Wednesday, November 21, 2012

George Washington's Thanksgiving Day Speech



We've come a long way...and not in a good way.

Here is what George Washington had to say when he proclaimed an official Thanksgiving Day"

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.  Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.  --George Washington

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Trivium Tuesdays-Classical Link-Up #33

Welcome to another week of Trivium Tuesdays!  If this is your first time here, this is a link-up aimed at encouraging and informing other homeschoolers who use the Classical model of teaching.  Here we can share with each other and learn from one another.

Don't forget to visit the All Things Classical Blog Post Index if you are trying to remember a post that someone linked up or are just looking for encouragement or help on a specific topic related to Classical homeschooling.  I have organized most of the posts that you have linked up here at Trivium Tuesdays so that you can easily find posts on the topic you are looking for.

I was out of town for half the week last week, so I didn't manage to get anything fantastic written about classical education on my blog, but I was encouraged by what all of you shared last week!  Here are two of my favorites...check them out if you missed them last week!



Golden Grasses wrote a great post about Teaching Writing, but not in the way you might think.   She talks about reading aloud, memorizing poetry, foreign language, and more!  It was very encouraging to me and I'm sure it will be to you as well!



triviumpursuitbutton
Trivium Pursuit talked about Delayed Formal Math in their post from last week.  This is a very counter-cultural idea, but it is interesting!  What about you?  Do you start your kids with a formal math program right away or do you delay math?  Go over and read Trivium Pursuit's article and leave your feedback in their comments section!



Now onto this week's link-up!

Here are the rules:
  • Your post must have to do (in some way) with classical homeschooling (any age children).
  • Your post may be from your archives as long as you only post it one time on this link-up.
  • Please link to your direct post, not your blog in general.
  • Please place my Trivium Tuesdays button (found on my right sidebar) on your blog post so others can learn about this link-up!
  • It may be helpful to state in your link description what stage of the trivium or what subject your post is about, if applicable, so others can easily find posts they are interested in looking at.
  • Remember, everyone loves comments =) So don't be shy, and tell someone if you liked their post!

I reserve the right to remove any link-up that does not have to do with classical homeschooling.         If you are a regular here at Trivium Tuesdays and have something to share that is a little off topic, but still would be an encouragement to the readers here, please still share it =)  I'm referring to people who are just trying to get their blog more exposure without following the rules above.

I will visit each of your blogs this week and feature my favorite link-up for all to see next week!  Also, if your blog has a button I will place it on my sidebar (under Friends to Visit) for the week until it is replaced by the next week's favorite =)

Happy Linking!

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Sunday, November 18, 2012

Stocking Stuffer Giveaway


(This giveaway has ended.  To see the winners, click here.)

Have you started thinking about buying Christmas Gifts yet?  Maybe the bigger question is, do you know how your are going to pay for them?  Well, lucky for you, this week you have a great opportunity to WIN CASH and other great prizes from some of us at the iHomeschool Network!

I love that you can use this money to buy just about anything that you want.  Maybe your family is in a tight spot this year and you could use this money to buy some essentials.  Maybe you know of a family who could use an unexpected blessing of gifts from you.  Or maybe this would just enable you to buy gifts for your family without incurring any debt.  Whatever your reason, please enter for the chance to win these great prizes (especially the 2 grand prizes of $250)!

What kinds of things are you thinking of buying this year?  Here are some that I'm looking at (and giving as ideas to family members!)...

 

Pretty dress up clothes for my little girl - 


PhotobucketLittle Adventures Red Winter Beauty Dress

 
Photobucket



Little Adventures Pink Fairy Tutu

 

 

 

 

 

Fun and Fine Motor for all the preschoolers - 


Photobucket My First Sticky Mosaics® Vehicles

 Photobucket Melissa & Doug Large Shapes Jumbo Puzzle

 

 

Thomas the Train accessories for my son - 


PhotobucketTrain Table
 PhotobucketRoundhouse

 

 

Energy burners for the long winter months -


PhotobucketTrampoline
PhotobucketBeam
PhotobucketIncline Mat


 

Decorations for the kid's new rooms - 


PhotobucketOwl Bedding Set  (and accompanying decor)
PhotobucketBlast Off! Growth chart (and accompanying decor)


Just follow the directions below to enter!  Leave a comment for your first entry and then find some fantastic other bloggers to follow for extra entries!

I can't wait for one of you to be blessed with this money!


 a Rafflecopter giveaway


Brought to you by the lovely ladies at the following blogs:




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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Trivium Tuesdays-Classical Link-Up #32

Welcome to another week of Trivium Tuesdays!  If this is your first time here, this is a link-up aimed at encouraging and informing other homeschoolers who use the Classical model of teaching.  Here we can share with each other and learn from one another.

Don't forget to visit the All Things Classical Blog Post Index if you are trying to remember a post that someone linked up or are just looking for encouragement or help on a specific topic related to Classical homeschooling.  I have organized most of the posts that you have linked up here at Trivium Tuesdays so that you can easily find posts on the topic you are looking for.

I just loved reading A Bundle of Sticks from Keeping Life Creative on last week's link-up.  Pamela and her husband were trying to think of ways to help their children not bicker and they came up with a great way to apply an old Aesop's Fable.  I love using those old texts, and pairing one with a hands-on lesson is even better =)  Take a minute to check out her post if you missed it last week!  Thanks, Pamela, for the great idea!



Now onto this week's link-up!

Here are the rules:
  • Your post must have to do (in some way) with classical homeschooling (any age children).
  • Your post may be from your archives as long as you only post it one time on this link-up.
  • Please link to your direct post, not your blog in general.
  • Please place my Trivium Tuesdays button (found on my right sidebar) on your blog post so others can learn about this link-up!
  • It may be helpful to state in your link description what stage of the trivium or what subject your post is about, if applicable, so others can easily find posts they are interested in looking at.
  • Remember, everyone loves comments =) So don't be shy, and tell someone if you liked their post!

I reserve the right to remove any link-up that does not have to do with classical homeschooling.         If you are a regular here at Trivium Tuesdays and have something to share that is a little off topic, but still would be an encouragement to the readers here, please still share it =)  I'm referring to people who are just trying to get their blog more exposure without following the rules above.

I will visit each of your blogs this week and feature my favorite link-up for all to see next week!  Also, if your blog has a button I will place it on my sidebar (under Friends to Visit) for the week until it is replaced by the next week's favorite =)

Happy Linking!



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Thursday, November 8, 2012

Thanksgiving Tree 2012

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For the past two years, we have made a Thanksgiving Tree.  Originally I made a tree out of cardboard and cut out intricate leaves to staple on.  I loved that tree but after two years of use and (not so careful) storage, we had to say good-bye to it.  This year my son is pretty capable with scissors, so I knew that I wanted him to help cut the leaves out, and I also knew that I wanted the tree to look different than before (just for a change) so we went a completely different route.


 How to Make It


First we went into the yard to gather twigs and stuck them into a fall looking vase that I had lying around the house.  The kids had a fun time romping around in the leaves finding the sticks =)

Then we came inside and I traced a bunch of circles onto construction paper.  I knew that my four year old couldn't handle an intricate leaf pattern, so I thought circles would be best.  Plus, I knew that they wouldn't come out as perfect circles anyways, so they would look a bit more leafy because of that.  We had to take a few different sessions to cut all the circles out since there were so many of them.  I had full intentions of helping with the cutting, but Trevor really seemed to enjoy it so I let him do it.

Next, we sat down to brainstorm things that we are thankful for.  This is a hard thing for little kids.  They kept just saying things that were around them (I'm thankful for...paper, windows, etc.) so I had to give them some ideas and help them think outside the box.  We wrote one thing on each leaf, hole punched them (probably the most enjoyable part for the kids!) and stuck them on the sticks.


How to Use It


Every night the kids each take a leaf down and we talk about that thing/person and then pray and thank God for it/them.  If it is a person, I have Trevor write a simple note to them saying that he is thankful for them.  If it is a thing, we stick the leaf on a piece of paper on the refrigerator (that I drew a simple tree on) so we can remember the things we have talked about.  I think it will be neat to look back at that paper years from now to see the kinds of things the kids thought to be thankful for at 2 and 4 years old.

If you want to see another tree design, or want a printable leaf template and an "I am Thankful for You" copywork page to give to the people you are thankful for, check out my post from last year!

What kinds of ways do you practice being thankful at this time of year?



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