Drive Thru History “The Gospels”–A “Wow! Wow! Wow! Homeschool Review Crew Review

 

I have mentioned it before in my reviews that we love history. Because of that, we have explored many different curriculum options. One option that has always seems to come up is Drive Thru History®. I have heard wonderful things about them but we have never had the chance to really use any of their great videos. When it was announced that I might get the chance to review of their video series I was super excited. However, it wasn’t the history part that made me excited, but it was what the series, Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels”, was about. I don’t usual quote from a company’s website in my review but this time I am because when doing my research on the series before I was selected for the review, this really caught my eye:

Dave travels to over 50 ancient sites in Israel to deliver the Gospels in a fresh way, show the evidence for the truth of scripture, and encourage families to get excited about reading the Bible again.

Most of you know that my wife and I are full time missionaries and work with low income families in our community. We do Bible studies, mentor, provide rides and help with food banks, and a lot more things where we try to show Christ the families that we work with. A couple of years ago God led me to begin a Bible study for teen boys. The boys that God has led to our study are kind of a rough lot. They have been through a lot of things in life and have a lot of questions. Many of them question the Bible and it’s validity. They want proof! When I read the above statement I thought that this would be a fantastic study for my boys. I was not disappointed! It has been wonderful.

 

Before I tell you about the great discussions we have had, let me tell you what is included in the series. This series once again features Dave Stotts who is hilarious and very entertaining. He really makes the videos fun to watch. The Special Edition set that we received (pictured above) comes with three DVD’s and super nice study guide that also serves as a case for the DVD’s. On the DVD’s are 18 lessons that cover every aspect of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) in 18 approximately 30 minute long videos that cover Jesus’s life and ministry from before birth to his resurrection. Here are the 18 Episodes and what they cover:

Episode 1: The Historical Landscape
Episode 2: The Announcements
Episode 3: Jesus is Born
Episode 4: Jesus Grows Up
Episode 5: Jesus Starts His Ministry
Episode 6: Jesus Returns to Galilee
Episode 7: Jesus Begins His Miracles
Episode 8: Jesus Teaches with Authority
Episode 9: The Sermon on the Mount
Episode 10: Jesus Travels the Sea of Galilee
Episode 11: Jesus Travels North
Episode 12: A Final Trip to Jerusalem
Episode 13: Jesus Arrives in Jerusalem
Episode 14: The Last Supper
Episode 15: The Trial of Jesus
Episode 16: The Crucifixion of Jesus
Episode 17: The Resurrection of Jesus
Episode 18: Who is Jesus?

The episodes are indeed fascinating as well as funny (as I mentioned before). Dave travels to over 50 places in Israel and surroundings areas to give you historical information and to show you exactly where different events in the Bible happened. I haven’t been able to watch all of the videos yet, but so far we have seen dozens of fascinating places that really help us understand what the times were like and help us put into perspective Jesus’ life and miracles. Just recently we were fascinated with the palaces of Herod and how powerful of a man he was. When Dave talked about the supposed place where Jesus was born we were in awe. Those are just two of the many spots he travels to and really helps us understand scripture even more. I’ll talk about that late, but first let me tell you about the accompanying study guide.

 

 

The 100+ page study guide is equally as interesting. For each lesson it provides a summary of what is going to be covered, scripture that goes along with the lesson, five discussion questions to ask if you are using the series in a Bible study, and a brief section called “Side Road” for each lesson. The “Side Road” briefly discusses things that might not have been covered in the video, or maybe could have been covered in more detail but time didn’t allow. The guide also has dozens of pictures of many of the same places that are talked about in the video. We have really had some lively discussions in our Teen Boy’s Bible Study, which leads me to my next paragraph.

 

 

 

Above are two pictures from just last night. In the top picture you may see Jacob, my youngest – 11 years old. He has found these videos fascinating. The videos are geared toward middle school to adults, but all ages can can enjoy them.

 

We have had some super lively discussions after watching the videos at our Bible Study. Of course the teens seem bored at times when they are watching, but they sure know the answers to the discussion questions and have some great questions themselves. Because Dave Stotts uses a lot of outside history texts from Biblical days intertwined with the Gospel accounts, and also travels to all of these spots to show historical evidence that these events did happen, it has made the boy’s think. We have great talks about why the virgin birth is important, the wise men, Herod and more. It is really getting everyone to contemplate the scriptures which is what I really wanted. It has been great.

 

As you can see I am a complete fan of Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels”. It has been fantastic. I would really encourage you to use it either in your homeschool setting or perhaps in a teen Bible study setting such as what we have. To find out more about this series and other Drive Thru History® products just click on any one of the highlighted links above. You can also check them out on social media through the links below. Many other members of the Homeschool Review Crew reviewed this great product and you can find what they had to say by clicking on the banner below. Happy Bible Studying!

 

Social Media Links:
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/drivethruhistory/
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/drivethruhistory
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/drivethruhistory/

       

Don’t be Puzzled! Just Download the The Daily Bible Jigsaw app. from Planet 316. It’s Amazing! A Homeschool Review Crew Review.

 

I’m going to cut right to the chase on this review. No chit chat or anything. And, despite what this review is about, this is not a puzzling review to write at all. Why is it not puzzling? Because this has got to be one of my favorite items ever that I’ve reviewed since being on the Homeschool Review Crew. And, I’ve been on it for all but about a year and a half of the past 8 years or so. What great item is it?  The Daily Bible Jigsaw app. from Planet 316! Sarah and I, and even the kids, have loved this.

 

So what is it? It’s a super cool app for your phone or tablet or even your computer (through Facebook) where you put together beautiful 30 piece jigsaw puzzles. After you have put together the puzzle it displays a Bible verse on it that you can share on Facebook. Take a look at the picture below and you’ll see what I mean.

Never done a jigsaw puzzle on your phone or computer? Well, neither had I but it is super easy to do. You just click on a piece by hovering over it and holding down your mouse curser and move it to another piece. If they fit then they will click together. Then you just pick up another piece to and continue. If you need to rotate the piece so that it is going the right direction you just click on it and it will rotate 90%. Just keep clicking until you get it where you want. When you get the whole puzzle together then the verse will display on it. Take a look at the completed puzzle below to see what I mean.

 

You can then share it on Facebook if you like so that it will bless and uplift others.

Okay, now I know that there are some people that are great at jigsaw puzzles and some people that are not so great. This has app has something for everyone!

If you are not so great at jigsaw puzzles there are a lot of helps that you can use.

I really like the help where only the edges are shown. When I press on it all of the center pieces are removed and the edge pieces are left. That’s the way Grandpa and I used to do those huge jigsaw puzzles when I was young. Anyway, after the edge pieces are all in place then the center pieces reappear.

Unfortunately, the center pieces just reappear haphazardly right in the middle of the puzzle. That makes the puzzle difficult to complete. Never fear, there is also a help that “sweeps” all of the unused pieces to the sides so that you can get a clear view of the center. You can use this at any time to move all the pieces to the sides of the mat.

I mentioned my Grandpa a second ago. There was always a jigsaw puzzle going on the card table in the living room of his house. To help us know what the puzzle was to look like we always had the box top showing so that we could look at it. Never fear! You can do the same thing with the Daily Bible Jigsaw. There is a help that allows you to take a peak at what the completed puzzle looks like.

Still having trouble? Well the next to helps are extra useful if you are having a hard time.

With the first you can click on the rotate help button and rotate all of the pieces to their correct position. They will stay that way the entire time so that you won’t have to rotate them on your own and there is no confusion as to how each piece is to be positioned.

If you are still having difficulty you can press on the magnet help and two pieces will automatically come together.

Now, mind you, you have to pay coins for these helps, but it isn’t difficult to get coins. Like all free online apps, the creators have to make money somewhere. Otherwise they can’t keep producing great games. Planet 316 is no different. You can either purchase coins or you can watch a quick advertisement video to earn coins. The creators gave me a bunch of coins to use during the review period, but I probably wouldn’t have needed them because you can watch two videos in a row to earn 2 coins each time you watch. After that, you have to wait about five minutes to watch a couple of more videos.

 

 

Now this is where the fun really begins for you die hard puzzle fans. There are a bunch of ways that those who love puzzles can challenge themselves.

 

First, each puzzle is timed and you can replay a puzzle if you want to try to get a better time. Or, if you want to challenge a friend, you can challenge them and try to get first place. My friend Debra seems to always be in first place on my list. I think she is cheating somehow, but she claims she never uses any helps! Hmmmmmm! I’m not so sure!

 

There is also a weekly trophy that you can earn if you complete the most puzzles. I am really trying to win this weeks trophy. I was only eleven puzzles behind the last time I checked.

 

Which reminds me, a new puzzle is available every day, but you can go back and do past puzzles from before you downloaded the app. Just click on the calendar and go! I have so much fun doing that. You can also earn extra coins by doing this. If you complete so many “Monday” puzzles you will earn reward coins. That goes for each day of the week. You can also earn reward coins for doing puzzles in a certain amount of time. Recently I complete my 100th puzzle and earned more reward coins.

 

 

Okay, there are so many great things about the Daily Bible Jigsaw app. from Planet 316 that I know I am forgetting something. Oh, I remember! There are also bonus puzzles that you can do. They are a lot bigger and more challenging but just as fun. Also, if you are just having a down moment and need some encouragement you can just click on the verse button to read the wonderful verses that are used or click on the archive button to look back at all of the beautiful puzzles that you have already completed.

 

So, what’s the best part of the Daily Bible Jigsaw app. from Planet 316? It’s absolutely FREE! We love it! Just click on any one of the highlighted links above to find out how to download it on your phone, tablet or computer. Also, check out their social media links that are listed below. Many of the other Homeschool Review Crew members reviewed this great app and you can find what they had to say by clicking on the banner below. Happy Puzzling!

 

Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Planet316/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/planet_316  @planet_316

 

 

 

 

 

Color My Conversation–A Homeschool Review Crew Review

     

Learning good communication skills is hard for anyone. Trust me, I know. We have four teen boys and one pre-teen. And, two of those along with their older 24 year old brother are on the autism spectrum. In this day and age, with teen language the way it is and with the rise of electronics where people of all ages use abbreviations and slang when they type, good communication skills have fallen along the wayside for almost all children. It is, however, especially difficult for boys that are on the autism spectrum. That is why I am so glad that we were sent Color My Conversation from Northern Speech Services.

 

Color My Conversations (CMC) is an excellent program that creatively teaches all kids, but especially special needs children, methods of communication that are fundamental to life and the kit that we received came with absolutely everything that you need. And I mean everything! Everything down to the markers that you use is included. We didn’t really need to buy anything special at all. That is unusual for curriculums today. I was amazed.

 

The teaching instructions and any printouts needed are located on CD that is also included and that brings me to something else I really liked about the program – the ease of using. Everything is written out for you. From the words that you are to say to suggestions on how to work with an individual child – everything is written out for you.

 

Finally, I really like the fact that Color My Conversations takes you from the very basics of conversations to more complex conversations in twelve lessons. Don’t worry, though, it is given to you in bite sized segments. The twelve lessons are:

 

Beginner Level – The Three Basic Conversations

 

Lesson One – The Yellow Conversation

Lesson Two – The Short Conversation

Lesson Three – The Long Conversation

 

Intermediate Level

 

Lesson Four – “WH” Questions – Who, What, When, Where, and Why

Lesson Five – Interrogative Reversals – Yes! No! Maybe So!

Lesson Six – Making Comments Count

Lesson Seven – Topic Changer Pro

Lesson Eight – Speaking Loud and Clear!

Lesson Nine – Beading

 

Advanced Level

 

Lesson Ten – Shared Topic – My Topic – Your Topic

Lesson Eleven – Field Assignments – Smile! You’re on Camera!

Lesson Twelve – Customized Conversations

 

Let me take you through a typical lesson. Lesson one has to do with “Yellow Conversations”. Yellow Conversations are the very basic conversations – and I’m talking very basic – it’s the hello and goodbye of the conversation. You see, I told you that this course gave you things in bite sized segments.

 

1. The teacher (you if you are a homeschooler) starts the whole course by watching a 10 minute video that introduces you to the course. Then you watch a 2-10 minute introductory video for each lesson. They are super helpful and are done by the creator of series.

2. After that you send home a parent letter (already written out for you on the CD) that explains what the lesson is going to be about and what the parent can do to review what has been learned with the child when they get home. Of course if you are a homeschooler then you are the parent and teacher so you won’t really need to know what is going on.

3. The lesson manual then gives you an overview of what is going to be learned along with all materials that you will need to pull from the box. Remember – everything is included.

4. Next is the actual lesson. As I said, everything is written out for you from the introduction, to the “basic training”, to the practice, to the “wrap up and homework challenge”. It’s all there along with some suggestions and helpful hints. There is even a keep it fun section for ideas on how to review the lesson throughout the week. You can choose from catchy songs (the music is included on a CD) to other suggestions. If there is anything needed for the review suggestions it is included!

5. Finally, there is a discussion of the lesson that is just for you that reemphasizes what is really needed to be taught in this lesson and answers some basic questions.

 

 

I really, really like how simple it is to use this curriculum but how much in depth it goes. It really does build from the basics of a conversation to the more complex elements of a conversation. I originally thought that this would be perfect for Joshua, but I have been using it with Jacob and he really loves it. There is a special section in this curriculum that talks about how break down each lesson to use with special needs children but I haven’t found that I needed it yet with Jacob. Perhaps I will need to use it with the more complex lessons. As I have mentioned many times before I also really like how this curriculum includes everything. This program is a real hit with my family.

 

To find out more about Color My Conversation from Northern Speech Services just click on any one of the highlighted links above. You can also connect with them by clicking on one of the social media links below. Many of the other members of the Homeschool Review Crew reviewed this awesome program and you can find what they had to say by clicking on the banner below. Happy homeschooling!

 

Social Media Links:
Facebook (company):  www.facebook.com/northernspeech
Facebook (product):  www.facebook.com/colormyconversation/
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/northernspeech   @northernspeech
Pinterest:  www.pinterest.com/northernspeech
YouTube:  www.youtube.com/northernspeech
Instagram:  www.instagram.com/northernspeechservices/

         

Web Design by CompuScholar–A “Wow! Wow! Wow!” Homeschool Review Crew Review.

 

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Okay. Before I tell you what is “Wow! Wow! Wow!” I need to tell you a story. It’s a sad, sad, story. It begins when a father asks his son, John Allen, by now a young man in his early 20’s, if he would like to review a really neat online Web Design course by CompuScholar, Inc. John Allen has always enjoyed working with the computer and, in fact, when he was in high school, helped review another course by the same company. Back then the company was known as “Homeschool Programming” and included books in the learning process. Now, though, as I mentioned, they are known as CompuScholar, Inc. and their courses are all online. Well, anyway, dear old Dad registered John Allen for the course using the very easy registration process and was thinking that John Allen was merrily working his way through the course when, lo and behold, when Dad went to check on the progress about half way through the review period, he found that John Allen had not been working through the course because of extra hours of work and other outside obligations. Well, after scolding said son for not mentioning this to his dear old and now panicking Dad, his father decided that it was partially his fault for not checking up on him sooner. So, Dad rolls up his sleeves and decides to just take the course himself. After all, since the Web Design course is written for kids in 6-12th grades (middle school and high school) Dad thought it would be easy but also expected it to be boring since this was not really his thing. Well, although Dad did not get through as much as some other reviewers probably did, Dad did get through quite a bit and is loving the course. The following is dear old Dad’s review (aka me). I hope you enjoy it.

As I mentioned above, the course is written for kids in grades 6-12. CompuScholar. Inc. suggests that, although no programming skills are needed, familiarity and ease of using the computer is recommended. As they mentioned to we reviewers, if a family is petrified of computers and needs to take their computer to Geek Squad every week to clean off viruses then this may not be a good fit for them. Really, though, although I can maintain my blog pretty well, I have no other programming skills at all (except for an ancient college computer class back in the early 80’s soon after desk tops were introduced so I really don’t think that counts anymore) and I found the course fairly easy to navigate and very interesting.

The registration was equally as easy. This course can be used in a classroom setting, so a number of students can be registered and tracked if that is what you purchased, but, of course, this is not what we used it as. I did, however, register myself as the teacher and registered John Allen as the student (which of course, to my dismay he never used) and the process was simple.

The course itself is easy to use but, now this is where the “Wow! Wow! Wow!” comes in, you learn so much! Don’t worry, all of the information is given to you in small bits and pieces, and is given to you in several different ways. In this course there are 28 Chapters. In each chapter their are three or four lessons, a project, and a chapter exam. Each lesson has taken approximately 30-45 min. for me to complete. So, depending on how quickly you get a lesson done and/or how many lessons you want to do in a day, you could complete this course in one semester of homeschooling or if you just do one lesson/project/chapter test a day, then it would take you about a whole homeschool year to complete.

 

Let me describe a typical Chapter to you. You begin by watching a video of the lesson. As I said above, the whole process of developing a web page from beginning to end is taught in bite size pieces. For example, Chapter Two: Your First Web Page, you begin to learn how to prepare your computer to use HTML. Lesson One talks about Root Directories, Lesson Two teaches about Home Pages, Lesson Three teaches essential HTML Symbols and in Lesson Four you learn about HTML File Layout. In each lesson you first watch a video. After the video you read the lesson text. I really like this approach because it reaches both the auditory learner and the visual learner. After watching the video and reading the text there is a lesson quiz that has five multiple choice questions. For each quiz you are given three chances before you have to submit your answers to be graded. After the lessons in each chapter there is an activity where you practice what you have learned. In Chapter Two the activity is called “Body Text Experiments” and, as the name applies, has to do with Body Texts. The experiments are always explained fully and I have had no difficulty understanding them. Finally there is a Chapter Text which is also multiple choice. The quizzes, activity and chapter test are weighted and each grade represents a part of your total grade for that chapter. It is very easy to navigate through everything. All you have to do is click on the next icon and you are there.

That’s it for a complete chapter. They are very easy to figure out and to do. By the time you are done with all of the lessons you will have learned how to create a multi page website complete with graphics and audio visual content. What the course does is take you through developing a practice website about Raptors so that you can use what you learned in the practice website to build your own website.

The teachers guides are equally simple to use. Each lesson has it’s own teachers guide that goes over what is taught in the lesson. It also has added helps for the teacher that is overseeing the course. While the information is helpful, it is not necessarily needed to complete the course. There is also an answer key for the teacher to use as well. Because I am taking the course using my teacher password, I have not been able to really use the other features that are included like the gradebook feature but I hope to be able to use it soon because I am going to really push John Allen and some of my other boys to take this course.

As you can see, I am really impressed with this course. I am learning so much and loving it! To find out more about the Web Design course by CompuScholar, Inc. just click on any one of the highlighted links above. Many of the other members of the Homeschool Review Crew reviewed other courses by CompuScholar, including their Digital Savvy course, and you can find what they had to say by clicking on the banner below. Happy Computing!

   

What A Day it Has Been!

Today is done. What will tomorrow bring?

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

As I sit here and contemplate what a crazy day it's been, I can't help but thank God for his blessings and for using Sarah Trull Tinkel and me in ways that I often don't understand.

It all began while I was doing my devotions and praying this morning. I got a call from the social worker for our foster boys asking if we could pick up their brother a day early to come and live with us. Originally we thought that they were going to wait until the end of the school year for Robert to come and live with us. Then, last week, we were told it would be Thursday. However, the boy's home where he was at needed another bed so they asked us to pick him up today. I quickly went to tell Sarah then went to finish the review that I was working on.

While finishing the review, I got a call from a strange number listed as a Nevada number. My caller ID said it was listed as a spam number so I didn't answer. A few minutes later the same number came up on my phone again. I thought I swiped my phone to reject the call but apparently answered it. I heard a voice coming from the phone so I picked it up to ask who it was. It ended up being one of John Allen's friends who had gotten into some trouble and had spent the night in jail. We consider him like a son. We quickly jumped in the car to make arrangements for him to get out of jail. He is staying with us for the night and Sarah is going to go to court with him in the morning. Please be praying for our young friend. Because we live in a small town, I’m not going to mention his name but God knows the whole situation.

While we were dealing with him, a friend who volunteers at a local food bank called to say that they had a lot of food today and suggested we come by. Knowing that we would have a full house of seven wonderful young men to feed, we gladly stopped by. While there I was introduced to a man and asked if I would pray with him. We ended up talking for about an hour while he told me his life story including his running from God. He knew that God was calling him back. Through tears we prayed together and I promised that I would be in contact with him again. Please be praying for Chuck.

After picking up David and Skiler, stopping by McDonald’s to get everyone something to eat off of the dollar menu, and going home to unload the McDonalds food and food bank food, we were finally on our way to pick up Robert in the boy’s home an hour away.

Robert quickly got settled in and soon all of the boy’s wanted to go to the city park to play basketball. They had heard of Sarah’s basketball skills (she played in college) and invited her to come. I watched from the car since, as many of you know, I am not an athlete. Soon, a young man came over to the car. I quickly recognized him as a boy who used to come to our day camps a few years ago with his brother and sister. He apologized for not coming to any of our events for the past couple year or so and explained that the reason was that his mom had left them and he and his sister were now living with their father. The two youngest brothers who were too young to come to day camps were living with their father (a different father from the two oldest) and the middle brother who had still another father, was living with the mom in a homeless shelter in Nashville. After talking for some time with him, I found out where he was living and invited him to come to our teen boy’s Bible study on Thursday nights. Please be in prayer for Christian, his sister and his three younger brothers. It is a tough situation.

Finally, while I was talking to Christian, I look up to see Sarah and another boy sprawled out on the court. Yes, Sarah and the boy had gotten tripped up and their was a wipe out. As I type, Sarah is beside me in the bed and Jacob, our youngest is between us after he got sick and threw up in the bathroom. Please pray for both Sarah, who is aching from the fall and Jacob.

So, I am here contemplating and listening to the sound of a full house of boys and young men settling down for the night. As I do I wonder what tomorrow will bring but know that whatever it is God will be with us.

Thanks for all of your prayers.

Joshua Has Done It Again!

 

The end of the bowling season seems to be Joshua’s time to excel. Last year he had a fantastic finish to his first year of bowling. He far exceeded his goals at the Tennessee State Junior Bowling Championships. This year he did even better! Not only did he have a great tournament but he bowled his highest ever single game with a score of 228! And, this year he was in the top 10 in every single category. No, make that the top 6 in every single category and in three out of the five categories he was in the top 5! Below are all the details.

Team – His four man team placed 5th out of 35 teams in their division.

Doubles – He and his partner placed 6th out of 58 doubles teams in their division.

Singles – He placed 5th out of 72 bowlers in his division.

All Events Handicapped – He placed 6 out of 73 bowlers in his division.

All Events Scratch – He placed 3 out of 73 bowlers in his division!

 

Congratulations Joshua!

God’s Spring Blessings to the Tinkels–Part 2–Our Plants and Trees

 

And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, Matthew 6:28

The other day I mentioned how much we enjoy watching the birds all year long but especially in the spring. God has blessed us with many different types of birds that have come to the feeders that we have in the yard of our new house.

God has also blessed us with many different types of flowering plants and trees. When we lived at the mission house a few years ago we did a lot of planting. We enjoyed planting all kinds of flowers, bushes and trees. When the mission and house were sold, Sarah said that she wouldn’t plant again until we owned our own home. Well, now that we own our own home, Sarah is thinking about planting again. However, the previous owners have done such a great job of landscaping that we are waiting to see what flowers and blooms this spring before we decide what we are going to add. We have loved watching more and more beautiful things bloom each day. Below are some of the things that we have enjoyed seeing thus far. Thank you Lord for all of your blessings!

 

We Love History and We Love Memoria Press History–A Homeschool Review Crew Review

 

 

“These are a few of my favorite things!”

Do you remember that song from The Sound of Music? Well, today I’m going to talk about a couple of my favorite things. My first favorite thing is history. I know I have talked about this before but we really do love history around here. It began with my parents. They would take us to wonderful historic places like Gettysburg, Williamsburg, Plymouth Rock, etc. I also had the great pleasure of being a teen during our countries Bicentennial in 1976 so that helped stoke my love of history. I have tried to pass that on to my children and, thankfully, do to some excellent curriculum, books, and, of course, vacations to some great historic sites ourselves, my kids have developed a love for history as well.

Another one of my favorite things is Memoria Press. My first experience with this great classical curriculum company was when we first began to homeschool John Allen, my oldest, I decided I wanted him to learn Latin since that was the basis for many language. That began his love of Latin and our love of Memoria Press. We used one of their Latin curriculums and John Allen excelled. We have used several things of theirs over the years. So, what could be better than a history curriculum from Memoria Press? Well, that’s what we got! We were blessed to receive The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set and 200 Questions About American History Set.

These two awesome sets actually consist of five books and a set of flashcards. The first book that I want to talk about comes from the The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set. The whole set is actually based on H. A. Guerber’s historical works by the same name. I love original historical books that were written before the time of rewriting history and political correctness. This is an honest portrayal of what really happened in the early days of our great nation. Original written in 1899 this 211 page combination of these two books is divided into 85 short stories that cover “Our Country so Long Ago” all the way to “The Spanish-American War”. The stories are well written and interesting. In fact, it’s books like this on which I based the history curriculum that I put together for our two autism spectrum boys. This book fits in marvelously with the other books that I’ve been using. My kids have learned so much by using old historical textbooks such as this.

The two other books that come in this set are The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Student and Teacher Guides. These 32 lesson books cover all of the chapters in the original H. A. Guerber textbook. Each Lesson has four sections. The “Facts to Know” section covers several events, items or people that a student should know about and memorize. Such things as William Penn, the Seven Years’ War and The Statue of Liberty are included in this section. The “Vocabulary” section simply has the student define different words that may be new to them in each story. Section 3 – “Comprehension Questions” ask questions about the different stories that the student must answer in two or three sentence. Finally, the last section, “Enrichment”, has the students locate different historical areas on the map, list things on a timeline or other chart, and then do some other activity such as write a journal entry or memorize a particular poem or document. My kids love doing this type of work because they love history and this is something that they can exceed in. Often I will ask them the questions or vocabulary definitions because they have difficulty with small motor tasks, but really there is not much writing at all in the student workbook and each lesson is only about two pages long. The Appendix in the back has the maps, charts and documents that are referred to in the lessons. The Teacher Guide has all of the same things that the Student Guide has but has all of the answers filled in. It also has four tests that cover about 8 lessons each that can be given to the student.

The 200 Questions About American History Set includes a Student Book and Teacher Guide as well as a set of flashcards to drill students with. This set is exactly as it is named – 200 Questions About American History. They are 200 important questions that all students should know. It is a complement set to the H. A. Guerber set and most of the answers are taken from the H. A. Guerber textbook. In the student book, the chapter where the answer is found in the Guerber book is given. There is also a helpful chart at the beginning of the book that lists where the answers can be found. The one difference between this set and the Guerber set is that this set goes beyond where Guerber ended. For the historical events beyond The Spanish American War it is recommended that you purchase Volume 4 of Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. Again the Teacher Guide includes everything the Student Guide includes along with the answers but also includes seven tests that can be given throughout the year. The flashcards are very handy in reviewing the 200 important events. My boys really excel by using flashcards in their learning and these question on one side/answer on the other cards are very helpful.

These are definitely going to be used throughout our course of learning American History. As I mentioned before they go along fantastically with what we are already using. We are very pleased with them.

To find out more about The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set and 200 Questions About American History Set just click on any one of the highlighted texts above or check out the social media links listed below. Some of the other Homeschool Crew Members reviewed other items from Memoria Press and you can find what they had to say by clicking on the banner below. Happy Homeschooling!

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God’s Spring Blessings to the Tinkel’s–Part One–Our Birds

 

Matthew 10:29-31

"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. "So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

Spring has sprung here at the Tinkel Estate and this is the first post of a short series on God’s spring creations around our home. We love our new house and property and we love looking out each day to see what trees and plants are blooming. The previous owners did a magnificent job of landscaping. They kept some of the beautiful trees that were on the property as well as added more gorgeous trees, plants and bushes.

We’ve added by putting out our birdfeeders. We have loved bird watching since our early days of marriage. It was really Sarah’s grandparents that really inspired me to be an ornithologist (bird watcher). They had bird feeders up all over their yard. In fact, the large standing birdfeeder in my pictures below is one that grandpa made. It stood outside of their kitchen window for years and now stands outside of our huge picture window. We love our feeders and our birds. Enjoy the pictures.