• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

• Comments (4) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

I enjoy cooking, I want my family to eat healthy, I adore cookbooks, but this is more than a cookbook.  Oh, it is a cookbook and so much more.

In the past I have learned quite a bit about cooking for my family with whole foods, however, this has taught me so much about baking.  I have to admit, baking has never been my specialty, it may not be my specialty YET, but I am making some wonderful breads and muffins. My husband is making great pancakes and my son is making some great cinnamon rolls and quick breads.

An Introduction to Whole Grain Baking. . . with Blender Batter Baking & The Two-Stage Process  by Sue Gregg has recipes and so much more.  It comes with a Power Point CD to give you a visual look at what to do.  My 13 year old has used this several times to make different baked goods and it has been very helpful to him, as the recipes talk about things he had never done.  As I said before I wasn’t much of a baker, so he never saw it in action. Since the CD was available, after he used it the first time with me, he has been free to use it on his own and makes wonderful goodies that are good and healthy.

Now I have 10 people in my family and not one complaint has come from any of the recipes that we have prepared. It’s more like “Can we have this again?”, or “Mom, did you really make this?” The best part is that it is made out of healthy grains, with all whole food (healthy) ingredients. The yeast breads are very light and wonderful. I have never made a healthy bread before that couldn’t be used as a doorstop, but not so with these recipes.

This wonderful cookbook goes through explaining about grains, their background, suggested uses and a lot more.  It also explains about the storage and care of the grains.  Then it goes on to explain equipment, what you will need and she keeps it simple, so you don’t need a lot to start, but also explains what you may want in the future, so you can budget for it. There are so many tips and knowledge about ingredients, processes, equipment and last but not least the procedure. The procedure for each recipe is taken step by step, so there is no guess work on what to do.

The one thing I am learning is to plan ahead, this is a new learning process for me, however, when I do plan ahead, we have the most tasty wonderful nutritious breads you can imagine. It can take me 2 days to make a loaf/loaves of bread, but I only spend a few minutes here and a few minutes there. So all I have to remember is to plan ahead for what we need.  When I get really organized I can do a weeks worth in one of these cycles. I am working on getting started on yeast breads one day, and quick breads another, and rolls and/or muffins another.  It takes so little of my time it is amazing what wonderful baked goods are coming out of my kitchen.   

This Two-Stage Process is great because, it is easy, it makes your bread much more digestible, it is healthy and it is very inexpensive.  What a great way to get fiber into your diet. Have you checked out the prices on breads that are REALLY good for you? First you have to find them, that is a challenge in its self.

Does your family like pancakes? Silly question I know! To get all the benefits of this Two-Stage Process, just requires putting some grain, with some other basic ingredients into your blender the night before, running it, let it sit, then add the rest in the morning and fire up the griddle. The most amazing part to me is you don’t even have to use wheat, and for those who are gluten intolerant, that’s great.  Can you imagine making pancakes/waffles out of brown rice and rolled oats?  They are really good, and my children really liked them too.

Oh yes, this is a homeschool product review. This book can so easily be incorporated into your home economics class, it also would cover a lot of health items. This fantastic book will take the beginner right from scratch to wonderful bread making of any type. You can either work with your younger children on this or an older child could do it independently. I have been having fun working with my son on this and soon will begin training my daughter.

This cookbook would be an awesome gift for a young lady starting out in her own home. You can find this marvelous book An Introduction to Whole Grain Baking. . . with Blender Batter Baking & The Two-Stage Process by Sue Gregg at the Sue Gregg Cookbook website. There are plenty of recipes to test on this site, along with several other cookbooks that look great, you’ll probably want more than one cookbook.

As I said at the beginning, this book is a cookbook and so much more!

Disclaimer: Sue Gregg Cookbooks provided me with a free copy of An Introduction to Whole Grain Baking. . . with Blender Batter Baking & The Two-Stage Process to test and use in order to write this review. (And it has been a blessing! Thanks Rich & Sue!)

Happy Baking (and eating too)!

• Comments (2) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

I am going to tell you right up front if you are a teacher (yes, homeschool too) this is FREE to you.  So if it’s free, why did they give it to me to review?  That was my question too! I was pretty surprised that they would send me something that they give away.

Well I figured it out!  I guess they figured that because it was FREE, people would think that was what it was worth.  You know the old saying “You get what you pay for”, NOT the case here.  I never thought that this would be more than some cute articles and pics.  Boy was I wrong!  This could easily be your American History/Social Studies for a year in Elementary, another year in Middle School and again in High School.

The elementary portion is 15 Chapters of info, lesson plans and ideas on the basics of our country (it makes you want to stand up and stand tall).  When I say basics, I don’t mean simple.  What I mean is the backbone of our country.  Such as the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Presidents, The Great Seal, Thanksgiving, Our Flag, Motto, Statue of Liberty, Pledge & Creed, America the Beautiful, Star-Spangled Banner, etc., online you can find a Character Education Focus for each school month along with references.

Now when you get to Middle School, they delve deeper into some of the topics and add new ones such as: The Gettysburg Address, Bill of Rights, Constitution, National Documents and more. For High School again they delve in, or should I say they help you and your child explore deeper into the already mentioned topics and add: The Mayflower Compact, Federalist 47, The First Amendment, Entrepreneurs in History, and more. For both Middle & High School there are also Character Education Focus for each month, just as there is in the Elementary Section.

Now I haven’t read through every page, I have gone through the elementary section pretty well and I am pleased. This FREE CD along with the online information on the website of American Heritage Education Foundation and the links they have listed, this is a complete curriculum that is set up to be taught in the Elementary years with the basics, reinforced a few years later in Middle School and cemented in their knowledge banks again in high school.

To get this for your school you can order it online at American Heritage Education Foundation on their website here, or you can download it to have it immediately at this page.

American Heritage Education Foundation provided me with a free copy of America’s Heritage an adventure in liberty to test and use in order to write this review.

Happy Exploring!

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Not all of us have a background in classical music, even though, we would like our children to learn, really I want to learn as well.  A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers is great way to teach your children and learn at the same time, without having to spend a lot of time preparing. Melissa E. Craig & Maggie S. Hogan have done a great job of putting this together.

There is  a nice overview, then goes to each period and some of the composer’s from that period.  The period’s covered are:

• Baroque
• Classical
• Romantic
• Contemporary

With of course several composers in each period. There are 32 lessons in this book.  Each lesson is set up to cover a week, the suggestions for the lessons have an outline for 3 days, this can be modified if you want to use it for 4 or 5 days.

This is suggested for grades 4 – 8, it can be used easily with a wide range of ages.  There are coloring pages for the young ones, games for any age, and of course the older children can expand on the great base they get here, and then possibly present it to the younger ones.  There are also reproducible items for the children to do and play with (Bingo, Jeopardy), also a timeline and composer cards.  Included are folder book ideas for helping make what they learn, their very own.

Another way this could be used is to go through this with your 4th grader, than go deeper in grade 7 or 8. There is plenty to do to reinforce the learning and it’s all in the book or on the CD.  I received my copy in the form of a download, which would be comparable to the CD version, it is great for printing out the reproducible items.

You can get your copy of A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers from Bright Ideas Press either in the CD version for $29.95, or in paperback for $34.95. I am really enjoying this study.  In the back there are all kinds of links for getting the music online.  So if you have a computer and the book, you have everything to work with.  You know what I love the most is when my children hear something and say oh that’s _Vivaldi_Mozart__etc., it makes my heart happy.

Disclaimer: Bright Ideas Press provided me with a free copy of A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers to test and use in order to write this review.

Happy Listening!

• Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

In today’s economy it’s hard to find a job, but what about the right job. Also, how do you determine what job fits you, especially if you are looking to get an education.

Do you want your child to go to college and wander from major to major, not knowing what to study.  I don’t know about you, but finances are not plentiful enough to just “do” college.  I want my children to learn something they can use, I also want them to do something that God has prepared them for, or given them the abilities to carry it out.

Now I know you have to work at it, God doesn’t just give it to you. But if it’s not a good fit, why waste your time. Act, Inc. is an online subscription that your children can work through to find out, based on their interests, abilities and skills, what profession may work for them.

Or maybe it’s not just for your children, maybe you are looking to change your profession and would like some ideas that are new. Find out if you need a degree, or do you need a technical school, can you get what you need at the community college, a 4 year college, online, etc.

Act, Inc. within their Discover program they also have a High School Curriculum Guide, it has 260 pages of curriculum to use with your high school student. There is a Mini-Course and several Activities, the activities consist of the following:

• Writing
• Math
• Science
• Social Science
• Career Planning
• Educational Planning
• Job Search

Within these activities there are several sub-activities that help with preparatory skills and skills to help identify your direction and what steps to take to get there.

My 17 year old son and husband have been working on this, and if they can do it, so can you. They are both outside hands on kind of guys, so it says a lot when they can work through paperwork. Upon doing the analysis of skills, the computer will generate a World-Of-Work map along with the lists of possibilities.

The Ebook and online subscription work together hand in hand, they compliment each other well. This would make a great semester or 1/2 year course for your high school student. I would use it in the sophomore year to give you plenty of time to get that direction set without scrambling in the last year or two.

To purchase a 3 month license is $19.95, or a 6 month license is $24.95, and the High School Curriculum ebook is included with the license.

Disclaimer: Act, Inc. has provided me with a free online license of Discover to test and use in order to write this review.

Be watching for further products from Act, Inc.  to be reviewed in the near future.

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Do you use worksheets in your homeschool? Perhaps you don’t homeschool, but you buy workbooks for your children to use to sharpen their skills for school.

How would you like to have a place where you could go to build any type of worksheet that you want to use to work with your children. The Custom Worksheet Generator has the following sheet generators:

• ABC Sort
• Handwriting
• Handwriting Templates
• Shapebook & Border Paper
• Word Wall
• Word Search
• Unscramble
• Crossword
• Desk Tag
• Math
• Bingo
• Sudoko
• Wood Shape
• Spelling
• Missing Letter
• Circle & Spell
• Word List

Each one of these Custom Worksheet Generators can be put together in a multitude of ways, you put in the info that pertains to your child's specific needs.  For instance there are 49 different type of math worksheet generators, just in one heading.  If you want graphics on your worksheets you can put them on, or if you want them without that, is an option too.

Now this is just the Custom Worksheet Generators, then there are thousands of other worksheets in the following categories:

• Art and Music
• Book Units
• Border papers
• Clip Art
• Fun Stuff
• Graphic Organizers
• Handwriting
• Holiday/Seasonal
• Homeschooling and Parent Resources
• Language Arts
• Languages/ESL
• Learning Centers
• Math
• Middle School/Junior High
• Montessori Materials
• PowerPoint
• PreK/Early Elementary
• Puzzles/Games
• Report Forms
• Science
• Shape Books
• Social Studies
• Sports/Physical Education/Health
• Teaching Extras
• Test Taking Skills
• Theme Units
• Think Green, Teach Green
• Thinking Skills

Within these categories there are sub categories, and within the sub categories, are more sub categories.  In other words there are a multitude of worksheets.

You can use this site for FREE and have access to 5000+ worksheets.

OR

You can become a member for $40 per year or $70 for two years, and then you will have access to 35,000+ worksheets, PLUS, you have all the Custom Worksheet Generators, which is unlimited.

Also with membership you will find some wonderful Tutorials to help you with the site, and a very good Directory.

There is SOOOO much on this site, it will take some time to go through it and see what’s there. BUT, if you are looking for something in particular, just work your way through the Directory to find it.

If you use worksheets, this is a wonderful site to have, with so many available to use.  My younger children love worksheets, so I can keep them coming without having to keep running to the store.  I really enjoy the fact that I can make these a little bit harder each day. For the younger grades, this can take care of the majority of their school work, it is great for reinforcing what they are learning.

 abcteach did give me a trial subscription to review their product, and after reviewing it I have purchased a year subscription to use in our homeschool.

 Disclaimer: abcteach provided me with a free trial subscription to test and use in order to write this review.

Happy Work Sheet Building!!

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Writing is  not an easy subject for me, it has always been something that my husband works with the children on. With his schedule it is sometimes hard for him to work with each of the children. As I have mentioned before, I do believe that English may be my second language, so it is difficult for me.

So with my older children (4th or 5th grade on up), this is a program that they can use, the program will tutor them, it will grade their work, and give them a lot of good ideas.  As the teacher you get to choose what you want them to write about, you can monitor all work, and I do recommend that.  You can get written or online reports of each of their progresses. 

I love the way it teaches them how to build a writing project, how to outline. It has a tutor built in, along with an editor, there are checklist. There is a Writer’s Toolbox that has a Rubric, Writer’s Model, Writer Guide, Word Bank, Thesaurus, there are performance reports, it will also give them a revision plan that is displayed in the Performance Report.

Each child has their own username and password, so they can work on their own. As the teacher you have an administrator account that gives the details of the students work. You can set up each child based on their age or performance level, you can pick the topics for the list provided or create your own.  You can also give them a lot of options on subjects or only a few, based on your knowledge of your child.

There is a Student User Guide, which I printed out, put in a folder, and is left by the computer for my children to use.  I must admit that I am using the program a little also, as my schedule lightens up I will be using this more, to improve my writing skills.

I cannot say that my children love it, but writing is not one of their favorite subjects, however, they are learning from it and not complaining.  I think there may come a time when they say they like it, we are getting closer everyday.

 This program is available for 3 students at $99.95, or for 6 students at $129.95, so this is affordable for larger families as well as for a few students. Vantage Learning has been great to work with.

  Disclaimer: Vantage Learning provided me with a free online program of My Access, Home Edition to test and use in order to write this review.

Happy Writing!!

• Comments (2) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

As a homeschooler I have always heard others say “We did a timeline for this” and “Oh! you should see the timeline that wrapped around our school room”.  Well when our Amazing Bible Timeline was delivered to our home, it was time for us to see how a timeline worked for us.

The Amazing Bible Timeline is rather large (almost 4 ft wide and 3 ft tall) it is printed on heavy card stock, has a gloss varnish finish and was rolled for shipping (so no fold marks).

We unrolled it and put it under the clear plastic on our dining room table. The table always has a changing theme for learning and fun. It is put together nicely, lots of great colors.  It is done in a spiral form which you can see from the picture.  It’s kind of cool to be able to check out who was alive when someone else was alive, to follow the life timelines of people in the Bible.

The print is rather small and we had trouble reading some of it, due to the size of the print. We also found reference to the Mormon theology which some may find inappropriate.

You can purchase the Amazing Bible Timeline for $29.97 plus $6.00 shipping and handling.  It is shipped with a lot of care. You also received a download for you to use with your timeline and history studies, this is a map of the Holy Land with overlays for several specific time frames.

Now I am not a history major, so I cannot attest to the accuracy of the facts. We did enjoy checking this out. Now that we have investigated timelines, I’m still not sure if it is something we will use a lot.

Disclaimer: Bible Charts and Maps, LLC provided me with a free copy of Amazing Bible Timeline to test and use in order to write this review.

Happy Timelining (I don’t think that is a word, but you get the idea)

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

SDG Creations, Ltd has created an Educaching® curriculum which incorporates GPS technology in a classroom. This is along the lines of Geocaching, as a GPS based curriculum it has lesson plans that integrate the use of math, science and technology. This curriculum is set up to go along with the national teaching standards, this is a technology based curriculum along with GPS lessons providing a challenging learning environment for teacher and students alike.

Ideal for all, including lesson ideas for school teachers and homeschool students!  GPS in the classroom helps teachers turn the outdoors into a learning laboratory.

When I volunteered to review this product I must admit “I was clueless”.  I was asked if I had a handheld “GPS”.  Well I have a GPS in my vehicle that can be held in my hand and moved from vehicle to vehicle. So I received the book and found out, that just wasn’t going to work.  As it happened my 17 year old son was looking for a GPS to use while hunting this fall, lucky for me.  So a GPS was now a part of our family.  He purchased an inexpensive model “under $100” and proceeded to learn about it, with his instruction manual and this book.

This book is very helpful in understanding about a handheld GPS, it has a very good teacher training section, it also includes several ideas for lesson plans. We have learned about GPS satellites, waypoints, triangular positioning, etc.  We also designed ideas of our own, from information that we found in the manual. We found out that our inexpensive GPS was not as accurate as we would like, it was hard to pinpoint a “cache” that we had placed. We have found a whole new world out there, that we didn’t even know existed.

I found this manual to be more suited to a regular classroom then to my homeschool classroom.  I see where you could use this in a Co-Op type of homeschool classroom. The information was good, but seemed to be geared towards a team approach than individual learning.  It also seem to be very concerned about getting as many national teacher standard items as possible, again to me seeming to be geared to the public school classroom.  We have modified it to fit more of an individual approach.  I have also found that it can be used as an instructional manual for the advanced student, or even for a younger (with good reading skills) student if this is of interest to them.

The cost of this manual is $32.00 for the eVersion, or you can purchase the 3-ring binder version with CD and customizable templates for $32.00 + $6.95 S&H.  Then there are classroom packages also, you can see at the website.

Disclaimer:  SDG Creations, Ltd has  provided me with a free copy of their Electronic Version of the Educaching Manual to test and use in order to write this review.

Happy Caching!

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Heads up!! If you are looking for books for Christmas or other occasions, have I got a deal for you!  Yes, this is really and truly an exceptional offer.  These are great books, they are safe for your children, something I am always looking for.  They also give them history information (but you don’t have to tell them that).  Or maybe get them for use when you do American History in your homeschool.

The author has just sent me an email, he is offering additional savings to my blog readers.  I already went and did the math.  If you buy all 3 books the total is $34.50 (FREE S&H), that is a savings of $6.49 off of the already marked down sale price, AND, then you can purchase an additional copy of Sarah’s Wish for a gift at only $4.00, which saves even more (an additional $5.99). So for 4 books the price is $38.50 and the Shipping and Handling is FREE (a savings of $12.48, off of the already marked down sale prices).

Now this is only available by mail.  So cut and paste the order form to your word processing program, or just print it from here. Fill it out enclose a check or money order and mail in.  Still in plenty of time for Christmas.

Happy Savings!

Here is the info that Jim @ Sarah Books sent me:

Specials for Friends of Terri Burkhert - TOS Homeschool Crew

Not offered on my website--Order by mail only

Sarah’s Wish – 126 pages         $8.50       retail: $10.99      save $2.49

Sarah’s Promise – 245 pages    $10.50     retail: $14.99      save $4.49

Sarah’s Escape – 304 pages     $15.50      retail: $21.99      save $6.49

Extra special offer: Purchase all of the items above and add an extra copy of Sarah’s Wish for $4.00. You can give it to a friend. They will think you are great!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Total: $_____________  Free S&H

Name: _____________________________________

Street/P.O.Box:______________________________

Town, State, Zip: ____________________________

Email address:_____________________________________

I heard of this offer from Terri Burkhert @ www.homeschoolblogger.com/BurkhertsBrigade/

Send order to:  Sarahbooks, P.O.Box 753, Derby, Ks. 67037

Ask me how you can receive a special discount on my next book by offering this same special to those who read your blog.

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

My husband is our designated book reader, and he does a wonderful job! He is always asking if someone else would like a turn, but we always let him.  That’s what happens when you do a good job.  So when I told him we had a family read, and he didn’t have to do the reading, he thought I was going to do it. Not the case! This book comes with a free audio download.  So I downloaded it, fairly easy.  Remember, I am not a technological genius.

Our family, all 10 of us took several evenings after dinner to listen to this audio book. Very interesting, the person who did the reading, did an awesome job. I still here the boys walking around using an imitation of the voices. They have tried on a few of them, Granny was a definite hit. It really helps with the setting to have the accents.

This novel has some twists and turns to keep your attention.  It is filled with Christian principles, love, faith, friendship and hope, there is sadness too.  The setting is in the time of the underground railroad and would fit in with a study of the Civil War era well.

The story continues with Sarah’s Promise and then Sarah’s Escape who knows what the next will be called Sarah’s ____.

Make sure and checkout the website for information and interesting facts about the era of these books.  And don’t forget to sign up for the monthly newsletter.

Sarah Books provided us with a free copy of Sarah’s Wish by Jim Baumgardner to read and use in order to write this review.

Thank you Jim! It has been a pleasure.

Happy Reading or Listening!

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Passkeys Foundation has provided me with a free copy of the book The Birthday Gift to test and use in order to write this review. The Birthday Gift by Tony Salerno, Illustrated by Tim Davis, is one of four books in the Good New Express Series.

This was so much fun to read to my 4 year old boys. They sat so nicely and were so eager to see each adorable illustration and examine them. The characters and story line were easy for them to follow and understand. Then when we were done reading the book, we listened to the accompanying CD and were able to hear the clever characters and listen to the cute songs.

This one is a keeper, I am adding the other 3 books in the Good News Express to my wish list for Christmas for my little boys. Not only did they enjoy it, but it was a good message, and it was fun.

You can purchase this book with the CD for $7.50 or get all four books for only $20.00 plus S&H. And when I figured the S&H it was only $5, and I’m clear across the country from them.  So shipping is very reasonable. You can find all four of the Good News Express Series HERE!

Also check out their website for other great character building products and ideas.

Thank you Passkeys Foundation for bringing this great book to our house.

Happy Storytelling!

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Ebooks, such an easy way to get books, such a good price, and you can have them now. You can read them on your computer, book reader, or print them out. Guardian Angel Publishing provided me with a free copies of Rainbow Sheep, No Bones About It, The Sum of Our Parts, Hamster Holidays, Noun and Adjective Adventures, Andy & Spirit Go to the Fair, Maybe We Are Flamingos and Earthquake! in eBook Form to test and use in order to write this review.

“Andy & Spirit Go to the Fair” by Mary Jean Kelso, Illustrations by K.C. Snider, is about a young man confined to a wheel chair, he and his horse go to Fair to compete in a 4-H competition. This book is an easy read at 24 pages. There are other “Andy” books as well. The PDF Ebook can be purchased for $5.00, and it is also available in print, or on CD in PDF format. One thing that is awesome about eBooks, is that there are many links in the back of this book regarding 4-H, and about the Wild Horse and Burro preservation. Also a portion of the proceeds from this book are donated to Healing Reins of Bend, OR. www.healingreins.org , a non-profit organization, and Horseplay of Fernley, NV. http://downshorseplay.googlepages.com.

"Earthquake!” by Susan J. Berger, Illustrations by Eugene Ruble. This book is 30 pages packed with information, safety tips, and done in a fun way to keep a child's attention.  It designed for 6-9 year olds, but my 10-13 year olds had fun sharing it with their younger siblings, they thought it was fun. This has good information that even us adults should be aware of.  So check it out, you can purchase the eBook for $5.00 and they do offer an Ebook CD and a print book.

 “Rainbow Sheep” by Kim Chatel. Kim not only wrote this adorable 25 page book, but she also did the felted photos that color this book.  This is a must in color.  It is a great children’s book and I would love to have it in print. At the end of the book there is information about felting and some how to’s also.  This book is also $5 as an eBook, but is available on CD, DVD, or as a print paperback book.

“Hamster Holidays, Noun and Adjective Adventures” by Cynthia Reeg, Illustrations by Kit Grady. This is part of The Pet Grammar Parade Series. This 24 page book explains what nouns and adjectives are, then the entire book has all the nouns in one color and all the adjectives in a different color. It is a whimsical little book for the beginning grammar student.  At the end of the book there are also some puzzles and other fun things to do that reinforce the lessons learned.  As an eBook the cost is $5, and it is also available in CD and paperback print.

 “No Bones About It, The Sum of Our Parts” by Bill Kirk, Illustrations by Eugene Ruble. This educational book is geared towards the 8 – 13 year old. It is set up a lot like Earthquake! with clever factoids and fun little quips. If your children learn with rhyme, this is a great way to learn the bones of the body. The eBook is $5, and this is also available on CD or as a print book.

“Maybe We Are Flamingos” by Safari Sue Thurman, Illustrated by Kevin Collier. Is a cute story about baby flamingos and if they really belong. Your children will enjoy their discovery journey to see.  This is a great read-aloud for 3-4 year old and a little older can read it on their own. This can be purchased as an eBook for $5, make sure you print it in color, it is also available in CD, DVD, and a print paperback.

Many of the books at Guardian Angel Publishing are available in print at B&N.com, Target.com, Borders.com & Amazon.com and other online bookstores. Their full color books are 8.5x8.5 inch paperback. When you go to their site, you will see many titles to choose from. I did find that the downloads of these books went very smoothly, not always the case on eBook downloads. The books they carry are designed for up to 12 years of age, but they state that they are suitable for any child to view or read. Don’t miss out on the Freebies that they offer as well.

If you are a budding writer or artist, you might want to check out their Submissions page, I found it very interesting and helpful, especially if this is your first time to try and publish anything. My husband has a gift for telling the children stories, so I am trying to encourage him to give it a try.

So look around and see what you like!

• Comments (2) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

We have a new computer at our house.  And the exciting part is that it is for Dennis.  This is part of the new chapter in our lives. Dennis has never taken to the computer and is now exploring that idea.  It will be a whole new world for him.

Dennis went to a computer training class this morning, and is looking at going to more, along with possible other training. We would appreciate your prayers on direction for Dennis, we have no idea where to go on this.

Jonathan went for his first injection on his shoulder expansion last Tuesday, and tomorrow I get to do the next one. My but he has manly shoulders. The doctor says that when this is all said and done, his shoulders will come to the bottom of his ears. So please pray that Jonathan will keep the fantastic attitude that he currently has.

I think life is slowing down a little around here.  Dennis's doctor appointments are done for awhile.  Jonathan only goes to Portland every two weeks, and he has therapy twice a week.

An exciting thing going on is Michael is going for his driver test on Thursday, and Lord willing, he will have his license.  Michael has been blessed with employment and a truck.  So possibly by Friday he will be on the road.  So pray for him to have wisdom once this happens.  It is exciting and scary all at the same time. And we won't have to take him to and from work.

So with all that said, life is slowing down and we are settling in for the winter.

We praise God for His protection and guidance, and pray that through all this and beyond, that we would keep our sites on Jesus. 

Blessings to each of you and may you each see the hand of the Lord in your lives.

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Boy this is a title that offers a lot. Five Minutes to Better Reading Skills – A Fast, Fun, Phonic Approach to Improve Reading Skills, by Bonnie Terry, M.Ed. I am finding out that when it comes to homeschool products I am a bit of a skeptic, I guess that makes me a “Show Me” kind of girl. So I decided, I am going to try this on my beginning readers, my advanced readers, and my dyslexic reader who really struggles.

Bonnie Terry Learning has provided me with a free copy of Five Minutes to Better Reading Skills to test and use in order to write this review. So we have been using this for each of my readers and you know what, it works!  My dyslexic young man actually brings it to me and asks to work on it, which he quit doing on everything else, long ago. My beginning readers, like it because they can do what the big kids do, and they are advancing.  My advanced readers, like it because they can do a really good job. 

What I like the best is that each one of my children are advancing because of this program. I think that they like it because it only takes 5 minutes a day.  I like it because it only takes 5 minutes a day, AND IT WORKS! We have finished our review, but will continue using this fine product.

Bonnie Terry, currently a Board Certified Educational Therapist and Learning Disabilities Specialist in private practice, has served as a special education teacher since 1973. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education and Special Education from Illinois State University, Normal, IL, and a M.Ed. in Special Education from California State University, Sacramento, CA. Bonnie Terry is internationally recognized as an expert in Educational Therapy and Learning Disabilities.

Check out the Bonnie Terry Learning website and see what other products they have.  You can also subscribe to her “10 Free Tips”.  Make sure and look through their website, there is a lot of information to help with dealing with several disabilities.

You can purchase Five Minutes to Better Reading Skills for $60.00 for the complete set, it includes everything that you need except for a timer. They are currently offering a Bonus of FREE Shipping. So order soon.

Bonnie Terry Learning offers a Guarantee, as with all Bonnie Terry Learning Products, Five Minutes to Better Reading Skills  comes with a 60 Day Money Back No Questions Asked Guarantee.

Happy Reading!

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Nature Friend is an old friend at our house, however, the Study Guide  is a new friend. We have subscribed to Nature Friend for years.  I think we still have most of them, the children love to pour over them, again and again. Nature Friend has provided me with 2 free copies of their monthly magazine along with their Study Guide to test and use in order to write this review.

This is a magazine you can leave for any of your children to look at and not worry. As a Christian I have found that I have to look over everything that comes into the home before I can let my little ones check it out.  Well I have checked out Nature Friend enough, and it is wonderful and child friendly.

Nature Friend is published monthly and is packed full with wonderful photos, articles, and fun things for the children to do. My children particularly enjoy the “You Can Draw …”, which is in each issue, it instructs how to draw something different each month and what supplies to use, it easy enough for a 6 year old, yet challenging for my older children.

Now this is the first I have seen the Study Guide , it is 8 pages of activities for the children, research ideas and lessons.  As a homeschooling mom I can see how this could be easily added into our school day, and if I didn’t include it there, my children want to do it when not doing school.

As soon as a new month of Nature Friend comes into the house I have to keep a pretty close eye on it if I want to use it in school. But either way they always get great information from each publication. What mom could ask more than that.

An annual subscription which is 12 months, is available for $36, and the study guide can be added for $2 per month.   I think that this is a quality magazine and definitely enjoyed by my children.

Here is a coupon code BLOG93 to save $3 your NEW subscription if used by November 30, 2009.

I recently had a friend over to talk about homeschooling, she is just bringing home her 2 boys to homeschool.  We went over several resources that are available to homeschoolers, when I brought out Nature Friend, she was very impressed.  I think she will be subscribing and adding this to her school day.

Have a blessed Nature Friend day!

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link