A Great Christmas Gift For Puzzle and Medical Nerds

 

Dr. Livingston's Anatomy Puzzle would make a perfect Christmas gift for the puzzle or medical NERD. Get your wrapping paper ready because you will need it to wrap all seven of the boxes that will eventually make this 10' human cross section puzzle. 

Here is a link to the review that I did for Dr. Livingston's Anatomy Puzzle.

The Giving Manger

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

The Giving Manger from WorthyKids is a great way for families to focus on giving and keeping the focus of Christmas on Christ's birth. The boxed set includes: The Giving Manger: book written by Allison Hottinger. The book is hardcover. The story lays out the Giving Manger tradition. Wooden Manger: to be placed waiting to be filled with straw. The wood is unfinished. Bundle of Straw: pieces of straw to be placed in the manger after each act of kindness. Baby Jesus: to be placed in the manger on Christmas Day. This set is made to last so that your family can keep the tradition going year after year. 

This is intended to be started on December 1st

and ends on Christmas Day by putting baby Jesus in the manger. 

The cut paper illustrations are simple yet pair perfectly with message. 

A child's attention will be focused but not so engrossed by stimulating 

illustrations that it keep their attention away from what is being read to them. 

 

The book explains what you will be doing and the reason behind it. This will be 

backed up with Biblical truths and scripture. 

The manger is very easy to assemble. You can have one of your 

children assemble the manger. Place the manger in a central location 

in your house that is open for all to see. 

The straw comes neatly tied up. Baby Jesus is simple. 

In the back of the book there is a two page section entitled, Manger Moments. This gives your family service ideas. There is a section for children, for teens, and one for families. There is also a page entitled, Manger Memories. There is a place to write in the year and then what your children or family did that year to serve others. 

I love the verse, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17. In giving to others we need to be sure to that our children understand that while it does make us feel good it ultimately brings God glory. The giving to others symbolizes God's gift to us in giving us His Only Son born as flesh to ultimately take the sins of man upon Himself once for all. "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

The Giving Manger Set is a wonderful way to instill the joy of giving to your children. In the process they will bless others and keep their focus on what is truly important which is God's greatest gift to the world - His only Son, Jesus Christ. With each act of kindness the straw in the manger begins to grow. On Christmas Day your child or children are able to place Jesus on a full bed of straw. Please be sure to read what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about The Giving Manger. 

On the website they also have FREE printable Service Ideas and Lists. 

I did not receive this for my review, a new addition that can be purchased separately is a set of fifty-five Kindness Cards with simple and easy ideas to help inspire the spread of kindness. You and your children can randomly choose a card or look through the cards and spread joy. With examples such as: clean up a mess you didn't make, deliver a treat to a neighbor and ring the doorbell and run, or make and deliver cards to a nursing home or hospital.  

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Progeny Press

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

The Frankenstein Study Guide from Progeny Press is just one of the many study guides available to accompany some of the greatest classic novels for high school students. Along with the study guides you are also able to purchase the novels on the Progeny Press site as well. There are three options for obtaining the study guide: a physical workbook, a CD, or an E-Guide. For this review I received the E-Guide which was a downloadable PDF file. You get access to the file immediately and have access the download for one year after purchase. You are able to use the guide with multiple students or even a class. Progeny Press offers free technical support if you have problems downloading your E-Guide. The Frankenstein E-Guide and book are recommended for grades 10-12. The study guide is 90 pages in length. Progeny Press offers study guides for all grade levels. 

The genre is British Literature, Science Fiction. 

The setting is Imaginative, Europe, 1800's. 

Frankenstein is a story about a young student of science Victor Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley. Professor Frankenstein creates a very grotesque part human part monster during a science experiment. Shelley came up with the idea for the book after her travels to Gernsheim, Germany near the Frankenstein Castle as well as Genova, Switzerland. While in Switzerland her then lover and future husband, Percy Shelley and several companions had been discussing electricity produced by chemical action and many other topics of supernatural and strange phenomena. They decided to challenge one another to see who could come up with the most repulsive horror story. This is what lead to Mary Shelley's, Frankenstein. 

"A brilliant student, Victor Frankenstein, comes upon the knowledge of creating life. Expecting glory and hoping to benefit humanity, Frankenstein creates a man - only to discover that creation carries more consequences and responsibilities than he foresaw. The resulting tragedy speaks directly to some of the issues facing us in science and medicine today.

Years later, Robert Walton is a young man driven by his desire for knowledge and exploration - he wants to make his mark on the world. But he finds something entirely different. As the sea ice closes in on his ship, he and his crew sight a strange, gigantic being driving a dogsled across the frozen wasteland, finally disappearing into the distance. The next day they find an ill and dying man floating on a fragment of ice and persuade him to come on board for his safety. As his ship lies trapped by the surrounding ice, Walton spends many hours talking with the ill man, a Victor Frankenstein of Geneva. As they talk, Frankenstein slowly reveals his story to Walton." 

By using the study guide students will learn:

• Author Biography
• Background Information
• Before You Read Activities
• Vocabulary Words Used Throughout the Novel Utilizing a Variety of Activities to Stimulate Retention and Growth
• Literary Techniques
• Moral Lessons and Character Values
• Activities and Writing Assignments
• Suggestions for Further Reading

My daughter said,

"The number of questions this curriculum requires its students to answers while reading this book might be seen as going into depth, but this is not the case since some of the questions that are asked are not necessary to comprehend the book. Questions that include literary device definitions helps one understand what he or she is reading because they must go into depth by thinking through their answer and explaining it using examples from the book. There are fun activities to complete at the beginning of each question section that are more than just a break than the classic question. Some of these include crossword puzzles, matching the word with their definition, and various games with synonyms. These activities allow the student to have fun while also using their brain to think about what they're reading and are about to read. Doing as little as finding a synonym or matching a definition can give the student a better grasp of what they are reading."  

My daughter opted to print out the whole 90 page E-Guide and put it

in a three-ring binder. 

Here is some of her work. 

Students also have the option of typing their answers in the PDF. If your student

chooses to use this format their work will be saved as they go. 

The crossword puzzle at the beginning of Chapters 11-16 must be printed out. 

I have used Progeny Press study guides for my children a handful of times and have always impressed with the content. The study guides really help the student understand what they are reading. Students get a brief overview of the book and learn about the author. They also get a feel for the background which includes historically what was going on, politically what was happening during the time the author was writing, literary movements of the time, and science and discoveries happening. All these components come together "To teach our children to think clearly, to understand literature, and to rely on the scripture for truth and values, and enjoy themselves while they do it!" Be sure to check out what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about Progeny Press E-Guides. Crew Members reviewed E-Guides from 1st through the 12th grade. 

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