Teaching Creatively Giveaway (March 9-17)

Hey Friends~ I hope you enjoy it when I share an interesting post, or great giveaway opportunity. 

If you do, then this post is a little heads up!  You’ll want to keep your eyes on my blog next week , for some creative posts on:

·      Delight Directed Learning, 

·      Schooling in the Kitchen,

·      Toys, Games and Puzzles,

·      Homeschooling in a Crisis and

·      Hands On Projects

However, that’s not all! Keep reading for your opportunity to win a bundle of prizes from some of my favorite homeschool vendors, including Five In A Row, The Old Schoolhouse, KnowledgeQuest, Amanda Bennett, and more!

I'm joining in with Marcy @Ben and Me and Sam @Sam's Noggin to bring you this awesome giveaway during the 5 Days of Teaching Creatively Blog Hop, hosted by the Schoolhouse Review Crew! The Blog Hop won't begin until Monday, but we are starting the fun early by giving you the opportunity to win incredible bundles of books and homeschool resources!

There will be a total of 3 winners chosen -- one GRAND prize, a 1st RUNNER-UP and a 2nd RUNNER-UP! The contest will begin at 12am on March 9 and end at 12am on March 17.  Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter, but read the contest rules, found at the bottom of the Rafflecopter widget, first. 

The GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive ALL of the following -- a $525 value!

Geography Matters -- Profiles from History Package ($50 value) Looking for a way to help your students connect with history? The Profiles from History series is dedicated to telling the stories of people, whose lives are worth remembering. Whether they made a discovery, led heroically in a war, created a masterpiece through music, or art, used a pen to change the world, or impacted humanity with their bravery—they made a difference. We can learn so much by looking at those who came before us. Be ready to change your mind about history, with Profiles from History, Volumes 1, 2, and 3.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine --  1-year membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com, a new Print Issue of The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine, and a Homeschooling with Heart Tote Bag ($90 value)

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is an online classroom and has more than 2 dozen expert teachers who cover 25 different subjects presented via teaching videos, ongoing lesson plans, worksheets, lapbooks & unit studies, writing prompts and other assignments to choose from, students can additionally interact personally with the teachers by asking them questions and gaining feedback.

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett -- Passport Geography set, consisting of the Combos (K - 12) for United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany ($50 value) 
Taking an in-depth look at world geography with the new Passport Geography™(PPG) series by Amanda Bennett. These one-week studies use a cross-curricular approach (covering geography, history, science, etc.) to take students on virtual journeys around the globe. Each study is interactive, including daily lessons for both elementary grades and Jr/Sr High grades, with no prep required.

Shining Dawn Books -- Early Spring Bundle ($21 value)

Early spring is known for its wonderfully rainy weather, leading to lots of beautiful fungi. It’s also the season when animals busily go about their regular activities after the relative quietness of winter. This bundle will help you to explore each of these exciting aspects of the spring season in-depth.

A+ Tutorsoft -- 1-yr subscription to the online A+ TutorSoft math program -- winner's choice from    grade levels 1st-4th ($150 value)
A+ TutorSoft, Inc. provides Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Full Curriculum products to help students improve their grades at all levels. Our Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH helps homeschooling families as well as public and private school teachers and students. A+ TutorSoft offers everyone a FREE 30 day trial on all products. Visit the top right corner of our website: http://www.aplustutorsoft.com/. And through 3/31/13 they are offering 50% off all products with code spoffer50!

Five in a Row -- Complete Digital Holiday book ($34 value)

A complement to any lifestyle of learning, this book is different from the Five in a Row manuals. It doesn’t give a specific book to study for each holiday, rather it is a treasury of traditions, memories and ideas for making your own! Each unit also includes calendar pages, blank pages for recording your own memories, and combinations of traditions and recipes, book and movie suggestions, quotes, decorating ideas, and more! 

Knowledge Quest -- Wonders of Old Timeline Book ($25 value)

Wonders of Old is divided into four historical time periods: ancient, medieval, new world and modern. Significant dates are listed at the conclusion of each section as a helpful reference. This hardcover book measures 9x12 and is printed on extra thick 70# paper for durability.

In the Hands of a Child -- 1-Year Super Membership ($75 value)

Super Memberships Save You Time and Money! Each month Super Members receive two free downloadable Lapbooks. These Lapbooks are always brand new and have not been released for sale to the general public. Super Members also receive:

• 15% discount off all purchases of existing eBook Lapbooks.
• A free Birthday
•  Lapbook10.00 off the price of any custom ordered unit

Southern Hodgepodge -- A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook ($20 value)
Looking for an easy way to add art to your days? With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook – just add chalk pastels and paper! Short lessons for a whole year, 100 pages of tutorials, art for all ages.

Tricia Goyer -- Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska ($13 value)
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But When singer Ginny Marshall travels to the isolated town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, she is charmed by the town's colorful characters and stunning scenery. She discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between an early missionary to Alaska Territory and his accidental mail-order bride. Written by homeschool moms, Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss.

Frontier 2000 -- No Regrets: How Homeschooling Earned Me a Master's Degree by Age Sixteen by Alexandra Swann and Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years As a Homeschooling Mother by Joyce Swann ($20 value)
No Regrets: The engaging story of Swann's experiences growing up as a Southern Baptist homeschooled child from New Mexico earning her education at a highly accelerated pace. At the age of fifteen she became the youngest student ever to graduate from Brigham Young University in its 111 year history.

Looking Backward: From 1975-2000, Joyce Swann homeschooled each of her ten children from the first grade through master's degrees by the age of sixteen. In this book, she discusses the methods she used to teach as well as the obstacles that threatened her success.

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The 1st RUNNER UP will receive ALL of the following -- a $225 value!

Geography Matters -- Cultural Geography Package ($50 value) Have you ever thought that geography was a boring subject? Then you've never used these books! Eat Your Way Through the U.S.A. and Eat Your Way Around the World are a taste buds-on approach to geography. Each state or country has its unique geographical features and agricultural products. These influence both the ingredients that go into a recipe and the way food is prepared. Why stop with only your taste-buds? Let's involve all the senses by adding Geography Through Art! This hand-son approach will supplement any study of geography, history, or social studies. Geography Through Art is sure to make a lasting addition to your home or school library. You'll find yourself reaching for this indispensable guide again and again to delight and engage students in learning about geography through the culture and art of peoples around the world.

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett -- Discover the Senses Download N Go ($9 value) In this study, your child will investigate a new sense each day, learning what it is and how it works, as well as what it does for him. He will learn what impacts that particular sense. And he will meet some of history’s heroes, such as Louis Braille, who helped along the way. Each day, your student will explore and investigate, creating and adding more learning components to his Discover the Senses lapbook—building a wonderful reminder of all that he is learning to be enjoyed for years to come.

Shining Dawn Books -- Remarkable Rain ($9 value)

Quiet and peaceful, or wild and raging – rain comes in many forms. This NaturExplorers unit sets out to examine rain in all its beauty, observe its effects and make you look forward to the next rainy day!

A+ Tutorsoft -- 3-month subscription to the online A+ TutorSoft math program -- winner's choice from    grade levels 1st-4th ($50 value)
A+ TutorSoft, Inc. provides Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Full Curriculum products to help students improve their grades at all levels. Our Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH helps homeschooling families as well as public and private school teachers and students. A+ TutorSoft offers everyone a FREE 30 day trial on all products. Visit the top right corner of our website: http://www.aplustutorsoft.com/. And through 3/31/13 they are offering 50% off all products with code spoffer50!

Five in a Row -- Set of Five Audio Files from Steve Lambert ($20 value)

We all need some inspiration from time to time! Steve and Jane Lambert have been encouraging homeschoolers on their journey since 1994. These Five in a Row audio files have been recorded at major state homeschooling conventions around the United States and Canada and have been chosen because we believe you’ll enjoy it for its wisdom, humor and encouragement shared by Steve. Including: Where do I Begin?, I Can't Teach All the Grades at Once, Making Your Children into World Changers, On Becoming Great Teachers, and High School and Beyond.

In the Hands of a Child -- 6-Month Super Membership ($55 value)

Super Memberships Save You Time and Money! Each month Super Members receive two free downloadable Lapbooks. These Lapbooks are always brand new and have not been released for sale to the general public. Super Members also receive:

• 15% discount off all purchases of existing eBook Lapbooks.
• A free Birthday
•  Lapbook10.00 off the price of any custom ordered unit

Southern Hodgepodge -- A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook ($20 value)
Looking for an easy way to add art to your days? With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook – just add chalk pastels and paper! Short lessons for a whole year, 100 pages of tutorials, art for all ages.

Tricia Goyer -- Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska ($13 value)
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But When singer Ginny Marshall travels to the isolated town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, she is charmed by the town's colorful characters and stunning scenery. She discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between an early missionary to Alaska Territory and his accidental mail-order bride. Written by homeschool moms, Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss.

____________________________________________

The 2nd RUNNER UP will receive ALL of the following -- a $190 value!

Geography Matters -- Adventures of Munford Package ($35 value) Although he's just two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, Munford is all adventure. He can be rain, snow, sleet, or steam. He has traveled the world in search of excitement. Throughout history, he has been present at some of the most important and world-changing events. Fun and educational, Munford will inspire your children to learn more about many of history's greatest moments. These readers make a great addition to your learning experience in areas such as history, geography, and science. This book series is written on an elementary reading level, but provides plenty of read-aloud entertainment for the entire family!

Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett -- Discover the Senses Download N Go ($9 value) In this study, your child will investigate a new sense each day, learning what it is and how it works, as well as what it does for him. He will learn what impacts that particular sense. And he will meet some of history’s heroes, such as Louis Braille, who helped along the way. Each day, your student will explore and investigate, creating and adding more learning components to his Discover the Senses lapbook—building a wonderful reminder of all that he is learning to be enjoyed for years to come.

Shining Dawn Books -- Remarkable Rain ($9 value) Quiet and peaceful, or wild and raging – rain comes in many forms. This NaturExplorers unit sets out to examine rain in all its beauty, observe its effects and make you look forward to the next rainy day!

A+ Tutorsoft -- 3-month subscription to the online A+ TutorSoft math program -- winner's choice from    grade levels 1st-4th ($50 value)
A+ TutorSoft, Inc. provides Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Full Curriculum products to help students improve their grades at all levels. Our Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH helps homeschooling families as well as public and private school teachers and students. A+ TutorSoft offers everyone a FREE 30 day trial on all products. Visit the top right corner of our website: http://www.aplustutorsoft.com/. And through 3/31/13 they are offering 50% off all products with code spoffer50!

Five in a Row -- Volume 4 Digital Unit of Winner's Choice ($9 value)

Five in a Row was created by Jane Claire Lambert, a successful homeschool teacher with more than 17 years of experience. To use Five in a Row, just pick one of the 70 books used in Five in a Row, locate the corresponding lesson plan in your teacher’s guide, read the story aloud each day during the week and use Jane’s suggestions and lesson plans to lead your children on a wonderful learning adventure. It’s that simple! Each unit covers Social Studies, Geography, Language Arts, Applied Math, Science and Art in a way that causes children to fall in love with learning.

In the Hands of a Child -- 2-Month Super Membership ($45 value)
Super Memberships Save You Time and Money! Each month Super Members receive two free downloadable Lapbooks. These Lapbooks are always brand new and have not been released for sale to the general public. Super Members also receive:

• 15% discount off all purchases of existing eBook Lapbooks.
• A free Birthday
• Lapbook10.00 off the price of any custom ordered unit

Southern Hodgepodge -- A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook ($20 value)
Looking for an easy way to add art to your days? With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels ebook – just add chalk pastels and paper! Short lessons for a whole year, 100 pages of tutorials, art for all ages.

Tricia Goyer -- Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska ($13 value)
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But When singer Ginny Marshall travels to the isolated town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, she is charmed by the town's colorful characters and stunning scenery. She discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between an early missionary to Alaska Territory and his accidental mail-order bride. Written by homeschool moms, Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pretty incredible, don't you think? Be sure to enter, and share the giveaway opportunity with your friends (And stay tuned for the 5 Days of Teaching Creatively Blog Hop starting on Monday).

Blessings~

~ Wordless Wednesday ~ Nifty Artsy App ~

 Joining in on Wordless Wednesday~ posting some fun things we created with iPhone app  AutoPainter - Mediachance (compatible with my iPad, and free at the time of posting) (very neat app! It "paints" your photo in front of your eyes!) and then "Collaged" using iPad app Nostalgio - Apalon  (homeschool moms take note... I can see using these for a number of applicaitons!).

Enjoy! 

Blessings~

Abraham’s Journey: A Celebration of the American Dream (Book Review)

I had high hopes for this next review, which is a unique product~ a print book that incorporates the use of a digital device into its time-travel story-line.  Abraham’s Journey: A Celebration of the American Dream , written by Robert and Kathleen Basmadjian, is produced by Inspiring the American Dream.

In order to flesh out the idea of "The American Dream" beyond the definition given in the book, I turned to that wonderful resource of cyberspace, Wikipedia for the following: The definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.^[1]
The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the United States Declaration of Independence which proclaims that "all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." ^[2]

Throughout this slim volume (32 pages) the main character, a young boy named Abraham, is taken on a journey through time and cyberspace by none other than Abraham Lincoln. Along the way they meet a number of present and historical American figures who encourage young Abraham to find and develop his special talent in order to make some money and "save Christmas" for his family, as they have been hit financially by "The Great Recession," which is apparently what they are calling our present time(???). 

What we liked about the book~

• Creative and unique story line with the techno-time-travel.
• Some lesser known names in American history are introduced.
• Virtuous ideals are promoted~ so that concept is good.
• Lessons in History, Social Studies, Career Exploration, Charity, Innovation can all be pulled from this story.  

However, there were some things that definitely hit me the wrong way~
Beyond the cyber-travel experience, I felt that we had to suspend belief in reality a little bit.

• The American Dream appears to have been distilled down  from "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" to being "Successful" from a financial viewpoint. I can't think how many times we have discussed with our children that money does not equal happiness.
• The concept that a family whose child owns a smart-phone would not be able to "afford" Christmas is a little bit of a stretch for this one-income-nobody-here-owns-a-smart-phone-family. I do realize that the smart-phone is integral to the story, I just think the plot could have been a little stronger, and that Abraham's "Conflict" could have followed a more realistic theme, greater than the materialistic lack of presents... some major need for money (I could go for a storyline that promotes needing funds to adopt children, helping to provide clean water in 3rd world countries, etc... something bigger than presents at Christmas).
• To continue that thought~ the idea that Christmas is all about the presents and is in need of being "Saved" if presents aren't an option bothered me. I don't want my children thinking that Christmas isn't Christmas if there aren't presents under the tree... that is not *my* personal view of Christmas~ We don't save Christmas, Christmas (Or at least the baby whose birth we celebrate at Christmas) saves us. 
• Seemed a little choppy or confusing when people from different time periods show up in the same vignette.  
• Inclusion of people like Bill Gates (child of a Prominent Lawyer) and Mark Zuckerberg (Attended an exclusive prep school~ typically the haunt of the "upper class" and the "elite") ~ It seems to me that they started out living "The American Dream" as a children.

I wish the that plot was different, had been fleshed out a bit more, and that different people (Those who had overcome some difficulty in order to achieve some version of "The American Dream") had been used as examples. Then everyone could appreciate the messages of creativity, hard work, innovation, perseverance, and compassion and generosity that are loosely woven throughout the book.

Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 

• Company: Inspiring the American Dream
• Product: Abraham’s Journey: A Celebration of the American Dream
• Available as a paperback OR as an ebook   Abraham's Journey: Kindle Version
• Ages: 7-12
• Price: $14.99 (PB) $9.99 (Kindle)

Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Review Crew and see what others had to say, because I'm sure there are other opinions.  As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

Disclaimer: I received this/these item(s)/service for free as part of the TOS Review Crew Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

College Common Sense

Oh boy! I have a Sophomore in high school, and college is looming on the horizon. We are in the stages of needing to start figuring out where Eldest wants to go, and how her higher education will be financed. Pretty good timing for my next review item as part of the TOS Review Crew.

I was given 12 months of access to Going to College and Paying for it Online Video and Workbook,  the paid portion of Denise C. Ames' College Common Sense website.



Denise is a Financial Aid Consultant, whose experience has allowed her to collect a vast amount of information, and a system of putting that information to work, on her website.

The meat of her information can be found in the course accessed through membership in the website~ Going to College and Paying For It consists of 6 videos and their accompanying pdf files. This makes the information accessible to both auditory and visual learners, although the videos do contain a few pieces of information not included in the pdfs (however, by and large the pdf's are almost transcripts of the videos). The 6 videos cover the following topics:

• The Big Picture
• How Financial Aid Works
• All About the Free Money
• The System that Works
• You in the Process, and
• Put it all Together

After watching each video, the corresponding pdf file finishes with a page containing a few exercises that will help your and your child to get the beginning of the college journey off the ground

In addition to the pdf files, the website contains many useful links and articles that may provide inspiration for your student's answer to the question "What do I want to do when I grow up?"  (the Going to College piece) as well as help on choosing the right college and how to apply for scholarships and financial aid (the And Paying for It piece).

Prospective students and their parents are also invited to sign up for Denise's monthly newsletter, and to receive her free lesson plans via email.  The newsletters and lesson plans cover some of the same material that you will find in the videos/pdf's, but they are more bits and pieces, not the complete package all at once.

What We Liked~

• The information in the videos was presented with a clear and natural progression, to help the prospective college student approach the decision making and scholarship searching process in a systematic fashion. 
• Everything was broken down into workable exercises and tasks, including ways to look for the right college ( I spent a fair amount of time searching colleges on this site College Navigator which I may not have found without Denise's website pointing me in that direction).
• It created a starting point for those big decisions (Even though we are a couple of years out).
• Helped us to realize that there are many scholarship opportunities
• Showed us places to search scholarships out
• Gave tips on how to approach applying for them in a methodical manner
• Showed us how to keep the process organized.

What We Didn't Like~

• The website is a bit confusing. In order to access the free materials mentioned in the videos and pdf files one must log out of the member portion of the site, and navigate to the appropriate link. It would be helpful if all of the navigation links from the free side of the site remained on the subscription side... we found it rather tedious to log in and out. 
• When using the free lesson plans it is important to know that they don't entirely follow the videos, so be forewarned that there may be some teenage frustration and tears if your child is trying to make them mesh perfectly. They won't, so go into the process knowing that, and everyone will be much happier!

An observation that doesn't really fit into "we didn't like it," but is worth mentioning. 

• The video is not flashy, and often Denise is seen speaking in profile, which can be a little disconcerting if one is used to being spoken "to" directly. 

So how did we actually use this product?

• First, we watched the videos, which gave us a good overview of what to expect. 
• We visted a bunch of the links and started exploring some of the more local college options online.
• We checked out some of the scholarship information, and started thinking about honing that down.
• We are now more motivated to start organizing our search for scholarship monies, and a fairly simple but useful system to use.
• Just reviewing this program opened up conversations again about "What do you want to do when you grow up?" and "What  kind of school do you want to go to?" and "Where do you want to go to school?" We don't have the answers to those questions just yet, but the asking is the first step to finding the answers. :)

What did we decide to save for later?

• Because my eldest is a sophomore, we didn't need to work through the FAFSA form just yet. 
• We didn't tour any colleges (Dragging the boys and the 24/7 "retired service dog" along weren't options at this point in time).
• The scholarship folder is just getting started, so that's a little bit of saved for later and just begun.

Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 

• Company: College Common Sense
• Product: Going to College and Paying for it Online Video and Workbook
• Ages:Vendor 6+ (yes, there are scholarships available even for 6 year olds), my recommendation is that it is most useful for 9th grade and up
• Price: $25 for 12 months access to the videos, or there is the option to purchase the videos on DVD with an accompanying workbook for $50.

Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Review Crew and see what others had to say. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

Disclaimer: I received this/these item(s)/service for free as part of the TOS Review Crew Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."