Thursday, November 25, 2021

Turkey Time - 2021

 The Turkey tradition continues... which one is your favorite?


Overcooked and Dog Toy


Minnesota Sports 



California and Princess Jasmine



Kracken and Cruella 


And the winner was....  UHAUL TURKEY by yours truly!




It's great to be HOME together in Cali!  Playing games, reading "The Plump & Perky Turkey" and enjoying all that pie!







Wednesday, November 17, 2021

On the MOVE!

 We did it!  We took the leap of faith and packed the moving van (this time all by ourselves).  It's California or bust!


I'm so proud of this team... we packed and moved the entire house - ALL BY OURSELVES!  Yep, two old adults and 4-6 children (a couple of college kiddos made some weekend appearances...)


God was very good to us - we sold the house in under a week, and for over list price.  Next, packing and moving a family of 10 (one with a slight book addiction) into a moving van for a cross country road trip.

Did I mention - the dog, 3 cats and fish?



I had my reservations that it could be done... after a couple of weeks of purging, and countless trips to Goodwill donation center, we did it!!



Let the fun begin!  Don is a master planner, and plotted out the best way to fit everything in, and how to store it too.










The next chapter of the GBA (great Bentz adventure) is on the road!

Friday, November 12, 2021

The Giving Manger from WorthyKids: A TOS Crew Review

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew


Worhty Kids

The Giving Manger from WorthyKids




Our family loves traditions, and advent!  The Giving Manger from WorthyKids is a wonderful new advent tradition for the entire family!  This 32 page, hardcover book comes packaged with a wooden manger, straw and a "baby Jesus".  


The story, written by Allison Hottinger, mom of 5 children,  centers around Matthew 25:40 - and focuses on giving acts of service, instead of receiving presents, as our "gift" for this season.  What a timely message!  


The book tells the story of a young father that decides to lead his family to give gifts of service each day of advent, instead of presents.  The story details that the children, while disappointed at first, come to understand the joy found in giving to each other. The family places a single piece of straw into the manager for each "gift", making a soft bed. On Christmas Day, they place the Baby Jesus in the manager, "full of love".

The illustrations by Emily King are delightful cut-paper style collage pictures.  I love that she left the faces blank, so you can imagine yourself.




The book includes several pages of "Manager Moments" with suggested service activities for children, teens and families.   The activities are all aimed to create a heart to give, instead of receive.



"Manager Memories" are a couple of lined pages for you to record your families memories from the year, creating a family keepsake.


I love filling our home with Christmas books, beginning in Advent.  The Giving Manger  is sure to become a family classic!


Find WorthyKids on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorthyKidsBooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worthykidsbooks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegivingmanger/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/worthykids/



Hashtags: #hsreviews #TheGivingManger #adventtraditions       



                       Start a New Christmas Advent Tradition with The Giving Manger

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Redwall Study Guide & Frankenstein Study Guide from Progeny Press: A TOS Crew Review

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew


Progeny Press

Redwall Study Guide & Frankenstein Study Guide from Progeny Press



We have been long time fans of Progeny Press and their Interactive Study Guides! Check out our past reviews from 2016 - 2017- 2018- 2019 - 2020.!  

One of the things I most admire is the wide variety of selections for ALL grades. The guides are very easy to use, everything you need (just add the book) is clearly laid out for you. This year we are focusing on Redwall Study Guide (Grades 5–10) & Frankenstein Study Guide (Grades 10-12).

Both of these guides can be used with your high school students. They take about 8-10 weeks to complete and can count for 1/4 of a full high school credit. Completing four guides in one year gives a student a full high school credit. They have dozens of great titles to choose from at every grade level!

We love the format of these easy-to-use guides. They come as downloadable PDF with the ability to either print what you need, or use the interactive feature that allows you to type directly into the document. They are reusable for each of your students.

Each guide follows a similar design with a short Synopsis of the book, an About the Author and Background Information section to help you introduce the literature to your student.







Fun Pre-Reading Activities help set the stage and Final Projects help wrap up the study.  The Optional Essays and Projects and Related Resources let you expand the learning.

Each guide uses a variety of activities to teach the literature, chapter by chapter. The guides are designed for students to be able to work independently, and can be used with multiple students at the same time.



The Redwall Study Guide is a 73 page Interactive Guide designed for grades 5-10.  This fantasy story absolutely captivated my entire family, especially my boys!  The world of Redwall Abbey with unforgettable characters like Martin, Matthias, Cornflower, and one of the best villains ever... Cluny, the Scourge,  has become a family favorite! 

 



The Study guide teaches literature chapter-by-chapter with:
 
  • Vocabulary Activities - with a variety of approaches including matching, fill-in-the-blanks, working synonyms & antonyms, crossword puzzles
  • Comprehension and Thinking Questions - to check for understanding, and to teach a variety of literary techniques and devices
  • Dig Deeper questions - to get students to connect literature and the Bible
  • Class Discussions
  • Chapter Activities - hands on ways to incorporate the book like cooking, crafts or additional writing activities

We love the variety included in each Progeny Press Guide!



The77 page Frankenstein Study Guide is another great choice for your high school students. 

                                                         

By reading this classic story, they are learning much more than just simple literary analysis, they are understanding history, science, morality and their significance today.


 I love that Progeny Press Guides are all written from a decidedly Christian worldview!  Several character qualities are explored in this guide, including: Motivation, hubris/pride, friendship, death, guilt/sin, human goodness, responsibility for our actions, revenge, man's nature, purpose, responsibility, God and His creation, ambition, moral framework.

The Questions, Anaylsis and Dig Deeper sections really get your student to think and compare literature to their lives.  These make EXCELLENT discussion topics at the dinner table as well!


Full Answer Keys are included with each guide as well (a great bonus for busy moms that may not have had the time to read along with her high schoolers...)






Progeny Press Interactive Guides have been a staple in our homeschool across all grades, we have appreciated their high quality year after after. We highly recommend them!


Check out several other titles the Crew is reviewing:


Find Progeny Press on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/progenypress
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/progenypress
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/progenypress
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/progenypress

Hashtags: #hsreviews #homeschool #literature #reading #comprehension #unitstudies #progenypress




                      Progeny Press Literature Study Guides