Expedition Australia Review

G’Day Mates!  Here is my family’s review of the Download N Go Unit for Expedition Australia!  For those of you who are not familiar with Download N Go, they are weekly unit studies that have a tie in to lapbooking.  (it’s not as scary as it sounds)  We have had the privilege of reviewing titles for Download N Go (which I’ll refer to as DNG forth going) for the past 3 months.  It has been a blast and a great way to take a break from the everyday routine.  We just add math and some phonics/language work in and you have a complete day!  We love doing this because it brings us all together.

Amanda Bennett, the author of the DNG unit studies, collects all the information for you and puts it in one central location.  This is such a GREAT help as we are a very busy family with 3 boys.  No more struggling to come up with a plan.  Everything is done for you!  She also comes up with some great additional reading.  The library is an invaluable resource.

We are also find lapbooking to be fairly easy as well.  At first it does seem intimidating but once you do a couple, it is really quite simple.  Amanda includes several links about lapbooking in the beginning of each DNG so that if you are not familiar with it you can quickly become acquainted with lapbooking.

So now onto Australia!  Might I say that now my children want to become world travellers!  Each day we learned about a different city, animal, new words in Aussie style.  It was great!  There was so much covered each day.  My oldest son loved how we learned how an Australian might say something we say here.  Some of the words had us laughing so hard we were crying.

The images of Australia are just simply exquisite.  We discovered how the country of Australia has a diverse set of climates.  From its vast deserts, to its beautiful seascapes, Australia is a BEAUTIFUL country.

Amanda chose some wonderful videos and awesome websites to go with this unit.  Each day covered something different and the content was beautiful.   We enjoyed learning about their culture, music, lifestyle, the natives, and some very cool stuff in between.

Here is what was covered each day.

Day 1: Where on Earth Is Australia?

Day 2: Some of the Special Places in Australia

Day 3: A Bit of Australian History

Day 4: Cool Things to Know About Australia

Day 5: Fun and Games in Australia

Take a peek inside the unit!



We also had the opportunity to talk to a dear friend of mine who happens to live in Australia.  Andrea and her family live in Melbourne.  She was so sweet to take the time out of her day to talk to us.  Jonathan asked her several questions about Australia, the land, language and her family.

DEAL ON Expedition Australia & a Contest!

So this weekend into Monday, Expedition Australia is on sale for $5.95 till 9PM Monday, November 8^th.   There is also a contest on the DNG blog!  The contest is for a giveaway of 2 Australia Political Maps from National Geographic!  Take a chance to go to the DNG Blog and enter the contest there.

**NOTE** If you are affiliated with TOS or DNG, you are not eligible to enter.

I was given a copy of this item for my honest review.

Take a look at the blog specials page too!


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Terrific Tigers - Download N Go Review

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, OH MY!!  So I get a little nostalgic when we were offered the chance to do a review for Download N Go's unit called Terrific Tigers.  The first thing I thought of was the line from the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy, Scarecrow & the Tin Man were walking through the forest to get to the Emerald City.  But did they run into any tigers, fortunately (or maybe not) they didn't.  Depends on your point of view.  And after doing this study, I think they might have benefited by having a Tiger along.

For those of you who are not familiar with Download N Go, this is a WONDERFUL way to do learn about so many different topics.  It is mainly unit study based (where you study one topic at a time) and it incorporates lapbooking.  (don't worry, lapbooking isn't a scary thing)  All the information on how to put together a lapbook is in the first few pages of a Download N Go (which will be referred to as DNG from now on).  The DNG is great because it has all the information you need.  No need to do any planning/research on your part!  And this is particularly helpful if you are a mom of 3 boys!  (or any number of kids honestly)  To have everything done for you is such an amazing thing and I am so grateful that the author, Amanda Bennet, does all this for us.



Terrific Tigers was absolutely wonderful!  To start off you get to see some amazing video's about baby tigers.   My kids asked if we could have one and I then asked them how they were going to afford feeding them as they need to eat a good bit of meat.  :-)  There are so many amazing facts about them that you uncover doing this unit study.  Each day we learned something different, saw great videos, viewed websites with awesome information.  There were things that we didn't know about these amazing animals that were discovered this past week.

It was also a real eye opening unit for us.  To realize that these precious animals are on the brink of Extinction is just so sad.  We were put here to take care of God's creation and it was hard for my oldest to realize that there are people who don't think that God's creation is special and that we are to take care of it.  He now wants to let others know that these creatures are important to God too.

The best part was while during this study we found out, not through DNG but through our local Zoo, that the Siberian Tiger there just had a fresh set of cubs!  We were thrilled to see pictures of these beautiful animals and read the blog about them.  What a way to finish our week on Terrific Tigers.   BTW here is the blog about the new baby Tigers at Pittsburgh Zoo.

So, what will you learn about in Terrific Tigers?  Take a look what the main topic for each day covers.

Day 1: What Is a Tiger?
Day 2: Getting to Know Tigers
Day 3: Where Are the Tigers?
Day 4: The Science of Tigers
Day 5: Cool Things About Tigers

Here is a peek inside the unit for Terrific Tigers!



So what are you waiting for?  Take a dive into something different, Fun and that will keep your kids begging for more!  (At least mine do)  ;-)  Go here to purchase Terrific Tigers.

CONTEST

Now for the Fun part!  I am authorized to do a giveaway!!  WOOHOO!!  1 lucky person will be able to win Terrific Tigers from DNG!  I love Freebies! **TOS/DNG affiliates including the DNG Review Team and TOS Crew are not eligible**

In order to qualify for this giveaway the main thing is to comment on this blog.  In order to get other entries do one or all of the following 3 things and comment to let me know you did them.  Also, you will need to leave your e-mail so I can contact you regarding your free unit of Terrific Tigers.

#1. Share your favorite Tiger Species

#2. Share this blog on your own blog or Facebook page

#3. Tweet about this blog

There it is!  Very simple to do!  :)  I will contact the winner via e-mail regarding the Terrific Tiger Freebie.  Also, feel free to stop by the Download N Go Blog!  There you can see reviews on this unit and others!  It is a great place to stop and visit and sometimes they even offer great specials!  Here is the link to the Terrific Tigers Blog Tour.

Now for the legal line.  I was given a copy of this product in order for my honest review. Read More

Happy 1st Birthday Download N Go!!

Download N Go is having it's 1st Birthday this week! WOOHOO!! What a better way to celebrate by having a Birthday Bash!!! (I love Birthdays!!)
So to celebrate they are having a CONTEST on their blog. ** drum-roll please** There are going to be 20 winners and the prize is... Wait for it...keep waiting... ok I can't keep you waiting any more. It's FUDGE (aka chocolate to us women)!!! Winners will receive 1lb of Fudge from Fudge by Design! YUMMY!!!
Also, there will be special deals EVERY day this week! So feel free to stop by and wish Download N Go a Happy 1st Birthday!

Download N Go Blog Post about the Contest

Download N Go Deal Page

The Contest and ALL specials end on Saturday, October the 9th. Read More

Download N Go Review - Autumn Treasures

Download N Go Review – Autumn Treasures

Oh the beauty of Autumn.  This is such a wonderful time of year.  The leaves are changing colors, the air is crisp and cool & we are enjoying the beauty of God’s Creation.  Download N Go’s Unit called Autumn Treasures was such a great way to wind down our summer and prepare for fall. One can never get enough of the beautiful fall colors.  The reds, yellows, oranges and browns are just gorgeous!  We are blessed to live in an area where we can see all the changes.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="210" caption="Autumn Treasures Cover"][/caption]

My boys seemed to enjoy this study.   Jonathan, who is 8, did say that autumn made him sad.  When asked why he said it’s because the leaves, plants die and the animals either sleep or go south.  I had to remind him that it was only temporary and part of God’s design for Earth.  Jordan, who is 3, loves to sit with Jonathan and I while we work on the lapbook.  He always wants to be part of whatever we are doing.  These are a wonderful way to include him.

From discovering the how’s and why’s of the weather changing to enjoying some awesome information about apples, each day was a new experience.  The videos were captivating to the boys.  My personal favorite, since the boys didn’t know the band, was the one with the Moody Blues song.  I was singing along with the song while watching the video with the boys.  It was great.

Here is what was covered each day.

Day 1: What is Autumn?
Day 2: Science Secrets of Autumn
Day 3: People and Places of Autumn
Day 4: Time for Tips and Treasures of Autumn
Day 5: Goodies and Gadgets of Autumn







[caption id="" align="alignright" width="287" caption="Inside Autumn Treasures"][/caption]



It was so much fun to go through this with my boys.  I am really enjoying these unit studies with my boys.  They really do enjoy learning and I am enjoying the time we get to spend together.

You can purchase Autumn Treasures for 20% off through September 24th!  What a GREAT Deal.  Click here to go to the store.

Also, feel free to follow the blog tour for Download N Go.  There are many families reviewing these wonderful products.  There are many reviews for the units available.  Take the time to see what others are saying about Download N Go and Autumn Treasures! Read More

Download N Go Review - Constitution Celebration

Constitution Celebration Review

This review is for Download N Go's Constitution Celebration.  I am so excited to be asked to review this product.  With everything going on in today’s society I have wanted to do something like this for our schooling but didn’t know exactly where to begin.  This product gave us a great start!

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="350" caption="Constitution Celebration Cover"][/caption]

The information in this unit study was well searched and very easy to follow.  We weren’t able to get any extra books from the library this time however, I don’t think we needed them as we had so much information already included plus I had some other books at home that went along perfectly.

The links to the videos were very good and kept my children’s attention.  (I have an 8 year old and our 3 year old watches with us)  There was even one particular video that had some of our favorite TV characters.

Each day covered different information about the Constitution.  The topics for this particular unit include the following.

Day 1:  What Is the Constitution?

Day 2:  What Is the History of Constitutions?

Day 3:  Constitutional Convention

Day 4:  Secrets of the Constitution

Day 5:  Goodies and Gadgets of the Constitution

We also worked on the lapbook (will have pictures soon) that was part of this unit.  The activities that went with this were great.  My oldest son loves to cut them out and put the lapbook together.  We also went to Washington DC while we did this study and we are incorporating some pictures from the trip in the lapbook.  That is another great thing that is great about these studies:  they can be done anywhere!

These unit studies provide so much flexibility!  They are such an easy way to do school.  All the work is done for you.  You just have to print what you want to print and use the information from the links to enjoy the study.  I am so glad to have been given this opportunity to review the products.  I wouldn't have thought that you could learn so much about one topic in a week but with the Download N Go products you really do.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="269" caption="Inside Constitution Celebration"][/caption]

Now for the one thing I have to say in my review.  I was provided a copy of this product for free for my honest review.

You may purchase this item by clicking here. Read More

Download N Go Review & Giveaway - Pizza Party!

Who's ready for a Pizza Party?  My next review is for the Download N Go Pizza Party!  Can you think of anything better to study?  (well maybe chocolate, but that's the mommy in me talking here!)  Again, I was given a free copy of this product for my honest review.

When we began this study I knew my boys would be excited, but the word "excited" doesn't seem to describe how they felt when we began each day.  The videos and internet links were great!  My 3 year old just loved it.  Even though it doesn't count to his school yet, I was so thrilled to see him want to sit with his brother and I every day and work together.  It really was enjoyable for all of us.  :)

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="335" caption="A peek inside."][/caption]

There was so much in this study too.  Between the famous people who lived in Italy to the cities with their famous buildings, the music and of course the food!  Italy is known for it's food and probably most famously for it's pizza.  Just typing my review about this study makes me hungry!  I guarantee that you will either be inspired to make your own pizza or order one from your favorite pizza place.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="210" caption="It's a Pizza Party!"][/caption]

Here is the list of daily topics you will enjoy learning about with this study.

Day 1: Pizza—What Is It?

Day 2: The Story of Pizza

Day 3: Types of Pizza

Day 4: The Science of Pizza

Day 5: Let’s Have a Pizza Party

Do I have you drooling yet?  Is your tummy growling?  I hope so!  I hope that you will enjoy this study as much as me and my boys did.  People, places, experiments, and PIZZA!  What more could you ask for in a study!

It has been such an awesome experience with my boys to work on these unit studies together.  They make learning fun, easy and it is quite the time saver too.  Amanda does all the research so you don't have to.  This is a great help to us busy moms!  So I encourage you to take a look at the Download N Go website.  There are SO many studies available that there is sure to be one to strike your fancy.

Also, take the time to go to the Download N Go Blog and follow the reviews of the products there!  We are having a blast with these products and love to share our experiences.  :)

GIVEAWAY!

Now for the fun part!  I have been given permission to do a giveaway for one copy of Pizza Party!  YAY!!  I enjoyed this so much and would love to share it with someone else!  So here's the info.  The deadline for the giveaway is September 12th @ Midnight.   The ways to enter are as follows.

1. Leave a comment below.
**For extra entries do one of all of the following and be sure to leave a comment letting me know you did so.
2. Share on Facebook about the giveaway.
3. Tweet about the giveaway.
4. Like Download N Go

5. Share on your own blog about the giveaway.

Sure seems easy doesn't it.  ;)

Deadline is September 12th @ Midnight

One other thing!  The DNG Pizza Party is on sale right now!  WOOHOO!!  for $5.00 you can purchase this awesome study!  Click here to order this study at this great price! The price of $5.00 is ONLY good until September 5th @ Midnight!  Take advantage of this great offer!

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Quick info about a GREAT Giveaway!

Checkout the Download N Go Blog for an Awesome Giveaway!!   This is a great opportunity to get some awesome products.  For all the information and details be sure to go to the DNG Blog. Read More