Saturday, August 31, 2013

"Last of Summer" STS Road Trip

I.  LOVE.  FALL.  Yes, time keeps rushing by, but I can't help it, I'm SO excited when September starts, even though we haven't seen any cooler temperatures here yet!  Plus, it's time for another STS Road Trip, so that is always cause for happiness.  This month's theme is "Last of Summer," and the colors are perfect for combining the last of summer and beginning of fall pictures!  I have some textured and some checkerboard papers for you.  Click image to download from Mediafire.


You probably came from JMC Designs and your next stop is Let Me Scrapbook!

Here is the rest of the Road Trip:

LyllahRaven Designs
Dees-Deelights
Magical Scraps Galore
JaneceScraps
Arizona Girl
Growing Pains Scrapped
EmJay Scraps
2CurlyHeadedMonsters Designs
LW Designs
KapiScrap & Art
Coop's Creative Concepts
Scrappin Serenity
Triple J Designs
Cajun Diva Scraps
yabbyscrap
WinksArt Graphics
Flower Scraps
JMC Designs
Note-able Scraps
Let Me Scrapbook!
Shuckclod's Stuff

Happy Fall Y'all!  :-)

Saturday, August 24, 2013

"Summer Nights" Add-on Freebie

Don't miss the "Summer Nights" Add-on Freebie on Dandelion Dust Designs' Facebook page!  Better hurry, fall kits are coming before you know it!


Happy Scrapping!  :-)

Thursday, August 22, 2013

"Summer Nights" and a FREEBIE

I can't believe it's only one month till fall.  The end of August, as usual, has snuck up on us!  Savor the last bit of summer with the gloriously bright colors in Dandelion Dust Designs' new "Summer Nights."



Grab the kit exclusively at ScrapTakeout.


You can pick up two free quickpages at Mediafire!  Click images below.  PU only.



Happy End of Summer!  :-)

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this kit in exchange for layouts.





Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Magnetic Mayhem


We started our unit on Magnetism & Electricity today.  It started as a nice exploration, using the scientific method to project hypotheses about which materials magnets would stick to and which materials the magnetism would go through and then test them.

Of course, it did not end up that way.  It ended up with the kids building Magnetic Mayhem Island (located near Sodor), where Thomas and his friends (who are also magnetic) must perform various tasks (such as collecting paper clips) while not being pulled off track through the crazy magnetic fields that surround them.


Yes, those are magnets for earrings in the girls' ears.


Happy Schooling!  :-)




Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Review: I Am Second

You've heard the old acronym for J*O*Y.  In order to have true JOY in your life, you must put J*esus first, O*thers second, and Y*ourself third.

I Am Second puts a new spin on the tried-and-true idea.  People come in, they sit in the white chair, and they tell how their lives have been changed since they decided to put Jesus and others first and themselves second.  All sorts of people.  Celebrities, athletes, musicians, and unknowns.  Ordinary, every-day people like you and me.  And they open up about their struggles.  The horrors that have made them victims.  The horrors they have done.  The pain, the forgiveness, the healing.

The purpose of the I Am Second movement is to share stories and to encourage others to "Live Second."  The short films (about 10 minutes each on average) encourage others to put Jesus and others first in their lives.  In addition, sometimes it can just help you get through a hard time when you know you are not alone.  When you have that dark corner of your heart that you cannot share with your closest loved ones, perhaps you can find someone else sharing the same struggle and realize you are not alone.  You are loved.  You have help.  There is forgiveness.  There is healing.

I love the openness of the people in the films on I Am Second.  The willingness to share from their hearts in order to glorify God and help others.  I was especially touched by the ones about abortion.  As an adopted child whose birth mother was encouraged to abort her, the stories of those who decided to abort and those who decided not to all touched me.  I love the fact that solutions are offered here; it is not just a collection of gripes from people who have problems.  Where a problem is put forth, so is a resolution.  There are happy endings.

The films are uplifting (and sometimes tear-jerking) and free to watch.  I did have some problems accessing the films on my computer.  I have an older (pre-Intel) Mac laptop and an older Android tablet.  I could not watch the films on either one.  When I tried to watch them, I was offered a download which I could purchase.  I had to borrow an iPad to watch the free videos.  Just be aware that if you are trying to view the site on an older piece of equipment and have problems, you may just need to access them on something newer.

So many problems in our lives are caused or inflamed by a preoccupation with self.  Take a look at I Am Second, consider "living second," and spread the word!




About: I AM SECOND
Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Business leaders. Drug addicts. Your next-door neighbor. People like you.
The authentic stories on iamsecond.com provide insight into dealing with typical struggles of everyday living. These are stories that give hope to the lonely and the hurting, help from destructive lifestyles, and inspiration to the unfulfilled. 
You’ll discover people who’ve tried to go it alone and have failed. Find the hope, peace, and fulfillment they found. Be Second.

About: Seconds Change
Give Change, Make Change- Many more stories are waiting to be told.  You can help.  Commit $2 every Tuesday to build film funds, and your contribution will be used to develop, produce and promote new films. Join the project and become an I am Second insider with access to exclusive content via Facebook.


Resources: 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Iam2nd.Nashville
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IamSecond
Website:  http://www.iamsecond.com

Disclaimer:  I received free products from I Am Second in exchange for a fair review.  No other compensation was given, and all opinions are my own. 


Monday, August 12, 2013

Flyby Review: Tyndale Rewards Program


Would you like to earn FREE books and Bibles from Tyndale?  Since I'm a member of a church, the Chaplains' wives group, several homeschool groups, and I-Want-Free-Stuffs-Anonymous, I'm pretty sure a wide circle of my friends and readers would love to do just that!

I was pleased to be able to join Tyndale Rewards as part of the Flyby Promotions Group, but the great thing is, I can pass the opportunity along to you for free, as well!  You can join Tyndale Rewards and earn points by signing up, referring friends, and even having a birthday.  It's that easy!



The selection of products available to earn is fantastic, and I'd like to earn all of them!  I would especially like to earn the "camo pink" Bible for my daughter by her birthday next month.  She would love that!  You may be a member of any number of rewards programs, but this is one of the easiest ones I've seen, with the best products to earn.

Click on the following link to join Tyndale Rewards:

www.tyndalerewards.com/signup/?pc=40jz-bl2y-4s6y-sx89

Happy Earning!  :-)

Homeschool Freebies and Deals

I have posted about several scrapbooking freebies tonight, and I also have several homeschool freebies and deals for you!

Download a FREE copy of Math Mammoth Percent (PDF).


Checkout Quality Christian eBooks for some great free downloads! www.qualitychristianebooks.com
Grab 12 free ebooks here: http://homeschoolgiveaways.com/?p=6417


Get All 5 TOS Homeschool Planners for $3 - total cost!


And last but not least, get huge savings off all Ebooks at Knowledge Box Central!


Feel free to use this coupon on any of my titles!





Happy Homeschooling!  :-)





STM Freebies - Designer Gift Bags

STM Freebies - Designer Gift Bags
Check out these great freebies! Fill them with cookies or candy!

They make great Party Favors or Decorations! Easy and fun to make!

Available free until Aug 25th.



USE THIS CODE: STMMMS79285


to get $10 off My Memories Suite Software! (in the US and Canada)

"Home Sweet Home" Free Add-on

I almost forgot to tell you about the free add-on to "Home Sweet Home" on Dandelion Dust Design's Facebook page.  They have two Freebie tabs over there now: the Exclusive Freebie and the Special Freebie.  Make sure you download them both!


Happy Scrapping!  :-)

"Just Buggin" FREEBIE


Dandelion Dust Designs just released a new FREEBIE on Facebook!  I just love this little kit, and I think I'll be using it over and over.  It was perfect for pictures of our "Caterpillars for Dinner," which we shared previously on the blog.  Hop over to Facebook to download the free mini-kit, but be sure to come back for your free Quickpage!  


 Click image below to download from Mediafire.  PU only.


Happy Scrapping!  :-)

Thursday, August 8, 2013

"Home Sweet Home" and FREEBIES

Dandelion Dust Designs released "Home Sweet Home" today, and I had so hoped to have a new home to scrap by now!  Ah, well, it was not meant to be.  The lovely shapes and retro colors in the kit made me think of my grandmother's house, anyway!




Get the full kit right now, exclusively at ScrapTakeout.


Get free QPs at Mediafire.  PU only.



Happy Scrapping!

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this kit in exchange for layouts.



Tuesday, August 6, 2013

"Little Joe" - Veggie Tales Lapbooks

Lapbooks have made taking notes in school so much more fun!  Last spring we did Ancient History from Creation to about 1500 BC.  Before moving on to 1500 BC to 0 BC after the summer break, I decided to do some fun reviewing of Ancient Egypt, Sumer, Greece, China, and Jewish history.  One review item is the Veggie Tales lapbook for "Little Joe."  My younger three have had a blast with this and would like to do lapbooks on every Veggie Tales episode!  Although I am now writing for Knowledge Box Central and absolutely LOVE every lapbook they carry, we have been lapbooking for a while and have some others we enjoy as well.  The Veggie Tales lapbooks came from A Journey Through Learning and are available on Currclick.






Happy Lapbooking!

"Boys and Girls" FREEBIE


"Like" Dandelion Dust Designs on Facebook to download this "Boys and Girls" mini-kit from the "Special Freebies" tab.  Remember, when they get to 2500 "Likes," there will be another special free kit, and they are getting close!

Happy Scrapping!

Mad Scientist Party!



Have you started school yet?  Not till September?  Been schooling all summer?  We just started today, so I will be planning some fun-school blog posts this month!

One of the most fun things we did last year was a Mad Scientist Party with our homeschool group.  I was thinking this was a one-time deal, but my kids loved it and have started making plans for our Second Annual Mad Scientist Party!  This is a fun way to get kids excited about science, and also to watch Miss Debbi mess up and not be able to make the experiments work!  Here is what we did:




Decorations:  I got the theme and the decorations for the party from LetteringDelights.com (affiliate link).  The "Mad Scientist" collection was just too much fun not to use for something!   We used the "lab coat" idea from the LD site, purchasing men's white dress shirts from a thrift store, ironing the "Mad Scientist" logo on the back, and rolling up the sleeves.  Each person who attended the party received a lab coat.



Lettering Delights has a cut-out for the crazy green hair as well, but we decided to have a contest for the craziest "mad scientist" hair.


Snacks:  Having the party in the afternoon, after lunch, we had inexpensive snacks such as chex mix for "Brain Food" and green jello in a "brain mold."




Experiment #1:  Soda Geyser

Many homeschoolers have probably already tried the "Mentos in Coke" experiment, but if you haven't, this one is a must.  And even if you have, it's still a crowd-pleaser!  We took a 2-liter bottle of Coke into our backyard and dropped a whole pack of Mentos in at once!  Unfortunately, the camera missed the geyser exploding, but you can see how little of the 2 liters in the bottle is left after the explosion!



Print the experiment from Steve Spangler Science.

Watch the experiment on YouTube.

Experiment #2:  Unburnable Money

This one amazed the kids and the parents, and thankfully, I didn't burn the house down.  I sure do love to play with fire!




See the experiment at Science and Math (dot) com

Just a note, don't get over-excited and use a $20 bill and hold it in the flame longer than specified.  But if you do, I have obtained the address for the Federal Reserve where you can send money with a hole burned through it!!  :-)

Experiment #3:  Ice Cube On A String

Can you pick up the ice with a piece of string without touching the ice or tying any knots?


Find out how at Planet Science.

Experiment #4:  Egg In A Bottle

More fire!!  Have you ever changed the air pressure and watched an egg get sucked into a bottle with a mouth slightly smaller than the egg itself?  This one has long been a favorite, and I promise you the experiment worked PERFECTLY the night BEFORE the party!!!


Find out how to do the experiment yourself flawlessly at Home Science Tools.  Um, just practice before your party and make sure you can actually do it!

Experiment #5:  Amazing Color-Changing Milk

Making designs in the milk on the plate was especially fun for the little kids, though the teenagers enjoyed it, too.  With all of these experiments, we tried to explain the scientific principles to those who were old enough to understand, while using the "wow" factor to instill a love of science in all ages.


See the Amazing Color-Changing Milk at Science and Math (dot) com.

Experiment #6:  Homemade Quicksand

Homemade quicksand serves as an illustration of a non-Newtonian liquid, and it also provides hours of fun getting small toys and figures "stuck" and pulling them out!  



You can purchase a kit for homemade quicksand at many craft/hobby stores, or use the recipe from Steve Spangler Science.

See Steve perform this experiment on a grand scale on YouTube!

Other Activities

Homemade Slime:  How much fun can a mad scientist party be if you don't make something really gross and make a total mess, right?  So in addition to the quicksand, each party-goer got to make some slime with Borax and Elmer's glue, which they got to take home.  (The moms loved me for that one!)



Find the recipe at Science Bob.

Decorated Plates:  This was more of a craft than an experiment.  I got some inexpensive china markers on sale at a craft store, and purchased some mismatched plates at a thrift store.  The kids each decorated a plate, then we followed the instructions on the markers and baked them on low heat to set the paint.  We talked about how various things such as heat can change the properties of a substance.  After the paint sets, these plates can be put in the microwave or dishwasher and used with glee!  They make great Christmas gifts for grandparents as well.


Microscopes and Magnifying Glasses:  We set out a microscope, some prepared slides, magnifying glasses, and rock samples for the kids to observe.  The little ones, of course, needed parental assistance with the microscope.  They enjoyed studying the slides and rocks and imagining themselves as real scientists in real lab coats!


This entire party only cost about $50 and was tremendous fun.  Even when the experiments didn't work quite right!  I found some of the experiments at the above linked websites, and some of them I'd known about for years but was able to find step-by-step instructions on the science websites.  I printed out all the experiments for the homeschool families in the group to take home.  You can find many, many more fun, FREE experiments at the sites I have linked above.  Many of them use household items that are not hard to obtain.  Stay tuned this month - I might even share a sneak peek as to this year's new experiments!


Go have some fun with science!!

Photos by Solitaire Frisby.