CHRISTEPHI

Minecraft. It's everywhere. You've seen it advertised. You've heard of people playing it. But what exactly is Minecraft and how can it be used in your homeschool?  Is there violence?  What age is it appropriate for?  In what way is it educational? At its most basic Minecraft is an open world of unlimited building blocks, essentially an unlimited supply of digital LEGO.  You play the game as Steve in a world consisting entirely of blocks: block trees, block mountains, block clouds, even a brilliant block sun.  You interact with your world by breaking (mining) blocks and placing them in any way you wish.  If you mine a tree, you get wood. If you mine the ground, you get different dirt or sand or stone, etc.  If you keep going you may find some more desirable items such as coal, iron, or even diamonds and emeralds.  These raw materials can be used to build or combined and crafted into new items such as iron ore being smelted into iron ingots ...

Every year we add at least one new book to our Christmas book collection.  This year it was this book, M is for Manger , by Crystal Bowman and Teri McKinley. It's almost too young for my kids, but then, are you ever really too old for sweet rhymes and gorgeous illustrations? About the Book Travel through the alphabet with this beautiful rhyming storybook that tells the story of Jesus’ birth. Begin with the angel who tells Mary that she is God’s chosen vessel and follow along until you reach the zillions of stars that paled in comparison to the star that announced the birthplace of the newborn King. Beautifully illustrated and written, this book will be a classic for parents to read to their children every Christmas season. M is for Manger Written by  Crystal Bowman and Teri McKinley Illustrated by Claire Keay ISBN:  978-1496401953 Publisher:  Tyndale House Publishers 64 pages What I Thought M is for Manger is a very sweet book fo...

A couple of weeks ago I received a special offer from the Tyndale Blog Network to review their new Illustrated Study Bible.  I immediately shot back a response saying of course I was interested in reviewing it! Have I ever mentioned how much I love color? This seems to have been a theme in my life lately. Life is too short to be monochromatic! When the package arrived containing my new Illustrated Study Bible, I was not disappointed. Full color photos, illustrations, infographics, and maps throughout the book bring the text to life! About the Book The Illustrated Study Bible integrates background material, study notes, and themed articles into a single volume so you can better understand as you study the Holy Scriptures.  The intent is to open your eyes to the living, powerful message of God's Word. The Illustrated Study Bible NLT by  Tyndale House Publishers ISBN:  978-1496402004 2618 pages My Thoughts Not everyone is an academic. ...

This has got to be one of the most gorgeous Bibles for adults (i.e. not a children’s Bible) I have ever seen. The full color printing simply makes it a pleasure to read. Yes, I am addicted to color. Life is too glorious to be drab. When I received my copy for review, I was nearly giddy with the pleasure of its colorful and illustrated pages.  I told Hubby, "I wanna take this to Bible study tonight so I can be one of the cool kids."  Ha! In all seriousness though, I’ve always appreciated Thomas Nelson Bibles.   I’ve seen Bibles from some other publishers ( cough-Zondervan-cough ) fall apart in less than a year, but Nelson Bibles seem to be put together quite a bit better. This one is no exception. In fact, it comes with a lifetime guarantee. That, of course, doesn’t cover normal wear and tear, but if the pages suddenly start falling from the binding by the handful as has happened to me with other Bibles in the past, they should replace it for you. Here’s hoping I...

One of the most exciting times in a child's life is when they are beginning to unlock the mysteries of the written word. We are just starting to get there with my son. He'll be five soon and has been working his way through our kindergarten curriculum. He's beginning to find -- and read! -- words everywhere! From street signs to grocery store advertisements to picture books to song lyrics. He is beginning both to recognize familiar words and to sound out new-to-him words! I know it won't be long before he develops into a fluent and avid reader, just like his big sister, and just like me! Because Little Guy will soon be reading on his own, I wanted to get him a Bible, God's Holy Word, of his own. Although it is somewhat more difficult than a children's translation, Hubby suggested we get the NKJV for Little Guy since that is what he uses. Like father like son, right? I was very pleased when I received a free copy of the NKJV Adventures Bible from Zondervan . ...

My daughter is nothing like me.  Her personality is her very own!  Even her taste in books differs greatly from mine.  When I was her age, I didn’t care a fig for non-fiction books.  I specifically remember looking at the Children’s Non-fiction Section at the public library and thinking how boring it was.  (I did, however, borrow every Alexander Key book the library had over and over and over again). Miss M, on the other hand, shows no discriminatory tendencies toward non-fiction.  In fact, she adores the  Who Was...  series of books and has asked for specific titles on more than one occasion.  Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King, Jr., even J.K. Rowling!  So when I had a chance to review  Jesus  from the Get to Know series by Nancy I. Sanders, I just knew it would be a hit! About the Book "Jesus  - part of the Get to Know series - is a unique biography about Jesus, the Son of God. Focusing on th...

We love books.  (You probably know that by now.)  And my kids love to be read to while they eat lunch or play with clay or sit in the hammock chair on a gorgeous spring day.  One of the latest books we read together is Panama Girl by Ida (pronounced EE-duh) Freer. Panama Girl Written by Ida Freer ISBN: 978-1480076792 Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 156 pages This is a story about a 12-year-old girl named Surni from the Embera people in the Darien jungle of Panama.  As you read, you get a clear picture of life in the village and how the Embera have lived for generations by finding everything they need for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation in the jungle.  But change is coming to the jungle.  Visitors from Panama City are arriving with increasing frequency and Surni and her people must learn to adapt to new ideas, new technology, and new beliefs.  Surni herself faces many challenges and proves that she is a girl...

I've never been a particular fan of Bible storybooks or toddler Bibles.  See, nothing can quite compete with my memories of my own childhood Bible storybook.   (I spent lots of time pouring over  The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes by Kenneth Taylor, which has since been "updated" with cartoonish illustrations rather than the beautiful artwork of the original.)  Even before I could read, I would feast my eyes on the artwork; later when I could read, I revisited an old familiar friend.  In spite of this, I've always been drawn to children's Bibles, perhaps hoping the next one I pick up will be as good as the one I remember from my past.  They're cheery and cute and appealing, even if I never do become a big fan of them. When I received a copy of 101 Color & Sing Bible Stories , I wasn't overly enthusiastic.  Still, I vowed to give it a chance and keep an open mind. This Bible storybook is a bit different than others I've browsed.  Thr...

This time of year many people begin to celebrate the Advent of the Christ.  My kids love the activities, the calendar, the Christmas books, and the pageantry of it all. But yesterday I asked them why we celebrate Advent. Why is Christmas different from any other famous person's birthday? And what  was  the message the angels gave to the shepherds anyway? Our celebration of Advent is the simulation of the waiting, the longing for, the intense anticipation of the coming of the Messiah.  Christmas is more than just "Happy Birthday, Jesus." It's the fulfillment of that long-ago promise by God to send the Seed, a Savior to the world.  The angels didn't say, "Dudes, check out the cute tyke that was born tonight!"  No, they announced: Unto you is born this day a Savior, the Messiah, the Lord ! Babies are born every day of the year, but this was a special birth. This was the birth of the long-awaited Seed promised to Adam, the Messiah who cam...

Okay, let's cut to the chase on this one. This book is AWESOME! I love it. You will too. So go buy it! The end. What? You think I should tell you why it's so awesome? Okay, fine. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. It's based on Scripture. It has the most gorgeous illustrations. I'm a total sucker for books with excellent artwork. It is meant to be shared by parent and child. Cuddle time! It helps little kids learn their ABCs. Each page has a picture of God's creation that begins with the letter featured on that page. The name of the plant or animal pictured does not appear anywhere on the page, leaving room for the reader's intelligence. I've been known to hug books that treat their readers as intelligent beings. The creature from the previous page can be seen in the background of the next page. I adore details like that! It helps kids identify both the capital and lowercase forms of each l...