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Luv'N Lambert Life

Luv'N Lambert Life

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children's books

Carole P. Roman Books {Crew Review}

March 27, 2018 by Dana

Carole P. Roman is one of our absolute favorite authors.  We were introduced to the amazingly wonderful Carole P. Roman Books and Collections many years ago through the Homeschool Review Crew.  Every single book we’ve been blessed to read from Carole has been absolutely outstanding!
For this review, we were allowed to choose three of her many books.  I always try to choose things that go along with what we’re learning about or are specifically for Laycie and Jack since they are our youngest children.  This go round, I chose the following:
If You Were Me And Lived In Scotland: A Child’s Introduction to Cultures Around The World
Pepper Parrot’s Problem with Patience: A Captain No Beard Story Volume 2
Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump
If You Were Me And Lived In Scotland
I chose If You Were Me And Lived In Scotland because I have been searching for titles that specifically teach about Scotland.  I have found that most books focus on Great Britain or Ireland but I wasn’t able to find as many as I hoped on Scotland specifically.   Recently, while tracing our family tree, I have found that we are heavily Scot on both my father’s and my mother’s sides so for me it’s very important that my children learn about this culture so they can learn more about the history of their ancestors.  I love relating our history to our real history.
We were not unfamiliar with the If You Were Me And Lived In series because we reviewed this series from Carole when she first developed and released the series several years ago.  I knew this series was simply awesome and would teach the kids a lot about Scotland and it’s people.  It didn’t let me down.
Through the book, we learned what we may have been named had we been born in Scotland.  We learned that Unicorns are the official animal of Scotland.  We learned a bit about Nessie and Loch Ness.  We learned about traditional foods served in Scotland, some of which we actually tried during the week of St. Patrick’s Day.  Golf was developed in Scotland and the Highland Games.  We look forward to visiting our local Scottish Festival this summer and will briefly review this book before we go.
We learned so much from If You Were Me And Lived In Scotland.  It was perfect for our short study on the culture.  Carole never let’s me down with this series.
Pepper Parrot’s Problem with Patience
Last year we reviewed Fribbet the Frog and the Tadpoles.  Jack absolutely LOVED Fribbet and his story so I knew this year I wanted to review another of Carole’s amazing Captain No Beard series.  I chose Pepper Parrot’s Problem with Patience because sometimes Jack has a little trouble with being patient.  As the baby of the family, you can bet he’s the most spoiled and loved little boy there is, so I thought this book would provide a great lesson for him.  And it has.
A few weeks before we received this book for review, Jack decided he wanted to makeover his bed with a Pirate theme.  I purchased a wooden wheel, a spy glass in a box, a large pirate flag and an a wooden anchor which we painted and hung with a rope on his bed frame.  I also got him his very own Parrot.  Jack loves it!  And he loved reading Pepper Parrot’s Problem with Patience while snuggling in his pirate bed with his Parrot.
Captain No Beard is the captain of the Flying Dragon.  He has one crazy crew of all kinds of characters that help him out, including Fribbet the Frog and his cousin, Hallie.  In this book, Captain No Beard adds Pepper to his crew, making Pepper the crew’s cook.  Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea considering the Parrot is named Pepper.  But maybe Pepper has her name for another reason.
Pepper has quite the temper.  She’s actually a little fire cracker and that temper isn’t the greatest thing ever.  But with the crew’s help, Pepper realizes she doesn’t need to get upset or angry and she can learn to have patience just like everyone else.
This story was so adorable.  Jack truly loved it and he talks about the characters all the time.  We look forward to reading more Captain No Beard stories like Pepper Parrot’s Problem with Patience in the future.
Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump

Oh Susannah is a relatively new series from Carole P. Roman.  Last year, Laycie and I read Oh Susannah: It’s In The Bag and we fell in love with Susannah and her crazy life.  Susannah is someone Laycie can really relate to so when this review came up, I knew I’d choose another book from this series for Laycie and I to read.
Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump was just as silly and fun as the first book we read from the series.  Susannah is always having a rough time, usually of her own making.  This time around, Susannah is invited to a dear friend’s house for the friend’s birthday.  Susannah really wants to go but she’s afraid.  She just knows that her friend’s house is haunted.  Her friend’s little brother has told her so.  Susannah isn’t too sure she wants to see a ghost!
Susannah some how finds the courage to face her fear and finds that she has the BEST time at her friend’s house.  Friendship helps her overcome her fears and Susannah learns not to be afraid.  She also learns that little brothers are sometimes annoying and sometimes great.
Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump is a new favorite of mine and Laycie’s.  She and I enjoyed reading this one together.  We look forward to reading more from this series.
Carole P. Roman is one of the best children’s authors I have reviewed for.  She truly loves the work she does and it shows greatly.  She’s an inspiration and blessing to all who know her.

The cost of these books is in a range between $5 and $10.  Nothing too expensive.  They are also available in Kindle versions.

You can read our previous reviews on Carole’s other books as well by clicking each of these links:
Carole P. Roman: If You Were Me And Lived In…
Carole P. Roman
You can find Carole P. Roman online at:

  • Facebook:  www.facebook.com/CarolePRomanAwardWinningAuthorAndBooks
  • Twitter:  twitter.com/caroleproman  Tag:   @caroleproman   
  • Instagram:  www.instagram.com/caroleproman          Tag:   @caroleproman   
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6A9PDx7NdBgYUN1giUOp0A

Read more reviews from the Homeschool Review Crew:

Carole P. Roman books and collections {Carole P. Roman Reviews}
Disclaimer:

Crew Disclaimer

Filed Under: 2018, Captain No Beard, Carole P Roman, Chapter Books, children's books, crew review, Culture, History, if you were me and lived in, oh susannah, scotland, space

Lightning Literature {Crew Review}

June 29, 2017 by Dana

I’ve been looking for a good program to use for Literature with Laycie for a little while now but hadn’t been able to find anything.  Homeschool Review Crew to the rescue!  They had the perfect program at the perfect time.
I had heard of Lightning Literature from Hewitt Homeschooling over the years and always been told that it was a great program to use for literature and composition.  I wasn’t aware just how great a program this product is though.  For our review, we were sent the Grade 1 Lightning Lit Set.
The Grade 1 Lightning Lit Set includes the Teacher’s Guide by Elizabeth Kamath and the Student Workbook also by Elizabeth Kamath.  Additional children’s books are needed for the course but these are easily obtained through your local library or through a local book retailer or even online.
I chose this level to use with Laycie since we are just moving forward into literature and this is the first time of us using a literature program with her.  I was looking for something more structured but not so rigid that it made learning stressful for her.  Lightning Literature surprisingly has been great for that.
This program allows for the fact that some first graders won’t be able to read the work or books provided.  The goal is to provide a love of literature beginning at a young age.  The program allows the child to dictate their answers so that they can have help to complete the exercises.  The books used are classic children’s picture books with a few newer books also included to give a well-rounded example of good literature.
Every day there are activities to complete for the specific book that you read for the week.  The first book is Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.  The activities change with the books.
Of course, this is a basic 5 day a week lesson set up for the program.  The course teaches literature, grammar and mechanics and also composition.  There are included Reading Journal pages, Dictionary pages, and Alphabet and Sentence pages.  Aesop’s Fables are included on Day Four of this curriculum each week but these can be skipped if your child does not enjoy them.  There are also lesson extensions shared to expand on the weekly lessons.
Break Down of Each Day’s Basic Set-Up
On Day One of the lesson, you read the book and answer comprehension questions specific to the book being covered.  Grammar and Mechanics is covered with a quick multiple choice worksheet. Composition is covered as well on Day One.
Day Two leaves you with the decision to read the book again but preferably to have your child narrate the story by telling what they remember of it back to you.  You can do this by looking at the book together and discussing it as you go.  This is a great way to encourage reading.
Day Two’s workbook work covers Grammar and Mechanics by completing a worksheet specific to what the child is learning at the time through the course.  This develops as they work through the program and learn.  This day also includes the Reading Journal activity: the child can either write or dictate the sentences related to retelling the story.   This particular part of the program is scheduled early in the week but can be moved to later in the week if preferred.
On Day Three, you and your child read the story again.  This day has more comprehension questions to help your child discover even more about the story they are learning about.  On this day, the dictionary pages are introduced for the week.  for these pages you can choose words from the story or you can choose words from daily life.  It’s up to you what words you chose for your student to learn. The longer sheets can be completed with assistance from the parent/teacher.
Composition is worked on daily with planning and on Day Three the work is put onto paper as a rough draft.  This can also be done as dictation if needed.  Whatever your child is ready to do.
Day Four introduces a new Aesop’s Fable each week.  The Dover edition of this book is used or you can use a free one found online.  These are random and shared for enjoyment of reading purposes mostly.  Grammar activity is done on this day in relation to what’s being learned for that week.  The composition final draft is also completed each week on Day Four.
Day Five is a free day or a catch up day if needed.  It’s up to you how it’s used.  This day could also be a day used to expand the lesson.
How We Used It:

This program is just awesome!  I used it with Laycie but it also worked great with Jack too.  As I read they both listened.  Jackson wasn’t ready for the book work but because these books are common children’s books, I was able to find activities online to use with him outside of what the curriculum provided.
The workbook provided just enough work for Laycie yet it wasn’t overwhelming.  This helped her writing skills and her storytelling and dictation skills as well.  We worked together to write answers both with dictation and working on her writing skills.
We chose to read our story daily together.  We also chose to do the weekly Aesop’s Fables and found additional activities to do online for that as well.  It was great to have the workbook to follow and guide us in this curriculum.
Where Can You Get Lightning Literature:
You can find Lightning Literature in different levels at the Hewitt Homeschooling website.  The price for the Grade 1 Lightning Lit Set is $88.11.  The set includes the books mentioned above and Aesop’s Fables as well.
Hewitt Homeschooling on Social Media:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/HewittHomeschooling    Tag:   @HewittHomeschooling   

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/hewittonline    Tag:   @HewittOnline   

Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/hewittonline/          Tag:   @hewittonline   

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/118179952485411291615   

Read More Reviews: 

Hewitt Homeschooling {Reviews}

Disclaimer:

Crew Disclaimer

Filed Under: 2017, aesop's fables, children's books, composition, crew review, education, first grade, homeschool, learning, lightning literature, lit, reading

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