Christmas Swap Shop!

I’ve been out to this quarterly swap shop twice now and been amazed both times at the great stuff I found for my family, and thankful for a place to pass along my no longer needed stuff to someone else who can enjoy it. A free exchange of goods — brilliant!
When: December 9th* and 10th **

*Donation Drop off is Friday, Dec 9thfrom 10am-7pm
**Swapping is Saturday, Dec 10thfrom 9am –1pm

What is a Christmas Swap Shop? It is an event where moms swap out things they no longer need with things they do. While the main focus of the Christmas swap is TOYSfor all ages, you can also swap gently used clothing, shoes, and books. If you wouldn’t be ashamed to give to someone you know, we’ll accept it. Items are for swap, not for sale.

Who:The event is hosted by Authentic Moms, a local Christian mom’s group, whose desire is to follow 1 John 3:16-18 and love with actions and truth, not just words and speech. The event is FREE and open to ALL!

Questions? Contact authenticmoms@gmail.com

Where:The Elburn Community Center Gym, 525 N. Main Street, Elburn, IL
If you are in need and do not have items to swap, please come anyway and be blessed with God’s provision. All items not swapped will be donated to charity.

SciTech happenings

Drop & Shop Days

Friday Nov. 25,  $65

Sunday Dec. 4th  $50
Sunday Dec. 11th  $50

from 9 am to 3 pm
Before and after care available!

Drop off your kids off at SciTech Museum in Aurora. You hit the mall and shop for the holidays while the Kids have fun at SciTech Museum!
Fun, food and “edutainment” for less than the cost of a babysitter! Learn More
December’s “Can’t Miss” Event!

Murder at SciTech Cafe
Dec. 9  6:30 pm
Individual Tickets for $75
Sponsor Table $1,000
A film noir spoof!  Buy a ticket or your very own Table!  Elegant Dinner, musical show, art show, silent and live auctions too!  Proceeds benefit the SciTech Museum and our amazing new science based preschool. Buy your tickets here.

More December Events- all Free with admission to the Museum!

  • The SciTech Discovery Preschool and SciTech Cafe Ribbon Cutting ceremony. Dec. 1st, the Public is invited. SciTech Discovery Preschool is one of the first S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) based preschools in the country and the first in Illinois. Celebrate its official ribbon cutting along with the new SciTech Cafe!
  • Trim the Tree Day Dec. 10th from 10 am – 5pm
  • A Day with Santa Dec. 17th from 1-4 pm.
  • Winter Break Camps: Two day camps on Dec.27-28 & Dec. 29-30. Ages 6-8 and 9 and up. Choice of 3 camps: Ultimate Predator, Totally Ballistic and SciTech Theatre Workshop! Tons of Scientastic Fun over Winter Break!
  • A Family Friendly New Year’s Eve on Dec. 31, from 1-4 pm.

Learn more about SciTech Museum events here.

Scholastic Warehouse Sale

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Scholastic Book Fairs Warehouse Sale Event

Another great warehouse sale over at Scholastic, just in time for the holidays.

Click their link to check out a location near you with dates and more info. If you register online you also get a coupon for either $10 off $50 purchase or $25 off $100. Spending $50 is pretty easy, and gets you a ton of books to use for your home library or gifts for kids, or whatever you need them for.

The video on the site gives you an idea of what to expect if you have not been to one of their sales before. It is an open warehouse with enormous row after enormous row of books at discounted prices, aka homeschoolers’ heaven.

Free concert for kids

SteveSongs of PBS Kids – Free Concert in Deerfield

What: SteveSongs Concert
When: Saturday, November 19
11:00 a.m.
Cost: FREE SHOW!

Where: Wonder!
250 S. Waukegan Rd, Deerfield

Great fun for all ages, but perfect for ages 2-10!

Join Steve on an entertaining and interactive musical journey as he
performs creative songs and stories from his Parents’ Choice Gold
Award Winning releases Marvelous Day and On a Flying Guitar, along
with favorites from PBS Kids and his other popular CDs. Kids can sing,
dance, laugh, and have fun with Steve’s dynamic performance and
engaging songs.

www.stevesongs.com

Find Steve at www.stevesongs.com or at www.facebook.com/stevesongs

Find Wonder! at www.shopwonder.com or at www.facebook.com/wonderstores

Midwest Museum of Natural History

Midwest Museum of Natural History

Join the museum for Around the World in 90 Minutes. It is an action packed show given by Marty Essen.  It is one-part theater, one-part lecture, one-part comedy, and one-part slide show. It features interesting facts, humorous stories, and the best of thousands of photos taken while traveling the world for his multi-award-winning book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. From swimming with piranhas to surviving a hippo attack, Essen’s high energy presentation is a unique exciting and educational opportunity.

Who:Suitable for ages 8 to adult.

Where: Sycamore State Street Theatre
420 West State Street, Sycamore, IL, 60178 — right across the street from the museum

Cost:  Tickets are $9 per person or $7 for museum members

When: Tuesday November 15th at 7pm

Guitar Lessons

Guitar Fundamentals is a leader in providing group guitar lessons for park districts and after school programs for the Chicagoland area.

They are interested in offering classes to home schoolers in the area as well.

For more information . . .

Call:  630-664-1504

Email: smathison2@comcast.net

Or check out their webpage: www.guitarfundamentals.org

Homeschool classes at Burpee Museum

Homeschool classes coming up in Rockford. They have these available each month, and look like some great topics. I like that the teacher is a former homeschooler as well. You’re not stepping into a class with a teacher that doesn’t understand where you or your kids are coming from. That’s a great plus!

From the Burpee Museum website:

Education : Home School – Fall 2011

Burpee Museum has been offering classes for students who are home schooled for over 9 years. The current teacher home schooled her own four children, has extensive experience as a teacher in a local home school co-op, and has been on the education staff at Burpee for 7 years.

Classes are for 9 – 13 year olds and Workshops are for 6 – 9 year olds. Participants can sign up for the entire month, or pick and choose which classes to attend. These classes are inquiry based; hands-on activities and experiments are the core of all classes. The curriculum is based on the AIMS (Activities Investigating Mathematics and Science) and GEMS (Great Explorations in Math and Science) curriculums. Students will measure, estimate, observe, predict, classify, and gather and record data.

Burpee Museum reserves the right to limit enrollments or cancel any class. Every effort will be made to notify registrants when a class is cancelled.

November

When: Tuesday 11/8 2.00– 4.00 pm

Cabbage Chemistry

For 9 – 13 year olds
Students delve into proportions working with cabbage juice to study chemistry.
Pre-registration and payment is required
Call Education Department 815 965 3433 ext 1020 to register
Fees: $12 per child members, additional siblings $9 per child
$16 per child non members, additional siblings $13 per child

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Tuesday11/22 2.00– 4.00 pm

Household Mysteries: What’s Lurking in Your Cabinet?

For 9 – 13 year olds
Students bring household chemicals from home and determine if they are acid or base, to develop a new understanding of chemistry.
Pre-registration and payment is required

Call Education Department 815 965 3433 ext 1020 to register
Fees: $12 per child members, additional siblings $9 per child
$16 per child non members, additional siblings $13 per child

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Tuesday 11/29 2.00– 4.00 pm

Become a Field Biologist

For 9 – 13 year olds
Experience field biology techniques and data collection to study animal behavior.
Pre-registration and payment is required
Call Education Department 815 965 3433 ext 1020 to register
Fees: $12 per child members, additional siblings $9 per child
$16 per child non members, additional siblings $13 per child

Review: The Christmas Lodge

Starting in November we begin to rewatch our favorite Christmas movies. We have a new one to add to the mix from now on — Christmas Lodge.

Thomas Kinkade Presents: Christmas Lodge [DVD]

Synopsis:

Thomas Kinkade presents Christmas Lodge: a place where a heart-warming past and loving future meet for one remarkable group of people. During a weekend trip to the mountains, Mary (Erin Karpluk) finds herself at the now- dilapidated lodge where she spent the holidays with her family growing up. She becomes determined to restore the building to its former glory. Inspired by her grandfather and guided by her grandmother in heaven, Mary throws herself into the project, and during the process finds herself drawn to Jack (Michael Shanks), a handsome man who loves the lodge as much as she does. Historically unlucky in love, this chance encounter allows Mary to renew her faith in life and discover her one true love. For an uplifting story about the importance of faith, family and the true holiday spirit, go to the Christmas Lodge.

We enjoyed this film. A heart warming tale that everyone in the family can enjoy together. We all have our own treasured family traditions and this film was a great reminder to hold tight to them and keep their memories alive. A movie with a slightly romantic story line, but not one that would keep my kids from watching. The family talks about their faith in the everyday and takes on the rebuilding of the Christmas Lodge as one that is synonymous with saving the family heritage and even a spiritual calling.In our house we enjoy watching the reality TV shows that show home renovations, so this gave us a little taste of that without the bleeped out profanity or stress of cameras videotaping amateurs.

I appreciated that the PDA did not go beyond hand holding and an occasional hug. They even emphasized that dating couples had separate hotel rooms, a novel idea in this day and age. On the other hand, I did find it a little odd as they seemed to over-spiritualize the construction project of a run down building, but the importance of family and passing on a legacy was a point well made.

The more films we have on our shelf that we can pull out without hesitation the better. And, we have been known to watch Christmas movies in July, so don’t think this is relegated to a seasonal movie only.

And, of course these fun Fly Propeller reviews often come with a giveaway, and I do get to give one of these DVDs away to one reader. So, if you would like to enter to win your own copy of the Christmas Lodge DVD please leave a comment on this post with an email address at which I can reach you. The contest will close Monday evening and I will draw a random winner at that time.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Brain Nutrition Lecture

The following information received via email (Thank you, Shannon, for passing this along!)

Parent Lecture:  Brain Nutrition 101 – Tuesday November 8th, 5:00 – 6:30 pm

“You are what you eat” is especially true when it comes to brain
development. Explore the brain/gut relationship & what happens when
the brain becomes imbalanced. Learn about Functional Disconnection
Syndrome and nutrition’s role in correcting brain imbalances to help
children overcome behavioral, social, emotional, and academic
struggles.  Seating limited for this free event.

Please call 847-821-1328 to RSVP

Presented by Dr. Jeremy Fritz, a Clinical Nutritionist and a
Functional Medicine Practitioner with an emphasis on Childhood
Neurobehavioral and Developmental Disorders.  He is board a board
eligible Chiropractic Neurologist with the American Chiropractic
Neurology Board and the Executive Director of the Brain Balance Center
of Vernon Hills

Who:  Brain Balance Achievement Center

Where: College of Lake County
1120 S,. Milwaukee Ave
Vernon Hills,  IL 60061

Email: info@brainbalancechicago.com

Website: www.brainbalanceVH.com

Phone: 847-821-1328

Primary Contact Person: Cindy Adams