What Does the Bible Say About That? Review

I recently received a copy of WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THAT? by Carolyn Larsen, published by Crossway Books.

This book is written for ages 8-12 and includes over 300 topics. The purpose of the book is to lead children to scripture to answer their questions. Ranging from sin issues, to world events, to relationships, this book is a great tool for any parent.

Mercy is one of the topics covered in What Does The Bible Say About That? First, a detailed explanation based on biblical scriptures is given. Then the information is supported by one or more scriptures. In this case, Exodus 34:6, Lamentations 3:22, and Hebrews 4:16. The next section is Face the Facts, and shares how to apply these scriptures to life. The last section on Mercy is a call to action, Today I Will, which describes to children how they can implement Mercy in their life right away.

The book is very easy for children to read, and it is written in a conversational style. There are also many fun illustrations throughout the book. My son has enjoyed reading this book with his devotional in the mornings.

I love that this book teaches children to look to God's Word for the answers. His Book really does answer all of our questions. I look forward to reading this book with my children for years to come.

Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day Review

I was thrilled to discover we would be reviewing one of the Elementary Science Texts from Apologia Educational Ministries.

First of all, Jeannie K. Fulbright did an excellent job writing to children. She doesn't talk down to them, and has a conversational style. My son was completely engaged in the text. In fact, the first day he picked up Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day, he read the entire book. He took it in the car when we ran a few errands. I never thought he would read a Science book like a novel.

This is a Science text with a Christian perspective. Apologia does a wonderful job of sharing God's awesome creation with children. All information is given is such a way to glorify God, and support Creationism.

Apologia uses an immersion approach, not a spiral-approach like the public school system. There are a total of 14 lessons, which can be broken down into daily requirements based on the student. Some may choose to use 2 weeks to cover each lesson since because of the wealth of information given in each lesson.


Unlike much of the Science curriculum I have seen, Apologia does not use worksheets. Instead they suggest notebooking and narration. Each chapter ends with a project or experiment to further the child's understanding of the subject. Most of these projects can be completed with common household items. I was thrilled to find a complete supplies list in the front of the text showing every single item needed for each week. This helps if there are any items I need to buy. I can take a quick glance or copy the page to keep in my purse.

The pictures are beautiful. They are in full color. We loved the hummingbird pictures, the picture of the hatching bird, and my son loved the bats.

Apologia offers a course website that holds links to information on many of the subjects in Zoology 1. The student can log in with the password given in the text and learn even more about Zoology. This is an awesome bonus. It saves me the time of looking up websites when Roo wants to know more, which is often the case.

I look forward to formally using Apologia for our Science Curriculum in the years to come. I wholly endorse the Elementary series by Jeannie K. Fulbright. It works with my eclectic/Charlotte Mason style. And my son loves it, what mom could ask for more?

Classic Bible Storybook Review

The Classic Bible Storybook by Kenneth N. Taylor is such a precious book. My husband and I have enjoyed reading the beautiful stories aloud to our children at bedtime. The book itself is a beautiful hardback that many parents will want to add to their “forever” collection.

The stories in this book are very concise. Most are 2-3 pages long. The Bible stories are well-written and accurate. This is very important to us because we don’t like Bible books that add events to the story to make them exciting for children. We believe the original story can captivate our children, and we appreciate Kenneth Taylor’s method.

There are more than 120 stories included. Each story has review questions to help lead a discussion with the children about what they have learned. I like using the questions because my children often glean truth from the stories that I would never have thought possible. The questions help me to draw out their hearts as we talk about our Lord.

The illustrations in the Classic Bible Storybook are wonderful. Each page is given an antiqued look. There are many beautiful color illustrations of the stories and my children love looking at them as we read together.

I think this book is a wonderful companion to our Bible studies. I am thankful to have it, and the Classic Bible Storybook has become a favorite in our home. I am sure in a few years it will show the signs of being well-loved.

Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure Review

My family was thrilled to have the opportunity to review Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure DVD.

First of all, Max Lucado has been instrumental in my walk with Christ. When I first became a Christian, Lucado’s books help to reveal God’s heart for me. I am thankful for the wisdom God has allowed Max to share with thousands of people. When I discovered several years later that Max Lucado was involved in children’s ministry through books and movies I was very excited.

Hermie’s friend Skeeter has a crooked stinger. This causes him to feel inferior to other mosquitoes, especially his brother Sinclair, who seems to be perfect in every way. Sinclair has come home to find a treasure hidden by the mosquitos’ father. Skeeter wants to help, but is not sure if his stinger can lead the adventurers to the treasure.

This movie is very sweet. It teaches us that God makes all unique, and he thinks that we are perfect just the way we are. It also teaches us not to compare ourselves with others. Believing God loves us can help overcome feelings of insecurity and self-doubt.

My children really like this movie, and ask to watch it often. We also like the recipe that is included as a bonus.

Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure is great if you are looking for a good moral lesson for your children, without it being too “cheesy”. Click HERE to read more about Hermie, Skeeter, and all of their friends.

Trigger Memory Systems

I am very impressed with Trigger Memory Systems. They offer great products, at great prices!I am familiar with the company because I purchased the Bedroom Cleaning for Kids Clean N Flip book about a year ago. I had been looking for a way to break down the cleaning steps of a very messy bedroom for my son. He would get very overwhelmed. I can understand. I am the type of person that can end up moving things around the room until I am back where I started. Well, we both loved the simple instructions given in this chart. I bought some laundry baskets from the dollar store and labeled them according to the directions. This system really works! It is fast, and efficient, and maybe a little fun, too! We have even used it for the other rooms in the house.Here is a description from the website:

* Makes cleaning FUN!
* Complete a task & flip the page
* Add extra personalized chores
* Boosts self-esteem and organizational skills

My son feels a sense of accomplishment, and is more eager to clean his bedroom now that we have a guide that adds structure.So....when I received more Clean N Flip charts from Trigger Memory Systems I was SO excited!!

Zone Cleaning for Kids was one of the titles we received. It includes written and visual instructions for cleaning the Living Room, Kitchen, and Bathroom areas. The pictures are great, and even my toddler can understand the instructions. The chart has added space for adding additional chores and tasks. The book is non consumable so it can be used again and again. Simply check off completed tasks with a dry-erase marker! I love Zone Cleaning for Kids. I love to see my children excited about chores! I love it when they ASK me to clean. I am forever indebted to Trigger Memory Systems.


We also received the Laundry for Kids Clean N Flip Chart. This is great timing because I have been training my 8 year old to be responsible for his own laundry. I have showed him a few times, and now I can just refer him to the chart when it is his laundry day. There are a couple of tasks that I would have included, but it was easy enough to add them to the chart. One task is checking pockets, after a melted crayon in the dryer, I never want Roo to forget about pockets. The other task is to empty the dryer vent. Overall, the instructions were simple and easy to follow. Complete a task and flip the page to see the next task. I absolutely have to recommend this product to every parent! Kids are capable of so much, and to see their joy at success is a beautiful thing.


Trigger Memory Systems also offers educational products. We reviewed Times Tales, a program to memorize upper multiplication facts. This is what the website has to say:

*Covers the most difficult to memorize times tables: 3x6,3x7,3x8,3x9,4x6,4x7,4x8, 4x9,6x6,6x7,6x8,6x9,7x7,7x8,7x9,8x8,8x9,9x9-
*FAST - most children learn in two 45 minute sessions!-
*Non-consumable - can be used by the whole family.
*FUN - kids love this learning method and ask for more!


Roo is in 3rd grade, and we are just beginning lower multiplication. But I really wanted to see if this product could help a child learn times tables in just two sessions. The answer is YES! After one session, Roo knew many of them, after the second session, he knew them all! I have gone over the multiplication facts with flashcards and quizzed Roo while we drove in the car. He KNOWS the answers. And quickly. I am completely amazed. The stories in Times Tales are cute and simple enough to recall quickly and accurately.
I suggest that any parent concerned about teaching their child multiplication invest in this program. I believe it can help any child that is struggling. In closing, I would like to say that I highly recommend Trigger Memory Systems and hope they continue to make great products. I am thinking of buying some extra cleaning charts to give to friends for Christmas!!

(orig. posted 12/15/08)

Time4Learning.com

Time4Learning.com is a tool where parents can help supplement their child in Math, Language Arts, and more!Many parents have enjoyed the features offered by Time4Learning.

The child is assigned activities based on grade level. We reviewed PreK and 3rd grade. The PreK had some fun games on it, but I think it would be more suited for an older preschooler as my daughter had trouble using the mouse. She liked the games but grew impatient with the directions being read repeatedly.

My son had the most fun with the Science and History. He enjoyed some of the games Time4Learning offered for Math and Language Arts. He really liked the pattern maker and the section on Astronomy. He also enjoyed learning about dinosaurs.

The sections are divided by Subject and have quizzes and tests so that the parent can monitor the child's progress. I believe the parent can even assign lessons to the child.

We do not spend a lot of time on the computer, so it took a while for us to get through the activities on Time4Learning.com that we chose to explore. Families with older children, or that spend a great deal of time on the computer may find this educational website very useful.

We appreciated our time on Time4Learning.com, but I have to warn that evolution is present throughout the lessons. And in one of the preschool games, there was an image of a witch. For these reasons, we did not spend as much time with this particular resource. There is a forum provided for Christian Discussion, but I still don't want my children to play games where evolution is taught. I have been careful in choosing curriculum that supports this ideal, so I must be careful to choose supplements that have a creation view.

I do think Time4Learning.com can be a useful and fun website. I think many children will enjoy the lessons and it will be beneficial to help them improve in subjects where they might be struggling.Please visit Time4Learning.com and take a look!


(orig. posted 12/15/08)

Schoolside Press-The Little Man in the Map

I was excited when we received The Little Man in the Map. And it was the very same week we were studying the United States geography with My Father's World!The children wanted to read it right away...and again, and again.

The Little Man in The Map by E. Andrew Martonyi is "A journey through the 50 states using catchy rhymes and clever pictures. The boundaries of the states are used to create visual images to connect state names to their location on the map".

We did enjoy the pictures. My favorite was the Virginia Ham, and Roo enjoyed the little man in the map.

Roo, after reading the book one time, was able to identify 39 states! We had done a pre-test on U.S Geography two days before for our regular curriculum. He was only able to identify 5 states correctly at the time. The second time Roo read the book, he could point to 43 of the states!

This book is fun, but there are some images parents may not agree with, such as elves, and a monster face.

As an educational tool, I do recommend this book. The Schoolside Press website offers supplemental material to go with the book. You can download coloring pages or purchase a wall map. As a book children will love, I highly recommend The Little Man in the Map.


(orig. posted 12/10/08)