Bible Book Breakdowns {for your homeschool}

by Meghan // October 12, 2021 // No Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

My kids really enjoy using their Bibles as we do our Bible reading or memory verse work. When my kids are about 7, reading well and able to understand the Bible better, I get them their own Nirv Bible. Teach Sunday School has created dozens of helpful tools for children and adults; we’ve been using their Bible Breakdowns. These are really fun, easy to use, and visibly uncluttered breakdowns of the books of the Bible.

What Are These Bible Breakdowns?

These breakdowns cover each book of the Bible, and are divided into two sections: New and Old Testaments.

Each breakdown includes:

summary about the book
number of chapters
type of book (ex: history, Gospel, Epistle, as well as what category of each type)
date written
period covered
author
and an overview of each section of verse-what those verses are about, or what Bible story they pertain to, including not well known stories.
most popular verses from that book

How to Use Them

These Bible Breakdowns are going to be perfect for families studying the Bible together; whether during homeschool, bedtime devotional time, or for personal bible time, the breakdowns are helpful for anyone needing more in-depth information for studying their Bible. You can spiral bind them, which is what I plan to do, or hole punch and put in a folder for easy access. We liked using them before our homeschool Bible time, to go over all the specific information about that book of the Bible. It was easy for the kids to understand and helped me explain things without too much over thinking. It’s also great if your family is working through a timeline book, you can easily add the dates of each book and when they were written to your timeline.

The breakdown of Esther looks like this:

I also like that there are spots for you to check off as you go through and read each chapter of that book.

These Bible Breakdowns are so easy to use. My oldest has her own copy, and likes looking through them as she reads her Bible, or when she has questions. I think these are also going to be helpful if you’re reading the Bible on an app; you can keep the PDF version of the breakdowns on your device so you can easily reference them. I like pen and paper, so printing them was my preference.

Teach Sunday School has so many wonderful resources for anyone studying the Bible, doing Bible activities, or looking for information about the Bible for their home, small group, or classroom. Check them out!

Connect with Teach Sunday School

Check out more Crew reviews for Teach Sunday School by clicking the banner below:

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Beginner Math with Counting Kingdom: a review

by Meghan // October 8, 2021 // No Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

A few days a week, we have been using Counting Kingdom, a fun online introductory math program from Reading Kingdom, for review. Reading Kingdom offers other programs: Story Smarts, Spelling ninja, along with Counting Kingdom that you can read about by clicking the banner at the bottom of this post. These are online based programs, and will require internet access to be used; they can be used on a desktop or device.

We found the program to be easy to use, and fun. My 5 year old used it on my iPad most of the time. Counting Kingdom is designed for children ages 4-8, and I found that this is probably the most appropriate ages, or more specifically, the right level. This is going to be a great supplement to homeschoolers with younger children not quite ready for full blown math curriculum, or students that need extra practice working on a 3rd grade level and below.

About the Program

The program says for best results, use 4 days per week. I can see how this could hinder some use, but the idea is to use the program consistently. Students will learn math concepts including recognizing, counting, and understanding numbers up to 10, 1:1 correspondence, and more.

level 1: teaching and understanding number concepts using 1-10
Level 2: starts with introducing higher level math concepts using terms such as same, all, some
Level 3: starts adding memory tasks and introduces basic operations

Students begin in lesson 1:1 and move up through the program. You can adjust the student’s level in the settings, if needed. There is an option to adjust the speed of the program as well, allowing more or less response time. Parents can also get a report on how well students are doing. There is a key for what each symbol means in the dashboard for parents to easily see progress.

My 5 year old did enjoy this program more than my 7 year old. I started it with my 7 year old, but switched to the 5 year old because most of the concepts were new to her. I really like that it works with a ten frame and creates that visual concepts- this was the main reason I wanted to review the program. Ten frames are such a great tool for math concepts using numbers 1-10.

My older girl was definitely not as interested; it is a slower paces program which is going to serve its purpose for some students, 💯! For others it is going to be too dull and slow. As always, knowing your student and what they need is going to be best for your family. The concepts are solid, and I think for students that need help with fewer distractions (crazy noises, bright lights, flashing/moving characters) this is going to work well for them!

Connect with Reading Kingdom

To read more Reading Kingdom reviews, click the banner below:

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Reading Eggs and Math Seeds for Your Homeschool

by Meghan // September 23, 2021 // No Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

I need to get the garden picked, and dishes done … and help with the animal chores. But first I want to tell you how much we have enjoyed Reading Eggs! This subscription includes both Reading Eggs and Math Seeds, their math program.

We have reviewed this interactive reading program before, and my children all enjoy it. This time I used it for the younger two, and they had so much fun. The program is suitable for children 3-13! Yes, you read that correctly- up to 13.
After farm chores, or school time I would let them each take a turn working through their level in the program. They enjoyed making their own little character, and working their way through the reading map.

I love that there is the option for desktop or an app for Reading Eggs and Math Seeds.

Students can (and should) take the placement test which is simple, and takes the guess work out of trying to find the just right level; the program does it for you! The placement test was right for both of my girls, with no problems. If your student is not familiar with using an online program/app (like my 5 year old) I would say help them with making the choices/moving the pieces during the placement teat, because that can obviously impact their level. But after a little practice of using the app, it becomes pretty intuitive for them.

My girls progressed well through their levels. I love that the added reading practice is fun for them; it helps on days when I may not have time to put together something fun for their practice, or we need a change up from the typical school day. My children usually get a little screen time after cleaning day is over, so Reading Eggs is great for that, too! They like having something new to try and I like that it is educational and helping with their foundational reading.

The parent’s screen for each child lets the parent know how that child is progressing, what they have read well, where there may be struggles for added practice purposes. There is even data for their growth in each area. This is great for anyone needing to give a district or state data, as well as just wanting to track progress for yourself.

Then there is Math Seeds! Math Seeds is an interactive math program for children ages 3-9 that helps them with problem solving and solidifying math skills. The structured lessons are fun and inviting for kids and easy for parents to set up. As you can see below, there are different areas to choose from in Math Seeds- after taking the placement test, students can begin lessons at their personalized level.

There are options for lots of fun games and skill building, test taking, spending points earned in the shop, and there is even a play room for children to explore. I remember doing some old school programs back in the 90s that had rooms like that- and I *loved* them. If your kids are anything like mine, they will love this! And you can rest knowing they are learning and spending time wisely.

$Math Seeds$

I think Reading Eggs and Math Seeds are great for foundation skills in both subjects; it is also a great supplement to your current schooling situation, whether at home or elsewhere.

Connect with Reading Eggs

Read more reviews from The Crew of Reading Eggs and Math Seeds by clicking the banner below:
Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Emergent Reader Fun with one More Story {a review}

by Meghan // May 27, 2021 // 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

You may have seen me posting about One More Story over on Instagram. This has been so much fun for our family. One More Story is an app (or website, we tried both ways, but settled on the iPad app), where children and families can enjoy being read precious picture books. There are currently over 87 books to choose from, on five different book cases, with more to come!

After logging in, there are different ways for children to use the program. First click on the book cover to hear the title and author/illustrator. Then:

Select the book you want to read, then click the green button below it
Click Bendy, the bookworm site host, to have the book read to you, and pages turned automatically
Click the green arrow in the bottom right corner to have the book read to you with the pages turned manually. You will continue touching/clicking the green arrow in that spot to turn each page.
Click on the I can Read badge on the left to read a book on your own, with the sound track turned off. Any word can be clicked to hear it read by the narrator. Click the E in the lower left of the text post to hear the entire text read. Children can “echo” back the words.

There are also vocabulary words for each book (woo hoo!- I see a whole creative unit to be made using books from One More Story).

In both automatic and manual modes, the words are highlighted as the narrator reads, which is a proven way to help emergent readers understand text on a page- this is similar to following the words with your finger while reading to children. Pointing to/highlighting the words in a book teaches early readers that words have meaning on a page, and that we read left to right on a page. These aren’t just valuable, they are necessary pre-reading skills for children. Thank you One More Story, for adding this into your program! Emergent readers are actively learning, while reading a book, which is just what we want as teachers.

When a book is read in the I Can Read mode (number 4 above), any word the child clicks to have read to them, is added to the My Word List. This gives a young reader the opportunity to identify, review and master words that cannot easily be sight read for them. When a word is mastered, it can be dragged on My Learned Words. The My Word List badge is displayed on the last page of a book so that children can review the words they have learned from that book! This is such a great motivator, and an easy way to see how far your children have come. (Below I’ve added the word said to the My Word List.)

I love that the books have background noises/music to go along with them. The stories really are brought to life in this way; it makes them more real, and reminds me a lot of watching Reading Rainbow (throw back!). Maybe that is because it is original music by Sesame Street vet Robby Merkin. These stories are books we have on our shelves, or would like to- and that’s how I know they’re high quality. No twaddle here! Plus the narrators are just delightful-so much expression and easy to understand/listen to voices.

We found a new favorite book, Rattletrap Car, by Phyllis Root. This farm family is getting ready for a trip to the beach. But on their way, first a wheel falls off, then the floor falls out, the gas tank falls off, etc. Each time there is a catastrophe, the children have a creative way of fixing the car from their packed goods. (This is the perfect chance to make a family book club/activity and enjoy some chocolate marshmallow fudge delight. Mmmm) There are so many sound words (onomatopoeia) in this book, kids are going to love it! Mine definitely did, as did I.

We have really enjoyed using the One More Story subscription in our home. It is going to be perfect for a cross country car ride to the beach this year with young children. We are also going to enjoy adding it in as part of our summer homeschool.

Connect with One More Story

Be sure to check out the Review Crew blog to read more reviews!

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Family Devotional with Bob Goff- Homeschool Morning Time, Bedtime

by Meghan // May 18, 2021 // No Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

Each night we read a chapter/section from a devotional, and often read a few stories from the Beginner’s Bible, to our children. The lst several weeks we have been using a new “devotional” and have really enjoyed it. Tommy Nelson Publishing so graciously sent us Everybody, Always for Kids , by Bob Goff and Lindsey Goff Viducich.
We love supporting theologically accurate books which teach about loving like Jesus and walking in such a way that reflects that. Everybody, Always for Kids fits into our family perfectly. We have enjoyed reading a new story several times a week, before bed. My kids beg to read from this book, enjoy the lovely illustrations, and understand the lessons taught.

The binding feels sturdy, and the thick, glossy pages should hold up well to many years of love. There is also a royal blue, satin ribbon bookmark along with an inscription page, making this a perfect gift.

Inside this hard bound book, parents will find 40 stories of personal experience, that help children see the world from others’ point of view, and help them understand how to love others well. Each story focuses on a different situation or feeling, and how to respond/go to action, from a biblical perspective. We especially enjoyed the Be Not Afraid-serving others, Trash Cans- about Pat who was an ordinary neighbor that did something small for his neighbors, and Land the Plan-about mistakes.

Sometimes our children have a friend in their life that is hard to love, be it at Sunday school, playdates, or co-op classes. Loving that friend doesn’t mean accepting what they do as okay, but it does mean we can love them anyway, just as God loves us no matter how sinful our choices may be. We can each relate to feeling outcast, different, or mistreated because of our differences.

Sometimes children see someone else who is being treated differently, struggling with their feelings, or sitting alone, and they may not know how to help them. But Everybody, Always for Kids , makes it easy to see the simplicity in kindness, and how that kindness shows God’s love to others.

I love that we don’t have to send our children into battle for them to be “salt and light.” God has made previsions for our children to impact the world through their words, behaviors, and kindness *right where they are.* He always meets us where we are. And it is true for our children as well- siblings, neighbors, at the grocery store, or with friends, they can love others.

This book sticks to topics that are developmentally appropriate for kids ages 6-10, so there won’t be anything too difficult to discuss with your children. My kids are 4-10 and have enjoyed reading it together (my 10 year old has also read it on her own for fun). I can tell they’ve been contemplating what we’ve read, when they come to me and want to talk about the story from the last day or 2 . The stories are making an impact on how they see others.

Want some free bonuses? You can also head here, to sign up for some great bonuses from Tommy Nelson Publishing for Everybody, Always for Kids. This will include a fun, 5 lesson plan/activity pack for your family. It includes activities that reinforce the lessons in the first few stories. These would be a great addition to your morning time, or after nap hands on learning in your homeschool.

Connect with Tommy Nelson

Be sure to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read more reviews of Everybody, Always for Kids!

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Vooks: Storybooks Brought to Life

by Meghan // April 22, 2021 // No Comments

Vooks is a visual book streaming service that brings books to like via animation. This program has been loved by each of my kids, even the older ones (because who doesn’t love being read to?!)

Vooks brings storybook to life with fun, easy to understand voiceovers and beautiful animated illustrations. We found so many of our most beloved picture books while using Vooks, but also a treasure-trove of new books we’ve not read.

I have looked through the book selection, and have found only good, beautiful books that I wouldn’t mind my children reading without me. One of my favorite features, as a homeschool mom, is that the words are highlighted in bold letters as the book is read. There are also titles read aloud in Spanish, with Spanish text, which is great for those kids from a Spanish speaking home, or those learning the language.

Try Vooks free for 30 days! Go to VOOKS to sign up!

We use Vooks for independent time, for the kids to hear some book read aloud with great interactive illustrations. We set it up on our larger monitor desktop, and they can each take turns selecting the books they want read aloud. We have food this perfect for cold and rainy days this spring. Also, I get to listen along while I fold laundry, which is fun for me. I love children’s picture books; and we get to interact as a family. The entire site is kid friendly and parent approved (and not just by me haha)

Strengthen literacy, vocabulary, and promote independent learning for your kids using Vooks!

Along with all the beautiful picture books, parents and teachers can find free, printable lesson plans which include discussion topics, engaging activities, and more!

Ready to purchase your subscription? Click here!

Many thanks to Vooks for providing this product/product information for review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

#VooksMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork #vooks #betterscreentime #vookspartner

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Resurrection Sunday fun, with Miss PattyCake’s Eggstravaganza

by Meghan // March 18, 2021 // No Comments

This week, our family has had the pleasure of enjoying the new Miss PattyCake Eggstravaganza Activity package. This package includes the new Miss PattyCake Eggstravaganza DVD, and accompanying activity book.

My youngest girls loved the DVD episode! The songs were engaging, fun, and each one had a special connection to Jesus. The Easter eggs in the hold special meaning, each one containing a part of Jesus’s Resurrection story. The songs are familiar, because they’re often set to the tune of hymns we already know. But the words of each song, while simple and uplifting, were meaningful.

I love how everything in the episode points back to Jesus-His sacrifice, His love, and our hearts for him.

Miss PattyCake’s Eggstravaganza activity book is full of fun activities for children! I would say 2-6 year olds will enjoy coloring, counting, tracing, and more. Each page correlates with a fun song from the DVD, enriching the experience and making it even more relevant for children.

Check out this NEW Miss PattyCake bundle for a FUN, musical, age-appropriate
telling of the Easter story.

Don’t have a DVD player? Check out Miss PattyCake’s streaming channel
for all her content.

*Many thanks to Miss PattyCake for providing this product/product information for review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

#MissPattyCakeMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork #MissPattyCake

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

What Kind of CAR Does a T.Rex Drive? {children’s book review}

by Meghan // June 4, 2019 // No Comments

If you have children that love dinosaurs, then here is a new summer read for your family!

What Kind of CAR Does a T.Rex Drive? by Mark Lee, illustrated by Brian Biggs is a wonderfully fun book for your littles! What kind of car would you sell to a stegosaurus? What about a pterodactyl? Uncle Otto has no idea either- but Ava and Mickey-two kids with a lot of dino knowledge, are able to help him out.

This definitely brought about a *bunch* of giggles from my youngest 3 kids, and even the 8 year old got a kick out of the T.Rex’s vehicle.

All the super fun goodies our Penguin Random House Publicity Assistant sent us gave me some great ideas for this book.

Use it as a book club read aloud with your homeschool co-op book club
Read it as part of a dinosaur unit
Gift it to your favorite dinosaur loving kiddo-it will be a hit!
Use it in a transportation unit study with elementary students

The best thing about receiving a children’s book as a gift is the reading aloud that comes with it! Reading to our children is one of the best gifts we can give them-quality time with our undivided attention, exploring new worlds together.

What Kind of CAR Does a T.Rex Drive? is a perfect addition to your home library shelf!

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Valentine Resources for the Very Young

by Meghan // February 5, 2019 // No Comments

Valentine’s Day is upon us. And in honor of that, I am here with some great Valentine’s Day Resources for preschoolers and kindergarteners.

I really like BusyBeeKidsCrafts.com They offer lots of printable educational Valentine’s Day activities such as word searches, mazes, math worksheets, and dot to dots. Lexie really enjoys dot to dots, mazes, and anything where she has to find numbers.

As you may know, I loove This Reading mama all year round! We use one of her reading curricula to supplement our homeschool activities. She also has some great Valentine’s Day activities and printable packs:

Cutting practice (my daughter’s favorite!)
Entire PreK V-Day printable pack, including emergent readers, rhyming activities and more!

This awesome Valentine’s Day Scripture pack is one of my favorites! It is a countdown to VDay, using scripture, courtesy of Kim from Not Consumed. She has some other great resources on her site. Check it out!

ChristianPreschoolPrintables has some fun Bible themed Valentine’s Day printables- you can make your own valentines, create a minibook, and print a VDay sewing craft! Lots of fun stuff for the tiny humans. =)

These links should hold lots of fun ideas for you and your littles this Valentine’s Day! Hope you enjoy; and check out other’s posts about VDay resources by clicking the Schoolhouse Review Crew image below!

A Real Christmas Lesson: If He Had Not Come {a review}

by Meghan // December 2, 2018 // No Comments

With the holidays coming up, it is important to our family to focus on the reason for Christmas- Jesus Christ’s birth. We were able to read and review a precious book, If He Had Not Come. Originally written by Nan F. Weeks, it has been reintroduced by David Nicholson, a retired school teacher and missionary.

This is a wonderful story for any Christian family that wants to truly show their children what Christmas celebration is all about. Though the book is recommended for ages six and up, my (just turned) four year old really enjoyed and understood it. The casebound hardback version can be purchased for $18.95, or choose the e-book version at $3.99.

About If He Had Not Come

This book was such a pleasant surprise to receive in the mail! In the front cover was a special, handwritten note from David himself, which Lexie thought was just wonderful. The book is a beautiful hardback, illustrated by Charles Jaskiewicz- there is a lot of detail in the illustrations that support the story so well. We have read this book many times already, and Lexie has noticed something new in the pictures each time.

The story begins with a young boy, Bobby, getting ready for bed on Christmas Eve, anticipating opening the gifts from his family the next morning. (I will say, one of my favorite things about this book is there is no mention of Santa Claus). But when he goes to sleep, he dreams of a world where there is no Christmas; there is no church, no Christian run/owned businesses like homeless shelters, hospitals, etc. When he goes looking for each of these things, in its place he finds a sign reading, “If I had not come.”

After realizing what a desolate world he would live in were it not for Christ, Bobby wakes up and thanks Jesus for coming, for being the very best Christmas gift.

What We Thought and How We Used It

This is honestly one of the best Christmas books we own. Really. It isn’t too much for a young child to understand, and it clearly and honestly opens their eyes to Christmas and the Christ in Christmas. The story shows them not only would we not have Christmas to celebrate His birth, but our world would be so different without Jesus. There are so many things we take for granted that we would no longer enjoy if Christ had not come to save us. This is a great book for all families, and Sunday school classes alike!

We have been reading this book for my four year old’s bedtime routine. I wasn’t sure at first what she would think, or if she would enjoy it. Well, she has requested it for nap and bed time since the day we introduced it! My husband and I have been able to take If He Had Not Come and go deeper into the meaning of Christ’s birth-even farther than the meaning of Christmas. (in the picture she was in her gymnastics leotard and I am not sure what was up with the crazy headband ..)

In the back of the book you will find several helpful pages. There is a page of interactive topics for families and Sunday school teachers- the questions are thought provoking and open ended to allow plenty of discussion. They will really help you have a deep, wonderful, honest, discussion with your child/ren.

There is also a section titled, “Going Deeper;” these are questions to help you and your child explore what the Bible says about the birth of Christ. I really like this section, as it has possible answers for you to share/follow up with, and references specific Bible verses! That is really helpful for any parent trying to lead their little one to God. There is also a small section on the last page with an idea to help you celebrate Christmas using a fun activity.

If you are looking for a book to add to your Christmas collection, or want to do a unit on Christmas with your children, this is the book I would suggest you look at first.