Big Book of Earth and Sky - a review and giveaway for Master Books

We have an exciting book to share with you!

 As a member of the Moms of Master Books

 review team I was given a copy of the

 Big Book of Earth & Sky. 

You may know we are Big Master Books fans, we are also Big book fans - and this book all about the earth and sky - did not disappoint.

The Big Book of Earth & Sky is a 15 foot chart showing the Inner Core to Outer Core of the Atmosphere, written by Bodie Hodge and Dr. Carolyn Reeves, and is published by New Leaf Publishing/  Master Books. 

*affiliate links included in this post - see disclosure page for details 

The boys "Ooooood" and "Ahhhhhd" over it the whole time. As we unfolded layer after layer, they became excited about each and every detail and fact they uncovered.  They quickly became fully engrossed in their new science book. 

As a mom and as a teacher, one of the best things I can ask for in curriculum materials - is that it grab the attention and inspire my children to want to learn more. The Big Book most definitely does that! In no time I was listening to requests of, "Mom, look at THIS!" . . . and "Hey! Did you know . . . ?" 

We are looking forward to further exploration of this gem for sure. I will be using it as a reference, and in creating special unit studies for the boys. The Teacher's guide is an excellent resource for ideas as well.
There is a ton of information packed into this book. 

My 11 year old was able to quickly find information on the material we were studying and jumped into it with gusto (yes, that is a lame atmosphere joke).  He then was able to explain the material to me in great detail, demonstrating his understanding and retention of what he had read. 

It was the concise and detailed information we needed to complete our unit study for that week. 

The Big Book of Earth & Sky is a 15 foot chart showing the Inner Core to Outer Core of the Atmosphere, written by Bodie Hodge and Dr. Carolyn Reeves, and is published by New Leaf Publishing/  Master Books. 

Please take a quick minute to watch the video trailer and find out more about why we like it so much: 

Download the FREE teachers guide here

                                      . . .  purchase a copy of  Big Book of Earth & Sky here!

Enter to win a copy for your home and family: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chronicles of Dinosauria - from Master Books - a book review

*affiliate links see disclosure page for details 

We had the opportunity to review Chronicles of Dinosauria by Dave Woetzel and Richard Dobbs Jr.
Master Books and New Leaf Publishing 

This collection of scientific evidence, historical documentation, and beautifully designed graphics is a genuine treasure. It includes photographs from various expeditions all around the world. Ancient artistic evidence, from around the globe depicting dinosaurs roaming the earth alongside of man are one of our favorite parts of the book.

My boys loved the drawings, and photographs in the book and listened attentively as we read aloud about the exciting evidence discovered an several of the expeditions included. They asked questions and were interested in further study as they learned about scientific facts and findings they'd not heard of before.

Did you know there are plenty of samples, from right here in the United States, of un-fossilized dinosaur bones? Some of them actually still have soft pliable tissue, which means they are most definitely NOT millions of years old. Chronicles of Dinosauria gives a detailed accounting of the location, and the scientists involved in those important (and under-reported) findings. 

The book goes into detail about the effect of the Genesis flood and teaches why many scientists believe it shows the biblical account to be true and accurate. 

Watch the exciting introduction to this chronicle of man and dinosaur here: 

In eight chapters the book covers The Creation and the Dinosaurs,  The Flood and the Dinosaurs, Fossil Evidence of Dinosaurs and Man, Historical Evidence of Dinosaurs and Man, Artistic Evidence of Dinosaurs and Man, Cryptozoology Evidence of Dinosaurs and Man, Biblical Evidence of Dinosaurs and Man, and Apologetics and Conslusion. 

Although it is labeled as Juvenile Nonfiction - it reads as exciting as any mystery novel should and is interesting for all ages, including adults.

I consider it a valuable tool for teaching and understanding how scientific data is gathered, and how it is frequently misused to support opinions and speculation. It is refreshing to have a resource that has been carefully compiled, clearly dictated, and beautifully represented so that we can gain expert knowledge in an easy to understand format.

Our family will continue to learn from this book for years to come and will be able to refer back to it as we study history, science and even geography in the future. It has quickly become one of our most valued resources for study.

Get your own copy of this 88 page, beautifully rendered, hardback book here
(save $4.76- on sale now) 

I reviewed this book as part of the Moms of  Master Books review team 

and I was given a free copy to do so 

as always - the opinions are my own 

Wildlife Wednesday - Master Books Giveaway & our wildlife adventures

I participate on Wednesday with Kathy Balman @Kathy's Cluttered Mind and Master Books at Creation Conversations to bring you Wildlife Wednesday. We share our adventures in nature and information about encounters with God's beautiful creation.

This week:

We've had a funny experience with wild animals wanting to come in to the house and to our tent while camping!

This neighborhood Gopher Tortoise has been determined to come in for a visit. We put him back in the yard, and he would come right back up on the porch to scratch at the sliding glass doors. He wanted in.

We also had a determined raccoon who actually did come into our tent while we were camping. He stole our bread, and then came all the way in and hauled out a bag of trash!

We were camping in an area of Florida where there are no bears, and we've always been comfortable putting the food and cooler in the tent at night. We've had raccoons and animals come into the camp area at night, that is normal, but having them come right into the tent was a new experience.

Experience with wildlife can be incredibly interesting and entertaining, but requires a respect for nature and a careful approach!

We also had the opportunity to go kayaking and fishing. Spence caught and released a pretty blue crab he was very proud of. These interactions with nature build confidence and self esteem in our children. They learn about themselves, their Creator, and the world around them as they investigate and explore creation.

Animals aren't the only wildlife to explore. Spring is a wonderful time to learn about flowering plants as well. The picture below is a Coral Bean plant. It will drop it's seed pods soon and reproduce more little coral beans in the area.

Exploring God's creation is a wonderful way to teach your children more about their Creator. Everything in nature points to an intelligent Designer.

Master Books is joining me and giving away a copy of The Ecology Book:
(perfect for your home or homeschool)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link up your own wildlife and nature posts and be Pinned to the Master Books Wildlife Wednesday pinboard and shared around the web. Please provide a link back to this post in order to spread the word!

Grab the button below or use a text link:

The Henry Morris Study Bible

The Henry Morris Study Bible is a welcome addition to any Christian library. 

It's a Bible the whole family can benefit from, as it provides valuable insight that will grow in you, a deeper understanding and strengthen your foundation in the Word. It's a fantastic aid to assist you in teaching your family or other groups.

It's a resource I will return to again and again as I seek a deeper walk, to study and understand the root words, and original meaning. I love to study from various bibles and study guides to get an overview on any particular topic. This one is my new favorite! 

With over 10,000 study notes, no other resource offers the comprehensive analysis of biblical creation and authority of Scripture as this one presents. 

The written Word of God is under attack in our culture like never before. The annotations of this King James Version of the Bible will:

• explain the Bible’s difficult passages
• resolve its alleged contradictions
• point out the evidences of its divine origin
• confirm its historical accuracy
• note its remarkable anticipations of modern science
• remove any doubts about its inerrancy, authority and ability to meet every human need.

Dr. Henry Morris is known as the father of modern Creation science, the founder of

 Institute for Creation Research (ICR) and the author of many well known apologetic

 books. His thriving legacy continues to equip Christians to be able to defend the 

accuracy and authority of Scripture today~ New Leaf Publishing

Dr. Morris was the founder and leader of the Institute for Christian Research (ICR) where he was known as a man of science, and a man of God. He fought hard in the debate against evolution and published over 60 books on the topic. 

There is much to be gleaned from his valuable insight. I love studying in this precise format- reading God's Word, and then a clear cut breakdown and definitions laid out by Dr. Morris. The way the text is written, you find a definition of what, a passage means, and why, it's put that way with references for you to see for yourself where he has gathered the information. (Much better than just taking someone's opinion on the matter - don't you think?) 

I love that he shares other scripture references on the topic to look up and dig in even deeper. 
Each page in this beautiful bible could be used for an in-depth study of the Word by an individual or a group. It's a perfect family bible. 

I was given a copy of the Henry Morris Study Bible - as part of the review team by Master Books

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Advice for Seekers by Charles H. Spurgeon

I believe the words out of my mouth were "Oooooooo" followed by "Ahhhhhhh" when I opened my Advice for Seekers. I am of the opinion that any "lover of books" will feel the same upon first glance at this remake of the original text. It has an "old" feel to it but has been masterfully re-created to represent the original text by Charles H. Spurgeon from the 1890's. 

Spurgeon addresses issues such as "what is keeping you from a closer walk with God?"  and whether or not you are seeking a biblical definition of salvation or the definitions man has invented and created along the way. 

Do you regularly check opinions heard from the pulpit and various other mediums against what God's Word has to say to you? This little book will make you want to! 

Please take just a moment to view this video from YouTube: 




God is not the author of confusion. He wants you to KNOW His LOVE and for you to walk in it! 
His Peace that passes all understanding is available for you - no matter who you are or what you've done. He is the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE and wants you to live yours abundantly! 

Spurgeon does a masterful job of breaking things down to the simple truth of the matter. This little book will empower you to seek to know God more fully and help you understand His love for you. 

From the vintage feel to the good 'ole fashioned truth - you will love this book too. Most of all it will encourage you to get out of your own way and get to KNOW the ONE who really loves you!

*I received a copy of this book at no expense in exchange for the review 
as always the opinions are my own 

Our Homeschool This Week - Nn is for . . . .

In my life this week. . . 


Nn is for New Jewelry - I've been on a roll - getting my creative juices flowing 
the one on the right is my creation "BEECH glass" - excited about BEECH Retreat  Jan 31 

Nn is also for 'No room in the Inn' - I'm not the only one around here being creative 
we used sticks from our nature walk to create small Nativities (yeah, Nn is also for Nativity) 

In our homeschool this week…

We use our wonderful The World of Animals book from Master Books to study new and 

exciting animals each week. 

Nn is for Nuthatch and Narwhal  also Nn is for Nautilus 

A few fun facts for ya- the Narwhal (pictured above in bottom left corner) is a whale included in the dolphin and porpoise family. It is a toothed whale that grows up to 16 feet long. The male has a tusk and may use it to fence with other males. 

The beautiful Nautilus shell shows the mathematical  Fibonacci sequence - read more facts about this incredible creature here.  (ahem. . . Nn is for Numbers) 

Nn is for Nathan Hale - whom we read about in Profiles from History 

Nn is for North American Indians - Timucua Indians and Calusa of Florida are on our list - we found the Timucua Indians in our Indian Tribes of North America coloring book (great way to keep kids busy while I read more info) 

Nn is for New Hampshire - from the United States coloring book - we are reading about New Hampshire in our GeoMatters Pathway to Settlement  curriculum - which uses living books and not just a text book for teaching. 

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Nn is for Numbers -  If you have a child who struggles with dyslexia or dysgraphia 

make your own simple flash cards for them to put in order. Numbers need to be reviewed 

as well as letters. Spence is working on addition and subtraction, but needed to review recognizing his numbers 11 - 20 this week. This was a great way for him to do it. 

We are reading learning and exploring …

Nn is for Nigeria -  Our Heroes For Young Readers  books are a wonderful addition to our family homeschool. Each lesson provides a short reader with pictures to introduce the Hero and the tale of how they left their mark on the world - this week we were in Nigeria on the continent of Africa - Mary Slessor was an incredible woman and a peacemaker among the tribes of Africa. The activity guide provides everything from songs to bible verses to spelling words and art projects to go with the books. Pictured in bottom left corner is a simple hut like the one Mary lived in while in  Nigeria. 
We have studied Corrie Ten Boom  of the Netherlands - here is a link to the first 4 book set  
and the Activity Guide here.  Other books here and the activity guides here. 

We're cooking…

We're cooking Pinto beans - teaching the boys how to cook healthy dry beans 

See our Kids in the Kitchen post here. 

Favorite moments this week …

Nn is for Nostalgic- 

It's always fun getting out the Christmas stuff. I love that our tree is a fun mixture of sand dollars and shells we've found at the beach, antique ornaments that have seen many Christmas's and bring back countless memories, and handmade ornaments from my boys. This year we added small nests and birds and even a couple of little bird houses that I think are really fun. It's kind of our "Old Florida - Nature Tree" 

Starfish, and tiny gifts from the sea - each one found by me or the family at our beach - make my heart beat happy when I see them sparkling on the tree. The long spiral "ice sickle" shells came from our honeymoon in Costa Rica. The Santa Claus starfish I painted with Parker when he was only 3 years old. Such special memories make me smile inside and out.  I'm so thankful for each of them and what they represent. 

Freebies … 

             

Luke 2:11 - Notebooking 

      Print and Cursive 

 Basic info on Calusa Indians of SWFL :               Part 1                          Part 2 

    
  Pocahontas Unit Study 

  Alphabet Flashcards with animals: 

     Aa - Ff                                 Ss - Xx

   Gg - Ll                                  Yy- Zz       

     Mm-Rr                                        

          

*Disclosure- There are affiliate links in this post - I will make a profit if you purchase using them - thanking you in advance!

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