Thrift Schooling

If you or someone you know has a desire to draw but doesn't have the know-how to get started, then The Drawing Lesson: A Graphic Novel That Teaches You How To Draw by Mark Crilley is the book to invest in. My son's bookshelf is filled with different how-to books. One teaching him how to draw cats, one robots, and another cartoon characters. Although he does enjoy following the step by step instructions, but he usually veers off and ends up making his own creations. This book possesses several unique qualities that makes it stand out. For one, it is written as a story in comic book style. That alone was enough to keep me enticed. I simply could not put this book down. The story follows a young boy and his mentor who teaches him a new drawing technique in each chapter.  Secondly, the author is an amazing artist. I guess it helps for the one teaching you to draw to be good at drawing but this author is more than good, his drawings are captivating and impressive. Lastly, this b...

The I Can Read! Adventure Bible: Great Stories of the Bible has been a big hit in our home. As soon as we received this book in the mail, my kids were excited to read it. That is one of the things I like about the I Can Read! series, the kids are able to read it on their own.  When I get one of these books, at the right reading level for my kids, I can be confident that as soon as they open to the first page that they will be able to read with ease. Sometimes, with other books, they can get frustrated. They begin the book excited, but by the time they reach page two they give up because there are too many hard words. That is not the case with this series. With these books, the stories are written in a way that has challenging subject matter but uses simple words for children.  The fact that my eight year old son could pick this book up and read the story of Esther to his sister, with ease, was a real confidence booster for him. This book contains the following stories...

  Do you have an angry child? It can become extremely frustrating to know how to deal with them since it usually stirs up so many emotions in the parent, when a child’s anger surfaces.  Read more at Our Homeschool Forum.

Enter to win Sheepdogs: Meet Our Nation's Warriors by Stephanie Rogish and  Lt. Col. Dave Grossman in the Rafflecopter below.  Read My Review Last week I shared with you a review of the book SHEEPDOGS: MEET OUR NATION'S WARRIORS introducing to you an important book for you to read to your children. Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, most famous for his military resource book, On Killing , has graciously sent me three more copies of the children's book,  SHEEPDOGS to give away to my readers!  This is an excellent resource teaching children the difference between sheep, wolves and sheepdogs in our society. Parents don't need to fear raising their children in this dark hour. We don't need to fear the dark but as Col. Grossman shares in a poem in the beginning of this book, those who lurk in the dark need to fear the sheepdogs!     a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Looking to bring an electronics course to your homeschool? EEME Electronics is an easy to navigate, online course that sends the materials right to your front door. No prior experience needed! Science is a big deal in our house. Give my kids Legos and they'll come back with a hand-powered lemonade mixer. Send them outside and they will come back with some unidentified bug or plant that they want to search for on the internet. Their minds are inquisitive and they love working with their hands, which is why they love EEME! EMME is an online curriculum for children ages 7-12 that teaches them the basics of electronics. We have been going through their six project set and have now completed the third one called tentacles. In this lesson, the children learned about NPN transistors and PNP transistors and buzzers, all while building an alarm system. This project took about an hour and a half to complete.   This project includes 33, short, online videos. ...

The Logic of English program has become an integral part of my son's education. He is presently working through Foundations Level C and loving it! It is no secret that I am a fan of the Logic of English Foundations Program. I'm realizing that the reason I like it so much is because it does just that, lays a foundation. When learning to read, there are two main methods you can use. Either sight or phonics. I learned to read by sight so when I first started teaching my oldest son to read I was confused when different phonetic rules were brought into the picture. He learned to read quickly and sped ahead two grade levels immediately so we didn't spend much time on the rules.  My second son didn't catch on quite as quick. Don't get me wrong, he's a great reader and reads right on par for his age, but he learns differently. Teaching him to read using phonics has increased his reading ability dramatically. He is the type to rush through things and th...

The Berenstain Bears Caring and Sharing Treasury is a wonderful collection of five beloved Berenstain Bears stories all in one, large, hardcover book. It includes the following stories:   -        Jobs Around Town -        Get Involved -        Love Their Neighbors -        The Biggest Brag   -        Gossip Gang Each book in this treasury begins by sharing a Bible verse that is relevant to the story. What I like about this collection is that there are stories that would be a draw to young boys such as Jobs Around Town and Get Involved . The ones that my daughter was excited about were T he Biggest Brag and the Gossip Gang, because it featured mostly girl bears in the stories. The other story, Love Their Neighbors , was my favorite and is sure to be a hit with any child. It is basically a modern day ve...

Take a step outside into your backyard and you might be surprised with what you’ll find. Once you started homeschooling, I’ll bet you began looking at your yard with entirely different lenses. No longer do you simply see clouds in the sky, now you see cumulus or read more at Our Homeschool Forum.

I am excited to introduce the soon to be released book, Why Mommy Carries A Gun by Stephanie Rogish and Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. "There are sheep in the world. They are gentle creatures who could never harm anyone on purpose. There are wolves. They do not care about others and they can and will harm the sheep. Then there are the Sheepdogs. These brave creatures will protect others from the wolf." Why Mommy Carries A Gun follows the Shepherd family . Dad is away on a business trip and mom is home with young Max. A knock is heard at the door and mom answers, gun in hand. All is well and everyone is safe but since Max saw mom carrying her gun, this provided an opportunity for mom to share why she carries with her son.   "Most moms would lay down their lives for their babies. But a Sheepdog mom has the tools and the training to defend her pups." When dad returns, Max is taught several lessons concerning gun laws and safety. He spends time with friends and t...

  Sheepdogs: Meet Our Nation's Warriors by Stephanie Rogish and Lt. Col. Dave Grossman provide children with a clear understanding of who the good guys really are in our nation. $15 w/ FREE SHIPPING Children are often drawn to the character that they relate to the most. Whether it be in a film, novel, play, or video game. They find who they can relate to and cling to them. Why do you think that the most popular series that have hit the shelves the past couple of decades are filled with either wizards, witches, vampires or flat out darkness. Children fear their dark side. They don't understand it and they are confused. They often don't know how to deal with it. They think that it is simply, "who they are," or that they were "born that way." In their minds, they believe there is nothing they can do to change it.  Sheepdogs: Meet Our Nation's Warriors will be one of the most important books that you share with your child. The authors share...

It's almost that time of year again! The Franklin County, VA Agricultural Fair is scheduled this year for September 14-17, 2016 . Last year we were able to attend the 2015 Franklin County Agricultural Fair and had a wonderful experience spending time with family and friends. The fair recently reopened in 2014 after a 40 year break. We were a part of the fair that year as vendors but this year we came just for fun, with our newborn, and let the older kids have the time of their lives. Below is their favorite ride that they could not get enough of!  It's a shame that the fair was rained out on the weekend and I am thankful that we were able to go on an evening that the weather decided to cooperate. The biggest hit among many of the youth I noticed was the ball toss where you could win a LIVE BABY IGUANA. It was similar to winning a goldfish but for some reason seemed much harder. I watched a group of college kids try to win one, to no avail! Speaking of w...

  The Punderdome Card Game is certain to be a hit at your next party. When I got this game I wasn't sure if it would be over my kid's heads. It was. This game is geared for children ages 12+ and I see why. This game takes brain power, but don't worry, not too much! The best part of this game is, you don't begin with a blank slate. You receive two theme ideas to work with to make up a pun. For example, you might receive the cards CANDY and SLEEPING. Whoever makes up the most corny pun, using these words, wins the round!  Suggested puns for these two words are  - How do you say goodnight ? Sweet dreams ! - If you're tired , maybe you need an espresso or a hot toffee ? Play against each other or break up into teams. The host of the party begins by filling the provided, MYSTERY ENVELOPES with slips of paper stating an individual prize they are willing to part with. Don't fret, you don't need to head out to Bed, Bath and Beyond and buy door prize...

Be prepared for a powerful, life-changing experience when you watch Lt. Col. Dave Grossman's 5-disc DVD series, The Bulletproof Mind. For a limited time only you can order this set for only $97 (retail $297). It's no secret that mass killings, right here in America, are on the rise. While driving through town, it seems that flags are constantly at half mast, a continual reminder to pray for the families of these heartbreaking tragedies. The most recent incidents that immediately come to my mind are Texas, Florida, and California. Did you forget about California? It has been a little over six months since this terrible event.  Photo Credit: Latimes.com Look at these faces. A loving father of six, a hardworking, kind, mom who was married to her High School sweetheart. We see a brother who was the youngest of thirteen siblings and a daughter who brought her family nothing but joy. On December 2, 2015 each one of these precious lives were taken by the hand of terro...

The fireworks have stopped and Independence day celebrations have ceased, but that doesn't mean that our kids have! Keeping your kids outdoors often, will help burn energy, boost creativity and keep them healthy, as they absorb some Vitamin D! Here are 15 ideas to keep your little ones loving the outdoors! - Search For Animal Tracks - Identify Mushrooms (observe only!) - Build A Lean-To - Set Up a Water Obstacle Course - Organize a Bicycle Wash - Backyard Fireman's Hose   - Set Up A Water Slide - Chalk It Up! - Homemade Bubbles - Creative Rock Painting - Outdoor Twister Board - Ice Block Treasure Hunt  - Nature Paintbrushes - Water Balloon Fight - Backyard Parkour Activities Don't be stressed out this summer and don't feel like you have to spend a fortune. Plan several activities before the summer comes to a close. They'll love it!  There are plenty of free or inexpensive activities you and your family will enjoy. The summer wil...

The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison is a companion book to the original Trim Healthy Mama plan. I've been seeing Trim Healthy Mama all over the internet; blogs, Twitter, Pinterest, everywhere! At first I thought, "oh no, not another diet plan!" So I didn't hop on the band wagon. Then I started looking at some of the reviews and noticed that many people were singing its praises. I decided to give the cookbook a try, but not the diet though.  I was pleasantly surprised. This cookbook is now well used, well worn and is often a go-to cookbook for our family. The recipes are right up our alley and healthy too! Now, I will add, that the diet consists of not using white sugar or white flour, which I totally understand that the two are devoid of all nutritional value but I still wasn't going to purchase their sugar and flour blends for their recipes. I just used what I had on hand and even though I might not get the figure that many wo...

The Starter Bible is a thick, board book with a convenient purple handle so little ones can tote it around easily. The cover is inviting with bright, bold colors and images. The beautiful illustrations fill this book from cover to cover, engaging young readers. There is so much happening on each page that your child won't be able to keep their eyes of the colorful pictures while you read these timeless, biblical stories to them. Beginning with, "God Made The World," to "Jesus Is Alive Again,"this book takes your child through parts of the Old Testament and New Testament alike. Of the twenty stories presented in this book, my favorite imagery is in the account of Jonah. The illustrations are simply beautiful! There are two pages dedicated to each story. If you are looking for a nice, decent sized board book style Bible for a little one, then I highly recommend the Starter Bible!  Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by Book Look. All opinions stated he...