Fun learning through Christmas Break!

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Are you ready for Christmas break! Are your kiddos ready for Christmas break! I know ours are!

Christmas break is great for spending time together with your family but the things we learned before can sometimes get lost in all the holiday cheer! This year if you want to keep your kiddos brains fresh try some of these fun Christmas themed activities to keep those gears turning and ready for school to start again!

Gingerbread Cookies & Houses

Decorating cookies isn’t just so that you can eat the icing while decorating or gluing together walls, although that is the best part! Decorating cookies and making gingerbread houses is a great way for your students of any age to focus on something fun while building a number of important life skills! For your youngest learners decorating cookies and making gingerbread houses can be a great way to practice color recognition, strengthen their fine motor skills, and help lengthen their attention span by focusing on something fun! For older or middle aged learners these activities can help in similar ways! Decorating cookies can allow your students to express themselves visually as well as allow them to practice being an architect by figuring out the best way to keep the gingerbread house together and stable!

Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees

If you have learners that like more creative freedom and love hands-on crafts, try making popsicle stick Christmas trees! The wonderful thing about this project is that there is no right or wrong way to make the Christmas tree! You can make a simple triangle with the sticks and decorate it with pom balls, string, markers, glitter and more! Or you can place one large stick and place more sticks perpendicular to that stick getting smaller as they reach the top of the stick, and you could even choose designs that might be harder to complete like placing many smaller sticks at the top of the tree pointing toward the bottom of the tree in a fan like pattern!

Take these fun popsicle stick Christmas trees and turn them into Christmas decorations that you can hang on your Christmas tree!

12 days of Christmas

Our I’m Ready to Learn Themed program for Preschoolers goes through the 12 days of Christmas song and even walks you through creating your own 12 days of Christmas book to read and play with over Christmas break while you count down the days! Try making your own 12 days of Christmas book or use our I’m Ready to Learn Preschool program to walk you through it as you complete a full year of preschool at home!

Write Christmas Cards Together!

Write Christmas cards together this year with all your learners! For younger students this is a great way to practice writing letters and spelling and writing their own name. For older students this is a great way to help them understand what should be written on card and how you should write an address on a letter as well as how the stamps are used! You could even take them to the post office to send them out for a fun family outing!

This year make sure you take a break to spend the holidays with your family and listen to your instincts as a parent! If you feel your kids need a break then give them one, but if you feel they should keep their brains fresh for when you start school again then try some of these fun engaging holiday themed activities that will get their brains working without them even knowing!

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Giving Thanks After a Rough Year — Simple Ways to Help Your Family This Thanksgiving Season!

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It’s Turkey Time Again!

It’s a season to spend time together, make memories, and be thankful!

But, sometimes it can feel hard to be thankful. Not every year is easy – in fact, it can be downright hard sometimes! So how do you help your family be thankful when it has been a rough year?

This year for my family has been one of a lot of hardship, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have things to be thankful for! If your family – like my family –  has had a bit of a rough year or even a really rough year – I pray that this time of year you will feel the love, joy and peace of God.

Here are some things I’ve learned – and to be honest with you – am still learning about thankfulness!

The biggest thing I am learning is that thankfulness is a choice and a mindset.

It can be so easy to dwell on the hardships, but even throughout the hardships, there are many things to be thankful for! Changing one’s mindset is not easy or quick, but little changes each day can make a big difference!

Encourage little mindset changes every day for your family.

1.      Start the Day Off Right (Looking Ahead)

Start the morning off with thankfulness! Ask them each morning what is one thing they are excited for that day! This can shift their mindset from negative to positive with this one simple act.

2.      Sharing at Mealtime (Looking Behind)

Name one thing every day that you are thankful for – this can be as simple as a beautiful flower you saw on the side of the road or even a simple text from a friend. Encourage every family member to share their 1 thing at dinner.

3.      Create a Thankful Family Memory Board

Creating a thankful family memory board creates a visual reminder of the things that your family has shared they are thankful for! You could put pictures of some of the things that your family shared at dinner. Write down some of your thanksgivings to be sure you remember!  Give it a try for this month!

4.      Express Your Thankfulness

A great way to help change one’s mindset is to express your thankfulness. This could be as simple as writing friends and family thank you cards or even a quick thank you text. You could have your family create artwork to give to grandparents or bake cookies together for your neighbor.

Final Thoughts! 

My mom taught me from a young age that creating a habit helps change a mindset. I’ve seen this work in my life.

I once had a teacher who was not my favorite. My mom told me that every day I had to go in and say, “Good morning, Mr. Smith”. Every day after school my mom would ask, “Did you say good morning to your teacher?” Gradually, I began to soften to my teacher and my mindset on him changed.

You can’t change your mindset overnight, but you can help create habits for your family even in hard times that help promote thankfulness in your family. It’s not easy or quick, but it is very worth it!

If you are reading this and your year has been hard, know I am praying for you. I may not know your circumstances or your name, but I pray that this year your family will be encouraged and filled with a grateful heart.

Please reach out to us if there is anything we can do, even if you just want to pray together! We’d love to be able to talk to the Lord together.

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A Three Week Thanksgiving Study!

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As we get closer to Thanksgiving, there are items we always make sure we have! A turkey or a ham, the pumpkin pie, enough chairs for dinner guests and enough silverware to set the table with! Why not add a thanksgiving study to the list as well?

Thanksgiving in 1621 digital study!

This is a three-week study on the journey and hardships that the pilgrims faced when venturing to the new world!

This study will give you guide pages, teacher notes and other helps along the way. You will also have all of the interactive journaling pages for the study to print out and use with your students. Along with these great journaling pages you will have reading pages, links to great websites to explore as well as recommended resources you can add to it!

What you’ll do!

In week one you will learn all about who the pilgrims were and why they voyaged across the ocean and some of the first things they did when they found land. You’ll also label the parts of the Mayflower, create a countdown calendar for fall activities and more!

In week two you’ll learn about the Mayflower Compact, how Squanto learned to speak English and more! You will read about meeting the Native Americans, finding a place to settle, as well as do fun activities like make a pilgrim boy or girl hat, or create your own Thankful Fold-Up book!

Then finally in week three you will learn about the how the Native Americans helped the pilgrims and all about the first Thanksgiving and what it looked like for them! You will also finish up your Thanksgiving prep activities by making a Thanksgiving recipe for your Thanksgiving dinner and more!

Make sure you add this great unit study to your studies this year as it adds great family fun through activities and insightful discussions regarding what you are thankful for this year! All while learning about an important piece of history!

Click here to view the Thanksgiving Study! Use the coupon code THANKFUL to take 30% of this Digital Study!

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Fourth of July Cookies!

Fourth of July is almost here!

The season of barbeques, flags, and fireworks is coming!

This year take some Fourth of July inspired cookies with you to your barbeques, get togethers, or just to keep around the house this year!

Try cutting them into stars, decorating them with red and blue sprinkles, icing them with red and blue icing, or even coloring the cookie dough red and blue to make red, white, and blue cookies!

Fourth of July Sugar Cookies!

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
  • 3 Cups Flour
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

Directions: 

  1. Mix together butter and sugar then add in vanilla and egg.
  2. Add in remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined. The dough will be dry, if needed feel free to add water 1 Tsp at a time to help combine ingredients. (If you want to color the dough make sure you do that now!)
  3. Let dough chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  4. Cover surface (counter, or spare baking sheet to keep the mess down!) and roll out dough to desired thickness, 1/4 inch should be good! Cut out your cookies using cookie cutters. If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can use a glass with a round top or even a butter knife to cut out custom shapes!
  5. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes. Once the cookies have puffed up they are ready! If they start to turn golden brown you may have overcooked them!

Decorating:

  • Icing: You can decorate these cookies by icing them with colored frosting like red, white, and blue! A simple recipe for frosting is 2 cups of powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of water or milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Once that is combined just add in your food coloring!
  • Sprinkles: Try adding red, white, and blue sprinkles to these cookies!
  • Big Picture Icing: Try icing the cookies like puzzle pieces that will fit together to create one big flag!

Feel free to send us pictures of the cookies you and your family created this year and let us know how these cookies tasted!

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The First Christmas: A 3-Week Study of the Background, Events and Meaning of the Birth of Christ

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Join Hawk, our friend from our Adventures in the Sea & Sky program, as you go on a time-traveling adventure as you witness the birth of Christ.  You will spend 3-weeks (12 days) learning about Roman and Jewish culture, as well as observing the birth of Christ and learning about all that it meant for us.  This study is rich with learning opportunities but also for new family memories. You will experience our “12 Deers of Christmas” activity, watch videos that will take you into the world around the time of Christ, make Jewish food, learn about Roman accomplishments, make your own ornaments and much more! Spend this month learning about the true joy of Christmas and making new memories as a family.

Read a Snipbit from the Study below!

“One of the primary reasons that Rome could expand to the size it was, reaching its peak in 117 A.D., was because of the strength and size of its military. During the reign of the current and first emperor of Rome, Augustus Caesar, he had twenty-five legions at his command. What is a legion? A legion was a grouping of ten cohorts of 600 men each. This meant that a legion had 6,000 soldiers total. Legions made up the backbone of the Roman military. Roman soldiers had many parts to their uniform.”

Tunic

“The tunic was worn underneath a soldier’s armor. It looked like a long shirt that reached down to the middle of the thigh. The tunic was made of rough wool and left the soldier’s lower body unrestricted for marching and fighting, or even working on the empire’s roads.”

Caligae

“A soldier’s shoes were called caligae, sandals that allowed soldiers to march for long distances. The sandals were strong and well-made, well-ventilated and good for marching along quickly. The sandals often had metal studs in the sole, which gave the soldiers grip on rough or wet terrain and made the shoes last longer.”

Gladius

“This short sword is made for stabbing an enemy. Its short length made it perfect to use in close quarters in battle.

Click here to check out The First Christmas Digital Study!

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Get in the Holiday Spirit!

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3 Things to Get You Ready for the Holiday Spirit!

Looking for things to do to get your family in the holiday spirit? We’ve got you covered!  

If you’re like me – I’m already planning for Christmas well before Thanksgiving. Actually, I even start listening to Christmas music as early as September! The snow begins to fall and all around us smells of cinnamon and cedar – or for some roasted chestnuts! I just can’t help but get in the holiday spirit, but not every one is quite as eager to get ready for this years festivities! So if you’re family is like mine with some who love the holidays and others who don’t – we’ve got you covered for both! Activities that will engage both views of the Christmas spirit.

#1 Children Around the World Program – Christmas Section

Spend this holiday season celebrating Christmas with unique traditions from all over the world! You’ll spend 4 weeks discovering celebrations and holiday traditions from countries such as Thailand, Guatemala, Ethiopia and more! Children Around the World is designed to be able to jump in whenever you’d like! You can start on week 13 go through the holiday season then jump back to week one or just continue on through the end then go back to the countries that are in the beginning! Discover more about Children Around the World here!

#2 Classic Christmas Stories

Another great way to get ready for the holiday season is our Classic Christmas Stories! These stories are taken from traditional Christmas stories told in different countries at the holidays, with one fun little addition written by our author!

Here’s a list of included stories, and their countries of origin:

  • A Folktale from Russia – Papa Panov’s Special Christmas
  • A Tale from Ireland – The Christmas Cuckoo
  • A Story from England – The Christmas Carol
  • A Quiet Tale from Scandinavia (Denmark) – The Little Match Girl
  • A Traditional Story from France – Little Piccola
  • An Animal Story from the United States – Christmas at Mole End
  • The Nativity Account from Israel – The Christmas Story
  • A Cautionary Tale from the United States – Christmas Every Day
  • A Story of Mexican Traditions – The Poinsettia That Meowed

This is found in our Children Around the World program, but it can be added to any of our other programs! Click here to go to Classic Christmas Stories!

#3 First Christmas Digital Study

Our First Christmas Study is a 3-week unit study of the background, events, and meaning of the birth of Christ. Join Hawk, our friend from our Adventures in the Sea & Sky program, as you go on a time-traveling adventure as you witness the birth of Christ.  You will spend 3-weeks (12 days) learning about Roman and Jewish culture, as well as observing the birth of Christ and learning about all that it meant for us.  This study is rich with learning opportunities but also for new family memories. You will experience our “12 Deers of Christmas” activity, watch videos that will take you into the world around the time of Christ, make Jewish food, learn about Roman accomplishments, make your own ornaments and much more! Spend this month learning about the true joy of Christmas and making new memories as a family. Click here to get to our First Christmas Study!

From the WP Team to your family – we hope you have an amazing Holiday Season with your family!

If you have any questions feel free to call or text (231) 245-1417 or email [email protected]!

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It’s Shark Week!

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You know what week it is right now? That’s right, SHARK WEEK! So many families around the country become enthralled with the Discovery channel’s most popular week. Deep sea dives, shark cages and feeding, chasing sharks, and making new discoveries!

Did you know you can take the excitement of shark week into your living room this school year? Two programs highlight sharks in a unique way here at WinterPromise. Learn about those right now plus a shark week coupon code!

One program that gives you those shark week chills all year is our Adventures in the Sea & Sky! A big part of the science in this program is the study of the oceans.

Learn all about coral reefs, the ecosystems of our most mysterious places, and learn about the ancient shark Megalodon. Our science resources, The New Ocean Book and the Under the Sea & in the Air, dive deep into our oceans and help you discover sharks and how they live. Our eBook resource Stalking Sea Monsters covers all kinds of ancient sea monsters including the megalodon!

Another program that highlights sharks even more is our Animals and Their Worlds program. Our amazing journaling resources cover them in depth as well as our living books and more. Animals take your family on an adventure around the globe in different habitats. One habitat is the coral reef, where you swim with the fish and sharks!

Do you want to dive in with us this year? Go to: Sea & Sky or our Animal program and enjoy. If you decide to go with our Sea & Sky program use the code “sharkprt” to get $20 off the print package PLUS free shipping! That is a $40 value. The coupon expires midnight on July 21, 2021.

Swim with us this year and make shark week last a bit longer! #adventuretogether

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