Saturday, June 29, 2013

Oak Meadows Curriculum Giveaway

I am super excited to be able to offer another amazing giveway for you guys!  Good Luck!

 

We have teamed up with DenSchool and Teaching with Cents to bring you this great giveaway from Oak Meadow! Enter today on the Giveaway Tools form below.


One lucky reader will receive a Complete Curriculum Package (of their choice) from Oak Meadow. Imagine that, everything you need for homeschooling your child next year - for FREE!

Complete Curriculum Package Review

Oak Meadow has specialized in homeschooling curriculum for 35 years! They are committed to providing creative, innovative, and child-centered educational materials that can be utilized towards every family's needs and routine.

We believe that true intelligence arises when children are given opportunities to engage not only their heads, but their hands and hearts as well. Our curriculum includes assignments that ask children to read, write, and think, and also to paint, draw, play music, write poetry, and build things, encouraging balanced and healthy development.

Oak Meadow

Have you begun planning your next homeschooling year and not sure where to start? Stop by DenSchool to read reviews for some of your favorite curriculum packages! There, you will learn all about Oak Meadow and what this great giveaway has to offer you!

Visit DenSchool's Oak Meadow Reviews

 

DenSchool has reviewed curriculum packages for Grades 3, 4, and 6 - with an 8th grade review coming in August!

 
Contest Information:
*This great giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada, ages 18+.
*Giveaway ends on July 24th at 11:59 p.m. *DenSchool Contributors, immediate family members, and group giveaway bloggers are not eligible to enter DenSchool giveaways.

Emeals 4th of July Special!!

Emeals is offering a FREE 4th of July of Menu to all subscribers and here is a sneak peak at what it includes:

Easy Baby Back Ribs – Download the recipe card for this recipe here.

Baby-Back-Ribs-from-eMeals

Not a subscriber?

There is no better time than NOW to become one!

Save 15% with coupon code:  FOURTH

There are so many options and stores available to choose from:

  • Meal Plans

  • Classic Meals
  • Clean Eating
  • Paleo
  • Slow Cooker
  • Simple Gourmet
  • Low Carb
  • Low Fat
  • Portion Control
  • Natural & Organic
  • Vegetarian
  • Gluten Free
  • Lunch Plan
  • Breakfast Plan
  • Grocery Stores

  • ALDI
  • Kroger
  • Publix
  • Ralphs
  • Safeway
  • Target
  • Walmart
  • Whole Foods
  • Any Other Store

Meal Planning and Saving Money has NEVER been easier!  Especially with the new iOS and Android apps!  Your grocery list is already made for you and easily accessible!

SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH EMEALS MEAL PLANS

Friday, June 28, 2013

Escape Monthly Giveaway

I’m so excited to be able to offer this awesome giveaway to you guys!

Life is stressful, and it's hard to schedule the time we all need to relax. But what if you got a care package in the mail every month, designed specifically to help you break away?

Introducing Escape Monthly: a destination-inspired box full of luxury products to help you relax and renew. Every month, they curate high-quality products to help you slip into bliss—from spa & beauty products, to gourmet snacks & gift certificates. They also give a lucky member a vacation to the destination!

I don’t know of any mom that doesn’t deserve this!

An Escape Monthly subscription costs $49.95/mo (FREE Shipping to the United States and its territories, product not available elsewhere).  Sign up now and get 20% off for LIFE with this exclusive coupon "YOURESCAPE”
Note:  This is a monthly subscription program, when you sign up, you will be charged monthly and receive monthly a package unless you contact customer support to cancel.  You must cancel before the 15th of the month, as all subscriptions ship out then.
For more information or to sign up now for a preordered box visit their website.
Good Luck!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Field Trip #89 Friday Blog Hop

Field Trip Friday!
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A Blog Hop designed to share 'FIELD TRIP' related Blog Posts

(does not have to be a 'home school field trip', can be any trip to any place with your children!)

We went with our Homeschool Group to the Gunstock Ranch in Laie.  The kids got to ride horses, go to the petting zoo, play on their awesome playground, practice roping cattle and played a few games.  We also took a short nature hike to check out the Banyan Trees.

gunstock collage-001



**NOTE:  Before linking up please review guidelines HERE

    Thursday, June 27, 2013

    Lavender Sensory Playdough


    *The color got a lot darker after sitting for a bit…after I took this picture!
    2 3/4c flour
    1c salt
    4t cream of tarter
    6T oil
    2c water
    purple or red and blue food coloring (if desired)
    several drops of Lavender Essential Oil
    Mix all the ingredients in a sauce pan on Medium Heat, and keep stirring until it forms a smooth ball of dough that is not too sticky/goopy.  Remove from heat, and mix in food coloring and EO.
    This makes for a great sensorial experience as well as fine motor!
    It seriously smells soooo good!
    Be sure to store in an air tight container or ziploc bag!
    I made this for our Flowers unit we are doing and gave the kids flower shaped cookie cutters and foam stamps as well as a variety of other playdough tools.
    You could also mix in dry lavender or fresh petals if you have some!



    Linking up at the Tot School Gathering Place and many more (see right sidebar)



    Wednesday, June 26, 2013

    Whole Wheat Banana Nutella Muffins

    2 T oil
    1 1/4c sugar
    2 eggs
    1c wheat flour
    1/2c all purpose flour
    1t baking soda
    1/2t salt
    2-3 bananas (1c) – I use overripe bananas that have been frozen, and thaw them…makes the bread so moist!
    4T sour cream
    1-2T Nutella
    1t vanilla
    Mix wet, then dry ingredients.  Beat well.  Grease muffin pan or use papers.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25min.  Test.  May need another 5mins (I find it usually does). 

    For healthier muffins, substitute applesauce for oil, and plain yogurt for sour cream!  (I’m going to try that next time, it was an afterthought for me….if you try it let me know how it goes).  

    Tuesday, June 25, 2013

    Review: Moving Beyond the Page, Ages 7-9, Amazing Weather & Tornado (TOS Review)

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    Amazing WeatherTornado
    We had a lot of fun reviewing Moving Beyond the Page.  We got to check out Amazing Weather (Science Unit) and Tornado (Literature Unit) both for ages 7-9 year olds. 
    We received the Online Package for Amazing Weather, which included an online Lesson Guide available for 90 days from activation, and physical copies of the Literature, as well as a thermometer.  We received the regular package for Tornado, which included physical copies of all materials, including the Lesson Guide. 
    Moving Beyond the Page is a literature based unit study…therefore it is all encompassing subject wise (with the exception of math).  Each unit is based on a book and the Lesson Guide has a wide variety of activities outlined to go with each book.  These activities include spelling and vocabulary, as well as hands on experiments, art projects, writing assignments, etc… If you use this program, you only need to add a Math curriculum in order to cover all your educational bases!
    The units can be used individually, or are paired together (like Amazing Weather and Tornado) based on topics covered.  You can purchase the Lesson Guides alone, or the accompanying items.  You can purchase units individually or as an entire year long curriculum.  Both online and physical copy packages are available.  See the website for more details.
    In the units we reviewed, the main focus was weather and weather patterns.  We kept a daily weather log (which in Hawaii is not all that fascinating, pretty much 80 and sunny every day), discussed vocabulary words that went with the stories we read, talked about punctuation and main idea,  He learned how to read a thermometer, we discussed seasons and what types of activities are appropriate in different temperatures, we looked up average temperatures throughout the year in VA (where my mom lives, since Hawaii stays the same pretty much year round). 
    A lot of the student pages and other activities require quite a bit of writing, my son HATES to write (it’s a constant battle), so for we did eliminate some of these activities, or else adapted them buying doing them orally or allowing him to draw pictures. 

    C’s tornado picture
    In the book Weather and Climate, which was included with the Amazing Weather unit, it showed how to make a Wind Rose…which we made.

    As mentioned these units are designed for ages 7-9 years of age, my son is 6 (will be 7 in August) but reads at a higher level.  Prerequisites for each unit are listed on each unit description, I feel they are very accurate and should be taken into consideration before purchasing.  Adaptations can be made however, for instance books can be read aloud, and writing assignments done orally.
    The only negative I have is that the online versions are only available for a limited time after activation, which means you don’t really OWN them, you are more or less RENTING them…for that reason I think it would be well worth the extra cost to just purchase the physical copy, especially if you are purchasing the other materials (and not getting them from the library). 
    The books chosen for the unit were very enjoyable, and I would assume the same is true across the board for other units.
    The Amazing Weather Package can be purchased for $33.97 (or online version for $29.91).  The Tornado Package can be purchased for $24.97 (or online version for $20.91).  These are just a few of a wide variety of topics available for ages 7-9 ears old.  Visit Moving Beyond the Page to see the other topics, and visit other Schoolhouse Review Crew blogs to see what they had to say about them!
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    Monday, June 24, 2013

    Poppins Book Nook–Travel

    Doing some traveling this summer?  I have some great recommendations to keep your kids busy in the car/plane while you travel!

    Click on the picture for more details!

    Picture of 50 Travel Games and ActivitiesPicture of Sticker Dolly Dressing Travel

    Picture of Travel Activity BookPicture of Travel Doodles

    Picture of Around the World Sticker BookPicture of Sticker Dolly Dressing on Vacation

    Picture of 1001 Things to Spot on VacationPicture of Little Book of Vacation Activities

    Picture of Vacation Things to Make and DoPicture of 100 Things to Do on a Trip

    Picture of 50 Things to Spot at the AirportPicture of Going on a Plane Sticker Book

    Planning a road trip?  Check out my Road Trip Pinterest Board

    Continue to follow us and the other participating bloggers on the last Monday of each month!

    Enchanted Homeschooling Mom - Royal Baloo - 3 Dinosaurs - Monsters Ed -Chestnut Grove Academy - Growing in God's Grace - Royal Little Lambs - Life with Moore Babies - Teach Beside Me - The Usual Mayhem - Mum Central - Fantastic Fun and Learning - Kathys Cluttered Mind - Play Create Explore - Toddler Approved -Growing Book by Book - Adventures in Mommydom - B-Inspired Mama- The Fairy and The Frog - Edventures with Kids - Learning & Growing the Piwi way - A Gluten Free Journey - Mom to Crazy Monkeys - No Doubt Learning -Preschool Powol Packets - To The Moon and Back - Our Craft ~N~ Things - Farm Fresh Adventures -Proverbial Homemaker

    Have a Travel/Transportation related post?  Link it up here! NEXT MONTH: BEACH/OCEAN THEMES!!

    Friday, June 21, 2013

    Field Trip #88 Friday Blog Hop

    Field Trip Friday!
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    A Blog Hop designed to share 'FIELD TRIP' related Blog Posts

    (does not have to be a 'home school field trip', can be any trip to any place with your children!)

    We FINALLY made it out to see the new Dinosaur and Ice Age exhibit at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu.  I meant to get out there last month when the Poppins Book Nook theme was Dinosaurs!   Better late than never!

    The littlest was terrified of the moving exhibits, but warmed up a little bit to them after some time.

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    **NOTE:  Before linking up please review guidelines HERE

      Thursday, June 20, 2013

      Strawberry Whole Wheat Muffins

      1/4 cup melted butter
      1/2 cup milk
      1 egg
      1/2 teaspoon vanilla
      1/2 teaspoon salt
      1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
      2 teaspoons baking powder
      1/2 cup white sugar
      1/4 cup brown sugar
      1/2 cups all-purpose flour
      1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
      1 cup chopped strawberries (fresh, frozen or rehydrated (like THRIVE))
      Makes 12 muffins
      Directions
      1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oil an 12 cup muffin tin, or use paper liners.
      2. In a small bowl, combine oil, milk, vanilla and egg. Beat lightly. In a large bowl, mix flours, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and sugars. Toss in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour. Pour in milk mixture and stir together.
      3. Fill muffin cups. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 minutes, or until the tops bounce back from the touch. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.
      Linking up at Try A New Recipe Tuesday












      Tuesday, June 18, 2013

      Curriculum Extras

      Here are a few Curriculum Extra items I didn’t mention in my Curriculum post, that I wanted to make sure I gave proper credit too.

      In addition to the main curriculum, we will be using these supplemental materials:

      Maestros Classics 

      9 CD Collection

      Home Art Studio

      Home School Art Studio DVD: Second Grade 

      We Choose Virtues

      READS Parent/Child Reading Comprehension System

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      Family Time Fitness

      Family Time Fitness - Fitness For Homeschool

      Monday, June 17, 2013

      First Grade–Week 29–Ancient India

      We are WAY behind with Lego Club, but this was April’s project – a playground!  We just got around to doing it this week.  Lego Club is FREE through Currclick.com, you can use what Lego’s you have, order some from online sites (at a cost) or order a complete kit from the Club Leader.  We do a little of both, just depends on my mood. 



      We are also behind in opening our Little Passport packages, so I pulled out India this week….since we were studying Ancient India. 

      For Art we used Home Art Studio First Grade and did the lesson on peacocks, since peacocks live in India. 

      We also listened to Story of the World, read a story from India and read about the People of India (using the books pictured below)
      Picture of Stories from Around the WorldPicture of Peoples of the World
      For Science we are still doing the Moving Beyond the Page review, and enjoying it…more to come the end of the month. 
      For the most part we are doing light loads over the summer, our weeks are jammed pack with Swimming Lessons, Field Trips, Science Class, Art Camps, Pool/Beach Trips, Gymnastics, etc…