Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Dayspring Christian Academy: The Pilgrim Story ~ a TOS review
Dayspring Christian Academy is a private school located in Mountville, PA, which follows the Principle Approach model. The Principle Approach model is one that is based on the biblical principles, with a strong purpose of restoring America to her heritage.
One hundred sixty years ago, the American people allowed education to be taken out of the Christian home and school where it had produced men and women who were God-fearing, Christ-honoring and Bible-loving. Today our nation is paying the price. In a society overrun with violence, immorality, greed and selfishness, what can American Christians do to repair this very real damage to our foundation?
Using the historic, biblical method of education that helped forge our nation, Dayspring Christian Academy offers a refreshing answer to families who seriously desire to turn the tide of mediocrity and decay. The Principle Approach, revived in the 1960s through the Foundation for American Christian Education, draws from the classical Christian tradition by providing formal instruction in logic, rhetoric, Latin, and New Testament Greek. Classical literature at every grade level provides an enriched and highly developed vocabulary. The Principle Approach is reflective by nature, challenging students to reason from the principles of God’s Word to everyday life and to articulate them soundly in writing and speech. Through the Principle Approach, children are educated to impact their world for Christ in a dynamic and meaningful way.
Dayspring employs the Principle Approach, America’s historic, classical Christian method of education to prepare young people to be servants, scholars, and statesmen in our constitutional federal republic. This requires developing a biblical worldview as well as excellence in character, skills, and talents. The Principle Approach is very intentional in its purpose: equipping young men and women to help restore America to her gospel purpose, thereby helping to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission. ~from website
Ummm…can we pack up and move to PA?!
The last few weeks our family has had the privilege of studying a new online self-paced interactive history course called The Pilgrim Story in the comfort of our own home. We were given a full 6-month subscription to this self-paced course which is designed for 3rd-6th graders.
With a total of 17 lessons divided into 5 units and an included virtual field trip there is plenty to keep your child engaged and learning. Included in the program are plenty of downloadable materials to enhance your learning adventure such as writing activities, maps & crafts, historical timelines, and notebooking pages just to name a few. Also included are 5 unit tests if testing your child’s knowledge is your thing. Each lesson is scheduled to take about 30-45 minutes to complete give or take. The units are broken down as follows:
Unit One
- King Henry
- Geneva Bible
- Life In Scrooby
- Liberty of Conscious (listed internal and external property activity).
- Unit One Test
Unit Two
- Leaving England
The Second Escape Attempt
Leiden
- Preparing To Go
- Unit Two Test
Unit Three
- Leaving Leiden
- Conditions On The Mayflower
- Building Christian Character
- Unit Three Test
Unit Four
- The Mayflower Compact
- Exploration
- The First Winter (we made a craft stick pilgrim house activity).
- Unit Four Test
Unit Five
- Spring 1621
- The Wampanoag People
- The Rest Of The Story
- Unit Five Test
Virtual Field Trip
To Plymouth Massachusetts
Madison (6th) & Mikayla (4th) were the lucky reviewers of this product. Setup was a breeze and we had no trouble logging in and getting started. As you start each lesson you are taken through an engaging slide presentation with audio narration. Which I thought was super awesome for this tired homeschool mama’s voice :-) Each lesson also includes a notepage with interesting facts and tidbits for you to print. Along with fill in the blank answers to check comprehension. I have to say this program is very informative and we got off on rabbit trails, which is a good thing, right?! To top it all off, the virtual field trip is awesome! I hope to be able to take the family to Plymouth, Massachusetts next year to see the history first hand.
So, you are probably thinking that this program is going to cost you a fortune for what all is included, right? Well, not so! The Pilgrim Story is priced at $99. and you have 6 months access to the material. While that may seem like a steep price, I assure you that for the quality of the material and program it is an excellent value. I enjoyed learning right along with the girls and I definitely say leave room in your homeschool budget for this gem of a program!
for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith” (Mayflower Compact)
While we only made it through the beginning of Unit Two of the program, we have learned so much and the girls want more! We will definitely be finishing up our study and doubling up a few weeks so that we can finish in time for Thanksgiving. Yes, it’s that good! Definitely check out what my Crewmates thought of The Pilgrim Story by clicking the banner below and check out the website and see if this program would work for your family!
Company ~ Dayspring Christian Academy
Product ~ The Pilgrim Story
Price ~ $99.00 6-month subscription
*Access to the course begins within 48 hours from purchase. You will have access to the program for six months from the date of registration
Ages ~ 3rd – 6th graders
DISCLAIMER: I received a 6-month subscription to The Pilgrim Story from Dayspring Christian Academy, in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but are not influenced by the company or the free product provided.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Kinderbach ~ a TOS review
Montana has been interested in learning to play the piano for a few years now. We do not have room for a real piano but for her birthday this year she was blessed with an electronic keyboard from her Auntie. Perfect timing because we were selected to review the Kinderbach program.
As part of the Homeschool Crew, Montana and I were given the opportunity to review the on-line version of Kinderbach, which is an at-home music program designed to teach young children, 2-7 years olds, the basics of playing the piano. Upon completing all 7 levels your child will have had 1 to 2 years of music instruction using video instruction, coloring pages, worksheets, and fun physical activities. A very important thing I should note is that you do need access to a piano or electronic keyboard with 36-48 full sized keys during the course. A toy keyboard works well with this program too, so do not sweat it too much.
Each lesson is lead by Karri Gregor, the founder, who uses fun characters like Dodi to engage your child. Within each of the 6 levels there are 10 weeks of lessons to explore. Each lesson is broken down into weekly lessons with 4 short sessions of animated videos with piano playing practice. A 47 page activity book is included with each lesson. You can view the first few lessons here.
KinderBach is available as a subscription which you can view online or as a DVD series. For on-line learning you have two options, pay $19.99 a month and commit to a year long membership, or get a “day pass” and get in as much learning as you can in a 24 hour period. There is also a Kinderbach app the some of my Crewmates reviewed. We have had the opportunity to use this on our iPad and it is a great extension for learning on the go.
KinderBach is a fun, creative, and interactive way for young children to enjoy introductory piano lessons. Each short lesson includes watching playful characters as they introduce music concepts such as rhythm, note reading, singing, and composition. Montana was able to use this program 2-3 times a week. I thought this program was really excellent and worth giving a shot if you are looking to provide piano instruction for your children. Montana is showing progress and enjoys her piano time!
Like I said before, just make sure you have access to a keyboard or piano to get the most out of the program. If you or your child is scared of clowns, be warned that the teacher sometimes dresses up as a clown. Montana and I give this program 2 thumbs up! She really had a great time learning the ins and outs of the piano. Check out what my Crewmates thought by clicking the banner below.
Company / Product ~ Kinderbach
Price ~ $19.99 a month, billed monthly, or $7.99 a month, billed annually as one $95.88 payment.
Ages ~ 2-7
DISCLAIMER: I received a 6-month subscription to KinderBach, in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but are not influenced by the company or the free product provided
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Angle
I never know what kind of pictures I will find on my iPhone after McKenzie has had it. Some of them are hilarious and some have me thinking “what in the world was she doing?” This is one of them (it is a bit blurry but you get the gist). She is sitting in the family room with her feet resting halfway up on one of the pillars at an awkward angle.
Beeyoutiful ~ a TOS review
I have sensitive skin and because of that I only wear eye makeup on a daily basis. Wearing foundation and blush does not sit too well with me. So imagine my surprise when a review for a mineral based make up was offered to us. I jumped at the chance to be on the list and was pleased as punch when I was selected to review Beeyoutiful Skin mineral make up package.
Beeyoutiful Skin is 100% all natural, gluten free mineral makeup. For this review, I received 1 foundation in Brianna, 1 foundation brush, 2 sample eye colors, plum sky and raspberry shimmer(to be used as lip color), 1 combo brush, and a how-to DVD, which is extremely helpful in learning to apply the make up.
Prices:
Foundation – $25 for 3.95 g
Eye Color – $10 for .55 g
Foundation Brush – $11
Combo Brush – $6.50
Samples – $1 each
*a little goes a long way for mineral makeup.
Even with the debacle with my mailman I was super pleased right from the start with the way the makeup felt on my face but the way it made me feel. It is light and breathable. I applied the foundation by mixing it with my daily moisturizer and then buffing a little bit of the powder onto my face. While I did not wear the plum sky eye color daily it gave me the added pop when I was feeling snazzy. Plus at the end of the day I still had makeup on and no irritation to my skin, a huge plus in my book.
Everyone deserves to look and feel beautiful and Beeyoutiful Skin Makeup can help you do that! I am very pleased with the products we have received and have recommended it to people I know. Beeyoutiful also offers a full line of natural skin care items, essential oils, vitamin supplements and more. Be sure to check out the other products reviewed by my Crewmates by clicking the banner below.
Company ~ Beeyoutiful
Product ~ Beeyoutiful Skin Mineral Makeup, eye color (2), foundation and combo brush.
Prices ~ see above for pricing breakdown
DISCLAIMER: I received 1 foundation, 1 foundation brush, 2 sample eye colors, 1 combo brush, and a how-to DVD from Beeyoutiful, in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but are not influenced by the company or the free product provided
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