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Monday, February 29, 2016

Great Homeschool Resourses from Zonderkids!

As a homeschooling mommy, I'm always looking books that can enhance our learning experience.  I'm sure all parents can relate - even if you don't homeschool - because we want to give our children book and toys that inspire learning.  That's why I'm SO THRILLED to work with the wonderful folks at Zonderkidz to bring you some wonderful resources!

One subject that is easy to enhance is science.  You can always find books about animals, natural, etc.  The problem is, as a creation-teaching mom, a lot of those products don't jive with what we teach.  Now, don't get me wrong. I don't place my kids in a little bubble.  We discuss the theory of evolution as well.  We need to know about alternate beliefs - if only so we can be prepared to defend our own.  But its wonderful to have resources that I can fully rely on.  Resources that my kids can look through and read without me having to correct misinformation. The "Made By God" series by Zonderkidz fits that description perfectly!!!


We received a copy of Weird & Wonderful Creations (part of the Made By God) series last week.  It covers spiders, snakes, bees, bugs, sea creatures, and poisonous, smelly, and amazing plants.  The day the book arrived, we just happened to be learning bees and pollination!  We opened the book to the section on bees - six beautiful, colorful pages of information about bees!  The kids loved it!  And so did I!  It was full of interesting information!  For example, did you know that there are more than ten THOUSAND kinds of bees!  And one bee visits four THOUSAND flowers to make ONE TABLESPOON of honey!

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Another great resource for science is a pair of books written by Peter Schriemer, the host of The Smithsonian Channel's Critter Quest - Wilderness Discoveries and Ocean Adventures.


These books begin by explaining what an ecosystem or habitat are.  Then they discuss all sorts of things that might be found there.  The books are easy to read, have beautiful, color photos, and contain lots of interesting facts!

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Speaking of "easy to read," as the mother of a first grader, I can tell you that teaching a kid to read is HARD!  Very rewarding, but very hard! One thing that helps a child get exciting about reading is being able to read something that appeals to them.  After all, phonics books full of sentences don't really spark their curiosity.  That's where Zonderkidz' "I Can Read!" Series comes in handy!  They have lots of interesting stories - from Bible stories, to princess stories to Veggie Tales and Berenstain Bears stories!  The books have simple words.  The words are in large print and spaced further apart to make them easy to focus on - which helps when you're still learning to sound out words!  There are also lots of lovely illustrations to keep your child's attention and help them figure out words they're having trouble with!

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And I don't know about you, but my first grader is FULL of questions!  I must hear at least 10,000 questions a day!  Little minds are full of questions because they are constantly absorbing information!  You can help feed that curiosity - and spark and interest in the Bible - with 1001 Bible Questions Kids Ask... and God Answers!  Based on the NIV translation, this handly book goes through the Bible book-by-book and answers questions about language, culture, history, prophecy, and much more!  Let your child just read this book for fun (kids love books like these) or use it as a reference when your child has a specific question.  You can also use it to spark conversations with your kids about God's word!  Keep it at the dinner table, along with a small Bible.  During dinner, flip it open, read a verse or passage, and then ask the related questions! 

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My oldest is very creative!  She also a mover and a shaker! I found out quickly that she listens MUCH better if she has something to do with her hands, so I often let her color while we are reading our history lessons, Bible lessons, etc.  One great resource that you can use for Bible class is the Believe Storybook, by Randy Frazee!  This children's story book (Part of the Think, Act, Be Like Jesus series) takes the characteristic of thinking, acting, and being like Jesus and pairs an Old Testament story with a New Testament story in each section to illustrate each characteristic.  (If you'd like to learn more about this book, check out my review of the Believe Storybook.)


One thing that I love about this book is that they made a corresponding coloring book!  It has a coloring page for each and every story in the story book!  So your little one can color while they listen!  Once you finish the story, discuss what happened and discuss what part of that story your child colored.  Its a great way to bring the story and the lesson to life!!!

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Lastly, sometimes you just want a fun, colorful story to go along with what you're teaching!  7 Days of Awesome: A Creation Tale is a great example of a fun story to assist you in your lesson!  Teaching your kids about creation?  Talking about the natural world in science class?  Want to talk about Earth Day (April 22, 2016) with your students, but want a biblical approach?  This book is for you!  We received this book last week and IMMEDIATLEY fell in love!  I'm not quite sure why we love it so much.  Maybe its the Dr. Seuss-esque rhymes.  Maybe its the adorable illustrations.  Maybe its the author's unique perspective on creation.  I don't know.  Its just magical! (Check out my review of 7 Days Of Awesome: A Creation Tale.)


If you're looking for some fun supplements for your homeschooling adventure, or if you're just looking for some fun and educational books for your kids, Zonderkidz has you covered!.

I received these products, free of charge, from Zonderkidz, in exchange for my honest review.

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