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Share Some Joy This Holiday Season ~ Give Thanks Cards

November 3, 2014 By: amyswandering1 Comment

This post contains affiliate links.

We are kicking off this series with ways to share the Season of Joy. One of the simplest things to share is a smile! People get stressed out and over-extended during the holidays. A big smile tends to catch them off guard, and they usually return the sentiment.

Share a Little Thanksgiving Joy

Adorable graphics courtesy of pumpkins and posies.

I have a fun, easy way for you and your kids to share a little Thanksgiving Joy in three simple steps:

  • Print out some Give Thanks cards
  • Tape a quarter onto the corner of each
  • Leave on top of a candy or toy vending machine

If you have time, stick around for a little while and (secretly) watch each child’s face light up as they discover the surprise.

A few more ideas for the Give Thanks cards:

  • Leave them near the vending machine at work – you might want to add more than 1 quarter
  • Tuck one inside a library book before returning (make sure it’s not against your library’s rules)
  • Write a note and slip it into a family member’s lunch
  • Tape on candy instead and hand out 
  • Pass them out at a nursing home, along with a big hug
  • Give them to the kids in your Sunday School Class

->–>> DOWNLOAD YOUR GIVE THANKS CARDS <<–<-

These Festive Family Bloggers are Sharing the Joy of the Season:

Five Ways to Simplify the Holiday Season @ Bare Feet on the Dashboard

Charitable Act: Shoeboxes Filled with Presents @ La Cité des Vents

Joyful Christmas Crafts for Kids @ Handmade Kids Art

Give a Little Bit @ Gypsy Road School

Joy Comes from the Inside… But Not of a Package @ A Mother Far from Home

Welcome to the Festive Family Holiday Giveaway @ Peace but Not Quiet

Sharing Joy & a Giveaway @ P is for Preschooler

Share Some Joy this Holiday Season @ Are We There Yet?

Thankful Turkey Wreath Tradition @ Mom Inspired Life

Christmas Sensory Play Ideas for Kids @ Still Playing School

Unique Kits for Kids that Won’t Break the Bank @ Lemon Lime Adventures

Holiday Tradition Ideas for Families @ Sugar Aunts

Gratitude Stones: A Thanksgiving Nature Craft for Kids  @ Fireflies and Mudpies

Montessori Monday – Montessori Inspired Thanksgiving Ideas @ Living Montessori Now

Finding Joy in the Holidays Even During Difficult Times @ ALLterNATIVElearning

Christmas Shadow Puppets Play @ Adventure in a Box

Sharing Joy through a Holiday Giveaway @ Kids Yoga Stories

Family Thankfulness Jar @ The Realistic Mama

Gratitude and Thanksgiving Books for Preschoolers @ Totschooling

Festive Family Holiday @ In the Playroom

Free Nativity Puppets @ Happy and Blessed Home

{Follow Festive Family Holiday on Pinterest}

My posts from the Festive Family Holiday Hop series:

  •  Sharing the Joy of the Season: Give Thanks Cards
  • Thankful Traditions: Thanksgiving Activities to Encourage Gratitude
  • Creative Christmas: Creative Christmas Pinterest Boards
  • Gifts for the Season: Heirloom Advent Calendars
  • Festive Activities for Kids: Free Snowflake Patterns & Templates
  • Festive Family Fun: A Magical Winter Wonderland


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Poppins Book Nook: The Christmas Star

October 28, 2014 By: amyswandering8 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

Beyond Our Planet

It is time once again for Poppins Book Nook. This month’s theme is: Beyond Our Planet. Please join in the fun with the linky & giveaway at the end!

We didn’t really have time in our schedule this month to fit in an outer space unit, so I put my thinking cap on to figure out something that would fit the theme AND our current interests. I know it’s a bit early, but The Christmas Star fills both of those requirements. We had such a good time creating a sparkly star garland to display at Christmas time.

We chose Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story  as our companion book. It is a sweet story about all of creation looking forward to the birth of Christ. I am reminded of these song lyrics…”And Heaven and nature sing”.

 Song of the Stars

There are a couple of videos about stars that my older kids love:

The Star of Betlhehem

The Star of Bethlehem is a fascinating look at the science and history behind the star in the nativity story. Rick Larson explains what could have caused such a bright star, and how the wise men would have tracked it. So amazing!

Indescribable

Indescribable is full of mind-blowing photos and facts about stars and solar systems. Louie Giglio is a very engaging speaker, and he shows how the heavens declare the glory of God.

Sparkly Christmas Star Garland

Our star garland is so simple but soooo pretty. I wish I knew how to take a decent pic so you could see all the sparkle. 🙂

Our supplies:

  • white cardstock
  • free star pattern printable
  • white & pearl buttons
  • white & gold baker’s twine – I got my little package on clearance at Target for .75
  • white school glue
  • hot glue gun & glue sticks
  • crystal glitter

star supplies

We have a giant bag of assorted buttons, so Sweetpea got busy picking out the white, ivory, and pearl ones while I was cutting out stars. I made a printable pattern of four different sizes of stars and just printed several copies out on cardstock, but you can use them as tracing patterns if you don’t want to use all of the sizes. 

–>> DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE STAR PATTERNS <<–

button stars1

Next, I outlined the stars with white school glue and Sweetpea enthusiastically sprinkled the glitter. We gave each size of star its own design. I used a hot glue gun to add button to the centers of the stars.

two stars1

Finally, I hot glued the stars to a long piece of the baker’s twine. We are so pleased with our star garland and can’t wait to pull it back out in December.

star garland1

Don’t forget to print out your October Lapbook to document your adventure this month. 

Poppins-Book-Nook-Beyond-Our-Planet-Theme-Introduction

Poppins Book Nook main image 2014 - 2015

Take a look at what the other Poppins Book Nook bloggers are up to this month:

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God’s Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy’s Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ My Bright Firefly ~A Mommy’s Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~Golden Grasses ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Raventhreads ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~Where Imagination Grows ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A “Peace” of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am  ~ Simple Living Mama

~*~ Click on the blue guy to add your Beyond Our Planet fun to the List ~*~

Beyond Our Planet Bundle Giveaway! Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win a bundle of fun for the theme of Beyond Our Planet.  This bundle will include a copy of the storybook The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons and a Space & Astronauts Bucket Playset.

beyond our planet giveaway

Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom’s disclosures found here.  Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:

–>–>>CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY<<–<–

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Poppins Book Nook: Leapin’ Lizards

September 29, 2014 By: amyswandering1 Comment

This post contains affiliate links.

PBN Leapin Lizards

It is time once again for Poppins Book Nook. This month’s theme is: The Wild West. Please join in the fun with the linky & giveaway at the end!

We decided to focus on the critters of the Wild West. Lizard’s Home is a cute story about a lizard who has to outwit a sneaky snake that has invaded his home.

We have lizards everywhere around our home, and we enjoy studying their patterns and colors. I printed out a lizard outline for Sweetpea to decorate. She colored it, cut it out all by herself, and glued on pieces of brightly-colored chenille stems. She even added accessories. Doesn’t every lizard need a bright pink scarf?

lizard3

Feel free to download the lizard pattern if your child would like to decorate one too.

Don’t forget to print out your September Lapbook to document your adventure this month. 

Poppins-Book-Nook-Lapbook-September-2014

Poppins Book Nook main image 2014 - 2015

Take a look at what the other Poppins Book Nook bloggers are up to this month:

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God’s Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy’s Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~ Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ My Bright Firefly ~ A Mommy’s Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~ Golden Grasses ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Raventhreads ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~ Where Imagination Grows ~ Lextin Academy ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A “Peace” of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am ~ eLeMeNo-P Kids ~ Simple Living Mama

~*~ Click on the blue guy to add your Wild West fun to the List ~*~


Wild West Learning Bundle Giveaway! Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky cowpoke will strike gold and win a bundle of fun for the theme of the Wild West.  This bundle will include a copy of the storybook Westward Ho!: An Activity Guide to the Wild West (Hands-On History) and one Wild West Toob. So mosey down to the corral for your chance to win today!

september giveaway

Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom’s disclosures found here.  Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:

–>–>>CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY<<–<–

 poppins book nook

Follow Poppins Book Nook on Facebook and Pinterest.

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FREE 4-Month Lessontrek Trial {Weekly Homeschool Giveaways}

September 22, 2014 By: amyswandering2 Comments

Lessontrek - Win a FREE Year!

This weeks giveaway – Win 1 full year of Lessontrek planner Value – $60

Lessontrek lesson planning system has taken the pain out of your homeschool planning. The simple to use, intuitive system will save you so much time and energy while organizing your homeschool plans and grading system.

In just a few minutes you can set up your school year & subjects, create lessons & assignments, record grades, and more.

Easy-to-use online homeschool and private school planning system. The goal of Lessontrek is to make your life simpler, by cutting your planning time and organizing for school lessons – to a minimum.

Lessontrek - Homeschool plannerFeatures of Lessontrek

  • Lesson tracker
  • Grade recording
  • Drag and drop lessons to another weekday
  • Copy/paste lessons across weeks
  • Copy/paste an entire week of lessons
  • Print weekly lesson plans
  • Secure information storage
  • Customer support
  • Ongoing improvements based on your feedback
  • … and more

What others are saying about Lessontrek

“It’s super easy to figure out how to get started. I read the sample lesson blocks and everything was very intuitive from there.” Debora, Kansas

“I love the super easy to use interface. Having each child’s “tab” visible on the left makes it very easy to switch between children.” JoEllen, Michigan

“I love the planner! Super easy and the ‘click and drag’ feature is awesome.” Wendy, North Carolina

“I like the functions for planning, grading, establishing new features like students, subjects, and especially school years. I like the duplicate week function – very cool. I like the copy function and the drag and drop function for moving subjects around.” Lydia, Texas

“It is the best homeschool planning program! All the other programs I have tried were very cumbersome.” Margaret
 
“I have been telling all of my friends about your program; I just love it and I am so excited for what is to come.” Lisa

FREEBIE

Tired of using complicated lesson planners? Simplify your lesson planning with Lessontrek – growing in popularity due to its ease of use and simple set up process.
4 month free trial
Sign up for your 4-MONTH FREE TRIAL using the referral code: STS4
**No Credit Card Is Required!
(Please Note: The referral code needs to be added to the 14 day free trial section as this is an extension of the trial system which is why it needs to be added to this section.)
 

Giveaway

Enter with 1 link or enter with them all! 1 Family will win a full year membership to Lessontrek – value $60

Tell us in the comments – What is your biggest challenge with homeschool lesson planning and tracking?

 ->->> CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY <<-<-

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italki Foreign Language Course {Weekly Homeschool Giveaways}

September 15, 2014 By: amyswanderingcomment

italki Giveaway!

This Week: italki – Become Fluent in Any Language!

Everyone knows the BEST way to learn a language is to spend time in the country, speaking with locals. Although we can’t all take off to foreign lands to imerse ourselves in the culture, italki brings the locals to you.

Find an online teacher for personal language lessons. With a 1-on-1 teacher, you get personal attention and customized lessons to get you speaking from day one. With the ability to learn online, and with the wide variety of teachers to choose from (catering to different learning styles and budgets) it’s perfect for homeschool families!

 Watch the video below to find out more about how italki works.

How it works:

 

Teaching a language to your children can be hard — now you can have them start speaking with a native language teacher!

FREEBIE:

$10 FREEBIE for italki foreign language

Get two free language lessons on italki when you sign up during this weekly giveaway (no charge for signing up)! Professional. Convenient. Safe.

GO HERE to sign up free & get your $10 credits

Giveaway: $50 voucher for 1 on 1 Language Lessons

Enter with 1 entry or use them all!

 ->->> CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY <<-<-

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