Saturday, March 30, 2019

The Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible Review and Giveaway


I received this bible free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

The Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible is a children's bible with glossy pages created by author Joanna Rivard and Tim Penner. This bible will engage young readers with fun, unique, and whimsical illustrations, featuring important stories from diversely represented characters like Noah, Moses, King David, and Jesus!



What We Thought:
I love that this bible features great stories of people from the bible for younger children to be able to read themselves. It has colorful and whimsical illustrations to keep little ones entertained and wonderful engaging storytelling. The illustrations show darker skinned representations of the characters we all know from the bible. This I feel puts them in better perspective than the Anglo-Saxon versions. The stories are paraphrased so that little ones can understand and includes both Old and New Testament.

This bible is chronological, for the most part. The Old Testament (first half) has creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Saul, David, Solomon, Daniel, and Jonah. The New Testament (second half) has Jesus' birth, John the Baptist, Jesus' ministry and miracles, some parables, the crucifixion, resurrection, Pentecost, and Paul.

Zari reading The Tiny Truths Bible.

Since the stories from the bible were retold so that children can understand them they do have things left out and are heavily paraphrased and oversimplified. It would be nice to have the actual scripture reference listed along with the stories so that children could have the option of looking up the entire account and know where the stories originated from. My kids are fairly well versed in the bible, so thankfully we didn't run into this issue of not knowing where these stories came from, but a child just learning might. 

I recommend this bible for preschoolers through third graders most of all. My youngest daughter, Zari, who is in second grade loves this book! She is learning to read and this book has the perfect amount of words on each page for her. She also loves looking at the adorable illustrations by Tim Penner as well.

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Buy The Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible on Amazon.



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Prize: The Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible
Host: HarperCollins Christian Publishing and FrontGate Media.
Who Can Enter: Open to US Residents 18 years or older.
Selection Process: winners will be selected on 4/15/2019 and notified by email.
Where to Enter: Go to this link https://www.blessedfreebies.com/tiny-truths-bible.html and fill out the form to enter.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Memoria Press First Form Latin Review


My family had the privilege of trying the First Form Latin from Memoria Press for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.



Memoria Press is a family-run publishing company that produces simple and easy-to-use classical Christian education materials for home and private schools. It was founded by a woman named Cheryl Lowe in 1994. They currently have preschool through ninth grade in most of their curriculum and some through twelfth grade. They also cover subjects in: Classical Core Curriculum, Latin, Classical Studies, Christian Studies, Logic & Rhetoric, Phonics & Early Reading, Penmanship, Literature & Poetry, American & Modern Studies, Writing & English Grammar, Science & Math, Greek, Modern Languages, Educational Resources, eBooks, Special-Needs, and Art & Music.

First Form Latin is a Latin grammar course for grade 4+ students that have finished Latina Christiana or students that are grades 5+ if they have not. It comes with a Student Text, Workbook, Quizzes & Tests, Teacher Manual, Teacher Key, Pronunciation CD, Flashcards, and Instructional DVDs. This course was designed for teachers with little to no background in Latin. After completing First Form Latin Memoria Press has the next course in the series called Second Form Latin. There is also a course that is for grades 1-3 called Prima Latina and a course for 3-5 called Latina Christiana that you can have your younger children do before this course, but it is not required.

The First Form Latin Student Text is a 9×7.5 inch soft cover book that is 121 pages long. It includes 34 two page lessons on facing pages. These are very concise and informative to teach the lessons in the workbook. There are also Appendices that include: Conversational Latin, Prayers, Latin Sayings, Grammar, Classical Pronunciation Guide, Oral Drills, and a Vocabulary Index. On this page there is a Student Text Sample and a Table of Contents of the Student Text in PDF format.

The First Form Latin Workbook is a spiral bound consumable workbook that can only be used by one student. This workbook consists of 190 pages with 5 units of 34 lessons total. The lessons begin with word study and grammar, sometimes vocabulary and sayings, conjugations, form drills (Latin to English and English to Latin), and end with enrichment usually. The exercises  are about 4-6 pages long. It also has Pronunciation rules at the very beginning of the workbook and after all the lessons it has an Appendix with Grammar Questions and Vocabulary Drill Sheets. On this page there is a Student Workbook Sample in PDF format.

The First Form Latin Quizzes and Tests is a soft cover booklet that has reproducible weekly quizzes and unit tests that ensure material is being mastered. The pages are perforated so they can be torn out easily if needed. On this page there is a Sample Quiz in PDF format.

The First Form Latin Teacher Manual is a soft cover teacher and parent guide to First Form Latin. It is 121 pages. It consists of Teaching Guidelines: Introduction, Lesson Overview, Games and Review Activities, Developing a Syllabus, Preparing to Teach the Lesson, Sample Lesson Plan, Pronunciation; Student Text with Lesson Plans, an Appendix with Conversational Latin, Prayers, Translations, Latin Sayings, Basic Grammar with English-Latin Comparisons, Verbs, Basic Sentence Patterns, Parts of Speech, Parts of the Sentence, etc.; Oral Drills, Vocabulary, and Endnotes. The Lesson Overview Schedule consists of 5 parts: Lesson, Workbook, Oral Drill, Quiz or Test, and optional Lingua Angelica. The Lesson Plans have an opening with a Latin greeting from both teacher and student, Recitation of: grammar forms, Music and Prayers; and Review which could include Grammar Questions, Cumulative vocabulary drill with flashcards, Cumulative vocabulary drill sheets, form drills, and / or Latin Sayings. Then the lessons go on to include: Latin Saying, Vocabulary, and Grammar - Syntax. The pages of the Student Text are in miniature on the page for each lesson. On this page there is a Teacher Manual Sample in PDF format.

The First Form Latin Teacher Key is a spiral bound answer key for the workbook, quizzes, and tests. This has inset pages from the student workbook & quizzes and tests booklet with a with the answers in an easy-to-read, 2-color format. On this page there is a Teacher Key Sample in PDF format.

The First Form Latin Pronunciation CD is all vocabulary and grammar forms and the complete verbal ecclesiastical pronunciation (the way the word sounds when it is spoken) for each lesson. It has 32 parts. You can listen to a CD Sample here.

The First Form Latin Flashcards are a large stack of 3.5 x 2.5 inch pre-cut cards to help with study and memorization. It includes: vocabulary, Latin sayings, and grammar forms. These contain all the words the First Form Latin program. On this page there are Sample Flashcards in PDF format.

How The Flashcards are Laid Out:
  • Vocabulary (Latin, lesson number, and any derivative, on one side; English on the other)
  • Latin sayings (Latin and lesson number on one side, English on the other)
  • Grammar forms (cue word and declension or tense name on one side; Latin forms and lesson number on the other).

The First Form Latin Instructional DVDs are a set of 5 discs having a total of about 9 hours. Lessons take an average of 15-20 minutes per lesson. The teaching is done by Jessica Watson. There are on-screen notes, illustrations, diagrams, recitations, and more. This makes it easy to educate yourself in Latin. On this page there is a DVD Sample.

Teela reading the First Form Latin Student Text.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We love Memoria Press and their classical christian curriculum! We have a bunch of their other studies and have found them all wonderful. We've been very blessed to have been able to also receive a number of their curriculum to review here.

First Form Latin is a fabulous curriculum for kids to learn Latin. We did this curriculum for my daughter Teela who is in 5th grade and has finished Latina Christiana last year. We did this on an average of three days per week. This classical christian homeschool curriculum is fantastic!

I found the Teacher Manual very convenient and thorough. I loved how it was laid out and how it explained things. The information is given to me, the parent and teacher, so I could teach the student in a way that we both comprehend all the information. I also liked having all the answers of the workbook, quizzes, and tests in the Teachers Key at my fingertips so I didn't have to seek them out myself.

Both DVDs and CD were very helpful tools. We started out watching the lesson for the day on the DVD. The DVDs helped me learn along with Teela. The DVDs I found especially great because of the illustrations and diagrams they used as well to clarify and explain the point better. These lessons are the perfect length as well which helps the learning happen without information overload. The CD we used to teach the correct pronunciation of the vocabulary in the student books and flashcards.

Teela working out of the First Form Latin Student Workbook.

The Student Text can be easily followed along with the DVDs and Teacher Manual. I had my daughter read the text and work from the Student Workbook after each lesson and if there were Quizzes & Tests she needed to do I would have her work out of the booklet for those. If we needed to review something it was easy to get the lesson back up on the DVD and find where the specific thing was talked about or look it up in the Teacher Manual.

Teela working with the First Form Latin Flashcards.

We also thought the flashcards were very handy to have with the set. This deck is huge and covers all of First Form Latin vocabulary. We used these as a further study and memory aid reinforcing learning the First Form Latin vocabulary. I love that I didn't have to punch out the cards or cut them out myself because this would have taken me a long time. I am glad that these were pre-cut. I also liked the fact that these had the lesson number on each card so we could reference back to it if needed.

We highly recommend First Form Latin by Memoria Press! It is a great Latin curriculum. I look forward to using other curriculum books from Memoria Press with my children in the future and after finishing the First Form Latin moving onto Second Form Latin.

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You can purchase the First Form Latin Complete Set for $125.00.

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Phonics, Poetry & Latin {Memoria Press Reviews}

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Thursday, March 21, 2019

Tied 2 Teaching STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading Review


My family had the privilege of trying the STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading from Tied 2 Teaching for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Tied 2 Teaching is owned by a father of 4 children that his wife homeschools. He has been teaching in the classroom since he received his K-8 certification in 2002 from Texas Tech. He has taught Middle school Math and now currently is teaching upper elementary. Him and his wife create teaching quality materials for teachers of both home and classroom to make their lives easier and save the teacher time preparing/planning.

STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading is a bundle of PDF downloads. This includes over 70 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) design challenges from the STEM with Close Reading series. This is a full year of activities with the idea to do one activity per week. These are categorized by month of the year and are seasonal with bonus extras that you can do as well. In addition to the STEM activities directions these also have a high interest close reading passage and writing assignments included so your student has a more rounded curriculum because it integrates ELA (English Language Arts) into the learning as well. Close reading requires students to analyze, evaluate, and think critically about a given text. The STEM activities you can do with readily available materials you have around the house or the classroom. These are great for grades 3rd-6th. This comes as a compressed zip file of multiple PDFs and is about 859 MB.

STEM Design Challenges Included:


January STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • 100th Day of School STEM Challenge – Spaghetti Tower Design Challenge
  • Marshmallow Snowman Challenge
  • Civil Rights Monument Design Challenge
  • Sled Design Challenge

February STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Valentines Day STEM Challenge – Cupid’s Bow Design
  • Groundhog Day STEM Challenge – Groundhog Burrow Design Challenge
  • Valentines STEM Challenge – Love Bug Design Challenge
  • Presidents Day STEM Challenge – Lincoln’s Cabin Challenge

March STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • St. Patrick’s Day STEM Challenge – Build a Leprechaun Trap
  • Basketball Tower STEM Challenge
  • St. Patrick’s Day STEM Challenge – Build a Rainbow Bridge
  • New Hat for Cat Challenge Read Across America STEM

April STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Jelly Bean Tower Challenge
  • Easter STEM Challenge Design a Carrot Carriage
  • Earth Day STEM Challenge – Design Something Useful
  • Earth Day STEM Challenge – Upcycled Birdhouse

May STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Design a New Droid
  • Paper Airplane Design Challenge
  • Pipe Cleaner Challenge
  • Lighthouse Design Challenge

June STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Foil Boat Design Challenge
  • Giant Pyramid Challenge
  • Steamboat Design Challenge
  • Zip Line Design Activity

July STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • House of Cards Challenge
  • Doghouse Design Challenge
  • Alien Spacecraft Challenge
  • Airplane Design Challenge

August STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Building Block Tower Challenge
  • Index Card Skyscraper Challenge
  • Paper Table Challenge
  • BONUS Building Block Challenge MEGA PACK

September STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Apple Boat Challenge
  • Pencil Tower Challenge
  • Totem Pole Challenge
  • Balloon Tower Challenge

October STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Spider Web Design Challenge
  • Witch’s Parachute Halloween STEM Challenge
  • Bony Bridge Challenge
  • Sugar Cube Arch Challenge

November STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Parade Balloon Challenge
  • Thanksgiving Table Challenge
  • Cranberry Tower Challenge
  • Pilgrim Shelter Challenge

December STEM Challenge Bundle with Close Reading
  • Cardboard Reindeer Challenge
  • Funky Christmas Ornament Challenge
  • Straw Christmas Tree Challenge
  • Christmas Tree Tower

BUILDING BLOCK CHALLENGES
  • Build a Dinosaur
  • Build a Nation’s Flag
  • Design a New Bug
  • Build the Eiffel Tower
  • Design a Superhero
  • Design a Toilet Paper Dispenser
  • Design a Cactus Paperweight
  • Build a UFO
  • Build a Treasure Chest
  • Design a Totem Pole

ADDITIONAL STEM CHALLENGES
  • 100th Day of School Glasses
  • 100th Day of School Crayon Tower
  • Kingdom Hearts Valentines Castle
  • Candy Heart Tower
  • Design a Candy Box

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

My daughters who are 10 and 8 and I had fun together doing four of these projects. We picked out four that looked like the most fun and that we had the materials at home for. We did the Earth Day STEM Challenge – Upcycled Birdhouse, Foil Boat Design Challenge, Building Block Tower Challenge, and Design a New Bug Building Block Challenge. In my family we love doing STEM activities!

I really like that these STEM projects have reading and writing assignments as well. This enriches the learning experience even more and gets the students minds thinking about all the aspects of the challenge. Each STEM activity has a PDF with a QR code to scan with your code reading electronic device or link to click on to get to the reading passage. The reading assignment has comprehension questions to answer after the passage is read. The pages also had my daughters ask, imagine, plan, create, and improve upon the design they made. They were asked to research, test out their design, and make improvements on it if needed. They were also asked to show their steps and write what went well and what they could improve upon.


Zari's Birdhouse STEM Challenge.
  
Earth Day STEM Challenge – Upcycled Birdhouse
We were told to gather recyclable items up and build a bird house with them. There was a page in the PDF that had the design challenge, design criteria, material suggestions, and a little about the final project. The assignment had Zari read a passage about birds flying south during the winter then answer the comprehension questions. Then she designed and built her birdhouse using the materials we had gathered up around our home. This PDF had pictures of other people's projects for examples as well which was very helpful. Zari built her birdhouse much like the picture of the one in the PDF made out of a coffee container.

Foil Boat STEM Challenge.

Foil Boat Design Challenge
We were told to design and build a boat using only a 12" X 18" sheet of aluminum foil and see how many pennies it could hold before it sank in the water and try to build one to hold the most pennies before sinking. This one had a QR code and link as well, but we noticed that the link in the PDF didn't link to the right url for the questions so instead we had to search in the search bar for the correct webpage. Thankfully we found it using the heading on the question sheet for the design challenge reading. I am not sure if the QR code works because I do not own a device that can read those. After reading the passage about life saving boats they answered the comprehension questions. Then they designed and built their boats using the foil and proceeded to place pennies one by one on their crafts, counting them until they sunk. This PDF had pictures of other people's projects for examples as well which was very helpful. Zari's boat was rectangular and flat on the bottom it held the 210 pennies that we had without issue. Teela's boat held the 210 pennies for a moment then started taking on water. Her boat didn't have as solid of sides as Zari's.

Building Block Tower Stem Challenge

Building Block Tower Challenge
We were told to build the tallest tower out of Legos to be able to support a tennis ball. We unfortunately didn't own a tennis ball so we used an orange instead. The reading assignment was How tall is the Eiffel Tower?. The link worked great in this one and went to the correct page. After reading the passage about the Eiffel Tower they answered the comprehension questions. Then they designed and built their towers using the Legos we had and proceeded to place the orange at the top to see how well they built it. This PDF had pictures of other people's projects for examples as well which was very helpful. Teela's tower was a little taller than Zari's in this activity, but they both held the orange without toppling over.

Design a New Bug
We were told to build a new bug out of Legos. The reading assignment was Are You Scared of Bugs?. The link worked great in this one and went to the correct page. After reading the passage about bugs they answered the comprehension questions. Then they designed and built their bugs using the Legos we had. This PDF did not have pictures of other people's projects for examples.

These activities were lots of fun and some were more challenging than others. Both Teela and Zari had fun with the STEM projects. The written assignments were a little more advanced for Zari, so I told her she could write less. I highly recommend these though because they cover so many subjects in one project and my kids enjoyed them.

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Right now the Tied 2 Teaching STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading bundle is $30 not $60, so you save $30.

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STEM Activities, Full Year of Challenges with Close Reading {Tied 2 Teaching Reviews}

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Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Drive Thru History® - "Acts to Revelation" Review


My family had the privilege of trying the Drive Thru History® – “Acts to Revelation” from Drive Thru History® for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Drive Thru History® is a great DVD series that makes history fun. There are four different captivating series to choose from: Ancient History, American History, The Holy Land, The Gospels, and Acts to Revelation. These bring the history to life and engages the viewer in an exciting adventure and learning. Dave not only tells us about the history, but also the archaeology, geography, and art surrounding the people, places, and events that have defined our world and the Christian faith.

Dave Stotts

Dave Stotts is our entertaining tour guide that hosts Drive Thru History®. He has spent the last 20 years in the professional film and documentary production which has taken him to nearly 30 countries to shoot and edit works. He loves shooting and editing films, videography, writing, media creation. Storytelling is the driving force behind his work.

Drive Thru History® – “Acts to Revelation” is the fifth and newest in the Drive Thru History® DVD series. This eighteen episode DVD Set is jam packed with nearly 9 hours of information on 3 DVDs about the lives of the first Christians taken from locations beginning in Jerusalem and using the book of Acts as a roadmap he shares the people, places, and events that launched the Christian faith. In this series, Dave Stotts travels the Mediterranean region on a driving tour to investigate what happened after the Gospel accounts of Jesus Christ. He follows the lives of Peter, James, Philip, and Stephen through Israel. He travels the missionary routes of Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and Timothy through Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Rome. He finishes with John on the island of Patmos and drives through the seven churches of Revelation in Asia Minor. This also includes a 124-page study guide that goes through all of the 18 episodes. This discussion guide has summaries of each episode, quotes and scripture, 5 thought-provoking questions for each episode, further reading, and the "Side Road" that contains a small paragraph of information that relates to each episode, with beautiful images and graphics. It also includes discussion answers at the end.

This DVD Set Includes 18 packed 30-minute episodes:

  • Episode 1: The Gospel Shared at Pentecost
  • Episode 2: The Church Grows in Jerusalem
  • Episode 3: The Gospel Spreads to the Gentiles
  • Episode 4: Saul of Tarsus & The Road to Damascus
  • Episode 5: Paul's First Missionary Journey - The Island of Cyprus
  • Episode 6: The Journey Continues - Pamphylia, Galatia & Asia Minor
  • Episode 7: The Jerusalem Council & Paul's Second Missionary Journey
  • Episode 8: The Second Journey Continues - Philippi and Thessalonica
  • Episode 9: A Road Trip to Athens
  • Episode 10: Ancient Corinth
  • Episode 11: Paul's Third Missionary Journey
  • Episode 12:Paul's Final Trip to Jerusalem & Caesarea
  • Episode 13: Adventures at Sea - The Island of Malta
  • Episode 14: A Final Journey to Rome
  • Episode 15: The Martyrdom of Paul & Peter
  • Episode 16: John and the Island of Patmos
  • Episode 17: The Seven Churches of Revelation
  • Episode 18: The Book Closes on the New Testament Period

Trailer:


How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We love Drive Thru History and had a chance to review The Gospels physical DVD set and a one year subscription of Drive Thru History Adventures from them. Both were fabulous and so I knew that I wanted to participate in this as well.

We love The Drive Thru History® – “Acts to Revelation”! My family of 6 have been watching these with me. These are geared from a 5th grade level to adult, but my daughter who is 8 has enjoyed these as well. We have learned quite a bit along the journey and it has been an awesome one at that.

Drive Thru History® - “Acts to Revelation” has far exceeded our expectations. It comes with a colorful slipcase sleeve over a hard covered, DVD case sized, book that holds the three DVDs inside, two inside the front cover and one inside the back cover. The study guide is encased inside as well with full color glossy pages. It gives a very professional overall look.

Some of the places and ruins you get to see in "Acts to Revelation".

We love that these episodes testify of the things in the New Testament about the founding of the church with solid evidence that Dave uncovers. With his infectious enthusiasm and humor Dave's charm is irresistible. These episodes are also extremely visually engaging and full of rich content. Each episode is family-friendly, fascinating, intriguing, and compelling. I would imagine that nothing could compare to the Drive Thru History® – “Acts to Revelation” experience, except for if we had visited the Holy Land and surrounding areas ourselves.

Some of the graphics and special effects you get to see in "Acts to Revelation".

We have loved being a part of it and we felt as if we were there firsthand! Each episode has a summary of the last and then goes into more information. My sons liked it when Dave talked about his rig, the Land Rover as well. They also thought the part about the throat singer singing the tune of the theme song was cool and that the latrines in Rome were funny...especially the part about the rats biting unsuspecting users. There is an amazing amount of information in each of these and I loved all the background scenery of ancient sites and ruins and music that set the stage for Dave's lessons. There were also great graphics, special effects, and reenactments of the apostles' lives tucked in as well. I liked how he had the names of important places come up on the screen when these were in the background so we knew where he was at while he was lecturing.

After each episode we have gone to the study guide as a family and read and discussed together about what we have learned throughout the weeks. The Drive Thru History® – “Acts to Revelation” have inspired us to dig into this part of the New Testament as a family further. This has given us more of an appreciation of the history behind it. It has been eye opening to say the least. I am so glad we have this and "The Gospels" from Drive Thru History® because now we have the entire New Testament to watch the people, places, and events unfold before our eyes.

I highly recommend The Drive Thru History® – “Acts to Revelation”! Acts to Revelation curriculum is great for Christian families who wish to teach their children history from a Christian worldview. These would be great for both homeschooled and non-homeschooled families. This is great for a small group study, homeschool curriculum, church study, Family Home Evening Bible study, and Sunday School study.

So...Buckle up and get ready because you are in for an exciting ride!


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Purchase for $89.95 on Drive Thru History®

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Thursday, March 14, 2019

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4 Review


My family had the privilege of trying the Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4 of the K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8 from ARTistic Pursuits Inc. for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. creates art curriculum for children. This full-color curriculum helps children to grow their skills of observation and critical thinking. It teaches all components of fine art, including creativity, art history, art appreciation, and art techniques. This unique homeschool art program permits the student to be expressive and make up their own decision about what and how they will draw, paint, or sculpt.

ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray by Brenda Ellis are hardcover books for kindergarten and elementary students. These have art history and art instruction lessons in text with pictures to study and video lessons on how to use the art materials. There are a total of 8 volumes currently:

  • K-3 Vol. 1 ART FOR CHILDREN, Building a Visual Vocabulary
  • K-3 Vol. 2 ART OF THE ANCIENTS
  • K-3 Vol. 3 ART OF THE MIDDLE AGES
  • K-3 Vol. 4 ARTISTS THAT SHAPED THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
  • K-3 Vol. 5 ART OF THE NORTHERN COUNTRIES, RENAISSANCE TO REALISM
  • K-3 Vol. 6 ART OF THE IMPRESSIONISTS
  • K-3 Vol. 7 ART OF THE MODERN AGE
  • K-3 Vol. 8 ART IN AMERICA

Each book covers one whole semester of art if you have your student do one lesson a week. You can do these lessons chronologically starting with volume 1 and follow the history volumes in order or do volume 1 and then skip to the volume of choice after that. It is all up to you.

Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance is the forth volume of the series. It is a hardcover book with both Blu-ray and DVD. It has 64 pages, 18 lessons (12 text lessons featuring artworks by Italian Renaissance masters and 6 video lessons featuring art instruction on materials), and 86 full-color illustrations. This art curriculum book and videos takes a look at art produced in the Italian Renaissance, from the Cimabue's tilt of the head in the 13th century to the foreshortened and exaggerated forms of Parmigianino in the 16th century. Young learners will create and respond to art of this period as they increase their skills in motivation, concentration, and discovery, etc. They also learn about the period and how the people then made art. Children will work with watercolors, resist, fresco, scratch art, and oil pastels.

K-3 Vol.4 Art Supply Pack | ARTistic Pursuits
 
K-3 Vol. 4 Art Supply Pack (can be purchased separately or with the book for additional cost) Includes:
  • Prang pan watercolor set
  • Watercolor paper pad
  • Two 9"x12" hardboard panels
  • Small 8oz. spackling paste
  • Small plastic putty knife
  • Scratch-Art Paper
  • Gold origami paper
  • Purple cotton tote bag

You will also need these materials from K-3 Vol. 1 Starter Pack Materials list:
  • Oil pastel set
  • Drawing paper
  • Construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Watercolor brush, round #8
  • Elmer's Glue All
  • Glue stick

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4: Lessons 1-5

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:


I did this art instruction for kids with my daughters Teela and Zari who are in 5th and 2nd grade this school year. We did one lesson a week which got us through the 5th lesson. My kids love art so they enjoyed these activities and learning about the art very much. ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4 would be a great art curriculum for use with art history lessons and a unit study for the Italian Renaissance.

The lessons without videos have prep notes with tips and information about the type of art. It also has notes on how to instruct a larger group. Then there is the art history lesson on the next page with pictures of an art piece and questions at the end in bold. After the history lesson the book has a page of how to do the art. Each art lesson has a box of text that will list the materials needed for that art project, an example picture of the art made by a student, pictures of the art being assembled and instructions with more insight into the history. The lessons that have videos are truncated in the book and have a minimal amount of information to show you what art will be created and what materials are needed to make the art. These are used with the DVD or Blu-ray.

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4: Lesson 1 (Watercolor Self-Portrait).

The first lesson we had an introduction of the Italian Renaissance and learned how to make a watercolor self-portrait. This lesson was accompanied by a video (video #1) on the DVD or Blu-ray. This gave us very visual step-by-step instruction of the process. We liked the videos and thought they were very thorough, educational, and nicely done. The video had the art history and art instruction to show how to use watercolors properly so they won't bleed into the next color and so you stay in the lines.

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4: Lesson 2 (Gold Leaf Painting)

The second lesson in the book we learned about Giovanni Cimabue. There are questions at the end in bold of the this art history lesson about the picture of a painting, called Madonna Enthroned, with Saints and Angels by Cimabue in the book to make sure the children are paying attention to the art. Then we are told and shown how to make a gold leaf watercolor painting. We couldn't find the gold leaf paper so we ended up using a cut up gold colored reversible table cloth for the gold objects in the picture.

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4: Lesson 3 (Gesture Painting)

The third lesson we learned about Giotto di Bondone and gesture painting. There are questions at the end in bold of the this art history lesson about the picture of the Lamentation of Christ. Then we are told and shown how to do a watercolor gesture painting.

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4: Lesson 4 (Calendar Page)

In the forth lesson we learned about Paul, Jean, and Herman Limbourg & the Book of Hours. There are questions at the end in bold of the this art history lesson about the picture of October (the Tres Riches Heures of Jean, Duke of Berry). Then we are told and shown how to do a watercolor calendar page.

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4: Lesson 5 (Symbol Painting)

In the fifth lesson we learned about Jan van Eyck. There are questions at the end in bold of the this art history lesson about the picture of The Arnolfini Portrait. Then we are told and shown how to do a symbol watercolor painting.

There was only one thing that I would change if I was the author. My daughter and I wished that all the lessons had videos because we are very visual and the videos made the instruction so much easier, but we would also have liked those that did have videos to have the whole instruction and art history lesson in the book as well. This would make it easier to use with those children that are too young to read and those that learn better by reading than by visual and audio as well would benefit if both were used for all lessons. This would help our learners of all types.

So far ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4 has been very educational and fun. We have learned so much about the art of the time. I highly recommend this art for children. It is perfect for our art at home instruction and to go along with our unit study history lessons about the Italian Renaissance.

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You can purchase the K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8. They are each $39.99. If you would like to purchase the art kits with these it is more and depends on the kit.

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for ARTistic Pursuits Inc....
Kindergarten to Third Grade Art following History in Chronological Order {ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Reviews}

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