A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Books for Children

Review: Beekeeper’s Lab

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Do you know what we discovered the other day?   A BEE’s Nest!!!!   In our own backyard!   It wasn’t a honeybee, just a normal bumblebee… doesn’t matter though, the lad and I were so excited, and we carefully covered up the nest again (and reinforced it with other wood). When Gramma stopped in the afternoon, she was delighted as well and had the lad show her where the bee lived.   We like having easy going bees flitting about the house, so imagine our delight when the “Beekeeper’s Lab” showed up in the mail!  🙂

Kim Lehman is an author who knows bees well, having been a hobby beekeeper for 20 years and a contributing author to various bee publications and coordinating the Kids and Bees program.  She writes with a desire not only to teach, but help people really learn and see the beauty that can be found in all aspects of care-taking bees.

Her book has 8 chapters, covering everything you can think of in the world of keeping bees.  Each section is called a lab and can be everything from information to an experiment or art project that you can do. From providing the bees a safe home to working with beeswax and honey. It closes with a whole section on how to be helpful to bees.  This is a very informative and fun book about beekeeping.

Each page is filled with tons of images to delight and inform.  The images further explain the well written text enabling you to complete each project well.

Help bees find a home
How to make fire starters

On almost every page you will find a supply list, bee buzz (Tidbits of information about bees), Fun with Kids, how to take it further, and a safety note (only if required). 

All these helpful features make the Beekeeper’s Lab a very helpful and informative book.  I am actually looking at sourcing out some of these materials to do a co-op class since alas.. I have no bees from which to take honey or wax.  🙂  I think it would be fun to make honey sticks and beeswax art.  To help youth make smoker bundles and bee bread.  Learning about bees, their importance, their usefulness to mankind and how to protect them is vitally important to our food chain.  Keep the bees, keep the food, sustain life.   A good thing that!

I wonder if anyone will join me in making a wax candle holder?

 
Or perhaps make a whole host of the other crafts and projects found within the pages of this marvellous book all about bees?   52 different ideas.  Pick and choose or do one activity a week for a whole year!  🙂  You will find activities that will challenge your teens or delight the littles and everyone in between.  Science, art, bee care, 52 different labs to entertain, delight, educate and inspire everyone in your family.
The Beekeeper’s Lab: 52 Family Friendly Activities and Experiments Exploring the Life of the Hive.
Author: Kim Lehman.
Publisher: Quarry
144 pages
250 photos
8.5 x 8.5 inches
Reviewed for: The Quarto Group

Where can you find this treasure trove?
 Amazon.ca – Beekeeper’s Lab: 52 Family-Friendly Activities and Experiments Exploring the Life of the Hive
 Amazon.com – Beekeeper’s Lab: 52 Family-Friendly Activities and Experiments Exploring the Life of the Hive

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Canada Book: O Canada, Our National Anthem

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Want to help your children learn Canada’s National Anthem?   Check out this book from Scholastic.  A 32 softcover picture book.

It’s LOADED with images from all across Canada, her people, her land, her infrastructure and more.

My son thoroughly enjoyed this book when he was learning the words to O Canada.  I would belt out the words to the song and he’d be flipping the pages singing along with me.  It really didn’t take him very long to learn the words either.  🙂

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

The book can be found: O Canada: Our National Anthem

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Books read in the Month of May

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 May…the time for spring flowers and rolling back on the schooling expectations, business in the outdoors planting gardens, going to for walks, and cleaning out rabbitries.   Not a time for a whole lot of reading, but still.. I DID!  YES!  I read some books!!!

Wow. Guilty Wives by James Patterson…
Wow… I have to admit, that the beginning of the book had me NOT wanting to read the book, so I read part of the ending which… was just enough to intrigue me to want to know how the bad guy did it.

Wow.. this was good read.  I was so glad I stuck it out.  The horror of French prisons though… NASTY.  Are they like that in real-life?   I don’t know, but I do know I don’t want to go to France and break the law and get stuck in jail there. 

The determination of Abbie, the main character, was impressive.  Her ability to focus and work on proving her innocence amazes me despite all the hardship she was put through.   Perseverance and commitment, being the type of person she needed to be for her children’s long term care.   It was such an interesting read…definitely a book for ADULTS!

Urban Wildlife Habitats was a neat read about how different animals have adapted to living with people in urban areas.

Everything from storks to monkeys, to sheep and lizards, to snails and kangeroos.   So many animals have learned to co-exist with people.  Throughout the book are a copious amount of pictures, and tons of information to help us co-exist with them and even help them.  

So tell me….would you want to see a moose in your take-out window?

We’ve learned about muskoxen and ostriches recently.

Fascinating critters.
Did you know that male ostrich lay on the eggs at night because their black feathers are the perfect camoflage. 

 Rip and Red and the Tournament of Champions.

Two boys learning and growing together… finding it’s hard … Red with his autism (high-functioning) and Rip with his Dad returning… hard things for boys to deal with.  But they manage to pull it together around the world of a basketball championship.

 Secrets and Sequences of the Secret Coders series.

You’ll find my review here.   

Using a graphic novel to teach some of the basics of coding. 

 Mission to Pluto is a book my son thoroughly enjoyed.  He used it to further his learning with his apologia studies.  

It’s part of the scientist series. And it is a really well done series.  if you have a chance to read some with your children (or even just for yourself do so.)  Elephants and Dolphins are the next on my hit list!

Books I am working through.

My mom-in-law asked me what I thought of this book and I said “this man writes my hubby preaches!”

I am so far loving this book and looking forward to digging into it all the more.  It’s not a quick fiction read, but a let’s grow a discipling people read.

Good book … My review is coming!

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Art Series: Mom & Me

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Do you have a desire to connect with your child in a fun, non-threatening way?  A desire to go beyond the “nothing” and “stuff” when you ask what your child did at school or an event?  Lacy Mucklow has  produced a book intended to help you out.  Draw out the conversation as you do an art journal together.

 I opened this lovely art journal and it immediately brought me back to the days when my son and I were having fun doing art with an art prompt book.

We’d search out an art prompt … such as  “tree house” and we’d sit down and draw whatever popped into our brain about what a tree house would be like.   We had so much fun coming up with ideas, drawing and just talking to each other. Each doing our own thing, but spending time together talking and laughing as we did an art project together.

THAT is exactly what this mom and me art journal is supposed to.   Instead of looking up art prompts in a book and then using our own art papers. we can just use this journal.  A perfect time for a mom and child to chatter away with each other.

You have to check out some of these pages.  They are really quite nice.

The pages follow different styles: from shapes to fill out, to large blocky shapes, to full pages.   Each two page sets is unique from all others in this book. Printed on a nice thick paper so you can colour or draw in whatever way the prompt moves you to do so. 

Author Lacy Mucklow (MA. ATR-BC, LPAT, LCPAT) is a registered, board
certified, and licensed art therapist who has been practicing art
therapy in the Washington, DC area since 1999. She has experience
working with a variety of mental health populations and settings,
including schools, home-based counseling, and hospitals with
adolescents, families, and adults. Lacy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Psychology with a minor in Studio Art from Oklahoma State University,
and a Master of Arts degree in Art Therapy from The George Washington
University.

She wants moms and their children to connect with each other in a meaningful way. So she has intentionally included feelings like happy, sad, angry.  She covers topics like family and friends, heros, and imagination.   Hopes and dreams are always fun to discuss together.. drawing whatever you feel inspired to do, knowing that there is no right or wrong, just a responding to a prompt and chatting as you do so.   It is good yes?

One of the things I like in this book is the word prompts aren’t just single words or ideas.

Do you see how this would be different for every person?   How it could provide excellent talking points?  The scene is set…how will you respond?   What is your happiness point?

128 pages of colouring, drawing, filling in fun while having a grand ‘ole time with each other.  It would be great to display them as works of art, but also good to just keep as a keepsake to look back upon.

Illustrator Bethany Robertson has done an excellent job of bringing details into each page while allowing room for creative expression.

Bethany Robertson is an illustrator and designer
based in Brooklyn, New York. She has a Master’s of Fine Arts from
Rutgers University and a Master’s of Science in Art Education from the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Bethany enjoys drawing, pizza,
flowers, ice cream, and the beach.

The only concern I have is this:
My son and I like elbow room when we draw.  Trying to share a book and both draw a picture at the same time would drive us batty.  🙂  Therefore I wish the pages were perforated and one sided so I could pull them out and work with lots of space around me.  That way the lad and I could do what we like.  Sit side by side with a good foot between us, or sit opposite each other so we can surprise each other when we’re done (after all the hints and clues we give .. guessing with clues is fun.. especially with art). 

Mom and Me – An art Journal to Share.
Author: Lacy Mucklow
Illustrator: Bethany Robertson
Pages: 128
Publisher: Race Point Publishing
Format: Trade Paperback
Reviewed for: The Quarto Group
Series: A Side-by-side book

Where can you find it?
Amazon.ca – Mom and Me: An Art Journal to Share: Create and Connect Side by Side

Amazon.com – Mom and Me: An Art Journal to Share: Create and Connect Side by Side (A Side-by-Side Book)

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Canada Book: Our Canadian Flag

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Do you want a neat little book to help you understand Canada’s Flag better?   Well.. have I got the book for you!

Written by Maxine Trottier and Brian Deines, this picture book brings you the story of the Canadian Flag.  From how the maple tree drew in the hearts of the Canadian people (despite all the other trees around) through the making of the flag and it’s approval by the queen. 

This symbol of Canada is flown at important functions, printed on our faces, and endeared to our hearts.   May the leaf fly above our homeland forever!  🙂

You will find simple text along with boxes with further information on each two page spread.

The larger font text is simple enough for a child to read.

 Whereas the small text box is geared at adults for increased learning and talking points.

The full colour pictures that illuminate each two page spread will delight the eye of any child or adult viewing them.  It might even inspire some to display a maple leaf in their own way.  🙂

But seriously, this is a great book to introduce children to the Flag of Canada.

Where can you get it?
Well you can buy my copy from me for a couple of bucks as we’re done with it OR you can go to Amazon.ca for it.  You’ll find the link: Our Canadian Flag

Other books to inspire your learning

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Canada Book: Taking Your Camera To Canada

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Today for my Canada Books I have a small book about Canada, the lad and I read it over the course of three nights I think?  

It’s written for perhaps grade 2-4 what this book does is give a good overview to Canada.

Each chapter is only a couple of pages long with tons of images.

 It’s a fun, quick read with more information than you would think. I was actually impressed!  32 pages in this thin, softcover book.  Maps, religion, science, school, all the different things that will intrigue children from different walks of life.   The close of the book leaves us with quick facts about Canada. 

You can find it here: Taking Your Camera to Canada Sb.  

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Art Series: A Boy Named Giotto.

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 I want to thank Kirsten for coming to my rescue this week with another guest post with an art book.  I am SO pleased to have learned about this neat book.   Won’t you join me in learning about it?

This is a wonderful treasure of a book that tells the
life of Giotto and explains his drive to create art that led him to
become one of the greatest painters of all time.

This is a book that tells most in its pictures and has
little text, although the reading level is beyond the reach of little
ones. It is a perfect book to give to older school-aged children and even
teens. But I used it as a read aloud book so my children could listen,
look at the glorious pictures, and discuss ideas that came up along the
way.

You can pair this book with a number of other activities
like painting with egg (as Giotto did), reading a short biography of
his life, and perusing a book by Madeline L’Engle that is filled with
his pictures telling the story of the life of Jesus.

So pick up “A Boy Named Giotto” at a bookstore or library today and open up a window to the past for your children.

Additional resources:



Egg painting activity – just like Giotto

The Glorious Impossible by Madeline L’Engle:A retelling of the 25 important events in the life of Jesus in a beautiful picture book.

Title: A Boy Named Giotto
Author: Paolo Guarnieri

Where can you find it?
Amazon.ca: A Boy Named Giotto

Amazon.com: A Boy Named Giotto

Kirsten West is a Christian Homeschooling Mom who blogs at DoodleMom’s Homeschooling Life.  Isn’t she a delight?   She found time in the midst of a crazy busy week to share this lovely find with us.  THANK YOU Kirsten!  🙂

Learn more about Giotto, through Amazon.com:

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/