Product Review: Activity Kit for Toddlers #FCBlogger

Disclaimer: Family Christian provided me a free copy of Growing in Grace: Hymns and Bible Songs Activity Kit for review purposes only.  I was not compensated, nor am I required to give a positive review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.  There are NO affiliate links attached to this post.

My kids were so excited when this came in.  I told them it was music for us to use in our homeschool and had some activities in it and they were pumped... UNTIL... we opened it!

My oldest's response was, "awww, that's it?!" and youngest was excited about the crayons and the stickers, but not too impressed with the book to color.

So, I said, let's listen to the music, maybe that will be cool... they got excited, then this was the look I got when the music played from my oldest...

Yes, that is a very disappointed boy who LOVES music!

My oldest's response, "this is baby music!"

My youngest's response, "off, mama".

Can't beat the brutal honesty of kids and mine are 6 and 2 years old.


My Review of the Product:
Overall I wasn't too impressed, just like my kids.  But I stayed positive with my kids as we were listening to the CD and looking at the activity stuff.  The coloring book is tiny and this is geared more to my two year old's level and it's really hard for a two year old to color tiny pictures.  Little kids want to lay it out in front of them and have the ability to experience those fine motor skills that they are just trying to figure out by actually having enough space to color on.  So, my youngest got bored with it rather quickly, so I just pulled out some paper for him to use the crayons and stickers on.  The music on the CD is kind of "babyish" like my oldest pointed out.  It's more like a lullaby CD but with hymns, it's slow moving, each song almost sounds the same other than the words being different.  I find this to be a little ironic because again, this is geared toward that toddler level, this is a great CD to put them to sleep to for a nap time, but if you want them to engage in the CD, you need some fun stuff to get them moving to it.  It's so slow, I couldn't even come up with many hand motions to the songs.  So, instead I gave my kids streamers to praise the Lord too, but that lasted maybe 2 minutes and they were done with the CD.  I even tried taking the CD into a toddler class at church, it calmed down all those sad faces who wanted their mommies and then put them to sleep, but the others ignored the CD or like my two year old said, "off, please".  I wouldn't recommend this product to a children's ministry for their toddler department, but I would recommend the CD to the nursery! Babies would LOVE this kind of CD!  In all honesty, I was rather disappointed with this activity kit for toddlers, I definitely think it could have more potential to reach the toddler age with a little more creativity.

Here is the product link for Growing in Grace: Hymns and Bible Songs Activity Kit with Family Christian.  Maybe your kids will have a different experience than mine!  It's currently on sale for ONLY $6.97.

Oldest son's rating:  1 star

Youngest son's rating:   "Thumbs Down!"

My Overall Rating:  2 stars  


Giveaway:
Family Christian has given me a $10 appreciation certificate that can be used online or in store to offer one lucky reader.  Enter for your chance to win in the Rafflecopter below (please be patient, may take a moment to load).

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Have Fun and Be a Blessing!
~Bekah
#FCBlogger

"I am Resurrection" T-Shirt Deal at Family Christian

Hello Ladies!!! Family Christian has an AWESOME sale on these purple "I am the resurrection and the life" t-shirts for ONLY $7.97 from now until April 23, 2015.  Grab yours HERE online or head out to the store near you. #FCBlogger

The shirt I received is a large size and I'm currently 34 weeks pregnant and still have room in this shirt! I wore this shirt for a story telling time and had so many comments on it and moms wanting to know where to get it.  The purple is beautiful and since I'm in Michigan it's not quite T-shirt weather yet, it will look great with a white, black and aqua long sleeve shirt under it.  I put on a black long sleeve shirt under it and it still felt great.  And the quality is awesome, I've washed it 3 times now and had no shrinkage - BONUS!!!

I absolutely love the T-shirts from Family Christian.  I've been buying them since I was a teenager and had a job.  I would always buy my dad shirts for birthday and Father's Day, but always seemed to buy the wrong size and it would somehow become MY shirt, haha, yeah, I think I might of had a plan in that... just kidding! I still buy their T-shirts and my kids love them too - always picking out different ones they want themselves.  I highly recommend them!

Be a Blessing!
~Bekah

Review of Esther and Giveaway for $10 Appreciation Certificate #FCBlogger

Disclaimer: Family Christian provided me a free copy of the book "Esther Royal Beauty" by Angela Hunt for review purposes only.  I was not compensated, nor am I required to give a positive review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.  There are NO affliliate links within this post.

Bekah's Rating: 3 Stars

Review:

I have never read a book by Angela Hunt before and was very excited to read about one of my favorite Bible characters, Esther.  Angela Hunt created a story that sort of stayed within the lines of Biblical representation to the real story, but there were some differences too, which I was already expecting.  The beginning part of the book was a little slow and it definitely took time to get to the parts that really captivated you and made you to not want to put the book down.  The beginning was a prelude to Esther becoming queen and you are learning of Vashti and how she became banished as queen.  But once you got past the prelude, then the story got very interesting and hard to put the book down.

I love how Angela Hunt really brought to life the drama involved in the book of Esther.  You can read the account in the Bible and yes, there is drama involved, but Angela Hunt did an amazing job of bringing it to life through two different accounts, the eyes of Hadassah (Esther) and the eunuch Harbonah.  These two have very different viewpoints and it made the story that much more captivating.

Hadassah's viewpoint is how she's taken out of her home to live in the palace in preparation to be chosen as queen to her obedience to God in saving her people by going to the king uninvited to present her petition.

Hardonah's viewpoint gave the details of the action within the palace, from Queen Vashti's dethronement to King Xerxe's army failure in Greece to the king's eventful procession candidates to find the new queen and his relationship with Hadassah.

One part of the book that took me by surprise was Angela Hunt's display of Queen Vashti's envy and hatred towards Hadassah.  This is obviously not Biblical, as the Bible doesn't tell us whether Queen Vashti and Hadassah ever crossed paths.  It gave the story a different twist, made it entertaining, but a little too "wicked stepmother".  I think this could have been left out of the book, in all honesty.  Sure, it adds drama and a different twist to the story of Esther, but it kind of makes Queen Vashti out to be a villain and she wasn't really a villain to begin with.

Overall, the book is an easy read once you get past the beginning prelude, I finished it in 2 days and I have two littles under my feet plus another one on the way!  It's not a Biblical account of the story at all, so it would be an entertaining read for many.  It doesn't have many teaching opportunities within it either.  I could see this book given to non-believers to intrigue them to want to know more about this Esther.  You can purchase a copy of this book from Family Christian here.

Giveaway:

I've been given the opportunity to offer a $10 appreciation certificate for Family Christian, which can be used in stores or online to one lucky reader.  Please enter the giveaway linky below (it may take a moment to load, please be patient).  The winner will be announced on Friday, February 20, 2015.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Happy Reading and Blessings!
~Bekah

Review of Max Lucado's "Treasury of Bedtime Prayers" & Giveaway #FCBlogger #PrayThanks

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Family Christian for review purposes.  I was not compensated for this review, nor was I required to post a positive review.  The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.  This post contains NO affiliate links.

I love Max Lucado books and when I received this book my kids were ALL over it! Now they want me to read it not only every night but every morning too.  So, this book has become part of our morning devotions during breakfast and our devotions in the evening times just before bed.  Check out my youngest looking through this book...

He absolutely LOVES to find all the small animal pictures in the book and either say what it is or give the sound of the animal.  It's like a BIG seek and find book to him.

My oldest is an advanced reader for only 6 years old, so when he looked through the book he started finding prayers that he could read to his little brother.  Check out this video of his reading!

I love how he emphasizes the "amen" to the end of the prayers!

This book is a definite MUST have in your home library and it would be a great gift to a child or even to an expectant mother.  These are easy prayers to read.  They uplift, encourage, and help reset the atmosphere.  Best of all, if you are having a hard time in the day with your kids, just open it up and start reading, the kids will quiet down and the peace will return to the home! I challenge you to try it!!!

You can pick up a copy of this book from Family Christian for ONLY $19.99 either ONLINE or in store.  Grab your coupon off their website for 20% off!

One lucky reader will get a chance to WIN a $10 appreciation certificate from Family Christian (use it towards the purchase of this book or anything else you want).  Enter the rafflecopter below (it may take a moment to load, please be patient).  This giveaway ends on 2/13/15.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Have Fun and Be a Blessing!
~Bekah

Product Review & Giveaway: Theo - God's Truth Volume 4 (Home Edition)

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL PROVIDED: I received a copy of this DVD from Family Christian for review purposes.  I was not compensated for this review, nor was I required to post a positive review.  The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.  This post contains NO affiliate links.

Product Review: Theo - God's Truth Volume 4 (Home Edition)

Overview

Theo, God's Truth Volume 4 contains three lessons to watch and it comes with a Parent's Guide where each lesson has six daily devotionals all planned out to discuss and do with your child(ren).  I found this DVD to be pretty awesome and was my first time actually watching one of these films.  I was extremely impressed!

Each lesson to watch on the DVD was no longer than 11 minutes, some were shorter than that.  The characters Luther and Belfry, which are Theo's mouse friends are fun to watch too.  The lessons target specific topics such as, Abiding in Christ, Light Unto My Path and What is the Church? Theo helps to illuminate each topic and bring it to life for children to understand.  

Lesson 11 - Abiding in Christ

In this lesson, Theo helps children to understand what it means to abide in the vine.  Theo tells the children that understanding the Bible, obeying the Bible and keeping the Bible in our hearts and minds are all important ways for us to abide in the vine, because John 1 tells us that Christ is the "Word of God".  Luther and Belfry even help the children have this concept sink in by Belfry playing copycat with Luther.  My six year old son watched this segment and he grasped what it meant to abide in the vine!

Lesson 12 - Light Unto My Path

In this lesson, Theo teaches the children that the Bible is like a light in the darkness.  Theo's mouse friends Luther and Belfry help sink this concept in by running through the dark woods without flashlight and end up tripping and falling along the way because they couldn't see.  Without the Bible we would be lost in the world, unable to see right from wrong and unable to clearly identify the path we should truly be on.  I helped sink this in with my six year old by using a flashlight.  First, I had no batteries in the flashlight and I gave it to him to try and turn on, of course, it didn't work.  I told him that when we don't read the Bible and get it in our hearts and minds, we have no light to shine for others to see.  Then I gave him the flashlight with batteries put in backwards and he tried to turn it on and of course it didn't work.  I told him this is like a person that reads the Bible now and then, but many times it sits on the shelves to collect dust.  Only utilizing it when you need it, but otherwise goes through life still trying to do things on their own.  Then I gave him the flashlight with the batteries put in correctly and this time it turned on! He says, this is a person who knows the Bible! And I said, YES!!! This person has hid the Word in their heart and mind and the light shines for all to see and for that person to know which way to go in life.

Lesson 13 - What is the Church?

In this lesson, Theo teaches the children that church is more than a building made of brick or wood. He points them to where the Bible tells about the early church and that it first began on Pentecost.  The church is made up believers of all kinds of people who believe in Jesus and follow Him.  My six year old son watched this one and said to me, I'm a part of the church, but some of my friends at school are not.  I asked him, what makes you think that.  And he said, because they don't have Jesus in their heart and don't believe in Him.  I said, you are right, that doesn't make them part of the church, but told him we can be lights to them and we can pray for them that they come to know to the truth.  So, his prayer that night before bed was that his friends at school would come to know Jesus and ask Him into their hearts.

I highly suggest this DVD for parents, homeschoolers, and for the children's ministry at church! The clips are short, so you can still use object lessons and other supplements to help the point to sink in for the kids and learn in fun ways.  Parents who want to go deeper with their kids and start devotionals, this is a GREAT starting point!!! And the coolest part, you get a Parent's Guide booklet that contains six days of devotionals for each lesson to help it sink in.  Children's ministry leaders, this would be a GREAT investment for a class to take kids deeper into the Bible in a small group setting.  There is so many wonderful ways you can use this DVD.

Giveaway

Family Christian who sent me this DVD to watch and write an objective review has given me a $10 Appreciation Certificate to giveaway to one of my lucky readers! Enter below in the rafflecopter (may take a second to load).  Winner will be announced on Monday, January 12, 2015 and you will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Have fun and be a blessing!
~Bekah

Review & Giveaway: What's in the Bible? DVD #1

Overview
What's in the Bible? Vol. 1 - In The Beginning: A comical, entertaining, educational, and musical film all in one.  This volume is divided into two parts, Part 1 - What's in the Bible? and Part 2 - Genesis.  Part 1, covered quite a bit from what is the Bible to what is the Bible about and a complete breakdown of the Bible.  When they ask "what is the Bible?" they visit a scientist who tells you the Bible is a book that is covered in cow's skin to a Sunday School Teacher who tells you the Bible is a book and is not a book! Sounds confusing, right? Well, it's actually quite funny and enlightening all at the same time.  And in the end you find out that the Bible is in fact a book wrapped in cow's skin that is a book and is not a book because it is comprised of many books that cover a wide range of topics from history to poetry to letters to gospels to end of the world, which in fact has over 40 authors that have been inspired by God's thoughts to write their part in the Bible.  Now that's a WHOLE lot of information all in one bit, eh? Good thing, the Sunday School Teacher has a magic flannel board to help keep it all in small nuggets, so that you get everything that is being taught to you.  At the end of Part 1, you'll come back to an eight year old that is not afraid to speak his mind, who then tells you what the Bible is and then will say, "that's great! but what about Genesis, I still know nothing about this book!" Which then brings you to Part 2...

Part 2 is just as lively as Part 1 and full of entertainment.  They give a recap of what was learned in Part 1 and then expands on into who wrote the Bible.  Which of course is like over 40 authors and defines what "inspired by God" means, "God-breathed", so the entire Bible is inspired by God or the words are "God-breathed".  And then of course this lively eight year old comes back in with and what about Genesis? Oh yeah! So, we are introduced to a couple brothers who sing an enticing song all about Genesis, really catchy tune, my almost 2 year old LOVED this song and watched the entire song part.  You'll learn all about the Book of Genesis just in this one song that Genesis means "beginning", God spoke everything into existence, sin was wiped out with a flood, and so much more they would like to add into the song.

All in all, for just two parts that aren't very long to watch, about 25 minutes each, you'll gain insight into the Bible in a doctrinal way.  It's like going to Bible School only you get a comedian, concert, newscast, and teacher all in one - oh and you can't forget the inescapable commercials about "ponies".  This movie Phil Vischer created is great for children's ministry leaders/volunteers, parents, homeschoolers, teachers in private schools, or just the young at heart that want to learn more about the Bible in a child's viewpoint.  Hey! The Bible does tell us to "come as a child" - I still love to learn like a child.  I highly recommend this DVD for helping you teach your children about the Bible.  This alone can be a curriculum all within itself!

Concerns
There were only two concerns I found in this movie and these are my personal opinion.  I highly suggest as I always do, whatever movie you choose to watch, pray and ask God to give you spiritual discernment, so you know how to weed out truth and man-made statements.

1. The authors of the Bible wrote based upon inspiration from God, but it's stated in the movie with an expansion that though they were inspired thoughts and ideas from God, they chose what to write.  I don't agree with this because the Bible is VERY clear that God's Word is clearly inspiration from God.  I will not give any doubt to the Bible that there is "human" expression or thought placed into it because that will give leeway to those groups who want to say that the Bible is nothing more than a storybook or myth/legend.  In no way, did this movie give the expression that the Bible is a storybook or myth/legend, it did a VERY good job of not giving that.  But this statement within the movie just didn't set well inside of me.

2.  There is part in the movie that talks about how long is a day.  The movie expresses two different opinions and states we don't truly know.  But the Bible is VERY clear that in the heavenly realm a day is like a thousand years.  Which does point that God has no span of time.  But to state that "millions of years" could actually be truth, gives into the fact that secular scientists could be right.  When in fact, that's not truth.  Science is contradictory on their carbon dating all the time and still can't prove the age of the earth or even age of rocks or trees, it's nothing more than a mere guess, a hypothesis, per say.  It just didn't set well that we would even question how long a day is, when the Bible is clear about how long a day is.  The Bible is truth and we should not question it.

Characters You Will Meet
What's in the Bible? allows you to meet a bunch of different lively characters, I'll name and cover a few of the ones that my family fell in love with...

1.  Buck Denver - the man of News!
This is a lively newscaster who gets sidetracked now and then, but all in all sets out to find the answer to your tough questions!

2.  Sunday School Lady

Don't tell her she's old, but here's a Sunday School teacher with all the down low! And her magic flannel board is pretty awesome!

3.  Clive and Ian

Archaeologist brothers who love nature, but one of them has a fascination with ponies! Yep, the shout outs to "ponies" attracted my 6 year old son's attention and now everywhere I go I hear "ponies!!!!"

Discussion Questions
There are soooo many things you can pull out of this movie to discuss as family or in a class setting or for homeschool or whatever.  Here are few things to get you started:

1.  What is the Bible?

2.  What is your favorite book of the Bible? Why?

3.  What do you use the Bible for?

4.  Do you believe everything in the Bible? Why or why not?

Activities
This movie is PACKED full of soooo much information, I could give you a full post alone on activities to supplement with it for reinforcing, but I'll just give you a few.  If you want more, let me know.

• OLD or NEW Game
  On two pieces of paper, write "OLD" on one and "NEW" on the other.  Tape on separate walls. Call out a book of the Bible and have the kid(s) run to the wall they think it's found in.  Keep score and see how they did!
  
• Author Memory
  Make cards, one set with the authors and one set with the books of the Bible.  Play a game of memory where you have to match the author to the correct book of the Bible that author wrote.
  
• Genesis Timeline
  Have your kids draw pictures on papers to make a timeline of the events recorded in Genesis.

Alright, so now you have a synopsis of What's in the Bible? DVD #1 - In the Beginning... so, I'd like to share with you, if you don't own this DVD, you can get it right now at Family Christian for ONLY $9.97 - hurry, limited quantities and this deal ends December 24, 2014.

Giveaway

Family Christian who sent me this DVD to watch and write an objective review has given me a $10 Appreciation Certificate to giveaway to one of my lucky readers.  Enter below in the rafflecopter (may take a second to load).  Winner will be announced on Monday, December 15, 2014 and you will have 48 hours to claim your prize or a new winner will be selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL PROVIDED: I received a copy of this DVD from Family Christian for review purposes.  I was not compensated for this review, nor was I required to post a positive review.  The opinions expressed in this review are entirely are my own.  This post contains NO affiliate links.


Have Fun and Be a Blessing!
~Bekah