A Few Thanksgiving Projects

This year we tried a few new things to make Thanksgiving a bit more festive. It's fun as the children get older and are able to take on more complicated projects. They can see an idea and run with it, and it doesn't require as much preparation and work on my part. It does make for interesting projects sometimes.... but it is also nice to show them a picture of an idea and see them take off with it.

 

For the table, we made place cards for everyone, using white cardstock, colored ink stamp pads, and fingertips! A sharpie marker and white out added on some details, and the names of those dining at the table.

Someone got creative and tried a different perspective.

 

Then the girls got the awesome idea to add some games and things to do on the inside of the cards, to give some entertainment at the dinner table. They found some fun Thanksgiving Mad Libs and printed them out and glued them on the inside.

 

I am always looking for some type of project to remind us of the many blessings we have and things we have to be thankful for. This is what makes Thanksgiving one of my favorite holidays. I love the fact that we have a whole day set aside to help us adjust our focus and ponder on how good God has been to us, and how blessed we truly are.

 

On Pinterest, I saw an idea for a "Thankful Tree".  We set up one on our coffee table, and the girls cut out some colored leaves.

 



We put fresh cranberries in the vase that we used as a base for the branches, which added a pretty touch.

 





 

Everyone in the family was able to write something that they are thankful for on a leaf, and then those leaves were taped onto the tree branches.

 

Even the grandparents got into it!

 

I really enjoyed looking at all the different things that the girls thought of to put onto the tree. They definitely have some really neat ideas, and it made my heart glad to see what they think of when pondering on the blessings in their life.  They keep asking to leave the tree up for awhile and not take it down! I suppose we'll leave it there till the Christmas decorations come out!

 

Happy Thanksgiving and I hope it was a blessed one for you!

 





Hands on History

My girls absolutely love the American Girls series of books. They get them from the library and read the same ones over and over again. The books have a doll and a story line from each era of American history, and we all have enjoyed studying and learning about these major historical events through the eyes of a fictional girl. The books are chock full of facts and true names, dates, and places that really bring the stories to life, and helps the reader learn and remember key points of the history lessons.

This past few months, we have been studying North American history, and of course, the Native Americans who lived here. The corresponding American Girl we studied was Josefina. We got all the Josefina stories out from the library, and decided to build some adobe houses from real clay. It was a lot of fun, and the girls learned a few Spanish words (from the Navajo tribes of the Southwest).

Set up paint in sections of an old egg carton. Leave a few sections empty for mixing colors!

 



 

Painting the inside of a 3 sided box (shoebox would work too!) to make it look like the Southwest. Lots of shades of brown!

 

Terra Cotta Clay - (Buy it at AC Moore with the 40% off coupon!)

A few strategically painted cactuses on the sides of the box, and a wall made of terra cotta clay bricks. Simple to do, yet very authentic looking!

 



 

Terra Cotta stained the hands, which just added to the authentic feel of the project. One of the girls commented that the Navajo Indians must have had permanently stained hands after building so much for their homes with clay!

 

An almost finished setup, complete with a fire ring out front of the adobe house!

The building of an inside model of an adobe house, complete with the picture of a floor plan from the Josefina book. Still working on this one, and hopefully will add a picture of the finished product soon!

Rainbow Resource carries an American Girl Curriculum called "Portraits of American Girlhood" that has an entire year of North American history laid out in 6 units, utilizing the American Girl doll stories and materials. Our local library carried most of the items, and we were able to order in the ones that they didn't have. This curriculum plan is full of great ideas and creative, fun ways to learn American history the hands on way! I have gotten a lot of great ideas from it for my little "American Girls".

Homeschool Honor Society

This is a special program that I learned about for high school homeschoolers. It is called Eta Sigma Alpha  and is the homeschool equivalent of the National Honor Society. 

There are many local chapters, and the website has all the information about them, with the contact information for you to check into to see if there is a local chapter near you that your high schoolers can join.

We did not have a chapter that was local for us, so my two high schoolers were allowed to join the "Omega" or national chapter. They had to submit standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, and a personal application letter. Annual dues cost $40. They are required to submit documentation of volunteer or community service hours each year, although the amount is ridiculously low - 10 hours total.  Most high achieving students can maintain that many service hours in a month, and would have no need for worry in that area.

I am a firm believer in striving for excellence when it comes to our home schooling. I want my children to have all the advantages available to help them achieve their dreams, and follow God's leading in their life. I don't want there to be anything that hinders them that could have been avoided.  My high schoolers work hard, and I thought this membership would recognize the efforts that they have dedicated to their education.

Once their application, transcripts, test scores, and letters of recommendation were approved, they received in the mail a beautiful certificate acknowledging their membership. They are both proud of this certificate! I also listed their membership onto their high school transcripts. Membership also makes them eligible to wear an "honors" shawl for graduation!

When students work hard and ethically on their studies, this dedication should be openly recognized and rewarded. The National Homeschool Honor Society provides a great way to do this and I am glad we are a part of it!

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