Home School in the Woods Project Passport World History Studies: Ancient Rome Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Project Passport World History Studies Ancient Rome from Home School in the Woods 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.

Home School in the Woods is a family run business that creates Christian based history curriculum for homeschooling. This curriculum immerses your student in the topic. It is very hands-on with lapbooks, timelines, recipes, art, creative writing, notebook projects, dramatized audio theater, maps, crafts, projects, re-enactments, file-folder games, vocabulary to learn, etc.

There are icons that help along one side and buttons that link to nice clear photos of the finished projects.

The Project Passport World History Studies are a virtual trip through history. These are recommended for grades 3-8. There are two different versions you can purchase, a CD version or a digital download version. With the CD version everything that you access and print is on the CD. With the digital download version you download a zipped file, place all of the contents into a folder on your computer, and access it by the start.htm file that is in that folder. We received the digital download version. This "trip" is supposed to last roughly 8-12 weeks depending upon how quickly everything is completed. For Each Project Passport World History Study you make a passport and "luggage" folder to hold some of the stuff you print off and make along the journey. Each "trip" has 25 chapters called "stops", where you observe action-packed events and meet fascinating people along the way. At each stop you come to there will be "Guide Book Text" which is information for the student to read about a certain topic explored and a "Travel Itinerary" that covers the project choices and directions. There are also helpful icons that let you know what you will be doing and color photos of all the completed projects so you know how they are supposed to look like when finished. There are a lot of printables of information and projects to do. Masters are available for all printables. There are so many things to do on the trip, for example: creating a "Scrapbook of Sights" (notebook for storing the notebook projects), dining on local cuisine with the "Dining out Guide" (recipes to create food and drink that was popular in the area at the time), taking pictures ("Snapshot Moments in History" scrapbook timeline), reporting on important people and happenings (a newspaper creative writing assignment - In the Ancient Rome study it is called "The Roman Tribune"), making "souvenirs" to remember your stay (craft/art projects), dressing like the locals (clothing of the era: fun dress up craft), making a lapbook, playing games (file-folder games), collecting postcards, listening to tour guides (dramatized audio theater - there are 8 of these), and so much more!

We found that there was a lot of preparation that needed to happen before getting started. There is a lot of things needing printed, items needing prepared for crafts and other projects, and general preparation of materials before one can begin the journey. The Travel Itinerary and Travel Planner: Quick Stop Itinerary helps with this a lot!

You will need a few items to get you through the lessons:

• Working Printer
• Color and Black Ink for the printer to cover all the printing that will be happening
• White and Colored Printer Paper
• White and Colored Cardstock (this is best, but admittedly we didn't have any of this and used only white printer paper and it worked OK)
• One 3-Ring Binder for the Guide Book (teacher binder for Introduction, Travel Tips, Travel Planner: Quick Stop Itinerary, Travel Itinerary, Guide Book Text, and Additional Resources)
• One 3-Ring Binder for the Scrapbook of Sights (student binder for all notebook projects)
• Colored File Folders or Colored Pocket Folders with Fasteners
• Scissors and/or an X-acto Knife (when using an X-acto Knife you will need a thick piece of cardboard or self healing mat to use as a cutting surface)
• Crayons, Markers, or Colored Pencils to color the pictures, if desired
• Glue
• Other Craft supplies specified for each of the different projects that your student wants to do

This is what the Project Passport World History Studies: Ancient Rome covers:

1. Laying the Foundation (Packing for the Trip)
2. Out with the Kings, In with the Republic!
3. More than Just a City
   
4. A Mediterranean Power
5. The Republic Begins to Falter
6. Julius Caesar and the Fall of the Republic
7. Everyday Life - Part 1
8. Everyday Life - Part 11
9. Business, Taxes, and Coins
10. Law and Philosophy
11. Education, Oration, and Literature
12. Science and Medicine
13. The Arts
14. Architecture and Transportation
15. Religion
16. Warfare
17. Augustus and the Empire
18. The Julio Claudian Emperors
19. The Year of the Four Emperors and the Flavians
20. The Five Good Emperors
21. Too Many Emperors to Count
22. From Constantine to the Barbarian Invasions
23. Rome and the Bible
24. And What Happened After?
25. The Final Stop - Packing Up!

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I enlisted my daughter Zari who finished 2nd grade this past school year to learn about Ancient Rome, the newest Project Passport Study from Home School in the Woods, since she loved listening to and helping out with the other studies before. This is supposed to be for 3rd through 8th graders so she did need my help with some of the more advanced projects and writing assignments and it took her a lot longer to get through some of the stops than it might have taken for my older kids. I learned quite a bit too while helping her with this study.

Zari coloring the Scrapbook of Sights Cover.

This study, like all the other ones we did, was jam packed with information. I am glad that I already had experience doing this type of program because everything seemed to go faster. The instructions are not hard, but there is a lot of things to set up and print out initially and throughout the program....so be aware of that and set some time aside initially to get things done so you are not overwhelmed. We still have not gotten through all the stops, but we have enjoyed everything that we have done thus far. I love that it is from a biblical Christian perspective too.

Zari making the Roman Clothed Paper Dolls.

Zari really liked our project time together. She loves art and making things. She loved dressing up as a Roman Woman. Dressing up in period clothing is a great way to learn history. We are on a very tight budget for everything, including afterschooling, because my husband is doing school himself and not currently working so we don't have a lot to spend on extras at the moment. Because of this our dress up didn't look quite like the one in the picture. We used sheets instead of muslin and it was a reasonable facsimile...hey, we improvised with what we had. The other project that was her favorite was the "Roman Clothing & Accessories" paper dolls. She learned a lot about: how the Ancient Romans dressed, what they believed, what they ate, what wars they had, what their homes looked like, what jobs they had, what they used as transportation, their currency, their education, and so much more! There were so many projects to do to go with all the reading, creative writing, and listening to the audio tours. We did so many fun things and learned so much about the culture so far. I can't wait to get all the way through the whole program with my daughter. We really want to try the recipes "Recline and Dine" cookbook. It is great to add interest to history with recipes. in the We are looking forward to learning more about Ancient Rome.

Zari dressing up as a Roman Woman.

I highly recommend the Project Passport World History Studies: Ancient Rome from Home School in the Woods. This is great for anyone homeschooling who might need some help with teaching Ancient Rome in a highly educational, fun, and very hands-on way. This would also be perfect for those wanting something fun to do with their kids in the summer time. I am looking forward to reviewing more from Home School in the Woods in the future.

BUY IT
You can purchase the download version of the Project Passport World History Studies: Ancient Rome for $33.95 and CD version for $34.95.

Download the scope and sequence, listen to a sample audio tour, see photo examples of projects, and watch a video of "What is a Project Passport" when you click the link above, to get more of an idea about the program.

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Hashtags: #hsreviews #HomeSchoolintheWoods #ProjectPassport #AncientRome #history #unitstudies #AncientCivilizations #lapbooking #HistoryUnitStudies #HomeschoolHistory #handson 

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Ugly Christmas Sweater Pajama Review and Christmas in July Giveaway!

You know how around Christmastime some people get dressed up in ugly Christmas sweaters and get pictures taken?? Well Ugly Christmas Sweater.com has taken that one step further with their ugly Christmas pajama line. They even have hoodie footed pajamas and pajama pants that are National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Elf, A Christmas Story, Home Alone, Grinch, Fortnite, and Star Wars, themed! These are perfect for boys and girls, men and women, children and adult.

I picked the Snowmen and Candy Canes Black Ugly Christmas Pajama Suit with Hood. I tried a small, but had to send it back to get the extra-small because it was huge on me. The extra-small fit better, but was still a bit long because I am fairly short. I found out that these tend to run big. They are also fairly roomy. They come in XS all the way up to 2XL!

Me snuggling my dog in my new pajamas.

The footie pajamas are so comfortable and very soft. I love how cozy and warm they are. These are perfect to lounge around the house in. Right now my home is air conditioned because it is July and hot outside. Since it gets a bit chilly sometimes inside right now this is just perfect. I love to snuggle with my large dog, Prince on my bed while reading in these hooded pajamas. This is so comfy to sleep in or watch movies in as well. I can definitely see myself wearing this year round. This will be absolutely perfect come fall and winter when the temperature is cold and nippy outside.

So cozy and warm to sleep in.

I love these footed pj's especially because of some great features it has! These have a wonderful hood with a drawstring so that your head also stays nice and warm. It also has deep pockets! On the front it has a zipper that zips both up and down, so it is very accommodating. On the backside there is a funny zippered trap door butt flap 😜. 

Ugly Christmas Pajama Suit features:

• Cozy, warm, and comfortable footed pajama
• Front of jumper zips both up and down
• 100% Polyester
• Has hood with drawstring closure 
• Has zippered trap door
• Has pockets to keep hands toasty
• Perfect for winter, Christmas holiday season, gag gifts, white elephant gifts, and Christmas in July!
• Unisex

I love wearing my new pajamas around the house. It even has a hood to keep me warmer.

I love the pattern of the snowmen, candy canes, snowflakes, and poinsettias that the Snowmen and Candy Canes Black Ugly Christmas Pajama Suit with Hood sleepwear has. It is very festive and not at all cheeky like some of the other designs on the website. I would not be embarrassed to wear this around the house in front of friends and family because it is super cute.

I love the Snowmen and Candy Canes pattern on the Pajamas. It is so festive.

I recommend Ugly Christmas Sweater.com for all your ugly Christmas sweater and pajama needs for the entire family. You can even all match or be unique...it is all up to you. They have so many different ones to choose from there is bound to be something that would be perfect for gifting. Perfect for Christmas in July celebrations too!

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WIN IT

Prize: A pair of lounge pants or pajamas/jumpsuit of your choice from Ugly Christmas Sweater.com
Who Can Enter: 18+, USA and Canada Only

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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.

Apologia Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition Review

This post contains affiliate links that will benefit the blog. My family had the privilege of trying Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition from Apologia 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.

Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. is the #1 publisher of creation-based science and Bible curriculum. They focus on Christian based homeschool curriculum. Their products are all taught from a biblical worldview. They have creation-based science, apologetics, language arts, Constitutional Literacy, and resources and books to help homeschooling families succeed.

Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition by Sherri Seligson is a creation-based general science curriculum consisting of a Student Textbook, Student Notebook and Solutions and Test Manual with one Test Packet. It is geared towards 7th grade to help students transition out of elementary to middle school, and to prepare for high school. Students will explore a wide range of science topics such as earth science, chemistry, physics, life science, biology, marine science, environmental science, science and creation, etc. This is great for homeschool science for middle school.

This Basic 3rd Edition Homeschool Science for Seventh Grade Set includes:

• Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition Student Textbook
• Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition Student Notebook
• Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition Solutions and Test Manual with one Test Packet

Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition Student Textbook is a hardbound textbook. This textbook has a total of 14 lessons/modules that explain general science and its many wonders. The book starts out with Apologia's Instructional Support that explains the curriculum parts. It then has a student notes section about the book with a course overview, activities explanation, lab equipment needed, and a description of learning aids available. Then it goes onto the table of contents. Each lesson has: a “Quaestio” which is basically means question in Latin, "What To Do" sections in green boxes, "Explore More" sections in purple boxes, vocabulary words in blue bold text, color pictures and charts, Experiments located on grid paper, Creation Connections and Think About This in gold text, "On Your Own" (OYO) Questions and writing prompts in dark blue boxes; and at the end of each lesson: Summing Up, Answers to the "On Your Own" Questions, and a study guide. At the end of the textbook there is a Lab Supply List, Index to help find things in the book, and Image Sources.

Lessons:

1. The History of Science - Search For the Truth
2. Scientific Inquiry and the Scientific Method
3. Documenting and Interpreting Experimental Results
4. Scientific Analysis and History
5. Earth Science - Astronomy
6. Earth Science - Geology and Paleontology
7. Earth Science - Meteorology and Oceanography
8. General Chemistry
9. General Physics
10. Life Science
11. General Biology
12. Marine Science
13. Environmental Science
14. Science and Creation

The Student Notebook is spiral bound which makes it easier to lay flat and stay open. This is a required consumable workbook and each is intended to be used by a single student with the textbook. At the beginning of the notebook there is an Introduction. This Introduction has Parent Notes, About Not Taking, About Experiments, About Grading, Grading Experiments, Experiment Grading Rubric, Recording Grades, Experiments, Exams, Grade Recording Chart, Student Notes, Taking Effective Notes From Science Texts, and Lesson Schedule. The middle section of the workbook consists of: What To Do prompts, Vocabulary to be defined, Summaries to be filled out, OYO questions to answer, History of Science timeline instructions to follow, etc. for the student. The last section in the workbook is the Appendix with a Lab Report Checklist, Lab Report Grading Rubric, and Image Credits.

The General Science, 3rd Edition Test Pages and General Science, 3rd Edition Solutions and Test Manual are packaged together. The test pages has a test for the student to complete after each module. This comes in a softcover and is in black and white. Within the solutions manual are answers to the study guide, summary and tests. This comes in a glossy softcover and is in black and white.

Author Sherri Seligson on General Science's Big Ideas:

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I used this curriculum with my daughter Teela who is going into 5th grade and 11 years old. Even though this is actually for middle schoolers I think she did well with the content, but some of the lessons took her longer than it suggested, especially since she was distracted with summer. It suggests the each lesson/module should take about 2-2 1/2 weeks to complete, working four days a week for 45 minutes to an hour to work on this so the student completes the course in 33 weeks. For this review we did this for about five weeks starting at the beginning of the book, which got us through Lesson 1 (The History of Science - Search For the Truth) and Lesson 2 (Scientific Inquiry and the Scientific Method) during the review period.

Explore More activity about the distribution of food coloring in both cold (Teela's right) and hot (Teela's left) water.

The textbook has a lot of wonderful full color pictures and charts that make the learning a lot more fascinating. You could make spelling lists with the vocabulary words from each chapter too. I love the wonderful lesson by lesson lab supply list located in the back for knowing what to have on hand for the activities from each lesson. It is super helpful! Having an answer key for the "OYO" question sections was a tremendous help to me as well.

General Science Experiment for Surface Tension of Water

We loved using the link to the course website that is referenced in the textbook. It had a lot of fun third party websites that contributed more information to the study of different things. We especially loved links on: How to make Ancient Egyptian Papyrus, Model Si Nan of Han Dynasty, Greek Philosophy, Roman Coliseum, The Copernican Model: A Sun-Centered Solar System, Galileo Journey to Jupiter Project, Video about Surface Tension, Medical Evidence in the Old Testament, Mars Global Surveyor photos, online tour of The Lowell Observatory, Mars Rover Mission, Great Salt Lake State Park, etc. There was a lot more too.

Teela reading the textbook.

The Student Notebook is all in color like the textbook. I like that they also have activities that included science Experiments and Explore More sections from what was taught in the textbook. These were lots of fun and were hands-on way of learning the material. Teela loved these the best.

Teela working out of the Student Workbook.

Having the Test Pages and Solutions and Test Manual was very helpful as well. These come shrink wrapped together. I didn't have to print these out myself and had them for Teela to work from. I am glad that these were given in the set we received.

I love the Apologia's Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition. I would recommend this highly to anyone searching for a creation-based curriculum about general science for middle school grades in homeschool. Apologia also has other great homeschool curriculum for science as well that I would love to check out and some others that I have reviewed here.

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• Facebook: www.facebook.com/apologiaworld Tag: @apologiaworld
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• Hashtags: #hsreviews #homeschool #homeschooling #exploringcreation #livingapologia #apologiascience #apologiaworld #homeschoolscience #generalscience

BUY IT
Exploring Creation with General Science, 3rd Edition Basic Set is $119.

An MP3 audio CD and a Video Instruction Thumb Drive are also available for purchase as well to accommodate all types of learning styles. We; however, did not receive either of them for this review.

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JORD Cassia Walnut and Vintage Rose Watch Review and Giveaway! #JORDWATCH

Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

My Favorite Accessory: A Watch by JORD

Jord (pronounced Yode) is a watch company based in St. Louis, Missouri. The name Jord is Danish for Earth. The watches are made of natural wood and other materials that make these timepieces unique and sophisticated looking.

Features I love about Jord watches:

• The watch band may be sized for the recipient.
• Most watch backplates can be engraved.
• All Cedar humidor presentation boxes are engravable, as well!
• Most watches have additional options for customization -- mixing and matching faces and woods!
• They have a domed sapphire crystal that sits atop the clocks face for a transparent view. This is second only to diamond in hardness and scratch resistance. It also resists impact and abrasion really well.
• They come in a variety of sustainable woods to choose from, like: acacia, bamboo, olive, purpleheart, zebrawood, ebony, and more.
• Every watch comes with free worldwide shipping, a 1-year warranty, and hassle-free returns & exchanges.

I love the way this watch looks great with everything!

The Cassia is one of Jord's newest collections of women's watches. It is their first watch collection with a full Roman numeral dial. It is a 40mm, 2-hand classic quartz minimalist watch. It displays hours and minutes with the hands. This lovely timepiece comes in four different colorways that feature beautiful grained woods, muted dials, and luxury watch components.

JORD Cassia Walnut and Vintage Rose Watch and what it comes with.

About the Cassia:

• With the Roman numerals it is easy to tell time with and so much classier than digital.
• This lovely timepiece is great to wear dressed up or dressed down. Looks great paired with any outfit.
• The metal and wood link interlaced band is seamless and has an ingenious anodized buckle that easily deploys open with a pinch of two metal clasps. It is effortless to get on one handed.
• Easy to set the time with the crown, the little knob on the side of the watch. Just pull it out and twist until the hands come into position to set the time, then push it back in when done.
• The full uninterrupted spherical case is made of wood and has an engravable metal core backplate.
• The domed sapphire crystal sits in a bezel-less design and protects the watch's inner workings.
• Features the Citizen Miyota GL20, Battery [silver oxide SR621SW (equiv)] Powered Movement (tuning fork type Quartz Crystal with a frequency of 32,768 Hz OR 1.35 V).
• The Cassia is splash-proof but should not be submerged in water (3 ATM).
• The wood is hand finished and pretreated with tung oils.
• Lemon or orange oil extract is best for cleaning the natural wood.
• When storing this timepiece, avoid extremely hot, cold, and excessively dry/humid environments.
• Specifications...case width: 40mm, case thickness: 10mm, band thickness: 13.8mm, band length: 203mm
• Comes with a storage box, display pillow, extra links and pins for band, 100% natural finishing oil, cleaning cloth, and care booklet.

The JORD Cassia Walnut and Vintage Rose Watch.

I received the Cassia Walnut and Vintage Rose watch. I have not worn a timepiece since I was a teen, so this is such a great treat. I have been eyeing Jord watches for many years because of their gorgeous designs and natural look.  I got this one sized to my wrist (15 1/4 cm). I love this wristwatch's color. It reminds me of rose gold which I love to wear as jewelry and the large walnut trees on my farm. This watch is of wonderful quality and craftsmanship and I believe it will last a long time. The band and clasp is so much better than others I have seen. This is a lovely and unique piece that I am glad to have in my collection and since I have been wearing it I have received many compliments.

Early morning styling with my JORD Cassia Walnut and Vintage Rose Watch and cardigan.

ENTER TO WIN:
I have partnered with JORD to give you this giveaway.

Prize: Winner receives $100 off any watch in Jord's collection.
Host: Jord
Selection Process: The winner will be emailed after the contest has concluded, provided all deliverables have been met. All other entrants will also be emailed a consolation 10% off gift code.
Where to Enter: Go to this link www.jordwatches.com/g/finamoon and fill out the form to enter.

Lovely with other jewelry too.

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. Winner of the giveaway will be handled by Jord.

Wooden Wrist Watch