DK Ultimate Sticker Collection–Angry Birds Star Wars

DK Ultimate Sticker Collection – Angry Birds Star Wars
Published at DK Canada

About the book

Learn all you ever wanted to know about your favorite Angry Birds Star Wars characters with DK's Ultimate Sticker Collection: Angry Birds Star Wars! Meet Red Skywalker, Lard Vader, C-3PYolk, Ham Solo, and many more angry birds and hungry pigs in their fun and sticky form. With over 1,000 of these wacky reusable Angry Birds Star Wars stickers, hours of fun await you in a galaxy far, far away....

My Thoughts

Who haven’t loved stickers when they were younger?   I sure did and my kids love to have some stickers every once in a while.   I sometimes put some on their schoolwork when it is done properly and without errors.   But the best way of “collecting” stickers is with the DK Ultimate Sticker Collection books.   This time around I was able to receive a new title from their collection – Angry Birds Star Wars which is by the way very popular in this household…

Using these books are easy – read the captions, find the stickers that best fits the space and have fun.  Simple yet challenging…   The book contains over 1000 REUSABLE stickers that are very colorful.   Each sticker in this particular book is about the Angry Birds Star Wars.  Specific scenes can also be created and re-created at will according to the mood of the child.  

I think this book is a great way to keep a child busy during a long trip or during camping.   It will allow him/her to learn all they ever wanted to know about Angry Birds Star Wars, meet all the characters and also have fun reusing the stickers whenever he/she wants.   A perfect birthday gift or a great book in include in a trip basket like the ones my mom had done when we were driving to Florida when I was seven.   

The DK Ultimate Sticker Collection Angry Birds Star Wars Collection is available for purchase at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

   

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Ortho-Fiches primaire

To my reader:  Since Guérin has graciously allowed me to review some of their products at a reduced price, I will write the review in French first.  Please scroll down to see what I think about this curriculum.

***************************

Ortho-Fiches sur la langue française – 2e et 3e cycles du cours primaire
Par/From Michel David
Publié/Published Guérin

Je suis présentement dans une période de découverte avec les produits français de Guérin pour le primaire et le secondaire.   J’ai plusieurs produits que je vais présenter dans les semaines qui viennent afin d’encourager les enfants à se familiariser et comprendre les règles de grammaire française.   Un des produits que j’ai trouvé en visitant une autre maman qui fait l’école maison est le cahier d’activité et le corrigé Ortho-Fiches sur la langue française.  Je n’avais aucune idée qu’un tel produit existait pour aider les enfants à saisir les règles grammaticales.   Vous pouvez vous imaginer que j’étais au septième ciel quand je les ai vu.   Je savais tout de suite que ça ferait un bon produit pour le français dans notre école-maison.

Ortho-Fiches présente 105 fiches comprenant des exercices qui aideront l’élève à maîtriser les règles de grammaire de la langue française.  De plus, les exercices permettent de réviser les connaissances acquises antérieurement.   Le curriculum contient quatre chapitres essentiels qui permettra à l’élève de saisir les particularités de la langue française en se qui concerne la grammaire.

• Chapitre 1 L’orthographe grammaticale:   Ce chapitre va présenter les règles de grammaisre pour le déterminant, le nom, l’adjectif, l’attribut, le sujet, le verbe, le participe passé, la ponctuation et la phrase.
• Chapitre 2 Les homonymes: Ce chapitre présente plus de seize homonymes fréquents que les enfants de 3e à la 6e année doivent apprendre.
• Chapitre 3 L’orthographe d’usage:  Ce chapitre présente des règles grammaticales sur le trait d’union, l’élision, certaines graphies, le redoublement des certaines lettres ainsi que les particularités de certaines lettres.
• Chapitre 4 Le lexique: Dans ce chapitre, l’élève  couvrira les familles de mots, le synonyme, l’antonyme, l’homonyme, les préfixes et suffixes de même que le champ lexical et les ouvrages de références.

Ce que je trouve particulièrement intéressant dans ce cahier d’exercices c’est que ceux-ci sont séparés selon le niveau scolaire de l’élève.    Dans le coin droit de la fiche, vous verrez à quel niveau scolaire il est préférable de donner l’exercise.   Par exemple, pour le féminin des noms se terminant avec  –ET, –C, –X, et –AN, la fiche précise que la leçon doit se donner pour un enfant de 3ième année du primaire.   Toutefois, si votre enfant a des problèmes d’apprentissage, je trouve que le document est assez flexible pour vous permettre de décider si la leçon sera trop difficile ou non.    La mention ENR (enrichissement) apparaît sur certains exercises pour indiquer que les notions sont hors programmes.

Une autre chose qui est fantastique avec ce document est le fait que toutes les fiches sont présentées de la même façon.  Ces fiches possèdent une démarche en quatre étapes:  observer les exemples, déduire la règle, mettre en pratique les connaissances, et revision lors de la correction.    Avoir un tel processus afin de comprendre la grammaire française est une bonne idée parce que l’élève utilise différentes façons d’apprendre.   Je vois la différence que les produits utilisant plus d’un sens pour apprendre a fait pour mes enfants et je suis confidente que la démarche présenté dans Ortho-Fiches sera bien accueilli par mes enfants.

Je pense que le produit Ortho-Fiches est excellent pour pratiquer la compréhension des règles de grammaire en français.

Ortho-Fiches est disponible sur le site de Guérin Éditeur.   Le Cahier d’activités se vend au prix de 20.90$ et le prix du Corrigé est 59.85$.

***************************

I am presently in a discovery mode when it comes to the French Curricula I have received from Guérin for the upper elementary and secondary levels.    I got numerous products that I will write about in the weeks to come which will encourage the kids to familiarize and understand the rules in the French grammar.    One of the products I have found very interesting while I was visiting another homeschooling mom is the activity book and the answer book titled Ortho-Fiches.   I had no idea that such a product existed to help the kids to grab the grammatical rules and apply them while they speak and write.    Let me tell you that I was delighted when I saw them for the first time.   I knew right away that it would be a great curriculum to have for teaching French in our homeschool.

Ortho-Fiches presents 105 files with exercises that will help your child to learn the French grammar rules.   These exercises allow to revise the previously acquired lessons from lower levels in elementary school.      The curriculum contains four chapters that will allow the student to understand the rules of the French grammar in order to be able to apply them in the future.  

• Chapter 1 This chapter will highlight the grammar rules for the noun, adjective, the subject, the verb, the past participle, the punctuation, the sentence and more.
• Chapter 2 This chapter present more than sixteen homonyms that are often used with children in grades 3 to 6.
• Chapter 3  This chapter presents the grammar rules on how to double some letters, the particular rules for certain letters, the hyphen, and more.
• Chapter 4 In this chapter, the student will cover the word families, the synonym, the antonym, the homonym, the prefixes, the suffixes and more.

What I find particularly interesting in this exercise book is that all the exercises are separated depending of the grade your child is in.   In the right corner of the file, you will see which grade is strongly suggested for the exercise.    For example,   for the feminine form of nouns that finishes with  –ET, –C, –X, et –AN, the file indicates that the lesson should be given for a child in grade 3.   However, if your child has learning issues, I find that this curriculum is flexible enough to allow you to determine if the lesson is too difficult or not.  The letters ENR (for more advanced students)  will be indicate for some exercises when the lesson is considered above and beyond the learning necessary for the students from grades 3 to 6.  

Another thing that is totally fantastic is that all the files in the book are presented the same way.   These files possess a four steps learning approach:  observe the examples, deduct the rule, put in practice the rules, and revise after the correcting step.   I consider that this is a great way to learn the French grammar for any child because he/she uses different ways to learn a specific rule.    I see the difference that multi-sensory learning has done for my children and I am confident that these steps in Ortho-Fiches will be useful for my children. 

I think that Ortho-Fiches is excellent to practice the understanding of the French grammar rules. 

Ortho-Fiches is available for purchase at the website of Guérin Éditeur.   The Activity Book is sold for the price of 20.90$ while the price for the Answer Key is59.85$.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Guérin Publisher for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Philosophy Adventure

Philosophy Adventure - Learn how to write skillfully, think critically, & speak articulately as you explore the history of ideas.
Written by Stacy Farrell
Published at Homeschool Adventure

I recently saw an opportunity to review a new product on the market for students in grade 6 to 12.   Having one child finishing grade 6 and slowly starting his grade 7, I thought it would be nice to explore how to cultivate and defend a biblical worldview in learning how to write skillfully, think critically, and speak articulately.   This specific course allows the student (and the teacher) to explore the history of philosophy.

The course includes a reader which contains philosopher stories, images relevant to the time the philosophers were alive, writing lessons, critical thinking lessons, public speaking lessons, historical geography, and a biblical worldview analysis.   It also contains detailed checklists for the writing exercises as well as numerous writings prompts.   The student workbook includes philosopher notebook pages, mapping assignments, quizzes, tests and more.   Finally the Teacher’s Resources includes the keys to the quizzes, tests, and mapping assignments, timelines and easy to follow instructions.   The CD would contain the digital edition of the Reader and all the resources.

How the material works

This specific curriculum will introduce students to academic content and help them to develop practical skills  like writing, presentation of ideas and critical thinking.

My Thoughts

I didn’t know what to expect from the curriculum when I signed up for it.  I had read the description and thought it would be a great way to discover philosophy combined with biblical worldview.    I was open to check out the product, explore it and share my thoughts about it.

I received a first draft of the document via email and quickly uploaded it on my iPad.   Imagine my surprise and delight in the material to read when I discover Thales and Pythagoras.   I only explored these two philosophers so far and I am impressed by the information contained in the pages I have read.   Intertwined with the story of these two philosophers, you can also get some quick one page lessons on writing, thinking and speaking.  At the end of each of these lessons, there is a little exercise to do based on what you have read.   For example, in the first writing lesson, the student is asked to answer three questions:

• Where did I come from and why am I here?
• Why is there evil, suffering, and death?
• Is there hope for my future?

The author also mentions that the answer “I don’t know.” is perfectly okay as long as it is not a way to avoid work in the process.   I like that kind of thinking because sometimes the student might not be able to express himself and might not be able to find an answer for a specific question.

In each lesson, you will have many components that will be repeated –

• the Philosopher’s Story will highlight interesting parts of the life of the philosopher, describe the time and place where he lived, and present his main accomplishments and beliefs.
• the Write, Think and Speak articles and assignments will complement the concept learned and are placed across from the story of the philosopher.
• The Geographical information will allow the student to identify the place and time when the philosopher lived and the School of Thought will highlight what kind of school of thought the philosopher participated or founded.
• Finally, the Contrast section will allow the student to become familiar with some of the material written by the philosopher and permit him/her to explore whether the ideas of that philosopher align with a biblical worldview.

Essential you could use this curriculum in a four or five days week.    Read the complete philosopher’s story from the week’s lesson and complete the philosopher’s notebook page and mapping assignment on day one.   On day two, you can read the Write sidebar and begin the assignment,   Day Three will allow the student to explore the Think sidebar and do the assignment on this lesson while day four consist of reading the Speak sidebar and begin the assignment.   Finally, day five consist in completing the Write, Think and Speak assignments as well as complete the timeline and mapping exercises.    You could also take the lesson quiz.  

The Student book contains notebook pages in order to answer some questions on the philosopher of the week, mapping exercises in order to label and record facts on specific places linked with the philosopher, detailed assignments for writing, and much more.  In the Teacher’s Resource you will get instructions on how to guide the student in the lesson, a list of vocabulary words and memory cards to help the student memorize the information for a specific philosopher,and all the answers to the assignments and quizzes of the student.  The material is well presented and very colorful.

What I particularly like about the writing assignments is that it is specifically indicated in the instructions to set a timer with a time assigned for each exercises.    At this point in time, my son is currently learning to write with another curriculum specialized in writing and he is enjoying it taking more time to write and work on his assignments.   Knowing that the writing assignments in Philosophy Adventure are time restricted will help him quite a bit in knowing how long he need to develop his answers.   The student is definitively guided step by step in order to help him/her in developing ideas to write and expanding their critical thinking at the same time.   And knowing that this course material intertwined the biblical worldview with the lesson is fabulous because it will give the two sides of the coin – philosophy thinking versus biblical thinking.

On Wednesday night, I was reading about Pythagoras and learned quite a bit about this philosopher.  Almost at every paragraph I had a reaction in my mind – no way!, really?, seriously?, wow!.   I know he was linked with the Pythagorean Theorem but that was about it.  I learned more about this philosopher in the few pages included in this curriculum than I had before.   I asked my son if he knew who Pythagoras was.  He answered the mathematician.  To which I told him he was more than that and tomorrow we will sit down together and read about this specific philosopher. 

Needless to say I am very impressed with the quality found in this curriculum.   I seriously think that Christian homeschoolers should go through it in order to prepare themselves in being able to write, think critically and speak with confidence about their beliefs.

Wondering how much does Philosophy Adventure cost?   Well the physical set will be sold for the price of 89.95$ US while the digital set will be available for the price of 39.95$ at Homeschool Adventure.

GREAT NEWS!

One of my reader have the possibility of winning a full digital set of the final publication!   It would be a great curriculum to guide your child to write skillfully, think critically, and speak articulately.  This curriculum is perfect for grade 6th to 12th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can blog hop to other moms who reviewed the Philosophy Adventure to have the opportunity of entering more giveaways.  

Oh and there will be a Philosophy Adventure Twitter party on Tuesday June 4 at 9 p.m. EST. There will be physical prizes of all of Stacy Farrell's amazing products!!! 

 

KRE-O Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise

KRE-O Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise Construction Set
From Hasbro

About the product

Build your own Star Trek adventures with this awesome KRE-O construction set! Use the 432 pieces to build a U.S.S. Enterprise ship that your 5 Kreon figures can ""fly."" Lift off the top saucer to put your Captain Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy Kreon figures on the bridge! This incredible set features Lighttech technology, so the deflector dish and engines glow for extra-amazing Star Trek action! Open the engine cowlings and fire the ship’s missile as it blasts through ""outer space."" Build boldly with the U.S.S. Enterprise construction set!

Build your own Star Trek adventures with this 432-piece KRE-O construction set! Build a U.S.S. Enterprise ship! Includes Captain Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy Kreon figures! 2 Specialist figures! Firing missile! Lift top saucer to reveal the bridge! Engine cowlings open! Engines and deflector dish glow! Building set works with major brands.

Set includes 432 pieces, 5 Kreon figures and instructions.

My Thoughts

On the day I learned that I would review the KRE-O Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise Construction Set, my husband and I also headed to the theater close to home to watch the new Star Trek Into Darkness movie.     As we were driving there I was sharing with my husband that I was looking forward to get the KRE-O set and that I was thinking that this one would be for me this time.   We have been blessed beyond measure with Hasbro in the past but when I applied to review their new line of KRE-O based on the Star Trek movie, I secretly hoped to get the U.S.S. Enterprise one.    Imagine my delight when I got the confirmation!    So when I share this to my husband, he looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes and said: “We should build it together!”. 

*GRIN*  

Thought we had good intention in making this work together, it just could happen by finding time to do it together.   So my husband graciously told me to go ahead and do it.   Which I did slowly over a period of 2-3 days because an homeschool mom can be quite busy sometimes.

So slowly I started to build my Entreprise.   One of my kids wanted to have the “elf”… to which I rapidly corrected “Spock is not an elf but a Vulcan! Besides Spock is mine (he is one of my favourite Star Trek characters).”   I first started the build the inside of the saucer section and the detailed instructions quickly made me go through the building of the rest of the Entreprise as well.   In the end, I thought this building experience took a bit of time and effort as I find the blocks are a bit harder to snap together than other building blocks out there.   But once it’s all together it looked good and I was quite impressed in the effort on making it as realistic as possible.

The characters itself – five in all in this set – are fabulously made as their legs, arms and body can twist as they move.  You will have Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, and two unknown men – you know the kind that are brought to an going away party but don’t come back because they get killed…  

And here’s the final product all assembled!   A nice Entreprise that has blue lights when we press a special button hidden under the fuselage of the vessel.

I do have a couple of issues that I need to double check – the top of the saucer of the NCC-1701 Entreprise is not clicking properly.   It’s just a matter of adjusting it I think.  However, my second issue has to do with Captain Kirk’s hair.   For some reason, it keeps popping out of the head and when that happens he becomes bald…   Not quite the Captain Kirk that we know.  So I am debating on what to do.  One option would be to glue his hair in place.  The other could be to contact Hasbro to see what can be done.  

Other items available are the KRE-O Star Trek Kreon Figure Packs, the KRE-O Star Trek Klingon Bird of Prey Construction Set, the KRE-O Star Trek Space Dive Construction Set, the KRE-O Star Trek Transporter Trouble Construction Set, and the KRE-O Star Trek  Spock’s Volcano Mission Construction Set.   But honestly I think the best one if the KRE-O Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise Construction Set!

The KRE-O Star Trek U.S.S. Entreprise Construction Set is available at your favourite toy store, even amazon.com.

The other KRE-O Star Trek products are also available on amazon.com

        

    

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Hasbro Canada for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

World Literature

World Literature – Cultural Influences of Early to Contemporary Voices
Written by James O. Stobaugh
Published at Master Books

About the Curriculum

High School Level Student book and Teacher’s Guide

Enjoy beloved classics while developing vocabulary, reading, and critical thinking skills!

• Each literature book in the series is a one-year course
• Each chapter has five lessons with daily concept-building exercises, warm-up questions, and guided readings
• Easy-to-use with suggested reading schedules and daily calendar
• Equips students to think critically about philosophy and trends in culture, and articulate their views through writing

A well-crafted presentation of whole-book or whole-work selections from the major genres of classic literature (prose, poetry, and drama), each course has 34 chapters representing 34 weeks of study, with an overview of narrative background material on the writers, their historical settings, and worldview.

The rich curriculum’s content is infused with critical thinking skills, and an easy-to-use teacher’s guide outlines student objectives with each chapter, providing the answers to the assignments and weekly exercises. The final lesson of the week includes both the exam, covering insights on the week’s chapter, as well as essays developed through the course of that week’s study, chosen by the educator and student to personalize the coursework for the individual learner.

My Thoughts

I am quite excited about this specific product.   I was wondering what I will do with my kids when they go through high school for literature.  Having a curriculum that I know will introduce them to world literature as well as biblical concepts is fabulous.    Each lessons is well explained and will guide student and teacher on a fabulous journey through World literature by exploring cultural influences of early to contemporary voices.   This book works hand-in-hand with the World History course offered by Master Books as well.   Needless to say that I am looking forward to combine the two courses in a few years.

In all, you will find 34 weeks of various World literature through time including books, selections of work, classic prose, poetry and drama.   Each chapter can be done in a week with five lessons allowing the student to build up a critical thinking of philosophy and articulating their own world view through writing exercises. 

The literature covered in this curriculum includes Epic of Gilgamesh, Papyrus of Ani: Egyptian Book of the Dead, The Illiad, The Odyssey, Histories, The Death of Socrates, The Republic, The Rhetoric and THe Poetics, Oedipus Rex, The Aeneid, Meditations, Sermon on the Mount, Confessions, War and Peace, Crime and Punishment, Faust, The Stranger, and many more other ones. The students will have the opportunity of exploring World literature, build up their vocabulary, complete concept builders, write essays, and get tested on what they have learned as well.  The book is packed with guidelines and literature explorations for students to discover.   However, I wouldn’t put that in a grade 8 or 9 student.   I would consider it for a grade 10 and up I order to prepare the student in being able to express their worldview with hesitation to others.    I find it a great tool to have to allow the student to expand their knowledge in World literature.  

The Teacher’s Guide will allow the parent to guide the student in his/her exploration of World Literature as well as provide all the concept builders, the readers, essays assignments and tests to be done.    In this guide you will also find the suggested answers for the concept builders, the summaries for essays (what need to be mentioned in the essay written by the student) as well as the answers to the tests.   You definitively need to have the Teacher’s Guide in order to be able to provide help if needed.    Thinking of it, I think I would very much like to go through the lessons myself in order to learn more about World Literature.

Another course that I would also consider for our high school years would be the British Literature course.   American homeschoolers might also want to explore the American Literature course for their students.

Also available are the American Literature Student & Teacher’s Guide as well as the British Literature Student & Teacher’s Guide.

        

     

        

 

Kindle

        

        

        

Disclaimer: Thanks to New Leaf Publishing Group for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Just Draw It

Just Draw It! –The Dynamic Drawing Course for Anyone with a Pencil and Paper
Written by Sam Piyasena and Beverly Philip
Published at Barron’s

About the Book

This unusual book serves several different purposes, starting with its guaranteed appeal to both professionals and amateurs who like to pick up a pencil and draw. Art students seeking a change of pace will respond to the authors’ very informal approach, seeing the lessons as fun-to-do confidence builders that emphasize the value of creative freedom. Every exercise can be performed by artists at all levels of training and ability.

• All exercises are designed to develop and improve hand-eye coordination
• Each exercise focuses on a different approach to drawing precisely what the eye sees—rapid sketches of moving objects, detailed observation of tones and shadow, exercises that teach rules of perspective, and much more
• A powerfully effective art course that never feels like a set of tedious drills

Lessons can be completed using various media—pencil, ink, colored pencils, magic markers, or charcoal. Illustrations on every page in color and black and white.

My Thoughts

I consider this book as a guide in learning how to draw.   Though it explain various techniques and styles, I find that the book contains lots of explanations and examples but need to guide the reader a bit more in how to apply to teaching part.   I felt really discouraged when I saw how much things I needed to read while learning how to draw.   Maybe a more advance novice in drawing would enjoy this book better than I did.    Don’t take me wrong, the information contained in this book is fabulous and can help you to expand your drawing skills but for me it wasn’t a good fit.  

There are six chapters in this book:

Chapter 1:  Line and Mark Making –>  drawing start with lines…. learn how to master this simple step.

Chapter 2: Tone and Form –> Seeing the shapes, round, shadow play, tone, tear, stick, and more.

Chapter 3: Composition, perspective and Viewpoint –> Zen portraits, rule of thirds, crop and more.

Chapter 4: Movement and Gesture –> speed draw, time and motion, moving people…

Chapter 5: Pattern and Texture –>  first impressions, dots, spots and blots, and more.

Chapter Six Observation, Exploration, and Imagination –>  magnification, reflection, decomposition,…

If you are considering exploring drawing I am unsure that this would be a great book for you.  However, if you are the type of person who is quite confident in yourself and if you have a good base in drawing, this book can help you explore various techniques in drawing.  Each chapter contains some exercises but I personally felt lost in the book.   I don’t have the time to explore drawing at this level at this point in time in my life.   So for now, I will put the book aside and hope to have more time in the future.

Just Draw It! is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

   

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for review purposes from Barron’s. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Revealing Jesus

Revealing Jesus – A 365-Day Devotional
Written by Darlene Zschech
Published at Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group

About the book

Powerful Encounters With the Heart of Our Savior For Every Day.

Do you long for more of God's presence? Do you ache to see Him at work in your life? Do you desire His peace and rest? Renowned worship leader Darlene Zschech invites you to gather with her around the Word of God. Born out of her own yearnings that she poured onto the pages of journals, these meditations and Scriptures reveal Jesus and speak of His finished work--how He tenderly cares for you and wants you to know Him.

Honest, raw, and beautifully written, these devotions will inspire your journey and encourage you in every season. Come, sit at the feet of our Lord, be strengthened in your weakness, embrace His love for you, and breathe in His peace.

My Thoughts

For this particular book, I had decided to do a few weeks of devotions in order to get a feel from it.    So on May 1st, I embarked on a discovery on who Jesus is in my life while reading the daily devotions included in the book.    Each devotions encourages you to dig in the Bible while reading the scripture at the top of the page.  The scriptures included are from different versions of the Bible.   I decided to check out the NIV and NLT when I read something that was different to what I am used too.   Then the author shares about the theme of the day in a one-page devotion.  At the end of the page, you will find a small prayer to help you connect with God.  This prayer can become a stepping stone for a deeper connection with your Father in Heaven.

I have enjoyed going through this devotional during the weeks I used it.   The perspective of the author on various theme like requesting from God, Joy in our lives, worshipping and so on, gives you a fresh look on well-known scriptures.  Each month covers a new side of Jesus that we might have missed or forgotten.  This devotional book reveals various aspects of Christ and how he can be real in our lives even today.    I particularly love her fresh tone and openness in sharing in the devotions.  

Even though it’s a year long devotional book, I think you can pick it up anytime during the year and discover Jesus from that part of the year.    Though I find that this book would make a marvelous Christmas gifts for women in your life – whether it’s a mom, mother-in-love, sisters, sisters-in-love, friends or mentors.

Revealing Jesus is available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, even amazon.ca.

   

The book is also available for the Kindle and Kindle App.

   

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for review purposes from Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

The NEW Self-Sufficient Gardener

The NEW Self-Sufficient Gardener – The Complete Illustrated Guide to Planning, Growing, Storing and Preserving Your Own Garden Produce
Written by John Seymour
Published at DK Canada

About the book

This revised edition of an old favorite, first published in 1978, explains how to cultivate and preserve all types of fruit, herbs, and vegetables, in addition to instructions on keeping bees and raising chickens.

• Includes over 600 illustrations, many redrawn for the revised edition
• Contains information on drying, storing, and preserving fruits and vegetables
• Explains the “Deep Bed” method, critical to anyone with a tiny urban plot

John Seymour authored over 40 books, including the DK’s best-selling Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency and The Forgotten Arts & Crafts. He died in the fall of 2004 at the age of 90.

My Thoughts

I dream of having a garden made of raised beds in my backyard.  This year, we will plant tomatoes as well as lettuce, carrots, and cilantro.   If these can survive this year maybe we will invest in raised beds in the future.   Needless to say, that for the time being, I love to read about gardening and learn more about caring of a garden.   When I say garden I am thinking more about a vegetable and fruit garden.    I love flowers but I tend to believe that it is essential for a family to be able to grow their own vegetables and fruits in order to reduce the grocery bill during the spring-summer-fall seasons.

This book is packed with wisdom from the Father of Self-Sufficiency himself.   Though the author has died back in 2004, we can still reap from his wisdom and learn how to maximize your garden in various ways.  The first few pages in the book will highlights the importance of a deep-bed method, the cycle of nature as well as information on the soil to use.  Then you will be able to discover ten chapters written in order to help you cultivate vegetables, fruits and herbs for your family.

• Chapter One: This chapter offers an illustrated index of vegetables, fruits, and herbs for a garden.  It covers the various edible parts of a plant, the roots, the stems, the leaves, seeds, pods, and more.
• Chapter Two: This chapter offer guidance in how to garden through the years based on the seasons we have.
• Chapter Three: This chapter will inform you about how to plan the food producing garden from the size of the garden to on to plan the sections in it.
• Chapter Four: This chapter is essential for you in order to perform a good gardening.  It will cover how to treat the soil, how to care for the growing, how to control pests and diseases, how to harvest and store your bounty and more.
• Chapter Five: This chapter will highlights how to cultivate the vegetables.
• Chapter Six: This chapter will inform you on how to cultivate the fruits.
• Chapter Seven: This chapter essentially covers the cultivation of herbs.
• Chapter Eight: This chapter highlights the advantage of using greenhouses.
• Chapter Nine: This chapter will help you to preserve your garden produce in various ways.
• Chapter Ten: This chapter covers an variety of topics from the types of animals that could invade your garden to how to care for your garden tools.    There is a ton of useful information in here.

The book contains lots of reading material for the novice or expert gardener.   I consider myself a novice in this case and I should have paid attention when my grand-mother was making her garden yearly.   Hers was big compare to what I would like to have but still I could have gleaned some precious information concerning gardening your vegetables.   Nevertheless, with this book I am confident I can do a marvelous job in growing my own veggies.   As I said it is packed with gardening wisdom and contains marvelous drawings that will help you visualize what the author is saying in the text.  The illustrations are either in black and white or in colors depending of where you are in the book. 

Let’s look at the information concerning the potato.   The author will tell you the type of soil and the climate that is ideal for growing potatoes.  He will also inform you how to treat the soil, ho to help in the propagation, how to sow and cover the early potatoes, how to use a potato planter, how to grow potatoes in a bin and care while the plants are growing.   He will also highlight the various pests and diseases that could attack your plants and inform you on how to protect them.  Finally, you will learn how to harvest and store the potatoes.    As you can see, the author covers everything from A to Z for this specific vegetable.     So you can be assure that you will find fabulous information for any kind of vegetable, fruit or herb that you want to grow in your garden.

This book is a marvelous gift for the gardener in your life.   The NEW Self-Sufficient Gardener  is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

     

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

NIV Real-Life Devotional Bible for Women

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card Insight Notes author is:

Lysa TerKeurst

and the book:

NIV Real Life Devotional Bible for Women,
Insights for Everyday Life Notes

Zondervan; Special edition (March 19, 2013)

 

***Special thanks to Rick Roberson for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lysa TerKeurst is a New York Times bestselling author and national speaker who helps everyday women live an adventure of faith. She is the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, author of 15 books, and encourages nearly 500,000 women worldwide through a daily online devotional. Her remarkable life story has captured audiences across America, including appearances on Oprah and Good Morning America. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and five children.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

This Bible will help you live up to your God-given potential. Insightful daily devotions written by the women at Proverbs 31 Ministries help you maintain life's balance in spite of today's hectic pace. Dive into the beauty and clarity of the NIV Bible text paired with daily devotions crafted by women just like you---women who want to live authentically and fully grounded in the Word of God.

Product Details:
List Price: $34.99
Hardcover: 1536 pages
Publisher: Zondervan; Special edition (March 19, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310439361
ISBN-13: 978-0310439363

 

AND NOW...SOME SAMPLE PAGES (CLICK ON PAGES TO ENLARGE):

 

My Thoughts

This Bible is simply breathtaking and marvelous for every mom out there.   I particularly like the cover and it’s picture on it as well as the colors chosen for it – various shades of teal which reminds me of the living water that Christ refers to.

This Bible not only contains the Scriptures from God but also includes about 366 daily devotions written by Lysa TerKeurst and some of the other women behind Proverbs 31 Ministries.    I enjoy reading her and discovering a new side of this amazing author.   For example, I learned from the release paper of this new Bible that Lysa and her husband caught the national media attention when they adopted two teenage boys from a war-torn orphanage in Liberia, Africa.    And this decision of theirs was followed by many in their community as they inspired other families to adopt over 45 children from the same orphanage.    Talk about having an impact in your community by a simple act of love. 

The goal of the devotions is to help women to develop and obtain a divine perspective in our quiet times with God.   Like it or not, we have days where we are a mess, when we loose patience and when we wish we could stay in bed.  But obligations require us to persevere and we need to have a healthy relationship with God to be able to have a healthy relationships with our loved ones.

The 366 devotions are included in the Bible in order and will not only allow you to ponder on a specific verse but allow you to explore at your own will more verses that could be helpful for you.   At the end of the Bible you can read more about the women who penned the devotions as well as discover which devotions every single one of them have written.

My only disappointment in this Bible would be the fact that reading schedule included in it.   I assume that it would be preferable to opt to read through the Bible in a year if you want to follow the devotions.   I would have like some guidance on that level even if I can figure it out myself.

The NIV Real-Life Devotional Bible for Women is available for purchase at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.  You can get it in hard cover edition (both amazon.ca and amazon.com) or two different duotone in pink or teal (which seems to be only available on amazon.ca).

  

     

It is also available on Kindle and Kindle App.

   

Lego Brickmaster Legends of Chima The Quest for Chi

Lego Brickmaster Legends of Chima The Quest for Chi
Published at DK Canada

About the product

An all-new LEGO® Brickmaster, all inclusive with two minifigures and 96 pages!!

Young readers will follow Lennox the heroic Lion and Crawley the crafty Crocodile as they battle over the ultimate power source: CHI! While they enjoy the six action-packed stories in comic book form, readers can follow step-by-step instructions to create the 17 exclusive models and reenact each plot. With brilliant building tips and fascinating "Did You Know?" bits throughout, this is a new and exciting look at the world of LEGO® Legends of Chima™.

My Thoughts

This is the latest product in the Lego Brickmaster series from DK.   I really like the Lego Brickmaster products because it allow the child to build fun scenes with the Lego bricks included in the box.   Not only that but you also get two mini figures as well in each boxes.

The book itself will introduce the kids to the world of Chima.   Chima is a natural paradise where the creatures living there look like familiar animals that can walk and talk.   Lions, Crocodiles, Ravens, Eagles and Wolves are the main tribes living in Chima.   The place is a battleground now because some creatures wants to have more Chi – a powerful natural element which is a source of life and of destruction.  

This Lego Brickmaster provides a detailed step-by-step process in building a wide variety of scenes depicting the fight between the Lions and the Crocodiles.    You will be able to create Lennox and Crawley as well as an old temple, a swamp runner, a lion buggy, a jet pack, a lion shrine, a swamp quad with croc features, a secret hideout, a small shrine, a croc marker, a croc walker, a swamp buggy, a force field protector, a croc bulldozer, a chi throne, a lion jet, and much more.   Each 96 pages are packed with projects to build as well as a story to read in the form of a comic book. 

I find the Lego Brickmaster products to stir up the imagination of my kids when they start following the instructions.   At some point while building with these books, they start inventing their own scenes and vehicles.  It’s quite fun to discover their talents in putting things together.

I have the privilege to review other Lego Brickmaster products in the past – Ninjago, Atlantis, Friends, Ninjago Fight of the Snakes, Pirates, Castle, Star Wars, and City.  Each time my kids had a trill building the scenes and inventing their own stories using the bricks provided.   Once again I have no doubt that they will enjoy creating stories in the world of Chima.   

I hope that DK will continue to create new Lego Brickmaster in the future.  Not only are they affordable and contains numerous bricks in each pack but they are perfect for gifts as well.    I also hope that they will create more Friends or Star Wars Brickmaster kits.   

Lego Brickmaster Legends of Chima The Quest for Chi is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

DK Readers Lego Friends

DK Readers Lego Friends
Published at DK Canada

My daughter just love the Lego Friends products and wish she would have more of them.    However, it’s not always possible to get more of this Lego collection for her…   However, DK has now a series of books from the DK Readers that cover the adventures of the Lego Friends.   The DK Readers are great books to encourage your child to read on subjects he/she is interested in.  There are five levels that aim different reading abilities.  This flexibility allow you to choose the books that are right for your child.

• Pre-Level 1: This level is perfect for kids learning to read.   They use high-frequency words, have a picture word strip, a picture glossary and a simple index.   These books reinforce vocabulary with the help of labels.
• Level 1: This level is great for kids that have begun to read.  It contains simple sentences and limited vocabulary, a picture glossary and a simple index.
• Level 2: This specific level is specifically geared for kids who are starting to read alone.   You will find longer sentences and an increased vocabulary, information boxes containing extra details and facts, as well as a simple index.
• Level 3: This level is for kids that are able to read alone.  It contains more complex sentence structure, information boxes and alphabetical glossary as well as a comprehensive index.
• Level 4:  This level is specifically for proficient readers.   You will find a rich vocabulary and challenging sentence structure, additional information as well as an alphabetical glossary and a comprehensive index.

The books are designed in a way that an adult can help by providing encouragement, discussing storylines, and sounding the words that can be unfamiliar for the child.  I believe that anyone can read with enthusiasm when he/she reads a book that grabs her interest.    So knowing that my girl loves Lego Friends, I wouldn’t be surprised if she get more interested in learning to read and practice her reading with these two books.

Level 2 – Let’s Go Riding!

Join Mia and her horse pal Bella on their most fun adventure yet. Full of pretty illustrations accompanied by high-frequency words, picture word strips, and a simple index, Let's Go Riding! is perfect for your young reader.

My Thoughts

In this particular book, you will discover who in the Lego Friends loves horses and how the horses are taking cared for.   Your child will join her friends at Heartlake Stables and at the riding school to meet the horses, discover what the friends would like to do in the future, who is participating to horse shows, how to care for horses and much more.   The book contains seven small chapters and a quiz at the end that will encourage your child to develop reading comprehension.   The goal is to be able to answer a question with a complete sentence and/or to find the answer in the book.   These skills are essential in order to develop quick response when someone talk to you as well as finding information rapidly in a book.

Level 3 – Summer Adventures

School's out and the girls of Heartlake City are off on their latest adventures. Go along with the LEGO® Friends as they spend their summer exploring the city in this new reader from DK!

My Thoughts

Right from the get go I love the covers of this book.   What can I say, I would love to get this specific set of Lego Friends for my daughter…  You see we have an RV of our own and we build up memories with our kids with it.   Summer Adventures will allow your child to experience a summer of fun with Emma, Mia, Andrea, Stephanie and Olivia.   This book contains more chapters as it is a higher level.   A total of 46 stories are included in it – small stories I might add but nevertheless enough to encourage your child to read about her friends at Heartlake City.    At the end, a small quiz is included in order to encourage your child to answer with complete sentence and/or find the answer in the book.   What kind of adventures are included in this book?   Well Stephanie will fly her seaplane, Olivia will go camping in her camper van, Mia will learn to play drums, Andrea will find a summer job, and Stephanie and Ella will write to each other.  There will be also adventures at the beach, time to relax, outdoor adventures as well as indoor ones, and much more.   This book will allow your child to discover how the Friends are spending their time during the summer.

Both books will definitively grab the interest of little girls everywhere.   It’s a whole new way of enjoying the Lego Friends with fun stories using the Lego packages available in the Friends series.

The DK Readers Lego Friends Let’s Go Riding and Summer Adventures are available at your favourite bookstores, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

  

 

The titles are also available for your Kindle or Kindle app.

 

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned book for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.