Monday, March 28, 2016

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake



Every year since she has been able to voice her opinion, Alyssa has chosen a chocolate cake with pink buttercream frosting for her birthday treat. So you can imagine my surprise this year when she asked for a mint chocolate chip cake.

"No pink girly cake? Really? Mint chocolate chip? Ok!"  

Mint chocolate chip was my absolute favorite ice cream growing up. Minty, creamy goodness with flecks of rich chocolate; nothing was better, that is until they created mint Oreo ice cream, but that's another story.




We made the cake during the day and kept it in the refrigerator to keep it cold and give it the essence of its namesake. Then we had to wait for Leighton to get home from work and eat dinner. (Something about chocolate cake not being a nutritious meal? I don't know.) It was hoooouuuurrrs before we could indulge.

But, oh, was it worth it. The kids each took a bite and agreed that the cake tasted exactly like the ice cream. The rich, dark chocolate of the cake pairs beautifully with the creamy coolness of the frosting. And those dark chocolate pieces? Those are just a bonus.



I admit, I was a bit sad when my girl didn't desire her traditional pretty pink cake, (Speaking of traditions, this was also the first year that she didn't want to have a tea party on her special day. Who said she could grow up?) but I think she made an excellent choice.

Maybe growing up isn't so bad after all.

Maybe.




Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
Cake Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup boiling water


Cake Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 round 9-inch pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add eggs, milk oil and vanilla and beat on medium for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in boiling water.
5. Pour evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pans before removing to cool completely on wire racks.
*Recipe adapted from Hershey's.


Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons mint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
4-5 drops green food coloring
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped


Frosting Directions:
1. In a large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add cream and both extracts and beat until smooth.
3. With the mixer on the lowest speed, slowly add the powdered sugar until just combined.
4. Add food coloring and beat on medium-high for one minute. Frosting should be smooth and fluffy.
5. Add chopped chocolate and mix on low until evenly combined.
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Friday, March 25, 2016

Things That Make Me Smile 3/18/16

Jake (10), Alyssa (7½), Zac (6), Tyler (3½), Nicholas (1)


Happy Friday! This week, we went maple sugaring for the first time, made a lot of Lego stop motion videos, and preformed many science experiments.

 
1. Tyler: "You know those dinosaurs with long necks?"
Me: "Yes, they're called--"
Tyler: "Long necks."

2. Alyssa: "I think God made moms want to do stuff for their kids."

3. Tyler: "Mama, do you know what would be bad?"
Me: "What's that?"
Tyler: "If you got eaten!"
Me: "Oh, that would be bad! Eaten by what?"
Tyler: "A monster! A sea monster!"

4.



5. Jake: "Why are they called Cheerios? Because they make babies happy (cheery) and they look like Os?"

6. Tyler: "May I have a piece of fudge, please?"
Me: "Yes."
Tyler: "Ok, 'cause I already have a piece in my mouth."

7. Jake, folding clothes: "This shirt is wrinkly."
Me: "Everything is wrinkly."
Tyler, confused, looking at his hand: "I'm not wrinkly."

8.



 What made you Smile this week?
 
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Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Owlegories




My kiddos like getting curricula and books in the mail as part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, but they get really excited when we get something like a DVD to review. It seems more like fun than work, and, of course, they never get tired of hearing, "We need to watch this video for school today." So, as you can imagine, they were pleased when a package from FishFlix.com arrived at our door. They were even happier when they opened the package and found a video about the things of God. My oldest son had watched the trailer with me on YouTube before the DVD came and was excited to tell his siblings about Owlegories: The Ant, The Fruit, The Butterfly.

Owlegories is an animated series in which owls teach kids about God through the use of allegories. (Did you catch the play on words in the title? Cute!) The episodes teach about God's nature and truths found in His Word by using elements found in nature. The Ant, The Fruit, The Butterfly is the second DVD of the series.

 
In each episode, the Professor sends the owl students (Joey, Nora, Violet, Gus, and Twitch) on an adventure. Along the way, they learn important truths, have fun, and are attempted to be foiled by the "bad guy" Devlin and his sidekick Fink. At the beginning of class, the students quote the owl pledge:
 
We love to learn about creation.
It helps us become wise. 
God's nature is all around us,
If we look through heaven's eyes.


The Ant
In this episode, the owl students go to a maple syrup farm. (This was so exciting to my kids as this month we were able to tap trees to make our own maple syrup too!) A colony of ants teach them 3 ways in which followers of Christ should be like ants based on Proverbs 6:6:
  1. They work together.
  2. They are hard workers.
  3. They plan for the future.
My kids favorite part about this one was Gus's silly song about how God made everything.


The Fruit
Galatians 5:22-23 is the key verse for this episode. The students head to an apple orchard where they learn about the Fruits of the Spirit and are introduced to some bad fruits, too. My kids laughed at the impersonations that Twitch did of the other characters. It was even one of his impersonations that saved their apples from being stolen by Devlin to make the perfect pie!


The Butterfly
The students learn in this episode that creepy crawly bugs are not all bad. They observe the change of caterpillars as they morph into chrysalises and then transform into butterflies. They learn from II Corinthians 5:17 how Christians are like the butterflies:
  1. God looks at our heart. It does not matter what we look like on the outside.
  2. A caterpillar changes into a butterfly just as we are changed through salvation.
  3. Just as the caterpillar is free when it becomes a butterfly, we find true freedom when we accept Christ as our Savior.
My kids loved when Devlin got "eaten" by a big fish!



At the end of each episode, there's a recap about the truths we can learn from God's Word. Then, there's a follow-up portion with known Christians (authors, pastors, etc.) where the truth is expounded on.

The entire video is about a half hour long and kept my kiddos entertained. More than that though, it taught my kids about God on their level. Because the episodes and lessons are short to keep the attention of little ones, there are aspects that get skipped, like the need to boil the maple sap to turn it into syrup or the actual time frame of metamorphosis. These things are not necessarily a big deal, but open up another teaching moment with the kids. Also, Owlegories does not use the King James Bible for their verses, so that was another detail that my kids pointed out.

All in all, my little ones love this video. They laugh at Gus, walk around singing the songs, and ask to watch it often. We've even downloaded the app and watched another episode that way. I see more Owlegories finding their way into our house in the future.  



FishFlix.com is an online store offering thousand of high-quality Christian movies. Their business philosophy is based on the following verses: Colossians 3:17 and Colossians 3:23-24, meaning that whatever they do, they're doing it for God. They offer low prices on their DVDs along with free shipping. If you're looking to add some quality entertainment to your life, FishFlix.com will have what you need.


You can connect with FishFlix.com on the following social media sites:

You can read more reviews of this title and some of the offered by FishFlix.com by visiting the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

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Friday, March 18, 2016

Things That Make Me Smile 3/11/16

Jake (10), Alyssa (7½), Zac (6), Tyler (3½), Nicholas (1)



Happy Friday! This week was filled with lots of Legos, reading, and Smiles.


1. Tyler: "I'm so pumped up!"
Me: "Why?"
Tyler: "Because.
Me: "Because why?"
Tyler: "I don't know. I'm just so pumped up!"
Me: "Well, what are you excited about?"
Tyler: "Church. Church, church, church!"

2. Me, to the other kids: "I'm putting Nicky in bed now. It's time to be quiet."
Nicholas:"Shhh."

3. Alyssa: "We need 1 more child to be born, and then our family will be perfect!"
Me: "We do? Why's that?"
Alyssa: "Because then we'll have 2 adults and 6 kids!"

4. Tyler: "Mom, I am almost a grown-up."

5. Zac lost his first tooth!


6. Nicholas tattled for the first time. Alyssa took something away that he wasn't supposed to have. He turned to me with the biggest pouty face, pointed to her and whined, "Mamaaaa."

7. Jake telling his joke:
"Guy 1: I didn't know you need to wear glasses.
Guy 2: I don't.
Guy 1: Then why are you wearing them?
Guy 2: They're just for looks."

8. Me: "What do you think we should make for dinner tomorrow?"
Alyssa: "Roast mutton!"

9. Jake, pointing a Nerf gun in the kitchen: "Hey, do you think I should aim for the--"
Me, interrupting: "I think you should think about this before you ask."
Jake: "I'm guessing that's a no."


What made you Smile this week?

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Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Things That Make Me Smile 3/4/16

Jake (10), Alyssa (7½), Zac (6), Tyler (3½), Nicholas (1)


I'm working on catching up on some posts. Smiling is good on a Tuesday too, right?


1. Alyssa: "I can't wait until May."
Me: "Why's that?"
Alyssa: "Because I go to the dentist in May. I love the dentist!"

2. Jake: "Why did the monkey cross the road? . . . Because the chicken did." (Monkey see, monkey do)

3. Jake: "Do they sell 6-year-olds at Aldi?"
Me: "Like real 6-year-old kids?"
Jake: "Yeah."
Me: "No. Why? Do you want another sibling?"
Jake: "Yeah. I want another one to annoy."

4. Tyler, at the store: "I spy something handsome."
Me: "Is it your daddy?"
Tyler: "Yes!"

5.

6. Me: "We should have sprayed your hair down. We're taking some ragamuffins to church."
Zac: Wait, we're taking muffins? Can I eat one now?"

7. Alyssa: "Mom, you're always cold, except when you're with Dad."

8. Tyler, after he spent the night at my parents': "Zachy, I missed you."
Zac: "I missed you, too. When it's my turn to spend the night, are you going to miss me?"
Tyler: "Yes."

9. Jake, as we drove past a police car: "What would the police do if you were speeding?"
Me: "He'd turn on his lights and siren and pull me over."
Jake: "And what would happen if you didn't pull over?"
Me: "He'd call for back-up, and they'd block my way so I'd have to stop."
Alyssa: "That's a little harsh, don't you think?"

10. Jake: "My eyes are hungry for a good book."

11. Jake: "A really bad baker made a cake for someone. As he handed it to the customer, he dropped it. The customer looked at it and said, 'Wow, that's a really crumby cake.'"


What made you Smile this week?

 
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Friday, March 11, 2016

Things That Make Me Smile 2/26/16

Jake (10), Alyssa (7½), Zac (6), Tyler (3½), Nicholas (1)


Happy Friday! Come, Smile with us.


1. Jake, concerned: "Mom, there's a lady next door looking through the garbage, probably because there are TVs out there."
Me: "Yeah,it's ok. People do that. They're called garbage pickers."
Jake, laughing: "What! That's a thing? . . . We should do it!"

2. Zac, licking the extra batter from the bowl of my birthday cake Leighton made: "I could fall in love with this stuff."

3. Alyssa: "Girls are smarter. Know how I know? A Berenstain Bears book."

4. Alyssa, impressed: "Every single year, the Earth has traveled around the sun."

5.

6. Me: "Your dad is a stud."
Jake: "And I'm a 2x2. "

7. Tyler: "I love you."
Me: "And I love you."
Tyler: "Awesome."

8. Ty, about gummy worms: "Is 5 enough, Mom?"
Me: "That's too many."
Ty: "4?"
Me: "How about 3?"
Ty: "How about 4?"
Me: "I was originally thinking 2 . . . so 2 or 3?"
Ty: "Oh, yeah, 3."


9.

10. Zac: "Today is the best day ever!"
Me: "It is?"
Zac: "Yeah, because I get to go to Gramma's! . . . Maybe it's not the best day ever, but it's still a really good day."

11. Jake, to Nicholas: "You're the cutest, you know that? So you're going to have to bear all our hugs and kisses. If we hug you so hard that your eyes pop out, I'm going to tell you, 'I told you so.' If we kiss you so much your cheeks turn red, I'm going to tell you, 'I told you so.' Just be ready for it." 

What made you Smile this week?

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Thursday, March 10, 2016

Grapevine Studies Review



Homeschooling 5 kiddies makes for some busy days. We like to school together as much as we can, because it simplifies the lessons, encourages family time, and helps us learn from each other. When we had the chance to review a Bible curriculum from Grapevine Studies that could be used with all the kids, I knew it would be a blessing.  The past many weeks we've been studying using the following books:

New Testament 1: Beginner John to the Apostles
New Testament 1: Level 1 Birth of John to Jesus' Ministry
New Testament 1: Level 3 Birth of John to Jesus' Ministry


Grapevine Studies is a Bible study curriculum that helps teachers simplify planning, engage students, and grow disciples. Their mission is "to provide believers with the tools they need to know God's Word and to disciple others." Its method teaches students to "stick figure through the Bible," meaning draw a simple stick figure scene to remember the facts of the story. The lessons are introduced with a timeline and then expound on the characters and biblical events on that timeline. The process for the preschool/kindergarten level is Hear-Draw-Review, while the older students will learn through Read-Draw-Review.  



Our kids' ages are 10, 7, 6, and 3, so even though we were studying the same topic, I chose books according to their levels. I picked both the Beginner and Beginner Traceable books for my two little ones, the Level 1 and Level 1 Traceable books for my middle child, and the Level 3 book for my oldest. Of course, the baby is too young to be completing lessons, but that didn't stop him trying to be included by grabbing things off the table and jabbering over our voices, ha.

Every morning, we sit at the table together to complete the lesson. Since we are using the ebooks, I printed the pages and created a notebook for each child. (Having your own notebook is so much cooler than having your own textbook, by the way.) There are corresponding teacher books for each level that walk you step-by-step through the curriculum. I couldn't teach from all the teacher notes, because that would take a long time and defeat the purpose of learning the class together. I chose the level 3 book to use as my guide. The problem with using 3 different levels is that they don't match up entirely. I know, that should seem pretty obviously, right? The Beginners level has quite a bit less information than levels 1 and 3. It is missing the timelines and has fewer details and drawing spots for the stories, in order to keep things simple for the little ones.  



We received both the traceable books and student (blank, draw-your-own) books for the younger levels. I gave my kids a choice as to which one they wanted to use. They all chose the traceables. There are differences in those, as well. Simpler pictures for the little ones and gaining a bit more detail as the levels get higher.

The problem that we ran into was that the oldest was able to be more creative since he had blank boxes to draw. In one of the pictures, John the Baptist was drawn with a large tummy, so from then on, the kids referred to John as a Sumo Baby. The younger kids stopped following the pre-drawn figures and added extra details (the curriculum encourages this, as well).

Also, since the Beginner level doesn't cover all the details, their are portions when they didn't have any pages to complete. My two little guys drew on the margins of other papers or added blank pages in the notebook to create.  


I encourage this creativity and am thankful that I had printed through only lesson 3 when I assembled their notebooks. At that point, I asked the kids if they wanted to continue with their current books or switch to level 3. They wanted to swap, which made the lessons go even smoother since all the pages matched. And the kids were able to be as creative as they wanted. It was a win-win situation.

Along with the stick-figuring sections, there are other forms of learning through the books.  There are memory verses and review questions at the end of each lesson, such as

Who was the king when Zacharias was a priest?
What happened as a result of Zacharias' unbelief? (This one always brings giggles.)
What did Gabriel tell Mary?
How did Joseph respond to what the angel told him?
What do we know about Jesus as He grew to be a man?
How did Jesus respond to temptation?
How are we to treat our enemies?
When did Jesus pray? 



Character even cards are included for the higher levels. The students draw their favorite part of the lesson, write the memory verse, and add key facts to remember. My kids loved this review time.

The level 3 book pushes the student even more in his Bible study. Looking up words in a Bible dictionary, finding verses in a concordance, comparing and contrasting characters, identifying biblical locations on a map are some of the things covered.

Even my younger ones enjoy these further studies. They may not understand the deeper themes, but I love that they're learning and picking up bits up information as they listen to their older siblings. 


My kids are enjoying using Grapevine Studies for our Bible class. Every morning when I say it's time to start school, they rush to grab their notebooks. Our lessons are filled with laughter as the kids draw their pictures and show them off to each other. Stick figuring through the Bible is such a simple, yet fantastic idea. The curriculum is easy to use, even if you're working with different age groups, which makes it great for a family study. Even though we found it best for us to use the same book for all the kids, it's written in a way that you could use the appropriate level for each student. More important than having fun though is that my little ones are retaining what they've learned. You can ask them about the temptations of Jesus or what happened when He was baptized or what happened because of Zacharias' unbelief. They can tell you. That means the curriculum is working. That is the most important of all.  


You can connect with Grapevine Studies on the following social media sites:
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Some of my Crew Mates have been using other studies offered by Grapevine Studies. To read these reviews, visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.


 
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Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Here to Help Learning



My daughter loves to write her own stories, so I knew she would benefit from reviewing an online subscription to Here to Help Learning, specifically the Flight 1 Paragraph Writing.


Here to Help Learning is a homeschool writing program that helps students in grades 1-6 master both paragraph and essay writing. They offer 3 flights, or years of curriculum, for both styles. Each flight contains 32 lessons and covers the 5 types of writing: narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive, poetry.    

The company is owned by Forrest and Beth Mora, a husband and wife with 8 kids. He tells a cute story about how Here to Help Learning came to be. From homeschooling to offering supplemental classes to running large co-ops to filming videos and creating a detailed program, Mrs. Mora has been serving and encouraging other homeschoolers for 20 years.

 



The core values of the company are listed on their site as follows:
1. Serve
  • Committed to the success of the student and the educator
  • Dedicated to give more service than expected
  • Devoted to cheerful generosity
2. Content Rich
  • Deliver high-quality instruction at an affordable price
  • Provide innovated educational products that serve all learning styles
  • Enhance the love of learning, one home at a time
3. Integrity
  • Honor God and His Word in all we do
  • Hold fast our word in all our relationships
  • Maintain high ethical practices no matter the cost


Because my daughter is in second grade, she is using the paragraph writing course. The 3 flights are independent of each other and can be completed in any order. We chose Flight 1 and got to work. The Getting Started page is filled with helpful information and contains the teacher guides, step-by-step pictorial guides, lists, explanations, printable resources, and more.

The lessons are designed to scheduled twice a week--1 day for filmed instruction and 1 day for written assignments. Each filmed lesson consist of 5 components that will move the student through the writing process.

  1. Pre-Flight Checklist  -- list of supplies needed
  2. Flight Check-In -- welcome, turn in assignments, character trait for project, review memory verse
  3. Take-Off -- game time, writing warm-up, recite writing process
  4. Full Throttle -- main lesson, discussion, hands-on projects 
  5. Flying Solo Assignments -- instructions for independent work
The estimated time needed for first day is 60 minutes, while the time required for the second day is approximately 30-60 minutes.



Since the program is based around a flying theme, each filmed lesson begins with Mrs. Mora dressed as a stewardess, standing in an airplane (her dog Knucklehead is even the captain!) The character she plays is so calming and soothing that my kids call it her "sleep voice" during those scenes, ha. Right away, you learn that Mrs. Mora loves to have fun. From there, she takes you step-by-step through the program. Part of each lesson is recorded in a real co-op class that she taught. You can watch as she leads the class and interacts with the kids. She truly has a love of teaching and helping others, as is evident through the videos. Her outgoing personality pulls you in; it made me even want to sit in her classes!

Each writing project highlights a writing skill. The first project for the paragraph writing is "All by Myself," which falls in the narrative category. Since we are not using this in a co-op setting and we are not using it with the entire family, I have worked with my daughter one-on-one and helped during the portions of the lessons which encourage the students to work together. After she and I brainstormed some ideas, she decided to write her project on "Learning to Read." She followed the steps of the writing process, one step each lesson. While she has always loved making up stories, writing a narrative was new for her. There were a couple frustrations along the way as she learned skills, but having that one-on-one time to walk her through gave her the confidence she needed.



Since she enjoys creative writing the most, it is no surprise that the writing warm-ups are her favorite parts of the lessons (in fact, she's sad on the days when there isn't one). The warm-ups show a silly picture (i.e. skateboarding dog, eggs riding a roller coaster, hot air balloon in space, cat flying a kite) and provide lines for the story and a word box. The student has 8 minutes to create a story for the picture.

Another thing my girl has enjoyed about this program is having her own notebook. Each lesson day, we print her papers so she can file them appropriately: notes, writing warm-ups, projects, flying solo, language helps. The organization makes it easy for her to find what she needs for the lessons and keep track of her work.


Here is my daughter's thoughts about the program:

"It's fun. I like Knucklehead and the writing warm-ups the most!" 


Here to Help Learning is working well to teach my second grader about the writing process, but I think it would fit even better in a true co-op setting. We have played the games together as a family (my 6-year-old loves Sentence-No Sentence!) even during dinnertime, and the other kiddos have joined in a bit during brainstorming times. Mrs. Mora always makes us laugh and ensures the videos are enjoyable to watch. If you're looking for an easy-to-follow, thorough, and fun writing program for your elementary students, Here to Help Learning is a great option.


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If you're interested in one of the other levels or would like to read more reviews of this one, please visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.



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Thursday, March 3, 2016

The Dragon and the Raven



We were able to review the newest product from one of our favorite companies! Heirloom Audio Productions has created another exciting audio adventure that's sure to be a hit with the whole family.

Our schooling is very literature-based. Our family loves read-alouds. I've mentioned dozens of times how the kiddos will sit and listen to various novels for hours on end. I love reading them quality literature and sharing that time with them. Not only does it teach them life lessons, it also introduces them to new vocabulary. The only problem is that I don't always have the time to spend the day reading. We love to incorporate audio books and dramas into our days. Whether we're folding clothes, driving in the van, or just needing some downtime, audio books are perfect.  The Dragon and the Raven is no exception.


 
The Dragon and the Raven is a theater-quality production based on the novel with the same name, written by G.A.Henty. Between the music, the quality of the actors reading the lines, and the background sounds (swords clanking, wind blowing, pages turning, arrows soaring, fire crackling, etc.), it sounds like a movie production. It's easy to visualize the scenes: ships sailing the open seas, men engaged in battle, people fighting for their lives and beliefs. The narrator has a rich, powerful voice that makes the drama exciting to listen to. We were immediately pulled into the story.

The tale takes place in the ninth century. Edmund, not quite a boy, but too young to fight in battle, watches as his father is killed by the Danes. He acquires a zeal to join the cause against the pagan armies. He designs a faster warship, learns the secret of the shield wall, falls in love, and maims a man. He also learns firsthand of the faith of King Alfred and discovers what it means to truly trust in God. Edmund grows from a boy into a man, from a servant into a leader. His faith is tested, but he remains strong. Set in the time of the great battles between the Saxons and the Danes, there is plenty of adventure along the way.



The Dragon and the Raven single package costs $29.97 (+ shipping and handling). Along with the 2-CD set, you will receive 3 bonuses:

  1. The Dragon and the Raven Study Guide (digital download) -- This complete guide is used to enhance your learning and complement your study. Each section, which correlates to the tracks on the CDs, is  filled with review questions, ideas to get you thinking deeper, and vocabulary words. There is more information about G.A. Henty and King Alfred the Great; multiple Bible studies that coordinate with the story, and many pictures from the times. 
  2. Printable Copy of Proverbs 21:31 (digital download) -- "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the Lord." While this verse is not the same as the King James Version (which wasn't translated during this time period), it is as King Alfred quoted it in the story. This inspirational quote will remind you of God's omnipotence.  
  3. The Dragon and the Raven Soundtrack (MP3 download) -- Our family loves soundtracks. This beautiful music was written by Emmy-winning composer John Campbell (creator of the original score for C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, Adventures in Odyssey, and more). We've enjoyed listening to this moving music while doing school, cleaning house, and folding laundry.
There is also an option of a family four-pack. For $99.97 (+ shipping and handling), you get 4 copies of the 2-CD set along with additional bonuses: Live the Adventure E-Newsletter; G.A. Henty's original The Dragon and the Raven e-book; professionally designed, printable promotional poster; and a behind-the-scenes documentary featuring the cast and crew.  


Here's what my kids had to say about the story:

"My favorite part was when Edmund cut off Sweyn's arm. I liked all the fighting and attack strategies and when it rained and put out the fire on the ship."

"It's super cool! I like that they named a ship The Dragon."
 
"I thought it was funny when Alfred burned the cakes!"
 
 
The 2 1/2 hour audio production is ideal for ages 6-adult, but our entire family enjoyed listening to it. We used the study guide questions to review the story and tackle difficult topics. The kids especially liked finding locations from the story on a map and learning a new recipe for "Alfred Cakes." We stopped the CD multiple times to discuss things like alliances, vengeance, what it means to really be a Christian, strategy, and more. Of course, the little ones didn't quite understand everything, but it's never too early to introduce quality literature. This will be a story that we reference throughout the years.



You can connect with Heirloom Audio Productions on the following social media sites:
Twitter
Instagram

If you'd like to read more reviews of this audio drama, lease visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.
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