A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Homeschooling

Sticker Mosaics: Exotic Animals

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You know those adult colouring books you can get?  How relaxing it is to just sit and colour?  It’s a fun way to keep your hands busy as your mind wanders.  At least I find it so. 🙂  Sometimes it a great way to just be “busy” when you need to stop and think for a while on something.   As much as I enjoy my colouring books, I’ve also discovered the joy of sticker books.  Not the kid kind … but ones where I can recreate a work of art, or buildings, or in the case of today’s review: Sticker Mosaics Exotic Animals.  

Being able to keep my hands busy without having to juggle pencil crayons or markers… HUGE!   Why huge?  Well, imagine you are killing time at a doctor’s office, sitting in a car or on public transit, attending a lecture that busy hands helps you focus on better, or whatever.  Not having to mess around with paper and colouring instruments is important. 

Sticker Mosaics Exotic Animals

What I am Reviewing

Sticker Mosaics: Exotic Animals.
Silvio Rebelo.
Castle Point Books/St. Martin’s Press.
80 pages, Stiff paperback with flaps, Notebook size
8+ years
1252 stickers in total.

Meditation, relaxation, sticker books, exotic animals, 

Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Unbelievable animals come to life with easy sticker masterpieces.
Take your coloring to the next level by doing it with stickers instead of pencils! Each one of the 12 designs in this book has spaces for mosaic shapes that you fill in using the pages of different colored stickers in the back, allowing you to create one-of-a-kind mosaic designs. Color-by-sticker is a fun new way to express creativity and explore color, and this series gives readers the freedom to create their own unique designs, no artistic ability required.

Sticker Mosaics Exotic Animals

Details of Sticker Mosaics

Silvio Rebelo has created a wonderful book!  It’s notebook size makes it easy to transport anywhere.  Sticker Mosaics: Exotic Animals offers 12 different animals to color by sticker. Choose from bobact, butterfly, chameleon, leopard, macaw, monkey, penguin, scorpion, toucan, elephant, flamingo or a frog.  Each a bright colourful animal for you to enjoy creating.  

Sticker Mosaics Exotic Animals

It’s easy to find the stickers that you need, each two page sticker spread has a small image of page you are working on in the top right corner.  The stickers and their colours are unique for each animal.  This allows you to create a truly unique work of art that any animal lover will adore.  All told you’ll find more than 1200 stickers to place.

Sticker Mosaics Exotic Animals

They vary in range of difficulty.  Some would be easily completed by most, others would take a more experienced hand.  I would have loved for the creators to put them in order of difficulty in the book so you could work your way up.  🙂

For the difficult ones I would recommend using a tweezer to accurately place the stickers.  Once placed, they stick. I was browsing the reviews on Amazon and one person said the stickers come off again, they don’t. A tweezer will give you the control and distance you need to place them well. 

Sticker Mosaics Exotic Animals

Do take your time and place them carefully.  Most of mine I did well, but messed up just a bit.   Still looks good from a distance.

The perforated sheets means you can later display them if you would like, or could send along for friends and family to enjoy.  A gift perhaps?

Should you get it?

Of course you should make Sticker Mosaics: Exotic Animals part of your relaxation time.  You’ll like the heavy paper and the vibrant colours of each sticker, and you’ll find that they stick well.  Find the sticker, place the sticker, and ease your mind.  Let your busy hands and quiet thoughts bring some relaxation in your life. 

Good Books to Read

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So I’ve spent the last four days battling a nasty cold.  I spent Friday sleeping.  Saturday reading,  Sunday dozing off and on, reading, and finding an appetite returning, and today I’ve just been VERY grumpy and blowing my nose a lot.  I know WAY too much information eh?

The biggest benefit of being sick is the uninterrupted time to just read.  No feeling guilty, just needed time to heal and read.  It’s good that!

Do I like the headaches and being only to read in small doses?  Not really.  I’d rather just read all day long, but headaches from head colds precluded that.  All that preamble to say I found some good books to read.

We are all Greta

we are all greta

I have a review coming for We are All Greta which is why I read it.  I have to say I read it with a fair bit of skepticism. I still feel a bit skeptical about it all, but she does make a person think a bit about the state of the earth we live on.  This book isn’t written by Greta but is based on her passion for climate change.  The author wants us to think about how we can save the world in a large number of ways.  She is thought-provoking, but not really answer giving.  Stay tuned for the full review. 

Salvation in Death

Salvation in death

I am not actually finished Salvation in Death. I’m currently about 1/2 way through.  I am a fan of J.D. Robb.  Her writing style connects with me.  A touch of romance, with a huge mystery works well for me.  This book has sat on my shelf for the past year begging to be read but I never really had the opportunity.  Our short camping trip earlier this year wasn’t long enough for me to get to it!    Priest gets murdered, and the hunt is on for the killer.   Lieutenant Eve Dallas is a fascinating detective, and her hubby well.. yum!  Not too scary, with not too gruesome of details, just an excellent murder mystery fit for a Sunday afternoon. 

The Revolt

The Revolt

My son was gifted this book by his gramma and read it last year.  When he was finished he said “Mom, you should read this book, it’s interesting.”  Since it was sitting at the top of my “read for fun pile” it was the first I grabbed up.  

I recalled when my lad started The Revolt, he said it was hard to read at first.  Once he got about 1/3 of the way through he started to talk about how he was enjoying it.  I had the same reaction.  Took me a while to get past the authors’ style of writing, he gave it a real Old English feel, I started to enjoy the story.  Learning about John Wycliffe’s early life as a scholar and teacher.  Understanding why the time was right for the Reformation to occur.   Politics, disease and abuse all set the scene.  Recommeded reading for anyone interested in the early years of the Protestant church.

Another Quest for Celeste

Another Quest for Celeste

I admittedly, as does my son, remember with fondness A Nest for Celeste.   We so enjoyed this book, it was so good.  I eagerly awaited readaing Another Quest for Celeste.  It was a good read, it wasn’t as good as the first book.  The involvement of Abe Lincoln didn’t happen until at least half-way through, and honestly could have been the story of any boy back in the day. 

BUT it was the story of Abe Lincoln, having to deal with a difficult father.  Abe Lincoln with a step-mom who pushed him to learn to read and write, who encouraged his academic endeavors.   It was Abe Lincoln, who as a child, walked miles to borrow books from anyone around.   

And through Celeste we see the beauty and danger of river boat travel, and the majesty of the forests with their abundant wildlife, and different modes of transport.   Read this book if only to see the beautiful drawings within.  

The Raging Storm

The Raging Storm by Erin Hunter

Book 6 in the “A Vision of Shadows”series by Erin Hunter, The Raging Storm is a good read.  Thoroughly enjoyed this read. The lad and I have enjoyed the Warrior Cat series from the very start.  There have been odd bits that haven’t worked well, but overall, it’s a good series with a fairly predictable pattern. The cats have learned and grown over the course of the series. 

In this particular book the cats have to learn to work together not only as individual clans but also as a joined unit. Can they put aside their squabbles to work with each other so they can save everyone?  Read the book and find out!  🙂

Animal Atlas

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Today I have the pleasure of reviewing a Lonely Planet Kids book called Animal Atlas.  This is a wonderful hardcover jam-packed with all kinds of fascinating facts about animals from all over the world. Interesting elements are included such like lift-the-flap, fold-out maps, and life-size critters to surprise you!  🙂

Animal Atlas Review

What I am Reviewing

Animal Atlas: Amazing facts, fold-out maps and life-size surprises.
Lonely Planet
Anne Rooney
Lucy Rose (illustrator)
Lonely Planet Kids.
Hardcover, 32 pages, Age 9-12.

Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Zoology, Atlas, Animals, World-wide, Environment,

Explore the animal kingdom like never before with the Animal Atlas from Lonely Planet Kids. Unfold maps to reveal animals from every continent and lift the flaps to see their unique environments and habitats.
Discover a world of animal facts, life-size photos and creature features-from a bear’s paw and a baby turtle to an anteater’s tongue and a goliath birdeater, the world’s heaviest spider. EEK! All drawn to scale so you can measure yourself against them.

Animal Atlas

The Details of Animal Atlas

The book is divided into seven sections: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia, Oceania & Antarctica.  Each with a map of the major environments as well as illustrated and photographic depictions of some of the animals living there.

Animal Atlas

As you can see above, many of the pages are fold-out pages.  Large two-page spreads walk you through the variety of animals living in each of these areas.  Most, if not all of the animals come with a small map to show you where they live in the world. 

animal atlas review

All sorts of fun facts are presented, some of them in a lift-the-flap format. Every section has at least one lift-the-flap area. 

Animal Atlas

I appreciated that we didn’t just learn about animals. A variety of scientists such as Darwin, Linneaus, and Merian are also presented. 

Animal Atlas

Each animal has snippets of information beside them.  Details about thte country they are from, followed by information like their scientific name, size, diet, their status on the endangered list, and where they live. 

animal atlas

True to the nature of Lonely Planet books, they aspire to educate thoroughly. To that end, they provide a habitat key to broaden the understanding of geo-systems around the world. The key changes per environment, but the colour-coding remains consistent. For instance, Oceania has biomes not seen in North America. Some biomes share similar biomes, thereby tropical forest in one biome is colour-coded the same throughout.

Animal Atlas

Recommendation

This is a great book.  I love how it talks about the different parts of the world, illustrating that area with a chosen animal.  You don’t just see mammals, but arthropods, birds, fish, and more.  I was amazed at how large of the nests the sociable weaver could get. 

I was saddened to hear of the loss of the Saiga antelope. Did you know that 50% of these temperate grassland antelope have disappeared due to a bacterial infection?

Within the pages of this hardcover book, animals as diverse as shrimp, whales, spiders, tortoises, storks and elephants can be found. I appreciate there isn’t a focus on just one type of animal.

Don’t you just love books that encourage you to look further? I found myself inspired to dig deeper into the plight of the Saiga antelope. Books like these are an encouragement to learn more about our world. The full-colour illustrations (whether drawn or real-life images) are an added encouragement. 

I heartily recommend Animal Atlas to you. It is such a lovely addition to a study in geography, science, and history.  

Animal Atlas is a beautifully illustrated book that would be an excellent addition to your home library or have out as a coffee table book. It encourages conversations about animals and their biomes, the world we live in, and the effects of climate change. 

disclosure

Blue Ribbon Awards Homeschool Review Crew

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Well, another year is drawing to a close with the Homeschool Review Crew.   We have just finished our new crew recruitment, and returning crew are deciding if they are going to return or not.  As like every other year, it is time for the Blue Ribbon Awards to be given out.  The crew is voting so we don’t know the crew favourites yet, but I thought I would share the favourites in our household. 

Blue Ribbon Awards 2019

For the Homeschool Review Crew we reviewed the following products.

My Son’s Favourite

My son’s favourite for the year was CrossWired Science.  He didn’t even really pause when I asked him.  He added “I really liked the gold-digger sections”. 

CrossWired Science

My Favourite

It was harder for me to pinpoint my favourite. These would be my top four picks. 

I loved the information laid out for me Transcripts Made Easy.  Helping me to plot out the actions I need to take to show my son’s success or lack thereof in his highschool years. 

I loved watching him work through his CrossWired Science lessons.  The information he gave me delighted my heart.  He loves science and it’s easy for him to expand his knowledge base.  All the statements that started with the question: “Mom, did you know ______?”.   I love those words coming out his mouth.  🙂

The Heart Changer

The story of The Heart Changer I remember with fondness.  Seeing biblical history brought to life is good, particularly if they keep it as accurate as possible. 

Learning to write more clearly, and at a college level is an important part of highschool education.   BetterRhetor with their college-level writing program was well appreciated by both me and my son. 

Going Through Browser Tabs

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It’s the letter G this week for the blogging through the alphabet challenge and I was wracking my brain for what I could do.  As I was driving home from church this morning I thought hey!  I know I do Going for the letter G.  So here’s my third for the year I think.. Going through Browser Tabs. 

going through browser tabs

Wanting to check links

I have a number of sites that I want to go through the links on them.  All are homeschooling related. 

Homeschooling Related

Other sites that I want to do something with

  • Canadian Schoolhouse.   The Canadian site of The Old Schoolhouse.
  • Make Belief Comix just looks like an interesting site that I wanted to show the lad sometime. 
  • World War 2 search on Christian Book Distributors. 
  • Terrific Turtles.  This inspires me to try my hand at something like this.  I just like the set up and wanted to remember it.   Sarah did a number of posts like this for the summer. 
  • Compound Interest… A bunch of graphics on elements from the periodic table I think.  It intrigued me. Maybe it will you too.
  • World War 2 colouring pages interested me at EduPics.   They have lots of variety there so you should check it out!
  • I was looking into some highschool alternatives for the lad, checking out the virtual learning centre and independent learning centre.   I might sign the lad up for a course or two next year. 
  • WW2 materials on TeachersPayTeachers. 
  • Wondering if this might be a better grammar program for the lad. 
  • I still need to share this engineering journey with the lad. 
  • As I increasingly think on making printables to sell, these lapbook templates from Homeschool Share seem like a good idea.  Maybe not to use to sell but to at least generate ideas. 
  •  

Faith Related

RightNow Media.  This was a gift from our church, a free subscription.

24 inspiring bloggers.   I’m linked on this page!  🙂

Various Others

Sometimes I just have random links open 

  • Hover a place that just does domain names. 
  • The Blog Plan – I started this course, just haven’t finished it.   This site is related I think…. Start a Mom Blog. 
  • Make and Sell Printables.  I’ve done most of this.   Yes, I still need to finish it, I’ve just been otherwise motivated lately.  And there is this related page. 
  • AudioGrabber.  Hubby sent me this for some reason that I can’t remember, but it seemed important to keep.  🙂
  • Some day I will make this stuffed mushrooms. 
  • Someone brought up on facebook asking about alternatives to netflix so I went looking and found these. 
  •  

Others in this series

Crossing on Time

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Steam Ships… there is something about steam ships that incites the imagination (at least for me!).   Did you know the first working steam engine was made to help coal miners?   Building from those early models, David Macauley draws us into the world of steam ships until we reach the final steam ship, the SS United States in Crossing on Time.  A steam ship the author himself travelled on.

This is actually a hard review and intro to write.  I so like this book I want to draw you into it and I’m afraid my words will fail me.   What will you find?  Drawing, illustrations, pictures, well written text and more.  Come on, let me show you why you should get this book!  🙂

Crossing on time review

What I am Reviewing

Crossing on Time: Steam Engines, Fast ships, and a journey to the new world.
David Macaulay.
Roaring Brook Press
128 pages, Ages 10-14 years
Received: Advanced Readers Copy
Formatted as Hardcover or Kindle.

Reviewed for Raincoast books.

Steam Ships, Engines, Ships, History, Boats, Inventors,

Prior to the 1800s, ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean relied on the wind in their sails to make their journeys. But invention of steam power ushered in a new era of transportation that would change ocean travel forever: the steamship.

Award-winning author-illustrator David Macaulay guides readers through the fascinating history that culminated in the building of the most advanced – and last – of these steamships: the SS United States . This book artfully explores the design and construction of the ship and the life of its designer and engineer, William Francis Gibbs.

Framed around the author’s own experience steaming across the Atlantic on the very same SS United States, Crossing on Time is a tour de force of the art of explanation and a touching and surprising childhood story.

Details for Crossing on Time

Full colour illustrations dot every page of this book.  From drawing illustrating how the engines where put together. 

Crossing on time

As well as illustrations of vessels.  It was important to get ships that could run under their own power.  Depending on the wind, or man-power was a barrier to moving people via the waterways.   People wanted reliability in their travel, so developing better ships to transport people was an imperative.   It was a difficult task, fraught with disappointment, but also with elation.  Success was a great thing.  The SS United States was the fulfillment of a dream for William Francis Gibbs.

Crossing on time

The text throughout was easy to read and lead well from one page to the next.   Crossing on Time is not divided into chapters, but reads just like a fiction book from page to page.

Crossing on time

There is so much information contained within the pages, but it never felt like a hard read.  Just really interesting watching the development of steam ships throughout the years.  All the images/illustrations provided broke up the text and really aided understanding. 

Crossing on time

All these illustrations made me wonder if I could somehow build my own steam engine.  It made me thoroughly appreciate the early inventors. Learning how to put all these intricate pieces together.

Crossing on time

One of my delights was this fold-out page of the SS United States.   Wasn’t it just immense?  Remember… this was run on steam.  That just amazes me.  

Recommendations

I asked my son to look through Crossing on Time.   His response after just a short time was “I like how they have so many diagrams. It’s an interesting book.  You are keeping this one right?”

And inside I said “YAY!”  Because you know what… I really like this book.  It’s chock full of details about steam engines.  The diagrams are well done and you could really see the progress in the steam ships.   

Crossing on Time is a wonderful look back in time.  A must read for anyone who loves ships, is interested in innovation, and/or likes to trace the development of invention.   A delightfully informative book.  Well worth reading. 

Enjoy Learning Music?

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Did you know that my lad and I used to practice songs together?  We’d memorize hymns such as Rock of Ages or Silent Night.  We picked up playing the keyboard and have learned some flute.  I love music though I admittedly have lost my good singing voice. Introducing this love of music has been a goal of mine for the past 14 years.  🙂   I don’t know how successful I have been, but my lad has signed up to learn guitar this coming year.  Could it be true that my lad might enjoy learning music?

enjoy learning music

Resources

So let’s imagine that you, like me, have this desire to help your children enjoy learning music.  How might you do so?  I’ve collected some resources that may prove useful for you.

  • Classics for Kids. I LOVE this website.  My lad and I used it throughout his elementary years.  Listening to classical music, learning about the composers behind it.  Wonderful site!
  • Harmony Fine Arts has a music appreciation course that you might like. 
  • If you are learning music and want to learn some theory to go with it, Teoria and Music Theory might be sites you want to check out. 
  • Music in our Homeschool is a facebook group for folks wanting to bring music… into their homeschool!   🙂  I’ve been a member since it started I think.  It’s a pretty good group of people. 
  • Grab a song, whether it’s a hymn, folk, country, jazz or whatever. Learn songs of your choice.  Learn about the person who wrote it. Music draws people together.  Memorizing songs serves you well in your older age if you have it memorized and you can’t read the words!  🙂  (No no, not speaking from experience!) Give that gift to your children and sing together.
  • you could even head to youtube to listen to various genres of music.  See what you like and what you don’t. 

Games and More

  • SFSkids has a flash player game to learn about the orchestra.  Then go to Carnegie Hall and play an orchestra related game. Both require flash player to work. 
  • Another way to add enjoyment to your music lessons is to make your own instruments.  This can be as simple as beating a plastic bowl, taping elastics to a box, or blowing on a piece of grass held between your palms.  There are kits to build your own ukulele.  
  • Two years ago we got a subscription to the K-W Symphony.  Just a two ticket package for six different shows.  The lad and Dad went a couple times on their own, and I and Dad and then twice we bought an extra ticket so we could all go.  It was a TOTAL hoot! The lad loved it and got to listen to many different styles of music.  He developed a love of classical and plays it while he does his school work.   We would LOVE to do this again sometime.  🙂   If you can… do it!

Reviews I’ve Done

  • Maestro Classics is a fun way to learn music.  CD’s telling a story about music and composers.  It’s a great listen. 
  • Learning piano or organ?  You might want to check out this free music site called Simply Music.  This is my review. 

In Conclusion

I hope you have found something to help your students enjoy learning music.  Adding music into your life will add depth and enjoyment to your life. Music is a good thing!  🙂

This post is my last in the write 31 days challenge.  I know some I was very strict and stuck to the five minute rule and others I just included it as part of another post.  It’s okay to do that you know, sometimes you have to bend the rules to make a challenge work.  🙂  

enjoy