The Quest for the Guardians: The Dreamkeeper Saga #4 {Review}

Back from the Somnium Realm, Lily is reunited with her family.  However, their moment of peace is brief as shrouds begin invading the waking world.  Confused as to how they've come to be here, Lily and her family go in search of the Guardians to help them defeat the shrouds and restore order.  They travel the world in search of answers, along with Sprock how is battling his own inner guilt.  Will the shrouds prove too much for them to conquer?  Will Sprock ever find the peace he's looking for?  And will Pax break through the barrier to help them?

Faith, purpose, forgiveness, mercy... all these themes run throughout the Dreamkeeper Saga.  And Quest for the Guardians is no exception.  I love that these books are highly engaging for a variety of ages.  From parents all the way down to elementary.  Butler writes her books in such a way that they challenge the reader to think deeper about theological issues, while still keeping the action going.  As we go deeper into this series, the author continues to being the salvation story to life.  If your family is a fan of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, you will LOVE this series.  It has all the elements you could ever want... a battle between good and evil, cheering on the underdog, superhuman feats as characters rise to the challenge, and magical realms waiting to be discovered.  We cannot recommend this one highly enough.

 *Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Hi-Ho Cherry-O for Preschoolers

 *Disclaimer: this post was originally published on 11/18/08.  Enjoy!

Big Boy turned 3 years old in October and he's growing and learning so quickly. I've been able to come up with some great ideas for helping him learn his letters and some practical skills like cutting and tracing. But math has always been hard for me. And since I'm intimidated by it, I don't have a lot of practical ideas for helping him learn it, even at this age. But I think we've found a solution... at least for now.

I picked up this game on clearance at Christmas last year and was just hanging on to it. A couple of nights ago, my husband dug it out of the closet and we played it with Big Boy. He loved it and caught on so quickly. Now we play every day, several times a day. He's quickly started to count objects in his head, count the fruit on the trees, I see glimmers of maybe some basic subtraction, and he's quickly learning to take turns. All from a $3 board game.  

That Works for Me!

See what works for others on Works for Me Wednesday hosted by Rocks in My Dryer.

Weekend Links ll February 23, 2024

 

Resources for Celebrating Pi Day

Strategies for Kids with Oppositional Behaviors

Shel Silverstein Poetry Resources

This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

Once a month my youngest son has dinner with his youth group so this week I got smart and planned his least favorite meal on that night: Fajita Salad.  It's one that the rest of us love and he absolutely hates.  But this way, we all got what we wanted.

Fajita Salad is super simple.  We marinate and grill up some chicken, sautéed peppers and onions, and serve over lettuce with a lime dressing and avocadoes.  Fresh, light, and full of flavor...

What I'm Reading:

This week, I started a book called Character is Destiny.  I'd never heard of this one before, but came across it somewhere on a CM reading list.  I had previously started another book that I thought of passing off to my teenagers and I was highly disappointed.  So I was refreshingly surprised when I opened this one to see how life applicable it really was.  I'm finding myself challenged by it as well. Although I'm only a few chapters in, I'm really considering adding it to my teenager's reading list.  If you or your teens have read it, leave me a comment, letting me know your thoughts.

What I'm Doing:

We started working on fair projects this week.  Teaching my 7th grader to cook and bake has been both a delight and a challenge.  He's a crack up!

What I'm Enjoying:

Relationships between my kids...

Flannel sheets...

Sunshine through glass doors...

Frozen berries...

Morning walks...

What are you up to?

Uprising {Review}

 

Twelve year old Lidia longs the play the piano, longs to see her father, and longs to live in a world at peace.  But living in 1940's Warsaw, she's faced with the reality of war and lack.  One day she realizes the horrors of the Jewish ghetto and determines to do something about it.  But what can she do?  Lidia and her friend begin sneaking in food, trying to help those that are starving.  Still she wonders if there isn't more.  Until one day, she finds a way to join the resistance.  And her whole world changes.  Based on the real life experiences of Polish teen, Lidia Zakrzewski, Uprising reveals the story of determined Polish nationalists who resist the Nazis and fight to reclaim their nation's freedom.  It takes a closer look at the friendships they develop, the ways they must survive, and their hope for a better future.

We love Jennifer Nielsen books in this house.  From my 12 year old to my 16 year old to myself, we devour her work.  Nielsen has an amazing ability to draw readers into specific events in history and make the whole scene come to life.  Uprising is no exception.  Lidia is a complex character, filled with both inspiration and flaws.  She's determined, stubborn, raw, and wounded: a relatable individual to be sure.  The setting and the people really bring this period of history to life, and the themes of hope, fighting for what's right, and the resilience of the human spirit are an absolute inspiration.  My only word of caution is that there are a few tense, descriptive points in the book that may be too much for middle grade readers.  Uprising does not shy away from some of the rougher parts of war.  I found myself internally cringing at some of Nielsen's descriptions and would rate this book more for ages 11-15.  But overall, the author really did a great job of tackling a difficult part of history and drawing out the enduring optimism of real life heroes.

*Disclaimer: I recieved a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

What's in Our March Morning Basket

*This post was originally published on 3/4/19.  Enjoy!

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For our fairy tale theme, we are exploring some of the classics as well as reading a few remixes.  The following is a list of stories that I am trying to include:

The Little Red Hen
Three Little Pigs
Three Little Pugs
Three Little Gators
Three Snow Bears
Jack and the Beanstalk
Gingerbread Man
Three Billy Goats Gruff
Hansel and Gretel
Little Red Riding Hood
The Pig Who Went Home on Sunday

Printables:

Fairy Tale Choice Board
Hansel and Gretel: Reading and Writing Unit
Myths, Legends, and Fable: Definition Signs

For language, vocabulary and story telling, we are including:

Rory's Story Cubes
Happily Ever After Mad Libs
Roll a Story Writing Activity

I'm also putting together a Fairy Tales Playlist on Youtube.  In this case, we can switch back and forth from reading to viewing fairy tales as we need to break things up.  Family Movie Night this month is going to be fun as well with options like Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, and The Little Mermaid.

For art, we are including lots of art lessons from Chalk Pastel and Arts Hub for Kids.  We try to do an art lesson once a week, learning new techniques and art forms.

In history, we are nearing the end of Story of the World Vol 2 (Medieval History).  This month, we are reading excerpts from Why Do Castles Have Moats?, as well as various other story books.  We'll also be including A Lion to Guard Us as a short read aloud.

For science, we are including a variety of picture books including The Man Who Named the Clouds and Magic Schoolbus Inside a Hurricane.  We'll also be playing with these Weather and Climate Flashcards as well as Professor Noggin's Earth Science cards.

For Bible, we are working our way through The Ology.  Some of the topics are well known to our kids while others are new concepts.  So it's a nice mix of new and old.

Our family read aloud for the month is Mary Poppins.  We're excited to read a classic as we wait for Marry Poppins Returns to hit the dollar theater.

What are your favorite resources for studying fairy tales?

And what are you including in your March Morning Basket?

Weekend Links ll February 16, 2024

8 Outstanding Poetry Activities for High School

Character Development in Our Homeschool

Strawberry Poke Cake

The Big Picture in your Homeschool

Cookie Butter Brownies

This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

We had lasagna soup last night.  Thursdays tend to be busier nights for us with two kids in sports, one working, hubby working out, and the boys trying to get out the door for Bible study.  For that reason, Thursday dinners have started coming in the form of crockpot meals.  This lasagna soup ready is one of my favorites... beefy, tomatoey, and bulked up with shell pasta.  And it holds nicely in the crockpot so even if some of us are eating at 5:30pm, it still tastes good for the rest of the family at 8pm.

What I'm Reading:

Kathryn Butler's new Dreamkeeper Saga book is out for review and I'm ecstatic.  This series is amazing!  I just started it a few days ago, but the magic seems to still be going strong with book #4.  Excited to share my full review with you soon.

What I'm Doing:

Life in the new house is slowly settling into a new rhythm.  This past week and a half has been hectic.  Hubby was gone on a work trip.  As soon as he got back, we left town for my father-in-law's memorial service.  So on top of moving, we've also been trying to check in with the kids and see how they're dealing with things as well. 

What I'm Enjoying:

Lasagna soup...

Reading...

At home workouts in a crazy season...

What are you up to?

One of a Kind {Review}

We just finished reading All of a Kind Family in our homeschool last month, so when I saw a biography of the author, I knew I had to read it.  Written in a picture book format, this story of Sydney Taylor explores her life and inspiration for her work.  From growing up in a poor Jewish family on the Lower East Side, to her marriage and motherhood, to her activist background, Taylor knew she was destined to make a difference in the world.  And her own unique perspective clearly shines through the legacy she left behind.

This biography was a bit choppy for me.  The story tended to skip around a little; it almost felt frantic.  And it was dry.  Topics were touched upon without a whole lot of feeling.  While the book briefly mentions Taylor's writing, that's what drew me to know more about her work.  And it seemed to have only a short, quick mention.  Although it's a picture book, I just felt it would have been written with more enthusiasm.  Really, this is one that just left me feeling like it was lacking.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

 

February Homeschool Favorites

*This post was originally published on 2/20/18.  Enjoy!

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February brought a lot of fun homeschool favorites... from learning about astronomy to marine animals, and lots of critical thinking... our homeschool favorites were just as much about fun and games as much as learning.

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Weekend Links ll February 2, 2024

 

Pot Roast Pasta

Rainbow Charcuterie Board Ideas

Free Winter Animal Printables

This Week: 

What I'm Cooking:

We moved to a new house this week so meals have been all over the place.  It's been a week of tying to valance health and extreme convenience.  But then again, that's every night when you have kids and are trying to balance life.  :-)  The best thing we ate this week was the homemade zucchini muffins my daughter made.  They are my grandma's recipe and they are AMAZING!

What I'm Reading:

We finished the Little House series this week.  Kind of sad.  We started back in June and have worked our way through all nine books.  Taking a break here and there for other historical read alouds, it's been our constant over the last eight months.

What I'm Doing:

Like I said, we moved into a new house this week so my life is boxes, boxes, boxes.  In between times, it's homeschool, and dance lessons, and field trip planning.  Trying to make sure everyone's adjusting and getting what they need.  Going on a new adventure in a new house and trying to figure out where in the world I put the measuring cups. :-)

What I'm Enjoying:

Double Rainbows...

Missionary biographies...

What are you up to?