I was so excited to review this game because the graphics were so cute and I was intrigued by the volcano. Animal Classification Escape the Volcano Flash Card Game from Warm Hearts Publishing did not disappoint. 

The game board, game pieces, and flash cards are bright and cheery. It is very easy to understand and follow the directions to put together the game board and the playing pieces. That's important to me because I am not the best at following directions and putting things together. 

Once the flashcards are printed and the game is set up, it's time to play. 

Each player tried to get to the last box for the playing piece reaches "The Lava has Reached You." Yikes! What a cool idea. You answer the flash card question and if you get it right, you can move your playing piece on top of the card. Anyway, I won't go into all the details. Just want to say this: It's creative, fun, and educational!

There are three levels of play: easy, difficult, and challenging. That means you can keep playing the game for years. 

The flashcards can also be used for other activities. 

I also received the extra set of Invertebrate Animal Classification Cards that included insects and echinoderms. 

​

​Times Tales: Times Tables Made Easy is a creative, innovative Mnemonic-based program that makes it fun and easy to memorize the upper multiplication facts.
 
With the same style and format, difficult to memorize times tables can be mastered easily by many children.  
 
Symbols are used for each number. 
 
See the picture of the page below. Can you see the numbers in each illustration?
 
What follows the numbers symbols page in the book is a collection of quick one page stories involving butterflies, chairs, Mrs. Week, Mrs. Snowman, the Treehouse, and the First Grade Class.  

“Miss Meredith, can I borrow the “Laundry book?” Josh asked after looking through the Clean N’ Flip Charts. “I really want to learn to do laundry.”
           
“I can teach you to do laundry,” his mother interrupted, overhearing our conversation.
           
“That’s okay, Mom.  I want to learn from this book,” he replied. “I am so excited to learn laundry. I’ve always wanted to learn to do laundry.”
           
“Since when?” his mother queried, perplexed.
           
“Since I saw this book!” Josh admitted with a grin.
 
There are three adorable flip books in the series: Clean N’ Flip Bedroom Cleaning for Kids, Zone Cleaning for Kids, and Clean N’ Flip Laundry for Kids.
 
The books are sturdy and shiny, pleasing both mom and children. 
 
Simple to read, easy to understand, and engaging for children with its conversational style, cute illustrations, and bright colors, this book makes kids want to learn to clean. Seriously!
 
These books are worth their weight in GOLD!

Happy Cleaning!
Meredith Curtis

​Bertie’s War by Barbara Tifft Blakey takes you back in time to the early 1960’s when America was facing the Cuban Missile Crisis.

It was a stressful time for everyone, but especially for our protagonist, Bertie, the youngest of three children. Her father is strict and Bertie tries very hard to please him, but it is the threat of missiles pointed at the United States that is hard for Bertie to understand.

When her father builds a bomb shelter for her grandparents, she is baffled. Why isn’t her father protecting his wife and children too?

Barbara takes us inside Bertie’s heart to feel her struggles and fears. We see the world through her eyes. We meet the people she loves and those she struggles to relate to. Children and young adults reading the book will relate to Bertie and her inner thoughts. 

Celebrations are never complete without stories.

And our American Thanksgiving is full of stories.

Here are two chapter books that are lovely to read aloud to your children or grandchildren during the week of Thanksgiving.

Divide the chapters up so that you can finish the whole book in a week. The children will love these books and they give them a look back in time to the very first Thanksgiving.  

​Celebrations are never complete without stories.

And our American Thanksgiving is full of stories.

You can Learn from the Pilgrims and Puritans in my blog, but there are many more picture books and chapter books that are lovely to read aloud to your children or grandchildren.

Here are some picture books to read aloud.

Samuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy by Kate Waters with Photographs by Russ Kendall (Scholastic 1989) is a lovely picture book with photographs taken at Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum. Samuel sailed over on the Mayflower with the Pilgrims. At the beginning of the book, you meet Samuel and he shows you his village. Then we go through his entire day with him, from putting on his stockings to doing his chores, from helping with the rye harvest to gathering mussels for the evening meal.

My children loved this book when they were little. Children love to learn about other children! Samuel is obedient and prays before he goes to sleep. The family says a blessing before their meals. It’s refreshing to see prayer included in a Scholastic book. I don’t know if this has been edited out of more recent versions. The photographs are vivid and attractive. There is a also a section in the back where you can learn more about Samuel Morton, Plimoth Plantation, and the rye harvest at the back of the book. 

​Plimoth Plantation by William Bradford is a history of the local church in Scrooby that fled to Holland and later crossed the Atlantic Ocean to settle at Plymouth Plantation. William Bradford served for many years as governor of the first settlement in New England. Plimoth Plantation is a detailed history of Plymouth Colony from 1621 to 1646. You will learn about key people in the colony too. William is considered the Father of American History.

Similar to other books you will read from the colonial period, William compares the events that occurred in Plymouth with events from the Bible. You will learn about the Mayflower Compact, early colony laws, and treaties with the Indians. I find it interesting that Mr. Bradford very carefully shows you details of the Lord’s blessing and judgment. I learned things in this book that I had never heard before in history class. 

"Read this one, please," Katie Beth's chubby hands held the book up to me. I adjusted Julianna who had finished nursing and was asleep on my lap. I opened the lovely Christmas picture book and began to read aloud. Katie Beth and I smiled at each other and the baby slept peacefully.

Fast forward 20 years. My baby is a grown up lady. Katie Beth and my third baby, Jenny Rose, are cuddled up on the couch reading Anne of Green Gables aloud. They have both read the book several times, but there is something wonderful about reading a good book together aloud.

This summer I went to visit my aunt with two of my daughters. The four of us enjoyed an Agatha Christie short story together. We took turns reading aloud. My aunt wrote me a note the next week about how much she had enjoyed that sweet time reading aloud together.

What is it about reading aloud that is so wonderful? Is it the story? Is it the sound of someone you love reading aloud? Or is it the sense of togetherness? There are several Christmas picture books out there. Which are the best for reading aloud?

"Look at this baby book!" I grabbed Laura's arm and pulled her over to the table with the baby book on display.

Laura, who was gazing at science curriculum, reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged away. We were at the FPEA Homeschool Convention in May, 2008 at the vendors' hall.

"Look! It's a baby book for Jesus! Is that not the cutest thing in the whole world?" I cooed, picking it up and flipping through the pages. "Look, it says "Before Jesus was born, he was creating the world!" and this page says, "Here are the gifts baby received..." And, here is a page about His parents, God and Mary."

By now, Laura was interested. We scanned through the book several times, and, of course, I had to buy the unit study.

Celebrate the Savior by Charlene Notgrass is a Bible Study with history and crafts. There are craft projects and creative writing assignments. The children make two booklets: a Baby Book for Jesus and a Christmas Traditions around the World booklet. With fifteen lessons on the birth and life of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, this book is a great way to teach your children about Christmas!


Celebrate the Savior is a unit study that begins with a closer look at the birth of Christ Jesus our Savior revealed in Scripture and progresses into a look at the history of Christmas celebrating and traditions. Bible, history, geography, writing, music, and art are covered in this unit.

In the last election, Sarah Palin captured my heart and imagination with her spunky attitude, devotion to her family, and good common sense. I was so excited to see a woman of God who was not ashamed to talk about her faith in Jesus! Who was this woman from Alaska that I'd never heard of before? A governor? I never think much about Alaska, though my parents dreamed of taking an Alaskan cruise together. "Brrr...too cold," was my thought when they asked if I wanted to join them. But, as I have been learning more about this beautiful wilderness state of ours with its breathtaking landscape, I'm having second thoughts about taking an Alaskan cruise. At the very least, I am interested in learning about this wild state that produces hearty, spunky souls who value family and hard work.

With this in mind, I was eager to take a look at an E-book, Aunt Sarah's Alaskan Cookbook by Cheryl Moeller. With lovely illustrations by Susan R. Smith and breath-taking photographs by Clifford McGhyghy, this cookbook is a homeschool treasure. Use it as a foundation for a unit study on Alaska or just enjoy the yummy recipes.

Cookbook Chapters

More than a collection of recipes, Aunt Sarah's Alaskan Cookbook gives you a look at Alaska's history and beauty throughout its 60 pages. Divided into seven sections (six chapters and an appendix), each section contains information about Alaska that can be used as a springboard for a unit study or as a supplement to your family's Alaska unit study. Here are the sections with some recipe examples from each section.

• Chapter One:  Refreshing Cold and Hot Beverages (Polar Bear Guzzler, Pacific Rim Hot Lemonade, Dogsled Caramel Apple Cider, and more!)
• Chapter Two:  Berries and Fruit ("After the Sauna" Cold Fruit Soup, Aleutian Grilled Fruit-Kabobs, Klondike River Rhubarb Bars, and more!)
• Chapter Three:  Salmon and the Fish of the Sea (Fairbanks Citrus Salmon, Kanai Breakfast Fish Tacos, Water's Edge Crockpot Trout, and more!)
• Chapter Four:  Choose Moose, Rabbit, Deer, Elk, Bear and Caribou (Katishna Venison Sausage and Flax Pancakes, Barrow Buttermilk Grilled Rabbit, Wild Buck Beans, and more!)
• Chapter Five:  Dog Sled Race Party for Kids (Finger Lake Moose Munch, Rainy Pass Wheat Germ Cookies, White Mountain Ice Cream, and more!)
• Chapter Six:  Banquet of the North (Czar Alexander Elk Meatloaf, Easy Baked Alaska, Okmok Volcano, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, and more!)
• Appendix:  Curriculum for Children (Coloring Pages, Comprehension Chapter Questions, Comprehension Chapter Questions Answer Sheets)

Exciting Alaska

_ Keyboarding for the Christian School by Leanne Beitel is a back-to-basics curriculum. Nothing fancy. No bells and whistles. I like it!

This 107 page E-book contains 42 lessons taking you from the basics to formatting, footnotes, and addressing envelopes. The first 20 lessons help the student learn the location of the letters. Then the students become proficient at typing numbers.  Here is a list of all the lessons.

• Lesson 1-20:  Alphabet keys
• Lesson 21-25:  Numbers and Symbols keys
• Lesson 26-29:  Number Pad
• Lesson 30:  Centering
• Lesson 31: Enumerated Lists
• Lesson 32: Tab Key
• Lesson 33:  MLA Report
• Lesson 34:  APA Reports
• Lesson 35:  Cover Page
• Lesson 36:  Works Cited
• Lesson 37:  Bibliography
• Lesson 38:  Personal Business Letters
• Lesson 39:  Business Letters
• Lesson 40:  Envelopes
• Lesson 41:  Proofreader's Marks
• Lesson 42:  Timed Writing & Timing Scale
• Lesson 43:  Tables

The lessons are easy to understand with clear directions that are easy to follow. A Christian company, the lessons include Scripture passages to type. One of the assignments is to copy the Gospel message in a nutshell entitled How to Become a Christian. All examples will encourage children in their faith.

When directions are given, many pictures are used to make the child's application of lesson clear. They show pictures of windows, computer screens, software, and more.

The year we studied American History this year, five families united to  coop every Tuesday in my living room, kitchen, backyard, and nearby park. We  listened to numerous books read aloud, shot arrows from bows, worked on timelines, recited famous speeches, and created many hands-on projects. The fascinating thing to me about American History is the deep devotion to God that once lived in the hearts of men and women in this nation. Even those who rejected the Gospel admitted that God had His hand in the formation of this great nation.

Today, my heart aches for a nation that has turned away from the Lord and looks to the government to solve its problems, seemingly unaware that we are experiencing judgment as a result of our rejection of the God of the Bible and His moral laws. I am saddened to see how far we have strayed, yet hope cannot keep from rising inside me. God can still bring revival, changing the hearts of men and women once again, so that they seek His face.

This hope is tempered by the realization that it not only takes loving God, but knowing and obeying HIs Word to make a nation great. We must seek His Wisdom, found in Scripture on how to govern a nation, enact moral laws, and transform our evil culture. God speaks about history, law, politics, leadership, culture, and justice in His Word.

"Bring back the good ole days," I find myself thinking sometimes as I pick up new-fangled, fancy curriculum that seems to have more bells and whistles than meat.

But, honestly I had very little idea of where to find that curricula.

In fact, I had little idea what these textbooks were actually like.

​That's all changed now because I got to review the Eclectic Education Series.

The Eclectic Education Series (EES) is a set of textbooks that were used in the latter part of the nineteenth century (1800's). Over 10,000 independent school boards across the nation chose to use these textbooks. Some of these textbooks will sound familiar to you, even after they have been out of use for 100 years: Ray's Arithmetic and McGuffey's Readers. All of these textbooks emphasize traditional values, patriotism, and the Bible. ​
​

"Functional Neatness" was a concept I could latch on to in Homeschooling at the Speed of Life by Marilyn Rockett, a helpful guide to organizing your home and life. Full of practical wisdom from a mom who's been there, this book helps you stay on task while keeping your priorities in balance. This book might be very helpful for you! It was for me.

This book covers all the topics that are difficult and stressful for moms like me: de-cluttering, taming the paper monster, and keeping organized records. Marilyn is very administrative. She sounds like she enjoys organizing and de-cluttering. The book is positive and upbeat because her enjoyment shines through! Though I have learned to organize and keep tidy records for our family school, I don't enjoy it one little bit. I see it as a necessary evil. If you are like me, you will appreciate Marilyn. She is truly "The Mom's Mentor" dispensing wisdom with encouragement. Marilyn thinks that we can get organized and she just might be right.

Marilyn is refreshingly honest and real, but the bottom line is that she knows how to manage her home and homeschooling. She can pass on to us what she knows. This is a Titus 2 woman!

"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God," (Titus 2:3-5 NIV).

I read The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert E. Coleman when I was a sophomore in college. This book changed my life! I have my children read it in high school for one of their Bible classes. It is a book that I would like to see more Christians read, especially homeschooling parents. Robert, born in 1928, grew up in Texas, attending a Methodist church. He pastored for six years and moved into teaching. He has a Masters in Theology from Princeton, a PhD from the University of Iowa, and a Doctorate of Divinity from Trinity International University. His writing style is academic, but don't let them keep you from reading this book.

Along the way, Dr. Coleman became convinced that schools were not the answer to raising up mighty men of God. He carefully studied the life of Jesus, coming to the conclusion that Jesus knew exactly what He was doing in laying a foundation for the Church. Dr. Coleman values Jesus' pattern of ministry and embraces it in his own life.

Jesus spent His life calling people to repent and believe while healing the sick and injured, performing all kinds of miracles, and teaching His beloved people. However, He invested in a small group of men, His disciples. These He gave focused time and attention to for three years. He imparted to them truth and modeled a lifestyle that they could imitate. What a blessing to take a closer look at the life of Jesus!

The Body of Christ is called to fulfill the Great Commission by spreading the good news, leading people to Christ, and making disciples. We are called to evangelism. But, Dr. Coleman wants to make it clear that Jesus' definition of evangelism is broader than our own and involves mentoring people to a place of maturity.

"Look at this beautiful picture book!" I gasped as I opened the unexpected package that had arrived from the mailman as we were leaving for homeschool coop.

"C'mon, Mom, we're going to be late...Wow! That is beautiful! Where did you get that book? It's amazing!"

We brought it with us, passing it around in the car. I gazed at it intently every time I stopped at a red light. We were are entranced by the pretty artwork.

I was so excited to finally be able to sit down and study each page carefully. It made me feel little a little kid again. I wish I had learned U.S. geography with this book. It made everything so simple!

I wasn't the only one in the family who couldn't wait to sit down and spend time curled up with this book. Little Man in the Map was one of the most popular items with my children that I have reviewed!

And so began our introduction to The Little Man in the Map by E. Andrew Martonyi. This large and lovely picture book is the most creative way I have ever seen to learn the fifty states. Of course, I do love well-written beautifully illustrated picture books. Is there anyone who doesn't love them?

This book is filled with little clues to help you remember the fifty United States of America. Betcha didn't know that there is a state shaped like a chair, another like a cup, and one state is even shaped like a dining room table. But you have to start with the Little Man in the Map.

And just who is this Little Man in the Map? Well, I won't tell you, but I will give you a clue. Look carefully at a map of the United States and you will see him in the center facing east.

What follows are fun clues to help students find and remember the location of all the states on the map. Of course, the center of it all is...The Little Man in the Map!

This is a fun, innovative way to learn United States geography. The book is  illustrated by Ed Olson. I loved his artwork--bright and colorful! His animation is happy and fun! Take a look at some of the book's illustrations at Design Loft Studio.