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You Don’t Need to Apologize for Raising Kids In a Greenhouse

It’s not fair.

When you dedicate your life to raising your kids and personally stay at home to make sure their needs are met, you are like a master gardener inside a greenhouse.

Greenhouses are safe and controlled environments which provide optimum conditions for seeds to grow.

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Advent Calendar Ornaments

Keep Christ as the center of Christmas with these easy-to-create, simple paper Names of Christ Ornaments that will look beautiful displayed on your wall, strung across the mantle, or as unique tree ornaments.

Included in this download are files for printing 4-inch Star Ornaments.

Professional printing is recommended, but not necessary.

Such a simple, fun, and engaging way to help your kids enjoy Christmas!

Homeschool Math: Grab your Roadmap to Success

BEFORE you spend a moment worrying about math curriculum, let me share a secret.

I didn’t understand where I was supposed to go until I’d been on the road almost 20 years.

It’s crazy that it’s taken me almost two decades to truly understand this thing we call MATH.

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17 of the Best Advent for Kids Activities for your Family

Inside: Fun Advent for Kids Printables to help countdown Christmas

Share the nativity with your kids in a fun and unique way with these FUN and Easy Advent Activities.

On Christmas morning, there were ash boot prints on my carpet and sleigh marks on my roof in the snow. To say my parents went over board to help us believe in Santa is an under statement.

My child hood is filled with stories of Santa, reindeer, and all things Christmas.

Did you grow up KNOWING Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas? I sure didn’t. And yet, Christmas remains magical in my life, even without a jolly old man in a red suit.

Weaving the truth about the nativity story into our kids’ lives while surrounded by tinsel and elves can be a bit challenging, right?

17 Quick Advent for Kids Activities

All 17 activities included in the BUNDLE

1. Advent Door Hanger Craft

For 8 days, read a little bit about the nativity Story as found in the Bible.

Then cut, laminate, and hang a decorative door hanger as a reminder that we choose to let Jesus in.

A New Door Hanger for 8 days!

Includes: mini story book foldable with prompts to help your child learn and re-tell the greatest true story of all time: The Birth of our Lord and Savior!

8 Advent style Door hangers (With light and dark skin alternatives!)

These make fun and easy craft and story time, but also make a fantastic gift set!

I laminated mine with –> peel and stick self laminate.

Get your free copy of this set here.

2. Advent Scattergories

3. Advent Dice Game for Toddlers

4. Build your own Nativity Board Game

5. Mini Jesse Tree Activity/Craft

6. Daily Readings to Help your Kids understand the Nativity story from the Bible.

As I began having kids of my own, i really wrestled with Christmas in general. Yes, I LOVE that it’s all about Jesus. But would my kids miss out on the MAGIC I experienced as a child?

Nope.

Heads up: No judgement here! Although you and I both know Santa is a myth and Jesus is real, many still bring the belly jiggling fellow into their homes. Like my third son.

He was about 5-years old when he said, “Mom, I KNOW Santa is make believe, but I’m gonna have fun pretending to believe in him anyway.”

Even at 18-years old, he just loves to add ALL the holiday flair into the scene; even as a sold-out-for-Jesus worship leader at church.

7. Ornaments for a flip Book

8. Advent Ornaments for a tree

9. Christmas Chain Countdown Craft

10. Advent: Make Your Own Calendar

Adding Advent themed activities into our kids learning activities is another fun way to bring the advent season alive.

Just make the focus the Lord, rather than the grade.

11. Advent: Language Activity- Find the Missing parts of the word

12. Advent: Writing: Diamante poem about Jesus

13. Advent Themed Math: Fact families

14. Advent themed math:Pie Graph

15. Advent Maze: Help Joseph and Mary find Bethlehem

16. Maze: Help the wise men find Jesus

17. Christmas Eve Reading

No matter how you bring the Nativity truth, advent, and Jesus into your lives, have fun.

It’s LOVE, laughter and memories that bring this amazing season to life for our kids!

More Christmas Activities

Bible Studies for Kids:

Preschool At Home MAGIC

My oldest son turned 28 yesterday. Sigh.

Childs hands covered in paint with the caption Got Handprints

Do your kids still leave their actual handprints on your walls, clothing, and windows?

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How to Know if Homeschooling is Right for You?

Isn’t “how to know if homeschooling is right for you” the BIG question?

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One Powerful Homeschool Hack that will Save your Sanity

Is your heart crying in your head, “Help! Homeschool…”

Are you, frantically searching for all the tips tricks, hacks, and curriculum for your precious kids? Their education rests on your shoulders, right?

The Secret to Being a Better Homeschooler Isn’t What You Think

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10 of the BEST Homeschool Subscription Boxes for your Kids

Inside: Top picks for homeschool subscription boxes by moms like you. These subscriptions will spice up your homeschool

Travel to the future with me, and let’s give each other a virtual high five today.

Ready?

best subscription boxes for kids — HIGH FIVE

There are two boxes and an envelope on the kitchen table for your child.

YOU are so excited, you can’t contain yourself.

Visit Ivy Kids Kits here

You close your eyes and think to yourself:

“Don’t say they’re for school!”
“Don’t say they’re educational!”
“Don’t say they’ll be fun learning lessons!”

You are squirming with excitement, because you know your child is holding the future in their hands and waiting with anticipation for the go ahead to peek inside.

They hold up one of the boxes.

“This one?”

YOU: Not, yet.

They try to hide disappointment, and hold the the other box.

“This one?”

YOU: Maybe you should open the envelope first.
((Insert wink.))

They tear open the paper and read, “You are about to get a glimpse of the future. Something that will some to you every month for the rest of next year!!!”

At this point, tell them to pause while you get another cup of tea or coffee and ask them to guess what’s inside.

YOU: What do you think it could be?

((Insert virtual high-five here))

They are so excited, they can barely contain themselves.

What is in the boxes?

💛 Excitement
💛 Curiosity
💛 Fine motor Development
💛 FUN

How is this possible?

I polled hundreds of homeschool moms and compiled their favorites list of kits into a list for you.

My own 15-year old gets the Kiwi Co Tinker Crate each month. When it arrives, he places it on the ottoman and waits for the end of the day.

That evening, he opens the box with great fanfare, making sure his DAD sees and is equally impressed. Then he gets building.

Careful reading of instructions

Fine motor development

Engineering and design

Problem solving and math skills

Those are the words we HIDE AWAY from his ears and replace them with

WOW!

FUN!

Let me see.

MAGIC.

You have time to make this happen. Most kits take a few weeks to get to you and there is one for almost every kind of child and passion.

Just be stealthy and I promise…

…I won’t spoil the surprise.

Food for thought: These make GREAT gifts for people in nursing homes too!!

Quick Links to the top Homeschool Subscription Boxes

Free Science for three months from Mel Science? Here’s how you register!

When you really want to know what’s best you ask the experts, right?Kids LOVE getting stuff in the mail! Surprise them with a special gift – A subscription box just for THEM! Perfect for birthdays, holidays and more!

But, if you’re like me you’re wondering which are the BEST Subscription Boxes for kids.

So I asked all the moms On our Facebook page:

I’m looking for subscription box and membership ideas for homeschoolers.

Most subscription boxes are chosen to meet a specific need, want, or interest. Throw in the fact that you don’t need to look for duct tape, buttons, or instructions for how to whip together something cool and BOOM. Your kids will think you’re the coolest mom on the planet.

Not sure which boxes will best fit your family? That’s exactly why I asked a few dozen of my homeschooling friends.

Check out all the AMAZING subscription boxes other Homeschool Moms love.

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