A Mom Seriously Review: The Holman Illustrated Children's Bible Dictionary

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I am getting so excited about the Alabama Homeschool Expo coming up this Thursday through Saturday in Montgomery, AL! On Thursday, I'll be speaking to new homeschoolers in the event's "Homeschooling 101" workshops!

It's hard to believe that it's been over 15 years since my husband and I first considered homeschooling. Although tons of new resources and curriculum have been introduced to the homeschool market, there are some tried and true resources that I will always recommend, including Ann Ward's Learning At Home: Preschool and Kindergarten : A Christian Parent's Guide with Day-by-day Lesson Plans Using the Library As a Resourceand anything Notgrass!

But there are a few new resources that I'm crazy about, and very excited to share with new homeschoolers! One of those is the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids (Holman Reference).

When Holman sent me a copy of their new Bible Dictionary, I knew that my kids (now 19, 16, and 14) had sure missed out! Oh, how I wish I'd had this when they were younger and we were just starting to homeschool! It's packed with good stuff like:

• A-Z Bible terms. From Adam to Zechariah, there are people, places, Bible terms, and events every young Bible scholar needs to know!
• Colorful. With beautiful real-life pictures (no cartoons--and I'm glad--I want the reality of God's Word to shine through, and cartoon images just don't do that!), easy-to-read maps, and eye-catching graphics, the Bible Dictionary is stunning.
• Age-appropriate. From a 4-year-old who will benefit from looking at the pictures and being read to, all the way to a 12-year-old (and beyond) who will appreciate the integrity of its investigative approach, the Bible Dictionary is truly something the whole family will enjoy.

Thumbing through the book as soon as I received it, I was "oohing" and "ahhing" over every detail. Glossy pages with vivid graphics and crisp fonts made this homeschooling mom's heart pitter-patter with delight! Plus, scattered throughout the book are illustrated charts that provide "at-a-glance" perspectives of the Bible's animals, plants, weights and measures, and more!

It's marvelous--and a wonderful way to provoke your child's thirst for Bible knowledge!

And here's what makes it do-able: The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids (Holman Reference)is only $14.99 retail (yes, for a hardback!) but on Amazon, you can get it for $10.19! That's a small investment for a resource that is so rich in value. When you go to the Amazon link, you can take a look inside the book and you'll see what I'm talking about!

Rebecca's Rating: Must own!

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Carpe Diem! It's a review of Visual Latin!

“I want to do this,” says Derek (my 8th grader) after watching the free online intro (see clip below!).
“That guy is funny!” he remarks after viewing the first lesson.
“Hey Mom, can we do Latin now?” he asks--every day since!

“Enjoyment of Latin should be paramount and our goal is to make it as fun as possible,” says Thomas Purifoy of Compass Cinema, a homeschooling dad and the producer of the new video curriculum, Visual Latin. What? Latin, fun?

Here’s my history: I want to be a good homeschool mom, right? So, I want my kids to learn Latin. Not only will it serve as a great foundation for learning any other language they choose, but it will give them insight into the English language they speak every day! I’m a writer and I love words, but I never had the opportunity to study Latin. I took French and lots of it (two years in high school, two years in college, plus an undergrad thesis in French literature...and none of my kids are interested in French! sigh...kids today...) Like many homeschool moms would agree, school has always been more interesting and fun the second (and third, and fourth) time around, with my kids (disclaimer: This did not prove to be the case with Algebra). So, when my daughter Danya was a freshman in high school, we took Latin!

Oh my, talk about the blind leading the blind—it was not what anyone would call a success! We chose a well-known textbook curriculum and we actually did okay for about the first four weeks, but after that I had to enlist the help of a friend who teaches Latin at a nearby high school. We somehow made it through the first semester, but that was enough, for both of us!

I sure do wish that Visual Latin had been around then. Fortunately, my eighth-grader, Derek, is able to take advantage of this innovative curriculum, and so am I. We love Visual Latin! Derek and I are enjoying learning, and we’re also enjoying the instructor of the series, Dwane Thomas. Thomas loves what he’s teaching, and that comes across, even through my computer screen! Plus, he has a sense of humor; so, oddly enough, we are finding this course to be…fun!



I invite you to check out this program, straight from the heart of Franklin, Tennessee (just up the road from me!), and see what you think. Click on the introductory lesson above. Go ahead. I'll wait.

yeah--I know! It looks like fun because it IS fun! The creators recommend Visual Latin for 9 years old and up. It’s easy to know if it will work for your student because they offer more free viewing samples at their website.




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