Sunday, November 15, 2020

Operation Christmas Child Box Ideas

 
 
We have been filling Operation Christmas Child Boxes for many years.  It's a fun activity for our whole family to get involved in and we love coming up with new gift ideas and ways to bless others during the holiday season.  This year each of the kids filled up a box and we dropped off 7 boxes this weekend at our church for distribution!  Let me show you what we put in them.

 
B chose a girl age 2-4 and above you can see what we put in her box - stickers, paper pad, jumbo crayons, toothbrush, miniature doll, straw cup with washcloths inside, bandages, tissues, socks, bracelets, headband, hairbrush, stuffed bunny and baby doll.

 
B with her box.

 
E chose a girl age 5-9 and above you can see what we put in her box - a sticker book activity set, strawberry squishy, journal, colored pencils, toothbrushes, hair ties that look like a lollipop, flashlight, hairbrush, washcloth, tissues, bandages, small toy and a plush cat.

 
E with her box.

 
D also chose a girl age 5-9 and above you can see what we put in her box - a small journal, colored pencils, a marker set with activity book, a magic marker set, hair ties that look like a lollipop, flashlight, hairbrush, toothbrushes, washcloth, tissues, squishy key chain, socks, purple barrette, unicorn ball plush and a purple unicorn plush.

 
D with her box.
 
A chose a girl age 10-14 and above you can see what we put in her box - a small journal, colored pencils, pens, washcloth, soap holder, hair ties, barrettes, hairbrush, flashlight, socks, toothbrush, yo-yo, watch, beautiful necklace and a bear plush.
 
A with her box.
 
 
G chose a boy age 2-4 and above you can see what we put in his box - stickers, paper pad, jumbo crayons, toothbrush, bandages, socks, animal bracelets, water balls, tissues, activity pad, washcloth, car, flip car, sock plush and a monkey plush.

 
G with his box.

 
F chose a boy age 5-9 and above you can see what we put in his box - stickers, paper pad, several small packs of crayons, toothbrushes, bandages, socks, fun bracelets, tissues, activity pad, washcloths, several sets of cars, flip car, sunglasses, flashlight, a small elephant, an UNO game and an otter plush.

 
F with his box.

 
C chose a boy age 10-14 and above you can see what we put in his box - paper pad, pens, toothbrush, tissues, washcloths, combs, sunglasses, cool set of cars, flashlight, ball, yo-yo, sports watch and a dog plush.

 
C with his box.

I hope this gives you some ideas of things that you can put into Operation Christmas Child boxes.  You can check out our post from last year for more great ideas!

Friday, November 13, 2020

Boundary Stone's Economics Online Course Bundle Review

{Disclaimer:  I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL 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.}


If you are searching for a self-paced homeschool economics course, I want to introduce you to Boundary Stone's Economics Online Course Bundle.  While this is a one semester course, we have access to it for a year which is super nice.  A has already taken government so we just need the Economics class.  I am grateful to have extended time for her because she spent some time this semester studying for the PSAT and therefore, started this class much later than intended.  I want to note that if you wish to complete this course in one semester, you need to stick to the daily assignment schedule to stay on track.

Our books for this course!

What's included?  As mentioned above you will have 12 month online access to the course.  You will also receive a physical hardback textbook Basic Economics 4th edition by Clarence Carson as well as a PDF teacher's guide and access to an online Budget Mini Course.  For this course, you will also need Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Maybury and The Law by Frédéric Bastiat.  A is using the PDF download in the course for The Law.

Above you can see our dashboard and the units on the sidebar.

This course is divided into 4 main units with 6 modules plus a short orientation module at the beginning to help you get started.  This course teaches a natural law approach to economics.  Unit 1 contains module 1 and covers the first five chapters of the text and The Law.  This section helps lay the foundations and basics of economics.  Unit 2 contains both module 2 and module 3 which covers chapters 6-7 and 8-10 of the text respectively.  Unit 3 contains module 4 and module 5, which cover chapters 10-13.  Units 2 and 3 cover the basic principles of economics.  And Unit 4 contains the final module, module 6.  This unit looks at various economies as a whole system within both political and cultural contexts.

Video for Chapter 1.

What does this course look like?  There are online daily lessons that often include specific YouTube videos to portray key points.  There are study guide assignments as well as online review exercises and quizzes.  

 
Above you can see the study guide for chapter 1.

 
A sample of review questions

There are 4 major tests as well.  The teacher's guide contains print versions for all chapter quizzes and tests as well as answers to the study guide questions and more!

What about grades?  The parent or teacher determines the overall grade of this course.  Lesson quizzes and tests are graded online.  While quizzes can be taken as many times as desired, tests can only be taken once.  You may also want to grade or give credit for reading assignments and watching videos, answering study review questions in writing, and the Budget Project Mini-course.  There is an Excel sheet available for you to download to assist you in calculating your student's final grade!

Our Budget Project Mini-course!

Personal Budget Spreadsheet
 
In the Budget Project Mini-course, a student will design a budget for two different income levels.  They will learn that everyone has limited resources and choices must be made about how to live within those resources.  This mini-course is a great addition and super valuable for students to complete.  If you are looking for a self-paced homeschool economics course, we highly recommend Boundary Stone's Economics Online Course Bundle.  It's well laid out and very user friendly!

Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read even more reviews of Boundary Stone.

Economics Online Course Bundle {Boundary Stone Reviews}

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Thursday, November 12, 2020

No More Braces

No more braces, bring on the treats!!

E got her braces off this week and it was so exciting!  She is officially done with Phase 1 😉.  D is set to get hers off within the next month, just a few days before her birthday so that's exciting as well.  The orthodontist gave E a big cup of all the candy she couldn't have before but she can enjoy now!

E a few days before her braces came off!

The Adventures of Rooney Cruz RINGLEADERS by Truth Becomes Her

{Disclaimer:  I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL 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.}

Today I want to share with you The Adventures of Rooney Cruz RINGLEADERS, a bible heroes for girls book and the latest installment of this series from Truth Becomes Her.

Our new hardback is 9"x9" and very sturdy.  It's full of beautiful and simple colorful illustrations and is written by Erin Weidemann.  The pages have a glossy finish to them.
 
 Our book is divided into 9 chapters seen above.

This is our first experience with Rooney Cruz and what an adventure.  I want to note right here, what is a Ringleader?  It's a girl whose life, love, and leadership come together in perfect harmony to impact the world and make a difference that only she can make.  I love this!
 
 
This series is geared for early readers 6-8 and independent readers 9-11 (and above).  D (10) and E (9) both read this book independently and loved it!  In this book, they met Rooney and the angel Mari and followed them on an amazing journey as Rooney discovered her powerful voice!  This book pinpointed six women, "Ringleaders" in the New Testament (Elizabeth, Mary, The Samaritan Woman, Mary and Martha, and Mary Magdalene), who lived lives with the truth of God's Word.  Their stories proclaim the hope of Jesus and inspire young girls to live their life for God.  I appreciate that this book helps encourage young girls to develop the confidence they need to use their voice and be a Ringleader in her own life.


The girls really liked how the the angel Mari (using Rooney's bracelet) would open "windows" for them to watch the Bible stories.  It reminded them of Superbook, only instead of going into the stories, Rooney watched them.  They also really liked Rooney's bracelet with letters and bells on it.  I have a feeling this may be a part of Rooney's previous adventures so we are going to have to check these out for ourselves!
 
Our Ringleaders Bundle!

D and E were not only excited when we received our book but our special bundle of other goodies as well - a Devotional, Coloring Book, and Journal.
 
D reading our devotional.

Our paperback devotional has 40 days of content.  The girls are really enjoying it and I appreciate having it as a "digging deeper" resource.
 
Above you can see the content for Day 12.
 
 
Our Ringleaders Coloring book is just a fun resource.  The girls have enjoyed coloring several of the pages.  
 

 D with one of her colored pages.

They also like to match them up with the actual pages in the book, see above!
 
 
And lastly, there is our paperback Journal for Mother's and Daughters, one of my favorites!  This is another "digging deeper" resource.  It's an interactive journal for you and your daughter or daughters in my case!  It's a safe place to share feeling, thoughts, ideas and grow together.  I'm only going to share a few pages from this (with permission from my girls) so you have an idea of what I mean by interactive.

Some of our thoughts about Mary.

A scene we like from the story of Mary.

I love this journal because it helps me gain more insight into my girls and what they are thinking and I love reading the thoughts they share with me as we grow in our relationship.

We are really loving The Adventures of Rooney Cruz RINGLEADERS and we would highly recommend this book and set!

Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read even more reviews of The Adventures of Rooney Cruz RINGLEADERS.

The Adventures of Rooney Cruz RINGLEADERS {Truth Becomes Her Reviews}

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Sunday, November 8, 2020

Clean Eating 2020


I have been trying to eat healthier for awhile now and one of the things that works really well for me personally is to eat clean, which is basically where you consume more whole foods (think vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats) and limit processed foods.  Here is a glimpse of a few of my favorite dishes so far!  Hope your day is going fabulously.

Friday, November 6, 2020

Bible Unearthed by Drive Thru History® Adventures Review

{Disclaimer:  I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL 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.}

We are huge fans of Dave Stotts and Drive Thru History® so I was pumped when we were given a lifetime access to Drive Thru History® Adventures digital course, Bible Unearthed.  You may remember our previous review of Drive Thru History® "Acts to Revelation" last year.

So, what is Bible Unearthed?  It's a 12 part series that will take you on an archaeological adventure of the Bible and ancient world.  As you explore history, you will see the importance and impact that archaeology has and better understand the ancient world.    Even though it's a 12 part series, there are 17 sections of this course.  These include a Welcome to the course section (to help you and your family get the most out of this course), a Course Guide that can be downloaded (gives you a course summary and sample weekly schedule), How to use the Dig Deeper Articles section, How to use the Worksheets and Answer Guides section, and Introduction to the Adventures Community section and the 12 main sections.  There is a progress bar on your dashboard that will tell you how many of the 17 sections you have completed as you work your way through this course.

Watching Episode 1: What is Archaeology? together as a family.

The 12 sections of this series includes a video episode (approximately 15 minutes long), a written/exposition breakout, a downloadable worksheet containing discussion questions and an answer guide, Dig Deeper articles, and some optional fun activities. 

 
 
The episodes are hosted by Dave Stotts (host of Drive Thru History®), Randall Niles (writer from Drive Thru History®) and Dr. Titus Kennedy (a PhD archaeologist and expert for this series).  The episodes are so interesting and engaging!  It is fascinating listening to these three and I love how relatable they are.  It feels like they are sitting in your living room with you.  Each episode is approximately 15 minutes and they include discussions, pictures, artifacts, maps, clips of archaeological sites and locations, and more!
 
Above you can see the episodes that we have watched.
 
What are the 12 topics discussed in this course?

  • What is Archaeology?
  • The Impact of Archaeology
  • Locating Archaeological Sites
  • The Life of an Archaeologist
  • What's Being Discovered Today?
  • Archaeological Mysteries
  • Top Discoveries in Bible Archaeology
  • Getting Involved with Archaeology
  • Trends in Archaeology
  • Weird Archaeology
  • Accidental Discoveries In Archaeology
  • What's Left to be Discovered?

B completing the worksheet for Episode 1 while we were watching it.

 
Above you can see one of the optional activity assignments, to make a timeline.

I appreciate the flexibility of this course, you can choose your own adventure for what you want to complete with your family.  I think it is so fascinating to see the historical accuracy of the Bible through archaeology!  It's so interesting to see the artifacts and sites that have already been discovered and think about the ones we have yet to find.  We are really enjoying this course and I look forward to implementing even more of the "deeper" activities as we continue our journey of the ancient world with a Biblical focus.

More advanced students might want to purchase Titus Kennedy's book: Unearthing the Bible: 101 Archaeological Discoveries That Bring the Bible to Life.  It's an awesome way to dig deeper into the amazing world of archeology and it's cool that you can put a face with the author.  It kind of feels like you know him after watching through the episodes with him 😉.  I also want to mention that you have access to an exclusive Facebook group just for members of the Adventures family.

Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read even more reviews of Drive Thru History® Adventures. 

Bible Unearthed {Drive Thru History® Adventures Reviews}

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Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Personal Finance Illustrated® Homeschool Edition course by PEM LIFE Review

{Disclaimer:  I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL 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.}

For the past few weeks, A has been taking the Personal Finance Illustrated® Homeschool Edition course offered by PEM LIFE.  We were blessed to receive this online subscription with 6 month access for review.  I was hoping for her to be further along in this course but we had to push pause so that she could study for her PSAT.  Now that that's over, she is back at it!  I do want to mention this is a rigorous course.

This one semester, self-study personal finance course has two instructional paths for you to choose from:  the Proctored Path or the Instructional Path.  In the Proctored Path students move through this course on their own watching the lesson videos and completing all the reading, quizzes and other assignments, while parents just oversee the process.  

 

 
Instructor Guide for Unit 1

The Instructional Path is a more hands-on approach for the parent providing access to instructor guides, lesson plans, key points, coaching videos, etc.  You can feel confident in teaching without feeling like you have to be a financial expert (and you will learn a lot!).  These two methods can be combined or mixed to suit your needs as you wish.  This customization is a huge perk for this program in my opinion as we are really using it both ways.


This course contains over 60 lessons broken down into 18 Core Units covering topics like the Personal Economic Model, Time Value of Money, Lifetime Capital Potential, Opportunity Cost, The Tax Filter, Lifestyle Regulator, Temperament & Finances, The Importance of Protection, Debt, Pay Cash or Finance, The Investment Tank, Savings Tank, Access to Capital, Qualified Plans, Mortgages, Why Go To Work, Principles of Work, and The Dangers of Riches.  

  

Above you can see the Personal Economic Model, the picture that's worth a thousand words.

I love how the Personal Economic Model is designed to help you find a balance between your current lifestyle and your future lifestyle requirements.  You can increase your wealth by putting money into your future tanks (investments and savings) while managing your standard of living.  I really wish that I had learned this in high school.  It wasn't until after college that this hit home for me personally.  If A really understands this, she will be ahead of me at her age when it comes to finances and that's encouraging.

Income Tube - Career Choice Video Lesson

The lessons contain the same basic layout.  There is a video lesson which introduces the material and teaches the topic using charts, graphs and other visuals.  There is reading from an online textbook.  There are interactive resources to be used as well.  There are writing assignments, reflection posts and discussions, and a vocabulary and concept quiz.  PEM LIFE takes care of all the grading of quizzes and writing assignments.  Your course will show your grades and the percentage of course completion as well.

 
Above you can see some of the Interactive Resource Library

I really like the Interactive Resource Library!  There are so many models that let you explore various aspects about finance.  One of my favorites is the Budget Builder.  This handy tool lets you make a budget based on your income and monthly expenses.  I think it's a great way to visualize monthly expenses and cost of living and really learn to manage a budget.

In the tutorial above, it walks you through how to make a monthly budget.  This is such a great resource tool!

I'm super impressed with the content that we have seen so far!  The lessons are fun and engaging.  I really like the colorful illustrations shown throughout the course.  And there is hours of video instruction to bring all the material home.  While we have just dipped our toes into this program so far, we are preparing to dive in head first now and I'm excited to see what A and I learn together!  If you are looking for a complete personal finance course, we highly recommend looking at PEM LIFE.

Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read even more reviews of PEM LIFE.

Personal Finance Illustrated® Homeschool Edition {PEM LIFE Reviews}
 
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