We have used Grapevine Studies for years. We completed Old Testament Overview and are now working through New Testament Overview.
We were recently given the chance to review theBirth of Jesus study and will be working through it as a family soon! It is a shorter study, that is just perfect to do at this special time of the year!
Here’s more info about the 2 different levels {we were given both to review}, we will most likely be using the beginner level this year since only Pac could handle the multi-level.
Children and teens will travel back to the first century for a fresh look at the events surrounding the birth of Jesus! The timeline of the Nativity will come alive through the Bible study of the characters and events surrounding the birth of Jesus. On this journey students will map the travels of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus.
Preschool and kindergarten Bible students will saddle up their donkeys and take an unforgettable journey back in time to discover the amazing events that surrounded the Nativity.
Use the discount code Advent11 and your will receive 20% off on any item not already on sale from now until December 31!
Use Rafflecopter to enter to win both a student and teacher book {print or eBook-your choice}. US only for print copies, open to anyone for eBooks. Comments do not count as entries, enter all info into the Rafflecopter form. Click READ MORE if you don’t see the Rafflecopter widget below!
I am so thrilled to share John Bowman’s new website for his awesome eBook Montessori at Home! Not only is the website all snazzy and new, the eBook is updated in a SUPER fabulous way. I have a copy of the new edition and it is a serious upgrade! I loved the original and can’t even believe how much better it is now. If you already own the original, you should have received an email from John with the updated version for free. If you don’t already own this eBook, and are teaching young children, this book is awesome ~ you really should have it!
In honor of the new site launch and the new edition of the book, John has a special treat for all of you! Three, yes 3, of you will have the chance to win the eBook, and all of you have the opportunity to purchase the eBook at a discounted rate of only $6.95 from now and for 2 weeks AFTER the giveaway closes.
Here’s some detailed info about the new version …
The newly released Second Edition of Montessori At Home! is a 296 page, multimedia Ebook that guides you through the entire process of doing Montessori early learning activities at home. Complete background and how-to chapters are followed by clear directions for over 250 early learning materials and activities. Many activities use materials you may already have or which can be obtained easily and inexpensively almost anywhere. Clear directions and guides help you become a great Home Teaching Parent. The ebook comes to you in a PDF file, readable on all kinds of computers and tablets. Numerous links to sites and videos - many for your child to watch - expand on the information and activities in the ebook. 42 Pages of printouts are included to use with many of the activities. There is no resource for parents quite like Montessori At Home! Montessori early learning activities support and facilitate the natural sensitive periods to growth and development that 3-6 year old children everywhere experience. These are the years when our foundational brain architecture is formed. Montessori activities engage and coordinate a young child's attention, sensory skills, movements, and developing intellect. The results include stronger brain architecture, a positive self-image, and early reading, writing, math, and science skills - a great preparation for success in school.
If you are one of the 3 winners, you will not only receive a copy of John’s amazing eBook, you will also receive a copy of "The Montessori At Home! Materials Bundle"! I adore Montessori Print Shop and use TONS of their printables, you can read my past review here.
The Montessori At Home! Materials Bundle includes 21 printable files that compliment the Montessori At Home! eBook. It includes a few materials from most areas covered in the eBook, and will get you off to a great start learning what your child is most interested in. The value of the 21 printable files is $60.49 if purchased individually. The Bundle is available for $28.89, but is FREE to the winners! BUY IT!
You can purchase Montessori at Home! eBook for the discounted price of $6.95 from now through December 17, 2011. Use this link to purchase it at the discounted price!
WIN IT!
3 of you will win both the eBook and the bundle! Use Rafflecopter to enter, no blog comments will count as entries. If you don’t see the Rafflecopter widget, be sure to click on “read more” and make sure you have Javascript enabled!
We are still loving Table Talkers, and it has become the tool that gets my Krash to focus on eating. If he isn’t eating-he can’t join in with our fun!
I am excited that Erin is back as a blog sponsor and is offering another chance to win not only her Table Talkers eBook, but also this amazing eBook, A Year of Sugar Scrubs…
I must be totally honest with you-I am not a crafty gift giver, nor am I a make-my-own-sugar-scrub kind of gal, BUT I know that many of you are which is why I said YES to host this eBook along with Table Talkers!
Erin sent me the eBook to review and it was simple and even looked like something I could handle! Check out these pictures of gift examples she has on her site:
What amazing gifts these would make for those of you who like to make creative gifts to give! I would love to receive these, I just won’t be creating them! I don’t even know much about sugar scrubs, but they sure sound yummy and look beautiful!
The eBook contains,
instructions and helpful tips at the beginning
2 unique recipes per month, a total of 24
printable gift tags to include for gift giving…
BUY IT!
If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can purchase Table Talkers for just $3.99 {limited time, regular price is $5.00}! You really can’t beat that, huh? Get some great new fun dinner time ideas and support another mom in her creativity!
You can purchaseA Year of Sugar Scrubs here for just $3.99 {limited time, regular price is $5.00}.
Enter using Rafflecopter below, comments do not count as entries-all info can be entered into Rafflecopter. If you don't see the widget, click Read More below and be sure you have Javascript enabled.
I have met many creative moms online, and Annie is one of them! You probably know Annie from her blog, The Moffatt Girls ~ which is how I “met” her too. We have gotten to know each other via email and have even collaborated on a few things, sharing ideas back and forth! Annie creates printables and has opened up shop over at Teachers Notebook, The Moffatt Girls Shop.
Annie has been sending me many of her creations to preview and review so I could share with you and offer a giveaway!
We have been using Annie’s printables for Krash who is in Kindergarten. Here are a few of our favorites.
Sight Word Caterpillar, which is FREE in her shop and was created to go along with my You Can Read program {thanks Annie!}
We love Annie’s creations and know you will too! It is an honor to share another creative momma with you! BUY IT!
If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can purchase items from The Moffatt Girls Shop and even find several freebies.
WIN IT!
Annie is giving three readers any three individual items (bundles not included) from her Teachers Notebook Shop.
Remember, if you don’t see the Rafflecopter entry form below, you need to enable Javascript and click on the READ MORE below!
I was recently sent this eBook to review and was a bit nervous because mealtime around our house is a bit chaotic thanks to a special someone who detests eating in general. Our little precious Krash is our meal time trouble maker and often brings me to the point of almost tears. PacMan is the exact opposite, loves and eats everything! Ladybug is a good mix-some nights rejecting like K and some nights embracing new foods like P. The idea of adding fun to this time of the day seemed about as possible as, hmmm…pigs flying, and more. You know, it seemed virtually impossible.
But, we gave it a go and I printed out the wonderful cards to keep handy at the table and I read through them to choose a few that I thought might be worth a shot for my 2, 5, and 9 year old.
Thankfully the night we first tried a Table Talker idea, we were eating a meal that Krash liked, so it was a relative good-mood evening. We started out with a game that has since become a family favorite. Someone has to think of a movie/tv show that we are all familiar with {example Nemo}. Then the person gives a 1 word hint {example: fish}. We each get a turn to guess based on just the one word clue. If nobody gets it, the person gives a second clue {example: ocean}. I was AMAZED with how many we got with just 1 word! For example I thought of the movie Robots and my clue word was “dishes” and Pac got it right away!
On another night, the night I decided to snap a few pictures, we were eating a meal Krash does not prefer and attitudes were flying, but we were still able to get some laughs in that otherwise wouldn’t have been there. When I snapped these photos, they were pointing out shapes in the room.
One of the games is to think of a shape and go around the table to have each person point out something that is that shape. This is perfect for younger ages, and even PacMan enjoyed it!
Ladybug doesn’t actually play yet, but she giggles right along with us and I do believe enjoys our family mealtime much more without all of the somber faces. Mealtime had truly become a time of day that I just wanted to be over. I don’t love mealtime due to the struggles but adding in Table Talkers has brought much joy to my heart!
I can fully recommend Table Talkers as a worthwhile purchase for your family. It is currently only $2.99 and was created by another mom, so you know I love supporting her creative efforts also! For $2.99 you get 52 simple ideas to make your mealtime more fun. I would say if you have a child from the age of 3 or older this would be for you. There are many simple games and some more advanced ones that older children would really get into. There are even blank cards to have your family think of their own and write them in to have in your Table Talkers set.
I laminated our cards and put them on a metal ring so I can have them at the dinner table always. I also loaded the eBook onto my iPad too. You can load any PDF file into iBooks by importing the PDF file through your iTunes account and then plugging in your iPad to sync. It’s really that simple!
BUY IT!
If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can purchase Table Talkers for just $2.99! You really can’t beat that, huh? Get some great new fun dinner time ideas and support another mom in her creativity!
WIN IT!
Erin is giving away a copy of Table Talkers to 3 different winners!
If you don't see the Rafflecopter giveaway entry widget, CLICK READ MORE below! I am using a new giveaway widget, let me know what you think. You'll need Javascript enabled also.
From the moment I opened the package, the puppet and egg shakers went straight into Ladybug’s hands and have been favorites ever since! Boca the puppet has turned into a little friend, you can even see Ladybug using Boca to color and help her clean up her markers!
She has enjoyed coloring Boca in the coloring book too!
I showed the DVD to all 3 kids at various times and asked them what they thought. Here’s the verdict: Ladybug wandered a bit, only the song portions kept her attention. Ladybug prefers the puppet, coloring book and even the music CD over the DVD. Krash loved it and to my surprise so did PacMan {age 9}! He specifically was able to tell me that he loved being able to read the words on screen and how it said both the Spanish and English. He also LOVES animals so this DVD was perfect for him.
Is it helping with Spanish? I am sure it is-but it’s hard to tell. We are continuing to use Speekee also, and these 2 compliment each other well. Beth and Jim have actually partnered up together! I personally enjoy having both as resources and like to introduce as much Spanish as possible at a young age. We live in a bi-lingual area with many Spanish speaking neighbors. I hope to have my children grow up and become fluent in Spanish, if it is their desire also!
We have added the CDs to our iPod and have enjoyed having them in our rotation! We look forward to more Spanish learning fun with Boca Beth!
BUY IT!
If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can purchase products on the Boca Beth website! Use this amazing discount code ONEFAM to receive 40% savings on anything on the Boca Beth site PLUS shipping is always FREE on BocaBeth.com. No limit on the order size. This discount code is only good from now until Oct 15, 2011.
This Boca Beth Beginner Backpack will get your child's second language journey going right away! Use our award-winning Boca Beth bilingual music CD, DVD, coloring/activity book, puppet and musical shaker to bring Spanish and English together for children ages 1 month - 8 years old. We use the parallel method of teaching two languages so that everyone in the family will feel comfortable using these tools!
Mandatory Entry: Visit Boca Beth to take a peek and then leave a comment letting us know you’d like to win!
After you do that, you can gain some extra entries by any of the following, remember to leave an extra comment for each item so they will count as entries...
If you subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for Boca Beth! Enter here:http://bit.ly/oFjPxU
If you sign up for the Boca Beth Newsletter, give yourself an extra entry! Look for this:
This Giveaway is open for USA Only!
I will select two winners using Random.org, so be sure you leave a separate comment for each entry, I will also be moderating comments to check that your entries are valid-please be honest!
Contest ENDS October 8, 2011. Winner will be announced here, and emailed (your email MUST be in each comment/or enabled in blogger). Winner must reply to my email within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.
It’s no big secret that one of my best friends is Jolanthe from Homeschool Creations. I met her online years ago and our friendship went from blog comments, to emails, to phone calls, to visits! This is one thing I am most thankful that God has given me through blogging-true friendship with Jolanthe and a few others! Here is us cheesing while at Relevant last year!
I tell you all of that so you know upfront that I am TOTALLY biased and think anything she creates is simply wonderful. I feel I must disclose this in a huge way! So, now that you know that, I am honored to host a giveaway for my friend and her wonderful Weekly Homeschool Planner, even though I don’t even use it myself! The only reason I don’t use hers is because I created my own {just for myself}. We do many of the same things and even talked a lot as she was creating the planner.
40 weeks of weekly planning and journal sheets: each page can be customized to the subjects that your family studies and can be saved to your computer!
Preschool planning sheets
Field trip/Event plan sheets
Yearly curriculum planning sheets
Yearly planning and evaluation sheets
Yearly attendance tracking sheets
Field trip/Event plan sheets
Daily to-do lists
Main dish menu planner
Customizable chore charts
Important contacts info
Additional note space
Standardized testing and yearly assessment result tracking
Homeschooling requirement planning
Type your lesson plans into the form and print them off or simply save them to your computer, the choice is up to you! You can edit your plans any time and even save your planner to your computer to have a digital copy each year.
One thing that I was really confused about when I previewed the final copy of the planner for Jolanthe before it went up for sale was the duplicate lesson planning pages {and duplicates of various others}. I obviously had a lot to learn about editable PDF files {which I don’t create}. She explained to me that when saving an editable PDF product you can’t copy/paste the pages and must have a blank copy of each page you plan to use. So, if this confuses you also-know that you aren’t alone. Jolanthe is smarter than both of us! ha ha!
She also has an affiliate program that you can join and even make a bit of $ yourself!! You can read more about that on her Weekly Homeschool Planner sale page too.
BUY IT!
If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can purchase the Weekly Homeschool Planner for just $20, which is a steal considering you can use it year after year! Be sure to view the sample pages, as well as the fine print at the bottom of her site and ask any questions you may have beforehand! Jolanthe is very willing to help you figure out if this is the planner for you!
Mandatory Entry: Visit the Weekly Homeschool Planner to take a peek and then leave a comment letting us know you’d like to win!!!
After you do that, you can gain some extra entries by any of the following, remember to leave an extra comment for each item so they will count as entries...
If you subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @jolantheerb and @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @jolantheerb ‘s Weekly Homeschool Planner! Enter here:http://bit.ly/omL7N6
This Giveaway is open for anyone!
I will select a winner using Random.org, so be sure you leave a separate comment for each entry, I will also be moderating comments to check that your entries are valid-please be honest! Contest ENDS October 1, 2011. Winner will be announced here, and emailed (your email MUST be in each comment/or enabled in blogger). Winner must reply to my email within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.
Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!
A while back I was sent the awesome Guidecraft Hideaway Country Kitchen to review. It sat in the box way too long because I was waiting for my husband to put it together. Finally I decided I could do it. I figured if Jolanthe could do it, so could I. So, I did. I won’t lie-it wasn’t terribly fun to put together but I did it. The kids, and the husband, were all pretty impressed with me.
This kitchen is a 2nd kitchen in our house, Ladybug has her own from last Christmas up in her room. It’s the plastic kind-that my husband picked out. This adorable wooden hideaway kitchen is located downstairs in our dining room, right off of our schoolroom. I LOVE the way it looks so I let it stay in public view! The kids cook for me quite often and it has been something they have all 3 enjoyed for months now.
I moved only our felt food and some dishes down here, to keep things simple and it has been wonderful. I put a pink fabric basket underneath in one of the cabinets and it all stores away easily. That’s one of the things I LOVE about this kitchen {especially versus the plastic one upstairs}-the storage underneath! You can hide it all in the nice open space.
I was planning to give this kitchen away soon after the review, feeling bad owning 2 kitchens, BUT I think my kiddos would miss it for now so were hanging onto it for awhile longer! They really like it!
If you are thinking of a kitchen as a gift this Christmas or anytime, I highly recommend this one. It is VERY well made, sturdy {notice Krash sitting on it below!}, and adorable.
It has features that kids and parents love. The clock and the sink are two child favorites in our home…
For those of you tight on space or who may be storing it for the next child, check out the hideaway feature {images from the Guidecraft website}…
I tested out the storage feature and it was easy to use. I wouldn’t want to store it every day and take it out again, but for longer term storage this is such a great option! It compacts to only 6” in depth with a simple twist of an Allen wrench. Fully extended, it measures 30"W x 15.25"D x 38" H.
Thanks to Guidecraft for allowing us to review this wonderful play kitchen!
Congratulations #206, you won! I sent you an email!
As you have probably noticed, my blog has taken a turn in a more Montessori focused direction. “Why?” you ask…because my beliefs are largely based in the Montessori Method. I did an internship at a wonderful Montessori School while in college and fell in love. I read many of the books, studied the method. I wanted to go to school the extra year to become certified to teach Montessori but I needed to begin working so I stuck with the public school system. My heart never left Montessori though!
Although we do not have a full Montessori based homeschool, many of my ideas stem from Montessori. When I found Montessori Print Shop, I fell in love. When they signed on to be a blog sponsor and allow me to host this AMAZING giveaway I was thrilled! This is probably my all time favorite giveaway and I am still in shock that I get to be a part of blessing someone with this gift that Montessori Print Shop is giving one of you.
First, if you haven’t been to their site, go now and browse around. Even if you don’t do anything Montessori-based in your schooling…I promise you will be inspired.
If you have been to their site, you have probably drooled over the beautiful printable files they offer, both for sale and for free. I did for a long time and then I was blessed beyond words to be given the entire printable set on CD for review in order to prepare to host this giveaway! Ya’ll, the CD set is worth over $2000, with a retail price of $593.21!!! To say I was excited is a complete understatement!!!
I have printed many of the files and plan to use these for many years. Here’s just a couple of the things we have already used…
My goal for this year is to utilize the wonderfulGeography printables I have been given to create Continent Boxes. I am hoping to use this to bring the world alive for all 3 of my children. Stay tuned on my blog to see this project unfold throughout this year!
Here’s a small glimpse into the other files I now own, {and one of you will too}! Obviously I don’t have time to prepare them all, but I sure wish I did-they are amazing! I have printed so many already-mostly based around science and animals. My kids absolutely eat up any information about animals!
I hope to find time to prepare many of the phonics and math printables for Ladybug when it is time. The Montessori Method for teaching math and language is wonderful.
If you don’t “like” Montessori Print Shop on Facebook yet, be sure to jump over right now and do that. They are always posting discounts, giveaways and fun ideas. This doesn’t give you an extra giveaway entry {thank Facebook for their silly rules}.
Now for the fun part, the HUGE giveaway!!!!
WIN IT!
Montessori Print Shop is giving away a Deluxe Montessori CD Rom Collection - at this time it has 997 pdf files: 993 printable Montessori materials and4 Primary Teaching Manuals. Most materials include beautiful photographic images that provide the children with real-life, concrete images, and information about the world around them.
Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling us you’d like to win, and briefly why!!!
After you do that, you can gain some extra entries by any of the following, remember to leave an extra comment for each item so they will count as entries...
If you subscribe via RSS, Google Friend Connect, or email or to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
If you follow @MontessoriPrintand @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @MontessoriPrint for an entire Deluxe #Montessori CD Collection, 967 files! Enter here:http://bit.ly/q2L18m
I will select a winner using Random.org, so be sure you leave a separate comment for each entry, I will also be checking comments to see that your entries are valid-please be honest!
Contest ENDS September 10, 2011. Winner will be announced here, and emailed (your email MUST be in each comment/or enabled in blogger). Winner must reply to my email within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.
![image[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyW8SsHZceriwPPHTRVWvSbxM3jmKe82zubuxJPc6KC4uFq4tEPsfDtuBCtINAggluPLRh3gyKCe_1I3V5kWpGW6V3UZXW3xWcvI2qCXFDfdoX0q8sR8-QIcQk_NftyCcRNfBR4w4IYQAR/?imgmax=800 "image[1]")
Beginner {ages 5-7} Birth of Jesus…
![image_thumb[3]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8EUy935jaEn-_2O6d_xssGH4vt9TaPRLe2VEcbImr-Epqh5xdPETQ4z1egYppc7porAxNuZOQkKcl6oDOzh4b2A2iFRE5c-l1lSl5ZroKyi1-5xvCniwZLYPda-SX9N-LM7giR0WFwFk/?imgmax=800 "image_thumb[3]")
