Happy New Year!!!!

Christmas 2010

Lots of Cooking! These are just a few of the things we made.

We open one gift each on Christmas Eve and it is always pajamas and then we snuggle in for a family movie. This year was The Nativity Story.

Random Silliness!

He is either really excited or had a little too much sugar???

Christmas Morning!

Christmas Breakfast was Santa Claus pancakes!

One of the best gifts I could get!

I hope you had a blessed Christmas! We sure did!

From our house to yours

Merry Christmas!!!

May you be blessed the whole year through!

DNG Creation Camouflage Review and Giveaway

Do you have animal lovers in your house? Then Creation Camouflage is the DNG you have to try! We have enjoyed our week learning all about how animals use camouflage to “eat or avoid being eaten”. What an amazing Creator we have!












Let me tell you about these DNG units in general and then I will give you a little more information about Creation Camouflage specifically.










Each DNG unit is geared to children K-4 but could easily be expanded to use with older children. Planning and Preparation is so easy because all the work is done for you. Everything you need is included – websites, videos, fun activities, and lapbook pieces. You could easily expand on it if you choose with more books and rabbit trails or you can use it as is and have a wonderful study. I spend about 30 minutes over the weekend looking over the unit, printing, putting books on hold, and cutting lapbook pieces. (I always cut them out ahead of time and sort them by day. Some might think there is a lot of printing but you can print as much or little of the materials as you decide. I print all the lapbook pieces and some activity pages and the rest we work on orally together. It works out perfectly.



Take a look at some of the sample pages here.







Creation Camouflage is filled with fascinating videos about interesting animals with unique abilities to survive in their specific habitats. We learned about rain forests, deserts, oceans, and the tundra. As well as, an author and several conservationists. Each day you will focus on a specific animal and the way they use adaptation to survive.









Here are a few of the titles we used for our studies. There is a very extensive list included in each DNG unit.







Each unit is broken down into 5 days/objectives:

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

We have completed several of the Download N Go units and I am always amazed at how much is included in each unit but not in an overwhelming way and this one is no exception. The information is presented in an inviting way and the layout is bright and attractive. The lapbook is a great keepsake and can be used for later review. It is a great way to keep a record of all your studies.

Here are some shots of our lapbook.

One of the things I love so much about these DNG units is that there is so much meat in them. This is another study we could have easily spent four weeks digging deeper into; but because it is totally self contained and easy to complete, we were able to use it as is. So that when life happens, as it often does, (for us that meant an unexpected death in the family and a trip out of state) I could still give my kids an interesting and well planned lesson. One less thing to stress about! I love that!

I found both of these books at our library and my boys really enjoyed them and they went with this unit so well.

I would gladly recommend these Download & Go Units to anyone. You can order them individually for $7.95 each. These are just a few of the titles they offer!

And if you just can’t decide, you can purchase them in bundles at a discounted price!

You can also check out the DNG Blog for all the latest information and specials.

Check out the Creation Camouflage Blog Tour and see what other bloggers are saying.

Creation Camouflage is on sale December 13th-18th for only $5.95. Check it out here. You can also enter to win a cute National Geographic Tree Frog Mouse Pad.

Now for the giveaway! I have been given the opportunity to giveaway one copy of DNG’s Creation Camouflage!

Leave me a comment about your favorite animal that uses camouflage! Be sure to include your email address so that I can contact you should you be the lucky winner.

For a second chance to win, become a follower of my blog and leave a separate comment that you did.

The winner will be announced December 23rd, 2010.

***Disclaimer Statement: We were provided a copy of this product, free of charge, for the purpose of writing an honest review on my blog. The opinions expressed here are those of my children or myself.***

Two Years Ago

We became grandparents to the most special little boy! We love you Rider!

A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty."

~Author Unknown

The ADVENTure of Christmas Giveaway

Confessions of a HomeSchooler is giving away a copy of Lisa Whelchel's book The ADVENTure of Christmas.

This is what she says on her blog:

This book is so much fun! It contains 25 activities that bring our holiday back to its true meaning: Jesus! It’s perfect for Advent, or as fun activities during the Christmas season! Here’s what Lisa says about her book…


“Redeeming the Meaning of Christmas... Have you discovered that Jesus sometimes gets lost in the middle of the hustle and bustle of His birthday party? Would you like to be able keep your children’s focus on Jesus and be able to join them in the wonder of the celebration?”
The ADVENTure of Christmas recaptures the delightful essence of this beloved season, giving reasons to joyfully celebrate for years to come.


Just so you know what you're getting, here are some activities covered in the book:


Advent Wreath
The Christmas Tree
Lights on the Tree
Ornaments on the Tree
The candy cane
The Star
Christmas Greetings
Outdoor lights
The colors of Christmas
Angels
Candles
Christmas Cards
Baking
Caroling
The 12 Days of Christmas
Wrapping Gifts
Giving Gifts
Santa Claus (Who he really was!)
Nativity Scenes
The Wise Men
December 25th
Opening Presents
Christmas Dinner
The Christmas Story

Head on over to Confessions of a Homeschooler and enter to win today. Contest ends Friday, November 26th, 2010.

Ben Franklin DNG Review

I don’t know who was more excited, me or the kids, when we found out that the next DNG unit we would be reviewing would be Ben Franklin. Oh yes, it was me!!!! I love all things history. What a fascinating man and once again Amanda Bennett has not disappointed!




If you read my blog regularly you probably already know how much I LOVE these units and how they work but just in case you are not familiar with Download N Go let me tell you a little bit about how they are set up.



Each DNG unit is geared to children K-4 but could easily be expanded to use with older children. Everything you need is here…websites, activities, videos, and lapbook pieces! All the work is done for you! There is also a very extensive list of books to go along with your studies. Prep time for the teacher is minimal. Mainly printing and putting books on hold if you so choose. Just as the name suggests, you just download & go!


I spend about 30 minutes over the weekend looking over the unit, printing, putting books on hold, and cutting lapbook pieces. (I always cut them out ahead of time and sort them by day. Some might think there is a lot of printing but you can print as much or little of the materials as you decide. I print all the lapbook pieces and some activity pages and the rest we worked on orally together.



Now more about Ben… husband, father, inventor, innovator, printer, statesman, liaison…a great American.



Day 1: Who Was Ben Franklin?


Day 2: People and Places in Ben Franklin’s Life


Day 3: The Accomplishments of Ben Franklin


Day 4: Lessons to Learn From Ben Franklin


Day 5: Remembering Ben Franklin



Each day is filled with interesting videos, activities, and information on this important American. We studied about his many inventions, as well as, his contributions to society. We learned so much about how one person can make a difference in our world. Such an important lesson for our young people to learn.

These are some of the titles we used this week.

You can view some sample activity pages here.

Although we didnt try the famous kite and key experiment, we did do several experiments this week. We also learned the difference between an innovator and an inventor. Ben Franklin was both!

We worked on our powers of observation --

They observed each other for 2 minutes and then each one had to change 3 things and see if the other noticed. I was surprised at how well they did with this one. Who knew how observant you can be while your acting so silly. *wink*





We then took five minutes to write down everything we heard, saw, smelled, tasted, and touched.

We spent some time observing clouds.

We learned about air pressure in this one. The cup is full of water (notice we did this over the sink just in case) and the air pressure was stronger than gravity. You remove you hand and the water doesnt spill.

I found this book at the library and it was full of great ideas to use along with this DNG unit. Many of the experiments we tried came from here.

Here are some shots from our completed lapbook. I really enjoy having this “souvenir” from our studies. What a great way to review and the boys are so proud of them. Just as a side note, I have started using pocket folders most of the time. I keep everything in there all week and then on Friday we glue everything in its place. I think they are much easier to store this way as well.

The front

inside front pocket

inside back pocket

Our Certificate of Completion is glued to the back cover.




I would gladly recommend these Download & Go Units to anyone. You can order them individually for $7.95 each. These are just a few of the titles they offer!

You can also check out the DNG Blog for all the latest information and specials.

The Ben Franklin Blog Tour can found here.

Ben Franklin is currently on sale for only $6.25!!!


***Disclaimer*** I was given a free copy of this product, in exchange for, a honest review on my blog. The opinions expressed here are of myself and/or my children.