By Joy Marie Dunlap
LightHome Publications
http://www.lighthome.net
27695 Blue Diamond Lane
Romoland, CA 92585-9019
My Thankfulness Journal is more than a journal; it is a writing tool that enables children to improve their creative writing skills while thinking about God and how He has blessed them personally. This instantly downloadable, 36-page, pdf document is beautifully illustrated with old-fashioned pictures throughout. Each page is dedicated to a new topic and includes writing prompts from the author. Children write about their own life by following these prompts and answering questions in the space provided.
Some topics covered in this book are straightforward. For example, the first page asks basic "about me" questions (favourite things, etc.). Other topics require more thought, such as the "Good Times with My Family" page. Here the student is asked to write not only about the family time he or she enjoys, but also about what ruins family time, how to prevent that from happening, and how to make family time more fun. (This is not your average "About Me" journal!) Other writing topics include pets, family members, Bible, homeschool, crafts, friends, holidays, home, church, field trips, music, and more.
My Thankfulness Journal is useful for a variety of ages. The questions asked would be interesting to young and old students alike. In fact, it may be fun to repeat some of the pages over the years to see how your child's answers change. The age group for this product is really quite large; the parent of a young child could write the answers as the child dictates. Older students might enjoy writing in the journal alone during devotion time. My 7-year-old found it very enjoyable; however, she did have a little difficulty writing small enough to fit the lines provided (they are quite close together). She also needed help understanding some of the questions asked. I personally think 9 to 12-year-olds would find this e-book very enjoyable.
The best part about My Thankfulness Journal is that children practice and improve writing skills without really knowing it. Using this journal regularly could certainly help them grow in ability, awareness, and confidence. Not to mention the fact that they will have a precious keepsake at the end of it.
My favourite aspects of this journal are the delightful pictures and thought-provoking questions. I also enjoyed the instructions written by the author directly to the child. They are clear, sweet, and full of encouragement. Since this journal comes in e-book form, only those pages that fit your family need to be printed. The purchaser can also print the pages for multiple children within the family, making it economical and convenient.
As previously mentioned, we found the lines a little too close together for my daughter's writing ability. This was mainly due to her age; the lines should be fine for older students who are more adept at writing. This was my only dislike.
While I personally feel My Thankfulness Journal could find a useful place among many homeschools, some may not care for the fill-in-the-blank style. Parents may also be concerned about their child becoming too self-focused or prideful while writing about himself. However, since the author intentionally directs the focus toward God, what He has done for the child, and how that child can help others, this does not seem to be a problem.
My family has enjoyed and benefited from using the My Thankfulness
Journal, and I believe many others would have the same experience. Improving writing skills, creating a keepsake, thinking on God and family relationships . . . you can't ask for much more than that! I highly recommend it.
Product review by Stacy Kalisz, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, August 2009
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