Fortunately for You Books

Wisdome from the Wardrobe, by Fortunately for You Books

 

Wow! Fortunately For You Books has published Wisdom from the Wardrobe, a unit study based on C.S. Lewis’ classic The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This is an amazing compilation of material. Over 300 pages of cross-curricular unit study material are provided. Virtually every subject a student needs to study is addressed in this unit study – vocabulary, reading, life skills, science, history, and more! Math would need to be supplemented separately. Grammar is not addressed specifically; however, students have plenty of writing assignments through which grammar skills can be reinforced. As with most unit studies, Wisdom from the Wardrobe is appropriate for children of many ages. Activities can be selected and adapted according to the age and ability of each child. There are tons of worksheets, handouts, and other templates included to use with various activities. The activities are broken down by chapter and the instructions are very easy to follow. I think this would be an awesome companion resource for both homeschoolers and classroom use. I give it a five-star rating. Wisdom from the Wardrobe is available from the Fortunately For You website and is available on CurrClick. It is a must have for any family reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Reading Records for The Landing of the Pilgrims

Reading Records for The Landing of the Pilgrims is Fortunately for You Book’s version of a literature study. This particular study contains approximately thirty work pages carrying students through a complete study of James Daughtry’s classic work The Landing of the Pilgrims. I have found numerous copies of this book online through various retailers and book exchange programs. Reading Records gives students a systematic method of studying a book. In this case, vocabulary words are studied and comprehension questions are completed for each chapter of the book. The questions are given in a list format and could be completed in a written format or in an oral format. This format lends itself greatly to recitation and narration.

This Reading Records study would be appropriate for later elementary students who are able to work independently. I could also see it being used with younger students if the book were read aloud and the questions completed orally. This study is a great complement to any study of American History. I could even see it read by an older child to a younger child and the questions completed together. Suggestions are given in Reading Records to compile the work pages into a notebook. The pages are so beautifully designed that this would create a keepsake.

Reading Records could be used in a homeschool or a co-op setting. They would also be appropriate in a traditional classroom. This product would fit in nicely with a Charlotte Mason philosophy. I use a more eclectic philosophy and we have found the pages to be a great fit. My kids are always in need of a guide of some sort when they are reading anything for educational purposes. FFYB has created such a guide with Reading Records.

I am looking forward to using other guides in the Reading Records series. This has been a great help for my children. I definitely recommend it to other educators, no matter what the setting.

Science Unit Studies

Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers, by Susan Kilbride,  is a new tool to add to any educator's arsenal of science resources.  This book can be used in both homeschool and traditional classroom settings.  The unit studies are geared toward children ages 4-13; however, virtually all of the units could easily be adapted for any age by simply adding or deleting activities.  I really enjoyed the variety of topics covered in Susan's book.  Life Science, Botany, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, and Health are all included in this book.  These unit studies are very straight forward and easy for the teacher to follow.  Supply lists are given at the beginning of each unit.  I have found that most all of the supplies are either things that I have on hand or things that are inexpensive and easy to purchase locally.  Susan's book is full of so many activities that one would have a very full study of general science over the course of a school year if every activity was completed.  I teach a General Science class at a local homeschool co-op and I am implementing a lot of the activities in this book into my class this year.  There are even short quizzes (complete with answer keys) provided for the older student unit studies.  The quizzes are multiple choice in format and cover the main points students should glean from each unit.  I highly recommend this book for any science teacher or student.  It really makes the teaching of science quite simple and fun.  Overall I give Susan's book 5+ stars.

Hiding the Word in Our Children’s Hearts

 

World’s Greatest Stories is an auditory version of different Bible stories, geared toward children between the ages of 8 and 12.  These are beautifully done recordings by George Sarris, a Christian communicator.  We love listening to the Bible, as well as reading; but, sometimes adult recordings can be dry and boring for kids to listen to.  Not true with World’s Greatest Stories!  We have been listening to “The Prophets” c.d. and all ages in our family have enjoyed it.  Our ‘electronic savvy’ kids even know how to put the c.d. on my portable device so we can take the Word anywhere we want to listen to it.  World’s Greatest Stories is not a ‘play’ recording.  It is a recording of the actual text of different Bible stories, done in a dramatic fashion.  Mr. Sarris is engaging and has a knack for keeping listeners attention throughout an entire recording.  The World’s Greatest Stories products are available for purchase in either c.d. or cassette format and either NIV or KJV.  At $7.95 per c.d. or cassette, these are a great bargain.  Currently, Mr. Sarris is offering six different c.d.’s, each around an hour in length.  These can be purchased through his website.  He has other recordings in the works.  You can even listen to samples of the recordings here.

To read other reviews from TOS Homeschool Crew members, visit the main crew website, here. 

**I have received no compensation from TOS or World’s Greatest Stories in exchange for this review.**

Mastering Fractions Can be Fun!

We have had so much fun using the Fractazmic card game by I See Cards! The word ‘fractions’ can elicit fear in the most expert of students and adults.  With Fractazmic, that fear is forgotten and replaced with fun.  This is an easy game to learn and play.  If your child is not quite up to speed with fractions, yet, that’s fine.  You can make some adjustments or give your child some helps (like a fraction ‘cheat sheet’) to use while he/she is learning.  The object of the game is simple, match cards to make a whole.  From the I See Cards website:

Fractazmic is a 2-4 player game that uses math and language skills. The object of Fractazmic trap is to gather as many hands as possible before the first player runs out of cards. Hands are captured by either (1) playing a card that brings the sum of all cards thrown to 1 or (2) forcing the next player to throw a card that brings the sum to greater than 1. If any of these events occur – the player captures the round and is the first to start the next round.

• Each card clearly numbered
• Each card clearly labeled with the fraction and reinforcing graphic.

Fractazmic gets a huge thumbs up from our family.  I love games that can reinforce skills while you play. Games that are small enough to be portable are an even bigger plus!  Being a card game, this game can be carried and played in the car (great for road trips).   You can purchase Fractazmic for $6.95 from the I See Cards website.  It would make a great stocking stuffer! Fractazmic is geared toward kids in grades 1-8; although, it could be enjoyed by anyone with a basic knowledge of fractions.  We will be playing it a lot! 

To read other reviews from TOS Homeschool Crew members, visit the main crew blog page, here.

**I have received no compensation from TOS or I See Cards in exchange for this honest review.**