HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW: OUR REVIEW OF Author Mattie Richardson/Appaloosy Books

     Our daughter has loved horses since she was a little girl.  She isn't keen to historical books, but these caught her eye right away when I showed them to her.  I was thrilled to see her excited to receive and review the books by Author Mattie Richardson/Appaloosy Books.  We were given all four books in the  Mattie Richardson's Horses in History Series.  

     Hope was even more excited about reading these books once she found out who had wrote them.  Mattie Richardson is a former homeschool student who wrote her first book at the young age of 13.  Hope is 12, so this was a great inspiration to her.  Mattie wrote this series to help students want to learn history again.  She wanted to make it interesting and exciting for young readers.  She wants to change that many children do not like reading, writing and studying history these days.  I am so happy to have someone who wants to make history fun for kids again.  This writer is a great source of encouragement for me and my daughter.  

     This series was created for children ages 8-14, but I feel anyone would enjoy reading them.  They are not long in length and are great for reading aloud as a family as well as personal reading. 

      Appaloosy will take you on an adventure with Storm, a beautiful Appaloosa brown horse.  This horse belongs to a tribe called the Nez Perce. You will learn all about this tribe and their hand in development of the Appaloosa. 

     Storm doesn't like being a fenced in horse.  He wants to be wild and free. After being sold a few times, Storm settles in with a young girl named Faith.  Here he finally finds a home with a girl that he has a strong bond with, but is soon stolen away. He is a headstrong horse and after freeing himself, he will have to choose to go back to Faith or remain free.

     My daughter couldn't put this book down.  I wasn't expecting that at all.  This is Mattie's first book and wow... it must have been incredible!!! 

      Dusty's Trail is a book that teaches all about the Pony Express.  It begins with a young man named Levi decides to take his horse Dusty and head out looking for a new job.  Dusty is less than enthused about the idea since he loves his life on the little farm.  Levi decides to go for this very dangerous job and takes off in the middle night with is trusty horse Dusty.  

      Your child will be taken on a historical adventure that will reveal all the facts about the Pony Express as seen through the eyes of Levi and Dusty.  I enjoyed seeing Hope liking to learn about this time in history without complaining.  

     We haven't had a chance to read through the next two books Golden Sunrise and Day and Night, but are looking forward to reading through them over our Christmas break.   These books will take us through the times of Davy Crockett and The Civil War.  I can't wait to read them.  I know Hope is anxious to finish the series as well. We were also given a PDF of the Enrichment Guide for Day and Night that we will be completing.  We have just had the opportunity to visit with our oldest daughter and her little family these past weeks and wanted to give them our undivided attention as they live so far away.  I will be reviewing the next two books right after Christmas break so stay tuned :) 

      Would you like to learn more about these books and their amazing author?  I would encourage you to check out their website and social media pages listed below:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Appaloosy7/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/appaloosybooks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AppaloosyBooks

   We also have more reviews for you to read over on the Homeschool Review Crew site.  Just click the link below ⇊⇊⇊⇊

HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW: OUR REVIEW OF CrossTimber - Name Meaning Gifts

     Our daughter Hope has a very special name and I have always wanted to do something to show her how special it is and now with the help of Your Amazing Name - Personalized Adventures for EVERY name! from CrossTimber - Name Meaning Gifts I was able to do that.  We were given a digital video from them to review and I couldn't be more pleased from what we were given.  This company sees how precious names are and want to share that with their customers. 

 

    

     CrossTimber - Name Meaning Gifts is an awesome company that provides personal items that gives your name meaning in many ways.  They not only tell you the origin of a name, they share its meaning and how special it is.  They remind you how special you are not only to the ones who gave you that name, but to God as well.  He knew you by name before you were born.  How awesome is that!!!  These gifts are such a sweet present to give to loved ones. I absolutely love everything I saw on their site.

     The video we were given is about 30 minutes in length and each minute was a precious reminder of God's purpose for us and His love for us.  It also shows how much your loved ones thought of you when they named you.  Your name was picked for you!!  You were on their mind every second as they chose it.  In the video that is made for you, your child will see artwork that you have submitted and pictures of them.  For smaller children this will be a thrill!!!  Our daughter is a little older and this video had more sentimental value to her.  She teared as she read the note that they add in the video from the person who purchased the video.  This note for her was from her daddy and me and she saw how much we loved and cared for her as this note was read to her. 

      In her video a little Pencil was her guide to learn all about her special name.  She giggled a little as she watched but was very touched.  Owl was her favorite character and she was interested to know the origin of her name.  We had no idea it was Anglo-Saxon.   This is a video she will watch over the years and keep forever.  

     We were also given a little PDF file full of activities that used her name.  She says she wished she would have had these when she was a little younger.  Preschool and Elementary aged kids will love these.  

     If you have a child that you would love to thrill with a video all about their name or wonderful items that have their name on it, I would encourage you to check out CrossTimber - Name Meaning Gifts.  You can also look them up on their Pinterest account for more about them. 

      We have more reviews for you over on the Homeschool Review Crew site.  Just follow the link below 👇👇👇👇

HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW: OUR REVIEW OF CALVERT HOMESCHOOL

      I have never thought I would want to do online homeschooling, but I am always willing to try new programs and see what is a good fit for our family and what is not.  I was more than happy to receive and review a six month access to Calvert Homeschool Online provided by Calvert Homeschool.  I love companies that try to help homeschooling families find new and innovative ways to teach their children.  

     Calvert Homeschool is an online program that requires an internet connection, but can be used anywhere you go as long as you have a connection.  I love how versatile it is.  The online subscription gives you access to 45 courses for up to 3 students.  This is geared for grades 3-12 and they have placement tests to help you decide what classes would be best for your student.  

     

      There is a parenting board that makes setting up the assignments for your children easy.  You will make an account for your child/children then you choose what classes they will be taking and the dates they will be doing them.  When your child signs in to their account, they will see the assignments for that day and they can easily navigate to what they are required to do.  Once your child completes an assignment, you will receive their progress and grades on your parenting board.  It is all so easy!!!  I wish I would have had something like this when my older 4 were in school.  I love that they even have themes and colors to choose from. I love sites that can be personalized.  

     We decided to use this program for our 7th grade daughter.  She is using it for Math, History, and Science.  They have other classes like Language Arts, but we decided not to do that one at this time.  Hope is not one to sit in front of a computer everyday, so we have been using it 3 days a week and she is doing well.  She loves the Math classes most but is progressing well through World Civilizations and Science 700.  

     When they begin each class they are given a course overview.  Once they read through that, they begin their course.  Each class has a page explaining the concept, then questions to answer. When they complete it and are graded they mark it as complete and are ready to move on.  You as a parent can choose if they need to go over the concept again if they didn't do well. It is quite a remarkable program and always has the parent in mind as well as the student's education.

     Do you feel like your homeschool needs a change? Do you need more time to do other things in your home while your student is learning? I know I have been there many times and this program could be the answer.  I encourage you to check out their site and social media pages listed below:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CalvertHomeschool

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalvertEdu

Instagram: www.instagram.com/calverthomeschool

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/CalvertHomeschool/

     We also have more reviews of this program over on the Homeschool Review Crew website.  Just click the link below 

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