Friday, April 29, 2016

NIrV KIDS' QUEST STUDY BIBLE


The NIrV Kids' Quest Study Bible is a really cool Bible! The Bible is published by ZONDERkidz. Filled with over 500 question about the Bible that help answer some of the tough questions kids ask. This Bible is the perfect gift for the child in your life. 

Kids can browse this Bible and read the many fantastic answers as well as scripture references to get biblically based answers to there many questions. Some of the questions discussed are:

Is it okay to lie knowing you will tell the truth later?

What should I say to God when I pray?

What language did they speak in Bible days?


Throughout the Bible your child will find Quest Clue boxes. They will then go to the specific Quest Challenge where they will find:
  • I Wonder.....
  • Real Life Challenge
  • Quest Clue


Each book of the Bible begins with an informative introduction. 


This Bible also features a dictionary and topical index to help guide your child as they study God's Word. The fun, blue font is clear and easy for younger kiddos to read. Heading are bolded in red. The hardback cover features a cool looking question mark surrounded by gears. I would definitely recommend this Bible for elementary age children. The publishers recommended age is 6-10. My almost 8 and 10 year olds really liked this Bible. 

This Bible can be purchased on Amazon


Disclaimer:
I recieved this book for free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255. 

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Roald Dahl's, The BFG



My kiddos and I had the fun opportunity to see the production of The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) at Dallas Children's Theater. The performance was great!!

Well known author, Roald Dahl, is a familiar children's writer to many. All of my children have read his books and thoroughly enjoy each and every one. My kids were so excited when I told them that DCT would be doing a production of The BFG.

Before it started my kiddos had fun putting on their own silly puppet show.




If you are not familiar with The BFG it is about an orphan, Sophie, who is wisked off to the land of giants by a very friendly giant -- the BFG (Big Friendly Giant). While most giants are the people eating kind, BFG isn't. Sophie encounters Childchewer, Bloodbottler, and Fleshlumpeater the giants that have a liking for humans. BFG is a gentle giant who makes it his mission to capture dreams. Sophie learns that the only food to eat in the land of giants is the disgusting, stinky smelling Snozzcumber! The Snozzcumber tastes like frog skins and dead fish, yuck!! Sophie knows that something has to be done when the bad giants talk about going to England to find their next meal. What does Sophie do? She tells the BFG that they must convince the Queen of England that giants are real and must be stopped. 

Roald Dahl is an amazing writer. My kiddos love his funny made up words. The one word that always causes uncontrollable laugher is -- Whizzpopping. Whizzpopping is farting. 

DCT's production of The BFG was hilarious and well done. The acting was great. The audience was drawn into the world of Roald Dahl's BFG.



Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Chick-fil-A

Today we took a fantastic tour of a local Chick-fil-A. The kiddos had a blast. The Chick-fil-A cow came out to greet the children at the beginning of the tour. Each child got to make their own ice cream cone. Smart move, their mouths and hands were busy for the entire tour. They got to enjoy their ice cream while learning all about how Chick-fil-A operates on a daily basis. As a mom I also learned some interesting things. Did you know that the chicken is raw and they bread the chicken right in the kitchen?! Real eggs are cooked on a grill. They even make their own biscuits! Fruits and veggies come fresh and they are chopped up to make the salad's and fresh fruit cups. I knew that there were many reasons why we love Chick-fil-A so much!! They have a wonderful family atmosphere, great fresh food, and amazing Christian values. Thank you Chick-fil-A for inviting our homeschool group.


Good Morning

Excited for the tour to begin

Eating tater rounds

That cow is HUGE

Happy to see the cow

Not sure he likes the cow

Cow

How orders are placed

Placing your order

One of the many questions being asked

Lemonade

Drive-in 

Front counter

Orders being prepared for bagging

Ordering 

Kitchen prep

Lettuce being shredded up for salads

Making Chicken Biscuits

Chicken waiting to be breaded

Carrots being shredded

Biscuits in the making
  
Making ice cream cones

Cold Fridge

Cold Fridge

Fresh cut up fruit

We LOVE Chick-fil-A!!

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

GREEMU



For the past several weeks my daughters and I have been using GREEMU, an all natural, vegan alternative to emu oil. This Devonian  product is distributed by Koru Naturals. For review purposes I received a 4 fl.oz. bottle of GREEMU™. Devonian® is science driven company dedicated to bringing the power of plants to the beauty world. 



GREEMU is a blend of plant oils and butters that replicate the fatty acid composition, feel, and properties of emu oil. Researchers spent about two years developing a vegan alternative to emu oil and that is how GREEMU was born. 

You may be asked yourself, "What exactly is emu oil?" Emu Oil is extracted from the fat tissues of the emu bird. To get more detailed information on what exactly emu oil is, what GREEMU is, and the ingredients in GREEMU click here.

The basic ingredients in GREEMU are:
  • Macadamia Seed Oil
  • Palm Oil
  • Shea Butter
  • Sunflower Seed Oil
  • Rice Bran Oil
How We Used GREEMU
GREEMU is great for dry patches of skin, and for itchy scalp. I massaged some of the oil into my scalp and left it in overnight and my scalp was not as itchy come morning. 

After taking off finger and toenail polish the oil works great to moisturize the nails. 

Next, I used the oil on my feet to try to combat the rough, dry, calloused feel and appearance. GREEMU works great to soften the skin on your feet. I think that with continued use of the oil on my feet, my feet will be ready for wearing sandals in the summer.


Last year I reviewed Emu Oil from Koru Naturals. I definitely can tell the difference between the two oils. The Emu Oil tended to absorb and stay a bit better. With that said, both still work quite well. If you are someone that wants to avoid an animal based product, then GREEMU is a great alternative. 

Here is a comparison of Emu Oil and GREEMU.


As you can see, the GREEMU is not quite as thick as the Emu Oil. With regards to smell, they are both pretty much odor free. They both have a greasy feel, but the Emu Oil is a bit more so. 

I have used both of these oils for a pretty unconventional way. I have two daughter's that require an adhesive dressing on their chests. Pulling the dressing off can be quite painful on that sensitive area. I have found that putting some oil on my finger as I pull the adhesive up makes it a bit easier and less painful. Then there is the sticky residual adhesive on their skin. The GREEMU and Emu Oil both work pretty well for helping to remove the line of stickiness that the adhesive leaves behind. The oil has helped to prevent skin breakdown between dressing changes. When removing the dressing there is always a "ring around the dressing" from adhesive and clothing fibers that have collected and stuck to the sticky. 


Two great products!
One oil that is from the Emu and the other which is plant based. 

EMU or GREEMU?


To read more reviews click HERE.

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Monday, April 25, 2016

YWAM



My 7th grade daughter had the opportunity to review the biography of Christian Heroes - Betty Greene: Wings to Serve that is a part of the Christian Heroes: Then & Now Series. The CD Unit Study Curriculum Guide was provided via an e-mailed downloadable, pdf version. YWAM Publishing has a wide range of Christian books at discount prices.



Who was Betty Greene?
Betty Greene was born in 1920 and at an early age became fascinated with aviation and flying. She read about Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. At the time, aviation was mainly a field closed to women. During WWII a special team of women flyers was created, WASP, Woman's Airforce Service Pilots. As the war was coming to a close, Betty was contacted by a group of Christian pilots who wanted to use their flying skills for mission work. This is when Betty Greene's love of flying and her love for the Lord would be combined to help spread the gospel to remote areas around the world. He work continued for decades. Betty Greene died in 1997. 


How We Used The Material
We have a growing collection of the Christian Hero Books by YWAM Publishing, and have enjoyed each book that we have read. The book on Betty Greene was another great read. The books are written in a way that both children and adults can be encouraged by. 

My 13 year old daughter read the book and worked through the study guide and various activities. My daughter has read many books in this series and has loved them all. She was very excited when given the opportunity to learn about the life of Betty Greene. 


The Unit Study Curriculum Guide features:
  • biographical sketch
  • key Bible verses
  • chapter questions
  • project ideas
  • Social Studies correlations
  • related themes to explore
  • book and movies resources
  • author interviews
  • and so much more

For the study guide, Betty Greene: Wings of Serve, there are four questions related to each chapter that the student is asked to answer:
  1. A vocabulary question
  2. A factual question
  3. A question to gauge comprehension
  4. An open-ended question
There are 17 chapter in this particular book.

I love that my daughter learned not only about a great figure of faith but so much more thanks to the study guide. She explored counties, learned a bit of the native language, customs, and lifestyles.

My daughter said, "Betty Greene combined her passion for flying and her love for the Lord. First, Betty proved to the world that women can do everything, if not more, than men can do. She earned her pilots license in more than one continent. Betty flew missionaries to and from destination all over the globe. Most importantly, she was involved with several organizations for which she helped share the word of God. Betty Greene was truly a Hero of the Faith!"


The Heroes' Series Bonus Section is full of enrichment activities. In this section you can print out word puzzles, crossword puzzles, coloring pages, overview guides, answer keys, and many more extras. Many of the activities are geared for the younger student but my daughter still had fun doing some of them. 


I liked the Related Themes to Explore. Often times when one of my children is drawn to a particular subject or event in a book I want to be able to let them explore further. The Betty Greene idea map was extremely helpful in guiding my daughter to other possible subject matter that she may enjoy because of the book. My daughter decided that she wanted to further explore and read about WASP's and the many ways that women contributed to the war effort.  


YWAM Publishings has Digital Unit Study Guides. The guide can be accessed both on the computer and/or be printed out. 


YWAM Publishing also had a series on Heroes of History. I will definitely be purchasing titles from this series in the future. 



YWAM is more than just a site to purchase books. To read more about their history, philosophy, and current projects click here

To read more reviews click HERE

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