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The first one in the series is a particular favorite for both of my boys -- Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy. Not only did it introduce my boys to this fun series, but they love this particular period in history. Not long after my oldest first read this one, we toured a lot of sights from the Revolutionary War. We even saw a statue dedicated to Nathan Hale while in CT! It kind of helped bring all of this to life for him and it has stuck ever since then.

It amazes me how much my boys have picked up from these books. I will tell you -- they've learned more history (that they can still reference in conversation months later) from this series than anything that's stuck from traditional history textbooks. I'm honestly amazed at some of the things they'll point out. Whether we're at a museum -- this happened shortly after they read Big Bad Ironclad! -- or watching a documentary, they'll reference something they read in one of these books with complete excitement. It's the joy that comes from knowing the answer before it's taught -- it's fun seeing their faces when they'll excitedly share what they know about the topic and proudly say they knew it because of what they read in Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales. It's not every day that you find something that causes this response!

Definitely consider adding this series to your reading list this year if you have a child in elementary school! My oldest fell in love at around 8 years old, but my youngest followed in his footsteps much younger -- although I'm sure some of that was because he wanted to be like his big bro!

*UPDATE*

GREAT NEWS! Nathan Hale is releasing a new book this fall about the Cold War! I know what my boys will be reading in October! 

"The Reading Journal is 168 lessons recommended for grades 2-8. Comprised of 28 unique lessons that focus on vocabulary, word study, comprehension, and higher-level thinking skills, the journal cycles through each lesson 6 times throughout the year, providing just the right amount of practice without too much monotony.

Whether you're a newbie or an OG Homeschooler, curriculum choices can be tough. Do you continue with what you've used before? Try something new? Do a box curriculum? Follow a friend's recommendation? There are SO many options! And honestly, there are way too many amazing options to choose from. I personally struggle with being able to narrow down our choices and actually stick to something. There are so many that I love that I find myself trying to squeeze in more than I should...

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Ok, so if you've read previous blog posts that I've made, you made have come across one where I don't speak that highly about Story Of The World. Well, that opinion has since changed...

Ever since I tried SOTW with my oldest son several years ago, I held on to the curriculum JUST in case we'd want to try it again. You never know how curriculum is going to work -- whether it's great for you and your kid hates it, or vice versa. We are amazingly blessed with an insane variety of curriculum on the market that you're bound to find something that will for well for your family -- regardless of how it works for others you know. SOTW was once thought to be a total bore in this house. I could barely handle and it sure couldn't keep the attention of my kid. However, that same kid now begs for me to read it!

It all started when I was trying to calm my wild monkeys -- I mean handsome boys -- and get them ready for bed. They were literally climbing all over and hanging upside down on their bunkbed. They asked for me to read them a book while they tried to go to sleep, so I tried to think of something boring. I LOVE reading to them before bed, but if it's even remotely interesting or catches a hint of their attention, we'll end up sitting there reading several chapters with them begging for more. It is totally awesome, except when they really need to be asleep instead of wide-awake listening to an adventure story. ;) So that night, I decided to go into our school room and dust off our Story Of The World book. I knew it used to put them (and me) right to sleep -- maybe this was the perfect solution! Maybe, just maybe, they'd be asleep by the second paragraph. Wrong. They were so drawn in, we read a couple chapters, with lots of discussion in between, before I finally said we had to stop for the night so we could get some rest. They couldn't get enough! I guess it's an age thing? An interest thing? My oldest was the same age as my youngest is now when we first attempted it so who knows. Either way, SOTW is a total win in this house now! 

I honestly don't even think they consider this school when we're reading it. When we knock out our Saxon math or phonics/writing curriculum, sure...they know they have to sit down, press on and get through it. Sometimes it's with joy, sometimes it's a bit of a drag. But they know it's school and it's something they need to do. With SOTW  they'll randomly just ask if I'll read it to them while they're playing. We've been doing several day-trips lately, so I'll bring different books in the car to read -- both read alouds and books for them to read on their own. They'll specifically ask for me to read SOTW with much excitement. It's pretty awesome, ha. 

On one of these recent day-trips that I mentioned, I decided to bring along art pads on the drive so that they could do one of the suggested activities in the SOTW Activity book. As I handed each boy their art pad and colored pencils, they both grabbed them with enthusiasm and actually put the effort forth to work on it as I read without one complaint. I mean, it was like the twilight zone! My 4th grader generally has a good attitude about things, but let's be real. He's 9 and school work can be a drag at times. His life goals are to be outside, during every waking moment, playing Beyblades and having Nerf Wars. Even in the car, if I mention knocking out some schoolwork on a long drive, it is received with some deep sighs. Not that day. Not with Story Of The World! 

Can you sense the excitement?!

This guy took it very seriously and worked hard on his drawings...

Here is a photo of their finished product. They used the key in the Activity Workbook to create their names in both hieroglyphics and cuniform...

So...if you read my last review of this curriculum and you found yourself in the same spot -- give it time. You just never know how things might change! Here I had planned on using a different curriculum as my spine, but it never showed up. It legit got lost in the mail and we received the empty bubblewrap envelope instead (insert crying emoji). I guess that was a blessing in disguise, because it appears as though we're good to go with our SOTW set!

*Note: This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Also, even though I was compensated for this post, these thoughts were my own honest opinions. I wouldn't advertise something I don't personally love for my own family.*



Dollar Tree is now selling Hallmark greeting cards! More specifically, all stores (6,500 nationwide and counting!) are now carrying Expressions from Hallmark and Heartline a Hallmark Company. How cool is that?! Whenever we need a greeting card, most (if not all) of the time, we shop at Dollar Tree. I love the prices and we can usually find something that works well for whatever we're celebrating. Well, now we can get those affordable cards with the Hallmark name attached! I know my mom will love that -- she always shops Hallmark for special occasions and now this can save a little cash!






I'm loving this sample set of cards they sent me! The quality is fantastic and the images are cute! Some have glitter, others have the foil print (I think that's what it's called?!). They definitely don't give off a cheap vibe, so you may be cutting costs, but definitely not quality. Double win! There are a few in particular that my boys loved, too. They were stoked when they saw the Avengers card, ha! What little boy doesn't love getting a card with their favorite super heroes on them!? When they saw the Disney Princess card, they were quick to tell me who they know that would love it. So sweet! I love the fact that Dollar Tree will now have brand-named characters to choose from. After all, now that school's in session, the birthday party invites will be in full-swing!

If you haven't checked out Mrs. Wordsmith, I'd highly encourage you to do so! To be honest, I had never heard of it until now. However, we're totally sold now. We received it for free as a product tester and are so glad we did! My boys were so excited when it arrived in the mail. They couldn't wait to rip it open and check it out! The quality is top-notch -- the paper is thick (can withstand the terror of a 4 year old), the colors are bright and vibrant, and stories and pictures are fun and inviting. Sam was laughing the second he started looking through the flash cards and reading the activities. The activities are silly, while still being very educational.

So far, we've only truly sampled it. I didn't want to get too far into it just yet, as I'm going to try and incorporate it into our curriculum this fall and I want to wait until then. However, from what we've used so far, it's a total win in our book!


If this sounds like something that might fit the needs of your family, you can check it out here.






I plan to use both for each of my boys. I'll be sure to come back and write more once we've gone through more of the curriculum, but I wanted to write a little note now!

It's the perfect time to go buy it before school starts!

If you have a young, advanced reader, it can be hard at times to find the right book. My son still enjoys the fun pictures books, but as a soon-to-be 2nd grader at an advanced reading level, it was a challenge to find the right books that interest him. Below are 5 chapter book series that my son has grown to love over the last year. He always looks forward to the next book in each series and they never grow old!




If you're not familiar with Magic Tree House, I highly suggest checking them out! There are TONS of books in the series -- 28 that I know of. Each one provides a fun adventure while also teaching a little history. I love all the facts tied into the books. When my son read the one about Ancient Egypt, it sparked a whole new interest in learning about that time period. Before we knew it, we were grabbing other books about Ancient Egypt all because of MTH -- total win! They're enjoyable even for little ones, too. My (just turned) 7 year old will read them to my 4 year old and they keep his interest.


Not only are the Geronimo Stilton books fun, colorful, and full life on the pages, there's also a cartoon series to go along with it! My son was first introduced to a random Geronimo Stilton book at the library about 6 months ago and fell in love. He was just beginning All About Reading Level 4 and wanted to find something along that level. We found one at the library and he was instantly hooked. They will make you laugh as you join them on an adventure in each book. Some even add a little history to the mix, which I love! Lastly, they vary between style -- some are chapter books, while others are graphic novels. Either way, they're a hit in our family!



Brought to you by the makers of Adventures in Odyssey, this is a GREAT adventure series! Always tied around something historical, you follow two kids as they go back in time and experience something from that time period. They also tie in Christian values, which I love. At times, this has left my son on the edge of his seat. Before he could read these on his own, I would read this to him before bed, and he would beg to read another chapter every time we stopped, ha. They're fun, wholesome, and educational -- what more can you ask for!?


The Magic School Bus...need I say more?! Who doesn't love this series?! Between the cartoon series and the picture books, we've been hooked on this series for years. We love the wild adventure attached to every book. Plus, the fact that there is a legit science lesson every book is fantastic! My son will retain more knowledge from reading one of these chapter books than a month of sitting in front of a textbook going through lessons. Even if your child isn't ready to read these on their own, I highly recommend grabbing these for read alouds!



If your child likes space-themed books, this is a great transition from picture books to chapter books. My son has enjoyed all that he's read from this series and thinks the drawings are amusing. This series is purely for entertainment (unlike that others I listed that tie in a few educational aspects), but introduces topics like being the new kid in town and learning to adjust, making friends, etc. It's a fun series and definitely worth checking out!

***There are other fun series like Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot, The Who was series, Matt Christopher Sports Series (my all-time favorite as a kid!), etc. However, I didn't list them as the 5 above are my son's absolute favorite!***


If your child has a favorite not listed above, leave a comment! I'm always up for new ideas!

While it's a super exciting time and I'm incredibly proud of him, I'm a little sad. I absolutely love this program and am sad to see it end. I honestly wish they would extend it with further levels of challenging readers, attaching comprehension questions to them. My son absolutely loves the stories. I love that they're wholesome and funny. If we could continue on, we would! Unfortunately, that's a wish that probably won't come true any time soon, so we will have to move on to something else.



Since my son completed Level 4 right before summer break, my goal is to have him pick out books of interest and participate in local summer reading programs at the library, Barnes and Noble, etc. My goal is to allow him time to just enjoy the act of reading.


Beyond the summer activities, my goal is to move forward with Brave Writer. I'm working through reading The Writer's Jungle and Jot It Down and plan to incorporate various ideas into our 2018-2019 school year. I also want to do a set of Arrows. I have yet to decide if I'm going to order the standard set or pick out books individually, though.

Ultimately, after my son flew through All About Reading over the last two years, I want to take the next year and take a very relaxed approach and just enjoy the act of reading. My hope is that by going the Brave Writer route, we can have a stress-free, fun year of reading!

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