Ark Encounter

Have you heard about the BIG news from Answer in Genesis and the Creation Museum?  They are embarking in an amazing construction project:   building the ark according to the dimensions and size mentioned in the Bible.    The Ark Encounter Project is currently being build on a rolling terrain off Interstate I-75, about 40 miles from the Creation Museum in northern Kentucky (near Cincinnati).

The Ark Encounter will be a one-of-a-kind historically themed attraction which will provide entertainment and education at the same time.    Numerous historical events will be presented in this part which will have a full-size, all-wood Ark at its center.

The plans also include a walled city, the Tower of babel, a first-century Middle Eastern village, a journey in history from Abraham to the parting of the Red Sea, a walk-through aviary, a petting zoo and much more.

I am personally excited about this project and look forward to plan a trip to visit both the Creation museum and the Ark Encounter.    I find that it is important to educate people and present the Bible as it was.   I trust Answer in Genesis in making sure that it will be accurate and educational.    As a homeschooler, I want my kids to visualize the Bible and having Ark Encounter will help to visualize the grandeur of the ark itself.   I am confident that this new theme attraction will be a success.  I sure hope that Middle East food will be offered on site to encourage people to expand their taste buds and to make the experience more real.

The grand opening is schedule for Spring of 2014.    This opening will include about 95% of the planned attractions.  Phase Two will begin based on funding and Ark Encounter attendance and will include a butterfly emporium and a 500-seat indoor theater.

You can participate in the construction by donating to the project.   A peg is 100$, a plank is 1000$ and a beam is 5000$.  To donate, click here.   Depending of the amount you would give, you will receive various gifts.   For example, for the 5000$ donation, you will get free passes to the grand opening and free passes to a special behind the scenes tour.

Stay up-to-date with the information concerning the Ark Encounter by visiting their blog.

As for us, we will be waiting patiently for the grand opening of Ark Encounter.    In the meantime, I will pray that the fundraising will be fructuous and that many will come on board for the project.    I also pray that the schedule and deadlines are meet.  

PS If Ark Encounter is looking for a family to come and review the opening – please do consider us.  *grin*   We would love to cover the opening and the various attractions in a special blog project of ours.   The kids would be involved in this blog as well (in 2014 they will be respectively 6, 8, 10 and 12 (going on 13)).  

God's Design for Heaven and Earth

God’s Design for Heaven and Earth

Written by Deb bie and Richard Lawrence
Published at Answer In Genesis

About the Series
Elementary and middle schoolers will love the exciting, easy-to-understand, and easily taught lessons in the God’s Design textbooks by Debbie and Richard Lawrence. All twelve books in the God’s Design series are very comprehensive, richly illustrated, and cover material that is often left out of other curricula. You’ll love the flexibility of this popular series, which is designed to be used with students ranging from first through eighth grade … all at the same time!

Best of all, God’s Design textbooks help you teach science from a biblical, creationist perspective, emphasizing God’s handiwork in the world around us. Using the God’s Design curriculum from AiG will help strengthen your student’s faith by showing how science consistently supports the Bible’s written record. Students will learn to think critically and logically examine arguments presented by all sides in the creation/evolution debate.

As homeschool parents who are also trained electrical engineers, Debbie and Richard Lawrence have designed each lesson with ease and excellence in mind. Each lesson begins with a “read-aloud” section that covers the basic material and is followed by a fun hands-on activity that involves your child and reinforces what you just read. Each lesson ends with review and application questions. In addition to the lessons (35 per text), God’s Design books contain special feature articles that examine the lives of scientists throughout history who have contributed to the subject. Other articles contain fun facts. Finally, each book has a unit project that ties all of the lessons together and reinforces what the student has learned. Good science couldn’t be more fun!

Specifically for Heaven and Earth curriculum
Help your children see God’s plan for our planet, our solar system, and our universe with this complete earth and space science curriculum for grades 1 through 8. Explore how God designed the earth to support life from our atmosphere to our oceans. Hands-on activities keep everyone interested in learning about geology, weather, and space. 105 lessons. Full-color.

Included Our Planet Earth, Our Universe, Our Weather and Water as well as Teacher Supplement and CD-ROM.

Who are Debbie and Richard Lawrence?
Born out of the concern of a mom and dad for their own children, Debbie and Richard Lawrence spent years developing this complete science curriculum out of their own homeschooling experiences.

My Thoughts
I had originally requested the God’s Design for Life but when Answers in Genesis answered me back, this title was not available for review. So my contact suggested that I review one of the three other God’s Design products. After discovering them on their website, I decided to go with the God’s Design for Heaven and Earth as I was waiting for our telescope to arrive.
So when I received the box, I was so curious and eager to discover this curriculum and let me tell you this is absolutely wonderful. Here are the books that come with the God’s Design for Heaven and Earth curriculum.

Weather/Water
This is an exciting study of the atmosphere and oceans of the planet Earth. In this book you will discover what weather is, how it is caused, and how meteorologists study and predict it. You will also discover God’s hand in the design of our oceans and their effect on our weather. Your child can be a junior meteorologist and set up his/her own weather station.

Planet Earth
In this book you will learn how God designed earth as a special place for us to live. Learn about rocks, volcanoes, earthquakes, and glaciers. You will discover how the Great Flood changed the surface of the earth, and why fossils support what the Bible says. This book will help you reveal God’s design for our planet to your child.

Our Universe
Explore our solar system and the universe in this book. Learn about each planet and see how Earth was specially designed by God to support life. See God’s hand as you study nebulae, stars, comets, and meteors. Also, learn about the space program and see what it takes to be an astronaut. Learn how one astronaut used his life to bring glory to God.

Teacher’s Supplement and CD-Rom
Encompassing all three student books in the God's Design for Heaven and Earth series, the teacher supplement book provides an introduction on how to teach the curriculum, a supply list and answer key for each lesson, a resource guide containing suggested books, videos, and field trips, and a master supply list. The CD-ROM includes student supplement worksheets and tests in an electronic form.

Once again I think I have found the perfect science curriculum for homeschoolers. This curriculum can be used for grades 1-2, grades 3-5 and finally grades 6-8. As the children grow, you can easily reuse the books and discover more on the subjects they might have learned on previous years. Or you can simply use it if you have a multiple age classroom like many homeschoolers would have.

Each lesson contains beautiful images, interesting information about the subject studied, an experiment as well as how it relates with the Bible. Each grade level will have their specific activities to do. For example, the grades 3-5 students will have some questions to answers while the grades 6-8 students will have other assignments to do. When necessary other illustrations are included in the lesson like the one to illustrate the water cycle. I find it is always good to have extra illustrations to understand a concept. You will also find a glossary and a challenge glossary at the end of each book.

What I particularly like about this curriculum is the fact that a teacher supplement is available. This book is clearly listing you the specifics for some of the lessons. For example, you will get a supply list, you will have the answers of the questions for each level and you will be able to see the worksheets answers as well. In the appendices section, you will have a resource guide which suggests books, videos or fields trips as well as a master supply list for all the things you will need while you go through the curriculum with your children. Also, you will receive a CD which contains the quizzes and worksheets needed to get the most of the lesson.

I am very excited to start this marvelous curriculum with the use of our brand new telescope. I am planning to start with the book titled Our Universe when the camping season will start. It will be perfect to discover the sky when we are outside of the city. Even my oldest son, who is 8, marvels at the books and is eager to start using them.

This is definitively a wonderful curriculum to have in your homeschool. If you wonder how to teach science, don’t worry anymore. This is a beautiful set to discover God’s Design for Heaven and Earth!

This review was possible because I have received God’s Design for Heaven and Earth from Answers In Genesis.

Also available are God’s Design for Chemistry and Ecology, God’s Design for the Physical World and God’s Design for Life. Each book is available separately as well or you could purchase the complete curriculum.

God's Design for Heaven and Earth is available at Answers in Genesis as well as christianbook.com.

The Complete Creation Museum Adventure

The Complete Creation Museum Adventure

Published at MasterBooks

About the book
The second book in the best-selling Complete Adventure series is designed by the creative folks at Answers in Genesis. This unique “field trip in a book” focuses on the exciting new Creation Museum just 7 miles west of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Visitors explore dinosaur exhibits, video theaters, a petting zoo, a state-of-the-art planetarium and much more.

Join young discovers, Grant and Megan, as they search for and learn answers to important biblical questions and explore the world around them. They discover:

• Man and dinosaurs once lived at the same time
• In the beginning, God created everything to be “very good”
• Death, disease and suffering were not part of the original creation
• God has a plan to restore His creation
• Each of us is designed with a purpose and a plan

Designed for on-the-go learning, the convenient activity kit can be removed and used during your museum or at-home activities. Explore your world and your faith and prepare to believe!

 

Includes:

• Adventure map
• 7 creature feature cards
• 7 challenge cards
• 7 devotionals
• 14 reproducible activity sheets
• 7 fact-finder cards
• 7 eyewitness cards
• 7 case files
• 3 teacher guides

 My Thoughts

This adventure is simply amazing and instructive. I already have the Zoo and Aquarium adventures books and was looking forward to review this one.

The book starts with the introduction of the characters that you will follow while reading it. Then you are set to discover the Creation Museum. In this book, you will discover the museum and get tons of information about what you can read, see and find there. The photos are simply stunning.

 

Various sections are included in this book, at the museum, biblical authority, from the beginning, the flood, the gospel, dinosaurs and much more. When my kids flipped the pages inside this book, they were all excited (especially my two older ones!) and asked if we could go there someday. Maybe this summer they were told. Boy were they excited...

 

The more time I spent reading and discovering this book, the more I had goose bumps. I mean there is so much information in here that you can study it before visiting the museum. On the other hand, you might have nothing to discover when you visit the Creation Museum. I’ve showed the book to my husband but he doesn’t want to read it before we go visit the place (which will be hopefully this summer like I mentioned earlier). For me I enjoyed digging into the information provided in the book. I’m a planner and I want to be able to have a wonderful visit while we go.

 

At the museum, you will go through events from the Bible; creation, flood, the Gospel. You will also get much information on dinosaurs. In the book, you will find a section called After the Museum and you can go through case files to discover more information about specific events in history. There are also many activities for the kids to do. The Appendix contains some teaching materials which will help you organize the lessons linked to the museum.

 

Finally, a toolkit is provided and it includes a map of the museum, 7 fact finder cards, 7 creature feature cards, 7 eyewitness cards, a code breaker, a biblical timeline and 7 challenge cards. These can be used during the visit to the Creation Museum.

 

Once again I am blown away by the quality and the details contained in The Complete Adventure books. They are ingenious and will help you to have a fantastic time at the zoo, the aquarium or the Creation museum.

 

This review was possible because I receive a copy of The Complete Creation Museum Adventure from New Leaf Publishing.

 

The Complete Creation Museum Adventure is available at your favourite bookstore even on amazon.ca and indigo.ca.

The Days of Creation - Teaching the Glory of God's Work through Art

The Days of Creation – Teaching the Glory of God’s Work through Art
Written by James and Katherine Hughes
Published at Answers In Genesis

About the book
Here is a great tool to foster in your children a love for art and the Supreme Artist. Biblical teaching and commentary about the six days of creation combined with painting techniques and tips enable your children to create their very own Days of Creation artbook. The watercolor paintings included in the book for reference are accompanied by instructions on how to paint them. You and your children will love developing new skills together. For 8 and up.

My Thoughts
I think my friend Julia would love this book. She is painting in her spare time – even though I think her spare times are limited with raising and teaching 4 kids these days... But somehow, I think she would be interesting in getting this book for her own homeschool.

I was attracted by this wonderful book just because it shows a different way of exploring the days of creation – this time using painting.  We already explored it with drawing and scrapbooking so why not experiencing it with painting?

The authors take the time to explain the reason why painting is important and give an exact list of supplies before you start. Obviously, when you read about the type of paper or paint suggested in the book, they know what they are talking about – personally I wouldn’t have a clue about which paint is better and which paper would be giving a good result for a reasonable price... So I am glad to have some guidelines to begin with. *grin* In this informative chapter, the authors also give you some general painting instructions which comes in handy for little me who does not know much about painting... (Makes me wonder how come I didn’t get the genes of painting for both my grand-mothers – I guess I just need to develop it!).

Once you have gone through the basic information, the painting can start. Each day of creation has its specific chapter with instructions on how to paint it and what to paint. Once the painting is done, the child would have to go through some penmanship exercise and copy the scriptural text for the specific day that he/she has just painted. At the end of the seven days, you will have the possibility of put the painting and the writing together and created a book. Each chapter also have a commentary section which gives you (and your child) more information about the day.

I am so looking forward to create a Creation Days painting book with my kids. But first I need to try to find the products suggested in the book. I might try checking out Wallack’s or Deserres first and maybe ask my friend Julia – she surely knows where to get painting supplies in the city – and hopefully it will be at a good price!

The images in this book illustrate exactly the project of the day. I really love the painting for the firmament, the lights as well as the one for the seas animals and birds. Beautiful. What I really like is the fact that the paintings are simple but speak a lot. It tells exactly what God did on that day. It makes you ponder on his Creation and on Him as well.

Whether you have a budding artist in your homeschool or if you want to introduce art and painting, I think these painting lessons are simply fantastic and can’t be passed on. What an interesting way to teach about God’s work and His glory. Art is an expression – a form of creation – and by using it, we tend to become a little bit more like God while we create from our hands (with painting, sculpting, drawing, scrapbooking or any other form of art). I’m so glad that God gave us creativity and we can express it in various ways!

This review was made possible because I have received a copy of The Days of Creation from Answers in Genesis. 

Available at your favourite bookstore – Christianbook.com and indigo.ca .