If He Had Not Come {Review}

A few years ago I began a Christmas Book tradition of purchasing a new book for our Christmas book basket. For those of you looking for a new book I would like to present a BEAUTIFUL book alert for If He Had Not Come This book is a beautifully illustrated hardback book.

Have you ever wondered what our world would be like today if Jesus had not been born ?  It's not something that I've given much thought to but it is certainly impacting once you take that time to thing about it.

David Nicholson is a retired teacher and was a short term missionary. He used to read If He Had Not Come to his children and I am so grateful to him for reintroducing this thought provoking book to today's readers.


What we received

• If He Had Not Come
• Published: 4/1/2014 
• Format: Case bound Hardcover 
• Pages: 40 
• Size: 8.5x11 
• ISBN: 978-1-49081-810-8 
• Print Type: Colour 

If He Had Not Come was originally written by Nan F.Weeks and was published in Christ in the Fine Arts in 1938 and has been beautifully illustrated by Charles Jaskiewicz.

How we used it
Our favourite way to enjoy a new beautiful book is to cuddle up together on the couch look at the pages together and read.  This book has the most beautiful pictures and the story is beautifully written.

The story begins with Bobby who is very excited because tomorrow is Christmas.  It's now Christmas eve and together with his father he joys their evening devotions before bed. Before he goes to bed, his dad reads from John chapter 15 in the Bible. Bobby can't stop thinking about the phrase, "If I had not come," as he drifts off to sleep.

In the morning when Bobby wakes up he is rather startled to find an empty house and no Christmas decorations.  He grabs his jacket and goes to find his father at work but as his morning unfolds he finds more and more things missing from the world as he used to know it.

Everywhere Bobby looks he is confronted with the fact that Jesus has not come and the world is not the world it was when he went to bed last night.  Not only are there physical things missing but there are attitude problems within the world too.
 
Ultimately, no real joy and no true hope. By the end of the story, the beautiful reality of Christ’s birth is re-establish and Bobby has a new, Christ-centered perspective on Christmas and life.

Upon completing the story Bobby helps us understand the full scope of the gift of Jesus at Christmas.

Appendix

A list of questions that help discuss what happened in the book. The questions are merely suggestions to help you get the conversation started with your children or your class.


Discussion questions talk about the birth and life of Jesus and how things would or could be different if Jesus had not come. It also lists Bible passages for you to go to help you dig deeper into what it would be like without Him.

The Gospel Message, shares how you can receive the gift of salvation in three A-B-C steps:

1. A - Admit you are a sinner separated from a perfect God
2. B - Believe in your heart that Jesus is Savior
3. C - Confess with your mouth and receive God's gift of salvation

Explanations and Scripture are provided in each step. Following the steps is a prayer you or your child can pray in response to believing Jesus is God's Son and that He died for your sins.

Ideas to Help You Celebrate Christmas . . ., suggests drawing a fully decorated Christmas tree to remind you of the eternal life we have through Jesus. Six points tell how parts of the tree and decorations symbolize different aspects of the true meaning of Christmas.

Purchase If He Had Not Come

• Hardcover Book $18.95
• eBook $3.99

Recommended Age Range

• 3 years old to adult.

Connect with David



Both of us enjoyed reading this lovely book and it's a worthwhile addition to your Christmas book list.

It has been food for thought for us about just how different our world would be today if Jesus had not come.  Sir N and I have had spontaneous conversations when out and about within our community and I've heard him pointing out community resources to his friends and explaining to them that these things would not be there IF Jesus had not come.  I'm looking forward to reading it again with him in December as a way for us to refocus on the reason for our remembrance and the far reaching impact of His life on earth and how this still touches ever single country in the world today.

Blessings
Chareen

Homeschool Bloggers Wanted!

The Schoolhouse Review Crew will soon be opening applications for the 2015 crew year.

Application Criteria

• An active blog.  You need to post a minimum of one post a week. Once you join the crew you will need to still post one non-review post a week for the duration of the year.
• Be a home schooling Mom or Dad.  You don't need to be home educating all of your children, as long as you have one.
• You will need to be active on one social media platform.  The platform you choose is up to you.  You will need to commit to promoting your reviews on this platform for the duration of 2015.
• A commitment to check the forum regularly as this is where the Review Management Team communicate with the crew.
• A commitment to using the review products assigned to you for an approximately six weeks in your home school and write a review.  There are deadlines and requirements for each review.

For a more detailed list of requirements please read more on the Schoolhouse Review Crew website.

My thoughts
I have loved every minute of being on the crew for the last two years. Here are some of the things I've appreciated

1. I have had amazing support and encouragement from the management team Kate, Marcy and Debra.
2. Blogging technical support
3. Homeschool support and encouragement
4. Training opportunities
5. As a self confessed book and curriculum junkie I get to see sneak peaks of new and upcoming products within the homeschool community.
6. Blog hop opportunities
7. Friendship
8. Prayer support
9. We have been blessed with over $1500.00 worth of curriculum during the 2014 crew year.

If you would like the opportunity to join the Schoolhouse Review Crew 2015, watch the blog next week. You can subscribe to the Schoolhouse blog so you don’t miss the announcement.

Hope to be on crew with you in the new year
Blessings
Chareen

The 7 Minute Life Daily Planner {Review}

Keeping track of the day to day has always come easily and naturally to me until recently.  Before the internet and smartphones (aka 'The Olden Days') life was simple and the need for a diary or regular planning didn't seem to feature in my life. 

Fast forward 15 years into my home school journey and it's a very different picture.  I keep missing important things!  Life constantly feels as though it's out of control and no matter what I do I do not seem able to catch up to all the stuff that keeps needing to be done. I have been losing my mojo.  My passion is waining and everything is begining to feel just too hard.  STOP the world I want to get off! Enter The 7 Minute Life™ Daily Planner.  I am so pleased with this planner from the The 7 Minute Life.

The 7 Minute Life is a time management company created by Allyson Lewis, a motivational speaker and author of The 7 Minute Solution, The 7 Minute Difference, and The 7 Minute Daily Planner. Through her products, she encourages everyone to prioritize, organize, and simplify.

What we received

• One physical copy of The 7 Minute Life™ Daily Planner. 
• Spiral bound 7.3" by 8.5" book
• 272 pages
• Paper back
• Plastic protective cover on the front and the back
• ISBN 978-0-9911123-4-0 

If you are a visual person you can watch a 12 minute YouTube clip explaining in depth how the planner works.

How we used it
Receiving my planner was the highlight of my week after surfing the company website and reading about the planner and seeing how others had been using it.    My first task was to read through the preface, introduction and finally  The 7 Minute Life .

While this took time it was a valuable experience as I gained a deeper understanding of the tools available to me in the planner along with an explanation behind each tool which gave them each a deeper value and inspired to use them better.

The heart of this planner is prioritize, organize and simplify.

While that sounds like all we've seen and heard before Alyson takes it to a deeper level and shares a little of her personal journey which led to her developing this tool for us. Prioritzing, organizing and simplifying are not new concepts to me.  My biggest struggle has been how to go from the clutter in my life to organized and simplified. The 7 Minute Life™ Daily Planner has given me the tools and necessary steps to do that.

The start of the planner is about you. It begins with a series of short exercises designed to help you define your priorities and re-discover your purpose along with your strengths. You use all this information to formulate your 90 day goals.  These are then broken down into bite sized achievable tasks with the aim of assisting you to achieve you goals in 90 days.

The pages helped me answer the questions: What is important to me ? What do I want to accomplish ? Which things are not important and can I let them go ?

You’ll also find pages other pages to help you sort out your life:

• mental clutter – pages where you can jot down the things bogging down your brain 
• 90 Day goals – for your work and personal life
• Unfinished work and home tasks
• Home repair
• Grocery List
• Connections – those people in work or life that you want to keep connected to
• Annual Calendar at a glance
• Annual Projects and Tasks
• 90-Day Calendar Worksheets
• Monthly Calendar at a Glance
• Meeting Planner

Learning about mental clutter and how it weighs us down was extremely liberating.  I am not a note a jotter.  I've always carried my to do list in my head.  I now realize that with all the extra in my life these days I NEED to WRITE it down in a book and let the book CARRY the weight which in turn will free up my mind to enjoy life again.

This page for me is the heart of The 7 Minute Life™ Daily Planner.  Each evening I take a cup of tea, sit with my planner and fill in this page.  7 minutes is all you need.  The top right list is worth it's weight in gold.  This is the key to unlocking that feeling of accomplishing your to do list.  Here is where I list my top FIVE things I want to get done before 11 am the next day.  Having this list in place and ready to tackle sets me up for SUCCESS.

In my heart I want to connect with people.  I really love the 7 Minute Life Connections spot.  Here I can keep track of those I want to connect with.  If I haven't connected I simply carry their names forward to the next day.

The unfinished tasks list is a great accountability tool.  Here is where I need to be honest with myself and keep this list where I can see it rather than sweeping it under the carpet and pretending it doesn't exist.  As I tick off my 5 before 11 I can transfer things from here into my 5 before 11 list.

Aiming to be healthy and actually being healthy are two different things.  At the bottom of the page there is a small area for me to keep personal track of what I actually do.

The final thing at the bottom of the page is the crux of The 7 Minute Life™ Daily Planner. Did I do what I said I would do today ? Yes or No. 

The second page contains a space for: appointments, Thank you notes, voice mail and notes.  If there are any sections in here that are not needed by you there are many ideas out there to tweak your planner and make it work for you.  Some of my crew mates are using these areas for

• List of "honey dos" or a section for items your children need to accomplish
• Prayer lists, particularly urgent, immediate items
• Meal plans and grocery lists
• Ongoing project lists - both short-term and long-term
• Menu ideas for the future
• Memory verses that you want to work on as a family or individually
• Bible study in depth

Cost of The 7 Minute Life™ Daily Planner

• One 90 day paperback with wire spine $24.95
• 90 day PRE-dated daily planner $9.97

Connect with The 7 Minute Life



Free Time Management Strategy Tools
On this page you will find 12 min clip on how to improve your daily productivity in just 7 minutes a day as well as the following free downloadable tools to help you implement what you learn.

• The 7 Minute Life™ Daily Progress Report
• Prioritize Worksheet Discovering Purpose
• 90 Day Personal Goals Worksheet
• 90 Day Work Goals Worksheet
• Unfinished Home Tasks
• Unfinished Work Tasks
• The Learning Worksheet
• 90 Day Calendar Worksheet
• Connections (Personal)
• Connections (Business)
• Your Highest and Best
• Goal/Project Worksheet
• The 7 Minute Solution Flowchart
• 15 Minute Increment Tracking Sheet
• Grocery List
• Travel Checklist
• Mental Clutter
• Annual Projects and Tasks
• The 7 Minute Life™ Written Assessment Worksheet

Read More

• 3 Ways to Conquer Homeschooler Chaos 
• 7 Steps to Homeschool Schedule Sanity  
• Time Management Tips for Homeschooling Families
• Watch 16 short YouTube clips where the author explains how to effectively use the  planner

I LOVE my 7 Minute Life™ Daily Planner and the changes it has brought about in my life.  I'm loving the release of mental clutter and the sense of accomplishment I am having upon completing tasks that I never seemed to get to before.  This planner is helping me reconnect with my priorities.

Blessings
Chareen

UberSmart Math Facts {Review}

Math Facts!  What was your first thought when you read that statement ?  For many of us we think of route drills, pages of speed drills at school and for many home educators we think of flash cards and frustrated children.  Today I would like to introduce to you the digital version of flash cards produced by UberSmart Software.


What we received

DOWNLOADABLE SOFTWARE for mastering math facts. It can be used by eight or more students and will enable your student to practice the following:

• Dot Cards (like adding domino faces)
• Keyboard Entry (Ten-Key Numbers)
• Flash Cards (add, subtract, multiplication, division)
• Addition/Subtraction goes up through the 9s
• Multiplication/Division has the option to set it to go up to 9's - 20's. (9's, 10's, 11's. all the way through the 20's

How we used it
After downloading and installing UberSmart Math Facts I took some time to explore the drop down menues at the top of the screen.

 Each menu is divided up between beginner and intermediate.

• Learn - contains dot cards and flash cards
• Practice - dot cards, keyboard entry and flash cards
• Test - Beginner (assessment test), intermediate (mastery test)
• Compete - Competition (here you choose the skill, age range and student)
• Report - You can choose to see any students progress from here.  There are seven report cards to choose from and each of these are available for the skill sets being practiced / mastered and then each of those are further divided by the number group from zero to nine followed by a combination of all the numbers.
• Maintain - here you have access to the students, admin passwords, updates and information. This is only accessible to the password holder.  This is where you add students and

Sir N took an Assessment and we were provided with a comprehensive report on screen which we were given the option of saving.  I am very impressed with this report it is well written and positive. The report covered the following areas:

1. His name, test duration and date
2. A summary of his ability to fullfill the prerequisites to successfully use the flashcard componant of UberSmart.
3. Counting skills
4. Sequencing skills
5. Relationship skills (greater than, less than or equals)
6. Odd and Even number skills
7. Keyboard Entry - UberSmart recommend a maximum entry time of 2.5 seconds per number 
8. Math Facts - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Each skill is explained in the report and followed with a short report of where your student is in that particular skill set.

From the results of this assessment we used UberSmart to mainly practice keyboard entry skills.  This is practiced by showing a number and the student uses the keyboard to log the number they see.  At the end of each round an average time per keystroke is presented.  At the end of a practice an encouraging note pops up.  Once he reached keyboard mastery he started on facts.

When learning a single flash card is put on the 'table' and the answer is captured.  If an incorrect answer is given it turns red and is crossed out and the correct answer is displayed to the right.  At the bottom of the screen there is a progress bar and this fills up with a green line as the student progresses through his/her pile of cards.

 This is what the screen looks like if you want to use the dot cards to practice math facts

Once your student reaches mastery they are prompted via a message to attempt a test. During the test the cards move across the 'table'. The one in the centre is the one you are answering, the one to the left is a completed card and the one on the right is the next card in your pile.  There is a time requirement in the test and this is tracked along the bottom in the red bar and just above it is a green progress bar which shows you how far you are through your cards.  You have the option of turning off the time before starting the test.  Once you have mastered (100 %) in any number group for the skill set this will be noted in the drop down menu option in both the practice and test menus.

The mastery chart is my favourite. As you can see it is illustrated with little faces who are either sad and red or really bright happy green depending on your skill level.  I like this representation as I can see at a glance where the student is in their learning.


Cost of UberSmart Math Facts

• Standard Version for home use $24.95 this includes FREE upgrades and support and is licensed to run on all the computers in your home.
• Professional version licensing ranges start at $49.95 for 10 students.

Recommended Age Range

• Grades K - 6
• Any student needing reinforcement of math facts

System Software Requirements

• This is for Windows 7, 8, XP and Vista only.

Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a flash card, clutter free method of learning math facts that will accurately keep track your students progress then UberSmart Math Facts is for you.  It is both easy to install and use.  The reporting is comprehensive and you have numerous options available to you the parent to accurately see your student's progress and where they need help.

Blessings
Chareen

Who Created Everything? (Audio Drama One) {Review}

For the last few months Sir N and I have been on an audio-book and audio-drama odyssey.  We are now reaching a point of running out of resources at our local library and this in turn has me searching for new resources.  The two of us have been enjoying being exposed to a variety of styles of reading and dramatic presentations.

A couple of months ago I heard about Wizzy Gizmo via the Schoolhouse Review Crew and was really impressed with the samples on their website for the Audio Drama One: Who Created Everything?.

Wizzy Gizmo have a few excellent resources available to support families.  I just received an email from the Wizzy Gizmo team who have let me know that they will soon be adding colouring pages, games and puzzles complementing all their products to their website.


What we received

The CD contains one 36 minute audio drama of the book Who Created Everything from Genesis chapter one.
The audio drama is followed by 24 minutes of beautiful music.
The audio drama is divided up into 22 tracks.

About the story: Join Summer, Thomas, Eli and Olive on the adventure of a lifetime.  It's summer and they've all been waiting for Wizzy Gizmo to complete his greatest invention yet.  When they arrive at Wizzy's special place they are just in time to join him in testing his latest creation.  Together they experience creation together.  Qwacky and Pepe help the Wizzy to explain and understand what is happening.

How we used it

• We have listened to this audio drama at home during quiet time and in the car traveling. 
• A family friend used it while her children were siting doing some colouring in work at the table.
• My sister used it at home with her pre-school aged children during quiet room time and in the car traveling.

Cost of Who Created Everything

• Audio Drama One: Who Created Everything $14.99
• Book One: Who Created Everything $12.99

Recommended Age Range

• 4 - 12 year olds

Connect with



Our Thoughts

We thoroughly enjoyed our adventure with Wizzy and his friends.  This is a great dramatic presentation of creation for children to enjoy time and again.

Blessings
Chareen

Back to Homeschool Blog Hop with the Crew

It's time for this years annual Back to Homeschool Blog Hop by the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  Be sure to stop by each blog for some jam packed Homeschool equipping and encouragement.

Marcy @ Ben and Me

Lisa @ Farm Fresh Adventures

Jenn @ Treasuring Life's Blessings

Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays

Dusty @ To the Moon and Back

Jacquelin @ A Stable Beginning

Rebekah @ There Will Be a $5 Charge for Whining

Gena @ I Choose Joy!

Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break

Tara @ This Sweet Life

Laura @ My (re)Viewpoint

Alyson @ Family Style School

Kemi @ Homemaking Organized

Karen @ Tots and Me

Anne @ Upstate Ramblings

Julie @ Nurturing Learning

Beth @ Acorn Hill Academy

Jennifer @ Chestnut Grove Academy

Crystal @ Tidbits of Experience

Rebecca @ Raventhreads

Jennifer @ Milk & Honey Mommy

Dawn @ Guiding Light Homeschool

Monique @ Living Life and Learning

Erin @ For Him and My Family

Lisa @ A Rup Life

Beth @ Weavings

Nikki @ Angels of Heart

Tauna @ Proverbial Homemaker

Laura @ Day by Day in Our World

Melanie @ finchnwren

Sarah @ Delivering Grace

Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory

Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Leah @ As We Walk Along the Road

Hillary @ Our Homeschool Studio

Dawn @ Double O Farms

Tess @ Circling Through This Life

Lisa Marie @ The Canadian Homeschooler

Lexi @ Lextin Academy

Karen @ My Harbor Lights

Jen @ Happy Little Homemaker

Joanie @ Simple Living Mama

Lisa @ Home to 4 Kiddos

Lori @ Home: where life happens

Amy @ Counting Change... Again

Shawna @ Tenacity Divine

Adena @ AdenaF

Jenn @ Simblissity Cottage

Emilee @ Pea of Sweetness

Kathy @ Kathys Cluttered Mind

Sara @ Embracing Destiny

Annette @ A Net in Time Homeschooling

Remember to visit Marcy over at Ben and Me and enter the Back to Homeschool Giveaway.  There are TWO major prizes up for grabs.

Blessings
Chareen

Visual Latin 1 {review}

Salve Amicus! (Hello Friends)  I have been on a Latin journey ...

Over the course of our home education journey I have come across many different philosophies as well as what you should or should not teach to your students in order to give them a well rounded better than average education. The teaching of Latin is one topic that seems to pop up routinely.

I was very excited when Roman Roads Media offered me the opportunity to try out Visual Latin for two reasons:

1. Firstly Latin has been a point of much debate in our home.  My Latin pronunciation is something of a challenge to Paul who works in animal husbandry at Werribee Open Range Zoo and uses it in his employment. 
2. Secondly I can't decipher it when I see it written and find that extremely frustrating. I would really like to know how to for the high school years with Sir N as the science curriculum I am aiming to utilize uses Latin on a regular basis.

Roman Roads Media  publishes Classical Curriculum, from a Christian perspective created for the homeschool.

What we received

• Latin 1 | Lessons 1-30 [Download] This was a 31 zipped folder download totaling 5.53 GB. Each folder contains one lesson. You can see a summary of each lesson HERE

How we used it
Once I had downloaded the lessons I started extracting them.  We started off with the introductory lessons which helped us understand the class structure with Dwayne and why we should be learning Latin.
We discovered that the MP4 format of the lessons can be read by our DVD player and so each week I save them to a SD card which we then use to play the lessons on our television in the lounge.  Sir N is not officially doing the lesson but I did require him to sit in on them in order to become familiar with the pronunciation of Latin.

Each folder contains three lessons.  We watched one lesson at a sitting, three days a week.

Grammar 

Lesson one is a grammar lesson. Dwayne introduces you to a new set of words and explains the back ground to each. He works through a list of examples and applications on the board as he goes.

Each Video lesson has a corresponding assignment in the Worksheets.  These are easy to follow and use.  Each one follows along the video and contains the explanations which are taught in the lesson so there is no need for extra note taking.

Sentence

Lesson two is an application lesson.  Dwayne takes what you have learned in lesson one and shows you how this fits into a Latin sentences.

Lesson B Worksheet

Hearing, reading and speaking Latin 

Lesson three is a reading lesson.  These follow the format of Dwayne reading in Latin and you repeating after him.  The Latin words are on the screen at the bottom.  The purpose of this exercise is become familiar with Latin pronunciation.

The benefit of watching the video is that you become familiar with the pronunciation in relation to the Latin spelling.  For example caelum is pronounced "chay-loom" this makes a difference to how efficiently you learn Latin

The third lesson Worksheet is one or reading and translating Latin using the Vulgate as a source text.

Worksheet Sample Lesson C

Letting the video play in the background like a CD is not a good idea for the first time you do a lesson as you might end up a little lost.


Cost of Visual Latin 1 (Lesson 1-30)

• Lessons 1-30 Download $100.00  This is currently on sale for $70.00 until 11 August 2014.
• Lessons 1-30 [DVD]  $100.00  This is currently on sale for $70.00 until 11 August 2014.
• Dwane's Awesome Latin Lists [PDF] FREE
• Visual Latin 1 - Complete Downloads FREE. Contains:Teacher's Guide, Lessons 1-30 Worksheets, Lessons 1-30 Quizzes, Vocab Lists to Lesson 30, Dwane's Awesome Latin Lists 
• Visual Latin | 5 FREE Lessons [Download] 

**All prices are correct at time of review.  The vendor reserves the right to change the price without notice.  Please check all prices before purchasing

Recommended Age Range

• This program has been designed to be used by students in 4th grade and up.  
• A minimum age of 10 is recommended.

Connect with Roman Roads Media



Dwayne has a sense of humour which really appeals to Sir N.  I have enjoyed my lessons and becoming more familiar with Latin.  My pronunciation is S*L*O*W*L*Y improving. I like the fact that I can watch the lessons over and over again until I "get it" and that I can go back and watch a lesson when ever I need to do a refresher.  There is no pressure to move on either.  I can stay in a lesson until it is familiar and easy or I can keep pressing forward and challenge myself.

If you would like to try Visual Latin you can access the first 5 Lessons for FREE as a Download.


Blessings
Chareen