Where in the World? Wednesday

Welcome to our new meme, Where in the World? Wednesday! We are participating in several postcard exchanges this year and thought it might be nice to regularly share the cards we receive, as well as to have a place to keep all of the information we discover about each place we "visit."

If you would like to "travel" with us, feel free to check here every Wednesday for our latest virtual field trip. If you would like to link up and share your virtual travels, please be patient as I figure out how to make a button and do a linky so you can join us.

In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment with a link, so we can check out your fun learning adventures, too!!

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This week's destination: The wonderful state of Pennsylvania!

 
Here is the postcard we received this week:

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Here is what we found out about Pennsylvania (mostly from Enchanted Learning):

Pennsylvania was the second state in the United States of America. It ratified the Constitution on December 12, 1787.

Capital: Harrisburg
Abbreviation: PA
Origin of name: This state was named to honor Admiral William Penn and his son, William Penn, Pennsylvania's founder.
Nickname: Keystone State


Land Area: 46,058 square miles
Motto: Virtue, Liberty, and Independence
Song: Pennsylvania by E. Khoury
Residents: Pennsylvanians

Animal: White-tailed deer
Bird: Ruffled Grouse
Dog: Great Dane
Tree: Eastern Hemlock

Flower: Mountain Laurel
Insect: ladybug and firefly
Fossil: Trilobite
Fish: Brook Trout

Industries: Steel, farming, mining, electronics, cars
Famous Pennsylvanians: James Buchanan (15th President), Lousia May Alcott, Daniel Boone, Gene Kelly, Andrew Wyeth, Betsy Ross, Robert Fulton, Mary Cassatt, Jimmy Stewart
Famous facts about Pennsylvania: Atreipus dinosaur fossils were found there, Amish population
Interesting features of Pennsylvania: borders Lake Erie, highest point is Mt. Davis, largest city is Philadelphia which is where the Liberty Bell is located, Appalacian Mountains.

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There is a LOT to do in Pennsylvania. After putting together this post, the kids and I want to go to PA for our next family trip!

Start your virtual visit to PA with this fun video starring Abe Lincoln, a Hershey Kiss, and an Amish farmer. Really, it's cute and will introduce you to the variety that is Pennsylvania.

Visit The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and learn about: the automaton that inspired Brian Selznik's book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret HERE (scroll down to watch a demo), Ben Franklin's Glass Armonica HERE and and scroll down HERE to give playing one a try, and visit HERE to learn more about Edison's lightbulb (scroll down to find an experiment to make your own lightbulb).

Would a trip to PA be complete without stopping at historic Gettysburg?

Make a virtual visit to Cherry Crest, a fun farm adventure in Ronks, PA HERE. It would be perfect to visit this time of year. I'd love to make some of these fun activities a reality on our own farm.

What would a visit to PA be without stopping by HERSHEY for a virtual tour of the factory on the official site, and this excellent video tour found on youtube from CoolStuffBeingMade? Then stop by and have some fun at Hershey Park. Did you know that in 1900, Hershey Bars were introduced and sold for five cents each? Wow!

Let's not leave out a visit to the Amish in Lancaster Co. Enjoy learning about the differences between their culture and your own, and about the similarities, too.

Find Fun Facts and Activities about  Pennsylvania at Enchanted Learning: Pennsylvania map and quiz , Liberty Bell printout, PA Dot-to-Dot Outline Coloring Page

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Here's the State Flag of Pennsylvania:

Here's a map of Pennsylvania:

Here are some pictures of Pennsylvania:

Pittsburgh, PA



Here are some handouts you can print up for a state notebook: Pennsylvania Label-Me Printout from Enchanted Learning. PA Outline Map Printout.

Here's a printable map of the fifty states with lines for writing the names of the states on, if you want to start filling in each state as you recieve the card. HERE is one from Enchanted Learning with no lines, but it has questions to answer about your home state. There are also some other great prinables for individual state reports (a one-page notebooking page for older students and a mini-book for younger ones), but you have to be a member (it's a low cost of $20 a year...I think it's worth it).

HERE'S a good online fill-in game for the entire US. You have to know where the states are placed on a blank map (no outlines), but it gives you a clue after the first try and even tells you by how many miles you are in error. It was good practice. I think that one of my goals for the year is for my kids to be able to draw a reasonably accurate map of the US on a blank sheet of paper and label all the states, capitals, and major landmarks/geographic features. What are your geography goals?

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Here are some pictures of our notebook pages about Pennsylvania:

Tex also read Chapter 13: Trusting God's Character about William Penn in the book Character for Life by Don Hawkinson. We got the hardcover book on sale at a homeschooling convention, and it is a wonderful book, full of excellent character building stories.

We also just received For You They Signed, by Marilyn Boyer, to review, and he will be reading the stories of Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush today and tomorrow. They were both signers of the Declaration of Independence for the state of Pennsylvania. I will let you know how we like the book.

The movie, The Amish, a People of Preservation, just went on instant play at Netflix, and I am thinking we will watch that over the weekend. I love Netflix!

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I hope you enjoyed our trip to the Keystone State. We sure did.

See you next week when we visit New Jersey!


Blessings,

Heather

Where in the World? Wednesday

Product Review---Lanschool Technology

Last month we were asked to try out a computer program called LanSchool. It has been called the "one essential tool teachers need in computer-based classrooms." Since as a homeschool, our house is our classroom, we thought we'd give it a go, and see how it helped (or hindered) our family's ability to school effectively. Here is what we discovered:

From the LanSchool Information Sheet:

 

"Teachers today are faced with the challenge and opportunity of using technology to teach. Computers are amazing educational tools, but they can also be a huge distraction to learning. The Internet, instant messaging, email and games are a constant temptation for students.

 

Lanschool removes these distractions so you can teach more effectively. No classroom solution is easier to install, easier to use, or better suited for teaching in a computer-based classroom."

 

Lanschool helps:

• Facilitate learning by allowing the teacher to show their screen to students.
• Remove distractions, such as the Internet, applications, USB drives, and printing.
• Keep students on task through real-time thumbnail monitoring.
• Get student's attention by blanking out their screens.
• Assist students through remote control and chat.
• Assess student understanding through student testing.

 

 

Features of LanSchool:

• You can manage all of your students' computers from the teacher monitor. Thumbnail images of their screens show on your monitor so you can see what they are up to.
• You can control student monitors and blank student screens for demonstration or control purposes.
• You can limit access to certain applications, such as printing, the Internet, speakers, keyboard, mouse, etc.
• You can enable all screens to simultaneously view the same material, and you can show all or selected students your screen for demonstration purposes.
• 
  
  You can allow individual students to temporarily take control for demonstration purposes.
• You can send individual students or groups of students messages or even have them take quizzes you have made (which are automatically graded). You can set up polls and show the results to all on screen. You can set up a chat session with students, as needed.
• You can view which applications are being run on student computers and block unwanted ones.
• You can view Internet browsing history.
• You can send and collect files from student computers.
• You can take screen shots of student computers.
• You can remotely shut down, log off, or restart student computers. This includes logging onto Internet sites for students remotely.
• Works with Windows 98 and up, and most Macs.
• And much more, too complicated for me to understand...

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Now, for what we thought about the product:

 

My husband (the IT guy for his high-security military job) said:

• It allows remote control of other machines, limits their access (web, applications, printing, USB, and mutes speakers).  These functions work for both Google Chrome and Internet Explorer browsers.
• The program allows a lot of interaction with your students (you can send messages to your students, give them exams that you develop within the program, or poll the group with a multiple choice or True/False question (like, "Do you want to go to Chik-fil-a?). 
• You can also look at histories (application, internet, keystroke) and block applications or sites based on what you find. Keystroke monitoring is not permitted in the government or private sector.
• However, the keystroke and application monitoring is fairly complex and requires some experience to interpret what a student has been up to. LanSchool also prevents a student deleting their browser history (prevents a comptuer savvy young man from hiding what he looks at). LanSchool does not allow looking Google Chrome history.
• Installation requires the authorization of registry changes by your security program.  A knowlegable student can remove it if they know where to find the installation package.  However, if you delete the package, they would be stuck with the program.  Of course, then if you wanted to remove the program later, you would have to download the installation package. I would recommend saving it on a CD (I assume this is allowed, but did not check). 
• Cannot transition from showing student to controlling a student, but you can do the opposite and return to student control again. 
• Could not get a student message to the teacher to work, but the teacher to student messaging worked fine. I did not try to get technical support because of time constraints, though I am sure they would have helped with this glitch as it is supposed to work both ways.
• It seems safe - the only unlikely risk appears to be potential access to a student machine in an uncontrolled (public or unsecured personal) network by an intruder with LanSchool on the correct student channel (unlikely, if you set an onusual channel).

 

I (not techie at all, computer clueless) said:

• The thing that was most useful to me, was the remote monitoring of other computers. We have desktops in two locations in our home, plus two laptops. This means that computer-based schooling or activities can be happening in several rooms at once. LanSchool enabled me to keep an eye on my children's activities while I was working on my own computer, or from a room with my laptop. In cases where certain students might get distracted easily (and you know who you are!), this was a blessing, and helped us keep on task.
• It was fun to send messages to Tex. I was sorry we couldn't get his return messaging capability to work, but I will be honest and say that not being techie, I was not too inclined to try to get it to work. I am sure if we had emailed, they would have resolved this issue.
• I can see how this would really benefit families with several, or many, children simultaneously working on computers. It would allow the homeschooling parent to help them each from one computer, without running all over the house. It would also allow that parent to closely monitor Internet activity, even outside of school time, and that is a good thing.
• Since we USUALLY work at the dining room table on laptops together (Tex and me) and my other children are too young to be affected by it (their computer use is limited to an OLD desktop and OLD educational cd roms), this program wasn't essential for us and we didn't give it a real work out. However, it was definitely COOL and I can certainly see how it would be very useful to the right individual.

Tex (enthusiastically techie, just like his dad) says:

• It was neat when Dad or Mom would send me a message or do a poll. I would like having that be a regular thing. I would like to message them back. Maybe I will figure that part out, if we still get to use this program for the rest of the year.
• It was funny when I snuck in and used my Mom's computer (the teacher-designated one) to blank my Dad's screen. He didn't think it was so funny, but Mom did.
• I liked that if I found a neat video or website about our school work, I could tell my mom and show it to her without her having to leave what she was doing in the other room. (Mom says, "However, his enthusiasm for this feature was endless, and it was,'You gotta see this one, Mom!' over and over again! I guess that means it is pretty cool.")
• We had fun showing all the kids an exploding volcano video on all of the computers at the same time. When they get older, this would be a good way to do some lessons.
• I had my friends over and showed them one of my games on all the computers at the same time. Awesome!

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As you can see from the comments of my family and myself, we thought this program was pretty neat. It was a bit tough for me, the non-technical savvy parent to wrap my mind around (but I admit, since I am into blogging and website design, I am sure I could have picked it up if I had REALLY tried...it's just so easy to let the techie kids do the work!), but it had some very useful features that made it worth the effort to learn. For a parent who is not on the computer often and has only one child, it might not be useful. For a parent who uses their computer regularly, especially one who works on a computer from home in a room away from her/his students, this program could be an invaluable, time-saving, homeschool-experience altering tool. Also, it would be VERY good for a larger family, especially one that uses a computer-based curriculum or is spread out widely in a large space. Of course, mom might have to take up jogging to make up for all of the running around she will save herself, but then again, she will probably have the time to take up a new hobby...

 

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If you are interested in learning more about LanSchool, check out their web site HERE.

To take a guided tour of Lanschool, click HERE.

To see what other Crew members thought about this program, check HERE.

A subscription to Lanschool for home use costs $99.  The home use product is a perpetual license, and includes 3 years of updates and support.  There is another option for those homes that need up to 10 computers.  It costs $299 and includes the same feature set.

 

I received a free trial of Lanschool for the purposes of giving this product an honest review. I have attempted to be as objective as possible in my review, based on our experiences. If you have questions about anything I said, please feel free to comment or contact me.

 

Blessings to you,

 

Heather

 

Sketch Tuesday---Something That Begins With "R"

These are the kids' submissions for Sketch Tuesday this week. Unfortunately, I thought the deadline was noon on Tuesday, but it was noon on Monday, so they didn't make it into this week's slideshow...but they still had a fun time, and I am proud of their hard work!



Tex: A roadrunner recklessly running on a road.



Ladybug: A rabbit resting under a rainbow during a race with a turtle.



Cowboy: A racecar on a road in a race.



Firefly: An exploding rainbow.



Menu Plan Monday---October 4th-10th

Monday: Hey, baby, it's cold outside (and windy, too)! Mama's in the mood for chili soup and biscuits with lots of butter and blackberrry jam. Daddy's on swings, so we don't have to worry about making one pot of chili Texas style (and HOT!) and the other mild for us non-Texans.

Tuesday: Homemade Chicken Pot Pie served with fruit cocktail.

Wednesday: Alfredo Tuna Noodle Casserole as per Tex's request (since he is the birthday boy today... Happy birthday, Tex!) served with corn on the cob and applesauce. Brownies, topped with lots of ice cream and hot fudge for dessert. Tex is having friends over for the weekend, so the celebration today will be small. More fun to come on Saturday.

Thursday: Hamburger soup served with a side salad and biscuits.

Friday: We have a funeral to attend, and are helping with the reception afterwards, so it is likely we won't be home until late. I think we will probably either have sandwiches for dinner or pick up something from a drive-in dollar menu. I will be making hot wings for the reception.

Saturday: Pizza Party and Star Wars movie marathon for the birthday boy. The little ones will be going with Daddy to their cousin's birthday party, while I am the movie monitor and pizza pick-up person. Homemade chipwich ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

Sunday: Another try at using that London Broil. We never got around to it last week. I don't remember what we did instead, but I am sure it was not as good as this will be once we make it. Seasoned new red potatoes and green beans almondine on the side. Served with French Bread and butter.

I am warming up just typing this in. I can't wait to eat it all. I am looking forward to bringing out all of our favorite cold weather foods in the coming months, aren't you?

Blessings for a wonderful week,

Heather

Sermon Sunday---Battle for the Beginning




A ring-galaxy...Hubble telescope image

 

I have been blessed today to have the opportunity to listen to four separate sermons today. Three of our children are suffering from allergic coughs, and not wanting to alarm the other parents and elderly population at church, I stayed home with them, sending the older boys on without us. We had a leisurely morning, getting ready to celebrate my sister-in-laws birthday by having lunch with them. It was nice, because mornings like that are rare with so much to do. While I got ready, I listened to Charles Stanley's sermon for the week on resolving conflict. Then, during our drive back from visiting with my family, I listened to a talk by Doug Phillips about children and the church. Since we arrived back home after dark, the little ones went straight to bed, the big boys opted to watch a movie together, and I was able to listen to a Voddie Baucham sermon on the family. Lastly, I happened upon the sermon series that I am going to share with you for this week's Sermon Sunday. I just have to say that I think this has been about perfect for a Sunday (except for the semi-sick kids and missing church)...plenty of time learning more about God's word and how it applies to our lives, visiting with family (and a sick friend...please pray for my friend, D., who has surgery Thursday), great food, and resting in the presence of the Lord in fellowship with like-minded family and friends.

In any case, it is just so wonderful all the resources you can find at your fingertips given a computer and an internet connection. Of course, I love books, too. I will never give up my real print books (especially my Bible) for completely electronic forms of them, but sometimes it is nice to be able to just sit back and listen, instead of reading. Even better, in my book, is when you have an opportunity to do BOTH.

So for Sermon Sunday today, I am offering this excellent opportunity for you to read along with me this month as I tackle reading John MacArthur's book Battle for the Beginning. I have owned this book for several years and (oops) never gotten around to reading it. I discovered that the sermon series that is related to the book is available online. It is an in-depth study of the Creation account in Genesis and of the important issues at stake in relation to the creation/evolution controversy. Thank you, Grace to You and John MacArthur, for making this excellent series available for free.

HERE is the link to the page which accesses each of the sermons in the series. The first is very good. I listened to it tonight. There are thirteen total, so I am thinking about three a week will get it done in a month. I think I will be asking Tex to read the book once I am finished with it, or maybe as I finish each chapter. I will have him listen to these sermons with me, too. It will be a good plan to try out this week for Bible time, I think.

If you have your own copy of the book, have already read it, or can check it out at your church library, feel free to leave me a comment and maybe we can correspond about our thoughts!

I hope you had a blessed Sunday,

Heather

Firefly's Story---You're Three Years Old!

In honor of your birthday, I thought it would only be fair to tell your story, since I told Cowboy's story on his.

Your story is so interesting, Firefly. It's quite an adventure.

It all started in Florida, where we were living when Daddy was transfered and had to work in far away Washington (state) for the Navy for ten months. He did come home for a Christmas visit, and during that visit we decided we would try to sell our house, so we could move to live near Nanny and Poppy, hoping he'd get transfered there when he was done in WA.

Thankfully, Daddy was transferred to a place near our new house, and he moved in with Nanny and Poppy. Unfortunately, by that time it was almost your due date (about six weeks before), and our house in Florida had still not sold, so Poppy and Daddy came for a visit, and we packed a lot of our stuff and loaded up a big moving van.

 

 We also loaded a trailer with our two horses, two potbellied pigs, three dogs, and two cats. Then we loaded up my car with the kids (Bubba, Tex, Ladybug, and Cowboy), and headed out of town. Imagine how excited we were when a few hours down the road, Mommy got a call on her cell phone, and our real estate agent told us we had gotten an offer on our house! What perfect timing...God's timing. I guess He was just waiting for us to be out of the house before it sold. We negotiated the offer and agreed on the sale while driving.

We had to stop for the night at a hotel because it was an almost twenty hour drive with the loaded down horse trailer and moving van. We stopped near an Equestrian Center, where the big boys (Daddy and Bubba) camped out for the night with the animals. Mom and the kids stayed cozy in a nice hotel room and had a delicious hot breakfast! The next day, we left to drive the rest of the way. Fortunately, the trip had few problems, other than being a long one. By the time we arrived at your grandparents' house, I was exhausted and went to bed, while poor Daddy had to unload the trailer at the storage facility, set up pens for the animals, and return the trailer (which he did the next day). The next day I was very tired and rested most of the day. That night I woke up feeling terrible and wound up telling Daddy we needed to go to the hospital to get checked.

It's a good thing we went, because it turns out I was in labor, even though it was six weeks early. I guess the trip just made you want to arrive, too! And arrive you did, without any trouble or problems (except for having to sign a sales contract for the house while I was in labor!). In spite of being an absolutely for sure six weeks early, you were perfectly formed and ready to meet everyone. Oh, you were so pretty, so sweet, and so tiny. For about a week, we had some difficulty regulating your temperature and had to be extra careful that you didn't get too cold, but that just gave us all a good excuse to hold you often and cuddle with you.

We still love to cuddle with you, sweet Firefly. You are the most precious little lady, and the apple of our eyes. We so appreciate your helpful spirit, your grateful heart, and your spunky tenacity. And now, since we have Baby Boo, you aren't the littlest one anymore, and you are becoming a wonderful big sister, playing with Boo and showing him how to do many things. We all love to watch you guys play together and pray that all of you will be best of friends forever.

We love you so much, dear one. You are in our thoughts and prayers always. You are our sweet little lady, Firefly, and growing so much every single day. Just don't grow up too fast...

Hugs and Kisses and lots of sqeezes.

Love,

Mom

Learning Happens---Where Are We?

The Three Amigos are learning about their world, one puzzle at a time...

The kids are learning where in the world they are this year...from postcard swaps to puzzles, they are learning one state and state capital at a time. Texas goes in first because Daddy is from Texas and he says it is the best.



Teamwork is one of the lessons being learned here. That, and "always do the edges first," says Mom.

"A job well done is its own reward" is another important lesson learned this week.


Once they had the puzzle together, we reviewed our state capital, the state from our first postcard of the week (our first one was Delaware...see that post HERE), Washington D.C., and of course, Texas.

I am proud of you guys for doing such a great job! I can't wait to do it again next week (and neither can they...they LOVE doing puzzles and I love watching them work as a team.)

Blessings,

Heather

Crew Review: Foundlings, Book One of The Peleg Chronicles

The Peleg Chronicles

Book One

Foundlings

by Matthew Christian Harding

Do you have boys who dream of adventures in times past? Boys who find anything that resembles a sword and run off with a friend into the woods to pursue unknown, hapless creatures (of the imaginary sort)? Boys who thrive on stories of brave warriors on horseback, dastardly (and hungry) dragons lurking nearby, and entire towns to save through selfless acts of courage, cunning, and hard-won skill?

If so, then Foundlings is a book you will want to add to their reading list for this coming year. It is a book with all of the qualities listed above, with just one unusual twist. This story does not take place in Medieval Europe or during the Crusades. This book "takes place in the time period of Peleg, soon after the Tower of Babel dispersion" (click here for a timeline from the website)...you know, that time after Noah's flood when the human race got very prideful about its accomplishments and attempted to build a tower the likes of which has never been seen. To halt their attempts to (again) be like God, the Lord separated them into diverse people groups and confounded their speech, making it impossible for them to communicate effectively between their groups anymore. So, they scattered over the face of the earth and the rest is...history.

In this case, it is historical fiction, with the underlying flavor of the genre of "fantasy", as it relates to the incorporation of warriors and dragons and the rise and fall of men and kingdoms. The history of this story is based upon scriptures that point to a young earth, and the existence of giants, dragons, and men living at the same time. Then there are the false gods, and of course, the evil priests vying for power.

Living and trying to survive amidst the oppressive and conniving evil creatures, are those who stand for righteousness, for the God of Noah. There are gentle giants, dwarves, Rangers, Beast Masters (animal tamers), warriors, and leige lords among those who are followers of the One True God. A side note for your consideration: one of the men in the story says he heard the tale of Noah's flood from Noah's son Japeth, yet does not believe in the God of Noah. It really makes you think about how little it takes for people to walk away from Truth, even when faced with overwhelming evidence.

What I found most interesting about this story is how effectively and realistically the author wove scripture into the story, even in a time when printing presses did not exist, so all knowlege of scripture was from hearing and memorizing it. You have to consider, also, that not all scripture we have today would have been available to the people of this novel. Yet, the book is rich in wisdom and full of God's Word in a way that brings it to life, through the actions and speech of the characters. It is humbling that these characters who own so little in material goods, have so rich a knowlege and love of God's Wod. Your children may just be inspired to learn more scripture and insert it into their battles against foes both imaginary and real.

If I have any reservations about this book at all, it would be that some children may not be mature enough to handle some of the darker aspects of the culture that is revealed. Very interestingly, I felt this book may be drawing a more realistic view of the darkness that existed in those times than the average children's book about this time period...the fear, the power struggles, the daily battle for mere survival. I think sometimes we gloss over some of the more wicked things that are in our history, and lose the reality of how richly we are blessed to live when we do and to be children of the Most High God. I would say that if you would hesitate to have your child read some of the stories in the Bible that are a bit more scary (but true), then you need to hold off on offering this book. It does discuss the horror of sacrifices, it mentions the effects of drink upon people, and it portrays the reality of the false gods that were worshiped at the time.

One thing we did in preparation for reading this book was to read Ruth Beechik's Adam and His Kin first (a fictional retelling of the story of Adam and his progeny) as a kind of lead in to the era. It is an interesting book as well, but not similar in focus or genre. Since my son is a fan of fantasy writing anyway, he wound up liking Foundlings better, though in all fairness, we found both interesting, and both offered an intriguing perspective into what might have been.

One reason Tex liked this book better was that he enjoyed the humor the author expressed through many of the characters, especially using the interactions of the main character, Lord McDougal, and his friend and shield-bearer, Fergus Leatherhead. He also liked the dwarf, Gimcrack (he was comical, without meaning to be, which makes it even funnier), and the Beast Master, Oded. Oh, and you can't forget the enormous and intimidating, but wonderful, white wolf, Horatio. I particularly liked the earnest young characters, Suzie and Thiery, and how their faith shone through their actions and words. They were true examples of the blessing of what it means to have childlike faith.

Tex also enjoyed the fighting. He is one of those kids who runs around with his friends wielding practice swords (from Vision Forum), a bow and arrows (Vision Forum again), and slingshots (okay, all Vision Forum...they've got good stuff for boys!) and disappears for hours in the woods behind the house. Nobody has shot an eye out or broken anything important yet, so I am assuming they are bashing the imaginary bad guys and not each other. He thought the battle scenes were well-done and realistic. He liked the fact that the characters weren't perfect and learned from their mistakes. Of course, I enjoyed the daring escapes and rescues, but I will not say involving whom beccause I don't want to give the plot away. It is very suspenseful (once you pass the first few chapters) and you will breeze right through the book. You will probably stay up past your bedtime just to finish it (I did).

I have to be completely honest though, and admit that there was one thing Tex did not like (and neither did I!). It was...the ending. It is absolutely, positively a cliffhanger (and I really mean a cliffhanger!), and we sadly do not own the next book. Personally, I don't mind a plot stretching from book to book (neither does Tex), but this one, well, all I can say is that if you read it (and you should), make sure you pick up Book Two at the same time. Unfortunately, Book Three isn't due out until Spring/Summer 2011 (frankly, I think that's a bit of a wait...can you write faster, Mr. Harding? Please? ;-), so you will have to wait for that one. 

However, we might be able to wait a bit more patiently if we had the second book, Paladins, to tide us over...so if anybody out there is finished with their copy, please feel free to send it on over this way. We'll give it a good temporary home and have it read by the next day.

If you don't want to wait for the off chance that someone will loan you their copy of either book, you can order both for $11.95 each (autographed and with FREE shipping!) from Zoe and Sozo Publishing HERE.

Some FREE ideas for a unit study using the book Foundlings are available HERE. Plans for lapbooks and a study guide are in the works (give it a few years).

To read what others on the Crew thought of this book, click HERE.

I received a copy of this book for the purposes of offering an honest review for my readers, and I have done my best to do that here. If you have further questions about this product, please feel free to contact me.

Blessings to you in all you do (and read!)

Heather