Wow.
Upon reviewing “The Writer’s Toolbox”, we discovered a powerhouse of writing instruction, information and fun!
I currently have two budding writers (and more coming up the ranks that we’ll use this book with), and “The Writer’s Toolbox” has been very well received! I love that this wonderful resource packs so much excellent writing instruction all into one book!
Learn to bring the beauty of language to life, through ‘word-crafting’ via the tools shared in this ‘toolbox’ of learning! The 30 engaging lessons are easy to teach (older children can easily work from this book on their own) individually or together! The lessons provide clear explanation for teaching & using ‘Rhetorical Devices’ in our writing; and how their usage can bring clarity to our writing! Each lesson is engaging, interesting and thought provoking–no stiff textbook lessons here! I love that the lessons are short, to the point, yet jam packed with instruction in a constructive balance that grabs your attention, keeps the interest level high and truly teaches!! A perfect balance!
“The Writer’s Toolbox” uses wonderful foundational examples for the lessons based on Scripture, Literature and Oratory. Patricia Samuelson has a winner of a writing curriculum on her hands, she and daughter Megan have aimed high with “The Writer’s Toolbox” and hit their mark!
Excellence, Quality and Fun!
~Lisa
I was given a review copy of The Writer’s Toolbox in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.
When I was asked to review All About Learning Press’ (the All About Spelling folks!) new All About Reading Pre-1 Level program–knowing all the fantastic things I hear regarding All About Spelling– I jumped on it! My youngest had been learning his letters and we have been working on pre-reading skills, so this was just perfect timing!
Upon opening the box from All About Reading my son was enthralled with ZigZag Zebra (ziggy as he’s known around here!) this adorable, high quality puppet adds such a fun and playful element to All About Reading!
We have really enjoyed this program–my son has had a great time with the stories, crafts & learning his letters with Ziggy and I have loved the simplicity and organization of the program. The easy to follow Teachers Guide (and student book!) laid it all out for me and in this season in my life I needed that—it made this time with my son very relaxed and fun, and of course he’s learning all the while!
All About Reading Pre-1 Level focuses in on what they call the “Big Five Skills” for Preschoolers/Kindergarteners that are important for preparing children to read.
Those “BIG 5″ are:
- Letter Knowledge
- Phonological Awareness
- Print Awareness
- Listening Comprehension
- Motivation to Read
All About Reading is thorough, imaginative and fun for both child and parent–and really made it simple for me to grab the sturdy tote bag and cuddle up on the couch with my son and read, do our lesson together–everything in one tote bag and since we use the Workbox system in our homeschool, my son would grab his workbox with all his All About Reading supplies (crayons, glue, scissors, very simple crafty supplies) and we were on our way! This also made it so simple for the days my husband taught his lessons to him, to grab the tote bag and dive right in, too! Easy to implement is a HUGE plus around here!
If you’d like to learn more about this excellent program– click over HERE to get some sample lesson/pages and you can even pick up a couple of FREE activity books that compliment the program or can be used as stand alone’s too– you children will love ‘em….and so will you. 
Happy Homeschooling
~Lisa
I was given a copy of All About Learning Pre-1 Level for my honest opinion of the program. We loved it. 
We go through a LOT of apples at our homestead. The children love them; fresh, made into sauce, dried, pies, we can pie filling, make cobblers and of course there is the favorite “Nana’s Apple Dump Cake” (however that recipe is guarded by Nana until her passing on she says!) anyhew…we love apples.
So, when I saw this “Apple Master” touted as able to PEEL, CORE AND SLICE in one fell swoop….let’s just say I was a tad bit skeptical…….to say the least, but I figured I’d give it a whirl anyhow. So, last month I was able to get a box of organic apples and figured I’ve give this new tool a try…
Place an apple on the 'tines' to hold it in place
Turn the handle (so easy the children can & WANT to do this!) to peel
Peel some more (I am holding it since I opted not to use the clamp or suction cup to hold it since I was trying to take pictures!
Peeled completely AND Sliced....perfectly!
Cored too! How easy is THAT?!
Well, I am able to admit when I’m wrong…and…I was wrong. The Apple Master is THE HANDIEST tool! It actually DOES peel, slice AND core for you in SECONDS. Yep, seconds. I can’t wait for apple season THIS year!
Just to test it out, I was able to fill all 9 trays of our dehydrator in less than 10 minutes. I LOVE this thing! Requires NO electricity–just a little muscle (very little — my 4 year old can operate this with ease!) and that is always a bonus with me– this is one tool that has definitely earned its spot in my homestead kitchen! Such Simplicity and anything that makes a job THIS MUCH easier?! Bring on the Apples! I hear it works great on Potatoes too…I’ll let you know
~Lisa
