Archive for Family Stuff

Book Review ~ Resumes for Children: 17 Years Old and Under

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

Resumes For Children: 17 Years Old and Under

Ever thought of your child having a resume? If your answer is “no” think again. Your child can participate in these “out of the box” activities to begin to build a great resume.

Choosing activities that provide your child with life skills as well as build character is a key element to their success. Documenting those activities is also a key element to their success. Why? Keeping before them a present visual reminder of their activities, accomplishments, etc., gives encouragement, pride in what they do and have done. It also allows them to see how well they have progressed over the years. In other words, you will assist your child in “behaving” their way to success.

With your child’s résumé you can:

  • Use it to accompany an application into an academic program.
  • Use it to seek sponsorship from friends and family ~ obtain OPM (other people’s money) to pay for activities.
  • Use it to seek grants and scholarships.

OUR REVIEW:

I thought this was such an interesting book. Before being presented this book I honestly never thought of having a resume for children. But now I see how far this can take a child. You can use this book from toddlers to teenage years. Yes I said toddlers! I think this is a great way to get children thinking. I mean maybe your toddler is not going to write a resume like an older child but you can definitely use some prompts and ask your toddler questions to get them thinking of what they would like to do and become! For example in the toddler years you can ask children to list activities that they are good at and would like to do…this can range from playing blocks to taking dancing lessons. Eventually applying these things to a resume that the child will build.

But enough about a toddlers view… this book will work really well for an older child! This is great to get the child thinking outside of the ordinary…the child is taught how to use the things they have done in their lives (school, camps, odd jobs) and add them to a working resume. The children can then present their resume to anyone who would like to know more about them…perhaps the child would like a summer job …well a resume is a great way to introduce themselves. Perhaps your child is trying to earn money to go to summer camp…then a resume is a great way to introduce who the child is and what the child can and will do… There are endless possibilities to the unique situations that this book can be used!

As a mother I love this book! As a high school teacher and college professor I think this is also great for the high school student! Introduce them to this book at a young age and get them started on writing and honing their resume and they will not be at a loss when it comes to applying to scholarships for college!

You can find out more about the book here:

http://www.resumesforchildren.com/

 


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Part 2 – Free Kids Apps

**(When I downloaded these apps they were free, I cannot guarantee if they started charging a fee.) **

I completely forgot about all the phones and tablets out there that are not an “I” product.  To those, I apologize if these apps are not available for your product.  Otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised with the positive feedback from the last Free Kids Apps post! Thank you and Enjoy!

Toddler Puzzle Shapes – This app is compatible for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.  You are able to turn the music on or off and is available in 5 different languages.  This app is for your little ones.  When you press start, you are given 5 different shapes and a ghost outline of one of the shapes.  Your child will then drag the correct shape to the ghost shape.  After every 3rd choosing of the shape a jigsaw (4 pieces) appears.  When you select a puzzle piece, it glows where the piece should go.  In the tools section, you are able to turn off the jigsaw section.

PBS Kids Video – Compatible with iPhone & iPad.  Got any kids that love Elmo?  He’s on this app along with SUPER WHY, Curious George, Cat in the Hat and others!  However, this is not a game your child can watch videos of their favorite educational friends.

Barnyard Mahjong Free – This one is also compatible with the iphone & ipad.  This is for the bigger kids (and this Mom!)  If you’ve ever played a Mahjong game you know it’s addictive.  If you haven’t, all you do is match the tiles and you’ll catch “the addict bug”. The tiles in this one are animals, fruits, veggies and the farmer, so it’s easier for kids.

Happy Downloading!


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Children & Technology – Wordless Wednesday


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Free Apps for Kids!

**(When I downloaded these apps they were free, I cannot guarantee if they started charging a fee.) **

Personally, I’m over the Angry Birds frenzy.  How about you?  For the next few weeks I’m going show you 3 apps that my daughter (she’s 3) and I enjoy.  Most of these apps are directed toward the little ones, but there are a few along the way that your older kids might like as well.

Like most free games on iTunes, they are not the entire version.  They want to get you hooked so you’ll buy it.  So, far that hasn’t affected our home and we are happy with what we got. 

The first one is called ABC Animal Puzzle Free.  This game is compatible with an iPhone and iPad.  This is not a complete version.  However, still very playable for your younger ones.  It’s a puzzle game.  There are 5-9 piece puzzles.  Besides the puzzle you are learning animals names, for example there is an elephant puzzle and it says ELEPHANT when you are completing it.  Also, on this app is a Memory Game. (Click the bubbles on the bottom right corner to activate the menu). There is a stickers & score card section that let’s you know which puzzles you’ve completed and how long it took. 

   Baby DJ – this one can get a little annoying after a while, but is still cute!  This app is currently available for the iPhone and iPad.   Got a little musician in your house?  Here’s the app for you.  There are 10 options on this one.  Anywhere from a lion to an octopus.  Even Santa Claus makes his way onto this app.  Once you choose an animal, the next screen opens to 9 “records” (like the good ol’ black vinyl records).  You touch a record and it spin and start a beat.  Then as you continue pressing the records, they sync up.  Then press them again and that record turns off.  Each animal has different beats. 

The last one for this week is Glow Draw!  Again, this one is available for the iPhone and iPad.  All kids love to draw and this app is kind of like etch a sketch.  You draw and then shake your device to erase it.  On the lower left you can change colors,make your line wider, put a background of your pictures loaded on your device and save or email you pictures!

Fun FREE apps for kids! Now it’s your turn to share you favorite apps!


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Little Ace and The Ten Commandments App Review & T-Shirt Giveaway

How cute is this little guy! 

It’s never to early to have your children learning about the Ten Commandments, in a fun way! This little cartoon chick goes on a journey to find “the God”.  While in this travels he learns about the Ten Commandments through other cartoon animals. 

The narrator of this story has a soothing voice, talks smoothly and slowly. With this iPad app you can turn the narrator on or off, so you or your child can read this e-book.  You can also control to turn the pages or have the “story” turn the pages when it’s time.  In addition, there are interactive opportunities for your child to help the animals with tasks, for example to find the goat’s glasses and put then on the goat. This app is available on iTunes for only $2.99.

Here are a few screen shots.

My Review –

This is a MUST HAVE e-book in my house.  My daughter and I loved it.  I let the narrator read to her (he does the animals voices much better than I).  The app says it good for children 4 and over, however my daughter is 3 and LOVED it.  What I like is it’s a book that will grow with your children.  Once they are at reading age, they can read to you.  The learning experience is also wonderful in a fun way.  My daughter loved the cartoon chick.  The graphics are not fancy or overwhelming.  Just very simple with a lot of impact on the story.  My recommendation is to download it now.  You won’t regret this one!

Here’s the download site – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/little-ace-ten-commandments/id481298715?mt=8

Here’s Liitle Ace’s Website – http://www.acethechick.com/

And he’s on Facebook!  Go ahead and “like” him!  It’s hard not to!

Like this t-shirt?  You can win it!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.


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Running Blanket – Wordless Wednesday


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Children at Work & at Play!

I captured some shots of our children at work and at play yesterday. I used the flickr slide show again. I just wanted to try it this week to see how I liked them and how you all liked them. Might try something different next week. Not sure what yet.

The first photo is of one of our older daughters (the third oldest) playing with her horses. I snapped a shot because soon enough she won’t be playing with them any more. Sniff. Sniff. She’s growing up! The second one is of our youngest daughter with our reading lesson book, 100 Easy Lessons, which I have used with all six older children to teach them to read. Blondie is doing wonderful and I really believe that the foundation that ABCmouse.com – Over 3,000 Educational Activities – First Month Free – Click here! gives the children has helped her supersede where she would have been otherwise. She is nearly sounding out the words silently and saying them fast – we are only on lesson 14! We are very pleased with ABCMouse.com. I don’t have to conj-ole or bribe the children to do their school work on ABCMouse. It’s that much fun. Ok, enough of my shameless, unpaid plug! 😉 (Update: I have since added an affiliate link above due to the amount of searches for it leading here! So we earn a few dollars if you click on our link and purchase a subscription.)

Back to the photos…next comes the blocks that were scattered on the floor. And if I was participating in my old friend’s “The Children Were Here” posts this is one that I would post as we always seem to have these blocks scattered. Then I shot one of a couple of school books that were laying around.

The next photo after that is of our two older boys shoveling the driveway for their Dad. The thing is I didn’t send them out there to do it, they volunteered. Granted they have always loved to shovel snow for some reason, but still it does this mama’s heart good when they do things like this without asking and especially thinking of their Dad who had to drive home on messy roads!

My oldest daughter has taken a dislike of being caught on camera, she’d rather be behind the lense these days! So when she put her laptop up in front of her face today as I was snapping a picture I told her I was going to post it! So that’s why that one is there! She’s a hard worker that one and has some solid work ethics already. She won’t go to the barn if she has too much work to do, nor will she goof off until her work is done. We are proud of her.

The rest of the photos are of two of the younger children doing their best to help shovel a little bit, the snow plow (the boys wanted me to get one of all the snow flying over the truck but I kept missing it) and just of our time outside.

The last photo is of a masked man…not sure where he came from or what he was doing in my house but my daughter caught him red handed! Isn’t he positively evil looking? Ha! 😉


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Country Views in Winter

Love, love, love my country views this winter! So picturesque and pleasing to this country girl’s eyes!


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Faceless Men – Wordless Wednesday

Faceless men (and woman! 😉 and one not so faceless!)


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Re-Organizing: Monday Motivation

Nearly six months ago we moved into this home. It is incredible that we have lived here that long already. One of the home’s appeals was the basement, 4+ bedrooms, 2.5 baths and an office. However, by the time we moved in, settled, had our internet working and phone working, it was nearly a month later. That is when we discovered that the internet and phone jacks in the office did not work! 🙁 A little disappointing to say the least. After lots of time on the phone, trying several areas of the house and getting tired of having my work in piles around the house, we talked about me taking over one of the kids bedrooms where the internet and phone connection were good. I decided on the older girls room, which meant moving the boys to another bedroom so the older girls could have their room. The girls were delighted at the prospect of getting a bigger room with a bigger closet. The boys on the other hand were not so thrilled initially, but after time to think about it and after their first night in their new room they seem to have accepted the change. Off to a good start.

Now I am re-organizing! It feels as though I have moved and I have, but you know that feeling of, “Oh there’s so much to do!” That’s the feeling I am experiencing today. Just slightly overwhelmed. It’s probably because I am tired too because I stayed up late burning photos and documents to CDs so I could delete them off my laptop and try to speed it up a bit to avoid screens freezing up on me. 🙁 So far it seems to be working. Just need to run a virus scan too. Fun techie stuff.

Here are a couple of before and after photos:

Old office, now linen closet and the new office:

So obviously, my Monday Motivation is to get things a bit more organized!


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