Children's Books for Advent

 

5 Beautiful Children’s Books
for a Simple Advent

“Who can add to Christmas?
The perfect motive is that God so loved the world.
The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son.
The only requirement is to believe in Him.
The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.”

-Corrie Ten Boom

Simple.

I want to keep it that way this month.
Don’t laugh.  It’s worth a try.
If we get still for a few moments, there’s something about Christmas that draws
us to Peace .  Open pastures and still waters, where we can rest and listen to the Shepherd’s song.

And that’s kind of what advent is all about.
The word itself  means  “coming”.
So as we set aside some quiet time to imagine and wonder and hope
in the coming of Christ, we are celebrating the advent.

While there are many wonderful family advent celebrations packed full of activities and fun,  I just wanted this one to be more like a natural part of your family’s life.  A gentle reminder during these holy days of a Gift so great that the angels came down to man to sing about it.

Continue reading 5 Beautiful Children’s Books for a Simple Advent →

american girl christmas
An American Girl Christmas
*Homeschooling Through the Holidays*

Christmas School is the perfect answer to how to Homeschool during the holidays !

The holidays are coming ! The holidays are coming !
Cooking, cleaning, preparing for company, shopping, parties, children’s plays,
church events, cooking some more, oh, yeah….and homeschooling !
Phew! I’m tired just from typing all of that !

How DO you homeschool through the holidays ?

Do you dream every year about decorating cookies with your kids, curling up by a fire and reading Christmas stories, making handmade gifts and cards, and spending time as a family focusing on the real heart of the holiday ?
Do you find it impossible to balance the long list of  “to-do’s” with all the
“want to do’s” ?
Something always falls short … school doesn’t happen, the fun stuff doesn’t happen, or the sleep doesn’t happen.   Sure you can clean the house at 1am when company is arriving in the morning…. zzzzzz.   Yep me too.  I’ve tried juggling all those plates.  Just not my forte.
Continue reading An American Girl Christmas – Holiday Homeschool →

Unique Gift Ideas for Kids

Ultimate List of Gift Ideas
for Creative Kids

In case you haven’t noticed I’m all about keeping the holidays simple and meaningful.
One thing that can cause a lot stress however, is finding really great gifts for kids.
Starting in October, every commercial on television, and every store bombards us ALL
with non-stop advertisements for the latest plastic toys that our children can’t live without.  They aren’t all junky…just so many of them !
It’s toy overload ! Makes the kiddos crazy and the mamas too!
My friend and I were just talking about this today. One of her favorite gifts
as a child was a box all packed with colored construction paper, markers, crayons, and other crafting things. All these years later, THAT is the gift she remembers.
Nothing fancy. And no batteries lol

So, I’m making my own Ultimate Gift Ideas List for Creative Kids.

**BONUS ! 
You can sit in your pjs, with a cup of coffee,
browse, and shop away.
No noisy advertisements. No lines.
Getting it done and keeping it simple !!

And…I promise this is NOT just another
Christmas gift guide with some randomly thrown together ideas!

These are real gift ideas for your creative and curious children!

Continue reading Ultimate Gift Ideas List for Creative Kids →

american girl free unit study

 


~Turn of the Century~
Unit Study


Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904:
Growing Up During America’s New Century    

Welcome to the world of Samantha Parkington, and the 6th unit
in the series of American Girl/American History Unit Studies !

In this Unit, we will learn what daily life was like at the Turn of the Century-  imagine…the etiquette of high tea, ballroom dancing, or strolling through Central Park…or working grueling hours in a shirtwaist factory and living in a tenement.  We will delve into the Industrial Revolution and we will walk down the avenues of the World’s Fair  re-discovering the amazing inventions that were changing the world!  We will imagine life through the eyes of children seeing the shores of America for the very first time, and settling in a new country.  We will get to know the President, known for his connection to the “teddy bear”- can you guess who it is?  And we will also get to know some of his friends who called our attention to America’s great natural beauty.
What an EXCITING time to have lived !
What an exciting time to re-live !
Hope you enjoy this unit.

**Note:  This post contains Amazon affiliate links (directly to Amazon).  At NO extra cost to you, I will earn a small commission from any sales clicked on through the links on this page.  Thank you for helping me keep my units FREE !

* Turn of the Century Core Reading:

“Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904“

 

*Week 1: “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-
Samantha’s World

1.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-  Meet Samantha                         (p.  1 )
2.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-   A Growing Country                  (p.  2-5 )
3.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-   Factories & Invention             (p. 6-7; 26-27; 46-49)
4.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-   Immigration                               (p.  42-45; 50-51 )
5.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-   City Life, Country Life             (p.  10-13; 8-9)

*Week 2: “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-
A Day with Samantha

1.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-  A Girl’s Life                                          (p. 36-37 )
2.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-  Ettiquette & Society                        (p.  32-35 )
3.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-  Fun & Entertainment                      (p. 14-17; 28-29)
4.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-  Fashion                                                 (p. 18-19;  30-31 )
5.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-   Health & Beauty                               (p.  20-23 )

*Week 3: “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904”-
The Turn of a Century

1.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-   The President                                  (p.  24-25 )
2.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-   The Reformers                               (p.  52-53 )
3.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-   Changes for Women                   (p.  38-39; 56-57 )
4.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-   Philanthropy                                  (p.  40-41  )
5.  “Welcome to Samantha’s World 1904″-   The Naturalists                              (p.   p. 54-55 )

Continue reading Samantha Turn of the Century Unit Study →

car games for kids

**5 Thanksgiving Car Trip Activities**
(You will be thankful for !)

“Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go…”

Sounds so nostalgic and cozy, right?  May be if Grandma lives just over the river and only
15 minutes away.   Otherwise, a Thanksgiving car trip with the whole family can be anything but enjoyable.

One is hungry. One is bored. One forgot batteries.
Someone is touching someone else; someone is making faces; and someone is breathing funny. I feel your pain.

BUT I have the answer to your holiday car travel woes!

In this post you will have everything you need to have a picturesque family Thanksgiving car trip to Grandmas !
Continue reading Thanksgiving Car Trip Activities →