Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Veggie Tales: Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas ~ a review
Do you have a VeggieTales fan in your house? Then guess what?! A new Christmas DVD called Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas has been released just in time for the Christmas season.
We are huge fans of VeggieTales here and we are so excited about this new DVD. What’s not to love about these familiar cucumber and tomato teaching us about God’s love. In this video Bob & Larry set out to make Christmas this year the best ever at the Spring Valley Mall. However, they get distracted from the true meaning of Christmas with all the bright lights, wonderful music and decorations. Meanwhile a wise little girl with a big heart changes Bob the Tomato, a harried mall employee and Larry the Cucumber, the animated Head Elf at Spring Valley Mall’s minds as she shows them what Christmas is all about. The birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The whole story is narrated by a loveable new character, Silas, as wise Okra janitor. Yes, this is the Silas (Uncle Si) from the top-rated reality show Duck Commander. With uplifting and catchy songs such as “Light of Christmas”, which is produced from radio hit maker Owl City and featuring TobyMac, you and your kids will be singing along out loud. Silas the Okra is one of my new favorite VeggieTales characters! It’s hard not to love him.
Si Robertson is a perfect fit because, like VeggieTales, Duck Commander is all about celebrating faith and family.
~Leslie Ferrell, President of Big Idea Entertainment
Presented in 5.1 Surround Sound the video plays in regular viewing format or in Widescreen format. With an approximate running time of 47 minutes including many bonus features like a behind the scenes with Si Robertson and a few singalongs. Be sure to visit VeggieTales.com to watch the movie trailer, play games, or learn more about the available VeggieTale apps, live shows, or extra holiday fun.
My girls have loved this DVD! Since receiving it my little one has watched it over 10 times! Yes, excessive but we travel a lot with Mikayla’s gym schedule and when you find quality material it’s hard not to indulge a bit :) Be sure you get your hands on a copy of this DVD for the holiday season for the low price of $8.99!
Company ~ VeggieTales
Product ~ Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas
Price ~ Normally $14.99, on sale right now for $8.99
Reading & Math enrichment
I hope you, my readers, enjoy the products that I review and gain insight into new programs and options that are available to homeschoolers. It’s always fun to find a great new resource to help in math and reading for my littles. So I am excited to tell you about a new online reading and math enrichment program called K5 Learning.
K5 Learning is an online reading and math program for kindergarten to grade 5 students. I've been given a 6 week free trial to test and write a review of their program. If you are a blogger, you may want to check out their open invitation to write an online learning review of their program. I look forward to sharing my review with you in early January!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Homeschool Legacy: Christmas Comes to America ~ a review
December is my favorite time of the year. Family, friends and spending time celebrating what Christmas is all about; the birth of our Lord and Savior! I Love it!
Celebrate Christmas!
Christmas Comes to America embraces Jesus and the traditions we have come to associate with the classic American Christmas. As you celebrate, your children will learn about the Dutch, German, and English settlers who first shared those traditions with the New World.
We recently had the opportunity to review the Once-a-Week Unit Study called Christmas Comes to America published by Homeschool Legacy. Once-a-Week Unit Studies were designed by Sharon Gibson, a veteran homeschooling mom of 16 years. For the purpose of this review I received a digital copy of this unit study in PDF format by e-mail. Normally, Once-a-Week Unit Studies purchased from Homeschool Legacy are physical, hard copies and not digital files.
Christmas Comes to America is a 4-week Christian unit study geared towards children in grades 2-12. Each week you will learn about a different Gift Giver from each country. The best part is that it can be used by the whole family and is easily adaptable so your younger children can participate too.
The unit is divided into four weekly studies:
Week 1~ The Dutch
Week 2 ~ The English
Week 3 ~ The Germans
Week 4 ~ An American Christmas
The unit study covers a wide variety of subjects and activities during the 4-week study to help you embrace the true meaning of the reason for celebrating Christmas. The birth of Jesus!
Subjects and Activities included:
Family Devotions from the Bible
Independent and Family Reading
Language Arts
History
Geography
Traditions and Culture
Research
Music Appreciation and History
Arts and Crafts
Life Skills and Gift Giving
Field Trips
Family Trivia Game
Family Movie Night
Fun and Science
Like other unit studies from Homeschool Legacy, the author provides a suggested schedule to show you how to fit it all in throughout the week.
Monday:
Your regular daily studies
Unit Study library reading selections
Unit Study Family Read-Aloud
Tuesday:
Your regular daily studies
Unit Study library reading selections
Unit Study Family Read-Aloud
Wednesday - Unit Study Day
Eliminate regular daily studies
Unit study Family Devotional
Unit study library reading selections
Unit Study Family Read-Aloud
Unit study Activities
Thursday:
Your regular daily studies
Unit Study library reading selections
Unit Study Family Read-Aloud
Friday:
The 3 R’s (including your unit study reading)
Unit Study Family Read-Aloud
Unit Study Field Trip (or on Saturday with Dad)
Family Movie Movie/Game Night (unit study related)
~ Scheduling your unit study from website
Overall, the girls and I have had a great experience using this Once-A-Day Unit study and being able to connect it with Christmas. My oldest, Marie, does not like to start listening or reading Christmas books until after Thanksgiving (same here), but this unit study gave me the excuse to start early, YAY! I love how this study helps to set the mood for the season and prepares your heart too. I look forward to really starting to celebrate the after Thanksgiving when we commence holiday baking and all the traditions of Christmas of old and new for our family.
Christmas Comes to America can be purchased for $17.95 plus shipping and handling. Make sure you get your hands on a copy to enhance your Christmas season!
Friday, November 15, 2013
At Home in Dogwood Mudhole ~ a TOS review
Catchy title, huh!? Most of these days the only reading I have personally been getting done is for school for the girls. Sad, I know, but I have just been so tired lately that when my head hits the pillow, it's lights out for me. However, a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to read a new book called At Home in Dogwood Mudhole which is the first book in a three part series by Franklin Sanders.
At Home in Dogwood Mudhole tells the story of Franklin and his wife, Susan, as the couple and their 7 children try to live self-sufficiently as the Y2K catastrophe looms. The book is actually a compilation of personal letters that Sanders has written every month for the last seventeen years for a newsletter called the money changer.
If you hear me say, “I’m too busy,” hang up or hit me in the head with a hammer. I have just as much to do as God knows I need. I will delight in my work all day.
Through these letters Sanders shares the joys and sorrows of learning to be self-sufficient. Susan starts off by saying that "they acquire nothing that eats", however this book is filled with funny and heartwarming stories of how they gain dogs, chickens, cows, horses, ducks, sheep and a boatload of pigs. Each chapter in this 379 page book is able to stand on its own because of the journal like writing style. You can read a free sample chapter called Pig persuader by clicking on the link.
I chose to read this book as a personal reader for myself and not a read aloud. At Home in Dogwood Mudhole, Volume 1: Nothing that Eats is the first in the At Home in Dogwood Mudhole series. I received the paperback version which retails for $22.95 and is available on the Sanders website. The book is also available in Kindle, EPub and PDF versions for $16.95. The second volume, Best Thing We Ever Did, is also available right now in paperback and will be available in electronic formats very soon.
While, I enjoyed reading parts of this book some parts lost my interest. At no fault of the author. However, I did appreciate the values and life lessons that were sprinkled throughout the book of letters. Be sure to check out what my CrewMates thought of this book by clicking the banner below.
Company ~ Franklin Sanders from At Home in Dogwood Mudhole
Product ~ At Home in Dogwood Mudhole
Price ~ paperback $22.95; Kindle, EPub, PDF $16.95
Format ~ paperback and Kindle, EPub, and PDF versions
Ages ~ young adults and up
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