What a Great God!

Do you ever just sit and ponder the greatness of God?

I am so thankful for a God that cares about every aspect of our lives. He definitely deserves ALL our praise!

We need to be careful to not forget or take for granted the wonderful things that God has done for us. He forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases. He has redeemed my life from the pit of hell and instead has crowned me with love and compassion. I am also thankful that in Him our youth is renewed! 

The promises of God are amazing! 

Middlebury Interactive Languages: High School Spanish 1 Review - TOS Crew

This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog and homeschool! See my full Disclosure statement for more information.     My daughters and I had the opportunity to review High School Spanish 1 by Middlebury Interactive Languages recently and we fully enjoyed our learning experience.  This is our fourth year as a homeschool family, so this is not our first online language class.......we have tried quite a few. With that being said, we are so glad to have found Middlebury Interactive Languages. What we found in this online class was an interactive, fun and engaging forum to help us learn a foreign language! That is what we look for when it comes to digital learning. If the attention of our children can be held, then they will be able to learn more effectively.

 

 

What We Received:

 

Middlebury Interactive Languages granted us 6 month access to this wonderful online language class, and it has been our extreme pleasure to log on and use this wonderful course. The problem I had found with the other online classes we tried in the past was they all seemed to lack that interactive quality that helps concepts and foreign words to stay in your long term memory. That is not a problem that Middlebury Interactive Languages online classes duplicate.

 

This digital language course is built on a well thought out concept and has really helped my girls with their Spanish.

 

 

What we found very helpful was the different sections of the class that were designed to do different things. Take a look on the left-hand side of the picture. There is a listening section, a warm-up section, a matching section, and a speaking lab. How great is that?! You are able to work through each section at your own speed and move on when you have mastered it.

 

Each section builds on the other and helps to solidify comprehension! When you log into Middlebury Interactive Languages courses, you log into a real classroom learning experience. You will find it easy to navigate and easy to use. We found it tons of fun and great for us to do together.

 

How We Used It:

 

 With 2 girls both trying to learn Spanish we were able to utilize this Middlebury Interactive Languages Course for both of them. It was fun for all of us to work on this course together. Even though we didn't do the class at the same time, we worked through the class together and were able to discuss it together and practice with each other. That definitely adds to the learning fun!!

My Bottom Line:
As a homeschool mom, I find it difficult to locate curriculum that meets my requirements as well as my children's learning styles and needs. It is probably the one thing that I concern my self with the most. We found High School Spanish 1 from Middlebury Interactive Languages to be a well thought out concept of digital online learning and it was a great find for my girls. Finding a curriculum that keeps your children's attention and helps them learn easily is like finding gold! If you are looking for a language class for your homeschool, take a look at what Middlebury Interactive Languages has to offer.

They have several other language classes to pick from, all built on the same interactive concepts. Click here to see what they have to offer. You can also stay abreast on their news and any new offerings through social media.

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MiddInteractive

Instagram:
https://instagram.com/languageacademy/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Middlebury-Interactive-Languages/141015515949753

Pinterest:
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Google +: https://plus.google.com/b/110371351490550861545/110371351490550861545/posts



 

 

USAopoly: Tapple & Wonky Game Review - TOS Crew

 

 

This post may contain affiliate links.

Thank you for supporting my blog and homeschool! See my full Disclosure statement for more information.        What is it that we all look for in a game? What makes a game successful in your homeschool classroom? We all have some sort of criteria that we attach to our game search to help us decide if it is worth our time and money. Well, USAopoly has hit the ball out of the park!! My family and I had the privilege to review Tapple: Fast Word Fun for Everyone and Wonky: The Crazy Cubes Card Game and as soon as we opened the boxes we were hooked! Well, if I am going to be completely honest, I was hooked from the moment I read the names! ha ha! I love unique and fun games, and I knew I would love these games from their unique and fun names!


Tapple: Fast Word Fun for Everyone
 

Let me just say.....if you are a fan of a fast-paced, energetic, creative game this one is for you! You are racing against the timer in this categorical game. The cards are the categories and after one is picked you have to think of something that fits in the category that starts with one of the letters and then depress the letter as you say the word. Your kids will find themselves learning when they aren't even meaning to! Learning through play is my favorite way to learn!

 

Let me add a small disclaimer about age. There is a suggested age of 8+, which I only mention because I tried to play this game with a  2 year old, and let's just say.....there is more to this game than pushing the buttons! ha ha!  She had a blast, but it definitely helps if your children know their letters!

 

This game is great and has brought my daughters and I hours of fun!

 

Wonky: The Crazy Cubes Card Game

 

THIS GAME ROCKS!

Wonky is a simple game that is not so simple. Try it once and you will understand that statement completely. The simplicity of the game is it's charm. You have cards that tell you what to do. You follow the card and stack the blocks without knocking it over......simple enough right?! Wrong!!! Not only are the blocks a little wonky [yes....pun intended!] but you add the strategy of which card to play in order to cause someone other than yourself to knock over the stack, and you've got a game that is anything but "simple!" Be the person to get rid of all your cards without knocking over the tower of blocks and you become the winner!

 

This happens to be my youngest daughters favorite game. This picture was a final game before bed!

Even though it is her favorite game we all loved it! Even the little 2 year old that tried out Tapple gave this one a whirl. As intelligent as she is, it helps if they can read before attempting the game. She did have a blast stacking the "wonky" blocks but that was about it. If you stick to the age recommendations you should be prepared for a lot of fun!

 

How We Used Them:

These games are made to play, and that we did! My girls wanted to play one of the games every night before bed. It was nice to have time with them, all while huddled around these fantastic games.

 

My Bottom Line:

What is not to love?! These games are fabulous by design and fun to play. My girls and I have spent many hours playing these games, and we found them to be .......well........ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!! 

 

I have no doubt that these would be a welcome addition to your game closet. With it being September already [ugh! Which is so hard to believe], you could start thinking about purchasing them for Christmas presents. These games are easy to play and easy to love!

Click here to see all the games that USAopoly has to offer!

 

Don't forget......Have fun!

 

Connect through social media:

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/USAopoly
Instagram:  https://instagram.com/usaopoly/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/usaopoly
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/usaopoly/

 

 

 

The Transforming Power of Jesus

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Thank you for supporting my blog and homeschool! See my full Disclosure statement for more information.   Recently in my Christian Education class several of my friends shared their testimony of how they came to know Jesus, and what it has meant in their life. As they shared about the power of God in their life, they spoke of the transforming power that revolutionized them, and how they are no longer the way they were. I love hearing stories like that! Don't you?   2 Corinthians 5:17 says - "Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether): the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold the fresh and new has come." Amplified Version   As I listened to testimonies of how people used to be angry, sad, depressed, lonely, overcome by fear, involved in things they shouldn't etc. until Jesus Christ came into their heart, I found myself in awe all over again of the greatness of God. I am so thankful that the God who created the universe has made a way for us to spend eternity with Him! And as we give our hearts to Him, He creates something new inside us that is completely fresh and new!    One friend in particular shared how she did not like to be touched...well, actually hugged. When she came to church the first time and saw people hugging she was thinking, "Nobody had better come up and try hugging me!" What I find interesting is seeing the transformation that only a good and loving God can do. She used to never smile and tried to not get hugged, but now she is a hugger, full of joy and laughter. Only God can do that!   I was a young girl when I gave my heart to the Lord and then grew up in church, but I still have experienced the same transforming power of God! I have seen Him at work in my heart and life from the beginning, and I know that He is continually crafting and molding me into who I need to be for Him. I am not the same person I was, and I am so thankful for that.   Everyday we have the opportunity to follow Christ wherever He leads us. We have the opportunity to allow the continual crafting process in our hearts, if we say yes to whatever He has for us. As we are obedient to His Word, He continues His transformation in our hearts and minds.   So let me encourage you to not just read God's Word, but make sure that you are obeying His Word. He has a wonderful plan for our lives if we just say YES!

YWAM Publishing: Heroes of History (Orville Wright) Review - TOS Crew

    This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog and homeschool! See my full Disclosure statement for more information.  

 

   

 My daughter and I had the wonderful opportunity to review the book Orville Wright in the Heroes of History series by YWAM Publishing. There is also a Unit Study Curriculum Guide that we were able to work our way through as we studied the book.

I have found a lot of unique and interesting challenges along the way as I walked out my decision to homeschool. Probably the most chronic challenge was (is) time management. But I would have to say that the one that has kept me up at night, is curriculum choice.  You see we all want to make the best decisions for our kids and help them as much as we can, but the bottom line is this: You don't know what you don't know. Before finding this wonderful book and having the opportunity to walk through it systematically; Orville Wright was a couple of paragraphs in a Social Studies or History Book. That doesn't give our kids the full grasp of the story at all. So finding, and having the opportunity to review this wonderful product has been a true blessing to our homeschool.

YWAM Publishing did a magnificent job of bringing history to life. These books are an opportunity to really take some time and dig into the background of some of most famous and talked about people from history, and begin to understand fully their contribution to our country and our world! Isn't that really what we all want for our kiddos? You see, my choice to homeschool was because I believed my kids could receive a better, well-rounded, more comprehensive education if I schooled them at home, and homeschool curriculum choice is one of the biggest factors. Especially when you are faced with differences in learning methods. .......listen.....I wasn't kidding when I said that sometimes it kept me up at night.....and I believe that is the same for some of you reading this blog. So finding a gem like Heroes of History from YWAM Publishing is an answer to prayer.

My daughter is not a huge reader, but definitely becoming more interested. So I am so glad for the Unit Study Curriculum Guide that we were able to stop and work through. This guide is able to measure your comprehension and it was just the break she needed before diving back into the material.

How We Used It:

This year I took our schedule and changed it up a little bit. With me going back to work this year, I wanted to make their schedule work for us as a family. So, I scheduled accordingly. I made sure that their class load was easiest when I would be home so we could go over more difficult things, or things that might need more assistance from me. That is when I scheduled my daughter to work on her Heroes of History - Orville Wright material. I love the light in her eyes when she is loving to learn. School has not always been that way for her, so when it is......I rejoice!!! When I asked my daughter what she thought of the book she said, "I love the fact that they know so much about his childhood. I mean, I get excited to open up my book and learn more about him!" That says it all right there. That is how we all want our kids to feel about learning!

My Bottom Line:

To be honest, we enjoyed this curriculum very much! We did not use this to replace our usual Social Studies/History material, but instead added it in as an extra and we are so glad we did! Heroes of History - Orville Wright is a wonderful compliment curriculum and made me realize that we need all of them. The YWAM Publishing website has so much to offer and with how much we enjoyed Orville Wright, I can't wait to get my hands on some of their other resources! Many thanks go out to YWAM Publishing for producing fantastic, top notch material that my child enjoys learning from. That is HUGE when it comes to homeschooling!

Check out all your options here.

Connect with YWAM Publishing via Social Media

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