Littles Learning Link Up: November 22, 2016 - Improved Thankfulness Turkey Placemats

 Each month you will find:

• A seasonal round-up (toward the beginning of the month)
• A guest post featuring crafts, activities, tips, snack ideas or other early childhood topics. (toward the end of the month)
• Posts where I share what I have been up to with my preschoolers and/or early elementary children (including occasional highlight posts where I share how we used ideas that have been linked up here on Littles Learning Link Up).

Each week, I will host a link up, where you can share either what you have been up to recently, or old posts that may go with the theme.  Feel free to link up more than one post.

Each week I will continue to feature a couple of posts from those that have been linked up. 

I hope you will continue to share your wonderful posts, and I hope you will find something new to try with your child(ren).

It would be great for everyone to stop by and visit the other linked-up posts as well. Check them out, leave some comments, pin those that interest you. Let's make this a real party and socialize with each other.

What have we been up to?

We have been visiting Mexico with MFW ECC (Exploring Countries and Cultures). I hope to be sharing more about that soon. The children loved using their passports and pretending to fly in an airplane to get to Mexico City. We have been trying to do our calendar time in Spanish. We are getting ready to celebrate with a fiesta, which will probably just be Taco Tuesday tonight for dinner with some decorations. We are making a pinata, but won't be breaking it yet as we are making it into a turkey to help decorate for Thanksgiving.

We have also been reading about the desert and rocks, plus lots of Thanksgiving books. You can see some of my favorites in last week's round up: Celebrating Thanksgiving Through Literature.

Today I would like to share my improved design for Thankfulness Turkey Placemats. We made something similar last year, but I thought they were kind of plain. So, this year I spruced them up a bit. Once again, I did this craft with the children in the co-op preschool class.

Thankfulness Turkey Placemats

For each child you will need a sheet of red, orange, or yellow construction paper (their choice)

A piece of white paper that is a bit bigger, so there is a border.

(I cut my paper from a pad of large paper, making sure there would be a 1 inch border)

Brown construction paper

Leaves cut out from red, orange, and yellow construction paper

(I printed a simple leaf template directly on the paper and cut them out)

Glue sticks

Crayons in fall colors.

Contact paper

The first thing I did was trace the children's hands on brown paper, one of each hand. While the children worked on their placemats, we cut out the hands.

They chose the color of construction paper they wanted, then they glued it to the white paper.

Then they were given the crayons to decorate the border.

When they were finished, they glued the leaves around the border. The adults came around and glued their hand turkeys on for them. If we had had more time, they would have glued them on themselves, but we were limited this week because it was our last week of co-op for the fall session and we were getting ready to have our Harvest Lunch.

When they were done gluing on the leaves, they were to give their turkeys some facial features and feet, and color the tail feathers.

Unfortunately, I did NOT get a picture of all the finished placemats because parents were coming in to pick up their children for the dinner. Here area  few of them.

After they were all done, we put contact paper on the back and front to keep them protected. Harold's is the only one I took a final picture for because we have their names on them with the Bible verse.

Let's take a look at that review schedule:

Well, there is nothing on the schedule for Homeschool Review Crew reviews. I posted my last review a couple of weeks ago, it was for the Language Smarts Level E book from the The Critical Thinking Co.™ . Though I have no current reviews for the Homeschool Review Crew, I do still have some children's books I will be posting reviews and giveaways for, plus I am still working on some Single Product Reviews that get posted on the Old Schoolhouse Magazine website. 

I'm thrilled to be able to share that I have been accepted back on the Crew for the 2017 Crew year! I am so excited!! So, I will be able to continue bringing you reviews of wonderful products next year.

A few somethings I would like to share with you:

My Thanksgiving-themed Round Ups

Thanksgiving Round Up

Celebrating Thanksgiving Through Literature

(in addition to the 10 books that I share about the "First" Thanksgiving, 

there is a round up of Thanksgiving Books lists and some craft ideas)

Don't miss these reviews and giveaways:

Cityblock Children's Board Book and Where Jesus Slept Children's Book

        

I am still lining up guest posts. If you would be interested writing a guest post for Littles Learning Link Up one of these months, please leave a comment or contact me via my contact info on my About Me page. I will need to have your email address so I can contact you. I am looking for posts that have to do with young children: crafts, activities, foods/snacks, tips, or other ideas. I am open to suggestions.

Now onto:

Littles Learning Link Up Features

On my last Littles Learning Link Up post, there were 14 wonderful posts linked up. I will be picking one randomly selected post to share, plus the top clicked-on posts.  

Please don't forget to stop by other posts that are linked up. See what catches your eye, stop by, pin the post to a relevant board, and perhaps leave a comment to let the author of the blog know you have been by for a visit. I know I appreciate others commenting and letting me know they have read my posts, so I am sure others do too.

This week's randomly selected post is:

Tara from Homeschool Preschool shared 25 of the Best Educational Board Games For Preschoolers.

And here are this week's top clicked on posts.

There are 3 of them this week!

Amanda from Sicily's Heart & Home shared Books We're Reading This Thanksgiving.

Nancy from Mimi and the Grands shared More Thanksgiving Books: A Unit Study.

Ayelet from Strength in Words shared Episode 36: Infant-Directed Speech.

Join the Party!

I would love to have you join in this week! What sort of activities do you do with your young children? Do you have some favorite activities you would like to share? I invite you to link up below. I will be pinning posts on one of my relevant boards, and I would love to feature some of the activities each week from what is linked up.

Please know I may share a picture from your post and link back to it, along with sharing how we used your idea in our school time. By linking up you are giving me permission to use a picture from your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. Additionally, if you choose to try out any of the ideas with your child, please make sure you give credit where credit is due.

Linky will be open through Monday night, to give me time to check out all the posts and get the Features organized. Please take the time to visit some of the other wonderful posts linked up.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up- November 22, 2016

Welcome to Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up with your hosts Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily Reviews, Shelly @ The Attic Girl, and Rena @ An Ordinary Housewife.

So glad you could join us as we share our giveaways on  Tuesday's Giveaway Link Ups. 

This link up will be posted Monday at 7 PM est. and run all week long! Make sure you stop in as often as you can to list your latest giveaways.

Here is how to use the Giveaway Link Up

1. Post your reviews and/or giveaways, as many as you have, be sure to add the end date (family friendly please)

2. Help spread the word about the giveaway link up by grabbing our button, Tweeting or posting on Facebook. (Not mandatory- but it helps get more exposure to your giveaways as well!)

3. Take a moment to enter any giveaway that strikes an interest to you!

If you would  like to follow the  hostesses, we will gladly follow you back! Simply leave us a message to do so.

Featured Giveaways

Where Jesus Slept Children's Book Continental US only Ends 11/25

Cityblock Children's Board Book US only Ends 11/27

Hearts for Hearts Girls Doll US only  Ends 11/30

ZONDERkidz Holiday Book US only Ends 11/30

Thank you for linking up with Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily Reviews, Shelly @ The Attic Girl, and Rena @ An Ordinary Housewife.

An InLinkz Link-up

Exploring Feelings With Teaching Christ's Children About Godly Feelings {A Review and a Giveaway}

We had the opportunity to review Corine Hyman's newest book titled, Teaching Christ's Children About Godly Feelings. This book is actually one in a series of books called "Teaching Christ's Children." We actually reviewed her first book in the series a few years ago, titled, Why We Give Gifts at Christmas Time. The other titles in the series are: What is Love and Teaching Christ's Children About Feeling Angry.

As a member of the launch team, I received a download copy that I read on my computer, though it is meant for a Kindle. This book helps children to identify and deal with feelings in a Godly way. Children are taught that all feelings come from God, so they are okay.

The story is told by young Maurice as he and his classmates go to the amusement park as a reward for doing a good job learning about what God says about feelings. Many different feelings are named, though only 12 have a focus in the story, 1 at the beginning of the story and 11 as Maurice introduces each of his friends and explains what feeling they are experiencing, and why. The feelings that are focused on are: 

• Excited
• Happy
• Worried
• Angry
• Sad
• Scared 
• Loved
• Discouraged
• Jealous
• Lonely 
• Guilty
• Thankful

Here Maurice is introducing Emma, who is happy. Not only does Maurice name the feeling, but also explains how he tells the person is feeling that way and why. This helps children not only know how to identify their own feelings, but to empathize with others, and hopefully be able to help. Each double-page spread also allows the reader to become involved by asking what makes them feel each feeling and how they react. Finally, a Bible verse related to the feeling is shared. A list of each of these Bible verses is also provided at the back of the book. 

This is a wonderful book for getting children to learn about their feelings and how to respond in a Godly way. It would be especially helpful for children who have trouble identifying their feelings or expressing them in appropriate ways. 

Now for the giveaway. Here are the details:

The giveaway includes the following:

• A Kid’s Kindle (you can pick the color)
• A paperback copy of A Prayer for My Family
• A paperback copy of Characters Like Me- Not Your Friend Anymore
• A Kindle copy of It’s A Super-Bad Terrible Day
• A Kindle copy of Teaching Christ’s Children About Godly Feelings

The giveaway ends on November 20th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Disclosure: I received a hardcover copy of  Teaching Christ's Children About Godly Feelings in exchange for my honest review. No further compensation was given. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers.

Where Jesus Slept Children's Book {Review and Giveaway}

We had the great opportunity to receive the new children's book Where Jesus Slept by Norma Lewis, thanks to FlyBy Promotions. I have to admit, I am having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that Christmas is just a little over a month away. Where did the year go? But, I have to admit, this was a sweet book to begin thinking about the Christmas season with. Let's take a look at it.

About the book:

"This is the bed where Jesus slept. This is the straw that lined the bed where Jesus slept." From here, the story builds with each spread, adding a new element and explaining the relationships among the participants and witnesses to the first Christmas. From Jesus sleeping sweetly to the wise men bringing gifts, this charming book reminds readers young and not-so-young of the joyous event we celebrate at Christmastime. Children will love the delightful illustrations and the engaging repetition in this cumulative tale.

About the author and illustrator: 

Norma Lewis is the author of ten books. She lives in Grand Haven, MI, with a marmalade cat named Scalawag. They both love spending time with her six grandchildren, ranging in age from three to twenty.

Illustrated by Katy Hudson

Our thoughts on Where Jesus Slept:

If you know the story of "This is the House that Jack Built" you will understand what is meant by this story being a cumulative tale. However, the book actually has an introduction before getting into this repetitive, rhythmic tale. In fact, I loved that the book both began and ended with a Bible verse.

Here is the opening Bible verse.

Then the story opens with a view of the stable with the city of Bethlehem in the distance. The story starts with, "Long, long ago, in a city called Bethlehem, a very special baby was born..."

We then move in for a close up of the manger in the stable as we begin the cumulative tale, "This is the BED where JESUS slept. This is the STRAW that lined the BED where JESUS slept." As each new item or character is introduced, we zoom out a bit more. Each word that names the new element is in capital letters, and they remain that way throughout the story. 

We see all these different elements as they are introduced, except for baby Jesus who isn't pictured until the page that states, "This is the CHILD all swaddle tight born to MARY there in the STABLE that sheltered the COW that shared the STRAW that lined the BED where JESUS slept." After that we move out to the fields where the angel is spreading the news to the shepherds. The star is then introduced as shining bright above the shepherd. Which allows the author to then introduce the Wise Men who are following the light of that heavenly star. The story culminates with the Wise Men giving Jesus their gifts, then we get to see all the people surrounding Jesus in the manger, just like a Nativity scene. 

And of course, there is the concluding Bible verse.

I love that the Bible verses are so prominent. We see the importance of Jesus, the Savior, the Messiah, being born because of God's love for the world. 

I will say, this book follows the traditional tale Jesus being born in a stable and visited by the shepherds and the Wise Men on the same night, though this may not be quite historically accurate. Of course, most children's books of the Christmas story do tell the tale this way, which doesn't bother me, and it does give me the opportunity to share with the children that things might not have taken place quite this way. 

This is a lovely book. The text is in large font, and I already mentioned the word for the each element being all in capital letters. I really appreciated the emphasis of the capital letters, and the boldness of the rest of the font. The rhythmic text was fun to read. Katy Hudson's illustrations are beautiful. This is definitely a book I can recommend, one I am sure you would love to have to read to your children at Christmastime. 

Where Jesus Slept is a 32 page, hardcover book that retails for $16.99. It is appropriate for preschool and early elementary aged children (approx 4-7 years old).  All of my children enjoyed the book, and they are 4, 6, 8, and 9 years old.

Time for a giveaway!

Great news! I have been given the opportunity to offer a giveaway for one person to win their own copy of Where Jesus Slept written by Norma Lewis, and illustrated by Katy Hudson.

All you need to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below. 

There are only 2 simple mandatory entries, with the remainder of the entries being optional. 

Remember, you do not have to do the extra entries, but they will increase your odds of winning. 

This giveaway is open to Continental US residents 18 and over. 

The giveaway runs November 17th through November 25th.

Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!

 By entering the giveaway, you understand and agree that your contact information will be shared with the sponsor.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Disclosure: I received a hardcover copy of  Where Jesus Slept in exchange for my honest review. No further compensation was given. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers.

Throwback Thursday Blog-Style #126: November 17, 2016

Welcome back to... 

I know, I know, Throwback Thursday seems to be all about sharing pictures from the past, great memories that mean something to you, that you would like to share with others. At least that is how it appears to me. Throwback Thursday wasn't something I was participating in, and then I came up with an idea.

I thought it would be great fun and a help to my blog to share old content, but not just any old content. Each week I will share an old blog post from a previous year, any year, BUT it has to be from the current week (for example, something I've posted around November 17th, from any previous year)  I will go in, edit the post if needed, add a pinnable image if I don't already have one, and share it on Facebook.

Last year I focused solely on review posts for the posts I wanted to share. It was fun remembering some of the review products I had forgotten about. This year I will be focusing on recipes I have shared in the past.

Would you like to join in? You do not need to edit your past post in any way, you don't need to create a pinnable image, though it couldn't hurt, in fact it will help your blog traffic to add quality pinnable images to your posts.

Just go into your archives, choose a favorite post from this current week from any previous year, and link it up below. (If you don't have anything from this current week, it is still okay to link up with a post from a previous year around this time. And if you haven't been blogging for a full year, feel free to share any earlier post.)

Please make sure to share from the past as instructed above if you would like your post to qualify for the Featured Post. Most weeks I find that there is a wonderful post, but I can't feature it because it is a current post, not from the past. I love reading the current posts, if you want to share them. However, I am not able to feature them, because the spirit of Throwback Thursday Blog-Style is to share posts from the past.
Thank you

I will be pinning posts to my appropriate Pinterest boards and will be randomly selecting a Featured Throwback Thursday post to share next week. Just a note, I will be sharing a picture from your post if you are selected as the featured post, but I will link back to your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. By linking up you are giving me permission to use your picture in the post. 

Here is my Throwback Thursday post:

Originally posted November 6th, 2015
Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen #126: Stovetop Cornbread

Here is this week's randomly selected

Featured Throwback Thursday:

Cheryl from The Long Way to Go shared When the Thief Happens to Be Your Child

To participate, link up below. It would be great if you could visit several of the other posts that have linked up. Stop by, comment, and pin images so we can help each other.

If you would like to help spread the news:

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Happy Throwback Thursday!

An InLinkz Link-up

Wordless Wednesday: November 16, 2016 (w/linky) : Meeting the New Grandbaby

And visiting the other grandchildren of course.

Aunt Tabitha wanted her turn to hold the baby of course.

Aunt Amelia's turn.

Proud aunties.

Had to give the uncle his chance, with a little help from grandma.

Aunt Hannah's turn now.

Finally got proof that the baby had eyeballs behind those eyelids, right before we had to leave.

Looking forward to seeing your Wordless (or not so wordless) Wednesday posts this week.

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An InLinkz Link-up