Category : Reviews

November 2, 2014 / 7 Comments

Review and Giveaway: Wizzy Gizmo-Who Created Everything?

Wizzy Gizmo Review

Today I get to share a review and giveaway of the book Wizzy Gizmo Who Created Everything? This review opportunity was made available through Home and School Mosaics. You can find more reviews on this book as well as other Wizzy Gizmo material at HomeSchoolMosiacs.com. The giveaway is being generously offered by the authors of the book, so a big thanks to you gentlemen!

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“Explore the wonders of Creation in this first book from the Wizzy Gizmo children’s Bible Adventure series.

It all began when Wizzy Gizmo places the Bible on his incredible Gizmovision invention. The machine whirls and hums, the room begins to vibrate and shake, lights flicker on and off. The invention is surrounded by tiny arcs of electricity, as a sphere of blue-green light emerges and begins to grow bigger and bigger. There is a flash, and then things really begin to happen…”

Wizzy Gizmo Review

In the first book in the Wizzy Gizmo series, Wizzy and the kids get to experience what creation was like first hand thanks to the Bible being placed on the Gizmovision. Creation happens right around, above, and below them. A section of scripture is read aloud by the gizmovision, and than it unfolds before their eyes.

To be honest guys, I haven’t done a review that I haven’t liked, but this has been the one my girls have been most enthusiastic about! They were excited when it arrived in the mail, they were excited when I told them we would be reading it for school, and they couldn’t wait until the next day when we would read a couple more chapters. They were bummed when we finished the book, and excited again when I told them I had the digital copy of the second  book on my computer we could read (for review purposes only).

It was so great to sit with my girls and read a book to them that painted such an amazing picture of what Creation may have looked like, taking it verse by verse, and day by day. I didn’t have to change the story or make things up because there was some evolution junk in it because it was all straight from the Word. The authors, Chris Del Aguila and Justin Cummins did an excellent job creating a storyline that could support the weight of Creation as recorded in the book of Genesis.

So here are some fun facts about the books.

  • In the front you will find a list of the characters in the book with their picture and a brief description. I love this because there are several characters to keep track of and knowing a little about them ahead of time makes for a better connection with the story (yes, I’m a book junkie and always have been, so I was uber thrilled about this!)
  • Throughout the book you will find words in bold. These are vocabulary words. In the back you can find the list of vocabulary words and their definitions. As a homeschool mom, I jump at any opportunity for my children to expand their vocabulary so I like this added learning opportunity.
  • At the end of the book is a list of review questions to help your children solidify the knowledge they just learned.

Wizzy Gizmo Who Created Everything? ($12.99) is the first in the Wizzy Gizmo series. The second is In His Image ($12.99). And if you’re looking for audio books for kids Who Created Everything? ($9.99-$14.99) is also available as an audio book as well.

Another wonderful training resource for your kids is their Fast Track Bible Pack ($14.99). It’s a set of cards, one for each of the books in the New Testament. On each card you have The book Title, Theme, Author, outline, key chapters, key passages, key doctrines, and key people. Basically, what I paid big bucks in college for, you can have as part of your homeschool resources. I would have LOVED to have learned this stuff in school. It’s so much easier to retain this kind of information when you’re younger than when you’re in college (not to mention, WAY cheaper!)

If you’re a think ahead type of person, any of these products would make great Christmas presents. And shipping is always free on orders of $25 or more!

Want to learn more about all the Wizzy Gizmo products? Head over to www.wizzygizmo.com and check them out!

You can also find Wizzy Gizzmo on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Twitter, and Vimeo!

So as you can tell, Wizzy Gizmo Gets a solid two thumbs up from this mom!

Now that you’ve heard me rave about how great Wizzy Gizmo is, let’s have a giveaway!

One randomly selected winner will win a copy of either the Wizzy Gizmo Who Created Everything audio book OR the Fast Track Bible Pack Cards! Oh man, am I excited for you guys!

It’s easy, just leave a comment below telling us which one you’d like to win.

This giveaway is only open to the United States.

Giveaway ends Friday, November 7th at 11.59pm Central.

After a winner has been selected it will be announce on the blog as well as our Facebook page, and the winner will be emailed. You will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

The Winner of the Wizzy Gizmo giveaway is Melissa Ryun Lee!

**Disclaimers**

The material reviewed in this blog post were given to me for free in exchange for my honest opinion. My thoughts and opinions stated in the review are my own. Your results and opinion may vary.

This blog post may contain affiliate links. Honestly people, this is how bloggers pay for our blogging bills (yes we do have expenses). Please know that I don’t become an affiliate for any company or product that I don’t like or would not use myself. Having said that, if you still have a problem with it simply type in the web address yourself.

October 18, 2013 / 3 Comments

A Light for my Path From Apologia-A Review

A Light for my Path

When I found out I was going to be able to review A Light for my Path from Apologia I may or may not have squealed and did a happy dance. When I received the book in the mail I discovered that my excitement was well founded! A Light for my Path is an ABC book based on Psalm 119. It uses the alphabet to teach sound Biblical principals about God in a very simple and repetitive way so that young children (mine included) can internalize some of the qualities of God’s character described by King David in Psalm 119.

A Light for my Path

Each letter starts with declaring “God’s word, Law, Statutes, Decrees, Commands, and Precepts are…”. It then gives a descriptive word that corresponds with the letter on that page. For example “D” is “delightful”, “M” is “merciful”, and “S” is “steadfast”. I get excited about this book every time I sit with my girls to read it because I love knowing that by just sitting down with them and working with them on their alphabet I am also instilling in them a spiritual foundation that God’s Word, law, statutes, decrees, commands and precepts are positive and at a young age we are establishing a framework for their faith. Both my 3 yr old and almost 5 yr old have already memorized the first page of each letter and take turns reciting it. They are so proud of themselves and it’s already started discussions about what the different words mean.

Each letter is also beautifully illustrated giving a single animal/bug from God’s creation in it’s environment. It also shows the animal/bug from the previous letter in the background leaving. The name of the animal isn’t written on the page which helps to keep the focus on the descriptive word. However, if you’re like me, you may not know a couple of the names of the animals so the writer has included a lists of all the names of the animals and the corresponding descriptive word in alphabetical order at the front of the book. The girls love taking turns naming the animal for the current letter and finding the animal from the previous letter on the page.

Another amazing thing about this book is that after the English alphabet they’ve included the Hebrew alphabet and the corresponding verses.

A Light for My Path

Here’s what the writer David Carman had to say about it:

“Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem, a literary composition in which the writer uses the letter of a word or alphabet as the initial letter for a series of lines or stanzas. This particular poem is divided into twenty-two stanzas, one for each letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The twenty-two stanzas of Psalm 119 occupy the last twenty-two chapters of the book. The corresponding Hebrew letter for each stanza is shown at the top of the page along with it’s English spelling to help you pronounce the letter correctly.”

It’s not something you have to teach your kids. If this was only an English alphabet book it would completely stand on it’s own, but what an amazing additional tool to use with your kids. The old testament was written in Hebrew. What a great opportunity for your kids to learn early the letters of the Hebrew alphabet so that later if and when they want to study the old testament they already have foundation in the language.

Are you ready to run out and purchase your own copy of A Light for my Path? You can head over to Apologia.com and purchase your very own copy for $14. My husband and I agree that it’s well worth every penny. This book would be a great addition to any home with small children and with Christmas right around the corner, it would make a wonderful gift as well. I really can’t say enough good things about this book.

This review is part of Mosaic Reviews. Head over here to read what other reviewers thought about A Light for my Path as well.

 

 

 

June 27, 2013 / 1 Comment

Medieval History Memory Game-Review

Medieval History Memory Game-Review

My review today is of the Medieval History Memory game by The Classical Historian. Growing up I always loved educational games. Any time we could play a game instead of book work was a thing to be rejoiced. Just the idea of getting to review an educational game made me giddy and on top of that it was a history game and history is one of my favorite subjects!

Medieval History Memory Game-Review

Here’s the details.

The classical Historian offers their memory game in three different time periods: Medieval History (which is what I’m reviewing today), Ancient History, and American History. There are two ways you can play the game.

Medieval History Memory Game-Review

The first is the standard memory game. Place the tiles face down and mix them up. Then lay them out in a grid pattern. Each player takes a turn flipping over two tiles and when a player turns over two that match they place the pair in a pile next to them, everyone gives a rousing cheer (ok maybe that just happens at my house), and the player gets to flip two more over. This goes on until all the tiles are matched and the game is over. Whoever has the most matches wins!

Medieval History Memory Game-Review

The Second game you can play with these tiles is the Categories Game. The object is to place the tiles under the correct category as fast as possible. This game is for older kids.

The directions read “Player two has a timer or a watch and says “Go!” Player One takes the 4 category tiles (Europe, The Americas, The Far East, Arabia) and places them separate from each other. Player One assembles all tiles under the correct Category tile. When Player One has assembled all tiles, Player Two stops timing and records the time. For each tile placed incorrectly, add 10 seconds to Player One’s time. Then, Player One and Player Two switch roles.”

The instructions include the key which lists the four categories and the correct tiles for each.

Medieval History Memory Game-Review

I love the fact that they have included a second game to challenge older kids and extend the life of the game. It would be a shame to have such an amazing version of the memory game only to have your kids grow bored of it before they can fully appreciate the beautiful pictures and the history lessons that they teach.

The Medieval History game is made of high quality material that I feel can hold up to my kids being, well, kids. The pictures that are depicted on the tiles are beautiful and each includes a description of what is shown.

Medieval History Memory Game-Review

My girls had a great time playing this game and have already requested we play it again! I am happy to oblige and will be keeping this game in our rotation for years to come!

I think The Medieval History Memory Game is a great resource for teaching your kids history. It would work great alongside whatever curriculum you are using. You can find this game, priced at just $14.95, as well as other fun history games and history teaching materials over at The Classical Historian’s website.

I was given a copy of this product for review. I recieved no monitary payment for my opinion. My opinions are my own. Your experience may vary.
Mosaic Reviews — A Medley of Review Perspectives
mosaicreviews.com

June 19, 2013 / 4 Comments

How Do We Know God is Really There?-Review

This is my first review for the Mosaics Review team, and I can’t think of a better book to start things off with!

 How Do We Know God is Really There

Today’s review is for Apologia’s children’s book “How Do We Know God is Really There?” by Melissa Cain Travis.

I really enjoyed reading this book, though I didn’t read it to my kids. The target age for this book is K-3rd Grade, and since my older two girls are 4 and 3, I felt it  would be a bit too far over their heads and would create questions that I couldn’t sufficiently answer at their level. I do, however, look forward to reading this book to them when they are a little older.

“How Do We Know God is Really There?” does a fantastic job of taking scientific and historical facts and using them to prove the presence of God. The book follows a father and his son doing what they love best, looking at stars. Through this, conversations naturally happen and the son’s questions of if God is real come to light. The father takes the opportunity as a teaching moment and instead of  just say “this is how it is” he instead uses facts that have been proven by science and then asks questions and has his son answer them and come to the conclusion on his own. What a wonderful way to use God’s own creation and our observation of it to prove that God exists.

How Do We Know God is Really There

“How Do We Know God is Really There?” is hard bound and, as you can see, is beautifully illustrated by Christopher Voss. It’s a book well worth adding to your library, and since it’s the first in a series, you’ll have even more opportunities to discover with your kids the different ways we can know God really is there!

This is a book that boys and girls alike will enjoy and will create great discussion for your family.

If you want a copy of this beautiful, thought provoking book you can purchase it at Apologia’s website for $16. You can also read a sample of the book there as well.

I was given a copy of this product for review. I recieved no monitary payment for my opinion. All opinions are my own. Your experience may vary.
Mosaic Reviews — A Medley of Review Perspectives
mosaicreviews.com

May 21, 2013 / Leave a Comment

Gaining Ground-Review

Gaining Ground

I recently had the chance to read an amazing Book by Forrest Pritchard called “Gaining Ground”. This is Forrest’s first book and it shares his story of how he found his calling in life, saved his family’s farm, and all of the struggles he faced in the process. Forrest and his family own and operate Smith Meadows in Virginia where they raise cattle, chickens, pigs, etc. free range all year round. Their meat is organically raised and then sold direct through their store on their property and through local farmer’s markets. Forrest is an amazing writer who takes you right into his story, painting vivid pictures leaving you feeling like you are right there, the sun on your face and the meadow under foot, or your heart race at an exciting new possibility. With plenty of humorous stories and beautiful pictures, you will be thoroughly entertained!

Here’s the introduction to Gaining Ground:

Upon discovering that months of backbreaking work and five freight cars’ worth of glittering corn have reaped his family’s farm a profit of $18.16, young Pritchard, fresh out of college resolves to take matters into his own hands. What ensues-through a series of hilarious encounters with all manners of livestock and colorful local characters-is a crash course in sustainable agriculture.

Pritchard’s biggest ally is his renegade father, who initially questions his son’s career choice and rejects organic foods for sugary mainstream fare. But just when the farm starts to turn heads at local markets, his father’s health takes a turn for the worse.

Gaining Ground is a story for our times and of a shifting landscape-sure to resonate with anyone who has ever dreamed of a better world. With poetry and humor, this deeply inspiring memoir tugs on the heartstrings and feeds the soul long after the last page is turned.

I enjoyed Gaining Ground thoroughly! My dad spent his younger years on the farm before his father and uncles sold it and took jobs in the city. I grew up hearing my dad’s stories of fond memories on the farm. I have always loved being outdoors and my heart swelled when my parents bought 5 acres in the country. Though they are not farmers, and aren’t really even gardeners, their place still gives off that sense of peace and calm. Things seem to slow down out there. I have started gardening myself, figuring out things as I go along with the help of my husband who is just as knowledgeable (read- we have no idea what we’re doing) as I am. So I really connected with Forrest as he shared his struggles, the huge learning curve as he realized that though he had grown up on the farm, he really didn’t know the first thing about farming, and the look people give you when you say you only want to eat/raise organic produce, meats, and dairy.

What’s so wonderful is that you realize the characters in this story are real people. If I had the gas money and the unction, I could load my kids in the car and drive to Smith Meadows and meet Forrect Pritchard myself. I could take a tour of the pastures he raises his livestock on and probably pet a cow or two.

I do hope you will take the time to read Gaining Ground and support local farmers. They are the future of this country, not GMO’s. They are the ones who are going to raise the healthiest, tastiest foods you will find. They are the ones who are going to teach their children to do the same so that the art of raising food and living a sustainable life isn’t lost in the next generation or two. There is just something about being able to look in the eye the person who raises your food; something about shaking their hand and knowing that when you pay them, they are the ones getting the money, not whatever is left over when all the big conglomerates get their share. You are helping to pay for their truck to get repairs, or for their kid to be able to take swim lessons, or whatever. These kinds of farms are happening all over America, probably in a small town near you.

You can head over to amazon now and buy your own copy of “Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm" target="_blank">Gaining Ground“! It’s just $12.48 or $9.99 for your kindle.

And be sure to head over to Smith Meadows website to check out their blog and “like” them on Facebook.

 

*Please note that the amazon link is my affilitate link.

*I was given a copy of Gaining Ground to read and share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.