Lots of Helpers

Our family's life in New Zealand

Ancient Egypt

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A little over a year ago, we started working through a Project Passport study from Home School in the Woods, about Ancient Egypt. We worked on it off and on until about April, when we finally finished it (we were alternating one of these stops with a science lesson, a geography lesson, and a few writing lessons–one “extra” a day). I’ve been intending ever since we finished to share some photos of the final products, and finally got them taken today.

This was one of our biggest projects. We all worked together to build this temple. It was quite interesting to see the different parts of it!

Each of the children made their own model of the step pyramid, and wrote a paragraph about it. Interestingly, there is a theory that Imhotep was actually Joseph! (This was Little Miss’s model.)

After we finished the study, we assembled lap books with all the mini books we had been making through the entire study. These lap books are made from a file folder with card stock taped inside to make more pages. Can you guess whose this book is? Clue: the boys don’t like the color pink!

These are the mini books we put inside–aren’t they creative! I love using the things that Home School in the Woods comes up with.

We also wrote a newspaper. We added a couple of articles or pictures to it with each lesson. This was a good way to review what we had learned.

We also did other projects that didn’t go into the lap book. We stored these in 2- or 3-ring binders.

We didn’t end up doing most of these projects. We just cut out the cards and put them in our books. One was to make a reed boat; someone did get around to doing that, but I forgot to get a picture of it.

We added to a timeline all the way through the study, too. It was quite easy to see where to put the figures, and quite interesting to look at how historical events fit together.

We added a postcard to our rack for each lesson. Some had funny stories–the most memorable was the one about the pharoah being annoyed by the hippos roaring hundreds of miles away!

We also added places to our map as we went. We put glue on the Nile River, and added black pepper to represent the silt that overflowed from the Nile each year during the Inundation.

We thoroughly enjoyed doing this project, so much so that, even though we didn’t get a project from Home School in the Woods for review this year (instead, we got the timeline set I reviewed a few weeks ago), the school children wanted to do something and I bought a lap book set about the Wonders of the World. We’re enjoying working through that, and I’ll post pictures when we finish it.

Book Review–Off the Itinerary Series

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Welcome to the Blog Tour for Off the Itinerary series by M. Liz Boyle, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE SERIES

Title: Avalanche 
Series: Off the Itinerary #1 
Author: M. Liz Boyle 
Publisher: Independently Published 
ReleaseDate: September 26, 2019 
Genre: Christian middle-grade/YA, Adventure
“Avalanche surprised me with its depth…a 5-star read…” -For the Love of Literature 
Five friends. One moonlit summit. An unforgettable journey. Excitement hangs in the air as Marlee and her sisters join their friends on a daring hike up a Colorado mountain – in the middle of the night. When Sawyer first proposes the idea of a moonlit summit during the two families’ annual backpacking trip, Marlee is terrified but also hooked. Having grown up taking trips to the mountains, they’ve learned a thing or two about hiking, and Sawyer is confident they’ll be back by sunrise. But when disaster strikes, their knowledge, faith, and stamina will be put to the test. Digging out of the cemented snow is the first of many challenges in the coming days, and now Marlee has to trust Sawyer, who, by the way, was the brain behind the dilemma. Will their faith and friendship survive, or will they cave under pressure? This engaging journey, told by fifteen-year-old Marlee Stanley, captures a timeless sense of adventure. The five young adults strive to exhibit godly character throughout their escapade, but it will take immense strength to hike out of this mess. “I know that if their journey inspired me, it will certainly inspire others…Boyle has brought YA fans an uplifting, adventurous novel.” -A Baker’s Perspective 

I wrote a review of this book a few years ago; see my review here.
PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookDepository |

Title: Chased 
Series: Off the Itinerary #2 
Author: M. Liz Boyle 
Publisher: Independently Published 
Release Date: June 1, 2020 
Genre: Christian middle-grade/YA, Adventure
“Chased would be a great addition to a k-12 Christian school library. Middle schoolers and up will enjoy it.” – Library Lady’s Kid Lit 
It’s been a year since Marlee, her sisters, and the Miles boys survived an avalanche. Sure, it was a little embarrassing for them when all the neighbors saw them on the news, but they love being outdoors, and what are the odds that another tragedy would strike this adventurous group? Has anyone calculated the statistics of being hit with two natural disasters? It has to be low, so of course the two families planned to backpack again this summer. When the teens first meet Thad, a dehydrated hiker on the trail, they give him water and food and help him recover. He seems harmless until he tells them to hike a few extra miles at sunset. Then Lydie finds a hand-drawn map that Thad dropped, and they discover why he is so eager to get away from the Stanley girls and Miles boys. So eager that he starts chasing them. Now they have to climb up unforgiving ridges, sneak through the night, and – is that thunder and lightning? To make matters worse, Marlee has a nagging worry that her older sister Ellie is preparing to move away from home. What is God’s plan? How will they get away from Thad before it’s too late? 
“…realistic, exciting, and suspenseful…Chased is the perfect sequel to Avalanche. It’s gripping, suspenseful, entertaining, and, best of all, Christian.” -David M., Beta Reader

My Review:

A couple of years ago, I reviewed the first book in the Off the Itinerary series, Avalanche. I tried reading it aloud to my children, but the boys got pretty disgusted with it and I quit reading it to them. When more reviewers were needed now for the rest of the series, I decided to read them—but not aloud! 

There isn’t quite as much about boyfriends/girlfriends in this book, although Marlee talks a lot of times about how Ellie and Sawyer like each other a lot. They aren’t officially a couple yet, but she’s sure they are headed that way. I did appreciate some of the conversations about this topic; it seemed like these young people had fairly strong convictions about what was right and wrong. Once, Marlee thanked Sawyer for being a good example to the younger ones.

Another thing I appreciated was Marlee’s mental discussion (with herself) about having cared for a person and saved his life, and then he turned against them. She had to keep reminding herself that they had done the right thing, what Jesus would have done.

As far as Young Adult fiction goes, the Off the Itinerary series seems to be very good. I liked Chased better than Avalanche, although probability is stretched a bit. It’s well-written, though, and a very clean book. I’m very happy to find a YA book that isn’t fantasy! I am allowing my 12-year-old to read the series. 

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookDepository

Title: Ablaze 
Series: Off the Itinerary #3 
Author: M. Liz Boyle 
Publisher: Independently Published 
Release Date: June 1, 2020 
Genre: Christian middle-grade/YA, Adventure
“M. Liz Boyle tackles the topic of showering difficult people with grace and forgiveness, making this a must-read for Christian teens. Adventure seekers who loved Avalanche and Chased will fall head-over-heels for the adventure that heats up in Ablaze!” – Author Allyson Kennedy 
This summer the Stanley sisters and the Miles boys are excited to hike together again, and now they have the unique opportunity to help two of their ranger friends with an outdoor program in the beautiful Montana mountains. Marlee has always considered herself a willing follower. Give her a direction and she’s happy to help. Her older sister Ellie is a natural leader, and Marlee is content in her role as assistant. Marlee and her sisters have been assigned to help with Ranger Rose’s team, and they are savoring the adventure. But in a heartbeat while the group is divided by a few hundred feet, fire breaks out between Ranger Rose and Marlee’s group. In this enthralling finale to the Off the Itinerary series, Marlee must face her fears with courage that only God can provide.

My Review:

Young Adult books are one category I often find to be annoying. Most seem to be fantasy or dystopian, and I don’t like either of those genres. Most others focus heavily on romance. Because I don’t appreciate that, either, I have not found many YA books that I really liked or could recommend. Enter… the Off the Itinerary series. While these books are not free of romance, either, the main focus is adventure. I heard a definition once of straight-up romance as being books in which, if you removed the romantic element there wouldn’t be a story left. While there is romance in Ablaze, it is definitely not the main focus.

All throughout this story, Marley learns a lot about love, forgiveness, and extending grace to those who don’t deserve it. She also has a lot of adventures, and a lot of serious conversations. I was inspired by the things Marlee learned about being a leader. In one paragraph, she realized, “Sometimes leading is simply serving…. Great leaders aren’t always famous or rich. Leaders just care about their group.” Such a good point! There’s also a lot of humour; I was laughing out loud at one scene. This story explores a lot of issues that teenagers are thinking and need to be thinking about. Friendship, love, forgiveness, unconditional love, and the choice of a life partner factor in. Though there is a fair amount of discussion about boyfriend/girlfriend issues,  it is healthy discussion and very clean. There was one time there were a few hugs between Marley and Marshall. I appreciated that there is no kissing in the whole story. Teenagers who love adventure stories, especially girls, will enjoy Ablaze as well as the rest of the Off the Itinerary series.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

M. Liz Boyle is an author, the wife of a professional tree climber and the mom of three energetic and laundry-producing children. She received her Associate’s of Arts at the University of Sioux Falls, where she received the LAR Writing Award for her essay entitled, “My Real Life Mufasa.” Liz once spent a summer in Colorado teaching rock climbing, which she believes was a fantastic way to make money and memories. She resides with her family in Wisconsin, where they enjoy hiking and rock climbing. Liz and her husband have also backpacked in Colorado and the Grand Canyon, which have provided inspiration for her writing. She likes making adventurous stories to encourage others to find adventures and expand their comfort zones (though admittedly, she still needs lots of practice expanding her own comfort zone). She has thoroughly enjoyed working on the Off the Itinerary series.Connect with Liz by visiting mlizboyle.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(3) winners will receive one Off the Itinerary series book (winner’s choice), book swag, and $15 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight August 9, 2022 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on August 16, 2022. US only. Items may vary from image. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

Giveaway–SchoolhouseTeachers.com

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All members of the Homeschool Review Crew have been given one annual membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com to give away! There are over 400 courses available on this site, for all grades from kindergarten through 12th grade, covering all subjects. It would be simple to put together a complete curriculum from this one website, for the entire family, for the price of one year’s membership!

I’ll have to admit, I have not used my Schoolhouse Teachers membership a lot. I like to use physical books for the most part. There have been a few courses that we used as supplements, however. James really enjoyed the one about the Geography of the Bible that he did a couple of years ago. We also liked watching the Torchlighters movies. The entire World Book encyclopedia is included with the membership.

Have a look at this amazing site, and if you would like a chance to try it out for free, please comment on this post with the title of one course you would enjoy trying. Entries will close on September 2, so don’t delay!

Book Review–Book, Chapter & Vows

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About the Book:

Book: Book, Chapter, & Vows

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release date: July 26, 2022

Falling in love with Benjamin wasn’t in the plan, but Mallory finds she’s all but lost her head and her heart after two and a half years of banter, memories, and now shared books.

But when her ex-fiance (does it count if it was just for a few hours?) shows up right in the middle of a writing project with Benjamin, the guy manages to ruin her happiness… again.

Benjamin has been keeping one tiny part of him back from Mallory–just the one thing that’ll repel her for good.
So when the ex-boyfriend-slash-fiance shows up, and things look serious again, he takes a giant step back and prays he can keep his heart intact in the process.

They’re clearly meant for each other. God obviously has a plan. So what’s it going to take for Mallory and Benjamin to work things out and get those vows made?

This Breakers Head novel is Chautona Havig’s final book in the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

My Thoughts:

Have I ever enjoyed the trip through the Independence Islands with Mallory! I have loved every one of these books, getting to know Mallory and her many friends. Each book in the series has focused on a different couple, but Mallory has always been an important character, and Benjamin has come into the story more and more with each book. When I finished Finding a Memory, I wanted to read the next installment right away—but it took time for Book, Chapter, and Vows to be written. Finally, the wait is over and I have been able to learn the truth about the mystery Benjamin and Mallory discovered in the last chapter of that book. Whew!

By now, two and a half years on, Mallory’s mobile book store and coffee shop is doing fairly well. She has been able to get Benjamin to read a lot of books, and they can talk in her love language now. They are working together on a writing project to preserve memories of Uncle Bud (one of my all-time favorite book characters!), and she is loving the romantic relationship that has been developing. And then… someone shows up. Mallory does not want to see her ex-fiance again, and now he is pushing his way into her life.

Benjamin has a secret he has been keeping from Mallory. He was about to tell her, but then Trevor shows up. How can he bear to give Mallory the space to decide between them—but he knows he needs to. And, he still hasn’t told her his secret; it will surely push her away and end things between them. Meanwhile, there is that secret they discovered about Uncle Bud to unravel. Can they still work together enough to solve the mystery?

Oh, I loved this story. I stayed up a bit too late a couple of nights to finish this book because I loved it so much. It’s a very satisfying end to Chautona’s Independence Islands series. I greatly enjoyed the frequent references to books throughout this story, including Things We Didn’t Say, which was a book I loved last year. I also loved watching Benjamin and Mallory trying to work out their differences, and seeing Lyla from Dual Power of Convenience again. What a fun story!

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling author of Aggie and Past Forward series, Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More from [Author\’s Name]:

It Happened AGAIN!

I remember the first book I had trouble finishing. Beneath the Cloak. It was the last book of the Wynnewood series, and I was dying to reveal the big secret that had been a big part of the story line. I spent hours writing very few words. Someone asked if I had writer’s block, but I didn’t. I knew every word I wanted to put on that page, but I kept procrastinating.

For weeks. We’re talking long, agonizing weeks.

Finally, I realized a significant part of why I hadn’t finished was because I didn’t want to. I didn’t want the series to end. Say goodbye to beloved characters? Agony, okay? I wanted to spend the rest of my life in Wynnewood seeing what happened with all the characters and all the things that would happen.

I just wanted to write a bunch of other books, too. What can I say? It’s a thing.

So, as I dove into writing the book I’ve been dying to write since I penned the opening scene of Christmas on Breakers Point, you’d think I’d have been prepared for the inevitable. I mean, it’s happened with several other series since that first time, so… yeah. All ready to combat the problem, right? Not hardly.

To be fair, I was also coming off being very sick, my mother being even sicker, so being crazy behind on everything. I mean, that had a lot to do with it taking so long to get going on it. But once I did, I’d type like crazy and then ignore it for a day or two before the story demanded more telling.

Then, just as I neared the big scene of Book, Chapter, & Vows… I went nuts on doing everything but finishing that book. No joke. I did. Sigh. Again, you think I’d learn.

After much soul searching and even more wailing at God about the cruelty of it all (I was in a dramatic mood, okay?), the solution came to me. Okay, God smacked me upside the head with a 2×4 of memories on how I solved every other, “don’t wanna finish this series” crisis.

See, way back with Wynnewood, the only thing that got me to the finish line was a promise I made to myself. “It doesn’t have to end here. You can write more if you want to. There’s nothing to say you can do ‘Wynnewood, the Later Years’ or something like that.”

Just that one promise to myself that I didn’t have to say goodbye was all it took for me to get back on that trusty old Toshiba laptop and pound out those last few chapters.

And here I was again, not ready to say goodbye to a series—to these islands that feel so crazy real to me. I didn’t want to say goodbye to the characters and their quirky ways. Would you?

Now… you’re going to laugh at me. Go ahead. I mean, I did. See here’s the deal. I didn’t have to make that promise to myself again. “What?” you say? “What do you mean?”

Yeah. I don’t have to say goodbye to the characters or the islands. Why? Because we have another island series coming, the Suamalie Islands, and Mallory is going to visit those islands.

If that isn’t enough for me, I have another series all planned for the Independence Islands, too! Yeah. That. I mean, what was I not thinking?

As soon as I thought of that, I was able to get in there, get the last few scenes written and pass it off to the fabulous Christy for her editorial magic. As for me, I think I’m going to go play around just a little bit with one of the Josie Parker Mysteries. I mean, why not?

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

July 2022 Photos

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For some reason, I often end up with only a few photos in July. It’s the middle of winter, so maybe there just isn’t that much that’s inspiring to take pictures of? Here are the few I found in my picture folder.

This is Mr. Sweetie, with Mr. Imagination’s cockatiel, Jo-Jo, on his shoulder. Jo-Jo prefers to sit on the organizers on top of my desk, or on a high cupboard, and watch what happens in the house, but sometimes Mr. Sweetie can coax him onto his shoulder like this.

Mr. Sweetie borrowed a book from a friend. He read it, and then Mr. Imagination picked it up and read the whole book. When they were going to return it, Little Miss found it in the van, and she read the whole book, too! If you know anything about the struggles I had teaching a couple of our older boys to read, you’ll know how much this picture means to me.

One day, the girls were playing on our street with the go-cart. First, Little Miss pushed Miss Joy around–and then they reversed! I tried to get a picture when I could see both their faces, but wasn’t fast enough.

Last Sunday after we came home from church, Miss Joy laid down on the floor and went to sleep. It was late enough that we had decided not to have her go down for a nap, but she obviously needed one!

This was about a month ago. She was so tickled to be able to “read” me this book! She had done a better job a day or two before, “reading” it to me, and wasn’t real thrilled about reading it again, but I coaxed her to and she obliged. I held the iPad above her head to get this clip, so she wouldn’t know what I was doing.

Snowball Fight

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Last weekend, we went over the hill (to the other side of the mountains) to visit friends. On the way home, we stopped near the top of the pass to play in the snow. There wasn’t a lot, but enough pockets of it here and there among the grass and bushes that we could have a rousing snowball fight. What fun! I hadn’t done that in probably 20 or 25 years. I’m a very poor aim!

This was the first time Miss Joy had ever been close to snow, and she enjoyed her experience!

Esther took several video clips with her phone, and I put them together here. The last bit was when Mr. Sweetie threw a snowball at her, and she dropped her phone. The screen protector cracked, but the phone itself was uninjured.

We were right beside this beautiful little lake. We often stop here as we go over the mountains, and enjoy the scenery for a few minutes.

We had to stop in Reefton, because Miss Joy was feeling sick. After she walked both directions over this swing bridge, she was fine and we could drive the last half hour home.

Product Review–WordBuild Online

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

The subject my children have struggled with the most is spelling. Can anyone relate to our struggles? I would guess so! Even the children who have caught on to reading very easily are still spelling their words rather wildly, with little or no heed paid to the rules I have tried to teach them. I don’t know what the problem is, but I do know it is frustrating! Because we have such a struggle with this, I was happy to receive complimentary subscriptions to WordBuild Online from Dynamic Literacy.

There are two basic levels included: Foundations and Elements. Foundations focuses on prefixes and suffixes; Elements goes into the Greek and Latin roots that make up the English language. All three of my school children have started out in Foundations 1, although technically Mr. Sweetie, who is reading at a sixth-grade level, could have gone into Elements 1. I felt like he needed the practice with English prefixes, though. 

There are 25 units in Foundations 1. Each focuses on on prefix or suffix. So far (I think they are all at about the same place), they have practiced prefixes such as over-, under-, un-, and re-, among others, and last week they were working with some suffixes, like -er and -est. I’m having each of them spend 10-15 minutes a day on these lessons, just getting through what they can in that time. I’ve been a little surprised at the lack of resistance I’ve encountered! Usually, none of them wants to do anything in the way of spelling or grammar, but all three are cheerful about doing a lesson of WordBuild Online each day.

Foundations 1 is introduced with a 2-minute video. This video presents the concepts of graphemes (the letters we write), phonemes (the sounds of the letters), and morphemes (meanings of parts of words), and teaches the meaning of prefixes and suffixes. 

There are five main activities that are supposed to help cement the concept of each prefix/suffix. First, there is a short introductory video explaining what the affix means and how to use it. I’m not sure of the order of the remaining activities; one great thing about this program is that children can use it on their own, without any help from Mom, so I haven’t had to pay much attention! One activity involves matching the affix with root words and then typing in a definition of the new word. Another has them choose a sentence in which the new word is used correctly. Another has them match the words with the proper definitions. 

We have been using our laptops and the iPad to do these lessons. The laptops have been the best tool, we’ve found. We have had some trouble, while using the iPad, of being sent back to the login screen when entering an answer. I haven’t been able to troubleshoot this; it could be that Little Miss accidentally hits the wrong button on the touch screen. This has never happened on a laptop.

We have not used Elements yet, of course; there are two or three Foundations levels to work through before reaching that level. A couple of the children were accidentally placed in Elements at the beginning, though, so we watched the introductory video. I found it quite interesting! It explains why English is so hard to read and spell (blame it on the Normans in 1066!). The teacher explains that we need to learn to spell English by meanings, rather than the way a word sounds. I had never thought about it that way before, but it sure makes sense!

So, the big question is always: Does this course work? Will my children know how to spell better after they complete WordBuild Online? I don’t know yet. Mr. Sweetie is convinced it won’t. He claims that there are mistakes that will keep the younger ones from learning; for him, it is too simple. He does admit that the program is “tolerable!” We haven’t used it long enough to know for sure, though. It certainly does offer more reinforcement for what I have been trying to teach them in their workbooks, and is easy enough that I will continue having them do it. This program is a welcome addition to our Language Arts repertoire, something I was needing without knowing it. And, hopefully I’ll be able to tell, in a year’s time, whether or not it helped! Be sure to click the image below to read other families’ reviews of this program.

Reading Comprehension

Product Review–Printable “Essential Timeline Library”

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

I believe this is the fourth or fifth year in a row that we have been able to choose a product to review from Home School in the Woods. We have come to love their projects. For example, last year we got to use the Ancient Egypt study from their Project Passport World History Study series. It took us until a couple of months ago to complete the course, and we didn’t mind taking a break, but my school children were happy to hear that we would get the chance to choose something again this year. Instead of choosing a project like that, though, I decided to request the Printable “Essential Timeline Library”. The children were interested enough in doing the Wonders of the World LapPak, though, that I ended up buying that as well (watch this space for a post about it when we’re finished, in a few months!).

The Essential Timeline Library is amazing! I have actually been using their timeline figures ever since we started homeschooling, back in about 2003 or 2004, when Esther was about 5 years old. We had discovered Sonlight Curriculum, and one of the items included with each core is a set of timeline figures to stick onto a timeline or into a book. We’ve been using them ever since, on various styles of timelines. This year, we’re using the Mystery of History, and I was trying to figure out a way to create timeline figures to put into a timeline book to go along with our studies. Voila! It’s done for me! On the Home School in the Woods website, they actually have a page listing all the timeline figures needed to go along with the volume of MOH that we’re using, organized by lesson! What a find. That makes my life so much simpler! And, I noticed that Home School in the Woods actually sells sets of timeline figures specifically tailored to the 3rd and 4th volumes of MOH.

One of the folders included in the Essential Timeline Library is a printable timeline book. It comes in two different formats, horizontal and vertical. There are clear instructions/suggestions for printing and using it. I tend to end up doing things my own way, though, and, because I already had a timeline book printed and we have been using it, I made a wall timeline. I printed the pages for about 50 BC through AD 1000, and glued them together, then punched holes along the top and strung a string through to hang this timeline on the wall in the kitchen. Then, I printed timeline figures to match those years, and every so often, while I’m reading aloud, I have the children color and cut out several to glue onto the timeline.

I have a friend who also uses these figures. They have a long, narrow hallway in their house, so she painted a line down one wall and penciled in a few dates. They colored and cut out the figures, and fastened them to the wall at the appropriate places. I asked her if I could share a picture of it, because I love the idea so much.

The timeline figures themselves are very easy to use. Each set comes with several options for printing. You can choose larger pictures, to put on a wall, or smaller ones, to put into a book. Each of those options comes with two options, as well: with or without descriptive text! The descriptive text is usually two or three sentences. Each figure, of course, has a title and date, as well. 

There are seven main folders within the Essential Timeline Library download. The first two are HTTA-CD1 and HTTA-CD2. In the first one, are folders for each collection of timeline figures. These are America, Bonus, Creation to Christ, Napoleon to Now, and Resurrection to Revolution. Another folder in this folder contains links to indexes of the figures—very helpful! I printed all those indexes for quick reference. The second main folder, HTTA-CD2, holds, I believe, all of the timeline figures included in the first folder, but each one is a full-page picture. If one of my children wants a coloring picture to go along with our history read-aloud, I’ll have it! These are organized in alphabetical order, while in the first folder, each sub-folder is organized chronologically. 

Next, I found the Record of Time Timeline Notebook. This is the printable notebook I mentioned. Covers are also included. The fourth folder is a Suggested Placement Guide, with photographs of each page of the timeline notebook. The last three folders are Add-On Paks, with more figures from all of history. I was happy to find an index for each! 

The Essential Timeline Library is a resource I’ll be using the rest of the time I homeschool! It is very helpful. I love the clear pictures and the ease of using this. All we need is a printer and paper, and we have the figures we need, without needing to draw anything or locate pictures online or in books. 

If you want to know what we thought about some of the other products we have used from Home School in the Woods, check out my reviews of a couple of the items from their A La Carte collection, a timeline of the American Revolution, one of the Time Travellers U. S. History Studies, the Knights Lap-Pak, and, of course, the Ancient Egypt study I mentioned at the beginning of this review. Also, be sure to click on the image below and read other families’ reviews.

hands on history

Cone Creek!

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A few weeks ago, all five of our boys, as well as two friends of theirs, went on a tramp. That Friday was a holiday, so they took off fairly early in the morning and headed up into the mountains. Their destination was a hut the older boys had been to, coming in from the opposite direction, a couple of years ago. Some friends of ours tried to go to the hut last year and couldn’t find it, so the boys wanted to be sure to arrive in the vicinity with plenty of daylight–and Elijah also downloaded an app onto his phone with topographical maps of the entire country. They found the hut with no trouble, and spent a few hours chopping firewood to replenish what they used.

On the way up the river, the boys spotted this wild sheep, off by itself.

They also spotted a pair of blue ducks.

A view up the misty valley!

When the boys reached the hut, they found snow on the ground.

Inside the hut. They said that the open fire didn’t heat the hut very well, but they were out of the weather and comfortable.

The front of Cone Creek Hut.

Elijah was trying to focus on the river here, but I liked the horizontal tree in the middle.

I’ve never seen a bright blue mushroom like this before! (This picture is for you, Mom.)

A stop for lunch on the way back down on the Saturday.

The boys loved their tramp and want to go again!

Product Review–Bible Blueprints

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

Do you ever struggle to get the gist of a book of the Bible? It can be helpful to have a resource that tells you, in a few sentences, what each section of a book is about. A Bible study tool we have been using lately, for our family devotions, is Bible Blueprints, from Teach Sunday School. We have found these pages quite helpful, just to get a quick overview of a book, chapter, or section of chapters.

Each page of Bible Blueprints has several sections. At the top of the page is some general information. At a glance, you will know the book’s order in either the Old or New Testament, how many chapters are included, and what type of book it is (historical, prophecy, etc.). Next on the page is an overview of the entire books and its author. This line also gives information about when the book was written and the time period covered in the book. 

The heart of the page is the lower half. Here, the book is divided into sections, according to the themes of each group of chapters. Sometimes only one chapter is summarized, or there may be several chapters put together. The heading for each group is a different color, making it attractive and easy to use. Each section has a heading and a several-sentence summary. For example, I’m looking at Judges right now. There are six headings, with from one to five chapters per heading. The first section gives an overview of chapters 1-3; the second, which groups Deborah and Gideon together, describes chapters 4-8, and then Chapter 9, which tells the story of Abimelech, is by itself. I just learned something I didn’t know about the book of Judges: it is believed that the prophet Samuel wrote it! 

Right now, for our family devotions, we are reading through the Minor Prophets. I printed the pages for the next several books we’ll be reading, and gave them to Gayle. As we start a new section of chapters, he has been reading the summary of that section to us, and it has helped us to understand the passages a little better. We just finished the book of Joel. I have always struggled to understand the imagery in this book, but now it is much clearer. 

There are many Bible study tools available; this is just one. However, it is a tool that is easy to use and very clear. The way it is laid out makes it easy to lay eyes on just what you need at the moment. I believe we’ll be using Bible Blueprints for a long time for our family devotional time.

Click on the image below to see what a number of other families have said about this book! I’m sure they will have a lot of creative ideas for putting this Bible study tool to good use.

Bible Overview