Luv'N Lambert Life

Mental Health, Homeschooling, Epilepsy and More

2014

Clued In Kids: Halloween and Winter Treasure Hunts {Crew Review}

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When Helen Bertelli was a little girl she had a big dream.  She wanted to create Treasure Hunts to share with people every where.  After she had her two beautiful children she made her dream come true and created Clued In Kids.
We received two wonderful treasure hunts to use from Clued In Kids: Halloween Treasure Hunt and Winter Treasure Hunt.  These treasure hunts are designed to be used with families and friends who are various ages, though I would say these two hunts are for younger children mostly.  They are great fun for all who use them though.
Halloween Treasure Hunt and Winter Treasure Hunt are both in PDF form so they are easily printed and can be used with multiple students and family.  These would be great for a classroom or a small party to use just for something fun to do.  We, of course, used them as a family and the kids had so much fun!
Each hunt begins with a title page, followed by simple instructions on how to use the hunt with your family or your students.  Each hunt also has an answer key to help you, the instructor/helper, determine if the answer is correct or not.  There are also tips for you to help  make the hunting process go smoother as you complete each treasure hunt.
As you set up the hunt, you will see how each clue feeds into the next making finding the clues easy and fun.  Even the youngest of children can complete these treasure hunts with help from the instructor to make participation fun.  All of my kids enjoyed working through the clues and helping one another find the correct answers as we completed the treasure hunts.
Halloween Treasure Hunt is, of course, designed to be completed around the time of Halloween.  If you don’t celebrate Halloween then, of course, this would not be a treasure hunt you will wish to complete.  Our family loves Halloween so I knew this one would be perfect for us!
Halloween Treasure Hunt is not scary and simply gives clues for things like pumpkins, ghosts, witches and more in a non-frightening manner.  The treasure hunt items used are things like brooms, milk, the dishwasher, among many more.  This particular hunt shares 12 clues.  The length of time it takes to complete this hunt will depend on how quickly your family or students can decipher the clues.
Winter Treasure Hunt is completely Winter related.  There are also 12 clues in this hunt.  Items used are things like your coat, socks, gloves and more.  Places used to hide items are with the shoes, forks, crayons and many other silly places.  This hunt is a little funny and fun because it has your children put their items on a bit wacky at the end and that’s definitely a lot of fun!
Halloween Treasure Hunt and Winter Treasure Hunt are both PDF files which can be printed again and again.  They can also be used for multiple students/family members.  Both Halloween Treasure Hunt and Winter Treasure Hunt cost $5.99 each which is an excellent price for so much fun!
You can find Clued In Kids in the following places online!

Twitter: @cluedinkids


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New Liberty Videos: A Nation Adrift {Crew Review}

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For this review, we were gifted a DVD copy of New Liberty Videos Presents A Nation Adrift.   These videos are designed for a general audience of all ages, though some of this information will be too advanced for younger students, it can be adapted for various ages.  The videos make a great addition to any homeschooling library to view.
A Nation Adrift features bits and pieces of American History from the United States of America’s great past.  A Nation Adrift shares how the United States was founded with the help of God’s guidance and hand.  This video shares how God has had a hand in our country from the very beginning.
The video begins sharing information and stories of God’s work from Christopher Columbus’ discovery of this land, during the settling of Jamestown through the Civil War and well beyond.  The video is approximately 93 minutes in length and the sections are short but filled with important information on how God’s plan has come together to create this great nation.  The journey and information shared within this video helps to ensure the understanding that God has always been a part of this nation and should continue to be a part of this nation through the future of our country.
We watched this video as a family.  The information shared was interesting though the video was boring in a few areas, especially to my younger child.  The shared images and short clips were great to see and a wonderful way to introduce many new topics to my children.

The video can be watched all-in-one clip or broken into parts.  We first watched it all the way through.  I do like that I can go back and watch sections for our learning.  This makes it easy to feature certain areas as we learn more about them and view the images shared on the video that we may have otherwise missed.
I did not like that some of the informational clips were so short that some of the information could easily be missed.  It would  have been nice to have them lengthened just a little so that they gave more of an impact to my students and family.  Some of the information went by so fast that we would need to be paying full attention to grasp the information and that’s not always possible when you have students with ADHD and also little ones in the household that you’re trying to keep occupied while watching.  If you are able to have students watch this alone or with headphones, that may help the student focus better and not miss any information shared within the video itself.
I also like that this video is completely Christian based.  If you’re looking for a secular video, then New Liberty Videos are not what you will want to view but if you’re looking for a strong christian based video, New Liberty Videos will be just what you need!
New Liberty Videos Presents A Nation Adrift is available for purchase for $19.95 on their website.  There are other wonderful videos available from this company as well.
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Standard Deviants Accelerate {Crew Review}

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Standard Deviants Accelerate is a wonderful online program designed to be a supplement to learning.  This program covers several subjects in interesting ways.  It’s a wonderful addition to any educational program.
For this review, we were given access to the Standard Deviants Accelerate Homeschool Courses.  These courses were created to be used in the homeschool environment in order to supplement regular homeschooling lessons at home.  The course features many subjects to choose from such as Earth Science, Nutrition, Biology, AP English, AP Chemistry and so much more.
Standard Deviant Accelerate gives the user access to online video lessons that are unique and creative to intrigue students and encourage learning of the lessons being taught.  This completely online curriculum also gives you access to review activities, quizzes, writing assignments and so much more.  All of these things come together to create a complex and thorough lesson for students to learn important information through the course they are taking via Standard Deviants Accelerate.
As I mentioned above, there are lots of subjects to choose from in the Standard Deviants Accelerate Homeschool Course program.  Each offers something completely different.  I took a look at several of these classes for our review period but the one we used the most was Nutrition.
I was extremely interested in the Nutrition course because I know that this is something we can use for our family.  It never hurts to learn to eat better or learn how important nutrition is for us.  I’ve tried to teach my children from early on the importance of their eating habits but that hasn’t always been successful.  We have some pretty bad habits when it comes to nutrition.  We forget to take vitamins, we choose sodas over juice and cake over fruits.  We are the typical American family and it shows.
My Emma in particular struggles with her weight because of our eating habits so it was my hope that through us using this course together, she would learn a lot about her health and nutrition that would stick with her for life.  So far so good.  The program begins with an introduction to Nutrition which covers an explanation on what nutrition is along with introductions to fats, carbohydrates and more.  This is the first step to learning healthy choices in eating.
The course was easy enough to follow through and learn from.  The videos kept the lessons interesting and we were able to work together to learn through this course.  There were 8 chapters within the course, each containing 4-5 sections to explain the chapter.  At the end, there is also a review to check what has been learned through the course.
Standard Deviants Accelerate Homeschool Course is available online for $99 a year or $24.95 per month for one student.  AP courses are available for $14.95 per month for one student as well.  These courses are well worth the cost.
These courses are designed for students ages 8- Adult.

You can find Standard Deviants Accelerate online in the following places:
Google+: google.com/+Sdaccelerate 
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Going Home with New Experiences {Thoughts From Me}

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It’s always great to go back home when you can.  For the past two weeks, that is just what I did.  I took a “me”-cation and went home to visit family and friends that I haven’t had time to see for a while.

While I was home, I also took the time to build experience with driving.  I drove various friends around town, shopping and other things.  I came to quickly realize, that I can do this and I don’t know what I have been so afraid of all this time.  Driving is easy.

I’m still a little nervous.  Being a driver is a huge responsibility.  It’s putting others lives into your hands in situations that could quickly get out of control and that’s a lot to shoulder.

On the other hand, there is a freedom that I’ve been missing out on and I’m thrilled to finally be able to experience it.  There’s nothing like hopping into the car and just going, not having to wait on anyone else to go with you.  Bonus is I get to listen to what I want on the radio!

And one more awesome thing: when the time comes, I will be able to teach my kids how to drive as well.  I won’t need someone else training them.  I’m kind of excited about that.

So this has been my past few weeks.  It’s been fun.

Apologia: iWitness {Crew Review}

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For this review, I received copies of the three books from the iWitness series from Apologia Educational Ministries.  I received the following titles: iWitness Biblical Archaeology, Old Testament iWitness, and New Testament iWitness.  All of these were written by Doug Powell.
Each of these titles are priced at $14 per book through Apologia Educational Ministries.  The series is designed for persons with a reading level of age 11 and up.  They can be used with younger students as well if read along with an older person.
Each of these books features a different aspect of learning about the Bible.  In true, Apologia fashion these books are awesome.  If you read my blog, then you know one of my favorite ministries and products to use in homeschooling is Apologia Educational Ministries.
The books are formatted as multi-media artwork, much like a journal.  Each is filled with wonderful information sharing important points on the Biblical topic they discuss, as well as important proof to prove truth in the facts shared.  The books are small but jam-packed with interesting information.
I personally read through these and shared the information with my children as I did.  I enjoyed the fun format and found it intriguing to read through.  I learned so many things about the Bible that I didn’t know.  
For instance, iWitness Biblical Archaeology, which was my favorite of all the books, tells of the stories related to the Big Flood of Biblical times.  I did not know that there were so many stories from different nations that tell of the great Flood.  Through reading I found this fact to be true.
These books also share photos and facts that you may otherwise miss in regular stories of the Bible.  They show you what really happened in the time period and what life was really like.  It was interesting to see all of these things compiled along with the wonderful facts about them.  And best was that because it’s an Apologia series, I know the facts are right simply because of the standards of Apologia Educational Ministries.
These are books that will be added into our home library.  My daughter has already picked them up and read through them several times.  Even my Mom has enjoyed reading these and she’s pretty picky about the things she reads.
Each of these books share such unique details about the Bible.  Stuff I have honestly never seen in a book I have read.  It was a great joy to read through these and truly helped bring the Bible to life for us. They would be great to use as a Biblical supplement or even just to read through.  There are so many uses for these titles.
You can purchase this series through the website at Apologia Educational Ministries:
You can view an author interview for the iWitness series from Apologia here:
You can find Apologia Educational Ministries in the following places online:
 Twitter – https://twitter.com/apologiaworld 
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Better Late Than Never {Thoughts From Me}

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Here’s a little fact about me: I am 35 years old and I don’t drive.  *Gasp* You heard me right.  I’ve never even had a driver’s license.

About 6 months ago, I received my first permit but even then I haven’t driven much.  I have this weirdly irrational fear of driving that is really hard for me to overcome.  That is until recently.

Last week, I just felt it was time to get started on really learning to drive.  So I have been.  This week, I decided I needed to come “home” to my hometown where I grew up and spend some time with my best friends who have all been proactive in helping me learn to drive.

And you know what?  I am doing it!   I really am.

I don’t know why I have felt afraid to do this for so long.  Yes, there are dangers and it’s always a risk but it’s something I’ve been needing to do.  I need the independence and I need to be able to take my kids  places, just me and them.  I’m well on my way to making that happen and I know they are so proud of their Momma.  Seriously, I thought they’d be driving before I would!

So this is what I am up to right now.  Learning to drive about 20 years later than a normal person.  Better late than never though!

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