Our Homeschool Reviews

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

It's Maisy's Birthday!!

Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Our Homeschool Reviews and get our articles right to your inbox!

©2010-2013 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

Friday, October 18, 2013

God's World News Review

Funny Bunny enjoys reading magazines and has a couple of subscriptions to various titles, so when we had the opportunity to review a Christian World News magazine, I was excited at the thought of introducing current news stories to her.

God's World News provides news and interesting information for children - biblically, appropriately, and vibrantly - so they can grow in their understanding that God has the whole world in His hands.

We received News Current, which is written for students in 5th and 6th grades.

God's World News offers several editions, based on your child's grade:

* God’s Big World: Pre-K - Kindergarten
* Early Edition: 1st - 2nd
* Grade News Flash: 3rd - 4th Grade
* News Current: 5th - 6th Grade
* Top Story: Middle School
* Trak: High School

We received the August, September, and October issues of God's World News: News Current, along with a nice 20'x30" world map.

Each issue of News Current {for 5th and 6th grades} includes:

* Editorials to help teach critical thinking skills.
* Lessons to teach Civics, Geography, Economics, & Worldview.
* MAP-IT! Locator maps
* News graphics that explain complex ideas simply.
* WEEDING WORDS that teach word meanings in context.
* Quizzes to test reading comprehension.
* Web content at kids.wng.org

I'll be honest, when we received these magazines in the mail, Funny Bunny was not interested. Maybe the words "World News" in the title just didn't seem too exciting to my 10 year old. I had to make her sit with me as I read the first few stories aloud.

In the August issue we read stories about archery, about the former NSA worker Edward Snowden, and about immigration and the tools used to track those who enter the country illegally. There are funny stories and serious stories, short and long stories. There are political cartoons and crosswords. Each article is written to a 5th and 6th grade level so it is easy to read and understand.

What I like best about many of the articles is that they acknowledge that God has the whole world in His hands. God is in control...God made the people in His image. Some articles urge us to pray for our country. Others reference Bible verses and ask the reader what they think regarding the situation.

She did find some of the articles interesting on her own, but I think I may be reading most of them aloud to her {which of course, I don't mind doing}. I do not turn on the TV news in our home, so I think this is a great way for her to be introduced to and keep up with world news!

Each subscription includes:

* 10 full-color, monthly issues for home subscriptions.
* 7 monthly issues for school subscriptions.
* 32 pages per issue, filled with age-appropriate news and activities.
* Children's website access at kids.wng.org
* Weekly email newsletter for parents and teachers.
* Biographies and topical lessons to download and print.

If you have some time, take a peek at the children's website included with the membership! I LOVE this site!! You can see below that you select your child's grade and they can read appropriate articles on different topics. I won't let Funny Bunny go online unsupervised, so this is a safe website for her to browse. I'm thinking about adding one article a day to her schoolwork. She seems to prefer reading the articles online vs. in print.

Parents can also log onto the website and read lessons and biographies that were selected for each issue {120 in total}. You can even access the magazine digitally.

Thoughts of a 10-Year Old: When we first got the magazine, I admit that I felt that it was going to be a little bit boring. Then my mom read me some articles while on a road trip, and I realized just because the articles are a bit long doesn't mean they're boring. I actually prefer going on the God's World News site and reading the articles online. The magazine has really interesting, true stories and news alerts. It is quite a good magazine and I am now enjoying it very much!

Find Out More: You can find out more online at God's World News. A home subscription of 10 monthly issues is $28. Subscriptions can also be purchased for homeschool groups and schools, and e-subscriptions are available. Prices vary for each.

You can also opt in to receive Teaching God’s World News, which is a weekly email newsletter for parents and teachers. Included are links to the PDF versions of the magazines, answer keys to quizzes and puzzles, and links to additional content.

My Crewmates are also reviewing God's World News, so you can check out what they think HERE.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

New Look!

My blog has a new look today! If you are reading this in a reader or via email, click on over and take a look. I hope you like it! Julie over at LeeLou Blogs worked on it last night.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: In the Mountains

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Homeschool Mother's Journal 10-15-13

In our homeschool the past few weeks…

I am behind on posting a couple weeks since we were out of town so here's my makeup post. ;) Funny Bunny completed Units 8 and 9 in Heart of Dakota's Creation to Christ.

History Notebook Pages

History Projects

Ark of the Covenant traveling through the Jordan River

A Philistine Helmet

Science {Horse Gaits}

Books I am reading aloud to Funny Bunny...

Books Funny Bunny is reading independently...

In our lives last week…

We took a trip to visit our family in North Carolina. It was such a fun trip and they were so welcoming! Can't wait to visit again soon!

Monday, October 14, 2013

Chess House Review

Funny Bunny has wanted to learn how to play chess for a while now, so she was excited to receive the Starter Chess Learning Kit from Chess House!!

The kit is really nice and everything fits inside a zip-up case! The kit includes:

* Elliott's Chess School DVD 1 - Pawn Level

* Solid plastic chess pieces with 3 3/4" regulation size king

* Roll-up chess board

* Chess bag that holds all 32 pieces, roll-up chess board, and DVD

The chess bag comes in black, green, navy, green camo, and tan camo. We received tan camo. Doesn't it go nicely with Funny Bunny's decor? ;)

Once opened you can see there are compartments for the chess pieces, DVD, and rolled up chess board.

The board was easy to take out and unroll and laid nicely on the table.

At this point, the DVD was essential!! The only person in our home who knows how to play chess is hubby, and he is far from an expert. We found the DVD to be wonderful and easy to follow.

It features an introduction of the chess board and of each piece, strategies for each piece, and a booklet with practice positions and exercises for every topic on the DVD. This was really the best part!

Topics include:

Intro to Chess (board, names of pieces, values)
Pawns
Rooks
Bishops
The Queen
The King
Knight
Castling
Pawn shields and when to break it
Development

This video series is designed to lay a solid foundation, building the basics of playing a great chess. If interested, there are three more levels in the Elliot's Chess School Series. Elliot does a great job of introducing the viewer to the game and explaining in simple terms how to move pieces.

The DVD is not made to watch straight through and then play a game of chess. After each topic, you open the booklet and play the described exercise.

For example, after learning the pieces and their values, you play a game where you race to see who can set up their pieces on the board first. Then you play a game where one person calls out a number and each player gathers their pieces in any combination to equal that value.

After mastering one topic, you then move the to next. I like this concept. Below is a sample of the video.

Thoughts of a 10-Year Old: I have been enjoying Chess House. A couple of years ago we borrowed a chess program from a friend, and ever since I have wanted to play chess. And I think this really helped me learn how to play, step-by-step, and now I'm a pretty good chess player! It gives lots of tutorials and it has a few mini games for each piece until you master the game of chess. There are six levels: Pawns, Rooks, Bishops, Queen, King, and Knight. I like this product so much and it has helped me to become a better player!

Find Out More: You can find out more online at Chess House. The Starter Chess Learning Kit retails for $49.95 but right now is on sale for $39.95. It is ideal for all ages, and would make a great gift!

My Crewmates are also reviewing Chess House, so you can check out what they think HERE.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Back Home!

We arrived back yesterday from a week in the mountains of GA, NC, and TN. It was a relaxing and fun week spent with family!!

I obviously neglected my blog while we were away. Sorry about that...but here's a few pictures from our trip.

Friday, October 4, 2013

YWAM Publishing Review

We were given the opportunity to review a YWAM Publishing ebook, Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose, from the Christian Heroes: Then and Now series.

For those of you who weren't aware {like me}, YWAM, which was founded in 1960, stands for Youth With A Mission. They are a large interdenominational Christian ministry with 17,000 volunteer staff based in nearly 900 locations in over 140 countries.

I not only received the ebook, Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose, but also received the Unit Study Curriculum Guide to go along with the book.

So Funny Bunny and I snuggled up and I read aloud from my iPad. We had both heard of Jim Elliot's story but not in any detail. We were immediately drawn in and could hardly put it down. It was exciting to read about his adventure and his determination.

From their website:

Jim and Pete turned to see the Auca men, their deadly spears raised, running toward Nate, Ed, and Roger. Jim stood in the river, his hand on his pistol. Should he defend himself? He already knew the answer. Each man had promised the others that he would not save himself by killing those they had sought out in Jesus' name.

Jim Elliot and his coworkers surrendered their lives in Ecuador's jungle, trusting that their sacrifice would not be in vain. Decades later, this dramatic event has challenged countless Christians to live with one great purpose: to bring the gospel to those who have never heard. (1927-1956).

This best-selling, missionary biography series - Christian Heroes: Then & Now - chronicles the exciting, challenging, and deeply touching true stories of ordinary men and women whose trust in God accomplished extraordinary exploits for His kingdom and glory.

We used the Unit Study Curriculum Guide along the way, which covers many areas including geography, social studies, history, and world missions.

The Unit Study Curriculum Guide includes and lot of great information and ideas...much more than any person could use, which is nice because you can pick and choose what you want!

We mainly focused on the scripture memorization, chapter questions, vocabulary terms, and geography, but there is so much more. Enough in fact, that I think you could take a whole 9 weeks exploring all the topics. Wouldn't it be a great idea to study several Christian Heroes through the year and still be able to touch on so many school subjects?!

Thoughts of a 10-Year Old: The Jim Elliot book was extremely exciting and full of suspense. We could hardly stop reading! The Unit Study was fun to do and it had us look up words in the story that we didn't know the meaning of! The Jim Elliot study was really fun and it made me want to know about other missionaries!

Find Out More: You can find out more online at YWAM Publishing. Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose is just $6.99 and available in paperback, Nook edition or Kindle edition. The Unit Study Curriculum Guide is only $7.49. This book is recommended for ages 10 and up.

My Crewmates are also reviewing YWAM Publishing, so you can check out what they think HERE.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Classroom Friendly Supplies: Best Pencil Sharpener EVER!

Are you like me and buy a new, cheap pencil sharpener just about every year? It may work some of the time, but for the most part, it just doesn't sharpen well at all.

Our previous electric pencil sharpener only worked when I held it a certain way and if we grabbed it from the wrong end, all the shavings would go everywhere. What a mess!!

So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered the sharpener that all the teachers are talking about at Classroom Friendly Supplies!!

This amazing pencil sharpener was invented by a elementary school teacher, who along with his co-workers, was fed up with the loud and inefficient pencil sharpeners that they had in their classrooms.

And not only does it sharpen every pencil perfectly every time, it's been named the quietest classroom pencil sharpener!

So what do we think? We LOVE IT!! It is a little different from other pencil sharpeners, so we did have to look online at their helpful user video to learn how to use it. But once we got the hang of it, sharpening pencils became a breeze!

Edited on 3-11-14 - This pencil sharpener is still going strong and we love it!

Here's a little video we made to show you how easy it is to use. :)

And look at our pencils!! Every one sharpened the same way, each time.

Find Out More: You can find out more online at Classroom Friendly Supplies. Sharpeners are $24.99 and come in Cool Blue, Fire Engine Red, Groovy Green, Midnight Black, and Precious Pink. Buy 3 or more for just $17.99 each or 36 for $13.99 each. Each sharpener comes with free shipping and a 90 day money back guarantee. Blade replacements are also available. Go here to view more Photos and How To Videos.