Gandhi for Kids Book Review

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August 18, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 2 Comments

We reviewed Gandhi for Kids: His Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities (For Kids series) by Ellen Mahoney.

I’ve long been a fan of Gandhi and his philosophy.

In light of recent world events and tension in the USA, we’ve been studying peace-keeping and cooperation.

The book offers lovely illustrations, maps, images, and the history of Gandhi.

There are 8 sections that follow his life chronologically, including famous world figures, a timeline, and pronunciation glossary.

There are 21 learning activities such as recipes, poetry, anti-bullying, public speaking, and art projects.

We’ve read about the salt walk and even studied the evaporated salt when we lived near Salt Lake City.

We discussed Gandhi’s peaceful philosophy and how we strive for cooperation and peace in our home and interactions with others. We have been bullied and have witnessed bullying and this is an issue close to my heart.

We learned about other leaders who were influenced by Gandhi’s life and beliefs.

We chose to complete a Rangoli sand mandala:

I set up the paper and got out some sand. We watched some videos of very beautiful and elaborate rangoli.

I created a very simple compass and made designs in the sand:

Then, the kids made a mandala of their own.

I love how they cooperated to make their sand compass:

They said the designs make it look like peacock feathers!

We discussed the fleeting beauty of the sand art.

It’s temporary, just like human beauty, and should not be idolized. It’s very time consuming to create the intricate mandalas with sand, and it is time consuming for us to develop character and inner beauty throughout our lives.

We did some henna art last year:

Some great times to study Gandhi:

International Peace Day: September 21
Gandhi’s Birthday: October 2
International Day of Non-Violence: October 2
Anti-Bullying Month: October

We enjoyed reading Gandhi for Kids and highly recommend it to everyone, not just kids!

About the author:

Ellen Mahoney is the author of Nellie Bly and Investigative Journalism for Kids and coauthor with Edgar Mitchell of Earthrise: My Life as an Apollo 14 Astronaut. She is currently an instructor of journalism and technical communication at Metro State University of Denver. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.

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Queen Bees and Wannabes Book Review

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August 12, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

I reviewed the new updated 3rd edition Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Realities of Girl World by Rosalind Wiseman.

I was somewhat disappointed with the general attitude that the terrible issues addressed in the book are inevitable with preteen and teen girls.

I don’t believe that.

The book offers some good advice for parents to navigate raising a teen. I agree that relationships build trust and that is the goal, but the author limits parental boundaries in the name of trust, using negative words like “spying.”

It’s my job as a parent to use any means necessary to protect them. Computers in my house have passwords and filters installed and I monitor usage. I have open discussions with my children about social media and websites and the online world.

The book describes “Girl World” like it’s a foreign country or distant planet and parents can never possibly fully understand with its nuances and land mines.

The majority of the situations and role playing and quotes from “real” girls come across like shallow articles in girls’ and women’s magazines. They’re unrealistic and don’t quite make it to the point of offering much actual advice.

It offers advice for parents to “check their baggage” which is sometimes wise. Two of my children are extroverted, opposite my personality and they don’t have the same experiences with peers that I did. I actually learn a lot from them. They’re all great kids and do a great job interacting with others in a healthy way.

The advice for bullying is too light and doesn’t seem to address the real danger. Most children and teens (and even many adults) cannot address bullying issues reasonably and rationally. I’ve too often found little assistance from authorities like parents and school officials or theatre directors when dealing with bullies.

I think most of the issues with children and parents can be addressed with mutual respect. This begins when children are babies and toddlers. Trust is built on the give and take of learning healthy independence in a safe environment. By the time they are teens, parents should address the physical, emotional, and psychological changes taking place in a loving, respectful way.

The book comes across as a script for clueless parents, those so out of touch with popular culture and modern times that they have all but lost their kids to the world.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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Child Training Boot Camp Book Review

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August 12, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

I reviewed Child Training Boot Camp: A Thirty-Day Bible Study by Pam Forster of Doorposts.

I got out all my Bible study tools: Bible, journal, apps, and websites!

I love how intellectually stimulating and comprehensive this study is, but it doesn’t take an excessively long time for each lesson.

The study offered instruction and tools on how to do a topical Bible study using apps and websites like Blue Letter Bible. Honestly, I’ve not really used it often and I love it now – so many FREE tools with a few clicks.

The first part of the study deals with obedience: the why and how.

Then the rest of the study addresses heart training, focusing on wise speech and taming the tongue, quarreling, and forgiveness.

Easily completed in about a month, but I didn’t even do just one lesson each day. I completed lessons in little bunches since they only take about 10-15 minutes and I was all absorbed and into the websites! This is totally doable for busy parents, even with distractions.

The study was great for me as a parent to examine myself as well as to train my children!

This study reinforced my beliefs in relationship, consistency, and for ME having a good attitude.

I know I need to take time with God in order to be an effective parent. With distractions, travel, homeschooling, and housework, sometimes it gets pushed to the back burner. I try to make time to study Bible, pray, and journal each day. I don’t feel guilty anymore that it’s not at 5 AM with a quiet house. I fit it in whenever I can, usually in the afternoons when the kids have their free playtime.

I also love the little section to include the children in prayer, Scripture memorization, and story-telling.

I took notes in my prayer journal, reviewing topical verses and how they apply to parenting:

This study will help parents:

Find time for meaningful Bible study in the midst of a busy schedule
Be more confident and proactive in child-training
Find guidance in God’s Word for parenting challenges
Teach your children the character qualities of obedience, peacemaking, wise speech, and gratitude
Develop a deeper relationship with God both personally and in your role as a parent

Here’s everything within this 105-page Bible study guide:

Thirty days of short study assignments (5-30 minutes per day)
Optional activities that help your children learn alongside too!
Tips on making time for Bible study and choosing the right study tools
Instructions for using powerful (and FREE!) Bible study apps and websites

I recommend Child Training Boot Camp to any parent – new or experienced. There are great tools and resources in this Bible study!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the BookCrash.com book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR Title 16, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Michelangelo for Kids Book Review

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July 6, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

We are so thrilled to review the book Michelangelo for Kids: His Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities from Chicago Review Press by award-winning author Simonetta Carr.

It is written for kids ages 9 and up. My kids are 6, 9, and 10.

My 6-year-old son is obsessed with “his book” and I often come upon him looking through it. He likes to point out the pieces of art we’ve seen in our travels.

We’ve recently traveled to Rome and Florence and viewed Michelangelo’s works up close and personal. We love art and history.

This book review is perfect timing for our Renaissance studies.

The book begins with a note to parents, timeline about Michelangelo, and an introduction.

Eight chapters tell the history of Renaissance art and politics with Michelangelo’s biography. The book includes gorgeous full-color images of Michelangelo’s and others’ art with 21 coordinating learning activities – including learning the drawing technique of cross-hatching, poetry, fort-building, geometrical patterns, and even a recipe for garlic bread.

At the end is a glossary, list of important people, and extra resources for further study.

The book is more than an art and artist study. We really dive into the world of Michelangelo with its politics and world events.

We made our own paint from spices and herbs.

We quickly learned what a complex and time-consuming process it is to make paint! So much work for so little paint!

We have so much more respect for the painters now. What a tough job the artists and their assistants had to keep it all going.

We gathered some lovely scented and colorful spices and herbs and mixed them with water and egg yolk. The egg white can be used for varnishing the finished painting.

The kids read the project guide in the book:

I helped them mix the egg yolk, water, and spices to get a good consistency for painting.

We are very impressed by the vivid reds, greens, and blues we have seen in medieval and Renaissance art. They were rare and difficult to create.

The egg white varnish makes the paintings shine and the green and blue are a tiny bit more visible up close.

They drew mountains and earthy scenes once they realized how the colors turned out.

The finished projects!

Varnished Homemade Tempura Spice Paintings

We especially love the map of the Sistine Chapel ceiling in the book, showing each section with its subject.

We also plan to practice our carving skills on potatoes later!

Author Simonetta Carr is uniquely equipped to tell Michelangelo’s story: a former elementary school teacher turned homeschooler. She also has a background in Italian art. She is also the author of the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series, which includes John Calvin, Augustine of Hippo, and others.

Also, look for our Gandhi for Kids review next month! I really want the whole series!

Get your very own copy of Michelangelo for Kids: His Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities by Simonetta Carr for only $14.72 at Amazon.

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Approval Junkie Book Review

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April 8, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

I devoured Approval Junkie: Adventures in Caring Too Much by Faith Salie in just a few short hours.

Don’t we all crave approval?

I’m pretty tired of all the self-help books for women that proclaim that to be happy, healthy, and pretty much perfect, I must keep my house spotless, my brow hairless, my abs ripply (not jiggly), my children on that tight-rope of helicopter-tiger-freerange momness, and be Doris friggin’ Day in heels and pearls with a dinner plan.

All these Christian mommy bloggers cum authors with their Titus 2 mentoring programs, 21-days-to-a-better-something and lame parenting and marriage advice that leave me left out and scratching my head.

It’s really just all about approval.

At least Faith Salie tells it like it is.

“When it comes down to it, we all just want to hear stories.”

From someone who really tried hard to totally screw my life up, this book hit home for me. I’ve always considered myself a pleaser. I pretend to be so nonchalant and flippant, but inside I’m screaming for approval. I think most women are, so don’t let them appear holier than thou.

This is a memoir, not a self-help manual. There’s no blame or simplified fixes or get-rich-quick schemes.

I do love the last chapter to her daughter, with these last lines: I hope you’ll love yourself as much as I love you.

Salie’s insights into a failed marriage, eating disorder, miscarriages, and the death of her mother echo my own feelings with failures and tragedy, but with more humor and poetry.

I’ve been feeling a little down lately.

It’s well into April and it’s still chilly out and I long for warmth.

I’m not a good mother no matter how much kale I buy since I let them spend an entire afternoon on their iPads.

I’ve gained some weight the last few months and my clueless husband brings home a big box of chocolates so I can glare at those as I continue to feel sorry for myself while I drink lots of water and eat spinach salads.

This book is about balance.

With thoughtful irreverence, Salie reflects on why she tries so hard to please others, and herself, highlighting a phenomenon that many people—especially women—experience at home and in the workplace. Equal parts laugh-out loud funny and poignant, Approval Junkie is one woman’s journey to realizing that seeking approval from others is more than just getting them to like you—it’s challenging yourself to achieve, and survive, more than you ever thought you could.

From comedian and journalist Faith Salie, of NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! and CBS News Sunday Morning, a collection of humorous essays chronicling the author’s adventures during her lifelong quest for approval.

Get reading group questions.

On Sale April 19, 2016 – Buy at Amazon

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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Best Hair Book Ever Review

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December 11, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

My girls and I reviewed the book Best Hair Book Ever!: Cute Cuts, Sweet Styles and Tons of Tress Tips by the Editors of Faithgirlz! and Girls’ Life Magazine.

I knew my girls would be super excited to try out the fun and feminine hairstyles in this easy-to-read book.

My teen practiced braiding on her sister’s hair. Tori has the perfect hair for fun styling.

I learned to braid on doll hair. I have to braid Tori’s hair each week for gymnastics – now I have help.

We learned how much more difficult it is to do the same styles on your own hair, with or without a mirror! My arms get tired.

She even tried a fun and simple updo:

We really liked the variety of styles in the book that include all types of hair – from blonde and red to African-American.

The book discusses different types of hair and how to best care for and style fine or coarse hair, straight or curly – with tips on cuts and styles for your face shape.

We discussed the different types of hair we have – fine or coarse, thick or thin. Most of our family members have oval faces, so we can do whatever we want and look ok. It’s just hair.

I appreciate the natural recipes for hair sprays and products. I’m low-maintenance and we don’t have many products beyond homemade and natural hair spray and wax. We don’t even have a curling iron, but it’s on the list now.

The fun hairstyles include instructions with pictures and styling tips, including product recommendations to help. Some styles are more difficult than others and require help of extra hands, but most are easy to do by oneself.

Braiding and curling, adding ribbons and fun accessories – it was like a fun slumber party with me and my three girls!

Book Description:

The bestselling brand, Faithgirlz, partners with Girls’ Life magazine to present a four-color guide to amazing hair for tween girls.

All girls have had bad hair days—be it hair that won’t curl or that is way too curly, a cut that won’t grow out fast enough, or a do that just feels like an absolute don’t even after hours of pinning and spraying. But there’s good news. Faithgirlz Best Hair Book Ever! is full of killer tricks and tips on having amazing hair every day—from the best cut for each individual girl’s lovely locks to simple-yet-stunning updos and gorgeous styles, and even some trade secrets that can help make even the most unruly hair behave.

Buy Best Hair Book Ever! at Amazon for $12.69.

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Ishtar’s Odyssey Book Review

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November 16, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We are excited to review Ishtar’s Odyssey: A Storybook for Advent by Arnold Ytreeide.

I read a chapter to the family each evening before bedtime. Everyone enjoys listening, even Dad and the teenager!

This is a delightful story for the whole family during the Advent season.

What to Expect from Ishtar’s Odyssey

Before the Story: an introduction to Advent – the how and the why

About the Magi: what we know and what we speculate

Making Connections: At JothamsJourney.com explore maps, photos, and documents to help understand the times! To become even more a part of Ishtar’s experiences, taste traditional Persian foods with the included schedule. I love the addition of the food journey!

Advent Customs: how you can celebrate the Advent season

The Story

Our story begins with Week One, Fourth Sunday Before Christmas.

If you have a family advent wreath, there are instructions for which candles to light each day.

We meet Ishtar and his father. We join them on the exciting and dangerous odyssey to follow the Christmas star. Along the way, Ishtar meets Bartholomew, Jotham, and Tabitha (and perhaps a few more children the author plans to write about in the future? We hope!). This awarded cheers from my kids who know the stories are intertwined.

At the end of each cliff-hanger chapter, the author included a spiritual thought, Bible verse, and call to action.

We love reading “living books” – historical fiction that teaches. This book is quite accurate, offering a glimpse into the time period of the birth of Jesus, with many historical and cultural customs explained.

My children often beg to read more than one chapter each evening.

There are Special Instructions for Week Four. We cycle through our Advent studies each year, so the church calendar doesn’t always work out to be exactly four full weeks. Advent always begins on Sunday, but Christmas is on a different day each year. This reading schedule for the last week helps plan out the shorter chapters in order to complete the book on Christmas morning. There are also reading schedules in the back for many years to come.

You will love making Ishtar’s Odyssey a part of your Advent tradition.

We collect all the Ytreeide books and this is a welcome addition to our Advent collection.

Arnold Ytreeide’s family Advent devotionals are a much-loved Christmas tradition, enjoyed by multiple generations.

With over 100,000 books in print, including Jotham’s Journey, Bartholomew’s Passage, Tabitha’s Travels, and Amon’s Adventure.

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Luther and Katharina Book Review

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October 28, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Luther and Katharina: A Novel of Love and Rebellion by Jody Hedlund
A perfect time of year to read about the founder of the Reformation, Martin Luther, and his lovely bride, Katharina von Bora.

I love historical fiction. I’m not a huge fan of romance novels.

My Review:

This book did not disappoint. There was much more history than romance. The few scenes of romantic love were not embarrassing for me to read. I wouldn’t feel strange letting my 15-year-old daughter read this to get a feel for the historical setting and social times.

I appreciate the awkward relationship that a commoner like Martin Luther felt around the noble-born Katharina von Bora. The author well portrays the hostilities and friction of the peasant class and nobles, especially the German princes. Luther’s contemporaries are brought to life as the reader faces the reality of violence, death, the atrocities of the Catholic Church, nobility, and peasant uprisings.

This era was a time of social and religious turmoil. Interesting to review how Lutheranism played a part in ending feudalism after the Thirty Years’ War.

I love how it all intermingles with the love story of Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora at the center.

It was a shock to her that she had to work after leaving a nun’s life. We follow her dismay at her failed expectations as all her fellow nuns are married off and begin new lives but God has something special in store for her – Martin Luther himself!

I long for an entire book series to fill in the gaps before Martin met Katharina and about their later lives together.

The reader’s guide at the end of the book offers thirteen thought-provoking questions to explore with a reading club or friends and family.

I plan to have my daughter read this book to get a better understanding of Martin Luther as a man as well as the religious and historical figure we know him to be.

About the Book:

She was a nun of noble birth. He, a heretic, a reformer…an outlaw of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 16th century, nun Katharina von Bora’s fate fell no further than the Abbey. Until she read the writings of Martin Luther.
His sweeping Catholic church reformation—condemning a cloistered life and promoting the goodness of marriage—awakened her desire for everything she’d been forbidden. Including Martin Luther himself.
Despite the fact that the attraction and tension between them is undeniable, Luther holds fast to his convictions and remains isolated, refusing to risk anyone’s life but his own. And Katharina longs for love, but is strong-willed. She clings proudly to her class distinction, pining for nobility over the heart of a reformer. They couldn’t be more different.
But as the world comes tumbling down around them, and with Luther’s threatened life a constant strain, these unlikely allies forge an unexpected bond of understanding, support and love.
Together, they will alter the religious landscape forever.

About the Author:

Jody Hedlund is a CBA best-selling author of ten books. Her first novel, The Preacher’s Bride, won the Reader’s Choice Award as part of the RWA Faith, Hope, and Love contest. Hedlund revels in bringing forgotten historic women to life and can usually be found with a book, a cup of coffee, and a piece of chocolate. She lives in Midland, Michigan, with her husband and five children. Jody comes from a strong Lutheran background, having both a father and uncle as Lutheran ministers. She attended Lutheran middle and high school.

Purchase Luther and Katharina: Available in Hardback, Paperback, or Kindle for only $9.99

400 pages, published by WaterBrook Press.

I received this eBook from Blogging for Books for this review.

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Black Chicken Host Review

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September 9, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

I had become displeased with a large website hosting company for several months. My sites were down too often, for no reason. There was no personal customer service. When I canceled, I was not issued a refund.

I switched to Black Chicken Host and I was amazed at the difference immediately.

My Black Chicken Host Review

After I placed my online request to transfer my two blogs’ hosting, Erin replied so quickly and we worked out payment since I live in Europe. Their system flagged me as SPAM since I wasn’t in the US or Canada. No problem.

When I sent all my information, Erin emailed me that they would transfer my sites over that weekend even though she was undergoing major surgery and was medicated during her recovery.

I was blown away. I was in no hurry. I don’t have products. I wasn’t worried about downtime.

They treated me like a problogger or something.

Black Chicken Host treats everyone like a superstar.

Black Chicken Host came highly recommended from a group of natural bloggers.

I love how they support sustainable living. They share green blog posts on Facebook regularly.

“We know “living simply” is far from “easy living”; committing to a sustainable lifestyle requires more hard work than buying from big-box stores.” Black Chicken Host

See a fabulous list of reasons to choose Black Chicken Host.

They are family-owned and -operated and I love feeling welcomed into their family.

They don’t use GoDaddy Cloud Service. That’s a bonus for me. I’m not impressed with GoDaddy’s service or their advertising campaigns and haven’t used them for my new domain purchases, but my original blog still was connected to them. Black Chicken Host took over and removed all affiliation with them and I’m happy about that.

Whenever I have a question, I always hesitate to bother Erin and her team. I try to Google or ask my techie friends, but she assures me that I’m no bother and they are always quick with a reply! They suggest privacy and security plugins and updates and help me cut down load time.

I love feeling like I have a friend hosting my blogs. Black Chicken Host cares about all the details.

I am so happy with Black Chicken Host!

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Zoology for Kids Book Review

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March 17, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

I am thrilled to review Zoology for Kids: Understanding and Working with Animals, with 21 Activities by Josh and Bethanie Hestermann.

My kids are animal lovers.

Two of my kids constantly inform me that they want to grow up to be zoologists. I figure Zoology for Kids is a perfect start!

Review:

The book has 144 pages of animal fun and facts!

The book begins with an introduction by Martin and Chris Kratt of the great PBS shows Zoboomafoo and The Kratt Brothers. Then there’s a nice zoology timeline.

This book is so much more interesting than a textbook. There are bold words listed in the glossary and 21 fun activities, crafts, and experiments to help kids understand the concepts.

There are two parts to the book: part one has three chapters about zoology for beginners and part two discusses zoology in real life in four chapters.

This is a great intro science book that parents can read aloud to children. My girls read it together, but they’re advanced readers. They love the facts and activities!

Most of the activities are simple enough for my kids to do on their own. They love to recite the facts they learn. They even want to do more research on the animals they find especially interesting.

Kate’s favorite part was how chimps can learn to communicate with language.

Alex loved telling me which episodes of Wild Kratts featured animals from the book.

This is a book that will be well-loved and cherished. It has yet to be shelved as the kids are enjoying studying it.

About the authors:

Josh Hestermann is a marine-mammal keeper and trainer at the Aquarium of the Pacific in California. Bethanie Hestermann is a freelance writer who also serves as a contributing writer and editor at large at Connected World magazine. They live in Long Beach, California.

About the book:

Written for readers ages 9+, specifically for ages 11-14, Zoology for Kids is a comprehensive guide that helps budding naturalists and animal lovers understand and prepare for a career in animal biology. Peer reviewed by subject experts, Zoology for Kids combines the concepts of zoology with real-life applications.

Order Zoology for Kids now for $15.53 on Amazon.

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