Teaching Liberty and Economics With The Tuttle Twins (Book Review)

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

We are so blessed to be able to homeschool because it means we are able to teach our children about many things they would probably not cover if they were in public school like liberty and economics (at least not in elementary school). The Tuttle Twins books, which now have 5 books in the series, have been on my radar for about a year now but unfortunately I haven't had a chance to pick up a copy of any of them. I was recently contacted by the publishing company and asked if we would review the newest book The Road to Surfdom. Well now we are hooked and we will be definitely be adding the other 4 to our home library. And guess what fellow homeschoolers? The author Connor Boyack is a homeschool dad! He wrote this series of books after trying to find existing material that taught young children about the principles of freedom. After he realized there wasn't anything he stepped up to the plate in hopes of not only educating his own children but thousands of others!

A moms review:

As I mentioned above we received the newest book in the 5 book series The Road to Surfdom. This book teaches children about how government officials decisions, well-intentioned or otherwise, can sometimes harm others. Considering everything that has been happening recently with our country and politics this is such an important lesson for kids right now. This book is a very easy read. It is 60 pages long with full color illustrations and large text. The recommended reading age is age 5-11 years old. We chose to read the book aloud as a family so we could have a discussion afterwards.

This story is actually an introduction to F.A. Hayek's famous text The Road to Surfdom which was published in the 1940s and focuses on the dangers of central planning and collectivism and the importance of being an individual. Hayeks book however is a fairly difficult read and not one that parents would be able to easily pickup and read aloud to their young children. But the Tuttle Twins version of The Road to Surfdom takes these important lessons and boils them down to key basics, and wraps them in a fun story so that children and their parents can read and learn together about these important principles.

In this book The Tuttle Twins head to their favorite beach destination "La Playa" for a family reunion. They are eager to have the same amazing fun they always do which includes soaking up sun on the beach, surfing and snorkeling in the ocean and most of all shopping and eating at the boardwalk shops. But before they even arrive at the beach they notice things in town are not quite the same. First they have to take a long detour to get to the beach which was full of traffic and went through a neighborhood they had not seen before. Then after they arrive at the beach they notice that many of their favorite shops have closed down. Distraught and wanting answers The Tuttle Twins set out with their investigative reporter uncle named Ben, to solve the mystery.

After interviewing shop owners and the town residents they discover that a new roadway and beach town called Surfdom was to blame. The new roadway that La Playa residents thought would help their town instead brought them disruption, sadness and home and business loss. While spending the day at Surfdom The Tuttle Twins learned more about central planning, collectivism  and individualism as they built a sand castle with their parents. They learned that sometimes unintended consequences occur that were never anticipated and probably not even considered. You know how the saying goes, "be careful what you wish for"? The Tuttle Twins and Uncle Ben solve the mystery and Ben exposes the story on his news channel. But unfortunately this story has no happy ending for the town because the damage is done. But The Tuttle Twins hope that Ben's news story will go viral and provide knowledge to future towns about the damage of central planning. And the Tuttle Twins refuse to give into the new exciting stores and restaurants at Surfdom and chose to stay at La Playa and enjoy the road less traveled!

I cannot say enough good things about this book. As a mom who once had her real estate license I was very excited to see terms like eminent domain being introduced in the book. I know many adults who don't even know what eminent domain is. The story was engaging and educational and raised lots of questions, and any book that gets the kids asking questions gets 5 stars. In the back of the book there is even a glossary of terms and several discussion questions.

A kids review:
I really liked the book. It helped me learn about the responsibilities that I need to take when it comes to decisions about my home. It also taught me that even when things don't go as planned you should still never give up and should still work hard to continue to make your dreams come true. I liked the artwork in the book too. I hope mom buys the other books for us.

About the Author:

Connor Boyack is president of Libertas Institute, a public policy think tank in Utah. He is the author of several books on politics and religion, along with hundreds of columns and articles championing individual liberty. His work has been featured on international, national, and local TV, radio, and other forms of media. A California native and Brigham Young University graduate, Connor currently resides in Lehi, Utah, with his wife and two children.

Resources:

For $4.99 you can get a a pdf workbook that compliments the book.

Links to follow:
Website
Twitter
Facebook

Where to buy:
The retail price is $9.99 per book or you can get all 5 plus bonuses for $41.99. You can order the books on the Tuttle Twin website.

Standard Deviants Accelerate Online Learning Review

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

Standard Deviants Accelerate was created by the brilliant minds at Cerebellum Corporation, an educational company that has been producing and distributing a plethora of educational resources since the days of VHS tapes (shh we still have a bunch of these archaic things). Over the years Standard Deviants has enhanced and modified their resources in order to keep up to date with the latest technological advances. Their latest advance is an online interactive educational website which offers a full years worth of curriculum supplement and test prep for 3rd through 12th grade (and even adults).

A moms review:

For the purpose of this review we received a 1 year subscription to all of the Standard Deviants Accelerate Homeschool Courses. Both of my children ages 7 and 8 have been utilizing several of the courses, even the ones meant for older grade levels, over the last several weeks. Since we unschool I feel very strongly about letting the children make their own choices on what they wish to learn about, regardless of age and grade level recommendations. I was a little apprehensive about them doing the higher grade level courses in Standard Deviants, but to my surprise they did extremely well and easily comprehended the information being taught. And most importantly they loved doing the online courses. Since the children were interested in DNA, the human body, weather and slavery we decided to utilize the US History, Biology, Earth Science and Nutrition courses.  I also had the children try the Arithmetic course. 

Program overview:

Standard Deviants is unlike any other online educational teaching tool we have utilized before. The program includes RTI Alerts, Differentiated Instruction, automatic grading, streaming videos, a variety of activities and more. With Standard Deviants children ages 8-adult can learn a variety of subjects through online video and written transcripts which teach in a way that is fun and interesting. 

Course Options:

• Arithmetic - Grades 3+
• Fundamental Math - Grades 4+
• Earth Science - Grades 6+
• Nutrition - Grades 6+
• Algebra - Grades 7+
• Biology - Grades 7+
• Chemistry - Grades 9+
• English Comp. - Grades 9+
• U.S. History - Grades 9+
• AP Biolody - Grades 11+
• AP Chemistry - Grades 11+
• AP U.S. Government & Politics - Grades 11+
• AP U.S. History - Grades 11+
• AP Eng. Composition - Grades 11+

The information in each of the course chapters is given in bite sized pieces and a mini module takes on average around 15-30 minutes. Children are able to read a transcript of the lesson or watch and listen to it being taught by a variety of very humorous instructors (who are young adults) through a fun, engaging video. After children complete the course lesson they are then tested to make sure they retained the information. There are drag and drop diagrams, assessment tests and written answer questions to enhance critical thinking skills. There is also a vocabulary review which can be read or listened to.

The Standard Deviant courses can be utilized on any device that has internet access so that means it will work on a tablet, computer or other mobile device. 

Student portal:

The student portal is easy to navigate and my children could easy find their courses, topics, videos and quizzes on their own after being shown just once. The only thing the children need some assistance on was reading the quiz questions and answers to them. The great thing about the courses is that they are self paced and you can jump around the chapters as you wish. 

Each course subject is broken down the same and includes several chapter modules, and a subject review. Within each chapter module there is an intro, several mini modules and a chapter review. The mini modules are really easy to navigate and contain 5 tabs at the top for accessing the video/transcript, vocab, diagram, quiz and written answer. Under each video is a box where children can take notes as they listen and then save them to their "locker" or print them.

If a child is working more independently and has a question about something in the course content they can click a button on the right side of the screen that says "SOS." A little window will pop out where children can type a quick note to their parent/teacher.

The only minor issue we encountered with the student portal was that it doesn't keep track of what modules and mini modules you have completed on the main menu, which would be helpful. You are able to see that you have completed a mini module once you click on it and view the diagram or quiz tabs which will show your previous attempts. And of course you can go into reports as well. To help us with this minor issue I simply printed the course module list and we would cross off the modules that the children completed to help us keep track.

Parent portal:

The parent portal is also very easy to use and allows parents/teachers to read reports, view progress and more. Though most of the grading is done automatically, parents/teachers can provide inupt as needed by customizing the one-click rubrics.  Setting up my children's courses was really easy, though it was a little time consuming because I had to set up each course individually. 

Seeing is believing:

Additional details on courses:
Since my children did utilize so many courses I am not going to talk about each one, but I did want to highlights a couple of them.

Biology:
Gwyn has really been into DNA lately so we focused on the DNA and genetic sections of the biology course. This course was fabulous and even I picked up some things I didn't know. The course covers everything from the cell to the ecosystem. SDA Biology teaches students the stuff that life is made of and shows them how it all interconnects. Topics include heredity, DNA technology, human physiology, and more. We are still working through some of the modules in this course but did complete the Molecules and Cells, Heredity & Inheritance and Molecular Genetics modules. The course has been a great supplement to our DNA strand kit and library books on DNA.            

Earth Science:
Space and weather are always popular topics in our home so the children wanted to give the modules on these topics a try. The weather module was a huge hit. In this course children learn all about the drama that Earth has got going on from the solar system to earthquakes. The course was a great way kick off the Fall season. 

FREE stuff:

Standard Deviants Accelerate offers a FREE 6 month trial subscription.

Wrap up:

Standard Deviants is a fabulous online teaching resource that can be utilized in a classroom setting, media lab, public library or homeschool environment. All course material is secular and non-religious. It works well with any homeschool style and it makes a great supplemental or even full curriculum. Standard Deviants offers affordability, flexibility and most importantly fun learning. The Standard Deviants accelerated learning program is interactive and multi-sensory so it's great for all learning styles (auditory, visual and kinesthetic). I highly recommend Standard Deviants. 

Gwyns review (8 yrs old):
I really like the courses and learned a lot for the videos. I even did really well on many of the exams. I think the videos are funny and I like the cartoon graphics. I do the courses a few times a week.

Links to follow:

-Standard Deviants Facebook
-Standard Deviants Twitter
-Standard Deviants Pinterest
-Standard Deviants Google +

Where to buy:
Standard Deviants Accelerate is $99 per subject for a one year subscription (1 student, 1 teacher), or $24.95 per month. AP Courses are also available for $14.95 per month (1 student, 1 teacher, 1 subject).

Click here for more Standard Deviants Accelerates reviews from the The Schoolhouse Review Crew.

The Presidential Game Review - Hail To The Chief

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

The Presidential Game is an educational board game that is made right here in the USA! The game released on July 12, 2012 and is the first of its kind. The game was created by well-known Wall Street executive recruiter, Regina Glocker and a father and son graphic design team of Russ and Christopher Patrick. The initial funding for The Presidential was raised through Kickstarter in February 2012. 

Learning about the US government has never been so much fun!

A moms review:
Board games always make learning much more fun...for both adults and children. During last yeas Presidential election we thought it was very important to include our little citizens and teach them about the election and voting process. We discussed at length the candidates that were running and why it was so important to vote. We took the kids with us when we voted. We read books, created lapbooks and colored in electoral maps when the poll results rolled in. You can read more about all that here.

When I found out about The Presidential Game I jumped at the chance to review it, even though my children are under the recommended playing age which is 11 years old and up. I knew though I could probably tweak the game a little to make it work for my 6 and 7 year old. Well I am happy to say the game worked out great for our family and the children had tons of fun (below I explain how I tweaked the game to make it work).

The Presidential Game is very educational and teaches children about politics as they barnstorm across the USA to earn 270 electoral votes to become President of the United States. However this game teaches much more than that including math, geography and social studies. It also encourages the use of critical thinking and strategy skills. And it helps develop important character qualities like sportsmanship and teamwork.

The Presidential Game includes:
-1 United States game board
-2 'vote' cards (Democrat & Republican) 
-300 chips (150 red & 150 blue)
-6 dice (3 blue & 3 red) 
-80 Politics cards
-40 "write your own" Politics cards
-1 Electoral WebMap Calculator Access Code
-1 score pad

We have played the game several times over the last few weeks. The first time we played we didn't do teams (as suggested in the instructions) instead Gwyn was the Republican candidate and Rowyn was the Democrat candidate and well mommy was the debate referee. The first thing the debate referee had to handle was who was going to be the Democrat candidate and who was going to be the Republican candidate...because neither child wanted to be Obama. Yes just like a real election there will be squabbling. This was very easy to resolve. I had each child roll a die and the child with the highest number got to be the Republican! The next few times we played we got daddy involved and we each teamed up with a child. 

The first time I opened the box the children asked, "why is there a donkey and an elephant head on the emblem?" So I took a few minutes and explained it to them with some help from this great article. We also learned a little more about political parties from these two videos, Political Rap and The Evolution of America's Major Political Parties before beginning the game.

How to play and how we tweaked:
So after the first debate about who is going to be the Republican and Democrat candidates it was time to play.  

Game Goal:
The goal of the game is to be the first team to make it to 270 electoral votes in 30 weeks (30 turns for each player). Our game ended up being a little shorter, due to limited attention spans. The game instructions estimate though that it will take about an hour to play 30 turns (but it could be less or more). You will need to decide how many weeks you want your game to be.

Campaigning and Fundraising:
Before each turn you decide whether you are going to campaign or go fundraising. My children didn't really get the difference and understand the advantage to fundraising, so most of the time they just campaigned.

If you are campaigning you choose three states you want to campaign in, then roll the three dice. Next you will decide which die (number of votes) corresponds to each of your 3 states. You simply place the correct number of chips on each state. For example you choose PA, GA and IN and you roll a 3, 6, 2. You could place 3 on GA, 6 on PA and 2 on IN etc. 

Strategy will eventually come into play because you can take over votes from an opponents state. Because of some tears with taking over states (yes I am sure the Presidential candidates cry and stomp their way up the stairs when they don't get their way too) I only allowed each child to take over 1 opponents state during their turn. We also didn't mess around with subtracting the tokens when they would take over a state, I just let them take over the entire state and remove all their opponents tokens. For example if you were placing 6 red votes on PA which already had 3 of your opponents blue votes you would remove all 3 blue tokens and place 3 red. In our case the children would just remove all 3 and place their 6 in its place. 

If you are fundraising, you must place at least 1/2 of your votes (you rolled) onto one on the 4 fundraising states (green Washington states) which you choose before your turn.  For fundraising you only use 2 die. The remaining votes may be allocated individually to any other sates. For example if you roll 10, 5 votes must go to TX and the remaining 5 may go anywhere else and can even be divided up among several states. Afterwards, you must select a 'Politics Card'. 

The politics cards are really cool and quite funny too. They give you the scope on what the media is saying about the election. Some cards must be played right away others can be held onto and played later. Some of the cards provide rewards other give penalties.

Here is an example of one of the cards:
You endorse domestic product of energy, including coal. Add 3 votes to West Virginia.

Keeping Score:
There are two options for keeping score. There is the traditional way which is writing down your score on the included score pad. I attempted to use this however with two impatient children who would add and remove chips faster than I could add and write it became too difficult so I ended up preferring the Electoral WebMap. The online calculator requires an access code to open it. It worked great on my tablet which I sat up right next to the board game. The map was much easier for the children to visualize what was occurring during the game and see how many votes they had. There is also a counter in the bottom right to keep track of how many weeks you have played (it took us about 15 turns to finish a game). 

The kids loved the map and immediately said, "mommy it's just like the one we filled out during the election and like the one that was on TV." We will definitely be using the interactive Electoral WebMap during the next election!

End Of The Game:
The game ends when the number of weeks selected has passed. If there are undecided states (still neutral) you will need to each roll a die. The team with the highest number gets the votes. The team with 270 electoral votes is the winner!

Hail to the Chief!

The Presidential Game has won 'The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval 2013' award in both 2012 & 2013.

Other Uses:
So another cool thing about this game is that the awesome USA map game board can be used for lots of other subjects as well like geography, history, etc.

For geography we decided it would be fun to play a find the state capital's game. I printed out a list of the capitals and states here. The game is so simple to play. Simply say a capital name out-loud and have the children place their chips (red/blue) on the state that they think the capitol is in. If they get it correct their chip remains if they got it wrong they remove their chip(s). The child with the most chips at the end wins! If you have more than two children you can use other colored chips, pennies, beans etc.

For history you can mark various trails, wars etc on the map using yarn, slips of paper, playdough etc. I tried to use a dry erase marker and it did work however I think prolonged use would end up ruining the board.

Gwyn review (7 yrs old) and Rowyns Review (6 yrs old):
Gwyn, "I love the game, it was lots of fun and we learned a lot of things about the President. I wanted to be the first woman President but my brother the democrat won."

Rowyn, "I liked the game a lot. It was a really fun game. Everyone should buyed it."

Links to follow:

-The Presidential Website
-The Presidential Facebook page 
-The Presidential Twitter 

Where to buy:
The Presidential Game can be purchased for $35.00 (plus shipping) directly from the website. From time to time they also offer special promotions.

Click here for more Presidential Game from the The Schoolhouse Review Crew.

FreeBEE Friday - Constitution Celebration Video and eBook From Founders Academy

Welcome to FreeBEE Friday. Jen, from Gricefully Homeschooling, and I have lined up some great FreeBEEs for you in 2013. The first Friday of every month we will be providing a link and if necessary a savings code for you to get a FREE product from some of our favorite homeschool companies. These great sponsors are offering these *Limited Time FreeBEEs* which will include lapbooks, unit studies, online classes, and more to bless homeschool families! Next Friday we will have our Homeschool FreeBEE Friday Link Up. So our favorite bloggers can link up their FreeBEE posts! This link up will be open through the rest of the month...so instead of a weekly meme this will be monthly, now.

**SPECIAL HOMESCHOOL FREEBEE**

Claiming your FreeBEE this week is very simple just click these two links to claim your Constitution Celebration Video and Constitution Celebration eBook.

Be sure to also head over to Gricefully Homeschooling to snag a great CurrClick Thomas Jefferson FreeBEE. 

**FREE - Constitution Celebration Video and eBook**

**Important: You have my permission to post or share a link to *this blog post*, ONLY! You do not have permission to share the direct link to the free item. Thank you for your cooperation!**

This special homeschool FreeBEE was offered to Kathys Cluttered Mind to share with our readers, thanks to Founders Academy. And don't forget to snag the FreeBEE over at Gricefully Homeschooling as well!

We will have another great FreeBEE next month on May 3rd!

Special thanks to these homeschool companies!

*Don't miss a single FreeBEE... Subscribe to Kathys Cluttered Mind*

Book Review Abraham's Journey - A Celebration of the American Dream

We LOVE books especially books that teach educational facts, life lessons and important character qualities. Abraham's Journey: A Celebrations Of The American Dream published by Ambassador International and written by Bob and Kathy Basmadjian is one of those types of books.

A moms review:
We received the paperback version Abraham's Journey from Inspiring The American Dream.  The book is 32 pages (text and illustrations). It was a quick read and it engaged my 5 and 7 yr old. The book went along great with our February unit studies on Black History and Presidents Day and taught my children some very valuable lessons about pursuing "The American Dream". The recommended age level for the book is 7-12 which I believe is right on target however 5/6 year olds and 13/14 year olds may enjoy it as well. Because neither of my children can really read a short chapter book on their own yet we read this book together as a family. The illustrations are done very nicely utilizing a comic book artwork style. My kids were easily able to identify the famous characters throughout the book.

Everyday before our very eyes the American government and World is changing. Children (and even some adults) are out of touch with what "The American Dream" is and why so many people (dating all the way back to the Pilgrims) have fought and continue to fight and risk everything to come to America to pursue that dream. As parents we NEED to teach our children (beginning at an early age) about pursuing and maintaining "The American Dream" or we will loose it entirely. We NEED to be teaching our children about wants vs needs, earning vs having, entitlement vs personal responsibility, their American rights and hard work. In the past few years our Government has begun to start taking more and more control and is slowly infringing on many of our rights outlined in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The only way we can ensure these documents will continue to remain in tact is to educate our children and future generations on them!!!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776

This book is a great start in helping parents educate their children in a fun, easy to understand way about "The American Dream". The book is about a little boy whose family is going through a rough time during the Great Recession of 2009 (which I personally think is still going on now in 2013). It is Christmas time and Abraham's father and mother have recently lost their jobs. They explain to their children that even though there won't be any presents under the tree they will still put up their tree, spend time together as a family and sing carols. Of course the kids are saddened by the news, I think any child would be.

Abraham really wants to help his family and somehow find a a way to earn some money to put a few presents under the tree for them. He begins to text his friends on his smartphone to see if they know of any odd jobs he could do to earn money to help his family. Of course as a frugal mom I did have to wonder why they hadn't cut off his cell service if they were in need of money. Anyway while he is texting a man with a white beard and black top hat (Abraham Lincoln) appears on his screen and offers to help Abraham by teaching him about "The American Dream" which could help him make his Christmas dream come true. Abraham (being a curious kid) reached out, touched the mans hand and was immediately transported through cyber world.

Lincoln promises to take Abraham on a journey to meet several great American men and women who will help Abraham uncover his talents and virtues. But Lincoln also explains to Abraham that only he (Abraham) is capable of making his dream come true and no one else.

Now I am not going to spoil the entire journey for you but Abraham meets the following people on his trip who help him realize his talents and virtues...

-Abraham Lincoln (president)
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (preacher)
-Norman Rockwell (artist)
-Amelia Earhart (aviator)
-Mark Zuckerberg (entrepreneur)
-Bill and Melinda Gates (philanthropists)

I liked how each character presented in the book has a different outlook on "The American Dream." After all "The American Dream" will vary for each person/family and it will vary throughout history as well. The characters in the book each had a different dream...to be part of a family, to be judged by their character instead of the color of their skin, to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, to be a successful businessman and to use the money they worked hard to earn to help others achieve their "American Dream."

Abraham's Journey is definitely a great way to introduce "The American Dream" to children. After reading the book we discussed more about the Great Recession, The American Dream and the characters in the book. We also worked on our MLK and Presidents Day lapbooks. And completed "The American Dream" notebooking worksheets I created (see below for your FREE copy).

I really appreciated the "Definition Of Terms" and "7 Character Biographies" that are provided in the back of the book, which helped to enhance and continue our learning. Several of the terms included are The American Dream, Compassion, Innovation, Social Media and more. The authors biographies are also located in the back on the last page.

My daughters favorite part was when Abraham met Amelia Earhart. My daughter really likes Amelia Earhart's story so she was very excited that this was included. People told Amelia that she would never fly across that Atlantic and that it was too dangerous for a woman. But she relied on her strength and courage and kept pushing on. She had many obstacles but she persevered and achieved her dream. I think Amelia Earhart is a great role model for girls.

The story ends very happily with some presents under the tree...but wait there's more. Just when I thought the story had ended we turned the page to find another surprise. Abraham's family shares the dream with others by visiting a local charity and donating money, blankets, books, etc...and that is the end of his journey and what I feel was a terrific ending to the book!!!

A Couple Issues:
There were only a couple of minor issues in the book. One I mentioned above which was the use of his cellphone. I found this a little odd since his family was going through a tough financial time. As a  frugal momma that would have been the first thing I would have cut in the budget. Perhaps a book would have been a better choice for his means of transportation? But at the same time the blogger side of me appreciated the mention of the technology (both the smartphone and social media) since in today's society technology helps many achieve their dreams. After all I am reviewing this because I am part of the TOS Crew. Being a part of the crew means my family is blessed with amazing, free homeschool products and in return the companies get the word about their products/service. Social media and technology has definitely helped me with achieving part of my "American Dream" which is home educating my children.

The second thing that was a little confusing to me was some of the timelines, like having Mark Zuckerberg as Amelia Earhart's student...umm they weren't in the same era. My kids didn't pick up on this though because even though they do know about Facebook they have no clue who created it. So it didn't affect the story for them. And while typing my review I began to understand that the authors were trying to incorporate a variety of ideas about "The American Dream," while still keeping the book short enough so it remained engaging.

My favorite quote in this book, "one kind act always leads to another."

Excerpt From The Book:

Abraham rubbed his eyes. The man on the screen waited. With a shrug, Abraham reached out to touch the wise man's hand. Suddenly, he found himself transported into a cyber world! There, the wise old man helped prepare him for the journey ahead. 

“Along the way, Abraham, you will meet several great American men and women. They will help you to uncover your hidden talent. They will share with you the many virtues you need in order to achieve your dream. However, you must understand that you...and only you...are capable of making that dream come true." 

Additional Resources:

This book went along great with our Presidents Day and Martin Luther King lapbooks.

We also utilized this notebooking page I created, which you can download for FREE. Children can write down their "American Dream", copy an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence and draw a picture of their "American Dream" as well.

Gwyns review (6 yrs old):
I liked the book. Amelia Earhart is an awesome girl. I also liked the ending of the book when they went to the shelter. I learned a lot in the book and my dream it so to have a job rescuing animals.

Links to follow:

-Inspiring The American Dream Website
-Inspiring The American Dream Facebook page 
-Inspiring The American Dream Twitter 

Where to buy:
You can purchase Abraham's Journey directly off of the Inspiring The Ameican Dream website for $14.99 + $5.00 shipping. You can also purchase the paperback book on Amazon (sometimes it's on SALE). It is also available on Amazon for Kindle for $9.99.

Click here for more Abraham's Journey reviews from the The Schoolhouse Review Crew.

*Disclaimer - As part of the TOS Review Crew I received a  hard copy of Abraham's Journey in return for my honest review. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. I was not compensated for my review and all opinions are our own! Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

Learn With Founders Academy Live Courses...And A Giveaway

You have probably heard me rave about Founders Academy on my Blog as well as on Twitter and Facebook. That's because Lynn's live online courses are amazing. We have done about 7 so far and the kids always learn so much from the classes. She has a real talent for teaching children of all ages. I am always so impressed that she can be teaching Jr./High school children one minute and 4-7 yrs old children the next.

Lynn is a 14-year veteran homeschool mom of three children. She taught all three of her kids from elementary through high school graduation.

Founders Academy courses teach children Government, Economics and US History using a biblical perspective. All the classes are recorded and after the live class you will have access to the recording forever so you can always go back through them with your children. If applicable Lynn will also provide you with links to further resources.
Want to see what a Founders Academy class is like for yourself? Lynn has allowed me to share her convention SPECIAL page with my readers. Click here to view a recorded class, ebook and also the Freedom Friday series which includes videos/resources. Lynn is doing Freedom Fridays in cooperation with Rebecca from Moms Mustard Seeds. Want access to alerts about specials sign up on Founders Academy website or sign up for text offers by texting Founders to "32020"

Several new courses have just been added for May - July here are a few:

-Memorial Day - $5.00 - May 28th - 3 pm CST
-Flag Day - $7.00 - June 14th - 1 pm CST
-Live! Stock Market Basics - $37.00 - 4 week course starting June 6th - 11 am CST
-Live! Air Force One - $7.00 - July 9th - 11 am CST

Check out the website for more courses.

Gwyn saying the Pledge of Allegiance along with Mrs. Schott. We hook the laptop up to the TV and do our live online classes that way.

Now time for the giveaway: 

Founders Academy has graciously offered to give away two classes. There will be one winner for each class. 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 winners will be posted on the blog and will be emailed. Winners must reply within 48 hrs with their contact information or another winner will be chosen. Since the prize is an online class the instructions for accessing the course will be emailed to the winners.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclaimer - Founders Academy has graciously offered to giveaway 2 classes. I have reviewed Founders Academy courses in the past. I was not compensated for my review and all opinions are our own! Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.