One2Believe Nativity Playset

What a pleasant surprise when a package arrived on our steps with a 17 piece nativity set from One2Believe. I love nativity sets and have been semi-sorta collecting them for a few years, so to receive one to review was a blessing.

One2Believe is a Christian company whose “passion is to help children learn important Bible lessons and to have them come to faith in Jesus. Our goal is to provide fun ways of teaching children about the greatest people who ever lived. Through the toys that we design children will learn and play out exciting stories about real people. Our toys teach children that there are real superheroes they can believe in!”

The set comes with 17 well constructed pieces (which have been made from PVC, so you definitely don’t want these pieces chewed on by little ones.) The “set includes a “Birth of Baby Jesus” mini-storybook and 17 PVC pieces (Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus in manger, King #1, King #2, King #3, Angel #1, Angel #2, Shepherd #1, Shepherd #2, male camel, male donkey, male sheep, female sheep, stable, tree, and a barrel of hay).”

I am impressed by the quality of this playset, and with the other items that the company offers on their website. When there are so many negative influences in front of our children, it is refreshing to know there are toys that can help reinforce the values being taught in our home.

You can purchase the set for $24.95 on the One2Believe website. For other reviews of this product, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

The Missing Link: Found

I have been bothered for some time by what appears to be a phenomenon among the major bookstores. Several months ago, I was in a major bookstore chain with my son, and we were looking on the teen aisle. I couldn’t help but notice the “dark” nature of the books. Books about wizards, vampires, witches and evil all seemed to jump off the shelf at me. As I looked closer, those topics seemed to overwhelm the shelves. I left that day feeling like there was something really wrong with our culture when darkness was portrayed in such a popular light.

Now to be fair, I haven’t read any of the books on wizards or vampires, and really am not interested in them. My kids haven’t read them either. They have never given me that warm fuzzy feeling. (The wizard and vampire books, not my kids!)

I say all of that to say this: I am thrilled with a book that I received as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew reviews. Media Angels, Inc. is a “publishing company that is dedicated to serving the needs of Christian parents, students and teachers.” Media Angels sent us a copy of “The Missing Link: Found” which was written by a mother and daughter team, Christina and Felice Gerwitz. Christina was just 12 yrs. old when she began writing this book, (which is part of a three book set, the Truth Seekers Mystery Series).

I’m excited for a couple of reasons: The first is that it was written by a homeschooler. I love to see the success of students who are homeschooled and homeschooling families. Secondly, the content of the book is adventurous, entertaining, educating and captivating. There were no dark overtones to the book, such as the ones mentioned at the beginning of my post.

There are three books in this series, and I intend to purchase the other two at some point. The author has also created literature guides to go along with all three books.

You will not be disappointed when choosing these adventure books for your family. Check out other reviews on Missing Link: Found at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog!

Homeschool Library Builder - Website Review

Homeschool Library Builder is a website that I have been asked to review as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I am so thankful that I have been made aware of this site. Typically, I am a library kind of girl. I generally check out the 3 major library systems nearby when I am searching for a book that we need for school. If that doesn’t work, I go straight to ebay. Now, I’ll be headed straight to the Homeschool Library Builder. Let me give a few highlights of the site:

-The site is run by two homeschool families who understand the needs of homeschoolers, the type of books we are looking for and the prices that we need them to be!

-User friendly site with a quick search engine.

-They offer great books - the books that are used in homeschool curricula such as Five in A Row, Tapestry of Grace, Sonlight, Veritas Press and others.

-Membership is free and allows you to accumulate points which equals free books. It reminds me of the grocery stores!

-They have many out of print books

-Great prices throughout the site: A sample of the pricing – Retail: $15.89 – Sale Price: $3.00

-Shipping based on purchase amount – up to $25 – shipping is $4.50 – 25.01 – 50.00 – shipping is $7.70

Please bookmark Homeschool Library Builders and check them out when you are shopping for books. You never know what great bargains you will find. For more reviews on this website, head on over to the TOS Homeschool Crew blog!

Great Internet Resource!!

When talking to parents who are new to homeschooling, I have often said that if you have access to the library and the internet (with a printer), you can teach your children at home. Now, that doesn’t mean that I don’t purchase curriculum, but I do supplement a great deal from those two resources.

I have recently reviewed a website for TOS Homeschool Crew that can definitely be a big help to those starting out in their homeschooling journey.

Helpme2teach.com is an internet directory for students, teachers and parents that boasts access to over 2500 safe and educational links. From preschoolers to high schoolers, this site will guide you to free resources on numerous topics. You may search through the Table of Contents or type your category into the search line. A brief summary of the website will come up in the search, as well as a color-code that shows whom the site is geared toward, i.e. Primary (K-2nd), Elementary (2nd – 5th), Secondary (6th – 12th) and Teacher. This can be a definite timesaver function.

The site was developed by a teacher of over 40 years. She has spent numerous hours searching the internet for sites that are safe and relevant. All sites have been prescreened, so allowing your 7th grader to search on the site alone is not a scary prospect.

Currently the pricing for the site is:
1 yr.: $29.95
3 mos.: $15.95
1 mo.: $9.95
3 days: $4.95

There is also a special running through December 31, 2008 where you can buy 1 year and get one free. (Everyone loves BOGO!) The author is updating the site daily, and many categories have been added since the first time I logged on.

Helpme2teach.com definitely warrants a good look by those parents who are new to homeschooling as well as those veterans who have been around the block.

Be sure to check out the Homeschool Crew's other reviews of helpme2teach!