Thanksgiving Co-op & Kindle Giveaway!

Today's the day! The Thanksgiving Co-op is beginning on the USAB Facebook page  and our huge Holiday Giveaway #1 kicks off!

And today is the beginning of our first Holiday Giveaway, and this one is a whopper! Check this out - with a package value of $660, it's a fantastic prize:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanksgiving Co-op on Facebook Begins Monday, October 28!

We are so excited - our annual Thanksgiving Co-op on Facebook begins in just a few days! For those of you that want to know more about the Co-op, go here.

We've got two lists of things for Week 1 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 1:
·      Roll of brown kraft paper
·      Craft glue
·      Paper (construction or printer paper)
·      4 pieces of 12 x 12 decorative scrapbook paper in varying patterns
·      4 pieces of 12 x 12 brown (or orange) scrapbook paper
·      Tall chipboard letters to spell THANKFUL, available at craft stores 
           like Hobby Lobby or Michaels
·      Colored glitter
·      Spool of thin ribbon
·      Hole punch
·      Leaves from outdoors
·      Canvas drop cloth big enough to cover your table (canvas drop cloth like 
            this one from Lowes, about 5’ x 4’)
·      Sharpie Markers
·      Newspaper
·      Acrylic paints in fall colors
·      Foam paint brushes
·      Pine Cones
·      Peanut Butter
·      Birdseed
·      String or yarn
·      White twin-size bed sheet, washed – for our tablecloth project

Here’s the food ingredient list for Week1:
•    Popcorn
•    Sugar
•    Brown sugar
•    Light corn syrup
•    Butter
•    Salt
•    Baking soda
•    Vanilla
•    Dried cranberries
•    Chocolate chips
•    Honey roasted peanuts
•    Chocolate wafer cookies
•    1 tube orange frosting with piping tips
•    Small peanut butter cups

 

Coffee Talk: Created To Be Creative!

Children come into this world with insatiable curiosity, a magnificent imagination, and creativity as unique as their fingerprints. Creativity is one of those gifts that I believe God has given us, since He created us “in His image.” It can open the door to all of the treasures and abilities that He placed within us. 

Some children will be more interested in the great outdoors, while others will want to read any book within reach. Others will struggle with handwriting, while taking your breath away with their pencil sketches along the margins of their journal.

There are many kinds of interests that can help reveal gifts and talents. You may follow some interests around the world and back again, only to discover that what they were most interested in at the age of five (fireman) is exactly what they will pursue as they reach adulthood.

As I look back at some of my favorite homeschooling mementos from over the years, I am stunned at how creative our children were in such unique ways. I learned so much right along with them, and the importance of letting them be creative was one of my most important lessons. Relax and encourage their creativity. You’ve got room to roam with them, and plenty to explore!

Blessings,
Amanda B.

Coffee Talk: Enjoying the Harvest - Part 4

This season of harvest is bright and fruitful, both in our lives as parents and as we approach the season of Thanksgiving. Not only have I learned to see the harvest moments in our lives, but I've also learned to count our blessings, naming them one by one in my journal. The list is growing, right along with my faith.

This "enjoying the harvest" does not just apply to our children's growth and education, by the way. Try to take time to take a walk -- really walking, not just speeding through another task. Notice the color of the sky, and the birds that you see -- can you identify them? And when you are making that apple butter in a slow cooker this year, don't forget to add some savory spices and then enjoy the taste on hot buttered biscuits. Put on some classical music and really listen to how lifting Mozart can be with your morning coffee...a much better way to start the day than listening to the morning news. In other words, YOU have got to slow down and "smell the roses" too. As they say around my house, "when mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy!" And I'm trying to remedy that, working on it on a daily basis.

It is my prayer that these Enjoying the Harvest posts have helped you see that the fruits of our labors are ongoing and lifelong. The harvest is never-ending, and we need to enjoy the harvest moments, right in the midst of the chores and labors of love in teaching and learning and sharing in our family lives. Live, really live, each day that God gives you.

May you have a bountiful and joyous harvest season, and may you find peace in the quiet moments that you can catch in the mayhem and noise of family life!

Blessings,
Amanda B.

Unit Study Adventure Countdown Contest

What a fantastic week we've had, celebrating the Unit Study Adventure series birthday, and now it's time for more fun! 

Here are the top 9 bestselling Unit Study Adventures over the past year:

1.   ???
2.   Oceans
3.   Digital Photography
4.   Thanksgiving
5.   Horses
6.   Easter
7.   Gardens
8.   American Government
9.   Space
10. Dogs

The first person to post the correct answer as a comment here on the blog to the following question wins their choice of three of our studies:

Which study has been our #1 bestselling Unit Study Adventure over the past year? 

The answer is Christmas! Thanks to all that participated!

Coffee Talk: Enjoying the Harvest - Part 3

Given some time to think about it, you can probably "see" back through this past year and remember some prime "harvest moments", both educational as well as emotional and spiritual. 

There are also some moments or events that strengthened and united your family, as well. I've made myself keep a small journal of these kinds of harvest insights, both for encouragement and so that I really realize the progress being made for our efforts. I know it is hard to find time to write down these kinds of things, and I am one of the worst when it comes to finding time for extra efforts like this. BUT, I have MADE myself do this with a journal -- for all of us. 

Here are some ideas in each harvest moment category that I mentioned above, to help you "see" what I record:

Breakthroughs in their education: 

• First word read all by themselves
• First book read independently
• First time they read a book with interest "without" having it assigned
• Breakthrough on long division
• Moments of realization when they really "understand" a concept...like gravity!
• They begin to connect the things that they are learning with the world around us.

Breakthroughs in their emotional development:

• They slow down to help younger siblings voluntarily 
• Refusal to "follow the crowd" based on principle or belief
• Doing the "right" thing even when you are not around!
• Helping others without being asked
• Appreciating grandparents and other family members 
• Welcoming guests wholeheartedly and caring for their needs 
• Asking if you can "all" go do something together...amazing!

And last, but not least -- moments that strengthen and unite your family:

• When one parent is ill or injured, and they all work together to share the burden 
• A death in the family or extended family, where they learn the real value of love and family, as well as the role of faith in assurance 
• When times are financially strained, everyone comes together to conserve, plan, and help ease the struggle.
• Projects for the family tend to provide long memories as well -- working together to add a room to the house, helping a neighbor, etc.

These kinds of things are all what I call those "harvest moments". Golden, reflective and rewarding of our efforts. They may be brief, like a shooting star, but they are just as joyous when we take time from our hectic schedules and plans to see them and realize that progress is being made and our efforts are bringing on a "good" harvest.

Until next time,
Amanda B.

Coffee Talk: Enjoying the Harvest - Part 2

Let's take a look at the definition of harvest from the Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary: harvest -- to gather in (a crop).

A farmer plans for his crop all through the winter, then prepares (cultivates) the soil in spring, and finally plants the seeds of a new crop as the spring ends. Throughout the summer, he works on maintaining and protecting his crop, from drought, insects, and weeds. And then at the end of the summer, he finally begins his harvest, gathering in this precious crop that he has worked so hard to grow.

Can you see the similarities to our efforts as parents? We plan, plant, grow, nurture, and somewhere along the way, the "harvest" concept can get lost in the search for both shoes, the car keys, the "right" curriculum, and on and on.

Just like raising a stand of fruit trees (or maple trees, pecan trees, etc.), so goes the way of raising a child:

• A season to prune and maintain the plants themselves (the physical needs as well as the emotional needs).

• A season to fertilize to invigorate the plant's production of fruit (talking, reading, sharing, putting information and caring into their lives).

• A season to tend the fruits as they develop (keeping an eye on their interests, activities, etc.).

• A season of harvest, when the fruit is enjoyed and preserved, keeping an eye towards the future for the next season of growth (protecting them from harm during tough times and planning the next season of growth).

• And then, of course, the cycle begins anew, as the cycle of life thankfully continues.

Many times over the years, I've had to force myself to back away from the worry and frustrations that the days can bring. Backing up, I make myself find the good - the place where we are in the season of each child's life. It is easy to get so over-focused on the things that aren't done exactly right, that we lose focus on the progress that has been made.

See you next time, coffee in hand, when we'll be talking about keeping a harvest journal to help keep perspective and count it all joy…

Blessings,
Amanda B.