My Park Pass

Homeschool is a journey.   When I embarked this many years ago, I had no idea where it would bring me.  This year is my 8th year homeschooling which started when my oldest was going to enter grade 1.   

If you do the math, he is now in grade 8.   He is pretty much self-sufficient and enjoy science quite a bit.   This year though he was also able to obtain a pass for Park Canada for free.    How? Be simply applying for it on MyParkPass – yes even homeschoolers can obtain this card for free!

Is you have a child currently in grade 8 and you are homeschooling, you can get it too!   All you have to do is send an email to info@myparkspass.ca with the name of the child, address, and specify you are homeschool.  

Now you must be wondering what this opportunity gives your grade 8 student right?   The My Parks Pass will allow your teen to visit over 200 Parks Canada places for free – for a full year (until April 30th).    In all he/she will be able to visit 44 national parks, 167 national historic sites and 4 national marine conservation areas across the country.   Discover all the places to visit on this page.

The My Parks Pass will allow your child to enter for free on any Parks Canada location.  The pass allows you the possibility to obtain a discounted Parks Canada Family/Group Discovery Pass.  

Oh and to top it off, when your student gets is MyParksPass, go back to the website and enter the VIP code on the back of the My Parks Pass in order to get the chance to win an iPad mini 3 and other prizes.  In all there are more than 20 prizes to win!

So why wait?   Get a My Parks Pass for your homeschool teen who is in grade 8/secondaire 2.

Summer Fun Time with Super Soakers

Spring has finally arrived and slowly the weather is warming up.   Already my kids are asking about playing with the Super Soakers we have at home.   But unfortunately for them, when they ask for it, it is still a bit cold outside…    I am sure that your kids are also looking for getting soaked with water during the warmer months of the year. 

That why Hasbro Canada always come up with the Super Soakers for your kids to enjoy.  I received two of their new blasters to present to my readers!

NERF REBELLE SUPER SOAKER TRI THREAT BLASTER

Since last year, there are new NERF products specially designed for girls which is a big deal in my house because now my daughter is at the perfect age to be able to use them.  The new NERF Rebelle Super Soaker Tri Threat Blaster will unleash your inner warrior and blast your opponents with 3 streams of water.  That way you can surprise the competition by delivering triple stream soakage.The water shoots from each end of the blaster's crossbow arms and a third stream blasts from the center barrel. Simply pump the blaster and deliver a deluge of water as you battle with your friends and/or brothers. This soaker can hold 25 ounces of water and blast water up to 35 feet.    For girls who wants to have as much fun as their brothers, this blaster is an absolute must.     (PS Moms nothing can’t stop you for joining the fun with your family as well…. hint hint)

NERF SUPER SOAKER FLASHFLOOD BLASTER

The NERF Super Soaker FlashFlood Blast will transform your water battles like you would not expect it to be.  This high-capacity power soaker holds 23 ounces of water for an outstanding mobile attack, and it can hit targets up to 38 feet away. It’s also got 2 separate nozzles, one for a Flood Strike and one for a Flash Strike.  This soaker will allow you to dominate the competition – and get them soaking wet !  Again this blaster can be used by anyone in the family whether adult or child…

With both of these blasters, expect some fun time outdoors with your family.  You can bring these at camping, at the cottage or stay in your own backyard.   Last year, my oldest son even brought a bunch of these for a youth event that was going to happen outdoors.  It was a big competition on who would soak the other during that evening.

Both of these are available at your favorite toy store even on amazon.ca and 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.

Bible Art Journaling

Since January I have discovered a new part of me…..   I am getting more and more confident with Bible Art Journaling as the days and weeks goes by.

 

I have started a few years ago… doing scripture journaling in a book. 

But to be honest with you it never occurred to me that I could do this in my Bible.   And just before New Year Day I discovered a website which would challenge Bible Art Journalers like me to expand their comfort zones and learn more at the same time.   So I embarked on a journey of drawing in my Bible.   I decided to use the Women of Faith NIV Bible Study to start as I didn’t want to spend more money on a new Bible.

During the first few months, I have expanded on my drawing capabilities…  Sometimes I was inspired by someone else’s drawing while other times I sensed that God wanted me to be more creative on my own.

Then the Christian bookstore in town was closing its doors and I decided to see if by any chances there would be a journaling bible left.  There was and I decided to purchased one – a beautiful ESV with brown cover imprinted with leaves. From that day forward I decided to go back and forth between the two Bibles.  Why?  Because I am on a mission to create keepsakes for my four kids.

I will admit that the ESV has a bit more space to play with.  Now my husband wishes that I had a NIV journaling Bible to draw in.  But eventually I am thinking I will have to purchase a new one to pursue this new personal craft time in order to have one bible for each of the kids.   Meanwhile, even my kids are getting interested in this new adventure and are asking if they could get such bible for their own.   I am trying to encourage them to draw on paper for now in order to get some practice.

But in all Bible Art Journaling is also helping me to study God’s Word on a different perspective and to learn Scripture by memorizing them at the same time.

How am I doing it?   Well, at first I use my pencils to do a draft of what I want to illustrate.  Once I am satisfied with it, I use my micron pens (I have a set of colors and a set of blacks in various sizes) and trace around the drawing.   Sometimes I play with the lettering as well to make it fancier.   Once I am done with that part, I decide on the colors. I usually use the Prismacolor Scholar but at time I also use the Staedler Watercolor pencils.    A few times I even was bold enough to include paint in the bible.  But to be honest, I am not the type of person who will cover the words in the Scripture.   Other people have no problem with that but personally I want to have a Bible that will be readable as well for my future grandkids.     Other tools that can be used while doing bible art journaling would be washi tapes, stamps, stickers and so on.   In a way it is a little bit like scrapbooking but within the Word of God.  

Some people asked me why I was doing it….   I do it to go deeper in the Word of God, to be guided by the Holy Spirit and to memorize Scriptures.   Like it or not by the time a drawing is done sometimes I have hidden the words in my heart and mind.  Besides, it helps me to relax and not worry about tomorrow.

Recently I finally found the courage to personalize the inside cover of the Bible I am using.  It isn’t quite finished just yet.   I haven’t had the time to using the watercolor pencils to color the birds and I still have to incorporate the Scripture in the parchment.    The six birds represent my own family – two adults and four kids – which are signing to the Lord.  

If you are interested in discovering what journaling and art in your bible is please come and join the following two groups on facebook: Journaling Bible Community  and  Bible Art Journaling Challenge.

May the 4th be With You

As per previous years, today is the unofficial Star Wars holiday – it is the day where lovers of that far, far, away galaxy celebrate their love of George Lucas’ creation.

DK Canada has published many of the best Star Wars titles over the years.  Even today they have new titles coming on this famous galaxy whether with Lego, readers, or official character books.

This year again, they have set up a special boutique in order to highlight the books they offer.

Here’s some  of the new titles that DK Canada is offering.

LEGO Star Wars Encyclopedia – updated and expanded.

It is the ultimate guide to the minifigures of the LEGO Star Wars galaxy.  The book now includes many more new LEGO Star Wars minifigures.  In this book, your child will discover incredible LEGO Star Wars facts, such as which minifigure is the rarest and which can be found in the most LEGO sets.   It contains 72 additional pages of new minifigures and includes an exclusive minifigure to add to your child’s collection

Ultimate Star Wars

Ultimate Star Wars® is an in-depth visual feast exploring the characters and storylines from the Star Wars galaxy. This is a beautifully illustrated guide that is structured chronologically and packed full of information about key characters and storylines from the Star Wars movie saga, The Clone Wars, andRebels™. Ultimate Star Wars will get new and old fans caught up and knowledgeable on all things Star Wars.

 

Travel the galaxy far, far away and experience Star Wars® Rebels firsthand with the companion to the new Star Wars animated series, Star Wars® Rebels. Featuring key scenes and iconic moments, you'll learn the ins and outs of the rebel legion. With tons of interesting facts and information about your favorite characters, weapons, vehicles, and locations from the new TV show, Star Wars® Rebels: The Visual Guide is the ultimate guide for the ultimate fan!

 

As you can see all these books contain plenty of information on the Star Wars universe.   But that’s not all.  You can also download a Star Wars or LEGO Star Wars Activity Kit!  Click on the images below to access the both activity kits.

If your child is a reluctant reader but loves anything related to Star Wars, encourage him or her to be a rebel and read a book.  I find that the best way to enjoy reading is to have a book that is about something I really like.   If your child already enjoy reading, he/she can join the rebels as well by reading fabulous book about Star Wars!

All these marvelous books and many more other ones are available at your favorite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

  

  

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned books 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.