Month: February 2016

We were already familiar with the New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) of the Bible before this one – the Faith Builders Bible from Zonderkidz – was offered for review. The children’s department at our church has been using this translation for years, and we even had a paperback copy of the Bible in this easy-to-read translation at one point. That, combined with my kids’ love of Legos, is how I knew this Bible would be a good fit for Munchkin, who is 9.

This Bible is a hardcover book with the text of the Bible as the main component. What I mean by this is that it’s not a study Bible for kids; there are no “expert’s notes” on the pages. It’s just the Biblical text. Sprinkled throughout are thicker pages with photographs of Bible stories illustrated with Lego bricks, much like you’d find in a “based on a true story” book that has photographs of the real people.

The NIrV is an easy reader’s version. It uses the well-known NIV translation as its base, and then shortens the sentences to make it easier for younger readers to understand. For example, here is John 3:16 in both translations.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. (NIrV)

You can see that the text is virtually identical, with only minor differences. The idea is that these shorter sentences make it easier for children to read and understand the Bible, but they’re still reading the Bible rather than a “Bible storybook.” I tend to agree with this assessment. As I mentioned before, we’ve used this translation with our kids for a few years now, and it certainly does help make the text easier for them to grasp.

Seahawk is old enough now to be in the teen group (I can’t believe it!), so he uses a “regular” NIV or ESV Bible (we have both). Therefore, I chose to give this Bible to Munchkin, since he’s still in the kid group. He took an immediate liking to this Bible. From the second he opened the box, he was thrilled. For the past month, he’s taken it pretty much everywhere he goes. One of the opening spreads shows the building blocks with the books of the Bible in order and colored/labeled with the “type” of literature that they are (law, history, poetry, major prophets, and minor prophets for the Old Testament; gospels, church history, letters, and prophecy for the New Testament). Each time we got in the car, the boys worked together with this page to learn the books of the Bible, studying and quizzing each other. Within a week or so, they’d both mastered the list.

They also worked together to “illustrate” the story of Jonah using their own Lego bricks. Seahawk built the fish, and Munchkin designed Jonah. I like that they worked together as a team to refresh themselves on the Biblical account. Using the pictures in this Bible for inspiration, they reread the story on their own and then built the pieces they needed for the image. What a great thing that they were so excited to read the Bible and then design their own picture to go along with it!

Overall, I think this Bible would be a big hit with any child who’s a Lego fan, like my boys are. If you’re concerned about commercialization, then this probably isn’t the right fit for you, though. Despite disclaimers of “This Bible is not authorized, sponsored, endorsed, or licensed by Lego,” there’s no doubt the blocks they’re using for the images. Perhaps the Bible isn’t the best thing to turn into a commercial for products. But if that’s the way you can get your kids to read it, then I think it’s a good stepping stone to a “real” Bible they’ll read and understand in their teen years and beyond.

Blessings,

After having had the pleasure of reviewing a game from SimplyFun during the 2015 year, I was thrilled to be selected to try another of their games out this year.

I’m reviewing Archery Dice, one of four new releases from SimplyFun.

My kids are really into the Middle Ages, so it was neat that both of the games we had to choose from had that time period as their basis. After looking at the website, we (the kids and I) decided that Archery Dice would be more up our alley, so that’s what we applied for (and received). The recommended age for Archery Dice is 7 and up, but Small Fry (age 3) was able to play with us just fine. Inside the box were 12 dice (three each of four colors), four wooden discs upon which to stack your dice, and 16 heavy duty cardboard targets, along with the rules booklet.

The rules of Archery Dice are quite simple. Set the targets out on the table, stack your dice into a stack, and flick them – one at a time – onto the targets. If your die alone is on the target at the end of a round (defined as when all 3 dice from each player have been flicked), you win it. If your opponent also has a die on the target, whoever has the highest number showing wins it. Keep the targets in front of you for one more round – this gives your challengers a chance to steal the target (which they can do by flicking one of their dice onto your target during the next round). If they fail, you get to “bank” the target at the end of the round. Once a target is banked, it’s safe from theft. The first person to bank four targets is the winner.

SimplyFun games are more than just games; they all have a goal of teaching children through play. Archery Dice teaches kids control over their movements (by how hard they flick the dice), how to aim (by where they flick the dice), and strategy (is it better to try for a new target or to try to steal your opponent’s?). I like this about the company. Games for the sake of playing are great, but if you can teach your children at the same time, that’s even better – especially if they don’t realize they’re learning.

The first time we played the game, it was the kids (Seahawk, Munchkin, and Small Fry) and me. We read through the rules together and then just played. I like that there’s very little setup with this game. Give each person a stack of dice and a wooden disc, set the targets out, and you’re ready to play. It’s really convenient not to have to deal with a game board and a lot of little pieces. And because the game is so simple (flicking dice), even small children can play, with help. Small Fry is only 3, but he was able to successfully play this game. He even banked a target or two.

Overall, we really enjoyed playing Archery Dice. It was fun; we laughed a lot during play and had a great time with the game. We’re fortunate to be able to add this game to our arsenal.

Blessings,