JPMT~~Top Ten Posts for 2012

Top 5 Most Viewed Blog Posts:

 

1. Amazing Wonders Aviation VBS Clinic

 

2. Magnificent Math Manipulative

 

3. My Day at the State VBS Clinic

 

4. Only 5 Spelling Tests a Year (Can we do that?)

 

5. Two History Must Haves

 

Top 5 Personal Favorites:

 

1. Cuneiform (Hands-on History)

 

 

2. Laundry room/mudroom Quick Fix

 

 

3. Viking Longships

 

4. Sunday School with my 4's and 5's

5. When Education "Sneaks" in



This was my first full year of blogging.  I appreciate my readers so much!  Happy New Year!! 

Packing Away Baby Jesus (Children's Sermon)

     A few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with one of our church members.  She shared with me a story from when her daughter was a little girl.  It was the same time of year as it is now...when Christmas had just ended.  While at church, she asked, "Mommy, are they going to pack Baby Jesus away until next Christmas?".  Wow.  Out of the mouth of babes...

 

    

     As you pack away your nativity and other Christmas decorations this year--be mindful to not pack away the meaning of Christmas with it.  Jesus is definitely the reason for the Christmas season---but we should share Jesus, love Jesus and talk to Jesus everyday of the year!

 

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction."  2 Timothy 4:2

Funny Friday~An Interesting Visitor to the Shire

Seems that CP30 has managed to find his way to the Hobbit Hole.

Something to Pack in Your Box of Christmas Decorations

     Want to be ready for Advent next year?  THRIVING FAMILY has available on their website a free downloadable version of their 2012 Advent Activity Calendar.  This is not really "dated" material, as it can be used any year.  I have a hard copy of the activity book---it is great!!  We would have used it ourselves, but were already reading Bartholomew's Passage.  The 2012 Thriving Family Advent Activity Calendar is: Knowing Him by Name.  Each day, you focus on a different name for Jesus.  Lots of great activities.  (Simple ones.)  I highly recommend it!  Here's an idea: print it out now, and stick it in a box as you pack away your Christmas decorations.  That way, you'll be ready for next Christmas and Advent!  It's FREE!!

FREE Family Devotions (for Kindle)

Well, "Santa" didn't bring me a Kindle....but for those of you that have one...

 

This looks to be a great deal and a wonderful resource for families!!

 

CLICK HERE

 



Living Nativity

I want to share a few scenes from our church's first "Living Nativity".  I hope you enjoy them, and may they inspire you this season as you reflect on God's gift of Jesus to us! 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was such a thrill for me to see all of this come together.  So many people helped me out in this endeavor.  Church members sewed costumes, built barns, made hot cocoa, set up lights and sound....
A beautiful thing when the Body of Christ comes together to serve!!

 

Catching up with the TOS Giveaways~~~Days 5-10

 Check out these links at the Old Schoolhouse Crew website.  Enter to win great prizes!!!

 

DAY 5
(Only one more day left to enter!!)

 

 

DAY 6

 

 

Day 7

 

 

Day 8

 

 

Day 9

 

 

Day 10

 



Nativity Activities with my 4's and 5's

Our Sunday School lesson (and verse) was "Jesus was born in Bethlehem". 

Building a barn for the nativity set.  (A plastic barn came with the set, but it was so much better to build our own!)

The boys and girls had a fun time looking at hay through a magnifying glass. 

I lay a background picture inside of a cookie sheet.  The Nativity figures are saved from last year.  They have magnets attached to them.  This could easily be done at home.  You could cut out various nativity figures from old Christmas cards. 

We had several Nativity puzzles to put together.

My class LOVES puzzles!

On a sweet note....

One of the children in my class was at church Sunday night playing in our Sunday School room while the "big kids" practiced for the Christmas program.   His grandmother told me he had built the barn and told her the whole story of Jesus being born.  Makes me SMILE!  :)



TOS 4th Day of Christmas~~4 will win a Bible Study!

 

 

Just go HERE to enter!!

TOS~Day 3 Giveaway~Raising Real Men Bundle

 

Go HERE to enter.

 

3WINNERS today!

 



TOS Giveaway: Day 2~~Apologia Bundle!

 

 

Go HERE to enter today!!

 



Great Promo Deal: SchoolhouseTeachers.com

Check out this great deal!
A subscription to SchoolhouseTeachers.com for one year only $49! This even includes a tote bag and copy of the annual The Old Schoolhouse Magazine print book.

(Click above the tote bag, where it says, "Tote bag special is back"

 

 

 

 



12 Days of Giveaways from TOS~Day 1 (a link)

     Today begins the 12 days of Giveaways from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Blog!  Go HERE to enter for today's prize.  (There will be one winner today, 2 winners the next day, 3 on Wednesday, etc....)  This writing bundle would make a great Christmas gift for a girl on your list!

 



12 Tree Trimming Tips

So excited to be featured on the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog today!!

Check out my post there, if you like.  I've got several tree-trimming tips for you...

 

*December is a bit of a different month at the TOS Review Crew.  Lots of fun...Christmas articles, giveaways and more!  Here are a just few you may want to check out (There will be lots more to come!):

Christmas Around the World
Celebrating Advent with a Jesse Tree
Coming Soon 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways

Advent Begins...2012

 

We are a few days into our Advent readings.  Last night after our story, I decided to put our book on an easel next to the Advent wreath.  Now my Advent display feels complete.  I also added two small nativity sets.  One is especially important to me, since it was my Mammaw's.  I'd love to collect a few more small nativities and group them around the Advent wreath.  I also added a few magnolia leaves from the tree in our backyard. 

Our family is really enjoying Bartholomew's Passage. It didn't take long for the action to get started!  I look forward to this peaceful part of our Christmas celebration each day.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine: December Issue

Check out the latest edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine HERE.

I've already enjoyed reading the article, "Why Homeschooled Kids Scare Me".

Field Trip: "Opera Scenes"

    Last night my family and I had a real treat.  We attended a 2 hour "Opera Scenes" production at a nearby university.  We did not see an entire opera, but rather a sampling of scences from popular operas.  My husband had experienced the opera before, but this was my first time.  It was a first for my sons as well.  The verdict...We LOVED it!  (Oh, and it was free, so we really loved it!!)

 

Here are a few scenes from our evening:

 

"La Cenerentola" (better known to us as "Cinderella")
This one was hilarious!



"The Abduction from the Seraglio"
(Also a really funny scene!)

"Fidelio"

"Albert Herring"

 "Hansel and Gretel"

 Taking a bow...

(There was also a scene from Hamlet.)

DVD Giveaway from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

     A while back, I reviewed "The Historic Expedition of Lewis & Clark" DVD from Marshall Publishing.  Here's your chance to win it, along with lots of other DVDS! 

Thanks, Schoolhouse Review Crew!!

 

 

 

 

Go HERE for a chance to win!!!

The Nativity Dilemma

I hope all my blog peeps had a:

 

My youngest had a great time making this before our Thanksgiving meal.  We put it on the easel at the buffet.

 

We had a great week last week out of our normal homeschooling routine.  This week I've been busy decorating for Christmas and getting back into the swing of home education before more holiday celebrating.

 

  The other day, I had a bit of a dilemma with my nativity.  Last year this is what it looked like:

The Nativity sat on my TV with our new Advent wreath.  I liked that the two were side-by-side.  I liked how my wise men were traveling to see Jesus.  What I didn't like is that I did not use any "hay" around the nativity set, because I was afraid of having it that close to the fireplace and candles.  It just looked plain. 

 

 

So, after a few different tries, I decided on this:

 

I was so pleased with how it turned out.  I love that this is the first thing that you see when you walk through our front door.  Before, I had put a few Santa/elves things here.  (We don't have many.)  But, I think this is so much better.  My whole family agreed.  AND...I have hay!  (or I think it's Spanish Moss.)  My kids really liked the idea of the Wise Men being somewhere else in the house, traveling to see Jesus.  I explained to them that the Wise Men are still traveling, but their nearby presence is just symbolic.  (They bought it.)

 

Now....what to put next to my Advent Wreath???

 

Next post!!

 

..



Thankful Garland

 Yesterday I took a little time in between cleaning the house and raking leaves to make our "Thankful Garland".  I used materials I already had in my craft closet, so this was a "freebie"!  All that's left to do now is to write what we're thankful for on the leaves.

  

 

Give thanks with a grateful heart...