Review-The Action Bible Anytime Devotions

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.

The Action Bible Anytime Devotions book is a devotional for kids ages 8-12 years old published by David C Cook.

This devotional is full-color, with graphic cartoon styling reminiscent of the original Action Bible. Each of the 90 two-page spreads is based on a specific topic (like trust) and contains a verse, a short story related to the topic, and several actionable items.

The actionable items include things like:
-something you can do regarding that topic-pray, read your Bible, etc.
-how to pray about that topic
-how you might help others when dealing with that topic

The devotion ends with a listing of a passage from the Action Bible and/or Bible verses that can be read to learn more.

Here’s an example page for reference:

So, here are the things I like about this devotional:

1. Things to do-I like that there are so many actionable items kids can do. In my experience, many devotionals tell a story, reference a scripture, and then maybe ask a few questions. This devotional goes a step further and gives the reader something to DO with the information. How to pray, how to use the information in real life, what to do if you want to learn more-these are the ways you engage kids and create the deeper meaning and closer relationships with God. Really, it’s what a devotional should do in my opinion.

2. THE ART! The pictures in this devotional are wonderful. The colors, the details-they just draw a reader into the pages. This is especially great for those of us with kids that are visual learners. And, if you have kids that love anything Marvel/DC Comics-make sure to tell them the illustrator of this devotional has also illustrated everyone from Batman, to Iron Man, to Wonder Woman! Pretty cool!

3. The flexibility-I really like that this devotional works well for a child to read on their own, and can also work for a parent and child to read together.

My ten year old son and I have been reading this devotional together to start off our homeschooling days, and we both like it. After we finish reading it, my thirteen year old (who listens to the Action Bible on Audible quite a bit), mentioned she would like to read through it too, so we will be passing it around I am sure.

Anyway, if you are interested in reading more about The Action Bible Anytime Devotions, check out additional reviews at the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Have a great day!

Wednesday Words

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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Review-Connections Stationary Kit

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.

Today I am reviewing the Connections Stationary Kit by Byron’s Games.

This letter-writing kit (for kids ages six and up) contains the following:
25 sheets of stationary
25 envelopes
4 sheets of stickers
two dye-based ink pads (one blue, and one pink)
one small thank you stamp
one fine-tip pen (blue ink)

This kit is also contained in a sturdy box, so there is no need to transfer the contents into any other kind of packaging.

Now, on to my review!

I have to say I was very pleased to have received this kit when I did, because this guy just turned ten years old. Aack! How is this possible??? Time flies people.

Anyway, being the enterprising homeschool mom that I am, I knew I could use this kit to teach my son how to format a letter as he wrote his thank you notes! That’s a win-win in my book. 🙂

We went over basic letter formatting details, and then it was time for the thank you notes.

He wrote four thank you letters, and we sent them out right away.

Here are the four things I liked best about this kit:

1. I really liked the paper quality. Being a card maker myself, I notice the difference between crummy paper and the good stuff. This is high-quality paper.

2. I liked that everything was included but the postage stamp. Having everything in one place makes letter writing SO much simpler.

3. I liked that there were twenty-five sheets of stationary. If and when a kid messes up a letter (yes, this happened) it isn’t any big deal to throw a sheet away and re-write the note. Of course, if you have a lot of letters to write, you can always write a draft on scratch paper, but who has time for that? I would rather just not worry about it.

4. And, this might sound silly, but I really loved the sticker seals that came with the kit. They are bright and cheery, high-quality, and my son had so much fun picking out which ones he wanted on which envelope. Even my husband mentioned that he liked the look of them.

If I was to critique just one thing, it would be that I would have loved to have seen a couple more stamps included in this set.

My son was enjoying the kit so much, he also wrote a “get well” note to a friend. The “thank you” stamp didn’t quite fit the theme, so it would have been nice to have maybe a “get well” stamp, or a “miss you” stamp included to make the kit more well-rounded.

Other than that, it was a fun kit to use, and we still have plenty of supplies to use further down the road. In fact, I will probably use this same kit with my other kids for THEIR birthday thank you notes in a few months! And yes, I will probably throw in another lesson on letter formatting while I am at it! 🙂

So, there you go! A big thank you to Byron’s Games for providing my family with the Connections Stationary kit. If you are interested in reading more reviews about this kit, check out the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Wednesday Words

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