Rock Solid Faith Study Bible Review

I was contacted by DJC Communications to review a Zondervan NIV teen bible.  Rock Solid Faith Study Bible for Teens, obviously has teens as its target audience and based on the masculine cover, it would draw the attention of young males rather than girls. I must say for starters, it is not a Catholic bible nor does it have an imprimatur stamp of approval. I verified this by checking the USCCB website to see if it's listed on their approved translation list and it is not.  This is a protestant study bible but does it mean, that it's not useful to Catholics? Absolutely not. It's an incomplete bible (i.e. Maccabees), however, if a teen has a strong foundation in their Catholic faith then they can certainly use this study bible. If they do not, then I would advise to look for a Catholic study bible. My son has a good foundation in his faith, so I have given this bible to him.  

What I most appreciated about this study bible are the features found in each chapter. For young learners or for those who are not familiar with the bible, these features aid in learning and helps with making scripture understandable.  The features include:

• Rock Solid Promises which teaches what is and what is not promised in the bible
• Rock Solid Principles which applies the bible to relationships, sex, money and more
• Rock Solid Plans which explores God's plan in daily life
• Unshaken People which provides scriptural examples of overcoming challenges 
• Unshaken God which points out God;s unyielding attributes.
• Additional features at the back of the bible include reading plans, topical indexes, a concordance to help find verses and colored maps.

I especially liked the Think section in the Rock Solid Truth because it makes the reader think about and apply what they are learning as they read the bible.  It helps bring God's truth to your daily life.  I believe it also helps the reader put into action what they are learning.  For it is not enough to just read the Word, we must live it in our words and actions.

The only aspect that I did not like, is the lightness of the text especially in the titles and numbering of each chapter.  One aspect that I question is whether teens would be drawn to this in a book format when we live in a world of technology.   I'm not a teen and for someone in my age range, I prefer to have the bible in a book format rather than reading it on a screen.  I would think the opposite is true for teens so hopefully Zondervan has an app that can be downloaded on an iphone or ipad for those who prefer technology over books.

I was given a complimentary copy of Rock Solid Faith Study Bible for Teens from DJC Communications.  No monetary compensation was given for my honest review.

Peace & Blessings,

Noreen

Halloween/All Saints Celebration

My RE class is different this year from previous years because the program changed from a traditional RE format where the kids are taught in a classroom by a catechist 3 times a month to being homeschooled by their parents.  Now I only have my students once a month and my job is to review and evaluate on what they've been learning.

My first review class was on Catholic Parenting and the families had been instructed to do various activities such as having a special dinner to honor your dad or father figure.  For this week's activity, they were told to tell their dad what they love about him and share fun memories with them.  Each week had a different activity with the goal of drawing the family closer together as a unit and towards God.  My students shared their experiences and then we reviewed the importance of prayer, especially before meals.  To build on the idea of prayer, I put a number of different objects in a bag and pulled them out one by one, asking if anyone knew what it was, i.e. rosary, bible, candle, holy medal, holy card, holy water, children's devotional...etc.  Then I asked what all of these items had in common and what they are used for... a couple of children responded correctly "to pray."

And since our class was right before All Saints Day, I made these saint cards emphasizing virtues:

I made each child a set focusing on girl saints for the girls and boy saints for the boys.

                        

With the extra time I had, I decided to have a mini All Saints party.

We had a Happy Saints Memory Game that I had printed on sticker paper and adhered to foam squares:

We used Jennifer's Saint Guessing Jar Game which was a huge hit.  Here was our set up:

Lastly, I sent my students home with a All Saints themed Halloween goodie bag:

Each bag included a Hershey's Chocolate bar with a Shine for Jesus wrapper, a holy card, a rosary, an angel coin and Halloween chocolate kisses.  

Happy belated All Saints Day!

Noreen

Bible and Prayers For Teddy and Me Book Review

I was given the opportunity to review another children's book called Bible and Prayers For Teddy and Me as part of the Kregel Blog Tour Program.  This book is geared towards very young children and I would also say, towards boys. There are some pictures with girls but it did seem that the main buyer would be purchasing it for little boys.  The cover has a soft puffiness to it that's fun for children to hold.  As the title indicates, it is a bible with prayers after each section. It's meant to be a first bible to teach children the main stories. The prayers are designed to draw the young child into the story as well as to teach them how to pray to God.  The poetic style didn't flow strongly throughout the book - it was definitely a bit disjointed.  The illustrations are super cute and drawn in a style ideal for children.

If you're looking for an introductory book to teach your very young child about the bible, this book fits the bill.  The added bonus is that while your child is learning about the bible stories, he is also learning how to pray.  I would also note that the bible stories are told in a basic format as to include all Christian denominations.  I enjoyed the book and would recommend it for young boys.  I did bring this book to my CCD class of 6-8 year olds and it didn't draw much interest.  I would say that their younger siblings would be the target group.

I was given a complimentary copy of Bible and Prayers For Teddy and Me by Christina Goodings and illustrated by Janet Samuel for my honest review.  No monetary compensation was given.

Peace & Blessings,
Noreen

2013 Our Lady of Fatima Rosary Rally

Mother Mary protected us from the wind and rain by her mantle this afternoon.  

We had a wonderful turn out for our rally this year especially since we didn't prepare 

that far in advance.  

In fact, we initially felt that we would join another local rally however;

we felt the nudging of the Blessed Mother to do this for her Son and she was not to be ignored!

With rosaries in hand, we had about 40 Fatima apostles today who stood in the public square praying for peace, conversion of hearts and repentance. 

We joined in with over 11,000 public rosary rallies today across the US.  

All praying for the conversion of America.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

Peace & Blessings,

Noreen

A Donkey's Tale Book Review

My most recent book review is called A Donkey's Tale by Stefano Gorla.  I received it from The Catholic Company for my honest review, as part of their book reviewer program. It's a unique perspective of telling the New Testament Stories of the bible from a donkey named Ladan.  The first chapter gives the fictional Ladan's autobiography which is sweet... "I am Ladan, son of Abinar, son of Nad."  Ladan is present to some extent in each story.  Either he is observing the scene or he is actively involved in it and is giving "the inside view" of each story. This is a sweet book with a total of 30 stories with each story on one or two pages plus illustrations.
Younger children will focus on one story at a time but older children can read more than one at each sitting.  For non-readers, this is not a good choice unless someone is reading it to them.  Some of the illustrations give a good hint as to what the story is about and others are too vague.  Overall, I liked the book for young children as a way to teach the bible stories.  It doesn't take the place of the bible, but it helps enrich their understanding of Jesus.

Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on A Donkey's Tale. The Catholic Company is the best resource for all your seasonal needs such as First Communion gifts as well as ideas and gifts for the special papal Year of Faith.

Blessings,
Noreen

Prayer Starters & Patron Saints

Our religious education program has changed at my church this year.  Instead of having a classroom of first graders each week, we've switched to a homeschool program.  Which means the main teachers of our students are the parents.  The families will come in once a month and divide up into parent and children groups.  Even though I miss having my students each week, I'm happy that I get to review once a month, what they've learned from their parents.

Today we talked about prayer and the various types of prayer.  I found the best prayer starter prompts over at Catholic Icing and if you are a subscriber, you can download her printable for free!  Lacy has fabulous hands on resources for young children to learn about God and their faith.

There are 24 prayer starters in each set.

Since it was our first class, I introduced them to two patron saints of students

This idea came from Jessica over at Shower of Roses:

St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Catherine of Alexandria

I'm offering up prayers for all of our parents, as the primary teachers of their children, may they find inspiration and guidance through the grace of God.

Peace & Blessings,
Noreen

Bumper Wipe Clean Activities Review

I've had another opportunity to review a children's book from Kregel Publications and it was fun to do so!  The book, Bumper Wipe Clean Activities, is geared for preschool  to kindergarten age children and as the title states, it's a reusable activity book. Each page has a 1-2 sentence explanation of a bible story and then a direction on what to do.  The book includes a dry erase black marker that is used to connect the dots, draw through a maze, trace a word...etc.  And the advantage is, that it can be wiped clean and used over and over again. The pages are sturdy and durable with brightly colored illustrations.  For young learners, it gives a snapshot of a bible story so it's faith forming and good for developing fine motor skills. I like it because they have so many wipe clean activity books out there with commercialized themes (i.e. Hello Kitty, Disney Princess or Thomas).  It's breath of fresh air that there is an option for parents who want their children to learn how to hold their pencils and do so in a faith building method.  Plus It's a small book that can easily be put in mom's purse and brought out during car rides or when trying to keep a young child occupied.  I can also imagine it being used in a preschool setting as busy work.  I would recommend this book for families and schools.

I was given a complimentary copy of Bumper Wipe Clean Activities by Kregel Publications for my honest review.

Peace & Blessings,
Noreen