Reviewing Smart Kidz Radio

My family was given the opportunity to review Smart Kidz Radio which is a free online radio station geared towards children age 2 to 10 from Smart Kidz Media. "The Smart Kidz Radio Station is part of the network of free educational websites administered by the Smart Kidz Academy." Smart Kidz Radio Station is "committed to offering every child, no matter what their race, religion, or gender a membership...for no cost" (Smart Kidz Radio). The membership is offered free for the radio because they want children to grow up "healthy, happy, and engaged in positive pursuits." These are wonderful ideals! Something to look for in any company that produces children's programming.

There is also an upgraded On-Demand Membership. You can find pricing details on their page and more information on their FAQ page. With this On-Demand Membership Plan you receive access to the following:

Song Programming which includes:

• Early Learning Radio Program (ages 2-4)
• Good Behavior Skills Radio Program (ages 3-6)
• Bedtime Songs Radio Program (ages 2-8) 
• Survival Skills to Grow On Radio Program (ages 6-10) 
• And more! 

There is also story programming available via the On-Demand Membership Plan including: 

• Classic Fairy Tales
• Not Scary Tales 
• Best Loved Bible Stories 
• And other stories! 

While listening to the sample of Noah's Ark (ages 3-6), my two younger children came running. It started really loud (I had my laptop volume up to the max) and my son said, "Scary!" Yes, I guess the idea of God destroying the world is very scary. The voice acting was very good for the characters.

I also listened to the sample of Bedtime Songs (ages 2-8). The music is very pretty and relaxing.

In addition to the other samples, I also listened to the sample of Relaxation Songs (all ages). Children are asked to day dream while listening to the songs.

How We Used Smart Kidz Radio in Our House 

After checking out the dashboard, I played the free music available for a while.

Some of the topics addressed via the free songs include:

• Respect 
• Gender 
• Friendship 
• Making decisions
• Parents
• Disagreements and handling them 

These are all important topics to discuss with your family. I would advise you listen to the songs prior to sharing with your children to make sure they align with your values.

I decided to let Smart Kidz Radio play in the background while I work on my laptop and my children work at the table, either doing school work, eating lunch, or crafting. I was pleasantly surprised that while we could focus upon the songs and the lyrics to discuss the topics, if it was playing quietly it was not a distraction. That is often difficult to find in radio stations – for children and adults alike.

Our 3-year-old daughter was intrigued by the fairy tales that were available via the podcasts. She highly enjoyed Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Each of the fairy tales podcasts is between 15-20 minutes long. Perfect for lunchtime listening.

I am looking forward to seeing what new content Smart Kidz Radio introduces in the future.

I think this would be a fit for homeschooling families who enjoy listening to music while doing different daily activities. For example, they might be good to listen to while eating breakfast or lunch, during quite time or nap time, while working on arts and crafts projects, or while the children are working on homeschool assignments. Some of the songs would even be good to play during lessons to talk about the different topics that the songs present.

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Learning About the Alphabet: G is for Giraffe

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Over the course of twenty-six posts, I will introduce my own simple lessons for the letters of the alphabet. I will provide ideas and suggestions for a week's worth of activities.

For the letter G, we focused upon Giraffes.

Giraffes have always been one of my favorite animals. I fortunate enough that my mom worked at the zoo when I was growing up and then I worked at the same zoo for a number of years in the Education department. This allowed me the opportunity to see the zoo's three giraffes up close and personal over the years.

Giraffe Facts

• from Africa south of the Sahara Desert 
• reach 12-20 feet in height 
• males weigh from 1500-2000 pounds 
• newborn giraffe weighs 200 pounds! 
• hooves have two toes 
• lifespan of about 25 years 
• their tongues are about 20 inches long - letting them wrap their tongue around a branch and strip the leaves off it 

One of the interesting facts about giraffes and walking is that they do not alternate their feet when walking. They lift both feet on the left side at the same time, then their feet on the right side. If they were to alternate like humans, they would trip over their own legs.

How many bones do you think a giraffe has in its neck? They have the same number as humans! We both have 7 bones in our necks. While a human's neck bone (vertebrae) is only one inch long, a giraffe's bone is more than 10 inches long.

Coloring Pages

Coloring.WS from DLTK's Giraffe Coloring Pages
Super Coloring's Giraffe coloring pages 

Projects

Crafts: Construction Paper Giraffe

Books

Featured Shape - Measuring Time!

Ovals make for a great shape to focus upon with the letter G because we used lots of ovals in creating our giraffes and you can also talk about grapes which are oval-like in shape.

Giraffes also provide the perfect opportunity to use a ruler or tape measure.
Go to the sidewalk with chalk and a measuring tape. Ask your child to lay down so you can mark how tall they are on the ground. After you measure that, write the number down on the sidewalk. Then measure out 12 to 20 feet to see how tall a giraffe is next to the marks of your children. What a difference there is!

Activities

Drinking like a Giraffe

Because their legs are so long, they can't just lower their head to drink. Pretend you are giraffes and while on all fours, stretch out your arms (to represent the giraffe's front legs) so you can bend your head to the floor.

Snacks

Grapes make a perfect snack for the letter G as well as a perfect time to practice knife cutting skills for your child. Using a dull knife, under adult-supervision, they can practice cutting the grapes lengthwise to help prevent choking hazard.

You can even create this cute lowercase letter 'g' craft – From ABCs to ACTs – which focuses upon grapes.

Other Topics

Goats 

Goats are also one of my favorite animals! I had the opportunity to help take care of goats and sheep during one autumn at the zoo where I worked in 2003. It was such a great experience – I learned so much about them and myself. 

There are over 210 breeds. The goats one typically sees at a zoo include: 

• Boer Goat
• Nigerian Dwarf Pygmy Goat
• Nigerian Goat
• Pygmy Goat

If you live near a zoo, farm, or petting zoo/farm, why not visit the goats? Then you can read up on them when you get home. 

Create your own paper bag goat puppet! 

Gardens and Gardening

Planning and planting a garden with your children is a great idea. There are so many awesome projects and crafts that can be done in relation to gardening with your family. Please check out my Pinterest board for some ideas.

Forging Foundations offers some great ideas through her Bringing Spring into Your Homeschool series.

Gorillas

After learning about gorillas, maybe enjoy a gorilla meal – serve some fruit and maybe even some insects! (You can buy freeze dried insects from a variety of places.)

Cute gorilla printable – learn create love – you can use watercolors like they did or another technique to create your own look.

Gorilla facts on World Wildlife Fund - your family can even 'adopt' a gorilla and receive a plush gorilla to represent your new friend.

Information is also available via the Smithsonian National Zoo's Western lowland gorilla page.

Letter G Craft 

Resources

10 Giraffe Facts! from National Geographic Kids
Giraffe from San Diego Zoo
Giraffe from the Philadelphia Zoo

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Book Club: Book Review of Love, Honor, and Virtue: Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality

Love, Honor, and Virtue: Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality by Hal and Melanie Young is such an easy read. I was very happy to be given the opportunity to review this book from Great Waters Press written "to the young men on the battlefield." It is very deep with firm answers in a Biblical context but not difficult to understand. Young men live in a world today that has changed so much (and continues to change). As parents we may have difficulty knowing how to guide our sons on their journey as they grow up into young men. This book provides the assistance families may need. So if you have a son or boy in your life from the ages of 12 to 20, then Love, Honor, and Virtue: Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality is a must-read for you.

Love, Honor, and Virtue is a tool for families; not the 'answer.' Even after reading through it a teen should still talk with his parents about its topics or other questions that may arise from reading the book. It "is written to and for teens and twenty-something guys" but it is also useful for parents, church leaders, and others to read so they can refresh or gain a "biblical attitude toward sexuality."

Chapters include:

• An introduction: To the Young Men on the Battlefield 
• Sex Was God's Idea
• Discussing the idea that God designed us as male or female by referencing Genesis, the chapter goes onto to talk about the purpose of marriage and sexuality. 
• It's All Connected
• "The Talk" should be more than just sex education and should happen on more than one occurrence within a Biblical context. 
• The Enemy Perverts God's Design
• With changes in today's society, this chapter is important because it brings up the topics of "sin, hook-ups, gender-bending, [and] porn." All topics that are important to discuss with your son (and daughter) but not always easy. 
• How Can a Young Man Keep His Way Pure?
• The authors present a five-point defense for young men to remain pure.
• Part of this defense includes getting out of the situation, praying to God, and singing praises.
• Recovering From a Fall
• Advice is provided for times if and when a young man falls. This chapter provides hope and great advice for how to get "back on God's road" by setting goals, making a plan, and more. 
• Guys and Girls
• While discussing how to become friends and deciding beyond the 'just friends' phase, the Youngs also share material from their blog, Raising Real Men. 
• Advice is presented for "preparing for a family." Love, Honor, and Virtue states "Marriage is the rightful destitnation (and permanent home) for that [love and romance], and marriage is the birth of a family" (81). 
• The Road Ahead 
• In the conclusion, young men are reminded to be alert, not give up, and stand strong. 

What I Like about Love, Honor, and Virtue

• The organization of the book – each chapter has subheadings and a summary to help you navigate your way through the text 
• Writing style 
• Inclusion of references via footnotes
• Inclusion of references to the Bible in footnotes 

• Ample space if a parent or son would like to make notes (or even write out the Bible verses in their book) 
• Brief explanation of puberty, having and taking care of babies, and more are provided
• Explains the concept that pornography is not a victim-less crime 
• Goes over how dangerous sexting is (this topic scares me because a teen could just receive a sexting message and they could be charged with child pornography) 

My Reservations

Maybe it is just me, but if someone told me to sing a hymn to distract me from temptation I might laugh. Using music in the manner suggesting in the chapter How Can a Young Man Keep His Way Pure? is not something that would work for me. I am not sure if it would work for our teen either. He does listen to a lot of Christian music (Toby Mac is one of his favorite artists) but I am glad that Love, Honor, and Virtue offers other defenses just in case music doesn't work.

I also had some difficulty with the chapter on friendship and moving beyond it. I understand the importance of not sending mixed messages to friends but I think a little too much emphasis is placed on the idea that a young man or young woman may say or do something that might give the wrong impression. One of the suggestions is "to have several female friends, and be careful not to focus your attention exclusively on one until you're ready to start looking for a potential mate." This seems tricky and potentially puts a lot of pressure on everyone involved. After our teen reads this chapter, I will be sure to sit down and talk with him more about my own ideas about friendship between boys and girls.

How Our Family Will Use Love, Honor, and Virtue

I plan on rereading the book at least once more, taking more notes this time in a separate notebook. I will then pass it along to my husband to read before we ask our 15-year-old son to read Love, Honor, and Virtue. I hope that the book will help facilitate the discussions we will be having on the topics included and addressed.

As our two younger children get older, I will be taking a look at No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope from Great Waters Press. If you are interested in learning more about this book by Hal and Melanie Young, please visit the Homeschool Review Crew to read more reviews.

I recommend Love, Honor, and Virtue: Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality from Great Waters Press to any Christian parents of teen boys or young men who feel they need something extra to help them in having conversations about dating, sex, and marriage. I believe it does provide "practical ways to fight temptation" and "how to have healthy, godly relationships with girls."

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K is for Knight (Blogging through the Alphabet)

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What images come to mind when you hear the word "Knight"? Do you immediately think of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table? Or perhaps A Knight's Tale – with its music and action – comes to mind? Knights were seen as an elite warrior class that evolved during the Middle Ages. They were sung about by troubadours, written about by poets, and remembered even in the movies of today.

Typically, the "Age of Chivalry" is the four centuries between 1100-1500 but there really isn't anything typical about the time. There was great variation in fighting methods and armaments.

Between the years 1325 and 1380, there was a change from chain mail to polished steel plate armor due to a number of changes in fighting. Two new weapons – the longbow and the great axe – grew in use, necessitating the change in armor.

"What is the function of knights? To guard the church, to fight unbelievers, to venerate the priesthood, to protect the poor from injuries, to pour out their blood for their brothers...and if need be, to lay down their lives." John of Salisbury, Policraticus, 1159 as quoted in Warrior: A Visual History of the Fighting Man 

What identifies a knight? 

• Special ceremonies
• Heraldic emblems decorating banners, shields, and surcoats
• Hereditary status 
• Armor made of chain and later plate
• Process through which one becomes a knight
• Chivalrous attitude 
• Horse 
• Participating in tournaments 
• Lance, sword, and shield 

Knights were trained to be chivalrous – upholding moral standards and loyalty to one's leader and brothers-in-arms. Christian values were also emphasized: knights were supposed to respect and aid the needy and the poor when possible. When fighting battles and facing defeat, knights could surrender and not face death. As higher ranking members of society, a knight who surrendered could be ransomed by the winning side. 

Not all knights were wealthy as some sought to better themselves in tournaments or on the battlefield with a military career. Others joined religious orders while still others might be hired during times of disorder and chaos. Knights were not always the most honorable. 

Tournaments 

Since there weren't always wars going on – I know, shocking, right? – knights needed to hone their skills and support themselves. So, they participated in tournaments. These events would not only provide entertainment for the public (can you hear the crowd cheering?) but also allow the knights to seek fame and fortune as they won jousting tilts. 

There were several different ways knights participated in tournaments: 

• Melee – mock battle that often devolved into a free-for-all 
• Jousting 
• Sword Fighting  

Even though tournaments were not battles, life and death was still at stake. For example, in 1241 at the tournament at Neuss, there were over 60 knights killed. Eventually due to injury, death, and destruction of land where the tournaments were held, there would be strict rules put into place and the introduction of blunt weapons to be used. Rules were also introduced that stated what part of a knight or his horse an opponent could hit during the tournament in an attempt to make things safer.

The Longbow 

One of the greatest changes came with the advent of the Welsh longbow. This allowed arrows to be fired that could pierce the chain mail armor of the best protected knight. The English used the longbow en masse to fire volleys of arrows – hundreds at a time – towards the enemy. They could fire 500 arrows and then 12 seconds later another 500 arrows would be launched towards the enemy. The English longbowman could fire arrows until they ran out of them. Usually he was equipped with 60 arrows stuffed into his belt or at his feet for easy access.

Along with the longbowman, there were other men with whom knights had to contend on the battlefield like pikemen and foot soldiers. During the Middle Ages, there were only about 200 knights participating in the battles but they are probably the most remembered.

There were 3 basic types of warriors in the 1100s:

1. Men-at-arms – could include heavy cavalry and those fighting with a lance and sword
2. Professional infantry
3. Crossbowmen 

Warfare Changes – The Hundred Years' War 

During the Hundred Years' War, the true impact of the longbow was felt on the continent. At the battle of Crecy, the first true impression outside of England was seen by the French. The French would no longer be charging into battle on horseback.

Why was the Hundred Years' War fought? What were they like?

o       In 1328, the last male member of France’s Capetian Dynasty died. King Edward III of England claimed the French throne.

o       French assembly choose Philip VI – Count of Flanders – as king.

o       In 1337, Edward brought an army to Flanders.

o       War continued 116 years as a series of raids & battles. Sometimes there were long periods of uneasy peace.

o       England won many battles but lost the war. By 1453, France controlled all of England’s French lands except Calais.

o       New weapons

o       English foot soldiers used longbows – one could fire arrows quickly – hitting targets up to 200 yards away.

o       Both the French and the English used gunpowder & cannons in battle

o       Castles no longer provided protection for a feudal lord b/c one powerful cannon could break through a castle’s walls

o       Knightly warfare weakened 

Click here to download your own vocabulary worksheet!

There is so much to study when it comes to knights. If you wish to find out more information, I have provided some resources for you to read at your leisure.

I will also have a review on Home School in the Woods' Knights Lap-Pack at the end of July. Our five-year-old son and I are having a fun time working on projects relating to all things knight!

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Wordless Wednesday: Frozen Sidewalk Chalk

Ready to be frozen.

They didn't really write too well.

We added vinegar to the baking soda/water chalk for fizzing! 

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