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my favorite Master Books titles from the year…

Written by Joy
my favorite Master Books titles from the year…

I have had a wonderful time being part of the Moms of Master Books team, this year.  I though I would share my favorite Master Books titles from the year with you.  Here they are in in no particular order.

1.  The first one I am sharing with you, is the book I am Ruth.  I loved the story of Ruth to begin with, but this book, just made me fall in love with the story even more.  The photography, combined with the scripture and story, really brought the story of Ruth to life.

2.  Children’s Atlas of God’s World is another favorite of ours.  This book takes you through all 7 continents and gives little information about different countries throughout the world. You will learn about the different cultures, animals and plants that God has created. My kids will sit and read this book for hours.  They love all the maps and pictures that are in it.

3.  Another book we have enjoyed is the Big Book of Earth and Sky.  This book shows and explains about the Earth and the Sky from the Outer Atmosphere all the way to the Inner Core of the Earth, from a creation point of view.

4.  Our family loves science and we enjoy any book on God’s creation.  That’s why my kids and I have really enjoyed Exploring The World of Astronomy.  Astronomy has always been a favorite subject of ours and any time we have a chance to read a book that talks about how God created the world, we love reading it.

5.  The last book I am sharing with you is N is for Noah: Trusting God and His Promises. While this book is geared towards younger kids, my 7 and 9 year old loved it.  They loved the way the the book was written using the letters of the alphabet, telling the story of Noah. They loved that it rhymed! It made the book fun for them to read.

I am very thankful to be a part of the Moms of Master Books group.  We have had the honor of reviewing wonderful Christian books.  I am looking forward to sharing more books from Master Books, next year!

Be sure to check out the link-up page at Master Books, to see what other’s are sharing as their favorite books of the year!

2013, homeschooling, review, , , , , ,

Colorado Symphony ~ field trip

Written by Joy
Colorado Symphony ~ field trip

A couple of weeks ago, the kids and I were able to attend a program for kids, put on by the Colorado Symphony.  We went to a program last year and loved it, so the kids and I were really excited about the concert this year.  Music is a big part of our family and any time we have a chance to experience different types of music, we do our best to attend.

Colorado Symphony

Colorado Symphony

This year, the Colorado Symphony played a tribute to Latin Music, Musica Latina: A Symphonic Celebration of the Americas.  The conductor, Scott O’neil did an amazing job explaining the different types of beats and rhythm of the songs they played.  I was truly excited, because I had never heard any of the composers or songs that the did play.

In the hour long program, they played 7 songs; Alberto Ginastera -“Los trabajadores agricolas” from Estancia, Silvestre Revueltas – Sensemayá, Arturo Marquez – Danzon No. 2, Joaquin Rodrigo – Allegro con spirito from Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar, Traditional – El Mosquito, Jose Pablo Moncayo – Huapango, Alberto Ginastera – “Malambo” from Estancia.

Samuel and Claire waiting for the concert to start.

Samuel and Claire waiting for the concert to start.

Once the music started, Scott O’Neil and the Symphony held our attention to the very last note.  From the beautiful solos of the guitar and the percussionist playing an all wooden Marimba, the sound was truly amazing.  We are truly blessed living in an area, where we can experience the sounds of other cultures.

I highly recommend checking in your area, to see if their is a program like this.  It is truly an experience that you soon won’t forget and will be counting down the time, until you can attend another program, like it.  I know our family is looking forward to being able to attend another concert soon.

 

2013, family, field trips, homeschooling, , , , , , ,

The Answers Book for Kids Volumes 5 and 6 ~ review

Written by Joy
The Answers Book for Kids Volumes 5 and 6 ~ review

I am excited about this months books for Moms of Master Books review.  That’s right, I said books!  We received the two newest books from The Answers Book for Kids by Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge.

If your kids are like mine, then they tend to ask a lot of questions. It is just their way, they are always curious. Sometimes it can be hard to answer questions when you just don’t know how to explain it to them. Especially for me, when it comes to asking questions about the Bible and Creation. It can be hard to explain to young children, to where they can understand. This is where Ken Ham and Bodie Hodges come in at. They have this great series of books called, The Answers Book for Kids that helps you answer those questions that are asked by kids.  Yes, these books are actual questions that kids have asked.  I can’t wait to tell you about Volume 5 and Volume 6.

The Answers Book for Kids are wonderful!  They are small hardback books, with the dimensions of 6×6 inches.  They are very bright and colorful and just the right size for small hands to hold.  There are 48 pages for each book with 20-22 questions, per book.  The pages of the book are very sturdy and are very easy to clean, for when those curious and sticky hands want to look through the book.

The Answers Book for Kids, Volume 5, answers 20 questions from kids about Space and Astronomy.  In this book, Ken Ham and Bodie Hodges will answer questions that kids have asked about Space and Astronomy and answer them, by finding the answers from the bible.  What I think I love the most, is they give scripture that you can look up to see where they got the answer from.  Here are just a few examples of the questions that were asked by kids:

  • How big is our galaxy?
  • What is the purpose of stars?
  • How hot are the sun and other stars?
  • Will the sun ever run out or blow up?

The Answers Book for Kids, Volume 6, answers 22 questions from kids on Babel and the Ice Age.  Here are some of the questions that are answered in this book:

  • How big was the Tower of Babel?
  • In what time period was the Tower of Babel built?
  • What is the Ice Age?
  • How does an ice age happen?

I love the formats of those books and love how Ken Ham and Bodie Hodges, takes the time time answer these questions that are asked by kids.  They use scripture to answer the questions and then explain it to kids, in a way that they can understand.

If you have a curious child, who is constantly asking questions, these books are just for them.  I know my children have thoroughly enjoyed reading them.  When my kids found out that there were 4 more books in this series, they asked if I could order them!

These books are $7.99 each on the New Leaf Publishing Group website, or you could even buy the ebook for $5.99.

What questions have your kids recently asked you, that have had you stumped or you just didn’t know how to explain the answer to them?

 

2013, homeschooling, review, , , , , , , , ,

Exploring The World of Astronomy

Written by Joy
Exploring The World of Astronomy

It is such a blessing being part of the Moms of Master Books review team.  The book that I get to share with you this time is, Exploring The World of Astronomy.

Exploring The World of Astronomy is just one book, in a series of science books, written by John Hudson Tiner.  In this book, Mr. Tiner will help you discover many details about the amazing planets, stars and space that God created for us.

In the Exploring The World of Astronomy book, there are graphs, charts, explore more sections and chapter reviews in the 13 Chapters and 173 pages of this book.  This is a paperback book

There are a few ways that you can use this book, to help your children understand about the world that God created.  Elementary students can use this book with help from the parents.  Together, you can sit down, read over the sections in the chapters and then discuss the questions at the end of the chapter.

My younger kids and I took just a couple of pages at a time.  By taking it slow, we were able to look at words they did not recognize and find their meanings.  My kids always surprise me, by being able to remember more than what I give them credit for.

I feel like this book is really geared toward the older elementary/middle school student.  This age group could definitely use this book, on their own and be able to comprehend what they are reading.  They would also be able to read and answer the questions, by themselves.  This astronomy book for also make for a great refresher course for the high school student.  The Explore More sections in the book would give the older students a chance to delve a little deeper into the subjects they are reading.

My oldest daughter, who is 16, enjoyed reading this book, just for fun.  She liked the couple of pages in the back of the book that gave extra questions, she could research.

While we liked Exploring The World of Astronomy’s content, there were a couple of things that I did not like about the book.  The first thing that I do not like, it is a soft cover book.  The majority of books that I have gotten from Master Books, they have been hardback and are very sturdy, this one is not.  The other thing that I have always loved about Master Books books, are they are always so beautiful and full of color.  This book is just black and white.  I would have loved to of seen all of the space and planet pictures in full color.

Is this a book I would recommend to someone wanting to learn more about Astronomy?  Absolutely.  The information inside of the book is worth it!  If your family is a science loving family, I think you will enjoy this book as much as we have!

 

2013, homeschooling, review, , , , , , , , , ,

Denver Zoo field trip

Written by Joy
Denver Zoo field trip

We went to the Denver Zoo last year, about this time and we were finally able to go back to visit.  The Denver Zoo is becoming one of my favorite places to visit with the kids.  Yesterday, it was a free day to visit and this is when a lot people take advantage to enjoy seeing all the zoo has to offer.  They also tend to have more volunteers available for the kids to talk with and ask questions.

The kids and I met up with some friends and headed to the Feline section first.  We missed this area the last time we visited, so we wanted to be sure we made it this trip.  I always love seeing the big cats.  They always seem so quiet and graceful, yet I know they are predators and can be aggressive.

Leopard was waiting for a treat.

Leopard was waiting for a treat.

After we left the Feline area, we walked to the giraffes enclosure.  The last time we saw the giraffes, there had recently been a baby.  We saw the baby and several others.  They were all out in the little sunshine that we had and was eating away at their lunch.

Giraffe eating lunch.

Giraffe eating lunch.

The next place we visited was the tropical building.  Oh boy, that place was so humid, it brought back memories of Florida!  It is always neat to see habitats and animals from the place that I grew up.  There are also other many animals from all over the world.

Nemo playing peek-a-boo.

Nemo playing peek-a-boo.

The kids enjoyed seeing fish they recognized from Finding Nemo.  They saw the Clown Fish and Regal Blue Tang.

Dory just keeps swimming.

Dory just keeps swimming.

The polar bears were enjoying the cooler weather and taking a nap when we were walking by.

Polar bear taking a nap.

Polar bear taking a nap.

We learned a little about the Komodo Dragon that the zoo has.  His name is Castor and he is 19 years old.  He is having some joint issues and has to take inflammatory medicine to help him move.

Castor the Komodo Dragon taking a dip in his pool.

Castor the Komodo Dragon taking a dip in his pool.

This crocodile was showing off for us.  I loved how big he opened up his mouth.  It was like he was telling us that he was big and powerful.

Crocodile showing off his teeth.

Crocodile showing off his teeth.

One of the great things about the zoo, is they have volunteers that are in different areas, taking the time to teach the kids about the animals.  This lady was at the Camel exhibit and was telling the kids about the humps on the camels and why they have them.

Kids getting a lesson on camels.

Kids getting a lesson on camels.

I think one of the highlights of this zoo trip was the rhinoceros. He was playing with a bucket that was hanging from the tree.  He was so funny!  He would hit it with his head and it would swing and when it came falling back to him, he would it it again!  It got stuck at one time and he got so upset that he could hit the bucket.  He jumped up and down and turned around, then hit the tree and the bucket fell loose and he kept hitting it. We had a good laugh watching him.

Rhino playing with a bucket.

Rhino playing with a bucket.

I loved this picture of the kids.  They were all standing at the sign that talks about the animal.  I am not even for sure what animal we were looking at, but they were so interested in it.  I loved being with the kids.  They were so wonderful while we were at the zoo.  They asked questions and were attentive when the zoo workers asked them questions.

Kids looking at some animals.

Kids looking at some animals.

I am so thankful that the Denver Zoo has free days for people to attend.  We plan on going back in a couple of weeks with more friends.  We also plan on buying a membership to the zoo.  This is a place that I see us going to a lot more.

What is your favorite animal?  Do you have a zoo in your area?  What do you love about it the most?  I can’t wait for you to share with us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2013, field trips, homeschooling, , , ,