One More Story

 

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

 

One More Story is an online library of some very well known children's books. Each of the books are read aloud by over thirty professional actors and the music is original and unique. The music is by Robby Merkin, the former music director of Sesame Street. The narration, music and sound effects help to capture a child's attention. One goal of One More Story is to enable pre-readers to experience the joy of reading while at the same time gaining fundamental reading skills through the use of the Read-Along Mode. As the book is read to the child the words are highlighted in read so that the child can follow along and begin to connect spoken words with written words. For the emergent reader, the I Can Read It Mode enables the child to read the book without the narration. The child can click on words that they are struggling with or do not know. There is a My Word List that the child can click on that contains the words that they have clicked on. There is also a Vocabulary section that defines challenging words in the book and then shows the word within the context of the book. There are some more features available for the school and classroom subscriptions. 

There are 5 sections, 87 books in total, in the One More Story Library.

Red

Blue

Orange

Green

Lime

The Seven Silly Eaters

is one of my favorite books that I read to my 

younger kiddos when they were younger. 

Challenging words found in The Seven Silly Eaters. 

Simply click on a word from the above list and the word pops up.

A definition is given. The place in the book where the word is found in

written context is also given. 

Black Beauty is one of the books in the lime section. 

The one NEGATIVE take on the program is that when you are reading a 

book independently and accidentally click on the green arrow more than once

you cannot go back. There is no back button. I have an Apple laptop and 

many times we found that it was quite easy to accidentally touch the green arrow

what we thought was once but must have been twice and it moved two pages ahead 

and there was no way to turn the page back. This is something that needs to be fixed.

I think that most of us are very familiar with The Snowy Day. 

By simply clicking on any given word in the book the word will change to red.

The word will be read aloud if the child is reading the book independently. 

I was familiar with many of the books. Some of the books I have not heard of before. I would have liked to have seen more award winning books and classic books in the line up. I did see that they are in the process on continually adding more books which I think is wonderful. I would recommend One More Story to parents or educators. This is a great way for pre-readers and beginning readers to enjoy some great children's books read by various actors and set to music and sound. Be sure to read what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about One More Story. 

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifelongReaders 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EarlyReader 

Creative Word Studio

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

Over the past weeks my daughter has been using Sparkling Bits of Writing Book 2 from Creative Word Studio. There are two books in the Sparkling Bits of Writing Curriculum, Book 1 and Book 2. These consumable soft back books are spiral bound with laminated covers and are written for the Christian School and Homeschool setting in mind. Book 1 is intended for grades 5-7. Book 2 is intended for grades 7-9. In book two students focus on free writing, reading responses, and mini writing lesson exercises. The Introduction is written directly to the student. Next, there is a page of instructions. Both books contain 75 lessons. 

In the Free Writing Exercises students practice writing. They are given set amounts of times that they are expected to write, 8 to 10 minutes, or whatever you as the teacher or parent chooses. Students are to write whatever comes to mind. Many lessons contain a writing prompt, a picture, a poem, or question for the student to respond to. This is a time for the student to get more comfortable in their writing skills. 

Next, Reading Response Lessons are using to help guide students in analyzing other people's writings and critically thinking about situations. This is where good literature comes into play. These lessons help develop critical thinking skills. One way to do that is to write responses to what you read. Students learn to think about their opinions through writing.

Mini Writing Activities are intended to be more FUN writing "out of the box" lessons. Some of these lessons are labeled with a star symbol. These lessons need special attention. Students need to write, edit, and polish until they're perfected. 

The curriculum is intended to be a supplement, rather than a full writing curriculum.

 

The Reading Response Lessons use excerpts from wonderful literature such as; Swiss Family Robinson, Little Women, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Strawberry Acres. 

Here are a few of the lessons that my daughter completed. 

Each assignment page has the lesson number and the assignment type. The instructions are clearly written and easy to follow. Sample writings are given in some of the lessons.  The back of every page is also lined.

My daughter who actually does not really enjoy writing has actually enjoyed Creative Word Studio! The material is relevant to her LIFE and age. Jennifer has done a great job of reaching kids through the lessons. For example, in one assignment which was a "mini writing exercise" the students were asked to Free write this question: "Why should everyone shop at Walmart?" Another "mini writing exercise" the students were asked to, List ten things that create a normal day for you. 

I appreciate that Jennifer Yoder acknowledges that students sometimes get stuck in their writing and that is okay. In the instructions, she actually tells the students that if they get stuck while writing they should just keep writing the following, “what shall I write next, what shall I write next . . . ” until their creative juices get flowing again. 

Creating a Word Cloud

A laminated Graded Rubric is included at the end of the book to help you 

in grading your students work. 

I was overall quite impressed with the curriculum. Jennifer has done a wonderful job with this curriculum. The writing lessons and prompts are fun, creative and offer variety. Not only is this a great supplemental creative writing curriculum but this would be a great summer creative writing curriculum as well. I would definitely recommend Creative Word Studio to others. Be sure to read what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about Creative Writing Studio Book One or Two. 

Mother’s Day Tea

YWAM Publishing

 

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

YWAM Publishing  has a collection of amazing books entitled Heroes of History. Over the past weeks both my daughter and I have enjoyed reading about Clara Barton: Courage under Fire. We have read many of the books in this series and have enjoyed all of them. The book is intended for ages 10 and older. 

Clara Barton was truly a woman of determination. Despite being very shy as a child she was determined to  prove to her family, herself, and the world that she was going to make a difference in the lives of others. Clara was a very bright child and loved learning. She also loved hearing about the stories of her father's wartime days. At the age of 18 Clara took her first job, teaching summer school. She was very successful and went on to teach for many years. She transformed the lives of many hard to reach students and was praised by parents and educational leaders. Her brother got sick and she cared for him for several years. Clara began to get restless teaching and wanted a change. She moved to Washington D.C. and soon got a job working at the Patent Office for Judge Mason. The Civil War officially began on April 12, 1861. Early on Clara met with Union soldiers vowed there and then to do whatever she could to help the Union cause. She said, "As far as my small efforts can stretch, she pledged to herself, these soldiers will never lack a kindly hand or a sister's sympathy." This would begin Clara's personal efforts and help throughout the whole Civil War. She soon began writing letters to ask for donations for the soldiers. Packages soon filled Clara's room. Clara wanted to get the the front lines of the battle's. This would be hard because no woman was ever allowed on the frontline. After many refusals, Clara finally got a go ahead from Major Rucker. When he heard about all of the supplies she had he ordered wagons to transport the goods for the men on the front lines. This would begin Clara's frontline war efforts to help the wounded soldiers. She would work alongside doctor's and help care for the wounded soldiers. She would continue to gather supplies. She would make food and feed the troops. She soon became a vital part of the war effort. Soon, she was being called upon to help. She always willingly came no matter the situation or danger involved. Clara would record soldiers last words to their families. A huge opportunity would come when Clara was in Geneva, Switzerland staying with friends. Dr. Louis Appia introduced Clara to a new movement that was set into place at the Geneva conference in 1863, the Red Cross. This would change the trajectory of Clara's life for years to come. The United States was not on board with the idea and Clara had to work hard to convince the United States of it worth. Clara started chapters of the Red Cross in the United States and would go on to help with fires, floods, various disasters. She would travel to Cuba and Russia. Clara worked until the age of 83. It was then that she finally decided to retire. Clara wrote an autobiography as well as a poem entitled, "The Women Who Went To The Field" to honor all of the under appreciated women that had served in the Civil War. 

The Study Guide is wonderful! It covers most all areas of academia. There is content for both young students as well as more advanced students. The study guide is 77 pages in length. 

I read the book ahead of my daughter and this enabled me to have some great discussions with her along the way. 

There are comprehension questions for each chapter.

There is a section entitled Terms/Vocabulary that contains a list of words found in the book that your student may be unfamiliar with such as: sanatorium, tariffs, sympathizer, relief societies, and Emancipation Proclamation. The page numbers are added behind the vocabulary so that the student knows where it is found in the book. 

After following Clara as she journeyed from place to place helping injured men during the Civil War from beginning to end, I plan on taking this opportunity to do a unit study on the Civil War with my daughter. 

I had no idea how the Red Cross got it start. I found this so interesting. Suggestions for timelines, following the places Clara traveled to using a map, researching music/food/clothing of the era, and so much more can be found in the study guide. 

Be sure to read what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about the various books in this series. I would highly recommend the Heroes Of History series for both educational and leisure reading. The books are uplifting and portray incredible people. The study guides covers all academic subjects and gives students of all ages assignments, projects, challenges, and resources. The study guide does an amazing job at covering the book as well as branching out on subjects within the book for further study. 

  

Social Media 

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

May Day ~ What is the Significance of May 1st

The significance of  May 1st first or May Day dates back into history with a multitude 

of traditions and festivals celebrated worldwide. 

Most see May as ushering in a change of season.

The 19th Century Labor Movement claimed this day as International Worker's Day.

May Day Baskets and the MayPole are have origins that trace back to medieval times.  

May Day had its origins as a fertility festival to the Greco-Roman times.

Originating from Celtic "Belthane" it was a springtime celebration 

between the four solstices and equinoxes. 

In Hawaii, May Day is known as Lei Day a celebration of the aloha spirit. 

Beekeepers traditionally move bees on May 1st. 

These are just a few of the May Day traditions.

Figures In Motion

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

Figures in Motion is a creative way to help bring history to life by the use of articulated puppets of famous people throughout history. My daughter is currently studying history from Creation through the early 21st Century. We have been using Famous Figures of the Middle Ages & Renaissance during our studies. The book contains 21 famous people along with a short biography of each person. Each cut-out paper doll comes in two versions: one colored and one black and white. The paper dolls are printed on wood free card stock. For longer lasting dolls it is suggested that you laminate the pages before you cut out the dolls. You will need an 1/8" round hole punch and mini brads. These can be purchased on the website or at your local craft store. Included at the beginning of the book is also a page entitled, Famous Figures of the The Middle Ages & Renaissance Reading List ~ Read-Aloud and Books for Independent Readers. This page includes a long list of books including titles and authors of books suggested to accompany this time period. These is also a "How to Use This Book" section. Figures in Motion is recommended for ages 6-12. 

 

What famous people are included:

• Justinian I
• Theodora
• Charlemagne
• Leif Eriksson
• William The Conqueror
• Richard The Lionheart
• Genghis Khan
• Francis of Assisi
• Marco Polo
• Suleiman The Magnificent
• Joan of Arc
• Johannes Gutenberg
• Christopher Columbus
• Isabella I
• Leonardo Da Vinci
• Michelangelo
• Martin Luther
• Henry VIII
• Elizabeth I
• William Shakespeare
• Galileo Galilei

After cutting out the dolls there are letters and either the word front or back notated on the back of the doll. This lets you know how to put the doll together. As you can see in the picture below it is very easy to put the figures together by following the positional directions. 

You simply use your hole punch to punch out the white circles on the figures. Then you take your mini brads and place them through the holes and secure them on the backside. 

Here is William the Conqueror all finished. 

Here is my daughter placing the mini brads.

Starting to assemble William the Conqueror. 

Making sure to hit the holes perfectly. 

Here is the posable Charlemagne figure all put together. 

Here is the brief biography for Charlemagne. 

After reading to this point you may be thinking, but how is this really going to help my child? How can making and playing with puppets help my child?

• Encourages creativity and imagination
• Reinforces history lessons in an engaging way
• Sparks an interest in history through play
• Provides tactile activities for kinesthetic learners
• Develops speaking and dramatic presentation skills
• Enriches learning and generates excitement
• Stimulates curiosity about the past
• Improves fine motor skills

Be sure to check out what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about Figures in Motion. We all reviewed various historical era's. They have multiple books covering famous figures from history including: Ancient Times, Early Modern Era, American Revolution, Civil War, and Queen Esther. They also have Coloring eBooks. And for the kiddo in your house that loves dinosaurs they also have a Dinosaurs on the Move book. I think that Figures in Motion is a great hands-on learning tool. When young children play, and create while learning they tend to retain more of what they are learning. You can even get a FREE King Tut puppet. 

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/figuresinmotionbooks/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FiguresInMotion 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/figuresinmotionbooks/ 
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/figuresinmotion/_created/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwr8ROHgSkGmCrutlMg76KQ