15th Annual Rose City Yarn Crawl 2024

Rose City Yarn Crawl Theme for 2024

The 15th Annual Rose City Yarn Crawl was held March 7th-10th this year in 2024. The Rose City Yarn Crawl is "an annual Portland experience, the Rose City Yarn Crawl is a four-day event for fiber enthusiasts" - knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, and felters. This year the crawl featured eight shops that participated. Within each of these lovely shops they have gorgeous yarn, knitting and crochet notions, needles, handmade wares, books, bags, patterns, and other enchanting things. Once open, visitors use a passport that gets stamped at each of the yarn crawl destinations you visit for a chance to win prizes. With each purchase you make in the shops you will get access to a Ravelry download code for that shop's free pattern. In addition each kit purchased for the patterns gives 10% of the sale to the shop's selected charity.

Image designed by local Portland Tattoo Artist Alice Kendall from Wonderland Tattoo

If you cannot participate in person, you may instead participate in the Rose City Yarn Crawl online and crawl virtually. This is how I participated this year because of time and travel constraints. You can instead download and print the passport and look for the code words on each shop's website then record them on your passport. After you are done shopping and crawling, then you go back to the Rose City Yarn Crawl website and enter them into the virtual passport entry form. After you do this you will be entered to win a prize exclusive to virtual crawlers.

Rose City Yarn Crawl Participating Shops

I bought some things from three of the 8 shops during the crawl: Weird Sisters, Starlight Knitting Society, and Knotty Lamb. I really wanted to buy from more shops, but I unfortunately had a budget that I was following. I received my package from Weird Sisters first on March 15th. I purchased the Wild Witchcraft book by Rebecca Beyer because of all the lovely folk herbalism, gardening, and foraging information in it. It also has recipes for tinctures, teas, salves, etc. Some very pretty full color pages of herbs and plants as well. I love the wood burned stitch markers, too. They have a mushroom 🍄, books 📚, and butterfly 🦋, as well as the St. Johns Bridge 🌉 and their logo. They threw in a pin, sticker of a cool spider in her web knitting, and a bookmark. On March 16th I received both packages from Starlight Knitting Society and Knotty Lamb. From Starlight Knitting Society I purchased the Starlit Owl cross stitch kit by Junebug and Darlin and a lovely enamel pin with bleeding hearts, knitting needles and yarn on it made by Kitty with a Cupcake. The package from Knotty Lamb contained three different sized Crystal Palace Yarns bamboo circular needles and some very cute llama washi tape. They threw in a lovely butterfly button too. All stores I purchased from gave me two awesome downloadable patterns each for free as well (one knitting and one crochet each).

Rose City Yarn Crawl Purchases.

Follow the Rose City Yarn Crawl on Facebook and Instagram and mark your calendar for next year's yarn crawl on March 6-9, 2025. I will be participating in the Rose City Yarn Crawl next year, hopefully in person this time. Maybe I will see you there. Give me a shout if you are also going or just leave a comment on this post telling me what fiber arts you enjoy doing and what projects, if any, you have been working on.

YWAM Publishing Heroes of History George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist and Unit Study Curriculum Guide Review

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of reading the Heroes of History - George Washington Carver from YWAM Publishing 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.

YWAM (YOUTH WITH A MISSION) Publishing is a nonprofit organization that produces and distributes books that help Christians make a difference in the world by giving a portion of every dollar spent to buy books through YWAM Publishing to children and adults in other countries that are in need. Their books focus on evangelism, educational training, prayer, discipleship, and mercy ministries.

YWAM Publishing has two popular book series; one called Heroes of History and the other called Christian Heroes: Then & Now; in which true stories are told of real people that lived in our history. In the Heroes of History series we learn about great men and woman who changed the course of history. In the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series we learn about ordinary people who have put their trust in God and in doing so accomplish extraordinary things. Both of these book series help us as: parents, teachers, and caretakers; give our children wholesome biographies to read or be read to that teach good character traits, values, and virtues.

 

George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist

 

George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist by Janet & Geoff Benge is part of a series of 29 biography books called Heroes of History by YWAM Publishing. This series covers the years 1451 to 1951. This book tells the true life story of George Washington Carver who was a brilliant American agricultural scientist, inventor, and professor. This Christian biography book from YWAM Publishing about George Washington Carver teaches great character traits, values, and virtues too. This book covers the years 1864 to 1943. It chronicles his life from a baby to his death in 1943. It is a total of 16 chapters and 189 pages long.

 

George Washington Carver Unit Study download page tab.

The Unit Study Curriculum Guide that is paired with the George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist book that I received was in the digital downloadable format and opened as an executable file. The digital version is downloadable in a zipped format, so you will have to unzip before you use it. After selecting where it will go on your computer, unzip it, and find the folder it placed it all into. Find the file version you need: __MACOSX for Macintosh and the other for PC. Click on the file that has START HERE in its title and it will open in a new window in your browser. You can then read a very short synopsis of the biography under the George Washington Carver tab, download the unit study under the Unit Study tab, etc.

The Unit Study downloads in PDF format. It also has a 25 page guide for classroom and homeschool as well as a 12 page guide for a small group that tells you how to best use the unit study. This shows how flexible you can be with the unit study. You can do the whole study or just parts of it. It is all up to you how you use it. The unit study goes in depth to help you go above and beyond the book and explore other areas that pertain to the material like: crafts, cooking, art, and writing assignments; has questions to ask your children to see if they comprehended the reading, and quotes to use as copywork to enhance handwriting or memorization. The unit study is broken into two parts.

Here is the Unit Study Curriculum Guide Contents:
Part 1 -
Introduction (how to use the study)

1. Key Quotes (great for copywork, memorization, theatrical presentation, or art display)
2. Display Corner (an area designated for hands on display of items relating to the reading)
3. Chapter Questions (questions that enhance the reading: 1 vocabulary, 1 factual, 2 comprehension, and 2 open-ended)
4. Student Explorations (essay questions, creative writing, hands-on projects, audio/visual projects, arts & crafts)
5. Community Links (field trip ideas)
6. Social Studies (places, journeys, terms/vocabulary, geographical characteristics: mapping, timeline: plotting historical events, conceptual questions)
7. Related Themes to Explore (cultures, math, literature, history, current events, science & medicine)
8. Culminating Event (sort of a show and tell ending, ideas include: invitations, clothing, competitions, presentations, food, displays)

Appendix A: Books and Resources
Appendix B: Answers to Chapter Questions

Part 2 -
Appendix C: Social Studies Reproducibles

 

Zari reading YWAM Publishing Heroes of History George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

My 11 year old daughter Zari and my 13 year old daughter Teela read the book. Both have been doing the study guide with me. We learned more about George Washington Carver's life from reading this book than any textbook we had read or movie we had watched previously. It was quite refreshing to learn more about this important man.

After each chapter Zari and I did the first three questions from the study guide which are geared toward the younger students. They include a vocabulary question, a factual question coming from the reading, and the first comprehension question. The study guide is geared toward ages 10+. Zari and I would look up the words in a dictionary and thesaurus as well, for more understanding. My daughter, Teela, had no problem with the reading and vocabulary, but that is because she is a voracious reader. I had Teela do all of the chapter questions. Besides the chapter questions I had Zari do copywork from the key quotes and I had Teela memorize them and say them back to me. I will have Teela do an essay as suggested in the study guide under the student explorations and essays. She will also be doing some creative writing.

We also tried to go to the websites in the books and resources section of the study guide to learn more about George Washington Carver, but most of them were unfortunately broken. We looked up our own and found some pictures of his paintings of flowers and explored the George Washington Carver National Monument Park in Missouri by virtual tour and multimedia. We didn't know he was an artist as well as a botanist and inventor until this study. He was a very well accomplished man.

There was so much to learn and explore in this unit study. We were amazed at the very complexity of it all. We are going to check out some more books and biographies that they recommend in the study guide later. We didn't even begin to scratch the surface and were still very engaged in this lengthy unit study. This would be a great study to incorporate for Black History Month.

The YWAM Publishing biographies are historical and true. These true stories along with the unit studies are great for homeschooling families. We hope to get to read about Theodore Roosevelt next in their extensive biography list. I highly recommend these!

Follow Them on Social Media:

• Website - https://www.ywampublishing.com/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/YWAM-Publishing-482973445102/
• Twitter - http://twitter.com/YWAMpublishing
• Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/YWAMpublishing
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ywampublishing/
• YWAM Publishing Blog - http://www.ywampublishingblog.com/
• Suggested Hashtags - #hsreviews #ywampublishing #christianheroes #americanheroes #christianbiographies #truebiographies #historicalbiography #HeroesofHistory #christianheroesthenandnow #herobiographies #TrueStories #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschooling #americanhistory #americanhistorycurriculum #Teachthemwell #GeorgeWashingtonCarver

BUY IT
YWAM Publishing Heroes of History - George Washington Carver book:
Regular Price: $9.99 YWAM Price: $7.50

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ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived

 

Disclaimer: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of trying the Art of the Northern Countries from Artistic Pursuits Inc. 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.

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 brand new 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.

Art of the Northern Countries is the fifth 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 ancient artists and 6 video lessons featuring art instruction on materials), and 86 illustrations. This art curriculum book and videos takes a look at of the Northern Countries of Europe from renaissance to realism. The book covers monoprints, observation drawing, relief prints, and more. Young learners will discover where the long lasting tradition of Realism in Western art began as they create and respond to art of the Northern Countries of Europe. They will experience art from famous artists like: Durer, Tuner, Millet, and Carot. Children will work with printmaking, watercolor, charcoal, and oil pastel.

K-3 Vol.5 Art Supply Pack | ARTistic Pursuits

K-3 Vol. 2 Art Supply Pack (can be purchased separately or with the book for additional cost) Includes:

• Prang Pan Watercolors, set of 8
• Blick Vine Charcoal sticks
• Watercolor Paper Pad, 30 sheets
  
• Sketch Paper Pad, 30 sheets
• Speedball Hard Rubber Brayer
• Water Soluble Printing Ink in teal, yellow, and black
• Foam Printing Sheets, set of 12, 9" x 12"
  
• 15" x 15" cotton fabric burnt orange cotton tote bag

You will also need these materials from K-3 Vol. 1 Starter Pack Materials list:

• Ebony pencil
• Watercolor brush, #8 round
• Watercolor paper pad
• Drawing paper pad
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Elmer's Glue-All

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries Lessons 1-4.

 

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I did this art instruction for kids with my daughters Zari and Teela who are in 4th and 7th grade this school year. We did one lesson a week and completed 4 lessons. We did what we could with what we had at home and I also bought some supplies as well. My kids love art so they enjoyed these activities and learning about the art and history very much.

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. Art of the Northern Countries Online Course.

We also received access to the Online Course for the Art of the Northern Countries. When you login you get to a page that says "My Art Courses". This lets you click on view product and sends you to that course page. This page lets you start the course online with some bonuses. First it has a "Course Introduction" which has "Welcome to the Course", "Your Instructor", and "Course Book and Contents" in video format. The next category in the Online Course is "The Art of Seeing". This section has 2 bonus video lessons: "First Landscapes" and "Discovering Light". The next section is called, "The Fundamentals" and it has all of the same video lessons online as the DVD to follow along with the book lessons. The next category is called "Advanced Tips" and has a video on "Why Light and Dark Need Each Other". Last is a "Course Wrap Up" and has a video called, "What's Next". It will automatically mark these video lessons as complete once they are watched or you can mark as complete yourself. After they are completed they will have a check mark show up beside them in the course menu. We loved having the option to watch these videos online.

 

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries, K-3 Vol. 5: Lesson 1 (monoprint).

 

The first lesson we had an introduction of art in Europe around the Northern Renaissance and learned how to use a brayer roller and black water-soluble printing ink to make a monoprint using plants and stencils. 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 the brayer roller and black water-soluble printing ink. Teela did this lesson and she did a butterfly as her stencil. She found plants in our yard to use as well. Hers didn't quite come out as crisp as the one shown in the video and book, but she at least got to understand monoprints and how they work.

 

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries, K-3 Vol. 5: Lesson 2 (observation drawing with oil pastels).

The second lesson in the book we learned about Durer and his painting, "The Large Piece of Turf". We read in the art book how Durer was inspired by art that looked like the real world and how he choose to paint plants when others were painting people. There are questions at the end in bold of this art history lesson about the "The Large Piece of Turf" painting in the book to make sure the children are paying attention to the art. Then we are told with words and shown with color pictures in the book how to make a frame out of construction paper and draw plants with oil pastels. Teela did this art outside and picked plants in our "fairy garden" to draw.

 

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries, K-3 Vol. 5: Lesson 3 (oil pastel drawing, snow scene).

The third lesson we learned about Bruegel's painting, "Hunters in the Snow". There are questions at the end in bold of the this art history lesson in the book to make sure the children are paying attention to the art. Then we are told with words and shown with color pictures in the book how to make an oil pastel drawing of a winter scene. Zari made a snowy cabin in the woods with snow falling and a moon.

 

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Northern Countries, K-3 Vol. 5: Lesson 4 (relief print).

The forth lesson we learned more about relief prints. This lesson was accompanied by a video (video #2) on the DVD or Blu-ray. This gave us very visual step-by-step instruction of the process. In this lesson you make a white figure of a pet on a dark background. The video had the art and art instruction to show how to prepare the wax paper surface with the registration sheet, make a printing plate with foam printing sheets, and use the brayer. Zari decided she wanted to do our bunny, Norman, who had passed away. I helped make the printing plate. It asked us to use a picture of a light colored pet. We have a white horse, but Zari wanted to do Norman instead, so even though he was a black and white rabbit I think she did a good job as the correct areas of him were white and black.

There was only one thing that I would change if I was the author. My daughters 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 Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray Art of the Northern Countries has been very educational and fun. We have learned so much about the art of the time. I highly recommend this art for children. ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray Art of the Northern Countries would be a great art curriculum for use with art history lessons and unit studies of Renaissance, Realism, and Europe.

Follow Them on Social Media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtisticPursuitsInc
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARTisticPursui1 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artisticpursuitsinc/ 
• Hashtags: #hsreviews #myartisticpursuits #homeschoolart #artinstruction #ART #Homeschool #ARTEDUCATION #artisticpursuits #creativity

BUY IT
You can purchase ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray. They are each $39.99. If you would like to purchase the art kits with these it is more and depends on the kit.

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A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice Book Review and Giveaway #amostclevergirl

Disclaimer: I received this product in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Jasmine A. Stirling in exchange for my honest review.

A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice by Jasmine Stirling is a wonderful book geared towards 4-12 year olds. It has lovely illustrations by Vesper Stamper that have a warm cottage feel. The story begins with Jane as a girl living with her family at Steventon in the Hampshire countryside, to her tragically quiet time in the small house in Bath, and then ends with her as an experienced woman back in the countryside again finding her voice once again, only wiser. This book will certainly be a delight to Jane Austen fans everywhere. 

 

 

I love this book! It is eloquently written and illustrated. My girls who are 10 and 12 also found themselves consumed by the words and pictures. They were absolutely enthralled by the story of one of their beloved authors. I loved how her father was so supportive of Jane and her ambitions. Through all of the trials she had in her life, Jane grew into a talented, perceptive, and clever woman. Her experiences shaped her and made her better.

 

 

I highly recommend A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice for all ages. Jane Austen fans especially will love this book. This is also a great book to introduce Jane Austen to little ones.

 

 

Follow The Author on Social Media:

• Website: https://jasmineastirling.com/
  
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasmine.a.stirling.author 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasmine.a.stirling.author/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JasmineStirling
  

 

BUY IT

• Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sGRdFa
• Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/2078/9781547601103
  

 

WIN IT

Enter for a chance to win a glorious Jane Austen-themed picnic basket, including a hardcover copy of A Most Clever Girl autographed by Jasmine A. Stirling!

One (1) grand prize winner receives:

• A picnic basket filled with:

• A copy of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice, signed by author Jasmine A. Stirling

• A vintage teacup

• 1 oz of tea From Adagio Teas

• Truffles from Moonstruck Chocolates

• Gardenia hand cream

• A set of Jane Austen playing cards

• A $15 gift certificate to Jasmine A. Stirling’s Austenite Etsy Shop, Box Hill Goods

Two (2) winners receive:

• A copy of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice, signed by author Jasmine A. Stirling

The giveaway begins March 16, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT, and ends April 16, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.

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Butterfly Box Review and Giveaway #yourbutterflybox #butterflybox #faithsubscriptionbox #christiansubscriptionbox #ComplimentaryProductReceived

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through FrontGate Media in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Butterfly Box is a monthly subscription service for Christian women that helps you grow spiritually and get closer to God. Each box has 4-6 hand-selected curated items that have a overall theme. Boxes could include things like inspiring books, devotionals or journals, Christian jewelry, scripture decor or artwork, faith sharing cards, self-care pampering items (soaps, lotion, candles, tea, etc.), and other theme related gifts. These products are faith-based or support small Christian businesses.

 

Butterfly Box in use.

My Thoughts:

I received the September Butterfly Box which is Woman of Prayer themed. This was a lovely light blue colored box with the Butterfly Box logo, a shortened version of the scripture Romans 12:2, and website link on it. Inside were some hand picked items that were various shades of blue and some Tea Drops.

Inside this Butterfly Box: 

• A book: The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie Omartian - this devotional book has a turquoise embossed faux leather cover and a ribbon bookmark. In this book Stormie shares her most-loved prayers for women.
  
• A journal: 'Be Still and Know' on the cover, ocean themed, spiral-bound with 192 lined pages to write in, and a presentation page in the front for gifting. Perfect for recording your own prayers, testimonies, and devotions.
• Jewelry: My Prayer Bracelet - a reminder to pray for joy from Heart on Your Sleeve design. The card it came on has a prayer; "Today, I pray for abundant joy... Lord, may I be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, & faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12"
  
• Self-Care Pampering Item: Tea Drops - one in sweet peppermint an one in vanilla white tea. These are loose leaf tea that is USDA organic and gluten free pressed with organic raw sugar into a shape. These dissolve easily in hot water and come individually wrapped. These are the perfect companion for prayer and devotion times.
  
• Card: Weekly Prayer Guide bookmark to help with daily reminders for important things to lift up in prayer.

September Butterfly Box Contents.

 

This Butterfly Box was a sweet reminder of the power of prayer. I love every inch of its contents. I am looking forward to reading this devotional and writing down my thoughts in the journal it came with. I love the little bracelet. I have small wrists, but since you can pull the strings tighter it fits perfectly. I love the butterfly bead on it. It will always remind me to pray for joy and Transform * Renew * Pursue. I tried the Sweet Peppermint Tea Drop and it was delicious. I love how it was made of organic raw sugar, organic spearmint leaves and organic peppermint oil, caffeine free, and heart shaped. The Vanilla White Tea one is made of organic raw sugar, organic white peony tea, and organic vanilla extract, low in caffeine, high in antioxidants, and is flower shaped. The card will be a good daily prompt for prayers.

This is such a wonderful gift for any woman that needs something extra special during these turbulent times. 2020 has been such a difficult year for many. With so many uncertainties, we as Christian women know that God is with us and that he can help us through any of our trials. The Butterfly Box helps remind us of these things. It helps lift our spirits and keep us close to Christ.

WIN IT

• Prize: Win 6 months of Butterfly Box
• Host: Butterfly Box and FrontGate Media.
• Who Can Enter: Open to US Residents 18 years or older.
• Selection Process: 1 Winner will be selected on 10/30/2020 and notified by email at which time they will ask for your address. Winner will have 2 weeks to respond.
  
• Where to Enter: Go to this link https://www.blessedfreebies.com/butterfly-box-giveaway.html and fill out the form to enter.

 

BUY IT

Purchase the Butterfly Box with coupon code: WELCOME10 and get 10% off your order.

Progeny Press Little Women Study Guide & My Side of the Mountain Study Guide Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of trying the Little Women Study Guide & My Side of the Mountain Study Guide from Progeny Press 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.

Progeny Press is a Christian based company that produces products that help with comprehension, critical analysis, and vocabulary study in literature and reading. They have a number of very nice literature based study guides and interactive e-guides that go with a number of classical, historical, and award winning books. They are always adding new titles to their list. All of their guides - whether book-bound, on CD, or downloaded - have exactly the same content. Four of their literature guides are considered a full literature credit for the year for students in high school.

The Little Woman Study Guide by Carol Clark is great for using in conjunction with the book by Louisa May Alcott. This is geared towards high school grades eight through twelve. This guide is 94 pages total when printed. The My Side of the Mountain Study Guide by Carol Clark is great for using in conjunction with the book by Jean Craighead George. This is geared towards middle school grades five to eight. This guide is 63 pages total when printed. The ones we received is the interactive e-guide which means that it is able to have the answers entered and typed directly into the PDF and saved. You can additionally print the pages and have your student work on them off of the computer. The e-guides save you money because you do not have to pay shipping and handling. You can also grade the student's work directly on the PDF and make comments in the same file. Mobile Devices/Tablets may require alternative app that supports and saves fillable form fields. All the guides, once purchased, can be reproduced for the teacher's/homeschooling parent's use in their own classroom or home. Once downloaded to your computer they are permanently available on your computer, and are yours and yours only.

These Study Guides cover a lot of ground. They have vocabulary that goes with the book with activities that help retention and growth. The Little Woman Study Guide talks about literary techniques like: Slang, similes, metaphors, foreshadowing, proverbs, allusions, motif, parallelism, allegory, maxims, idioms, juxtaposition, asides, anthropomorphism, antithesis, irony, mood, comic relief, alliteration, in context, foil, aphorism, jargon, sarcasm, tongue-in-cheek humor, extended metaphor, euphemisms, cause and effect, epiphany, poetic justice, flat and round characters, dynamic and static characters, dramatic structure, theme, point of view, and coming-of-age. The My Side of the Mountain Study Guide talks about literary techniques like: Point of view, verbs, anthropomorphism, irony, flashback, in context, adjectives, similes, recap, paraphrase, fact vs. opinion, onomatopoeia, comic relief, mood, metaphors, allusion, alphabetical order, idioms, oxymoron, alliteration, assonance, consonance, extended metaphors, willing suspension of disbelief, conflict, quest, dramatic structure, full-circle ending, coming of age, bildungsroman, and compare & contrast. There are moral lessons and character values taken from the books in each study guide. Activities and writing assignments are also included. Each set of chapters or section has: activities to use the vocabulary, questions in shorty answer, "think about the story" comprehension questions, "dig deeper" questions with bible verses to look up and biblical perspective or philosophical questions to go with the book, and optional activities, like: art, cooking, creative writing, dramatization, etc. There is a lot of other things too that these go into. Take a look at the layout and contents below of each study guide...

Here is Little Woman's Study Guide Layout:

• Study Guide Author
• Note to Instructor (How to use the study guide)
• Synopsis (What book is about)
• About the Novel's Author
• Background Information
• Ideas for Prereading Activities (Things to do or study before and during reading the book): Read Pilgrim's Progress, class discussion, research the U.S. Civil War, journaling activities.
• Chapters 1-4
• Chapters 5-9
• Chapters 10-12
• Chapters 13-16
• Chapters 17-20
• Chapters 21-23
• Part 1 Crossword Puzzle
• Chapters 24-27
• Chapters 28-31
• Chapters 32-35
• Chapters 36-39
• Chapters 40-43
• Chapters 44-47
• Overview
• Optional Essays and Projects
• Additional Resources (Other books by the author, similar titles, plays, and movies)
• Answer Key (located in a separate PDF)

Here is My Side of the Mountain's Study Guide Layout:

• Study Guide Author
• Note to Instructor (How to use the study guide)
• Synopsis (What book is about)
• About the Novel's Author
• Prereading Activities (Things to do or study before reading the book): Field trip, research local plants, read the author's preface to the book.
• Section 1: I Hole Up...; I Get Started...; I Find Gribley's Farm
• Section 2: I Find Many...; The Old, Old Tree; I Meet One of my Own Kind...
• Section 3: The Kings Provider; What I Did About...; I Learn to Season My Food
• Section 4: How a Door...; Frightful Learns...; I Find a Real Live Man
• Section 5: The Autumn Provides...; We All Learn About Halloween; I Find Out What to Do
• Story Review Fun!
•  Section 6: Trouble Begins; I Pile up Wood...; I Learn About Birds...
•  Section 7: I Have a Good Look at Winter...; The Spring in the Winter...
• Section 8: I Cooperate with the Ending; The City Comes to Me
• Overview
• Optional After-You-Read Projects and Activities
• Additional Resources (Other books by the author, other titles of interest, related books, related movies)
• Answer Key (located in a separate PDF)

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

My daughter, Teela, who is 12 years old is an advanced reader. She loves reading and devours books. Her favorites are chapter books that have some substance to them. I told her about Little Woman and My Side of the Mountain and she was excited to start reading. We had the book Little Woman on our Kindle so we started with that one. She loved this book and read it chapter by chapter working through the study guide.

She got to use the guide as she read the book and since the review period for this was slightly longer than most (roughly 7 weeks) we got through a good portion of My Side of the Mountain as well. She did the worksheets online to work on her computer and typing skills as well.

Our Rose Garden

Teela loved doing some of the optional activities in the study guides. One of the optional activities she picked in chapters 17-20 in the Little Woman Study Guide was plant a rose bush and tend it. We planted a whole rose garden, not just one plant, this year and she helped me with it. I showed her how to dead head spent blossoms and water them. Another of the optional activities she picked to do for chapters 36-39 in the Little Woman Study Guide had her make and serve Tea Sandwiches. For these we had cream cheese, cucumber and triangle cut bread. On a hot day these were particularly good with iced herbal tea. In the My Side of the Mountain Study Guide she did a lot of the optional activities too. She picked to learn more about skunks in Section 5 because it so happens that we have a family of them with a mama and 5 babies living in our barn. You can go here on my husband's YouTube to see them.

Teela with the Tea Sandwiches she made.

This was the forth time we had experienced Progeny Press and their literature study guides. This time though we got to pick two different study guides instead of just one. The study guides we received were jam packed full of reading comprehension and information to study. I love that they are also faith-based and has biblical applications that relate to the books fairly well. Since Teela just finished 6th grade this year, I had her type her answers as best she could and I believe she did great for her age. These guides are very well thought out and put together and I feel that my daughter learned and comprehended a great deal more because of it.

I highly recommend the Progeny Press study guides. They are easy to download and simple to print from PDF and easy to do online. These guides got my daughter thinking a lot more about the story and characters than she would have just reading the book on its own. Progeny Press has a great selection of other guides that go with some other great books as well. Check them out below.
 
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BUY IT
You can get the Little Women Study Guide in e-guide format for $21.99 and the My Side of the Mountain Study Guide for 18.99 from Progeny Press and also download a sample of the guide to see what it looks like.

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ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Ancients Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of trying the Art of the Ancients from Artistic Pursuits Inc. 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.

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 brand new 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.

Art of the Ancients is the second 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 ancient artists and 6 video lessons featuring art instruction on materials), and 106 illustrations. This art curriculum book and videos takes a look at art found in caves to the classical art of the Roman Empire. The book covers Near Eastern figures and relief carvings, Minoan fresco painting, Etruscan and Egyptian wall painting, Greek pillars and pottery, as well as the many methods of making art in Rome. Young learners will create and respond to art of the ancient cultures as they express themselves and see the world in new ways. They also learn about the period and how the people then made art. Children will work with pastels and clay.

K-3 Vol.2 Art Supply Pack | ARTistic Pursuits

K-3 Vol. 2 Art Supply Pack (can be purchased separately or with the book for additional cost) Includes:

• Wire clay cutter
• Amaco Air-dry clay
• NuPastel hard pastel color sticks, set of 12
• 15 x 15" cotton fabric Blue Cotton Tote Bag

You will also need these materials from K-3 Vol. 1 Starter Pack Materials list:

• Watercolor crayons
• Oil pastels
• Ebony pencil
• Vinyl eraser
• Watercolor brush, #8 round
• Watercolor paper pad
• Drawing paper pad
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Elmer's Glue-All
• Glue stick

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I did this art instruction for kids with my daughters Teela and Zari who are in 3rd and 6th grade this school year. We tried to do one lesson a week, but our clay did not come to us in the mail because of back-orders and delays with COVID-19. We did what we could with what we had at home. My kids love art so they enjoyed these activities and learning about the art and history very much.

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. Art of the Ancients, K-3 Vol. 2: Lesson 1 (something with wheels with pastels).

The first lesson we had an introduction of art in the ancient world and learned how to use soft pastels to make a picture of something with wheels. 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 the pastels. Zari did the Fire Truck.

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Ancients, K-3 Vol. 2: Lesson 2 (cave art).

The second lesson in the book we learned about European cave drawings. We read in the art book of 4 boys in France that discovered some cave art. There are questions at the end in bold of the this art history lesson about the bull and horse cave painting in the book to make sure the children are paying attention to the art. Then we are told with words and shown with color pictures in the book how to do cave art on brown paper with earth colored pastels. I did the zebra and Teela did the panda bear.

The third lesson we learned about clay slab building. This lesson was accompanied by a video (video #2) on the DVD or Blu-ray. This gave us very visual step-by-step instruction of the process. In this lesson you build a clay figure out of slabs. The video had the art and art instruction to show how to use and care for the clay and other items to make the figure. Since we didn't have the clay we just watched the video for the instructions for future reference.

The forth lesson we learned about the city of Jericho and the Human Statue found there. There are questions at the end in bold of the this art history lesson in the book to make sure the children are paying attention to the art. Then we are told with words and shown with color pictures in the book how to do a human figure in clay. Since we didn't have the clay we just read the book and looked at the pictures for future reference.

ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art of the Ancients, K-3 Vol. 2: Lesson 5 (animal art with pastels).

In the fifth lesson we learned about art in Minoan palaces. In this lesson we learned about a painting called Bull Jumping that was found in the Island of Crete. There are questions at the end in bold of the this art history lesson about the painting in the book to make sure the children are paying attention to the art. We were instructed to make an animal painting with pastels. I did the hedgehog and Zari did the Toucan.

There was only one thing that I would change if I was the author. My daughters 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 Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray Art of the Middle Ages has been very educational and fun. We have learned so much about the art of the time. I highly recommend this art for children. ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray Art of the Ancients would be a great art curriculum for use with art history lessons and unit studies of the Early Europeans, Minoans, Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Etruscans, and Ancient Romans.

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• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtisticPursuitsInc
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• Hashtags: #hsreviews #myartisticpursuits #homeschoolart #artinstruction #ART #Homeschool #ARTEDUCATION #artisticpursuits #creativity

BUY IT
You can purchase ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray. They are each $39.99. If you would like to purchase the art kits with these it is more and depends on the kit.

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The Easter Storybook from David C Cook Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. 

My family had the privilege of reading The Easter Storybook from David C Cook 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.

David C Cook is a ministry that publishes and distributes discipleship and worship materials for local churches to help bring the word of Christ around the world, globally. These products include: music, books, curriculum, Bible studies, and resources for adults and children alike. Proceeds from purchases also help with their global outreach efforts.

The Easter Storybook contents.

The Easter Storybook is one of David C Cook's books for children. This book is written by Laura Richie and illustrated by Ian Dale. It contains 40 full-color, beautifully illustrated stories that are about how Jesus' life, starting from His time as a boy in the Temple to His resurrection. Each story includes a Bible passage and a conversational question to engage the readers and get them thinking and discussing as a family about the true meaning of the Easter season. This is recommended for children ages 4-8.

Zari reading The Easter Storybook.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

My daughter Zari and I read this book together. She is 9 years old.

We love the full-color illustrations. They are wonderfully done and the people in the illustrations have a more authentic Middle Eastern feel to them, which I like. I also like all the detail in them.

Each story has the same layout. The length of each story is about a page which is perfect and not too long. The chapter(s) that the story comes from in the bible is listed at the top under the story title. It has a bible verse from the English Standard Version (ESV) at the top of each story that goes with the story. At the bottom of each story there are open ended questions to ask and answer. The opposite page of every story has a whole page illustration.

Format of the stories.

If you follow the 40 days of Lent these stories would be good for that because this book has 40 stories and they are each labeled Day 1 - Day 40. You can read one each day of the Lenten Calendar, although this would also be fine to read at other times in the Easter season as well. 

The stories generally go along with the bible and what it teaches. It does take on some liberties though. There is a recurring theme in the stories that basically says that after the garden of Eden people could not love and that people were broken until Jesus came. To quote one of the instances in the book (page 12), "John told everyone that people are broken and can't love, but the Messiah was coming to help people love." I am not sure what to think of this statement. If they had left this out I think that it would have made the book better and that it would then follow the bibles teachings more. Because of this I feel that this is more of the authors interpretation more than what is actually written in the bible.

I am going to just leave my review there and you can make the decision yourself from it whether or not this storybook might be for you and your kids. Take it or leave it, I guess it is up to you.

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• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidCCookPublic 
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• Hashtags: #hsreviews #EasterStorybook #TheEasterStorybook #IanDale #LauraRichie #DavidCCook

BUY IT
You can purchase this book here.

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