We Choose Virtues

As a member of  Mosaic Reviews I was blessed with the opportunity to review We Choose Virtues.

My family received the following items for free for the purpose of this review:

1.  Virtue Flash Cards ($14.99 for a set of 13 double sided cards)
2. a sample Parenting Card ( the full set of 13 double sided parenting cards costs $34.99)
3. Coloring pages (16 beautifully illustrated coloring pages for $3)
4. the Butterfly Award 
5. Family Character Assessment (Free to too assess your child's character strengths and weaknesses)
6. a Product Comparison Chart
7. Memory Verses, Bible Heroes and Truths (FREE list of relevant scriptures and bible heroes to support each virtue)
8. Teacher’s Handbook (52 color pages full of teaching inspiration and encouragement for $5.00)

We began our review by first admiring all of the beautiful cards. The illustrations are extremely adorable and eye-catching to young learners. 

Once the excitement was built, we focused on the Three Rules (obedient, kind and helpful) for our first week. Then I pulled out the Family Character Assessment and the kids began evaluating themselves. 

This was a hilarious task to observe. 

My oldest child, Chloe, is 11 and she was pretty on target with her self- assessment. She targeted contentment as her biggest area in need of improvement.  It was a great choice.

Caibry is 9. He also self-evaluated. His scores were sometimes higher than I would have given him, but overall close to accurate. His area for improvement was Gentleness. Amen! I think it's a boy thing in some respects, but with three sisters that virtue could always improve.

Nevie is 7. Her evaluation reflected her frequently low self esteem. Scores ranged from 1 to 5 to 10. She had a few 1's actually (though I definitely think she was very hard on herself). She chose to focus on improving her diligence. It was a little hard not to laugh when she chose that virtue as it is exactly what I'd have chosen for her. She's the kid who quits a project early because of self doubt or fear of failure. She's also easily distracted.

Sadie is 5. She cracked me up. To hear her opinion she's pretty close to perfect. She gave herself nine 10's.  When I forced her to chose an area to improve (she really didn't feel she could improve on perfection, you know) she chose Gentleness. 

Bingo! Now I had a tween focused on contentment, my two wild children practicing  gentleness and my hesitant child working on diligence. 

Each child was given their card as a reminder and asked to refer to it whenever the opportunity arose. We discussed character at the dinner table and colored the beautiful pages in the coloring book. 

We have continued referencing the Three Rules as issues arise. It's an awesome trick that has created attitude changes without yelling or threatening. Just holding up the first finger with a firm look is enough to convey that they better show obedience. Love it!

I looked over the parenting card, but probably would not buy the resource myself as it felt a little obvious to me. However, I would happily recommend the flash cards and the coloring pages.

The creator of We Choose Virtues, Heather McMillan, met with Mosaic reviewers via conference call and her excitement about teaching virtues to children is truly contagious. It's her mission to make the world a better place.

It's certainly contributed to bettering my environment. 

We Chose Virtues is a great tool for visual learners. The program addresses the strengths and weaknesses of each virtue providing balanced learning.  Each card has a positive  "I am" statement as well as an "I am NOT" statement.  These catch phrases and antonyms are the strength of We Choose Virtues, providing for easy, fun and effective learning.

Some kits are expensive. You will need to personally evaluate the value based on the needs of your child.  If cost is an issue, consider purchasing just the flash cards and the virtue clues. The Virtue Poster would also be an excellent tool to set a household standard for character improvement. I want to get one of these myself. 

Overall, I was extremely impressed with the visual quality as well as the results of We Choose Virtues. 

You can enjoy 15% off with the code: VIRTUE15  (no expiration date)

 or

20% off Homeschool Kits with the code: HOME20 (this code is only good until the end of April)

Please note that the code is entered right before payments on page 3 of the order process. Don't panic if you don't see it right away. 

On a side note, I was so happy with the program that I decided to become an affiliate for We Choose Virtues. If you order, please consider using my link via the banner below to place your order.

Blessings,

Heather