Operation Christmas Child Box Ideas

We are participating in Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child again this year through our church!  The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to provide children around the world with shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items, school supplies and more as a means of reaching children in their communities with the Good News of Christ.  They are shipped all over the world.

Our Boxes this year

This year we decided to fill 3 boxes - one for a young boy 2-4, a young girl 5-9, and an older boy 10-14.  The kids had a fun time picking out items for our boxes and we hope that these items really bless those that receive them!

 

Here's our younger boys box.

It includes crayons and a sharpener, a fun notepad, a squishy tiger, stickers, a comb, a duck washcloth, toothbrushes, colorful snakes, tissues, sunglasses, a small car, colorful bendable tubes and a music recorder.

 Here's our younger girls box.

It includes colored pencils and a sharpener, a fun notepad, stickers, a hairbrush, barrettes, hair ties, toothbrush, a squishy unicorn, a unicorn necklace, tissues, sunglasses, a small purse, fun sicks, a fun washcloth, and a cat squishmallow.

 

Here's our older boys box.

It includes crayons and a sharpener, fun notepads, a squishy sloth, mechanical pencils, a comb, a washcloth, toothbrush, a brain puzzle, tissues, sunglasses, a calculator, and a soccer ball with pump.

We had a really fun time packing these boxes this year!

Code Lab from Let's Start Coding Review

I have a fun product to share with you today, Code Lab from Let's Start Coding!  Code Lab is geared for kids 8 and older and is perfect to get kids started coding quickly.  No soldering or electronics experience is necessary!

What's in our Code Lab?  Our box included the Code Lab itself with over 60 built-in components, a USB cable and an instruction and reference book.

 

Our Code Lab Kit

 

A close-up of our giant, Code Lab circuit board itself.

The jumbo LEDs, 50 mini LED pixels, arcade buttons, and sensors make this kit super fun.

 

 

Code Lab's free software requires Windows, Mac or a Chromebook computer to work.  Our kids have been using Windows on a Nextbook for our Code Lab, just like with our Code Rocket previously.  The set-up was simple and it's working great.

Ok, so how does Code Lab work?  Well, each project starts with your student uploading a functioning program to their code lab.  Then, they tinker with the code to see what each line controls.  After watching the video explanation, your student will be ready to complete a challenge (that improves or changes their starting code).  Some of the project's include a bug hunt!  There, they will find and correct the bug planted within the code.  It's a lot of fun and the kids learn so much!

 

There are 100 sequenced projects that help teach your child C++ coding.  There are also hours of walk through videos that accompany the projects and explain how the code works so that kids can make changes of their own and increase their knowledge and understanding of the coding language.

Projects include:

• blink an LED
• play tones on a speaker
• hold button for LED light
• LED flashlightautomatic nightlight
• four note piano
• random tone generator
• LED color tuner
• LED pixel rainbow
• and more!

C teaching G about Code Lab

 

Students learn about loops, if statements, functions, variables, and code logic and bug hunting.  I love that these projects are self-paced so students can work comfortably.  They are not on their own though, the guided videos are great.  The kids have already completed numerous projects and I'm looking forward to seeing how many more they complete over the winter break!  If you are looking for a unique, educational gift for your kids - please check out Code Lab and look at some of the other products they offer as well.  They do not disappoint!

Disclosure:  Huge shout out to Let's Start Coding for selecting me as a Let's Start Coding Blogger and Affiliate.  This post contains affiliate links.  I received Code Lab at a discount in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

The Giving Manger from WorthyKids Review & Giveaway

Disclosure:  I received this complimentary product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.

I am so excited to introduce you to The Giving Manger from WorthyKids!  This just might be our new family advent tradition.

What's included in our box set?  Our set includes the wooden manger, bundle of straw, baby Jesus, and The Giving Manger picture book written by Allison Hottinger and illustrated by Emily King.  The set is built to last so you can reuse it year after year as you keep the tradition going.

Inside our box set

Another look

The purpose of The Giving Manger is to help families intentionally shift the focus of Christmas back to giving and ultimately the true meaning of Christmas.  Every time a kind deed or act of service is performed a piece of straw is placed into your manger.  Your family works together during the holiday season to give gifts of service and find extra purpose and joy as your celebrate.  On Christmas Day, Baby Jesus is placed in the manger full of service and love!

 

The younger boys with our book.

 

Inside our book

How does it work?  The picture book is a heartwarming story that presents the concept of The Giving Manger.  The illustrations are absolutely beautiful.  In this book a father presents a small, wooden manger to his children, Anne and Ben, on the 1st of December.  He explains to his children that they will be offering gifts to Jesus by serving and helping others.  Every time they do something kind for anyone (family, neighbors, strangers), they put a piece of straw in the manger.  They learn that bringing joy to those around them is not only joyful in itself but it changes them.  On Christmas Day with a manger filled with straw (acts of love), they place baby Jesus in the manger.  This set works exactly as the story demonstrates.  Encourage your family to serve others during this Holiday season and watch your wooden manger fill with acts of love.

Service Ideas

• leave a kind note for someone
• make dessert for a neighbor
• compliment someone
• clean up without being asked
• donate outgrown toys
• wash someone's car
• babysit for free
• give someone flowers
• give someone a hug
• hold the door for strangers

Above are just a few service ideas to get you started but the possibilities are truly endless.  I'm enjoying reading our book to the kids.  I cannot wait to see all the ideas the kids come up with in December to serve others, children can be so creative and I love their generous hearts.

Ready for a giveaway?  I am blessed with the opportunity to host a giveaway for you!  You can enter below for a chance to win The Giving Manger for yourself or you could give it as a gift.  This is definitely a tradition you won't want to miss 😉.  Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Want to know more?  Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read more reviews of The Giving Manger from WorthyKids.

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Happy National Doughnut Day

 

Enjoy 😋

BUCK Making Cents from Buck Academy Review

Disclosure:  I received this complimentary product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.

 

We were blessed to receive BUCK Making Cents from Buck Academy!  This book is geared for children ages 5-10 and is a great tool for parents to use with their children to help them understand the value of money.  This book is written by Dustin Goss and illustrated by Febyolla Goss.

 

Our new hardback book with a soft touch!

I want to note that the paper in this book is very durable as it is thick and sturdy.  I appreciate this so much as it will be longer lasting.

I have been using it with F and G and we love it!

In our book BUCK, a friendly dollar, helps break down money to the basics.  The goal of this book is not only to help children understand the concept of money but to get them to think about saving and investing too.

Our Table of Contents

 

Chapter 1 focuses on making cents of Buck.  Children are introduced to Buck and his most valued friends, the coins!  This is such a fun chapter.  I love that the coins in the book are foiled for a real look and feel.  G especially loves touching them.

Buck and the coins.  I'm hoping you can see how the coins are foiled.

And above you can see all about meeting Quarter.

It was fun that it mentioned the Liberty quarters because we have a book for collecting them.  And while we don't have all (yet), we have quite a few.  It was fun to look at them as we read our book.

Chapter 2 focuses on the value of Buck and each coin.  And more specifically how many of each coin makes a buck (4 quarters, 10 dimes, etc.).

Above you can see the example for pennies.  It shows that there are 100 pennies in a buck.

Chapter 3 focuses on memory.  It asks several questions about Buck and each of his coin friends.

Here are the questions about comparing a nickel and a dime.  Which is larger in value and which is larger in size?

The answer key is found on the bottom of the page upside down.

The end of the book contains coin and dollar fun facts.  It's interesting things you didn't know about money.  I personally love this trivia section.  The boys learned that the penny has the only president facing to the right and so much more!  Buck Making Cents is a fun way to teach young children about American currency.  The boys and I really enjoy having it and we would definitely recommend it too 😉.

Do you want to know more?  Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read more reviews of Buck Academy.

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Halloween Fun

 

The youngest 4 ready to go to the trunk or treat and fall festival!

We had a super fun Halloween over the weekend.  David and I took the youngest four kiddos to a local trunk or treat and fall festival and we had a blast.  The older kids went to a friend's party and had fun as well.  The "youngers" decided to all dress as black and white animals, which I loved!  G was a Panda, F was a Penguin, E was a White Tiger and D was a cow (more specifically a Chick-fil-A cow).

 

A photo op at the trunk or treat.

 

E by herself, this was her favorite!

 

Smile for Mom!

 

Playing Jenga!

Hope you had a safe Halloween.  I don't know about you but we currently have a lot of candy in our home 😮 😋.

The Cricket in Times Square Study Guide and Frankenstein Study Guide from Progeny Press Review

Disclosure:  I received this complimentary product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.

 

We were given the opportunity to review Cricket in Times Square Study Guide (Grade 4-6) and Frankenstein Study Guide (Grades 10-12) from Progeny Press.

 

David read The Cricket in Times Square to the kids at bedtime.

We received digital study guides which is great because they are reproducible and can be used with multiple students whether a large family or in a CoOp setting.  You can choose to print the whole guide at once, print single lessons or print pages as your student needs them.  I printed our whole guide and put it into a 3-ring binder.

 

Our study guide and book.

 

A look into our binder with our study guide.

Above you can see our guide Table of Contents.  This breaks our guide into several sections including

• notes to the instructor
• about the author
• background information
• ideas for pre-reading activities
• Chapters 1-4
• Chapters 5 & 6
• Chapters 7-9
• Chapters 10 & 11
• Chapters 12 & 13
• Chapters 14 & 15
• Summary
• Ideas for post-reading activities
• additional resources & the
• answer key.
  

One of the pre-reading activities was to research the life cycle of the common house cricket.  The younger kids also colored pictures of crickets for fun 😉.

Cricket Life Cycle

One of the kids coloring pages.

 

I love all the content within our study guide.  Children will learn new vocabulary, have writing assignments, answer reading comprehension questions, complete optional projects, answer deeper questions including ones that refer to Bible passages and more!  Progeny Press guides are a fabulous resource to have for diving deeper into a particular book and I'm so thankful to have all the guides that we do.

 

Above you can see some of E's answers for a few reading comprehension questions along with the answer key.  I really appreciate having the answer key available for all the questions for easy reference and grading.

 

A closer view of E's answers.

Here are the covers of both our digital study guides.

These guides teach critical thinking, analysis, literary techniques, and studying the issues and themes in the books from a Biblical perspective.  I like that you can choose to use these as a full literature curriculum or you can use these to supplement other programs.  We have not used our Frankenstein Guide yet but I plan to dive into it with the older kids over the holiday break.  It's going to be fun!  Stay tuned for more on that.

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