I know you all like to be reminded that winter is just around the corner, right? Well, none the less, those of you with older kids might enjoy this film coming to select theaters this weekend.

Snowmen takes on bullying with the aim of stopping it cold, and helping those bullied to see the needs bullies have for a little acceptance as well. Three boys want to accomplish something unforgettable, even if they do rank among the “losers” of the school. When a disturbing discovery in the snow brings them temporary media hype they begin to crave a permanent name for themselves and seek out ways to land themselves in the Guinness Book of World Records regardless of the risk, and the continual threats of the school bully.

The boys’ parents, including your stereotypical money hungry car salesman and a recent transplant from Jamaica, add an interesting element to the character base in the film, as well as a lot of humor. You will laugh, often.

Definitely deserves the PG rating with a dad’s spelling of a profanity (same as saying it in my book), a couple glimpses of dead people, intense bullying (throwing ice balls, punching, tackling, heckling, threatening to cut/injure with skate blade in hand, etc.), and a suspenseful scene with a boy falling through thin ice).

The movie offers lots to talk about around the value of family, respecting other individuals, bullying, and making a difference in the world. Definitely important themes to discuss with your children.

I’m sure this is just the beginning of the holiday movie season, and this is a decent movie that older kids would be able to relax and enjoy.

a humorous and heartfelt coming-of-age story about three unlikely heroes and the winter that changed their lives forever. After a surprising discovery in the snow catapults three small-town boys into the spotlight, the best friends hatch a plan to be remembered forever by setting a Guinness World Records® title. Along the way, the trio battles schoolyard bullies, unites their community and discovers that – while fame may be fleeting – true friendship lasts forever. The film stars Bobby Coleman (Last Song), Ray Liotta (Wild Hogs), Bobb’e J. Thompson (Role Models), Josh Flitter (Ace Ventura Jr.) and Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future).

Disclaimer: I received an online sneak peak of this film as a Homeschool.com tester from Mpower Pictures (Bella, The Stoning of Soraya M.)

Don’t know about age restrictions on this one, but could be a great work project!

17th Annual Day of Caring Breakfast Kickoff

The Day of Caring is fast approaching!  With over 30 projects on tap for our volunteers to complete, this is shaping up to be one of our best years ever.  Remember, the day begins with our Campaign Kickoff Breakfast, graciously hosted by the Grand Victoria Casino.  After the breakfast and program, volunteers will depart to locations around Elgin to paint, clean, plant, mulch, build, and bring smiles to local social service agency staff and clients.

When: Friday, September 9th.  Breakfast doors open at 7:30AM.

Where: Fox River Room, Grand Victoria Casino

Please RSVP to ekojzarek@uwelgin.org if you haven’t already!  Breakfast space is filling up fast, and we want to make sure you have a seat at our table!

Hope to see you there,

Your friends at United Way

The 2011 InHome Conference will be Thursday, March 24, through Saturday, March 26, at Pheasant Run Resort and Spa in St. Charles, Illinois. Registration is open.

Attend the Meet & Greet Event on Thursday!

Thursday, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., in the New Orleans Ballroom, join the fun and make new friends! There will be something for everyone, from craft projects to ice breakers to cooperative games and a scavenger hunt. Win prizes! Choose one or two activities or do them all!

Registration and more contact info on their website.

This is coming quickly, so if you are interested in attending, jump on their website soon to register your family.

Just a quick request . . .

For those of you that do not already, would you take a minute to click on the “Connect with us here” icon in the sidebar. It will just take a minute, but it is a huge favor for me as it helps us have a more accurate picture of how many people are really connecting with resources, people, and information through our website. I hope that this website is a help to you as you homeschool and seek out resources to help you in that endeavor. Connecting publicly can be an easy way to say “Thanks.”

To those of you that already follow, thank you so much for doing so!

Thank you for taking a minute to show your support here.

As always, please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you out further. If you have suggestions or additions that you would like to see to the website, or events you think others would like to know about, please let me know. I love to hear from you about what you love (and what you don’t . . .) about this website and the resources posted here.

Thank you!!!

~Erin

Sincerely,

The BOOK IT! Team

My kids have definitely enjoyed their share of online “worlds” in recent years, and they were excited to try out another one.

Tiny Planets has  a Sesame Street feel to it while giving kids a safe place to play and explore. The site has a vast amount of information including lesson plans, science information, as well as games. Kids enjoy playing around on it and parents can find information and helpful teaching tips.

Product: Tiny Planets

Details: A website with activities and fun for kids. Membership is free, but you can purchase keys to unlock various features on the site. Various sections of the site offer learning opportunities, fun games, videos, picture stories, science information, and a galaxy filled with adventure for each “cadet” to explore in their space ship.

Price: Free, but additional purchases of keys will add to the enjoyment of this site

What we loved . . .

• Entertainment. Yes, it was fun. My kids all enjoyed a little mental break as they roamed the universe. Flying their space ships around allowed them to play games, build their own planet, and “shoot” things. My 5 year old enjoyed the shots which look like fireworks and don’t cause any damage. Not something I want him sitting around doing all day, but it was not the focus of the game either.
• Free. No cost to sign up your kids, and they can find lots of fun activities.
• Educational content. There is information on various planets, space discovery, and other educational information. There is a lot of information throughout the site that is targeted at different ages. Some is definitely for preschoolers (fun activities with mirrors) while other sections would be geared toward middle school (like when they discuss the different gases in the atmosphere on various planets).
• Safe. They have taken some important steps to make a safe place for kids to play on the internet. There are no ad pop ups to worry about. Kids can only chat with pre-chosen phrases. And, even the cadet names are assigned by the program (although you can flip through them if you don’t like the first one) so you don’t need to worry about those sometimes questionable names that other kids come up with on internet worlds.

Some considerations . . .

• Can cost money. If you enjoy this and want your child to get the full experience you will have the option of purchasing keys. These range in price from $1.95 for 10 up to $49.95 for 600 (and various denominations in between). These can be used for unlocking videos, books, space ship parts, planet decorations, etc.
• The educational value could easily be skipped.  When my kids got on the site all they wanted to do was fly around and play games or build their planets. They didn’t spend time reading the books, printing the worksheets, reading the articles on the planets, or even watch the videos. They just wanted to play games. So, while the content is there, it is in a separate place where kids might not necessarily go looking for it unless steered there by an adult.
• Based on aliens. Although it is a make believe world, I would have preferred an astronaut as the guide rather than aliens. They are cute and cuddly, but are definitely not my first pick for my children’s teachers.
• Names are a little funny. I’m glad that my kids didn’t have to pick their own names (which usually ends up as some weird variation of their original name with lots of letters and numbers after it to find a user name that hasn’t already been used). But the names were still long and not always easy to remember (Electro Dragon, Buzzy Whale, Rowdy Butterfly, etc.)

Tiny Planets has some fun to offer kids of a variety of ages. While I wouldn’t use this as part of our school day activities, it was a fun, safe place for them to spend some of their free time. Cadet accounts are free, so you might enjoy checking it out as well.

For more TOS Crew reviews on this product, check out the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through Tiny Planets as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.

It’s not next door, but I have heard this conference is worth the drive. We do have lots of great conferences coming up right here in Chicago a little later in the year, but if you love to have the company of thousands of homeschoolers at a massive conference, grab some friends and head to Cincinnati!

Free download at Amazon for Veggie Tales The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree.

Definitely a limited time offer, so check it out right away!

Starting with The Sound of Music at Timothy Christian in Elmhurst, CYT (Christian Youth Theater) kicks off another great season of performances around the Chicago area starring young people of a variety of ages.

You can see the whole year at a glance, or check out the shows in your area. I have attended a number of their shows over the years and have always had a great experience. My kids have honestly enjoyed every single one of them.

Ticket prices start at just $5 each for school day performances (for groups over 75 people). If seats are available you can often buy walk in tickets to a school day performance for $10.

This year you can also enjoy productions of Narnia, The Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, Robin Hood, Godspell, Annie, Cinderella and many more.

And, if your child is more the participant than the spectators, he might enjoy the classes they have available to give him a taste of the stage.