Flag Day Flash Sale!

Red, white, and blue—when we hear those words stated together, we automatically think of our flag! It is a patriotic symbol of America, fought for and died for, cared for and appreciated. It is important that we continue to share this knowledge with generations to come, just as it was shared with us.

This flag represents the people, places, beliefs, and ideals that this country was founded on, and all that we aspire to. We need to remember what the flag represents and the people who have risked everything to keep it flying.

Teach your children about our flag at a special low price. 

Flag Day is on sale now for just $3*
when you use the code - FlyTheFlag.

In Flag Day Download N Go, you and your child will investigate the history of the flag and learn about Betsy Ross, Francis Scott Key, and other patriotic heroes. Each day you will explore and investigate, creating and adding more learning components to a Flag Day lapbook—building a wonderful reminder of all that you are learning to be enjoyed for years to come

With this holiday, let’s bring the flags out of the back of the closet. Let’s care for the flag and teach these same concepts to our children. Let’s make Flag Day a special day to remember how far this country has come: from 13 stars to 50 stars, from an upstart young country to a country that represents freedom to the rest of the world. The flag has been there through it all, lifting the spirits of our soldiers and brightening our darkest days with hope. May God continue to bless America!

*Sale goes through 6/15/13.

You Asked For It!

Quack, quack! The ducks are here and so is one of our BIGGEST sales of the year. Take advantage of our special deals this month and watch your savings add up with 3 ways to save!

1st way to save:
Buy 5, Save $5 - purchase 5 titles of your choice at one time, and we will give you $5 off your order - this includes sale items!  There is no limit and no codes required. It's really that easy to save, and we are getting the sale started with 5 fun titles - check it out below!

2nd way to save:
Purchase 10 units in June and you earn a FREE unit in July. Purchase 15 units and we’ll give you 2 FREE units in July! To qualify, the 10 unit studies can be purchased at anytime during the month and we keep track of them for you. If you took advantage of the "buy 5, save $5" deal last week, you are half way there! There is no limit and it includes sale items!

3rd way to save:
Check out our specials page! Not only is our newest title - Dynamic Ducks on sale for $5, we also have the following titles at a special low price through 6/15/13:

Creation Camouflage - $5
Astonishing Animals - $5
Incredible Insects - $5
Flight - $6

Take advantage of all 3 ways to save this week, and watch your savings stack up!

P.S. Don't forget to grab your FREE Build a Year Planner! It makes planning so very simple AND you save big in the process. During June and July, we'll be offering weekly savings on a huge variety of titles to help you fill in the planner for a year of exciting learning adventures!

Duck Dynasty Prize Package Giveaway

Dynamic Ducks is finally here!

Continue reading to find out how to win a fantastic Duck Dynasty Giveaway!

Kids and ducks simply go together, from watching a duckling hatch from its shell, to learning how they fly and what the feathers do, kids simply have fun with these creatures.

Living on every continent except Antarctica, ducks come in all shapes and sizes. From the tiny bufflehead duck to the majestic redhead duck, they are stunning and oh, so much fun to investigate.

You are about to set off on a fantastic learning adventure with your child. Just imagine:

• Discovering what makes ducks “waterproof.”
• Learning about the anatomy of birds and how they fly.
• Discovering the why and where of duck migration.
• Having fun learning the story behind two famous ducks: Daffy and Donald.
• And more!

Get ready for an unforgettable learning adventure into the world of these fabulous, feathered fowl.

Check out the Dynamic Ducks lapbook:

Get Dynamic Ducks at a special price of just $5 through 6/15/13!

Enter to win!

To help us celebrate the release of Dynamic Ducks, our friends at Mardel have generously offered the following Duck Dynasty items for a Dynamic Ducks release week giveaway!

1. Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander (Hardcover) $24.99 Value

2. Duck Dynasty-Family With A Calling Latte Mug $16.99 Value (You choose between 2 different mug styles.)

3. Duck Commander Braided Camo Keychain  $7.99 Value

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Come Visit Us!

Will you be at the Virginia Homeschool Convention this weekend? Be sure to stop by and visit us. We'll be at booths 802 and 803. . . and we'll have chocolate! :)

Sea Turtles, Eggs and Night Walks

Along the eastern Florida coast from April to September, huge sea turtles make their way onto the beach late at night to lay their eggs, cover the nest, and then return to the ocean waves before the sun rises in the east. When this season begins, the beaches come alive at night, busily walked by families and folks of all ages, watching for the sea turtles to wash up in the waves and head for the beach for a night of egg laying. When we lived on the Space Coast, this became a fun evening adventure for our crew, and we learned so much about these gorgeous animals.

Armed with things that varied from insect repellent to flashlights, we packed up and headed for the beach. And we were never disappointed, even if the sea turtles took the night off! We learned important things, such as how beautiful the water was at night as the moon rose, and how the waves would absolutely glow when a bottle rocket was fired into the surf. You’ll just have to trust me on that one. 

When the turtles did show up, we had great lessons in patience and turtle anatomy, along with lessons on leaving the turtles and their nests alone. Later in the summer, we would return to these places and watch newly hatched baby turtles struggle for the surf to begin the cycle all over again. These were priceless lessons on just how fragile life is and what it means to be stewards of this earth. 

Blessings,
Amanda

Heading to the Ocean

Remember the first time you "heard" the ocean in a seashell or felt the sand shift from beneath your feet as the surf washed by? The cry of the gull, the steady rhythm of the waves on the shore, the sting of salt on your face—all of these and more remind us of the tranquility you can experience when seeing the ocean.  

As spring quickly approaches, the call to the water becomes louder and more appealing to families everywhere. We think of vacations and heading to the beach, while the children imagine who will collect the most seashells, climb to the top of the lighthouse first, build the biggest sandcastle, and kick the surf the highest! 

The ocean was the topic of the very first unit study I attempted because it was just a short walk from our door, and the children were enamored by the beach and the water. They have always been so curious about the things we found or saw on the beach. I had a new baby with severe colic that was soothed by long beach walks, two fascinated and eager students anxious to leave textbooks and busywork behind, and a huge field trip arena at our doorstep—the Atlantic Ocean!

I always try to begin a unit study by asking the children what they'd like to know about the topic at hand, if they haven't already demonstrated specific interests or mentioned questions in our daily conversations. We have already determined that we would investigate sea life, so here are some of the questions that they had about this topic:

1. What is the biggest animal in the ocean?

2. What kinds of animals live in the deepest part of the ocean?

3. How long can a dolphin and whale stay underwater?

4. Where does the great white shark live?

There, that's four questions that we can tackle during this travel through the Oceans Unit Study Adventure!

From this point, I would proceed to the study outline and find the portions that would provide answers to the children's questions as well as stretch their interest into other applicable areas of the topic.

This week, you can get Oceans for just $6 through 6/8/13! Be sure to visit our Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter pages also - you will find more inspiration, activities and Ocean fun waiting for you!

And Then I Met Winter the Dolphin!

Do you know who Winter the dolphin is? Well, I do, and during a trip to Florida, I got to see Winter and plenty of other rescued sea animals at the Clearwater Aquarium! As we approached it, I couldn't believe the lines and lines of people, all waiting to get into the aquarium, and most of them were there to see Winter. As we waited our turn in line, we went past some very interesting signs that let me know that Winter is a very "social media" kind of animal--she is on both Facebook AND Twitter! 

As we moved along in line, we stood by a very interesting rescue van--remember the one in the movie Dolphin Tale?

Once we entered the aquarium, we were greeted with a VERY toothy grin!

Then we moved on through walls of fish of all kinds--all were smiling, of course!

Once we moved through the aquarium walls and displays, it was up the steps and on to the world of outdoor tanks, where injured and recovering sea animals live and play. This sea turtle LOVED my camera and kept coming right up to my feet for a picture--see him smile? He was adorable!

The story of Winter's real rescue is a bit different than the one told in the movie, and we learned so much from the trainers as we walked along the tanks of several dolphins. I learned SO much. As the trainers work with the dolphin, they are actually doing physical therapy!

I didn't know this--Winter only wears the artificial tail when she is having therapy. Here she is in her own tank. She swims around this tank without her tail, and she jumps up on a float when she needs to take a break! :)

Winter is a beautiful dolphin with a wonderful story and message for all, and I had a FANTASTIC day! Dolphins are such beautiful animals, and kids are captivated with them--so anxious to learn more and see how they swim, and to watch them smile. :) 

Just another piece of God's amazing creation, and the tale of a dolphin not to be missed!

Blessings,
Amanda B.

P.S. Don't miss the sale on the Dolphin Days DNG this week - ends 6/8/13!