Tag Archives: homeschool

Father’s Day Weekend

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Father’s Day.  Seems dad’s just don’t get enough special days though out the year.  I heard recently some folks are trying to do away with calling it Father’s Day and have put forth legislation to change the name to “Parents Day” so it is more “inclusive”.  Such a shame though to take the focus away from Father’s.

We spent the whole weekend celebrating Father’s Day.  Why not?  He works so hard to care for the needs of our family.  Dedicating this entire weekend just to him pales in comparison.

Father God is also a good father and He spends our entire lifetime caring for our needs.  He is amazing!  He can do anything!  I want to encourage you to not forget him.  Don’t forget to thank him.  Don’t forget to celebrate him.  He is good and his mercy endures forever.

On Saturday, Daddy opened a couple of gifts we had picked out and some that were made for him.  One of the special gifts this year we have been focusing on has been learning “skills” from outdoor survivalist Creek Stewart.  For Dad’s birthday a few months ago, we got him a bimonthly subscription to Apocabox, and he will get six of these boxes during the year.  So for Father’s Day, we stayed with that theme and we ordered him a bow drill from Creek Stewart, so he can learn to make friction fire, also a folding saw for cutting tree limbs, and a Special Edition Apocabox.   However, the Apocabox had not yet arrived before he opened his gifts Saturday morning so I figured the box might be here by Monday.   We told him it would be coming, and we gave him his other gifts and he was quite pleased.  We gave him the Creek Stewart bow drill, a collection of some fire tinders that were hand collected by one our boys including homemade charcloth he made, an extra large coffee cup that says “make it happen”, a swiss army military style clipper set, and his favorite chocolate pecan turtles.  One of our sons is working on a special paracord bracelet that is still in progress, but not finished yet.  Another one of our son’s made him a beautiful leather bag.  I will post a story soon about him creating the bag.

We got ready to leave to take Dad to lunch.  We had a few plans including taking him to lunch at a Mexican restaurant and then take him to Cabela’s to get a new fishing pole.  To round out the special weekend, we planned to take him fishing on Sunday afternoon.

Just as we were planning to leave the house Saturday, the mailman brought a package.  My husband met the mailman in the driveway and he was beaming ear to ear when he got back in the house with his box.  It was the Special Edition Apocabox from Creek Stewart, and he (and our boys) couldn’t wait to open it.  I will post a story soon about this box.

After looking through his Father’s Day gifts and spending the morning together, we went to lunch.  We ate at a place we have eaten at a few times for special occasions such as birthdays.  We had actually been there two weeks earlier to celebrate our oldest son’s eighteenth birthday.  They make delicious tasting Mexican food and our whole family enjoys it.

After lunch we took Daddy to Cabela’s to look around and see if he would like a new fishing pole and gear.  Our family has some fishing gear, but with eight people in the family, and with little ones, some things get broke and we all share what we have, and sometimes Dad is so busy fixing the poles, lost gear, tangled gear, or re-baiting them etc, that he doesn’t even get to fish.  We thought it would be nice to get a new pole just for him.

Cabela’s is a very interesting sporting goods store.  On this day, they had set up a pool in the parking lot and were giving Kayak lessons.

Another cool feature inside the store are the wildlife animal displays and the huge aquarium.

But at the end of our time at the store, the only thing he really wanted was a tee shirt and a flashlight.  So we came home without a fishing pole, but we enjoyed spending time with him anyway.

After we got back home Saturday, we ate some Father’s Day cake our daughter made.  Then we spent time in our back yard trying to make a fire by hand with Dad’s bow drill. 

My husband had our 13 year old son assemble the Creek Stewart Take Down Bow Drill.  He was thrilled to get to assemble it. These bow drills are custom made by hand.  They are made so you can disassemble “take down” the bow and put it into your backpack to carry with you on camping trips.

My son had also made a tinder “nest” for this special occasion.  He is learning so many skills and I am very proud of his efforts.

After it was assembled, they headed to the back yard to practice.

The two of them worked together to run the bow drill.

They had smoke coming from the friction several times.

But each time they would check for a “coal” from the smoke, there was not a coal.

But they did have lots of ground up and smoking wood dust, created by the friction of the two sticks, that could become a coal in the right conditions.

I don’t know if you have ever tried to make a fire by rubbing sticks together, but it is not easy.  They tried for a long time.  They tried up on a table so it was easier on my husband’s 50 year old back.  But when that wasn’t successful, they moved it to the ground.  They also tried making it on a flat rock.  But it proved to be too difficult this evening to get a friction fire going.  We plan to re-watch Creek Stewart’s video about how to use the bow drill to create a fire and then “make it happen”.

Later after dark, the family all went back outside and played with flashlights. Dad got out his new flashlight, and the boys got out their flashlights and they all played around seeing who’s light could shine the brightest out into the yard and go the farthest down the driveway.  As they get bigger and older, it seems Dad might be feeling a bit challenged.  But Dad’s new light won the “farthest” competition with the flashlights and he felt very proud to still be the top dog!

Sunday morning, we got up and made coffee and pancakes.  Knowing we had plans to take Dad fishing later, we played around the house for a bit, and we watched a few videos together.  There are some really good weekly videos on youtube that show current events each week.  There are also some wonderful bible teachings.  When we have time, if we are home on a Saturday or Sunday, we watch some of these bible teachings, and videos that show current events worldwide, including world wide weather events (hurricanes, floods, volcanoes, earthquakes, mudslides, etc), and some that focus on events in the USA.  It is a good way to catch up on the news from a Christian worldview, something you don’t get on regular TV.  It helps to see what is happening in current events, and understand from a Christian worldview what is happening and how it lines up with bible prophesy.  We are told in the scriptures to watch and to understand.  We are living in the end times, and though we don’t know the day or hour it will all take place, I would encourage everyone to try to keep a watchful eye however they can and learn as much as they can.

Then we headed outside to load our fishing gear and cooler into the van and headed out to find a fishing spot and to enjoy the rest of the day with Dad.  We stopped along the way to get a bag of ice, bread, lunch meat, chips, bottled waters and Gatorade.  We planned to have a lunch picnic.  It was 95 degrees out today and we wanted everyone to stay hydrated.  We drove around for about two hours looking for just the right fishing spot.

Finally we found a nice little spot along the water that faced away from the sun, and it had some shade trees.  This seemed like a good spot to put our fishing lines in.  Shade trees can be a blessing, but you can also get your lines tangled in them when casting.

But it was so hot outside, we were sweating while just standing still, and having that little bit of shade from the trees was important.  Eventually we realized the fish don’t like the heat either and we were not catching anything.  After several hours of trying on our part, the fish were just not biting on our lines, other than an occasional nibble.  Then, not long before dark, we had a Father’s Day miracle.

We didn’t get home until very late, and we were all tired, but it was a great day.  Despite the heat, we had fun just spending time together as a family and we enjoyed each other’s company and enjoyed the special day and our special Father’s Day Weekend with Dad.

Be sure to read the next post for an amazing outcome to our Father’s Day weekend:  A Father’s Day Miracle.

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Creek Stewart Apocabox: DIY Survival Skills

A few months ago, for my husband’s birthday, I purchased a subscription to Apocabox from Creek Stewart.  It turned out that our whole family has enjoyed learning with this unique box of challenges.  I would like to encourage other homeschool families to check into doing these DIY suvival skills learning kits with their kids.

Creek Stewart is a well known survivalist teacher.  He has been featured over the past 20 years in countless articles, magazines, TV shows, talk shows, news, and more.  He previously hosted a show called Fat Guys in the Woods where he helped “guys” get off the couch and learn knew skills in the woods such as camping, bushcrafting, survival, and mastering personal skills that helped change their lives.  He has a survival school called Willow Haven Outdoor located in Indiana.  He has his own signature line of knives and tools called “Whisky” where the handles are made from the oak wood of whisky barrels.  He is the current host of a TV show called S.O.S. How To Survive that airs on the Weather Channel that showcases true stories of people who found themselves in survival situations and what skills saved their lives.

Creek Stewart is also an author of lots of books including suvival guides, magazine articles, as well as fiction and non-fiction books.  He has several websites and youtube channels and he is well known and well liked by many.

Apocabox

Apocabox is a survival school in a box.  It comes to your door every other month.  It is filled with skill challenges, at least 1 or more survival skill challenge kits, sometimes one of Creek Stewart’s pocket survival guides, and always includes about 5 to 7 gear items that can benefit you in a survival situation.

Each Apocabox has a unique theme, special gear, and skill challenges.  Apocabox has been going for several years.  Here is an example of the 2017 themes and related gear for the past year.

2017 Themes:

  • Ignis (Fire)(Febuary): Whisky Flint and Steel Kit, Whisky Ferro Rod, Fire Scratcher, Friction Fire Chucks, Ignis Tinder Tubes, Pocket Wick, Fresnel Lens
  • Forager (April): Canvas Foraging Bag, Foraging Knife with Sheath, Fruit and Nut Grapple, Sprouting Kit, Tree Finder Guide, Arbor Day Foundation Tree Guide, Chirps Chips, Forager Patch, Pocket Field Guide
  • Hydro (Water)(June): 3 Dry Gear Bags, Tarp and Drain Water Harvester, Gear Guard Wax, Folding Filet & Food Prep Knife, Life Raft Knife, Frog and Fish Gig, Collapsible Minnow Trap, Pocket Field Guide, Build a Coal Burned Wooden Container Skill
  • Bushcraft Dump Pouch (August): Canvas and Leather Pouch, Whisky Burr Knife, Sharpening Brick, Trout Line Fishing Kit, Bone Feather, Beeswax Bar
  • Camp Cookery (October): Stainless Steel Pack Grill, Fold Down Cooking Tripod, 5Litter Dry Bag, Whisky Scoop (wooden spoon carver tool), Chicory Coffee
  • Tool & Maintenance (December): Knife Kit, Multi-function Sharpener, Double Edged Bench Strop, 4-Way Rasp, Rock and Roll Sharpener, Diamond Paste Syringe, Buffalo Bone Whistle, Lincoln Patch, Tool Maintenance Desk Mat, Field Maintenance Bag

Each box includes at least 1 or more theme specific survival skill challenges that include the complete project plus templates and raw materials and special videos for you to learn to make the survival product yourself and master using it.  Each box also includes up to 10-12 additional survival skills for you to master.  These additional skills are related to the gear in the box and written about in the newsletter, pocket survival guides, and exclusive subscriber videos, and you can resource your own materials and learn these skills right from the comfort of your home or backyard.

Apocabox Example: Forager

With the Forager edition of Apocabox, folks learned how to forage and gather food and resources from trees, plants, roots, fish from streams, and sprout their own seeds into nutritious greens too.

Contents:

  • Apocabox Newsletter: filled with skills challenges and detailed content descriptions. (These have been updated to 4 page high gloss magazine style pages and now also contain photos of other subscribers who sent in pictures of their finished challenges and projects)
  • POCKET FIELD GUIDE: Survival Trees : Vol I
    70 page 4×6 pocket sized field guide filled with DIY Skills Challenges to Master such as gleaning survival resources such as food, water, shelter, fire, cordage, tools, containers and adhesives from 8 different trees.
  • Canvas Foraging Bag
  • Foraging Knife and Sheath
    Multi use tool designed to dig up roots and tubers, and use as a trowel for digging fire pits, and more.
  • Fruit & Nut Grapple Kit
  • Bone Sliver Fishing Kit
  • TREE FINDER GUIDE:
    How to identify 161 species of trees.
  • Arbor Day Foundation Tree Guide:
    250 trees of North America
  • Sprouting Kit:
    Sprouting seeds, instructions, and prortable sprouting container.  Seeds vary and might include: Black Turtle Beans, Navy bean, Red field peas (these are beans also), Lentils, Mung Beans and Alfalfa.
  • Chirps Chips
    Chips made from cricket flour.
  • “FORAGER” Velcro Leaf Patch

The Forager Apocabox contained instructions, templates, and materials for 3 Specific DIY Skills Challenges:

  1. Bone Sliver Kit: includes instructions and materials to make a bone sliver fishing hook, and a bone sliver fishing gorge.
  2. Fruit and Nut Grapple Kit includes instructions and materials (except paracord) to make the grapple and you add the paracord and then practice harvesting from trees.
  3. Sprout Kit:  includes seeds and container for nutritious food.

Subscribers also have access to exclusive videos that walk you step by step from beginning all the way through mastering these skills.  Some videos are about 5 minutes long, some 10 minutes, and some videos are 30 minutes long depending on the skill being learned.  Creek is a very good teacher and is easy to understand in these videos. Plus there are lots more optional skills to practice and master in the Pocket Field Guide.  The Forager Apocabox came with links to 3 online teaching videos to watch.

Here is a short 1 minute video clip about resources found in Pine Trees:

Apocabox is truly a super-duty DIY survival skills training box and is a perfect match with the self motivated learning styles of many homeschool families as well as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4 -H clubs, after school programs, summer camps, and many other groups.

2018 Themes (so far):

  • Exodus (Febuary)
  • Silent Hunter (April)
  • Flatline (June)

Apocabox costs $50 plus shipping every two months. The box is shipped 6 times a year (Feburary, April, June, August, October, December) and contains enough materials and information to keep you learning and mastering at least 1 or more survivals skills each week for the full two months while you wait for your next box to arrive.  So that is about $6.25 a week if you only learn 1 knew skill.  But there is likely enough challenges in the boxes, pamphlets, booklets, and exclusive linked videos to do 2 skills a week, which would translate to a cost of about $3.13 per knew skill learned.

Apocabox is cheaper than any survival school or life skills curriculum I have found and even cheaper than a fancy cup of coffee.  This is very reasonable for all the cool things you get to learn. I wish I had these kits when I was teaching the Build It Learn It Workshops and Take Action Tuesdays a few years ago.  These truly are a wonderful resource!

However, if the Apocabox skills challenges sound like more than you can do at this time (either time or money or both), Creek Stewart also offers a Survival Skill of the Month Club where he teaches 1 knew skill for the current price $7.95 a month.  For that price, he will mail you a binder, plus 1 illustrated skill per month in high gloss magazine style pages that you can add to the binder.

He has also recently added a Wild Edibles Skill of the Month Club that looks fantastic too.

Sharing through Facebook and Instagram and being part of an online community of people who are also learning these skills is another special feature Creek offers to his subscribers. It is truly amazing what some people do while learning these skills and see the outcomes.

For example, this past December, in the “Tools and Maintenance” theme, folks created their own custom knives and custom handles and sheaths, and learned how to properly care for knives, and axes, etc.  The 2017 December box and theme is what actually inspired me to subscribe.  I just knew my husband and older sons would love it, so we subscribed and our first box was the Feb 2018 and it turns out we have all loved this learning journey so far!

With Father’s Day right around the corner, if you are looking for a really nice gift for the father’s, sons (or daughters) in your life, the life skills and survival skills learned from these boxes will be a gift that keeps on giving. Like the old saying goes “give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” The knowledge and skills one gains to care for themselves, and the needs of others, to help them survive is priceless.

I will post future stories about each box and the skills we learn.  If you think this might be a good fit for your family, please join us on this new learning adventure!

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Learn To Read With Reading Kingdom Review

Are you looking to improve your child’s ability to read and write? Then you might want to check out Reading Kingdom online interactive curriculum.

Reading Kingdom offers a better strategy than what has traditionally been offered to help kids improve their reading and writing skills, reduce academic failure, and reach reading proficiency.

Reading Kingdom

Reading Kingdom

Online Learning Program

Interactive Curriculum

Highly effective

Adapts To Each Child

Individualized Instruction

Research based

Ages 4-10

Retail $19.99 month ($9.99 additional child).

Reading Kingdom in an online learning program developed for students ages 4 to 10 to help them become proficient at reading and writing to a 3rd grade level.   It is fun to use and kids can use the program on their own.  Because it is filled with learning games and books, kids are motivated to use it each day.  Reading Kingdom works as a standalone curriculum or as a supplement to your curriculum.  Reading Kingdom works on any device with an internet connection (including Windows, Mac, iPad, Android, Chromebooks, etc.)

Reading Kingdom uses a patented strategy called the Phonics Plus decoding system created by Dr. Marion Blank, a developmental psychologist who is also one of the world experts on reading.  Learning with Reading Kingdom has been made available in a fun online interactive program by her son Jonathan Blank, an expert in computer software development.   Now families everywhere can have access to this award winning learning system to help kids learn to read and write.

The Phonics Plus decoding system is based on learning the meanings of words, the pattern sequencing of letters, and sounds that create meaning.

Sequencing:  recognizing patterns from left to right.
Writing: understanding letter placement on keyboard and writing through out the program.
Sounds (Phonics): sounding letter blends,
Meaning: understanding the meaning of words and their context.
Grammar: grammatical rules
Comprehension: remembering and understanding what has been read.

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The Department of Education reports that two out of three kids today are failing at reading and writing proficiency and Dr. Blank believes it is because they learned to read with phonics only.  There are many reasons why learning with phonics only fails to help so many kids.

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However, rather than just learning phonics only, Reading Kingdom teaches the Phonic’s Plus decoding system as foundational for mastering reading and writing proficiency.  This method brings reading, writing, and comprehension together. As students learn these skills, they will benefit both now and later in life as many of these skills overflow into other areas in a person’s life.

How It Works:

Reading Kingdom uses fun reading games, story books, and the Phonics Plus decoding strategy to boost each student’s skills and confidence in reading, writing, and comprehension.  When kids finish the program, they will have mastered above a third grade reading level.

Reading Kingdom contains 5 Levels.  Each level is adaptable for the skill level of the person using it, so it customizes itself per the child’s needs.  Each level builds upon the skills learned in the previous level.  Before moving forward it gets kids ready for the next level so both sets of skill levels flow smoothly together. A Progress Check (review quiz) is given after each level. More practice is given if needed, or if they have mastered everything, they are promoted to the next level.

Reading Kingdom is designed to be used 4 days per week. Each level is filled with several sessions and you complete one session each day.  Each session takes about 10 to 20 minutes to complete.  A child learns 1 new word or reads 1 new book during each session.

Below are a few examples of different skill levels.  The first picture shows the level, the number of new words, new words plus word variants, total new words, and new books learned in that level.  The second picture in each category below is an example of a learning game in that level.

Level 1

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Level 2

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Level 3

Screenshot (182) - Copy

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Level 4

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Level 5

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The entire Reading Kingdom online program starting at the lowest level and working your way through to completing the highest level, is designed to take about 12 to 15 months to complete all the levels and skills.   However, an older child child who already has acquired some reading skills, takes the placement test and scores above the beginning level, etc. maybe able to complete the program quicker, perhaps in as little as 6+/- months.   This program could also be used for review for older students and ESL and remedial learning.  A child who is a struggling reader may take longer than average to complete.  The program is flexible and adapts to the skills of each child.  However if your student is on the Autism Spectrum or has other learning challenges, then you might want to check into another program Reading Kingdom has developed called ADS Reading.

Who is Dr. Blank?

Dr. Marion Blank

Dr. Marion Blank is known around the world as a literacy expert. She developed and directed the Light on Literacy Program. She has served on the faculty of Columbia University. She lectures around the world, and has authored several peer-reviewed articles and books. Dr. Blank has developed award winning teaching programs.  She is the author of the Reading Remedy and creator of the Reading Kingdom.

Video
Here is a short video about Reading Kingdom:

How We Used Reading Kingdom In Our Home

I was thrilled for my kids to have the opportunity to use Reading Kingdom.  We were given a one year subscription in exchange for writing an honest review about our experience.

My kids have been using the Reading Kingdom program for about 6 weeks, and have practiced almost daily during our language arts study time since getting the program.  I am using this program with my three youngest kids, ages 6, 8, and 10.  The 8 year old is the most consistent user.  He has averaged 4.3 days per week.  The 10 year old has averaged 3 days per week.  The 6 year old has an average of 2.3 days per week.

Sometimes the 6 year old isn’t as motivated as the 8 year old and 10 year old are to sit at the computer.  I think he has stopped a few times before his lesson was completely finished for the day, and I am not sure if that reduces the average number of days counted.  I think he will become more motivated to finish each lesson as he gains more skills.

This is our second time to use this program and I can see similarities in the ages in regards to skills and motivation.  We had a subscription to Reading Kingdom three years ago and the kids learned a lot at that time and loved it.  We were excited to see how much they have improved since then.

Each child has two options when starting the program.  The first option is for those starting at the beginning level and are just learning to read.  They can start at the very beginning with the very first lesson session.  The second option is to take a placement test to find out what skills the child already knows and where they should be placed.  The placement test has two parts, a keyboard typing test and a sequencing test.

Typing & Keyboard Test

Typing & Keyboard Test

These placement tests help the parent, and the Reading Kingdom program understand what skills the student already knows, and what skills they have yet to learn.  Because Reading Kingdom is an adaptable reading program, it responds to the child’s skill level and their ongoing progress.  It also recognizes what they don’t know because of the mistakes they are making, and provides extra support and training in those areas.  This helps customize the program to their learning level.

Sequencing Test

Sequencing Test

Since he is a beginning reader, I had my 6 year old start at the beginning level without taking the placement tests.  My 8 year old son and 10 year old daughter both took the placement test.  They took the letter sequencing test and a keyboard typing test.

The placement test put the 8 year old a little above where I thought it would.  He is a strong reader and quick learner and did well on the placement test.  It placed him on Level 3.  However the 10 year old struggled more while taking the test, as it is timed and she is slower to answer even if she knows the answer, and it started her in the middle of Level 1.  Both she and I thought she would place on a higher level.  It seem to us that because she struggled with speed on the placement test is the reason why she started at a lower level, and not because she didn’t know the answer.  Though she was a bit disappointed at first, it has turned out to be good review for her to go back over many of the words and practice them, and the parent report is showing she is getting an “excellent” score on her lesson sessions.

After the tests, and placement, then each kid can begin their sessions.  The program is set up to do 1 session a day, though you can do more.  After they log in, each of my kids have a dash board that shows their progress.

On the parent dashboard, I can go in to a tab and choose to review reports, change the level or speed for responses, or even set it to retake the test if needed.  For now, I have left everything at the default speed and mainly use my dashboard to review the reports.  Reports can also be downloaded and sent by email too.  I like the parent dashboard because it gives me a basic summary of how each child is progressing, what words they are learning and what words they are struggling with.

As a parent, I know each of my kids learn differently, some are fast and some are slow at picking up certain skills.  It is nice to have a curriculum that can adapt to their learning styles.

When my kids complete a level (or test out of a level) they have the option to print a diploma certificate for that level.

I would encourage other homeschool families to check out Reading Kingdom. You can help your child achieve reading proficiency when you team up with Reading Kingdom for the Phonics Plus solution to help your child succeed.

FREE

Try before you buy with FREE Sample Lessons. Reading Kingdom also offers a FREE Trial Offer, free worksheets, and many other free resources too.  They also have special discount offers to choose from when you subscribe.

Social Media

Follow Reading Kingdom on their social media links for all the latest news, teaching ideas, product updates, and special offers.

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Homeschool Review Crew

Be sure to check out what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew had to say about using products from Reading Kingdom.

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Davy Crockett Heroes of History Review

I will never forget when I was a young girl, I used to hear my Grandma sing: “Davy Crockett, King of the wild frontier.”  Thanks to Ywam Publishing, and their Heroes of History series and Unit Study Guides, I am able to teach my kids about Davy Crockett too.

Heroes of History – Davy Crockett: Ever Westward

Biography

of

David Crockett  1786-1836

Paperback Book

191 Pages

17 Chapters

Ages 10 and up

Retail: $9.99 on sale for $7.50

Davy Crockett: Ever Westward 1786–1836 is a biography of David Crockett’s life from about the time he was 10 years of age until his death.  It is written in an easy to understand way for people of all ages.  It is recommended for students age 10 and older.

Table of Contents:

This book includes 17 chapters and suggested bibliography resources.  Topics discussed in these chapters include: pioneer life, family relations, bullying, courting and marriage, forest, rivers, hunting for food, faith, education, Tennessee; Texas, militias, native American Indians, US House of Representatives, Texas Revolution, Battle of the Alamo, bushcrafting, woodsmanship, integrity, exploration conviction, hope, and determination to survive.

Below I have listed each chapter title and briefly summarized the first six chapters from the book for you to get a general idea of what we are learning about:

1. Across the World: This chapter we are introduced to a dreamer teenage boy named David who hopes to get a job as a cabin boy on a merchant ship that is hauling lumber and sailing from America to London.

2. Wilderness Life: This chapter we travel back in time to the early years of David’s life, from about 10 years of age, as his family moved to a couple locations in the state of Tennessee to set up their homestead life.  After loosing their home and belongings and a grist mill they had built to a flood, they had to move again.  In another location, they set up their home as a Tavern (with a bed and food and care of horses) for travelers. David is an excellent hunter and provides the homestead with meat.  He also chops firewood, and does other chores around their pioneer life. He also takes care of the travelers horses getting them water, food, bedding, and cleaning the mud off the horses hair if needed.

3. A Hired Hand: David’s father sends him at age 12 to help one of the travelers take his wagon, horses, and cows 400 miles East to reach his homestead in Virginia.  He has given up on the harsh Westward expansion and skirmishes with Indians and wants to return to farm life in Virginia.  After David helps him to Virginia he is kept on to work for him as a hired hand according to an arrangement his father made and didn’t tell him about.  During the winter, on his own, David up and leaves the “hired hand” job and makes his way back home.

4. The Runaway:  David makes the long journey home.  However, there are many changes including a new school with a dirt floor opens up nearby and all the Crockett boys are enrolled and their father paid for them to attend.  David fights a school bully.  David skips school and after several days his father finds out because the teacher updates his father.  His dad confronts him on the trail near the woods as he tries to skip out again the next day.  David runs off into the woods to avoid a spanking and being forced to return to school.  David gets a job driving cattle to Virginia and then another job getting wagons of goods to Baltimore.  He hopes to get a job as a cabin boy and sail the seas and see the world. But the driver of the wagons refuses to give him his pay and personal belongings, prevents him from boarding the ship, and forces him to continue working for him with the wagons.

5. The Return: The owner of the wagon train beat David with a whip in addition to preventing him from joining the ship as a cabin boy, and he forced him to continue on helping with the wagon trains.  After several undeserved beatings, David escapes from the wagon train.  He informs another wagon driver further back on the trail of what happened and this driver helps him confront the evil man and retrieve his clothes, though his money is lost forever.  David eventually becomes an apprentice to a hat maker and spends 18 months (of a 4 year commitment) learning the trade of turning animal pelts (mainly beaver pelts) into processed felt to make custom hats.  When his work ended, David was almost 16, and he was ready to see his family and make the long and dangerous journey walking over 400 miles back home.  His family is glad to see him when he returns.

6. Free and Clear: David’s father asks him to work for his creditor (s) and pay of his debts. David agrees and works first for 6 months at a tavern (fetching water, chopping firewood, and serving the travelers) and later he worked 6 months more for a farmer doing various farm chores.  In the end he had paid off both of his father’s debts.  While working for the farmer, he listened to him read the bible out loud each day and was inspired to go back to school and learn to read and write.   After the debts were paid off, he went back to work part time for the farmer and attended school.  He was 18 years old, a grown man, and back in school.  He had only had a few days of schooling in his youth before he left.  Now he was determined to learn and he learned to read and write and do math computations using a handheld chalk board called a slate and later used a quill with ink.  David falls in love with the wrong girl and it ends badly for him.  At 19 years of age, he is not sure if he will ever find a wife.

7: Answering the Call:

8. Indian Country:

9. Wandering in the Wilderness:

10. Shoal Creek:

11. Gentleman from the Cane:

12. Rutherford Fork:

13. Down the River:

14. Congressman Crockett:

15. The Lion of the West:

16. On to Texas:

17. One Last Battle:

Bibliography: Suggested books to read about David Crockett’s life.

Downloadble Unit Study – Davy Crockett: Ever Westward

Digital Unit Study

76 Pages

72 Pages Instruction Guide

4 Pages Student Worksheets

Retail $9.99  On Sale $5.49

This digital unit study guide contains several guides and everything you need to teach the book as a stand alone course, or as part of a larger course, and has several helpful organized teaching tips if you need to meet certain learning standards.  It also includes a 76 page unit study guide.  The unit study has a printable part 1 and part 2.  Part 2 is the same as Apendix C and contains the printable Social Studies Reproducibles.  Additional bonus materials are also available.

Table of Contents:

Introduction
1. Key Quotes
2. Display Corner
3. Chapter Questions (Discussion questions, these can be answered orally or written out for all 17 chapters)
4. Student Explorations (Arts & Crafts, Movies, Essay and Research Projects, etc)
5. Community Links (Field Trips, Interviews, etc)
6. Social Studies (Vocabulary, Geography, Graphs, Historical Timelines, etc)
7. Related Themes to Explore
8. Culminating Event (Special Display, Oral Presentation, or Dinner for family and friends showing off your learning adventure)
Appendix A: Books and Resources
Appendix B: Answers to Chapter Questions
Appendix C: Social Studies Reproducibles

There are lots of ways this unit study guide can enhance the learning of the material in the book.  Unit studies are cross curricular.  They blend a theme of a book, main character, or specific topic, with many subjects and cover the material from different angles and hands on exploration.

It is up to the parent or family to decide how many additional projects they want to include to expand the learning.  Some folks may want to choose just a few projects to expand the learning, and other folks may want to choose lots of research projects, movies, field trips, arts and crafts.  This unit study is flexible and can be adapted to what ever your family needs.  It is a good idea to write down what activities you want to do and where in the learning adventure you want to fit them in.

Rather than just reading the book straight through, and being done in a day or few days, the Davy Crockett Unit Study Guide easily helps stretch the learning opportunity into as many weeks as desired.  If you want it to last 17 days or about 3+ weeks, you could do a short unit study by reading a chapter and doing the related study questions each day.  Or you could do a longer unit study and read a chapter, questions, and additional related projects per week.  If you add in enough additional projects, books, field trips, etc, this unit study could possibly cover several months about 17 weeks (for 17 chapters).  Or you could possibly make this study last a whole school year of learning around a specific theme.  This unit study about Davy Crockett accommodates further studies and learning adventures in:

History
American Government
Geography
Vocabulary
Essay writing
Creative writing
Math
Science
Design
Research
Reading comprehension
Public speaking
Drama
Art
Life Skills
Bible
Character Development
and more…

Our Experience:

We received the book and the downloadable unit study guide in exchange for writing an honest review. We added several additional activities, field trips, and crafts to further facilitate this review and these added to the hands on learning experience.  The pictures below are a brief summary of some of the learning adventures we have done so far.

Some of my family has read ahead, but most of us are reading 1 chapter a week aloud together as a family, and doing the suggested discussion questions in the unit study guide as well as several fun activities.   We have been super busy with optional activities, and we are currently on Chapter 7 with another 10 chapters to go.  Whew!  It’s been a lot of fun so far!

My 13 year old son read the book cover to cover and couldn’t put it down.  The book is a great read with lots of excitement.  He loves adventures, hunting, history, and drama and has loved reading this book!

My 15 year old son is keeping pace with the rest of us.  He trades the book off with me reading a chapter at a time. He also loves the wilderness, pioneers, farming, and responsibility.  He is really enjoying this book and learning experience.

When he is finished reading a chapter, I read the book aloud to the rest of the family, including to my husband when possible.  He wants me to read ahead to him, but I tell him he has to wait on the rest of us or read ahead on his own.  He is enjoying hearing about Davy Crockett too.

Unit Study Guide Worksheets:

Beef Jerky:

Davy lived on smoked dried venison (deer jerky) and stewed venison (deer stew) during much of his life.  Though he likely made his over a campfire or fireplace, we made beef jerky with a modern method by slicing the meat into strips, marinating in a combination of apple cider vinegar and spices, and drying on a dehydrator rack.

Firewood & Building Campfire & Cooking Outside:

The kids helped collect firewood and make a campfire in the back yard.  The big boys have created two fire pits.  One is surrounded with rocks and one fire pit area is surrounded with some old bricks we had on hand.  I prefer using the one surrounded by brick when the younger kids are going to be sitting together, because it only has exposure to the fire on one side (the back and sides have brick) so it is easier to keep an eye on safety.  The rock firepit is more rustic and manly used by the big boys, or occasionally a younger sibling will sit with them too.  On the brick fire pit we put a cooking grill plate on top.  Sometimes we use the plate to hold water for making tea, soup, steak, pancakes, or baking bread.  The bricks help reflect heat for baking and to keep warm when it is a cold day or evening.  After building the fire, the kids cooked beef hot dogs and sat by the fire late into the evening watching the embers glow.  We are gathering recipes and ingredients and have plans to do a hole lot more outdoor cooking projects before our unit study is through.

Creek Exploration:

Davy crossed many creeks and rivers in his journeys.

River Exploration:

We did not try to cross a river, but we enjoyed going to the waters edge and making observations, and exploring the surrounding forest.

Wild Foraging – Edible Plants for Food and Medicine:

We collected several plants, ate some fresh in salad, dried some, and froze some for using in various ways such as sweet jams and home remedies.  I wrote another post about this experience for this unit study.

Collecting Pine Buds, Pine Needles, and Pine Pollen.

Collecting Dandelion Flowers and Greens.

Collecting Rose Hips and checking on status of new wild roses about to bloom.

Collecting Fresh Wild Rose Petals

Collecting Mint.

I have a half barrel planter on the back porch filled with mint and flowers.  It was perfect for my youngest son to practice his harvesting skills.

Hunting Archery Practice:

Dad helped all of the kids practice shooting a long bow.  It shoots with about 25lbs of pressure, much less than the larger versions.  I found this smaller long bow at the sporting goods store for about $20 and it came with three arrows and a quiver too. We picked up some extra arrows to practice with. It worked out great.

Gold Rush Investigations:

We took a trip to see a real gold town that was part of the Westward Expansion and gold rush of the early 1800’s in North Carolina.

Candle Making:

The kids practiced making candles outside.  They melted wax and dipped cotton string into it and hung it up to dry.

My oldest son also made another version of a bushcraft candle with a match wrapped in paper (paper towels or toilet paper work great) and dipped into wax.  These waxed candle matches are used to start campfires because they burn a long time like a candle.

Leather Working:

The older boys made a leather bag from cow hide and gave it to Dad for his birthday.  Several months ago, Dad helped one of the boys make a bag and a sheath.  Now that same boy taught his brother how to make a leather bag for dad.  I will post additional stories about these projects, but here are a few pictures.

The boys also enlisted Dad’s help to make a knife sheath.  This project isn’t finished yet.

The younger kids also made a Native American style leather bag.  We bought leather shamios for cleaning cars.  These were 3′ x 3′ size leather hides available at most local stores that were tanned with cod oil, and they were $8 a piece.  They are a lot thinner than the cow leather the older boys use to creating sheaths and bags with, but they were softer for younger kids to handle and more affordable.  We bought three for the younger kids to practice making pioneer and Native American Indian related crafts with.

So far, they learned to make a leather bag and decorate it with beads.

Here is big brother helping little brother with this project. They made a paper template and then traced it onto the leather before cutting it out.

They used several tools to create this leather project.

Then end product is adorable.  They sewed it by hand.  The sides are stiched in two rows and they left a flap for the lid.  They attached a tassel and beads for decoration.  This bag will hold herbs, jerkey, and lots of different things.
We will be making more crafts with these pieces of leather as we continue the unit study.

Movies:

We have had a few movie nights.  We sat down together including all of the kids and my husband and watched a few episodes of Davy Crockett from the TV series in the 1960’s.

We have also watched several documentaries for movie night that were fantastic!

We also watched a pioneer and native American Indian movie and plan to see a few more with this theme.

These movies really peaked everyone’s interest and they have all been so attentive to listen to the book and learn more.   We have had so much fun!

So far we have watched:

  • Davy Crockett TV Series
  • Davy Crockett Song Lyrics
  • Davy Crockett Documentary – The Legend of Davy Crockett – The Incredible Journey
  • “Not Yours to Give” Davy Crockett’s Speech before the House
  • Davy Crockett and the Alamo Documentary – Battle of the Alamo – The Incredible Journey
  • Follow the River (shares many of the same topics of pioneers, farming, exploration and Westward Expansion, trade, and hunter gatherers, strained relations with Native American Indians).

Building Diarama’s and Story Telling:

The kids have had a ton of fun creating with Legos, Lincoln logs, Popsicle sticks and retelling the stories from Davy Crockett’s life. They used many of these creations to decorate their display table.

Display Table:

The kids set up a display table in the living room.  They will continue to add to the display as we go through the chapters of the book and unit study.  We need a bigger table!

Lapbook:

We also made Davy Crockett themed lapbook notebooks.

I used the worksheets from the downloadable Unit Study Guide as the foundation (biography page, timeline, maps), and then added a lot of history minibooks, worksheets, vocabulary, coloring pages, and more.

To make the lapbook notebooks, I took several file folders, cut them in half along the seam, then hole punched them and inserted them into 3 ring binders for each of the kids.  This makes a handy way to store all of their written projects, a nice keepsake of their learning adventure, and a visual way to share what they have learned with others.

So far we have made lapbook folder pages Davy Crockett, pioneer life including vocabulary, Conestoga wagons, care of horses, plants and animals found in the forest and midwest, one on the state of Tennessee (flags, animals, birds, trees, symbols, etc), one on modes of transportation during this time in history (wagons, horses, walking, boat, etc), a lapbook folder page on the sate of Texas (flags, animals, birds, trees, symbols, etc), and then one on the Alamo that includes a minibook of the mission where the battle took place, people, and the history.

Future Plans:

I haven’t figured out all of the additional activities we will do to further the learning with the unit study, but a few will include:

  • primitive skills kits (I purchased making birch bark baskets, learning to make cordage from plants, and learning to make various survival traps)
  • quilting
  • embroidery
  • how to: knot tying
  • plant, tend, and harvest a garden
  • visit a living history farm
  • ride in a horse drawn wagon
  • ride a horse
  • ride in a boat
  • sketch a log cabin scene
  • sketch or paint a forest or river scene
  • visit the Cherokee Indian Reservation
  • visit the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina & Tennessee
  • visit the Smoky mountains of Tennessee
  • visit a grist mill
  • make homemade butter
  • cook deer stew and johnny cakes
  • make dandelion jam
  • make dried mint for tea
  • make a plantain healing salve
  • make homemade soap
  • wash clothes outside and hang them from tree to dry
  • learn to make felt from sheep wool
  • learn to make ink and write with a quill pen
  • camp overnight outside
  • go fishing for dinner
  • target practice with muzzle loader and sling shot (we did this last year when we studied about Daniel Boone and plan to do it again).
  • target practice with tomahawk and throwing knives.

This unit study project is a work in progress, as we are still working through the book and unit study and creating lapbook notebooks while adding more activities and field trips as we go.  We will continue on learning with this through out the rest of the spring and summer.

This has been a blast of fun and has turned out to be a very nice learning adventure for the whole family.  We have reviewed Heroes of History Daniel Boone: Frontiersman and Heroes of History Billy Graham: America’s Pastor and have really enjoy these books and the corresponding unit study guides and fun activities (arts and crafts, movies, field trips, worksheets, maps, books, etc).  I highly recommend homeschool families to check out the Heroes of History!

HEROES OF HISTORY

Heroes of History covers 7 periods of American History. Using Ywam Heroes of History books can help parents and teachers encourage and expand a students understanding of history and the people who helped make it happen.

  • The Beginnings of a Nation (4 books)
  • The Establishment of a Nation (3 books)
  • The Exploration of a Nation (3 books)
  • The Fracturing of a Nation (3 books)
  • The Growth of a Nation (3 books)
  • The Inspiration of a Nation (4 books)
  • The Future of a Nation (5 books)

Ywam Publishing continues to add more books to their  Heroes of History series.  They currently have 29 books that make a great edition to every homeschool family’s library.  This is a biography series of true stories of men and women who changed the course of history for the better.

Heroes of History series has 29 books.  Here are their titles listed in alphabetical order:

  • Abraham Lincoln: A New Birth of Freedom
  • Alan Shepard: Higher and Faster
  • Ben Carson: A Chance at Life
  • Benjamin Franklin: Live Wire
  • Benjamin Rush: The Common Good
  • Billy Graham: America’s Pastor
  • Christopher Columbus: Across the Ocean Sea
  • Clara Barton: Courage Under Fire
  • Daniel Boone: Frontiersman
  • Davy Crockett: Ever Westward
  • Douglas MacArthur: What Greater Honor
  • Elizabeth Fry: Angel of Newgate
  • Ernest Shackleton: Going South
  • George Washington: True Patriot
  • George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist
  • Harriet Tubman: Freedombound
  • John Adams: Independence Forever
  • John Smith: A Foothold in the New World
  • Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Storybook Life
  • Louis Zamperini: Redemption
  • Meriwether Lewis: Off the Edge of the Map
  • Milton Hershey: More Than Chocolate
  • Orville Wright: The Flyer
  • Ronald Reagan: Destiny at His Side
  • Theodore Roosevelt: An American Original
  • Thomas Edison: Inspiration and Hard Work
  • William Bradford: Plymouth’s Rock
  • William Penn: Liberty and Justice for All
  • William Wilberforce: Take Up the Fight

They also have another Biography series called Christian Heroes: Then & Now that covers a lot more than American History, World History, World Geography, and the spread of the Christian Faith worldwide.  A portion of every sale at Ywam Publishing goes to help Ywam Missions spread the gospel around the world.  They have a total of 47 books in this series so far.

  • Adoniram Judson: Bound for Burma
  • Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems
  • Betty Greene: Wings to Serve
  • Brother Andrew: God’s Secret Agent
  • Cameron Townsend: Good News in Every Language
  • Charles Mulli: We are Family
  • Clarence Jones: Mr. Radio
  • Corrie ten Boom: Keeper of the Angels’ Den
  • Count Zinzendorf: First Fruit
  • C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller
  • C.T. Studd: No Retreat
  • David Bussau: Facing the World Head-on
  • David Livingstone: Africa’s Trailblazer
  • Dietrich Bonhoeffer: In the Midst of Wickedness
  • D.L Moody: Bringing Souls to Christ
  • Elisabeth Elliot: Joyful Surrender
  • Eric Liddell: Something Greater Than Gold
  • Florence Young: Mission Accomplished
  • Francis Asbury: Circuit Rider
  • George Müller: The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans
  • Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime
  • Hudson Taylor: Deep in the Heart of China
  • Ida Scudder: Healing Bodies, Healing Hearts
  • Isobel Kuhn: On the Roof of the World
  • Jacob DeShazer: Forgive Your Enemies
  • Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose
  • John Flynn: Into the Never Never
  • John Newton: Change of Heart
  • John Wesley: The World His Parish
  • John Williams: Messenger of Peace
  • Jonathan Goforth: An Open Door in China
  • Klaus-Dieter John: Hope in the Land of the Incas
  • Lillian Trasher: The Greatest Wonder in Egypt
  • Loren Cunningham: Into All the World
  • Lottie Moon: Giving Her All for China
  • Mary Slessor: Forward Into Calabar
  • Mildred Cable: Through the Jade Gate
  • Nate Saint: On a Wing and a Prayer
  • Paul Brand: Helping Hands
  • Rachel Saint: A Star in the Jungle
  • Richard Wurmbrand: Love Your Enemies
  • Rowland Bingham: Into Africa’s Interior
  • Samuel Zwemer: The Burden of Arabia
  • Sundar Singh: Footprints Over the Mountains
  • Wilfred Grenfell: Fisher of Men
  • William Booth: Soup, Soap, and Salvation
  • William Carey: Obliged to Go

These books and corresponding Unit Study Guides from Ywam Publishing are wonderful.  There is a huge variety of people and topic options to learn about.  Here is a sneak peak of a few of the unit study guides, but be sure to check out their website for more.

Social Media

Be sure to check out Ywam Publishing on their social media links for all the latest news, products, and great tips on using various products they have to offer to enhance your student’s learning.

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Homeschool Review Crew

Be sure to check out what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew had to say about using these products in their homes.

Please share.

Signs of Spring

I love taking nature walks.  I was noticing on my walks lately how many beautiful signs of spring had appeared.  In addition to making observations, sometimes I enjoy gathering a few safe wild edibles for making teas and other nutritious foods too.  Spring is the perfect time of the year to start hunting and gathering.

It is amazing to think about how the pioneers survived on many of these wild edibles, and they must have been so happy when spring appeared with new growth and wild foods to sustain them after the cold winter.

My kids are currently working on a Pioneer Unit Study about Davy Crockett and they just finished a unit study on Pine Trees.  This was great timing for our spring nature walk and their unit studies to coincide together and enhance their learning experience.

Dandelion is beautiful, edible, and medicinal.  

We love dandelion lemonade and dandelion tea.  Dandelion has edible flowers, leaves, and roots.   Every spring and early summer I gather as much fresh young dandelion leaves as I can to make fresh salads and stir fries and flower heads to make tea and lemonade.

Dandelion is a great substitution for cooked spinach.  I like to chop up a handful and added into recipes that call for spinach.  My grandparents ate dandelion leaves several times a week for their lunch and called it wilted lettuce.  They used a source of fat like bacon in a skillet and when it was cooked they added the dandelion greens and cooked them until they were wilted.  Grandpa always had fresh greens and garden produce all spring summer and fall.

In addition to using dandelion for tea, lemonade, and as a spinach substitute, we have made dandelion jelly and dandelion cookies in the past.  I have never harvested the roots for coffee myself, but I have purchased pre-made dandelion coffee before and it tastes similar to coffee.  I also personally use dandelion supplements in a capsule as needed to keep my kidneys and bladder in good working condition.  The dandelion can help the body release excess water and stimulate urination.  There is a time of the month when women’s bodies tend to store additional fluids and they feel bloated and the dandelion is an excellent resource for using a few days of the month for helping to reduce the extra water.

This year my goal is to make a dandelion syrup for multiple uses.  I plan to can it and then keep an opened jar in the fridge for use by the spoonful as needed.  It will be a great healthy addition to salad dressings, drinks, smoothies, pancakes, and more.

Violets are beautiful, edible, and medicinal. 

Violet flowers are delicious and fragrant in salads, teas, and the leaves can be used as a substitute for cooked spinach and used in stir-fry.  The flowers are often used as a fragrance and in soothing aroma baths.  The roots are also used as medicine.

Wild onions, chives, and garlic plants.  

The entire plant of wild onion, chives and garlic are used the same ways domesticated varieties are used both as a food and medicinal.

Pine buds, pine pollen, and pine needles.

Pine needles make a delicious citrus flavor tea full of vitamins, especially vitamin C.  Pine buds and pine pollen are full of protein and an array of amino acids.

Sometimes I take these nature walks by myself, but most of the time, one or more of my kids want to go for a walk with me.  We really enjoy these walks.

Walking around today, with the mindset thinking what the pioneers might of looked for and gathered for food and medicine made this walk even more exciting.

We also found beautiful butterflies flying above our head already. The weather was still too cool for much flight for them and they landed often to rest.  We followed this one for quite a ways in the yard, bushes, and trees.  It often stopped to rest.

Wild Roses

The roses are leafing out and starting to bud.  They also still have a few rose hips left from last season and we nibbled on these.  They are a great source of vitamins and antioxidants, especially vitamin C.

Wild grape

The grapes had fully leafed out and bloomed fragrant yellow flowers before most of the other trees even had leaves or buds.

My daughter enjoyed collecting the fragrant flowers from the wild grapes that had already fallen to the ground.

Potentilla 

Potentilla are also called cinquefoil and the leaves and flowers look similar to wild strawberries, but they have a yellow flower instead of a white flower.  They have red fruit that looks like a strawberry, but they are flavorless.  I would describe eating their fruit like eating a lovely red strawberry that tastes like water, no flavor and no aroma.  The flowers, fruit, and leaves are edible in salads and the roots are used as medicine.

There were so many beautiful treasures to find.  Some were so tiny you had to look very closely to see.

Wild Clover

Beautiful patches of red and white wild clover has popped up everywhere.  There are no blooms yet so I can’t tell which is the red and which ones are the white, but there are several varieties of leaf patterns in these plants.  Some are more solid green with a lighter green veragation.

Other clover patches have leaves that are veragated with green and white.

Another patch has a yellow and green verragated pattern.  So pretty!

Even in areas that seems dead or barely growing, little signs of spring flowers have appeared.

Now that it is spring, we need to start working on our gardens.

Today we removed weeds from the gardens and applied rich compost we made.

Spring surprise!  A lovely patch of volunteer lettuce!  This is going to be delicious in a salad!

Mint has returned too and is doing well.

We also found some carrots returning from last year.  We harvested one and it was nearly 5 inches long already!

Barrel planters filled with pansies have made it through the late frosts.  The flowers are stunning!

Enjoy the bounty and blessings of spring!

Please share.

Princess Cut Watchman Pictures Review

Do you enjoy wholesome family movies?  Watchman Pictures strives to produce wholesome movies that glorify Father God. They sent us Princess Cut, True Love Is Worth The Wait for our family to review and share our honest opinion about our experience with you.

Princess Cut

Princess Cut

True Love Is Worth The Wait

Movie DVD

Award Winning

Family Friendly

Christian Drama

Romance Story

Run Time: 97 minutes

Rated: Family Approved, 12+

DVD contains the movie plus special features:
The Making Of Princess Cut, Discussion Guide, Deleted Scenes, Blooper Reel, Behind The Scenes, and Film Trailers.

This story is about a young woman named Grace Anderson and her family.  She has reached adulthood and is longing to get married.  She grew up with her family on a farm in a small town in North Carolina.  She longs to have a relationship like her parents have, and she is looking forward to wearing a beautiful wedding ring with a full carrot “Princes Cut” diamond.

Grace has been dating a young man for over a year.  Just when she thinks he is going to propose at dinner with a group of his college friends, he announces he is getting married, but it is to someone else.  She realizes she is just another “friend” hearing the announcement.  Grace leaves the dinner broken hearted.

This event leaves her emotionally vulnerable and sends her into a string of troublesome events as she struggles to find a potential mate and almost makes a really bad choice with someone who doesn’t value sexual purity before marriage.  She doubts her faith and questions whether or not God wants her to be happy or married.

It takes Grace a while to learn to trust God for her future mate and stay true to her convictions.  Grace is easily affected by the opinions of her friends, a counselor, and other people’s advice, and is often confused about her future.  During her journey, she finds several “Mr. Wrong” (s) in her quest to find true love.

The guidance and faith of her Father, and the love of her family, is what helps guide her to a place of trusting God and making the right decision about choices she faces and finding true peace and happiness and true love.  In the end, she does trust God to show her the way and she finds true love with “Mr. Right” and receives the wedding ring that has been her lifelong dream.

The cast of actors in this film did a good job portraying their character and communicating the message of this movie.  Actors staring in the film include:  Ashley Bratcher (Grace Anderson), Rusty Martin, Sr. (Jim Anderson), Jenn Gotzon (Brooke McClaren), Joseph Gray (Clint Masters),  Mimi Sagadin (Katherine Anderson), Cory Assink (Jared Cunningham).

Princess Cut was written by Paul and Sheilah Munger, produced by Paul Munger, and directed by Paul Munger from Watchman Pictures.  This movie was filmed in North Carolina.  Paul was homeschooled and many of the people who helped make this film were also homeschooled.

Movie Trailer:

Check out this Movie Trailer:

Our Experience:

This movie came into our life at a unique time.  It is our 27th wedding anniversary.  We have been talking with our kids about dating, marriage, and what it was like for us in our journey to find each other, and how God directed our path.  Most of the people we knew growing up were not able to stay married and eventually divorced, which is not surprising given that the USA has over a 50% divorce rate.  We are thankful we yielded our life to Father God early in our journey, and we have had a good marriage and life together that has been blessed by God.  Following Father God and his son Jesus Christ has made a huge difference in our life.

Our family watched this movie together (Dad, Mom, and kids ages 17, 15, 13, 10, 9, 6).  This was the only picture I had of my 9 year old watching the movie, and he blinked at that moment I took this picture and his eyes look closed, but he was awake and taking it all in.  My camera ran out of battery after I took this picture so I couldn’t retake it of him watching the movie, and I also did not get a picture of two more brothers sitting on the other side of dad.

We enjoyed watching this movie. We have several teens, preteens, and younger kids in our household and we were all able to enjoy watching this movie together.  It was nice to be able to sit together and watch a movie with a Christian message and talk about it afterwards.  This movie seemed to be just the right message to share with our whole family at this time in our life.

Further the learning:

This movie would make a nice unit study, and lap book experience for homeschoolers.  Unit Studies are our preferred method of learning about various subjects because it is hands on and immerses a person into the subject to dig deeper. This movie has a lot of subject matter to cover, bible study opportunities, and vocabulary words that kids could study.  There is a short Discussion Guide with few questions included in the DVD and also information on the website to further the learning.   We used these segments to further our family discussions of the topics, and we added a few activities to further the learning.  However, I am contemplating creating an in-depth unit study and bible study to go with it too.

For now,  we talked about diamonds and what a “princess cut” diamond is. We discussed different kinds of wedding rings, and looked at my wedding ring that has a small stone to see what a diamond in a ring looks like.  We watched a video about how to find diamonds and then we did a little rock hound hunt in some dirt and sand from the nearby creek to see if we could find raw diamonds, but we did not find any.  We found some small clear rocks that look similar though.  Also I found some coloring pages online of a diamond and a diamond ring for the younger kids to color.

We might take a field trip to the area where the movie was filmed.  It was filmed in Winston-Salem, East Bend, Lewisville, & Pelham, NC and we could look for the Oakhaven Farm.  We have been to visit the Winston-Salem area in the past.  It is beautiful and filled with lots of history and beautiful scenery.  I think the kids would really enjoy going back there on a field trip to see the area where the movie was filmed.  Other related field trips might include a fishing trip, a visit to a jewelry store, visiting a farm planted with soybeans, and attending a harvest festival.

Our family could relate to the small town and farm life portrayed in this movie.  We have farmed and lived in small towns in several states most of our lives.  We have enjoyed the farming community and some of the festivals celebrated.  We especially enjoy the local fairs and harvest festivals.  Our favorite harvest festival we have visited so far is the Strawberry Festivals in Indiana, and the Apple Festival and Farm Days in Hendersonville, NC.  Our favorite country fairs we have visited is in Fair Play South Carolina and Wayne County Indiana.

Like Grace Anderson, we have lived in old farmhouses and baked a lot of cookies, breads, pies, and comfort foods, and ate a lot of meals around a large table just as they did in this movie.  It would be fun to find out what they prepared for meals and the cookies they baked and we could include cooking projects that relate to the movie in a unit study.

There is a special point in the movie when the family joins together to harvest a crop of soybeans from the field by hand when their harvest machine broke down. They were willing to pull together as a family and do the hard work of the harvest by hand, because their livelihood depends on it and without the harvest, they could loose their farm. Eventually the harvester is fixed and they are able to finish their harvest with equipment.  We are familiar with farming.  We have raised livestock, hay, corn, and produce.  We have watched neighbors raise soybeans, though we have not raised them ourselves, we were still able to relate to the farming aspect of the character’s lives.

One of my son’s lives and breaths everything farming.  He looked up the automobiles and tractors used in the movie.

There are clips in the movie of the Dad working on his tractor and at other times the neighbor also helps work on the tractor that broke down.  In his research, my son found the harvester was a John Deer 4420 Combine Harvester made in the early 80’s.

Also there was an older farm truck and two newer trucks in the movie.

He discovered the older one was a 1972 Chevrolet C20.  The family’s newer truck (not pictured here) was a 2014 Ford F-150 FX4.  The neighbor’s truck (not pictured here) was a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT.

My son loves tractors, trucks and everything to do with farming and he desires to own his own farm and get married and raise a family on a farm someday.  The message of this movie spoke to his heart.  He really enjoyed this movie.

We talked about wedding vows and what it means to commit to them and to each other before God and witnesses.  We talked about why it is important to be equally yoked with someone who also believes in Father God and his son Jesus Christ, and to let Father God have control over this area of our life, and to wait on him to show us who to marry.

Using an online bible with search tools, we found several verses in the scriptures about love, marriage, weddings, faithfulness, purity, fornication and sin, forgiveness, diamonds and other gems, family, etc to read and some passages to use for copy work.

Final Thoughts: 

We enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it.  It has a good message and the characters are people that everyone can relate too.  This movie would be great to give away as gifts too.  I would especially encourage folks with teens and young adults to watch it because of the message of trusting God with your life, purity, integrity, the peace of mind that comes from trusting God to help you find your mate, and giving God complete control.

Watchman Pictures

It is rare in our culture to find exciting movies that discuss real life events with a biblical worldview.  Most movies today are filled with fantasies, cursing, sorcery, sexual immorality, murder and gore, and are antiChrist.  However, there are movie producers out there with a message that points people back to God and family.

Paul Munger

Writer, Producer, Director

Watchman Pictures is a film company created by Paul Munger.   Some of the films he has worked on include:

Princess Cut
Alone Yet Not Alone
Hero
Animals In The Bible
Homeschooling Answers
An Introduction to Spell To Write and Read
Hidden Secrets To Language Success
Flood, Special Edition

I found the description of Paul Munger from various sources to be very interesting.  On the Princess Cut website, I found a news article that mentions he was homeschooled and had the help of several homeschoolers on producing the Princess Cut film.  On his Watchman Pictures website, he said he sees himself as a watchman, and his name actually means “humble watchman”.  He said the goal of a watchman is to sound the alarm for people to pay attention, to announce something or someone important, to get the people to prepare.

Isaiah 21:6, “For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.”

Paul stated he desires to produce films and help upcoming film students create films on a wide variety of subjects, from a Christian worldview, that will entertain families while building godly Christian character.  He hopes his films will evangelize the lost and bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I also found these statements and scriptures about the person he is and what his mission is on his Watchman Pictures website.  Clearly he desires to point people to God:

“The mission of Watchman Pictures, then, is very simple, good stories well told, that communicate powerful ideas based on Truth, that entertains and edifies the viewer. All of this I will do in full dependence upon the Lord’s providence and gracious empowering, for without Him I can do nothing.”

Psalm 127:1, “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

Be sure to go to his “About” page at Watchman Pictures to read more about his company, the services they offer, films in development, and the films he has helped create.

What’s Next?

Watchman Pictures said on the Princess Cut website, that they are working on a couple of sequels to this movie that will follow Grace’s life in marriage and raising a family.  They asked the Christian viewers to keep them in their prayers as they write, budget, and produce the next movies.

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Creation Illustrated Unit Studies Review

Have you heard about Creation Illustrated?  They are a magazine and curriculum publisher.  The photography in their publications is amazing and some of the best I have ever seen. Creation Illustrated has been called “the Christian answer to National Geographic” because of the amazing photography in their magazines, their focus on Father God our Creator, and the faith filled stories they publish.  I am sure you will be encouraged and inspired when you read Creation Illustrated.

Creation Illustrated is expanding and creating a new line of digital products and we have been asked to review two of their digital Creation Unit Studies.  Creation Unit Studies are fun hands on learning opportunities that expand on stories that have been published in the Creation Illustrated magazines.

Creation Unit Studies cover a variety of subjects, are filled with fascinating information that points the student a better understanding of Father God our Creator, and they are affordable.  They are easy to do and will help spice up the learning in your homeschool.  They are currently on sale for $6.95.  They have eight unit studies listed for sale at this time, and have plans for several more. The current list includes:

  • Badgers – The World of Badgers
  • Black Bears – Bear Essentials
  • Dragonflies – Dragons of Paradise
  • Fragrance
  • Joshua Tree National Park
  • Mellow Manatees
  • Pine Trees
  • Snow – Intricacies of Snow

We were sent Intricacies of Snow Unit Study and Pine Trees Unit Study from the Creation Unit Studies collection, and they are filled with fascinating information we want to share with you.

Creation Illustrated: Intricacies of Snow Unit Study

Intricacies of Snow

Creation Unit Study

Digital Curriculum

Downloadable PDF

17 Full Color Illustrated Pages

Teacher’s Answer Key

Grades 5-8

Primarily for grades 5-8, but younger grades can use with assistance or modified.

Lessons and Contents:

  • Reading Resources (page 3)
  • Educational Videos (page 3)
  • Writing & Penmanship (page 4)
  • Vocabulary & Spelling (page 4-5)
  • Bible Study (page 6-7)
  • Science (page 8-9)
  • Math (page 10)
  • Geography (page 11)
  • Art (page 12)
  • Puzzle (page 13)
  • Teacher Answer Keys (page 14-17)
  • and Other Fun Facts.

Example of Student Worksheet:

Example of Teacher’s Answer Key:

Creation Illustrated Magazine Winter ’18 Edition:

Winter ’18 Digital Edition of Creation Illustrated contains articles and beautiful photographs that correspond with the Intricacy of Snow Unit Study.

In addition to reading through the unit study and magazine articles, the unit study also contains a lot of suggested reading and research links and suggested videos to watch. When students finish this unit study about snow, they will have a better understanding and appreciation of snow and a better understanding of Father God and his creation.

Creation Illustrated: Pine Trees Unit Study

Pine Trees

Creation Unit Study

Digital Curriculum

Downloadable PDF

16 Full Color Illustrated Pages

Teacher’s Answer Key

Grades 5-8

Primarily for grades 5-8, but younger grades can use with assistance or modified.

Lessons and Contents:

  • Reading Resources (page 3)
  • Educational Videos (page 3)
  • Vocabulary & Spelling (page 4-5)
  • Bible Study (page 6)
  • Geography (page 7)
  • Science (page 8-9)
  • Math (page 10)
  • Writing & Penmanship (page 11)
  • Art (page 12)
  • Puzzle (page 13)
  • Teacher Answer Keys (page 14-16)
  • and Other Fun Facts

Example of Student Worksheet:

Creation Illustrated Magazine Fall ’17 Edition:

Creation Illustrated Fall ’17 Digital Edition contains articles and beautiful photographs that correspond with the Pine Trees Unit Study.

In addition to reading through the magazine articles, and unit study worksheets, there are also suggested reading and research links, and suggested videos to watch.  There is also an identification worksheet in the study that is great to use for taking a field trip, or a hike into nature to see the trees up close and identify them.  When students complete the Pine Tree Unit Study, they will have a better appreciation for these trees and how they have impacted our lives, and a better understanding about Father God and his creation.

Our Experience

We were sent the digital Intricacies of Snow and Pine Trees unit studies and the corresponding digital magazine editions, Winter ’18 and Fall ’17, of Creation Illustrated.

We have completed the Pine Trees Unit Study, and have started the Intricacies of Snow Unit Study.   We focused on the Pine Trees Unit Study for the purpose of this review.

We have experienced the end of winter and beginning of spring while doing this unit study.  You can see the snow on the pine trees in the two pictures posted above. Though the winter was cold where we live, we got very little snow, and it was usually gone within a day of falling.  In hindsight, I wish I would have focused on the snow study before the pine study as it would have been nice to have had snow actually on the ground that we could experience while studying it.  I will post how our snow study went soon.

Here are some pictures of our nature walk we took to identify pine trees in the forest.  We saw a variety of trees and lots of wildlife too.

We found pine buds full of pollen as well as fully intact pine cones on the same trees.

We harvested some of the young pine buds and pine needles for making recipes and several pine cones for crafts.

My kids enjoyed participating in this study, and the older kids did all of the worksheets, and the younger kids did a few of the worksheets.

We found an insect hiding in this pine tree.  We also found  bird nests, and lots of spiders (not pictured) that like living in pine trees.  We saw several squirrels check for food in the pine trees and jump from tree to tree playing tag with each other and shaking their tails.

We investigated pine cones, pine buds, pine needles, and tree bark up close.

We also found some wild grape vines that had climbed some of the tall pine trees in the forest and were starting to bloom with bright yellow flowers. The winding vines and yellow blooms were beautiful and smelled amazing, and were such a contrast to the tall pine.

Here are some examples of my kids worksheets and activities from this unit study:

Further The Learning:

Though we have finished the Pine Trees Unit Study, I plan to stretch this learning out further over the next several weeks this spring and into the summer.  I plan to add in a couple of building projects for the older three boys using pine lumber from the local lumberyard.

They have been learning woodworking skills using pine over the past year or so and they are getting better and better with their creations.  They helped make a workbench table from pine lumber during this unit study. You can see the frame of the table in this picture.  They have completed it since I took the picture and use it for a workbench for making handcrafts.  They are enjoying it very much.  They have been making lots of woodworking and leather projects on it.

They also helped make loft beds from pine lumber for their rooms last summer.  They love their beds and they had a lot of fun learning to work with wood.

They are also learning bushcrafting skills.  They are familiar with looking for dead pine trees in the forest, and they cut and chop these dead trees into smaller pieces for firewood.  We plan to learn to make “fat wood” with pine for fire starting and make several primitive traps too.  We have several templates and kits ready to make.

All of my kids enjoy whittling.  They usually just work on a stick and whittle away at the bark and usually focus on getting one end to a point.  The younger kids sit with daddy outside, and enjoy passing the time whittling.   The bigger boys have developed their skills and whittle when ever they want and don’t require being supervised like the younger kids.  The younger kids are only allowed to have their pocket knife while being supervised for safety.

One of my older sons has really taken a liking to whittling.  He enjoys sitting outside by himself, whittleing, with the quiet sounds of nature.  Sometimes he sits on the back porch and sometimes he sits on a bench he made in the forest.  He cut several pine branches to size, about 24 inches, and using cordage to attach the cut pieces to a tree that has two trunks with a gap between them, he created a bench seat with a ladder back that goes up the tree.  He can climb up to have a look around if he wants too.  He loves to sit in nature and whittle.  He has progressed into carving with pine, cedar, and birch trees.  He requested some chisels and has made some lovely wooden spoons.  He has made about six different spoons of different sizes and different purposes, and he has made walking sticks, and made a lovely walking cane with a handle.  He has whittled, chiseled, shaped, and sanded several projects by hand with the wood he collected from the forest.

All of the kids really enjoy working with their hands, learning life skills, practicing those skills, and learning to make different projects they find interesting.

To further the learning even more, I am planning to do several additional art, cooking, and science projects with all of the kids, lap booking pages about pine trees, and a “Pp” letter of the week project for my youngest son to reinforce what he has learned about pine trees and pine cones too.

I also plan to use the knowledge we gained in this unit study about pine trees and apply it to an American History unit study we are also working on about a fronteir man named Davy Crocket.  Learning about pine trees and their special place in history, and use as a food and medicine and building materials, as well as the impact on economics of the pine tree lumber industry on the people, will go well with the American History study we are doing.

Final Thoughts:

My kids have enjoyed this unit study.  I appreciate the biblical worldview of the curriculum and the beautiful photography and stories in the magazine.

I definitely recommend Creation Illustrated magazines and Creation Unit Studies for homeschool families. It is easy to download the digital PDF files and put them in a binder, read the magazine articles online and click through the related links and watch a few videos, grab your bible, and complete the worksheets. Older students can do these studies independently and younger students can do the studies with help from parents and older siblings.

We have had subscriptions to Creation Illustrated in the past, and had it for several years.  It was a regular part of our homeschool learning.  We have also reviewed their magazine for our readers several years ago, way back in 2012.   I regret that I let our subscription expire when we moved a couple of years ago.  I have been so inspired again by the magazine while doing this review that I plan to purchase a new subscription, and purchase more of these unit studies, and I would like to order several back copies of the magazine too.  These make wonderful reading for my family, and inspire us in our faith.  These make lovely gifts for extended family and friends and church libraries too.  These would be wonderful to benefit communities and leave as reading material in offices around town too.

I would recommend Creation Unit Studies and the Creation Illustrated magazines to everyone!

Latest Eddition:

The latest edition Creation Illustrated Spring ’18 has just been published.

Current Spring 2018 Edition

NEW Ad-Free Keepsake Edition

Features include:

  • ​Creation Up Close: Nature’s First Responders –by Evelyn Sayler
  • Creatures Near and Dear to Us: Butterfly Birth –by Rosanne Pallini-Veriezza
  • Re-Creation Outdoor Adventure: Trekking Through Myanmar –by Janae Bowman
  • Creation Day 4 of the Creation Story: Sun, Moon, and Stars –by Nikolas Grosfield
  • Creation Highlights and Creation Stewardship news briefs
  • My Walk with God: Redeeming the Desert –by Shirley Conley
  • Gardens from Eden: A Season of New Beginnings –by Joanne Taylor
  • Genesis Cuisine: Korean Treats Recipes –Korean 3-Radish Noodle Salad, Korean Mung Bean Vegie Pancakes, Korean Sweet Rice Cakes.
  • Children’s Story: Bumblebee Rescue –by Tatiana Claudy
  • Creation Character Building Lesson: Service and Ministry –by Terry & Jean McComb
  • New Coloring & Photo Contests for all ages
  • Photo and Coloring Contest winners
  • Study Guide, Spring Family Fun Activities
  • Poetry: All Creation Sings –by Bret Suarez
  • And more!

Video:

I found this 2015 video interview of Tom and Jennifer Ish. They are homeschool parents who began publishing Creation Illustrated in 1993.  That is over 25 years!  What an accomplishment for the kingdom of God!  Only God knows how many people, perhaps millions, have been inspired to draw near to him because of this ministry.  This interview is filled with fantastic information about the mission of Creation Illustrated and it’s worldwide outreach.

Try before you buy:

If you would like to try it out before you buy, Creation Illustrated offers a FREE digital edition of their magazine, and a FREE unit study on Fragrance which includes the corresponding digital magazine too.  Be sure to check those out.

Social Media

Keep in touch and up to date on all the latest news and products through the Creation Illustrated social media links.

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MathArt Natureglo’s eScience Review

My kids are enjoying courses from NatureGlo’s eScience.  We were recently given a subscription to review their MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle courses, and we tried out some of their other products too.

NatureGlo’s eScience offers several online live classes and pre-recorded classes that you can do at your own pace.  If you purchase the live class format, you also get access to the pre-recorded course for one year.  The whole family can use the pre-recorded classes for one price.  Most classes are taught for kids ages 10 and older and some classes are geared for specific ages such as highschool age.

The classes are taught by Gloria Brooks, the founder of Nature Glo and NatureGlo’s eScience.  Gloria has extensive knowledge, and she is the creator of several curriculum products.  She teaches from a “Neutral Worldview” meaning she doesn’t focus on “Creationism” or “Evolution” in explaining the universe.  She has been teaching and working in education with all grades in the public, private, and homeschool education settings since 1997 and has been offering online courses since 2011.

Some of the online courses NatureGlo’s eScience has to offer include:

  • Marine Biology,
  • Herpatology,
  • Botany,
  • Rocks and Minerals,
  • MathArt.

You can subscribe to courses in several different ways.  Some of the options available include:

  • 5 – 6 week Class Bundles
  • 4 – 6 week Class Bundles
  • 3 -1-3 week 12 Class Bundle
  • Single classes too.

Be sure to check out the Course Catalog for a list with descriptions of all her classes.

Math Art Online 4-Class Bundle

The MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle is made up of 4 courses that last 6 weeks each.

  • Math Connections With The Real World
  • MathArt Patterns In Nature
  • MathArt in Ancient Cultures
  • MathArt in the Arts & Sciences

 

MathArt: Math Connections With The Real World:

For the purpose of this review, we will focus on one of the classes in the MathArt 4-Class Bundle called MathArt: Math Connections With The Real World.

Math Connections With The Real World

There are 6 Lessons in this course that are meant to be completed about 1 lesson per week.  However you can go as fast or as slow as your student needs to go.   This course is designed for students age 12 and older.

Each lesson in this course contains videos, power points, study guides, downloads, suggested activities, suggested research projects to further the learning, theme connections with various subjects (Math, Art, Geography, Archaeology, Music, History, etc) and quizzes.

Lesson 1: Introduction & History of the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci Numbers

  • Main Lesson Downloads & Lesson Videos with NatureGlo
  • Lesson Activity – Math is Fun: The Golden Ratio
  • Quizlet – Introduction to the Golden Ratio & the Fibonacci Numbers

Lesson #2 – The Golden Number & Fibonacci in Art, Architecture & Nature

  • Main Lesson Downloads & Videos with NatureGlo
  • Activity – Math is Fun: Nature, The Golden Ratio,and Fibonacci too!
  • Project: Golden Ratio Do It Yourself
  • Going Beyond – Web Resources, Projects & Activities & Videos
  • Quizlet

Lesson #3 – The Fibonacci Numbers in Nature

  • Main Lesson Downloads & Videos with NatureGlo
  • Fibonacci Cookies Activity
  • Video (6:24) – The Magic of Fibonacci
  • Going Beyond – Web Resources, Projects, Activities & Videos
  • Quizlet

Lesson #4 – The History & the Golden Ratio of the Great Pyramid

  • Pre-lesson Activity – The Great Pyramid of Egypt
  • Main Lesson Downloads & Videos with NatureGlo
  • History Connection – TEDed Video (4:27) – History vs. Cleopatra
  • Exploration – Discover & Explore and Ancient Egyptian Tomb (Interactive)
  • Literature Connection – The Prince and the Sphinx
  • Art Connection – Video (8:00) – Egyptian Art History
  • Music Connection – Video (3:21) – Tomb Raiders
  • Going Beyond – Web resources, Videos & Projects
  • Quizlet

Lesson #5 – Phi & Quasicrystals

  • Pre-lesson Activity – Explaining What Quasicrystals Are
  • Main Lesson Downloads & Videos with NatureGlo – Phi & Quasicrystals
  • Video (10:18) – Professor Dan Schectman, Discoverer of Quasicrystals
  • Art Connection – Creating Middle Eastern Quasicrystal Designs
  • Literature Connection – Forty Fortunes
  • Quasicrystals Quizlet

Lesson #6 – The Mathematics of Music

  • Pre-lesson Activity – Musical Instruments (& their Relationship with Mathematics)
  • Main Lesson Dowloads & Videos with NatureGlo
  • Video – Fibonacci Melody (8:34)
  • Going Beyond – Web Resources, Projects & Videos
  • Quizlet – The Mathematics of Music

Student Certificate of Completion

When your students complete the course, you can print out a nice certificate of completion to keep in their portfolio.

Check out this Video from Lesson 1 in MathArt: Math Connections With The Real World.

Check out this Video about “Why” Gloria created the MathArt courses.

Our Experience:

We received a subscription to NatureGlo’s eScience MathArt 4-Class Bundle.  We chose to focus on MathArt: Math Connections With The Real World for the purpose of this review.   My 17 year old son and 14 year old son were the primary participants in this course, though all of my kids participated in some of the other courses.

After enrolling in the courses at NatureGlo’s eScience, students can access their dashboard. The dashboard has tabs for each of their enrolled courses, achievements, notifications from the teacher, etc.

Here is an example of the “My Courses” tab with an overview of everything on our personal dashboard.  My kids have enrolled in both the MathArt courses, and also several of the free courses offered including course samples in Marine Biology, Herptology, etc.  My kids can easily click on the course they want to work on and then click on the specific lesson.  

We have access to each course pictured in the “My Courses” tab for 1 year from the time we enrolled in them.  For a quick overview of progress, you can see how far along the student is by observing a small pink bar under each of the courses in the picture above.  Then once you click on the specific course, another pink bar appears above the list of lessons on the right side of the dashboard.

This pink bar indicates the level of completion of the courses we are working on.   At the time I took this photo, you can see at a glance on the dashboard that we were over half way through with the Math Connections With The Real World course.  We had also completely finished with The Introduction to Sea Turtles of the World course.

Under the “My Acheivements” tab on the dashboard, all of achievements are listed for all of the classes your students are working on.  This is a nice way to see them at a glance.

Here is an example of the “Notifications” tab:

Screenshot examples of my sons doing lessons on the computer:

Here is a screen shot of the downloadable study guide.  Each lesson in the course has additional study guide pages and worksheets you can save to your computer and print when needed.

Here are a few more examples of lessons in this course.

Pictures of some of the hands on projects:

 

Introduction to the Sea Turtles of the World

In addition to the MathArt courses, we also signed up for several of the free course offers and free downloadable unit studies.  So far we have completed Introduction to the Sea Turtles of the World course.

Introduction to the Sea Turtles of the World

  • The 7 Sea Turtle Species Poster & How to ID
  • Learn to ID or Identify the 7 Sea Turtles
  • Literature Connection – Video (8:06) – Believe in Yourself, Story of a Sea Turtle
  • Art Connections: Various Sea Turtle Art Projects
  • Historical/Literary Connection: Traditional Japanese Folk Story: Urashima Taro
  • Geography Connection: The World’s 12 Healthiest Sea Turtle Populations
  • Creative Writing – Writing Prompts about Sea Turtles

This course was suitable for all ages of my kids from the youngest to the oldest so we hooked our computer up to the TV in the living room so that all of the children could take the class at the same time.  This class covered the biology of sea turtles, geography, fiction story about a young turtle, as well as how different cultures view turtles such as the Japanese view, and also focused on different art projects relating to sea turtles.

The kids studied 7 different kinds of sea turtles and learned how to identify the different body and head types of each kind.

They also learned about life cycles of turtles from laying eggs on the shore to the eggs hatching and the baby turtles emerging from the nest to make it back to the water.

The course has several lessons and suggested videos.  There is an audio video animated story about the eggs hatching and the new life of the baby turtle.  After watching the suggested video, the kids dug deeper by researching their own videos of sea turtles hatching.

One of the videos they found was taken at Oak Island, NC where we have visited a couple of times and my kids have swam on that same beach that the turtles hatched from.  The kids were very excited to make this connection.

One of the lessons in the course is learning to identify and draw a sea turtle.

Another art lesson in this course involves creating a unique 3D painting of a turtle and fish in the ocean.

Once you have completed this course, the student is sent an achievement award.

Here is a short video on the Introduction to Sea Turtles of the World course.

Final Thoughts about courses from NatureGlo’s eScience:

17 year old son’s opinion of the MathArt: Math Connections In The Real World:

“It has been fun to take this course.  It has been amazing to see the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci numbers in everything in every day life from pine cones, to flowers, to architecture, and music.  It is almost hard to grasp how much this in everyday life.  It is amazing to see Father God’s hands in everything. I have learned a lot and I have been inspired to do a lot more research.”

My kids are enjoying all of these courses from NatureGlo’s eScience and having Gloria as the teacher.  The younger kids are getting ready to start the Introduction To Whales & Dolphins.  The older kids are about finished with the Math Connections In The Real World and will soon be starting the MathArt In Ancient Cultures.  They are looking forward doing all of the classes in the MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle.

These classes are informative and there is a variety of things to do from reading, watching videos, videos of recorded classes, completing worksheets in the study guides, and additional suggested videos to expand the learning as well as a lot of suggested hands on learning activities, including fun art projects too.  She covers such a wide variety of subjects from Science, Math, Art, History, Archaeology, Cultural History, etc and there is something that interests each of my kids even thought they are all different.

We really like the pre-recorded classes, because you feel as if you are in class with Gloria and the other kids, but you have the benefit of going at your own pace, and you can rewind and hear it again if you need too.  With either option, pre-recorded classes or live classes, Gloria has made herself accessible if you have questions.  She also asks if kids do the suggested projects, to send in pictures or links that she can share with others.

On a personal note, I wish these courses were taught from a Christian worldview.  I intentionally seek out educational programs with this worldview.  Thankfully my kids are strong in their faith, and they are able to add what Gloria is teaching them in NatureGlo’s eScience courses into what they already know to be true about the “Creator of the creation”, the one who created everything we are studying around us.

FREE OFFERS

You can “try before you buy” by checking out the free courses and unit studies offered through NatureGlo’s eScience.

  • Fibranoci Unit Study (MathArt Course)
  • Introduction to Sea Turtles of the World (Marine Biology Course)
  • Transparent Living Jewels: The Glass Frogs (Herpatology Course)
  • Introduction to Whales & Dolphins Unit Study (Marine Biology Course)

Social Media

Be sure to check out NatureGlo’s eScience on their social media links for all the latest news and product updates.

Facebook
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Homeschool Review Crew

Be sure to check out what other families on the Homeschool Review Crew had to say about using courses from NatureGlo’s eScience in their homes.

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Starfall Home Membership Review

Have you ever checked out the the Starfall Education Foundation website? It has a lot of learning fun to offer!

We were recently given a one year subscription to their upgraded paid version called The Starfall Home Membership in exchange for writing an honest review of our experience.

The Starfall Home Membership

Online Learning

Phonics, Reading, Spelling Games,

Music, Learning Games, Math

PreK – 2nd Grades

One Year Subscription

Retail $35

The Starfall Home Membership subscription includes free mobile App to access the membership account from a mobile device.

The Starfall Home Membership

The Starfall Home Membership is an educational program for younger kids.  It is designed for kids in PreK through 2nd grade.  It is also great for kids (or adults) of any age who are learning English As A Second Language, any age with Special Needs, or even older kids who need Remedial work, or to just for fun to brush up on some of the basic phonics, reading, and math skills.

Starfall Education Foundation offers both a free version and a paid version (The Starfall Home Membership) of their online program that is filled with supplemental educational learning games.  They also offer a FREE mobile app, a printed version of full curriculum for sale and other resources for sale, and FREE parent teacher resources including FREE worksheet generators, posters, books, and other free printables.  Requirements to use the program are access to Internet service, and a computer or a laptop or mobile internet compatible device to access the program.

Check out this video for a short demonstration of a phonics spelling game from the Starfall Education Foundation.

Here is an example of a fun math game.  To see it in action, click the “play button” on this video for a short demonstration.

The Parent – Teacher Center

Looking through the Parent – Teacher Center can help give parents ideas on how to use the program and incorporate the program into their student’s curriculum.

It includes supplemental worksheets, custom worksheets, posters, curriculum downloads, informative guides, and the latest information from Starfall to keep you up to date.

Starfall also offers an organized lesson plan already put together.  You can use this resource online, or purchase the printed curriculum.  They offer a full printed curriculum that comes boxed with several additional extras (books, games, toys, manipulatives) that go along with the curriculum too.  Be sure to check out their curriculum if you are looking for a helpful resource.

Our Experience

I used The Starfall Home Membership with both my six year old and nine year old sons.

Though they had to share the same dashboard (as families are only given one account), each boy enjoyed different aspects of the program.

We worked on this review of Starfall during January and February.  It is accessible 24/7 and we used it on weekdays as a supplement to our curriculum and weekends if the kids requested to play on it.

The first thing the kids did each day they worked on the program was view the interactive calendar.

This was a fun exercise to see and learn more about the days and months.

The calendar lists the main holidays each month, and then you can add items, such as students can dress it up with the provided border options and stamps or print and color it.  My boys changed the border for the holiday and marked the weekends stamped with stars.

Holidays for January included:

  1. New Years Day
  2. Martin Luther King Jr Day

Holidays for February included:

  1. Groundhog Day
  2. Valentines Day
  3. Chinese New Year
  4. Presidents Day

The calendar feature also asks the kids a few questions about what day of the week and other questions that helps them get familiar with reading and using the calendar.

Another fun personalizing feature of Starfall is the avatar.  Because there is only one account per household, there is only one avatar to share.

The six year old got to choose the avatar features and dress it up and then both boys worked together on answering the questions about items in the room or various rooms of the house.

A nice feature of Starfall is the dashboard filled to the brim with learning opportunities.   The Learn To Read tab is really nice.  It brings you to a list of letters, words, or combinations, and then after those skills are mastered, the student proceeds to the books that feature those letters or word combinations for more practice.

The six year old is learning letter sounds and using them in short words.

He is also counting to 20 and using simple math such as adding numbers.

Math songs help him remember different concepts.

Starfall offers lots of math games that make learning math concepts fun and motivate him to want to do more fun practice of skills.

There are plenty of activities to choose from.  I am just barely skimming the surface in sharing these things so far.  There are also puzzles, activities with subject themes, and some basic learning games in Sign Language such as the ALS alphebet and some signing words in the music activities too.

My nine year old son is a strong reader already and really enjoys reading books.

Here are a few pictures from some of his activities, books, songs, and learning games he has been working on.

A nice feature for strong readers and those just learning to read is the option for the book to be read aloud to you.  My older son did not need this feature, but my younger son did.

Sometimes after my older son read the page, I would go back through it with him and push on the little ear button to have the sentence or paragraph read to him.  He was like “Mom, I already read that!”   However, even though he did a good job reading, I wanted him to hear the deflection in the reader’s voice as it read through the different characters and with different emotions.  Learning how to express emotions and vary the sounds enhanced the learning for him.

Every option, whether it was phonics, books, math, music etc had even more opportunities for him to read.

He is enjoying the various math games.

There are a lot of musical options too.  There are folk songs, nursery rhymes, math songs, abc songs, classical composers, and more.

There are lots of extra learning activities too such as holiday cards, and more.  In one of the activities, my son helped a mouse practice writing a letter to his grandma.

Final thoughts about the program:

This program has a lot of activities to offer and can help kids learn and improve their reading and math skills.   It is affordable at just $35 a year for the entire family, so if you have multiple younger children, you only have to pay one low price and they can all use it.  You can try out the free version and see how it works for your family.  The paid version offers a whole lot more.  Also it does not keep scores after the activity, and kids can repeat the activity as many times as they want.  You can take it on the go with you by using the mobile app so it can give kids something fun to do while traveling in the car or when “waiting” on appointments or waiting for other activities to begin.  It is flexible and my younger kids have enjoyed using different parts of the program.

I would have loved to have had this program when I was teaching English as a Second Language to International college students.  A program like this would have helped immerse the International students in the English language and engage them with fun activities, songs, and audio visual interaction.  The read aloud option of the books, with emphasis on tones and expression would have really helped practice speaking and understanding language and how it is applied in conversation and different situations.

One consideration to keep in mind for religious homeschools, and especially Christian families, is that there are themes in the books and games options (such as aliens, fantasy, dragons, magic, Halloween, etc) that would be part of public school education, but may conflict with bible teaching and a homeschool with a Christian worldview.  However, each activity is optional and you can choose which games or books you want to use in the program and avoid selecting certain topics that do not agree with your religious beliefs and cultural practices. The program is flexible and has many different options and you can use what you want from it.

Starfall learning games and books are interactive and engaging and the program has a lot of different things to choose from to build skills and practice reading and math.  It is a publicly supported non-profit educational foundation, and it’s standards are aligned with the public school Core Curriculum of both European Union and USA and other countries.

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Homeschool Review Crew

Be sure to check out what others on the Homeschool Review Crew had to say about using The Starfall Home Membership in their home.

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Fall Fishing Trip

Sharing some pictures today of a fall fishing trip we did.  The kids love to go fishing and watch wildlife.

Campfires are not allowed at this lake.  However you can have a fire in the provided charcoal grills.  So we built a small wood fire in the grill hoping the smoke would help keep pesky flies and mosqitoes away from our wonderful location.

Some of the kids enjoyed watching nature from the comfort of the hammock.  It has a mosquito net and really is a great invention.

The kids caught a few small bluegill and had a lot of fun.

Every now and then the kids would add another small stick to our mini campfire and it worked out perfectly.

The best fun was had just relaxing and taking in the beauty of the lake, trees, wildlife, sky and the occasional boats that passed by.

One of the boys has a set of binoculars and he enjoyed watching blue herrons, ducks, geese on the lake,  lizards (they caught the lizzard and played with it for a while), as well as falcons and other birds in the trees.

It was a great day appreciating all the wonderful things Father God has created for us to see his amazing handiwork.

Please share.