They've done it again!
Every time we get the opportunity to review a book by By The Way we get extremely excited! This time we indulged in the rolling green hills of Ireland! This book is just one of the many in the By The Way Series (geographically based Christian worldview series). You can read our last review of Smokey Mountains here.
We decided to use this book as part of our "Group Schooling" we do as part of our daily homeschool routine. I gathered all six kids (most days - but at least my oldest three) and we got lost in the history, science, geography, humor and Biblical concepts as we made our way across my Motherland and the famous foliage of Ireland.
This was especially exciting since my family immigrated to the United States from Ireland. I still have many family members living in Ireland. Being able to pass stories, traditions, folk tales, and historical facts from a Biblical worldview onto my children from the pages of this book was a really intimate and neat experience for our family.
What This Book Is About:
Alex and Lexi recently discovered that their mother had distant cousins in Ireland and were taking a trip to go visit them. After being aquatinted with their Uncle Finn, Aunt Fiona, and cousins Kyle and Kayla they all set off for a tour of the Island.
Here are some of the topics that are touched on in this book. As you read through this list just imagine the things you could study, create, reenact, get library books about or youtube documentaries on!
Family heritages
Passports
Irish Terriors
WWI
Driving on opposite side of road
Foxes
Lighthouses (some from 5th century)
Dolphins and Whales
Potato Famine
Annie Moore
Diaspora
Titanic
Traditional Irish Foods
Castles (specifically the Blarney Castle)
Irish last names
Irish Folk Tales (Leprechauns, clovers, pot of gold)
KingFishers
Geography of Ireland (no maps included)
Metric System
Ferry
Atlantic Ocean
Puffins
Geo-Caching
Goats
The Henry Abbey
Irish Hymns
Otters
And this is only the FIRST half of the book!
So double this list and the possibilities of study are endless.
The photography in this book is breathtaking and the animation enjoyable. Everything is original. Every page has eye-catching, smooth layouts with lots for little eyes to feed upon while you read them the tale of Alex and Lexi's adventures. The language of the book is easy enough for my 8-year-olds to read on their own.
There is an "I Spy" type of activity for kids challenging them to find 10 hidden pictures through the pages of the book. This helps keep kids engaged page after page as they search every detail in the hunt of a pink rose or a stained glass window.
This is one of those books the kids will beg you to not put down, yet it's also a book you need to digest for a time, or read over and over. I love the mission statement of this company. It line up with everything we believe in:
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| "Deuteronomy 6:7 tells us to diligently talk about God and share with future generations as we sit in our homes, when we get up, at the close of the day and as we walk "by the way." In other words - life is to be one gigantic teaching classroom where faith is passed from one generation to another." |
As promised, spiritual lessons and a God-fearing worldview is sprinkled throughout the book. Here are a couple examples:
Ways To Use This Book:
I see SO MANY applications for these By the Way Series books! One of which is to use them as a tool for a unit study. All the work is done for you! Simply take a topic at a time as you work through the book and provide materials to your kids to dig deeper on that topic!
Another application would be in preparation for a trip. Reading up on Ireland since you will be traveling there!
Having a book shelf of books that open the minds of our young ones, exposing them to cultures and living things all around the globe all while instilling an awe and fear of the God of the Universe and His handiwork and supremacy.
Do We Recommend?
These books get a 5 out of 5 in our home!
Other books from this series include:
Constructive Criticism:
What would make these books right over the top would be some maps showing the country of Ireland and maybe some maps of where Alex and Lexi traveled. I am surprised not a single map of Ireland can be found in this book!
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