Monday, October 31, 2011

Heading for the Holidays - Thanksgiving Cooperative Kickoff!



I just wanted to take a minute to invite you to join us for the first Thanksgiving unit study cooperative on our Facebook page! Starting this morning, we’re kicking off this fun, online event, which will run through Thanksgiving. To participate, just join us at our Facebook page right now.

What better way to help families using the Thanksgiving Unit Study Adventure, than to have a month-long cooperative with 3,300 of our unit study friends? I’ll be answering your questions as you and your family work through the study, and there will be plenty of fellowship, sharing of ideas and finds, and the making of new friends and happy memories.

In addition to all of the above, each weekday during November, we will be sharing daily Scripture, count-your-blessings tagalongs, recipes, and book suggestions and reviews. Don’t miss this opportunity to make the holidays fun, meaningful, and memorable. Join us today! 




To help you begin the adventure with some savings, use coupon code CoopThanks3 to get $3 off of your purchase of the Thanksgiving Unit Study Adventure. Also, keep an eye on your email inbox over the next few weeks for more ways to save! See you there!

Blessings,

Amanda B.

Let's Get Started - Here Are Our Learning Objectives For Week One:

  • Define “thanksgiving”
  • Discover what the Reformation was, and how it impacted churchgoers of England
  • Find out who the Separatists were, and why they had to leave England
  • Learn about the Pilgrims emigration to Holland - where they went and what they discovered there

Thursday, October 27, 2011

An Interview & Giveaway You Don't Want to Miss!

To honor Veterans Day, today from 3 - 4 pm (CDT), Amanda Bennett and Tricia Goyer will be teaming up for a radio broadcast on Living Inspired you won't want to miss! They'll be talking about homeschooling, curriculum, Veterans Day and catching up with Amanda and what's she's been up to since she was last on Living Inspired. 

Tune in to learn more and have the opportunity to win the Veteran's Day Unit Study Adventure (one-week study for K - 12)! 

Veterans Day--what does it mean to you? The history of this holiday is important; it exists because of the strength and conviction of past generations that we should always remember our veterans and their sacrifices for our peace and protection. Use this week-long study to become familiar with veterans, their sacrifices and their courage. Learn more about the American military system, how it protects us, and what is happening these days with our defense.

Tricia's new book, Remembering You, a WWII-veteran-inspired novel, is a tribute to war veterans of all eras. In it Tricia explores the cost of war, the strong bonds of family relationships, and the power of faith and forgiveness.


When author Tricia Goyer took a vacation in Austria in 2000, she hadn't expected a novel to come out of the experience, or for her research to impact the veterans themselves. Remembering You is the fictional story of a television producer who tags along with her WWII-veteran grandfather on a final European tour of the battlefields he fought in. Expecting to record heartwarming stories about her grandfather for her network, she discovers the war has shaped him in ways she never could have imagined.

Meet Tricia Goyer Tricia Goyer is the author of 30 books and has published over 500 articles for national publications such as Focus on the Family, Today's Christian Woman and HomeLife Magazine. She won the Historical Novel of the Year award in both 2005 and 2006 from American Christian Fiction Writers, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. In her fiction novels, Tricia writes contemporary and historical stories that feature strong women overcoming great challenges. She recreates historic wartime eras with precise detail through perseverant and comprehensive research.
Don't forget to mark your calendar and set a reminder for TODAY at 3 p.m. (CDT)/4 p.m. (EDT)Join Amanda and Tricia at Living Inspired.

Family Traditions - Part Two

As we approach this holiday season, I know that there are plenty of traditions that are observed in American homes. At our house, autumn brings an exciting collection of family traditions. With the start of autumn, I make sure that we have chrysanthemums on the front steps. They start off on the front steps, and then we plant them in the ground when they finish blooming. Dad collects several bales of hay, some corn stalks, and a few pumpkins and gourds to make a fall decoration by the driveway—Dad’s autumn masterpiece, as the kids call it.

After taking care of the decorating traditions, we move on to those that can be appreciated around the kitchen table. With the harvest of the apple crop here in Tennessee, we have warm apple pie and ice cream in the evenings, while gathered around the table rehashing the latest football upsets, debating which baseball teams will make it to the World Series, and planning the upcoming holiday season.

Sometimes traditions can span the miles between family and friends. Years ago, family members and friends began choosing which NFL teams would win the Sunday games. We named this process “Football Picks,” the object being to see who could pick the most winning teams, This tradition now is carried on by email for a collection of friends and family across the country, and it is a simple and fun celebration of the season, crossing miles and keeping everyone in touch.

With the advancing cooler weather, we have other traditions here at the Bennett home. We make quite a production of the first fire in the fireplace, enjoying the beauty of the fire and using the occasion to thank everyone for their labor of cutting and splitting the wood for the coming winter. With the cooler weather, we also begin our autumn weekend sky-watching parties around large campfires so that we can watch for stars and planets and satellites, and enjoy the Milky Way as it spreads out in the dark country sky. Family and friends come from all over to join us in this endeavor, and while we don’t work out ALL of the problems of the world, parents, grandparents and children all benefit from the time spent together.

One holiday tradition that we have observed for many years is enjoyed around the kitchen table. In the evenings, we gather and paint those small, plaster village houses to create an interesting holiday village. As the children have gotten older, we have created villages for their new homes and homes-away-from-home. The tradition of gathering around the kitchen table to paint and be creative has brought about some fascinating conversations and treasured insights into each family member, not to mention the “unique” pieces of art that have been created!

Early in November, we pull out the favorite family holiday recipes, and my husband begins the preparations to make his German family’s recipes, handed down from generation to generation. Many of these take time to prepare, and some of them have to age at various parts of the process. Yes, the house smells fantastic this time of year, and the kids have come to appreciate the smells and time with Dad in the kitchen.

What are some fun traditions in preparing for Thanksgiving?
·    Planning the holiday weekend with the whole family in early November (who shall we invite, which relatives will be here, what games shall we all play after dinner?).
·    Planning the menu so that everyone gets to choose one of his favorite foods to be included.
·    Putting up a blessings tree when the children were younger, making the tree trunk from brown paper, and each family member adding colorful construction paper leaves to the tree. Each leaf has a written item that the family member is thankful for—a blessing on each leaf.
·    Finding ways to bless others, sharing the blessings by packing Samaritan’s Purse Christmas boxes for children, taking homemade gift baskets of goodies to neighbors and those in need.
·    Bringing out the special Thanksgiving creations collected over the years: a model of the Mayflower, a special Thanksgiving unit study tablecloth, handmade pilgrims and native Americans, pinecone turkeys, and a basket of some of our favorite holiday books.
Christmas traditions are also special at our house. From the close of the Thanksgiving holiday, we begin our Christmas traditions. We all plan this exciting month, inviting friends and family for this very special celebration, bringing out the favorite Christmas books, setting up the family crèche collection, making wreaths for the house and barn by hand, enjoying the observance of Advent with a special wreath, candles and devotions, and so much more.

Whether for birthdays, seasons, holidays, or other special times, traditions make up an important part of family life. Traditions will be passed from generation to generation, perhaps changing a bit as time goes by, but the core values and family love will carry along with the tradition.

Why are traditions important?
·    They help families come together.
·    They remind us of times together in the past.
·    They give children a sense of security and predictability.
·    They help our values and character span generations.
·    They remind families that love and continuity go hand in hand.
·    Traditions can be old and many are new.
·    Traditions give children something to anticipate and a perspective on time passing by.
What are your favorite traditions? Ask your children about their favorite traditions. Ask your children about their favorite parts of autumn, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Now that I’ve given you some ideas, perhaps you can begin to reflect on some of your family’s traditions and possibly create some new ones. Recognize them and get ready to enjoy this season of fun and fellowship, laughter and celebration, thanksgiving and blessings. Happy holidays!

Blessings,

Amanda B.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

5th Giveaway - Family Registration to Great Homeschool Convention near you - 2 Winners



5th Giveaway - 2 Winners!
A Family Registration to a
Great Homeschool Convention near you!

Locations include:


Southeast : March 22–24, 2012 TD Convention Center (Greenville SC)
Mid South: April 12–14, 2012 Memphis Cook Convention Center (Memphis TN)
Midwest: April 19–21, 2012 Duke Energy Convention Center (Cincinnati OH)
California: May 24–26, 2012 Long Beach Convention Center(Long Beach, CA)
Northeast: June 14–16, 2012Hartford Convention Center (Hartford, CT)

Find out all about Great Homeschool Conventions online

To enter this giveaway,  leave a comment HERE (not on Twitter!) telling us which GHC Convention you are interested in attending. You will need to leave your email address so we can contact you (entries without it will be discarded). You will be able to leave your comments until Sunday, Oct 30th, we don't want you to feel rushed! Winners will be chosen randomly, and notified on Monday, October 31st. Our General Contest Rules will apply.


4th Giveaway - Passport Geography United Kingdom Combo - 2 Winners!



 4th Giveaway -

Passport Geography United Kingdom Combo Set
 2 Winners!





Pack up and get ready to travel to the United Kingdom with Amanda Bennett’s new Passport Geography series! This one-week unit study has been developed to provide your student with a virtual tour of the United Kingdom, covering the geography of this nation, as well as some of its history, art & literature, landmarks, and interesting people.

The Combo Package includes both Scout (K-6) and Explorer (7-12) levels!

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment HERE (not on Twitter!) telling us where your favorite travel destination would be. You will need to leave your email address so we can contact you (entries without it will be discarded). You will be able to leave your comments until Sunday, Oct 30th, we don't want you to feel rushed! Winners will be chosen randomly, and notified on Monday, October 31st. Our General Contest Rules will apply.

3rd Giveaway - Live Holly Tree from Sheltering Trees - 2 Winners!




3rd Giveaway -
 Live Holly Tree from Sheltering Trees
2 Winners!




The stately and beautiful Foster Holly is a favorite evergreen tree across America. This tree is beautiful throughout the seasons, majestically showing its bright red berries in winter and fragrant white blossoms in spring. This is one of Amanda's favorites for the holiday season!
Hardiness Zones for this tree are 6-9. To see a map of the best growing area for Foster Holly, follow this link to the USDA Foster Holly Information page.

Find the Hardiness Zone for your address by entering your zip code at this link.

Your tree will be shipped in a 36" tall box. The trees average 20 - 30" in height, and are shipped in the 2 gallon containers that they are gown in.


Before you enter this giveaway, please note: 

Sheltering Trees only ships within the continental United States, and 
cannot ship to AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, WA, and UT due to plant regulations.



To enter this giveaway, leave a comment HERE (not on Twitter!) telling us your favorite part of Heading for the Holidays. You will need to leave your email address so we can contact you (entries without it will be discarded). You will be able to leave your comments until Sunday, Oct 30th, we don't want you to feel rushed! Winners will be chosen randomly, and notified on Monday, October 31st. Our General Contest Rules will apply.

2nd Giveaway - Cabot Cheese Selections - 4 Winners!



2nd Giveaway -
Cabot Cheese $25 Gift Collection  
 4 Winners!




"Since our humble beginnings in 1919, the now 1,200 strong farm families that have 100% ownership in Cabot have had a personal, deep commitment to the highest quality in everything we produce and in everything you taste. From cow to creamery and from creamery to you, we have one goal in mind: quality."

For this giveaway-

2 winners will each receive an assortment of award winning light cheeses, wonderful to cook with. The light cheeses have won awards and Cooking Light Magazine gave them the top score for tasting good and melting perfectly well. 

2 winners will each receive an assortment of regular varieties of cheeses, including their best selling "Seriously Sharp" cheese.

4 winners total:  2 "light" cheese winners and 2 "regular varieties" winners will be randomly chosen.

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment HERE (not on Twitter!) telling us your favorite flavor of cheese. You will need to leave your email address so we can contact you (entries without it will be discarded). You will be able to leave your comments until Sunday, Oct 30th, we don't want you to feel rushed! Winners will be chosen randomly, and notified on Monday, October 31st. Our General Contest Rules will apply.

1st Giveaway - $25 Chocomize Gift Certificate - 2 Winners!

1st Giveaway -
$25  Chocomize Gift Certificate 
2 Winners!


With this prize, you will take a visit to the "Creation Station" to choose which flavor of chocolate bar you want . . . Dark, White or Milk. Then begin adding up to 5 of your favorite toppings. Choices include; Fruits, Nuts, Spices, Candies, Decorations and even unique ingredients like beef jerky. When you finish, you will have a one-of-a-kind and completely personal chocolate bar! (And, you don't have to share it with anyone . . . )


If you have trouble making those difficult decisions, just head to the "Favorites" section. You can choose from popular combinations like: Summer Sensation, Smores, Chocolate on Chocolate, and even Fresh Face Forward (which is filled with healthy things like goji berries and golden flax seed).

Just place your order and it will arrive at your doorstep within days. A perfect gift--for yourself or someone else!


See all the possibilities with Chocomize here.

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment HERE (not on Twitter!) telling us which Chocomize chocolate flavor is your favorite - Milk, Dark or White Chocolate. You will need to leave your email address so we can contact you (entries without it will be discarded). You will be able to leave your comments until Sunday, Oct 30th, we don't want you to feel rushed! Winners will be chosen randomly, and notified on Monday, October 31st. Our General Contest Rules will apply.

USAB Virtual Cookie Exchange 2011!



Welcome to our First Ever Virtual Cookie Exchange!

Since we are all busy moms, and we live all over the globe and can't visit each other's kitchens. . . . Let's do the next best thing and share our favorite cookie recipes right here!




Please post your favorite cookie recipe in the comments section of this post.  Then, return after the party to browse through the yummy recipes all collected in one spot.  Feel free to print the entire collection, or copy and paste the ones you want to try.

Heading for the Holidays - It's almost Party Time!




If you're wondering what you need to do, here a few "party prep" instructions for you.

Are you a follower on Twitter - now's the time?! The party hashtag to follow is #USABHolidays - put that in the Twitter search box (and in all of our party posts), and you'll be partying with us!

If you're new to Twitter parties, try one of these tools to make following the party easy and fun:
Then, get your cup of coffee (or tea) and meet up with us for some fun times, freebies, and great giveaways from 1 - 2 pm (EDT). All party entries will contain the #USABHolidays hashtag. The fun is beginning soon!

During our party, Amanda will be online, chatting and answering your questions. We will have freebies, and of couse great giveaways. Plus, we are having our first ever virtual cookie exchange! Go get your favorite cookie recipe to share, and you will have the opportunity to leave it in our blog post comment section (not on Twitter). Everyone will be able to see and print the recipes after the party by visiting the blog.

To enter our giveaways, you will follow the link to our blog and leave a comment HERE (not on Twitter!) for the giveaways you are interested in. You will need to leave your email address so we can contact you (entries without it will be discarded). You will be able to leave your entry comments until Sunday, Oct 30th, we don't want you to feel rushed! Winners will be chosen randomly, and notified on Monday, October 31st. Our General Contest Rules will apply.

This is a great time to become a follower of our blog and subscribe with RSS Feed or Email notifications, you won't want to miss all of our exciting news coming this fall.

We are looking forward to spending some time with you, are you ready for a party?!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Family Traditions - Part One



"Hey Mom, don’t forget that we’re going out for pizza after this last game of the season. It’s a tradition, remember?"
"Dad, when are you going to get the bales of hay and pumpkins for your autumn masterpiece? Can I go, too? It’s a tradition, you know!"
Tradition—just the word sometimes sounds old and from past generations, doesn’t it? Yet family traditions have helped many a family stay together and strong over the past years, and probably for generations to come. Traditions are so important in families. The sense of security and love that is felt when observing traditions as a family will stay with our children for the rest of their lives. As homeschooling families, we have a unique opportunity in today’s society to enjoy a wide variety of traditions for all kinds of events and observances and integrate them into our learning lifestyle. These traditions are woven into the fabric of our family, making it stronger and more memorable for everyone.
As a child, I grew up in a family filled with love, children, and plenty of traditions. My parents worked to build the strength of our family with some traditions that were simple and yet special. We lived far away from any relatives, so our traditions had to be based on our immediate family, and what a blessing those traditions were. My parents didn’t realize that these traditions would get us through some very tough times and keep our family close through thick and thin over many years and generations yet to come.

Early on Sunday mornings, my dad would drive to Krispy Kreme to get hot doughnuts for our family while Mom got all of us ready for church. To this day, when I bite into a warm Krispy Kreme doughnut, I remember Sunday mornings and my dad’s smile as he came through the door with those fresh doughnuts. It was a very simple tradition that meant so much then and means even more now. When we are visiting my childhood hometown, we still visit the same shop and share smiles and memories that cross generations.

When I was a young teenager, our family lost my father to cancer when we were from 8 to 15 years old. Yes, it was tragic and it was heart-rending, and we drifted in and out of being convinced that our happy family life had ended. However, my mother worked hard to keep us safe and housed and educated, but she strived even harder through it all to maintain our family traditions, and these added much-needed cement to our family through some very trying times. We still belonged to the family, the family was still strong, and these traditions gave us a sense of security and predictability in a world that had changed very quickly. Traditions became the ties that we needed as we grew and changed, even while some things never changed.


The variety of traditions is infinite, and I’ve heard of some unique family traditions in all of my travels around this great country. But that is one of the things that makes them special—they are YOUR family’s traditions, unique to you all.


Here are some ideas for traditions that your family might enjoy:

With the end of a sports season or a church performance or other special occasion, have an ice cream sundae party at the local ice cream shop. Sometimes a tradition like this can be a “floating” tradition—one of recognition for feats accomplished.

With the birth of each child, plant a special tree, have a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol (contact your congressman to do this), hold a special family celebration to welcome the new family member, and don’t forget to take plenty of pictures.

With the marriage of each child or sibling, have a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol or plant an evergreen tree to mark the occasion.

When having a holiday get-together or family reunion, try to find a ceramic plate that can be autographed with a permanent marker, and have everyone sign the plate. Bring out the plate at future get-togethers for sharing memories and smiles.

One holiday tradition that we have observed for many years is enjoyed around the kitchen table. In the evenings, we gather and paint those small, plaster village houses to create an interesting holiday village. As the children have gotten older, we have created villages for their new homes and homes-away-from-home. The tradition of gathering around the kitchen table to paint and be creative has brought about some fascinating conversations and treasured insights into each family member, not to mention the “unique” pieces of art that have been created!


Blessings,

Amanda B.

 
Come back on Thursday for "Family Traditions - Part Two" where we'll focus on Holiday Traditions for the upcoming season.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Getting Ready to Head for the Holidays!



This week begins our Heading for the Holidays week, and we are planning quite a celebration! We are having two special events that you won't want to miss, and some great sale prices on some of our favorite holiday titles! The two special events this week are:

Heading for the Holidays
Twitter Party on Wednesday, October 26th, 1 - 2 p.m. (EDT)! We'll be talking about homeschooling through the holidays, making memories, and learning lasting lessons of love. We will be offering plenty of goodies and some amazing prizes!

 
Second, we are excited to announce a fun and encouraging Internet radio broadcast, and you are NOT going to want to miss this! Mark your calendar for Thursday, October 27th, 4 - 5 p.m. (EDT), and then listen at Living Inspired With Tricia Goyer. The last time these two were on the radio together, there was an abundance of laughter, tons of heartfelt sharing, and loads of encouragement from two of homeschooling's more experienced veterans.

This Thursday, they will once again be sharing and encouraging! They are going to be talking about plenty of things, like the importance of our veterans--remembering them, and honoring their service. With Amanda's Veteran's Day unit study and Tricia's exciting new WWII novel, Remembering You, they have stories to share and ideas to help you as we approach Veteran's Day on November 11th. 

PLUS -

In just one week, we will be launching our first-ever Heading for the Holidays month-long Thanksgiving cooperative on the USAB Facebook page. Make plans now to join us as we share our path along the Thanksgiving unit study. R.S.V.P. for the event now. We will be reviewing books, posting recipes, gift ideas, learning links, and much more throughout the days of our Heading for the Holidays experience.

Use coupon code FBThanks3 to save $3 off the purchase price of the Thanksgiving study through 10/31/11.

Bring your own ideas, recipes, suggestions, and questions. This is going to be a time of fellowship, sharing, learning, and gratitude. We are looking forward to having you join us as we count our blessings and prepare our hearts and home for Thanksgiving.

To help you capture all these fabulous memories you are going to be making - we have two very special units on sale at a very special price this week:

Digital Photography Unit Study Adventure  (K-12) - $5

From Aristotle to Ansel Adams, people have studied light and photography for many years. From the first simple photographs to those coming back from outer space and the inside of a man, photography has opened up our world and beyond. Use this four-week unit study to teach your children how a digital camera works. Learn about the basic elements of composition and other important aspects of taking a good picture. From backyard scavenger hunts to photo journals of a typical day in your life, this academic adventure is both fun and fascinating!




Scrapbooking Unit Study Adventure (K-12) - $5

Did you know that Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain were avid scrapbookers? Did you know that girls included hair weavings in their scrapbooks in the 1800s? I was amazed to find out that Mark Twain probably made more money from a scrapbooking invention than he did from royalties on his books!

In addition to assembling family scrapbooks, your students can use the ideas in this study to create wonderful memory albums for each unit study they do. Perfect for reminding students of all they’ve learned!



Download N Go Seasons Fun Pack (K-4) - Studies for just $13 


Take a learning adventure through the year.

Spring Suprises
Summer Sensations
Autumn Treasures
Winter Wonders

Get each of these week long studies for just $3.25 each in this Fun Pack!






Be sure to subscribe to our RSS or email feed - and stop by to visit us on Facebook.  This is going to be a great Holiday season, and we are looking forward to sharing it with you!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Fall Freaky Friday is here!


Just in time help you Celebrate Fall - our Freaky Friday giveaway is a $25 Amazon Giftcard!  Amazon giftcards never ever expire and can be used on anything available at Amazon.com.

What a perfect opportunity to get ready for Heading for the Holidays: Thanksgiving with Facebook Friends! 
Get ready to join in the camaraderie of this first-ever FB holiday unit study cooperative, where we will all share our discoveries and experiences as our individual families enjoy the month of November and prepare for Thanksgiving.

Plan now to join us on the launch date of this new adventure: 10/31/11! Go ahead and purchase the Thanksgiving Unit Study if you don't have it yet, and check and see which of the books on the book list you might want to get from the library or order for your own library.

This is going to be a fun experience, and we look forward to sharing this season of thanksgiving with you, our friends!


Speaking of Heading for the Holidays - make sure you have Wednesday, Oct 26th from 1-2 pm (EDT) on your calendars as we celebrate the season at our Twitter Party!  We'll have a virtual cookie exchange, goodies and of course - great giveaways you don't want to miss.

To enter this Freaky Friday giveaway, simply leave us a comment below (not on Facebook) telling us your favorite memory Celebrating Fall. You must leave an email address for us to contact you if you win. Entries with no email address will be discarded.

Please read the
Contest Specific Rules before entering.The winner will be chosen by random drawing soon after 9:00 pm CDT, Sunday, October 23, 2011. Winners will be notified by email and announced here on the blog, as well as on Facebook and Twitter




Thursday, October 20, 2011

Mark your calendars now!

To honor Veteran's Day, on October 27th from 3-4 pm (CDT), Amanda Bennett and Tricia Goyer will be teaming up for a radio broadcast on Living Inspired  you won't want to miss! Tune in to learn more and have the opportunity to win Remembering You and the Veteran's Day Unit Study Adventure, a perfect combination!



When author Tricia Goyer took a vacation in Austria in 2000, she hadn't expected a novel to come out of the experience, or for her research to impact the veterans themselves. Remembering You is the fictional story of a television producer who tags along with her WWII-veteran grandfather on a final European tour of the battlefields he fought in. Expecting to record heartwarming stories about her grandfather for her network, she discovers the war has shaped him in ways she never could have imagined.

In Remembering You-Goyer's tribute to war veterans of all eras-she explores the cost of war, the strong bonds of family relationships, and the power of faith and forgiveness.

Meet Tricia Goyer Tricia Goyer is the author of 30 books and has published over 500 articles for national publications such as Focus on the Family, Today's Christian Woman and HomeLife Magazine. She won the Historical Novel of the Year award in both 2005 and 2006 from American Christian Fiction Writers, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. In her fiction novels, Tricia writes contemporary and historical stories that feature strong women overcoming great challenges. She recreates historic wartime eras with precise detail through perseverant and comprehensive research.



Veterans Day--what does it mean to you? The history of this holiday is important; it exists because of the strength and conviction of past generations that we should always remember our veterans and their sacrifices for our peace and protection. Use this week-long study to become familiar with veterans, their sacrifices and their courage. Learn more about the American military system, how it protects us, and what is happening these days with our defense.

*
Veterans Day is a limited-availability excerpt from Patriotic Holidays, a four-week study which devotes one week to the exploration of each of the American patriotic holidays (Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and Veteran’s Day).

While you're waiting for next week's broadcast, click HERE to listen to another great interview with Amanda and Tricia.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Food Adventures Taste so Good!

Many favorite childhood memories are formed around a mixing bowl and a cookie sheet full of warm treats. What is it about a warm, crunchy cookie that says “home”?

Here’s a special recipe for you:

”As a child, I spent many afternoons walking across the fields to Granny and Grandad’s farm, picking black-eyed susans along the way. I would show up with a handful of field flowers for Granny and she had a fresh batch of cookies on the counter. One of my favorites is her cake molasses cookies... to which she would say ‘contained all the stuff the good Lord gave us’. As grandad would put his on a plate and pour gravy over them, I would eat them with a dab of fresh churned butter. Granny always passed them up saying ‘they were intended for you.’ I hope you find her recipe one of your favorites also . . .however you choose to enjoy them.” ~ Michelle Tonnemacher
Granny’s Cake Molasses Cookies
¾ cup melted shortening 2 cups flour
½ cup brown sugar ½ teaspoon cloves
½ cup white sugar ½ teaspoon ginger
¼ cup molasses 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg ½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
Cream together shortening, sugar and molasses; add egg.
Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl, and sift; add to creamed mixture. Chill until dough is firm. Form into 1” balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on greased sheet 2” apart.
Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes.

Chocolate—the word alone is enough to make a child’s mouth water! From our earliest piece of chocolate candy to the cool, delicious flavor of chocolate ice cream, many people have come to appreciate the wonderful taste of chocolate. At our house, many fun memories of birthdays and special events include a chocolate cake or homemade chocolate milkshakes. What is your favorite chocolate memory?

Here’s the Original Recipe for those chocolate chip cookies we all love so much!


There are not many kinds of food that kids have such strong memories about as popcorn. From the first taste of it in a movie theater to the smell of homemade popcorn for family movie night, the memories made around a bowl of popcorn can be fun and oh so tasty! My first memory of popcorn is watching my mom make a big bowl of popcorn and then sitting down on the sofa to teach us all how to string it for the Christmas tree. Such fun memories, and all tied to family time and a healthy snack.


Popcorn Recipes for everyone to love!
At our house, a favorite event was Friday Pizza Night. We made pizza together as a family, making the dough and stretching it, and then each one adding his favorite toppings to “his” part of the pizzas. We used the usual toppings like pepperoni and cheese, and then added things from the garden, such as zucchini and peppers and anything else that we happened to have on hand. While the pizzas were cooking, we would put on a family movie and get settled in for a fun night of pizza and movies with the whole crew. Those were some very special times for our family, and what an easy and affordable way to make those great memories.

Try this Ham and Cheese Breakfast Pizza for a change of pace. 


Get these 4  Food Adventure Download N Go units on sale this week in the Food Fun Pack for just $13! (that's a delicious bargain, don't you think!)



  Leave us a comment sharing your favorite Food Adventure!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Gardening and Homeschooling – Lessons for Life

Food Adventures Week is the perfect time to explore where our foods come from and even experiment with growing some food of our own. The Unit Study Adventures Gardens study has lots of resources to kick-start that exploration.

There is something so basic and satisfying in the planting and nurturing of a garden. Whether in a planned spot in the yard, in containers on a tiny balcony, or on a bedroom windowsill, gardening offers a priceless opportunity to work together on a fun family project, and share thoughts and ideas as you build your own special place of beauty and memories. From pole bean tepees to sunflower houses, what memories they will build! Use gardening to share lessons about nature and plants with your children. What makes the seeds grow? Why do we grow things? What does a fresh ear of corn taste like? Imagine together what it might have been like in the first garden–the Garden of Eden. 

The joy and excitement on the children’s faces is great motivation as we begin to plan the garden and buy the seeds, whether for the spring, fall, or indoor herb garden. These fun times together are still shared, even as the children grow older, and this is a wonderful blessing to families everywhere. From the first chance to look at how seeds sprout, learn about earthworms, and then on to plant propagation – these are some of the concepts that we share with our students. We adjust and learn with them as they progress with their interests in plants and gardens.



The Unit Study Adventures Gardens study includes the following topics:

1.       Planning and planting your own garden
2.       Plant science
3.       History of gardens
4.       Famous gardens
5.       Famous scientists and gardeners

From developing, planting, and maintaining our own garden and plant experiments through the study of gardens, their history, and gardeners like Thomas Jefferson and Monet – all contribute to an EXCITING gardens study. It is one that we repeated on a regular basis at our house. There are plenty of topics and resources for all ages, and this study can keep your family busy for many seasons to come. We have all kinds of gardens here on the farm, from vegetable gardens to rock gardens, and the knowledge that we have gained from studying gardens has been impressive.

It is so rewarding to see how much our children have learned and how self-sufficient they are becoming. They look forward to planning their own gardens and selecting the plants that they want to experiment with – this is a self-motivated interest that they will probably carry throughout their lives. This is a measurement of true success, according to our way of thinking! Enjoy the adventure, and get planting!

Blessings,
Amanda B.