Homeschooling-ideas.com Newsletter - Fuel the Fire Issue #87 - December 2016

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Welcome to the eighty-seventh issue of Fuel the Fire.

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Merry Christmas!

Welcome to the 87th edition of Fuel the Fire.

Things are VERY full on here at the moment so I hope you forgive me for borrowing heavily from last years December newsletter. I love this time of year, and this month's newsletter is unashamedly Christmas oriented!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year! See you in January.

Resources, Read-Alouds, and Recommendations

In this section of my newsletter, I want to bring you great recommendations that I think you will enjoy in your homeschooling.

ABCmouse Offer

This month I want to bring you a special offer!

I have been talking to ABCmouse about their fun educational online software for children aged 2-7.

They provide over 650 lessons in the following subjects-

Reading
Math
Science
Social Studies
Art& Music

They are offering a special deal at the moment that I think you guys will love. A two months subscription for only $5.

ABCmouse Offer

This is a great way to try out their software and see how much your children love it :) An educational way to entertain them while you tackle your Christmas chores!

Fuel the Fire in December

Online Advent Calendars

My kids have always loved Advent calendars - especially the chocolate kind :)

But there are some fun online ones available this time of year too. Here are my top ten advent calendars for kids.

Making Cards

Thinking of getting the children to make your Christmas cards this year?

This is something we did for a lot of years and it is so much fun. If your children are young do be sure to pick a VERY simple design - they will get bored waaay before you have finished them all.

I wanted to share with you some of the cards we have made or received over the years to give you some ideas. In busy years I have just provided them with some Christmas stamps or stencils and ink pads. Quick and easy :)

And don't forget the glitter!

A great site we have looked at is this site of simple pop-up cards.

There are some lovely christmas versions here,- I loved the Christmas tree and the Snowman - and I think the children would enjoy making them.

And don't forget to keep them in mind for when you are making lapbooks

Paper Snowflakes

One of the things we do make a lot of over Christmas are paper snowflakes. They always turn out beautifully - and we love to use them to decorate our Seasons Tree.

You don't need a template - but there are lots available!

Christmas Around the World

Sue sent me this wonderful picture of a Christmas Advent Spiral created by members of the Suffolk HomeSchooling Group in Tostock.

Christmas spirals

I love this idea, don't you? Linked to Waldorf education, there is a great description of how to do this on this site. It would be a lovely thing to do as a homeschooling group - or just quietly at home (outside maybe!) with members of your family.

Thanks to Sue for sharing.

The Advent Spiral got me thinking about how people celebrate Christmas around the world.

There are a lot of resources available for you to find out - perfect for a geography project perhaps?

Lapbook and printables
Downloadable Unit Study
WhyChristmas has information on lots of different countries.
A quick overview of several countries - although I can assure you my house does not look like the UK one!

Calming Down Christmas Eve

A few years ago I hit upon an idea that makes our Christmas Eve quieter and more peaceful!

Excited children and a whole day to fill are not a good mixture!

For a few years now I have bought a new boardgame that I bring out on Christmas Eve. I picked interesting games (like Carcassonne and Agricola) that would take us a while to learn and keep us interested for the whole day.

I have loved Christmas eve since I started this tradition. It has become a lovely family day that goes quickly (without everyone feeling like they are 'just waiting' for Christmas!).

Last year I decided we needed a change, so I bought a nice Christmas jigsaw puzzle for us to complete on the day instead. That worked pretty well too.

This year, I am back looking for board games. I will probably go for Ticket to Ride or Puerto Rico.

Why not start a new tradition of your own?

PS... Don't forget I have over 50 Educational Board games listed here.

Christmas Lego Fun

Somehow, Lego and Christmas seem to go together!

Here are some Christmas Lego ideas

Lego Ornaments. There are some cool instructions for lego ornaments on this site. Free to download.
Christmas Scenes - You can download a whole load of lego instruction manuals from Lego Customer Service. Type in 'Winter' or 'Christmas' in the search box for ideas. You may not have all the lego pieces you need with these - but it should certainly get you started. This one looks fairly simple. But I love the idea of making a winter scene like this one - without buying the hugely expensive kit!

For more lego ideas check out my lego page and my lego pinterest board.

Smash Journaling

I absolutely loved this when I saw it and thought you might too!

It was exactly the sort of thing I had in mind when I talked about making an educational scrapbook as part of your homeschooling.

Wouldn't it make a great gift? There are several different colors and styles - so something to suit everyone! And there are lots of accessories to go with the journals too.

A gift idea, incase you need them!

I am selling downloadable posters in my Etsy store. Here are a few of my best sellers this Christmas. A good way to gift money and have something to wrap.

Teenage Boys

Grandparents

Teenage Girls

Christmas with Pinterest

Need more Christmas ideas?

I have a whole load I have collected on my Holiday Homeschooling pinterest board.

Check them out!

Follow Julie @Homeschooling-Ideas Holiday Homeschooling on Pinterest

Note : There is supposed to be a little widget here showing some ideas. It seems to be a bit hit and miss. If you can't see it, follow the link instead.

Looking forward to 2017

Are you planning next year? Do check out my Best Homeschool Year Yet planner

Now available on Amazon! (Yes finally. Sorry to all of those who kept asking me! I finally did it!)

Something fun from me!

Happy Christmas. Turn your sound on!!

Games To Play

Hand selected for your festive enjoyment!

Snow Line. Nice physics type game. Draw a line for Santa that leads through the presents to his destination.

Thin Ice. Skate in circles around the monsters to drop them into the freezing lake.

Avalanche. See if you can out ski the avalanche - but watch out for rocks and trees.

Online Calendar of games. A whole calendar of santa games.