Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
I had the choice of several books from the Heroes of History series (there are twenty-six books available), but chose George Washington as we are currently studying the American Revolution.
We used this softcover biography as a read aloud, and it was the perfect compliment to the books we had already been using this year. Not only is the book well-written and easy to read, but it really described just how vital a role George Washington played in the American Revolution.
I myself learned a ton of things I didn’t know about George Washington. I had no idea how involved he had been in politics before becoming the leader of the Continental Army. I had assumed he was just a military leader picked for the job, and didn’t realize that he was actually involved in some of the policies put into place by the Continental Congress, and that the members of the Congress knew him, and trusted him enough that he was unanimously voted in when it came to picking a military commander.
I was also surprised to learn just how much George Washington sacrificed when it came to his family life and businesses because he realized if he didn’t step forward, things would fall apart. There was more than once where the new country could have collapsed if George Washington had not (albeit reluctantly) stepped in and sacrificed for our country. I found it all to be very fascinating.
The kids also enjoyed the book. Here are some of the things they liked: The Little Guy: “I liked learning about how they won back the country-that was fun.” The Girlio: “I liked learning about George Washington as a child, and that he had cousins. I also liked learning about Lafayette.” The Boy: “I liked the action.”
Another neat feature related to this book is the optional Unit Study Curriculum Guide. It is filled with chapter questions, vocabulary words, craft ideas, and additional activities. We chose to use the book as a read aloud and incorporate it into what we were already doing, but you could very easily use the book and guide AS your history curriculum, which is very cool.
I really liked how much George Washington: True Patriot added to our history this year, and now I am looking forward to incorporating more books from the Heroes of History series into our future studies.
I went through our book stash and discovered that we were gifted Heroes of History’s George Washington Carver a while back, so I am pretty sure that will be on the list for next year. I also wouldn’t mind getting the chance to use the guide that corresponds with the book next time, which could be a lot of fun.
The Dinosaur Coloring Book was produced by The Northern Star Printing Co.
It is a coloring book for kids ages 4 and up, and contains more than 30 dinosaur coloring pages, along with additional pages containing interesting details about each dinosaur.
My Thoughts: I have a dinosaur-loving boy in my household, so I knew he would be excited to have this coloring book. He has already colored several pages, and when I asked him what he liked, he said: “I like all the dinosaurs, and I like when they come to life when I color.” So, he definitely is enjoying it.
For me, I have mixed feelings. I like that he is enjoying it. I like how the name of the dinosaur is listed on each coloring page, because when the coloring page gets separated from the fact sheet, I can still answer him when he asks which dinosaur it is. Very handy.
I also really like that the name of the dinosaur is broken out into syllables on the fact page-giving the parent (me) somewhat of a chance of pronouncing it properly.
What I did not like, is that the “facts” were more like guesses in some cases, and the grammar is a bit poor in places. This book definitely foists a belief that the world is millions of years old, which is also not fact.
However, as most kids are just going to want to color in this book, I say skip the “facts” and just enjoy the coloring!
I would like to thank The Northern Star Printing Co. for providing me with a free digital copy of this coloring book in exchange for my review. Thank you.
Stitch + String Lab for Kids was written by Cassie Stephens, and is part of the popular “Lab for Kids” series of books.
Summary: This book contains 40+ creative fiber-arts projects for kids.
My Thoughts: This is a great arts and crafts book for kids. The projects are simple and creative, the instructions are very detailed and easy to understand, and best of all-there are tons of great pictures-perfect for a visual learner like myself.
I have quite a few of the books from the “Lab for Kids” series, and Cassie Stephens’ books are my favorite (she has another book on clay.)
Why is she my favorite? Not only does she present creative and fun projects, but she is SO good at making sure everything is easy to understand, and always includes simple little tips for making things easier to do. I love that!
If you have ever wanted to dabble in the fiber arts with your kids (or even just on your own), this book is a wonderful starting point. I definitely recommend this book!
I would like to thank Quarry books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!
Since this week is proving to be a good time to stay home, I thought I would do something I have been promising myself I would do more of-find more gluten-free/dairy-free recipes for the family.
Because I was craving something sweet, and because I had all the ingredients already, I decided we would try this recipe:
Now, you may notice that this recipe is NOT gluten-free or dairy-free.
But, because I have had such good luck with substituting my gluten-free flour in other recipes, I decided to just go for it with a few changes.
I used WalMart’s Great Value All-Purpose Gluten-Free flour (found in the gluten-free section) for my flour. For the butter, I used Imperial brand margarine sticks. These sticks do contain whey, which is a milk by-product. If you must avoid dairy all together, you will need another type of “butter” stick alternative such as Earth Balance.
For us, the Earth Balance sticks are super hard to find/crazy expensive, so we do use the Imperial brand margarine sticks. I have found that either whey doesn’t bother The Boy, or the amount is small enough not to cause a behavior problem. Either way, it works for us, but use what works for you.
The verdict? We love these cookies. They are so, so good. And, I am pretty happy with myself for actually making another recipe that will work for everyone in our family-got to love that!
Anyway, I encourage you to try the recipe-whether you make them straight from the original recipe, or go gluten-free/dairy-free like us.
Slow Down, Enjoy, and Create 