Mom Is Teaching

There is a great contest going on over at Type-A Mom going on right now that I thought some of you might be interested in. The contest is in celebration of their 1 year anniversary and the prizes being handed out are amazing. There are over $400 worth of goodies that you can win. Enter between May 5th and June 5th for your chance to win. Just visit the Supercool Supermom Contest page to see what is being given away and how you can win.  Good luck!

contest, giveaway

I am extremely excited with how many people visited here to win my homeschooling packages. The numbers were amazing! Hopefully some of those visitors decided to stick around and see what else I have to offer here. Maybe even subscribe to the feed and keep up with my ramblings.

OK, so I know you’re dying to know who the winners are. I won’t keep you in suspence any longer!

Package #1 - PreK/Kindergarden
The winner is….. Carrie @ Three-Girl Circus!

Package #2 - 1st/2nd Grade
The winner is….. Mo (Un-Mainstream Mom)!

They will both be receiving emails from me shortly. Congrats to both of the winners!

There is something about this time of year that makes some people want to purge all of their stuff. A lot of junk can be collected in a year’s time. Toys no longer played with, clothes out grown, books no longer read. It’s easy to find yourself over flowing with stuff.

There has been some decluttering going on over at LaPaz Home Learning, who also has a link up for a decluttering calendar that you can use if you need some help. There is also a Mid-Winter Purge going on over at Along The Crooked Path. In fact, I’ve been so inspired that I suddenly ran out to my garage and began bringing in boxes and going through stuff. So far I’ve got a giant box full of toys, books, and clothes sitting on my front porch ready to be donated. Ahhh, I feel better already.

Since I’m still on a purging spree I’m going to clear out my book stacks. It’s hard, getting rid of books. It’s like giving away a child, or at least a beloved pet. I may cry a little. Luckily for you my purging means you can get some free goodies. I’m taking part in the Bloggy Giveaway carnival again. Come back on Monday the 28th for your chance at some of my book stacks. I’ve got a ton of curriculum/theme books for preschool that I’ll never use. I may have even more books to give away by then. Who knows! Be sure you come back to find out what all I’ve got up for grabs.

It’s kind of freeing, no longer seeing those books on my shelf. I don’t feel so bad about not using them when they aren’t sitting there staring back at me every day. I have to encourage everyone to go through your homeschooling stacks and see what books, resources, and files you have sitting there that you’re not using. There might be another family out there just waiting to get their hands on what you’ve got. It’s a win-win. You get to declutter and they get what they need.

Just trying to spread the love.

books, decluttering, contests, homeschooling

Have you entered the HomeschoolEstore’s 12 Blogs of Christmas Promotion yet? If not you better hurry! HomeschoolEstore tapped twelve different homeschooling bloggers to run contests on thir blogs. Each blog will have a winner that receives a $50 gift certificate to HomeschoolEstore. Sounds great? Then go enter!

Janne’s Jabberwocky was one of the blogs chosen to give away a gift cetificate. She’s asking anyone who want to enter her contest to write a blog post on their favorite Christmas memory. It can be one from your own childhood or one from now with kids of your own. Just share a favorite Christmas story for a chance to win.

My favorite memory has to be of the tree. I was raised by my grandmother and we never had a Christmas tree that I can remember. The house was just too small to fit a tree into. But outside, just by the front gate, there was a small pine tree growing. Each Christmas we would go outside and decorate our tree. Mostly with popcorn strings that the birds could nibble on, but also with some simple decorations that wouldn’t be damaged outside. One year my uncle added a light post near the gate and set it up so that Christmas lights could be plugged in out there as well. We strung soft white lights around the tree and I waited anxiously for dark so that I could flip the switch and turn them on. It was exciting and magical and amazing to me.

I loved having a real Christmas tree rather than a fake one. Especially as it was growing outside all year round, so I could always spend time with my special tree. And since it was always growing and not cut down I didn’t ahve to fight tree sap on my hands and clothes.

That’s my favorite Christmas memory. Share your own on your blog and try for a chance to win too!

Christmas, contest, homeschooling

I hope everyone enjoyed children’s book week! It was tons of fun writing about my favorite books and finding out what books others love. To me reading is so important, espcially in children. I could get lost in a book for hours, something I’ve done since I was a child. If you haven’t yet go back and read my book suggestions and what books people shared in the comments.

• Wild Child by Lynn Plourde
• The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren
• Rikki Tikki Tavi by Rudyard Kipling
• The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
• Mercer Mayer’s Critter
• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barret
• The Neverending Story

And now for what I know you’r really here for… the winner. One comment was choosen at random to earn a free book from PaperBackSwap. And remember, even if you don’t win it’s still free to join and receive used books delivered straight to your doorstep. I really think every homeschooler should join.

OK, the winner is… Activities Coordinator

books, children’s books week, contest, paperbackswap

Yesterday I shared the book Wild Child by Lynn Plourde. Today’s book is an older one that we adore, The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren. You may recognise the author’s name, she is also the author of the classic The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking.

The Children of Noisy Village is a short and simple chapter book, where each chapter rads more like its own small story. The story line follows the daily lives of a group of children in the Noisy Village. It follows them through an entire year showing their lives, customs, and experiences.

There are six children living near each other on three small farms in Sweden. Lisa shares how her brother drew a beard and mustache on her doll, about baking ginger snaps at Christmas time, and about crayfishing at the lake. The stories are simple and there are not many illistrations, but it is a favorite book to pull out and read on the days we are stuck inside.

Do you have any favorite books that share stories from othr countries or cultures? Share them with us! Remember, one lucky commenter will win a free book!

books, The Children of Noisy Village, Astrid Lindgren

The first book I wanted to share this week is one that we have been reading a lot lately. Wild Child by Lynn Plourde. This beautiful story is about Mother Earth putting her child Autumn to bed. But like a typical child, Autumn wants a few things first. A song, a snack, a kiss.

The story is written beautifully. It is pure poetry, with the sounds of the world really coming through. The crackle of leaves, the crunch of apples, the chatter of squirrels. Reading it out loud is so fun to do. And the illustrations! I want to frame each of the pages and hang them on my walls. The colors are breathtaking. Oranges, browns, golds, reds fill the pages and capture the mood of the story perfectly. Greg Couch, the illustrator, uses the scenery to create the characters so that they both blend in and stand out. We often have to linger over the pages and soak in the artwork.

As we are noticing the leaves falling and the days getting a bit colder Wild Child is one of the books we had to pull off the shelf and keep out. It is especially useful at night when someone wants just one more this or that before going to bed. It calms him down every time like a charm.

What are your favorite Autumn inspired books? Do you have any favorites that you like to read this time of year? Share what books you are enjoying for your chance to win a free book of your choice! And because I’m a bookworm and always looking for more books to add to the shelves.

books, Wild Child, Lynn Plourde, Greg Couch, Autumn

Remember when I mentioned that November 12-18 is National Children’s Book Week? And remember how I mentioned that there would be a prize? Well here are the details!

Each day I’m going to write a post about a favorite children’s book that we love. It will be difficult narrowing them down to just one a day, but I’ll try. Hopefully it will be a new book you have not heard of, or one that you have not yet read with your kids. See, I want to inspire reading. Books are wonderful!

Comments are pretty great too! So I’m encouraging everyone to leave me lots of comments all week sharing your favorite children’s books. On the 19th I will post a huge list with everyone’s book suggestions. And I will announce the winner of a free book of their choosing. There is a catch, however, to the book. Rathern than buying and sending you the book, I will use one of my book credits at PaperBackSwap to have any one book sent to you.

If you are not familiar with PaperBackSwap let me wipe the look of shock off my face and explain. PBS is a free book trading community where you can send your old books to people who rally want them and get new books for yourself to enjoy. You simply join, list what books you have that you want to send off, and make a list of what books you want to read. You get credits for books that you send to others, and in turn use those credits to request books for yourself. You can also buy extra credits for a very small fee. The books are all yours once you get them, you do not have to send them back or regift them unless you want to.

To get your free book you do not have to be a member of PaperBackSwap, I will just insert your address in the “send to” area. Though if you want to join it is completely free, and addictive! Then when I choose the winner that person will just let me know their mailing address and what book they want. You will have to search through and se what books are posted and ready to be mailed, but I will let the winner take up to three weeks to make sure they get the book they really want.

Sound simple enough? Read my posts every day from the 12th to the 18th. Leae lots of comments on your favorite children’s books. On the 19th one lucky comment will win a free book from PBS.

books, children’s books, PaprBackSwap

Did you know that November 12-18th is National Children’s Book Week? I didn’t either, luckily I saw Michelle’s post over at Scribbit about it. The post also shares some great ideas for encouraging reading in children. It is definately worth reading, especially if you worry that your children aren’t interested in reading. Spending time curled up enjoying books is the perfect way to share reading with your kids. But adding a few fun adventures along the way helps too.

There is a common joke among homeschoolers about books. “You know you’re a homeschooling family when you have to walk around the book piles in your house.” I know that here it is true. Books are piled up everywhere. We love books and love reading, and because I share my own love of books with my children they learn that reading is fun.

To celebrate this important week I am going to share a favorite children’s book each day. One that we love and read often. Hopefully they will be ones you might not of heard of before and you will be inspired to pick them up. I want you to share your favorite children’s books too! Let me know what books you love dearly. To tempt you into sharing even more I am going to choose one person who comments during that week to win a book of their choice. I won’t give away more than that now, but I hope you will come back and leave lots of comments all week!

books, reading, children, National Children’s Book Week

And the winner is….

(drum roll)

Marie! She is the big winner of my homeschool books giveaway! I want to thank everyone who entered this give away. It was a ton of fun and I hope to be able to do it again soon.

giveaway, books, homeschooling

I am pretty excited to be taking part in Shannon’s Fall, Y’all! giveaway. Her summer givaway was huge, and I think I ran myself ragged entering as many giveaways as I could. There were just so many great things up for grabs. Sow ehn she announced the fall one I knew I had to join. I think I went through a few hundred ideas of what to give away to one lucky person before I had the perfect one. Pulled straight from my personal collection I am giving away 3 great homeschooling books. These are perfect for a beginner homeschooler, or just someone thinking about it.

The titles are: Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School by Rebecca Rupp, The Homeschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith, and Homeschool Your Child for Free: More Than 1,200 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources for Home Education on the Internet and Beyond by LauraMaery Gold. These are great resources for any homeschooler to have on hand. And I’m giving them away to one lucky person!

All you have to do is leave me a comment right here telling me that you want these books. You have from now until November 1 to get your comment in. Then on November 2nd I will choose one random comment to win.

And while you’re here check out my other giveaway at Creative Mom Cafe. I have some great crafty books up for grabs.

Fall, Y’all! Giveaway, giveaway, contest, books, homeschool

My post this morning reminded me that I wanted to mention the Blogger’s Choice Awards. You’ve probably seen the little badge on the right side there. If not, it looks like this:

Right now I am in 2nd place for Best Educational Blogs. That’s a pretty high spot to begin with. But darn it, I want to win! So if you haven’t voted yet I hop you will click over and send another vote my way. Voting was supposed to end October 19th with the winners to be announced on November 10th. However, the site still seems to be letting last minute votes get in. I am not sure if the votes are still be counted, but if they are I hope to get mine up a little more.

And a huge thanks to everyone who has already voted for me.

blogger’s choice awards, blogging

Not everyone wants to share vidos of their children on the web, whicih is perfectly understandable. So for those not interested in the Laurel Springs video contest I’ve found another contest that you might enjoy.

LifeLearning.org is having a Logo Design Contest for Homeschooling Families. The contest is to design the logos for winners and nominees of the 2008 Homeschooling Awards. The winner will get a big, fat $100! And with more prizes possibly coming up soon. (hint to anyone who might like to add a prize to this great contest) The logos need to be 160 pixels x 100 pixels and contain the words “Homeschooling Award Winner 2008″ on one and “Homeschooling Award Nominee 2008″ on the other.

Thank you or your child have some Photoshop skills? Then enter your designs into the contest and see!

contest, homeschoolers, Homeschooling Award

Laurel Springs School, a K-12 Distance Learning Program, is having an awesome contest right now! Why do YOU think Homeschool is Cool? They want homeschooler to make a 60 second video and host it on YouTube sharing why you love homeschooling. It is open for all homeschooling kids ages 5 to 18. The contest closes on December 3, 2007 and the winners will be announced soon after, so get your videos in soon.

The winners are selected by YouTube votes, so you will need to be creative and fun. Just be sure that you read over the Rules and Regulations for the contest and that you submit your video to the Laurel Springs Video Contest group. There are already a lot of great videos out there on YouTube that show homeschooling, so if you are feeling stumped at where to begin why not watch them and see if you feel inspired.

If anyone is entering this contest please let me know. I’d love to share the videos of my readers here. And who knows, it might even help you get more votes.

homeschool, contest, Laurel Springs, You Tube, videos