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A Few of My Favorite Reviews…
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As a holiday "Thank You", we are offering you a 'Buy One, Get One Free' Promotion from now until noon EST on December 24. To take advantage ~ purchase a CD {or download} as you normally would. Then at checkout, enter the title of the CD {or download} that you would like to receive for free in the 'comments' section.
Please note: The CDs {or downloads, that you receive for free must be the same cost as the one for which you paid. You may use the promotion to purchas as many CDs as you wish. For example, you could purchase 6 months and receive 6 for free {a year of curriculum at 1/2 price!}.
Note: There will not be a Preschool Corner the next two Fridays {December 25th or January 1st}. We’ll be busy enjoying the holidays with our family. If you are still having preschool time with your kiddos, keep posting! You can link up those posts when we return on January 8th! Otherwise, the linky will be open until then.
I am SO loving this printable! Zachary is doing pretty well matching upper and lowercase letters, but still has trouble with a few letters at times, so I put these together to help him out.
Click on thumbnail to download the printable.
The set has 14 pages of cards{4 cards to a page} with two full sets of alphabet cards. One set that can be cut in half to use as ‘puzzle matching’ and the other can be used as flashcards. Each card has the uppercase letter in the top left corner and the matching lowercase letter in the lower right corner. The cards have a picture in the center that begins with that letter sound. Puzzle cards have a faint gray line down the middle to use as a cutting guide. We’ve printed ours off on cardstock and laminated them to make them stronger.
Ready to Link Up?
Share what you are doing with your kids! Please link your exact blog post to the Mr. Linky below and link back here too! The updated guidelines can be found here if you need them.
We received The Tortoise and the Hare Set {$16.98} to listen to and review. Each Stories in Music set includes a CD, story, activity booklet and extra tracks. Our CD had 7 tracks on it {53 minutes}:
Maestro Classics offers quite a few stories in the series: Casey at Bat, The Story of Swan Lake, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Peter and the Wolf, Juanita the Spanish Lobster, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and The Tortoise and the Hare. Each CD set is $16.98 or 3 for $45.
On the site you can listen to samples of the CD’s before you purchase them and also download lesson plans to use along with Mike Mulligan and Casey at Bat. The website also offers answers to the questions in the activity books.
Our kids really enjoy classical music and stories, so this was a big hit in our house! Listening time for us comes while we are traveling in the car or sitting at the table eating and we enjoyed listening to the story as it was set to music ~ enough that we are going to request that our library order the CD sets! If you’d like more information on Maestro Classics or are interested in purchasing some of their CD sets, visit their site and have fun browsing!
If you were holding out to order an apron until the winner was announced, wait no longer!!
The winner of the Flirty Apron is…
Comment #103 ~ the Fischer Family!
All the rest of you ladies that were ‘oohing and aahing’ over that apron, you still have a few days left to order one, get a lovely 10% discount when you use the coupon code: homeschoolcreations ~ and still get it in time for Christmas.
Not that any of you would ever order your own Christmas present and stick it under the tree {I’m sure that’s just MY guilt speaking}.
Thanks so much ladies and congratulations to our winner! You have until the 20th to contact me with your mailing information.
There are quite a few days when we are doing actual ‘school’ where we have much complaining, sighs, and groans from the kids.
Are we DONE yet? Do we HAVE to have school today? Etc….etc….
We’re on a much needed break and just relaxing as a family, but do you know what the kids are doing most of the time?
Playing school.
Go figure.
There are times in our day {especially when trying to balance teaching four kids} that there are some lapses between subjects. We have different activities we use to fill the gaps, and lately Mathletics has been the girl’s activity of choice.
3P Learning has developed an online curriculum~based math program called Mathletics that has over 750 learning games for children grades Kindergarten to 8th grade. The site offers 24 hour support and access to everyone. Essentially ~ it’s pretty amazing.
Before starting the program, children create an avatar to represent themselves ~ hair color, face shape, eyes, nose, etc… Once the avatar is created, the fun begins!
The instructional part of Mathletics has children work through age-appropriate math concepts in different areas {workbooks are also available as a pdf download for additional practice}. Children choose an area to focus on and are offered ten questions/problems to solve in each section. As they answer the question, they are given immediate feedback {correct/incorrect} and finish the remaining problems.
Based on how many questions they answer correctly, they are rewarded with points which they can later use to ‘purchase’ features to personalize their avatar. While working through the problems, children are able to get step-by-step directions if needed. Once a section is completed, children can move on to another section.
To give you an idea of what Mathletics covers, here are the main areas in the third grade course:
I am thrilled because Mathletics clued me into something about Laurianna’s learning style and needs. While I know that she is competitive, it can take forever for her to finish a math worksheet….sometimes pushing an hour to answer seemingly simple questions. When playing Mathletics, she was flying through similar questions. The reason? Instant feedback on her answers helped her move along quickly and gave her confidence in herself!
Laurianna was the first one to try out Mathletics. To say that she liked it would be an understatement. One game quickly turned into two, and kept going and going. Especially when she realized that she was able to compete against other kids in the US and in the world ~ then it became sheer competition to get the most points. At one point she did make it to 3rd in the world…after a total of almost 6 hours playing the math games.
After playing a few games she was able to check out the main screen and see her overall ranking. The instant gratification for her was amazing.Laurianna’s excitement was contagious and soon McKenna 
was asking to have a turn playing along. Between the both of them, they logged in more computer time that week than I think they have in FOREVER. They enjoyed it that much. Especially changing their little avatars and buying new accessories to ‘pretty’ themselves up.
Knowing that our trial period is almost up has been a little saddening for the girls ~ and they’ve enjoyed it so much we are seriously considering a year-long subscription to Mathletics. Our only hesitation is that we have have to buy one for each of the girls ~ there aren't any family subscriptions, so it would be $49.95 per child.
For some reason I had difficulty opening pdf files from Mathletics in my Firefox browser. Customer service was more than willing to help out, but I was able to use Internet Explorer to open the files without problems. Apparently it was only my computer giving me issues though since others haven't had the same problem and the software is actually tested using Firefox.
If you are interested in a subscription to Mathletics, you might want to know the answer to a key question ~ it’ll save you $10! The human calculator’s favorite number? 9.
To answer all your emails ~ YES!! We do have a few winners already! While I have been horrible about posting them here, I have contacted the ladies already, although I’m still waiting to hear back from one, so check and see if it’s YOU!
But to satisfy your curiosity, here are the winners up to this point:
Itty Bitty Bookworm ~ Chic Mama from Mama Kenz Studio
Jotham’s Journey ~ Sara @ The Merediths {comment #76} ~ still waiting to hear from you, so please email me by 12/17 or I will draw a new winner!
Bartholomew’s Passage ~ Joann from Ten Kids and a Dog
This giveaway is now closed.
Rich, the creator of Pick and Draw, has generously a set of Pick and Draw cards ~ for two of my readers! Please read through this post for the complete details on this giveaway!
If you are looking for a stocking stuffer for your kids that will also add some fun and creativity to their day, you REALLY need to check out Pick and Draw. It may look like a simple deck of cards, but it is a drawing game that teaches you how to draw creative faces and sparks creativity in kids {and adults}.
Even if you don’t think you can draw, you can play this game! The deck has step-by-step instruction cards, 45 sturdy ‘drawing’ cards to use while playing, and comes in a hard plastic storage case. The game itself…
Rich Davis is the creator of the game and also an illustrator of children’s books. If you’ve ever read any Tiny {the barn-sized dog} books by Cari Meister, Rich is the illustrator of those {and other} books.
As I was flipping through the Pick and Draw deck today, I noticed something that I somehow missed at first. There is one card in the deck that talks about the Greatest Artist ~ the One who made each one of us. I’m going to use a quote from Rich that sums everything up ever-so-nicely.
“I have made this Pick and Draw game so that you and I can draw together. I want it to be fun for you and I think you will be surprised how well you can draw. Your ability to create is a gift from God. So grab your paper and pencil and let’s draw!”
~ Rich Davis
When our kids saw the word ‘Draw’ they wanted to play it right away, but we managed to hold them off until after dinner time so that we could all sit down together and play.
The deck of cards {$10} has five different colored sets for different parts of the character ~ face, nose, eyes, mouth, and hair. All the cards start out face down and you flip over each character piece one at a time and draw that piece. You can choose to draw each ‘piece’ as large or as small as you want, making it your very own character.
Our favorite part? Naming them! I was ready to prompt the kids to name their creations, but the girls had already put names on their papers. The more we kept playing, the funnier the names got ~ but the stories of their creations were WONDERFUL!
Seeing the differences between all of our characters was a riot. We played about 6 games before it was time for bed, but only with the promise that the kids could play first thing in the morning! And no kidding, they played together for almost an hour in the morning, coming up with more silly stories and faces.
This is definitely something that we are going to use in our school time because I LOVE the creativity and stories that were coming out of my kids. Even though they had a ‘template’ to go by, they were learning about drawing and getting those creative juices flowing!
The Giveaway!!
Rich at Pick and Draw is giving away one set of cards to two of my readers! There are several ways for you to enter this giveaway, but there is one mandatory first entry: visit the Pick and Draw site and tell me one way that Pick and Draw has been used {there’s a list on Rich’s site}.
If you would like to earn extra entries {you can earn 3 extra entries}, leave a comment for each of the following:
If you are a subscriber to my blog, give yourself an extra entry! Thanks so much! If you don’t subscribe, hop on board and leave a comment. :)
Play a game of Pick and Draw online ~ sit down with some of your kids for a few minutes and try it out! Come back and let me know the name of one of your creations!!
Twitter about this contest and let me know your twitter name so I can follow you too!
This giveaway will be open until Monday, December 21st until 8pm and I will announce the winner by Wednesday, December 23rd. Please be sure there is a way for me to contact you ~ otherwise I will draw another winner. Note: US Residents only, please!
Disclaimer: Thank you to Rich @ Pick and Draw for providing the review and giveaway products. This review is based on my own experiences and gives my honest opinion.
Guess how much school we did this week? If you guessed pretty well close to not-much-at-all, you are RIGHT on the nose!!
We started out our week with snow, and after doing all but staple Zachary to his seat, I decided it would be easier to let him go outside and just have a little fun!
This is his idea of fun. Mind you, 10 minutes before this I found him walking around our backyard with all his snowgear on ~ and only sock feet.
And his idea of MORE fun…
We spent a few days baking and just having some holiday fun. We made these peppermint meringue cookies and these yummy snickerdoodles {yummy} and decorated a gingerbread house together {and don’t think that I baked the gingerbread ~ hello, Walmart!!}.
Made some fun little clothespin angels. Zachary was the one who asked if we could make these and we had to run to Walmart to get the clothespins and pipecleaners. Here is is making his little angel’s face.
This is Laurianna’s angel. They are super-simple and the kids made no less than twenty of them. Our Christmas tree has been overtaken…
Zachary is also having fun using my iTouch to play some games. He is really liking the iWriteWords app where he can trace both upper and lowercase letters. We had the lite/free version, but that only covered the first three letters of the alphabet, so this is the first app that I was willing to spend a little money on! :)
That was pretty much our week! Just to give you a quick heads up, I will be hosting Preschool Corner next week {December 18th}, but will take a break for Christmas and New Years {the next two Fridays}.
Our Favorite BooksReady to Link Up?
Homeschool Blog Awards counted the votes, rechecked and got everything sorted out and it looks like I am a winner!! Thanks so much to all of you who voted for me! After all was said and done, Homeschool Creations won for Best Blog Design {and being in the same category with Pioneer Woman…that means a bunch!}.
I am very much humbled with the win, especially since it’s something that I just like to fiddle with ~ but I’m glad you all like it {since I’m partial to it, myself!}…but
And thank you all for the nominations and votes in the other categories too. :) You all have blown me away with your support and comments lately!
My Sweet Dreams Baby has generously donated the cutest Flirty Apron to one of my readers! Please read through this post for the complete details on this giveaway!
It doesn’t matter how hard I try NOT to ~ I always manage to spill something on myself when cooking. I have more shirts that have stains on them because of my kitchen mishaps than I really care to mention. Last year I became a HUGE fan of aprons ~ especially full aprons that cover much more ‘mess’ area on me! Would it be wrong to say I’m even addicted to my apron?
My Sweet Dreams Baby sent me one of gorgeous Flirty Aprons in the Sassy Black pattern ~ and I LOVE it! The aprons are available in adult or child sizes {so you can get matching ones for you and your little cooks!} and come in a variety of six fabrics.
What I love about the Flirty Apron
The price is great too. When I purchased fabric to make an apron last year, the fabric alone {never mind the time to make it} was a lot more than having this one already made! And I love that you can have matching mom and daughter aprons!
How cute would the Chocolate Pink apron be for a little helper? I know that our girls would love them!
Find Out More
The Flirty Aprons can be ordered up until December 20th in order to get it in time for Christmas. Use the code homeschoolcreations and you’ll get 10% off your order!!
Aprons aren’t the only thing that My Sweet Dreams Baby offers. They also have a site full of other great products for babies, children and moms ~ backpacks, kid’s costumes, personalized baby gifts, and so much more. Some great gift ideas for last minute Christmas shopping!
The Giveaway!!
My Sweet Dreams Baby is giving away a FLIRTY APRON to one of my readers ~ for either an adult or child! There are several ways for you to enter this giveaway, but there is one mandatory first entry: visit the My Sweet Dreams Baby site and let me know which fabric pattern you would pick for your apron!
If you would like to earn extra entries {you can earn 4 extra entries}, leave a comment for each of the following:
If you are a subscriber to my blog, give yourself an extra entry! Thanks so much! If you don’t subscribe, hop on board and leave a comment. :)
Look over the My Sweet Dreams Baby site ~ let me know something else that catches your eye and give yourself an extra entry.
Follow My Sweet Dreams Baby on Twitter ~ they are new, so welcome them and give them a little follower boost!
Twitter about this contest and let me know your twitter name so I can follow you too!
This giveaway will be open until Thursday, December 17th until 8pm and I will announce the winner by Saturday, December 19th. Please be sure there is a way for me to contact you ~ otherwise I will draw another winner. Note: US Residents only, please!
Disclaimer: Thank you to My Sweet Dreams Baby for providing the review and giveaway products. This review is based on my own experiences and give my honest opinion.
This Giveaway is now CLOSED!
Arnold Ytreeide, author of the Jotham’s Journey trilogy, has donated a copy of Jotham’s Journey and also Bartholomew’s Passage for two of my readers! Please read through for the complete details on this great giveaway!
Last year our family was introduced to a wonderful advent book for families, called Jotham’s Journey. The book had originally been published years ago and gone out of print ~ until last year when the series began to be republished. There are three books in the Advent trilogy and each book is written in a devotional style for families to sit down together and read a bit of the suspenseful story each day and then finish with a short devotional story. The books can be read in a 3 year cycle, each one telling a story from a different child’s perspective, but resulting in the same thing ~ an exciting retelling of the Christmas story.
I will admit that I get pulled into the story {and even read ahead!!}. The stories are targeted for children ages 9-12, but we started reading them last year with our girls {ages 6 and 7} and they LOVED them. This year as we’ve been reading the second book in the series, Bartholomew’s Passage, they are remembering the characters from the book last year and beginning to see how they all fit together.
The first book in the series follows Jotham, a ten year old boy, as he searches for his family after he had run away in anger. During his trip to find his family, Jotham is helped by many different people and makes many new friends, ultimately bringing him to Bethlehem during the height of the census time.
The second book in the series follows the story of Bartholomew after his town is raided by Roman soldiers and he is sold as a slave. He is rescued by a Fool and begins an exciting travel that leads him to Bethlehem…I’d tell you more, but we’re in the midst of reading this one!!
This last book in the trilogy focuses on Tabitha and is scheduled to be re-released in the Summer/Fall of 2010. Jotham meets Tabitha in his travels and this book tells the story from her perspective. {We can’t wait for this one either!}.
Note: While older children may be okay with some of the content, there are some situations in the stories that are a little more intense for younger listeners. When reading to our kids, I would either pre-read or scan the stories, editing out anything that was too much for them at the time.
Arnold Ytreeide has donated two different books ~ Jotham’s Journey and Bartholomew’s Passage and I will draw a winner for each of the titles. There are several ways for you to enter this giveaway, but there is one mandatory first entry: leave a comment here letting me know if your family celebrates Advent together or if you have any traditions for Advent {it’s okay if you don’t!!}.
Note: US Residents only, please!
If you would like to earn extra entries {you can earn 2 extra entries}, leave a comment for each of the following:
This giveaway will be open until Monday, December 14th until 8pm and I will announce the winner by Wednesday, December 16th. Please be sure there is a way for me to contact you ~ otherwise I will draw another winner.
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