Category Archives: Apologia

Apologia: Marine Biology Review

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We love visiting the ocean.  We have been blessed a few times to experience this amazing place that Father God has created.  There is nothing quite like standing on the edge of land and the edge of the vast ocean.  You can’t walk any further and the water lifts you up and down, and with the pounding waves, you can only swim for so long.  It doesn’t take long to realize your body was meant for land. It is like standing between two worlds. There is a very distinct boundary where these two worlds meet and life in one is completely different than life on the other. Yet the two are intimately intertwined by a great Intelligent Designer, our Creator, Father God.  WOW!

We were very excited to learn about a Marine Biology science course that we can use this school year that focuses on life in the oceans so we can understand this amazing water world. We are currently reviewing Exploring Creation With Marine Biology 2nd Edition Advantage Set and the Marine Biology 2nd Edition Audio CD by Apologia Educational Ministries.  This course is the perfect addition to our homeschool learning journey.

EXPLORING CREATION WITH MARINE BIOLOGY — ADVANTAGE SET

Textbook 2nd Edition

Hard Back Book

557 pages

Illustrated

16 Modules

Lessons, Questions, Answers,

Lab Experiments

Student Notebook

Spiral Bound Book

505 pages

Illustrated

Notes, Questions, Study Guide, Module Summary,

Lab Experiments.

Test Book

Soft Back Book

50 pages

Module Tests and Quarterly Tests

Solutions and Tests Manual

Soft Back Book

211 pages

Answers for Text Modules & Tests:

Study Guides, Summaries,

Module Tests, Quarterly Tests, and all Solutions.

Highschool Science

College Prep

Prerequisite: Biology

This is an award winning college prep science course for highschool students who have taken biology.  The Advantage Set includes a Textbook 2nd Edition, Solutions and Tests Manual, Tests Book, and a Student Notebook.

Additional supportive materials for this Marine Biology course are also available at the Apologia website, including an MP3 Audio CD of the text, an Instructional DVD that contains the entire course and demonstrations of the lab experiments, as well as Super Science Kit and Science Supplies like the Dissection Kit. If you prefer to buy just the Textbook or other items as a single item instead of as a “set”, they are also available for individual purchase too.

The Exploring Creation With Marine Biology Advantage Set is intended to be used for 34 weeks (that is 2 semesters, an entire school year of science!). It contains 16 Modules for approximately 230 +/- lessons, study guides, questions, vocabulary, and module summaries that dig deep into the ecology of the oceans on earth.  The Lesson Plan schedule is designed for 45 minutes per day for 5 days a week.  At this pace, students complete 1 Module, including the related lab experiments and tests, every two weeks.

  • Module 1: The Oceans Of Our Planet
  • Module 2: Life In The Sea
  • Module 3: The First Four Kingdoms
  • Module 4: Marine Invertabrates 1
  • Module 5: Marine Invertabrates 2
  • Module 6: Marine Vertabrates 1
  • Module 7: Marine Vertabrates 2
  • Module 8: Marine Ecology
  • Module 9: The Intertidal Zone
  • Module 10: Estuary Communities
  • Module 11: Coral Reefs
  • Module 12: Continental Shelf Communities
  • Module 13: The Epipelagic Zone
  • Module 14: The Deep Ocean
  • Module 15: Ocean Resources
  • Module 16: Effects Of Humans On The Sea

This course has a biblical world view of marine science.  Through out this course, students learn about the oceans and the relationship between ocean habitat and the animals and plants that live there and it points to Father God as the Creator of all life.  This course is filled with fascinating information about the oceans, creatures that live in the water including some bizarre creatures.  All of the creatures in this course have amazing abilities created by our amazing Father God to bring him glory.

Even though learning about Marine Biology and Ecology can be a challenging subject to learn, this course through Apologia is written in conversational style and contains many helpful resources to help students understand and master the materials.  There is an additional online learning aid called “Book Extras” available to help students master the course.  Information about the Book Extras Website and the access code is available in the textbook.

Sherri Seligson

Author Sherri Seligson, scientist and homeschool mom, has created a user-friendly course homeschoolers will love. She is the author of several science courses.  She is experienced and excited to share her knowledge about life in God’s oceans and helps students get excited about learning.   Check out this video with Sherri Seligson and her Marine Biology Course.

Our Experience

We received the Marine Biology 2nd Edition Advantage Set that includes the Textbook, a Student Notebook, the Tests Book, and Solutions and Tests Manual written by Sherri Sheligson.  We also received the Marine Biology 2nd Edition Audio CD of the text read by Marissa Leinart for the purpose of this review.

This course is very well designed and is intended to last for an entire school year.  It contains tons of information in the 16 modules with nearly 230 +/- lessons, reviews, workbook assignments, labs, and tests, etc.  I was very pleased to learn this course will count for a full highschool science credit, and it also counts as an advanced college prep course at the same time.

Audio CD:

The textbook has been put on audio!  This is great news for audio learners! The text is recorded on an MP3 Audio CD for optional support for student.

We found this Audio CD to be a very helpful resource and helps keep the course moving at a good pace.

My son used the CD on our computer and listened to the text being read out loud while wearing his earbuds and reading along in his textbook. When we placed the CD into the computer, it showed up on the screen as a small phone-like looking graphic, and when we clicked on it, it had each module and lesson from the text listed as well as a time counter so you don’t loose your place.

The Audio CD can be “synced” with any compatible MP3 device, however we just used it on the computer.  He could stop it at anytime he needed and repeat something if he needed to hear it again. We really liked using the CD because my son was able to avoid getting bogged down with complicated words by reading right along with the text as it is being read out loud.

Textbook:

I like the textbook.  It is a huge heavy duty extra large hardback book. It has bright pictures and easy to read pages and uses various colors of ink to emphasize different things for the student to pay attention to.

The pages have a variety of information, vocabulary, pictures, graphs, things to think about further, scriptures, etc.  The pages are laid out in a way that is not overwhelming to the student.

Lab Experiments:

Each module contains several lab experiments.  There is a list of supplies needed with each experiment and a master list of all the supplies needed for the course in the appendix at the back of the Textbook.  You can buy supplies wherever it is convenient for you (online, local stores, etc), and some items you will likely already have around your house.

There are three categories of lab experiments in this science course:

Household Lab Experiments require items found around most homes.

Microscope Lab Experiments require prepared slides and a microscope. Check the website for resources.

Dissection Lab Experiments require marine animals, plants, etc. and related tools for dissection. Check the website for resources.

Lab Experiment Example:

One of the experiments my son did was learning about salinity and evaporation of ocean waters.

We had some sea salt crystals in the cupboard.

He ground the salt crystals into a fine powder.

Then he made salty sea water by mixing the ground sea salt into hot water that he heated on the stove and stirred it until it dissolved completely.

After the sea salt had completely dissolved in the hot water, he poured the salt water in to a glass bowl and let the water evaporate completely over the course of a few days.

He was left with dried out sea salt that coated the sides and base of the bowl and all of the water was gone.

There are so many great lab experiments in this course kids will have a blast learning about life in the ocean.  This course and the lab experiments are very interesting and so far my son is enjoying all of them.

Student Notebook:

I love the student notebook in this course! My son loves it too.  I plan to order two more notebooks for my other two older sons so they can all use this course together for highschool science credits.  They will be able to share the same Textbook, Solutions Mannual, and CD, they just each need their own Student Notebook and Test Book.

The student notebook provides an organized, complete lesson plan for the entire year.  Each day is listed with what my son needs to read and what activities to complete.  He can check off his progress as he works his way through the course.

The student notebook has plenty of space for notes at the front of each corresponding module so he can add as notes or ideas as he reads the textbook.

The student notebook also contains a full section at the back called a Lab Notebook for all of the lab experiments listed in the Textbook.

The Lab Experiments are the same information in the Textbook modules including materials lists, instructions, pictures, charts, etc. but it also includes questions and spaces to record their scientific observations and conclusions too.

At the very back of the Student Notebook, there is a section called Presenting Research.  Included are instructions and examples for making a professional presentation of your scientific research, including making posters, graphs, citing references and the supporting research, and a checklist.  This is very handy if your student plans to present their experiments at a science fair, county fair, coop, or other presentation.

Tests and Solutions Manual:

The softcover Solutions and Tests Manual and Student Tests Book contains tests, test solutions, and answers to the module study guides.

Videos:

Video about Apologia Advantage Science Set and Super Science Set

Video Experiment 13 Salinity, Temperature and Density

Module 6 Rays and Skates

FREE SAMPLES

Check out this page for free course samples.  To access the samples, after going to the page link below, click on “download” next to the “more info” and it will give several options for free downloads of text lessons and experiments, MP3, student notebook, and more:

FREE MARINE BIOLOGY SAMPLES

Faq: 3 pages

Table of Contents: 8 pages

Module 1 Text Sample : 40 pages

Student Notebook: 9 pages

MP3 Audio Sample

Final Thoughts

Overall, we are very pleased with this science course from Apologia.  They have done a great job creating this course and all the support materials to help students master Marine Biology.

We love visiting the ocean.  Now with the knowledge of Marine Biology, we will be able to understand more about the wonderful and amazing life and systems in the oceans.

We are so grateful for the wonderful products Apologia offers for homeschool families.  Their products have truly enriched our lives, encouraged our faith, and we love that through out the learning adventure, they point people back to Father God.  Both my son and I highly recommend the Marine Biology course!  Be blessed!

Social Media

Be sure to check out Apologia Educational Ministries on their social media links for all the latest news and product updates.  They have a lot to offer!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/apologiaworld

Instagram: www.instagram.com/apologiaworld

Twitter: www.twitter.com/apologiaworld

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/apologia/

You Tube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/apologiaworld/videos

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Internship for High School Credit ~ Review

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Are you looking for an internship opportunity for your teenager?  Did you know your kids can earn high school credit for the real life experiences they gain doing an internship?  Anytime of year you can fit in an internship experience will become an asset to your high school student’s future.

A great place to start your internship journey is a course offered by Apologia Educational Ministries called Internship for High School Credit.

Internship for High School Credit

Spiral Bound Text & Workbook All In One

99 pages

5 Chapters

Recommended for 9th -12th grade.

Retails $33.00

Internship for High School Credit workbook teaches students and parents all the steps necessary for obtaining and documenting their internship experience.   This workbook is intended to be used for either 1 or 2 semesters.  It includes the worksheets and activities to cover both semesters.  Most states require a full year of study or 150 hours of instruction to earn a full credit on the high school transcript, and a half year of study for a half credit. You can check out your state where you live to find out how much credit is earned for each course taken.

A typical school semester is 16 weeks long.  In general, for most students to earn 1/2 credit per course per semester.  They will need to combine the instruction in the workbook and intern on the job about 5 hours a week for 15/16 weeks to earn 1/2 credit. This could be done in conjunction with this workbook over a semester or over a summer to equal about 75 hours.  To earn 1 full credit for their transcript, a student will need to complete two semesters or 5 hours a week for 30+ weeks, or 10 hours a week for 15/16 weeks, to equal about 150 hours to reach the full credit.  

Benefits from doing a high school internship include:

  • Explore a career of choice
  • Gain experience related to career goals
  • Gain marketable skills
  • Build confidence
  • Bolster resume for future job applications.
  • Increase potential job offers.
  • Learn day to day job responsibilities.
  • Discover potential likes and dislikes about a job.
  • Discover if a college degree is needed for a particular job of interest and understand how to set goals to get the job you desire.
  • Focus college major more closely on job interests.
  • Bolster College Application
  • Increase College Scholarship Opportunities

This course workbook contains 5 Chapters that cover about 40 +/- valuable lessons including worksheet activities and evaluations to complete.

Chapters and lessons include:

Part I: Getting Started

  • Determining the Type of Internship
  • Choosing a Company
  • Preparation
  • Receiving High School Credit
  • Writing a Résumé
  • Letter of Introduction
  • Sample Letter of Introduction
  • Sample Student Résumé
  • The Interview
  • After the Interview
  • Gearing Up for the First Day

Part II: Information for Parents

  • Choosing an Internship Location
  • Child Labor Laws
  • Transcript Documentation
  • Course Title and Number
  • Number of Credits
  • Grades

Part III: First Semester

  • How to Use the Worksheets
  • Semester Goals
  • Weekly Worksheet I
  • Weekly Worksheet II
  • Weekly Worksheet III
  • Weekly Worksheet IV
  • Midterm Work Performance
  • End-of-Semester Work Performance
  • Skills Gained
  • First Semester Summary
  • A Bonus Benefit

Part IV: Second Semester

  • How to Use the Worksheets
  • Biweekly Worksheet I
  • Biweekly Worksheet II
  • Midterm Work Performance
  • End-of-Semester Work Performance
  • Second Semester Summary

Part V: Course Wrap-Up

  • Final Writing Assignment
  • Thank-You Note
  • Sample Thank-You Note
  • Letter of Recommendation
  • Updating Your Résumé

The first two chapters can be completed before the internship begins and include writing resumes, setting goals, and finding internship opportunities.   The last three chapters need to be completed during the actual internship because they involve worksheets including time logs and performance evaluations and finally updating the resume with the new skills and experience acquired.

I highly recommend this course for families with high school age students. This course has taught us how to set initial career goals, write a resume, and plan and evaluate an internship.  We have enjoyed learning with this course and plan for the oldest son to do an internship at some point in the near future.

We have two boys currently of high school age and plan to order another workbook for the second oldest soon, then we have another one coming up in age right behind him too.  So before long, we might have three boys using this course.

Before reviewing this course, both of the older two boys discussed doing an apprenticeship with a construction company, one wanted to work outdoors with his hands and the other wanted to work in the office setting and marketing, and the next son hasn’t yet decided where he would like to focus. I am confident this course will help him too.   This course has given our family new ideas and a method for doing internships to reach new goals.

About the Author:

The author of Internship for High School Credit is Sherri Seligson.  Sherri is a wife, mother, and homeschool mom.  She is also an accomplished author, scientist, researcher, teacher, and speaker at homeschool conventions, retreats, and science fairs.

According to the Apologia website, Sherri Seligson earned a degree in biology/premed with an emphasis in marine science.  She worked as a marine biologist for Disney World.  Sherri also worked for a time with predatory ocean creatures and has published research on shark behavior.

Sherri Seligson has also written several homeschool courses for Apologia Educational Ministries.  She has written the high school science curriculum “Exploring Creation with Marine Biology”, and she is the author and instructor for the DVDs that accompany the high school biology, chemistry, and advanced biology textbooks.  She has also written several unit study e-books for Grace Hill Media to go with the Dolphin Tale films, War Horse, and the DVD educational series Little Angels.

If you are looking for information about where and how to start homeschooling with your kids, then check out all of the great homeschooling products Apologia has to offer such as How to HOMESCHOOL with Stunning Confidence, Contagious Joy, and Amazing Focus (DVD & Coursebook).

Social Media

Check out Apologia Educational Ministries social media links for all the latest news and product updates.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/apologiaworld
Twitter: www.twitter.com/apologiaworld
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/apologia/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/apologiaworld
Google+: https://plus.google.com/105053356034237782125
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/apologiaworld

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What On Earth Can I Do? Review

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If there was one Christian Worldview Curriculum we have reviewed in our homeschool learning adventures, that I have consistently enjoyed teaching my kids, it would have to be the What We Believe series through Apologia.  





What We Believe

Why should we teach a biblical worldview?  Because we should be ready at all times to give a testimony of what we believe, and why we believe it.  Our children need to know how to understand the world around them, and see the world with eyes and understanding of biblical truths.  They need to understand what the bible says is right and wrong and that their decisions should follow what they believe.  They need to see how to apply their beliefs while walking out their faith on a daily basis.
There are four volumes in the What We Believe series:
Who Is God?
Who Am I?
Who Is My Neighbor?
What On Earth Can I Do?

Each volume has four component options:
Textbook
Workbook
Jr. Workbook
Coloring book


What On Earth Can I Do? 

We were recently given the opportunity to review the fourth volume in this series called What On Earth Can I Do.  This is a wonderful resource for families and faith based classes too. 



Hardcover   294 page textbook
For ALL ages 
Retails for $39.00

This is a great big full color book made of very good materials.  You can tell it is a book that will last a long time.  My kids really enjoyed the variety in this text.  Colorful pictures and stories criss cross so much of life today and through history and keeps the focus of the learning material very interesting to kids.
There are eight lessons, and suggested to be spread out over 24 weeks.  But go at your own pace.  The focus areas of the lessons are easy to read and understand.  
Each lesson contains these focus areas:
Big Idea – main topic of the lesson
What You Will Do – learning object
Short Story – Characters similar age as your children work through life situations.
Think About It – Questions that probe your students understanding.
Words You Need To Know – vocabulary words
Hide It In Your Heart – Two Bible memory verses 
Integrated Learning – Additional articles with interdisciplinary topics to help the student apply what they have learned.  It involves various areas such as math, art, history, science, and more.
Prayer – Lessons conclude with prayer.
Parables Of Jesus
Going Deeper
House Of Truth – Four lessons in the text work together progressively to help tie the learning in with the other textbooks in the What We Believe curriculum series.    
  

What On Earth Can I Do?  Notebook Journal and What On Earth Can I Do? Jr. Notebook Journal are a hands on way to apply what your students are learning in the textbook.  It is filled with questions, vocabulary cross word puzzles, mini books, prayers, scriptures, ministry ideas, observations of faith in action, and more. The regular Notebook Journal is for older students and retails for $24.  The Jr. Notebook journal is for students ages 6 to 9 and retails for $24.   


For younger students and corresponds to lessons in the textbook and journals.
64 coloring pages
Retails for $8.00

Be sure to check out the table of contents and free lesson samples of the above resources on the Apologia web site.  

How we used this curriculum in our homeschool:

It is suggested to set up a schedule to use the curriculum that works for your own family. The curriculum is flexible and adaptable to any family’s needs.  My oldest worked independently and read the textbook on his own, and I read the text to the rest of the children. We discussed the details and answered questions all together.  



The curriculum has a combination of reading, writing, vocabulary, prayers, faith in action, self evaluation, social observation, and various suggested activities.  It criss crosses through the bible, through history, math, science, social studies, language arts, cultures, practical life skills, art, and more.  We enjoy this variety and cross curricular approach.  It is a great big unit study and a very familiar format for us.  It is easy to teach to multiple ages and skill level of children using this curriculum.

Here is a small example of how we implemented chapter 4 and tied it to our real life learning.  Chapter 4 is about “Where Is Your Treasure?”  It covers how we can get trapped in thinking our value is measured by what we own.  It exposes greed in our home, our society, and our world.  It takes a closer look at history and how greed shaped our culture, war, and other events.  It also looks at the opposite of greed and how giving generously and hardwork can also shape a culture and bring positive change.  


In chapter 4 the kids also learned about Victory Gardens during the 1940’s and the impact they had on the nation during World War II.   The text challenged the kids to build their own garden too.  We read the text, answered questions and had discussion. We completed our notebook journals for the lesson which included bible study, vocabulary, word puzzles, coloring pages and more.  



This chapter corresponded so well with our life right now.  We went outside and made our own victory garden.  Check out our recent garden story for all the details.  Here is a picture of my 11 year old’s tomato plant.  It is blooming and has a few small tomatoes on it already.  


They also learned about the history of money, different things used as money before paper money and coins were invented, and studied about famous people like William Hamilton, John Wesley, Charles Foster Cane “Citizen Cane”, technology, countries like Great Britain, USA, Germany, China, special events like D-Day, World War II, etc. 



The kids enjoy the activities in the notebook journals.  We used both the regular Journal and the Jr. Journal format to record our answers, observations, further thinking, vocabulary practice, word games, scripture study, etc.



This curriculum is very easy to implement.  The textbook gives a suggested schedule of spending two days a week and three weeks on each lesson, for a total of six days spent on each lesson lasting about 24 +/- weeks.  The notebook journals also list a suggested schedule to use them in combination with the curriculum.  We worked on the curriculum three days a week for the purpose of the review, and will take a break now that our school year is winding down and pick this up on the suggested schedule for our faith building curriculum for the coming school year.  It is a keeper!



I would definitely recommend this curriculum to all my homeschool friends, families with kids, church groups, parenting classes, etc.  This is a wonderful curriculum to work through and learn about what you believe and why, and learn practical ways to apply what you believe in real life.  I love it!

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Human Anatomy and Physiology

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When you are looking for a great science curriculum with a biblical worldview, it is hard to get any better than Apologia’s Exploring Creation series.  They have options for elementary students as well as junior and senior high students.

                   

For the purpose of this review, we were sent Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Anatomy and Physiology suitable for kids in K – 6th grade.  We were also sent the Student Notebook.  Apologia has both a Student Notebook Journal, and a JR Notebook Journal for kids who may not write as well.  Either notebook journal works perfect with the curriculum.  Finally we were sent the Audio MP3 CD which is the author reading the entire course and can be listened to from the computer or an MP3 player.

       
The Exploring Creation With Human Anatomy and Physiology course products include:

                            Hardback Textbook      Retails $39.00
                            Student Notebook         Retails $24.00
                            Jr. Student Notebook    Retails $24.00
                            Audio MP3 CD              Retails $29.00

This science course is designed for students in elementary grades.  Apologia recommends the Hardback Textbook for grades 4-6; Student Notebook for grades 3-6;  Jr. Student Notebook for grades K-2 or students who are beginning writers.  The Audio MP3 can be used with any age and skill level, and it is read by the author Jeannie Fulbright. 

The textbook is a big, 265 page, brightly colored, science manual.  It is broken down into 14 Lesson chapters: 
            Introduction To Anatomy and Physiology
            The Skeletal System
            The Muscular System
            The Digestive and Renal Systems
             Health and Nutrition
            The Resiratory System
             Life In The Blood
            The Cardiovascular System
            The Nervous and Endocrine Systems
            The Nervous System Extended
             Your Senses
            The Integumentary System
            The Lymphatic and Immune Systems
            Growth and Development

The text book recommends breaking each chapter down into manageable sections that work well for your own family.  They suggest a two week schedule for each chapter, but you can adjust this to meet your own needs.   Every chapter contains fun experiments and hands on projects. Through out the course, kids will learn how to conduct experiments accurately and apply the scientific method.  There is a scientific method form in the front of the textbook that can be used each time your child conducts an experiment.

The curriculum places an emphasis on the child re-telling what they have learned through verbal and written prompts in both the textbook and the notebooking journal.  The journal contains templates to fill in and is a great place to record what they have learned.  Through out the course they will make various organs and body parts and attache them to a paper person project they have created and keep in their notebook. By the end of the course they have completed a hands on application of the human body form, organs, and systems.

Some materials are needed to complete the experiments.  Many of these materials are things you likely have around the house or are easily attainable at stores and online.  Apologia has provided a list of everything you need for each chapter lesson if you wish to attain the items on your own.  Apologia also offers optional science kits and a Blood Typing Kit too.   You can pick and choose what experiments you want to do to reinforce the lesson.  They want you to be successful and offer several ways to contact the
m with questions.  They also have additional website “EXTRAS” that go beyond the textbook, to help your child learn even more.


Our Experience

For the purpose of this review, we received the Hardback Textbook, Student Notebook, and the Audio MP3 CD

  

I spent some time reviewing the first two chapters before opening these with the kids.  I was amazed how well the materials are put together.  The textbook is colorful and easy to understand.  Most important, it gives glory to God through out the whole book. I loved the Student Notebook too.  It is jam packed with templates that correspond to the lessons and interesting activities. 

My 6th grader was excited to “jump in” independently and read the whole chapter 1 for himself and complete the exercises in both the textbook and the student notebook.  It says a lot about a product when a kid wants to learn the material on his own.  It took him about an hour on three to four days to read through the entire chapter. 



One of the assignments in the notebook is to draw a cell and label all of its parts.  As he read the textbook, he stopped every so often and filled in his cell in his notebook with the new part he learned about.



After reading all of chapter one himself, he listened to the audio of the chapter being read with the rest of the children.  The younger children are not strong readers yet and are able to benefit from either mom reading the text to them, or using the MP3 Audio of the book.  What a great resource.  You can read, or read and listen, or just listen.  So many options to meet different needs of your students.  I have one who loves to read, and one who hates to read, and these products met both of their needs.

I printed out and plan to have the younger children fill out the free JR. Notebook sample  of lesson one that is available on the Apologia website.  I plan to order the Jr. Notebook soon so the younger kids can work through the rest of the book together with their big brother.  

Below is one example of the many experiments our kids are enjoying in this curriculum.


Experiment: Make an edible model of a cell. 

Use jello to represent the structure of the cell, and various candies to represent the different parts of the cell.

Mix packet of jello according to the directions( one cup boiling water, stir in packet of jello to dissolve, add one cup cold water), but add one packet of Knox plain gelatin powder and 1 additional cup of cold water.

 

The kids took turns making packs of Jello.  They made one bowl of lemon, and two bowls of pineapple.

 

Then we put this gelatin mixture into the refrigerator, and planned to let it harden overnight, but it ended up being 4 days until we got back to the project.  

While we waited for our jello to harden, I had the kids take the learning a step further.  I asked them to make a chart of the candies they would be using in side of their jello cells.  We forgot to purchase the NERD candy, so we improvised with smarties.   Here is our candy chart:
        jelly beans and peanut m & m’s = mitochondria
        skittles = lysosomes
        now a latter = golgi body
        fruit roll up = endoplasmic reticulum
        smarties = ribosomes
        cake sprinkles (tubeular) = centrioles
        jaw breaker = nucleus



Next I had them place the candies on a paper cell model.  This gave them a little extra practice before inserting the candy into the jello.  It also helped the younger children visualize the candy once it went into the jello when it was harder to see.

  

They used a knife to make a small slit in the cell membrane to insert the candy pieces.



They really had fun with this project.  This is a great hands on project to learn with.

 

We made three cells. Two turned out pretty good and one fell apart as the kids inserted the candies.
 

But none of it went to waste!  

 

Oh no, they were not about to waist this edible science experiment.  The kids jumped right in and gobbled up every drop!

 

Apologia curriculum is a win win at our house!  We are loving this curriculum, the science projects, and fun learning adventures!

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Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

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Journeys Of Faithfulness

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Need a bible study topic for your teen, or young adult, daughter?  You might give Journeys Of Faithfulness by Sarah Clarkson a try.  Sarah has written a book designed to challenge and strengthen what you believe about yourself, your experience and place in life, and God’s plan.

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What is a journey?
  Journey is to pass from one place to another, or from one stage in one’s life into another.
                                                                                                    (paraphrased from source)
What is faithfulness?
    Faithfulness is to be loyal to one’s vows, steadfast in allegiance, and reliable.
                                                                                                    (paraphrased from source)  

Journeys Of Faithfulness is a collection of stories about faith and life written for young women.  It contains biblical truths, the author’s personal journey, and historical fiction.  It is also written as a devotional or bible study.  This book would be useful for small groups, a mother and daughter study, and for individual study. 

This book looks at what life challenges might have been like for 5 heroic, yet common, women mentioned in the bible: Mary and Martha (sisters), Mary (the mother of Jesus), Esther, and Ruth. By examining similar feelings, relationships, and circumstances young women face today, we can perhaps see ourselves in the places and times of these biblical women.

           

Through out the book, each chapter contains a historical fiction passage about a biblical young woman, then a devotional about the author’s life and real scenarios she faced and how she compares herself in relation to the biblical character, then a biblical study of scripture passages with questions to answer, and finally a “journey journal” to record your own journey of faith including thoughts, prayers, and scripture.  This journey process is repeated for each chapter (a total of 12 times).

The books is 215 pages and it is divided into four main parts and contains twelve chapters.
        Part One: Mary & Martha
                   1. Learning to See
                   2. A Circle Of Glory
                   3. The Hush Of Love

        Part Two: Mary, Mother Of Jesus
                    4. Story Formed Soul
                    5. Swords and Starlight
                    6. The Great Adventure

        Part Three: Esther
                    7. Heart Alive
                    8. For Such A Time
                    9. Courageous Beauty

        Part Four: Ruth
                   10. Claiming The Light
                   11. To Walk In Darkness
                   12. Desire Of My Heart


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Journeys of Faithfulness is published by Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc, a well known publisher name of Christian curriculum and books.  Journeys of Faithfulness retails for  $13.00 and is written for girls and women ages 12 and older.  You can read a free sample of the first chapter, “Learning To See”, of the book before you buy.


What We Thought

This book is great as a fictional read that encourages faith, and also as a bible study.  It uses a lot of descriptive words and is almost poetic at times.  I could also see this book working for a word study or a study about a writer’s style, though that is not the original purpose of the book.

I would encourage mothers to read it with their teen daughters and provide lots of discussion of the various journeys each of the fictional lives portrayed, as well as their own personal journey.  You can read this at whatever pace works well for you, such as work on a chapter a day, or a chapter a week.  The book could last you a few weeks, or several months depending on how fast you want to complete it. 

I would also advise a word of caution for parents of younger teens, as the book discusses romantic feelings and desires, that some parents may or may not be ready to discuss with their younger daughters (some girls ages 12 to 15 might be a little immature for this subject).  However, older teens and adult young women would definitely be able to relate to the romantic feelings and subject matter expressed by the writer.  You as a parent know your daughter better than anyone, and you are the best judge of the maturity of your daughter and when she might be ready for this. 

I would recommend this book for mom’s and adult women too.  I think we often miss out on relating to women in scriptures, partly because so much is left un-said.  Sarah Clarkson has her own opinion about what might have been going on in the hearts and minds of these women.  She does a beautiful job of putting her vision for these women into words. 

Moms are so busy with motherhood and being a wife that we often don’t have time to research deeper into the lives of other women and the women in the scriptures beyond a mention here or there.   An unswerving faith, steadfast commitment, loyalty in our relationship with God and the man he has chosen as our husband, is needed in our personal journey.  This book helps you get in touch with your relationship with the Lord, reflect on what life might have been like for these women and the men God placed in their lives to fulfill his plans and purpose, and enriches your personal journey. 

Be sure to stop in and see what others on the Schoolhouse Review Crew had to say about this product.


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Disclaimer: I received a copy of the above mentioned product, as a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, in exchange for writing an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my honest opinion.

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I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist

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One of my favorite curriculum publishers, Apologia, has come out with a new faith building and faith challenging curriculum for teens and young adults called
I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek.  

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I was sent this book to review. This is an in depth look at the arguments for and against the existence of God and Jesus Christ. It is 450 pages of clarity in a world that makes the existence of God blurred.



If you believe it takes faith to believe in God, then you will soon see it takes even more faith (willingness to believe in the impossible) to believe there is no God.  When you look at the evidence for God’s existence, you just can’t deny he is real.

I wish I had been challenged like this as a teen in highschool.  I did go to church and regularly read my bible and had prayer time.  But a curriculum like this would have made a huge difference in my firm foundation of knowing what I believe and why I believe it.  What a difference this would have made to me and my friends when I was 16 to 18. 

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I have loved God since childhood, but when you are in college and they teach you that everybody’s opinion is right, and everybody’s god is right, and it is wrong to say otherwise, you can get confused about speaking out!  In college, several classes claimed it was more “ethical” to say there is no God, or that there is many gods equal to each other, than to believe and follow the book (bible) that says there is only one true God.  As a mater of fact, many Christian friends in college got bad grades in classes when they spoke out.  Thankfully, God placed me in friendships with Christians in college, and I was able to have a strong connection to my faith even though I was away from home and my usual “faith anchors” that had helped me stay strong as a teenager.



Two of my college professors were outspoken atheists.  This was really hard for me, as I had never met a person who denied there was a god.  But strangely and wonderfully, after a couple of years of working along side one of these professors, answering questions about my faith and just “being real” in my walk, he began to confess there must be a God who created and designed and he wanted to learn more.  God had planted a seed, and I knew without a doubt God would water it and it would grow.  Even though my time in college was done, over the years I have had peace that God had done a wonderful work in this professor’s life.



Apologia’s book has a amazing way of grasping the point of the existence of God.  I wish I had a resource like this in college and when speaking to my professors.  I believe it would have made a positive difference.

My favorite quotes from the book are found on pages 384 and 385 and 387: “Whom will you serve?  God leaves that choice in your hands.  Love knows no other way.” :“You can reject Christ, but you cannot honestly say there’s not enough evidence to believe in him.” ……if you choose to reject him….. “you will remain in your condemned state”….”you will remain condemned and separated from God forever”.  Then on page 387:  “Your choices really do mater.  Your life really does have ultimate meaning.  And thanks to Christ, no one has to experience hell.  Every human being  can accept his free gift of eternal salvation.  It takes no effort at all.  Does it take some faith?  Yes, but every choice-even the choice to reject Christ-requires faith.” 

At the end of the book there is a question and answer format that is written as a conversation between a Christian and an atheist.  It amazes me that I had such similar conversations with my professors in college.  This is a very helpful resource for a believer or a non-believer to understand the reality of God and his son Jesus Christ.

I would encourage you to pick up a copy of this book for you and your loved ones.  You can read the book and give it away for evangelism and gifts for holidays, birthdays, and more.  But it is the addition of the workbook that makes this a usable curriculum for students, bible studies, homeschools, and college classes.  

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When my husband and I were youth pastors, we would search high and low for curriculum that really made a difference to the youth of today.  What challenged them?  What direct route exposed truth?  Teens enjoyed fun and games, but they also wanted answers and truth.  We had several students want to know why we believed the bible.  This curriculum can answer those questions and more.  I would highly recommend this workbook for a Christian youth group.
                           
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The book retails for $16 and the workbook retails for $33.  You can read a 37 page sample of the book for free to see how you like the product.  You can also read a 16 page sample of the workbook for free too.

I think these books are a wonderful addition to a high school curriculum or an adult bible study.  I would encourage church groups to look into using this to strengthen the faith of young people and for use in teaching evangelism to teens and adults.


Stop in to see what others on the TOS Crew had to say about this product.

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Disclosure: I received a copy of the product mentioned above as a member of the TOS Crew in exchange for writing an honest review.

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Who Is My Neighbor?

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As a homeschooling family, we are always on the lookout for good curriculum.  We are also on the lookout for curriculum that brings glory to God.  Apologia has what we are looking for, and they might have what you are looking for too.
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A few months ago, we were introduced to the What We Believe curriculum series by Apologia.  There are four volume sets in the series, and we reviewed the second volume set titled “Who Am I?” .  I found it to be a wonderful addition to our homeschool learning.  You can read our story about it here.

The four volume sets in the “What We Believe” series include:



Volume 1

Who Is God? (And Can I Really Know Him?)


Teaches biblical worldview of God and Truth


 


Volume 2


Who Am I? (And What Am I Doing Here?)


Teaches biblical worldview of self


 


Volume 3


Who Is My Brother? (And Why Do WE Need Each Other?)


Biblical worldview of servanthood


 


Volume 4


What On Earth Can I Do?


          Biblical worldview of stewardship


Recently, we were asked to review the third volume set in the series, “Who Is My Neighbor?”.   In this set was a large hardbound textbook that retails for $39, a notebook journal that retails for $24, and a coloring book that retails for $8.

Description from their website: “The third book in the award-winning What We Believe series helps children understand what it means to be salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-14). This study will encourage kids to develop a Christlike servant attitude based on these biblical truths: God created me to be a blessing to the world; God chooses to work through me; I can make a difference at home, in my community, and at church; the church is God’s family; the church is one body with many gifts; and I am an important member of Jesus’ body.”

This series is geared toward children who are ages 6-14, but can easily be adapted for older and younger students.  My kids are ages 12, 9, 7, 5, 3, and 8 months. We are using this curriculum for our family bible time together.  Kids that read well can do this material on their own if desired, but I think it is really nice to do it as a whole family and learn together. This would also make a nice biblical study for adults too.  I would highly encourage groups with tweens, teens, and adults to use this bible study.  It is so well written that everyone can benefit from it. 

This can easily fill a whole year of biblical study for you and your kids.  I think it could meet the requirements of several different classes (biblical, hisorical, political, social studies, geographical, cultural, etc.).  If you worked on this curriculum and completed 1 chapter a month, it would take about 8 months to finish the material.  If you worked really fast, and completed one chapter a week, it would take you 8 weeks.  The book has a sample 6 month schedule that you can adapt for your own family.  The sample shows how to accomplish 1 lesson every three weeks, working on it two days a week.

I addition to learning about the bible, your students will learn about history, geography, politics, relationships, and practice reading, writing, problem solving, and speaking skills.  They will learn about themself in the process as they reflect on their own life, historical figures, and scripture.


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The textbook is a large, heavy duty full color book with over 276+ pages. 
You can view the impressive table of contents of the textbook.
Try out the 31 page sample lesson from the textbook.


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The note book is a large spiral bound 240 page journal. 
View a 24 page sample of the notebook journal.


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The coloring book, which is great for folks who learn by doing things more active than just reading and writing, is a large full size book of 64 pages.
View a 6 page sample of the coloring book.

Honestly, this series “What We Believe” is some of the nicest homeschool curriculum I have ever used. It is so well made.  Apologia has invested a lot of time to make a quality product that will last many years when you hold this product in your hand and read it with your children.  It will be a keepsake to share with future generations of your family.

Apologia has an amazing assortment of the curriculum for the homeschool family. Be sure to request a free copy of their cataloge to plan for your homeschool needs.  They have several wonderful programs and if you haven’t seen their websites I would encourage you to check them out:


Apologia Science
Science curriculum, Lab Equipment

Apologia Press
Geography, World View, Writing, Parents Helps

Apologia Academy
Online Academy

Apologia Live
Conferences For Homeschoolers

Apologia World
Community of parents using Apologia products and an e-newsletter

Apologia Missions
Outreach, missions, scholarships, conferences, and more.  I was amazed to read they have handed out over $50,000 in scholarships to homeschool kids.  What a great way to give back to the families and encourage the next generation.  They also work in missions and train, and provide lots of financial support to missionaries. Be sure to read all about the wonderful outreach programs they have.

Read these reviews to see what more homeschool families on the TOS Homeschool Review Team had to say about this product.


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Disclaimer:  I was sent a copy of the above mentioned product as a member of the TOS Crew for review purposes.  All opinions shared are my own honest opinion.

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