Lampstand - Tapestry of Grace (Year 2 Unit 1)

Tapestry of Grace from Lampstand Press is different than any other curriculum I have looked at. It is in depth and thorough to say the least. Daunting even at first. The curriculum is a unit study course designed to have students cycle completely through history in 4 years. It is not a boxed curriculum meant to cover all subjects. What is covered, however, is history, church history, literature, writing and composition, fine arts, geography, government and philosophy. I was impressed with the volume and quality of information covered in this particular curriculum.

The download process was a bit confusing at first and I had some problems. However, it has been simplified since and is much easier to do now. I am for sure a "book in my hands" kind of person but the download version works also and after getting familiar with it can be very eneficial to have a DE (download edition).

We were given the Year 2, Unit 1, Midde Ages Unit to look at. Topics covered in the Middle Ages Unit is Western Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Vikings, etc.

After you get used to using the TOG downloads, it is pretty easy. When you open your DE (download edition) all of the unit numbers are there. You click on the unit you are working on and the Lock Lizard will give you access to the appropriate information you will need including the weekly overview, weekly assignments, writing assignments, student activities including worksheets, teachers notes and answer keys. There is even more than I have listed here. As with many curriculums there is a plethora of activities given and you can choose what you have time for. You can do a little or a lot based on the skill level of your students and how in depth you would like to study right now.

This curriculum is a quality one for learning history. It does take some getting used to and a good amount of time to learn how to use it. I would suggest you spend some time on the website looking at samples and learning more about it. Go to Lampstand Press for more info and to check it out for yourself.

Schleich

Schleich is a company that makes quality figurines for creative play for children. We were sent a box with a few animals to try out. My four year old little guy was more than excited. He is in love with Noah's Ark so getting more animals to play with was right up his alley. I was completely surprised by how different these animals were. Plastic is not a good way to describe them. Plastic gives the impression of being lightweight or flmisy. These toys are nothing like that.

The boar above is one of the animals that we recieved. They are more realistic looking aminals that others I have seen. We have had our fair share of play animals around here and the Schleich products are superior. They are heavier than I would have expected. They are holding up to hours of play on the floor and in the bathtub.

Their prices are also very reasonable with the elephant above retailing for only $5. You would be able to get a group of wildlife, farm, forest animals and so many more. They can be found at different toy retailers including Toys R' Us. It's so nice to see a company still out there that makes quality toys that will last.