Review

PlayDate Digital: My Little Pony App {Review}

November 29, 2013 by Dana

My Little Pony is a favorite among my girls so we were very excited to be able to review this app for PlayDate Digital Inc. on the iPhone and iPad. PlayDate Digital is a top company in providing quality apps for educational purpose and one that we truly enjoy. Their My Little Pony, Party of One App was a hit in our home.

This tale about the Magic of Friendship features all your favorite My Little Pony pals. After throwing a party for her pet Gummy, Pinkie Pie decides she wants to do it all again the next day. The Ponies have other plans and in the end Pinkie Pie learns the meaning of true friendship, along with a little patience, when Pinkie Pie discovers the Ponies had her in mind all along!

This app is an interactive storybook. Children can read the story themselves or choose to have the app read the story to them. Each page has unique features which create an interactive experience with the Ponies that is unlike any other. By simply clicking the forward and back keys, as well as the white lit extra’s in the game, you child is able to easily follow along with the story.

I used this app with both my 10 year old and my 5 year old daughters. My older daughter read through it quickly and decided it was a bit young for her, though she did enjoy reading the story. My younger daughter absolutely LOVED the app. She now reads her My Little Pony, Party of One storybook app daily.

This app provides a great lesson in friendship. It also introduces new vocabulary to children and helps boost reading skills. Social and emotional development is also increased through using this app.

My Little Pony, Party of One is available in iTunes for $2.99 and is well worth the price. Your daughter will love it! You can also see more products at PlayDate Digital.

Here is a video trailer of My Little Pony, Party of One:

Putting On the Spirit: Ten-Minute Devotions for Busy Moms {Book Launch Review}

November 20, 2013 by Dana

I’m so excited to be on the launch team for the book, Putting On the Spirit: Ten-Minute Devotions for Busy Moms by Katie Hornor. These devotions are perfect for the Mom who feels the need to be a Super-Mom, like me, but finds herself failing at it daily. Short, sweet and to the point but packed with so much love and support. Each devotion speaks right to the heart, relating to a particular verse of the Word of the Bible to reach Moms right when they need it most – in the midst of the daily struggles to live life.

Putting on the Spirit: Ten-Minute Devotions for Busy Moms is set to be released on December 9th with an accompanying workbook to help work through each daily devotion. Join in on this wonderful giveaway today for a chance to win your own digital copy of the book! I promise you will love it as much as I do!

The Putting on the Spirit Launch Team is excited to help Katie celebrate the release of her new book with a special giveaway of books that will encourage, equip, and inspire any mom. One winner will win all of the books listed below (a $120 value), plus 3 more winners will win a digital copy of Putting on the Spirit.

We would like to thank the following friends for their generous sponsorship of this giveaway! Be sure to stop by their websites to say thank you!

Heidi St. John, The Busy Mom
Home School Adventure Co.
Great Waters Press
National Center for Biblical Parenting
Sally Clarkson
PhyllisSather.com
Raising Arrows

Here’s what you can win —

Putting on the Spirit: Ten-Minute Devotions for Busy Moms eBook by Katie Hornor

Loving You Long Distance eBook by Katie Hornor

Divine Design eBook by Katie Hornor

Purposeful Planning eBook by Phyllis Sather

The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Romance by Heidi St. John

Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sally Clarkson and Sarah Mae

Raising Real Men by Hal & Melanie Young

My Beloved and My Friend (release date of Feb 2014) by Hal & Melanie Young

The Christian Parenting Handbook by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN

Philippians in 28 Weeks by Stacy Farrell

The Wise Woman Literary Analysis Journal Questions by Stacy Farrell

Streams in the Desert eBook by L.B.E. Cowman

The Homemaker’s Guide to Creating the Perfect Schedule eBook by Amy Roberts

Be sure to check out Katie’s book, Loving You Long Distance.

At Home In Dogwood Mudhole {Crew Review}

November 15, 2013 by Dana

At Home In Dogwood Mudhole is the epic journal of Franklin Sanders and his family. As they began to prepare for the great Y2K pandemonium, the Sanders’ began writing a letters of their life’s preparations and events. These letters, which were originally published in “The Moneychanger” newsletter, become the basis for the two book series At Home In Dogwood Mudhole.

Many times, I sit back and think how life was back before the digital age. I wonder what it was like to live as my ancestors did. Through Volume 1 of At Home In Dogwood Mudhole: Nothing That Eats, I was able to imagine the life even more.

Franklin Sanders, the author of At Home In Dogwood Mudhole

Franklin Sanders decided to move his entire family – wife, kids, grandkids and pets – to a farm called Dogwood Mudhole. It was there that they reinvented and changed their entire lives. Learning to live and survive much like our ancestors did. His accounts of their life bring forth imagery that most books fail to project of a life many no longer are able to achieve.

The Sanders learned how to care for multitudes of animals, despite Susan’s proclamation that they’d acquire nothing that eats. They learned to plow fields using horses. They learned to plant fields and eat what they reaped and sowed from those crops. But more than that, the Sanders learned about living together and the love of a family. Through their preparations the Sanders learn to enjoy life and each other. Lessons like these are few and far between in this day and age of fast-paced digital living.

This book left me with a better understanding of times past. It also made me realize the importance of preparing for the future of our life in this country. I have also gained a stronger appreciation of my family, seeing many things from the book that I can change in our own lives to make things improved for us, bringing us closer together as well.

At Home In Dogwood Mudhole by Franklin Sanders is available in Paperback for $22.95 or on Kindle for $16.95. It’s 379 pages long containing four sections and multiple chapters. The text also includes photographs of the Sanders life while preparing for Y2K and learning to get back to life the way it once was.

I found the writing style of the book to be fun. I enjoy reading old artifacts and journals so this was right up my ally. It is written in letters put together like a journal, so everything reads into each other but instead of being listed as days, each letter has a title. Years are provided throughout the letters so that you have an idea of the time of year it was. It all comes together amazingly well and makes an enjoyable read. A perfect book for adults and teens to read!

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French Essentials {Crew Review}

November 13, 2013 by Dana

Looking for a quality French program to use at home? Need something simple but thorough to teach French to your children? Planning a trip to France and need to learn the language? Look no further than French Essentials.

French Essentials was created to be an adaptable French language program. Designed to be used with children in grades 2 and up, this program is perfect for everyone! French Essentials is a complete French program that is easy to use.

The website states that if a student completes one module per year beginning in Grade 3, they will complete the course during their senior year. So as you can tell, this program is extremely adaptable and lessons can be completed as needed by you and your child. Lessons for younger students will, of course, take more time than those for older students and younger students will require more parental assistance than the older students will need.

French Essentials is designed to be used both on and off line with students. Modules are expected to be downloaded to print off the worksheets necessary for the lessons. There are currently 5 modules. Module 1 contains 20 lessons, the student workbook, keys and a module checklist. Module 2 contains 25 lessons, workbook, keys and checklist as well. Module 3 contains 15 lessons along with the workbook, keys and checklist. Module 3 also includes a Pronunciation Workout as well. Module 4 contains 16 lessons, the student workbook, keys, checklist, Pronunciation Workout and also includes Video Scripts to use. Module 5 contains 15 lessons. The first 5 lessons contain the lesson workbook and key to use while learning.

The lessons begin with the pronunciation of the French Alphabet and moves forward from there. Lessons are thorough but not too intense, packing just the right amount of learning within them. Each lesson contains several exercises to complete and can be done in a day or more as needed. They are completely adjustable to your personal schedule.

Each module includes links to everything that is needed within the lesson. So sounds play right as you need them within the program simply by clicking on the microphones to activate them. The sound bites are created by French speakers so the correct pronunciation is best learned. Online exercises can also be reached by logging into your account online to connect to the necessary module per lesson.

There are also links to learn about the French culture included with the lesson plan. These are available by clicking on “culture” in the Student Area. These extra little tidbits bring to life the lessons you are learning as your work through the program. They are a fun bonus to help your child better connect with the French culture.

We were able to fit this program in as needed during our days. When we found an extra moment, we worked on a module. Since the modules were printable, I simply printed out what I needed to and use the kids computers to complete the sounds and videos that went along with the lessons. All three children worked together on these lessons with ease. This was a refresher course for me as I took two years of French Foreign Language as a course in High School but I desperately needed the brush up!

French Essentials can be purchased in individual modules or as a full set, your choice. Each individual module costs $69.95 and each purchase is available for 90 days. The French Essentials full package for the year can be purchased for $149.95. This includes the lesson downloads, sound bites and videos used during the lessons.

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Audrey Bunny {Propeller Review}

November 10, 2013 by Dana

Audrey Bunny is an endearing story that will be shared in your family for a lifetime. I was so excited to read this topselling Christian Children’s story with my own children. When I received my personal copy of Audrey Bunny, I truly had no idea what was in store for us.

This book completely captured our hearts. From the beautiful cover, to the captivating story, every part of Audrey Bunny touched each member of our family. This is a story I will be reading to my children over and over and passing on to their children as well.

Audrey Bunny tells the story of a soft, stuffed brown Rabbit, who sits waiting in a toy store for a child to come share their life with her. Audrey is not perfect. She has a smudge that prevents her from being chosen and Audrey fears that she will never go home with any child because of it.

One day, an adorable red-haired girl named Caroline comes into the toy store for her birthday. She had seen Audrey before and had hoped she would still be there for her to buy and love. Audrey was and the little girl was thrilled.

Audrey and Caroline had many adventures. Audrey didn’t realize Caroline loved her in spite of her smudge and thought the smudge made her spectacular. But in the end, Audrey realizes that Caroline chose Audrey for the fact her smudge makes her unique and special, just as God made us each unique and special in our own ways.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. — Psalm 139.14 (ESV)

This story touched my children and I so much. My children are often the first to choose toys like Audrey from the store. They see beauty where others often see mistakes. They were able to connect and relate to Caroline, seeing much of themselves in the thoughtfulness of this one little girl.

Audrey Bunny is already a favorite in our home, having been read multiple times. My girls especially cannot hear it enough. It reminds me of classics like the Velveteen Rabbit and Peter Rabbit.

Audrey Bunny is a top seller in Christian Children’s literature. It is a hardback book with a beautifully designed matching paper jacket. Audrey Bunny is written by Angie Smith, author of I Will Carry You, Mended. It is beautifully illustrated by Breezy Brookshire. Included in the back of the book is a bonus feature called Parent Connection, where questions are provided to expand the lessons of the story and to help the parent relate this story to God’s Word.

Audrey Bunny is available for purchase for $14.99 and is published through BHKids, a division of BH Publishing Group.

*Disclaimer – I received a copy of Audrey Bunny for free in exchange for my honest opinion shared in a review on my blog. I am sharing this in accordance with FTC Guidelines and Regulations.

IXL {Crew Review}

November 8, 2013 by Dana

IXL is a well-known name in Homeschooling and education. What began as a Comprehensive Math program has expanded to include Language Arts as well. This amazing program can be used to supplement any math or language program available.

IXL provides thorough instruction and practice of important skills in both Math and Language Arts. The program is designed to be set up to meet State Standards but can also be used to simply supplement extra practice in subjects or units as needed. Covering grades K-12 in Math instruction and grades 2-4 in Language Arts, with future plans to expand, this program provides just the right amount of supplementation at home.

The formatting of the program is set to basically allow children to read through the problem then choose an answer through A, B or C options. This allows a child to process and answer quickly when using the program. Children can work on, above or below grade level as needed and parent/teacher options allow this to be set per child as needed.

There is audio available for math skills in the younger grades, which is helpful for students who may struggle with reading skills. An iPad app is available as well for extra math practice. Students can work either by grade level or by topic as needed. Working by topic allows the student to work strictly on Addition or Estimation or Algebra as needed, wherever the student needs the extra help.

Language Arts is set up similarly to Math, allowing the student to work on grade level or by topic. So if your student needs extra practice with Sentences or Nouns and Pronouns, you can simply choose that topic to start them on.

In parent mode, you can set up each child’s account through the Profiles and Settings options. I was able to set up a parent account and one account for each of my older children. I input their names and chose a picture to fit them so they can tell who is who. These are fun little images to help them distinguish their personal accounts. I can also opt to set a secret word for each of them to log in with or to leave the account without a word in this section.

Through my parent account, I can check the progress of each student. I can print reports of their progress, as well. I am able to view awards for each student’s progress to see how well they are doing in their work. I can also view my state standards to see how well my children match up to their grade levels and their educational knowledge through the program.

We’ve used IXL for several years off and on now. It’s a program that I have personally enjoyed though it’s not always been appealing to my children. However, it’s a wonderful program to have them use as a go to just to cover review lessons quickly and gauge their personal progress.

The style and set up of the program lessons remind me of the Standardized Testing that I used to take yearly in public school. It’s pretty much presented as a problem with fill in the blank answers, or online choices in the place of fill in the blank. This isn’t necessarily a problem but it doesn’t completely mesh with our homeschooling style. My children are extremely hands-on and prefer to watch a video on a math lesson or to actually work out a lesson using blocks or some kind of manipulative over choosing the correct answer from a group of answers.

This program would be amazing for students who are preparing for testing in their state. In our state, testing is not mandatory, so it definitely doesn’t benefit us there. It would also be a great program for a family who wishes to meet their state’s standards or to stay aligned with the public school’s standards for education.

My children enjoy being able to see their accomplishments through the Awards in the program. They also enjoy seeing the information they’ve covered in lessons, and I enjoy that as well. It’s also nice to be able to print off the areas they have covered and passed thoroughly so I can see what we need to work on next. This allows me to bypass parts of lessons that my children aren’t struggling with and concentrate on those areas they are struggling with.

IXL is available by subscription for $9.95 for Math only, $9.95 for Language Arts only, or $15.95 monthly for both. A years subscription of $79 is available for either Math or Language Arts or $129.00 for both subjects for the year. Additional subscriptions for each child are $2 a month per child, or $20 per year per child.

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