Secret Keeper Girl

Dannah Gresh is the amazing Mom-inventor of Secret Keeper Girl.  The movement began as a book that she wrote called, "Secret Keeper Girl: The Power of Modesty" which is about keeping some special things secret until you find that special man to marry.  Dannah didn't stop with that one book though.  She realized that worldly advertisements and social media were causing anxiety, depression, and even early sexual debut in today's teen girls.  She has since written many more books and even created a live event that tours the country each year to remind girls that they are special and loved by Jesus.

Tonight Rachel and I went to our first Secret Keeper Girl live event.  This year's tour is called Masterpiece. It was an amazing mother-daughter experience.


The event took place at First Denton church and we had to buy tickets in advance.  I took this picture as the show was just starting but soon the seats were pretty full so I would guess that it might have been a sold out event.

The show began with a reading of Genesis and the story of Creation.  The girls were reminded that they are a beautiful creation by a good and loving God.  The theme scripture for the event was Ephesians 2:10 which we recited several times during the night to help us memorize it....sometimes in silly voices, sometimes singing it like an opera singer.

There was some discussion about what a masterpiece is.  We learned about several famous pieces of art, including the Mona Lisa.  We learned how a masterpiece must be protected and preserved because it is special.  The girls were reminded how they are each God's beautiful masterpieces.  It was a powerful message but it was kept fun with lots of singing and dancing.  Many times the girls were allowed to go up on the stage to sing along.

A cute souvenir that many of the girls just "had to have" were the light up flower headbands.  Rachel looked so cute in it that I just couldn't resist getting it for her.  She loves it.

The music performances were great and everyone was singing along.

My favorite part of the night was when they sang "Masterpiece" by Danny Gokey.  It was so perfect for this event and it is one of my favorite songs right now.

We learned about the Truth or Bare Fashion Test that we can use to determine if our clothes are too revealing.  We only covered three of the tests at the event but the website lists several more.  Then we watched a mother-daughter fashion show modeling outfits that were adorable yet modest.

The night ended with an invitation for girls to say a prayer to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  It was such a beautiful event.


If you would like to learn more about Secret Keeper Girl, please check out the Secret Keeper Girl website or follow Secret Keeper Girl on Facebook

Bible Study for All Ages {Review}

Bible Study Guide for All Ages is a fun interactive homeschool Bible curriculum for teaching your children about the Word of God and how to apply it in their lives.  The Homeschool Review Crew gave us an option to review this program so Rachel has been working through the Intermediate (3rd and 4th grade) curriculum.  They also offer a Beginner level for ages 3 - Kindergarten, Primary for 1st and 2nd grade, and Advanced for 5th and 6th grade.

The curriculum is a four unit program containing 416 lessons total.  It is intended to be completed over the course of four years.  Each unit can be completed in one school year if your student works on lessons 3 times per week.  Each unit is divided into 4 quarters and there is a separate book for each quarter.  For the purpose of this review, we received Unit 1, Quarter 1 Intermediate Level Student Pages, the accompanying Teacher Key, and the Small Bible Book Summary Cards.  I will cover how to use those as we go along.

Rachel begins each lesson with reading the scripture listed for that lesson.  Then she works through the review part called "Remember It?" and "Memory Workout" which challenges students to recall what they have learned in previous lessons and work on drills to help learn important facts like the books of the Bible and the twelve sons of Jacob.

There is a fun "Guess What" section that gives interesting tidbits and facts that relate to the lesson.  Once she has read that she begins working on the "Timeline" or "Map" activity.  There are directions that tell her what to do.  Here she is drawing a skinny cow on the timeline where Pharaoh had his dream.  She chose to make it a pink cow because she likes strawberry milk!  I like how there is structure in this curriculum yet it allows the students to be creative and make it more personalized for them.

The Map section has the student circle towns, mark arrows for travel, etc.  This is important for students to be able to "see" the geography of the Bible and how towns and landforms are located in relation to each other.

The "Apply It!" section is important because this is where the student is applying the lessons they learned in the Bible study to their own lives.  They are given scenarios and asked to finish the story or simply asked direct questions about what they should do or what the Bible says about a particular situation.  This is a great part of the curriculum.  The students aren't just reading the Bible but learning to use the lessons to spread the love of God to the world.

The back of each Student Page has the "Discover the Bible" section.  This page has a comic strip style and the student follows the directions to mark out words that are incorrect, match up pictures in the story, and fill in the blanks.  Rachel likes to add a little color to her pages too.

The Teacher Key has a page that corresponds to each of the Student Pages.  It is really needed if you use the Wall Maps and Timeline set because it directs you on which labels need to be placed on each.  

We are not using the Wall Maps and Timeline set but I still find the Teacher Key to be helpful.  It provides me with a quick reference to the answers that Rachel should be marking in her Student Pages and it also helps me see how she should be completing her individual timeline and maps.

We also received the Small Bible Book Summary Cards.  These are a great resource for any child learning about the Bible, even if they aren't using this full curriculum.  Each lesson refers the child to read or re-read a summary card.

There is one card for each book of the Bible.  The front of the card summarizes the book with colorful pictures which serve as a great reminder of what the story is about.

The back of each card has a written summary of the book.  There are also a list of questions about the book that the teacher can use to quiz their child.  The answers to the questions are in small print after the question.

Wall Maps and Timeline Set for $24.95.  The timeline is 76" x 25".  There are three large maps included in the set.  One of the maps measures 36" x 25" and the other two maps are 19" x 25".  We already have a giant timeline on our school room wall so I didn't opt to receive these but they look like great products to help clarify the time line and geography of the Bible.

Children's Songs 2-CD set is available for $19.95.  The lessons direct you when to play certain songs from the CD that correspond with what the student is learning.  It is a fun addition to the curriculum but not required.

You can purchase all of the pieces separately but I would recommend buying the Intermediate Starter Pack.  There are two versions of the Starter Pack to choose from.  The basic includes all four units of the Intermediate Student Pages, the Large Bible Book Summary Cards and the Children's Songs CD for $67.80.  The premium version includes all of these item but also the Teacher Keys, Wall Maps and Timeline set and the Label book for book that contains the labels for the maps and timeline.  The premium set sells for $135.61.

For more information about Bible Study for All Ages, please visit these social media sites:

Website: https://biblestudyguide.com/index.php
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BibleStudyG/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BibleStudyG

If you would like to read additional reviews about this curriculum from other Homeschool Review Crew members, please just click on the banner below:

Planet 316 Story Bible Review

Rachel received a beautifully illustrated story Bible from Planet 316 and Worthy Kids/Ideals for a review.  The book contains over 100 Bible stories from both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The stories are about 2-6 pages each.  But this is no ordinary book.  Pictures on every page can come to life with augmented reality by scanning the page with the Planet 316 app.  

What is augmented reality?  My husband describes it as the modern day pop-up.  When you look at the book through the app on a tablet or smart phone, computer images of the page literally "pop-up" on the screen.  They move, talk, and interact with each other!  It is truly amazing technology.  Rachel and I have both been fascinated with learning all about it with the Planet 316 story Bible and the companion Planet 316 Story Bible App



You can purchase the book for about $14.99 on the Planet 316 website.  Then you need to download the Planet 316 app.  It is free and it is available on Google Play for Android as well as the Apple App Store for Apple devices.

Once you open the app, it will walk you through the three main steps for what you need to do next:

Rachel reads the story then she goes back and uses the Planet 316 app on my iPad to scan the pictures on the page in the book.  Below is a quick video to just give you an idea of how amazing the Planet 316 augmented reality app looks when you scan the book.  The images literally pop off the page and come to life!

I love that Planet 316 has created such a fun way for kids to learn about the Bible.  As a mom on the go, I also love that it can go with her just about anywhere.  Rachel usually reads her Planet 316 Story Bible at home but she also loves to have it when she is waiting for big brother's ice hockey game to start or for spending time in the waiting area at a doctor's office.  All she has to bring with her to the game is the book, my iPad, and some headphones. 

The storybook is recommended for ages 4-7.  However, I would have read this aloud to my children at a younger age and the app certainly would have kept their attention.  Rachel is 9 years old and while she is reading at a higher level than the text of this book, the app makes it so intriguing for her that she still enjoys reading it.  Also, I love that she has brought it with her to the park and shared it with her younger friends.  It makes it easy to share the stories of the Bible with others when there is such a fun and interactive way to tell the stories.

For more information about Planet 316, please visit them on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Planet316/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/planet_316

If you would like to read additional reviews about Planet 316 from other members of the Homeschool Review Crew, please click on the banner below:

Shepherd, Potter, Spy - and the Star Namer {Review}

My children love books about historical fiction.  We usually snuggle up on the couch and read them aloud together then the children narrate back to me what we just read and we talk about what stood out for them in the passages  It's a fun way to study books together and we all learn from each other's different perspectives this way.
We recently read aloud a great book called Shepherd, Potter, Spy - and the Star Namer by Peggy Consolver - Author.  It is a creative historical fiction presentation of the story of the Gibeonites and of Moses leading the Israelites out of the desert.  It is based on the stories in the Bible, specifically Joshua 9 and 10.

The tale is told from the perspective of Keshub, a Gibeon shepherd boy just "twelve harvests" old.  He deals with same issues that most adolescents today must face such as being overshadowed by his successful older brothers, a taunting village bully, and dreams of doing something more exciting than just spending his days working at his family's pottery business.

Keshub's eyes are opened as he begins learning about the world outside his little village.  He befriends the scared son of the evil king of the Amorites.  He hears about the Hebrews approaching and how they have conquered the cities that fought them.  Gibeonites watch as the Hebrews bring the walls of Jericho down.  What will happen as they approach Gibeon?

Keshub faces everyday challenges but also some scary, life threatening situations.  But in spite of his fears, he consistently responds with compassion for others as well as bravery in difficult circumstances as he moves forward with trusting faith.

Regarding faith, we also see the story from the perspective of the Hebrews and how God helped them through their journeys and battles as He led them towards the Promised Land.

The story takes place in Old Testament times so sometimes the locations, geography, tools, and chores mentioned in the book may seem foreign to the reader.  Fortunately, Peggy Consolver - Author has created a great resource on her website that contains maps and some research links which include texts and videos to help clarify various things mentioned in the book.  We still had to look up a few other things and find a more detailed map but the resources on her website were very helpful.

She also offers a study guide for purchase that you can sample on her website.  The study guide has links to more information as well as thinking questions and map work.  It is a great supplement to the book and really brings the story to life.


You can purchase the book and the study guide at http://peggyconsolver.com/purchase/

We enjoyed reading this book together and I would definitely recommend it to others.  It is a long book at 374 pages and I would suggest it for middle school reading level or higher. 

If you would like to read some additional reviews from other members of the Homeschool Review Crew then just click the banner below:

SchoolhouseTeachers.com Review

I've looked at SchoolhouseTeachers.com several times over the last few years and have considered signing up for a membership but just never took the plunge.  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew I was recently given the opportunity to review a Yearly Membership with SchoolhouseTeachers.com.  Wow! Now that we've had a few weeks to get a feel for the site and all that it has to offer, I'm kicking myself for not joining sooner!

The new SchoolhouseTeachers.com website is amazing!  It is easy to use and navigate.  They offer Online Classes and Online Electives to use in your homeschool, either as your full curriculum or as a supplement to what you are already using.  There are Scope and Sequence charts, lesson plans, and printable certificates of completion. 
Homeschooling children of multiple ages?  No problem!  They have course work for students preschool - high school. We have used several of their history lessons while studying the Renaissance.  There are weekly lesson plans, lapbooks, notebooking pages, as well as links to videos and related maps as well as hands-on activities like games, recipes, and crafts to really bring the Renaissance to life for my kids.  
In addition to the courses, we have also enjoyed some of the special online access to products included in our membership like The World of Animals through the World Book eBook Library and learning about how Christopher Columbus discovered American through watching the amazing video series called Drive-Thru History.  These have been so much fun for my kids to explore!
Just take a look at the subjects below that are covered in the SchoolhouseTeachers.com courses:

In addition to the wealth of curriculum on the site, there is also an abundance of homeschool parent support resources on the site.  As a member you can download several different planners.  Here are just two of them which are for homeschool parents to help organize their homeschool as well as manage their home. However, they also offer primary, intermediate, and high school student planners, as well as a planner for special needs students.

There is also a Custom Schedule Builder to help you organize your homeschool day as well as online access to Applecore Recordkeeping for tracking your students' portfolio, coursework, grades, and attendance.
SchoolhouseTeachers.com really has everything you might need for your homeschool!
Be sure to join SchoolhouseTeachers.com during their Super Christmas Sale and save 50% by using code: CHRISTMAS for $9.95/month or CHRISTMASYEAR for $90/year.  This is really a great deal!  The sale ends on January 15th so HURRY and lock in your promo rate.

To read more reviews for SchoolhouseTeachers.com from other members of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew, please click on the graphic below:


My kids and I have thoroughly enjoyed using SchoolhouseTeachers.com in our homeschool and I have written my honest opinion about this product.  Although I was given a free Yearly Membership in order to research the product and write this review, I have benefited so much from it that I will definitely renew our membership when this one expires.

Wizzy Gizmo: Who Created Everything? {Review}

Who Created Everything?

This is an important question and one that my kids delighted in learning about as they listened to the Wizzy Gizmo CD, Who Created Everything?

This audio drama is a fun Bible study for kids on the Book of Genesis.  It is told in a story format with fun characters on an exciting learning adventure.  Wizzy Gizmo is a wacky professor and inventor who has created the amazing Gizmovision that can bring books to life to be experienced in person.  As the Gizmovision brought the Bible to life for the characters on the CD, my kids were engaged with the story while learning about scripture, the days of Creation, and Who created everything.


The story lasts a little over 30 minutes but there is also about 24 minutes of bonus soundtrack material as well.

What my kids liked most
My daughter liked the catchy tunes and bopped her head along to the beat.  My son liked the cool names like "Gizmovision" and their ship, the "Gizmoblaster".  They both thought the story was a fun way for kids to listen to the Bible.

What my kids didn't like
My daughter wished there was a video instead of a CD so she could see the silly characters and the Gizmovision.  She thought some coloring pages of each of the days of Creation to work on while she listened to the CD would be great too.

My comments
As a homeschool mom, I'm always looking for products that support my children's Christian education.  As to my daughter's comments about wishing it was a DVD, I'm prefer audio CDs like this.  We usually listen to audio books in the car while driving around town running errands.   I find that we are more likely to discuss the stories together and make comments along the way than if they were watching it on a video.  Besides, I like audio books because it encourages the child to use their own imaginations to create what they think the characters and contraptions would look like.  I loved the fun story and songs.  I just wish that we could get more stories but so far this is the only audio CD available...but I hear they are working on more right now.

How to get the CD
You can order online at Wizzy Gizmo.  You can get the digital download for yourself for just $9.99 or get the CD and digital download for $14.99.  I like having both because I can play the digital version on the computer at home and keep the CD in the car for when we are driving around.

For more reviews, please take a look at the Home and School Mosaics: Wizzy Gizmo Review page.  For more information about Wizzy Gizmo, please visit their website at www.WizzyGizmo.com.  You can also follow Wizzy Gizmo on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.

Note: Wizzy Gizmo sent me the CD, Who Created Everything? for free in exchange for my honest review.  I was not told what to say about it and my opinions stated here are all my own.

American Heritage Girls: Love God

Rachel received a white rose tonight for starting her first year in American Heritage Girls. 

 

She is 6 years old so she is in the Pathfinder program.  Melissa and I are Pathfinder co-leaders (although Melissa does most of it and plans amazing activities).

Melissa gave Rachel a birthday present.  A pink frog from the movie Rio.  As you can see, Rachel LOVES her new friend :)

Melissa planned a fun activity to teach the second Pathfinder Stepping Stone which is "Love God".  She had 7 paper bags and each bag had something inside it to represent one of the Days of Creation.  For the first day, there was a flashlight in the bag because God divided the light from the dark.  On the second day, God created the atmosphere and separated it from the waters...so there was a water bottle in the bag.  How cute!

We talked about each day and Rachel colored a corresponding coloring page. 

Of course, on the sixth day, God created man and woman.  We also talked about how God created another wonderful blessing.  Melissa pulled out a mirror and said, "God created you!"  Rachel had fun looking in the mirror!

Pathfinder girls have a big sister mentor.  Rachel's big sister is so sweet with her and Rachel loves her dearly.

Rachel "Reads" to Bitty Baby

Rachel loves to "read" aloud.  We read so much that she knows the stories well and tells them in her own words as she flips through the pictures in the book.

Tonight at bedtime, I asked her what she wanted me to read to her.  She said that she first wanted to read to her Bitty Baby.  She also told me that Bitty Baby was walking but fell and hit her head.  She said that she put some Neosporin and the Band-aid on it. 

I was quick to grab the camera as she started her bedtime reading to Bitty Baby.  She reads about the story of Creation as well as Adam and Eve.  It's hard to hear but she whispers something about the snake and then shortly afterwards she tells of Adam and Eve hiding and whispers "but God was coming".  It's just so cute!

Note: if you are reading this from the email updates then I think you will need to click on the title of the post in the email.  This should take you to the actual blog page where you can see the video.

Apologia Review: Who Am I?

Teaching what God's Word says is an important part of our homeschool curriculum. We feel that our role as parents is to not only teach our children academically but also develop their character and train them to see the world as God sees it so that they can go out into the world and do His work.

I have discovered a wonderful Bible curriculum that is helping us build these mighty little warriors for God and I'm excited to share it with you.



Apologia Educational Ministries has a series of materials called "What We Believe". It is a Bible curriculum written specifically for ages 6-14.

The series consists of four topics including:
* Who Is God? And Can I Really Know Him?
* Who Am I?
* Who Is My Neighbor?
* What on Earth Can I Do? (coming in 2012).

Apologia asked me to review the second volume, Who Am I?: Biblical Worldview of Self-Image. I received the hardback book, the audio CD, the notebooking journal, and the coloring book.

Wow! This is an impressive set of materials. I absolutely love presenting information in multiple ways - reading, listening, processing, and coloring. It helps the information all meld together and really stick.

There are 8 lessons in the book and we typically work on a lesson two days a week for three weeks. The lessons are full of engaging stories, fun activities, thought provoking questions, suggested vocabulary, memory verses, and more.

Self-image is something that all young children need help with from time to time. I know that God has placed this particular curriculum in our hands at this time because we can see that this is starting to be an issue with Nicholas. We want to be sure to guide his thoughts towards thinking of himself as God sees him and not judge himself based on arbitrary ideas of the world, particularly those of other 7 year olds. I know this curriculum will help him discern God's truth in himself and help protect his heart from some of the peer pressures of the world.

The Who Am I? products are available on the Apologia website.

Hardback book, $39
Audio CD, $19
Notebooking Journal, $24
Coloring Book, $8

I really love these products and highly recommend getting all pieces of the set to help your child get a full grasp on each message presented. Plus it just makes it more fun!

Please check out other TOS Crew reviews for Apologia's Who Am I?.

Note: Apologia sent me "Who Am I?" products for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated for my time and the opinions stated here are entirely my own.

Konos: Trust - Intro/Worry

Konos Unit: Trust
Theme: Worry

We are learning about the character trait of Trust in this unit.

We are starting off with trusting God and worry. We know that God is in control and that He can be trusted to take care of everything...so why do we worry?

We talked about what we can do when we are afraid or worried. Write down our worries, say a prayer, talk with someone about it. And trust in the Lord.

We have studied several great Bible verses about trusting in the Lord.

"When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee. In God, whose work I praise, in God I have put my trust: I shall not be afraid." – Psalm 56: 3-4

"Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God…" Phil 4:6

"Casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you." – 1 Peter 5:7

"I tell you, do not worry. Don’t worry about your life and what you will eat or drink and don’t worry about your body and what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than eating? Aren’t there more important things for the body than clothes?" Matthew 6:25

Next I let the kids illustrated one of the Bible verses. Rachel wasn't interested and preferred to paint in her Sesame Street coloring book.

But Nicholas really impressed me. He chose to illustrate Matthew 6:25. He wrote the verse on one side of the page. Then he painted a tree with a bird and God's hand reaching down from Heaven to feed the bird. It is really beautiful!

We read lots of library books on worrying. Nicholas read most of these aloud to Rachel.

We listened to songs/videos about having Faith in God. These are some of our favorites:

Chris Tomlin “Our God”
Jeremy Camp “Trust In You”

I had chosen the previous two songs while I was planning this lesson. However, as we were talking about the message in these songs, Nicholas remembered another song that fit our theme and he recommended this one:

PlanetShakers “Nothing is Impossible”

We will continue to remember throughout this unit that we can trust in God. Next we study some of God's laws for the physical world and see how and why they can be always be trusted.