Real Change

Real change for students. I was expecting a bit more. However, I had to remember that this is a study meant for teens and young adults who seem to have a fairly short attention span, so they need to get the point across without taking up too much time or losing their attention. The book itself is less than 100 pages and and the study is less than half. It is very direct and to the point. Each week, has scripture, reflection sections and homework. Then the leader guide has pointers on how to conduct each week of the study and roughly how much time that is recommended to spend on each section each week.

So half the book is the actual study and the other half is the leader guide. The point of the study is to do internal change, transformation that leads to external change. There are six sessions in the study, which could be done one per week. The first four sessions are mostly internal change and the last two  sessions are where the internal work moves into external fruit that can be seen. And this is huge because Jesus said we will know them by their fruit and the fruit of our lives is what can actually be seen. So it doesn’t matter that Jesus knows my heart if the effects of knowing Jesus isn’t shown in my life. And THAT is the true purpose of this study to help the next generation produce fruit in keeping with being a follower of Christ.

(FYI, I received this book from the publisher, New Growth Press, in exchange for my honest review.)

New Review: Play to Their Strength

So our next book is a parenting book. I'm almost always up for reading someone else's take on parenting because as parents we don't know it all. And if someone has advice that can make me a better, more God-honouring parent then I'm all ears.

From the cover, this one promises both.

So in this book, we meet parents who have got it wrong then strove on how to get it right.  Their goal is to not parent from a place of fear but one of working to uncover what their children's gifts and talents are, then parent their children in such a way that nurtures those gifts and talents. Some practical tools they offer are to find the 5 e's (your child's enthusiasm, ease, excellence, energy, and enjoyment) regarding what your children are involved in; creating a vision board, which works with children the same way it does us, adults; and keeping an eye out for red flags that trigger frustration and keep parents from reacting and disciplining out of anger.

Then the last 80 pages of the book is the Bonus Playbook which helps parents actually used what they've read. There are practical tips to go with every chapter.

This book has been an interesting book to read, especially since we have five (5) children that span in an age range from 1 to 12. For me, Chapters 12 and 13 have been the most useful and implementor. I see this book as an ongoing reference book that would get a reread every so often for recharge. But all in all, I like their approach to parenting, its encouragement and cultivation at its best.

I also like that they encourage really learning our children and not taking the approach that we know them because we birthed them.

I definitely recommend this book to parents. 

{Also, please note that I received this book from the publisher, Harvest House, in exchange for my honest opinion.}

God Made Boys and Girls

So here's another series of God Made books by New Growth Press.

This first book is about helping children understand gender from a godly perspective, which is hugely needed in today's society considering the constant discussion around gender and transgendered persons.

The story starts revolves around a little girl named Maya who prefers to play sports like football at recess. She's also really fast. So fast that when they line up for recess, her classmate (a boy) remarks that if she keeps playing with boys then she'll turn into a boy. This sparks a discussion about gender and how it does not change because of what we do or how we act. Gender is a gift from God and even if you like to do things that are considered "boy-ish" it doesn't change that gift. Gender is what you're born with and it doesn't change. It's ingrained so deep in us, it goes beyond what we can physically see down into our DNA and cells.

Again!  New Growth Press does it again with another good book with a much-needed lesson.

This is definitely worth reading, especially those who may have children or even teens who are struggling with gender identity and as a parent, you want to take a God-honoring approach to discuss it. This book does that and points them back to Jesus.

{I received this book from the publisher, New Growth Press, in exchange for my honest review.}

Student Planner Review

So this may be my first time reviewing an academic planner, and this one is a student planner which I am totally excited about because we are back homeschooling this year so the planner will be used by my oldest who will be starting 7th grade in a few short weeks.

So this is what the exterior of the one we received looks like. It is hardback with the ability to lay flat to write in. It isn't super bulky so she can drop it down into her backpack to take with her when we go on road trips or to the library.

These two pages are to set up what courses the student will take on a weekly basis and which days each week as well as a semester overview. This is awesome for us because as homeschoolers we can use these pages to keep up with (for record-keeping purposes) exactly what was learned throughout the school year.

The each month's calendar is spaced out over two pages which allow the student to keep up with activities. Especially for the busy kid who may be involved in extracurricular activities like our kids are planning for. There's a notes column to jot down notes and things to remember. And down in the lower right-hand corner is a monthly memory verse for the student, so over the course of the school year they should be able to memorize at least 10-11 verses.

And last is the weekly planning pages which have a check-box layout rather than a time slot layout which in my preference is better because we often do not always adhere to a time schedule but we do tend to maintain our routine. With the checkboxes, I informed my student that she would write down all of her assignments the weekend before and check off each one as she completed them and I would review and grade the following weekend. My goal is to allow more self-governance for our oldest and give her more responsibility for keeping up with her assignments and chores.

So for me, this planner gets 5 stars!! It is well thought out and simple enough to use without too much explanation. I definitely recommend. And if you want one a little more feminine they do have another cover option:

{FYI: as always this planner was provided to me for FREE from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

NIV Journal the Word Bible for Teens

This is what the Bible looks like. Absolutely stunning!

So, the first thing I noticed is just how beautiful this Bible is. It's gold leather with colourful flowers on the front. The font is black and pink (writing prompts). Its a single column journaling Bible with writing prompts. I look at those prompts more like thinking points because while it makes me reflect on the Scripture on that page, it also makes me want to cross-reference (unfortunately this Bible does not contain cross-references). I also like that it is made to lay flat, which is awesome for taking notes in it.  There is a short subject index in the back, but no concordance, dictionary, or maps.

I think this is good for devotion time when you want to just read and journal what you're reading. It's quite pretty and would make an awesome gift for any woman, young or older, she'll appreciate it. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the "for teens" portion of the name of the Bible because it is literally just feminine and made to get you to think as you read. Anyone could appreciate it. 

My daughter (10 yr old) likes that it is pretty but she's more taken with a different journaling Bible that has illustrations in it, so she can colour in it.

All in all... This book gets two thumbs up!

{FYI: I received a copy of this Bible from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}