Happy Birthday Download N Go - Let's Celebrate!

It's time to party as we celebrate the fourth birthday of Download N Go! To celebrate this grand event, we have put together some fantastic birthday party specials for this week:

1.  ALL Download N Go titles are only $4 each on DNG's 4th birthday! That's right, the unbelievable low price of $4, and you've got 55 titles to choose from! 

2.  We are thrilled to announce that we've put together the package that you've been asking for, at a great discount! The Complete DNG Set contains ALL 55 studies for the low birthday set price of $195 ($3.55 for each title of the set!). Years of learning adventures for one low price - keeping it simple and opening up doors of wonder! On sale for only $195, with a retail value of $492!

3.  ALL of our Classic Resource Library Sets are on sale for $25 each, and each contains 7 Download N Go studies! ($3.57 for each title in the set!)

4.  One Year of Download N Go: 37 studies for only $3.89 each, plus FREE bonus resources! Only $144 this week, regular price $250!

And don't miss our Kindle Fire giveaway - go here to enter!

Amanda’s Cooking Up Fun

It's that time of year again, when the weather turns cooler, and the kids seem hungrier! Time to fire up their minds, while filling up their stomachs! This week we are featuring some special pricing for our autumn food favorites for hungry kids:

Chocolate Challenge Download No Go -1 Week (K-4) - $5

There are lots of curious chocolate-loving kids out there waiting to shift into gear and dash into Download N Go™ action! Take the Chocolate Challenge, delving into science discoveries, such as learning about where chocolate comes from, how it is made, and the geography of chocolate. They will explore rainforests, ancient civilizations, and some famous chocolatiers!

Pizza Party Download N Go - 1 Week  (K-4) - $5

Imagine being able to teach using pizza, filling their minds as well as their hungry stomachs! Your study will start from the history of pizza and then expand learning to include: the science of yeast, how mozzarella cheese is made, mapping activities for geography, types of pizza from across the globe, information about the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Galileo's experiment, and so much more!

Hoppin' Popcorn Download N Go - 1 Week (K-4) - $5

Imagine the thrill and excitement of popcorn science experiments, popcorn history, and even popcorn art! It's all there in this exciting title! - See more at: http://www.unitstudy.com/HoppinPopcorn.html#sthash.mUC4Olxk.dpuf

Imagine the thrill and excitement of popcorn science experiments, popcorn history, and even popcorn art! It's all there in this exciting title! - See more at: http://www.unitstudy.com/HoppinPopcorn.html#sthash.mUC4Olxk.dpuf

Find out how and where popcorn is grown and what makes it different from other corn, who first brought it to America, and what makes it pop! Imagine the thrill and excitement of popcorn science experiments, popcorn history, and even popcorn art! It's all there in this exciting title! Along the way, your children will make amazing discoveries and create beautiful projects. Enjoy!

Crunchy Cookies Download N Go - 1 Week (K-4) - $5

There’s so much to learn about cookies! Discover the favorite cookies of Presidents and meet famous cookie makers.  Make tasty discoveries in geography, science, and math while baking cookies from around the world. Practice your table manners during tea time. Finally, end your amazing week of learning and baking by inviting friends and family over for a delicious cookie party!

Bountiful Bread Download N Go - 1 Week (K-4) - $5
Just the smell of baking bread can get the immediate attention of most kids! So many fun and memorable childhood events include memories of bread making and baking. From holiday favorites to daily breads, this food item dates back to biblical times and still plays an important role in our lives today. Your child will investigate all kinds of things about bread, including the history of bread, the science of yeast, types of bread, some of the countries that created unique kinds of bread, and more!

As you can see, USAB studies are stand-alone curriculum, having science, geography, history, and much more! While they are busy having fun working through the study, they are also learning and absorbing all kinds of educational content along the way.

Come on and join us as we celebrate Food Adventures Week here at USAB--you are going to LOVE the prices AND the products.  Be sure to stop by our Facebook page for more food fun all week!

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Kitchen Adventures

I've got my coffee in hand, and I'm sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying the rare silence. ;) It's usually the loudest place in the house, and that's a good thing. Homeschooling brought many blessings and lessons for me, and one of those lessons was learning the powerful combination of kitchen and family. 

I discovered that some of the best thought-sharing and worry-calming conversations could be had around a platter of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies fresh from the oven. Just the smell of cookies wafting through the house would bring a smile to each face as they came through the door. When they smell that aroma, it sends the message that all is well and Mom’s in the kitchen! (The recipe for the Bennett family favorite chocolate chip oatmeal cookies is included at the end of this post.) 

Take time to cook with your kids, and let them feel the adventure of creating something delicious! Remember to share your own memories of cooking as a child, as a newlywed (funny stories at our house!), and stories behind some of your family's favorite recipes. Scooping cookie dough, decorating a homemade pizza, braiding their first loaf of braided bread, or watching the temperature rise on the candy thermometer for their first batch of fudge - all provide wonderful learning adventures, as well as opportunities to strengthen relationships and share great memory-making experiences. 

At our house, life revolves around the kitchen. People of all ages are drawn there, and the conversations as we all cook and enjoy a meal together are part of the glue that holds us close. Cooking together allows us to share stories, try new tastes, and teach the next generation. Enjoy!

Blessings,
Amanda B.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies a la Amanda Bennett

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream:
1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 

When thoroughly mixed, slowly add:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Then blend in:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 quick or old-fashioned oats (I use whatever is in the cabinet)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts are our favorite)
Mix well.

Drop dough by rounded spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets, and bake for 10-12 minutes. I let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for a few minutes, them move them to a wire rack, where they usually get eaten long before they completely cool. ;)

This recipe makes 4-5 dozen cookies, and they tend to bring more and more people into the kitchen and around the table. Good!

Autumn Traditions

Finally! Autumn arrives this weekend, the leaves are beginning to change, and we are heading to the apple orchard. The cider is sweet and the apples are perfect, and our hearts help get our minds ready for a new season. Planning, learning, and investigating receive more of our attention—along with projects around the farm and the need to split and stack firewood to get ready for cooler weather.

We have many traditions that have developed over the years for the arrival of autumn, and a toasty morning fire after the weather turns cool is a fun one. We also collect gourds, pumpkins, and squash that are the end-of-season garden picks for Dad to make a fall sculpture down the driveway to greet our guests. This is a big tradition in our area of the country. People work on some amazing autumn lawn displays from their produce, mixing in chrysanthemums and other autumn treasures. It is fun to cruise the country roads to see the creations.

What kind of autumn traditions do you and your family enjoy? Come on, share!

Blessings,

Amanda B.

Autumn Learning & Crockpot Applesauce

Many of you are now at least a week or two into the new school year, and your days are transitioning from summer social calendars to autumn events and scheduling school hours. I know how that feels, with plenty of changes in the works, and the responsibility of teaching your children weighing heavily as you begin this new year. In the midst of it all, if you're like me, you are beginning to pull out the autumn-scented candles, decorations, and a sweatshirt or two. It's molasses cookie and apple pie season, along with time for Crockpot cooking of applesauce and banana bread baking. Busy times, and so many memories to be made!

One of the first things that I learned as a homeschool mom was the importance of connecting learning to the seasons that were going on just outside the window. While I could immerse them in all kinds of learning that was strictly focused on books, memorization, and test-taking, that wasn't what grabbed their attention and left them wanting to know more. Their interest was focused on the outdoors with each change of the season, and that is natural and a great springboard for learning. Captivate them, encourage their curiosity, build up creativity., and connect it all to things that are happening in this season of their lives.

Remember this, please. Work with what is right in front of you, and you'll capture their interest. With topics like autumn, trees, baseball, football, soccer, and digital photography, you won't have to look far to find one topic that they are interested in. Build on that interest. Simple learning simply lasts. Enjoy these days, and go on Autumn Treasures' nature walks each day with your child. So much to see out there, and to see it through the eyes of your child is such a gift!

Blessings,
Amanda B.

P.S. - Wish you could be here in the kitchen with me to smell this delicious applesauce that is simmering in my slow cooker! Here's the recipe I'm using, if you want to try it out at your house: Crock Pot Applesauce (I add a pinch of ground cloves to give it a bit more sparkle!).

Fall Into Autumn

Get ready, get set, and here we go! The nights are getting cooler, red, orange, and yellow leaves are beginning to appear on the maple trees, and football has begun in earnest! Fall is arriving, and it's time to take the learning outdoors and enjoy this season of change.

We've got two great announcements for this week! Today begins our big Fall Into Autumn Sale AND a fantastic Art For All Ages lesson bundle giveaway from the amazing Tricia Hodges! Read on...

Our Fall Into Autumn Sale is set to help you make the most of this time with some great savings and terrific memory makers:

Autumn Treasures - the flagship DNG for this time of year, full of apples, leaves, Johnny Appleseed, & much more. Regularly $8.95.
Sale: $5*
Tremendous Trees - the trees are such an important visual part of the autumn landscape, with leaves of all colors drifting with every cool breeze. Regularly $8.95.
Sale $5*
Football Frenzy - one of our most popular DNG studies, don't miss this one that is fun for the whole family. Regularly $8.95.
Sale: $5*
Simply Soccer - autumn also brings the fall soccer season in focus. Regularly $8.95.
Sale: $5*
Digital Photography - make the most of the colors of autumn and family adventures. Regularly $8.95.
Sale: $6*
Baseball - get ready to enjoy the World Series, beginning soon! Regularly $8.95.
Sale: $6*

* Sale prices good through Saturday, 9/21/13.

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Life and Kids and Our Creator

I've got my favorite mug of coffee on hand, and I'm sitting at the kitchen table, wishing I could share the view. This is the time of year that the kids were always very aware of what was going on outside, watching the changes in all of the living things that happened to share the mountain with us. As much as we could talk about God and His creativity and sense of order, the observations of living things in a close and personal way left them knowing Him better, and wanting to know more.

All it would take was a question to get them wondering and trying to find answers - "Why do you think it does that?" or "What do you think that it eats?" That's one of the best things that can come from the time spent outdoors - conversation that captures their attention and lights up their curiosity.

If you can get a child to see the wonder in a few of the things that are there for the viewing, you'll have their attention. From the amazing lines and patterns in a spider's web to the patterns of leaves from different trees, show them the uniqueness of each of these. Go outside with them for a short time each day, to walk, draw, read in the shade of a tree, or simply lie on the picnic table and figure out what kinds of clouds are in the sky at the moment.

 

Teach them to celebrate and explore life and all of Creation. The lessons last a lifetime, and the wonder of God's creativity never loses its sparkle as it is handed from one generation to the next.

Blessings,

Amanda B.

Bring Back the Wonder

Children are born with amazing curiosity and wonder. Once they begin "school", the "standard" education model focuses on uniform instruction and memorization, silencing the wonder and awe that is God-given in every child. 

As parents, we have the opportunity to nurture these qualities and encourage their interests. Take this day and run with it. Savor the moments, do the necessary, and make the time to help them explore and find answers to their questions. 

We've got a very special sale this week, focusing on LIFE! Taking our most popular life science unit studies, we've created a curiosity-encouraging, awesome wonder-building group of learning adventures for you and your crew. Enjoy the savings!

Classic Life Science Resource Library:
If purchased separately: $62.65, on sale this week for only $25!
Includes 7 of our very popular Download N Go™ studies, for grades K-4:

Astonishing Animals
Handsome Horses
Creation Camouflage
Incredible Insects
Dolphin Days
Terrific Tigers
Goofy Gecko 

Individual Titles on Sale:

Gardens Unit Study     $6     (Reg. $10.95)
Discover the Brain       $5      (Reg. $8.95)
Discover the Senses   $5      (Reg. $8.95)




Congratulations to the winner of this giveaway:

Judith Martinez!

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Big Geography Sale - Get Ready for Olympics 2014 With Us!

In just 35 short days, the Olympic torch relay for the 2014 Winter Olympics will begin! It's time to plan on some fascinating geography unit studies so that your team can be prepared for all of the lessons that can be learned from these international games.

In 157 days, the Olympics 2014 will begin in Sochi, Russia - get ready for the learning adventure now! We are already hard at work on a new 4-week Unit Study Adventure study - Olympics 2014, for grades K-12. Stay tuned in the weeks ahead as we make plenty of exciting announcements!

Every geography unit study that we offer is on sale this week, so make sure to load up now and plan for the weeks leading up to the Olympics. Check out this week's specials:

K - 4 One-Week Studies If purchased separately: $62.65
Classic Price: $42.00

Expedition Africa	Expedition Ireland
Expedition Australia	Expedition Israel
Expedition Canada	Expedition Mexico
Expedition China

- See more at: http://unitstudy.com/classics.html#sthash.uJ6Y1ARh.dpuf

Classic Geography Resource Library:
If purchased separately: $62.65, on sale this week for only $25!
Includes 7 of our very popular Download N Go™ studies, for grades K-4:

• Expedition Africa
• Expedition Australia 
• Expedition Canada
• Expedition China
• Expedition Ireland
• Expedition Israel
• Expedition Mexico

Passport Geography Series:
Each country has three purchasing options: 
Scout (K-6)     Regular: $8.95     SALE: $5
Explorer (7-12)     Regular: $8.95     SALE: $5
Combo (includes both Scout & Explorer levels)  Regular: $12.95     SALE: $8

(All sale prices good through 9/7/13)

And I am thrilled to announce this week's giveaway! The prize is winner's choice of language for a Level 1 Rosetta Stone Homeschool Program - what a FANTASTIC prize! Use the box below to enter:

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