BRIGHT IDEAS PRESS E-ZINE VOLUME 1 ********************************************* Thank you for subscribing to the Bright Ideas Press E-Zine. Our mission is to make available practical, fun, and affordable geography, history and science materials. Bob and I want to encourage and equip you with news, information, and ideas to make your homeschooling journey easier. Each issue (sent sporadically!) will have tips and suggestions that will be both informative and FUN. We know how busy you are, so we'll jump right in! This month the focus is on geography; next month it will be on history. ********************************************* Table of Contents ********************************************* 1. Geography Quiz - upper 2. Geography Quiz - elementary 3. Geography Definition 4. Kuwait 5. Camel Spiders 6. Christmas & Geography 7. Teaching Tip & From Our Readers 8. Announcing: WHOLE HOG!! 9. Talk-A-Latte 10. December Specials - 2 great deals! 11. Homeschool Chat ********************************************* 1. Geography Quiz Take the December Geography Quiz at About.com! This is most appropriate for upper levels - and parents! http://geography.about.com/library/quizb1120102.htm ********************************************* 2. National Geographic Geobee According to this site: "Each day we'll post five new questions from the National Geographic Bee. Some of the questions are real stumpers, but it's okay if you miss a few - you can play as often as you like. Come back every day for brand-new questions and another chance to beat the Bee!" This is great fun! www.Nationalgeographic.com/geobee ********************************************* 3. My favorite definition of geography comes from National Geographic: "A knowledge of place names, location of cultural and physical features, distribution and patterns of languages, religions, economic activities, population and political systems. Physical regions and physical phenomena, such as tectonic activity, landform, climate, bodies of water, soils and flora and fauna. The changes in places and areas through time, including how people have modified the environment. Cartographer's tools, such as maps, instruments, graphs and statistics are also a part of geography." ********************************************* 4. Each month I'll send interesting info your way. This month our oldest son, JB, is home on leave from a 6 month deployment in Kuwait. He had great fun grossing me out with his stories of the infamous camel spiders. In his honor, I'm passing along links to sites with pictures and info on this outrageous creature. Look up Kuwait on your world map and read a little about it at this great site: www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ku.html ********************************************* 5. Camel Spiders - Links **Before sharing with your children, view the images yourself to see if they are appropriate. www.af.mil/news/Jul2002/n20020726_1187.shtml **A picture is worth . . . http://mamba.bio.uci.edu/~pjbryant/biodiv/spiders/Solifugid.htm ********************************************* 6. Christmas and Geography Here are a few ideas to help you to incorporate geography into your Christmas preparations: A. Map the Christmas story. Using your favorite account from the gospels, follow Mary and Joseph's journey on a map. Or, use an outline map and fill in their journey as you read about it. Seeing this familiar story develop on a map cements the events as having happened in a real time and place. This is not only a good geography exercise (which can be used with many Bible accounts) but also excellent for bolstering our faith. A good Bible atlas is an important tool for this type of activity. B. Read about countries where Christians are not allowed to openly celebrate Christmas or share their faith. Find them on a map and make an effort to pray for God's work to be done there. C. Send someone in the military (active or retired) a Christmas card. If active duty, take note of where they serve and mark it on a map. D. For younger children, look up info on the animals spoken of in the Christmas account. Tying the Bible in with things children are familiar with helps them to see the "realness" of Scripture. Older students might enjoy finding out what other kinds of animals live in the Mideast. It's fun to take a blank outline map and draw in animals where they live. E. Read about Christmas in other Lands. Here is a site that explains Polish Christmas customs. There is a link at the bottom of the page that speaks specifically about their special Christmas foods. Carp, anyone?! It is so interesting to learn about other cultures and customs and this kind of information provides plenty of fodder for family discussions. What are your Christmas traditions and why? www.bellaonline.com/articles/art669.asp ********************************************* 7. Teaching Tip Keep a current world map up on the wall or under a clear plastic tablecloth on your kitchen table. Refer to it when discussing current events or where Grandma lives. Little, regular, doses of geography go a surprisingly long way! From our Readers: It means so much to me when ya'll write and offer encouragement! Here is an excerpt of a letter I just received from Robin in Mississippi: "Dear Maggie, Recently I phoned Bright Ideas Press (not expecting to really talk to you) and had a blessed and encouraging conversation. Thank you for the time you took to share tips for teaching my boys. In my home education journey I value the wisdom of those who have trod before me - especially if they have boys! Your idea of a family history notebook was super and has sparked my enthusiasm and theirs as well. Our timeline is going great! Your resource, "Hands-on Geography" has been and is a super one. What great ideas! Thanks!" ********************************************* 8. Whole Hog! Robin's testimonial leads right into this announcement! Heather Idoni, of www.Homeschoolingboys.com offered to launch a discussion group for homeschooling families who'd like to share about ideas about geography. Here's the description from the Yahoo site: "Want to incorporate learning geography in the midst of your everyday life? Let's talk about the nitty gritty of hands-on-geography and the excitement of learning about the God of Creation and His great Earth. . . right along with our children! Inspired by Maggie Hogan's 'Hands On Geography' (H.O.G.) and the 'Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide,' this group is all about families sharing ideas!" Interested? You can sign-up now by sending a blank email to: Whole_HOG@yahoogroups.com ********************************************* 9. Talk-A-Latte Talk-A-Latte is coming to Delaware! Tired? Weary? Or just looking for new ideas?! This homeschooling moms' retreat is for you (and your girlfriends!). Coming Jan. 17th and 18th. Pass it on to your friends in DE, MD, NJ & PA! Makes a great Christmas gift! www.talkalatte.com Want to bring Talk-A-Latte to your town? Email me for more info! ********************************************* 10. December Specials at www.BrightIdeasPress.com A. In honor of the launch of WHOLE HOG discussion group we are offering $2.00 off Hands-On Geography for the month of December only! B. Outline maps sound intriguing? Get the best book of outline maps available, now for 25% off! Uncle Josh's Outline Map book - normally $19.95, on sale in December for $14.95. These specials are only good for the month of December and must be phone orders. Mention this special from the Bright Ideas Press E-Zine! While shopping, check out our inexpensive Student Bible Atlas - a bargain at $6.95! Look for great Christmas gifts for the kids like Fandex Field Guides and the very cool World Wise Geography Card games! ********************************************* 11. Homeschool Online Chat Interested in chatting with me on Saturday nights? Check at the schedule at HomeschoolChat.US, a safe haven specifically for Christian homeschool families. www.homeschoolchat.us ********************************************* We appreciate you, our customers. Feel free to contact us: Bright Ideas Press 877.492.8081 contact@BrightIdeasPress.com www.BrightIdeasPress.com Have a Blessed Christmas! Maggie Hogan