Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Announcing our BLACK FRIDAY SALE

BLACK FRIDAY is almost here!

Stop by our website this Friday for 50% off ALL sets.

And check back soon for even more sales for Cyber Monday!

 

 

 

 Note: this sale only applies to sets - not individual products

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Get Ready for Fun & Final Week of Thanksgiving Co-op!

Hello friends! For those of you joining us this week for the final week of our online
Thanksgiving Co-op, we've got two lists for the activity and treats we'll be sharing on our Facebook page:

Ingredients for the food treats that we'll be sharing:
2-3 large apples to make 2 cups diced apples
2 granny smith apples
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
5 tbsp brown sugar
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch
5 (6-inch) wheat tortillas
4 tablespoons butter
4 ¼ cups whole milk
2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
4 tablespoons finely chopped or shaved semisweet chocolate
Vegetable oil or cooking spray
Large marshmallows
small heart-shaped cutter
1 teaspoon flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 slices bread
2 tablespoons candied walnuts


And here are the things needed for the crafts:
12 oz clean mason jar (1 per child)
2 ½ cups sugar (per child)
1 cup olive oil (per child)
4 tablespoons lemon juice (per child)
Thread and 1 1/8 yard of 45” wide Autumn-themed cotton fabric (per child)
Scraps of painted paper
A piece of paper finger painted with fall colors
Construction paper or magazine pages in red, orange, yellow, green, and brown
1 sheet of black construction paper for each child
Several empty cardboard tubes (like toilet paper rolls or paper towel tubes)
Paints in fall colors
Scraps of red and yellow felt
2 small black dots
1 large orange (per child)
Whole cloves




Monday, November 11, 2013

KitchenAid Mixer Giveaway & Kitchen Table Learning

We are kicking off an exciting week here at USAB!  We've got two BIG announcements:

1. We are celebrating Thanksgiving in a big way this year, with a BIG, BIG giveaway. The winner of this giveaway will a beautiful red KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixer! The entry box is further down in this blog post - watch for it!


2.  Big sale on these fun kitchen-oriented titles - great hits for the holidays! Rich in a variety of learning experiences, you will also find science, history, geography, and much more!*
 
Chocolate Challenge     
Sale Price: $5
“What could be better than finding a way to incorporate chocolate into our school day?. . . It allows for some good hands-on projects—from taste testing to poll taking and graph-making. The students will get a brief history of chocolate, learn about some famous chocolatiers, determine their favorite brand of chocolate, and create a really gorgeous lapbook..." Margaret, PA

Pizza Party
Sale Price: $5
“I used this study with my three sons ranging in ages from 3 to 13. The kids had a great time experimenting and learning all about pizza. I really like the way the study is laid out and organized for each day’s lesson...The study was a fun learning experience, with lots of hands-on stuff for my busy fellows."  Katrina, NC


Bountiful Bread
Sale Price: $5
“During this unit study, our family learned geography while researching the origins of different types of bread such pita, pumpernickel, and ginger. We learned practical applications of science and mathematics while watching yeast grow in bread and measuring out ingredients to bake it. My children and I were able to have excellent social study discussions around the cultures from which these amazing breads originated..." Sarah, AR
During this unit study, our family learned geography while researching the origins of different types of bread such pita, pumpernickel, and ginger. We learned practical applications of science and mathematics while watching yeast grow in bread and measuring out ingredients to bake it. My children and I were able to have excellent social study discussions around the cultures from which these amazing breads originated. - See more at: http://www.unitstudy.com/BountifulBread.html#sthash.T9IWxEQO.dpuf


Crunchy Cookies
Sale Price: $5
“Your student will not only learn about the science of cookie making but geography, presidential history, weather, math, and so much more... If you are someone who has never tried unit studies or are uncomfortable creating your own, you should definitely give Download N Go a try. Amanda takes all the work out of it for mom and your kids will love it!"  Lisa, UT
Hoppin' Popcorn
Sale Price: $5
“I love the lapbook section of Hoppin’ Popcorn. The vocabulary pages are colorful and the minit-books have fun graphics with lots of learning packed in.  I have to say, the lapbook in this unit might be the best one yet!  It never ceases to amaze me how Amanda Bennett covers so many subjects in each study and does all of the work so my family can just spend time learning and exploring together.”  Karen, RI

* Sale ends 11/16/13

And NOW, for the fantastic KitchenAid Stand Mixer Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Plan Now to Join Us for Week 3 of our Thanksgiving Co-op!

No matter whether you are just joining in the fun, or if you've been along on the
Thanksgiving Co-op adventure for these past two weeks, I hope you'll join us next week for Week 3! Many of us are using the Thanksgiving Unit Study and using the Co-op ideas and encouragement to have an unforgettable Thanksgiving 2013. You can join in the fun on our Facebook page!

We've got two lists of things for Week 3 of the Co-op. One list has the craft things that you'll need if you want to join in our craft projects, and one list has the ingredients that you'll need if you want to join in our food fun. It's up to you, we're just trying to give you a heads-up.

Here’s the craft supply list for Week 3:

Blue poster board 
Green tempera paint
Craft glue
Small scraps of white, yellow or gray paper
Egg carton sections
Toothpicks
A small lump of modeling clay
Small terra cotta pots (1 for each Thanksgiving place setting)
Black chalkboard paint
Chalk
White ribbon
Yellow felt or fabric
Fall leaves (real or artificial - about 6 per child)
Mod Podge

Quart Mason jars or jars you have on hand (1 for each child)
Votive lights (1 for each child)
Ice Cream Waffle Cones
Semisweet Chocolate, Melted

Assorted Fall Candy
Cardstock
18” Grapevine Wreath
Fall themed artificial flower stems (leaves, flowers, etc.)
Fall themed items (i.e. Pumpkins, string of berries)
Wire-edged Ribbon
Lo-temp glue gun and glue sticks
Wire Cutters (If needed to cut artificial flower stems)



And here are some of the food items for Week 3:
Butter
1 10 oz package regular marshmallows
6 cups rice cereal
24 lollipop sticks or wooden ice cream sticks
1 12 oz  semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1 1/3 cups candy corn
48 small white candies (for candy turkey eyes - small white candy sprinkles)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups Bugles brand corn snacks
2 cups small pretzels
1 cup candy corn
1 cup dried fruit bits or raisins
1 cup peanuts or sunflower seeds
1 cup M&Ms-brand chocolate candy
16 Hershey's-brand chocolate kisses


See you there!

Monday, November 4, 2013

Gobble Up the Savings & Don't Miss Amanda's New Giveaway!

Gobble up the savings this week, as we continue our holiday sales! With the titles on sale, you are going to be able to stack up the savings. AND - don't miss the fantastic Christmas book collection that Amanda has handpicked for us to give away (entry box later in this blog post). 

Don't miss these savings:

Christmas Unit Study $6
Sailing Ships Unit Study $6 (remember the Mayflower?)
Veteran's Day $4 (Veteran's Day is a week away, November 11th)
Heroes of America $6 (includes Miles Standish)
Passport Germany $5 (includes Martin Luther)

AND if you buy 5 or more studies, you will get $5 off your total purchase if you use the code 1620Pilgrims at checkout!

Amanda's Christmas Book Collection Giveaway:
We are giving away Amanda's handpicked Holiday Book Collection this week. Enter in the signup box below. Here are the titles in the package:

    Jotham's Journey: A Storybook for Advent
        By Arnold Ytreeide

    The Tale of Three Trees
        By Angela Elwell Hunt 
    One Wintry Night
        By Ruth Graham Bell
    The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
        By Susan Wojciechowski
    Humphrey's First Christmas
        By Carol Heyer


Enter here for a chance to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, November 1, 2013

Getting Ready for Week 2 of the Thanksgiving Co-op!

The first week of our annual Thanksgiving Co-op on Facebook has been so much fun - please jump in and join us next week! For those of you that want to know more about the Co-op, go here.

We've got two lists of things for Week 2 of the Co-op. One list has the craft things that you'll need if you want to join in our craft projects, and one list has the ingredients that you'll need if you want to join in our food fun. It's all completely up to you, we're just trying to give you a heads-up.
Here’s the craft supply list for Week 2:
  • Fabric paints or markers in fall colors
  • Foam or paper plates
  • Canvas aprons: 1 for you and 1 for each of your children
  • Foam brushes 
  • 2 different patterns of polar fleece, 2 yards of each pattern 
  • Tape measure or yard stick
  • Copy paper
  • Crayons
  • Stapler and staples
  • Construction paper (various colors and black)
  • Glue or glue stick
  • Mum in a small pot (4"-6" pot, needs to fit inside a top opening in the good-sized pumpkin listed below. Here's a picture.)
  • Pumpkins, medium size  (1 good-sized pumpkin for a tabletop decoration project, and a few more for a fun project with Dad that involves drilling. ;) 
  • Petroleum Jelly
  • Fall ribbon—enough to make a bow
  • Low-temp. glue gun and glue
  • Large wooden spoon 
  • Tacky glue 
  • Pair of googly eyes 
  • Flat wooden craft spoon 
  • Colorful printed wrapping paper or pages from old magazines 
  • Waxed paper 
  • Thin wooden skewers 
  • Basket, large enough to fit a loaf of bread or dinner rolls
  • Florist foam or Styrofoam block large enough to wedge into the basket 
  • Cloth dinner napkin 
  • Cardboard Tubes (toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, gift wrap, etc.) cut into 1 ½” sections
  • Felt, fabric, ribbon or twine to cover cardboard tubes 
  • Embellishments to decorate napkin rings--felt, leaves, buttons, beads, faux flowers 
  • Binder clips or paper clips  
  • Painter’s tape 
  • Votive candles or light sticks for pumpkins
  • Glass jar  
  • Drill & bits
Here’s the food ingredient list for Week 2:
    •    15 ounces pumpkin
    •    1 cup evaporated milk
    •    Sugar
    •    Vanilla
    •    Cinnamon
    •    Nutmeg
    •    Cloves
    •    Cocoa powder
    •    1 box yellow cake mix
    •    1 cup pecans
    •    1 cup butter
    •    Whipped cream
    •    Milk
    •    1/2 Cup Espresso or Strong Coffee (French Vanilla Flavored)
    •    1 1/2 Tablespoon Pumpkin Puree