Kayley's 11th Birthday

As I was looking through my photos this morning I couldn't believe that I forgot to post the pictures from Kayley's 11th Birthday!  This spunky girl is fun and silly but serious about so many things.  This year she is reading the Harry Potter series for the first time and was thrilled to receive her Hogwarts letter! 

She didn't ask for much for her birthday but 

wanted to go explore The Discovery Center...so we did!

Riding the high wire bike was an adventure! 

We celebrated that evening with cake & ice cream and a few gifts. 

I think she had a great birthday.  She received money, gift cards and finally got her hands on S.D. Smith's The Black Star of Kingston! 

I Can Study Jonah & Ruth Alone With God {TOS Crew Review}

Teaching my girls to get into the habit of studying the scriptures for themselves has been a challenge. It seems that most devotional books are written to either preschoolers or teens.  Finding the perfect fit for the upper elementary/middle school crowd hasn't been easy so I was intrigued with the opportunity to review a book from the Alone With God series published by Greek 'n' Stuff called I Can Study Jonah & Ruth Alone With God (King James Version).  This Bible Study, written by Karen Mohs really fit the bill when it came to finding a Bible Study curriculum that my 11 year old could actually do independently and still offered her a challenge!

About the Alone With God Bible Study series:
There are several books available in the Alone With God Bible Study series.  With questions pulled directly from the Bible (your choice of the King James Version or the New International Version) the Alone With God series systematically walks your child through the books of the Bible.  Each lesson is designed to take approximately one week and the activities are divided into daily chunks that make it clear to even a young reader what to do first and what to do next.   Memory verses are interspersed throughout with prompts to help the child remember to recite and practice the memory verse.  Interesting sidebars also offer fascinating facts about scriptural terminology, complex vocabulary, interesting geography, and sheds light on the historical culture of biblical times.  Each lesson begins with a prayer and several lessons include a "Think and Pray About It" at the end that encourages the student to apply God's word to their daily life.

About I Can Study Jonah & Ruth Alone With God:
We received the study on Jonah & Ruth.  A nice sturdy book with a spiral binding, Jonah and Ruth comprises a 13 week survey of the these Biblical books.  Your child will learn about Jonah and his mistakes and read as he learns to obey God.  Discover Ruth and learn about the blessings that come from choosing to put God first.  Each section is divided up into 6 bite-sized lessons, one for each day of the week (excluding Sunday).  Each lesson starts with a prayer, then asks your child to read or recite the memory verse for the week.  Following that, questions based on that weeks scripture reading encourage your child to dig in to the scriptures with fill-in-the-blanks to check for understanding.  The questions range from basic knowledge level to rhetorical questions asking "why do you think?"

What we thought of I Can Study Jonah & Ruth Alone With God:
I opted to offer this review product to my 11 year old, Kayley.  She is just at the in-between age where I am having a really hard time finding a scripture study program that is just right for her age.  She was excited for the opportunity and had a lot of feedback to share as she studied.

We were really impressed with the quality of the book we received.  Nice sturdy cover, a plastic coated spiral edge and the interior pages printed on heavy bond paper guarantee that this book will stand up to daily use through and entire semester of study.  Kayley was glad that it was "spiral instead of comb bound."  It allowed her to open the book all the way up and fold it over.

As "Type A" personalities and self-professed "box checkers" we really loved the checklist approach to keeping up with daily assignments and appreciated having space for Kayley to write directly in the book (unlike many other devotionals) since I really feel that writing things down help you to internalize what you read.

When I asked her thoughts on this Bible study, Kayley said:

It was very well written and some of the questions are very deep...which is good!  I liked that I could do it by myself and that it is in little bite sized pieces.  But, I'm not a fan of the "day of the week schedule" because we didn't always get it done that day and then it made me feel like I was running behind which was kind of frustrating.  If I could change one thing about it, I would change it to be listed as Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc...then I wouldn't feel like I had to 'catch up' if I missed a day.  I could just pick up where I left off.  Overall I liked it and I think I would like to do another one when this one is finished.

We really enjoyed this product from Greek 'n' Stuff and will strongly consider placing an order for a 2nd Bible Study when this one is completed!  Want a closer look?  You can check out a sample page here.

If you haven't been to Greek 'n' Stuff's website yet you should check it out.  Not only do they offer Bible Studies but, like their name implies, they offer Greek (and Latin too!)

Keep up to date with Greek 'n' Stuff by following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

Many of my fellow cremates reviewed Bible Studies and other products, like Greek, from Greek 'n' Stuff.  You can read their reviews by clicking the linky below!  

Thanks so much for Swinging By!

Ozark Empire Fair

We took an opportunity to sneak out to enjoy the Ozark Empire Fair last week.  Boy was it HOT!  Here are a few pictures from our fun day!

The Duck Pond.  A Tradition EVERY year since I was a little girl...

This year was a first when the girls conquered the Rumble Through the Jungle! 

It was so hot we found shade wherever we could.  LOL! 

The slide!  I loved this when I was a kid!

Of course...every year at the fair I would play this game.

And every year I would win!  So, I thought...for the sake of another tradition the girls should probably play at least THIS midway game. 

So they could win a gold fish! 

We had a great time at the fair even though it was so hot!  

Heirloom Audio Productions - In The Reign of Terror {TOS Review}

Heirloom Audio Productions has amazed listeners yet again with another wonderfully done radio adventure from a G.A. Henty novel!  This newest adventure, In the Reign of Terror, takes place during the height of the French Revolution.  Featuring an all-star cast, this radio drama is sure to delight families of all ages and keep you on the edge of your seat!  Believe it or not, this was my first Henty and my first Heirloom Audio CD and I cannot wait to get my hands on several more!  We were so blessed to review a physical 2 CD set of In the Reign of Terror complete with access to bonus materials through the Live The Adventure Club!

What is In the Reign of Terror all about? In this fantastic G.A. Henty novel, 16-year-old Harry Sandwith travels to France where he is to become the companion to Ernest, the son of French aristocrat Monsieur le Marquis.  It takes him a while to learn the customs and traditions of the French and he struggles to feel at home but after a terrifying incident during a hunt Harry finally earns a place among Monsieur le Marquis' family.   During this time word reaches the family that King Louis XIV has tried to flee France with his family but was detained and forcefully returned to Paris where the people want to try him for treason.  As pressures of the revolution become stronger Monsieur le Marquis and Madam le Marquis demonstrate their loyalty to the crown by traveling to Paris to offer their services to the king and queen...  Knowing their possessions and property will most likely be confiscated, Monsieur le Marquis withdraws as much money as possible and places them in a traveling trunk with jewels and other family valuables and sends them to Harry's father for safekeeping.  Monsieur le Marquis is confident that while he and Madam are away Harry, Ernest and the other children will be far from harm at the Chateau...until news of a mob reaches them and they are forced to flee for their lives!  One of the darkest times in history, you can learn about the French Revolution as you follow the adventure of Harry...will Harry's new family end up on the guillotine?  You will have to listen to the radio adventure to find out! In the Reign of Terror is an audio theater drama and includes incredible voice-overs by an all-star cast and realistic sound affects that really put you IN the book.  Be prepared to be perched right on the edge of your seat with excitement and anticipation!




Live The Adventure!
Heirloom Audio Productions offers a Live The Adventure Club that contains downloadable bonus features for In The Reign of Terror and other radio dramas when you purchase as a club member.  The website is easy to use and gives you access to Your Adventure Library where you can download and listen to your radio dramas and enjoy adventure specific bonus content!

And you don't want to miss the Bonus Content!  Bonuses for In the Reign of Terror include access to the original Henty book, online listening to the official soundtrack, printable cast poster, inspirational verse poster, desktop wall paper download, the script and best of all:
Study guide and conversation starter!

About the Study Guide:
The Study Guide is 50 pages of questions and activities designed to stimulate writing ideas for older children and serve as great discussion points for younger children.  The Listening Well section asked knowledge level questions to determine the listeners understanding of what they heard happen in the story.  The Thinking Further section encourages children to explore the geography of the region, make a french recipe (we love learning with food!), enjoy research projects, and take it deeper through critical thinking prompts.  Also included are extensive vocabulary lists divided by scene.

There are many opportunities to Expand Your Learning throughout the Study Guide as well.  They are very fascinating!  Fashion, the history of the Guillotine, people, places and specific events.

And that's not all!  The Live The Adventure Club also has book specific online quizzes, community message boards, downloads galore, activities for kids, parent articles and much, much more!

What We Thought of In the Reign of Terror:
This was our FIRST Heirloom Audio Productions CD.  They are so popular and so many of my friends adore them I can't believe I haven't purchased one before now...  I came so close to purchasing With Lee in Virginia when it first came out, but I hesitated because...I'm ashamed to admit....I was afraid Henty would be boring!  Shhhh!  Don't tell anyone...  I have never been so WRONG.  We really enjoyed listening to this radio drama of In the Reign of Terror.  Radio drama is so fun and the sound affects and different character voices really takes this a step above a standard audio book.  It makes it an audio adventure!

I thought In the Reign of Terror might possibly be lost on the girls too since The French Revolution is a pretty heavy subject and my girls are still pretty young, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that BOTH girls were listening with rapt attention and chided me when we stopped at a dramatic part....  "Nooooo!!!!"  There is nothing quite like sitting in the driveway playing just "one more chapter" before going inside!  But, we've done it!

(doesn't everyone take their homeschooled kids places dressed as a pirate?)

I can't wait to get my hands on another Heirloom Audio Adventure!  There are a LOT to chose from!  Check out all of the radio dramas that Heirloom Audio Productions has available for purchase or immediate download!  They all look amazing!

Keep up to date with all of Heirloom Audio Productions current happenings by following them on Facebook or Twitter!

Many of my fellow crew mates also reviewed In the Reign of Terror from Heirloom Audio Productions.  Find out what they thought by clicking the linky below!  

Thank you so much for swinging by!

English on a Roll - English Grammar Teaching Method {TOS Crew Review}

As a homeschool Mom to 2 very active children, I am always looking for curriculum options that allows for hands-on learning while increasing literacy.  My kids like to be on the move!  Finding hands-on learning in other subjects seems to be easy...  Science, History & Math are often accompanied crafts, manipulative blocks and experiments.  But, one subject area where you don't often find tactile learning options is in Language Arts.  English on a Roll is filling that gap!  Using visual cues as well as tactile learning, English on a Roll takes a totally different approach to english grammar by providing your child with direct contact with the english language.  This allows for a deeper understanding of grammar terms and their use.    We were excited to have the opportunity to review this unique program!  We received  English Grammar Teaching Method instructors manual with 1 set of 40 cubes.

What is English Grammar Teaching Method All About?
English Grammar Teaching Method uses the "Multisensory Structured Language Teaching Method" to help students learn by hitting all the learning styles: auditory, visual and tactile.  Recommended for children ages 5 and up, the English on a Roll cubes are particularly relevant to students who are English as a Second Language (ESL), Special Education and Beginning Readers.

The cubes can be used for one-on-one tutoring, with small classes or even large groups.  The color-coded learning cubes are a nice, professional and heavy, weighted quality that fit comfortably in small hands.  What is really great about English Grammar Teaching Method is the fact that a teacher CAN use hand-on manipulatives, even in grammar!

The Teachers Guide is a no-frills approach to getting children started in mastering the english language.  Simple sketches and fill-in-the-blanks offer just enough repetition to help children remember the terms without overload or boredom.

What We Thought of English Grammar Teaching Method:
I was definitely pleased to find a program that combines reading, discussion and tactile learning.  I have found that multi-sensory learning is the best approach to help children internalize, solidify and recall complex grammatical concepts.

I had originally intended to use this program with my 2nd grader, but found the concepts to be more difficult that I had anticipated.  The first lesson jumps immediately into pronouns.  The teachers guide instructs you to show the pronoun cube while repeating each word followed by "this is a pronoun" but I thought it unusual that we were not instructed to tell the child that a pronoun is a word that is used in the place of a noun.  My younger daughter (age 7) found it somewhat confusing, but my older daughter (age 10) who has a stronger familiarity with grammar found the cubes to be a fun way to review the grammar concepts she learned last year.

The color coded cubes make it easy to replace your pronoun with another word and build more sentences following the same format.  Once you have a firm understanding of pronouns your student will then move on to plurals and other grammar terms, again using the cubes in the same way.  This worked great for Kayley and I think we will enjoy these cubes throughout the year as we constantly revisit grammar terms and sentence building.

Both girls also enjoyed building wacky sentences with the cubes for fun...long after the lesson for that day was done.  Teaching grammar using the cubes made learning feel like a game!

The Teachers Guide was simple to use and required very little prep which is always great for a busy homeschool mama!

Learn more about English on a Roll:
You can view a video demo to get a better feel for what English on a roll - English Grammar Teaching Method is all about and you can also view the first 10 chapters of the Instructors Manual by filling out the download link!

To purchase English on a Roll - English Grammar Teaching Method and cube set visit their website!  You can either fill out an order form to mail in or purchase through Amazon.  Note that when clicking through to Amazon you can choose to view "more buying choices" and you will find English on a Roll as an Amazon vendor...

Stay up to day with English on a Roll by following them on Facebook!

Still have questions?  Check out their FAQ to see if if is address there or you can email your questions using the Get In Touch form.

Several of my fellow crew mates also enjoyed using the English Grammar Teaching Method with their families!  Find out their thoughts of this unique program by clicking the linky below.

Thanks for swinging by Swinging On Small Hinges!