Odyssey Adventure Club

Our family has enjoyed listening to the old and new recordings from the Adventures in Odyssey.  My kids like to listen to them as they fall asleep. We also like to use them in the middle of the day.  Since my kids don't nap anymore, it's the perfect quiet time activity for them.

Today, you can hear the first episode of album 58 free, which hasn't been released yet.  But join the OAC Club!  When you do that, go to http://whitsendblog.org/2014/06/the-ties-that-bind-part-1/ to hear it.

This club has been something that I can take part in with my kids.  We can listen and then talk about the episode.  I never intend to enjoy it as much as the kids, but I always do.  The storytelling is fantastic and they do a great job with their voices so it doesn't get boring. 

This is a great article in Today's Christian Living that talks about the Odyssey Adventure Club.  It tells you how you can engage your child and why it is such a wonderful thing!  Check it out at http://todayschristianliving.org/s4-features/the-odyssey-adventure-club/.

Shoe Garden and Other Shoe Stories by Joyce Fishman and Brenda Finne

This book is a cute collection of stories on shoes.  For my shoe-loving daughter, she liked this book.  Some of the book felt a little strange to me, but it did have some fun ways to look at our shoes.  I liked the part where it was said to think about the journeys our shoes will go on when we put them on today.  That's a fun consideration in the mornings.

The artwork is pretty and colorful, but I wouldn't say that it is the best I've seen in a children's book.  It didn't take away from the book at all and my daughter still loved it.  It was just not the best children's book I've read.

The book itself is a collection of shoe stories.  The stories are: Shoe Garden, Shoe Dreams, When Shoes Can Fly, and Butterfly Shoes.

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I was given this book free by the authors and PR by the Book in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Pirates on the Farm by Denette Fretz and Gene Barretta

This is such a cute kids book!  My son loves cowboys so I knew this book was one that we HAD to read together.  It has already become a family favorite for us.  The illustrations in this book are really pretty and definitely eye-catching for the young kids. 

The storyline itself is just as good.  As I was reading it, I knew there was a message so I immediately began looking for it.  I really liked how the Dad showed love to the pirates even when they were a bit different than the rest of the people he normally interacted with.  This was a powerful book that hit home with us as we've been talking a lot about loving and respecting people even if they treat us badly.  I like how the Dad never disrespected them, but kept reaching out to them.  It was a perfect lesson for us to talk to about with our kids on a level they understood.

I like the hardback book because it won't be easily damaged, which is good because I plan to keep it!  The back has a definitions page called "Stretch's Totally True Seadog Definition."  It has all of the "pirate speak" defined. 

Overall, this would make a great Christmas present for any child.  My oldest, my son, is 5-years-old and loves pirates.  My daughter is 3 and was engaged through the whole book.  It says on the book that it is geared for ages 4-8.  It is also a part of the new series, The Next Door Series.  Excited to read the next one in February.  For any young pirate-lover, this book is a must!

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I received this book free from Zondervan Publishers and Booksneeze in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

 

Bumper Wipe Clean Activities

My children have thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I have a 5 year old and a 3 year old.  They couldn't wait to open this book when it came in the mail.  I've been able to take it with us to doctors appointments and other places that I need a quiet activity for the kids.  The size is the perfect size to fit in your purse or a small bag, which is great.  So many activity books are larger and require a big bag to shove it in or else you get stuck toting it!

The pages are very easy to wipe off and come clean with very little effort. There are different activities inside, like finding same/different and puzzles and dot-to-dots, along with many more.  The pen comes with the book and stays nicely in it's pen holder.  Then pen isn't washable, I don't think.  That's the only downside.

I would definitely recommend this book for any mom who needs some quiet, portable activities to take places.  The only problem is they may fight over one, so you may need 2!

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I received this book free from Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The Beginner's Bible App Review

I love interactive Bible apps because I think that they help solidify what we teach our children.  We are very cautious when it comes to what our children are exposed to on the iPad because we want to make sure that even the children's Bibles stay true to what the Bible teaches. 

With that said, when we were asked to review an app for children, I gladly did.  I had the Beginner's Bible when I was little and knew that they taught children what God says.  My children, both 2 and 4, had a lot of fun playing with this app.  They loved the coloring pages, but they also enjoyed the part where they could pop the apples on the tree.  My 2-year-old really liked doing the puzzles.  I, as the mom, liked that the add-ons weren't expensive and that they coordinated with the order of the stories in the Bible.  We are homeschooling and are definitely going to start using this app as a closer to our Bible time. 

 I'm looking forward to the updates and the new additions on this app.

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I received this app free (as it is for all right now) in exchange for my honest opinion of this review.