Bible Study Guide For All Ages Advanced and Beginner Level Review

My youngest is most interested in learning more about the Bible and she has a pretty big influence with her niece and nephew, ages 7 and 3. I usually partake in any offerings of Bible based educational opportunities so when the opportunity to review Bible Study Guide For All Ages, I jumped. I chose both the Advanced (5th and 6th grade) and Beginner (3-K) Levels for this review. 

Advanced level is for grades 5th and 6th which includes:

• Advanced Student Pages
• Advanced Teacher Key
• Bible Book Summary Cards

Beginner level is for grades 3 - Kindergarten and it includes:

• Beginner Student Pages
• Beginner Timeline

There are also two more levels, which we did not review, and they include:

Intermediate for grades 3rd and 4th:

• Intermediate Student Pages
• Intermediate Teacher Key
• Bible Book Summary Cards

Primary for grades 1st and 2nd:

• Primary Student Pages
• Primary Teacher Key
• Bible Book Summary Cards

The program is expected to take around four years to complete but for our review, due to summer, we completed around 10 lessons.

For my oldest, we used the Advanced Level which provides interactive activities that not only challenged her but also taught her a lot about the Bible. Memory drills, referring to the timeline, maps and using her Bible reinforced areas that she may not have been familiar with nor even noticed had it not been for the lessons. The curriculum itself mentions on their website that the Advanced Teacher's Key is helpful for large groups but with one or two students, it's not a necessity. Even though I was only teaching two, I was happy to refer to the Key and was glad it was provided. 

The Bible Book Summary Cards, Children's Songs and the Wall Map and Timeline Sets are not required for the curriculum but they are referenced and I think quite helpful to supplement the learning experience. 

For the Advanced Level, it's broken into four units with multiple lessons per each unit. For example, Unit 1 covers Joseph, Daniel, Jesus' early life and first year of ministry, Adam, Noah, Job, Moses, Joshua and Jesus' last week. Each lesson, one page per lesson, is at a length that allows a student to self learn or can be taught. The entire Bible Study Guile encompasses 416 lessons and is meant for early childhood to adult. It covers both the new testament and the old testament.

The pages are legal size making it a bit odd to store for the next usage. I think the page size is neat for younger students, however. Each lesson is lightly glue-bound allowing the student to easily tear a page out.

Each lesson includes:

• Remember It provides an opportunity for the student to really study the Bible. At the top of each lesson, there is a reference to read passages that correspond to that lesson. The student then can answer each question and check their answers at the bottom of that section.
• Memory Workout helps to reinforce what they have already learned.
• Guess What is like a tidbit or a factoid of information that I feel was made to be fun and/or educational.
• Time Line allows the student to further study the Bible and understand how it fit into the timeline. Many historians will agree that in order to fully understand the historical significance of an event or topic, you really have to know when it occurred.
• Apply It provides another opportunity to utilize the knowledge they learned.
• Get Active encourages the students an opportunity to pray and talk to God.

The Beginner Student Pages are similar to the Advanced Student Pages in the set up. The main difference is they are geared for the younger mind and have more coloring as what child doesn't like to color? 

The way we approached the Beginner Student Pages were to follow the order of each lesson:

• Learn the Basics which referred to the timeline (see the wall cards on the picture above). 
• Sing and Remember and each numbered item has the answer under that section.
• Get Active is just as with the Advanced Student Pages in that it teaches the young minds on how to communicate with God.
• Apply It is the same as the Advanced Student Pages in that it's ensuring the student will remember what they already learned.

The Beginner Timeline

 Both of my students enjoyed the program especially the length of each lesson. The lessons have what I feel is the right amount of information to really study the specific areas of the Bible and encourage retention. This is more than just reading as with each of the activities and practical application, it encourages the student to comprehend and really think about what they learned. The Beginner Timeline, for ages 3-K, includes 34 full color pictures on card stock. Each picture contains a question thus teaching the young student one simple fact about the Bible's major people and events. The Bible Book Summary Cards and fun to use flash cards. Each card has one or more pictures from the Bible that represented a main content or message. When it's turned over, the student will be able to read a brief description of what was on the front. These cards are referred to in the Primary, Intermediate and Advanced Level Student Pages.

Bible Book Summary Cards

Overall, I would recommend the Bible Study Guide as it was educational and it was more profound than just reading passage after passage. It encouraged thinking and independent thought which is important to me. While diving into the Bible, it also taught and engaged them into really feeling they were communicating with God.

All the Bible Study Guide for All Ages products include:

Advanced (5th & 6th grade) - Advanced Student Pages, Advanced Teacher Key, Bible Book Summary Cards

Intermediate (3rd & 4th grade) - Intermediate Student Pages, Intermediate Teacher Key, Bible Book Summary Cards

Primary (1st & 2nd grade) - Primary Student Pages, Primary Teacher Guide, Bible Book Summary Cards

Beginner (3-K) - Beginner Student Pages, Beginner Time Line

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The Wholesome Child: A Complete Nutrition Guide and Cookbook by Mandy Sacher Review

The Wholesome Child: A Complete Nutrition Guide and Cookbook by Mandy Sacher is a hard cover nutritional guide with more than 140 family-friendly recipes. It is a comprehensive book that includes a forward from a doctor and input from experts to include nutritionists, a pediatrician and lactation consultant, a clinical and developmental psychologist, a speech and pediatric feeding therapist and a clinical neuropsychologist as well as a dietitian.

The book is indexed by different topics from a forward, an introduction, guide to using the book, conversion tables, addressing fussy eaters, shopping, cooking and kitchen essentials to properly prepare for the wholesome way to eat and various steps in converting to healthier eating. It finishes up with menu plans, a bibliography and resources and an index. Initially, my first thought on the book was it had a nice engaging colorful cover with two children drinking from a playful canning jar and a colorful straw. When my seven year granddaughter saw it, her first reaction was, “oh! What’s this?” To me, this is already a win because she’s interested and she really enjoys helping in the kitchen and likes to peruse recipes. Since this book is geared towards children, it’s already a win  as it captured her attention. 

The book is designed for ages one through six although it is noted that any age child would benefit and possibly be inspired by the recipes. Traditionally, younger children and the most difficult of eaters and in many families, such as mine, it continues to older ages as I have very resistant eaters at the ages of 11 and 14. The author notes that the best way to incorporate change is in incremental stages which is very true if you have kids already or even if you have ever tried to diet with a radically different way of eating than you are used to. Small changes can move mountains and this is the same with changing our taste buds and what we find is good after time.

I have many many books from good old fashioned books that I can touch to ones that are electronic on my Kindle. I have many genres and I do have a lot of nutritional books and from all the ones that I have read, this one is extremely helpful and it truly is comprehensive. For those not experienced with such a diet, I would advice taking some time to get to know the book. When you are armed with knowledge, it is easier to adopt a change such as this. Reading the book will provide the confidence needed to move forward in a positive manner helping to ensure success. You can invite your child(ren) to help make the recipes as well to encourage pride in their work making the success of them eating and liking the food better or at least that is how my children and grandchildren are.

One thing I noted, early in the book, is the fact that the author supports turning to the diet to get the required minerals and supplements before turning to supplements. I have been saying this from the start with my husband who is a supplement addict. Whatever nature provides, one cannot go wrong. I try to stick with that first and man-made second. The section on Essential Vitamins and Minerals is really good. The chart is easy to read, it’s broken down by the essential ones we are all used to reading or hearing about and includes dosing/amount required, what function it performs for our bodies and how to obtain them within our diets naturally.

One of my favorite sections is on fussy eaters. She addresses many areas to include training early taste buds and how if you get them used to eating natural foods early instead of refined (addictive) refined sugars and other non-natural ingredients, they will be easier to continue on the path of wholesome foods. I’ve been on and off on the ketogenic diet and I know from my own experiences that once refined foods are eliminated from the diet, real food tastes better, I feel better and I have much more energy. The first ingredient on a label should not be sugar or three other types of sugar products. The author provides strategies and knowledge in addressing fussy eaters versus possible underlying causes preventing them from eating certain foods. My daughter was born with a lactose intolerance and cried and cried for the first couple of months of life. The pediatrician at that time only advised changing brands and it was upon my own desperation for relief that I tried the lactose free formula and a magic switch was turned on. Until this day, I feel guilt over what she must had endured in pain and discomfort.. My other daughter, 11, has dairy issues as well and have had a host of digestion discomfort. This book addresses issues such as food allergies, sensory issues and more providing the parent a chance to possibly understand that it may not just be a fussy eater issue. .

Another favorite section was baking with different flours. Given my own diet, I’ve been baking with almond and coconut flours. This section taught me some key facts about each flour to not only benefit my own diet but to understand the recipes and why certain flours are used and how they are used. There is even a section on preparing to go gluten-free which is becoming a bigger health interest of late in the States.

The recipes are accompanied with beautiful photographs of the final product. They are inviting and tempting. Each section will guide the parent/caregiver into making the transition in an easy to follow non drastic manner. The section on reducing sugar is a big one for me. Sugar is in too many products as I noted before, the main ingredient in a product should not be sugar and other sugar type products. To think that in one can of soda, you or your child will be consuming 10 teaspoons of sugar!

The recipes are also sectioned with the focus being on the particular step. Such as in the chapter of reducing sugar, there will be recipes for muffins, rolls, frosting, cupcakes, cake pops and more. The chapter on Vegetables have amazing looking recipes for items such as Beetroot Bliss Balls or Sweet Potato Pancakes. Supercharged Bolognaise or Sweet Potato Pizza are all fun ways to add more vegetables to the menu without making them boring. I will not say that cooking and baking with more wholesome ingredients is easy as it’s not. It does take time and it is more expensive than grabbing the frozen entry from the frozen section in the grocery store but when you are considering your health and your child(rens), it’s worth it. In a short time, the routine becomes easier and faster and you might even find some of your own interesting twists!

Overall, this is an excellent book introducing the audience to many facets involved in wholesome eating. From the various topics I noted above to other topics such as swapping to whole grains, It provides a firm foundation in understanding the why’s of switching the way we eat. The tips and strategies are top notch and doable. This will not only benefit children but the whole family in my opinion. I could address every section of the book but it would turn my review into a book! This is a must have for anyone wanting to change their children’s diets into a more wholesome healthier way of eating.

Stay tuned as we try some of the recipes and share them!

About the Author:

Mindy Sacher’s brother, Dr. Paul Sacher, provided the forward in the book. He has been a specialist pediatric dietitian and nutritionist for twenty-one years. His work has seen the effects of poor diets on children not only relative to weight but also in health. Mandy, a nutritionist herself, really became mobilized upon the birth of her son. Knowing what food labels really meant, she decided she was going to ensure her son had wholesome foods and not refined sugar and preservatives along with a host of other unhealthy ingredients. She started making her own baby food and moved forward with other endeavors that reinforced the public’s interest in Australia for healthier food choices for children. The idea behind the book came about in the realization that there were not any comprehensive addressing nutrition and strategies to change children into healthier eaters.

For more information, to include monthly newsletters, a free menu planner and more, click here on The Wholesome Child link and to purchase, click here.


This book was provided complimentary and I agreed to a no obligation review.

Cave Tools Instant Read Digital Thermometer For Cooking Review & 15% Off Coupon Code

Note:  We have been provided a product in exchange for our review.

Anyone who bakes and cooks understands the importance of a good thermometer. We do a lot of baking in our house to include using the BBQ and the smoker. We have had a couple of different thermometers but decided to give the Cave Tools Instant Read Digital Thermometer a try given how much we've liked the other products we have reviewed from Cave Tools. As always, it didn't let us down and this one has features that none of the other ones we have had such as the ability to read instantly, fits in the pocket with a nice pocket clip on protector case and re-calibrates itself. When the battery wears out, a simple watch battery is all that is needed to replace it. The large digital display was my favorite too as you can see in this picture, it's quite easy to read:

The 100% stainless steel design is shatterproof and waterproof ensuring its durability. My main smoker "worker" is my son-in-law and he was very happy with the thermometer. He was able to smoke two delicious pieces of pork and it was smoked to perfection thanks to the Cave Tools Instant Read Digital Thermometer. It's easy to wash and easy to store.

To purchase, visit either Cave Tools Instant Read Digital Thermometer on Amazon or on the Cave Tools page.

To save 15%, use code LH58KB66

Interested in our other reviews? Just click the link to learn more:

Cave Tools BBQ Grill Light

Cave Tools Smoker Box for BBQ Grill Wood Chips

Cave Tools Meat Claws

Beer Can Chicken Roaster Rack



Summer is finally here and it's a great time to get your grill and smokers fired up!

Hake Publishing Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3 Review

In our latest learning endeavor, we discovered and wanted to introduce you to the homeschool grammar program from Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3, from Hake Publishing. This is a three book program separated by concise lessons introducing children to what I found is the just the right amount of material per lesson. The set includes a consumable textbook for the student, a teacher's guide and a writing workbook. It is a comprehensive English language arts curriculum that emphasizes writing, vocabulary development, spelling and grammar all in one. Instead of separating each one into long boring lessons, it is built into the one program making learning it more fun especially for the student that likes to write like mine do. Within the examples and exercises are what they call Core Knowledge® content from other subject areas so the student is also learning other facts. 

As I learned, some of the grade levels have a special emphasis such as the fourth grade curriculum covers insects and animals while the fifth grade curriculum covers the fifty states which I think is pretty cool!

The helpful optional guidelines in teaching the Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3 include:

• Beginning class:  each class begins with a dictation or a journal entry which the journal entry is my student's favorite. The nice part of this curriculum is the parent/teacher does not have to sit over their student to start each lesson. If you keep a routine, the student will know, based on the optional guideline, every Monday is dictation to prepare for the test on Friday and so forth. 
• The dictation is read the first day of each week noting the grammar and punctuation marks. On Friday, the parent/teacher reads the passage to the student and they write it using the grammar and punctuation they remembered.
• Journal topics only require about five minutes of time which my student liked even though she enjoys writing, she doesn't want to spend a large chunk of her day writing. These are done on days Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
• Grammar lessons should be taught in sequential order as this is how it is presented. The student needs to understand and build on their knowledge for the next lessons. There are some optional "More Practice" sections for some lessons furthering their understanding of the material presented.
• The Grammar tests are given after the completion of every five lessons. They are short and only consist of twenty-five questions so the time is just right. There is a suggested schedule for teaching the lessons in the beginning of the Teacher's Edition.

"I really like this!" <- Those are words any parent/teacher wants to hear!

Every now and again, I will come across a curriculum that my children like and this was a win for her. I am going to purchase another set for my other child given how easy it was to teach my youngest. My middle one watched me teach the younger one and said she would like to try it too. 

The lessons are not long either. They are just enough to reinforce what they learn and to ensure they comprehend and understand. This is a "More Practice" page to give you an idea:

This is one of the test pages:

Overall, it's a very good curriculum in terms of length of each lesson, speed in how fast you want to cover lessons as there are suggestions but ultimately, it's up to the parent/teacher on the timetable for teaching and I really like how each lesson includes vocabulary words, Latin and Greek root words. Another key component that I liked is how it encourages students to write in a concise way and not to use too many words. As a writer, many new writers make the mistake of trying to incorporate words to add to the word count without adding real value to the sentence. This is good to teach at a younger age that in order to get the point through to your reader, it's better to be concise and not too overly wordy. 

Another topic that is covered is types of writing. For example, in Lesson 11, the student learns about Persuasive Writing and after they complete that lesson's assignment, in Lesson 12, they learn to evaluate their persuasive paragraph which is another good habit to get into of proofing a paper before considering it final. 

It really is a comprehensive Grammar and Writing curriculum that I'm glad I had the opportunity to review. It does take a little time to get used to where everything is contained within the three books. I think I would have preferred some tabbed areas to have found everything easier. Again, it's a very minor inconvenience and I will be purchasing copies of the older grades. All the Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing grades include:

• Grammar and Writing 3
• Grammar and Writing 4
• Grammar and Writing 5
• Grammar and Writing 6
• Grammar and Writing 7
• Grammar and Writing 8

Click below to see what others in the Crew thought about the curriculum: 

Nike Missile Site C47 - Porter County, Indiana & Contaminated Soil

What is technically Hobart, Indiana, yet very close also to Portage, Indiana, is an abandoned Nike Missile Site known as C47. Off a rural road protected by overgrown brush and trees in spring, summer and fall, one can find the remnants of what is left behind. From deteriorated buildings marred with graffiti to the remains of elevator doors and bunkers, it's an interesting site. The Nike defense system erupted in response to the Cold War era across the United States. They were radar guided anti-aircraft missiles aimed at protecting populated cities. The ultimate plan was to curtail any attack from ever occurring. There is one renovated site available for public viewing and it's in California. This helps to explain the system in detail:  https://www.nps.gov/articles/nike-missile-site-c47.htm

This is the map of each building or structure of importance:

These are comparisons of how they were years ago versus now:

Even though the facilities were all closed, the remains still haunt the areas they once were built to safeguard America. The bigger question remains is what was left behind especially in those water filled bunkers like the one on a lowly little country road in Porter County, Indiana? A news story from the Chicago Tribune helped answer some of that in fact, there was chemical contamination on the site that is very slowly moving into the ground water. It is being monitored and it is claimed there is no risk to people as of yet. A remediation plan begins August of 2019 that will include limited excavation to remove some soil and they will mix it with other soil that will have chemical amendments to treat the contamination. This worked in a pilot study so they have hopes it will work for the entire site where contamination occurs.

The article can be found here.

More photos:

Memoria Press Classical Composition I: Fable Set Review

When I think of Classical Christian Education, I think of Memoria Press so I chose the Classical Composition I: Fable Set to review with my daughter. It's important to me that my children have exposure to as much classical education as possible as I believe it's a proven approach to education. How can one go wrong but to be educated similarly as John Milton, William Shakespeare, and Benjamin Franklin all experienced? The Classical Composition I: Fable Set is for grades 4-12 and I've decided I will purchase another set for my other daughter. I encourage all my children to read and write as next to play, there is nothing better to spark the imagination. Knowledge is truly gained by reading and I believe, by writing. 

The set included a Student Book, a Teacher's Guide and Instructional DVDs. If you aren't familiar with Memoria Press, it's been my experience with other items I have reviewed, they include these great instructional DVDs that help to reinforce what is being taught. I love them! The 14 exercises are organized in a simple yet organized way to teach.

Apparently, ancient writers invented a way to teach writing known as progymnasmata. It's not only a disciplined approach to communication but fosters the ability to appeal to their audience's heads and hearts. I found from reading the Memoria Press website, Quintilian and Cicero employed the progymnasmata way to teach their students the art of communication. Mr. Jim Selby, of Whitefield Academy, developed the Classical Composition and the students at Whitefield Academy have a 100% qualification rate on the optional essay portion of the ACT and SAT which to me, speaks volumes to the success of this program.

I have to admit that one does have to take the time to read the Teacher's Guide and perhaps watch the instructional DVDs for each lesson ahead of time to gain a better understanding of how the course is taught and to be able to effectively guide the student at first. The learning curve was short for both myself and my student.

Lesson 11

Each lesson is broken down into a fable with sections used to teach the student to think differently and to write something that is truly engaging. Learning from repeating others is a great way to learn how to write. 

Each lesson has steps for both the teacher and the student that is consistent across every lesson:

• The fable, to include a vocabulary list, provides more student teacher engagement as well as exercises to write synonyms. 
• I have an older student that this would be perfect for as she's very conscious of speaking out loud.
• Three Plot Components which is tricky if this is the first time you have heard of this. This is where the Teacher's Guide and Instructional DVDs come in handy to further your own knowledge and provide the confidence needed in guiding the student through this section.
• Variations Part 1, which is the same as above, required assistance from the Teacher's Guide and Instructional DVDs for me to feel confident in teaching it.
• The Outline is an excellent exercise that will teach the student how to summarize what they read. It provides clarification of the events and the outline provides the student an aid for the Narration exercise.
• The Narration exercise continues to foster creative thought and thinking when they have to narrate the fable in their own words. 
• Paraphrases I and 2 provides the student with an opportunity to use figures of description to rewrite as well as training the student to view a set of ideas from differing perspectives.
• Variations Part 2 is the same as Part 1.
• The Final Draft encourages the student to use their work from Paraphrase 1 or 2 to rewrite their work.

Overall, I enjoyed the Memoria Press Classical Composition I: Fable Set due to the ability to really encourage and foster such a way in writing that it will last a life time. The lessons are not like I've seen in any other curriculums which really allows for immense creativity. The set not only teaches students to write creatively but it also adds vocabulary words and the practice of identifying and finding synonyms which I think is critical in the writing process. My student seemed to be really challenged by each lesson and was inspired to excel as each lesson was completed.

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Check out what other Crew members thought about Classical Composition I: Fable Set as well as some of the other Memoria Press products:  
New American Cursive
New American Cursive 1 New American Cursive 2 (Scripture) New American Cursive 2 (Famous Americans) New American Cursive 3 (Famous Quotes) 
Traditional Logic: 
Traditional Logic I Complete Set Traditional Logic II Complete Set
Classical Composition: 
Classical Composition I: Fable Set
Classical Composition II: Narrative Set.