Education - Faith and Family Reviews

Tag Archive for Education

Ivy Bridge College

Posted by html404 on January 19, 2013
in Education, Saving Money, School

It is a known fact that education is important. Many put a lot of stock in a college education and getting a degree. In my family my grandmother really talked up a college education. It was impressed upon me at a young age that I should become a nurse because we have a long line of nurses in our family; a couple of my great aunts are nurses and then two of my dad’s sisters are as well. So my cousin, whose mom is a nurse, for the longest time was set on becoming a doctor and I was going to be a nurse…that was until we got old enough to decide for ourselves that wasn’t our career choice. I think grandmother was disappointed but was a good sport to accept our decision not to go her way. Perhaps some of you can relate and often think about your career choice or lack thereof. Maybe you have even made it your new year’s resolution to go back to school to further your education.

Though I have a college level education from a 3 year program, plus my midwifery studies, I do not have a degree. Shocking? Maybe. Getting a degree wasn’t a priority for me when I was younger and even now it’s not something that is a major goal, even though it has always been at the back of my mind “Should I or shouldn’t I?” But as a mom my children have always been my first priority, after my marriage. When I had to go back to work, which is why I put my midwifery studies on hold, earning an income to help pay bills became another very high priority for our survival. However, due to the nature of my VA business and the opportunities I have seen available, I have contemplated taking courses in accounting, bookkeeping, business etc.

As busy as I am, in order to help take my VA business to the next level, I’ve decided to go back to school. Right now I am leaning towards an Associate’s Degree in Accounting, so we’ll see how the application process plays out and if that is indeed what I end up taking.

The college I am applying to is Ivy Bridge College because it is a great option for moms seeking a college degree. It provides great support services. Each student has their own personal admissions and financial aid advisor, and yes you even receive their direct contact information. They even offer free tutoring and career coaching is available. Ivy Bridge offers flexible scheduling, the ability to earn an associate’s degree in as little as 18-24 months, and the ability to seamlessly transfer to 4-year schools to earn a bachelor’s.

I love that I will be able to continue to stay at home with my children and tailor my course schedule to our family life. Since it is an online program and classes are available 24/7, it is perfect for moms like me.

Ivy Bridge College $1000 Tuition Discount Giveaway

The great news is Ivy Bridge is giving away $1,000 tuition discount on classes at Ivy Bridge College to one of YOU!

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me why you want to go back to school! Enter the giveaway below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

“To be eligible for the $1,000 discount off tuition at Ivy Bridge College (IBC), the qualifying individuals will need to be degree seeking, enrolled in IBC a minimum of part-time, and new to IBC (specifically, not someone who has already applied to, enrolled in, or requested information from IBC). Classes at Ivy Bridge College Extension are not eligible for the discount. Limit one per person.The tuition discount is valid through September 1, 2013.”

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Ivy Bridge College. I received a promotional item as a thank-you for participating and a discount on classes at Ivy Bridge College.”

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Language Stars Open House and iPad Mini Sweepstakes #LangStarsOpenHouse

Posted by html404 on January 16, 2013
in Education, Giveaways

Learning a second, third or even fourth language is an investment into the future since so many jobs now desire people to be bilingual. After all, we are a multilingual country made up of many differing cultures. Being bilingual or multilingual is also an asset when traveling to different countries.

I grew up taking French from fourth grade through a couple college courses, which I ended up dropping (and regretting) due to it overloading my course load. Though I never became fluent in French, I still remember and recognize words – the benefit of learning the language from a young age.

Bonjour, comment ca va? Je suis bien, merci.

Simple phrase that says, “Hello, how are you? I am fine/good, thank you.”

For the sake of this post, I did have to look up the spelling of my French though!

We have exposed our children to other languages, mostly French and Spanish. We lived across the street from a Hispanic family for over ten years and our oldest was really interested in Spanish for a while. At a young age listening to our neighbors speak in their native tongue always intrigued her.

Language Stars is an organization offering play-based, full-immersion foreign language classes to children ages toddler thru 5th grade. Language Stars has centers and satellite schools in two metro areas – Chicago and DC.

From January 14th- 27th Language Stars will be hosting Open House Weeks so you can experience Language Stars firsthand and get to:

Tour your local Language Stars center

Meet our international teaching team

Learn about the Window of Opportunity and why NOW is the best time for your child to learn a foreign language

Receive a special Open House gift to take home for you and your child

Enter our Open House Weeks Giveaway for a chance to win a brand new iPad mini

Enroll during our Open House Weeks and receive $100 OFF you tuition (new families only)

You can reserve a spot for Language Stars Open House today by filling out the form at http://www.languagestars.com/openhouse2013 or call 866-55-STARS. If you sign up, you will be able to take in a language class with your toddler or allow your preschool through 5th grade age child take in a class on their own. They offer time choices and even offer a snack and ask if your child has any food allergies at the Language Stars Satellite schools.

Already enrolled? Receive $100 OFF your tuition for every family you refer who enrolls through January 27, 2013.

Visit Language Stars on the web:

Language Stars DC FB page-
http://www.facebook.com/LanguageStarsDC

Language Stars Chicago FB page-
http://www.facebook.com/LanguageStarsChicago

Enter Language Stars iPad Mini Giveaway

Language Stars will be giving away 2 iPad minis– one for the Chicago market and one for the DC market (valued at $329). Below you can enter to the iPad Mini Sweepstakes for the Chicago area:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you ever thought to or wanted to put your child in language classes? What languages do you speak?

“This blog post is part of a paid MtoM Consulting, LLC and Language Stars blogging program. Ideas and opinions are my own.”

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Food Allergies Education – A Healthy Tuesday Tip

Posted by html404 on January 8, 2013
in Articles, Education, Health, Health and Nutrition

Food allergies education. How many of you educate yourselves about food allergies, especially if your children don’t even have them? How many of you think about keeping children with allergies safe?

We have friends whose son has extreme allergies. She has to carry an Epipen. I remember a story she told of her older daughter helping with dinner preparations – making tacos – her daughter neglected to wash her hands after touching the different ingredients. After dinner her son started to get a red, itchy face…a sign of an allergic reaction. They determined that when their daughter made the tacos the residue from the cheese on her fingers caused their son to react to his dairy allergy. Amazing. Our friends are not the only ones suffering through the challenges of extreme allergies. There are so many children with life threatening allergies now that there are Food Allergy Initiatives and Ministries to support and help families, especially in dealing with their child(ren) attending school.

Last year there was an article featured on Yahoo that I thought worthy of attention, even a year later, because I believe food allergies education is crucial to keeping children with allergies safe.

Nearly 6 million or 8% of children have food allergies with young children affected most.[1]

The prevalence of food allergies and associated anaphylaxis appears to be on the rise. [2]

According to a study released in 2008 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about an 18% increase in food allergy was seen between 1997 and 2007. [3]

Even though I homeschool I feel it is important for us as parents to educate not only ourselves but also our children about food allergies because we all either know someone with deadly allergies or will inevitably meet someone with them. It is important for the safety of children with food allergies that we are aware and alert to the fact that our children need to know how to safely offer treats to their friends because there isn’t always going to be an adult around to “save” an allergic child from a harmful ingredient.

Please share what you have done to increase yours and your children’s food allergies education.

[1][2][3] FoodAllergy.org Food Allergy Facts and Statistics for the U.S. http://www.foodallergy.org/page/facts-and-stats

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The Rhyme Bible Storybook Review

Posted by Professor on January 5, 2013
in Books, Education, Kids Stuff, Reviews

Reading time at home will be even more fun with the arrival of Linda Sattgast’s freshly updated version of The Rhyme Bible Storybook!

Twelve years since the first edition captured parents’ hearts, Sattgast teams with artist Laurence Cleyet-Merle to illuminate key passages from the Bible, making the most important lessons easy to understand.

Sattgast’s rhyming text helps beginning readers remember each Bible story and comprehend their basic lessons. For instance, the story of David and Goliath becomes a read-aloud lyrical song similar to a nursery rhyme. In addition, the story of Jonah and the big fish detailed in the book is a delightful bedtime story.

With Cleyet-Merle’s vivid illustrations, readers will experience 35 classic bible stories as they have never before been presented ~ with adorable pictured and Sattgast’s rhyming text.

For any parent who wants to teach the Word of God, THE RHYMING BIBLE STORYBOOK is the perfect choice for engaging little ones. Together, Sattgast and Cleyet-Merle breathe new life into the traditional storybook Bible, making this new edition a keepsake for all ages.

Our Review:

I absolutely LOVE this book…perhaps it is because I LOVE songs and rhyming…but it is amazing! This book really hits home with our family because it is an easy way to learn classic bible stories in an easy and fun way! My children LOVE the verse and the illustrations. I cannot say enough about the author and illustrators who have brought the bible stories to life in this text! WONDERFUL!

I liked this book so much that I brought it to my Sunday school class…of 6^th graders… yes I said it 6^th graders. Now, do not get me wrong I am not saying that I taught out of a rhyming book to older children… BUT since we are studying the Old Testament… I used it as a teaching tool! I chose a few stories that we had studied and read the rhyming version aloud to the students. Then I asked my students to take their favorite story we have studied and try to make up their own rhyming version of a story or part of a story. The older kids were very engaged in this activity! We had so much fun! I Loved being able to use this bible with my little ones at home and as a teaching tool in the classroom! Hats off to Zondervan and their talented authors!

This book is available through Zondervan. You can find more information about this and other Zondervan products at: http://zondervan.com/

You can purchase the book here: http://zondervan.com/9780310726029

The book is also available through Amazon and other retailers.

Here is the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Rhyme-Bible-Storybook-Linda-Sattgast/dp/0310726026/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357382333&sr=8-2&keywords=the+rhyme+storybook+bible

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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I Spy with Lola App Review

Posted by Brande on December 12, 2012
in Downloads, Education, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics

Meet Lola the Panda Bear. Are you ready for your little ones to go on a searching adventure with her? Great! Don’t tell the the kids but I’m sure they will learn a few things along the way too.

I Spy with Lola App

There are 3 different levels with I Spy with Lola – Easy, Medium, and Hard. BUT, you need to get through the easy level before you can move on.

Lola flies in her airplane to a destination in the world that your child will pick. Watch out because some are locked because they are higher levels. For example, if you child picks Hawaii on the map the app will tell you it’s Hawaii. Once the destination is picked Lola flies in and will tell you to find the sunglasses, boat, dolphin, etc. If you choose the wrong one, it will tell you the object but will not cross it off Lola’s list.

Once you complete the first level, the second level or medium level are about things that begin with …. For example – things that being with “B”. The Hard Level is “a hat that shades your eyes” – along the lines of a riddle.

I Spy with Lola App Review

My 4 year old daughter loves this app. It’s teaching her new objects and helping with “things that begin with the letter …”. She’s working on the “riddle” or hard part with some help.

Download I Spy with Lola from iTunes. It’s available for iPhone and iPad. You can also get a free version to try out before you buy!

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National Geographic Super Reader Kit

Posted by html404 on December 3, 2012
in Animals, Books, Education

We love books here at our house and it has been an educational goal to instill a love of reading and learning in our children. After all if they develop a love of books they can learn almost anything on their own simply by reading. We have a reading program we use in our homeschool that has been effective with our girls but not so much our boys so we’ve been supplementing their reading with other books they want to read.

A few of weeks ago when we received a package containing the National Geographic Super Reader Kit our children sat down right away to read the four books it contained! They love animals and learning more about them. We also have a couple of children who are weather watchers, like their daddy, and they liked the weather stories told in the Wacky But True book.

We didn’t agree with the evolutionary slant of some of the books, but thankfully our children know what we/they believe. That would be the only reason we would choose not to use or recommend it to other Christians. We’d at least give an advance warning of it containing evolution.

Here are a few of the children’s thoughts about the books in the National Geographic Super Reader Kit:

Castle Book

My 13 year old daughter said she learned stuff in the castle book that she didn’t know before. That’s huge as she is a voracious reader and has read many castle/medieval books.

Shark Book

An interesting book about sharks, which included Bethany’s shark attack was featured in the movie “Soul Surfer”. The children really liked this book.

Animal Stories Book

This book is about bad behavior in animals. One dog almost set the house on fire and died. Some of the bad behavior turned out to be good, like a naughty little orangutang who was kind of like Curious George and got into things, but actually saved a man’s life.

Wacky/Crazy But True…Book

The children thought this book was awesome. Full of fun, wacky/crazy but true facts and snippets about science, history, geography etc.

Overall our children really did enjoy the content of the books, we really didn’t use the extras because as I said they sat down right away to read the books and there was no need to give them motivators of stickers or book marks. Not to say it wasn’t cute or a great idea, our children just already love to read, but I can see how it may be motivating to those who are struggling with reading.

You may Find National Geographic online at:
kids.nationalgeographic.com/superreader
kids.nationalgeographic.com
Facebook.com/NatGeoBooks
Twitter.com/NGKidsBks

Thumbs up from us!

Three of you have the opportunity to win a kit of your own. Just fill out the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer, National Geographic. As a Moms MeetSM blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

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Maddie and Matt Happy Earth App Review

Posted by Brande on November 29, 2012
in Eco Friendly Products, Education, Family Stuff, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Techie Stuff

The Maddie and Matt Happy Earth App is a free earth friendly app. It is a wonderful tool for teaching your kids about recycling and helping the Earth.

There are 5 different activities. “Spot the Difference” is 2 pictures side by side and you tap where is the difference is. Is it actually tricky, but fun. Below is my Maddie and Matt Happy Earth App review.

Maddie and Matt Happy Earth App Review

Here is “Create your Own Happy Earth”. Which you drag and drop face parts to make a happy Earth.

Then there is “Segregation Game”. This one you drag and drop the trash into the correct can. If you choose the wrong can, it “throws” the trash back.

With “Choose a Screen” you select a bubble. When the screen changes it take you to Matt and/or Maddie and teaches you about conservation. For example, if you chose “Conservation of Water” – Maddie and Matt would tell you to turn off the faucet when washing dishes.

“Earth Facts” is very cool. By giving you 10 fact. When you select a fact it will show more about that fact.

Did you know the Earth is 4.6 Billion years old? Now, that’s what I call a bonfire! (Editor’s note: The Gould family does not believe the earth is 4.6 billion years old. That is what evolution teaches. We hold to the biblical view of creation which teaches the earth is actually only 7,000-10,000 years old.)

As an adult I really enjoyed learning more about the Earth and Conservation. This type of app I would suggest for kids 6 years or older. My daughter is 4 and doesn’t understand all of this information yet. But, this is a fantastic app for your older kids.

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Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge #Brandcation #PigeonForge

Posted by html404 on October 13, 2012
in Blog Stuff, Education, Travel, Uncategorized

Wow. That’s how I’d describe the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge. It surprised me how sobering it was to walk through the museum. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting it considering the Titanic was a tragic event but most museums I have visited only had certain exhibits sharing an devastating event in history briefly and intermixed with more fun and informative facts of joyful times. Know what I mean?

The museum was set up so visitors lined up to board the Titanic. Boarding passes and hand held audio devices are handed to each passenger. The unique thing about how this is done is passengers are given a boarding pass with the name of a real passenger who traveled on the Titanic. The boarding pass tells the story of the passenger. At the end of the “voyage” visitors find out if they survived their journey.

The name on my boarding pass? Emily R. and I cannot seem to find my boarding pass to give you more information. 🙁 It’s not the first time I misplaced it either. I know one of my daughters got to read it. The whole purpose behind the boarding passes is for us to leave the museum and share our passenger’s story with others, especially our children, so they are not forgotten. The last Titanic survivor has died and only their offspring are left to carry on their legacy. By visiting the museum we help keep that legacy alive.

Inside the Titanic Museum

First class stateroom.

The infamous staircase.

The bridge.

On the deck there was a wall of ice we could touch and “troughs” of water along the edge of the deck. The same water was the same temperature the passengers of the Titanic would have experience upon being submerged into it.

Speaking of water, in the third class section of the Titanic Museum there was a stair well going up featuring water pouring down into the third class section.

The Memorial wall.

The Titanic Crew

And the crew certainly out did themselves during our visit to the museum. We were given VIP treatment that day. They served us a scrumptiously delicious breakfast buffet that everyone raved about.

The crew was funny, knowledgeable and very courteous.

We were even privileged to meet Mary Kellogg Joslyn, co-owner of the museum with her husband John Joslyn. She gave a short presentation that we thought was inspiring.

Brandcation Blog Cabin Bloggers at the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge

Photo courtesy of Kim at Brandfluential. All other photos are courtesy of the Titanic Museum, as no photos are allowed to be taken inside the museum by visitors.

A picture speak a thousand words and these do. Visit www.titanicpigeonforge.com for more amazing photos and coverage of the Titanic.

Companies may have provided media rate or media tickets to assist in facilitation of this article. Experiences are all real and all opinions are my own.

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Super-de-duper $10,000 Sweepstakes from GradSave

Posted by html404 on October 8, 2012
in Education, Gift Ideas, Saving Money, Thrifty Thursday, Uncategorized

Got little ones? Want to start saving for their college education? Then you’ll be interested to know about this $10000 Sweepstakes from GradSave, after all it’s never too early to start saving for college:

Be sure to read more about eligibility rules and prizes here. Odds of winning depends on how many entries received.

“I was compensated to share this information. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

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College Students Save Money with Textbook Rentals

Posted by html404 on September 13, 2012
in Books, Education, Saving Money, School, Thrifty Thursday

If you have ever gone to college or have a college aged student you know how expensive books can be. It’s important to be able to save as much money as possible while attending college to pay for loans, lodging, food and transportation. That’s why I wish we had the internet back when I went to college in the late 80’s early 90’s. I spent a lot of money on books.

Today college students can save money using textbook rental services. After all why buy a book you’ll only read once, right? Another plus with renting textbooks is not having to store books that will never be read again. How many of those do you have in your attic or garage? I know we still have some 20 years later! Campus Book Rentals offers a solution to these issues and incredible savings. Here are some of the benefits you’ll see right off:

-40-90% off of normal bookstore prices (This is better than wholesale!)
-free shipping both ways (Extra, extra!)
-freedom to highlight in the textbooks (Wow!)
-flexible rental periods
-Operation Smile receives money with each textbook rented (Bonus! Helping others while saving money, who can turn that down?)