Enjoy Pentecost Birthday Cake!

When your daughter turns 12 on Pentecost and already had her meal requests in - including yellow cake and berries- you honor that request, layer on some symbolism, and... ta-da!

Pentecost Birthday Cake!

So easy peasy!

The three berries in the center remind us of our triune God and the fact that when Christ left earth after His death and Resurrection, the Spirit followed.

The large candle in the center represents Christ our Light and His promise to send the Holy Spirit.

The 12 smaller candles represent the Apostles and the tongues of fire which came down on Pentecost.

The 12 berries they are in represent the 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit.

All the berries around the cake represent the people of many nations who were told about Christ, one to another, growing the Church.

Of course, two of the symbols of Pentecost are captured in this Birthday cake - the tongues of fire with the flames of the candle and the wind with the kids blowing out the flames. Red - the color of Pentecost - is also there.

What is not there is a dove - which could easily have been added with a picture of large figurine, if I had thought of it - and symbolic 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

This last omission was purposeful.  For, I could have put a ring of seven strawberries into hearts to remind us of the loving 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit, but one of my children detests strawberries, so I opted not to cover too much of the cake surface in them.

You could do it though!

Because birthday child or not, Pentecost is a wonderful day for a birthday cake as a way to remember the birthday of the Church and our part within it.

Each of us is given 7 Gifts and, using those gifts, the 12 Fruits happen... Our Lord wishes us to continue the work of the Apostles - to spread news of Him.

Today - and every day - may we grow in relationship with our Lord and our neighbors.

Blessed Pentecost to one and all!

Go on a Blind Listening Nature Walk for Pentecost

The other day, my daughter told me she would like to go on more walks this spring and summer. Thus, as I was thinking about ideas for Pentecost this year, a Blind Listening Nature Walk came to mind.

Going on a Blind Listening Nature Walk as a family, with friends, or with a co-op or church group could be a meaningful faith, trust,  and nature experience.

What Concepts and Skills Does This Activity Teach?

Through a Blind Listening Nature Walk for Pentecost, children will focus on nature appreciation, sensory awareness, empathy, trust, listening, and remembering to follow the Holy Spirit's promptings.

What Is Needed?

This activity works best if you have two people per group, plus another person overlooking everyone as a second set of eyes for safety. 

Each partner group will need a bandanna or strip of cloth to work as a blindfold and a short rope or second bandanna.

How to Facilitate a Blind Listening Nature Walk

{Note: The photos in this post were taken on a quick test run of the activity near our home. I have done similar blind walks on trails and in drama classes before and am planning one with a Pentecost theme, but have no pictures of it yet, of course. So, I snapped these just to give you an idea of what it might look like. Imagine trails and woods instead of a patchy overgrown piece near the road.}

Stand at a trailhead and ask the children what they see. Talk about the beautiful things they notice. Ask if anyone notices any obstacles. Discuss how nature, like life, sometimes places obstacles or challenges in our way. At times, these challenges are easy to recognize and overcome.

Ask the children to make their way down the path a bit - perhaps 10 paces, looking carefully for anything that may trip them up.

Call everyone to a halt and ask if anyone had any trouble along the path.

Then, take out blindfolds and ask how our walk might be if we put them on. Ask for a volunteer to put a blindfold on and to make it 10 paces back down the path we just came.

Note changes in how the volunteer progressed - perhaps more cautiously, more slowly, with hands out, etc. 

Ask if the volunteer would feel comfortable going on a more difficult trail, or even off-trail with the blindfold on.

Chat about how, sometimes, in life, we face challenges and obstacles that can trip us up, sometimes, those challenges are not always easy to see on our own.

Explain that now it is time for everyone to try a Blind Listening Nature Walk challenge.

To do so, everyone should pair up and decide who will be the guide and who will be the walker.

Each guide then helps the walker put on a blindfold. The guide, then, holds one end of a short length of rope or bandanna and places the other end in the walker's hand, before the guide leads the walker around and about.

The guide should:

• make sure the walker is safe at all times.
• walk slowly and turn gently.
• let the walker know when to start and stop by tugging twice on the rope.
• find a path that seems interesting from an auditory perspective.

The walker should:

• keep eyes covered/closed—no peeking!
• keep the rope taut (so as not to crash into the guide!)
• allow self to be pulled along.
• start/stop when two tugs are felt.

Throughout the activity, neither the guide nor the walker should speak as talking spoils the “pure listening” aspect of the experience.

After a short period, have the guide and walker stop and have the walker take of the blindfold.

Debrief the nature experience with questions such as:

• How did you feel during the walk?
• Were you nervous or uncomfortable?
• What types of sounds do you remember besides your partners voice?
• Did anything surprise you? 
• How did the experience of not seeing affect the way you listened along the trail?
• What other sensory information did you notice? 
• Do you think you could retrace your steps without the blindfold using auditory and sensory cues you recall?

Remind children that listening is a key skill in life... and in prayer.

Then, the guide and walker should switch places.

Connecting the Experience to Pentecost

After the walk, debrief the experience related to Pentecost.

Read or retell the story of Pentecost from the Bible, a Bible stories book, or memory. Discuss how the apostles were gathered and, perhaps, felt confused, afraid, alone, or somewhat "in the dark" after the experiences of the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension - how Jesus had left them, returned, then left them again.

Then, the Holy Spirit came.

The Holy Spirit is still with us - here to guide us.

We never need walk alone in life.  If we are open to the Holy Spirit and listen, the Spirit will guide us!  

Of course, let the conversation flow as it naturally does, being sure to make any points about Pentecost and the Holy Spirit that you can and, also, perhaps, sharing this verse from Galatians 5:25:

 If we live in the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit!

  Check Out Other Pentecost / Holy Spirit Ideas

Holy Spirit Lesson Ideas

Faith through Food and Fun: Ascension and Pentecost

Celebrate Pentecost with Symbolic Eats

Flashback to 2015

Come, Holy Spirit, Come

Easy-to-Use Online Science! {A Supercharged Science Review}

Are you looking for an easy-to-use online science curriculum that encourages real-life, hands-on learning as well and covers a broad range of topics for children at a K-12 level?

Then, the e-Science Homeschool Science Curriculum by Supercharged Science would be great for you and your family!

We were blessed with a one-year subscription for review, which my oldest - a 13-year-old - has been using regularly, and which I am excited to jump into more with my younger two children in the months to come.

Much of the review which follows was drafted or narrated by my 13-year-old directly, since he has been our primary user e-Science Homeschool Science Curriculum so far.

What follows is a review largely drafted and narrated by my son, since he is the one who used this helpful science program the most so far in our home.


What is Supercharged Science?

Supercharged Science is an online science curriculum created by Aurora Lipper, a former NASA scientist and mechanical engineer, who was disheartened by the lack of a basic science foundation and excitement for all things “science” among her students, and so created this program so that children would not be bored out of their minds and would actually learn important science concepts and have fun.

It has a large archive of short teaching videos, experiments (demonstrated on video), printables and more which take you through a broad spectrum of science subjects, such as physics, biology, astrophysics, chemistry, electronics, and more.

You can study these by grade level - pre-K/K through Grade 8, and then Advanced Topics for high school - or by topic unit, of which there are 20.

Either way, you learn science at your own pace in an interesting way. Why and How Did I Use Supercharged Science? When my mother asked me if I wanted to do Supercharged Science, I said, "yes", because I have decided that I want to begin high school early and thought this would be a good way to see if I am ready to do so.

My mom agreed that I could try any Supercharged Science Advanced Topic as an independent study. I chose the Physics, because it was the first thing there. To use the program, I just had to open a video, grab my notebook and a pencil, and do the work. Aurora talked on the videos and wrote things out while I took notes. She taught me about velocity, vectors, scalers, acceleration, and more so far.

She also presented experiments which look easy, fun, and not to expensive. You can understood the concepts of the experiments just by watching them, but it is great to do some, too, which I do when I can. Here are some pictures my brother took of me as he was helping me with an experiment on acceleration. (Mom says, ignore the mess all around.)

To do the experiment, I drew a line on the driveway, put the ball on the line, and held my foot there to keep it there.

I started the stopwatch and let the ball go at the same time and stopped it at one second, marked it, and kept doing it, increasing by one second each time.

What should have happened is that the farther down the hill it got, the longer the distance should have been between seconds. This didn't happen though. I think it is because of the shape of my driveway. In my experiment, each second went about the same distance. So, I would probably need to retry it with a surface that has a more angled, not curvy decline than my driveway.

Do I Recommend Supercharged Science? I have told my mom that Supercharged Science is the science I want to use through next year to earn some of my high school credits. I like that it is easy to use, has a good order to it, and can take me through entire course without my mom. I suggest this product for those of all ages who need to learn science and especially for kids like me who want to learn independently.

My mom said she also thinks the program is good and will be using it with my brother and sister. There are many fun experiments and hands-on activities for all ages within Supercharged Science. See some of them in the other Crew Reviews.

Now back to Mom: As a Mom, I know my son. He is taking the rigor of the Physics program as easily as he can right now...

...taking shoddy, messy notes...

...and not truly diving as deeply into things as he could and will need to for high school credits. This is NOT because of the program - which has everything you'd need and more for a high school physics class (including some math help videos,...) It is because he is only 13 and has not dealt with something with this kind of rigor yet. So, he is taking things s-l-o-w-l-y, working for a brief 10-20 minute period several times a week "because that's how long the videos are, Mom."

I have explained to him that he will also need to get better about keeping his science notebook, writing out labs, reading included text, etc. - not to mention spend more time in a sitting or dedicate more sittings - if he wants to finish the course in a year. He understands that now and still wants to proceed - without me, of course. 

I am all for having him try.

Aurora makes a wonderful virtual teacher, presenting things clearly and offering everything needed to help students succeed. Between Aurora's enthusiasm for science as seen in the videos, her clear teaching, the text, handy supply lists, experiments, and everything else in e-Science Homeschool Science Curriculum truly is a great offering for homeschoolers who wish to have students study on their own or for ones that like to work together with parents and kids. Kinesthetic learners, visual learners, and audio learners are all "spoken to" and the program is one I would recommend.

Read all the reviews.

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Pray for Your Child's Vocation and Possible Future Spouse

This morning, as my family walked into Mass, we discovered one of the scheduled altar servers had not shown up. Thus, one of my boys quickly went to the sacristy to prepare to serve.

As soon as I laid eyes on him dressed in an alb, a spontaneous prayer began in my head. It went something like this:

Lord, if my son is meant to be a priest, please let him hear his call clearly and pursue it well.  Lord, also, please equip me to best guide, support, and love him in whatever future vocation he is mean to live.

Religious life, married life, life as a single person. Whatever you will for my son, may it be so. 

And, Lord, if my son has a vocation to marriage, please be working in the heart and mind of his future spouse. Please be preparing her specifically for him so that they may both fully love one another and love you well. Let her be growing in relationship to you and in ways that will bloom in relationship with him. Likewise, prepare him to be a worthy husband to her.

Lord, I pray also for the possible future spouses of my daughter and of my youngest son.  If my children are called to the vocation of marriage, please be with their spouses now, giving them grace and helping them grow. Please prepare their spouses' hearts for them and theirs for their spouses.  Please direct them to their spouses in a timely way, not letting them stray in mistaken relationships. 

Of course, Lord, if marriage is not your will for any of my children, that is more than okay. Whatever you call is, I pray they hear it clearly and follow it well. Please give them the virtue, strength, and wisdom to live as priests, religious, single people, or married people - whatever is your will.

Whatever vocation you desire of my children, please work in their hearts, in mine, and, if they are to be married, in the hearts of their spouses, now so that your will may unfold beautifully.

Thank you for every grace and blessing. Amen.

A Weekly Prayer Peg for My Child's Vocation - and Possible Future Spouse

The prayer I prayed this morning was a bit verbose - just pouring forth as I looked at my son and then up to stained glass widows of Jesus on the cross and Mama Mary next to him.

Other weeks, my prayer is briefer, but, always, when I pray for my children's vocations - and for their possible future spouses - it is heartfelt.

You see, years ago, I felt prompted to pray for the potential future spouse of my eldest son, and, then, for that of my daughter and my youngest son, i, I should pray for their spouses every day.

Truth be told, though, I think a lot of things, but am not always the best at turning thoughts into action.

So, all too many days, such prayers went unprayed until one Sunday, I realized that when my boys are serving on the altar, I often find myself praying that, if they are meant to be priests, they will clearly hear God's call. Then, I thought, And, if they are not meant to be priests but are meant to be married, please be preparing their wives' hearts. And, at this moment, corollary clarity struck: Mama, you are meant to pray for your children - whatever their vocations may be - and, feel called to pray for their future spouses, too. So, what better time than "pegged" to Sunday Mass - and, sometimes, daily Mass?
So, it was a personal "prayer peg" formed.

Each Sunday, I pray simply, Lord, please be preparing my children for their vocation and help me to do so, too.  If they are to be married, please be working in the hearts and lives of their spouses now to prepare them for their future marriage. Or, something akin to that.  

Some weeks, I pray but a sentence or two. Other weeks, mental paragraphs of prayer pour forth. All weeks, I am grateful that God placed it on my heart to pray for this specific intention for my children, and, if they are to be married, for their future spouses.

Should marriage be their vocation, I look forward to welcoming their future spouses into our family and to smile, knowing God prompted me to pray for them before I even knew them.

God is good. All the time. Whatever vocation He has planned for my children will be, too.

The same goes for your children.

Do you, too, pray regularly for your child's future spouse or for your child to clearly hear a call to religious or single life? 

Do you pray that you be given the grace to be able to do your part in helping your child transition into whatever vocation is God's will? 

If so, have "pegged" such prayers to a specific time? 

Do you pray spontaneously for such intentions as I do, or do you use a specific pre-written prayer, Bible verse, or prayer "formula"?  

I would love to hear about it.

What's a Prayer Peg?

If you are new here or have not caught my prior Prayer Pegs posts, let me explain that as a busy, distractable Mom, I am not always good at listening to St. Paul's exhortation from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to "pray without ceasing."

Thus, I have come to establish a number of "prayer pegs" for myself and my children as a way of building "Holy Habits" for us which will flow naturally, seamlessly, and rhythmically within our lives. 

These "prayer pegs" are simply acts of blessing, praise, thanksgiving, petition, and intercession that we've attached to specific activities in order to form intentional habits of unceasing prayer.  For just like one can purposefully peg laundry to a line, we can attach a distinct form of prayer to a regular part of our lives.

What prayer pegs work for you and yours at other times during your days and weeks? Do share! 

And may your child and my own children continue to grow in relationship to God and in virtue, wisdom, and stature, so that they might clearly hear their calls to vocation and, then, live their vocations well.

Learn Math and Typing through Online Games {An EdAlive Review}

I consider a program a win when all three of my children use it independently and happily.

That is exactly what happened as we reviewed Maths Invaders Online and Typing Tournament Online from EdAlive.

What is Maths Invaders Online?

If I had to tell you in one sentence what Maths Invaders is, I would say it is an online "easy button" for math drill without the kill which engages screen-loving students and those who do not always like online learning. 

For that is what we have found to be true in our home.

Both my 8- and 13-year-old boys love online learning and games and both happily logged in to play Maths Invaders regularly since we received a one-year subscription for review.  Then, some days, both needed to be told to log off and move on with other pursuits - which I take as a testimony to how engaging Maths Invaders is.

Further, my 11-year-old daughter who does not always like online programs, also enjoyed Maths Invaders.  For her - a child that struggles with dyslexia and related learning struggles - repetition of skills is essential.  So, I was delighted to know Maths Invaders was offering such repetition while also keeping her smiling.

Yep, winning!

I know, though, you probably want to know a bit more about the program, so let me give you an overview.

Basically, Maths Invaders Online engages children in a space-themed video game that covers numeration and mental math calculations. It starts with beginning addition and subtraction and progresses as children prove mastery of K-10th grade skills, including times tables, division fractions, decimals, percentages, numeration, counting, squares, square roots, powers, and more. 

The program also offers printable worksheets for those wanting offline practice. 

What is Typing Tournament Online?

Typing Tournament Online is another program from EdAlive that teaches through typical typing practice layered into an online gaming perspective. 

Basically, it uses a Medieval theme to to draw children ages six and up in to learning to type and to keep the engaged in learning skills.

Online typing fingers help cue finger placement, while drills and lessons teach skills and a game-like atmosphere aims to keep students engaged.

Developing typists are encouraged to defend a castle from invading words, extinguish fires set by dragons, etc.  Through the games, drills, and lessons involved with doing so, children move from being budding typists to masterful ones.  That is, if they choose this program more often than Maths Invaders, which, admittedly, my children did not.

They have done other typing programs, and I thought that Typing Tournament would be a good refresher for them - especially because they all typically like Medieval themes - but, to be honest, Maths Invaders was far more engaging for my crew and, since there is only so much screentime allowed in a day, they spent much more time on math than typing.

Still, they did give Typing Tournament some time, and, when I watched what they were doing, I could see how the program would be excellent for young novice typers!

My Children's Thoughts

My 8-year-old said:

I liked Typing Tournament and Math Invaders. 

I didn't like Typing Tournament as much, because it was less fun and I think they should have more fun games in it. 

Math Invaders has two things.One if the Galactic Campaign which has you shoot at problems you are solving. In the other, you try to find ships and rescue them by clicking on squares. You have to do problems to make your charger go up so you can click. Also, there is a big board and a large board so you can choose which one you want.  The big boards are more fun, but take longer.

I would recommend this to people who like online games and need to learn math or typing (but not as much typing - more math!). You can practice addition, subtraction, and harder things as you go on. 

My 11-year-old said:
 

I enjoyed EdAlive, because it makes learning fun, not boring and hard.E 

EdAlive is split up into two different parts: one is Typing Tournament the other is Maths Invaders.

My favorite of the two is Maths Invaders. It is all games,  while, on the other hand, Typing Tournament has tests and, yes, they called them tests.

My 13-year-old said:

 EdAlive is an online learning program. It teaches both math and typing in an enjoyable way.

Typing Tournament and Math Invaders are both fun. 

I have used Math Invaders many times and it is just hard enough to be challenging, without being too difficult. 

I recommend EdAlive to people of all ages who would like to increase their skill in math or typing 

Final Thoughts

Life has been loony here for months now, and every time I think things are getting to a point of balance and normalcy again, some surprise or another comes along to taunt me with a "no normalcy yet" (or, perhaps, a "THIS is your new normal.") Thus, I am VERY GRATEFUL for the ease-of-use and excellent engagement of Math Invaders!  Not once since beginning to review the program did I have to chide my children into math drills (although I sometimes did find myself chiding them to get offline to attend to independent lessons they do not like as much.) 

Further, when I had a moment now and again, I could log on to my parent portal to see how my children were progressing through lessons. Doing so, I was able to take note of my children's strengths and areas of math weakness, which helped me know what to focus on during current and future 1:1's with my children. (It also helped with conversations about focus, because, some of my children KNOW the math, but don't do well in the games due to focus and ignoring signs.)

Thus, I would recommend Maths Invaders Online without hesitation to you if who seek an engaging way to immerse children in mental math and math drills. It is a retro-style video game that can be played online, helping kids exercise and retain math skills. It is truly a program kids can use over and over through many levels of math learning.

As for Typing Tournament, I can see its worth and potential for engagement for new typists, so would recommend you take a look at it if you have a child that is interested in learning typing skills.

Of course, once you have mastered typing, you may not have much use for the program.

Learn More

Read the reviews.

Some Homeschool Crew Review members LOVED Typing Tournament Online and many enjoyed Maths Invaders Online.  To see how each used the program, read all the reviews.

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Looking for Elementary Science {A Big Bible Science Overview}

If you are looking for a slim, colorful, and faith-focused science curriculum for learners ages 5-11, take a peak at the Big Bible Science by Christian Focus - a resource that can be used as a supplement to other curriculum or as the basis of a full semester or year of elementary-level science.

What is Big Bible Science?

Big Bible Science is a 96-page softcover that seeks to help children explore the world around them through a focus on science and how it connects to God's Word. 

It is designed for both homeschoolers and classroom teachers and begins with introductory pages that:

• explain how to make the most of every lesson,
• describe what components are included in each chapter,
• offer some safety notes,
• detail how to keep a science notebook,
• and list which activities can be done alone, which need one or more partners, and which should only be completed under the supervision of an adult.

After that, are 21 different units which focus on such concepts as:

• Gravity,
• Laws of Motion,
• Friction,
• Acids and Bases,
• the Water Cycle,
• Animal Classification,
• and, the Human Body.

Within each of these units, there are clearly written objectives, a list of needed materials (all of which you likely already have or can easily obtain), an explanation of a "Big Idea" that ties into a Biblical perspective, various activity ideas (demonstrations, games, and experiments), ideas for how to find examples of the lesson in the world, and "Go Beyond" ideas for challenging advanced students to think and experiment further.

At the end of the book, there are several pages which include mini-biographies of famous scientists, such as Benjamin Franklin, Isaac Newton, and Leonardo DaVinca.

How We Used Big Bible Science


You know that old saying, "Life is what happens when you are making other plans." It seems to be the theme for the season of life I am in. Thus, instead of using Big Bible Science as I imagined I would, by diving into it with my kids at home on a regular basis, I ended up slipping the slim book into our "out-and-about" bag and reading, discussing, and doing some of the activities from the book when waiting for appointments, hanging out before scheduled clubs, classes, and programs, and utilizing time between homeschool commitments and work commitments.

My younger two and I also dipped into the book on our front lawn and in our living room when we were actually at home and able to focus there.

Of course, this is on-the-go and in-between way of use Big Bible Science is not the ideal as it does not allow for doing all the experiments and activities in the book, but it is what worked for us right now, and I am glad it did.

We were able to read about and discuss a variety of science topics, try out some of the simplest activities, recall other activities we'd done in previous clubs, classes, and curricula that were similar to ones in Big Bible Science (such as dropping balls of different sizes to see which would land first, charging up a balloon with static electricity, creating "lunar craters" by dropping balls in flour, and creating a water cycle model), and review and extend other learning we have done.

In fact, since we've been studying proteins with a group of friends in a twice-a-month large group study, we decided that the human body themed lessons in Big Bible Science were perfect to place focus on right now.  So, after appeasing my youngest by reading first about the Urinary System, we backed up and read, discussed, and did select activities in the Nervous System, Muscles, Bones, Respiratory System, Circulatory System, and Digestive System chapters.  

As we did so, I kept thinking how this book would be great for a co-op class and works well with just family, too.

What We Thought

When I asked my children for their thoughts for this review, my 8-year-old said:

I liked the book, because it has lots of activities you could do with movement instead of just writing and reading and doing that type of stuff. 

Part of Experiment 16

Some of what I learned was about blood, muscles, and the urinary system.

The urinary system was the first thing I asked to learn about, because I am weird. I learned that it takes out all the stuff the proteins and our bodies are not using and washes it down tubes where it comes out. 

I would not like to read the book on my own, because it has such large print, but I like when Mommy reads it.  I like looking at the illustrations. 

I would recommend it to Christian homeschoolers with 6-12 year old kids.

My 11-year-old said:

I enjoyed the Big Bible Science curriculum, because you are not just sitting and doing workbooks. It has activities you can do with someone else or in groups.

I also like how there are lots of pictures and diagrams to make it interesting to look at. 

Something I learned was that muscles only pull. They don't push. 

More of Experiment 16

I would recommend this book for kids my age and younger to use with their parents.

My 13-year-old didn't have much to say, because - if I am to be honest - the cover of the book was a bit juvenile-looking for his taste and he tuned out much of the reading, discussion, and activities his siblings and I did as he worked on other things.  He did comment, however, that there were a lot of topics covered in the book.  So, at least I know he has looked it over and can grab it for a quick grasp/review/overview of basic concepts as he moves on in his own science studies or could use it to teach younger children concepts should the need arise (as may happen since, in the past, he has helped me teach classes for younger homeschoolers in a co-op.)

As for me I thought:

• The lessons are well-written - easy for younger children to understand with enough "meat" and true "sciency stuff" for older elementary students to get something out of the book.

• Experiments and activities are plentiful and varied, reaching different learning styles, with some leaning toward the artsy side, some more social/game-like, and others straight up science experiment style

• The book can flex with family needs - working well for a family that wants to ease into science studies doing one lesson or so a week, for families with an older child that would like an easy-to-read-and-use resource for teaching younger children, or for families with young children that want a stand-alone resource for teaching a broad range of science topics.

So far, I have found Big Bible Science to be a sound and well-written, faith-connected Science curriculum that is easy to understand and use.  

The only thing I would like to see in future editions of the book is, perhaps, a new cover to make it more appealing to older kids in a family and a redesign/edits so that there are clear "kid" pages and "teacher" pages, because as the book is designed now, sometimes it seems like it is written and designed for teachers, and, other times, it appears to be written directly to students. This worked for me as I shared the material with my children, but between the large font and the changing style narration, turned my kids off from using the book on their own.

They did like to use it with me, though, and the books is chock full of true science learning, some creative demonstrations and explanations, and plenty of Bible-connection.  So, I still would recommend it even "as is".

Learn More

Christian Focus has been publishing books since the 1970's with the purpose of spreading the Gospel, and, recently, members of the Homeschool Review Crew have had the opportunity to review four titles from their CF4Kids category.  These resources focused on elementary science, bibliographies, or early learning ABC's.  Click on through to read what these families thought of the books.

Read the reviews!

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