Wordless Wednesday: Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

We are MOST thankful today for the surprise we received in the mail. We recently won a box full of special goodies after filling out a "Fill a Bucket" survey.

My daughter devoured the books. We read several together as we snuggled on the couch. Our favorite book was titled, Have You Filled a Bucket Today? which I have read in the past to my daughter and other students of mine.

The colorful books are well-written and will hopefully inspire your little ones to fill buckets rather than dipping in them. This set of books is a great way to encourage helpfulness and the idea of serving others. They teach good character traits and also address kindness, love, appreciation, and bullying. I honestly didn't realize they had so many books on the market. I also just found their FREE Resources online and printed several to use with my daughter.

So . . . today we say, "Thank you very much!" This was a blessing.

Thank you for sending us new treasures to add to our book collection. 

You filled our buckets today and brought smiles to our faces. 

We are on a mission to fill buckets every day. :)

I will link this post up at Tots and Me's Sometimes Wordless Wednesday Linky. 

T is for Tubman: Harriet Tubman

We are anxiously awaiting our Harriet Tubman: Freedombound book from YWAM Publishing written by Janet and Geoff Benge. It is part of the Heroes of History collection. Click on the following link to see a chronological list of books in the Heroes of History collection.

We already received the 61-page corresponding downloadable Unit Study Curriculum Guide as part of the TOS Review Crew. Alyssa and I started collecting books from our personal library about Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad, Civil War, and Slavery for our Display Corner. We are so looking forward to studying a new history topic.

What are you studying in History?

Are you familiar with the YWAM Heroes of History books?    

I will link this post up at Through the Calm and Through the Storm's Blogging Through the Alphabet Linky where posts themed around the "Letter T" are listed. I will also link up at Year Round Homeschooling's Hearts for Home Blog Hop. 

TOS Real Life Press Review: Firmly Planted, Books of Moses, Part 2

Being part of The Schoolhouse Review Crew Team has placed products in our lives that truly are a blessing and one product we've been reviewing that has changed our homeschool day is The Firmly Planted, Books of Moses, Part 2 Family Study Guide and Student Book published by Real Life Press. 
I received a digital downloadable PDF e-book copy of both books. The full-color companion student workbook contains 232 pages with a plethora of age-appropriate reproducible activities. An answer key is provided at the back of the book. The Family Bible Study Guide contains 118 pages most of which are black and white with a tint of color added. 
You'll need an updated version of Adobe Reader to open the PDF files, a printer, and a computer with Internet to download the books if you choose to purchase the digital copy.    One of my main jobs is to disciple Alyssa to learn and discover God's Word aiming to place Christ at the center of her life. I am always in search of good quality Bible studies that will help us deepen our relationship with God and grow closer together.
Product Description The Books of Moses Part 2 e-book is the second book in the "Firmly Planted" Bible study series which is a series created by authors, Jay and Heidi St. John (The Busy Mom). This book is organized as a 10-week family study. The subtitle of the study is "God Guides His Family and Gives Them His Rules."
Many underlying messages are included in this study such as topics about love, hope, trust, compassion, obedience,  jealousy, forgiveness, anger, truth, promises, faith, and many more meaningful messages.   The content covers Bible scripture from Genesis 37 through Numbers 14. This Bible study is suitable for all ages and was designed to be used with the entire family. The Books of Moses, Part 2 study guide was designed for parents to learn alongside their children and meant for them to grow together in Christ and walk in God's amazing Word. 
Topics Addressed

1. Joseph Sold Into Slavery
2. Joseph Saves His Family
3. Moses and the Burning Bush
4. The Plagues
5. Crossing the Read Sea
6. The Ten Commandments
7. The Tabernacle
8. The Golden Calf
9. Choosing Levites
10. Exploring the Promised Land

Each Lesson Contains

• Central Idea
• Short, Engaging Bible Narrative
• Memory Verses (Leveled by Age Groups)
• Thought-Provoking Discussion Questions

Helpful Icons The Seed -This icon indicates the beginning of a new lesson and reveals a key concept or idea that should be discovered. For example, the seed in the first lesson was "God sometimes uses pain to advance his plan." 

Planting the Seed - You'll find two leveled Bible memory verses suitable for children. One is for younger children ages 4-11 and the other verse is for older children 12 and up. 
Watering the Seedling - This is a short 5-6 minute story that can be read aloud providing a deeper understanding of the lesson content. 
How We Used It Books of Moses (Part 2) was used on a daily basis as a mother-daughter Bible study 5 times per week. If we had a busy week we might double up two days or eliminate worksheet pages and just do the daily readings. I used the Family Study Guide in conjunction with the companion Student Book. The family guide is the core and is definitely REQUIRED to complete the study. We tried to complete the components each morning before starting our homeschool day, but honestly some days we completed activities in the afternoon or evening. I used this study with my daughter, Alyssa (Age 7).   The study requires some parent prep. You'll need to plan out your week and print out the activities ahead of time. You may need to gather a few items around the house for the nature study projects such as ingredients for making Matzo bread, playdough or clay for a valley diorama, spices, a periodic table, almonds as a snack, etc. 
It allowed us to have an open conversation about our life circumstances. The profound message of trusting in our loving God and his plan for us stood out. Our conversations have become more meaningful allowing my daughter to open up more and share her true feelings with me. 
We skipped the Upper Class pages for older children found at the end of the study and we also eliminated the older Journal pages because the lines were too small. I did verbally asked any questions and listened to her responses.    A Weekly Glance I tried following the schedule below but of course life always happens so I gave myself some wiggle room allowing for adjustments to the schedule and worksheet changes. One thing I told myself every week was that we did NOT have to complete EVERY page provided in the student book. 
When creating the following schedule, I tried to add writing work to each day. We also attempted to memorize the provided verses for children ages 4-11. I would encourage you to play memory verse games or utilize a scripture memory system to assist with this process. 
There are four Daily Study devotional read alouds including reflective discussion questions provided in the guide followed by the Digging Deeper and Taste the Fruit sections. We read one Daily Study each day for four days in addition to the Digging Deeper and Taste the Fruit sections. The Digging Deeper section helps further expand the discussion. The Taste the Fruit section engages the learner and offers questions that promote thinking and enables the child to apply the key concepts to their life.
Monday Bible Narrative We read the summarized the Bible narrative or introductory lesson on the couch from the iPad or on our computer screen. Alyssa would usually Color the Bible Verse Page after the story. I was going to have her color it during the reading, but she wanted to take turns reading passages. She enjoyed reading and following along with me. We usually complete the Vocabulary page in which she defined words using a dictionary. I always supplied her with more than one dictionary including a Bible dictionary. Our last resort for finding dictionary definitions was to utilize an online dictionary via the iPhone or computer.
Tuesday Watering the Seedling + Daily Study: Day 1 Reading We read the next section titled, "Watering the Seedling" where more depth material is added to the story. I printed the primary-lined Copywork page which focused on a particular verse to practice penmanship skills. A 1-2 sentence blurb summarizing the events in the verse followed several of the scripture references. We always read the verse and discussed how it applied to our lives. Alyssa will eventually write these verses in cursive after we finish her cursive handwriting workbook.

Copywork

She also completed the "What Do You Remember" worksheet. She used her Holman Christian Standard Bible to look up referenced verses that were suggested helps for finding answers to the questions asked. The worksheet below referred her to Genesis 37:12-36 to answer questions. She did a great job with these exercises and thoroughly impressed me with the knowledge she gained from the study. I checked her work and clarified any misunderstandings by rereading and discussing the Scripture together. 

Wednesday Daily Study: Day 2 Reading  This is our busiest day so I decided to make it our easy Puzzle Fun Day which frequently includes the crosswords, coded messages, word searches, and the maze activities. The maze and word search were done in the car when traveling to extracurricular activities. The crosswords and word searches were differentiated for older and younger children. We used the more advanced crossword puzzles and she worked on the word searches for younger children.
The crosswords and coded messages were her favorite pages. We both appreciated that the crossword required students to go to their Bible to seek out answers if unknown. Alyssa would locate the referenced Scripture passage in her children's Bible related to the key words, read it aloud, and quickly figure out the correct word for the crossword puzzle. At one point the reference was incorrect, but I wonder if that has to do with the fact that we were using a different version of the Bible. The Scriptures referenced were taken from the English Standard Version (ESV) of The Holy Bible.     
The "Responding to God's Word" was occasionally added to Wednesday assignments. Alyssa would read Bible verse and respond to questions using complete sentences. One of the pages I liked had her fill out a chart differentiating between valid, real reasons for not doing something and then excuses. The example was for not doing homework. I gave her an example and modeled the activity beforehand.   
Thursday  Daily Study: Day 3 Reading Alyssa worked on the "Exploring the Bible" sheets on this day. These sheets varied and weren't always related to the study. They often taught doctrines or information about the Bible. The photo below shows a word scramble, but several sheets offered questions to research. The lesson definitely familiarized my daughter with her Bible. She's more comfortable using it as a resource when confronted with unknown information. Alyssa decided to open her Bible to the list of Bible books for help with the following worksheet. Her task was to unscramble the Bible books written by Moses and Joshua. 
She also completed a "Write About It" sheet which focused on one of the fruits of the spirit. The page below defines, describes, and explains the fruit of the spirit, patience. Then, she was given the chance to write about her experiences related to that particular fruit of the spirit. I praised her each time she demonstrated patience especially when she was reading to a child at the library. Other fruits of the spirit discussed so far were gentleness, self-control, and love.
Picture It illustrations were done on this day too. She drew a picture of us together because I made her feel loved. She also drew a picture of her best friend (Rylee). On another day, Alyssa read and illustrated the meaning of Exodus 3:3.
Friday  Daily Study: Day 4 Reading  Fridays are a little more relaxed so I added in the weekly Nature Studies if we had the supplies on hand. I was surprised to find out that many of the activities were actually indoor activities. I was hoping for more outdoor nature study activities, because I wanted us to get out more with a guided lesson in hand. We did use her telescope to search for spring constellations and took a nature creation walk to relieve stress. Alyssa created a mini Exodus/Passover poster to remind her that the Israelites moved out of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea in the spring. 
The family study also integrates geography into the day. On Fridays, we studied the Map It Knowledge Quest Maps from the study guide. Map work consisted of studying and discussing the places on the map and how they relate to the lesson. Leveled map work was provided for younger and older children. Alyssa chose to do all the activities for both age groups, because she wanted to label the entire map. She copied and studied the locations on the map once labeled correctly. 
There were Acrostic pages included in the guide which were the most difficult and time-consuming pages for us to finish. She added a lot of personal information to these pages so I won't add a photo. For example, in chapter 2 the word FAITHFUL was written vertically down a page within a boxed chart. Alyssa was asked to, "Consider something that she experienced that has been hard" and she needed to fill in the chart discussing how God used it for good. She chose divorce as her topic. Each sentence started with a letter from the provided word. A couple other acrostic words were PASSOVER and HOLINESS.
Overall Thoughts and Experiences Jay and Heidi St. John's wisdom and knowledge seeped through the pages of this comprehensive study. We immediately addressed relevant issues we've been dealing with right off the bat (confronting anger and forgiveness) during the first week. This study has given my daughter and I the chance to open up and discuss what is truly heavy on our hearts. She can easily apply the truths and principles taught to real life situations.
There were so many valuable activities that reinforced the lesson for children. The wide variety of engaging and fun activities including word searches, mazes, crosswords, journaling, copywork, nature studies, and more motivated my daughter to learn and encouraged her to research more. My daughter enjoyed many of the worksheets, but Alyssa's favorites were by far the crosswords and coded messages. The flexibility of the program appeals to me. I was able to pick and choose worksheets and activities for each week and didn't feel obligated to complete them all. I was able to work through the study at our pace and print only the pages I wanted. 
Books of Moses Part 2 is an integrated study that effectively encourages children to "think" about God's Word and apply it to their lives. It helps children understand and apply the Biblical truths to their circumstances in life which may possibly lead them towards a change in attitude or lead them on a path to a new way of living which focuses on God.
This Bible study has encouraged personal, sweet conversations with my daughter which in turn has allowed us to explore the Bible in new ways enabling us to not only grow closer together but closer to God. Our bond and relationship is getting stronger every day. This study gave me a way to help her work through our difficult life circumstances. The content helped us make sense of what we're going through and learning in the midst of change and through examples found in the Bible. It's helped us put our trust in God's plan for our lives. 
Price Family Study Guide $9.95 Student Book $24.95
Note: All prices are subject to change. The books can be purchased separately, but the family study guide is REQUIRED to complete the study. These prices are for PDF digital files.    Recommendations Yes, I absolutely recommend Firmly Planted, Books of Moses, Part 2 Family Study Guide and Student Book published by Real Life Press. Most Christian families can use the family Bible study in their homes. Homeschool families notice that some activities take on a Charlotte Mason approach. Children's church ministries or teachers will also benefit from utilizing this resource with their Sunday school class.    Vendor Suggestions

• Offer flexible lesson plan suggestions for parents and educators to choose from for ease of use. 
• Add a Bible story reading list offering book suggestions related to this particular study. 
• Create Bible memory verse games or activities to help children hide God's Word in our hearts and learn the verses better. 
• The verses may need to be further divided into more age groups. We focused on the verses meant for children ages 4-11 and we had a difficult time memorizing several of them due to their length and complexity (difficulty) level. It may be easier if children ages 4-7 had a separate verse to memorize.    
• Can you provide a Bible timeline and figures in the family study guide which would give younger children a visual of the events that occurred in this study?

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The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog contains reviews for several other products offered by Heidi St. John's company besides Books of Moses (Part 2) Bible study. Visit the website to read about their experiences with their other products such as Lapbooking Made Simple, The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Daylight, The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Romance, and the Firmly Planted, Gospels (Part 1 and 2). 

VeggieTales: Celery Night Fever Movie Review and Giveaway

It was a privilege to have the opportunity to review the newest addition to the VeggieTales DVD collection, Celery Night Fever, as part of FLYBY Promotions Blogger Network review program. Celery Night Fever is exclusively available in DVD format and was released on August 5th.

VeggieTales is a beloved company that creates faith-based products and a line of family DVD's that teach children about God's love and how He made them special. Years ago my daughter received a collection of VeggieTales DVD's as a gift. Alyssa became a huge fan of the DVD's when she was much younger and since then we've added several more movies to our personal collection over the years. I was thrilled when I found out we had the opportunity to review Celery Night Fever!

DVD Synopsis

In Celery Night Fever, the retro funkadelic sights and sounds of polyester leisure suits and disco balls take center stage – along with a timeless message of friendship and forgiveness. Actor Terry Crews provides the voice of Bruce Onion, a nefarious real-estate developer who plans to turn the serene, green Celery Park into a parking lot. His unsavory scheme spurs Laura Carrot and Junior Asparagus to enact a bold plan: reuniting the long-lost ’70s band The Groovy Brothers to play at a fund-raising concert. The problem is, The Groovy Brothers haven’t spoken to each other in decades, and the members have little interest in getting back together.  Their long-simmering feud spills over to affect Laura and Junior.  It’s not just Celery Park that’s in jeopardy – if best friends can’t learn to forgive each other and accept each other’s faults, the veggies might lose their cherished community gathering spot. Celery Night Fever features six original songs, including a rousing number from Bruce Onion, showcasing the musical side of Terry Crews.

Do you think the band members forgave each other? 

How We Used the DVD
We watched Celery Night Fever during family movie night as we snuggled on the couch eating popcorn. My 6 1/2 year-old daughter also watched the DVD several other times during the review period. This would be a great movie for children to watch with their friends during a sleepover or movie playdate.

Overall
Celery Night Fever is a wonderful family movie and addition to our VeggieTales collection! This DVD didn't disappoint us. The story's plot was entertaining and engaging. The VeggieTale stories always teach valuable lessons with appropriate scenes and adorable characters. There was only one awkwardly funny part where Junior came out wearing his underwear over his pants after realizing he was late meeting his friend, Laura. My daughter couldn't stop laughing. Alyssa sat through the entire show without EVER getting bored! It doesn't surprise me that VeggieTales has once again captured her undivided attention.

The movie consists of catchy disco-style musical tunes. As always, the music motivated my daughter. Her favorite song from the movie was "Perfect Puppy." I caught her groovin' to all the fun tunes on many occasions. She LOVED dancing to the six original songs included in the show.

Celery Night Fever lasts approximately 45 minutes and provides both English and Spanish subtitles. I appreciate that the VeggieTale products always emphasize great moral values. I was throughly impressed with the fact that Alyssa automatically caught on to the story's theme. She learned to value the importance of friendship and forgiveness in a fun, interactive way without further explanation from me. The message contains meaningful lessons which can be applied to my daughter's life and her relationships with both friends and family members. I'm glad that my daughter is still young enough to appreciate and watch the high quality shows created by the VeggieTales team. I can trust that VeggieTales DVD's will always contain appropriate content that my daughter can safely view without constant supervision.

The movie arrived at the perfect time for our family. We are currently dealing with unfortunate circumstances where forgiveness has been extremely difficult. This movie served as a great reminder during these challenging times. The message is that we should forgive others just as God has forgiven us. I truly want my daughter to know that she can forgive others when they have wronged or hurt us. Everyone should also understand that holding grudges hurts and brings trouble to all involved. Other underlying themes in this show are hope, trust, and selfishness.

Visit the VeggieTales website to view the Celery Night Fever FREE Downloads including coloring pages, recipes, crafts, and activities which reinforce the lesson and message of the show. We enjoyed the psychedelic celery experiment and had a blast making tie dyed rice cereal treats. We have plans later this week to watch the show again. We will attempt the homemade sidewalk chalk paint and rock coloring activities following the show.  

Recommendations
I HIGHLY recommend Celery Night Fever and ALL VeggieTales movies to children ages 2-7 yeas old. VeggieTales fans will definitely appreciate this show! The important message is one that we can ALL learn and benefit from. I recommend this DVD for at home use and to use during Sunday School class at church. I look forward to seeing future shows. I can't wait to watch Beauty and the Beet featuring Kellie Pickler in the fall!

Price 
VeggieTales Store $14.99
Walmart $9.96
ChristianBook $9.99
Amazon $9.96 

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Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

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Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue Review and Giveaway

Are you looking for a character program for younger children? Many parents want to instruct their child with the right tools to become good citizens with Godly character especially in today's world. I have a strong desire to raise my daughter to be a virtuous woman with good character. I started teaching Alyssa about character qualities at a very young age, because I believe children learn a tremendous amount the first five years of their life. As a parent, I also understand that it is my responsibility to teach, raise, and disciple my child using the Bible if that is my wish. It was a blessing and privilege to review Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue written by Kathie Morrissey, the owner of The Character Corner. The Character Corner offers character, purity, courtship, and parenting products. Kathie's well organized curriculum will help your children develop and grow Godly character traits.

Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue is a character curriculum containing scripture-based weekly lessons. You'll receive a 121-page curriculum book giving you at least 6 months worth of planned character training lessons if you teach one character quality five days a week. You can easily extend the lessons if desired. However, extensions are not necessary. The curriculum is designed to be used with preschool and early elementary aged children between the ages of 4-8. It addresses 24 character qualities focusing on one character trait per week. Bible verses related to the character quality are memorized. Each weekly lesson is arranged to be done on a daily basis with minimal prep for approximately 5-10 minutes.

Each lesson follows a similar format which helps your child become familiar with the lesson routine. The weekly curriculum lessons emphasize the definition of one character quality or trait, a related referenced Bible memory verse, three "I Will" statements to commit to their hearts, and a specific prayer. Adaptable object lessons, games, and role play activities are also integrated into the lessons. Alyssa really liked the "Attentiveness" and "Mama Says" games. Little did she know, we always play the "attentiveness" game but I never called it that.

The author recommends that you consistently review older material at least once a week to keep it fresh in their minds. She also encourages you to develop creative ways to make learning memory verses more fun by using motions, drawings, or different intonations. You can also view a sample lesson.

The curriculum consists of acknowledgements, an introduction, lesson instructions, a resource and materials list, color pages, "Something to Crow About" reward chart, and character ribbon badges in addition to the weekly lessons. Most of the materials used for the hands-on object lessons were easily found at home. The acknowledgement list gives other resources credit for ideas utilized. This list also contains website links with additional activity enrichment ideas.

Furthermore, optional manuscript copywork is available for elementary children. The copywork correlates with the curriculum. Your child will have the opportunity to copy the definition, Bible verse, and the three "I Will" statements. The pages reinforce the character quality being taught while your child practices good penmanship skills. If the lines are too small for your older elementary children, then you can always use a lined paper of your choice with or without the dotted help lines.

Character Traits Covered

• Attentiveness
• Contentment
• Courage 
• Deference
• Diligence
• Faithfulness
• Forgiveness
• Gratitude
• Helpfulness
• Humility
• Initiative
• Joyfulness
• Kindness
• Love
• Loyalty 
• Obedience
• Orderliness
• Perseverance
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Self Control
• Truthfulness
• Virtue
• Wisdom

How We Used The Curriculum Bundle
I must say . . . thanks to the idea of a fellow reviewer on the team, I decided to downloaded the PDF file of the main curriculum book to iBooks on my iPad instead of printing the pages. This made the lessons portable and saved money on ink cost. You can also read the lessons on your computer which is extremely helpful.

I followed the weekly lessons as intended. My six-year-old daughter loved completing the copywork sentences and looked forward to her daily lessons. I asked her to complete one copywork page each day. We could easily complete two pages on busier days. The coloring page was completed on the first day. Alyssa strived to memorize the material before the fifth day and in most cases met that challenge. On many occasions, we would sing the information to be memorized by using familiar tune.

Funny story . . . one day while completing household duties I caught her reciting (singing) the definition, Bible verse, and "I Will" statements in the shower. I was surprised yet thrilled to find out that the curriculum did indeed inspire her to remember what she was learning and hide God's Word in her heart. She was definitely motivated by the ribbon badges too! She felt successful when she accomplished her memorization goals. I really appreciate that the author focused on the character trait opposites while introducing the definition. This helps children understand the meaning of the trait better.

A Glance at Our Weekly Schedule
Day 1
Introduce the definition and scripture memory verse. Color the character quality page and complete the definition copywork page. End with prayer.

Day 2
The beginning of each day begins with a review of what was previously learned. Review definition and memory verse. Introduce the "I Will" statements. Complete the Bible verse copywork page and end the lesson with a prayer.

Day 3
Review definition, memory verse, and "I Will" statements. Introduce any role play scenarios, object lessons, or play games. End with a specific prayer relating to the trait.

Contentment: Is the glass half-full or half-empty?
Alyssa said, "Half-full." 

We modified the following fort building "Courage vs. Foolishness" game by using a Disney playhut we already owned. She didn't have an interest in building a fort, but I bet many younger children would. Statements were read aloud. Alyssa made a decision as to whether they revealed foolishness (lack of courage) or if they showed courage.

Courage 

Foolishness
(Hiding Behind the Hut)

Looking Ahead: I can't wait to do the object lesson with the egg on Day 4 when discussing forgiveness!

Day 4
Review all information once again. Continue playing games or read books if stated. Complete any new role play activities. Another daily copywork section is completed.

Day 5
The final section of copywork is completed on this day. Review and receive ribbon badge to display on reward chart for memorized concepts. You can store the previously earned badges, but we chose to display them all at once. One of the reviewers created a memorization chart that I hope to make soon! Visit Karen's Tots and Me Facebook page to see her awesome chart creation!

What We Liked

• Affordability
• Scripture-Based
• Simplicity
• Minimal Preparation
• Object Lessons and Games
• Quick Lessons
• Well-Organized Weekly Lesson Plans

Possible Improvements
One problem I ran into was with regards to the games that required more than one player such as "David, David, Goliath" which is played like "Duck, Duck, Goose." I wish there were alternative suggestions for those of us teaching only one child, but you can easily adapt the activity to your circumstances. Further into the curriculum, activities such as the Gratitude Circle and the Joyful Bean Bag Toss will be slightly modified for two people. We'll just toss the bean bag bag and forth several times. With that being said, we are thoroughly enjoying and will definitely continue using this curriculum! I have noticed a difference in Alyssa's attitude and have seen her apply the information learned to her life.

Possible Vendor Suggestions

• Character Trait Book List
• Prayer Journal
• Prayer Copywork
• Different Colored Ribbon Badges With Colorful Matching Certificates
• Cut and Paste Bible Verse Printables
• Scripture Charts or Posters
• Definition Word Study Notebooking Sheets and Vocabulary Games
• Long Term Review Suggestions 
• Cursive Copywork Option
• Would love to see another book covering additional character qualities in the future! 

Price
Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue Ebook $9
Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue Copywork (57 Pages) $5
Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue Curriculum and Copywork Bundle $12

Don't you just LOVE those low, affordable prices! 

Visit the Character Store to purchase Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue in addition to other character training products and tools written by a variety of popular authors. I am especially interested in Learning to Treasure God's Word: A Study of Psalm 119, Parenting is Heart Work, and Training and Correcting the Heart with Scripture.

Recommendations
I highly recommend this simple and effective character curriculum to private schools, home educators, preschools, day care facilities, Christian summer camps, after school care, and to families wanting a quick and easy morning Bible devotional to use with their young children. This curriculum was easy to implement and add to any daily routine requiring very little time and preparation each day. I was pleased with the material and short lessons. Kathie Morrissey did an fantabulous job creating a complete character training curriculum for younger children between the ages of 4-8.

Social Media and Helpful Links
The Character Corner Facebook Page
Twitter
Kathie Morrissey on Pinterest
Website
Free Handouts - Check out the Character Handout
Blog
Contact Us

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Guess What? I Have More Good News! 

Kathie Morrissey has graciously offered to giveaway one DIGITAL copy of her Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue curriculum and copywork to one of my lucky readers. It could be YOU! This giveaway ends June 4th at midnight. Please allow the Rafflecopter giveaway widget time to load in order to enter the giveaway. Thank you!

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Disclaimer
I received a complimentary (free) copy of the Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue character training curriculum from the author through the Bow of Bronze Launch and Promotion Team to utilize in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I was also expected to promote the curriculum through social media for the duration of the four-week launch period. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Grand Prize Giveaway: Launching Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue

We have been using Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue for a couple of weeks. Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue is a character curriculum designed for preschool through early elementary aged children. I am VERY thankful that the curriculum requires minimal prep and can be completed in a short amount of time each day. The curriculum addresses 24 character qualities covering one trait each week. You’ll have access to at least 6 months of weekly character lessons. The Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue curriculum provides you with a character trait definition, memory verse, and 3 “I Will” statements to focus on each week. The complete curriculum lessons include object lessons, games, role playing opportunities, color pages, ribbon badges, a reward chart, and a prayer related to the trait. Furthermore, manuscript copywork pages were created to correlate with the curriculum.

I am telling you all this because Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue is included in the following GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY. The package of products that will bless ONE winner has a retail cost worth over $318. What a generous giveaway! 

I can personally tell you that my memberships to Notebookingpages.com and MomsToolbelt.com have been absolute lifesavers this year. We also use A Journey Through Learning lapbooks to complement our Science, History, Geography, and Literature lessons quite often. I've had many positive experiences using the high quality Homeschool Copywork ebooks and notebooking pages created by Amy Blevins. She offers her products in several handwriting styles covering a variety of topics.

Thank you for joining our team as we celebrate the launch of Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue! You can view and download a sample lesson from the book by clicking on the link above.  

This giveaway will truly bless ANY homeschool family! Be sure to enter it now so that you don’t forget later.   

As members of the launch team, we are so excited to bring you this giveaway to celebrate the release of Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue.

One winner will be blessed to receive:  

1 Copy of Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue Ebook ($9) 

1 Copy of Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue Copywork Ebook ($5)

   

 1 Year Membership to NotebookingPages.com ($99.95)

 

Lifetime Membership to MomsToolbelt.com ($24.95)

   

1 Year Membership to Words With Wings ($84.)

   

A $50 Gift Certificate To A Journey Through Learning ($50) 

  

 

1 Year Membership to Homeschool Copywork ($14.95)


Three paperback books from Laurie White of The Shorter Word ($32.80)

Wow! That's quite a big blessing with a grand total over $318 in prizes!

   a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Thank you for visiting A Learning Journey! 

God bless, 

Tracey 

Y is for Yesterday and Yesteryear

Yesterday's Break

Yesterday, Alyssa and I took a break from school, writing reviews, planning, packing, organizing, anything else that was on our to do list so that we could visit our awesome friends for the day.  We both needed a little break so we went to the Jumpy Place for almost 6 hours.  The girls played so hard and they had a ton of fun! Alyssa needed this socialization time. We ran into some bullying issues the last hour of play.  There were three children (2 younger boys and an older girl), probably between the ages of 6-10, who harassed our girls.  They followed them everywhere intimidating them with dirty looks and words.  I spoke with our girls about bullies and how to react to children that bully.  We also gently spoke to the other children on several occasions in hopes to put an end to the bullying. If anything, the children disrespected our wishes and the problem got worse. The mothers sat disengaged from reality in their little world chatting without a watchful eye or concern with what their children were doing or how they were behaving.  The daughter ran to get a drink and spoke with her mother.  The mother glanced over every once in while laughing at what the children were doing.  I was appalled.  It actually reached a ridiculous point and I almost had to speak up. One child stood at the top of the slide stairs with his arms and legs spread apart so that my daughter could NOT pass by. I happen to be standing by and said, "Let her pass."  I can only imagine what Alyssa felt at that moment.  The girls were already terrified and tried to ignore the behavior of the other children.  They kept walking away from the situation but the children were persistent in their attacks and followed them. We ended up leaving the location and I mentioned the children's behavior to the worker on the way out the door. She kept an eye out and told me she wished I had told her earlier. I did notice that she needed to talk to them and address their behaviors (unrelated to our situation) before we left the building. I immediately turned to our Child Training Bible when we arrived at the house.  I searched the key for helpful verses.  We read and discussed what happened at the Jumpy Place. The topic we discussed was FEAR. Alyssa also asked to watch her VeggieTales movie today titled, "Where's God When I'm S-Scared?"

"Be strong and courageous; don't be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Yesteryear Lessons
Character training is of great importance to me when it comes to child training and instruction. I have been on a mission ... a search began not too long ago ... a search for items that will help me teach Alyssa Christ-honoring character traits and habits.  I want to instill good character traits so that she will grow to be a God abiding citizen with a heart of gold.

The Bible says,

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

I believe this Scripture verse with all my heart. It is our responsibility as parents to raise children that respect God and others through training.  Parents need to teach children how to act ethically and morally. 

I recently posted my review on the Child Training Bible and how we use it to teach Godly character habits or traits and how we hide His Word in our hearts and minds. Another resource that we came across was an endearing book titled, Moral Lessons of Yesteryear, written by A.L. Byers.  It is published by Mantle Ministries. This book would be suitable for children in pre-k through 6th grade. This is a Christ-centered book full of character building life lessons that will be cherished in our family. The hardcover book containing 168 pages is beautifully illustrated in a victorian-style containing black-and-white pictures or images. The book consists of life lessons that teach desirable and valuable principles such as obedience, respect, helpfulness, kindness, honesty, gratefulness and many other character building traits. The well-illustrated character building lessons are revealed through the use of poetry, quotes, short stories, and rules or guidelines. We are reading aloud sections during family devotion time (at times may just be Alyssa and I due to Jeff's schedule).  My hope is that Alyssa will have the tools to make the "right" choices in applying skills and actions read in the lessons to everyday life occurrences - that she will continue to develop good character that honors God.

Here are a few of the stories and poems you will read throughout this book:

A short excerpt from a poem found in the book:

What To Mind

Mind your tongue! Don't let it speak

An angry, an unkind,

A cruel, or wicked word;

Don't let it boys - now, mind!

- Moral Lessons of Yesteryear A.L. Byers (page 99)

I can tell you now that I had to try hard to mind my tongue at the Jumpy Place ... just being honest with you all.  I won't share what I wanted to say to the parents or the child because I am trying to be a good Christian. I am just glad that I prayed and God intervened - helping me to control inexcusable words or reactions. No parent in their right mind likes to see or hear their child being bullied.  The poem implies that the statement applies to only boys but it also applies to girls and adults alike.  This is one of those things that I explain to Alyssa as we discuss the contents of the book

This precious book containing timeless stories and poems is a great resource to teach character lessons and to encourage terrific discussions during Bible study time or family devotions. Moral Lessons of Yesteryear may be a perfect fit for your family needs depending on what type of resource you enjoy using. I seemed to be drawn to Biblically-based old fashioned books.  

Disclaimer: This post is not a book review. I thought the book was special enough to mention on my blog for character training purposes since we are enjoying it. I purchased it on Ebay for less than a dollar and it looks brand new.  It was a little gem that I just happen to find one day while purchasing curriculum. Thank you Lord for blessing our family yet again this year with incredible literature.

I will link this post up at: