Tell Me a Story

Once again, The Timberdoodle Company has come through with another stellar product for homeschooled and public schooled children alike!  Whether you have been blessed with an artistic kiddo that likes to draw and create stories, or have a child that just needs a little encouragement in the creativity department, 99 Stories I Could Tell, the brain child of Nathan Pyle, will fit the bill.

What is it?
99 Stories I Could Tell is a 99 page paperback book with drawing and writing prompts to help your child begin to create stories in their heads- 99 to be exact. Beginning on page one, your child is guided by the author, as a character in the book, on the rules of engagement- "user guidelines" he calls them.  The next few pages encourages doodle practice.

The rest of the book looks like this-

The left side of the page uses writing prompts to get the creative juices flowing, and the right side of the page uses doodles to create a nine block of story prompts.  Each two page spread after that is the same lay out, with new writing a doodle prompts.  On each of the nine doodle blocks is a different symbol to help you reference your story.

At the end of the book you will find spaces to list your 99 story titles, and then reference the corresponding page where you brainstormed the idea.

What it is not! 
Notice I said brainstormed the idea.  Nowhere in this book will your child actually write out any of their stories.  This is just a place to help them create those stories in their heads and have visual prompts to remind them of those stories.  From there they can either choose to write the best of the best down to share or save, or just have a neat place to go to remind them of their stories.

PROS-
This book is so open-ended and creative.  It is perfect for those kids that just need a little push to get started.  Though there are doodles provided to begin with- Nathan encourages the reader to break the rules, draw over the lines, add things and be creative- no boxes to check!


The writing prompts are fun and engaging and don't have a lot of space to write, so they will not intimidate those non writing kids out there!  They can just jot down a few sentences and move on.

CONS-
Ok, there are a few.  One, when we read through the first few pages we were seriously confused on how it all worked.  Once we figured out what Nathan was talking about with the coding system so you could reference back to what story you were talking about from your final list, we were ready to go!

If you have a kiddo who is not confident in their "art"skills, the doodle part may be a bit intimidating at first.  That being said, the author does a great job of showing ideas and allowing time for doodle practice.  Once they get started, there will be no stopping them.

My opinion?
I like the little book a lot.  The quality is great- it even has a plastic cover on it to protect it and make it a more lasting memento for your child to have. Once I got over the idea that they were not actually writing out the stories, I embraced it- see you can teach an old homeschooling mom new tricks!  What a fun idea to just have a reference point to jog your memory about a story you have to tell.  It makes me think of a time when stories were passed from one person to another, and sometimes one generation to another just through word of mouth.  What a great skill to develop!

This could also be a great way to catalog family stories that you share! Maybe have each person in your family take turns, notating family stories and memories made, so that in years to come you will remember and can easily share and pass those stories on to the next generations.

And oh my word, what stories we could tell these days, right?

99 Stories I Could Tell is recommended for 6th graders up, and is also included in the Timberdoodle  9th Grade Curriculum Kit.

Cracking the ACT

It is that time of year again when many college bound high schoolers are working on transcripts and taking the ACT and/or SAT to try to get into the college of their choice.  The race is on and the stress is real.

Years ago after my first child took both the ACT and SAT, both nationally recognized college admittance exams, we decided we preferred the ACT.  Thankfully for us, so did most of the schools she applied to and so that is what she concentrated on taking.  At the time, that concentration basically looked like eating a good breakfast and going in and doing her best on test day.  She was a natural test taker and it worked for her.

Now years later, it is her brother's turn, who consequently, is not a natural test taker.  He is a good student and loves anything history related, but spitting out facts he considers unimportant, ie ACT questions in general, is not something he excels in. 

His first attempt at the ACT was a solid score, but in my momma's heart, I KNEW he could do better.  Convincing him of that was a whole different ballgame.

Thant's where Cracking the ACT- 2018 Edition came into play!  Because I am a reviewer for the Timberdoodle Company, I often have the privilege of reviewing parts of their amazing curriculum line.  Seeing that Cracking the ACT was being offered, I knew the timing was perfect for our family.  

For the past four months my 17 year old has spent 20-30 minutes a day reviewing this resource in hopes to raise his original ACT score.  He took the test for a second time last weekend, and while the results are not in yet, I can tell you what we have seen by way of his practice test scores.

First things first!  Let me tell you about the book Cracking the ACT.

THINK BIG-  Remember the old fashioned phone books.  Well, they have nothing on this book!  It is a whopping 815 pages, softbound thank goodness.  And no, there are not a bunch of filler pages of silliness. 

THINK COMPLETE-  Did I mention there are a lot of pages?  11 Chapters to be precise! 

• Part 1- This is your orientation that talks about general strategies, score goals and how to actually take the ACT.
• Part 2- Cracking the English test
• Part 3- Cracking the Math test
• Part 4- Cracking the Reading test
• Part 5- Cracking the Science test
• Part 6- Cracking the Writing test
• Part 7- Answers and Explanations
• Part 8- 11 Practice Exams- This is where the rubber meets the road and you get to try out all of your knowledge.

In addition to the four practice tests included in the book, there are also two additional tests you can access online.  It is important to note that the sections that talk about "cracking" the tests are made up of a few different parts.  Some sections simply show you ways to quickly eliminate fluff answers and "best guess" the correct answer.  Other parts are quick reviews of basic skills you should have down pat before entering the test room.  Either way, all of the practice is just one more way to not only beef up one's skill's, but make your student more comfortable with the four hour long test.

One of the most helpful parts of the book, in my opinion, is the Answer and Explanation section.  Once your child has taken the practice tests and you have scored their answers, it truly behooves you to have them look at what they missed.  While it may not be possible to learn everything that will be on the ACT, there are some mistakes that can be quickly fixed with the simple explanations given.  Trust me, the process works!

THINK RESULTS-  This is what you have been waiting for, right?  After all, what is the use of a study book if you do not see any positive, measurable results?  Again, we do not have the official results of my son's last ACT, but I can share with you that we saw much improvement and a more confident test taker after using this program.  Our goal from the beginning was to improve his original score, but also to make him more confident in his ability to take the test again.  After taking the English portion of the ACT practice score his score was raised by 5 points!  We were thrilled as this is the area we felt he had done well on in the first place, so to see him improve the already strong score was a win for us!  In math, one of his harder areas, he increased by three points!  We did not have him do the grammar and science portions again because we were happy with his scores he had and wanted to concentrate on the other areas.  Better yet, since he was able to get immediate feedback after taking the practice test, he felt more confident in his ability and went into the actual test day with a great attitude and very little anxiety!

Based on the improvements we saw after using just ONE practice test, I would HIGHLY recommend this book!  The next time we use it, yes we have one more to go through this rite of passage, I will be even more deliberate in how we use it, beginning in 10th grade and working on it throughout the year.  My theory is, by the time a child has taken all six of the practice tests, they will be old pros at test taking and sure to score well.  Time will tell, right?!

Blessings,

 

Do You Have a Secret?

Last year after reading Books One and Two of the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls from WorthyKids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Colby and I began anticipating when the next two in the series would be published.  They are finally here and we are so excited to share a review with you! The Great Escape (Book #3) and Journey to Jericho (Book #4) did not disappoint.  Written by M.J. Thomas, these two paperbacks, about 120 pages each, continue the adventures of siblings Mary and Peter and their dog Hank.  While staying with their great uncle Solomon, they discover secret scrolls that, with the roar of a lion, transport them back into ancient Bible times.

The Great Escape sees the kids transported to Egypt during the times of the plagues.  There they meet a princess, Shephara, and witness the plagues first hand- rivers of blood, uncountable frogs, gnats and flies, dead animals, boils, and finally the death of the firstborn children.  In a race against time, the kids follow Moses into the desert chased by Pharaoh and the Grand Magician, trying to solve the secret of the hidden scroll before it is too late.

In Journey to Jericho Mary and Peter discover their archeologist great uncle was once a spy.  After explaining he had once discovered an artifact that could help prove the Bible was true, he told them he had since dedicated his life to that mission.  Once again, the roar of a lion sends the kids on a new adventure, this time to the city of Jericho.  There they meet Rahab and she helps them escape the city before its destruction.

Written for ages 6-9, with a reading level of 1-3rd graders, these little books are admittedly a simple read for my son who is a sixth grader.  None the less, we LOVE these stories and I highly recommend them for elementary and middle schoolers.  They also make fabulous family read alouds- if you can commandeer them from your child's room.  While they are fiction and embellished for the sake of fun, they do tell the intended Bible story well, backed with facts from the Bible.  They are exciting, well written, and encourage faithfulness and steadfastness, as exhibited in the actions of the siblings, Peter and Mary who don't give up, even when afraid of overwhelmed.

 

So how did we "use" these books?  Well, of course as soon as they arrived in our mailbox they were whisked away by my son.  We read the first two in the series out loud together, but this time he insisted that was silly and he knew how to read!  Oh, how fast they grow up!  As we do with all our our "school" books, (we are homeschoolers after all) I did require Colby to write a summary of each book after he read them.  This helps me know he understood them, as well as continues to help him improve on his writing and summarizing skills.  I typically have him write one paragraph about the book, and one paragraph on what he liked about the book.

What you probably cannot see is what he said, so let me share with you some of his thoughts-
"The most exciting part is when they have to escape the man in black.  I also like when they sneak into Jericho."  "...it is exciting and it also shows you what happened in the Bible." "I really like when they get clues to solve the puzzles."

If you are looking for a fun read for your kids, maybe even a fun Easter present, The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series is one we think you will enjoy!

Sixty fellow Crew members also had the opportunity to review The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls books, including three that have done amazing video reviews.  By clicking on the banner below, you can see them all!

When Worry Takes Hold

I would like to say that worry is not a part of our lives her at Family, Faith and Fridays, but that would not be true.  For years I teased my friends, "Why should I stop worrying?  It's what I do best!"  I have since corrected my ways- mostly!  I also have a daughter that was a worrier for years but after a few years of Biblical counseling classes she fixed her thinking and is free of that burden.

Now I have a 10 year old that is a worrier.  I am not sure if it is an adoption thing or just a personality thing, but none the less, we see it more often than I like.  Things like change, new situations, and sometimes even for seemingly no reason at all, he can make himself sick with worry if we do not watch him closely and intervene.  It is something we are monitoring, trying to teach him coping skills and right thinking.

All that to say, when I recently saw a friend talking about the book When Worry Take Hold, I was intrigued.  Anything we can use to help our kiddo  is great and the fact that it is a book is a bonus!

When Worry Takes Hold, written by Liz Haske, is a 30 page hardback back illustrated by InSong Nam. (You can also get it in paperback, but you know by now I am a sucker for a hardback book!)  The book is about a little girl named Maya that one day allows worry to enter her life.  With each new day and each new situation, her worry grows larger until she feels consumed by it.  Luckily for her, a teacher taught her a coping mechanism called calm breathing, to help her find her courage.

-One of the things that I love about this book is that it addresses that Maya made the choice to replace worry with courage by way of calm breathing.  It wasn't that she never worried again, but that she greeted it and then moved on.  Then she realized that she didn't meet each new thing with "what if", but instead replaced it with right thinking.

"I know you will get us there safely."

-The second thing I love about this book are the illustrations of worry.  It is like a whispy thought cloud seen over Maya's head at the beginning of the book.  You will also notice that the pages in the beginning are darker and more subdued.  As she finds her courage, the worry becomes smaller and lighter and then not visible at all in the pictures, which in turn have also become lighter and brighter.  The mood of the book changes as the mood of Maya and her family changes as well.

-The other thing that struck me was the reaction of the parents on the book.  "Her parents' smiles faded as they began worrying about her Worry."  This was a great conversation starter in our home about how our worry and fear can affect others as well.  I think it is also a good reminder to a child that they are not alone in their worry, and that the key is how we then handle it.

-And another one- the reminder that worry doesn't ever go completely away and that sometimes it is there to keep us safe, but that ..."courage was just a deep breath away."  I cannot think of many people who do not need to hear that at least several times in their lives.

-Finally, at the end of the book is a great how-to page on how to find your courage like Maya that explains in simple terms how to take a calming breath.  We practiced together after reading the book and now I simply remind Colby about it when he is beginning to walk the worry line.

Are our fears and worries gone?  No, of course not.  But I can tell you this book has been a God-send!  It has remained on my living room table for a week now and been read multiple times a day, together, but mostly alone by my son.  I think he has found comfort in the words, acceptance in the fact that he is not alone, and courage through the simple breathing technique. 

Empowering kids to work through their feelings is a must, and I think Liz has done a beautiful job in doing so. 

Blessings,

Is Your Dad a Pirate- Book Review and Giveaway

I am a sucker for a man in uniform.  After all, I have been married to one for 25 years.  Some send their husbands off with a kiss to an office.  I send mine away with a kiss and a prayer, often to secret locations around the world.  And while none of us are promised tomorrow, it seems the life of the military are even a bit more precarious and uncertain.

Just ask the many spouses and families of wounded or killed service men and women.  The numbers are staggering.

Those number make a book like Is Your Dad a Pirate? even more precious and needed in today's world!

Is Your Dad a Pirate?, written by Tara McClary Reeves, is a 32 page hard back book that explores how one family handles the curiosity of strangers when the man of the house returns home from battle wounded.  Taken from the life experience of Tara when her father was wounded as a Marine Corp Lieutenant, this book will touch you and open your eyes to the life of the military family.

You will also probably need to grad a tissue, just be forewarned.

Told from a young child's perspective, one can feel the pride she feels for her father, as well as the fear she felt when he went away to fight.  It talks of prayers and feelings of excitement of a future reunion.  It also talks of the fear and anguish of a phone call telling of an injury.

But Is Your Dad a Pirate tells mostly of the courage of a family.

Of the response to the question- "How did you lose your eye and arm?"

And the mom's answer- "He gave them in service to our country."

Don't you love it?!  A sweet and simple answer to an honest question from a child.  No ugliness, no embarrassment, no judgment.  But a lesson to both the child of the man injured and to the child who asked the question.  Later when the question was asked again, it was the dad's own child who answered, and you will love her answer even more!

I am honored to have this beautifully illustrated book on my bookshelf.  It reminds us of the heroes who fight for our freedom every day and of the families that support them daily.  It is a reminder to us all that the freedom we enjoy often comes with a price.

Oh that we would continue to teach our children and our children's children about that price and the special people behind it!

I have an extra copy of Is Your Dad a Pirate to bless one of my readers with!  Just leave me a comment here on the blog and a random winner will be chosen next Friday!

Blessings,

God's Great Love For You

I absolutely love that my collection of beautiful children's books is growing!  Yes, I know I don't have any little people in our lives currently, but one can hope that someday there will be grandchildren around.  No worries- I will be ready to read!!

God's Great Love for You, by best selling author Rick Warren, will be at the top of the stack!   This 30 page hard back book is a gem.  It begins by telling the reader that God's great love created the universe, then page by page shows how great that love is.  From the oceans to the skies- no matter where you go, and no matter how your day is going, God's love is "perfect and will never end."

Written in very simple terms this cute book is a great way to show young children that God loves them regardless of location or circumstances.  It reminds us all that God is everywhere.   With only a few words per page, it is a quick read and certain to hold young children's attention. 

Illustrated by the award winning Chris Saunders, you will love the beautiful artwork that fills each page.   Gentle colors and soothing lines make it a peaceful book to start or end your day with. 

How perfect that we can fill our children's reading lists with books that tell of their mighty God and the loves He has for them.  Can you even imagine if that was all they heard from sun up to sun down?  What a beautiful thing!

I know that you can not read non stop to your little ones, but I think you will enjoy reading this precious book over and over again. 

Flyby has once again graciously offered to provide a copy of God's Great Love for You to one of our readers.  Just leave me a comment and tell me who you would read this sweet book to, making sure you leave a way for me to reach you if you win.  One winner will be chosen randomly next Wednesday!  This would be a perfect addition to your Christmas list or to gift to a new momma!

You can buy this book and others by Rick Warren here!


Blessings,
 

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and 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. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Daring to Hope

Ah,  yes.  Another book review.  Because what is life without books, right? ;) 

I have just finished reading the soon to be released book Daring to Hope- Finding God's Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful, by Katie Davis Majors.  You may vaguely recognize the author's name from 10 years ago, when Katie first wrote and published the best selling book, Kisses From Kate.  Now married and still doing life in Uganda, Katie tells of her continued journey with God and the people she ministers to in a country far away from her homeland.

I have to start by admitting I did not LOVE Katie's first book.  There I said it.  To be honest, though it was well written, I struggled with some of the things she shared, especially leaving her home and staying in Uganda, seemingly at the time without her parents' full permission or blessing.   Whether or not that was reality, it was how I perceived things and I could not shake the feeling that God would not have called her to do something that went directly against honoring and respecting her parents.  Again, just my feelings.

But I have always been intrigued by missionaries and the remarkable work that do for God's Kingdom.  I also had no doubt that this young lady was indeed furthering His Kingdom with the work she was doing, so when I had the opportunity to read her second book I jumped at the chance.  Because of events in our lives this past year or so, the subtitle Finding God's Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful jumped out to me.  I mean, whose life is not broken in some way?

This book I liked and would recommend.  Far different from her first, Daring to Hope is about just that- HOPE.  It does indeed reference Katie's story of living in Uganda and eventually adopting 14 young girls, but that is not the focus of this book.  Instead, page after page of this 204 page book, focuses on Hope.  Through stories of various struggles Katie has encountered in Uganda, she uses the lessons learned to point herself, and us, back to hope every time.  From having to allow one of her daughters to return back to her biological mother, to the loss of numerous friends and the healing of others, Katie relays how God used EVERY circumstance to point her back to hope and the One who gives it to her.  And us!

In times of crisis, Katie learned time and time again to be faithful and put her hope in the Lord, knowing that no matter what the outcome was, she had a God who was even more faithful.  It was often a gut wrenching lesson to be learned and Katie shares each story with love and compassion.  She has wrestled with God and known His goodness.  She has asked hard questions and gotten beautiful answers.  She has remained faithful and so had God!

I am in awe of the maturity of this young lady, inspired by her stories, and challenged by her faithfulness.  I think you will be too!

Blessings,

The Secret of the HIdden Scrolls

Another day, another book.  Well, two books!  And yay us- we love books.  Thanks to Worthy Kids/Ideals, we have enjoyed reading and reviewing The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Beginning (Book One) and The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: Race to the Ark (Book Two).  

Written for ages 6-9, these two paperbacks are Christian Fiction with the Bible in mind.  Book One- The Beginning introduces siblings Peter and Mary.  The two are dropped off at their eccentric great-uncle’s house to stay while their parents are away.  After entering Great-Uncle Solomon’s library, which he says is filled with more treasures than just books, the siblings find a glowing pot filled with scrolls. Their uncle tells them that he discovered the scrolls during his work as an archeologist, and that he believes they are the Hidden Scrolls of the Bible and will only work for those that are chosen.

When the seal is broken on one of the scrolls, the kids are transported back in time to the beginning of time.  Their real adventure begins as they experience first hand the days of creation.  As they walk through the creation of the world, Peter and Mary have a puzzle to solve to be able to return to the library and their uncle.  In doing so, they encounter the serpent in the garden and the arch angel Michael, as well as many truths about God and the Bible.

In the second book, Race to the Ark, Peter and Mary’s adventures continue as they hear the lion roar and a second seal is broken and they are transported back to the time of Noah’s Ark.  In this book, Michael appears again to rescue the kids from being chased by two unfriendly kids and reminds them that God is always with them.  Peter and Mary meet Noah and his family and watch the flood events unfold before their eyes.  With another puzzle to solve and a Dark Ruler to avoid, Peter and Mary must once again find a way back home.

Our experience and thoughts- 

 I say it often, but it is worth repeating, I love books with Christian themes for kids.  No, they should not learn their theology from them, and yes, they should learn of God's truths from the Bible, but it is also refreshing to be able to let them read a book big on Christian themes and low on controversy and questionable topics or bad language.  And by low, I mean NONE!

Just this past week, I again read of a friend whose child was exposed to a bunch of JUNK from a book from the library.  And just like that shocked and outraged mom, I simply do not have time to read every book that my kids are reading beforehand.  I wish I did, but the reality is I do not.  

When you can find publishers like Worthy Publishers and books like The Secrets of the Hidden Scrolls, I chalk it up as a win!  No worries about content found here!

Colby, age 10, read both of these books on his own, although I did read them afterwards- on my own! ;)  He read the first in one sitting and the second he read over two days.  They are written at a 1-3rd grade level so it was a very simple read for him.  None the less, he loved the stories. 

With simple sentences and fun ink drawings every few pages, I have no doubt young readers will be able to read, enjoy, and comprehend these books.

He said the puzzle part of the story was "fun" and he wished he could go back in time like Peter and Mary did.  When asked what his favorite part from the first book was he said, "I like when Peter threatened to release his karate on the serpent and the serpent said he did not know what karate was. Peter said 'you are about to find out' and then Mary kicked the snake.  It was hysterical!"

Would I recommend these books?  You bet!  And we hope more are coming in the series. Although the author, M.J. Thomas, very much uses creative license in telling the stories of Creation and Noah's Ark, both of these books are worthy of your bookshelf in my opinion.  They are fun adventures with a beautiful overarching theme of God's care and love for you! The lesson in the first book was God Created Everything.  The lesson in the second book was Trust God and He Will Rescue You.  Not bad themes to teach your kids, huh?!