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

 

Modeling Clay & Thanksgiving Adventures?

While we were studying the Thanksgiving unit study when the children were younger, we would take packages of inexpensive modeling clay and everyone would sit around the kitchen table, night after night, slowly but surely creating our own version of Plymouth Plantation. The children created tiny figures, houses, stockade walls, a lake, and even a few fishing poles! The conversations and sharing were unforgettable, and I treasure those days and memories. ;)

We assembled the village on a large piece of freezer paper centered on the table, and eventually this became our Thanksgiving centerpiece. You can do the same thing with a cookie sheet covered with foil or freezer paper, and it will be easier to move their creation from one location to another.

So, pick up a few packages of nontoxic inexpensive modeling clay at your local dollar store, and get ready for some fun! Some of our best homeschooling memories have been made with projects just like this, gathered round the kitchen table, laughing and talking and sharing.

Blessings,

Amanda B.

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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We're giving away a Kindle Fire!

Win a Kindle Fire 

and take USAB Unit Studies on the go!

This week, we have some super fun topics on sale that will help you make school time feel like play time. AND, last month's promos were so popular that we are continuing them again this month!  Read on to find out about one one of our biggest sales of the year, and then don't forget to scroll down for a chance to win a Kindle Fire! 

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

3rd way to save:

To help make school time feel like play time, we have some great deals lined up on our specials page! Check them out!

Creative Composers - $5

Digital Photography - $6

Scrapbooking - $6

Auto Racing - $6

Space - $6

Heroes of Invention - $6

Sale ends 7/06/13.

For more fun, follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!

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

This giveaway is over and we have chosen a winner!
Congratulations to Elizabeth B. of Ashland, NY!

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Caution: Noisy Creativity at Work

Music opens doors to creativity in so many ways, usually when you least expect it. While I love listening to music, I never knew much about how it was created or about famous composers. But children change things, don’t they? Music really draws children in and can help them find their passions, whether music or something else.

When our youngest simultaneously discovered his older sister’s keyboard AND Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” the sounds at our house forever changed. He learned how to play “Ode to Joy” on her keyboard, my cell phone, and anything else he could find. Once he discovered that HE could make music, look out world! He created custom ring tones for our phones and began composing music on the computer. All of this discovery resulted in a driving desire to learn more about computers—how they worked, how they made sounds, and so much more. He is now majoring in computer science at college and having the time of his life learning about his passion, computers.

Keep feeding their imagination and creativity. You just never know what can happen!

Blessings,
Amanda B.

Get Ready to Tune In . . .

Creativity and kids—perfect together! This new Download N Go® study, Creative Composers, combines both creativity and music in a way that will capture their curiosity and wonder. The composers included in this study are among the greatest in history, and their stories of trials, challenges, and successes offer unforgettable lessons. These composers are Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin, and their music provides a fantastic base for learning. 

In this study, your child will learn about these composers and their music. Students will see performances of these men’s compositions from all over the world, along with getting a better understanding of how we hear music! Each day, your student will explore and investigate, creating and adding more learning components to his Creative Composers lapbook—building a wonderful reminder of all that he is learning to be enjoyed for years to come. 

Choosing this topic for the next title in the Download N Go® series was fun. This is the first DNG title that focuses on one of the arts, and it opens wide the door of learning to classical music. From the study of music and musical instruments to the workings of the orchestra and the instrument sections—this study is a fun journey through the world of classical music and much more. 

Enjoy a lively toccata with breakfast or a stormy fugue at lunchtime. Meet the instruments of the orchestra, discover some of the musical instruments in the Bible, and let your child use the interactive instruments to compose his own music in Creative Composers!

Creative Composers is on sale this week for just $5!*

P.S. Have you joined us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest yet? We post ideas, trivia, and encouragement each day to go along with our unit studies! Stop by and say hi!

*Sale goes through 4/27/13.