Review of Purposeful Design

We recently had the chance to review a wonderful book by Purposeful Design called Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation.
Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation takes you through the seven days of creation in a way that I have never quite seen before. It comes in a hardcover book and has 96 pages.  You can purchase it here for $18.95.

Each page is filled with full color images that appeal to all ages. It reads and looks like a storybook but it is filled with science facts. It is certainly not the boring textbook that you may think of when you hear the word science. It has been coined as the coffee table book.  You can download a few chapters to see the beautiful pages for yourself.

The Chapters:

1. The First Day - Creation of the Heavens and the Earth - the Foundation of it All
2. The Second Day - Creation of Atmosphere and Water
3. The Third Day - Creation of the Dry Land and Vegetation
4. The Fourth Day - Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Stars
5. The Fifth Day - Creation of the Birds and Fish
6. Creation Day Six - Creation of Land Creatures and Humans
7. The Seventh Day 

Here are just some of the topics you will discuss as you journey through the seven days of creation with Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation:

• The Moon's orbit
• The Second law of Thermodynamics
• The speed of the earth's obit
• The rain cycle
• The importance of vegetation and plants to humans
• Seasons
• The Earth's tilt
• Phases of the moon
• Stars
• Tides
• Birds
• Fish
• Animals
• Humans including the perfect design of the human head

Throughout the entire text you will also find many scripture verses pointing you back to the Creator and the fact that we were not just thrown together nor was our universe. God designed it all with a Purposeful Design. Author Jay Schabacker's goal is to share his findings with all. He wants his readers to marvel that God's love shines forth in His creation.  

Available at the website is a free curriculum guide called the Purposeful Design: Young Explorer’s Club to go along with the book. Each chapter has scripture memory, questions that include fill in the blank and comprehension, several scripture verses for reflection, a sketch area, and it closes with a time of prayer.  There is also a teacher's edition that includes the answers and a certificate of completion for each chapter.

The back of the book has a resource page with a Bibliography and recommended reading.

We used Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation as a read aloud book in our homeschool with all three children (grades 10, 8, and 6).  I used the Purposeful Design: Young Explorer’s Club as a guide to help us discuss what we read as a family. Our favorite part was all the scripture verses that were added in to each day of creation. This book helped us to marvel and be thankful for all of God's creation.

I think this would be a wonderful resource for all homeschool families.

Other Places To Find Purposeful Design

Blog: www.Jayschabacker.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaySchabackerAuthor
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Jayschabacker (@Jayschabacker)
LinkedIn: Jayschab

Review of IXL

IXL is an online comprehensive practice site offering over 4,000 skills in IXL Math and IXL Language Arts. IXL aligns with state standards giving your child unlimited access to practicing math and language arts skills. 

IXL Language Arts covers grades 2-8 and IXL Math covers grades Pre-K-12. They are constantly adding new skills to IXL so if you haven't checked out their website lately, you may be surprised to see all the new skills offered.

The cost of a membership can be paid monthly or yearly. The monthly cost is $9.95 and the yearly cost is $79 - this membership is for 1 child and 1 subject area (math or language arts). You can also choose a membership for both subject areas (math and language arts) and 1 child for $15.95 per month or $129 per year. Additional students can be added for $2 per month or $20 for the year.

Here is a sample price subscription for 3 children for a year. You can go here and put in the number of children that you wish to purchase for to find your correct membership price.

Some of the perks included in your membership price are...

• Questions that adapt to your child's ability and continue to increase in difficulty as they improve
• Weekly email reports on your child's progress
• Email notifications of your child's accomplishments
• Children unlock awards as their practice time and skills improve
• Reports showing you your child's strengths and trouble spots

IXL works on most computer platforms - see here for more on technical requirements. 

In Our Homeschool

We used IXL with Stephen and Sarah.  Stephen practiced 8th grade and Sarah practiced 6th grade.  They both used IXL Math and IXL Language Arts. I chose to start them with their current grade level but you also have the option of practicing by topic.  The parent can hide the grade level so your student can practice any topic in any grade level and not feel like they are behind.

Stephen and Sarah completed 10 minutes of practice each day.  

When you look at this screenshot of a IXL Math, you will see...

• The number of problems that you have attempted
• A handy timer that counts the time you have spent working (you also have the option of turning this off if it bothers your student)
• Your SmartScore - If your student answers correctly their SmartScore increases but if they answer incorrectly their SmartScore will go down, they will be give the correct answer with and explanation on how to solve it.
• The problem to be answered is on the left with the choices of answers

As your child increases their practice time and masters skills, they will unlock awards. Here is a sample of the award screen.  This simple action really motivated my children to keep going to see what virtual prize they could unlock next!

The Language Arts screen works the same way as the Math.

One of my favorite parts of using IXL was the simplicity.  I didn't have to go and find out how Stephen and Sarah were doing.  They sent me an email to let me know.  If I wanted to check their progress, I could at any time.  We began with their current grade level and in the beginning both of them struggled but it wasn't long before they seemed to really improve and start mastering a few skill levels.  This curriculum offers a tremendous amount of practice to keep students study skills sharp and focused.  I have seen great improvements in my children in as little as 10 minutes a day!

Other places to find IXL

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/IXL
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Exiling
Google+:  https://plus.google.com/+IXL

Review of David Nicholson's Book - If He Had Not Come

The holiday season is here! If you are looking for a great Christmas book to add to your collection, then I have a priceless one to recommend!

David Nicholson has reintroduced A Classic Christmas Story by Nan F. Weeks called If He Had Not Come.

The book is a very quick read with only 40 pages and comes with a hardbound cover.  It can be purchased here for $18.95. This story is best for ages 6 and up.

David Nicholson is a retired teacher and heard this classic story while sitting in his Sunday School class.  In the preface he states that he remembered thinking to himself as he drove home that day, "I am going to read this story to my family this and every Christmas to come."   He has now made it his mission to share this beautiful story with everyone.  


If He Had Not Come tells the story of a young boy named, Bobby.  After listening to his father read John 15:22 on Christmas Eve, those five words "If I had not come" would not leave his mind.  The rest of the story unfolds in a dream as just some of the things that would have happened had Jesus not come.  Each reading page is coupled with a beautifully colored illustration page that brings the words completely to life.  This illustration in particular had me in tears as I read this beautiful story to my children.  

The story doesn't end there though, it brings you back to Bobby being awoken by church bells and being more thankful than ever that Jesus did come!
There is no better way to start the holiday season off than that!  Focusing on the true reason for the season!

The back of the book allows you even more opportunities to reflect on as a family or church group.  It includes several interactive questions.  There is a Going Deeper section that aids you in exploring what the Bible has to say about the birth of Jesus.  The Gospel Message is also presented along with Bible verses to help you find out just how simple the gift of salvation is to receive from Jesus.  

An idea is given for a simple art project.  It asks you to draw a Christmas tree and gives you discussion points of how a Christmas tree reminds us of eternal life in Jesus.  My daughter completed this activity.  She has also requested that this book be added to our books that we read every year!

Our family would highly recommend this book to all parents who are trying to teach their children that the best gift ever has already been given!  It would also be a great addition to any church library.  

Here is a personal note that was attached to the inside cover of my book when I received it.  I find it such a wonderful touch when an author takes the time to do this.  It's so simple, yet it makes a great impact on it's reader - me!

You can also find out more on Facebook.

Week 10 - Wrap Up!

Another week down - it's a wrap on week 10!  Happy November!

Science study - Invertebrates

Jonathan doing Application of Grammar

Look who won our local Food Lion coloring contest!

Halloween Fun

This year was our first year not dressing up but staying home and having some fun carving, baking, and watching movies.  It was SO FUN!

 We have 2 weeks and then we will be taking a little break for Thanksgiving.  I'm ready now! 

Read Alouds

Continuing and a little behind schedule on 
Madeline Takes Command.

Weigh In

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Review of Jim Hodges Productions Audio Books

Since reaching the middle school and high school years, we have relied more and more on audiobooks in our homeschool. Jim Hodges Productions has produced many audiobooks. We were sent In the Heart of the Rockies to review. It is recommended for ages 10 and up.

In the Heart of the Rockies is available in a MP3 CD format or an instant downloadable format. The CD will play in a computer CD drive, DVD player, or any MP3 compatible CD player.  Please note that the files will not play in a standard CD player.

The MP3 CD version costs $25 and the digital download costs $18. We received the MP3 CD and listened to it on my laptop. It lasts for 10 hours and 53 minutes and is broken down into 19 chapters on average of 35 minutes each. You can purchase these and other audio books online at Jim Hodges Productions or by sending a check.  

In the Heart of the Rockies is by G.A. Henty and set during the early American history time period of the 1860's. We were introduced to Henty earlier this year and have fell in love with his novels. He accurately portrays history with the remarkable skills of a storyteller. We used the free version from Gutenberg to follow along as Jim Hodges read to us the story of Tom Wade. The book is not necessary but it aids my oldest son who is currently a 10th grader to really comprehend what he is hearing. He is receiving both the visual and auditory learning that he needs. My 6th and 8th graders listened in as well.  

In the Heart of the Rockies takes you on the adventures of Tom Wade as he leaves his England home a boy at the age 16 and joins his Uncle Harry in Denver, Colorado to help mine for gold so that he could help his sisters earn money for their family finances. Both of his parents had already passed away and they left behind Tom and his four sisters.  He felt leaving for America was his best option to help take care of his sisters.  His Uncle had previously sent a letter to his mother (before she died) telling her of his good fortune and letting her know that he could put Tom to work easily and "make a man out of him."  After many toils and troubles some of which include frigid temperatures and Native American warriors, he finds the fortune in which he set out to find.  As the story draws to an end and Tom returns to England two and a half years later, he has turned into a man just as his Uncle Harry had promised.  The story is full of vivid vocabulary that help you visualize the surroundings of Tom and the Colorado Rockies.

Also available for purchase is a study guide.  The study guide cost an additional $12 but in our opinion is well worth the extra cost.  The guide covers two chapters at a time and has a place to discuss vocabulary, history and comprehension questions, and an activity section.  There are also three quizzes included. It includes all the answers to each question and quiz at the end.  Some of the activities include research, geography, Venn diagrams, charts, experiments, character traits and more making it really simple to make each of these novels into a complete unit study.  We used the study guide together as a family and pick and chose what activities we found most interesting.

Click the banner below to find out what my crew mates thought of some of the other audio books available from Jim Hodges Productions. You can also find Jim Hodges Productions on Facebook.

Review of Clued In Kids Treasure Hunts

Do you want to have a house full of laughter in less than 10 minutes?  Then, this review is for you!  We recently received 2 treasure hunts from Clued in Kids. They offer lots of different themed hunts to appeal to everyone but for this review we will focus on the Halloween Treasure Hunt and the Princess Treasure Hunt Clue Book.
Our family loves treasure hunts!  The hard part for me is often trying to come up with the clues so now the hard part is done for me so we can focus on the fun! The Halloween Treasure Hunt is downloaded as a PDF product and can be purchased and downloaded right away for $5.99.  The clues print 2 to a page so you will need to cut the page in half and then you are ready to hide the clues. Also included with the hunt is one of my favorite pages, a page telling you exactly where each clue should be hid! There is also a note at the bottom of each clue addressed to the hunt leader telling them exactly where the clue needs to be hid.  They have truly made this as simple as possible!

The clues are designed so that you can place a child's name on the top if you feel they will need it.  Sometimes the excitement of the hunt may bring on the selfishness to find all the clues and not share so this little step remedies that situation!  It is also gives the parent an opportunity to assign the easier clues to a younger child and the more difficult clues to an older child.  

Some of the activities included in cracking the clue include multiplication, logic skills, reading skills, solving riddles, unscrambling words, dares, decoding, finding hidden objects, and many more.

The places to hide the clues are easily found household items such as by the forks, in the washer, by the toothbrushes, in the sock drawer, etc.

Here you can see some of the clues and the final hiding place for the treasure was to be placed inside a pumpkin.  Since we had not carved our pumpkins yet, I had these as decoration and they worked perfectly.  

For this treasure, I chose a totally gross science kit that went perfect for a Halloween treasure.  The kit came with this little trash can which fit perfectly inside the pumpkin so I just tore off the box label and placed it inside.

So, the fun continued as we enjoyed our gross science. 

Next up, we enjoyed the Princess Treasure Hunt Clue Book. This is a physical clue pad booklet and can be purchased for $8.99.  I originally chose this product to do with our little girls at church during our annual Princess of the King party but our time ran out and we could not get it in.  So, having my own little princess, I knew exactly what to do.  Double the hunt, double the fun!
Some of the activities included with this hunt were finding the Capital letter jewels, practicing your best and lowest curtsy, decoding with butterflies and flowers, gem patterns, and much more.
Again, the places to hide the clues were easily found in a household.  If doing this hunt at church, we would have just held on to some of the clues (such as the sock drawer) and let the little princesses do an activity to receive the clue (like walk to me in high heels). 
The final treasure for this hunt was found in the washing machine.  For this treasure, I simply put together a goody bag that included some chocolate, some craft kits, and a fun card game.

These are recommended for a wide variety of ages including some for ages 4 and up.  We had so much fun with these and my children are middle school age.  Middle schoolers still enjoy fun learning too!
Here are a few pictures during the hunt.

Other Places To Find Clued in Kids

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cluedinkids
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cluedinkids
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cluedinkids/

If you sign up for their newsletter, you can receive a free hunt.  Clued in Kids is offering up a Christmas special over at their blog as well.

They also have subscription packages available where you can receive a new hunt every month.  

•   3 month: $14.99 one-time
•   6 month: $25.99 one-time
• 12 month: $44.99 one-time 

Happy Hunting!

Review of New Liberty Videos - The Forbidden Book

New Liberty Videos has produced a line of Christian DVDs whose tag line is "Christian DVDs changing lives now and for eternity." We had the opportunity to review The Forbidden Book.

This DVD lasts approximately 58 minutes and carries you through the history of the English Bible.  It is recommended for a general audience but it may be over the heads of younger children and discusses some hard topics.  You would definitely want to preview this before sharing it with your children.   In our house, we have already discussed some of the torture proceedings of the early church so my children were fine with watching.  
It is presented in a documentary style with narration that takes you through the history of the English Bible.
It is broken down into these subtitles...

• The Dark and Middle Ages
• The Culdees
• John Wycliffe
• Chains of Freedom
• William Tyndale
• the martyrs
• Martin Luther
• King James Bible
• Apocryphal Books
• The Bible's Influence In America

This DVD will take you on location to England, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland where you will follow the footsteps of such brave men as John Wycliffe, John Huss, Martin Luther, William Tyndale and so many more.  You will find out the obstacles they faced as they persevered to bring the common man the English translation of the Bible.  

Some of the images included are (many more images and artifacts are included - this is just a few)...

• 1000 year old Torah on sheep skin paper
• some of the first Hebrew Bibles
• The Latin Vulgate.
• building remains still standing today as well as some of the first churches to contain the title Christian on them
• Oxford and Cambridge Universities
• actual page from Tyndale's 1526 New Testament
• the Geneva Bible
• images from Foxe's Book of Martyrs

Our Thoughts and Usage

We loved seeing the images included in the DVDs as well as the locations.  It really made you feel as if you were on a virtual field trip.  

The narration style and classical background music made it a little difficult for my children to stay intrigued but stopping the video through out and discussing it at the subtitle points helped with that tremendously.  They would have had a very difficult time watching the entire DVD at one sitting.  We love learning together as a family but I think this would also be a great series of videos to include in any high schooler's curriculum. 

Brian Barker, producer of New Liberty Videos has been working in the motion picture business for 40+ years.  Some of the other DVDs available from New Liberty Videos include...

• Anthem for a Nation
• The Forbidden Book
• Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls
• A Nation Adrift
• Teaching Origins Objectively
• Warriors of Honor
• Revival of Evil and Cult Explosion
• The UFO Conspiracy
• Life After Abortion
• All About Them
• Free Indeed:  The Phil Thatcher Story

You may purchase these DVDs online here or by sending a check.  You may also preview some of the DVDs at New Liberty Videos. There are several pricing options available.  Shipping is free no matter which option you choose!

1 DVD   = $14.95 each

2 DVDs = $12.95 each

3 or more DVDs = $ 9.95 ea or 6 DVDs = $49.95 Total