"The First Day of Homeschool" - GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to "The First Day of Homeschool" book giveaway! 

If you would like to know a little more about the book, just hop on over to my post about it here!  :)

Woo-hoo!  Now on to the giveaway!  :)

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"The First Day of Homeschool" - book! :)

I have written a "back-to-school" book!  :)

Well, actually it would be more accurate to say a "back to HOMEschool" book.

Yes, I know there are plenty of popular "back to school" books out there, BUT they deal with a large classroom, getting on the bus, a new teacher who doesn't share your last name, etc.  Great for kids heading into that environment but not so great for homeschool.

For a while, I'd search and search Amazon and libraries for a fun "first day of homeschool" book when that time of year would roll around again.

Now cut to a scene of me with my daughter on our first day, showing her a classroom environment "back to school" book.  Yep, there just wasn't much of a "back to homeschool" book selection out there.

Yikes - it still pains me to this day - sitting there reading to my daughter about the wonderful parts of a first day at school and then closing the book and having to explain how our day was NOT quite like that (still a great day but just not like that).  I know, I know - guilty homeschool mom syndrome - I just  need to let the memory go...

Back to the book - I decided it was time to take action - time to write a book so I could FINALLY have something to read to my kids on their first day of homeschool.  I enlisted my sister-in-law to be the illustrator and she came through with a wonderful mix of cloth and watercolor - even sewing designs into the paper!  Yeah - very cool!  :)

We combined forces and self-published this book (I must say I gained a new respect for editors, publishers, etc. when I had to take on those roles) just in time for our first day of homeschool this year!

It was a pretty neat feeling to read the dedication to my daughter and son - letting them know that I had written it because of them and FOR them.

Then the test.  Would they like it?

YES!  :) 

I am happy to report that the book was a success, AND they enjoyed finding the tiny Homeschool Elf I had hidden in the illustrations as well!  :)

The story begins, "'Twas the night before homeschool" and follows the exciting first day of homeschool for a young child and her family.  They spend time together, complete schoolwork, and even participate in a treasure hunt of sorts for their school supplies when Homeschool Elf hides the items.

By the way - the physical book contains a paper pattern at the end for families to copy and cut out, so they can begin their own Homeschool Elf tradition if they are interested in doing so.  :)

I wanted the book to appeal to children of various ages (something that would please a WHOLE family) because that is often the homeschool set-up!  I included something to capture the attention of young children (hiding Homeschool Elf in the pictures for them to find) AND some questions that would keep the older ones involved as well - sparking some excited responses or discussion.  

In short, I wanted a "hey-let's-ALL-cuddle-together-on-the-couch-and-enjoy-this-book" experience.  I hope my sister-in-law and I have achieved that!  :)

I would love to share this book with other homeschooling families out there but am limited by time and resources (what can I say - I am a homeschooling mom).  So my homeschooling friends - will YOU help me?  It could be as simple as pinning this post, commenting on Facebook, mentioning it to a friend (or many friends), asking for it at your local library, and/or tweeting about it.  Every little bit helps to get the word out there!

If you have a blog and would like to review the book and host a book giveaway - please contact me, and I may send you a couple of copies after I have had a chance to review your blog and decide if it would be a good fit.  Please understand that I may not be able to offer copies to everyone who contacts me (remember the part above about limited time and resources - wink), but know that I really appreciate the interest each of you shows in wanting to share it with others.

The Kindle version is in the works and I hope to have it up very soon!  PLEASE NOTE that even though the Kindle version will have the elf pattern as well, I don't know how it could be copied or if there is a way to print from Kindle.  

I plan to post pictures of the new school room and our FIRST day of homeschool fun around the beginning of next week!  So I hope to "see" you back here then!  :)

Book information:  The book is a thin paperback - 8.5 x 8.5 size

Books may be purchased by clicking the links below or visiting Amazon!  :) 

A WORK IN PROGRESS...

Just in case you thought I was joking on Facebook (about the chaos) - these are some pictures of our new school room in progress.  This is what it looks like even AFTER I put in a lot of work!  So, as you can see - I have a ways to go...

But oh so thankful for a room JUST FOR SCHOOL - what a blessing!  :)

A Royal Masquerade Picnic!

Here are some snippets from Miss A's birthday a while ago (one of those posts I never got around to sending)!  The theme was a "Royal Masquerade Picnic".

The invitations were custom designed by the very talented Andrea at  "Where the Green Grass Grows" - she is wonderful to work with!  

I added the glitter and gold/pink ribbon embellishments.  We included a glittery pink mask for each guest to wear to the picnic (I downloaded the pattern online and cut it out of paper) .  

I made an extra special mask for the birthday girl, of course!  ;)

For entertainment before the picnic lunch, I set up stations for the girls to visit as they chose.  The one above is the "Reading Atrium" with blankets and books.

The"Creativity Garden" was another station and contained items for coloring, pink sparkly playdough and cutters, as well as a place where they could make their own handprint castle (I modeled mine after this one by Posh Little Pixies).  

This was the "Outdoor Ballroom" complete with ribbon wands for each young princess (and a special one for the birthday girl).  We had music playing so the girls could dance and twirl to heart's content.  They each were allowed to take their wand home as a party keepsake.

These are pictures of the picnic spread.  Each girl was given her own picnic basket (also a keepsake) filled with pink and gold embellished picnic food items.  

Side note:  I think I bought the baskets at Dollar Tree.

The cake!  :)  Pink and gold outside with pink and lavender-ish layers inside!  I wasn't so thrilled with some of layer colors I mixed - some ended up looking more gray but oh well.  It tasted good and the birthday girl seemed pleased which is what really counts.  :)

Before they went home, each young lady was given the opportunity to visit the jewels fountain.  I had made pink felt jewelry rolls for each girl which she could then fill with her jewels of choice as a final keepsake from the party.  I had a sign nearby that read:

Thank you for making this day a treasured memory!

Please accept a parting gift of jewels from our precious princess to yours!

Note: jewelry rolls have been provided for the safe transport of your new gems!

For those crafty mommas who want to do something similar but keep it low cost, if I remember correctly, I made the fountain with Dollar Tree candlesticks and plates.  :)

Now...on to plan our Back 2 Homeschool day!  ;)  I've had an idea simmering in my brain for a while now...

CONTEST UPDATE - Finished at #62 - THANK YOU!

Thank you... THANK YOU.....THANK YOU!!!  :)

I'm so blessed to have such great followers, fans, friends, and family who helped me move up the list to #62!!!  YAY!

I think that is pretty wonderful!  :)  I appreciate the encouragement and votes so much!  :)

4Blocks - A Visit to Grandma's House Reveals New Math Manipulative!

One of the perks of having a creative mother with 30+ years of early childhood teaching and consulting experience is that an afternoon at grandma and grandpa's house is a recipe for FUN!  :)

Case in point - 4Blocks.  My kids  L-O-V-E pattern blocks - my youngest being especially intrigued by them at this early point in his life.  Well, one day we walked into grandma's house and found a pile of foam shapes and puzzle forms on the dining room table.  

Need I say more? The kids WENT TO TOWN with these!  

Grandma had about FIFTY pages of ideas, patterns, and puzzles so the kids had plenty to keep them entertained.  Did I mention the pools of higher level thinking in which their little minds were submerged?  Yep, I definitely consider it a plus when kids have fun AND exercise the brain.  :)

Named 4Blocks because each shape is made up of exactly four blocks, these could be considered a more mature cousin to pattern blocks (but one who can still get down on the floor with the littles).  We quickly found that there was something challenging and fun for both my tiny tot up to my now-second-grader.   

Mr. J could mix and match abstract patterns to his heart's content while Miss A could amuse herself with the more complex puzzles which required some heavy duty problem solving skills!

I had my camera with me and started snapping pictures of the happy occasion AND encouraged my mom to get herself a Teacher's Notebook account or TPT account and offer these for sale.

And oh HAPPY DAY - she opened up a store and posted them today!  Woo-hoo! :)  Now you can purchase the entire packet of puzzles and shape patterns so you can make your own set of 4Blocks!

Here's the link to her store Hands, Heads, & Hearts.

NOTE that the downloadable packet does NOT come with foam blocks - you will need to make your own set which allows you the freedom to choose your own colors and medium or create a set exactly the same as hers.  (Some of the patterns are in color so if you plan on using those, you will need to make blocks in the same colors).

I'm thinking it would be pretty neat to make a set out of patterned holiday papers to add to centers (and how cool would it be to come up with some textured ones made of sandpaper or light corrugated cardboard!).  But why stop there?  These could also be used in small groups of students or siblings as a timed game to see who can complete their shape puzzle first OR even be set out as a hands-on alternative to busy work when kids are done with an assignment.  

Whether you homeschool, are a classroom teacher, or your kids just happen to love pattern blocks - you will definitely want to take a look at these!

Don't just take my word for it, see below for what my mom has to say about the ways in which these can be used.  :)  And when you are done - race over to her store and snap up a packet!  

At 67 pages (yes, I did say 67) for only $3.00 - that is an amazing bargain (note - she may be raising the price in the future so I'd suggest buying the packet now)!!!

Linking up to:

www.milkandcuddles.com

www.momontimeout.com

www.ithappensinablink.com

BON VOYAGE, FIRST GRADE!!!

We waved "bon voyage" this week to our school year.  Sniffle, sniffle.  Actually - I was experiencing some major burn-out, so I was VERY happy to close that last book.  :) 

For our final couple of weeks of first grade, I decided to go with a bon voyage cruise theme for some ways to review a bit of what we learned this year.  

It is important to keep your ship in tip top shape, right?  Here is a "swab the deck" activity I had Miss A work on.  

I wrote several of her spelling words on a sheet protector using a WET erase marker.  It was her job to clean up the words that were misspelled (the messes) by mopping them off the deck using a paintbrush (mop) and bucket of water (little cup with water in it). 

The nice thing is that this activity can be used over and over - just plug in sight words, spelling words, math facts, etc.

Look out the portholes and see the flying fish!  Miss A matched the fish answer to the math sentence porthole.  I used highlighter tape so it could be easily removed, and I could re-use the portholes for different math facts or another activity later on.

This is a picture of Miss A donning a lei for the bon voyage party aboard the ship.  She colored in her face and clothes and I placed BLANK highlighter tape around the neckline where a lei would belong.  

I then gave Miss A a spelling review test of some of her sight and spelling words.  She had to write the words on the highlighter tape as I gave them to her.  If she wrote the word correctly, we removed the tape and she glued a flower to that spot.  If she did NOT write the word correctly, the tape stayed there.  

The following day, we would try the word again until she completed the entire lei.   :)

This was an art activity Miss A completed to go along with our sailing theme.  I could not find a poem that fit with our theme and the end of first grade, so I just made up my own.  Download it for FREE here.

Of course, we spent some time working on a first grade memory book as well.  Mommies like to keep such things!  

(If you are interested in purchasing a first grade memory book,  mine is available for sale in my TPT store here.)

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL POEMS AND PAGES YOU SEE ABOVE ARE CREATED BY ME AND MAY NOT BE USED, COPIED, OR CHANGED IN ANY WAY WITHOUT MY PERMISSION (in other words, if you like it - please buy it instead of trying to copy it.  It isn't expensive, and I have put a lot of time and effort into it).

In addition to our "cruise" duties, we decided have an end of the year party aboard our "ship" and invited family.  I made some boarding passes and sent them out.

Miss A worked on a sign for our front door.  She wanted to make the words look like clouds but quickly realized that might take quite a while and not fit as well.  Instead, we opted to just make the first letter of each word a cloud letter and then write the rest of the letters with a marker.

When the guests arrived, they were greeted by our little ship's captain and sent to the deck where they could sign the "ship's log".  For this area, we had the guests complete the fingerprint flower poem and autograph/well wishes page from her memory book.  

The guests then donned leis and headed to the ship's galley for refreshments.  We even had entertainment (compliments of the ship's captain once more) AND an end of the year slideshow!

Prior to people's arrival, I had set up one wall that was the "bow" of the ship where the portholes looked out on the work Miss A had done at the beginning of the year.  An opposite wall contained the "stern" or "end of the year" work in portholes so guests could marvel at the amazing progress in one year's time.

If you've never done this - try it next year!  It is SOOO neat (at least it is for me) for both the kids and adults to be able to compare work from the beginning of the year to what has been accomplished by the school year's end!

Speaking of END - did I mention it is the END of our school year (insert giddiness)?!?  If course I did but it is definitely worth repeating!  Woo hoo!  And now I guess it is time for me to end this post (I know, I know - a bit over the top.  Just point me in the direction of some dark chocolate to make it stop).

For those wondering, I might be posting some things in the summer that did not make it into the blog during the year.   And just a heads up, if your kids like pattern blocks (or still do), make sure you check out the post about 4Blocks - coming soon!  :)

UPDATE:  Click here for a link to the 4Blocks post.

Linking to:

www.cornerstoneconfessions.com

www.milkandcuddles.com

www.momontimeout.com

www.ithappensinablink.com