Throwback Thursday Blog-Style #271: August 29, 2019

Welcome back to... 

I know, I know, Throwback Thursday seems to be all about sharing pictures from the past, great memories that mean something to you, that you would like to share with others. At least that is how it appears to me. Throwback Thursday wasn't something I was participating in, and then I came up with an idea.

I thought it would be great fun and a help to my blog to share old content, but not just any old content. Each week I will share an old blog post from a previous year, any year, BUT it has to be from the current week (for example, something I've posted around August 29th, from any previous year)  I will go in, edit the post if needed, add a pinnable image if I don't already have one, and share it on Facebook.

Would you like to join in? You do not need to edit your past post in any way, you don't need to create a pinnable image, though it couldn't hurt, in fact it will help your blog traffic to add quality pinnable images to your posts.

Just go into your archives, choose a favorite post from this current week from any previous year, and link it up below. (If you don't have anything from this current week, it is still okay to link up with a post from a previous year around this time. And if you haven't been blogging for a full year, feel free to share any earlier post.)

Please make sure to share from the past as instructed above.  The spirit of Throwback Thursday Blog-Style is to share posts from the past. Please follow the guidelines. I would hate to have to delete your link.
Thank you

I will be pinning posts to my appropriate Pinterest boards and will be randomly selecting a Featured Throwback Thursday post to share next week. Just a note, I will be sharing a picture from your post if you are selected as the featured post, but I will link back to your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. By linking up you are giving me permission to use your picture in the post. 

Here is my Throwback Thursday post
(This year I am going to focus on looking back at past reviews):

Originally posted August 24, 2016
Working on Phonics with jollyliteracy.com {A TOS Review}

Here is this week's randomly selected

Featured Throwback Thursday post:

Gale from Waco Mom shared:

What Do You Mean This Wasn't for Me?

To participate, link up below. It would be great if you could visit several of the other posts that have linked up. Stop by, comment, and pin images so we can help each other.

No button currently, and there won't be one until I can figure it out seeing as Photobucket has changed things. Feel free to still share the picture in place of the button. Just link it to my Throwback Thursday Blog-Style permalink please.

Happy Throwback Thursday!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Digging into Britfield & the Lost Crown with a Study Guide {A Homeschool Review Crew Review}

Reading. . . yes, reading is important in our home. I have mentioned that many, many times in the past. So, when we are given the opportunity to review a new book, of course we jump at the chance. This time around, thanks to the Homeschool Review Crew, we received a copy of the first book in what is expected to be a series of five books for middle-school age children. The title of the first book is Britfield & the Lost Crown and it is written by C.R. Stewart. 

Not only did we receive the 386-page paperback book, but we were given a digital download of the 83-page Study Guide.

This award-winning book is full of fast-paced adventure as the reader follows the journey of two escaped orphans, named Tom and Sarah, who are attempting discover the truth of Tom's past, while staying ahead of the police and the cruel caretaker from Weatherly, the horrific orphanage they have lived in for the past several years. Thankfully they were able to escape with the help of their fellow orphans, and end up being chased all over England as they make their way first, to London, and then to the shores of Dover.

Something that some Christian parents may appreciate, is that there is no magic in this adventure. You will find lots of peril, betrayal, and suspense, but you don't have to worry about magic or any inappropriate language or homosexual mentions (which sadly are becoming more common in even juvenile books). Though not technically a Christian book, a Christian parent can rest assured that their child is reading a wonderful adventure, while also learning about English history, culture and geography. 

I will mention that there is a scene where a gun is shot at a person. Additionally, the way the orphans are treated is quite horrid, for instance as punishment children may be locked in an attic in solitary confinement for long periods of time, or left out in the rain. And there is a suspenseful scene of a dog trying to attack the escaping orphans. So, if you have concern about those scenes, you may want to keep it from younger readers.

Now, if you don't want a huge spoiler, you will want to skip this next paragraph. 

Something Tabitha and I were a bit hesitant about after reading the book in full originally, was the revelation that Speckle, the caretaker who treats them so miserably and then chases after them in an attempt to capture them, is actually a good guy undercover. When we were rereading the book, we both agreed that we couldn't see how he could have done some of the horrid things he had done to the orphans if he was supposed to be a good guy, even if he was supposed to be undercover. Though it did explain why sometimes the orphans had not gotten caught at the beginning of the book, when it originally made me feel like they had gotten away with something way too easily. Such as a time when Mr. Speckle hadn't heard that there were two children on the roof when he had to have been close enough to hear them screaming. Or that it seemed to take him way too long to catch up to them, giving them time to have a conversation. Even though we aren't sure if we quite buy the fact that Mr. Speckle turned out to be on Tom and Sarah's side, we still love the book.

If you would like to read more of my original thoughts, I would invite you to read the review I wrote about a month ago. Now, I would like to focus on the Study Guide.

I am so glad we were given this opportunity to read the book again while utilizing the Study Guide. As I mentioned earlier, the Study Guide is 83 pages long. It is meant to take eight weeks to complete. As I am reading it aloud to three of the children, we are working at a bit slower pace. Tabitha is reading it independently, but is sticking to the pace we are reading at. 

The guide begins with a synopsis and an "About the Author" section before moving into the lesson pages.

Tabitha takes the book and her study guide pages up to her room to read and work undisturbed. 

On the other hand, I read to the younger three in the evening or before bed. We may read up in my bedroom, on the couch or the loveseat.

Once I am finished with the chapter(s), I give Amelia the corresponding Study Guide pages. 

The first six chapters are paired up in the study guide, with chapters 1&2, 3&4, and 5&6 being combined. Then, for the remainder of the guide, each chapter is by itself. 

Each section follows the same format. It always begins with Vocabulary, then moves on to Comprehension, and Going Deeper. Some of the chapters even have Learn More with Technology activities.

One thing I thought was really neat is that the vocabulary activities vary for each chapter. A student may need to:

• match them with the definition
• select a word from the word bank to fill complete a sentence
• take an educated guess on the definition and then look up the actual definition
• choose a synonym from a multiple choice list
• complete a crossword puzzle
• complete a word find
• look up the definitions and draw pictures to represent each word

Here are a couple of examples:

The Comprehension questions are straight forward and require no more than knowledge of what was read in the chapter. I do allow the girls to use the books to find the answers if needed. 

The Going Deeper questions require the student to think through their answers more. The are asked to imagine or think things through and personalize it, explaining what they might do, or how they feel about it. They may be asked to role play or write a short letter or paragraph. They may even be asked to draw a picture.

And the Learn More with Technology section requires the student to use the internet to research details about different things they learned about in the chapter. They are asked to choose an author mentioned in the chapter or a location in another chapter. They are asked to research orphanages, why aircraft speed is measured in knots, Oxford University, Winston Churchill, and more. The are even asked to do some map work on occasion.

As you can see, the Study Guide is a great way to make sure your child is getting the most out of the book as they can. If you thoroughly work through it, you will learn an awful lot about England, its culture and history. There is ample opportunity to work on creative writing and drawing skills, along with improving vocabulary in fun ways. As much as I am one who just loves to read through a book and not be bothered with such things, I highly recommend using this study guide with your children if you want to get the most out of the book that you can.

In addition to the website, you can find out more about The World of Britfield on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Don't forget to click on the banner below to see what my fellow Crew mates have to say about Britfield & the Lost Crown.

Littles Learning Link Up: August 27, 2019

Each month you will find:

• A seasonal round-up (usually toward the beginning of the month)
• Posts where I share what I have been up to with my elementary-age children and the preschoolers I work with at our homeschool co-op (including occasional highlight posts where I share how we used ideas that have been linked up here on Littles Learning Link Up).

Each week, I will host a link up, where you can share either what you have been up to recently, or old posts that may go with the theme.  Feel free to link up more than one post.

Each week I will continue to feature a couple of posts from those that have been linked up. 

I hope you will continue to share your wonderful posts, and I hope you will find something new to try with your child(ren).

It would be great for everyone to stop by and visit the other linked-up posts as well. Check them out, leave some comments, pin those that interest you. Let's make this a real party and socialize with each other.

Here's a peek at what we have been up to in our homeschool. 

We are on the second week of our summer break. So, not much is going on here. Of course, we do have several things the children are still going to have to do each day as we have several review products we are working with. This of course is making the kids a bit upset. Oops. I am trying to let them spend most of the day doing what they want though. Thankfully Harold really likes his math workbook. He loves being able to do math in it, and loves that he earned a certificate for completing a map:

 Also, both Harold and Hannah enjoy using Reading Eggspress and Math Seeds on the computer. The pulling of teeth is mainly with the older girls.

I also took on a new endeavor, which has made me a bit busier than planned. I am now a Pampered Chef Consultant. So, I have been busy trying to figure all the ins and outs of that out. So, I haven't been getting to as much organizing as I would have liked to. But, school still starts next week. So, I'll get there.

Let's take a look at that review schedule real quick:

Three weeks ago I shared my reviews for Library & Educational Services and Memoria Press,  This week you will find the review of the study guide for Britfield & the Lost Crown (I posted my review of the book a few weeks ago). I also plan to share any new insights we've been learning from our re-read of the book as a family read-aloud.

In September I will be sharing my review of the 200 Essential Math Skills for Second Grade workbook from Reading Eggs (which Harold has been using), Easy Grammar Plus from Easy Grammar Systems (which Tabitha and Amelia have been using), and Online Times Alive from City Creek Press, Inc (which Amelia and Hannah have been using).

And then in October I will be bringing you reviews for two art programs. HiGASFY Art History Video Series and the Drawing Program from Creating a Masterpiece.

Here are some things I would like to share with you:

Don't miss this year's NOT Back to School Blog Hop posts. 

This year I shared A Peek into Our Homeschool.

Also, I invite you to check out these round ups from the past:

Back to Homeschool Blog Hop Day 2- Back to School Round Up

Apple Fun Round Up- 70+ Apple Themed Ideas

Next week I hope to share an ocean themed round up. If you have any posts you would like included, please leave a comment or contact me via the contact information on my About Me page.

Now onto:

Littles Learning Link Up Features

On my last Littles Learning Link Up post, there were 6 wonderful posts linked up. I will be sharing a randomly selected post and the post with the most clicks.

Please, don't forget to stop by other posts that are linked up. See what catches your eye, stop by, pin the post to a relevant board, and perhaps leave a comment to let the author of the blog know you have been by for a visit. I know I appreciate others commenting and letting me know they have read my posts, so I am sure others do too.

This week's randomly selected post is:

The Reader and the Book shared Sniffer & Tinni: A True Tale of Amazing Animal Friendship by Berit Helberg.

This week's most clicked on post is:

Homegrown Adventures shared Teeth.

Join the Party!

I would love to have you join in this week! What sort of activities do you do with your young children? Do you have some favorite activities you would like to share? I invite you to link up below. I will be pinning posts on one of my relevant boards, and I would love to feature some of the activities each week from what is linked up.

Please know I may share a picture from your post and link back to it, along with sharing how we used your idea in our school time. By linking up you are giving me permission to use a picture from your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. Additionally, if you choose to try out any of the ideas with your child, please make sure you give credit where credit is due.

Linky will be open through Monday night, to give me time to check out all the posts and get the Features organized. Please take the time to visit some of the other wonderful posts linked up.

No button currently, and there won't be one until I can figure it out seeing as Photobucket has changed things. Feel free to still share the picture in place of the button. Just link it to my Littles Learning Link Up permalink please.

I am sharing over at

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up- August 27, 2019

Welcome to Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up with your hosts Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily Reviews, Shelly @ The Attic Girl, and Rena @ An Ordinary Housewife.

So glad you could join us as we share our giveaways on  Tuesday's Giveaway Link Ups. 

This link up will be posted Monday at 7 PM est. and run all week long! Make sure you stop in as often as you can to list your latest giveaways.

Here is how to use the Giveaway Link Up

1. Post your reviews and/or giveaways, as many as you have, be sure to add the end date (family friendly please)

2. Help spread the word about the giveaway link up by grabbing our button, Tweeting or posting on Facebook. (Not mandatory- but it helps get more exposure to your giveaways as well!)

3. Take a moment to enter any giveaway that strikes an interest to you!

Featured Giveaway

Cape: The League of Secret Heroes book & superhero cape US only Ends 9/6

Featured Reviews

Expanding Our Homeschool Library with Wonderful Materials from Library and Educational Services {A Homeschool Review Crew Review}

Digging Into Great Stories with Literature Guides from Memoria Press {A Homeschool Review Crew Review}

If you would  like to follow the  hostesses, we will gladly follow you back! Simply leave us a message to do so.

Thank you for linking up with Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily Reviews, Shelly @ The Attic Girl, and Rena @ An Ordinary Housewife .

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Throwback Thursday Blog-Style #270: August 22, 2019

Welcome back to... 

I know, I know, Throwback Thursday seems to be all about sharing pictures from the past, great memories that mean something to you, that you would like to share with others. At least that is how it appears to me. Throwback Thursday wasn't something I was participating in, and then I came up with an idea.

I thought it would be great fun and a help to my blog to share old content, but not just any old content. Each week I will share an old blog post from a previous year, any year, BUT it has to be from the current week (for example, something I've posted around August 22nd, from any previous year)  I will go in, edit the post if needed, add a pinnable image if I don't already have one, and share it on Facebook.

Would you like to join in? You do not need to edit your past post in any way, you don't need to create a pinnable image, though it couldn't hurt, in fact it will help your blog traffic to add quality pinnable images to your posts.

Just go into your archives, choose a favorite post from this current week from any previous year, and link it up below. (If you don't have anything from this current week, it is still okay to link up with a post from a previous year around this time. And if you haven't been blogging for a full year, feel free to share any earlier post.)

Please make sure to share from the past as instructed above.  The spirit of Throwback Thursday Blog-Style is to share posts from the past. Please follow the guidelines. I would hate to have to delete your link.
Thank you

I will be pinning posts to my appropriate Pinterest boards and will be randomly selecting a Featured Throwback Thursday post to share next week. Just a note, I will be sharing a picture from your post if you are selected as the featured post, but I will link back to your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. By linking up you are giving me permission to use your picture in the post. 

Here is my Throwback Thursday post
(This year I am going to focus on looking back at past reviews):

Originally posted August 24, 2017
Improving Our Daily Routine with the Everyday Family Chore System {A TOS Review}

Here is this week's randomly selected

Featured Throwback Thursday post:

Gale from Texifornia shared:

A Watery Mosaic

To participate, link up below. It would be great if you could visit several of the other posts that have linked up. Stop by, comment, and pin images so we can help each other.

No button currently, and there won't be one until I can figure it out seeing as Photobucket has changed things. Feel free to still share the picture in place of the button. Just link it to my Throwback Thursday Blog-Style permalink please.

Happy Throwback Thursday!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wordless Wednesday: August 21, 2019 (w/linky) - A Baptism and a Birthday Party

On Sunday we went to church with my son and daughter-in-law so we could be there for baby Philip's baptism. Then, later in the afternoon, we all went to our other granddaughter's birthday party.

Looking forward to seeing your Wordless (or not so wordless) Wednesday posts this week.

No button currently, and there won't be one until I can figure it out seeing as Photobucket has changed things. Feel free to still share the picture in place of the button on your Wordless Wednesday post or in a list of Wordless Wednesday linkies. Just link it to my Wordless Wednesday permalink please.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter