Weigl Publishers offers an impressive array of media-enhanced digital books for students in grades K-12. A student can read the book themselves or they have the option to have the book read aloud to them as well as using other multi-media features that enhance the learning experience. Once the digital content has been unlocked for a book, your student will have access to those multi-media features indefinitely. This is not a subscription that will expire in a year.
Rachel was most excited about the book called Glaciers which is part of the Earth's Water series through Lightbox. It is intended for students in grades 3-6.
The digital content for Glaciers is amazing. Each page of the book shows symbols for the types of features that are available for it. Here is a picture of all of the different symbols that could appear on a page.
They include audio, video, an activity, weblink, slideshow, transparency, Google map, quiz, and key words. These features add so much more to the content than just what is included in the book.
Here are some examples below. This picture is of a map of glaciers around the world. You can see on the left hand side of the page that this page includes audio, an activity, transparency, and Google maps.
The transparency features takes a plain map and glaciers all around it along with some identified featured glaciers that appear in the boxes around the map. What happens when you click on one of these boxes? You get a screen that shows an actual Google map of that specific glacier so you can zoom in and out or look all around it. It is like you are visiting the actual glacier from your home!
Rachel loves the video features on the pages. The graphics are great and the information is presented in a clear, easy-to-understand way. Here is part of a video she watched of glacier crevasses.
There is also a quiz feature. If the student has read the book it will be a very easy quiz. Rachel thought it was actually a fun quiz to take.
The second book we reviewed is A Lion's World which is part of the Eye Discover series (www.eyediscover.com). This book is a great non-fiction easy reader that is intended for students in grades K-2.
Because A Lion's World is intended for younger students, it does not contain as much media content as Glaciers does. However it does have amazing videos of lions on each page. Rachel's favorite was listening to and watching the lion roar.
Finally, the last book we reviewed was There Once Was a Cowpoke Who Swallowed an Ant by Helen Ketteman. This book is an AV2 Fiction Readalong. It has sound effects and can read the book aloud for the student. This particular one is a really cute spin on the classic book by a similar title. There Once Was a Cowpoke Who Swallowed an Ant is intended for students in grades K-2.
Weigl Publishers has done a great job with their media-enhanced books. Rachel has learned a lot while reading and exploring the digital content of the Glaciers book. She wants to get more of their books so we looked at their list of the Lightbox Elementary books. My son Nicholas will be starting high school this fall so I think I will get him some of the Lightbox Secondary books.
If you would like to read additional reviews about these books from Weigl Publishers from other members of the Homeschool Review Crew, please click on the banner below:
The Heroes of History series is a collection of books by YWAM Publishing that cover the fascinating timeline of American history. They are perfect as stand alone books or they can be used as supplements for a history curriculum. These books are written as wonderful anecdotes that make reading biographies interesting and memorable. In February of this year, the famous pastor Billy Graham passed away. I had heard about Billy Graham over the years and I knew that he was a great preacher but I realized I really didn't know much about the man and his story. So when the Homeschool Review Crew gave me the chance to read and review a book by YWAM Publishing, I easily chose Heroes of History - Billy Graham: America's Pastor.
My children really enjoyed this book and every time we finished a chapter they asked to read "just one more chapter!" Nicholas' favorite part of the book was in the first chapter when "Billy Frank" Graham was a young boy and his father had held a prayer rally at their house. The book reads, "Later that night Billy Frank overheard his father telling his mother how a man named Vernon Patterson had prayed at the prayer rally and asked God to raise up out of the Charlotte area someone to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. Billy Frank wasn't so sure there was such a person in all of North Carolina, let alone the Charlotte area." Nicholas said that through the rest of the book God just kept putting new opportunities before Billy that challenged him beyond what he thought he could do but that each new step allowed Billy to reach more and more people with God's message. God was raising up Billy to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Billy Graham: America's Pastor is a paperback book recommended for ages 10 and up. It costs $7.50 at the YWAM website. We used it as a read aloud. Usually I read it aloud to the kids because they like the way I change my voice for the different characters but they take turns reading aloud as well. When we pick it up to read, I have the kids take turns narrating to me what happened in the previous chapter. This is a great way to refresh our memories and let the kids process what they have already read. Then we read the next chapter and we will discuss it further and talk about any questions or ideas they may have.
YWAM Publishing has downloadable Unit Studies/Curriculum Guides that go along with their books for just $5.49. The guides provide questions for discussion at the end of each chapter. The questions involve vocabulary, facts, comprehension, and open-ended questions to get students thinking. I use these for our discussions at the end of each chapter and they are very helpful.
When you download the guide, there is a 2-part 79 page unit study document you can print or you can access all of the information from main screen of the guide.
There is a wealth of information and ideas here to enhance our book study. There are ideas for essay/research topics, creative writing, hands-on projects, audio/visual projects, arts & crafts, and field trips. The guide also includes several maps and a timeline for students to track Billy Graham's life as well as a list of for additional books and resources to learn more about him. There is even a section on preparing a culminating event for the students to celebrate and share what they have learned. Since we first started homeschooling, I have enjoyed using books by YWAM Publishing for biographies and missionary stories. As you can see I already have the start of a nice collection of their books.
For more information about YWAM Publishing, check them out on social media:
To read additional YWAM Publishing reviews from the Homeschool Review Crew for this Billy Graham book as well as other great books by YWAM, please click on the banner below:
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:
I want to be more intentional about including fine arts in our homeschool. It's easy to let those things slide when the schedule gets busy. But I've been working on integrating more famous composers, paintings and sculptures, and of course, poetry into our school week.
Poetry is so beautiful. It speaks to the soul and can touch us in a way that regular prose and literature just can not do.
We have started having Poetry Tea Time and so far the kids are loving it. The idea is to have a special time each week to enjoy "the finer things". We play some soft classical music in the background and have a nice snack with some hot herbal tea (or maybe lemonade). We take turns reading poetry aloud or reciting poetry that we've memorized. If there is a painting or art piece that corresponds with our poetry selection then we will talk about that as well. Today we had an Easter and Daffodils themed tea setting.
Rachel loves tea parties and snacks so she was giddy to get started!
Part of the reason for having a formal tea party setting is that it is also a good way to sneak in some lessons on manners and etiquette to my children. I was proud to see Nicholas pouring Rachel's tea for her. He's growing up to be a fine young gentleman.
This tea was delicious! It's called Honeybush tea from Mountain Rose Herbs. It's organic and it contains berries, roses, and honey. Yum! We had our tea party close to lunch time so I made it a little heartier than usual. Deviled eggs...because you must have eggs if you want an Easter-themed snack. I also had some tortillas rolled up with ham or roast beef. The deli section at the grocery made this quick and easy for me but sometimes the kids like to take the time to bake cookies or get creative with their own snacks.
Of course, hot cross buns are perfect for an Easter-themed tea party.
We enjoyed a few chocolate eggs for our dessert.
I usually don't add anything to my hot tea but I showed the kids how to add cream and sugar to theirs.
To make it a little more fancy than usual I put cute little sugar cubes in the sugar bowl. I took this random picture of the kids and then realized that Nicholas was sneaking a plain sugar cube! Oh my!
I watched Nicholas drink his tea. He picked it up just a little bit and then leaned his body over to drink it. THIS is part of the etiquette training that my kids need!
I showed him how to drink tea while sitting up straight and bringing the cup to his mouth! You can tell from his eyes that he appreciated this training....
Easter is just a few days away and one of the poems I wanted to read to the children was about daffodils so I found some beautiful daffodils for the table. They bright color and soft petals just make me happy!
I read my poem aloud and I had them take turns narrating back to me what it was about. We talked about some vocabulary words as well as rhyme, rhythm, and personification.
Then I talked about the author, William Wordsworth, and read a few more of his poems.
Then the kids picked out some poems to read aloud. One of the poems Nicholas read was Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll.
We ended our Poetry Tea Time with some recitation. Nicholas learned Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost many years ago after his grandmother read it to him. I asked him if I could make this video so she could see that he still knows the poem even after all these years.
We don't usually have such a formal tea time and we don't usually have a particular theme but this one was a little more formal because of Easter. I think we all enjoyed the fancier setting so we just might continue to do it this way. It's just a small way to make appreciating poetry a little more fun.
If you have talked to me much about homeschool and language arts, you know that I enjoy learning from Andrew Pudewa so I thought I'd share his most recent podcast which just happens to be all about poetry -
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:
Rachel has been enjoying learning about yoga with these adorable Garden Yoga Cards for Kids. The cards teach children various yoga poses by comparing the pose to something they might find in a garden like a frog, cricket, or caterpillar.
The cards come in a downloadable format so I printed four cards to a page, laminated the page, cut out the cards, and put them on a ring to help my daughter flip through them.
Rachel likes to put a towel on the ground in our back yard and work through the yoga poses. Here she is looking at the Squat Pose which is like a Frog.
She is 8 years old and had no experience with yoga before trying these cards. She loves the connection of the poses with the garden.
The Garden Yoga Cards for Kids includes 20 yoga pose cards and 20 garden cards in a downloadable format.
We homeschool so Rachel likes to use her Garden Yoga Cards for Kids during her school breaks. I have noticed that the stretches and the time outdoors helps her be more relaxed and focused when she sits back down for school.
The Garden Yoga Cards may be purchased at Kids Yoga Stories for $9.95 for a digital download. There is also an amazing book that just happens to be titled Rachel's Day in the Garden that tells a cute story using some of the Garden Yoga poses.
The kids have loved learning about the amazing ideas of Leonardo DaVinci. One of the things they found interesting was that he was constantly writing down his ideas in journals. They could be random ideas or sketches. They were partial thoughts...not plans for a complete invention. We talked about how we all get neat ideas for things but then never go back and finish thinking them through or doing anything about them. Having a journal to put down your great ideas on paper is a fantastic way to encourage creativity and inventiveness.
So the kids made their own Great Ideas Journals. Leatherwork was a common art form in the Renaissance times so I picked up some leather book cover kits at Tandy Leather.
The book cover kit is all put together and ready to go but it allows for creativity in decorating and customizing the look of their journals. First you use a damp sponge and moisten the leather. This makes it softer and easier to use the leather stamps. We have lots of leather stamps and a mallet so I let the kids do their own thing with those.
Nicholas made a border around his then wrote "Great Ideas" in freehand on the cover.
He added some swirls on the cover as well. Then he used a leather stain to really bring out the beautiful color of the leather.
Here is his finished journal cover. I bought some plain sketch books for their journal. They just slide into the pockets on the inside. The journals can be replaced when they get full and they can still keep the same leather cover.
Rachel used a more tropical theme for her journal. I love the sea shells and hibiscus flowers together.
She added a title and a few other decorations to her cover and then stained it as well.
Here are a few ideas from Rachel's Great Ideas Journal. A huge multi-level tree house.
I like this idea below. It is a robot that does her homework for her. I think it might could be adapted to do housework too so I'm really encouraging her to pursue that idea a little further!
A journal is a great way for kids to get their thoughts on paper. Kids should be encouraged to use the journals however works best for them. Some kids might choose to draw sketches of their ideas to tinker or plans for the future, Others might want a journal with lined pages to write out their thoughts and feelings in words. However they choose to use it is fine. And they don't need a fancy leather cover. A cute notebook from the dollar store works great too. They can decorate the cover with markers and stickers and make it personal.
