The Brinkman Adventures, Season 2 – A Review

We have been a fan of audio dramatizations of books since our kids were babies.  I remember fondly the days of no electronic hand held devices with ear buds and no dvd player in the van.  In those days, when we would get in the van to travel anywhere for more than fifteen minutes or so, we always had an audiobook of some sort for the kids to listen to.  We still enjoy listening to this type of entertainment when on the road and we are always looking for new and exciting stories to listen to on our trips. When we received the c.d. version of The Brinkman Adventures, Season 2: Episodes 13-24,in exchange for a review on this blog, I I couldn’t wait to begin listening.

     The Brinkman Adventures, a series of stories chronicling the adventures, antics, and intense situations a homeschooling missionary family experiences, is presented in twelve episodes.  These productions are dramatized to aid in the entertainment factor and will have you laughing one minute, terrified another minute, and then wanting to go out on the mission field yourself to help others the next. Interestingly enough,  the adventures the family shares, and the stories of the missionaries are all authentic. Intended for all ages, these stories are family-friendly, although some of the episodes are a little intense.  When those episodes occur, there is a warning for children under 10. My kids are all older than 10, so we were able to listen to all of the episodes with no problem at all.   

I received The Brinkman Adventures Season 2: Episodes 13 to

24 on CD to review with my family. We used these c.d.’s in two different ways.  I have a dinosaur vehicle that still has a c.d. player, so I kept the c.d.’s in my van for us to listen to as we were in the van.  I also downloaded the c.d.’s to my computer and transferred the stories to a mobile device so they were available for situations like waiting rooms, or times when the kids wanted to listen to a story at home on their own.  I loved the fact that the characters in these stories were very ‘real.’  They encounter real life issues such as kids misbehaving, mom getting burned out and exhausted, the family praying together, kids arguing, and kids just being kids. The difference is, the Brinkman family handles these situations with a Christ-like love and respect. Even though my kids are older, we have thoroughly enjoyed listening to The Brinkman Adventures.  This will continue to be a part of our travel listening repertoire for a long time to come.  The recommended prices are:  Cd $25.00, MP3 $17.00. If you would like to check out these amazing adventures, The Brinkman Adventures is available on the website and operates on a donation basis. 

In both CD or Download version you get the following episodes:
1. The Mystery Ring
2. Blue Hat & T-Shirt Bible
3. How Big is Your God, part 1
4. How Big is Your God, part 2
5. Mexico by Bus
6. Treehouse Academy
7. Pirates of Mayan Island
8. Sapphire Slaves, part 1
9. Sapphire Slaves, part 2
10. Hadi’s Choice
11. Castle of Secrets
12. On the Run
There also is a bonus episode with a song.

You can also connect with The Brinkman Adventures via social media at:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brinkman-Adventures/152895116079

  My friends on the Schoolhouse Review Crew also were able to use and review this product.  If you would like to read those reviews, click on the banner below.

   

Silence is Golden – A Devotional

I am speaking to you. Can you hear Me? Slow down and listen carefully. I could scream, but I want you to take the time to listen with care. You are too busy and need to say “no” to some of the things that take you away from Me. Maybe you need to stop watching television or listening to the music and allow there to simply be silence. Don’t be afraid of the silence, it is not your enemy, it is often in the silence of your life that I allow you to reflect on Me and what it is I have been leading you to be or do. It is also during these quiet times that I whisper to you My plans. Get ready; I have special things to share with you.

Psalm 119:166; 1 Kings 19:11-13

CTC Math–A Review

     CTC Math was gracious to give our family their 12-month Family Plan to use for purpose of review.  With materials available for unlimited use for grades K-12, CTC Math is a phenomenal find!  The subscription plan we have been using is for up to ten students and includes unlimited access to all of the CTC Math resources.  It is sale-priced as of the publication of this post at $118.80. 

What exactly is CTC Math? 

     This is an innovative and comprehensive math curriculum that is online. We have been using the Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 coursework.  My daughter is working her way through Algebra 1.  Being in 8th grade, she is much more independent in her studies now.  With CTC Math, I can set up through my parent’s page the grade she must receive on her lessons in order to advance.  I can also see when and for how long she has logged onto the program.  I get weekly progress reports on all of my kids and certificates to print for them when they reach a goal.  Since Caitlyn is working independently, I assign the number of lessons she needs to complete each week and I monitor her progress throughout the week. She simply logs in, goes to the lesson(s) for the day, watches the brief video presentation, and completes the interactive work.  She or I can print worksheets if she needs to actually write on something to make a concept easier to understand.  Also, there are brief note-sheets available to print for each lesson.  This is awesome for a learner, like my daughter, who likes to have something in her hand to look at while she is working.  The only snag we have run into is the calculator requirement on some of her lessons.  We haven’t been able to locate a calculator with the features specified in the lesson, so we simply moved on to the next lessons and I showed her how to complete the problems by hand. 

     With my son, he is reviewing Algebra 1 and Geometry in preparation for his ACT and he has been working steadily through Algebra 2.  He works independently like my daughter does.  He is moving more quickly through the lessons and will be moving into Trigonometry soon.  Both James and Caitlyn love the video lessons because they can replay anything that they need to hear/see again.  They also love the short length of the lessons.  The video lessons are ‘animated’ and narrated so visual and audio learners can grasp the concepts being taught. 

     We have enjoyed CTC Math so much that is is going to be our sole math curriculum from now on.  My kids have even asked to have more curriculum in this format.  They love it.  User-friendly, easy-to-follow, thorough, and fun – what more could you ask for in a math program.  When my kids voluntarily do their math assignments, I definitely know the program is a winner!

     You can follow CTC on social media to keep up with the latest in the world of CTC Math.  Here is their information:  Facebook CTC Math - https://www.facebook.com/ctcmath?ref=hl
Facebook Aus (Maths Online)  - https://www.facebook.com/mathsonline.com.au?ref=hl

 

Keep out the Trash!

Be careful what you allow into your mind and heart. There are many dangerous messages the devil is trying to put into the minds of My children and most have no idea these messages are even being sent. Attacks by the evil one are usually very subtle. If you are not paying close attention to the things you watch, read, and listen to, you will open the door of your mind and heart to ideas and philosophies that contradict Me and My Word. You would never allow trash to be mixed into the food you and your family are planning to eat, so why in the world would you allow trash to be mixed into the messages you and your family view and listen to? Be on the alert for these attacks that are coming toward you. Have the courage to take a stand and begin to eliminate the dangerous messages that are being sent to you and your family members.

Ephesians 6:10-18; 1 Peter 5:8-9

Seek Eternity

What are you running after? Look around you today and notice what most people seem to be running toward. You will soon discover that most are desperately seeking things like, money, possessions, and basic necessities of life. As My child you should be different. I promise to take care of you and provide for you the things you need, but I have a requirement of you; I want you to seek Me and My righteousness first and foremost. Run after Me. As you make Me your focus and desire, I promise to take care of the basic necessities of life for which many spend their life striving. The difference between others around you and you is that they are seeking the temporal things of life and you are seeking Me and My eternal things. Those who seek the temporal things temporarily get what they can provide for themselves, but you get all that I can provide for all eternity.
Matthew 6:28-33; 2 Corinthians 4:18

Supercharged Science E-Science–A Review

 Supercharged Science, an e-science program designed by Aurora Lipper, is a fascinating new approach to teaching our children science.  I have been using this program from many weeks now and I love it.  We have been using a six-month subscription to the entire k-12 e-science learning program.  I have mainly been focusing on the high school areas of the program for this review; however, because of the ages of my kids, I have been able to work in many different topics. 
    Aurora Lipper is a rocket scientist turned educator.  She designed Supercharged Science as a way to help parents and educators redesign the way they teach science.  E-science has offerings for kids of all ages from kindergarten through grade 12.  It is available as a monthly membership program with K-8 for $37/month or K-12 for $57/month.  As a subscriber, you are given access to one or two units each month.  I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, at first, but let me tell you it is much more than enough.  Each unit is packed with suggested lesson plans, reading material, review questions, hands on activities, experiments, and sometimes even a quiz or two.  The experiments are one of my favorite parts!  I have been teaching science since 1986.  Yep, I’m ancient!  One struggle I have always had is that the experiments that come with my curriculum of choice aren’t always the most interesting experiments, or easy to do with a group of students.  Aurora has done such a fabulous job of creating, demonstrating, and explaining experiments for each topic that I hardly have to do any work!  You can visit this page to get more information about all of the ins and outs of Supercharged Science.
       I have been teaching science for many years.  Chemistry experiments have been my nemesis.  For the past month and a half I have been going through Supercharged Science and coordinating new experiments with the topics we are studying.  We have been in thermodynamics / kinetics for quite a while and the experiments in our text are, for lack of a better term, kind of lame.  Not so with Supercharged Science!  We have made our own litmus paper, worked with catalysts by making ‘elephants toothpaste’ (a definite outside activity), burned magnesium, and made a magnesium battery.  We have also watched videos of other experiments that coordinated with our lessons like working with carbon dioxide and desalinating water.  I love the option of being able to carry out an experiment as a demonstration, let the kids do the experiment, or show the video to the class.  Kids learn in different ways and the more different types of exposures they have to material the better they learn.  The Advanced Chemistry topic area not only contains tons of experiments but also contains a link to a complete online chemistry textbook.  Aurora has taken the time to coordinate the experiments with the textbook and she includes a page for teachers/parents to be able to use and know what experiments go with what chapter of the text.  It is so helpful.  There is a complete, printable set of lesson plans / notes / questions available which is wonderful for parents and teachers.
       In General Science this semester we have been studying the human body.  I have been able to pull many activities from the Life Science 1 unit and the Biology 2 unit for our studies.  In Physical Science we are studying sound and light.  Unit 6, Sound, and Unit 9, Light have been great helps to me!  I struggle with ninth graders doing experiments with flashlights and prisms – experiments that I’m sure they did in elementary school.  Using simple, around the house materials, we have been able to investigate magnifying light waves, polarization, infrared light, reflection and refraction, and have made objects appear to disappear!  Whew!  In Biology 1, I have been using the Biology 1 Unit exclusively.  While our lab activities mainly revolve around dissections at this time of year, I am always needing supplemental activities.  Aurora’s videos of both vertebrates and invertebrates are beautiful and are so much more than I would have been able to afford if purchased separately.  I love being able to show my kids the beauty of God’s creation and these magnificent animals in their natural habitat.  The kids love it, too!!! My Biology 2 kids are extremely independent students.  Unfortunately, our curriculum includes slide work and dissections for the experiments – nothing else.  I like for the kids to do more hands on activities to learn concepts.  Aurora has not let me down here!  We have made a balloon model of an eye, a water lens, examined blind spots, visual reflex, and even delved into a bit of speed reading.  Once we understood how different parts of vision worked, then we did our dissections and slide work.  Our ‘boring’ slide work and eyeball dissection virtually came alive for the kids because they understood the mechanics that the different tissues affected.
    I highly recommend Supercharged Science e-science program for educators in any venue, homeschooling, public school, private school, or charter school.  It is the most complete and easy to use program I have come across in many years.  It can be used as a stand alone curriculum with ease or can be used a supplement to your existing curriculum.  I know we will be using this for years and years to come!

Supercharged Science is offering a special preview to give my readers.  For just $1, you can have full access to e-Science for one month.
To access to this special deal, please click on this link:  http://superchargedscience.com/opt/tos-review-esci-trial-04-2014-2/
You can also have free access to the sample experiments with this link:  http://superchargedscience.com/opt/tos-crew-savs-opt-04-2014/

You can connect with Supercharged Science through many social media outlets:

https://www.facebook.com/superchargedsci
http://www.twitter.com/aurora_lipper
https://www.youtube.com/user/auroram42
http://pinterest.com/superchargedsci/
https://plus.google.com/u/0/112193545312804826871/posts
http://www.superchargedscience.com/blog/

     To see what my friends on the Schoolhouse Review Crew have to say about Supercharged Science, click on the picture below.

 

 

Live! – a Devotional

Are you going through life, or are you living? Every person exists, but not all truly live. My purpose for you is that you will live and thrive. You have been made to enjoy a successful life, not a life of defeat. There is a real enemy who exists for the purpose of killing, stealing, and destroying the life of abundance I have planned for you. Do not give in to him and do not miss the real reason you are here. You are not on this planet for the purpose of making more money so you can pay more taxes and buy bigger toys to satisfy your desires. You are here to live in relationship with me, preparing for eternity together in heaven. Live! Start now! Stop playing religion and live. Stop going at it in a half-hearted fashion and dive into My presence with all you are and have. Here I am, come join me.

John 10:10; Proverb 19:21; Revelation 21:3-4