A Stable Beginning

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

My True Girl: Tween Bible Study with Lies Girls Believe ~ a TOS review

Disclaimer: I received a Complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family and I pray you, the reader, find them helpful on your homeschooling journey. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.

Morning friends! Another day and another review! This one is a good one though, especially if you have a tween daughter. I have five daughters and my youngest, McKenzie, is 12 but fast approaching official teenagerhood. Spending time with each of my daughters is so important, but with her being the youngest girl it is even more so important so she doesn’t get lost in the shuffle so to speak. So you better believe I was super excited to review Lies Girls Believe and A Mom's Guide to Lies Girls Believe from True Girl with her.

Both of these books were written by Dannah Gresh, the mom of two daughters and a son, and they seek to encourage girls aged 8-12 in their daily lives. Everyday this age group has lies being tossed at them, from media, culture, and their own peer groups. The book begins with the very first lie ever told by Satan as he deceives Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Your daughter will navigate the twenty lies discussed in this book with a new friend named Zoey. Together your daughter and Zoey will learn the real truth from scripture about the twenty lies that most girls believe including:

Lie #1- “God only loves me when I’m good.”

Lie #2- “God is not enough.”

Lie #3- “I’m a Christian because…”

Lie #4- “I’m not good enough.”

Lie #5- “Pretty girls are worth more.”

Lie #6- “I need more freedom.”

Lie #7- “My family is sooo weird.”

Lie #8- “My family is too broken for me to ever be happy.”

Lie #9- “My parents just don’t get me.”

Lie #10- “My sin isn’t that big a deal.”

Lie #11- “I don’t need to tell anyone about my sin.”

Lie #12- “What I watch/listen to doesn’t matter.”

Lie #13- “Boys and girls aren’t really that different.”

Lie # 14- “Getting my period is going to be awful.”

Lie #15- “It’s okay to be boy crazy.”

Lie #16- “I don’t need to talk to my mom about boys.”

Lie #17- “I don’t have any friends.”

Lie #18- “It’s okay to be mean.”

Lie #19- “It’s not cool to JUST be a wife and mom.”

Lie #20- “I’m too young to____.”

I am so glad we also received the companion mom’s book, A Mom's Guide to Lies Girls Believe! Each chapter corresponds with the tween book and helps to reinforce the truths your daughter is learning. It also features a section for common lies that moms may believe.

The Lies Girls Believe and A Mom's Guide to Lies Girls Believe from True Girl is just the mother daughter connection and Bible study I have been looking for! McKenzie and I have loved working through it and it has brought us closer as we talk out the truths. I also have been including my 15 year old in our discussions as the topics are pertinent to her daily life as well.

I am grateful that I was able to review this book and the lessons within with McKenzie! Growing up in this world is difficult with all the things being thrown at children. You can best believe that I have the other books, Lies Young Women Believe and Lies Women Believe, saved on my list for our stack of books at Christmas. Each of my four young women will be getting a copy in their book stack. I am excited that they also have something similar for my young son as well, called BorntobeBrave, because I think they have a whole set of lies being thrown at them too.

I highly recommend the Lies Girls Believe and A Mom's Guide to Lies Girls Believe to anyone with a young daughter! Dive into the truth and take a bite out of the lies and see the truth that sets you free! Be sure to click on the banner below and read the thoughts of my CrewMates who also received these two books.

Company ~ True Girl

Product ~ Lies Girls Believe and A Mom's Guide to Lies Girls Believe

Format ~ paperback books

Ages ~ 8-12 year old girls and their moms True Girl

Find True Girl on these Social Media sites:

Facebook ~ Instagram ~ YouTube

https://astablebeginning.com

Thursday, August 4, 2022

STEAM Projects for Kids with STEAM4KIDZ ~ a TOS review

Morning friends! It’s a beautiful, hot day in our part of the country. It’s actually been quite hot for the last several weeks, the perfect weather to hang out inside the house and work on indoor learning activities. We did just that by using the Galactic Adventures Kit from STEAM4KIDZ. STEAM {Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math} and STEM {same as STEAM, just without the Art component} learning is really popular in education today. My kids love STEAM/STEM educational opportunities, so I was really excited to be able to use the Galactic Adventures Kit with Micah, my 3rd grader over the summer.

STEAM4KIDZ was founded by Dr. Onolee Zwicke to provide kids high-quality STEAM educational kits for kids aged 6-12. Currently there are five kits to choose from which include: ~ Mini-Theatre Kit ~ Ocean Ventures Kit ~ Starry Night Kit ~ Galactic Adventures Kit ~ Fantasy Aliens on Planet Kepzoo Kit Each of the kits have between 5-7 different projects to engage all five aspects of STEAM education and get the kiddos learning. Prices for the kits range from $99.00 to $129.00 US Dollars. The kits can be purchased separately or through a 3- or 6-month monthly subscription.

We have been so blessed to review the STEAM4KIDZ Galactic Adventures Kit! It arrived at the perfect time as we had just finished our Astronomy lessons on the solar system and Micah was still interested in learning more. The Kit provided much needed new learning activities that engaged Micah with video instruction and hands-on learning lessons.

The full kit came with everything needed, and I mean everything! Down to tacky glue and a cute mini stapler we had everything we needed to do each lesson in individual-colored bags that are also labeled. The Galactic Adventures Kit includes the following projects:

~ Clay model of the solar system

~ Galaxy in a Jar

~ Star Seekers

~ Geoboard Constellations

~ Solar Rover

~ Spaceship Diorama

~ Baking Galaxy Cookies

The video lessons are hosted on Vimeo and were just the right amount in length to keep Micah, who is 8, engaged and learning. Dr. Zwicke guides your child through the entire process, so I was only needed if Micah had a question. With the videos you can also rewind if you need to see a step explained in a bit more detail.

So far, Micah has completed 2 of the learning activities, the Galaxy in a Jar and putting together the Star Finder. He’s especially looking forward to completing the Solar Rover with Dad this weekend, a project that had to be put off while dad was on temporary orders out state.

We also chose to save the Clay model of the solar system project, because we had just made one in his Co-op class that ended in May. We will come back around to the clay model when we cycle back through General Science in 6th grade. His older sister, Madison who is heading into her Senior year of her Astrophysics major, is going to help him make the Galaxy Cookies before she heads back to university next week. A great bonding activity for them both since he especially misses her during the school year.

Overall, our experience with STEAM4KIDZ has been great! Micah has learned more about the Galaxy and space. We have a few more activities to complete to wrap up his learning this school year and he is looking forward to the different projects. I definitely think you should look into the STEAM4KIDZ kits if you are looking for activity based, hands-on learning for your children. Any of these kits would make a fabulous birthday or Christmas gift for your little scientist!

Be sure to click the banner below and read the thoughts of nine of my CrewMates who reviewed one of the kits as well.

Company ~ STEAM4KIDZ

Product ~ Galactic Adventures Kit

Format ~ Hands-on Activity kit with Video Streaming

Price ~$109.00

Ages ~ 6–12-year-olds, younger kids may need adult help

Find STEAMKIDZ on these Social Media sites:

Facebook~ Twitter~ Instagram ~ YouTube

https://astablebeginning.com

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Wordless Wednesday ~ Back to school, Our 14th year of Homeschooling!

https://astablebeginning.com

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Homeschool Art lessons with ARTistic Pursuits ~ a TOS review

Morning friends! It’s a busy week in our house as we have jumped back into our school year. It’s our 14th year, wowzers! We are taking a slow start by just doing a few subjects at a time to ease us back into our full time learning by the end of the month. So far, it’s been good, and I know I have enjoyed getting back into routine.

Today I am pleased to share with you another review from our favorite art education program, ARTistic Pursuits, who offers homeschooling families fabulous art curriculum materials such as their ART Core Series. We received the Drawing with Water-soluble and Graded Graphite Pencils, Art Core 5 for this review and my 10th grader Montana worked through the book.

The Drawing with Water-soluble and Graded Graphite Pencils, Art Core 5 is an advanced high school level art course that teaches students to discover their creative strengths with water-soluble pencils and graphite. The course is available with the standard DVD/Blueray CDs to view the nine video lessons of the program. Or you can choose the new Online Streaming option that gives you two years of unlimited access to the complete program through a flip able online book that is identical to the hardcover book. This is an awesome option for those who are on the go. Or if you don’t have a DVD/CD drive on your newer computer, the streaming option works great.

A list of materials needed can be found in the front of the book so you can be prepared come art day. Many of the art supplies needed can be found at your local stores or you can opt to purchase a supply kit directly from ARTistic Pursuit. For this course your student will need:

~ graded drawing pencil, set of 12

~ Ebony drawing pencils

~ water-soluble pencils

~ #8 round watercolor brush

~ plastic eraser

~ kneaded eraser

~ metal pencil sharpener

~ sandpaper block

~ drawing pad 9x12

~ Bristol pad (vellum surface)

This course is worth ½ credit and can be scheduled out twice a week over the course of one semester for those looking to give credit for or in preparation for college level courses. The textbook is a hardcover book with 64 pages inside and it also includes art history within the 36 lessons. This course also includes an art history portion where you will study and become familiar with nine artists such as, da Vinci, van Gogh, Buonarroti, and van Rijn. Brenda Ellis, the author, has made this program so simple to get started with there is no excuse to why your student can’t have a world class art education right from home!

Each of my children have been blessed with artistic talents and Montana is no exception. She is a natural artist who has loved to draw since was a little girl and she was excited to review this new course to use over the last few weeks. She has learned her skills from several of the books from Artistic Pursuits as well as just through exploring techniques on her own. Montana recently bought herself a drawing tablet for an upcoming animation course she is taking in the school year to push her drawing to the next level using all the techniques she has learned from ARTistic Pursuits over the years.

We highly recommend you take a look at this course, Drawing with Water-soluble and Graded Graphite Pencils, Art Core 5, or get started with any of the other courses ARTistic Pursuits offers including these that were reviewed,

Grade K through 3 Art Program

Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary, Vol. 1

Art of the Ancients, Vol. 2

Art of the Middle Ages, Vol. 3

Art That Shaped the Italian Renaissance,

Art of the Northern Countries, Vol. 5, Grades

K-3

Art of the Impressionists, Vol. 6

Art of the Modern Age, Vol.

Art in America, Vol. 8

https://artisticpursuits.com/k-3rd-vol-8

ART Core Series