Sunday, November 21, 2010

Review: Ben Franklin Download -N- Go

One of our family's favorite people in American history is Ben Franklin.  What a fascinating and complex man he was! 

As a homeschooling family we have always loved doing unit studies to learn a vast array of things about a particular subject. 

So when I saw that The Old Schoolhouse had a Download N Go on Ben Franklin I was anxious to use it with my children, not only for them but for me as well!  If you haven't used a DNG before I really encourage you to take the plunge and try one.  (Personally speaking I think Ben Franklin is an excellent choice to start with!)

What exactly is a Download N Go, you ask?  Well, they're only just about the coolest thing in the homeschooling world!  Talk about easy... and fun!

Download N Go's are a creation of Amanda Bennett, the queen of unit studies!  When you purchase a DNG it is instantly accessible on your computer.  Each DNG includes five days worth of lessons surrounding one particular topic (and boy do they have the topics to choose from!).  These five days worth of lessons can be done within a week's setting or could even be spread out over the course of a couple of weeks if you so choose.  Throw in a bunch of good books to go along with your DNG (which, of course, Amanda has listed a ton of great ones to choose from) and you've got yourself enough material to last as long or as short as you need it to. 

Throughout the five days of lessons your student will be doing hands on projects that, when finished with all the lessons, he or she will put together and make a fun, fact-filled lapbook with all the different things they have learned throughout the week.

The five days worth of lessons for the Ben Franklin study are:

•Day 1: Who Was Ben Franklin?

•Day 2: People and Places in Ben Franklin’s Life

•Day 3: The Accomplishments of Ben Franklin

•Day 4: Lessons to Learn From Ben Franklin

•Day 5: Remembering Ben Franklin



While we were familiar with some basic knowledge of Mr. Franklin our eyes were really opened to some fascinating facts we didn't know.  One of my favorite parts of Ben Franklin was reading over pages of his famous quotes from Poor Richard's Almanac.  What a wise man that Ben was!  My children didn't realize that a lot of the popular sayings they hear today originally came from Ben Franklin.
 
What I loved about this study is that it showed my children that you can follow your dreams and do the things you love and that you can stand up for what you believe in and that you can make a difference in this world!  Ben Franklin did all of those things, and usually all at the same time!

I wish I could show you pictures of our lapbooks and all the fun we had with this study but unfortunately we've had issues with our camera as well as our internet this week and I am currently unable to add personal pictures.  However, you can view a sample of the Ben Franklin DNG for yourself here!  Want to read what others have to say about this DNG?  Visit the Blog Tour and see what other think.

All Download N Go studies usually sell for $7.95, but right now you can purchase Ben Franklin for only $6.25! 

*As a member of the DNG review team I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews are honest and contain only my own true opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

1 comment:

Jen said...

We really enjoyed this one! There was so much in it we never got to it all. We got side tracked on many topics. I could of done this one for weeks.