crew were given the opportunity to try out various products from Grapevine Studies.  Take some time to see what other products they offer and how the Crew members were able to use them in their homes. 

Here to Help Learning Homeschool Writing - Flight 1 Review

Writing is a hard subject to teach.  Most of us have a hard time putting our thoughts into words.  Even professional writers experience "writers block" that keeps them from finishing their work at times.  I do find it hard to help the kids do their work in writing.  So we were excited to get the opportunity to try out Flight 1 Paragraph Writing from Here to Help Learning.

Here to Help Learning is an online Homeschool writing program that can be used either in your home or co-op style.  It helps to teach the art of writing paragraphs and essays for grades 1 - 6.  Unlike other online writing curriculums that I have worked with, Here to Help Learning takes the unique approach of video lessons on each level.  

Through filmed lessons and printable activities, multiple grade levels can work together to get started with their very first writing or improve on their current writing style.  This Bible based curriculum also includes scripture in their teaching to help improve on the student's biblical knowledge. 

The Here to Help Learning Homeschool writing program ($6.99 per month/family membership) is a very easy program to use.  Each "Flight Plan" is super easy to use.  I click on the program that we are working on.  There is video instruction available for us to watch together.  I also simply need to print the 1-2 pages of worksheets that go with that lesson and we are ready to go.  

The girls and I worked on Flight 1 Paragraph Writing together.  They are at 4th grade and 2nd grade level.  I really liked how easy that this program was to use.  Login was very easy.  I did do a little prep work before for each of our writing sessions together.  Since handwriting is a bit of a difficulty for the girls we spent a week minimum on each of the levels of Flight 1.  This was the introductory section of Paragraph writing.  Each day we would spend about 15 minutes working on the activities suggested.  

One of their favorites happened to be Sentence or No Sentence.  We had to play that over and over no matter what level we were advancing to.  They both thought the videos were a little quirky, but that made them more fun than sitting and listening to a lecture.  My favorite part of the videos was her recommendation to "check the bad attitude before beginning".  Most of us have a bad attitude when it comes to writing and getting over that negativity is winning part of the battle.

I really liked how the Here to Help Learning has the Writing Process broken down into easy to remember steps.  They also have a wonderful printable that you can add into the writing notebook that each one of your student sets up.  We were easily able to refer back to each step if we had a question.  For each of the steps of the writing process though there was an activity which then in turn helped the student to finish their final product, which was a few paragraphs on a writing project of their choice.  They suggest and use a topic of All By Myself.  The girls opted to write about things we were experiencing on our recent trip to Florida.  

Every level of this program is adaptable to multiple age levels and multiple topics.  You can use it with students who are struggling with writing and in higher grade levels such as middle school or even high school (special needs) and as young as kindergarten.  One of the best parts is that it requires very little time each day or each session so that is great for those with kiddos who have short attention spans or that are not a big fan of writing.  (Caty loved the Gummy Bears!!)

I am very impressed with the Flight 1 and Flight 2 Paragraph writing levels that we have been using so far.  Writing programs can be very expensive, and I am very impressed at the family price of only $6.99.  I will be starting the boys on this level soon.  The girls have been having more success with it, so I think it will be a good thing for them to start using also.  

On a side note, this is a Christian based program but I know many homeschoolers that do not include Bible in their schooling.  You can easily leave that side of the program out.  There are a few references in the videos, but nothing that affects the content of the program if you prefer not to concentrate on it.  

Here to Help Learning allows you to try out their program for 24 hours by simply signing up for a trial.  You can have access to the levels to see what you think!  Now that is an awesome program that allows that.  

Several members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew were given the opportunity to try out Here to Here to Help Learning Flight 1 and their many other levels.  Take some time to see how this program worked in their homes and what they enjoyed.

   

Week 40 - French and Indian War, Senses and Exercise

What a week.  My mom is still in the hospital and so I am going between there, working, going to school and working with the kids.  I was pretty exhausted almost everyday last week.  I did manage to bump up my exercise schedule though.  I met my 10,000 step goal everyday last week, except Wednesday.  That was the only day I didn't get a chance to squeeze in a run on the treadmill.  I didn't watch my diet very well last week.  So I am going to work on that next week.

I had to stock up for their 4H and science....You might be a homeschooler if you have more science supplies on your grocery list than groceries....

I am working to find the balance since Joe will be gone a lot the next couple months.  It's hard when you are severely outnumbered.

This is what they accomplished with their schoolwork this week....

In history we read about the French and Indian War.  We watched a couple short videos on YouTube that explained it after we finished our History reading.  We also learned about the Albany Plan of Union and the first political cartoon:

They watched a cartoon version of the Last of the Mohicans that I found on YouTube also.

This week's states were Illinois and Indiana.  We are not doing a ton of extra projects right now with the states.  I have been a little relaxed about this.  But we are watching an Aerial America episode about every state. These are great shows!!

Our president this week was the beloved Abraham Lincoln.  We watched a short biography about him.

The girls started their new Science book - Sassafrass Twins Anatomy.  The first week is about senses.  A lot of review.  But they still enjoyed it.  These are some of the books and videos that we used for science this week.

Individually....

Caty finished her second grade geography book this week.  She was all smiles and high fives for that.  I am noticing some handwriting difficulties that are creeping in.  This week we experimented with what reading program she liked better.  She is doing well with the hands on program instead of the online program.  I'll be switching things up again for her next week.  So we are going to work on that now.  She started her Cloverbuds project which is helping her learn more about 4H and herself.

She is making her Blooming Bag here.

 This was another project...making a personal box with her journal and special pencil inside.

Reviewing Secondary colors during her online art class.  She is really enjoying this program.

 Caty during reading time.  Doesn't every read like this?

 And of course we had riding this week...

 
Brayden finished his math level and is starting his next math level next week.  I am switching him from an online program to more of a book program since I see him not retaining as much as I would like.  We'll see if this works any better for him.  He was determined to do as little as possible this week.  But he started 4H projects too.  This year he is doing a Trains project, Kitchen Chemistry and a gardening project.

This is the first time he has tried to cut up his own food.  I was so happy and had to get a picture.  Check another life skill off.

He lied about doing his math all week and took advantage of every time I was distracted.  So guess what he had to do Saturday morning while the girls were at riding....yep his Math!

Joey finished his American Government course.  Check off one elective for high school...lol.  He is working on 3 projects for 4H.  He is doing Bottle Rockets, Exploring Ponds and Money Wise.

So this week he looked at Water consumption and conservation and also built his own water cycle.

He also worked on the Laws of Motion for his rockets project...

Lydia has a huge list of 4H projects.  She may kill me this year.  She finally decided not to do a sewing project this year....whew!

She is loving her art class and even is doing the Art project with 4H this year as one of her projects.

Working on a review of mixing colors with her art class online.

 She is doing a photography project....

 Working on her symmetry art project.

 Lydia using our math blocks during Aerial America.

I hope everyone had a great week!  See you next weekend!!

Heirloom Audio Productions - The Dragon and the Raven Audio Review

We are a big audio book family.  Being on the road so much on our travels, gives us a lot of time to listen to books.  We listen to a wide variety of stories.  But since I am a history lover, of course I also want to sneak some type of historical fiction and non-fiction into the listening schedule.  We recently had the opportunity to review The Dragon and the Raven ($29.97) from Heirloom Audio Productions.  

Heirloom Audio Productions strives hard to bring history alive.  They incorporate character building and Christian values into the stories.  Some of their current audio dramas include:

• Under Drake’s Flag
• In Freedom’s Cause 
• With Lee in Virginia (Here is our review)

Imaginations can run wild while your family listens to stories of exploration and determination when facing defeat.  

Heirloom Audio Productions did not disappoint this time either.  The Dragon and the Raven is 2 1/2 hours of non-stop adventure and intrigue.  Written to be family-friendly for all ages, this radio drama style fiction takes you back into English history.  The Danes have swept over every kingdom in England, destroying everything in their path.  You join in on this battle as Edmund and King Alfred of Wessex take a stand against these invaders.  

But they soon realize that they need the help of the one person who they have abandoned, God.  Will they be able to make a difference and take a stand?  Will they find the right path back to the truth?  This is a story of virtue and valor.  The Dragon and the Raven gives wonderful examples of determination and courage in the face of challenges.  It also gave excellent example of how you can turn to God in times of distress and hardship.

An all-star cast of John Ryhs-Davis, Helen George, Brian Blessed, Sylvester McCoy, John Bell and Katherine Kellgren narrate and act out this story.

We received the two-disc cd-set of The Dragon and the Raven, as well as the accompany package that you receive with the Family-Four pack which includes an estudy guide, a 48 page PDF that helps parents and children dig deeper into the story and historical events surrounding the story.  Also a printable copy of Proverbs 21:31, and the official Dragon and the Raven Soundtrack MP3 download.   

The eStudy guide helps parents to look through this time in history and help give them ideas for activities to bring this time period more alive for their children.  Sometimes it is harder for some children to imagine what is going on in the story inside their minds while they are listening.  With the help of the activities suggested, you can overcome that challenge with your children.  

We have loved yet another production from Heirloom Audio Productions.  We have enjoyed all their products so far.  Even though we are not studying this time period in history, I do have some fans of English history.  So The Dragon and the Raven audio drama was great to listen to while we were traveling.  As I closed my eyes while listening, I could imagine standing in the middle of the scenes.  The actors did a wonderful job with the voices.  We do run into issues with the sound quality in some radio dramas.  Either they are too loud or too soft and I spend more time adjusting the volume level than I do getting to enjoy what we are listening too.  This was not the case with The Dragon and the Raven.  I was able to leave the volume level normal.  I was only disappointed when I had to pause it for a drive-thru window.

If you are studying the time period of the 1200s through 1400s in English history, I would definitely recommend adding this title to your listening list.  It will help to bring King Alfred of Wessex more alive in your children's minds.

Several members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew were given the opportunity to try out The Dragon and the Raven.  Take some time to visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog and see how they enjoyed this in their homes and what they recommend.

Zonderkidz - Faith Builders Bible Review

We recently had the opportunity to try the recently published Faith Builders Bible from Zonderkidz.  The Faith Builders Bible ($24.99) is written for children ages 6 - 9.  It features a durable, hardcover and is the New International Reader's Version.

I was excited to get the opportunity to see how this Bible was created to encourage children.  The cover is very bright colored.  The LEGOs will definitely draw any child's attention to this book.  The difference is that there are limited pages inside the Bible with LEGO pictures on them.    Throughout the Bible there are Block building challenges that help to emphasize verses that had just been read.  But LEGOs are not featured on every page.

I was worried actually about the possibility that LEGO projects would take priority over our bible study.  But even though LEGO are featured on the cover and on various pages throughout the Faith Builders Bible, LEGO does not overshadow the whole purpose of this book, which is a child friendly Bible.  There are actually only 24 illustrations throughout the Bible.  The pages though do not match up with the actual scriptures they are illustrating.  Illustrations for Luke were in the Psalms.  Other illustrations for scriptures from the New Testament were located in the Old Testament.  This was a little confusing to the boys at first.  But the full colored illustrations feature a scripture and a build from that scripture.  This would help draw a child's attention to important scriptures for them to remember and keep in their minds and hearts.

The New International Reader's Version of the Bible is simply written, with modern English.  It is based on the New International Version.  But it has been written down much simpler for children and even adults that are learning to read or even learning English.  It is even helpful for those who are reading the Bible for the first time.  The Faith Builders Bible was a result of the process of making the Bible easier for kids to read.  Right after the Book of the Bible page, there is a brief explanation of what the New International Reader's Version is.

Neither of these versions of the Bible are used by our family.  So we used the Faith Builders Bible during our Bible Study time and compared it with our own copy of the Bible.  We noticed several differences between our Bible and the Faith Builders Bible - New International Readers's Version.  So this opened up discussion between us and the children about different interpretations as the Bible was being translated.  Some differences were opened to interpretation and could change the meaning of the scripture and many were just the wording differences helping to make words smaller and easier to read.

The print on each pages is large enough for the kids to easily read, but not large enough to increase the number of pages and make it heavier for the smaller child to use.  I really appreciated that for our sensory children.  Title headings at the beginning of some chapters were helpful to let the children know what is coming up.  But it also gave them the feeling like they were reading a chapter book.

Using the Faith Builders Bible the last few weeks has continued to show our children that there are varying beliefs.  They have learned that the Bible is an important book that is needed to help them to continue building their faith and love in God.  It might seem overwhelming because of its size, but is very friendly for them to read and learn with.  Our children range in age of 8 to almost 16.  Even our older kiddos enjoyed this version of the Bible.

Several members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew were given the opportunity to try out the Faith Builders Bible from Zonderkidz Publishing.