Smart Kidz Radio Review

Music is a big part of our lives. I often have it playing during the day, whether we're doing chores, driving in the van, working in the yard, playing around the house, and even during school. In fact, I'm listening to music now as I type. There are many options for listening today than there were a decade ago. We have so many more conveniences than swapping a CD every time we want a change. Now, we, personally, listen to the majority of our music streaming online. There are a few different places we use, but we were just introduced to a new online radio station that is just for kids. 

Smart Kidz Radio, like all of the branches of Smart Kidz Media, is dedicated to the education of children. Their goal is to "give every child the opportunity for a basic education." That's why everything they produce is done so for the betterment of children and their families. And in order to show their commitment to this goal and to ensure that it's available for every child, they are offering a membership to their radio station free of charge.

Every song on Smart Kidz Radio was chosen just for kids ages 2-10. The songs promote self-esteem, teach valuable life skills, and encourage good manners. They sing about things like kindness, respect, love, compromise, sharing, friendship, emotions, exercise, nutrition, and more. The music that streams is played live like a typical radio station, so there are no options for replaying or skipping songs.

There is also a podcast section that features multiple well-known children's stories, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes. They are enhanced with music, sound effects, and various voices. There are some artistic liberties embraced in some of the stories. For instance, in Little Red Riding Hood,  the wolf does not want to hurt Little Red, but instead wants to eat her yummy goodies she brought to Grandma. They might not be the version of the stories your child is familiar with. Unlike the live stream songs, these podcasts can be played at any time. They can be paused, however, there is no option to fast forward or rewind. So when a story accidentally was closed one time, my kids chose to forgo the ending instead of listening to the majority of the story for a second time. Most of the podcasts are in the 15-20 minute range, but the songs and nursery rhymes are only a few minutes each.

The only ads on the site are for other Smart Kidz resources, so it is a safe environment for little ones. The live stream itself is a selection of original songs from their library which plays on a loop for a designated amount of time. At that point, a new live stream lineup is rotated in.

If you would like to select specifically which radio programs to listen to, you can upgrade your account to the On-Demand Programming. For just a few dollars a month, you have control of what is played. With hundreds of options including Bible stories, bedtime songs, Christmas carols, Peter Rabbit tales, all-time favorite sing-a-longs, and more, you have plenty of variety.

I have to preface this with explaining that our family is very selective in our music. We do not listen to typical pop culture music, but instead prefer Christian, classical, and typical sing-songy-type of children's music. Unfortunately, much of the music on Smart Kidz Radio does not fall into those categories. The melodies do not sound like regular children's songs, but rather would appeal more so to adults. My children had nothing nice to say about the music every time I turned it on.

Aside from the differences in musical style, I can not recommend this station because of the words themselves in many of the songs. They are designed to promote good behavior, yet there are many songs that include fighting, name calling, rude comments, and arguing. Those situations that are placed into the songs are done so to show the bad behavior and then sings about the good. However, you don't have to highlight the wrong to show the right. Little ones are like sponges. They soak things up. They repeat what they hear. I would not want my little ones getting these words cemented in their minds. For instance, there is a line in a song that says, "your brother is worse than a blister and your sister is a pain in the neck," and is repeated multiple times. Stupid, moron, and fatso are some of the name-calling inclusions.

Little ones are impressionable. Songs are catchy. I want my children singing songs that are uplifting and do not say things that I would not want them to repeat.

I know that everyone has their own opinions, and yours may be different from mine. You can check out the free Smart Kidz Radio station and decide for yourself, and it won't even cost you anything.



You can connect with Smart Kidz Radio on the following social media sites:
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You can read more reviews of Smart Kidz Media on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope

Today's review is of the newest book from Great Waters Press called No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope.

Yesterday I shared my review of Love, Honor, and Virtue: Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality It was written to young men ages 12-20 to help them in their journey to become men and husbands that are full of character and purity. It's a quick, but powerful, read and definitely one you should check out, especially if you have a child in that category. While that book is for puberty and beyond, No Longer Little is geared toward the younger crowd in the stage just before that one. Tweens.

Tweens are the ones ages 8-14. They're not exactly kids anymore, but they're not quite teens yet either. This in between stage can be difficult as boys and girls are transitioning to adulthood. They are finding themselves, testing boundaries, and experiencing an emotional rollercoaster.

Hal and Melanie Young, award-winning authors of Raising Real Men, wrote No Longer Little to help parents as they guide their children through this transition. As parents of 8, they have been through this stage many times. Their wisdom and practical applications pour through their writing. With the Bible as their foundation and real-life stories woven throughout, their newest offering is a valuable resource.   

The book starts with an introduction to the parents. Not only do they explain the crucial importance of protecting your relationship with your preteens, but they also are transparent in struggles they faced in their own home. But my favorite part of this section? They give hope! No matter the turmoils the child is going through at this time, there are ways to help them through unscathed. 

The book is divided into the following chapters:

1. Getting Bigger -- hormones and body changes
2. The Rollercoaster -- emotional upheaval
3. Brains Turn To Mush -- why school goes awry
4. Many A Conflict, Many A Doubt -- spiritual questioning
5. The Awakening -- sexuality and virtue
6. Social Struggles -- overcoming awkwardness
7. Media, Gaming, and Discernment -- more than amusement
8. Conflict At Home -- family relationships
9. Transitioning -- youth in the Bible
10. Celebrating Growth -- coming of age ceremonies
11. Producers, Not Consumers -- work and stewardship
12. The Next Big Thing -- high school and beyond

The first chapter sets the groundwork of explaining the emotional changes that are taking place long before puberty begins. It is filled with facts about growth spurts, acne, anatomy, weight gain, body odor, and sex education. These kids are experiencing a lot of changes, both physically and emotionally. 

The rest of the book tackles various frustrations a parent is likely to observe while raising a tween: lack of focus, forgetfulness, trouble in school, lack of self-confidence, doubt, social anxiety, avoidance, bullying, emotional instability, outbursts, argumentativeness, and foolish antics. Along with that comes an abundance of practical advice such as how to set screen time boundaries in a tech-dependent world, ways to build the relationships in the home, how to resolve conflicts by "fighting fair,"disciplining in love, the process of establishing a vision for the future, reminders to celebrate growth both physically and spiritually, the significance of teaching a strong work ethic and how to handle money, a challenge to embrace opportunities, and so much more.

No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope is 200 pages or so of much-needed wisdom. Hal and Melanie write with a casual, charming style. They are personal and transparent and aren't afraid to let you see a peek into their lives. Reading their book has the feeling of sitting on the couch with respected mentors. They tell you how it is, giving gentle rebuke and encouragement as necessary. I have 3 children who are currently in this age range and showing various signs of the tweenager characteristics. I found myself nodding in agreement and stopping to read portions of the book to my husband.

I have found so many helpful ideas in this book and know that I will reference this for years to come. This would be a valuable resource for anyone in the process of raising a preteen.

You can connect with Hal and Melanie Young through Raising Real Men and Great Waters Press on the following social media sites:

Facebook
Facebook

Twitter

Instagram 

Pinterest

You can read more reviews of Hal and Melanie's books on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Love, Honor, and Virtue

As my oldest child is reaching his teen years, some of our reviews are moving beyond the cutesy juvenile products that are bright and colorful and fun. We've reached the point where more complicated, deeper topics are being discussed. I knew that Love, Honor, and Virtue: Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality would help us, as parents, as we strive to raise our children to be virtuous.

This book, published by Great Waters Press, was written by Hal and Melanie Young. The Youngs are accomplished writers, popular conference speakers, and homeschool advocates. As parents of 8 children, they have much experience and share their practical applications and real-life stories with a Christ-centered focus. They are well-known for their award-winning book, Raising Real Men, which is also the name of their website.

Love, Honor, and Virtue is written directly to boys ages 12-20. Its purpose is to help them learn a Biblical attitude toward sexuality, especially during these foundational years as they are changing from boys into men. Obviously, I've never been through this stage myself, but I was taught repeatedly that the temptations are often stronger for boys than girls. As a whole, the male gender is driven by sight, and we know that, as a culture, we are bombarded with sexual images. From billboards to television to the internet  to signs in stores, there are inappropriate pictures everywhere. And now with phones in everyone's hands, it's extremely easy to access these visuals, even unintentionally.

My desire is for all my children to protect their minds and hearts, but I know that the struggles might be more intense for my 4 boys. We are just now entering this new chapter as our oldest is 12 years old. We've had gentle conversations with our kids as they gotten older. I've told them many, many times, "Once you see something, you can't unsee it." Most of the time I'm explaining why I won't let one of the little ones watch a "scary" part of a movie, but it applies to any image one should not meditate on. We all need to protect our thoughts.   

The book begins with an introduction "To the Young Men on the Battlefield." It describes a good analogy between British soldiers in 1755 and the older generation of men today. You can read that parallel along with the entire introduction to get a good understanding of the purpose of the book on their site.

The content of the book is divided into the following chapters:

1. Sex Was God's Idea
2. It's All Connected
3. The Enemy Perverts God's Design
4. How Can a Young Man Keep His Way Pure?
5. Recovering From a Fall
6. Guys and Girls 

The beginning of the book sets the foundation for their beliefs by explaining facts. It talks about men, women, and marriage. From there, the information remains factual as it explains hormones and the changes as boys and girls go through puberty. It describes the act of marriage, the process of conception, and the steps of growing and birthing a child.

The rest of the book is devoted to helping young men with purity. It warns against sexual sins, both mentally and physically. The Youngs also give solid advice for avoiding temptations and ways to keep accountable. Their Five Point Defense not only gives steps to help those going through temptations, but also practical ways to implement them.

Footnotes on the bottom of the pages list Bible references that are used throughout and various other references that are included. The end of each chapter contains a summary with bullet points listing the key ideas, which makes a great refresher for anytime.

This book is a quick but powerful read with just shy of 100 pages that are packed full of wisdom. It discusses very mature content, and though we've discussed many of these topics with our boy, I think I will wait a little while before handing him the book to read. However, I do believe this is a valuable resource for young men and a good complement to ongoing conversations. It may also help bridge any awkwardness of speaking face-to-face.

Love, Honor, and Virtue: Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality is a wonderful book to help young men remain honorable and make good choices to become men and husbands that are full of character and purity.

I was also sent a copy of Hal and Melanie's newest book, No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope (full review). If you have a preteen in your home, this is another book that you'll want to read! It's packed full of practical advice to help you--and your tween--through these years while strengthening your relationship.

You can connect with  Hal and Melanie Young through Raising Real Men and Great Waters Press on the following social media sites:

Facebook
Facebook

Twitter

Instagram 

Pinterest

You can read more reviews of Hal and Melanie's books on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

The Josefina Story Quilt

Our family loves reading. Literature is the foundation of our education, so we always appreciate reviewing products that are based around books. There's something very special about opening a story and getting lost in its pages together as a family.

When we want to take our learning deeper than just simply reading the book, we utilize the help of study guides. These aids enrich the experience and help the reader fully grasp the themes within the pages. One of our favorite companies to use for this purpose is Progeny Press. We've used their products multiple times in the past and were excited to work with them again using the The Josefina Story Quilt - eGuide.  

Progeny Press is a Christian company owned by Michael and Rebecca Gilleland. It is their mission to "teach our children to think clearly, to understand literature, and to rely on the scripture for truth and values, and enjoy themselves while they do it!" They offer more than 100 study guides for classic, popular, and award-winning books. The guides are designed to help students better understand and enjoy literature by getting them to think through the themes and ideas written in the stories. The study guides are available in three formats: a physical book, a CD with a PDF ebook, and a downloadable PDF file. 

We generally like to do these studies as a family, but since I chose a book from the 1st-3rd grade list, I figured my 8th grader probably wouldn't be interested. My daughter is over the recommended age too, however, since she's a bibliophile I wasn't surprised when she was eager to join it the study with her younger brothers.

The Josefina Story Quilt, written by Eleanor Coerr, is a short chapter book. Only 60+ pages long and large type make the book a quick read. The story takes place in 1850 as it follows Faith, her hen, and her family as they pioneered to California. The story relates their struggles and surprises. It's a story of perseverance, love, and true friendship.

The study eGuide is 33 pages long and contains various activities that are designed to help students understand the story at a deeper level. The beginning includes a synopsis of the story, a short background of the author, and historical facts about wagon trains in the 1800s. The Before-you-read Activities get the student busy with map and encyclopedia skills, a recording of a classic, and discussion questions. There are also many vocabulary words pulled from the story and exercises that teach their definitions.

The story is broken into two sections in the guide. Both parts include questions about the book along with some questions to make the reader think. Within these sections are also Bible verses that complement the lessons in the story. The verses are written out in the guide itself, but we chose to pull out our KJV and read directly from the Bible. There are also questions that accompany the verses and reinforce the themes.

There are some hands-on activities that are included, as well. There is a crossword puzzle, a recipe for golden white bread (which my 10-year-old made completely by herself), and art projects such as creating a wagon wheel poster and sewing quilt squares. The guide ends with suggestions for further reading of other books by the author and those of related interest for the age range.

My kids (10, 8, 6 yr) enjoyed the story. They felt sad for Faith at the end, but were happy that she had put so much care and effort into her quilt. They enjoyed working through the discussion questions with me and completing some of the other activities. I, personally, appreciate that the guide incorporates the Bible and helps the kids see a deeper meaning behind a cute story. Whenever you can apply a lesson, rather than just hear about it, it's much more likely to make a lasting difference.

The Josefina Story Quilt was a quick study for my little ones, but if you're looking for more involved learning, Progeny Press offers study guides from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. Their resources are greatly enjoyed in our home. 




You can connect with Progeny Press on the following social media sites:

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

YouTube

You can read more reviews of this eGuide along with the others reviewed by fellow homeschoolers on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Code for Teens

My oldest (12 yrs) is very tech-minded. He loves any chance he gets to work with technology, so he was excited for a review that meant he got to work on the computer for school. And this isn't just any computer work; this is for coding, his passion. His desire is to pursue programming as a career one day. He has a good grasp of Scratch and Python and has dabbled in HTML. Software engineering is one of the fastest growing career paths and technology is constantly changing. I believe it's good to give him a well-rounded foundation in programming, so he will be better prepared for his future job, no matter which language he will need.

He had no previous experience with JavaScript, so Code for Teens: The Awesome Beginner's Guide to Programming (Volume 1) from Code for Teens seemed like the perfect starting place for him.   

   

Code for Teens was written by Jeremy Moritz in order to offer a multi-purpose coding course specifically for kids. Though there are many such options already available on the market, Jeremy found none that moved at a proper pace without overwhelming the teen. He created a resource that needs no additional guidance, explanation, or review from a knowledgeable teacher. His book contains everything a young teen needs to learn coding by himself.    

Not only is Code for Teens written at a child's pace, but written at a child's level, too. The conversational style is easy-to-follow. He speaks directly to the student in a likable manner with some humor weaved in. Important terms are in bold print. Sometimes the definitions accompany the text, but every one of those words and their definitions can also be found in the back of the book in the glossary section. The chapters are marked by strips of color on the edges of the pages for easily finding your way around. Original artwork illustrated by his wife, Christine, enhances the pages, as well. 

The beginning of the book contains an introduction to the student, not only to explain the purpose of the book, but also to spark some enthusiasm. Next is a letter to the parents. This section explains the value of coding and the benefits the child will receive from learning it. After the preliminaries, the teaching begins. Chapter one starts very simply by explaining what the student need to code, important terms and command keys, and then gets right into the first lines of code. 

One thing that I really liked in this chapter is the attention drawn to the error messages. The author tells the student to appreciate them because they're helpful in finding mistakes. Coding is very specific, so spotting the errors is vital. The book then directs the learner to make mistakes on purpose and walks him through the steps to understanding what is wrong and how to fix it.

As the book progresses, so does the difficulty of the code. The student will learn data types, comments, functions, operators, arrays, and so much more. Each chapter is filled with hands-on exercises to get the teen on the computer programming. Much of the book is filled with simple type-this-code throughout the text because that is how it is learned best, but each chapter ends with a DIY section, too. This do-it-yourself project gives the student an assignment in which he is required to write his own code. There are easier projects such as finding the average age of your family and creating a personal bio, but the more difficult activities require the student to solve problems such as bug issues in a video game and logging messages and creating functions for a hypothetical allergy.

Each chapter ends with a ton of review. There is a quiz, a list of key concepts, code drills, and an aggregate review section, in addition to the DIY project. All of the answers are found in the back of the book.  

My son had an easy time with the beginning of the book, because of his prior experience with coding. I was surprised at his knowledge when I verbally asked him the quiz questions. He kept telling me how similar JavaScript is to Python. He didn't understand as much as he thought he did though when he found difficulty with one of the DIY projects.He had to go back and look at the information a little more closely. Once he took the time to follow along in the book, he realized just how well-written the instructions are.

The teaching throughout the book is so conversationally written that it's like having a personal tutor sitting there to help you. The writing engages the reader so well, in fact, that I even opened the console and wrote me first code! Anyone who knows us knows that my husband is the tech geek in our home and that I have no desire to learn these things in such detail. But this book truly is that captivating and makes the information easy-to-understand.

This first volume is all about JavaScript, but the second book introduces HTML and CSS and shows how it all works together to create web pages and games. If you have a teen that is interested in programming, Code for Teens is a fantastic resource. 

You can find Code for Teens on their website and Facebook.

Please visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read more reviews of this book.

Ode to Our Table

Leighton just recently finished building a new dining room table and benches that he designed for us. Our old table had seen better days, but I was thankful for it, for many reasons. I thought I'd write a poem in honor of it. Yes, it's meant to be silly, but this poem tells a story about our lives. It also reminds us to be thankful for what we have, even when it doesn't always match up to what we want.

Ode to Our Table

You came to us so long ago, 

When we had a need.

Your $50 price tag 

Was perfect, we agreed.

Your oblong shape filled the space

With no room to spare.

It was a tight fit and way too big,

But we just didn't care.

Over time our family grew

And then the chairs were filled.

We added one and then two,

And we around you spilled.

Your legs were sturdy, top was strong

As little ones abused you.

Science projects, arts and crafts--

We lovingly used you.

Your finish has been scratched and chipped;

Your top splattered with paint.

For all that we've put you through,

You really are a saint.

Our favorite memories took place 

With you by our side.

We've shared our days and discussed our dreams.

We've laughed and we've cried.

But time goes on and people grow.

Now our needs have changed.

Your bulky structure no longer fits.

Please don't think it's strange. 

Oh, Table, we thank you,

For all your years of service.

Another family has need of you.

Please don't be nervous.

We'll always have our memories

And our pictures, too,

To remind us of your faithfulness.

Oh, Table, we thank you.

P.S. That table has already been picked up by an elderly gentleman who refinishes furniture. He's going to fix it up, re-stain it, and bring new life to it. I see that table blessing another family for many years. If it could come alive, oh, what memories it would have.

Math Refresher for Adults

As members of the Homeschool Review Crew, we get many reviews a year. Most of the material is for the kids, naturally, but every now and then I receive something just for me. It is even more rare to get actual curriculum designed for adults. This review from Math Essentials is one such time though.

I loved my math classes in school. I enjoyed solving algebraic equations, finding common denominators, plotting coordinates, and determining area and volume. The problem though is that many times when you don't use something you lose it. I no longer remember all those formulas that once came so easily. Words like sine, tangent, asymptote, extremum, and binomial coefficients are just vague memories of times long ago. I was excited, to say the least, to revive those interests with Math Refresher for Adults.   

Math Essentials was created by Rick Fisher. His passion for math has resulted in not only his teaching for over 31 years but also his developing award-winning materials. His "highly functional, easy-to-use, and easy-to-understand" teaching system works so well that approximately half of his 6th grade students would skip 7th grade math and move directly to an advanced algebra class, year after year. He shares his teaching strategy through books, DVDs, and an online instructional program. His resources have helped countless students worldwide.

A strong foundation in basic math skills is important for many aspects of life. Whether you're budgeting for your home or working in a profession, you're likely to use math throughout the day. Math Refresher for Adults can help you revitalize those skills that have been forgotten or even help you finally get a good grasp of those concepts.

The book covers the following topics:

• Whole Numbers
• Fractions
• Decimals
• Percents
• Geometry
• Integers
• Charts and Graphs
• Word Problems
• Pre-Algebra
• Algebra

Mr. Fisher, like my own math teachers, believes that neatly copying problems onto a piece of paper helps with both accuracy as well as understanding. There is no room to work the problems in the book, but there is a small section on each page for personal notes. 

The book is filled with various exercises blocked off by type. The format is the same for each lesson: a handful of review exercises, followed by two sample problems, and then the lesson problems (almost always ten, except for review pages).    

Since this book is a refresher and not a typical textbook, there is no teaching instruction in it, save a helpful hint on each page. The actual teaching can be found in video lessons on the site. The lessons are taught as if you were sitting in class watching the teacher work through the problems on an overhead projector. The instruction are clear and concise. The majority of the videos are 3-10 minutes long, so it's easy to fit into any schedule. The videos aren't in order for this specific book, but you can easily find what you need by the titles.  

I may be a bit of a nerd, but I am loving working through this book! I find it almost therapeutic to write the problems and work them out. I was surprised how easily all of it came back as I sat down and flipped through the book. I worked through the order of operations sections first, just because it's fun. I've also tackled integers, word problems, fractions, and linear equations.

And now that I had some fun, I figured it was time to dive into the one section that I dread: percents. I don't know why, but I've just never liked them (unless we're talking 50% sales at the store or something, ha). I figured I'd utilize the videos for this, for sure. The first bit, of course, covers the easy stuff, but I can already tell that the explanations in the video tutorials are going to make those more difficult percentages much easier to understand, too.   

The back of the book contains all of the solutions to the exercises along with a glossary of mathematical terms. There are numerous charts also, such as important symbols, a multiplication table, commonly used prime numbers, squares and square roots, and fraction/decimal equivalents. These resources are great when you need the answer to common things at a glance.

The lessons are short, the instructions are clear, and the topics are vast. If you need to review your math skills for home use, college classes, to advance your career, or even just for fun, Math Refresher for Adults is a wonderful book to have. 


You can connect with Math Essentials on their website and Facebook.

You can read more reviews of this math curriculum on the Hommeschool Review Crew blog.

Bible Study Guide For All Ages

Homeschooling means that we can focus our days on matters that are most important to us. We don't do a lot of structured schooling during the summer months, but this review fits perfectly with those priority learning experiences that we continue all year long.

The kids have their individual studies and interests, but my favorite times are those when we learn together, especially for our Bible lessons. There's just something so special about reading God's Word as a family. Learning those stories that happened so long ago and committing verses to memory in our hearts are things that I want my little ones to remember about our daily Bible times. We've used a handful of resources over the years, but we're currently using the Bible Study Guide For All Ages. And even though the company truly offers guides "for all ages," we're using the Intermediate (3rd & 4th grade) and Beginner (3-K) lessons.

The first Bible Study Guide was published in 1980 when Mary Baker wrote her own curriculum to help both her four children and her church's class learn and understand the Bible. Over the years, the curriculum expanded as it became a family project. Though the guides have developed and improved since that first one decades ago, the core values have not changed. Their goal is to help people of all ages understand the Bible as they apply it to their own lives.

The curriculum spans the entire Bible from the Old Testament to the New. There are 416 lessons that are broken into sets of 26 lessons. The curriculum covers the same material from the little ones on up, so it's simple to use with multiple ages together. Everyone can learn the same lesson at their own level. Also, when a student moves up a grade, he simply continues with the next lesson in the curriculum, but at the higher level.

We've been using the first set of 26 lessons, which cover Joseph, Daniel, and the early life of Jesus. (You can find the full order of study on their website.) I was able to choose which levels I wanted to use with my kids. I could have chosen the appropriate options per their grade levels, but that would have meant I was teaching 4 different levels. Yes, like I said, the curriculum is designed specifically to be compatible all across the board, but there are still differences, and differences mean extra work. Sometimes you just need a little simplicity, especially trying to keep track of a toddler and teach 4 kids who are in summer mode. Ha. All that to say, I chose the Intermediate Level (3rd & 4th grades) for my older kids and the Beginner Level for my kindergartner. Since the guides are flexible enough to use with a broader range of ages, I felt this way would work well for not only my kids, but me, as well.

The student pages guide you through the lessons. The booklets are printed on legal-size paper and are lightly glue-bound for easily tearing out the worksheets. The Beginner lessons follow this format:

• Learn the Basics -- teaches a simple fact about a person or event from the Bible
• Sing and Remember -- reiterates memory work, a song, and review questions
• Get Active -- promotes excitement and introduces the truth taught in the lesson
• My Bible -- replaces the Get Active portion every 4 lessons and produces familiarity with the Bible
• Discover the Bible -- teaches the Bible lesson
• Apply It! -- helps the student apply the lesson to his own life  

The Intermediate Level has a different setup:

• Remember It? -- reviews important details from previous lessons
• Memory Workout -- drills general information about the Bible
• Guess What... -- provides definitions and historical facts that are pertinent to the lesson
• Discover the Bible -- teaches the Bible lesson
• Time Line -- helps the student understand the time frame by visually seeing the events in order
• Maps -- teaches where events take place
• Get Active -- allows the student to do something fun and challenging while apply the lesson
• Apply It! -- helps the student apply the lesson to his own life

The front page of the levels vary quite a bit, but the backs are fairly similar. The entire back page is filled with the Discover the Bible section. The various points of the story are divided by boxes and are shown through pictures. The Beginner Level instructs the student to color specific parts, trace portions, circle the correct picture, or draw simple accents. The Intermediate Level also includes those aspects, but incorporates more difficult skills such as filling in missing letters, writing answers, crossing off incorrect answers, connecting matches, and more.

The are teacher keys to accompany each set of lessons. The pages look identical to the student versions, except that the answers are given. The Intermediate Level teacher key (the only level we received) shows the answers in bold black just as though a student filled out the page. Having the key also helps the teacher to guide the lesson easily.

There is an impressive wall map and timeline set that you can purchase, but with the time line over 6 feet long and 2 feet tall along with maps, we opted to use only the smaller versions provided on the student pages. (But how I wish we had the room for them!) However, the Beginner Level includes Time Line Cards that we were able to utilize. Each of the 34 cards shows a picture of a major event or person in the biblical timeline. Under the picture is a question that corresponds with each card and helps to trigger facts that the student has learned.

The Bible Book Summary Cards are another fun aspect of this curriculum. These flash cards teach an important summary of each book of the Bible. The front of the cards shows one or more pictures; the back lists a brief explanation of what is shown. Also on the back side is a list of questions that the teacher can ask to review the highlights. The cards are available in 3 sizes to meet every need. There is one card for each book, so naturally, there are 66 summary cards included.

As a teacher, I have found it very easy to use the Bible Study Guide For All Ages. There's not a lot of prep work, as all the information to lead the lesson is given clearly and is easy to follow. Since we do not have the wall map and timeline set, we simply skip over those portions in the lesson. Also, since we're using this as a family as opposed to a Sunday School class or study group, we have to be a bit flexible with the Get Active sections by either adapting them or skipping them altogether.

Because the Beginner Level and Intermediate Level have different stories in the Apply It! sections, it makes it tricky to balance the two. I have my Beginner sit next to me at the table so I can work through his page with him while the others are filling in things on their pages. We follow the same format on the back Discover the Bible sections, too, because even though the pictures are similar, the students have different expectations. Everything else we do together following the Intermediate Level guide.

The only thing I truly do not like about this curriculum is the actual booklets. The awkwardness of the legal size pages makes it difficult to store. Also, since the booklets are lightly glue-bound for easy tearing, there is no way for the booklet to stay together. My kids enjoy looking through their pages for review, but that is impossible as even the cover tore off by the second lesson. And since the pages are larger, they will not fit into a folder or binder so the kids can keep them. Even my teacher key is falling apart, so it would be very difficult to reuse year after year, either in a homeschool setting or especially in a church.

That issue aside though, we are loving these guides! My kids ask daily if we're doing a Bible lesson. Like I said, for simplicity's sake, I dropped my oldest down a couple levels. He would definitely benefit more from a higher level, because I do think the levels themselves are accurate for the grades.

I personally love that the timeline and map activities are included in every lesson as those things will give the kids a better grasp of the stories. This curriculum really hits all the important aspects. Along with those two things, it includes memory work, application, and details about the books themselves and the individual stories. The Bible Study Guide For All Ages truly is a quality curriculum and a joy to use.  

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You can read more reviews of this Bible curriculum on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Things That Make Me Smile 5/11/18

Jake (12), Alyssa (10), Zac (8 1/2), Tyler (6), Nicholas (3)

Happy Friday! Here's our list, but what made you Smile this week? Leave us a comment letting us know! 

1. Alyssa: ". . . and you're shorter."

Nicholas: "I not Shorter; I Nicky!"

2. Nicholas calling his knee his "leg elbow."

3. Nicholas: "'Matoes are my favorites! And cucumbers. And carrots."

4.

5. Nicholas calling pears "parrots."

6. The message Jake left for me during school one day.

7. Nicholas, in the bathtub, pointing to all the cuts and scrapes on his legs from playing outside: "I want you wash these away."

8. Zac, because I mentioned something about the animal: "A liger. It's when a male lion marries a female tiger."

9. Nicholas, yelling at a bird: "Hey, you! Get off the bird feeders! Dat for squirrels!"
Because normally we see this:

10. Nicholas, because he accidentally walked into the running sprinkler and got wet, pouting: "Now I'm sprinkled."

11. Jake, discussing Shakespeare: "I know Romeo and Juliet. Oh, and Hamlet. Is that about a little pig?"

 What made you Smile this week?