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Exploring The World of Astronomy

Exploring The World of Astronomy

It is such a blessing being part of the Moms of Master Books review team.  The book that I get to share with you this time is, Exploring The World of Astronomy.

Exploring The World of Astronomy is just one book, in a series of science books, written by John Hudson Tiner.  In this book, Mr. Tiner will help you discover many details about the amazing planets, stars and space that God created for us.

In the Exploring The World of Astronomy book, there are graphs, charts, explore more sections and chapter reviews in the 13 Chapters and 173 pages of this book.  This is a paperback book

There are a few ways that you can use this book, to help your children understand about the world that God created.  Elementary students can use this book with help from the parents.  Together, you can sit down, read over the sections in the chapters and then discuss the questions at the end of the chapter.

My younger kids and I took just a couple of pages at a time.  By taking it slow, we were able to look at words they did not recognize and find their meanings.  My kids always surprise me, by being able to remember more than what I give them credit for.

I feel like this book is really geared toward the older elementary/middle school student.  This age group could definitely use this book, on their own and be able to comprehend what they are reading.  They would also be able to read and answer the questions, by themselves.  This astronomy book for also make for a great refresher course for the high school student.  The Explore More sections in the book would give the older students a chance to delve a little deeper into the subjects they are reading.

My oldest daughter, who is 16, enjoyed reading this book, just for fun.  She liked the couple of pages in the back of the book that gave extra questions, she could research.

While we liked Exploring The World of Astronomy’s content, there were a couple of things that I did not like about the book.  The first thing that I do not like, it is a soft cover book.  The majority of books that I have gotten from Master Books, they have been hardback and are very sturdy, this one is not.  The other thing that I have always loved about Master Books books, are they are always so beautiful and full of color.  This book is just black and white.  I would have loved to of seen all of the space and planet pictures in full color.

Is this a book I would recommend to someone wanting to learn more about Astronomy?  Absolutely.  The information inside of the book is worth it!  If your family is a science loving family, I think you will enjoy this book as much as we have!

 

Hope for the Holidays Giveaway!

Hope for the Holidays Giveaway!

In honor of the upcoming release of Putting on the Spirit: Ten-Minute Devotions for Busy Moms, here is a Hope for the Holidays Giveaway!

I am so excited to be on the launch team of this devotional book, Putting on the Spirit: Ten-Minute Devotions for Busy Moms, by Katie Hornor.  As a stay at home mom, who also homeschools, it can be so hard to find quiet time to be with God.  While we all know that spending quiet time with God should be first on the list, sometimes, it just doesn’t happen. This book, by Katie Hornor will only take about 10 minutes and I am excited about that!

Be sure to look for Putting on the Spirit: Ten-Minute Devotions for Busy Moms, by Katie Hornor on the day it releases, December 9th!  In the meantime, be sure to enter the giveaway below.  There are a lot of wonderful books being given away, that will help encourage all of you busy moms!

 

The Putting on the Spirit Launch Team is excited to help Katie celebrate the release of her new book with a special giveaway of  books that will encourage, equip, and inspire any mom.  One winner will win all of the books listed below (a $120 value), plus 3 more winners will win a digital copy of Putting on the Spirit.

We would like to thank the following friends for their generous sponsorship of this giveaway! Be sure to stop by their websites to say thank you!

Heidi St. John, The Busy Mom

Home School Adventure Co.

Great Waters Press

National Center for Biblical Parenting

Sally Clarkson

PhyllisSather.com

Raising Arrows

Here’s what you can win —

Putting on the Spirit: Ten-Minute Devotions for Busy Moms eBook by Katie Hornor

Loving You Long Distance eBook by Katie Hornor

Divine Design eBook by Katie Hornor

Purposeful Planning eBook by Phyllis Sather

The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Romance by Heidi St. John

Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sally Clarkson and Sarah Mae

Raising Real Men by Hal & Melanie Young

My Beloved and My Friend (release date of Feb 2014) by Hal & Melanie Young

The Christian Parenting Handbook by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN

Philippians in 28 Weeks by Stacy Farrell

The Wise Woman Literary Analysis Journal Questions by Stacy Farrell

Streams in the Desert eBook by L.B.E. Cowman

The Homemaker’s Guide to Creating the Perfect Schedule eBook by Amy Roberts

To enter the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post. One winner will be selected and announced by noon ET on December 13, 2013. U.S. residents age 18 and older only please. Other Terms and Conditions can be found in the Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In addition to this great giveaway, Katie is offering her book, Loving You Long Distance, free for Kindle for 5 days — November 19-23. Be sure to click over and grab that one after you enter the giveaway!

 

Denver Zoo field trip

Denver Zoo field trip

We went to the Denver Zoo last year, about this time and we were finally able to go back to visit.  The Denver Zoo is becoming one of my favorite places to visit with the kids.  Yesterday, it was a free day to visit and this is when a lot people take advantage to enjoy seeing all the zoo has to offer.  They also tend to have more volunteers available for the kids to talk with and ask questions.

The kids and I met up with some friends and headed to the Feline section first.  We missed this area the last time we visited, so we wanted to be sure we made it this trip.  I always love seeing the big cats.  They always seem so quiet and graceful, yet I know they are predators and can be aggressive.

Leopard was waiting for a treat.

Leopard was waiting for a treat.

After we left the Feline area, we walked to the giraffes enclosure.  The last time we saw the giraffes, there had recently been a baby.  We saw the baby and several others.  They were all out in the little sunshine that we had and was eating away at their lunch.

Giraffe eating lunch.

Giraffe eating lunch.

The next place we visited was the tropical building.  Oh boy, that place was so humid, it brought back memories of Florida!  It is always neat to see habitats and animals from the place that I grew up.  There are also other many animals from all over the world.

Nemo playing peek-a-boo.

Nemo playing peek-a-boo.

The kids enjoyed seeing fish they recognized from Finding Nemo.  They saw the Clown Fish and Regal Blue Tang.

Dory just keeps swimming.

Dory just keeps swimming.

The polar bears were enjoying the cooler weather and taking a nap when we were walking by.

Polar bear taking a nap.

Polar bear taking a nap.

We learned a little about the Komodo Dragon that the zoo has.  His name is Castor and he is 19 years old.  He is having some joint issues and has to take inflammatory medicine to help him move.

Castor the Komodo Dragon taking a dip in his pool.

Castor the Komodo Dragon taking a dip in his pool.

This crocodile was showing off for us.  I loved how big he opened up his mouth.  It was like he was telling us that he was big and powerful.

Crocodile showing off his teeth.

Crocodile showing off his teeth.

One of the great things about the zoo, is they have volunteers that are in different areas, taking the time to teach the kids about the animals.  This lady was at the Camel exhibit and was telling the kids about the humps on the camels and why they have them.

Kids getting a lesson on camels.

Kids getting a lesson on camels.

I think one of the highlights of this zoo trip was the rhinoceros. He was playing with a bucket that was hanging from the tree.  He was so funny!  He would hit it with his head and it would swing and when it came falling back to him, he would it it again!  It got stuck at one time and he got so upset that he could hit the bucket.  He jumped up and down and turned around, then hit the tree and the bucket fell loose and he kept hitting it. We had a good laugh watching him.

Rhino playing with a bucket.

Rhino playing with a bucket.

I loved this picture of the kids.  They were all standing at the sign that talks about the animal.  I am not even for sure what animal we were looking at, but they were so interested in it.  I loved being with the kids.  They were so wonderful while we were at the zoo.  They asked questions and were attentive when the zoo workers asked them questions.

Kids looking at some animals.

Kids looking at some animals.

I am so thankful that the Denver Zoo has free days for people to attend.  We plan on going back in a couple of weeks with more friends.  We also plan on buying a membership to the zoo.  This is a place that I see us going to a lot more.

What is your favorite animal?  Do you have a zoo in your area?  What do you love about it the most?  I can’t wait for you to share with us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

my momma’s carrot cake…

my momma’s carrot cake…

When I asked my daughter what cake she wanted for her birthday, she said carrot cake. Right then, I knew which one that I wanted to bake.  It is the carrot cake that my mom used to make a lot for the holidays.  I remember helping her when I was young and now I am enjoying teaching my kids how to bake the cake.

I have a lot of wonderful memories standing next to my mom, dad and grandma, as they cooked and baked for the family and for others.  The carrot cake is a cake that my mom would make for Thanksgiving or for Easter.  She really didn’t bake cakes or pies much, so that is why I remember this one a lot.  I am so glad that I had the chance to learn how to cook and bake, from her.  My mom has Alzheimer’s now and isn’t able to cook or bake like she used to.  These memories are good for me to remember the fun days that we had together.  While she is still the same person, the disease has taken so much from her and from us.

I thought I would share with y’all the recipe that she used.  I do not know where she got the recipe though.  I just remember seeing it in the cookbook that she and other school bus drivers put together in the county where we lived.  It is also my favorite cookbook to use. The frosting that I made for it, was the best that I have ever made.  My only problem with it?  I didn’t make enough!  So definitely double this recipe if you make three 9-inch pans of carrot cake!  Now on to the recipe!

Carrot Cake

2 cups cake flour                                         1 tsp. salt

2 cups sugar                                                 4 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda                                        1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. cinnamon (I use pumpkin spice)    3 cups grated carrots (I used 4 cups)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Grease and flour the bottom of three 9- inch pans (or you can cut parchment paper down in the bottom of the pan). Sift together the dry ingredients; set aside.  In a bowl, mix the vegetable oil and eggs together until mixed well.  Add in the dry ingredients and then mix until it is well combined.  Then stir in the carrots.  Pour the batter evenly into the pans.  Place the pans in the heated oven and let bake for 20-25 minutes.  Oven times could vary.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, softened                     2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 stick of butter, softened                          16 ounces of powdered sugar

milk  (this amount will vary)                    1 cup pecans, chopped finely

Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together, until smooth.  Add the vanilla extract and mix well.  Add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy, if it seems too thick, add a little milk, until you get the consistency that you need to spread evenly.  This is just something that you will need to judge for yourself.  Then just spread on the layers and cake.  The pecans is to put on top of the cake or side of the cake.  You can even leave the pecans off.

 

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

 (I have never claimed to be a cake decorator.  This cake isn’t pretty, but it sure was delicious!!)

Do you have any favorite memories of being in the kitchen with a loved one?  What is your favorite dessert or dish? I would love for you to share your memories with me!

 

 

 

 

Wednesday’s Around the World ~ Christopher Columbus, Part 2

Wednesday’s Around the World ~ Christopher Columbus, Part 2

As I said last week on Wednesday’s Around the World, we continued on with our Christopher Columbus lesson.  As you know, Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain in 1492.  He took the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria and headed across the Atlantic Ocean.

On October 12, 1492, Columbus and his crew woke to find themselves sitting off shore of an island that he named San Salvador.  This island was inhabited by people that had never seen a ship or white people before.  They exchanged gifts and Columbus and his crew stayed with them for a while.

As they left they San Salvador, Columbus noticed a lot of islands all around them.  He thought perhaps that they had sailed to the Indies.  He called them the West Indies since he had sailed west from Spain and called the people on the islands, Indians.  For the next 6 weeks or so that he sailed, Columbus discovered the islands that we now know as Cuba and Haiti.  The Santa Maria ran aground at Haiti and they took the lumber of the wreck and built a fort at the shore.  He left part of his crew at this fort and sailed back to Palos.

Once Christopher Columbus arrived back in Palos, he was welcomed with a lot of excitement.  He and his crew had been gone for about 7 months and everyone thought they had died.  The King and Queen of Spain welcomed him back with great honor.  He had brought them gifts from the new world and told them all of their findings, including the Indians (he brought Indians back to Spain with him).

Columbus made three more voyages across the Atlantic, discovering more islands as he sailed closer and closer to America. While he visited places along the coasts of Central and South America, he never did get near what is now the United States.  He also thought that he had just found Asia and didn’t ever know that he had found a new world.

Our project for the lessons about Christopher Columbus, was to build 3 ships, like the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.  For this project, we used aluminum foil, tape, clay, pencils and paper.  I am sure you can use whatever materials you have lying around your house.

The first thing the kids did, was shape a boat using the aluminum foil.  The goal is to make it where the boats will float on water.  You need to make sure the bottom of the boats are flat.

Samuel making the Santa Maria.

Samuel making the Santa Maria.

Once you get your boats made, you need to make the mast and sail out of the paper and the pencil.  Be sure to write the name of the boats on the sail.  The kids used tape to put the sail on the pencil, however, you can also cut a couple of lines in the paper and slip the pencil through the holes.

Claire is working on the Nina.

Claire is working on the Nina.

Once you get the masts and sails ready, attach those to the bottom of each boat with the clay.    This may take a little bit of work to get the clay to stick to the bottom of the boat and the pencil sticking up straight in the clay.

Santa Maria floating in water.

Santa Maria floating in water.

Now you are ready to sail your boats in a sink, tub or any large container, big enough to hold the boats.  I just put a couple of them in the kitchen sink, but after we did that, the kids went to the bath tub and filled it part way with water and then played with the boats.  They had a fun time playing with each other, pushing their boats back and forth.

We enjoyed this lesson on Christopher Columbus and had fun making the boats.  Even their oldest sister had fun helping them make the boats.

What have you been learning about in history and geography?  Have you done any fun projects or activities lately?  I would love to see them!

Be sure to link up and share with us about your fun lessons!