Classroom Friendly Supplies Pencil Sharpener Review

I have had my eye on the pencil sharpener pictured above for a while now, and when the opportunity arose for me to try it in my home and then write a review I jumped at it.
When our mail lady dropped off the box containing our new pencil sharpener we immediately opened the box and tried it out. It is so easy to use, you just pull out the silver pencil holder, push the black clamps open, slide the pencil into the slot, release the clamp, let go of the pencil and hold onto the top of the pencil sharpener, turn the handle a few turns, release the pencil, and you have a perfectly sharp pencil.
We have used an electric sharpener for years, but I was quite unsatisfied with it. It was too noisy, and often times the pencil didn’t sharpen well. This new sharpener is quiet and doesn’t eat the pencils. A perfect fit for our homeschooling family.
If you are interested in purchasing this pencil sharpener for your home, office or classroom please visit Classroom Friendly Supplies for more information.
I give this product 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who uses pencils.
Blessings,

**I received the Classroom Friendly Supplies Pencil Sharpener free in exchange for for my honest review.

America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty

I think I will start this review with the mission statement from American Heritage Education Foundation's home page, as well as, a quote from Thomas Jefferson.
"American Heritage Education Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan educational foundation (501.c.3) dedicated to the understanding and teaching of America's factual and philosophical heritage to promote constructive citizenship and Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility among our students and citizens.

American Heritage Education Foundation accomplishes this patriotic mission by writing, producing, and distributing FREE K-12 lesson plans to teachers, students, and families in all 50 states and through additional initiatives, programs, and partnerships."

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." ~Thomas Jefferson

I mentioned before in another review that I like to both study and teach history; because of this I have have had the American Heritage website bookmarked in my favorites, but I hadn't really looked at it until I was asked to review America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty for the TOS Crew. I was supposed to receive a free CD from American Heritage Education Foundation containing this curriculum, but it may have gotten lost in the mail because it never arrived. Then I remembered that the curriculum was available through a free download available on their website. The downloads are available in three different levels Elementary, Middle School, and High School and they available in both the National and Texas editions. The Elementary level is also available in a Spanish edition.

"Our founding fathers also emphasized that a democratic republic cannot survive without a high degree of literacy and knowledge" ~Dr. Richard Gonzalez, co-founder American Heritage Educational Foundation

"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." ~James Madison

I think that it is very sad that as a whole we Americans have "lost" our history. It has been said that if we don't know our history, we are doomed to repeat it. It has also been said that history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. Our schools are teaching part truths when it comes to American history, and children accept it for truth. We can't see that we are losing precious truth, with each generation. The American Heritage Education Foundation is stepping into the gap, and providing the missing pieces to our history with their America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty curriculum.

Let me tell you a little about it. Each level (Elementary, Middle School, and High School) has the same basic format and includes some of the same lesson's written with varying degrees of difficulty. Some of the Elementary lessons include: The Declaration of Independence, George Washington, Thanksgiving, the US Flag, and the Statue of Liberty. Middle School lessons include: Live, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor, The Bill of Rights, The Gettysburg Address, and The Pledge of Allegiance. High School lessons include: the Mayflower Compact, Federalist 47, The First Amendment, Our National Documents. Each lesson is built upon at least one of these themes: Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility. The Unit lesson plans contain: the purpose, objective, theme, core knowledge (elementary) and NCSS (middle and high school), time and materials required, prep required, and focus. The units also contain activities that are appropriate for each level using a variety of activities and include lots of extras like: charts, pictures, songs, games, puzzles, bookmarks, finger puppets, vocabulary worksheets, role playing activities, and journaling worksheets.

I believe that our American Heritage needs to be preserved, and taught to our children, they need to know that our nation was built on Biblical values, why the Pilgrims came here, what our forefathers believed, and what our founding documents say and do not say. It is also important to know and to not forget the sacrifices that were made and the lives given for our freedom. Freedom isn't free and we must never forget. I am thankful to the American Heritage Educational Foundation, and others who are preserving and teaching our true history. We will be using this curriculum in our homeschool, and you may want to, too or you may want it for a resource.

To download this curriculum visit the American Heritage Education Foundation's website. There are also printed binders available for purchase if you prefer for $19.95 each.





Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.

Bible Timeline and Maps

I enlisted my husband to help me with this review because of his Bible school background and will start with his thoughts.

"At first glance, being familiar with historical line charts, I thought a circular line chart would be very difficult and confusing. This theory was dispelled after a few minutes of examination. As a student of eschatology, I was very impressed with the inferences to Daniel's 70 weeks and the ability to trace the ancestry of the participants in the coming Ezekiel 38 and 39 conflicts.

I found the chart fascinating and insightful. Date, events, and accomplishments are easy to find. I would recommend the chart to homeschoolers as a good means in historical studies."

I also liked the chart. I liked the visual of the genealogies, and seeing who was living at the same time. There are times when we look at people in isolated events and forget that the people were living and interacting with other people we meet in the Bible, and they had contemporaries who were also living at the same time.

In 1975 Bill and Margaret Agard began to continue the work on the Bible Timeline that was first printed in 1931. They have put many hours into making this a product they feel good about offering to you and me. The chart is a 37"x45" poster which you could hang on your wall or bulletin board, and is a great reference tool.

The Bible Chart sells for $29.97 plus shipping and handling. If you are interested in this Bible Chart you will find ordering information Here






Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.

Nutrition 101: Choose Life!

Written by: Debra Rayburn, N.D., M.H., C.N.C., I.C.A; Sera Johnson, B. Mu; Laura Hopkins, BS Communications; Karen Hopkins, BS Home Economics

There are so many different books available that address diet and nutrition, how do you choose? Books that recommend no meat, only meat, only soup, the Mediterranean diet, the South Beach diet, the bean diet... Then there is what the government recommends as the as the most nutritionally sound way to eat. Which should we choose? We all want to feed our families healthy food, and we are all doing the best we know how. I know that I have been guilty of thinking I can't buy certain foods because of budget constraints, and/or family preferences. These things affect every family to varying degrees; and are concerns for all of us, but I am learning that small changes over time really do help,and are easier for everyone to adjust to. You may be thinking, so what? What makes Nutrition 101: Choose Life! different from all of the other diets I could choose from? Why should I consider this one?

Nutrition 101: Choose Life! covers the 12 main body boby systems in 6 units:
-The Brain and Nervous System
- The Digestive System
-The Respiratory, Olfactory, Auditory, and Visual Systems
-The Muscular ans Skeletal Systems
-The Endoctrine System and Emotions
These unit studies can be enoyed by the entire family, young and old alike, and benefited from. They cover a variety of subjects including science, anatomy, biology, nutrition and health; and may be used daily or weekly, depending on your family's schedule and/or need. A practical way to to incorperate learning and daily life is through menu planning, grocery shopping, and meal preparation.

Each Unit Contains: Chapters that cover information about a body system, and how the food we eat affects them. Discussion questions that each member of the family can answer at their own level. Activities for you to pick and choose from to reinforce the lesson, or to use as a review. You will also find Additional Resources, such as, recipes, activity guides and appendixes.

I found Nutrition 101: Choose Life! to be more than just another diet plan. It is a full health and nutrition curriculum, that is written to be enjoyed by families and/or small groups. It is well written,and easy to understand; and probably one of the best health curriculums I have seen.

You will find ordering information for Nutrition 101: Choose Life! here.

The price for the book is $99.95, the CD-ROM is $79.95, or both for $129.95

For international orders it is requested that you either call 918-841-2934, or e-mail orders@growinghealthyhomes.com

StudyPod Book Holder: Your Homework Helper from GENIO, LLC

The StudyPod is a versitile devise that can be used in many different situations--from homework to office work, in the kitchen, or the music room you'll find yourself using the StudyPod anywhere you need your hands free for other things.

The StudyPod is small, and opens like a book, which makes it easy to store and take with you to work and school. It comes with clear instructions explaining how to set up and use your StudyPod. I found easy to set up and use. The angle is simular to your laptop screen to help relive the muscles in your back and neck to make your work more comfortable. There is also a pocket inside of the StudyPod for you to store thigs such as; pens, pencils, cell phone, or mp3 player.











My son has used the StudyPod to place his keyboarding/typing work on and he found that he could type easier and more accurately, without losing his place as often as he did with the article set flat on the desk. Another of my sons likes to use the StudyPod when he reads. I not only like it to place my review notes on as I type, but also in the kitchen to place recipe cards or a cookbook on it when I am cooking and baking.

I am sure you will find the StudyPod useful as well, and you may find even more ways to use it. The StudyPod sells for $19.95 and can be ordered from www.studypod.us. I also have been given permission to provide a coupon code for you to receive $5.00 off website orders it is: TOSBLOG5.