Schoolhouse Crew Review~Apologia Who is my Neighbor?

Apologia Educational Ministries is one of my favorite homeschooling resources.  This company produces quality, Christian products that I have never been disappointed with.  I was happy to review Who is my Neighbor, the third in a four-book series titled What we Believe. Although this is the third in the series, I believe you could pick it up and use it without having gone through the previous two books in the series.

Apologia teamed with Summit Ministries to create the What we Believe series, a bible curriculum designed to teach your children the essential beliefs of the Christian faith.  The series is for ages 6-14, and is written at about a 5th grade level.
The titles in the series are:
*Who is God?
*Who am I?
*Who is my Neighbor?
*What on Earth can I Do?  (not yet released, expected to be released in 2012)

Who is my Neighbor? contains eight lessons:
*Does Anyone Really Need Me?
*How Can I Make a Difference?
*Who is My Neighbor?
*Why Did God Make Families?
*What Can I Do For My Country?
*Why Can't We All Just Get Along?
*Who is God's Family?
*Why Does the Church Need Me?
Each lesson is full of information, activities, stories, and scripture.  This is a hardback book with full-color pictures.  The price for the book is $39.

You can also purchase a beautiful Notebooking Journal for $24.  This spiral-bound journal corresponds to the lessons in the book, and would make a wonderful keepsake of what your child has learned.

Also available for $8 is a 64-page Coloring Book.  The coloring book would be a great addition to the study for younger children listening along as well. 
At the Apologia website, you can take a look at all the products available, as well as learn a little more about the company.  There are parent resources and sample lessons available as well.  Once again, I was thoroughly impressed by an Apologia product.  I love the way the book is written to the student in a conversational tone.  Chad (9yo) enjoyed the stories and pictures very much, and I plan on going through this series again in a few years.  It would be a great study for the entire family. 




*Disclosure: I received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review~Annie's Truth by Beth Shriver

 

As an avid reader of Amish fiction, I was excited to have the opportunity to read and review Annie's Truth by Beth Shriver.  I had not read anything by this author before, so it was fun to add another author to my growing list of favorites!

Annie's Truth is book 1 in the Touch of Grace Series.  Annie Beiler is a young Amish woman in a tight-knit community in Virginia.  She never questioned her Amish roots, and had plans to never leave her Amish community.  She accidentally comes across the family Bible, which does not contain her full birth information.  Annie soon learns she was adopted, and begins questioning everything about her life and her future. 

Despite her family's objections, Annie decides to set out on a search for her birth mother.  This means entering the English world and leaving everything she knows behind.  As she discovers more information about the circumstances of her birth, she struggles with understanding where she belongs.  Is she Amish or English?  Annie must decide which world she belongs in, and possibly suffer the consequences of leaving her community.

Annie's Truth was a wonderful, engaging story.  As an adoptee myself, I was extra-interested in this storyline.  The characters were well-developed, and I really felt myself caught up in Annie's struggle.  I look forward to reading the second book in the Touch of Grace series, Grace Given, due to be published in 2013.

*Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from Charisma House Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

A sweet little boy is waiting to come home!

Some wonderful friends of ours from church are in the midst of an amazing journey-international adoption!  Having adopted domestically and being adopted myself, I am so excited for this family!  Adopting internationally can be very expensive-averaging $35,000!  This little baby is currently living in an orphanage and is 1 1/2 years old. 

I love supporting compassionate people like these however I can.  Would you consider joining me?  Their blog is Tweets from the Nest, and it is full of information on their adoption journey.  They have a paypal button on their homepage that you can click on, and they are raising money with these cool t-shirts and wrist cuffs.  I'm certain they would also appreciate your prayers as they excitedly await their little one's arrival!

Thank you!!

Schoolhouse Crew Review~Professor B Math

Professor B E-Learning is an online math program for preschool through 8th grade.  The parent is the teacher and guides the child through the online instruction, building a strong foundation in mathematics.  Click here to read the history and philosophy of Professor B Math.  Here are the three different levels available:


*Instant Master Teacher Level 1 with Workbook & Answer Keys: Pre-k though 2nd graders and remediation of older learners. Introduction to Addition/Subtraction Facts - Counting to One Hundred - Lower Addition and Subtraction - Higher Addition and Subtraction - Place Value Fractional Parts & Order - Time - Money

*Instant Master Teacher Level 2 with Workbook and Answer Keys: 3rd grade through 5th grade and remediation of older learners. Multiplication/Division Facts and Problem Solving - Introduction to Fractions - Fractional Equivalence - Addition and Subtraction Fractions

*Instant Master Teacher Level 3 with Workbook & Answer Keys: 6th through 8th grades and remediation of older learners. Multiplication/Division of Fractions - Decimals - Percents

What is different about Professor B Math is that there is no sound in the lessons.  This is purposely done so that the parent will not leave the child to work independently.  Everything you need to say to your child is right there on the screen.  This makes it very easy to just jump into your math lessons without preparation. 

Professor B Math claims your child can learn three years of math in each level! Depending on how many minutes a day your child works (average 10-45 minutes), that's three years of math finished in approximately 10 months! Now, I have not had 10 months to work on this program so I can't back that up, but feel free to go to the website to read more for yourself.  Basically, you are in control of how fast or slow you want to get the level done-I like that!

When you go to http://www.profb.com/, you can view a sample lesson.  There are also free placement tests, a 30-day free trial, as well as lots of information on achievement data and the Professor B method. Professor B's FAQ page will answer a lot of your questions about the program.  Pricing for Professor B E-learning is month-to-month at $20 for the first level.  There are additional discounts for buying additional levels at the same time.  A three-year subscription is $100 for each level. 

Personally, I thought Professor B was a great program for teaching math to your child.  I originally started Chad (grade 3) in Level 1 to see how he would do.  He did well, although there were some things he was missing.  We mostly worked on multiplication in level 2, including skip counting, and we did a lot of workbook pages.  Although Chad wasn't thrilled with the lack of sound on the online program, he sure got good at skip counting, which will definitely help with his multiplication facts. I thought the workbook was great, very thorough and a good complement to the online program.  The only problem I had was keeping track of which online lessons we had done. The program does not keep track for you, so it is a good idea to keep a notebook nearby to track which lessons you have done.  I could see where the pricing might be too high for some families with multiple children.  For my one child, it would be doable, but maybe not with multiple children. 




 

Disclaimer: I received this product in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.  

New Laundry Detergent Recipe

I've been making my own liquid laundry detergent for about three years now-it is such a great money saver!  Click here for my original recipe, which I still think is great!  Recently, I came across a powdered detergent that includes OxiClean and fabric softener, and is safe for HE machines.  I found the recipe at Howdoesshe.  I've been using it a few months now, and really like it!  The photo above shows all of the ingredients (no, that's not pink cheese-its shredded Zote soap!).

1 (4lb. 12oz) Box of Borax-found in detergent aisle
1 (3lb. 7oz.) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda-found in detergent aisle
1 (3lb.) Container of Oxiclean-found in detergent aisle (this is optional)
2 (14.1 oz.) Bars of Zote soap-found in detergent aisle (you can also use Fels Naptha
2 (2 lb.) Boxes of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda-found in cooking aisle
1 to 2 (55oz.) Bottles of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener-found in detergent aisle (this is optional, use more for a stronger scent)

Grate the Zote soap.
Mix all the ingredients (I used a bucket)
May put in any container to dispense-the empty Purex crystals container works great!
Use only 1-2 Tablespoons per load!! Put directly in drum of washer for HE machines.

The finished product-isn't it pretty?? It smells great, and I love that the whitener and softener are included!

Book Review and Facebook Party~Hope Springs by Kim Cash Tate

About the book:

 In a small community where everyone is holding tight to something, the biggest challenge may be learning to let go.

Hope Springs, North Carolina, is the epitome of small town life-a place filled with quiet streets, a place where there's not a lot of change. Until three women suddenly find themselves planted there for a season.

Janelle hasn't gone back to Hope Springs for family reunions since losing her husband. But when she arrives for Christmas and learns that her grandmother is gravely ill, she decides to extend the stay. It isn't long before she runs into her first love, and feelings that have been dormant for more than a decade are reawakened.

Becca is finally on the trajectory she's longed for. Having been in the ministry trenches for years, she's been recruited as the newest speaker of a large Christian women's conference. But her husband feels called to become the pastor of his late father's church in Hope Springs.

And Stephanie has the ideal life-married to a doctor in St. Louis with absolutely nothing she has to do. When her cousin Janelle volunteers to stay in Hope Springs and care for their grandmother, she feels strangely compelled to do the same. It's a decision that will forever change her.

As these women come together, they soon recognize that healing is needed in their hearts, their families, and their churches. God's plan for them in Hope Springs-is bigger than they ever imagined.
About the author:

Kim Cash Tate is the author of Cherished, Faithful, Heavenly Places, and the memoir More Christian than African American. A former practicing attorney, she is also the founder of Colored in Christ Ministries. She and Her husband have two children.

Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/bAPH2

My thoughts on Hope Springs:

This is a  meaningful book about  family, friends, and a community coming together.  There are serious issues that happen throughout the story-terminal illness, race, religion, and more.  The characters were deep and real, and I found myself feeling like I knew them and was cheering for them as they dealt with their own personal struggles. The setting of the small town was perfect for this story.  I enjoyed Hope Springs thoroughly and had a hard time putting it down!  The only problem I had while reading it was keeping the characters straight!  There are so many of them, and I got confused several times.  After about halfway through the book, I had everyone figured out.  I recommend reading Hope Springs and will consider reading more by Kim Cash Tate.

 Win a Kindle Fire at @KimCashTate's Hope Springs Author Chat Party {7/10}!

Celebrate the release of Hope Springs with Kim Cash Tate by coming to her Author Chat Party on Facebook. Find out what readers are saying here. Grab your copy of Hope Springs and join me for an Author Chat Party on July 10th at 8:00 PM EST (that's 7:00 Central, 6:00 MST, & 5:00 PST)! During the evening Kim will be sharing the story behind her new book, posting book club questions, testing your trivia skills, and of course, there will be plenty of chatting and fun giveaways - books, gift certificates and (I'm so excited about this) - a Kindle Fire! But, wait there's more – she’ll also be giving you a sneak peak of her next book too! RSVP today and then come back on the 10th ... and bring your friends! *Disclaimer: I was given a copy of Hope Springs in exchange for my honest review.