Student Creations: A Description of Birds
Posted: February 25, 2015 Filed under: Creative Creations, Student Posts Comments Off on Student Creations: A Description of BirdsA Description of Birds
By: Amorina Galindo
Birds; a seemingly every day ordinary part of life. We see the obsidian-like crows scrounge for crumbs to survive the cold damp day. We watch in awe as the radiant red cardinal finds fruit from the coarse branches of a sweet smelling fig tree. We stop and listen to the resounding knock of a woodpecker’s vigorous journey to find their next meal. We laugh as we eavesdrop on a mockingbird’s conversation with its beige neighbor. We beam as we gaze upon the tiny humming-bird as she serenades a sweet melody to the Zinnia she sips from.
But we don’t notice that these ordinary birds are more than scavengers. God created them all so extraordinarily that none are the same and each have their own special features, crafted homes, and nourishing diets. The stunning toucan has a beak so artistically crafted so they can skin their fruit to expose its sweet mango. The shy robin lays her smooth teal eggs in the shabby nest she made from her natural surroundings. The peacock’s feathers were made so beautifully and brilliantly with vibrant colors that attract his future mate. While the emperor penguin doesn’t fly, his warm fluff-like feathers keep him and his hatchlings warm in the brutal Atlantic winds. The mighty and valiant eagle’s feet are perfect for scooping up their defenseless prey from the harsh landscape below. The owl has giant eyes that can see in the dreary darkness of night when it wakes to play.
Birds; with their weightless hollow bones that allow them to fly high, giving man the inspiration and hope to get through the tough times. With their songlike symphony of chirps that serenade our sorrowful spirit when we are low. With their synchronized flock patterns that glide together in perfect patterns of hundreds, to remind us that if we stay together we are capable of amazing things. With their fearless courage to stand strong and protect their nest home and cherished family. With their distinct knowledge to find the same food they had hidden away secretly from the harsh winter.
Birds; a seemingly everyday ordinary part of life to some, but to me they were made to soar. They were created to inspire us. They were created distinctly. They were created with an ultimate purpose from God. What is that ultimate purpose? Only the birds know.
Copyright © 2015 by Schelastic Education Center
Cheeeeese!
Posted: December 11, 2014 Filed under: Book Reviews, Creative Creations, Parent Food Comments Off on Cheeeeese!The title of this book thrilled me. I wanted to be able to capture my family in pictures but I just don’t have that naturally creative eye to look out for objects or views that make the picture come out just right without Photoshop. The first two chapters have the titles Setting Yourself Up for Success and Developing a Photographer’s Eye, respectfully, and have great starting pointers for the amateur photographer.
The wonderful thing about this book is that the reader can flip through and see what the author is talking about in her writing by just looking at the pictures. My favorite part was “8 ways to discover color, line, shape, and texture” on page 20. Developing a photographer’s eye helped me so much. Just the fact that I acquired the ability to see other photographs or scenes with the “eye” the author is talking about, excited me.
Another point of interest for me was capturing moments in our families life that I had never thought about capturing. Normal outings, everyday life, such as Saturday mornings, and photographing pets, were not on my top photo moment list. I was in the habit of taking out the camera during holidays or birthdays and if the dog just happened to be there, then he was in the picture.
Point being, if you are a photographer, you probably take these ideas as a given but some without experience, trying to capture a few pleasant moments, can use this type of information and training. I appreciated the simplicity of the book. I will definitely use these tips in the coming years of picking up my camera.
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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
Book Reviewed by LG
Book Review: The Blender Girl
Posted: October 3, 2014 Filed under: Book Reviews, Creative Creations, Parent Food, Tips | Tags: alkaline, blending, gluten-free, good food, healthy eating, juicing, recipes, tess masters, vegan Comments Off on Book Review: The Blender Girl
The Blender Girl: 100 gluten-free, vegan recipes
by Tess Masters
Jam- packed with recipes, this book was difficult to put down. I read through so many scrumptious ideas that even I, an amateur blender user was inspired. Tess shares recipes for smoothies, soups, milks, desserts, drinks, juices and tonics, and condiments, sauces & creams. She provides a great introduction to blenders and ingredients that enrich one’s diet and health. I was educated on alkaline, raw, and soy and sugar-free foods. She instigates proper care of a blender by sharing helpful tips on how to layer ingredients into the blender for optimal results. The ingredients seem extensive but I did like the reasoning behind them. I have a Sprouts food store close by so I do not mind getting the natural ingredients as well as the nuts she seems to put in many recipes. I was impressed that there was a healthy version of pizza, chili, mushroom stroganoff, and TACOS! For the dessert lovers she has delicious recipes like “chocolate-chile banana spilly”, “dark chocolate pudding”, and “Sugar-free no-pumpkin pie”. The only matters of apprehension are that Tess seems to use raw nuts in several of her recipes which are concerns for many. She also has extensive recipes; I don’t think I saw many with less than seven items, most have more. This does not scare me though, I look forward to trying as many as possible.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. Receiving complimentary items does not guarantee a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Book Review: How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare
Posted: July 23, 2014 Filed under: Book Reviews, Creative Creations, Curriculum, Parent Food Comments Off on Book Review: How to Teach Your Children ShakespeareBy Ken Ludwig
This was a tough review in the sense that I was expecting something a little different. I was pleasantly surprised as I received more than I thought in information about Shakespeare’s plays, which is good considering I am not an expert by any means. I am just starting to teach Shakespeare’s works and did not realize the depth of the content involved. I consider myself to be a math and science type. I have to say, I am enjoying the process of investigating Shakespeare more now than I ever did in high school. Ken Ludwig, gives a short chapter on the “how” of the teaching which can be summarized in one phrase, “memorize by repeating out loud.” On the other hand, he informed me of so much more than I had imagined about the stories, characters, imagery, history about the author and more. The book included pictures from scenes of the play on stage and in movies. He uses the most popular parts of many of Shakespeare’s plays that teachers can use in order to review the play before teaching it. The knowledge incurred is way more than I would have ever set out to understand myself and I appreciated all of his input, remember, my specialty is math! Reading this book has to be helpful to anyone who has never taken on these plays in a serious and focused manner.
I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.
Book Review: Water and Weather
Posted: February 16, 2014 Filed under: Book Reviews, Creative Creations, Curriculum, Discoveries, Parent Food | Tags: Arts, Bible, Book, Book review, Child, Christian, education, Evangelism, Evolution, God, Grandparent, homeschool, homeschooling, learning styles, Make It Real, Religion and Spirituality, school, Student, Teacher, teaching, visual Comments Off on Book Review: Water and WeatherWater & Weather: From the Flood to Forecasts
By Tom De Rosa and Carolyn Reeves
Water and Weather is a concise thematic unit study supporting a biblical perspective. Tom De Rosa, a creationist and experienced science educator, along with Carolyn Reeves, also a science teacher with a doctorate in science education who is currently writing and providing educational consulting, did a wonderful job on this book’s content. It is written with both the teacher and student in mind. It has twenty investigation chapters along with a glossary of relevant terms. The home school parent and teacher will not find it difficult to organize the content as it is all written out on page five in How To Use This Book. Bloom’s taxonomy of teaching is definitely incorporated into throughout all lessons from defining to evaluating. Each investigation has the teacher engage the student in actively realizing the information for more than words on a page. In chapter one, students will design their own fossils after learning about how God created the dinosaurs and physically measuring them out on the floor to determine their size. Afterward, they will answer investigation questions to summarize the information. There are countless numbers of activities that can stem off of these investigations. The authors created some wonderful text and activities that will kick off a multiplicity of ideas to discover. This book has more than the typical water cycle and weather content. I am impressed with the range of content and vivid pictures as well. The book is inexpensive and can be purchased with a matching journal and teachers guide each only for $4.99. You will be pleased with this book.
This book was sent to me by New Leaf Publishing in exchange for a book review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Tech savvy students at Schelastic…
Posted: January 6, 2014 Filed under: Creative Creations, Discoveries, Student Posts | Tags: creation, education, homeschool, homeschooling, learning styles, Lego, stop motion, video creation Comments Off on Tech savvy students at Schelastic…One of the first of many stop motion videos created by Daniel. Let the saga continue…
Subscribe at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=UP6PUICAJsY
Book Review: Seeking Christmas
Posted: November 29, 2013 Filed under: Book Reviews, Creative Creations, Parent Food | Tags: Calendar, Christianity, Christmas, Holiday, Opinions, Religion and Spirituality, Renee Robinson Comments Off on Book Review: Seeking ChristmasSeeking Christmas by Renee Robinson is a useful tool for anyone wanting to enlighten others about the true meaning of Christmas. Short and simple to understand, this resource will help you get organized. It offers different online resources for download. The activities are well planned out and diversified for all age groups. She has offered modifications for planning out the devotionals for a lesson a day or several lessons together in one sitting for those wanting to shorten the time to complete the activities. Aside from an introduction, the instructions on how to use the book and a section on modifications and suggestions, the book is divided into a seven-day devotional divided up into chapters. Each chapter or day is categorized into five sections called Remember, Read, Reflect, Rejoice, and Research. These sections describe the beautiful and enlightening scripture behind Christmas and allow for more research of the historical basis behind Christmas. There are parts directed for adults and others made just for children. The reflection section is made to be read aloud to your children or read by an older child. It is a good resource for those wanting a beginner’s resource for understanding the history of Christmas and understanding how to start a tradition. The beautiful part about purchasing the text is the author’s commitment to support orphans with the proceeds.
