WORD Bible Study and Video Series - Facebook Party and Exclusive Freebie

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My amazing friend Kelli Becton blogger at Adventures in ChildRearing and Frugal Mommas would like to tell you about this amazing Bible Study by Lyn Smith.  I haven't personally looked this resource over but it sounds pretty amazing and helps you get closer to God through an encouraging and inspirational Bible Study and video series. Keep reading to find out more and to hear Kelli's personal thoughts.

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You are officially invited to join the fun with a Facebook party full of prizes and encouragement - as we celebrate the launch of Lyn Smith's powerful new Bible Study & video series.

GO HERE to pre-register & get an exclusive FREEBIE!

Meet the author
We will "meet the author" and enjoy her straight forward answers to questions about what inspired her and why she wrote this study. You'll gain encouragement and inspiration that can change your life.

The video series, along with the workbook - will surprise you as Lyn's passion for knowing God becomes contagious. Her straight forward & honest approach is done with love and a non-judgemental attitude that invites everyone to take a step closer to their Creator.

More Jesus Less Me
"Right off the bat in this study, I was convicted of areas in my life that needed more Jesus & less me! I was reminded of the constant dialogue that is supposed to be a part of my daily walk with the Lord; the one that is all too often set aside during the business of life.

I was also reminded that God doesn't need me to stop everything (although, that is also important) to talk to Him. Scheduled time with the Lord, quiet time matters, but too often - I skip the daily dialogue because I feel guilty that I haven't slowed down and given Him the time He deserves from me. He doesn't NEED me . . . I NEED Him - He just Wants me to spend time with Him. Amazing how much love and forgiveness is there if we only accept it." ~ Kellie Becton

Right Words

You don't have to be "in" church. You don't have to use "just the right words". God wants to hear from you from the heart. He simply wants to spend time with you. . . . and when we do this . . . REALLY do this - what a powerful change takes place in our hearts!!

Do you have a regular dialogue with God?

About the book: What you're going through matters, not only to you but to God. He cares about your finances, diagnosis, marriage, children, job, fears, dreams, concerns and goals. He cares so much that He wrote a Book for you that meets you right where you are and leads you into the power-filled life. God's Word is alive and exciting! Journey for six weeks through Psalm 119 and experience fresh insight, fresh solutions, fresh purpose, and fresh power. His words will leap off the pages of Scripture, illuminate your life, astound you, and change you.

About the author: Lyn Smith is a Bible Activist, speaker, and author. Whether speaking or writing, she passionately communicates what she loves the most - God and His Word. "The Leadher Challenge" was her first book, a collaborative effort with six other ministry leaders. "Think 4:8 - 40 Days to a Joy-filled Life for Teens" was co-written with bestselling author Tommy Newberry. Lyn's latest release, "WORD - Psalm 119: a study in 22 meditations," is a Bible study, with video downloads available on her website ... www.lynsmith.org

Get a copy!

Check out Lyn's Site

See other books by Lyn & watch her video on the Author page HERE. 

Come join us and learn more about this life changing - heart softening - eye opening new book. WORD.

Tuesday Night - March 10 at 9 pm ET - Facebook page for A Journey Through Learning

Use your refresh button often to keep up with the fun - right from your own home! We will hear from Lyn, learn about the book, win prizes and freebies for the family, and leave encouraged!

Berenstain Bears And The Biggest Brag Book Review

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I grew up reading the Berenstain Bears books...they were some of my favorite books. The Berenstain Bears franchise started in 1962 and has over 300 titles with 260 million copies sold in 23 languages. The creators of the books Stan and Jan Berenstain have both passed away, but their son Mike Berenstain has continued their legacy and is continuing to write and illustrate wholesome children's books that I can now share with my own children.

A moms review:

We received a copy of The Biggest Brag to review. This paperback book is the newest addition to the Berenstain Bears Living Lights series which teaches children simple Christian values, morals and truths. The book is 24 pages long and geared toward children ages 4-8 years old.

In the story Brother and Sister Bear learn a valuable lesson about bragging and boasting from Grizzly Gramps. The story begins with Brother and Sister Bear listing all the things they are good at and how proud they are of all their hard work and effort. Mother and Father Bear explain to the cubs that they need to stop their bragging and boasting because they are both very talented and it is not a kind and loving thing to do. Papa and Mama remind the cubs about what the Bible says, "It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud," But that doesn't stop the cubs.

The next day they stop at the park to rest and lay down on a grassy hill to do some cloud watching. And before they know it they are in a silly contest arguing and boasting over who can spot the best and most exciting pictures in the clouds. Gramps overhears them and decides to intervene. He gently explains to the children that their bragging is foolish and not something they should be proud of. That being proud of a special talent is one thing, but bragging about a talent is foolish. Then he reminds them of what the bible says, "Where there is strife, there is pride." He then invites the children to his house for a game of checkers and some milk and cookies. Bad habits are hard to break so of course the cubs immediately start bragging about who will win...until Gramps reminds them yet again of their promise to not brag and boast. The cubs apologize and walk down the hill to Gramps.

The book teaches important lessons about humility, bragging, changing habits, apologizing for mistakes and more.

As an added bonus, there is a discussion section entitled “Activities and Questions from Brother and Sister Bear" at the end of the book. This is a two part section that facilitates discussions and challenges children to do something related to the theme of the respective stories

Gwyn's thoughts:
I really like the book. I love the Berenstain Bear books and have lots of them that I read at bedtime. I fight with my brother a lot and this book taught me a good lesson on not trying to compete with him.

About the author and illustrator:

Mike Berenstain grew up watching his parents, Stan and Jan, working together to write and draw these lovable bears. Eventually he started drawing and writing about them too.

Links to follow: -Berenstain Bears Facebook 

Where to buy:
You can purchase The Biggest Brag on Amazon for $3.99.

44 Animals of the Bible Review

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This month for the Moms of MasterBooks we reviewed 44 Animals of the Bible! Below is my review about the book. 

A moms review:
Do you have any children who love learning about animals? My children do, whether it's a creepy crawly snake or large graceful elephant. Whenever we visit the library I can pretty much guarantee that we will coming home with books on animals. About a month ago we received a copy of 44 Animals of the Bible and the children were really excited. They immediately began paging through the book to look at all the beautiful animal illustrations.

This beautiful 8 x 8, hardback book is 44 pages. It was written by Nancy Pelander Johnson and illustrated by Lloyd R. Hight. The book is obviously about 44 animals, but these are just any animals they are animals that are mentioned in the Bible. Each animals gets a single page which includes several paragraphs of text about the animal, a beautiful full-color, glossy drawing of the animal, and a Bible verse that mentions the animal.

The text on each page is short, simple and easy to read, but it provides lots of interesting facts about the animal such as where it is found, what it eats, etc. There is also information regarding how the animal is referenced in the Bible and a Biblical verse at the bottom of the page that mentions the animal.

One interesting animal we learned about was the Palmerworm...which is not really a worm. It is actually a young form of a locust which looks like a worm. Some of the other animals included in the book are the Peacock, Horse, Lizard, Leopard. Weasel, Whale...

This book can be used in a variety of ways. One way would be utilizing it as a daily devotional. It is great for children of all ages. Be sure to preview the book here.

More about the book:
God watches when the doe gives birth to her fawn. He makes the leopard swift to hunt its prey. From the exotic ibex to the more commonly-known tortoise, these and the other wonderful creatures of this book will delight children and parents during an exploration of where each animal appears in Scripture!

The 44 Animals of the Bible are:

• Shown in splendid, full-color illustrations
• Included within the text of specific Bible verses
• Easy-to-read with helpful details and fascinating facts!

God cares for the animals and He wants us to do the same, as they represent some of the most amazing and unique creatures that He has designed. Learn their importance and connections to biblical events and develop a cultural understanding of their place in the Bible with this delightful presentation.

Where to buy:You can purchase 44 Animals of the Bible for as low as $4.89 at New Leaf Publishing. You can also get the book on Amazon.

Be sure to visit the other Moms Of Master Books to see what they thought.

Our Top 5 Favorite Books From Master Books - 2014

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I have been part of the Moms of Master Books team since 2012, but before that I was a faithful party goer. This year we reviewed some great books and as always I am sharing our top 5 favorite for the year. 

Here the are our top 5:

1) Galapagos Islands - The book is loaded with amazing facts and information regarding the Galapagos Islands, Darwin and biblical worldview. Throughout the book there are biblical scriptures which support a biblical worldview of creation. This book was a great addition to our science and geography studies....

2) Bugs Big and Small God Made Them All -  This book is great for children of all ages. Children will learn about where each bug lives, their body parts, how they got their names and more. Vocabulary and bug names are super easy for children to find because they are written in bold text and highlighted in light green....

 

3) Awesome Science DVDs: – Glacier & Rocky Mountain National Parks - The DVDs are 30 minutes long (perfect for short attention spans) and the subject matter is explained in a simple and entertaining way. Both my 6 and 8 year old can easily understand and identify with all of the information being discussed on the DVDs. Plus all of information on the DVDs is explained using a Biblical Worldview with scriptures mentioned throughout....

4) 44 Animals of the Bible - The book is obviously about 44 animals, but these are just any animals they are animals that are mentioned in the Bible. Each animals gets a single page which includes several paragraphs of text about the animal, a beautiful full-color, glossy drawing of the animal, and a Bible verse that mentions the animal.

5) Water and Weather - We absolutely loved this book, but I dropped the ball and did not get a review posted on it. It is the perfect science book for learning about water and weather and it went along great with our weather unit study we did earlier this year. Science unfolds as activities bring alive the natural curiosity of children. This new title covers not only the weather and varying climates around the world, but explores the results of weather events in the past. The great Flood was a cataclysmic event that left behind fossils, and these impressions reveal much about what happened during and after this historical event. Form a connection between this biblical history and the world experienced outside your door as natural processes like rain and wind are shown to be forces at work in the environment!

Be sure to stop by and see what the top 5 choices were from some of the other Moms of Master Books!

Looking forward to 2015:
There are some exciting resources coming out in 2015 and I cannot wait to share them with you. Resources like The Electrifying Nervous System, The Mineral book and Awesome Science: Explore Dinosaur National Monument.  I hope to see you at some of the Facebook parties next year too...did you know you can win copies of the amazing books/dvds we review at the party?

New Liberty - Anthem For A Nation DVD Review

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New Liberty Videos is a family-owned Christian company dedicated to producing quality family friendly, educational DVDs. The company was founded by Brian Barkley, a former Hollywood television editor who became a follower of Jesus in 1977 while producing the documentary "Set Free."

A moms review: 
We received a copy of Anthem for a Nation to review and have watched it a few times over the last several weeks. This American history documentary explores the qualities that make America great. The DVD is about 42 minutes long  and also includes 2 special features.

Anthem for a Nation is recommended for a general audience, however it is recommended that parents preview the video before showing it to their children as there may be subjects that you are not ready to discuss with younger children yet. I watched this DVD with my 8 and 7 year old and there was definitely at least one topic that I had to discuss with them further afterwards, and that was the topic of abortion.

The video offers a Christian worldview on the history of America. The message is very powerful and explains the question, "why has America prospered like no other nation in the history of the World?" It is a known fact that America was founded on Christian principles, but did you know that there is actually scripture carved into many of the historical monuments? Or that the several federal building and monuments in Washington, D.C form a perfect cross when viewed aerially? Or that the 10 Commandments hang above the Chief Justice in the United States Supreme Court? These were just some of the many interesting facts we learned from this DVD. 

Throughout the documentary there are beautiful patriotic music pieces and breathtaking scenes depicting American life, history and landscapes. In between the various montages the narrator tells viewers about the Christian background of our nation. He shares facts about the constitution, government buildings, and how God has been systematically removed from our nation's principles over the years. And he dives into how the Bible and prayer have been removed from public schools.

We enjoyed the film and my children found it very engaging. Though I didn't fully agree with every aspect of the film, I did enjoy all the fantastic facts about the history of our nation and do feel that it is important for my children to learn about the founding principles of our country and why we are able to enjoy so many of the freedoms we have today.

Our country is definitely in dire need of help for many reasons and this DVD encourages Christians to renew the qualities and freedom our country was founded on to preserve it for future generations.

The additional features were really amazing and a great bonus for us since we are currently learning about WWII. In the first special feature Maria Anne Hirschmann tells her amazing story of living in Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia. In the second special feature Kitt Werthmann tells her story of growing up in Austria under Hitler's regime.

After watching the documentary we decided to do some further research. We hopped online and took a virtual fieldtrip to some of the monuments and  places that were shown in the film and learned more about each of them.

You can view a 15 minute preview here.

Where to buy:
New Liberty Videos can be purchased for just $14.95 each + FREE shipping. If you order multiple DVDs you can save money!

Click here for more New Liberty DVD reviews from the The Schoolhouse Review Crew.

Bugs Big & Small God Made Them All Review

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This month for the Moms of MasterBooks we reviewed Bugs Big & Small God Made Them All! Below is my review about the books as well as further details about this months Facebook party. 

A moms review:
My children love bugs, so much so that we actually have a bug specimen board and a family of Madagascar Cockroaches (we have 4 adults and about 35 babies). So you can imagine how excited they were when this book arrived at our door. They immediately grabbed the book and began flipping through the pages before I even had a chance to look at it. This is what I heard next, "Wow, no way, mom come look at how cool this bug is."  

This informational, hardback book is 80 pages of buggy fun. It was written by Will Zinke who was homeschooled and now homeschools his own children. He is passionate about insects and holds a BS in biology. The book is broken into 6 sections: Amazing Creepy Crawlers, Jumbo Giants, Weird & Wonderful, Bugs in Camo, Bizarre and Beautiful and Words To Know. The full-color, glossy photographs are absolutely wonderful and incredibly detailed.

This book is great for children of all ages. Children will learn about where each bug lives, their body parts, how they got their names and more. Vocabulary and bug names are super easy for children to find because they are written in bold text and highlighted in light green. Throughout the book there are "Creepy Cool" purple triangles that provide interesting facts on various bugs. Like did you know that a Large toothed longhorn beetle spends up to 10 years of its life in the larva stage? In the back of the book there is a page with multiple bug related scriptures, a glossary of "Words to Know," and removable bug flashcards.

One of my favorite things about this book is that it highlights the beauty and incredible design of insects. All those stereotypes about bugs being dirty and gross will be completely eliminated after reading Bugs Big and Small!

Your Story Hour - Dramatized Audio Stories For The Entire Family

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Your Story Hour is a global, non-profit, interfaith Christian educational organization that was established in 1949.  Your Story Hour speaks to children around the world through their dramatized audio stories from History, the Bible, and everyday adventures. 

A moms review:
We were contacted by Your Story Hour and asked to review one of their audio story albums. Our family loves audio stories so I gratefully accepted. Since we homeschool a lot on the road audio stories are perfect for our family.

First let me tell you more about Your Story Hour then I will tell you about the album we choose and what we thought.

More about Your Story Hour:
In today's crazy world it is hard to find decent role models that teach positive decision making skills. However what if I told you that through dramatized audio stories children can be inspired to make sound choices by being exposed to stories that show the positive results of developing character traits such as honesty, integrity, courage and faith. Each CD set from Your Story Hour teaches positive values and morals that children will remember for a lifetime while being educated and entertained. Your Story Hour stories are narrated by Uncle Dan and Aunt Sue and are enhanced with sound effects and music to help bring them to life and captivate children. Your Story Hour is great for the entire family...even parents. Though many of their products are faith based their history albums are secular.

Here are some of the products currently offered by Your Story Hour:

• Acts of the Apostles
• Adventures in Life (4 Volumes)
• Bible Comes Alive (5 Volumes)
• Great Stories (12 Volumes) 
• Heritage of our Country
• Patterns of Destiny
• The Teen Scene
• The Young Abe Lincoln
• Activity books to compliment various CD sets

Each album comes in a sturdy, plastic case with protective vinyl sleeves to hold the CDs. On the front of the album cases are a terrific illustrations depicting some of the figures from the stories.

How we used it:
We choose to go with the Great Stories Volume 3 set which features 12 dramatized, historical audio stories on 6 CDs. Volume 3 features the adventures of several historical figures who faced much adversity, but persevered with courage and determination. Each episode is approximately 30 minutes in length.

Stories included on Volume 3:

• Johnny Appleseed - (2 parts) Story of John Chapman - the  man who gave apple seeds to the early American pioneers
• Robert E. Lee - (4 parts) Hero of the South
• Sacagawea - (2 parts) One Little Indian Girl and Indian Guide - Indian girl who was kidnapped from her tribe and eventually became a guide for the explorers Lewis and clark
• The Daring Locomotive Chase - (2 parts) Exciting true tale from the American Civil War
• The Girl Astronomer - story of a little Quaker girl who grew up to discover a comet
• Precious Burdens/Part-Time Indian - Two stories about the things in life that matter most.

We choose to go with this set for a few reasons. First my daughter is very passionate about the Native American culture and loves learning about Native American history. Second we live in Georgia and are surrounded by Civil War history. We have visited many of the Civil War sights in Georgia and have even seen the real "General locomotive."

Immediately after popping in the first CD I had a sense of nostalgia. I then realized that I had heard the Your Story Hour dramatized stories before on the radio as a child. When I was a young child my parents would put on Your Story Hour Bible stories just about every Sunday.

Listening to these audio stories really helped bring history to life for my 7 and 8 year old. The stories also taught them important values as well. We mostly listen to them on our car rides. It always seems to take us 1/2 hr to 1 hr to get everywhere we need to go so we have plenty of time to listen to a story or two! While the children listened they would draw pictures to illustrate what is going on in the story. Even I learned a thing or two from these amazing CDs.

My daughter loved the Sacagawea story and begged to learn more about her and Lewis and Clark. My son loved the story about the General locomotive and is really looking forward to visiting The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History again so we can see "The General." I loved the Robert E. Lee story. We recently visited Stone Mountain which has a large carving of President Jefferson Davis and Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. It was during our visit that I realized I knew very little about these 3 men. Lee in my mind was a tyrant and could not possibly teach us any important values or character traits. But after listening to the 4 part audio story on Lee I realized there was a lot I didn't know about him. Though Lee fought against the Union and believed that slavery was not wrong he showed great persevere for several years with a Confederate Army that was outnumbered many times. And even though he was eventually defeated, his army achieved amazing victories that brought the Confederacy to the verge of its independence on several occasions during the Civil War.

Freebies:

Check out the Kids Korner for FREE activities and learning tools. Also check to see if your local radio plays the Your Story Hour stories.

Links to follow:

-Your Story Hour Facebook
-Your Story Hour Twitter

Where to buy:

You can purchase CD albums and MP3 downloads directly from Your Story Hour product store. CD albums range from $22.50-$45 and MP3 download versions are $18-$36. You can also purchase individual stories in MP3 download format for $2 a piece.

You can also find Your Story Hour albums on Amazon.

Now time for the giveaway:
One lucky winner will receive a Your Story Hour - Great Stories Volume 3 album (U.S. addresses only.) Only the first entry is mandatory. Other entries are optional and give you extra chances. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. The winner will be posted on the blog and will be emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hrs with their contact information or another winner will be chosen. Prize will be mailed via Your Story Hour.

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Must-Have Marvin Book Review and Giveaway #ShareAMoment

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Christy Ziglar has yet again published a fabulous children's book. Must-Have Marvin is the second book in the Shine Bright Kids series. This amazing book series teaches children practical live skills, character traits and the importance of making good choices. Christy is a fellow Atlantan so I am always happy to share about her amazing books on my blog, maybe one day we will get to meet her so she can sign them for us. Do you recognize the last name? Christy is also the niece of legendary motivator Zig Ziglar.


A moms review:I am a huge fan of Ideal's Children's Books. We have reviewed several of their books in the past including the first book in the series Can't Wait Willow. 

Must-Have Marvin is a beautifully illustrated 32 page, 10 x 10, hard back book. My children loved the sparkly, glittery book jacket. The book is recommended for children ages 4-8 years old, though slightly older and younger can definitely benefit from it as well. Marvin is a curly haired little boy who loves NEW things. But, Marvin is so consumed with wanting what everyone else has that he begins to let his friends and family down. Want to take a guess who one of his friends is? Willow of course! The kids were really excited to see Willow make an appearance in the book. Marvin finally gets the new toy he has been dreaming about, but finds that he is still not happy. After a series of events Marvin learns a hard lesson that it's people, not the things in our lives that bring the most joy. 

Awesome Science Episode 8 and 9 Review and Facebook Party Reminder

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This month for the Moms of MasterBooks we reviewed the 2 newest Awesome Science DVDs: Explore Glacier National Park and Explore Rocky Mountain National Park! Below is my review about the DVDs as well as further details about this months Facebook party. To read more reviews visit the NLPG Blog.

A moms review:

We received the two newest Awesome Science DVDs, there are now a total of 8 in the series. Here are the links to our past reviews: Awesome Science Grand Canyon and Yellowstone and Awesome Science Mount St. Helens. The children were super excited when the DVDs arrived. They really enjoy this series and watch them over and over!

Get ready for an amazing virtual field trip with Noah Justice, a 16 year old boy who will guide and educate your family on these amazing destinations around the United States. I don't know about you but traveling to these amazing National Parks is just not feasible for us right now. Hopefully it will be one day though, because these DVDs certainly sparked an interest in my children.

The DVDs are 30 minutes long (perfect for short attention spans) and the subject matter is explained in a simple and entertaining way. Both my 6 and 8 year old can easily understand and identify with all of the information being discussed on the DVDs. Plus all of information on the DVDs is explained using a Biblical Worldview with scriptures mentioned throughout. In 30 minutes you will cover history, science, geography and more. Weather, water, fossils, geology, the ice age, dinosaurs are just some of the many topics that are touched on as Noah leads you through each National Park. The DVDs are high quality productions and the landscape views are spectacular.

To enhance the learning I highly recommend purchasing the Study Guides for $3.99. These guides really help reinforce what is covered on the DVDs. Each study guide contains vocabulary words, fill-in-the blanks, numerical order and discussion questions. I would say they are best suited for kids in 2nd grade and up, however they can be used for younger kids with some adjusting.

Asia: Its People and History Review and Giveaway

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Bonnie Rose Hudson works with both SchoolhouseTeachers.com and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine® as a curriculum creator and editorial assistant. Bonnie loves to make children smile and has a desire for all children to feel the love of God and know how special they are to Him. At TOS, she found a place where her love of God and history combine with her love of writing to bring encouraging, educational, and entertaining material to students and their families. Be sure to stop by Bonnie's blogs Exploring with Jake, Looking Out The 10/40 Window and her author's blog WriteBonnieRose.com where you can find fun printables and discover how you can write for the homeschool market.

A moms review:
We received a digital copy of Asia: Its People and History to review. For the last few weeks we have been exploring and learning all about Asia and having a blast. This curriculum is designed for children ages 8-12, but it can easily be used with slightly younger and older children. The book broken into 16 weeks and takes just 20-30 minutes to read a section and complete the discussion questions/activities. The curriculum is very flexible and you can stretch the weeks into longer units or compress them if need be. It is important to note that this curriculum is not a complete curriculum, but rather a way to introduce your children to the people of Asia so that hopefully their curiosity is sparked to explore more. And I can tell you it will be! I liked the fact that we didn't have to go in order and could jump around to the countries that interested the children most. And having it in an eBook format made it great for learning on the go.

The curriculum covers these 6 Asian countries: 
-Laos
-Bangladesh
-Nepal
-China
-Iran
-Vietnam

Each section includes the history of each nation, one or more stories to help bring the lesson alive, discussion questions and activities. Did you know that Asia is home to more than fifty countries and territories and roughly three-fifths of the world’s population? Through this curriculum children will cover history, geography and more. They will meet the people who live in the far away cities and villages in Asia. They will hear their stories and get a glimpse into their everyday lives. They will also find out how they can pray for them and their families. Everything in the book is presented from Biblical Worldview.

In the back of the book you will find all of the printable activities and answer keys. There is also a fabulous list of family friendly books listed in the back, many of which are FREE to download!

After reading through this book, Asia will no longer be a mystery to your children.

How we used it:

I used the book as a springboard with my 6 and 8 year old. They both love history and geography so I knew they would enjoy it. I read through the list of countries and asked my children which country they wanted to begin with. Bangladesh was their answer, because they wanted to learn more about where our next door neighbors came from.

We began with the story "Danger in Dhaka." The children really enjoyed the story and learned about forgiveness, sharing Jesus with others and how Jesus is the "true light that never goes out."

Asia: It's People and It's History Pre-Order Sale

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Next week I will have a review about this awesome eBook by Bonnie Rose Hudson but I wanted to quickly let you know about this amazing Pre-Order sale. Right now you can Pre-Order Asia: Its People and History at The Old Schoolhouse Store for only $4.99 (reg. price $6.95).

Also be sure to visit the Kids Around The World giveaway!

Ever wonder what's it's like to write a book? Be sure to read some of these Q & A's from Bonnie Rose to find out:

When writing a new book, how do you go about planning for it? Do you have a method you use, or is each one different? 

I'm a planner by nature. I love to lay out all the details and know where I'm going before I take the first step. But, I've noticed that God often likes to remind me that I'm not the one who is in charge of my life, He is! So I usually start a project with a hook and an outline. I need to know the heart of the project before I start. That's what gets me excited about writing it. What will its purpose be? What will it illustrate? I write an outline, or have one in my mind, but the story or project always takes lots of unexpected twists and turns. Sometimes the research doesn't pan out and I have to choose a different direction. Sometimes the outline doesn't go far enough. I remember working on the first book-length project I tried to write. I had a beautiful outline for the entire book. I had covered the entire outline in four chapters! I had some major re-planning to do on that one!

Do you have a certain writing space, somewhere you go *just* to write your books? An office, a lake cabin, a hotel? What do you love about that space? How does it inspire you?

I don't have a writing space. I do have an office/library that I enjoy sometimes when I write because I can close the door and enjoy being surrounded by books! But I will write anywhere, anytime I get the chance, including on grocery lists at the store, in the car (provided I'm not driving, of course), on a notepad by my bed, it really doesn't matter. I can get lost in an idea almost anywhere!

What would you say to a young person who aspires to be a writer? What advice would you give? 

Don't give up. Write everything down that you feel God has put on your heart to write about. Twenty years from now, you might look back on a story you wrote and think it was really silly. I did. I started writing my first book when I was around 11 or 12. When I read now what I wrote, I see a lot of mistakes I didn't see back then. But that's not what matters. I wrote down the story that was on my heart.

As you learn more about writing, you will probably find yourself feeling frustrated and discouraged at times by all the rules and all the details. You might wonder why something you thought sounded just fine didn't get published. The most important thing to remember is that being published isn't what makes you a writer. If you are a writer, it's because that's what God has called you to do. You may get published; you may not. You may not make a living by being a professional author. But that doesn't change God's call.  Listen to Him, grow closer to Him, and obey Him. That's what matters. 

Stay tuned for the review post next week.

Galapagos Islands Review and Facebook Party Reminder

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This month for the Moms of MasterBooks we reviewed Galapagos Islands - a different view! Below is my review about the books as well as further details about this months Facebook party. To read more reviews visit the NLPG Blog.

A moms review:
We absolutely loved the Galapagos Islands book. The hard back book is a 97 pages. Dr. Georgia Purdomis the General Editor, however there were many other writers, reviewers and editors who contributed to the book. Our favorite part about the book was the beautiful, vibrant photographs. They are absolutely breathtaking. Visiting the Galapagos is definitely on my bucket list...but it may be awhile before we get to visit. So with this book in hand you and your family can take a virtual fieldtrip (no passport required) to the Galapagos to learn about the Lava Lizard, Blue-Footed Boobie, Galapagos Tortoise, Mangroves, Native Sunflowers, Prickly Pears, volcanoes and more.

The book is loaded with amazing facts and information regarding the Galapagos Islands, Darwin and biblical worldview. Throughout the book there are biblical scriptures which support a biblical worldview of creation. This book was a great addition to our science and geography studies. The book is geared towards middle/high school children and adults however it also works well as a read aloud for younger children. I utilized it with my 6 and 7 year old. The beautiful photos really help keep younger children's attention.

The book is broken down into several sections:

-Beginnings
-Stones and Stars
-Climate, Currents and Colonization
-Life and Legacy
-Flora and Fauna
-Reflections on the Galapagos

More about the book:

• Observe the wondrous diversity of life, including birds, reptiles, and plants
• Learn how Darwin's worldview and the biblical worldview differ and the importance of this in studying the Galápagos
• With poignant chapters from Ken Ham, John Morris, John C. Whitcomb, Danny Faulkner, Gary Parker, and more!

Where Darwin once visited and later used evidence from to support his faulty case for evolution, discover the wonder of God in this full-color book filled with vibrant images of these glorious islands in the Pacific, as well as powerful insights that give Him the glory due His name. Your faith will be strengthened as you learn the importance of a biblical worldview from some of the best apologetics speakers in the country. It's an overall emphasis on Galápagos as testament to God's majesty and mercy rather than the empty legacy of one man!

This is a great book for the entire family! It is a book that you can proudly display on your coffee table. Be sure to preview the book here.

Check out the book trailer here:   

PARTY DETAILS:

What: Mom's of Master Books Facebook Party  (RSVP here)

Where: Master Books' Facebook Page

When: January 28, 2014 at 9 pm EST

Why: We’ll be chatting with the review team, having some great discussions AND you’ll have the chance to WIN some awesome prizes.

Where to buy:
You can purchase Galapagos Islands - a different view for $18.99 each at New Leaf Publishing. There are also digital download options for $9.99. You can also get the books on Amazon.

Be sure to visit the other Moms Of Master Books to see what they thought.

Friends and Heroes Homeschool Unit Study Curriculum Review and Giveaway

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Friends and Heroes is a UK produced animated adventure series for children featuring Bible stories. The animation team is award-winning with major credits on films like Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back and the Miracle Maker. Friends and Heroes is broadcasted on several independent stations in the USA and on many other broadcast outlets internationally.

"Like our heroes, children will be empowered by what they see and hear, as they share the courage and compassion, the everyday dangers faced by Macky and his friends." 

A moms review:
We really enjoyed reviewing the Friends and Heroes Unit Study 1 Homeschool Curriculum. The curriculum comes with two disks. One disk contains the 2 video lessons and the other contains the unit study materials (more info on each below). The curriculum is recommended for children ages 7-11. I utilized it with my 6 and 7 year old. They loved the DVDs and were able to comprehend and complete the majority of the curriculum (with adult assistance).

Long Journey DVD:
The Friends and Heroes Episode 1 DVD contains 2 Bible stories: Daniel and the Lions Den and The Miraculous Catch. The total running time for the DVD is 25 minutes, so it is perfect for wiggly, distracted children and a DVD you can easily watch once a week. Children will learn the importance of being courageous and helping others through the retelling of these fun Bible stories. Travel back in time to through the Old and New Testament with the fun, beautifully  animated characters and visit ancient Egypt, Israel and Rome right from your sofa.

 

Friends and Heroes are computer, animated tales that follow two friends Macky and Portia on adventures throughout ancient times. Their adventures bring to life well known Bible stories as they fight for justice and even survival against the Roman Empire. In the Long Journey, Macky and his family risk everything by taking in to refugee girls. I loved the story within a story approach!

The DVD also includes 4 full length curriculum lessons including: Daniel and the Lions Den, The Miraculous Catch, The Fall of Jericho and Jesus Feeds 5,000. And a music video, scene selection, Spanish subtitles and previews. The curriculum lessons on the DVD are about 5 pages in length and include a Bible game, adventure, craft, application and prayer.

Homeschool Unit Study 1 CD-ROM:
The Friends and Heroes CD-ROM contains a fun, exciting cross-curricular Homeschool Unit Study based off of the material contained in the Long Journey DVD. The material is easy-to-use, very hands-on, colorful and fun. Just pop the disk in and print!

There is a teachers guide and student manual as well as certificates and journal pages provided on the disk. Everything is printable (over 50 pages) and reusable so it is perfect for family's with multiple children. To save paper and ink I only printed the worksheets, journaling pages and maps and not the reading material from the student manual. Also rather than printing the teachers guide I just read it on the computer. All of the included materials are adaptable and can easily be adjusted to fit your family's needs. There is approximately 3 weeks worth of learning covering history, geography, creative writing, bible study, science, crafts and discipleship. In addition there are also weblinks to additional website support material for children who wish to delve in deeper. The website includes puzzles, quizzes and games plus further information about Bible characters, Bible places and Friends and Heroes characters and storylines. The unit study can easily be self-guided for older children, however younger children may require adult assistance.

• History/Geography: The Romans; Roman trade; Roman money; Roman import and exports
• Creative writing: journal writing; written expression and narration; copy writing
• Bible study: Daniel and the lions' den and Jesus and the miraculous catch of fish; the early Church
• Science: silver; sand and cement; Greek and Roman discoveries
• Crafts: Sculpture; paper weaving; pottery
• Discipleship: trusting others; pride; worries

It is a great curriculum for all learning styles! There is something for everyone! Some of our favorite items were the mapping exercises, creative writing, drawing, science experiments and crafts!

Be sure to download a FREE sample to see for yourself why this curriculum is so awesome! You can also visit the Friends and Heroes Children's Website for some fun and games.

Long Journey clip on YouTube:

Gwyn's (age 7) review:

Gwyn, "I liked the characters they were really neat and the girls were pretty. I liked making the crafts and the worksheets, especially the drawing ones were lots of fun."

Links to follow:

-Friends and Heroes Website
-Friends and Heroes Facebook 

Where to buy:
You can purchase Friends and Heroes DVDs and curriculum directly off their website. The Homeschool Unit Study 1 Pack (DVD and CD-ROM) is $29.99. If you already own the DVD there are options for purchasing or downloading just the unit study curriculum. Be sure to also check out the school and church curriculum as well as all of the other DVDs available.

Through January 31st take advantage of these special offers:

• 20% off all Friends and Heroes Homeschool Resources
• 10% off all other Friends and Heroes resources with curriculum
• 10% off all Friends and Heroes Home and Family DVD Collections

Now time for the giveaway: 
Friends and Heroes has graciously offered to giveaway a Homeschool Unit Study 1 set one lucky reader. Only the first entry is mandatory. Other entries are optional and give you extra chances. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. The winner will be posted on the blog and will be emailed. Winner must reply within 24 hrs with their contact information or another winner will be chosen. Open to US and Canada only! Prize will be mailed via the company.

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Friends and Heroes Homeschool Promotion

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

We are currently reviewing this awesome homeschool curriculum and will be posting a review hopefully by next weekend. But I wanted to let you know about the deal before then. Friends and Heroes only offers a special like this about twice a year, so now is the time to take advantage. The offers below are va through January 31st.

• 20% off all Friends and Heroes Homeschool Resources
• 10% off all Friends and Heroes Home and Family DVD Collections
• 10% off all other Friends and Heroes resources with curriculum

Keep an eye out for our review!!!

The Promise Birth Of The Messiah Movie Review and Giveaway

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

We received a wonderful new movie The Promise: The Birth of the Messiah from Glorious Films to review. Glorious films is a new production company based out of Canada. They believe in creating high quality entertainment products with a strong biblical worldview. The creative and technical teams are world-class and are from all over the globe. Their first film, The Promise, is an animated musical about the nativity story that was release in the Fall 2013. The second film, The Prodigal, an animated musical based on the parable of the prodigal son, is in production for a Spring 2014 release.

A moms review:
Are you looking for the perfect Christmas movie that teaches children the real meaning of Christmas? Then look no further and purchase The Promise: The Birth of the Messiah. This movie is a beautifully animated, musical celebrating one of the most pivotal events in history, the birth of Jesus. The movie is 50 minutes long and great for children of all ages. Adults will enjoy this wonderful movie too!

The character design reminded me of the characters in the Prince of Egypt film from 1998 and Joseph King of Dreams from 2000. The characters are very angular with big, bold eyes. And their facial expressions did a great job of showing emotion. The colors in the movie were also very bright and bold. And the scenery and clothing depicted the time period very well.

Both my 6 year old son and 7 year old daughter enjoyed the movie. They really loved all of the signing throughout the movie...there are 10+ beautiful songs. You can listen to some sneak peeks of the songs here. Much of the singing and speaking parts are taken directly from the book of Luke! They also thoroughly enjoyed the dancing. You could definitely tell while watching the movie that Glorious films used a lot of motion capture and 3D technology to blend traditional animation techniques with the performance talents of ballet dancers and stage actors.

"My soul magnifies the Lord and my Spirit rejoices in God, my Savior, Holy, Holy is his name."

I loved how the movie started out with Joseph and Mary first meeting. It is vary rare in faithful adaptation stories and movies that you get a look at what their first meeting was like. The movie also covered Zachariah, Elizabeth and John who are very important people in the story of Jesus' birth that are often left out of Nativity story and movie adaptations. I also loved the attention to details. A lot of effort was put into showing the relationships between the characters like Mary and her father, Mary and Elizabeth, etc. The courtship and marriage ceremony for Joseph and Mary was very accurate for the time period. And the detailing of the temple and temple courtyard were quite fascinating and very accurate. The movie ends with Mary singing a lullaby to Jesus and calling him her little King which I thought was a beautiful ending.

As a Christian family that doesn't attend Church we rely on faith based resources to help us teach our children about Christianity. The Promise: The Birth of the Messiah was a beautifully crafted, inspiring movie that not only exposed my children to the birth of Jesus (a well know bible story) but also other key biblical events such as the prophecy about Jesus' birth and Zachariah and Elizabeth miraculous son.

This is definitely a 5 star movie and one we will watch over and over again each year!

Synopsis:

In ancient Israel, during the days of King Herod, a young couple’s world is turned upside down when the prophecy of a long-awaited deliverer unfolds upon their lives. They must trust in God’s promise in the midst of rising challenges, and their faithfulness is rewarded as they witness the most surprising and glorious event of all human history – the promise fulfilled in the birth of the Messiah.

Trailer:

Links to follow:

-Glorious Films Website

-Glorious Films Facebook page
-Glorious Films Twitter
-Glorious Films Pinterest

Where to buy:

The Promise Birth Of The Messiah can be purchased on Amazon for $14.99.

Now time for the giveaway: 
Glorious Films has graciously offered to giveaway a copy of the this amazing DVD to one lucky reader. Only the first entry is mandatory. Other entries are optional and give you extra chances. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. The winner will be posted on the blog and will be emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hrs with their contact information or another winner will be chosen. Prize will be mailed via the marketing company.

This is a quick giveaway because they want to get the DVD shipped to the winner on the 13th so you receive it in time for Christmas!

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