more Bizzarro Black Birds!!!

Wednesdays must be good for traveling blackbirds as they were all over my yard again!!!

They don’t need socialization! They need FRIENDSHIP!

Check out my latest article on Unplugged Mom -

They don’t need socialization! They need FRIENDSHIP!

Dolphin Tale - Cheers, Tears, and MORE CHEERS for this incredible movie!!!

This was such an inspiring movie on so many levels. If you have not been to see it go tonight!!! I am telling you everyone can learn so much from this film!

The kids I brought were cheering when they saw this scene!!! 

Beyond the incredible plug for independent learning, homeschooling and educational intentions in general this movie had more twists and turns, tear jerking moments and laugh out loud scenes than any I have seen in quite some time!

Scholastic has a huge amount of resources, links and videos to expand this movie into a unit study - Meet Winter the Dolphin. Homeschool Movie Club also has a unit study guide - HERE.

itty bitty HeartBeats™ - Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

My nieces came in handy for this incredibly cute review!!!  itty bitty HeartBeats™ is a super cute animated musical series for girls and boys ages 2-6 - just so happens SC is 4 and GC is 2!

Through humor, friendship and original songs, the itty bitty HeartBeats help children on Earth solve problems and "do things from the heart."

With engaging animation and upbeat melodies this series touches on a variety of subjects such as long distance friendships, sharing troubles, and being afraid of the dark. The itty bitty HeartBeats™ emphasizes three core values:

• Living a healthy, nutritious lifestyle
• Having a healthy heart, both physically and emotionally
• Teaching positive life lessons

SC was engaged from the get go, but when I took out the SweetHeart doll, she was even more on board. GC stayed engaged for a short time while watching the video, but really liked the coloring book and the music. They both declared that BabyHeart was their favorite! I think that SC really understood most of the concepts, while they definitely went flying over the head of GC, but exposure is sure to bring results and help to set expecations! The emphasis on being kind and caring for others is what really resonated with us. This is truly a wholesome kids show, with great values, morals and viewpoints! CJ said it reminded him of a very well done cross between the smurfs and the care bears! I am very hopeful that this series will be expanded. 

BabyHeart - The Girls Favorite!

Now for the giveaway!!!
One lucky reader will receive - 
1 itty bitty HeartBeats DVD
1 plush doll - CoolHeart or SweetHeart
5 sheets of stickers


I have a few ways you can enter, please submit separate comments for each method so that I will have a number for each one and make sure that I have a way to contact you! 

1. Head on over to itty bitty HeartBeats™, watch an episode and come back here to let us know what you think, who your favorite character is or what your favorite song was! 
2. Tweet about this giveaway making sure to mention both @theittybittys & @gckhomeschool
3. Follow @theittybittys & @gckhomeschool on twitter - or let me know if you already do! 
4. Share this giveaway by linking it through a blog or website.
5. Share this giveaway on Facebook.
6. Share this giveaway with Google+1. 

Entries will be accepted from Tuesday 9/27/11 through Tuesday 10/11/11 10/4/11 10pm EST. Winner will be chosen on Wednesday 10/12/11 10/5/11 and announced no later than Friday 10/14/11 10/7/11.


CONGRATS TO Kathryn at Cummins Life the winner of this great prize pack! Hope your kids enjoy!!!




~~~Disclaimer: I was contacted to do this review and giveaway, but this review is completely unbiased. I was given materials to review, but was not compensated in any other way for this review. Itty Bitty HeartBeats will be filling the giveaway and is solely responsible once the winner's information is sent to them. 

You Tube Monday - Sesame Street: G

Two of our favorite things - Sesame Street and GLEE!!!

What I am Reading - September - Music Kid

Battleship Cove - Field Trip

One of our favorite parts of home educating, is FIELD TRIPS! Today we went to visit Battleship Cove and we were commenting on how INSANE it would have been trying to fit through all those tight spaces if you were there with an entire class of kids! There was so much to see, I had a very hard time selecting which shots to post!

Black birds galore ----

I looked out yesterday and there were blackbirds EVERYWHERE in my backyard! Then we were driving through town and they were ALL OVER!!! It had to have been some sort of freak migration or something!

You tube Monday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAKES FROM HOOPS AND YOYO

It's my birthday!!!! YAY!!!

14 ---- TODAY!!!

Happy Birthday KM!!!

Every year I am more and more grateful for the incredible relationship that we have and I truly believe that if we didn't home educate, it would be a completely different dynamic! 

 We had her birthday party on Saturday. It was small, but they had a great time!

The Many Faces of A Crazy Teenager

 

 

Need I say more?

$10 in Free eBooks from Scholastic Teacher Express - Freely Educate

$10 in Free eBooks from Scholastic Teacher Express - Freely Educate

Here is what I picked for my FREE ebooks -

Jamie's Live video message on the UN Summit on NCDs

Where in the states is CJ? - U.S. Geography with a Twist!

With CJ going over the road now, we are going to utilize his travels to reinforce our U.S. Geography! We are using a topographical map, that though it has cities, capitals, and a very light outline of the states, their aren't named on it. So KM uses our atlas to locate the town CJ is in and then locates surrounding towns to coordinate his location! Even when he is not here he can still be part of her education!

You Tube Monday - Author Jan Irvin: Mind Control and The Dumbing Down of Society 1/2

Almost forgot to post today!!! But then I remembered and thought of the Trivium presentation on Unplugged Mom I re-listened to this weekend  and wanted to share a clip from Jan Irvin that really resonates with me. Irvin really explains the trivium and quadrivium in a way that makes more sense to me than anything I have heard in YEARS! If you haven't had a chance to hear, watch or read his materials - TAKE THE TIME TO!!!