About Picture Smart Bible

The Picture Smart Bible comes from Picture This! Ministries, founded by Dan and Juanene Peters. The goal of the ministry is to “get people into the inspired, dynamic, life-changing word of God, so that God’s word can become implanted in His people.” They do this because they believe the Bible is the inspired, only infallible word word of God.

This is a mission I can get behind.

The Picture Smart Bible is the original Bible study curriculum and is a comprehensive overview. The study covers history, doctrine, geography, and more. The study is aimed for students in 4th grade to adults. You can purchase The Picture Smart Bible as a printed text, a digital download, on cd, or a combination of the above.

K-3 Picture Smart Bible: Old Testament

Up until early 2014, there was no option for younger students, but Picture This! recently released the study of the Old Testament in The Picture Smart Bible specifically for grades K-3. It can be purchased as a book or a download. I was provided with a free copy of the download so that I could share a review with you lovely people.

Each book of the Old Testament is covered in an overview of 25 lessons. The book gives you an overview of how the study is designed to flow with a breakdown of each component (and why it is used). There is also a section on teaching tips that covers several areas including preparations and how to use it in a classroom setting. There is a chart for the “Power Symbols” and then you dive into the study.

For each lesson, you are given a master copy of the student’s coloring page and then the lesson itself. Each lesson is laid out and you are walked through each component of the page step-by-step. Lesson supplies and optional crafting materials are spelled out. The key people and object of the lesson is also listed so you can reinforce that throughout the lesson.

There is an “orientation” section that gives you wording to give your student an overview of the lesson as you start. The lesson includes an exact script you can use with lots of Bible references, some are specifically marked to be read, others are supportive that you could use for further study (copywork?). The lesson ends with some review questions and a key Bible verse for memorizing.

After the 25 lessons (some books are combined into one lesson), there is a resource section with printable maps, timelines, and other illustrations. The last section contains all of the student pages.

My Review of Picture Smart Bible: Old Testament

I had never heard of the Picture Smart Bible Curriculum before this review. As I’ve read through the text and used it a little (more on that in a minute), I really like it. The lessons aren’t terribly long and the teacher’s script is very easy to use. I go back and forth on whether I like scripts in curriculum, but sometimes it is just nice to have it laid out for you so you can pick it up and go.

I appreciated in the teaching tips that they break the preparation down into parts: spiritual, physical, emotional, and family time. When we do Bible study with our children, it is easy to forget that this is an eternally important matter and we have an enemy who would love for it to not happen.

One downside was that I was unclear whether I was supposed to draw these out on my own (ha!) or simply lead her through her page step-by-step like the lesson has laid out. I chose the latter (in the future, I’ll likely color along with her). You may find it a fun, creative exercise to draw your own.

Pros

• Easy to use format. Lessons laid out step-by-step.
• Hands-on, especially good for kids who like to color.
• Option of download or printed book. Download saves space.
• Illustrations are good. They aren’t too “babyish,” but cartoony enough to be fore kids.
• The tracing format is good for kids who don’t feel they have drawing skills (like me).
• It all comes back to Jesus!
• Helps kids connect the books of the Bible as one, verses just a book of books.

Cons

• Kids who find coloring boring will likely not connect with the coloring page.
• Download format. I have a love-hate relationship with downloadable books/curriculum. I love how easy it is to store them, but hate how easy it is to forget them.
• Need a printer. There are not a lot of pages to print, if you only print the student pages and use a tablet or laptop for the directions, there are only 25 pages to print.

My new third grader and I did not get to use this extensively due to some illness and holiday timing issues. However, I have read the curriculum and we will continue using this for her Bible study this coming school year. I think it is a great tool for connecting with your child over the most important book of all time and leading them to the Savior who loves them so much He was willing to die for them.

Giveaway!

Picture This! Ministries has generously offered a download copy of K-3 Picture Smart Bible: Old Testament for a giveaway to you lovely folks. Simply fill out the Giveaway Tools widget below and choose the entries you would like. Giveaway ends July 17, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. EST and is open worldwide.

About Deborah & Co.

Deborah & Co. is a clothing line with the tag line “Fashion Without Compromise.” The business was started by Caroline Allen when she saw a need for long maternity skirts. She began to sew her own and sell them online under the name The Modest Mom.

In 2010, Caroline lost her mom while she was pregnant with her fifth child. When she later gave birth to a precious baby girl, both her daughter and her business were given the name Deborah in honor of her mother.

Deborah & Co. sells clothing and accessories for women and girls, in addition to their maternity line. They offer skirts, dresses, headbands, belts, and earrings. They also have halftees for layering shirts for more modesty.

They have some items on sale for a great discount right now, too!

About the Fleeced Lined Leggings

I was sent a pair of the fleece lined leggings to review and share about here. The leggings are 92% polyester and 8% Spandex. They come in black, brown, and charcoal. The sizing:

S/M Height = 4’4″ – 5’4″ Weight = 85 – 125lbs.
M/L Height = 5’2″ – 5’8″ Weight = 125 – 150lbs.
L/XL Height = 5’4″ – 5’10” Weight = 150 – 230lbs

The leggings cost $28, but right now are on sale for $23.

My Review of the Fleece Lined Leggings

I have had these leggings since November and have worn them many, many times. It really could be summed up in just a few short words: I LOVE THEM! They are so soft, so comfortable. Let me break it down a little more for you:

I am NOT a fleece wearing person. It never keeps me warm and it makes me sweat, double ick. These leggings have neither of those issues. It’s almost like wearing nothing, but you’re warm.

These are meant to be worn under something like skirts or dresses. These are NOT pants. They fit like tights. Please, have some decency and cover your tush when wearing leggings/tights in public. No one wants to see what kind of underwear you are wearing or if you aren’t wearing any! Seriously. I’ll step off my soapbox now.

These are great for the cold weather we’ve been having all season long. My favorite way to wear them is under a long denim skirt. Yeah, I know how cliche that sounds, but I’m not gonna lie. It is like walking around with a cozy blanket on all day. Makes me understand how women can wear skirts/dresses all the time.

Back to the leggings! I am 5’3″ and 190ish lbs. and I bought the L/XL. They fit very nicely. I’ve even slept in them.

The only negative I’ve found is the pilling of the fabric. However, I didn’t pay attention to the care directions on the tag (story of my fashion life) and washed them and dried them with a regular load of laundry a couple times. I now wash them with my clothes, but hang them to dry. So take that negative with a grain of salt.

I will probably be picking more of these up for next winter. They are worth every penny.

Connect with Deborah & Co.

• Deborah & Co. website/shop
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• The Modest Mom blog

About Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day: Celebrating Diversity in Children’s Literature is the brainchild of Mia Wenjen of Pragmatic Mom and Valarie Budayr of Jump Into a Book. The mission of Multicultural Children’s Book Day?

“Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day, Mia and Valarie are on a mission to change all of that. Their mission is to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these types of books into classrooms and libraries. Another goal of this exciting event is create a compilation of books and favorite reads that will provide not only a new reading list for the winter, but also a way to expose brilliant books to families, teachers, and libraries.”

You can read about Multicultural Children’s Book Day for more information.

Multicultural Children’s Book Day Sponsors

I received the copy of my book from the lovely people at Chronicle Books. I would like to thank them for that, so….Thank you, Chronicle Books. I’d also like to thank Valarie, Mia, and Becky (the fearless project leader) for the opportunity to work with them on this project.

Other companies and authors that made this possible: Wisdom Tales Press, Lee & Low Books, and Susan Fayad,

About Josephine

The book I received was called Josephine by Patricia Hruby Powell. The book was illustrated by Christian Robinson. It is a picture book about the life of the famous Josephine Baker. The book was written by a dancer turned children’s book writer and librarian.

“In exuberant verse and stirring pictures, Patricia Hruby Powell and Christian Robinson create an extraordinary portrait of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world. Meticulously researched by both author and artist, Josephine’s powerful story of struggle and triumph is an inspiration and a spectacle, just like the legend herself.” – about Josephine on Chronicle Books

My Review of Josephine

I read this out loud to my kids (11, 9, 7, and 2). The toddler wasn’t too impressed, but that doesn’t really say much considering he is two and not a fan of sitting still. The older kids loved the pictures and found Josephine’s story interesting. Particularly my oldest daughter (11), who recently read the story of Bessie Coleman and made comments on the similarities in their stories.

The artwork in this book is stunning. They are acrylic paintings. Vivid colors come to life on the page. There isn’t a lot of white space in this book, even text pages are printed on textured, colored pages. I love that. It is not hard to read that way either.

The book is divided into sections that make reading the book easier to remember where you are, similar to chapters. They are divided by time period: The Beginning, 1906-1917; Leavin’ With the Show, 1917-1921; My Face Isn’t Made for Sleeping, 1921-1925; et cetera. As you can see, some of the section titles are witty.

The literary style the book is written in is blank verse. This was rather different from our usual reading. It was a little hard for me to find a rhythm for reading it out loud, but I got better the more I read. The words paint as vivid of a picture as the beautiful illustrations.

Overall, Josephine is a beautiful book that would make a great addition to anyone’s library shelf and is a great read for Black History Month!

Other Multicultural Children’s Book Day Reviewers

Be sure to check out the main pages on Pragmatic Mom and Jump Into a Book to see ALL the reviews for many, many books.

You can read more reviews on these blogs:

2GirlsLostInaBook · 365 Days of Motherhood · A Bilingual Baby · A Simple Life, Really? · Africa to America · After School Smarty Pants · All Done Monkey · Andi’s Kids Books · Anita Brown Bag  · Austin Gilkeson · Barbara Ann Mojica ·  Books My Kids Read · Bottom Shelf Books · Cats Eat Dogs · Chasing The Donkey · Children’s Book-a-Day Almanac · Children’s Books Heal · Church o Books · CitizenBeta · Crafty Moms Share · Discovering The World Through My Son’s Eyes · Early Words · Flowering Minds · Franticmommy · Gathering Books · GEO Librarian · Gladys Barbieri · Going in Circles · Growing Book by Book · iGame Mom · I’m Not The Nanny · InCulture Parent · Itsy Bitsy Mom ·Just Children’s Books- Kid World Citizen · Kristi’s Book Nook · Mama Lady Books · Mama Smiles · Mission Read · Mother Daughter Book Reviews · Mrs AOk · MrsTeeLoveLifeLaughter · Ms. Yingling Reads · Multicultural Kids Blog · One Sweet World · Open Wide The World · P is for Preschooler · Rapenzel Dreams · School4Boys · Sharon the Librarian · Spanish Playground · Sprout’s Bookshelf · Squishable Baby · Stanley and Katrina · Teach Mama · The Art of Home Education · The Brain Lair · The Educators’ Spin On It · The Family-Ship Experience · The Yellow Door Paperie · This Kid Reviews Books  · Trishap’s Books · Unconventional Librarian · Vicki Arnold · We3Three · World for Learning · Wrapped in Foil 

About A Light for My Path

A Light for My Path: An ABC Book Based on Psalm 119 was written by Davis Carman and illustrated by Alice Ratterree. It’s purpose is to help your child fall in love with the Word of God while learning their ABC’s. The book introduces the 26 letters of the English alphabet and 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Each letter of the English alphabet has a plant or animal and an attribute of God’s word associated with it. The Hebrew letters are introduced with the text of Psalm 119. The New International Version is used for Psalm 119’s text.

This 80 page picture book is published by Apologia. The book is a soft-cover book and is filled with pictures. The book contains an introduction that explains the fourfold purpose of the book.

The book retails for $14 and you can purchase directly through Apologia. You can connect with Davis Carman and the Apologia team on their website, Facebook, and Pinterest. I received a copy of this book so I could provide you with my review.

My Review of A Light for My Path

I love this book. The end.

Oh, I guess that’s not really a review, is it?

I love the illustrations, they are so sweet. I appreciate the vision and heart behind the book.

I love the repetition of the phrase “God’s Word, Law, Statutes, Decrees, Commands, and Precepts are..” I love how it reinforces the beauty, grace, and truth of God’s Word. The attributes chosen for each plant or animal seem to match perfectly, blessings and butterflys, for example.

I appreciate that the book doesn’t solely focus on the uppercase letters. Both letter cases are presented on the same page for your child to learn and become familiar with. I love that each letter has it’s own two page spread.

I also love that Psalm 119 is included in the book, each part of the acrostic broken up with the Hebrew letter headings…just like the Word of God. The only thing I would change about the book is the Bible version used. We prefer the King James Version. However, this is doesn’t take away from the majority of the book, since the focus is mostly on the letters and relating it to God’s Word.

The cost may seem a little high, but when you consider this is more than a “simple” quick read, it’s worth the cost.