Saturday, July 29, 2017

Contest: Amazon Card For the Solar Eclipse

Contest at the end of the post. Scroll to the end.  You so not need to live in Ohio or homeschool to enter to win.


I remember back in 1979 viewing the solar eclipse from my elementary playground in Kansas City. We made the pinhole cards and all stood outside with a warning that WHATEVER YOU DO, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN(!), etc., etc. I remember the sky turning a strange color and I remember our teacher being so excited she was practically bobbing up and down. It was an amazing experience, and I loved being outside for such a long period of time during the school day.

Coming up on August 21, 2017 from 2 to 3 in the afternoon, most of the US will see a full to partial solar eclipse. We will not have a full eclipse in Ohio, but it should still be pretty amazing, with the shadow of the moon crossing the nation from coast to coast. This kind of eclipse does not happen very often (last one: June 18, 1918) and is worth enjoying with our students.


Which leads me to the Ohio Homeschool Assessment summer contest. No, really! Since it has been about 40 years since I viewed my last eclipse I think we need to run a contest for a $40 Amazon card. Maybe you can use it to finish up school shopping, buy some coffee to make it through your morning, grab some books or music, or start your Christmas shopping. Any of those would be awesome!

So embrace the eclipse of 2017!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have problems please email me.  ohiohomeschool@gmail.com

Helpful Links and items:

NASA Total Eclipse Site

Space.com eclipse information

Fox News Story



Make sure they are Prime so they ship in time.


Friday, July 07, 2017

The Berenstain Baers Bless our Gramps & Gran by Mike Berenstain

In The Berenstain Bears Bless Our Gramps and Gran, the newest title in The Berenstain Bears Living Lights series, Mama, Papa, and the cubs decide it’s high time they honor Grizzly Gramps and Gran.

It’s almost Grandparents Day and the Bear family has never celebrated this special day before. So working as a team, the cubs, with a little help from Mama and Papa, come up with a fun and creative way to show Gramps and Gran just how much they are loved and appreciated.


Mike Berenstain has written and illustrated The Berenstain Bears Bless Our Gramps & Gran for children 4-7 years old. The book tells the story of how the bear cubs plan to celebrate Grandparents day in Bear Country. Together the cubs brainstorm with their parents all the special things their grandparents do for them, and then come up with a plan to celebrate. The book ends with a page of suggestions for readers of how they can celebrate Grandparents Day with their grandparents.

This was a sweet story. The illustrations are in the tradition of Mike Berenstain's parents Stan and Jan Berenstain, and are colorful and engaging for young readers. The story has a nice tie-in with the biblical Noah, his wife and their many grandchildren. I loved seeing a family tree of Noah’s family.
I have never celebrated Grandparents day in the past. After reading this delightful story I decided that observing Grandparents Day with my kids is something that I would like to do. I am looking forward to helping my children celebrate their grandparents this year. I am also going to read the story to my preschool class at co-op and then have them make cards for their Grandparents. I highly recommend this book.

Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.
  --Proverbs 17:6

 Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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