Trust Fund (A Homeschool Crew Review)

How many times when you were growing up did you hear "When you're older, you'll understand why I said no"? Or maybe you, as a parent, have said something similar to your own children when we make decisions for them but knowing that they are not yet able to understand the "why" behind our decisions. Maybe you've watched as your older children have made decisions that took them down paths that you knew weren't right for them but felt helpless knowing that sometimes, they have to learn the heard lessons on their own and there's not much we can do until then but put it in God's hand.

Recently, the members of the crew had the opportunity to preview the movie Trust Fund, produced by Mapelle Films.  In addition to the movie, many of us were also given the opportunity to read Love Was Near, a book that accompanies the film written for young girls ages 12+.

About Trust Fund



Trust Fund focuses on the story of Reese, a young woman who grew up in an affluent home with her father and older sister after losing her mother during her teenage years.  Reese tends to let her heart lead her life, making decisions spur of the moment with very little thought of the future or what actions she might have to take in her life to actually achieve any goal she sets.  When she learned that upon her mother's death, she was left a sizable trust fund that she was unaware of, Reese takes the money and lets her heart once again take the lead, putting her into a situation that she never expected.

Written and directed by Sandra L. Martin and produced by Isaac Alongi, this movie features Jessica Rothe as Reese Donahue, Louise Dylan as her sister Audrey and Kevin Kilner as their father, Greyson in addition to a strong supporting cast.  The movies total time, from beginning to the end of the credits, runs 1 hours and 48 minutes in length.  English closed captioning is available.

Without giving too much of the story away, this story is a modern day twist on the proverbial tale of the Prodigal Son, or in this case, the Prodigal Daughter. The movie echoes Jesus's parable, from the wayward lost daughter who thinks she's entitled to something but then loses everything, to the father who offers forgiveness and the lesson of love, to the sibling who resents the father's happiness and acceptance of her sister's return.

Available Small Group Study Guide

Regarding questions of questionable content - I personally had no issues with this movie and would feel comfortable allowing a young teenager to view this selection. However, be aware there is a scene where the main character is wearing only a men's style t-shirt as she kisses her boyfriend "good morning",  a scene where women are by the pool in bathing suits and there is some smoking and
drinking by grown adults.  There is also some illegal activities that take place as part of the storyline.

In addition to the movie, Mapelle Studios also offers a free, downloadable 12 page Study Guide, especially useful if viewing this movie as part of a Small Group. This study guide helps to guide the viewers through the similarities of the parable of the Prodigal Son and the movie through questions and Biblical passages to help dig deeper into the story.

My Thoughts

First - the movie.  The cinematography is excellent with great visuals and stunning backdrops as the story unfolds.  The cast are also spot on and are believable and it would be hard pressed to pick any one cast member who doesn't give a strong performance.

I ended up watching this movie alone since my daughter is currently away on summer vacation but I am looking forward to watching this with her once she returns. There are so many lessons to be taken away from Reese's story: that sometimes parents make decisions that a child might not understand or like but that there is a reason behind them, that sometimes the heart fails to recognize faults in a situation and overrides common sense, and that even when a child makes a mistake, a parents love is always there to help pick up the pieces and to rejoice when they find their way home.

One of the things that I noticed quickly is that it seemed Sandra Martin used other's research in her development of her characters.  I was reminded of "The Birth Order" by Kevin Leman in both Audrey and Reese.  Audrey is the reliable, self driven, self disciplined, structured older sister while Reese falls into the "baby" roll perfectly as the fun loving, out going, self centered, free spirit sister.  If this was done intentionally, then kudos to Martin for doing her research. If not, then even more kudos for some really great character development skills.

The main character, Reese, starts off as likable but a very selfish young lady who is use to having everything she wants - a nice apartment in the nice part of town that's out of her price range (and that Daddy pays for), a monthly allowance that she constantly blows through frivolous spending and lack of budgeting, and unrealistic expectations for how she expects to support herself.  Not unlike many young adults today.  While her father wants to see her happy, he also wants to see that she beings to take life seriously, offering her a job at his publishing company to help her learn the value of hard work and a paycheck. However, Reese being the baby and up until now having had everything given to her, doesn't see the need for responsibility in her life.

This really hits home while reading Love Was Near, the book that accompanies the movie.  Love Was Near, which is also written by Sandra Martin, is not a retelling of the movie but is instead additional material to read after watching the movie in the form of diary entries and writings by Reese. These writings bring more insight into what was going through Reese's mind as the events of the movie take place and allows the reader to see how Reese's character changes as she reflects on the aftermath of her actions and we see many of the events through her eyes.  Through these diary entries, we see her begin her journey of growth with a selfish attitude of "The money is mine and my mother wanted me to have it and my father is wrong to keep it from me. My mom would want me to be happy" to "I now understand my father knew I wasn't ready for such a huge responsibility and was only waiting until I was mature enough to handle such a large sum of money".

In addition to telling her story, many of the pages are designed like a character study.  As the book is

written for younger readers in their teenage years, the guide aspect offers questions that allow young readers to reflect on their own lives and situations so that they begin to learn how some of Reese's mistakes and learned lessons can be transferred over to their own lives.

Sprinkled through the pages of cute doodles, bits of poetry and diary entries, there are also many beautiful references to Bible verses that can be applied to the situation.  These references to verses tie in with Reese's journey as she finds not only herself, but her Heavenly father who has always been there for her.

Together, I think this is a great approach, at least in terms if I was reading this as a teenager. Through the "diary" aspect of the reading, you almost get a feeling of sharing secrets with Reese, like you're privy to something very special, just between the two of you. After all, when we were young, many of us had a diary and would never dream of allowing anyone to actually read it, yet here Reese is opening her's to you, the reader.  Then, by answering the questions, you not only gain insight into your own self, but share in that experience - like making entries in your own diary.   I think it's a great concept on approaching teenagers, who do not necessarily enjoy opening up about there lives but might be more open if they feel they are sharing the experience with Reese.

For more information about Trust Fund and Love Was Near, please visit their website. You can also find more information on the following Social Media platforms:

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TrustFundMovie/ 
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TrustFundMovie 
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/trustfundmovie/pins/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trustfundmovie/  

Progeny Press (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)

Recently, the kids and I went to the Renaissance Festival and like any typical kids, they fell in love the ideas of Kings, Princesses, Castles and Knights on Horses.   So when we were given the opportunity to read the book The Minstrel in the Tower by Gloria Skurzynski with the kids and then use and review The Minstrel in the Tower E-Guide by Progeny Press, I knew the kids would be pretty excited.  Granted, the Medieval times were a bit before the Renaissance period, but I knew the kids would still be pretty excited about it.  With E-Guide in hand, the kids and I traveled back to 1195 to France following the Crusades and to learn about Alice and Roger and their quest to find their Uncle. 

About Progeny Press


Progeny Press is a publishing company who offers E-guides for literature with a Christian perspective. Offering guides for reading levels from early elementary through high school, each of the Progeny Press guides are designed to help students to better understand the story they are reading as well as to recognize the themes presented by the author. The units contain study questions as well as recommended map work, research ideas, vocabulary lessons, and even Biblical verses that tie into the story.



How We Used It

We reviewed the 47 page  downloadable E-guide version of the Minstrel in the Tower study unit by Rebecca Gilleland. The chapter book must be purchased separately from the study unit but are offered for sale on the Progeny Press website. This particular study unit is recommended for Lower Elementary grade levels between Kindergarten through 3rd grade.  I used it with Ash and Garrett as we read through the book together.

The E-Guide is broken down with questions and activities to use with each chapter of the book. At the end of the E-Guide is various suggestions on projects and activities to do after completion of the book that tie in arts and crafts, cooking and oral reports .

Since Garrett balks at the idea of any amount of writing, I found the best way for us to use the E-Guide was to print out a master copy for myself that I could use to ask the comprehension questions and we could discuss the answers as a group.  The individual activities such as the word find puzzles and I printed out for the both of them to work on their own.  As this is a downloadable product, Progeny Press's license does allow for parents to reproduce pages for use in their own classroom and home so I was able to print out copies for both of them.

Garrett works on a vocabulary exercise

The questions are absolutely wonderful and made for a great way to gauge the kids comprehension of the story as well as a platform to help the kids dig deeper into various story elements and ideas presented. There were also some really great activities for helping build vocabulary.  The last few pages of the E-Guide provide additional resources that coincide with the study as well as the answer key for the activities included.

As Progeny Press offers literature studies E-Guides from a Christian perspective, different elements of the story are also tied in with corresponding Biblical verses that help children understand not just the story but the scripture better.  For example, at the beginning of the story, the mother asks the son to do something but that the son is unsure about.  At this point in the study the children read and discussed Ephesians 6:2 and what it means for children to obey their mother and father.   Later in another chapter, when discussing  overcoming fear, we read and discussed Psalms 23:4, Isaiah 41:10 and Psalms 118:14 and talked about how God is always with us to provide strength and never abandons us.   All verses are presented in the NIV format.

Not only did we enjoy the E-Guide but we also used a few of the suggestions for outside resources and read about Francis of Assisi whom the kids found very interesting.   Progeny Press puts together some really wonderful E-Guides and they are a company that I know that I can trust for quality materials for our various literature units.

Find out more about Progeny Press and the various Literature E-Guides they offer by visiting their website or any of their social media sites.

Facebook: facebook.com/progenypress

    Twitter: twitter.com/progenypress  @progenypress

The Minstrel in the Tower E-Guide is for Lower Elementary students, but Progeny Press also has guides for Upper Elementary, Middle School and High School levels so be sure to to read the other reviews to learn the differences between these levels.