VeggieTales: The Little House That Stood {Review and Giveaway!}

I remember the first time I ever saw a Veggie Tales video (yes, it was a VHS tape back then). Emma was only 22 months old and we watched Where Is God When I'm Scared. Boy, that was a long time ago and how many Veggie Tales shows have I seen since then? Almost all of them, I guess. I even know quite a few of Larry's Silly Songs by heart. So when I had the chance to review the latest from Big Idea Entertainment, Inc., I jumped at it. 

The kids and I took some time one evening to watch The Little House That Stood: The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders, and we were not disappointed. The length is approximately 49 minutes. The stories are engaging, all of our favourite characters are back, the silly song made us laugh (and reminded us of one of our favourites . . . "I Love My lips") and the Biblical message is as solid as ever. We definitely recommend adding this one to your collection! 

Product Description:
When the Three Little Pigs roll into Cabbageville looking to build some new houses, they meet one builder with a plan and two without a clue! Larry builds with hay, Mr. Lunt with bricks, but only Bob builds his houses on a firm foundation - following the wise plans from the "Master Builder's Handbook!" Will the Little Piggies make the right choices when it comes to building their houses - and their lives - on solid ground? Find out in this parable that shows kids when they follow God's blueprints, they can stand strong when the storms come!

 

  Website: http://veggietales.com/littlehouse/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veggietales

Twitter: https://twitter.com/veggietales

Colouring pages: http://veggietales.com/littlehouse/activities/
  Discussion guide: http://www.veggietales.com/littlehouse/images/characters/discussionguide.pdf


Giveaway:
This DVD will be released Tuesday, March 5, and I have one copy of The Little House That Stood to giveaway to one of my readers. Please leave a comment telling me if you are a Veggie Tales fan and one of your favourite Veggie Tales titles. If you've never seen one, no worries, just say so. Please leave your email address so that I have a way to contact you, if you win. Giveaway is open to US and Canada and will close March 8, 2013 at 11:59pm ET.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

This, on repeat all day

This song has ministered to me so many times. 

Today is one of those days. 

I am playing it over and over. The kids and I are singing it over and over. 

God, we look to You.

Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the help of my countenance, and my God. Psalm 42:11 

O our God, will You not exercise judgment upon them? For we have no might to stand against this great company that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You. 2 Chronicles 20:12

Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror andbe dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice. Isaiah 41:10 

For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you! Isaiah 41:13 

College Common Sense {Review}

If you have a child in high school who is planning to go to university, you may want to know about College Common Sense. My Emma, who is in grade 11, and I were given the Going to College and Paying for it Online Video and Workbook for this review. This product is suitable for ages 6-18.

College Common Sense is a website that was created by Denise Ames, a financial aid counselor at a university in Texas. She has experience as a student, a parent, and, of course, as a professional who spends her time helping others find money for their studies and life while in university. Denise actually recommends starting the financial aid process for your children as young as age 6, as there are apparently scholarships available for that age. For the purpose of this review, I used the material with Emma only. 

In the Going to College and Paying for it series, there were six online videos to watch. The titles include:

  I - The Big Picture
 II - How Financial Aid Works
III - All About The Free Money
IV - The System That Works
 V - You In The Process
VI - Put It All Together

For each video, there are corresponding workbook pages in PDF file form to print out and look over while listening to the videos. It was suggested that I watch the videos first and then have my student watch them and go over the lessons or assignments. We started it this way but found that for our situation (only one computer) and time restraints, it was better for Emma and I to just watch together. Each video is between 10 and 25 minutes long. There are approximately 34 pages to print, with a few additional ones, such as the The Campus Visit. You can spiral bind these pages, put them in a 3 ring binder or put them in a file folder, which is what we have done for now.

Here is an example of one of the pages Denise has provided in her materials. This one is the College Cost Worksheet:

We learned so much from Denise's experience and expertise. We found out about several resources we had never heard of, including College Navigator, where you can enter your zip code to find what higher learning institutions are close to your home or in your state. We learned new vocabulary, i.e. FAFSA, EFC and COA. We learned that there is an astounding number of scholarships out there (40 million!) and how to find the ones that would work for us. Denise has a very well-thought out and organized strategy for making a scholarship notebook. It would work for a high school student to organize his/her scholarship applications, and could carry over after university, if that student was then looking at either job applications or an additional degree. I like the practical aspect of the scholarship notebook very much.

For us personally, we are still seeking God's will for Emma's future. She has several interests, talents and desires. Maybe we have an odd perspective, but we do not necessarily believe that college is the one and only way to steer our children in their respective futures. We are certainly not opposed to them going to university and are excited to see what God has planned for them, but if He does not have university for them, either right after high school or at all, that is also fine with us. There are so many avenues that He could lead them down and we want to help guide and pray with and encourage our children to follow Him, no matter where that leads.

Emma has been in contact with two universities and we had actually planned to visit one during this review period, but it ended up being on a Saturday when Bob was scheduled to work. We had to cancel the campus visit due to having no one to care for my other children, but we will probably reschedule at some point. Emma is exploring schools even though we are not sure that is the route we will go immediately following high school. At this point, we are open to anything.

Having said that, if we believe our children, starting with Emma, are on a path that includes university, we will certainly make use of College Common Sense and all the resources that Denise has to offer. I appreciate all of her hard work in setting up the website and filming the videos. I learned a great deal and will recommend this to all my family and friends, homeschooling or not, who need help in finding financial aid for their children. It is a great resource!

Going to College and Paying for it DVD & Workbook: 
$50 + $5 shipping and handling

Going to College and Paying for it Online Video & Workbook:
$25 for 12-month log in access 



Sign up for Denise's Free Lesson Plans.

Sign up for Denise's Free Monthly Newsletter.

Connect with Denise on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse 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. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. 

Weekly Menu Plan {25 February}

I'm not usually in a hurry for one month to end and another to begin, but for some reason I am ready to finish up February and head on in to March. I love winter, so I don't think it's spring fever. Maybe I just have great expectation or anticipation of something happening in March. 

Who knows?

Anyway, on to the plan for this week. It's the end of the month and I am trying not to go to the grocery until payday. So, I'm trying to plan based on what is already in my pantry or freezer. 

Monday - Leftovers for Bob and the kids (Emma and I are taking our friend out for a birthday dinner!)

Tuesday - Black bean salad and baked sweet potatoes

Wednesday - Mexicali Bean Bake (didn't make this when it was scheduled last week)

Thursday - Potato soup, biscuits

Friday - Homemade pizza, salad

Saturday - Butter chicken, basmati rice

Sunday - Grilled cheese sandwiches and/or chef salad


I hope you have a great end to the month of February! xo

A+ TutorSoft, Inc. {Review}

A+ TutorSoft Math, Inc. is a fantastic online company which offers highly interactive, multimedia math in two formats for grades 1-6, Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1. Ava and I were given an online subscription to review A+ Interactive Math for Grade 2. They also offer a CD option. 

The online program is very detailed and has fun graphics. The interactive voice which teaches the lessons is pleasant. At first, I wondered if all the buttons and options on the site would be too overwhelming and confusing for her, but Ava quickly learned how to maneuver the different pages and options for lessons, worksheets and exams. This may be a problem for some who like a more simple layout. It was not a concern for us.

There are fifteen lesson categories in grade 2, with multiple sub-lessons. The categories include: 

Number Sense
Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
Division
Rounding & Estimating
Fractions
Tables
Charts & Graphics
Algebra
Geometry
Time
Money
Measurements 

This program is to be used on a daily basis, which is how we are using it. To do a lesson, i.e. Lesson 1.3, including watching the video portion, doing the interactive Q and A, and completing the corresponding online worksheet, takes Ava about 25 minutes. At first Ava said she was bored because we started with Lesson 1 which was very basic counting. I wanted her to start there, though, to get a grasp of how the program worked. I expect more difficult material to take her a little longer as we move on to material she is unfamiliar with.

She has gone through the lessons fairly easily and looks forward to doing her math every day. She really is my first child to love math and I am thrilled to have access to this interactive program. Ava said to make sure I include how "fun" it is in this review! 

What I also like about this program is that with the online version, there is automatic progress tracking. I understand that with the CD program, I would have to manually enter Ava's grades and progress, but with the online version, it is all done for me. It is so easy to click on one button and see where she is in the program, what worksheets and exams have been completed and what her overall percentage is. This allows for more independent work for Ava, too. I don't always have to sit right beside her, although I have enjoyed doing so and watching her progress. There are also certificates of accomplishment to print for your child. 

In addition, there is a tab for lesson plans that are already structured according to which lessons to do per week. If you have to document this type of information to report to your state, this would be helpful information. I am not personally looking at the lesson plans too often, as we are just going in order and working on a daily basis. According to the lesson plans, you should be able to accomplish one lesson every week or every two weeks, depending on how many sub-sections there are.

There are also printable worksheets and exams for extra practice. Of course, if using the printables, those grades would have to be manually entered by you, the teacher.

If you would like to learn more about this program, they offer a Quick Tutorial Video.

If you are unsure as to the level your child is on, there is a placement test you can have them take (with registration).

You may also register for a free one-month trial subscription. What a great way to try out this fantastic program!

To purchase:

Online Edition - Monthly only $19.95, Quarterly only $49.99, Full Year only $124.99

CD Edition - $99.99

Right now, they are generously offering a 50% off code for my readers through the end of March! Just use the code SPOFFER50 when you check out.

If you would like to read more reviews, click on the TOS Review Crew banner below!



Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse 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. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.