America's Heritage, An Adventure in Liberty K-12 CD

If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. ~Thomas Jefferson

The American Heritage Education Foundation is concerned about a lack of American history knowledge in America's young people. They feel that too many children leave their educational years without understanding our nation's factual and philisophical heritage. In response they have put together a resource to make it easier for teachers to include deeper, more significant coverage of America's history in their classroom: America's Heritage, An Adventure in Liberty. The materials are completely free. (The AHEF is a non-profit.)



The lesson plans put together by AHEF use the actual documents and monuments of American history to help students understand how our government came to be, how our government works, how our government is different from other types of government, and how to be a responsible citizen. Each lesson takes the material presented and tries to point to a certain character value: freedom, unity, progress, responsibility. The lessons are designed to supplement a teacher's American history curriculum, so there are just one or two lessons per month of the school year. All lessons are correlated to NCSS and Core Knowledge national social studies standards.

If you think that the lessons must be long and boring in order to accomplish this, you're wrong. The lessons are varied in presentation style, moderate in length, and to the point. In one elementary lesson, where different types of world governements are discussed, students role play different governmental systems. They take turns being kings and peasants, despots and subjects, and buying and selling within these systems. In another lesson, students read part of the Declaration of Independence and compare "God Save the King" to "My Country 'tis of Thee". While that is a little bit bookish, think about it for a minute. The students aren't staring at mind-numbing textbook regurgitation, they are looking at source documents and actually comparing them. This is how the AHEF does things and I think it helps history/social studies/civics stick.

I know that lists can make your eyes glaze over, especially on a blog, but bear with me and read this list. This is a list of the topics covered in the elementary plans:
Colonial America: American Revolution
The Delcaration of Independence
A Famous Signature (the Constitution)
George Washington
US Presidents
The Great Seal
Thanksgiving
The United States Flag
The Star-Spangled Banner
The National Motto
The Statue of Liberty
The Pledge of Allegiance and Creed
America the Beautiful
What is an American?

Looking at that list gets me excited. There are some of those topics that were never covered in my many years in public schools. They are topics I don't want to leave out of my children's education. For those of you, like me, who wish to really delve into America's Christian heritage, you'll have to use additional sources. But, that doesn't mean this isn't a great resource to start with. I think it is well done and will do an excellent job of helping you dive into America's unique beginnings.

For those American teachers like me (who had a sprinkling of American history in school) the creators of the resource have included a section that explains briefly the early history of the United States.

These supplemental curriculum materials were designed for modern classroom use. The homeschooling parent will have to get creative and modify the lessons that use group activity. Looking at the materials, this can be done and I think it's worth it to do it. Also, if a homeschooler wanted to use this as their primary history curriculum they would have to use the lessons as a springboard into further inquiry since there are just 15 lessons . I'm thinking that they could check out library books related to the lesson, decide on something to memorize, and plan a field trip or two.

In the middle school resources, many of the same topics are covered as in the elementary level, though on a higher level. The new topics are interesting: "Lives, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor" (the sacrifices made by signers of the Declaration of Independence), the Bill of Rights, national documents, the Gettysburg Address, and the national motto. The high school level covers the Mayflower Compact, Federalist 47, American entrepreneurs Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Hill, and Rockefeller, and the First Amendment.

The materials are very nicely put together. The overall look and layout of each page is pleasing to the eye. Each lesson clearly states its purpose, references NCSS standards, and generally makes everything as easy as possible for the teacher. The elementary materials are available in Spanish.

The AHEF materials have been used and tested in classrooms all across America. Teachers have found them useful and effective. The materials are also endorsed by a few big names like Rod Paige, former US Secretary of Education. I would suggest spending some time reading the information on their website to help you get an even better idea of who AHEF and what the materials are like.

America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty is a collection of pdf files. You'll have to download Adobe Acrobat if you don't already have it. There's a link on the website, and if you order the CD there is a link to Adobe Acrobat on its menu. If you download the free lesson plans from the Internet, you have to dowload each level separately. The free CD has all the levels together (including the Spanish materials). If you want, AHEF will print out the pdf files for you, put them in a binder, and send them to you. This will cost you $19.50 per level.

American Heritage Education Foundation website

Ordering Page
Curriculum downloads - FREE
Order CD - FREE
Order printed materials - $19.50 per level

Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.
~John Adams

This review is one of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated for reviews, though I do receive the product free of charge to use and review.

An Attempt at Fall Bokeh

So a while back the Pioneer Woman, through Miz Booshay, asked her readers to take fall bokeh pictures. I was enthusiastic and ran outside (later) with my camera (and a jacket) only to find that none of my trees' leaves were turning colors (try figuring out where the apostrophe goes in that sentence).

Looking around, I decided to try out the woodpile as a potential bokeh subject. It was brown. But, the lighting was lower than my camera liked and I couldn't hold still to save my life. This is the only crisp photo. And it's of a spider's web - ick.



I found some dead leaves, from some severed limbs, and used those. But the background is still too green and not twinkly enough.





Don't get me wrong. I like the photos above. But, I don't think they qualify as bokeh per se. Especially when you take a gander at entries in the fall bokeh assignment.

Later on, I tried again. I got one passable bokeh photo. Go me! I'll just have to live with the fact that it looks more like a springtime photo.

Why I Go to Church

I don't go to church out of obligation.

I don't go to church to score points with God.

I don't go to church to make myself feel less guilty.

I don't go to church to keep up appearances.

I don't go to church to be entertained.

I don't go to church to get a spiritual high.

I don't go to church to hear great music.

I don't go to church to be moved by great oratory.

I don't go to church for the coffee and friends.

I go to church because God first loved me. He loved me so much that before I even knew Him He sent His Son to die for my sins. I have accepted the offered gift of Salvation and have fallen in love with my Savior.

I go to church to get together with others who have fallen in love with God. Together we worship Him and get to know Him better through the teaching of His Word.

I think, sometimes, it's important to remember this.

abcTeach website

When I was a child, and I played school with my friends, I thought worksheets were the be-all and end-all of education. As a former teacher and a homeschooling momma, I now know better. Worksheets are useful if used properly. And in some disciplines, like penmanship, they're essential.

If your child is struggling with math facts, drill worksheets are one possible piece of an effective solution. If you make lapbooks, you use worksheets in diverse ways to create one. If your child needs additional penmanship practice, particularly with a specific letter, making a page of practice of just that letter is just what you need.

Even still, I have to be honest and say that I wasn't too thrilled about reviewing what I thought was a website full of worksheets. Well, it turns out abcteach is more than I thought it was.




abcteach is a website full of quality printables. By "printables" I mean clip art, binder covers, labels, center signs, unit studies, file folder games, shapebooks, science experiments, reading comprehension sheets, and worksheets. They also offer powerpoint presentations to use in your homeschool. There might even be more that I missed. See? It's not just drill-and-kill worksheets.

And abcteach's coolest feature, in my estimation, is their worksheet generators. If you can't find the kind of thing you need already created and ready, you can create your own! You pick the content, you pick the format, and you get a personally applicable printable. You can create your own:

handwriting page
crossword puzzle
shapebook
word wall
word unscramble
word search
math worksheet
word shape
soduku puzzle
spelling list
circle and spell sheet
abc order page
desk tag
and bingo game

The resources are well organized by category; there is a search feature as well. There is probably something there that you can use to enhance or supplement your current studies. To get a taste of what is available to you from abcteach, they offer 5,000 of their worksheets free. That might sound like a lot, and everything one would need, but let me tell you it's not. Their offerings cover such a wide variety of subjects (yay!) that when you spread out the variety of topics across the variety of available printables, worksheets, and more, well, there's room for a whole lot more. There are 35,000 printables available to members (that's six times what is available for free).

Membership with abcteach also signs you up for their weekly newsletter. In it they let you know about new content being added to the site. In the few weeks I've been receiving emails, they've added a lot of new content. abcteach takes suggestions from members for material they would like to see added to the site.

Included with your membership is customer service. I find that to be very interesting. A worksheet generating website, to me, seems to be the kind of place you go, you try, and you leave if you can't get what you want. But, this site is not that way. It's full service. You can contact customer service with any problems you are having.

They even have tutorial videos (and text if you want it) about how to use the abctools. I was having difficulty making my own penmanship worksheet. After watching the tutorial, it was easy. Oh, and speaking of handwriting, they have a large selection of fonts. They have A Beka, D'Nelean, Handwriting without Tears, and more!

For now, I'm going to forgo a membership. But, I can see myself using this site in the future, especially as I focus on setting up our learning area, and as I have more students doing more work. Right now, with the baby, I don't have time to be digging around yet another site.

If you think you might be interested, I suggest you try out the free stuff first, and see if and how you might be able to use them in your homeschool to get an idea of the value of an abcteach membership for you.

Check out a short video that gives an overview of the site.

abcteach homepage

One year membership is $40.00


This review is one of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated for reviews, though I do receive the product free of charge to use and review.

Virginia Soaps & Scents

If you enjoy all things natural and small family businesses with heart you'll like Virginia Soaps & Scents.



Virginia Soaps & Scents started unexpectedly. The Spargur's, a homeschooling family, were doing a unit study on colonial life in Virginia. As part of the study, the family made some homemade soap. Although intended to be a one-time thing, the family continued experimenting, researching, learning, and designing soap recipes. Six months after that first lesson, Virginia Soaps & Scents was born.

VSS makes soap the old-old-fashioned way. According to them, prior to World War II soap was made differently than it is now. When the war ended, the new, cheaper ingredients had established a place in the soapmaking industry and continued on strong. VSS takes the soap recipe back to what it was before the change. Each batch of soap is handmade and handcut. Each recipe is devised in-house by the Spargur's.

Man, that's just the kind of company I like to support! And that's just the kind of product that attracts my attention. This new (yet old) type of soap is becoming very popular. Be careful trying them out because many people become instant converts. They love it! They notice an immediate and lasting difference in their skin and hair.



I was sent three sampler soap bars and one sampler shampoo bar. I haven't used bar soap regularly in a decade! They each smelled yummy - and actually reminded me of bathing at my grandmother's house. (I don't remember Grandma having special soap...but every time I smelled the VSS soaps I was instantly transported to my childhood.) While I enjoyed using the soap, I did feel like I always do after I use bar soap. I felt a residue all over my skin as I dried off. I did not feel that awful tightness you can get from some bar soaps, but I did feel a film on my skin. Most people say they don't feel like this, so perhaps I'm just strange.

I used the soap bars on all my children and they worked great! There was no sensitivity or any other problems. As a matter of fact, my children smelled really good even into the next morning. However, I didn't care for the maintenance bars of soap entail. There was that usual small amount of soap stuck to the shelf and soap scum in the tub.

The shampoo bar took some trial and error to figure out. Having long, thick hair like I do, I had to be sure to rub the bar over my hair root to tip several times to produce a nice foamy lather in my hair. I used the shampoo bar on all my family too. None of them had any trouble getting a lather.

My daughter's hair came out particularly nice with the shampoo bar. She has straight, short hair. After washing and rinsing her hair there was no need for conditioner. A comb would run right through her hair. And her hair looked really good the next day. All I had to do was comb it and it looked great.

My hair did not come out so well with the shampoo bar. It is my opinion that the shampoo bar does leave behind a residue on the hair. In my daughter's case, this was a good thing. The residue acted like a conditioner on each hair strand. In my case, it was a disaster. My hair felt funny, and was frizzy. VSS makes a shampoo bar for oily hair. Perhaps I would have had a better experience with that.



VSS also sent me a Laundry Soap Kit. I have never made my own laundry soap before so I was a little apprehensive. It turns out that it's really easy. Instructions are included in each kit. After heating the ingredients up on the stove I poured the mixture into a plastic container. I added a little more water and waited for the soap to cool. You can use the soap as soon as it's mixed, but I let it cool anyway. It forms a gelatinous blob. To wash a load, I dipped out 1/2 a cup (don't try to pour it out - the entire glob will slide out) and washed as usual.

I've washed a week's worth of laundry with the 1/2 gallon sampler I was given, and could probably wash another week's worth. The laundry has all come out looking as clean as it always does, although I haven't had any tough cases to test the soap with. I've noticed that all my laundry feels like I used just a small amount of fabric softener on it. I don't ever use fabric softener, but I've had experience with family who do. My laundry definitely comes out of the dryer slightly resembling clothing rinsed with fabric softener. In my case that's been a good thing.

Also, VSS Laundry Soap is unscented. Since I already use an unscented laundry detergent, I'm used to my laundry not smelling like flowers when I fold it. All unscented soap has a smell though - the smell of the ingredients. VSS's soap smell was mild, almost sweet, and I noticed that it didn't linger long after the clothes came out of the dryer. When I add that to the knowlege that VSS Laundry Soap is phosphate-free it makes me very happy to use it. (I am not a greenie, but I am a sportsman convservationist. My current laundry detergent is also phosphate-free.)

The difference in the cost of laundry soap is significant for me. Right now I spend $12 a month on laundry detergent. With VSS laundry soap I estimate I would need just one 2 gallon kit a month. At $4.95 a kit, I would be saving myself $7 a month (before shipping).

VSS offers so much more than just soap, shampoo, and laundry kits. They have gourmet soaps, shaving soaps, lotions, scrubs, powders, lip balm, linen spray, and pet shampoo. Their soaps come in over a dozen scents - including unscented. For the upcoming Christmas season they are offering special seasonally-scented soaps.

I am seriously considering some of their body butter and body powders. Oh, how nice it is to feel like a woman... oh, sorry.

If you are interested in VSS products, here's some information to get you started.

Virginia Soaps & Scents homepage

Regular Soap $4.50
4 bars for $12
10 bars for $35

Shampoo Bar $5.50
2 bars for $10

Laundry Soap Kit $4.75
6 kits for $25

Shipping costs appear to be around $10 an order, unless you order a very large quantity.

This review is one of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated for reviews, though I do receive the product free of charge to use and review.

Amazing Bible World History Timeline

William (Bill) Agards was frustrated by 15 foot long wall timelines. He began trying to figure out a way to make a timeline more compact and developed the circular Amazing Bible World History Timeline. Although it is still large at 3'x4', that's certainly a lot smaller than fifteen feet. After creating this timeline for himself, he found others interested in it. He and his wife Margaret and decided to print it up and offer it for sale.



The timeline was created with an eye toward following the descendents of Noah through history. Each son of Noah, and all his descedents, share a color on the chart. The year of birth and the year of death are written, so that you're not guessing just exactly where two important figures line up. And for each Biblical person and for many Biblical events the relevant Scripture is listed.

The timeline he devised follows the sons of Noah as their families disperse throughout the post-flood world. Each group of descendants is color-coded. The timeline doesn't list every single possible thing. It is evenly divided up into large sections of time. Major events and peoples are listed. The Catholic church and the Reformation get their own color designation.

I did not find the format confusing, as some others have. It is visually overwhelming at first, but then you're talking about 6,000 years of history all on one chart. After I read the instructions about how to read it and looked for events familiar to me, I got my bearings and was able to navigate the chart.

The timeline covers Egypt, China, Greece, Rome, Israel, North and South American peoples, and even the Germanic tribes after the Fall of Rome.

When you purchase the timeline, you also receive access to download two bonuses. One bonus is a pdf download of each section of the chart that you can view on your computer. Using this pdf you can look up and zoom in on any section of history right on your computer. The other bonus is called Interactive Maps of the Holy Land. It is a multi-layer pdf file. There is a topographical map of Israel and the surrounding area upon which you can place five other "maps". They are not really maps, they are outlines of contries - blue lines, green lines, etc. - and lables. Each map is from a different period in history, enabling you to see who has been where when. You can print off the maps, showing whichever layers you choose.

I like using timelines for history. I have found timelines to be especially useful when studying the Bible. When you are studying one thing, you can find that time on the timeline and see, at a glance, the major people and events that concurr with that thing. It helps to place the event in context. For instance, looking at the descendents of Noah, you can easily see on a timeline that Noah was still alive when Abraham was born and that Shem was alive almost until Abraham died. Just reading the narrative account, I didn't pick that up. But, seeing it on a timeline made the narrative come alive. The world of Abraham looks very different knowing that Shem - a man who experienced the flood - was alive and kickin' for most of Abraham's life. Also, it's interesting to see what Biblical happenings were going on during important happenings in other ancient civilations.

However, a timeline is only as good as the sources used to produce it. I know that for much of the Biblical and Ancient dates on the ABWHT, the work of Archbishop James Ussher was used. I consider his work to be very sound. When it comes to the events listed after ancient times, I find myself questioning a few things.

I was really confused when I began to read on the timeline about how the Native Americans were descendents of the Hebrew people. On the timeline, they are colored yellow as all the descendents of Shem are. I am, unfortunately, not a history buff (yet!) but it was my understanding that Native Americans were thought to have descended from people of Asia. So I decided to do some digging. I started from sources on the timeline.

At the beginning of the Native American section, way back in 2204BC, Josephus is used as a source. The reference states that after the Tower of Babel some family groups went sailing away in ships to other lands. The interpretation is that these other lands were the Americas. Referenced is the similarity between ziggurats in Babylon and the Americas. Ok, I might buy that. But why does that make those who went to the Americas semitic? I confess myself to be totally confused on that one. After 1350BC the line is hollow and then at 600BC "The American Indian" section begins.

In the Native American section itself there are references to J. E. Talmadge's Articles of the Faith, which is a Mormon document. Apparently these Mormon references listed in The American Indian section are leftover bits and pieces from an accident Bible Charts and Maps, LLC had. According to them, the original timeline did not use the Book of Mormon as a source document for historical events. However, in order to accomodate Mormon buyers, the Agards produced a timeline that included information of LDS origin. (See Here) According to their statement, they did not alter anything on their original timeline, but simply added dates from the Book of Mormon to their timeline. Later on, the films for their original (non-Mormon-specific) timeline were damaged in an accident. They then used the LDS timeline film to reproduce their original timeline. In doing so, according to their statement, they inadvertantly left some LDS references on the chart. To be fair to their statement, I gave them the benefit of my doubt, and looked past the references on the timeline itself. I turned my attention to the books that are cited as sources.

There are three sources listed on the chart for the Native American section:
Verrill: American Indian
James Adair: History of the American Indian
Radin: Story of the American Indian

In researching those three books, I ended up all over the Internet. I read, for the first time, about the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. I read about the widespread romatic belief of the colonization era that the Native Peoples of the Americas were the missing ten tribes of Israel. I read how people of the time believed that the conversion of these tribes to Christianity would somehow bring about the millenial kingdom. In other words, I read a lot of speculation, belief, hope, and possible heresy. And those three books are rather old. Although each is considered a classic, I was not able to gather whether the conclusions drawn in the books are still considered valid by historians today (Biblicist or otherwise). I even got the impression that at least one of them was a source for Joseph Smith Jr. himself.

So, although the Agards are adamant that their timeline has no LDS slant, I think they may have inadvertantly lead themselves to that by use of those sources. The chart states that the timeline was created using "widely accepted sources" for everything outside the Bible, but I am not certain these sources qualify. I wish I had been able to look the timeline over carefully, section by section, for accuracy and inaccuracy, but my lack of knowledge of historical events just doesn't permit it. I also wish that the Agards would list all the sources they list on the timeline on their website, with a summation of what each source is and how they utilized it.

I was very excited to recieve the Amazing Bible World History Timeline, but I am less enthusiastic about using it now. I trust the dates up until the end of Ussher's Annals, but I would have to scrutinize every date after that. Perhaps I will as we progress through our history studies. And maybe I won't.

I also do not like it that the webpage I linked above with the explanation of the LDS references is not accessible from the ABWHT site - at all. It is not addressed in the FAQ section. You have to have the link yourself. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that it was just easier for them to write something up and publish it on a separate page. I would suggest they link to the explanation on their original version homepage.

The timeline comes with a money back guarantee. You have 60 days to return the timeline if, for any reason, you do not like it.

The Amazing Bible World History Timeline is $29.97(+$6.00 shipping) - $35.97
-It comes with two free downloads

On special right now: two timelines for $49.97(+$6.00 shipping) - $55.97


This review is one of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated for reviews, though I do receive the product free of charge to use and review.

Blog Housekeeping

I will not be posting for a short while because I'm going to spend some time on blog maintenance. There are photos from old posts that no longer link right. There are old posts that need their fonts updated to my new look. And more.

I have a two reviews due this week, so I'll get those in on time. But, there won't be any other exciting content coming your way for a while.

I need a laptop.

And I need to stop watching Netflix streaming for hours every night.

And I need to get some homeschooling done.

Thanks for understanding.

Sue Patrick Workbox System

I have noticed that both new and veteran homeschooling moms struggle to create an organized, well-structured learning environment. They know intuitively that if they created such an environment that more learning would take place, the atmosphere would be more peaceful, and somehow their children would be more independent and self-motivated. But in the midst of making three meals a day, researching curriculum, solving immediate family issues, and actually homeschooling, the idea of getting set up for success gets lost. A smooth-running school day with self-motivated children becomes a foggy dream you can't quite recapture.

Enter Sue Patrick. Spurned on by her special-needs child, she continued to pursue her ideal of a well-run homeschool environment. She tried dozens of things over multiple years. As she crashed and burned - and succeeded - she slowly built a system that works. It works for mom. It really works for the kids. She realized that the key to a functioning homeschool environment is recognizing that kids don't think like adults do. They don't see the whole day planned out in their mind like mom does. They need it spelled out for them - in something tangible. Enter the workbox.




Each workbox represents one chunk of work that a child is supposed to do. All the workboxes together show the entire day's work. As the assignment in each box is completed, the box and its contents are put away. At any given point in the day, a child knows how much they have left to accomplish. And, very importantly for children, they know when they are done. For many children, it feels like mom arbitrarily decides to continue piling on work. Once one task is completed, mom adds another one. This system keeps a child from being surprised by more work. It helps a child to mentally prepare for what work there is.

Even older students, who should be able to keep themselves organized and motivated, often are not and do not. If they are anything like I was, it's because they just don't intuitively 'get' organization. Painting them a picture, through the workbox system, would be a huge help. I wish someone had done this for me as a high-schooler! After using a system like this, I would have seen and understood so much better!

One of the reasons I like this system is that it is an excellent springboard to less elaborate forms of organization. A normally developing child who uses the workbox system for a year or two should be able to transistion to a checklist created by mom, and move on in maturity from there. And that's what I would want. Eventually, my precious child is going to go off to college and to work and to a home of their own. Learning to be organized and productive with a paper list, or an electronic helper, would be in their best interest.

In her book Sue Patrick lays out much more detail for the parent who is implementing the system. She helps you implement daily procedures which eliminate a lot of wasted time. She talks about the benefits of homeschooling. She explains how to break up curriculum into manageable chunks. She gives the reader ideas for independent activities that reinforce a student's learning. Her book contains a lot of great advice for the homeschooling parent concerning academics. While I did not care for all of advice she gave, much of it was good. (As usual with any how-to book you should read with wisdom.) After purchasing the book, you can access clip art and forms from her website to use for your workboxes. If you want, you can purchase all those bits and pieces already made from the website catalog.

While the workbox system does help you create a learning environment that really fosters learning, she never does give the reader a step-by-step list. You do have to read carefully and flip back through the book when you are setting your system up. Apparently Sue Patrick's Workboxes have been the buzz for quite some time. While there is much to be gleaned from reading other's blogs and discussing the system in forums, I recommend getting, reading, and ingesting the book for yourself. There's nothing like getting it straight from the horse's mouth. There's so much that gets lost in translation.

When it came to setting up our system, I did not care for the actual workboxes Sue Patrick suggested we use. I don't like for workbooks and papers to get curled and creased in order to fit in a plastic shoebox-sized toy bin. I found boxes at OfficeMax that I liked much better. They are flat, stackable, and hold papers flat. Other moms have modified the workbox, too (even though Sue Patrick does not recommend it). They have used magazine holders, stacking drawers with workfolders, file folders, and more.

I wish I could have gotten more out of Sue Patrick's ideas at this time. But, with just one child in Kindergarten, a baby to nurse, and a system of my own already in place and working, I couldn't make full use of all her great ideas. I don't have multiple children I have to divide my time up with. All of my Kindergartner's schoolwork is "work with mom". However, when both of these circumstances change I intend to utilize the ideas in Sue Patrick's Workbox System to help make my elementary homeschooling years extremely productive and happy.

Sue Patrick Workbox System homepage
Watch a short explanatory video

Book $19.95
ebook $19.00 (has it's own ordering page)
Book + consulting $119.95 (Four months of personal email interaction with Sue Patrick, plus the book)

This review is one of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated for reviews, though I do receive the product free of charge to use and review.

Sarah Books by Jim Baumgardner

The Book
Sarah's Wish is set in the decade before the Civil War in frontier Ohio. Sarah helps her mother with their station in the Underground Railroad. When her mother suddenly dies, Sarah does her best to deliver the latest packages to the next station. Not having any family to take her in, Sarah is placed with Granny, a tender-hearted, street-smart, wise, and virtuous woman. The story has drama, excitement, suspense, danger, and hope.

Interwoven in the story are many insights into how people of the time period lived. The reader learns about trained goats that led sheep onto paddleboats. There is a little about medicinal practices of the period, wheelwrights, traditional Indian games, the Orphan Train, the Underground Railroad, and more. Historically accurate colloquialisms, manners, and dress are included. (For those who love unit studies, oh my!) Mr. Baumgardner's love of history shows.

I particularly liked how well the characters presented Christianity. It was not syrupy sweet, preachy, or off the mark. Doc Baumgardner, Granny, Sarah, and others live out their faith in God in the reality of the world they live in. That's a lot more than I can say for many other books containing Christian characters.

Because of the descriptive scenes concerning death I would not recommend this book for younguns. Any child ready to read about the pain suffered by a child watching her mother die would be ready to read this book. I would guess third or fourth grade at the earliest; I think it's best suited to the 9-12 age group. Granny's dialog is written in her 'dialect', so for independent reading your child should already have a firm grasp of reading. There is no questionable content in Sarah's Wish; the author is a Christian who writes these books for his grandchildren.




The Series
Sarah's Wish is the first book in a three book series. Sarah's Promise and Sarah's Escape continue Sarah's story. Sarah's Wish is just 120 pages long. The next two books in the series grow in size. I love the photographs on each of the covers. Hooray for good photography! At the beginning of each book in the series is a list of words and phrases used in the story that have dropped from our common usage. At the beginning of Sarah's Wish, the author directs readers to a historical source that he found profound and helpful. I would assume the other books include this too.

Although definitely geared toward a young teen audience, I will be reading the next installments in the series for myself. I want to find out what becomes of Sarah! I also like Jim Baumgardner's writing style. His descriptive writing captures you from the first page. And even if he does have to spell out some things that a mature reader would infer, in order to keep his young audience in-the-loop, it's not so hard to not notice that for all the rest of the book. I particularly like his character development. I admit that I've taken the characters to heart. I'll be saving the books for when my kids are old enough to enjoy them.

The Author
Jim Baumgardner has a great love for history. He volunteers at the Old Cowtown Museum happily playing the part of the town barber. Sarah Books is born out of his own family history on the frontier in Ohio and Kansas. His books are a labor of love; if ordered directly from him, he personally autographs them before mailing them out.

Mr. Baumgardner is homeschool friendly. He has recently been to a homeschool convention to show his wares, and includes that adventure right on the website. And, well, he sent this out to the Homeschool Crew for review, which is why I am telling you about it now. Also, all of his grandchildren are homeschooled.

The Extras
Included with your purchase of Sarah's Wish is access to the audio book download. What a neat extra! When you receive your book, you will find the code inside.

Author Jim Baumgardner writes a weekly newsletter for fans of the book series. It contains interesting historical facts, reader emails, answers to reader's questions, and words of wisdom. In each, he asks readers a question related to the time period of the books. Readers can respond by email with their answers. The answer to the question appears in a subsequent email.

The website for the book has an extra links page chocked full of informational links related to the story and the author.

The Lowdown
Enter Sarah's Web, the Sarah Books website
Read exerpts of each book in the series.
Read more about the author.

Order from the author (shipping is free! books signed free!):
Individual, softcover:
Sarah's Wish $9.99
Sarah's Promise $13.50
Sarah's Escape $17.50

As a set: All three books for $39.95

Audio books are available on the same page.

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Order from Amazon (only the first two books are available from Amazon):
Sarah's Wish $9.34
Sarah's Promise $11.69
Buy Both for $21.03

This review is one of my reviews as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew 09-10. I am not compensated for reviews, though I do receive the product free of charge to use and review.

Everything Nice

What are little girls made of?
"Sugar and spice, and all that's nice;
And that's what little girls are made of."