A Beautiful Devotional for My Daughter and Me {A Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women Review}

If you've got a young woman of faith in your life, the Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women by Zondervan could make a lovely gift.  

It is a small, hardcover devotional targeted to young women aged 13-18 that can be enjoyed by older and younger women, too.  

The devotional begins with a single-page introduction that explains that the Bible has "a lot to say about the unique challenges -- the heartaches and the high points -- of being female" and invites women to look at the stories of about 60 women in the Bible and to see how they are relevant to us today as beloved daughters of God.

Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women then gets right into 365 one-page devotions.

The devotions are numbered, not dated, which I appreciate, because that means the book is more inviting to pick up and begin at any point during a year. It also means that if you cannot spend time with the book every day, you won't be taunted by a day or week written at the top of page telling you to "catch up". Rather, you can just use the handy attached bookmark ribbon to open up to where you left off and carry on.

Each devotion is laid out in the same eye-pleasing way with a cheerful border of flowers, the number of the devotion, a verse at the top of the page in a reddish font, then several paragraphs in black that bring the tales of tragedy and triumph of ancient women of the Bible into nowadays relevance, and finally a few blank lines in case you want to make notes.

The devotions are also laid out in a logical way, beginning with women from Genesis and ending with those from the Old Testament and ending with those from the New Testament with consecutive days of devotions exploring lessons that can be gleaned from one woman from the Bible before moving on to the next woman that the Bible introduces.

Of course, all the more famous women of the Bible, such as Eve, Ruth, Elizabeth, and Mary are included.

Wonderfully, some lesser known role models are as well.

Each of he 365 devotions in Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women is brief, pointed, and inspiring, written in a language that appeals to many young women (with words such as "cool" and "just sayin'" included at times).

The organization, approach, and language of the devotional make "meaty" matters digestible, relevant and accessible.

A Gift for Daughter-and-Me

When I received Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women, my intention was to see if it would be appropriate as a gift for my 11-year-old daughter.  Thus, I have not read every page of the devotional yet, because I can only enjoy reading it when my daughter is not around - which is a rarity.  However, I have found pockets of time to read a week's worth of devotions here, another week there, a page here, and a page there, and, so far, I have found the material thought-provoking, encouraging, and edifying.

Mind you, I am well beyond the age that Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women is intended for, so the fact that some of the devotions speak to me personally points toward the fact that, although the book is written for Young Women, the stories of Biblical women are timeless and can be illuminating to all women.  Even when the take on them is geared to be relevant to younger women, we aging ones can benefit, too.  
With this in mind - as well as the fact that the print in the book is relatively small and might frustrate my daughter who struggles with dyslexia,  I have decided to gift Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women to my daughter as a mom-and-me devotional. 

My plan is to gift the book to my daughter with some tea bags, a container of cider, and a note saying I'd like to make regular mom-and-me time to read and chat about the book together. 

Why tea and cider? Simple. I favor tea, she favors hot cider, and we both like to spend time outside. This winter, I look forward to making some quiet time for just y daughter and I to read and chat about the devotions outside away from the hullabaloo of family life at home with just her brothers.

I am especially excited about this, because my daughter has been making strides with reading her large-print Bible and other material, and, I think that, with me alongside her, Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women might unlock the gift of reading for my daughter even more. For, I know she will love the stories and verses in it and will be moved by many of the thoughts in the devotions. 

Familiarity with the language of the Bible and desire to see what Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women has to say might motivate my daughter to make strides in reading while also encouraging her to keep blossoming as the beautiful daughter of God she is.

If I am wrong about the reading part, however, and the relatively small print and level of reading in the devotionals proves just a little too much for my daughter, I am still confident that Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women can be a win for us. I can read the devotions to her and, then, we can chat about them. Whether she reads them or I do, the beauty of their meaning will still be there. 

I truly look forward to seeing how our time with Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women will unfold and bless us.

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From what I've read of Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women so far, I recommend the book for young and older women alike.

If you'd like to see what people who are currently using the devotional with their daughters or have daughters using it on their own, be sure to click through reviews from 60 Review Crew families.  Some are written by people who are not saving the book as a gift, like I am, but who are already using it!

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An Audio Adventure that Makes You Think

Jumping, hollering, and excitement are always part of the scene when a new Heirloom Audio production comes into our home, and, the case was no different when we receiveda 2-CD St. Bartholomew's Eve set for review.

My children were super enthusiastic to listen to St. Bartholomew's Eve and to discover where this latest audio adventure would take them. 

However, silly me failed to prepare them for what they would be listening to...

Pausing the CD to Discuss Truth and Bias

Shortly after beginning to St. Bartholomew's Eve,  my children's comments required me to pause the CD for a chat about truths and perspective.

Truths include:

• St. Bartholomew's Eve is set during the time of the French Wars of Religion - a brutal period when Catholics and Protestants fought in France.

• The audiodrama is an adaptation of a G.A. Henty novel by the same name.

• G.A. Henty was a Protestant English novelist and war correspondent from the late 1800's who wrote popular historical adventure stories.

• People are human, and, therefore, imperfect.  Throughout history, people of all faiths have failed to live their faith well at times, including Catholics. 

Perspective, too, is important to consider.  Of course, when the story of a Protestant-Catholic war is adapted from a novel written by a Protestant author from the late 1800's, there is bound to be some obvious bias.  

Deeper truths, however, are even more important.

My wholly Christian, wholly Catholic children noticed the bias in St. Bartholomew's Eve and were, to varying degrees, jarred by it.  However, after a brief chat about that, they were also swept up in the strong characterization, realistic sound effects, moving score, and excellent adventure that is always a part of  Heirloom Audio productions and was absolutely well done in St. Bartholomew's Eve. 

Thus, in the end, they began to see that although bias was inherit in the combination of the time period and perspective of the story of St. Bartholomew's Eve, deeper messages were ecumenical truths. 

Truths such as:

• You can disagree with someone without despising them.

• There is such a thing as "just war", but many battles are unnecessary and simply bring despair and death. 

• We live God's will for our lives by looking to love and accept, by building one another up, not tearing one another down.

• People in power sometimes abuse their power, working against God's will.  Always consider truth before blindly following orders.  Obey the King of Kings, not the king (president, minister, leader) of (insert location or group).

• Not every (insert faith, type of person, etc.) is good/bad.  Look for the character of individuals; don't make assumptions based on labels.

Moreover, the story made me think about the great suffering of Christians of all denominations throughout history and how, in our current world, those of us who believe in Christ often face increasing hatred and scorn.  We must not get discouraged though.

God sanctifies and strengthens His people even in the midst of terrible trials.  Hardships happen.  Families are broken.  Countries divide.  Individuals make horrific choices that spread ill will like wildfire.  However, God always prevails.

We Christians must think and talk about what it means to be Christian.  We must understand that popular culture and government policies can change and, in doing so, can quickly and dramatically, oppose our Christian values.  And, in the end, we must be prepared to be ready to do God's will, trusting in his providence.

Heavy stuff, I know.

Quality stories do that.  They move you.  They make you think.  And, bias or no, St. Bartholomew's Eve does just that!


A Dramatic Story that Makes You Think

My 11-year old daughter describes the story this way: 

This story is about a boy named Philip Fletcher who is from Britain and goes to France to help his fellow Christian Huguenots in their war for freedom of religion.

When he gets to France, he practices how to use a pistol and prepares to fight with his cousin Francois.

A little bit into the story, when he has already faced a lot of trouble, Philip meets Argento, a boy whose father had died because of he Catholics .  Argento tells Philip where the leaders of his town are, and, after Philip takes care of them, he makes them promise that they will not hurt Argento or his family.   

After Philip leaves, the leaders break their word.  In the process of escaping them, Argento loses another thing - his leg! 

When he gets o Philip, a peg leg is made for him and he joins Philip in peacetime and battles.

The Huguenots go to Paris for a royal wedding where a Catholic princess is to marry a Protestent prince and an unexpected attack takes place.

There are many battles in the story. In one, when the Catholics are coming, the Huguenots block gates with skinned animals.  Then, they use the skinned animals for food at a party.

I enjoyed the characters.  They had strong traits perseverance, loyalty, and determination.  

The story teaches people to stand up for what they believe.

Most definitely, the characters in St. Bartholomew's Eve are well portrayed by the audiodramas star-studded cast, which included Brian Blessed (Star Wars), Elizabeth Counsell (The Chronicles of Narnia), David Shaw-Parker (The Muppet Christmas Carol), Brian Deacon (Bonhoeffer), Andy Harrison (The Secret Garden), and Hugo Docking (Oliver Twist).

Also, without question, growth in virtues and faith is evident in the main characters.

Of course, due to the setting of the story, much of this growth is the result of battles, and the battles is what my 8-year-old keyed into.  

He said:

This audiodrama had a lot of battles in it.  I liked he battle scenes.  The sound effects made them actually sound like battles and the narration was good.  It was exciting, but not too gory. 

The story was a little bit bias, but it was good.  It was exciting and had meaning: People are silly about faith.  They should let other people worship how they want and should worship how they want themselves.  They should only fight when it's in dire need.  They should not kill innocent people.  God doesn't want that.

It's pretty good that a story can inspire a battle-loving 8-year-old to think such thoughts, huh?

It also had my 11-year-old thinking.

He is my most black-and-white thinker and is also someone who believes fervently in his Catholic faith.  So, he had some trouble with this CD, but still appreciated parts of it and thought about its deeper meaning.  

He said:

This story was difficult for me to listen to because of its bias, but I appreciated when they said not all Catholics are bad.  I also felt for the boy in it.  

Argento seemed to have very bad luck.  He was always losing something - his house, his parents, his leg!  He gained friendship with Philip...

I did not expect Philip's cousin to die in the story...

This time period was crazy and chaotic.  No one was living what they believed.  They were murdering each other because of the dumb mother of the kind.  Christians should make peace, not kill each other.

I love all the other Heirloom Audio adventures, but this one - nah.  It was too bias for me.  It only showed the "good Huguenots".  I am sure there were people doing wrong on both sides - people taught lies by Huguenots like people were taught lies by the stupid queen mom.  

I think Christians should not murder each other.  It breaks God's commandments.

Yes, my oldest struggled in hearing about the evil things Catholics did, knows that evil can be pervasive across all sides, and understands God does not want us to murder one another senselessly.St. Bartholomew's Eve may have been difficult for him, but it was a worthwhile story for us to listen to.  It made my family think.  It can be used a tool for all adventure-loving Christians to open discussion about past persecution of Christians - at the hands of people from other faiths and even from fellow Christians - and about the need to be prepared for whatever may come to Christians in our modern society.

I would recommend it to those who love historical audiodrama, with these two caveats:

1. Children under 6, and older children who are sensitive, might be disturbed by some of the scenes in the story.  here are scenes of death, etc., however tastefully portrayed.
2. Children like mine may need to be prepared for the bias of the story and guided to discern the truths of basic historical facts and deeper meanings to apply to the present.

Like all Heirloom Audio productions, St. Bartholomew's Eve is of to--notch professional quality!

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Eighty other Homeschool Review Crew families reviewed St. Bartholomew's Eve, too.  Read all the reviews.

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Discover other audiodramas that can help you "live the adventure".  We've happily reviewed all of the Heirloom Audio productions to date and encourage you to check them out.  They are all top-notch historical adventures told from a Christian perspective.

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Season 6, Underground Rising from the Brinkman Adventures Is Here!

We are longtime Brinkman Adventures fans here, so were delighted with a recent opportunity to review Season 6: Underground Rising and to offer you a coupon code.

Use the code!

Just use the code FALL10 on any Brinkman Adventures purchase through October 31, 2018 for 10% off!


New Season, New Format, Same Quality

As I already mentioned, our family simply loves Brinkman Adventures audiodramas!  In fact, my children look forward to the opportunity of reviewing each new season that comes out, and they often request to listen to CD's from prior seasons over and over again.  Therefore one CD or another from our Brinkman Adventures collection always seems to be in our minivan while the others are often at hand in the house.

We have all come to appreciate how the true, modern, missionary stories that the fictional Brinkman family tells offer a blend of excitement, humor, suspense, faith, and fun.  Every dramatized episode of the Brinkman Adventures proves faith-filled and action-packed, and we enjoy living vicariously through them as we listen along. 

This was as true for us with Season 6 stories as it has been of Seasons 1, 2, 3 and 4.  (Somehow we missed Season 5 and hope to add it to our collection one day.)

What was not the same for us with Season 6 was the format and length of the audiodramas.  For Season 6, we received a digital version oinstead of a CD.  

I had no problem downloading and unzipping the audiofiles, however, when I attempted to burn them onto a CD to keep in our minivan, our computer kept giving me error messages.  This was disappointing since we find CD's far more convenient than digital files, but I suspect the error was due to an issue with our laptop, not the files themselves, since other Homeschool Review Crew members had no problem burning CD's.

Not to be chagrined, I tried using our laptop in the minivan to listen to Season 6 in our minivan, but the volume just would not go up high enough to be heard clearly by everyone over the background noise of tires on pavement. Thus, we were unable to listen to Season 6 when driving and had to enjoy the missionary stories at home.

Typically, however, unless we are sick or doing a laundry marathon, we do not sit to listen things for long spells outside our minivan.  Thus, I was glad to that the Brinkman Adventures have moved to releasing audios after every six episodes now, instead of after more, which means Season 6 is 2+ hours long instead of the typical 5+ hours of earlier season.  That meant we did not have to spend so much of our precious home time in one room listening to the stories.

The flip side, of course, is that we enjoy the stories and wanted more of them!  So, my children and I have agreed that we'd like a CD format in the future and hope that Season 7 is more than 2+ hours long.

Our Thoughts about Underground Rising

My 8-year-old is my adventure-loving boy and had this to say about Season 6: Underground Rising:

I like his audiodrama, because it is exciting.  There were battles.  There was jail.  There was suspense.  Most importantly, there was faith.

My favorite story was Free Burma Rangers, Parts 1 and 2.  It was the most exciting because we heard all about a boy who became a man who was a green beret and, then, a missionary.

As a missionary, he formed a group that saved people.  The man was able to use his green beret skills to do God's work.

After we listened to that story, we looked at Real Stories online to learn more about the man and about being a green beret.  It was cool to watch the green berets sky jump.

I would recommend this audiodrama to families with boys like me who like battle, excitement, and faith!

I will add the caveat that some eight year old boys might not relish all the excitement of Season 6, since there are a few more intense scenes.  As with all Brinkman Adventures audiodramas, these are preceded by a suggestion for hose under 10 to listen with their parents, and, for my family a least, are well within the range of enjoyable family listening.

My 11-year-old is my most sensitive child and she was okay with all of Season 6, although she did ask that we not listen to it before bed "just in case".

She had this to say:

I thought Season 6 was okay.  We did not get this one on CD, and I prefer a CD. I also prefer more stories in one collection, but I still liked it!

One of the stories was about a girl named Samantha.  Her parents lost a baby and take her family on a camping trip a year later. 

During the camping trip, Samantha's dad is putting her to bed and her mom is out tending he fire.  When her dad goes back out, her mom says, "I just had a very strange thought. We are meant to go to India."  her dad has had he same thought and her brother Huck yells, "Where's India?" 

Soon enough, he finds out, because the family goes here and lives with orphans who they help.  At firs,t Samantha doesn't like it, but, then she does. Before they go to India, Huck has an allergy issue after eating a ham sandwich.  They have to use an epipen on him. Later, in India, he says he is healed of his allergies.  His parents test it and, miraculously, he is! 

I liked this story, because it was interesting to think about living a normal life one day, and, suddenly, becoming a missionary another day.   

My daughter seemed to really connect with the character Samantha as we listened.  I can totally see her becoming a missionary some day and putting her own child in a similar situation.

My oldest son liked all the stories, too.  He found the "Free Burma Rangers" exciting like his younger brother did and was riveted by portions of "Dutch Underground" as the Brinkman's great grandmother told about how she was a part of he Dutch resistance when Nazis took over Holland and of the close calls and imprisonment she endured.

He also appreciated the allegorical story "Twice Born Fly", and had this to say:

Season 6 was good.  There were only a few stories, and I would have preferred if they has as many stories as earlier seasons, but the stories they did have were very, very good. The characters were believable and the plots were exciting!

The story "Twice Born Fly" was funny.  I had a feeling the story Jack Brinkman told in it was a dream - and it was!  He talked about being in prison, which was strange and a giveaway to the dream. 

 In the story, there is an analogy to how Jesus saved us.  It is well done.

I thought it was funny, too, how one of the kids in the story swallowed a fly,  I later learned this was a real thing that happened.  It said so on the website. 

After I read more, I watched a video where a larva turns into a fly.  It was slightly gross. 

Having real stories and videos on the website adds to the fun and learning of the audiodramas. 

I would recommend Season 6 to families who want to hear exiting stories about missionaries. In fact, I'd recommend all of the Brinkman Adventures!  

We've reviewed all of them but Season 1 (which I got for Christmas one year) and Season 5 (which I want).  They are all good and we listen to them a lot.

We sure do listen to the Brinkman Adventures a lot! We're delighted to have Season 6 to add to our collection and recommend it to others!
 
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You can listen to samples of the audiodramas online.

If you're curious about other seasons of the Brinkman Adventures, we've also reviewed:

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

We've enjoyed them all and would recommend to anyone who like adventure, faith, and exciting audiodramas!

Seventy Homeschool Crew Review families listened to  Season 6: Underground Rising as a digital download.  See what each family thought by clicking through to the reviews.

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Printable Books of the Bible Summary Sheets {A Review}

I admit, although I know many Bible verses, can retell many Bible stories, and have no problem sharing Bible truths, if you named a book of the Bible and asked me to offer you a handful of its salient points, a summary of its stories, or highlights of its verses, I may not be able to do so on my own without some research and thought.  A quick look at Books of the Bible At-a-Glance by Teach Sunday School, though, can help me remedy that!

It can also help me tell you who wrote ache book of the Bible, when, and where the books are found in the Bible, and what the "claim to fame" of each is.

I just love how each of the Printable Books of the Bible "Summary Sheets" offers a well-organized, easy-to-digest snapshot of an entire book on the Bible in a visually appealing way.  It is so handy!

Recently, my children and I have been reading a Christian fiction book about Jericho.  Enter the Book of Joshua page to give us some quick context and food for thought...

...and also some quotes for copywork.

One of my children is reading through books of the Gospel this year as part of his studies. 

So, enter the Luke page to give him an overview to pin his readings on.

Indeed, having the 74-page Books of the Bible At-a-Glance pdf e-file on hand has proven a helpful resource for my family when we find allusions to Bible stories in the various books, videos, and audios we dive into. It makes it easy to key into when different Bible stories happened in history, what important points about them are, and more.

We use Books of the Bible At-a-Glance as a quick reference in our home.  I can also see it being used as a stand-alone resource for anyone who would like to do a concise study of the books of the Bible.

Anyone, that is, who does not mind that the Books of the Bible At-a-Glance is missing the deuterocanonical books.   Fellow Catholics, do take note that this Bible resource comes up seven books short according to our Bible.  However, do not let that deter you from considering Books of the Bible At-a-Glance.  I can attest that in using it so far we have found it convenient, quick, eye-pleasing, and helpful and my children have not yet noticed the missing books.  (I am waiting for them to so we can chat more about the development of the Bible and also so I can challenge them to make their own summary pages for the deuterocanonical books.)

Any which way, I am glad to have Books of the Bible At-a-Glance in our collection of resources and have found it to be a quick and handy go-to.

As indicated, I have only used it as an at-our-fingertips electronic resource to go along with reading we are already doing - sometimes printing out pages for easy off-screen reading.  I can also see Books of the Bible At-a-Glance working as:

• a conversation starter (using the "Important Points" section
• an introduction or review of the Bible as a whole (minus the  seven Old Testament books found in the Catholic Bible that some other Bibles disclude)
• a help for timelining and placing Bible history in context
• a source for quotes for copywork, speeches, and more
• a resource for quiz-show like games (using the claims to game, famous stories, and more)

Simple, streamlined, and successful in its goal to "give famous characters, Bible verses and situations placement and context", Books of the Bible At-a-Glance is a resource I can recommend.


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Seventy-five Review Crew families have been using Books of the Bible At-a-Glance in various ways.  Check out the other reviews for more ideas on how to use this wonderfully handy product.

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Learn About Forensic Faith with a Fun Book {A Review}

If you're children enjoy mysteries and stories that include a faith focus, then I have a fun book to share with you today: Forensic Faith for Kids provided by David C Cook and Case Makers Academy.

My children and I enjoyed reviewing an advance reading copy of this book - written for children ages 8-12 -  as  bedtime read together a last month, learning a bit about how real detectives solve cases, strengthening the kids' logical thinking, and encouraging them to boldly share faith with others.

I was particularly interested in Forensic Faith for Kids because it is written by a former atheist and real-life detective - J. Warner - and his wife - Susie Wallace - who have been training young people in faith for over a decade.  I thought my children would find it interesting that one of the authors of the book is a cold-case detective who has been featured on Dateline, Fox News, truTV, and other crime-related televisions, and I was right about that. 

I also suspected there would be an energetic faith basis shining throughout the story, since, typically, converts to Christianity have contagious faith.  Again, I was correct.  Without question, the Wallaces main intent in Forensic Faith for Kids is to share their faith with others and teach readers to do the same.  They did so well!

Enjoyed by All!

All three of my children and I enjoyed reading and chatting about Forensic Faith for Kids - a 134-page softcover book - together.

My 11-year-old said:

Forensic Faith for Kids is a good book that children who like to be detectives can enjoy.  It begins with a team car wash, where a corgi named Bailey shows up.  One of the kids from the car wash brings Bailey home and, then, to their detective club.

 Meanwhile, a girl and her friend are at a youth group and talking about if Jesus was really God, because their acquaintance Marco said Jesus might not be God.

The young detectives bring these two cases - Who Does Bailey Belong To and Is Jesus God - to their detective club.  The leader guides them through the cases.  Some things they discover are:

• what unreasonable faith, blind faith, and forensic faith are

• how to gather evidence

• how training can be frustrating but lead to success

• the importance of being thorough, alert, and detailed

• how to organize thoughts

• how to communicate

• how to find truth

 They keep getting steps closer to solving Bailey's case, but, then, find out they're stuck.  Meanwhile, they go to Marco's to talk to him about Jesus.  They bring Bailey there and accidentally solve the case.

Sometimes the truth is hidden in plain sight!

I enjoyed this book and would like to read other ones in the series!

My 12-year-old (who liked the illustrations like on the page pictured) said:

I, as a book lover, thought this book was good, because it has an interesting storyline.  I had a theory, which was proven false, that the author may have been trying to point the dog towards being Marco's, but, then, it would be someone else's.  But - spoiler alert! - I was wrong.  I looked forward and realized it was Marco's.  I think it would have been more interesting if it wasn't.

I liked how the two cases were connected, and I enjoyed the story.  It was entertaining.  It taught me about corgis.  It didn't do much for my faith, because I have already done a lot about my faith.  It did help me think about doing apologetics though. 

I would like to state one small point that bothered me a lot, because I am crazy about myths and fantasy.  In the story, they say Viking myths had elves riding dogs and corgis are small.  Elves in Viking mythology are like seven feet tall.  So, maybe they meant Celtic or Irish elves which I am not as studied in.  It drove me crazy to have this in the story.
I thought the illustrations were the right style for this type of book.   

I would recommend this book to families who have members who are interested in detective stuff and apologetics.  We read as a family, but you could read it on your own, too.  I was tempted to, but I knew I would spoil it for everyone and that would not be very kind.  (I've done that before!)

My 8-year-old (who liked the corgi like on the page pictured) said:

This book was okay.  I liked guessing how to solve the cases and predicting them.  It was easy to predict.  When my mom was reading us the book and would stop, I'd say, "More!"  I wanted her to read more to see if I was right. 

I did not know much about corgis before. I did know a lot about God. I thought it was kind of weird, but connected to do the two cases together.   

I would recommend this book as a read to self and skip ahead (giggle) so you can see what happens!  Spoiler alert: It is Marco's box.  I thought that at the beginning of the story, and, then, looked ahead and knew.

With an easy to follow story, CSI Assignment boxes that featured Bible verses, Detective Definition boxes to help teach about solving cases, boxes with tools for "Your Detective Bag", engaging illustrations, and a strong faith message,  Forensic Faith for Kids is well-designed and worth our time.  


Online Fun, Too!

As you can tell, my children and I enjoyed the book Forensic Faith for Kids.  So, I was excited to see that there are loads of corollary materials to go along with it online at Case Makers Academy. 

Indeed, there are:

• brief videos to go along with each chapter of the book
• printable training activity sheets (which are typically puzzles and games)
• a printable Academy Notebook with fill in portions to help highlight key points)
• an Adult Leader Guide which tells you how to prepare for presenting the chapter, highlights key concepts, and offers discussion questions.

These digital components are all provided FREE and could well make enjoying the book into a full-blown study for a child, family, youth group, or co-op class.

Truly, Case Makers Academy offers a bevy of resources which can engage and focus children and their parents and teachers.

No Worries for Catholic Readers

As anyone who reads here regularly is aware, I am a grateful Catholic who is hardly shy about sharing my faith.  I am also a big believer that all Christians needs to know, love, and understand one another, working together for Christ regardless of denomination.

That said, I had one reservation before reviewing Forensic Faith for Kids: Despite the obvious expertise and trustworthiness of the authors (which I knew would make the book a good one),  I wondered if there might be a pronounced anti-Catholic bias in it. For while I have no problem using non-Catholic materials with my children, and have, many times, witnessed fruit through doing so, I also like to be careful about using too many materials with anti-Catholic bias.  For, frankly, I would rather spend time uniting in Christian faith rather than explaining to my children ad nauseam all the different divisions.

In fact, I truly believe the evil one seeks to divide - families, communities, Christians - and, I aim not to partake in such things when I can avoid doing so.  

Thus, I did my due diligence, looking about online for indication of bias in the book, and, not finding anything that convinced me one way or the other that Forensic Faith for Kids had anything but a general Christian point of view, I took a chance, and decided to review the book - reading it with my kids just in case. 

I am happy to report that my precaution of reading the book together with my children in case of bias was unnecessary, but also fruitful.  Fruitful because reading Forensic Faith for Kids alongside my children was enjoyable and edifying.  Unnecessary because I did not need to spend any time explaining divisions among Christians to my children while reading the book. 
Rather, we focused on the fun of the story, the logic of the process the young detectives used in it, the way the Bible can help us to understand and share our faith, and the ideas the book provided for how to investigate and share truth.

I would recommend Forensic Faith for Kids to any family that has children who enjoy mysteries and would like to strengthen their ability to communicate truths about God to their friends and family members.

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Read all the reviews!

Sixty-five Homeschool Review Crew families read Forensic Faith for Kids and some went all out with the digital resources on Case Makers Academy, too.

Case Makers Academy be found on Facebook, too.

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