Kregel Blog Tour: Across the Wide River by Stephanie Reed

$9.99

Publication: September 2004

978-0-8254-3576-8

Paperback

176 pages

Trim Size: 5.25 x 8

Publisher: Kregel Publications

Lowry Rankin knows all too well the cost of freedom; after all, his family’s red brick home is the first stop on the Underground Railroad north of the Ohio River.
He’s seen friends beaten for the color of their skin. He’s watched simple farmers make a difference. He’s even risked his own life transporting escaped slaves to the next "station". But will Lowry be able to conquer his greatest fear when he’s called to speak out?

About the Author: During her childhood, Stephanie Reed’s family would often pass through Ripley on their way to her grandparents’ home. The signs she read there about the Rankin house were what prompted her to write Across the Wide River and The Light Across the River. After working for nearly a decade with the Dayton Metro Library, Stephanie is now a volunteer spotter for the National Weather Service. She lives with her husband and two children in Dublin, Ohio

You can visit the author's website by clicking here.

To read an excerpt from the book click here.


Across the Wide River was an outstanding read!  I would say it was the best Historical Fiction I have read in a long time.  The author does a wonderful job of telling the "story" of real life character Lowry Rankin and his family.  Not only do we get to see what amazing things the Rankin family (and others) do during this difficult time in history, we also get to see Lowry and what is going on inside his head and his heart.  We learn that even though his acts are courageous, he has little self confidence and even at times is resentful of what he knows he needs to do.  This adds an amazingly real human element to a very heroic story.  I loved this quote when Lowry saved his sister from a wild hog, "For a week, Lowry had been a hero in Carlisle, the envy of his schoolmates.  Privately, he thought that if he had to battle a wild hog to be a hero, he would just as soon let somebody else have all the honors."

The author also does a fantastic job at describing the scenery and activities going on around the characters.  It truly makes you feel like you are part of the story.  As I read the novel I could hear the annoying sound of the cicadas and feel the itchy bites that the chiggers left behind. 

Although the book is written during a very violent period of time, the author does an excellent job of portraying the violence and fear without being overly graphic or making the book inappropriate for children.  Across the Wide River would make a great read aloud for a family or independent read  for ages 9 and up  who are studying the era leading up to the Civil War or the Underground Railroad.  It also is great if you are looking for an excellent read about true American heroes.  Now, I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, The Light Across the River.  I am compelled to find out more.

I received a complimentary copy of Across the Wide River from Kregel Publications for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review.  I received no other compensation.

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Menu Plan Monday!

I do not have to leave the house until Friday!  That makes menu planning much easier.  Here is what is on our menu this week:

Friday 8/12- pizza
Saturday 8/13- cheeseburgers with pickles, lettuce, tomato and fruit salad
Sunday 8/14- oven fried chicken, rice, applesauce
Monday 8/15-taco soup, homemade bread
Tuesday 8/16-blt's, fruit salad
Wednesday 8/17- pork chop parmesan
Thursday 8/18- meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans

See some great menu plans at http://www.orgjunkie.com/

Have a great week!

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Using Technology to Teach Young Children

Back in my childhood days, we had  educational TV shows like Sesame Street and Romper Room and those really old Apple Computers in the classroom.  Each class had one computer and if you finished all your work for the week you might get to play part of an educational game on Friday.  Today, there is an enormous amount of educational gizmos, gadgets, and educational websites.  There are a ton of "educational" TV shows, computer games, children's books on mp3's and e readers, apps for Ipods, Ipads, and telephones.  All of these things are available pretty much every where and at the push of a button.

This can be a good thing.  A child can have the opportunity to spend time on the computer learning something educational.  A audio book on an mp3 player can provide entertainment on a rainy afternoon or while traveling in the car.  Educational apps on your phone or Ipod can keep a child occupied in the waiting room of a doctor's office.

But, these items cannot and should not replace the one on one time a child has learning from their parents.  Nothing can take the place of snuggling with your children over their favorite picture book, or writing their name in the sand.  An educational app is not going to provide the same sense of accomplishment as a child actually having the chance to count and sort M&M's by color and to figure out how many are left when mom eats two.  A computer website showing insects and all of their habitats is not the same as getting outside and exploring the insect world first hand.  It is wonderful that we have all of these things at our finger tips, but these items should be used sparingly as tools to reinforce what is being taught and should not replace a young child's education, exploration, creative thinking, and imaginative play.   Put down the DS, close the computer, and find a great living book to read and engage your child!

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Book Review: Healing Hearts by Beth Wiseman

Beth Wiseman's Amish novellas are available for the first time in one collection—Healing Hearts.

"A Choice to Forgive" Lydia has loved two men in her life. Daniel, who disappeared one Christmas Eve long ago, leaving only a note saying he wanted to live in the Englisch world. And Elam, Daniel's brother, to whom she had been happily married for 15 years. When Elam dies, Lydia gives up on ever loving again. But she is shocked when Daniel wants to return to the Order and her life.

"A Change of Heart" Leah is a writer in a community that does not encourage such fruitless endeavors. She lacks the skills necessary to be a good Amish fraa. Aaron knows these things about Leah, but his heart is captured by this spirited young woman.

"Healing Hearts" Levina Lapp and her husband Naaman are alone for the first time in 30 years. When Naaman left to visit cousins in Ohio, Levina wasn't expecting him to be gone a year. Now that he's back, will they be able to move beyond this estrangement and fall in love again?

These novellas were previously published in An Amish Love, An Amish Gathering, and An Amish Christmas.

I had the opportunity to read and review the e book version of Healing Hearts.  I was hoping for a light hearted, easy read and this book did not disappoint.  Each story carries a message of forgiveness and the healing in one receives when they are able to forgive those who have wronged them.  Each book also is honest in the difficulty it can be to forgive those who are closest to us after they have hurt us.  My favorite of the three was "A Change of Heart."  I could really identify with Leah's character and loved Auntie Ruth.  I also thought that the Amish recipes included after the book discussion questions was a very nice touch.  I am certain if you enjoy reading Amish  Fiction, Healing Hearts will leave you happy and uplifted.

I received a complimentary copy of Healing Hearts from Thomas Nelson for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review.  I received no other compensation.

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Our Morning Board

This is a picture of our new morning board.  I got the idea from this post from Heidi's Ramblings, Reflections, and Reviews (If you read her post you will see she got the idea from someone else.  Aren't blogs great for inspiration?)  I thought it was a great idea and that my children would love it!  I already had a laminator and laminating sheets, so I only needed a few supplies to finish the project:

Metal Rings- I found index card rings in a pack of eight for $1.44 at Walmart.  I used two packs.
Plastic Hooks with adhesive- An eight pack was $1 at Walmart.  I used two packs.
Glue
2 Thumbtacks to attach clock hands and arrow for seasons
Tri Fold Science Project Board -$3.44 at Walmart.  You could also use poster board or a foam board.

Most of the printables I got from Mama Jenn: Calendar Time.  At the top of the board is the day of the week, month, date and year.  Underneath that is a Clock that I got here.  Then is an obedience prayer from Totally Tots.  The next sheet is a list of Bible verses from A-Z (I cannot remember where I printed that from.)  Next is a sheet with address, phone number and emergency numbers (Mama Jenn.)  The next row has the 4 seasons and What is the Weather Today from Confessions of A Homeschooler.  The alphabet cards I had from our Hooked on Phonics set so I just had to hang them on a hook.  Next are shape cards and the last thing on the board is a blank state of Arkansas map that we will put out location, my parents, and a few other important places.  I printed it out from http://www.50states.com/.

The children are very impressed with our Morning Board.  My very funny Nicholas (9) got up the other day and turned all the weather days to snow and the date to December 25th.  I told him nice try but we have to remember we are using this as a tool to teach the little ones and we don't want to confuse them.  If I had it to do over again, I would have covered the board with some kind of contact paper or pieces of card stock so the background would be a little more interesting.

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Free Summer Digital Issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!

As homeschooling moms and dads, we need plenty of encouragement to keep us going.  We also need new ideas to add into our homeschools and curriculum recommendations.  For the last 10 years, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine have provided all these and much more to the homeschooling community.  The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is my absolute favorite homeschool magazine. TOS is offering for free (no strings attached) their brand new digital Summer edition.  You access it  by clicking here.  TOS magazine truly blesses me every time I read it.  Go check it out!

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Not Back to School Blog Hop : School Room Week!

Right before last year's Blog Hop, we had to gut our School Room because of water damage.  All last year we spent doing "school" in various rooms in the house.  This worked out just fine, but I am very glad that the room is completed and we will be starting school next week.  Here is what it looked like last year:

Here is what it looks like now:

We put ceramic tile floors in and then covered half the room with thick interlinking foam pads for the children to play on and the baby to crawl on.  The book shelves got a fresh coat of paint (white is not a good color when you have seven children.)  We left the doors off the cabinets so the children can get to their things easier.  Storage bins with lids keep all of the small toys where they belong.  Nick, Alex, Anthony get a small cubby for their school supplies: spiral notebooks, 3 ring binder, sketch pad, silent reading books, and pencil box with: scissors, glue, pencils, colored pencils, and crayons.  Christian and Lily are sharing a cubby and Chelsea gets a shelf.  The shelves on the right side of the room has all of our educational books and supplies and the shelves have art supplies, paper, science kits, and other items we will need for school.  The left side has children's books, board games, and toys.  The top shelves are dedicated to storing some of the boys' Lego's (trying to keep little sister away from them.)

Daddy thought it would be fun to put a chalkboard in.  He made this one using plywood and painting it with blackboard paint.  The boys drew a space ship and some planets in this picture.

This is where our table is going to go.  We used to have desks down here but I wanted an area we could all work together and not have to use the dining room table for art projects.  So I ordered a 30 x60 adjustable classroom table.  I hope to have it by the end of the week.

This is a closer picture of the cubbies.  Our morning board is also in this picture (doing a separate post about explaining about that.)  The morning board will go on the wall along with some posters and our laminated map as soon as the table is put in and I get something to hang them without damaging the paint or putting holes in the walls.

I am so happy to have our School Room back!  Check out some other great School Rooms here.

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