I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew!
The crew was given the opportunity to review ARTistic Pursuits: Painting with Watercolor Pencils, Art Core 2.It is an excellent opportunity to study again for this great company, we have reviewed several of their other levels they have been a pleasure to have in our home.
This year we shifted our homeschooling focus to a more relaxed Waldorfish curriculum. One of the benefits of this switch is incorporating more into our lesson. Most importantly use more watercolors in our artwork. I personally don’t have a lot of knowledge on water coloring painting so I am learning alongside my son. Painting with Watercolor Pencils, Art Core 2 is not like typical watercolor instructions your student is using watercolor pencils! If you are not familiar with ARTistic Pursuits they have homeschooled art curricula with 8 eight levels for K-3, upper elementary, and middle school.
Painting with Watercolor Pencils, Art Core 2 instructions are available on DVD/Blue Ray or digital access through your personal dashboard. You also can purchase the supplies kit to go along with the curriculum. There are 36 lesson illustrated lessons included in the hardcover book and 9 video lessons that are the same as the book. Mrs. Brenda breaks the lesson down in easy-to-follow steps. I really enjoyed the color swatch videos, because I know all watercolors aren’t created equal so it was nice that she went through these swatches with the different types of watercolor pencils. The introduction videos were very helpful in getting used started with watercolor painting because I wasn’t aware of the different colors and how they blend together and create beautiful masterpieces.
We slowly worked our way through lesson one of Painting with Watercolor Pencils, Art Core 2, we learned about wash and line and hard and soft lines. My son instantly noticed that the amount of pressure you use with your open will determine the light and deepenest of the color when activated. Would you look at that I am using artist lingo…LOL! We practiced our technique a few times a week because we needed a lot of practice before we felt comfortable moving on. The online streaming service is a major plus with this curriculum because it allows you to have a personal lesson in your home at your pace.
Painting with Watercolor Pencils, Art Core 2 is the second level in the upper elementary series. I really think we need to try out the first level, I was super excited to see the watercolors book and I choose this one to review, but my son said he wants the first one because he wants to learn how to draw like Mrs. Brenda. He always gets excited when a new ARTistic Pursuits book arrives in the mail. Painting with Watercolor Pencils, Art Core 2 is a wonderful curriculum, I love the online streaming and the use of watercolor pencils I don’t feel as intimidated by using watercolors.
Complimentary product received from Five Senses Literature Lessons
I am starting to lesson plan for our upcoming school year and one of the things I like to include is 3-4 unit studies each year. Last year my son had the opportunity to take classes with Kelly Tudor, if you are not familiar with Kelly Tudor she is a citizen of the Lipan Apache Tribe in Texas. She teaches Indigenous studies classes in Outschool, and she is a wealth of truth about Indigenous people. We love her classes and we will be taking full advantage of them again this year.
Five Senses Literature Lessons were developed by an occupational therapist, turned homeschool. The lessons are secular and can be used as a full curriculum depending on the student. There are 4 levels instead of grade levels, the reason being the lesson is designed to appeal to all students based on their abilities.
You will see some overlapping of skills because not all children learn at the same pace and may need more time to develop skills. The literature lesson covers multiple academic disciplines such as:
History and Social Studies
Science and Math
Art and Health
Language Arts
Everything you need to teach these lessons is within the literature guide. Speaking of the lessons you will receive embedded video and resource links for each lesson which makes this guide easier to implement. You really don’t have to print out the guide itself just the appendix section that has all the printables you will need. I personally like to have both a hard copy (planning and note-taking reasons) and a digital version for the clickable links.
I want children to experience learning with their whole bodies. I want them to not only hear about something but taste it, feel it, talk about it and wonder about it beyond what they were shown. I do not believe that learning about history, science, art or language should hinge on how well a child can read or write.
Laura Sowdon – Five Senses Learning
Five Senses Literature Lessons work for children with disabilities as well as gifted children. The guides appeal to all learning styles and I really like that they were created by the occupational therapist because she has taken the time to really design a program that is relaxed and stress-free for both the learner and parent.
Children of the Longhouse Unit Study
Children of the Longhouse, Unit Study is a part of the green level for students ages 8-12 years. The green level concentrates on historical fiction, critical thinking skills, independent learning, and ambitious hands-on activities. The creator of this unit study was very intentional to point out that the unit was about Appreciation not Appropriation I really like this because I don’t know how many times I have tossed a book or printable because of misappropriation.
There are 13 lessons that directly correlate with each chapter in the book. You will find a book list, how-to-use, supply list, pre-reading activities, and appendix. There is a detailed chart that tells you what subjects are going to be covered in each chapter lesson. Students will learn about Indigenous culture, herbology, sports, woodworking, food, anatomy, and first aid. I really appreciate the life skills included in the resource and recipes.
Last Thoughts!
I really like the Children of the Longhouse, Unit Study from Five Senses Literature Lessons. The unit has cut down my prep time for this year’s unit study on Indigenous Studies. I like the included book list for optional resources all I have to do is grab the books from the library. I do like she included the Wildcraft board game that has been one on my list for our homeschool. November is our slow-down month with homeschool so having all the integrated subjects included takes my mind off lesson planning for those subjects. We are working on independent learning this year so having some of the activities that encourage these skills is a major plus. Five Senses Literature Lessons are great for family studies and morning baskets.
Right now there are 7 unit studies available in the Five Senses shop. I am hoping that she will come out with some new unit studies. At the time of this review Children of the Longhouse, Unit Study is $9.95 and she is having a Summer Sale you can save 25% off with the code hotmom2022.
If you would like to see a full walkthrough of this unit be on the lookout for our video on Little Learner and Mom IG.
Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.
The Critical Thinking Co. is definitely a familiar name in this house, my son has been using their products since he was 3 years old. Every year we add at least 1-2 books to our homeschooling year and sometimes books stretch into the next year. We were super happy to be able to add Building Thinking Skills Level 2 for grades 4- 6 to our upcoming school year.
Like most resources from The Critical Thinking Co., the concentration is to build logic skills. Building Thinking Skills Level 2 is a paperback book with 412 pages including the answer key. The pages can be reproduced for your personal use only. You can purchase the physical or the ebook for $36.99. We were sent the physical book for our use, I will probably end up removing the pages we use and photocopying for my son and have the book end cut off and the book coiled bound.
Building Thinking Skills Level 2 activities help your students to develop figural partial and verbal skills. The skills are in a sequence and highly recommend you go in order and monitor your student’s progress. What I really enjoy about the Building Thinking Skills Level 2 students will use math, reading, writing, and vocabulary as they work.
Building Thinking Skills Level 2 book is a great resource because it can be stretched over a 2-year period. I love having this option of being able to use a great resource over a period of time. Not only does this create consistency, but also saves money.
The Critical Thinking Co. is such a great company for resources for students and their parents. We have really enjoyed using several of their products throughout the years. We really enjoy receiving their free Math & Critical Thinking Worksheets. At the time of this review, the company is offering some great savings on purchases. If you are interested in reading our other review of The Critical Thinking Co. products feel free to click here.
Be sure to check out the other Crew’s reviews on The Critical Thinking Co. by clicking the banner below.
When you think of history does California come to mind? Probably not, because when teaching US History we traditionally think about the eastern coast of the United States first and don’t usually venture further west until after the Civil War. Well while the east coast history plays a significant part in US History Beautiful Feet Book Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State brings the excitement about the West Coast.
Beautiful Feet Books curriculums are a Charlotte Mason-inspired. The company creators are homeschoolers themselves and have been inspiring families for 30 years with their beautiful illustrated literature.
To help homeschool parents ignite wonder and connect with their kids through the best stories and guided lessons.
Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State starts its journey through California’s rich history with the Ice Age. Students will embark on learning about animals during this time period and natural disasters. My learner and I spent time researching the La Brea Tarpits and the weather conditions of the world during the Ice Age. I thought of some fun movies (Ice Age animated series) and suggested documentaries suggested in the lesson guide. Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State covers history, geography, nature study, culinary history, and art study. Each lesson is estimated to take an hour for grades 4-6. You can find a complete scope and sequence on the product page.
What is intriguing about Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State is the inclusive diversity of lessons presented. I was very pleased to see the inclusivity of African Americas and Asian Americans in the later lessons. Indigenous studies were included throughout the lessons as well which were done respectfully and with attention to detail. The selection of books was broad and packed with beautiful illustrations that held my 5th grader’s interest.
My son enjoyed the relaxed feel of learning about California he really spent time writing his journal and adding to his notes. We spent time painting, reading, and engaging in discussions about animals, culture, and global perspectives of California. We visited the story Kalifia as a rabbit trail we went down. He really enjoys geography, art, and culture.
Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State is meant to be covered in a complete school year. I can see how one can make this their entire year’s history because it is so much you can do that will combine other historical information about the US in this one curriculum. I hope that in the near future that Beautiful Feet Books will add more states because there is so much to unpack in US History.
What I did notice is when it was time to do the lessons we set up the environment. My son cleared our table and prepared a light snack, set out the materials, and turned on the diffuser with little lavender essential oils. I always made sure there was something art relative for us to do while I was reading the literature for that lesson. He did art, snacked and we talked. I don’t know what it was about setting up the environment this way but it made our lessons enjoyable and special.
We will be stretching this curriculum over the next 2 years and it will become our special interest history. I want to take our time with this one because along with what the curriculum provides I want to be able to include more historical information during certain time periods.
Last year when my son and I were studying voting rights I remember the frustration I had writing down the timeline of the sequence of events on our board. I wanted him to have a visual keepsake of this important historical time period. So on our little whiteboard, I squeezed as much as I could and left it up there for a week as we studied. When it came time to erase it I took a picture of it and went on a hunt to find a way to record things for our history. What I was finding I wasn’t happy with so our timeline would have to live on my phone in the meantime. Then it happened The Schoolnest published a History Timeline notebook.
About The Schoolnest
Megan is a Michigan homeschool mom of 2 littles who is bringing love for learning through art, nature, creativity, and reading. Her approach to education is respecting the beauty of childhood and play. You can’t help but notice how she embraces Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, and Montessori philosophies in her homeschool. Her website is full of beautifully crafted simple journals, notebooks, and homeschool resources. She also writes a wonderful blog that is full of helpful ideas for parenting, homeschooling, art, and mindfulness. All are welcome on The Schoolnest website and blog, I found several diverse blog posts and literature recommendations.
I was so happy when Megan the founder of The Schoolnest launched her rainbow notebooks, from the first glance on her Instagram I knew I had to have them all. I purchased several of the notebooks for our school year then she published her History Timeline and it blew me away because it was exactly what I needed.
The History Timeline notebook is one the most unique books I have seen. The notebook gives you the ability to track history from:
Prehistory
Ancient
Middle Ages
Early Modern
Modern Times
What I feel like is a great family heirloom in History Timeline, is the beginning pages called “My History” I love these pages because we can record our family history and document things we felt were important to us during a year. The paper quality is excellent there are 115 pages and there are blank pages at the end. The entire is book is grid paper except for the dates, there is also B.C.E-C.E also included. There is plenty of space to write and post pictures, drawings, and clippings for creativity. The grid paper is excellent for writing and helping students contain their writings neatly. What I like about this timeline notebook is that it is just that a notebook. I can keep everything contained neatly in one spot and it is easy to flip through and we can use this 1 notebook over a long period of time.
The History Notebook is great for notebooking. We have used ours to notebook our unit study of Mesoamerica and currently, we are working on Ancient China. We study so much history in our home and notebooking has allowed him to have fun with notebooking. In the history notebook, there are 100 pages on the left page is 1/3 blank and the rest of the page is a grid. On the right side, the bottom is lined and the top is blank. There is a blank table of contents page and a study reference page. Kids can draw, color, cut and paste, make notes, and be creative. We have added pictures and written notes in our history notebook and added notebook printables. The paper quality is excellent, writes, glues, and colors smoothly.
Rainbow Notebooks
If you are looking to explore the other notebooks in The Schoolnest collection you will not be disappointed. So far we have collected:
Science
Vocabulary
Spelling
Mathematics
Commonplace
Project Planner
Reading Journal
4th Grade
All of the notebooks come in 12 vibrant rainbow colors, 8.5 x 11, matte softcover, and superior binding. The Schoolnest notebooks are inexpensive ($8) and can be purchased from Amazon. If you are in the market for a planner The Schoolnest has you covered she has a Homeschool Lesson Planning Notebook, you can check out a review of this great planner on Brittany Olga Youtube and Home Life with Quin 5 Instagram (Planner and Reading Journal) and check out Mama Sweet Baby (Spelling Notebook).
The Schoolnest notebooks are a must-have for your homeschool if you haven’t checked them out I highly recommend you do. We love our notebooks and I am looking forward to seeing any new books The Schoolnest publishes.
Are you looking to add some excitement to vocabulary building? Have you ever heard of Mrs. Wordsmith? Well if you haven’t heard about Mrs. Wordsmith what better way to introduce you to this company than telling you about their new app Word Tag.
Mrs. Wordsmith is an award-winning company based originally in the UK. The company was founded in 2015 by Sofia Fenuchell who wanted to create educational materials that actually worked and kids would love it. Using quality animations and game design to improve how kids learned vocabulary, Mrs. Worthsmith was born. Mrs. Wordsmith since their early beginning the company has grown and developed a full line of products for kids ages 4-13. The company has created books, games, curriculums, tons of free resources. We own several of the curriculums, books, and vocabulary sets. Mrs. Wordsmith’s newest addition to their line of literacy and vocabulary materials is the Word Tag app.
We were invited in July to join the team as a tester and my son has loved playing the Word Tag app. The company has taken video games to an entirely new level with fun vocabulary-building adventures. My son loves Hip-Hop culture so the game won him over instantly with the graffiti. The game takes place in Los Angeles, kids will go on a quest of collecting spray cans and spraying words while trying to avoid the street cleaners. Kids will complete daily activities at their paces, challenges, and pop quizzes.
With a methodology designed to teach challenging vocabulary, Word Tag boosts reading comprehension, advances creative and academic writing, and improves exam performance.
Mrs. Wordsmith
Word Tag 3D adventure is visually appealing to players and it encourages them to keep playing and learning new words. The kids are constantly reviewing the words they have learned. Kids will learn up to 1,000 words. Words a present in context to help reinforce their learning. The more words your student’s master more levels open for them to play. Players can earn more coins and unlock materials from the pop quizzes. I love how the words show the kids the definitions, parts of speech, and synonyms. The vocabulary the kids learn is Tier 2 academic words that are frequently used on SSSA. ISEE, SAT, STAR, and MAP exams. Word Tag also will increase your students reading levels.
Word Tag also allows students to connect with other players and their friends if they are using Word Tag to share the gameplay and compete with each other. Word Tag takes your student’s safety seriously and incorporated a safe social player. The program is adaptive and you will have access to player reports. The company also provides a parent guide that includes a sample word list and learning objectives.
I love Word Tag for all the reasons above I mentioned. I am familiar with the company and its products, so their brand is one I trust with my child. Now my son is crazy about Word Tag he was super excited when the Mall level opened for him and he has been playing non-stop. He said the graphics are cool and it is fun to learn the new words. The other great thing is he sees characters from Mrs. Wordsmith’sStoryteller’s Illustrated Dictionary, How to Write a Story, and Reading Comprehension Vocabulary.
If you don’t know who the Heritage Mom is I am super excited to be able to tell you about this wonderful blogger, mom, homeschooler, philanthropist, and Charlotte Mason guru. Okay so I had had the pleasure of meeting Amber O’Neal Johnston and once a member of her Heritage Homeschoolers group in Georgia and I can honestly tell you she is one of the sweetest and kindest people I have met during my homeschooling journey.
When Heritage Mom offered to have the Squad review 3 of her culture guides, I knew had to be part of this opportunity. Let me keep it real I own about 90 % of her culture guides already and we are still working our way through Amazing Africa. We own Schomburg, Heart and Soul, Harlem Ressianance Stomp, and now the Civil Rights Heritage culture guide. All of the culture guides are excellent, Heritage Mom gives you everything you need to use these guidesto teach African and African American history.
The Civil Rights Movement guide is divided into 10 topics of study starting the journey in the 1950s and ending with Civil Rights today. The guide is meant for grades 4-6 but you can review the suggested living books and materials you can stretch to 2nd grade. Civil Rights Movement is 36 weekly lessons now you can stretch to the entire 36 weeks or you can do more lessons a week. We are averaging 3 lessons a week in Amazing Africa, but after looking through the Civil Rights Movement guide we will spend a little more time on our lessons because is one of my son’s favorite areas of history to study. Anyone who says they were able to unpack any of her culture guides in 8 weeks, I can honestly say they didn’t give these carefully planned guides the respect they deserve.
The Civil Rights Heritage Pack is a survey of the brave men and women who risked their reputation, livelihoods, and often their very lives to press towards what they knew to be right.
Heritage Mom
The Civil Rights Movement includes two core books, you need to select one of these books to use with the guide, both reasonably priced. She also includes bonus books and recommends not substituting the core books because those books are impeded throughout the guide. She also has movie suggestions that hyperlinked and inserted disclaimers to prescreen them to make sure they are appropriate for your family. There are additional books used in the lesson plan, they are a nice mixture I love she included picture books and chapter books. Now that my son is reading more chapter books I miss those days of really great picture books. I found all the books listed in the lesson plan at my local library. There are also additional books for older or advanced children but these books are not scheduled in the lesson plans.
The lesson plans are easy to follow, with clickable links that take you to videos and she tells you what book you will be using and pages to read. There are 4 weeks of plans one page. The culture guides are meant to be just that guides, if you are looking for a long-drawn-out lesson plan with tons of writing and worksheets you aren’t going to find it in this guide. Amber O’Neal is a Charlotte Mason-inspired homeschooler and her guides are written in that way of homeschooling. These guides are literature-based and meant to allow you and your student to explore and go down rabbit holes.
Out of respect for her and all her hard work you won’t see pictures of pictures of her hard work in this review. You can literally go on her social media and you will feel the admiration so many people have for these creative works. Each guide of the Heritage Mom packs are filled with so much potential you can stretch these materials for years to come.
This year I was confident in my choices for grammar and writing until mid-August when I started to notice my son was less than enthused about his lessons. Observing his lack of enthusiasm I started to think we may need a change. We have used the same curriculum for the last 2 years and he has a pretty solid foundation in grammar, but writing is still a work in progress. I was thrilled when the opportunity to review Brave Writer ArrowAmari and the Night Brothers was made available to our family. So here we are taking the leap and using Brave Writer Arrow and we are loving it.
About Brave Writer
Brave Writer uses a Charlotte Mason-inspired approach to teach grammar and writing. The goal is to continue to strengthen the parent and child bond by creating a safe environment to learn and work at their own pace. Brave Writer programs are designed to be the complete opposite of the traditional learning style of grammar and writing. Brave Writer supports the whole child and lets them be in control of the process with the parent gently leading them. Brave Writer program believes students go through different stages of writing and each stage deserves respect and students should only progress when they are ready for the next stage. The growth stage of writers are :
The growth stages start at ages 5-18 years old and students will work on mechanics and literature through online classes or using one of the product packets such as Arrow.
Arrow is a digital year-long writing and grammar program for students ages 11-12. Families can purchase the entire year’s bundle and each month you will receive the Literature Arrow guide or you can purchase individually. With your purchase, you will receive the Arrow guidelines and the literature guide. The Arrow guideline teaches you how to present the literature guide. Arrow literature guides cover spelling, literary elements, writing activity, punctuation, and grammar, each monthly lesson is paired with a novel. Each week the lesson directly correlates with the novel. The monthly lessons are divided into 4 weeks, which include vocabulary, dictation, and grammar. The guides also come with discussion questions, a planner, a skills tracker, and book party ideas. There are 10 Arrow guides for a complete school year older guides are available to purchase, but new books are added every year.
We teach both parents and kids how to build a partnership in writing that leads to both creative expression and academic success, all while preserving the parent-child bond.
Brave Writer
Our Review
Amari and the Night Brothers have been on our list to read since it was released so I was super excited to have a literature, grammar, and writing guide to pair with it. At first look, I knew I had to sit down and prepare for working with a non-traditional way of teaching grammar and writing. The biggest issue had was letting go of my thinking of how grammar and writing are taught. Once I was able to release this way of thinking it made the transition easier. My son and I decided we would both read and listen to the book. I really enjoyed the cultural context section it gives background information on the novel, this little information was really nice and helped us better connect to the book because we are actually living 20 mins away from the Atlanta area.
Arrow is really the complete opposite of a traditional grammar and wiring curriculum, I was expecting to see some worksheet practice sheets and a huge writing assignment for this novel. I was blown away because what expected was not what I received. The Arrow guide gives you a quick start that instructs you to read the Arrow Guidelines. The Arrow Guidelines are key to understanding how to implement the Arrow program, not reading these will confuse you about the literature Guide. The guide also gives you sample routines and it is where you will find the Arrow Skills Trackers and Our Week With Arrow.
The Spin and Spiral told me exactly what we were going to be covering in this month’s literature guide. I pulled a couple of extra supplements, just in case. I was blown away by how Brave Writer uses a novel to teach grammar, in a million years I would have never thought to pull passages out of a book and examine the grammar components. My son was introduced to writing and literary elements such as how to indent, first-person narratives, and dialogue, and much more over the 4 weeks. The grammar areas are highlighted in what Brave Writer calls Spotlights, we found the grammar sections a welcomed review of concepts he has covered previously. What I did appreciate is that I was able to identify some areas of his grammar that he needed more practice on.
Students will tackle:
Proper Nouns
Commas
Conjunctions
Idioms
Pronouns
Parallel Structure and much more
What I like about Brave Writer is that my son and I were having meaningful conversations about the book and we talked about grammar in a new way that he was really thriving and loving. He asked several times mom can we do Brave Writer over his current language arts curricula. I begin to see both of our frustration and stress levels come all the way down while using Arrow. We went from fighting over getting his lesson done to letting us just talk, drink tea, and enjoy each as we learn.
Dication for us is something new we haven’t done much of this type of writing before so we took things very slow and I assured him that we weren’t in a rush and we are both learning how to do things. I did the first dication for him just to show him how. We did 1-2 sentences at a time so he didn’t feel overwhelmed moving forward. We did modify a few things to make it work for us, we used highlighters to highlight the grammar and literary elements in the literature guide. My son didn’t want to mark up his book and I was okay with this. I also printed my son his own the literature guide, I used mine on my tablet but I did have the Arrow guidelines printed out for myself.
Parent Involvement
By now you may realize that parent involvement is a necessity for the Brave Writer Arrow curriculum. The program does require the parent to be their child’s partner in this process. That brings me to the Brave Writer Partnerships in Writing growing writers stage one of the most overlooked stages according to the Brave Writer website. “Your child shows growing proficiency in handwriting, reading, and spelling, but still finds the hard work of transcription tiring if asked to write for more than a few minutes.” We didn’t receive this to review, but after using the Amari and the Night Brothers Arrow, I feel that this is something we will need in order for us to continue forward with the Arrow curriculum.
We really like Brave Writer ArrowAmari and the Night Brothers, my son has requested to do this over his current language arts curricula. We have put what we were using on the shelf and have moved on to the November 2021 Brave Writer Arrow Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids. I will be looking into Partnerships in Writing for us as well. It has been so nice to have a great month of learning and enjoying our time together making memories. At the time of this review for the full program is $129 or $14.95 per literature guide (includes Arrow guidelines). To learn more about Brave Writer programs please click the banner below to read more of the Melanated Gold Review Squad reviews.
History is one of our favorite areas to study. In our home, we have an enormous collection of gentle true literature. I am very meticulous about selecting history curricula that are reflective of truth and give an inclusive view of history. We were sent the new Early American Intermediate Pack from Beautiful Feet Books to look over as a possible history resource.
Early American Intermediate Pack Grades 4-6th
About Beautiful Feet Books
Beautiful Feet’s Books uses a Charlotte Mason approach to history through literature-based learning that inspires the child to naturally create a healthy environment for wonder and exploring.
We are no strangers to Beautiful Feet Books we spent some time when my son was in 1st grade using their Around the World with Picture Books Part 1. My son still has fond memories of learning about the terra cotta soldiers from that unit. We also enjoyed the book Ruby’s Wish and a few other books. With this being said we are familiar with how Beautiful Feet curriculums work.
TheCurriculum
Early American Intermediate Pack takes students on the journey of the nation’s founding. The lessons begin with the Indigenous people and travel through history to the civil war. There are 129 lessons, with the suggested timeline of 3-4 lessons a week for a year’s worth of history. Areas of study are the following:
Indigenous Culture
The Vikings
The Age of Discovery
Colonial Settlements
Revolution
Slavery & Emancipation
Civil War
In the pack, you will receive 23 books, a teacher guide, a notebook, and a timeline. You will also need to download the New Early American History for Intermediate Picture Packet from the free downloads on the company’s website. The curriculum gives parents and their students an abundance of resources. Students will have the opportunity to try recipes, crafts, and character-building (Biblical) activities. The rabbit trails section in the lesson planner books offers nice ideas and books. Overall you will receive an adequate curriculum for teaching early American history.
Our Review
At first, glance looking over the 23 books received I separated the books into 3 different piles approve, maybe, and questionable. Books that I approve went right on our shelf, maybe books went into a bin and questionable went straight to my desk for further research. History is a lot to unpack and getting it just right for what will work in our home takes some planning and research.
Some of the books I did take issue with I wasn’t fond of some of the images of Indigenous people, one book showed them being unclothed, overweight, and unkempt. The books that were sent were decent choices I would have liked to have seen 2 of the books that were in the rabbit trails included in the pack (Before Columbus and Turtle Island). I felt these two books would have given a better insight into the Indigenous culture. I was a little deterred from the curriculum starting with 3 lessons on the Indigenous people and then the next 10 lessons were dedicated to the Vikings with a sprinkle of the Indigenous people being within those lessons. There was no mention of the Moors or Africans already being in what is now America.
The books that were included in the rabbit trails resources were books that reflected a more truthful look at time periods covered in the Early American Intermediate Pack. The landing of the pilgrim story tells the same story as the Pilgrim’s landing on American soil to escape religious freedom from Europe. This story is misinformation when in reality the Pilgrims did not come from Europe they actually came from Holland where they were free to live and practice their religion as they pleased and the only reason why they left is that they didn’t like that the Holland culture was influencing their children. There were other issues I found with these lessons.
While the Early American Intermediate Pack does include some culturally diverse books to lend to the lessons, the book suggestions inside of the teacher guides would have given the curriculum pack a better view of history. The core book A Child’s First Book of American History offers some gentle truths but I would not let this book be the be-all for teaching American History it would be a starting point to research the time periods discussed. I still feel like this curriculum is told from a European viewpoint of history with some dabbles of diversity. A few of the books are meant to be comical such as the Jean Fritz books Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution and Where Do You Think You’re Going, Christopher Columbus? . The Viking book my sons and I found it hard to get through and we had to look for another resource.
Overall the curriculum will give you a guideline to start with American history but you will need to do some research to make sure it is accurate. The rabbit trail resources inside the teacher’s guide I would use more so than the ones that were sent in the pack. At the time of this review, the Early American Intermediate Pack is $245.95 plus taxes and shipping.
We received the October box from Owl Crate Jr if you aren’t familiar with the Owl Crate Jr is a monthly box subscription for middle-grade readers ages 8-12 years. Each box is carefully crafted with a customized book cover sleeve just for Owl Crate Jr subscribers.
Owl Crate Jr October 2021
October’s Owl Crate Jr box theme is the Science is Magic. The book of the month is a signed copy of Amira & Hamza The War to Save the Worlds by Samira Ahmed. Inside this wonderful magical box includes hands-on activities for your reader related to the monthly theme.
On the day of a rare super blue blood moon eclipse, twelve-year-old Amira and her little brother, Hamza, can’t stop their bickering while attending a special exhibit on medieval Islamic astronomy. While stargazer Amira is wowed by the amazing gadgets, a bored Hamza wanders off, stumbling across the mesmerizing and forbidden Box of the Moon. Amira can only watch in horror as Hamza grabs the defunct box and it springs to life, setting off a series of events that could shatter their world—literally.
“The Wild Robot” inspired book accessory designed by @shaferbrown
His Dark Materials Compass Enamel Pin
The Magic School Bus lanyard
Science is Magic Monthly Magazine (inlcudes a science exiperiment)
Science is Magic monthly collectible sticker
Bookplate with letter from the author to your Owl Crate Jr Reader
Wrinkle in Time Umbrella
The monthly magazine includes an October box photo challenge, Owl Crate Jr readers can perform 6 challenges in chances they can win 1 of 6 free boxes. They can upload the pictures to their parent’s Instagram accounts and tag @owlcratejr.
Overall Thoughts
We were sent two Owl Crate Jr boxes. The company sent us the January 2021 box that theme was Inner Magic and the book of the month was Amari and the Night Brothers, which we happen to be in the midst of finishing up. The January box encourages healthy self-image-building activities.
Owl Crate Jr box subscriptions are a good way to make reading magical. The themes we received were beautifully crafted with lots of learning opportunities. I also looked over the previous month’s books and discovered they have a diverse collection of book titles each month which is gladly appreciated. However, their social media pages don’t reflect that same diversity of children and families. Owl Crate Jr’s website is inviting and has a community blog for Owl Crate Jr and Owlcrate 14+. You can compare boxes on their website to see which box best works for your reader. I did poke around on the Owl Crate Jr shop I love all the extra book goodies they have. I am going to purchase a few of their teas for our monthly tea and chat times.
One of the things I find unique about Owl Crate Jr is its attention to detail. The Owl Crate Jr boxes make reading an adventure and not just words on pages. If you have a reluctant reader aged 8-12 Owl Crate Jr box is perfect for them. You use the monthly books as read-aloud or an independent read, we happened to be reading the Amari and the Night Brothers book already when the October Owl Crate Jr and my son are completely engulfed in this book and we will be moving on to the Amira & Hamza The War to Save the Worlds book soon. My son saw the “Dragons” in next month’s Owl Crate Jr box he is begging me to get him the November box also! Of course, I said yes because I am thrilled he wants to keep reading more novels.
Owl Crate Jr boxes are $29.99 a month, the company offers several different subscriptions option. The Owl Crate Jr box is for middle-grade readers ages 8-12 years. The boxes ship between the 15th and 20th of the month. You can purchase past Owl Crate Jr boxes in the shop. I have signed me little up for a subscription after receiving these 2 boxes complimentary so be on the lookout for updates on our instagram.
Little Learner and Mom 