©2008 - 2016 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Wordless Wednesday
©2008 - 2016 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Pick up Kwik Stixs at Target
If you are heading out shopping for a little person this
weekend I have the perfect gift solution for you! What if I told you there was such a thing as no mess
painting? That's right, no cups, smocks, brushes, or a single drop of water
needed to paint a masterpiece for your budding Picasso.
This year give the gift of
creativity with a set of Kwik Stix paint sticks and watch your little artist
bloom. For the last few weeks Micah, my two year old, has been keeping himself
busy creating masterpieces and doing art "cool" as he calls it with
the help of Kwik Stix Metalix and Kwik Stix Neons from the The Pencil Grip, Inc. .
Each of these 6 packs contain colors that are so vibrant and the paint is contained in a tube roughly
the size of a glue stick. This size is perfect for little hands to grasp.
Let me tell you these no
mess paint sticks have since changed the way we paint! With a fast drying and non-toxic formula, the
colors dry in just 90 seconds after coming in contact with your paper, cardboard,
wood, or even canvas media. Just pop the cap off, twist the stick to make the
paint rise up and you are ready for hours of fun painting.
They are extremely affordable at just $5.99 a
set and they are now availbe at Target! So while you are out shopping this
weekend be sure to pick up a set or two! I know we are because they make the
perfect gift for Secret Santa/Sisters exchanges.
©2008 - 2016 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Wordless Wednesday
©2008 - 2016 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Chara Games: Commissioned ~ a TOS review
Do you love playing board games at your house? We sure do! We've been playing the new game Commissioned from Chara Games during a few of our family game nights. Let me tell you a little about it because you are in for a real treat.
Chara Games LLC was founded by Katherine & Patrick Lysaght in 2014. Together they desired to design and publish innovative and fun tabletop games with Christian themes. Chara is the Biblical Greek word for “unshakeable joy”. They want to help you and your family experience joy through their relationships with God and other people through playing games to help build and foster relationships through shared, joyful experiences.
Commisioned is a cooperative game for ages 14 and up that focuses on the history of the early Christian church through the eyes of the Apostles. As you play along while spreading the gospel and planting churches throughout the land you will truely expeirence joy as you learn about the gospel. This was our first experience playing a cooperative game but it was actually quite fun because everything and everyone works together with a common goal of everyone succeeding and winning. With a lot of patience and help my 10 year old was able to play along too, but it did take a bit of learning.
To begin playing, each player takes on the role as an Apostle who each have different strengths and weaknesses along with special gifts that come in handy as you play. As you use the skills of your Apostle you work as team to help the other Apostiles in the game grow the Church of Christ. Also along the way you collect the books of the New Testament and experience some of the trials had by the true Apostles during this time period.
This is not a game you just pull off the shelf and play. It is detailed and you will need to read the instructions thoroughly along with watching the helpful instructional video. But don't let that deter you from investing in this game! Once you know how to play it will be a game that you play over and over again! In the game box you receive:
Overall, this is a great game that we have enjoyed! I would love to take the time over Thanksgiving break and play again when my oldest is home from University and play as teams so my younger girls can possibly get in on the action. If you are looking for a quality game to add to your game closet then look no further that Commissioned!
Check out the banner below and read what my CrewMates thought of this game.
Social Media Links:
Facebook
Twitter @Charagames
#hsreviews #ChristianBoardGames #StrategyGames
Chara Games LLC was founded by Katherine & Patrick Lysaght in 2014. Together they desired to design and publish innovative and fun tabletop games with Christian themes. Chara is the Biblical Greek word for “unshakeable joy”. They want to help you and your family experience joy through their relationships with God and other people through playing games to help build and foster relationships through shared, joyful experiences.
Commisioned is a cooperative game for ages 14 and up that focuses on the history of the early Christian church through the eyes of the Apostles. As you play along while spreading the gospel and planting churches throughout the land you will truely expeirence joy as you learn about the gospel. This was our first experience playing a cooperative game but it was actually quite fun because everything and everyone works together with a common goal of everyone succeeding and winning. With a lot of patience and help my 10 year old was able to play along too, but it did take a bit of learning.
To begin playing, each player takes on the role as an Apostle who each have different strengths and weaknesses along with special gifts that come in handy as you play. As you use the skills of your Apostle you work as team to help the other Apostiles in the game grow the Church of Christ. Also along the way you collect the books of the New Testament and experience some of the trials had by the true Apostles during this time period.
This is not a game you just pull off the shelf and play. It is detailed and you will need to read the instructions thoroughly along with watching the helpful instructional video. But don't let that deter you from investing in this game! Once you know how to play it will be a game that you play over and over again! In the game box you receive:
• 1 double sided game board
• 5 double sided scenario cards
• 6 unique player boards
• 96 faith cards
• 27 trial cards
• 4 wood missionary meeples
• 75 wood church member cubes
• 1 wood elder's staff
• 6 wood player pawns
• 30 double sided stop tokens
• 5 double sided extinguish tokens
• 1 converted city leader's token
• 1 Roman Legion token
• 1 8-sided die
• 1 rule book
• 1 Theme Appendix
Overall, this is a great game that we have enjoyed! I would love to take the time over Thanksgiving break and play again when my oldest is home from University and play as teams so my younger girls can possibly get in on the action. If you are looking for a quality game to add to your game closet then look no further that Commissioned!
Check out the banner below and read what my CrewMates thought of this game.
Company ~ Chara Games LLC
Product ~ Commissioned
Price ~ $44.00
Ages ~ 14 and up
Twitter @Charagames
#hsreviews #ChristianBoardGames #StrategyGames
©2008 - 2016 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
http://astablebeginning.com
Monday, November 14, 2016
Happy 16th birthday Madison!!!
©2008 - 2016 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
The Critical Thinking Company: Language Smarts, Level E ~ a TOS review
Just recently I have had the opportunity to work through the brand new curricula Language Smarts™ Level E from The Critical Thinking Co.™ with Montana, who is 10.
The Critical Thinking Co. is a family-owned business that has been “empowering the mind” for more than 50 years. They sell critical thinking products/supplements that cover reading, writing, mathematics, science, and history. Instead of rote drilling and memorization, students are encouraged to “carefully analyze what they are learning.” The Critical Thinking Co. is on a mission to develop the critical thinking skills in all children. The Language Arts book is available in either book form or Windows PC download.
We received a physical copy of the book that is a hefty 390+ pages! This product is also available as an eBook too if you have multiple children to use this. I should note that the copywrite does allow you to make copies for your own personal family, something that as a large family homeschooler I appreciate.
This book is written for children in the 4th grade but it does contain information pertaining to 5th grade material too. It is so through that it can be used either as a supplement to your regular Language Arts curriculum or as a stand-alone complete curriculum. We used it as the latter during our review period.
The book covers a lot of material and you can get an in-depth look at the table of contents on the website, however, these are some of the topics covered:
Working through the book is quite simple. You can start from the first page and go that route or you can choose to skip around topics as we did. Normally Montana completed 2 pages a day, Monday through Friday, but I skipped around in each section to keep the material fresh. The worksheets instructions are explained thoroughly and always include an example of what is being asked to be completed. For the teacher, the answers are included in the back of the book. I especially enjoy the fact that I can use this as a supplement, especially since we are fast approaching our gymnastics travel season. I know that instead of lugging around our current language arts curricula I can turn to Language Smarts™ Level E and know that Montana is getting quality instruction and material to practice on her level. For that I give this product two thumbs up!
Be sure to check out what my CrewMates thought of this product and the other items being reviewed by clicking the banner below to read their thoughts.
This book is written for children in the 4th grade but it does contain information pertaining to 5th grade material too. It is so through that it can be used either as a supplement to your regular Language Arts curriculum or as a stand-alone complete curriculum. We used it as the latter during our review period.
The book covers a lot of material and you can get an in-depth look at the table of contents on the website, however, these are some of the topics covered:
- • Syllables
- • Word Parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots)
- • Word Relationships (synonyms, antonyms, anagrams, analogies, palindromes, etc)
- • Spelling
- • Editing (Editor In Chief pages)
- • Reference Materials (dictionary, online dictionary, thesaurus, online encyclopedia, searching the Internet, nonfiction)
- • Parts of Speech
- • Sentences
- • Punctuation
- • Using Words Correctly (homophones, misused words, homographs)
- • Reading and Writing (context clues, similes, metaphors, idioms, proverbs, comprehension, drama, poems, etc.)
- • Writing (process, personal narrative, opinions, informative, and Writing Detective pages)
Working through the book is quite simple. You can start from the first page and go that route or you can choose to skip around topics as we did. Normally Montana completed 2 pages a day, Monday through Friday, but I skipped around in each section to keep the material fresh. The worksheets instructions are explained thoroughly and always include an example of what is being asked to be completed. For the teacher, the answers are included in the back of the book. I especially enjoy the fact that I can use this as a supplement, especially since we are fast approaching our gymnastics travel season. I know that instead of lugging around our current language arts curricula I can turn to Language Smarts™ Level E and know that Montana is getting quality instruction and material to practice on her level. For that I give this product two thumbs up!
Be sure to check out what my CrewMates thought of this product and the other items being reviewed by clicking the banner below to read their thoughts.
Company ~ The Critical Thinking Co.™
Product ~ Language Smarts™ Level E
Price ~ $42.99 physical book or eBook
Ages ~ 4th grade, suitable for 5th grade too
Social Media Links:
#hsreviews #criticalthinking #languagearts
©2008 - 2016 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
http://astablebeginning.com
Friday, November 4, 2016
Homeschool Legacy: Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims ~ a TOS review
Can you believe it’s already the 4th of November!? Time is flying by and the holiday season is fast approaching. As a change of pace to our homeschool day we've added a unit study from Homeschool Legacy, all about a Once-a-Week Micro-Studies on Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims . Right now is the perfect time to start a Thanksgiving study and Sharon Gibson has one!
Once-a-Week Unit Studies were created from Sharon Gibson’s passion to help families build a strong, Godly, family legacy. With engaging unit studies families are brought together as they study topics. This precious time spent together focused on one topic will provide your children with a lifetime of memories.
Homeschool Legacy’s Once a Week Studies is a great companion for busy parents like myself. Preparation time is kept to a minimal. You really only need to make a quick stop to the library to pick up books. Unit studies are a great way to learn about any topic you can imagine all the while covering the basics like Bible, reading, writing, history, and/or science.
Want to know something else? These Once-A-Week Unit Studies correlate to your Boy Scouts or American Heritage Girls merit badges. How great is that! Your Boy Scout or American Heritage Girl will be able to earn merit badges all the while completing their everyday school work. I wish they had badge requirements for my Girl Scouts too!
We were able to review the Thanksgiving Unit Study that is spread out over a six week period if you use it about 20-30 minutes a day. It retails for $12.00 and is appropriate for grades 1-8, which is perfect for Montana (4th) and McKenzie (1st).
Preparing for the study was really simple. I just looked at my library for the three recommended books and added them to my library haul for Saturday. Unlike other Unit Studies, this one does not have a list of books or weekly devotions for during the six weeks. We worked on our unit studies for 3 days a week and made Thursdays our Unit Study day to fit our schedule.
Overall, this was a great experience using the Once-A-Day Unit study and being able to connect it with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. I highly recommend this program! I definitely think you should check this unit study our or one of the many others they offer including:
Be sure to check out what my Crewmates thought of this Study and the other Unit Studies offered for review by clicking on the banner below.
Social Media Links
Facebook
#hsreviews #unitstudies #historyunitstudies
Once-a-Week Unit Studies were created from Sharon Gibson’s passion to help families build a strong, Godly, family legacy. With engaging unit studies families are brought together as they study topics. This precious time spent together focused on one topic will provide your children with a lifetime of memories.
Homeschool Legacy’s Once a Week Studies is a great companion for busy parents like myself. Preparation time is kept to a minimal. You really only need to make a quick stop to the library to pick up books. Unit studies are a great way to learn about any topic you can imagine all the while covering the basics like Bible, reading, writing, history, and/or science.
Topics covered include:
Week 1: The Scrooby Separatists
Week 2: The Voyage
Week 3: At Home in Plymouth
Week 4: Happy Thanksgiving
Week 5: The Puritans
Week 6: Merry Christmas!
Overall, this was a great experience using the Once-A-Day Unit study and being able to connect it with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. I highly recommend this program! I definitely think you should check this unit study our or one of the many others they offer including:
• Birds of a Feather
• Forest for the Trees
• Horsing Around
• Weather on the Move
• Knights & Nobles
• Native America
• Early Settlers
• Revolutionary Ideas
• We the People: Getting to know your Constitution
• Lewis & Clark
• Christmas Comes to America
Be sure to check out what my Crewmates thought of this Study and the other Unit Studies offered for review by clicking on the banner below.
Company ~ Homeschool Legacy
Product ~ Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims
Price ~ $12.00
Ages ~ 1st-8th grade
#hsreviews #unitstudies #historyunitstudies
©2008 - 2016 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Accountable2You ~ a TOS review
In this technology driven world, Internet accountability is almost a necessity. Six weeks ago Accountable2You offered us the choice of one of their four plans they offer: Family Plan, Group Plan, Individual Plan and Small Business Plan to review. We choose the Family Plan where you can have up to twenty devices linked up. It works especially well with multiple family members having devices -- including the teen away at college.
Accountable2You is a Christian company that offers families and businesses an accountability tool for those who want to be held accountable. They believe that if a person is determined to sin, they will find a way to sin. By developing strong relationships between partners, members and God Almighty, Accountable2You and their internet monitoring and accountability software seeks to develop character through accountability by monitoring internet usage on devices linked up to the software. However, no software will ever prevent a person from sinning, they just provide an outlet to keep you accountable for your actions. Accountable2You is all about building character through accountability and is built on the concept found in Proverbs 27:17 :
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
Features:
• Up to 20 Devices
• Unlimited Accountability Partners
• Create Child User Accounts
• Set Time Limit Alerts Per Account
• Real time reporting
• Accountability partners per device
• Daily or Weekly email reports
• Hourly Alert reports
• Instant Text Alerts
• Manage Objectionable word list
This review was offered at the right time for us! A situation occurred a few weeks before we were offered this review in which one of my children was led to believe that she needed to focus on something outside of what we teach in our household. For a few days it consumed her thoughts and I found her watching a YouTube video on her iPhone (that is not hooked up to a phone line) when she was supposed to be doing her schoolwork.
Company ~ Accountable2You
Product ~ Family Plan
Format ~ online software
Price ~ $9.99 a month
©2008 - 2016 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.
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