Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett - Our Review for The Homeschool Village

I had always heard so much about Amanda Bennet's unit studies and have been wanting to try them. Over the past month we have had the chance to preview two of the units, one complimentary copy given to us through The Homeschool Village, and the other I purchased (because I liked the first so much!). We have been working our way through Astonishing Animals and Sunny Seashells. This post contains our thoughts about the unit studies and will hopefully answer questions you may have about them!

To preface this review, I found it quite helpful to read Unit Study Basics at Amanda Bennett's blog before I started. She is a wealth of information! I also got some advice from Tristan (@Our Busy Homeschool) and she offered me some very concrete and practical tips. We reviewed a Download N Go ebook. Amanda Bennett also offers unit study adventures (a 4 week study) for children grades K-12.

The Download N Go ebooks are unit studies (designed for children grades K-4) that bring unit study and lapbooking together. The ebooks are availabe for easy download and generally are around $7, although I've been seeing a lot of them on sale recently. (You can also enter for a chance to win one at The Homeschool Village today!) The bang for your buck is amazing! I used them with a six and nine year old, each child working at their own pace.

Each PDF file ebook contains:

• Five days worth of internet linked lessons about the topic. There are videos, coloring, question and answers, map work, matching activities, journaling, vocabulary, spelling, Bible verses, poetry, and many other activites included in each unit study.
• A section of lapbook elements at the end of each study, so when your are finished with the study (or you can do them concurrently) your children can make a beautiful lapbook to go along with the topic of study.
• A list of suggested resources/books to go along with the topic.
  
• Suggestions for you, the teacher, to guide you and your students through the study.
• Fun Family Ideas at the end of the study to extend learning.
• A very cute certificate of completion to include with your child's finished product.
  

How we used the ebooks:

• I downloaded the unit study onto my computer (I'm working on an iMac). It automatically went into my downloads folder, but I will keep a separate "unit studies" folder as we do more of these. I also emailed the file to myself, and then used it on my iPad (this was AWESOME!!) and opened it in iBooks. For us, this was the way to go, but we also did them on our desktop computer. (*note - some of the images in the study did not show up on the iPad, so it was good my children had printed copies in front of the, too. All links, however, were fully functional.)
  
• I always keep lots of three pronged/2 pocket folders on hand. I printed the sections of the ebook I thought we would use and made a folder for each child. There are approximately 4 double-sided pages for each day, so it's a lot of ink to use. I printed in black and white, double-sided, and left out pages I didn't think were important to print.
• I went through the book list and reserved several of the books from our library; this was the best thing to do, because my children had these books around for free reading. The book choices were excellent. To me, this was one of the best things about the unit study!
• At first we all sat around the computer - the children had their folders and recorded answers while I navigated the links and the ebook. My nine year old is perfectly capable of running it herself, so she can work on the study independently!
• When I discovered we could put the unit studies on our iPad, we sat on the sofa and went through the study that way -- very cool, and in my opinion it was easier to navigate that way.
• We always had lots of crayons, colored pencils, and pens on hand because sometimes it calls for mapwork in color. And, it's just more fun to have fancy office supplies on hand.
  

The kids' favorite area to work on their unit studies... in our music room by the large bookshelf - enough room for them to lay together and work in their folders!

Our thoughts about the unit studies:

• We loved the format! Having EVERYTHING ready for you (right down to the supplementary book list) was invaluable. It took us about two weeks to complete a unit study - five days worth of activities - we didn't do unit study work each day.
  
• The way Amanda Bennett has included so many other subjects in a unit study is amazing to me. The geography component was particularly impressive to me (and I know she is now partnering with National Geographic Maps).
  
• Having the lapbook components to print is wonderful! Once we finished the unit study I printed some lapbook elements for my children and just let them have fun. The instructions were very clear, which made it a great independent activity. They knew all of the information and had such a sense of accomplishment!
  
• Older children (I think 8 and up) can run the computer themselves for the activities, but I enjoyed doing that part because I was learning, too! If you have several children, I could see children working together on a unit study while mom is helping another child with something else.
  
• We didn't do everything in the unit studies - I think they are designed so you can pick and choose. Some of the activities were clearly too difficult for my youngest, so I enjoyed the freedom to tailor it for each of my children. They also contain A LOT of information and could take a long time if you do everything!
  

In short, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND these unit studies, and we will be using many more in the future. Let your child take a look at all of the titles available and have them choose what they'd like to learn about. I think you'll be glad you did! To quote my nine year old daughter "I love these unit studies because you learn SO MUCH STUFF and it's fun and educational!"

*Please note that I have been provided a complimentary copy of this resource by The Homeschool Village specifically for review purposes. If you visit The Homeschool Village you can also read others' thoughts about the Download N Go Unit Studies AND A GIVEAWAY!

Who is God? And Can I Really Know Him? - Apologia Review

Our family has had the privilege of reviewing Who is God? And Can I Really Know Him? - a family-inclusive, biblical worldview study published by Apologia Press in partnership with Summit Ministries.

Up to this point we have been doing a simple devotion each day, using a scripture memory box, and choosing our own Bible readings. We also read Bible stories, attend Sunday School.... essentially our faith is part of our lives. I was so excited to get this book through The Homeschool Village, because I am wanting my children (especially my nine year old daughter) to dig DEEPER into God's word and understand what it means for her life. I also desire for her to be able to defend her faith in any given situation.

First, a description of the book:

• Ten lessons ~ the publisher recommends taking two weeks to complete a lesson.

1. Where Am I Building My Life?
2. How Can I Know What's True?
3. What is God Like? (Part I)
4. What is God Like? (Part II)
5. Who are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?
6. If God Created the World, Why Isn't it Perfect?
7. Why Did God Create Me?
8. Will God Meet All My Needs?
9. Why Does Sin Keep Me From Knowing God?
10. Is Jesus the Only Way to God?
    

• Each lesson is divided into several parts - for example, The Big Idea, What You Will Do, Short Story, Think About It (journaling), Words You Need to Know, Hide It in Your Heart (copying Bible verses in a journal), Integrated Learning, What Should I Do?, Prayer, Worldview Study, and House of Truth.

• The book is written directly to the student, so it could be completed independently (we chose to work on it as a family)

• The textbook is recommended for use by ages 6-14.

• Is the first in a series of four books - all by Apologia Press.

What we thought of the book:

Apologia has written this book for quite a broad age range (6-14). My children are 6 and 9. My six year old was not very interested in the material, but it was perfect for my 9 year old. She liked the real life examples and the opportunities for journaling. I would let her go to a quiet place in the house with her Bible and the journaling assignment, which worked well. I would not recommend the book for younger children. If you have younger children who will be listening with their siblings, the material is appropriate for them, but their attention span obviously won't be as long.

There are many places for discussion, which really seemed to interest my daughter. Throughout the book there are also recipes, real life examples, and opportunities for learning in other subject areas (history, science, etc...). I believe she will benefit from this study and gain an understanding of HER place in God's world, and why God's word is the only truth for her life.

This book is definitely NOT an elementary Bible study. It explores a Biblical worldview of God and Truth, which may be quite tough for younger children to grasp. We are still teaching the foundations of our faith (which is Lutheran) to my six year old. This is an ongoing process, and I don't feel he is ready to tackle some of these larger issues that the book presents. My daughter, on the other hand, is in the logic phase of her development and is ready to tackle these difficult questions.

For example: Chapter Two in the Book explores "What is Truth?". We had a particularly good discussion about Charles Darwin (who the chapter highlighted) and why we cannot believe his theory of evolution. To me, this seems to be one of the biggest issues we face as adult Christians, and I loved the way it was presented to children in this book. I have to give a huge THANK YOU to Apologia for helping me explain this to my children in such a seemingly simple way. At the age of 9 or 10 I believe children are ready to tackle these tough questions and they need to hear from us what the truth is, not from some other source that may or may not share our beliefs.

As always, I believe it is essential to preview the material before I present it to my children, so I read the chapters/assignments first. I have noticed a few small things that might not align exactly with the teachings of the Lutheran church , but we can talk about them and learn from that, too.

If you have an older child who wants to learn more about God and their relationship with Him, and also about their place in the world as a Christian, I would recommend this as an integral part of your Bible studies.

*Please note that I have been provided a complimentary copy of this resource by The Homeschool Village specifically for review purposes. If you visit The Homeschool Village you can also read others' thoughts about this same book. You can also WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK!

Review - Warrior Prayers by Brooke McGlothlin

I have had the pleasure of reviewing Warrior Prayers, Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most, by Brooke McGlothlin. Sometimes parenting a boy can feel like a "battle", and to quote Brooke:

"The battle is best fought on our knees, not by reading the best parenting books."

I have known from my son's infancy that boys are just DIFFERENT than girls, and that parenting them is not for the feint of heart, but what a joy it is to know that, through prayer, my husband and I can raise our son to be a Godly young man!

I appreciated this book because it was concise and to the point (just 51 pages!), and it gave me hundreds of scripture references and prayers to use specifically for my son. It downloaded easily onto my iPad, so I could read it in iBooks, and will refer to it often.

Brooke speaks about obedience and submission for our boys - I LOVED the prayers where I could insert my child's name... for example:

"May ____________ obey his parents in the Lord, for this is right (Ephesians 6:1)"

Brooke also gives Biblical examples throughout the book that inspire us to dig deeper into the Bible once we finish her book. Her example of Daniel really spoke to me.

Other topics addressed in the book included:

Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-Control
Anger
Salvation
Heart Change
Honesty
and.... Humility

Brooke ends her book by sharing the prayer with us that she prays over her boys each night. I have printed this prayer and will pray it for my son each evening from now on - it is so powerful and puts into words what I could not.

I recommend you download a copy of this book for yourself... You can find it at Brooke's website, and you can also find her at The MOB society - for Moms of Boys.

You can also read other reviews about this book through The Homeschool Village, and you can WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK!

*Please note that I have been provided a complimentary copy of this resource by The Homeschool Village specifically for review purposes.