Homeschool Review Crew: Our Review of The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls

     Recently we were given the opportunity to review the first two books of the series called The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls from WorthyKids/Ideals.  When they arrived in the mail, my daughter Hope grabbed them up. She couldn't wait to begin reading them.  The covers are so intriguing and inviting.  I knew she would love them.  
     

     These books are a perfect size for children in elementary school.  They are about 110 pages long and there are wonderful black and white illustrations throughout the book.  Hope is an artist so she really enjoyed seeing the characters drawn as she read through each book.  She said each drawing was exactly how she would have pictured it in her imagination. That is a huge compliment coming from this child.  She is not easily impressed. 😉 

     I like to research the authors of the books my children read, and when I read about M.J. Thomas, I was more than happy to let my children read his books.  He wrote these to teach his son Biblical truths while adding adventure and imagination to the mix.  What a great reason for writing!!!

     The books have several main characters. Peter and Mary are siblings and they have a dog named Hank. Then there is their Great-Uncle named Solomon who is an archeologist.  The kids are not thrilled to visit their Uncle, but soon they realize that this Uncle has made a discovery that will change their lives.  

     Great- Uncle Solomon has found some old scrolls that are sealed with a wax seal that can only be opened by the special chosen ones. It wasn't long before Mary and Peter figure out they are the chosen ones, and that this is just the beginning of their adventures.  

THE LEGEND of the HIDDEN SCROLLS

     In the first book, The Beginning,  they are transported back to the days of creation.  From the days before the earth was created to the day God created the animals and man, Mary and Peter get to witness it all.  They even face the serpent in the Garden of Eden.  Every page was weaved with Biblical truths.  

      Hope was on the edge of her seat as she read through each chapter.  She couldn't wait to see how Mary and Peter would get back to their own time in history.  How will they solve the secret of the scrolls?

     Book two, Race to the Ark, takes Mary, Peter, and Hank back to the days of Noah. They quickly find out the people are not nice during this time period.  After they meet up with the Dark Ruler and his friends, they know they must flee the town they were staying in.

      After leaving the town, they meet up with Noah and his family.  They are so happy to see nice people who care for them. Mary and Peter were excited that they got to help Noah get the animals onto the Ark. It was an experience they would never forget. 

    If only it would have been that easy to get back to their time.  Remember they must solve the secret of the scroll in order to get back to their own time in history.  To solve this one, they must face the Dark Ruler once again.  

   Will they be able to figure this one out?  You will have to read it and find out.  Let's just say Hope was biting her nails at the end of this book. 

    Hope said these were the best books she has read this year.  She said they were full of fun and mystery.  She loves a good mystery, so these were a great fit for her.  She said she can't wait to see if there will be a book three.  

     To learn more about these books and others, I encourage you to go to the WorthyKids/Ideals website or visit their social media pages: 

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/WorthyKidsIdeals/    
• Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/worthypub       
• Twitter:   https://twitter.com/worthypub   

     If you want to read more review of these two books, come on over to the Homeschool Review Crew website 👇👇👇

What's Happening???

     

     We have a few fun announcements to make from our family to yours.  September has been a wonderful month. 

      Our oldest son who has been engaged for over 3 years got married!  He and his new wife are enjoying the married life and we are so happy for them.  It's been a journey for them while he got settled into a new job and she finished college to become a nurse.  

     Our middle son Ryan, got his learners permit for driving and he is doing an excellent job driving us here and there.  

     We also got to make a trip to Kansas.  We were there to see our oldest daughters new home. We had the privilege of spending a few days out there. Her husband recently returned from a deployment and we were happy to see them reunited.  

     While we were out there we got to visit The Keeper of the Plains and it was a unique experience.  It was beautiful!  The fire pits were just gorgeous.  We were happy to be able to see this exhibit with our daughter.  

     When it came time to leave, it wasn't easy, but we know that we are just a car ride away 😊  

      We were excited to be home after the 16-hour car ride.  Our pets were happy to see us too. We were so thankful that our other daughter was able to care for them for us while we were gone.  

       So that was our month.  Now today we get back on schedule. Our little vacation was nice, but I am going to love getting back to our routines. 

     We are so grateful for each of our children and we pray for them every day. God has blessed us so much! 

      What have you been up to this month?  Any good stories to share?

Homeschool Review Crew: Our Review of Let's Go Geography

     Do your children enjoy geography?  I know mine was a little apprehensive when I told them we would be reviewing a world geography curriculum, but once we started using Let’s Go Geography, they were pleasantly surprised how much fun it can be.  
     

     Let's Go Geography is best for grades K-4th, but we adapted it to be used for our 8th grader as well. Giving him little extra reading assignments to go along with what we were studying made it more of a challenge for him.  I feel both of my children are enjoying it. 

      We were given one year of the three-year curriculum to review and so far, I am loving how it works. The picture above is the suggested 3-year plan for you to study with your children.  We have completed the first 5 lessons and it has been a wonderful experience.  I haven't had one complaint.  I was happy to learn that a teacher can use the curriculum with one or more students. That makes it much easier if you would like to use it for a co-op class. 

      Each lesson begins with a section called "Are you ready?"  This section explains a little bit about the region you are going to be studying. 

     Each lesson consists of 6 chapters that include:

• Chapter 1 - Map It: In this chapter you print a map, color what you are told to color, label areas and bodies of water, and explore the map.
• Chapter 2 - The Flag: You will print and color the flag, and cut and paste onto the correct continent map.  You can also place your flag into your Passport (available here as you scroll down the page:https://www.letsgogeography.com/find-out-more/) if you have chosen to use it for your lessons.   
• Chapter 3 - The Music: Here you will learn the anthem of the country you're studying.
• Chapter 4 - Let's Explore: This section lets you explore the region you are learning about.
• Chapter 5 - Create: In this chapter, you will do a fun coloring page and some great activities.
• Chapter 6 - Printables: This is where you find any printables you will need for your lesson. 

     There are links throughout the online curriculum that you can use for your lessons.  My children loved to follow the links in the "Let's Explore" chapters.  They enjoyed getting a quick tour of the country or region they were learning about.  It was very informative and allowed them to see for themselves what the country or region looked like and gave them a look at the people who live there. We had a lot of fun exploring.

     I can say that this geography curriculum is unlike any we have done before in the past.  We will continue to use it throughout our school year and will be purchasing year 2 and 3.  I couldn't believe how much fun my children were having as we studied each lesson.  I like how you can either follow the lesson plan or you can adapt it to study certain areas you are interested in.  It can be used alongside other classes or lessons. This is a wonderful homeschooling resource!

     If you would like to learn more about Let’s Go Geography, I would encourage you to visit their website or their social media pages: 

• Facebook:  https://business.facebook.com/letsgogeography     
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ie/letsgogeography/   

      
    If you like reading reviews from other homeschooling families, you can find some great ones for this product here ⇓⇓⇓

     

Have a blessed day!!!!

Homeschool Review Crew: Our Review of Imagine. . .The Great Flood

     My children love books that take them on an adventure in their imaginations. That is why we were excited to receive and review Imagine. . .The Great Flood by Matt Koceich from Barbour Publishing. We couldn't wait to read it. Just from the cover alone, we knew it was going to be a good book.  

     This is book one of a series that will take children on an imaginational trip through Biblical events. The author Matt Koceich is a schoolteacher and missionary that wants to bring the Bible stories to life through these fictional books. Children will be taught Biblical facts as they read. This book is best suited for ages 8-12. I think this series will be a great addition to any homeschool library.  We can't wait for book 2 coming in 2018. 

     Our adventure begins with 10-year-old Corey Max contemplating what moving to Florida was going to be like.  Corey was not thrilled to move from his home in Texas and was trying to find any excuse to talk his mother out of it.   As they stood there discussing how God was in control of their lives and that they needed to trust Him as they made this big move, a large Texas storm was approaching. 

     Molly, Corey's German shepherd, gets lose and runs off into the woods. Corey chases after her. As he is running he trips and falls.  Little did he know this would be the beginning of an adventure he would never forget. 

     As Corey opens his eyes. He realizes he is not in Texas anymore.  His mom and dog are not there with him. He soon sees a lion near to him and becomes frightened.  Then a man in a robe tells him not to fear the lion for he is gentle.  Corey doesn't understand what is going on right away but is relieved that he is not going to be eaten.  

    The man standing there with Corey is Shem, the son of Noah.  Shem asks Corey to help him gather animals for Noah's ark. Corey was blown away as he realized he was in the time of Noah.

    As Corey's adventure continues he and his new friend Noah must battle the Nephilim who want to stop Noah from building the ark.  Corey comes to realize that faith in God is what will see him through. He must learn to trust God and his plans.  

     As we read through this wonderful book,  my children saw how God uses situations to build our faith.  They enjoyed seeing this Bible story from a new perspective. We feel it was well written and we are looking forward to seeing where we will be whisked off to in the next book of the series.   

    For more information about Barbour Publishing, I would encourage you to check out their social media pages: 

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BarbourPublishing/   
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/barbourbuzz        
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BarbourPublishing1 

     Come on over to see more reviews of this book here  ⇓⇓⇓

Homeschool Review Crew: Our Review of Unauthorized

     Our family loves to play games together.  We try to do it at least once a week if time allows. When we were chosen to receive & review  Unauthorized from Chara Games we were so excited to try it out.  It's so hard to find good wholesome games these days. We love to see companies upholding godly principles while giving us entertainment that the entire family can enjoy. 

     Chara Games is a company that seeks to bring people together through playing table games. The word Chara is the ancient Greek word for enduring joy and that is what they want to bring to the people playing.  Their games help build relationships. They are fun and educational. These games are unlike what we have ever seen before. 

     

     After sitting down together and watching the instructional YouTube video, we were ready to play. At first, it was a little difficult to understand, but as you play you begin to see exactly what is going on.  The game is created for 6 to 12 players, but if you only have 5, one player can take on playing two characters.  The only downfall to playing this way, is they will have the upper hand right from the beginning.  A typical game takes about 30 minutes to play.  I like games that don't take up too much time so we can play more than once. It also leaves room to play other games during family game night.  

     This game gives us a look into what the underground church endures. Will they be faithful to the "church" or will they give into the "state"? Each person is given a "role" to play in the game. At least one will play the role of the state or police. No one wanted that role, but it is needed for the game 😉 The object is for the person playing the role of the pastor or the police to get the other players to their side. The winner is the one {either church or state} with the most on their side at the end of the game. 

      The game includes detailed instructions to help guide you as you play the game.  Our son Ryan is the best at understanding strategy or deduction games so we handed him the directions. He is good at explaining new games to us.  He said he liked how the directions take you step by step through the process of each round and phase of the game. Once we played through the game a few times it got easier to remember what you are supposed to do on each turn. 

      After we were finished playing, {and I am proud to say the church won} we all talked about the pros and cons of the game.  There were many pros like the fact it brought up topics we wouldn't have discussed during any of our other games. The only con was that it does have a lot of steps and until you play the game a few times, they were hard to remember.  

     Personally, I was impressed with how well this game was thought out and put together.  This is one we will be playing on our family game nights at least once a month.  

      If you would like to learn more about this game and others, I would encourage you to go to their website Chara Games or visit their social media pages: 

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharaGames/ 
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CharaGames/ @Charagames 

 

     Would you like to read more reviews of this game?  Come on over to the Homeschool Review Crew website to see what other families are saying

👇

     

Have a wonderful day! May God Bless You!

Homeschool Review Crew: Our Review of Children's Books by Carole P. Roman

     As a homeschooling mom, I love getting new books to add to our home library. When we received Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump, If You Were Me and Lived in... Colonial America, Captain No Beard: An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life, and Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis by author Carole P. Roman, I was excited.  We love reviewing books!

     Carole P. Roman is an award winning author of children's books.  She has quite a few to select from with different age levels and genre. We were given one book from her Historical Series, one from her O Susannah series, and two from her  A Captain No Beard Story - The Series.  Some of her other books include her Cultural series and Bedtime stories. She has so many great options to choose from! 

     I love that her books, except for the early chapter readers, are illustrated beautifully in bright and vibrant colors.  Younger children and older ones alike love to see pages that bring the story to life. These books do just that. I was impressed with how durable the books are also. We received the paperback versions, and they seem to be made very well. That is always a plus for families with many little hands who will be reading them over and over again. 

     Our favorite book was If You Were Me and Lived in...Colonial America: An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time. Children of all ages can enjoy this series. 

     We enjoy looking at different time periods of history. This book tells you all about the experiences you would have had if you had been born in this time period.  From what your parents would have named you to how you would have been educated, this book explains it all.  My daughter was excited to see that they were homeschooled just like her. She couldn't believe how much work the children were expected to complete each day.  She said "I guess I won't complain about my chores anymore Mom".  She was also amazed to see what the clothing looked like and what foods they ate. It left an impression on her. I can honestly say she seems more appreciative of what she has.  This was an excellent book. Not only did it teach about Colonial America, it gave my daughter a new perspective of her life today.  

      We enjoyed reading through Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump: An Oh Susannah Story. 

     This is an early chapter reading book best for readers aged 7-12.  In this book, you will see a little girl named Susannah who is dealing with fear.  She doesn't want to go to her best friend Lola's house for a sleepover because she has been told a ghost lives there.  Susannah soon learns that almost everyone has a fear of something, and she needs to conquer her fears.  She decides to go to the sleepover and finds out that Lola's big brother has been telling her stories that simply were not true.  Lola and Susannah have a good plan to give him a dose of his own medicine.  He soon realizes it's not fun to be scared.   Susannah gets a wonderful surprise at the end of the book... I will let you read it for yourself to see what that surprise is.  

     For fun, we read through our other two books Captain No Beard: An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life - A Captain No Beard Story and Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis: A Captain No Beard Story.

 These books are for young readers, ages 3-8, but we enjoyed reading them.  This series takes you on adventures through your imagination, that teaches you lessons like stealing is wrong.  I think younger children would benefit from reading this series.  

     If you would like to learn more about these books from Carole P. Roman, I would suggest checking out her website and her social media pages: 

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CarolePRomanAwardWinningAuthorAndBooks     
• Twitter:  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/caroleproman   
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroleproman/ 
• Good Reads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5854108.Carole_P_Roman

     Come on over to the Homeschool Review Crew site for more reviews of these books and many more ⇊

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!!!!

Homeschool Review Crew: Our Review of Charlotte’s Web E-Guide

     Just one year ago, our youngest daughter was struggling with reading. She was determined to learn so she could read all the wonderful stories on our bookshelf. One book that she always wanted to read on her own was Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.  When she found out we were receiving and reviewing the Charlotte’s Web E-Guide from Progeny Press, she was delighted. I was thrilled to see her so excited.

   

   As I was looking around the website of Progeny Press, I was amazed to see their mission statement: "To teach our children to think clearly, to understand literature, and to rely on the scripture for truth and values, and enjoy themselves while they do it!" This company wants to help our children learn literature from a Christian perspective. I appreciate a company that stands firm on their beliefs and are open about what they believe and will incorporate into their resources.  

   The site is very simple to navigate and we had no issues downloading the E-guide once we logged in with the information that we were given. As a new customer, you will need to register in order to buy from the store. That is also located at the top right side of the main web page. 

   

   Once you register, you will be ready to buy from the store. After you register once, you will have a sign in and password that will make it easier for you the next time you want to shop the store or download items you have just purchased.  It is very convenient. 

   We couldn't wait to begin our Charlotte's Web E-Guide. You can choose to print it out and use it as a normal study guide, or you can use it on your computer so your child will be able to enter their answers right there on the computer. It will save their work as they go along.  We chose to print it out since our daughter does better when she writes out her answers by hand. 

   We already had the book Charlotte's Web on our shelf, but if you don't have it you will need to purchase or borrow it in order to use this E-Guide. 

   This guide is for grades 4 to 6 and I think that is a perfect fit.  Our daughter is 10 and in the 5th grade and she didn't have any problems completing the work. There were just a few times she needed my help, but that is to be expected. 

   As your child works through the E-Guide, they will be taught subjects like:

• Vocabulary
• Character Development
• Reading Comprehension
• Descriptive Writing
• Thinking Skills

   The guide has you reading about 3 or 4 chapters at a time, then you stop and work in the study guide.  You will need to have a dictionary, thesaurus, and Bible on hand when working through your questions in the guide. We used the internet for some of the activities.  I liked the way they incorporated the Bible into the study. It gave this book a new perspective for me and my daughter.

   Towards the back of the study guide, you will find ideas for post-reading activities and a list of additional resources. They really put a lot of effort into making this study guide for Charlotte's Web stand out from all the rest. 

   I would encourage you to go to the Progeny Press website and look at all the wonderful resources they have to offer. They also have social media pages for you to learn more about them here:

• Facebook:  www.facebook.com/progenypress
• Twitter:  www.twitter.com/progenypress
• Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/ProgenyPress
• Pinterest:  www.pinterest.com/progenypress
• Instagram:  www.instagram.com/progenypress

   I always love to read what other families think of products before I buy them. If you would like to read more reviews of this E-Guide and a few others, come on over to the Homeschool Review Crew site ⇓

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!