DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.

This week our co-op classes are starting up for the fall, soccer season has begun and our family is attempting to get back into the swing of things, but it can be hard. Being on the Homeschool Review Crew adds another layer of responsibilities and deadlines to the mix and it can make me weary. I’ve been asked before why I don’t just quit doing reviews since I’ve done it for several years now. Today’s review is a perfect example of why I still continue to do them. We live on one income and there isn’t a job I’ve found that will not take away from my family in a major way and while my husband provides for us very well, there’s no way we would can afford to just buy all the homeschool things on the regular just because they might be interesting. Jonathan Park is something I’ve seen advertised for probably a year or two, but have never investigated it. Today we’re reviewing The Adventure Begins, Series 1 from Jonathan Park and I’m happy to say it is a family favorite right now! I continue to participate in the Review Crew because I get a unique opportunity to explore resources - that often reinforce a Christian worldview - that I rarely would spend money on not knowing if it was worth it.

What We Received:

We received The Adventure Begins, Series 1 from Jonathan Park which included 4 audio CDs. Each CD contains over an hour’s worth of listening time.

How It Works:

This adventure series is intended to be listened to in order as it follows Jonathan and his father on adventures in a dinosaur graveyard. The conflict of a creation-based perspective and modern science’s big bang ideas is acknowledged in throughout the episodes as the characters work to preserve the archeological finds for a creation science museum. A Biblical worldview is well-represented while the characters also have to deal with realistic negative reactions from outside perspectives. It has all the markers of a great adventure with good guys and bad guys, Bible studies and dinosaur bones!

What We Thought:

For this review, my kids were 11, 9 and 5 years old. After listening to the first episode, they always asked to listen to the next one. That’s always a good sign! The characters provide a little something for everyone. My oldest (a boy) likes the Jonathan character, my daughter likes Jesse, and my 5 year old just likes the dog and finding all the bones! We aren’t finding dinosaur bones in our yard, but it is always nice to hear characters and stories my kids can relate to. Wrestling with circumstances where people don’t always see the world the same is our daily life in so many ways. I love that my kids can get a balanced understanding of that from places other than me. As a homeschool mom, there’s always more to do than time enough to do it in, but finding excellent resources for my family andt he future is worth a few extra deadlines!

Follow Jonathan Park on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonathanParkAudioAdventures

We are just one family and might not see everything the way you do. Check out the rest of the Crew’s reviews through the link below to see if they felt the same way about Jonathan Park

DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW

As overwhelming as determining a child’s educational content can be, getting to incorporate truly meaningful texts into my child’s curriculum is such a blessing! The Christian Heroes Then and Now series are popular books we have encountered in several homeschooling circles as supplemental materials or the focus of a unit study. Names like Corrie ten Boom, Elisabeth Elliot, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer are some of the books in this series. For today’s review, we are looking at C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller from YWAM Publishing. As a family we have read The Chronicles of Narnia and watched the available movies, so convincing my 11 year old son to read a book about the author wasn’t hard at all. Who wouldn’t be curious about the man who created the world of Narnia and all its interesting characters?

What We Received:

We received a paperback book with a glossy cover, C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller by Janet & Geoff, a digital copy of the C.S. Lewis Unit Study Curriculum Guide, and digitals copes of two slightly different Overview Guides.

How It Works:

The book C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller is a biography from YWAM (Youth With a Mission) Publishing that is intended for readers approximately aged 10-15, whether individually or in small group/classroom settings. These chapter books fit easily into a family read aloud time as well, but depending on the book, there can be some themes (war, sickness, death, etc.) that parents might want to be prepared for. Overall, though, these biographies can stimulate great discussions about faith, geography, and lessons from history. The Unit Study Curriculum Guide is an optional supplement, but packs so many layers of educational content. The Guide lines out a variety of ways to learn with the chosen book at the center of it all including Key Bible Verses, a Display Corner, Chapter Questions, Social Studies, Student Exploration, Related Themes, etc. With C.S. Lewis being from Ireland and Britain, geography studies can focus on those areas, for example. Whether through the library or online searches, research about WWII, Cambridge, and even other authors like Tolkien can enhance students learning. Essay questions, hands-on projects, audio/video projects, a survey of all the books written by Lewis and so much more are at the students’ fingertips.

What We Thought:

I gave my 11 year old son the option of reading it on his own or reading it together as a family and he chose to read it on his own. After he finished it (because he couldn’t wait for me to go chapter by chapter) we sat down and discussed several questions from the study guide. Every time we sat down to discuss the book, I went away encouraged because of all the thoughts coming out of my son’s head. He had a ton of empathy for C.S. Lewis’s rough life and was fascinated that he was friends with Tolkien! We discussed God’s will in our lives specifically when He says no to our prayers, as was the case with Lewis’ mother.. We have read some of the other books from the Christian Heroes series as a part of our larger curriculum. When asked how this one compared to them, he felt this one was really interesting, where others had been a little less so. We determined that it was because he had a previous context for C.S. Lewis. He knew who he was BEFORE picking up the book. Whereas, the other biographies we read were about people he had never encountered before. From a parent/educator perspective, the books do not in any way require previous knowledge of the subject, but to captivate my 11 year old’s enthusiastic attention, previous knowledge certainly helped..

This book, as the rest of the series does as well, provides a strong jumping off point for so many educational discussions and projects. Regardless of your needs and circumstances, this book and complimentary resources are certainly something any family could utilize and benefit from.

Follow YWAM Publishing Online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YWAM-Publishing-482973445102/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/YWAMpublishing
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ywampublishing/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/YWAMpublishing

The YWAM Publishing Blog: www.ywampublishingblog.com

The Crew reviewed several books in the Christian Heroes Then and Now series. If you would like to hear more about some of them, check out all the other reviews through the link below:

DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.

Here’s a riddle for you! How can you tell you have ADHD and have the genes of your father, an exceedingly logical engineer? You tend to do math in order to calm down your overstimulated brain! True story, on days my daughter isn’t coping well and overreacts to life, we’ve learned the most calming exercise for her is to do math. I blame her father! :) As much as we hear kids complain about math, when it is taught in a way that they understand, math is a source of many great things. The trick is finding the right program and curriculum for your family’s needs. That’s why reviews like this are here. I might not continue to use this product after I write the review (though many times I do), but I get to explore different approaches and companies so that homeschool families can know their options. So today we’re diving into homeschool math curriculum and talking about two products from Math Mammoth, Math Mammoth Skills Review Workbook Grade 3 and Math Mammoth Light Blue Series Grade 5.

What We Received:

We received 2 digital files, Math Mammoth Skills Review Workbook Grade 3 and Math Mammoth Light Blue Series Grade 5. The Skills Review Workbook file consisted of a 96 page Worksheet document with 90 Review sections, an Answer Key document, and a Spiraling Guide. The Light Blue Series file contained a full year’s curriculum including Student Worktexts, Tests, Answer Keys, Reviews, and Cutouts for both 5A (1st semester) and 5B (2nd semester).

How It Works:

The Skills Review Workbooks are designed to complement the full curriculum and function as a review of already learned skills. The worksheets are one page in length, intended to not be too tedious and incorporates interesting problems and graphics that require the student to reinforce skills from the main curriculum.

The Math Mammoth Light Blue Series is a complete math curriculum. At the beginning of the worktext is a Mental Math section that consists of several pages of web links to games and activities that reinforce math skills. In addition to the worktexts Math Mammoth provides teaching videos that correspond with particular lessons. Between videos, worktexts, reviews, tests and mental math activities, students are given all manner of opportunities to learn and reinforce learning throughout the year. All topics are clearly labelled and the index is thorough which could allow you to zero in on a particular skill out of sequence if needed.

What We Thought:

My 8 year old daughter used the Math Mammoth Skills Review Workbook Grade 3. We normally use another popular math curriculum so she had a few questions at first, but it was just her getting the feel for a different program. After the initial questions, this math loving girl did just fine.

My 11 year old son used Math Mammoth Light Blue Series Grade 5. Math is one of his more difficult subjects to sit down and do because he would rather be doing anything else. He’s proved he’s capable of it time and time again, he just doesn’t want to sit still that long. So, the novelty of a new program held his interest for a bit, but most days to him, math is math. The video element is a helpful tool both for understanding and engagement though.

I noticed that the number of interesting graphics went way down when you moved from 3rd grade to 5th grade. Of course, as the grade levels increase the need for cartoons, etc. goes down, but the decrease was a lot more drastic than we were used to. In many cases it may not matter. In our ADHD household, keeping things pretty and interesting is really helpful to sustain engagement.

Math Mammoth has proven to be thorough and complete for all manner of math education and it appears to be a relatively cheap option for most families. Based on our experience, I would feel confident that my kids could get a complete and effective math education from this program.

Follow Math Mammoth on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MathMammoth/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/mathmammoth1

Are you curious about other grade levels? Check out all the other families’ experiences through the link below: