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The Girl Explorers

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (The Girl Explorers) through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so.  🙂

Imagine being a woman, and wanting to get out and explore, but no one will let you!  You are too weak, too distracting, too pone to problems, not smart enough, not….. and so on and forth.  Imagine if you will women who were detemined not to let their gender stop them!  The women discussed in The Girl Explorers formed the Society of Women Geographers and set off to explore the world. 

The Girl Explorers

What I am Reviewing

Raincoast sent me The Girl Explorers for the courtesy of my review. I received an advanced readers copy.  Through over 400 pages filled with footnotes, photos, quotes and real-life glimpses you will be introduced to the women of old.  Women determined to find their own place in history exploring this blue globe we live on. 

Written by Jayne Zanglein and published by sourcebooks.  This is a non-fiction read for middle school and up.  The focus is on women explorers. 

You’ll find women exploring inhospitable lands, bargaining with natives, climbing mountains, forging oceans, and handing weather of all extremes.  And through their explorations, you will learn about the Society of Women Geographers.  Suffragists, politics and friendship fill the pages.  Come along for the ride won’t you?

The Girl Explorers starts with the list of illustrations (there are lots), a cast of characters (so you know who all plays a role), a note from the author and the prologue.  Six parts splitting the story, along with an epilogue. 

  1. Mere Women (5 sections)
  2. Early Advocates for Human Rights (three sections)
  3. The “Girls” of the Tropical Research Stations (two parts)
  4. Advocating the Black people, gay men, and French Prisoners (four parts)
  5. Networking Women (three parts)
  6. Paving the way for women today

The Girl Explorers, more details

This non-fiction read tells The Untold Story of the Globetrotting Women Who Trekked, Flew, and Fought Their Way Around the World.  50 women who explored various areas of the world, with their own areas of expertise are discussed throughout.  Sometimes the stories intermingled.  

Learning about women who explored China, Egypt, the Artic, Cambodia, Latin America, Africa and more.  Women with varying occupations such as big game hunters, novelists, artists, biologists, ichthyologists, poets, nurses, and geographers just to name a few. 

Quotes applicable to each chapter open them.  Finding quotes within the chapters happening naturally.  People talk with and about each other and often we are given actual words said. Don’t you find the good quotes spurs on your interest to learn more? 

As with most books I’ve read about historcial figures, some characterization occurs, but mostly we are walked through the history of these women and the paths they blazed.  I expected to find individual stories about many of these women.  Instead learning about what they had to fight against, and how their determination to push through won the day.  These women sticking together to change the world. 

Copious resources were used and are cited at the close of the book.  Within the pages though, you will often find footnotes providing more history.  Don’t you just love well done footnotes!  🙂 Adding bits of knowledge is an excellent thing indeed. 

Should The Girl Explorers join your shelves?

As a homeschooling parent I can easily see the use of The Girl Explorers within a curriculum.  Middle through high school students won’t want to miss history that might not be explained in other history books.   Seeing the world through the eyes of women will add a depth to history not to be lost! 

As a bit of a history buff, I found it fascinating seeing history through the eyes of women, and sometimes the men that accompanied them. The experiences of these women were so varied I didn’t find myself bored at all as I made my way through the pages.  If you are learning about how French prisoners were treated, or climb a mountain in Peru, or discover deep sea fish… check it out, you’ll be surprised at what you’ll learn!  And scattered throughout is the fight for equality, not just for women, but the various peoples they find along the way. 

Apologetics for HighSchool

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I don’t know if you remember, but a couple weeks ago I told you about some creation based apologetics courses I had been looking at and later decided against.  I thought today I would talk about some apologetics courses for middle through high school that I have discovered. Why study apologetics in middle through high school?   It’s a prime time for our teens to be asking questions about faith. So we should provide them with answers to questions they might not even have considered yet.   Ergo, here go my apologetics for highschool ideas!   I’ll link up with affiliate links through Amazon for your ease.  

Apologetics for HighSchool

Why a genetic apologetics course?

I seriously had thought about doing a creation or science based apologetics course.  I ended up rejecting the idea because once you are right with God, the rest is going to eventually get sorted out by God.  There are lots of fervent believers in the Lord who are all over the map when it comes to evolution/creationist belief.  I understand the struggle that people have as I’ve been there done that, and I still have questions about some things.  🙂  It’s a complicated topic don’t you think? 

BECAUSE it is so complicated, and because I know that God can work in hearts and minds in ways that don’t even understand…. it’s more important to consider matters of faith.  Ergo, I moved to looking for materials that would help him ask and answer questions concerning God. 

It’s good for our students to get answers to hard questions.  Even better to give them ways to defend their faith.  It’s excellent to create opportunities to ask questions, and to get devoted time for considering their faith (or lack their of) that often gets lost in the busyness of life.   Let’s give our students, our teens, that devoted time. 

It’s worth it don’t you think? 

Resources Found

One of the things I love about the online homeschool community is the ability to connect with other homeschoolers across the spectrum.  There is a HUGE knowledge base out there if only people would take the time to access it.  🙂   Mind, you need to take the good with the bad and learn how to scroll on past, or ignore the senseless comments. Generally I find there is a lot more good than there is bad. But moving on… gah.. sometimes I get sidetracked. 

THIS HELPFUL community pointed me toward a few books. 

  • Starting Points through Cornerstone Curriculum.  This is marketed as a middle school curriculum, but I was talking with a lady whose husband uses it with his 9/10 highschool class and she said it was excellent. NOTE: they DO NOT ship to Canada so you’ll have to turn to Christian book distributors to find it.  This apologetics course will also give you credit for history, language arts and bible. 
  • I’m trying to remember who recommended The Problem with Jesus. But it intrigued me enough to want to take a closer look at it.  It’s intriguing.  Looking at the historical Jesus, within context, and how it matters to the church and what we can do with that.  It’s not going to be the first book I start with, with my lad, but it’s one I want to look through myself. 
  • The one that popped up time and again was “I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist”.   When I asked hubsters about it he says he’s heard tons of good things about it and then “Use it hun”.  So we’ll be starting with this book.   I got a physical copy of text and workbook for the lad, and then the ebook version for myself. 

Other options for Apologetics for HighSchool

  • Summit Ministries has middle and high school curriculum to help young people understand their faith better and to be able to defend it as well. 
  • Apologia has some worldview materials suitable for highschool. 
  • You might like accessible apologetics.  Making apologetics accessible to everyone. 
  • True U, developed by Focus on the family, has a number of smaller courses. 
  • The Defense Never Rests was developed for 10-16 year olds has about 10 lessons. 
  • Seeking to cover the six big questions that teens often struggle with the Big question has six lessons. 
  • A catholic based apologetics course Why Believe. 
woman in white and pink floral tank top holding green book
Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Other Books you might find helpful

So what say you?   Have you done an apologetics course with your teens?   What did you use?   Have I missed anything you think I should have added?  Apologetics for HighSchool is such a pivotal part of raising faith believing adults don’t you think? 

The Divine Adventure

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (The Divine Adventure) through Nuts About Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so.  🙂

Once in a while you meet a book of faith, a book that helps you grow in your journey with God that one just really likes.  So far in my reading of The Divine Adventure, I am feeling challenged and inspired in my relationship with God.  With relavent stories, timely truths, and an engaging writing style I am enouraged to not be a lazy Christian.  🙂  Come along with me as I unpack this lovely tome. 

The Divine Adventure

Unpacking The Divine Adventure

Rebecca Friedlander has written 10 books and been in ministry for several years.  She is an ordained minister with The Missions Church International.  Her ministry focus around the creative arts and music. The Divine Adventure: Spiritual Practices for the Modern-Day Disciple is her newest book. 

12 chapters encompassed in 224 pages, and published by Baker Book House.  I am reviewing on behalf of Nuts About Books.  I have discovered there are videos to go along with this spiritual disciplines encouragement book.   Do you need the videos?  Nope.  This is a standalone tome.  

Beyond the introduction and the acknowlegements you will find 12 chapters

  1. Say yes: embracing God’s Grace
  2. The Quiet Place: Making Space for Prayer
  3. Search the Scriptures: Unpacking God’s Love Letter
  4. Community: A Place of Belonging
  5. Forgiveness: Demonstrating Grace to Others
  6. Pilgrimmage: The Lost art of Adventuring with God
  7. Obedience: The Key to partnering with God
  8. Meekneess: Forging hidden Strength
  9. Sacred Rest: An invitation to intimacy
  10. Giving: Make Ready the Harvest
  11. Fasting: Fix your Attention on Christ
  12. Worship: Connect with the Master

Set up for The Divine Adventure

Each chapter starts with some type of personal story that helps us to connect with the overall idea. This might be a story about a pilgrimage taken, a favourite book, or about where someone’s focus is. It all helps to bring our attention to another aspect of building our relationship with God.

You’ll find The Divine Adventure to be a good weight in your hands, easy to hold, and easy to read.  The formatting with bold headings, good use of white space, and changes in font works well. 

I loved that I didn’t feel compelled to read each chapter through, but with the bold headlines it was easy to find a stopping place. 

Each chapter closes with two sections, the first entitled Your Turn asks a series of questions.  These questions are designed to help you think through what you learned in each chapter. 

The closing section is called Spiritual Practice, a call to action and change.   Reminding us of key steps in this new spiritual practice helping us to pull it into action. 

Should you Add it to your shelves?

I have not made it all the way through The Divine Adventure but so far… YES.   Add it to your shelves.  Let your thoughts be shaken up a bit. I hadn’t before considered the necessity of a pilgrimmage, and I’m still not firmly convinced upon it’s necessity, but I can see it’s usefulness.   It’s like when I NEED to get out for a walk, to gather in the quietness of the world around me and let God quietly speak to my heart.   Sometimes a longer time of doing so is exactly what a body needs to rekindle a relationship. 

And what relationship is better than the one we have with God?   Any book that seeks to help a soul do that is worth taking in don’t you think? 

Since I haven’t read the entire book I can’t say that there is nothing within the pages that won’t raise the alarm bells, but I haven’t run into anything that makes me think ICK, don’t touch this.  🙂 Instead I felt inspired to consider anew my love of God and how I can foster a deeper relationship with him.  This relationship… it’s an adventure all it’s own. 

 

Choose to Care

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Miss kate has posted the Five Minute Friday word.  And I have to admit, that my bed is calling for me hard, jelly beans are NOT keeping me awake.   There are so many things in the world that we can care about, what follows is some of my ponderings. 

Choose to Care

Choose to Care

It’s funny isn’t it?
The things we choose
to Care about?

I care about literacy,
Reading, and as I mature
Those that don’t have enough.

The lad and I chat
Why the freezers we have?
I know a family bigger
Yet they have less
Then we do!
Why is that Mom?

It’s hard to answer
Why the need
To make sure so supplied.

But this I care about
I never again
Want to be short on food.

I guess there’s my
Answer eh?
Been there, done that!

Sometimes, the things
we care about are
driven by family.

Othertimes, it seems
that the world steps in and
says CARE ABOUT THIS.

Shouts, anger
Disapproval all push
and shove, demanding.

I listen to preachers
on Proverbs they speak
About wisdom.
Gaining it
Important is.

And I ponder
Does the world care?
Seeking after wisdom?

Or does it merely
pursue the easy
and/or the offense ridden?

So I as Ready myself
For bed, I have to ask!
What do I choose to care about?

Choose to Care

What Does God have to say?

God tells us not to fret about our clothing as he cares for both the birds of the sky and the plants of the field and they are ever so beautifully adorned.   So that shouldn’t be a worry. 

God tells us that he holds us in the palm of his hand so we don’t have to fret about shelter or security, it’s not like he’s going to drop us or expose us harshly to the elements. 

He tells us that our chief end is to glorify him and enjoy him forever.  Takes a load off about what my ultimate purpose in life is to be.  I should focus on how can I show God’s glory to those around me, and as I do so, enjoy the God that I serve willingly. 

Anyways, I could go searching up scriptures, but my bed is calling me hard.  So night all!  

Roar Like a Lion

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Many thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing this product/product information (Roar Like a Lion) for review.  Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive the product in exchange for this review and post.  Affliate links will be used in this review, no cost to you but it encourages me in my blogging.  🙂 

Are you looking for a way to teach the stories of the bible to your children?  Tommy Nelson has provided 90 devotions within the cover of Roar Like a Lion to help us develop a courageous faith in our children. Now who wouldn’t want that?  Written in a conversational tone to engage his readers, Levi Lusko has a heart to develop faith in children. 

roar like a lion

The Basic Details of Roar Like a Lion

Roar Like a Lion holds to 192 pages which contain 90 devotions, information about the author and illustrator, along with a challenge to find anchors.  If you can’t find them all… he gives the answer to that challenge as well.   Published by Tommy Nelson, I was contacted by Momentum Influencers for the purposes of this review.

The devotions cover such topics as 

  • peer pressure
  • working hard at what you do
  • bullying
  • handling difficult emotions
  • depending on God
  • and understanding how we fit into God’s great story. 

Written by Levi Lusko and Tama Fortner.  Mr. Lusko is a pastor of a church in Wyoming where he lives with his family.   Ms. Fortner is an author and ghost writer, she lives with her family in Tennessee. 

Catherine Pearson is a Swiss illustrator who likes to create playful illustrations. 

Talking about the Basic Set up

Within the pages of Roar Like a lion you will find these cute illustrations gracing every devotion.  Each illustration spoke to the devotional it was representing.   Isn’t this sloth adorable?

Each illustration is followed by a bible verse taken from the ICB, NCV or NIV bible versions. 

Then you come to the main devotional.  Written over a two page spread, containing a prayer and either a Get Read to Roar sidebar or a Did you know sidebar (more on those later).   The devotional itself contains fascinating stories and is written in a conversational style.  Imagine you were listening to a children’s story at your local church, that is what these devotionals read like. 

Roar like a lion

Every other page you’ll find one of these two sidebars. 

You’ll either learn, in the did you know sidebar,  some interesting fact about the moon, or some animal, history, nature, people or whatever.  Some fact that is like HUH, I never knew that.  Cool connection.   

Get ready to roar gives a variety of calls to action, like prayer asking God to help you cope with loss, or making cards sharing the good news of God, talking with your parents, or even a place to call your own to journal.  Steps of action that children of all ages can do mostly without help.  

Closing with Prayer

As most devotionals do, Roar Like a Lion is no different, it closes with prayer.  Simple prayers that speak to the heart of a child reaching out to God.  Do children need simple prayers?  No.  They can and do listen to long prayers.  But you know what?  Most adult devotionals that I read have super short simple prayers closing out a day’s reading as well!   I found that, even though I did not read every page, those that I did, the prayers were on target with the day’s lesson. 

No devotional does everything perfectly.  What I like with this particular devotional is that the art draws you in, interesting facts show a broader picture, and the action steps.  Get children out busy for the Lord… it’s a great thing to do. 
 
Now… Roar like a lion is doing a giveaway.   It is ONLY open to USA folks (sorry my fellow Canadians but my guess they don’t want to ship here!).   You have to comment ON THIS REVIEW POST by Sept 25th or you won’t be in. I know, short turn around but I got to work with what I’ve been given!  What would win?  A physical copy of Roar Like a Lion.   Make sure I have your email so I can holler at you if my son draws your name out of a hat. 
 
Hashtags: #RoarLikeALionMIN #roarlikealion #tommynelsonbooks

Should you get it?

Well, like with all devotionals you have to approach them from the vantage point that people are trying to help children understand the bible more.  Devotionals are often a mixed bag.  Some devotions will be spot on, others will take scripture out of context, and yet others will oversimplify concepts, and some will mix it all up within the same reading!  It’s hard to please everyone when it comes to devotionals. 

Roar like a Lion is no different.  Some of the readings are excellent, others I kinda wondered where he was going, and others were a mixed bag.  That’s why parents read them with their children.  Then you can take the time to correct what needs correcting and even from a young age start teaching our children discernment. 

You can purchase it here. The bright colourful images, the calling of children to prayer, and the desire to help children become more like God… it’s good that! 

The Electoral Process In Canada

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Today is an election day in Canada.   Two years ago the Liberal government won a minority government.  This means to pass any laws they need to find a way to get along with other parties.  It’s makes for a more difficult governing process but tends to represent the goals of Canadians a bit better.  When parties are forced to concede to each other, one would think that representation would be clearer.   Since I am working the election this year I thought it would be good to talk about The electoral process in Canada a bit. 

Canadians are NOT happy with this election.  It seems a bit pointless and then happening during a pandemic seems rather thoughtless.  It will be interesting to see the turnout. 

The Electoral Process in Canada

Who Can Vote in Canada?

If you are over the age of 18 you can vote!   Doesn’t matter if you are a prisoner or not.  Doesn’t matter your ethnicity, place of origin, or colour.  If you are a Canadian Citizen and 18 years old or older… you can vote!   

All you need to do is utitilize one of these four options:

1. Go to election headquarters for each electorial distriction and vote in the pre-advance election.

2. Vote at the advanced polls.  

3. On Election day attend the polls between 930 a.m. and 930 p.m (or 7-7 in BC). 

4. Use the mail-in vote option! 

We give all kinds of options so that if a person really wants to vote, they can do so. 

On Election day itself we render whatever aid is needed.  From having options in braille, large print, assistants, wheelchairs, and more.  The goal is to help Canadians participate in the vote. 

Electoral Districts

Canada is divided up into sections that are roughly the same size within a province.   The current electoral districts can be found at Elections Canada.  Within an electoral district there are a number of smaller polling districts.  This year I will be serving as an information officer in the ordinary election poll. 

Each poll has a number of people helping it run smoothly. 

  • Deputy returning officer 
  • Information officer 
  • Registration officer 
  • Central poll supervisor 
  • Returning officer.

Information officiers: Greet people, make sure they get the help they need to vote – so if they have their voter card and valid ID we send them off to the poll, if something is wrong when send them over to the Registration Officer, who will then help them and send them off to the right poll.  

Deputy returning officer is the person who actually helps you vote.  This person gives you your ballot and guides you to a secure, private area to vote. After you have voted they assist you in putting your ballot in the ballot box (if required). They have ALOT of paperwork to do!  🙂 

The Central Poll Supervisor also has tons of paperwork to do, she also manages staff breaks, handles anything that the IO’s can’t do, and basically helps the returning officer. 

The retuning officer is in charge of the whole shebang basically.  He keeps everything running smoothly, handles candidates, starts and ends the poll, communicates with head office and such like.  You can learn more about these positions at Elections Canada.

This at least is the process for the federal election, I know that provincial elections are mostly the same. 

The electoral Process in Canada

Want to Learn More?

It’s good to learn more about our civic responsibilities with elections and voting. 

You can find some online resources at Elections and Democracy. as well as at the Alberta Teacher’s Association.  British Columbia does something similar. 

Of course you can always participate in the election by being part of a Student Vote. Learn about the government and the electoral process.  Get out and research the candidates and learn what the issues of the day are.  Develop your debating skills as you have your own electoral debates. Help your students understand the electoral process in Canada!

Civix has resources for highschool students. This site provides a variety of activities on various civic areas. 

Highschool students can discuss government systems around the world and compare them to Canada’s system. 

Your Time is Now

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Your Time is Now) through Ascot Media.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so.  🙂

Jonathan Evans, chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys writes a book encouraging us to get ourselves right with God and to get out and do what we need to do.    Your Time is Now 

Your time is now

About Your Time is Now

Jonathan Evans, you can learn more about him on Outreach, has provided us with a 176 page book entitled Your Time is Now: Get What God has Given You.   This came to me as a black hardcover book from Ascot Media Group for my review.  Nine chapters, complete with QR codes for additional information.  This is a book to help Christians with their personal or spiritual growth. 

What does it look like?

I received a black, approximately 8 x 4 inch hardcover tome that feels lovely in the hand and was super easy to tuck into my purse for my car service recently.  An easy read I got about half way through during a 30 minute service.  Having the hardcover meant I didn’t have to worry about damage while in transition. 

Within it’s 176 pages you’ll find nine chapters. 

Some of those chapters come with a QR code if you want to hear more about what he has to say.  These of course only work if you have the tech that allows for it!  🙂 Needless to say, I didn’t watch any of them. 

The chapters are little adorned, with a simple one word title. Most pages are written in this smaller font. Easy to read though if I had poorer eyes I’d probably want a page magnifier.  🙂 

Occasionally you will find these large font pages with points that Mr. Evans wants to emphasize.  I particularly liked this page. I thought it was spot on.

If you are a seasoned believer who knows scripture well you will struggle with some scripture taken out of context as well as some poorly researched points.   Some of these was things about how God looked at Adam and Eve in their plant-made clothes and said “let me make you something better” as if it were all about the clothes, and others from reading into scripture and taking passages out of context like the one below. 

Overall though his message is simple… see what God has given you.  Now… get off your duff, align yourself with God’s plan for your life, and get a move on.   (or words to that effect).  🙂   

Should You Get it?

So, there is much good.  BUT I want to offer some cautions as well for Your Time is Now: Get what God has given you.

He says some things that aren’t quite biblically accurate and takes some scripture out of context.  Now, that’s not always a bad thing as it provoked some discussion within our household.  But for people who don’t know to be careful, not such a good read. I would not offer this to someone who was not firm in their biblical knowledge. 

I did appreciate his call to action.  His get up, and get going call.  Too often we sit around too much waiting for everyting to be just right, or pinning our hopes/action on what we think is best.  But perhaps God has something else in store for us and we should just get on with doing it!  Perhaps we need to change our focus or mindset and get ourselves realigned with God and his purposes.