Friday, December 31, 2010

Day 6: 12 Days of Christmas with Amanda Bennett

On the 6th day of Christmas, I hope I win the prize.....a brand new Kindle, JUST MY SIZE!!

Today, we're celebrating the 6th day in our 12 Days of Christmas special!

We hope that you've already taken a couple of minutes to enter to win a Kindle.  All you have to do is enter your email address at the bottom of the 12 Days of Christmas webpage, click the "Win a  Prize" box and submit, and you'll be entered to win in our drawing on January 7!

Now back to the specials! Three of our favorite Amanda Bennett Unit Studies are available to you for $5.95 each! The titles include:

Digital Photography One of the things that is most amazing in children is their sense of wonder. When you capture their interest, you capture their sense of wonder and open the door to learning. This new unit study on digital photography helps to capture their wonder and investigate the world around them, while learning about science, history, geography, and art at the same time. Using this four-week unit study, they will learn about how a digital camera works and how to use one. They will also learn about some of the basic elements of good composition and other important aspects of taking a good picture.

American Government The people and events in the history of American government tell a tale that brings the basics of our government to life. Who exactly were the Founding Fathers, and why are they still such hot topics of debate? Why did they want to not only break away from England, but form a new and very different form of government? Just exactly what was the “Great Compromise” and what difference did it make? And, by the way, wait until you learn about the Electoral College and the real reason for its creation. 

Horses From a stick horse to a rocking horse, we are introduced to horses at an early age, and continue to be mesmerized by them throughout childhood. With thoughts of being cowboys and cowgirls, children play in imaginary haylofts and ride magnificent horses in their minds. This study uses this interest and curiosity to help them learn about history, science, geography and the care and keep of horses.


Each title is downloadable and ready for your immediate use! Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Day 5: 12 Days of Christmas with Amanda Bennett

On the 5th day of Christmas, the savings really start to grow......25% off from Download N Go!

On the 5th day of The 12 Days of Christmas, use coupon code, DNG25OFF, and save 25% off the DNG title of your choice! With more than 35 titles to choose from, you're sure to find one that will delight your children and warm your winter days.

Don't forget to enter to win the Kindle! Scroll down to the bottom of the 12 Days of Christmas page and enter your email address. Don't forget to click the "Win a Prize" box!



Day 4: 12 Days of Christmas with Amanda Bennett

On the 4th Day of Christmas, I had to stop and see.....what does Amanda have for me?

Today, we celebrate the 4th day in our 12 Days of Christmas with Amanda Bennett, with an awesome offer on 4 titles from Amanda Bennett Unit Studies. Each title is offered for just $4.95!  As you're planning the rest of your school year, this is the perfect time to stock up on these popular titles:











Have you entered to win the Kindle yet?

Monday, December 27, 2010

Day 3: 12 Days of Christmas with Amanda Bennett

On the 3rd day of Christmas, get the seasons one or all....Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall!


Continuing on with the 12 Days of Christmas, 'tis the Season to save money!  We have all 4 of the Download N Go "seasonal" titles for just $4 each.  Choices in this series include:

Spring Surprises
Summer Sensations
Winter Wonders
Autumn Treasures

Create a notebook of the seasons, take nature walks and find out how animals and plants get ready as the seasons change, learn about seasonal differences in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres!  There's so much to explore in God's creation from this perspective!



Don't forget, this special is only good for today (Tuesday). Be sure to check back tomorrow.  You're sure to find something that will please every student on your homeschool roll!

Also, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the 12 Days of Christmas webpage to enter the Kindle giveaway!

Day 2: 12 Days of Christmas with Amanda Bennett

On the 2nd Day of Christmas, I could not believe my eyes.....Christmas and Easter for such a great price!


Our 12 Days of Christmas with Amanda Bennett continues today with the Christmas and Easter Unit Studies for just $3.95 each!

Each of these inspiring holiday unit studies will take your children through a 4-week journey to learn more about Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection!

The interactive studies are filled with clickable links written into the study and daily lesson plans written on 2 levels (lower for your elementary students and upper for you middle and high school students). There are also booklists, project ideas, and many other resources to enrich your studies.



Each study also come with FREE notebooking pages! This is a rare opportunity to purchase these wonderful units at such a low price.  But remember, the price is good for today, December 27 only!

P. S. If you haven't done so already, don't forget to enter our giveaway for a Kindle!


New Release: Magnificent Moon

The Download N Go Series is blasting off with this latest title!  Magnificent Moon is ready for you in the DNG Store!

Moons, walking on the moon, moon rocks, moon trees, the man in the moon, even moon cookies! Studying the moon will open up your child's imagination and curiosity about everything out there in the night sky!


Who was the first American to walk on the moon?
How many moon phases are there?
Which astronaut is also an amazing painter?
   Where will you find other moons in our solar system?

Your children will love exploring the moon, Earth's nearest neighbor!



Encourage your child's creativity and imagination by blasting off to the Magnificent Moon today! Download Magnificent Moon today!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Day 1: 12 Days of Christmas with Amanda Bennett

On the first day of Christmas, Amanda gave to me......huge savings on Tremendous Trees!



Sunday kicks off the 12 Days of Christmas with Amanda Bennett!  For the next 12 days we'll be bringing you incredible savings from both the Download N Go and Amanda Bennett Unit Studies titles!

Each special will only be good for that one day, so be sure to check back each day for the new special items! For the 1st Day of Christmas, you can purchase Tremendous Trees for just $2!



Not only that, we will also be giving away a Kindle to one very blessed winner!  To enter, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the 12 Days page, sign up to receive news from Amanda, clicking as many interest groups as you wish, but do not forget to click the "WIN A PRIZE" list to have a chance to win a Kindle!

P.S. Even if you're already on our mailing list, be sure to sign up again! And remember to check back tomorrow for the 2nd Day of Christmas special on 2 titles from Amanda Bennett Unit Studies!

12 Days of Christmas with Amanda Bennett!

Merry Christmas!!

It's time for 12 Days of Christmas with Amanda Bennett! Beginning, tomorrow, December 26, check back each day to see what incredible savngs Amanda has for YOU!

Each daily special is only good for that day, so don't delay.  Be sure to check back tomorrow for the 1st Day of Christmas special! (it won't be a partridge in a pear tree....but there's a hint in there for you!)

One more thing!  Scroll down to the bottom of the 12 Days of Christmas with Amanda Bennett page and enter to win a Kindle!! Be sure to follow the instructions very carefully!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Christmas: A Study of Love

Christmas: A Study of Love
Amanda BennettCopyright 2006 Amanda Bennett

The warm feeling of love, the snug feeling of togetherness and family, and the joy and
excitement of celebration -- all to be found in many American homes this time of year.

From the preparation and celebration of harvest and Thanksgiving to the last day of the Twelve Days of Christmas, there is a wonderful feeling of love everywhere, and as homeschooling families, we can take this time to learn, prepare our homes and our hearts, and share with others throughout the year.

At our house, we begin planning for the holiday season by preparing unit studies on both Thanksgiving and Christmas. This has become a regular tradition here, and one that is eagerly anticipated year after year. With each year of holidays comes a new slant or area of interest for our learning adventures, and we have never worked on any unit study in the same way twice! We use these holiday studies to help us grow in our knowledge as well as giving the children more time to thoroughly prepare for and understand the meaning of the holidays -- the history, literature, geography, science and music represented within the holiday theme.

In this article, I would like to focus on studying Christmas as a family unit. What does Christmas mean to you and your family? Ever take a close look with your family, asking them what they think? Write down their comments without criticism or discussion. Then, ask them what they like best about Christmas and then what their favorite holiday tradition is -- if they are old enough to understand. This is a great way to begin the Christmas season, and is usually a real eye-opener! What significance do you give to the true meaning of Christmas?

I first wrote the CHRISTMAS Unit Study to meet this need in our own home. We wanted to study this with the children, learning together and drawing us all closer in your own celebration. We were tired of the commercialism that had worked its way into Christmas and had to reflect very closely on what and how we had celebrated in the past, as well as finding ways to focus on the true meaning of Christmas -- the reason for the celebration -- His birth. We worked with the children to define what Christmas means to our family and what we would like to change. How could we celebrate Christmas with our family, our church, our neighbors and our community with the right emphasis? After all, this event we are celebrating was foretold in almost 400 different prophecies in the Old Testament - quite a fulfilling event when our Savior was born! Why shouldn't we celebrate it as least as much as we do the birth of one of our own babies?

Like me, you probably get overwhelmed with catalogs in the mail this time of year. But recently, one that we received really caught the attention of one of the children. It has a picture of Mary and Joseph and the Baby Jesus on the front cover, but it is somehow very different. My son looked at it and said, "Look, Mom -- they had a baby! Look at how happy they are!" Unlike so many other nativity scenes where Mary and Joseph have rather nondescript faces, this one shows them as parents getting a first good look at their new baby -- utmost joy and pride and awe and love. Their expressions also reflect what I imagine that God felt about then, too -- pride and love for His own Son.

We have tried to look back at the expectations we had before each baby was born -- the joy, the fear, the concerns and the love. As we talk about these feelings of expectations, we can connect them to the feelings of God's children as they heard for so many years about the coming of the Savior and their own feelings of expectation. Then, how Mary and Joseph must have felt with their own special knowledge about this baby and Who He was. You can celebrate Advent to take a close look at the prophecies, the Birth and what His coming means to you as Christians. We do things like learning some of the prophecies of the Old Testament, and having the older children look to find where each of these prophecies were fulfilled. God does keep His promises, doesn't He!

We also include some geography, following the path of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, and try to understand what their trip was probably like. They had to travel just under one hundred miles over rough roads, using their feet and a donkey for transportation. It took them at least a week to make the journey -- contrast this for the children, using some other trip that they remember that was about that far, and how you covered the distance in under two hours.

We study what the area was like during that time of year -- quite a bit like where we lived in Florida several years ago -- no snow! It would have been a warmer climate, and citrus would have been getting ripe, with plenty of olive, date and palm trees. The children were so amazed to find out that the first Christmas weather was so much like that of Florida -- so then they asked, why do we associate so much snow with Christmas?

Another big question -- why exactly do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th, anyway? After hearing both sides of the argument over whether Christmas is a Christian or a pagan holiday, I decided to do some research of my own to include in the study and the findings were very interesting. Before the fourth century, Jesus' birth was celebrated on January 6th, along with the Epiphany. Then, as Christianity moved through Rome, Pope Liberius of Rome, in 353 A.D., researched historical records to try to establish the actual day of Christ's birth. Remember -- the whole journey to Bethlehem was to participate in a census and pay appropriate taxes -- record keeping! As a result of his work, the Pope decided to make December 25th the official day of celebrating Christ's birth.

Now, for the 12 days of Christmas. I was reading a beautifully written book recently, The Christmas Book by Alice Lawhead. The author has a whole section about slowing down the frenzy and focusing on the meaning of Christmas. She offers ideas like celebrating Christmas throughout the original 12 days of Christmas, which begin on Christmas Eve and continue until January 6th, which is the celebration of Epiphany, marking the Wise Men's visit to the Baby, the first visit of Gentiles to see the new King. Why not make cookies and have more of the festivities throughout those 12 days with family, instead of spending December in a flat-out rush to get it all ready for that one day, and be so eager to have it all out of the house! This way, we can avoid the let-down of December 26th and keep the focus of the celebration where it should be. We also use this study to learn more about the many Christmas traditions, those celebrated in this country as well as other countries. These might include the Yule Log, mumming, the days of posadas, and on and on. Have the children help with the research and then share their findings.

Use the season to read some classics aloud in the evenings while everyone is working on Christmas projects. Consider books like The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates by Mary Dodge, and, of course, we read the Gospels of the Bible.

As children get older, there are two books that they might enjoy, Two from Galilee, Love Story of Mary and Joseph and Three from Galilee, the Young Man from Nazareth both by Majorie Holmes. These books have made the people and the nativity so much more real to all of us, and added new depth and understanding to the event on a human level.

There are so many books about Christmas available now and most of my favorites can be found at local Christian bookstores. Some of them are One Wintry Nightby Ruth Bell GrahamThe Best Christmas Pageant Everby Barbara RobinsonBefore and After Christmas: Activities and Ideas for  Advent and Epiphany, by Debbie Trafton O'Neal, and The Scriptures Sing of Christmas: An Advent Study of Christmas, by J. Ellsworth Kalas.

It is my hope that you all relax and enjoy the holidays, learning and sharing as a family, and that the adventures will bring you many happy memories in the years to come. May God bless you and your family abundantly!

Blessed Christmas!
Amanda B.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Welcome to Our New Blog!

Thanks for hopping on over to the new Download N Go Blog!  We're glad you're here!

Please follow us on Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs so you won't miss any news! You'll find the links on the sidebar to the far right.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Announcing the winners of the Tree Frog Mouse Pad Giveaway!

Congratulations to the following DNG fans! You are the winners of the Tree Frog Mouse Pad Giveaway.  You will be receiving an email with instructions for how to claim your prize!


Barb S.
Deborah
Gina Jolley
Jana
Stephanie
Kristin
Denise Veal
Jessica

New Release: Expedition Canada!

Introducing DNG's newest release, Expedition Canada!


Mounties, maple, moose, a goose, pingos, loonies, and lights . . . From sea to sea, Canada is a land of culture, fun, wonder and sights!
Day 1: Where on Earth Is Canada?
Day 2: Some of the Special Places of Canada
Day 3: A Bit of History
Day 4: Special Things to Know About Canada
Day 5: Fun and Games in Canada
Your kids will adore exploring Canada, the world’s second largest country.
Canada is a vast and exciting place full of fascinating people, history, geography, remarkably interesting animals, and more. The hockey games, the arctic tundra, the moose, and the polar bears will catch children’s attention, but kids are amazed to learn about the northern lights, Niagara Falls, the sport of curling, and the Canadian Rockies.
Order Expedition Canada today in the Download N Go Store!


Thursday, December 16, 2010

Year-End Inventory Blow-Out!!

We are liquidating our entire stock of unit studies on CD, at www.unitstudy.com!  Prices are cut 60% or more. Many studies are available for just $5!
The $5 category includes these titles:

Baseball
Gardens
Trains
Space
Flight
Dogs
Sailing Ships
Race Cars
Missionary Heroes
American History Stories
Heroes of Chivalry
Heroes of Invention
American Hero Stories
Athletes of the Bible

Hurry, supplies will run out quickly!
You'll find these great deals in the Amanda Bennett Unit Studies Store.

New Coupon Codes!

It's that time of year.  Christmas.  And while you are all busily preparing for this season of giving, we at DNG are aware of how tight the finances can get.  We want to do our part to help you save.  We have 2 coupon codes you are welcome to use anytime in the Download N Go Store.
15OFF30 will save you 15% off any order of $30 or more (this is even better than our former Pick 4 Bundle).  For example, choose any 4 DNG titles.  The full price would be $31.80.  With this code, you pay $27.03!
25OFF100 will save you 25% off any order of $100 or more. For example, choose any 13 DNG titles.  The full price would be $103.35.  With this code, you pay just $77.52!
You may use these codes any time.  There's no expiration date!  It's our way of saying "thank you" to our wonderful and dedicated customers!

UPDATE:  All USAB products have been consolidated at www.UnitStudy.com.  Please stop by the new site and check out the current special offers:  www.UnitStudy.com/Specials.  Thanks!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Creation Camouflage Blog Tour

Masters of disguise . . . cloaked and cunning . . . crafty, camouflaged animals—from the bottom of the sea, to the top of the world—discover them all!

Our review team has been doing  just that this week with Creation Camouflage!  Check out their reviews below by clicking on the Linky Tool.  The team will begin posting their reviews on December 15!

As an added bonus, Creation Camouflage is also this week's DNG Special.  You can purchase this fascinating study in the DNG Store for just $5.95, through December 18, 2010.

For added fun, we are also having a DNG Blog Giveaway.  Enter to win one of 8 Tree Frog Mouse Pads! Hurry! This contest ends at 9pm EST on December 17, 2010!

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Creation Camouflage Sale and Giveaway!

Creation Camouflage is one of our newest DNG titles and has quickly become a favorite of many DNG families!

Learn all about how and why animals hide in different parts of the earth, from oceans and rain forests to deserts and even the tundra. Meet distinguished animal-loving experts and watch videos of astonishing animals from around the world while learning about their most amazing forms of camouflage.






Beginning Monday, December 13, until Saturday, December 18, we have this awe-inspiring unit study on sale for $5.95.  For added thrill, we will also be giving away 8 of these adorable National Geographic Tree Frog Mouse Pads in a blog contest.  The contest will begin December 13, 2010 at 12:01am EST and will end at 9pm EST on December 17, 2010.

To enter the giveaway, simply leave us a comment telling us about your favorite camouflaged animal.  For an extra entry, blog about our contest and leave a second comment with a link to your blog post.

Please remember to read these Contest-Specific Rules. It is especially important to note that you must leave an email address or your entry will not be valid. A winner will be drawn soon after 9pm EST on Friday, December 17, 2010.

Don't hide from this awesome deal! You can purchase Creation Camouflage in the DNG Store.

See what our review team thinks of Creation Camouflage, beginning December 15.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Hooray 4 Holidays!


HOORAY 4 HOLIDAYS!

The holidays are upon us and we want to do our part to ease those wallets.  We've chosen 4 very popular titles to offer you at just $4 each! And as an added bonus, we have a couple of coupon codes so you can choose your own titles for additional savings!

From now through December 5, purchase any of these titles for just $4:

Chocolate Challenge

Pizza Party

Astonishing Animals

Winter Wonders



PLUS even more special offers . . .

From December 1 - 5, 2010:

use coupon code 15OFF30 to receive 15% off any order totalling $30 or more OR

use coupon code 25OFF100 to receive 25% off any order totalling $100 or more!

Enjoy!