Techie Homeschool Mom Ancient Egypt Online Unit Study Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Ancient Egypt Online Unit Study from Techie Homeschool Mom 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.

Techie Homeschool Mom is created by Beth Napoli. Beth is a self proclaimed “geeky homeschool mom” who is “inspiring digital learning and healthy tech habits for families”. She, having 5 homeschooled daughters decided to make her own Online Unit Studies. Now Techie Homeschool Mom has about 28 unit studies that teach topics like: Famous Artists, Holidays, Famous Inventors, Ancient History, Solar System, Stars, etc.

These online unit studies integrate a variety of subjects for many different ages of students. There are links for websites and videos that will be accessed by the student to help with completion of digital projects. No books or printed materials are needed. The courses are self-paced and the student and teacher can decide when to start and finish. The modules take about 2-3 hours to complete, but this depends entirely on the user. These courses have engaging hands-on projects included as well. Supplies for hands-on projects are listed for easy gathering. These unit studies are great for children mid-elementary to middle school age who can read and navigate the Internet on their own. Younger children can participate with assistance. After purchasing this access won't ever expire and you can use it on any device (PC, Laptop, Phone with internet access, or tablet).

Ancient Egypt Course Contents. Click on image to see larger version.

The Ancient Egypt Online Unit Study is a web based digital unit study that has 9 lessons. The student learns about Egyptian Civilization, Hieroglyphics, Rosetta Stone, Egyptian Daily Life, Inventions and Technology of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Egyptian Clothing, Famous Egyptians, Pyramids, and Mummies. There are websites to explore, online projects, hands-on projects, and videos that are watched to engage the student in learning.

Our Cartouches of our names.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I used this with my two girls, Teela who is in 5th grade and Zari who is in 2nd grade. We did about a module a week. The modules were easy to navigate and usually had us go somewhere else online to do an online activity or watch a video.

The first thing we did was learn about The Birth of Egyptian Civilization, the Nile River, hierarchy of Ancient Egypt, and made a pyramid of the social classes in a graphics program called Canva in which we had to make a separate account for. We also learned about writing Hieroglyphs, watched a video of how to make papyrus, and made cartouches out of tin foil. There are many other things we learned and did...these are just a few examples. Also you are supposed to pick a book from the list at the beginning and read a few chapters and then answer questions about it at the end of each lesson in the BookClub section. We already had The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt by G.A. Henty in Audio Book format from Heirloom Audio Productions, so naturally we chose it.

Some of the online activities that are offered.

Canva, the free graphics program that is totally online, was a bit awkward to use with more than one student and time consuming to learn. The Social Class Pyramid took a while for us to figure out even though we have other graphic arts programs at home that we use. We didn't want to take so much time in this, so we skipped the next ones after the pyramid for this review. We will, however; go back and do them at a later date.

My daughters making their own cartouches with foil.

We thought that the Techie Homeschool Mom Ancient Egypt Online Unit Study was a lot of fun and had was very educational. We learned a lot about Ancient Egypt that we didn't know even though we had studied this subject before. We liked that these lessons could be taught to multiple grade levels at the same time. We did have an issue with one of the videos in the Egyptian hair and makeup section that was not available anymore. Also, to view the Curiosity Stream videos you have to get a free trial, but you apparently can't do that without signing up to get a membership with a credit card...no thanks. Overall though the online unit study worked very well and had very few glitches. We loved the projects and definitely want to make the Tiger Nut Sweets when we can get the ingredients. They sound really yummy! We will definitely be checking out some of Techie Homeschool Mom's other homeschool unit studies as well.

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Techie Homeschool Mom Ancient Egypt Online Unit Study is only $35.

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Heirloom Audio Productions The Cat of Bubastes Review

My family had the privilege of trying the The Cat of Bubastes from Heirloom Audio Productions 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.

My family and I love audio books! We love to listen to them while: I am multitasking, we have a long drive ahead of us, or there is cruddy weather and we are stuck inside. My family usually enjoys them better if they are fun and adventuresome. I believe they are better than movies because audio books require more imagination which is great for growing minds.

The Cat of Bubastes is Heirloom Audio's 6th dramatization which is adapted from a novel by George Alfred Henty. G.A. Henty authored many historical fiction novels in the late 1800's and early 1900's, including The Cat of Bubastes in 1889. All six Christian audio dramas are from Heirloom Audio's series known as The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty. This audio production and theatrical radio drama consists of 2 and a half hours of masterful storytelling on 2 CDs recommended for ages 6-adult. I cannot say enough good things about this. Really, the presentation is very extraordinary! It brings the history to life.

This audio theater follows the young prince Amuba and his faithful friend and mentor Jethro since their capturing by the Egyptians and enslaved in the city of Thebes. Their loyalty is tested when they are trapped in a murderous plot to attack the family of their Egyptian friends. Along the way, Amuba and Jethro uncover the wonder and truth of the one true God.

I had some definite favorite parts of the Christian radio theatre. The part about Jethro having to dress up to be disguised was funny and interesting. Also, I liked how Ameres was so nice to Amuba and Jethro from the start. They did have God smiling down on them for sure and even their misfortunes lead them to better things.

inside the case to The Cat of Bubastes audio theater

Along with the 2 CD audio theater set I also received many other awesome package bonus downloads. The 2 CD set also has a list of the cast on the back of the case, a pamphlet insert that has a bit about Heirloom Audio's other audio dramas, and in the center under where the pamphlet goes is the 1 Chronicles 17:20 scripture. This inspirational verse also comes as a digital download so you can print it out as a poster to put on your wall.

The Cat of Bubastes Single Package (what I am mentioning in this review) includes:

• The Cat of Bubastes (CD Set - Physical Copy + MP3 Download Version)
• The Cat of Bubastes Study Guide (Digital Download)
• The Cat of Bubastes Soundtrack (MP3 Download)
• Printable copy of the Inspirational Verse Poster (Digital Download)

I want to also mention that Heirloom Audio was being generous to the Schoolhouse Review Crew that received this for review. We received additional bonuses other than that were supposed to be in the Single Package. The additional items are only be available if you buy the Family 4-pack.

The Schoolhouse Review Crew that received this for review received all of the above and these additional bonuses:

• The Cat of Bubastes eBook (Digital Download)
• The Cat of Bubastes Cast Poster (Digital Download)
• The Cat of Bubastes Behind the Scenes Documentary (Digital Download)
• Newsletter Website (Link)

The all-star cast in this audio book is expansive and amazing. Some of the cast consists of Brian Blessed as G.A. Henty (Star Wars, Tarzan, King Lear), Anthony Daniels as Permotep (Star Wars), Sylvester McCoy as Chigron (Dr. Who, The Hobbit), Elizabeth Counsell as Amense (The Chronicles of Narnia), Russel Boulter as Moses (Ben Hur), and John Rhys-Davies as Rabah (The Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones). It is always great to hear the boisterous voice of Brian Blessed on these productions. All of the cast's performances are wonderful! The character building is wonderful too as long as you can keep up.

I love the music and sound effects that accompany this program. The music that is used on the CDs is adventurous and is also by itself in soundtrack form as MP3 downloads. It is an original score by Emmy-winning composer John Campbell (of Narnia). The foley sound effects make you feel like you are right there with the characters and immerses you more into what's happening.

There is also a study guide that is 50 pages long. It has discussion points and questions to ask your children as they listen to the program. This is wonderful to use as part of a history curriculum while homeschooling. It is really easier to listen to the whole program before you do the study guide and then listen again a second time to do the study guide, in my opinion. It feels awkward to stop and start the program so many times (every 4 to 10 minutes) during play. The study guide does have the tracks and timestamp to stop at marked in the guide so you know where the narrative takes a new turn.

At the beginning of the study guide there is a list of the cast and crew, a brief introduction, and short descriptions about G.A. Henty and Moses. Each track has questions in the study guide having three parts: Listening Well, Thinking Further, and Defining Words. There are questions in the Listening Well section which are to see if you and your child are really paying attention. There are questions in the Thinking Further section that helps you understand deeper and get you and your child thinking more. The Defining Words section is a list of words that will enhance the vocabulary of your child and places more meaning for the story. Having a dictionary handy might be appropriate because the definitions are not already spelled out.

At the end of the study guide there are five main parts. The first gives us a recommended reading list for learning more about Ancient Egypt. After that there are three Bible Studies: one on God Meant it For Good, one on The Knowledge of God, and one on Idolatry and Tyranny. Lastly there is some historical background for The Cat of Bubastes.

My children learned and understood so much more with this study guide. We used the questions and Bible study section throughout and it made for a very lengthy, but interesting discussion session with my older kids. I am very glad that it was included. I love the scriptures it had you look up and ponder too. I also love that there were Expand Your Learning sections throughout the guide for sources for further reading and other information to further your knowledge. I do wish, however, that there was an answer guide as well to the questions, because it would make the whole thing flow better in my opinion.

This was a very good production and my family enjoyed listening to it thoroughly. Even in the face of adversity the main characters discovered how the truth sets you free. This audio book would be a wonderful addition to a Christian homeschooling curriculum and perfect to go along with an Ancient Egypt or Moses study.

BUY IT
Three options to choose from: Download version for $19.97, Single Version for $29.97, and the Family Four Pack for $99.97.

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