Education - Faith and Family Reviews

Tag Archive for Education

Tax Time! Time to Organize, Again!

Posted by html404 on February 18, 2012
in Business, Organization, Reviews, School, Shopping

I have a tendency to procrastinate over taxes, but this year I have been working hard to do better. I have been sorting my receipts, gathering my mileage logs, adding up my different streams of income and comparing them to my 1099s, plus getting my checkbook and PayPal ledgers either updated or printed off. There is a lot to do to get ready for tax time. I kind of miss the days when I didn’t have to do anything, my husband just took care of it all. But alas those days are over.

Over a month ago, maybe even less, I organized my office. Now, in preparation for tax season my office has got disorganized because I have been going through files and receipts for each business. I am a paper person so there are usually piles of paper here and there. However, I like my desk to be mostly cleared when doing important paper work so I can keep track of everything.

Another thing I like to keep track of is my pens and pencils. I found a nifty little lamp last summer at the thrift store with compartments to keep things on my desk more organized. That’s where I keep pens, pencils, erasers and sticky notes, etc.

We use a lot of pencils between business and homeschooling. During tax season it’s nice to have sharpened pencils on hand, but I discovered that ours had bit the dust and had to buy a new one. Nothing like having tons of pencils in the house and nothing to sharpen them with! Talk about maddening. There were a few different ones to choose from, but I bought the X-ACTO Spira pencil sharpener because I had a coupon. You can even see photos of my shopping trip here.

By the way, the new sharpener works great! Probably won’t be able to keep the children away from it. If you would like to learn more about X-ACTO products, please consider the following pages:

Elmer’s Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/elmers
X-ACTO Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/XACTO

Then have fun filing your taxes! Ha!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions expressed are my own.#CBias #XACTO

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Encyclopedia Britannica Kids – US Presidents FREE App – Only Until Monday!!

Posted by Brande on February 18, 2012
in Deals, Downloads, Education, Family Stuff, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Music, News Worthy, Parenting, Politics, Saving Money, School

Hurry! Head to your itunes store and download – Encyclopedia Britannica Kids – US Presidents app for FREE, it’s usually 2.99! This offer expires Monday the 20th at Midnight EST!

Great app, I’m learning a lot myself! It has all the Presidents, when you select a President it gives you their dates in office, who was/is the Vice President, First Lady, when their birthday was/is, and fun facts!

In addition, there is a section of “Did you know?”. At the bottom of the screen, select menu and you are able to hear and see the words to “Hail to the Chief”. There is also a quiz section to test your knowledge.

It’s available for your iPhone and iPad. I checked Andriod and didn’t see this specific app, but did see other apps for US Presidents.

Enjoy!

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The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Goes Digital!

Posted by Brande on February 16, 2012
in Downloads, Ebooks, Education, Family Stuff, Free Stuff, News Worthy, Parenting, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, School, Techie Stuff

Homeschool parents, this one is for you! This app is available for Apple & Android devices! Now you can read “The Old Schoolhouse Magazine” at home or on the go for FREE!

These are very interactive apps. You can watch videos, zoom in on advertisers, web links to order, and more!

Here’s the links! Apple App – FREE Android App – FREE

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Free Apps for Kids!

Posted by Brande on January 28, 2012
in Deals, Downloads, Education, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Humor, Technology/Electronics

**(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

Posted by Brande on January 27, 2012
in Children's Clothing, Downloads, Ebooks, Education, Faith and Family Reviews Friday Giveaway, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Giveaways, Parenting, School

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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REVIEW ~ Little Lion AND Little Lamb Bibles

Posted by Professor on January 13, 2012
in Animals, Baby Products, Books, Education, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas

Little Lamb’s Bible and/ or Little Lion Bible is a soft, cuddly Bible that children ages 2 to 5 can call his or her own. Throughout this plush-covered book, children learn that they are loved and cared for by God as they hear about God’s faithfulness in ten stories from the Bible (both Old and New Testaments). With sweet, rhyming text and colorful illustrations, this soft and cuddly character storybook Bible is sure to become a classic with preschoolers!

OUR REVIEW:

We received both the Little Lamb bible AND the Little Lion Bible! They are both very beautifully made and constructed! We loved the fact that they had a plush outside and were a board book inside. This construction is unique and was very attractive to my children. My 3-year-old daughter loved the Lamb and my 5-year-old son loved the lion. I honestly thought that the bible would be too young for my fiver year old… but it was not. It had just enough content to hold his attention and the animal exterior tickled his fancy!

The content is great! Just enough text to hold the attention of little ones! The illustrations are wonderful! My children loved the vibrant pictures that accompanied the stories! The illustrations really captivated them and made the book a hit!

This is a wonderful product! I cannot say enough about the products that Zondervan puts out…they have not disappointed us yet!

Look for this product in stores on January 16, 2012. I think this would make a great gift…especially a wonderful gift for Easter! What a supplement to any bookshelf!

The book retails at $15.99…, which may seem high but remember it is a board book with a beautiful plush exterior and it is very high quality and should last for years!

Thank you ZONDERKIDZ for another great product!

To find The Little Lamb Bible AND The Little Lamb Bible or peruse other collections and items available from Zonderkidz please visit: www.Zondervan.com

You can even visit the product specific page here http://browseinside.zondervan.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780310725510

and see a detailed view of the book and get an inside peek at the illustrations!

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MLK Day – January 16

Posted by Brande on January 9, 2012
in Articles, Community Issues, Downloads, Education, Family Stuff, Giving Back/Charity, Monday Motivation, News Worthy, Organization, School

In just a week it will be Martin Luther King Day – Monday, January 16th. There is valuable information on this site not only about MLK, but how others can volunteer or serve those in need.

http://mlkday.gov/plan/library/communications/posters.php

Take your children on an educational tour about a man who made a difference and encourage them to change the world by making a difference too.

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Homeschooling and Astronauts

Posted by html404 on December 26, 2011
in Family Stuff, Food and Treats, School

For awhile my kids were really into space and astronauts. This was when they were much younger, but even today my husband and children love to watch the stars and one night this winter they even stayed out in the freezing air waiting for a comet that never appeared. Think we got the wrong time or missed it completely. 🙁

Since they were so interested space I decided to put together a unit study for them. Even today my kids have fond memories of doing that unit study! (It was my older daughter’s idea to do this post!) We went to the library and checked out tons of books on space and then we all sat around and read them throughout the course of a few weeks. We watched a couple movies on space, did complimenting projects and assignments. The children really enjoyed that unit study.

Of course, we couldn’t do a unit study without the food! And since astronauts eat foods for survival, I purchased a couple freeze dried meals for my kids to try. They liked them a lot and thought that it was the funniest thing that you could put ice cream in a bag and eat it without a spoon! 😉

I still have the pink folder with my children’s book reports in it that they did on several of our favorite books on space. In the past couple years the folder has started to fall apart, but we still have the packaging to the astronaut food and the memories are still in my four older children’s minds and hearts of the time that we did a study on space.

Considering the fact that it’s been almost six or seven years since we did that unit study I should really do it again for the sake of my four younger kids. And I’ll have to BuyEmergencyFoods to show my younger kids what astronauts eat so they can experience the fun too!

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Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North “Poll”

Posted by Brande on November 14, 2011
in Baby Products, Books, Coupons, Education, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Holidays, Kids Toys, SALES, Saving Money, Shopping

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North “Poll!” You’ll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

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HSLDA Survey for a Chance to Win a $500 Visa Gift Card.

Posted by html404 on September 27, 2011
in Education, School

HSLDA needs your input to help them better serve you and the homeschooling community! Follow the link below to their short, six-question survey and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a $500 Visa gift card.

http://www.hslda.org/Survey/mvt/Default.aspx?rid=27494

Survey and drawing entries must be submitted by October 9. Winner will be drawn on Tuesday, October 11, 2011, and will be contacted by email. If we do not receive a response within 72 hours, a new winning name will be drawn. Must be age 18 or older to participate. By entering this contest, you agree to have your email address added to HSLDA’s email list. You may unsubscribe at any time.

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