A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Books for Young Adults

Art Book: Splash of Color

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 Ah… I need to apologize to you all.. being away last week totally wrecked up my routine for getting posts ready for the blog.  TOTALLY!!!    I need to figure out a way to get caught back up!  

Anyways, I have a neat book here for you today… it’s not a little book by any means, rather long… think the size of those big sketch books you can buy for art … NOT the HUGE ones, but those middle sized ones.   It’s called Splash of Color.  It’s a painting and colouring book.

I know I know.. SAY WHAT?  

It’s a painting and colouring book, it’s made on watercolour paper so you can colour the pages with watercolour brushes or pens, or use paints OR use pencil crayons. 

The point is to colour.  🙂

 Isn’t that welcome lovely?   Makes me think of the pleasure it brings to share art with each other doesn’t it with you too?   And this book calls you to make art, to share that art on the easy tear off sheets. 

I have GOT to show you my favourite design in the whole book.  I have this major thing for chickens.  🙂  So guess what!   I found a chicken!!!!!

Though admittedly I also like this one: 

Lest you think they only have animals in this book, let me show you some of the variety.

The paper is a very sturdy watercolour paper, able to be pulled out easily to be displayed.  They are designed so they will fit in 9 x 12 frame.  The pages, as you can see pull up from the top.

The opening cover fits smoothly behind each page to provide additional support in your painting & colouring endeavors. 

I definitely recommend this book you and if you do get it, you might want to consider trying out their watercolor pencils as well!

 Splash of Color: Painting & Coloring Book
Author:  Liz Libre of Linda & Harriett 
Pages: 50
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Where can you find it?
Amazon.com – Splash of Color Painting & Coloring Book

Amazon.ca – Splash of Color Painting & Coloring 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/

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

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/

Review: Voyage to Magical North

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I have to admit to eagerness with Voyage to Magical North.  I thoroughly enjoyed the sequelin  Journey to Dragon Island and now I had a chance to find out how the whole thing began.   AND the book did not disappoint.  

What can I say… if you have youth who like fantasy… these books will not disappoint.  🙂   Cleverly written with humour… it works!

Enter a girl (Brine), add a boy (Peter), an evil magician, a bunch of pirates (with their own set of rules) and a girl who isn’t plus..throw in an unusual quest.. perhaps an impossible one.  Can they do it?  Will they survive?  Is it a hoax?   Will evil triumph?  NOW THAT is the question.

I absolutely refuse to tell you too much about the story.  I want you to dive right in and enjoy it from start to finish.  Use your brain, try to see where the story is going, quotes at the beginning of the chapter lend a clue.  BUT Brine is trying to find her place in the world, Peter is trying to be a decent magician, Pirates well.. they want to be the best pirates they can be, and well .. evil will be what evil is right… even clothed in an odd ball figure!

Know this.. the characters are real, their struggles seeming insurmountable.. but through it all they build their friendships, their loyalties are tested, their characters developed and life is lived.  This is not a humdrum book, but one full of life and wit. 

Watch out for the penguins… seriously….

Book Synopsis:
A swashbuckling story of a girl and a boy, an evil magician, a merry band of pirates, and an unthinkable quest.

Twelve-year-old
Brine Seaborne is a girl with a past – if only she could remember what
it is. Found alone in a rowboat as a child, clutching a shard of the
rare starshell needed for spell-casting, she’s spent the past years
keeping house for an irritable magician and his obnoxious apprentice,
Peter.
……

Title: Voyage to Magical North
Author: Claire Fayers
Publisher: Square Face
 336 pages
Ages 8-12 years
Series: Accidental Pirates

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

What are you waiting for?  Get this book!   Not just for your middle schooler…but for yourself!
  Amazon.ca – The Voyage to Magical North

Amazon.com – The Voyage to Magical North (The Accidental Pirates)

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: Hand Lettering A to Z

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You know how some people have a skill that amazes you?   I have a friend on the crew that regularly hand letters bible verses and her skill amazes me.  It really does!  And later I’ll be sharing some of her work with you because I have this oh so lovely book to share with you today.   Hand Lettering from A to Z.  It’s a book that is designed to give people who hand letter, creative ideas that they might want to try (or for people like me .. at least give me a clue about how to do it!)  (grin)

Abbey Ly has put together a book where she talks about three styles of lettering, why they are called that, and the different forms those letters can take.  Serif (6), Sans Serif (4) and Script (4).

She calls in four different artists to help illustrate these different ways to hand letter.

BUT before she gets to that, she has an introduction to the book where she teaches about different papers, different utensils, and different places to find creative ideas. I learned so much in this section.

Like…did you know that watercolour paper comes is three different styles?   Did you know that different paints work better for doing lettering or that pencil crayons can bring a vibrancy to your work?   Read and find out more eh?  🙂

So let’s say you want to do hand lettering…what should you do first?
Start with simple.  Seriously.  Write out a simple alphabet, learn a basic lettering of the alphabet.. make the letters smaller, bigger, squishy or wider, play around with just the basic lettering.

Then.. once you are comfortable with that…add a bit of width to it.  Draw a letter and just change one side of it. Maybe angle it a bit or make it wider all around.  Just slowly keep changing it, then as you go.. play around with it a bit, add some colour and pizzazz.  Just take it step by step and make a font that is all your own.  Who knows… perhaps your style might look like this: 

I love the bright colours found throughout this book.  Careful illustrations to show how you might replicate a style.

As you see different styles, learn the names of them.  Replicate them, become more confident in your own abilities.  Learn to create your own style all the more.  🙂

As you get more confident, consider adding some embellishment to your work.

At the close of book, Abbey Ly showcases the work of her guest artists.   It was so interesting seeing the different styles.  This one is a serif style (see!   I learned something eh!).   Good to do that you know?

I thought I would share some hand lettering that I just adore from people mostly on the crew.   Don’t they do a great job?

This one is by Lisa.

These are by Carol, aren’t her verses lovely? 

and this one by her daughter.  You can find a post here. 

And if you go to the bottom of Deann’s post here, you can see a lovely one she did.  🙂   If you find that this book intrigues the socks off you, you might find The Postman’s Knock a good blog to follow.

Title: Hand Lettering A to Z: a world of creative ideas for drawing and designing alphabets
Author: Abbey Ly
Publisher: Rockport
Pages: 128
Type: art book
Form: trade paperback
Reviewed for: Quarto Group

Where can you find this lovely book?
 Amazon.ca – Hand Lettering A to Z: A World of Creative Ideas for Drawing and Designing Alphabets

Amazon.com – Hand Lettering A to Z: A World of Creative Ideas for Drawing and Designing Alphabets

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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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: Irish Chain

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 I almost didn’t do this book in my books on Canada series… but then thought I HAVE TO.  SERIOUSLY have to.

A book that the lad excitedly tells gramma about so that she has to read it and then stays up all night so that she can finish it… that’s a good book.  🙂

But seriously… if you don’t know about the explosion in the Halifax harbour you are missing a big part of Canadian history.   This story is about a family and how they lived before the explosion, and how they lived after the explosion.  It is fiction.

Tied throughout is the heartbreak of a girl dealing with dsylexia and being bullied.  That same girl who is loved fiercely by her large extended family.   

Woven throughout the story, is the Irish Chain,,, the stories woven in the pieces of a quilt made by their gramma who brought the family out of Ireland during the potato famine.

Their history is woven throughout the history of Halifax.

This is a poignant story, heart breaking in the truths it speaks.   The horror of the explosion and the confusion that followed.   The struggle of being thought of as stupid and having one’s self-esteem totally eroded.   The joy of a strong memory, of conviction of spirit, the determination to hold to a truth you know to be real despite the discouragement of others, and finally the coming to terms of who God is and how he acts.    Ms. Haworth-Attard has carefully wrought a story of life in early 1900’s in Canada.

The war in the background, hard working immigrants, prosperous landowners, women working, there is so much of Canada in this book that it is SO worth reading.

Mind though….you might find yourself staying up all night.  🙂

Where can you find it?   Now that’s a great question, cause seriously…you need to read this book, it was, at least in three members of the families opinion, a seriously good read.  🙂
Amazon.ca – Irish Chain

Amazon.com – Irish Chain

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: Stick It To ‘Em

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Do you like having fun with doodling?   Have you ever considered turning that art form into sticker art?   Bailey Fleming has put together a book to help you explore the sticker side of you!  🙂   It’s a bright, quirky, fun book that I think you will enjoy!

 Bailey Fleming is an Arkansas born lass whose sister introduced her to the world of stickers.  She claims not to be an artist, but rather a person who likes to show some sass  in her stickers and to encourage others to not let their awkwardness or cynicism from stopping their creative expression.

To wit, she created a book to encourage that exploration.

 I like how she started off her book.   Explaining her thinking.  Doodles .. into stickers… equals making others smile.   So have fun in your doodling.

The first 31 pages are dedicated to teaching and training.   From what type of materials to use, to how to draw some of the artwork seen throughout the book. I really appreciated this section.  To see the different steps you need to create the end product, and the full colour pictures in the tool section, just marvellous! 

The remainder of the book is divided into
Coloured stickers:

Black and white outline Stickers.  Wouldn’t they be fun to fill in, stick on a card and send along to make someone’s day?

Make your own stickers. Each box makes it own sticker for you to share with other and hopefully bring about smiles on your friends faces.   Discover your own sass and style.

You see…that’s the point of the whole book.  Not just for an artist to show off her work, but seriously… to help people be inspired and create their own work.   

More than 275 stickers, divided by rough estimate into a third each.  Give them to your friends, your family and even your frenemies.  Share the joy and the sass with everyone.  🙂

AND you get lots of stickers that are full colour so you can share them on cards or notes, others that you can fill in and start to discover your own style, and then spread your wings and fly, sharing your style with those around you and bringing smiles to their faces. 

 Title: Stick it to ’em – Playful stickers to color and create.
Author: Bailey Fleming
Publisher: Walter Foster 

Reviewed for The Quatro Group

Where can you find it?
 Amazon.ca – Stick it to ‘Em: Playful Stickers to Color & Create: 275+ stickers with sass for family, friends, and frenemies

Amazon.com – Stick it to ‘Em: Playful Stickers to Color & Create: 275+ stickers with sass for family, friends, and frenemies

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/