Princess Cut

As I was reading through the Summer 2018 issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, a family education magazine, I realized my single review was selected for print. Needless to say, I was a bit excited! Many know I write for the Schoolhouse Review Crew because you see these reviews on my blog; but I also write for the Single Crew and these reviews are all posted on The Old Schoolhouse website and only selected ones are in print. Here is the single review for Princess Cut -

Princess Cut Movie (DVD)

Watchman Pictures

www.princesscutmovie.com

In Princess Cut, we enter the world of headstrong but helpless romantic Grace Anderson and her life in the rural Carolina town of East Bend. Grace has dreamed all her life of the day when “Mr. Right” slips a Princess Cut diamond on her finger and swears to love her forever. Tonight may be the night as Stewart has something special planned after 15 months together! But when things don’t go as planned, and romance crashes down around her, it launches her on a quest, aided by her father, to understand what it means to truly love another person and that true love is worth waiting for.

I may be old-fashioned; but there are many things I love about this movie and what it teaches our daughters. Grace’s father takes full responsibility as head of his household to prepare Grace for marriage. Through a lesson using soybeans, we learn what it means to truly love another person. Our daughters should seek a husband who is trustworthy, willing to lead his family, and understanding of his wife’s needs.

Grace allows her father to guide her and as she allows God to write her love story she seeks her father’s approval before entering another relationship. Then as God writes her love story, Clint seeks approval for a relationship with Grace and with her father’s blessing, they prayerfully consider the possibility of marriage.  

But there’s two more truths found in this movie when Clint brings Grace flowers. He gives an iris to symbolize Jesus and how we need to build our identity around him to be truly satisfied and a rose to represent the need for purity in the relationship.

My husband and I watched this movie with our sixteen-year-old daughter and I am so glad she sees that true love is worth waiting for when you allow God to write your love story. The best Christian romance movie I have seen in years!

-Product review by Susan Reed, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, February 2018

Lab Lessons - Why Do Boats Float?

According to the Archimedes Principle, boats float because water pushes up on them with a force equal to their weight. This is called buoyancy. Using pieces of modeling clay and other simple materials, you’ll be exploring how size and shape affect a boat’s ability to float. You’ll also get to see just how much weight your boat can hold and which design works the best.

MATERIALS

Tank of water or large mixing bowl

Modeling clay

Pennies

PROCEDURE

1. Mold the clay into several different shapes until it floats. Determine what shape produces the most buoyancy. Once you do that, you’re ready to begin loading your boat with cargo.

2. Place pennies in your boat until it sinks. Keep track of how many pennies it held.

3. Test several shapes to see which holds the most pennies before sinking.

THINK ABOU IT

1. What characteristics of the winning boats helped them support the most weight?

2. Does this idea apply to large ships that carry thousands of tons of cargo? How do they stay afloat if they are made of metal?

Happy Homeschooling!

The Kingdom Files - Crew Review

The Kingdom Files is a new biography series published by Barbour Publishing. I recently had the privilege to review two books in this series – The Kingdom Files: Who Was Jonah? and The Kingdom Files: Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? This series is written for children ages eight through twelve. The biography series explores the life of a Bible character and draws children into a different time and place as they learn about key people who were part of God’s kingdom.

Each biography features three sections known as files. The Fact File contains information about the Bible character’s name, where they were from, occupation, years active, timeline, kingdom work, and key stats. The Action File is the biblical account told in a kid-friendly narrative. It lays out the Bible events showing the character in action. The Power File is where you will find the main lesson broken down so children can see that the stories in the Bible really do apply to life today. It contains ten “Power-Ups” that will help you connect scripture to our daily lives. Memory verses will go along with each “Power-Up” to help you plant God’s Word in your heart. Throughout each book, Clue Boxes offer applications to help you keep track of your thoughts as you make your way through the file. And you can find games and free educator resources at KingdomFiles.com.

 

The Kingdom Files: Who Was Jonah? This biography explores the life of Jonah while drawing readers into a fascinating time and place as they learn about the reluctant prophet who said “no” to God, was tossed overboard during a storm, and swallowed by a giant fish.

 

The Kingdom Files: Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? This biography explores the life of Mary while drawing readers into a fascinating time and place as they learn about the courageous young teenager who said “yes” to God and ultimately gave birth to the Savior of the world.

Of the two biographies, our family enjoyed The Kingdom Files: Who Was Jonah? most. There are several lessons we can learn from Jonah’s life. One, we are all called to spread God’s Word. Two, God never walks away from His children. Three, how comforting to know that God is always there for us. Four, God hears us when we call on Him. And as a parent, I was glad to see this reminder – not only did God have plans for Jonah, Jeremiah 29:11 says that God has plans for you too!

After having the opportunity to review these two biographies, our family is looking forward to reading through more of the Kingdom Files series. God has used Matt Koceich to write this entertaining and educational series, and you will not be disappointed. A great way to learn about key people who were part of God’s kingdom.

Visit the Crew Blog to read what the Homeschool Review Crew has to say about The Kingdom Files: Who Was Jonah? and The Kingdom Files: Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus?

 

 

Tips to Plan and Initiate Your Homeschool Schedule

Many who know me, know I am a planner. So, it is very easy for me to plan our homeschool days. But many have asked how I plan and initiate our homeschool schedule. Allow me to share three tips that have worked for our family.

1. SCHEDULE YOUR SCHOOL TIME.

I write everything down in my datebook, including school time. I schedule school to begin at 9:00 a.m. Monday through Thursday; but I am flexible when we have to adjust for doctor appointments. Consider work, music lessons, sports, and appointments – write them all down – then plan your school time.

2. SCHEDULE YOUR SUBJECTS

We have a daily schedule and my girls complete their subjects in the same order, every school day. Here are our ordered subjects – Bible, History, Foreign Language, Spelling, English, Math, Science, and then Reading. I use the same curriculum with all three girls for Bible and History, so we complete these subjects first and then they complete the other subjects independently.

3. SCHEDULE FUN TIME.

Don’t just schedule school time. Students need fun time! Be sure to schedule play dates and field trips – these can be fun and educational too!

Above all, remember to be flexible! Life happens. One of the joys of homeschooling is having the flexibility to rearrange our school week. Sure, we aim for every Friday off; but when doctor appointments come during the week, we adjust and sometimes event bring school with us on the road.

Happy Homeschooling!

Learning Through Literature about Animals

Do you have a student who is interested in the world of animals? My Happy Homeschool would like to recommend learning through literature with the following literature:

 

Zoobooks is a monthly magazine published for children that covers a different animal from around the world with each issue. Featured in the magazine are detailed photographs, educational information, and fun facts about animals, packaged in a way that makes it fun and exciting to learn about these creatures.

 

Eyewitness Books is a series of nonfiction books for children and young adults. The series has a variety of animal books to choose from; and each book features great visuals, with just enough information to entice but not overwhelm the reader.

 

Christian Liberty Nature Readers provide supplemental reading for students interested in learning more about animals. Numerous illustrations and helpful chapter comprehension questions are included in each reader.

Happy Homeschooling!