Maestro Classics Peter and the Wolf CD Review

My family had the privilege of listening to the Peter and the Wolf CD by Maestro Classics for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Maestro Classics is a company that specializes in a classical music series called Stories in Music. This series has 12 titles to choose from of classical music CDs or MP3s with narration. Each title is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and has a story and musical explanation to go with the music. These Classics for Children are both educational and fun for young and old alike.

Peter and the Wolf is a real classic. It is truly a creative folk story with both classical music and narration. The Maestro Classics version is a physical musical CD (also comes in MP3 digital download) with a activity booklet and curriculum guide. It also includes a biography of the composer, Sergei Prokofiev, an extra track of music without the narration, a performance by a folk trio, Trio Voronezh, who play selections from Peter and the Wolf with traditional Russian instruments, and a 24-page activity booklet. The Maestro Classics Peter and the Wolf is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Grammy-nominated conductor Stephen Simon and and narrator Yadu. The gorgeous illustrations on the cover and inside the activity booklet are by award-winning children's book illustrator Salley Mavor of Wee Folk Studio.

Maestro Classics Peter and the Wolf Tracklisting:

1. Introduction (3:57)
2. Peter and the Wolf performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Narration by Yadu (25:10)
3. About the Composer: Sergei Prokofiev (6:14)
4. A Russian Peter performed by Trio Voronezh (2:21)
5. About the Music (6:18)
6. Peter and the Wolf performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Instrumental) (21:03)
7. Invitation to Grandfather's Party (0:26)
8. Kalinka performed by Trio Voronezh (2:45)

Total Playing Time: 68:16

The CD insert has a lot of fun activities in it to do too:

• Match the Instruments
• Prokofiev the Composer (a little about him with an activity to write in Russian)
• Identify the Mouthpiece (fill in blanks and write what instrument the picture goes with)
• Dot-to-Dot
• Trio Voronezh (a little about the Russian band with a fun fact that they now live in Eugene, Oregon!)
• Peter's Tune (the written music for the character, Peter)
• The Balalaika (introduction to this traditional Russian instrument)
• The Bayan (introduction to this traditional Russian instrument)
• The Domra (introduction to this traditional Russian instrument)
• Crack the Code! (write the letter under the picture it represents)
• Word Search
• Musical Question (read the notes and put the letters they represent in the blanks)
• Crossword Fun!
• Our Players (a bit about the conductor, narrator, and creative director and producer of Maestro Classics)

You can also find a free homeschool curriculum guide on the Maestro Classics website for all twelve of their Stories in Music. Each one has links for  lesson plans in History, Science, Geography, Language Arts, Art, Music, and Math. You can download all the subjects in one unit study on PDF from their website.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I believe that teaching classical music to children is important because it enhances: intellect, concentration, memory, self-discipline, attention span, listening skills, social skills, language skills, math skills, spatial-temporal reasoning, etc. It also gives a greater appreciation of a wider spectrum of music, relieves stress, improves mood and emotion skills, and stimulates the brain while advancing children's development. This "Mozart Effect" has been documented in many studies around the world. The benefits of classical music and musical education are substantial.

My husband and I grew up in the 80's with Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies by Warner Bros. & Silly Symphonies by Disney on TV and Disney's Fantasia full length movie featuring Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Peter and the Wolf mini classic film. When I was a kid I really didn't think anything of it when I was watching them. They were just silly cartoons to me, but now that I am older I realize that these musical animated films were filled with great classical music. These were a huge musical influence on my husband and I. When I was asked to review The Nutcracker or Peter and the Wolf from Maestro Classics I chose Peter and the Wolf because my fond memories of the 1946 animated Disney version as a child.

The Maestro Classics version is wonderful. Track 1 and 2 are very similar with the Disney version, but without the animation so you can picture everything that happens in your head and be more imaginative about it. With this story you can follow along with the instruments easily, but it still makes you think and this is great for little minds. My daughters, Zari and Teela, who had not heard Peter and the Wolf before, were captivated with the story and music. My girls loved how each character was represented by an instrument and had its own theme. I am so happy that the director of the Children's Theater in Moscow asked Prokofiev to compose a work to introduce children to the symphony orchestra because if she hadn't we wouldn't have had Peter and the Wolf. We love the Russian Folk Medley that the Trio Voronezh played. It was really fun to hear some of Peter and the Wolf played with traditional Russian instruments. Kalinka was also fun and my girls liked to dance to this piece because it slowed down and then sped up. I am going to delve deeper into the homeschool curriculum guide with my boys in the coming weeks. I know all of my kids will enjoy doing the science, art, and music projects and learning about the history, etc. behind the music.

We had a wonderful time listening to the Maestro Classics Peter and the Wolf. We learned a lot about the composer and some traditional Russian instruments along with some other interesting information. I highly recommend this CD, activity booklet, and curriculum guide to anyone that wants to have and teach a better appreciation for classical music.

BUY IT
Purchase Peter and the Wolf on CD for $16.98 + free shipping, mp3 for $9.98, and on iTunes for $9.99.

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Seven Spoons: My Favorite Recipes for Any and Every Day Cookbook Review

I received this book, Seven Spoons: My Favorite Recipes for Any and Every Day by Tara O'Brady, free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

You may know Tara O'Brady from her extremely popular foodie blog, Seven Spoons, which focuses on crowd-pleasing recipes that she want to share with the world. She was one of the first food bloggers to enter the foodie realm in May of 2005. Her readers love her warmth and love of cooking that emanates from her writing.

In her newly released and very first cookbook she takes inspiration from her blog by creating brand new recipes. Just like her blog she shares her stories, recipes, and traditions which fill the pages of this cookbook. This cookbook is a wonderful extension of her blog.

The Seven Spoons cookbook is a gorgeous hardback published by Ten Speed Press and Appetite by Random House in April 2015. It has 296 pages of delicious looking recipes that span from American to Mexican to Middle Eastern to East Asian cuisine. This is a fabulous treasury of recipes with a wide range of culinary and global influences.

The contents of this book are well laid out and easy to navigate. It starts with an introduction that goes into a little history of the author and her experience, about the cookbook, how to use the cookbook, and stocking the pantry. Then there are chapters pertaining to different parts of the meal which has an introductory page for each in Tara's warm tone. Each recipe also has an introduction to it after its name. Then it tells how much it makes or serves along with the ingredients, directions, and variations. It also has notes along the side to help you more with each recipe.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Breads & Breakfasts
• Chapter 2 Lunches
• Chapter 3 Soups, Starters & Snacks
• Chapter 4 Suppers
• Chapter 5 Vegetables & Sides
• Chapter 6 Sweets, Treats & Sips
• Chapter 7 Staples
• Acknowledgments
• Index

I love the Seven Spoons cookbook. It has a wonderful selection of delicious sounding recipes that I am very excited to try out. I am very visual, so the recipes that have pictures appeal to me more. I love the Stocking The Pantry section in the Introduction because it is very informative and a great reference. I know I will be going back to this section a lot. My favorite recipes from this cookbook are: Savory Steel-Cut Oats With Cheese and Spinach, Fig and Ginger Cluster Granola, Chia Pudding With Fruit and Golden Honey Elixer, Chaat Tostadas, Mushrooms and Greens With Toast, Avocado Toast, Pickled Strawberry Preserves, Hummus With White Miso, Halloumi in Chermoula, Trail Mix Snack Bars, Everyday Yellow Dal, Slow-Baked Salmon and Butter Beans, Moussaka, Turmeric Fried Okra, Baked Irish Mash, Rhubarb Raspberry Rye Crumble, Coconut Kheer With Bronzed Pineapple, and Fig Toasts With Buttered Honey. I will be trying to find alternatives to the alcoholic beverages to make them virgin so that I can partake in them. I will also be trying my hand at some of her Staples because I have always wanted to make my own cheese, butter, yogurt, ghee and pie crust.

I love this cookbook and am glad I picked it for review. The wonderful recipes are inspiring and I am so excited to try them. I recommend this to anyone that loves variety with their cooking.

BUY IT


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Blogging For Books for sending me this book for free to 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. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: This is a sponsored post. This giveaway is done by DCKids and WBKids, not by me. 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 post and hosting this giveaway.

Institute for Excellence in Writing Resource Package Review

I had the privilege of trying the Institute for Excellence in Writing Resource Package: Timeline of Classics, Teaching with Games Set, and A Word Write Now for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Institute for Excellence in Writing is a company that helps homeschooling parents and teachers to teach language arts, mainly: reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and communication through speaking and listening effectively. They have many products to help with this. I got to try out physical copies of the Resource Package: Timeline of Classics, Teaching with Games Set, and A Word Write Now for this review.

Timeline of Classics: Historical Context for the Good and Great Books is a chronological index of classic world literature that shows a extensive view of World History. This book by Gail Ledbetter is a sturdy spiral-bound paperback containing 192 pages. This teacher and student reference has many books, audio books, movies, etc. to choose from that correspond to a time period in chronological order. These (about 15-25 references) are listed on each page by description or time period, title, author, and ability level (Elementary, Middle, and High School). The timeline is divided into sections of world history: Ancients, The Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, & The Modern World.

Teaching with Games Set included: a book by Lori Verstegen that teaches you how to create games for learning in the classroom and a 2 DVD/1 CD set. The book is a sturdy spiral-bound paperback containing 118 pages. This teachers resource is broken up into five groups: "No-Prep" Games, Matching Card Games, Question Games, Math Facts Games, and "Make As You Teach" Games. The CD has 25 ready-to-play game templates to print out and make and the two DVD set is a workshop that teaches you how to implement those games and adapt them to any subject, any grade level, and almost any number of players. This is ideal for homeschool, team teaching groups, traditional classrooms, and Sunday schools.

• DVD Disc 1: 70 minutes long, "No-Prep" Games and Matching Card Games
• DVD Disc 2: 60 minutes long, Question Games, Math Facts Games, and "Make As You Teach" Games
• CD-ROM Disc 3: Teaching With Games PDF e-Book and Bonus Material from the book, Dress-Ups, Decorations, and Delightful Diversions to help teach stylistic techniques in writing

A Word Write Now: A Thematic Thesaurus for Stylized Writing is a book by Loranna Schwacofer that helps writers find and replace words that are overly used with ones that are better. The book is a sturdy spiral-bound paperback containing 112 pages. In it are lists of words for each character quality or behavior trait. The pages are broken down by parts of speech like: nouns, nouns characters, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, descriptive words. On the pages it also has a definition at the top for the main word, some thoughts about the main word, a place to write additional words, and at the bottom a final quote with the word in it. The book is organized into an Introduction, Overview, Simple Definitions of Parts of Speech and four more sections:

1. Section A: Character Traits (words like: Anger, Courage, Laziness, etc.)
2. Section B: Descriptive Words (words that describe: Appearance, Temperature, Shape, etc.)
3. Section C: Words for Movement and the Senses (words for: Feet, Seeing, Speaking, etc.)
4. Section D: Appendix (other helps)

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

As a homeschooler I love resources that make my life easier. The Institute for Excellence in Writing Resource Package gives me so much information right at my fingertips without having to look things up and go on an extensive search. I love having these amazing resources for use with my homeschooling curriculum.

Timeline of Classics: Historical Context for the Good and Great Books is an excellent reference that we have been using in conjunction with our eclectic style of homeschooling. It is wonderful for classical style homeschooling and we love how easy it is to look up a time period that we are studying to find media to read, watch, or listen to that goes along with our studies. History is so much fun to learn about and this reference gives us more to study and learn without having to dig through whole libraries. It is very flexible as well, letting you pick and choose what you want to use from the lists.

Teaching with Games Set is a great resource that gives you templates for games and teaches you how to make them best structured for your use. My family loves games! I love games that teach the best. All the games within the pages of Teaching with Games are fun, but not only that, they teach the student and player skills like: retention of knowledge, critical thinking, etc.  I also love how easy it is to change the games to fit our specific needs and even get ideas and inspiration to make up our own games. The CD makes it so much easier to print everything all out because it is in PDF format and the DVDs are helpful to get even more insight on what to do and how to use these games. My girls recently learned about the three main different kinds of rock. So from this book we played Rock Lotto with our whole family. It was fun to help them get the types of rock cemented into their brains even more because of playing this game.

A Word Write Now is great to use to enhance ones writing skills. I use a Thesaurus all the time with my writing and A Word Write Now is a fun and different way to go about looking up synonyms, antonyms, etc. This reference, when used, makes a world of difference in improving the student's writing. We love how it is organized and have it sitting on our shelf in reach of everyone in our family to use.

BUY IT
Timeline of Classics is $29 for the spiral-bound book and the PDF is $19. Teaching with Games Set is $19 for just the spiral-bound book and $29 for just the CD/DVD Set. A Word Write Now is $35 for the spiral-bound book.

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