As I have mentioned before, we love the study of history in this house. My husband especially, has a love for early American History. We also enjoy reading. TruthQuest History is a curriculum that strives to mesh together reading and history.

I was given American History for Young Students I (Exploration-1800) to review. While I believe the approach used may be too broad for many homeschooling parents, this history is perfect for parents who use the Charlotte Mason method. The book is set up with pages upon pages of living book recommendations that help with the study of various time periods and important events in American History. Also included are a few tips and ideas on how to help conversation flow while you are reading these books with your children.

There are no question and answer sections, no tests, and no real study guide. Instead, the intent is to leave it open as much as possible to allow each individual family to learn the way they learn best. You can take as long or as little as you would like to learn each history period. You, as the teacher and guide, can read with your children which books that you prefer, have on hand, or can easily find at the library. And that is the beauty of TruthQuest History. You are not bound to what many curricula require: purchasing extra books that are required in order to be able to correctly use the curriculum. I was able to find many of the suggested books through my local library or through Inter-Library Loan.

I do personally desire a bit more structure. In order to have that, I had to sit down and spend a few hours to plan out how I would use TruthQuest History. This can be a major negative for those who want something “ready” to use. Also, as with any living book-driven curricula, you will have to spend extra time getting the books from your library if you choose not to purchase some.

Overall, I like this History and I plan on keeping it on our home education shelves. Priced at $24.95, I feel this is a valid option for many homeschools. Visit TruthQuest for more information!

There were no happier children than the ones in the Wisdom Begun household when we received the box from Schleich. Schleich is a company that makes animal toys and action figures. They even make Smurf action figures, if you remember that sort of thing.

We received not one or two, but six toy animals and my children love them. In no particular order, here is what we were blessed with:

An Okapi (which I had never heard of, by the way)

A Young Lion

A Chimp

A Piglet

A Rabbit

And a Dressage Horse

These toys are well-made and are very affordable. You can choose from farm animals, knights and ladies, wild animals, etc. You can find most of the Schleich products at toy stores or they are available for order online. My middle daughter loves them especially and I know she will be getting more for her birthday.

Because of the quality of the figures, I highly recommend them. I do want to make note that this company sells elf figures as well. I know some of my readers may not appreciate that, so I wanted to give a heads up.

If you are looking for a mathematics program for your three- or four-year-old, The Critical Thinking Co. may have just the thing for you. Designed as a spiral approach towards learning basic math principles, Beginning Mathematical Reasoning is simple and easy to use. The price of $29.99 is also a great deal, considering that the authors have graciously allowed for each home to create as many copies as needed to be used in their homeschool.

Having used the spiral approach for the most part in our home education, it is the the method I am most comfortable with. I found that each concept was presented and then gradually a new one was added, giving my child a firm foundation. The process is not rushed or hurried in this book. This was great as my middle daughter learns in a more gentle, relaxed atmosphere.

This book is filled with bright, colorful illustrations. While I have no problem with pictures, I did find it to be a bit of an overload. We prefer to tone it down visually in our house so that they do not come to rely on pictures to process information. However, that is how we work and since every household is different, Beginning Mathematical Reasoning would be a perfect fit for some.

A big plus for this math book is that it does require the child to use his brain. It is not a “memorize and then spit out” type out of learning, but the child has to use his reasoning skills to figure out the problems. Because of this, it may work very well for those who use the Classical Education approach in their home.

I do want to add, in closing, that while the book is geared towards the ages of three and four, I will probably begin using it with my two-year-old. As I said before, the gentle spiral approach does not allow for too much information overload. At the same time, a five year old would find this book useful as well.

The Critical Thinking Co. has many other useful educational products. They do occasionally have sales on their products. Beginning Mathematical Reasoning is currently offered for the sale price of $24.99. Check it out!

I am sure that many of you remember my rather blunt review of One2Believe’s Nativity Set. Thus, I was rather surprised that they chose to send me another toy set to review. In this case, it is their Noah’s Ark set.

I honestly do like this one a teeny bit better than the nativity set. This is quite possible due to the fact that my children loved playing with this and that no pieces broke off. The set comes with an ark (of course!) as well as a figure of Noah and 14 animals, or 7 pairs.

I’ll break down this review for simplicity’s sake.

Likes:

• The boat is big enough to house all the animals and Noah himself. This keeps play toys off of my floor.
• The toys are the perfect size for little hands.

Dislikes:

• Where in the world is Mrs. Noah? (And does anyone else wonder why toys companies continuously leave out Noah’s sons and his sons’ wives?)
• Noah looks like a cartoon character. All of the animals look like cartoon characters.
• The price. At $29.99, I feel this set is way overpriced. Especially considering you can find some characters at some dollar stores.

All in all, I would not recommend this. While I am sure One2Believe is sincerely trying to give Christian kids better alternatives in the toy area, I feel this is a poor substitute. My kiddos did like to play with this, and my daughter insists on carrying around the goofy looking camels. However, they have another Noah’s Ark set that I feel is far superior.