Hands of A Child Contest

Hands of a Child is eagerly anticipating the release of their 400th Project Pack, and when they do, they will be celebrating with a HUGE 400th Project Pack Celebration!

How can one of my blog readers win a free Project Pack Bundle from In the Hands of a Child?

I am telling you readers to keep an eye on their website (and be sure to sign up for their newsletter) for more information about their HUGE 400th Project Pack Celebration.

Go over there, create a wishlist of your top 5 titles from In the Hands of a Child Project Packs and post your list back here. Then I get to choose one response at random, and that reader will receive a free bundle pack** from In the Hands of a Child! Isn't that cool or what!

In the Hands of a Child offers a no-strings attached free unit study every six months. Anyone can get it. You just go here, click on the link and voila. One new study for your perusal and use.

Hands of a Child sent me this

Are you new to In the Hands of a Child and want to see what all the fuss is about? We can help! YOU can have a free Project Pack from In the Hands of a Child. We would like to offer you a Christmas Around the World Ebook Project Pack to review.

Just so you know

**Free bundle packs include a printed Project Pack, Kit Pack, and Answer Key
(when available) which will be mailed to your winner when the drawing is
completed. This is a $40 value with EVERYTHING covered by us, including
shipping!

Creation Camouflage - DNG Review and Contest

Ah...animal lovers...here we come. DownLoadNGo has a unit study/lap book on Critters and how they hide. :) Creation Camouflage available now. :) Creation Camouflage was the review of the week for DownLoadNGo. Given that it is the Christmas Season, we had five days of an incredible amount of snow falling with needing the help clear it, we only brouched two days of this study. Day one and day four. All told we got about four feet of snow, which compacted down to 2-3 feet. It was heavy sloughing for a while. Download N Go studies are 5 day - complete unit studies. All you have to do is "download n Go". There is no prep work needed!! They have lap book elements so it's easy to turn your work into a lap book. Lots of graphics, lots of links, lots of information, and a really good book list which you can use or not.

Each day has a particular focus.

Day 1: Hiding in Plain Sight
Day 2: Getting to Know the Rain Forest
Day 3: What Is in the Desert?
Day 4: Hiding in the Ocean
Day 5: Cool Things About the Tundra


My lad was absolutely fascinated to learn that hunters and the hunted can use the same way to hide! Tigers can use stripes so what they are looking forward can't see them, and at the same time what they are looking using stripes so they can't be seen! Absolutely amazing for him to learn this. Having a bunny with a white coat on white snow was a good way for the bunny to hide...but I can still see him mommy. Showing him a brown bunny on snow made it really clear to him which one was easier to see. For a boy who likes bunnies and cats VERY much this section really worked for him.
:) I was able to remind the lad how we found the Cicada shell on the bike in the backyard and on the tree bark and which ones were easier to see, and how we found one still alive that had just crawled out and how it was able to cling to the bark and when we were farther away from it how hard it was to see it.

And how can one hide in the ocean? "It's just water mommy." He learned that in the ocean there is much more than water. There are plants and rocks and coral.... and all the fish can use those things to hide in. Learning about how a squid hides was hard for him to really get a grasp on until we played a computer game called Animal Genius from Scholastic. On that is a game where the octopus has to hide from a fish by using his ink! That was FUNNY and it worked "HE GOT AWAY MOMMY!". was hollered with great excitement!
What my lad likes about these studies is he has lots of opportunities to draw things. He doesn't always like what he's asked to draw, but often he can encouraged to do so, or we find a new way to do things (aka can you trace over top of this drawing?). I love the fact that there are so many links included that finding different ways of doing an exercise isn't very difficult at all.

Creation Camouflage will be on sale from Dec 13-18 for $5.95 at DownLoadNGo.
You can read other reviews here. And did you know that DownLoadNGo has a blog? Yep, you can find it right here. :) Catch all the latest news.

Oh and Guess What? I've been allowed to offer up ONE copy of this study for you! Isn't that cool? Leave me a comment by December 23rd with your favourite camouflaging animal. Tell me what makes the animal interesting. :)

There's a contest up at DownLoadNGo...but I think it may be over by the time I get this posted. :( Sorry about that.

As part of the DownLoadNGo Review Team I received a copy of for my free and honest review. I liked it and hope to finish it in the new year with my eager animal lover son.

Cookies!

Today we got together with a family from our homeschool group. We made cookies. :)

We had fun.

Got to know each other a bit more.

The lad played with her four children.

Learing Games for Children

learning games for Children.

Flight! - Airplanes and such

Golden Age of Flight

Science Kids Flight Lesson Plans

Homeschool Bytes - why planes fly

Franklin Institute - flights of inspiration

What Birds can Teach Children

the Wright Brothers

Paper Plate Blimp

Making a helicopter (whirl a gig thing like on Timothy)

Styrofoam Airplane

Candy Gum

The History of Flight

TOS December sales

Check out the homeschooler bunders from The Old Schoolhouse.
They are priced at $99, and excellent way to get some good product for less. :)

The Old Schoolhouse® is committed to serving your bundles of joy who are growing up into fine boys and girls, men and women, and with that commitment in mind, we have an announcement of their own—the arrival of six New Homeschooler Bundles™—six collections of handpicked products and resources for brand-new homeschooling parents.

The Old Schoolhouse® wants to serve you by providing you with resources
that will strengthen and mature your “roots.” TOS is confident that these Homeschooler Bundles™ can help you thrive. Each of the TOS Homeschooler Bundles represents a value of at least $500, but TOS is offering them to you for only $99!

ALSO you can save over 65% on a subscription to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine! Until midnight PST on December 31, you can select from three subscription deals. Each has its own free gifts too!

Option A: $7.95 subscription special Purchase a one-year subscription for just $7.95 and receive your choice of any TOS digital Planner for free!

Option B: Purchase a one-year subscription for just $19.95 and receive a Cranberries & Cream Homeschooling with Heart tote bag, and E-Book: Cranberry Christmas for free. Enjoy great savings on The Old Schoolhouse Magazine with the holiday Cranberries & Cream subscription sale

Option C:$37.00 subscription special Purchase a two-year subscription for just $37 and receive a Cranberries & Cream Homeschooling with Heart tote bag, any TOS digital Planner, and E-Book: Cranberry Christmas for free.

Merry Christmas!

Suncatchers and the Nutcracker

First off...how to make suncatchers/borax crystal things. I want to do this with Justin. :) Found that blog through the homeschool carnival.



anyways, today we went to see the Nutcracker. I've never been to a ballet before and I found this just fun to watch. Wow... never expected ballet dancers to sound so loud. :) I enjoyed watching the students put on this performance. They didn't do it perfectly but they did it good enough for me. :) Justin had brought his paper and pencil as he's apt to do when going to new things he's not sure he'll like. He put them away and watched. he asked questions and was curious. he thought it quite interesting and fun. It was put on by the Dance Steps Studio of London. Jim attended with us.

Afterwards we dropped off some bunnies, then went to the mall as we were supposed to meet someone there. Then went to Mcd's for lunch where we unexpectedly met up with a couple of homeschool moms and their children. Justin had fun playing with them. We had wanted to dine at the Mandarin but they are on holiday pricing now so they've jacked their prices up. I dislike that practice, but what can one do? Simply refuse to eat there.

Then we went to Costco to pick up items for our open house on the weekend.

Upon return home we made a gingerbread house and that for the most part summed up our day.

Christmas Bureau

Today we helped out at the Huron County Christmas Bureau.

We were there for about 2 hours. Justin did a fabulous job helping sort mittens, hats, socks, slippers and underwear. he had FUN ripping off price tags and then sticking them in mommy's pocket to take home to play with later. he walked around with another lad (looked about 6-7) collecting garbage. He was a very busy, very helpful boy and at the two hour mark said "MOMMY, Can we go home now?" Figuring he had done an excellent job and knowing that I had said we'd be there 1-2 hours I was happy to take him home (after we did some shopping first).

I see volunteer work as an important part of schooling and life and was absolutely delighted that he was allowed to come and help out. It's good to develop a servant's heart in a person. It really is.

Anyways... What else did we do?

Oh, this morning we did day one of the Creative Camouflage unit study from DownLoadNGo.
The lad found part of it interesting, but he was more interested in being able to do "other stuff". So we worked on it together. He found it interesting that zebras used stripes like tigers do. He found the walking stick insect just TOO confusing. Walking sticks are used by old people to walk around with, they AREN"T INSECTS MOMMY! BUT he did find it fascinating that they are observed in order to help build robotic times. I enjoyed the study, but think easier studies are more fun for the lad overall. :)

And tonight before bed we finished off part of the Currclick Trains mini lapbook. There was a section there for counting that the lad hadn't finished off yet. It gave him good practice remembering how to write out the different numbers from 1-10.

Library book - December 7

Farm fresh cats - scott santoro

The lad just LOVES this book, and I have to admit, it's a good read for me too. If you have a child who likes cats..get this book out. If you have a child who likes the unexpected...get this book out. It is a fun read. We get this book out over and over and over again, and everytime we read it he's right there looking at the pages and listening actively.

Justin says "I love cats! There is too much cats in it!" (with a huge grin)

Meow - Judy Reinen

Justin says "I love the cats in it".
And this book is full of cats, some in funny places. Makes a lad smile. :)

have you seen birds - by joanne oppenheim

I got this book out because the illustrations were done by barbara reid, and she lives up to her standard. BUT it ended up being a good book. Inspired the boy child to act out the different birds using his stuffed animals.

Justin says "there are too many birds. That it starts with a cat!"

I am Canada - heather patterson

Not a bad book at all. Introduces children doing different things in this beloved country of ours. As Justin says about this book "I AM CANADA". :)

Room for Rabbit - Roni Schotter

This book was oft requested. It's about a child dealing with the after-affects of divorce. Wasn't sure about introducing that topic to Justin but overall he was more curious about what rabbit had to say to his little girl.

Justin says "that rabbit says there's not enough room"

Wish Come True Cat - Ragnhild Scamell

Sometimes wishes come true in ways we don't expect.
Justin says "that a cat goes thump on a window" :)

The other goose - judith kerr

This book is a fun read about a lonely goose. It performs a good deed and gets an interesting reward because of an observant little girl.
Justin says "that the goose things there's a goose in the car!"

Spring Thaw - steven schnur

this book makes me think I could make a unit study or lap book out of it. A decent book with different observations about a spring thaw.
Justin says "there's a horse in it".

Snow Day

We were supposed to go to Gymnastics this morning. But since we had two feet of snow today with continuing squalls. Gymnastics was cancelled.

We played in the snow this morning instead. :) Digging, sliding, and just having fun.
Then we made cookies. They were good. :)

These are the cookies that we made (we cut the recipe in half)

Oneta Lyon's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups softened butter
2 2/3 cup brown sugar
2 2/3 cup white sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
24 ox chocolate chips
2 cup flour
4 cup flour
nuts are optional

Cream butter and sugars. Beat eggs, add salt, b.soda and vanilla.
combine the above ingredients and slowly add remaining ingredients. Mixture will be fairly stiff.
Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased and floured cookie sheet. NOTE I couldn't drop them. I just rolled small balls and put them on the cookie sheet - secondary note: parchment paper is LOVELY to use as are those silicone cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Do not overbake. NOTE: I found 14 minutes to be perfect, it gave me a mostly hard, but slightly chewy cookie.

Store in an airtight container with one slice of bread on top. This will keep the cookies fresh. Makes 8-9 dozen.

Munched on cookies rather than have lunch.

And then I got to work putting together a trains unit study. Not so much on trains, but using trains instead to teach basic kindergarten concepts. came from Currclick Trains mini lapbook.

we learned the sign for Train, and train gone. :)

Easy Fun School Christmas

Easy fun school Christmas

Hands on Science Lessons

hands on science Lessons.

Not all the links work, but enough of them do to prove intriguing.

these are the physical experiments.

Coming back from sledding at the church after work

J - "mommy, did you know something?"

M - "No Justin, what should I know?"

J - "Daddy and I played together ALL DAY Today, well...mostly. (he then mumbled something) We played and had snowballs and sledded too!"

M - "sounds like you had a good day today."

J- "Yes, and then I gotted to play with you too!"

My boy.. loves to talk. And he makes me smile. :)
Isn't snow marvellous stuff?

TOS magazine subscription

TOS is trying hard to get 25,000 subscribers by the end of the year. not sure why, but it's a goal they have.
To that end you can get some pretty good deals on a subscription. Seriously... Check these out.

Deal 1:
We're asking that you help us by spreading the word - we are willing to provide a one year subscription (normally $25) for $7.95 subscription special to anyone in the US or Canada, until January 2nd. Please consider buying several subscriptions for friends, families, your library or doctor's office at the super low price of $7.95.

0h - and before we forget - any $7.95 purchase will result in a GIFT for you - choose any digital TOS Planner - FREE. Each of your kids should have one of these, and you should have the massive parent one; they are incredible. The writers at TOS have done an amazing job on these planners and we want you to see them. So take one at no charge when you buy a one-year subscription for $7.95. For each subscription you buy (whether for yourself or friends), take a student planner or the big one, since we're at almost mid-year on these.

Deal 2, 3, and 4:
We also have our two year subscription on sale for $37 with a tote and a planner of choice, plus the Cranberry Christmas E-Book. This amazing price is for new, renewal, or a gift subscription for U.S. and Canada.

Deal 5:
Finally, we have the ONE YEAR subscription which gets a tote and the Cranberry Christmas E-Book all for $19.95.

Anyways, go on...get a subscription for $8.00 it's a pretty good deal. :)

Different Sites.

The Dollar Stretcher. They have a variety of sections, this one on Christmas.

Shelley Lovett's Video Teaching Tips Library

Shelley Lovett's ChildCareLand site offers a huge library of short teaching tips and learning activities videos (in streaming format) for preschool and kindergarten age students — over 300 brief, practical, helpful ideas and demonstrations that will enhance any pre-school or kindergarten age learning time.

freebie of the day.

Every weekday, Monday through Friday, we’ll post a new homeschooling “freebie” to this site. What kind of “freebies”? Stuff like: Unit Studies… Ebooks… Audio Programs… Games… Samples… Lesson Plans… classic books… and other quality resources! This is the REAL THING.

Many of these will be products that you would normally pay for on their regular websites… but here on the Homeschool Freebie of the Day site, they’re 100% free… at least for that one day! Just download your copy and enjoy! It’s as simple as that!

Do know that if you sign up for freebie of the day, you'll get an email every week telling you what they will be posting. They occasionally post "you can buy this inexpensively" items, and will send you and email or two about that item. They don't send those type of emails out all the time though. Some of them are indeed good deals. Each weekly email includes a freebie that you get by being a subscriber and some of them are pretty neat. :)

What we Learned today - November 30

Expedition Australia, Day Two. We continued this study today. There was lots of drawing to do today, which my lad just thoroughly enjoyed. Even though he would much rather draw what HE wants to draw, he also tries hard to draw what he's asked to draw as well.

We learned about telling time, about working with a thermometer, learned a few fascinating facts about a Thorny Devil (an animal from Australia that gets water from crevasses in it's skin, and only eats ants). It was NOT our animal of the day, but it was never the less a very fascinating animal.

We did a couple of crafts, did the lapbooking exercises (not all, but most), and just had fun visiting Australia on the computer. This unit study is also available directly from DownloadNGo.

After we did that, we worked outside for a bit...the lad was out for 20 minutes before "mommy, my hands are frozen". so in he went and entertained himself while I finished cleaning up the backyard. It was a job that kept me busy for a good hour and a bit. I was frozen when I finally got back in, the lad was helpful by getting me the things I needed to keep the house from being a total mess with mucky boots and wet times coming in and being put in the garage to dry off before being put away for the winter.

Yesterday while in London I stopped at a lady's house who was selling some homeschool stuff. I get a Jump Start animal Adventure CD from her. The lad and I had fun playing with it until he got his confidence up that he could play it well, and then I got supper going and some laundry on the way while he played. He learned about different animals and had fun while doing so. It was worth the $2 asking price. :)

We have started reading a book at night after supper. We try to read it as a family as much as possible. I picked one at random, but we might start being more deliberate about the books that we choose in the future. We are reading "The Secret of the Hidden Cave" by Bettilu Davies. We are up to Chapter 10 now, another 7 days and we'll have a new book to read.

TOS - having a black Friday sale

Black Friday Sale at TOS!

With our holiday Cranberries & Cream subscription offer, it’s a great time to jump into the fun of being a TOS subscriber. Purchase a one-year subscription (U.S or Canada) for just $19.95. With your subscription, you will also receive a FREE Cranberry and Cream Homeschooling with Heart tote bag, a FREE Schoolhouse Planner of your choice, and a Free E-book-- Cranberry Christmas.

Along with huge discounts, customers will earn free gifts for purchases of $30 or more. We also have a FREE Christmas devotional, doorbuster savings of 50% off of select products, a chance to win the largest order gift basket, or a one-night Family Suite Getaway to Great Wolf Lodge!

Plus, WIN BIG is in progress.
Customer 162,000 will win the Great Wolf Lodge Getaway.

Enjoy great savings on The Old Schoolhouse Magazine with the holiday Cranberries & Cream subscription sale

and tiggers are wonderful things....

Or in the eyes of one Five year old lad...NOT! Tiggers are NOT wonderful things. Tiggers get frowns thrown at them. :)

Today we did day five of the terrific tigers unit study. You can buy it from download N go right here. :) OR from the Old Schoolhouse.

We had some fun doing the study today.

We learned about people stripes (finger prints) and we learned about pug marks. And that people have footprints (not pugmarks) and they like tigers, our footprints are different. We put our feet in water and stood on a piece of paper. We learned how they are the same, and how they are different. Just like every tiger's stripes are different, so are every person's finger prints different.

VERY fascinating. We managed two different ways of getting our finger prints. One was by using a fingerprint from one of the child ID places, and the other by taking pencil, rubbing it on some paper, rubbing our finger over the pencil marks and then taking a piece of tape to preserve the pencil rubbing off our fingers. The lad thought this was very cool.

We had a brief look at the Indochinese tiger today. and completely skipped the "tiggers" part of the study. That was just not a good thing. and Silly Odin... putting his head under the water! Doesn't he know that tigers don't like getting their heads wet!

A good study today, though a bit of a challenge at times to keep a lad's focus on continuing the study...MUCH too intriguing to get finger and foot prints. :)

Today we managed to keep going...

we .....
Cleaned up a bit in the living room/school area. Making it I hope more user friendly.

Played a memory game. We tied our game and then got distracted by our need to leave the house immediately to get to HOPE gym time on TIME.

Practiced writing letters.

Went to gym time with the local homeschool group (HOPE).

Learned about hamster food and the different types at the pet food store, and put the hamster into a new cage in the house. *yes, in the future I'll buy it cheaper at the farm supply* but it was a good opportunity for him to practice talking with sales clerks and to listen to them when they talked to him.

and then learned about trains and fine tuned hand eye coordination playing train station on facebook. :)

Gymnastics

The lad enjoys going to gymnastics. When told he was going to gymnastics today I got a very enthusiastic "YIPPEE" complete with disappointment that we were going to Wal-mart first. We were half an hour early for gymnastics so needed to find someway to keep ourselves busy. :)

He had a good time today and did his first completely unassisted back flip through the rings today. :)

We got him signed up and paid for a new session starting in January. He'll be with a different group of children this time, the 6-8 year olds, but his coach says he's ready to be with them. He listens well and can complete most of what is asked for.

I'm glad that he has fun, I'm thrilled that he's learning new things, and I'm pleased that he has such a positive attitude to learning from a person different than mommy.